A day of two halves

[davidknibb]

Yesterday - Saturday 16th July I did a return trip from Coventry to Macclesfield.

The 0927 XC from Coventry was 9 coaches, busy but not crowded, the AC worked as did the seat reservations. Everything was fine and a quick and comfortable trip arrived at Macclesfield just a couple of minutes late. Maybe the only surprise was that the tickets were checked 3 times by a very charming lady - normally it is once at most.

The return was the 1849 XC to Bournemouth - again 9 coaches and not overcrowded and on time within a couple of minutes. We passed Stoke with no problems and proceeded to Stafford and then stopped just after Stone. After a few minutes the TM announced points failure at Stafford - and that he would inform us when he had more information. After another 15 minutes or so he announced that there was a lineside fire and that as we couldn't proceed we would return to Stoke - which we did.

Arriving at Stoke the TM announced that the train was now out of service and we would have to detrain, go to platform 1 and await further information. Several announcements we made - but inaudible due to passing trains and the diesel motors of our train. Eventually another just audible announcement was made - the train was back in service and would divert to Crewe. We left Crewe and crawled to Stafford - 105 minutes late. At Wolverhampton we waited a good while and a stopping local train eventually left and we again crawled to New Street 119 late. An announcement was made that the train would now terminate at Southampton.

And then a further announcement that the train would run direct to Oxford, Basingstoke and Southampton - and that for all other stops we would have to get off and join the late running following train from Picadilly to Bournemouth. So we arrived at Coventry 120 minutes late and an email already arrived telling me to apply for delay repay.

What conclusions. Well the initial problem - the fire - was out of the control of the railway. And once we were returning to Stoke it seemed to me to be obvious that we would have to divert to Crewe but it took at maybe 30 minutes and lots of confusion until that decision was made. Afterall - what were they going to do with several hundred passengers and an empty train at Stoke. And why wait at Wolverhampton for ages and then let a local train out first.

The TM was excellent at keeping us all informed - even if some messages were contradictory. It showed the importance of a competent TM - some of whom would not have been as good at keeping the passengers aware.

And as a footnote our original train arrived at Southampton 79 late. The second train was terminated at Eastleigh and also never made Bournemouth. Maybe operational convenience for the railways rather than the passengers played a part in these decisions ??

 

[Ken H]

Yesterday - Saturday 16th July I did a return trip from Coventry to Macclesfield. The 0927 XC from Coventry was 9 coaches, busy but not crowded, the AC worked as did the seat reservations. Everything was fine and a quick and comfortable trip arrived at Macclesfield just a couple of minutes late. Maybe the only surprise was that the tickets were checked 3 times by a very charming lady - normally it is once at most.
The return was the 1849 XC to Bournemouth - again 9 coaches and not overcrowded and on time within a couple of minutes. We passed Stoke with no problems and proceeded to Stafford and then stopped just after Stone. After a few minutes the TM announced points failure at Stafford - and that he would inform us when he had more information. After another 15 minutes or so he announced that there was a lineside fire and that as we couldn't proceed we would return to Stoke - which we did. Arriving at Stoke the TM announced that the train was now out of service and we would have to detrain, go to platform 1 and await further information. Several announcements we made - but inaudible due to passing trains and the diesel motors of our train. Eventually another just audible announcement was made - the train was back in service and would divert to Crewe. We left Crewe and crawled to Stafford - 105 minutes late. At Wolverhampton we waited a good while and a stopping local train eventually left and we again crawled to New Street 119 late. An announcement was made that the train would now terminate at Southampton. And then a further announcement that the train would run direct to Oxford, Basingstoke and Southampton - and that for all other stops we would have to get off and join the late running following train from Picadilly to Bournemouth. So we arrived at Coventry 120 minutes late and an email already arrived telling me to apply for delay repay.
What conclusions. Well the initial problem - the fire - was out of the control of the railway. And once we were returning to Stoke it seemed to me to be obvious that we would have to divert to Crewe but it took at maybe 30 minutes and lots of confusion until that decision was made. Afterall - what were they going to do with several hundred passengers and an empty train at Stoke. And why wait at Wolverhampton for ages and then let a local train out first.
The TM was excellent at keeping us all informed - even if some messages were contradictory. It showed the importance of a competent TM - some of whom would not have been as good at keeping the passengers aware.
And as a footnote our original train arrived at Southampton 79 late. The second train was terminated at Eastleigh and also never made Bournemouth. Maybe operational convenience for the railways rather than the passengers played a part in these decisions ??

