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Caledonian Sleeper discussion

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philjo

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JModulo said:
Been announced elsewhere by Serco this morning that the introduction of the MK5s has been delayed again due to some issues. Lowland not expected until Spring 2019 now with the Highland to follow after.

http://newtrains.sleeper.scot/news/update-on-the-introduction-of-the-new-caledonian-sleeper-trains/
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Yes, I have just received an email regarding my booking to Glasgow 1st week of November:

We are contacting you regarding your journey booked with us for travel on or after 28 October 2018.

Unfortunately, we are sorry to have to inform you that due to issues relating to a delay in the availability of our new trains, we will not be able to operate our new
fleet on this particular journey.

We will instead, be running our current trains and can therefore still ensure you get to your destination and experience our excellent levels of service and
hospitality on board.

If you still want to travel with us on your original booking date, you don't need to do anything else. Your booking will be automatically updated to an alternative
accommodation type on our current trains, and the tickets you have remain valid for your journey. You do not require replacement tickets.

The details of this change to your booking are below.

Your reservation will be automatically transferred to twin room accommodation for your exclusive use. We will also send you £20 per room (based on your original
booking) as a one-off gesture of goodwill. Your room reservation will remain unchanged.

However, if you wish to change or cancel your journey with us, we have two options available:


1) You can cancel your booking and we will give you a full refund, even if you did not book a flexible ticket.

2) We can re-book you on to a service when our new trains are in operation. Again, this option is available for holders of both fixed and flexible tickets.

If you choose either of the options above, then please email us by Saturday 20 October 2018 and we will be in touch.
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gord

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As frustrating as that must be, I think that's more than reasonable what they are offering as a way of compensation/apology.
 
kristiang85

kristiang85

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I've had the same email, and the £20 (which is appreciated).

However, we booked "Classic Shared" and now have "Twin Room" - what's the difference? (I've not travelled CS before)
 
BRX

BRX

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bb21

bb21

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Scotrail84 said:
1C11/1B26 - 92 023

1S25 - 92 028/67 015

1A25 - 73 969

1Y11 - 73 966

1S26 - 90 046
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So the 90 may well end up up north Friday night then? I thought they normally run the circuit finishing at Wembley for the weekend if only one on?
 
TimboM

TimboM

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Mag_seven said:
1S25 is 90043 tonight.
1S26 should be 92033.
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92 028 worked 1S25 last night, so 1M16 tonight most likely...

Scotrail84 said:
1S26 - 90 046
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90 046 went off hire back to Freightliner at Crewe Basford Hall today (replaced by 90047).

It took 92 018 with it and dropped it off at DB Cargo's Crewe Electric Depot - first time back there since Europorte wheeled it way in July 2011!
 
TimboM

TimboM

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bb21 said:
So the 90 may well end up up north Friday night then? I thought they normally run the circuit finishing at Wembley for the weekend if only one on?
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The 90s just end up wherever they end up for the weekend provided they've sufficient days to next exam. They're planned so they're at the Wembley end if either they need an A Exam (done by FL on-site at Wembley) or need to return to Crewe for B Exam. That could be any day of the week in theory.
 
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stepho

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Assuming they’ve known about this for a while internally, but it feels like maintenance on the older stock has taken a backseat recently.

Could make for a troublesome winter if they now need to keep this lot ticking along well until next year and catch up on work they put off never expecting to need doing.
 
TimboM

TimboM

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stepho said:
Assuming they’ve known about this for a while internally, but it feels like maintenance on the older stock has taken a backseat recently.

Could make for a troublesome winter if they now need to keep this lot ticking along well until next year and catch up on work they put off never expecting to need doing.
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A lot has been spent on keeping the old stock going - it's 30-40 years old and life-expired, that's why coaches keep failing, not because maintenance has dropped off. A lot is being invested keeping the old stock which is well past its sell-by date running (sometimes more successfully than others). The fleet is also stretched, so taking a coach out of circulation for a "proper" repair of certain minor faults isn't always an option.

The Mk2s were sold by Serco to a new owner (Eastern Rail Services) who are leasing them back to Serco for the remainder of the time they're required prior to the new stock. ERS are putting them all through significant mechanical refurb work at their base at the Weardale Railway. ERS presumably see some use for the Mk2s post-Sleepers so it's not in their interests to put off work that is required. Serco/Alstom also did a lot of work on the Mk2s (and Mk3s) in the off-peak season earlier in the year to get them ready for the peak season/high aircon demand etc.

There'll no doubt be more challenges ahead with the old stock soldiering on, but it's primarily because it's 40-odd years old (in the case of the Mk2s); not because Serco/Alstom/ERS have given up on maintaining them.

The failures always get highlighted, but every night, six nights per week, there are up to 66 coaches being used over hundreds of miles and the vast majority of them work despite being 30-40 years old - that's not achieved through a lack of maintenance.
 
BRX

BRX

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TimboM said:
The failures always get highlighted, but every night, six nights per week, there are up to 66 coaches being used over hundreds of miles and the vast majority of them work despite being 30-40 years old - that's not achieved through a lack of maintenance.
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I dunno, I know it's not entirely objective... but thinking about the 7 sleeper journeys I've done in the past 9 months or so -

1. northbound to fort william - issues with seated coach pre edinburgh, passengers moved into sleepers
2. south bound from Inverness - issues with one of the sleepers, had to be removed from train
3. northbound to Inverness - not aware of problems
4. southbound from fort william - aberdeen seats out of order S of Edinburgh
5. northbound to Fort William - lounge car completely out of order N of Edinburgh
6. southbound from Inverness - not aware of problems
7. northbound to Inverness - Lounge car out of action in Aberdeen portion, heating not working properly in seats.

