It's a pity that there are platform length restrictions at Tunbridge Wells (and High Brooms?) as the peak busters could do with being 12-car while Orpington is a calling point. Failing that running them at 3tph in the peak, as they did pre-covid, would help if they cannot be 10-car (currently the 17:26 and 17:56 departures from CHX are 10-car Mon-Thu, when the greatest flows are). If there's a particular reason 466s are going there maybe value in sending some stored 465/9s back, so some of the 10-car Networkers can be 12-car, particularly on Sidcup and Bexleyheath line services out of CHX (they already are on some Sevenoaks' stoppers).
You have Charing Cross short platforms as well, the Tunbridge Wells currently leave from the wrong side in evening peak.
I don't believe it will be replacing 376's as they are being refurbed with at seat power sockets, LED lighting and will have a livery change wrap the same as 375's:
Extensive interior and exterior mid-life refresh of all 36 Class 376 Electrostars. Enhancements include at seat USB/power sockets, energy-efficient LED lighting and a blue exterior wrap. Class 376 upgrade is part of Southeastern’s wider fleet improvement programme that is delivering better...
newsroom.southeasternrailway.co.uk
That wouldn't be done if they were going in a few years.
The 376 refurb is being funded by the fleet owner in line with the lease terms. They don't get any guarantee the fleet will stay on. Angel with 707s perhaps have got a minimum commitment in exchange for funding toilets when they didn't need to.
Either way though whether the 376s stay is based on the business case and hard to see the new stock being cheaper even with the associated costs for a more complex operation. It also opens the opportunity to expand the fleet in future by ordering more than the 376 vehicle count if growth is larger than expected when they come to be replaced.
I'd love to know what was wrong with 007 and 014, which went to scrap yesterday. 025 and 037 were both involved in serious breakdowns so I can understand why they went straight from Gillingham, but otherwise it seems odd sending these to scrap while 465/2s and some other 466s have been in storage much longer.
From what's posted above which roughly matches what's on the Angel Trains stock list more trains are heading off lease. If there isn't likelihood of future operation it doesn't matter how fresh/operational the ones in sidings are. Going straight to scrap avoids one freight move and the ones at Ely can go at some future date.
Maybe the 465s might stick around longer if Angel thinks there's a chance the new fleet gets delayed and Southeastern comes begging for replacement stock for ones which have broken. It's also plausible Southeastern wants the 377s to arrive before removing the 465s and the 466s have less of an impact if they are short.
So inconvenience passengers by cancelling a service which could've been formed three 466s units (six coaches) for the sake of non-compliance of disabled toilets?
The 466s don't have compliant wheelchair spaces and are reliant on the 2 spaces in the 465 coupled to it, it isn't just the toilets.
