Christmas Day Operations

[Mothball]

Hello all and Merry Christmas!

Now its well known that the rail network pretty much shuts down for the day but reading on this forum I see there is a shuttle running between the Heathrow stations, im not from that area so don't know of that is a yearly thing but it got me thinking, is there anywhere else on the network running today? I've no doubt there will be a few engineering trains somewhere making the most of the shutdown but I presume they made there way to the area in the previous days with nothing having to run any sort of distance today.

 

[Bertie the bus]

There have been some train movements.Some here from a quick search of about half a dozen locations on RTT:
Realtime Trains - 691F 0724 Whitemoor Yard L.D.C Gbrf to Peterborough
Realtime Trains - 6G02 1000 Doncaster to Doncaster Up Decoy
Realtime Trains - 6G10 0700 Eastleigh East Yard to Clapham Junction
Realtime Trains - 6G11 1217½ Eastleigh East Yard to Clapham Junction

 

[DB]

Are any operators running tomorrow?

Last year Northern ran a very minimal service on a few lines only (the first time they'd run at all on boxing day), but back to nothing again this year.

 

[High Dyke]

Don't forget many signal boxes / signalling centres may also be open for engineering work, that also may or may not require train movements.

 

[jack31439]

Gatwick Express/ Southern running a Victoria to Gatwick service tomorrow calling at CLJ and ECR, so I'm in work unfortunately.

 

[matt_world2004]

Are any operators running tomorrow?

Last year Northern ran a very minimal service on a few lines only (the first time they'd run at all on boxing day), but back to nothing again this year.

TfL Rail is running every 30 minutes between Heathrow and paddington.

 

[Flange Squeal]

Are any operators running tomorrow?

Greater Anglia

• Tottenham Hale to Stansted Airport (half-hourly)

Heathrow Express:

• London Paddington to Heathrow Terminal 5 (half-hourly)

London Overground

• Dalston Junction to West Croydon (every 15 mins)
• Gospel Oak to Clapham Junction (every 15 mins)

ScotRail

• Balloch to Larkhall (hourly)
• Balloch to Mortherwell (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Ayr (half-hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Ardrossan (five journeys)
• Glasgow Central to East Kilbride (half-hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Largs (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Gourock (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Kilmarnock (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Lanark (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Neilston (half-hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Newton (half-hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Paisley Canal (hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Shotts (two-hourly)
• Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay (hourly)
• Glasgow Queen Street to Anniesland (hourly)
• Glasgow Queen Street to Cumbernauld (hourly)
• Helensburgh to Bathgate (half-hourly)
• Kilmarnock to Girvan (two-hourly)
• Milngavie to Motherwell (half-hourly)
• Partick to Springburn (hourly)

Southern

• London Victoria to East Croydon via Crystal Palace (half-hourly)
• London Victoria to Sutton via West Croydon (half-hourly)
• London Victoria to Three Bridges (half-hourly, alternate trains continue to Brighton hourly)

TfL Rail

• London Paddington and Heathrow Terminal 5 (half-hourly)

 

[AMD]

Last year Northern ran a very minimal service on a few lines only (the first time they'd run at all on boxing day), but back to nothing again this year.

Transport for the North signed off the decision to not run anything Boxing Day this year, with the Covid effect driving the decision. There will be services again next year, and more than was attempted in 2019.

 

[DarloRich]

There are many thousands of people out there right now working on the track. They often seem to be overlooked.

 

[Dunfanaghy Rd]

There are many thousands of people out there right now working on the track. They often seem to be overlooked.

Well said that man.
Pat

 

[Tallguy]

There are many thousands of people out there right now working on the track. They often seem to be overlooked.

Hope they are getting triple rate. I for one don’t really do Xmas so would happily work on Xmas day at a suitable premium rate if my job warranted it. Some years ago I passed interviews and assessments to join LUL (which I eventually declined the job) but one of the things that came up in the informal group sessions was Xmas day working, which did appeal to me.

