Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2022

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Which presumably means that it hasn't yet been cleaned from last night?

[BBM]

Looks like SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) has found some crews and stock to run extra services, for example there's an 18:35 and a 19:05 running non-stop from WAT to RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context):

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:79920/2022-09-19/detailed
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:79930/2022-09-19/detailed

[a-driver]

Which presumably means that it hasn't yet been cleaned from last night?

Correct. Train needs cleaning, fuelling and possibly servicing.

If the up Sleeper was to run I suspect it’ll be extremely difficult to return a set to Penzance and have it ready again for tomorrow night.

[Timmer]

Looks like a couple of trains have made it out of Paddington:

1C94 to Plymouth
1C31 to Weston super Mare

[Electric train]

Suspect that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will pass these costs on to Network Rail.

That's assuming the fault was with the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") and not a train pan causing the rip down, it may not even have been the 2 trains directly involved.

As all the trains on the Western have PanCams the cause will be identified

[TaplowGreen]

Huge queues for Reading services at Waterloo earlier

https://twitter.com/BBCTomEdwards/status/1571895891686232064?t=4QrsHTZRK0jZNfoPVz5TRQ&s=19

"Only travel if absolutely necessary" tomorrow morning message going out on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Twitter now and retweeted by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) so it isn't looking good.

[grahame]

Suspect that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will pass these costs on to Network Rail.

That's assuming the fault was with the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") and not a train pan causing the rip down, it may not even have been the 2 trains directly involved.

As all the trains on the Western have PanCams the cause will be identified

I would have thought the important thing was to find out what went wrong to try to avoid it again. Considering that The Government essential takes all the risk now, how important is it really to assign the costs?

[IndustryInsider]

Huge queues for Reading services at Waterloo earlier

https://twitter.com/BBCTomEdwards/status/1571895891686232064?t=4QrsHTZRK0jZNfoPVz5TRQ&s=19

No too bad a queue given that all trains were formed of 8 or 10 cars, so room, with standing, for 800+ passengers.  Perhaps one and a half trains worth of queue in that clip?

Let me put it another way.  I’m sure the queues next summer for a coronation ox roast will be far longer!

[broadgage]

Huge queues for Reading services at Waterloo earlier

https://twitter.com/BBCTomEdwards/status/1571895891686232064?t=4QrsHTZRK0jZNfoPVz5TRQ&s=19

"Only travel if absolutely necessary" tomorrow morning message going out on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Twitter now and retweeted by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) so it isn't looking good.

"Only travel if absolutely necessary" seems to be an increasingly frequent message these days, for various reasons including strikes, bad weather, cracked trains, signaling failures, and wires down. Hardly encouraging use of the greener transport choice.

[grahame]

"Only travel if absolutely necessary" tomorrow morning message going out on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Twitter now and retweeted by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) so it isn't looking good.

Cancellations to services between Slough and London Paddington

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Slough and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on all lines.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or terminated at and started back from Reading.

All stations between Slough and London Paddington will not be served. Disruption is expected until 12:00 20/09.

[Electric train]

Suspect that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will pass these costs on to Network Rail.

That's assuming the fault was with the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") and not a train pan causing the rip down, it may not even have been the 2 trains directly involved.

As all the trains on the Western have PanCams the cause will be identified

I would have thought the important thing was to find out what went wrong to try to avoid it again. Considering that The Government essential takes all the risk now, how important is it really to assign the costs?

There has always been 2 threads to these investigations the schedule 8 payment ie money and the technical engineering investigation ie what broke, why and when.

Unfortunately, the first, money, can hamper the second technical.  In the past some TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s have not always been able / willing to release the camera footage.  This attitude has changed in the last few years.

It is easy to say remove all the headspan from the 12 miles, I suspect the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) Region has a plan for this, but there are a couple of things that hamper this -

• Funding, there is only so much money the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) /DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) agrees to in a Control Peirod
  Access, the TOC's and ORR have to agree to the possessions / blockades to carry out the work, let's face it the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) Mainline has had 10 years of this for GWEP^▸ (Great Western Electrification Program) and Crossrail work so more weekend disruption would not be popular with the public
  Resources, it is difficult and expensive contractually to do a piece meal project, NR does not have an internal team that can do such work so all of this type of work has to be in the Control Period Framework Contract as agreed with the ORR CP funding plan

[TaplowGreen]

Disruption now expected "until the end of the day"

[grahame]

Disruption now expected "until the end of the day"

But which day?

I may appear to being cheeky for asking that, however journey check states (10:11 update, today, 20.9.2022)

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or terminated at and started back from Reading. All stations between Slough and London Paddington will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

and then within the same report

Network Rail rapid response units are on site overnight and we are focussed on getting services up and running as soon as possible. However, due to the extent of the damage, disruption is expected for the rest of today, and until at least 12:00 Tuesday 20 September.

which suggest the report is old text that has not been updated.

[GBM]

Thank you Electric Train for your lovely insight.
From that, any investigation as to what happened and what evolved will all be for internal consumption, so the likes of we won't get to read it.
Shame, but understandable

[TaplowGreen]

Disruption now expected "until the end of the day"

But which day?

I may appear to being cheeky for asking that, however journey check states (10:11 update, today, 20.9.2022)

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or terminated at and started back from Reading. All stations between Slough and London Paddington will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

and then within the same report

Network Rail rapid response units are on site overnight and we are focussed on getting services up and running as soon as possible. However, due to the extent of the damage, disruption is expected for the rest of today, and until at least 12:00 Tuesday 20 September.

which suggest the report is old text that has not been updated.

Indeed, sloppy admin most probably.

Looking at the number of cancellations/"alterations" however,  I'd suggest the end of the day is probably nearer the mark......although which day, as you suggest, is open to question!!!