Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2017

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

Alterations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a safety inspection of the track between Reading and London Paddington all lines are blocked.. Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/03.Alterations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a safety inspection of the track between Reading and London Paddington all lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations have been suspended between Reading and Hayes & Harlington. All stations between Reading and Hayes & Harlington will not be served. Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/03.
Customer Advice
Network Rail are carrying out vital railway upgrade work between Reading and Hayes & Harlington which means there are changes to train services to and from London from 00:15 until 13:00.

Some High Speed Services will be diverted, and replacement buses will run between Reading and Heathrow, for train services into London.

Wherever possible, passengers should travel after 13:00. Tickets for earlier services will be accepted on all GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services on Sunday.

Think the electrification testing might be over running a tad 

[grahame]

Not enough paths Oxford-Didcot.

That's not as black and white as your comment implies.

[Adelante_CCT]

Think the electrification testing might be over running a tad 

No, the line has always been planned to open at 13:00, the first from Paddington SHOULD be the 12:47 to Port Talbot

Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/03.Alterations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Not really disruption, more like planned disruption as discussed here

[PhilWakely]

Alterations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a safety inspection of the track between Reading and London Paddington all lines are blocked.. Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/03.Alterations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a safety inspection of the track between Reading and London Paddington all lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations have been suspended between Reading and Hayes & Harlington. All stations between Reading and Hayes & Harlington will not be served. Disruption is expected until 13:00 26/03.
Customer Advice
Network Rail are carrying out vital railway upgrade work between Reading and Hayes & Harlington which means there are changes to train services to and from London from 00:15 until 13:00.

Some High Speed Services will be diverted, and replacement buses will run between Reading and Heathrow, for train services into London.

Wherever possible, passengers should travel after 13:00. Tickets for earlier services will be accepted on all GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) services on Sunday.

This is not 'new' - I heard about this at the beginning of last week (it has been on GWR.com all that time)!

[ChrisB]

Put in that section of the website as it wasn't part of planned engineering work.

[eightf48544]

Wondered why I hadn't heard any trains this am.

So used to them that it takes a while to realise that they are not running. Tend to pick up disruption quicker to due to slow running High Speed Train (HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))) s are much noisier at slower speed.

Open train times map for Hayes Twyford is blank apart from something in the siding at Maidenhead.

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[SandTEngineer]

Open train times map for Hayes Twyford is blank apart from something in the siding at Maidenhead.

Thats a reminder for a 3187 Form.  That form indicates that the signalling equipment is signed out of use.

[eightf48544]

Open train times map for Hayes Twyford is blank apart from something in the siding at Maidenhead.

Thats a reminder for a 3187 Form.  That form indicates that the signalling equipment is signed out of use.

Thanks wondered what it was.

Trains now running

[Electric train]

Open train times map for Hayes Twyford is blank apart from something in the siding at Maidenhead.

The something in the sidings at Maidenhead may have been the electrification test train, the test train likely to be a diesel with one or two electric locos to act as a load bank, part of the energisation testing is a "Directional Check" on the Distance Protection Relays; these relays have both current and voltage inputs and use the phase angle between them to determine the direction of power flow this is needed because a fault can be feed by multiple circuit breakers the power flow direction is blocked in load flow reverse.  The other tests are the Vl / Vt (Voltage longitudinal / Voltage transverse) tests required by telecoms.

The test train will have operated in a special rules possession, been involved in quite a few of these type tests over the years, but not this testing though.

[SandTEngineer]

The 3187 description has been stuck in there since the signalling 'commissioning' at xmas/new year 2016/2017   I think II told us in another thread that the physical construction hasn't been completed yet.  Anybody got a photograph as it would be nice to see whats been done at Maidenhead (no good looking out of a train window at 125mph)? 

[Electric train]

The 3187 description has been stuck in there since the signalling 'commissioning' at xmas/new year 2016/2017   I think II told us in another thread that the physical construction hasn't been completed yet.  Anybody got a photograph as it would be nice to see whats been done at Maidenhead (no good looking out of a train window at 125mph)? 

It not always easy to see even from a photo if the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") is complete; things like OLE switches can be in place but the blades may not be aligned, cross track feeder drapes not in place, tails from cable palm plates to OLE drapes not in place, contact wire registration and height. The one that cannot physically be seen is SCADA^▸ (System Control And Data Acquisition, the 'generic' term used for the telemetry control from the Electrical Control Room) (SCADA is the smart dancing pixies that control the large angry pixies in the OLE) 

Having said all that, I feel they may be in a position where they can commission an OLE system, it might not be in its final configuration, but would be sufficient to operate the initial May timetable services to Maidenhead as it has a limited number of trains

[IndustryInsider]

Rather surprisingly, as of yesterday at least, platform 5 at Maidenhead hadn't been fitted with contact wire.  Unless it was done last night prior to today's testing?  That platform will need to be available for the May electric service to give a certain amount of flexibility.

[Electric train]

Rather surprisingly, as of yesterday at least, platform 5 at Maidenhead hadn't been fitted with contact wire.  Unless it was done last night prior to today's testing?  That platform will need to be available for the May electric service to give a certain amount of flexibility.

A wire run like that does not take much to install, it would not stop the key commissioning of section proving. protection relay directional tests and Vl / Vt test

[TonyK]

Not enough paths Oxford-Didcot.

That's not as black and white as your comment implies.

I noticed from Real Time Trains that the services used Didcot West Curve rather than into Didcot Parkway then reverse.

[grahame]

Not enough paths Oxford-Didcot.

That's not as black and white as your comment implies.

I noticed from Real Time Trains that the services used Didcot West Curve rather than into Didcot Parkway then reverse.

When local (electric) trains from London terminate at Didcot and there's a shuttle from there to Oxford, might it not be logical to start that shuttle back at Bristol and reverse at Didcot - it then doubles up as the local connector and the Oxford to the West service, tapping the Oxford to Swindon market and not taking an extra paths.  Should a Wantage station open at some date in the future, it's also an enabling service that would provide a useful connection to London at Didcot.