Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2018

[whole diary]

[BBM]

Hopefully this will be fixed by 17:00 as stated:

A fault with the signalling system between Maidenhead and Slough is causing disruption to journeys between Reading and Slough.

Services may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected to continue until 17:00.

[stuving]

And that starts with why isn't 1P10 in P10/11 anyway? There's a gap for it to do that.

Whilst it may look like there is a gap at Reading, there isn't a sufficient gap at Didcot for it to get across from the Relief Lines onto the Main Lines. There is freight paths through Platform 3 shortly after its departure, so it isn't possible to hold the 387 in the platform that bit longer to go behind the Bristol-Paddington. I could see this train perhaps starting from Swindon when the wires eventually extend that far, it could then run just behind the Bristol-Paddington service from Swindon and use the Main Lines throughout. When the 110mph running times are used it could be quite a fast service from Didcot.

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced. Maybe when everything is running like clockwork passenger will cope better and it will matter less ...

But while it isn't, the loss of time due to mainline running at 110 mph max (<1 min DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)-RDG^‡(resolve) and <2 min RDG-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)) is not going to matter much either, so maybe we will see that. At least, until even later when the clockwork is so convincing it's worth stepping up to beyond 20 tph on the Mains in the peaks .

(File under "Fiction"?)

[lordgoata]

In reply to lordgoata, the 7:03 (1P08) was cancelled at Goring in the sense that it ran on the Main Lines so didn't stop. It may have stopped at Tilehurst - RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) suggests it did, but isn't able to clearly show that. I imagine the idea was that it would get back in front of yours (1P11), but it didn't - it tagged along behind it all the rest of the way.

Thanks for that stuving, at least sounds like they tried to make a decent plan, but still failed. I guess if there had been clear announcements at Reading and Twyford (of course there may have been) that there were longer, mostly empty trains behind the 4-car, then perhaps there would have been less passengers squeezing into it; but given the unreliability, I suspect many wouldn't want to risk it, as you say.

Its just, as a passenger looking out at an almost completely empty train running next to you crammed into yours, when both have the similar stops and the same destination, you really do have to wonder about some of the decision making, hence my rant yesterday!

[rower40]

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced.

Point of information...
A train on the Up Relief could cross to the Festival line at Reading West Junction, then into Reading platforms 7 or 8, then up along the Down Main to Kennet Bridge.  At the cost of crossing the Down Relief on the flat at Reading West Junction, and tying up the Down Main, and causing untold confusion on the transfer deck at Reading.

So possibly not a very useful crossover.

[stuving]

Of course - I was only thinking about using the Main Line from Reading, and forgetting that there's nowhere to do that switch between Didcot East and Kennet Bridge. It wasn't thought useful when Reading was redesigned, so the crossovers at Reading West that were lost were not replaced.

Point of information...
A train on the Up Relief could cross to the Festival line at Reading West Junction, then into Reading platforms 7 or 8, then up along the Down Main to Kennet Bridge.  At the cost of crossing the Down Relief on the flat at Reading West Junction, and tying up the Down Main, and causing untold confusion on the transfer deck at Reading.

So possibly not a very useful crossover.

Indeed - especially as I was angling to get that train into P10/11; it gets onto the Mains at Kennet Bridge anyway. The Festival Line works fine in the down direction, but then it doesn't matter a lot which platform you drop people at!

[Jason]

Due to failure of the electricity supply between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.
Impact: Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 10:15 12/01.

[GBM]

Due to failure of the electricity supply between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.

Having a very big senior moment but how will that failure lead to blocked lines?
Surely just replace the fuse (or put more £1 coins in the meter) 

[bobm]

You reset the trip or replace the fuse and it trips/blows again straight away due to the original fault still being there.  Meanwhile the electric trains in the area have no power so cannot move and thus block the line.

The good news is the problem has been cured and things are on the move.  Five trains were trapped at one point.

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between Slough and Ealing Broadway


Due to a safety inspection of the track between Slough and Ealing Broadway some lines towards London Paddington are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 20 minutes. Disruption is expected until 13:00 16/01.

[Jason]

Due to a speed restriction over defective track between Hayes & Harlington and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines towards London Paddington.
Impact: Train services running to and from these stations may be revised. Disruption is expected until 22:00 16/01.
Customer Advice: Heathrow Connect services are running non stop between Hayes & Harlington and Paddington.

[IndustryInsider]

Track defect leading to a 20mph speed restriction on the up main.

[didcotdean]

Now expected not to be rectified until 22:00 Thursday.

[rower40]

Now expected not to be rectified until 22:00 Thursday.

Which begs the questions...
How many trains will pass over it, albeit at 20mph, until then?
Will that cause the defect to worsen?
How long a daytime closure would be needed to rectify it sooner - and would that entail closure of one or both adjacent lines?

On roads, the wear-n-tear increases as the 5th power of the axle load.  (Double the axle load, increase the tarmac damage by 32 times.). I don't know how speed affects that calculation.  Are there any track engineers out there that can give the equivalent sums for rail?

(and for $64k) Will a train derail between now and Thusday 2200 hrs?

[a-driver]

(and for $64k) Will a train derail between now and Thusday 2200 hrs?

Simple answer. No.
There are plenty of 20mph speed restrictions up and down the country for track defects that never cause a derailment. It’s not a new thing. I’ve driven over track before with a 5mph speed restriction.

[SandTEngineer]

Its probably a cracked cast magnese crossing (again)......  They are OK to travel over at 20mph and a track watchman is usually put in place to keep an eye on it.  The delay is usually due to having to get the new crossing (they are no lightweight thing), staff and kit on site to do the change.

This could all be guessing though, it might just be that Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) aren't organised enough to correct whatever defect it is, in 24 hours.....

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym