Longer trains for Lumo - how?

[Bletchleyite]

From the LNER fares thread:

If adding luggage racks is the aim then extending existing units has to be the answer. The reason that there are no racks is that Lumo found a novel way to comply with the 400 seat minimum within five car trains. Extending existing units can only be done by ordering from Hitachi

I would be astonished if they didn't get agreement to reduce the capacity of their existing sets on the condition of running them only in ten-car formations unless forced to run a 5 because of a failure. You can then order whatever you like for the other units.

 

[BRX]

What's the 400 seat minimum about?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What's the 400 seat minimum about?

It was a condition of their track access application to have a minimum of 400 seats in each train. The intention of this was I believe to force them to go for 7-car trains to make the most of capacity, but what they decided to do was a very high density layout with almost no luggage provision in order to save money by cramming that into a 5-car train.

 

[Clarence Yard]

No, it wasn’t. It was to make sure that they procured trains that met their submitted business plan demand and couldn’t just hire or lease in lower density stock that didn’t.

7 cars were never contemplated in the initial application process, either by the ORR or Lumo.

 

[800001]

Reading an interview with Martin Gilbert, managing Director of Open Acess for first group, and he says he has ambitions for Lumo to operate some of there ECML services as 10 car operation, but they are currently unable to due to the over head power supply not having the capacity (presume between Edinburgh and Newcastle)

 

[IanXC]

Reading an interview with Martin Gilbert, managing Director of Open Acess for first group, and he says he has ambitions for Lumo to operate some of there ECML services as 10 car operation, but they are currently unable to due to the over head power supply not having the capacity (presume between Edinburgh and Newcastle)

Which seem reasonable given Hull Trains plan 10 car services 4 (or is it 5) days a week.