Class 717 - New trains for Northern City Line & GN

The Great Northern fleet of 313s is now 44 units, enough for 22 six car trains - although I don't know if they are still all serviceable. There are to be 25 new six-car class 717 units. Of course, unlike a complete six car unit, three car units can be juggled to make one good six car train out of two failed ones by using the good unit from each one.

Would another unit be able to push it out?

Folk should remember that there is a crossover north of Drayton Park allowing a train to depart north from what is normally the Southbound platform.

While obviously it will cause disruption, its quite possible that should the unit fail to change onto DC then it could be terminated at Drayton Park and driven back north under AC. This is the standard procedure in the Thameslink core should a unit fail to swap AC-DC or DC-AC as the 12 car units are too long for the Smithfield sidings and both the traction supplies overlap between City Thameslink and Farringdon with suitable crossovers provided in this section.

The bigger problem at Drayton Park is if the unit fails to change from DC to AC, as rescuing it will most likely require the following unit to be used to push the defective one up to Finsbury Park.

Two units running I think. The only runs in passenger service last week were at 1037, 1137 and 1337 from Moorgate to Gordon Hill. (2G82, 2G72, 2G74). The 1237 departure, and all the return workings from Gordon Hill to Moorgate, were empty stock (5Gxx, 5Jxx in Real Time Trains). Note also that the trains do not call at Old Street, Essex Road, Hornsey or Harringay

After looking at the video posted a short way upthread by Vinnielo, it strikes me that the door opening/release process on these trains may need further attention if it is not going to lead to extended station dwell times - especially on peak hour services.

At various stops it was clear the train had been stopped for several seconds before the "door release chime" could be heard - by which time passengers were starting to panic just in case the doors in their coach were somehow defective or disabled, and started to pass down the train to get to other doorways. I guess this may be just a teething issue and the delay may be reduced or eliminated once drivers become more accustomed to activating the relevant door release controls.

However what worries me is that something very similar was evident in the videos of the battery Class 230 runs in Scotland where again there was a very long period before there was any sign of doors being released despite the train being suitably berthed at a platform which extended well beyond the length of the train.

Is this new extended delay with the train stopped something dictated by the latest accessibility rules? Certainly I never recalled long delays before doors shot open when they were D-Stock running on the District - indeed sometimes they seemed to open almost instantly the train stopped?

Hopefully I am wrong and this is something which can be software engineered out. If the intention of the delay is to help vision impaired travellers locate the opening doors, then surely the delay could be avoided if PIS system was programmed to announce "we are approaching xxx station" together with a suitable announcement like "the doors will open on the right side of the train". This should obviate the need for any delay before the doors open once the train comes to a halt and the door chime to be triggered immediately.

Otherwise I fear TFLs attempts to increase service frequency on various tube lines will be largely negated and for instance passengers on the Victoria and other high frequency lines will see a dramatic impact on crowding especially in the peak hours due to extended platform dwell times.

Maybe because the driver has to ensure that the train has stopped in the correct position with all doors aligned to platforms?

What would be useful is for all doors to open automatically - especially at Moorgate and Highbury & Islington. This already happens on 700's at some Central London stations

The S Stock is Bombardier, this is Siemens.

Do you have a link for the story in a reliable source? In the Daily Mail it's more likely than not the author of the piece has wildly exaggerated a story out of something they've misunderstood.

717006 was one of two units let loose today on a peak time service (2J20 0711 Gordon Hill to Moorgate) then working back on 2G22 (07:55 Moorgate - Gordon Hill).

At present two units are running on weekdays only, times below.

Latest news from the 34A Kings Cross FB group is that the new trains will be fitted with a 2nd man to assist the driver's signal sighting. that's progress for you. 4 stations or locations where the driver can't see the signals. what on erth do these designers get paid for, not designing trains for drivers to look out of?

Add it to the list of projects that Network Rail have had to "pause" because they can't afford it.

313026 has been the first of the 313 fleet to be sent to Newport for scrapping.

Sadly they are not an option as discussed in length on the London Overground section.

Sad to hear the old 313s are starting to go. What sort of rate of introduction are the 717s expected to have?