Night tube operational issues

The absence of Train Operators will be happening for a while now on the Picc as they've just made approx 15 Night Tube drivers full time.

At 03:00 hrs there should be 21 trains in service on the Piccadilly line.

Not at all. Read by post above. At least 15 drivers from across the line have gone full time in the past 2 weeks

Indeed. Night Tube continues to create more problems than it solves. Plenty of successful trainees waiting for start dates because of the night tube lot jumping the queue...

(I think you all know my views on this by now. No, I still don't want to be a driver, before you start.)

Planned 15 train cancellations and 11 Operator Not Available

I wonder what Finn thinks should've been put out as the reason.

"Lack of train operators"

I think I've seen National Rail use this.

Failure to recruit sufficient train operators?

Maybe it's the weather at the moment that makes me feel negative, however the atmosphere at LU of late feels like deckchairs being rearranged on a sinking ship. The current senior management just don't seem to have a grip on what's going on. Last year we had the farce of BTP being reportedly called in over the wheel flats fiasco (trains which had been running successfully for over three decades), only for the issue to have now quietly been put down to insufficient removal of vegetation.

They did. It was 18 months but after a dispute it was reduced to 12 months. And we don't need to apply, we put in our two nominations just like the rest of the drivers and when they become valid and there is a vacancy then we get called. The problem is the company called a load of drivers in to full time positions on the Picc without bringing in new drivers to replace them.

I understand there was a feeling that drivers may have been deliberately driving in such a way as to be encouraging flats to develop - presumably dropping the handle in strategic locations. One presumes BTP weren't interested!

For info,Date: 25 November 2016
Issued to: All London Underground employees
An update on current Piccadilly line disruption
Not all rumours memo from the boss last year
Dear All

I wanted to update you all on the current challenges we are facing on the Piccadilly line and the actions we are taking to improve things for our customers.

During the last few days, an unusually high proportion of trains on the Piccadilly line have had to be taken out of service as a result of ‘flatted’ wheels. Train wheels that slide on a rail can pick up a flat-spot that can affect the smooth running of the train and in severe cases, can actually damage both the track and the train. There is a greater risk of this type of sliding during the autumn leaf fall season due to reduced levels of adhesion (the rails become more slippery). When the wheel flats reach a certain size, the train has to be taken out of service. This is not unique to the Piccadilly line or indeed the Underground and presents a challenge to engineers and operations staff every year.

As of this morning, the Piccadilly line is operating with over half of its train fleet unavailable as a result of flatted wheels. As a consequence, we have had to suspend customer services between Acton Town and Uxbridge on the Piccadilly line and the other parts of the line are operating at ‘Severe Delays’. We have strengthened bus services in the affected areas to help our customers and also introduced ticket acceptance until further notice.

Everyone is working hard to repair the trains and get us back to a Good Service across the line as quickly as possible while trying to minimise the effect on our customers in the mean time. However, with so many trains affected, it could take some time for the line to fully recover.

Clearly this is having a really significant impact for thousands of our customers and we need to take urgent action to address the root causes and get our service back to normal. To support this, Tony Matthews, the Piccadilly line General Manager has commissioned a Formal Investigation Report (FIR) into this disruption. This investigation will be forensic in its examination of the facts and will involve asset and operational staff, engineering specialists, the British Transport Police, the ORR and trade union representatives. It will seek to identify why this has happened and make recommendations that will stop it happening again.

Thank you to all of the teams working hard to repair the trains and those supporting our customers through this significant disruption.

Regards

Steve

Steve Griffiths
Chief Operating Officer, London Underground

A highly likely reason for some of the more outlandish rumours.

The investigation is complete, and in summary the issue is being put down to high levels of leaf fall due to insufficient cutting back of vegetation in the period leading up to autumn.

As an aside, the name at the bottom of the quote won't be heard again. The individual concerned left LU earlier this year, seemingly at short notice. Five minute wonder senior management is another symptom of things not being too good at present.

You really don't expect management to admit to their own incompetence, do you now?