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Post by greggygreggygreg on Nov 4, 2019 4:27:59 GMT
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Sept 26, 2019 5:41:14 GMT
Ok, but why would that train ahead be held? Duuuuuuhhhhh. The train ahead carries on as normal, the "incident" train is stuck at Monument for 10-15 minutes. When the incident train finally gets moving there have been no trains for 10-15 minutes to the stations between it and the train in front. So ask yourself how busy are those platforms going to be? Those platforms are going to be packed so the "incident" train is going to be delayed even more while passengers are trying to get on and off and the trains behind it are going more delayed, whereas if you have a train (or two) in front then it is going it take some of that congestion. Are you really that stupid? Christ on a fecking bike. This is why Tube staff get frustrated with punters. Omly 8 years 3 months 13 days until I retire and I no longer give a rat's bottom 😂 A punter on a train only cares about themselves and the train they're on. They're incapable of seeing the bigger picture, whereas if they were on the incident train, they'd be complaining about the platforms being too busy and delaying them further
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Sept 25, 2019 8:14:05 GMT
What is the purpose of carrying headlights? (I'm talking about lamps that light the road ahead, here). Surely they cause mental fatigue, and make signals less visible? To warn people on or about the line of the approach of the train
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Sept 17, 2019 18:18:19 GMT
If the depot staff put it there to indicate it had been tested, who removed it? Presumably the next driver to work the train from that cab?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Sept 3, 2019 18:04:55 GMT
All single journeys on the TFL services into Liverpool St {this includes the TFLRail/Crossrail line from Shenfield as well as the ex West Anglia routes of Greater Anglia that are now run by Overground} are higher than the equivalent zones on the TFL farescale. This has been since the services were launched. I believe the concern was something to do with revenue loss from longer distance NR routes, and was mandated by the DFT. Mr Khan’s fare freeze {that doesn’t benefit many people as most Londoners haven’t had a fare freeze} also doesn’t apply for trips on these routes and these have increased the last 2 years. Once the Elizabeth line opens fully, is the fare structure going to change to the LU model? By naming the line like a London Underground line it's bound to cause confusion if it is not. It'll have to in Central London, surely, as it'll be impossible to tell whether someone has travelled on the Elizabeth Line or LU services until someone has travelled east of Stratford / west of Ealing unless separate gatelines are to be installed? How is Thameslink fares structured within the core? Do I recall LU fares applied to that when it opened within the central area?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 27, 2019 17:49:48 GMT
Are you sure one was issued? Waivers are freely available to view on the intranet and only two have been issued this year - neither were on the Waterloo & City line..... Perhaps as it wasn't accepted it didn't make it to the Intranet. It was an 'attempted issue'!
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 25, 2019 20:11:44 GMT
Interesting that even the Inner Circle used the terms Up & Down to describe the direction of trains at one point!
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 25, 2019 20:09:00 GMT
The class 33 is tripcock fitted; it was fitted ahead of a railtour on 29/04/2018 from Marylebone to Quainton Road. This weekend’s tours are a repeat of that, with an additional trip to Watford each day. flic.kr/p/25jtU8pNo trains are permitted to operate over the Metropolitan line, in traffic hours, without tripcocks fitted. The only exception to this is Chiltern class 172 units which must be buried between other units with tripcocks at both ends. Thanks, I wasn't aware that D6515 was tripcock fitted as I couldn't see one. Presumably the LUL Senior Operating Officer still has the right to waive this requirement? Even if the SOO could issue a waiver, would they do it for a railtour? If anything, a railtour would represent a higher risk - unfamiliar stock on a railway its not normally used on, with unfamiliar staff. And if a waiver were issued and the train were to be involved in an incident?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 20, 2019 15:17:19 GMT
Sometimes management might want to introduce more trains into the plan if more drivers turn up to work than expected - this is a huge workload for controllers, as putting trains into a timetable is more work than taking them out! As an ordinary traveller, could you explain why it's harder to put trains in than to take them out? Because drivers have to be organised, trains have to be organised, those drivers, the depots and everyone else have to be communicated with so they know what they are doing. Taking trains out is easy - you just get the driver to put it away.
