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Priority freight paths

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ole man

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Was told other day from a driver that certain freight gets priority paths over passenger services, incl virgin.
These I believe are called Red freight.
At Lichfield a freight came down the line from Alrewas and crossed all tracks, causing two LM and two Virgin services to be held at red.
Can freight companies pay extra for better paths?
 
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MCW

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Funny you should say this, My mate left paddy on a train to newport and he said his HST got held at Red and a shed went by on a container freight. Weird....
 

Tomnick

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I'm not aware of anything in our area - I treat them all the same, and if they need to be regulated then for something else to run first, so be it! In some cases, it makes sense to run a freight with an eye on the bigger picture, especially if it's in its booked path, even where this puts time into other, perhaps late, trains. On the other hand, there's the possibility of bad regulation - everyone gets it wrong sometimes!

Just a thought - 'red' didn't refer to DB Schenker, did it? Wouldn't be the first time I'd heard of a Driver from one FOC complaining because he thought another FOC's trains were getting preferential treatment!
 

The Planner

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If they are prioritised then it is done at operations level as the plan won't show them as such. It isn't good planning to shove a class 6 out infront of a Pendo (yes, yes, before the smartarse remarks, it does happen.....)
 

09065

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Wasn't the Stobart/Tesco fridge train once deemed as "special" because of the shelf life of it's food?
 

W230

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Wasn't the Stobart/Tesco fridge train once deemed as "special" because of the shelf life of it's food?
Wouldn't have thought so. It's up to them to make sure it containered properly. It would be pretty funny though if some commuters were delayed so Tesco could get its strawberries onto the shelf a little quicker! :lol:
 

The Planner

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Wasn't the Stobart/Tesco fridge train once deemed as "special" because of the shelf life of it's food?

It would have had a set journey time which would not be able to be flexed by much in the track access contract, but how it would be dealt with operationally on the day if delayed is a different matter.
 

tsr

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I've certainly been on a passenger train which was prioritised over freight on more than one occasion - one example was where a train I was on got diverted into an alternative London terminal due to a major incident on the line to the usual one, and was prioritised over an aggregates train and a number of other passenger services due to an unusually high passenger flow connecting to long-distance services and a couple of major events.
 

GlosRail

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The freight train involved in the Southall rail crash in 1997 had been given priority over the HST.
 

ole man

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There's also one that goes through Stafford slow or fast line, depending on what's under possession that always blocks LM services, you follow it until Basford Hall, never more than one signal apart, it can't that much hassle to hold it at Queensville curve somewhere until the LM service is through Stafford, it never gets above 65mph
 

cjp

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When I read the title I thought it might have been about the trains hauling spent the nuclear flasks around the North London Line late at night
 
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PHILIPE

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I think it happened often at one time after privatisation. A freight train running to time would get priority over a late running passenger train. The regulation in such cases would take away the regulating responsibility from the signalman. Railtrack (at the time) did not differentiate whether the train was carrying passengers or cargo taking the view that both companies concerned had paid for their path and if the freight was on time then it shouldn't be penalised.
 

TheEdge

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I know that along the Felixstowe branch it is more common for passenger trains to be cancelled to keep freight moving rather than freight waiting for the passenger trains.
 

Dolive22

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Some freights (hazardous goods and post I think) are to contact the signaller if detained at any signal at danger that is not anticipated. Perhaps those trains are given priority in marginal cases? They signaller is to contact the police immediately if they didn't set the signal to danger. Trains have been stolen from while detained at genuine signals before, and that did cause at least on accident where a door was left open and some cargo fell out.

I can't find the exact rule, which I was looking at yesterday. I would have sworn it was S1 or S3.

TW1, 10.11. It actually applies at any signal at danger except a scheduled stop at a station or for relief, and they are to contact the signaller by radio (and therefore not get out of the cab).
 

Welshman

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Some freights (hazardous goods and post I think) are to contact the signaller if detained at any signal at danger that is not anticipated. Perhaps those trains are given priority in marginal cases? They signaller is to contact the police immediately if they didn't set the signal to danger. Trains have been stolen from while detained at genuine signals before, and that did cause at least on accident where a door was left open and some cargo fell out.

I can't find the exact rule, which I was looking at yesterday. I would have sworn it was S1 or S3.

TW1, 10.11. It actually applies at any signal at danger except a scheduled stop at a station or for relief, and they are to contact the signaller by radio (and therefore not get out of the cab).


Those of us of a certain age can remember the Great Train Robbery of August 1963, when a TPO was halted by a bogus red signal at Sears Crossing, and £2.6m taken.
 
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