Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2014

[whole diary]

[BerkshireBugsy]

I was on the 657 Thatcham to Paddington today and it got caught up in these new signalling problems.

Someone on here must have posted it pretty quickly because I new about it even before the train driver. We had a 23 minute delay arriving at Paddington.

I guess I must have been lucky - I had a three week run without any problems and now it's payback time

[a-driver]

The whole thing reeks of carelessness, shoddiness and incompetence.........there can be no other explanation for one of the busiest rail thoroughfares in Europe being brought to a grinding halt for the second time in 4 days..............the noise you can hear is not trains moving to and fro, it's Brunel spinning in his grave.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should grow a pair and insist that all digging/piling work should cease until they are satisifed that those undertaking it are competent enough to undertake this work without this happening.

I note the message on the FGW website is  "There is currently no estimate for a normal train service to resume"..........how apt!

Makes you wonder if the contractors carrying out this work have been set unrealistic targets by NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to erect so many structures a night and as a result are rushing and cutting corners resulting in damage to the signalling system.

[IndustryInsider]

The whole thing reeks of carelessness, shoddiness and incompetence.........there can be no other explanation for one of the busiest rail thoroughfares in Europe being brought to a grinding halt for the second time in 4 days..............the noise you can hear is not trains moving to and fro, it's Brunel spinning in his grave.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) should grow a pair and insist that all digging/piling work should cease until they are satisifed that those undertaking it are competent enough to undertake this work without this happening.

I note the message on the FGW website is  "There is currently no estimate for a normal train service to resume"..........how apt!

Refreshing to see that you can actually post a message which doesn't accuse those of us on here that try and explain why things may be happening in more detail as 'Railway enthusiast fundamentalists' or some similarly stupid label.  I dread to think what it was before you modified it. 

Speaking personally, I am pretty passionate about the railways and hate it when passengers have their journey disrupted.  Part of my reason for being on here is to try and explain why things have gone wrong to those that might not have the technical knowledge or ability to find out.  I don't have to do it and I sure as hell don't get paid for doing it.  It also gives me a platform to anonymously criticise (and indeed praise) the railway industry when I deem it suitable.  Many staff feel the same way I do and your constant sniping at us really makes me wonder why I bother.  Sure, there are some bad members of staff out there and things don't always go to plan, but I'm sure the same applies in whatever industry you are involved in but perhaps not under quite the glare of public scrutiny.

I strongly suspect that today will be discussed at a very senior level within Network Rail (doubtless with input from FGW) and it might indeed be sensible to stop the work whilst a review in undertaken.  It's interesting that it's (presumably) the Crossrail electrification team that have once again caused this disruption rather than the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) electrification team who have been doing similar piling work for over a year with very few problems.

[TaplowGreen]

Makes you wonder if the contractors carrying out this work have been set unrealistic targets by Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) to erect so many structures a night and as a result are rushing and cutting corners resulting in damage to the signalling system.
[/quote]

-may well be the case but in my experience Contractors will promise the Earth to secure juicy contracts such as this so it may well be 6 of one and half dozen of the other with Network Rail (NR) believeing the hype!

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[insider]

Cable Testing ongoing.....rain in area has slowed testing....don't want electronics to get wet!!!

Sounds like ongoing rest of day....

Plan for Peak

Paddington ^ Bedwyn services to start / terminate at Reading starting with
1K53 11.39 Bedwyn ^ Paddington terminating at Reading to form
1K57 12.18 Paddington ^ Bedwyn starting Reading. Then :-
1K61 12.38 Bedwyn ^ Paddington terminating Reading to form
1K60 13.18 Paddington ^ Bedwyn starts Reading
1K63 13.42 Bedwyn ^ Paddington terminates Reading to form :-
1K64 14.18 Paddington ^ Bedwyn starts Reading
1K65 14.39 Bedwyn ^ Paddington terminates Reading to form :-
1K68 15.18 Paddington ^ Bedwyn starts Reading
1K69 15.40 Bedwyn ^ Paddington terminates Reading to form :-
1K74 16.18 Paddington ^ Bedwyn starts Reading

Class one Paddington ^ Oxford services to remain cancelled.
1D45 15.22 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D49 16.22 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D51 16.49 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D53 17.18 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D57 17.35 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D61 18.18 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D67 18.50 Paddington ^ Oxford
1D69 19.18 Paddington ^ Oxford

1P63 17.01 Oxford ^ Paddington
1P69 18.01 Oxford ^ Paddington
1P71 18.31 Oxford ^ Paddington
1P75 19.31 Oxford ^ Paddington

1H48 17.12 Paddington ^ Henley On Thames start Twyford
1H52 18.12 Paddington ^ Henley On Thames start Twyford
1H54 19.05 Paddington ^ Henley On Thames start Twyford

Paddington ^ Cardiff/South Wales XX.15 departures to remain cancelled.

