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Major Problems at Retford

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Saint66

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Overhead wire problems at Retford are causing disruption to journeys between Doncaster and Grantham. This is expected to continue until the end of service.

1 out of the 2 lines towards London is currently blocked at Retford. This is causing the following alterations:

Hull Trains
Journeys may be extended by up to 40 minutes between Hull and London Kings Cross.
Trains will not call at Retford
Passengers travelling from London Kings Cross to Retford are advised to alight at Newark North Gate (calling additionally). Station staff will arrange alternative transport.
Passengers travelling from Hull to Retford are to alight at Doncaster and speak to station staff to arrange alternative transport.
Passengers at Retford please see station staff for alternative transport.

Grand Central
Journeys times may be extended by up to 80 minutes. Services may be revised in order to keep delays to a minimum.

Virgin Trains East Coast
Trains across the East Coast Main Line may be delayed by up to 80 minutes. Some service will be revised or cancelled.
Time restrictions on advance tickets have been lifted.
Passengers who wish to defer their journey until tomorrow may do so, but seat reservations cannot be carried forward.

Alternative routes where tickets will be accepted
Grand Central passengers may use:
CrossCountry from York / Leeds / Doncaster to Sheffield
East Midlands Trains between Sheffield and London St Pancras International.
Hull Trains, First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail on any reasonable route.

Hull Trains passengers may use:
East Midlands Trains, Northern Rail and First TransPennine Express, Virgin Trains East Coast via any reasonable route.

Virgin Trains East Coast passengers may use:
East Midlands Trains from Sheffield to London St Pancras International.
CrossCountry from York / Leeds / Doncaster to Sheffield
First TransPennine Express from York / Leeds to Manchester to connect with Virgin Trains services towards London.
Grand Central on any reasonable route.

You can follow this incident using the hashtag #Retford
We want to make information better – tell us how! Fill out this online Disruption Survey
To check your journey, please use the National Rail Enquiries real-time Journey Planner

Big problems this evening across the ECML, images on twitter of a VTEC service with OHLE tangled in it's panto.

Ticket restrictions lifted by VTEC, and tickets valid today are also valid tomorrow.
 
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Hadders

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I'm potentially affected by this. I was due to catch the 1930 from Newcastle changing at Doncaster to Stevenage.

I'm currently on the 1903 from Newcastle which left on time.

I will update later.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just come to a stand somewhere north of Retford. The guard's just announced we could be delayed by up to 60 mins.
 

lev441

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I'm potentially affected by this. I was due to catch the 1930 from Newcastle changing at Doncaster to Stevenage.

I'm currently on the 1903 from Newcastle which left on time.

I will update later.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just come to a stand somewhere north of Retford. The guard's just announced we could be delayed by up to 60 mins.

Let me know how you get on, I'm on the train behind you!
 

Class 170101

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If you are on a HST you are probably in a better postition than those not on one.
 

Hadders

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We've been stopped for around 15 minutes now. A train's just passed going northbound.

Looking at RTT the trains in front have been delayed by around 60-100 minutes.
 

Hadders

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Passing through Retford slowly. 47 mins late.
 

Hadders

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Now stopped at Retford. We appear to have crossed onto one of the down lines from what I can see.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
My final East Coast Rewards journey so not even eligible for Delay Repay.

I'll have to see if they'll give me another free journey.
 
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Sniffingmoose

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Passengers stuck on the stranded trains have been reporting on twitter that they are hot, dehydrated, considering breaking emergency window. One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.

What has the modern fragmented railway come too, there is no plan B, no windows to open when power is lost. No handy locomotives to the rescue any more. Modern trains are sealed. Is this not dangerous in itself? There is so much safety on the railway, but on a packed train when the power is lost, passengers can soon get very hot, and soon get dehydrated. Am I thinking that this never happened years ago under British Rail or am I reminiscing for the past when I did not experience massive delays like this.
 

221129

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Passengers stuck on the stranded trains have been reporting on twitter that they are hot, dehydrated, considering breaking emergency window. One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.

What has the modern fragmented railway come too, there is no plan B, no windows to open when power is lost. No handy locomotives to the rescue any more. Modern trains are sealed. Is this not dangerous in itself? There is so much safety on the railway, but on a packed train when the power is lost, passengers can soon get very hot, and soon get dehydrated. Am I thinking that this never happened years ago under British Rail or am I reminiscing for the past when I did not experience massive delays like this.

Interesting. I was not aware of any trains stranded for long periods of time?
 

