• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Scotrail Class 385 Discussion

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

snookertam

Member
Joined
22 Sep 2018
Messages
778
Sickandtired said:
Well said mate. What an attitude. attitude of either a train buff or someone in the trade trying to ignore criticism. Appalling. Perhaps a new non trade site is required? Us customers just like it and lump it?
Click to expand...

He'd posted the same thing repeatedly. You'll see that I later posted suggesting exactly what he (and others) should try doing about it. I'd also posted similar previously in response to his other posts but he came back with the whole 'woe is us poor old Dunblane' stuff. FWIW I think there's been some poor, sort sighted decision making regarding that timetable, stuff that can be reversed with some foresight and willingness to think outside the box. I don't think there's a concerted effort to screw the commuters of Dunblane going on.

Not sure how much you know about ScotRail but you'll be hard pushed to find one of their employees defending them.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

S

SC318250

Member
Joined
4 Jun 2011
Messages
614
67004 allocated tomorrow night’s delivery
Guessing it will just be 046 going and 045 on Friday night, or will both go tomorrow night?
 
M

Mingulay

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2018
Messages
463
snookertam said:
He'd posted the same thing repeatedly. You'll see that I later posted suggesting exactly what he (and others) should try doing about it. I'd also posted similar previously in response to his other posts but he came back with the whole 'woe is us poor old Dunblane' stuff. FWIW I think there's been some poor, sort sighted decision making regarding that timetable, stuff that can be reversed with some foresight and willingness to think outside the box. I don't think there's a concerted effort to screw the commuters of Dunblane going on.

Not sure how much you know about ScotRail but you'll be hard pushed to find one of their employees defending them.
Click to expand...


Thank you for your suggestion.

I can advise you I have written to my MSP Keith Brown an SNP ex minister. And others in government. Not obsessively as some on here have suggested with no evidence or knowledge of the facts. Say 10 times in 4 years. Sadly Keith Brown does not respond to letters on Transport issues. He was the minister who,appointed Abellio so perhaps he is keeping his head down. He no longer has a ministerial role. Done a few posts and I assume none to well. There was a public meeting a few months ago with Scotrail but he did not attend. I understand he sent a representative, but they did not identify themselves.

So yes I and others have done as you suggest

I do not expect lobbying here to achieve change I merely offer the passenger perspective and it seems it's not welcome

This is off topic but I was being derided so I merely respond to some posts for the record

I do hope to sample a 385 soon. But I think it will be May unless I do a Glasgow Edinburgh at some point as I do.

Has the 385 now in full Glasgow Edinburgh service shaved the time and reduced overcrowding? I assume those commuters are content with the 385 and deem it now an improvement on before?
 
S

Stopper

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2017
Messages
651
I’m well aware of Dunblane having a poor service for years and my station has suffered too, and still does. However, I find it hard to believe that 4-car 365s are full/standing at Grahamston on the Dunblane-Edinburghs. Linlithgow & Polmont made up 40% of the passengers on the old Dunblane services, and they didn’t always fill a 4-car 158, and now they don’t even call there. The other day I travelled on my first train this year, the 17:18 Edinburgh to Dunblane/Alloa. This was a 5-car 170+158 and it wasn’t even half full.
 
Y

youngac

Member
Joined
8 Sep 2017
Messages
326
385004 became the first unit to see service on the Cathcart Circle/Newton branch this morning.
 
M

Mingulay

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2018
Messages
463
Stopper said:
I’m well aware of Dunblane having a poor service for years and my station has suffered too, and still does. However, I find it hard to believe that 4-car 365s are full/standing at Grahamston on the Dunblane-Edinburghs. Linlithgow & Polmont made up 40% of the passengers on the old Dunblane services, and they didn’t always fill a 4-car 158, and now they don’t even call there. The other day I travelled on my first train this year, the 17:18 Edinburgh to Dunblane/Alloa. This was a 5-car 170+158 and it wasn’t even half full.
Click to expand...

I would agree that service is not overly busy. Reason, its too sharp for some commuters and it takes a long time as it involves a long delay at Stirling as the leading set is split off to Alloa and the Dunblane set follows , adds 10+ minutes . So they replaced the popular fast service at 17.25 with the less well timed slow service . I go for the later Dunblane service. In the morning again the previous well timed fast service got you into work at the right time is replaced by the long change at Stirling . It is a busy service 5 car, but again poorer than we had. So both prime slot commuter trains to and from Dunblane are less good in the new timetable , hence the reasonable disquiet and ongoing campaign by locals and local politicians with the notable exception of Keith Brown.
Can you imagine the furore if just one of the frequent Glasgow Edinburgh commuter slot trains to and from was timetabled such that it terminated at Croy and you had a 10 min delay on the platform for a connecting service ? I don't think the gripes of Dunblane passengers are that unreasonable , let alone given the manner in which it was sneakily imposed, which Scotrail accept without reservation was poorly handled.
 
