Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

[MrJeeves]

2U45 not being allocated is perfectly normal. Trains due out of depots in the afternoon don't get allocated until later.

Ah, oh well, nevermind.

 

[Carlisle]

I don't think you understand my point. None of that detracts one bit from the fact that they were training staff simultaneously on several types of train, while it's been suggested on this thread that it's somehow all too difficult for SWR to do likewise for a single type of new train.

Yes but GWR whether conveniently or not decided the body side cameras on its IET fleet weren’t up to standard & those fitted to 165/6s don’t appear to be in use either so presumably a significant part of DOO dispatch training wasn’t required.

 

[swr444]

Ok, so there is a single path on RTT leaving Waterloo at 1533 for Windsor & Eton that has no unit allocation showing currently and is preceded directly by an ECS run from Wimbledon Park Depot Sidings

ECS run: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y05590/2024-01-08/detailed
2U45: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y04128/2024-01-08/detailed
2U52: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y04146/2024-01-08/detailed
... it then continues shuttling back and forth, but for a good few hours, which doesn't match the "info" earlier in the thread.

If there is a soft launch today, I'd think this is an odd coincidence for it to be the only unallocated (on RTT) set of paths.

It is booked a 10 car 458.

 

[D365]

Good god...


Can we stop bouncing dates around unless we actually know? Over the past week we've had the following days listed:

• Thursday
• Friday
• Sunday
• Monday
• Tuesday

This is getting ridiculous. Unless you yourself know what the dates are, which at the moment nobody here does, you're in no position to share when they'll run. This date chasing has been going on since before Christmas, accept the fact that none of us know and it'll be completely unannounced. We don't know the date it'll run on. It could be today, tomorrow, in a month's time, but this is all just he-said-she-said at the moment.

Absolutely agree. Even the engineers working for SWR don’t know when entry into service will commence. But a lot of the speculation on this thread has been very wrong.

A lot of what I've read is "This guy from Staines", "I've heard this date being bounced around", never "So the date in my own brief is this". What's even more shocking is people on this forum encouraging somebody to board a unit despite it not even being on a passenger-carrying headcode. We don't know when it will run, nor can we force the first passenger carrying run to happen.

Also agree. As I warned several times beforehand, Friday was not a passenger service. Using RTT to speculate is bonkers.

 

[Goldfish62]

Yes but GWR whether conveniently or not decided the body side cameras on its IET fleet weren’t up to standard & those fitted to 165/6s don’t appear to be in use either so presumably a significant part of DOO dispatch training wasn’t required.

The bodyside cameras are in use daily on the IETs in DOO mode. Eg Paddington - Oxford is DOO with IETs.

The 165s and 166s don't have and have never had bodyside cameras. They use platform equipment when in DOO mode.

Try better next time.

But I still don't know what your point has to do with the logistics of training staff on multiple types of trains concurrently.

Anyway, back to 701s...

 

[traji00]

(Deleted)

 

[43OO4]

The bodyside cameras are in use daily on the IETs in DOO mode. Eg Paddington - Oxford is DOO with IETs.

The 165s and 166s don't have and have never had bodyside cameras. They use platform equipment when in DOO mode.

Try better next time.

But I still don't know what your point has to do with the logistics of training staff on multiple types of trains concurrently.

I believe that the DOO IETs out of PAD stop exclusively at platforms with dispatchers on anyway, so if done properly, at no point is any part of the PTI unsupervised by a competent member of staff.

I think the point they were trying to make is that, despite countless setbacks and faults, GWR have successfully introduced several new trains on several new services, cascaded plenty of stock to completely different parts of their network and trained up the staff to operate them in the time it's taken SWR to introduce one train type.

Talking of... Still not activated on RTT yet. Don't hold your breath, guys.

 

[D365]

Talking of... Still not activated on RTT yet. Don't hold your breath, guys.

No guarantee that it will be today.

 

[43OO4]

No guarantee that it will be today.

With less than an hour until it's meant to be out, I highly doubt it will be today.

 

[H&I]

I’m at Waterloo right now, fingers crossed! If it doesn’t show up then I’ll try again next morning.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

As of 5 minutes ago the ECS 5U91 is still not activated...

I'm heading for Clapham Junction just in case, but I think I'm wasting an hour of my time...

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Tomorrow's 2U91 has been activated, or at least it doesn't have the "it has not yet been activated in the railway computer systems" warning.

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 09/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 09/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[DennisM]

It isn’t wholly SWR’s fault.
Aslef insist on a training course length much longer than the driver training time for previous stock.
If SWR accepted the new duration it would set a very expensive & impractical precedent for training drivers on all future traction.
Bear in mind that the 701 drivers desk & cab pin points train faults with codes &, as at present, drivers can call maintenance if they are not sure how to reset & keep the train in service.

I recall seeing an ASLEF newsletter from SWR in which it’s claimed they tried to push it through as a ‘conversion’ course, previously used for example to train a driver that signs 455 on 456s. The traction they were basing the conversion on was 450 (as every electric driver signs them) it seems quite a stretch to say the trains are similar being of different manufacturer and 20+ years of advancements.

