Major delays/cancellations, Paddington to Reading, 20 December 2012 and ongoing ...

[whole diary]

[jane s]

Like I posted above, Jo, they certainly weren't running during the morning peak either!

BTW^▸ (by the way) I did (eventually) manage to get to Brighton on Friday - Southern was managed a lot better than FGW^▸ (First Great Western) with informative announcements on trains & at stations about which trains/connections to get, stopping shuttles to Brighton, services held for connecting trains, even a chatty driver who suggested that if we were interested we could look out of the window now so we could see the damage which had caused all the disruption! (Apparently it was thought to be arson).

[Andy W]

And - yes - some of the early locos were distinctly naff;  that's what comes from being at the (b)leeding edge of technology.

Maybe (b)bleeding edge then - State of the Ark now.

Some of the kit being installed now is leading edge or at least very modern, have you seen the new LED tilt over signals being installed on the main running lines through Ealing and Acton,  all the new trough routes being installed around Maidenhead to Hayes if for resignalling which will support ETRMS level 2

Take a trip to Worcester one day and I'll show you 19th century technology in operation.

  The Railway system is risk adverse which means a small thing will cause it to stop it is this way to prevent us killing people.

Every Railwayman and Railwaywomen I ever come across whether they are TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) FOC^▸ (Freight Operating Company) NR^» (Network Rail - home page) or contractor; front of house or behind the scenes are very dedicated to what they do and work very hard to reduce failures and to improve reliability.

Firstly is the railway system risk averse or risk obsessed (not necessarily the industry's fault I add)?
Take for instance axle counters - which appear to cause various problems - when was the last time a train left a section with an axle missing?
If contractors are dedicated to safe railways exactly why is so much "debris" left beside the track after work has been completed almost enticing the mindless twerps who are intent on vandalism?

[John R]

Take for instance axle counters - which appear to cause various problems - when was the last time a train left a section with an axle missing?
If contractors are dedicated to safe railways exactly why is so much "debris" left beside the track after work has been completed almost enticing the mindless twerps who are intent on vandalism?

I agree one axle is unlikely, but it enables a check to be made that every vehicle has successfully passed from one section to the next. There have been very ocassional instances of trains separating, even with modern rolling stock, so it's a reasonable check.

Agree with your point regarding debris being left by the track though. I would have thought it easy for NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to build it into contracts with contractors. 

[Southern Stag]

Axle counters are just another means of train detection other than the more widely used track circuits.

[thetrout]

Left Reading 4 minutes late... Picked up a 3 minute delay at Swindon. Train still practically empty in First Class

Forgot to update how the journey actually went. Well Point - Point on the railway: Bath Spa - Southend Victoria I actually arrived 90 seconds early!

The HST^▸ (High Speed Train) I was on was travelling through the Slough and Hayes areas around 40 - 50 MPH according to the GPS based Speed App on my iPhone. Despite all the disruption we arrived into Paddington no later than 10 minutes behind schedule. (Think the actual number was 8 minutes). Which considering the circumstances I thought was very good indeed. Even an off duty Driver sat in the seat behind me was impressed at how painless the journey was.

Moving onto the Circle Line for Liverpool Street went without drama also. I was able to board my suggested connection onto Souffend without any troubles and dispite having to wade through piles of puke all over the floor (Nothing unusual on GreaterAnglia trains after 23:00 on Friday and Saturday nights sadly). We arrived at SOV about 90 seconds early so personally despite my expectations to be very, very late, travelling 160 miles, I would call that a result.

I think it was despite my earlier post. A very good call to travel on the Friday and not Saturday!

My only real gripe with the journey. Once I got to SOV the taxi I had booked got pinched which I wasn't too happy about. Even less happy that by the time I actually managed to get another one, I could have walked the 2.7 miles to ladyfriend trouts house Looks like the Southend Cabbies were getting very nice Christmas Bonuses that day. Some people had waited even longer than me to do less than a mile!

[grahame]

Left Reading 4 minutes late... Picked up a 3 minute delay at Swindon. Train still practically empty in First Class

Forgot to update how the journey actually went. Well Point - Point on the railway: Bath Spa - Southend Victoria I actually arrived 90 seconds early!

