Entire 800/801/802 fleet stood down for safety checks

[popeter45]

Good lord is this a record? 23 pages and 623 posts for today only?

well this is prob the largest event to happen in a long while

 

[yorksrob]

well this is prob the largest event to happen in a long while

I'd still say the collapse of the sea wall at Dawlish was the biggie for me so far.

 

[Jamesrob637]

I'd still say the collapse of the sea wall at Dawlish was the biggie for me so far.

How ironic that the Voyagers (plus other units and Castle HSTs) are still plodding along the sea wall yet 800s are not!

 

[ainsworth74]

You all clearly weren't around for the Carmont derailment thread. That was far far busier than this (and other mentioned contenders) to the point we had to deploy extra server capacity to cope with demand.

 

[DanNCL]

LNER are currently advertising the following services tomorrow as cancelled throughout as a result of the 800/801 issues:
09:00 York - Edinburgh
09:40 Inverness - London
09:47 Aberdeen - London
09:58 London - Aberdeen
10:25 Bradford - London
11:47 Aberdeen - London
11:58 London - Inverness
12:20 Edinburgh - London
13:58 London - Aberdeen
17:01 London - Harrogate
17:30 London - Edinburgh
18:33 London - Skipton
19:30 London - Newcastle

In addition to those mentioned above, the 11:20 Edinburgh - London is advertised as starting at Newcastle.
Of course this is all subject to alteration, but at present those are the currently advertised cancellations resulting from these issues tomorrow.

 

[yorksrob]

How ironic that the Voyagers (plus other units and Castle HSTs) are still plodding along the sea wall yet 800s are not!

Particularly ironic, as the Voyagers have had so many difficult years not plodding along the wal6l in bad weather !

Can't beat the HST.

 

[Taunton]

it would help if they stopped additionally at Didcot which has almost no service westwards.

Has the GW Society at Didcot offered a Castle and their various stock?

 

[brad465]

I'd still say the collapse of the sea wall at Dawlish was the biggie for me so far.

It was certainly a major event railway wise, but I don't think the forum had as many users back then, while I don't remember the number of posts being anywhere near as rapid as this thread has so far (although in the end the subject was split into at least 3 threads covering the incident, rolling stock behaviour, avoiding line options and maybe something else I missed).

You all clearly weren't around for the Carmont derailment thread. That was far far busier than this (and other mentioned contenders) to the point we had to deploy extra server capacity to cope with demand.

I remember the viewings peaked at least around 1,500 at one point, the majority guests, but for numerical posts don't think it was as big.

 

[robbeech]

So what is happening on the ground tonight, say you rolled up at Paddington booked on 1803 with no prior knowledge of the disruption ? As your stranded will GWR provide overnight accommodation as per NCC ? Get you to Bristol & provide a taxi ? Or tell you make your own arrangements & send them bill ?

You make your own arrangements and pay for it yourself and that is the end of the matter.

Fail to provide a unit for a service = penalty and for the day = big penalty. For the IEP fleet alone (800/801) today alone will have cost them a minimum of upper hundreds of thousands in penalties depending on quite what they managed to get out and when and most likely over a million. This is going to be very expensive.

With them not allowing travel on advanced tickets at a later date forcing everyone to refund and buy more expensive flexible tickets, you do have to question where GWR will sit financially after this.

Given the scale of the problem, dispensations for non-compliant stock would very likely be granted.

It’s a political nightmare though. I would think if operators are not footing the Bill they’d sooner not run a service than run an HST again.

You can stop incurring additional obligations by putting people off buying tickets, or potentially even refusing to sell any at all. But you can't simply absolve existing obligations by putting a notice on your website/station telling punters to get lost.


If you can arrange your own alternative transport (e.g. a taxi), it would probably have been reasonably possible for the TOC to do so. And therefore if they refused to help you out, they would be liable for the reasonable and mitigated cost of such alternatives.

