Sorry to bump an old thread, but it seems to be the most appropriate place to ask my questions.
Network rail have recently announced (covered on the Electrification thread) that Bedford - Corby will not be energised until December. As the replacement of HSTs relies partly upon a cascade of 222s from Corby services does anyone know whether this will still be possible against the PRM deadline for HST replacement of 31.12.2020 - and I know it could be extended again.
Further upthread there was the suggestion that the 180s might have been in service last month (replacing the HST short sets), which obviously hasn't happened. Does anyone know if this is entirely Covid - related, or are there some problems with the 180's? How does that square with the PRM extension for the short sets, which expires, I think, at the end of next month?