SWT 158s - Exeter?

[TEW]

FGW then made up the 3-car 158 units which had the effect of reducing the number of units in the fleet which meant they were limited to work around Bristol.

 

[455driver]

The Cardiff to Portsmouth services needed 3 coach trains (it could do with 4 coaches now) and then most sensible idea was to form up the 1589xx (3 coach sets) again.

 

[TEW]

I wasn't criticising the idea, they never should have been reduced to 2 carriages. The formation of the hybrid units did mean an end to 158s on most other routes though.

 

[455driver]

True but the influx of class 150s made up for it plus the 150s are better for metro services with their 1/3 and 2/3 doors compared to the 158s end doors.

Obviously a 158 is a much nicer train to travel on/in but its the loading times that count.

Cardiff to Portsmouth is really starting to need 4 coaches on several services now so you never now they might get reformed back into 2 coach trains and then be doubled up.

 

[TEW]

I agree that Portsmouth-Cardiff services need 4 carriages, but FGW just don't have the stock at the moment. 150s are better suited to short distance services, and the use of 158s on Devon local services and the Falmouth branchline was clearly excessive. 158s would be much more suitable for Plymouth-Penzance and Bristol-Weymouth services though. The influx of Class 150/1s with 2+3 seating has made journeys worse on these routes, at least the Class 150/2s had a decent interior.

 

[455driver]

The reason for the 3+2 seats is the DaFTs obsession with "we are providing 200 extra seats in the morning peak" headlines. Well okay the seats may be there but they wont be used and the passengers will just stand in the remaining small area, where-as if the interior was fitted out in 2+2 style, although there would be less actual seats the same number of passengers would be seated but the standees would have more room. The only downside is the lack of a "spin" headline for the DaFT.

The trouble is the railways are run by politicians who thrive on spin which makes it sound like the problems are solved rather than actually solving them.

edit,
How did we get from SWT 158s onto FGW 158s?

 

[TEW]

Indeed, and FGW have admitted as much. The retention of 3+2 seating and therefore the greater theoretical seating capacity was the basis on which they managed to secure extra 150s.