Poor ride quality on IETs: is it caused by the track or the trains?

[bramling]

And the DLR. In fact that's got some of the most extreme hunting I've ever experienced.

Yes very much so. I know they had big difficulties finding a wheel profile which was an acceptable compromise between straight track on one hand, and their extreme curves on the other.

Not sure how they’ve managed to get round it, as it isn’t as bad now. Still not great though.

 

[Grumpy Git]

It is worth noting that poor ride does increase the stresses on the bogies, vehicle bodies and track.

Fixed that for you.

 

[stuu]

I went to London today with GWR. I haven't done this journey for at least a year and on the way up I thought the ride was noticeably better than previously.

I'm on the way home now and it's appalling, jerking all over the place and banging on the stops at times. As bad as I can remember on a train

Is this just because of the maintenance cycle or are there some upgrades happening?

 

[yorkie]

Class 800 ride quality isn't great, but I don't know the reasons for this.

 

[Pete_uk]

You can really feel the track you're going over.

 

[RailWonderer]

The bogies being lighter than previous rolling stock as well as the suspension adjustments makes a load of difference. The GWML has some of the best track quality on the network. The LNER ones ride better, though I don’t know why.

Worst ride quality hands down after the Pacers is the Renatus class 321. 90-100mph is horrible, you will be convinced you’re about to derail the carriage jerks left to right so hard and vibrates badly.

 

[Liverpool 507]

I’ve no issues at all with 80X ride quality which is superior to CAF and Pacer ride quality

 

[Darandio]

I’ve no issues at all with 80X ride quality which is superior to CAF and Pacer ride quality

Yet in terms of the type of service operated, you're comparing apples and hot dogs.

 

[hexagon789]

Yet in terms of the type of service operated, you're comparing apples and hot dogs.

The CAF 397s are akin to the Hitachi 80x though.

 

[Darandio]

The CAF 397s are akin to the Hitachi 80x though.

Then the point certainly stands when making comparisons with a Pacer!

 

[Liverpool 507]

Yet in terms of the type of service operated, you're comparing apples and hot dogs.

397s are intercity units.

At least 80Xs don’t have the annoying MK3 gangway squeaking, made worse of the gangway doors are left open.

 

[FrodshamJnct]

I’ve no issues at all with 80X ride quality which is superior to CAF and Pacer ride quality

Yeah go on a 195. The worst when it comes to knocks and bumps.

 

[hexagon789]

Then the point certainly stands when making comparisons with a Pacer!

Possibly, I have no personal experience to fall back on for that

 

[43096]

I’ve no issues at all with 80X ride quality which is superior to CAF and Pacer ride quality

CAF ride quality is appalling.
Pacer ride quality was appalling.
It’s not exactly a high bar, is it?

And for completeness, 80x ride quality is appalling. It’s significantly worse than a Mark 4, which themselves aren’t great.

 

[Parallel]

I also took an IET from London to Bristol yesterday and noticed the ride quality seemed to be very bad, lots of jerky movements (one of which nearly caused the Train Manager to fall over) with loud bangs coming from the sides of the carriages often too. They are quite rough riding usually but yesterday seemed particularly bad.

 

[irish_rail]

I think the quality of the track is playing a large part here and it just happens that 80x are the trains running fast over increasingly poorly maintained infrastructure. Its funny, since the industrial dispute started it seems to be getting significantly worse in my experience.

 

[CapitalStar378]

The Severn Tunnel was particularly noisy on my train this week, don't remember that being such an issue before.

 

[superalbs]

It doesn't seem like any two units are the same.

 

[stuu]

I think the quality of the track is playing a large part here and it just happens that 80x are the trains running fast over increasingly poorly maintained infrastructure.

I don't see how that can be right. There was an enormous difference in the two units I travelled on, noticeable a lot of the time. The track can't all be much worse in one direction than the other

 

[Master29]

It doesn't seem like any two units are the same.

That seems to be exactly the case. On some even engines sound smoother.

 

[Mzzzs]

The quality of the ride seems to be varied depending on which units you are on from what I have been told the Italian-made units are the worst units for ride quality and all over for build quality. The British-made units seem to have a much better quality of ride.

 

[superalbs]

That seems to be exactly the case. On some even engines sound smoother.

I've had one unit that was incredibly smooth, the rest very bad, and a couple exceptionally bad.

And same with the engines, even when new. Some are fairly quiet, others are unbearably loud.

 

[Master29]

I’ve no issues at all with 80X ride quality which is superior to CAF and Pacer ride quality

Oh dear. Don't raise the bar any higher will you.

 

[Clarence Yard]

The quality of the ride seems to be varied depending on which units you are on from what I have been told the Italian-made units are the worst units for ride quality and all over for build quality. The British-made units seem to have a much better quality of ride.

That’s wibble. The 800 and 802 units are equally rough on GWR. Same components requiring attention or changing out, at the approximately the same mileages.

 

[43096]

That’s wibble. The 800 and 802 units are equally rough on GWR. Same components requiring attention or changing out, at the approximately the same mileages.

Given that their ride has been rubbish from day 1, that’s not components. It’s just a poor design.

 

[221101 Voyager]

Given that their ride has been rubbish from day 1, that’s not components. It’s just a poor design.

Spot on.

 

[Clarence Yard]

Given that their ride has been rubbish from day 1, that’s not components. It’s just a poor design.

I didn’t say why the components needed changing out! There are a number of elements in the 800/802 units that appear to have been designed for a too perfect operating environment.

 

[43096]

I didn’t say why the components needed changing out!

Fair point!

 

[fgwrich]

I still find that the worst riding vehicles are those with the lightweight skateboard bogies - not only do they seem to give the roughest of rides, but also noticeable oscillation in those vehicles at high speed.

 

[Martin_1981]

I've had a couple of trips from Westbury to Exeter recently on a Class 800 and 802 and neither were particularly smooth rides. A 45 year old HST gives a far smoother ride, even an XC voyager is a smoother ride than an IET.