GWR Class 800

[Taunton]

Stoke Gifford had let the set heat up inside overnight (nearing 40 degrees was quoted) so when they switched on the air con it was trying to do the near impossible in trying to cool that lot down and the predictable happened.

If parked in the midday summer sun sealed and without power that would be a likely afternoon inside temperature. so hopefully is not a predictable situation at all.

 

[Mojo]

What did it say inside the first class booklet? Do you still get complementary refreshments, are the still the same?

It's an enhanced offering which started today with complimentary food provided for First class customers on the IEPs and HSTs, on top of the previous light refreshments that were provided there are sandwiches after 11am and various breakfast items beforehand.

You can download it at the GWR website:
https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/menus/first-class/first-class-weekday-menu.pdf?la=en

 

[D1009]

I've just noticed on the 800s there is no emergency evacuation information. Only recently FGW insisted it had to be provided on a card in front of every passenger. Is this no longer a requirement?

 

[pdeaves]

Am I right in saying there were paper reservation slips on the seats too rather than electronic?

On at least one journey, yes. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/37065922293/ and https://www.flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/37024189824/

 

[swt_passenger]

I've just noticed on the 800s there is no emergency evacuation information. Only recently FGW insisted it had to be provided on a card in front of every passenger. Is this no longer a requirement?

IIRC FGW were unique in providing at seat cards. Can't think of anyone else who does this - so I assume there is no requirement for it.

 

[D1009]

IIRC FGW were unique in providing at seat cards. Can't think of anyone else who does this - so I assume there is no requirement for it.

No, but on the 800s there is no information at all. Most TOCs put it in the space between the windows.

 

[dk1]

I always get a sense of satisfaction when well planned events go wrong (perhaps we will drop the 'well' on this one). It brings those ever ambitious egotistical sorts down to earth with a damn great bang. All that excitement of the previous day washed away with a bucket full of eggs. Bet they are drowning their sorrows as I type

Just bring them in low low key preferably well outside the morning or evening peak. Lessons learned & all that.

 

[jimm]

Am I right in saying there were paper reservation slips on the seats too rather than electronic?

On both the 09.30 from Bristol and the 11.45 from Paddington to Swansea - but you have to bear in mind that if an HST stands in for an IET, they will still need reservation tickets.

In the case of the 11.45, they seemed to be trying to set up the customer information and electronic reservations but it didn't want to play ball at Paddington - the scrolling display was listing the station stops to Swansea at the same time as the automated announcement was saying 'This is London Paddington, where this train terminates'.

The reservations seemed to be functioning by the time I got off at Reading.

 

[theageofthetra]

I think I can have a fair punt at what happened. The unit having been in testing probably had not been thoroughly cleaned inside for some time & had run with AC off so was given a deep clean last night so it looked good for the press and the government minister.



The floors were still a bit wet and it was musty so someone not unreasonably thought 'er Dave lets stick the heat on so it drys out the dampness....'

 

[leomartin125]

I'm on the 1529 Swansea Paddington currently, and there certainly have been no serious issues. The only slight problem, which occurred in both directions seemed to be at Neath, where there was some confusion as to which doors would open. On the way back there was a PA announcement from the driver apologising for the delay in releasing the doors, and eventually people had to walk through several coaches to alight. Incidentally I believe this is the first time I have ever heard a GWR driver using the PA.

I was onboard the ill-fated 0600 Bristol to Paddington. The driver definitely used the PA system then! Indeed, at Taplow, I heard a driver announcement and in the background you could hear the alarm similar to the 395 power/brake handle alarm. Apart from the serious air conditioning issue (that had to affect the one coach out of ten I actually had a reserved seat in), the journey wasn't too bad. We achieved 125mph on diesel on the approach to Didcot Parkway, which was a good achievement. Just so sad it all went downhall after Reading, and that by the time the set had restarted the ATP and reverted to diesel, we had a HST put in front just before Slough, so wasn't the fastest journey to Paddington after that. I agree with a statement above, having them on Oxford to Paddington Fast Services for a few weeks would have probably been a better option, but contrary to that, 800008 and 800009 were both pretty much fine all day, especially where 800005 and 800006 failed (changing from AC to Diesel and Diesel to AC). Hopefully they can deal with the issues on that set, as I believe the others haven't been accepted into traffic just yet (800003, 800004, 800010, 800011, 800013).

