trains
(Radio 4's on today again)
The radio's talking about the replacements for the Intercity 125's.
So, these are to run (eventually) on the East Coast mainline and the Great Western London-Bristol/South wales routes.
Now, I hardly ever (if at all) go on the East Cost mainline mainly cos I don't live in the East, but the 125's that run to Paddington are my favourite trains.
On time? Yes, normally, because the London train takes priority over the local ones. Even when they're not, they tend to hold connections (which doesn't happen when you're on a late Virgin Cross Country train from Birmingham - I'm not sure how much that's affected by London Railway Magic and how much by the London trains being operated by the same company as the local ones)
Comfortable? Much more so than the dodgy old local trains with swivel doors (though the refurbished ones that are ever so sloooowlly creeping onto the routes I use are quite nice)
Quiet? Amazingly so - on the local trains the power units are under the carriages, which is ever so noisy whenever the train accelerates, decelerates, moves at a constant speed...anything at all bar the engine being off. Whereas the London train is soooo quiet and gentle (because of having an actual loco) that you don't even notice it leaving the platform unless you happen to be looking out of the window.
Reliable? - possibly because of London Train Magic or possibly because they're better maintained, hardly ever do you get on a 125 to find it shuddering into silence and the lights going off (even allowing for the fact that they're not noisy anyway). I love the 125s, because there's miles of space and they WORK. (Also because they don't stop at the stations between Temple meads and Nailsea, when I do catch them it takes 11 minutes instead of 14)
The main problem with the 125's is the door handles - trying to open a door out of a window with a rucksack on you back without falling on your head when it does open is an acquired skill, but the fact that the doors have selective opening does at least mean that they STOP AT MY STATION (changing at Temple Meads is one of the things that annoys me about the unpunctuality of local trains!)
I've no objection to automatic doors - but the new trains had better have selective unlocking for shorter plaformed stations!
end rant
The radio's talking about the replacements for the Intercity 125's.
So, these are to run (eventually) on the East Coast mainline and the Great Western London-Bristol/South wales routes.
Now, I hardly ever (if at all) go on the East Cost mainline mainly cos I don't live in the East, but the 125's that run to Paddington are my favourite trains.
On time? Yes, normally, because the London train takes priority over the local ones. Even when they're not, they tend to hold connections (which doesn't happen when you're on a late Virgin Cross Country train from Birmingham - I'm not sure how much that's affected by London Railway Magic and how much by the London trains being operated by the same company as the local ones)
Comfortable? Much more so than the dodgy old local trains with swivel doors (though the refurbished ones that are ever so sloooowlly creeping onto the routes I use are quite nice)
Quiet? Amazingly so - on the local trains the power units are under the carriages, which is ever so noisy whenever the train accelerates, decelerates, moves at a constant speed...anything at all bar the engine being off. Whereas the London train is soooo quiet and gentle (because of having an actual loco) that you don't even notice it leaving the platform unless you happen to be looking out of the window.
Reliable? - possibly because of London Train Magic or possibly because they're better maintained, hardly ever do you get on a 125 to find it shuddering into silence and the lights going off (even allowing for the fact that they're not noisy anyway). I love the 125s, because there's miles of space and they WORK. (Also because they don't stop at the stations between Temple meads and Nailsea, when I do catch them it takes 11 minutes instead of 14)
The main problem with the 125's is the door handles - trying to open a door out of a window with a rucksack on you back without falling on your head when it does open is an acquired skill, but the fact that the doors have selective opening does at least mean that they STOP AT MY STATION (changing at Temple Meads is one of the things that annoys me about the unpunctuality of local trains!)
I've no objection to automatic doors - but the new trains had better have selective unlocking for shorter plaformed stations!
end rant