Class 701 'Aventra' trains for South Western Railway

[Dan G]

This couldn't be further from the truth.

A reduced rate during training - yes, but once productive length of service has no link to rate of pay. Other non SWR TOCs may have different pay scales.

Are you saying train drivers don't get annual increments? No pay progression?

 

[43066]

Are you saying train drivers don't get annual increments? No pay progression?

Correct. Only where agreed as part of pay deals - many haven’t had an increase since 2019.

Some have a lower rate for first year drivers, but not SWR AIUI.

 

[DMckduck97]

Correct. Only where agreed as part of pay deals - many haven’t had an increase since 2019.

Some have a lower rate for first year drivers, but not SWR AIUI.

Correct, SWR drivers go straight on the full wack as soon as they are PQ.

Obviously some depots get paid more due to location/retention allowances but I suspect that is standard practice across the industry?

 

[Bigfoot]

Are you saying train drivers don't get annual increments? No pay progression?

That's not how the railway works. Least not for frontline staff.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Are you saying train drivers don't get annual increments? No pay progression?

I think it is only in the Civil service that you get pay rises by just sitting tight regardless of performance or promotion.

 

[PG]

I think it is only in the Civil service that you get pay rises by just sitting tight regardless of performance or promotion.

IIRC most NHS grades get annual increments too.

With the heat starting to approach us, we’ll soon get a taste of the air conditioning on the 701

Let's hope it functions better than the 158s

 

[boiledbeans2]

Let's hope it functions better than the 158s 455s

Fixed that for you

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Fixed that for you

I'm pretty sure the 455s have/had no AC, 158s had AC which later got banned (some units had it re-engineered) due to containing CFCs, which damaged the Ozone Layer and had a strong Greenhouse effect.

Hopefully the 701s don't destroy the ozone layer

 

[PG]

I'm pretty sure the 455s have/had no AC, 158s had AC which later got banned (some units had it re-engineered) due to containing CFCs, which damaged the Ozone Layer and had a strong Greenhouse effect.

Hopefully the 701s don't destroy the ozone layer

Although correct I was actually getting at the re-engineered AC being prone to fail altogether creating an in-train Greenhouse effect! i.e. worse than a 455 which never had AC.

 

[Wolfie]

I think it is only in the Civil service that you get pay rises by just sitting tight regardless of performance or promotion.

The Civil Service hasn't had pay progression for at least 15 years. Try the NHS.....

 

[444045]

701032.

Thank you @800001 for your help & swift reply.

 

[MCR247]

I've noticed that the 701s have a unique motor deceleration sound that none of the other Aventras have, something you often hear on light rail systems.
Listen to the two videos at the timestamp, it's the two tone beep noise.

Do 701s use regenerative braking? That could explain it

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Do 701s use regenerative braking? That could explain it

Yes they do.

 

[Samzino]

Do 701s use regenerative braking? That could explain it

The Alstom Aventra fleet as far as I know all use Regen

 

[MCR247]

Yes they do.

The Alstom Aventra fleet as far as I know all use Regen

Essentially, what I was thinking was that this ‘new’ sound on DC was due to regenerative braking on DC, something the 710s may not get chance to do on their DC LO routes which are shared with LUL (whether or not this actually makes a difference - I have no idea )

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Essentially, what I was thinking was that this ‘new’ sound on DC was due to regenerative braking on DC, something the 710s may not get chance to do on their DC LO routes which are shared with LUL (whether or not this actually makes a difference - I have no idea )

That sounds about right yeah.

 

[Mike Machin]

It'll be odd seeing the 701s be repainted so early into their life if Labour do their rail plan of having everything under the same brand

I suspect that initially the new branding will involve standardising the use of the updated Rail Alphabet font and slightly re-worked double arrow logo online, apps, station signage and on rolling stock, after removing the present company brands, but keeping the liveries pretty much the same initially.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some degree of regionality remains and a sensible and quick solution would be to standardise branding to reflect that, for example by keeping the present liveries but having new names -
GBR/SouthWest, GBR/Southern, GBR/Thameslink, with perhaps the long-distance trains showing GBR/InterCity with a small sub-title ‘Wales & West’ or East Coast etc.

Many liveries are now using a light grey or white base colour, so branding updates can be made quickly using present day graphics technology.

 

[DelW]

There are still plenty of trains in SWT livery after nearly seven years. It took quite a while even to get stickers over the Stagecoach branding.

 

[Terry Williams]

Class 701 census Clapham Yard 14:50 11th May 2024.

L to R 701528 and uid friend/701028/701039/701017/701036 and 701044

HTH

 

[OneTrackMinded]

I wouldn’t be surprised if some degree of regionality remains and a sensible and quick solution would be to standardise branding to reflect that, for example by keeping the present liveries but having new names -
GBR/SouthWest, GBR/Southern, GBR/Thameslink, with perhaps the long-distance trains showing GBR/InterCity with a small sub-title ‘Wales & West’ or East Coast etc.

Yeah that sounds very possible

 

[Meerkat]

Deleted as branding is off topic speculation

 

[GeoffS]

There are still plenty of trains in SWT livery after nearly seven years. It took quite a while even to get stickers over the Stagecoach branding.

Yes, 455s which don't (or shouldn't!) have a long life expectancy, 458s, most of which are to go into works for conversion back to 4-car, so won't be repainted till then, and some 159s, but no 444s or 450s.

 

[Dan G]

I think it is only in the Civil service that you get pay rises by just sitting tight regardless of performance or promotion.

That's me rumbled

For what it's worth, it's not a system I like at all

 

[OneTrackMinded]

This wait is starting to get quite painful now. Could be months before we hear anything more about any small progress made!

 

[PGAT]

Starting to get painful? Lol

 

[Waterlemon]

This wait is starting to get quite painful now. Could be months before we hear anything more about any small progress made!

Will be a small bit of good news coming in the next fortnight. Things should start to speed up after that.

 

[OneTrackMinded]

Starting to get painful? Lol

Haha, I mean since the soft launch started, if we're speaking since they were meant to be introduced, you could probably call it agony?

Will be a small bit of good news coming in the next fortnight. Things should start to speed up after that.

Ah that's good to hear. Looking forward to it!

 

[Lockwood]

Are they going to push it all the way up to 3 diagrams a day?

 

[OneTrackMinded]

The entire saga summarised

 

[Class450/4DES]

The entire saga summarised
View attachment 158068

Lmao.