Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to a problem currently under investigation between London Paddington and Reading all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or terminated at Reading. Disruption is expected until 18:30 02/01.

Customer Advice

Network Rail are currently investigating an issue with the overhead wires between London Paddington and Slough, which means at present, trains are unable to run between Paddington and Reading.

Trains heading towards London Paddington will be delayed or cancelled at Reading.

 
Looks proper bust

 
Nothing moving between Didcot & Oxford either - tree on the line.

 

Tree on top of a freight train to be exact.

 
GWR have this about Reading -Gatwick:

Looking at Traksy, I reckon that's a significant underestimate of the number of trees (and the odd gazebo or trampoline) involved. I've  never seen so many lines blocked at once. SWR have this to say about their services, life in general, and how sometimes it just isn't fair:

 
Was extremely gusty earlier - only for a couple of hours - but I'm not surprised it's brought multiple trees down.

 

Ouch.

Apparently some of the problems were caused by a tent on the line at Slough......odd time and place to go camping.

 

Not if you can fly there, surely?

 

And with saturated ground there is less support for the trees root system.

 
Met Office have issued a yellow severe weather warning for rain across the whole region from midday Thursday to 0300 Friday.....doesn't bode well

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2024-01-04&id=dc5299a0-b2b4-47c3-a850-d392a7b1aca4

 

Is there a hosepipe ban to be expected later this year  ...

 

There must be very high ground water levels in many places.  That’s the worst kind of flooding for the railway.  Remember the lengthy disruption between Twyford and Maidenhead of ten or so years ago?  Electrical cabinets/equipment was all elevated as a result of that one.

 

For the far SW of England, Wales and the South Midlands part of our area where water is stored in reservoirs in the winter for use all the year round - that remains a possibility if we have a very hot dry summer.  However for much of our area that is supplied with groundwater the groundwater levels are very high and it usually requires a multi-year drought to cause problems. 

 
Have to say given today's severe weather forecast for heavy  rain throughout the GWR region & Southern England (now expanded into the Midlands) I'm surprised  there's no "check before you travel" type message on Journeycheck?

 
Urgh. Sounds like I should stop watching Traksy for Chipping Sodbury to dry out at this rate...

 
This has been put out on social media.

 
Yes saw it on Twitter or whatever it's called these days!

 
Normal service resumed!

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between London Paddington and Reading some lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
Due to a fault with the overhead wires near Ladbroke Grove, No trains will currently operate between London Paddington to Reading, until further notice.

London Underground are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.
London Buses are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.
Thameslink and Southern Railway are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.

 

The overhead line damage affects only lines 4 and 5 into Paddington. An attempt was made to cut the dangling wire….. but the cutter broke!  New cutter being sourced with lines 4 and 5 expected to reopen at 0930.

Unfortunately, lines 1 to 3 are closed because of engineering work.

Seems nothing can go GWR or NWR’s way at the moment.

 
Around Ealing Broadway I can only see 4 lines on OTT mapping.
Acton main line towards Paddington 5 lines,
North Pole IEP depot to Paddington 6 lines.

Apologies, not a railway person!

 
Just noting 1W01 0943 London Paddington to Hereford showing as line 4 but appears not on 4......

 

No apology needed! 

4 lines all the way to Ladbroke Grove where it becomes 6 lines. It use to be 6 all the way into Paddington but CrossRail bought a few changes, so it’s 6 to where the CrossRail joins, then a brief section of 5 lines and then just before Royal Oak it goes back to 6 lines.

The 5th line just after Acton is a reception line.  I don’t think it’s for passenger traffic.  Empty stock uses for positioning moves in the peaks.  It also use to allow trains to access Old Oak from Reading removing the need to go into Paddington itself.

 
Yesterday the OHL, today.........


Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to urgent repairs to the track between Reading and London Paddington trains have to run at reduced speed on some Reading lines.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

 
Every. Single. Day.

Alterations to services between Didcot Parkway and Reading

Due to a speed restriction over defective track between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Didcot Parkway and Reading may be terminated at Reading. London Paddington will not be served.

Alterations to services between Newbury and London Paddington via Reading

Due to a speed restriction over defective track between Reading and London Paddington fewer trains are able to run on some lines. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Newbury and London Paddington via Reading will be terminated at Reading. London Paddington will not be served.

