Real life ghost train - LIVE!

[Intercity 225]

I’m currently on board the delayed 18:07 Northern service from Sheffield to Nottingham.

I along with many other passengers were waiting on Platform 5a - unusually there were no automated announcements for the service but it was showing as running to time on the display screens. 18:07 came and went, no change to the display screens and no automated announcements about any cancellation/delay. Then bang - the boards go blank and none of the platform staff had any immediate idea what had happened to the service (although they were very friendly and got on the case immediately - have no complaints from a customer service perspective).

It took some time for them to fully establish what had happened to the service but sure enough a Class 195 turned up (completely empty) and we eventually left Sheffield at 18:44.

The thing is RTT shows the original service as running from Sheffield to time albeit with the earlier part of the journey cancelled. I can guarantee 100% that it didn’t. How can this be the case? Screenshot attached.

And there’s no sign of the “ghost train” I’m currently on board either. It also never appeared on the screens at Sheffield although a couple of automated announcements did play out as it approached Sheffield.

I’ve experienced all kinds of delays before but nothing quite like this, could someone shed some light on how these “ghost trains” can come about please?

Cheers

 

[Darandio]

RTT for me shows it departing 37 late.

 

[Intercity 225]

RTT for me shows it departing 37 late.

View attachment 99788

That looks correct now - it certainly wasn’t there when I made the OP.

Doesn’t explain why the earlier screenshot showed the train as running to time when it clearly wasn’t though.

 

[_toommm_]

That looks correct now - it certainly wasn’t there when I made the OP.

Doesn’t explain why the earlier screenshot showed the train as running to time when it clearly wasn’t though.

Those were the expected times as they were in grey and in italics. The unit got into Leeds late on its inbound journey due to some signalling fault, so it went ECS from Leeds to Sheffield to restart its journey to Nottingham there.

 

[Bill57p9]

RTT continues to show estimates based on usual time until the train either departs a timing point or is cancelled. The only thing that puzzles me slightly from your original screenshot is the tag "at platform". Or was the query run at 1842 ish, when the train was at the platform but was yet to depart?

 

[Dave91131]

I was at Wakefield Westgate waiting for 91110 on the 1645 ex Leeds, and 158867 arrived on a Leeds to Knottingley service then after a few minutes departed back towards Leeds with passengers still aboard.

As it did so, 195002 crawled through the centre road and stopped to await a clear road. I assume this was a Nottingham to Leeds service which had reversed at Wakefield Kirkgate and come up the bank.

 

[_toommm_]

RTT continues to show estimates based on usual time until the train either departs a timing point or is cancelled. The only thing that puzzles me slightly from your original screenshot is the tag "at platform". Or was the query run at 1842 ish, when the train was at the platform but was yet to depart?

18:44 according to the time on the screenshot, so it will have been in the signal berth at least.

 

[Intercity 225]

Thank you for all the replies - interesting reading.

I never knew about estimated times on RTT being in grey and italics, it’s true that every day is a school day.

18:44 according to the time on the screenshot, so it will have been in the signal berth at least.

This is correct, we set off very shortly after I’d taken the screenshot.