first rubbish western

[JohnBuzz]

hi is it me or have first lost i mean the running two car trains in dorset somerset a devon

are member of oliver letwin is going to speak to the chair man of first graet western and try and inprove the sirvice anyway what do you think about first graet western

i like the hsts

[enotayokel]

Well it always has been 2 car trains down here in Devon (with the odd solitary Dogbox) on the local routes run by Wessex - they've been merged with the intercity services as part of Greater Western. Though I know of a few times when a Dogbox has worked Penzance to Paddingtons (the HST had sat down at Long Rock and rather then cancel they sent a spare 153 - Cornwall and Devon are so slow that the Dogbox was keeping to HST timings!)

[JohnBuzz]

that is just plain stuped

[arabiandisco]

Why? I doubt the exmouth line really requires a HST.

[JohnBuzz]

yer i know but i mean a 1 car train going to paddington that is just rediculos and i thin kthe reason is fgw is refurbishing the class150's for use on the bristo lweymouth line again but at the moment we have classs 158's wich is better but still not good

[charlierc]

Cascades mean FGW loses 14 Class 158 units (11 to Northern, 3 to EMT), and then they send in the Pacers cascaded from Northern.

Just be glad a Pacer isn't to be used on the Bristol-London route, though the high-density HSTs may feel the same.

[JohnBuzz]

yer a pacer on the bristol-london that whould be way cramped ibet there whould be somny people on the train you choudent move heads against the winddows people in the ile all lhuddeld together weird i went to the wsr along time ago and i go about 50 times a yaer and in 2005 they had he city of trou there i got it from wilinton and there was hardly anyroom i was a carride with compartments and iwas squished in betreen the window and the door to the compartment

[enotayokel]

yer i know but i mean a 1 car train going to paddington that is just rediculos and i thin kthe reason is fgw is refurbishing the class150's for use on the bristo lweymouth line again but at the moment we have classs 158's wich is better but still not good

It was good. After all if the Dogbox hadn't subbed for the broken HST the whole service would have been canceled. it would have taken 2 hours to get a spare set from Laira!

[dan4291]

yer i know but i mean a 1 car train going to paddington that is just rediculos and i thin kthe reason is fgw is refurbishing the class150's for use on the bristo lweymouth line again but at the moment we have classs 158's wich is better but still not good

It was good. After all if the Dogbox hadn't subbed for the broken HST the whole service would have been canceled. it would have taken 2 hours to get a spare set from Laira!

The 153 won't have gone all the way to Paddington. It'll probably have worked the same service to Plymouth where it would have terminated there.

[hitch840]

The 153 won't have gone all the way to Paddington. It'll probably have worked the same service to Plymouth where it would have terminated there.

Or more than likely a hst was waiting at plymouth to take the passengers onwards to paddington

[MoonKid47]

Dogbox

LOL


Ive never heard a 153 be called that before

[jonfun]

Ah, the faithful dogboxes - they can even get to about 20mph pushing a dead 156!

Anyway, before I end up being flamed for going off topic, John, I agree that on some lines, capacity is an issue. Hopefully, since they brought in a new MD, things'll turn around for the better.

[MoonKid47]

I agree that on some lines, capacity is an issue.

Even up here in the North, I hear people complain about FGW and the lack of capacity and rubbish stock. Looks like they really dont care about passengers and just shareholders.

[AlistairW]

Even up here in the North, I hear people complain about FGW and the lack of capacity and rubbish stock. Looks like they really dont care about passengers and just shareholders.

I think with the recent spate of refranchising some area's have come up tops and others have suffered. EMT has fewer trains than it actually needs and is soon to loose all the centre car's out of it's 158's. (ouch to passengers on Liverpool - Norwich services that used to be treated to 3 car 170's). FGW's loss of 158's to Northern and 180's to maybe ATW will see even more pressure put on it's existing stock.

But if you live in right area's of the north you now have 158's, so some people win others loose, I assmue part of it is down to the actual franchise requirements set out by the DfT and how much a TOC is willing to fight for new stock. I know Heidi Mottram (MD @ Northern) is working very hard for that franchise with very little spare money so congrats to her for getting the additional 158's.

Current rumors are that First Group are pouring money into First to make it 'Shine' because if it doesn't they won't get the Southern Franchise (Sept 2009).

[MoonKid47]

EMT has fewer trains than it actually needs and is soon to loose all the centre car's out of it's 158's. (ouch to passengers on Liverpool - Norwich services that used to be treated to 3 car 170's).

I traveled on the rush hour 17:37 service from Manchester Piccadilly to Warrington and that was a packed 2-car 158. Passengers had to be left at Oxford Road because the train was full.

If Northern really do have some spare 142s hanging around then maybe EMT can lease them for the time being to improve stock levels...