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Caledonian Sleeper

Chrism20

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The new SoS has told everyone to be realistic and ask for dergogations...

Will the SOS have any say on it given the franchise is dealt with by Holyrood rather than Westminster?

Or will it have to pass both considering it crosses the border?
 
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hwl

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Will the SOS have any say on it given the franchise is dealt with by Holyrood rather than Westminster?

Or will it have to pass both considering it crosses the border?
SoS has final say on the PRM issues.
 

Meerkat

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But the travelling public are the ones paying through the nose for this service- caught up in these political games between governments. Quite frankly, they shouldn’t be!

The travelling public are still getting an absolute bargain compared to the costs incurred.
 

31160

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18 Mar 2018
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At least on the weekend of the 3rd of Nov the Inverness southbound sleeper Is diverted leaving at 1935 going via Elgin, now if the MK5s do go on late Sept then good route for 73's, if you like that sort of thing
 

MrEd

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At least on the weekend of the 3rd of Nov the Inverness southbound sleeper Is diverted leaving at 1935 going via Elgin, now if the MK5s do go on late Sept then good route for 73's, if you like that sort of thing

I’m booked on the southbound Highlander on Sunday November 10th and that diversion is on then too. It seems fairly standard on Sunday nights in November. Presumably Mk5s will need cleared for Inverness-Aberdeen fairly soon (not to mention the need for drivers who sign the route as well as 73s)- have they run that way on tests yet?
 

GrimShady

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Finally got a response from CS (four weeks late) with my question about using the seated coach as part of the day service.

"The reason that you are unable to find the route from Oban to Glasgow Queen Street on our website is because we are a sleeper service only and we do not sell day service tickets. You can book these tickets through Scotrail or on Trainline. If there is anything further we can be of assistance with please do not hesitate to contact us."
 

MotCO

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From the Telegraph on lin (8 September 2019):

"Caledonian Sleeper passengers left without water in the bathrooms after cleaners used the wrong kind of bleach

Bathrooms on the Caledonian Sleeper were left without water after the wrong kind of bleach was used to clean them, it emerged.


All 75 carriages in the fleet, which cost £150 million, were affected when the wrong kind of chemical was used to clean en-suite toilets, basins and showers.


Water pipes were damaged by caustic fluid days before the launch, leaving many passengers without water.


The error was not believed to have been caused by train operator Serco, but by a firm acting for Spanish train manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).


The problem was only discovered after politicians and other special guests boarded the inaugural service from Glasgow to London in April.


It was also thought to have affected sensors which monitor water levels, leading to toilets elsewhere in the train closing down.


However, the cause was not established until later, which led to major repairs.


An industry source told Scotland on Sunday: "It was like the wrong kind of bleach being used, which reacted with the stainless steel of the pipes throughout the system.


"There has been a progressive programme to go through all the carriages, some of which were in worse condition than others.


"One set of carriages, which sat with the chemical in them for some time, was the worst affected."




The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of Serco's 15-year franchise, said fines would be issued.


A spokesman said: "We were made aware of the issues with water systems in two units during the introduction of new vehicles, caused by errors in CAF's preparation of new trains for service.


"Affected vehicles have been through repair, with some already returned to service with no recurrence of original faults.


"Clearly, passengers should expect the highest quality facilities on Caledonian Sleeper services.


"Financial penalties apply where standards are not met."


Graham Taylor, CAF programme director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: "CAF and Serco continue to work collectively to solve problems and improve the passenger experience."


Ryan Flaherty, Serco managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper, said: "Bringing our new trains into service has been very complex and challenging.


"We have been working closely with all our partners to resolve the issues that we have faced and we are pleased with the progress that has been made."


Is this true?
 

theironroad

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From the Telegraph on lin (8 September 2019):

"Caledonian Sleeper passengers left without water in the bathrooms after cleaners used the wrong kind of bleach

Bathrooms on the Caledonian Sleeper were left without water after the wrong kind of bleach was used to clean them, it emerged.



