Confirmed as 9 car 800/1s. Aberdeen from November 25 and Inverness from December 9.
https://www.railmagazine.com/news/n...for-azuma-introduction-onto-highland-services
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LNER Azuma (Class 800/801)
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Confirmed as 9 car 800/1s. Aberdeen from November 25 and Inverness from December 9.
https://www.railmagazine.com/news/n...for-azuma-introduction-onto-highland-services
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Failed Unit
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Is quoting rail as a source as reliable as quoting wiki.
however LNERs press release says the same thing.
Any more diagrams other than the Lincoln’s getting converted before then?
3973EXL
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5X82 Eastleigh - Acton
5Q98 Acton - Doncaster
66764
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5Q98 Acton - Doncaster
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Harbon 1
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Usually pretty busy even in first class. Remember that these are LNER's most profitable trains!
47271
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Are they, do you have a source for that statement? It's not so long ago that they tried to kill off the Chieftain.
Failed Unit
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I am not sure if they did or if the hand was getting forced.
However agree with your point about the profit. The leadings are good but how much are people paying? The north of Edinburgh services are easy to raid ScotRail as a cheap AP gets them more money than the share in revenue of a flexible ticket.
43096
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Or exactly 15 HST sets and 30 Mark 4 sets.
Well I had the total number of sets correct just not the breakdown!
43096
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In some ways it makes the maths easier: the 30 x 9-car 801s are like-for-like with the Mark 4s. That leaves everything else as HST replacement or capacity increase.Well I had the total number of sets correct just not the breakdown!
The 14 and 15th hst were to cover for mk4s undergoing overhaul and mods, EC64 and NL65, and worked a lot of mk4 Diagrams.
So figure of 13 HSTs sounds more realistic, so like for like replacement with Azuma.
43096
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But those two sets were kept after the Mark 4 overhaul programme to allow more services to run. My original post stands as the situation earlier this year.
I was referring to Aberdeen (I see that I didn't make that absolutely clear) but I think the Chieftain falls into the same category. I have seen that statement in print more than once, and recently had it confirmed to me by a (very) well-placed insider.
The most recent threats to the Aberdeen and Inverness came (1) from Transport Scotland's 2014 rail consultation which raised the possibility of curtailment at Edinburgh (I've heard it suggested that this was just an Aunt Sally to provoke a reaction to the consultation, which it certainly did) and (2) from a comment by, I think, Elaine Holt when she was running East Coast Trains that there was a 'strong business case' for dropping the services. Which of course is an ambiguous thing to say because it doesn't mean that there isn't also a strong business case for retention.
Understandably, the Scottish government didn't like a lot of revenue from international journeys disappearing to another TOC. However it was pointed out that ScotRail didn't have enough stock to replace the EC or the XC trains.
When, sometime in the next decade, all the HSTs have arrived, the situation may be quite different, since I think that many passengers will prefer them to either an Azuma or a Voyager. It will then depend on the number of people travelling through Edinburgh rather than to or from.
When, sometime in the next decade, all the HSTs have arrived, the situation may be quite different, since I think that many passengers will prefer them to either an Azuma or a Voyager. It will then depend on the number of people travelling through Edinburgh rather than to or from.
Yes, I think one of the challenges for LNER is whether the Azuma vs ScotRail HST choice differs from HST vs ScotRail Turbostar. But the summary of responses to the TS consultation is available to see online and it's clear that there were any number of convincing reasons for keeping the services running north of Edinburgh.
https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/28933/j231424.pdf
Metal_gee_man
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Daft observation...
I'm on the 19:33 1D30 KGX to LDS on a 10 car (5 + 5) unit and the sheer number of reservations that aren't being used is bordering on criminal. I'm in coach C and the 95% of the reservations are red yet I'd guesstimate only 40% of those seats are actually being used.
So how is this possible, a few people missing their advance ticket slots OK, maybe a few commuters not on their usual trains because of the Extinction Rebellion Protests holding them up, but it seems as if the LNER system is just bulk booking seats knowing the usual loading and then applying the 10 minute rule once the seats aren't actual being sat in.
Just weird...
I'm on the 19:33 1D30 KGX to LDS on a 10 car (5 + 5) unit and the sheer number of reservations that aren't being used is bordering on criminal. I'm in coach C and the 95% of the reservations are red yet I'd guesstimate only 40% of those seats are actually being used.
So how is this possible, a few people missing their advance ticket slots OK, maybe a few commuters not on their usual trains because of the Extinction Rebellion Protests holding them up, but it seems as if the LNER system is just bulk booking seats knowing the usual loading and then applying the 10 minute rule once the seats aren't actual being sat in.
Just weird...
thejuggler
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When I have been allocated seats in a coach a long way from the gate, such as coach C, I walk down the outside until the first coach I see with very few reservations and chose a different seat.
Metal_gee_man
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That's a good shout but as the first 2 carriages are 1st class there can't be many standard seats in the first 5 coach train! Hey, what do I know hence the question
P.s the buffet trolley is pretty dire, bring back the proper buffet
hexagon789
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The Azumas have a buffet, which is very similar in design to that on the Mk4 sets.
Metal_gee_man
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So they do, I've just actually looked at diagram, so does that mean there are now 2 buffets on board (one in each 5 car) resulting in double the staff? Why didn't they order them all as 9 cars...
hexagon789
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Yes all units have a buffet and all are staffed (a 10-car this has two full complements of kitchen a buffet staff).
They ordered the 5-car to allow splitting of units with the front set going forwards on the likes of the extensions to Lincoln where a full 10-car isn't required.
All our business Open tickets are obtained through a corporate travel agency. We can use them on any train on the day, BUT they come with an inclusive free reservation. The agency reserves on what they think is the most likely outward, and the nearest to 5.30pm on return. I've never actually used the return reservation at all, or even been on the relevant train, because services from London to Leeds, York, even Newcastle etc, and return, are pretty much turn-up-and-go. What a waste of the reservations.
And then there are the additional sets to replace the 6x 91+mk4 sets that were going to be retained for the new extra Edinburgh services as well???
They need to order these extra trains, which lner are contemplating whether or not to place an order, see article below from Rail Magazine
https://www.railmagazine.com/news/network/more-new-trains-on-lner-wish-list
Because the DfT ordered them, and not the East Coast franchisee.
The article was probably written in haste with a bad quote...
The original plan for the retained was to reduce then from 9 car to 6 car in order to help with better acceleration and working the 91s less hard.
Now going for 6 coaches suggests some internal reconfiguration e.g. buffet is refitted as first class seating and turned round, some mods to the TFO(D) as it would be the only full first class coach. Possibly extra luggage racks in all coaches?
I wasn't sure what the latest was on that, at least going for min. 6x 10car is sensible.
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Even without them they still have a pretty large fleet increase, and the timetable isn't being changed until 2022, so there'll be more sets than needed to operate the service.
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