Any idea whats going on at Farringdon?

[j0hn0]

Apart from the obvious Crossrail construction

Thameslink was closed last night (after I got the last train! but my girlfriend got stuck) and in the morning and this morning, hardly any services on the circle etc.

Someone cut the power chords?

 

[DavidBusDriver]

Last night was a rather nasty situation indeed, however looks like things have returned to relatively normal this morning, with services running through the core, although some minor delays, cancellations, and short-formations.

There was a major power failure yesterday evening in the Kentish Town area, from about 18:00 onwards to end of service, which lead to huge backlogs of trains heading northbound - things started going through again at about 22:30 or so.

Can't speculate any further, though it seems FCC and NwR are conducting a full investigation - headed by FCC's Managing Director, as according to the driver I was with yesterday evening, was the worst situation he had seen in a lot of years!

 

[j0hn0]

ouch, my girlfriend went with the majority of commuters via the northern line to kentish town, apparently just not enough room for so many people at those stations. Then an empty train turned up, everyone got on it, then got told to get off as it was going back to the depot!! classic!

Somehow I've managed to miss the brunt of these issues, I really fluked it last night, but the last 2 mornings have had huge queues at st pancras tube with some of the most irritating and irate people I've ever seen. Some woman was so incensed that someone filtered in front of her in the "queue" that she started pushing and shouting etc etc.

Honestly, why do these people act like such children? It's London, deal with it!

 

[Furrball]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-13569666

@FirstCC Twitter stream from last night gives a good indication too

 

[OxtedL]

That looks like utter hell. Good to see FCC demonstrate their legendary communication skills...

What will have eventually "towed" the train?

 

[First class]

That looks like utter hell. Good to see FCC demonstrate their legendary communication skills...

What will have eventually "towed" the train?

Another unit probably.

 

[jon0844]

I think it's good that FCC now has someone to Tweet, and it did mean a lot of people getting personal replies - which does at least show the company (or at least one person) cares.

I think that this is good PR, and I can't believe FCC didn't invest in someone to do this important role ages ago. I bet the salary isn't great, but for things like this it really does pay for itself.

People want information, even if it's bad news. People eventually accept the situation, especially if they're given an explanation. Okay, a power cut isn't quite like 7/7 (where everyone showed they didn't have a problem with incredible disruption for some time) but if people weren't told, how did they know... and it also means people jumping to the conclusion that nothing is being done, or isn't being done properly.

Twitter allows a time-stamped real-time update of a situation, which is where it has a purpose (as against naming people who have super injunctions, or self promoting celebs talking crap) - people on the train could get told where a rescue train was, if the power was restored, onward travel plans etc.

Sadly, I don't think FCC managed to do that part very well, but it's a start.

 

[C2L]

That looks like utter hell. Good to see FCC demonstrate their legendary communication skills...

What will have eventually "towed" the train?

I was on the stuck train (1757 from Farringdon), it was an 8 car 377.

The reports of a loud bang are slightly over the top. It was just the pantograph going up as the driver was trying to get power to the front train as that’s the one that lost power. On restarting the first set came online but the last set then went offline. The driver then decided to try and get the trains moving with just the one set online. It worked for around 200 yards then the first set went offline again but this time wouldn’t get anything working and the wait started.
At around 21:00 another 4 car 377 turned up to tow us out to Kentish town. Once power had been restored to the line.
However it was disgraceful that there wasn’t any communication from anyone for the whole event. One message 20 mins in saying that someone would tow us out eventually. Twitter was the only soruce.
The main problem was that it was an overcrowded train with no windows + no power for the air conditioning.

When we got to Kenish town there were no FCC staff and no announcements of when/where the next train would arrive.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Will be interesting to see what the actual problem was here, if we ever do. The train, seemingly a 377 presumably failed in Belsize Tunnel with something going bang. There is a suggestion of a problem at St Pancras, which was sorted (at least temporarily) with the train being rebooted, but the FCC spokesman mentions a problem at Farringdon, as does the OP. Belsize Tunnel and Farringdon are the same electrical section though.