The HST^▸ (High Speed Train) I was on was travelling through the Slough and Hayes areas around 40 - 50 MPH according to the GPS based Speed App on my iPhone. Despite all the disruption we arrived into Paddington no later than 10 minutes behind schedule. (Think the actual number was 8 minutes). Which considering the circumstances I thought was very good indeed. Even an off duty Driver sat in the seat behind me was impressed at how painless the journey was.

And you were travelling in first, right?  (My adding of bold in answer to your quote).  Perhaps he was riding "on the cushions" midshift, and had to arrive fresh to continue his driving from Paddington?

[thetrout]

And you were travelling in first, right?  (My adding of bold in answer to your quote).  Perhaps he was riding "on the cushions" midshift, and had to arrive fresh to continue his driving from Paddington?

Yes was seated in a rather empty (Passenger-wise) coach H. Perhaps off-duty was the wrong term. I was more leaning towards that he wasn't driving the train! (Which from Coach H you'd hope he wasn't )

He could've been mid shift so riding "on the cushions" as I've seen an awful lot of drivers take a pugh in First Class over the years when wearing Driver Uniform. I was under the impression that Drivers got First Class travel as a perk of the job anyway!

Going completely off topic. Back in 2009 when I was courting my ex. We were both at Residential College and I travelled up to see her during Half Term. On route back from her house on a CrossCountry 170 working a Birmingham New Street - Cardiff Central service which I decided to take as far as Cheltenham Spa. (For no other reason than to try a recently refurbished Class 170). Sat in First Class was a young lass probably no older than 18 and certainly didn't appear the "type" to be seated in First <- and I'll come to that statement at the end as it may seem very out of context!

Well when the Train Manager came to check tickets they seemed to perhaps be thinking that this lass shouldn't have been there either. Well when she produced a Dependant Travel Pass the TM^‡(resolve)'s face was a picture! Turns out her dad was indeed a Train Driver! But not only a train driver. Driving the very train we were all sat on!


What I mean by the "type" (and under such context is a word I hate!). When you've been travelling First for as long as I have. You begin to learn who should be in there and who shouldn't.

swrural made a very interesting point in my 1C97 thread a while ago and I have to agree in that it is not all about Class nowadays. But I think the seasoned travellers begin to know who has the ticket and who doesn't. Personally, I would never dream of approaching someone and saying to them "You do know this is First Class". I used to get that all the time and it used to drive my absolutely nuts! Even to this day I still get those comments. However I tend to just brush it to one side with the answer of "Are you railway staff?" "No" "Then what ticket I've/tickets we've got with all due respect is nothing to do with you, lets leave it that shall we?" Rude? Well yes I quite agree, but that's for an (Under the NRCoC^▸ (National Rail Conditions of Carriage)) "Authorised Person" to ask and I perhaps find being asked by a person without authority even more rude but hey, that's my opinion.

But to the point. I think and it's perfectly natural as Humans are generally very nosey, You may think it, but personally I would never say anything. Because you never know the full story behind the counter. I have too many times thought it and been wrong, which is much less embarrassing than saying something about it and being wrong! That wouldn't stop me however, from giving an honest answer if a passenger asked me if the section/carriage was First Class. The answer may not be the one that is being sought. But is generally well received nonetheless.

[Electric train]

................. and the pre Christmas troubles continue

Owing to over-running engineering works between Reading and London Paddington all lines are blocked.
 Impact:
Train services running across the whole First Great Western network may be cancelled or delayed at short notice. Disruption is expected until 12:00 27/12.
 Customer Advice:
Train services are suspended between London Paddington and Reading in both directions until at least 11:00. Some trains may operate between Slough and Reading and there is no road transport.
 Customers are advised NOT TO TRAVEL unless your journey is essential. Tickets dated for travel today will be accepted for travel this afternoon or tomorrow Friday 28th December 2012.
 Chiltern Railways, London Midland, Virgin Trains, London Underground and South West Trains services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys. 

[JayMac]

This latest problem is also at Airport Junction and the possession overrun is related to the Crossrail project. Does anyone know whether the overrun is also related to the major S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) failure before Christmas?

To compound the issue there are constraints at Reading, where services are currently terminating/starting, ewhere engineering work is taking place leaving fewer platforms available.

[Electric train]

This latest problem is also at Airport Junction and the possession overrun is related to the Crossrail project. Does anyone know whether the overrun is also related to the major S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) failure before Christmas?

