Thameslink trains becomming tired already?

[Jonno5114]

This may just be my experience, but I take Thameslink everyday and have for a while

The trains seem to be increasingly dirty, how often do they get cleaned if anyone knows? Properly cleaned

The toilets are disgusting. and not just some of them ALL of them. Why even have toilets, the stations are so frequent just get off and get the next train.

The ride is bumpier. Surley, given these are still fairly new trains why is the ride so jolty.

FIX THEM

Rant over

 

[JonathanH]

Why even have toilets, the stations are so frequent just get off and get the next train.

Some passengers travel long distances on the trains. Not having toilets wouldn't be acceptable for those journeys.

There is a vandalism problem which is proving difficult to manage.

 

[800001]

The trains I travel on of Thameslink are always clean in the seating area, that includes seats and floors.

The toilets, it is the graffiti in every toilet that is the issue for me, the actual toilet facility is 90% clean when ever I have the need to use them.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Other TOCs have found the toilet graffiti problem to be mostly solved by sticking shiny vinyls of scenery and the likes inside. It removes the temptation of a blank surface, it's shiny so the paint doesn't stick well, and if it does get tagged it can be pulled off and replaced. It's a great idea.

 

[Mzzzs]

I wouldn't say they are becoming tired.
They just need some good cleaning done.
Can't comment on ride quality as I have nothing wrong with it.

 

[59CosG95]

Other TOCs have found the toilet graffiti problem to be mostly solved by sticking shiny vinyls of scenery and the likes inside. It removes the temptation of a blank surface, it's shiny so the paint doesn't stick well, and if it does get tagged it can be pulled off and replaced. It's a great idea.

Surprised the vandals haven't tried to use the sharp ends of keys to scratch the vinyls off yet...

 

[Vexed]

Apart from toilet graffiti the interior is nearly always clean.

The dirt on the outside, especially at carriage ends, is quite bad but I suppose this is made visually more obvious because they're white.

 

[danielcanning]

It's not just the trains though, I travel on the Sutton loop occasionally during the evenings and there are times where I don't feel safe, the suburban Thameslink services are run down and neglected.

 

[Supercoss]

Many of the units have a dirty stripe that starts by the cab door and continues along side of first car , this seems to be caused by onboard flange lubrication system fitted to leading wheelset being defective, a small pipe either side becoming detached and spraying side of train rather than wheel sets , the visual appearance looks like the unit has been driven through a field .

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surprised the vandals haven't tried to use the sharp ends of keys to scratch the vinyls off yet...

Like window film, if they do it's easily replaced.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

They are used intensively and cannot all get back to home depots at end of day for heavy clean.

 

[choochoochoo]

Think Siemens are struggling to keep up maintenance on the 700s, so might explain some of the tiredness.

 

[Hadders]

The 700 fleet is worked hard. Generally it is kept clean, although I have seen a couple units carrying graffiti inside the train. Toilets aren’t really any worse than on other similar trains.

Toilets are needed on the 700s, not all lines served by them have a service every few minutes, for example stations north of Hitchin.

 

[aleggatta]

I remember a conversation with a chemical supplier a good few years ago, who were looking at trying to make a soap for the carriage washers that would be effective against the grime on the sides of the trains. Looks like no solution was found, and a wash by hand seems to be the only thing that touches it!

 

[185143]

The 700 fleet is worked hard. Generally it is kept clean, although I have seen a couple units carrying graffiti inside the train. Toilets aren’t really any worse than on other similar trains.

Toilets are needed on the 700s, not all lines served by them have a service every few minutes, for example stations north of Hitchin.

They REALLY are.

Never seen anything quite like it on any other UK or ROI train.

 

[John Webb]

.....The ride is bumpier. Surley, given these are still fairly new trains why is the ride so jolty.

FIX THEM

Rant over

I rode in two 700 units going into St Pancras and out again today and the ride seemed quite reasonable to me - I was able to read and write things without any problem. I didn't try the toilets so can't comment on their state.

 

[NSE]

As a regular user, the toilets are dreadful in terms of graffiti. That said, they are clean in terms of the facilities. Not the most welcoming with the graffiti, but they are useable. Of course you get the odd disaster, but that happens. I am a daily user of the Sutton Loop and fairly frequently the services through East Croydon. I find the eight carriages worse than the twelves. I wonder if their stabling at Bellingham and Gillingham/North Kent work could the cause. A total guess of course but these forums often state these are two problem points for graffiti.

As for getting off to go to the toilet and getting the next train. Yes, this would work for the core and possibly some destinations like St. Albans. But when I go to St. Neots it’s half hourly. As are stations between Hitchin - Cambridge, Three Bridges - Horsham, the Sutton Loop south of Streatham, London Bridge - Rainham, some of the stations between Purley - Horley. That’s a lot of sections that would not lend themselves to getting off for a Johnny Cash and then getting the following service. Plus a lot of them don’t have toilets. Someone above also mentioned not feeling safe. Taking the Sutton Loop, if you were to get off to try and go to the toilet at most stations, not only is there not one, but you’d then be stuck at an unstaffed station for half hour, possibly in the dark during winter. By having the toilets on the train this eliminates that. Of course, you can still have trouble on the train but that’s for another thread.

