Abellio GA mk 3 rake shortforms

[47421]

Hi, many of the mark 3 rakes are short formed currently, causing much angst among commuters on Norwich - Liv St route, see @greateranglia on twitter.

In Dec GA said an explanation would be coming as well as info on when sets would be back to booked length but nothing has appeared.

Anyone know what has caused the shortage of TSOs and what GA are doing about it?

Thanks

 

[TheEdge]

Most of them I believe have needed wheel turning which obviously takes them out of service for a while. Also the refurbishment programme has started on them which again takes some out of service.

 

[TheJRB]

The Greater Anglia Mk3s are being refurbished at Wolverton. Apparently they are not in great condition and I believe it's taking longer than expected because of the extent of the work required.

 

[NLC1072]

Also on the short formed sets, the loco chosen to haul these seem to have a motor isolated so aren't running on full power

 

[dk1]

Also on the short formed sets, the loco chosen to haul these seem to have a motor isolated so aren't running on full power

90005 was on 3 legs but as on a load 9 it has minimal effect on performance.

 

[SchnofRail]

90005 has come back from the works as well seen in the abellioGreaterAnglia Livery yesterday at Colchester, and 2 of refurbished coaches came back at the weekend. Plus short forms have been cause by splitting an intercity set to cover DMU operations between Norwich and Great Yarmouth due to shortage of available DMU's.

 

[TheEdge]

Not sure that the short set will impact the main line sets, its been formed up almost constantly since Spring last year using spare Mk3s and a broken DVT whereas the short forms on the mainline are much more recent.

 

[DarloRich]

Some need wheel work and others are away on overhaul. In that case any out of course failure will always impact on fleet availability.

 

[Tottenham Flyer]

The word 'mechanical' really needs to go infront if the word overhaul. As the passengers will see it, the Mk3's are being repainted, and that's really about it. I understand the vestibule carpets are being replaced too.

 

[dk1]

The word 'mechanical' really needs to go infront if the word overhaul. As the passengers will see it, the Mk3's are being repainted, and that's really about it. I understand the vestibule carpets are being replaced too.

So amusing that some think they will come back like new & with plug sockets

 

[DarloRich]

So amusing that some think they will come back like new & with plug sockets

plug sockets shouldn't be beyond the wit of man!

 

[306024]

Every year there seems to be short formed MkIII sets after the Autumn period takes its toll on the wheelsets. And overcrowding is worse as comparatively few people take annual leave in January. Add the short set and the refurb work and you have a quadruple whammy.

 

[colchesterken]

Forgive me for repeating myself, but the one thing I would like to see them do is replace the drab lights
it would not cost too much but would fool the punters
I went on an EC mk 3, and even to an old train spotter it looked like a different train

 

[dk1]

plug sockets shouldn't be beyond the wit of man!

Yes, but far beyond the cosmetic DfT Abellio agreed spend on this temporary fix.

 

[DarloRich]

Yes, but far beyond the cosmetic DfT Abellio agreed spend on this temporary fix.

agreed

 

[Manchester77]

Are the seat covers not even being changed?

 

[Tottenham Flyer]

Are the seat covers not even being changed?

Nope- there's nothing wrong with them. The worn ones will be replaced, and I understand they'll be heavy cleaned- the same as the DMU's were.

The way I've understood it, the MK3's were going to have a massive fancy overhaul, plug doors, plug sockets, the works. But like most other things, the farce from the West Coast has reared its ugly head again. Owing to the uncertainty of what is happening with the franchise, whether Abellio will still be running the next Anglia franchise or not, the Mk3's have had the work done on them that NEEDS to be done, ie corrosion repairs & roof repairs, and not what people would like to have seen done on them.

 

[Dave1987]

Yes, but far beyond the cosmetic DfT Abellio agreed spend on this temporary fix.

Are plug sockets on trains the be all and end all of life now? I charge my smart phone and tablet at home before i go out and it lasts all day.

 

[Tottenham Flyer]

Are plug sockets on trains the be all and end all of life now? I charge my smart phone and tablet at home before i go out and it lasts all day.

