Recent content by BuryBlue

I hope the Sunday service improves. Right now I am sat in my work break room waiting for the 21.02 home, having missed the 19.02 from Ipswich!

Yes, this change has not been initiated by the railways, however, but by years of governments trying to force the idea that ramming young people by any means possible into university was the best way to increase social mobility and remove a percieved skills shortage, despite many of these new...

Yes but if they're caught short (as speculated here) then they will just keep a few units knocking around while the situation is remedied. I don't mean a whole fleet. Regarding the 321s, if the ROSCOs think such a situation is likely in the medium term then couldn't they just store them until...

The 319s are already starting to hit the tail end of the bathtub curve and I bet the managers at ATN are silently fist pumping now that they can probably get DDA compliant stock which doesn't need an extensive refurbishment. The 321s will be 31 years old when they leave service with Anglia...

That is shocking!

And in fairness, if that's "all" AGA is getting, they haven't said what they're going to get rid of yet. If there's an intercity train shortage there's quite a few options available: Keep some 90's and Mk3s Take a few of the IC225/Mk4s from VTEC - recently refurbished to good standard as a...

That's capitalism. They will have to make prices competitive enough so that a new rolling stock order is not cheaper to do.

Not only that but as lines get electrified - The Chiltern Main Line for example - any parked up EMU stock like our 360s as an example will be used, while the DMUs there would enable the Sprinters to be scrapped. Perfectly good EMUs mid-life will not be scrapped, they will be stored until they...

I can see what you're saying but the market will stop that happening, because if they push EMU hiring costs too high then new rolling stock will outcompete the older stuff.

There's a market abroad too, lest we forget. Thai Railways use 360s right now I believe.

The Turbostars are needed elsewhere. I recall recently having to go to Birmingham and going all the way via London in order to avoid being on a crowded XC Turbostar. They can be used to augment fleets elsewhere. May I mention that just recently people were concocting plans for short form HSTs...

Once again mate you're just not looking at the big picture. The DfT are using the opportunity to retire the most elderly of fleets on the rest of the network and also solving the DMU problem, all in one hit. It's a good bit of forward planning because between the 360s, 365s, and the DMU fleet...

Yes, but you're criticising the new fleet the regional routes are getting. I live on such a route (guess which one) and recently I've had to commute to Ipswich to work, and too many times I have got to the platform to find a 153 or even a bus replacement. I can't wait to get some new units...

They shouldn't be. They've done exceptionally well with the fleet and short franchises they've had.

You have tunnel vision. The DfT are clearly using this franchise opportunity to modernise fleets across the country; the cascaded 360s and other designs can allow the oldest stock elsewhere to be scrapped. There's still 319s, 153s, Pacers knocking around years ago. And also signalling to the...