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Train drivers ordered not to stop at Olympic Park

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ChristopherJ

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Train drivers ordered not to stop at Olympic Park as decrepit overhead cables installed in the 1950s can't cope with the heat

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...verhead-cables-installed-1950s-cope-heat.html

Soaring heat meant some main line trains were not stopping at the Olympics serving station of Stratford

Greater Anglia warned of delays on services from London Liverpool Street to Essex, Ipswich and Norwich

Problems are down to older sections of overhead lines expanding and sagging in high temperatures
'tis a shambes, my dear forumers. :D
 
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Pugwash

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Welcome to the wonderful world of the GEML

Given how long replacing the overhead wires has taken, when they have finished they will have to start again, it's the new Forth Rail Bridge.

Oh and all the commuters from Canary Wharf are going to be overjoyed.
 

iphone76

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And now there is to be a reduced serviced between Liverpool street and Southend vic for the rest of service due to saggy wires near Wickford. Beyond a joke now.
 

eastdyke

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And now there is to be a reduced serviced between Liverpool street and Southend vic for the rest of service due to saggy wires near Wickford. Beyond a joke now.

So you would prefer a 'normal service' and the resulting closure if/when the wires come down?

Sounds to me like GA/NR are adopting rational precautions.
 

Pugwash

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So you would prefer a 'normal service' and the resulting closure if/when the wires come down?

Sounds to me like GA/NR are adopting rational thinking.

Given the circumstances they are doing the right thing, but it should not have been allowed to take this long to replace the overhead wires.
 

iphone76

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So you would prefer a 'normal service' and the resulting closure if/when the wires come down?

Sounds to me like GA/NR are adopting rational precautions.

When the temperature goes over 24oC i expect the GEML to fail. Today's failure occurred during the normal off peak period when there is a train only every 20 minutes I'm not sure exactly how much more reduced the service could become.

After almost 8 years of a patchy weekend service and annual tickets now over £3,000 i think the least we can now expect is a reliable, decent service.
 

eastdyke

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When the temperature goes over 24oC i expect the GEML to fail. Today's failure occurred during the normal off peak period when there is a train only every 20 minutes I'm not sure exactly how much more reduced the service could become.

After almost 8 years of a patchy weekend service and annual tickets now over £3,000 i think the least we can now expect is a reliable, decent service.

AFAIK the service has not failed today but is being managed with a view to avoiding failure. Whether or not the critical conditions occur during the peak is not the trigger. Simply speed is being restricted.

The alternative to 'a patchy weekend service' would be a total closure, and yes the work would have been completed by now.

Infrastructure upgrades are always a compromise between some service and no service. We seem to generally opt for some service with weekend customers being most affected.

Nonetheless I agree that this has been going on a long long time!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ah - sorry. Seems as if we have a failure.
 

iphone76

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No worries. I only know it failed as I was stood at wickford for an hour trying to get to London. But gave up. Lol.

I know exactly where you are coming from re investment needed, etc. but it does begin to wear thin hearing the reasons/excuses year after year.

Anyway, now I am sitting in my garden, without any train noise (due to barely any trains running), enjoying the sun and some vino so every cloud has a silver lining!
 

GB

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The problem on the wickford branch is more than a saggy wire. There are several kinks in the contact wire, displaced droppers and a damage registration arm.
 

ushawk

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Given the circumstances they are doing the right thing, but it should not have been allowed to take this long to replace the overhead wires.

Work has started, they have a limited time-space to do the work in. The restrictions i believe cover the areas where work hasnt been started yet. Once the work has been done, it will be like any other line with OHL in the country (well, maybe except the ECML).

Of course the Daily Mail is blowing things out of proportion though and exaggerating things massively - but then again it is the Daily Mail.
 

iphone76

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The problem on the wickford branch is more than a saggy wire. There are several kinks in the contact wire, displaced droppers and a damage registration arm.

Sorry. I use the term saggy wire loosely (like them I guess). Fingers crossed its resolved before tomorrow am.
 

87015

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Work has started, they have a limited time-space to do the work in. The restrictions i believe cover the areas where work hasnt been started yet. Once the work has been done, it will be like any other line with OHL in the country (well, maybe except the ECML).

Its a blanket restriction including many miles which have already been renewed (twice in some places even) :roll:

Not stopping trains and thinning the service is largely an Abellio contingency plan action - was far less drastic last year under NX...
 

Pugwash

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Work has started, they have a limited time-space to do the work in. The restrictions i believe cover the areas where work hasnt been started yet. Once the work has been done, it will be like any other line with OHL in the country (well, maybe except the ECML).

Of course the Daily Mail is blowing things out of proportion though and exaggerating things massively - but then again it is the Daily Mail.

Work has more than started, it has being going on for as long as I can remember.

I remember a few years ago there was a five day blockade from Liverpool St to Ingatestone, for Liverpool St to be re-wired, the work could have been done then, it is just Network Rail not throwing enough resources at the problem. It is closed most bank holidays and every Easter and Christmas with work most weekends the work has just been far too slow.

