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All across the Great Western territory / The Wider Picture Overseas / Re: Amtrak passengers stranded for 29 hours feared they had been kidnapped
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on: January 12, 2023, 05:55:44 pm
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From The GrauniadSome passengers called 911 fearing they were being held hostage, prompting conductor to announce ‘we’re not holding you hostage’
Hundreds of Amtrak passengers in South Carolina were stranded on a train for more than a day, prompting several to call the police out of fear they were being held hostage.
The train, which departed from Washington DC▸ , was delayed for more than 29 hours after being rerouted due to a derailed CSX freight train, reported ABC News.
Panicked passengers fearing a more serious situation eventually began dialling 911, prompting the conductor to announce, “For those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage.”.
The autotrain, which allows passengers to travel with their vehicles, was set to arrive in Sanford, Florida, at about 10am on Tuesday. But after a scheduled stop in Lorton, Virginia, at 5.30pm on Monday, it halted in a wooded area in Denmark, South Carolina, an hour outside of Columbia.
After a long wait, the employees “timed out”, meaning they could not legally operate the train, and had to wait for a new crew to arrive. The train had limited food supplies and multiple pets in need of a bathroom break, reported the Washington Post.
The major delays caused several people onboard the train to panic and call 911. Frustrated staff asked them to stop.
“For those of you that are calling the police, we are not holding you hostage,” said one conductor in a recorded video of the announcement. “We are giving you all the information which we have. We are sorry about the inconvenience.”
The conductor also reminded passengers not to open their windows to smoke.
Throughout the ordeal, several trapped passengers took to social media to air their frustrations.
“Any help heading towards the fully booked Amtrak auto train full of elderly passengers that is now almost 10 hours past arrival time? No food, no access to medical care, crew has disembarked, no replacement. Stuck in SC,” wrote one Twitter user, who also tagged the US transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg.
An Amtrak spokesperson, Christina Leeds, stated the delays were caused by the derailed freight train and that Amtrak had And we get grumpy with a 29 minute delay |
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Journey by Journey / London to Didcot, Oxford and Banbury / Re: Re-opening the Cowley branch to passenger traffic
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on: January 11, 2023, 05:07:40 pm
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I had taken a look at the piece. There was nothing new & had been regurgitated as the Councils have started on thye business case for the stations that they wish to contribute to. Funding is still required from Network Rail as I suggested.
Network Rail can only secure DfT» funding based on Local Authority funding and or commercial funding, NR» funding from DfT would only be for enablers and project management |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Can you identify these short-lived lines / stations / services?
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on: January 10, 2023, 11:26:54 am
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Yes that was it Heathrow Junction, Goer was proposed but was not liked by BAA but as a BR▸ / Railltrack project name its was
There was no pedestrian access or private road vehicle access because it was inside a Ministry of Defence site so the only road access was via the shuttle bus.
The service was operated by Turbos 165/6
Google Earth has a contemporary photo of the platform, train and buses. Even with that, it's hard to see on the 1999 image how it all fitted in. It was fenced off outside the "government offices" (as the OS▸ map has it), but only a narrow strip of mainly road. Did the buses really have to do a three point turn to exit? The MoD permission was quite strict on the use of the site. The station only had a single platform which was on the DN side ie the east side; today there is a service road into some industrial units which was one of the 2 construction access |
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Journey by Journey / South Western services / Re: Wokingham's present from Network Rail - a new siding
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on: January 10, 2023, 09:58:05 am
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I noticed coming through Wokingham this morning there was a graffitied train in the siding. Is that the same one?
Yes, it's been there all along. SWR» must be really short of space. But after the first bit of painting on each side I've seen no more. So maybe the signal box really is a deterrent. A Class 701 that SWT▸ don't want, SE Trains have taken some but I think they are finding it cheaper to refurb 465/6's |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Can you identify these short-lived lines / stations / services?
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on: January 10, 2023, 09:50:39 am
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This is "Goer (Go-a)" station the temporary station build on the HEX just south of the M4 with a bus shuttle into the airport.