 

[C2L]

Will be interesting to see what the actual problem was here, if we ever do. The train, seemingly a 377 presumably failed in Belsize Tunnel with something going bang. There is a suggestion of a problem at St Pancras, which was sorted (at least temporarily) with the train being rebooted, but the FCC spokesman mentions a problem at Farringdon, as does the OP. Belsize Tunnel and Farringdon are the same electrical section though.

The Farringdon quote confused me aswell as first first sign of a problem was when the power went off as we entered St Pancras.

However southbound was also lacking on trains... think we counted 6 during the whole ordeal when typically there should be one ever 4 mins

 

[ChrisCooper]

The only think I can think was that an issue at Farringdon caused the loss of power over the entire section, but it would not fit easily with the "explosions" heard in relation to the train that got stuck in Belsize Tunnel, unless there was a big power surge (could have been another when it was at St Pancras).

 

[jon0844]

You can certainly get some very loud noises from the pantograph carriage, and I can see how people might think it was an explosion.

 

[j0hn0]

All the messages were, at the outset, that something had happened to the power at Farringdon the day before (circle line services severely disrupted)
Yesterday, my girlfriend was also told this initially, but then it was made aware that the problem was at Kentish Town.
Plus I also saw disruption on the Circle this morning with "Signal failure at Aldgate" this morning.

Quite a lot to go wrong in one small section really.

I stand by my speculation of someone from Crossrail turning off the wrong power line, or something

 

[Firestarter]

ouch, my girlfriend went with the majority of commuters via the northern line to kentish town, apparently just not enough room for so many people at those stations. Then an empty train turned up, everyone got on it, then got told to get off as it was going back to the depot!! classic!

If the train was empty going to the depot why did driver open the doors????
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You rarely find staff at Kentish as the station is unmanned and as a result no annoucements.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

You rarely find staff at Kentish as the station is unmanned and as a result no annoucements.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Some woman was so incensed that someone filtered in front of her in the "queue" that she started pushing and shouting etc etc.

Honestly, why do these people act like such children? It's London, deal with it!

Can you define what you mean by "someone filtered in front of her" when used in the context of that sentence, please.

 

[Smoggy]

The problem as mentioned was a unit fault on 1W95 (377510/377518) and noy any electrical supply issues. This caused electrical section 602 to trip which is the Down Moorgate between Farringdon and Kentish Town. Once both pantographs had been lowered, the ECO was able to reset section 602 to restore power to other trapped services.

The trains either side of 1W95 were Class 319 units which require an emergency coupler which could not easily be located. So 1T55 was terminated at Hendon, with the 8-car travelling to Cricklewood to be split (as 377s cant work in 16-car mode), so the front unit could assist 1W95.

 

[ChrisCooper]

The problem as mentioned was a unit fault on 1W95 (377510/377518) and noy any electrical supply issues. This caused electrical section 602 to trip which is the Down Moorgate between Farringdon and Kentish Town. Once both pantographs had been lowered, the ECO was able to reset section 602 to restore power to other trapped services.

The trains either side of 1W95 were Class 319 units which require an emergency coupler which could not easily be located. So 1T55 was terminated at Hendon, with the 8-car travelling to Cricklewood to be split (as 377s cant work in 16-car mode), so the front unit could assist 1W95.

Why does the BBC news site talk about a St Pancras to St Albans service which failed in a tunnel and was dragged back to Kentish Town then? Was this another incident? This train wouldn't have even been in the same section at the time (being north of Kentish Town.

One thing this shows is the mess of having uncompatable couplers on stock. Why Southern and SET couldn't have just stuck with tightlocks.

 

[DavidBusDriver]

1W95 operates non-stop between St. Pancras International and St. Albans, hence the reference to a 'St. Pancras tp St. Albans' service, however the set starts from Brighton, and works up to Bedford.