The rolling stock, while unpopular, is adequate. The problem is that the trains, apart from the HSTs, do not have enough carriages.These trains tend to be ridiculously overcrowded more regularly than other operators and one of the hardest to get a seat. Particularly through Birmingham.
Is it just a case of the rolling stock being wholly inadequate and not enough carriages?
Looking at it in a broader sense, it seems XC services have been squeezed and squeezed to facilitate the intensification of the main lines they transect, so now the only realistic option for greater service provision is longer trains
The HST services and double Voyagers aren't too bad.
The rest are awful, especially between Oxford and Birmingham!
It would make sense for XC to get the rest of the available HSTs, so all the NE-SW services were HSTs.
Then cascade the Voyagers onto the Manchester & Reading routes so they're operated by double Voyagers.
Of all the operators I have travelled with, XC is the only long distance operator with a huge overcrowding problem. Easy to make flippant comparisons with animal transport, but I would say I've been on 3 or 4 XC services that were dangerously overcrowded, and from which I would not have wanted to evacuate in an emergency.
I'm all for a new Bi-Modal fleet, which seems to be where all the routes are leading. But for now and the near future we're stuck with the Voyagers. Mechanically impressive, passenger experience wise, not so much!
The Turbostar routes aren't terribly overcrowded to my knowledge. As previously mentioned, it seems to be the Reading - Birmingham route and BHM - York / North that seems to be problematic. I don't see more HSTs happening. Only hope would be either new stock for the franchise or the Meridians get cascaded by new stock for the EM franchise.
Bristol - Birmingham is also overcrowded if 4 cars are used. Also trains from Bristol to Exeter and Plymouth on evenings and weekends.The Turbostar routes aren't terribly overcrowded to my knowledge. As previously mentioned, it seems to be the Reading - Birmingham route and BHM - York / North that seems to be problematic. I don't see more HSTs happening. Only hope would be either new stock for the franchise or the Meridians get cascaded by new stock for the EM franchise.
Lol I don't normally see those overcrowded. Ah well. I'd be open to seeing them take on the 175s from the TfW franchise. More of them so they can accommodate the extra people
The only 170s up for grabs are the ones currently with WMT. The Greater Anglia units are going to Transport for Wales, and Scotrail's available units have only recently transferred to Northern, who will be keeping them for the duration of the franchise. Note also that Northern are in the market for an additional 18 x 2-car 170 equivalents by the end of 2022.It'd be useful to get their hands on more Turbostars from either Scotrail/WMT/Greatern Anglia/Northern this would help provide extra carriages.
Theoretically how many carriages long can you make a Turbostar? It seems they are running as 2 car sets recently!
There are only six 3-car units going spare any time soon: With such small numbers there seems little point chopping them around - Just those six units would allow Crosscountry to strengthen twelve 2-car diagrams to 3-car and six 3-car diagrams to 4-car, which covers nearly three quarters of the diagrams.Maybe there would be surplus MS(L) vehicles from cascaded examples?
I've held for a number of years that a mix of 5 and 7-car units would be ideal to satisfy demand on Crosscountry inter-city services. Though with seemingly ever increasing demand for travel with Crosscountry, I'd be happiest if those were longer 24 or 26 metre carriages.Right. So. We're all in agreement. South Wales to Stansted needs to be 4 - Car minimum. If we're working off the same ratio, roughly, that means anything else needs to be between 7 and 9 coaches long. I say a mixed fleet of 7 and 5 car trainsets. Anyone else agree or disagree?
That being said will WMT be looking to keep their 172s, they are technically turbo stars if you lose the driving cars will the in between carriages be cannibalised to add carriages to 2 car sets?The only 170s up for grabs are the ones currently with WMT. The Greater Anglia units are going to Transport for Wales, and Scotrail's available units have only recently transferred to Northern, who will be keeping them for the duration of the franchise.
Yes, WMT are retaining the 172s for the duration of the franchise.That being said will WMT be looking to keep their 172s, they are technically turbo stars if you loose the driving cars will the in between carriages be cannibalised to add carriages to 2 car sets?
We are heading down the road of something oddly similar to the Hitachi 8xx series of 5 and 9-car bi-modes - given that all the main XC routes are under the wires at some stage. I could suggest tri-mode stock for Manchester-Bournemouth - but will steer clear of that for the moment! The very idea of suitably modified Class 373 power cars at either end of 7 Mk 5 trailer cars would be really daft.I've held for a number of years that a mix of 5 and 7-car units would be ideal to satisfy demand on Crosscountry inter-city services. Though with seemingly ever increasing demand for travel with Crosscountry, I'd be happiest if those were longer 24 or 26 metre carriages.
XC currently have 14 3 coach units and 13 2 coach units so if they can get the 23 WM units (17 2 coach and 6 3coach) they could split the fleet into 10 4 coach units and 40 2 coach units which would give them enough units to run all diagrams as 4 coaches and also give the stock for a couple of overdue service improvements that have been cancelled due to a lack of stock, or alternatively used on a handful of Bristol-Manchester services to free up Voyagers.The only 170s up for grabs are the ones currently with WMT. The Greater Anglia units are going to Transport for Wales, and Scotrail's available units have only recently transferred to Northern, who will be keeping them for the duration of the franchise. Note also that Northern are in the market for an additional 18 x 2-car 170 equivalents by the end of 2022.
There are only six 3-car units going spare any time soon: With such small numbers there seems little point chopping them around - Just those six units would allow Crosscountry to strengthen twelve 2-car diagrams to 3-car and six 3-car diagrams to 4-car, which covers nearly three quarters of the diagrams.
XC currently have 14 3 coach units and 13 2 coach units so if they can get the 23 WM units (17 2 coach and 6 3coach) they could split the fleet into 10 4 coach units and 40 2 coach units which would give them enough units to run all diagrams as 4 coaches and also give the stock for a couple of overdue service improvements that have been cancelled due to a lack of stock, or alternatively used on a handful of Bristol-Manchester services to free up Voyagers.