Werrington diveunder passenger services

[norbitonflyer]

According to PSUL the Mon-Fri 2K17 1654 arrival at Peterborough (1454 ex Doncaster) and return working 2K24 1710 Peterborough to Doncaster are scheduled to use the Werrington Diveunder. RTT shows them using platform 7 at Peterborough, on the west side of the station, and timed at Glinton and Marholme Junctions instead of New England and Werrington, as all other passenger trains to and from the "joint" line are.

However, looking at Real Time Trains for the past week, it seems these trains did not run on 18th and 19th, and used platform 2 at Peterborough on 20th and 25th (today), so only actually used the diveunder on two of the last six days it should have run (21st and 22nd). Does anyone know why it sometimes uses the diveunder and sometimes does not? And, is there any way of knowing what it's going to do a few hours in advance? (So there's time to decide whether it's worth heading out to Spalding to do the diveunder in the first place)? (There seemed no reason on RTT - e.g something else in platform 7) why it couldn't have used the diveunder and platform 7 yesterday.

Update
With no rhyme or reason, despite being booked for platform 7 at Peterborough, using the diveunder, 2K17 only did so according to RTT on Tuesday and Thursday, running by way of the up slow into platform 2 on Monday and Friday. (It didn't run on Wednesday because of the strike)

What decides whe6ther it will use the diveunder or not? is it route knowledge?

 

[David Burrows]

Rode on 2K24 1710 ex Peterborough today, started platform 7 and ran via the diveunder, presunably the inwards working went that way.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Remiss of me not to report back - I rode 2K17 southbound on August 2nd and it used the diveunder. I was lucky to manage it though as nearly missed my outward connection at Grantham for Sleaford due to delays near Sandy. (I went that way in order to do the Allington East curve - last time I went east from Grantham was in the 1970s, when the Barkston curve was still in use!)

 

[swt_passenger]

Just checked back on RTT, and at least for the last ten days or so, has had them using the diveunder every weekday, although sometimes using P6 rather than booked P7. So the randomness you reported in post #1 seems to have reduced.

 

[TheBigD]

For those not aware, this year's ECML Joint Line diversions will see the diverted services use the Werrington dive under on certain dates.

For example...

Realtime Trains | Departures from Spalding all day on 06/11/2022

Train information at Spalding all day on 06/11/2022. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Kite159]

Is the 5th/6th the weekend where Werrington Jn itself is getting relaid, which means even the EMR services towards Lincoln will use the dive-under?

 

[TheBigD]

Yes, Werrington Junction S&C being renewed.

Is the 5th/6th the weekend where Werrington Jn itself is getting relaid, which means even the EMR services towards Lincoln will use the dive-under?

EMR don't run a Sunday service on the Joint Line, but their Saturday service on the 5th November also runs via the dive under.