You'd be amazed at how stroppy some people get becuase there's no plug sockets on the train so they can't charge and use their laptops and phones!

 

[dk1]

Even the GA traincrew are happy bunnies when they get 170270-273 with its plug sockets in 1st.

 

[D6975]

You'd be amazed at how stroppy some people get becuase there's no plug sockets on the train so they can't charge and use their laptops and phones!

The Penzance sleeper is one train where I saw someone get quite distraught because she couldn't charge her phone. Travelling from Penzance to Plymouth, she'd left home with a flat battery, confident that she'd be able to charge it on the train as usual. She was unaware that the train she was travelling on wasn't a HST.

 

[47421]

Any best guesses as to when will be back to full 10 coach sets?

It's one thing for one or two sets to be short formed for a week or two, but most sets have been short for over a month, with no end in sight. And those short forms mean standing to Manningtree or even Ipswich sometimes, which is a bit strong at £4,000 pa + and journey times of over an hour.

Anyone any insights on abellio's thinking generally, will they be bidding to win the new franchise, or are they losing interest ?

 

[jopsuk]

by "10 coach" do you mean 9+DVT? And aren't some booked as 8+DVT anyway? With at least two different booked 9+DVT formations?

I think there will be a fair of dissapointment at them not getting a proper refurb- with a Chiltern-style power doors, and power sockets throughout, the fleet would be superb.

 

[47421]

Yes i do mean 9+dvt

Not sure if any are booked 8+dvt, anyone know?

 

[TheEdge]

Yes i do mean 9+dvt

Not sure if any are booked 8+dvt, anyone know?

There are a few rakes that are booked as 8+DVT.

 

[Tottenham Flyer]

Any best guesses as to when will be back to full 10 coach sets?

It's one thing for one or two sets to be short formed for a week or two, but most sets have been short for over a month, with no end in sight. And those short forms mean standing to Manningtree or even Ipswich sometimes, which is a bit strong at £4,000 pa + and journey times of over an hour.

Anyone any insights on abellio's thinking generally, will they be bidding to win the new franchise, or are they losing interest ?

Most sets are back up to being a load 10 now (9 passenger coaches and a DVT). There is booked to be 8 load 10's, and 3 load 9's.

We've had 6 load 10's and 5 load 9's since the beginning of the week, which is a massive improvement on the 1 load 10 and 10 load 9's that we've seen in recent weeks.

I can't see this getting any better than this whilst the works programme is on.

 

[317666]

Yesterday I did see a rake with an FO standing in for an SO as Coach B.

 

[47421]

Most rakes still shortformed - today every departure from Norwich 0830-1130 other than the 0930 are shown on GA journeycheck as shortformed.

If GA wanted to - and i appreciate given the short franchise they may well not be interested - are there any spare mark IIIs available anywhere that they could try to hire in or something to cover this ongoing shortage ?

 

[dk1]

Most rakes still shortformed - today every departure from Norwich 0830-1130 other than the 0930 are shown on GA journeycheck as shortformed.

If GA wanted to - and i appreciate given the short franchise they may well not be interested - are there any spare mark IIIs available anywhere that they could try to hire in or something to cover this ongoing shortage ?

Neither GA or the DfT seem bothered. An absolute disgrace how passengers have been treated. Trains such as the 06.00, 06.24 & 06.48 from Norwich have been standing room only from Ipswich with similar loadings in the evening from Liv.St. This weeks off peak loadings are extremely high due to school holidays. Last nights 19.00 was so busy the guard didn't get beyond coach F until Colchester.

 

[47421]

what is EMU situation like on GA now? I suppose after cancelling leases on those 9 317s there is very little slack, or is there any possibility of replacing the diagram that works up in the morning and sits at Orient Way before working back in the evening with units and breaking up that rake to strengthen the others?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
as an aside it seems strange Abellio are so indifferent about this - those well heeled commuters from Suffolk paying £150 a week probably are not going to just quietly forget about having to stand regularly when previous operators have managed more or less to run the service with the full complement of carriages.

No wonder they came last in that Which cusotmer satisfaction survey - were they surprised by this?