Euston Disruption From Signalling Faults (2/3 April)

[zwk500]

How long does it take to activate bidirectional running.

Lichfield to Rugby can do it pretty much at will (as long as the section is clear), but the Trent Valley isn't where the problem is.

Rugby to Euston doesn't have Bi-di apart from at a few stations to facilitate reversals or access to sidings/yards/depots.

 

[sdrennan]

Apologies, I thought there was more. Lots of cancelled trains, but mine is hurtling towards Milton Keynes at the moment so I will find out soon if they have fixed something

 

[sh24]

We were talked through from south of Bletchley to MK. Now approaching Hanslope at what feels like close to line speed. Fully declassified, all seats taken and plenty of people standing in the vestibules but not at the sitting on luggage rack stage of overcrowding. Lots and lots of confused passengers and some getting quite upset on the platform at MK.

 

[SCDR_WMR]

There's probably no answer to this, but is the Easter weekend engineering work south of Milton Keynes linked in any way to the signalling failures since?

Funnily enough, there was a day like this last year north of Watford. And that did turn out to be damage to cables from the engineering works.

 

[parkender102]

All Lines now clear but disruption expected till the end of the day. It's getting ridiculous - daughter is travelling North to Crewe later today and her last journey to London when she came home they turfed everyone out at MK and she arrived in London 3 Hours late. That was signalling problems again between MK and Watford Junction.

Ticket Acceptance in place - daughter could go Marylebone - Birmingham Moor Street then Birmingham New Street - Crewe. Although I think shes on a West Midlands Train Ticket the National Rail Site only mentions acceptance of London North Western Ticket (thought they were interchangeable.

 

[Russel]

This is getting repetitive now, it seems we're suffering a Euston / WCML meltdown every other week at the moment.

 

[Elecman]

Loss of DNO supply South of Bletchley

 

[jfollows]

Loss of DNO supply South of Bletchley

Distribution Network Operator?

 

[Elecman]

Distribution Network Operator?

Yes

 

[Efini92]

Yes

What’s that in lay terms?

 

[Confused52]

A power cut

 

[QueensCurve]

From where to where? only the Trent Valley has bi-di signalling, and even then not all of it.

Only on the Fast lines I believe.

 

[Elecman]

A power cut

Yes

 

[DelW]

Yes

Is the DNO supply that failed going to feed signalling, or OHLE, or both?

TIA

 

[Elecman]

Is the DNO supply that failed going to feed signalling, OHLE, or both?

TIA

Signalling and GSMR

 

[DelW]

Signalling and GSMR

Thanks. I'm a bit surprised that there isn't a backup generator for that (which wouldn't be practicable for traction supply). Or maybe there was and it didn't cut over successfully (which I have encountered in a non-railway context).

 

[The Planner]

Only on the Fast lines I believe.

Its only between Curborough and Rugby. Its a bit pointless have bi-di on the slows.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Signalling and GSMR

All signalling supplies have back on WCML and GSMR is battery backed as well so shouldn't bring the job to a stop although might have a few "change of aspects" seen by drivers depending where they were in relation to signals.

 

[Boodiggy]

Funnily enough, there was a day like this last year north of Watford. And that did turn out to be damage to cables from the engineering works.

Neither days failures were linked to the Easter works.
Just bad luck on the timing.

All signalling supplies have back on WCML and GSMR is battery backed as well so shouldn't bring the job to a stop although might have a few "change of aspects" seen by drivers depending where they were in relation to signals.

Not if the UPS doesn’t kick in.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Neither days failures were linked to the Easter works.
Just bad luck on the timing.


Not if the UPS doesn’t kick in.

On critical systems ie the interlocking, train describer, GSMR etc the UPS is feeding the load at all times thats why its Uninterruptable. Generally teh trackside supplies only have a back up and will suffer a momentarily loss of supply although even there the GSMR base stations are equipped with UPS as is the data communication systems for signalling and safety critical comms. A loss of a DNO or railway fed signalling supply shouldn't bring the railway to a complete stand has been a basic principle on main lines since the modernisation plan.

 

[Boodiggy]

On critical systems ie the interlocking, train describer, GSMR etc the UPS is feeding the load at all times thats why its Uninterruptable. Generally teh trackside supplies only have a back up and will suffer a momentarily loss of supply although even there the GSMR base stations are equipped with UPS as is the data communication systems for signalling and safety critical comms. A loss of a DNO or railway fed signalling supply shouldn't bring the railway to a complete stand has been a basic principle on main lines since the modernisation plan.

I understand that and how it all works, and I understand today’s failure (as well as yesterday’s at Euston).
The UPS (uninterrupted power supply) never kicked in during a local power outage, fault with AEG (linked to the electronics units and Camlins system)
Emergency Special Working was needed. With all four lines affected this leaves little capacity. When the affected trackside cabinets were bypassed / electronics replaced the damage to the service had already been done.

 

[PG]

The UPS never kicked in during a local power outage, fault with AEG unit.
Emergency Special Working was needed. With all four lines affected this leaves little capacity. When the affected LOCs were bypassed / electronics replaced the damage to the service had already been done.

AEG? - automatic emergency generator??
LOC??

 

[m0ffy]

Neither days failures were linked to the Easter works.
Just bad luck on the timing.


Not if the UPS doesn’t kick in.

Modern UPSes are typically permanent, double conversion units. These provide power conditioning as well as backup with no supply drop to the critical load.

 

[jfollows]

AEG? - automatic emergency generator??

AEG is the manufacturer of the uninterruptible power supply unit, it's not an abbreviation although it may - historically - have stood for something, a bit like BT or BL once did.
EDIT AEG was formerly called Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. It has not existed as a company since 1996 although rights to its name are owned by Electrolux. “AEG Power Solutions” was reincarnated as a private company in 2018, with rights to use the name granted by Electrolux.

AEG (German company) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Howardh]

This is getting repetitive now, it seems we're suffering a Euston / WCML meltdown every other week at the moment.

Euston simply isn't fit for the purpose, and that includes the lines around it! Station too small, concourses get packed, lines (to a layman - me) look old and clapped out, and stopping Avanti short (say Watford) which would be ridiculous (akin to stopping HS2 at Old Oak) I can't even begin to suggest an answer.

But as a layman, just what IS the real issue, as alluded to this is happening more often than is reasonably expected? Probably a mix of underfunding, lack of attention, poor design (Euston) and goodness knows shat else.
Reading Twitter, Avanti say pax can travel today and tomorrow on yesterday's ticket, but aren't they on strike tomorrow? That is a real kick in the backside for passengers, can't they just, for once, be human and work and cancel the strike (have it later?)

 

[John Webb]

.....LOC??

LOcation Cabinet - the steel boxes at the side of the track that contain equipment to work the nearby signals and points.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Only on the Fast lines I believe.

But it still means you can split the 4-track route into two halves for maintenance or after incidents.
The northern limit is where the 4-tracking Trent Valley project finished.
South of Rugby you have dual 2-track routes to Hanslope and then 4 tracks onwards, but without bi-di.
HS2 will be bi-di throughout.

 

[Jimini]

…and they’ve just had the cheek to reject my delay repay claim from yesterday lunchtime, despite my being delayed well over 60 mins!

 

[800001]

Further loss of signalling at Euston, no access to platforms 5-16. Block on services heading south, with trains being platforms at station on route.

 

[Russel]

Further loss of signalling at Euston, no access to platforms 5-16. Block on services heading south, with trains being platforms at station on route.

I suppose it was overdue...

We didn't have our weekly Euston Meltdown last week, did we?