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'One' to go....

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jonb

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Well it seems that everyone has now come to light about National Express and their running of the 'One' (London Eastern Railway) Franchise. Since they started the franchise they have been a complete failure. So far:

On the Anglia side:

- Only three direct trains to Ipswich an hour
- Mark 2/3 Sets now being boosted with 317 Multiple Units
- Norwich services often terminated at Ipswich due to stock failures
- Ipswich service abolished for through service to Lowestoft/Peterborough

On the Great Eastern side:

Not so many problems on the Great Eastern side aside from then odd cancellation. I have to praise One here the Great Eastern is usually good, however if the 360's go there will be uproar with daily commuters.

On the Metro side:

- Often delays due to the poor condition of the rolling stock (315's) desperate need of refurb
- From the outside the 315's look nice and tarted up but barely anything has been done, which is diappointing.
- Many stations in need of investment such as Brentwood, Prittlewell, Rochford to name just a few...

As for the West Anglia/Standsted Express I couldnt say I rarely travel and I don't think i'd want to either most delays occur on this side and I feel sorry for commuters who have to use this service daily.
 
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Techniquest

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Signed and currently observing other comments.

Admittedly, I don't use 'one' much at all, but I don't like them either from experiences. I never really went on any FGE services AFAIK when they were still running, however I'm sure they'd have been better. I certainly recall feeling sorry for FGE when I read they didn't pre-qualify for the franchise. Sad as that may sound...

I have no witty comment about 'one', so I left a nice, simple, short message to clearly state my views on what should be done.
 

jonb

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Thanks and Well Done FGWFan. Trust me as a regular user of One im appalled by the service. The shocking thing is they think can get away with things like putting 317's on Norwich services!
 

Techniquest

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317s...on NORWICH services? There was me thinking a DBSO-led MK2 was bad from Liverpool Street to Ipswich, then another such set to Norwich. 317s just takes the redundant Diet Coke!

The fact they don't put locos where they ought to be, ie at the front heading out of London, is daft. Acceptable for through services to Great Yarmouth, but not in normal service!

One thing I WILL say for 'one' is that there is a half-hourly service to Norwich!

At least this thread has reminded me that I need to re-visit Ipswich!
 
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Tom

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I do it FGWFan too.

Anyway, you have my support, but I'm not signing the petition, because I enjoy messing with the `one` livery and adding `n` to it! ;)
 

Techniquest

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Ah, well I must have missed that before...Oops...Mainly posted it publically as no-one else really does it properly. Usually a space is added, or the second 'f' is not capitalised. Even seen all letters capitalised before.

I've signed the petition as, even though I doubt it'll make any difference whatsoever, it does make the point I dislike NatEx being in charge.

Before someone says 'What would you do differently?' or something, I'd have a few changes to announce. Putting locos on the country end of LHCS trains (with the exception of through services to Great Yarmouth), banning units going more North into Anglia than Ipswich on IC services (maybe allowing Turbostars up), ensuring the Turbostars stay with Anglia, re-livering all MK3s and locos to provide a better, unified company colour scheme on services, revise the livery, put MK2s into tactical storage, replace them with MK3s, increase restaurant service to 3 in each direction during the off-peak times, monitoring the peak-time restaurant provision and increasing if necessary, revising fare structure, taking a close look at maintenance at Crown Point, Ipswich, etc, making changes as deemed appropriate, assess pay for staff, taking a close look at training locations and provision, attempt negotiations with Network Rail over pathing problems, keeping the 360s with the franchise, think of a new name for the franchise, look at PlusBus provision to increase integrated transport links...

Enough changes for now? I'm not entirely sure what in there would need doing, as I don't know what 'one's maintenance work is like, but some stuff in there would be done immediately. I believe company image is important, so re-livering the carriages, locos and units would be in my Top 10 Things To Do from Day 1. Putting locos in the right place I'd certainly do quickly.

Anyway, that's enough thinking about what I'd do if I took over as MD of 'one'.
 

Jim

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I was tempted to put

"The livery is sickening, The train qulitey is shi* & the class 315's are not fuc*ing habitable" BUT you can't say that in a petition :cry:
 

jonb

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class 315's are not fuc*ing habitable"

I'll totally agree with you there, they are okay when they are busy in the morning and evening peaks but outside in the quieter times they become horrible usually full of drunks and kids smashing them up.
 

bunnahabhain

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FGWFan said:
Before someone says 'What would you do differently?' or something, I'd have a few changes to announce. Putting locos on the country end of LHCS trains (with the exception of through services to Great Yarmouth)

The Locomotives are at the London end because they are Maintained at Norwich Crown Point Depot, and as Norwich Station is a dead-end station, they need to be on the City end to be able to run into the Depot, and allow Locomotive Changes.
 

Met Driver

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Jamie C. Steel said:
FGWFan said:
Before someone says 'What would you do differently?' or something, I'd have a few changes to announce. Putting locos on the country end of LHCS trains (with the exception of through services to Great Yarmouth)

The Locomotives are at the London end because they are Maintained at Norwich Crown Point Depot, and as Norwich Station is a dead-end station, they need to be on the City end to be able to run into the Depot, and allow Locomotive Changes.

But Norwich has run-round facilities, so that clearly isn't the case.
 

bunnahabhain

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Either way that's the reason, it's to enable Locomotives to be changed, and to allow them to detach from the Rolling Stock easily.
 

Tomnick

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Apart from the fact that running-round takes time - especially if another loco then needs to do the reverse move - only platforms 2 and 4 have run-round facilities (i.e. a loco release crossover), and in both cases require the train to stop well short of the buffer stops - whilst the platform may still be long enough, it's a bit messy and a bit inconvenient!

