GWR Intercity Express Train (IEP) initial diagrams & allocations

[bnm]

24 GWR services today are 5 car IET where they would have been HST in the recent past.

Welcome to the future folks.

 

[jimm]

Or welcome to a situation where the current diagrams call for 32 five-car sets to be in traffic, but there are only 32 available as Hitachi is running late weeks with deliveries of the last four sets, so expecting 100 per cent availability of the 32 day in, day out - trains do need programmed maintenance, as well as overnight servicing - is unrealistic.

Also welcome to a situation where the full IET fleet is nowhere near complete and where sets are being used in a way that they won't all be doing in future, especially when the number of nine-car sets starts to build up. At least one of the nine-cars is in use today to free up a five-car to run in a 2x5 and it wouldn't surprise me if two nine-cars are out this afternoon on Worcester and Malvern runs.

And observations of GWR Journeycheck over the course of the week suggest that a number of short-forms notified during the mornings have actually ended up operating as 2x5 later in the day, once extra sets have become available.

No one likes it, but in the past when there was an issue with an HST, the options tended to be no service at all, or pinch one off a Cotswold Line service and use a 180 or Turbo there instead, which also looks rather like short-forming a service to me.

 

[D1009]

GWR is going through a torrid time at the moment, with service delivery seemingly some way down the list of priorities.

 

[Phil G]

What faults are they actually suffering from that's affecting availability.

 

[TractiveEffort]

What faults are they actually suffering from that's affecting availability.

It’s not train faults affecting availability, it’s Driver training, 4 x 5 cars on Driver training today.

 

[Dai Corner]

It’s not train faults affecting availability, it’s Driver training, 4 x 5 cars on Driver training today.

Although Journeycheck is saying things like

Facilities on the 14:45 London Paddington to Swansea due 17:42.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Will be formed of 5 coaches instead of 10.

 

[Phil G]

I suppose that's a good thing, not faults and more training = more staff.

I saw a pair of 5's go through Chippenham heading for Bristol this morning (08:10 ish) at extreme high speed - so fast i couldn't see which units they were and they were so quiet. This diagram was not on RTT, anyone know what that was, a diversion maybe?

 

[Dai Corner]

I suppose that's a good thing, not faults and more training = more staff.

I saw a pair of 5's go through Chippenham heading for Bristol this morning (08:10 ish) at extreme high speed - so fast i couldn't see which units they were and they were so quiet. This diagram was not on RTT, anyone know what that was, a diversion maybe?

Could well have been a Cardiff/Swansea diverted due to the broken down freight at Stoke Gifford.

 

[JN114]

Although Journeycheck is saying things like...

Guilty. Hands a little tied by fixed list of reasons to choose from - while not strictly accurate it was the best-fit available. I normally try and free-text in the further info box a little more detail but ran out of time this morning.

(Genuinely) happy to listen to/consider any suggestions to how it could be advertised better...

 

[Dai Corner]

Guilty. Hands a little tied by fixed list of reasons to choose from - while not strictly accurate it was the best-fit available. I normally try and free-text in the further info box a little more detail but ran out of time this morning.

(Genuinely) happy to listen to/consider any suggestions to how it could be advertised better...

I guess "Our suppliers failing to supply the contracted number of trains" wouldn't go down too well in some quarters?! (I don't know if that's true today or not though).

 

[TractiveEffort]

The suppliers supplied the correct number of trains, it’s how GWR choose to utilise them.

 

[cactustwirly]

The suppliers supplied the correct number of trains, it’s how GWR choose to utilise them.

But they haven't though! If they did then GWR wouldn't need to shortform so many services

 

[CC 72100]

Guilty. Hands a little tied by fixed list of reasons to choose from - while not strictly accurate it was the best-fit available. I normally try and free-text in the further info box a little more detail but ran out of time this morning.

(Genuinely) happy to listen to/consider any suggestions to how it could be advertised better...

"..due to more trains than anicipated being required to deliver the train service"?

Ps. The free text box is always appreciated by station and on train staff during a short form, as you're likely well aware!

 

[WelshBluebird]

Guilty. Hands a little tied by fixed list of reasons to choose from - while not strictly accurate it was the best-fit available. I normally try and free-text in the further info box a little more detail but ran out of time this morning.

