Old Oak Common/Paddington blockade, December 2024. Service changes, diverts, engineering etc

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Excellent crayonista work there. But... run 'em on to the Hammersmith and City / Metropolitan and terminate 'em at Farringdon. :-)

Mark

Don't be silly - use the old bay platforms at Moorgate

[stuving]

Could this, therefore, give the opportunity for a bit of much-needed sorting out of the line, while it is quiet? Unless all engineers are going to be busy at OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)).

Plenty of work has already been undertaken recently, especially to the 770 axle counters

Presumably that is this bit of work:

NR^» (Network Rail - home page) will bring forward planned track work. Axle counters, which are essential to safe signalling, are being fitted with “industry first” monitoring equipment to pre-empt failures. “They are still failing, but they are failing less often. That is a big part of the stabilisation,” said Jones.

I take it those are the 770 Frauscher axle counters fitted in 2020-21 to replace all the track circuits out to Slough? Done to improve reliability, of course, and already needing some reliability enhancements!

[Richard Fairhurst]

Long term, a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) link into Euston - with its ten minute walk to St Pancras International and a couple of minutes more to Kings Cross - would make sense.

I am attracted by the idea (sitting In my armchair) of an hourly service Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Interchange, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton, Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Grove and Wantage, Didcot Parkway, Reading, Hayes and Harlington, Vitus Quercus Venellam and London (Euston).   Connections into that from the whole of the South West and South Wales right up to Worcester and out from that to the Heathrow link at Hayes and to the International link at Euston.

I am a bit worried that Go-Op appear to have taken control of grahame's account.

[GBM]

Long term, a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) link into Euston - with its ten minute walk to St Pancras International and a couple of minutes more to Kings Cross - would make sense.

I am attracted by the idea (sitting In my armchair) of an hourly service Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster, Thornford, Yeovil Interchange, Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Bruton, Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Grove and Wantage, Didcot Parkway, Reading, Hayes and Harlington, Vitus Quercus Venellam and London (Euston).   Connections into that from the whole of the South West and South Wales right up to Worcester and out from that to the Heathrow link at Hayes and to the International link at Euston.

I am a bit worried that Go-Op appear to have taken control of grahame's account.

Stakeholder/shareholder?!! 

[Bob_Blakey]

Is it not also the case that the number of (heavy, slow) freight services running via Acton Wells Junction will cause timetabling issues?

[grahame]

I am a bit worried that Go-Op appear to have taken control of grahame's account.

Stakeholder/shareholder?!! 

No - but there is considerable sense in many of the flows they look at, and should they start to operate a reliable service at my local station I would be delighted to help promote it as part of the overall service.  Done properly, an integrated service of 9 GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains and 7 Go-op services would boost passenger numbers from just under 70,000 per annum to over 250,000 per annum.

Is it not also the case that the number of (heavy, slow) freight services running via Acton Wells Junction will cause timetabling issues?

Yes.  When will that freight be electrified - and how slow is "slow" anyway - gone are the days of loose coupled four wheel wagon.   High speed really isn't needed inwards of Ealing for these services - add a few minutes to the journey and it won't significantly reduce the benefit of the easy links from Euston / St.P  KGX

[JayMac]

On Sunday 30th June GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ran a Sleeper set from Reading Traincare Depot to London Euston as a test for the upcoming diversions.

Out: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K11265/2024-06-30/detailed
Return: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K11264/2024-06-30/detailed

Once at Euston an electric Class 90 was attached to supply shore power. This allowed for the diesel Class 57s to be shut down while the set was in Euston. This is expected to be the plan for the diverted sleeper services to alleviate noise and pollution issues.

Photos of the Night Riviera set at Euston. From a Facebook group.

[grahame]

On Sunday 30th June GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ran a Sleeper set from Reading Traincare Depot to London Euston as a test for the upcoming diversions.

Stupid question for the future - why just during diversions?   There used to be sleeper services from Kings Cross, and indeed St Pancras before that, to Scotland but they were all centralised on Euston.  Just asking.

[Electric train]

Is it not also the case that the number of (heavy, slow) freight services running via Acton Wells Junction will cause timetabling issues?

Yes.  When will that freight be electrified - and how slow is "slow" anyway - gone are the days of loose coupled four wheel wagon.   High speed really isn't needed inwards of Ealing for these services - add a few minutes to the journey and it won't significantly reduce the benefit of the easy links from Euston / St.P  KGX

The FOC^▸ (Freight Operating Company, or possibly 'free of charge', depending on context)'w work on a single type of traction from start the starting point to end, they don't like the faff of changing engines, there are very few places on the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) mainline where fright could be electric throughout; so the FOCs will continue to use diesel on the GW.
Then there is the cost of electrifying the UP and DN Poplars and Acton Yard, the FOCs operating margins are tight, Network Rail could only carry the work out if the FOCs fund it or ............. the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) fund it(nuff said!!!)

On Sunday 30th June GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) ran a Sleeper set from Reading Traincare Depot to London Euston as a test for the upcoming diversions.

Stupid question for the future - why just during diversions?   There used to be sleeper services from Kings Cross, and indeed St Pancras before that, to Scotland but they were all centralised on Euston.  Just asking.

Euston has capacity problems made more acute with the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) works

[Timmer]

Lots of information on what GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) plans to operate during blockades at Old Oak Common over the next few years can be found here:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/planned-engineering/oldoakcommon

[TonyK]

Lots of information on what GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) plans to operate during blockades at Old Oak Common over the next few years can be found here:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-information/travel-updates/planned-engineering/oldoakcommon

That looks pretty comprehensive. We have been warned!

[JayMac]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) are also planning to use Didcot Railway Centre during the blockade for the stabling of units. They were testing said stabling today.

More details and pictures courtesy of Tim Dunn on twiXtter.

https://x.com/MrTimDunn/status/1826629312490996213

[JayMac]

I've taken the liberty of renaming this topic to cover all aspects of the 2024 blockade of the Great Western Main Line around Old Oak Common. The passenger service changes and diverts, the logistics for the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company), the engineering, and so on.

Here's a link to Network Rail's page on the upcoming work.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/western/hs2-old-oak-common-station/

[bobm]

One of the long term effects of the station will be after the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) main lines are diverted through the platforms. There will be a permanent 60mph speed limit.  That will add around two minutes to all trains going in and out of Paddington. That will increase if the service is timetabled to call at Old Oak Common. 

It will therefore affect connections across the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network. 

[IndustryInsider]

One of the long term effects of the station will be after the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) main lines are diverted through the platforms. There will be a permanent 60mph speed limit.  That will add around two minutes to all trains going in and out of Paddington. That will increase if the service is timetabled to call at Old Oak Common. 

It will therefore affect connections across the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) network. 

I’m puzzled by that as I can’t see it making anywhere near 2 minutes difference to a non-stopping train given the current speeds limit of 50 as far out as Kendal Green.  I would estimate 30 seconds at the most.