Caledonian Sleeper

[92002]

1S26 managed to reduce the Carstairs stop to 10 minutes (from 25 booked), so it's now only 136 minutes late for an arrival into Glasgow Central around 09:30.


1S96 16:18 Willesden-Shieldmuir as confirmed by Falcon1200, which failed on the down line before Lockerbie and so the Highland sleeper eventually passed it on the up line once single line working was implemented.
1S26, the Lowland sleeper, was held for an hour in Carlisle before heading to Lockerbie and being held for another 30 minutes whilst 1S96 was moved out of the way, so 1S26 didn't use single line working over the up line (by that time it was probably starting to get too busy with up trains).

EDIT And 1S96 showing as on the move northbound again through Abington at 09:30, presumably being dragged by something else.

Lowland sleeper now arrived Glasgow 0933.

 

[ainsworth74]

1S96 16:18 Willesden-Shieldmuir as confirmed by Falcon1200, which failed on the down line before Lockerbie and so the Highland sleeper eventually passed it on the up line once single line working was implemented.
1S26, the Lowland sleeper, was held for an hour in Carlisle before heading to Lockerbie and being held for another 30 minutes whilst 1S96 was moved out of the way, so 1S26 didn't use single line working over the up line (by that time it was probably starting to get too busy with up trains)

Thank you

 

[Alanko]

1Y11 Edinburgh - Fort William going via Linlithgow etc.

 

[philthetube]

Exactly that!


Cheers, sorry should have been clearer.
Oban to QS next week to refund due to strikes.
Not returning on Sleeper.


Hopefully the 1220 should run as the 1020ish one is cancelled on the temp timetable.
Just concerned about how full it will be as I am travelling with somebody who cannot stand.

This is probably too late but suggest you ask for passenger assist.

 

[The Planner]

It was indeed 1S96 that failed, and thanks to the utter nonsense of there being, still, no bi-di signalling on that part of the WCML, staff had to be called out for Single Line Working.

Vast amounts of the WCML have no bi-di, and won't get it until ETCS fitment.

 

[Falcon1200]

Vast amounts of the WCML have no bi-di, and won't get it until ETCS fitment.

I know only too well, for many years the WCML in Scotland was part of my Control area, and if I had a pound for every time I said after an incident that delays could have been reduced to a fraction if we had bi-di signalling, I would be richer than Elon Musk. Not to mention the four hour delay I encountered this time last year thanks, partly or perhaps largely, to no bi-di on the WCML in Northern England either.

 

[Leisurefirst]

It looked incredibly busy leaving Queen Street yesterday, although almost an hour late.

It looked incredibly busy leaving Queen Street yesterday, although almost an hour late due to flooding.

This is probably too late but suggest you ask for passenger assist.

Thank you, I only just saw this.
I had Assistance booked for the 08.21 and managed to cancel it and book for the 12.20 on the app whilst on the Lowlander.
Queen Street looked after my Mum very nicely and helped her get on first into a priority seat.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Glq is definitely one of the better stations on ScotRail network for passenger assist

 

[kentrailman]

Mr Beans holiday .. On the Caledonian sleeper ! Well almost ! ( apologies to those who have not seen the film.).

Sleeper pulling into Blair Atholl , ( might have been Pitlochery actually, not sure now it was all a blur.. ) fire alarm goes off .. train stops at station. Some of us .. Luckily less than ten .. Exit train and Stand on platform .. Others remain inside .. Fire alarm still going off .. although it keeps pausing intermittently then restarting moments later .. People hopping in and out not sure what is best ..suddenly the "Doors closing" beeper sounds .. Luckily we make it back onto train just in time before Doors close and train pulls out .... Fire alarm continues as train accelerates but is silenced when staff appear about five minutes later .. For now at least ! ( Later edit : it didn't go off again !)

Had more of us got off the train I can imagine a Mr Bean's holiday scenario as we stand on platform watching train disappear into the night without us .. Luckily, I think everyone got back on !! We could easily have been left behind even as things were.

Yes, I know, reading instructions in room it does say ' leave your room and wait at end of coach for instructions' so we were wrong to leave the train but ... well, would have made an interesting post if we had been left behind !!

Is there no sort of interlock to stop the train leaving station if fire alarm is going ? Does the person pressing the close door button have a way to know if there are any fire alarms active ?

Also, while I am here , I heard lots of tree branches hitting the train sort of Aviemore area .. A good job the windows don't open ! .. They could do with a trim perhaps.

