Major disruption out of London Kings Cross (28/5)

[Failed Unit]

Power is on over the NCL

I should be more clear, doesn't seem anything is going north of Drayton Park.

 

[EverAnOptimist]

Can confirm the 801s are using their backup diesel generators for movements between Kings Cross and New Southgate.

 

[Sheps7755]

I should be more clear, doesn't seem anything is going north of Drayton Park.

Same power station as Kings Cross.

 

[Failed Unit]

Same power station as Kings Cross.

thanks. Makes sense, but a pity.

 

[Bald Rick]

Can 801 a crawl into Kings Cross over a short unelectrified section on its single generating unit - didn't they work from Newton Aycliffe to Darlington under their own power?

Yes, in and out.

 

[bramling]

OK, what should they be doing with the resources and infrastructure available to them? Marks given for showing your working out.

I’ll bite for a little example. We went for a walk earlier, with the intention of winding up at Stevenage and taking the train back. Should probably have checked beforehand, but until seeing a line of coaches outside Stevenage station we were blissfully unaware.

Booking hall was chaos, my companion required a ticket but couldn’t get near the ticket window as full of people pestering about alternative routes. No other information at all, but I’d already fired up OTT (which is of course an *unofficial* resource) and deduced there was a train going to go north from platform 1 any moment. With no prospect of anything else for a while, we had to be pretty “assertive” in getting my companion through the gateline with no ticket. Despite the gateline still running, no other information or staff to say what’s going on. 700 on platform 1 displaying “check station screens”, which were simply stating a message about disruption. Now I was pretty confident the train would be going north as by this time the position light could be seen (again on OTT) to have cleared, but still a gamble as to where it might - or might not - stop. A minute or so after we boarded, doors closed and off it went north off platform 1, and fortunately stopped where we wanted it to.

Anyone without railway knowledge or access to unofficial apps would have been totally in the dark, and would no doubt still be there now.

This is where the railway goes badly wrong, time after time.

 

[Fuzzytop]

Services are fully reserved tomorrow

That was my understanding of the situation - truly the worst possible timing if the railway is to operate a socially distanced BH weekend.

If it were down to me, given the issues sourcing coach replacements, I would be ditching mandatory reservations tomorrow and packing those services out, rather than telling passengers "sorry please don't travel by rail".

I realise that's an unpalatable decision, but I wonder how many of the people left stranded will avoid relying on LNER any time soon?

 

[800001]

22:15 up and down fast overheads re-energised

 

[CAF397]

In my opinion LNER need to stop with this reservation only business.

When the WCML had issues last week, there was no advice to travel via LNER because of the compulsory reservation thing.

Now I notice that when the ECML has issues they are telling everyone they can use Avanti.

At the height of the pandemic and lockdown, compulsory reservations had their place. But if we want the trains to carry significant passenger numbers, we need to understand social distancing may not be possible.

 

[Failed Unit]

Difficult one. I would be more then happy to cram in like sardines (as long as they don’t make us wear masks). Others may not be. You could tell them not to travel. But that would be a little harsh if that person was booked on the that train.

saying that the chances of injury / death in a RTC are much higher than COVID. But that isn’t the railways problem…

 

[bramling]

Difficult one. I would be more then happy to cram in like sardines (as long as they don’t make us wear masks). Others may not be. You could tell them not to travel. But that would be a little harsh if that person was booked on the that train.

saying that the chances of injury / death in a RTC are much higher than COVID. But that isn’t the railways problem…

The trouble is we’re in this awkward nomansland at the moment. On the one just two weeks ago we couldn’t stay in a hotel, yet now it’s apparently okay to be packed on a train if it suits the government, and of course it’s only really long distance trains which have made any pretence at social distancing - for commuter and local operators it’s zoono cleaning and “travel with confidence” announcements.

The government kind of needs to make its mind up, though it seems like the bulk of the population is already doing it for them.

 

[TheBigD]

4L04, 1436 Hams Hall to Felixstowe.
Failed once between Kings Dyke and Whittlesea,,got going again only to fail at Three Horseshoes.

Eventually on the move 300 minutes late.

 

[Joe96]

Apparently this is the train thats brought down the wires near Finsbury Park https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:G22258/2021-05-28/detailed


Nat Rail say incident happened 1701

For reference it was in Copenhagen tunnel on the up slow

Anyone know why the Moorgate services can’t run. I am assuming from the national rail website the juice needs to be turned off all the way to New Barnet / Gordon Hill. Which is a pity the Moorgate branch is getting blocked as a result. Saying that if they could keep it open. I suspect conditions will be a touch unpleasant.

The ECRO did an emergency switch off which incorporated everything from kings cross to Wood Green including the NCL

 

[bgrtmd225]

Yes, if they get authority from Hitachi to start the generating unit.

Hi,

801 units, both 9 and 5 car have 1 GU on the 822 car.

I shunt regularly using these engines and today a 9 car 801/2 ran from KGX to Potters Bar I believe on the GU. Seen passing Bounds Green:

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Difficult one. I would be more then happy to cram in like sardines (as long as they don’t make us wear masks).

If you’ve got to cram in like sardines wouldn’t masks be a somewhat sensible precaution!?

 

[Mcq]

9J45 still stuck at sig 2068, up slow line, as at 0137 with 1Z99 (whatever that is) stuck behind - as seen on OTT
Am I imagining it, or was there an OHL failure here not long ago?
Still they've managed to empty all KX platforms which is good going.

 

[AlbertBeale]

If you’ve got to cram in like sardines wouldn’t masks be a somewhat sensible precaution!?

