Maidenhead station - services, facilities, car parking and incidents (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[TaplowGreen]

0707 not stopping at Maidenhead this morning.

[Oxonhutch]

Looks like a coupling problem again. The service arrived on time at Oxford but was at platform 3 for nearly half an hour eventually leaving 20 minutes late.

Is there an inherent problem with coupling at P3 Oxford? Track geometry, cant, visibility, etc.?

Edit to add: it arrived at Paddington only 5 coaches, 18 minutes late.

[NickB]

Three pretty much perfect days in a row for the 07:02 and 07:09 trains.

... which is an admirable improvement upon Monday and Tuesday.  Sadly even before this morning’s cancellation of the 7.07 I was going to say that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) will need to keep that performance going for a consistent month in order to restore confidence that the service will run.  Otherwise customers, such as myself, will regard it as perpetually at-risk and find other ways to reach their destinations. And keep moaning. 😉

[TaplowGreen]

Looks like a coupling problem again. The service arrived on time at Oxford but was at platform 3 for nearly half an hour eventually leaving 20 minutes late.

Is there an inherent problem with coupling at P3 Oxford? Track geometry, cant, visibility, etc.?

Edit to add: it arrived at Paddington only 5 coaches, 18 minutes late.

Richard Fairhurst on another thread;

"I do wonder if GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s next poster should be "Five Fail To Couple To Another Five".

 

[IndustryInsider]

And keep moaning. 😉

And you're perfectly entitled to do so as the performance of that particular train is shocking.

I'm not aware of any infrastructure issues at Oxford as the track is level and pretty much arrow straight at Platform 3.  It is a combination of staff unfamiliarity and the IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) couplers still not behaving themselves, mostly the latter it seems.

It is pretty hopeless that day after day at Oxford the following trains 2V11 (06:04 BAN-RDG^‡(resolve)) and 1P01 (04:48 HDF-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)) keep on being allowed as far as OD2378 and OD2386 and 1T03 (06:25 BIT-OXF^» (Oxford - next trains)) is allowed as far as OD2380.  All three trains are then stranded outside with nowhere to go whilst the fallout of coupling problems is dealt with.  It would be rather more sensible to hold these three trains at OD2392/2408/2490 until it is known the coupling has been successful - and then if there's problems they can be routed round it via platform 4 rather than locking up a large portion of the station and it subsequently taking far longer to catch up from the delays.

Either that or put the offending train through platform 4 anyway and put anything heading north through platform 3 if there's problems with it.

[ray951]

So I assume this is why the infamous 0740 RDG^‡(resolve) - OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) was cancelled again, and the following 0834 DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains) to BAN also left late due to the late running 1V17 BAN - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), all caused by the same issue.

What a lot of delays caused by the inability to couple a two sets together.

How can it be that after 2 years of running these trains there are still basic issues with them?

[Sixty3Closure]

A delayed 17.08 to Bedwyn again yesterday evening which seems to be one of the equivalents to the morning trains.

And a delayed 06.54/07.01 again this morning possibly due to the irregular freight train that runs at the same time some days.

[TaplowGreen]

And a delayed 06.54/07.01 again this morning possibly due to the irregular freight train that runs at the same time some days.

- I believe the 0633 (non stop to Paddington) was cancelled too this morning?

[NickB]

And a delayed 06.54/07.01 again this morning possibly due to the irregular freight train that runs at the same time some days.

- I believe the 0633 (non stop to Paddington) was cancelled too this morning?

Indeed it was, making the (slightly delayed) 06.45 quite busy.  I suspect that this was all due to the same freight train that came bowling through Maidenhead on the main line at about 06.35. 

[mjones]

.. the late running 1V17 BAN - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), all caused by the same issue.

What a lot of delays caused by the inability to couple a two sets together.

How can it be that after 2 years of running these trains there are still basic issues with them?

This forms the 0820 from Didcot I think?  I caught it three times in the last two weeks,  late and missed connection at Reading each time. Waiting for it provided an opportunity to watch people going to Oxford struggling to get into the 0834, rammed because of the cancellation of the 0807. These problems are causing serious disruption to Didcot to Oxford commuters who must be late for work several days a week at the moment.

[ray951]

.. the late running 1V17 BAN - PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains), all caused by the same issue.

What a lot of delays caused by the inability to couple a two sets together.

How can it be that after 2 years of running these trains there are still basic issues with them?

This forms the 0820 from Didcot I think?  I caught it three times in the last two weeks,  late and missed connection at Reading each time. Waiting for it provided an opportunity to watch people going to Oxford struggling to get into the 0834, rammed because of the cancellation of the 0807. These problems are causing serious disruption to Didcot to Oxford commuters who must be late for work several days a week at the moment.

Yes it does form the 0820.
No late to work every day and several people were left behind at Didcot and Radley yesterday as train so full.

[TaplowGreen]

0648 fast service from Twyford cancelled this morning which should ensure that everyone is nice & cosy when the 0702 arrives at Maidenhead......

[Sixty3Closure]

Yep - that's what I get for getting up earlier and trying a different train.

Bit more crowded that usual on the platform although for some reason no one got on at Maidenhead. I was in coach 4 or thereabouts and after we'd set off loads of people appeared and started moving to the front. Don't know if there was a problem with the doors or something?

[NickB]

In terms of passenger numbers at Maidenhead this morning the 6.45 didn’t arrive until 6.53 and so picked up a number of 07.02 customers who were already on the platform.
That in turn left standing room only (in my carriage) at Slough.

[Sixty3Closure]

Decided to work from home for the rest of the week to give my colleagues a break from daily updates on the new timetable so probably all worked perfectly if I wasn't there to see it.