London Euston Blockades August-September 2018

[ChiefPlanner]

The Met was suspended for a good amount of the morning between Moor Park and Watford owing to a shortage of controllers.

Presumably signal operators at Rickmansworth ? - a fine combination of a power frame for the main line , and a "panel" - quite old now for the Watford branch ...

 

[edwin_m]

In passing - when returning , I witnessed some 142 buses - which I believe are Watford - Stanmore (double deck red ones) - crush loaded at 1800.....there goes the traffic shall we say. Some other locals may have discovered the joys of the normally empty Met Line from Watford.

142 continues to Edgware and Brent Cross so they would have a choice of Tube line, though I imagine most would have baled out at Stanmore.

 

[Mugby]

Apparently there's a huge lineside fire at Loughborough this afternoon, emergency services have asked for all lines to be blocked so the alternative route for London - Manchester passengers, using EMT via Sheffield, is no longer an alternative!

 

[swt_passenger]

Is this WCML worksite one that was planned before a couple of years ago, but withdrawn because people complained about the planned blockade length?

 

[The Planner]

It is a case of doing it now or put a nasty TSR on it apparently as it has been put off a few times.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Shame that the missing Watford North Junction could not go back in during these blocks ....

 

[Mag_seven]

Shame that the missing Watford North Junction could not go back in during these blocks ....

Or even better why not completely remodel North Wembley to provide fast/slow and slow/fast connections in both directions rather than just do a bog standard renewal of the existing layout.

 

[jyte]

Or even better why not completely remodel North Wembley to provide fast/slow and slow/fast connections in both directions rather than just do a bog standard renewal of the existing layout.

Because why whole-arse something today when you can half-arse it tomorrow?

 

[The Planner]

Shame that the missing Watford North Junction could not go back in during these blocks ....

Ah yes the unique way that we are funded, no money for it now and Harbury put paid to them being put back in at the time.

Or even better why not completely remodel North Wembley to provide fast/slow and slow/fast connections in both directions rather than just do a bog standard renewal of the existing layout.

For what purpose though? that would be an enhancement which doesn't give you much at all, you would remove Willesden North Jn completely if you enhanced North Wembley. If that move was really needed (which it probably isn't), Willesden North would be the one to work on. As @ChiefPlanner says, Watford North is the junction to put back.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Because why whole-arse something today when you can half-arse it tomorrow?

At some time - they are going to come back in and do Watford North Jct - giving another long period of blocks , which no operator is going to be very pleased about it. A pretty important piece of functionality ....

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Apparently there's a huge lineside fire at Loughborough this afternoon, emergency services have asked for all lines to be blocked so the alternative route for London - Manchester passengers, using EMT via Sheffield, is no longer an alternative!

Guess what - propane cylinders involved (again) ......could be a long one.

 

[CMS]

Whilst I agree that there are obvious capacity constraints and no-one wants trains terminating in the middle of nowhere/mass, confusing bus replacement, I'm surprised by the plan for this.

Yes, I understand Virgin's service revisions, with MKC>Stanmore and BHM>Marylebone via Chiltern as key routes, it makes sense.

However, I do not agree with LNR tipping everyone out at Hemel Hempstead. If Watford Junction is available, you can turn trains back in platform 9. If you run them as 8/12 car, you CAN get away with 3tph which is not ideal, but it will do and many would have taken the MKC/Birmingham options anyway. Hemel might have a big car park, but it is wholly reliant on replacement buses which will have to use the A41 or M1 - it's not particularly robust, plus there are no amenities there and the station is smaller than Watford Junction.

I also do not buy the argument that the bus station is full/ there is no room for rail replacement - after all, even today there are about 8bph in rail replacement buses (some acting as DC line replacements, some providing the only service to Apsley and Kings Langley and some doing Hemel>Watford>Stanmore). Any rail replacement buses needing to stand can drop off at the bus station, and go to stand at one of the several lay-bys hardly used (I'm thinking Exchange Road, ones outside Sainsbury's, at a push the one outside WHC).

From Watford, the Met line is often empty off-peak as far as Harrow, there is definitely capacity and you could definitely provide a shuttle bus between the tube station and Watford Junction - the bus station is not that congested at weekends, definitely not on Sundays as there are 6 bays and most routes bar the 142/258 (which stand on Woodford Road) and Harry Potter 311 are just 1bph. Regulars will know that the 142/258 link up with the tube.

At least people would have had options i.e.
Watford>shuttle>Met line (direct to Euston Square)
Watford>rail replacement>Stanmore
Watford> 142 or 258 or DC rail replacement> N London

 

[Mag_seven]

If Watford Junction is available, you can turn trains back in platform 9.

I don't think you can?

 

[CMS]

I don't think you can?

I've seen them do it before. You may be right though as that was pre-work done on North Watford Junction. The crossover is still there but not too sure if it can be used.

 

[LowLevel]

As is usual chaos is cracking off.

LNER trains crush loaded from origin.
2/3/4 car Northern/TPE/EMT services that are already very busy unable to cope with providing connections from North West to East Mids and Yorkshire.
MML Sunday services not doing brilliantly even before they went twang.

I very much resent being left to get on with moving this volume of another company's passengers. My 4 car trains cannot cope with their own loads plus several 9 or 11 car Pendolinos worth and I'm the one getting shouted at when it all goes wrong. Every time they do this we leave hordes on the platform.

 

[Class 170101]

Guess what - propane cylinders involved (again) ......could be a long one.