All 75 carriages in the fleet, which cost £150 million, were affected when the wrong kind of chemical was used to clean en-suite toilets, basins and showers.


Water pipes were damaged by caustic fluid days before the launch, leaving many passengers without water.


The error was not believed to have been caused by train operator Serco, but by a firm acting for Spanish train manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF).


The problem was only discovered after politicians and other special guests boarded the inaugural service from Glasgow to London in April.


It was also thought to have affected sensors which monitor water levels, leading to toilets elsewhere in the train closing down.


However, the cause was not established until later, which led to major repairs.


An industry source told Scotland on Sunday: "It was like the wrong kind of bleach being used, which reacted with the stainless steel of the pipes throughout the system.


"There has been a progressive programme to go through all the carriages, some of which were in worse condition than others.


"One set of carriages, which sat with the chemical in them for some time, was the worst affected."




The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of Serco's 15-year franchise, said fines would be issued.


A spokesman said: "We were made aware of the issues with water systems in two units during the introduction of new vehicles, caused by errors in CAF's preparation of new trains for service.


"Affected vehicles have been through repair, with some already returned to service with no recurrence of original faults.


"Clearly, passengers should expect the highest quality facilities on Caledonian Sleeper services.


"Financial penalties apply where standards are not met."


Graham Taylor, CAF programme director for Caledonian Sleeper, said: "CAF and Serco continue to work collectively to solve problems and improve the passenger experience."


Ryan Flaherty, Serco managing director of the Caledonian Sleeper, said: "Bringing our new trains into service has been very complex and challenging.


"We have been working closely with all our partners to resolve the issues that we have faced and we are pleased with the progress that has been made."

Is this true?

Not sure, but possibly related to CS changing their cleaning contractors due to other issues with levels of cleanliness.

Guess it must have been pretty strong bleach!
 

JModulo

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17 Nov 2013
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From the Telegraph on lin (8 September 2019):

"Caledonian Sleeper passengers left without water in the bathrooms after cleaners used the wrong kind of bleach

Is this true?

Yes, but it happened so long ago now I'm surprised this has only just been published. Must be a slow news day...
 

BRX

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A brief google reveals that bleach does indeed corrode stainless steel, which is probably one reason you'd rarely see stainless steel used for domestic waste water pipework. I wonder why they went with stainless steel rather than plastic in this case.
 

theironroad

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Whatever the problems and issues CS are having and the publicity they get, they still seem to be popular.

Even with the no sharing rules on standard berths on the old stock , it was usually possible to get a berth at the last minute on the lowlander except at very busy times.

Now, it is nigh on impossible to get any berth availability at last minute.
 

trebor79

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Yes anything containing chlorine will cause chloride pitting corrosion on stainless steel. A microscopic hole at the surface, meanwhile a huge cavity forms beneath the surface eventually causing disintegration.
Lots of modern train toilets appear to be made of stainless steel so I'm surprised the error was made.
 

47271

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Whatever the problems and issues CS are having and the publicity they get, they still seem to be popular.

Even with the no sharing rules on standard berths on the old stock , it was usually possible to get a berth at the last minute on the lowlander except at very busy times.

Now, it is nigh on impossible to get any berth availability at last minute.
Right now it might have quite a bit to do with BA having a meltdown?
 

theironroad

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Right now it might have quite a bit to do with BA having a meltdown?

Quite possibly, but this has been going on for a few weeks, so would cover English school holidays as well. I imagine it will change in the next few weeks as we head to autumn .
 

Morayshire

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6 Feb 2019
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Plumbing issues aside, the West Highland line is closed near Bridge of Orchy due to bridge/track problems. Bus replacement for for the sleeper south and probably for the northbound tomorrow
 

Leisurefirst

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23 Apr 2013
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Travelling on the Highlander this week in the seated carriage.
Not been in September before.
Should I expect to boil or freeze please?
I've got a cold already so want to be prepared!
 

Crepello

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29 Jun 2018
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Travelling on the Highlander this week in the seated carriage.
Not been in September before.
Should I expect to boil or freeze please?
I've got a cold already so want to be prepared!