Why could it not go via colwich and walsall?

 

[Surreytraveller]

Your's won't be the only train that decisions are trying to be made about. They'll be one or two controllers trying to deal with dozens of trains. An impossible task to get right.

 

[zwk500]

And once we were returning to Stoke it seemed to me to be obvious that we would have to divert to Crewe but it took at maybe 30 minutes and lots of confusion until that decision was made. Afterall - what were they going to do with several hundred passengers and an empty train at Stoke.

Another, perfectly valid, option would have been to divert a following northbound train for the passengers to use and send the original XC set back southbound, in the path it would have had from Manchester to avoid delays in Birmingham New Street (EDIT, after re-reading the OP: and send the set to a siding). It's possible control were also checking route knowledge for the Alsager route, or if Crewe could accept the diverted train.

And why wait at Wolverhampton for ages and then let a local train out first.

Given how tight the local trains around Birmingham are timed in with everything else at New Street, Proof House and Aston, I am not surprised the signaller chose/was instructed to prioritise on time trains over a nearly 2hrs late one.

The TM was excellent at keeping us all informed - even if some messages were contradictory. It showed the importance of a competent TM - some of whom would not have been as good at keeping the passengers aware.

This is good to hear, have you passed the feedback to XC themselves?

And as a footnote our original train arrived at Southampton 79 late. The second train was terminated at Eastleigh and also never made Bournemouth. Maybe operational convenience for the railways rather than the passengers played a part in these decisions ??

Maybe operational convenience, but also maybe legal restrictions on driver hours. A third possibility is that inconveniencing 500 passengers to get the service back on track is better for the several thousand that will be following over the course of the day. At Southampton, you've got 4 passenger operators covering Manchester, Bristol, Weymouth, Brighton, and London in addition to all the freight. Once you get to 79 minutes late, there's just no way you can recover the path normally, the only option is to cut it short and start back. Passengers would have had half-hourly SWR services between Southampton and Bournemouth (not sure about Eastleigh, may be more problems there) to use as an alternative. Not great, but a balance has to be struck.

 

[Deafdoggie]

Obviously when things go wrong it's impossible to please everyone. The most important thing is to keep the information flowing, even if it's just to say there's no information! Being left in total unending silence is worse.
Whilst they could have left you stranded at Stone (a fate worse than death ) they at least got you back to Stoke where you could get off. I guess they were also potentially seeing if the fire would be extinguished and where exactly the points failure was may have meant a diversion via Crewe would not have helped.

 

[zwk500]

Why could it not go via colwich and walsall?

Are 221s cleared on the Chase line? If they are, then crossing Rugeley TV North Jn and getting stuck behind a stopper isn't going to help make up time. And missing booked calls at Stafford (and possibly Wolves) is as passenger unfriendly as getting to those calls late.

 

[The Planner]

Why could it not go via colwich and walsall?

XC don't sign it, nor do Avanti. They are also very low on competence for the Trent Valley as a whole.

 

[JN114]

Consider the time of evening as well - the original train arrived into Southampton 79L at 0001, and the second train that terminated at Eastleigh arrived there at 0032.

Saturday night there is almost certainly due to be engineering works to take place; and while the start of these can be deferred to a degree; at some point a late start starts becoming an overrun in the morning. A line has to be drawn somewhere: do you want to inconvenience the night time passengers or morning passengers?

Another consideration is the units (and crews) are based in Eastleigh, so they have to get back to Eastleigh before the line shuts.

That indicates a hard limit time-wise on train running through Eastleigh approximately 0030; which broadly matches when the scheduled services switched from being trains to replacement buses.

 

[yorkie]

And as a footnote our original train arrived at Southampton 79 late. The second train was terminated at Eastleigh and also never made Bournemouth. Maybe operational convenience for the railways rather than the passengers played a part in these decisions ??

I think it would be consideration for the passengers heading the other way; SWR run loads of long trains between these stations, but the XC train would be needed to head in the other direction along the core, for which there are fewer alternatives.

 

[30907]

I think it would be consideration for the passengers heading the other way; SWR run loads of long trains between these stations, but the XC train would be needed to head in the other direction along the core, for which there are fewer alternatives.

That doesn't apply around midnight, though the other considerations do.
Passengers off the first train were presumably conveyed forward by SW. The second train was booked to terminate at Southampton so presumably taxis (or the SW RRB) were used.