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To be honest this is also an issue on TPE. TOCs need to be held accountable with a published definition of what first-class service shall include, and anything short of that should result in compensation. If it is not within the definition, which must be available for the duration of travel on...

This is one of the main features of the IC3, IR4 and derivatives - Denmark used to have a lot of diverging routes and train ferries, so much work was put into getting the coupling/uncoupling process as fast and seamless as possible. The fact you can couple an electric IR4 and a diesel IC3 as if...

This is quite normal, just the term "acceptance" is different here. Units will always be given a final QA check at the factory against a pre-defined and agreed list of standards and criteria, with final testing taking part as the unit is commissioned (FFR, on-delivery inspection, etc), which...

Absolutely on Stadler not releasing a unit without final QA and acceptance tests - the consequences of that would be interesting to say the least! It’s possible that if 020 is not on the list of passed units sent to the JTC it is merely an oversight or the list was updated in the time the...

I think the allocation was that the 20s were going to take the new unit(s) so far (York maybe?) then the 43s were to take over?

It all comes down to cost in the end. There are still some quick wins out there, with stations like Regent Centre, Longbenton, Four Lane Ends, West Jesmond, and others being un-gated still, and as you say the gates that are installed need to actually be closed for the duration of service.

Realistically the easiest way to boost revenue protection is to gate all the stations, and have the gates manned for the duration of service. Sadly as mentioned this comes with a cost, but said cost should be easy to justify if the outcomes are delivered upon. Combine this with a better...

It makes a loss of several million pounds every year - the rest of the funding is made up of government grants both local and central. Whilst not a charity, it is a non-profit exercise owned and run by local government; at best offsetting losses rather than making money. The way a system like...

Except, making money isn't the objective of a system like this and catering to football matches is a very small, even if optically significant, part of Metro's overall purpose. This is demonstrated by the way that engineering works are often scheduled on game days. If Metro were a privately...

Exactly - even more so if the extended 5-car layout of the new trains was shown! I'm not sure why they used that style of airline seating in the consultation at all, as that would never have been practical for a rapid transit system. The other option that wasn't shown was to have mixed...

The consultation I took part in overlayed the proposals onto a plan of a single unit from the existing fleet. 2+2 bays were not an option either, with "airline" style seating shown as the option for transverse and hybrid arrangement. These two factors alone would be enough to skew the data...

Hopefully this is a sign that Stadler are close to resolving the traction issue!

I suspect they’ve said that to try and keep their critics at bay and save face, though they’ve done themselves no favours by not actually stating what the issue is. Stadler hardware is very modular, and even if more substantial modifications were needed it would likely prove vastly cheaper to...

Is this likely something that is being fixed in software with traction re-profiling, or something that will require more invasive modifications to the units?

None of which were 100% trouble-free at introduction, and the 507/8 had the significant advantage of being part of an utterly massive series of similar units.

This is the direction in which the compatibility is intended.

I meant developing something that can be used by conventional tram/LRT vehicles.

Whilst, on the whole, I view anything that allows towns and cities to install rail-like infrastructure as a positive, I can't help but think this has the potential to be one of these schemes that seems excellent in the short-term but a few years or decades down the line lumbers the public with...

The windows on these trains are single-glazed and are sealed into place with just a rubber gasket. This is one of the "value" aspects of the original Metro fleet design, and I believe it was also touted as a safety feature in the event of an accident (no need for tungsten hammers, etc). Sadly...

Bear in mind some of the door issues with the 777 series are also related to the fact that the fleet was built for DOO, but changed last minute to two-man dispatch. This meant fitting guard panels, which are not the standard design and have an RFID "key", along with the appropriate software...