Pewsey station - facilities, services / fares, incidents and user group - merged posts

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

It tells you the next stop, but doesn't alert you to the next stop by making a noise or anything.  Something which would be pretty easy to do and would cut down the number of fail to calls and station overruns at a stroke.

[hoover50]

A train driver overshot a station by nearly a quarter of a mile after allegedly forgetting to stop, forcing passengers to take a 22-mile detour.

The Great Western Rail (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) train is believed to have had hundreds of commuters on board when it failed to stop at Pewsey, Wiltshire.

The driver was forced to continue to Westbury, the next station, which is more than 20 miles away, with commuters told the train could not reverse back to the platform.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/20/train-overshoots-station-after-driver-forgets-to-stop-sending-pa/

According to a number of tweets on Twitter, on Monday evening (5th Dec) a GWR train failed to stop at Pewsey AGAIN!

This time it was the 1C91 1733 Paddington to Paignton service.

[RobT]

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) confirms it: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C41508/2016/12/05/advanced
What is the implication for drivers? Are they given a reprimand if they forget to stop?

[bobm]

The newspaper article manages to contradict itself.

If, as stated in the third paragraph, the distance between Pewsey and Westbury is more than 20 miles (its is actually 20 miles and 22 chains) then the detour quoted in the first paragraph must be 40 miles and not 22!

[IndustryInsider]

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) confirms it: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C41508/2016/12/05/advanced
What is the implication for drivers? Are they given a reprimand if they forget to stop?

It counts as an operational incident and unless it's not their fault (i.e not due to leaf fall, or a diagram error) they will go on a CDP (Competence Development Plan) which involves extra monitoring of them for a defined period.  Should they have a similar incident again within 5 years (also includes other things such as a fail to call, door release on the wrong side etc.), then a longer and more detailed plan would be started and three or more within 5 years and you start getting into safety review meetings and possible removal from driving.

[RobT]

Thanks II!

[TaplowGreen]

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) confirms it: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C41508/2016/12/05/advanced
What is the implication for drivers? Are they given a reprimand if they forget to stop?

It counts as an operational incident and unless it's not their fault (i.e not due to leaf fall, or a diagram error) they will go on a CDP (Competence Development Plan) which involves extra monitoring of them for a defined period.  Should they have a similar incident again within 5 years (also includes other things such as a fail to call, door release on the wrong side etc.), then a longer and more detailed plan would be started and three or more within 5 years and you start getting into safety review meetings and possible removal from driving.

In some circumstances I have heard it can be regarded as a criminal matter, and the consequences can be serious - Go to Jail, do not pass Pewsey, do not collect £200.

[JayMac]

A fail to call is very unlikely, in isolation, to be a criminal matter.

Combined with a SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!), leading to collision, derailment or injury, or other serious safety incident, then more likely for a driver to have his or her collar felt.

[TaplowGreen]

A fail to call is very unlikely, in isolation, to be a criminal matter.

Combined with a SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!), leading to collision, derailment or injury, or other serious safety incident, then more likely for a driver to have his or her collar felt.

............I wasn't being entirely serious, it wasn't an attempt to monopolise the discussion 

[JayMac]

Just visiting this thread again. I figured there was a chance you were being light hearted. 

[ChrisB]

I'm hearing that the driver of the second incident didn't even brake....sailed straight through

[IndustryInsider]

I'm hearing that the driver of the second incident didn't even brake....sailed straight through

There's two classifications for not stopping at a booked station.  A 'station overrun', where a braking attempt has been made, and a 'fail to call' where no braking attempt was made.  The numbers of instances of each type are pretty similar to each other.  A 'fail to call' or 'station overrun' could be caused by similar reasons such as the driver forgetting he was supposed to stop at that station, but a 'station overrun' could also be due to slippery conditions and a 'fail to call' due to an error on the printed diagram the driver works to.  Both are treated in exactly the same way in terms of seriousness.

So, in the case of approaching Pewsey at speed, it might be that upon sighting it the driver realises they're supposed to call (cue an expletive) and applies the emergency brake but not quite in time.  Or it might be that as he/she passes the station he/she realises they were supposed to call, but it's far too late so there's no point in trying to stop.

[ChrisB]

And the instructions for a Fail to call? Presumably to stop at the next station, whetgher or not scheduled to call?

[IndustryInsider]

Most likely to stop at the next station, yes, but it can depend on the location and the train in question, and also when (as the driver) you've realised your error.  For example, if you were on a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) heading to London and missed Castle Cary then it would usually be best to continue to Westbury rather than stop at Bruton.  Basically you would report it and follow the instructions of Control and/or the Signaller.

[chrisr_75]

Most likely to stop at the next station, yes, but it can depend on the location and the train in question, and also when (as the driver) you've realised your error.  For example, if you were on a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) heading to London and missed Castle Cary then it would usually be best to continue to Westbury rather than stop at Bruton.  Basically you would report it and follow the instructions of Control and/or the Signaller.

Would the driver expect to be relieved from duty as per with a SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!)? I would imagine the realisation of forgetting to stop somewhere or overshooting in slippery conditions could have quite an adverse effect on your concentration and/or general stress levels.