(18 May 2016, 8:30 am)Andreos1 wrote I have been racking my brains, looking online and trying to remember the whole ins and outs of the modernisation scheme.
Wasn't the funding bid for new stock turned down in the late 2000's? Or only a certain amount given to Nexus, which gave them the choice of new stock OR the station, track, signalling etc renewals.
I seem to recall funding being allocated for stock refurb and the modernisation scheme, with top ups being made if certain conditions were met - such as franchising the system out.
When it was franchised to DB, an additional pot of money was released by the government.
I don't really know the full ins and outs of the contract but I think the plan was always to refurbish the existing fleet regardless who won the contract. I keep hearing rumours Nexus turned down new trains in favour for refurbishment but I have never seen that anywhere and besides, new trains take a lot of planning to do and I always read the current signalling system will all have to be replaced before new trains even enter the system. There is also the issues with the OHL also, especially on the Sunderland section(seeing as any potential future electrification on the Durham Coast line will have to use the same voltage as the Metro) so whilst the public will think new trains should be right here and right now, bit of common sence would tell you that won't be the case.
I also ask myself, is the current reliability issues down to the age of the trains themselves or the refurbishment work done to them? Either way, I think some perspective have to be taken into account that for the vast majority of passengers, 9 times out of 10, your journey from A to B will be uneventful and there will be no issues, no doubt social media has increased the awareness of the issues and they should be addressed of course.