Great Western Coffee Shop

I don't think I can remember a day when four major incidents have disrupted travel on FGW services as much.

1) Vandalism on the Bristol to Taunton Route - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10844.0 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10844.0)
2) Failed freight train between Bridgend and Cardiff Central
3) Fatality near Bristol Parkway
4) Fatality at Ufton Nervet - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10845.0 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10845.0)

One train from South Wales was nearly four hours late at Swindon..... (the 10:55 ex Cardiff).  I understand it was stationery in a tunnel for a while.

Having been caught in the first incident and gone back home I was caught by the third. Having missed the connection at Temple Meads by two minutes (which wasn't held, despite being the first train up from the west for an hour, and with the next London train cancelled), we were all advised to go via Parkway to avoid an hour's wait.

Train from Parkway (1201) stopped short of Westerleigh, and after 10 minutes was routed up towards Yate (just past the junction for the oil terminal). Curiously it then travelled back down the same line, passed a red signal, over the junction, before gaining the right line. It seemed a very tortuous maneouvre on a bidirectional railway, but it wasn't helped by having XC services behind it. It then passed back through Parkway (45 minutes after leaving there), and then via Box.

An interesting if somewhat frustrating journey, but of course all thoughts are with the family and railway staff caught up in this sad incident.

add the signalling problems at Bourne End and a train fault on the North Downs Line.


SWT no faring much better- suicide attempt at Wimbledon, also affecting FCC.


utterly useless lack of information at Guildford. They're normally quite good there, 

Quite a lot of problems currently.

..and now a level crossing fault between Bridgend and Cardiff Central. 

...and now 1A26 will terminate at Didcot due to a train fault (complete loss of air). 2H49 is also cancelled (HOT to TWY).

And a points failure at Slough and the Down Relief closed too.

There was also a 5mph EROS at Starcross earlier due to a hole forming...

If you didn't know, EROS is "Emergency Restriction Of Speed". Perhaps it could be added to the list of Acronyms/Abbreviations?

This evening proved that the automatic CIS announcements are great when things are normal and when there are few delayed trains, this evening the system at Slough was getting in a real tizzy, there were no announcement as to why there were delays, it needed a human input, passengers do understand when they are given information.

The Maidenhead CIS likewise got bent out of shape; 2 five car trains on platform 5 one to Bourne End the other to Paddinton both departing at the same time .......... in the end it was a 2 car to Bourne End and no London train

Lessons learned should read .......... more human intervention with announcements

Fair enough - but is that the same as an ESR (Emergency Speed Restriction"), or is there some subtle difference in meaning?

EROS / ESR are exactly the same> however generally the term EROS is more widely referred to across the industry.

Yes - I went over the hole at 3pm just after being held at Exeter St Thomas for a trespass incident.

Information at Paddington this evening was very sadly lacking.. I really thought they had learned but apparently not.. I got there at about 7.35... some trains were showing as delayed but no information as to why either via announcements or the information board that is there for that purpose...

When staff were asked about how long a train was delayed by (in my experience) the stock answer was 5 or 10 minutes depending on which train you were asking about..They did this without seeming to check any information.. I had to ask again when my ten minutes were up and no sign of my train even being in Paddington yet and I got another "10 minutes" reply... ??? >:(

Thanks, insider - acronyms/abbreviations page now updated!  :)

FGW are reporting on Twitter that they have two HST sets out of service this morning because of yesterday's incidents. 

It's when things go wrong that the lack of an overall "Fat Controller" running the system in any one area, becomes most acute. There being too many "Thin Controllers" each with their own agenda.

 

NR Devolution and either deep alliance (SWT) or partnering (SR) with TOC's ........... apparently will fix this

Oh yes.. at Maidenhead we got to play the fun game of fitting everyone from what is normally a very overcrowded HST into a 3 car turbo.. At least it wasn't warm today... oh...  ::) ::)

And again tonight. This time near Clapham Junction. It's getting a lot more frequent now on this line.

And not good at Reading this afternoon, because of lineside equipment problems at Slough. I was there at 1540 for the 1553 to Pangbourne, that was delayed and eventually cancelled, following stoppper at 1625 was 22 late, so no Oxford stopper for almost 90 minutes.  Station full of school kids trying to get home, presumably parents at home (or parked at stations) wondering where they've got to.  I toddled off and got the bus. 

Up HST's were all going RL.  Many down trains late. Information patchy, non-regular passengers perplexed.

Maybe Friday will be better.

.... and at Padd the 16:49 Oxford calling at Slough was announced at 16:40 everyone on board and the the train manager announced that it had been changed to 17:00 Bristol so all the Slough people had to get off, 16:18 was delayed in fact the only train that seemed to booked right time was the 17:12 Henley which became very snug

I don't hold out much hope... ::)

We're doing OK so far ......

First (and last since it's Friday) day this week that it's been ok then.. ::) ::)

Then again pigs might fly. McNulty must be pleased to hear that the answer to fragmentation is to increase it further...