EMR Class 222’s - declining reliability

[QSK19]

What are the biggest issues now?

The fact that they’re, in my opinion, grubbier than ever.

Whenever I’ve travelled on them, there have been fixtures which are looking more dirty and in disrepair (eg loose screws, internal doors sounding like they’re grinding badly), PA announcements becoming more muffled to the point where you can’t hear what the announcement is, engines/exhausts sounding ropy.

I know that, in a way, some (if not all) of the above have been issues for a while and the freshness of the 810s makes them look worse in comparison; but in general, they’re on a downhill trend and, as others with much more expertise than me have said, the maintenance regime under Hitachi is dire.

 

[Trainman40083]

I always thought that was a bad omen. I assume it is because Hitachi stock will be there for many, many years, so it keeps maintenance staffing standardised.

But the 222s really are shocking. I think we knew that standards would slip, but just how much they actually have gone down is extremely disappointing. Doesn’t help, I suppose, with the endless delays - it’s been years of a “keep them going for another couple of months” sort of thing.

I've seen a noticeable decline since COVID. Maybe they were shamed into replacing the seat fabric. No working seat reservations, poor Wi-fi, and so it went on.. People may complain, but little changed. Over time people walk away, revenue falls, ability to change lessens. Oh well, we will limp on, until the 810s enter service and go for the wow factor of a nice new train. Maybe passengers have lost patience.

 

[moonarrow458]

When i used 222021 on the 2nd January, which subbed in for the 810 on 1535 ex Sheffield there was no water in one of the toilets so they had just put a bottle of hand sanitiser there instead. Other than that the rest of the train seemed fairly presentable, at least in Standard Class. Ohh and the PA announcements were muffled or cut out at various points

 

[222001]

Interior wise, it's the carpets that look the worst to me, they were last replaced in 2011 - 15 years ago!

 

[PZ 08895]

On one now. WiFi abysmal and as others have said carpet and other fixtures looking very worn, but the ride quality is actually better than the 810 I travelled on earlier in the week which was quite lively, especially south of Bedford. PA is good though!

 

[Trainman40083]

On one now. WiFi abysmal and as others have said carpet and other fixtures looking very worn, but the ride quality is actually better than the 810 I travelled on earlier in the week which was quite lively, especially south of Bedford. PA is good though!

London clay south of Bedford, isn't it. If it dries out, I guess the track bed suffers

 

[dk1]

I've seen a noticeable decline since COVID. Maybe they were shamed into replacing the seat fabric. No working seat reservations, poor Wi-fi, and so it went on.. People may complain, but little changed. Over time people walk away, revenue falls, ability to change lessens. Oh well, we will limp on, until the 810s enter service and go for the wow factor of a nice new train. Maybe passengers have lost patience.

But do people walk away? All stations on the route saw decent growth in the last financial year.

 

[ic31420]

But do people walk away? All stations on the route saw decent growth in the last financial year.

And so where is the incentive to improve.

 

[Trainman40083]

But do people walk away? All stations on the route saw decent growth in the last financial year.

That could be new business. Imagine if people who pay full fare were replaced by people who only travel on discounted advance or split ticket fares. You could have full trains, but the revenue from those passengers could be less.

 

[LowLevel]

No one ever seems to walk away. It never ceases to amaze me how resilient railway passengers are.

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder, this is a traction & rolling stock thread regarding EMR Class 222 reliability.

 

[Railperf]

222017 5-car running on only three engjnes this evening!

 

[dk1]

222017 5-car running on only three engjnes this evening!

Bet it still doesn’t lose too much time.

 

[Railperf]

Bet it still doesn’t lose too much time.

Yes. Only 9 mins late approaching Nottingham. Plenty of time to be turned around. The MML timetable seems to be designed around a 5-car set running on 4 engines.
Only 3- engine sets - best kept on St Pancras to Nottingham returns.

Not sure how that affects fuel consumption and longevity of the remaining engines as the set will run virtually flat out most of the way except the slower speed stretch between Nottingham and East Midlands Parkway.

 

[222001]

222017 5-car running on only three engjnes this evening!

Was running on 3 engines on Saturday too! The vast majority seem to be running on 4, with only a few having all engines working.

 

[dk1]

Was running on 3 engines on Saturday too! The vast majority seem to be running on 4, with only a few having all engines working.

Four seems to work well.

 

[FrontSideBus]

When an engine is out, is that coach dead or do the traction motors get some power from the others?

 

[43096]

When an engine is out, is that coach dead or do the traction motors get some power from the others?

It is dead - there is no traction power cross feed, only a cross feed for auxiliaries.

 

[222001]

When an engine is out, is that coach dead or do the traction motors get some power from the others?

Each coach is essentially individual, so there's no power to the motors once the engine is off.

 

[LowLevel]

When an engine is out, is that coach dead or do the traction motors get some power from the others?

Traction wise it's dead, auxiliaries can be supplied from a neighbouring vehicle.

 

[Railperf]

Is 017 being sent out daily with only 3 engines or is one engine failing daily? At this rate it won't be long before it is down to 2 - which I guess means taken out of service!
222004 7-car seemed to be on 6 engines only and I guess no one will want to spend any more money on it if it is being off leased imminently.
Are the majority of engine faults repairable overnight? Or is it several days job to change a faulty one?

 

[londonmidland]

222007 failed earlier working 1F60 1702 St Pancras International to Sheffield.

RTT states it terminating early at Kettering due to ‘a fault with the traction equipment’.

Its following booked services have subsequently been cancelled this evening.

 

[LowLevel]

222007 failed earlier working 1F60 1702 St Pancras International to Sheffield.

RTT states it terminating early at Kettering due to ‘a fault with the traction equipment’.

Its following booked services have subsequently been cancelled this evening.

Down to 2 working engines and struggling to maintain air.

 

[D365]

Down to 2 working engines and struggling to maintain air.

They’re really trying their luck with 2 out of 5 !!

 

[baz962]

They’re really trying their luck with 2 out of 5 !!

Probably went on route , a driver wouldn't or at least shouldn't take one with 2 out of 5.

 

[LowLevel]

Probably went on route , a driver wouldn't or at least shouldn't take one with 2 out of 5.

Correct, problems developed further en route.

 

[D365]

Indeed. I forgot the wink!

 

[ajp999]

222007 back out today on the 0712 Nottingham to St Pancras but seems like an engine may have shut down after leaving Leicester as the acceleration since then has been sluggish. Also quite a few other cancellations today due to more trains than normal needing repair.

 

[Railperf]

Should drivers be taking out a 5-car on 3 engines?

 

[baz962]

Should drivers be taking out a 5-car on 3 engines?

Yes.