Modern rolling stock on the way, but no date yet

CLAIRE Gulliver of Barnstaple, a daily commuter to Exeter, got in touch to complain about the quality of what she calls “cattle truck” trains running on the Tarka line.

After one journey on a winter’s morning, Claire was so unhappy she contacted the

She said: “It was freezing cold and there was ice on the inside of the windows.

“There were no proper seats and the benched seating was extremely cramped.

“There’s nowhere to put cups of coffee and laptops and a real lack of luggage space. When will these ‘cattle trucks’ be replaced by carriages suitable for today’s need?”

Mr Crow said: “The Barnstaple line operates with Class 142 and 143 Pacer trains, which were built in the mid ’80s. The 142s are the slightly older models with benched seating. Both classes have around 100 seats per carriage. We are aware they’re not the most modern trains but sadly they are all we have access to at present as there is a national shortage of rolling stock.”

However, Mr Crow said plans were afoot to replace some of these trains in the autumn.

He said: “Our lease on the older 142 models is due to run out later this year and they will be sent to a franchise in the north of England. We are hoping to receive some newer Class 150 models, some of which will be used on the Barnstaple line.

“As well as being a lot more modern, they also have capacity for 40 extra passengers and we plan to introduce them on the commuter lines.

“The delivery of these models depends on the delivery of other trains elsewhere in the country so I wouldn’t want to be too specific about a time frame.”