作者:
cutec (sasaki)
2017-10-20 12:52:02本事件的後續發展是，經觀察幾天故障與異常狀況未有效改善，所以GWR決定將本週一（1
0/16）上線營運的2列日立Class 800暫時下線，待技術性問題解決後再上線。
https://goo.gl/1oDJ9r
The much-heralded intercity express train has been temporarily taken out of pa
ssenger service as engineers try to iron out technical problems, it has emerge
d.
Train operator Great Western Railway said on Thursday the first two trains in
the ?5.7bn fleet were not carrying passengers while technical faults that emer
ged on a disastrous maiden journey this week were being worked on.
The development is another PR blow for GWR, for Hitachi, which makes the train
s, and for the government, which has claimed investment in the new trains show
s it is putting passengers at the heart of its rail policy.
On Monday the first of the Hitachi Class 800 trains, carrying dignitaries incl
uding the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, onboard, arrived in London 41 m
inutes late.
Some passengers had to stand, an air-conditioning unit sprang a leak, and ther
e were problems with an IT router and an air valve.
On Tuesday many commuters travelling from the south-west of England to London
experienced delays or cancellations because of a rock fall near Bristol – not
hing to do with the new engines but an unfortunate coincidence.
On Thursday passengers were unamused to find more problems with the IETs.
A tweet from @GWRHelp explained: “I’ve been advised that there’s been a tec
hnical issue and Hitachi engineers are currently working to resolve the matter
.”
A spokesman for GWR added: “It’s not a single technical issue, but in order
to fix some of the initial issues we saw on Monday, the computer system softwa
re on the trains has been updated at the depot. We want to make sure those cha
nges are effective, and the trains are running on the network today to test th
ey’ve worked. We hope to put them back into passenger services ASAP.”
The spokesman said there were also some technical issues on Tuesday and Wednes
day but nothing that stopped them carrying passengers. He added: “This week,
they’ve successfully covered around 4,000 miles in normal traffic.”
A Hitachi spokesperson said: “The trains are expected to be running again as
soon as possible, after we’ve fully tested some improvements made overnight t
o the passenger experience.”
Craig McCrum, head of sales at a London tech startup and one of those on the f
irst train on Monday, was unimpressed.
He said: “It’s disappointing that there appears to be ongoing faults with th
ese much-hyped trains. This just further compounds my lack of confidence in GW
R to be able to deliver anything close to a reliable service.
“It is time for somebody to do something about this ongoing shocking service.
The amount of disgruntled customers is growing by the day and GWR must be hel
d accountable.”
The bimodal trains operate on diesel and electric power and have allowed the g
overnment to brazen out the controversial decision to scrap electrification pr
ojects, leaving stretches of tracks unwired.
By the end of 2019, 93 new IETs will replace existing services. GWR said they
would provide a faster and more comfortable service.