ScotRail HST Introduction - Updates & Discussion

[hexagon789]

Amount of failures. Unit maintenance requirements and time taken to do them as well exams take more than a night where as gwr could do in a night.

Sorry, that was in relation to the chances of getting one as opposed to the reasons for not getting one most of which have been mentioned

 

[scotraildriver]

Last one was delivered without all the C4 work done to it? No idea what that means but it wasn't even finished and scotrail accepted delivery of it

If you read upthread I already explained why this happened. C4 is routine running gear overhaul and is not part of the refurbishment programme.

 

[Highland37]

Not sure where I read it but the latest refurb hadn't even had a particular exam done as part of the works in Doncaster which is why it's sat at Kilmarnock now.
All the sets are having issues reliability wise anything from Speedo faults to cab heater broken and powercar failures remember they are very old units being used by inexperienced depot teams

What an utter shambles. They appear to be dreaming about Christmas now.

 

[dblspotter]

Currently on a refurb HST and rainwater is leaking through the ceiling in multiple places, I just had to move seats cause it was dripping directly on me. Is this a common problem?

 

[hexagon789]

Currently on a refurb HST and rainwater is leaking through the ceiling in multiple places, I just had to move seats cause it was dripping directly on me. Is this a common problem?

The roof corrosion was bad on a number of the unrefurbished trailers, but they were supposed to have sorted it on the refurbs

 

[PG]

Currently on a refurb HST and rainwater is leaking through the ceiling in multiple places, I just had to move seats cause it was dripping directly on me. Is this a common problem?

Going by my post from almost a year ago(!) it wasn't something which I noted on the first refurbished set shortly after it entered service, however from memory I don't think it was raining that day.

Just come off the refurbished set, travelled in Standard class accessible coach 42004....Two issues noted...

Either the coach you were in hasn't had the same level of attention while being refurbished or the leak has developed subsequently.

The non-refurbished sets do leak sometimes, in common with a lot of 30+ year old mk3 derived stock. Were you definitely on a refurbished set?

 

[hexagon789]

Going by my post from almost a year ago(!) it wasn't something which I noted on the first refurbished set shortly after it entered service, however from memory I don't think it was raining that day.

Either the coach you were in hasn't had the same level of attention while being refurbished or the leak has developed subsequently.

The non-refurbished sets do leak sometimes, in common with a lot of 30+ year old mk3 derived stock. Were you definitely on a refurbished set?

42004 is a refurbished TSD

 

[dblspotter]

Going by my post from almost a year ago(!) it wasn't something which I noted on the first refurbished set shortly after it entered service, however from memory I don't think it was raining that day.

Either the coach you were in hasn't had the same level of attention while being refurbished or the leak has developed subsequently.

The non-refurbished sets do leak sometimes, in common with a lot of 30+ year old mk3 derived stock. Were you definitely on a refurbished set?

Yeah, it was definitely a refurb. It was actually coach 42004 as well. I've been on plenty of classics and never had that issue, but that's only my second trip on a refurb.

 

[PG]

Yeah, it was definitely a refurb. It was actually coach 42004 as well. I've been on plenty of classics and never had that issue, but that's only my second trip on a refurb.

So its the same coach 1 year later.
#*Ironic*#
Oh well good to see that even thought Wabtec are a touch slow at doing the refurbs(!) at least they last a whole year before needing re-doing!!
I mean come on thats a really poor show for something that's supposedly been a part of the program to be leaking like a sieve already

 

[47271]

Well, it's not getting any better.

I've been standing since Kingussie on the 1248 Inverness-Edinburgh which is a 170 instead of the usual booked HST. First's declassified so I can't even use that.

It's so bad that I'm going to bale at Perth and get the next local to Edinburgh, luckily I've got the time to do that, but that's the best part of two hours work time down the drain.

An utter shambles.

 

[Highland37]

I am on the 1448 south to Glasgow. A 170 also. The limitations of these units are really clear when travelling as a family with baby. Too little space for the pram. Luggage all over the place and noisy with all the heat going out when the doors open.

Doesn't look like the HSTs will be much better and certainly less reliable.

 

[47271]

I am on the 1448 south to Glasgow. A 170 also. The limitations of these units are really clear when travelling as a family with baby. Too little space for the pram. Luggage all over the place and noisy with all the heat going out when the doors open.

Doesn't look like the HSTs will be much better and certainly less reliable.

Speaking for the 170 I was on, I would've been delighted if some heat had gone out when they opened the doors!

 

[Highland37]

I can imagine. ScotRail are certainly encouraging modal shift.

I am now at Dunkeld. A single 158 has passed going north. Not one HST spotted today.

 

[Highland37]

How many HSTs have been out today? I have seen two. The Highland Chieftain and one ScotRail classic. That's it.

 

[FtoE]

I must have got lucky on Friday - I was on the 09:51 from Perth going north which was a refurb and we passed the 08:45 southbound at Pitlochry which was also a refurb.
I was going to post that it looked like things were finally working out. Clearly not.

 

[InvHst]

How many HSTs have been out today? I have seen two. The Highland Chieftain and one ScotRail classic. That's it.

