Rail regulator publishes Class 800 series safety report   –  7 April 2022

It seems that problems of cracking can be dealt with but an important issue for tax payers, the DfT, rail operators and not least passengers is “the trains experiencing greater loads from train movement than allowed for in the original design” ^a

As I have written before the ride in LNER trains is like being in a rollicking old tram.   This is particularly noticeable when coaches are lightly loaded – no other mainline rolling stock rides like this.  One clue may be the length of the carriages and the ratio of weight to metre length.  I calculate (and am happy to be corrected) for class 800 Azumas 1.58 t/m; class 390 Pendelinos 1.81 t/m and interestingly for class 395 Javelins 1.84 t/m.  Other rolling stock figures (again subject to checking) are class 380 Scotrail1.9 t/m;  class 700 Thameslink 1.74 t/m. 

Azumas are light – it’s maybe no wonder they bounce along – you certainly cannot use a mouse for most of a journey.  

It is good that we shall travel in safe trains but remedies to ensure safety are unlikely to improve the ride.

“fatigue cracking was caused by the trains experiencing greater loads from train movement than allowed for in the original design. It is not yet known for certain why this happened, although potential factors include wheel wear and track design”^a.

Pointing at track design is all very well but the conditions of the track class 800’s would run on was known.  I believe that the fundamental issue is that class 800’s are ill-designed for UK rail.  Maybe they were designed with new high-speed lines in mind or even on a computer!  The UK routes the trains run on have many more junctions, points etc than a new line would have.       

The issue of design aligned to track conditions is critical as I understand similar rolling stock is being built for the West Coast Main line and other operators.

Taxpayers and passengers will have to pay for an inferior ride in cramped trains for years to come unless issues of design are addressed.

The future of UK rail is very uncertain – let’s hope the nascent Great British Railways has time to deal with this long-term issue.