Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption elsewhere - ongoing, since Oct 2014

[whole diary]

[NickB]

And your starter for today:

Delays to services between Ealing Broadway and West Drayton
Following a problem currently under investigation between Ealing Broadway and West Drayton the Reading bound relief line has now reopened.

[Chris from Nailsea]

There's a flowchart. Its introduction says:

4.4.2 In the flowchart 4.4.3 below; the answer to the question as to whether the bird is the same size or smaller than a pheasant is to be determined by the average weight of the species of the bird involved, irrespective of the number of birds involved in the incident.

I don't think the flowchart would reproduce easily - it's on P 34 here.

Thanks for posting that link, stuving. 

I've taken the liberty of extracting that particular page from the document and uploading it as an image, in the hope that this will help those readers of the Coffee Shop forum whose various gadgetry does not allow them to read such linked items easily:

[TaplowGreen]

There's a flowchart. Its introduction says:

4.4.2 In the flowchart 4.4.3 below; the answer to the question as to whether the bird is the same size or smaller than a pheasant is to be determined by the average weight of the species of the bird involved, irrespective of the number of birds involved in the incident.

I don't think the flowchart would reproduce easily - it's on P 34 here.

Thanks for posting that link, stuving. 

I've taken the liberty of extracting that particular page from the document and uploading it as an image, in the hope that this will help those readers of the Coffee Shop forum whose various gadgetry does not allow them to read such linked items easily:

Brilliant! Was it devised by Monty Python? 

[TaplowGreen]

........well it's finally happened! After 2 months I have received my letter from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) apologising for the crap service and offering a refund in respect of 6th October!

I am so happy I am smiling despite this morning's signal failures and non-service out of Paddington!!!

 

.....does someone want to add "December" to the title of the thread?


Due to signalling problems between Slough and Langley the Reading bound relief line is blocked.
Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 20 mins. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

[tomL]

...

.....does someone want to add "December" to the title of the thread?


Due to signalling problems between Slough and Langley the Reading bound relief line is blocked.
Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 20 mins. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

Looks like its one of those days today. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

.....does someone want to add "December" to the title of the thread?

Hmm. That'll be me, then. 

Done. 

[IndustryInsider]

Looks like its one of those days today. 

Another example of significant disruption lasting far longer and having more of an impact that it should have due to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s continuing shoddy management of major disruption.  The usual story, Control in Swindon swamped by enquiries, very few local operation staff on the ground capable of making decisions, some large stations left with no staff overseeing the train crew at all locally (e.g. Oxford) as is always the case at weekends.

[tomL]

Looks like its one of those days today. 

Another example of significant disruption lasting far longer and having more of an impact that it should have due to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s continuing shoddy management of major disruption.  The usual story, Control in Swindon swamped by enquiries, very few local operation staff on the ground capable of making decisions, some large stations left with no staff overseeing the train crew at all locally (e.g. Oxford) as is always the case at weekends.

This was touched on briefly in the documentary episode on Thursday night:

"Can you pass messages on to the crews as we don't have the staffing here at Swindon."

That was during Dawlish. I'm guessing from your comment nothing has really changed?

[TaplowGreen]

Looks like its one of those days today. 

Another example of significant disruption lasting far longer and having more of an impact that it should have due to FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s continuing shoddy management of major disruption.  The usual story, Control in Swindon swamped by enquiries, very few local operation staff on the ground capable of making decisions, some large stations left with no staff overseeing the train crew at all locally (e.g. Oxford) as is always the case at weekends.

Shambles. Ruined a party we had organised for a load of children yesterday coming from various directions  - few or no FGW staff available to help, no/confused communication, loads of cancellations, those  trains that did run packed to the rafters, little or no alternative provision arranged............then again, should we be surprised?

[eightf48544]

I've been sent a Network rail picture of the broken cable but don't know how to post it here.

It looks a real mess! Having obviously been repaired with lots of gaffer tape.



Edit note: Image now attached -



CfN Ranks for adding picture, as they say a pictures worth a thousand words.

[SandTEngineer]

I got caught up the 'fiasco' on Saturday (06 December 2014).  My Up train from the far South-West got terminated short at Reading, 300+ passengers told to disembark from train (stood at Platform No.15) and told to go Platform No.13 for next train to London in 4 minutes time.  Cue 300+ passengers going up escalator over transfer deck onto down escalator to Platform No.13.  After two minutes further announcement that next train to London would be from Platform No.14.  Cue 400+ passengers (300+ from cancelled train plus those already on platform) surging back up escalator over transfer deck and back down escalator to Platform No.14.  I remained on Platform No.15 all this time as I sort of guessed that the next Up London train would come into a nominally Up direction platform rather than a nominally Down direction platform.  I got a seat but probably a significant number of passengers didn't.  At least 20+ stood in the coach I was in (coach L) when we left

After we left Reading there was only a single apology about the overcrowded train and the delay into our arrival into Paddington.  This was after an already extended (and diverted) 4 hour trip from the far South-West.

Going home in the early evening the service had still not fully sorted itself out but we did manage to arrive home just 3 minutes late

[Chris from Nailsea]

I've been sent a Network rail picture of the broken cable but don't know how to post it here.

No problem, eightf48544: if you'd like to forward it to me, I'll do the necessary on your behalf. My e-mail address is in my profile. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

With my thanks to eightf48544 for his e-mail, I've now added his image to his previous post above. 

[NickB]

And for this morning... "some lines closed" between Paddington and slough due to signalling problems.

Yawn.

[NickB]

And we've stopped.

Relief line to London bound at Acton is shut.

Double yawn.