1B88 Failed at Chinley 01/05/2025

[ChrisP99]

I am currently a lucky passenger on board 1B88 the 17:19 TPE service from LIV to CLE.

I boarded at MAN after it was heavily delayed due to smoke coming out at MCO and then the issue being “fixed”, for it to reoccur in the middle of the Peak District near Chinley.

After about half an hour sitting, a decision has been made to return to Stockport, because it is too dangerous to continue further into the Peak District.

Replacement transport has been requested, but I’m debating getting a hotel and doing battle with TPE for them to reimburse me as I don’t particularly fancy the journey on a coach.

This is the first time I’ve ever had a service completely fail travelling on the railways, so I have no idea how easy that will be.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Not good! I think whoever concluded the issue had been "fixed" before you left Manchester is in a bit of trouble..
I hope you get to your destination ok. It's a shame you have to go back to Manchester. I'm guessing with you being on a 6-car 185 they can't just detrain everyone onto the platform at Chinley and get the next TPE to pick you up.

 

[ChrisP99]

20:09 01/05/2025

Slight scare, the train failed yet again in-between Whaley Bridge and Furness Vale (I can tell by how sudden the train stopped that something went wrong), and after another 15 minutes the TM rushed through my Carriage (C) we’re on the move again.

I guess it was a good thing we didn’t keep going.

 

[ChrisP99]

Not good! I think whoever concluded the issue had been "fixed" before you left Manchester is in a bit of trouble..
I hope you get to your destination ok. It's a shame you have to go back to Manchester. I'm guessing with you being on a 6-car 185 they can't just detrain everyone onto the platform at Chinley and get the next TPE to pick you up.

Yes, apparently Coach A in the other set (which I think was 185113) is the one that started smoking, and passengers contacted the driver who then performed a stop at Chinley.

We’ve now been told the next TPE service from Stockport will be held, and we are to get that, so I guess no coaches!

 

[voyagerdude220]

Sounds rather dramatic!

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Yes, apparently Coach A in the other set

If you're in Coach C won't Coach A be in your unit? Unless there are two coach A if the wrong signs got put up?

 

[ainsworth74]

Going to be cosy the next TPE at Stockport is only a 3-car!

 

[ChrisP99]

So yes, I just realised myself that it’s only 3 coaches.

I am not looking forward to the next hour at all and would absolutely rather stay in a hotel, but I have a feeling that because technically this transport is available (although if we all fit that will be interesting), they are going to argue with me about it.

 

[ChrisP99]

20:38 01/05/2025
This is getting absolutely ridiculous now with these 185s, as apparently now the delayed 20:23 we were meant to get from Stockport has itself failed at MAN….

It’s turning into my very own comedy of errors and yet I’m still laughing at the whole thing!

 

[ainsworth74]

I am not looking forward to the next hour at all and would absolutely rather stay in a hotel, but I have a feeling that because technically this transport is available (although if we all fit that will be interesting), they are going to argue with me about it.

You are correct I fear! If you go off and do your own thing now you're very unlikely to be able to recover money, at least not without a real battle, as alternative transport has been made available. Plus this isn't even the last train of the night either so if you can't get on it there will be others.

20:38 01/05/2025
This is getting absolutely ridiculous now with these 185s, as apparently now the delayed 20:23 we were meant to get from Stockport has itself failed at MAN….

It’s turning into my very own comedy of errors and yet I’m still laughing at the whole thing!

Yes set swap at Piccadilly but it's on it's way to you now!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Presumably affected passengers on the failed train will be entitled to 100% Delay Repay (from TPE)?

 

[ainsworth74]

Presumably affected passengers on the failed train will be entitled to 100% Delay Repay (from TPE)?

It would seem likely due to the length of the delay yes. Original arrival time at Sheffield would have been 1909 I would reckon they'll be doing well if they get there in 1B92 much before 2145 which is well over two hours.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

It would seem likely due to the length of the delay yes. Original arrival time at Sheffield would have been 1909 I would reckon they'll be doing well if they get there in 1B92 much before 2145 which is well over two hours.

1B92 (the 19:19 TPE departure from Liverpool LS to Cleethorpes, so the one setting off some two hours later) looks to have gotten into Sheffield at 21:53 (47 mins down) and then Cleethorpes at 23:35 (33 mins down). So, 2+ hours delay for the OP, either way.

 

[ainsworth74]

How did you get on in the end @ChrisP99?

 

[185]

Failures of Siemens sets across the UK seem to be creeping up on all fleets, both 185 and electric.

Tis a shame that with two sets, they couldn't just try split em, see which one works shift the passengers into the working train and dump the empty demic until a replacement driver arrives by taxi.

That said, fifteen years ago, one ex-TPE Duty Control Manager did this, but told the traincrew to leave the passengers on the failed set as, "it would cause too much of a delay" and drive off with the working one to keep performance high, left passengers stranded on an unstaffed unit for an hour... I'm not sure what platform he's sweeping nowadays.

 

[ChrisP99]

How did you get on in the end @ChrisP99?

When the (delayed) service we were supposed to get from Stockport at 20:22 ended up sitting as “Delayed” with no indication of when it would come around 20:40, I ended up throwing in the towel and just getting a room at the Holiday Inn Express directly next to Stockport station, it caught my eye (an excellent location I have to say) and I managed to grab a room for £75, which when you factor in the cost of the 100% delay replay plus the refund of the original service, meant I paid next-to-nothing for it.

I had work the next day remotely so was able to just log in from the hotel room, and finally got home to Sheffield at 11:30 today.

I will be making a number of trips to Ireland over the summer for work and I am considering going to Birmingham International instead now, which is what I used to do after a horrible experience at Manchester Airport’s security, but then that may mean I sacrifice being able to sit with XC as I usually don’t get much notice for these trips.

I wasn’t aware the trains TPE used were prone to so many issues, but perhaps I am just unlucky.

The summer is always a joy on the railways isn’t it?

 

[Dr Hoo]

It wasn’t a good evening to be travelling in the Hope Valley. After problems with EMR, Northern had several cancellations and I ended up catching the last bus from Sheffield. This ran into serious problems that I won’t go into but I ended up getting home at midnight, five hours later than expected.

Public transport as a whole can be very frustrating.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In the circumstances as described above, was the OP entitled to 'Delay Repay' by electing to leave the heavily delayed train at Stockport (and not continuing on a later train that same evening to Sheffield)? Weren't there some later services still running?