There is typically a standstill period after an award has been announced. I believe this is a requirement of public procurement law, but I am not an expert on this.  It gives a chance for an aggrieved supplier who feels the award is not fair, to lodge a legal challenge before the contract is signed.

 
Thanks for that detailed update, ChrisB. 

 
Here you go


https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041655-2025

 

 

Publishing the award notice this week on a public tenders site if hadn't signed off doesn't make any sense, why publish the award now if not agreed.   Maybe it was done in wrap up before Parliament summer recess.

But if you know it hasn't been signed I accept your superior knowledge.

 
I don't think this has yet been signed off

 
Appears an award had happened with Chiltern taking all the mk5s and associated class 68 locos

Contract is recorded as worth £300m and for 144 months

Description
The contracting authority will enter into contracts with the supplier for the supply of existing rolling stock for use on the Chiltern Railways routes.  These contracts will be for the leasing by the supplier to the contracting authority of the supplier's full fleet of Mark5A coaches and Class 68 locomotives, for operation by the contracting authority, with associated maintenance.

On 22 December 2023 the contracting authority issued a contract notice - utilities with Notice reference 2023/S 000-037814 for the replacement of existing rolling stock.  Beacon Rail Finance (Europe) Limited was the only supplier that could offer rolling stock units that meet the contracting authority's technical requirements of having units able to be utilised in fixed formations of 5 passenger vehicles to enter into passenger service from 31 March 2026 on a turnkey basis. 

Under the agreed contract terms, the supplier will be responsible for procuring preventative and corrective maintenance for the units on an interim basis for a period between contract award and 6 December 2026.  This will cover services in respect of 4 units to be provided for the purposes of driver training and 3 units to enable passenger service commencement on 1 April 2026.  The contracting authority will be responsible for certain train preparation, cleaning, fuelling and minor defect rectification services (as agreed from time to time between the contracting authority and the supplier's maintenance providers) during this interim period and will be a party to the interim service agreement in order to reduce interface risk with its self-delivered services and facilitate the performance and reliability of the units.  The contracting authority intends to carry out a separate procurement for the long-term provision of preventative and corrective maintenance over the remainder of the 144 month period.

https://bidstats.uk/tenders/2025/W30/850985284

 


So are the ones now at Wolverton there for assessment of the scope of work?

 

A three-phase charger is typically 22kW, but a typical three-phase supply has 100 Amps on each phase, so if it was totally dedicated to charging it could deliver around 65 kW. In the right location I am sure more current could be provided. 

 
Being pedantic, that's not quite true. For example the battery of the recently released Renault 4 is 52kWh, while its 5 sibling also has a 40kWh option. A Ford Puma's is 53kWh.

 
When the ‘environment’ is being used to justify cuts to public transport then you have a problem as this completely goes against one of the benefits of public transport.

 
I know a few have moved from storage near Ely, to Wolverton.  And some have been there many weeks now. 

I am guessing they are being repainted, getting a mechanical service/overhaul and possibly a light refurbishment, but seems ages that some have been there, so does anyone know when first one in GWR spec (as in planned passenger spec, not crew training spec) is expected to be ready, and delivered (or driven) to Laira.

 

That story got rather off public transport - posted (here) in public on Faceplate. More later, but it look like I'm shortly on a rail replacement bus which will cut my ability to write without being travel sick.

 
A modern electric car has a battery of at least 60 kwh, which suffices for a days use in most circumstances.
A battery train, would by my estimation need at least five times that, per vehicle. It would weigh more than fives as much as the battery car, but the reduced rolling resistance of a train if compared to a car, partially offsets the extra weight.
Heating, cooling, lighting and charging of portable electronics would also need electricity, but probably less per passenger than in a car.
A 14 kw charging supply COULD charge a 900 kwh battery, but it would take days.
A 14 kw supply could slowly charge a large trackside battery, and this could charge the train as quickly as desired, but recharging this trackside battery would then take days.

