Greater Anglia Rolling Stock Updates

[LAX54]

Thanks for the update .

[Don't think I can make it down next week], the Felixstowes run past my old house and have been waiting to do both a trip on the Stadlers and 'inspect' the new Trimley loops.
Looks like it will definitely be before Christmas though!

Before introduction, we heard that the Stadlers operating on diesel would need an intra-day drink. Presumably this will ultimately be courtesy Freightliners fuel point rather than scooting back to Crown Point?
Cheers!

Something will have to 'give' ! It's a 32 mile round trip, so 16 trips will be 512 miles, then 92 miles from and back to Norwich, makes it a dry tank before it gets to Stowmarket on the return ! LOL
(would have thought a unit change round about 1900 ? )

 

[eastdyke]

Something will have to 'give' ! It's a 32 mile round trip, so 16 trips will be 512 miles, then 92 miles from and back to Norwich, makes it a dry tank before it gets to Stowmarket on the return ! LOL
(would have thought a unit change round about 1900 ? )

Surely will use the 'sparks' to/from Norwich?

 

[LAX54]

Surely will use the 'sparks' to/from Norwich?

Doh! never thought of that bit !

 

[F Great Eastern]

When are the 360s due to leave?

30th August 2020 according to my contact in Angel Trains.

In addition all of the 46 Angel Trains 317s are due off lease by April 2020 (some already have).

Possible they could extend the 317s though.

 

[Shwam3]

No chance, they haven't even been testing on the line from what I have seen.

The Felixstowe line has been signed off as ready for 755 service yesterday evening.

 

[dk1]

No chance, they haven't even been testing on the line from what I have seen.

You haven't seen very much then. As long as they are cleared & crew sign then it's go go go.

 

[Henry Johnson]

I have just found a picture of 156412 in the fuel siding in Ipswich, from last week. Do Greater Anglia Trains use that fuel point often in addition to Crown Point? I look forward to seeing the 755's on the felixtowe line this week. I enjoyed a wonderful 17:17 Trip to Lowestoft last week twice. 1 coach seems to have become the norm for east suffolk line trains these days. Any idea how long I have to wait for the 755's on the East Suffolk Line?

Anyway, here's the picture with 156412 that I was referring to.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76466268@N06/49048608488/

 

[Class 170101]

I have just found a picture of 156412 in the fuel siding in Ipswich, from last week. Do Greater Anglia Trains use that fuel point often in addition to Crown Point? I look forward to seeing the 755's on the felixtowe line this week. I enjoyed a wonderful 17:17 Trip to Lowestoft last week twice. 1 coach seems to have become the norm for east suffolk line trains these days. Any idea how long I have to wait for the 755's on the East Suffolk Line?

Anyway, here's the picture with 156412 that I was referring to.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76466268@N06/49048608488/

Happens occasionally. I think its been said elsewhere on this board that GA pay Freightliner when they use it.

 

[dk1]

Happens occasionally. I think its been said elsewhere on this board that GA pay Freightliner when they use it.

That they do. No big deal.

 

[153375]

Does anyone know when the class 156s are going off lease now, gone rather quiet on that front. Weren’t they meant to be in service with EMR for the December timetable change?

 

[gingerheid]

Which ones would those be? I struggle to think of any where a 755/4 would be over capacity and truly full and standing (that being every seat occupied and people down the aisle). I can't think of too many where the 755/3 will be equally full.

Interestingly, other peole have given the same answers as I was going to give based on my experience of travelling from Cambridge North to Ipswich (Ely - Cambridge, at least Newmarket to Cambridge based in the number of people coming off or getting on when I'm going the other way, and Stowmarket to Ipswich). I assumed there were going to be more than that as I didn't think I'd be seeing all the pressure points on the network on my occasional journeys!

I accept that Ely to Cambridge is perhaps a problem better fixed by something other than the last few mins of a journey from Norwich, and I know all the issues involved; hopefully it's something that will be fixed by others.

Cambridge to Ipswich however is what was at the forefront of my mind when I said that. Not only will four carriages already not be enough at peak times (in both directions), but it's a route that's clearly going to grow even more quickly given the developments along the line in places like B St E and Stowmarket, there's no other operator to help fix it, and frequency improvements seem unlikely to be possible (given single line working and intensive freight). This really is a job for longer trains now!