Indeed - in this situation I'd cram in providing they did make everyone wear masks!

 

[bgrtmd225]

9J45 still stuck at sig 2068, up slow line, as at 0137 with 1Z99 (whatever that is) stuck behind - as seen on OTT
Am I imagining it, or was there an OHL failure here not long ago?
Still they've managed to empty all KX platforms which is good going.

1Z99 is 67012 and is assisting with the recovery of the unit with use of an emergency coupler. Dispatched from Bounds Green earlier this evening.

 

[Supercoss]

Dellner to swing head Combination coupler adaptor expected on site 07:30 to allow class 700 to be hauled from tunnel

 

[Snow1964]

Dellner to swing head Combination coupler adaptor expected on site 07:30 to allow class 700 to be hauled from tunnel View attachment 97199

14 hours after incident occurred

Where did coupler come from, was there seriously not one nearer than 14 hours away.

I suppose the old approach of having an emergency coupler in guards van of every 4VEP (in case it is needed in an emergency) don’t apply anymore

 

[Failed Unit]

Be interesting to see the cause of the dewirement once it is established. Was this all renewed as part of the KX work or is that area out of scope?

 

[OxtedL]

For reference it was in Copenhagen tunnel on the up slow


The ECRO did an emergency switch off which incorporated everything from kings cross to Wood Green including the NCL

The location of this must have been particularly bad, as it took them 5 hours to restore any power to that entire area

 

[Supercoss]

14 hours after incident occurred

Where did coupler come from, was there seriously not one nearer than 14 hours away.

I suppose the old approach of having an emergency coupler in guards van of every 4VEP (in case it is needed in an emergency) don’t apply anymore

14 hours, time will be spent making site ( in tunnel) safe getting roof access to cut off and secure pantograph, moving and securing damaged overhead line to allow failed train to be recovered, the minute the last passenger is removed from the train it becomes an empty train in an engineers possession so takes time to issue permits for safe work, earth up overheadsm get roof access equipment
Assisting loco can be on site in 10 minuytes but no use until overhead cables made safe and secured.i

 

[Robertj21a]

This need for/lack of compatible couplers is ridiculous in the 21st century.

 

[800001]

Hi,

801 units, both 9 and 5 car have 1 GU on the 822 car.

I shunt regularly using these engines and today a 9 car 801/2 ran from KGX to Potters Bar I believe on the GU. Seen passing Bounds Green:

I know they do. But as I said need permission from Hitachi to use it.
Lner are not allowed to just fire up the engine and use it.
So to do what they did last night using them to move from Kings Cross last the affected area, Hitachi have to give lner authority to use the engine to move the train.

In normal circumstances Hitachi only allow the generator unit to provide hotel power while a train is stuck with out power, not to physically move a train.

In the past lner did use engines, multiple trains worked Northallerton to Darlington when there was an overhead issue, that wouldn't be allowed now, as its too much pressure for the one engine.

9J45 still stuck at sig 2068, up slow line, as at 0137 with 1Z99 (whatever that is) stuck behind - as seen on OTT
Am I imagining it, or was there an OHL failure here not long ago?
Still they've managed to empty all KX platforms which is good going.

1z99 was lners Bounds Green thunderbird class 67

14 hours, time will be spent making site ( in tunnel) safe getting roof access to cut off and secure pantograph, moving and securing damaged overhead line to allow failed train to be recovered, the minute the last passenger is removed from the train it becomes an empty train in an engineers possession so takes time to issue permits for safe work, earth up overheadsm get roof access equipment
Assisting loco can be on site in 10 minuytes but no use until overhead cables made safe and secured.i

Also, first priority was the safe evacuation of the stranded GTR trains, trapped without power. I think 3 needed evacuating.

 

[43096]

14 hours, time will be spent making site ( in tunnel) safe getting roof access to cut off and secure pantograph, moving and securing damaged overhead line to allow failed train to be recovered, the minute the last passenger is removed from the train it becomes an empty train in an engineers possession so takes time to issue permits for safe work, earth up overheadsm get roof access equipment
Assisting loco can be on site in 10 minuytes but no use until overhead cables made safe and secured.i

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Once again the railway shows how utterly clueless, useless and incompetent it is with anything outside of normal running.

 

[JonathanH]

This need for/lack of compatible couplers is ridiculous in the 21st century.

It really isn't ridiculous. Do you suggest that all the legacy couplers are replaced or that there isn't any technological progress? It would appear that there is some standardisation coming but it takes time to work through.

 

[Bald Rick]

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Once again the railway shows how utterly clueless, useless and incompetent it is with anything outside of normal running.

Reasons rather than excuses. What would you have done differently?

 

[Ianno87]

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Once again the railway shows how utterly clueless, useless and incompetent it is with anything outside of normal running.

What tosh.

It shows the railway is absolutely focused on recovering such situations safely without risking harm to passengers or staff, or creating further damage.

 

[Watershed]

It really isn't ridiculous. Do you suggest that all the legacy couplers are replaced or that there isn't any technological progress? It would appear that there is some standardisation coming but it takes time to work through.

The issue isn't with the legacy couplers. There were only really 2 kinds of unit couplers until 2000ish, and pretty much anything that mechanically coupled would be fine.

Now there are many more types of couplers, and even for those trains that are mechanically compatible, there will be lots of combinations that won't be electrically (or software) compatible!

The fault can be laid squarely with the DfT and ORR for not mandating common coupler standards across the industry. It's not impossible, there is just no incentive to do it now.