Chase Line rolling stock post electrification

[Batman]

Has anyone got any idea as to what rolling stock will be used on the Chase Line once it has been electrified, and where will these EMU's come from?

And will it be 323's or 350's that are used? My guess would be 323's because with the exception if the up platform at Hednesford, all platforms at local stations north of Walsall can only take 3 coach trains. There are some 4 car 170 workings on the line at the moment, but these units have SDO and 350's don't. Or are platform extensions included as part of the electrification project?

 

[swt_passenger]

There's an entry for the Walsall - Rugely wiring in the draft enhancements plan I posted a link to couple of days ago, page 119.

It includes this:

Key assumptions
EMUs will be available to enable electric operation of passenger services.

The project does not include provision of rolling stock or associated platform works to accommodate changes to rolling stock at the stations along the route.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

LM have said that all of their 323s will be deployed on Cross City as a result of the delivery of the 350/3s and the increased unit requirements of the Reddich branch and Bromsgrove enhancements. Beyond that nothing announced. Speculation elsewhere on this forum has suggested that TPE will get a new fleet in due course cascading the 350/4s to LM. We will see.

 

[Batman]

Could a possible solution be for LM to receive all 17 of northerns 323's once the Northern hub is complete and they get their 319's? Some of these could operate on the Chase (no platform extensions needed, and a 3 car 323 has more seats than a 4 car 170, the longest units used on the Chase line at the moment, so no additional overcrowding problems). The other 323's could replace the 350's that will operate the Wolves - Birmingham - Walsall service from next year when the 323's that currently operate it will be needed for the extra Reditch services. These 350's could then go to strengthen some peak time services out if Euston. Any ex-Northern 323's left after that could go towards strengthening more cross city line services.

 

[Old Hill Bank]

An early plan was for LM to take the 17 323s from Northern but that idea has gone very quiet of late. All seems to depend on what Northern and TPE end up getting and no one is making any statements on that.

 

[158722]

Could a possible solution be for LM to receive all 17 of northerns 323's once the Northern hub is complete and they get their 319's? Some of these could operate on the Chase (no platform extensions needed, and a 3 car 323 has more seats than a 4 car 170, the longest units used on the Chase line at the moment, so no additional overcrowding problems). The other 323's could replace the 350's that will operate the Wolves - Birmingham - Walsall service from next year when the 323's that currently operate it will be needed for the extra Reditch services. These 350's could then go to strengthen some peak time services out if Euston. Any ex-Northern 323's left after that could go towards strengthening more cross city line services.

I made exactly this suggestion in my grand review of new stock and cascades which I posted a few months ago. Northern could, theoretically, receive all 86 319s as they become available allowing them to cover newly electrified lines as they get done, whilst a like for like replacement of both 323s and 321/322s with 319s will allow a uniform fleet (along with the 333s), which will be an important factor, given that there will be no east-west divide one electrified lines once the TP plan is implemented. 323s to LM, allowing them to dispense with 321s to Anglia or wherever, along with the ex-Northern 321/322.

Too logical? Probably...

 

[swt_passenger]

An early plan was for LM to take the 17 323s from Northern but that idea has gone very quiet of late.

I think it was binned completely about the same time all the extra 350s (for LM) started being ordered. I don't think the proposal is somehow sitting in the background waiting to be re-instated...