As for putting the loco for Yarmouth trains on the London end of trains, and for everything else on the country end - surely this means that, every time a train is to form a Yarmouth service, the whole set must be turned to get the DBSO/DVT on the country end?
 

Techniquest

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The idea basically for my wanting locos on the country end of the Norwich services is that locos heading out of London just makes more sense to me. Direct power at the front to move off quickly if running late (sorry, if? That should be '...when it IS...') to get to its destination quicker. Granted, it doesn't work like that when hauling back to London, but tough.

This is what I meant with the locos on the city end of the Yarmouths:

Loco arrives at the depot-end of the platforms, dispelling any need for a run-around to get the loco off for the 47. Move the 90 off, put the 47 on the front and off to GY. Not sure what they do when pulling them out of GY, probably pull out another 47 to take it to Norwich, leaving the other 47 to do an ECS move...

Does that make more sense now? I'm not suggesting DBSOs and DVTs should be stopped, just put them on the end arriving into London, like VT did and like GNER still do.

EDIT: Just understood when Tomnick means at the end of his post. I guess it could create a problem. Maybe just allocate one set to the GY services?

I will add that most of what I said I would do was thought up on the spot the other day.
 

bunnahabhain

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And what would you do with the Class 47 at Norwich? It would need to run around, then the class 90 would need to couple onto it.
 

Techniquest

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*Sigh*

I dunno, why is it I can't make it sound a reasonable idea...

Oh, fiddlesticks, I've just seen a fatal flaw in that...Damn, that's not going to work...

Give me a bit of time to calculate how it'll work.
 

Tomnick

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FGWFan said:
Give me a bit of time to calculate how it'll work.
How about the way it's always been done, for as long as I can remember? That works ;) :) .
 

Techniquest

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It does? :lol:

Seriously, there is a way it would make sense for having locos at the front of the trains heading out of London, GY services being the exception to that rule.

Of course, if there HSTs, or an electric version of it, then we'd not have this stupid problem in the first place.
 

AlexS

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Well, what's wrong with the current system that makes it need to be changed then? It's always worked fine on the West Coast Main line, as well as on GNER. Why does it need to be changed now? It has the train all the right positions (No loco release required at terminal stations, excepting London Euston, which surely is the best compromise, rather than for the loco to be at the country end, but trapped within terminals).
 

Techniquest

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I dare say no-one will understand my desire for locos at the country end, ever.

Please note, that there would be no run-rounds, I'd be happy to let the DBSOs/DVTs head INTO London.

This is how the GYM services would work, although my policy of locos at the country end would be excepted on some services during the day:

1700 off LST to GYM has the loco at the CITY end. At Norwich, the 90 moves off to Crown Point. The 47 pulls in from CP to continue onwards to GYM.

The next day (when the stock returns to London with passengers IIRC), the 47 would be again at the front, in front of the DBSO, leaving no loco at the GY end.

At Norwich, the 47 would be uncoupled as the 90 returns from CP to couple up onto the end with no loco/DBSO. This means the set would be then complete back to LST, the 47 stopping in the platform for a few minutes for a path into CP. The platforms for London sets would be empty and waiting to receive trains again.

When that set then reaches London, obviously I wouldn't want it to go out of service whilst a loco and DBSO run-round was done. This of course would mean that I'd have no choice but to allow services run by that set with the loco at the city end all day.

Sense made now, or do I need to draw it?

Right, why do I want locos at the country end? This is what VT and GNER do. My basic idea behind doing it for 'one' would be to have more power directly at the front for a slightly faster take-off. To me, it just feels right to have the loco at the country end. The puffy DBSOs and DVTs can stay at the city end.

If it were possible, I'd prefer locos at each end, but this isn't possible, so I'd put up with the DBSOs and DVTs.

Any closer to understanding why I want locos at the country end? I guess it's a bit like a boy racer constantly putting more power in his car, always after better acceleration and higher top speeds.

I dunno, that's as close to having a written explanation as to why locos are in the wrong place with 'one' that I can do now.
 

Tomnick

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FGWFan said:
...
When that set then reaches London, obviously I wouldn't want it to go out of service whilst a loco and DBSO run-round was done. This of course would mean that I'd have no choice but to allow services run by that set with the loco at the city end all day.
...
So, assuming that the evening Yarmouth is booked to be worked by a different set to that which worked the morning one (dedicating one set to Yarmouths would make maintenance a nightmare, as well as probably imposing unacceptable constraints on diagramming) - we're going to end up with more and more sets facing the 'other way', as more and more work that diagram - until, eventually, they've all got the DBSO at the country end again!

I think I can nearly see your reasoning - but any benefit would still most likely be hugely outweighed by the operational inconvenience!
 

yorkie

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is it really faster for the loco to be at the front? maybe under unusual circumstances? but normally I can't see it makes ANY difference at all.

The only reason why GNER/Virgin seem to have longer journeys into London is because they can get stuck behind other slower services, especially GNER with the WAGN Fasts, and of course there's slack time added into London, and possible waiting for a platform.
 

jonb

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The worst place waiting for a platform (Even though theres no loco hauled) has to be Waterloo. 18 platforms of chaos...
 

Jonno2055

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I saw a 317 going to peterborough yeterday at witham, it hadn't had an overhaul since 1994, shocking. It looked like it was scrap, all the paint was peeling and it has reminents of the old NSE livery on it.
 

Mojo

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What is the name of the company?
How many people were consulted on the new timetable?
How many people are satisfied with the service?
How many trains are cleaned every day?
How many people are satisfied with the amount of Revenue Protection?

Whatever the question...
...the answer is always one.
 
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