Hadders

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We're through the affected area and back up to full speed. Just past Newark 81 mins late.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Passengers stuck on the stranded trains have been reporting on twitter that they are hot, dehydrated, considering breaking emergency window. One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.

What has the modern fragmented railway come too, there is no plan B, no windows to open when power is lost. No handy locomotives to the rescue any more. Modern trains are sealed. Is this not dangerous in itself? There is so much safety on the railway, but on a packed train when the power is lost, passengers can soon get very hot, and soon get dehydrated. Am I thinking that this never happened years ago under British Rail or am I reminiscing for the past when I did not experience massive delays like this.

You are reminiscing.

British Rail suffered many delays and had an awful reputation. Thankfully social media did not exist at the time.
 

Ianno87

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Just came back from King's Cross.

A fairly (but not overly) crowded station concourse. VTEC's focus seemed to be just to load as many northbound departures as possible, some of which were visibly leaving very full and standing (including through first class)

Of note, the 1903 departure to Lincoln left at 1948 and was diverted straight to Leeds - presumably to avoid the crew being out of hours to get them back to Neville Hill.
 

221129

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Just came back from King's Cross.

A fairly (but not overly) crowded station concourse. VTEC's focus seemed to be just to load as many northbound departures as possible, some of which were visibly leaving very full and standing (including through first class)

Of note, the 1903 departure to Lincoln left at 1948 and was diverted straight to Leeds - presumably to avoid the crew being out of hours to get them back to Neville Hill.

They only have 2tph in each direction through the affected area.
 

Class 170101

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Hopefully any diesel trains are being diverted via Pyewipe Chord (Lincoln) leaving electric trains running this way. Coasting through the affected area?
 

mm333

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Hopefully any diesel trains are being diverted via Pyewipe Chord (Lincoln) leaving electric trains running this way. Coasting through the affected area?

Judging from the Hull Trains services that haven't registered any timing points on RTT between Doncaster and Newark, it looks like they've been going that way.
 

najaB

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Passengers stuck on the stranded trains have been reporting on twitter that they are hot, dehydrated, considering breaking emergency window. One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.
Not bad for February really.
 

Hadders

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I don't think we coasted through the affected area. Several miles of what felt like 20mph running when we were 'wrong line' running, before we crossed back over to the normal line.
 

221129

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Hopefully any diesel trains are being diverted via Pyewipe Chord (Lincoln) leaving electric trains running this way. Coasting through the affected area?

It is single line working. The down line is unaffected so Electrics can run through.
 

SpacePhoenix

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One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.

Wouldn't that have caused even more delays with all trains having to stop until it's determined that there's no passengers having detrained themselves?
 

Andyh82

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Is the budget way the ECML was wired up partially to blame again?
 

Class 170101

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It is single line working. The down line is unaffected so Electrics can run through.

Except I imagine NR aren't actually working on the OLE until trains finish for the evening then due to Health and Safety rules regarding OLE.
 

najaB

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Except I imagine NR aren't actually working on the OLE until trains finish for the evening then due to Health and Safety rules regarding OLE.
Not just because of Health and Safety rules, but also because it's not very safe and could very easily be bad for someone's health!
 

Hadders

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Is the budget way the ECML was wired up partially to blame again?

No idea. These things sometimes happen.

Correct. A possession to be taken at 00:35.

I couldn't see any evidence of work when we passed through so this makes sense.

On a related subject I drove from Coventry to Stevenage last week. Got delayed by over an hour due to a crash in some road works. Sometimes delays happen and there's very little you can do about them.

At least with rail you can usually claim delay repay for long delays. No such recompense with road travel, in fact it ends up costing you!
 

Phil.

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Passengers stuck on the stranded trains have been reporting on twitter that they are hot, dehydrated, considering breaking emergency window. One passenger has reported that they have managed to open a door as they were suffocating in the heat.

What has the modern fragmented railway come too, there is no plan B, no windows to open when power is lost. No handy locomotives to the rescue any more. Modern trains are sealed. Is this not dangerous in itself? There is so much safety on the railway, but on a packed train when the power is lost, passengers can soon get very hot, and soon get dehydrated. Am I thinking that this never happened years ago under British Rail or am I reminiscing for the past when I did not experience massive delays like this.


1 British Rail was better organised when things went wrong as there were experienced staff about plus it wasn't fragmented so less blaming and more doing.

2 There were more locomotives and a common pool of them

3 Older stock had droplight doors. Something that is not always appreciated on newer stock.
 

Hadders

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Bear in mind that the trains caught up in today's delays were built by British Rail.
 
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