"Security alert on a train at Wilmslow"

[All Line Rover]

Does anyone know what is going on?

VTWC 17:40 Euston to Manchester has been waiting at Crewe since arriving at 19:13 (timetable: 19:10).

VTWC 18:55 Manchester to Euston is being diverted via Stoke.

 

[Chester1]

Does anyone know what is going on?

VTWC 17:40 Euston to Manchester has been waiting at Crewe since arriving at 19:13 (timetable: 19:10).

VTWC 18:55 Manchester to Euston is being diverted via Stoke.

It could be as little as some testosterone filled idiot lose his temper and at worst a terrorist attack. Its overwhelmingly likely to be something like the former and something that we may not find out about unless someone has done enough to get themselves an appearance at a magistrates court.

 

[Darandio]

I think the 17:40 actually left right after you started the thread.

 

[NotATrainspott]

Suspicious bag at Wilmslow. Now confirmed to be safe and lines reopening.

 

[Darandio]

Suspicious bag at Wilmslow.

I'd already told the mother-in-law not to loiter around there.

 

[route:oxford]

There was also one at High Wycombe this evening.

http://www.thenational.scot/news/15...after_Oxford_train_evacuated_by_armed_police/

ALL lines have reopened after an Oxford train was forced to make an unscheduled stop in High Wycombe following reports of a man acting suspiciously.
Armed officers evacuated the London Marylebone to Oxford train at about 3.20pm.
Thames Valley Police stopped and checked two men at the scene and they have since been released.
Chiltern Railways is reporting disruption to all services including ten minute delays through Oxford.
It said both lines through High Wycombe were blocked as the emergency services dealt with the incident, warning passengers to expect delays until 4.30pm.
Thames Valley Police said there had been no arrests and thanked the public for bring potentially suspicious activities to its attention.

 

[sn1975]

Around 18 months ago I was on a Pendolino at Rugby and there was a bag in the luggage rack which didn't have anyone sitting near it. I asked the nearest other passengers if the bag was theirs, and it wasn't.

I wasn't sure what to do so I mentioned it to a member of the despatch staff at Rugby who held the train for a minute or two whilst she investigated.

I think she took the bag off the train and discovered it wasn't a threat.

 

[tsr]

Suspect bag, train and station evacuated, owner found and services resumed. I'd far rather have 100 such incidents than to miss one genuine threat. Sounds like it was dealt with as safely and efficiently as it could have been in the circumstances. All that being said, this does show that it really​ is necessary to badger people not to cause delays and leave stuff unattended...

 

[Jonfun]

If people took a bit more responsibility for their bags these things wouldn't occur. I'm not suggesting all passengers should pay twenty quid for some handcuffs so their luggage is chained to them at all times, but as traincrew the amount of times I see bags go walkies or be reported suspicious/unattended because the owner put them on the train hours ago then didn't check them in the next four hours really is ridiculous.

 

[Cowley]

I'd already told the mother-in-law not to loiter around there.

. Reminds me of a Les Dawson joke.
"Take my mother-in-law. Please"

 

[AlterEgo]

Around 18 months ago I was on a Pendolino at Rugby and there was a bag in the luggage rack which didn't have anyone sitting near it. I asked the nearest other passengers if the bag was theirs, and it wasn't.

I wasn't sure what to do so I mentioned it to a member of the despatch staff at Rugby who held the train for a minute or two whilst she investigated.

I think she took the bag off the train and discovered it wasn't a threat.

Not a very smart idea to move a suspicious bag. If it genuinely is suspicious (see HOT protocol), you don't move it and you get everyone away.

 

[Traveller54]

Not on the railway but still relevant. Last week at Glasgow Airport we noticed a hold-all on the floor unattended in the duty free shop. We were considering alerting a staff member when we asked a man about 12 feet away if it was his. He just nodded and went to pick it up apparently oblivious to any potential security scare. There seems to be a small number of people you just cannot get the message through to.

 

[northwichcat]

Maybe it was as simple as someone genuinely forgot their bag and the train crew called BTP to be on the safe side given the current threat level.

 

[BestWestern]

Not a very smart idea to move a suspicious bag. If it genuinely is suspicious (see HOT protocol), you don't move it and you get everyone away.

The vast majority though are not 'HOT'. One would fully expect to find a bag on a train, and clumsy passengers have been leaving them behind or unattended for generations. They are, almost without exception, 'Typical', rarely are they 'Hidden' or 'Obvious'. Indeed, why would you attempt to conceal such an article and thus make it appear suspicious, when you could just leave it in a luggage rack unnoticed?!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

The vast majority though are not 'HOT'. One would fully expect to find a bag on a train, and clumsy passengers have been leaving them behind or unattended for generations. They are, almost without exception, 'Typical', rarely are they 'Hidden' or 'Obvious'. Indeed, why would you attempt to conceal such an article and thus make it appear suspicious, when you could just leave it in a luggage rack unnoticed?!

About 10 years ago I was on an EMT 158 between Sheffield and Peterborough and got up to go to the toilet. When I returned 5 minutes later, the rucksack, newspaper and coat I'd left on my seat had vanished, so I went to the back cab to report my bag as stolen to the guard. When he opened his door, I saw he'd got my possessions in there - he said he'd removed them as he'd asked the other passengers whose they were and no-one had claimed them so he'd assumed it was suspicious!

I think this might have been shortly after the 7/7 London bombings but even so it seemed ridiculous. Did he really expect anyone going to the toilet to take all their luggage with them (and thus risk losing their seat when they got back)?

