1P07 2031 London Euston [EUS] - Preston [PRE] 24/02/18

[Triumph]

Does anyone know what happened to this train last night?

I think it had some big problems, as it was still sat near Weedon at 0100 this morning.

I think 1B44 was terminated at Rugby at about 2200 and was sent to collect the passengers but not sure as it looks like it ran from Rugby to sit alongside 1P07 on the the Up Main and then went back to Rugby about 0030. Then it ran empty to Euston, at which time 1P07 was still in the same place.

Virgin's website had no information about this train while open rail data websites such as Realtimetrains just showed it as delayed.

 

[Mathew S]

There was, I believe, an electrical failure.
If you look back at Virgin's Twitter feed from last night, and at tweets from unimpressed passengers, you'll get a reasonable understanding of what went on. In summary, rescued pax were taken to Rugby and bussed/taxied to their destinations.

 

[Triumph]

O yes so there is. Thank you.

 

[PHILIPE]

A post on Facebook from somebody who was a passenger caught up in this.

https://www.facebook.com/virgintrains/posts/1988092941219275?comment_tracking={"tn":"O"}

Virgin Trains you should hang your heads in shame. Your treatment of your customers last night due to a train break down was disgrace. Your train breaks down, that happens, it’s life and can’t be avoided, I appreciate that, but how you assist your customers in that situation does matter, and your customer service was appalling. Three times, in a conversation with me personally, I was fed a string of lies from your staff. As were others stranded on Linchfield Trent Valley station, that btw has no protection from the minus temperatures that occurred last night. Little did you know was the camaraderie between the 5 complete strangers on the platform, and how we rallied together. Later on in our 3 1/2 abandonment we managed to communicate to a customer stuck on the train, via a 3rd party (someone waiting to pick up) so the three times you claimed a bus was coming to pick us up and you couldn’t tell us the eta was a lie, as at 1:30 via the 3rd party at Rugby and a Network Rail worker we knew that there were still no buses at Rugby, or at least none that had departed and coming our way. How can you justify leaving 5 people stranded, with false information and no way of getting home? Appalling behaviour an evening of a catalogue of errors however, no thanks to you, an evening when my faith in human kindness was restored, no thanks to Virgin. Your pittance of a refund will not be acceptable, I will be expecting much more than my ticket refund due to your lies and apathy. Minus temperatures, additional anxiety and the aftermath of this evening on the rest of my weekend on myself and my family warrants more than a general scan your ticket and we’ll give you.

Sort yourselves out Virgin. And do it quickly.

 

[Merseysider]

Sounds about right.

Happened to myself and a few others I know before, being stranded and getting zero help from VT.

Toad of a company sometimes.

 

[yorkie]

Agreed. Fairly standard for Virgin Trains. Won't be the last time by any means.

 

[LowLevel]

My mate was on it and eventually got out of Rugby at 0310. The situation apparently not helped by the coach drivers called to assist taking one look at a large number of Everton fans and abandoning ship en masse and refusing to take anybody.

 

[neilb62]

Heard this at work earlier, hopefully a contract that can me pointed elsewhere.....

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

My mate was on it and eventually got out of Rugby at 0310. The situation apparently not helped by the coach drivers called to assist taking one look at a large number of Everton fans and abandoning ship en masse and refusing to take anybody.

Stand-by coach drivers can sometimes be a law unto themselves, especially at night. I once got stuck at New Street well after my last connection following a suicide further south. Something like two dozen of us needed transport to Merseyside/South Lancs but in due course we were unceremoniously deposited outside (a locked up) Crewe Station at 03something and left to our own devices. A bit of shouting eventually attracted the attention of the night staff who, it should be said, looked after us very well and while we waited for taxis to arrive were given free reign in the 1st class lounge. There are some VT staff who do care!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Stand-by coach drivers can sometimes be a law unto themselves, especially at night.

More often than not in my experience (of using coaches in Scouting e.g. at the 2007 Jamboree) and observation. They will often do anything at all within their power to avoid their book or newspaper being interrupted.

 

[bb21]

Seems very odd that 1H76 could not have picked up the passengers in question, and taken them to at least Crewe or Piccadilly, where onward transport would be much easier to arrange, seeing that various possession items would have been lost in any case.

But I wasn't there so not intended to criticise, just curious.

 

[ScouserGirl]

Sounds about right for VT not to help

 

[All Line Rover]

Was I being naive in thinking that 1H76 (21:00 Euston to Manchester) had parked up alongside and 1P07 passengers transferred over?

Is this not more feasilble than arranging taxis for passengers on a relatively full 11-car Pendolino destined for Preston?

 

[All Line Rover]

The situation apparently not helped by the coach drivers called to assist taking one look at a large number of Everton fans and abandoning ship en masse and refusing to take anybody.

Why would a 'large number' of Everton fans be on a late evening Preston train departing Euston 20 minutes after a direct (and final) service to Liverpool?

EDIT:

It calls at Watford (the match was at Watford), the Liverpool train doesn't, so presumably the fans would have arranged taxis from Crewe or Warrington.

