Should the railway engage in vanity projects, such as the recent Pendolino at Paddington?

[Sparks807Evo]

Moderator note: Split from

Pendolino at Paddington

Anyone know why according to RTT a Pendolino (390016) is scheduled into London Paddington today from West Ealing? Due in at 11.57.

www.railforums.co.uk

Would rather Avanti/DfT spent more time focusing on managing its operational performance (which is on a continued slide recently) than whatever stunt this is.

 

[Benjwri]

Would rather Avanti/DfT spent more time focusing on managing its operational performance (which is on a continued slide recently) than whatever stunt this is.

Doing something like this will make absolutely no difference to their performance.

 

[Iskra]

Wouldn’t it just have been easier to do the press event somewhere on the WCML?

 

[Russel]

Wouldn’t it just have been easier to do the press event somewhere on the WCML?

Nah, the WCML is overdue one of it's almost weekly meltdowns.

 

[BrianW]

Wouldn’t it just have been easier to do the press event somewhere on the WCML?

Is it not a 'GWR' event?
I find it hard to see the virtue of a Pendolino on Brunel's Billiard table- maybe I'm missing something?

 

[TastyMaltesers]

Is it not a 'GWR' event?

And thus the obvious reason why it's not on the WCML!

I find it hard to see the virtue of a Pendolino on Brunel's Billiard table- maybe I'm missing something?

I suppose it was something they could bring in to commemorate "Railway 200 + 1"?

 

[The exile]

Nah, the WCML is overdue one of it's almost weekly meltdowns.

And if you’re doing something related to our great railway heritage, Euston is hardly the place to do it!

 

[fgwrich]

Is it not a 'GWR' event?
I find it hard to see the virtue of a Pendolino on Brunel's Billiard table- maybe I'm missing something?

Wouldn’t be the first time the WCML has appeared on the GMWL…

Even Brunel has once been spotted eyeing up the quality dangly coat hanger traction

 

[BrianW]

I am surprised that Mark Hopwood (GWR MD) preferred to be at some non-event at Paddington rather than this significant event here at Okehampton Interchange shaking hands with the local MP and Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride. Where was the Transport Secretary or Rail Minister?

IIUC the photos were taken on the 'car park' side of the tracks rather than the bus side- anything to be read into that? Are there bike racks on both sides, thinking of the Green representation. https://www.themoorlander.co.uk/new...-town-celebrates-major-rail-milestone-8833535

 

[dk1]

Something to do with last years Greatest Gathering anniversary. All good fun and relieving lots of attention across social media.

 

[Nym]

So we have expensive vanity projects again rather than focusing the time and money on making the railway actually work?

 

[CR165022]

So we have expensive vanity projects again rather than focusing the time and money on making the railway actually work?

Lighten up

 

[Nym]

Lighten up

I hope this phrase is remembered when there isn't money to do critical work, or there "wasn't enough money" to address an issue that resulted in another accident.

 

[dk1]

So we have expensive vanity projects again rather than focusing the time and money on making the railway actually work?

It’ll be peanuts in railway money.

 

[fgwrich]

It’ll be peanuts in railway money.

Indeed, a short drag and some hired in GBRf drivers isn’t going to make a dent in railway safety budgets.

And if anything, it’s probably cost less to do than GBRs Liverpool Street publicity event last week too. Two of these three live on the western, and all the IET has received is some measly vinyl embellishments on its GWR base.

 

[BrianW]

Something to do with last years Greatest Gathering anniversary. All good fun and relieving lots of attention across social media.

''So last year; so what? What will Mark Hopwood's role in GBR be?

 

[edwin_m]

Borrowing a Pendolino for a day (when some will be spare due to the summer service reductions) is trivial compared to last year's exhibition train, which used at least one locomotive for several weeks.

This seems to have been achieved relatively easily, unless people did a serious amount of work behind the scenes. I can't help thinking that running a different electric train under its own power would have involved huge amounts of paperwork a few years ago.

 

[87015]

''So last year; so what? What will Mark Hopwood's role in GBR be?

Quite. Riding around on third party 50s presumably, ordered on taxpayers dime of course

 

[dk1]

''So last year; so what? What will Mark Hopwood's role in GBR be?

Let it go Brian.

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Indeed, a short drag and some hired in GBRf drivers isn’t going to make a dent in railway safety budgets.

And if anything, it’s probably cost less to do than GBRs Liverpool Street publicity event last week too. Two of these three live on the western, and all the IET has received is some measly vinyl embellishments on its GWR base.

Exactly mate. Not sure why some seem so rattled by a bit of PR and good publicity that’s nothing more in this industry than dressing a shop window.

