Rumours circling that the 323s are now staying at Northern and will be joined by the WM fleet too....
Any idea whether/when the refurbishment will take place?
Can I ask the source of the rumours?Rumours circling that the 323s are now staying at Northern and will be joined by the WM fleet too....
Would that leave much work for the 319s, even if all the Manchester/Blackpool trains became 6 cars?Rumours circling that the 323s are now staying at Northern and will be joined by the WM fleet too....
I’ve heard it from Northern Train Crew.Can I ask the source of the rumours?
That would be good. The 323s are much better than the 319s.Rumours circling that the 323s are now staying at Northern and will be joined by the WM fleet too....
If Northern are going to keep the 323s then I could see most if not all of the 319s going for scrap.Would that leave much work for the 319s, even if all the Manchester/Blackpool trains became 6 cars?
There are various things that could make that true. Now that we know that Porterbrook were unable to secure long term lease of the 323s at WMT, they are likely to be disposed towards offering Northern an extension, should they want one. They may also be able to offer much more attractive (taking into account their superior performance and on-train environment and the issue of lease payments) terms than what a 319 does as far as the small number of EMU 319s in the long-term fleet goes, but that is further in the future.Can I ask the source of the rumours?
I don't see what Northern would do with so many extra units especially when electrification is slightly less than originally planned. I guess you could double them up on some routes but given how tight the Northern franchise is financially? I think Porterbrook would also have to offer them an extremely good deal to ditch the 319's.
I also think the idea that Porterbrook will eventually need all 319's they can get for 769 conversion looks extremely fanciful given the current progress of that project.
I rather think everyone is running ahead of themselves. Rumour is from train crew - there are plenty of those fly around and are completely groundless. It’s not like they know what is happening within fleet management, is it? I’d wait for something more definite from an authoritative source.
I also think the idea that Porterbrook will eventually need all 319's they can get for 769 conversion looks extremely fanciful given the current progress of that project.
I guess I could come up with a rumour that Northern will be getting more 195's due to problems with the 769 project, told to me by Northern member of staff and see how far that goes.
What if some of them are to go to the North East? It would allow refurbs for the 333s to start (though 323 prm is a priority) and allow some of the 321s and 322s to retire early.
"Believe". Whatever....I believe the information was given to the crew that I’ve spoken to by their managers, I.e. conductor/driver managers.
There are no suitable pure EMU services in the Newcastle area though. ECML, Durham coast and Carlisle trains all interwork.I presume you mean Yorkshire not the North East. 323s won't be freed up until 331s enter service and by the time the WMT 323s are freed up Northern should have received all their 331s.
Although, maybe using a few in the North East i.e. Newcastle area could be a viable idea?
I think the recent rolling stock strategy across the industry is likely to throw up hundreds of these rumours as people try to find homes for several classes of train.
The thing about this rumour is it makes sense, the class 323s are popular with commuters and the class 319s have performance impacts on the routes they serve. Doesn't mean it is true but there is certainly an element of logic about it.
There are no suitable pure EMU services in the Newcastle area though. ECML, Durham coast and Carlisle trains all interwork.
While I accept that's currently the case I would expect someone at Northern will review service patterns given the delays and cancellations to wiring schemes and plenty of EMUs being available.
The only wired route is Newcastle, Morpeth, Chathill. Is it worth doing for maybe two units max? Bit of a drop in Noethern’s ocean...While I accept that's currently the case I would expect someone at Northern will review service patterns given the delays and cancellations to wiring schemes and plenty of EMUs being available.
The only wired route is Newcastle, Morpeth, Chathill. Is it worth doing for maybe two units max? Bit of a drop in Noethern’s ocean...
"Believe". Whatever....