EMR Regional Class 156 Review - Overpriced and Outdated!
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Hello, and welcome back to another train trip report on my channel.
In this video I will be travelling on-board a EMR Class 156 from Nottingham to Norwich.
Can't really say these dated units are suitable for this journey, let alone a 5hr+ long trek across the country, I much prefer the newer and much more comfortable EMR Class 158 units.
Enjoy the video. :)
#EMRRegional #SuperSprinter #tripreport
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Journey Details:
Origin: Nottingham
Destination: Norwich
Company: East Midlands Railway (EMR)
Train: UK Class 156 'Super Sprinter'
Accommodation: Standard Class Seat (2nd)
Distance: 136 miles / 219 kilometres
Price: £41.10 (€49.00 / $54.20)
Time: 2h37m
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Find me elsewhere:
superalbs.weeb...
/ superalbs
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unfortunately the "charging an extortionate rate for a crap service but who cares they're still going to ride it anyways" trend has been a thing for a very long while
Sad isn't it...
Sprinters had their time but I think they're all (barring 158/159) pretty outdated now, and TOCs that still operate them should make serious commitments towards replacing them in the near future just as they did Pacers. It's crazy to me that much newer units like 175s are due to be replaced soon, but many of these things remain...
There's a reason why the 175s are getting replaced. 175's are prone to rusting. If anything it shows that the sprinters are well-built compared to newer units if they are still running 30+ years later. That said the 175s are 22 years old so at least they got some miles before being replaced.
Ironically the last part of my comment was always been made comparing HSTs and the 800 or/and voyagers.
156 sprinters are good trains Despite being old these trains have a max speed of 75mph the seats may not be as comfortable but EMR are replacing these trains with other stock.
@@declangaming24 not a fan of 156s, they're loud, slow and have no air con. Dirty and past their prime long since, they belong in the 80s and 90s not the 2020s
@@TheCatOfWarCSGO I agree with you but I think EMR should stick them in the middle of a 158 formation eg a 158+156 +158 formation so the 158s do the driving and 156s for capacity so 6 coaches with 4 coaches being 158s and 2 coaches being 156s here is what I would do to get the 156s up to scratch in a non driving role Air con better toilets comfortable seats not ironing boards better passenger information systems ect if EMR allocates them on Branch lines like Nottingham to Matlock or Cleethorpes to Lincoln Central the Leicester to Nottingham service.
Apparently according to the latest 'Todays Railways' all 26 Class 158's are due to be retained.
Nice video. I have used these trains a few times from Liverpool to Stockport. I agree with you that these trains as well as the Class 158 are absolutely unsuitable as an Intercity service. I never understood how EMR or its predecessor could use 4 car trains on such a long and busy route. One can only hope that the Class 170 will be an improvement.
3 letter stations (apart from Ely) are Rye, Wye, Lye, Ore, Par, Ayr, Lee, Wem and Ash.
Sprinters are old but newer CAF diesels can't beat the smooth riding of a sprinter 150 to 156. 158s and 159s are not as good in riding comfort to be a bit bumpy but from that generation Turbostars and Alstom Coradias such as 175s are far better than CAFs. Thank you for sharing the video.
Yeah, the sprinters are at least smooth riders!
Good video. They usually use the slightly newer and plusher 158’s on this route.
They often work in pairs on the northern half of this service, with 158+158 or 158+156 (you can see at 2:40 a 158 is coupled to the rear of his train). However, the back set usually doesn't go any further than Nottingham, so unfortunately superalbs was stuck on the 156 for his entire journey
Yup, just my rotten luck! :(
EMR is an eye-wateringly expensive company even in a country where rail travel is prohibitively expensive - living in Leicester, it can often cost me twice as much to make the direct journey with them to London as it does to get the bus to Nuneaton and use LNWR instead. Factor in regional price rises meaning that the local route to my hometown now costs more than the bus (which is just as quick and drops me directly outside the house) and using their services has now become a last resort for me unfortunately. I love taking the train, but there comes a point where you have to vote with your feet. It feels like the entire franchise is in limbo - rising prices, declining service quality and a seemingly-random approach to rolling stock management.
156s on the route to Norwich? That’s terrible! It should be 158s that split at Nottingham
It always depends on which unit is on the front of when it arrives at Nottingham. Since some of the 156's have gone to Northern, chances of a 158 is a lot higher.
