Great Western Railway is to phase out its 2+4 HST ‘Castle Class’ trains.
The full-length HSTs were replaced by Hitachi IETs, but were converted to a 2+4 (2 powercars and 4 coaches) set to run on the Cardiff to Penzance route.
Great Western Railway says that the Castles were a temporary measure for the route.
A GWR spokesperson also said that the fleet’s running costs and high carbon emissions mean that the fleet needs to be replaced with more modern trains for passengers.
A spokesperson said “While our Castle Class trains have served customers well, they are by far the oldest trains in our fleet, and will have been in service on the network in various forms for some 47 years. As a result, the fleet is particularly costly to run, with a high carbon emissions footprint compared to other trains on our network.
“The Castles were always designed to be a temporary measure on the Cardiff to Penzance route. We expect to replace the Castle Class trains on a phased basis over the next couple of years, bringing customers the benefit of more modern trains that will reduce both cost and carbon emissions across the route.”
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments below.
Responses
The hst train castle sets are great there british built look great everything else is imported from other countries cant we have anything british .
The Hitachis have awful cycle storage – space for two bikes you have to hang up in a cupboard half the width it needs to be and may already be full of other passengers’ luggage. Some of these trains have 2 x bike cupboards but you don’t know if there is available space until you’re half on the train. FGW bike booking system is unreliable. Cyclists loved the Castle HST’s ample bike space even if it did mean a sprint from putting it in the guard’s van and getting on the train. Why is it so hard to get bike carriage sorted on modern UK trains?
One hopes that the damper, secondary / suspension issues on the Hitachi 800’s will be sorted out (as i have it on good authority they haven’t sorted them yet) if the Castle’s are to be be replaced by those units uncomfortably units
Appalling news! Whilst I am only an occaisional traveller from Totnes to Bath, I try to plan journeys using the Castle HST’s. For quietness, seat comfort and a relaxing journey they are my prime choice. The new Hitachi units are as others say, noisy in deisal mode with horrible seats. XCountry Voyagers at the times I travel become Bristol westward commuter trains, noisy, lacking in leg room and overcrowded. I often take Cuprofen or paracetamol if I am forced to travel on these to cope with the noise and poor seating, and still end up with backache and feeling deafened – it becomes a tiring travel experience putting it politely!!
I didn’t think any were being withdrawn, certainly not power cars. Just reducing diagrams to save on engine hours etc, at least for the upcoming timetable changes?
Not a couple of years they will all be gone by Dec 23 .with 6 sets being withdrawn this month
Yes we had a feeling about the Castles sets being replaced by other units at the moment the class 800 set in a five car formation will also be taking it in turns with the class 158s and 166 units possible class 150s as well
So Fake Western Railway is withdrawing its only comfortable long distance stock, and trying to spin this as an improvement? Another triumph for FirstBus.
It’s not the HST’s that are costing too much to run – it’s nut-job managers and their empty-head ideas! If you cut out half these overpaid baboons and cut the salaries of the rest, you could run HST’s for at least another 5 years!
Oh No! please say this isn’t true. I have loved riding these to Penzance and to Bristol and Cardiff from Exeter. I choose the journeys to Bristol with a Castle set instead of the Cross Country horrible Voyagers. Retaining the HSTs has been the only good idea that GWR has ever had. The Hitachis are total garbage by comparison. Idiot strikers permitting, I shall be making many similar trips with the Castle sets next year before they go.
Goodbye comfort, hello the appallingly uncomfortable seats and rough riding of the cramped class 800/802 then I suppose.
‘Oh, but the acceleration is so good!’. Yes, I loved being pinned to the back of my ironing board every time it leaves a station.
I have done an analysis and I have come to the conclusion, that Hitachi’s version of the five-car AT-300, where one diesel engine is replaced by a battery pack is working well and can beat the pants off a Castle. Recently mtu announced that their 1600 engines will soon be able to run on HVO. So be prepared for the order for a dozen more AT-300s and lots of battery upgrades for all and sundry. I think it could be three cheers for Hitachi and their mates at Hyperdrive Innovation.
Is someone paying you mega quid to say this? You must have a few screws lose!
Are they withdrawing all the hst trains
The HSTs are fabulously comfortable and quiet compared to almost anything else on the network. Can we have something with equivalent ride quality to replace them?
I think that the current ‘GWR’ have a cheek giving themselves that name. Brunel must be turning in his grave.
Brunel was long gone before the GWR built the Castle class. That was Charles Collett, with the locos being built at Swindon between 1923 and 1950, when British Railways introduced the various Standards.
The Hitachis are nowhere near as comfortable and quiet as the HSTs
Keep the familiar Castle names and put them on the new engines
A prime route for riding sunbeams project I would have thought!
Modern trains yes but for comfort , the modern stuff are rubbish.
Perhaps send them up to ScotRail so that they can use them on the “Inter7City” routes. Such a shame that they are to be withdrawn.
I think this is both sad and ridiculous. The fact that the HSTs have been used for nearly 50 years should tell them something! The new trains will never cope with a railway line/route like that and are certainly not designed for comfort going long distances. I get what they are saying about the environmental issues but this is not the answer.