 

[Domh245]

Hopefully they can deal with the issues on that set, as I believe the others haven't been accepted into traffic just yet (800003, 800004, 800010, 800011, 800013).

From what I've read, 10, 11 & 13 are all available for use.

 

[ooo]

Hitachi have apologised on Twitter
https://twitter.com/HitachiRailEU/status/919930521345544197

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Is that awful Janine voice there?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Incidents do happen to launch events, and one can't be too critical.
Today was a critical day for the DfT (who specified the train and placed the order) and Hitachi (who designed and built the train) more than GWR who are merely the operator.
It would also probably be the first day that Hitachi/Agility would be able to invoice any revenue for their fleet and start to recover their huge investment.
The performance regime means, I think, that they lose money if trains cannot be deployed.
BBC R4 just said that Hitachi Rail Europe has apologised for todays failures.
Having worked for a Japanese company, there will be consequences within the company from the boss having to apologise in public.
I haven't seen it in the reports, but I assume by now that one of today's IEPs (unlike the first Up train) has transitioned from diesel to electric on the fly at Maidenhead, in public service.
If not we are in real trouble.

 

[Domh245]

I haven't seen it in the reports, but I assume by now that one of today's IEPs (unlike the first Up train) has transitioned from diesel to electric on the fly at Maidenhead, in public service.
If not we are in real trouble.

This tweet would certainly imply so, although I can't tell

 

[Bletchleyite]

No, but on the 800s there is no information at all. Most TOCs put it in the space between the windows.

Is it not in the vestibule? That's where it is on VT.

 

[hotel_mode]

This tweet would certainly imply so, although I can't tell

The other set changed-over fine in both directions this morning.

 

[ainsworth74]

I am both surprised and yet not by the massive negative response on here

Anyway, putting that frothing to one side I must admit my first impressions were very positive. I sadly only got to sample the 1145 from Paddington to Reading (looking forward to getting more distance in the future) but it was excellent.

I was in first but poked around Standard as well but will need to have a proper length journey to make a final judgement. My first impressions of standard are that the green isn't as garish as you'd think in person and that the carriage is very light and airy (though I am concerned that in darkness the lights may seem very bright). The seat backs are at a good compromise height between what the safety requirements and allowing you to see around (remind me of 185s in that regard). The legroom is absolutely exceptional! It was like every airline seat was a priority seat and speaking as someone who normal ends up with their legs wedged against the seat in front this was massively impressive. The seats are firm, there's no way round it, but from the brief experience I had of them they were still quite comfortable but then I'm not one of those that think the greatest seat was the IC70 (the original standard class HST seats that can still be found in EMT or GC HSTs) and everything since then was a mistake The proof will, of course, be in the sitting so I'll have to withhold judgement until I've done a decent distance on one.

First class I'm very impressed by it's not quite as classy as the HSTs with it's nice GWR logos and colour scheme but the seats are, again, firm but very comfy. The power is nicely placed and the tables are a good size. Bit disappointing that the 5-cars don't have very many tables for two but that been the way since GWR refurbished their HST first class anyway. Again lights were bright but not overwhelming and, again, I'm worried about darkness. But these are all things that could be tweaked or changed as things go on.

In terms of performance the thing went like lightening on AC from Paddington. It was like effortless power I had a friend reading off the speeds from his GPS and we flew through the 80s and 90s into 100s without even feeling like you were under power. Diesel was nice and quiet and not at all intrusive by far the quietest DEMU/DMU I've ever been on. The slope was noticeable between carriages (as was being sat higher which was nice actually) but was certainly not Everest to be scaled.

The ride was very smooth on the whole and the whole thing just felt right and very much like the future unlike the HST back to Paddington which very much felt like the relic of the past that it was.

