Transfer of LNER HST 125s to East Midlands Railway (EMR)

[greatvoyager]

I thought that news feature was nicely done!

Definitely a nice piece.

 

[ashworth]

Definitely a nice piece.

I agree it was a nice report. BBC East Midlands Today usually are quite good at that sort of report. They seem to have lots of staff who have been in the region for many years and will themselves have travelled on those HSTs all of that time and will miss them.

 

[spotify95]

EMR HST's featured on East Midlands Today on the lunch and evening programs. The link takes to the evening program which the article starts at 07:50. Program expires tomorrow at 18:55.

BBC iPlayer - East Midlands Today - Evening News: 28/04/2021

Thank you, will definitely watch that before it expires!

edit: I've just watched it and that was a fitting tribute to the great years of service that the IC125's have provided. I will certainly miss them when they're gone - and I wasn't even born when they were first introduced.

 

[XCTurbostar]

43238 (Red Tomato, Ferrari) has made its last journey with EMR Intercity

https://twitter.com/hipa_ic125_/status/1387705967836553220?s=21

 

[Steddenm]

I'm not sure why EMR won't tell people what the HSTs are operating when it's in the public domain anyway.

(Image shows a screenshot from Twitter showing a conversation from a user asking EMR when the HSTs are running with EMR replying they can't issue that information)

 

[CBlue]

View attachment 95281

I'm not sure why EMR won't tell people what the HSTs are operating when it's in the public domain anyway.

(Image shows a screenshot from Twitter showing a conversation from a user asking EMR when the HSTs are running with EMR replying they can't issue that information)

For the main purpose of the Twitter feed it's an irrelevance.

Answering any and all questions from enthusiasts would set a precedent, and the staff working it would quickly find themselves managing lots of silly requests asking things like "Can you put 158xxx on the half past 2 from Norwich", for example. (This happened to a local independent bus operator near me who eventually closed down their social media altogether thanks to a number of slightly obsessive types making the platforms hard to manage.)

Their job is to inform of disruption and work "front of house" helping passengers with genuine questions, often alongside a lot of other work duties which might not be related to social media at all. Therefore they have to prioritise answering questions that are actually valuable to answer, like arrival times at a destination or stuff involving lost property.

 

[43066]

For the main purpose of the Twitter feed it's an irrelevance.

Answering any and all questions from enthusiasts would set a precedent, and the staff working it would quickly find themselves managing lots of silly requests asking things like "Can you put 158xxx on the half past 2 from Norwich", for example. (This happened to a local independent bus operator near me who eventually closed down their social media altogether thanks to a number of slightly obsessive types making the platforms hard to manage.)

Their job is to inform of disruption and work "front of house" helping passengers with genuine questions, often alongside a lot of other work duties which might not be related to social media at all. Therefore they have to prioritise answering questions that are actually valuable to answer, like arrival times at a destination or stuff involving lost property.

Indeed. Responding to this kind of request would be very much the thin end of the wedge.

Also, although people with access to the relevant systems might be sharing diagramming information on here and elsewhere, that doesn’t mean the information is “officially” in the public domain.

 

[43096]

Indeed. Responding to this kind of request would be very much the thin end of the wedge.

Also, although people with access to the relevant systems might be sharing diagramming information on here and elsewhere, that doesn’t mean the information is “officially” in the public domain.

Why do people even need to ask?! If you can use Twitter and are interested enough to want to ride on them, then you ought to be able to use RTT to work it out for yourself.

And if you can’t do that it’s no doubt on Faceache, this forum and other forums (fora?). It really isn’t difficult.

 

[AlterEgo]

I’m possibly the only person who’s done the job of replying to people on TOC social media and I think there’s really no harm in them just saying what the diagrams are on request. It’s just about the easiest question you’ll get all day.

Po-faced gatekeeping if you ask me.

 

[Ianno87]

I’m possibly the only person who’s done the job of replying to people on TOC social media and I think there’s really no harm in them just saying what the diagrams are on request. It’s just about the easiest question you’ll get all day.

Still takes time, resources and effort to answer that could be alternatively used to benefit other, real passengers needing genuine help. The railway is not run as a fairground ride for enthusiasts.

 

[87015]

I’m possibly the only person who’s done the job of replying to people on TOC social media and I think there’s really no harm in them just saying what the diagrams are on request. It’s just about the easiest question you’ll get all day.

Po-faced gatekeeping if you ask me.

