Thomas Wiacek wrote:
hi just wondering when fcc will get some new trains as the current
ones are dirty and broken when i go to sit down on one i have to push
the seat in first.

Could anyone tell me when fcc are getting new stock.

It depends which bit of FCC you are referring to. The Great Northern stock
is, in the main, mid-1990s Class 365 trains - quite suitable for the job, in
pretty good condition and a long way from requiring replacement. The handful
of Class 317s (from 1982) that remain are a different matter, although the
refurbishment exercise that has been undertaken on them has improved the
environment slightly.

If you are referring to the Thameslink route then the Class 319s date from
the late 1980s, when they were built to replace the original BedPan
electrification Class 317s (which went to what is now the Silverlink County
route for a while before moving to Great Northern and more recently 'one'
Railway). The 319s have never been particularly good for the job. The
accommodation is cramped, the seats are way too low and far too closely
fitted (I'm 6' 5" and when I sit down - in the bay seats, I can't get into
the face-to-back ones - my knees are usually about two inches from the
facing seat cushion). However, it looks very likely that this stock will
remain until the former Thameslink 2000 project is finally funded, when it
would be likely that a common build of stock would be acquired for both the
Thameslink and Great Northern sections, once they physically come together.
In the meantime, all you have to look forward to is the possible return of
the 'missing' 319 units that are currently operated by Southern Railway,
which may occur in the New Year when South West Trains have a shuffle round
of stock and return the Wessex Electric Class 442 units to the leasing
company - word is that they *may* make their way to Southern, for Brighton
services, causing a cascade of stock that will free up the remaining 319s
for a return to the Thameslink route of FCC.