Was 115 just behind 105 by any chance? ie near the mailine.
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Transport for Wales Class 231 / 756 FLIRTs
- Thread starter DaveHarries
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Driver training runs with 756s show in RealTimeTrains on the Aberdare branch on most weekdays at the moment. There are two runs per day - out from Canton at around 0646 and back by 1030, and another one in the afternoon, leaving Canton at 1346 and back by 1730. Looks like they ran most days this week just gone, and there's on out today. So driver training is definitely progressing.
Canton this morning
756001/756105 and 756116 all together nearest line (Ninian Park side, with 756106 behind. One other units behind (unsure if 231 or 756)
Observed at Barry this morning:- 756112/108/113/110 in a group furthest away from front of depot
Directly in front of depot 756 109/006 with another 2 UID.
At rear of depot lots of units, but only 756102 and 756114 IDable from train and also via road running alongside line.
756005 has also worked 3Y00 2101 Cardiff Canton Sidings to Barry Tourist Railway on its own, despite RTT showing 2 units. The unit departed depot and Ninion Park in battery mode.
Cardiff Canton 18/09/24 at 11:00
Rear of depot adjacent to Swansea mainline
756105, 756101, 756005 and 756004.
756001/756105 and 756116 all together nearest line (Ninian Park side, with 756106 behind. One other units behind (unsure if 231 or 756)
Observed at Barry this morning:- 756112/108/113/110 in a group furthest away from front of depot
Directly in front of depot 756 109/006 with another 2 UID.
At rear of depot lots of units, but only 756102 and 756114 IDable from train and also via road running alongside line.
756005 has also worked 3Y00 2101 Cardiff Canton Sidings to Barry Tourist Railway on its own, despite RTT showing 2 units. The unit departed depot and Ninion Park in battery mode.
Cardiff Canton 18/09/24 at 11:00
Rear of depot adjacent to Swansea mainline
756105, 756101, 756005 and 756004.
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nigelsporne
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Which modes are being tested? Or are all? How far does the electrification now go and what is the proposal once they are in service?
We don't know which modes precisely are being tested. Electrification is live on the Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr routes, but it's discontinuous, so there are sections where either the wires are present but carry no power, and other sections where there are no wires at all. In both cases the trains use their batteries. They are still supposed to enter service on some/all of Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr in the next couple of months, before eventually being transferred to Rhymney/Coryton - > Barry/Bridgend/Penarth services when the 398s are in service.
nigelsporne
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Thank you for this. As I don't know much about the 756s can they transfer from one mode to another whilst on the move? I assume the missing pieces of electrification fall into 'the too difficult and expensive bits of the network '.
Yes - just like the 755s, they can transfer back and forth whilst on the move. TfW's approach to electrification has been to keep installation costs to a minimum, so that means no electrification of junctions, listed structures or tunnels, and a number of places where either wires are permanently earthed (i.e. physically in place but carrying no electricity) so that they can pass under low bridges that would otherwise need to be reconstructed. We'll see how it well it works when they start running - some people have been very sceptical. Doubtless there will be some teething troubles, though the section between Radyr and Pontypridd, which was the first to go live, has been tested a lot so I would hope any lessons learned transferred to the other parts of the system.
There's a video here of a 756 being tested, running with the pantograph raised so presumably on overhead electric power. https://x.com/SW_MetroUpdates/status/1831378508620415282
nigelsporne
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Thank you. Much appreciated.
Buried in this TfW customer satisfaction report is the news that the 756s are due for introduction at the end of October.
Trainbike46
Established Member
That's great news!
I’ve just read that 756’s are planned to start service on the 11th of November. So a little later than the end of October but not massively.
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Sounds promising! Thanks for sharing!
Lewisham2221
Established Member
That's great news, should (hopefully) free up some more 197s for strengthening Marches and North Wales Coast services
Not for a while yet - the 756s are being introduced in lieu of 398s. 398s are due to come in from summer 2025, and only then (plus when the electrification to Rhymney is finished) will the 231s be released to the mainline services, finally freeing up the 197s.
Lewisham2221
Established Member
Ohhh I see. Will they not free up any 150s or 153s to cascade things that way? I'm not fully clued up on what goes on in South Wales and the Valleys.
The idea is to free up the Sprinters, but the 150s are all coming up for a once-in-every-ten-years major examination. It’s not worth having them put through the major work required, so as they expire they’ll be retired from service (and presumably stripped for parts and scrapped).
Equally, my understanding was that the 756’s introduction (as there are 24 of them) would mean that at least some of the 231’s would be put on to their intended workings which are currently being covered by 197’s.
