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The future of Laira depot.

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Woody

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Laira depot Plymouth post HST. To be or not to be that is the question. Yesterday my local BBC South West news program said that post IEP the work load at Laira will fall by 60% with consequent job losses and of course if an additional batch of Hitachi AT300 trains is approved in June to replace the remaining HST's they too will almost certainly be maintained "in house" by Hitachi as well as the IEP's with further implications on the jobs front at Laira. Yet FGW say that Laira will not close and the depots at Penzance (Long Rock) and Exeter may even be expanded. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05qhzv7/spotlight-15042015
Thoughts.
 
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Domh245

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I'm not that up to speed on the GW IEP maintenance scheme, but it may be that one of the maintenance facilities will be there.

If it isn't one of the selected depots, then it will almost certainly remain as a stabling point and will likely gain some CET pumping kit
 

Carlisle

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If it isn't one of the selected depots, then it will almost certainly remain as a stabling point and will likely gain some CET pumping kit

Yes it's virtually impossible to see it not remain in some shape or form unless they go for a new build somewhere as there's nowhere else around suitable (Exeter too small) and unlikely to want to run lots of trains ECS to Bristol or Penzance depots at the start and finish of each day
 
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plymothian

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AT300s have not yet had government approval.
Whoever get in in May, could turn around and say keep your HSTs for another 40 years.
 

irish_rail

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From what ive heard, Tavistock Junc Yard is being looked at by Hitatchi for a small depot.
Apparently, part of the problem with the current sheds at Laira is concrete cancer, and so would be very expensive to repair, however, no descions have yet been made as far as im aware, and as others have said, IEPs will need to stable somewhere, so there is definitely a future for a depot in Plymouth, although potentially a little smaller.....
 
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Laira depot Plymouth post HST. To be or not to be that is the question. Yesterday my local BBC South West news program said that post IEP the work load at Laira will fall by 60% with consequent job losses and of course if an additional batch of Hitachi AT300 trains is approved in June to replace the remaining HST's they too will almost certainly be maintained "in house" by Hitachi as well as the IEP's with further implications on the jobs front at Laira. Yet FGW say that Laira will not close and the depots at Penzance (Long Rock) and Exeter may even be expanded. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b05qhzv7/spotlight-15042015
Thoughts.

Unless Hitachi build a new depot in the area I cant see it will work logistically, Laira depot was retained after BR due to where it is located and how the franchise needs to work logistically

Hitachi could build a new depot up the road but it will be an expense when they could just get Hitachi ops to work on the clients premises at Laira

The level of work will drop off due to the newer trains not needing work done on them as regular as the older HSTs but some staff will be retained and TUPED over I would have thought

One thing is a dead cert and that is that the Hitachi trains wont be going a couple of hundred miles from Plymouth for maintenance
 
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bnm

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It's still for the DfT to decide on the AT300s. By no means a done deal yet.

Contingency, if no deal, is for 21 HST sets to remain for West of England services.

If the AT300s are ordered they may not have the same 'build and maintain' contract attached to them as the Class 800/801s, as they would be built in Japan, not Newton Aycliffe. Stoke Gifford in Bristol is unlikely to have the capacity to maintain another 29 (AT300, if ordered, would be 7x 9 car and 22x 5 car) sets. So its likely another depot site would be required. That would logically be on the line of route between London and Devon/Cornwall. Laira would seem like the obvious choice. Or a new build in the west. Either way there shouldn't be a dire threat to jobs.

I think the reports of Laira's demise are greatly exaggerated.

I'd be more concerned about Landore in Swansea...
 
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Would people be sitting around all day if the same level of depot staff were retained, I would be very concerned if the new trains initially in the first few years of life needed the same amount of maintenance as ancient HST stock,

With regards to moving the depot somewhere else along the route it would have to be near the Plymouth area or within 20-30 miles, if not what problems could occur when the drivers have to drive a couple of hours in the car to work each day, I think the union will be watching this closely
 

LNW-GW Joint

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If the AT300s are ordered they may not have the same 'build and maintain' contract attached to them as the Class 800/801s, as they would be built in Japan, not Newton Aycliffe.

I think all the Hitachi fleets to date (395, 80x, AT200) are being maintained by the manufacturer rather than in house by the TOC.
It wouldn't make sense for FGW to have a different type of contract for the SW AT300s.
I shouldn't think where the trains are built is a factor - the 395s were built in Japan and are maintained by Hitachi at Ashford.
 

najaB

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It wouldn't make sense for FGW to have a different type of contract for the SW AT300s.
Just because previous contracts have been supply plus maintenance doesn't mean that future contracts will be. If it makes financial sense then it will, if the DfT believes a supply-only contract is a better deal then the maintenance will be done in house.

