Class 484 replacing class 483 on the island line: progress updates

[Goldfish62]

Image of interior

https://www.islandecho.co.uk/interior-of-new-island-line-trains-revealed/
Think it's just a standard Vivarail rendering so can't read anything into it.

Article also quotes MP Bob Seeley saying future aspiration is for trains every 20 minutes.

That's the standard internal SWR colour scheme.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's the standard internal SWR colour scheme.

Is it? The seats look lighter than the 444s.

 

[DarloRich]

i hope they are more reliable than our 230's on the Marston Vale. I advise Island line passengers to get some good walking shoes and a bus pass.

 

[Mikey C]

i hope they are more reliable than our 230's on the Marston Vale. I advise Island line passengers to get some good walking shoes and a bus pass.

Far fewer changes from the original D78s which were very reliable when withdrawn

 

[samuelmorris]

i hope they are more reliable than our 230's on the Marston Vale. I advise Island line passengers to get some good walking shoes and a bus pass.

Well theoretically they're not going to have the component that makes the 230 unreliable (the engine raft) so I'm quietly optimistic. The door issue will still need sorting though, especially on a journey with shorter end to end times.

 

[DarloRich]

Far fewer changes from the original D78s which were very reliable when withdrawn

Well theoretically they're not going to have the component that makes the 230 unreliable (the engine raft) so I'm quietly optimistic. The door issue will still need sorting though, especially on a journey with shorter end to end times.

It is a positive in that new, better, more modern & more comfortable trains will be delivered to IOW passengers. It is great for Vivarail. I just wish they sorted our trains out before launching new ones becuase ours are a disgrace

 

[DarloRich]

oh and i hope they specify air conditioning!

 

[Rick1984]

I'm hoping they get a decent interior and not just the straight out the box option. Think more transverse seating would be popular as long as it wasn't too cramped like the current 483. Granted they're much smaller.
Air con would be good.
And as I've said a decent sized multi-use area

 

[swt_passenger]

I agree - I can’t imagine why toilet provision is even being mentioned - certainly not while we have to cross our legs on longish mainland journeys. I often travel from Portsmouth to Brighton, and careful planning of fluid intake is needed there to avoid discomfort en route.

When the franchise award was announced, they were careful to state that the aim of “toilets on all their trains” definitely did not apply to the IOW. IIRC it wasn’t a DfT requirement of the ITT for mainland suburban services anyway, it was offered by First/MTR.

 

[507 001]

They’ll fit.

View attachment 68553

IIRC, that profile was of a class 503, which is quite a bit lower, in terms of roofline, than most mainline stock. I can’t imagine D stock is much taller though.

 

[Chris125]

I'm hoping they get a decent interior and not just the straight out the box option. Think more transverse seating would be popular as long as it wasn't too cramped like the current 483. Granted they're much smaller.
Air con would be good.
And as I've said a decent sized multi-use area

The traditional D78 interior is absolutely fine, no one is travelling very far and longitudinal makes a lot of sense when so many people in summer are carrying luggage.

 

[duffield]

oh and i hope they specify air conditioning!

Would aircon would be appropriate (or necessary) with all those doors, such frequent stops and such a short line length?

 

[DarloRich]

Would aircon would be appropriate (or necessary) with all those doors, such frequent stops and such a short line length?

yes. Our trains are like an oven on hot days

 

[Meerkat]

Longitudinal is good for groups too as it is effectively a huge bay.
I do hope they do something imaginative with the exteriors and interiors, rather than corporate modern blandness. I know the primary purpose is local transport but jumping on the quirky little trains straight from the ferry is definitely a marketable product, particularly for families. The odd shaped yellow fronts defo look like penguins/daffy duck so use that for a start! It also makes them more ‘our trains’ for the locals.
The aspiration for 3tph presumably prevents sensible rationalisation, which IMO is a bit silly. That’s only sensible if the ferries go 3ph and I can’t see either ever being necessary.

 

[D365]

It’s a minefield. Browsing the various threads, including the general 230 one, you’d find Adrian Shooter of Vivarail quoted saying they definitely fit, followed a few posts later by someone else saying he was wrong...

When I was visiting Viva, the consensus was indeed that the D-Train would fit. I believe the suspension on the Class 230s is modified so that the ride height is higher, for the Class 484 this modification won't be made.

 

[Chris125]

yes. Our trains are like an oven on hot days

The 484s will have twice as many doors as the Marston Vale 230s, shorter distances between stations and no hot diesel engines under the floor so I'd be surprised if it was an issue.