Who will make them do it? They say no, you escalate it to who? Their boss, who will say no? One of the regulators funded by them who will say no? The contractual passenger’s rights are not worth the paper they’re written on. They don’t have to stick to them like the passenger does. Meanwhile they are doing what they can to run a service.

Not sure how that would work with compulsory reservations. You're booked train is running, but you don't have your seat reservation if you're in the unlucky half of the train.

Same way as it has worked for years with short forms I guess. If you were reserved in that bit that’s missing, tough. The only difference is it might be a case of tough stay at home rather then tough stand up for 3 hours if they’re over socially distanced capacity, although there’s been a couple of full and standing photos kicking around today.

Will GWR actually get off their backsides and provide replacement buses? I'm not accepting being stuck miles from home with no hope and diminishing money...

I think you’ll find you’ll be waiting, being stuck for aslong as they say you’re stuck if you don’t find and fund your own alternative. Sorry.

In respect of bringing back into use non dda compliant stock, surely disabled passengers can be accommodated by using disability taxis. Preventing 98% of passengers using trains when there is an emergency and an alternative seems bonkers. This would be even more stupid as if the trains don't run both able bodied AND disabled can't use the train!

Have you been hibernating for the last 10+ years? This is how it has worked with old stock still in use, and how it has worked to date.

 

[popeter45]

You all clearly weren't around for the Carmont derailment thread. That was far far busier than this (and other mentioned contenders) to the point we had to deploy extra server capacity to cope with demand.

i was thinking more about number of post as unlike most things the seculative section can run wild with short term solutions
something something 89001 dragging a triple rake of 442's etc

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Imternal email states 17 TPE 802s now available for traffic with 2 units stopped. Sunday should therefore see a normal service operating

 

[ABB125]

Good lord is this a record? 23 pages and 623 posts for today only?

Could well be.

And 300 plus people viewing since the start, almost 500 at some point!!!

The Carmont derailment thread had over 2200 people viewing it at one point, certainly the largest number (and biggest event) since I joined the forum in 2016! Although, as mentioned above, the actual number of posts was relatively small.

 

[TheLastMinute]

According to OpenTrainTimes, the 0901 arrival at Bristol Temple Meads has been sat in platform 13 all day, marked NTBM which is presumably Not To Be Moved. Is the issue such a risk that the unit can't even be moved the few miles to Stoke Gifford depot?

 

[14xxDave]

Well this is interesting..

Hitachi apologises for rail disruption after trains cancelled after cracks found

TRAIN companies have cancelled a number of services across the UK today after hairline cracks were apparently found in some high speed trains.

www.thenorthernecho.co.uk

Hitachi Rail has this morning issued an apology to passengers affected by the travel disruption and said it is working to resolve the issue "quickly and safely".

Transpennine Express said: "A number of Class 800 series trains from several train companies have been taken out of service today for checks as a precautionary measure, including our Nova 1 trains.

"This will affect a significant number of services on our Newcastle to Liverpool route and we are advising customers not to travel on this route today."

 

[Jozhua]

TPE have managed it.

TPE has a much more varied fleet, something that is beginning to look like a better idea considering the issues with IET's!

Still a number of 185's knocking about too that are sometimes used for Manchester/Leeds stuff.

 

[185143]

In my understanding all TPE crews sign 185s. Getting and keeping them in the right place may be a challenge, though, as you say. However they do seem to be getting a service going using them.

Preston and Glasgow definitely don't. Not sure about Newcastle these days either.

 

[8J]

Preston and Glasgow definitely don't. Not sure about Newcastle these days either.

Preston & Glasgow crews don't sign 185s. Newcastle crews still currently do.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

Only 5 IETs will be allowed in service for GWR today.

3x return services on the Paddington-Swanseas, and only 2x return services Paddington-Penzance.

 

[bus man]

Surely wibble. The unions are not going to allow GWR to bring in stuff driven by part time drivers with frankly poor route knowledge when plenty of HSTs around that could be used at least as far as Reading driven and crewed by GWR staff.