 

[crablab]

They REALLY are.

Never seen anything quite like it on any other UK or ROI train.

Likewise. Toilets are persistently like this on these trains.

 

[bramling]

This may just be my experience, but I take Thameslink everyday and have for a while

The trains seem to be increasingly dirty, how often do they get cleaned if anyone knows? Properly cleaned

The toilets are disgusting. and not just some of them ALL of them. Why even have toilets, the stations are so frequent just get off and get the next train.

The ride is bumpier. Surley, given these are still fairly new trains why is the ride so jolty.

FIX THEM

Rant over

They were pretty tired looking the moment they entered service.

The problem with such an austere interior is that it needs to be kept perfect, or it can look hostile pretty quickly.

To be fair, they are worked hard, though it’s also fair to say Covid has meant they’re not being worked quite as hard as they otherwise would have been.

 

[fgwrich]

They REALLY are.

Never seen anything quite like it on any other UK or ROI train.

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice the state of the toilets on these. I'm sorry, but they are the worst on the network now and probably are the worst we've seen for years. The rest of the units are still quite presentable though, even if the design remains somewhat stark.

 

[bramling]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice the state of the toilets on these. I'm sorry, but they are the worst on the network now and probably are the worst we've seen for years. The rest of the units are still quite presentable though, even if the design remains somewhat stark.

Yes the toilets are proper hostile. It really is 1980s. The LED lighting seems to accentuate the threatening feel. They feel akin to being in a lift on something like the Ferrier Estate just before it was pulled down.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Likewise. Toilets are persistently like this on these trains.

It immediately reminds me of New York 1980s subway or 1998 Connex !

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice the state of the toilets on these. I'm sorry, but they are the worst on the network now and probably are the worst we've seen for years. The rest of the units are still quite presentable though, even if the design remains somewhat stark.

My take its only in the last six months ive seen such a deterioration in the toilet interiors and its more often an eight than a twelve.

 

[fkofilee]

The 8 Cars I tend to find are in a worse state (Kent runners and Sutton Loop)
The BML ones seem to be in a much better condition IMHO. Use them quite a lot and in general I dont see much Graffiti nor damage

 

[Sm5]

School kids on the 3-4pm Mitcham Eastfields southbounds stop are starting using toilets for Medicinal purposes… 3 times last week I saw a group pilgrammage to the loo, with words along the lines of “pass me a pill”.

disgusting really, but as I dont want to be knifed on a 700 i’ll not step up.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

School kids on the 3-4pm Mitcham Eastfields southbounds stop are starting using toilets for Medicinal purposes… 3 times last week I saw a group pilgrammage to the loo, with words along the lines of “pass me a pill”.

disgusting really, but as I dont want to be knifed on a 700 i’ll not step up.

unfortunately a good reason not to have toilets on trains in inner city areas

 

[Islineclear3_1]

The 8 Cars I tend to find are in a worse state (Kent runners and Sutton Loop)
The BML ones seem to be in a much better condition IMHO. Use them quite a lot and in general I dont see much Graffiti nor damage

Say no more....

 

[Mzzzs]

The 8 Cars I tend to find are in a worse state (Kent runners and Sutton Loop)
The BML ones seem to be in a much better condition IMHO. Use them quite a lot and in general I dont see much Graffiti nor damage

From personal experience, I find that:
The 8-car ones which do the wgc to Sevenoaks service have always got graffiti in the toilets when I take them but the 8-car ones which do the Letchworth and Cambridge stoppers hardly have any vandalism.
I think it's just a product of going through certain areas.

 

[JonathanH]

unfortunately a good reason not to have toilets on trains in inner city areas

Not strictly true. The Sutton loop is not an 'inner city area'. It is suburbs, and the trains get used, and potentially abused, on other services as well.

The issue is that some of these routes are not busy enough to discourage vandalism. 377s, indeed 465s, run on similar services and don't seem to be affected as much.

Arguably one issue is that the initial vandalism was not removed quickly and other people have got the same idea.

 

[bramling]

From personal experience, I find that:
The 8-car ones which do the wgc to Sevenoaks service have always got graffiti in the toilets when I take them but the 8-car ones which do the Letchworth and Cambridge stoppers hardly have any vandalism.
I think it's just a product of going through certain areas.

This could now be a coincidence, as there’s a fair bit of interworking now. Up until the through Sevenoaks service started the GN units were captive, and tended to stay on the GN for several weeks or sometimes more. We can say with some certainty that the vandalism isn’t happening on the GN side.