GEML Disruption (01/11)

[Alfie1014]

Loss of signalling due to cable damage on all lines Manor Park to Ilford (Country End) since about 12:00. Limited service starting to run now but it appears services having to be talked passed a number of signals. Expect disruption to continue through the evening peak.

 

[Alfie1014]

Almost as soon as I typed the first message services started running (with delays)!

 

[iphone76]

Can you please do this every time there is a delay on the GEML. You may have the magic touch. Of course, this means you will need to be on standby 24/7.

I did hear a rumour that the disruption was caused by rodent damage in the Ilford area.

 

[AndyHA]

I thought all the Class 25s were withdrawn .

 

[Panupreset]

Rat or Hamster? Matters not. Signalling fawlty.

 

[iphone76]

Haha. I did hear a rat from the control room.

I think we only need a signal failure on the GEML tomorrow and we have a full house for this week.

 

[Alfie1014]

Can you please do this every time there is a delay on the GEML. You may have the magic touch. Of course, this means you will need to be on standby 24/7.

Sadly doesn’t always work that way got caught up in both the fatality and the liner failure at Manningtree on Monday!

 

[rd749249]

Rodent damage between Ilford and Romford. Services pretty much down for 4 hours. Getting back to some kind of normality now.

 

[Dr_Paul]

I did hear a rumour that the disruption was caused by rodent damage in the Ilford area.

Years ago there was a bloke at work from Dagenham who was very often late in, usually giving outlandish excuses for it. One day he said the train was delayed because a badger had bitten through some cables at Shoeburyness. How we laughed at this implausible reason — and then it turned out to be true!

 

[chubs]

There's delays reported on the GEML every single week without fail in the EDP.

Most don't seem to make it onto here, I assumed everyone was just used to it now.

 

[306024]

Years ago there was a bloke at work from Dagenham who was very often late in, usually giving outlandish excuses for it. One day he said the train was delayed because a badger had bitten through some cables at Shoeburyness. How we laughed at this implausible reason — and then it turned out to be true!

Wasn't "Badger in Junction Box Battersea" (or similar) one of Reggie Perrin's excuses for being 11 minutes late?

It seems there aren't that many East Anglia correspondents on here compared to other parts of the country, so a lot doesn't get an airing. For the full tale of woe the Ipswich Transport Society monthly magazine usually captures most things.

Rattus Rattus was the title a Controller logged a similar incident under many years ago. Along with Bovine / Equine / Porcine / Cygnus Incursions.

Meanwhile the offender has been identified as a rare Siberian hamster called Basil.

 

[apinnard]

Colchester to Clacton currently suspended due to trespasser on the track outside Colchester. Been a bit of a rubbish week on the GE.

 

[apinnard]

From what I can gather, there is an OHLE isolation in place which is affecting three trains not in platforms in the Colchester Town and Hythe area.

 

[700007]

Colchester to Clacton currently suspended due to trespasser on the track outside Colchester. Been a bit of a rubbish week on the GE.

Events like these just annoy me because when you have events such as signal failures which aren't easy to predict and fix causing disruption all day, then an idiot decides just as service recovers to take a stroll along the track for whatever reason.... The sense of some people really is shocking.

 

[Bald Rick]

Rattus Rattus was the title a Controller logged a similar incident under many years ago. Along with Bovine / Equine / Porcine / Cygnus Incursions.

Ah, happy days. When we had an Ostrich on the line up the East Suffolk, that stumped him!

 

[306024]

Ah, happy days. When we had an Ostrich on the line up the East Suffolk, that stumped him!

Another highlight was when 2 emus escaped from a farm near Bishops Stortford and ran down the Cambridge man line. And more bizarrely when a cow arrived in platform 6 at Norwich from the Yarmouth direction.

I see as a result of the Clacton line disruption Question Time is missing Liz Truss from the panel.

 

[Alfie1014]

From what I can gather, there is an OHLE isolation in place which is affecting three trains not in platforms in the Colchester Town and Hythe area.

Apparently someone sitting on the overbridge on Cowdray Avenue hence the isolation.

 

[Sleepy]

Another highlight was when 2 emus escaped from a farm near Bishops Stortford

I see as a result of the Clacton line disruption Question Time is missing Liz Truss from the panel.

Every cloud has a ......... ?