W

WGWarburton

Member
Joined
2 Oct 2018
Messages
10
Mingulay said:
I would agree that service is not overly busy. Reason, its too sharp for some commuters and it takes a long time as it involves a long delay at Stirling as the leading set is split off to Alloa and the Dunblane set follows , adds 10+ minutes . So they replaced the popular fast service at 17.25 with the less well timed slow service . I go for the later Dunblane service. In the morning again the previous well timed fast service got you into work at the right time is replaced by the long change at Stirling . It is a busy service 5 car, but again poorer than we had. So both prime slot commuter trains to and from Dunblane are less good in the new timetable , hence the reasonable disquiet and ongoing campaign by locals and local politicians with the notable exception of Keith Brown.
Can you imagine the furore if just one of the frequent Glasgow Edinburgh commuter slot trains to and from was timetabled such that it terminated at Croy and you had a 10 min delay on the platform for a connecting service ? I don't think the gripes of Dunblane passengers are that unreasonable , let alone given the manner in which it was sneakily imposed, which Scotrail accept without reservation was poorly handled.
Click to expand...

Indeed- The two fast services were significant improvements when they were first introduced. The morning one, in particular, seemed to benefit from priority at Winchburgh junction (?), where many services would have to wait for a Glasgow/Edinburgh service to pass.
Many commuters have had to change their schedules as a result of the new timetable- it's been a significant issue and the way that the existing well-timed, fast, reliable services have been replaced by slower, disruptively inconvenient journeys has not done the service any favours...

I really hope things do improve significantly in May...

Cheers,
W.
 
Y

youngac

Member
Joined
8 Sep 2017
Messages
326
It also looks like recently delivered 385019 is now in service. It was running alongside 385117 on E-G earlier.
 
I

InOban

Established Member
Joined
12 Mar 2017
Messages
4,216
Light engine movement on its way, so I assume there's another delivery tonight.
 
A

anthannan

Member
Joined
14 Jul 2018
Messages
113
There's now 60% delivered with more than half, 37, in service. I would expect 66 to be delivered by the end of April with the final 4 in the first two weeks of May.
 
I

InOban

Established Member
Joined
12 Mar 2017
Messages
4,216
The E-G direct service needs 16 units. We know some of the other 21 are working South of the river, but why do we read of so many diesel services?
 
Highlandspring

Highlandspring

Established Member
Joined
14 Oct 2017
Messages
2,777
Are you also taking into account North Berwicks and Grahamstons? A proportion of 385s are, of course, still on fault free running having not yet been accepted into traffic.
 
I

InOban

Established Member
Joined
12 Mar 2017
Messages
4,216
It was pointed out in another post that they are entering traffic rather quickly. I notice on RTT that there is a regular trip to Dunbar and back early on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I assume these are accumulation runs.
 
S

Stopper

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2017
Messages
651
InOban said:
The E-G direct service needs 16 units. We know some of the other 21 are working South of the river, but why do we read of so many diesel services?
Click to expand...

You have the North Berwicks, half of the Alloa services and around half of the Cumbernauld (around half, or possibly more, are 380s).
 
S

SC318250

Member
Joined
4 Jun 2011
Messages
614
I think only 1 x 6 car on North Berwick runs the others are 380 operated.

There were 3 x 380 on Glasgow to Edinburgh via Cumbernauld the other day, so if they were changed to 385 operated then you would remove another 3x314 from service, and I reckon get another 4 x385 on to Lanark services, then I reckon it is goodbye to the Class 314, as they should be able to accommodate the remaining 2 diagrams within the spare 318/320 capacity
 
S

Stopper

Member
Joined
11 Nov 2017
Messages
651
SC318250 said:
I think only 1 x 6 car on North Berwick runs the others are 380 operated.

There were 3 x 380 on Glasgow to Edinburgh via Cumbernauld the other day, so if they were changed to 385 operated then you would remove another 3x314 from service, and I reckon get another 4 x385 on to Lanark services, then I reckon it is goodbye to the Class 314, as they should be able to accommodate the remaining 2 diagrams within the spare 318/320 capacity
Click to expand...

There is certainly one 385 diagram (at least) on the Cumbernaulds. I haven’t heard of 380s on the North Berwicks for a while (unless it comes from Ayr/Central of course).
 
scosutsut

scosutsut

Member
Joined
1 Jan 2019
Messages
933
Location
scosutsut
At peak at least the North Berwicks and Dunbar's are almost exclusively 385s now outwith of the previously mentioned Ayr/Central exceptions, albeit regularly short-formed 4s instead of timetabled 6s.

They seems well suited to the route and when they are the 6s they are delivering the promised (and much needed) capacity increase.

Roll on more 3 cars getting into traffic!
 
S

Steven_G

Member
Joined
5 Mar 2018
Messages
140
I was under the impression that all the 3-cars where delivered leaving the remaining 4-cars to arrive. Is that not correct?

That creates a problem as QS can't take 8 cars yet so these will need to be deployed elsewhere meaning giving extra capacity before taking it away again once 8-car Glw-Ed can begin. Replacing 3-car training vehicles with 4 cars is an option for the short term.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top