Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2022

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Couldn’t that be done while stationary at Reading station? Or would identifying the correct location (signal xx123) mean that drivers would not know which signal that was until pasding it & seeing the ID on the actual signal?

[TaplowGreen]

Following a points failure between London Paddington and Reading some lines have now reopened.

Train services running to and from these stations are returning to normal. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

[TaplowGreen]

Due to a fault with the signalling system between Reading and Westbury trains have to run at reduced speed on all lines.

Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Further Information

[TaplowGreen]

Second time today, and these failures seem to be becoming a lot more common generally.

Cancellations to services between Slough and London Paddington.

Due to a points failure between Slough and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 18:00 23/03.

[Electric train]

Second time today, and these failures seem to be becoming a lot more common generally.

Cancellations to services between Slough and London Paddington.

Due to a points failure between Slough and London Paddington some lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 18:00 23/03.

There may be a number of factors.

If it is the same set of points there could be an intermittent fault these are notoriously difficult to locate.

Access to the open railway is now governed by "the trackworker safety programme" the days of site lookouts with flags and a whistle to access the open railway has been consigned to the history books this means the team repairing the fault more often than not need to have line blocks.

Many of the front line maintenance are catching up on held over leave, to clear this leave this year more people have been allowed time off than would be normal

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to a broken down train between Reading and London Paddington some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 08:00 30/03.

[jamestheredengine]

Hello to anyone else in the Lounge at Paddington this evening...

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Slough

Due to a points failure between London Paddington and Slough some lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed by up to 20 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

[jamestheredengine]

Not again...

06/04/2022 16:53

Lines have reopened between London Paddington and Reading following a person being hit by a train. Trains may still be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

Berkshire can't be that bad, can it?

[Electric train]

Not again...

06/04/2022 16:53

Lines have reopened between London Paddington and Reading following a person being hit by a train. Trains may still be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

Berkshire can't be that bad, can it?

Maidenhead area, not sure if it was on the station, there were a couple of NR^» (Network Rail - home page) staff doing some clearing of items from the country end of Plat 1 this evening.  Maidenhead is one of only 2 stations between Reading and London that does not have 'fast line platform separation fences'

[grahame]

I have split off the developing conversation about trends in rail fatalities to http://www.passenger.chat/26261 - really not "Infrastructure problems in the Thames Valley" where it would have been hidden.

[TaplowGreen]

Not again...

06/04/2022 16:53

Lines have reopened between London Paddington and Reading following a person being hit by a train. Trains may still be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

Berkshire can't be that bad, can it?

I don't think it's a Berkshire thing

I got caught up in this yesterday and ended up with a very late arrival home via Waterloo & Windsor.......but at least I got home.

Thoughts with all those affected.

[grahame]

I don't think it's a Berkshire thing

No and yes.  There are certainly places where people are hit by trains far more than in other places - communities in which seeking help and sorting things out is not seen as the first option, or even as an option.  And some of those are places between London and Reading. 

[jamestheredengine]

Not again...

06/04/2022 16:53

Lines have reopened between London Paddington and Reading following a person being hit by a train. Trains may still be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

Berkshire can't be that bad, can it?

Maidenhead area, not sure if it was on the station, there were a couple of NR^» (Network Rail - home page) staff doing some clearing of items from the country end of Plat 1 this evening.  Maidenhead is one of only 2 stations between Reading and London that does not have 'fast line platform separation fences'

It was Maidenhead on Monday as well. Looked like it happened a fair way west of the station, but that's probably just the stopping distance.

[jamestheredengine]

Not again...

06/04/2022 16:53

Lines have reopened between London Paddington and Reading following a person being hit by a train. Trains may still be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

Berkshire can't be that bad, can it?

I don't think it's a Berkshire thing

I got caught up in this yesterday and ended up with a very late arrival home via Waterloo & Windsor.......but at least I got home.

Thoughts with all those affected.

At least you had an alternate route. I did fish out the phone on Monday night, and it was quickly apparent that we had no option but to sit it out at Paddington (in the lounge, so couldn't have been stuck anywhere better really; shame the wine finishes at 7pm!). Yes, we could have gone to Marylebone and then Oxford, but then there would be no Oxford-Hereford trains. I also looked at the possibility of going via Birmingham (very not permitted, but much faster than playing with Waterloo and getting stranded in Salisbury), but the Birmingham-Cardiff service finishes very, very early too.