It’s progress – of a sort. The Castles use about £50’s worth of diesel just to slow down and stop when entering a station. Their emissions are obviously an issue. But the plastic Japanese boxes that will replace them have rock-hard seats, poor WiFi and toilets that rarely have running water in them.
The HSTs are sorely missed – but they were long past their sell-by dates.
They might as well rip up the railway tracks while they’re at it. These ‘new modern trains’ will never cope with the Dawlish line as previously known. This company should stop trying to compete with other countries and those railways on the European continent. With regards to the carbon footprint is a load of rubbish and running costs is also a load of nonsense. These trains have been running for 47 years and seem fine! Yet again, they are only ‘costing more’ because they have wasted money on rubbish technology that was never needed – because they are trying to compete with other countries. There is no pride in British engineering anymore as these class 800 IET trains aren’t even British! The management at GWR should be ashamed of themselves.
Never mind Dawlish – that is being fixed. Its the banks – primarily Hemerdon. These fly up the other DMU’s crawl up. A sad day for Laira.
Why is trying to compete with rail companies a bad idea. On what basis are the running cost figures and carbon footprint a load of nonsense?.
Not good be the old 2 carriage s back again I expect awful trains ones that have the sliding doors
They are by far the most comfortable coaches we’ve ever had.
Agreed with ironing boards seats, but GWR say they’re ergonomically designed – yes for back. The 800s are commuter trains, not for a journey of five hours plus.
HST inter City 125 s were my favourite train. Although I can understand that they are old and the design is no longer required, I am sad to see them go.
Just Nooo. The modern stuff is uncomfortable, less reliable and hideous looking.
Castle sets look fab and are comfy. Look at the Facebook comments regarding losing the castle sets
Agreed with ironboard seats, which GWR say are ergonomically designed – I think to give back ache. The 800s are commuter trains for short journeys, not Pz to London
Don’t you dare get rid of those lovely 125s
Perhaps GWR would like to donate them to TfW for use on the Central Wales line? They might encourage more people to travel than do at the moment as many potential passengers are put off by the thought of having to use a clapped out 153 or 150 and nothing newer in prospect.
I just hope GWR provide far more comfortable seating for the replacements than they provide for passengers on the IEP’s.
Such a noisy power unit, quite a deafening multi-frequency noise. Should never have been allowed.
And the HSTs used to scream before. When leaving the station.
I travel this route often & these were a big step up from the original multiple units.
In some ways a shame to retire them, I love them on this route. They’re comfortable & make the journey more enjoyable, I only hope the replacements are as comfortable.
How much has this cost in terms of converting all this stock to work these services and would GWR consider it money well spent for the length of time these Castle sets have been used.
An appallingly bad decision by GWR. The castles are by a long way the most comfortable and quiet form of rail travel in the south west. I personally have picked to travel on services with them as they are so much better than the noisy uncomfortable Hitachi and other diesel multiple units. I expected better from GWR.
What a waste of money these trains have turned out to be. Surely the costs of running them was known before they were introduced. But interesting to see which ‘more modern’ trains, are going to replace them. Other than the 800s, do we have any?
They could do a lot worse, than buy some Class 745 trains from Stadler.
I’m not sure, but I have a feeling that mtu now have a hydrogen version of their engine in the HST.
Class 745 were built to replace the Class 90 Mk3s for the Great Eastern main line (London-Norwich main line).
Last of the comfortable trains
Looks like it. 😢
I thought that the new MTU engines fitted to the fleet were the latest in economy and reduced emissions, ?.
Exactly.
Are they bringing back 142/143 then
I think those have already been gone for scrap.
Humanity’s carbon dioxide emissions are 4% of the total there, about 38 gigatons. Uk rail about 10million tons, utterly insignificant. Where is Pareto when we need him?
The most comfortable seats on GWR. another backward step.
Yes agreed, it is a shame that the only relatively comfortable trains serving Cornwall are going to be phased out!
Yes agreed, it is a shame that the only comfortable trains serving Cornwall are going to be withdrawn!
They just need to get some new cleaner locos then or re engine the Cl43’s. Not another uncomfortable IET please. What about the sleeper locos being the oldest in the fleet?!
A shame – by far the most comfortable trains I have travelled on, beating pendooinos, hitachi 800s, voyagers. How did we end up with retrograde steps in comfort?
Even the Pacers were more comfortable than the IETs.
True.
They are old, but by far the best and most comfortable, with silent running, trains on the network. The modern Hitachis are uncomfortable with an awful ride at speed. They are noisey with underfloor engines when in diesel mode. A step backwards.
If they’re bringing in 800s I hope for those who use this service that they don’t have the same nasty ironing board seats that the train I got fro Penzance to London has.
125s are the only thing worth living for, they could do with more smoke & a bigger carbon footprint. Shame they removed the original big comfortable chairs and most of the tables, and they don’t make that lovely loud noise like a jet taking off anymore with the big cloud’s of rich black smoke that you could die for
Why are a big carbon footprint and clouds of black smoke a positive. I assume this is not a wind up.
so they are going to be the uncomfortable ones like the avanti
I went on these old trains from Penzance pre-Covid and they were delightfully clean and according to a railway man I spoke to a much better ride. So maybe not a change for the better?