Problems with lineside equipment at Worcester

[whole diary]

[dzug]

These seem to be occurring on a virtually daily basis at the moment causing cancellations and amendments (which normally means curtailment at Oxford...).

Is there any 'story' behind it?

[Worcester_Passenger]

I was about to ask the same thing.

Where it happens seems to move up and down the line.

Once upon a time things didn't really go wrong with our line's signalling - partly because there wasn't much that could go wrong.

[thetrout]

Except dodgy door locks...

[martvw]

The trouble with the line side equipment in the worcester area is that most of it is held together with string, very old string !!

[pbc2520]

I expect thetrout is referring to this little incident...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-21410006

I always wondered why trains from Malvern to Worcester would come to a stop before Henwick more often than not.  Perhaps this goes some way to explaining it.  New locks please.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Alas, the incident on Monday (Feb 11) wasn't down to the Henwick signaller being stuck in the outside toilet (that was last Thursday, Feb 7).

And it caused much more chaos. One of the London trains was nearly two hours late into Paddington.

Meanwhile, the reason that trains are often stopped on the approach to Henwick is the matter of the two single lines through Foregate St station - sometimes there's a train coming the other way that's occupying the platform that your train wants. And sometimes it's simply the crossovers : a Malvern to Shrub Hill train has to cross over the path of a Droitwich - Malvern one.

[martvw]

The sooner the track layout and signals in the Worcester area are brought into this century the better, with perhaps a new double junction or a crossover at Rainbow Hill, so both platforms can be used at Worcester Foregate Street Station by London bound trains, also new double track round the curve into Shrub Hill Station, thus no more bottle neck?

[Andy W]

The sooner the track layout and signals in the Worcester area are brought into this century the better, with perhaps a new double junction or a crossover at Rainbow Hill, so both platforms can be used at Worcester Foregate Street Station by London bound trains, also new double track round the curve into Shrub Hill Station, thus no more bottle neck?

The layout was fine until it was rationalised in the 1970s

[Andy W]

You might find this interesting regarding the Worcester rationalisation.

http://www.miac.org.uk/1973signals.htm

[stebbo]

The signalling and track layout at Worcester is clapped out and needs urgent updating. As I understand it, the age of the signalling is one reason - apart from money - preventing a redoubling of the Cotswold line up to Norton Junction.

The layout at Henwick and through Foregate Street is madness.

[SandTEngineer]

Yes....... but you have to remember that the railway in the late 1960s early 1970s was in very rapid decline.  BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) had to save as much money as possible (unlike a certain railway infrastructure company that exists now) and quite a few of these 'track rationalisation' schemes could easily deal with the train service pattern that existed at that time.

Interestingly I was watching this website for an hour today (virtual gricing I know ) http://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/WJ/1  It looked as though the Fast lines south of Watford Junction were blocked for some reason but despite a fairly flexible track layout trains were begining to stack up and be held at red signals for a considerable time.  So, modern track layouts are no good if you don't use them

[stebbo]

Yes I understand that, but the Worcester layout is utterly nuts. I can understand singling the curve to Shrub Hill, but who dreamt up the layout through Foregate Street?

And the situation at Norton Junction where a London bound train can take the junction at, I believe, 70 mph but Worcester bound trains have to slow right down......

[SandTEngineer]

Yes I understand that, but the Worcester layout is utterly nuts. I can understand singling the curve to Shrub Hill, but who dreamt up the layout through Foregate Street?

And the situation at Norton Junction where a London bound train can take the junction at, I believe, 70 mph but Worcester bound trains have to slow right down......

Well.  Looking back, the layout through Foregate Street is quite sensible for the train service pattern then running.  They saved on the pointwork (and signalbox) at the former Rainbow Hill Junction and only had to install a new facing crossover at Henwick (the trailing one already being in existence).  At Norton Junction the existing trailing crossover was used for egress from the Oxford line and this limits the speed to 20mph in that direction.  Quite sensible and cost effective ecomomies (at the time).

[martvw]

Lets hope that some time soon the track work is improved in the hole of the Worcester area. At present it is a bit of a joke. Not fit for a busy city the size of worcester.

[ellendune]

Lets hope that some time soon the track work is improved in the hole of the Worcester area. At present it is a bit of a joke. Not fit for a busy city the size of worcester.

****Pedant alert****

I didn't think Worcester was that bad. How big it this hole that is so large it covers the Worcester Area