Another journey on the refurb a couple of days ago and the same old issues cropping up re bike space, seating capacity - which is particularly noticable in first class nowadays, even on a Classic. As said by myself and others many a time on here, the 2+4s are crumbling in their adequacy to cope with demand on nearly all fronts (and on every route), and it won't be long before the same issues arise on the 2+5s, given a good few services on the high density classics are full with the odd standing also. If ScotRail have any sort of forsight, they really do need to get their act together quickly and come up with a way forward, because this is definitley not sustainable.
The seating layouts are great and offer possibly the best standard class experience in the UK, but they are hemmoraging capacity and if they are going to remain this way then ultimatley it needs to be compensated with an extra carriage. As for bike storage, it is greatly dissappointing (as already highlighted time and time again) that power cars can only be used end to end. Around 4 people tried to ge their bikes on at Pitlochry, but there were already two bikes stored in the existing provision. This wouldn't occur on a double or triple 158 which can handle 8 and 12 bikes comfortabley.
I'm beggining to wonder what the long term solution is. With the current seating layout and provisions for catering etc, I'd have a stab at guessing that to cope long term, every set will need lengthening to 6 coaches, with the additional sixth coach comprising of half seating and half luggage/bike/skiis storage area, and converting the existing bike provision for trolley storage. Basically like an extended TGS but with a public door at the end of it. If not that, then every set lengthened to 5 coaches (which is already being muted will be happening anyway) and ScotRail and Wabtec find a way to accomodate public access into the power cars for storage. Dare I say a new locomotive with this sort of accomodation could be better, and it would even keep the Mk3s running longer into the future if they had bi-mode specs - though I won't get ahead of myself. Anything less, is only going to act as a stop gap and will on serve to temporarily pacify the issue before it too can no longer suffice. The whole programme is well intentioned, extremely welcomes, and was badly needed (how we coped with 170s for all these years I've no idea), but it seems to go half in half out on a great deal of aspects, and it's already showing, and showing big time.
I think the amount of times I've ranted, along with other members who use these trains on a regular basis, says it all. Something needs to be done, and done soon, otherwise ScotRail and fellow passengers will face even worse consequences than those that were meant to be solved with the whole programme in the first place!
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