On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:03 +0000 (GMT Standard Time),
(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote:

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

All this franchise is about is screwing as much money out of
passengers for the least possible expenditure in providing the actual
service. Thank goodness I only use it on rare occasions.

Not exactly, according to a First group employee I know on Saturday. The
Government is about is screwing as much money out of passengers for the
least possible expenditure in providing the actual service, sadly. First
have no choice but to do their bidding.

And yet they keep bidding (for other franchises).

"Jack Taylor" wrote in message
...

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).

When they were running Southern, Connex managed to turn seven of these units
into something quite respectable (319/2) for their Brighton Express
services - the biggest difference being that they have a far better design
of seat. Meanwhile, the Thameslink route operators have turned out numerous
refurbishments (see the link below for the latest version) all of which have
avoided doing anything about the seats, which are the single worst design
feature of these units.

http://timsrailpics.fotopic.net/p35508592.html

I accept that the full 319/2 treatment would probably involve too great a
reduction in seating capacity, but replacement of the seats with something
like those that SWT and Southern are putting into their 455s would be a huge
improvement.

D A Stocks

In article ,
(James Farrar) wrote:

On Mon, 20 Nov 2006 02:03 +0000 (GMT Standard Time),
(Colin Rosenstiel) wrote:

In article ,
(Paul Corfield) wrote:

All this franchise is about is screwing as much money out of
passengers for the least possible expenditure in providing the
actual service. Thank goodness I only use it on rare occasions.

Not exactly, according to a First group employee I know on
Saturday. The Government is about is screwing as much money out of
passengers for the least possible expenditure in providing the
actual service, sadly. First have no choice but to do their
bidding.

And yet they keep bidding (for other franchises).

They are allowed to make their margin, of course.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

In article , (David A
Stocks) wrote:

"Jack Taylor" wrote in message
...

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).

When they were running Southern, Connex managed to turn seven of
these units into something quite respectable (319/2) for their
Brighton Express services - the biggest difference being that they
have a far better design of seat. Meanwhile, the Thameslink route
operators have turned out numerous refurbishments (see the link
below for the latest version) all of which have avoided doing
anything about the seats, which are the single worst design feature
of these units.

http://timsrailpics.fotopic.net/p35508592.html

I accept that the full 319/2 treatment would probably involve too
great a reduction in seating capacity, but replacement of the seats
with something like those that SWT and Southern are putting into
their 455s would be a huge improvement.

Are the seven 319/2 units part of Roger Ford's "Selhurst 13"?

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Colin Rosenstiel wrote:
I accept that the full 319/2 treatment would probably involve too
great a reduction in seating capacity, but replacement of the seats
with something like those that SWT and Southern are putting into
their 455s would be a huge improvement.

Are the seven 319/2 units part of Roger Ford's "Selhurst 13"?

Yes.