Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2022

[whole diary]

[Ollie]

Whether it was infrastructure or train caused the initial damage on Monday, the damaged pantograph involved looks like has cause damage elsewhere

Have all three incidents occured on the up relief? Or is there a suggestion that one errant set has been out and about damaging OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") wherever it goes, but continuing in service because it's not been identified as the culprit?

No.
If the speculation is correct in that it was the 345 on Monday, then it was on the Down Relief, although other adjacent lines had damage.
Wednesday was the Down Main and then tonight was the Up Relief.

[Electric train]

Whether it was infrastructure or train caused the initial damage on Monday, the damaged pantograph involved looks like has cause damage elsewhere

Have all three incidents occured on the up relief? Or is there a suggestion that one errant set has been out and about damaging OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") wherever it goes, but continuing in service because it's not been identified as the culprit?

No.
If the speculation is correct in that it was the 345 on Monday, then it was on the Down Relief, although other adjacent lines had damage.
Wednesday was the Down Main and then tonight was the Up Relief.

Problem with OLE when there is a Pan that is the train can travel quite a way causing damage before the train stops, note the damage to the Pan may be infrastructure caused or the train itself.   With headspan the impact is often across all lines.   It takes time to get out on track with access (no trains running on the line(s) being measured) and carry out all the hights and staggers especially if all the available Linemen are working to fix problems, even with footage from the Pancam from trains it takes time to review all the footage by a skilled technician / engineer.  If there are items found of concern arrangements to get a team of Linemen and line blocks with potentially BTET^▸ (Banned to Electric Traction (when the overhead or third rail is turned off but diesels can still run) ) (Block to Electric Traction) on all roads if its span wires that need work.

[TaplowGreen]

Irrespective of who's/what's to blame, let's not lose sight of the fact that there was some absolutely shocking Customer Experiences particularly last night, and throughout the week due to this issue, and that should be front and centre.

Poor, inconsistent, contradictory or non-existent information being given, hopeless communication, vulnerable customers left to fend for themselves.

One of Hopwood's pieces to camera to explain/apologise to his customers is probably overdue - he's been quite prolific when it comes to Industrial action in this area.

.....................There was a time when customers were invited to "Meet the Manager"

[PrestburyRoad]

it takes time to review all the footage by a skilled technician / engineer

That could be an opportunity for a student or postgraduate project to try applying modern image processing and artificial intelligence technologies on the pancam videos to look for anomalous behaviours.  Which could save time for the skilled railway people investigating an incident; and could also be used all the time to try to get early indications of potential future incidents, including dodgy pans.

[Fourbee]

I'd be interested to know if the 345s involved have been traversing the crossover(s) to Paddington low level. I don't know if testing has started in advance of through running to the core on 06/11/2022.

Probably a bit of a leap, but it would easy to see how testing on the Sunday could have damaged something which stayed latent until Bank Holiday Monday.

[IndustryInsider]

The response from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) control was awful last night.  It didn’t help that there is a new structure in place in terms of how control is organised.  I think it’s a better structure but it will take time to bed in. 

Also, they were short of staff last night and there was a period where there was nobody to staff the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) desk, meaning information about the disruption simply wasn’t being put out effectively.  It’s crucial that the ‘engine’ of GWR is fully staffed or we stand no chance when things go wrong.

I’m also not convinced the right type of individual is necessarily being recruited into the various roles in control.

I'd be interested to know if the 345s involved have been traversing the crossover(s) to Paddington low level. I don't know if testing has started in advance of through running to the core on 06/11/2022.

Probably a bit of a leap, but it would easy to see how testing on the Sunday could have damaged something which stayed latent until Bank Holiday Monday.

There’s a lot of ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves throughout each day that traverse the crossovers to get to and from the depot at Old Oak.

[Timmer]

One of Hopwood's pieces to camera to explain/apologise to his customers is probably overdue - he's been quite prolific when it comes to Industrial action in this area.

I was only thinking the opposite that we haven’t seen MH doing pieces to camera for quite sometime. I put it down to summer holidays but Paul Gentleman has been doing them for a good few weeks now.

[JayMac]

One of Hopwood's pieces to camera to explain/apologise to his customers is probably overdue - he's been quite prolific when it comes to Industrial action in this area.

I was only thinking the opposite that we haven’t seen MH doing pieces to camera for quite sometime. I put it down to summer holidays but Paul Gentleman has been doing them for a good few weeks now.

What's happened to Dan Panes?

[ChrisB]

He still has a GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) logo on his LinkedIn page.....

[Timmer]

What's happened to Dan Panes?

Dan is still around. He was on Points West a few weeks back. He’s usually at Bristol Parkway when doing media interviews.

[bobm]

Last I heard he was part of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) team working on the transition with GBR^▸ (Great British Railways).

[TaplowGreen]

Also, they were short of staff last night and there was a period where there was nobody to staff the CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) desk, meaning information about the disruption simply wasn’t being put out effectively.  It’s crucial that the ‘engine’ of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is fully staffed or we stand no chance when things go wrong.

I’m also not convinced the right type of individual is necessarily being recruited into the various roles in control.

I'd be interested to know if the 345s involved have been traversing the crossover(s) to Paddington low level. I don't know if testing has started in advance of through running to the core on 06/11/2022.

Probably a bit of a leap, but it would easy to see how testing on the Sunday could have damaged something which stayed latent until Bank Holiday Monday.

There’s a lot of ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves throughout each day that traverse the crossovers to get to and from the depot at Old Oak.

I simply cannot understand how any customer facing operation with an ounce of competence could allow something as basic has having nobody available to staff the CIS desk to happen - and we see the results.

[ellendune]

Last I heard he was part of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) team working on the transition with GBR^▸ (Great British Railways).

When organisations are amid large scale reorganisation things go wrong because management's eye is somewhere else.  The number of railway accidents following privitisation is testimony to this.  Let's hope it is only customer service and reliability that is affected this time.

[TaplowGreen]

Last I heard he was part of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) team working on the transition with GBR^▸ (Great British Railways).

When organisations are amid large scale reorganisation things go wrong because management's eye is somewhere else.  The number of railway accidents following privitisation is testimony to this.  Let's hope it is only customer service and reliability that is affected this time.

"Only"

[Electric train]

Last I heard he was part of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) team working on the transition with GBR^▸ (Great British Railways).

When organisations are amid large scale reorganisation things go wrong because management's eye is somewhere else.  The number of railway accidents following privitisation is testimony to this.  Let's hope it is only customer service and reliability that is affected this time.

That's not quite correct, some Executives have been seconded to the GBR transition team the rest of the railway management and executive leadership is still in place.

I do agree that the Industry has not done a very good job of explaining to the public what went wrong on the 19th and subsequently, perhaps there are too many players, NR^» (Network Rail - home page), GWR, Hitachi, TfL^» (Transport for London - about) (Elizbeth Line) to get a "public statement" without accepting fault.