Clarence Yard
Established Member
- Joined
- 18 Dec 2014
- Messages
- 2,494
Would still work out cheaper in the long run to extend long rock probably too late now but a few years ago the descion could of been made. And there is no excuse for trains starting at Laira or north pole to be 5 car formed.
The problem with Long Rock was (and still is) that it cannot be extended.
There is a public road behind the sidings which limits the overall length and the whole site is not long enough for taking a 9 car through the shed and then into the sidings without stitching the whole site up for other units. There are 5 SX starters off Long Rock so it just isn’t feasible to go 9 car on all services without looking elsewhere.
The long term solution isn’t too far away, using a site that wasn’t available until this year. Ponsondane. Re-instating that site (including the connection), suitably updated to form proper carriage sidings, is on the radar. It isn’t cheap, however.
But, I would remind everyone, the decision to go 5 car west of Plymouth was dictated by the need to justify the Cornish half hourly service. Going 9 car first, even it was possible, would have killed that scheme stone dead. Much better to get that service in first and then justify going to 5 to 9 on the out of season London trains later.
If you want a bun truck on all W of E services, the minimum number of 802 units you need to extend is 14. You build 28 buffets, 28 other cars and then do a bit redistribution. But getting the funding to do that in a DA? Not easy, even if the DfT are on board, which they aren’t at the moment.