Customer Advice
From 07:00, trains between Newbury and London Paddington, will only run between Newbury and Reading in both directions. Customers to/from London Paddington should change at Reading and use GWR high-speed services between Reading and London Paddington to complete their journeys

 
Makes a change from OHL, broken rails, points failures, signal failures I guess?

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading
Due to a broken down train between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised.




Disruption is expected until 16:00 10/01.
Customer Advice
We are sorry for the delay to your journey.

A train has broken down in the Southall area, this means that we only have one of the usual two lines available for trains running between London Paddington and Reading and as a result fewer trains are able to run. This will be the case until the broken down train is moved and Network Rail carry out any required inspections of the line.

 
Broken rail. 

Broken down train.

Broken railway.

 
AND
Cancellations to services between Reading and London Paddington
Due to a broken rail between Twyford and Maidenhead some lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Train services between Reading and London Paddington may be cancelled or delayed.

 
Scenes at PAD this evening on a TikTok video:

https://www.tiktok.com/@thesmilingfoodjournal/video/7322553099493690657?lang=en

 
Disruption with both problems lasting until the end of the day it seems.

 
Recurring Thames Valley service & infrastructure issues raised by Labour & Conservative MPs in Parliament this week....

https://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/slough/193777/slough-mp-debates-future-of-gwr-mainline-in-parliament.html

 
As the brokendown train was there most of the day, assuming it had wheels, do the train companies no longer have the means to push/pull a dead train out of the way. Or is this another case like before Christmas when passengers were left on trains for hours, of multiple actors not being able to come to a decision of who does what and when.

 
Delays to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to a points failure between London Paddington and Reading the Reading
bound high speed line is closed.

Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed. Disruption is expected until 08:00 11/01.

 
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington due 09:55
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington due 09:55 has been previously delayed, has been further delayed at Reading and is now 16 minutes late.
This is due to a fault with the signalling system.

 

No.  It was still able to move independently and passengers were taken off it fairly quickly at Southall and put on other trains.

The train was then recessed out of the way in Southall Yard, for several hours, but no longer affecting anything else.

It was (another) broken rail that caused most of yesterday’s disruption.

 


Suspect it may be this.....causing issues throughout Devon & Cornwall & Paddington-Penzance.

Hard to believe that 1 person (presumably) being ill can cause such extensive issues.....or given the obvious and evident lack of robustness & resilience throughout the system, perhaps not?

Due to signalling staff being taken ill at Liskeard all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until 12:30 11/01.

Train services between Penzance and London Paddington via Plymouth may be cancelled, delayed or revised.

 
Unlikely, but hadn't spotted thue Liskeard issue.
1A973 ran mostly to time up to Exeter.
Single digit delays until Thatcham, thereafter arriving Paddington 33 down.

 

I have split the follow ups into a separate thread at http://www.passenger.chat/28377 as it's not a Thames Valley infrastructure problem ... keeping this thread clean, and avoiding Liskeard issues getting lost in Maidenhead!

 

My memory, from JounreyCheck (which I know isn't always reliable)k was that the broken rail was affecting trains going towards Paddington. Whilst the broken down train was removed quite quickly, the overhead wires had to be checked and that impacted upon Reading bound services for a lot of the day.

 

The first train through on the Down Main at Southall was the 14:48 PAD-SWA about 2 hours after the incident happened, so not immediately, but not what you’d describe as ‘a lot of the day’ either.

The broken rail meant the Up Main was closed between Twyford West and Maidenhead for the remainder of the day.

 

I'm not sure if it's possible to dig up a cached version of JourneyCheck but it was certainly saying that westbound disruption was expected to 1830 at one point yesterday. And a GWRHelp Tweet at 7.23pm yesterday said " due to a broken down train between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run. Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 20:30"

 
All the trains, and the lines they were on, can be viewed on RTT.  It’s true that some after that Swansea train were still being routed via the relief lines, but others were running through without any delay on the mains, such as this one:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:L65726/2024-01-10/detailed#allox_id=0

The broken rail, meaning trains were presenting late at Paddington or not running east of Reading towards London, was causing more problems.

 

The raw data for our train disruption map is cached - similar to JourneyCheck's normal feed, but service updates only - so we can look back a day or two; it's useful where the map shows a wobbly.   We don't cache line updates so I can't give you a history of expected disruption forecasts and how they extended.

