I am not convinced that providing a buffet is unrealistic, other operators of IETs such as the East coast route DO still allow buffets. The prohibition of buffets seems to be a GWR thing.
Is buffet provision on other inter-city routes "not in the slightest realistic" or is there some reason why passengers heading north are allowed a buffet, but those heading west are denied this.
It's a DfT thing, as has been discussed many times before. They closed down the interior design of the GWR units and then allowed about 12 items that the bidders for East Coast could change, one of which was the buffet, which raised eyebrows with the FG team who were bidding for East Coast, as well as being involved with the GWR IEP programme. The DfT then made sure that the cl.802 fleet would be "identical" to the cl.800 fleet - bluntly they would not have been authorized if FG/GWR had deviated - it caused a real panic at the DfT at even the thought that they might be able to.
The decision to go 5 car west of Plymouth (apart from high summer and weekends) was also influenced by the introduction of the Cornish half hourly. To sell that to the DfT as well as the W of E HST fleet replacement meant that you couldn't justify, in financial terms, a total 9 car cl.802 fleet.
There is also the big problem of Long Rock depot. The stabling facilities there are really only suitable for a 8 x 26m fleet, because of the access road to the shore immediately behind the sidings. The depot cannot be extended that way or over the private land to the west. So anything from 5 to 8 is best fit for Long Rock with the occasional 9, which has to be specially put by.
As Jimm says, if the decision had gone to a refurbished HST rather than the 802 fleet, GWR would have been in an awful mess now with little or no prospect of the work being completed by 31/12/19 and an increasingly ageing HST fleet. The 802 fleet has also got Hitachi "out of jail" in respect of the mandatory OOC exit date by subbing for still to be delivered 800 sets.
