Record-breaking 100+ hour delay? "You can travel on the Avanti service immediately after this train" ... in 5 days

[py_megapixel]

What would they do with the train at Preston?

Well, what are they going to do with it at Euston?

 

[cygnus44]

I expect all the avanti bosses will soon be elevated to the House of Lords for services to C**K ups.

 

[87015]

What would they do with the train at Preston?

TBF there is a collection of units abandoned at Cov and Int'l following the New St collapse, so amendments were possible.

 

[Bill57p9]

You have to wonder how beardy lost the contract bearing in mind first group did try to get the franchise a few years before which ended up costing the taxpayer millions. Begs the question of how could he have been worse than Avanti?

Wasn't Virgin Trains blacklisted for some reason? I have something to do with pensions in the back of my memory.

Anyway, truly shocking performance today.
Avanti & TPE had already put me off using the train for my regular travel between Ayrshire and Nottingham. (S&C or ECML simply take too long)

 

[londonmidland]

So what alternatives have Avanti actually offered for passengers travelling on this train? Specifically for people travelling to Scotland?

 

[Bertie the bus]

What would they do with the train at Preston?

It isn't at all unusual for Pendolinos to spend the night at Preston and as this one should have ended its journey in Glasgow berthing it at Preston is no different to berthing it in London. It would still have been in the wrong place but 200 miles closer.

 

[Wychwood93]

Not good.

And of course you have to wonder how many taxi drivers are going to be willing to drive hundreds of miles on Christmas Eve…

As ABBA would have sung - 'Money, money, money'......................

 

[30907]

Well, what are they going to do with it at Euston?

Leave it in the platform - it being a terminus, this is permitted.

Leaving aside the automated rubbish on the website, if Avanti arranged alternative transport (as suggested upthread) they have at least attempted to meet the travellers' needs. A big IF, of course.

BTW XC seem to have run their last service from Birmingham as ECS.

 

[Wychwood93]

There is an apostrophe in 'We're'. It seems that they do not even have anyone who can write an apology in straightforward primary school English.

Indeed!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Bet they still get millions from the crooks in government in a few months when it's bonus time.

There aren't any crooks in government, at least not in the civil service.
It's a disservice to imply that there are.
They implement the contract agreed by HMG (though you might not approve of the contract terms).

 

[whoosh]

I bet “beardy” feels he’s swerved a big bullet, and is mightily relieved he no longer has anything to do with the railway!

Beardy ditched Virgin Megastore at the right time. He'll have astute advisors I dare say.

There is an apostrophe in 'We're'. It seems that they do not even have anyone who can write an apology in straightforward primary school English.

"Due to a proofreader shortage, passengers should expect a lack of apostrophes. For alternative travel arrangements, please see steps 1-4 below:

A)...

B)...

C)..."

 

[43096]

"To get A I'm prepared to do B" is, ultimately, a choice for B.

But getting back to the Labour Party, I do think that accepting the Brexit situation and trying to make the best of it is the best course politically. I'd dearly love to wind the clock back to 2016 and get a different result. But that battle is done.

I bet “beardy” feels he’s swerved a big bullet, and is mightily relieved he no longer has anything to do with the railway!

I often think that. Got out just four months before Covid came along & got in the way. He always was very astute.

It was more Stagecoach getting out. It’s a shame from a passenger’s perspective, as they were by far the most competent of the owning groups.

 

[Iskra]

Not good.

And of course you have to wonder how many taxi drivers are going to be willing to drive hundreds of miles on Christmas Eve…

Most would consider it a lucrative and good quality job driving a rail passenger long distance rather than taxi the local drunks around.

 

[Falcon1200]

Also, this suggests that the drivers' day was meant to finish in Glasgow.

I don't believe any Drivers work the entire way from Euston to Glasgow, a changeover at Preston is likely.

No idea re. the source, but sounds plausible. Re. the strikes, that’s right, and Network Rail rail have closed lines very early to allow possessions to start. Hence the train most likely wouldn’t have been allowed to run once it was known it would be late.

We don't of course know whether Avanti did try and run the train late, depending on the goodwill of the Traincrews involved and as you say possessions. But possessions can be held off in exceptional circumstances, of which this is certainly one!

Some years ago now I was nightshift on, IIRC Christmas Eve, with a major possession for bridge replacement somewhere between Gretna Jc and Carstairs, booked on as soon as the last train had passed, for the next 2 or 3 days. A storm then damaged the roof at Preston station, causing heavy delays, however the engineers insisted that the job start on time, otherwise it would overrun, and the last train could not therefore get beyond Carlisle. Virgin were unable to source any road transport, or hotels, for their passengers so with the support of the National Operations Control in London, the possession was indeed held off and the (very busy) train got through. We did all we could to assist the engineers by diesel-hauling the train from Carlisle, so that preliminary work such as isolating and removing the overheads could start on time. And, in the end, the job finished on time!