I used to "slip" the odd typo in for repeat offenders. Anyone who takes unit number gen from a stranger on the internet without any further research is a fool anyway.

 

[AlterEgo]

Still takes time, resources and effort to answer that could be alternatively used to benefit other, real passengers needing genuine help. The railway is not run as a fairground ride for enthusiasts.

No it doesn’t. Really. It’s like someone asking a man on the platform about it. It’s not preventing anyone else from getting help. Directing them to a link which absolutely won’t have the answer they’re looking for is poor.

 

[43066]

Why do people even need to ask?! If you can use Twitter and are interested enough to want to ride on them, then you ought to be able to use RTT to work it out for yourself.

And if you can’t do that it’s no doubt on Faceache, this forum and other forums (fora?). It really isn’t difficult.

Indeed. It really has never been easier to find this kind of thing out!

I’m possibly the only person who’s done the job of replying to people on TOC social media and I think there’s really no harm in them just saying what the diagrams are on request. It’s just about the easiest question you’ll get all day.

Po-faced gatekeeping if you ask me.

There’s no doubt an additional PR concern at the moment around not being seen to encourage gratuitous travel in order to maximise capacity for social distancing etc. That’s not something I necessarily agree with personally, but most TOCs are taking this line.

The HST rundown is causing a great deal of interest and there’s also a wider concern around enthusiasts doing things they shouldn’t (distracting staff at stations, balancing on gates at foot crossings in order to take photos, etc.)

 

[WesternLancer]

The link in the tweet is worth a look

Retirement of our HST's | EMR

We understand the retirement of our remaining High Speed Trains from passenger service in May is an important milestone and one which everyone at EMR is determined to recognise. However, we are also living in unprecedented times and our absolute priority must always be to protect the safety of...

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

esp:

"There is much more to come and in the coming weeks we will be unveiling more ways to mark this occasion and providing opportunities for our passengers, partners and fans to get involved too."

saying 'much more to come' does potentially invite people to ask what that might be if not on the web page...

"However, we will not be advertising the final HST in passenger service.

Our HST's remain in passenger service up until the introduction of our new timetable. We are sure all of you will take the opportunity to ride on these iconic trains in the weeks to come."

Maybe leaves the options open for some runs on the Saturday?

As we get closer to the final day in service our HST services might get busier than usual. We are still in the midst of a pandemic so we need to monitor overcrowding closely. In some instances, boarding controls may be in place at the station meaning not everyone who would like to board a certain service will be able to, even if you have a ticket for a specific service.

 

[greatvoyager]

Is it intentional or coincidence that both former MML power cars, 43272 and 43274, are still running towards the end of HST operation with EMR?

 

[LowLevel]

No it doesn’t. Really. It’s like someone asking a man on the platform about it. It’s not preventing anyone else from getting help. Directing them to a link which absolutely won’t have the answer they’re looking for is poor.

They were receiving constant requests from certain individuals well known for it on Twitter for unit numbers etc. Since they started stonewalling enthusiast requests for train information they don't get the requests so it works for them I suppose.

The information is generally available on the Internet and any self respecting crank knows where to find it.

As much as everyone is sad to see the HSTs go there is certainly an element of just wanting the circus surrounding them to go away. If it isn't the kids walking randomly slamming doors on trains "just because" it's people kneeling on the white line to take pictures with another train bearing down on them.

 

[WesternLancer]

As much as everyone is sad to see the HSTs go there is certainly an element of just wanting the circus surrounding them to go away. If it isn't the kids walking randomly slamming doors on trains "just because" it's people kneeling on the white line to take pictures with another train bearing down on them.

haha - that's a factor DfT could have built in when they should have authorised DDA compliance changes some years ago as soon as they canceled the electrification! Fit sliding doors and remove that problem, and then the sets could have run on until the new trains were ready....

 

[43096]

As much as everyone is sad to see the HSTs go there is certainly an element of just wanting the circus surrounding them to go away. If it isn't the kids walking randomly slamming doors on trains "just because" it's people kneeling on the white line to take pictures with another train bearing down on them.

Proper Midland HSTs finished in December - these are just interlopers that haven’t done a year on the route. Not sure what all the fuss is about!

 

[Skymonster]

Retirement of our HST's | EMR

We understand the retirement of our remaining High Speed Trains from passenger service in May is an important milestone and one which everyone at EMR is determined to recognise. However, we are also living in unprecedented times and our absolute priority must always be to protect the safety of...

