Oh Dear...

[JN114]

I have read the latest reliability stats and for you slamdoor lovers they were out-performed..... by a 458 juniper!

actually Southern VEPs were th second most reliable 750V EMUs in britain after the JOPs who came first with an impressive 19'996mpc.... three times up on last year... All slamdoors perfomed in the Mid 15'000s to Low 16'000s

other trains of interest:

IC125 13'000mpc (+/- 0%)
IC225 9'000mpc (-33%)

170 - variable, depends on TOC
180 11'000mpc (+15%)
220/221 7'500mpc (-72%)

390 7'500mpc

any requests just ask me....

(data based on 2004 breakdown figures, copied of another forum) - UKTrainz

 

[Lewisham2221]

Whilst this kind of thing isn't always particularly accurate in exactly what it represents (for examplethe very different conditions in which different rolling stock operate) it does show that newer trains that were originally torn to pieces for being unreliable will and do get better after enough time to sort things.

 

[yorkie]

I'm not sure about these figures. I look forward to the analysing of MPC figures in Roger Ford's 'Informed Sources'.

Anyway, IC125 is surely very variable! In fact, I'd be surprised if it was less variable than the 170s.

Also bear in mind the most reliable slammers were SWT's CIGs (IIRC) which are now gone.

Plus the fact that Southern and SET are not interested in maintaining their slam-door MK1 trains any more. Why spend money on them when they're about to be scrapped?

There's always the argument that old trains are deliberately neglected to make the new trains look better, even if you don't believe that argument you can't deny that there's little business case for spending much money on trains that won't last much longer.

I give you this hypothesis:

SWT's Junipers, and Southern/SET's Electrostars will not
1) last as long as the Mk1 slam door CIGs, VEPs, CEPs
2) be as reliable in their heyday as the CIGs, VEPs, CEPs were in their heyday

Whilst this kind of thing isn't always particularly accurate in exactly what it represents (for examplethe very different conditions in which different rolling stock operate)..

Very true

.. it does show that newer trains that were originally torn to pieces for being unreliable will and do get better after enough time to sort things.

Mostly, yes, but not always. I'm sure they'll improve somewhat, but whether they'll reach the extremely high level set by the Mk1s remains to be seen. There is a very long way to go yet.