Great Western Coffee Shop

Assuming the chaos is due to (yet) another jumper.

There was a bridge strike at Taplow at about 07:00 this morning. I was on the 06:54 from Twyford which was held for about 15 minutes in platform 4 at Maidenhead while there was another stationary HST in platform 2. That eventually went first and my train followed it along the up main. We passed a stationary Turbo in platform 4 at Taplow and another one being held on the down relief to the west of Burnham. My train eventually arrived at Paddington only about 15 minutes late and looking at the arrivals board the average delay at that time (07:40) seemed to be about 20 minutes for each train. However when I logged into Live Departure Boards at work about an hour later the average Paddington arrival delay had grown to about 90 minutes with many trains terminating at Reading. Was there a second disruption (e.g. jumper) or was it just a cumulative delay caused by everything having to use the main lines between Maidenhead and Slough?

EDIT: We were told by the train manager that it was a bridge strike, but on reflection I wonder if maybe it was something else?

SECOND EDIT: There's now a story on the Reading Post website confirming that a body was found on the line between Taplow and Burnham:
http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/s/2059572_delays_after_body_found_on_rail_line

But according to that, the rail was handed back to notwork rail at 10am.  Its now nearly 2pm and I'm beginning to fear my chances of getting home tonight!

Was a messy incident, which I unfortunately witnessed first hand. Trains were running after initial reports of a large animal's remains on the line. That soon turned out to be a human being, who had been hit by a train - but may have already been dead. That's why it's taken so long to sort out as it may have been suspicious. Trains were stopped shortly afterwards, and I just hope nobody was looking down onto the tracks from the trains that passed in the meantime.

Things now getting back to normal, but there still might be the odd knock-on delay in the evening peak.

Probably just another poor person commiting suicide (and to be fair to NR and BTP - they are now very good at clearing up after these and getting the trains running again quickly).  But they have to be able to rule out crime before handing he track back to use.

Sorry you had to see the mess Insider (and the obvious, but unfortunately all to common best wishes to the driver and recovery crew)
 

Hopefully an incident like this doesn't happen tomorrow, as I shall be heading to the big smoke.

They should be getting good - they have enough practice

Is there now a separate incident at Greenford?

Busy today

Monday 26th October

Tried to get the 0839 to Waterloo because of "Fatality" but great crowds trying to get onto and out of 4a/b. Both streams were having to use the same 4b gate (although 4a was empty). Platform staff were invisible, the crowding was becoming unsafe so I went and found the main barrier supervisor who took control in an exemplary fashion, so that at least the 0909 could board. Give him a medal.

I went to drink coffee for a hour, hoping that all would blow over and took a late-ish service (from Oxford) to Paddington. After Slough things ground to a halt, apparently all Paddington platforms full, up trains queueing for platforms as they became vacant under the normal TT. Arrived at Paddington about 1220, 5 hour journey, door to door.

Surely there's still some siding space at OOC for when the terminus is full ?

There also needs to be management safety attention to 4a/b which are crowded at the best of times. When all FGW's up customers try to use these platforms...

"This is a Southern Region train and not for public use."

OTC

Doesn't explain why the line was STILL closed at 1pm.....

I was on the 12:51 from Tilehurst which was unexpectedly terminated at Reading. Tried to get on a fast train but was told it "wouldn't be going anywhere for a while" because they had found a body and they were carrying out an investigation. I asked if there was anything going to Paddington at all & was told no, so I naturally assumed that it had just happened, & went to 4a & got train to Richmond & District line to EB.

I was amazed to get to work and find out that this was all supposed to have been cleared at 10am!

Certainly from 7.45 up to about 10 nothing seemed to be going past Maidenhead on the relief line.  Trains getting to Maidenhead then returned to Reading (clearly couldn't be switched to main line).  HSTs were moving on the main line by then but not stopping (to let passengers on) at Twyford or Maidenhead.

Advice at Twyford seemed to be go to Reading and get a main line to London - so that no doubt increased the problem at Reading.

Having gone to Maidenhead and back twice - I gave up and went home - thank god for laptops and the internet

Full marks to Norman at Twyford for keeping everyone updated in his own inimitable style!!

Fingers crossed for next week - I need to be back on time every night!!  Odds anyone?

BBC says that BTP are "treating the death as unexplaned". 

Not clear it was a suicide or even if the person had been killed by the train.

Trains still being cancelled tonight including the 1731 from Oxford to Worcester stopping service. (I noted this at 1700) but on checking at 1723 it was reinstated at 1707, but it is now too late for me to get to the station)

I got caught up this morning at Reading too.

Arrived just before the 8.39 Waterloo service left and was then able to get on the 09.09 relatively easily.  When it left I'd say it was less busy (although no free seats) in the front few carriages then when the Paddington services are packed - I think most people simply didn't bother to walk to the front.

Unfortunately this train then became one of the first cheap trains into London along the line as station after station families with children on Half-Term tried to board!

Anyway made it into work around 10.50 so shouldn't complain - I've had worse delays.  I'm not heading back till late this evening so fingers crossed the last fast trains of the day won't have any delays.  I hope everybody else gets back without too much trouble.

Boppy.

I was fortunate to have missed the worst of the problems at Reading this afternoon. Only 15 late heading to Bristol TM.

I guess that the knock on effects of the incident explain why there were 3 HST sets parked up in unusual places at Reading.

If you are squemish - look away now













Apparantly some ' body parts' were noticed by a driver this morning.  The fact that the railway was re-opened then closed again would suggest that the police wanted to make further enquiries. 

Article in the online  Maidenhead Advertiser


http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/article-13429-update-body-on-railway-line-was-slough-man-32/ (http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/article-13429-update-body-on-railway-line-was-slough-man-32/)

No pics - and no I'm not squeamish but then I'm not sentimental about the human form

I tried looking, then looking away, then reloading the page. Still nothing!

Today was not one of our finest in being able to recover from the incident. A series of bad coincidences led to a large number of train crew being out of hours on arrival at Reading/Paddington, and despite sterling efforts by the crew rostering teams, the problems just grew like a mushroom. I started at 12:00 and we had stabiised an emergency Turbo timetable and a 90% HST service. We wanted a full PM Peak, but just could get enough stock and crew in the right place. As always with these events, displaced stock/crew is the biggest headache. Although diagrams have recovery/turn round times, they are finite. For example, sourcing the 12:06 Pad-Pnz was hard - it left 60+ late and made the 17:37 Pnz-Pad tonight run 30+ late, with all the associated 'missed connections' off the last train to London!

Thanks very much for that useful insight into the practical realities of situations such as occurred today, rogang.

Sadly, the incident itself, at whichever station it occurs, is often just the start of the unfortunate problems which follow.

As ever, please do pass on our sympathy and support to all those staff who were involved, on the front line.

Chris  :(

I'm sure everybody at Swindon was doing their absolute best, but recovery from major disruptions are not helped by the fact that many situations that should be (and used to be) resolved by local staff on the ground at the major stations, now has to go through those like yourself at Swindon. The replacement for TCS's (Train Crew Supervisors - which used to exist at all the major stations; Oxford, Reading and Paddington for example) are now called AOM's (Area Operations Managers) and sadly they are little more than glorified message boys!