GWR's recent declining performance?

[Parallel]

1823 Portsmouth Harbour to Cardiff finished up with 2 Cars and the 153, 153325, ended up at Weymouth on it's own having had to take over 1640 from Gloucester

Nope, the 18:23 ex-Portsmouth Hbr that started from Westbury was actually 166220.

7 car train from 19.23 Portsmouth to Cardiff was 150207 + 150125 + 158955, with the 158 locked out of service.

 

[PHILIPE]

Nope, the 18:23 ex-Portsmouth Hbr that started from Westbury was actually 166220.

7 car train from 19.23 Portsmouth to Cardiff was 150207 + 150125 + 158955, with the 158 locked out of service.

I went off "Tiger" where it said 2 carriages on the Newport Boards

 

[father_jack]

166204 quoted.

Still on 2 engines today........

 

[cactustwirly]

Still on 2 engines today........

I would have hoped that SPM would have fixed it by now

 

[father_jack]

I would have hoped that SPM would have fixed it by now

It all fades into a blur when it's every day but at some time it ran fast WSM BRI on a 2Yxx service.

 

[Parallel]

There is an eye-watering 95 formation updates this morning. Looks like availability of Turbos and 800s are very poor with short formations over most of the West region. Three peak morning services from Cardiff to Bristol in a row short formed. Two morning Weymouths formed of 2 coaches instead of 3. Also 2 coach services to Brighton and Portsmouth. Devon Metro also hit as is Westbury to Swindon, the Golden Valley and Cardiff to Taunton.

Edit: Up to 103 reported short formations now

 

[ATW158Xpress]

By the look of thinks the 9 car 800/3 are all out for maintenance which must be suffering major teething problems by the looks. Not sure why so many Turbo’s are out?

 

[bnm]

As is regularly pointed out, many of GWR's current operational problems can be laid at the door of Hitachi.

Perhaps it's time that Karen Boswell, Hitachi Rail Europe's MD, made some public apologies. Unlikely though. She gained her management chops with First Great Western and First Capital Connect. FirstGroup's management style has always been one where the end user (ie passengers) come last.

 

[Charlie M.]

As is regularly pointed out, many of GWR's current operational problems can be laid at the door of Hitachi.

Perhaps it's time that Karen Boswell, Hitachi Rail Europe's MD, made some public apologies. Unlikely though. She gained her management chops with First Great Western and First Capital Connect. FirstGroup's management style has always been one where the end user (ie passengers) come last.

Agreed. The 385s were rolled in well and you do not hear bad things about them. These, issues everyday. Looking at JourneyCheck it does seem all the 9cars are out, leaving North/South Cotswolds with maximum 5 cars on IET diagrams, max a HST.

 

[WelshBluebird]

As is regularly pointed out, many of GWR's current operational problems can be laid at the door of Hitachi.

Really? So the constant short forming of DMU services for roughly the last year and the fairly regular occurrence of lack of available staff for DMU services are Hitachi's fault?
Sure, blame a lot of the issues we are seeing with the high speed services on Hitachi (though NR, the DfT and GWR themselves also have to take some blame surely?), but GWR is much more than just the high speed services!

 

[47271]

...and just to add to all of that Whiteball Tunnel has been closed by a masonry fall. Nothing moving between Taunton and Exeter at present.

 

[Mintona]

By the look of thinks the 9 car 800/3 are all out for maintenance which must be suffering major teething problems by the looks. Not sure why so many Turbo’s are out?

This isn’t true, I’ve just seen one.

 

[83G/84D]

...and just to add to all of that Whiteball Tunnel has been closed by a masonry fall. Nothing moving between Taunton and Exeter at present.

Now running at 5mph.

 

[ArchieWoodbine]

Not sure if this has been covered already, but I was on an 800 yesterday from Paddington - Bristol that was on the diesels all the way (no OLE changover at Didcot). Speaking to a friend, I'm told that until wires in Stoke Gifford depot are connected up, they're unable to conduct the routine pantograph tests that are required after a certain number of hours usage has been reached. I imagine this also applies to Swansea?

Hence, there's allegedly about half a dozen units with inoperable pans that, until they happen to be rostered into North Pole and can be checked, have to use the slow diesel engines all the time.

How's that for forward planning!?

 

[Charlie M.]

