North Cotswold line delays and cancellations - 2025

[whole diary]

[Worcester_Passenger]

Monday April 21

13:18 Hereford to London Paddington due 16:30.
This is due to overcrowding.
Service full and standing. First class is declassified.
Last Updated:21/04/2025 14:35

At 14:35 this train, a 5-car unit, was at Evesham.

16:30:

15:18 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington due 17:26 will be terminated at Oxford.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:21/04/2025 16:19

17:15:

Due to a fault with the signalling system at Twyford fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until 21:00 21/04.
Train services between London Paddington and Reading may be cancelled, delayed or revised.
Due to a signalling fault in the Twyford area, trains are unable to operate on the Great Western Mainline. Trains will be moved to stations where possible and hold there pending a fix to the signalling.

15:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 18:26 is being delayed at Slough.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:21/04/2025 16:35

Still in platform at Slough at 17:15.

16:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 will be started from Didcot Parkway and terminated at Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:21/04/2025 17:02

19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington due 22:26 will be started from Worcester Shrub Hill.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.
Last Updated:21/04/2025 17:02

[Worcester_Passenger]

19:00:

Due to a fault with the signalling system at Twyford fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until 23:59 21/04.
Train services between London Paddington and Reading may be cancelled, delayed or revised.
Due to a significant signalling fault in the Twyford area, trains are unable to operate on the Great Western Mainline.
Trains will be moved to stations where possible and hold there pending a fix to the signalling. Network Rail teams are on site at Thames Valley Signalling Centre and at Reading, working to resolve the issue.

This is affecting train services from Reading to Basingstoke, the West Country via Newbury Westbury and Taunton, South Wales, Cheltenham Spa and Oxford and the North Cotswolds.

Ticket acceptance is in place with the following operators:
Cross Country - any reasonable route
Elizabeth Line - London Paddington to Reading, once services resume
London Underground - London Paddington to London Marylebone and London Victoria

South Western Railway ticket acceptance is now revoked, due their operations being severely affected by a fatality at Putney.
Chiltern Railways ticket acceptance is now revoked.

...
Last Updated:21/04/2025 19:05

(my highlighting in red)

[ChrisB]

Wonder why Chiltern have revoked?

[Timmer]

Wonder why Chiltern have revoked?

Their own services struggling to cope with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) passengers as well?

[Worcester_Passenger]

Final score from yesterday:

1P04 13:18 Hereford to Paddington (16:30) : cancelled after Didcot Parkway.
1P34 15:18 Worcester Foregate Street to Paddington (17:26) : held Charlbury. Arrived Oxford +16 and cancelled thereafter.
1P05 15:18 Hereford to Paddington (18:29) : held Charlbury (+24), arrived Oxford +33 and cancelled thereafter. Stock used for 1W03 below.
1P38 16:32 Great Malvern to London Paddington : held Charlbury (+40), Oxford (+69) and Didcot (+99), arrived +112.
1P40 18:02 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington : held Charlbury (+48), arrived +70.
2E16 18:51 Evesham to Oxford : cancelled throughout.
1P42 19:04 Great Malvern to London Paddington (21:30) : cancelled throughout.
1P44 19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington (22:26) : started from Worcester Shrub Hill (+22), held Reading (+29), arrived +38.
1P46 20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (23:30) : cancelled throughout.
1P06 22:00 Hereford to London Paddington (01:15) : started from Worcester Shrub Hill (+28), arrived +12.

