‘68s’ to replace ‘37s’
Top-and-tailed Class 68s introduced on the Cumbrian Coast Line to replace “unreliable” Class 37s.
A local authority senior figure has blasted “unreliable” Class 37/4 diesel locomotives that operate a limited number of passenger services on the Cumbrian Coast line, claiming they damage the line’s appeal to commuters.
Speaking exclusively to RAIL, Brendan Sweeney, vice-chairman of Barrow Borough Council, said the ‘37s’ - which have been operated for Northern by Direct Rail Services (DRS) along with a rake of Mk2 coaches and a Driving Brake Standard Open (DBSO) since 2015 owing to cascades of diesel multiple units to other parts of the country - have “been a disaster”.
At present, DRS has a contract to provide Northern with two sets of locomotives and carriages until January 6 2019.
“The ‘37s’ are definitely putting people off from using the railways. One of the biggest local users is the commuter traffic to Sellafield from Barrow,” Sweeney told RAIL.
“About 550 people travel and they have the alternative of going by car. Previously the problem was overcrowding, but that isn’t an issue any longer because the ‘37s’ are so unreliable and unpopular.”
He added: “They weren’t a bad idea in that they’ve been running successfully on freight with DRS on the nuclear trains, but they were never designed for stop-start working.”
Sweeney also complained about the environmental impact of the locomotives.
“The other issue we’ve had is the noise of the damn things,” he said.
“Because of the reliability issues, the first service is at 0546 with the ‘37s’ from Barrow with DRS starting them up an hour-and-ahalf before that. Plus, there’s the exhaust fumes; it’s like having a vintage car that no longer needs an MoT. The railway is hiding behind very old legislation, back from the days of steam, which prevents environmental health people putting any pressure on them to improve things.
“It’s unacceptable what people have to live with in Barrow. On the first working day after Christmas, the locomotives started up at five past midnight because they had been stood for several days. That’s not on at all.”
DRS/Northern had run test trains with top-and-tailed Class 68s earlier this year with speculation mounting they could replace the
‘37s’ on the Cumbrian Coast line to improve reliability. On March 12, Northern introduced top-and-tailed ‘68s’ to replace ‘37s’ on certain services in order to provide a better service to customers.
Sweeney welcomed the extra reliably the 2016-built locomotives would bring to the Cumbrian Coast line, but pointed out it would come at the expense of a coach in order for the rake to fit in station platforms and called on Northern/ DRS to provide more clarity.
“It is not clear how long the ‘68s’ will be with us and if, or when, we will see Barrow free of the ‘37s’,” he told RAIL.
“Topping and tailing is clearly very wasteful of locomotives and fuel, as they are hauling 85 tonnes of dead weight. I wish we could have upgraded DBSOs paired with ‘68s’ on both sets.”
Away from the ‘37’ debacle, Sweeney attacked the current franchise holder, claiming Northern is proving a sub-standard service to the region.
“We’re stuck with Northern who aren’t offering reservations, no first class and have very elderly trains which have reliability issues. We haven’t got a standard-class service, we have a third-class service,” he said.
“Personally, I don’t feel the pride and ownership that I got from TPE [which previously managed the station at Barrow-in-Furness]. The station looks tattier and they can’t even be bothered to water the flowerbeds.”