East Coast Scuppered

[Max]

Just to warn people, there is significant disruption currently unfolding on the East Coast. All 4 lines are blocked in the St Neots area. The wires are down and tangled around a 91. No services are running south of Peterborough at present. Tickets are being accepted on other TOCs (Virgin and EMT).

 

[Bittern]

The wires are down and tangled around a 91.

...Wow.

 

[richw]

from the bbc

Very SevereShow On Map
Current DisruptionStevenage East Coast - Stevenage to Peterborough - disrupted
East Coast - Service suspended between Kings Cross and Peterborough due to overhead line problems between Stevenage and Peterborough. Tickets being accepted on East Midlands Trains, Virgin Trains services.

 

[MadCommuter]

...Wow.

Would be I right in saying this area regularly has problems with the wires?

 

[dk1]

Virgin also suffering delays up to 166mins due to OHL probs. Just when those Scot-bound airline passengers thought the nightmare was nearly over. Oh the joys of Christmas :roll:.

 

[Max]

Note that this was second hand from a Hull Trains train manager. I realise it sounds pretty dramatic!

 

[Aictos]

FCC are advising that East Coast tickets are being accepted between Kings Cross and Cambridge where a replacement bus service is in operation between Cambridge and Peterborough and also a replacement bus service is in operation
between St Neots and Hitchin.

Additional Relief Services



.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

At Preston, currently, there are delays of between 10-20 minutes on local Northern/TPE services, but with delays of between 30-100 minutes on all Virgin stuff, there looks to be problems in both the Lakes and Borders, and the South on the WCML... Glasgow-Birmingham/London services seemed to be well over 60 late as standard.

 

[TheBigD]

Was told it was the 1300 Kings Cross - Glasgow which brought the wires down. This service is now on the move and is over 4 hours late.

Surprised that Grand Central and Hull Trains didn't divert via Cambridge as they have done in the past. I know that East Coast crews don't sign it.

 

[Deerfold]

Was told it was the 1300 Kings Cross - Glasgow which brought the wires down. This service is now on the move and is over 4 hours late.

Surprised that Grand Central and Hull Trains didn't divert via Cambridge as they have done in the past. I know that East Coast crews don't sign it.

Grand Central are doing.

 

[yorkie]

Would be I right in saying this area regularly has problems with the wires?

Yes. It was done on the cheap. There are no proper gantries. This means if one wire comes down, they ALL come down. This was done due to budget reasons back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. However it has cost far more money in the long run due to delays than it would have cost to get it right first time. WCML was done properly.

 

[TGV]

If I had a quid for each time this has happened 15 miles each side of Huntingdon, I'd not need to pay the fare.

The catenary in this area is 3 or 4 road headspan from Holme all the way to Woolmer - and it's 125mph on the fast lines for nearly all of that distance, down to 115 at Offord, for example, but it's still a bloody fast stretch of line. I've seen failed droppers on several occasions just waiting to be a line-closer in the making. When one line is brought down it almost inevitably affects the adjacent ones, or in some cases like this - all four of them.

I am due to travel through it early tomorrow morning... I assume NR will be in the process of re-stringing it tonight. If not, I can see a long journey tomorrow.

 

[LilLoaf]

Was told it was the 1300 Kings Cross - Glasgow which brought the wires down. This service is now on the move and is over 4 hours late.

Surprised that Grand Central and Hull Trains didn't divert via Cambridge as they have done in the past. I know that East Coast crews don't sign it.

It would be too much short notice for Grand Central and Hull trains. A lot has to be taken into consideration. For example Hull trains need a driver change at Grantham as he would be out of hours in terms of driving going around via Cambridge. Same for Grand Central not sure where they change driver though. I thought East Coast did sign it.

 

[crewmeal]

Get the Duffs out to work the lines. The 57's are good at helping out!!

 

[jon0844]

How much would it cost to fix the ECML wiring problems? I know a few years ago they did make me unable to travel at weekends for almost 52 weekends (over 2-2.5 years) because of the total closure of the line - and that was to change wires, fix gantries and insulators -- but beyond that, it doesn't seem to have served much purpose in improving reliability.

Sadly, it's usually the overhead lines that cause problems in the cold weather (going by the last couple of years) and not point problems, signal problems or trains breaking down! How crazy is that! If the wires didn't cause such chaos, the ECML would seemingly run pretty well during the snow.. just like they all do in Europe*...

* A joke on the basis that everyone assumes everything is always fine in Europe!

