Great Western Coffee Shop

From The BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-38456962) this morning


From Manchester Evening News (http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-london-virgin-trains-disruption-12376307) yesterday

At Rugby, a new bridge was being installed. The wind blew a gale force several times over Xmas. I fully understand and accept the selay in this instance.

Mesnwhile, flights were delayed by similar time because of fog. Is there the same griping? No. Get over the weather delays. It's winter, they happen

Or even delay.....

Rugby re-opened on time ... Nuneaton to Stafford overran, with a press release from Network Rail (since updated / withdrawn?) at around 04:40 to say the line wouldn't be open there on schedule.  I don't know the background, but I don't think the Rugby bridge directly affected the overrun. If the overrun WAS caused by the Christmas gales, I would have hoped that Network Rail had enough respect for it passengers to give them an early alert to the problem rather than waiting to the last minute and causing more inconvenience, distress and wasted time when people only found out about the delays after they got up to catch the trains that NR probably knew they wouldn't be able to allow to run some two days earlier.

I don't envy Network Rail their job and things can (and very often do seem to  ;D ) go wrong at the last minute.  In reallity, I think I prefer one significant delay in getting a line running again after a stoppage than what seem at times like every-weekend delays and cancellations of the first train on our line on summer Sundays.

Cardiff seems to be getting back to normal, albeit slowly.

   

Yep, now just 60 minute delays through Cardiff until close of service due to points failures  ::)

Everything except Paddingtons (Sorry, Ealing Broadway) seems to be turning back at Newport for rest of day, now blaming points and signalling failures.

Fro Wales Online (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/network-rail-apologises-delays-replacement-12382604)

a) Expect delays today (Friday 30th December) too.

b) Note wording on Wales Online (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/live-updates-rail-engineering-works-12380035) which confirm that disruption that continues is a result of the engineer work, and documents how customers were strung among all day with implied promises of completion .. for start of service, for 10 a.m., for 2 p.m., for 4 p.m. and for 6 p.m.

c) Note there is no time given for it to be back to normal today, nor indeed any assurance that services will be back on plan for tomorrow (Saturday), so no assumptions should be made.

Cancellations to services at Cardiff Central


Due to a fault with the signalling system at Cardiff Central trains have to run at reduced speed on all lines.
Train services running through this station may be cancelled or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected until 14:30 30/12.

I cannot help wondering if the "fault" is the direct effect of the - err - signalling systems work that was being done at Cardiff Central over Christmas.  Like the jigsaw pieces (still) haven't gone together quite right.

Single line working at Cardiff East Junction is causing congestion apparently.

From journey check for today - 31st December


Somewhere yesterday evening, I think I read about work at Cardiff Central up to and including 2nd January; I'm not sure what was planned in terms of an engineering shutdown there anyway.

41 planned changes and 2 cancellations so far.  Looks like Portsmouth - Cardiff is cut back tp Portsmouth - Newport, and Taunton - Cardiff is cut back to Taunton - Bristol Temple Meads.  Portsmouth - Newport trains making addition stops at stations such as Patchway, Pilning and Severn Tunnel Junction to fill in for the stopper from Taunton that usually calls there; I suspect that will result in a 30 minute offset in the hourly services to those stations.

Whatever the permutations are, it's just crap really isn't it?

3 days now due to signalling/points failures. Get all the NR/GWR top brass off the golf course and onto the platforms to deal with all the customers whose journeys have been ruined and I bet it'd get sorted out a lot quicker than this!

Good luck to anyone trying to travel on this route today, you deserve a great deal better.

I can't help thinking that if this was the English capital not the Welsh one - say similar issues at King's Cross or Paddington - it would be getting far more media attention.

From National Rail - today, Saturday 31st December at 09:30 (update overdue??)

Oh yes, though I suspect it's being well covered by the media in Wales.

I guess one of the key factors is that trains are still running, albeit less than planned.  Indeed, the key London trains seem to be getting through with hardly any delays currently.  Had there been a total shutdown (including the Valley Lines) I suspect coverage would have been more widespread.

Apparently the problem at Cardiff is not the new signalling itself but a mismatch between the NR timetable data and the Automatic Route Setting (ARS) system.  This means that trains are having to be signalled manually which of course increases the signallers workload substantially and means that the level of train service has had to be reduced accordingly.  All NRs and not the contractors (Atkins) fault, so no contractor bashing please :P

Using Automatic Route Setting Equipment?

http://hitachi-infocon.com/products/tresa


....and yes, I do know the abbreviation for Automatic Route Setting Equipment but I'm too polite to mention it here, and I'm sure CfN or Grahame won't want to add it to the list of abbreviations used on here either.... :D ;)

....oh, and the second stage of the Cardiff station signalling commissioning is taking place over Sunday/Monday of the new year (2016/2017).

