“Operational Incident”

[HChip]

Hello,

I have seen just this afternoon that several Greater Anglia services are being delayed due to an “Operational Incident”. It is quite a broad term, what sort of things could this supposed incident be?

 

[newtownmgr]

Fatality,Spad,Signalling failure,derailment or other safety of the line incident.

Would be a genuine incident not a ‘supposed’ incident as you seem to be insinuating.

 

[Geeves]

I've added that reason myself for less serious things like rostering errors, missed station calls and train crew being late on duty. They all the affect the operation of the service after all!

 

[saismee]

Looks to be a problem at Witham/Braintree.

Edit: Signalling failure.

 

[ExRes]

Hello,

I have seen just this afternoon that several Greater Anglia services are being delayed due to an “Operational Incident”. It is quite a broad term, what sort of things could this supposed incident be?

1300 1F45 cancelled and 1248 1F26 terminated at Witham, both due to signal failure (according to RTT)

 

[800301]

1F45 was the involved train but there was an issue with the signal anyway

 

[TheWierdOne]

I've added that reason myself for less serious things like rostering errors, missed station calls and train crew being late on duty. They all the affect the operation of the service after all!

Does it also get used when nobody knows what the problem is yet? I.e: “Well something happened but damned if I know what it is”

 

[1D54]

On a similar vein what does 'This service was cancelled at the request of the operator' mean?

I've seen it a couple of times this week on RTT with cancelled trains on the Stansted - Birmingham route.

 

[hexagon789]

Does it also get used when nobody knows what the problem is yet? I.e: “Well something happened but damned if I know what it is”

There is a "cause not yet identified" delay code, which I have seen used.

 

[AlterEgo]

Fatality,Spad,Signalling failure,derailment or other safety of the line incident.

Would be a genuine incident not a ‘supposed’ incident as you seem to be insinuating.

A fatality is not an operational incident in phblic facing language. "Emergency services dealing with an incident" is the usual description for this now.

 

[saismee]

At risk of derailing the thread further (though it is about delay/cancellation reasons, not a specific incident), I saw the delay reason of "This train has been delayed to maintain customer connections" for the first time recently. Certainly a positive!

 

[321362]

On a similar vein what does 'This service was cancelled at the request of the operator' mean?

I've seen it a couple of times this week on RTT with cancelled trains on the Stansted - Birmingham route.

If the set is needed more elsewhere that sometimes happens - iirc I've seen it when Southern 171s get taken from the Marshlink to work Uckfield services if there's a unit that failed.

 

[GordonT]

Does it also get used when nobody knows what the problem is yet? I.e: “Well something happened but damned if I know what it is”

In that eventuality the usual phraseology of choice is "due to a problem under investigation".

 

[The North Briton]

At risk of derailing the thread further (though it is about delay/cancellation reasons, not a specific incident), I saw the delay reason of "This train has been delayed to maintain customer connections" for the first time recently. Certainly a positive!

Except I’ve seen LNER use it for en route delays incurred between stops, which stretches credibility a bit!

 

[styles]

Except I’ve seen LNER use it for en route delays incurred between stops, which stretches credibility a bit!

I mean, isn't every delay technically caused by an 'Operational Incident'?

 

[chrisjo]

On a similar vein what does 'This service was cancelled at the request of the operator' mean?

Very frequently used by Freight Operating Companies who routinely activate paths 3 hours before departure time, and then more often than not decide they won't be running today. E.g.:

Realtime Trains | 6B13 0500 Robeston Sdgs to Westerleigh Puma Dbc | 29/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 6B13 0500 departure from Robeston Sdgs to Westerleigh Puma Dbc on 29/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

and

Realtime Trains | 6V61 2104 Round Oak to Margam T.C. | 28/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 6V61 2104 departure from Round Oak to Margam T.C. on 28/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Realtime Trains | 6H27 1420 Margam T.C. to Llanwern Exchange Sdgs | 29/11/2025

Real-time train running information for 6H27 1420 departure from Margam T.C. to Llanwern Exchange Sdgs on 29/11/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Lewisham2221]

Hello,

I have seen just this afternoon that several Greater Anglia services are being delayed due to an “Operational Incident”. It is quite a broad term, what sort of things could this supposed incident be?

