What's the logic behind the Grand Central Class 180 coach formation?

[swt_passenger]

That always seems to me to be an underlying but unspoken question, but what is there to stop the DfT specifying that (now that there's a known market) an incoming franchisee must run a new service, say 6 or 7 round trips to Hull, or Sunderland.

Would the OAA actually be able to stop this happening?

 

[D365]

I suppose the 180s will be the first thing that FGW jettisons once they get some IEP.

FGW's contract for the 5 180s tied them to the franchise until 2016, I believe. Would it be possible to sublease/sell it on to GC or alternatively FHT (who would pass their existing ones on, or all of them depending on the Hull electrification). Shame that GC missed the boat when EC had the 180s.

Does make me wonder what long term guarantees there are for Open Access on the ECML - it'd look very different without OA (but then we'd have bi-mode IEP to serve Sunderland etc).

Let's hope that FHT get their way with electrification, keeps EC on their toes. Would be sensible for FHT to go for 3-5 5-car electric IEPs, but would bi-mode be worth it for GC or others?

 

[southern442]

I believe there is also a coach U in the middle of 11 car pendolinos.

 

[Eagle]

Yeah, that was done so that the coaches were the same between 9- and 11-car trains, in case of a swap.

9-car are A-B-C-D-E-G-H-J-K and 11-car are A-B-C-D-E-F-U-G-H-J-K (where G to K are First on both)

 

[1e10]

Always thought it odd that the 180s have First Class in the second coach as opposed to at one end.

Voyager stock is completely jumbled:
Virgin Cl221s are formed A-B-C-D-E
First Class is E while the Quiet Coach is A

XC Cl220 Voyagers are formed A-C-D-F, with the 221s formed A-B-C-D-F
First Class is A, while the Quiet Coach is F.
Would have made more logic if First was coded F.

I believe that E was omitted pending the outcome of the now abandoned e-Voyager project

XC confuse the hell out of me.

http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/media/61862/voyager_seat_plan.pdf I still can't make sense pf this. It says coach A (First Class) is coach C on 4 hour car trains which would mean First Class in inbetween the end cars which I didn't think happened with XC.

 

[Eagle]

No, you're misreading that. It says that the next coach along from coach A is coach C on 4-car trains.

First class is always coach A on XC Voyagers (and coach G on a double Voyager service).

 

[jopsuk]

XC confuse the hell out of me.

http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/media/61862/voyager_seat_plan.pdf I still can't make sense pf this. It says coach A (First Class) is coach C on 4 hour car trains which would mean First Class in inbetween the end cars which I didn't think happened with XC.

You mistake- it's the arrows indicating the adjacent coach that say "coach A on 4-car trains" and "coach C on 4-car trains" i.e. emphasising that there's no coach B

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I believe there is also a coach U in the middle of 11 car pendolinos.

Yeah, that was done so that the coaches were the same between 9- and 11-car trains, in case of a swap.

9-car are A-B-C-D-E-G-H-J-K and 11-car are A-B-C-D-E-F-U-G-H-J-K (where G to K are First on both)

Hmmmm, I wonder if the coach letters of the extra cars was a coded message to DaFT about them not extending all sets to 11-cars...