Be prepared for anything ;) but from two trips over the last year, I’d anticipate a comfortable journey. Mk 3s were looking a bit tired, but still commendably presentable - and the A/C was fine.
 

BRX

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Travelling on the Highlander this week in the seated carriage.
Not been in September before.
Should I expect to boil or freeze please?
I've got a cold already so want to be prepared!
Be prepared to alternate between boiling and freezing. That's been my experience on a couple of recent occasions. The AC on the mk3s may be fine but it seems staff are sometimes unable/unwilling to keep the heating on the mk2s under control.
 

Bletchleyite

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Have done the Mk2 seats a few times, and I generally found it to be too hot on leaving London but much colder when in Scotland. Utterly freezing on the FW coach because it doesn't get chance to warm up before boarding.
 

185143

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I've always found the Mk2 seats to be fine temperature wise. Though I'm normally too drunk to care...
 

Coolzac

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Does anyone know anything more about the new stock being introduced on the Highlander services? It's interesting that they don't even have a prominent estimated date for introduction on their website.
 

route101

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Booked on the seated on Thursday the 19th from Glasgow. First time on new stock and £30 one way
 

MrEd

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13 Jan 2019
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Does anyone know anything more about the new stock being introduced on the Highlander services? It's interesting that they don't even have a prominent estimated date for introduction on their website.

CS are selling tickets on the basis of new (Mk5) stock being introduced on the Highlander on 30th September, so I can’t see them postponing the introduction further unless they absolutely have to. Some staff are suggesting that new stock may be introduced as early as 23rd September, but there seems to be no official announcement confirming this. I will be interested to see when the changeover takes place, but I’d expect to see Mk5s introduced before the end of the month (assuming that there are no further delays).
 

MrEd

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13 Jan 2019
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Travelling on the Highlander this week in the seated carriage.
Not been in September before.
Should I expect to boil or freeze please?
I've got a cold already so want to be prepared!

The heating in the Mk2 seated coaches is notoriously erratic, as @Kite159 rightly suggests, so be prepared for both extremes at different points of the journey. Don’t get your hopes up too much, but Mk2 reliability is not great at the moment, meaning there’s a possibility at least that you could get a free upgrade to a berth.
 

31160

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18 Mar 2018
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In the last year traveling in the MK2s I've been bumped into a berth from the seats three times so that's allways nice
 

47271

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As I understand it introduction of new stock onto the Highlander before staff are happy that it's functioning properly could be what gets strike days back on the agenda again. On that basis I don't think that there are set dates yet, whatever the CS website says.

I also believe that the plan is to put the stock that's been fully run in on the Lowlander onto the Highlander, and the less tried and tested coaches onto the Lowlander. So we should prepare ourselves for a bout of unreliability on both trains while all of that shakes down.

The Lowlander is performing pretty consistently now, I know that I'll have jinxed it by saying that, so I'd like to think that it shouldn't be much more than a month off...
 

BRX

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As I understand it introduction of new stock onto the Highlander before staff are happy that it's functioning properly could be what gets strike days back on the agenda again. On that basis I don't think that there are set dates yet, whatever the CS website says.

I also believe that the plan is to put the stock that's been fully run in on the Lowlander onto the Highlander, and the less tried and tested coaches onto the Lowlander. So we should prepare ourselves for a bout of unreliability on both trains while all of that shakes down.

The Lowlander is performing pretty consistently now, I know that I'll have jinxed it by saying that, so I'd like to think that it shouldn't be much more than a month off...

You'd think it might make more sense to cycle the 'less tried and tested' sets through the lowlander operation before putting them on the highlander...that way if any major problems do arise they can be taken out of service while they are resolved. Of course the safe approach will be countered by the various pressures to get them on the Highlander ASAP. But interesting to note that the strike threat will be part of the calculation being made.
 

Leisurefirst

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23 Apr 2013
Messages
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Text message half an hour or so ago.
Highlander northbound tonight...
Limited lounge service, no hot food.
 
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