6E82 Rectory Jn - Lindsey

[DeltaAustralia]

I'm local to Lincoln area, and at roughly 15:30 every day there's an oil tanker service operated by Colas (6E82) which runs from Rectory Jn (Nottingham) to Lindsey Oil Refinery.
However, for the entire period I've noticed, since 2019, it's been cancelled every single day (FL, a request by the operator).

Now, I'm already with the knowledge that the terminal at Rectory Jn has been closed since c.2017, so this service can't and won't run again, but my question is: why is it still on the timetable all these years later and has to be cancelled every day? Surely someone in logistics will have noticed by now, especially seeing the many timetable changes that have happened since?

I've already browsed around for the answer and nobody seems to have it. Any suggestions?

 

[High Dyke]

I'm not totally certain, but it could be to maintain the path, should it ever be needed. However, as the oil terminal has closed it does seem a bit odd.

 

[zwk500]

It could be that they're preserving a path through Lincoln and into Lindsey for potential future traffic from elsewhere. Or it might be that there's a plan to convert the terminal into a different type of railhead, and they need the path in the system to prevent anybody disconnecting the terminal.

 

[Class15]

It could be that they're preserving a path through Lincoln and into Lindsey for potential future traffic from elsewhere. Or it might be that there's a plan to convert the terminal into a different type of railhead, and they need the path in the system to prevent anybody disconnecting the terminal.

Could they not make it a runs as required service?

 

[zwk500]

Could they not make it a runs as required service?

They could, but there's little functional difference so they have higher priorities, and Q paths may rank lower than full paths in retention discussions. There may also be an administrative difference between constantly cacnelling a full path and never activating a Q path for the purposes of a Part J transfer.
If they had to run a light loco in the path every month to keep it in that could well be more expensive than what's currently happening.

 

[Adrian Barr]

Two slightly different aspects to this:

why is it still on the timetable all these years later

As already mentioned, I think the WTT for freight services functions as a sort of catalogue of paths which are related to access rights (the details of which I don't pretend to understand, although there is probably documentation somewhere on the Network Rail website). The terminal might never be used again but the path to Immingham might be. Some defunct schedules disappear from the timetable much faster than others.

and has to be cancelled every day?

Schedules are set up to be either "Auto-Call" or "Manual-Call" in TRUST, which controls how the schedule is activated. As far as I know, this isn't directly related to whether they are a technically a Q path or not (for example 1A97 mail train off Warrington, a regular runner, was a manual call schedule until fairly recently).

6E82 is a good example of where it would be better for a schedule to be manual call, although once a WTT schedule is created in the TRUST system for a particular timetable period, I don't think there is a simple way to toggle the auto-call function on or off. In an ideal world all the planning systems would sync together and the auto-call schedules for freight would reflect the trains planned to run that week, but TRUST is a very old system with various limitations, linked to TOPS which was originally set up to work with punch-cards...

 

[zwk500]

As already mentioned, I think the WTT for freight services functions as a sort of catalogue of paths which are related to access rights (the details of which I don't pretend to understand, although there is probably documentation somewhere on the Network Rail website). The terminal might never be used again but the path to Immingham might be. Some defunct schedules disappear from the timetable much faster than others.

Other way round, on a pedantic note: the Access rights tables (which I don't think are public domain but could well be) are a catalogue of what's in the WTT. However you can't have a path in one without the other (various caveats aside).

Schedules are set up to be either "Auto-Call" or "Manual-Call" in TRUST, which controls how the schedule is activated. As far as I know, this isn't directly related to whether they are a technically a Q path or not (for example 1A97 mail train off Warrington, a regular runner, was a manual call schedule until fairly recently).

BIB - yes it is. A Schedule is 'Auto-call' in TRUST unless it is marked with a Q (Runs as required) or Y (runs to/from terminals as required) Operating characteristic, in which case it will be Manual-Call. Some near-permanent runners are Y paths (the alternate terminal is rarely used) and therefore are manual call.

6E82 is a good example of where it would be better for a schedule to be manual call, although once a WTT schedule is created in the TRUST system for a particular timetable period, I don't think there is a simple way to toggle the auto-call function on or off.

From a data point of view there is (Knocking the Q out or putting it on is a simple process), although from a Rights and procedure point it is a lot more complicated.

 

[Eloise]

Rights Tables are very much in the public domain.

Consolidated agreements | Office of Rail and Road

A consolidated (or conformed) agreement is a document incorporating all approved amendments to the existing approved agreement.

www.orr.gov.uk

 

[zwk500]

Rights Tables are very much in the public domain.

Consolidated agreements | Office of Rail and Road

A consolidated (or conformed) agreement is a document incorporating all approved amendments to the existing approved agreement.

www.orr.gov.uk

Thanks, couldn't remember if they needed a login as I've only used them at work.