Planning for and handling disruption - why is it done this way?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Firstly, I'm going to note the professionalism with which the on-train staff were handling the situation / disruption last night.  Good information, honesty in saying things like "we don't know when we'll get to Reading" but sufficient backup information behind it to give knowledgable customers some data with which to make a guess themselves.  And although there were some people getting a bit fraught (the bloke across from me explaining the situation in a disticncly less professional way to his "darling" on the phone, who was - I think - DEMANDING to know when he would be home), the [few] staff I came across were doing an excellent job.

Now ... a handful of questions / thoughts crop up, and I'm sure the railway industry looks at things like these.  I'm starting a separate thread because I'm looking at the longer term issues of planning for these eventualities and asking in general, rather that looking at specifics of 20th and 21st December 2012, which are [here]

a) on routing

"Customer Advice: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, South West Trains, Virgin Trains and London Underground services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys."

Why on earth can't we have a passenger transport system where, if I'm going from "a" to "b", my ticket's always going to be accepted via any reasonable route?

b) on queuing

We left Paddington at 17:27 (the 17:15 to Carmarthen) last night, then queued ... it took us 20 minutes to even get to Acton Main Line.

What's to be gained by having a long queue of trains waiting to get past a bottleneck?  Would it not be better to cull even more from the timetable early on and leave a resonably clear run at least out to Ealing or so - the same number of trains (from a shorter queue) can still get through, so the capacity that's available is still fully used, and the delays to individual trains would be dramatically reduced.   Rather than 85 minutes to Reading it could have been 55 minutes - less frustrating, less wasting of people's valuable time ....

c) on contingency planning

Very interesting indeed to reasd "Plan 3" which is how to run London - Reading as a 2 track railway.  Why is it based on what runs from existing services (which will leave intermittent gaps) rather than a recast into an best service over the lines effected?  Where the lines have a reasonably frequent service, is there much point in labelling something as the "17:43" when it leaves at 18:49 - that just stresses to customers how late thay are (and they may not really be that late, as they may have caught an "earlier" train!)

why not ...

Fast train to Reading every 20 minutes.  Slower train right behind.  Fast trains run to the South West, Weston-super-mare, and Swansea.  Extras from Reading to ... [etc]   Slower trains ensure hourly call at every station, with all slower trains calling at key ranch junctions and allowing for intermediate journeys to be made.


Of course, it would be really nice to have a system on which major changes to running were so rare that these questions were academic, but we ain't got that at the moment. And it DOES effect the passenger;  we see a noticeable change in activity on this forum at times of disruption - yesterday was the busiest since late November, and I can guess why!

[JayMac]

On point b) Culling more trains early on just moves the passanger (not line) capacity problem to an earlier period. Less trains equals less seats. The afternoon/evening peak out of Paddington is already very busy when the full timetable is in operation. I think it better to get as many trains out of the station as possible with as many people on board. Yes, not ideal to be backed up, but at least folk are on the move, albeit slowly and stop/start.

One factor you haven't considered at all grahame is displaced staff and rolling stock.

[eightf48544]

a) on routing

"Customer Advice: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, South West Trains, Virgin Trains and London Underground services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys."

Why on earth can't we have a passenger transport system where, if I'm going from "a" to "b", my ticket's always going to be accepted via any reasonable route?

Graham I'm surpised at you! Your idea is far too European UKIP would not approve. We must have competition not these nasty European ideas of integrated public transport

b) on queuing

What's to be gained by having a long queue of trains waiting to get past a bottleneck?

There used to a lovely phrase in the old rule from Signalman to Driver.

"Proceed with caution be prepared to stop short of any obstruction."

Or line of sight driving. The other thing to do is couple trains together and then separate them when they get a working signal. But that's impossible because because we don't have astandardised coupling or control systems.

New Question

How is the USA with their hundreds of private railways has had a standard coupling and brakes since the early 1900s? Plus since dieselisation there is standard control system so all diesel locos can work in multiple and be remotely cut into the train. We do have it in this country but only on the 66s.    




Edit note: Quote marks fixed (I think) for clarity. CfN. 

[Brucey]

a) on routing

"Customer Advice: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, South West Trains, Virgin Trains and London Underground services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys."

This often causes a lot of confusion among customers.  The majority have probably never looked at a network map and will not know/be aware of alternative routes to get them to their destination.

When I was caught up at Euston, Virgin Trains produced (within hours of the disruption starting) a glossy professionally printed leaflet showing all their routes on a map, each labelled with a number or letter.  On the reverse, it told you where to go for alternative services with all the tube lines coloured.

There were also plenty of staff floating around the concourse handing out the leaflets and providing assistance as necessary.

I've never seen any other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) do this at such short notice.  Excellent service and very useful information.

[paul7575]

a) on routing

"Customer Advice: Chiltern Railways, Cross Country, South West Trains, Virgin Trains and London Underground services are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice. Arrangements have been made for First Great Western rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys."

This often causes a lot of confusion among customers.  The majority have probably never looked at a network map and will not know/be aware of alternative routes to get them to their destination.

I also suspect many passengers are blissfully unaware that that advice is really only needed for fares explicitly printed with a named TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company), or that are route restricted.   For example I mean something like a route 'any permitted' from Southampton to London, which is equally valid with XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) anyway, so you always have the choice of Waterloo (and other SR^‡(resolve) termini) or Paddington anyway.

Paul

[Southern Stag]

Routing restrictions are likely to be much more liberally applied on any permitted tickets though when there is major distruption. Provided you aren't doing the completely barmy you're unlikely to get questioned. Reasonable under normal conditions and reasonable when there is disruption can have different interpretations.

[Electric train]

With all the best contingency planning in the world you can never plan for every eventuality, what there will be is if there is this scenario we have these options or if its this scenario this option etc.  The GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) between Padd and Airport Jcn struggles on normal peaks especially on the Relief Lines, its carnage when delays happen first stop Readings get wedged and the locals which for Maidenhead and Twyford is all stations get wedged at Padd and then rammed at Ealing Broadway.   

For the passages between Padd and Twyford alternative routes are difficult Chiltern Line you get to High Wycombe or Beaconsfield and then need a lift or a taxi, Soutwest Trains get to Windsor Riverside walk to General to Slough and get caught in all the chaos again.