The Crossrail works is effecting the Relief Lines the pre Christmas S & T faults effected the Main Lines so it is possible that is having an effect.  I know the Crossrail works involves OHLE structures that span all lines at Acton West if this also involved OHL^▸ (Over-Head Line) re-registration on the Mains or crossovers if it involves work on any Headspan that support OHLE on the Mains then there is a reluctance to work on these when lines are open to traffic.

Could be wrong it may be something completely different.   I suspect NR^» (Network Rail - home page) GW^▸ (Great Western) Route Managing Director will be holding Court this morning he was Route Director at the time the shenanigans during the famous Christmas Liverpool Street blockade happened; he lead some major changes in the way NR projects planned and executed their works during blockades when he was a Project Director before moving to GW.

[TaplowGreen]

......and now today - all this after the recent farcical service....it goes on and on....utterly pathetic......quote on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) website "...this will continue until further notice....." - how long will we wait until even a half decent service is restored?

 

(FGW^▸ (First Great Western) own website of course reports that service is expected to start around 1100, and Network Rail's departure boards from Taplow show pretty much everything running on time, so we've got 3 different versions to choose from)

If my company repeatedly failed in this manner, we would lose business,Directors would be sacked and the rest of us would be looking over our shoulders - no doubt however in this parallel universe we will get a load of flannel about "lessons being learned" and the whole show will roll on as usual - including bonuses.

Here's an idea - how about FGW Directors salaries being reduced by the % of trains which arrive late? ie if the current appalling 82% arrive on time, they only get 82% of their salary?

[jane s]

Well here we go again!

^$%^& unbelievable!

NO announcements on train whatsoever about the fact we were terminating at Slough or what to do when we got there (which turned out to be go to Windsor and transfer to SW trains at Windsor ER).

if they'd said that was what was going to happen at Reading, would have got off there & got on Waterloo train then, but NOTHING!!!!!!

And on the website, it says the problem is at Maidenhead, but how can it be when trains were running between Reading & Slough but not further in?

Grrrrr!!!

[broadgage]

......all this after the recent farcical service....it goes on and on....utterly pathetic.

Although not as negative as yourself, I am partialy in agreement.
It seems a long time since a normal service was achieved for a whole week, and we have not yet any significant snow, nor an industrial dispute.
In my more cynical moods I have been known to remark that no one should expect a normal service following engineering work.

Any reasonable person would expect disruption in extreme weather or other exceptional events, but on FGW^▸ (First Great Western) disruption seems to be the norm now with the odd day of near normal services.

And we have electrification and new signalling to look forward to.
Electrification though an excellent idea in theory, tends to mean no service in windy weather as the wires come down, and speed restrictions in hot weather as they stretch and sag.
New signalling tends to mean more centralised control with the result that a single power failure, fire, flood, cable theft or other problem disrupts or closes down services over a much wider area.

Elswhere on these forums I have already made clear my concerns regarding new, shorter, commuter stlye trains replacing HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train).

Is not progress wonderfull !

[broadgage]

Well here we go again!

^$%^& unbelievable!

NO announcements on train whatsoever about the fact we were terminating at Slough or what to do when we got there (which turned out to be go to Windsor and transfer to SW trains at Windsor ER).

if they'd said that was what was going to happen at Reading, would have got off there & got on Waterloo train then, but NOTHING!!!!!!

And on the website, it says the problem is at Maidenhead, but how can it be when trains were running between Reading & Slough but not further in?

Grrrrr!!!

The "live departures" indicator for Taunton seems to suggest that trains are running normaly into Paddington, though from other reports this is clearly not the case.
I presume that full weekday/rush hour fares are payable for this worse than a Sunday service.

[BBM]

I got to Twyford at about 0710 for the 0724 (I got there earlier to renew my annual season ticket so at least FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are ^3621 better off today). The train was initially shown on the board as going to Paddington but it soon changed to Slough so at least I knew what was happening before I attempted to board it. There were about 100 people on the platform (including passengers from the Henley train) so it was certainly busy. The advice given over the station PA^▸ (Public Address) was to either travel via Reading and Waterloo (next train to Reading not expected until 0756) or to go to Slough for 'maybe' a bus or to travel via Windsor. I decided to give up and work from home, not really ideal though as all my other team colleagues are on leave today thus we have no-one on duty on site. Hopefully not a problem today!