ATW class 175 on fire at Manchester Piccadilly

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

Seems that 175110 has caused caos at Manchester Piccadilly during rush hour tonight after suffering a serious engine fire.

Hopefully they will be able to get this unit repaired with a replacement engine and back into service soon. 

Of course they  could perhaps depending on which carriage was involved insert the centre carriage into 1 of the 2 carriage 175's like they did with 175005 last year.

[inspector_blakey]

Hmm. Catching fire seems to be a bit of a habit for Alsthom-built DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit), doesn't it?

[anthony215]

 I know, although I thought it would have stopped somewhat considering the 175's have only just had an overhaul.

This is certainly going to cause some headaches for ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)))

[anthony215]

Just read on uk railforums that smoke etc came from the rear carriage just after the train had been loaded with passengers

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

must have caused major disruption being on platform 14 one of only two lines that go threw the station, i cant remember if 13 is bi directional but eather way would have had a huge impact

[anthony215]

must have caused major disruption being on platform 14 one of only two lines that go threw the station, i cant remember if 13 is bi directional but eather way would have had a huge impact

Seems a lot of trains were being turned back at Oxford Road with some passengers traveling to Crewe then getting the shuttle or VT^▸ (Virgin Trains - former franchises) service to Chester

[inspector_blakey]

I know, although I thought it would have stopped somewhat considering the 175's have only just had an overhaul.

Did the overhaul consist of much work below the solebar, or was it mainly an interior refurbishment?

[JayMac]

From the Manchester Evening News:

Fire on train at Manchester Piccadilly causes rail delays

Fire crews have tackled a fire onboard a train at Piccadilly station. The blaze broke out at the service on platform 14 at 5.55pm today.

A GMFRS spokesman said there were no reports of any injuries.

Crews using breathing equipment were fighting the fire, which is believed to have been caused by hydraulic oil. Three appliances have been dispatched to the station.

All routes through Piccadilly station are suffering delays of up to 45 minutes and these delays are expected to last until approximately 20:00.

Network Rail said the platform and the adjacent 13 had been immediately evacuated.

A spokeswoman said: "Fire crews were called to deal with a fire onboard a train at Piccadilly station. It was the 1750 service from Manchester Piccadilly to Llandudno which was stood on platform 14. The train was immediately evacuated and no passengers were injured. Platforms 13 and 14 were also evacuated."

Fire crews spent an hour extinguishing the blaze. A train driver was given oxygyen as a precaution but did not need hospital treatment.

Trains were prevented from entering the station during the drama, with a tailback of services across the lines for several miles.

A fire brigade spokesman said: "It appears that hydrostatic oil in the engine compartment of a diesel engine has caught fire.^

There were reports on some delayed services of passengers forcing open doors and walking towards the tracks.

One passenger on board a Leeds to Liverpool service said: "No one on our service did anything like that. But there were warnings on our tannoy that passengers in trains further up the line were leaving the carriages and walking down the line."

[anthony215]

I know, although I thought it would have stopped somewhat considering the 175's have only just had an overhaul.

Did the overhaul consist of much work below the solebar, or was it mainly an interior refurbishment?

No I think the units had a full refurbishment to improve reliability. I am sure it was rail magazine or modern railways which did a full article with some pics showing a 175  undergoing a overhaul.

[northwesterntrains]

must have caused major disruption being on platform 14 one of only two lines that go threw the station, i cant remember if 13 is bi directional but eather way would have had a huge impact

Yes both 13 and 14 at Piccadilly at bi directional.  There is also the option of using 14a for trains coming from Oxford Road and going back there, without continuing to the Airport etc.

However, the area was closed off while emergency services dealt with the situation so no trains could run between Piccadilly and Oxford Road until it was declared safe.

[Tim]

quite a disruption.  I think I would have been tempted to walk between the two stations

[northwesterntrains]

The problem would be for people on services approaching Piccadilly from the South and East that were due to continue Northwards or Westwards. If you've come from York and planning to go to Liverpool then you find yourself on a stopped train somewhere between Stalybridge and Piccadilly so you can't alight and walk.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Did anything get pushed up via Denton and Victoria

[northwesterntrains]

Did anything get pushed up via Denton and Victoria

Unlikely.  Given that only Northern Rail crews would sign that route it rules out most through services going that way.

The Wigan Wallgate to Buxton service that departs Piccadilly at 18:21 would probably have been the only service that could have usefully gone that way while platforms 13 and 14 were closed at Piccadilly.  However, when you consider:
* The Buxton passengers would have been at Deansgate, Oxford Road and Piccadilly not Victoria
* There may not have been a path or a through platform available at Victoria
* A crew change may have been required to send it that way, if the crew working the service didn't sign the Denton line
It's probably unlikely the Denton line was used.  It's more likely that service would have been terminated at Oxford Road and restarted from platforms 1-12 at Piccadilly, subject to an available unit and if no available unit then cancelled from Oxford Rd onwards.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Did anything get pushed up via Denton and Victoria

Unlikely.  Given that only Northern Rail crews would sign that route it rules out most through services going that way.

I thought that the through services sometimes get re-routed through Manchester Victoria at weekends.

It does raise the question of knowledge of alternative routes. CrossCountry always seem to be very diligent about maintaining this knowledge - very early and very late trains sometimes follow some odd routes.

And a question about resilience, given the critical importance of those two platforms to the network in the North West.