Greater Anglia Rolling Stock Updates

dk1 · 19 Dec 2019

Bringback309s said:
Why bother with the time and expense of de-branding them if they haven't got a new home to go to?

As already stated rail franchise commitments insists this is done. I questioned a large amount of money being spent on a damaged DVT that wasn't really required. Again it has to be returned at the end of the franchise in full working order even if it is never to turn a wheel in revenue service again & head direct to the scrapyard.

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Alfie1014 · 20 Dec 2019

Travelling on a Renatus 321 today caught up in the delays due to flooding near Ingatestone I was surprised to hear announcements direct from the signalling centre or the ROC on the train advising us if the delay. That said the driver was also doing a good job of keeping us informed. Just never heard such an announcement on the GEML before. Is it a new thing?

43096 · 20 Dec 2019

Alfie1014 said:
Travelling on a Renatus 321 today caught up in the delays due to flooding near Ingatestone I was surprised to hear announcements direct from the signalling centre or the ROC on the train advising us if the delay. That said the driver was also doing a good job of keeping us informed. Just never heard such an announcement on the GEML before. Is it a new thing?

DOO trains have had this capability since they first started running.

Alfie1014 · 20 Dec 2019

Blimey in the best part of 25 years travelling on DOO operates services run by a variety of operators that’s the first time I’ve ever heard it!

fat_boy_pete · 20 Dec 2019

Alfie1014 said:
Blimey in the best part of 25 years travelling on DOO operates services run by a variety of operators that’s the first time I’ve ever heard it!

They used to do regularly on a 321 service I caught. A recorded and somewhat gabbled announcement always sent at the same time jsut after

Railperf · 21 Dec 2019

156402 on Ipswich to Cambridge this morning. Wonder if any 755s are running?

F Great Eastern · 21 Dec 2019

Shortage of trains I would guess considering the much higher number of rural cancellations today.

I assume 156s have left.

Railperf · 21 Dec 2019

F Great Eastern said:
Shortage of trains I would guess considering the much higher number of rural cancellations today.

I assume 156s have left.

No. All three Cambridge to Ipswich diagrams run using 156's - 402, 417 and 419. Judging by performance from.Stowmarket to Ipswich 419 is in best mechanical condition - 417 the worst - struggled to reach 67mph and a long time at that!

Railperf · 21 Dec 2019

755419 noted at Ipswich ready to form a Lowestoft service around 12:10pm

F Great Eastern · 21 Dec 2019

Railperf said:
No. All three Cambridge to Ipswich diagrams run using 156's - 402, 417 and 419. Judging by performance from.Stowmarket to Ipswich 419 is in best mechanical condition - 417 the worst - struggled to reach 67mph and a long time at that!

Still doesn't mean there isn't a shortage of trains, may have been a shuffling of the pack with the 755s put elsewhere for the moment and a couple of 156s leaving the fleet, since two 156s were due to leave this weekend.

156422 is the worst of the lot, guard called it 'snail' last time I was on it. Hopefully it's one of those which have been sent away, but it's going to need some TLC from wherever it goes next because it struggled to get above 50mph, let alone more, losing 15-20 minutes or so on most journeys en-route.

Railperf · 21 Dec 2019

F Great Eastern said:
Still doesn't mean there isn't a shortage of trains, may have been a shuffling of the pack with the 755s put elsewhere for the moment and a couple of 156s leaving the fleet, since two 156s were due to leave this weekend.

156422 is the worst of the lot, guard called it 'snail' last time I was on it. Hopefully it's one of those which have been sent away, but it's going to need some TLC from wherever it goes next because it struggled to get above 50mph, let alone more, losing 15-20 minutes or so on most journeys en-route.

I haven't sampled 422 and don't wish to either lol.
I meant that 417 was the worst of the trio i sampled today. In stark contrast the Class 90 hauled trains i used so far have been in great form. Recorded my best Class 90 0 to 100mph time of less than 3 minutes with load 9 on a damp rail too.

F Great Eastern · 21 Dec 2019

Railperf said:
I haven't sampled 422 and don't wish to either lol.
I meant that 417 was the worst of the trio i sampled today. In stark contrast the Class 90 hauled trains i used so far have been in great form. Recorded my best Class 90 0 to 100mph time of less than 3 minutes with load 9 on a damp rail too.

156422 has a leak as well from one of the panels above as the conductor found out last Tuesday!

I haven't seen any mechanical issues with any of the MK3s I've been on, so can't complain in that regard, although some of the interiors are not in the best shape, one I was on recently had a terrible draught from somewhere I couldn't identify, another was like a fridge and another one all the power went out for a second or so twice when I was on it at night which was a little scary as it went pitch black everywhere!

Icky Qualms · 21 Dec 2019

F Great Eastern said:
Still doesn't mean there isn't a shortage of trains, may have been a shuffling of the pack with the 755s put elsewhere for the moment and a couple of 156s leaving the fleet, since two 156s were due to leave this weekend.

156422 is the worst of the lot, guard called it 'snail' last time I was on it. Hopefully it's one of those which have been sent away, but it's going to need some TLC from wherever it goes next because it struggled to get above 50mph, let alone more, losing 15-20 minutes or so on most journeys en-route.

I was on 156422 on Friday morning and it arrived in Cambridge right time

F Great Eastern · 21 Dec 2019

Icky Qualms said:
I was on 156422 on Friday morning and it arrived in Cambridge right time

They must have finally fixed the fault then as it was pathetic earlier in the week.

