Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway: progress updates

[swr444]

Until 2020 yes. However, the 2050, 2150 and 2250 from Waterloo terminate at Bracknell on weekdays evenings, leaving Wokingham and the stations to Reading with an hourly late evening service.

Strangely, Reading is very much half hourly all day on both Saturday and Sunday, even into the later evening.

Don't forget the 2050 was removed during covid and didnt exist at all until a few months ago and was reinstated as a Bracknell terminator. Better than no service at all for a good hour on the majority of the line.

 

[73128]

To be fair I may have got my time lines slightly out of context? The 1925 did call Surbiton, but the latest ref I have is a Station Working book from 1993, when it was Surbiton, thence Walton and limited stop to Woking etc. Suspect this changed with the 2004 recast, although I do not have any timetable detail for that or for a number of years afterwards. By the time of the station working books for the mid 20 teens, the 1925 was Clapham (pick up only) thence Woking, and although I remember the introduction of the 1923 (8-455 as it originally was) this may have been more like 2007 or so, but can not be sure now.

I think the situation was that when an outer suburban service (Alton/Basingstoke etc) could be pathed to stop at Surbiton in the p.m. peak and demand was seen to need same, it would have been done, if any such slowing of a Down Main Fast service could have been achieved without knocking on to several other Down Main Fast services behind. The problem with the evening peak as I touched on above, the DMF was as good as at saturation point, 2 minute headways being the norm, with a handful of 2 and a half minute HW's in the mix, and any driver who has driven that route and had to swing over to the DS London end of Surbiton will tell you, they will have sighted the first restrictive aspect (double yellow) before passing Berrylands, so will have already 'shut off' by that point and been in coasting mode ready to slow for the DF to DS crossing. May seem a minor point in itself, but that alone will impact on following DF trains, hence Surbiton may have been seen to be poorly served (by non stop services from/to Waterloo) during some busier parts of the day. The same applied to Woking, where again , certain Exeter, Portsmouth trains etc didn't call in the peaks, but did off peak.

PS: sorry, this has wandered OT.

Back in the 1990s there was a 2 minute headway on the fast lines and eleven trains between 1700 and 1800 were non stop to Surbiton, five continuing down the new line (at xxx2) and six (xxx6) to or via Woking. Only three paths weren't used as there were three Altons at 1718, 1738, 1758 and the other three xxx8 were gaps.

 

[Fastlane256]

I’ve heard rumors about a launch on Tuesday or Wednesday this week after SWR cancelled the other one. Has anyone got any info? I’ve got a couple of calls with SWR managers so will see what I can get from them but usually they are fairly secretive

 

[Vanmanyo]

I’ve heard rumors about a launch on Tuesday or Wednesday this week after SWR cancelled the other one. Has anyone got any info? I’ve got a couple of calls with SWR managers so will see what I can get from them but usually they are fairly secretive

I can't see anything happening tbf. Nothing on RTT and last week's ones seemed to have been cancelled

 

[ScotGG]

The reality is that the parts of London that SWR serve are, in general, more affluent than those which TfL serve, and therefore more likely to be places where people don't have to go to their workplace every day.

Not sure that explains it. Southern and SE also seen some steep cuts similar to SWR on suburban stoppers and they serve some of the most deprived parts of the UK let alone London.

TfL modes have seen much greater growth as they haven't cut to the same extent. All points to suppressed demand on National Rail due to reducing services

 

[Vanmanyo]

TfL modes have seen much greater growth as they haven't cut to the same extent. All points to suppressed demand on National Rail due to reducing services

What about pricing? Is it now just too expensive to travel for some people (or they see it as not being worth the hassle). People maybe can't rely on the service (SE has been particularly bad recently). Also, TFL sees much more leisure passengers than SWR probably would; people travelling to London by car or plane would still probably use TFL, and with tourists rising, perhaps this is where TFL is growing versus SWR, SE & SN (maybe less people are travelling to London for leisure than pre COVID)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I can't see anything happening tbf. Nothing on RTT and last week's ones seemed to have been cancelled

If they put them in on the day as VSTP we wouldn't see them in advance would we?

 

[Goldfish62]

Not sure that explains it. Southern and SE also seen some steep cuts similar to SWR on suburban stoppers and they serve some of the most deprived parts of the UK let alone London.

TfL modes have seen much greater growth as they haven't cut to the same extent. All points to suppressed demand on National Rail due to reducing services

SWR leaving people behind in the peaks because the trains are not long enough / not enough of them must be suppressing demand.

 

[Surreyman]

SWR leaving people behind in the peaks because the trains are not long enough / not enough of them must be suppressing demand.

Echo that, yesterday, (Sunday) 5 car Portsmouth - Waterloo full to bursting, some passengers left behind, why could they not run 8 car?

