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LNER - too many service disruptions?

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Seehof

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My stepson together with his girlfriend and baby daughter are travelling on a LNER service which is 9 coaches instead of 10 and there are no reservations on this train. So the reservations they made long ago so that they could have a reasonably comfortable journey to London has led to a horrible pushing/shoving boarding experience together with no seats.
When I look at LNER’s Travel Updates there seem to be a lot of different train consists together with no reservations. There also seems to be the odd 5 coach train running about mainly to Leeds. It also seems that the Harrogate (Leeds extensions) are often cancelled.
Is this due to teething problems with Azumas and the problems with withdrawing one fleet and introducing another? Is is this due to new trains being less reliable due to software and other issues? Or is this due to having two basic types of Azuma trains with some of them being 5 coaches which, when things go wrong, creates an inflexible situation?
In other words what is going on?
Will it ever be resolved or are they the new TPE for the Shambolic Introduction of New Trains Award?
 
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crablab

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I've been on several short formed services - is this Hitachi not released sets for service?
 

Steddenm

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There is a lot of service disruption today as there is a points failure between Grantham and Newark. Plus a set swap at Doncaster.
 

Mainliner

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Worse to come...

Currently on 1S19 stuck just south of Berwick.

“A person has been hit by a train between Dunbar / North Berwick and Edinburgh. As a result of this, all lines are currently blocked.

Trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 21:00”
 
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I was on the service which got held just behind the suicide. It was the same service that also had a set change earlier in the day at Doncaster due in part to a points failure.

My journey was 4hrs 22mins delayed all in, the suicide accounted for a solid 3hrs of that. Left London at 12noon, arrived in Edinburgh 9pm.

Seating reservations on the service were not active so it was a free-for-all getting on the first train, and then the replacement one at Doncaster. The first stock was comprised of two 5 car sets so catering wasn't available for many passengers either.

Absolute nightmare from start to finish :(
 

43094

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The answer to all three of the suggested causes in the OP is currently ‘yes’. That’s why it’s pretty much every day.
 

Steddenm

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I was on the service which got held just behind the suicide. It was the same service that also had a set change earlier in the day at Doncaster due in part to a points failure.

My journey was 4hrs 22mins delayed all in, the suicide accounted for a solid 3hrs of that. Left London at 12noon, arrived in Edinburgh 9pm.

Seating reservations on the service were not active so it was a free-for-all getting on the first train, and then the replacement one at Doncaster. The first stock was comprised of two 5 car sets so catering wasn't available for many passengers either.

Absolute nightmare from start to finish :(

I was on this service from York to Newcastle and have to say it was packed solid.

Originally it said that the train was "not in service" at York on the screens, then eventually showed up as "delayed due to an incident and set swap at Doncaster".

I think it arrived into Newcastle just shy of an hour late and feel sorry for those caught up in the fatality further north.
 

crablab

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On Friday I was on the 14:30 Kings Cross to Edinburgh - it was the second service North after a hiatus for the past hour or so, after the points failure. Absolutely rammed.

Credit to LNER though, they paid out my delay repay that evening!
 

cuccir

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It's partly a communication thing. LNER tweet out every short-form, cancellation, reservation failure. Other TOCs (that I regularly use) don't. It makes planning travel much easier with them than others.

As a long distance operator they're prone to disruption. Suicides, points failures... What are they meant to be doing?

And yes, this is compounded by being midway midway through the introduction of a new stock. But as someone who uses both TOCs: no, I wish TPE were half as reliable as LNER!
 

SteveP29

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As a long distance operator they're prone to disruption. Suicides, points failures... What are they meant to be doing?

And yes, this is compounded by being midway midway through the introduction of a new stock. But as someone who uses both TOCs: no, I wish TPE were half as reliable as LNER!

And that the ECML is at capacity, with LNER, Cross Country, TPE and Scotrail to the North Berwick junction
LNER, Cross Country and TPE to York
LNER, Cross Country, TPE, Grand Central and Northern from York
LNER, Cross Country, Grand Central and Hull Trains from where the Hulkl line joins ECML
LNER, Cross Country, Grand Central, Hull Trains and Great Northern further down the line from there.

This is before considering any freight on the line too
 

Mitchell Hurd

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This is why I'm strongly considering XC for my Dundee trip in early 2021 - all that's got happen is a cancelled train at London Kings Cross or a 5-car vice 9-car Azuma and I'm pretty much stuffed!

With XC, if a 4 or booked 5-car Voyager turns up, there's no coaches missing in terms of reservations - Coach B is the unreserved one.

If on the 17/04/20 the 18:18 LNER service from Aberdeen to Edinburgh runs on time or a little late, the train is the right way round and the full First Class service is provided then I'll be very surprised.

One thing I can live with is 5 vice 9 as long as it doesn't knackered the First Class service - something I've been waiting for for a good few months (journey rather than service, practically a year).
 

Master29

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I've been on several short formed services - is this Hitachi not released sets for service?
I wouldn't call a 9 can Azuma a short form per the OP's post as a 9 car set has more seats in both Standard and First class than a 2x5 pairing (albeit only a few seats difference).
 

Saint66

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On Friday I was on the 14:30 Kings Cross to Edinburgh - it was the second service North after a hiatus for the past hour or so, after the points failure. Absolutely rammed.

Credit to LNER though, they paid out my delay repay that evening!

I caught the 14:33 to Leeds which there was a mad scramble for after the previous Leeds train was cancelled.

We were delayed leaving KX by about fifteen minutes as the train was heaving with the aisles packed. The train manager made numerous announcements and eventually enough people got off, allowing us to depart.

The staff on the ground were doing a good job despite the numerous issues!
 

Scotrail314209

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I think we all knew the shortforming would happen from the very start.

Although, it does disappoint that they’ve practically stripped away most of First Class. :(

The Azuma’s also don’t seem to help the overcrowding issue on the Aberdeen services
 

crablab

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The staff on the ground were doing a good job despite the numerous issues!

I think I would disagree :) For my service at least, the crowd rushing forward was downright dangerous. And if there had been better crowd control then people waiting to board could have been held back, allowing the arriving passengers to exit quickly rather than pushing through a scrum.

I wouldn't call a 9 can Azuma a short form per the OP's post as a 9 car set has more seats in both Standard and First class than a 2x5 pairing

I'm referring to the several occasions I have been on a 5 car which was supposed to be 2x5 :)
 

Master29

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I think I would disagree :) For my service at least, the crowd rushing forward was downright dangerous. And if there had been better crowd control then people waiting to board could have been held back, allowing the arriving passengers to exit quickly rather than pushing through a scrum.



I'm referring to the several occasions I have been on a 5 car which was supposed to be 2x5 :)
Fair point.
 
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