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

[whole diary]

[Umberleigh]

Its interesting that the "delay map" now quite closely resembles the same picture this time last year when we had extreme weather as an excuse - but all that is responsible this time around is good old fashioned incompetence.

I really hope that some of the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) devotees on here really understand what it is to try to get from London to Plymouth/Penzance during periods of massive disruption, which seems to be pretty much a weekly (at least) event these days.

Well said. Just made it back to Truro from Gatwick Airport Station and whilst I was not overly delayed, I had to change at Bristol Parkway and Plymouth post-Reading and it was only because the Cross Country Parkway - Plymouth was ten minutes later that I wasn't at least an hour late. Also my seat reservation was lost and all trains in every class were packed after Bristol.

Sick if this routine now, every Christmas holiday period the service is a farce and yet the fares get dearer. By the way, even on the way up (23rd) the air con was broken (freezing cold) and the buffet boiler broken (so no hot drink).

[BerkshireBugsy]

Yes, I fully agree that nothing can be done about the whims of nature....and your thoughts on today's (entirely man made) events, which have inconvenienced tens of thousands?

This may be a rambling answer but here goes.

I think one of the problems I have in commenting on delays caused by (for example) overrunning engineering works is that I work in an industry (IT) where project overruns are all too common. The big difference is that in the case of IT projects I work on the delays don't normally have a direct impact on the public.

I would like to see a break down of the delays (and causes of) since October. As has been discussed previously the majority of causes of delays are not down to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) concerned but due to infrastructure issues. I would be curious to know, for example, how many of the delays since October can be attributed to a root cause which was that due to the damage caused on October 6th

In my opinion the odd delay caused by signal/points failure (as an example) is to be expected but as you know TG delays seem to be the norm rather than the exception at the present time.

I would like to also understand better the interaction between Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) and the Government (via the transport minister). I would hope there are weekly reviews of performance levels for previous weeks.

Regarding the issues starting up services after Christmas engineering works I think in hindsight it would have been better to have shut down public services for a longer period and then bring them back on stream earlier if circumstances allowed. From a planning perspective I know this is not ideal but it is probably more realistic given the history of restarting segments of the rail network after major engineering works.

Please (anyone) do not read this as a criticism of staff on the ground - I do not believe this is an issue here . There may be many causes of the problems we are facing  but I don't think this is one.

Am I satisfied with the service being offered by the TOCs which rely on NR to provide a service? Definitely not! But probably - like you TG - I have to tolerate the delays and disruption which cause my working day to be stretched at both ends.

Sadly, I don't have the answers to the current delays - if I did I wouldn't be sitting here typing this!

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[Worcester_Passenger]

I think that Network Rail had a very lucky escape today.

On our way from Marylebone, we came flying past a waiting Virgin West Coast train at South Ruislip (it had to follow us all the way to Leamington Spa). These trains were running hourly from Euston to Birmingham International to avoid the Watford blockade, routed by way of Acton Main Line and the Greenford branch. The one that I saw was a 15-car Voyager.

If the signalling problems in and out of Paddington had knocked these out as well, then I hate to imagine what the media would've made of it all!

[johoare]

Apparently they were not even allowing people to buy tickets at Maidenhead about 1.30pm and weren't letting people up to the platform. Despite the fact that a train did go on from there to Paddington about that time..

My son was there and was told there were "no trains" and even when people started leaving the station from the train that had just stopped  there (and they'd seen on the departures board) one of the members of staff said he'd just been up on the platform and had seen no train..

Marvellous.. You couldn't make that up 

I imagine the train that did run (the first I think) may have been full and standing and all the rest but why the information couldn't have been factual rather than make believe I can't quite work out

[Oberon]

One of the best pieces of advice to give to anyone is this: - never travel by rail over the Christmas period!

[Umberleigh]

My family live near Heathfield in East Sussex, and I am at present based in Truro. I have the option of driving (no thanks) the train or flying to/from Newquay. I believe in the train as the best environmental option - and preferable to driving -  and in an ideal world, we should not be flying anyone from Cornwall to London.

But this is the second year running that my Christmas holiday trip has fallen foul of delayed and cancelled trains, and I've had enough. As I stood freezing cold on Bristol Parkway Station waiting for a (fortunately) late and crowded Cross Country service to Plymouth (not Truro) I knew that the Flybe plane had already landed in Newquay.

