Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2024

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Overhead line problems at Ladbroke Grove too apparently.

[BBM]

Overhead line problems at Ladbroke Grove too apparently.

Just looking at Open Train Times maps there's currently a queue of 6 trains on the Up Relief tailing back from Ladbroke Grove. Meanwhile 1K14 (13:05 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-NBY^» (Newbury - next trains)) appears to have been stationary there on the Down Main for about an hour.

[NickB]

Another day, another mess.

Journey check reporting that ‘taxi replacements have been authorisd’with disruption expected until 21.00.

Given the events of the past few days I question whether it is safe to travel on this route any longer. There appears to be no plan or inclination to solve the problems either

[nickswift99]

This morning’s joy. A trespass incident at West Ealing has resulted in a complete block to services in/out of Paddington. Journeycheck expecting disruption until 0900.

[a-driver]

This morning’s joy. A trespass incident at West Ealing has resulted in a complete block to services in/out of Paddington. Journeycheck expecting disruption until 0900.

Bit more serious than just a trespass incident unfortunately

[ray951]

Another day, another mess.

Journey check reporting that ‘taxi replacements have been authorisd’with disruption expected until 21.00.

Given the events of the past few days I question whether it is safe to travel on this route any longer. There appears to be no plan or inclination to solve the problems either

As a point of record there was also a points/signals failure at Didcot yesterday afternoon and evening (26/6) that caused chaos on services going to/from Oxford (see the North Cotswold thread). Not sure of the impact on those services going via Swindon.

[ChrisB]

This morning’s joy. A trespass incident at West Ealing has resulted in a complete block to services in/out of Paddington. Journeycheck expecting disruption until 0900.

Bit more serious than just a trespass incident unfortunately

And carnage at Reading after line clearance. IETS loading to brim & then being terminated, rather than run through to Paddington. One chap on X complaining that they'd been detrained 3 times in an hour.

[a-driver]

And carnage at Reading after line clearance. IETS loading to brim & then being terminated, rather than run through to Paddington. One chap on X complaining that they'd been detrained 3 times in an hour.

Difficult & unpopular decisions, but that’s how you quickly recover the service.

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between Maidenhead and Slough

Due to an object being caught on the overhead electric wires between Maidenhead and Slough some lines are blocked.

Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 18:15 27/06.

[grahame]

And carnage at Reading after line clearance. IETS loading to brim & then being terminated, rather than run through to Paddington. One chap on X complaining that they'd been detrained 3 times in an hour.

Difficult & unpopular decisions, but that’s how you quickly recover the service.

Indeed ... two points from the passenger perspective though

* Is there a tradeoff between quick recovery that really messes it up for those caught and a slightly slower recovery which will mess up some more people but won't excessively punish those unlucky enough to be caught at the white heat of the disruption?

* Irrespective of the early termination though, why on earth are people detrained three times?  That strikes me as not so much "quickly recovering the service" but not keeping passengers informed as those recovery steps are being taken.

[NickB]

My view is that ‘incident mitigation actions’ and ‘service recovery actions’ are focused upon minimising Delay Repay payouts, hence cancelling services rather than incurring delays.

[stuving]

And carnage at Reading after line clearance. IETS loading to brim & then being terminated, rather than run through to Paddington. One chap on X complaining that they'd been detrained 3 times in an hour.

Difficult & unpopular decisions, but that’s how you quickly recover the service.

Indeed ... two points from the passenger perspective though

* Is there a tradeoff between quick recovery that really messes it up for those caught and a slightly slower recovery which will mess up some more people but won't excessively punish those unlucky enough to be caught at the white heat of the disruption?

* Irrespective of the early termination though, why on earth are people detrained three times?  That strikes me as not so much "quickly recovering the service" but not keeping passengers informed as those recovery steps are being taken.

Part at least of what you're seeing will be about how long to wait (in control) before making a decision about how to proceed. Information on the situation is going to be incomplete - about the original problem and what restrictions remain, about what stock is where and, more importantly, about which staff have hours to work it. So do you hold on, while fractious passengers continue to accumulate? Or do you pick what looks best option only to find out five minutes later that that it's not going to work?

[a-driver]

My view is that ‘incident mitigation actions’ and ‘service recovery actions’ are focused upon minimising Delay Repay payouts, hence cancelling services rather than incurring delays.

Delay repay is not even a consideration from a Control perspective. 

It’s about getting services up and running.  Without service recovery the incident this morning would still be causing substantial delays right to the end of service today. 

* Is there a tradeoff between quick recovery that really messes it up for those caught and a slightly slower recovery which will mess up some more people but won't excessively punish those unlucky enough to be caught at the white heat of the disruption?

* Irrespective of the early termination though, why on earth are people detrained three times?  That strikes me as not so much "quickly recovering the service" but not keeping passengers informed as those recovery steps are being taken.

I don’t know the journey that was made but it’s quite possible in order to thin the service out going into Reading.  No point trying to send everything and then running out of platforms at Reading.

[grahame]

I don’t know the journey that was made but it’s quite possible in order to thin the service out going into Reading.  No point trying to send everything and then running out of platforms at Reading.

OK - I appreciate the need to thin out and to move people between trains but the reported (not confirmed) three times seems a bit over the top - even in a developing situation.  Explained, it may be better understood - people are  typically very understanding if they know why.

There is a huge sympathy when there are "person hit by train" incident especially - but, geeze, I with there were far, far fewer of these.

[ChrisB]

I think there must have been discussions in Control about regaining timetable ASAP as the line was handed back & if so which trains ran all way into Pad and which to turn at Reading. Passengers were turfed off one train to another at another platform which in turn was turned around (as I read it) although I suspect there was a 'beat the announcements" by some who then got caught up again.

Difficult. Almost worth holding them outside Reading until a decision made, communicate to train manager & allow movement into Reading platform once passengers briefed by TM^‡(resolve). But there are difficulties with that too.