East-West Rail (EWR) countdown to entry into service

Elecman · 28 Aug 2026

DfT h eon ly themselves to blame for this mess by giving the operation to Chiltern, when EWR was developed the EWR company was supposed to design build and operate the line as a stand alone mini TOC .
Had that happened the RMT would have had no leverage at all as it would have been a separate train company not liked to any other TOC operation

RailUK Forums

800002 · 29 Aug 2026

btdrawer said:
What effect would strike action have on Mk 5a services south of Banbury? Is the TM critical on that section?

Bald Rick said:
The TM is needed. One assumes there are many contingency TMs to enable a service to continue.

There could be a viewpoint taken that southbound, only, towards London there is no TM required (as the driver is not sat in the loco unable to get to the passengers).
However, the door operation of the loco operation precludes this, I believe.

Anyhow, academic. At this point in time the Mk5a would not be operating in passenger service if a strike by the RMT were called.
There would be no TM resource competent to operate them.

Carlisle · 29 Aug 2026

Geeves said:
they could have probably gone down the CSO route ala South Eastern but it wasn't even an option.

Not that easy given RMT also voted for strikes when that OBM role was proposed back in 2008 but I seem to remember a court decision of some kind later prevented the action from taking place.

BBC NEWS | England | Railway workers vote on strikes

news.bbc.co.uk

DarloRich · 5 Sep 2026

There were a couple of special trains that ran along the line on Friday gone.

One was LSL Oxford > Bedford > Euston > Paddington (with 4 x 20's!)

The other was GWR Oxford > Forders > Euston > Paddington

Anyone know what they were about?

swt_passenger · 5 Sep 2026

DarloRich said:
There were a couple of special trains that ran along the line on Friday gone.

One was LSL Oxford > Bedford > Euston > Paddington (with 4 x 20's!)

The other was GWR Oxford > Forders > Euston > Paddington

Anyone know what they were about?

The GWR would possibly be the route learning that’s been mentioned earlier on the previous page, post #1002, where it was split out into its own discussion?

DarloRich · 5 Sep 2026

swt_passenger said:
The GWR would possibly be the route learning that’s been mentioned earlier on the previous page, post #1002, where it was split out into its own discussion?

They wouldn't need to go to Forders or Bedford for that for any reason I can see

swt_passenger · 5 Sep 2026

DarloRich said:
They wouldn't need to go to Forders or Bedford for that for any reason I can see

That’s the only problem I could see too.

CR165022 · 5 Sep 2026

The IET was running under 1Z headcodes and running under LSL so I believe there would have been people onboard? Some kind of charter?

Supercoss · 5 Sep 2026

Bookmark this post until 2031 ,getting ready for through trains from the West to Universal Theme Park station ( Stewartby) the same way the ‘ let’s run to Bedford’ with Azumas under the ECML shut for re signalling guise.
other than single line through Fenny Stratford platform , Ridgmont is only crossover to reverse aside of Forders these days On the branch ,
The Chord Line from Bletchley High Level to Fenny Stratford out of use currently preventing the loco hauled set gaining the branch directly without reversal at MK then again at Bletchley. The IEP took journalist to Mk ahead of diversions later this year with Dolphin Junction renewal .

800002 · 5 Sep 2026

Supercoss said:
The Chord Line from Bletchley High Level to Fenny Stratford out of use currently preventing the loco hauled set gaining the branch directly without reversal at MK then again at Bletchley. The IEP took journalist to Mk ahead of diversions later this year with Dolphin Junction renewal .

It depends on the RA of the class 800.
Isn't it 5+ (I'm thinking RA6)?
The bridge between Bletchley and Fenny Stratford isnt actually out of use. It's been re-designated as RA2, i believe, to allow Chiltern to operate the cl.196 over it.
The cl. 196 being RA2.

alastair · 5 Sep 2026

DarloRich said:
There were a couple of special trains that ran along the line on Friday gone.

One was LSL Oxford > Bedford > Euston > Paddington (with 4 x 20's!)

The other was GWR Oxford > Forders > Euston > Paddington

Anyone know what they were about?

