Alternate Route Rugby - Wolverhampton

[RUFJAN15]

On Monday (15th May) I attempted to travel to Birmingham International on 9S47, 07.43 Euston - Glasgow. All went well until the TM announced that, due to a signalling fault between Coventry & New St, we would be 'waiting' at Rugby. The train was stopped at Rugby (P2) and after a few minutes we were instructed that passengers for Coventry/Birmingham should leave the train and that it would continue direct to Stafford. The last I saw of 9S47 was it departing Northbound around 10 minutes late.

What has been intriguing me all week is that when I checked RTT to see how the train had got on no timings are shown (as expected) after Rugby, however it re-appears at Wolverhampton an hour after leaving Rugby. I cannot think of an electrified route between the Trent Valley line and Wolverhampton (other than the obvious Rugby - Stafford loop which was blocked). I am assuming that the Chase electrification is still not complete and that reversal at Rugeley TV was not possible.

My question is, can anyone tell me how 9S47 got to Wolverhampton. Did it double-back from Stafford, was there a diesel drag over the Nuneaton - Birmingham line, is there a route that I've missed or have RTT got it wrong? I am ruling out the possibility that it went through Coventry as there were no reports at any timing points.

The RTT record is at: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P52485/2017/05/15/advanced

 

[The Planner]

Id guess a reversal at Stafford as the original time there would get over written. You can do Rugby Stafford in about 35 ish minutes with a stop at both ends so reversing and going to Wolves in the times shown seems about right. Nothing has been dragged via Nuneaton in years so it wouldn't have been that.

 

[voyagerdude220]

Trust confirms that The Planner is correct to guess that this train ran Rugby-Stafford (reverse)-Wolverhampton, before reversing again and following its booked route to Glasgow Central.

 

[RUFJAN15]

Thanks; mystery solved!

I guess that Virgin control couldn't find another train to provide the Birmingham - Stafford connection.

Pity they didn't treat the passengers left at Rugby as well. We ended up on 1Y03, a LM 8x350, to Coventry where it was cancelled. Unfortunately the platform staff started dispatching the previous Virgin Pendolino service as the first passengers crossed the footbridge so few, if any, made the connection. The result was that the passengers from 1Y03/9S47 were left to wait for the next Virgin service, together with all the local passengers from Coventry. Unfortunately the next Virgin train (9G07) was a 5 car Voyager, leading to severe overcrowding.

 

[PHILIPE]

Trust confirms that The Planner is correct to guess that this train ran Rugby-Stafford (reverse)-Wolverhampton, before reversing again and following its booked route to Glasgow Central.

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