 

[BRX]

I've wondered if vegetation trimming is (or rather was) deliberately adjusted according to whether a certain line still had droplight stock operating. Not that long ago the HML had the chieftain hst and the old sleeper stock running every day - now nothing.
There must still be a cost to untrimmed branches in terms of damage to stock...especially with vinyl graphics applied.
Maybe a more relaxed trimming regime will get rid of the bits of the CS livery that annoyingly obscure the view from several sleeper compartment windows.

 

[zero]

the bits of the CS livery that annoyingly obscure the view from several sleeper compartment windows.

And the club car windows too, from certain seat positions


Also, the southbound Inverness portion was diverted via Kirkcaldy instead of Falkirk last night. It stopped in Thornton up loop for 10 minutes while the southbound Aberdeen portion passed. But they were all going to join up at Edinburgh anyway, is there a reason the ex-Aberdeen coaches had to go first?

 

[Peter Sarf]

And the club car windows too, from certain seat positions


Also, the southbound Inverness portion was diverted via Kirkcaldy instead of Falkirk last night. It stopped in Thornton up loop for 10 minutes while the southbound Aberdeen portion passed. But they were all going to join up at Edinburgh anyway, is there a reason the ex-Aberdeen coaches had to go first?

I think it is to keep the coaches in the correct order onwards to Euston. Otherwise extra shunting would be required at Edinburgh. From Euston the (up to) 16 coaches form the next nights lowlander. The way the diagrams rotate it seems quite specific what part of the train needs to end up where so that rotation via Polmadie is achieved correctly.

 

[92002]

And the club car windows too, from certain seat positions


Also, the southbound Inverness portion was diverted via Kirkcaldy instead of Falkirk last night. It stopped in Thornton up loop for 10 minutes while the southbound Aberdeen portion passed. But they were all going to join up at Edinburgh anyway, is there a reason the ex-Aberdeen coaches had to go first?

Both the Inverness and Fort William portions were diverted last night. With engineering work in progress between Linlithgow and Haymarket.

 

[Bill57p9]

Both the Inverness and Fort William portions were diverted last night. With engineering work in progress between Linlithgow and Haymarket.

The southbound Fort William being diverted via the curve between Sunnyside Junction and Whifflet - an extremely rare section of track for passenger working. The crossing at Sunnyside junction was a derailment site on 6 May https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/derailment-at-coatbridge-6-5-22.231372/



Southbound the Aberdeen portion always arrives before the Inverness to allow it to run into platform 2 through platform 19, which is subsequently occupied by the Inverness portion. Could it run through 20? Probably but it doesn't

 

[InOban]

I seem to recall that last time a route like that was required the passengers had to be taken by coach from Dalmuir to Edinburgh because the conductor wasn't passed for the route.

 

[Tormod]

1S25 seems to have suffered a 1 hour delay at Dalwhinnie this morning for some reason.

 

[92002]

I seem to recall that last time a route like that was required the passengers had to be taken by coach from Dalmuir to Edinburgh because the conductor wasn't passed for the route.

Obviously the conductor and driver signed the route this time. The problem seems to be with ScotRail staff who decided to remove the route from staff cards.

 

[Roger B]

Finally! Awaiting departure from Waverley on the Lowlander on Monday evening.

 

[matacaster]

Forgive me for asking this question as I know you are all very attached to the sleepers, but over the last say 6 months how many Caledonian sleeper services have actually arrived on time?

 

[Gonzoiku]

There is no need to seek forgiveness for asking your question, but I am utterly mystified by your apparent assumption that our (supposed) attachment to the sleepers has any bearing on the answer!

GZ

 

[matacaster]

There is no need to seek forgiveness for asking your question, but I am utterly mystified by your apparent assumption that our (supposed) attachment to the sleepers has any bearing on the answer!

GZ

In view of the comments about issues with the sleeper, I was concerned the figures for right time arrivals might not be to everyone's taste.

 

[Gonzoiku]

Might you have made assumptions about the answer?

Speaking only for myself when I used the sleeper regularly, I can say that compensation for late arrival was more than adequate, and did not stop me using the sleeper. What stopped me using it, before the new stock was introduced, but after putting nearly £10000 into CS, was the effective removal of flexi-tickets.

GZ

 

[Techniquest]

I have only used the 'new' Scottish sleeper once, from Euston to Edinburgh, in October 2020 and I recall good timekeeping. I'm not rushing to use it again, admittedly, but I'll be here all day discussing that. I'm not against using the sleeper, but it's just not really my thing. I prefer day trains and a proper bed in a proper hotel room, with good breakfast options nearby.

