Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2018

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

That has come from decades of under investment. Very sad.

[BBM]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Berkshire reporter Jack Winstanley has just tweeted:

The first train to leave Reading station for Paddington this morning has just departed from platform 9.

I’m told they’re now in a position to run a reduced service along the line, with things beginning to get back to normal after this morning’s suspension.

https://twitter.com/jhwinstanley/status/1052512146905554944

From RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) it looks like it's 1L42 0730 Carmarthen to Paddington which left Reading at 1145, running 40 minutes late.

[ChrisB]

Looks like 802016 was the culprit. Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) have confirmed trains moving.

Now they'll have a further problem come this evening when all those having found their way to work try and get home if there's only the one pair of tracks still working....hopefully, people will stagger their return home, or continue to use the alternative routes...

Edit: VickiS - Clarifying Acronym

[a-driver]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

No contingency plan will be able to cater for the amount traffic that goes into Paddington during the peak.  Any contingency you do have will be totally swamped and will become dangerous.

The problem is the area where the overheads come down, it’s head span construction, all the overheads are held up across all four lines by wires. When the overheads are bought down on one line it brings them down on the other three as well.  
Any train will need the overhead wires removed and then the electric train that is stranded will need rescuing.

That said, the state of the infrastructure doesn’t help.  Headspan is a cheap form of electrification

[Trowres]

After a brief pause at Southall, the errant 5Z65 appears to have now returned to North Pole - according to OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) it is now (12:12) approaching the depot.

[charles_uk]

From @GWRHelp on Twitter:

A void day has been declared for season ticket holders caught up in today's disruption

[IndustryInsider]

I expect passenger numbers will be considerably down compared with usual, so a 2-track timetable will just about cope with numbers, provided they don’t start chucking out 5-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) and 4-car trains instead of booked formations.

[broadgage]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

That has come from decades of under investment. Very sad.

Certainly sad, and PARTIALY due to under investment.
Not entirely though IMO^▸ (in my opinion).
A great deal of money has been invested in electrification, without discernible gain for long distance passengers.
A great of money has been spent on the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train). It is not just me who considers that the new fleet represents a downgrade despite all the expenditure.

[Electric train]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

That has come from decades of under investment. Very sad.

Certainly sad, and PARTIALY due to under investment.
Not entirely though IMO^▸ (in my opinion).
A great deal of money has been invested in electrification, without discernible gain for long distance passengers.
A great of money has been spent on the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train). It is not just me who considers that the new fleet represents a downgrade despite all the expenditure.

But this new fleet of high speed trains must be perfect ………………. they were spec'd by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) after all the DfT has the passengers interest at heart 

[TaplowGreen]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

No contingency plan will be able to cater for the amount traffic that goes into Paddington during the peak.  Any contingency you do have will be totally swamped and will become dangerous.

The problem is the area where the overheads come down, it’s head span construction, all the overheads are held up across all four lines by wires. When the overheads are bought down on one line it brings them down on the other three as well.  
Any train will need the overhead wires removed and then the electric train that is stranded will need rescuing.

That said, the state of the infrastructure doesn’t help.  Headspan is a cheap form of electrification

I'm not talking about fleets of buses, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) can have a contingency plan which trains, empowers and informs their staff, and provides extra resources on the ground helping their customers constructively via all channels during times of extreme disruption.

For example - the GWR Help twitter page advertises  "We are Great Western Railway, here to help 24/7" - it patently isn't, as people were tweeting & asking questions from 0500 but not receiving responses until after 0700 and there was little or no activity visible in the interim - the whole effectiveness of Twitter relies on very swift responses.

As others have noted, announcements could be made on Tube trains too - I've had the experience of emerging into Paddington to find utter chaos on numerous occasions - if information had been given on the relevant Tube lines with suggested alternatives, this could be avoided and mitigate overcrowding.


These are basic things, they should be in place as a matter of course, it doesn't require a genius.

[Trowres]

1T53, the 12:25 Paddington-Heathrow appears to be one of the first westbound services to have run; now approaching Heathrow.

The Carmarthen-Paddington arrived, and has gone through several identity changes, suggesting some debate on what it's going to do for its westbound working; currently suggesting 1B35, the 12:45 to Swansea.

[a-driver]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

No contingency plan will be able to cater for the amount traffic that goes into Paddington during the peak.  Any contingency you do have will be totally swamped and will become dangerous.

The problem is the area where the overheads come down, it’s head span construction, all the overheads are held up across all four lines by wires. When the overheads are bought down on one line it brings them down on the other three as well.  
Any train will need the overhead wires removed and then the electric train that is stranded will need rescuing.

That said, the state of the infrastructure doesn’t help.  Headspan is a cheap form of electrification

I'm not talking about fleets of buses, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) can have a contingency plan which trains, empowers and informs their staff, and provides extra resources on the ground helping their customers constructively via all channels during times of extreme disruption.

For example - the GWR Help twitter page advertises  "We are Great Western Railway, here to help 24/7" - it patently isn't, as people were tweeting & asking questions from 0500 but not receiving responses until after 0700 and there was little or no activity visible in the interim - the whole effectiveness of Twitter relies on very swift responses.

As others have noted, announcements could be made on Tube trains too - I've had the experience of emerging into Paddington to find utter chaos on numerous occasions - if information had been given on the relevant Tube lines with suggested alternatives, this could be avoided and mitigate overcrowding.


These are basic things, they should be in place as a matter of course, it doesn't require a genius.

The information is available to staff in terms of alternative routes into London. The problem is getting that information to the passenger or the way it is broadcast to the passenger.  One massive screen at stations would be handy rather than the small departures screens we’ve got, a screen where you’re not limited by the number of  characters you can use and information can be explained in a more user friendly manner.

You’ll always get some who don’t read information screens and you’ll always get some who won’t accept what they’ve been advised and expect something more straightforward and quicker.

Far point about the Underground.  Service information is broadcast at Reading and some train managers will give Tube updates so you’d think it would be a two way agreement.

[Timmer]

But this new fleet of high speed trains must be perfect ………………. they were spec'd by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) after all the DfT has the passengers interest at heart 

And that is where the problem lies. A train no one wanted and few wanted to build.

[1st fan]

Simon Calder has just been interviewed at Paddington and summed it up quite aptly - electrification - a project running years late, hundreds of millions of £ overspent - brand new (allegedly) high tech trains which simply don't seem to be up to it a year after their introduction, and the whole system collapsing for (probably) 24 hours and more due to one incident.

No evidence of any contingencies for customers, and even the suggestion of going via Waterloo this morning is scuppered by signal failures.

Overpriced, overcrowded, unreliable, uncaring, unfit for purpose.

The next time people ask themselves why people prefer travelling by car, or indeed virtually any alternative to the railways, remember last night and today.

No contingency plan will be able to cater for the amount traffic that goes into Paddington during the peak.  Any contingency you do have will be totally swamped and will become dangerous.

The problem is the area where the overheads come down, it’s head span construction, all the overheads are held up across all four lines by wires. When the overheads are bought down on one line it brings them down on the other three as well.  
Any train will need the overhead wires removed and then the electric train that is stranded will need rescuing.

That said, the state of the infrastructure doesn’t help.  Headspan is a cheap form of electrification

Just heard someone from Modern Railways on Radio 4 saying essentially that.

[ChrisB]

I expect passenger numbers will be considerably down compared with usual, so a 2-track timetable will just about cope with numbers, provided they don’t start chucking out 5-car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) and 4-car trains instead of booked formations.

With stock completely out of position, I doubt there'll be much of a timetable. They'll run what they can while planning to get all stock back in position for tomorrow morning.