SWR Repaints and Refurbishments

[Goldfish62]

A couple of comments:
1. They haven’t just retained orange grab pokes, they’ve actually added two where the buffet and corridor were.
2. By my count the accessible coach now has 12 additional seats, 4 in place of the buffet, 4 in place of the guards office and 4 where the corridor ran beside the buffet.
3. I thought the PIS was supposed to be brought up to date with the Thameslink and class 707 units.

Re no. 3, yes, that's what they said was going to happen...

 

[moley]

Re no. 3, yes, that's what they said was going to happen...

I’m also going to guess they’ve not put in the onboard media entertainment system promised.

 

[Mordac]

The orange handpoles certainly clash. I wonder whose idea it was to retain those (at least for now).
I’m surprised that the internal PIS are still the LED style. I’m also disappointed at the railway in general with the dreary grey leather seats and dreary grey colours on the outside of so many trains now. Still, I suppose “this is what people are telling us they want” (said a customer relations consultant).
I know what the SWR symbol supposedly represents but still can’t help but thinking if Lord Sugar ran the railway the designer would have been fired.
Putting the whole thing together it has the feel of someone ‘further up the ladder’ being told they had a deadline to get this first (quasi-full) refurbishment out.

Is that what he did to the person who designed the power supply for the Amstrad GX4000?

 

[43096]

Putting the whole thing together it has the feel of someone ‘further up the ladder’ being told they had a deadline to get this first (quasi-full) refurbishment out.

They have well and truly missed the deadlines according to what was committed to in the franchise agreement.

 

[387star]

What used to be where those supports are?

 

[swt_passenger]

What used to be where those supports are?

Can you expand on that please? Is it the vertical sections in the standard class part of the DMCO, in which case it is probably where the partition between first and standard used to be. That has now moved roughly to the middle of the carriage.

 

[swt_passenger]

Re no. 3, yes, that's what they said was going to happen...

Copied from the 442 thread, seems to be 2 more years to do it:

90.3 By no later than the Passenger Change Date occurring in December 2020, the Franchisee shall procure that all rolling stock vehicles comprised in the Train Fleet (except for the rolling stock vehicles which are used to deliver the Island Line Services) are fitted with commissioned and operational passenger information screens, being electronic screens which are capable of communicating information from the Customer Information System in real time.

https://assets.publishing.service.g...rn-railways-2017-rail-franchise-agreement.pdf

 

[moley]

Copied from the 442 thread, seems to be 2 more years to do it:

Thanks. Had meant to put the question here not the 442 thread originally!

 

[moley]

It’s been bothering me that a press launch with one referbished unit seems an odd thing to do. Is there a change that the franchise renegotiation is complete and we’re about to receive a announcement tomorrow morning?

 

[spark001uk]

It’s been bothering me that a press launch with one referbished unit seems an odd thing to do. Is there a change that the franchise renegotiation is complete and we’re about to receive a announcement tomorrow morning?

Well it could be a good thing, as it'll be out there for all to see, so they should be more likely to get a move on with them as they won't want the embarrassment of being seen several months later with no more done?

 

[fgwrich]

Don’t say I didn’t warn you! I was having a conversation with a guard on my train home last night, and we both agreed that the one feature the 444 has always needed is Luggage Racks. Sadly Still SWR continues to underwhelm with these refurbishment's and it hardly inspires confidence.

Slightly more impressively, despite the exterior remaining in the hybrid SWT/SWR livery and the refurbishment continuing at a snails pace, 450126 now has entirely SWR stickers at last. It is still missing the yet to be fitted plug sockets, blue handles and new PIS. Certainly other units may have them but it’s the first 450 I’ve seen with them in it at last.

 

[Goldfish62]

Don’t say I didn’t warn you! I was having a conversation with a guard on my train home last night and I think we both agreed that the one feature the 444 has always needed is Luggage Racks. Still SWR continues to underwhelm.

Slightly more impressively, despite the exterior remaining in SWT/SWR livery and the refurbishment continuing at a snails pace, 450126 now has entirely SWR stickers at last. It’s just missing the plug sockets, blue handles and new PIS now. Others may have them but it’s the first 450 I’ve seen with them in it at last.

What an absolute mess it's all in!

 

[fgwrich]

What an absolute mess it's all in!

Indeed! I had high hopes for a new SWR franchise with some vigour and change, but since last year it's all rather rapidly become lacklustre and underwhelming. Made worse by the 20 shades of Grey SWR seem to be picking.