 

[DarloRich]

The 484s will have twice as many doors as the Marston Vale 230s, shorter distances between stations and no hot diesel engines under the floor so I'd be surprised if it was an issue.

i wouldn't. you are welcome to disagree.

 

[Goldfish62]

Longitudinal is good for groups too as it is effectively a huge bay.
I do hope they do something imaginative with the exteriors and interiors, rather than corporate modern blandness. I know the primary purpose is local transport but jumping on the quirky little trains straight from the ferry is definitely a marketable product, particularly for families. The odd shaped yellow fronts defo look like penguins/daffy duck so use that for a start! It also makes them more ‘our trains’ for the locals.
The aspiration for 3tph presumably prevents sensible rationalisation, which IMO is a bit silly. That’s only sensible if the ferries go 3ph and I can’t see either ever being necessary.

You're going to be disappointed then. The computer render shows the standard SWR colour scheme. Logical really - the 483s when "new" had standard NSE interiors and I'd rather see the line as a serious part of the national rail network than some quirky novelty, at least while the trains are less than 60 years old.

 

[DarloRich]

You're going to be disappointed then. The computer render shows the standard SWR colour scheme. Logical really - the 483s when "new" had standard NSE interiors and I'd rather see the line as a serious part of the national rail network than some quirky novelty, at least while the trains are less than 60 years old.

I do hope they do something imaginative with the exteriors and interiors, rather than corporate modern blandness.

I am sure they will folow what they have done on the Marston Vale line with little panels about each station, line history, local landmarks/attractions and some nice artwork. They are nice touches

 

[Bletchleyite]

i wouldn't. you are welcome to disagree.

The issue is that there aren't enough opening windows because two of the large windows have doors opening into them. If they had the same length of opener as 153s they'd be fine without.

 

[Goldfish62]

The issue is that there aren't enough opening windows because two of the large windows have doors opening into them. If they had the same length of opener as 153s they'd be fine without.

And no droplights at the carriage ends, which provided much of the ventilation when on the Underground.

 

[Meerkat]

You're going to be disappointed then. The computer render shows the standard SWR colour scheme. Logical really - the 483s when "new" had standard NSE interiors and I'd rather see the line as a serious part of the national rail network than some quirky novelty, at least while the trains are less than 60 years old.

What does seriousness gain that warrants losing the PR and tourist trade that quirky can bring?
The only useful bit is national ticketing, not colours etc

 

[Clip]

Is it? The seats look lighter than the 444s.

Tis only an artists impression

 

[swt_passenger]

When I was visiting Viva, the consensus was indeed that the D-Train would fit. I believe the suspension on the Class 230s is modified so that the ride height is higher, for the Class 484 this modification won't be made.

Yes, and articles in Modern Railways quoting Shooter saying that they definitely fitted appeared relatively early in 2018, and were discussed in the main IOW thread at the time. For me, that was sufficient evidence, and I’m surprised the debate even continued until the last few days.

 

[hwl]

Yes, and articles in Modern Railways quoting Shooter saying that they definitely fitted appeared relatively early in 2018, and were discussed in the main IOW thread at the time. For me, that was sufficient evidence, and I’m surprised the debate even continued until the last few days.

People don't like evidence or experts, believing fairy stories is more fun

 

[xc170]

What does seriousness gain that warrants losing the PR and tourist trade that quirky can bring?

Apart from enthusiasts travelling on the cheapest tickets they can find, just how many tourists do the current trains attract?

As for PR, yes, having a 1 train service because you're running the oldest trains in the UK has been great PR recently.

Whatever benefits the 38 stock have will be far outweighed by having a decent, modern train service.

 

[Goldfish62]

What does seriousness gain that warrants losing the PR and tourist trade that quirky can bring?
The only useful bit is national ticketing, not colours etc

Is there any evidence that the liveries used over the past 15 years ie a small part of the line's history, have contributed to higher ridership? What livery would the 484s have anyway? They'd look ridiculous in LT red.

 

[Dstock7080]

What livery would the 484s have anyway? They'd look ridiculous in LT red.

Class 484 to replace class 483 on the island line has the official render

 

[DPWH]

Will there be enough of them? It's often seems to be the case that for microfleets the govt underspends now and leaves inadequate provision later.

 

[DarloRich]

Will there be enough of them? It's often seems to be the case that for microfleets the govt underspends now and leaves inadequate provision later.

Is the service run today with only 3 trains?