[ChrisB]

NickB - if you are paying for weekday travel by buying your season ticket & are offered travel for free on weekends, how can you be compensated for something that is free.

Alternatively, you might request a season based on 7day travel, and you might get compensated - but the cost of that ticket if it were available, would be dearer to start with

I know which version I'll be buying.

[broadgage]

Anyone know what tomorrow is likely to bring ? I thought that the overrunning engineering work was now done and the line handed back to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company).
Whilst one would expect some knock on delays, it now appears that most services are cancelled until late evening.

[grahame]

NickB - if you are paying for weekday travel by buying your season ticket & are offered travel for free on weekends, how can you be compensated for something that is free.

Alternatively, you might request a season based on 7day travel, and you might get compensated - but the cost of that ticket if it were available, would be dearer to start with

My understanding is that season tickets are priced based on five days in seven of travel by the typical full time worker, as that's the typical number of journeys that the rail industry expects them to make.  Careful study of a lot of pages makes no reference to the weekend travel being "free" in any way - and I think it's more because the majority of people work a Monday through Friday week that comparisons are made in relation to peak journeys on those days, and void days are declared for those days because that's when most are using their seasons.

You have a fair point on 7 day compensation, though, Chris ... void days / compensation has to be paid from somewhere.  FGW^▸ (First Great Western) gets the money from Network Rail (if it's their fault) who get the money in line access changes from FGW who get the money (in fares) from the passengers.   There's going to be some leakage along the way from this financial merrygoround, but I suspect that shareholders and directors are but little streams off this big river flowing. The sad thing is just how much of the river must leak into the bedrock of administration that it flows over.

[grahame]

My family live near Heathfield in East Sussex, and I am at present based in Truro. I have the option of driving (no thanks) the train or flying to/from Newquay.

or National Express ...  also an option ? ... local buses to Brighton then change at Heathrow.  Coach time 8 hours 30 minutes - not sure if I would trust the 5 minute connection that Traveline gave me, though!

[NickB]

NickB - if you are paying for weekday travel by buying your season ticket & are offered travel for free on weekends, how can you be compensated for something that is free.

Alternatively, you might request a season based on 7day travel, and you might get compensated - but the cost of that ticket if it were available, would be dearer to start with

I know which version I'll be buying.

I pay a year in advance for 365 days of travel. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday - if there is a timetable then i expect a train. If the timetable goes out the window for a whole day then i expect compensation.

[johoare]

Anyone know what tomorrow is likely to bring ? I thought that the overrunning engineering work was now done and the line handed back to the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company).
Whilst one would expect some knock on delays, it now appears that most services are cancelled until late evening.

I was wondering the same thing. Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) journey planner is promising a bus between Slough and Hayes up until the 7.40am departure from Maidenhead so work is obviously starting up again overnight in the same place.. So maybe don't be too hopeful

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[ChrisB]

NickB....no, you're paying for 5xdaysx52 weeks of travel, less public holidays.

[johoare]

NickB....no, you're paying for 5xdaysx52 weeks of travel, less public holidays.

Who dictates what are working days and which aren't though?.. Surely a season ticket would still be cheaper if (hypothetically) someone worked Tuesday to Saturday every week (so 5 days each week)? That hypothetical person who bought that season ticket would definitely not have made it into work today

[brizzlechris]

It might be interesting to look at how compensation works on the newer franchises operating Delay Repay.

Do season ticket holders on Delay Repay get compensation for delayed weekend services? Yes (though at a lesser value than that of a weekday delay).

East Coast and Southern both specificially refer to how this is calculated and this is done on the basis of the season ticket being used 1 in 4 weekends. Other franchises such as London Midland refer to 546 as the presumed number of journies comprising an annual season ticket.

When you also take into account that Sunday performance and reliability are excluded from FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s calculation of compensation for holders of season ticket longer than one month, it does seem that FGW season ticket holders are getting a bit of a raw deal on weekends (and even more so for those on former FGW Link services who are calculated on a Monday-Friday basis only) ...

All Monday - Saturday services are included in these calculations (except for former First Great Western Link services where only Monday to Friday services are included, and only morning and evening peak services are included in the punctuality calculation. Peak services are those arriving at London Paddington between 0700 - 1000 and those departing London Paddington from 1600 – 1900 are included). Sundays and Bank Holidays are also excluded from these calculations

Maybe this will all be addressed with FGW moving to Delay Repay in the proposed extension...