0845 was a 158
1248 was a 170
1854 is a 158 which is gonna be cramped
Was the 1554 a HST???
I know the training HST was out today which takes one HST out of system as they have to use one of the available fleet rather than HA13 which I believe is either in Perth or Haymarket.

Either way today has been an absolute shambles on the hml the 0707 Glasgow to Inverness has been taken off a HST as of today no idea why but journeycheck said it was 3 coaches instead of 5 which means a 170/158 pairing interesting to see what tomorrow brings but absolute carnage. Completely unreliable and a huge embarrassment

 

[Carntyne]

Either way today has been an absolute shambles on the hml the 0707 Glasgow to Inverness has been taken off a HST as of today no idea why but journeycheck said it was 3 coaches instead of 5 which means a 170/158 pairing interesting to see what tomorrow brings but absolute carnage. Completely unreliable and a huge embarrassment

1H05 is not a booked 5 car. It is still booked as an HST.

 

[InOban]

According to their Twitter, two out this evening.

 

[47271]

1H05 is not a booked 5 car. It is still booked as an HST.

And it normally is. But today it wasn't.

Some people may say that there are overcrowded trains all over the country, get over it, but the big problem I had today was that I specifically set out to catch a long distance service that I knew to have adequate capacity so that I could sit down and get on, and it turned up boiling hot and just short of people having to sit on the roof. I would've been better off driving for all the difference it would've made.

It's the randomness of it that's wearing me down.

 

[InvHst]

1H05 is not a booked 5 car. It is still booked as an HST.

Well all I can say is today it was booked a 5 car and only had 3 carriages something not right between scotrail journeycheck and their app a lot of services showing short formed but not on that. 0845 didn't show up and either did their relevant next workings either did the 0834 Edinburgh-Inverness and the 1248 Inverness to Edinburgh.

 

[Highland37]

On paper the service is reliable, as in a train arrives and departs generally on time. However the quality is not there and more often than not, the service is too crowded.

It's irrelevant if trains are crowded elsewhere. You should see Mumbai!

Overall, the programme is a failure and hasn't delivered. They should put santa in charge.

 

[Doveymain158]

Whats the chances of the 0944 INV-EDB being HST on weekdays?

 

[John Bishop]

Whats the chances of the 0944 INV-EDB being HST on weekdays?

Zero chance at the moment

 

[Killingworth]

On paper the service is reliable, as in a train arrives and departs generally on time. However the quality is not there and more often than not, the service is too crowded.

Statistics aren't readily available to confirm overcrowding levels, but they are to work out the numbers of late trains.

Taking Aviemore as an example I see it comes at 2619th out of 2623 UK stations for punctuality, and neighbouring stations are very similar, 6 in the worst 10. See Ontime Trains

I couldn't help spotting this when noting that all the Hope Valley line stations are in the bottom 100 and wondered where it was worse!

 

[47271]

Statistics aren't readily available to confirm overcrowding levels, but they are to work out the numbers of late trains.

Taking Aviemore as an example I see it comes at 2619th out of 2623 UK stations for punctuality, and neighbouring stations are very similar, 6 in the worst 10. See Ontime Trains

I couldn't help spotting this when noting that all the Hope Valley line stations are in the bottom 100 and wondered where it was worse!

Interesting, although in reality punctuality isn't a major gripe around here. I suspect that what's happening is that the very heavily used single line is causing a lot of medium scale late running (10-15 minutes drift is the norm) that we're all used to and understand the reasons for. At the risk of repeating myself, an extra three passing loops please.

I'd sooner sit down and function for two or three hours than always arrive within ten minutes of schedule. Which brings us back to the HSTs, or the lack of them...

 

[Highland37]

Yes. I want a service which isn't rammed and allows families to sit together. The 170s cause a lot of seat stress and if you add a family into the mix, driving becomes much more attractive.

I am supportive of what the HSTs could deliver but the reality is that they on a daily basis they are not available so the service is poor.

New stock please.

 

[S-Bahn]

It's quite sad to hear that the Scotrail HST's are not as reliable as hoped. My experience of them on the GWML had been great and the refurb to a short set sounded like a great use for them for the next decade. The short sets that we have down here have provided much needed relief around Bristol.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yes. I want a service which isn't rammed and allows families to sit together. The 170s cause a lot of seat stress and if you add a family into the mix, driving becomes much more attractive.

The large numbers of tables on the various CAF stock being introduced in the North would seem to solve that problem. A bit of Class 195 riding at the weekend seemed to feature lots of happy people sat being sociable around tables. That's more what rail travel should feel like. The table bays even have good legroom so no games of kneesie with a stranger should you be sitting opposite one, and there are some airline seats too if you like those (about 2/3 tables, 1/3 airline on the 195s for example). And huge overhead racks, so your bags can go above you rather than worrying about who's nicking them out of the vestibule.

Maybe some of that would suit instead. A diesel version of the WCML EMUs perhaps as a follow-on order?

 

[Highland37]

That's not a direct comparison though. The great Western has just got brand new trains.

In the case of the ScotRail HSTs, they are meant to be the core fleet, the only fleet, for intercity travel in Scotland. They are awol though.

 

[InvHst]

Whats the chances of the 0944 INV-EDB being HST on weekdays?

Haven't seen that train be a HST since before may timetable change when it was removed