Nottingham station fire

[Edwin_m]

No need for humble pie IME. I've encountered far too many unnecessary bus trips IMO since privatisation when there has been a clear diversionary route available but not utilised, Good to see services restored quickly although intrigued as to why 5, along with 6, was out of use - damage to overbridge above?

It was 6 and 7 that were out of use (although these were 5 and 6 before the 2013 re-modelling).  This was probably because both platform tracks run under the part of the station bridge and building that is closest to the seat of the fire.  Photos show flames and smoke from the roof in this part of the station, so it's not surprising that thorough checks were needed before trains could run underneath it. 

[eastwestdivide]

No need for humble pie IME. I've encountered far too many unnecessary bus trips IMO since privatisation when there has been a clear diversionary route available but not utilised, Good to see services restored quickly although intrigued as to why 5, along with 6, was out of use - damage to overbridge above?

On the other hand, in the case of this fire, you couldn't divert Nottingham-London trains anywhere because the station itself was on fire. Some of the Liverpool-Norwich services at least got diverted via Melton Mowbray, missing out Nottingham.

[Coryton]

The response by the railway has been superb. I hope that Butler Henderson, and jonny777 who agreed are eating a big portion of humble pie!

 

 

It's good to hear that the disruption was handled well. However, I suspect that is despite, not because of, the current structure of the railways.

 

It certainly makes it harder for (would-be) passengers who have to find out what ticket acceptance is in place and then hope that whoever is checking tickets is of the same opinion. 

[TheSignalEngineer]

.................... I've encountered far too many unnecessary bus trips IMO since privatisation when there has been a clear diversionary route available but not utilised,.................

Problems nowadays are because

1) there is no clear policy about building trains with 'Go Anywhere' (or at least most places) capability. Classes and sub-classes are usually cleared individually for each route. Those permitted are listed in the Sectional Appendix. 

2) train crews being tied to one company only sign that company's normal booked routes. Fine if there are workings like the late-niight ECS from Piccadilly to Nottingham which sometimes goes via Marple instead of Stockport, but even that can only keep a certain number of crews familiar with the route.

[Talltim]

I think a simple search on EMT website or other social media would have found the answer to your comment. Ticket restrictions lifted and travel by pretty much any operator and route!!!

Tickets also valid tomorrow or available for refund, even non-refundable ones due to the serious nature of the disruption.

Some people are very quick to condemn things on social media yet a simple search on the very same platforms (!) can show their condemnation is at best ill judged. The railway and businesses around Nottingham station have pulled together magnificently today in my experience, not to mention the emergency services for a prompt response which limited, although serious, the damage.

EMT said you could even travel by London Midland. Presumably only with a time machine.

[Coryton]

2) train crews being tied to one company only sign that company's normal booked routes. Fine if there are workings like the late-niight ECS from Piccadilly to Nottingham which sometimes goes via Marple instead of Stockport, but even that can only keep a certain number of crews familiar with the route.

 

I believe that some trains (sometimes ECS, sometimes passenger carrying) are deliberately timetabled to take diversionary routes so that crews do keep up their route knowledge.

 

There used to be a late night Aberdeen to Edinburgh Cross-Country train which took a turn round the Fife circle then went all the way round Edinburgh via Morningside, finally coming in to Waverly from the 'wrong' direction. Quite a leisurely journey overall.

 

I caught that a few times - I once heard someone on their phone saying that we were almost at Haymarket and they'd be ready to be met at Waverley in a couple of minutes. Nope!

 

Another time there was poor adhesion on the Morningside route so they missed that bit out - it's not often that a train arrives early due to leaves on the line...

[great central]

We do have both empty stock and service trains which take diversion routes for route knowledge purposes, as do XC and Northern to my knowledge.

[Gwiwer]

Yes there are trains up and down the country and often very late at night or first thing in the morning which are booked via unusual routes for knowledge retention. Sometimes these can be picked from the public timetable by having uncommonly “slack” timings apparently from A to B but actually via C. But in most cases those would still bring trains to their booked destination. It is rather more difficult to avoid somewhere like Nottingham entirely as opposed to taking a different route to get there.

 

GWR only managed to avoid Reading completely during the recent blockade by using a hefty fleet of buses and Chiltern’s new chord at Bicester. Crewing of the Penzance - Marylebone trips which ran via Didcot’s west curve and turned right north of Oxford would have been interesting with HST crews lacking route knowledge and Chiltern ones unfamiliar with the traction. I bet there were a few surprised looks from passenger believing they had been “piskie-led” as well.

 

With wholesale abandonment of freight and secondary passenger lines in the East Midlands few alternatives remain. And securing the numbers of buses required at the start of the morning rush would have been as easy as collecting rocking horse poo. And that’s without the closure of the tramway and major road closures bringing traffic to a near-standstill.

[Coryton]

GWR only managed to avoid Reading completely during the recent blockade by using a hefty fleet of buses and Chiltern’s new chord at Bicester. Crewing of the Penzance - Marylebone trips which ran via Didcot’s west curve and turned right north of Oxford would have been interesting with HST crews lacking route knowledge and Chiltern ones unfamiliar with the traction.

 

Presumably a GWR driver to actually drive the train and someone with the route knowledge as pilot (if that's the word)?

[great central]

Yes there are trains up and down the country and often very late at night or first thing in the morning which are booked via unusual routes for knowledge retention. Sometimes these can be picked from the public timetable by having uncommonly “slack” timings apparently from A to B but actually via C. But in most cases those would still bring trains to their booked destination. It is rather more difficult to avoid somewhere like Nottingham entirely as opposed to taking a different route to get there.

 

GWR only managed to avoid Reading completely during the recent blockade by using a hefty fleet of buses and Chiltern’s new chord at Bicester. Crewing of the Penzance - Marylebone trips which ran via Didcot’s west curve and turned right north of Oxford would have been interesting with HST crews lacking route knowledge and Chiltern ones unfamiliar with the traction. I bet there were a few surprised looks from passenger believing they had been “piskie-led” as well.

 

With wholesale abandonment of freight and secondary passenger lines in the East Midlands few alternatives remain. And securing the numbers of buses required at the start of the morning rush would have been as easy as collecting rocking horse poo. And that’s without the closure of the tramway and major road closures bringing traffic to a near-standstill.

Only trains that can really avoid Nottingham are the longer distance ones. London to Derby and Sheffield or Liverpool-Norwich, everything else either passes through or terminates.

Same applies to Derby and Leicester, long diversion and buses to connect.

[The Stationmaster]

Presumably a GWR driver to actually drive the train and someone with the route knowledge as pilot (if that's the word)?

 

Just the same as applied when they were diverted previously with a reversal at Banbury.  There is, and never has been, any requirement for a Conductor Driver to sign the traction he(she) is conducting.

 

GWR also operate a number of regular workings to help maintain Route Knowledge although I somehow suspect that knowing the road 'round Greenford' is no longer requirement for Paddington based Drivers as it was back in Old Oak Common days.

[beast66606]

An arrest has been made

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-42918004