Failed freight train, Reading West - 20 August 2014

[whole diary]

[Alan Pettitt]

Well I suppose the three hour delay to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services last Saturday caused by the steam excursion being unable to get up the hill to Evershot tunnel must invoke some compensation, but I don't suppose the seaside travellers will think about claiming, so FGW can probably keep the lot.

[a-driver]

Well I suppose the three hour delay to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) services last Saturday caused by the steam excursion being unable to get up the hill to Evershot tunnel must invoke some compensation, but I don't suppose the seaside travellers will think about claiming, so FGW can probably keep the lot.

I think fines imposed on Charter train operators are capped as a significant fine could easily put them out business.  Some operators have been known to waive the fine as well.

[JayMac]

There was at least one train manager at Reading getting information from passengers because his source of information wasn't working.

That would have been me relaying information to the TM^‡(resolve) that bobm was sending me via text. I was on the 0730 from Paddington to Bristol stuck at Reading.

I was stopped at Reading for 40 minutes (we'd already arrived 15 late) whilst the various manoeuvres were carried out by the two freight trains. My train manager was doing an excellent job by making regular announcements over the PA^▸ (Public Address), but those announcements consisted mostly of "I have no news" or "I'll update you when I know something".

bobm was, via text message, kindly refering information to me about the exact status of the broken down freight train and the following freight that was to make the attempted shunt. The source of the information should have been available to my TM, but he was having trouble getting said information. I therefore provided him with updates and he then relayed them to all passengers over the PA. Much better I think to be told something, every five minutes or so, rather than "no news". All passengers on our service therefore got updates about the rescue train's progress, the coupling, the shunting, the completion of the movements, and the reopening of the lines to passenger trains.

In some ways I, and the other passengers on my train, were fortunate that we were at a station. More members of staff to talk to, a chance to step off and stretch legs, and so on. I feel for those who were on trains stacked up east of Reading. I was actually intending to catch the 0745 from Paddington to Bristol Parkway (Swansea service), but having heard from bobm of the failed freight, I decided to board the 0730. On the concourse at Paddington at 0738 I was waiting for the platform to be called for the Swansea train and noticed that the 0730 to Penzance via Bristol had still not left so decided to board that one instead.

I was also lucky that I didn't decide to have a more leisurely breakfast in London and travel from Paddington later in the morning. Practically everything to the west via Reading was cancelled between 0845 and 1030.

Cancelled HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) services:

0900 to Bristol TM
0906 to Newquay (started from Taunton, see below)
0915 to Cardiff
0930 to Bristol TM
0945 to Swansea
1000 to Paignton via Bristol TM (later reinstated and ran as far as Newton Abbot departing 40 late)
1006 to Penzance
1015 to Cardiff

I can imaging that, when things started moving again from 1030 onward, the services were more than a little cosy.

I got an appreciation of the fluid nature of these such incidents and how the train planners have to frantically rearrange things. My service, timetabled to Penzance, was first of all going to be terminated at Bristol TM. This was then moved on to Taunton. The train itself didn't actually terminate at Taunton, but instead ran on to Newquay taking the path and head code, from Taunton onward, of the 0906 from Paddington to Newquay.

A postscript to my journey. We left Reading 55 minutes late and lost a few more minutes by Swindon. By then I was actually hoping for a couple more minutes delay, because if I arrived in Bristol TM 60 minutes late I'd be entitled to compensation. The train arrived at 1009^, which was 59^ minutes late! Although I didn't step onto the platform until gone 1010. I'm always of the opinion of, "Don't ask, don't get", so I enquired via social media of the likelihood of receiving passenger charter compensation. I've had it confirmed that I will receive compensation as allowed for an hours delay.

Every cloud... 

[SDS]

I dunno but when it's FGW^▸ (First Great Western) at fault trains get very rapidly cancelled to minimise cost.

