New Belmond train in England & Wales

[chrisjo]

Next "scheduled" tours are still:

August 1st, Lakes, showing 'Sold Out', starting with 1Z20, 1548 London Victoria to Keighley & Worth Valley.
August 4th, Wales, showing spaces still available, starting with 1B90, 1548 Victoria to Haverfordwest.

 

[Bob figgis]

The empty coaching stock move from Eastleigh to Stewarts lane for this weekends tour ran into difficulties this morning and was held at Wallers Ash Loops. Back on the move towards Stewarts Lane 3hrs 20 minutes late.

 

[xotGD]

The empty coaching stock move from Eastleigh to Stewarts lane for this weekends tour ran into difficulties this morning and was held at Wallers Ash Loops. Back on the move towards Stewarts Lane 3hrs 20 minutes late.

Arrived 194 minutes late!

 

[RGM654]

And the train (presumably now with its passengers) has just left Victoria, a mere 78 minutes late https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U44808/2025-08-01/detailed
It's not due to reach Keighley until well after midnight, probably now later still.

 

[xotGD]

I don't think I'll be staying up to view it through Airedale.

At least it is running.

Due to depart KWVR at 07:36 tomorrow as 1Z80.

Does anyone know if it spends the night at Keighley, or does it run further up the line?

 

[sh24]

Just 19 late at Watford and plenty of recovery time ahead. Routing is a pretty good track bash!

 

[xotGD]

Just 19 late at Watford and plenty of recovery time ahead. Routing is a pretty good track bash!

I can't imagine many of the passengers have a Baker Atlas tucked away in their Louis Vuitton hand luggage!

 

[chrisjo]

Does anyone know if it spends the night at Keighley, or does it run further up the line?

Looks like the train stays at KWVLR while the loco (which is?) goes for a little snooze at Hunslet and then returns.
1Z20/0Z20/0Z22/1Z80

 

[Maurice Turner]

Has it failed at Fenny Stratford?

 

[MadCommuter]

Has it failed at Fenny Stratford?

I was wondering the same. My Dad is waiting for it nearer Bedford.

 

[chrisjo]

Has it failed at Fenny Stratford?

still there on Traksy

Edit: 19:26, on the move again, now at Woburn Sands nearly an hour late

 

[MadCommuter]

It's on the move again.

 

[Trainspecial]

Appears to have been sat outside Bedford St John’s for the last 30 mins…

 

[MadCommuter]

66744 is leading I can't make the rear 66 out from the video but it's the light blue liveried one so presumably 66748.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Appears to have been sat outside Bedford St John’s for the last 30 mins…

And the rest! Still there on traksy/RTT at 2100, something like 1h30 late, and little chance of making up time with allowances, unless they go direct from Kettering-Leicester-Toton, instead of the booked route via Corby-Melton

 

[MadCommuter]

It's on the move again

 

[DarloRich]

Has it failed at Fenny Stratford?

Not guilty!

I missed this but heard it from a colleagues house while helping out this evening

 

[eastwestdivide]

RTT now showing “This service was cancelled between Bedford St Johns and Keighley & Wvlr due to a problem with the on-board safety systems”

 

[Gloster]

‘You will wake to the sight of the rugged Yorkshire hills, sorry, a car park in Bedford.’

 

[MadCommuter]

RTT now showing “This service was cancelled between Bedford St Johns and Keighley & Wvlr due to a problem with the on-board safety systems”

Wow. What a poor start to this charter. Do they pay delay repay

 

[eastwestdivide]

Be interesting to see whether it gets fixed on the spot, then runs in a new much later path, and whether the guests can stay on board overnight, or get transferred to the luxury of the Bedford Premier Inn (other hotel chains are available)…

 

[xotGD]

Turfed out at Bedford and off to a Travelodge?

 

[chrisjo]

What a poor start to this charter.

The poor start was the first three or four attempts being cancelled before they even left Victoria, with the unfortunate passengers turned away on the platform (or VIP lounge) in at least one instance. Although now I think about it, is today's attempt better or worse than that so far?

Also, do we know for sure that today's actually has paying passengers on it?

 

[MadCommuter]

Fortunate that the Marston Vale services aren't running today as its still blocking the line according to Traksy. I think they are due to run tomorrow though.

 

[Supercoss]

Door interlock issue, passengers being detained to road coaches , talk of stock running forward to Wellingborough to clear the line .

 

[DarloRich]

Be interesting to see whether it gets fixed on the spot, then runs in a new much later path, and whether the guests can stay on board overnight, or get transferred to the luxury of the Bedford Premier Inn (other hotel chains are available)…

Train on move to Wellingborough as a 5Z code. Sadly. The passengers have missed out on a night in Bedford! Ha!

 

[RGM654]

It seems this train should have had a lot more debugging before any bookings were taken. This will have done Belmond's image a lot of no-good.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Also, do we know for sure that today's actually has paying passengers on it?

Good point. You'd expect the problems to hit the news at some point if there were.

 

[MadCommuter]

It seems this train should have had a lot more debugging before any bookings were taken. This will have done Belmond's image a lot of no-good.

They did attempt to put it in service very quickly after it left Hamilton.

 

[chrisjo]

Just seen this in the Financial Times:

https://www.ft.com/content/f6e3e1f4-1c61-448e-acfe-4e51c5515a4f

It says in relation to the July 21st trip:

"However, the night before departure, passengers received an email explaining that Belmond was cancelling the journey due to “unforeseen technical issues related to the door mechanism”.

and

"The cancellation will be costly for Belmond: passengers, some of whom had travelled internationally for the trip, have been offered a refund, compensation for other travel expenses and a free journey on the train in future. The company says it now hopes to launch the train at some point in August."