Travelling on the Hounslow Loop recently I noticed that all trains, whether 8- or 10-car, had on-board announcements to warn passengers for Syon Lane and Isleworth stations not to travel in the last car of 8-car trains (and presumably not in the last three cars of 10-car trains) because these stations have short platforms.
At Isleworth, I noticed that at least on Hounslow-bound trains formed of 8-cars (i.e. pairs of 4-car EMUs) the doors on the last car did not appear to be released even though both sets of doors on the last car were in the platform. Does anyone know why this is? Both platforms at Isleworth looked to have been extended fairly recently, presumably to take 8-car trains. I would guess that it could be that the platforms were only extended fairly recently and that the platform extensions have not yet officially been approved to take 8-car trains.
The document linked from the thread on finding out station platform lengths at https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ny-train-carriages-platforms-can-hold.255245/ shows both Syon Lane and Isleworth to be able to take 8-cars.
I presume that when the Class 701s enter service they either won't be able to be used on the Hounslow Loop or will have to have the doors in the rear three cars of 10-car sets kept locked at those stations (assuming that they will have Selective Door Opening).
I understand also that the platforms at Chertsey were only long enough to take 4-car trains until recently, although the above mentioned document shows them to be long enough to take 10-cars and from the images on Google Maps they look to have been recently extended. The above mentioned document also shows Addlestone to be able to take 8-cars. Both of these stations are, of course, served mainly by Waterloo-Weybridge via Hounslow trains.
I would guess that this means that 10-car Class 458, 701 or 707 formations can be used on Waterloo-Waterloo via the Hounslow Loop roundabout services (on which SDO has to be used at Syon Lane and Isleworth) and on Weybridge services (where SDO would also have to be used at Addlestone), but pairs of 455s can't be used on any Hounslow Loop services because of the short platforms at Syon Lane and Isleworth.
Presumably in the days when almost all Hounslow Loop services were 455s, and before the platforms at Isleworth (and Syon Lane?) were extended, it was deemed sufficient just to make an announcement to ask passengers not to travel in the part of the train that would not be in the platform at those stations, and I would guess that after the requirement for SDO for all new trains to call at short platforms was brought in the 455s may have had grandfather rights for a certain number of years (maybe until they were refurbished in the mid-2000s or until the 450s or 458s entered service).
See also this short thread from 2017 about grandfather rights and SDO: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/grandfather-rights-for-selective-door-opening-sdo.142696/
At Isleworth, I noticed that at least on Hounslow-bound trains formed of 8-cars (i.e. pairs of 4-car EMUs) the doors on the last car did not appear to be released even though both sets of doors on the last car were in the platform. Does anyone know why this is? Both platforms at Isleworth looked to have been extended fairly recently, presumably to take 8-car trains. I would guess that it could be that the platforms were only extended fairly recently and that the platform extensions have not yet officially been approved to take 8-car trains.
The document linked from the thread on finding out station platform lengths at https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...ny-train-carriages-platforms-can-hold.255245/ shows both Syon Lane and Isleworth to be able to take 8-cars.
I presume that when the Class 701s enter service they either won't be able to be used on the Hounslow Loop or will have to have the doors in the rear three cars of 10-car sets kept locked at those stations (assuming that they will have Selective Door Opening).
I understand also that the platforms at Chertsey were only long enough to take 4-car trains until recently, although the above mentioned document shows them to be long enough to take 10-cars and from the images on Google Maps they look to have been recently extended. The above mentioned document also shows Addlestone to be able to take 8-cars. Both of these stations are, of course, served mainly by Waterloo-Weybridge via Hounslow trains.
I would guess that this means that 10-car Class 458, 701 or 707 formations can be used on Waterloo-Waterloo via the Hounslow Loop roundabout services (on which SDO has to be used at Syon Lane and Isleworth) and on Weybridge services (where SDO would also have to be used at Addlestone), but pairs of 455s can't be used on any Hounslow Loop services because of the short platforms at Syon Lane and Isleworth.
Presumably in the days when almost all Hounslow Loop services were 455s, and before the platforms at Isleworth (and Syon Lane?) were extended, it was deemed sufficient just to make an announcement to ask passengers not to travel in the part of the train that would not be in the platform at those stations, and I would guess that after the requirement for SDO for all new trains to call at short platforms was brought in the 455s may have had grandfather rights for a certain number of years (maybe until they were refurbished in the mid-2000s or until the 450s or 458s entered service).
See also this short thread from 2017 about grandfather rights and SDO: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/grandfather-rights-for-selective-door-opening-sdo.142696/
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