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Tree on the line causes rail misery
Peter Dominiczak17 Sep 2009
Thousands of commuters were hit by rush-hour delays when train services were cancelled after a tree fell onto power cables.
Passengers endured waits of up to three hours yesterday evening and staff had to intermittently close Liverpool Street station to cope with the stranded passengers.
Hundreds of people were also stuck on trains after the power was cut on the main line through Chelmsford between Shenfield and Witham after the incident at about 4.20pm.
Emergency services worked for hours to remove the tree which fell on power lines just outside Chelmsford as a train passed underneath.
Furious passengers complained that staff had not kept them informed while they were stuck on trains.
John Holland, 37, a barrister's clerk from Braintree, said: “I'm about an hour behind on my journey home. As usual, they tell us absolutely nothing.”
Sonia Elks, 26, from Colchester, said she was stuck on a train for almost three hours. She said: “It was utter chaos. People were furious. I've never seen a train so busy.”
Jessica Domain, 26, from Braintree, said: “The staff were trying to slowly filter people into the station so there wouldn't be a crush but people were getting pretty angry.”
Kate Greengrass, 26, also from Braintree, said: “The station got completely packed as the crowds kept coming and the staff had to shut the entrance. None of the station staff were telling anybody what was happening.”
Reader views (19)
Trees on the lineside can be managed to drastically reduce these sort of incidents. Network Rail do not have robust plans to manage the risk, until they do nothing will change. It was not an act of god, merely poor management.
- Tracy, Hemel, England, 21/09/2009 12:00
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I don't travel on that line but still got a text from NXEA telling me that there were 'no trains leaving for Chelmsford in the next hour' due to a fallen tree - you should have asked me what was happening!
Epping? Central Line? No thanks.
- Paul, London, 18/09/2009 10:33
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Move cities, commuting here is a breeze,I always get a seat on a clean, ontime, problem free service which is also reasonably priced
- Cockney Deutscher, Frankfurt, 17/09/2009 22:55
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Richard Shaw, many many embankments have been cleared of trees over the past 5 years, much to the angry chargrin of local communities, lineside neighbours and the local wildlife. It seems you cannot win.
Steven Davidson, much as I agree with you that National Express should not be running any trains in the UK and stick to no frills coaches, your ascertion that only half of all NXEA mainline services run on time is blatantly wrong.
I use the service a lot and it's improved over the past 6 months since all the overhead wire problems, with over 92% of trains on time now. So where did you 'find' your numbers ?
Maybe you should endure my car commute when I never know when I will arrive OR how long it will take to find a space, so have to leave 45 minutes early every day.
As for renationalisation, you clearly have forgotten or weren't commuting on BR's abysmal service, when you never knew what was going on.
Oh and the most unreliable railway in the country today ? The West Coast mainline, not yours.
- Paul Wash, London, England, 17/09/2009 22:01
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its amazing how people pull together. Was lucky enough to get together to help each other. Gentleman/Knight in shining armour got dad to pick 4 of us up at colchester and take us to Shenfield - and thro the chaos we managed to get through to a platform and get a train going on to liverpool street. His dad deserves a medal. Lovely lady with us was going to a concert at the Albert Hall and would certainly have missed it if it wasnt for them.
Shows true Brit spirit and kindness.
- Annette, Stowlangtoft uk, 17/09/2009 21:12
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Sack the lot of the trees!!
Replace them with automated trees, that will stand in place for all the commuting bankers coming past on the train!
Falling trees......such an unskilled job!
- Anon, London, 17/09/2009 15:40
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Absolutely pathetic. It wasn't even as if there was a gale or severe weather conditions to cause it. The simple fact is there are two many trees allowed to grow to high too near the line. In the old days embankments were kept clear of undergrowth which all too rapidly grows upward. All of these embankments need to be cleared and kept clear. You don't see trees growing on motorway verges. Why should they be allowed to grow over railway lines and embankments ?
- Richard Shaw, Pinner, UK, 17/09/2009 15:13
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To Rod - Epping..
I like my home and living in Colchester; like every other place, it has its good and bad sides. However, I am now seriously considering moving, because it is proving impossible to get to and from work without serious difficulty.
They might dismiss it as an "act of God" - we will see. However, I took a look at NXEA's (official) performance statistics - even with the permissible mathematical "tweaking", they are now operating the most unreliable railway in the country.
As you mention, it is exceptionally expensive - £460 a month. For that sort of money, I expect to be able to board a train at one end and get to work (or get home). Over the past three weeks, I have had just one problem-free journey. "Acts of God" aside, only half of all mainline services now run on time. If this isn't a justification for renationalisation, I don't know what would be...
I kind of think it would be an admission of defeat to up and move house. Perhaps I'm being stubborn? That said, I'm one of hundreds of thousands of paying customers having to endure this nightmare, which has a dreadful impact on our own working and family lives, as well as the regional economies.
- Steven Davidson, Colchester, England, 17/09/2009 14:45
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I prefer stories about greedy, immoral lawyers and bankers.
Oh sorry - they're the "angry passengers".
Silly me.
- Jim, London, UK, 17/09/2009 14:44
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I am just glad that there really is a place called Steeple Bumpstead.
- Peter Stevens, Wandsworth, 17/09/2009 13:50
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The rail companies use contractors to fell trees and prevent excessive growth alongside railway lines. It seems as though the contractors failed in their duty.
- William Grierson, Kimpton-UK, 17/09/2009 13:27
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Actual leaves on the line. Must be a first
- Keith Price, Luton England, 17/09/2009 13:19
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For those of you who subscribe to the National Express text and email update service, didn't you find it ironic that NX were sending out texts & emails yesterday advising of "Good News" re the drivers strike being cancelled( ie. Rob Crow has won again!) ?
What is frustrating is that there was no advice given that the service was broken an hour before rush hour.
Something has to change re NX, I'm not advocating fines as us, the poor commuter end up indirectly paying for them through increased fares & parking charges.
If the staff at NX worked for any other company/industry they would of been fired long ago - complete and utter contempt for their paying customers.
- Neil, London, 17/09/2009 13:08
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Sack all the trees NOW. There are plenty of unemployed trees who'd be glad of the work.
- Anthony, Esher, Surrey, 17/09/2009 12:44
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Steven Davidson, Colchester, England
I understand your anger, and yes, the company is rubbish, but surely wind blowing trees can't be forcast? It is unfortunate but if you prefer to live in an area miles away from London (which isn't particularly enjoyable - