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Topic: Goodbye, Central Trains "153"s (Read 6097 times)
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Graham Ellis
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I understand that the 2 x 153 type trains in the Central Trains livery that have been helping out on the Wessex services are to be returned from whence they were borrowed on 13th of this month ... so reducing the fleet of these trains which form the mainstay of services on our line from 15 to 13.  Although we've had severe stock shortages recently, and that's lead to many cancellations, the problem has been more in the serviing than the number of units phyically at the Cardiff depot, so hopefully the service won't get any worse. |
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Sion Bretton
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They used a "153" on 6.56 services from Melksham this AM.
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Graham Ellis
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They used a "153" on 6.56 services from Melksham this AM.
OOh - I bet that was packed out between Warminster and Salisbury! |
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Sion Bretton
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I am still see the Central Trains on they formal Wessex lines picked up passengers at trowbridge.
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Graham Ellis
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Ahha ... which goes to prove, then, that I shouldn't believe everything I'm told  Q; What does it cost to hire a "153" for a year. I've asked 4 people and had 4 different figures quoted. I'm just now trying to work out which one is most accurate, and perhaps how they're all based on different criteria. |
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Lee
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Government statistics (October 2005) state the cost of hiring a Class 153 train for a year as being £630,000 . Seperate statistics claim that it would only cost £1m to build one at todays prices....
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Lee
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Just a further note on this. The £630,000 figure is based on the train being formed of 3 coaches. One of the features of the Class 153 is that it can work in multiple with the following classes : 142, 150, 156 and 158. Of course , not all trains are formed of 3 coaches. For every coach removed , a saving of approxiamately £100,000 is made in reduced leasing costs.
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Graham Ellis
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Yes, that's where the 630k comes from. So it reduces to 430k for a 153 according to your 100k less per coach removed.
However, Friday night, Andrew Griffiths from First told me 150k per 153, plus 300k per annum to crew it and for all the ancilliary costs. So perhaps that's included in the 630k - was it lease price, or lease and crew price.
At a figure of between 400k and 500k "all in", the service looks much more viable. Taking ticket sales of 27k per year (all that ORR could give me) and noting that 3 or 4 people stay on the typical train at Melksham for every 1 who gets on or off, you're starting to look at some 100,000 journeys per annum - and income of 500k if the average person pays a fiver. Now take the fact that the line has been rapidly expanding ... if it's break even THIS year, then what's it going to be like in 5 years; bear in mind I've costed in a complete 153 and not just part-of-day use, so that the journeys could be the regular two hourly service that would thrive and grow.
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Sion Bretton
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The Central Trains 153 was the 6.56 service to Southampton this morning. Looks odd "Central Train" with Staff in a uniform for first great western! |
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