(Genuinely) happy to listen to/consider any suggestions to how it could be advertised better...

Still doesn't explain the Twitter team thinking its because of trains needing repair though.

"..due to more trains than anicipated being required to deliver the train service"?

Or "due to some trains being taken out of use as they are required for driver training". Be honest with us. At the moment it just feels like GWR are basically just lying and covering their (or the DfT's) backside.

 

[CC 72100]

Be honest with us. At the moment it just feels like GWR are basically just lying and covering their (or the DfT's) backside.

One does not bite the hand that feeds you, and nor do they do it via the medium of Journeycheck!

What this shows is just how complex the cause is, and why it is therefore difficult to explain to customers in a short sentence.

To be honest, the cause is of a lesser importance to the impact. If I were a customer on a 5 vice 10 I'd prefer to know what was happening with seat reservations etc. as a consequence rather than a GWR v Hitachi v DfT public war of words.

 

[jimm]

Whether driver training or maintenance requirements, it boils down to the four of the 36 five-car sets still not being available for use by GWR when they should have been some weeks ago.

A nine-car set looks to be out again this afternoon on the 14.21 from Paddington to Worcester, though this is running 75+ minutes late after being held at Paddington due to a person being hit by a train at Southall earlier - so now effectively a late-running 15.22 to Great Malvern, but remains to be seen if it will get past Oxford.

EDIT ...and is now terminating at Oxford according to GWR Journeycheck

 

[TractiveEffort]

But they haven't though! If they did then GWR wouldn't need to shortform so many services

The services are often shortformed due to imbalance at depots, that has been almost exclusively crew related issues, it’s a complex situation and I can appreciate not easy to fit in a couple of lines - nor would many people be interested in the full details, they just want a train, on time.

 

[JN114]

At the moment it just feels like GWR are basically just lying and covering their (or the DfT's) backside.

Exactly what I’m hoping/trying to avoid.

"due to some trains being taken out of use as they are required for driver training"

Might work.

Still doesn't explain the Twitter team thinking its because of trains needing repair though.

SISO - Journeycheck (or more accurately Tyrell, the “internal” version of JC) is primarily where they get their info from - more detail would require them to speak to us directly about it, which isn’t always practical with the volumes of correspondence they’re handling at times. If I put it as “more trains than usual...” that’s what they’ll write.

 

[WelshBluebird]

SISO - Journeycheck (or more accurately Tyrell, the “internal” version of JC) is primarily where they get their info from - more detail would require them to speak to us directly about it, which isn’t always practical with the volumes of correspondence they’re handling at times. If I put it as “more trains than usual...” that’s what they’ll write.

And this is what I love about this forum. Thanks for the insight. Makes a lot more sense now!

 

[Kite159]

Whether driver training or maintenance requirements, it boils down to the four of the 36 five-car sets still not being available for use by GWR when they should have been some weeks ago.

A nine-car set looks to be out again this afternoon on the 14.21 from Paddington to Worcester, though this is running 75+ minutes late after being held at Paddington due to a person being hit by a train at Southall earlier - so now effectively a late-running 15.22 to Great Malvern, but remains to be seen if it will get past Oxford.

EDIT ...and is now terminating at Oxford according to GWR Journeycheck

800305 carried on beyond Oxford, although remains to be seen if it gets turned back early.

 

[JN114]

The services are often shortformed due to imbalance at depots, that has been almost exclusively crew related issues, it’s a complex situation and I can appreciate not easy to fit in a couple of lines - nor would many people be interested in the full details, they just want a train, on time.

The balancing (or lack of) due to crew-based cancellations we’ve gotten a better handle on now. The original doctrine as handed down by management was that of IETs were crewed we had to run them (politics) - we’d end up getting sets to London, then no driver to take them back to Swansea or wherever. Maliphant would thus end up 2 sets short, North Pole 2 over. No driver to then bring them off later for strengthening. This has thankfully now been put a stop to and “tactical” cancellations to keep the fleet balanced are now permitted again. That said with short forms because of training requirements all depots are generally ending up short overnight.

5 sets are required for driver training at present - 2x 5 car “static” training at Laira or Stoke Gifford, 2x 5 car on one of the various driver handling diagrams and 1x 5 car on the DOO training diagram which has resulted in a couple of extra 1Zxx Padd - Didcot services this week off/contra peak.

