EMR Class 222’s - declining reliability

[InTheEastMids]

It does look like EMR IC service performance is improving this week.

Some interesting ideas suggested by Green Signals expert Richard Bowker to remedy the current situation with the 222's including:
1. Seek additional maintenance from Alstom Central Rivers
2. Separate maintenance for 810's and 222's
3. Try and get as many 222's into traffic - though arguably this is why they are falling apart - not getting enough down time for repairs.
4. Hire in some ex Virgin 221's in storage to cover for both 222's needing repair and the fragile Class 810 fleet.
5. Talk to Scotrail and try to agree a postponement of unit transfers until the 810's can be sorted out.

I am speculating but I think they forgot Option 6

6. Struggle on; wait for cooler weather to reduce failure rates and bail you out.
(Optional next step for Senior Leaders: claim credit for the improvements and receive substantial bonus.)
(Optional next step for politicians: claim credit because your intervention with EMR/NR/Hendy/God has given things the kick it needed to improve)
Perhaps I'm being too cynical?

 

[Teapot42]

Even last week didn't seem too bad. At least from the perspective of units failing!

I have noticed a few 222s losing maybe 8-10 minutes over a run - is this likely to be 1 or more engines out, or just caught behind slower trains?

The main failure culprit this week seems to have been 810012 - failed yesterday and today early on.

 

[liamf656]

Random, thought it would be 103, but that made a comeback yesterday!

Me too, I was told the reformed sets would be gone first

 

[43096]

Me too, I was told the reformed sets would be gone first

Technically, all of them have been re-formed: there’s none left in their original formations.

 

[Merle Haggard]

Me too, I was told the reformed sets would be gone first

I have noticed in the past that units make a brief comeback then go off lease.
For instance I was following 222005 which didn't appear for weeks. It then appeared in service for just one or two days before going off-lease.

 

[Teapot42]

I have noticed in the past that units make a brief comeback then go off lease.
For instance I was following 222005 which didn't appear for weeks. It then appeared in service for just one or two days before going off-lease.

We've been told a few times on here that units have to be handed back in a particular condition. Could it be that they are being fixed up, then run a day or two to prove all is well, then get handed back?

 

[222001]

We've been told a few times on here that units have to be handed back in a particular condition. Could it be that they are being fixed up, then run a day or two to prove all is well, then get handed back?

I imagine this was the case with 005, it was out of use for a good while beforehand. The other sets didn't enter service again after being stopped.

 

[Teapot42]

In a way, I hope that isn't actually the case, as it could mean EMR / Hitachi are using resources to fix up units that could be used to ensure the service is maintained.

I know there will be a term in the contract for what condition they are to be returned in, but as they are having a full overhaul / refurb it would make more sense to just ask for a payment towards the cost of that, rather than tying up engineering time that is in high demand elsewhere.

 

[Railperf]

I have noticed a few 222s losing maybe 8-10 minutes over a run - is this likely to be 1 or more engines out, or just caught behind slower trains?

The main failure culprit this week seems to have been 810012 - failed yesterday and today early on.

Depends where they are losing time. If it is on clear track with no other services too close ahead and no temporary speed restrictions, it is likely to be traction issues - engines out etc.
Otherwise it can be due to line congestion losing time behind other slower stopping services and freight. At the london end, there is a risk of being caught behind Thameslink services.

 

[jthjth]

Depends where they are losing time. If it is on clear track with no other services too close ahead and no temporary speed restrictions, it is likely to be traction issues - engines out etc.
Otherwise it can be due to line congestion losing time behind other slower stopping services and freight. At the london end, there is a risk of being caught behind Thameslink services.

I travelled to St Pancras and back yesterday, both on 222s. They both lost time around Luton with the train ambling along. Further north things ran at the expected speeds.

 

[Denis103]

Not a good afternoon for the 222s on EMR. 009 was terminated at Leicester on the 1600 Sheffield to StP 1C71, 023 terminated at Kettering on 1405 StP to Nottingham 1D46. Timekeeping out of StP also not helped when the 1345 StP to Corby sat down at Dock Junction for nearly 2 hours before crawling to Cricklewood and terminated.

