Class 175s to GWR

[BillStampy]

It's work to make them operational, such as systems and mechanical work.

The cosmetic work won't happen until after entry into service, so they will go into traffic in TfW colours with interior labelling changed to GWR where essential.

Just means I'll be able to get a TfW 175 nostalgia trip, in a slightly different part of the country, of course!

 

[GhostManDN91]

I'm curious, will the Class 175s be able to do 100mph in passenger service or at fairly high speeds does anyone know on the routes they'll be working?

 

[tfw756rider]

The 175 traction diagrams start from Sunday 14th.

For the week commencing Monday 15th December the only booked passenger workings are:

175/0
2C26 13:40 Plymouth - Penzance
2P21 15:52 Penzance - Plymouth

175/1
No booked workings.

This will commence, as you say on the 15th.

This diagram will then revert to other traction for the Christmas period, commencing 22nd Dec, until 5th Jan when it moves to 175 traction permanently.

Thanks both - just to be 100% clear, does this mean that the first day of Great Western Railway Class 175 service is expected to be Mon 15/12/25 or Sun 14/12/25?

 

[GW43125]

I'm curious, will the Class 175s be able to do 100mph in passenger service or at fairly high speeds does anyone know on the routes they'll be working?

Not much, 80mph Teignmouth to Newton Abbot and Hemerdon to Laira, 100mph Powderham to Marsh Barton, other than that most of Devon is 60mph, I think cornwall is about 70mph

 

[Snow1964]

I'm curious, will the Class 175s be able to do 100mph in passenger service or at fairly high speeds does anyone know on the routes they'll be working?

Assuming it is Exeter westwards to Cornwall, with some workings to Barnstaple/Oakhampton then only small amount above 80mph, a lot of their routes have limits of 50-75mph

Full detail of speeds on main line is on pages 94-123 on this link (route numbers of branches shown at each junction, and they are in Route number order if you want speed limits on branches too

https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/sectional-appendix/Sectional%20appendix%20full%20PDFs%20December%2025/Western%20&%20Wales%20Sectional%20Appendix%20December%202025.pdf

 

[FGW_DID]

Thanks both - just to be 100% clear, does this mean that the first day of Great Western Railway Class 175 service is expected to be Mon 15/12/25 or Sun 14/12/25?

The LTP diagrams start as per the new timetable, from Sunday 14th, but with the weekly STP amended diagrams, the first booked passenger workings for a Class 175 start Monday 15th. Workings are as post #1783.

 

[tfw756rider]

The LTP diagrams start as per the new timetable, from Sunday 14th, but with the weekly STP amended diagrams, the first booked passenger workings for a Class 175 start Monday 15th. Workings are as post #1783.

Ah thanks, I thought that was probably the case but just wanted to be 100% sure

 

[Ashley Hill]

Presumably those sets that have come directly from Wolverton are ready to go straight into service?

 

[Solent_Desiro]

It's work to make them operational, such as systems and mechanical work.

The cosmetic work won't happen until after entry into service, so they will go into traffic in TfW colours with interior labelling changed to GWR where essential.

Hope we see them in GWR green, much more classy than GBR rubbish

 

[Ben Anslow]

Hope we see them in GWR green, much more classy than GBR rubbish

Off topic I apologise. I don’t think the gbr livery it’s self if bad at all but to have all trains in it would be a disgrace. Intercity services I approve with a form of regional branding but for commuter just either keep as it is or update to a newer version of what is

 

[Snow1964]

As far as I can work out, the Castle HSTs finish Saturday, but not all 3 diagrams need 175s immediately

Next week Looe branch is closed releasing a 150 which might be cover (either directly or indirectly) for a 175

Following week is Christmas week, when services are thinned anyway and school train strengthening is not required.

Full service including longer school trains doesn't run following week (New year) either.

The real crunch for 175s would have been when everyone goes back to work and school on Monday 5th January, except GWR have given themselves bit of extra breathing space with DMUs by suspending St Ives - Penzance services for 2 weeks.

As far as I can work out the first date when full DMU service is required in Devon and Cornwall is Monday 19th January. Hopefully by then a few more 175s will have been delivered.

 

[irish_rail]

As far as I can work out the first date when full DMU service is required in Devon and Cornwall is Monday 19th January. Hopefully by then a few more 175s will have been delivered.

Too be clear, it is crew availability that will be the barrier to introduction, not lack of 175s. Still hardly anyone trained and can't see too much crew training occurring over the festive period either.

 

[REVUpminster]

As far as I can work out, the Castle HSTs finish Saturday, but not all 3 diagrams need 175s immediately

Next week Looe branch is closed releasing a 150 which might be cover (either directly or indirectly) for a 175

Following week is Christmas week, when services are thinned anyway and school train strengthening is not required.

Full service including longer school trains doesn't run following week (New year) either.

The real crunch for 175s would have been when everyone goes back to work and school on Monday 5th January, except GWR have given themselves bit of extra breathing space with DMUs by suspending St Ives - Penzance services for 2 weeks.

As far as I can work out the first date when full DMU service is required in Devon and Cornwall is Monday 19th January. Hopefully by then a few more 175s will have been delivered.

That's probably right. I wonder if new diagrams will be used for 175s to Barnstaple and Okehampton worked by trains stabled at Exeter overnight and empty 175s will be sent up from Laira to take there place as special empty stock workings and remain at Exeter overnight as the 158s do.

 

[FGW_DID]

As far as I can work out, the Castle HSTs finish Saturday, but not all 3 diagrams need 175s immediately

The 3 diagrams wont need 175s as they simply wont exist after Saturday. The workings that were on the HST diagrams will either be on the new 175 diagrams or will be incorporated onto the existing DMU diagrams.

