Bath Spa station - improvements, incidents (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Things didn't quite go as planned for one of the rail replacement buses between Bath and Westbury on the weekend:
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/20-escape-coach-blaze/article-411162-detail/article.html

Looking at the OJP^▸ (Online Journey Planner) for Sundays in January, it looks like rail services through Bath will be replaced by buses once again for part of the day.

[Timmer]

And finally, revised timetables for Sunday 16th of November:

London-Bristol Temple Meads:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=3287

Bristol-Westbury:
http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=3286

[Lee]

Things didn't quite go as planned for one of the rail replacement buses between Bath and Westbury on the weekend:
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/20-escape-coach-blaze/article-411162-detail/article.html

So the coach (hired by FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) bursts into flames, passengers run up the hill fearing it will explode and :

"Some people phoned First Great Western customer services but they just told them to call National Rail Inquiries" (interesting article spelling error.)

Lessons to be learned, perhaps?

To be fair though, they were put on another coach, and taxis were provided for onward passengers.

[Ollie]

Well..that explains the message I got over the pager system then.

Although the pager only said it was a broken down bus.  very broken down by the sounds of it.

[Lee]

Further article link.
http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/3778648.Bus_passengers_in_blaze_drama/

[Tim]

from the Chronicle

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Person-hit-rail-incident/article-447274-detail/article.html

I thought that the station was closed at 2am and I'm not sure how there could be disruption until 5am as there arn't any passenger trains during that time?

Might be wise to wait for more info before commenting further

[Tim]

A bugger up to put it simply.

Could be a problem with a train dumping its gearbox on the track for instance ...

wouldn't that be "a train fault"?

[smithy]

operating incident is usually a SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger) or other serious incident and not a train fault.

[smithy]

from the Chronicle

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/Person-hit-rail-incident/article-447274-detail/article.html

I thought that the station was closed at 2am and I'm not sure how there could be disruption until 5am as there arn't any passenger trains during that time?

Might be wise to wait for more info before commenting further

delays could be caused by the sleeper having to wait in station until BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)/RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) etc have visited and allowed it to be moved and normal services can resume.

also worth noting there are ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves from bristol to frome and westbury early in morning so if they are delayed then the services they form could be delayed.

[Timmer]

also worth noting there are ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves from bristol to frome and westbury early in morning so if they are delayed then the services they form could be delayed.

Aren't any sets stabled overnight at Westbury smithy?

[Tim]

The Chronicle story has changed since it first appeared.  It now seems that the victim was hot by the sleeper train at 3am. but that the emergency services were not called to the station until 3:50 am and that services were disrupted from 3:50 onwards.

Does the 50 minute delay in getting to the victim mean that the sleeper driver didn't know that he had hit someone and that help was called by someone else?

The station was of course closed at 3am.  The victim wasn't meant to be there and I assume was either suicidal or up to no good?

[Tim]

operating incident is usually a SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger) or other serious incident and not a train fault.

That would be my assumption.  Perhaps not as serious as a SPAD but something that the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) either doesn't want to admit to, doesn't want to alarm people with or doesn't want to comment on until the full facts are in. 

British Airways used the same euthemism when they cancelled my flight because they had grounded their Embraer fleet due to the nose wheel of one collapsing on landing.  All flights from Bristol were cancelled due to "an operating incident at Edinburgh airport"

[smithy]

The Chronicle story has changed since it first appeared.  It now seems that the victim was hot by the sleeper train at 3am. but that the emergency services were not called to the station until 3:50 am and that services were disrupted from 3:50 onwards.

Does the 50 minute delay in getting to the victim mean that the sleeper driver didn't know that he had hit someone and that help was called by someone else?

The station was of course closed at 3am.  The victim wasn't meant to be there and I assume was either suicidal or up to no good?

i believe the sleeper driver did not see the person but a freight passing through later spotted the person on the track,not sure what they were doing on the station.

also worth noting there are ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) moves from bristol to frome and westbury early in morning so if they are delayed then the services they form could be delayed.

Aren't any sets stabled overnight at Westbury smithy?

there are sets stabled but they have 2 ecs hst's 1 from SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)) and 1 from old oak.
they also have ECS dmu's basically they were introduced to stop the many delays and cancellations the old double 143 to chelt service used to cause,the thinking was if they came from depot all would be well.
during week normally 5 or 6 stabled at westbury,salisbury,portsmouth,cardiff,warminster and chelt via swindon the 6th set is a 153 that attaches to the up weymouth i think.

[G.Uard]

I am hearing that person was a victim of  a stabbing and fell/was pushed onto track.  Not struck by train which apparently passed over them.  No word on victim.  Usual rider applies, this is  only word of mouth.

[Tim]

I am hearing that person was a victim of  a stabbing and fell/was pushed onto track.  Not struck by train which apparently passed over them.  No word on victim.  Usual rider applies, this is  only word of mouth.

The first version of the Chronicle story mentioned a possible stabbing, but that has since been removed.  Also there were reports of a second person on the station, but noone else was found

But apparently, the police are not treating the incident as suspicious which suggests a suicide or accident to me.