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

We understand the retirement of our remaining High Speed Trains from passenger service in May is an important milestone and one which everyone at EMR is determined to recognise.

However, we are also living in unprecedented times and our absolute priority must always be to protect the safety of our colleagues and our customers and operate within the Government's restrictions to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

In marking the retirement of our HST’s we must balance both of these considerations.

We are taking the opportunity to mark this occasion. We have renumbered the historic 43102 and reintroduced the Swallow livery as well as introducing the first (and only) EMR power car. There is much more to come and in the coming weeks we will be unveiling more ways to mark this occasion and providing opportunities for our passengers, partners and fans to get involved too.

However, we will not be advertising the final HST in passenger service.

Our HST's remain in passenger service up until the introduction of our new timetable. We are sure all of you will take the opportunity to ride on these iconic trains in the weeks to come.

The team at Neville Hill depot mark the occasion by re-livering a power car in our EMR brand colours. The 43274 is the first (and only) unique purple HST to enter service on the Midland Main Line.

Mark the retirement of the Intercity 125 safely​

Help us send our HSTs off in style by playing your part to keep everyone safe.

Use the train doors and windows safely.​

If you travel onboard one of our HSTs between now and their retirement remember that train door windows should remain closed at all times while the train is in motion. Only open the train door windows when it has come to a stop at a station platform.

Leaning out the windows of moving trains can cause serious injury or death. Anybody caught disregarding these rules may be removed from the train.

Take photos responsibly​

We get it, our HSTs are photogenic and we love seeing your snaps of the great work our team at Neville Hill have done on our celebrity power cars. Remember if you are taking photographs at a station to be mindful of other people around you and follow these simple rules:

• Stay clear of the platform edge and behind the yellow lines where they are provided for safety reasons.
• Do not trespass onto any area of the railway that is not available to passengers.
• Do not climb on any structure or interfere with platform equipment.
• Ensure that you do not obstruct any signalling equipment or signs which are vital to the safe running of the railways.
• Avoid wearing anything which is similar in colour to safety clothing, such as high -visibility jackets, as this could cause confusion to drivers or other railway employees.
• Avoid congregating at busy areas of the platform (e.g. customer information points, departure screens, waiting areas, seating etc.) or where this may interfere with the duties of station staff.

Travelling close to the HST's retirement date.​

As we get closer to the final day in service our HST services might get busier than usual. We are still in the midst of a pandemic so we need to monitor overcrowding closely. In some instances, boarding controls may be in place at the station meaning not everyone who would like to board a certain service will be able to, even if you have a ticket for a specific service. Please keep this in mind when making your travel arrangements and be prepared to respect our team's decision to deny boarding if we deem it necessary.

 

[nat67]

Proper Midland HSTs finished in December - these are just interlopers that haven’t done a year on the route. Not sure what all the fuss is about!

I didn’t remember seeing many out for those because I was out for them!

 

[Flying Phil]

Nice to see and ride on two HST sets yesterday, the Purple and Intercity liveries are good to see and prove popular with spectators!

 

[raetiamann]

I agree it was a nice report. BBC East Midlands Today usually are quite good at that sort of report. They seem to have lots of staff who have been in the region for many years and will themselves have travelled on those HSTs all of that time and will miss them.

Good to see BBC EM covers the story, however the reporter failed to make it clear the withdrawal applies to EMR. The HSTs belonging to Cross Country will still pass through the East Mids.

 

[WesternLancer]

Good to see BBC EM covers the story, however the reporter failed to make it clear the withdrawal applies to EMR. The HSTs belonging to Cross Country will still pass through the East Mids.

I thought there was some carefully chosen wording that indicated that they were reporting on the EMR trains that were going from the MML (and thus although not specifically mentioned that XC would still serve East Mids with HSTs, the report was 'not wrong'). So I was prepared to excuse the reporter for not mentioning XC.

 

[greatvoyager]

Nice to see and ride on two HST sets yesterday, the Purple and Intercity liveries are good to see and prove popular with spectators!View attachment 95294View attachment 95296

Great photos.

 

[Flying Phil]

Great photos.

Thanks greatvoyager, I was lucky that the sun came out! The other power cars were...

 

[43055]

BBC Look North had a segment tonight with 43102 and 43274 at Neville Hill. Starts at 16:20. Program expires at 7pm tomorrow

BBC iPlayer - Look North (Yorkshire) - Evening News: 11/05/2021