That being said I do have one concern and that's mostly around the size of the gangways and the vestibules. They did seem very tight and so I have concerns about getting loads of people on and off of them in the rush hour. Though possible it was just that first class vestibule (which had an equipment cabinet in it) and the others, particularly standard class, are larger?

I have no doubts that they will be excellent trains and will serve the public very well even if the enthusiast fraternity find any reason to continue froth about how terrible it all is and if only they'd listen to me!!!!1!!!!!!1!

Personally I now can't wait for them to turn up on the ECML. Much rather have an IET than the Mk4 I'm currently on!

 

[aar0]

On both the 09.30 from Bristol and the 11.45 from Paddington to Swansea - but you have to bear in mind that if an HST stands in for an IET, they will still need reservation tickets.

The 1529 from Swansea had them too, I was talking to one of the managers who said they intend to bring the seat reservation screens into use slowly over the coming weeks.

I was quite impressed by them, certainly th email HST I got back to Swansea again suddenly felt very dated, though I much prefer their 1st class seats! I'm 6'6", and th ere was ample leg room in standard, couldn't find any seats I struggled with. Flap down tables good too, and the carriages are noticeable longer, and have a pleasant ambiance.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Does anyone know what first class offerings are available on weekends?

 

[SaveECRewards]

When I saw the new menus I thought that was quite a good improvement. However, if VTEC gave us that menu I'd be complaining about the lack of hot food!

Does anyone know whether it's possible to purchase hot food on these trains? I know in first class on the HST you could purchase whatever they had from the buffet that was hot. It'd be good if that's still the case.

I assume alcohol isn't complimentary? Has anyone seen what beers they offer? The HST buffets have a good range.

 

[aar0]

They have the same food, hot and cold, as the HSTs do. Just from the trolley and it's store cupboard. Beers include Tribute, Guinness, and 1664.

 

[pdeaves]

Does anyone know whether it's possible to purchase hot food on these trains?

At the very least, the Pullman service will have hot food. There are substantial kitchens drivers' cab side of the first class area (behind the blanked out windows). I expect they will be used for more than 'just' Pullman.

 

[Marklund]

Today was a critical day for the DfT (who specified the train and placed the order) and Hitachi (who designed and built the train) more than GWR who are merely the operator.

In a contractual sense, very much so.
For a Public Relations, no. The public don't care. It's, in their eyes, GWR's.

 

[HowardGWR]

I noted on another thread that the wc had all-in-one facility for washing. Do they provide soft tissues, as well as loo paper, did anyone notice?

 

[43074]

Very pleasantly surprised... the seats are actually reasonably comfortable in Standard Class, and the lower height of the seats makes a much pleasanter environment than the FGW HST interior, and the legroom is reasonably good too. The lighting was rather harsh, and like the 700s they feel a bit soulless, but feel reasonably welcoming when you board, helped by the mock wood effect. Acceleration on electric is very impressive, as it is at low speeds on diesel (although that's been done to death on here!), and switching between the two at 100mph is very impressive; they're very quiet on diesel and electric power. They make very efficient use of space although I wonder how user friendly that will be, not helped by there not being much circulation space in the vestibules. All in all, actually quite impressed! I worry there are too many 5-car units, and buffets would have been nice on the 9-car sets, but they're actually not too bad... Hitachi have made a good train from an iffy technical specification.

 

[bnm]

One small welcome piece of design is the shallow slot in the middle of the seat back tables. Allows you to stand a phone (in portrait) or a tablet at a decent viewing angle. Handy if your device doesn't have a stand case.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Did any lights go out or dim whilst the unit was switching between diesel and electric modes?

 

[ainsworth74]

I noted on another thread that the wc had all-in-one facility for washing. Do they provide soft tissues, as well as loo paper, did anyone notice?

Sadly the march of hand dryers continues. Paper towels are always the best way of drying ones hands no matter whether it's on train or land!

Did any lights go out or dim whilst the unit was switching between diesel and electric modes?

Not that I noticed.

 

[D365]

Did any lights go out or dim whilst the unit was switching between diesel and electric modes?

Why would that happen?