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Northern Class 331: Construction/Introduction Updates

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BMIFlyer

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Mod Note: Posts #1 - #9 were originally in this master thread.

Here is the first just about completed class 331 - still awaits tables, etc.


IMG_5951.JPG


IMG_5952.JPG IMG_5953.JPG
 
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61653 HTAFC

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Great seat/window alignment in that second image...(!)

EDIT: Please note the above comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, I should've used a smiley though! The real surprise from a PR point-of-view is that they didn't use a photo of a seat with better alignment. Can't imagine Beardy promoting the Pendolinos by tweeting a photo of a seat next to a wall!
 
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61653 HTAFC

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Come on you should know the primary objective is to squeeze in as many rows of seats as possible, not to provide an arrangement for passenger comfort!
Of course, silly me! Still, those seats look as though they've a decent shape and amount of padding. Appearances can be deceptive but hopefully they'll be fairly comfortable.
 

Roast Veg

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It surprises me that the cab meets current crashworthiness specs based on the beefy front ends we've seen on the 345s/385s/700s, but I'm sure it does! Very smart looking train.
 

Geeves

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Looks great! I was wondering how long it would be before the seat to window moaning crew arrived #eyeroll. As has been said plenty of times the majority of passengers don't actually care. A seat on a reliable new train is more important than a view.
 

pemma

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As has been said plenty of times the majority of passengers don't actually care. A seat on a reliable new train is more important than a view.

Regular passengers probably don't care that much as they've seen the view many times before. However, on more touristy type routes people probably care about views.

It's also worth noting passengers complain if they have to have to stand when it appears there's not as many seats as there could be as anyone who's been on a Metrolink M5000 will probably know.
 

Bletchleyite

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That looks like a real step change in quality, I also particularly like the colour scheme. Good to see that the ScotRail style contoured "ironing board" cushion has been used.

Re window alignment the present spec for priority seats near enough precludes the whole coach being correctly aligned. Those bays will have been off because of the requirement for an airline pair with priority spacing right next to the vestibule.
 

Bletchleyite

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It's also worth noting passengers complain if they have to have to stand when it appears there's not as many seats as there could be as anyone who's been on a Metrolink M5000 will probably know.

A bit OT, but I agree - the present M5000 layout looks like someone took a bunch of seats and threw them at the floor. It is not at all well thought out - though probably difficult to get right on a tram that is half the length it should have been. (A 4-"car" tram could have had two sections with few seats for standees, wheelchair users etc, and two sections with lots of seats for longer distance passengers - just like the excellent Sheffield layout).
 

Bletchleyite

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Great seat/window alignment in that second image...(!)

EDIT: Please note the above comment was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, I should've used a smiley though! The real surprise from a PR point-of-view is that they didn't use a photo of a seat with better alignment. Can't imagine Beardy promoting the Pendolinos by tweeting a photo of a seat next to a wall!

Abellio are guilty of the same - possibly they just think people don't care about window alignment any more. Indeed, the photo used for the Abellio EMU mockup shows seats misaligned to a window layout that isn't even the real one - it shows a huge expanse of plastic that the real layout doesn't have, so almost makes it look deliberately worse!
 

pemma

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I wasn't aware the 331s were getting tables as well as the 195s? Is this for all of the order or just the 4 car units?

The 331s are all being built to the same spec rather than having a sub fleet done to Northern Connect standards.
 

mikemcniven

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Looking forward to these coming into service, should be a real passenger improvement for anyone travelling on the routes they are scheduled to operate on
 

Starmill

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Hopeless window alignment. I would have preferred two toilets, at least on four car sets. Aside from this on the whole they look good.

A huge improvement over the 319s but that's not exactly difficult.

Re window alignment the present spec for priority seats near enough precludes the whole coach being correctly aligned. Those bays will have been off because of the requirement for an airline pair with priority spacing right next to the vestibule.
Sounds like total nonsense to me. There is other furniture that takes up space - and the gaps between the windows are not the same where there's a door. Other modern trains have managed it.
 

507021

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I think that looks excellent, a massive improvement on what's in the fleet at the moment.
 

pemma

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I notice in the comments Richard Clinnick says the seating is a bit better than that on the XC 170s.
 

Agent_Squash

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Does anyone know what the contoured ironing board is in comparison to the Grammer E3000s in the 185s?
 

samuelmorris

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Abellio are guilty of the same - possibly they just think people don't care about window alignment any more. Indeed, the photo used for the Abellio EMU mockup shows seats misaligned to a window layout that isn't even the real one - it shows a huge expanse of plastic that the real layout doesn't have, so almost makes it look deliberately worse!
I don't understand that, wouldn't you expect a press photo (assuming that's what this is) to show the best part of the train rather than the worst? Unnecessarily showcasing the worst aligned windows on purpose seems a little odd...
 

LunchSociety

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As I live on the Kent coast, I am unlikely to travel on these units much if at all but I am pleased to see how good they look. I think they will be a step-change in quality for the areas they will serve and its nice to see some new rolling stock for Northern rather than the usual cast-offs! Here's hoping the introduction goes smoothly!
 

Bletchleyite

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I don't understand that, wouldn't you expect a press photo (assuming that's what this is) to show the best part of the train rather than the worst? Unnecessarily showcasing the worst aligned windows on purpose seems a little odd...

So you'd think. But this mockup:

bombardier_aventra_eastanglia04abellio.jpg

Aventra mockup

shows a misaligned bay against a very large area of plastic, which if you look at the actual photo of the train exterior here:
http://railcolornews.com/2017/09/13...aventra-for-greater-anglia-mock-up-presented/

actually does not exist - it's a wall of glass near enough.

I genuinely don't understand why you would make the mock-up look worse than the real thing, but it very much appears that they have done precisely that. It's quite possibly so they can show more seating variants in one area (the end part of the train is not as big as shown in the mock-up - it's big enough for one bay plus wheelchair space), but it looks appalling in a way the real thing won't, and has no doubt invited loads of unnecessary complaints.

At least the Northern example is the actual train...but again, why show the rubbish bit in publicity?
 

Sheepy1209

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That does look good, let's see if we manage to keep them on the Blackpool / Manchester Airport route a bit longer this time... ( Was 156s, then replaced by 175s. They were nicked off us for Wales and we got the 156s back. But then came the 185s - ah, at last, a modern train again. Only to be replaced with 156s (most of the day) when the route went back to Northern!!!).
 

superalbs

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That looks really really good, and the ironing boards look quite padded also.
 
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