Suspect the unions would allow it if there members were to act as pilot as this would keep there member employed and provide the route knowledge that the driver doesn’t have

 

[RPI]

Suspect the unions would allow it if there members were to act as pilot as this would keep there member employed and provide the route knowledge that the driver doesn’t have

There would be issues with having 2 in the cab though from different operators, currently drivers who are in training are "bubbled" with their DI.

 

[Snow1964]

There would be issues with having 2 in the cab though from different operators, currently drivers who are in training are "bubbled" with their DI.

I thought we had moved to 2 unrelated indoors in latest Covid changes, and it goes upto 6 next week

Rather suggests have moved on from specific bubbles.

 

[800001]

According to OpenTrainTimes, the 0901 arrival at Bristol Temple Meads has been sat in platform 13 all day, marked NTBM which is presumably Not To Be Moved. Is the issue such a risk that the unit can't even be moved the few miles to Stoke Gifford depot?

View attachment 95803

The depot will be full, and at capacity, it will sit there until such time it can be moved to depot to be checked

 

[Ianno87]

Or they’re just seeing today as a bit of a freebie given it’s Sunday, getting their ducks in a row ready for Monday.

That's most likely - take a hit today to get things into place for a dependable service from.Monday.

 

[vikingdriver]

I thought we had moved to 2 unrelated indoors in latest Covid changes, and it goes upto 6 next week

Rather suggests have moved on from specific bubbles.

If it's anything like my TOC, you are bubbled with the other person, PCR test to enter the bubble and regular lateral flow tests to remain in it. I imagine GWR will be along the same lines, certainly won't be a free for all. People can meet indoors for work but employers should be making the environment as covid-safe as possible. I think though that you are suggesting in a more social way so no you can't. 17th May is when you you will be able to meet indoors.

 

[Ianno87]

Would be more useful if they could operate them Bristol Parkway-London (as plenty of other operators from there). I realise someone will mutter about paperwork, but so far they have had 26 hours to start the paperwork and lots of staff have been sitting idle during that time, when sorting the paperwork could have been under way.

Oh it's so simple and obvious! Why haven't GWR thought of that? <\sarcasm>

(The "paperwork" no doubt cannot be done by anybody, but somebody with the right competency. Probably somebody who has barely slept all night trying to sort the issues out, rather than "sitting idle")

 

[foggy69]

Would the drivers of the class 387 units have route knowledge to Swindon?

I believe there is a 'Suburban' LTV drivers depot at Swindon

 

[Yorkshireman16]

the term putting all your eggs in one basket comes to mind

 

[RobShipway]

Electrostars are run to Didcot and Newbury, so don’t need to limit them Reading-London.

Would be more useful if they could operate them Bristol Parkway-London (as plenty of other operators from there). I realise someone will mutter about paperwork, but so far they have had 26 hours to start the paperwork and lots of staff have been sitting idle during that time, when sorting the paperwork could have been under way.

I was thinking the same, however I was not sure that drivers of the Class 387's knowledge was as far as Bristol Parkway. I had memories of some class 387's parked in sidings just before getting to Swindon station. Which is why I think that maybe extend the London - Didcot service to Swindon. You will still need other units to be brought in though, to be able to run trains from Newbury on the Hants & berks route, plus other services from Swindon if you are also running Class 387 units from London - Newbury.

 

[py_megapixel]

It seems that what would once have been Swindon-Cheltenham Turbo services, then extended to London with IETs, has now been curtailed to Swindon-Gloucester, with Turbos again. I understand why it can't run through to London with IETs, but what's the reason for not going all the way to Cheltenham? Is there a broken IET stuck in the reversing siding there, or does it somehow reduce the number of diagrams needed (therefore allowing Turbos to work elsewhere)?

The extension to Cheltenham does provide quite a bit of extra connectivity so I'm surprised it's not been kept.

 

[Annetts key]

I thought we had moved to 2 unrelated indoors in latest Covid changes, and it goes upto 6 next week

Rather suggests have moved on from specific bubbles.

May get a little cramped if we try to squeeze six in a cab