Not sure if this has been covered already, but I was on an 800 yesterday from Paddington - Bristol that was on the diesels all the way (no OLE changover at Didcot). Speaking to a friend, I'm told that until wires in Stoke Gifford depot are connected up, they're unable to conduct the routine pantograph tests that are required after a certain number of hours usage has been reached. I imagine this also applies to Swansea?

Hence, there's allegedly about half a dozen units with inoperable pans that, until they happen to be rostered into North Pole and can be checked, have to use the slow diesel engines all the time.

How's that for forward planning!?

Some IETs are not cleared for electric operation.

 

[FGW_DID]

Some IETs are not cleared for electric operation.

I would say all are cleared for electric operation but at the moment there are a number of units that carry a ‘diesel only’ restriction (is this what you are referring to?) which if you read the quote below:

Not sure if this has been covered already, but I was on an 800 yesterday from Paddington - Bristol that was on the diesels all the way (no OLE changover at Didcot). Speaking to a friend, I'm told that until wires in Stoke Gifford depot are connected up, they're unable to conduct the routine pantograph tests that are required after a certain number of hours usage has been reached. I imagine this also applies to Swansea?

Hence, there's allegedly about half a dozen units with inoperable pans that, until they happen to be rostered into North Pole and can be checked, have to use the slow diesel engines all the time.

How's that for forward planning!?

That seems quite a plausible explanation.

 

[JN114]

There are also a small number of drivers who are passed out to drive the things on Diesel, but not Electric.

 

[Charlie M.]

I would say all are cleared for electric operation but at the moment there are a number of units that carry a ‘diesel only’ restriction (is this what you are referring to?) which if you read the quote below:



That seems quite a plausible explanation.

I am told this (repeatedly) by the GW Passenger Forum.

 

[jimm]

Agreed. The 385s were rolled in well and you do not hear bad things about them. These, issues everyday. Looking at JourneyCheck it does seem all the 9cars are out, leaving North/South Cotswolds with maximum 5 cars on IET diagrams, max a HST.

Did you miss the problem with the original curved driver's cab windows on the 385s, which put back entry into service by several months?

Six nine-car 800s were in use today, according to a post on the GW Passengers Forum - and two of them passed trains I was travelling on this morning and late afternoon.

Given the drop-off in commuters that happens every August, a five-car set on a peak-hour Cotswold Line service at this time of the year is not the disaster that people keep trying to make out. A few years ago in August, I travelled on a morning peak HST from Hereford to London that had fewer than 80 passengers on board when it arrived at Oxford.

 

[js1000]

I like how this thread is called GWR's declining performance. Why? Because you could apply it to many other TOCs to the point they are in breach of their franchise agreement when measuring against PPM and other measures.

Thameslink, Northern and TPE's performance have fallen off a cliff in the past year. Sadly, Grayling and DfT have not got a clue. It's not a stretch to say we are seeing the worst performance on the railways since the early 90s when it was effectively abandoned by the incumbent government because of how much money it was losing.

 

[Charlie M.]

Did you miss the problem with the original curved driver's cab windows on the 385s, which put back entry into service by several months?

Six nine-car 800s were in use today, according to a post on the GW Passengers Forum - and two of them passed trains I was travelling on this morning and late afternoon.

Given the drop-off in commuters that happens every August, a five-car set on a peak-hour Cotswold Line service at this time of the year is not the disaster that people keep trying to make out. A few years ago in August, I travelled on a morning peak HST from Hereford to London that had fewer than 80 passengers on board when it arrived at Oxford.

I was sat at Didcot last Monday and the 17:30, classed as one of the busiest trains of the day, was half form and very few were standing.


Off topic, am I right in saying that non-RMT members can still manage the train solo with a safety-trained member in the other half?

 

[tiptoptaff]

I was sat at Didcot last Monday and the 17:30, classed as one of the busiest trains of the day, was half form and very few were standing.


Off topic, am I right in saying that non-RMT members can still manage the train solo with a safety-trained member in the other half?

Not quite sure what you're getting at, but a 10car IET (ie, 2x5car)must be manned by a TM in the rear 5 and a competent person in the front 5. If there is no competent person available, the rear 5 are locked out and the TM works the front 5. This role is fulfilled by Customer Hosts with the designation Front Set Lead. RMT or non-RMT doesn't have much to do with it, other than it is they who agreed this MoW with GWR

 

[JN114]

Not quite sure what you're getting at, but a 10car IET (ie, 2x5car)must be manned by a TM in the rear 5 and a competent person in the front 5. If there is no competent person available, the rear 5 are locked out and the TM works the front 5. This role is fulfilled by Customer Hosts with the designation Front Set Lead. RMT or non-RMT doesn't have much to do with it, other than it is they who agreed this MoW with GWR

The TM and the FSL don’t have to be rear and front sets respectively - indeed there are certain station stop combinations which require the Train Manager to work the train from the front set between/through certain stations - 1C01 between Bristol TM and Newport for example.

