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IEP criticism by Roger Ford

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Penmorfa

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Standard class rock hard seats and a step down from 125:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCC1dFkZ5bI&feature=youtu.be

...it's very basic, very stark, not really 'InterCity' in my book...

..the first class in IEP would make a very good standard class seat. The standard class seats are rock hard and not really good. But if you compare it with the ambience of the IC25 I travelled on this morning, it's definitely going to be a step down.
such is progress
 
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yorkie

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Disappointing but absolutely of no surprise. This is in line with what the DfT want. It's all about packing people in and reducing comfort these days.
 
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Despite the actual cost of fares going up and up year on year and the GWR advance tickets becoming so scarce :(
 

Dave1987

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Well GW passengers are stuck with them for the next 27 yrs. The remaining ones First have ordered through the conventional means may well be better.
 

J-2739

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Rocks can be soothing sometimes...:)

Packing more people in is a splendid idea! More seats and stuff...
 
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Dave1987

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But surely ensuring that as many people as possible get a seat cannot be a bad thing?

Are these long distance intercity trains or commuter trains? If they are long distance trains the seats should be comfortable for a long journey.
 

Esmenfif

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Are these long distance intercity trains or commuter trains? If they are long distance trains the seats should be comfortable for a long journey.

That's an archaic distinction, and one which has no place on the modern railway. The goal is to move people, to do so with efficiency, and this requires maximum throughput. It's a shame they didn't toss first class.
 

Mordac

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Seat comfort is one of the most subjective things out there in terms of train design. Regardless of how much care you put into it you're never going to please everyone.
 

HSTEd

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Should have just built a Reading/Maidenhead-Bristol High Speed Line.
 

RichmondCommu

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Are these long distance intercity trains or commuter trains? If they are long distance trains the seats should be comfortable for a long journey.

Well first of all I'm sure you agree that its very important that as many people as possible get a seat. And secondly I do wonder whether the seats have been built in a certain way in order to comply with certain regulations as I can't imagine for one minute that TOC's want travelers to leave their trains in physical pain unless there was a very good reason for the design of the seats.
 

47271

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I've tried the seats, both Standard and First, in a demo a year or so ago and found them decent enough, although far from plump.

They were standalone units on an exhibition platform - I bet that it'll be Standard Class legroom that turns out to be the day to day killer for me.
 

Wivenswold

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Oh dear, how dull does standard class look?

I prefer what we're getting over here on the GA.

FlirtUKEastAngliaInterior.jpg_732-490.jpg




Not sure why it's passing a Class 309 though.
 
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Mikey C

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That IEP interior is seriously dull looking it has to be said, and the seats don't look terribly inviting. I'm sure the dreary colour doesn't help this impression

On a positive note, the windows seem to line up fairly well with the seating and the pillars are far smaller than on the Pendolinos
 

yorkie

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But surely ensuring that as many people as possible get a seat cannot be a bad thing?
I knew someone would disagree that packing people in and reducing comfort isn't a good thing. :|

If rail travel isn't particularly comfortable or enjoyable, I will either choose not to travel, or take a different route, or use a different mode if possible.
 

Bletchleyite

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Standard class rock hard seats and a step down from 125:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCC1dFkZ5bI&feature=youtu.be

such is progress

I've sat in the seats (they're the same as the ScotRail 385 First Class ones) and I thought they were fine. However, all that grey and white is grim. They needed to look at the DB ICE for how to make an interior look nice, and those seats need some colourful covers to spruce them up - the VTEC mockup with lots of red looks far nicer.
 

Starmill

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This was dealt with in the print edition a while back. The seats are said to be very firm but that's just a consequence of them being cheap and made to pass fire tests rather than to be comfortable. It's just not a priority. I'm not sure how much packing people in has to do with it. Legroom appears generally to be no worse than on other similar stock. Not that that generally means it's fantastic.
 

HSTEd

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How? You would have still have to run the train on our existing loading gauge at some point so you would still have the same space constraints.

More efficient stopping patterns enabled by a high speed railway would have significantly reduced the amount of passengers that had to be crammed into individual vehicles.
You could have beaten the IEP journey times even with multiple stops between Reading and Bristol/Bristol Parkway. And probably got away with a metro layout that would have decreased the relative importance of seating space and capacity.
 

the sniper

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That's an archaic distinction, and one which has no place on the modern railway. The goal is to move people, to do so with efficiency, and this requires maximum throughput. It's a shame they didn't toss first class.

Comfort is an archaic concept on the modern railway... Sad but probably true. People should drive instead! :roll:
 

Blindtraveler

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I've said it multiple times, its the voyager all over again. Crap seats, to short. Had we ordered all of these with a minimum of 8 coaches with 6 given over to Standard then I should think the pack m in mentalitty might not have been so much of an issue.

I know they say none of the trains will run as a single 5 car unit other than on a portion worked quiet section but I dont believe them. It woant be long til a key PAD Bristol/Bristol/Cardif/Plymouth shows up with 5 coaches with about 3 in first and sardeen conditions in pleb class.

Like Yorkie I iether shant travel or travel differently. Love the railways as I do the chance for the bus and coach industry to shine and show what it can do will come in the next few years.
 
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