With the benefit of hindsight, would it have been reasonable to have an additional signaller available in case everything didn't work according to plan when the new kit was commissioned?

Also, in the future, what happens when the timetable falls apart for external reasons? - Does the ARS cease to do anything useful in those circumstances, or is it flexible enough to cope?

If you follow the link I posted it explains that ARS can be programmed with pre-prepared scenarios that can be loaded into the system at short notice.  However, you can't plan for every possible scenario.

On the subject of extra signallers, well I do believe that NR is somewhat short of them at present as working in one of the large control centres is seen as too a stressful job for the money being offered and lots of the existing staff want to escape as soon as they can.

But surely something that Network Rail anticipated and has managed for.  Or have they?  I'm (re)minded of a morning that Paddington was at a standstill because of what was reported as a lack of one signaller.

There's no lack if signallers though...more (manual) work than normal, meaning a requirement for *extra*...and at this time of year, I doubt any wanted to break intobtheir new year

Fair enough ... so much comes down to the question of how much resource you have in place to cover peaks and troughs of requirements, and available to you as contingency cover.  Not only staff but, but also trains should one break down, and spare parts for things.

I've done a lot of work with a major corporation which has significant extreme peaks and troughs in its workload, and where things can "blow up" at a moment's notice.   And indeed at the opposite extreme my own place has to be prepared for the unexpected and to look after customers at any time (24 x 366 last year, 24 x 365 this). We find that the best approach we use is to have a core of important but not time critical work to do,  and for that to be done by people who can step into time critical roles as needed, with rotas (and behind them backup call-out arrangements) set up so there's always healthy coverage.  At busy times, very little of the not-time-critical work will be done.   

We've had a number of unplanned happenings over Christmas and the New Year, but little interruption of service;  worst delay was 5 minutes to check in a customer who arrived 2 hours early on the afternoon of 25th December ... and we would soon get ourselves a bad reputation if we were much worse.  Seems like a different world to the railways - though current odium pendulum for "worst performing" has swung well away from Great Western.

I think it comes down to organisational culture too - I am trying to picture the face of my MD (and our Clients and customers) if I had to explain to him that the service had fallen over and/or we wouldn't have sufficient cover/robust contingencies to meet our customers needs because our guys "didn't want to break into their New Year" - one thing I do know, it wouldn't be a pretty sight (or noise), but I do know that I could count on myself/my guys not to come up with that rather pathetic type of excuse to avoid it.

I agree, but we could get very political there ... not personally having used Southern recently, I cannot give a comparison between them and any other operator from the same viewpoint, but a common thread I see from many sources about them is that the company / staff relationship is far from wonderful, and the customer service is commonly reported as dire.  I can't help feeling there's a correlation!

From Wales Online (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/overrunning-rail-engineering-works-mean-12393242)


Getting complicated, as it never really got back to normal between Christmas and the New Year, and we're not into another planned set of engineering works rather than short term cancellations.

A quick look at Real Time Trains shows Cardiff Central limited today to westbound trains headed out of platforms 6, 7 and 8 - buses for the rest.  Some valleys can (and are) being served with trains leaving Cardiff Central, first stop Radyr.

I think the train service at Cardiff is going as pre-planned today.  The Trains between Radyr and Cardiff Cen are running non-stop with no City Line stops.   Passengers told tickets accepted on Cardiff Bus but somebody has tweeted to say no service for all stations today due to reduced bus service !!!    Platform 8 is not being used until tomorrow.  I have just checked a Barry Island train shown as using Platform 8 on RTT on the Open Train Maps and it is using 4

2F78 is shown on both RTT and OTT as having arrived at P8. Could this be a sign that the Christmas visit by the Cock-up Fairy may be coming to an end?

Good to hear that things are back to normalish now then.  Especially given that today, especially this afternoon and early evening, is likely to be the busiest of the whole period.

2F78 may be shown as Platform 8.   It is the one I tracked on the Open Train Maps and it arrived on Platform 4. The actual platform is not always accurate in RTT especially if it has been altered from the original plan.

