Diversion route knowledge

[chris7153]

I travelled today on Southeastern service from Hastings to London Charing Cross, which due to engineering possesion on the mainline, was diverted via Beckenham Junction and the Hayes line to Lewisham. This got me wondering is this a common diversionary route? and did Southeastern struggle to find mainline drivers with surburan route knowledge of the Hayes line?

 

[jnjkerbin]

It's a pretty regularly diversionary route, and there are a few (2?) trains per day that run that way in the early hours and last thing at night to maintain route knowledge.

 

[bionic]

This got me wondering is this a common diversionary route?

Yes

did Southeastern struggle to find mainline drivers with surburan route knowledge of the Hayes line?

No

 

[jnjkerbin]

Now I'm at a computer I was able to check the details:

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays Only:
1Y86 0015 Charing X - Tunbridge Wells

and

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays:
1Y02 0445 Tonbridge - Charin X

 

[cossie4i]

The driver could also be conducted over a route they do not sign.

 

[olympus]

It's a pretty regularly diversionary route, and there are a few (2?) trains per day that run that way in the early hours and last thing at night to maintain route knowledge.

CrossCountry do this between Birmingham New Street and Cheltenham Spa; an early morning service (1V01 Birmingham New Street to Cardiff Central) goes via Kidderminster and Worcester. I can't imagine many passengers use it as the next Birmingham to Cardiff service overtakes it. The route knowledge must have been useful during work to build the new Bromsgrove station.

 

[Pokelet]

There are a few XC's through Worcester, from the north there's 2 options. New St - soho - Galton Jnc to the Snow Hill lines South via Kidderminster or New St via Bromsgrove - Stoke Works Jnc to Droitwich. There are a couple of voyagers that go north of an evening via Kidderminster and some Cardiff's vie Stoke Works.

 

[RichJF]

It's a pretty regularly diversionary route, and there are a few (2?) trains per day that run that way in the early hours and last thing at night to maintain route knowledge.

A lot of mainline drivers also retain knowledge of the "old route" via Redhill & Croydon. Trains often (but not regularly) diverted up the BML to Bricklayers Arms then proceed into Charing X.