Given the sensitivity of the Olympics you would have thought Network Rail would have planned accordingly.

With regards to blowing it out of proportion this would only come from someone not using the GEML on a daily basis.
 

34Short

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Don't listen to the Daily Mail. Ever.

If someone found a cure to cancer, the Daily Mail would say it'd give you cancer...
 

dk1

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Why do people think everything changes & everything will be rosey just because its the Olympics? I dont get it.
 

andykn

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Channel 4 were interviewing drivers from their press vantage point in the Zil lane near Stratford. They spoke to some Network Rail engineers stuck in the one remaining lane blocked with traffic almost certainly on their way to fix these problems.

Seems our genius planners didn't think to extend the TFL engineers' Zil lane exemption to Network Rail engineers too.
 

Nevasleep

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Channel 4 were interviewing drivers from their press vantage point in the Zil lane near Stratford. They spoke to some Network Rail engineers stuck in the one remaining lane blocked with traffic almost certainly on their way to fix these problems.
Seems our genius planners didn't think to extend the TFL engineers' Zil lane exemption to Network Rail engineers too.
I almost blame Network Rail for that, some middle manager should have made the decision to allow the van to drive in the lane for that repair, and then sort the problems out later.
While even higher up should then argue for exemption for all vans.

The last sentence applies, even if they wern't on a repair.
 

neilm

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You also would of thought some at network rail would of said drive in the lane anyway, the fine is £130. Surely they will be paying far more to GA in compensation.
 

BestWestern

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Just to go slightly off-topic for a moment (sort of), the dreaded 40mph blanket ERS has been in place on the Weymouth line between Dorchester West and Yeovil Pen Mill for the past couple of days, apparently despite the affected melting rails being almost brand new! So presumably nobody should be getting their hopes just because something might have been renewed recently!
 

dviner

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I remember a few years ago there was a five day blockade from Liverpool St to Ingatestone, for Liverpool St to be re-wired, the work could have been done then, it is just Network Rail not throwing enough resources at the problem.

You'd have Network Rail blowing their entire Control Period budget hiring in OHLE staff and equipment from all around the world for one logistical nightmare of a job?
 
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AFAIK the service has not failed today but is being managed with a view to avoiding failure. Whether or not the critical conditions occur during the peak is not the trigger. Simply speed is being restricted.

The alternative to 'a patchy weekend service' would be a total closure, and yes the work would have been completed by now.

Infrastructure upgrades are always a compromise between some service and no service. We seem to generally opt for some service with weekend customers being most affected.

Nonetheless I agree that this has been going on a long long time!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ah - sorry. Seems as if we have a failure.

OK, the service hasn't failed, it's just that the TOC has failed to deliver their published timetable. That's not a failure then. just a partial failure - right?
 

Pugwash

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You'd have Network Rail blowing their entire Control Period budget hiring in OHLE staff and equipment from all around the world for one logistical nightmare of a job?

But then you wouldn't have a blockade every holiday period for years or payments to the TOC's for break's to service etc.

If we are wedded to the railway being a market, it should pay for efficient investment.
 

ushawk

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OK, the service hasn't failed, it's just that the TOC has failed to deliver their published timetable. That's not a failure then. just a partial failure - right?

Well compared to what could of been a total suspension of service if normal speeds were ran and a unit ripped the OHLE down - yes.

Of course if that happened, it will again be Network Rails fault for not preventing it with, i dont know, speed restrictions. They cant ever win.
 

John55

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Just to go slightly off-topic for a moment (sort of), the dreaded 40mph blanket ERS has been in place on the Weymouth line between Dorchester West and Yeovil Pen Mill for the past couple of days, apparently despite the affected melting rails being almost brand new! So presumably nobody should be getting their hopes just because something might have been renewed recently!

Although I don't know the exact details it is brand new track that has not been destressed which is most susceptible to heat related speed restrictions. Has his track been destressed since laying?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Work has more than started, it has being going on for as long as I can remember.

I remember a few years ago there was a five day blockade from Liverpool St to Ingatestone, for Liverpool St to be re-wired, the work could have been done then, it is just Network Rail not throwing enough resources at the problem. It is closed most bank holidays and every Easter and Christmas with work most weekends the work has just been far too slow.

This as I recall was the job which was left bodged and unfinished due to lack of manpower (as was the parallel job at Rugby) so how do you rewire the GE main line in a week if you cannot do Liverpool St?
 

Pugwash

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This as I recall was the job which was left bodged and unfinished due to lack of manpower (as was the parallel job at Rugby) so how do you rewire the GE main line in a week if you cannot do Liverpool St?[/QUOTE]

Employ more people ?
 

dk1

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According to a NR manager who rode with me once, the technical bods in charge of the re-wiring upgrade of the GEML had said it made that on the WCML upgrade seem simple. It is the sheer task of having to work around all the old equipment & keeping the train service running.

After most weekends we notice more & more nice shiny OHL equipment spreading along the route & i must say so far havent continually lost line light between Shenfield & Chelmsford which was just taken as 'the norm' until now.
 
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