Blockade to allow Waterloo upgrade to take place, resulting in timetable changes

[rebmcr]

Testing happens in software development too, but we certainly don't put a plan together where a new build is released to live on the same morning that testing is planned to finish.

You would if you had to close a major London Terminal for every minute of luxury buffer time.

 

[SWT_USER]

It's all gone wrong on the way home. Got the 16.58 Waterloo to Windsor - firstly routed on the slow line and held up at Barnes to let the 17.05 Farnham overtake (why??). Then sat down outside Twickenham for 15 minutes and the driver has obviously taken the wrong route so I'm on my way to Strawberry Hill. Useless!

 

[Sean Emmett]

Left 12 late.

 

[swt_passenger]

Windsor trains still using P20.

That was predicted before the blockade, P20 (only) remained in use afterward, I think it was pointed out earlier it coincides with a few more peak trains being run on the Reading line. All this according to RTT anyway, where it is shown still in use until the data runs out...

I think it might be able to stay in normal use because it can be accessed via P19.

 

[AM9]

... and the driver has obviously taken the wrong route so I'm on my way to Strawberry Hill. Useless!

How careless of a driver, - they should be more careful where they steer their trains.

 

[SWT_USER]

How careless of a driver, - they should be more careful where they steer their trains.

Are you trying to be funny?

Driver sees signal is set for route to Kingston and either goes or thinks 'hold on, Kingston isn't on the way to Windsor from Twickenham' and contacts signaller? Therefore they took the wrong route?

Apologies if I misunderstood the tone of your post

 

[ijmad]

SWR now saying on Twitter that Waterloo's station information system has stopped working.

 

[moley]

It seems that it was more publically acceptable to have a last minute hitch overnight than admit 12 hours earlier that the reopening would be delayed.

 

[GW43125]

SWR now saying on Twitter that Waterloo's station information system has stopped working.

Train describer failed at Wimbledon box a couple of hours ago.

 

[Juniper Driver]

It's all gone wrong on the way home. Got the 16.58 Waterloo to Windsor - firstly routed on the slow line and held up at Barnes to let the 17.05 Farnham overtake (why??). Then sat down outside Twickenham for 15 minutes and the driver has obviously taken the wrong route so I'm on my way to Strawberry Hill. Useless!

Not sure of the stops of the Farnham but is that a faster train? I can also think of another reason but I'm not posting my assumptions on here.

 

[AM9]

Are you trying to be funny?

Driver sees signal is set for route to Kingston and either goes or thinks 'hold on, Kingston isn't on the way to Windsor from Twickenham' and contacts signaller? Therefore they took the wrong route?

Apologies if I misunderstood the tone of your post

Yes, well done you guessed it, - must have been the emoiticon that was a clue.

 

[SWT_USER]

Not sure of the stops of the Farnham but is that a faster train? I can also think of another reason but I'm not posting my assumptions on here.

Yes it is faster as it doesn't stop at Whitton (or Putney, but we'd already been through). I'm a regular on the 17.05 and I've never had it overtake the Windsor before so was just a bit surprised. Obviously if I'd known what was to follow I'd have waited for the Farnham to begin with!

 

[Juniper Driver]

Yes it is faster as it doesn't stop at Whitton (or Putney, but we'd already been through). I'm a regular on the 17.05 and I've never had it overtake the Windsor before so was just a bit surprised. Obviously if I'd known what was to follow I'd have waited for the Farnham to begin with!

Depends on what's on the signalmans mind at the time for whatever is going on.

 

[Sean Emmett]

Train describer failed at Wimbledon box a couple of hours ago.

Is this why RTT has no info re Waterloo departures but trains re-appear from the ether around Putney?

Ok finally got to Ascot over 20 mins late. Bit of confusion at Clapham Jn re calling pattern, carried some unwilling passengers for Richmond and elsewhere.

Not seen any official publicity re re-timing 18.05 WAT - FNM to 17.54 and sending the 18.05 to RDG. Missed opportunity?
At least one can get a seat on it. For now.

 

[Marklund]

Signalling is always the last discipline to complete and hand over, simply because it's not possible to finally connect up all the external track circuit bonds to the rails and the cables to point machines until the civil and permanent way work is complete. Interlocking and panel/vdu etc is all pretested, either well in advance in the office for computer based systems or earlier during the work while the heavy trackwork is being done, and using test switch panels to simulate the exterior equipment if a relay-based system. Teething problems with some exterior equipment may not become apparent until that final changeover, and it's possible there can be other underlying causes, say a poorly-aligned new switch preventing a point machine making detection, or a mistake in traction bonding shorting out a track circuit. No excuse clearly but illustrative of the tension in that final stage of the work.

And there's never enough time, as there's often track work cutting it fine. :-x

 

[Tio Terry]

And there's never enough time, as there's often track work cutting it fine. :-x

Signalling testing proper cannot start until you have wheels free occupation of the testing area. In this case platforms 1 to 19. If the Civils plant and trains were late leaving the site then proper testing could not start on time, if that happened then they could not have finished on time. It also seems that there was a design problem that needed fixing as well.
Signalling testing is the last line of defence against a catastrophic failure leading to massive loss of life, it is not something to be rushed, no corners can be cut, it must be undertaken completely and fully. If it causes cancellations and/or delays it is because it is ensuring safety of the travelling public. That is far more important than a delay in arriving at your destination.

 

[High Dyke]

Related news: Southeastern services to Waterloo tomorrow are diverted to Blackfriars instead.