1C18 14.33 Paddington ^ Weston S.M. Cancelled. (Possibly start Bristol T.M.)
(1Z86 Paddington ^ Penzance S.S.O.^s vice between Reading and Bristol T.M.)

1C20 15.33 Paddington ^ Weston S.M. Cancelled.
(1Z88 15.30 Paddington ^ Penzance S.S.O.^s vice between Reading and Bristol T.M.)

1C22 16.33 Paddington ^ Taunton Cancelled. (Possibly start Bristol T.M.)
(1Z89 16.30 Paddington ^ Penzance S.S.O.^s vice between Reading and Bristol T.M.)

1C25 18.03 Paddington ^ Bristol T.M. Cancelled.
(1Z92 18.00 Paddington ^ Penzance S.S.O.^s vice between Reading and Bristol TM^‡(resolve))

1C27 19.03 Paddington ^ Bristol T.M. Cancelled.
(1Z95 19.00 Paddington ^ Plymouth S.S.O.^s vice between Reading and Bristol TM)

In addition to the above

1C90 17.06 Paddington ^ Bristol T.M. Twyford stop withdrawn.
1J93 18.05 Paddington ^ Frome Twyford stop withdrawn

[BerkshireBugsy]

I imagine there will be some Twyford passengers who will not be pleased at their stops being withdrawn

[Western Enterprise]

the noise you can hear is not trains moving to and fro, it's Brunel spinning in his grave.

 
Last heard in 1892 I believe... !

[BBM]

I imagine there will be some Twyford passengers who will not be pleased at their stops being withdrawn

Me for one!!! 

1712 and 1735 fast(-ish) Turbos are cancelled too, plus the 1718 to OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) with an opportunity for a change at Maidenhead (MAI^▸ (Maidenhead station)). On Monday there was an near hour-long gap in anything serving TWY^▸ (Twyford station) from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) between 1642 and 1735. Are we the lowest of the low? Is the Henley Branch a figment of my imagination?

Sorry to sound a bl**dy misery but the good news for me is that today I've managed to get my boss to finalise a date for my job move to Reading in January. I might drive in, I might get the bus or I might use SWT^▸ (South West Trains) from Winnersh Triangle. But I will not be using FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

Edit; VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[didcotdean]

Have to be in London later this afternoon - think I may start by driving to Haddenham ....

[a-driver]

I imagine there will be some Twyford passengers who will not be pleased at their stops being withdrawn

Me for one!!! 

1712 and 1735 fast(-ish) Turbos are cancelled too, plus the 1718 to OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) with an opportunity for a change at MAI^▸ (Maidenhead station). On Monday there was an near hour-long gap in anything serving TWY^▸ (Twyford station) from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) between 1642 and 1735. Are we the lowest of the low? Is the Henley Branch a figment of my imagination?

Sorry to sound a bl**dy misery but the good news for me is that today I've managed to get my boss to finalise a date for my job move to Reading in January. I might drive in, I might get the bus or I might use SWT^▸ (South West Trains) from Winnersh Triangle. But I will not be using FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

You'd be better off going to Reading and coming back wouldn't you? 

[BBM]

You'd be better off going to Reading and coming back wouldn't you? 

My place of work is on the Central Line so I might go to Ealing (EAL^▸ (Ealing Broadway Station)) and get a stopper if I can be certain they're running. If I can't be sure then it'll be PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to RDG^‡(resolve) and back to Twyford (TWY^▸ (Twyford station)).

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[a-driver]

You'd be better off going to Reading and coming back wouldn't you? 

My place of work is on the Central Line so I might go to Ealing (EAL^▸ (Ealing Broadway Station)) and get a stopper if I can be certain they're running. If I can't be sure then it'll be PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to RDG^‡(resolve) and back to Twyford (TWY^▸ (Twyford station)).

At the moment they're down as running but they're going to be even busier than normal given the cancellations of the fast services for Slough & Maidenhead.

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[BBM]

JourneyCheck has just been updated with the news that the 1712 to Henley and the 1735 to Oxford have been reinstated, so hopefully the 1706 will now stop at TWY^▸ (Twyford station). 

[Trowres]

...
The fault in itself is quite an unusual one and has the potential to cause an accident, which is why the service is being reduced. Short version is that on ALL 4 lines, the signaller at TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) is loosing trains. in that the track circuit are wrong side failures, train in section but computer says nothing there!!! This has the potential to allow another train into the same section.
...

Wrong side failures? Are these sites still track circuits or axle counters? One hopes that the reason for a wrong side failure is properly communicated within the industry so that lessons are learned before serious consequences arise. (For an example of where this, sadly, didn't happen, see the report on a passenger being trapped by a train door at Newcastle).

[SandTEngineer]

Its a true track circuit area at present (going over to axle counters soon).  Failures of this nature are more common than you might think.  Just unfortunate that a lot of them appear to be happening in FGW^▸ (First Great Western) land at the moment but then the signalling infrastructure is over 50 years old