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Abellio Greater Anglia Class 755s (Regional Trains)

dk1

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Can anyone confirm where the Class 755s are operating today (Sunday)? Are they doing Norwich-Sheringham[Cromer] and Norwich-Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft? Leaving Norwich-Cambridge and Ipswich-Lowestoft with the Class 156s+170?

Are they still cleaning the wheels manually after every trip?

Thanks,
Gareth
Yes that is correct. They where being allowed on the East Suffolk too but that is subject to change.
 
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GarethC

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Yes that is correct. They where being allowed on the East Suffolk too but that is subject to change.
Thanks for confirming. It will be interesting to see what happens tomorrow.
Have the Class 755s always been disappearing off the track circuits or is this a new thing now the wheelsets are beginning to wear (as well as the leaf fall season)?

Gareth
 

F Great Eastern

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There's been 755s that are getting held for periods at intermediate stations this evening and not just at terminuses.

Are they now having to check the wheels during runs as well as before commencing or is this level crossing delays and other faults?
 

dk1

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No checking en-route, only at terminals. Trains where waiting up to 45mins at Cromer line stations earlier awaiting single line. Same happening East Suffolk & Yarmouth to a lesser extent.
 

TRAX

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Sorry if you’ve perceived it that way, but you won’t find any facts to back your claim as it simply isn’t true - and I don’t think you know all the safety systems of mainland European railways to state this so boldly.
 

86246

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Any predictions on the situation tomorrow?

The wording on the GA site has been updated from destruption until the end of 8/12/19 to until further notice. Although that is mixed in with this weekend’s engineering works information.

I really hope that tomorrow’s information is posted this evening to allow those fortunate enough to make alternative arrangements if the worst happens.
 

F Great Eastern

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The wording on the GA site has been updated from destruption until the end of 8/12/19 to until further notice. Although that is mixed in with this weekend’s engineering works information.

I really hope that tomorrow’s information is posted this evening to allow those fortunate enough to make alternative arrangements if the worst happens.

I am scheduled to make several trips on the local lines over the next couple of weeks with tickets already booked by the company so I'm a little concerned to say the least and some very long days could be ahead.

As a company we've been really inconvenienced by this as we are are spread throughout Suffolk and Norfolk and a lot of our staff either prefer to use the train and some don't drive and the cost of taxis is not cheap to say the least.
 

F Great Eastern

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Does anyone know if all their replacement buses do the full route, or if there are some fast services? They told me the replacement bus from Cambridge to Ipswich would take 1hr, which would be unlikely and hopeful even if it was direct. Did they mean one hour longer (which would be what it might be if they were missing out Dullingham, Kennet, Thurston, Elmswell & Needham)?

The problem with the replacement buses is that they are just on loops between terminuses and can't keep to timetable of the trains so it's a bit of a lottery as to when one will arrive, or so I have been told.
 

gingerheid

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Thanks for the reply!

Realised this wasn't a good place to ask after I posted; sorry Mods!
 

Class 170101

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I'd be surprised if they ran a bus to Cambridge (Central) Station anymore. Its easier to use Cambridge North and train it to Cambridge (Central) from there.
 

F Great Eastern

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No checking en-route, only at terminals. Trains where waiting up to 45mins at Cromer line stations earlier awaiting single line. Same happening East Suffolk & Yarmouth to a lesser extent.

6.33 Norwich to Cambridge just terminated at Ely due to inspection. Either a coincidence or checks being carried out more frequently.
 

GarethC

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6.33 Norwich to Cambridge just terminated at Ely due to inspection. Either a coincidence or checks being carried out more frequently.

That seems to be the plan according to Journeycheck. Presumably stopping short at Ely gives more time for checking the wheel sets.

Gareth
 

dk1

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6.33 Norwich to Cambridge just terminated at Ely due to inspection. Either a coincidence or checks being carried out more frequently.
That's a new one then. Only been done at terminal stations so far. Perhaps it has 'disappeared' at some point en-route from Norwich.

Just seen the plan for today. All Norwich-Cambridge services will spin at Ely today with exception being the 22:40 up service.
 
Last edited:

dk1

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That seems to be the plan according to Journeycheck. Presumably stopping short at Ely gives more time for checking the wheel sets.

Gareth
Makes sense to an extent. Trains would be late start from Cambridge otherwise then throw the service for the rest of the day. Plenty of alternative options Ely- Cambridge & vice versa,
 

F Great Eastern

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That's a new one then. Only been done at terminal stations so far. Perhaps it has 'disappeared' at some point en-route from Norwich.

Just seen the plan for today. All Norwich-Cambridge services will spin at Ely today with exception being the 22:40 up service.

It was definitely effected by an inspection on route though. Pretty long one at Norwich it seems but lost more time before its first stop.

06:33 Norwich to Cambridge due 07:53 will be terminated at Ely.
It will no longer call at Cambridge North and Cambridge.
It is being delayed between Norwich and Wymondham and is now expected to be 43 minutes late.
This is due to a safety inspection on a train.