Apparently the training time is far longer than Southern main line drivers accepted for door operation 7 years ago.

But they didn’t get new trains did they? Seems like a more straightforward process implementing that change on existing traction. If SWR wanted to be prepared they could’ve already started training drivers on DCO separately, assuming they had any hope of these trains entering services within the next 6 months.

 

[43OO4]

Tomorrow's 2U91 has been activated, or at least it doesn't have the "it has not yet been activated in the railway computer systems" warning.

Realtime Trains | 2U91 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 09/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 2U91 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 09/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

That is an interesting development!

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

It was already activated (or not not-activated) yesterday. I looked after reading this:

I was told last week it would be the 9th and this one is the booked working

Realtime Trains | 1025 London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside | 09/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 1025 departure from London Waterloo to Windsor & Eton Riverside on 09/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[H&I]

It looks like 701043 has turned up at platform 16, although that is just on test.

 

[Carlisle]

The bodyside cameras are in use daily on the IETs in DOO mode. Eg Paddington - Oxford is DOO with IETs.

The 165s and 166s don't have and have never had bodyside cameras. They use platform equipment when in DOO mode.

Try better next time.

A couple of links to prove I’m right , all the best, as you say back to the 701s

GWR Class 769 information. (Units no longer with GWR - Off Lease March 23)

Are all 19 going to be delivered before they get anywhere near entering service? Yes I think they are. With possible short term storage at long marston. Maybe?

www.railforums.co.uk

How does shortage of train crew cause missing stops on routes

The 2300 from Oxford to Paddington will no longer be calling at intermediate stations twyford, maidenhead and Slough due to lack of train crew. It will however still run its full route from Oxford to Paddington. How does a lack of train crew cause the train missing stops. Aren't the trains doo...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[43OO4]

It looks like 701043 has turned up at platform 16, although that is just on test.

Booked 5Q31. We're not getting a service run today.

 

[H&I]

Booked 5Q31. We're not getting a service run today.

Oh well, at least going into Waterloo is not a big detour for me as I would have been in central London regardless. Perhaps tomorrow might be more promising.

 

[43OO4]

Interestingly it still lists it as Runs As Required on the Waterloo departure list tomorrow even if it looks like it's been activated on the actual 2U91 page

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

The timings for 5Q31 suggest that they will be opening the doors (with barriers in place) at some but not all stations. For instance, it arrives at Putney at 1022½ and departs at 1025½, but it arrives at Barnes at 1028½ and departs immediately at 1028½.

Realtime Trains | 5Q31 1008 London Waterloo to London Waterloo | 08/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 5Q31 1008 departure from London Waterloo to London Waterloo on 08/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Sean Emmett]

Traksy is currently showing a 2U37 on the DWF approaching Queenstown Road. Any idea what that is?

Edit - now disappeared so assume a glitch. When clicked it claimed it was the 13.33 ex WAT on Fri 5 Jan!

 

[westcoaster]

The 165s and 166s don't have and have never had bodyside cameras. They use platform equipment when in DOO mode.

Try better next time.

I'm sure some do, relatively new additions.
Anyways has a 701 broken cover yet, the saga continues.

 

[MrJeeves]

Traksy is currently showing a 2U37 on the DWF approaching Queenstown Road. Any idea what that is?

Probably 2U37... https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y04108/2024-01-08

You can stick a headcode in the RRT search box and it'll list all instances of that headcode in use today.

 

[Goldfish62]

The timings for 5Q31 suggest that they will be opening the doors (with barriers in place) at some but not all stations. For instance, it arrives at Putney at 1022½ and departs at 1025½, but it arrives at Barnes at 1028½ and departs immediately at 1028½.

Realtime Trains | 5Q31 1008 London Waterloo to London Waterloo | 08/01/2024

Real-time train running information for 5Q31 1008 departure from London Waterloo to London Waterloo on 08/01/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

So essentially what they've been doing for quite a while now.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

RTT is showing some junk data for 5Q31 as well Supposedly it's simultaneously at Wandsworth Town and Claphman Junction and approaching Queenstown Road.

So essentially what they've been doing for quite a while now.

But the actual timings suggest that they aren't opening the doors.

 

[MrJeeves]

RTT is showing some junk data for 5Q31 as well Supposedly it's simultaneously at Wandsworth Town and Claphman Junction and approaching Queenstown Road.

Simply because it's a loop service. Fairly standard for RTT to get confused sometimes with the at platform/approaching markers...

 

[43OO4]

RTT is showing some junk data for 5Q31 as well Supposedly it's simultaneously at Wandsworth Town and Claphman Junction and approaching Queenstown Road.



But the actual timings suggest that they aren't opening the doors.

RTT doesn't like loop services

 

[swr444]

There was a massive outage data wise not long ago so, hence why stuff is showing random timings.

 

[MrJeeves]

There was a massive outage data wise not long ago so, hence why stuff is showing random timings.

I mean it's just showing the timings for the first pass over each timing point rather than leaving it blank until the second run. It's not really related to the data outage. The "No reports", on the other hand, very much may be that.