 

[43074]

Depends where they are losing time. If it is on clear track with no other services too close ahead and no temporary speed restrictions, it is likely to be traction issues - engines out etc.
Otherwise it can be due to line congestion losing time behind other slower stopping services and freight. At the london end, there is a risk of being caught behind Thameslink services.

There are some very optimistic running times in the EMR Intercity timetable, losing time is no indication at all of traction issues - it will exacerbate the issue sure but is seldom the only factor contributing to time loss.

 

[Teapot42]

There are some very optimistic running times in the EMR Intercity timetable, losing time is no indication at all of traction issues - it will exacerbate the issue sure but is seldom the only factor contributing to time loss.

I notice some services are shown in RTT as being pathed for an 810, others for a 'Diesel Unit'. Is there any reason or practical difference for this? There was a 222 on an 810 path today and it didn't lose any time, so I'm wondering what the difference is.

 

[Railperf]

I travelled to St Pancras and back yesterday, both on 222s. They both lost time around Luton with the train ambling along. Further north things ran at the expected speeds.

Which particular services did you use?

 

[LowLevel]

222103 staying true to form, total failure stopping the job on the main lines at Dore on 1F03.

 

[Railperf]

There are some very optimistic running times in the EMR Intercity timetable, losing time is no indication at all of traction issues - it will exacerbate the issue sure but is seldom the only factor contributing to time loss.

The Railway Performance Society conducted a timing exercise some months ago and concluded that the net station to station running times between Leicester and Sheffield / Nottingham demand absolute flat out driving and all engines running - which is rarely achieved in practice. A good Class 810 is around a minute slower than a Class 222 due to its slower acceleration on diesel.

 

[jthjth]

Which particular services did you use?

These

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70691/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70922/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

 

[Merle Haggard]

1D06 0605 St Pancras - Nottingham (the first of the day) cancelled before departure, 'problem with train'.
There's a VST for a 5D06 0605 departure in seemingly the same path - first VST to Etches Park replaced by one to Nottingham.
5D06 departed St Pancras 5 minutes early - presumably to take up its next working from Nottingham - so the 'problem' was clearly solved quickly.
Puzzling for intending passengers at St Pancras, where they see their 'defective train' leaving the station. For those with a little knowledge, puzzling that the problem precludes it from running in passenger service to Nottingham but not on its next working.
Regular travellers at intermediate stations will know the phenomenon of their next train being 'cancelled' when a train fitting its exact description runs through non stop and at the time of the cancelled one. This will happening with 5D06 all down the line.

 

[LowLevel]

1D06 0605 St Pancras - Nottingham (the first of the day) cancelled before departure, 'problem with train'.
There's a VST for a 5D06 0605 departure in seemingly the same path - first VST to Etches Park replaced by one to Nottingham.
5D06 departed St Pancras 5 minutes early - presumably to take up its next working from Nottingham - so the 'problem' was clearly solved quickly.
Puzzling for intending passengers at St Pancras, where they see their 'defective train' leaving the station. For those with a little knowledge, puzzling that the problem precludes it from running in passenger service to Nottingham but not on its next working.
Regular travellers at intermediate stations will know the phenomenon of their next train being 'cancelled' when a train fitting its exact description runs through non stop and at the time of the cancelled one. This will happening with 5D06 all down the line.

It's going empty from Nottingham to Etches Park as 5Z06. Perhaps the crew needed to be in Nottingham or similar for their next workings and a spare driver is being sent over from Derby to take it to Etches Park?

 

[Merle Haggard]

It's going empty from Nottingham to Etches Park as 5Z06. Perhaps the crew needed to be in Nottingham or similar for their next workings and a spare driver is being sent over from Derby to take it to Etches Park?

Thanks. Makes sense, I hadn't noticed 5Z06.
I had assumed that 'problem with the train' was a traction problem, initially requiring a visit to EP, but then this had been solved and 5D06 was diverted to Notts to take up its next working. Now realise it was probably some passenger safety, rather than traction, issue.
Educated guesses - sometimes an oxymoron

 

[Railperf]

These

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70691/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70922/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

So it looks like your train to London 'caught up' the 1H22 Corby to St Pancras service in the Luton area that seemed to be suffering long dwell times and losing time there rather than not meeting the net running times. By the time the ex-Corby reached Harpenden, the on-time 9R21 Bedford to Three Bridges services had been switched from the slow lines to the fast line ahead of it - as planned - causing even more delay because it stops at St Alban's and then has to slow down after West Hampstead to switch back onto the slow lines

Your northbound run - as well as a number of other northbound services appear to have been routes up the slow lines due to what appears to have been a line blockage on the fast lines in the Hendon area. Therefore it picked up some delays, but once past the problem and back onto the fast lines it did recoup some time.
So the delays were not unit related.