If it's another company at fault, watch the delay bill go through the roof. NeR are as much to blame as the FOC^▸ (Freight Operating Company). Allowing freight to run on a very important junction at the beginning of peak your gonna get problems. I also believe on some routes on gwml freight gets priority over pax trains of there is no loop.

[JayMac]

As I mentioned earlier, the flyover should alleviate some of the problems caused by conflicting moves between freight and passenger services at Reading. It can't come soon enough.

That said, even if it was in use yesterday the relief lines and the up and down Westbury would still have been blocked.

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, the west end of the station will be unlocked massively next year, and will allow the full benefit of the changes at the eastern end of the station and the new platforms themselves to be realised at Reading.

[TaplowGreen]

Yes, the west end of the station will be unlocked massively next year, and will allow the full benefit of the changes at the eastern end of the station and the new platforms themselves to be realised at Reading.

.....I guess all we'll need then is reliable infrastructure that doesn't constantly fail and cause twice weekly chaos, decent communication/customer service and something approaching sufficient capacity to avoid cattle truck conditions, then we may get something worthwhile in return for the highest fares in Europe...........one step at a time I suppose?

[IndustryInsider]

...........one step at a time I suppose?

Indeed.  Another small step being taken over the next week or so with the redoubling from Swindon to Kemble coming to fruition.  Another one will be taken next year when the flyover at Airport Junction will be brought into use, then the dive under at Acton shortly after that.  Then electrification and new electric trains arrive the year after that - all whilst the daily throng of passengers is still being transported to their destinations in even increasing numbers on trains almost exclusively built in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s.

Disruption such a yesterday's freight train and signalling failures, suicides etc. will continue to happen, but hopefully on a reduced basis when all this 'open heart surgery' on the route is complete - it's the response at times of disruption which sorely needs to be improved in my opinion.  I don't think Graham could have put it any better in his reply to your post on page 1 of the thread.

[JayMac]

Returning to the issue of information to passengers during disruption.

Would it not be possible for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to have staff dedicated to customer information (for example the social media team) based in the same office as those who are making the necessary adjustments to train running?

Train control is based in Swindon, with social media staff either in (I believe) Plymouth or Paddington.

Obviously the train controllers and planners need to able to get on with the job of returning things to normal, but if there was someone briefed to give out information during disruption from the same location, it may help give a much better understanding to the travelling public of what is causing delays and how things are being worked on to resolve them.

And I'm not just talking about social media, those same people attached to train control and planning (or whatever its actually called) could also be relaying information to station staff across the network, so they don't have to bother the controllers and train planners directly.

One small point from the larger issue of information to the public. All the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) announcements I heard yesterday referred to 'a broken down train'. To the ears of the average passenger this is likely to make them think of a passenger train. Why can't the the announcements include the word 'freight'? Why, as a passenger train operator, should you give your customers the impression it is one of your trains that has broken down? This isn't just assumption on my part. After arriving at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) yesterday I overheard someone grumbling, "Typical. Great Western's trains are always breaking down."

[IndustryInsider]

One small point from the larger issue of information to the public. All the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) announcements I heard yesterday referred to 'a broken down train'. To the ears of the average passenger this is likely to make them think of a passenger train. Why can't the the announcements include the word 'freight'? Why, as a passenger train operator, should you give your customers the impression it is one of your trains that has broken down? This isn't just assumption on my part. After arriving at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) yesterday I overheard someone grumbling, "Typical. Great Western's trains are always breaking down."

Reminds me of when I was stuck at Crewe earlier in the year.  Station announcements were advising of a 'derailment outside the station', which was actually a very low speed light-loco derailment which needed the juice switching off nonetheless.  But I heard two people on phones asking the people they were speaking to to check the news as they'd been a crash.  Just shows what vagueness can mean to some passengers.

[TaplowGreen]

One small point from the larger issue of information to the public. All the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) announcements I heard yesterday referred to 'a broken down train'. To the ears of the average passenger this is likely to make them think of a passenger train. Why can't the the announcements include the word 'freight'? Why, as a passenger train operator, should you give your customers the impression it is one of your trains that has broken down? This isn't just assumption on my part. After arriving at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) yesterday I overheard someone grumbling, "Typical. Great Western's trains are always breaking down."