1W31 15:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern (18:26) : held Slough (+61). Arrived Reading +136 and cancelled thereafter.
2E14 17:09 Didcot Parkway to Evesham (18:27) : cancelled after Oxford.
1W33 16:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern (19:25) : started from Didcot using 802 010. Arrived Worcester Shrub Hill +23 and cancelled thereafter.
1W03 17:55 Reading (short-notice change?) to Hereford (20:25) : started from Oxford using stock from 1P05. Arrived Worcester Shrub Hill +6 and cancelled thereafter.
1W34 17:45 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (20:11) : cancelled throughout.
1W36 18:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern (21:18) : cancelled throughout.
1W05 19:45 London Paddington to Hereford (22:57) : departed +27, benefits from 14-minute stand at  Great Malvern, arrived +14.
1W41 20:45 London Paddington to Great Malvern (23:13) : cancelled throughout.
1W43 21:45 London Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill (00:01) : departed +25, arrived +30.
1W45 22:58 London Paddington to Worcestershire Parkway (01:26) : cancelled throughout. Stock ran empty to Shrub Hill.

Tuesday April 22

Some stock out of place:

06:43 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 08:44 will be started from Oxford.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system earlier today.
Last Updated:22/04/2025 03:57

Unreported on JourneyCheck, the halts train, 2E80 07:00 Worcester Shrub Hill to Didcot Parkway, is behind 1P18 07:13 Great Malvern to London Paddington, possibly to avoid overcrowding as a result of the cancellation of the 06:43. 2E80 departed +37 and was held at Norton (+45) and Charlbury (+60). Arrived Oxford +60 and was cancelled thereafter.

[Worcester_Passenger]

In the afternoon, problems with the halts train:

17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham due 18:23 will no longer call at Hanborough, Combe, Finstock, Charlbury, Ascott-Under-Wychwood, Shipton and Kingham.
It will be delayed at Oxford.
This is due to train crew being delayed by service disruption.
Last Updated:22/04/2025 16:55

16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern due 19:25 will call additionally at Combe, Finstock, Ascott-Under-Wychwood and Shipton.
This is due to the train making extra stops because a train was cancelled.
Last Updated:22/04/2025 16:55

So the halts train will run, but won't call at the halts and will be non-stop from Oxford to Moreton.

17:50

Following damage to the overhead electric wires at London Paddington all lines are now open. Disruption is expected until 19:00 22/04.
Train services between London Paddington and Reading may be cancelled, delayed by up to 45 minutes or revised.

A train has had an issue with the pantograph just outside London Paddington. The pantograph is the mechanism on the train roof which draws power from the Overhead lines. The train driver has checked the train and it has safely moved forward to London Paddington.

All train movements had been stopped at London Paddington however Network Rail advise that it is safe to start running trains and therefore services are resuming. Due to the queue of trains between Reading and London Paddington which built up whilst the lines were blocked outside Paddington earlier, there is also considerable delay on Great Western Mainline routes into Reading.
Last Updated:22/04/2025 17:46

In consequence,
1P04 13:18 Hereford to London Paddington (16:24) was held at Hayes & Harlington and arrived +55.
The stock from this forms 1W33 16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern. This departed Paddington +34.
And JourneyCheck has removed the message about stopping at the halts.

Meanwhile, 2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham (18:23) was held outside Oxford, but has now departed +26.
And JourneyCheck has removed the 'not stopping' message.

1P34 15:18 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington was held at Reading (+55), arrived +54.
1P05 15:18 Hereford to London Paddington was held at Oxford (+40), arrived Reading +41 and was cancelled thereafter. Stock is running empty to Paddington.

17:34 London Paddington to Hereford due 20:25 will be started from Reading.
This is due to damage to the overhead electric wires.
Last Updated:22/04/2025 17:44

Stock has run empty from Paddington to Reading.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Final score from yesterday:

1P04 13:18 Hereford to London Paddington (16:24) : held Hayes & Harlington (+30), arrived +55. Stock forms 1W33.
1P34 15:18 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (17:29) : held Reading (+55), arrived +54.
1P05 15:18 Hereford to Paddington (18:29) : held Oxford (+40), arrived Reading +41 and cancelled thereafter. Stock ran empty to Paddington.

1P44 19:45 Great Malvern to London Paddington (22:24) : started from Shrub Hill.
1P46 20:56 Worcester Foregate Street to London Paddington (23:34) : cancelled throughout.