I agree!! :(
Ely and Par are the shortest train station names I can think of. Although Rhyl and Wool are quite short names too. Also, £41 for a regional train trip is simply outrageous.
Ore, Ayr, Rye, Wye, IBM to name a few more. Tons of 4-letter names out there too
@@TheCatOfWarCSGO And lye
And Lee in Southeast London that only has 1 syllable and 3 words.
In addition to those already mentioned...Wem in Shropshire
The Class 156 trains were, when introduced by British Rail, far superior to the DMU's which they replaced. The modern seating layout is far denser than that with which they were originally fitted. As far as at seat power supplies are concerned, when they were introduced it just wasn't required so the electrical supply in the train isnt suitable. At one point ( in the early 190's) BR used them to replace a loco hauled train with Buffet Car, which went to Harwich to connect with the overnight boat to Hook of Holland. It even had a name ( The Lorlei) The lack of Air conditioning on the Class 156 was far less of a problem than the Air Conditioning on the later Class 158's which frequently broke down. BR had to retrofit Class 158's with opening toplight windows for such an eventuality ( They were locked with a carriage key and if they were needed to provide ventilation when the AC broke down the Guard had to unlock them. They are perfectly adequate for short journeys up to 2 and a half hours in length. You can of course couple 2or more sets together and open up the intermediate doors to provide access through the whole train. Due to financial constraints on BR at the time, the number of sets built frequently meant that on long journeys only 2 coaches could be provided.
I'm sure they were, but they are a bit past it now.
Enjoyable video thanks. I can't imagine when the 156s were introduced they'd envisaged them on longer routes taking 5 hours or more. Much prefer the 158/159s.
It's crazy! And 150s were used on similar length trips too, at one point - even worse!
@@SuperalbsTravels - Here is 2024, TfW often use a Class 150 on the Crewe to Cardiff! Far too long for a Class 150!
You simply cannot expect a train that is nearly 40 years old to have the modern conveniences like power sockets - few of the trains I go on have them at all!
The older 150s I frequently use have sockets, USBs, and WiFi.
@@SuperalbsTravels as do Northern 150,s and 156s.
And Northerns 158 are really nice to ride on..
Then why is the service being ran by a train that is 40 years old?
@@TheCatOfWarCSGO lack of money I guess.. but you do have a point because that service was normally operated by a pair of 158,s which are more modern. It does seem daft as the more modern 158,s sometimes run on rural routes ,
They may start putting class 170 trains on that route once EMR get more units.
@@SuperalbsTravels No money to upgrade
Thank you for a great review. Nottingham station has been beautifully restored, and that is the only good point of your review of the journey to Norwich. Abellio who run East Midlands Railway should be ashamed of themselves for running a Class 156 all the way from Liverpool to Norwich.
The Class 156 is an appalling unit, being noisy, underpowered, and truly awful for such a long journey. Even the Class 158s which are normally used are inappropriate for such a long journey, being cramped, and noisy, and offering a very poor experience. The sooner that the Meridians from the mainline routes to Nottingham and Sheffield are cascaded, the better, for I cannot imagine any other operator in the whole of Europe who operates such dreadful trains on such a long journey as from Liverpool to Norwich. EMR are a complete and utter disgrace.
I used to travel on the other end of the route, Manchester to Nottingham. It wasn't great, but that tends to be the case for any route that's east - west and doesn't do London 😕
Hahaha, sadly!
I needed to know why don’t dig a tunnel and do an extension for the main line Train so that they can extend the new abandoned underground stations.
Why couldn’t they use the part D78 Stock train doors on the sides and also restructure the front face of the A60 and A62 stock and that includes the class 313, class 314 and class 315 remix and make them all together and also redesign them an overhead line and also make them into Five cars per units and also having three Disabled Toilets on those Five cars per units A60 and A62 stock trains and also convert the A60 and A62 stock trains into a Scania N112, Volvo TD102KF, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Engines and also put the Loud 7-Speed Voith Gearboxes even Loud 8-Speed Leyland Hydra cyclic Gearboxes in the A60 and A62 stock, class 313, class 314, and class 315 and also modernise the A60 and A62 stock and make it into an 11 car per unit so it could have fewer doors, more tables, computers and mobile phone chargers.
A Stock Train and 8 Disabled Toilets on those A stock trains. why couldn’t we refurbish and modernise the waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel and make it bigger and extend it to the bank station, making it into a Triple-Track Railway Line so those 4 European countries such as Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden to convert the waterloo and city line Triple-Track Train tunnel into a High-Speed train?
