I've done some digging and guess what the most common failure is? The trains have a CCTV system, which allows the driver to see when the passengers are clear of the doors. If this breaks down, the train can only stop at stations where there are station attendants who can tell him when the doors are clear. this means that most stations have to be missed. Now, having spent years commuting, I smelt a rat. The old trains (the 319's) don't have the CCTV camera. All stations have a CCTV system and the driver stops by the monitors and watches these until the doors are clear. Why can't the driver of the new trains, the 377's do this. This is the good bit. They can't because the position of the chair in the drivers cab doesn't line up with the window. As such, the driver would have to stand up and bend his neck. This is deemed a "health and safety" issue, so the drivers are not allowed to do it.
In other words, because First Capital Connect ordered a fleet of trains with the drivers window in the wrong place, thousands of passengers are being inconvenienced on a daily basis. Who is responsible for ordering a fleet of trains that is not fit for purpose (despite being over a year late)? The man who has just been promoted to be the managing director. It is quite clear that to save a few quid on the train design (no doubt boosting First Capital Connects profits), they skimped on the windows, so the new trains can't use the already installed station TV monitors. Yet another reason why they should be stripped of the franchise.
(Picture: A new First Capital Connect 377 train being assembled. Note the lack of a window for the driver to watch the platform CCTV monitors on the side of the cab)