 

Thanks for the comments. I was really wanting to look back at the JourneyCheck text from yesterday evening as I seem to remember it saying something along the lines that electric trains couldn't be run on some of the westbound lines until the overhead wires had been checked overnight. That said, it does seem the later disruption was mainly down to the broken rail.

 
From what I recall the overheads weren't fully examined until later in the evening. I worked a service leaving Paddington at 20:00 and there was still a requirement to run in diesel as far as Southall to use the Down Main.

 
A useful summary in Parliament from Teresa May. Hopefully this is the sort of interest and attention which will get the likes of Haines & Hopwoods feet held to the fire and some explanations for the shambolic service over the last few months.

https://twitter.com/NoelDolphin/status/1745822391601639598?t=ohXHnQW49ZY7FpI2R96C0w&s=19

 

It's all very well blaming Haines & Hopwood, but they can't make a can't make a silk purse out of sow's ear.  We all know that under the present arrangements it is the DfT and the Treasury who are micro-managing the railways.

Government keep saying that revenue has not returned but people are starting to ask whether the reduced number of seats available is suppressing demand and therefore revenue. I would also ask whether reliability due to reduced maintenance is suppressing demand and therefore revenue. 

There is a theory of the anorexic company that keeps cutting costs and consequently loosing revenue until it ceases to exist.  You could see some element of that in BR.  We are seeing it again here. 

 

Fine. Then let's hear H & H stand up & say that, and explain what they'd do differently.

 

You know what this government does to people who publicly criticise their policies. Witness the people who have been suddenly disinvited to speak at government organised conferences for criticism of government policies. They would find a pretext to remove First Group and put in an operator of last resort who would led by someone who would not criticise, but may not have the ability that Hopwood undoubtedly has.  Haines would also find himself suddenly out of a job with similar consequences. 

It is quite possible that behind the scenes they are trying to argue for different policies, but to do so publicly would IMO probably not be helpful. 

 
Could make for some interesting autobiographies in the future.

 
I’m sure Taplow Green will be at the front of the queue at Mark Hopwood’s book signing.

 
Not quite Thames Valley?
Cancellations to services at Didcot Parkway
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires at Didcot Parkway fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running through this station may be cancelled, delayed or terminated at and started back from Reading. Some stations between Reading and Didcot Parkway will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires at Didcot Parkway we are unable to run most of our electric stopping train services that run between Didcot Parkway and Reading. As a result Cholsey, Goring & Streatley, Pangbourne and Tilehurst will see fewer trains than usual. During peak times some of our fast services will make additional calls at these stations to maintain customer connections.
Additional Information
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.
........
Last Updated:15/01/2024 04:50

 

No service between Marylebone - Oxford today either.

 
Yesterday the Swindon Advertiser tried to put two and two together and make five.  They confused lift problems at Didcot with engineering work!

https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/24048375.swindon-trains-cancelled-problems-didcot-parkway/

 

An IET shuttle has been put in place by GWR to provide stopping services between Didcot and Reading. Obviously no catering available, but well done to GWR for coming up with a temporary solution as short notice. On the flip side, GWR have also announced that services will be disrupted tomorrow (Tuesday).

 
Presumably GWR have had to find Train Managers for the shuttle as the 387s normally run driver only but I don't think there is an agreement in place to run the IETs the same way.

 

Not if they’re stopping at the local stations, no.

 

Is there any indication of the nature of the problem with the OHL?

 

 
Now ongoing until the end of Wednesday 17

Would be interesting to understand the nature of the problem if anyone has any knowledge of it?

Cancellations to services between Didcot Parkway and Reading

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Didcot Parkway and Reading fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 17/01/24.

Train services between Didcot Parkway and Reading will be cancelled, delayed or terminated at and started back from Reading.

 
Indeed not a good month so far for the Thames Valley.

Whatever the issue is it does appear to be quite localised - possibly to the platform area? - if difficult to repair.

 
Only about half the services on the IET shuttle seem to have run this morning. There's been nothing in the down direction since 0730 (it's now 0930).

 
Trains now running normally between Greenford and West Ealing
Following a fault with the signalling system between Greenford and West Ealing all lines are now open.

 
Looks like there was a points failure between Paddington and Ealing too and some services between London-Didcot are turning around at Reading with other Thames Valley alterations too.

According to National Rail (nothing on Journeycheck) the points issue is now resolved.

