197s allocated on the Cambrian Line

[cleatus_1]

Every now and then there will be some 197s allocated to go all the way from Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, or Holyhead to Birmingham International.

They were shown on open data sources at around 01:00 However, as expected, in the morning they are either all switched to 158s, or swapped at Shrewsbury from 197 to 158.

This had happened before the December 2024 Timetable Change and still occasionally occurs.

Why don't TfW just allocate 158s in midnight to all Birmingham services, instead of allocating them as 197s and then changing them to 158s?

 

[WAB]

Every now and then there will be some 197s allocated to go all the way from Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, or Holyhead to Birmingham International.

They were shown on open data sources at around 01:00 However, as expected, in the morning they are either all switched to 158s, or swapped at Shrewsbury from 197 to 158.

This had happened before the December 2024 Timetable Change and still occasionally occurs.

Why don't TfW just allocate 158s in midnight to all Birmingham services, instead of allocating them as 197s and then changing them to 158s?

It appears that units are allocated to diagrams, then the diagrams are chopped and changed to work around the route restrictions.

As the 158 fleet seems to be quite tight at the moment (likely due to the age of the fleet and the two units from the crash being OOU), it will be necessary for 197s to be used where possible to minimise short forms and cancellations.

 

[Lewisham2221]

Every now and then there will be some 197s allocated to go all the way from Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, or Holyhead to Birmingham International.

They were shown on open data sources at around 01:00 However, as expected, in the morning they are either all switched to 158s, or swapped at Shrewsbury from 197 to 158.

This had happened before the December 2024 Timetable Change and still occasionally occurs.

Why don't TfW just allocate 158s in midnight to all Birmingham services, instead of allocating them as 197s and then changing them to 158s?

It's down to fleet availability. Sometimes there aren't enough 158s in the right places to cover all of the diagrams, so a 197 has to be used (currently only on the Holyhead to Shrewsbury section). The 197s aren't yet cleared for use in passenger service towards Birmingham or the Cambrian, so they have to swap units at Shrewsbury, with the 197s heading back towards Chester/North Wales.

 

[Sid Edwards]

Sadly things are very tight particularly with 158's.
Only this morning the first Aberystwyth to Birmingham International was only formed of one unit instead of two as far as Welshpool where it should divide, so the set actually used terminated at Welshpool before returning to Aberystwyth presumably to cover the rest of the diagram whilst a vehicle with pneumatic tyres was substituted as far as Shrewsbury!

At Shrewsbury the missing unit would, after a lengthy stand, combine with another 158 from Crewe to continue to Birmingham International.

For the sake of passengers from the Cambrian line I do hope that the bus arrived in Shrewsbury before the train left for Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

Even before the mishap at Talerddig TfW were short of 158's but losing two more is obviously making things too tight.

My heart goes out to those who are trying to run a service with insufficient resources and part of the blame for this rests with only having a certain limited number of 158's fitted with ERTMS to cover all Cambrian workings.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I did read that the upcoming infrastructure blitz on the Cambrian (March/April) would clear the route for 197s.
No doubt the closure period will also free up some 158s for work elsewhere.

Vital £15m engineering work to close parts of the Cambrian line for 16 days from mid-March

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel on the Cambrian line from mid-March to early April when Network Rail will be carrying out a range of work across a 16-day period.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

As part of a £15 million investment in the railway, engineers will be carrying out multiple track and drainage renewals, a bridge renewal, embankment work, vegetation management and track maintenance across various sites, between Monday 17 March and Wednesday 2 April.

Buses will replace trains:

• Between Newtown and Aberystwyth from Monday 17 March until 9am on Friday 21 March
• Between Machynlleth and Pwllheli from Monday 17 March until 9am on Friday 21 March
• Between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth from 6pm on Friday 21 March until Wednesday 2 April

Network Rail and Transport for Wales (TfW) have worked closely together to maximise the amount of work done while the line is closed, reducing the total impact on passengers by avoiding eight days of further line closures over the next three years.