 

[Merle Haggard]

So it looks like your train to London 'caught up' the 1H22 Corby to St Pancras service in the Luton area that seemed to be suffering long dwell times and losing time there rather than not meeting the net running times. By the time the ex-Corby reached Harpenden, the on-time 9R21 Bedford to Three Bridges services had been switched from the slow lines to the fast line ahead of it - as planned - causing even more delay because it stops at St Alban's and then has to slow down after West Hampstead to switch back onto the slow lines

Your northbound run - as well as a number of other northbound services appear to have been routes up the slow lines due to what appears to have been a line blockage on the fast lines in the Hendon area. Therefore it picked up some delays, but once past the problem and back onto the fast lines it did recoup some time.
So the delays were not unit related.

1H22 was 4 car instead of booked 8, which might explain station overtime.
If so, the delays are unit-related, because of the inability of EMR to get enough 360s to work and cover all diagrams.

 

[Railperf]

1H22 was 4 car instead of booked 8, which might explain station overtime.
If so, the delays are unit-related, because of the inability of EMR to get enough 360s to work and cover all diagrams.

I meant not an issue with the Class 222 units that the poster used.
Class 360 reliability is worth a thread of its own.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is it just 017 and 104 that have left EMR, Lumo units excluded?

So EMR are left with 006-016/018-023/101-103?

 

[Killingworth]

222103 staying true to form, total failure stopping the job on the main lines at Dore on 1F03.

Too true!

Northern's Hope Valley stopper is timed to follow that into Sheffield. It was on time arriving at Dore but held for 15 minutes while the EMR unit sat almost alongside. Its service back to Picadilly then started 11 late from Sheffield arriving 8 down at Piccadilly.

Northern's following Nottingham-Leeds was held up after Dronfield arriving in Sheffield 52 minutes late where it was cancelled.

TPE's following Liverpool-Cleethorpes was running 4 minutes late already approaching Dore and arrived in Sheffield 13 down. It did well to be only 2 minutes late at Cleethorpes.

CrossCountry's Birmingham-Edinburgh service 1S33 was 52 late into Sheffield and diverted to avoid Wakefield and Leeds. It's only 29 down at York.

Aurora 1F07 from Leicester seems to have been diverted but still arrived in Sheffield 16 late.

Train planners must be having nightmares sorting all this out. All in a day's work perhaps but what I've pieced together here will be just a fraction of it. Many passengers inconvenienced.

I wonder what went wrong this time that prevented that failed train running a little further down hill into Sheffield? If only there were a 3rd or 4th track down the Sheaf Valley into Sheffield - as there would have been 60 years ago!

 

[InTheEastMids]

These

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70691/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W70922/2026-08-19#allox_id=0

So it looks like your train to London 'caught up' the 1H22 Corby to St Pancras service in the Luton area

Northbound, one of the most common issues is that the Sheffield train catches a TL that calls at St Albans on the fast lines before crossing to the slows before Harpenden. The Nottingham train is right behind the Sheffield so will also be delayed at this point.

On a really good day, the northbound IC service will then catch the preceding Connect around Wellingborough where, once again the slower train calls on the fast line platforms before switching to the slows sometime before Kettering. This one isn't an issue southbound as Connect normally use the new slow line P4 and cross to the fasts at Wellingborough South.

The Wellingborough issue could be mostly solved if there was a DF-UF crossing at Wellingborough South junction but I've a recollection that the curve of the line where it'd need to be makes a fast crossover either infeasible or very expensive.

The basic plan to resolve the St Albans issue involved a new bypass of St Albans for inter city trains*

*Would also have bypassed St Pancras and the entire MML at least as far as East Midlands Parkway. Some bits of it are getting done but - and this will shock you - the bits that would've benefitted the East Midlands and Sheffield were cancelled by government.