ChristopherJ
Member
Got caught in disruption on West Anglia this afternoon and I wondered if anyone knows why the High Meads Loop at Stratford is not better utilised by Greater Anglia.
I fancied dinner in Westfield at Stratford tonight. This weekend there are engineering work at Hackney Downs and West Anglia services to London are diverted between Coppermill Junction and Liverpool Street via Stratford - this worked in my favour because it meant I had a train to Stratford less than every 15 minutes rather than every 30 minutes under the normal timetable.
I boarded the 15:30 to Liverpool Street via Stratford at Tottenham Hale on time. Great - I'll be at Stratford in 10 minutes and shoving a burrito down my neck in Westfield in less than 15 minutes. Lovely. Wrong!
It was an uneventful journey until down the Lea Valley branch we reached Temple Mills East Junction - where we was stopped at the signal protecting the junction towards either towards Stratford or around to the High Meads Loop.
After approximately five minutes of waiting, the driver announces there are unknown problems ahead at Stratford - and will announce as soon as any further information is received. Later, fifteen minutes pass and the driver announces that there are overhead wire problems and the line ahead is blocked by a train in the platform we should arrive at - platform 11. Afterwards all goes quite for over 30 minutes and passengers begun to become frustrated - a women went up to the bulkhead and banged on the cab door and demanded more information or for the train to be evacuated - the driver opened the door and got a mouthful of abuse from the women, he replied there's nothing much else that could be done until the problems are fixed and just returned to the cab and ignored the torrent of abuse.
I then had an idea. I knocked on the cab door and the driver mistakenly thought it was the mouthy women again and as he opened the door shouted "look, I told you, there's nothing I can do..." But then startled himself when he noticed it was me. I asked the driver if he signs the High Meads Loop. If the problems were at Stratford why not avoid the area via High Meads and return back on to the GEML at Carpenters Road South Junction and go directly in to Liverpool Street. Driver said he doesn't sign the route. Damn. Nice try but no cigar.
Another 25 minutes pass and we finally move - having been stuck at Temple Mills for just approaching under an hour. A journey for me that should of taken 10 minutes took over 60 minutes. I had an extra large pork burrito with nachos just make up for the time I was deprived of one!
As mentioned all West Anglia including Stansted Express services were diverted via Stratford this weekend - given the time we was stuck and this being the only route in to London I can't begin to imagine how far back up the line trains must of been queuing!
On the plus side, the resident shunter at the Eurostar depot, 08948, was shunting the spare power car 3999 around the depot in the time we was stuck opposite - watching that kept me occupied for while.
There's no booked passenger service over the High Meads Loop - only the occasional freight to avoid Stratford. I'd have thought it would of been more heavily used by Greater Anglia since the strengthening of the Bishops Stortford - Stratford services and ECS traffic since Orient Way CS opened.
I fancied dinner in Westfield at Stratford tonight. This weekend there are engineering work at Hackney Downs and West Anglia services to London are diverted between Coppermill Junction and Liverpool Street via Stratford - this worked in my favour because it meant I had a train to Stratford less than every 15 minutes rather than every 30 minutes under the normal timetable.
I boarded the 15:30 to Liverpool Street via Stratford at Tottenham Hale on time. Great - I'll be at Stratford in 10 minutes and shoving a burrito down my neck in Westfield in less than 15 minutes. Lovely. Wrong!
It was an uneventful journey until down the Lea Valley branch we reached Temple Mills East Junction - where we was stopped at the signal protecting the junction towards either towards Stratford or around to the High Meads Loop.
After approximately five minutes of waiting, the driver announces there are unknown problems ahead at Stratford - and will announce as soon as any further information is received. Later, fifteen minutes pass and the driver announces that there are overhead wire problems and the line ahead is blocked by a train in the platform we should arrive at - platform 11. Afterwards all goes quite for over 30 minutes and passengers begun to become frustrated - a women went up to the bulkhead and banged on the cab door and demanded more information or for the train to be evacuated - the driver opened the door and got a mouthful of abuse from the women, he replied there's nothing much else that could be done until the problems are fixed and just returned to the cab and ignored the torrent of abuse.
I then had an idea. I knocked on the cab door and the driver mistakenly thought it was the mouthy women again and as he opened the door shouted "look, I told you, there's nothing I can do..." But then startled himself when he noticed it was me. I asked the driver if he signs the High Meads Loop. If the problems were at Stratford why not avoid the area via High Meads and return back on to the GEML at Carpenters Road South Junction and go directly in to Liverpool Street. Driver said he doesn't sign the route. Damn. Nice try but no cigar.
Another 25 minutes pass and we finally move - having been stuck at Temple Mills for just approaching under an hour. A journey for me that should of taken 10 minutes took over 60 minutes. I had an extra large pork burrito with nachos just make up for the time I was deprived of one!
As mentioned all West Anglia including Stansted Express services were diverted via Stratford this weekend - given the time we was stuck and this being the only route in to London I can't begin to imagine how far back up the line trains must of been queuing!
On the plus side, the resident shunter at the Eurostar depot, 08948, was shunting the spare power car 3999 around the depot in the time we was stuck opposite - watching that kept me occupied for while.
There's no booked passenger service over the High Meads Loop - only the occasional freight to avoid Stratford. I'd have thought it would of been more heavily used by Greater Anglia since the strengthening of the Bishops Stortford - Stratford services and ECS traffic since Orient Way CS opened.