 

[AndrewE]

Let it go Brian.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2026 ==


Exactly mate. Not sure why some seem so rattled by a bit of PR and good publicity that’s nothing more in this industry than dressing a shop window.

because far more people will be p***ed off by their trains being cancelled or drastically short of capacity than the number of people who might be taken in by this rubbish?

"If they can get a Pendolino to Paddington, why can't they run my Midland Main Line express?"

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2026 ==

It’ll be peanuts in railway money.

Not the point, it just adds insult to Injury. Shouldn't they be trying harder on their day jobs?

 

[dk1]

because far more people will be p***ed off by their trains being cancelled or drastically short of capacity than the number of people who might be taken in by this rubbish?

"If they can get a Pendolino to Paddington, why can't they run my Midland Main Line express?"

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2026 ==


Not the point, it just adds insult to Injury. Shouldn't they be trying harder on their day jobs?

Strike action this weekend at Avanti so no doubt all Pendo’s are not needed annyway. Even BR well before privatisation did lots of PR.

 

[Russel]

because far more people will be p***ed off by their trains being cancelled or drastically short of capacity than the number of people who might be taken in by this rubbish?

"If they can get a Pendolino to Paddington, why can't they run my Midland Main Line express?"

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2026 ==


Not the point, it just adds insult to Injury. Shouldn't they be trying harder on their day jobs?

Who are these "people" who will be annoyed by this?

The number of normal, non rail-enthusiasts that will see this will be a tiny percentage of the number of people that travel by train every day, the number that care will be even smaller...

 

[Benjwri]

Who are these "people" who will be annoyed by this?

The number of normal, non rail-enthusiasts that will see this will be a tiny percentage of the number of people that travel by train every day, the number that care will be even smaller...

Not to mention they will have no idea that the train came from Euston, for all they know it'll have been from the GWML anyways.

 

[AndrewE]

Who are these "people" who will be annoyed by this?

How about the people left behind at places like Burton when they can't get into the set open for public use when there is an empty set coupled behind? Or the people who have become aware of the shortage of capacity on EMR because the train they booked has been taken out of the timetable?

The number of normal, non rail-enthusiasts that will see this will be a tiny percentage of the number of people that travel by train every day, the number that care will be even smaller...

If there is no wider publicity than around the enthusiast community then it really has been a complete waste of time and money. If it does get wider publicity then I suspect that it will just wind the disappointed people up.

 

[Nym]

The number of normal, non rail-enthusiasts that will see this will be a tiny percentage of the number of people that travel by train every day, the number that care will be even smaller...

This of course begs the question. Why bother?

 

[dk1]

This of course begs the question. Why bother?

Because it’s a super jolly for all involved and those interested. We’ll look back at the day the Pendo went to Paddington like we do the night one magically visited Kings Cross during those heady days of Virgin Trains.

 

[Carlisle]

This of course begs the question. Why bother?

Was it a First Group event ?

 

[Purple Train]

How about the people left behind at places like Burton when they can't get into the set open for public use when there is an empty set coupled behind? Or the people who have become aware of the shortage of capacity on EMR because the train they booked has been taken out of the timetable?

Who have a perfect right to be annoyed, of course. But I struggle to see how they would be annoyed by a Pendolino ending up at Paddington for part of an afternoon.

It would be like me sitting on the platform at Slough, irritated by yet another infrastructure failure that has left me with a long wait for a train home, and choosing to be annoyed because a bespoke set of points has been installed at Liverpool Street. Not installing bespoke pointwork at Liverpool Street would have absolutely no effect on GWML infrastructure, and, likewise, stopping a 390 from heading into Paddington for a publicity stunt when it isn't needed on its home turf would do absolutely nothing to alleviate the sorry state of affairs on the Midland Mainline, and would have as much effect on passengers being left behind at Burton as at Brighton, Berwick, or Beirut for that matter.

It's not some kind of zero-sum game.

 

[ThePieTrain]

Where is the gap in the electrification between the WCML and GWML? It is presumably possible with a double reverse at Mitre Bridge and Willesden Junction High Level?

I thought this. It would also need to reverse again at North Pole depot.

 

[AlterEgo]

because far more people will be p***ed off by their trains being cancelled or drastically short of capacity than the number of people who might be taken in by this rubbish?

"If they can get a Pendolino to Paddington, why can't they run my Midland Main Line express?"

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 31 Jul 2026 ==


Not the point, it just adds insult to Injury. Shouldn't they be trying harder on their day jobs?

It would take a special kind of dedicated hater to get annoyed by a Pendolino turning up at Paddington.