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Author Topic: Just another cancellation....  (Read 6355 times)
Gordon the Blue Engine
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« on: March 13, 2021, 12:25:58 »

Yesterday I went on the train from Pangbourne into Reading (for an eye examination, so a valid reason).

I headed back to Reading station for the 1126 to Pangbourne.  This ran in on time at 1115: it had a late platform change from 12 to 13, and I noticed a few yellow vests on the platform by the cab.  Later I realised why.

We all (about a dozen) hopped on.  The Driver then announced that the because of a train fault the train was going to be divided and only the front 4 coaches would be going forward to Didcot.  Those in the back 4 duly moved forward to the front 4.  The Driver then announced that the train was going to be cancelled.  One of the platform staff suggested that another train would be coming from the depot.  It didn’t.  So we had to wait until the next train, the 1223 departure.

There was one PA (Public Address) announcement that the 1126 to Didcot was cancelled.  That was it.  Despite the fact that we were within sight of Reading Depot with many spare 387’s stabled (the Padd – Didcot stoppers are currently running hourly instead of half-hourly) and presumably no shortage of Drivers, it was not apparently possible to provide a replacement set.

What I found frustrating and depressing that TVSC» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) obviously knew there was problem with the train before it got to Reading which is why it was re-platformed from 12 to 13 (there’s no access to the east end entrance to Reading Depot from P12), so there was surely time for GWR (Great Western Railway) to arrange to get a fresh set into the station. 

Perhaps what GWR should be most concerned about is that most of the affected passengers seemed to accept this level of service as normal. 


« Last Edit: March 13, 2021, 17:23:53 by Gordon the Blue Engine » Logged
Gordon the Blue Engine
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« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2021, 12:39:55 »

Mrs GTBE went to Pangbourne station to-day to catch the 1122 to Reading (2P42 1108 Didcot Parkway – Padd).  Being “Pangbourne cancellation survivors” I checked on OTT (Open Train Times website) that the down train had arrived at Didcot Parkway and was sitting in P4 ready to depart, so I told Mrs GTBE her train was definitely running.

At 1112 she phoned from Pangbourne station to say the 1122 was cancelled.  According to the very helpful ticket office lady the train was running UM to pass a late running freight train on the UR so could not call at Pangbourne (I paraphrase – she spoke normal English to the passengers).  The advice was to go to Didcot and come back from there.

Looking at RTT» (Real Time Trains - website) the only possible late-running freight train to blame was 4046 Trafford Park – Southampton, running about 3 hours late.  This train passed Didcot East at 1101 and Reading West Junction at 1124, so on the basis of the evidence I see would not have been a threat to 2P42. 

So I drove to Pangbourne station and took Mrs GTBE and 2 other “cancellation victims” to Reading. 

We are still on a hourly service rather than the pre-Covid half hourly, so it is all the more important not to cancel trains (and for Pangbourne it was a cancellation, whatever Journeycheck-speak may say).  If GWR (Great Western Railway) really wants to retain the off peak market around here it needs to do better than it’s doing now. 

1   Is the GTBE family just unlucky with cancellations?
2   Who can I send my petrol bill to please?

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grahame
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« Reply #2 on: July 29, 2021, 06:32:57 »

Mrs GTBE went to Pangbourne station to-day to catch the 1122 to Reading (2P42 1108 Didcot Parkway – Padd).  Being “Pangbourne cancellation survivors” I checked on OTT (Open Train Times website) that the down train had arrived at Didcot Parkway and was sitting in P4 ready to depart, so I told Mrs GTBE her train was definitely running. ...

[snip]

 so it is all the more important not to cancel trains (and for Pangbourne it was a cancellation, whatever Journeycheck-speak may say).  If GWR (Great Western Railway) really wants to retain the off peak market around here it needs to do better than it’s doing now

Sadly, agreed.  Every cancellation that results in a delay of about an hour (or more) or causes passenger worries puts people off.  Which is not so say it's an easy fix - GWR haven't been dealt the best of hands to play with and haven't even been encouraged to win custom at times ...
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Gordon the Blue Engine
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« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2021, 10:42:55 »

I think that the “late running freight train” story was perhaps a product of the railway industry’s Random Excuse Generator, and that the real reason was that 2P42 was wrongly routed at Didcot East, maybe as a result of manual intervention for the preceding 4046.  I’ve seen similar examples around Didcot when trains are running out of course.  Would the Driver of 2P42 have queried the route?  Maybe not, before now I’ve been on a stopper from P4 out on to the UM at Didcot East and then back on to the UR at Moreton.  It’s a regular move from P3 of course. Presumably there are relevant instruction in the SA. 