 

[DCtrains]

I’ve heard rumors about a launch on Tuesday or Wednesday this week after SWR cancelled the other one. Has anyone got any info? I’ve got a couple of calls with SWR managers so will see what I can get from them but usually they are fairly secretive

I know a few Station managers who have been told tomorrow and haven't heard anything else since

 

[OneTrackMinded]

I know a few Station managers who have been told tomorrow and haven't heard anything else since

As much as I want to believe you, with the amount of stuff on this forum that turn out to be lies it's hard to.

 

[DCtrains]

Nowadays it really is just a case of waking up and checking RTT allox

 

[D365]

As much as I want to believe you, with the amount of stuff on this forum that turn out to be lies it's hard to.

It's slippage more than anything. Even those who know a date can't guarantee that it will be the date.

 

[DelW]

If they put them in on the day as VSTP we wouldn't see them in advance would we?

That would be one way of SWR trying to ensure no actual passengers get on board them.

I assume that anything running this week (if it happens at all) will be purely a box-ticking exercise aimed at protecting SWR management's bonuses, rather than a useful service actually carrying passengers?

 

[DCtrains]

One thing I’m certain of is that we do have 3 trained drivers

 

[Fastlane256]

I know a few Station managers who have been told tomorrow and haven't heard anything else since

Yeah. I was aware of that. Staines is my station so I tend to hear. I’m in the same boat and I wasn’t able to get hold of a certain manager to find Lhr.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Dec 2023 ==

Nowadays it really is just a case of waking up and checking RTT allox

As in literally just scanning every single train? Is there an easier way?

 

[CarrotPie]

As in literally just scanning every single train? Is there an easier way?

You could search every unit number that's been accepted...

 

[TEW]

This week was definitely the plan until recently, but I was told last week nothing until next year now.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

The amount of conflicting information we're getting at the moment is hard to count. Miscommunication within the company is clearly to blame. My personal guess, station managers and others haven't been told yet that the plans have been scrapped till next year.

 

[Fastlane256]

The amount of conflicting information we're getting at the moment is hard to count. Miscommunication within the company is clearly to blame. My personal guess, station managers and others haven't been told yet that the plans have been scrapped till next year.

But then they will be fined by the DFT. I’m hoping to get hold of CM and get some info confirmed, but that isn’t really RF content.

 

[DJH1971]

This week was definitely the plan until recently, but I was told last week nothing until next year now.

Making this a brand new record for the time the first train of the class was built and still not entering service

 

[Vanmanyo]

This week was definitely the plan until recently, but I was told last week nothing until next year now.

Rumours this told that you just can't believe it to be honest

 

[norbitonflyer]

Making this a brand new record for the time the first train of the class was built and still not entering service

Are there any which never entered service? (there have of course been subclasses, such as the GWR 769/9s).

 

[D365]

One thing I’m certain of is that we do have 3 trained drivers

are all three drivers available to operate launch services?

 

[Peter Mugridge]

You could search every unit number that's been accepted...

Surely you only need to search the 10 car departures at Windsor and Eton Riverside in the off peak...?

One thing I’m certain of is that we do have 3 trained drivers

Are these three all Driver Instructors or actual regular drivers?

 

[webbstar11]

I’ve heard rumors about a launch on Tuesday or Wednesday this week after SWR cancelled the other one. Has anyone got any info? I’ve got a couple of calls with SWR managers so will see what I can get from them but usually they are fairly secretive

This ia all very secretive by SWR and Porterbrook. Drivers dont know either. I never found out what the build issues were at Bombardier. Never known a class be moved so many times but not in service. im putting storage and drags to from Derby worksop Bicester Eastleigh Marcheood and Long Marston to be in the 100ks

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There is one diagram tomorrow, off peak, which is in the regular daily times but is shown as VAR for two return trips from Waterloo to Windsor and back... Might be worth keeping an eye on that one...

 

[JonathanH]

There is one diagram tomorrow, off peak, which is in the regular daily times but is shown as VAR for two return trips from Waterloo to Windsor and back... Might be worth keeping an eye on that one...

View attachment 148790

Isn't that just the alterations that allowed the now-removed 2U91 / 2U92 in the timetable? Besides, there would need to be stock movements at the Waterloo end to enable anything different to run.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Surely you only need to search the 10 car departures at Windsor and Eton Riverside in the off peak...?

But they could be 458s

 

[Peter Mugridge]

But they could be 458s

Yes - but it's far fewer bits to open to check in detail mode isn't it?

Isn't that just the alterations that allowed the now-removed 2U91 / 2U92 in the timetable? Besides, there would need to be stock movements at the Waterloo end to enable anything different to run.

Not sure on the first point - on the second point, we haven't considered that they might not need to emerge from Clapham Yard; they could use one that works in on one of the longer test runs?

I'm not going to check at this time of night, though. I need some ZZZZzzzzz.... shortly!