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If the reporter is just a generalist local reporter it makes sense for them not to understand the difference between overhead and diesel power. As far as they can see it looks and sounds like a truck. Power comes from the overheads as electricity and then a diesel gets switched in to power the...

Ah yes, be jealous of those with better working conditions that were negotiated over time. But this doesn't align with the desires of the Daily Mail owners to return to the days of the landed gentry on top and others merely surviving.

Huge props to the crews and engineers over the previous years if the TSRs are less than one would've expected due to the huge heat right now.

From discussions here it sounds like the Class 800 acceleration rate is capped in software. So it may feel slower but with all the grunt needed to get to 140MPH that max acceleration rate is probably held for much longer. So you get one steady acceleration instead of a peak of quick and then...

So what you're saying it's probably one of us on the forum to blame? ;)

My understanding is the GWR has to pay for the trains provided. Staffing them is up to GWR. That means if they only have enough staff for one 5 car part of the 10 car set then they still have to pay for the full 10 cars. It should also mean that if a train is provided for a service but that...

The handful of times I've been on an 800 recently have been fine. Even with the train at the point of standing room only and the vestibules crushed I felt perfectly fine.

Depending on the cost of other options it seems plausible to me it would still be the cheaper option. And if you limit the power draw for acceleration as the top speed of the bridge is only 40mph according to upthread, then the battery capacity can be pretty limited. Couple it with some slow...

More different stuff to maintain if nothing else. Honestly I think a smallish battery pack would be ideal here. Tie it into a system that automatically towers and raises the pantograph and boom. You've got a relatively simple system that also provides benefits outside of the one application...

With the improvement of battery technology would it be a crazy idea to add a smallish battery to a trainset and use that for such a gapped point? Couple with some sort of auto lowering and raising system for the pantograph like you have on the 800s. A battery could also help be a limp to next...

ETCS should also help squeeze even more trains on. The speed will be a nice to have and help stuff like recovery. The bigger change will be upping the average speed. This has been already noted with the improved acceleration under wires allowing the 800s to essentially meet the original HST...

I would have expected more than 2 years before any real corrosion set in. Is it oddly damp in the Severn tunnel compared to other tunnels? It is an old underwater tunnel after all. Not like a modern bored tunnel with massive concrete segments. Seems totally plausible that there is something...

Cost and time most likely. And the first section would be Didcot to Paddington I imagine.

The lack of speed is hardly the fault of the Class 800. UK regulations don't allow it to go any faster without in cab signalling. And while it's all equipped for that, it still needs to wait for the trackside work to be complete. Whenever that happens to be.

Good enough is good enough. Perfect is a nice to have. Go out and ask the regular travelling public if they've even noticed. I've been on the 800 several times now with the missus and she's made no comment about noise or ride or anything else. As far as she's concerned it's a nice new shiny...

The reasons seem fair and relatively easy to fix. Basically look at putting it somewhere better and make it a bit prettier godammit.

It should be pretty doable in the shop, but you aren't going to be doing it at the platform. Anyways, I agree with the idea of creating a bunch of mid sized 7 car units is terribly short sighted. Too big for off peak, too small for peak, and you can't double up without really running into...

Ideally that's what would be happening. A known amount each year that you can then plan investments around. And if one bit takes a bit longer than expected *cough* GWML *cough* then the later plans are simply bumped back but are still the next to be done.

Once the electrification is complete it will be very interesting to see how the overhead handles inclement weather. Given it's built like a brick ****house I'm expecting it to hold up better.

It does astound me thinking of such trains being worked. However it does look like trains have gone the same way as planes. Passengers tend to prefer frequency above most everything. So more regular smaller trains allows you to better match your journeys with your timetable. Just like we've...