2E14 17:04 Didcot Parkway to Evesham (18:23) : held Oxford (+26), arrived +28.
1W33 16:58 London Paddington to Great Malvern (19:25) : departed +34 (stock from 1P04) , arrived Shrub Hill +34 and cancelled thereafter.
1W03 17:34 London Paddington to Hereford (20:25) : started from Reading (stock ran empty from Paddington) +41, arrived +30.
1W34 17:57 London Paddington to Worcester Foregate Street (20:11) : cancelled throughout.

[Witham Bobby]

13:16 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington due 15:22 is being delayed at Evesham.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.
Last Updated:23/04/2025 13:46

20 mins late off Evesham

[Worcester_Passenger]

Thursday April 24

... was a very good day. Here's the screenshot of the trains at Evesham, with no red whatsoever.

[Worcester_Passenger]

OK, what I hadn't spotted on that was the use of a 5-car set on 1W05 1953 London Paddington to Hereford. Deduct two points.

Which meant that this morning's 1P02 0523 Hereford to London Paddington was a 5-car.

And the same set will work
    1W02 1152 London Paddington to Hereford
    1P05 1518 Hereford to London Paddington (very busy from Oxford)
    1W36 1857 London Paddington to Great Malvern (very busy)

[UstiImmigrunt]

Going back to route knowledge in 2021 60+ Bristol drivers used to sign Newport Hereford Oxford and Didcot as well as Worcester to Cheltenham. From next month that will be zero.

It used to be only the top link at Oxford signed the North Cotswolds, I don't know if that has changed since I finished.  The Worcester HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) drivers haven't been replaced as retirements occur. Again I don't know if there has been changes since retiring but the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers only signed Hereford to Oxford whilst HSS did Paddington to Oxford, Didcot to Worcester via Kemble and Standish to Bristol Parkway.

So there will be shortages from the timetable change.

So glad to be out of it all.

[IndustryInsider]

Going back to route knowledge in 2021 60+ Bristol drivers used to sign Newport Hereford Oxford and Didcot as well as Worcester to Cheltenham. From next month that will be zero.

It used to be only the top link at Oxford signed the North Cotswolds, I don't know if that has changed since I finished.  The Worcester HSS^▸ (High Speed Services) drivers haven't been replaced as retirements occur. Again I don't know if there has been changes since retiring but the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) drivers only signed Hereford to Oxford whilst HSS did Paddington to Oxford, Didcot to Worcester via Kemble and Standish to Bristol Parkway.

So there will be shortages from the timetable change.

Oxford's second link has signed the North Cotswolds (as far as Malvern Wells) for over twenty years.  With those links growing in numbers over that time it now stands at over 70 drivers - virtually the whole depot - that sign it.

Worcester GWR driver numbers are increasing at a quicker rate than HSS drivers are decreasing.  Originally the depot was 30 HSS drivers.  It is now 22 HSS drivers and 18 GWR ones.  Worcester GWR drivers now sign to Paddington via North and South Cotswolds routes and from Bristol Parkway to Paddington.  They also sign Turbos.

HSS is dying out as people retire, and it's probably no surprise that they are now starting to be starved of route knowledge.  Morale seems to be getting quite low on the HSS side from casual conversations I've had as that fact is slowly dawning on them.

To what extent in the grand scheme of things that will result in additional crew shortages remains to be seen.

[charles_uk]

Going back to route knowledge in 2021 60+ Bristol drivers used to sign Newport Hereford Oxford and Didcot as well as Worcester to Cheltenham. From next month that will be zero.

<snip>

Might it be worth having this in a separate thread? Whilst the annual delays and cancellation thread is a useful historical record, there is sometimes the risk that the issues behind particular delays (e.g. regular flooding in a particular area, the issues with the bridge at Yarnton last year) simply get buried when, perhaps, they deserve a little more air.