 
Interesting FOI return from Network Rail West on Twitter just now.
Look at how many faults in the one year to November 30, 2023

https://x.com/mattalexst/status/1747297975678702010?s=61&t=VlafMC5gF9tidw36b1Y8JQ

 

If you follow that through to the full data it's on whatDoTheyKnow.

The data relate only to the GWML from Paddington to Reading, and there is a similar period of a year four years earlier for comparison. You may be surprised to see significant reductions in disruption due to signals and OHL, though points and rails are worse.

 
Ongoing ...


What's the problem with fixing it?  It's only six years since electric trains started to Didcot!!

 
Conflicting advice today
Cancellations to services between Didcot Parkway and Reading
Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Didcot Parkway and Reading fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until the end of the day on 17/01/24.

Trains now running normally between Didcot Parkway and Oxford
Following damage to the overhead electric wires between Didcot Parkway and Oxford all lines have now reopened.

Trains now running normally between Didcot Parkway and Reading
Following damage to the overhead electric wires between Didcot Parkway and Reading the line has now reopened.

 
Yeah, back to normal working AFAIK after defective parts were replaced during an overnight possession.

 
However, normal service wasn't resumed until after the morning peak. Looking much better now though.

 

Number of factors first is can NR get the track access, the GWML is not 100% electric traction, second are the number of required OLE staff available.

I suspect its access that was the delay to fixing it

 

Yes, I believe the techs needed a block that included the avoiding lines at Didcot to undertake repairs, so it meant no traffic from the Oxford direction unless it reversed via Foxhall Junction.  Because the problem wasn't too disruptive, and the important passenger and freight artery that would be impacted, even if overnight, such a block was delayed.

 

Paul Clifton discussing this shambolic performance on BBC South tonight - should be interesting.

https://x.com/PaulCliftonBBC/status/1747684542826070332?s=20

 
It's here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001vh1l/south-today-evening-news-17012024

starts at 7min10sec

 
Another glorious day on GWR begins.....let's hope those on the stranded trains and waiting on stations wore their thermals today......

Cancellations to services between Reading and Newbury

Due to a points failure between Reading and Newbury all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00 18/01.

Customer Advice
Due to a points failure between Reading and Newbury all lines are currently blocked until further notice.
-
Network Rail have attended and attempted rectification works however these haven't proven successful. The 05:33 Bedwyn to London Paddington service will be forwarded to Reading where it will terminate. The other services currently stuck between Reading and Newbury will then be looked at being moved to the next suitable location.

 
And this will affect the Thames Valley services
Cancellations to services between Taunton and Castle Cary
Due to a points failure between Taunton and Castle Cary the line is blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes. Disruption is expected until 09:00 18/01.
Customer Advice
Due to a points failure between Taunton and Castle Cary the line towards Castle Cary is blocked.

 
As will the points failing in the Oxford area....

Brrrrrrrrr

 
A bit more on the FOI request......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-68009661

 

"Brought in external experts" .................... that's  a worry !!!!!

 

Are DfT/HMT happy with the expenditure on external experts?

 

They are never happy

 

Given that the issue of the daily collapse of the service is now receiving attention in Parliament and more widely in the media I guess they have to be seen to be doing something or at least making the right noises about it.

Certainly more noise that Messrs Haines/Hopwood are making about it anyway.

 
Bonkers indeed............really couldn't make it up, and of course we all know who ends up paying for it.............

 
Report at around 18:00


Our thoughts with friends, family and staff - and with the person involved if (s)he is still with us. 

Edit to add - not Infrastuture, but reporting here as this is amongst the wider issues on the London to Reading line that so often lead to severe disruption and must be stopped.  And looking to full acknowledge these events and to discuss / see what can be done without giving them the wider publicity around guests and shares that new threads get.    Member feedback on whether to post here would be welcome.

 
Cancellations to services between Reading and Westbury
Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between Reading and Westbury all lines are blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed or diverted between Reading and Westbury. Disruption is expected until 13:00 24/01.
Customer Advice
-

We've received reports of an incident involving a loss of life in the Hungerford area. Subsequently all lines are on stop.

 
......from National Rail (nothing on Journeycheck)


A fault with the signalling system between Maidenhead and Reading means some lines are blocked. As a result, trains may be cancelled, delayed or revised. This is expected until 14:30.