Don't quite know how various people get away with leaving these things near major infrastructure arteries. They always cause problems.

 

[Bletchleyite]

As is usual chaos is cracking off.

LNER trains crush loaded from origin.
2/3/4 car Northern/TPE/EMT services that are already very busy unable to cope with providing connections from North West to East Mids and Yorkshire.
MML Sunday services not doing brilliantly even before they went twang.

I very much resent being left to get on with moving this volume of another company's passengers. My 4 car trains cannot cope with their own loads plus several 9 or 11 car Pendolinos worth and I'm the one getting shouted at when it all goes wrong. Every time they do this we leave hordes on the platform.

But I’m not sure what can be done? People will not willingly take replacement buses if there is a rail option.

I guess perhaps the 15 car Chiltern “blockade busters” need to return?

 

[frodshamfella]

Virgin seem to have lost out big time while this is going on, obviously they have to run some semblance of a service but what they are left with doesn't look very appealing:

The Liverpool service starts at Milton Keynes.
No service from London to Chester.
Manchester via Crewe starts at Milton Keynes.
Line between Stockport and Manchester closed on Sunday 26th.
Line through Coventry closed, bus service between Rugby and Birmingham International.
Manchester via Stoke starts at Bhm International so Virgin are operating on a route they don't normally serve.

I can imagine some of these carrying a lot of fresh air, for example Manchester to Milton Keynes calling only at Crewe with few (if any) onward connections at MKC.

The alternatives advised for Manchester are Kings Cross to Leeds and change onto TPE - a long way round and good luck with TPE!
St. Pancras to Sheffield and change onto South TPE or EMT Liverpool - but STP to SHF service is halved due to the Derby blockade so those which run will carry double the usual loads.

What happened to running double Voyagers on the Chiltern line at times like this?

As luck would have it I've booked to see a matinee in London on a Saturday Euston is shut. So I'm now travelling Runcorn to Birmingham New Street then Birmingham Moor Street to Marylebone return. Going to be a longer trip, but this seemed a less painless route than I was offered on some of the train company websites.

 

[DarloRich]

As is usual chaos is cracking off.

LNER trains crush loaded from origin.
2/3/4 car Northern/TPE/EMT services that are already very busy unable to cope with providing connections from North West to East Mids and Yorkshire.
MML Sunday services not doing brilliantly even before they went twang.

I very much resent being left to get on with moving this volume of another company's passengers. My 4 car trains cannot cope with their own loads plus several 9 or 11 car Pendolinos worth and I'm the one getting shouted at when it all goes wrong. Every time they do this we leave hordes on the platform.

yesterday the Virgin/LM trains were very quiet. I used them to and from Brum.

BTW - when should work be done? This is a weekend in peak holiday season with many people off work, kids of school and on holiday.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

yesterday the Virgin/LM trains were very quiet. I used them to and from Brum.

BTW - when should work be done? This is a weekend in peak holiday season with many people off work, kids of school and on holiday.

Agreed about the right sort of time to do it , good weather and still long day daylight hours.

The complete problem is (a) not being able to run some services into Watford Junction due to the absence of Watford North Jn (b) Not able to run long 22x services from the Virgin pool into Marylebone.

The MML external "disaster" does not help of course , but then these things happen.

Still - another 2 weeks to go .....

 

[DarloRich]

Still - another 2 weeks to go .....

weekends - it better be open tomorrow

 

[87015]

Watford North might be out of use, but good shunt available via Watford South isn’t there? Far better operationally to use two platforms (US shunt back to DS) anyway.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

weekends - it better be open tomorrow

A very good point , sure it is being watched very carefully.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Watford North might be out of use, but good shunt available via Watford South isn’t there? Far better operationally to use two platforms (US shunt back to DS) anyway.

Technically yes - but time consuming obviously - far better to run straight into a platform where the passengers can disembark , and the crew can change ends on a solid platform , instead of fighting their way though the passenger accommodation. (which is why , no doubt , it was ruled out)

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Guess what - propane cylinders involved (again) ......could be a long one.

All clear given at about 1725 , thanks to the usual excellent work by the Fire and Rescue services ,(says a well connected friend) , but the service is wrecked for the end of the day.

 

[The Planner]

I guess perhaps the 15 car Chiltern “blockade busters” need to return?

To where though? Euston is shut, Marylebone cannot take more than 10 cars (and isn't cleared on paper for Voyagers anyway from Northolt Jn), only other option is Paddington, which again cannot fit 15 cars in.

 

[a_c_skinner]

http://londonconnections.blogspot.com/2008/06/virgin-block-buster.html describes the old route, but my limited knowledge of the infrastructure doesn't know if this would avoid North Wembly Jn, which I think is where the work is.

 

[KingJ]

what's the car parking like at Stanmore? Incase I need to visit London over the next 3 weekends, alternatively I could drive to Bedford and get Thameslink

A friend who drove there on Friday reported that the car park was quite full, but they were still able to get a space. However, it might be a different story on the weekend with TfL reporting that 245 out of the normal 437 spaces are unavailable due to being used for the RRB operations. Bedford might be the better bet!

 

[Mag_seven]

Euston is shut

Since the work is at Wembley it shouldn't be which would allow the 15 car blockade busters to run!

 

[Ibex]

I've seen them do it before. You may be right though as that was pre-work done on North Watford Junction. The crossover is still there but not too sure if it can be used.

The crossover isn’t physically there anymore, it was completely removed during the 2012 Watford resignalling, it’s just plain lined track now.