A trip on the reopened line on Tuesday (to London) and Wednesday (back).
Can anyone confirm the method of pilotman working? I would assume that, on the single line, a pilotman woudl shuttle back and forth on alternate up and down trains. Presumably on the new dual track the pilotman would have to arrive at MIM box (or EVE) before another train is allowed on the same line?
On Tuesday I caught the 14:52 from Foregate Street. Left exactly on time. We stop at Norton Junc, at the signal before the junction, for the pilotman. We proceed past the signal at danger. Stop again at the signal before the single-to-double point west of Evesham. Use phone, then proceed past colour-light at red. Pilotman alights at Evesham station.
Depart Evesham 5 late. Lots of work still going on at various locations. 9 late at Honeybourne. 10 late at Hanborough. But this one is allowed 19 minutes into Oxford (normal range is 10-12), and a 4-minute stand there, so we leave Oxford 1 late and arrive Padd'n 1.5 minutes early.
Coming back less successful. I'm on the 11:20, which is a 165. Out of Padd'n on time, but we're 5 late on departure from Slough for some reason. Still 5 late out of Oxford.
At Charlbury, the train manager spends some time on the platform using his mobile. We're 8 late when we leave. But then he announces that, because the toilet on the 165 isn't working, we'll stop at Moreton to allow passengers to use the station facilities. Not a good day for that to have happened - and we'd've been OK with a 166. Anyway, we're 21 late from Moreton.
I recall the former Bristish Rail Research Division developed some compaction techniques to allow new track to be opened at speed after a blockade. I remember these being used in earnest on the Crewe Blockade back in the 1980's?
Is is not still used?
Then he has to apologise for the fact that the engineering work means that we have a speed limit of 50 mile/h, and that the signalling isn't working at the level crossings. The first two, between Moreton and the tunnel seemed OK (colour lights green, barriers down), but we slowed to a crawl for the one at Littleton, passing a red light. We're 27 late at Honeybourne and 32 late into Evesham. I don't think this one will bother going to Malvern, where it has a 39-minute turn-round.
At Evesham, the pilotman boards. We leave 33 late. Pilotman alights at Norton Junction, by the same signal. As we're coming into Shrub Hill, the train manager apologises for the fact that we'll terminate at Foregate Street today.
Why not terminate at Shrub Hill? Well, there's a
HST▸ sitting in the usual siding south of the station which looks as if it was the 10:22 from Paddington to Hereford, also truncated at Shrub Hill.
So we go round to Foregate St (good - more convenient for me). Arrive 37 late. After everyone is off, the train reverses back to Shrub Hill. Not too much of an extra delay for the Malvern passengers, because it's now 14:17 (instead of 13:40) and there's a 14:18 from the same platform (yes, it's the Brighton - Malvern). But by the time the 165 has gone back to Shrub Hill and cleared the single track, it's 14:25 before it leaves for Malvern.
Hay you know things go wrong, I am sure the engineers and project managers had a realistic program agreed with their contractors. One of the process NR» project teams have to go through at stages in the development and planning process is Risk Management Assessment this is a very rigorous process where just to say there is a risk of something happening or affecting a project is not sufficient, treatments have to be developed.
There will not have been a "lets start this and keep our fingers crossed" attitude while it is frustrating for the passengers and embarrassing for the project team safety comes first and systems will not be signed off until they satisfy the Tester In-charge and the ORR» HMIR
Electric train is right about the risk assessment. But we seem to have three sources of delay - the incomplete single-line signalling between Norton and Evesham, the incomplete level crossing signalling at Littleton and the speed restriction for the new track - plus the self-inflicted delay of a toilet-less train.
If ever I encounter one of these blockades again, I'm going to give them an extra week to get it fixed instead of an extra day!
This morning's updates suggest that they've got the Norton-Evesham signalling working, so no more diversions via Cheltenham, but the delays are still with us.
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