I don’t disagree with you.Is that not the responsibility of ScotRail to fully train their staff then?
Is that not the responsibility of ScotRail to fully train their staff then? They've only worked with units with underfloor engines for decades so their entire frame of reference will be based on that. The staff in the control office, aside from it being their job, probably don't give a monkeys about trains and many probably barely even travel in them.
In fact I can tell you with some degree of certainty that if it wasn't for the fact they can look out the window, most control staff would barely ever get to see a train.
Another full and standing refurb yesterday between Glasgow and Aberdeen. Luggage capacity an issue despite the improvements. Mostly cases on vestibules - more needs to be done to highlight the storage space for cases between seats, which is quite large between two bays of four.
In the long term, it's difficult to see how four carriages will prove adequate on the peaks and weekends.
The five carriage sets can't come soon enough.
I couldn't possibly comment....Us staff who work the trains themselves certainly know the difference!
Yep and some of have been around long enough to remember locos and coaches.
I remember loco & coaches, but not actually working them (I'm a bit too young for that ). A good few of our Drivers used to work full length HSTs, back in BR days when Inverness drivers worked the Highland Chieftain.
Inverness could be doing with a Queen Street style platform lengthening programme - if last night was anything to go by, Inverness services will be most in need of five carriage sets in the next few years.To be honest, the van space in the back of the Power Cars needs to be used too, somehow. There is going to be a big issue with Bike space with the refurbs too. Utterly ridiculous if all this space was wasted.
Problem with the 5 Car sets is that they are very constrained for space at Inverness - there's only 2 platforms that can take a 5 car set, and a few short platforms too. I'm glad that running 5 coach Classics was never an option - that would have been an operational nightmare
On a refurb HST, only having 2 spaces for any cyclists boarding throughout a service will be extremely challenging. To be honest, it's a major oversight by ScotRail
Is it still only 2? I was under the impression they'd upped it to at least 4.
Was certainly talked about after the first set arrived at the cost of a toilet.
Pretty much any service that isn't an off-peak weekday Glasgow to Aberdeen service, is certainly pushing the boundaries of capacity on a four car HST. The 16.02 Aberdeen to Edinburgh service has been full and standing till Montrose, and further full and standing from Dundee. Even five carriages with the adequate bike storage included, would probably see a few folk standing in the vestibule.The only regular HST capacity issue I've come across is on the 1741 (now 1740) Queen Street-Aberdeen. This is the service that used to run as far as Perth as 170+158, now just a four coach HST.
Granted it makes a Dunblane stop which shouldn't be necessary in the new world, but even taking that out of the mix it's still not really up to what's required.
We can all quote situations where a train's been crammed at times of disruption, and then even a full length HST wouldn't clear the decks, but do we have any other current examples on Scotrail of where a four coach HST is well short of required capacity day in day out?
My regular HST evening turn, the 1742 Edinburgh-Inverness, generally takes everything that's thrown at it as far as Kirkcaldy (seat reservation chaos aside), which is more than could be said for a single 170.
The only regular HST capacity issue I've come across is on the 1741 (now 1740) Queen Street-Aberdeen. This is the service that used to run as far as Perth as 170+158, now just a four coach HST.
Granted it makes a Dunblane stop which shouldn't be necessary in the new world, but even taking that out of the mix it's still not really up to what's required.
We can all quote situations where a train's been crammed at times of disruption, and then even a full length HST wouldn't clear the decks, but do we have any other current examples on Scotrail of where a four coach HST is well short of required capacity day in day out?
My regular HST evening turn, the 1742 Edinburgh-Inverness, generally takes everything that's thrown at it as far as Kirkcaldy (seat reservation chaos aside), which is more than could be said for a single 170.
Is it - I haven't been on since the timetable change?Shame the 1742 is back to a 170.............
The only regular HST capacity issue I've come across is on the 1741 (now 1740) Queen Street-Aberdeen. This is the service that used to run as far as Perth as 170+158, now just a four coach HST.
Granted it makes a Dunblane stop which shouldn't be necessary in the new world, but even taking that out of the mix it's still not really up to what's required.
We can all quote situations where a train's been crammed at times of disruption, and then even a full length HST wouldn't clear the decks, but do we have any other current examples on Scotrail of where a four coach HST is well short of required capacity day in day out?
My regular HST evening turn, the 1742 Edinburgh-Inverness, generally takes everything that's thrown at it as far as Kirkcaldy (seat reservation chaos aside), which is more than could be said for a single 170.
Is it - I haven't been on since the timetable change?
As for HST capacity generally, if there are as many trains as @Clansman has described running full and standing then we're nearly back to square one and have to accept that everything needs to be five coaches. Other than that evening Queen Street-Aberdeen I haven't seen it myself though.
I got the 170 from Aviemore to Inverness this afternoon. Full to standing and no sign of any refurb sets. I haven't seen one in the metal yet. There was a GWR set on platform 3 though when we arrived, empty.
Most HML services were 170 yesterday. The ones I saw were rammed. Interesting that they are putting an HST on some Inverurie services and not HML.
Saturday pm was similar, rammed 170 heading to Glasgow and HST departs for Inverurie with a handful on it.
Interesting logic.
Does anyone know how reliable the 15:54 from Inverness - Edinburgh is a HST? I was hopeful things were improving but looks like I may have to prepare for a 170 when I travel next week.
Looks like only 3 HST HML trips today from Inverness.
0707 from Glasgow
1508 from Glasgow
1854 to Edinburgh
Set from 0707 is shuttling between Inverness and Inverurie all day.
0845 from Inverness reportedly failed on departure.
Absolutely no chance of a HST only ran once on Saturday just passed as the 1714 had been cancelled so they didn't run it between Inverness and Inverurie. So they chucked it on the 1554 and then ended up on the 1942 Edinburgh to Inverness