Engineering overrun on WCML between Crewe and Preston (01/09)

[rrapynot]

Traveling from Birmingham New Street to Blackpool North today. Train was supposed to depart Crewe at 09:39am but we have a rolling delay and it is now 10:30am and the train is still being held at Crewe. Apparently engineering work between Crewe and Preston has overrun.

How long can we be held here? Will they provide alternative transport at some point?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

National Rail stating that the over-running engineering works in the Earlestown area might not be sorted until 1200 (midday). Suppose, however, that means you'll be due a wedge of 'Delay Repay'. Essentially a free trip if you're travelling on a single ticket and delayed by 1 hr+.

Incident: Earlestown | National Rail

Lines reopened between Warrington Bank Quay and Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Extract...

Overrunning engineering works between Warrington Bank Quay and Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western are causing disruption to journeys running between these stations.

As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.

This is expected until 12:00.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The obvious answer would be to divert via Manchester (assuming that route is open).
Avanti do it regularly, so there should be no issue over route knowledge.

 

[rrapynot]

The obvious answer would be to divert via Manchester (assuming that route is open).
Avanti do it regularly, so there should be no issue over route knowledge.

Can I do this myself or do I have to wait for Avanti to give me permission?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Can I do this myself or do I have to wait for Avanti to give me permission?

What I meant was that Avanti should send its trains via Manchester to maintain a through service.
If you bail out at Crewe I expect you will be on your own, though Anytime/Off-Peak tickets to Preston or beyond should be valid via Manchester anyway.
NRE says Avanti tickets can be used on TfW trains between Crewe and Manchester.

Chester-Manchester trains via Warrington BQ (TfW and Northern) are also cancelled.
The blockage appears to be around Winwick Jn on the WCML.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

0939 service from Crewe now cancelled North of Crewe?

 

[rrapynot]

0939 service from Crewe now cancelled North of Crewe?

Yes. We were asked to get on the 10:09 to Glasgow, but that got cancelled to.

Station staff are nowhere to be seen.

 

[Howardh]

Yes. We were asked to get on the 10:09 to Glasgow, but that got cancelled to.

Station staff are nowhere to be seen.

Is the guard available, maybe he can validate your ticket to go via Manchester if trains are running that way?

 

[rrapynot]

The cancelled trains have left the station now. Nobody to ask.

 

[NSEWonderer]

Leaving you all on the platform, stranded?

 

[GordonT]

National Rail stating that the over-running engineering works in the Earlestown area might not be sorted until 1200 (midday). Suppose, however, that means you'll be due a wedge of 'Delay Repay'. Essentially a free trip if you're travelling on a single ticket and delayed by 1 hr+.

Incident: Earlestown | National Rail

Lines reopened between Warrington Bank Quay and Newton-le-Willows / Wigan North Western. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

Extract...

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Sep 2024 ==

The previously sourced info. regarding the incident has been updated to show 1300 as the expected time of resolution.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Leaving you all on the platform, stranded?

Yes, very probably, however later trains now look to be on the move through the affected section of the WCML and the National Rail link (see my earlier post #2) has now been updated to report the line as having been re-opened in the area, albeit with residual delays of maybe one hour.

 

[800001]

The cancelled trains have left the station now. Nobody to ask.

Ticket office, barrier staff?

 

[SCDR_WMR]

There are multiple Avanti staff on each platform. They are dispatching all the other trains and were clearly helping passengers when I was there and hour ago. Shift and Team Leaders also on platform 6

Platform 6 was heaving but that is to be expected.

 

[185143]

There are multiple Avanti staff on each platform. They are dispatching all the other trains and were clearly helping passengers when I was there and hour ago. Shift and Team Leaders also on platform 6

Platform 6 was heaving but that is to be expected.

Can't speak for Crewe, but I was through Preston probably at a similar time as you were at Crewe.

Much like your experience, there were plenty of very visible staff out on the platforms clearly doing their best to assist.

As an aside, I've benefitted from this very well. Ended up sat opposite a couple of blokes on my Northern train to Preston. Their mate had given up due to the disruption, so they gave me his beers as they didn't like what he drank. Jackpot!

 

[muz379]

The obvious answer would be to divert via Manchester (assuming that route is open).
Avanti do it regularly, so there should be no issue over route knowledge.

AFAIK the engineering possession that overrun also affected lowton junction - Golborne junction so no route from the chat moss . And there is an engineering possession on Bolton to Lostock junnction as well so no route available via chorley .

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

First train through Warrington BQ was 1H82, Llandudno Jn-Manchester Pic at 1123.
First from Crewe was 1S37, an hour late at 1158 from Crewe and now 80 late at Wigan.
First southbound was 9M53.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Sep 2024 ==

AFAIK the T3 that overrun also affected lowton jn - Golborne jn so no route from the chat moss . And there is a T3 on Bolton to Lostock jn as well so no route available via chorley .

Actually There was a Manchester-Blackpool 331 that ran this way (1N55) which passed Golborne at 1035, so the route must have been open then.

Realtime Trains | 1N55 1017 Manchester Oxford Road to Blackpool North | 01/09/2024

Real-time train running information for 1N55 1017 departure from Manchester Oxford Road to Blackpool North on 01/09/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Toby268]

I believe very few drivers now sign chat moss at Preston, as Bolton is the preferred and used diversion, which is closed today. All the TMs have it on their cards but very few drivers now a days. I don’t think it’s been used since Bolton was electrified but happy to be corrected.

 

[The Planner]

I believe very few drivers now sign chat moss at Preston, as Bolton is the preferred and used diversion, which is closed today. All the TMs have it on their cards but very few drivers now a days. I don’t think it’s been used since Bolton was electrified but happy to be corrected.

Interesting, as they normally want to serve Wigan.

 

[muz379]

Actually There was a Manchester-Blackpool 331 that ran this way (1N55) which passed Golborne at 1035, so the route must have been open then.

Ahh , in which case seems a bizzare decision (or lack of) unless there was some other operational reason like route knowledge .

 

[sonic2009]

What I meant was that Avanti should send its trains via Manchester to maintain a through service.

Would there of been the paths going via Manchester from Crewe given the diversions away from the Stoke-Stockport route of Cross Country & Avanti London - Manchester services?

 

[scrapy]

Would there of been the paths going via Manchester from Crewe given the diversions away from the Stoke-Stockport route of Cross Country & Avanti London - Manchester services?

There was also a possession on the slow lines between Manchester Piccadilly and Slade Lane Jn.

 

[The Planner]

Would there of been the paths going via Manchester from Crewe given the diversions away from the Stoke-Stockport route of Cross Country & Avanti London - Manchester services?

All bets are off in disruption anyway, control would have dealt with it.

 

[Some guy]

What I meant was that Avanti should send its trains via Manchester to maintain a through service.
If you bail out at Crewe I expect you will be on your own, though Anytime/Off-Peak tickets to Preston or beyond should be valid via Manchester anyway.
NRE says Avanti tickets can be used on TfW trains between Crewe and Manchester.

Chester-Manchester trains via Warrington BQ (TfW and Northern) are also cancelled.
The blockage appears to be around Winwick Jn on the WCML.

Preston is the only depot that signs Crewe to Preston via Manchester and looked like that line was also shut in the morning especially the Bolton route

 

[Toby268]

Preston is the only depot that signs Crewe to Preston via Manchester and looked like that line was also shut in the morning especially the Bolton route

There’s some top link Manchester drivers that sign it as well.