2P42’s trundle along the UM to Tilehurst East calling everywhere (except Pangbourne of course) caused 9 minute delays to the following 1P23 1102 Oxford – Padd and 1L70 0959 Cheltenham – Padd.

In fairness, it must have been a very busy morning for the Reading area signallers at TVSC» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) as they were sorting out platforming in Reading following the derailment at Triangle sidings.

Maybe I'm completely wrong.  But I agree with Grahame, the bigger point is that service reliability is vital to attract and retain custom.  Whether the new railway structure will incentivise operators to do this is another question... 
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Ollie
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« Reply #4 on: July 30, 2021, 12:34:01 »

I think that the “late running freight train” story was perhaps a product of the railway industry’s Random Excuse Generator, and that the real reason was that 2P42 was wrongly routed at Didcot East, maybe as a result of manual intervention for the preceding 4046.  I’ve seen similar examples around Didcot when trains are running out of course.  Would the Driver of 2P42 have queried the route?  Maybe not, before now I’ve been on a stopper from P4 out on to the UM at Didcot East and then back on to the UR at Moreton.  It’s a regular move from P3 of course. Presumably there are relevant instruction in the SA. 

If a driver was given a route that would prevent them from doing their booked calling pattern, they should query it where possible to do so. In this case however, the cancellation of the Pangbourne stop was done before the train had left Didcot (advertised at 1100). So the train was not wrong routed as the decision to use UM vice UR was done in advance of the trains departure from Didcot and would've been communicated to the driver before they left as they'd have had to have been given a not to call order for Pangbourne.
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Gordon the Blue Engine
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« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2021, 13:53:28 »

So the obvious question is why was the decision taken to route 2P42 along the UM when its booked route on the UR was available, resulting in the cancellation at Pangbourne and delays to 2 Class 1 services?  Was 4046 expected to run rather slower than it did or to sit down on the UR?

I’m not asking for or expecting a detailed explanation, I accept that this Forum is not the place for investigations of every incident.   The important issue is the last sentence of my previous post.  I’m happy to leave it at that.
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Ollie
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« Reply #6 on: July 31, 2021, 00:59:19 »

Unfortunately I don't know the answer to that one, all I can see is what you're aware of already in that the freight train was late and a decision was made to put the stopper on the up main. If I was guessing, I would say the decision would've been based on some sort of expectation as to how the freight was going to perform.

If you're contacting customer relations, maybe they'll be able to dig into it a bit more for you.
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stuving
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« Reply #7 on: July 31, 2021, 11:59:32 »

At about the same time on Wednesday, this was posted on another thread:
Due to a derailed train between Reading and Reading West:
Impact:
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 10 minutes or diverted between Reading and Reading West. Disruption is expected until 14:00 28/07.

At the time I could see no sign of this obstruction or any disruption, and if delays would only be 10 minutes it must have been easy to get round. So presumably it was a false alarm of some kind. But if it was believed by control to be at or around Oxford Road Junction, it could have stopped 4046 turning right off the Up Relief at Reading West Junction, though in fact it was not held up at all. So could a phantom derailment have been behind this?
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Marlburian
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« Reply #8 on: August 31, 2021, 14:19:37 »

This morning I made a rare excursion into Reading and arrived at Tilehurst at 0915 to be reassured that the 0932 was on time. By the time I'd bought a ticket, chatted to a couple of other passengers and got across the footbridge it had been cancelled.

Checking on RealTimeTrains, it seems that it was 12 minutes late leaving Didcot and skipped the intermediate stations to Reading (where normally it dallies for seven minutes, so it could have made up some time).

I wandered down to the bus stop where the info board was literally on the blink and eventually got into Reading at 1002. (My first bus journey since March 2020.) So I might as well have waited for the 0959 from Tilehurst, though it would have been quite chilly.

No problems with the 1222 return journey.

Most passengers on bus and train (and the bus driver and customers in shops) wore masks, rather fewer on platforms.
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