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 17, 2019 18:59:24 GMT
If managers operate trains it’s likely to upset the unions and prolong the strike . There is an expectation from the public (many of whom do not have the luxury of a forceful / militant trade Union to protect them) and right wing politicians that transport operators will do their upmost to provide a service on strike days. As such it doesn’t matter what the trade unions think about the practice (from a legal perspective UK law makes it crystal clear that any attempt to intimidate those coming into work must be allowed to do so), those managers with the required competencies are expected to take on front line duties. And if managers operate trains on strike days, this in itself causes disruption as it causes managers to get behind on their work causing a backlog
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Aug 17, 2019 17:22:42 GMT
Controllers are like an insurance policy. Ideally they should be sat there doing nothing - this means the service is running as booked with no issues. The plan should just work with no intervention. Controllers should only need to intervene when something happens outside the plan (which tends to be a lot of the time!). With industrial action, a plan might be produced with limited resources that can be guaranteed. Sometimes these will be managers operating trains who have limited experience who are more likely to have operational incidents. Sometimes management might want to introduce more trains into the plan if more drivers turn up to work than expected - this is a huge workload for controllers, as putting trains into a timetable is more work than taking them out!
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 30, 2019 16:24:43 GMT
I'm sure there are also bonds between the running rails and the neutral wire which are charged, though they are usually insulated so present less hazard to an evacuating passenger than they do to a member of the P-way gang with a spade. If the running rails are also the return conductor (and "neutral"), then they're already at effectively at zero potential unless there's a hefty current in them at the time; then they're probably only a few volts above ground. I'd be a lot more concerned about tripping hazards than electrical ones (as I understand from previous comments, this was in overhead-power-only territory; no 3rd or 4th rails). Unless there's a detached return cable, or a broken rail
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 29, 2019 19:11:41 GMT
Given that one of the prime dangers often stated in these incidents is that the track was live*, I don't think that would be a complete answer. * Obviously, even if it isn't at one moment, it could be the next, so apparent lack of power to the train should never be considered a justification for unauthorised de-training. The reference to the line being "live" may be to the fact that other trains might be passing, rather than electrically live. But the report's title does say the line was "electrically live". I'm not sure exactly where the stranding took place, but North Pole Junction is a little way north of the changeover point from DC to AC, so any electrically live components would be several metres above the evacuees' heads. Unusually, the changeover is done "on the fly" (there is, presumably, a reason the wires were not carried as far as Shepherds Bush?) and if a pantograph fails to rise the train's momentum may be enough to carry it beyond the end of the 3rd rail, leaving it stranded even if both the AC and DC power supplies are live. . I think you might find that electrically live equipment will be a lot closer than several metres above people's heads if passengers are getting out of trains away from stations. Its not only the wires that contact the pantograph that are live. The supports connecting them to the stanchions are also live.
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 28, 2019 16:48:28 GMT
The RAIB have published a news story on their website stating they have carried out a preliminary investigation into passengers self-detraining from a London Overground* train between Shepherd's Bush and Willesden Junction. They will pubilsh a safety digest into the incident "in the next few weeks". North Pole junction gives access to the Great Western Main Line via North Pole Depot (the former Eurostar depot which now maintains the Class 80x IEP trains) and is between Shepherd's Bush and Willesden Junction for Overground trains. I think this is where the trains change from DC to AC operation. From the lack of mention in this news story and my not hearing about it elsewhere I presume that there were no injuries. *It doesn't state this was an LO train, but they are the only operator to run passenger trains between Clapham Junction and Stratford. It seems like it might be similar to the incident at Lewisham a couple of winters ago, where if conditions become unbearable passengers take action rather than wait
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 24, 2019 20:35:32 GMT
There is a benefit to LU owning the Wimbledon branch, even if it is NR signalling and power, and that is South West Trains running on the branch have to schedule round LU services and not the other way around. This is not necessarily the case on other sections of shared track. Depends what the terms of the sale were. Perhaps the terms were for NWR to keep existing paths, or for so many per hour. Regardless, there will be a legal agreement in place detailing what running powers each entity will have over the line, perhaps dating back to when the line was first built. Just because London Underground owns the line, doesn't mean they can dictate what happens on it.
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 17, 2019 7:35:35 GMT
I like those trains and the "scrubby" look adds to the charm, that and the bouncing! I had to catch one the other day and some huge 14 stone plus bloke sat next to me, but kept shifting his position every 30 seconds... total wriggle-rear. And my back's not what it was. Up-down. up-down, up-down... The kids might love it. I didn't. 14 stone 'huge'?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jul 7, 2019 19:48:53 GMT
Don't forget that before BR was privatised, the ticket offices on the branch were still staffed by British Rail, even though no British Rail trains actually called at the stations (or did they? When did non-LT trains last actually call at the stations on the branch?)