The Third Euro tunnel Triple-Track Train line to make it 11 times better for passengers so they could go from A to B. then put the modernised 11 car per unit A Stock and put them on a bigger modernised waterloo and city line Triple-Track train tunnel so it could go to bank station to those 4 European countries such as Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden. The modernised refurbished 11 cars per unit A stock could be a High Speed The Third Triple-Track Euro Tunnel Train So it is promising and 37 times a lot more possible to do this kind of project that is OK for London Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden.
oh by the way, could they also tunnel the Triple-Track Railway Line so it will stop from Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex so that the Passengers will go to Germany, Italy, Poland and Sweden and also extend the Triple-Track Railway Line from Bank to Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex Stations so that more people from there could go to Germany, Italy, Poland And Sweden Easily.
Why couldn't they extend the Piccadilly line and also build brand-new underground train stations so it could go even further right up to Clapton, Wood Street and also make another brand new tunnel train station in Chingford could they extend the DLR.
All of the classes 150, 155, 154, 117, 114, 105, and 106, will be replaced by all of the Scania N112, Volvo TD102KF, Volvo B10M, Gardner 6LXB, Gardner 6LXC and Gardner 8LXB Diesel Five carriages three disabled toilets are air conditioning trains including Highams Park for extended roots which is the Piccadilly line and the DLR trains.
Could you also convert all of the 1973 stock trains into an air-conditioned maximum speed 78 km/hours (48 MPH) re-refurbished and make it into a 8 cars per unit if that will be alright, and also extend all of the Piccadilly train stations to make more space for all of the extended 8 car per unit 1973 stock air condition trains and can you also build another Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive Companies and they can order Every 17 Octagon and Hexagon shape LNER diagram unique small no.13 and unique minor no.11 Boilers from those Countries such as Greece, Italy, Poland, and Sweden, can they make Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive speeds by up to 117MPH so you can try and test it on the Original Mainline so it will be much more safer for the Passengers to enjoy the 117MPH speed Limit only for HS2 and Channel Tunnel mainline services, if they needed 16 Carriages Per units can they use those class 55’s, class 44’s, class 40’s and class 43HST Diesel Locomotive’s right at the Back of those 18 Carriages Per Units so they can take over at the Back to let those Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s have a rest for those interesting Journeys Please!!, oh can you make all of those Coal Boxes’s 16 Tonnes for all of the 117MPH Mayflower and Tornado Steam Locomotive’s so the Companies will Understand us PASSENGER’S!! so please make sure that the Builders can do as they are Told!! And please do something about these very important Professional ideas Please Prime Minister of England, the Prime Minister of Sweden, the Prime Minister of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy, the Prime Minister of Poland and that Includes the Mayor of London.
Great video! Given the choice between a 35 year old Class 156 and a 3 year old Class 195, I would choose a 156 every time simply because it rides better compared to a 195.
Fair enough! :)
A 156 is , as you say, not a suitable train for this sort of service. It would be ok for short local stopping services but not much else. These trains have had their day and should really be replaced, The 158/159s are still decent trains but I think it's time to get rid of the rest of the sprinter family in the UK. I mean 1 toilet and no power sockets on a regional express route isn't good enough. I also imagine that these trains are quite noisy, being a DMU.
156s are getting replaced but the 170s are being delayed as the previous operators are waiting for their trains. The issue with the 156s is the 1 toilet as pretty much you can guarantee that will be used some fare evaders (seen someone do it on a Newark to Nottingham journey once) and if you need the toilet you basically screwed.
I was on one of these for a 1 hour Journey to Altrincham recently. It was very loud, ear piercing brakes and seats that dig into your back.
Really hope they switch these out as I had a horrible journey because of it.
My experiences on class 156s are they were what got me interested in to trains I miss the old central trains operating out of Lincoln central I love these units like class 158ts 153s I’ll be really sad to see these go built between 1987 1989 the day they go my childhood dream trains will go into sprinter heaven 😄
As of 2024, EMR have now dispersed all of their 156s. So the least you'll get on this route now is an air-conditioned Class 158, with USB sockets. And the best is a Class 170 with USB and 3 pin sockets. The Class 156 was far too stretched on a journey this long, taking over 5 hours!
