The December changes in action

Have all of the old-style ALLCAPS line diagram signs been replaced yet? I hope that they were saved for the LTM Acton, especially the ones with the H&C in magenta...

Northern part of the circle appears to be running well. Since both Hammersmith & C and Circle line trains are indicated as "Hammersmith via Paddington", this gives the (illusory!) impression of a much improved frequency on the line.

Many of the trains still need their internal line maps updating.

Have not yet made it to Paddington to see how that little old platform is coping with all the extra bodies….

Tomorrow (Monday) will probably be the first real test of that.

So you didn't shout a manual PA "listen to the message PROPERLY, idiots!" ;D

If they were as smart as most occasional users of the Underground, they were probably just trying to get a District or Piccadilly line train from Hammersmith anyway...

I think from all the chaos that a lot of us predicted on here for this morning that is'nt as bad as it could have been, although there's still tomorrow and tomorrows morrow and so on.

oh and there's tonight aswell!

Not necessarily as at the moment trains can reverse at Whitechapel without having a particularly major impact on the service - ie, trains can "run round" whilst a driver changes ends.

Once Whitechapel is remodelled however, any reversing train will cause a delay in much the same way as a train reversing at say Embankment or South Kensington.

Also, the service control function has to get Whitechapel reversing out of mind as a primary service recovery tool - not easily done when it's been there all you're working life!

EDIT: all that being said though, if it's still available, why shouldn't it be used?!!

And this is only day One proper - let's give it a chance at least!!

Took a look today. Arrived at Kings Cross from Stratford via HS1, first train on the I/R was "Circle Line via Paddington". Eh - surely that can't be right, that service finished on Saturday? Anyway Set 212 duly arrived with an old-style "CIRCLE LINE" blind on the front (and "MOORGATE" on the back btw) www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/4185673032/. www.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/4185664522/in/photostream/Which way did it go upon reaching Edgware Road? Who knows! Next two trains were indicated as "Hammersmith via Paddington" so I took the second of these. We soon caught up with the first one, these being about 2 minutes' apart, and were held briefly outside Edgware Road. On pulling in at 14:20, platform 2 was empty but there was a "connecting" Distict Line on platform 3. Despite the presence of two CSA's, the T/OP of the Wimbledon service deftly closed his doors just as ours were opening. I pointed this out to one of the platform staff who just shrugged his shoulders in response. After leaving an inbound Edgware Road passed us on the O/R, yet I caught a glimpse of a second District Line being held at Praed Street Junction right behind it, which must have screwed the dedicated platform working at Edgware Road (or was this a Circle showing "Edgware Road"?). I alighted at Royal Oak to get a photo of an E/B train showing the new "Circle Line via Aldgate" displaywww.flickr.com/photos/24772733@N05/4185692286/, before returning to Paddington (Sub). Still the same cramped layout here, with the new "Up" and "Down" pictograms installed above the solitary staircase now partially obscured by more recent ceiling work. Little or no signage directing passengers to the other LU station, though the H&C is indicated in reverse by a pink strip on the floor. A big queue for tickets too, with no LU ticket office and just a couple of FGW machines. At Paddington (Praed Street) regular recorded PA messages advised of the need to change at Edgware Road, though oddly said that the service alterations were effective from Monday, when in fact it commenced yesterday. A similar message was going out at High Street Ken and told people wanting Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street to change at Edgware Road, but I would have thought Notting Hill Gate and the Central Line a better bet for the latter. All the W/B trains on the north side of the Circle were showing "Hammersmith via Paddington" so what is the "Circle Line to Hammersmith" display for?

My experience today?
Morning Wood Lane to Euston Square.
Wood Lane has new line diagrams up, but the strip above the name along the platform is still just H&C pink.
Jumped straight on a train at 8am and got a seat.
Definite improvement.

This evening.
Euston Square to East Putney about 5pm.
Got to Edgware Road, waiting on the platform for a Wimbledon train, as none in the platform.
Announcments saying that next Hammersmith train was in 12 minutes, but also announcements telling us that all lines were running well.
Circle line left from Plat 2 (as it should). Next Circle line arrived before Wimbledon, but then Wimbledon train came and reversed before the Circle line. I waited around 10 minutes from arriving at Edgware Road until Wimbledon train departed.

So a mixed bag for me today.

My apologies to MetControl.

My comment on the pink strip above Wood Lane was not a complaint - only an observation.

I enjoy the fact that on at least one of the stations on the northern half of the circle it still only has Circle and Metropolitan colours and not the H&C. I appreciate the historical signage.

It seems to me that the signage showing the revised Circle Line has been brought in far quicker than when the H&C turned pink, so actually congratulations are in order.

Here we go, Circle Line suspended anti-clockwise due to a signal failure at Edgeware Road. Hammersmith & City line will continue to operate between Hammersmith and Barking.

Let's see what drama's unfold and how long it takes to recover...

Indeed, the WB platform train indicators at East Ham and Upton Park still illuminate to show:

Platform 3 at ERD was taken out of commission due to a problem with 20 points failing to normalise after a train went into P3. The District has been suspended from HSK to ERD due to this until close of traffic.
The Inner Rail suspension was due to a wrong signal being cleared at Mansion House EB and then Tower Hill EB. Rather than totally destroy the Inner Rail, we took 2 off, sent one to Moorgate to reverse and one to Whitechapel. Paddington, Bayswater and NHG were completely swamped on the IR with no trains to them at all!
Just as we were managing to recover it, we had a signal failure at Aldgate on OB1, which caused a suspension of the Met and late running on the EB and OR, then there was a "signal failure" (I'll say no more on that) at Plaistow EB.
We were only able to recover what we could due to 2 trains cancelled for no stock, and a couple of spare T/Ops being available. Full service and no spares will be a totally different outcome.
It seems, through talking to higher management, that they are very aware that a shutdown on this timetable will take a lot longer to recover than before. How that provides a "more reliable service" beats me, but we'll keep at it!

I think this has exposed one of the flaws of this pattern rather early on.

Previously non-availability of Edgware Road platform 3 would simply see all the District's use platform 2 with no significant issues. If some blocking back was occuring then, at best, alternate District C stocks would go round at High Street.

Since there isn't enough bay platform space to turn the whole District C stock service at High Street to return w/b correct time. I assume either some trains will have "gone away" or be diverted to Mansion House (with a consequent curtailment at Putney Bridge next trip). Or HSK platform 2 is being used for reversing "between Circles" or is there a knock on reduction to the Olympia service. Any of which is more disruption than under the old WTT.

I assume this will go on until repairs are effected, presumably overnight.

I'm surprised two wrong signals lowered should have generated a delay of much in excess of 6 mins (3 each for the release) unless there was delay in reporting/responding to the signal's offered, let alone caused a service suspension, however can't have been a decision taken lightly, given the substantial efforts then required by control to divert or reform every outer rail train (which, of course, now become inner rails). Not by any means an easy or enviable task.