Merseyrail Class 777 introduction updates

[Vut]

Battery 777140 has worked the 14:46 & 16:16 Liv Central to Ormskirk this afternoon (22nd) which replaced the gap mentioned above.

 

[507021]

Try one on a muggy July afternoon and you'll welcome the air-con, especially if you've had a run beforehand!

I undoubtedly would, but I'm moving to Chester shortly, so it's unlikely I'll have the chance to test that scenario. I'll gladly say I think the 777s have very good air conditioning, so hopefully it stays that way, otherwise they'll be very stuffy and unpleasant in the summer months.

 

[childwallblues]

Battery 777140 has worked the 14:46 & 16:16 Liv Central to Ormskirk this afternoon (22nd) which replaced the gap mentioned above.

That is good news.

 

[KevinTurvey]

I travelled from Moorfields recently at peak time a few days ago (something which I haven't done for a while) On the northbound platform there are now several security guards shouting at people for standing on the grey tiled areas by the exit/entrance passageways, which apparently are a fire escape zone (which yes they probably are) and you cant stand there. This is something which I did not know, even after using the station for 45 years plus there is no signage. Anyway I overheard a conversation between one of these guards and a member of the public "its because of the batteries" a very curious statement, and probably highly irresponsible too.

 

[390112A]

I travelled from Moorfields recently at peak time a few days ago (something which I haven't done for a while) On the northbound platform there are now several security guards shouting at people for standing on the grey tiled areas by the exit/entrance passageways, which apparently are a fire escape zone (which yes they probably are) and you cant stand there. This is something which I did not know, even after using the station for 45 years plus there is no signage. Anyway I overheard a conversation between one of these guards and a member of the public "its because of the batteries" a very curious statement, and probably highly irresponsible too.

Back in Late August Early September, the decision was taken to situate additional member(s) of rail support staff on Platform 2 at Moorfields during the hours 16:00 to 18:00 for crowd control reasons. The main being as you state the moving of people out of the grey areas of the door exit/entrance passage ways, however this was done with no relevance at all to the introduction of battery trains.

 

[Liverpool 507]

Unit pulled off the Ormskirk line this morning, shortly after 1105, and still hasn't been replaced. Are there really no spare units that could have been out on the line as replacement?

Battery 777140 has worked the 14:46 & 16:16 Liv Central to Ormskirk this afternoon (22nd) which replaced the gap mentioned above.

777020 went tech. Don’t be surprised to see this with the brand new sets.

The likes of 777003, 777009, 777018 and 777049 are the oldest in service and are more trusted amongst the newer sets.

 

[Sam 76]

777020 went tech. Don’t be surprised to see this with the brand new sets.

The likes of 777003, 777009, 777018 and 777049 are the oldest in service and are more trusted amongst the newer sets.

That makes sense to be honest and promising to see that those units have settled down somewhat

 

[Spekejunction]

Looks like it’s gone TU at Headbolt Lane this morning….

 

[karlbbb]

Ormskirk line has also had a dropped train. Plenty of tweets showing the usual problem - overcrowding leading to steps being unable to retract, to the point of station staff asking people to leave the train to help the problem. Pictures also showing standing passengers all the way down between seats so nowhere else for the "door standers" to move to.

It's a very sad state of affairs these trains offered more capacity due to more standing room, but utilising that standing room means the doors can't close, so really they haven't got more capacity. I've been stood near the door on a few occasions and even a single person getting on the train flexed the floor cover over the step. I'd suggest it isn't strong enough and needs an urgent redesign/strengthening. Add to all this there is still no sign of 8-car running to help this problem. All stations on the Ormskirk line (I believe) have been suitably modified to take 8-car trains, including the stop boards being added.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's a very sad state of affairs these trains offered more capacity due to more standing room, but utilising that standing room means the doors can't close, so really they haven't got more capacity. I've been stood near the door on a few occasions and even a single person getting on the train flexed the floor cover over the step

I'm really struggling to understand how this has happened, because the step isn't a new design for Merseyrail, it's used all over the world on pretty much every FLIRT ever built, and those take heavy loadings day in day out.

Did Merseyrail do something odd like specify the small "step" above the step (!) being smaller than usual, so a thinner floor?

I wonder if marking hatchings may help avoid this happening at least some of the time, though.