There are 8 231 diagrams per day, today, 2 of which are covered by 153’s.
But I don’t know for certain what the plan is.
There are 8 231 diagrams per day, today, 2 of which are covered by 153’s.
But I don’t know for certain what the plan is.
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Peter Sarf
Established Member
I suppose the simple way to look at it is how many 150s does TfW still have ?.
How soon will those 150s fall due for expensive exams ?.
All of those 150s will be going iirc so that risks being the shortage of stock until the 398s take over the TAM lines. That is not happening until June 2025 onwards. So there will not be full utilisation of 231s/756s on their intended routes until a lot of 398s are in and/or the 150s are miraculously kept longer.
From the other end of the equation. Would the Cambrian 197s be used as cover ?. Thus meaning the Cambrian 158s are hung on to for longer - so what life is there left in the Cambrian 158 fleet ?.
The Cambrian 197s then might not be able to take over Cambrian work until the 231s/756s move to their intended routes.
I suppose the alternative is Cambrian 197s go onto Cambrian and the Cambrian 158s go onto routes the 231s (maybe also 756s) are meant for - but would that require crew training ?.
How much life is left in the Cambrian 158s ?.
One way or another I can see the 231s and 756s taking a while to get on to their intended routes !.
How soon will those 150s fall due for expensive exams ?.
All of those 150s will be going iirc so that risks being the shortage of stock until the 398s take over the TAM lines. That is not happening until June 2025 onwards. So there will not be full utilisation of 231s/756s on their intended routes until a lot of 398s are in and/or the 150s are miraculously kept longer.
From the other end of the equation. Would the Cambrian 197s be used as cover ?. Thus meaning the Cambrian 158s are hung on to for longer - so what life is there left in the Cambrian 158 fleet ?.
The Cambrian 197s then might not be able to take over Cambrian work until the 231s/756s move to their intended routes.
I suppose the alternative is Cambrian 197s go onto Cambrian and the Cambrian 158s go onto routes the 231s (maybe also 756s) are meant for - but would that require crew training ?.
How much life is left in the Cambrian 158s ?.
One way or another I can see the 231s and 756s taking a while to get on to their intended routes !.
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As long as the 756s come into service faster than the 150s need to go in the bin, then it will free up 150s for use across south Wales. With the lines blocked north of Radyr blocked for a week, there are several 150s out on mainline turns vice 197s. I expect some people will be annoyed by this but the ire needs to be directed towards CAF rather than the 150s.
Looks like 756s will come to Coryton and Penarth in the spring of 2025 (and thus likely to Caerphilly too, as they interwork), so that’ll free upa few more Sprinters. (Thanks to anthony263 on the Metro Updates thread)
news.tfw.wales
Engineering work to prepare for the electrification of the Coryton line
Over the past months, Transport for Wales has increased its engineering work along the Coryton line in preparation for electrifying the line in early November 2024. This marks a significant milestone in the South Wales Metro programme and will allow TfW to introduce new trains on the Coryton...
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56xx
Member
Seems to be only about 50% availability of 231s lately 5 yesterday and 6 today.
There are 8 diagrams today and 6 are 231’s with 150’s covering the other two.
XCTurbostar
Established Member
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Are the Maesteg-Cheltenhams booked as 2-car 197s? It seems to be mixed with 150s, 153s, and 3-car 197s all appearing on these services within the last week.
On paper there's 3 2car and 2 3 car 197 diagrams
TfW have put out a press release and video about driver training on the 756s. https://news.tfw.wales/news/driver-...I5iwfSfRNdR5FqfHTc_aem_uO2eKqkGWwxZZ7Y402djDg
Have all the drivers learning the 756s already been trainned on the 231s or are some going straight from Sprinters to 756s?
Valley drivers sign 231s and also 15* so will be a conversion from 231 to 756
Cardiff123
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Am I correct in thinking the last holdout for the 150s/153s on the Valleys will be Rhymney - Barry - Bridgend? The reason for this has been given that Barry - Bridgend is worked by mainline crews who aren't trained on 231s yet. So can't mainline crews be trained on 231s now seeing as 231s will work mainline eventually?
The difference on the VoG line between spacious 4 carriage trains 3tph to Barry Island, and cramped 2 carriage 150s/153s once an hour to/from Bridgend is now very obvious.
The difference on the VoG line between spacious 4 carriage trains 3tph to Barry Island, and cramped 2 carriage 150s/153s once an hour to/from Bridgend is now very obvious.