There are then 32x 5 car sets required for the passenger service, so current requirement is 37 units for 32 available to GWR from a fleet of 36 (001-004 still in various states of unavailability and not available to GWR - yet)

With the current restrictions on the use of 9 cars they can only go out in place of 5 car N Cotswolds sets at present. This will be rectified in the coming weeks as sign off for 9 car operation on Bristol / S Wales routes really isn’t far off. The ideal scenario would see some 9 cars replacing pairs of 5s on the Bristol / S Wales services to free up 5 cars; but that just isn’t an option at the moment.

 

[jimm]

800305 carried on beyond Oxford, although remains to be seen if it gets turned back early.

A sensible rethink then. Terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill, instead of Foregate Street.

An HST is being used instead of an IET on the 16.22.

 

[Kite159]

A sensible rethink then. Terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill, instead of Foregate Street.

An HST is being used instead of an IET on the 16.22.

That it is, one I foolishly forgot to make a note of the rear powercar when it departed Combe

 

[D1009]

And observations of GWR Journeycheck over the course of the week suggest that a number of short-forms notified during the mornings have actually ended up operating as 2x5 later in the day, once extra sets have become available.

I can confirm that the diagram ending with 1A37 2131 Taunton to Paddington, which was shown on Journey Check this morning as 5 car vice 10 was actually 10 this evening, I've just seen it at Taunton.

 

[Siemens Staines]

With the current restrictions on the use of 9 cars they can only go out in place of 5 car N Cotswolds sets at present. This will be rectified in the coming weeks as sign off for 9 car operation on Bristol / S Wales routes really isn’t far off.

At one time, not that long ago, the 0945 Paddington - Swansea and 1329 Swansea - Paddington were planned to go over to 9 car 800 on 25th June which is only 10 days away. I appreciate that this plan may well have been superseded anyway, purely due to the Severn Tunnel closure.

 

[Charlie M.]

Tomorrow, first 800/3 to Cheltenham.

Diagrams:
5G11 0713 North Pole IEP Depot - London Paddington
1G11 0736 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L50 0956 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L50 1036 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
1G38 1336 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L80 1556 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L80 1620 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
5L80 1850 London Paddington - North Pole IEP Depot

5G29 1058 North Pole IEP Depot - London Paddington
1G29 1136 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L67 1356 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L67 1436 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
1W02 1722 London Paddington - Hereford
5P51 2128 Hereford - Hereford
1P51 2151 Hereford - London Paddington
5P51 0131 London Paddington - North Pole IEP Depot

 

[Pete_uk]

I will make my way from work to the station to take some video and have a short journey on Thursday

 

[Charlie M.]

I will make my way from work to the station to take some video and have a short journey on Thursday

At college all week, hope it’s out at the weekend!

 

[Siemens Staines]

Tomorrow, first 800/3 to Cheltenham.

Diagrams:
5G11 0713 North Pole IEP Depot - London Paddington
1G11 0736 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L50 0956 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L50 1036 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
1G38 1336 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L80 1556 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L80 1620 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
5L80 1850 London Paddington - North Pole IEP Depot

5G29 1058 North Pole IEP Depot - London Paddington
1G29 1136 London Paddington - Cheltenham Spa
5L67 1356 Cheltenham Spa - Cheltenham Spa
1L67 1436 Cheltenham Spa - London Paddington
1W02 1722 London Paddington - Hereford
5P51 2128 Hereford - Hereford
1P51 2151 Hereford - London Paddington
5P51 0131 London Paddington - North Pole IEP Depot

I doubt the Hereford turn will work this week because there is a 5W02 from Old Oak Common shown to run all of this week
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V09879/2018/06/19/advanced

and the return 1P51 terminates at Shrub Hill and stables there overnight
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C40485/2018/06/20/advanced

 

[Charlie M.]

I doubt the Hereford turn will work this week because there is a 5W02 from Old Oak Common shown to run all of this week
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/V09879/2018/06/19/advanced

and the return 1P51 terminates at Shrub Hill and stables there overnight
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C40485/2018/06/20/advanced

Was about to come back to that..
Hereford can currently not serve IETs as the signal is not visible enough to the drivers and this will have to be sorted before they can be cleared.