In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

10:10:42 on Sun, 24 Apr 2016, remarked:
Some of the fleet maybe. Most are going to Great Western when the
700s are in service.

They'll also be ETCS Level 2 on the Great Western*, meaning all GN\GWR
fleets will have it installed.

*

http://www.railtechnologymagazine.co...d-etcs-grip-3-
contract-for-gwml

The class 365s on the GN are being replaced by ex-Thameslink class
377/5 Electrostars on the conventional KX-Cambs/Peterborough/Kings
Lynn routes, which in turn will be cascaded by class 700s on the
Thameslink route.

Do you think that some of the services really will migrate from 365
to 377 to 700, rather than changing from 365 to 700 in one go?

Services will migrate from 317 & 321 to 700. I have a feeling the plan is
for the 321s to go first.

OK, so you think CJ's got it wrong?

The original plan was for 377s to start being used on Kings Lynn
services starting now, but I'm not holding my breath (they've already
bailed on the "Network wide smart ticketing by last September).

The class 700s will work alongside the GN on the new intra
GN-Thameslink services (i.e Cambridge-Brighton).

The original plan was for Peterborough services to go to Horsham and
Cambridge to Tattenham Corner, but I see it's now Peterborough to
Horsham and Cambridge to alternating Brighton and Tattenham Corner.

What happens in 2018 is anyone's guess!

The 700s will be limited to semi-fast and slow services (8 car trains
stopping at Foxton will be fun)

Wonkypedia says they'll be 12-car; even more fun!!

In this case I think it's wrong. The plan is 8-car on the slows, according
to informed sources.

so it will still be faster to take a fast train to King's Cross,
Victoria Line to Victoria and Southern to Gatwick & Brighton. Crazy.

It was ever thus, if the "Cambridge Cruisers" and their extension to
Kings Lynn were for some reason deemed to be "not worthy" to join
Thameslink.

At one time there was a suggestion they might be handed over to
whoever was operating the ECML mainline that week.

Yes, the 5-car IEPs plan.

Is there something in the Thameslink prospectus which says it mustn't
include trains which go north of Cambridge (and/or Cambridge North)?
I can see why it might, because if they are going to continue to
comprise splitters/joiners then the up trains are always a hostage to
fortune when it comes to timekeepimg, on account of the fragility of
the Cambridge-Kings Lynn operation.

I suspect it's the cost of power supply upgrades to run longer trains North
of Milton. Remember the 5 (4-car) units in section limit. It's also why no
12-car trains are run north of Milton. At least they can serve Cambridge
North when it opens.

--
Colin Rosenstiel