Due to work, I had to spend a couple of days in Lichfield; travelled from Shrewsbury on LM 170 then swapped to these electrics for the rest of the trip. My initial experience with one (years ago) was quite unpleasant, as it stank inside, but I was impressed by them on that line, they have nice acceleration and I found them comfortable. I know they were problematic units to begin with, but I wanted to know are they quite reliable now, and popular with crews? Do they ever deputise for Desiros up to Liverpool these days?