That idea appears to be dead, unfortunately. I'd have loved Stadlers to Clacton.
To who, sorry?
Yeah whose going to take those when there are 30 odd 350's about to go off lease along with 30 379's
below question
No indication any other TOC wants them according to Modern Railways report. I wonder how much further away from the cutters torch these 20 allegedly surplus 720s are than 379s and/or 350/2s !.
It looks like Hertford East to me - and it also looks like the station name boards have been deliberately blurred.A Class 720 appears in one of the current ITV4 channel idents! I can't quite read the station name
One thing which might work in the benefit of these alledgedly surplus 720s is that they were ordered and financed during a time of low interest rates, which might mean that their leasing charges are lower than of the other fleets you mention.
Certainly is Hertford East.
Yes. I imagine that the surplus 20 720s are more likely to see warm storage than the 379s or 350/2s. I am assuming here that they get accepted by GA so might get rotated - would that be right ?.
Yes there is the 745 shortage and getting them all on services nearer-to / via Norwich would help reliability. I agree making all the 745s the same makes sense.
They will just use them on rotation and keep reliability up. A bit of slack in the fleet never did any harm.
Both Norwich trains are fasts, one is arguably semi-fast that also stops at Stratford, Chelmsford and Stowmarket, and xx:30 ex-Norwich is a traditional fast. The StanEx ones are best used on the Ipswich stopper or on some peak workings. I don't think the DfT would fund any refitting of 720s unfortunately so 745s will continue on Stansted as well.
Really? Do you think they will get a reduction on the lease payments as a result?
As GA are legally obliged to lease them they have probably said to DfT in the menu of options for saving money we could reduce 20 x 720's leasing costs but there is no obvious taker other than maybe Scotrail if a 5 car 720 could substitute for 318/320's. They will probably cost more in leasing charges but if 318/320's are on short term leases nett cost to industry would be lower.
Scotrail is possible, as 5 cars of 23/24m stock is equivalent to 20m of legacy stock. Still I think reformed 350/2s to 3 cars would be the favourite option, to keep Desiros together with the 380s they have.
My assumption is that Greater Anglia are committed to leasing the surplus 720s as it is what they originally ordered. So GA (DfT) are paying for them anyway. So GA will have to sub lease them to another TOC. The ROSCO/Alstom are not going to take on that responsibility. While a sub lease is not forthcoming then it makes sense that GA rotate the 720s to ensure reliability. Its not like 379s or 360/2s that drivers don't sign. Then it will be a race between GA needing them or another TOC needing them.
Haven't some of the peak time extras which used to run towards Southend not returned?
C2C that have not accepted a single unit as yet? Even though they have been on ‘test’ or what ever it is they do with them, down in London for several months.
They’re in more of a hurry than you think - there’s pressure from all sides; Porterbrook, Alstom and c2c to hand them over to c2c and get them into service.
Still only 4tph in the peaks. Pre March 2020 there were departures every ten minutes.
Since this month’s timetable change the morning ‘high’ peak hour is up to 6 tph 07:00, 07:11, 07:23, 07:33, 07:41 and 07:50 from Southend Vic.
Ah, I was looking at the afternoon peak in the country bound direction where it is still 4tph from 1637 to 1852.
The 0741 from Southend Victoria ran from early September 2022. out of interest. Sometimes it was x2 321. Sometimes a 720. Since December timetable change it's a 5 car 720. Between September and December it was shown as a STP working.
Singles? That's desperate. I'd have thought there ought to be plenty of 720s by now. Time to dust off a pair of class 317s.
