ECML major disruption (26/07)

[Benjaminmorgan]

From what I can see, they're running an hourly Peterborough - Kings Cross shuttle service for the time being; all Thameslink services originating from Horsham are terminating at Redhill currently.

Are they using class 387s on the Peterborough to King's Cross when they are disrupted?

 

[MotCO]

I would advise having a look at Open Train Times Maps maps

If only this could be displayed on the monitors at KGX - maybe on a scrolling screen - then passengers could see what services are running at a glance without having to find staff to question.

Btw, when I opened it, many signals were white - I thought they only showed red or green. Does white mean yellow, or is the signal not communicating with the data base?

 

[notverydeep]

If only this could be displayed on the monitors at KGX - maybe on a scrolling screen - then passengers could see what services are running at a glance without having to find staff to question.

Btw, when I opened it, many signals were white - I thought they only showed red or green. Does white mean yellow, or is the signal not communicating with the data base?

The monitor by the gate line at WGC often does have this map. The staff there find it helps….

I think these are automatic signals that are always clear if the sections ahead are clear and cannot be ‘controlled’ that is held at red by the signaller (apologies if that isn’t the correct National Rail terminology). These do not report their state to the Network Rail data feed that drives these maps (and Real Time Trains etc.)…

 

[FuzzyDuck]

Are they using class 387s on the Peterborough to King's Cross when they are disrupted?

Only two have run as far as I can see, 1E17 & 1E19, no loco information on RTT.

 

[childwallblues]

Currently at Leeds, meant to be on 11.15 LDS-KGS as far as Stevenage. Staff suggesting either going to Manchester then on to Euston or Sheffield and on to St Pancras & then back out.
Safe to say the platform for the delayed 11.11 XC service via Sheffield is very busy!
Opting for the much quieter if slightly slower 11.39 Leeds-Lincoln via Sheffield Northern service…

The 1111 at SHF from EDB to PLY was full and standing when it left YRK. It was only a 4 car Voyager (220026) and left lots of passengers behind.

 

[DanNCL]

Only two have run as far as I can see, 1E17 & 1E19, no loco information on RTT.

Both of those will have been 801s.

 

[800001]

Both of those will have been 801s.

1E17 - 801202
1E19 - 800106, although also showing 801229, so maybe swapped on route

 

[bramling]

Are they using class 387s on the Peterborough to King's Cross when they are disrupted?

Can’t speak for today, but normally it will be 700/1s. Apart from that this ensures everything is 12-car, it allows last trains to be made up fairly readily. An hourly Peterborough-KX service requires as few as 3x 700/1.

 

[dan4291]

Are there any pictures of the OHLE damage circulating anywhere?

 

[Silver Cobra]

Are there any pictures of the OHLE damage circulating anywhere?

The Thameslink Twitter account posted a tweet earlier today showing some of the damage to the OHL:

https://twitter.com/TLRailUK/status/1551876398448611328?s=20&t=JiGMfSKA1oC0sC6lVieBKQ

Disruption is owing to overhead line damage between Hitchin and St Neots. But how does that impact our trains and how is it resolved? Colleagues at Network Rail have a dedicated page with more information below. https://networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/overhead-line-equipment-failures/…



ALT
https://twitter.com/TLRailUK/status/1551876398448611328/photo/2

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

From what I can see, they're running an hourly Peterborough - Kings Cross shuttle service for the time being; all Thameslink services originating from Horsham are terminating at Redhill currently.

Usual practice just throw in the towel on the South side of the river as soon as there any issues on the North side

 

[philjo]

Are they using class 387s on the Peterborough to King's Cross when they are disrupted?

I think the 1633 kings cross to Peterborough calling only at Stevenage was 2x387 as this overtook me travelling on the 1622 Cambridge stopper. The 1616 kings cross to Peterborough was 12 coach 700 though didn’t look overly full - it seemed to be added to the departures about 10 minutes beforehand. The driver on the 1622 announced the 1616 was on platform 8 so I suspect some passengers for Hitchin and Stevenage would have transferred. The 1622 started boarding around 1555 and was the only GN service on the departure boards not listed as cancelled at that point.

 

[Ex-controller]

Plus crews will be all to pot now. Leeds crews may now be covering for KGx crews and helping the services to Peterborough, hence why Leeds serviced all binned.

There will be a method in the madness somewhere.

I would love all the armchair experts to go to a control room and run a service in disruption whilst also dealing with stranded and failed trains.

I concur

 

[baz962]

Plus crews will be all to pot now. Leeds crews may now be covering for KGx crews and helping the services to Peterborough, hence why Leeds serviced all binned.

There will be a method in the madness somewhere.

I would love all the armchair experts to go to a control room and run a service in disruption whilst also dealing with stranded and failed trains.

To be fair though , most of us could make better decisions. Although as a driver at my current toc I have not had any problems with control and they seemingly do a good job . Last toc however would frequently when having two trains close together , would want to run the one behind fast . Both going over the same track to the same destination and with nowhere to pass , so how does the second one run fast. Or the fact that they would want you to run fast and not tell you and then ask you why you didn't run fast, close to the destination.

 

[Class 170101]

Looks like all four lines north of Hitchin are now closed for the night, T3 possession being indicated at Sandy.

