Posted 10th June 2011 | 2 Comments
MP criticises lack of communication after train delays
A SOUTH of England MP has criticised the standard of communication between Network Rail and South West Trains, after major delays last night led to some passengers abandoning a stalled train and walking along the line.
The problems affected around 60 trains from Waterloo, after a signalling failure in the Woking area which may have been caused by a cable theft.
The delays were worsened when passengers who had been stranded on one train prised open the doors and walked down the track.
One of them, Emma Firth from Farnham, who is eight months pregnant, told the BBC that she was worried that she would be stuck on the train all night.
She said: "In my condition I wasn't going to sleep overnight on a train. I had no food or drink.
"One guard with a torch helped us walk across the track safely and was very polite but the police at the gates were very angry, saying we had trespassed."
South West Trains has apologised for the problems. A spokesman said that there had been a series of problems since the start of the week.
"A major signalling problem in the Weybridge area on Monday resulted in severe disruption. A fatality at Mortlake, a line closure because of a damaged bridge and a passenger being taken ill at Earlsfield yesterday morning led to delays, cancellations and diversions, followed by last night's signalling problems in the Waterloo and Woking areas.
"Working with Network Rail we have endeavoured to minimise the impact of these problems, although this is of little consolation if you have been affected."
The MP for Mole Valley, Sir Paul Beresford, said: "It seems to me as though there was lack of communication between Network Rail and South West Trains, particularly as evacuation has to be done really carefully.
"Someone should have been telling the drivers and the drivers should have been telling people.
"OK, it doesn't make them move any faster but at least it gives them an understanding of what is going wrong."
British Transport Police reported earlier this week that incidents of cable theft have soared over the past year, because of the rising price of metal on world markets.
Reader Comments:
Views expressed in submitted comments are that of the author, and not necessarily shared by Railnews.
Hugh Collins, Cheltenham, England
When signals are not working, why not allow (indeed constrain) trains to say 30kph so that progress can be made. There are plenty of tram systems arounfd the world that work on a visual basis at this speed or more - that is the driver stops the vehicle if he can see an obstruction, train in front, etc. Originally block signalling was introduced when train brakes were poor and desired speeds were higher - but brakes are much better now. Which would train operators and passengers prefer - no movement at all or slow but steady progress to the destination? Assuming that the Woking problem affected 20 kms of route, at 30kph this would have taken just 40 minutes to pass, not 4 hours!!
Graham, Hook, UK
What may have been helpful would have been a way to divert trains around Woking, which would be possible by reinstating a chord at Farnborough to be able to send trains via Ascot. As although this would still have caused problems the number of trains and therefore people stuck could have been reduced.
By reinstating this chord and building a new one to provide a grade separated junction at Farnborough it would allow trains to/from Southampton, Winchester, Basingstoke, Salisbury and Exeter to easily divert around when there are engineering works or problems between Brookwood and Clapham Junction. It could also be used to provide new services between Ascot and Basingstoke serving the large population which lives/works along this route.