tsr
Established Member
So it's finally happened... all signallers evacuated from a Rail Operating Centre due to an actual fire/smoke which can't be contained all that quickly.
"Luckily" (on the scale of it) tonight's incident is Rugby's turn, which currently has diversionary routes around at least part of its present area of control, meaning that some WCML services can still move, albeit with delays. VTWC departures are, however, gradually being suspended at Euston as the fallout is realised.
Several services have been stranded or moving extremely slowly for quite some time now, and it looks like there was vastly insufficient time to make sure all services had reached platforms. In some cases, queues of trains have been stood signal-to-signal at locations away from stations. From my experience, design of such buildings means the signallers and other crucial safety staff are kept on duty for as long as possible within the tolerances of the evacuation system, with gradual warnings about how soon they need to go... so to have trains stood away from platforms indefinitely means the evacuation process can't have been ideal in this case.
As for some passenger info - various buses are now running in the Stafford/Stoke area at least, trying to connect diversionary routes and stations presently without a service.
"Luckily" (on the scale of it) tonight's incident is Rugby's turn, which currently has diversionary routes around at least part of its present area of control, meaning that some WCML services can still move, albeit with delays. VTWC departures are, however, gradually being suspended at Euston as the fallout is realised.
Several services have been stranded or moving extremely slowly for quite some time now, and it looks like there was vastly insufficient time to make sure all services had reached platforms. In some cases, queues of trains have been stood signal-to-signal at locations away from stations. From my experience, design of such buildings means the signallers and other crucial safety staff are kept on duty for as long as possible within the tolerances of the evacuation system, with gradual warnings about how soon they need to go... so to have trains stood away from platforms indefinitely means the evacuation process can't have been ideal in this case.
As for some passenger info - various buses are now running in the Stafford/Stoke area at least, trying to connect diversionary routes and stations presently without a service.