London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
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Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#2> Some frustrated travellers even smashed their way out the cold, dark trains and walked down the tracks to escape after getting stuck for more than three hours.
It's a shame train operators don't feel able to make the common sense decision to give the passengers the option to walk before the three hour mark, without requiring them to "smash their way out".
Obviously, some passengers won't be able to make the trek, and it's not without danger, but given the choice between walking over some slippery rocks and spending 4 hours without access to a toilet, I know which I'd prefer.
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#3> Some frustrated travellers even smashed their way out the cold, dark trains and walked down the tracks to escape after getting stuck for more than three hours. It's a shame train operators don't feel able to make the common sense decision to give the passengers the option to walk before the three hour mark, without requiring them to "smash their way out". Obviously, some passengers won't be able to make the trek, a…
I was in a similar situation on a London train (different line) this month. The problem is that the operators genuinely do not know how long things are going to take. I agree that the TTR is obviously unacceptable, but the whole service is run on a shoestring budget and is constantly cancelled or late, so there isn't really the capital available to do better.
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#4> Some frustrated travellers even smashed their way out the cold, dark trains and walked down the tracks to escape after getting stuck for more than three hours. It's a shame train operators don't feel able to make the common sense decision to give the passengers the option to walk before the three hour mark, without requiring them to "smash their way out". Obviously, some passengers won't be able to make the trek, a…
I was in a similar situation on a London train (different line) this month. The problem is that the operators genuinely do not know how long things are going to take. I agree that the TTR is obviously unacceptable, but the whole service is run on a shoestring budget and is constantly cancelled or late, so there isn't really the capital available to do better.
When you have a situation like this you run a worst case scenario and put in effect immediately.
Whether that is telling passengers that busses will be there in two hours or whatever, you work it out.
If something like this happens in a winter storm, it can become deadly.
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#5“New”
That rail line, and Ladbroke Grove in particular, dates back nearly 200 years.
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was in a similar situation on a London train (different line) this month. The problem is that the operators genuinely do not know how long things are going to take. I agree that the TTR is obviously unacceptable, but the whole service is run on a shoestring budget and is constantly cancelled or late, so there isn't really the capital available to do better.
When you have a situation like this you run a worst case scenario and put in effect immediately. Whether that is telling passengers that busses will be there in two hours or whatever, you work it out. If something like this happens in a winter storm, it can become deadly.
> When you have a situation like this you run a worst case scenario and put in effect immediately.
Almost all of the time it's not a worst case scenario though. Most of the time it's just that someone has dropped their phone on the track and trains have been asked to stop so that it can be retrieved.
Worst case scenario management is expensive and dangerous (e.g. walking on tracks) because the net risk or net cost is beneficial in the face of a bad situation. It is a good thing that we don't jump straight to these sorts of solutions as it would be in general more dangerous and our services would cost even more.
Now, is 3 hours too long? Yeah probably. But these sorts of issues happen maybe once a year per line, it's hard to know when you're in one.
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was in a similar situation on a London train (different line) this month. The problem is that the operators genuinely do not know how long things are going to take. I agree that the TTR is obviously unacceptable, but the whole service is run on a shoestring budget and is constantly cancelled or late, so there isn't really the capital available to do better.
When you have a situation like this you run a worst case scenario and put in effect immediately. Whether that is telling passengers that busses will be there in two hours or whatever, you work it out. If something like this happens in a winter storm, it can become deadly.
What winter storms in london would make a powerless train deadly in a few hours?
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#8> Some frustrated travellers even smashed their way out the cold, dark trains and walked down the tracks to escape after getting stuck for more than three hours. It's a shame train operators don't feel able to make the common sense decision to give the passengers the option to walk before the three hour mark, without requiring them to "smash their way out". Obviously, some passengers won't be able to make the trek, a…
So people walk out after a 10 minute outage, then it’s fixed, but you can’t turn power on because a few people have decided to go for a stroll?
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#9[deleted]
Re: London trains see power cut as thousands stranded in dark for hours
#10> Some frustrated travellers even smashed their way out the cold, dark trains and walked down the tracks to escape after getting stuck for more than three hours. It's a shame train operators don't feel able to make the common sense decision to give the passengers the option to walk before the three hour mark, without requiring them to "smash their way out". Obviously, some passengers won't be able to make the trek, a…
I find it entirely unsurprising that passengers take matters into their own hands. It can be a safety issue to be stuck on a train for a long time, and often there are no or very few updates from the driver while you are stuck.
In London, most times I get on the train, I’m expecting it to be a sub-10 minute trip. I may even be just wearing a t-shirt and shorts since I was heading to the gym. Others with health issues may not have brought the medication/food they need.
Similarly when this happens in summer, you can bet many people don’t have any water with them. I’ve personally been stuck on a broken down train during a 35c+ heatwave with no AC. Elderly passengers were showing signs of heatstroke and, with no communication, it does feel desperate.