Provided they can conduct their dispatch duties safely, and there is an FSL competent customer host in each set; the Train Manager is free to roam either set.

(FSL - front set lead)

 

[TPO]

Yeah, it's noticable when you read the NOC and look at the daily PPM how many TOCs are in the red. A few years ago, it was rare for GWR to be in the red. These days, it's rare for them to be in the green.... and the propotion of [TOCs in the green]:[TOCs in the red] has steadily been dropping...............

As PPM is already a very favourable measure (i.e. a train can make PPM but a member of the public might still regard it as late) and timetables have padding in strategic places ot catch up time and make PPM, that suggests a long-term serious issue.......

Consequence of austerity I think.

TPO

 

[Dr Hoo]

Yeah, it's noticable when you read the NOC and look at the daily PPM how many TOCs are in the red. A few years ago, it was rare for GWR to be in the red. These days, it's rare for them to be in the green.... and the propotion of [TOCs in the green]:[TOCs in the red] has steadily been dropping...............

As PPM is already a very favourable measure (i.e. a train can make PPM but a member of the public might still regard it as late) and timetables have padding in strategic places ot catch up time and make PPM, that suggests a long-term serious issue.......

Consequence of austerity I think.

TPO

Living up north I don't use GWR particularly often but whenever I do the amount of investment over the past few years never ceases to amaze me - Crossrail, electrification, Reading, Cotswold upgrade, Filton Bank, Oxford re-modelling, new rolling stock, new or enlarged depots - but the results do seem to be disappointing. (I am not talking about disruption during engineering works.)
I also realise that 'austerity' in relatively small matters can undo a lot of potential, e.g shortages of fitters, late staff training on new stock or layouts, poor information flows.
Can you be more specific about what austerity is causing the problems?

 

[jimm]

Living up north I don't use GWR particularly often but whenever I do the amount of investment over the past few years never ceases to amaze me - Crossrail, electrification, Reading, Cotswold upgrade, Filton Bank, Oxford re-modelling, new rolling stock, new or enlarged depots - but the results do seem to be disappointing. (I am not talking about disruption during engineering works.)?

Of the projects you list, only two were completed a while back - Reading and the redoubling on both routes across the Cotswolds. In the case of the Cotswold Line proper there are still two long single-line sections at either end, so issues remain.

Oxford resignalling was finished a few weeks ago and electrification, Filton Bank, Crossrail and deliveries of new/cascaded rolling stock are all works in progress, so in all those cases the results have yet to be fully realised.

 

[HowardGWR]

Yeah, it's noticable when you read the NOC and look at the daily PPM how many TOCs are in the red.

How does one access this please?

 

[alastair]

I made a trip today using several GWR trains. Before I left home I looked at Journeycheck on the GWR website and was amazed to see only 1 or 2 cancellations whereas just a few weeks ago the Saturday service was little short of a carnage on certain routes. Obviously, that's excellent, but what has happened? Why are they suddenly seemingly able to deliver a decent service today, given that many of the factors like staff having to be trained on the new trains are still there?

 

[JN114]

I made a trip today using several GWR trains. Before I left home I looked at Journeycheck on the GWR website and was amazed to see only 1 or 2 cancellations whereas just a few weeks ago the Saturday service was little short of a carnage on certain routes. Obviously, that's excellent, but what has happened? Why are they suddenly seemingly able to deliver a decent service today, given that many of the factors like staff having to be trained on the new trains are still there?

There’s just more drivers trained up, fewer drivers needing to use overtime to do the training, so more willing to do overtime on weekends again as a result.

It’s far from perfect still, but as some have been harping on for quite some time - the bad patch was only anticipated to be temporary while the meat of the IET driver training was done.

Tomorrow might not be great, but again nowhere near the carnage experienced previously.

 

[Envoy]

I was on a rammed 3 coach 150 doing the Portsmouth to Cardiff yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. I thought all these old 150’s would have gone by now and certainly not being used on such a service.