Caledonian Sleeper

[The Prisoner]

To my surprise the sleeper is actually expected to run this evening!

Northbound Highlander still seems to be at Euston according to RTT & NR's website. Southbound set off on time.

 

[Class 466]

Northbound Highlander still seems to be at Euston according to RTT & NR's website. Southbound set off on time.

All cancelled.

 

[Bill57p9]

All cancelled.

The southbound Highlander portions made it as far as Edinburgh and then returned.

 

[Class 466]

There was a lot of contempt last night at Euston for Caledonian Sleeper after it emerged that it would’ve been nigh on impossible for it to ever run and even the staff were saying they should’ve cancelled them in advance (like Thursday 14th) rather than promise the impossible.

 

[Bletchleyite]

There was a lot of contempt last night at Euston for Caledonian Sleeper after it emerged that it would’ve been nigh on impossible for it to ever run and even the staff were saying they should’ve cancelled them in advance (like Thursday 14th) rather than promise the impossible.

Their Twitter actively said to come to the station...maybe that was a very bad plan. To offer refunds would have been better.

 

[47421]

See report on Twitter by @jim_metcalfe of their experience last night

@CalSleeper In 15 years of using this train, and through many bizarre twists and turns, this has to be strangest yet. Wake up, and the train never left Glasgow. It was just sat here all night, and now we have been thrown off it at 5.30am in the wrong city.
Cal Sleeper tweeted that the service was on last night, let people board, and just left us sitting here all night. They let everyone get in and go to sleep, and just left us here.

I’m travelling for work. It’s hard to even know what to say…

 

[najaB]

There was a lot of contempt last night at Euston for Caledonian Sleeper after it emerged that it would’ve been nigh on impossible for it to ever run and even the staff were saying they should’ve cancelled them in advance (like Thursday 14th) rather than promise the impossible.

It would be instructive to see the decision making behind that.

 

[Class 466]

Especially as it had been agreed a few hours in advance that they’d be taking a 4 line possession from 2230 to some OHLE damage near Harrow

 

[62484GlenLyon]

Tonight hasn't got off to a very good start, either.

I am watching 1S25 on OTT. It is still at Euston. It was given the signal at about 21.22 but didn't move. After several minutes the signal went back to red.

 

[D6130]

They let everyone get in and go to sleep, and just left us here.

At least you probably had a better night's sleep than you would have had lurching and swaying along the WCML! Did they keep the club car open for you?

 

[concerned1]

[Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere]. But in a situation where a southbound sleeper (let’s say) runs the full route and a northbound sleeper (let’s say) doesn’t move (or vice Versa). Is there a positioning move that returns the relevant set back to the other end of the country during the day so that both sets stand an even chance of running the full route the following night?

 

[najaB]

But in a situation where a southbound sleeper (let’s say) runs the full route and a northbound sleeper (let’s say) doesn’t move (or vice Versa). Is there a positioning move that returns the relevant set back to the other end of the country during the day so that both sets stand an even chance of running the full route the following night?

The answer is "depends" but yes, generally they will try to run the set that's out of place as an ECS move during the day.

 

[concerned1]

Interesting. Does it run to maximum speed in that instance or follow a freight path? Daytimes are busy on the WCML

 

[800001]

Interesting. Does it run to maximum speed in that instance or follow a freight path? Daytimes are busy on the WCML

Will run at the lines power of stock/loco, and to what ever path Network rail give it as a Vstp.

 

[Essexman]

I was due to be travelling to Glasgow Sunday back Tuesday. With the high risk of heat causing the return to be cancelled and needing to be back Wednesday morning, I cancelled both ways on Sunday. Too late for a refund so I’ll lose my Flexipass ticket but in time for refund Tuesday, which I would have got anyway as the train didn’t run.
CS did their best and made it clear there was a risk of disruption, so passengers could make their own decisions as to whether to attempt travel or cancel.

 

[Falcon1200]

See report on Twitter by @jim_metcalfe of their experience last night

@CalSleeper In 15 years of using this train, and through many bizarre twists and turns, this has to be strangest yet. Wake up, and the train never left Glasgow. It was just sat here all night, and now we have been thrown off it at 5.30am in the wrong city.
Cal Sleeper tweeted that the service was on last night, let people board, and just left us sitting here all night. They let everyone get in and go to sleep, and just left us here.

I’m travelling for work. It’s hard to even know what to say…

So it appears that the CS staff who checked the passenger into the train did not know, even at that late stage, that the train would not run, which is quite incredible ! There has been a major fall-down in decision-making, and/or communication, somewhere.

 

[55002]

Looks like there’s someone hit by a train near Euxton. WCML been shut since 3am roughly. 1S26 has been at a stand at Wigan NW since 03.06. The southbound lowlander made it through with hour delay but on time into Euston. The southbound highlander is still at Preston.

 

[Gonzoiku]

[Apologies if this has already been answered somewhere]. But in a situation where a southbound sleeper (let’s say) runs the full route and a northbound sleeper (let’s say) doesn’t move (or vice Versa). Is there a positioning move that returns the relevant set back to the other end of the country during the day so that both sets stand an even chance of running the full route the following night?