2Y36 1649 Cardiff to Barry Island shown on RTT AND Maps as Platform 8.  Picture on Twitter celebrating opening this afternoon

Plot thickens.  I have just seen a picture on Facebook of the 1246 Cardiff to Barry Island on Platform 8 at Cardiff Cen.   Thats the one the Maps showed on Platform 4

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-platform-at-cardiff-central-station-is-officially-opened-as-part-of-network-rails-railway-upgrade-plan

A couple of interesting points in the text of the release below.  If all coast bound trains use platform 8 during the day, how does this ease congestion in that direction?  Or will that come later in March once the full functionality is completed?

But more telling is the comment at the very end regarding the need for a larger fleet.  So NR have delivered, and the Welsh Govt have had 5 years to prepare for this, yet so far there is not a sniff of new rolling stock becoming available. Unless they do something in advance of the new franchise it will possibly be 2020 before any new stock becomes available given lead times. Given Adrian Shooter is on record as saying they have a firm order for the D train and will start production this month, could it be for the W&B franchise?
 
A new platform at Cardiff Central station, designed to help ease congestion, has officially been opened today (Monday, 2 January).
Network Rail Chief Executive Mark Carne, Route Managing Director of Network Rail Wales Andy Thomas and the project team were joined by guest of honour Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, to witness one of the first trains departing from the platform at the opening event this afternoon.

The brand new platform 8, located above the modern south-side entrance building at the station also includes a new waiting area and customer information desk and is all part of the £300m Cardiff area signalling renewals project to modernise the Cardiff and Valleys network.

The upgrade works are the largest signalling phase of its kind to be commissioned on the rail network with the work due to be fully commissioned tomorrow, Tuesday, January 3, all part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

Passengers travelling on the Penarth, Barry Island and Vale of Glamorgan lines will now depart from the new platform.

The track for Platform 8 together with the new signalling system will be bi-directional and will enable trains to depart westwards from Platforms 7 and 8 simultaneously, improving the operational capacity of the line.

The new platform will immediately ease congestion and gives the potential for more services to run in the Cardiff area.

Mark Carne, Network Rail Chief Executive said:  "Cardiff is a fantastic, vibrant city and deserves a better railway. That's why we've just completed a major upgrade to the station, the tracks and the signalling. Commuters and tourists to Wales will now have better more reliable services and there will be new trains coming in the next year too. All part of the biggest railway upgrade in generations.

“I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we delivered this upgrade work.”

Ken Skates, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure said:

“The Cardiff area signalling renewals scheme is an important programme of upgrade work and investment for Cardiff and the south Wales area.

"This project will significantly benefit the South Wales area by providing better connectivity for passengers to travel for both work and leisure.

“The Welsh Government is keen to see greater investment in rail infrastructure improvements on the Welsh network to maximise economic growth in towns and cities right across the country."




Notes to Editor:

From Tuesday 3 January 2017, Penarth, Barry Island and Vale of Glamorgan line services will run from platform 8 between the hours of 0600 and 2000 Monday-Saturday.

These services will continue to run from platform 7 at all other times with the exception of:

MONDAY TO FRIDAYS

06.36 Cardiff Central – Penarth Platform 4

06.56 Cardiff Central – Barry Island Platform 4

12.55 Cardiff Central – Barry Island Platform 4

 

SATURDAYS

06.36 Cardiff Central – Penarth Platform 4

06.56 Cardiff Central – Barry Island Platform 3

This final phase of the £300m Cardiff area signalling renewals project work has unlocked the potential to run 16 trains per hour on the Cardiff Central to Queen Street Corridor - up from the current 12 - into the heart of the Welsh capital, should fleet be made available in the future.

I think the D-Train has hit a problem putting it back some....

Yes, I'm aware of that, though if a contract has been signed then hopefully one small setback would not result in its cancellation.  I guess it depends on the cause and how easy it is to overcome.

Lets not talk about that! There were some valleys trains stopping at Ninian Park due to the football on at the Cardiff City Stadium. Based on NRE, these looked like they were set down only beforehand and pick up afterwards. But ATW on Twitter knew nothing about them and were adamant any mention of stops at NNP today was a mistake in the data that NRE would have to fix, and these services were not advertised at all (bar NRE / live departure boards at stations). Bit of a mess if you ask me.

Somebody tweeted that they went to join an Aberdare train after the Cardiff City game and it stopped and picked up

That was me anyway haha.
I may have been overly harsh on them on Twitter (I realise the people replying probably have no more info than whatever their computer system says), but I wanted to make the point about how insane the situation was. And as I said in one of my tweets, when it comes to timetable changes due to works, the information being given out simply has to be correct.