I know that maintenance has been going on, but that doesn't mean it's been to the level that it could have been. And as I've said before, it's not too hard to see from the state of some of the interiors that a 'keep it going for now' approach seems to be the order of the day.
 
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Journeyman

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BRX said:
I know that maintenance has been going on, but that doesn't mean it's been to the level that it could have been. And as I've said before, it's not too hard to see from the state of some of the interiors that a 'keep it going for now' approach seems to be the order of the day.
Click to expand...

I'm a former Sleeper employee who was close to the coalface in managing service delivery. Trust me, there's absolutely no skimping going on. There's a huge amount of effort and money going into keeping these relics moving, and the team in charge are doing remarkably well, all things considered. Quite apart from anything else, the Mark 3s need to be returned to the leasing company in full working order, so a basic minimum standard has to be maintained. Minor cosmetic stuff sometimes has to fall by the wayside because fixing something like a failed MA (the bloody things fail all the time) is a huge job and essential to keeping vehicles in service.

The people involved are pretty heroic!
 
BRX

BRX

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Journeyman said:
I'm a former Sleeper employee who was close to the coalface in managing service delivery. Trust me, there's absolutely no skimping going on. There's a huge amount of effort and money going into keeping these relics moving, and the team in charge are doing remarkably well, all things considered. Quite apart from anything else, the Mark 3s need to be returned to the leasing company in full working order, so a basic minimum standard has to be maintained. Minor cosmetic stuff sometimes has to fall by the wayside because fixing something like a failed MA (the bloody things fail all the time) is a huge job and essential to keeping vehicles in service.

The people involved are pretty heroic!
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I'd not question that the people actually doing the work do the best they can do with the resources made abailable to them.

But say it became apparent that the vehicles needed to continue in service for another 5-10 years: would all maintenance decisions be exactly the same? For example, whether to repair or replace a failed component?
 
PaxVobiscum

PaxVobiscum

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BRX said:
...But say it became apparent that the vehicles needed to continue in service for another 5-10 years: would all maintenance decisions be exactly the same? For example, whether to repair or replace a failed component?
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That might need a new maintenance depot based in Lourdes ;).
 
TimboM

TimboM

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BRX said:
But say it became apparent that the vehicles needed to continue in service for another 5-10 years: would all maintenance decisions be exactly the same? For example, whether to repair or replace a failed component?
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That’s probably the sort of timeframe ERS are looking at anyway for the more-troublesome Mk2s having recently acquired them from Serco. They’ll no doubt want to get some use/value out of them post-Sleepers.

Not sure what Porterbrook have lined up for the Mk3s - first one off-lease has been sold to a small rifle club as accommodation! Suspect they would want to re-lease (or sell) better examples for use on the railway if there’s suitable buyers.
 
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Bletchleyite

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The Mk2s might be OK in a charter fleet where they are not used intensively and there are loads of spares and donor vehicles.

GWR might well want a couple more Mk3 sleepers for spares, perhaps? Though if they work well I think it would make sense to get them onto Mk5s as well, partly for standardisation and partly for longevity.
 
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Journeyman

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Bletchleyite said:
The Mk2s might be OK in a charter fleet where they are not used intensively and there are loads of spares and donor vehicles.

GWR might well want a couple more Mk3 sleepers for spares, perhaps? Though if they work well I think it would make sense to get them onto Mk5s as well, partly for standardisation and partly for longevity.
Click to expand...

There's at least a couple of charter operators who are keen to make use of the lounge cars - they're perfect for providing good hospitality and food on longer trips. I think GWR would need a lot of guarantees about the long-term future of their sleeper services before committing to new stock.
 
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Essexman

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I’m not sure if this should be posted here or in the fares forum.

I buy a sleeper Flexipass about once a year and finished my last one a couple of weeks ago. I don’t expect to use the sleeper again until January / February but understand that there are going to be large price increases soon. I assume these will apply to the Flexipass.

Does anyone know the date of the increase and likely amount, as it may be worth me buying a new Flexipass before I need to use it. If it goes up too much I may stop getting one and reduce my sleeper travel but I'd like to have one for at least another year if I can.

I assume that once the new stock comes in the Flexipass will cover single berths as now, with perhaps a supplement if you want the ensuite ones?
 
47271

47271

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Essexman said:
I’m not sure if this should be posted here or in the fares forum.

I buy a sleeper Flexipass about once a year and finished my last one a couple of weeks ago. I don’t expect to use the sleeper again until January / February but understand that there are going to be large price increases soon. I assume these will apply to the Flexipass.

Does anyone know the date of the increase and likely amount, as it may be worth me buying a new Flexipass before I need to use it. If it goes up too much I may stop getting one and reduce my sleeper travel but I'd like to have one for at least another year if I can.

I assume that once the new stock comes in the Flexipass will cover single berths as now, with perhaps a supplement if you want the ensuite ones?
Click to expand...

What, more price increases, they've got to be kidding? The last time I looked the best I could get a First Class single from Kingussie to Euston was £240, and a Flexipass was £1550, up 37% since Serco took over. Luckily I needed to be in Edinburgh first and set off on the daytime train.

I've got no inside info but, given the current situation with the new stock and that we're going into the off season, surely they'd be off their heads if they tried to push prices any further until they establish some credibility? It's up to you though, lend them a grand and a half if you like...
 
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