London Marathon Runners - 23 April 2017 - BEWARE Engineering Works!

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

Email from Mark Hopwood -

From: Mark.HopwoodGWR-MD <>
Date: 18 April 2017 at 14:01:04 BST
To: xxxx
Subject: Improvement work will impact on London Marathon participants


Dear xxxxx

As part of the modernisation of the Great Western mainline and Crossrail development, Network Rail need to complete some additional work between Paddington and Reading this weekend. 

Work will take place overnight on Saturday 22 April, and all lines between Reading and Hayes and Harlington will be closed until 0900 on Sunday 23 April.   

We are asking customers from Reading to Hayes and Harlington to vary their journeys and travel after 0900 if they can.

However, Sunday 23 April is the date of the London Marathon and we are very aware that participants need to travel before 0900.   We have therefore arranged coach services to get them to the start line on time.

Details are on our website https://www.gwr.com/about-us/media-centre/news/2017/april/attention-london-marathon-runners along with arrangements for other customers who need to travel before 0900.

We want to be sure that we have got the message out to all customers, many of whom may not think to double check the timetable; anything you can do to alert any marathon participants, in particular, will be very much appreciated.  We are using traditional and social media, and have also contacted the London Marathon organisers direct to ask if they can help.

Network Rail are doing important work which means we will be able to operate brand new eight car trains from Maidenhead in May, and from Reading in December.

We are doing all we can to limit the disruption and I am grateful for your support in spreading the message of this additional piece of work.

Best wishes

Mark

[TaplowGreen]

Hope they've got plenty of buses!

[Chris from Nailsea]

With thanks to ChrisB for posting that e-mail appeal from Mark Hopwood, I've now slightly expanded the topic heading to 'raise the profile' of this event, and emphasize the urgency of competitors and their supporters varying and / or making alternative travel arrangements if necessary!

Hope this helps! 

[TaplowGreen]

It's been very well publicised to the West of London across all media and has provoked a lot of dissatisfaction amongst marathon runners who now face a lengthy bus trip rather than the train they had been led to expect.......more unfavourable PR^▸ (Public Relations) for the railways.

[bobm]

It's been very well publicised to the West of London across all media and has provoked a lot of dissatisfaction amongst marathon runners who now face a lengthy bus trip rather than the train they had been led to expect.......more unfavourable PR^▸ (Public Relations) for the railways.

I suspect the dissatisfaction would have been even greater if there hadn't been the additional publicity and would be runners only found out when they reached the station on the day.

[didcotdean]

There are also the following additional early Chiltern Railways trains:

* Banbury 06.40 - Bicester North 06.54 - Haddenham & Thame Parkway 07.06 - High Wycombe 07.20 - Beaconsfield 07.27 - Gerrards Cross 07.33 - Marylebone 07.56.

* Aylesbury 07.00 - Princes Risborough 07.16 - High Wycombe 07.27 - Beaconsfield 07.34 - Gerrards Cross 07.40 - Denham 07.44 - South Ruislip 07.50 - Marylebone 08.09.

[John R]

Clearly Network Rail has taken lessons from the United Airlines approach to customer service. And no, I don't underestimate the difficulty there might be in coming up with an alternative, but this is very poor.

[TaplowGreen]

It's been very well publicised to the West of London across all media and has provoked a lot of dissatisfaction amongst marathon runners who now face a lengthy bus trip rather than the train they had been led to expect.......more unfavourable PR^▸ (Public Relations) for the railways.

I suspect the dissatisfaction would have been even greater if there hadn't been the additional publicity and would be runners only found out when they reached the station on the day.

I must admit that hadn't occurred to me.

[Electric train]

Clearly Network Rail has taken lessons from the United Airlines approach to customer service. And no, I don't underestimate the difficulty there might be in coming up with an alternative, but this is very poor.

May be the London Marathon should select a weekend when there is no railway engineering work, Network Rail do have long term plans available for at least 2 years out ............

Just sayin 

[John R]

But if I'm not mistaken this has been arranged at very short notice, so your point doesn't apply. Two years ago NR^» (Network Rail - home page) was still planning to have had it all completed by last December. In addition, I would expect the London Marathon to be one which Network Rail should plan around to avoid rather than the other way around.

[ChrisB]

You're not....and I agree.

[ellendune]

I suggest NR^» (Network Rail - home page) were between a rock and a hard place.  They had to fit it in somehow or there would be further delays. 

[TaplowGreen]

I suggest NR^» (Network Rail - home page) were between a rock and a hard place.  They had to fit it in somehow or there would be further delays. 

A rock and a hard place of their own creation.

"Late notice" = poorly planned in this context.

Good luck to all those running in the Marathon today, pal of mine will be raising thousands for Alzheimers research....I hope that all those who have spent months preparing for today's event are not in any way scuppered by NR's failure to do likewise.

[a-driver]

I suggest NR^» (Network Rail - home page) were between a rock and a hard place.  They had to fit it in somehow or there would be further delays. 

True, one day of inconvenience or 7 days of inconvenience when they are unable to implement the new timetable in May with 387's to Maidenhead.
Entirely the making of NR.