Reminds me of when I was stuck at Crewe earlier in the year.  Station announcements were advising of a 'derailment outside the station', which was actually a very low speed light-loco derailment which needed the juice switching off nonetheless.  But I heard two people on phones asking the people they were speaking to to check the news as they'd been a crash.  Just shows what vagueness can mean to some passengers.

I seem to recall reading on another, similar thread that there was a policy of TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)/NR^» (Network Rail - home page) not blaming each other (at least in public) when things go wrong, perhaps that extends to freight operators as well?

[stuving]

I seem to recall reading on another, similar thread that there was a policy of TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)/NR^» (Network Rail - home page) not blaming each other (at least in public) when things go wrong, perhaps that extends to freight operators as well?

If you look at Realtime Trains, it shows all the cancelled trains as "This service was cancelled throughout due to a problem with the traction equipment (MC)." Presumably that is the reason flag used throughout the system. That does look odd - is it part of the same policy of giving neutral explanations, or is it just wrong?

[JayMac]

I seem to recall reading on another, similar thread that there was a policy of TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)/NR^» (Network Rail - home page) not blaming each other (at least in public) when things go wrong, perhaps that extends to freight operators as well?

There were a couple of manual station announcements while I was stopped at Reading that referred to the broken down freight train. And 'my' TM^‡(resolve), relaying the information I'd given him, told all aboard via the PA^▸ (Public Address) the delays were being caused by the failed freight train and the use of another freight train to shunt.

Just mentioning 'freight' would surely be okay. No need to mention the freight operating company by name, just as passenger TOCs aren't explicitly mentioned by name when they cause delays to other operators.

No such qualms about naming names here. The failed freight was 4O22 from Trafford Park Freightliner Terminal to Southampton Maritime Container Terminal, operated by Freightliner Ltd.

[SandTEngineer]

Of course in the 'Good Old Days' the station train announcers used to sit in the local signalbox and could relay very up to date information

[insider]

Returning to the issue of information to passengers during disruption.

Would it not be possible for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to have staff dedicated to customer information (for example the social media team) based in the same office as those who are making the necessary adjustments to train running?

Train control is based in Swindon, with social media staff either in (I believe) Plymouth or Paddington.

Obviously the train controllers and planners need to able to get on with the job of returning things to normal, but if there was someone briefed to give out information during disruption from the same location, it may help give a much better understanding to the travelling public of what is causing delays and how things are being worked on to resolve them.

And I'm not just talking about social media, those same people attached to train control and planning (or whatever its actually called) could also be relaying information to station staff across the network, so they don't have to bother the controllers and train planners directly.

One small point from the larger issue of information to the public. All the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) announcements I heard yesterday referred to 'a broken down train'. To the ears of the average passenger this is likely to make them think of a passenger train. Why can't the the announcements include the word 'freight'? Why, as a passenger train operator, should you give your customers the impression it is one of your trains that has broken down? This isn't just assumption on my part. After arriving at Bristol TM^‡(resolve) yesterday I overheard someone grumbling, "Typical. Great Western's trains are always breaking down."

within the control centre there are 3 members of staff (1 for each area LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley)/WEST/HSS^▸ (High Speed Services)) that are dedicated to getting the information out....it should be noted that the information sent out from control is the information that the twitter folk use, they don't have a special crystal ball to get anything extra. Again staff on the ground may have issues such as signal problems getting that information or just user error / training needs in actually understanding it or how to get it?

Recently within the control there is also an extra person on shift, that supervises the above staff and assists them in major disruption, with getting the info out.

With regards to the automatic announcements, and "a broken down train", these options are set by ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here), and are agreed by the entire industry, same applies to messages that would be seen on Journeycheck etc... Technically by the rules station announcers should also use the exact same script, but in reality they say the actual problem.