Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2023

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading all lines are closed.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
We are sorry for the delay to your journey today.



One of our trains has struck an obstruction on the line causing damage to the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").

[nickswift99]

Looks like nothing moving from Paddington to Slough. A sorry end to the week.

[TaplowGreen]

Looks like nothing moving from Paddington to Slough. A sorry end to the week.

Stranded trains being evacuated by the emergency services outside Paddington & Reading according to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Twitter feed.

Far more detailed information on the National Rail website. Problems expected until 0900 tomorrow.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/london-paddington-20231207/

[BBM]

Looks like nothing moving from Paddington to Slough. A sorry end to the week.

Stranded trains being evacuated by the emergency services outside Paddington & Reading according to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Twitter feed.

Far more detailed information on the National Rail website. Problems expected until 0900 tomorrow.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/london-paddington-20231207/

Screenshot from X attached:

https://twitter.com/Charles83230639/status/1732888947221479921 

[TaplowGreen]

Disruption to continue all morning


I wonder if this latest chaotic incident will be enough to finally catalyse action on the infrastructure between Reading and Paddington which seems utterly decrepit & unfit for purpose based on months of regular failures, before one leads to a tragedy.

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News - Passengers stuck for hours on Elizabeth Line after cables damaged
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67655656

[GBM]

Sorry, but, ooooooozzzz gonnna pay for it!

[CyclingSid]

Possible addition to the daily woes. Major water main burst on Bath Road in Reading, between Castle Hill and Southcote roundabout. Flooding beyond the railway bridge so don't know if it will be affecting the line between Reading West and Southcote junction. This is likely to be one of the two major pipes that feed Reading from the west, so they wont fix this quickly, don't know if we are going to end up on bottled water. It has made it onto AA Roadwatch but not One.network.

[Electric train]

Sorry, but, ooooooozzzz gonnna pay for it!

Passengers obviously claim from their train operator; as for which of the rail companies pockets settles with the other companies it gets complex.  

There is a process of investigations, the *Pancam recordings and Pantograph sensor data will be submitted from the trains operating in the area to the investigation panel, the panel is made up of representatives from NR^» (Network Rail - home page),TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)'s etc.  The process is not quick.

* Pancam, there is a camera mounted in the pantograph well on all modern trains which constantly records footage of the pan head,  you may have noticed the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") being illuminated where the pan is.   The recordings are made available to NR for us as part of maintenance inspections

[Marlburian]

'Another passenger described how fellow passengers were being let off their train "one by one to urinate".'

Were I still travelling to London, being stuck on a train and needing to urinate would be one of my fears, especially at my age! In the 2010s after an early evening out, I would make a point of weeing before I boarded a train at Liverpool Street and sometimes was "relieved" to get to Paddington and its facilities.

As an outdoor type, doing long walks and environmental tasks, I'm used to improvising, and a boarding-school education (no doors on toilet cubicles!) has left me less inhibited than many, but even so I would feel a little self-conscious in the situation described in the article. Who among the passengers would be the first to declare a "pressing need"? With there being no toilets on Elizabeth trains, staff training presumably includes the need to be aware of passengers' discomfort.

[Timmer]

'Another passenger described how fellow passengers were being let off their train "one by one to urinate".'

Were I still travelling to London, being stuck on a train and needing to urinate would be one of my fears, especially at my age! In the 2010s after an early evening out, I would make a point of weeing before I boarded a train at Liverpool Street and sometimes was "relieved" to get to Paddington and its facilities.

As an outdoor type, doing long walks and environmental tasks, I'm used to improvising, and a boarding-school education (no doors on toilet cubicles!) has left me less inhibited than many, but even so I would feel a little self-conscious in the situation described in the article. Who among the passengers would be the first to declare a "pressing need"? With there being no toilets on Elizabeth trains, staff training presumably includes the need to be aware of passengers' discomfort.

This was the concern raised about these trains…no toilets!
Yesterday we learned of a man taking a wee in a lay-by being fined for littering:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-67615231
Hello??? We’re humans and we all at some point need to pee! Sometimes the call of nature cannot wait. And if there isn’t a facility in which to do it, eventually improvisation is going to have to happen.

I feel for all those who were stuck on trains last night and don’t blame those after four hours decided enough was enough and self evacuated. Another shameful night on our railways.

[GBM]

Bad news for someone is good news for another.
Freight trains running without having to be stopped/diverted, etc!

[a-driver]

The whole incident last night demonstrates why the railway needs to be properly staffed, and the need for a guard to be on every train. You’re putting one staff member in charge of potentially 1000 passengers welfare and safety whilst also looking after the train itself.
One lone driver will not be able to safely evacuate a train on their own and considering there were around 10 stranded trains it takes a lot of resource to evacuate them, and it’s not a swift process.. You also have the added complication of 25kV of overhead cables on the ground, that’s enough to give more than a tickle if you were to come into contact with it.
At the end of the day, with limited resources, you have to make a choice. Focus on freeing the damaged train so you can get things moving which enables train to train evacuations or simply go straight to evacuating everyone to ballast which is a very long and resource intensive process with substantially more risk.

Obviously there is a simpler alternative. Maintain the infrastructure!

[JayMac]

Obviously there is a simpler alternative. Maintain the infrastructure!

Hear! Hear!

[TaplowGreen]

Obviously there is a simpler alternative. Maintain the infrastructure!

A radical suggestion perhaps, but worth a go! 

[plymothian]

Why would you do that when no one travels by train?