TheGreatBritishRailScene

It's that time of year again - the results for the National Rail Passenger Survey 2018 are in. Click here for a summary of the news.  Effectively though, Virgin East Coast are the highest performers.  The GTR group though are at the bottom.  Meanwhile, at the Golden Whistle Awards, Greater Anglia was named the 'most improved' operator for punctuality on the Norwich to London Liverpool Street Mainline. This is a 5.8% increase compared to 2017!  Whilst on the topic of Greater Anglia, we've seen a first look at the Stadler FLIRTS which are now being built. These class 755 units are currently on the production line, and 3 or 4 carriages will be coupled together to form a unit. As reported previously , from Summer this year the tests and trials will commence. Then in 2019, 38 of these 3-car and 4-car units will enter service to replace Class 153/156/170 Rural Units in 2019. Below, a photo of the Stadler FLIRT power-unit. Effectively, this carriage will...

Happy New Year! Best Wishes From All Of Us Here At GBRailScene, The Unbiased/Accurate Blog For UK Rail News.  Also, Sorry Once Again For The Lack Of Posts, Difficult To Keep This Page Going Considering We're All Busy. Apologies For Reduced Effort - We Aim To Keep The Page Open As Long As Possible!  Anyway, Now A Welcome To The Latest Long-Awaited Summary Regarding Automated Announcements Currently Used On The UK Rail Network......  This article will highlight which voiceover artists are used for pre-automated announcements at each of the UK Train Operating Companies.  Generally, Anne from ATOS is the main person used ( she's even heard in Ireland ), as the ATOS system becomes the most popular information provision system. 

Now, the latest Railway Related news and updates from around the UK for November 2017!  Fleet Summary:   In conjunction with the 10 year anniversary of HST sets operating for Grand Central,  the time has also come to bid farewell to them.  The power cars will go off-lease in December, returning to their leasing company Angel Trains. 

Soon we'll say farewell to the final few 442s which are being leased at Gatwick Express, as 387s step in fully.  But the 442s aren't going without a fight. On Sunday 12th March, it'll be there farewell tour as arranged by the Branch Line Society and Govia. The service will be formed of at least 5-cars, 442 402 or 410, and there'll be catering facilities onboard. The route currently planned (awaiting Network Rail schedule) is: 10:30 London Victoria - Clapham Junction - Beckenham Junction - West Norwood and then back to London Victoria via Clapham Jctn. The train will then run south towards East Croydon and Three Bridges, then onto Brighton before heading back up towards New Cross Gate, Selhurst Depot and London Victoria (19.43). Finally the train will operate down to Stewarts lane and back to Victoria in time for 21:09. 

Harry Here, Summarising Some Of The Interesting Fleet News Between Oct 2016 and Spring 2017...... 10/2016: 142073 heads to  Doncaster for overhaul , as all ArrivaTrainsWales are going into the new livery gradually. 27/01/2017: 37423 and an extra DRS MK2 arrive at Norwich from  Derby, for Short Set usage.  Meanwhile, 68021 and 68016 arrive to take over duty's on the 68 Hauled Anglia Short Set, because 68025 and 68005 both need exams.  01/17: Virgin East coast finish the overhaul of all 45 trains! 

As stated last December , 7 catering coaches at Abellio Greater Anglia were to be overhauled and converted. FORM COACH H ON NORWICH TO LONDON LIVERPOOL STREET LINE. Reducing the size of the kitchen area to just a counter and stock storage has meant that more seating has been added... 600,000 more seats each year. Rather than having just 24 First Class seats, each of the 7 carriages now have 54 standard seats due to the additional space.

IN SUMMARY: - Free Wi-Fi on Many Trains and also an  improved WiFi service at stations .  - Additional seats on trains across the network, by increasing train lengths and capacity.  - CET toilets, so waste isn't flushed onto tracks. This is already on MK3s.  - Increasing train punctuality and performance. - Entire fleet replacement (stated below), so other units are displaced or withdrawn. - Norwich to Cambridge trains extended to Stansted, and Sudbury branch lines running to Colchester. - Lowestoft connections to London Liverpool Street reinstated, using the electro-diesel units, four times per day. - Trains half hourly to Great Yarmouth, plus later connections to Sheringham and Lowestoft.

Harry Back From Vacation! No Week Review Today Though, As Peter Skuce Has Sent In Some Great Images Of His.  First, Chiltern Rail. This is the interior of a Class 168 clubman, used on their services in Western England. Chiltern operate many types of this unit... 5 from 1999 (168001-005), 8 from the year 2000 (168107-113), 6 from 2004 (214/218/219 are 3-car, and 215-217 are 4-car) and also 2-car 168/3s numbered 168321-329.