 

[alistairlees]

In view of the comments about issues with the sleeper, I was concerned the figures for right time arrivals might not be to everyone's taste.

Forgive me for asking this question as I know you are all very attached to the sleepers, but over the last say 6 months how many Caledonian sleeper services have actually arrived on time?

The Sleeper very rarely arrives on time. Usually it is early in arriving at its final destinations. Sometimes it is slightly late, and occasionally significantly so (and the reasons are quite variable).

The last significant lateness was on the nights of 16th and 17th June.

Since then almost everything has been early, but a couple of trains have been late.

Admittedly it did not run for a few nights because of the RMT strike.

 

[trebor79]

Forgive me for asking this question as I know you are all very attached to the sleepers, but over the last say 6 months how many Caledonian sleeper services have actually arrived on time?

Dunno. But the recenttraintimes website will tell you.

 

[Blindtraveler]

When I was using the service regularly, under various managements my general experience was early running at terminis point. Obviously they were a good number of on time arrivals as well and arrivals that could be considered as on time because they were only 5 or 10 minutes late. Obviously there's been a few classics over the years, faulty trains, bad weather, the usual stuff that we see on here ear from time to time and. But what like someone else has pointed out the high prices and lack of flexibility are what has driven me away from the current sleep at offering and this annoys me because I would use it far more often if both of these were rectified as I now choose to fly which is something surely the Scottish government in particular with its supposing green agenda would like to stop me doing. But if stopping me doing that is at the expense of having to ride on an azuma ironing board multiple times per year then I'm afraid they'll have to literally bar me from going into the airport

 

[Scotrail88]

Why has the arrivals into GLC been sitting outside for excessive times over last few days.
Surely with reduced services, some reallocations can be used and plt 1 be available for the arrival.
Could have been in 30 mins early last 2 days

 

[BRX]

Forgive me for asking this question as I know you are all very attached to the sleepers, but over the last say 6 months how many Caledonian sleeper services have actually arrived on time?

For the last 3 months (last 6 months not easily available) Euston-Inverness

Within 5 mins of schedule just under 90% of the time. On average 6 or 7 mins late. Can range from 45 mins early to a bit over 2hrs late.

Somewhere in the distant past of this thread I did this exercise comparing with Easyjet London-Inverness and I think the sleeper performed slightly better.

 

[92002]

For the last 3 months (last 6 months not easily available) Euston-Inverness

Within 5 mins of schedule just under 90% of the time. On average 6 or 7 mins late. Can range from 45 mins early to a bit over 2hrs late.

Somewhere in the distant past of this thread I did this exercise comparing with Easyjet London-Inverness and I think the sleeper performed slightly better.


View attachment 116942

Funny what you say about EasyJet and the sleeper. Coming back from Gatwick a couple of days ago I by chance met a couple who were booked on the Glasgow flight a Day later, after EasyJet cancelled their Inverness flight . There was no attempt to find the passengers a hotel. They could of course have been booked on the Highland sleeper, but no attempt made. They were sent to Glasgow a Day later with a train ticket to Inverness. Not very good customer relations in my book. Seems CS has a lot to learn.

 

[Essexman]

I’ve used the sleeper in the region of 180 times over the last 25 years.
Generally it arrives on time and southbound is quite often early.
It seems to be either on time or very late, as the amount of slack in the schedule usually covers any minor problems.
I can only think of a few occasions when it’s been very late –

57 minutes late Southbound from Aberdeen last month when a lorry dropped a load onto the track
About an hour at Fort William when we hit a tree near Loch Lomond and a man from Network Rail had to cut it away with a chain saw.
About an hour to Glasgow when there was deep snow and people were being advised not to travel by train.
About 2 hours to Edinburgh when there were delays near Preston as a freight train broke down and then at Carstairs because the shunter had left.
About 2 hours southbound when we’d been delayed at Preston waiting for the northbound driver to arrive and take us to London.
Just under an hour from Aberdeen a couple of years ago – I can’t remember why.
About ¾ hour to Glasgow when there was a problem with the wires and the train terminated at Motherwell.

Maybe a couple more that I can’t remember but that’s about 5% of journeys that were severely delayed.

Southbound I’m not usually bothered if it’s late – happy to have longer in bed.

Only once did a delay inconvenience me. I was going to Lindisfarne, sleeper to Edinburgh, train the Berwick, then bus. Fortunately I got a taxi from Berwick arriving on the island just before the tide covered the causeway.