ECML Disruption 16/08/22 - OLE issues at Biggleswade

[jon0844]

More wiring issues between Hitchin and Peterborough today.

 

[malc-c]

Damage to the overhead wires between Peterborough and Hitchin means all lines are blocked. Trains running between these stations may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/303544.aspx



All backed up at Peterborough

 

[philjo]

Also National Rail site reports that the line is blocked in the core due to a power failure between St Pancras And Blackfriars.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

Description
A failure of the electricity supply between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International means all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 15:00.

Customer Advice

Trains cannot run between London Blackfriars and London St Pancras International, all lines are blocked.

If you are travelling on this route, please expect your journey time to be extended by up to 40 minutes as this may include you using an alternative route.

It may be quicker for you to use an alternative route to complete your journey. Your ticket will be accepted at no extra cost on the following:

• London Underground between London terminals
• London Buses via any reasonable route
• East Midlands Railway between London St Pancras International and Bedford
• Southern between London and Gatwick Airport / Three Bridges

If you are currently on-board a service which has been at a stand for some time, please remain on-board and await further updates from the train crew.

Please check live journey planners before you depart this afternoon.

To see if your route has been affected, you can view the live map here. An alternative route map can be found here.

Can you tell me more about the incident?

We've been informed of multiple power 'trippings' between London Blackfriars and St Pancras International which is causing trains to come to a stand.

Whilst this is being investigated, lines will remain blocked.

 

[MikeWM]

This is getting really silly now. Every day has multiple issues. What's going on?

 

[ah-media]

Leeds is absolute carnage this afternoon. Passengers are getting on trains only for them to be cancelled at or slightly after the departure time. Happened twice so far... Nothing leaving to Kings Cross until at least 4pm 5.15pm..

 

[Magdalen Road]

I'm on a train out of Kings Cross so something has left the station!
The driver's been told to make additional stops at Finsbury Park and Stevenage but hadn't been given authority to do so (hadn't got the paperwork) on leaving so has had to go slow into Finsbury Park to give time for it to be sorted out.

How do I know this? Because the poor driver is explaining why we're running late.
I wonder what time we'll get to Ely? If at all?
Edit: And apparently the diagram doesn't show where he's going after Cambridge so it's a mystery tour.

 

[Failed Unit]

Leeds is absolute carnage this afternoon. Passengers are getting on trains only for them to be cancelled at or slightly after the departure time. Happened twice so far... Nothing leaving to Kings Cross until at least 4pm 5.15pm..

EMR have withdrawn acceptance because of overcrowding. Avanti can't manage their own passengers. Not a good day.

 

[ah-media]

EMR have withdrawn acceptance because of overcrowding. Avanti can't manage their own passengers. Not a good day.

They have now told passengers that XC have removed ticket acceptance as well.

 

[westv]

This is getting really silly now. Every day has multiple issues. What's going on?

I agree.

 

[liamf656]

EMR have withdrawn acceptance because of overcrowding. Avanti can't manage their own passengers. Not a good day.

A handful of services out of London have departed with delays because staff have felt that their services were unsafe with the sheer volume of passengers

 

[Failed Unit]

It seems like the 1127 Lincoln - London seems to be at the head of the queue. Not sure what has happened but it is a bi-mode so must be lots of tangled wires around.

 

[Silver Cobra]

The only service that seems to have made it through the area so far is 1A26 (1115 Leeds - Kings Cross), which arrived into Kings Cross 197 minutes late. Nothing else has moved since.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

EMR have withdrawn acceptance because of overcrowding. Avanti can't manage their own passengers. Not a good day.

The National Rail advice is to use the RR buses between Peterborough and Bedford, with EMR or Thameslink forward.
No mention of any options via Cambridge, or Manchester for that matter.
Signal fault at Carstairs on the WCML, meaning Carlisle-Glasgow/Edinburgh is stopped.

 

[timothyw9]

1W24 1600 KGX-ABD left KGX 96L and appears to have diverted via Letchworth/Cambridge.

 

[gazzaa2]

Kings Cross seemed like bedlam earlier.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

LNER seem to have given up updating specific trains on their website/app. No mention of changes to/cancellation of any trains after 1800 except the 1906 Lincoln (cancelled). No idea what's happening with 1803, 1818, 1830, 1833 departures - all of which would have ordinarily left Kings Cross now, and no info about impending departures at 1900, 1903, 1930, 1933 etc. One hopes SOMEBODY at LNER has some idea of what's going to run...

 

[Failed Unit]

The only service that seems to have made it through the area so far is 1A26 (1115 Leeds - Kings Cross), which arrived into Kings Cross 197 minutes late. Nothing else has moved since.

I see things are moving again, the 1127 Lincoln - London arriving nearly 5h42 late. But others with massive delays getting through as well.

 

[westv]

I wonder if there'll be anybody stranded at Kings X this evening.

 

[danielcanning]

This is absolutely disgraceful! Delays on the ECML are an increasingly common occurrence, it’s getting to the point where I just won’t use any of the TOC’s on that line anymore…

 

[32475]

My son was on the I’ll fated 12.00 train from Kings Cross to Perth. At 20.00 he called me to say he’s got as far as, wait for it ………..Grantham

 

[Andy Pacer]

My son was on the I’ll fated 12.00 train from Kings Cross to Perth. At 20.00 he called me to say he’s got as far as, wait for it ………..Grantham

Was that today? I thought the 1200 Chieftain had been cancelled, was he put on an alternative northbound service?

 

[Jimini]

This is absolutely disgraceful! Delays on the ECML are an increasingly common occurrence, it’s getting to the point where I just won’t use any of the TOC’s on that line anymore…

Good news -- the WCML is far more reliable at the moment

 

[32475]

Was that today? I thought the 1200 Chieftain had been cancelled, was he put on an alternative northbound service?

He might well have been but anyway, Grantham was as fas as he’d got to by 8pm when he was supposed to have left KX at midday.

 

[TheEdge]

Good news -- the WCML is far more reliable at the moment

GEML supremecy at the moment apparently.

I've jinxed my trip tomorrow now.

 

[Jimini]

An old friend of mine is on 1S17 1230 London Kings Cross to Edinburgh

Now 401 down at Newark. I'd have bailed out at Stevenage and gone back home personally!

 

[Johnny Lewis]

He's probably on 1S17 12.30 King's Cross to Edinburgh which has just departed Newark North Gate a mere 401 minutes late.

 

[gazzaa2]

He's probably on 1S17 12.30 King's Cross to Edinburgh which has just departed Newark North Gate a mere 401 minutes late.

Yeah, the 1200 started at Newcastle in the end.

 

[43066]

An old friend of mine is on 1S17 1230 London Kings Cross to Edinburgh

Now 401 down at Newark. I'd have bailed out at Stevenage and gone back home personally!

He’ll be a much older friend by the time he reaches Scotland!

 

[Jimini]

He’ll be a much older friend by the time he reaches Scotland!

Chuckle chuckle!

 

[Lewisfr]

Why does our railway infrastructure appear to be so unreliable?

OHLE, signalling and electricity supply problems seem to be a far too common occurrence. I've lost count of the number of times that the electricity supply has failed in the Thameslink core, the amount of trains that have been cancelled due to signalling faults and of course OHLE giving way in hot weather. These issues seem to be happening more regularly than before.

Has anyone got a valid explanation for it, is it just my perception? How does it compare to the continent?