Hull Trains disruption

[robertclark125]

http://www.thisishullandeastriding....warns-delays/story-12971386-detail/story.html

Seems that the emergency timetable is in place until Friday 22nd July. A friend in Hull says that this has been going on for sometime.

How badly damaged is Hull Trains reputation, after only last month coming out on top in a customer satisfaction survey?

And These class 180 units, who else runs them, and are those TOCs having problems as well?

 

[Failed Unit]

http://www.thisishullandeastriding....warns-delays/story-12971386-detail/story.html

Seems that the emergency timetable is in place until Friday 22nd July. A friend in Hull says that this has been going on for sometime.

How badly damaged is Hull Trains reputation, after only last month coming out on top in a customer satisfaction survey?

And These class 180 units, who else runs them, and are those TOCs having problems as well?

Grand Central use them as well at the moment they have had thier problems but nowhere near as bad as HT (although who would notice if the Bradford - London services are cancelled anyway )

I don't know what either operators MPC is but I bet HT wish the still had the 222s.

I suspect it is damaging thier reputation, they exist because they are direct but if you need to change at Doncaster you may as well use east coast and Northern.

 

[YorkshireBear]

This is why i dont get why they arnt running hull doncaster shuttles..... :/

 

[YorkshireRider]

Think maybe the timetable was arranged to fit in with what EC was willing to agree to, the 1205 and 2035 are trains out of KX which have the capacity to take HT passengers with still a bit of room to spare (although fri night on 2035 may be a tight squeeze). I hope they sort it for next week as its kids half term and a popular week for days out, HT could do their rep a lot of damage if families that have never used them before are inconvienced because they have to get on buses or are unable to sit together or stand.

 

[IanXC]

Grand Central use them as well at the moment they have had thier problems but nowhere near as bad as HT (although who would notice if the Bradford - London services are cancelled anyway )

As I understand it HT need 3 out of 4 units every day - where GC have a bit more slack in their fleet.

 

[londonbridge]

On BBC London News during the local opt-outs in Breakfast,they've been describing it as 'a revised timetable due to a lack of serviceable trains'. One morning last week after the travel reporter had finished,the dialogue went like this:

Newsreader: "Lack of serviceable trains,what does that mean"?
Travel reporter: "Dunno,they haven't got any trains".

 

[Adam_Harrison]

As I understand it HT need 3 out of 4 units every day - where GC have a bit more slack in their fleet.

GC could actually do the North Eastern route with only 3 trains, Saturdays are booked with HSTs all day from the information I have.

 

[robertclark125]

As First own Hull Trains, surely it would be possible to borrow units, even a 2x170 or 2x185 set from another First operation? That said, as Scotrail receives the new class 380s, the older 158s are replacing the loco hauled sets on the Fife Circle. So there could be another avenue to go down.

 

[Failed Unit]

Realisitically it is only FGW on the HST fleet (I doubt many drivers would have knowledge of the traction or if FGW could spare it). It may be a case that by the time the train the staff the 180s are back. You may see some 180s come over from FGW when they return.

The turbo's probably wouldn't keep time, again I am not sure how many of the crew would be able to use them without a refresher.

 

[ainsworth74]

As First own Hull Trains, surely it would be possible to borrow units, even a 2x170 or 2x185 set from another First operation?

Because TPE have so much slack in their fleet they could obviously spare units for HT...

The turbo's probably wouldn't keep time, again I am not sure how many of the crew would be able to use them without a refresher.

I'm pretty sure they would have to learn 170s as if they had never been trained on them. I have a felling you can only have a refresher on a unit if you've operated it within the last 5 years (could be less even) and seeing as HT lost them in 2004 they would need to totally relearn them.

 

[embers25]

Don't the paths for Hull trains require 125mph stock therefore ruling out 185's, 170's and 158's immediately..not that there any spare and 158/185's are unlikely to be route cleared either. I don't see why they can't use loco+stock shuttle again between Doncaster and Hull connecting into EC although I'm guessing delaying people by rerouting onto EC/fTPE/Northern instead is much cheaper than 67+stock access costs and now it's First they probaly care less about customers at a corporate level. Lets face it First aren't exactly renowned for their customer focus. Wonder if First's train operations will get encompassed in the national bus rebranding scheme First are undertaking to try to hide the First name as it's mud

 

[IanXC]

Realisitically it is only FGW on the HST fleet (I doubt many drivers would have knowledge of the traction or if FGW could spare it). It may be a case that by the time the train the staff the 180s are back. You may see some 180s come over from FGW when they return.

