Mark Hopwood has already confirmed to RailMagazine that the 150s are receiving their last C6 exams to keep them going until 2030 ish. The plan is for the entire regional dmu of 150/158/165/166 and 175s fleet to be replaced in one go, probably will Class 196s or something similar. The 175s are just there as a stop gap on a short term lease of 5 years I believe.
I think we'll be looking at new bodyshells from any manufacturer other than Stadler, designed to better match the standard UK 3ft platform height. Yes, I know platforms don't all comply with that exactly today, but many do, and raising those that don't eventually to 915mm rather than 1100+mm is more practical. Until that is complete, a lower floor train offers a smaller vertical step up from a substandard platform than a traditional floor height one. Moving gap fillers steps are also fairly likely, which can often solve unavoidable horizontal gaps in platforms alongside tightly curved track.
GWR signed an eight year Technical Support and Parts Supply contract with Alstom for the 175's so that suggests 2033 at the least, the 175's have a 35 year life minimum so that would give 2035ish.
Yes, if it was Europe would be framework style with options covering 10-14 years.
Obviously I don’t know which trains you were on but I would dispute the use of “clearly” - based on daily experience, albeit of only a small selection of services on a few particular flows. Loadings are often very uneven (people were struggling to board the rear coach of the 17.06 Bristol - Weymouth at Temple Meads yesterday, but there was no oroblem getting a seat in the front coach) and tend to be for short periods. What is a problem is when a 2 car unit turns up on a peak run, but even then, I’ve never witnessed people unable to board. Not going to object if more carriages are on offer, though, especially if it means an end to “more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time”.
Wasn't the refurbished 769s also planned as a stopgap, releasing 165s and 166s for Bristol, Devon and Cornwall.
It was 07:03 from Salisbury-Bristol arr 08:24
This is more a reflection of some of the odd stopping points for short trains at Bristol, where they are not centered on the stairs, but stop the 3car trains so only one end is near the stairs
I didn't say people couldn't board, they could get on and stand (even if it was standing for nearer 30 minutes). I was lucky didn't have to stand more than 20 minutes (and yes we had pointless counted place reservations on these GWR trains, but real numbered seats on XC trains)
Become? The railway already is incredibly expensive for what it is.
It's also a reflection of the fact that there was sufficient capacity on the train - if people had sought it out. In this particular case, I will agree with you in that the train stopped well short of where trains using platform 11 usually do - thus catching people out.
Given the churn on the stoppers - although it is quite likely that there will be people standing for quite a large proportion of the journey, there is no need for it to be the same people. Of course it would be nice to have longer trains, but standing on rush hour trains is hardly a novel (or unexpected) phenomenon and it takes an awful lot of fares between Bristol and Keynsham or Bath and Bradford to make longer trains viable. At least we've now had the continuation of the half-hourly stopping service confirmed.
Are there any 6-car diagrams in the West Country where both units are actually open to use? If a new fleet includes many 3-cars they will need to allow them to work in pairs without locking a unit out of use in passenger service.
A few workings each week run as 6cars between Bristol and Westbury, although really these just save a separate empty ECS trip.
196s?! I thought that no more pure Diesel Multiple Units will be ordered and that 197041, which will leave the factory in 2026, will be the last.
My understanding is different, GWR is intending to get BEMUs, and is working on assumption that Filton-Temple Meads will be electrified by WEMCA funds, and possibly with few miles of wires in Exeter or Cheltenham area although these are more aspirations.
I think thats why GWR have teamed up with SWR and Chiltern to get a better business case plus a big project is likely ro be quote attractive. Siemens offering partial electrification with their BEMUs could also be a.good seller to the treasury too
Could Bourne End be extended to 3-car without any new track? The buffers on platform 1 are further from the end wall than platform 2, so if they could be moved back there maybe an extra carriage in it.
My understanding is that the problem is getting three cars in beyond the points for the Marlow branch - you can run three cars to Bourne End but not on to Marlow.
Class 19x diesel multiple units will not meet the requirements for any of the upcoming rolling stock tenders.
At the moment there doesn't seem to be a plan, GWR can't muster enough stock on many days. More trains than usual needing repairs is starting to stretch definition of usual, it's borderline normal now.
The seemingly weekly encounters between high vehicles and the bridge at Limpley Stoke do those figures no good as well.