 

[gazzaa2]

What would they do with the train at Preston?

What do they normally do with them, given that they regularly terminate the Glasgow trains there?

 

[DarloRich]

Poor show this. Assume (and we know what they say about assumptions) that Avanti got any passengers home!

We don't of course know whether Avanti did try and run the train late, depending on the goodwill of the Traincrews involved and as you say possessions. But possessions can be held off in exceptional circumstances, of which this is certainly one!

There are NO exceptional circumstances for holding off a possession tonight. 1800 is an iron curtian

 

[Pacef8]

I am just conveying this story to my girlfriend and she is getting a bit upset . Both at home btw .
Thus so far:
They made it out of london
Got past crew
Some made it to runcorn
Now where are the rest and the driver/crew

 

[dk1]

Wasn't Virgin Trains blacklisted for some reason? I have something to do with pensions in the back of my memory.

No, that was Stagecoach. Unfortunately Virgin where in bed with them so they took them down too.

 

[william.martin]

Bet they still get millions from the crooks in government in a few months when it's bonus time.

Yep, I think that Avanti really need to pull their act together

It isn't at all unusual for Pendolinos to spend the night at Preston and as this one should have ended its journey in Glasgow berthing it at Preston is no different to berthing it in London. It would still have been in the wrong place but 200 miles closer.

The cancelled Avanti one was scheduled for Polmadie tonight

 

[dk1]

It was more Stagecoach getting out. It’s a shame from a passenger’s perspective, as they were by far the most competent of the owning groups.

Oh yes, I meant it was a good time to get out of the railway after the triumphant 22 years that went before for the group.

 

[william.martin]

the New St collapse

What was this about?

 

[Bikeman78]

The same pandemic that other train companies are doing better by comparison with even in the current climate.

It's a good point. I've travelled thousands of miles on GWR and Greater Anglia since 2020. I don't think a single train that I have intended to travel on has been cancelled owing to lack of train crew.

Leave it in the platform - it being a terminus, this is permitted.

Can't trains stable at Preston? They definitely used to do it. In loco hauled days, the last down train from Euston on Saturday night stabled to work the first up train on Sunday morning. They ran the 47 round and left it parked there.

 

[387star]

Something is going terribly wrong in this industry

 

[nlogax]

Something is going terribly wrong in this industry

Has already gone, I think.

 

[Facing Back]

Some years ago now I was nightshift on, IIRC Christmas Eve, with a major possession for bridge replacement somewhere between Gretna Jc and Carstairs, booked on as soon as the last train had passed, for the next 2 or 3 days. A storm then damaged the roof at Preston station, causing heavy delays, however the engineers insisted that the job start on time, otherwise it would overrun, and the last train could not therefore get beyond Carlisle. Virgin were unable to source any road transport, or hotels, for their passengers so with the support of the National Operations Control in London, the possession was indeed held off and the (very busy) train got through. We did all we could to assist the engineers by diesel-hauling the train from Carlisle, so that preliminary work such as isolating and removing the overheads could start on time. And, in the end, the job finished on time!

That is a great anecdote, thank you. It sounds joined-up, professional and practical. Would this happen today?

 

[philthetube]

Not good.

And of course you have to wonder how many taxi drivers are going to be willing to drive hundreds of miles on Christmas Eve…

Loads if the price is right, there are many people working 25th, Toby Carvery, petrol station staff and P Way to name three groups.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Has already gone, I think.

Oh yeah the ship has sailed. It isn't about preventing something going wrong anymore it's about how on earth do we come back from this and prevent it becoming terminal.

 

[nw1]

It was more Stagecoach getting out. It’s a shame from a passenger’s perspective, as they were by far the most competent of the owning groups.

While I am not a fan of (Stagecoach founder) Brian Souter's personal politics I will say that I preferred Stagecoach SWT as a TOC compared to SWR. But perhaps that's partly because SWT ran the railway during the (relatively) "good times" while SWR taking over has coincided with everything (outside the world of the railway) going wrong...

 

[CE142]

Driver arrived late off previous service, required by law to take their break, too late to run the service once they had finished their break, discussions where held as to running the service with a late start late but with early shut down today it wasn't possible.

 

[VideozVideoz]

Had a quick scan on Twitter and cannot find any complaints from passengers about the last train being cancelled to GLC. Maybe my keywords need amending… I’d expect this to have blown up