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Journey by Journey => London to Reading => Topic started by: eightonedee on July 06, 2022, 16:00:16



Title: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: eightonedee on July 06, 2022, 16:00:16
Sadly another person hit by a train. Nothing moving east of Reading other than one toTwyford.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: ChrisB on July 06, 2022, 16:38:56
TfL give a better location, Slough area


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: JayMac on July 06, 2022, 16:54:22
1059 Cheltenham - Paddington.

Incident occured at Maidenhead station. Declared non-suspicious.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: bobm on July 06, 2022, 16:55:27
Lines closed for three and a half hours.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: jamestheredengine on July 06, 2022, 17:04:32
1059 Cheltenham - Paddington.

Incident occured at Maidenhead station. Declared non-suspicious.
How many incidents at Maidenhead in the last few months is this? It really feels like it's getting to the point that Maidenhead station should be closed until it can be rebuilt to prevent further incidents.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: TaplowGreen on July 06, 2022, 17:17:18
1059 Cheltenham - Paddington.

Incident occured at Maidenhead station. Declared non-suspicious.
How many incidents at Maidenhead in the last few months is this? It really feels like it's getting to the point that Maidenhead station should be closed until it can be rebuilt to prevent further incidents.

Knowing the nature of today's incident, how exactly would you rebuild the station to prevent it?


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: grahame on July 06, 2022, 17:23:48
1059 Cheltenham - Paddington.

Incident occured at Maidenhead station. Declared non-suspicious.
How many incidents at Maidenhead in the last few months is this? It really feels like it's getting to the point that Maidenhead station should be closed until it can be rebuilt to prevent further incidents.

Knowing the nature of today's incident, how exactly would you rebuild the station to prevent it?

Platform doors which open only when the train draws up at the platform - we have a local company that designs and makes them ... doing that at all intermediate stations between Old Oak and Reading, and having that as purely Elizabeth Line services, with main line platforms all closed and shut off.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: Electric train on July 06, 2022, 17:46:00
1059 Cheltenham - Paddington.

Incident occured at Maidenhead station. Declared non-suspicious.
How many incidents at Maidenhead in the last few months is this? It really feels like it's getting to the point that Maidenhead station should be closed until it can be rebuilt to prevent further incidents.

Are we sure the person accessed the tracks at Maidenhead Station?   The last incident a while ago I believe the person accessed the tracks away from the station.

If it was felt Maidenhead station was high risk it would have 'Fast Line Fencing' installed to segregate platform 2 from 3


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: JayMac on July 06, 2022, 21:29:33
Platform doors which open only when the train draws up at the platform - we have a local company that designs and makes them ... doing that at all intermediate stations between Old Oak and Reading, and having that as purely Elizabeth Line services, with main line platforms all closed and shut off.

That doesn't solve the problem though. Only move it elsewhere. If someone has decided on suicide by train then they will find a location. It's just not feasible to screen door every platform in the country where trains run through non-stop. It's not feasible to fence off the entire rail network, close all public crossings or patrol every yard of the network with welfare officers.

Intervention and prevention before someone gets to the point of despair is what's needed. And that starts with much better funding and access for mental health services. Better funding and access to addiction services. Better funding and access to debt advice services. Better funding and access for help dealing with PTSD. Better education and public awareness campaigns for the population as a whole to spot the warning signs. The public have been educated on what to do in a physical medical emergency (CPR, stroke FAST etc). There should be a public health campaign on how to spot the symptoms of a mental health crisis.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: TaplowGreen on July 06, 2022, 22:08:50
Platform doors which open only when the train draws up at the platform - we have a local company that designs and makes them ... doing that at all intermediate stations between Old Oak and Reading, and having that as purely Elizabeth Line services, with main line platforms all closed and shut off.

That doesn't solve the problem though. Only move it elsewhere. If someone has decided on suicide by train then they will find a location. It's just not feasible to screen door every platform in the country where trains run through non-stop. It's not feasible to fence off the entire rail network, close all public crossings or patrol every yard of the network with welfare officers.

Intervention and prevention before someone gets to the point of despair is what's needed. And that starts with much better funding and access for mental health services. Better funding and access to addiction services. Better funding and access to debt advice services. Better funding and access for help dealing with PTSD. Better education and public awareness campaigns for the population as a whole to spot the warning signs. The public have been educated on what to do in a physical medical emergency (CPR, stroke FAST etc). There should be a public health campaign on how to spot the symptoms of a mental health crisis.

Exactly.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: grahame on July 06, 2022, 22:16:57
Platform doors which open only when the train draws up at the platform - we have a local company that designs and makes them ... doing that at all intermediate stations between Old Oak and Reading, and having that as purely Elizabeth Line services, with main line platforms all closed and shut off.

That doesn't solve the problem though.

Couldn't agree with you more, in spite of what I wrote.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: broadgage on July 07, 2022, 05:28:34
Incidents of this nature are very sad, but I am not certain that they CAN be prevented.
Talk of closing the station is IMHO very excessive. If someone is determined to end their life, they still will, perhaps at another location nearby.
I cant support platform edge doors as they add a lot of cost and complication, and mean that different train types cant ever pick up or set down, even in an emergency as the doors on the train wont line up with the platform doors.
And access to the line is still possible via other routes.