I used to travel regularly from Manchester to Peterborough on this service. When it was operated by Central Trains we had class 170's which were far more comfortable than the 156's or 158's. However I found it more convenient and often faster to get the TPE to Doncaster, and then any fast train on the ECML to Peterborough.
Amusingly, it's going back to those very 170s soon. :)
A fair summary, the 158s are much better. I had the misfortune to do Warrington-Nottingham on a 2x156 configuration last year - not good! Going to Manchester next week, it'll be interesting to see what turns up! Cascading the 170s from WMR is being delayed by their receipt of new trains and internal refurbishment of the 170s is a bit hit & miss. It's a bit disconcerting to see the maroon/purple exterior and bright green inside!
Yeah, the 158s are in a different league!
I quite like the 156's and actually used to ride them fairly often when I used to Work on East Midlands Trains, but they are just not suited to the kind of trip that you went on. I'd say they are suitable for journey up to an hour roughly.
Good thing you weren't on a 153 for that long as they are in a lot worse condition! 170's will be better than the pair of them for sure.
Great video👍 enjoying you're video and have just subscribed!
Thank you! I've done a 153 for about 4hr once... ☹
@@SuperalbsTravels 4hrs! That must have been awful! Was that meant to be the case or was it delayed?
I used to find the 30 mins between Derby and Nottingham about enough on a 153!
@@MrBluebirds22 Booked work!
Nice video again, don't think I will rush and travel this route.
ScotRail use their RETB fitted 156’s on the Mallaig services topping 5hr thirty... Thankfully with charging facilities. But hard asf seats 😬
Great video. This trip seems very overpriced. Then again, you said the trains are usually quite full, so no incentive to lower the price. - Great joke about the pinball like armrests.
Thanks, haha glad you enjoyed.
The LNER Azuma Got To Gratham Before Your Train Arrived At Grantham
In my experience I always prefer older carriages as the seats in newer stock tend to be hard as anything and become uncomfortable after ten minutes or so. I don't think I've ever found a train wi-fi that allows anything more than checking emails, power points are pretty much a must these days though. That aside I never have any issues with older stock, sometimes it's nice to feel as if you're on a heritage railway!
I like the 156s, but I fully agree they aren't suited for long-distance routes. They're fine with shorter routes like Northern has on the Liverpool-Manchester southern route, and Northern has given them USB sockets (but still no full-plug sockets). Since Northern inherited many from other railway companies, they are able to double them up for their full routes now that the Pacers are gone, supplemented by the new 195s.
I suspect they're only being used by EMR because they can be coupled to the 158s, as I don't think the 170s can. But hopefully, if EMR aren't replacing the 158s, they can use more 158s for this route instead.
You do realise that Nottingham is still legally part of Scotland since 1526
Oh, is it?
I went on a class 158 from Manchester Piccadilly to Liverpool lime street and it was East Midlands railway, well funnily enough I got another East Midlands but I went on the carriage at the end which was the class 156, pretty similar, but it was a bit slower, but one thing I preferred about this one is that the class 158 was really busy with football fans chanting, but the 156 ride was super relaxing, I enjoyed both of them
So... the Class 156 on the back of a consist with a Class 158 was 'slower' than the 158 on the front? How does that work when the two trains are connected?!
@@DavidR_192 I would imagine one of the others was hauling the other one
Yes, expensive but cheaper than similar length Transport for Wales service Cardiff to Crewe which comes in at 35p per mile including Railcard discount. (Also 158's I think).
Very poor trains unfortunately. Northern and Scotrail's 156s are far superior. The 158s used on the route on the other hand are pretty decent though don't have sufficient capacity and I can't really see the 170s helping as the two car 170S have fewer seats than the 156s and 158s.
Realistically this route needs to either be split into multiple sections as has been talked about for years or it needs to be given proper intercity treatment love the TPE services.
My personal opinion is that splitting the route could provide some really interesting opportunities for me connections once the Hope Valley is upgraded. Perhaps:
1) TPE Manchester - Sheffield - Lincoln - Skegness
2) XC Manchester - Dore Curve (Avoiding Sheffield) - Derby - Nottingham - Ely - Norwich
3) EMR or XC Leeds - Sheffield - Nottingham - Ely - Cambridge - Stansted Airport
Some interesting ideas there, we'll have to see what happens.
I love ur vids
Thanks! :)
My wife and I are having a short break in Manchester in October directly followed by 2 days in Liverpool. I intend booking the train journey between the two cities soon, as advance tickets are so much cheaper.
