Recently, I used a class 180 for the first time! It was a FGW example and was running a London Paddington - Great Malvern service. I used it between Oxford and Worcester Foregate Street.
I was very impressed with the look of these trains both internally and externally. Internally they look clean, bright and have very generous leg room space, and feel very open with comfortable seating. I've travelled on ATW's 175s many times, so know a little about the Coradia family, but always thought they needed more carriages for the routes they currently work.
I'm not sure if FGW are getting the most out of their 180s. I don't doubt that the Cotswold line is a very important line giving Hereford & Worcester direct links to London, whilst also acting as a local line with reasonably short distances between stops on the Worcester - Hanborough corridor. I imagine things do pick up a little more at peak times, but the service I was on, I could count the people in my carriage on one hand - and had a look in the next carriage too and it was much the same. Given their top speed of 125mph, their age and the fact they were too long for many of the platforms between Oxford and Worcester, I'm surprised they aren't deployed elsewhere.
I'd imagine reliability might come into it somewhere too - I read somewhere they were used on services to Bristol Temple Meads briefly (though I don't remember this), so is it a case of they can't be trusted to work the busier lines throughout of the day? What are the faults they suffer from?
I know that FGW does have a shortage of rolling stock and having 180s elsewhere on their network means possibly something even less suitable would then have to operate the services. It just came across that FGW aren't, perhaps, making the most of them. My return trip was a HST which originated from Hereford.
First Hull Trains and Grand Central also operate a small number too. Are these TOCs' examples more reliable?
Given the choice of a Voyager and an Adelante (both were brought into service at similar times, have the same/similar number of carriages and the same top speed), I find Adelantes more pleasant to travel on. I know FGW isn't planning to keep the 180s after electrification programmes, so I assume the remaining examples are going to go to Hull Trains and Grand Central?
Apologies if these questions regarding 180s have been asked before.
I was very impressed with the look of these trains both internally and externally. Internally they look clean, bright and have very generous leg room space, and feel very open with comfortable seating. I've travelled on ATW's 175s many times, so know a little about the Coradia family, but always thought they needed more carriages for the routes they currently work.
I'm not sure if FGW are getting the most out of their 180s. I don't doubt that the Cotswold line is a very important line giving Hereford & Worcester direct links to London, whilst also acting as a local line with reasonably short distances between stops on the Worcester - Hanborough corridor. I imagine things do pick up a little more at peak times, but the service I was on, I could count the people in my carriage on one hand - and had a look in the next carriage too and it was much the same. Given their top speed of 125mph, their age and the fact they were too long for many of the platforms between Oxford and Worcester, I'm surprised they aren't deployed elsewhere.
I'd imagine reliability might come into it somewhere too - I read somewhere they were used on services to Bristol Temple Meads briefly (though I don't remember this), so is it a case of they can't be trusted to work the busier lines throughout of the day? What are the faults they suffer from?
I know that FGW does have a shortage of rolling stock and having 180s elsewhere on their network means possibly something even less suitable would then have to operate the services. It just came across that FGW aren't, perhaps, making the most of them. My return trip was a HST which originated from Hereford.
First Hull Trains and Grand Central also operate a small number too. Are these TOCs' examples more reliable?
Given the choice of a Voyager and an Adelante (both were brought into service at similar times, have the same/similar number of carriages and the same top speed), I find Adelantes more pleasant to travel on. I know FGW isn't planning to keep the 180s after electrification programmes, so I assume the remaining examples are going to go to Hull Trains and Grand Central?
Apologies if these questions regarding 180s have been asked before.