 

[scrapy]

About 10 years ago I was on an EMT 158 between Sheffield and Peterborough and got up to go to the toilet. When I returned 5 minutes later, the rucksack, newspaper and coat I'd left on my seat had vanished, so I went to the back cab to report my bag as stolen to the guard. When he opened his door, I saw he'd got my possessions in there - he said he'd removed them as he'd asked the other passengers whose they were and no-one had claimed them so he'd assumed it was suspicious!

I think this might have been shortly after the 7/7 London bombings but even so it seemed ridiculous. Did he really expect anyone going to the toilet to take all their luggage with them (and thus risk losing their seat when they got back)?

Might have been sensible to ask another passenger to look after them. At least then the guard would know they belonged to the person in the toilet and not someone who'd abandoned them and got off the train.

 

[northwichcat]

About 10 years ago I was on an EMT 158 between Sheffield and Peterborough and got up to go to the toilet. When I returned 5 minutes later, the rucksack, newspaper and coat I'd left on my seat had vanished, so I went to the back cab to report my bag as stolen to the guard. When he opened his door, I saw he'd got my possessions in there - he said he'd removed them as he'd asked the other passengers whose they were and no-one had claimed them so he'd assumed it was suspicious!

I think this might have been shortly after the 7/7 London bombings but even so it seemed ridiculous. Did he really expect anyone going to the toilet to take all their luggage with them (and thus risk losing their seat when they got back)?

Didn't BR used to advise passengers going to the toilet to leave a jacket or something on the seat to show that it's occupied?

 

[mpthomson]

Maybe it was as simple as someone genuinely forgot their bag and the train crew called BTP to be on the safe side given the current threat level.

The threat level has dropped back to SEVERE again as of Friday, but obviously this still requires a high level of vigilance and people ensuring that they don't leave bags likely to cause a drama anywhere!

 

[northwichcat]

Might have been sensible to ask another passenger to look after them. At least then the guard would know they belonged to the person in the toilet and not someone who'd abandoned them and got off the train.

What if you're travelling by yourself? Asking a passenger you don't know to watch your belongings could be seen as more suspicious than not asking anyone.

There is also a well known scam where someone in a gang asks you to keep an eye on their property for them for a couple of minutes, a second gang member comes along and gives the victim the impression they are about to steal the item you've been asked to watch which takes the victim's attention of their own belongings, then a third gang member comes in and steals something belonging to the victim.

 

[AlterEgo]

I'm afraid we live in times where a bomb is much more likely to be strapped to a person than left in a sports bag.

 

[shredder1]

he said he'd removed them as he'd asked the other passengers whose they were and no-one had claimed them so he'd assumed it was suspicious!


so he picks up a potential bomb and stored it in his compartment??

 

[AlterEgo]

he said he'd removed them as he'd asked the other passengers whose they were and no-one had claimed them so he'd assumed it was suspicious!


so he picks up a potential bomb and stored it in his compartment??

Yes, it really is quite mad, isn't it?

 

[al78]

When I am travelling up to Scotland with my folding bike in a few weeks, how am I supposed to keep it with me at all times, given that it needs to be stored in the luggage rack or disabled area so it doesn't cause an obstruction? It is certainly not practical to take it into the toilet with me, or lug it down several carriages with me so I can buy a cup of tea from the onboard shop.

 

[Clip]

Yes, it really is quite mad, isn't it?

Not if the guard followed the H.O.T procedure it isnt.

 

[Llanigraham]

What if you're travelling by yourself? Asking a passenger you don't know to watch your belongings could be seen as more suspicious than not asking anyone.

Always do this and have never had a problem.

There is also a well known scam where someone in a gang asks you to keep an eye on their property for them for a couple of minutes, a second gang member comes along and gives the victim the impression they are about to steal the item you've been asked to watch which takes the victim's attention of their own belongings, then a third gang member comes in and steals something belonging to the victim.

Really? Never heard of it myself, and never seen it reported on here. Can you cite a provable source?
I suspect another urban myth.

 

[sheff1]

Did he really expect anyone going to the toilet to take all their luggage with them (and thus risk losing their seat when they got back)?

He probably did if he was one of those guards who announce that passengers should keep their belongings with them or in sight "at all times".

Of course, in reality, no one is going to take large items of luggage with them when they go to the toilet, which makes such announcements rather silly.

.... and don't get me started on the XC guards who make such announcements on trains where, if you use the designated luggage zones in the former shop area, it is impossible to see the luggage from 95% of seats in the carriage.

 

[AlterEgo]

Not if the guard followed the H.O.T procedure it isnt.

If it isn't Hidden, if it isn't Obviously suspicious and if it's Typical of its location then it isn't really a suspicious bag.

If the bag triggered any of the H-O-T protocols then it is suspicious and nobody should have gone near it.

The post says the guard stated he assumed it was suspicious, which it can only really be if it has triggered any of the H-O-T protocols, therefore it should not have been moved.

 

[Clip]

If it isn't Hidden, if it isn't Obviously suspicious and if it's Typical of its location then it isn't really a suspicious bag.

If the bag triggered any of the H-O-T protocols then it is suspicious and nobody should have gone near it.

The post says the guard stated he assumed it was suspicious, which it can only really be if it has triggered any of the H-O-T protocols, therefore it should not have been moved.

Unless when he got to the bag and found out it was just a bag after an inspection then they are quite permitted to remove it. Done it many many times so I agree he followed procedure correctly.

 

[rebmcr]

Was HOT even a thing 10 years ago?

 

[AlterEgo]

Was HOT even a thing 10 years ago?

It's been around since the start of the 1990s when the threat was quite different.