 

[karlbbb]

I'm really struggling to understand how this has happened, because the step isn't a new design for Merseyrail, it's used all over the world on pretty much every FLIRT ever built, and those take heavy loadings day in day out.

Did Merseyrail do something odd like specify the small "step" above the step (!) being smaller than usual, so a thinner floor?

I wonder if marking hatchings may help avoid this happening at least some of the time, though.

I've heard mention of these areas being marked off in the past, but referring to my previous post, it is just entirely defeating the purpose of all the new standing room! I mean, there are three-pronged poles in the centre of each door set to allow passengers standing there the chance to hold on to something, so it's entirely by design that people should be stood there.

I'm being completely honest though when I say I've felt the flex of this step cover/floor panel, even from a single person who "looked" to be a normal weight. It is indeed very odd it should be affecting the 777s only.

Looks like another unit has gone bang on the Chester line just now.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I've heard mention of these areas being marked off in the past, but referring to my previous post, it is just entirely defeating the purpose of all the new standing room! I mean, there are three-pronged poles in the centre of each door set to allow passengers standing there the chance to hold on to something, so it's entirely by design that people should be stood there.

Just looked at a pic and I can see that the access panels for the steps go much further in than I thought.

I'm being completely honest though when I say I've felt the flex of this step cover/floor panel, even from a single person who "looked" to be a normal weight. It is indeed very odd it should be affecting the 777s only.

I haven't noticed it and I'm as heavy as 2 standard "lift people".

 

[Ribbleman]

Ormskirk line has also had a dropped train. Plenty of tweets showing the usual problem - overcrowding leading to steps being unable to retract, to the point of station staff asking people to leave the train to help the problem. Pictures also showing standing passengers all the way down between seats so nowhere else for the "door standers" to move to.

It's a very sad state of affairs these trains offered more capacity due to more standing room, but utilising that standing room means the doors can't close, so really they haven't got more capacity. I've been stood near the door on a few occasions and even a single person getting on the train flexed the floor cover over the step. I'd suggest it isn't strong enough and needs an urgent redesign/strengthening. Add to all this there is still no sign of 8-car running to help this problem. All stations on the Ormskirk line (I believe) have been suitably modified to take 8-car trains, including the stop boards being added.

Ormskirk cannot accommodate a 2 x 777 formation at the moment. The lines to Preston and towards Liverpool as far as Town Green are shut on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th. This is believed to be to allow both sets of buffer stops to be moved a few yards further towards Preston. The platform has already been extended at the Preston end which will allow Northern to still operate a 4-car formation should they wish.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Ormskirk cannot accommodate a 2 x 777 formation at the moment. The lines to Preston and towards Liverpool as far as Town Green are shut on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th. This is believed to be to allow both sets of buffer stops to be moved a few yards further towards Preston. The platform has already been extended at the Preston end which will allow Northern to still operate a 4-car formation should they wish.

That'll take some work as I don't think the lines are actually perfectly aligned, I recall them being a few inches off. I guess they'll need to cut back the Preston side and lay new track on the Liverpool side.

I suspect this may be deliberate to prevent a runaway on either side being able to continue across?

 

[karlbbb]

Ormskirk cannot accommodate a 2 x 777 formation at the moment. The lines to Preston and towards Liverpool as far as Town Green are shut on Tuesday 28th and Wednesday 29th. This is believed to be to allow both sets of buffer stops to be moved a few yards further towards Preston. The platform has already been extended at the Preston end which will allow Northern to still operate a 4-car formation should they wish.

Ah thanks for this.


More services cancelled on the Headbolt Line just now.

 

[Sam 76]

Ormskirk line has also had a dropped train. Plenty of tweets showing the usual problem - overcrowding leading to steps being unable to retract, to the point of station staff asking people to leave the train to help the problem. Pictures also showing standing passengers all the way down between seats so nowhere else for the "door standers" to move to.

It's a very sad state of affairs these trains offered more capacity due to more standing room, but utilising that standing room means the doors can't close, so really they haven't got more capacity. I've been stood near the door on a few occasions and even a single person getting on the train flexed the floor cover over the step. I'd suggest it isn't strong enough and needs an urgent redesign/strengthening. Add to all this there is still no sign of 8-car running to help this problem. All stations on the Ormskirk line (I believe) have been suitably modified to take 8-car trains, including the stop boards being added.