Correct - and the station was called ... Now there's a thing because I was involved in the electrical commissioning of HEX I only really knew it as Goer I have feeling it was Stockley Park Heathrow Junction! Stockley Park was (is) the business park being developed at the time north of the main line. Yes that was it Heathrow Junction, Goer was proposed but was not liked by BAA but as a BR▸ / Railltrack project name its was There was no pedestrian access or private road vehicle access because it was inside a Ministry of Defence site so the only road access was via the shuttle bus. The service was operated by Turbos 165/6 |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Can you identify these short-lived lines / stations / services?
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on: January 10, 2023, 07:44:31 am
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No 3 On 23 June 1998, after only 126 days, services commenced to [deleted]. Trains no longer called at [deleted], and within ten days the track leading to the station had been dismantled.
This is "Goer (Go-a)" station the temporary station build on the HEX just south of the M4 with a bus shuttle into the airport.
"Goer or some referred to it as Go-a" was the project name because BAA wanted to make the service from Paddington a goer
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Rail unions strike action 2022/2023
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on: January 09, 2023, 07:31:24 am
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Train operators and the government do NOT want Sundays in the working week.
Indeed, and the unions aren’t against it (as long as it’s properly negotiated) as it means a lot more members for them. Not sure why we’re discussing Sundays in the working week, when the offer made to ASLEF» makes no specific mention of it, and appears to be talking about just making them ‘committed’ for everyone as they are for some now. But it is an issue for many NR» staff |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / Railway History and related topics / Re: OTD - 8th January (1991) - Cannon Street Accident
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on: January 08, 2023, 05:21:28 pm
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The recommendation in this paragraph 279 did become law, the levels are more stringent that the Road Traffic Act also random testing is carried out on all employed in worked deemed safety critical and Network Rail has expanded this as a condition of employment so even if someone is not in a safety critical job that are still subject to random testing.
The penalty is dismissal and the offence recorded in the data base that manages the records for PTS▸ , COSS etc
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All across the Great Western territory / Across the West / Re: Rail unions strike action 2022/2023
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on: January 07, 2023, 12:45:27 pm
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Finally, an offer (still technically ‘unofficial’ I believe), has been made to the driving grade. https://media.raildeliverygroup.com/news/the-rail-industry-makes-offer-to-aslef-to-drive-up-performance-for-passengers#As a first offer I doubt it will be offered to the membership or accepted but it is something at least. And it probably won’t take too much more as quite cleverly it doesn’t add Sunday’s into the working week and with GWR▸ at least that means the Sunday situation only really affects HSS▸ drivers who are outnumbered by GWR grade ones. Not sure what the picture is nationally though? In other words then, Sunday will remain an unreliable lottery for customers on GWR? The Railways have been working a 6 day rostered week of decades, just so happens we are rostered for duty 5 out of the 6 which often means a rest day mid week. Going to rostered 5 out of 7 will still mean overtime working but now it would be for 2 rest days midweek instead of it being a Sunday the risk of midweek services being cancelled due to lack of staff would be hight Rr are you advocating that Rail workers should work a mandated 7 day working week when the norm in all other sectors private or public is a 5 day working week Monday to Friday I cannot see what the obsession is with adding Sunday in as a "normal working week day" Overtime will always have to be paid at enhanced rates of pay to make working it attractive, after all overtime is voluntary |
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Sideshoots - associated subjects / The Lighter Side / Re: Which Big Four railway company is your favourite?
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on: January 06, 2023, 06:20:47 pm
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Has to be GWR▸ , my early railway career was cast, forged, machined and honed in the former GWR Swindon Works, it was refined in GWR premier depot Old Oak Common and a final polish maintaining the grand Train Shed - Paddington. I have work on all 3 of the 'foreign' railways in my career ........... my impressions? LMS▸ - ideas of grandeur LNER» - think they are the best SR‡ - Its complicated GWR - know they are the best and just get on with it  |
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