 

[PhilipW]

Plan to solve ECML problems:

1) Electrify Ely to Perborough this giving an electrified diversionary route between Hitchin and Perborough

When that is complete
2) Restore 4 tracks from Huntingdon to Peterborough with the new OHLE being very robust so that it won't come down when the wind speed is greater than 2mph.

Problem solved. Simple !!
Get on with it.

 

[amcluesent]

Yep, it's bad. I arrived at KGX to head back to P'boro to find no NE were moving. However, got the 14:52 FCC Cambridge train, and the 16:00 connection to B'ham New St on X-Country. Funny thing was the FCC driver suggested getting off at Hitchin for a bus connection - yeah right! Even odder was the advice at KGX to take a train from St Pancras to get to PBO - not sure which connection that would be.

P'boro station was chaotic at 5pm, in fact it was difficult just to get out the station! NE trains were stopping short then returning to Leeds, Newcastle etc.

The queue for taxis was 50yds long. I overheard someone say the hotels had asked for room rates of £250.

Edit - just seen the PBO pics on News 24...

 

[TheBigD]

It was chaos at Peterborough at 1500hrs. I bet it's an utter shambles by now.

 

[yorksrob]

Just to warn people, there is significant disruption currently unfolding on the East Coast. All 4 lines are blocked in the St Neots area. The wires are down and tangled around a 91. No services are running south of Peterborough at present. Tickets are being accepted on other TOCs (Virgin and EMT).

Ah, I wondered why the EMT 14:30 train to Leeds was so packed (All the way to Leeds unusually).

 

[t0ffeeman]

A mate has got caught up in it. Peterborough Travelodge still £42.75!

 

[MadCommuter]

Y There are no proper gantries

Sorry, thickie time. Not sure I understand - presumably there is a lack of support for the wires to hang from? Has anyone got any pictures of the equipment in this area to help me understand a bit better?

 

[Skimble19]

OHL is down just north of Sandy. All FCC services are cancelled beyond Hitchin, even though the FCC website seems to think some trains going through Biggleswade are "on time"!! There are however services running between Peterborough and St Neots to meet the buses.

 

[E&W Lucas]

There are no proper gantries.

Not correct. The ECML mostly uses the Headspan system, where the contact wire is supported by a series of wires strung between the upright stanchions.

Please see this picture: http://www.freefoto.biz/preview/23-88-7?ffid=23-88-7

or page 17 here: http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Rule_Boo... - AC Electrified Lines/GERT8000-AC Iss 1.pdf

This system is widely used across the network.

There is no doubt that it is a cheaper option than solid gantries, but money for investment was finite in the 1980's, just as it is now.

 

[yorkie]

Yep, it's bad. I arrived at KGX to head back to P'boro to find no NE were moving. However, got the 14:52 FCC Cambridge train, and the 16:00 connection to B'ham New St on X-Country. Funny thing was the FCC driver suggested getting off at Hitchin for a bus connection - yeah right! Even odder was the advice at KGX to take a train from St Pancras to get to PBO - not sure which connection that would be.

change @ Leicester, but I'd have thought via Cambridge would be quicker.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not correct. The ECML mostly uses the Headspan system, where the contact wire is supported by a series of wires strung between the upright stanchions.

If that's a "proper" gantry, then my definition of "proper" is different to yours. I think we will have to agree to disagree on that point!

 

[PhilipW]

One would like to think that East Coast had a standard back-up plan to put into operation whenever the wires are down south of Peterborough.

If there is one or what it is, I do not know.

I would have thought that being able to call in some DMUs so that a shuttle service could be run between Peterborogh and Cambridge would be a good start. Passengers could get that then transfer to the EMUs onwards to Kings Cross or Liverpool Street.

 

[MCR247]

Call in DMUs from where?

 

[Drimnagh Road]

11:42 ex Sunderland 345 minutes late.

 

[PhilipW]

Call in DMUs from where?

Sunday evening and no spare DMUs about. I don't believe it

 

[TheBigD]

One would like to think that East Coast had a standard back-up plan to put into operation whenever the wires are down south of Peterborough.

If there is one or what it is, I do not know.

They do. They advise people not to travel.

I would have thought that being able to call in some DMUs so that a shuttle service could be run between Peterborogh and Cambridge would be a good start. Passengers could get that then transfer to the EMUs onwards to Kings Cross or Liverpool Street.

Most of the Stansted-Birmingham services are 2 car 170's, a few are 3 car but there are no spare units at Cambridge.

 

[MCR247]

Sunday evening and no spare DMUs about. I don't believe it

Oh because all East coast drivers sign every DMU don't they? And if it brought the wires down, wouldn't they be kind of blocking the line?