The buffers at Ormskirk will be done in the Engineering works next week to allow 8 car trains to fit

 

[karlbbb]

The buffers at Ormskirk will be done in the Engineering works next week to allow 8 car trains to fit

Thanks. Do you know if this is the actual last work to be done for 8-car on the Ormskirk line? I know one side of Maghull (down Ormskirk side) was extended, but I seem to recall seeing most 8-car stop boards on existing platforms so I hope we're there after next week!

 

[peter166]

Surely ALL these engineering works to extend platforms eg at Ormskirk & Southport ( and ALL other places needed ) ought to have been completed BEFORE the first trains were introduced. Common sense. They should have begun & completed all the work in 2022 ? Total incompetence.

 

[Sam 76]

Thanks. Do you know if this is the actual last work to be done for 8-car on the Ormskirk line? I know one side of Maghull (down Ormskirk side) was extended, but I seem to recall seeing most 8-car stop boards on existing platforms so I hope we're there after next week!

I believe so yes but couldn’t be 100 percent sure

 

[birchesgreen]

Surely ALL these engineering works to extend platforms eg at Ormskirk & Southport ( and ALL other places needed ) ought to have been completed BEFORE the first trains were introduced. Common sense. They should have begun & completed all the work in 2022 ? Total incompetence.

Come on man, this is Britain you know!?!

 

[Kite159]

Surely ALL these engineering works to extend platforms eg at Ormskirk & Southport ( and ALL other places needed ) ought to have been completed BEFORE the first trains were introduced. Common sense. They should have begun & completed all the work in 2022 ? Total incompetence.

Or they should have been sensible to order fixed formation 120 metre long units to avoid the hassle of having to extend platforms at terminals.

 

[karlbbb]

Something gone spectacularly bad with 2O05 this morning. Stuck a hundred yards short of Sandhills and put all the Northern lines in a mess this morning. Saw it as I went past, but didn't catch the unit number.

 

[FrodshamJnct]

Something gone spectacularly bad with 2O05 this morning. Stuck a hundred yards short of Sandhills and put all the Northern lines in a mess this morning. Saw it as I went past, but didn't catch the unit number.

Also problems on the Wirral Line. 0757 from Chester cancelled and a 507 has just turned up for the 0812 service.

 

[karlbbb]

Breakdown must be bad. Things have been at a standstill for over half an hour now. Replacement buses ordered from Bank Hall, Walton, and Rice Line to run to Liverpool. Got a few colleagues stuck on Hunts Cross trains which are all being terminated at Bank Hall.

 

[L401CJF]

Something gone spectacularly bad with 2O05 this morning. Stuck a hundred yards short of Sandhills and put all the Northern lines in a mess this morning. Saw it as I went past, but didn't catch the unit number.

777006 loss of air pressure. Had to be rescued by another 777. Some bi directional working was temporarily in place between Moorfields and Bootle too!

 

[karlbbb]

777006 loss of air pressure. Had to be rescued by another 777. Some bi directional working was temporarily in place between Moorfields and Bootle too!

Thanks. I wonder if the rescue train was the unit I was on this morning; 2G22, which IIRC was 777024, made it as far as Moorfields (luckily, I get off here anyway), and a short while later it became 5G22 and I saw it being sent back up the track towards the broken down train. At this point all the NR data feeds went down and the OTT map stopped updating!

 

[L401CJF]

Thanks. I wonder if the rescue train was the unit I was on this morning; 2G22, which IIRC was 777024, made it as far as Moorfields (luckily, I get off here anyway), and a short while later it became 5G22 and I saw it being sent back up the track towards the broken down train. At this point all the NR data feeds went down and the OTT map stopped updating!

Correct it was 777024 that went to rescue it

 

[Northerngirl]

Correct it was 777024 that went to rescue it

So are they able to couple now, just not in passenger service

 

[karlbbb]

So are they able to couple now, just not in passenger service

It's happened before. There's a vid on YouTube of two coupled, though one was powered down and the other being used as a "rescue". Not quite the same as 8-car running, unfortunately.

 

[TT-ONR-NRN]

Surely ALL these engineering works to extend platforms eg at Ormskirk & Southport ( and ALL other places needed ) ought to have been completed BEFORE the first trains were introduced. Common sense. They should have begun & completed all the work in 2022 ? Total incompetence.

It's not like they haven't had bags of extra time what with service entry being so shamefully delayed too.