Regardless of who is doing it, there will need to be a depot of some description in the south west which could be Laira, or a newly built site.
 

Class 170101

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From what ive heard, Tavistock Junc Yard is being looked at by Hitatchi for a small depot.
Apparently, part of the problem with the current sheds at Laira is concrete cancer, and so would be very expensive to repair, however, no descions have yet been made as far as im aware, and as others have said, IEPs will need to stable somewhere, so there is definitely a future for a depot in Plymouth, although potentially a little smaller.....

How much space is there around Laira as a whole?

Could a new building be constructed within the confines of the Yard and then the old demolished and turned over to outdoor stabling space? A Bit like Ilford Depot seems to be at moment.
 

ainsworth74

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Yet FGW say that Laira will not close and the depots at Penzance (Long Rock) and Exeter may even be expanded.

Well Long Rock is going to be completely responsible for maintaining the Night Riviera vehicles once Old Oak Common goes in a few years so that's why they're expanding it and it is therefore fairly safe as long as the Night Riviera continues to run. I also wonder if it might pick up some DMUs on a permanent basis. Exeter depot is pretty much full, especially once the 16xs start coming over. Rather than expanding or, even worse, moving that depot it might be decided it's easier to base some at Long Rock.
 

bnm

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Exeter won't be getting any 16x.

All the 143s to go off lease, as well as all the 153s and some 150s. 158s and 150s to move down from St Phillips.
 

ainsworth74

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Huh thought it was 16x. Must have been thinking of extra 15xs then.
 

irish_rail

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DMUs come in for basic overnight servicing, nothing more except in exceptional circumstances (ie Dawlish wall collapse etc).
 

krus_aragon

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I think the reports of Laira's demise are greatly exaggerated.

I'd be more concerned about Landore in Swansea...

Llandore's been penciled in (by some?) as housing West Wales' DMU fleet once the SWML electrification is done.
 

PHILIPE

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I notice that you have spelt Landore as Llandore perhaps as a Cymro. I hope you don't mind me asking why ? The area of Swansea is historically named after a man whose name was LANDORE John Hughes and the composer of "Calon Lán". Cymru am byth.
 

Busaholic

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Well Long Rock is going to be completely responsible for maintaining the Night Riviera vehicles once Old Oak Common goes in a few years so that's why they're expanding it and it is therefore fairly safe as long as the Night Riviera continues to run. I also wonder if it might pick up some DMUs on a permanent basis. Exeter depot is pretty much full, especially once the 16xs start coming over. Rather than expanding or, even worse, moving that depot it might be decided it's easier to base some at Long Rock.

Despite official denials, it is almost certain that Morrisons supermarket at Long Rock, Penzance will close and the site be sold to Network Rail or its agents. Since Sainsbury opened just over the road eighteen months ago Morrisons has lost a huge number of customers. Safeways, Morrisons predecessors, bought the site from the BRB in the first place about thirty years ago, so getting planning permission ought not to be too onerous.
 

TEW

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DMUs come in for basic overnight servicing, nothing more except in exceptional circumstances (ie Dawlish wall collapse etc).

Occasional out of course work has been done on 150s there too. Half of 150221 which caught fire in the Plymouth area was repaired over quite a long period of time at Laira. The original 150/1s, 150121 and 150127 had a mini refurbishment there too.
 

D1009

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With regards to moving the depot somewhere else along the route it would have to be near the Plymouth area or within 20-30 miles, if not what problems could occur when the drivers have to drive a couple of hours in the car to work each day, I think the union will be watching this closely
When you say drivers, who are you on about?
 

D6975

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Exeter won't be getting any 16x.

All the 143s to go off lease, as well as all the 153s and some 150s. 158s and 150s to move down from St Phillips.

They're supposedly keeping the 150/2s and the 2 150/0s. The 143s and 150/1s are all going off lease.
 
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When you say drivers, who are you on about?

Are trains not serviced there overnight, cleaned and refuelled etc then they start the next day in the Plymouth area, therefore you would have drivers that sign there, if the depot was moved towards London or some 30 miles away what will happen to them drivers
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Like Crown Point for example overnight the lines are full of trains, in the morning drivers local to Norwich will go to the depot and collect a train drive it into Norwich and start their shift, what would happen to those drivers if the depot was demolished and a new one built at Ipswich or Colchester, Laira is the same right
 
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