Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2007 11:32:54 GMT
Yesterday (Friday) was one of those very rare days when a special service (emergency ad-hoc timetable) was put into place on the District Line. These things are common on some lines, but very rare on a complex line like the District.
Very heavy rain caused flooding and chaos in West London.
In it's wake leaving the following services suspended
Turnham Green - Richmond
Earl's Court - Olympia
High Street kensington - Edgware Road
Circle Line - Inner Rail
Circle Line - Outer Rail
plus numerous station closures.
Trains remaining operating
Upminster - Ealing Broadway - D Stock
High Street - Wimbledon - C Stock
The D stock were made up from Upminster (using Upminster and Barking crews) and set numbers 110 - 127, plus 171 and 172.
and from the West End (not sure if that was Earl's or Acton) using sets 130 - 147.
I think C's took the 16x numbers.
The trains originating from Upminster seemed to manage pretty much an even 5 min interval and ran in number sequence, I couldn't fathom what the trains originating from the west were doing, they seemed to be running in a random order and certainly not every 5 mins with huge gaps in the service. It didn't seem like they managed the number of trains I understood they were supposed to put in.
Despite running westbound with no significant issues and trains being cleared to depart Ealing at an even 5 mins I was then held at almost every possible controlled area running east, including all those almost never used for the purpose "to even out gaps in the service". There were certainly no gaps close to being infront or behind me. I think either the 5 min interval was being taken a bit too literally, so any delayed train (or slow driver) was delaying every other train as we were held longer to remain 5 mins behind it. Or all the 5 min departures over 90 mins from Upminster were being delayed to close the massive gaps in the service originating from the west over that 90 mins.
Either way the passengers were less than impressed (as I was) at being held outside all of the controlled areas whilst the train in front was held (and being told, we are at a red signal there's a train in front) then being told "we are being held to even out gaps in the service" when they, like i, could also see from the dot matrix the convoy of trains behind me !
As tends to happen when you get serious delays and variation from the timetable, drivers run out of framework driving hours, and by the time the very full service from Upminster returned there, there were no drivers available to return the trains west or run them to the depot causing a queue of trains from Upminster to Elm Park. Took me 20 mins to get from Hornchurch to Upminster Bridge. By this time very little was returning westbound.
After all of which I finished late.
Not sure how the service into the later evening faired ?
None the less a very entertaining day with, I must add, a few managers in particular putting in an outstanding performance.
Also I think I saw the District's General Manager, Bob Thoroughgood manning the platform at Embankment w/b too !
Very heavy rain caused flooding and chaos in West London.
In it's wake leaving the following services suspended
Turnham Green - Richmond
Earl's Court - Olympia
High Street kensington - Edgware Road
Circle Line - Inner Rail
Circle Line - Outer Rail
plus numerous station closures.
Trains remaining operating
Upminster - Ealing Broadway - D Stock
High Street - Wimbledon - C Stock
The D stock were made up from Upminster (using Upminster and Barking crews) and set numbers 110 - 127, plus 171 and 172.
and from the West End (not sure if that was Earl's or Acton) using sets 130 - 147.
I think C's took the 16x numbers.
The trains originating from Upminster seemed to manage pretty much an even 5 min interval and ran in number sequence, I couldn't fathom what the trains originating from the west were doing, they seemed to be running in a random order and certainly not every 5 mins with huge gaps in the service. It didn't seem like they managed the number of trains I understood they were supposed to put in.
Despite running westbound with no significant issues and trains being cleared to depart Ealing at an even 5 mins I was then held at almost every possible controlled area running east, including all those almost never used for the purpose "to even out gaps in the service". There were certainly no gaps close to being infront or behind me. I think either the 5 min interval was being taken a bit too literally, so any delayed train (or slow driver) was delaying every other train as we were held longer to remain 5 mins behind it. Or all the 5 min departures over 90 mins from Upminster were being delayed to close the massive gaps in the service originating from the west over that 90 mins.
Either way the passengers were less than impressed (as I was) at being held outside all of the controlled areas whilst the train in front was held (and being told, we are at a red signal there's a train in front) then being told "we are being held to even out gaps in the service" when they, like i, could also see from the dot matrix the convoy of trains behind me !
As tends to happen when you get serious delays and variation from the timetable, drivers run out of framework driving hours, and by the time the very full service from Upminster returned there, there were no drivers available to return the trains west or run them to the depot causing a queue of trains from Upminster to Elm Park. Took me 20 mins to get from Hornchurch to Upminster Bridge. By this time very little was returning westbound.
After all of which I finished late.
Not sure how the service into the later evening faired ?
None the less a very entertaining day with, I must add, a few managers in particular putting in an outstanding performance.
Also I think I saw the District's General Manager, Bob Thoroughgood manning the platform at Embankment w/b too !
