Thameslink/ Class 700 Progress

[Islineclear3_1]

Does anyone have a list of what (early) units went to store please? I'm sure I've seen most of them recently

 

[Tunnel Bore]

I think you'll find it only displays on the PIS in the declassified first class section. I can't remember exactly the words used but it struck me as being phrased more as a warning to first class ticket holders that the rabble may descend than to advise standard class ticket holders of their right to sit there! Also you have to wait quite a while for it to cycle through a series of different messages before this one appears.

The other way to tell is the platform CIS. After saying "Thameslink service formed of 12 coaches" It will say "First class at the front" which implies rear section is declassified.

 

[JonathanH]

Does anyone have a list of what (early) units went to store please? I'm sure I've seen most of them recently

The units at Dollands Moor seem to be rotated regularly and aren't necessary the early units. This is possibly the movement this last Wednesday / Thursday night.

3Z46 2311 Dollands Moor (Gbrf) to Three Bridges Tl Up Depot
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97576/2018/04/18/advanced

3Z47 0411 Three Bridges Tl Up Depot to Dollands Moor (Gbrf)
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97580/2018/04/19/advanced

 

[700007]

I do wish people would stop blathering on about it on here. Don’t let the secret out.

Sssssshhhhhhhh.

Yes I absolutely love having the rear 1st class to myself and don't want this secret spilled out. I was on a Three Bridges train the other week and I arrived at East Croydon where it was lovely and quiet in first class. Then a huge loud family got on in first class only for the dad to realise 'oh this is first class, we need to get out and move down the train'.

And moved far down the train as they could. Beautiful. Had that been standard class, what was a nice journey would have been ruined.

 

[700007]

Agreed, sadly a fact that some passengers are just filthy who couldn't care less about the next person who might have to sit in the mess their dirty shoes leave when they 'rest' then.

(I can see the bays of 4 on a 345 eventually being removed for a similar reason so those units are all longitudinal)

Yes it is incredibly annoying and disrespectful. Billions have been invested into these trains and the overall programme. You are gifted with brand new trains and can't be bothered to keep your feet on the floor. Then the same people complain their trains and seats are dirty later on.

You should not do it on any train but the crime feels even worse when it is on new or newly refurbished trains.

 

[radamfi]

Does anyone else avoid the facing seats because they have probably had feet on them?

 

[Mordac]

I would if I was sitting my bare bottom on them...

 

[MML]

Talking about unsavoury events, since when is it a requirement to sit down on the train opposite me and start eating an orange or satsuma ? Rather than peeling the fruit in a public place, fiddling with the pith and stinking the entire carriage for the duration why can't these selfish individuals wait an extra half hour until they are in the comfort of their own home.

 

[samuelmorris]

Peeling an Orange? Not exactly on the level of a drunk eating a fragrant McDonalds and spilling half the chips on the floor is it? I don't begrudge eating on public transport as long as it's reasonable as I have to do it from time to time - e.g. yesterday where I was travelling between two customer job sites - no real time for an actual lunch break so I ate a pasty while travelling, doing my best to ensure any crumbs were removed from the seat before I alighted. Common sense stuff.

 

[Hadders]

Talking about unsavoury events, since when is it a requirement to sit down on the train opposite me and start eating an orange or satsuma ? Rather than peeling the fruit in a public place, fiddling with the pith and stinking the entire carriage for the duration why can't these selfish individuals wait an extra half hour until they are in the comfort of their own home.

Blimey. It’s a good job you don’t travel post midnight.

 

[jon0844]

Blimey. It’s a good job you don’t travel post midnight.

Forget oranges. After midnight, it all goes bananas.

 

[tsr]

Talking about unsavoury events, since when is it a requirement to sit down on the train opposite me and start eating an orange or satsuma ? Rather than peeling the fruit in a public place, fiddling with the pith and stinking the entire carriage for the duration why can't these selfish individuals wait an extra half hour until they are in the comfort of their own home.

I’m not really sure if a satsuma is capable of stinking out an entire carriage. It’s hardly an unpleasant smell anyway. (That said, I don’t especially mind the smell of someone eating a burger and fries either - the smell would be far worse if and when they vomited it out again!)

 

[AM9]

There's much talk about the number of new TL services on the GN lines being provided by RLUs (8-cars) which are felt to have insufficient capacity. Although many of the platforms out there are limited to shorter trains, (or requiring the use of SDO) if there was a decision to extend some units to FLUs (12-cars), how long would that option be available? Does anybody here know the contractual options open to the DfT?

 

[JonathanH]

Have they finally made some progress on the works at Cauldwell to stable more 12-car 700s there. It seems like a few off the stabling locations were changed for some services this morning.

 

[D365]

How many roads can accept 12 car units at present? The eastmost roads definitely seem more than long enough.

 

[Spamcan81]

700153 seen in a freight consist heading through Trier last night.

 

[MML]

Travelled on an 8-car unit and 12-car unit today.
Both occasions the drivers triggered announcements to explain why the train had come to an unscheduled halt.
No doubt this is company policy to improve customer service.
On both occasions, the chimes sounded perfectly but neither announcement could be heard properly.
I'm now familiar with the Dalek sounding crackle announcing 'We'll sort it' but why are the speakers for the passenger announcements now performing so poorly. I don't blame the drivers. The system is just not performing correctly.

Surely when the carriages are maintained, maintenance staff can check the speakers are operating clearly with sufficient volume throughout the train. At present, we listen to a chime and then a muffled, crackle tells us something is going on. We're just not sure what.