 

[LAX54]

There have been some train movements.Some here from a quick search of about half a dozen locations on RTT:
Realtime Trains - 691F 0724 Whitemoor Yard L.D.C Gbrf to Peterborough
Realtime Trains - 6G02 1000 Doncaster to Doncaster Up Decoy
Realtime Trains - 6G10 0700 Eastleigh East Yard to Clapham Junction
Realtime Trains - 6G11 1217½ Eastleigh East Yard to Clapham Junction

Think we had 7 into Colchester today (almost an hourly service at one point through Ipswich)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Dec 2020 ==

Don't forget many signal boxes / signalling centres may also be open for engineering work, that also may or may not require train movements.

Most PSBs /IECCs/ROCs, if not all, are open 365 days a year. (think I can count on one hand how many Christmas / Boxing Days days I have had off since 1972!)

 

[infobleep]

Transport for the North signed off the decision to not run anything Boxing Day this year, with the Covid effect driving the decision. There will be services again next year, and more than was attempted in 2019.

I'm surprised they didn't do something similar in the south east. I mean who will need to travel between Brighton and London tomorrow? If they do, their need to travel can't surely be any greater than someone on a train line without a service, aka South Western Railway or even Northern.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Dec 2020 ==

Think we had 7 into Colchester today (almost an hourly service at one point through Ipswich)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Dec 2020 ==



Most PSBs /IECCs/ROCs, if not all, are open 365 days a year. (think I can count on one hand how many Christmas / Boxing Days days I have had off since 1972!)

Do they remind open on lines where no trains are running today? Iz there anything they can do if trains aren't running? Learning, admin, maintenance for example?

 

[norbitonflyer]

I mean who will need to travel between Brighton and London tomorrow?

Probably running because Gatwick Airport is on that line

 

[jack31439]

Probably running because Gatwick Airport is on that line

On my journey from ECR to CLJ this morning, the 12 car 387 was surprisingly well loaded for a 0646 boxing day morning journey!

 

[Wyrleybart]

Think we had 7 into Colchester today (almost an hourly service at one point through Ipswich)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Dec 2020 ==



Most PSBs /IECCs/ROCs, if not all, are open 365 days a year. (think I can count on one hand how many Christmas / Boxing Days days I have had off since 1972!)

Also worth remembering that some loco and traincrew depots were manned over Christmas to keep the locos serviceable. There were footplate staff rostered to Frost Precautions duties which involved starting the locos up and running them for a couple of hours then shutting them down to keep them warm and preventing ice damage.

In the 1960s era Bescot BOP and TMD there were frost warning devices bolted to an exterior wall with an audible warning and pairs of indicator lamps for first stage and second stage frost warnings. The TCI had to press a button to acknowledge the warning.

Also reminding that since privatisation there has been ballast train activity over the festive period. One ofthe memorable ones for me was a huge relaying and reballasting project between Bushbury Jn and Stafford around 2000. Not sure how many trains were involved but they were pretty long ones some with pairs of 37s.

Finally to restart on Boxing night BR used to run route proving locos over certain routes to make sure all the signalling worked correctly.

 

[LAX54]

I'm surprised they didn't do something similar in the south east. I mean who will need to travel between Brighton and London tomorrow? If they do, their need to travel can't surely be any greater than someone on a train line without a service, aka South Western Railway or even Northern.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Dec 2020 ==


Do they remind open on lines where no trains are running today? Iz there anything they can do if trains aren't running? Learning, admin, maintenance for example?

If there is no Engieering Work / S&T work etc, and the route is not needed for Engineering Trains, then the box will close after last service on Christmas Eve / Day and open at the start of the shift where the first train is booked to run.#In a PSB / IECC there will be a reduced staffing level, and those booked on will cover all the panels / workstations as required during the day (& night !) A PSB with say 11 on duty normally, will possibly have 4 in, covering panels as needed, depending on the work being carried out.

 

[TheEdge]

If there is no Engieering Work / S&T work etc, and the route is not needed for Engineering Trains, then the box will close after last service on Christmas Eve / Day and open at the start of the shift where the first train is booked to run.

