Today i visited Birmingham and travelled on 3 class 172 units, first impressions are very good they are lovely inside and you seem to feel higher up than on a class 150. They are very quiet and you cant hear the unit revving up.
Whilst travelling on 172338 on the delayed 1759 Moor Street - Kidderminster service the unit did seem to struggle in the tunnel between Moor St and Snow Hill and the rear carriage was pushing you could feel the bumping, i seriously thought it was going to fail, on departure from Snow Hill it crawled out of the station and it took it ages to reach the tunnel towards Jewerelley Quarter - suppose leaf fall season doesnt help, but when i was at Dorridge today there was a MPV on water jetting duties heading towards Birmingham.
I travelled on 172333, 338 & 340 today.
class 172 units i saw in service today : 172215, 217, 218, 333, 337, 338, 340, 341, 342, 343, 345.
172212, 172220 and a couple more 3 car 172s noted on Tyseley along with 150015 & 150019 coupled together.