Something else I noticed last night was, However nice the new carpet is, it's already showing up the dirt and starting to fray a little already. A few of the leather headrests already looked a little manky last night as well, something I've always tried to avoid since I noticed how dirty they became when NX ScotRail had them fitted to their Turbostar seats. Bring back Moquette!

 

[spark001uk]

SWT did the same to begin with too, just adjusting stripes on the bottom of the NSE livery. Cheap and nasty sticking plaster fix, keeps costs down and pockets lined.

 

[doctorf5]

SWT did the same to begin with too, just adjusting stripes on the bottom of the NSE livery. Cheap and nasty sticking plaster fix, keeps costs down and pockets lined.

I don’t think so. The blue was much lighter than NSE. It just happened that Stagecoach branding was close to NSE branding. Just look at a Stagecoach bus from the 80s.

 

[spark001uk]

Whatever the first livery was, doesn't matter now. I'm disappointed SWR are dragging their heels, 2 EMUs liveried in over a year and a handful with new seat covers, very slow indeed.

 

[TEW]

The internal SWR signage seems to be the latest thing to be rolled out, spotted a fair few units with it now. It's still not a complete job of course, plenty of SWT signage remains, even on 444040. Toilet signs, no smoking signs etc.

 

[RichSwitch]

This might be of interest. I found it today just randomly. If people haven’t seen it before... https://www.stewartsigns.co.uk/case-studies/south-western-railway/

 

[Goldfish62]

The internal SWR signage seems to be the latest thing to be rolled out, spotted a fair few units with it now. It's still not a complete job of course, plenty of SWT signage remains, even on 444040. Toilet signs, no smoking signs etc.

Maybe they consider those signs to be sufficiently neutral in design to retain. SWT did it with the former 460s.

 

[theironroad]

I see there is a bit on ITV news online about the 444 040 briefing yesterday and some vox pop and also a brief interview with md Andy mellors and mention that there were delays yesterday.

 

[pompeyfan]

Reported that 444020 has now been refurbished inside. Not sure on livery.

 

[WVL14]

Unit retains SWT livery.

No further Desiro units will receive SWR livery until some time in 2019.

Programme at Eastleigh is internal only.

 

[Train Boy]

Reported that 444020 has now been refurbished inside. Not sure on livery.

Bike space in the 500 coach (non-quiet zone TSO) has been removed, unlike on 444040.

444019 currently having the internal refurb being done.

 

[Wychwood93]

Bike space in the 500 coach (non-quiet zone TSO) has been removed, unlike on 444040.

444019 currently having the internal refurb being done.

On 444020 this morning - on the rear of the 1B26 0755 POO-WAT. Interior refurb, as above, and 2+2 in First. Exterior not done and really needed a damn good wash! Very grubby. I heard a couple of comments that the interior 'smelt' better - it would - but nothing about how it looked. I thought it looked fine - seats, at this early stage, very pleasant to sit on.

 

[Goldfish62]

I was on partially refurbished 450016 this evening. It also had the new signage, which made the orange grab rails look even more out of place

On the WiFi sign it said for plug sockets and the entertainment thingy "coming soon".

 

[387star]

I was on partially refurbished 450016 this evening. It also had the new signage, which made the orange grab rails look even more out of place

On the WiFi sign it said for plug sockets and the entertainment thingy "coming soon".

What was once one of the few TOCS with a consistent image now sounds like a mess

Crosscountry left the voyagers in virgin colours internally due to similar issues around PRM legislation

 

[Goldfish62]

What was once one of the few TOCS with a consistent image now sounds like a mess

Crosscountry left the voyagers in virgin colours internally due to similar issues around PRM legislation

Yes, I wasn't that keen on the SWT brand but I did like the consistency.

 

[hexagon789]

On the WiFi sign it said for plug sockets and the entertainment thingy "coming soon".

I think the money on this new entertainment thing would've been better spent on making a decent job of the refurb really.

 

[Adsy125]

Any idea if either of the refurbished 444s will be in Poole tomorrow afternoon/evening?

 

[TrainTube]

Whatever the first livery was, doesn't matter now. I'm disappointed SWR are dragging their heels, 2 EMUs liveried in over a year and a handful with new seat covers, very slow indeed.

I mean with all the money they have to pay in delays I can sort of understand why.