There seems to be various options .. TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway and Northern Rail.
Neither of us have been on an EMR train, so I was thinking about trying them, but after seeing this video, maybe we shouldn’t. I don’t know what train they use on this service. Of course there’s always the chance the TPE will be cancelled.
Prices are £4.30 (TPE) or £5.90 (NR, EMR) .. around 13:00 on 31 Oct
Which would you pick and why
Whilst I can't answer your question, I can say there seem to be a lot less of these trains around now than there was 18 months ago when this video was uploaded. The town where I live only has EMR and I have rarely seen one this year. We now have more modern trains albeit I've seen clues they've been bought from another operator. I can't say for certain but I would be highly confident if you did pick EMR
@@ryanking7787 thank you for your reply. I have actually booked now, with TPE. In the end I think I paid 60p extra to include onward travel from Lime Street Station to Liverpool Central which is nearer our hotel.
Regards and thanks again !
Welcome to EMR. I have given up trying to use them. From Uttoxeter I drive to Rugely for a trip to London or Manchester, generally half the price, half the time and usually the trains arrive. Rugely to Birmingham intrnational is fairly quick and cheap, a journey almost impossible from Uttoxeter.
All in all not impressed with EMR.
Thank you for making and sharing this video.
Your kind of lucky with this train as it can be largely hit and miss with seating! Can’t beat a 156 though if the facilities are a bit crap. Remember doing countless trips to the fens to visit family from Manchester and this train unless your lucky would be stood up for countless 3 hour journeys!. They do need the meridians or a better 158 Config on this route.
Yeah, every other time I use this route it has been packed out.
13:53 I didn't like the trip, because of its price, the diesel train & the age of these trains. To compare, our older DMUs in use in Spain dates back from the late 1990s.
The older Renfe DMUs were sold to Comboios de Portugal last year.
Class 156 was made in 1985
Ah yes, I have used one of those horrible DMUs in Portugal, not pleasant at all.
Cracking review! Its a shame northern commuters like myself have to put up with getting these trains from EMR rather than new trains. I honestly wish there were more 158s available to replace the 156s and 150s. Can't wait to see 170s on this route tho!
I like 156s but there going to stay with emr for a bit for extra capacity these still are good trains Despite being over 20 years old it's the speed and seats that does hold them back from newer trains hopefully emr doesn't go the ironing board seats route with the 170s.
@@declangaming24 yeahh I suppose they beat the pacers by a mile. They're still really loud on the inside and no air con tho unfortunately
@@railquest I understand about the engine and stuff but when these trains get preserved that will be good for the train enthusiasts like myself air-conditioning it is expensive to fit on older trains and I doubt EMR would buy them just to phase out the stock in 2 or 3 years.
@@declangaming24 yeahh definitely, just a shame northern will probably find an excuse to keep them and not order new stock for another 15 years haha
@@railquest Northern are improving but Northern are playing it cheap and deciding to refurb the older trains rather than buy newer and Modern trains the class 195s are pacer replacers and there new trains when the 150s and 156s don't meet the DDA standards or develop lots of fualts they will be removed from service Northern could Either option A Sell these trains to other operators and scrap what trains don't get sold and get money new trains Option B convert them into extra coaches for 158 units and call them Class 160s there formation would be the 158 coaches at each end but in the middle two 156 coaches it's possible due to sprinters being good with formations it would be a cheaper option and save northern money from buying new stock increase capacity on key lines like Sheffield - Manchester Sheffield - Leeds Nottingham - Leeds and several branch lines.
Great trip report
Thanks!
Hi! I recommend you to try the Eurostar service from England to France/Belgium/Netherlands.
Okay, I will do it soon. 👍
Ironically, the seats on this Class 156 are probably still more comfortable than those on the refurbished Class 222 Meridians, which are terrible, and a massive downgrade from the non-refurbished seats, which were actually rather comfy!
This route should be Run by Meridians Or Adelantes, not crappy 156 trains, A 170 would do the job perfectly fine, a 158 maybe ok, a Hst? Perfect!
Think an HST would be too fast for most of the route! :)
Wouldn’t it be cool to see a HST Speeding along the hope valley line?
Looks to have very harsh and unpleasant cold white lighting, probably retrofit LED tubes.
Completely agree when they were introduced on this route in the May 1988 timetable change they were acceptable for the time and considering the old stock they replaced. In 2022 totally unacceptable. The 'Sprinter' family of trains were designed with a working life of only 30 years, they should no longer be in service
last passenger train built with all tread brakes, windows you can open for fresh air.
however, comfort is an issue - west highland line springs to mind where these replaced loco hauled trains.