I heard talk that once the 180s return to FGW, they'll be in a common pool with the FHT ones so that should see the end of the problems caused by a fleet of 4.

 

[TheBoyFromTheN]

Another day of Hull Trains disruption:
http://ow.ly/689ZW

What really is going on?
How can they solve this?
Can they not hire a set to have on standby in Hull 'just in case' - or as it is, permenantly on readiness.....

this is crazy, and drawing people away from an otherwise good service!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
random idea:

hire a double headed Deltic to pull Mk3 stock on ECML - wow....
just imagine the publicity! and the traineeees that would go on it!

oh and the blown bearings, broken bogies, NO! DONT WORRY!!! a triple headed 47 could pull them to safety..... but theyre all in preservation, AAAAH, I KNOW!!! TORNADO!!!!! in fact ANY STEAM loco!!! Bring 'em all back



sorry, for my rant, i must have fallen asleep and dreampt that.....

 

[graham43404]

Can they not just hire in and train the drivers on HST's as I am sure there must be a few spare ones around?

On another note with the rather chequered history of the Adelante it does make you wonder why some TOC's seem to want to risk having them.

 

[NSEFAN]

But are there any spare HSTs? Also, would it be cost effective to train the drivers on them?

A better solution would be that one TOC has hold of all the 180s, and the others currently using them receive new trains. It seems silly having such a small class split up over several different operators.

 

[anthony263]

Dont FGW have some hst's sitting at old oak common off peak which could cover, didnt hull trains have that idea a few months/year ago?

There rumours going around that they were looking to hiring in the class 86 & mk3 stock again but that hasnt come about.

 

[route:oxford]

If the 180s had been DEMU rather than DHMU, would they have been any more reliable?

 

[embers25]

There was a Hull Trains 180 at Old Oak Common today...guess its broken down explaining the shortage of units?

 

[ainsworth74]

There was a Hull Trains 180 at Old Oak Common today...guess its broken down explaining the shortage of units?

Perhaps but the 180s also get their maintenance at OOC so it could just be there for maintenance.

 

[IanXC]

Perhaps but the 180s also get their maintenance at OOC so it could just be there for maintenance.

Yup the HT ones are maintained by OOC

 

[jon0844]

Ms (Cath) Bellamy admitted the Adelante 180s were “less reliable” than the company had hoped.

Everyone knew their reputation, and the previous user was another First Group operation. How reliable did she hope they'd be?!

(To be fair, she may have had no say in whether they got given them or not)

 

[MCR247]

They didn't!

 

[jon0844]

I wonder how hard they tried not to get lumbered with them?

When I met Elaine Holt in 1996, as plans were being laid out on all the capacity improvements - she said quite clearly that FCC would get 180s 'over her dead body'. The reputation of the 180s was pretty clear to all.

I did think it was quite funny when she left to go to DOR, and East Coast got 180s - but they never used them. I have to assume she had a part to play in that.

 

[Loggie]

EC did have five 180's, they were acquired for the curious idea of Adonis' to operate a King's Cross - Lincoln direct service as part of the original Eureka timetable. Elaine Holt would have been well aware of them, but then as now, there were no other diesel 125mph capable trainsets spare. The change of government saw the Lincoln idea quietly dropped, to the relief of EC who knew only too well what would happen. This was after Grand Central's infamous 'dandelion seeds' debacle.
Has anyone else noticed that Mark Leving, the MD who introduced the 180's onto FHT is now planning to run with a proposed Leeds-Harrogate-York open access operation with time-expired Circle line tube stock? Should be interesting....

 

[MCR247]

Tbf, fHT didn't choose 180s, they were chosen for the as EMT wanted some extra 222s to cart around fresh air

 

[Loggie]

( Ms Cath) Bellamy admitted that the Adelante 180's were not as reliable as she would have hoped) Everyone knew their reputation, and the previous user was another First Group operation. How reliable did she hope they'd be?!

(To be fair, she may have had no say in whether they got given them or not)

The fHT 180's were introduced in 2008. At that time Ms (Cath) Bellamy was MD of Chiltern, so I doubt she had any say in their introduction!

 

[Yorkswatcher]

Yesterday I was on the Hull Trains service. But on the outside it was a Grand Central train but in the inside it was all Hull trains (deffo not a refit) so when this was being used for Grand Central did it run in all Hull Train livery on the inside?

 

[43067]

you'll probably find it's the old FGW livery inside as some if not all of the GC 180's have not had an interior refit yet just the odd sticker saying it's a GC unit.And the fact they're black and orange

 

[Loggie]

At last there's some slack in the system. Cancellations have dropped off. Perhaps they are connected.