Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[insider]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Homepage

Monday 22nd August at 06:35
Train services between Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford will be disrupted today due to an overrun of engineering works after the recent upgrade works that have taken place between Moreton-in-Marsh and Worcester Shrub Hill.

Train services are able to operate over the route but due to signalling problems, alterations, diversions and delays of up to 45 minutes can be expected. 

Replacement road transport has been sourced to operate where services are diverted or to supplement services where delays are expected to be encountered.

This disruption is anticipated to continue throughout today and further updates will be given as soon as they become available.

First Great Western is working closely with Network Rail to ensure the full timetable can be reintroduced as soon as possible and we apologise for any inconvenience that this will cause to your journey plans.

[insider]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Travel Disruption link

The following train services have been amended and are correct as of 05:00.

0502 Worcester Shrub Hill to London Paddington  will not call at Didcot Parkway or Maidenhead.   

0517 Great Malvern to London Paddington will be diverted from Worcester Shrub Hill via an alternative route, the next stop being Didcot Parkway.

0534 Hereford to London Paddington will be diverted from Worcester Shrub Hill via an alternative route, the next stop being Reading. 

0651 Worcester Foregate Stree to Oxford will Start from Worcester Shrub Hill and will call additionally at Honeybourne.
 
0537 Moreton-in-Marsh to Worcester Foregate Street  will terminate at  Worcester Srub Hill. 

0357 Swansea to London Paddington will call additionally at Maidenhead at approximately 0712.

Services not shown are currently planned to run as published but are be subject to alteration due to the delays that are expected on this route.

Additional Road Transport Provision is planned to operate as follows but may be altered subject to demand.

0540 Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford via Pershore, Evesham, and Honeybourne. 

0548 Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford via Kingham, Charlbury, and Hanborough. 

0630 Worcester Shrub Hill to Oxford via Pershore and Evesham.
 
0652 Honeybourne to Oxford setting down as required en-route

0706 Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford via Kingham, Charlbury, and Hanborough. 

0815 Moreton-in-Marsh to Oxford via Kingham and Charlbury

Customer may also use other operators services where required to assist them in completing their journeys today.

London Midland trains between Hereford and Worcester Shrub Hill.
CrossCountry trains between Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway.
Arriva Trains Wales services between Hereford and Newport.



It looks like the night staff at Swindon Control have been busy. At least the information is getting out as it is also on the NRE^‡(resolve) website as well.

[ChrisB]

Buses & diversions vua Swindon it seems. The line isn't open, is it?

[bobm]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Website now saying disruption will continue into Tuesday.

[ChrisB]

NRE^‡(resolve) were saying 'a few days' earlier this morning. Some services are getting along the line with severe delays, but most if not all Herefords are going via Stroud.

It would be good if those in the know could explain what the problem is. Other than it being a signalling issue, I know no more...

[willc]

Line has been open since 5am, but with no signals between Norton junction and Moreton-in-Marsh. As a result, pilotman working is in force, which limits speeds, so a couple of morning peak trains were diverted via Swindon, while others used the Cotswold Line, and buses used to cover for the missing trains. Off-peak trains are running but delayed.

The reason is that safety testing of the new signals around Evesham has not been completed. Extra staff are being drafted in to help but could take until Wednesday.

Alterations are being updated here http://www.journeycheck.com/firstgreatwestern/
The halts train will terminate at Moreton-in-Marsh today and the 18.22 is going via Cheltenham - with a stop there.

Pictures from Honeybourne at http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/

[ChrisB]

The 1849 WOF to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) has gone too.

[willc]

Timetable alterations for Tuesday here http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=5012

[bleeder4]

I'll be on the 10:27 from EVE to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) on Wednesday - my first trip on the line since the redoubling so I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully these teething problems with the new signals will be sorted out by then.

[insider]

Latest estimate for "Normal Working" is Thursday 25 August.

The plan published for Tuesday 23 August is likely to be repeated again on Wednesday 24 August.

But I am sure there will be further revisions and real time decisions / changes to the trains with through services to Great Malavern and/or Hereford terminating short due to late running.

[Worcester_Passenger]

Thursday?!! What a shambles.

Like bleeder4 I'm travelling on the line today. Deliberately delayed my first journey because I didn't have the confidence in Network Rail getting all the bits glued together on the first morning. But I didn't expect delays to persist for three days.

[eightf48544]

Interesting I still have some of the engineering notices for when Slough panel box was commissioned in the early sixties. They were done overnight!

[Electric train]

Interesting I still have some of the engineering notices for when Slough panel box was commissioned in the early sixties. They were done overnight!

The rules (and the Law) have been rewritten many times over since then, principally after Clapham.  All the Testers need to be passed as competent at various levels depending on what is being tested. Network Rail have a National team of testers, it is not a large team and there are also contractors passed to do this work, again they are not in large numbers.

[Worcester_Passenger]

This was a big job, carefully planned, with a lot of project management involved for the fortnight for which the line was completely closed.

And it didn't re-open on time.

[IndustryInsider]

No, it's not particularly impressive is it?  Though at least the arrangements are working reasonably well with the off-peak service holding up pretty well - as I type the 08:22 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-HFD^» (Hereford - next trains) has just terminated 14 mins late (having left london 15 mins late due to a set being stepped up following the cancellation of the 05:17 GMV-PAD), and the 08:58 GMV-PAD has passed Didcot 10 minutes late.

Takes the gloss off of what should have been a very positive week for the areas railways, but at least the extra track means that these delays are being contained far better than they would have been should pilot working have been needed pre-redoubling for other reasons.