Luckily I spotted this info late last night...though it did make a mess of my plans to do the diverts today; I'm back at work from tomorrow. Still I managed to red pen a few more lines in Kent by using HS1, and therefore avoiding the worst affected stations.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Signalling testing proper cannot start until you have wheels free occupation of the testing area. In this case platforms 1 to 19. If the Civils plant and trains were late leaving the site then proper testing could not start on time, if that happened then they could not have finished on time. It also seems that there was a design problem that needed fixing as well.
Signalling testing is the last line of defence against a catastrophic failure leading to massive loss of life, it is not something to be rushed, no corners can be cut, it must be undertaken completely and fully. If it causes cancellations and/or delays it is because it is ensuring safety of the travelling public. That is far more important than a delay in arriving at your destination.

To be fair I don't think anyone is saying it isn't important or shouldn't be done. If anything the opposite - that because it is important and can throw up issues then it should have more of a leeway given to it than just happening a few hours before full service resumes.

 

[Class 170101]

How much work in the original blockade has been postponed (if any)?

And secondly when will this work be done? Is it impacting on Waterloo operations?

 

[infobleep]

Is this why RTT has no info re Waterloo departures but trains re-appear from the ether around Putney?

Ok finally got to Ascot over 20 mins late. Bit of confusion at Clapham Jn re calling pattern, carried some unwilling passengers for Richmond and elsewhere.

Not seen any official publicity re re-timing 18.05 WAT - FNM to 17.54 and sending the 18.05 to RDG. Missed opportunity?
At least one can get a seat on it. For now.

Maybe its a soft launch and it will gain publicity next Monday.

Unless something else occurs, there were 8 issues affecting SWT today.

A period of over running engineering works

A circuit failure failure near London Waterloo, closing platforms 1-3 at London Waterloo
A broken down freight train in the Southamton area
A broken down train near Bookham
A points failure at Portsmouth Harbour which means that trains are unable to run between Portsmouth and Southsea and Portsmouth Harbour in the Portsmouth Harbour bound direction
A points failure at London Waterloo meaning that platform 4 is unavailable to trains
A communications fault affecting the connection between the customer information system and signalling systems
A points failure at Kew Bridge afftecting services which run via Hounslow

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/168727.aspx

 

[Juniper Driver]

The passengers know how easy it is.

 

[bb21]

The passengers know how easy it is.

I say what I normally say re: these rants: I'd rather they let off steam on twitter than taking it out on front-line staff. The former can be safely ignored where appropriate.

If I'm honest, I do think people's expectations could have been managed better, especially in the aftermath of the derailment, however possibly due to how the first couple of weeks went, NR were scared of any further negative publicity, and buried their head in the sand a little.

The project has by and large gone well, and customers mostly understanding (ignoring obsessive local rags which were only interested in headlines which turn people's heads). NR should be able to take many positives (and lessons, of course) away with them.

 

[Juniper Driver]

Probably better to over-estimate the works...

I.E add an extra week over to allow extra leeway...That's if they didn't anyway.

Must admit I find the same old drivel annoying.I wouldn't mind so much if they actually knew anything about extending platform at Waterloo and what it involves.

I actually thought Network Rail did very well

The passengers will let of steam when they feel like it I had it during the works.The more front line staff get it worse obviously.(I mean Guards and Station Staff.)

 

[ijmad]

A minor track circuit issue at about 7am this morning but the service seems in reasonable shape at the moment...

 

[nlogax]

Must admit I find the same old drivel annoying.I wouldn't mind so much if they actually knew anything about extending platform at Waterloo and what it involves.

A reply to Twitter moaners with a gif compilation of the major works from the Sentrycams wouldn't go amiss. Even then I fear it wouldn't make much of a dent.. it's rare that such complaints are made with the benefits of facts or research.

 

[AndrewE]

A minor track circuit issue at about 7am this morning but the service seems in reasonable shape at the moment...

RTT shows that most trains seem to have been running within 5 mins of right time by around 8am, in fact right up to then as well.

Pity that BBC R4 highlighted an ongoing problem in the 8am news: There needs to be a rapid rebuttal system to ensure that bad news isn't repeated unfairly.

 

[EAD]

RTT shows that most trains seem to have been running within 5 mins of right time by around 8am, in fact right up to then as well.

Pity that BBC R4 highlighted an ongoing problem in the 8am news: There needs to be a rapid rebuttal system to ensure that bad news isn't repeated unfairly.

Yes I heard that (working at home today) and thought the same given the issue was clearly limited to 1-3 at WAT and I could see there were some delays but trains rolling at EAD.

 

[Juniper Driver]

A reply to Twitter moaners with a gif compilation of the major works from the Sentrycams wouldn't go amiss. Even then I fear it wouldn't make much of a dent.. it's rare that such complaints are made with the benefits of facts or research.

Very true.

It wasn't a fun month for the staff but I must admit it was different and I learn't a few things.

 

[theironroad]

RTT shows that most trains seem to have been running within 5 mins of right time by around 8am, in fact right up to then as well.

Pity that BBC R4 highlighted an ongoing problem in the 8am news: There needs to be a rapid rebuttal system to ensure that bad news isn't repeated unfairly.

Was still being repeated in the 9am bulletin. Thought it was totally unnecessary as the service was running OK at that point and they should have updated the piece.

 

[MartinB1]

Does the new track layout make it more likely that you are going to be held at the last signal on the UP SLOW? It's only one day, and I'm only on my pnb but I am wondering. Do any other drivers have a view on this? Haven't got past that last signal without having to stop yet.

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