on realtime trains the 5Q50/1/2 tests seem to have run this week
Bit odd that the Kingston Loop is included but not the Shepperton Branch.
Trains via Kingston loop use the Windsor lines. Most Shepperton services go via Wimbledon.
I know that the majority of Shepperton services stick to the mainline side, but as an extension of the New Malden - Twickenham loop, which is 'Windsor side', I'd have thought it'd be included. Not the end of the world.
I would imagine Alstom must be questioning their purchase of Bombardier now after their shares crashed nearly 30% yesterday and which they partly attributed the cause as
alstom-discloses-preliminary-financial-information-its-first-half-fiscal-year-202324-ending-september-30-2023
And no doubt the situation will be made worse by the lack of orders and potential mothballing of the Derby site.
"However, the Aventra program in the UK, one of the legacy non-performing contracts, has not been completed as per original plans during this first half and is now expected to be completed beginning of fiscal year 2024/25. The negative impact has been recognized on first half adjusted EBIT."
www.bbc.co.uk
It’s not just the SWR build, though - there’s the West Mids/LNR fleet, too."However, the Aventra program in the UK, one of the legacy non-performing contracts, has not been completed as per original plans during this first half and is now expected to be completed beginning of fiscal year 2024/25. The negative impact has been recognized on first half adjusted EBIT."
Am a bit confused by this, many Aventra units have been delivered to SWR and the leasing company should have paid Alstom. But guess SWR are saying the trains build and software are not up to being in service, so payment has been withheld.
Alstom do not see it as thier fault.First of £1bn trains to run in 2023, South Western Railway says
The high-capacity Arterio trains would enter service with South Western Railway three years late.
A spokesman said: "Since then Alstom has delivered the same model of train to other customers including the Elizabeth Line which are operating very successfully."
Guess lawyers are now involved?
So there must be pressure to get the trains in service before the end of the year, but the only tests are the 5Q50/51/52 by GBRF staff (been running OK this week).
Their use of the word legacy implies (or I infer?) that they won't be offering the Aventra platform for new orders? Not that any UK orders are likely for EMUs for a good while.
Remember, this was Alstom trying to explain away that their "free cash flow" for the last six months was minus €1.2 billion, compared with about zero for the same period in 2022. A third (but only a third) of that is due to the Aventras, where out of 443 trains in all, 90% are built but only 70% accepted by customers. To what extent the 701s count as "accepted" is not at all clear, and probably depends on accounting conventions and the details of the horse-trading done with SWR and Rock Rail.
To be fair, Alstom are putting a lot of work into the Traxx product, as it was an absolute dog under the latter days of Bombardier. To what extent the orders are down to confidence in Alstom and Traxx, or because Siemens' order book for Vectrons is pretty much full and there's little capacity for substantial new orders for some time.
SWR will tell us how great they are when they are introduced however long the delay without any humility you can be sureSafe to say December introduction won't happen now.. I wonder how long it will be?
Meaning it will be a least a good 4 years since the first unit was completed and still not in service.Safe to say December introduction won't happen now.. I wonder how long it will be?
And they will meet the DFT deadline for getting them out. I wonder what that will mean.
Having said that, who would order any more Aventras, apart from a possible top-up order for the Elizabeth line? The things have have been fraut with problems right from the start.
I predict that by the time TfL actually order a few more 345s for the Elizabeth line the Derby production line will have moved on from Aventras or become a "development opportunity". But then again the biggest factor effecting that will be how quickly the 701 order gets completed.
Litchurch Lane will probably be "Derby Urban Village and Retail Park" before the 701s enter service.
It's déjà vu - the Aventra is a wonderful marketing tool for Siemens
Construction of said facility held up by all the scrap metal in the way !.Litchurch Lane will probably be "Derby Urban Village and Retail Park" before the 701s enter service.
And this time also Hitachi, CAF and the Chinese.It's déjà vu - the Aventra is a wonderful marketing tool for Siemens
Theres been talk about it and a date has been surfacing in discord gen channels, but I will not say by the complete chance that it's complete wibble and nothing happens on that date.
I try to keep up to date with these moves at https://www.ukraillog.co.uk/fleet-data/emu/701 - although these unit moves (without internal systems) are hard work trying to keep up to date so I can't guarantee this is 100% correct. Try the link and type "Worksop" into the Search Fleet box
