Delays on ECML at New Barnet (17 Dec)

[neilm]

Anyone know what the problem is? Seems like a very big issue.

 

[dave55uk]

I hear it's a massive signalling failure. Precisely where or what I do not know.

 

[stut]

I heard rumours of multiple cable thefts, but know nothing more substantive than that.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Not theft - most functionality now restored , after a very challenging day.

 

[A-driver]

Not theft - most functionality now restored , after a very challenging day.

Was confirmed as theft by control earlier today although there has been lots of mis-info going out.

Still total chaos today and certainly will be rest of tonight and probably tomorrow morning.

 

[jimney]

I know slagging off TOCs on a day like today can be seen as unhelpful. But I do feel FCC really haven't helped themselves. A lot, certainly, has been out of their control. The time things broke, just before the morning rush hour - I can't think of a worst time for something major to happen.

Yet this evening, Kings Cross around 6:30 a semi fast to Peterborough is announced -the first for a while - and yet when it rolls into the station it is only a four car service. I was lucky enough to cram on, but even the driver apologised over the PA for this fact and added 'had he realised he only had 4 cars he probably wouldn't have turned up!' I appreciate stock must have been all over the place, but would it really have delayed things that much more to find another unit to couple up to on the way down? Sure, would have taken more time, but faced with another 5 min delay or angering an extra xxx commuters...

Or am I being naive and unreasonable about this? With the number of services cancelled and not running there must have been plenty of spare stock around, surely?

 

[bengolding]

Lets hope the Queen didn't arrive at Kings Cross today expecting to travel to Kings Lynn as it was cancelled due to the problems. If its later in the week, I'd expect it to get priority like last year when she travelled on my service.

 

[Skimpot flyer]

I was hoping to catch the 13:05 semi-fast to Foxton (Cambridge), intending to get off at Hatfield. I was directed to St Pancras, told tickets would be accepted on local buses. To my surprise, my ticket opened the ticket gate at St Pancras (no having to find a member of staff, to let me through) without any delay, so I was able to catch the 13:18 to Bedford, which goes non-stop to St Albans. The 601 bus driver similarly waved me onto the bus without any argument, and so the inconvenience from the disruption was kept to an absolute minimum. Plaudits to FCC

 

[stut]

Well, the journey in was painful (1h30 in a full-and-standing 321), but I was pretty lucky on the return. Lots of spare capacity on EC (who were stopping at SVG on all services), with decent connections north from there. I actually got home earlier than usual!

Information was dismal, although I understand the fault affected some of the information systems. It was the now familiar case of LDB being a work of fiction and the FCC website being at best based on a true story. I'm not sure of the usefulness of a delay reporting system that can only tell you when things are running on time, but there you go.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Classed as "cable fault" - nearly 600 cancellations for 9,200 mins. Problem not helped by issues on information systems during the problems. Bad day all round to say the very least.

 

[philjo]

The screens at Potters Bar running in disruption mode were fairly accurate last night though a 4 coach train to Peterborough did stop unannounced about 5pm (which I didn't get on as it was full and the driver said there was another 8 coach train behind. after that a Cambridge train appeared on the screen and it arrived at the time shown on the screens.

A very long queue for buses at Potters Bar yesterday morning though luckily not many were joining me for the 84 to St Albans.

The online departure boards seem to show the normal timetable, not the disruption mode.