Closing the railway for this period will allow Network Rail to bring forward work scheduled for 2026 and 2027 and deliver multiple key projects at once, minimising future disruption and saving £1.5 million in the process.

During the 16 days the line is closed, Network Rail engineers will be completing a range of work, including:

• Track renewals: Replacing the existing, life-expired track at sites between Machynlleth and Dovey Junction, and between Machynlleth and Caersws.
• Track maintenance: Carrying out essential maintenance of the track at multiple sites, including between Shrewsbury and Welshpool, and between Caersws and Newtown.
• Embankment strengthening: Stabilising the embankment next to the railway near Talerddig by installing rock netting.
• Bridge renewals: Refurbishing a railway bridge wall at Glantwymyn, between Machynlleth and Caersws.
• Vegetation clearance: Teams will cut back trees and hedges that are either diseased or overgrown and could pose a significant threat to the railway at various sites between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth.

In addition to the continued safe and reliable running of train services along this busy route, the track renewal at Machynlleth station will pave the way for the introduction of TfW’s new Class 197 trains.

 

[Anonymous10]

I did read that the upcoming infrastructure blitz on the Cambrian (March/April) would clear the route for 197s.
No doubt the closure period will also free up some 158s for work elsewhere.

Vital £15m engineering work to close parts of the Cambrian line for 16 days from mid-March

Passengers are being urged to check before they travel on the Cambrian line from mid-March to early April when Network Rail will be carrying out a range of work across a 16-day period.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Perhaps even allow for a maintenance blitz?

 

[rich.davies]

I was on a 4 car 158 at 9am this morning from Wrexham and they were both going to Holyhead. Thought it was a bit overkill to be honest given the shortage of them.

 

[Harpo]

The 197s aren't yet cleared for use in passenger service towards Birmingham or the Cambrian

Has there even been any training for Mach’s traincrew yet?

 

[Lewisham2221]

Has there even been any training for Mach’s traincrew yet?

Not that I'm aware of, happy to be corrected though!

 

[D365]

Has there even been any training for Mach’s traincrew yet?

Not that I'm aware of, happy to be corrected though!

I’m not aware that the Class 197 ETCS fitment is commissioned / signed off, let alone ready for crew training.

 

[berneyarms]

I was on a 4 car 158 at 9am this morning from Wrexham and they were both going to Holyhead. Thought it was a bit overkill to be honest given the shortage of them.

Do you not think that the return working from Holyhead might justify the four coaches?

 

[800001]

Every now and then there will be some 197s allocated to go all the way from Aberystwyth, Pwllheli, or Holyhead to Birmingham International.

They were shown on open data sources at around 01:00 However, as expected, in the morning they are either all switched to 158s, or swapped at Shrewsbury from 197 to 158.

This had happened before the December 2024 Timetable Change and still occasionally occurs.

Why don't TfW just allocate 158s in midnight to all Birmingham services, instead of allocating them as 197s and then changing them to 158s?

Never take as gospel allocations done at 1am(ish), always check a good couple of hours later, when set swaps, alterations have been processed by the control team.
The 1am will be the initial allocation of a unit to a set diagram. But due to various reasons needs to operate and swap onto different diagrams during the day.

 

[Snow1964]

I am not sure if upcoming 2 week closure of Cambrian line is for upgrades pending the 197s, but the timing is causing problems due to the closure of A470 and use of line as a school shuttle

Parents have branded the imminent closure of the Cambrian line “ridiculous”.
The rail closure that was announced by Network Rail will close sections of the Cambrian Line from Monday 17 March to Wednesday 2 April, coinciding spectacularly with the planned road works already taking place in Talerddig along the same stretch

School children between Talerddig and Carno had been shuttled to the Cearsws rail station before getting the train to Machynlleth to attend Ysgol Bro Hyddgen.
However the rail closure will affect their ability to get to Machynlleth from Monday 17 March and Wednesday 2 April, with parents asking how authorities expect their children to get to school.

Parents brand rail closure "ridiculous" during 3-month road closure on same stretch

Parents have branded the imminent closure of the Cambrian line “ridiculous”.

www.cambrian-news.co.uk