 

[dk1]

Does anyone know when the class 156s are going off lease now, gone rather quiet on that front. Weren’t they meant to be in service with EMR for the December timetable change?

I thought it was by 31st December rather than the TT change.

 

[Bikeman78]

30th August 2020 according to my contact in Angel Trains.

In addition all of the 46 Angel Trains 317s are due off lease by April 2020 (some already have).

Possible they could extend the 317s though.

Numerous 317s should have gone already. The only ones that have are 663/669 and non standard 722. The first two had corrosion issues I believe. As the months tick by, more and more 317/6 are coming up to eight years since overhaul.

 

[Pugwash]

Numerous 317s should have gone already. The only ones that have are 663/669 and non standard 722. The first two had corrosion issues I believe. As the months tick by, more and more 317/6 are coming up to eight years since overhaul.

The ones used on the GEML feel very old and tatty. Realistically they need to so sooner rather than later but fm this forum I hear GA have nothing to replace them with. If there is a problem with one of the units they are using a 4 car train instead of an 8 in the peak.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Numerous 317s should have gone already. The only ones that have are 663/669 and non standard 722. The first two had corrosion issues I believe. As the months tick by, more and more 317/6 are coming up to eight years since overhaul.

I'm not sure of the exact specifics of what has and hasn't gone, I'm just quoting what an official Angel Trains document says, which I have seen sight of.

 

[F Great Eastern]

The local lines are really a misery today, currently just shy of 50 local services are being short formed over the next few hours, this is short formed against the now reduced booked formations of a few weeks ago, if it was against the previously booked formations of a month ago it would be even worse.

Some updates to note this afternoon here otherwise a good service runs

14:07 Lowestoft to Ipswich due 15:36
14:20 Ipswich to Cambridge due 15:41
14:55 Norwich to Lowestoft due 15:37
15:17 Ipswich to Lowestoft due 16:43
15:20 Ipswich to Cambridge due 16:41
15:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 15:54
15:47 Cambridge to Ipswich due 17:04
15:48 Lowestoft to Norwich due 16:39
15:50 Norwich to Lowestoft due 16:35
15:54 Ipswich to Lowestoft due 17:36
15:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 16:24
16:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 16:54
16:45 Norwich to Sheringham due 17:46
16:47 Cambridge to Ipswich due 18:04
16:48 Lowestoft to Norwich due 17:33
16:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 17:24
17:02 Lowestoft to Ipswich due 18:34
17:20 Ipswich to Cambridge due 18:43
17:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 17:54
17:49 Sheringham to Norwich due 18:47
17:50 Norwich to Lowestoft due 18:35
17:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 18:24
18:07 Lowestoft to Ipswich due 19:36
18:17 Ipswich to Cambridge due 19:41
18:22 Cambridge to Ely due 18:41
18:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 18:54
18:47 Cambridge to Ipswich due 20:04
18:48 Lowestoft to Norwich due 19:32
18:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 19:24
19:17 Ipswich to Lowestoft due 20:43
19:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 19:54
19:40 Norwich to Great Yarmouth due 20:13
19:47 Cambridge to Harwich International due 21:29
19:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 20:24
20:17 Ipswich to Lowestoft due 21:43
20:17 Great Yarmouth to Norwich due 20:50
20:21 Ipswich to Cambridge due 21:42
20:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 20:54
20:57 Lowestoft to Norwich due 21:33
20:58 Ipswich to Felixstowe due 21:24
21:05 Norwich to Lowestoft due 21:50
21:28 Felixstowe to Ipswich due 21:54
21:38 Harwich International to Lowestoft due 23:43
21:47 Cambridge to Ipswich due 23:03
21:48 Lowestoft to Norwich due 22:32
22:40 Norwich to Lowestoft due 23:25
22:45 Norwich to Sheringham due 23:44
23:30 Lowestoft to Norwich due 00:16

What is the situation with the Ipswich to Peterborough branch? Earlier on there was a train fault and service cancelled and the later services of that diagram were also cancelled due to a train fault. Now suddenly those services are cancelled attributed to poor rail conditions all of a sudden.....is this just another basket to throw something in?

 

[86246]

I believe today is the first time that I have seen journey check mention Ipswich to Cambridge short forms compared against four coaches.

