Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway: progress updates

[Farnborough]

Bagshot and Frimley are both 4-coach platforms and Camberley is 10-coach so having an 8 coach train or 10 coach train makes no difference. At least some of these services used to be 10-458/5. Obviously you would never run any of these through services to/from Waterloo as 4 coaches.

People actually need to read and listen to announcements. 10 coaches are needed on these trains. Just because they're not busy between Ash Vale and Ascot doesn't mean that's the case between Ascot and Waterloo.

Aldershot has the 1Axx semi-fasts to Waterloo via Woking; Ascot inwards has the 2Cxx services. The two peaktime 1Nxx services are in addition to the usual patters.

Given the incompatibility of a 701/0 with the platforms inbetween (Camberley platforms are 132m and 136m - so can't take a full length 701/0) it strikes me as a waste of a 701 when inner-suburban services are not getting one!

A four car is enough... maybe they should adjust the timetable so that the alternate 2Nxx (1x450) joins the 2Cxx (2x450) at Ascot and runs through as a 12-car? And vice versa...

 

[Goldfish62]

Slight correction to the bit in bold. Camberley was indeed extended, but only from four to six coaches, not a full ten. The 701s also open the first set of doors in coach 5 at Bagshot too, although that’s obviously a much more minor point!

Thanks for the correction.

 

[swr444]

Aldershot has the 1Axx semi-fasts to Waterloo via Woking; Ascot inwards has the 2Cxx services. The two peaktime 1Nxx services are in addition to the usual patters.

Given the incompatibility of a 701/0 with the platforms inbetween (Camberley platforms are 132m and 136m - so can't take a full length 701/0) it strikes me as a waste of a 701 when inner-suburban services are not getting one!

A four car is enough... maybe they should adjust the timetable so that the alternate 2Nxx (1x450) joins the 2Cxx (2x450) at Ascot and runs through as a 12-car? And vice versa...

That's never going to happen. A 12 car on the Windsor side only happens during Chertsey diverts when the mainline is shut (the trains don't stop anyway). It's a waste of a unit as 2 coaches do not open at any of the stations apart from Waterloo and Wokingham on the down towards Reading.
Also the 10 car 701 is a good use of a unit on this route. It gives people on the branch a direct train (and a seat) into waterloo + the train is pretty much full and standing from Egham.

 

[Goldfish62]

That's never going to happen. A 12 car on the Windsor side only happens during Chertsey diverts when the mainline is shut (the trains don't stop anyway). It's a waste of a unit as 2 coaches do not open at any of the stations apart from Waterloo and Wokingham on the down towards Reading.
Also the 10 car 701 is a good use of a unit on this route. It gives people on the branch a direct train (and a seat) into waterloo + the train is pretty much full and standing from Egham.

Indeed. The proposition seems to be to shorten and lengthen trains based on the loadings as they progress along a route!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Today at 16:54 ==

Given the incompatibility of a 701/0 with the platforms inbetween (Camberley platforms are 132m and 136m - so can't take a full length 701/0) it strikes me as a waste of a 701 when inner-suburban services are not getting one!

Would this also apply to the short platforms on the Chertsey line and Hounslow loop?

Which inner-suburban services are you talking about given that as far as I'm aware the mainline inner-suburban side is rostered 100% 701?

 

[Kite159]

And having a 701 on those peak time services towards Bagshot where 3 stations (out of how many?) require SDO.
Similar to other services which might have some stations with short platforms at the start/end but require the full length at the other end

 

[Farnborough]

Which inner-suburban services are you talking about given that as far as I'm aware the mainline inner-suburban side is rostered 100% 701?

Being rostered, and actually getting one, are not the same thing...

 

[adc82140]

The shortfalls for 701s are nearly always on the Windsor/Reading side. So actually getting a 10 car on the mainline suburban side is pretty much a dead cert.