I think that list is for the transfer of the private TOCs to DFTO control, and includes the merged GA/c2c operation.
I doubt it - they are doing mid-life corrosion repairs and re-painting the Class 357s now, now into GBR Anglia livery, but previously into magenta c2c livery. I doubt they’d retire any of them just after spending money on them, and they aren’t life-expired. The contract to do the rest of the ones which haven’t yet been done is already in place. Personally, the only advantage of the Aventras is the plug sockets - the Class 357s have more comfortable seats plus some tables, and the narrowness of the Aventra body makes 3+2 seating more difficult to walk through. The Aventra PIS with the colour screens looks nicer, but the older one in the Class 357s isn’t really very deficient in functionality in comparison.
People tend not to join Facebook groups because they're non-enthusiasts just dying to praise a class of train currently operating.
TfL is lobbying for Heathrow Express to disappear from 2028.
There aren’t enough 720s to replace the 357s. Anyway, as electrostars, the 357s are a very standard and reliable fleet, there is no real reason for them to be replaced for at least 10 years.
I don't subscribe to that, could you share a list?
It isn't a management contract. Heathrow Express is owned and controlled by HAL. Only the train provision and operation is contracted out to GWR by HAL, nothing else.
The bit in bold is what I meant. GWR's provision and operation is done by a management contract from HAL. Presumably HAL would want to keep the HEx going for the foreseeable future (especially with OOC opening) but whether that's through an in-house OA application, a collaboration with another OAO (First again?) or their same deal, just with GBR is something to consider. Probably not in this thread, though.
10cars units are effectively two 5 car units however, so its very rare a single fault on one halve takes out the whole 10 car unit vs two seperate 5 cars coupled up.
They re replacing a number of the original Blackbox screens with newer screens across major stations, over the network bit by bit.
Blackbox are buying displays from Infotec now but continuing to run their own software.
That LTS section is a bit cramped, but I do like the clear link between Romford and Upminster, and this map would've been helpful when trying to explain the route into London during the Stratford fire. The current one just shows the LO line to Upminster IIRC.
Also it fails to mention that the EL doesn’t terminate at Liverpool Street.
And why does Upminster have an Overground roundel but Romford doesn't!
Do all the passing places have to be added manually? Because I guess it can’t get from e.g. Southend Central to Shoeburyness without passing Southend East and Thorpe Bay, but they’re not shown.
Only mandatory timing points (generally major stations or junctions) and applicable conditional timing points (e.g. non-mandatory timing points which a train stops at or where it goes into a loop) are added when a schedule is created. RTT interpolates the missing intermediate stations and junctions on the day of departure, but they are marked in grey because they are effectively guesses rather than actual planned timings.
Definitely not been changed at Romford. Then again that's an Elizabeth line station.