 

[dk1]

There's delays reported on the GEML every single week without fail in the EDP.

Most don't seem to make it onto here, I assumed everyone was just used to it now.

It's always been like that. I can only assume the EDP have space & time to fill.

 

[86246]

Friday doesn't look like that it will be any better. The line is currently blocked between Stowmarket and Ipswich "due to the emergency services dealing with an incident".

 

[dk1]

Friday doesn't look like that it will be any better. The line is currently blocked between Stowmarket and Ipswich "due to the emergency services dealing with an incident".

Beat me to it. Body on the line. Another eventful shift looming.

 

[captainbigun]

Add to this a severe stock shortage. There’s a pile of short forms.

I don’t know where things have gone awry but the current incumbent has proven themselves pretty incapable. Add the chocolate infrastructure and it’s a predictable recipe for the daily shambles.

I am not looking forward to the new stock, that’s going to be another episode in this soap opera.

 

[chubs]

Add to this a severe stock shortage. There’s a pile of short forms.

I don’t know where things have gone awry but the current incumbent has proven themselves pretty incapable. Add the chocolate infrastructure and it’s a predictable recipe for the daily shambles.

I am not looking forward to the new stock, that’s going to be another episode in this soap opera.

So you aren't happy there isn't enough of the old life expired stock to run a service, but you aren't happy we're getting new stock either?

 

[gingerheid]

Friday doesn't look like that it will be any better. The line is currently blocked between Stowmarket and Ipswich "due to the emergency services dealing with an incident".

The pleasant lady at B St E wins the prize for person most excited to announce that there "*will* be a train to Ipswich, our first from platform 2 today"

 

[captainbigun]

So you aren't happy there isn't enough of the old life expired stock to run a service, but you aren't happy we're getting new stock either?

There is enough existing stock, there is a problem with availability.

New trains are great when they work. You have a team at Abellio, the ROSCO and one of the suppliers who have little experience in commissioning a new fleet in the UK, or at all. Added to which you have a supplier who’s made a hash of a similar fleet elsewhere. Add to this the general lack of experienced engineering bodies to support commissioning of the umpteen new fleets across the country and you have good reason to fear things getting worse before they get better. Look at IEP, Mk5, 385....this list of painful introductions is lengthy.

Then add the whole fiasco around platform lengths and depot provisioning. That is incompetent, brought in part by lack of experience. Abellio have not had their finest hour with GA.

Above all of that you have the perilous state of the franchise with significant financial support being required from the parent.

 

[LAX54]

Loss of signalling due to cable damage on all lines Manor Park to Ilford (Country End) since about 12:00. Limited service starting to run now but it appears services having to be talked passed a number of signals. Expect disruption to continue through the evening peak.

Rat hungry
Rat eats 650v cable.
Rat eaten his last lunch.

 

[LAX54]

Add to this a severe stock shortage. There’s a pile of short forms.

I don’t know where things have gone awry but the current incumbent has proven themselves pretty incapable. Add the chocolate infrastructure and it’s a predictable recipe for the daily shambles.

I am not looking forward to the new stock, that’s going to be another episode in this soap opera.

I don't think nay of the recent events can be blamed on NR or AGA, with the exception of the Freight Train failure, but even that could happen to anyone! (as is proved on the A12 / M25 everyday of the week ! )

 

[captainbigun]

External events agreed, but the sudden unavailability of stock is a concern.

 

[TheEdge]

External events agreed, but the sudden unavailability of stock is a concern.

Its leaf falls, its out of limit wheel flat season!

 

[Alfie1014]

Problem is that it not just leaf fall season, short forming has lasted pretty much all year. First it was the beast from the East, then supplier problems now we've segued into leaf fall! GA putting out a message in the summer that the problems were over has turned out to be somewhat hollow. And yes I know that the engineering team are having a difficult time at the moment, works at Crown Point and Ilford full to bursting with all three operators introducing or about to introduce new fleets of trains but the travelling public do actually deserve better as some peak trains are almost permenantly short now and some days all the hauled sets are short of one of sometimes two coaches. As has been discussed before the short formation regime in the Franchise Agreement isn't fit for purpose as it appears not to provide enough of an incentive or capture enough of the trains affected. Unfortunately this does not give confidence that the total fleet replacement that is about to happen will be pain free, at least in the short to medium term!