 

[jon0844]

There's much talk about the number of new TL services on the GN lines being provided by RLUs (8-cars) which are felt to have insufficient capacity. Although many of the platforms out there are limited to shorter trains, (or requiring the use of SDO) if there was a decision to extend some units to FLUs (12-cars), how long would that option be available? Does anybody here know the contractual options open to the DfT?

I don't think it's practical to run 12 car trains to 8 car platforms routinely. It's a bloody long way to get people to move to alight, as you know they won't be in the right place. Passengers will then kick off, or try and stop the train and cause all sorts of problems. Plus with a need to reduce dwell times, that's another surefire way of creating delays and missing paths.

Going forward, Network Rail will have to find a way to rebuild WGC to fit longer platforms, which can then allow others to be extended (some being easier than others).

 

[jon0844]

Travelled on an 8-car unit and 12-car unit today.
Both occasions the drivers triggered announcements to explain why the train had come to an unscheduled halt.
No doubt this is company policy to improve customer service.
On both occasions, the chimes sounded perfectly but neither announcement could be heard properly.
I'm now familiar with the Dalek sounding crackle announcing 'We'll sort it' but why are the speakers for the passenger announcements now performing so poorly. I don't blame the drivers. The system is just not performing correctly.

Surely when the carriages are maintained, maintenance staff can check the speakers are operating clearly with sufficient volume throughout the train. At present, we listen to a chime and then a muffled, crackle tells us something is going on. We're just not sure what.

Report the trains so it can be logged with Siemens to be investigated. Of course they should be checking this themselves, but if you know for a fact there's a problem I am sure it can help. Use the social media team and it will be logged.

 

[APUK002]

700153 seen in a freight consist heading through Trier last night.

Kool,how many more to be delivered to uk? I know the last 1 is finished (700056 ifirc)

 

[bramling]

I don't think it's practical to run 12 car trains to 8 car platforms routinely. It's a bloody long way to get people to move to alight, as you know they won't be in the right place. Passengers will then kick off, or try and stop the train and cause all sorts of problems. Plus with a need to reduce dwell times, that's another surefire way of creating delays and missing paths.

Going forward, Network Rail will have to find a way to rebuild WGC to fit longer platforms, which can then allow others to be extended (some being easier than others).

Welwyn GC remodelling should really be considered as part of any resignalling scheme. Definitely some pretty major track changes required especially on the down side.

What do others think about the remaining platforms? Baldock and Welwyn North seem comparatively straightforward. Knebworth perhaps depending on the road bridge and whether there's enough space between the tracks. Hatfield easy, and Potters Bar seems to have a certain amount of space at the country end.

The quickest win must surely be Baldock, Knebworth and Welwyn North, so as to allow the 8-car 365 services to be extended to 12. This in itself would provide relief to Welwyn GC/Hatfield by further discouraging people from further out choosing to use the stopping services. It's not like there aren't spare 365s available - unless Scotland decide they like them so much they want to keep them!

 

[JonathanH]

Kool,how many more to be delivered to uk? I know the last 1 is finished (700056 ifirc)

700060 was the last one to be finished.

The current position appears to be that:
* 58 700/0s (700001-58) and 49 700/1s (700101-45/7-9/52) have been used in service
* 2 700/1s are in commissioning / acceptance phase (700151/5)
* 4 700/1s and 2 700/0s to be delivered to the UK (700146/50/3/4 and 700059/60)

 

[Bald Rick]

Welwyn GC remodelling should really be considered as part of any resignalling scheme. Definitely some pretty major track changes required especially on the down side.

Almost all of the track at WGC was renewed in 2002/3, and is good for another 20 years. The signalling will be in the next few years (and very possibly straight to ETCS, signals away), so, yes, some changes could be made then, but they would need to be minimal.

 

[spark001uk]

Looks like the front 1st is being actively enforced now, for the first time I've seen anyway. Someone just got a PFN for assuming front 1st is same as rear on a Brighton. Looks like it was the standard 20 quid.

 

[Bald Rick]

Looks like the front 1st is being actively enforced now, for the first time I've seen anyway. Someone just got a PFN for assuming front 1st is same as rear on a Brighton. Looks like it was the standard 20 quid.

It has been since introduction on the MML, albeit sporadically.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

It has been since introduction on the MML, albeit sporadically.

Fairly often in my off peak expriences - even as late as 2111 from West Hampstead where the grippers appear and target the genuine first class. No joy - but they got some trade in the standard and followed up on the platfrom at SAC !

 

[Bald Rick]

Fairly often in my off peak expriences - even as late as 2111 from West Hampstead where the grippers appear and target the genuine first class. No joy - but they got some trade in the standard and followed up on the platfrom at SAC !

I can’t remember the last time they came through when someone didn’t get their collar felt.

 

[urpert]

I can’t remember the last time they came through when someone didn’t get their collar felt.

I can’t remember the last time I saw an RPI on Thameslink. Probably in FCC days.

 

[Bald Rick]

I can’t remember the last time I saw an RPI on Thameslink. Probably in FCC days.

Where do you travel and how often? I see RPis about twice a month, more often in the morning than evening.

 

[ComUtoR]

I can’t remember the last time I saw an RPI on Thameslink. Probably in FCC days.

I probably see them about once a week, sometimes more. I am reminded of trees, woods and the sounds made.