Thameslink/ Class 700 Progress

[bengley]

700 related

Will ato work on dead end platforms at bfriars and also canal tunnels ?

It will definitely work in the Canal Tunnels. Not sure about the Blackfriars bays, but probably will.

 

[westcoaster]

Noted this morning as I brought a 12 car into Bedford a hoard of people at the far north end of the platform, gave door release and by the time I peeked in every de-classified 1st class seat was gone 10 minutes before departure. And people were walking out and back along the platform.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Will 700s be working Great Northern? And if you reply with 717s will, that is NOT answering my question!
I don't beat about the bush

 

[J-2739]

Will 700s be working Great Northern? And if you reply with 717s will, that is NOT answering my question!
I don't beat about the bush

No, routes by Great Northern will now be operated by Thameslink.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Oh yes, that's right. When is that going to be?

 

[class387]

Oh yes, that's right. When is that going to be?

All GN 700s will be Thameslink by December 2018, but before that 700s will operate as GN services from next month (?) until then.

 

[Failed Unit]

Saw the 700 at WGC platform 1 on Sunday. Assuming for driver training.

As for when they appear on great northern I understand some of the fast Peterborough services will go to 12 Car 700s in October so keep your eyes peeled. (As we are 1 week in).

Don’t know if they can’t be used on Cambridge locals until platform lengths are increased but understand, sadly a number of 365s go off lease before Christmas.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

A number of 365s go off lease before Christmas.

Oh good! Modernisation is finally getting better!

 

[superalbs]

Oh good! Modernisation is finally getting better!

As for passenger comfort...

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Well, go first class then!

 

[Failed Unit]

Well, go first class then!

I will bite - the 365s have first class neither of the units replacing them do - although the 700s is better it isn’t a patch on the 365s.

The 700s will be a good thing of course as it will end 4 Car working but no one on the route will be happy to see the 365s go. The 387s are deeply unpopular. I am sure the 700s will have critics at stations where a seat was previously available but isn’t any more.

I can’t verify as fact but since the 387s came on line i understand less people want to renew their 1st season ticket as there is no longer a benefit. I don’t consider the seats that much better on the 700s to justify the premium.

 

[spark001uk]

Just pondering, as I'm aboard a Sutton looper, I notice one or two stations that announce front 7, the unit actually opens 7.5. I never knew the asdo went down to the half-coach on these. Would I be right in saying these are the first units that have that capability?

 

[Skimble19]

Saw the 700 at WGC platform 1 on Sunday. Assuming for driver training.

As for when they appear on great northern I understand some of the fast Peterborough services will go to 12 Car 700s in October so keep your eyes peeled. (As we are 1 week in).

Don’t know if they can’t be used on Cambridge locals until platform lengths are increased but understand, sadly a number of 365s go off lease before Christmas.

700s won't be in service on GN until November now.

 

[TheDavibob]

Just pondering, as I'm aboard a Sutton looper, I notice one or two stations that announce front 7, the unit actually opens 7.5. I never knew the asdo went down to the half-coach on these. Would I be right in saying these are the first units that have that capability?

Pretty sure S-stock has similar (though of course on the underground), locking out only the back door at some stations.

 

[Class 466]

Just pondering, as I'm aboard a Sutton looper, I notice one or two stations that announce front 7, the unit actually opens 7.5. I never knew the asdo went down to the half-coach on these. Would I be right in saying these are the first units that have that capability?

378s on the ELL core do just that on some platforms

 

[aleggatta]

Just pondering, as I'm aboard a Sutton looper, I notice one or two stations that announce front 7, the unit actually opens 7.5. I never knew the asdo went down to the half-coach on these. Would I be right in saying these are the first units that have that capability?

387's are capable, but AFAIK this feature isn't taken advantage of

 

[Failed Unit]

700s won't be in service on GN until November now.

The 31st November? (Joke not typo)

But i suspect that will be late November irrespective according to. “Fords law”

 

[spark001uk]

Ah ok, thanks. So barring the inner suburbian/LT stuff, basically the first mainline units that are doing half-coach then.

