RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted June 17, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2021 Email received this morning apologetically announces significant reductions in regional services from 19 th June due to the TOC’s inability to fulfill the new timetable introduced on 16th May.Echoes of similar happenings elsewhere I think. So what’s gone wrong here ? Infrastructure,train crew or stock issues ? Many rail users are obviously to be put to serious inconvenience by a supposedly improved service.I imagine that most constituency MP’s and local authorities will now be engaged in a serious amount of ear bashing…..not to mention those poor souls currently dependent on a service for their livelihoods. More rail users lost to private cars I imagine.Here we go again… 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
black and decker boy Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 How many 170s were they expecting in traffic? How many 15x have been sent off lease? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted June 17, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 17, 2021 28 minutes ago, black and decker boy said: How many 170s were they expecting in traffic? How many 15x have been sent off lease? These issues..if indeed they are issues…should not have been left to chance. Little excuse in forward planning.The numbers 170 and 153 mean nothing to fare paying passengers.They just want a train. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 I thought that they promised timetable chaos wouldn’t happen again? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2021 28 minutes ago, ess1uk said: I thought that they promised timetable chaos wouldn’t happen again? But this is NOT a timetabling issue! The bottom line is EMR simply do not have sufficient units available to run the service they planned. The train paths exist and don't conflict with anything else (unlike the situation you allude to a few years ago where the train paths themselves were all messed up). Quite why this has come about I'm not sure but one presumes delays in rolling stock commissioning may be a factor - the Gospel Oak to Barking line in London had no service for around six months a while back because lease on the diesel units expired and got took on by West Midlands trains but Bombardiers new electric stock was heavily delayed in getting approval to operate by the ORR due to commissioning problems. It doesn't help that with the latest PRM regulations now in force the HST and 153 fleet have been effectively outlawed so they couldn't to help out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 23, 2021 On 17/06/2021 at 21:06, Ian Hargrave said: These issues..if indeed they are issues…should not have been left to chance. Little excuse in forward planning.The numbers 170 and 153 mean nothing to fare paying passengers.They just want a train. Quite - but we are where we are. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - but its not going to provide any more stock is it? The law prohibits the use of 153s unless coupled to a PRM unit while the HSTs have been binned for the same PRM reasons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flittersnoop Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 4 minutes ago, phil-b259 said: Quite - but we are where we are. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - but its not going to provide any more stock is it? The law prohibits the use of 153s unless coupled to a PRM unit while the HSTs have been binned for the same PRM reasons. Then the law is an ass, because the alternative to the train is much worse for any "PRM". 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Ian Hargrave Posted June 23, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 23, 2021 12 minutes ago, phil-b259 said: Quite - but we are where we are. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - but its not going to provide any more stock is it? The law prohibits the use of 153s unless coupled to a PRM unit while the HSTs have been binned for the same PRM reasons. Well at least we have one assertion that it is a shortfall of stock that’s causing the current difficulties…..from a member of this forum but not from Abellio. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curlew Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 The problem affects EMR Regional Routes, not EMR Connect or EMR Intercity, according to their web site. If so, the withdrawal of HSTs is surely not relevant? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted June 23, 2021 Share Posted June 23, 2021 one presumes this is a result of WMR's CAF 196s still gathering dust at Tyseley, in turn causing the 170s to stay put for longer than intended? I agree that passengers don't really care why there isn't a train as advertised , merely that said train isn't running , but by the same token , if the DfT are to be believed , the rail network is bereft of passengers anyway, so surely the issue is academic on that basis? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Robert Shrives Posted June 23, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 23, 2021 Slightly off topic as noted above no passengers? Well cambrian coast traffic looking like nothing has ever happened with folk all jammed together on Barmouth station and by the level crossing! Does look like a bit of a cascade shambles. TfW 153 conversions work well and when back as 155 esq two cars and ideal solution for a railcar railway. Given the fact that UK holiday resorts busier than ever I bet "Skeggy - duck" stock as busy which must be a cause for concern. Given the late delivery of 196 etc across the land and other fleet issues I can only hope DfT have a sleepless night or so given it is hardly a sudden surprise - no effort to get temp extension on PRM non compliancy allowances to help the majority nor supply a good quality road based solution as a temp measure - too much shoulder sloping I fear. All very modern Britain it seems! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ess1uk Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 15 hours ago, phil-b259 said: But this is NOT a timetabling issue! The bottom line is EMR simply do not have sufficient units available to run the service they planned. The train paths exist and don't conflict with anything else (unlike the situation you allude to a few years ago where the train paths themselves were all messed up). I get what you are saying, But to the average Joe, they were promised an improved timetable and it is not being delivered. they must have known the stock was not available? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 (edited) I've read elsewhere that its a training issue, lack of staff trained on 170s. I suspect there are multiple reasons for this, 170s arriving late from other franchises and COVID making training slow going. Also three of the 156s are going off lease today, which seems stupid. (to be stored at Barrow Hill LIP https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:37155/2021-06-24/detailed) Edited June 24, 2021 by Talltim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 Seems to be like a game of chess. There are folks planning certain moves but failing to consider a what if scenario for if stock is not released due to some other factors or having to release existing stock due to financial agreements. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted June 24, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 24, 2021 We have a 170 at Norwich for staff training presumably to allow the use of 170s on "our" services. Yesterday and today it's (been) on a run to Grantham and back Here it is heading for Norwich on Monday. Eccles Road 21/06/2021 (Monday) 170416 on 5L06, 09:40, Nottingham - Norwich (12:12) - for crew training, first EMR 170 to Norwich 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted June 24, 2021 Share Posted June 24, 2021 ^^^Were you still there half an hour or so later? If so I was the guard on the 11.57 Norwich-Liverpool. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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