Line problem, Reading / Twyford, causing major disruption tonight (9 May 2011)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Live updates:

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford are being disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 120 minutes can be expected.
First Great Western Tickets valid on the following services: London Underground via all reasonable routes. South West Trains between Reading/ Basingstoke and London Waterloo. Chiltern Railway between London Marylebone and Banbury. First Capital Connect between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. Southern between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. Virgin West Coast between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. London Midland between Birmingham New Street and Worcester Shrub Hill. Line-side equipment problem. Currently no service between Twyford and Reading
Last Updated: 09/05/2011 20:52

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Live updates:

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford are being disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 100 minutes can be expected.

First Great Western Train Services are currently being disrupted due to problems with Lineside Equipment in the Twyford & Reading area. Services are being severly delayed and Customers are advised not to travel unless neccescery. Tickets for today Monday 9 May will be valid for travel tommorrow Tuesday 10 May. First Great Western Tickets are valid for the remainder of today Monday 9 May on the following services: London Underground via all reasonable routes. South West Trains between Reading/ Basingstoke and London Waterloo. Chiltern Railway between London Marylebone and Banbury. First Capital Connect between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. Southern between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport. Virgin West Coast between London Euston and Birmingham New Street. London Midland between Birmingham New Street and Worcester Shrub Hill.
Last Updated: 09/05/2011 21:22

In the circumstances, I'll forgive them the typos in that message. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Another update:

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford are being disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 75 minutes can be expected.

Last Updated: 09/05/2011 21:39

[johoare]

I got home 20 minutes ago having left the office just after 5.30pm.. I spent two hours standing waiting at Paddington.. That explains why my head hurts so much now I guess..

I finally got on the 20.15 having got to Paddington at 18.21.. Nothing else really left apart from the odd stopping service to Slough from platform 14.. I did go take a look at one of them but was seriously scared by how many people were cramming onto them.... The 20.15 was also a stopper to Slough but was 6 cars (I think) so not overcrowded in the slightest.. And the added bonus, when we got to Slough it was announced that we'd then go as far as Maidenhead otherwise I'd have had to get back the rest of the way under my own steam..

When I got back it looked as if Maidenhead staff were helping with the taxi queue (Maidenhead was as far west as the trains were going) which was good.. I think they were making sure all the taxis were leaving as full as possible..

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, Jo - glad to hear that you got home safely ... eventually! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Delays are now up to 180 minutes, apparently:

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford are being disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers are working as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 180 minutes can be expected.

Last Updated: 09/05/2011 21:55

[johoare]

Thanks Chris.. Round about 7.30pm the signals were repaired/started working for a few minutes allowing a few trapped trains through and a flurry of activity at Paddington as trains started getting platforms and people started boarding..

I think one HST^▸ (High Speed Train) train left Paddington during this time but obviously then got stuck again and was still at Slough when we passed through about 9.10pm... Looking at the arrivals board for Reading it looks like they finally got to Reading about 10pm..

I do hope tomorrow morning will be ok..

[bobm]

The 18:03 Paddington to Penzance is ten minutes BEHIND the 19:03 to Plymouth as they approach Totnes. You could have eaten your three course meal in the Pullman restaurant in the 90 minutes it took to get from Paddington to Reading!  Wonder if they did a second sitting!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Well, to be fair, FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are cracking along with their 'Live updates':

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford have been disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers have worked as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 75 minutes can be expected.

Last Updated: 09/05/2011 22:25

[Chris from Nailsea]

Another update:

Line problem between Reading and Twyford.

Train services between Reading and Twyford have been disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment. Engineers have worked as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 60 minutes can be expected.

Last Updated: 09/05/2011 22:47

[willc]

Wasn't just Reading/Twyford. Signals at Didcot also went down for some time either side of 7pm, adding to the problems. The 17.50 from Paddington to Worcester eventually left Oxford 86 minutes late, running in the path of the 19.22 from London to Hereford, two hours after the previous westbound departure from Oxford on to the Cotswold Line and was the last train of the day, with the 18.22 and 19.22 from London cancelled, so a lot of late-night empty running looks like being needed to get trains in the right place for the morning services.

[SDS]

    UPDATED    25   Line problem between Reading and Twyford.    09/05/11 23:40   
   
Train services between Reading and Twyford have been disrupted due to a problem with line-side equipment.

Engineers have worked as fast as possible to restore services to normal. Short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 60 minutes can be expected.

Hide More Information
Further Information:

First Great Western Train Services are currently being disrupted due to problems with Lineside Equipment in the Twyford & Reading area. Services are being severly delayed and Customers are advised not to travel unless neccessary. Tickets for today Monday 9 May will be valid for travel tommorrow Tuesday 10 May.
First Great Western Tickets are valid for the remainder of today Monday 9 May on the following services:
London Underground via all reasonable routes.
South West Trains between Reading/ Basingstoke and London Waterloo.
Chiltern Railway between London Marylebone and Banbury.
First Capital Connect between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport.
Southern between London Bridge and Gatwick Airport.
Virgin West Coast between London Euston and Birmingham New Street.
London Midland between Birmingham New Street and Worcester Shrub Hill.

Internal Information:

***CSL2 ** Red Disruption*** LATEST UPDATE 21:20; Network Rail have now restored signalling, however major disruption with sets and crew out of place. Short notice alterations/cancellations


Posted By:191   No.:1304896158   Expiry Time:10/05/11 02:00

[animationmilo]

from the firstgreatwestern.co.uk front page

Important message

Tuesday 10th May 2011 at 04:30
First Great Western High Speed Services will be subject to alteration this morning. This is due to the displacement of trains which has been caused by the major signalling failure that occurred yesterday in the Reading area.

The following services will be cancelled throughout.

06:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
05:53 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington
06:08 Westbury to London Paddington
06:58 Swansea to London Paddington
07:58 Swansea to London Paddington

The following services have been amended.

04:58 Swansea to London Paddington will start from Cardiff Central at 05:55
05:30 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington will terminate at Swindon
06:40 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington will call additionally at Didcot Parkway and Reading.


Train Services on the Henley on Thames branch line are subject to an amended timetable today due to signalling problems. Further Information will be available in due course.

Please click here for information regarding ticket validity if you were unable to complete your journey yesterday Monday 9th May 2011.


To check for any disruption and journey alterations please view the Live Updates section of this website.

Sounds bad

[James Vertigan]

05:14 RDG^‡(resolve) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was cancelled this morning due to these problems - fortunately a Heathrow Connect was stopped additionally at AML at 06:17 to make up for the cancelled 06:08 so people didn't have to wait until 06:33.

[jane s]

Yeah, total chaos!

Got on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from Paddington at about 21:40 (very full) and got back to Reading at about 22:15 where even the station staff were getting very frustrated because no-one was telling them any information.

About 40 minutes later I eventually found out that there were rail replacement buses running on the lines via Oxford (but NO announcements had been made about this, I only heard when one of the guys who was trying to help me heard that one had just left on his radio - apparently that was the first HE knew anything about it!) & I ran outside & just got the next one, which didn't have many people on it, presumably because no-one had told them about it.

And I am willing to bet anything you like that there was no way people still waiting at any of the stations the bus would be calling at en route would have had any idea of its existence either....

Why is it that there is never enough info when people need it?