Peter Sarf
Established Member
Is it testing or training ?. Could that mean the next batch of drivers are close to completing training ?.
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Transport for Wales Class 231 / 756 FLIRTs
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Bob Price
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Think it's a bit of both. They are testing at the same time.
Peter Sarf
Established Member
Thanks. I do get the feeling that several of the 231s will be in use on many services soon. (that's jinxed it).
Rick1984
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From the pictures. They look smart, but a bit spartan and less homely than the Greater Anglia Flirts
Today’s unit is 231001, on the usual diagram - 0803 from Penarth being its next leg as I write this.
Judging from the discarded McDonalds meal scattered across the floor when I rode on a 231 on Wednesday afternoon , I think TfW have made the right decision about an easy-clean interior!
6Gtraincrew
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I believe there are two sets planned to be out tomorrow
RailWonderer
Established Member
Mainly because of the lack of carpets. The GA ones have a nicer ambience but Wales is still lucky to have them.
Jacob Porrett
On Moderation
I think carpets would have looked better but here we are anyways. Not a major issue really. Would have been nice though.
6Gtraincrew
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231002 making it's debut and also 231010 are both out in passenger service today
Rick1984
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Also the colour palette is a bit more stark white
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
I find it to be so on 745s compared to 755s too.
I had another go on a 231 today.
The platforms at Queen Street (or platform 2 at any rate) aren't quite high enough (yet) - getting a wheelchair on board required a ramp to deal with the height difference, not just something to fit over a gap that was too large for the built-in steps. I must confess I hadn't noticed the height difference when getting off myself.
A few other observations:
Not that I can see it matters, but the coach letters on the electronic displays don't necessarily match up with the stickers on the doors. I don't suppose they'll be offering reservations even when on the intended routes so I'm not sure what the coach letters do anyway.
Somebody tripped slightly getting out of their seat because they didn't notice/forgot about the step down. The price you pay for low floor trains I suppose.
The on-board information system coped well with running non stop from Penarth to Central due to delays, and even reminded everyone (in two languages of course) that they might be able to get some money back for the delay.
Still very impressed with the trains.
The platforms at Queen Street (or platform 2 at any rate) aren't quite high enough (yet) - getting a wheelchair on board required a ramp to deal with the height difference, not just something to fit over a gap that was too large for the built-in steps. I must confess I hadn't noticed the height difference when getting off myself.
A few other observations:
Not that I can see it matters, but the coach letters on the electronic displays don't necessarily match up with the stickers on the doors. I don't suppose they'll be offering reservations even when on the intended routes so I'm not sure what the coach letters do anyway.
Somebody tripped slightly getting out of their seat because they didn't notice/forgot about the step down. The price you pay for low floor trains I suppose.
The on-board information system coped well with running non stop from Penarth to Central due to delays, and even reminded everyone (in two languages of course) that they might be able to get some money back for the delay.
Still very impressed with the trains.
Dai Corner
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Does it know Caerphilly is the next stop after Lisvane & Thornhill and Queen Street that after Heath High Level? It didn't on the train I got last week.
Not sure but this time it did seem to know that Grangetown isn't the stop after Queen Street.
The screens (but not the announcements) blamed the delays on medical assistance being summoned for a passenger, but I'm not sure how that explains the very long dwell times at both Queen Street and Central despite arriving quite late at Queen Street.
6Gtraincrew
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231004 first day today
I’m on a train into Cardiff from Penarth and we just passed a 231 at Cogan Junction. I think it may have been operating this service to Barry Island - can anyone confirm? https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L09466/2023-02-07/detailed
03_179
Established Member
There is nothing on RTT for that service.
On the system it's not got an allocation.
On the system it's not got an allocation.
Indeed! That caught my interest, so I’m hoping someone else might be able to confirm with the old mk1 eyeball!
If the incoming service really did divide at Central as claimed by RTT, I suspect it wasn't a 231.
It looks to me as if it was 3Z60.
I was going to suggest that the 3Z code implied a 231 non-passenger trial run. Then saw that RTT says that it was run with 231009.
03_179
Established Member
Location Mileage Arr Dep WTT ID Diagram Position / others
Canton Sidings 08:00 3Z60 CF259 1
Cardiff Central 08:05 08:15 3Z60 CF259 1
Barry Down Sidin 9 08:39 10:21 3Z61 CF259 1
Cardiff Central 17 10:47 10:50 3Z61 CF259 1
Canton Sidings 18 11:02
231009
Canton Sidings 08:00 3Z60 CF259 1
Cardiff Central 08:05 08:15 3Z60 CF259 1
Barry Down Sidin 9 08:39 10:21 3Z61 CF259 1
Cardiff Central 17 10:47 10:50 3Z61 CF259 1
Canton Sidings 18 11:02
231009
Ah, thank you! I was struggling a bit to work my way through RTT in detailed mode on my phone!
No problem! They do seem to be happy to send them out on tests on various routes as well as Rhymney to Penarth. (At one point they were travelling up to Pontypridd.)
RailWonderer
Established Member
The 745 seat reservation displays are never on anyway and GA sell advances for the Norwich IC but good to have in case the Welsh ones are used for anything longer distance in future. Lots of passengers will be tripping, I was for the first year of the Stadlers being in service before I got used to them.
Looks as if the entrance from the saloon into the cabs is also a bit awkward until you get used to it.
Are there any platforms shorter than a 231 on the Maesteg/Ebbw Vale/Cheltenham routes they are intended for? If not, perhaps it is just a carry over from the specification of the 756s, which will presumably need coach letters to tell passengers which coach they need to be in due to the short platforms at Gilfach Fargoed (or are they to be lengthened?)
In my experience SDO is usually done with coach numbers (though presumably not with HSTs) - and stations with really short platforms like Gilfach Fargoed just by telling passengers they need to be at the door nearest the front.
And letters on the outside of the train are of much more use for reservations than telling people where they need to be to get off.
As far as I can work out, 4 231s were out on the Rhymney line today. 231004 was on the passenger turn, 231006 on the Rhymney-Rhymney 3R05, 231002 on 3741-4, but I don't know what was on 3730-6 Canton - Ystrad Mynach and Caerphilly. It passed me at Llanishen moving at a fair whack, impossible to read the number. Anybody got any ideas?
Something I noticed today is that when the guard locally opens a door it still goes through the same sequence as when opening/closing for passengers, i.e. ramp out, door open, then when it's closing the warning signal, doors close, ramp in. This is going to add a bit to dwell times and I don't think I've seen a train before where there is a pause for the warning alarm even when the guard is shutting the door they're at.
Given that crew are deemed capable of reaching the external cab doors from a platform, I'd have thought you could save some time by retracting the ramp at the guard's door when they shut all the other doors. Likewise, when the guard opens their door to look out and make sure the platform is still there, why not put the ramps out for all the other doors at the same time?
Given that crew are deemed capable of reaching the external cab doors from a platform, I'd have thought you could save some time by retracting the ramp at the guard's door when they shut all the other doors. Likewise, when the guard opens their door to look out and make sure the platform is still there, why not put the ramps out for all the other doors at the same time?
AlexNL
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That'd introduce a fall hazard as you're then creating a situation in which an open door usually has a ramp, but sometimes it does not. It doesn't take much for someone to lose track of the situation (e.g. guard getting asked a question by a passenger) and then falling between train and platform because the step has retracted already.
Deployment of the step is probably linked to the door being unlocked, which may in turn be influenced by ASDO keeping doors closed due to short platforms.