Derailment at Old Oak Common Heathrow Connect depot

[bnm]

All Heathrow Connect services are cancelled this morning (21st January 2015) following the derailment of a unit at Old Oak Common. No units are able to leave the depot.

FGW are making additional stops at Hanwell to provide that station with a service.

 

[sonic2009]

Appears that all the Heathrow Express services are cancelled as well.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Appears that all the Heathrow Express services are cancelled as well.

Given that those trains operate out of the same depot that is hardly surprising.

 

[edwin_m]

What happened to the traditional practice of making sure each depot has two exits?

 

[rmt4ever]

The HEX website has this piece of blunt sounding service update

"Due to a technical issue all Heathrow Express services are currently suspended.

We apologies for any inconvenience caused"

Hardly helpful....

 

[paulravuslante]

What happened to the traditional practice of making sure each depot has two exits?

There are two exits but the layout means they are both on the same road that most trains exit from OOC. I'm guessing the train is blocking the main exit road and can't be moved now until fully investigated.

 

[bnm]

There are two exits but the layout means they are both on the same road that most trains exit from OOC. I'm guessing the train is blocking the main exit road and can't be moved now until fully investigated.

I'd heard that one of the 'exits' isn't wired, so of no use moving EMUs without a lot of Class 08 shunting.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Take a long run-up

 

[paulravuslante]

I'd heard that one of the 'exits' isn't wired, so of no use moving EMUs without a lot of Class 08 shunting.

Ah yes, I forgot about that one.... So there are three exits really! Although the unwired one just leads to the FGW side of the depot. The other one I was talking about is known as the Western exit, which is wired and leads to Friar's Loop.

 

[dk1]

What happened to the traditional practice of making sure each depot has two exits?

Same at Crown Point (built 1982) & if the points fail or an incident happens outside the box, only reception, curve & roads 1 & 1A are available. That leaves 2 to 24 blocked completely.

 

[Nym]

Same at so many depots,

Stonebridge Park is effectively one exit/entrance, as is London Road, Northumberland Park (Always fun when that goes wrong!), Waterloo, Ardwick basically is...

Plenty of depots are single ended.

 

[SaveECRewards]

Heathrow Express were recommending people use the tube to get between terminals when the HEX wasn't running.

Normally you need an Oyster card (or contactless credit card) to operate the barriers because even though you're not charged they need a way to operate the barriers and confirm you are indeed travelling between terminals.

So what did they do on the Underground for people who didn't have an appropriate card? Usually they'd have to buy a paper ticket but as HEX advised it then you'd expect they'd say if it wasn't free. Do they just trust people and open the barriers if they say they were connecting?

 

[yorkie]

Do they just trust people and open the barriers if they say they were connecting?

I think they'd have to, yes. It's the same principle at King's Cross if you're getting Grand Central or Hull Trains or using the cycle racks: just tell them what you're doing and they open the barrier for you.

 

[PermitToTravel]

LU staff usually incredibly chilled about opening the barriers for people

 

[richw]

Looking at satellite on Google, there is three exits, but two of the three cross over each other, so if a derailment occurred at that point it would block those exits.
The third exit only appears accessible to 2 or 3 of the stabling points.

 

[bb21]

Posts on consequences of ticketless travel have been split into this thread.