Glad I avoided that one. Liverpudlian football fans and a delay so long the train runs out of reserve power - what could be worse?

https://twitter.com/eds_nicola/status/967536127480647681

 

[All Line Rover]

Happened to myself and a few others I know before, being stranded and getting zero help from VT.

Toad of a company sometimes.

They are better than, say, Arriva Trains Wales - a train operator whose long distance services suffer more frequent cancellations and lengthy delays (hidden in the statistics by ATW's metro-style services).

 

[All Line Rover]

the night staff who, it should be said, looked after us very well and while we waited for taxis to arrive were given free reign in the 1st class lounge. There are some VT staff who do care!

As standard, and you shouldn't expect anything less.

The isolated and desolate Trent Valley stations (Rugeley, Lichfield, Tamworth, Atherstone and, to a certain extent, Nuneaton) are, by comparison, terrible places to wait at night. At the first sign of disruption, arrange a taxi.

 

[bb21]

Was I being naive in thinking that 1H76 (21:00 Euston to Manchester) had parked up alongside and 1P07 passengers transferred over?

Is this not more feasilble than arranging taxis for passengers on a relatively full 11-car Pendolino destined for Preston?

1B44/5B44 was the rescue train.

 

[All Line Rover]

1B44/5B44 was the rescue train.

So, this being the last train to Euston, you're saying Virgin also needed taxis to cover Rugby / Milton Keynes to Milton Keynes / Watford / Euston? While...

Then it ran empty to Euston, at which time 1P07 was still in the same place.

...running a train from Rugby to Euston carting fresh air?

 

[bb21]

I can only tell you what I read.

1B44 terminated at Rugby in order to be used for train to train evacuation for 1P07 (maybe "rescue train" wasn't the best term), deposited the customers at Rugby for onward transport, and ran empty to Euston.

1P07/5P07 was rescued itself rolling stock-wise by the Rugby thunderbird.

I am not party to any other information, including arrangements for displaced passengers off 1B44.

 

[All Line Rover]

1P07 was still parked at Rugby on Sunday morning (err... later on Sunday morning).

 

[bb21]

Yes, it was left on the goods at Rugby. It didn't go far.

 

[Alistair G.]

Yes, it was left on the goods at Rugby. It didn't go far.

It was left on the up & dn through as the up goods was part of the T3

 

[Alistair G.]

I can only tell you what I read.

1B44 terminated at Rugby in order to be used for train to train evacuation for 1P07 (maybe "rescue train" wasn't the best term), deposited the customers at Rugby for onward transport, and ran empty to Euston.

1P07/5P07 was rescued itself rolling stock-wise by the Rugby thunderbird.

I am not party to any other information, including arrangements for displaced passengers off 1B44.

I believe most passengers were turned off and caught a LM train (2y**) can’t remember for sure though.

Big delay incurred as apparently we are no longer allowed to rescue trains without the presence of a TOLO (was a new one on me!, not sure if this is just a virgin trains thing?) and it also initially had problems building air, but from memory it took roughly 6 hours from failing to getting dragged clear ready for the T3.

 

[bb21]

It was left on the up & dn through as the up goods was part of the T3

Whoever wrote the control log need to check their facts then.

Big delay incurred as apparently we are no longer allowed to rescue trains without the presence of a TOLO (was a new one on me!, not sure if this is just a virgin trains thing?) and it also initially had problems building air, but from memory it took roughly 6 hours from failing to getting dragged clear ready for the T3.

It did. It sounded like a real faff reading the log - 2044 train came to a stop, 0324 on the move, 0400 all sorted. Coupling to the thunderbird was delayed due to the amount of equipment isolation required - which is everything.

 

[Intermodal]

What is a TOLO, please?

 

[bb21]

Train Operator Liaison Officer or some such.

 

[Intermodal]

Train Operator Liaison Officer or some such.

So the TOC version of an NR MOM?

 

[philthetube]

I find it impossible to believe that coach drivers, who will have been called out from their warm homes at short notice, would drive to a job then turn round without good reason. If not happy to do the job, and get the cash for it in the first place they would not have left their homes in the first place.

They would not have to agree to doing the job in the first place, spare drivers waiting for work do not exist

 

[Bletchleyite]

I find it impossible to believe that coach drivers, who will have been called out from their warm homes at short notice, would drive to a job then turn round without good reason. If not happy to do the job, and get the cash for it in the first place they would not have left their homes in the first place.

They would not have to agree to doing the job in the first place, spare drivers waiting for work do not exist

The issue is more with standby drivers, who are being paid to be on standby *or* operate in service, and fairly obviously are motivated to do the former rather than the latter if at all possible.

 

[tiptoptaff]

I find it impossible to believe that coach drivers, who will have been called out from their warm homes at short notice, would drive to a job then turn round without good reason.

Believe it fella, it happens a lot. I have seen them refuse many many passengers for many many reasons, very very few of them could be deemed valid.