Yeah, it's quite a trip on the WHL!
Key reason on why this is possible *BSI Couplers on Class 156 155 153 150 158 159 170 172 & Pacers* Class 158 should run to Norwich with Class 156
They do I've seen many 156/158 pairings at Ely
the units split at Nottingham due to the fact that EMR don't have enough units to provide a double unit service to Norwich. Occasionally on Sundays they do this but its rare.
@@tonywilkins6090 It would've been a much better experience to run the 158 down to Norwich and leave the 156 at Nottingham
@@williamhuang8309 Yes I agree but if the 158 is behind the 156 at Nottingham, it would mean if they want the 158 to run to Norwich then the train is delayed as it waits for the empty stock to go to the depot.
Pairing 156+158 does seem an odd choice, although I recall seeing an issue with the 158's brakes necessitating this a long time ago. The 156 is also only rated for 75mph, so I think the whole train is also limited to 75mph and not 90mph, which the 158s are obviously capable of. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can correct me on that. This is especially strange as there are large sections of the Liverpool-Norwich route that have 90+mph line speed.
What do you use to record these videos? Btw, the video is very nice and informative.
GoPro Hero 9 Black is the primary camera for me.
156's are good units for their age but should be used for far shorter journeys. As others have already mentioned you were very unlucky not to get a 158. I don't think I've ever seen an East Midlands 156 at Norwich before so it must be rare!
I was surprised to get a 156 too, to be honest.
TFW are worse for that, ive seen them put a 150/2 on a 6 hour holyhead to maesteg service
Makes me think the route is better suited to the Class 165's especially seeing the same operator serves the Norwich to Liverpool route
165s have awful 3=plus 2 layout and are at gwr
@@s125ish I don't agree - the 165's came in to replace the 150's and 153's. Prior to their work in the west country, they worked on busy services from Reading to London Paddington and Gatwick Airport. They also have a higher top speed than the 150's and 153's
@@davidpring9108 they can only go 90mph that's 15mph faster EMR wouldn't use them due to them not being compatible with there other units they can only be used in other formations with other 165 and 166 trains the sprinters can connect to a wide variety of formations and can fit more people on board.
@@declangaming24 i didn't know 75+25 = 90
@@TheCatOfWarCSGO I meant to put 15mph I'll just edit it
Unfortunately I haven’t been to the UK for years. Of course this is far from ideal but I was even more shocked by reviews of those Japanese built InterCity trains (nothing to do what they have in Japan!!). These sprinters somehow remind me of DB’s 628 units whose seemingly undersized engine produces annoying howls when accelerating. Definitely nothing for longer journeys.
I personally never been on a 156 so thanks for this review anyways are u planning on doing a review on the underrated railways of denmark?
I have a small selection of Danish videos to come. :)
@@SuperalbsTravels Yay just please don't forget Arriva's dreaded Lint 41's which suck for the services they run (long regional services) with iron board seating
At 11:07 Ely is also known as a Ipswich to Ely line
Yeah. :)
do you know the reason that Liverpool only gets the 158 units to Norwich why isn't a 222 or something
Because the 222s are in high demand on more appropriate routes, and they are a bad unit for seating capacity.
I used to go on these from Derby to Crewe back in the 1990's I liked them back then but very noisy and vibrating... However today they are simply out of date and too old fashioned, even the Derby to Matlock service has replaced them now and that's a far shorter route.
Late as usual i live in March and whitemoor yard reopened in 2002 and is onwed by gbrf
Bro crossed the most complicated level crossing in the UK whilst being in the toilet 💀
156s are my favourite design of train however they are extrememly not fun to ride, I rode a northern one from Preston to Blackpool south and the interior was worn. These trains will probably have to be withdrawn soon.
Yeah, I don't expect they have long left.
Passing HSTs in sidings while intercity services are operated by this rattly junk. Sorry to any 156 fans out there but I've never liked them. Great video btw :)
hard agree, no sprinters 150/153/155/156 are actually pleasant to be on
Yup, whilst HSTs wouldn't be well fitted, the 156s really aren't any good...
Is it limited to 75mph
I think there may be 2 USBs under the seat as there is on their 158s
Not on the 156s. All of the EMR's 156s including the ex-GA have no power sockets. Only a handful of EMR 158s have usb seats, the rest don't.
