North Cotswold Line delays and cancellations - 2024

[whole diary]

[charles_uk]

In addition to the problems between London and Reading, we have:

Cancellations to services between Didcot Parkway and Oxford

Due to a tree blocking the railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford all lines are blocked.

Train services running through these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 18:00 02/01.

Nothing moving at the moment (16:45). Amongst other services, the 14:53 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill has been stuck at Didcot for an hour, and the 13:55 Great Malvern to Paddington (normally starts from Hereford but the outward service never got there) has been sitting at Charlbury since 15:40.

Edit by admin - with the agreement of the active posters already this year, I have split the 2024 delays and cancellations into a new thread - and this was the first post of 2024.

[Worcester_Passenger]

In addition to the problems between London and Reading, we have:

Cancellations to services between Didcot Parkway and Oxford

Due to a tree blocking the railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford all lines are blocked.

Train services running through these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 18:00 02/01.

Nothing moving at the moment (16:45). Amongst other services, the 14:53 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill has been stuck at Didcot for an hour, and the 13:55 Great Malvern to Paddington (normally starts from Hereford but the outward service never got there) has been sitting at Charlbury since 15:40.

There was also a flooding issue between Charlbury and Oxford. And West Midlands Trains had flooding between Bromsgrove and Longbridge.
And indeed, not much moved after that:

Up trains:
1P34 15:17 Foregate Street - Paddington. Held at Moreton (+92 minutes), Oxford (+120), Culham (+143) and Reading (+167). Arrived Paddington +163.
1P05 15:18 Hereford - Paddington : Started from Ledbury. Held at Evesham (+59), Charlbury (+95), Oxford (+121) and Reading (+136). Arrived Paddington +140.
1P38 16:32 Great Malvern - Paddington : Cancelled after Shrub Hill.
1P39 17:26 Foregate Street - Paddington : Started from Oxford and cancelled after Reading.
1P40 18:02 Foregate Street - Paddington : cancelled throughout.
1P42 19:05 Great Malvern - Paddington : cancelled throughout.
1P44 19:45 Great Malvern - Paddington : cancelled throughout.
1P46 20:56 from Foregate Street : cancelled throughout.
1P06 22:00 from Hereford : started from Shrub Hill, but ran through to Paddington OK.
... so nothing from Shrub Hill between 16:16 and 22:52.

Down trains:
1W29 14:53 Paddington - Foregate Street : held at Didcot (+61) and cancelled after arriving Oxford +121.
1W30 15:23 to Foregate Street : left Paddington +38, cancelled after Reading (+63).
1W31 15:52 to Great Malvern : left Paddington +18, cancelled after Reading (+45).
Halts train : cancelled throughout.
1W33 16:58 to Great Malvern  : cancelled throughout.
1W03 17:34 to Hereford : started from Oxford, cancelled after arriving at Shrub Hill +26.
1W34 17:57 to Foregate Street  : cancelled throughout.
1W36 18:57 to Great Malvern : left Paddington +36, arrived Great Malvern +52.
1W05 19:53 to Hereford : cancelled after Oxford.
1W41 20:52 to Great Malvern  : cancelled throughout.
1W43 21:53 to Shrub Hill : started from Oxford (+32), arrived Shrub Hill +34.
1W45 22:51 to Worcestershire Parkway  : cancelled throughout.
... so westbound trains departed Oxford at 14:50, 18:28, 20:35 and 23:17.

Hopefully passengers will have been able to respond to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s "don't travel" alert.  And a big "well done" to the staff who did manage to run at least some trains.

Meanwhile, lots of trains will be in the wrong place this morning:

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) reports that
Train 1P11, 05:14 Shrub Hill - Paddington was cancelled throughout.
JourneyCheck reports that

05:23 Hereford to London Paddington due 08:24 was started from Oxford.
It has been delayed at Oxford and is now 25 minutes late.
This is due to train crew being delayed.
Last Updated:03/01/2024 07:57

08:15 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 10:23 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:03/01/2024 06:06

[Witham Bobby]

Morning of 3 January 2024 not shaping up very well

Up trains

1P11 0514 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington - cancelled at operator's request

1P02 0523 Hereford to Paddington - cancelled by severe flooding

1P16 0649 Worcester Shrub Hill - ran as booked, left Shrub Hill 6 minutes late, arrived Paddington 5 minutes late

