GWML signalling problems between London & Reading

[Saint66]

Lots of stuff on social media tonight about issues on the GWML. Sounds like everything out of Paddington was suspended for over an hour by signalling problems?

Paddington itself looks like a nightmare right now.

 

[wimbledonpete]

Have some friends travelling on the sleeper tonight - will keep an eye on stuff for them (would it/could it be diverted to Waterloo?) but if anyone here knows anything they can share about its running that would be really good to know in advance.

Thanks!

 

[Nippy]

Sleepers definitely will not go from Waterloo. I can't give an update about how things are now as I've just got home from an eventful shift watching it all on the two desks to my right!

 

[christopher]

Got caught up in this...

First our train hit something in a tunnel after Bristol Parkway and got a shattered windscreen so we had to run slow to Swindon.

Got a service from Swansea that had been stuck behind, Arrived at Reading to find there was signalling problems and that we would be stuck there for a while, Then told that a train on platform 11 would be the only London bound train until the problems were sorted. As soon as we got off, We was told to get back on!

Arrived into Paddington a nice 85 minutes late in the end!

 

[hassaanhc]

I recall reports that the power supply to the signalling was lost around Southall and surrounding area. l

A signalling problem near Southall is causing major disruption to trains between London Paddington and Reading / Heathrow Airport.
A reduced service of 3 trains an hour can run between London Paddington and Reading.
Passengers travelling to / from London Paddington are being delayed by up to 2 hours. Passengers are advised to use alternative routes.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/104793.aspx

 

[Kite159]

I caught some of the issues when at Oxford earlier, a XC from Newcastle terminated into the bay, a local stopper 165 departed pretty much full and standing (as in it looked like nobody else could get on), a 180 from Worcester arrived and terminated after standing on the platform for 20 minutes before a XC Bournemouth rolled in which emptied a lot at Basingstoke.

Not a good day for FGW

 

[Bungle965]

There has seemed to be a lot of problems on the GWML recently.
Sam

 

[trac]

I was lucky - departed Paddington in the evening just before everything stopped out of Paddington.

 

[PHILIPE]

Signalling problems on the GWML between Paddington and Reading are now occurring almost on a daily basis. The problems seem to mostly strike at the evening peak in so much as the commuters are half expecting it.
Many one off failures seem to get a mention on here, but such incidents in FGW territory rarely get a mention

 

[PHILIPE]

When I posted this, it was after heavy delays and cancellations out of Paddington almost every day with commuters going home almost prepared for it. One evening Paddington was closed altogether with passengers being advised to go to Waterloo to travel to Reading..
However, after the post we have a had a trouble free period until today with 2 of the 4 lines closed between Paddington and Slough resulting in serious disruption with many trains cancelled. This disruption is expected to last until 0200 according to Network Rail's estimation. Hoping this is not the start of another spate.

 

[BestWestern]

Relief lines closed West Ealing to Southall, main issue at Hanwell I believe. Black signals and signalling deemed 'unreliable' (no irony intended, I presume).

 

[Jonny]

It seems that section is falling apart, which would explain why Network Rail seem to be desperate to turn that it over to ERTMS.

 

[trac]

There were delays this morning around Ealing Broadway but it looked like just a failed thames turbo that needed rescuing so signals were working fine this mornig.

 

[coppercapped]

It seems that section is falling apart, which would explain why Network Rail seem to be desperate to turn that it over to ERTMS.

What do you mean by 'desperate'?

Network Rail's 'CP5 Enhancement Delivery Plan' (page 32) has the following entry:

Paddington - Bristol South ETCS Level 2 commissioning completed July 2019. (And it is now clear that these schedules are slipping).

That's 'desperate'?

 

[SpacePhoenix]

It seems that section is falling apart, which would explain why Network Rail seem to be desperate to turn that it over to ERTMS.

How far into it's operational life span is the signalling in that section?

 

[coppercapped]

How far into it's operational life span is the signalling in that section?

All the track and lineside work being carried out in connection with Crossrail and the GW electrification is now disturbing these cables which are at the end of their life.

It has been reported that cabling laid for the various signalling projects in the 1960s and 70s when multiple aspect signals replaced the semaphores were, in West London, being stolen shortly after being installed with the result that BR(WR) buried them rather than leaving them in the concrete cable ducts. However, either no proper records were made of exactly where the cables were buried or, over the years, the records have been lost. Various scanning techniques have been used to try to locate the cables but have not been entirely satisfactory because of all the other rubble and junk which has either been there since the line was built or accumulated over the last 170 years confuses the sensors.

The problems are likely to continue on and off until everything has been updated and the electrification work finished.