And yes I know that suicide is not proved in this particular case, only the coroner can state this. It does however look probable, and has been proved in many previous cases.

Other means of ending life are becoming less available or less reliable.
List redacted by edit - GrahamE

So that leaves, trains.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: Marlburian on July 07, 2022, 09:34:34
Pre-Lockdown there were small groups of officially-recognised "guardian angels" who patrolled stations. (I can't remember their exact designation.) I was a bit sceptical about the chances of them being in the right place when they were needed, then one day they and I boarded a train through the same door at Tilehurst and I noticed that a young woman had remained behind on a platform bench in the drizzle. She looked subdued and I pointed her out to the "angels", who de-trained to see if there was a problem.

I don't know if the "angels" have returned? (Those I saw were of a certain age, and perhaps more conscious of Covid than most.)


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: nickswift99 on July 07, 2022, 10:13:42
There was a significant amount of training of railway staff in suicide prevention in 2016/17.

An article in the Rail Journal https://www.railjournal.com/policy/british-samaritans-train-15000-railway-staff-in-suicide-prevention/ (https://www.railjournal.com/policy/british-samaritans-train-15000-railway-staff-in-suicide-prevention/) states

Quote
ACCORDING to Britain’s Samaritans charity around 15,000, or one in six British railway staff, is now trained to prevent people taking their lives on the railway, as part of a suicide prevention partnership between the Samaritans, Network Rail (NR), British Transport Police (BTP) and train operators.

BTP says in the year ending March 31 2017, 1593 interventions were made across Britain’s national railway network by staff, BTP, local police and the public, an increase of 40% on 2015-16.

I wonder if COVID and 5 years passing has reduced the effectiveness of this, or whether the current economic climate is increasing the number of attempts.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: infoman on July 08, 2022, 11:35:39
Passenger told me they were caught up in the incident and their opinion of being stuck for three hours.

Not sure if they were stuck on a train or actually at a train station(Reading)?

As all of us know a lot about the rail network how would you have tried to get back home to the West Country area if you were aware of the long delays.

Not sure if all of us have a bus pass,but I think I would have made my way down to Basingstoke and try to get back home that way.

What could/would you have done to get back home?


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: IndustryInsider on July 08, 2022, 11:47:12
Always difficult to always make the best decision, or be able to advise people of the best decision.

Generally a fatality leads to the lines being shut for between 60-90 minutes afterwards.  Sometimes it’s a little quicker, and sometimes it takes a lot longer as on this occasion.  There were complications in this case that led to it taking so long which I won’t go in to.

Generally if it happens between Reading and Paddington, people will be advised to go via Waterloo or Marylebone.  That won’t always be the best advice, but as a general rule it’s better to stop crowds massing at Paddington/Reading waiting for the lines to reopen.  It was certainly the best advice on this particular sad occasion.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: bobm on July 08, 2022, 11:52:57
Quite a few West of England services were started from Reading using sets that had come up from the West but couldn’t continue to Paddington.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: Worcester_Passenger on July 08, 2022, 14:49:33
My other half was caught up in this on a journey across London and on to Worcester.

She reports that Paddington was not at its best. 

She rang me at 13:22 and I recommended going to Marylebone. She caught the 15:05 from there to Oxford. Oxford was just as disorganised. No trains up the Cotswold line (one had left 30 minutes earlier). She ended up coming home by way of Birmingham.

It would help if GWR had a Plan that they worked to when this happens.  Turning things round at Reading makes sense, but that doesn't seem to have been happening on the Cotswold line. I do hope that someone is reviewing the response.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: bobm on July 08, 2022, 17:23:39
From the reports I’ve seen I think it took longer to rescue the stricken train than first envisaged.  If it had been the usual 90 minutes the existing plans would have worked.  Sadly in this case it needed extra assistance from others outside the railway which took a while to summon and then work at the scene. 

It’s the longest time I’ve seen it take to clear the line after an incident of this time I can remember.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: Worcester_Passenger on July 20, 2022, 22:54:55
Wednesday July 20
From JourneyCheck:

Cancellations to services at Slough
Due to a person hit by a train at Slough some lines are blocked.
Train services running through this station will be cancelled, delayed or suspended. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:20/07/2022 22:38

Lots of cancellations on JourneyCheck.


Title: Re: Line closed between Reading and Paddington 6 July 2022
Post by: a-driver on July 21, 2022, 01:04:56
Wednesday July 20
From JourneyCheck:

Cancellations to services at Slough
Due to a person hit by a train at Slough some lines are blocked.
Train services running through this station will be cancelled, delayed or suspended. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR.com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:20/07/2022 22:38

Lots of cancellations on JourneyCheck.

BTP declared the incident suspicious so relief lines took about 90 minutes to get open. I believe the main lines are still shut as of 01:00 with nothing stopping at Slough.



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