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Sub Surface Disruption (11/6/21)

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Scotrail314209

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Hi all,

I attempted to use the sub surface network today from Monument to Westminster only to have to wait 15 minutes for a District line train to Wimbledon, with nothing else on the board.

I looked and noticed it said signal failure at Aldgate East, but what actually happened to cause it knock out the Circle and Metropolitan at the same time?
 
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Mojo

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Issue was with 39 points at Aldgate East. This brings Eastbound Hammersmith & City line trains round off the Met onto the District just before Aldgate East station.

For a while before the fault could be fixed the points were secured in favour of the District line meaning no H&C services could run. During investigations & fixing, Traction Current was required to be switched off - this affects the line back to Moorgate due to the sections involved, to facilitate protection for staff it would also have affected access to Aldgate due to the proximity at the other end (if you’re stood at Aldgate station you can see how close everything is).

Hammersmith & City and Circle lines are actually the same line with the same Train Operators; there will also have been a lot of staff out of position.
 

LU_timetabler

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The District would not have been able to reverse at Tower Hill, whilst the traction current was off for Aldgate East points repair, as that whole junction area is all on one big switch, sub-switch'ing of sections during planned engineering works is possible, but not in this instance of emergency works on the points, so the whole section would have been off whilst the points were fixed, meaning no Districts, or Circles. And since the Mansion House reverse was removed several years ago, as it didn't fit the S-Stock, that's why there weren't any trains.
 

AlbertBeale

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The District would not have been able to reverse at Tower Hill, whilst the traction current was off for Aldgate East points repair, as that whole junction area is all on one big switch, sub-switch'ing of sections during planned engineering works is possible, but not in this instance of emergency works on the points, so the whole section would have been off whilst the points were fixed, meaning no Districts, or Circles. And since the Mansion House reverse was removed several years ago, as it didn't fit the S-Stock, that's why there weren't any trains.

Wouldn't it be sensible to have a crossover somewhere on the trunk section of the District, for flexibiity?
 

30907

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Wouldn't it be sensible to have a crossover somewhere on the trunk section of the District, for flexibiity?
Rejigging the electrical sectioning to allow Tower Hill to function independently would make sense. Adding a trailing crossover to allow turnback from the eastbound platform would be a bonus.
 

Mojo

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The District would not have been able to reverse at Tower Hill, whilst the traction current was off for Aldgate East points repair, as that whole junction area is all on one big switch, sub-switch'ing of sections during planned engineering works is possible, but not in this instance of emergency works on the points, so the whole section would have been off whilst the points were fixed, meaning no Districts, or Circles.
It’s worth pointing out that the substation gap at Tower Hill is to the East of the station and thus trains can (and did) turn back via the bay road. Service was initially advertised as suspended east of Embankment due to the number of trains in the area and for social distancing reasons.
 

LU_timetabler

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Wouldn't it be sensible to have a crossover somewhere on the trunk section of the District, for flexibiity?
We do at Embankment.

Rejigging the electrical sectioning to allow Tower Hill to function independently would make sense. Adding a trailing crossover to allow turnback from the eastbound platform would be a bonus.
The Tower Hill bay platform was supposed to be made accessible at the east end to both east and west main running lines. For some reason this plan was abandoned and the points that were in removed.
 

AlbertBeale

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We do at Embankment.

Ah - sorry - I hadn't noticed that when on that route (not that I use it often). I tend to look out for track connections when using the Underground, but must have missed that one. Is it a long-running connection, or is it part of the resignalling etc (like I think the scissors crossing west of KX is)?

The Tower Hill bay platform was supposed to be made accessible at the east end to both east and west main running lines. For some reason this plan was abandoned and the points that were in removed.

Does the eastern end of that middle track link to either line to the east now? If there's even less connectivity than before, why would that be? (I'd have thought that maximum flexibility right by the messy triangle of lines at Aldgate would be useful.
 

Dstock7080

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Is it a long-running connection, or is it part of the resignalling etc (like I think the scissors crossing west of KX is)?

Does the eastern end of that middle track link to either line to the east now? If there's even less connectivity than before, why would that be? (I'd have thought that maximum flexibility right by the messy triangle of lines at Aldgate would be useful.
Yes, Charing Cross/Embankment crossover is long standing. There were Sunday morning reversers in the 1950s/60s.
It was intended to replace it with a diamond crossing, similar to King’s Cross, between Westminster and Embankment but this has now been descoped.

Tower Hill platform 2 was linked at the east-end to both westbound and eastbound tracks from 2017 but except for testing has never been used. Installation error. Has now been disconnected from the eastbound and is now out of use awaiting a long term solution. (details in the dedicated SSR resignalling thread)
 
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