Engineering Works on East Coast Main Line midweek 16&17th. May 2023.

[lincolnshire]

So was the bright idea of having possession on East Coast Main line Tuesday (16th.) & Wednesday (17th.) instead of a weekend a success? I went with LNER Doncaster to Kings Cross Tuesday morning, it was OK and I knew we had the extra time to do the detour.
Returning from Kings Cross about 18-30 was a different matter, no trains & cancelled trains from Hull Trains and Grand Central etc. So went next door to St. Pancras to find what looked like chaos, barriers out upstairs trying to get passengers in the right lanes for destination, nut no one till the end of the queue to advise what was happening. I just followed other passengers and walked through the barriers to find they was waiting for the delayed Sheffield train to arrive. Watching the other side of the barriers it just looked like no one knew what was going on. The problem was by using agency staff they don,t know how the railway runs and works etc. When the Sheffield train arrived and when boarding started was a huge rush down the platform and then it was already running a few minutes late. It was only after reading of here what had caused all the problems at Kings Cross and which also didn,t help East Midlands Railways as well.
Another problem at St. Pancras was the two up escalators are out of use for repair or replacement as it looks as if it going to be a long job and the only wasy up was the lift nearby.
Why didn,t they reverse on of the down ones and make it one up/one down instead while the works on the others is carried out.
So will it be more midweek possesions on East Coast or back to weekends?
#

 

[G Broughton]

Doesn’t matter when NR have a possession as long as a freight train doesn’t fail on the Up road near Werrington Jn as was the case on Tuesday. Everything ran smoothly on Wednesday it seems.

 

[YorkshireBear]

It would have been just as bad with the freight train failure if that was a weekend.

From an engineering perspective it is a success, also makes work cheaper as staff cost less midweek! LNER passenger numbers give us the data on disruption.

I suspect the review will show it was worthwhile and will be continued occasionally.

 

[BJames]

So was the bright idea of having possession on East Coast Main line Tuesday (16th.) & Wednesday (17th.) instead of a weekend a success? I went with LNER Doncaster to Kings Cross Tuesday morning, it was OK and I knew we had the extra time to do the detour.
Returning from Kings Cross about 18-30 was a different matter, no trains & cancelled trains from Hull Trains and Grand Central etc. So went next door to St. Pancras to find what looked like chaos, barriers out upstairs trying to get passengers in the right lanes for destination, nut no one till the end of the queue to advise what was happening. I just followed other passengers and walked through the barriers to find they was waiting for the delayed Sheffield train to arrive. Watching the other side of the barriers it just looked like no one knew what was going on. The problem was by using agency staff they don,t know how the railway runs and works etc. When the Sheffield train arrived and when boarding started was a huge rush down the platform and then it was already running a few minutes late. It was only after reading of here what had caused all the problems at Kings Cross and which also didn,t help East Midlands Railways as well.
Another problem at St. Pancras was the two up escalators are out of use for repair or replacement as it looks as if it going to be a long job and the only wasy up was the lift nearby.
Why didn,t they reverse on of the down ones and make it one up/one down instead while the works on the others is carried out.
So will it be more midweek possesions on East Coast or back to weekends?
#

There are stairs up to the EMR platforms - admittedly quite far down in the wrong direction, but the lift is not the only way up - last time I was there one escalator was out of action, I am quite surprised they haven't reversed one if that is the case but I can only assume they have their reasons (and I assume said reasons are based around trying to get everyone off the small concourse and on their merry way as quickly as possible).