2E80 0700 Worcester Shrub Hill to Didcot - ran as booked

1P18 - 0713 Great Malvern to Paddington - ran as booked

1P20 - 0815 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington - cancelled at operator's request

Down trains seem to have run as booked so far this morning

(Editied 03/01/24 1121 to correct the date in the text)

[charles_uk]

1P02 0523 Hereford to Paddington - cancelled by severe flooding

1P16 0649 Worcester Shrub Hill - ran as booked, left Shrub Hill 6 minutes late, arrived Paddington 5 minutes late

The 0523 was a cancellation as far as passengers travelling from the Cotswolds were concerned but was run as a 5 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) starting from Oxford. It departed Oxford 25 minutes late from platform 4. it was still on the platform as the 0643 Worcester Shrub Hill to Paddington service pulled in to platform 3.

[grahame]

Morning of 3 January 2023 not shaping up very well

To clarify - 2024, I'm afraid - still ongoing.  Should I split th thread at 1.1.204 and rename, or do members on the line prefer it to be a single ongoing thread (and I can flush the titles though to something that would cover both years

[Witham Bobby]

Morning of 3 January 2023 not shaping up very well

To clarify - 2024, I'm afraid - still ongoing.  Should I split th thread at 1.1.204 and rename, or do members on the line prefer it to be a single ongoing thread (and I can flush the titles though to something that would cover both years

The year changes but the shambles of a "service" does not.

I guess we should have a new thread for the new year

I've corrected the date in my post of this morning

[charles_uk]

Morning of 3 January 2023 not shaping up very well

To clarify - 2024, I'm afraid - still ongoing.  Should I split th thread at 1.1.204 and rename, or do members on the line prefer it to be a single ongoing thread (and I can flush the titles though to something that would cover both years

My fault as I did the first 2024 post! My view would be a split would be appreciated. Seeing how many pages the topic gets to each year is a useful indication of how good/bad the year has been compared to previous ones.

[grahame]

I guess we should have a new thread for the new year

My view would be a split would be appreciated. Seeing how many pages the topic gets to each year is a useful indication of how good/bad the year has been compared to previous ones.

Thread split, as per the views above (and mine).   Post on this thread for 2024 North Cotswold delays and cancellation, look back to http://www.passenger.chat/27079 to remind yourself of 2023.

[charles_uk]

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 20:29 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

[charles_uk]

15:52 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.

and the return 19:05 working as well

[charles_uk]

15:23 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street due 17:47 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:10/01/2024 13:46

together with the return 18:02 working

Also, Realtime Trains reporting

1W25 1251 London Paddington to Southall
This service was cancelled between Southall and Worcester Foregate Street due to a problem with the train (M8).

[Worcester_Passenger]

JourneyCheck is reporting

07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 09:42 will be cancelled.
This is due to more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.
Last Updated:11/01/2024 03:11

Which is odd, because RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) is reporting that

This service was cancelled due to a problem at the depot (MU^▸ (Multiple Unit)).

Meanwhile (also according to RTT) at 07:13 an extra train will be operating from Great Malvern to Paddington as empty coaching stock.
This looks to be formed by another empty train, at 05:32 from Gloucester to Great Malvern. On its way to Great Malvern, this gets to Shrub Hill at 06:31. On its way back, it'll pass Shrub Hill at 07:31.

I can't help feeling that (1) JourneyCheck's explanation of the cancellation is doubtful, and (2) it doesn't need to do a double run, empty, to Great Malvern.

[Worcester_Passenger]

And what's it going to do when it gets to Paddington?

According to RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) it'll go empty to North Pole, scheduled arrival 10:03. That's 4:31 elapsed time from Gloucester to North Pole, empty.

[charles_uk]

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Moreton-In-Marsh due 18:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

and

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:26 will call additionally at Combe, Finstock, Ascott-Under-Wychwood and Shipton.
This is due to the train making extra stops because a train was cancelled.

[Worcester_Passenger]

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Moreton-In-Marsh due 18:10 will be cancelled.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

18:51 Evesham to Oxford due 19:50 will be cancelled.
This is due to a late running train being in front of this one.

Meanwhile, for the 17:04 RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) says

This service was cancelled due to an issue with the train crew (TG).