Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2025

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

No, I haven't lost the plot! 

Rather, I'm sharing member ChrisB's view that this sort of problem won't suddenly go away on New Year's Eve:

And the first for 2025....New Thread please!

I'm merely preparing the ground here, ready for member TaplowGreen to develop this topic, in due course.

CfN. 

[IndustryInsider]

I'm merely preparing the ground here, ready for member TaplowGreen to develop this topic, in due course.

CfN. 

Let somebody else have a go, TG! 

[UstiImmigrunt]

So what's gone wrong? January 9th and nothing reported!

[IndustryInsider]

TaplowGreen must be in hibernation. 

[TaplowGreen]

TaplowGreen must be in hibernation. 

My apologies - normal service resumed.

Cancellations to services at Slough

Due to a points failure at Slough fewer trains are able to run.

Train services running through this station may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:30 10/01.

Customer Advice
We're sorry for the delay to your journey.

We will update this message with more information when we have it.

[IndustryInsider]

Phew, thank goodness for that!  New Year, TG!   

[TaplowGreen]

Phew, thank goodness for that!  New Year, TG!   

I think perhaps you tempted fate...................

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 16:00 10/01.

Train services between Reading and London Paddington may be cancelled, delayed or revised.

Customer Advice

Due to emergency services currently dealing with an incident in the Ealing Broadway area, all trains are temporarily on stop. We apologise for the disruption and any inconvenience this may cause.

[IndustryInsider]

Phew, thank goodness for that!  New Year, TG!   

I think perhaps you tempted fate...................

Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Ealing Broadway and West Ealing all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 16:00 10/01.

Fatality at Hanwell by the looks of it.  The ultimate unhappy new year for somebody then.  Thoughts to friends, family and all involved.

Sadly, we are now ‘in the season’ for such incidents.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Sadly, yes.  From the Richmond & Twickenham Times:

Hanwell station Elizabeth line incident: Person dies



A person has died after an incident on the Elizabeth line at a busy west London train station.

A casualty on the tracks was reported at Hanwell station at around 1.15pm today (January 10).  Officers and London Ambulance Service crews attended, and the person was pronounced dead shortly after.  The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.

All lines between London Paddington and Reading have been closed as the incident is being dealt with.  Major disruption is expected until 4.30pm.

If you need someone to talk to, Samaritans are available to contact any time day or night on 116 123. 

A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: “Officers were called to Hanwell railway station at around 1.15pm today (10 January) following reports of a casualty on the tracks.  Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene.  The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

My highlighting - hopefully helpful.  Chris.   

[TaplowGreen]

From National Rail - Journeycheck having a lie-in.

Route(s) affected
Elizabeth line between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading

Great Western Railway services to / from London Paddington

Heathrow Express services to / from London Paddington

Description
Overrunning engineering works between Ealing Broadway and Hayes & Harlington is causing disruption to services. This means that trains between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled, delayed by up to 40 minutes or revised.

Disruption is expected until 10:00.

[TaplowGreen]

Delays to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to failure of the electricity supply between London Paddington and Reading trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines.

Train services running to and from these stations will be delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:00 28/01.

Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the overhead electric supply tripping affecting the UP and Down relief lines, trains in this location will be delayed.

[TaplowGreen]

Delays to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to failure of the electricity supply between London Paddington and Reading trains have to run at reduced speed on some lines.

Train services running to and from these stations will be delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:00 28/01.

Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the overhead electric supply tripping affecting the UP and Down relief lines, trains in this location will be delaye
d.

Disruption now expected till 1600

[TaplowGreen]

From National Rail

Route(s) affected
Elizabeth line between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5, and also between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead / Reading

Description
Urgent repairs are needed to the track between London Paddington and Acton Main Line. Trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

[NickB]

And the Elizabeth Line was bust this evening too.

My gripe for this evening is with (one of) the gateline crew at Paddington. There must have been 1000 people queuing for the 18.20 to Didcot.  The gateline team were checking all paper tickets and turning away anyone with a TFL^▸ (Transport for London) ticket. That included a woman ahead of me who had a 2/3 year old child in that throng.

Where is the sense or humanity in turning that woman and child away, who arguably had a valid ticket, and who then had to battle through the ongoing masses to wait god knows how long for a TFL service. 

I’m off to complain to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on her behalf.

[Marlburian]

From National Rail

Route(s) affected
Elizabeth line between Shenfield and Heathrow Terminal 5, and also between Abbey Wood and Heathrow Terminal 4 / Maidenhead / Reading

Description
Urgent repairs are needed to the track between London Paddington and Acton Main Line. Trains running between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport / Reading may be cancelled, revised or delayed by up to 20 minutes.

Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

A friend of mine boarded the 1023 at Paddington which, she texted was "going nowhere" for 12 minutes,eventually she got to Reading and waited for the 1123 to Tilehurst/Didcot, which was progressively "delayed", eventually being announced as running fast to Didcot. By then I was waiting in the car at Tilehurst Station, where the concourse was jammed with vehicles of contractors working on the lists - and an ambulance making a rare appearance in its dedicated parking space; I was half-blocking the entrance and advised my friend to take a taxi and returned home. When I got there, I reflected that she might as well have waited for the next local service and she came to the same decision, opting to walk to my house. BTW^▸ (by the way) nowadays the station car park seems almost as full as it was pre-Lockdown.