 

[Skimble19]

The 31st November? (Joke not typo)

But i suspect that will be late November irrespective according to. “Fords law”

Allegedly starting from 6th November.. quite a lot to do still in quite a short amount of time.

 

[Failed Unit]

Allegedly starting from 6th November.. quite a lot to do still in quite a short amount of time.

Will keep my eye out for it. How is the driver training going? I guess still a lot to be done. Not seen as many out as I did this time last year with the 387s or can you be passed on simulator/ on the Thameslink route piloted with another driver?

 

[swt_passenger]

Will keep my eye out for it. How is the driver training going? I guess still a lot to be done. Not seen as many out as I did this time last year with the 387s or can you be passed on simulator/ on the Thameslink route piloted with another driver?

Maybe, and given that a significant proportion of existing GN drivers will eventually have to learn the core and points south anyway, doing some part of the traction training on the existing Thameslink route might be fairly logical and useful. (Which probably means it hasn't happened.)

 

[bluegoblin7]

Pretty sure S-stock has similar (though of course on the underground), locking out only the back door at some stations.

Correct. In both the front and the rear cars the S stock can do anything from all doors remain closed to one set opening. The most extreme example is at Baker Street eastbound front front one and rear three remaining shut. If a train misses the stopping mark, or has another problem with opening the doors, the emergency open facility will cut out all doors in the front and rear cars.

Certainly as far as the Underground goes this isn't a new phenomena. Even the venerable A60 stock could cut out the front and rear doors to deal with short platforms, and the 1995 stock regularly cut out out front or rear doors at a handful of stations.

 

[MikePJ]

Cambridge News has a PR story about driver training on the 700s today: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/new...idge-london-govia-thameslink-railway-13750437

"The first new trains will start appearing in Cambridge from May 2018, and will gradually increase in frequency across the year"

 

[physics34]

Any truth in rumours that 700s having clearance issues through Oxted tunnel? ?

 

[Sunset route]

Any truth in rumours that 700s having clearance issues through Oxted tunnel? ?

They've worked training trips to and from East Grinstead overnight and on Sundays, now whether something has cropped up or not is unknown but I'll be interested to know as well, then you can add to the growing list of where you can't run them as both variations or just the FLU.

 

[physics34]

They've worked training trips to and from East Grinstead overnight and on Sundays, now whether something has cropped up or not is unknown but I'll be interested to know as well, then you can add to the growing list of where you can't run them as both variations or just the FLU.

Something mentioned on a facebook group is that because of similar issues to those of running mk3s in the tunnel, there cant be another train running on the adjacent line in the tunnel when a 700 is passing through. We wait to hear more.....

 

[bramling]

Something mentioned on a facebook group is that because of similar issues to those of running mk3s in the tunnel, there cant be another train running on the adjacent line in the tunnel when a 700 is passing through. We wait to hear more.....

Pity some reason can’t be found to apply some kind of restriction to the Welwyn tunnels, then export this horrid fleet somewhere else.

 

[Sunset route]

Something mentioned on a facebook group is that because of similar issues to those of running mk3s in the tunnel, there cant be another train running on the adjacent line in the tunnel when a 700 is passing through. We wait to hear more.....

Running as "oppos" then, same as Bletchingly Tunnel when 319s, 455s were in transit to Chart leacon and the old Sub based sandite/de-iced units were running. But that's not a good set up if your planning to run a half hour peak service through London Bridge.

 

[physics34]

Running as "oppos" then, same as Bletchingly Tunnel when 319s, 455s were in transit to Chart leacon and the old Sub based sandite/de-iced units were running. But that's not a good set up if your planning to run a half hour peak service through London Bridge.

yeh this will not work with the 15 min frequency for the grinnies...and the extra 171s too. Back to the drawing board if this is true. Theyll have to leave 377s on them and run them to LBG. ? Lets see if the rumours are true........

 

[MCR247]

If this is the case then whose fault would it be that its only been discovered this far down the line (excuse the pun)?