The infrastructure works involve clipping a few pallets of standalone* ETCS positioning balises to sleepers very precisely. NR managed to do this at far more stations before all the 700s** arrived for example. How does this qualify as significant? NR managed to fit the Hima-Sella Tracklink3 balises for SWT previously (e.g. for 458 Windsor line ASDO) without issue, this isn't that different.
All the new RSSB/ETCS standard ASDO installations have quite a large number of balises installed rather than just the traditional single Tracklink ones.
Spot on, I was never a massive fan of Bob Crow but he was a very shrewd negotiator and knew his limitations, he knew exactly when to strike a deal and I feel that if he was still around this dispute would have been sorted long ago.
If that was the case I don't think they'd be striking.
I think given the attitude to franchising generally, SWR's franchise in its current form being torn up before the end date isn't a case of if, but when. If Shapps does actually decide to take action about franchises not performing, SWR is already in the spotlight, probably mostly due to the industrial action even though that's only part of the problem. Since this isn't Grayling, I would sincerely hope that the DfT would realise they can't afford to throw money away by allowing this ordeal to continue. Very interested to see how they solve it though.
The fact is though that whilst the DfT will huff and puff about performance, the only reason Northern (and before that Virgin EC) were replaced by the OLR is that they breached/were on the point of breaching the financial terms of the contract, having effectively run out of money (to put it simply). SWR is rapidly going the same way as is widely acknowledged.
Indeed, but once the DfT inherit the problem of the industrial action, it becomes their problem to solve, not SWR's - or should I say, it becomes whatever OLR entity they decide to create's problem. Given the government's push to expand DOO is what opened this can of worms in the first place, my guess would be they'd double down on it rather than capitulating to the union's demands, but I guess we'll see.
I'm not sure SWR is in a dire state as they make out /people assume (I've been through their recent accounts etc). What they effectively announced was effectively making less money for the rest of the franchise but reckonising this in the current tax year which happens to be tax efficient. The other useful effect is as shock tactic to wake DfT up a bit before renegotiations.
If they're not losing huge sums of money from the extensive period they've not been able to operate services, I'd be amazed. The margins on TOCs are usually fairly slim.
DfT compensate for much of the strike disrupton.
The Going Concern section appears to contradict that view. It says that the amount already set aside under the onerous contracts provision is unlikely to be enough and also that the various levels of committed parental support will be burnt through within the next 12 months (from approval of the accounts, not the end of the reporting year).
Where are they positioned on other DOO gangwayed stock?
On various Electrostars they’re in a vertical column on a hinged section of bulkhead to the right of the driver. When the cab is in use it folds out into the area where the through gangway would be.
Would it be possible to retrofit the Desiro cabs to do the same? I'm sure it wouldn't be cheap.
The last bullet specifically mentions modifying existing rolling stock where practicable to allow DCO, so I think the intention is very clear. It’s now up to SWR as to whether they extend it, not ASLEF.
LNR were apparently thinking about modifying their Desiros for DOO but not sure where that ended up.