SPAD, TPWS brake demand, AWS brake demand, wrong routing, station overrun/underrun, doors opened off platform, dispatch irregularities etc etc

 

[The North Briton]

I mean, isn't every delay technically caused by an 'Operational Incident'?

Sorry, to clarify, I was referring to ‘departing late to maintain customer connections’

 

[Horizon22]

Normally "operational incident" means "somebody has done something wrong / something has gone wrong / an error was made" outside of the normal operating rules / requirements.

This can include (non-exhuastive) a SPAD, SPAR, wrong-side door release, fail to call, wrong routing, signal irregularity (might be coded as "fault with signalling system" though) and other safety of the line incidents.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 29 Nov 2025 ==

Does it also get used when nobody knows what the problem is yet? I.e: “Well something happened but damned if I know what it is”

In passenger facing language, this normally comes up as "due to a problem under investigation" in Darwin.

 

[Craig1122]

Normally "operational incident" means "somebody has done something wrong / something has gone wrong / an error was made" outside of the normal operating rules / requirements.

Linking with the thread about electric trains being wrongly routed...

SWR described one such instance at Wokingham as an "operational incident" on Twitter and were very coy with anyone asking what had actually happened. Even when a couple of people had replied to the thread with a photo taken from a nearby bridge of the class 458 attempting to break for freedom towards Guildford!

 

[dk1]

The public are not usually given any further info as to what the ‘operational incidents’ are.

 

[MrJeeves]

Very frequently used by Freight Operating Companies who routinely activate paths 3 hours before departure time, and then more often than not decide they won't be running today. E.g.:

As I understand it, services can be pre-cancelled in TRUST so that the cancellation only gets reported at the time the service is called/activated (which happens automatically 3 hours prior to departure). It's not that the service gets activated and then the FOC decides to cancel it, but rather that the automatic calling of the service automatically sends out the cancellation message which has been added beforehand.

 

[Falcon1200]

"Emergency services dealing with an incident" is the usual description for this now.

That came into use, IIRC, to replace a fatality at a specific location, however it is common now to advise such events but between two locations a long way apart.

 

[Retorus]

Fatality,Spad,Signalling failure,derailment or other safety of the line incident.

Would be a genuine incident not a ‘supposed’ incident as you seem to be insinuating.

That’s clearly not what they were doing.

 

[Snow1964]

The public are not usually given any further info as to what the ‘operational incidents’ are.

Unfortunately the terminology is often used without continuing the statement offering customers advice on what happens next for their journey.

Sort of becomes the opposite, 'not operating' and railway doesn't want to tell you why in customers eyes. So I get why it is often seen as a cover up.

 

[dk1]

Unfortunately the terminology is often used without continuing the statement offering customers advice on what happens next for their journey.

Sort of becomes the opposite, 'not operating' and railway doesn't want to tell you why in customers eyes. So I get why it is often seen as a cover up.

I suppose as an ex-railway employee I don’t question it although I must admit to being interested in what’s occurred.

 

[Kite159]

Linking with the thread about electric trains being wrongly routed...

SWR described one such instance at Wokingham as an "operational incident" on Twitter and were very coy with anyone asking what had actually happened. Even when a couple of people had replied to the thread with a photo taken from a nearby bridge of the class 458 attempting to break for freedom towards Guildford!

Well technically it was an operational incident, the guard/dispatch staff not noticing the junction route indicator wasn't lit and the driver for accepting the wrong route

 

[apinnard]

I suppose as an ex-railway employee I don’t question it although I must admit to being interested in what’s occurred.

Enjoying your retirement, finally?

 

[dk1]

Enjoying your retirement, finally?

Finally lol & yes thank you. Just waited for the two year dispute to be settled else i would've disappeared in 2023/4.

 

[apinnard]

Finally lol & yes thank you. Just waited for the two year dispute to be settled else i would've disappeared in 2023/4.

Nice one. Knew you were wanting to finally push the button a while back. More time for enjoying those ‘Spoons old chap!