IEP and the Cotswold line

[TheWalrus]

The current weekday service spends the night at Llandore.

Thanks, I thought it probably did (and given the weekend's morning services are later, I'd guess there isn't any overnight stabling of FirstGW trains at Carmarthen on any night of the week).

they should stable at Carmarthen really it would save the wasted cost of running empty to/from Landore.

 

[anthony263]

There is still a lot of space available at Carmarthen station to build some stabling facilities even is they are basic.

A rumour doing the rounds online is that ATW could take over operation fo Llandore depot and use it to stable and fuel the west wales dmu's once the new IEP depot is open.

 

[Gareth Marston]

There is still a lot of space available at Carmarthen station to build some stabling facilities even is they are basic.

A rumour doing the rounds online is that ATW could take over operation fo Llandore depot and use it to stable and fuel the west wales dmu's once the new IEP depot is open.

Sensible and suggests there will be no or very few direct services from West Wales to Cardiff after Wires are up.

 

[TheWalrus]

I hope West Wales services continue after the electrification somehow.

It'd make sense for either ATW crew the morning Carmarthen-London as far as Swansea or FGW taxi them out there/stay overnight in Carmarthen or even have a few Carmarthen based crews. The best way of operating would be if there was an ATW service to take crew between Swansea and Carmarthen.

 

[jimm]

I hope West Wales services continue after the electrification somehow.

It'd make sense for either ATW crew the morning Carmarthen-London as far as Swansea or FGW taxi them out there/stay overnight in Carmarthen or even have a few Carmarthen based crews. The best way of operating would be if there was an ATW service to take crew between Swansea and Carmarthen.

Training lots of ATW staff to operate a train type that works west of Swansea twice a day. Putting up FGW staff who live in Swansea in a hotel in Carmarthen. Basing FGW crew in Carmarthen to work one train out and one train in a day. Leaving a train parked overnight about 45 minutes' journey time from a TMD (bit different from sets left at Hereford and Worcester). Not my idea of sense.

There already are ATW services between Swansea and Carmarthen before the morning train leaves and after the return service arrives but if a train needs fuel, water, inspections, running repairs etc, why would you not send it back to the depot anyway?

 

[TheWalrus]

It would make more sense to leave it at Carmarthen for the morning if it could work for less. Only thing is it probably wouldn't. However training costs are a one-off to start with until the staff leave and they receuit new ones. So it may be a short term cost but a long term gain.

 

[jimm]

It would make more sense to leave it at Carmarthen for the morning if it could work for less. Only thing is it probably wouldn't. However training costs are a one-off to start with until the staff leave and they receuit new ones. So it may be a short term cost but a long term gain.

I've no idea how many traincrew ATW have working west of Swansea, but with one train in and one out, the odds of them working such a service on a regular basis are likely to be pretty slim - would they even do enough journeys to be passed to work on IEP? Why bother when the entire FGW establishment at Swansea will be working IEP all the time anyway? And the expense of providing and maintaining a shore supply for stock left at Carmarthen and paying for taxis if required - all of which has to be balanced against there being a fully-equipped depot 20-odd miles away.