According to Green Signals youtube channel (who were on board) for "industry stakeholders" and DFT to highlight diversionary routes available during forthcoming GWML closures and to show significance of Stewartby area which will serve the new Universal Studios development.

800002 · Monday at 21:10

There's an interesting path in the plan for tomorrow:
5Z96 1347 Tyseley LMD - Oxford Up Carriage Sidings, operated by RA.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03489/2026-09-08/detailed

CR165022 · Monday at 22:03

800002 said:
There's an interesting path in the plan for tomorrow:
5Z96 1347 Tyseley LMD - Oxford Up Carriage Sidings, operated by RA.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03489/2026-09-08/detailed

Will just be a 196 switching depots

800002 · Tuesday at 05:55

CR165022 said:
Will just be a 196 switching depots

First time a 196 has spent the night in Oxford?

Forty29 · Tuesday at 11:55

DarloRich said:
There were a couple of special trains that ran along the line on Friday gone.

One was LSL Oxford > Bedford > Euston > Paddington (with 4 x 20's!)

The other was GWR Oxford > Forders > Euston > Paddington

Anyone know what they were about?

I think the LSL service was just a private charter, just four coaches so a loco for each coach stabled overnight at Reading Train Care depot.
Kicking myself for missing it l live half mile from the line, saw a video of it stood in Chiltern platforms ' at Oxford then thrashing out the station.

JMW146 · Tuesday at 19:15

btdrawer said:
What effect would strike action have on Mk 5a services south of Banbury? Is the TM critical on that section?

The effect is that there would be no Mk5s running

btdrawer · Thursday at 08:58

JMW146 said:
The effect is that there would be no Mk5s running

Yeah I suspected as much but wasn't sure.

Seems like the Mk5s were a retrograde step in some ways - more disruption on strike days.

fishwomp · Thursday at 09:14

Anyone care to share if the ballot has started - as I understand it, employer gets 1 week notice (min), am wondering when we find out the result. 50% need to vote, and then a majority of those who voted need to approve..

I notice it was 'action short of a strike' that they proposed - so that's usually bad for weekend services/RDW (no overtime) depending on the TOC's current arrangement regarding Sundays.

Bletchleyite · Thursday at 09:19

fishwomp said:
I notice it was 'action short of a strike' that they proposed - so that's usually bad for weekend services/RDW (no overtime) depending on the TOC's current arrangement regarding Sundays.

They have balloted for both if I read correctly. Based on past disputes it's likely action short of a strike will be for a prolonged period (i.e. an overtime ban resulting in a load of cancellations) and the strike will be odd days.

fishwomp · Thursday at 09:32

Bletchleyite said:
They have balloted for both if I read correctly. Based on past disputes it's likely action short of a strike will be for a prolonged period (i.e. an overtime ban resulting in a load of cancellations) and the strike will be odd days.

Thanks - wondering when the result is coming. There's zero urgency for RMT and a ballot would give them 12 months of being awkward - but they'll need to slow ball it: no member loses any money from the status quo.. A ban on RDW would start to cost them. DfT, however, continue to impress by their inability to control this and may need a win.

Carlisle · Thursday at 11:49

btdrawer said:
Seems like the Mk5s were a retrograde step in some ways - more disruption on strike days.

Indeed, prior to signing the Mk 5 contracts I wonder why Chilter/Dft didn’t utilise the bit of leverage they actually had by informing the RMT that opting to oppose the method of operation on EWR would result in less or no MK 5s being introduced as additional costs would be required elsewhere.

800002 · Thursday at 13:44

Carlisle said:
Indeed, prior to signing the Mk 5 contracts I wonder why Chilter/Dft didn’t utilise the bit of leverage they actually had by informing the RMT that opting to oppose the method of operation on EWR would result in less or no MK 5s being introduced as additional costs would be required elsewhere.

Back then, there would have been zero service anyway, north of Banbury (as per the previous rounds of strike action by the RMT).
The contingency operation plans had not yet come about (by request of the DfT) when discussions over the replacement rollingstock for the Mk3 vehicles was at an advanced stage.

East-West Rail (EWR) countdown to entry into service

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