Makes no sense at all in this day and age of modern signalling. It is only St Pancras High Level (East Midlands four Platforms) that returns to West Hampstead. The Low Level (TBROC Core Central) remains at TBROC, and HS1 stays at Ashford IECC. Sense, doesn't enter into it. St Pan HL has been operated by TBROC for over seven years with no operating issues between WH & TBROC or even Controls, TOCs or station with the Signallers being able to fully focus on St Pan HL as generally the Core Section, an up and down railway doesn't require too much attention and when there is, Signallers are experienced enough to cope with both. Besides St Pan HL is only four platforms, doesn't take much attention to run it. The TOC doesn't help by insisting on keep right platforms. If we did that at Charing Cross, six platforms, the station would grind to a halt.
Makes no difference where an area is controlled from when you have a workstation environment. Often Signallers will talk between workstations on operating floor by telephone because it is just not practical to shout at your colleagues on other workstations. So picking up a phone to talk to another box is the same. Moving St Pan HL, has no operational, financial gain what-so-ever. It has cost a fortune in redesigning workstations, involving Siemens which isn't cheap. Just to move a workstation within an ROC costs 300k+. To redesign, move to a totally different location, retrain and employ extra staff at the new location, meanwhile retain the grade 9 signallers at TBROC to operate half a work station, where is the sense? From my observation whilst working at TBROC, there was probably a handful of telephones a shift between WH and TBROC. Talking to NWR Control means calling Derby Control, to call Electrical Control means calling York ECO, to talk to St Pan HL Station Control mean calling London. Almost forgot, York ROC for anything going onto the Eastern via Canal Tunnels, and Ashford IECC regarding bits of their connecting infrastructure. Still going to be the same at West Hampstead. How do Signallers in a workstation environment observe trains in other areas, not by an overview, which West Hampstead no longer has, but by a separate Screen displaying CCF or TMIS to see where trains are, effectively individuals in individual boxes, remember those LOL.
A spare workstation sat at TBROC for years waiting for West Hampstead to come to TBROC. But like all projects on the railways, nothing is carried out until it ultimate completion. Some new boss comes in with their own ideas and other plans get shoved aside. In this case, Andrew Haines comes in. West Hampstead whilst originally envisaged going to TBROC, with Kings Cross, so the Thameslink Route was under one route, along come other manager who then use their weight. Kings Cross shouldn't go to TBROC, fourty miles is too far. LOL they ended up moving it to York ROC ( nearly 200 miles away) with the loss of the majority of its skilled Signallers who didn't want to move north. Mr Haines, hearing that West Hampstead was now going to East Midlands ROC, stopped it saying no the skill base is here in the south, it ain't moving. Meanwhile he lets the skill base at Kings Cross go, many on severance pay. I was at London Bridge ASC, one of the thirteen planned boxes on the Southern under British Rail, that never got completed either. London Bridge under Thameslink originally was planned to go in a new "City Control Centre" at Ewer Street (yeap even had a name). It was roughly where today's Network Rail London Bridge MDU is. All existing staff, 60 Signallers would migrate there as it is less than a mile from LBASC. Plans, architects were all paid for and completed. Then we got a new boss/company. Thameslink Programme stalled because of issues with people of Borough Market. When the project restarted, new managers, new project people came along and a new National Plan ROCS! Several places were muted for the Thameslink ROC, and TBROC came about. 12 signallers out of 60 migrated to TBROC from LBASC. We were told by project managers that there would be a lot less Signallers needed at TBROC. Today there are 70 Signallers controlling the same area at TBROC that LBASC covered. But they paid the LBASC skill base off with severance, gave them new jobs in similar, lower grade or different positions. Meanwhile, TBROC has had a huge learning curve and had to recruit and train 58 Signallers in the same grade, with out the skill base the original 60 had. Makes sense!
Can you see, I have experienced this. Worse under Privatisation. But none of it makes sense. Until the railway can pull together again, work as one, then maybe they will stop wasting money like moving St Pan HL from TBROC to WH. Meanwhile they try to go on about the 21st Century Digital Railway. LOL we still have 19th Century technology being used, with Signallers still tapping out bell code out to each other. A technology that was invented because no other communication existed between boxes, the telephone was not around. Perhaps someone should tell the railway that telephones exist, people carry them in their pocket ( well in the hands most of the time). Then maybe they will get rid of 19th Century technology and also realise, it doesn't matter where a Signalling Control Area is based today.
