On my way back from London on 25 June last year, I got to King's Cross just as the 20:07 fast Peterborough train was pulling out. So I got the 20:21 (with the intention of getting the 21:00 from King's Cross from Peterborough).
I overheard someone going to Hitchin on the phone saying "I'm at Finsbury Park, my train calls at Stevenage and then Hitchin. Is that fast or slow?" "... wow I'm on a fast train!"
Well, that person and anyone going only to Hitchin was very lucky as the conductor told us on arrival "I have some bad news: there has been a double fatality at Arlesey and this train terminates the train here, onward road transport will be provided..."
I later discovered that the train involved was the 20:07 which I had just missed. hock: I wasn't sure what to do, but a quick check of the timetable confirmed the 21:00 does call at Stevenage.
So I got a train back to Stevenage, where there was an HST in platform 3. It was the 20:30 King's Cross to Leeds, that had been stopped at Stevenage by the signallers at 20:50 who had wisely thought it best that they stop the train at a station rather than in the middle of nowhere.
Trains for Cambridge were still running (down fast trains were passing through Stevenage at 75mph on the slow line due to the HST blocking the fast line) on time, and trains that were supposed to go to/from Peterborough were starting/terminating at Hitchin.
I wrote to GNER in praise of the driver, who got out of the train for the whole 2 and a half hours that we were at Stevenage, to chat to passengers. He was very helpful, giving people updates, answering their questions etc. A real credit to GNER.
Because it was a double fatality, it took longer to clear than normal. We were told 'unofficially' that 2 people had jumped in front of a WAGN train.
At approx 2310 we were given the all clear, and we finally departed from the unscheduled stop at Stevenage at 2315 (due to pass at 2048).
We had to use the slow lines for some of the way (presumably due to the suicides) arriving Peterborough 2350 (2hrs 38mins late!).
I got off at Doncaster at 0054 (2 hrs 41 late!), got the 2100 from King's Cross (which had been held at KX for some time probably departing 2300ish, and many passengers would have got alternative trains on different routes, and the 2200 was cancelled) that departed Doncaster 0101 and I arrived York 0120!
GNER were very good at dealing with it, and WAGN & GNER were allowing anyone who wished to abandon their journeys to go back to London on WAGN and make their journey the next day instead (However the vast majority of people needed to travel on that day).
I overheard someone going to Hitchin on the phone saying "I'm at Finsbury Park, my train calls at Stevenage and then Hitchin. Is that fast or slow?" "... wow I'm on a fast train!"
Well, that person and anyone going only to Hitchin was very lucky as the conductor told us on arrival "I have some bad news: there has been a double fatality at Arlesey and this train terminates the train here, onward road transport will be provided..."
I later discovered that the train involved was the 20:07 which I had just missed. hock: I wasn't sure what to do, but a quick check of the timetable confirmed the 21:00 does call at Stevenage.
So I got a train back to Stevenage, where there was an HST in platform 3. It was the 20:30 King's Cross to Leeds, that had been stopped at Stevenage by the signallers at 20:50 who had wisely thought it best that they stop the train at a station rather than in the middle of nowhere.
Trains for Cambridge were still running (down fast trains were passing through Stevenage at 75mph on the slow line due to the HST blocking the fast line) on time, and trains that were supposed to go to/from Peterborough were starting/terminating at Hitchin.
I wrote to GNER in praise of the driver, who got out of the train for the whole 2 and a half hours that we were at Stevenage, to chat to passengers. He was very helpful, giving people updates, answering their questions etc. A real credit to GNER.
Because it was a double fatality, it took longer to clear than normal. We were told 'unofficially' that 2 people had jumped in front of a WAGN train.
At approx 2310 we were given the all clear, and we finally departed from the unscheduled stop at Stevenage at 2315 (due to pass at 2048).
We had to use the slow lines for some of the way (presumably due to the suicides) arriving Peterborough 2350 (2hrs 38mins late!).
I got off at Doncaster at 0054 (2 hrs 41 late!), got the 2100 from King's Cross (which had been held at KX for some time probably departing 2300ish, and many passengers would have got alternative trains on different routes, and the 2200 was cancelled) that departed Doncaster 0101 and I arrived York 0120!
GNER were very good at dealing with it, and WAGN & GNER were allowing anyone who wished to abandon their journeys to go back to London on WAGN and make their journey the next day instead (However the vast majority of people needed to travel on that day).