How does that work for UWCs? If the East Suffolk is closed and Saxmundham is closed do the UWCs get a recorded message saying its safe to cross or do they divert to an open box or a ROC?

 

[LAX54]

How does that work for UWCs? If the East Suffolk is closed and Saxmundham is closed do the UWCs get a recorded message saying its safe to cross or do they divert to an open box or a ROC?

Not sure what they did this year, but in the past, the MOM or LCM used to visit all the xings with phones and placed stickers / notices on the phones to advise line was closed at the times on the notice.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Boxing Day tamping at Red Cow crossing,Exeter.

 

[DarloRich]

Boxing Day tamping at Red Cow crossing,Exeter.
View attachment 87672

Good to see the yellow team have locked out the front row. Intresting drag to the first corner

 

[Tom Quinne]

I'm surprised they didn't do something similar in the south east. I mean who will need to travel between Brighton and London tomorrow? If they do, their need to travel can't surely be any greater than someone on a train line without a service, aka South Western Railway or even Northern.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Dec 2020 ==


Do they remind open on lines where no trains are running today? Iz there anything they can do if trains aren't running? Learning, admin, maintenance for example?

My location is open 365/24, on Xmas day we have one signaller from each link overseeing the workstations in each of their links. There’s no trains running, aside from a handful of possession related trains so it’s just answering the phone to PICOPS / ES / S&T staff doing work out there.

Smaller locations usually close after any possessions have been granted, with the box remaining closed until day turn Boxing Day or even 27th depending on what service is running.

 

[6Gman]

Is it time for my Speke Junction Christmas story?

If not, please don't read on.

The Yard Supervisor was worried that the local scallys would help themselves to the detonators on locos over the Christmas break with explosive consequences.

So he removed them all and locked them in a hut.

Which the scallys burned down over Christmas.

Come the 27th plenty of locos; no detonators.

 

[Pacef8]

The wigan test train is currently running round the mersey network as it just passed bebington.

Realtime Trains - 324M 2137 Chester to Wigan L.I.P.

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[infobleep]

Probably running because Gatwick Airport is on that line

I doubt anyone is flying in or out of Gatwick Airport much. Certainly no Great Western Railway service to thr airport.

Wouldn't Northern run to airports boxing day 2019?

 

[High Dyke]

How does that work for UWCs? If the East Suffolk is closed and Saxmundham is closed do the UWCs get a recorded message saying its safe to cross or do they divert to an open box or a ROC?

From my own experience, those locations that are closed have an absence switch for AHB level crossings and the phone concentrator, where UWC calls would be routed. If that particular line is closed then it is just like a normal closed route situation for the crossings.

In some cases a crossing may have the alternative number of the respective Operations Control for users to ring. We have this at a couple of stations, where I cover.

 

[Ianno87]

I doubt anyone is flying in or out of Gatwick Airport much. Certainly no Great Western Railway service to thr airport.

Enough to justify a basic service no doubt.

 

[matt_world2004]

It may be the case that Gatwick airport has an agreement with the DfT for a minimum service provision on boxing Day.

Or that GTR are contractually obliged by the DfT to run a service boxing day.

The fact that the agreement is temporarily is not needed because of a covid related fall in demand. Doesn't mean they cannot honour it.

 

[Dai Corner]

It may be the case that Gatwick airport has an agreement with the DfT for a minimum service provision on boxing Day.

Or that GTR are contractually obliged by the DfT to run a service boxing day.

The fact that the agreement is temporarily is not needed because of a covid related fall in demand. Doesn't mean they cannot honour it.

Running them (at the DfT or airport's expense) probably helps keep the rails shiny and free of leaves and ice too.

 

[infobleep]

Running them (at the DfT or airport's expense) probably helps keep the rails shiny and free of leaves and ice too.

I'd expect more ice in the North where Northern decided not to run services this boxing day. I assume the running of side services was in their franchise agreement.