Can IETs operate out of formation?

[Ashley Hill]

IETs are in fixed formations of either 5 or 9 vehicles,can they run as a 4 or 8 car if a vehicle becomes defective? Managment say no. If a vehicle is defective then the whole set is stopped until the defect is repaired. Using that logic, if a vehicle was written off the remaining vehicles would sit idle. So could they operate normally minus a non driving vehicle?

 

[Nym]

No.
Far too many reasons to list.

 

[DanNCL]

Should a vehicle be written off it would be possible for Hitachi to construct a replacement vehicle to insert into the unit in its place, but the units can’t run with coaches missing.

 

[The Ham]

I thought that there was a requirement to be able to reform the units, does this mean that they have to be 5 or 9 coaches in length with no scope at all for (say) 7 coaches?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Presumably it messes up the TMS. So the next question is can vehicles be swapped between sets? There appears to be the facility to alter the vehicle numbers (I mean the actual number not letter) on the TMS.

 

[TRAX]

If it’s temporary while a coach needs attention, no.
If it’s long-term (train moved to another type of work requiring shorter or longer trains, accident, etc.), yes, after a full reconfiguration of the Train Management System and a lot of the train’s software. It can be a pain the rear and often causes problems but it can be done and has been done elsewhere before.

 

[83G/84D]

On a similar topic has there by any IET ‘drags’ by locomotives on passenger services (rather than ECS)?

 

[800001]

On a similar topic has there by any IET ‘drags’ by locomotives on passenger services (rather than ECS)?

No, purely ecs, only one I can recall is when a lner unit was involved in a fatality near Retford and the unit was sat on the mainline for nearly 24 hours, the unit was moved by top and tail 67s I think.