What is a "Planning Error"?

[blakey1152]

I saw an unusual tweet the other day from Southeastern. On the 2nd February at 1.12am they tweeted that due to a planning error the 00:53 Charing Cross-Gravesend service will terminate at Dartford. Passengers for stations to Gravesend from Dartford please speak to staff for onward travel. Sorry for an inconvenience caused by this.

There were a few responses, worryingly the driver failed to announce that the train was going to terminate at Dartford according to one passenger one the train and there were also concerns about there actually being any staff there when the train actually arrived.

Can anyone enlighten me as to what is a planning error as its the first time I've seen any TOC use this as a reason and why couldn't the train continue on to Gravesend as planned?

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Two trains accidentally booked into the same path or platform, maybe?

 

[43066]

One likely scenario - especially at that time of night - is that an engineering possession came into effect which prevented the train from continuing beyond Dartford.

 

[306024]

Can be all sorts of things. Here are a few examples.

Engineering possession planned incorrectly.
Possession limits incorrect
Electrical isolation incorrect
Booked train not amended to take account of possession
Additional train booked through a possession

Two trains timed to clash with each other
Platform occupation not planned correctly

No unit diagrammed for service
Booked unit diagram not amended to account for timetable alteration.

No train crew diagrammed
Booked traincrew diagram not amended to account for timetable alteration.
No traincrew rostered
Traincrew rostered but without required route or traction knowledge

And so on. ‘Planning error’ in the Control log is the worst thing a planner can see, and usually results in a stewards enquiry of some sort, if only to ensure it wasn’t your fault and that it isn’t repeated.

 

[SlimJim1694]

There were a few responses, worryingly the driver failed to announce that the train was going to terminate at Dartford according to one passenger one the train and there were also concerns about there actually being any staff there when the train actually arrived.

The drivers diagram probably said Dartford while the public were told Gravesend so he's not necessarily going to know there is an issue and announce it. I've had it plenty of times where my schedule doesn't match what the passengers are being told.

Also Dartford is staffed 24/7 so no issues about it being unstaffed.

 

[43066]

The drivers diagram probably said Dartford while the public were told Gravesend so he's not necessarily going to know there is an issue and announce it. I've had it plenty of times where my schedule doesn't match what the passengers are being told.

Also Dartford is staffed 24/7 so no issues about it being unstaffed.

Or the driver would have been unaware until he stopped at Dartford on a red and was told the train was terminating.

The driver is often the last to know in these situations!

 

[TUC]

Or the driver would have been unaware until he stopped at Dartford on a red and was told the train was terminating.

The driver is often the last to know in these situations!

Would station staff routinely be alerted so that they know they will need to support and advise passengers?

 

[Aictos]

Would station staff routinely be alerted so that they know they will need to support and advise passengers?

Usually last minute, I've used TL before when this has happened for example a Bedford bound service was due at St Pancras and the screens advertised it as running slightly late due to a passenger being taken ill. The screens only changed to show it running fast from Parkway when the train in question was coming into St Pancras which is poor.

Or the driver would have been unaware until he stopped at Dartford on a red and was told the train was terminating.

The driver is often the last to know in these situations!

Is that always the way?

 

[TheEdge]

Is that always the way?

Except in emergencies, some local instructions and a few other situations that can be dealt with by berth triggered broadcasts the only way messages get to drivers is either via a conductor (if available) or when they get called by a signaller once we get stopped at a red.

 

[Oxfordblues]

I committed a planning error once. Whilst working at the Railfreight Distribution Train Planning Unit I failed to divert the Maritime - Ripple Lane Freightliner via Reading to avoid a possession on the Southern. The train was severely delayed and I was severely reprimanded. I never did it again!

 

[Romsey]

Can be all sorts of things. Here are a few examples.

And so on. ‘Planning error’ in the Control log is the worst thing a planner can see, and usually results in a stewards enquiry of some sort, if only to ensure it wasn’t your fault and that it isn’t repeated.

The trouble is that once something has appeared on a control log, there is no right of reply even if you did everything correctly!

That is the only gracing feature of delay attribution as a train or access planner it was possible to dispute what happened if you had clear evidence that your plan was correct. Then there was the problem of all sorts of other unconnected delays which were dumped at random into your TIN. (OK, so why should I accept 10' consequential delay at Ramsgate which happened before mis-interpretation of the possession limits at Southampton? )

 

[43066]

Would station staff routinely be alerted so that they know they will need to support and advise passengers?

They should be, unfortunately communication isn’t always the best on the railway, whether it’s with passengers or staff.

Is that always the way?

Not always, but certainly more often than not.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Just checked RTT to see what actually happened today, and the offending train 1P41, 0953 Great Malvern-Paddington, is shown "cancelled due to a planning error".
So not only did it not stop at the new Parkway, it didn't run at all.
Ho. Hum.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/L97564/2020-01-26/detailed

Here's an example from another thread about Worcestershire Parkway.

 

[Spartacus]

Seems at the moment like this one was a short notice possession at Dartford that failed to notice that it would affect services due to a combination of platforms under possession and units berthed in other platforms.