 
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to a safety inspection of the track between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run on some lines.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 20:30 26/01.

 
Alterations to services between London Paddington and Newbury via Reading

Due to a speed restriction over defective track between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until 08:00 27/01.

Train services between London Paddington and Newbury via Reading may be revised.
Customer Advice
Great Western Railway London Paddington to Newbury Electrostar services may be revised to operate only between Reading and Newbury (and vice versa)
Customers may travel on alternative services between London Paddington and Reading if needed.
Elizabeth line are conveying passengers between London Paddington and Reading via Slough in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys


Alterations to services between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway via Reading

Due to a speed restriction over defective track between London Paddington and Reading fewer trains are able to run. Disruption is expected until 08:00 27/01.
Train services between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway via Reading may be revised.

 

Apologies for going off on a tangent...... this always amuses me. How else can you get from London Paddington to Newbury or Didcot without going through Reading?  Similarly, the CIS at Exeter St Davids..... "Exmouth via Exeter Central"   

 

Paddington - West Ealing - South Greenford - West Ruislip - Haddenham - Bicester Village - Oxford - Didcot?

 
..and then the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton.   Oh no.....

 
Which, after nearly 60 years has finally been replaced by the non-stopping X34 bus. Obviously, no ticket acceptance in place.

 
Cancellations to services between Bourne End and Marlow

Due to a points failure between Bourne End and Marlow all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

 
Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Reading

Due to the emergency services dealing with an incident between London Paddington and Reading the line is blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 90 minutes. Disruption is expected until 11:45 08/02.

 

Updated:

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or delayed by up to 100 minutes. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

 
Not an infrastructure problem.  Perhaps the thread title needs changing?  Removal of 'infrastructure'?

Thoughts to all those involved in the incident and friends/family of the deceased.

 
Which is why I started a new thread on the London-Reading page, before noticing that the same sad news had been posted here

 
The frequency of these events on the line through Berkshire makes me think this is an infrastructure problem: there ought to be better physical obstacles to prevent these people from a clearly troubled part of the world from accessing the line. Do we need better fences? Maybe electrified? Maybe topped with razor wire?

 

I believe it's recognised to be a suicide "hotspot" and is recommended as such by the dismal suicide websites on some of the darker parts of the internet, however I am not sure electrified fences with or without razor wire would be the answer.

Sadly I think if someone is in such an awful place that they have decided to take their own life in such an awful way, such measures would only shift the problem elsewhere on the line.

 
Maidenhead station Platform 2 has recently undergone significant works to install fences and gates (which make it nigh on impossible to access a train quickly and which exacerbate crowding on the platform).  Have these been installed as a suicide prevention measure?

Followup question: what is the logic on these measures as it is still possible to access the platform and, to my knowledge, no one has successfully attempted suicide from the platform in the past decade. All the while other ‘hotspots’ exist throughout the network.

 

It's all part of lessening the risk at the PTI (Platform Train Interface) which is 48% of the total passenger fatality risk on the mainline railway network according to the RSSB: https://www.rssb.co.uk/about-rssb/key-industry-topics/platform-train-interface

At Maidenhead, when a busy train emptied out on platform 3, the swirling masses would often get uncomfortably close to the edge of platform 2 - where of course trains would flash by at 125mph.  I remember getting an uncomfortable feeling looking in the cab several times in one of those fast trains as people jostled for position to get down the stairs as quickly as possible.

Similar modifications have been made at other places the same thing happened.  Slough's platforms 1/2 and the island platforms at Hayes and Southall being examples.

It does also help stop people waiting for a train absent-mindedly chatting on their phones and wandering close to the platform edge - another thing that is guaranteed to get a drivers heart racing - so at station platforms where few trains call it makes very good sense to me.

You're right in that it doesn't stop people accessing those platform, but it does become a deterrent from doing so.  AIUI little obstacles like that can sometimes break the 'thought chain' of a suicide event, and they definitely allow station staff to better monitor the movement of passengers and reduce the likelihood of a fatality - whether deliberate of accidental.

In the case of Maidenhead, as you probably know, there's construction work currently underway to replace the lift and create a second stairway down to the subway.  So that should help with any crowding on platform 3, which is usually only during that surge for short periods when trains arrive and empty rather than when passengers are waiting to board.  https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-lift-and-staircase-to-improve-access-and-safety-at-maidenhead-station