Nope unfortunately not, I showed under the seats in the video. :(
And East Midlands Railway are investing more money on having extra rolling stocks including the Class 170 Turbostars cascaded from Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway to operate in and around the East Midlands.
I've heard that 158s are to be retained on Norwich services. Seems silly to have 170s on the Robin Hood line but not on long distance regional expresses? What can I say... Abellio East Midlands management!
@@danfisher1530 Indeed. Class 158s are more reliable.
Compare this to a European regional service where you would probably get a loco with at least 5 carriages and a choice of seating and you will see that these 156's are not fit for purpose
EMR seems to have done a better job at overhauling these units than Scotrail. The seats in this video looks quite comfortable, whereas the Scotrail class 156s have received the same "ironing board" style seats as fitted to the class 385s, with a corresponding drop in comfort.
Also I go on trains every weet
Cool! I've not been on a train for six weeks. :(
I felt uncomfortable by just thinking to sit there for 5h looking at nothingness and with no wifi. At least they could offer books and magazines to distract the costumers, hecking hell
6:50 Earrape announcement
8:59 Oooh that's rare. A 365 Happy train!
11:24 Some sprinter-like 315s used previously on LO
Edit: Those are actually 317s
This was filmed before they were withdrawn. :)
4:51 you can hear a 2
Tone
Whatever happened to cheap advanced fares? They seem to be very few and far between nowadays. The only way to save a bit of cash appears to be split ticketing but it's hardly the same as searching Trainline (other ticket providers are available) for the bargains some twelve weeks prior to departure.
Noticed that as well. Lack of them on GWR of late
@@s125ish same across all operators it seems.
Suspect its partly down to the DfT/Government running the railway and absorbing all of the risks/costs rather than the TOC's. Obviously the DfT/Government will want to squeeze the most amount of the money to minimize the costs. It's also why the train operators haven't been recruiting during lockdown, as its extra costs that the government don't want. Which ironically is biting back at them as TOC's are having staffing issues etc.
plenty on LNER, I got London to Leeds first class for £30
@@TheCatOfWarCSGO gwr and cross country have a lack of advance s
Ok on these trains there really unreliable in summer when most people go to the seaside town Skegness they always put two carriages on when you need 4 cause there loads of people
06:50 That was Loud
Nice, I've done one on an EMR 158 so I'm sure I'll get around to doing one of these eventually. I will say you ended up getting very unlucky with this journey. Firstly, I had a trolley service when I travelled on this route, so it's strange that you didn't. Maybe a Covid thing? Secondly, the 156s are usually detached at Nottingham with the 158s continuing, the train was in the wrong formation for some reason. It's also worth noting that the 156s should have been replaced by now, but due to complications with the 196s, they have needed to be retained and WMT can't free up anymore 170s.
I think it was covid related to be honest.
Why isn't this served by CrossCountry? As it's goes across the country.
Likely because XC don't have staff in the areas where this route operates, not to mention the lack of rolling stock for them to run this route, as they have trouble with their current routes.
Good question. I think it's mostly down to where the depots are. EMR have depots at Nottingham and Sheffield. Whereas to my knowledge XC don't have any, but probably share with one in Manchester.
Appears to be an expensive journey to be endured, not enjoyed. Not a good advert for the operator, and the quicker the new trains arrive the better - hopefully with some catering on board.
If there is catering onboard for this route, I don't think it will be an at-seat trolley on the 170s due to the vestibules being steep for the trolley and unsafe for the host. I had boarded a 170 and it had a trolley host onboard and the guard had to announce it was a static trolley. Asked the person and they said it was unsafe for them to cross as unlike the 156/158, 170s vestibule have a dip, whereas 156/158 are flat.
I've only travelled on a 158 from Grantham to Skegness
Skegvegas!
why complain when you know they are being replaced soon?.
prolly cos they charged 40 quid for the 'privilege' of it lol
Because I live in 'now' and not 'soon'.
£41?! Royally ripped off I say!
It is a lot for what you get...
Ibm
Overpriced and outdated. Two words are enough to describe all British railways
😂😂😂
Rubbish trains
Yup! Especially for this route!
I used to go on these from Derby to Crewe back in the 1990's I liked them back then but very noisy and vibrating... However today they are simply out of date and too old fashioned, even the Derby to Matlock service has replaced them now and that's a far shorter route.