Dear GB Rail Scene, I  am writing to you with regards to the post dated Tuesday 11 November 2014: Plans for UK Train Stock and Units by Harry.  I would like to add my own comments with regards to what is happening to trains affected by PRM TSI (Persons of Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability and replaces Disability Discrimination Act), which comes into effect from 1 January 2020 and features the following legal requirements:        EAO series 56 ‘easy to see, easy to press’ yellow circular LED Passenger Door Controls.       Audible door opening sounders and door closing hustle alarms.      Easily accessible grab poles/sanchlions.        Ceiling mounted passenger information displays and audio announcements.        Internal gangway door handles.        RVAR universal accessible toilet (if the train is already fitted with toilets)

PETER: Lea Valley Lines/West Anglia Main Line modernisation through the years.... During the mid 1950s British Railways electrified the Lea Valley Line between London Liverpool Street – Chingford/Enfield Town with chunky, heavy duty, sturdy steel gantries holding both the catenary wire and contact wire itself. Electrification of the West Anglia Main Line to Cheshunt (as well as the branch line to Hertford East), Harlow and Bishops Stortford was approved and this was completed in 1969.

Harry here, I'm on the Saturday shift as Matthew's away. Just a quick report today.... Between 2002 and 2004, Southern acquired nine 2-car ( 171721-730 ) and six 4-car ( 172801-171806 ) 171 Turbostars for the non-electrified routes. In 2006, one further 171 transferred from South West Trains.  Now, all of these units are used for the Marshlink Line, between Ashford and Hastings, for Ashford-Brighton, London Bridge to Oxted, Ashford to Rye/Hastings (Peak-Time, using 171/7s) and also the Oxted to Uckfield Branch (6 or 8 car units, so 2x 4-car or 1x 4-car coupled to a 2-car).

Welcome Back. Today, We Take A Look At Some Photos From Thameslink, Of Their Own Class 700 Units Which Begin To Take To The Tracks In South Easterly England....  A stock focus of these units can be found   here if you missed it, as this will summarise the majority of train specifications and features already announced. All I will state about these units (in roughly 50 words) are that they are Class 700s, built by Siemens, are more suitable for the audience, have lots of gadgets and features, are cutting edge, used primarily on the Bedford-Brighton route and are in the 2+2 style seating. Phew! Wow!

FURTHER TO LIAM'A REPORT, I BRING YOU ALL A BRIEF TOC FOCUS, HIGHLIGHTING THE PROGRESS OF OVERHAULS AT GWR..... This is 158956 , a hybrid unit at GWR. What makes this unit different to the rest is that two units have been combined into one - so 1 driver cab off a 158 is attached to a 2-car 158, leading to 3 cabs (though only 2 operational, obviously). All 158/7 series was apparently 2-cars originally, converted to 3-cars, except the unused cab was removed. So this is why 056 is so different!

I'm Harry, providing today's News Roundup - Prescheduled with updates from a variety of TOCs and FOCs. Without waiting any longer.... Firstly to announce, the scheduled GBRf tour on 31st July 2016 (One Month Away Now) to raise money for charity. Named the Crystal Maze II (I'm not on about Indianna Jones) ,  hauled by a GBRf 66 throughout, this service departs  Birmingham at lunchtime running to Eastleigh, calling at Cheltenham Spa and Didcot Parkway only (non-stop via Swindon and Basingstoke). 

D78 Stock - Omar (C). District Line.  Pre-Scheduled (Am Probably  Still Asleep)... We Usually Only Take A Look At News And Updates Above Ground, So This Is Probably A Welcome Change To See A TFL Focussed London Underground Post.  First I'll summarise which units are used on what routes for the Tube, aside from routes which use S-Stock as I'll come onto this topic shortly.

Weight sensors work out which carriages are busy or less empty. As we've stated,  115 Siemens 700s  will take to the tracks from June this year. And a 12-car version was unveiled at Blackfriars on 24th May. So what better time for a Stock Focus for these units... At first, they will run the Bedford to Brighton route, in coming weeks, followed by the Peterborough and Cambridge services over the next decade.

26 miles of new tunnels built. A total of 594 carriages needed to make up 66 nine-car units. Of course, lots  of Nando's  across the route. 12 trains per hour (each direction) on the Shenfield to Central London route from 2018, extending to Reading and Heathrow by 2019. This post will highlight the features of the Aventra Class 345 units, built by Bombardier at Derby, which will operate the length and breadth of the CrossRail TFL route, the Queen Elizabeth route as it's named.

Northern Rail Demonstrator 144012. It's been a while  since we last reported this unit, but this project shows how the dated Pacer units can be transformed into something which is simply spectacular.... Even though at a fairly significant price tag! This post will express the highlights and features of this unit which makes a 1984 (Hunslet Barclay) built unit look like it's from the 2020 era!

Harry Here Today. Welcome To Our General News Update Post! Without Further Ado.... To see what has already been posted, and to be able to refer to these developing stories, see here , here  and here .  RENATUS : This programme is well underway, as reported! Units 321303 , 321304 and 321321 (as seen to the right, captured by J Maxim at Doncaster) are all due back in Anglia following Renatus overhaul this Spring.  Fleet List for the full database. 

Welcome to Part 3 of the AGA Fleet Focus, this time for the Class 317/379 West Anglia EMU units. If you've missed Part 1 it's here , whilst Part 2 is here.  Class 317s are gradually being overhauled and operate on all of the Abellio Greater Anglia West Anglia routes aside from the Stansted Express (317s only operate a few odd SExp Diagrams). See here for interior shots.