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I make it ten...but others may know better. 031,059,082,085,099,112,116,118,121 and 125. I make it eight 444s left in SWT livery...004,009,026,033,035,039,044 and 045. Am I correct everyone?

That is what is in the RM today.

Looks like cut up so far are...202/203/204/207/209/210/214/216/219/220. Possibly one coach each left of 216 and 204. Still on view yesterday were...201/205/206/208/217 and some individual coaches in the cutting area.One other complete unit in the line of three that has blue 201 at the far end.

The endless circle of woe that is the 701 units. Money usually oils a few wheels...pun intended.

If several have been 'accepted',why can't a few start crew training right away? Could this be on simulators or with real units? Unless of course the unions still won't 'accept' them,in which case the unknown length of the string gets even longer. Tune in new week/month/year for the continung...

The farce continues. Lawyers fees,storage costs,cost of extending leases on the old stock,movement costs,interest payments,build costs,delayed staff training,changed travel patterns post Covid...a very long and not very impressive list is it ?

I saw 701040 passing Southampton today. Last I knew that one was at Worksop...when did it come south?

701051 out on test yesterday.

When are the 769s due to enter service on the NDL ?

Not good news for the IOW. Currently trains can't run to Pier Head (pier repairs not done when the line was closed !) and units can't run in pairs (power supply issues !),and the service pattern still does not link with the ferries. After the route upgrade which overran by some margin,the large...

Who is actually making these rolling stock decisions? It could be a very interesting 2023.Is driver training usuallly done on overtime?

Reminds me of the rush to diesel in the late 50 and early 60s. Lots of untested kit put on the main line(or not with most of the Vivarail projects) then costing the railway a fortune.Why not fully test the kit away from the real railway and then bring it to market shaken down and with mileage...

Could anyone explain who pays for what at present on 'the passenger railway'? Fares revenue goes straight to the government coffers,and SWR are operating under a contract with wafer thin profit margins. Who pays for this refurb ? Also what incentive have SWR got to grow custom as they won't see...

There may be a gap in the market,but is there a market in the gap as they say ? I'm not taking any pleasure in the fact things have gone sour.The fast charge battery tech was very appealing for a project my colleagues talked to them about.Hopefully staff can find new positions doing something...

From my armchair they always seemed to over-promise and under-deliver. Mainly testbeds and vanity projects? Perhaps the 'new railway' has pulled the plug on funding these projects? The cold wind has started to blow...

Crash-worthiness of the HSTs is also an issue I understand.The accident in Scotland did not show them in a good light.Were not the unions north of the border reluctant to use them after that tragedy? As for Portsmouth-Cardiff,the route has huge passenger potential but is sadly always a...

Could someone who is across this ever-lengthening saga produce a flow chart of where we are now,and how we have got here with these units please? Given the additional costs of keeping the old stock in use,the build and snagging costs of the 701s,the cost of storing them,the likely degradation of...

Is that confirmed about the 158/159 situation?

Unit 701049 was seen passing Winchester yesterday. Imagine a car manufacturer building a model riddled with a length of faults in this day and age ! One hopes the 5 car units are being built a bit better by now ? Just who sends them out the door at Derby fit for service?

Do we know the official position from SWR ? The 701 'can' has already been kicked down a very long road.Perhaps the issue is now more related to human resources matters than faulty equipment issues ? As you say,everyone else seems to be able to intruduce new fleets,some quicker than others...