Chiltern Evergreen 3 project - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

The couple of additional Chiltern trains that are using platform 3 and 4 at Oxford because they are too long for platforms 1/2 are causing all sorts of headaches on those two platforms that are already stretched almost to the max during the peak hours.

Any chance that 1 & 2 could be lengthened?

[IndustryInsider]

Not until the station is rebuilt.  Plans are afoot to turn 2 into a through platform if that happens, but it's at least 5 years away!  A new Platform 5 and more flexible signalling should happen sooner than that, which will help a lot.

[SandTEngineer]

The couple of additional Chiltern trains that are using platform 3 and 4 at Oxford because they are too long for platforms 1/2 are causing all sorts of headaches on those two platforms that are already stretched almost to the max during the peak hours.

I watched this happen yesterday evening on http://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/oxford when the affected Chiltern train lost 6 mins through waiting for Platform No.4 to become free.  I thought the better option would have been for the train to leave from Platform No.3 as that wasn't in use at the time and there were no trains approaching that would need to use it (the Chiltern train concerned having been turned back via Hinksey Sidings).  However, I am aware that we don't really know whatever else was going on at the time.

Nothing better than trainspotting from your armchair 

[IndustryInsider]

Here's an example of how Chiltern's longer trains are testing the capacity at Oxford.  Tonight's 18:18 MYB^▸ (London (Marylebone))-OXF^» (Oxford - next trains), was due to terminate Platform 3 at 19:25.    The train has to be checked empty and sent to the Hinksey Reception Lines and back into Platform 4 for its next working at 20:00.

It was late arriving by 7 minutes at 19:32.  Things are so tight that when it was eventually dispatched empty, it then delayed the 19:31 OXF-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) fast by 10 minutes, the 19:38 OXF-PAD stopper by 6 minutes, and the 19:43 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service to Reading by 6 minutes.

Either that train, or the previous train from MYB, seem to arrive late far too often causing these delays to other operators services.  Roll on the resignalling (Oxford Corridor Phase 1) and Platform 5!

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

Around 0800 hrs is also a busy time.  Mrs GTBE caught the 0728 Banbury - Padd one day last week: late at Pangbourne (my fault of course), and RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) appears to show it was 7 minutes at Oxford North waiting for a platform.  It was not uncommon for this train to be delayed by the preceding HST^▸ (High Speed Train) off the Cotswold line even before the Chiltern trains added to the congestion.