In fact what happened on 19/20 July is that the three portions of the southbound Highlander ran to Edinburgh where they were cancelled. They were returned whence they came in the same way as if they were the northbound Highlander portions, although approximately 1 hour late in each case. And not as Empty Coaching Stock.

GZ

 

[Falcon1200]

Looks like there’s someone hit by a train near Euxton. WCML been shut since 3am roughly. 1S26 has been at a stand at Wigan NW since 03.06. The southbound lowlander made it through with hour delay but on time into Euston. The southbound highlander is still at Preston.

Must have been a particularly nasty incident, but trains are moving now. 1S26 just arrived at Preston, almost 5 hours late, although not reported on Trust, presumably due to the degree of lateness.

 

[Class 466]

Must have been a particularly nasty incident, but trains are moving now. 1S26 just arrived at Preston, almost 5 hours late, although not reported on Trust, presumably due to the degree of lateness.

Running complete to Motherwell and terminating there

 

[sonic2009]

1M16 Southbound Highlander left Preston 243L - Wonder whether the passengers were given the option to take Avanti which would most likely be considerably faster. I'm guessing the Sleeper will run on the slows further south with the WCML being a busy place.

 

[Gathursty]

Has the Sleeper ever been diverted through Entwistle (Blackburn-Bolton line)? Is the line okay for such services?

 

[sonic2009]

Has the Sleeper ever been diverted through Entwistle (Blackburn-Bolton line)? Is the line okay for such services?

Certainly in my lifetime I don't think it has.

 

[Royston Vasey]

In fact what happened on 19/20 July is that the three portions of the southbound Highlander ran to Edinburgh where they were cancelled. They were returned whence they came in the same way as if they were the northbound Highlander portions, although approximately 1 hour late in each case. And not as Empty Coaching Stock.

GZ

This also happened on the night of 14th, it rolled back into Fort William from Edinburgh in the morning, ready to be serviced by the waiting contractors, advertised as arriving on time, yet practically nobody got off!

 

[TUC]

LBC is reporting on the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow to London being cancelled after passengers had boarded and some were asleep, so did not find put till the next morning that they had not left the station.

Man beds down on sleeper train to London only to find it never left the station​

A train passenger who bedded down for the night on the Caledonian Sleeper train woke to find it had never left the station.

Jim Metcalfe, who regularly uses the service for trips to London, has gone viral after tweeting about his strange experience on board.

“In 15 years of using this train, and through many bizarre twists and turns, this has to be strangest yet. Wake up, and the train never left Glasgow. It was just sat here all night, and now we have been thrown off it at 5.30am in the wrong city,” he wrote.

"I’m open to offers for the film rights. It’s limited though - I slept, was inconvenienced, ate some sausage, and went home," he added.

The Glasgow-London train normally takes seven and a half hours.

Passengers can board from 10pm and get off the following morning.

Mr Metcalfe said: “Cal Sleeper tweeted that the service was on last night, let people board, and just left us sitting here all night.

“They let everyone get in and go to sleep, and just left us here. I’m travelling for work. It’s hard to even know what to say…”

He later told the BBC he got on at 10.30pm and was asleep by 11pm, then was woken up at 5am by an apologetic worker who offered him a sausage roll and a coffee and explained what happened.

“I should have been 300 miles away,” he said.

At seven minutes past midnight, when Mr Metcalfe would have been asleep, Caledonian Sleeper tweeted: "We are very sorry to inform our guests that despite all efforts being made to allow services to run this evening, unfortunately Network Rail have informed of developing issues on the rail network and as a result we will not be able to run our services".

Man beds down on sleeper train to London only to find it never left the station

A train passenger who bedded down for the night on the Caledonian Sleeper train woke to find it had never left the station.

www.lbc.co.uk

 

[FormerBritInMe]

“In 15 years of using this train, and through many bizarre twists and turns, this has to be strangest yet. Wake up, and the train never left Glasgow. It was just sat here all night, and now we have been thrown off it at 5.30am in the wrong city,” he wrote.

I suppose it is better than being booted off at midnight then having to find a place to stay at that late hour. Assuming he gets reimbursed, he got a free hotel room for the night.

 

[diffident]

I suppose it is better than being booted off at midnight then having to find a place to stay at that late hour. Assuming he gets reimbursed, he got a free hotel room for the night.

This is exactly it. The train became a static hotel.

I’d have been more miffed if I was turfed off it and had seek alternative accommodation.

 

[trebor79]

In the circumstances letting the passengers sleep until morning was the right decision. No better outcome for anyone if they'd been turfed out at midnight.

 

[trainophile]

What were the “developing issues on the rail network”?

 

[Falcon1200]

In the circumstances letting the passengers sleep until morning was the right decision. No better outcome for anyone if they'd been turfed out at midnight.

Agree, perhaps, but deciding not to run the train at such a late stage, after passengers had not only boarded but gone to sleep, was very poor; It would be interesting to know at exactly what time the cancellation decision was made, and how this was communicated. Presumably it was so late that the staff on board felt unable to wake passengers to tell them they weren't going anywhere !