Should Grand Central order the new Hitachi Trains?

[Clarence Yard]

Before, Grand Central orders new stock, I believe it would have to be able to renew it's passenger license for at least 50 years to make it cost effective to hire that new stock.

Not quite - usually seven to twelve years with new stock, depending on the business plan you submit to the ORR.

You also lease the units, you don’t hire them and it isn’t the passenger licence that is renewed (that is something completely different), it’s the Track Access Agreement and the additional years can be achieved by a simple extension to the existing one - by what is known as an s.22 application.

 

[trainswitheddy]

I would like to see some of GWR's 5-car class 802/0s cascade to GC when more electrification to Oxford, Swansea and Taunton (via both Bristol and Bedwyn) is completed in the Western Region.

Weren't GWR suffering from overcrowding anyway? It's an interesting idea but unsure if they'd be willing to let go of that capacity.
(As a spotter in the area though...please no more 80xs )

 

[Rhydgaled]

Can’t see wires going West of Newbury to be honest, I don’t think it’s worth it unless there’s enough freight and passenger services combined to justify it.

The TDNS has Newbury to Exeter down as 'Core Electrification' and beyond there (all the way to Penzance) as Ancillary Electrification. No battery or hydrogen recommended there.

I have long thought that any route which carries five or more 23m (or longer) passenger coaches per direction per hour year-round should be put on the 'long list' for electrification. Obviously there is a lot of prioritisation to be done within that, and Bruton / Castle Cary to Taunton is probably right near the back of the queue (Newbury to almost Bruton carries heavy freight trains for which the only alternative to diesel is probably electrification).

 

[TheWalrus]

The TDNS has Newbury to Exeter down as 'Core Electrification' and beyond there (all the way to Penzance) as Ancillary Electrification. No battery or hydrogen recommended there.

I have long thought that any route which carries five or more 23m (or longer) passenger coaches per direction per hour year-round should be put on the 'long list' for electrification. Obviously there is a lot of prioritisation to be done within that, and Bruton / Castle Cary to Taunton is probably right near the back of the queue (Newbury to almost Bruton carries heavy freight trains for which the only alternative to diesel is probably electrification).

Well that’s come as a surprise to me! It can’t be high on the list I would imagine.

 

[RobShipway]

Not quite - usually seven to twelve years with new stock, depending on the business plan you submit to the ORR.

You also lease the units, you don’t hire them and it isn’t the passenger licence that is renewed (that is something completely different), it’s the Track Access Agreement and the additional years can be achieved by a simple extension to the existing one - by what is known as an s.22 application.

Thanks @Clarence Yard

I know that this thread is about GC ordering from Hitachi. But what is to stop them from ordering Civity units like the class 397 from CAF?

The TDNS has Newbury to Exeter down as 'Core Electrification' and beyond there (all the way to Penzance) as Ancillary Electrification. No battery or hydrogen recommended there.

I have long thought that any route which carries five or more 23m (or longer) passenger coaches per direction per hour year-round should be put on the 'long list' for electrification. Obviously there is a lot of prioritisation to be done within that, and Bruton / Castle Cary to Taunton is probably right near the back of the queue (Newbury to almost Bruton carries heavy freight trains for which the only alternative to diesel is probably electrification).

I would have thought that Newbury to Exeter would be down as 'Core Electrification', given the number of freight trains just for today as can be seen from the search https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se.../0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=wtt&toc=ZZ on Realtimetrains.co.uk. The issue will be that to get to/from the origin and destinations freight operators would need to be using bi-mode or tri-mode locomotives.

 

[Energy]

I know that this thread is about GC ordering from Hitachi. But what is to stop them from ordering Civity units like the class 397 from CAF?

Nothing? From the TAA side it doesn't make much difference. GC would just need their maintanence sorted.

 

[Rhydgaled]

Nothing? From the TAA side it doesn't make much difference. GC would just need their maintanence sorted.

The current lack of wires to some of Grand Central's destinations. Until LNER revealed their new train order it was not known to the general public whether the bi-mode option advertised on the CAF website was available for the Civity UK platform or only for the larger loading guages elsewhere.