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Broken & Late Ltd: Britain's Railways

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    So, having paid absolutely no notice to the proposed journey when I booked the ticket, and being oblivious to the fact that Euston is shut this weekend, I've somert of a journey up ahead and would be gratified if our resident trainmen could tell me how likely any of this is of happening as it should. On Sunday, I am booked to go:

    11:36 from Manchester Piccadilly, arriving at Birmingham New Street 13:19
    [brief schlep on foot]
    13:55 from Birmingham Moor Street, arriving at London Marylebone 15:40
    [briefly consider the underground, think fuck this and get a cab to]
    17:31 Eurostar from St. Pancras to Amsterdam

    It all looks good on paper, but I am 70% convinced that there will be some rail replacement bus shenanigans I've missed, or general other missed connection shithousery. Would I be better off losing my bottle and spending an extortionate sum on a last minute flight?

    [Edit: just clocked that my ticket is good for any route, so might just leave a couple of hours earlier and doss around London for a bit.]
    Last edited by beak; 30-08-2018, 10:44.

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      There shouldn't be rail replacement on the Birmingham-London bit you've got there.

      A bus might be a good option from Marylebone to St Pancras.

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        It will be train all the way. Euston us shut for HS2 works so Virgin are operating to Milton Keynes with buses from there into London. This is why you are routed with Chiltern from Brum into London as that route is still open.

        Is your booking train specific? If not, the better option may be Manchester-Sheffield and then Sheffield-St Pancras, as it saves the cross London faff. It's is usually an xx19 departure off MAN onto the xx49 off SHF with abut 2.5 hours into STP. So 1119 off Manchester would get you into London for about 1510.

        Other option is via Leeds which will get you to King's Cross, a minutes walk to the Eurostar.

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          Isn't the line shut between Chesterfield and Derby?

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            Does this work?

            http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...20918/1215/dep

            Seems like there's lower capacity at Derby than normal, but about half the trains are running through with no bus.

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              Also, fair play to you for doing this journey by train, Dogbeak,

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                Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                Does this work?

                http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/servic...20918/1215/dep

                Seems like there's lower capacity at Derby than normal, but about half the trains are running through with no bus.
                Taking the Erewash Valley route, presumably?

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                  Actually, I think that's right. Apol.

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                    Cheers all. B, B & F your plan sounds a good un, will check tomorrow when I have my tickets to hand (and am not half cut). The email from Trainline says "travel is allowed via any permitted route", which is remarkably circular logic to someone not fluent in trainspeak.

                    Originally posted by Tubby Isaacs View Post
                    Also, fair play to you for doing this journey by train, Dogbeak,
                    Well, tbh it is largely motivated by late-onset fear of flying, and the fact I'll be schlepping a suitcase full of LPs with me..

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                      What that means Dogbeak is that any directish route will do but you can't take weird detours eg going through, say, Cardiff.

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                        Well, tbh it is largely motivated by late-onset fear of flying, and the fact I'll be schlepping a suitcase full of LPs with me..
                        Nah, you said you could fly upthread. You're choosing the train when the railway likely isn't making it cheap or easy for you. Good man.

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                          https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45367990

                          Crossrail "£600m over budget and delayed for 9 months". Odds on it being a billion extra and a year late before it finally runs?

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                            I think they cut a billion off the budget in 2010.

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                              Thanks to all for the advice. Thanks to BB&F and Moonlight Shadow I went via Sheffield. I have just arrived home after eleven-and-a-half hours in transit, and am fucking mentally and physically shattered. Doesn't help that I spent my time in Manchester drinking an awful lot of (thankfully very weak) beer.

                              Having been excited for the direct London - Amsterdam Eurostar, in practice it's a bit grueling (though there was an extra hour due to works). The opportunity to have a smoke and a stretch of the legs in Brussels is a good one. Never thought I'd find myself wishing I was at Zuid/Midi.

                              Also the Manchester - Sheffield train was loud, slow, and filthy, but does provide a very beautiful journey. Got the 1045 that stops at a wide range of places I have never heard of in my life.
                              Last edited by beak; 02-09-2018, 21:44.

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                                It is a nice journey, i am well accointed with the Chinley, Edale and Hope stops.

                                The best train station in the Peak District is Chapel En Le Frith, it is quite isolated and well away from the small town it serves, you can hike straight up the woods to some quiet moorlands and climbing crags...

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                                  Initial ORR report into the timetable clusterfuck. Conclusion: it was a clusterfuck.

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                                    Originally posted by Ginger Yellow View Post
                                    Initial ORR report into the timetable clusterfuck. Conclusion: it was a clusterfuck.
                                    "WAS"?

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                                      Here's the summary. Grayling doesn't seem to come out of it too badly, judging from this.

                                      A key issue, found by the Inquiry, is that there is an apparent gap in industry responsibility and accountability for managing systemic risks, and that needs to change.

                                      Other key findings are:

                                      The System Operator (SO) function within Network Rail was in the best position to understand and manage the risks, but did not take sufficient action, especially in the critical period of autumn 2017
                                      Neither GTR nor Northern were properly aware of or prepared for the problems in delivering the timetable and they did not do enough to provide accurate information to passengers when disruption occurred
                                      Both DfT and ORR are responsible for overseeing aspects of the industry, but neither sufficiently questioned assurances they received from the industry about the risk of disruption.
                                      I'm always a bit dubious about "questioning assurances". If Network Rail gave assurances (in their SO role), do we expect the Minister to tell them he knows better than them?

                                      Comment


                                        The assurances came from GTR and Northern, and eventually the Industry Readiness Board, not NR. And the report does heavily criticise the DfT's slow decision-making process.
                                        Although DfT could not have reasonable foreseen the risk of needing to rewrite the timetable, the length of time taken by DfT to make a final decision, meant that this decision was not aligned with the Part D schedule for developing the timetable. This aggravated the challenge of rewriting the timetable, even before the later failure to deliver the Northern Infrastructure Programme created even greater problems.
                                        In hindsight, had the final decision by DfT to phase the introduction of services from 18tph been made in alignment with the schedule for developing the May 2018 timetable the unpredicted consequences for the Thameslink timetable may have been avoided and the consequential risks of a timetable failure on the scale experienced would have been greatly reduced.
                                        Last edited by Ginger Yellow; 20-09-2018, 16:44.

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                                          I'm reading it that NR's "Systems Operator" role was about that, with Grayling less directly involved.

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                                            Although DfT could not have reasonable foreseen the risk of needing to rewrite the timetable, the length of time taken by DfT to make a final decision, meant that this decision was not aligned with the Part D schedule for developing the timetable. This aggravated the challenge of rewriting the timetable, even before the later failure to deliver the Northern Infrastructure Programme created even greater problems.
                                            In hindsight, had the final decision by DfT to phase the introduction of services from 18tph been made in alignment with the schedule for developing the May 2018 timetable the unpredicted consequences for the Thameslink timetable may have been avoided and the consequential risks of a timetable failure on the scale experienced would have been greatly reduced.
                                            That's not very good. Do we know why they took too long making the decision?

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                                              Decision tree for the Thameslink Programme. It looks a mess, but most of the problems should have been sorted out before they got near Grayling.

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                                                IRB is Industry Readiness Board. I think SRO is Senior Responsible Owner.

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                                                  It's doomed, isn't it. How many times have the ordinary trams been attacked by lorries?

                                                  Comment


                                                    Good God.

                                                    All you need now is great crested newts popping up on the Tinsley Chord.

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