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Greater Anglia Bombardier Aventras (Class 720): Technical discussion and introduction

rdlover777

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Do we know how long the 720 will be at the test track until its shipped down to GA for tests?
 
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hwl

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Bombardier have recently taken on an extra 300 staff for final assembly work on the Aventras.
 

rdlover777

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so, since these will be covering to the route to Harwich Town via Harwich International, i assume they will serve the Dutch Flyer service?
 

Class 170101

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I understand driver training will start at Ilford depot first before spreading out. So could be on any diagrams from there.

I'm going to take a guess at the Cambridge line

Unsure where they'll start to appear first, my money is Southend

Ilford don't sign the West Anglia routes (except Orient Way via Stratford) so they won't be going to Cambridge to start with. I would be more inclined to agree with Mr PIC on choice of first route.
 

Wivenswold

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Around a year ago GA announced that the first 720/5 units will enter service on East side duties (Understood to mean the Southend Vic line) in March 2019 and the 720/1s would enter service the following month on Cambridge diagrams. Obviously there are a few "subtle" changes to that plan bit does show that GA are keen to get some in service asap over there as well as on the GEML.
 

samuelmorris

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Around a year ago GA announced that the first 720/5 units will enter service on East side duties (Understood to mean the Southend Vic line) in March 2019 and the 720/1s would enter service the following month on Cambridge diagrams. Obviously there are a few "subtle" changes to that plan bit does show that GA are keen to get some in service asap over there as well as on the GEML.
Would the lack of any platform extension work not affect the latter?
 

Railperf

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Around a year ago GA announced that the first 720/5 units will enter service on East side duties (Understood to mean the Southend Vic line) in March 2019 and the 720/1s would enter service the following month on Cambridge diagrams. Obviously there are a few "subtle" changes to that plan bit does show that GA are keen to get some in service asap over there as well as on the GEML.
Looks like the 720s could be 12 months late .. cue March 2020.
 

MrPIC

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Would the lack of any platform extension work not affect the latter?
I think it'll be ASDO everywhere but there's still plenty of infrastructure works to be done such as at HFE and moving signals at other locations.
 

Wivenswold

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Would the lack of any platform extension work not affect the latter?
I don't know the infrastructure up that side, but I assume they were going to operate the West Side 12 car workings, so lengths would not be an issue.
 

MrPIC

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The majority of platforms are 8 car only along the WAML, only a few places are actually 12. Like I said, it will have to be ASDO everywhere thats not 12 car long, which is fine, but there are some issues at some locations such as Enfield Lock and Brimsdown where a platform starter signal will have to be moved in order to allow a 10/12 car train stopped there not to be foul of the crossing.
There's also the discussed problems at Hertford East where both platforms are only 8 car, and apparently there's a lot of work to remove the listed signal box, move the junction and then extend the platforms. Until then its fairly impossible for anything longer than 8 coaches to venture down the branch, which precludes most Lea Valley stations as well (As the Hertford trains are all stations down the Valley.
I'd hazard a guess that the Bishop's Stortford - Stratford services would be the first WA services to be 720 operated, as they seem the most "self contained", and they are the first services to be chopped in the event of disruption/failure.

Currently I believe the only WAML 12 cars are a couple of Kings Lynn/Cambridge peak trains, with extremely limited stops. They used to run some of the STANEX as 12 but not since the last timetable change, and again, they only stopped at 12 car platforms (BIS,HWN,SST,SAW,CHN,TOM).
 

Class 170101

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I'd hazard a guess that the Bishop's Stortford - Stratford services would be the first WA services to be 720 operated, as they seem the most "self contained", and they are the first services to be chopped in the event of disruption/failure.

Unlikely. More likely to be the fast Cambridge services as they are 12 car already. Stratford Platforms 11 and 12 are also not 12 carriage length.
 

hwl

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Not possible as fast Cambridge services interwork with stopping services with only 8 car platforms. They'll figure it out.
I think we can be pretty certain they are going to be using ASDO from day1.
 

MrPIC

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Unlikely. More likely to be the fast Cambridge services as they are 12 car already. Stratford Platforms 11 and 12 are also not 12 carriage length.
Like I said, I think there's only 2 in each peak that are 12 car Cambridges., during the day they're 4/8 car 317 mostly. I'd put money on 5 car 720's operating on the Stratford-Bishop's Stortford route first on the WAML. In much the same way as 317 722 was when that was knocking about. Trundled up and down on that all day, and if it failed (which new trains are likely to do to begin with), then hey ho never mind, chuck it in the back at Harlow/Broxbourne, or in the yard at Stortford.
 

jopsuk

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how is eg Shelford Down platform going to be solved? A 10 car 720 would foul the crossing- is the platform to be extended, or will the train be stopped with the cab not at the platform?
 

RailWonderer

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I think we can be pretty certain they are going to be using ASDO from day1.

These trains are just too long. Let’s say they use ASDO. A 10 car 720 ~ 12 car legacy train (317/321/360/379).
That means 6.66 cars of a 720 will be able to open, so let’s say 7. Now on a crowded peak train that means the entire 3 rear coaches (and they are 24m long) won’t open, dwell times will be awfully long and some people won’t get on/off because they have to run down the aisle if they even can.
These trains are ugly and too long and are designed like cattle trucks. At least they’re sitting cattle trucks unlike the Desiro city.
 

samuelmorris

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There is no real room for any additional services to run on the WA side though, so the only way to solve the capacity problem is indeed with longer trains. That said, I do honestly wonder if going for the full 240m on every train at peak times was the right move.
 

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