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

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Signalling restored but not before it has had a pretty devastating effect on the start of service.

[TaplowGreen]

It's great to see all the promises about improvements from January 2018 coming to fruition.....all we need now is infrastructure that works, trains that work (or at least a situation where "more than usual" don't need repairing), and enough crew to operate them & we'll be in railway nirvana!

In the meantime, cough up for your fare increases with a smile & don't be ungrateful!

[lordgoata]

I understand that things happen with infrastructure, even frequently. I get that. I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with, is the ridiculous decisions that seem to be made as a result. Example:

0651 arrived at 0654 at Goring today, 8-car EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit).
0703 was scheduled to arrive at 0731,  8-car EMU.
0730 was scheduled to arrive at 0730, 4-car EMU.

Doesn't take a genius to see that 2 trains will not arrive on the same platform, at the same time, so I knew one would be altered. I was at the station at 0645, and all of that information was displayed up until 0715, when suddenly the 0703 was cancelled.

Yes, that maybe because the 8-car was not available, but then why was it show as running (which it clearly was, given it had a delayed arrival time, rather than just saying "On Time" which is the default) if the train was not even available.

So we end up with the 4-car EMU, which was gonna be hell past Reading, and as we approach Tilehurst, we overtake an 8-car EMU. The thing was almost empty. No idea where it last called, but thanks to the handy display on the side, I could see it was stopping at Reading, Twyford, Maidenhead and Paddington.

We arrive and then left Tilehurst, and pull into Reading. Just as we stopped, another 8-car EMU from one of the platforms across from us, started to pull out. Again, thanks to the handy display, it was clear it was non-stop to Paddington. And how many people on this 8-car EMU? No more that 16 people (hard to count as it accelerated away, but certainly was no more than 1 or 2 in each car.).

When we left Reading it was standing only, at Twford it was heaving, and at Maidenhead it was not a chance in merry hell.


If they had cancelled the 0730 and not the 0703, we would have had 8 cars instead of 4.

Or if they had added an additional stop on the one just approaching Tilehurst to call at Tilehurst, it would have helped the 4-car I was on (and there would have been plenty of time to stop, given it never overtook us on the rest of the journey to Reading).

Or if they had held the 8-car at Reading and made an announcement to all the customers on the 4-car, some would have moved to the 8-car I am sure.

Of if they had added an additional stop at Twyford for the 8-car EMU, that would have all but eliminated the crush at Twyford on the 4-car EMU. Yes, that may had delayed us, but given all the delays anyway, a couple more minutes would not have made a difference.


As an aside, last night, the 1740 to Oxford arrived at Maidenhead on platform 1, as there was an EMU on platform 3 for Reading, which had sat there for a while. There was an almighty scrum as everyone piled off the EMU, down the stairs, under the underpass, up the stairs and on to platform one. It was chaos with people getting off as everyone tried to get on. Then as we sat there on platform one, the EMU pulled out, again with no more than 20-odd people and carried on to Reading in front of us. WTF was that all about! Could have been some serious accidents with everyone running up and down those stairs, and clearly everyone that got off the EMU was getting off at Twyford or Reading anyway, and ended up behind the one they were already on!


Anyway, I am rambling!

[Jason]

Due to a problem with line-side equipment between London Paddington and Ealing Broadway trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines towards Slough.
Impact: Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes. Disruption is expected until 11:00 09/01.

[TonyK]

"Like I said last time, it won't happen again".

Problems elsewhere - cable theft in Bristol being one - have compounded matters, not that it looks as though they needed much compounding.

[stuving]

In reply to lordgoata, the 7:03 (1P08) was cancelled at Goring in the sense that it ran on the Main Lines so didn't stop. It may have stopped at Tilehurst - RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) suggests it did, but isn't able to clearly show that. I imagine the idea was that it would get back in front of yours (1P11), but it didn't - it tagged along behind it all the rest of the way.

The train that left Reading as you arrived was 1P10, which is DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)/RDG^‡(resolve)/PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) only. As a result it isn't in timetable T10 (which says "stopping services", though it includes semi-fasts that don't stop much). Today it was cancelled DID-RDG, but note that it does not run of the Mains there - not until Kennet Bridge (it uses P13 at Reading).

So it is one of the "peak-buster" fast EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit), but it looks as if the set-up at Reading does not reflect that. I guess it does appear on the "next fast train" displays, but as it's not on P10/11 it's going to take more than that to persuade people to go for it. Of course this timetable is an interim one (until Crossrail come...), and the current lousy reliability will discourage anyone from switch trains or platforms for a better one they cabn't see. 

