Three major issues on the Brighton Mainline tonight:
- A train failed between Penge West and Anerley on the Down Slow line and had to be moved back to Penge West, then evacuated onto the platform. This could only be done once the Overground trains behind it had moved. The train could not be driven from the country end cab. Fitters attended and attempted to rebuild it by physically swapping many of the cab components between each end of the train (!) but this also failed and the train then had to be rescued and taken to Selhurst.
- There is an ongoing fault with one of the systems which checks the integrity of the electronic messages within a particular signalling function (as it happens, a rather crucial one), meaning a number of signals between the Wivelsfield area and Plumpton/Preston Park ended up displaying unexpected red aspects (as a failsafe).
- A custom-made hydraulics component failed within a particularly complicated junction south of Redhill. This meant a number of Southern and GWR trains became trapped.
Add into this a number of level crossing issues, a couple of more minor train breakdowns and obstructions on the line, and the current TL issues...
A "perfect" storm really!
Surely there must be a more efficient way when train positions are known to give multiple trains permission to proceed at caution rather than it taking so long and having to be done one train at a time. Automated Radio Comms/GPS/whatever there must be a better backup solution than having trains of 2000 people not moving an inch for 40 minutes.
You don't need any of that. What you need is POSA (Proceed On Sight Authority) working, which is being installed on some busier mainlines, such as the Thameslink Core. However, it's not an instant rollout.
https://www.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/GERT8000-PoSA Iss 3.pdf
Incredibly frustrating staff at London Bridge. On a train leaving because people couldn't board - not a lack of space, just a lack of people moving down - " stand back another train will be here in xxx mins". Didn't seem to be aware that they don't stop at the same places... could have better used the time getting people to move down..
To a certain point, service calling patterns are meant to be harmonised to a limited number of specific patterns running at a specified frequency during disruptions of given types. What this means in practice is that all trains on a route should be limited to the number of variations in where they stop. Unfortunately these harmonisations are hard to organise in the middle of the task of just getting things moving in the first place, which is hard enough for the Thameslink controllers right now.
It's also worth pointing out that staff have been specifically instructed not to announce the full calling patterns of Thameslink trains, and to let the CIS do its job.