Cross Country class 170's to Bristol yesterday.

[bnm]

Are there that many people who travel from Bristol to Birmingham at that time in the morning?

Any passengers for Bristol to Birmingham will be better served by the the 0630 XC Voyager from Bristol TM. That service passes the Stansted train while it is calling at Gloucester.

 

[VT 390]

Any passengers for Bristol to Birmingham will be better served by the the 0630 XC Voyager from Bristol TM. That service passes the Stansted train while it is calling at Gloucester.

So the only Bristol passengers who will use it will be those going to Gloucester, which there can't be many of at that time of day?

 

[swt_passenger]

So the only Bristol passengers who will use it will be those going to Gloucester, which there can't be many of at that time of day?

There isn’t a service yet, so perhaps it will generate some new passengers? I reckon you’re possibly overthinking this...

 

[Kite159]

Maybe XC have a cunning plan to sell cheap advances for stations to Birmingham on that 170 and blocking advances for stations to Birmingham on the 06:30

 

[Tom Quinne]

ATW/TfW depot drivers didn’t sign the 170s, they do sign 158s so the continued stabling of GWR sets isn’t an issue until the TfW fleet is replaced of course...

 

[221129]

ATW/TfW depot drivers didn’t sign the 170s, they do sign 158s so the continued stabling of GWR sets isn’t an issue until the TfW fleet is replaced of course...

Some did. Which was causing the problems.

 

[PHILIPE]

ATW/TfW depot drivers didn’t sign the 170s, they do sign 158s so the continued stabling of GWR sets isn’t an issue until the TfW fleet is replaced of course...

They will be signing 170s before very long when the TFW allocation starts to take place.

 

[Tom Quinne]

Indeed, but it doesn’t help the period in between.

Knowing how cost increasingly obsessed the railway is TfW drivers won’t be “trained” to drive XC 170s for some minor technical reason - like XC drivers can’t drive VT voyagers due to the tilt being isolated on the former thus not competent.

 

[43074]

So the only Bristol passengers who will use it will be those going to Gloucester, which there can't be many of at that time of day?

It's just an example of what would otherwise be an empty stock movement being advertised for passenger service, there's quite a few examples of that - there's no extra cost involved in running it in passenger service instead of empty so what's the problem?

 

[VT 390]

It's just an example of what would otherwise be an empty stock movement being advertised for passenger service, there's quite a few examples of that - there's no extra cost involved in running it in passenger service instead of empty so what's the problem?

I did not realise that it already ran empty stock from Bristol.

 

[Ianno87]

I did not realise that it already ran empty stock from Bristol.

Think it comes from Tyseley at the moment? Coming from Bristol instead is probably fewer miles to cover to reach Gloucester and getting a passenger service out of it for 'free' as a result.

 

[43074]

I did not realise that it already ran empty stock from Bristol.

Think it comes from Tyseley at the moment? Coming from Bristol instead is probably fewer miles to cover to reach Gloucester and getting a passenger service out of it for 'free' as a result.

Yes it's detached from the rear of a morning Birmingham to Cardiff service at the moment. It seems to be a balancing working for an additional Birmingham to Gloucester service from the new timetable which I would assume will be using Bristol based traincrew so it makes sense for the stock to end up there as well.

 

[Bikeman78]

I for one would prefer that to a Voyager.

Me too. I've always liked 170s and disliked Voyagers.