How long are these inspections taking on average? Would be nice to know how much delay to inspect?
 

eastdyke

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Weather forecast continues to be very poor :(

BBC has just put up a new piece:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-50710360
Greater Anglia services 'severely disrupted' by signalling fault
[extracts with my bold]
More than 150 journeys by one rail operator have been cancelled or delayed because of "major" signalling faults on rural lines.
Greater Anglia services across parts of Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex have been affected.
Issues are expected to last all Monday and follow a weekend of disruption caused by Network Rail signalling faults.
Disgruntled passengers have called the delays "ridiculous" and "a joke".

Network Rail, which is responsible for the track and infrastructure, has been approached for comment.

I wonder how hard BBC will push NR?

Yesterday I took a couple of LNER Azuma trips. Had I seen a Hitachi jacket poking around the wheelsets with a torch and a 'scrubbing brush' before travel I would not have taken those trips. :(
How much longer will GA be allowed to persist with the current method of operation?
 

Tug

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How much longer will GA be allowed to persist with the current method of operation?

Whilst we should never have got into this situation as has been posted before there is no obvious possible alternative. It is this or nothing.

Whatever "punishment" is given to any company will not benefit the passengers.
 

F Great Eastern

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You would hope that some Labour politician might see a goal that be scored here but it seems that none of them are clued up enough.

Is the managing director and other senior management on leave for some reason? You would expect him to be dealing with this head on and apologising to customers. The fact he's barely been seen doesn't paint a picture of a company that really understands the customers pain, they seem more preoccupied with their image.
 

LAX54

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Weather forecast continues to be very poor :(

BBC has just put up a new piece:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-50710360


I wonder how hard BBC will push NR?

Yesterday I took a couple of LNER Azuma trips. Had I seen a Hitachi jacket poking around the wheelsets with a torch and a 'scrubbing brush' before travel I would not have taken those trips. :(
How much longer will GA be allowed to persist with the current method of operation?

The method of working that NR have brought it, is so that GA can try and run their 755's, a version of AB in places, this applies to all trains, to avoid any mishaps ! Normally of course with the older units, this would not be needed unless it is really bad !
Over the past few years, 'Leaf Fall' working, aka AB / 3.5 has not been needed, apart from one or two short locations, and then only for a couple of days.
 

Jim Jehosofat

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Am I alone in not understanding why Great Anglia are blaming Network Rail for this problem?

The quote below has been copied from the BBC News website.

Greater Anglia's spokesman Alan Neville said: "I cannot comment on the signalling issues of Network Rail."

The leaf fall working arrangements seem to have been implemented because of the issue with a 755 on the Cromer line. These so called signalling issues weren't an issue before then.
 

306024

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You are not alone, but NR appear to have been put in a no win situation by GAs statements. If NR say our signalling is OK, it’s the trains, you have a full public row over who is to blame, which helps no one, least of all the passengers. Given that GA and NR need to work together to solve the issue that would be unhelpful.

The fact this is all occurring at the height of leaf-fall season further muddies the water.
 

F Great Eastern

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Am I alone in not understanding why Great Anglia are blaming Network Rail for this problem?

The quote below has been copied from the BBC News website.

Greater Anglia's spokesman Alan Neville said: "I cannot comment on the signalling issues of Network Rail."

The leaf fall working arrangements seem to have been implemented because of the issue with a 755 on the Cromer line. These so called signalling issues weren't an issue before then.

Greater Anglia seem to have little interest in me or you. They have a brand to protect. Reputation to protect and face to save. The fact the only time the MD has spoken in the last couple of weeks about issues is when the RMT started saying trains were unsafe illustrates that. No words at all for long suffering customers.
 

Tug

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This is getting way off the thread topic but railway blame is a moveable feast. Quite often when there is a track problem the public blame the train company (& the whole franchising system) for the problem but then when there is (probably) now a train track interface problem the train company is saying it is a track problem. What goes around comes around.

I just hope that they don't believe their own PR & that Railtrack, Stadler (who have also been very low profile) and bottom of the list GA are looking for the answer to the problems.
 

F Great Eastern

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This is getting way off the thread topic but railway blame is a moveable feast. Quite often when there is a track problem the public blame the train company (& the whole franchising system) for the problem but then when there is (probably) now a train track interface problem the train company is saying it is a track problem. What goes around comes around.

I just hope that they don't believe their own PR & that Railtrack, Stadler (who have also been very low profile) and bottom of the list GA are looking for the answer to the problems.

Stadler have a blame culture, or so we have read here, whilst it seems Greater Anglia may have one too. That's not a great combination especially when the later tends to be very protective of it's brand.

The chances of getting things resolved quickly and effectively are not high if everyone is too busy focusing on blame.
 

Tug

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The part of the 755 introduction disaster that has had little discussion is money. This is the beginning of a long and very expensive legal liability story. Delay repay must be costing GA a fortune & goodness knows for how long it will continue.

We have to accept that general news media haven't a clue what they are talking about & print what is given to them. The quality of questions and the scrutiny of answers is terrible.

The TOC's have legal departments whose job it is to get every penny possible out of Railtrack (& probably anyone else possible) for every conceivable delay. Somebody is going to get an enormous bill for damages from everyone else and they are all busy trying to make sure it isn't them. I suspect that everything that is being said is being cleared by legal departments. .
 

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