Scotrail Class 385 Discussion

[Bayum]

As per my post last week it has been confirmed today that there will be 2x 4 car 385s in passenger service from Monday 23rd July.

Here's hoping! They're good looking vehicles, and it's a real shame they haven't been able to be rolled out into passenger service as of yet.

 

[methethpropbut]

As per my post last week it has been confirmed today that there will be 2x 4 car 385s in passenger service from Monday 23rd July.

I assume it'll be on the Edinburgh-Glasgow, or is there some funky plan in the works?

 

[InOban]

Am I right in thinking that as 23m coaches a double set can't use QS as it is, so it will be single units?

 

[scotraildriver]

The 385s are a mixture of 3 and 4 car sets, so will initially run as 7 cars, and when Queen St is finished will run as 8.

 

[Indigo Soup]

Are the 3-car units to be extended to 4 cars later, or will they be cascaded on to other routes?

 

[InOban]

The 385s are a mixture of 3 and 4 car sets, so will initially run as 7 cars, and when Queen St is finished will run as 8.

Of course. Silly me. It's the 4 car sets that have 1st?

 

[Sickandtired]

Edinburgh Park gets enough stops/capacity as it is and is scheduled to get more. The rest of the E&G needs it far more and the affect on journey times isn’t worth stopping at Park.

well I sit at the park awaiting a service to alloa that is delayed 20 mins and will now only go to Stirling instead of alloa. I promise u Edinburgh park is NOT well served. If some of the Glasgow services stopped I could at least have got to Falkirk high. It is abysmal.

 

[Sickandtired]

well I sit at the park awaiting a service to alloa that is delayed 20 mins and will now only go to Stirling instead of alloa. I promise u Edinburgh park is NOT well served. If some of the Glasgow services stopped I could at least have got to Falkirk high. It is abysmal.

Its arrived and it's only 2 carriages. This is not a well served station.

 

[Carntyne]

Its arrived and it's only 2 carriages. This is not a well served station.

Does it not see 6tph during the day (at least)?

 

[InOban]

4tph heading to bathgate and Airdrie + 2tph heading for Stirling/Dunblane. Will get another two when the Stirling trains go fast to Falkirk and there will be a stopper via Cumbernauld. Only half hourly to Linlithgow and polmont, and no trains to Falkirk high and croy.

 

[SC318250]

If 2x4 car 385 going into service on Monday, would it make sense to put them on North Berwick runs and swap 2 x 3 car 380 from Inverclyde with 2x 4 car to create 2 x 7 car 380 to remove the last dmu diagram?
Therefore
4 x365 - 8 car
4 x380 - 7 car

 

[Highlandspring]

Apparently a software update overnight to solve a minor issue has had some unintended consequences, so there's a chance that entry into service may not now happen on Monday unless they can sort things out before then...

 

[NotATrainspott]

E&G calls at Edinburgh Park aren't currently justifiable. It'd increase end-to-end journey times while adding more passengers onto trains which are already busy, while not really opening up new routes. Direct services to Glasgow are already available via Airdrie-Bathgate and don't take that much longer than E&G services. The new joined-up Cumbernauld services will provide a direct link to the general E&G catchment area.

The story might be different after the rest of the Edinburgh Park/International Business Gateway area is developed if there will be many more commuters heading over to Glasgow. Until then, there'll be 385s on the Cumbernauld and Stirling trains. If I'm not mistaken, the consequence of the Cumbernauld trains is that the Stirling runs are sped up, so it'll be a double bonus for Edinburgh Park commuters.

 

[youngac]

so there's a chance that entry into service may not now happen on Monday unless they can sort things out before then...

Fingers crossed the problem can be fixed, I’ve been looking forward to these units coming into service for a long time.

 

[InOban]

I've always thought that Edinburgh park needed a large car park to persuade people on the south side of the city to leave their cars and take train to Glasgow. At present anyone who has driven round the bypass is almost certain to drive the whole way.

 

[scotraildriver]

Outside the peak Edinburgh Park is virtually unused. It's literally busy for around 4 hours per day making additional services hard to justify. Dont think I've ever picked up more than 5 people after 7pm.

 

[Sickandtired]

Outside the peak Edinburgh Park is virtually unused. It's literally busy for around 4 hours per day making additional services hard to justify. Dont think I've ever picked up more than 5 people after 7pm.

But it's the peak that is the problem.that dunblane service has always been like that tho. When 170s were introduced into eg we named eg the parliamentarian Express. It seemed like those were the only people scotrail cared about. We got the 2 car clapped out sprinters.
I have worked at gyle for 3 months now. My colleagues views are all the same. Glasgow guys refuse to take the train cause of overcrowding. Linlithgow ones bring the car. Also cause of overcrowding, lateness and cancellations. At least one of the eg trains should stop during rush hour. That is the customer perspective. Overcrowding on 158 is magnified due to poor air con. On way in one morning we had a young lady pass out and had to get the guard.