 

[mildertduck]

Looking at Twitter, there seem to be passengers stranded at Peterborough and Huntington still :/

 

[800001]

To be fair though , most of us could make better decisions. Although as a driver at my current toc I have not had any problems with control and they seemingly do a good job . Last toc however would frequently when having two trains close together , would want to run the one behind fast . Both going over the same track to the same destination and with nowhere to pass , so how does the second one run fast. Or the fact that they would want you to run fast and not tell you and then ask you why you didn't run fast, close to the destination.

If you can make better decisions get a job in control

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jul 2022 ==

Looking at Twitter, there seem to be passengers stranded at Peterborough and Huntington still :/

There is coaches from Peterborough to Bedford to connect onto the last service to London 00:15.

Also 70 taxis ordered to Peterborough to get people moving

 

[GordonT]

If you can make better decisions get a job in control

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jul 2022 ==


There is coaches from Peterborough to Bedford to connect onto the last service to London 00:15.

Also 70 taxis ordered to Peterborough to get people moving

The folk decanted at Huntingdon are unlikely to be best pleased.

 

[baz962]

If you can make better decisions get a job in control

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 26 Jul 2022 ==


There is coaches from Peterborough to Bedford to connect onto the last service to London 00:15.

Also 70 taxis ordered to Peterborough to get people moving

That's your answer. So you think that the train behind with no way round the train in front should be run fast. It's quite easy and I will give you a clue. Run the one in front fast. I could make far better decisions, but alas I prefer driving.

 

[KGX]

There was a Huntingdon train at PBO Platform 1 when one of the LNERs terminated. Busy Leeds train as it picked up the 1700 EDI loading from DON. Staff member encouraging people to hurry for the Huntington connection. I think a few unsavvy travellers heading to London may have boarded by mistake. Direction & info at PBO was very poor.

 

[GordonT]

There was a Huntingdon train at PBO Platform 1 when one of the LNERs terminated. Busy Leeds train as it picked up the 1700 EDI loading from DON. Staff member encouraging people to hurry for the Huntington connection. I think a few unsavvy travellers heading to London may have boarded by mistake. Direction & info at PBO was very poor.

Feedback including video recordings on LNER Twitter feed clearly show considerably more than "a few".

 

[Falcon1200]

I would love all the armchair experts to go to a control room and run a service in disruption whilst also dealing with stranded and failed trains.

I concur

So do I.

To be fair though , most of us could make better decisions.

If you can make better decisions get a job in control

Indeed.

I could make far better decisions, but alas I prefer driving.

Really ? Have you actually ever spent any time in a Control room during major disruption such as this ? Anyone who hasn't does not have the first clue of the pressure and volume of work Controllers are subjected to in such situations.

 

[sjpowermac]

Feedback including video recordings on LNER Twitter feed clearly show considerably more than "a few".

Yes, it seems including a party with 100 children.

Please try to remember though that unless we have both applied for jobs in control, we really shouldn’t be commenting

If you can make better decisions get a job in control

 

[notverydeep]

While clearly not a full service, this section of the ECML seems to be doing far better this morning despite a strike…

 

[dan4291]

The Down Fast is still blocked so all northbound trains are being diverted onto the Down Slow between Hitchin and Sandy. All other lines are open to traffic.

 

[43094]

It’s perhaps worth noting that there is a full planned (strike based) LNER service running today.

So it looks to me like the Control teams have done a good job of self-containing the disruption to yesterday.

Also, the route being shut from the evening (resulting in stranded customers) was a decision led by NR in order to enable them to get more of the route available overnight for today, while the workforce were available prior to the strike day.

 

[Ex-controller]

Appreciate this is off topic but I can’t help myself. Lost count of the number of folk from traincrew and other railway positions who have went into control offices thinking that they just watched little boxes move around in a CCF screen.

When real disruption came they had no idea what hit them, along with learning how needlessly obstructive staff outside were at times.

Anyone who thinks they can do better than the folk who were trying to pick apart what by the sounds of it was an unholy mess would be welcome to have a go themselves and see how they get on. Decisions have to get made involving multiples pieces of information in an instant. They’ll sometimes get things wrong, that’s inevitable under the circumstances, but as the saying went in the Sopranos, sometimes a bad decision is better than no decision, especially when time is of the essence.

 

[GordonT]

Anyone who thinks they can do better than the folk who were trying to pick apart what by the sounds of it was an unholy mess would be welcome to have a go themselves and see how they get on. Decisions have to get made involving multiples pieces of information in an instant. They’ll sometimes get things wrong, that’s inevitable under the circumstances, but as the saying went in the Sopranos, sometimes a bad decision is better than no decision, especially when time is of the essence.

I'm sure that most individuals who work in the vast majority of controls do their level best in what must be horrendous circumstances when there is major disruption such as on the ECML yesterday. Is there more which could be done to assist these people? Better technology? Even closer working between TOC and Network Rail controls? Perhaps needs a separate thread?

 

[westv]

I'm sure life in control would be slightly better if the ECML wires didn't come down so often

 

[Falcon1200]

Appreciate this is off topic but I can’t help myself. Lost count of the number of folk from traincrew and other railway positions who have went into control offices thinking that they just watched little boxes move around in a CCF screen.

When real disruption came they had no idea what hit them

Well said, I could not agree more.