The first Intercity Express Programme passenger carrying trains are planned for October, however Great Western Railway is unable to confirm the exact day that the first members of its new fleet of Hitachi Rail Europe Intercity Express Programme Class 800s will carry passengers.
RAIL understands that the planned date is October 16, and that two rostered duties have been planned, with one train starting in Bristol and finishing in London, and the other starting in London and completing the day in Bristol.
GWR confirmed that duties had not been finalised, and that details already published were from original plans that have since changed.
Spokesman Dan Panes was unable to confirm the exact plans. However, times have appeared on RealTimeTrains suggesting that on October 16 an IEP will operate:
0445 Stoke Gifford-Bristol Temple Meads (empty coaching stock, ECS),
0600 Bristol Temple Meads-London Paddington,
0815 London Paddington-Bristol Parkway,
0954 Bristol Parkway-Stoke Gifford (ECS), 1115 return (ECS) ,
1132 Bristol Parkway-London Paddington,
1345 London Paddington-Swansea, 1724 return,
2051 London Paddington-North Pole (ECS).
A second duty planned for an IEP, starting the same day, will be:
0633 North Pole-London Paddington (ECS),
0700 London Paddington-Bristol Temple Meads, 0930 return,
1145 London Paddington-Swansea, 1524 return,
1900 London Paddington-Bristol Temple Meads, 2109 Bristol Temple Meads-Stoke Gifford (ECS).
GWR has 36 five-car Class 800/0s, 21 nine-car Class 800/3s, 22 five-car Class 802/0s and 14 nine-car Class 802/1s on order, with the ‘800/0s’ the first to enter traffic. Driver training has been carried out, with the first GWR drivers now passed to operate the trains.
As part of the training and testing, ‘800s’ are becoming increasingly common across the GWR network ahead of their introduction. So far 800001-006/008-021 have all been delivered, with 800003/004 the first in GWR green.
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Comments
Sim - 21/09/2017 18:00
So does this mean that all of those services will just be 1x 5 car 800/0?
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Jon Porter - 23/09/2017 06:10
No, each HST will be replaced by a 10 car diagram to begin with
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Thomas - 21/09/2017 18:14
I have seen the new rail in Darlington . Is there a new rail coming on York route as well or is it just trial
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Samuel legg. - 21/09/2017 21:57
No mention of west of england as usual .
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FrankH - 21/09/2017 22:06
Timetabling them should be interesting, keeping them out of the way of the faster HST's. The Plymouth and Penzance services will be a nightmare until full bi mode operation's in place.
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AndrewJGwilt1989 - 22/09/2017 03:28
Glad its starting passenger service from October.
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R knowles - 28/09/2017 12:55
Seems to have changed again according to the system Mons to Fri have changed Sats is OK suns all over the place if anyone can confirm
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FrankH - 16/10/2017 19:58
Todays first revenue run didn't exactly go to plan. Room for improvement shall we say.
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Paul B - 14/11/2017 22:59
The new GWR trains have to be the most glaring step backwards in terms of customer service I've ever seen. They are truly diabolical: naff interiors, noisy, no buffet and seats so hard you may as well be sitting on wood. As a punter, I'm just gobsmacked by how universally rubbish they are.
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David Shewry - 10/03/2018 13:56
At present the new 800 class working the Worcester trains are of 5 car stock would this mean when the HST's are displaced the more busy trains from Worcester in the morning to London and also the evening trains to Worcester are also 5 car units or will this be increased 10 10 cars
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