Great Western Coffee Shop

The Victoria Line currently has no service between Warren Street and Brixton due to flooding at Victoria.

Well, that is half the story.

What actually happened is cement was accidentally poured into the control room at Victoria.  Various photographs available by searching "Victoria Line" on Twitter.

ooooooooooooooo nasty http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/23/set-in-stone-victoria-line-closed-after-control-room-is-flooded-with-fast-setting-concrete-4275088/ (http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/23/set-in-stone-victoria-line-closed-after-control-room-is-flooded-with-fast-setting-concrete-4275088/)
That really is going to take some clearing up ................... hope its not quick drying cement

Surely all cement and concrete is quick-drying if you are desperately trying to shovel it out of a control room?

Police have released an image of the builders responsible:

http://goo.gl/DYicOC

Has cement accidentally entered tube control rooms before, or are we talking genuine one-off here?

More pictures here:
http://usvsth3m.com/post/74285062011/you-wont-believe-why-the-victoria-line-is-currently (http://usvsth3m.com/post/74285062011/you-wont-believe-why-the-victoria-line-is-currently)

There is a lot of building work being done outside Victoria station to make the Underground concourse larger, there was a large augur bore machine there last Friday when I went one of my contractors offices (not related to the Victoria station works)

Looks like a signalling equipment room, the racks look like signalling relays

Wow that's going to take some clearing!

Cock up of the Century so far?

This is not really funny at all.  If a signalling relay had been held falsely operated, even for a very short period of time, then the consequences could have been very serious indeed  >:( >:(

I was wondering that.  Things are usually designed to "fail safe" but I guess concrete closing the contacts is not something that is designed for.

Its more to do with wet concrete being very conductive.  In the photographs you can see wiring terminals covered and the possibility of electrical shorts was very high.  Most signalling relays are sealed so the chances of the concrete entering them would have been most unlikely.

Picked this up from the Telegraph's website

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10594718/Why-sugar-helped-remove-Victoria-Line-concrete-flood.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10594718/Why-sugar-helped-remove-Victoria-Line-concrete-flood.html)

Seems someone thought fast! Interesting tip re sugar and cement.

After picture looks pretty good to me. According to TFL there is currently a good sevice on the Vicotria Line. Somebody worked fast to get the testing done and the trains runnng.

That's pretty impressive!

Full credit to the LU Signalling Techs and all the other staff involved in the clear up.

.........hey ET not too much praise for the S&T please.  We usually get accused of being 'Sick and Tired' and drinking too much tea (old railway joke) :D ::)

Nevertheless a remarkable recovery job in such a short time.

Perhaps because S&T drink so much tea they had the sugar handy!

Or did someone say 'Oh sugar!' as the concrete came pouring in ...and then ten seconds later, stopped and said 'just a minute'.........

Was there a run on sugar in every Central London supermarket or is there somewhere to get large bags of sugar in a hurry.

The Telegraph article suggests 1% sugar added to the mix can prevent setting, so (if my sums are correct), about 24 kilos per cubic metre of concrete (at 2.4 tonnes per cubic metre) needs to be added.

Might empty a couple of small shops of their normal stock, but probably not an impossible amount to get hold of.  I'd have thought the biggest problem was  making sure it was properly mixed...   ;D

Paul

Ah yes the Sainsburys Local in Victoria Street could probably have managed to supply 12 bags of sugar. 

..had both of the Sainsbury's locals not been closed down due to building works (quite a while ago now)..  The new Waitrose Victoria Street however I am sure could have helped  ;D