Class 171 Formation

[Teo_M]

Afternoon all,

Noticed today at Bexhill that some services are now running 171/7’s (2 car) on the Marshlink line. Any news as to why? Usually just 171/8 (3 car) units to my knowledge.

 

[PGAT]

The strikes and overtime bans have probably shuffled some stock a little bit

 

[physics34]

It's possibily to make the industrial action seem worse than it is. Short formations every with stock sitting idol in depots. All political.

 

[stadler]

Marshlink is back to entirely three coaches today. Units 804 and 806 and 809 are on the three diagrams. So it looks like two coaches was very temporary.

I do wish they would go back to four coaches as that is really needed at peak times. Even three coaches is not really enough. But i can not see that happening unless Southern get some more 171s from somewhere.

 

[Doomotron]

I do wish they would go back to four coaches as that is really needed at peak times. Even three coaches is not really enough. But i can not see that happening unless Southern get some more 171s from somewhere.

Before they started reforming the 171s into primarily 3 coach units they had plenty of 4 coach ones which were frequently used on the Marshlink Line. I'm not sure what they expected to achieve by reforming them.

 

[JonathanH]

Before they started reforming the 171s into primarily 3 coach units they had plenty of 4 coach ones which were frequently used on the Marshlink Line. I'm not sure what they expected to achieve by reforming them.

You are rewriting history. The 4 coach units only appeared on the Marshlink for social distancing in 2020. Before then it was all 2 coach operation. The reforming of units to 3 coach formation was to allow more capacity on the Marshlink as the 4 coach units were previously needed for the Uckfield line - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/2-car-class-171-diagrams.182565/#post-4002746

They had eight 4 coach and twelve 2 coach units. There are now thirteen 3 coach and four 2 coach units.

 

[Doomotron]

You are rewriting history. The 4 coach units only appeared on the Marshlink for social distancing in 2020. Before then it was all 2 coach operation. The reforming of units to 3 coach formation was to allow more capacity on the Marshlink as the 4 coach units were previously needed for the Uckfield line - https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/2-car-class-171-diagrams.182565/#post-4002746

They had eight 4 coach and twelve 2 coach units. There are now thirteen 3 coach and four 2 coach units.

I didn't write that the way quite how I wanted it to come out but the point still stands. I'm not sure what the reasoning behind the 3-coach sets was, other than for the remaining ex-ScotRail one.

 

[fkofilee]

Reformed due to some to move to EMR if i remember rightly.

 

[Doomotron]

Reformed due to some to move to EMR if i remember rightly.

The four ex-ScotRail 171s that came to Southern were formed as 3 coaches. Southern reformed them into two and four coach units, two of each. Now that three of them gone, the remaining one is back in its original formation. However, other than for diagramming I don't really see the point in reforming almost the entire fleet as well.