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Post by greggygreggygreg on May 24, 2019 18:00:28 GMT
Let alone 1-shot, 2-shot, speed control or inductors (if they ever work). Years ago i was involved in some SPAD mitigation works at Baker Street where a draw-up signal was cleared via a very nasty one-shot timing section which ran to the signal. In most cases it only cleared when out of the train Operator's vision, and anyone who hung back waiting to see it clear inevitably had to reaccelerate which broke one of the design rules for the timing section (it was calculated assuming no reaccelration). The problem was that once you had started to operate the timer, if the signal it was associated with then cleared, it would clear straight from red to green, and this inconsistency was a becoming more of a problem. In the end we had to provide a two-shot timer, allowing it to clear when a the point where previously the timing started, as well as circuitry to stop it clearing via other means if you'd already started to initiate the timing section. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than it was. Could you say a word or two about why signalling would be based on timing, rather than occupancy of track sections, please? Signalling is based on occupancy of track circuits. Some track circuits have timers, so that a train has to occupy the track circuit for a set amount of time in order to prove the train's speed has been reduced to below a certain amount, before the signal letting the train out of that section will clear
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SPADs
May 23, 2019 6:49:38 GMT
via mobile
Post by greggygreggygreg on May 23, 2019 6:49:38 GMT
And don't forget on the mainline TPWS isn't fail safe - it just mitigates the effects of a signal being passed. It is also not installed at all signals - only those at which there is a higher risk. It does not prevent accidents - there was a collision with the buffer stops a couple of weeks ago at Victoria, was there not?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Feb 16, 2019 22:56:36 GMT
Oh, and don't use Trainline. They charge commission. Use any Train Operating Company website instead.
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Feb 16, 2019 22:52:32 GMT
The reason why Victoria to Waterloo is a black-hole is because the usual way to get to either instead of the other is to change at Clapham Junction. There's no point getting a Gatwick Express unless you actually need to get to Victoria, it just adds extra complexity, time and costs more money. Just change at Clapham Junction - far easier than using the Underground, as that would involve another change at Westminster! Or Thameslink to London Bridge and change there for Waterloo East - again don't bother with the Underground, as by the time you've got to the Jubilee Line platform, you'll already be at Waterloo East
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Feb 7, 2019 20:38:28 GMT
They should have done this before each company started their own versions. It is not beyond the wit (or maybe it is) of the rail industry to have one system which is compatible throughout the whole of Great Britain
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jan 30, 2019 19:36:12 GMT
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jan 19, 2019 22:19:42 GMT
It's trying to be a Central Line where the doors open on both sides. But on a more serious note, this is rather serious and hopefully nobody attempted to jump out of the train to reach the adjacent platform, especially if the doors were locked on the other side. People can be very impatient or worse, stupid. Hopefully a report will give us more detail as to what went wrong and who knew what was happening at the time in terms of staff. It is a very serious incident. What if a passenger was leaning on the doors, or a blind passenger attempted to alight?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Jan 2, 2019 17:11:53 GMT
I don't like lifts, and will always use stairs in preference. Hoe does that affect people like me, who won't get in a lift to go up?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Dec 28, 2018 18:09:47 GMT
New Cross Gate (ELL) drivers DO sign the fast lines. All the signals are in the same locations as the slow lines sharing signal gantries, only major difference is the 10mph higher line speed on the fasts. During severe disruption on a rather busy/stressful day a while back, I ended up diverting on to the Up Sussex Fast at Norwood Junction. Out of service at New Cross Gate and in to the Up Sussex Loop - where I was held for quite some time. I was then informed that I would be resuming my normal diagram from Crystal Palace. (Pre-May 2018 diagrams) I was then instructed to run in service from New Cross Gate Platform 3 (Down Sussex Fast), then cross over on to the Down Sussex Slow at Forest Hill, call at Sydenham and then terminate at Crystal Palace. It is for these kind of out of course situations that we sign them. It would be foolish not to. I vaguely remembering hearing when the ELL was being turned into London Overground that the drivers wouldn't sign the fasts, until it was explained to whoever made that decision that if the slows were shut for any reason there'd be a load of trapped trains south of New Cross Gate
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Dec 15, 2018 18:25:38 GMT
As much PR as there is about the Elizabeth line there will be plenty of people who will be expecting to go from Sheffield to central London direct this December Crossrail is going to Sheffield!? Which zone is Sheffield in?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Dec 11, 2018 21:48:52 GMT
It depends how you measure the cost of an employee. As well as their salary, there's the cost of employer pension contributions, uniform, sick pay, and any other costs you can think of. Although you can be assured that everything you read in the Daily Mail is exaggerated, made up or just blagged.
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Dec 4, 2018 12:09:52 GMT
I presume when it says TfL staff with PRIV rate Oystercards will be given 75% discount, it really means anyone with a PRIV discount loaded onto their Oystercard?
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Post by greggygreggygreg on Nov 30, 2018 12:17:15 GMT
Wouldn't a VIP have some sort of escort with them? I would be surprised if a VIP that was that important would be using the Underground? Or should you be posting the arrangements for VIPs on here for security reasons?
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