 

[stonojnr]

Been some truly dreadful trips on unloved 153s on peak services usually run by 2 or occasionally even 3 cars in the last couple of weeks, for me last week was the grimmest yet, so unless we see the number of 755s in service regularly increased by at least two next week, I can only see it becoming grimmer.

its Bury christmas market this coming weekend...one hopes GA havent forgotten

 

[dk1]

its Bury christmas market this coming weekend...one hopes GA havent forgotten

GA have been tweeting for several days that longer trains will be running in connection with that event. It even mentioned that they won't be new trains as not quite ready for the route.

 

[rick_suffolk]

They have run a few test trips on the line, so assume if no issues found (apart from P1 at Ipswich) there should be no problem, the note we have here is that they will start to run (in theory) on Tuesday.

The Felixstowe is indeed a 755/4 this morning

 

[eastdyke]

The Felixstowe is indeed a 755/4 this morning

Nice one
So long as it continues, I will make the effort to get down within the next 10 days

 

[eastdyke]

A brief piece from East Anglian Daily Times, including pictures:
https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/new-trains-to-felixstowe-1-6382926

New trains make debut on Suffolk route from Ipswich to Felixstowe
....
The four-carriage bimode train replaced the usual single car on some services to the resort - a move welcomed by most of the passengers on board.
News of the new arrival spread quickly after it entered service on the 6.04am from Ipswich to the coast - so by 9am many members of the East Suffolk Travellers' Association had tried out the long-awaited new train.
....

'a move welcomed by most of the passengers on board' LOL

 

[F Great Eastern]

Another grim day on the local lines, as well as 153s being in places they are completley unsuitable, we have Greater Anglia now blaming large passenger flows for overcrowding, because clearly, it's got everything to do with passenger flows and nothing to do with the fact trains are shorter.

Oh, and the new LCD screens at stations are useless, either they are lagged behind other sources or they are using different feeds, since they appear to be underplaying delays, not showing coach numbers of short formed trains and not showing cancellations till a decemt amount after other sources show them as cancelled.

 

[Grumbler]

Another grim day on the local lines, as well as 153s being in places they are completley unsuitable, we have Greater Anglia now blaming large passenger flows for overcrowding, because clearly, it's got everything to do with passenger flows and nothing to do with the fact trains are shorter.

They are even CANCELLING some services altogether because of too many passengers https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/greater-anglia-service-cancelled-from-ipswich-to-lowestoft-1-6386874

 

[F Great Eastern]

They are even CANCELLING some services altogether because of too many passengers https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/greater-anglia-service-cancelled-from-ipswich-to-lowestoft-1-6386874

They shouldn't be allowed to massage statistics like this.

A couple of weeks ago they reduced the booked formation on a fair chunk of their trains to stop short forms showing up on JourneyCheck, later followed by another change where many short formed trains simply said a service was formed of x carriages rather than saying what it was booked as in addition.

The last week and a half or so we've seen a substantial increase in single 153 working on the Ipswich locals, even at peak time which has created massive overcrowding and people being unable to board. Blaming it on unusually large passenger flows is pathetic and is a company sticking two fingers up to their customers, whilst they remain in their PR bubble.

But don't worry it's a 'sensibly phased transfer away of the current diesel fleet' remember, I mean, there is plenty of slack in the fleet isn't there, so the loss of 2x170 this week and 1x153 (allegedly) was very sensible, wasn't it.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

They are even CANCELLING some services altogether because of too many passengers https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/greater-anglia-service-cancelled-from-ipswich-to-lowestoft-1-6386874

Yeeeessss they'll blame a signal fault in Glasgow causing cancellations in lowestoft soon

 

[dk1]

Yeeeessss they'll blame a signal fault in Glasgow causing cancellations in lowestoft soon

If the root cause was a Freightliner from Mossend to Felixstowe that delayed trains on that branch that delayed the East Suffolk service then why not?

 

[eastdyke]

Yeeeessss they'll blame a signal fault in Glasgow causing cancellations in lowestoft soon

GA still have a new one up the sleeve:
'Too many trains needing fuel at the same time'

 

[gingerheid]

I'm noticing the 755s from Norwich are still arriving at and leaving Cambridge on diesel power. Are there plans to change that?

 

[dk1]

I'm noticing the 755s from Norwich are still arriving at and leaving Cambridge on diesel power. Are there plans to change that?

Not yet. Will be on AC south of Cambridge from the December TT change however.