 

I noted that they make no comment about the social or passenger needs in the reasons they gave for making the change.  Purely listing cost (to them) and environment (greenwash is always a good pleaser that people won't argue against.

Yes - I do hear the overcapacity issue on the Paddington to Baker Street (quite short compared to the whole route) section. That's the way things work - routes often have busy middle sections and quite outer ends BUT if you cut the outer ends, you damage the economic case that they make for the middle section too. Classic examples are city centre to residential services where you trim the branches back and damage the core / trunk in the process.

Isn't it interesting too that they have halved the service from Paddington to Baker Street as I understand it - a 50% cut, even though traffic is only down 12% to 25%.  I would caution, though, about reducing frequencies.  The 205 need(ed) a reasonable frequency as a turn-up-and-go for people who may be arriving into Paddington or St Pancras late and are going to get angst with a long wait.

In my view,  the changes were a poor decision with little or no regard to the social changes, and perhaps someone or some organisation had noticed that getting people to use the underground / cross rail alternatives would bring in more income for TfL that bus fares / passes from people out of town?

I came through London (Paddington) on Sunday on my way to Liverpool Street.  No 205, and not tempted to change along the way with two rather than one waits for buses, and with a heavy pack. Took the Elizabeth Line, noting long queues for the lifts at Paddington and the one at Liverpool Street on the way up to the main station out of order.  Me thinks the inter station bus service has been culled without an adequate alternative for the less-than-athletic being provided.

 
The schedule was the 08:29 from Odense to Copenhagen (Kastrup) Airport, change (10:12 to 10:30)  onto the train to Gothenburg there to arrive at 14:20, change (14:20 to 15:29) on the train to Orebro that arrived there at 18:19.

Not how it worked out.  I left my hotel at 08:00 and caught a late running train at around 08:15 into Copenhagen (Central).  A state of some chaos there and rather than wait for my train to reverse and carry on to Kastrup, I decided to have what turned out to be a very short look around - a platform change onto the train to Gothenburg scheduled an hour earlier, which left atound 20 minutes late but made up time and go to Gothenburg at 13:20.   No need to wait for the planned onward train to Orebro - there was one leaving a couple of platforms away at 13:29 and another quick change and on our way - due into Orebro ay 16:19 - a full two hours gained. 

All good stories that there not-so-wonderful parts.  The 13:29 to Orebro train failed and we crawled into the station at Aspen (no, not THAT Aspen) where we sat for a while.   Then we moved on to Floda where we went onto a side platform and also sat for a while.  Trains are computerised these days, and just like a laptop that's giving problems, rebooting does wonders and the train was gotten working again - though (translated for me by a couple of rail staff using it to get to their shifts) it had to then proceed at reduced speed. And we also had to wait in another station for the Stockholm Express to get past. We arrive in Orebro about 45 minutes late, at  17:05 - or 75 minutes early on my schedule.  Which gave me an extra hour to look around the town, the 7th largest in Sweden, but that's the next story.

 

 

Broken down freight train.

 
Lines reopen in the morning

 

Couldn't they have just reduced the frequency of both buses without changing the routes?

 
From the BBC:

 
From the BBC:

 
From the BBC:

 

Presumably that's in case you've got younger in the intervening year and so no longer qualify for that Railcard?

 

Very good news if they are looking at seat cushion redesign. Don’t remember seeing the Train Manager actually.

 
Consistency being maintained.....

Delays to services between London Paddington and Reading

Following a broken down train at Twyford some lines will be reopened shortly. Disruption is expected until 17:15 22/07.

Train services between London Paddington and Reading may be delayed by up to 15 minutes.

 
C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la gare.

(Apologies to Pierre Bosquet)


         - Abraham Lincoln, 1808

 

Just appeared on SWR’s X site


More detail from their website

 
Is the Molli Bahn station Heiligendamm?

 
Hopefully you will give us Katie's reply to that question