anthony263
Established Member
So the 1 day the units seem to be behaving themselves the problem is down to the police
That seems about right! Hopefully though, touch wood, they're settling in a bit now.So the 1 day the units seem to be behaving themselves the problem is down to the police
Dont think they had a good day yesterday. Seems to vary each day. When they work they not bad its getting them.to work without issues thats the hard partThat seems about right! Hopefully though, touch wood, they're settling in a bit now.
To be fair, noting your username, most of us won't be local to the line or the units. We don't properly see the failings of them. We just travel on one and enjoy (or not) the experience of doing so, assuming it turns up. If it doesn't then it's little more than a grumble and a detour via Chester for most people.Wow some deluded people, they are complete rubbish and totally unreliable
To be fair, noting your username, most of us won't be local to the line or the units. We don't properly see the failings of them. We just travel on one and enjoy (or not) the experience of doing so, assuming it turns up. If it doesn't then it's little more than a grumble and a detour via Chester for most people.
It's too easy to sit from afar and only look at the good things without having to suffer the bad. To be quite honest, I'm amazed the Borderlands line has any passengers left. I parked at Hawarden earlier to get the 14:58. I think 4 of the 14 parking spaces were in use.
I went for them today....The cancellations between General and Central this evening are due to the police dealing with an incident between the 2 stations.
A quick look shows 008 in service now which is running right time. The other unit is 009 which is around 11 late - it got held on the previous journey outside General for a while then routed into 3 and terminated due to the above incident.
Not looked at the rest of the day however so don't know how they've been this morning!
No bus was available? Who told you that? There were 2 buses on standby in Chester from 8am this morning and they never moved.I went for them today....
008 was on the training runs.
010 failed on 2F58 in the morning, limped to Bidston and went to depot. Its next outing 2J60/2F70 were cancelled and no bus was available. It was taken to depot and returned for 2J68/2J76 trips.
007 struggled on 2F62 and 25 mins late when I caught it, then attended by a Fitter at Bidston who said it may need swapping out but try one more trip first.
There were people at Shotton who had to wait 90 mins for a southbound service after 010 dropped out with no bus cover.
Its a wonder the locals bother, there seemed as many enthusiasts as locals to my eyes.
Thanks for the info.I went for them today....
008 was on the training runs.
010 failed on 2F58 in the morning, limped to Bidston and went to depot. Its next outing 2J60/2F70 were cancelled and no bus was available. It was taken to depot and returned for 2J68/2J76 trips.
007 struggled on 2F62 and 25 mins late when I caught it, then attended by a Fitter at Bidston who said it may need swapping out but try one more trip first.
There were people at Shotton who had to wait 90 mins for a southbound service after 010 dropped out with no bus cover.
Its a wonder the locals bother, there seemed as many enthusiasts as locals to my eyes.
No bus was available? Who told you that? There were 2 buses on standby in Chester from 8am this morning and they never moved.
No, they weren't there specifically for the Borderlands line, they were for use anywhere on the network.If they were solely for the line, they could have been better located, so not a minimum of 20mins to 30min away from the line. Makes you think who is making such decisions
No, they weren't there specifically for the Borderlands line, they were for use anywhere on the network.
Chester is the best location for buses to get to the borderlands quickly as well as quickly respond to other issues on the network.
The use of 777s is dependent on agreement between TfW and Merseytravel and DfT. Passengers would return if a direct connection into Liverpool was achieved. Would save them driving along the A550 Welsh Road to Hooton to access the Merseyrail.Yes unfortunately the line users have been driven away, but thats not really the sole fault of the 230s it was the 175 debacle mainly to blame, when they took the 150s for so called more important lines for months, replacing trains with buses taking two and even 3 times as long. We then got 230s that failed or were severely delayed providing a 2hr service (meaning commuting to Livrrppol or Wrexham before 9am was impossible) instead of a promised half hour service, buses on saturday and our best service was on a Sunday when 150s became available. Two hourly resulted from a lack of trained crew despite the 230s being here since 2020. You have to ask did TFW have a training plan. Won't detail the thermal incidents.
Having said that, 230s are nice, when they work, much better than 150s for comfort, but are not reliable.
My concern is that TFWs management decisions are scuppering any chance of 777 battery trains being used on the Borderlands as customers have been driven away.
Clearly a decision was made higher up then as it was stated on the platform information screens at Shotton, plus the ticket office lady was very apologetic.No bus was available? Who told you that? There were 2 buses on standby in Chester from 8am this morning and they never moved.
The use of 777s is dependent on agreement between TfW and Merseytravel and DfT. Passengers would return if a direct connection into Liverpool was achieved. Would save them driving along the A550 Welsh Road to Hooton to access the Merseyrail.
Even quicker basing one at Shotton surely ? Reading this thread it seems a lot of issues occur in the Shotton area, and it could also serve downstairs too.No, they weren't there specifically for the Borderlands line, they were for use anywhere on the network.
Chester is the best location for buses to get to the borderlands quickly as well as quickly respond to other issues on the network.
No place to park a bus in Shotton. Plus Chester is ideal for Manchester, Crewe, Halton Curve or the Coast like going down. Buses are not there for a certain line so they are strategically placed so that they can be used easiest in the best way.Even quicker basing one at Shotton surely ? Reading this thread it seems a lot of issues occur in the Shotton area, and it could also serve downstairs too.
Wrexham is where borderlands only standbys are normally kept but the firm's then keep the buses at their depots as they are close enough to the station and so it would make no difference.I would imagine the Borderlands route is pretty high up the TfW service failure chart so an RRB actually at an important station on the route would also provide a little bit of passenger confidence surely ?
That is fair enough, and really, if a 230 is not reliable enough to do the job, then you shouldn't have to position sticking plasters on it's route.No place to park a bus in Shotton. Plus Chester is ideal for Manchester, Crewe, Halton Curve or the Coast like going down. Buses are not there for a certain line so they are strategically placed so that they can be used easiest in the best way.
Wrexham is where borderlands only standbys are normally kept but the firm's then keep the buses at their depots as they are close enough to the station and so it would make no difference.
Plus, this doesn't address the key issue that tfw didn't ask the bus to move. Irrespective of its location if TFW don't ask for the bus to move, it won't move.
In the final paragraphs of the response letter by the TfW CEO, it states...."The Class 230 units have been generally operating reliably".https://www.senedd.tv/Meeting/Archive/b628e320-938e-4a12-b32e-749f9897c9c0?autostart=True#
Class 230's being briefly discussed in Public Accounts meeting.
Below is copy of the letter sent and reply received from TFW CEO.
https://business.senedd.wales/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=735&MId=13386
It also includes the costs of the units and associated costs with the program.
008 and 010 started today.
010 lasted to mid morning, 009 lasted to midday.
A few hours of nothing, and 008 gets ripped off the training runs to provide a service.
But if they actually spent £30m on these units, then I have some magic beans for sale for just £3m.....