Avanti shambles today.

[wijit]

We were booked on 13:53 Preston>Edinburgh today. The train was, as expected mad busy. We were told we had to get off (for safety reasons-“there needs to be a clear walk through the coaches”) and were told it we could get the next train. Our son couldn’t get off.
12 people did get off (I counted). The next train was delayed due to making additional stops because of other cancellations. At this point we couldn’t find Avanti staff on the platforms.
We are currently on a coach to Edinburgh whilst people not booked on a train are merrily on their way.
Can any of you knowledgable folk know why an already busy train would make extra stops, as it doesn’t make sense to me?

 

[Some guy]

We were booked on 13:53 Preston>Edinburgh today. The train was, as expected mad busy. We were told we had to get off (for safety reasons-“there needs to be a clear walk through the coaches”) and were told it we could get the next train. Our son couldn’t get off.
12 people did get off (I counted). The next train was delayed due to making additional stops because of other cancellations. At this point we couldn’t find Avanti staff on the platforms.
We are currently on a coach to Edinburgh whilst people not booked on a train are merrily on their way.
Can any of you knowledgable folk know why an already busy train would make extra stops, as it doesn’t make sense to me?

Because worst transpennine express couldn’t run a bath and are cancelling services for fun meaning Avanti have to additionally stop at Lockerbie. A lot of the passengers onboard have TPE only tickets

 

[Trackman]

Because worst transpennine express couldn’t run a bath and are cancelling services for fun meaning Avanti have to additionally stop at Lockerbie. A lot of the passengers onboard have TPE only tickets

It's now a regular occurrence, ok one-offs or the odd ones I can live with.
I dread the announcement 'This train will very busy and late because.... '
.. and for the OP usually at Preston it happens to me too.

 

[hexagon789]

Pendolinos have weight sensors and if too heavily loaded they will not move. (It's based on individual axle loadings and if one axle loading brakes a preset threshold, the train won't budge.)

 

[Starmill]

If you arrived at your destination later than you were scheduled to, which sounds likely if you had to travel by bus from Preston to Edinburgh, you should be able to claim some compensation. Details are here: https://delayrepay.avantiwestcoast.co.uk

What time did you arrive in Edinburgh in the end?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Pendolinos have weight sensors and if too heavily loaded they will not move. (It's based on individual axle loadings and if one axle loading brakes a preset threshold, the train won't budge.)

There is I believe also a lower one that causes tilt to be disabled, and so 110 to be the maximum speed, and so causing lots of delay.

It unsurprisingly has nothing to do with being able to walk through, something which is not possible on a great many trains, particularly Avanti's when they cancel several in a row.

 

[Efini92]

Unfortunately that train had loads of passengers on from London that were trying to avoid the closures on the ECML, it was then delayed by an hour at Birmingham New Street due to an evacuation of the station.
The stop order was for a cancelled transpennine. It seems that TPE just rely on Avanti to pick up the pieces when they cancel their services.

Pendolinos have weight sensors and if too heavily loaded they will not move. (It's based on individual axle loadings and if one axle loading brakes a preset threshold, the train won't budge.)

Are you sure about that?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Unfortunately that train had loads of passengers on from London that were trying to avoid the closures on the ECML, it was then delayed by an hour at Birmingham New Street due to an evacuation of the station.
The stop order was for a cancelled transpennine. It seems that TPE just rely on Avanti to pick up the pieces when they cancel their services.

And to be fair vice versa at the moment - the two FirstGroup "brothers" are both doing bad.

 

[Efini92]

And to be fair vice versa at the moment - the two FirstGroup "brothers" are both doing bad.

That’s true. I hope Avanti aren’t going to get as bad as TPE

 

[Bletchleyite]

That’s true. I hope Avanti aren’t going to get as bad as TPE

I think that has already happened if threads on their performance are accurate.

 

[Bertie the bus]

Pendolinos have weight sensors and if too heavily loaded they will not move. (It's based on individual axle loadings and if one axle loading brakes a preset threshold, the train won't budge.)

I've been on a Pendolino where the TM refused to depart from Wigan unless some people got off. The concerning thing was this "dangerously overcrowded" train still had some available seats!

 

[Agent_Squash]

I've been on a Pendolino where the TM refused to depart from Wigan unless some people got off. The concerning thing was this "dangerously overcrowded" train still had some available seats!

It may be that the train has hit the tilt weight limit, so TASS won’t let it go above 110mph…

 

[Jamesrob637]

I travelled on the 18:35 Manchester to Euston yesterday and it wasn't crowded plus the Train manager was a very helpful guy, advising of the non-stop run Stoke-on-Trent to London as well as the industrial action today. Very impressed.

 

[Efini92]

I think that has already happened if threads on their performance are accurate.

They are bad at the min but they’ve got a long way to go to catch TPE up. When Northern was getting all the flak after the May ‘18 timetable change, TPE was equally as bad, but managed to stay out of the firing line. They haven’t improved since.

It may be that the train has hit the tilt weight limit, so TASS won’t let it go above 110mph…

It does, Coaches B,C,D & F. If the overload alarm goes off in those vehicles tilt has to be isolated.

 

[Skiddaw]

As I mentioned on the Avanti thread, it happened to me at Preston a couple of weeks ago. The TM told us that the train was 'dangerously overcrowded' and going no-where until enough people got off. Despite having paid for an SP upgrade I was one of the good citizens who did (they asked anyone travelling to Lancaster or Penrith to get on the next train) but I lived to regret it. The next train was half the size and also heaving due to previous cancellations- in fact, it was significantly more overcrowded than the one I'd got off and really was standing room only. I was barely able to get on at all. My husband, who met me at Penrith, said loads of people got off the previous train (the one I'd vacated) so I must have been more public-spirited than many. What really got my goat was the attitude of the TM, who made the announcement in a style reminiscent of the driver of the school bus ('until whoever did this owns up, we're staying where we are...'). It made me feel we were the problem rather than the myriad cancellations that had resulted in the trains being overloaded. Not usual for Avanti staff in my experience, and I expect she'd just about had enough, but it didn't help.