 

[Siemens Staines]

The real crunch for 175s would have been when everyone goes back to work and school on Monday 5th January, except GWR have given themselves bit of extra breathing space with DMUs by suspending St Ives - Penzance services for 2 weeks.

During the summer months, the St Ives is a 4-car 150 and there are normally 16 150 diagrams. During the winter months the St Ives is a 2-car and the 16th diagram becomes a spare, so that 16th diagram can be used to cover one of the LTP 175 diagrams until BST commences. Of course, always having two 150s in Wolverton undergoing a C6 does not help matters, but that was the case throughout this summer and there were still 16 diagrams.

 

[Rich McLean]

During the summer months, the St Ives is a 4-car 150 and there are normally 16 150 diagrams. During the winter months the St Ives is a 2-car and the 16th diagram becomes a spare, so that 16th diagram can be used to cover one of the LTP 175 diagrams until BST commences. Of course, always having two 150s in Wolverton undergoing a C6 does not help matters, but that was the case throughout this summer and there were still 16 diagrams.

Worst case scenario, a 150 is robbed off the Devon Metro in January until there is enough crew for two 175 diagrams. From the Summer Time Table, i would imagine the amount of diagrams will be ramping up.

 

[Snow1964]

Too be clear, it is crew availability that will be the barrier to introduction, not lack of 175s. Still hardly anyone trained and can't see too much crew training occurring over the festive period either.

Although the week long Looe branch closure (next week), and 2 weeks St Ives branch closure in January, and the 16 day closure from Totnes to Plymouth 21Feb to 8 March all help to release staff for training.

 

[pompeyfan]

Although the week long Looe branch closure (next week), and 2 weeks St Ives branch closure in January, and the 16 day closure from Totnes to Plymouth 21Feb to 8 March all help to release staff for training.

As was pointed out in the 701 thread, blockades such as those mentioned above don’t actually release staff. A driver and guards diagram would probably be something like 4 hours on the St Ives / Looe branch with an Exeter and back on the start / end. The Exeter is still running so half the work still needs covering, and in the case of the Totnes - Plymouth blockade, the diagrams are usually forced to be far less efficient running shuttles than through services.

 

[REVUpminster]

175009 is off down to Penzance and back today. I think crew availability is not as big a problem as some think.
175009 is also doing a trip to Newton Abbot later this morning.

 

[irish_rail]

175009 is off down to Penzance and back today. I think crew availability is not as big a problem as some think.
175009 is also doing a trip to Newton Abbot later this morning.

I don't think, I know. Extremely low numbers of crew trained. Any run today will be a crew training run, and I'm guessing if anything runs in service next week it will be crewed by an instructor with a trainee.

 

[FGW_DID]

175009 is off down to Penzance and back today. I think crew availability is not as big a problem as some think.
175009 is also doing a trip to Newton Abbot later this morning.

Yep, just the 1 diagram out today, runs as 5Zxx throughout, so not in passenger service. Back to Laira about half two this afternoon.

 

[REVUpminster]

I don't think, I know. Extremely low numbers of crew trained. Any run today will be a crew training run, and I'm guessing if anything runs in service next week it will be crewed by an instructor with a trainee.

What's wrong with that? In service training is better than empty working training.

 

[John R]

What's wrong with that? In service training is better than empty working training.

I don’t think they were suggesting it is wrong. Simply that things are so tight that the approach suggested is likely to be the most effective way to get drivers trained and get at least one unit running in service.

 

[REVUpminster]

Realtime Trains | 5Z22 1136 Plymouth to Plymouth | 13/12/2025

Real-time train running information for 5Z22 1136 departure from Plymouth to Plymouth on 13/12/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

175001 has had a run out today. That's a refurbished one.

 

[RPI]

175009 is off down to Penzance and back today. I think crew availability is not as big a problem as some think.
175009 is also doing a trip to Newton Abbot later this morning.

I'm not quite sure how I can say this without sounding rude, but you're 100% wrong, as has been pointed out numerous times. There are four depots than need to be trained, they also need to be in multiple to be able to complete the training (for guards at least) for the TUDIE familiarisation.

 

[adc82140]

There was a rumour a few weeks ago that some TfW 150s were being loaned to help out until more 175 diagrams were able to be run. Did this die a quiet death?

 

[Snow1964]

There was a rumour a few weeks ago that some TfW 150s were being loaned to help out until more 175 diagrams were able to be run. Did this die a quiet death?

TfW haven't finished the training for 398s (there are 4 new types in Cardiff area), I think end March has been mentioned as a likely date when they take over releasing 150s.

So unless I have misunderstood, probably won't be any spare until about April, maybe later.

 

[REVUpminster]

I'm not quite sure how I can say this without sounding rude, but you're 100% wrong, as has been pointed out numerous times. There are four depots than need to be trained, they also need to be in multiple to be able to complete the training (for guards at least) for the TUDIE familiarisation.

So your saying there will be no 175s in passenger service anytime soon.

 

[Wyrleybart]

As far as I can work out the first date when full DMU service is required in Devon and Cornwall is Monday 19th January. Hopefully by then a few more 175s will have been delivered.

With respect though, I imagine Wolverton Works will have had a two week shutdown over the festive period.

 

[Jrocks]

There will be multiple *unit* diagrams from Monday. Not all diagrams will be public services. Got to have a spare diagram on depot incase one decides to sit down.

175/0
2C26 13:40 Plymouth - Penzance
2P21 15:52 Penzance - Plymouth

The above is the only public diagram this coming week. No 3 car 175s are booked to be used in public service this week.



We can only hope that some more 3 cars may be delivered this side of New year, however expect to see many of the old HST diagrams being covered with traction that is NOT 175 for the coming weeks/months.