 

[Stopper]

Edinburgh Park is well served compared to most of the E&G. Linlithgow (especially), Polmont & Croy aren’t getting any service increase after the 385s arrive, whereas Edinburgh Park is getting a faster Stirling service and the new 2tph Cumbernauld services, on top of its already superior service.

It’s Linlithgow & Croy that deserve the service upgrades, and while Cumbernauld is getting a service increase to spread the Croy traffic, Linlithgow is remaining the same and actually losing its Stirling link despite being the busiest station on that line outside Stirling itself.

Edinburgh Park is virtually deserted all day outside the peaks and has 6tph to Edinburgh, 4tph A-B-G and 2tph to Stirling. The majority of these are 6-coach trains. I’m struggling to see how this is a station that is not well served?

Until there are more than 4tph on the E-G, Park isn’t really an option for calls.

 

[kilonewton]

It’s worth also remembering that under the original EGIP scope, E-G trains were to go via the Dalmeny Chord, not Edinburgh Park.

The question I have is will the 385s run the top of the hour services, or will Polmont/Linlithgow get first dibs as they’ve borne the brunt of the rolling stock shortages so far.

 

[Journeyman]

Does anyone know what's happening with the plan for a station in Winchburgh? We were meant to be getting one in December this year, but that's clearly not happening as there's no sign of any work yet. I'd really benefit from it.

 

[SC318250]

Looks like 385 delivery on tonight

Tyne light loco cancelled but loco from Doncaster instead is running

 

[scotraildriver]

Queen St - Falkirk Grahamston via Cumbernauld will go over to 380's from this Monday.

 

[SC318250]

385 delivery on. No idea of number(s) or loco

 

[youngac]

385 delivery on. No idea of number(s) or loco

Finally!

 

[800001]

385 delivery on. No idea of number(s) or loco

67004 with 385006 departed at 2110.

 

[Stopper]

Surprised to hear the Cumbernaulds are going over to 380s so soon but it’s good news I suppose.

 

[Sirius]

380 at FKG this morning according to Twitter.

 

[herb21]

Does anyone know what's happening with the plan for a station in Winchburgh? We were meant to be getting one in December this year, but that's clearly not happening as there's no sign of any work yet. I'd really benefit from it.

I was under the impression that without Dalmeny Chord Winchburgh can't happen.

 

[Altnabreac]

I was under the impression that without Dalmeny Chord Winchburgh can't happen.

Not so. Winchburgh station can only happen once one of either Dalmeny Chord or electrification (to Dunblane / Alloa / Cumbernauld) has happened.

So once Dalmeny chord was cancelled Winchburgh station was tied to the full completion of electrification meaning that the Winchburgh calls will take less time in the faster accelerating electric Stirling services than they would have done in a DMU service.

The finances of the Winchburgh station reopening are also tied up in the wider negotiations between the developer, Scottish Government and West Lothian Council as part of the City Deal process. The new School infrastructure required (both primary and secondary) as well as the new link road to the north of Winchburgh and a new M9 motorway junction are all interlinked to the station funding but the financial package should all be agreed later this year. My suspicion is by the time contracts are then agreed for the station work a likely opening date is going to be May 2020 at the earliest and perhaps December 2020 is a more realistic proposal.

 

[Journeyman]

Not so. Winchburgh station can only happen once one of either Dalmeny Chord or electrification (to Dunblane / Alloa / Cumbernauld) has happened.

So once Dalmeny chord was cancelled Winchburgh station was tied to the full completion of electrification meaning that the Winchburgh calls will take less time in the faster accelerating electric Stirling services than they would have done in a DMU service.

The finances of the Winchburgh station reopening are also tied up in the wider negotiations between the developer, Scottish Government and West Lothian Council as part of the City Deal process. The new School infrastructure required (both primary and secondary) as well as the new link road to the north of Winchburgh and a new M9 motorway junction are all interlinked to the station funding but the financial package should all be agreed later this year. My suspicion is by the time contracts are then agreed for the station work a likely opening date is going to be May 2020 at the earliest and perhaps December 2020 is a more realistic proposal.

Thanks for that - I knew it was tied to electrification, but the lack of communication from the various parties on the issue has been pretty shocking. A lot of us have bought property here in the expectation we'd get the station in a reasonable timeframe, and it's becoming ever more important given that First are about to axe half our buses.

Oh, well, I guess it's not that long in the grand scheme of things.