I also wonder about the set of timetables we now have. T10 is better than most for showing all the trains from A to B, but even that has gaps. The traditional approach has been to say fast trains RDG-PAD are so frequent there's no need for a timetable; once we had P10/11 in use you just go there and jump on the next one. With a lot of new seats that contradict that advice, a bit of thinking is needed. And that starts with why isn't 1P10 in P10/11 anyway? There's a gap for it to do that.

[Louis94]

And that starts with why isn't 1P10 in P10/11 anyway? There's a gap for it to do that.

Whilst it may look like there is a gap at Reading, there isn't a sufficient gap at Didcot for it to get across from the Relief Lines onto the Main Lines. There is freight paths through Platform 3 shortly after its departure, so it isn't possible to hold the 387 in the platform that bit longer to go behind the Bristol-Paddington. I could see this train perhaps starting from Swindon when the wires eventually extend that far, it could then run just behind the Bristol-Paddington service from Swindon and use the Main Lines throughout. When the 110mph running times are used it could be quite a fast service from Didcot.

[BBM]

Hopefully this will be fixed by 17:00 as stated:

A fault with the signalling system between Maidenhead and Slough is causing disruption to journeys between Reading and Slough.

Services may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected to continue until 17:00.

[stuving]

And that starts with why isn't 1P10 in P10/11 anyway? There's a gap for it to do that.

Whilst it may look like there is a gap at Reading, there isn't a sufficient gap at Didcot for it to get across from the Relief Lines onto the Main Lines. There is freight paths through Platform 3 shortly after its departure, so it isn't possible to hold the 387 in the platform that bit longer to go behind the Bristol-Paddington. I could see this train perhaps starting from Swindon when the wires eventually extend that far, it could then run just behind the Bristol-Paddington service from Swindon and use the Main Lines throughout. When the 110mph running times are used it could be quite a fast service from Didcot.

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced. Maybe when everything is running like clockwork passenger will cope better and it will matter less ...

But while it isn't, the loss of time due to mainline running at 110 mph max (<1 min DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)-RDG^‡(resolve) and <2 min RDG-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)) is not going to matter much either, so maybe we will see that. At least, until even later when the clockwork is so convincing it's worth stepping up to beyond 20 tph on the Mains in the peaks .

(File under "Fiction"?)

[lordgoata]

In reply to lordgoata, the 7:03 (1P08) was cancelled at Goring in the sense that it ran on the Main Lines so didn't stop. It may have stopped at Tilehurst - RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) suggests it did, but isn't able to clearly show that. I imagine the idea was that it would get back in front of yours (1P11), but it didn't - it tagged along behind it all the rest of the way.

Thanks for that stuving, at least sounds like they tried to make a decent plan, but still failed. I guess if there had been clear announcements at Reading and Twyford (of course there may have been) that there were longer, mostly empty trains behind the 4-car, then perhaps there would have been less passengers squeezing into it; but given the unreliability, I suspect many wouldn't want to risk it, as you say.

Its just, as a passenger looking out at an almost completely empty train running next to you crammed into yours, when both have the similar stops and the same destination, you really do have to wonder about some of the decision making, hence my rant yesterday!

[rower40]

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced.

Point of information...
A train on the Up Relief could cross to the Festival line at Reading West Junction, then into Reading platforms 7 or 8, then up along the Down Main to Kennet Bridge.  At the cost of crossing the Down Relief on the flat at Reading West Junction, and tying up the Down Main, and causing untold confusion on the transfer deck at Reading.

So possibly not a very useful crossover.

[stuving]

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced.

Point of information...
A train on the Up Relief could cross to the Festival line at Reading West Junction, then into Reading platforms 7 or 8, then up along the Down Main to Kennet Bridge.  At the cost of crossing the Down Relief on the flat at Reading West Junction, and tying up the Down Main, and causing untold confusion on the transfer deck at Reading.

So possibly not a very useful crossover.

Indeed - especially as I was angling to get that train into P10/11; it gets onto the Mains at Kennet Bridge anyway. The Festival Line works fine in the down direction, but then it doesn't matter a lot which platform you drop people at!

[Jason]

Due to failure of the electricity supply between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.
Impact: Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 10:15 12/01.

[GBM]

Due to failure of the electricity supply between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.

Having a very big senior moment but how will that failure lead to blocked lines?
Surely just replace the fuse (or put more £1 coins in the meter) 

[bobm]

You reset the trip or replace the fuse and it trips/blows again straight away due to the original fault still being there.  Meanwhile the electric trains in the area have no power so cannot move and thus block the line.

The good news is the problem has been cured and things are on the move.  Five trains were trapped at one point.