Nighthawke · 21 Dec 2019

Either that or it left 20early :lol:

Railperf · 21 Dec 2019

The 755's seem to be handling the Stansted services well. The only slight issue being where one service had to terminate at Cambridge due to the allocated Cambridge driver not being signed for 755s. Greater Anglia had a Class 317 positioned ahead of the 755 at Cambridge which passengers transferred on to. I am assuming the 317 did the return leg back to Cambridge where the 755 would have taken over to Norwich? Amidst the current rolling stock crisis - seemed a good move.
The 755/4s seem very quick in electric mode - 90mph in appox 80 seconds. Wow.
Plenty of 755s around at Norwich doing Gt Yarmouth and Lowestoft diagrams. No trains to Peterborough or Felixstowe. At least one Liverpool Street diagram seemingly cancelled all day. And Ipswich Cambridge route appeared to be handled by the last 156s. That seems to be a snapshot of GA North of Ipswich today.

eastdyke · 21 Dec 2019

Railperf said:
The 755's seem to be handling the Stansted services well ....
Amidst the current rolling stock crisis - seemed a good move.
The 755/4s seem very quick in electric mode - 90mph in appox 80 seconds. Wow.
.....

They are fantastic units and in a few months time when all are commissioned, drivers trained and routes cleared the current hiatus will all be forgotten on the rural routes. I venture to suggest to the envy of rural train travellers across the network.
Getting ahead of the game I am not sure what happens next? Many more people will want to travel.
(Expensive) infrastructure issues will hold back both improved service frequencies and cuts to journey times. Apart from the Norwich-Ely with some 90mph sections, the Haughley-Chippenham-Ely- Peterborough is max 75, Chippenham-Cambridge max 60 and the E Suffolk max 55 (ok a couple of miles out of Ipswich at 60) with the Woodbridge area a lot lot less than that :frown:

We have already seen the frequency upgrade to Ipswich-Peterborough deferred indefinitely.

Adrian1980uk · 22 Dec 2019

Norwich is pretty much Stadler city.. It'll be quite boring for the enthusiast but I've got to say that once the current issues are sorted - talking weeks I guess rather than months, it'll be a great change. My office is already quite pleased with the Norwich stansted option.
Hopefully once the Stadler are settled in there can be some tightening of the timetable and make the rural routes more attractive than car or bus.

Tug · 22 Dec 2019

What is the problem with the toilets on the Mk3 sets. They have worked for 30 years & suddenly many don't. Why? Not that much can go wrong as they are simple devices.

43096 · 22 Dec 2019

Tug said:
What is the problem with the toilets on the Mk3 sets. They have worked for 30 years & suddenly many don't. Why? Not that much can go wrong as they are simple devices.

Don’t forget that they are now fitted with retention tanks.

chubs · 22 Dec 2019

Tug said:
What is the problem with the toilets on the Mk3 sets. They have worked for 30 years & suddenly many don't. Why? Not that much can go wrong as they are simple devices.

Most didn't work when they first arrived from Virgin either, and that was pre tanks.

superjohn · 22 Dec 2019

Only one working toilet on the 0930 ex Liverpool Street this morning. The accessible one in the first class coach at the very rear.

Not a quiet train by any means either.

Tug · 22 Dec 2019

43096 said:
Don’t forget that they are now fitted with retention tanks.

superjohn said:
Only one working toilet on the 0930 ex Liverpool Street this morning. The accessible one in the first class coach at the very rear.

Retention tanks are no excuse for whatever is causing a ridiculous situation where there is one toilet on an 8(?) coach train.

Adrian1980uk · 22 Dec 2019

Tug said:
Retention tanks are no excuse for whatever is causing a ridiculous situation where there is one toilet on an 8(?) coach train.

I think it's just maintenance and space at crown point at the moment. Once all the 755s are in service and out of the way most the day, things may well improve, especially as the 745 start supporting the 90s and mk3 stock

43096 · 22 Dec 2019

Tug said:
Retention tanks are no excuse for whatever is causing a ridiculous situation where there is one toilet on an 8(?) coach train.

You claimed they had worked for 30 years. I gave you a change that has been made that may explain why they don’t now. Nowhere did I say it was acceptable.

86246 · 22 Dec 2019

superjohn said:
Only one working toilet on the 0930 ex Liverpool Street this morning. The accessible one in the first class coach at the very rear.

Not a quiet train by any means either.

Just the one on the 10:30 as well in the front coach.

Grumbler · 22 Dec 2019

86246 said:
Just the one on the 10:30 as well in the front coach.

Isn't this in breach of their franchise agreement?

mtmikethom · 22 Dec 2019

Departure boards at Norwich as well as the website seem to indicate all is now well with Sherringham services from now?

mtmikethom · 22 Dec 2019

86246 said:
Just the one on the 10:30 as well in the front coach.

Only two on the 1700 ex Norwich which I guess is same stock as 0930 ex London

47421 · 22 Dec 2019

Grumbler said:
Isn't this in breach of their franchise agreement?

Probably yes, but GA have not delivered all sorts of obligations under Franchise Agreement including PRM mods on 27x317s, post-pay ticketing, carnet tickets, service enhancements (extra TPH off peak LivSt to Southend V n Hertford East, LivSt Ips semi fast extended to Norwich hourly, all due May 19, 1144 extra trains a week due May 20), platform extensions at various locations, station redevelopments at Brox, Harlow Town etc, as well as all the missed dates on the 745 n 710 programmes.

DfT dont seem to care. Presumably they know GA will just walk away if they are required to deliver on what they promised.

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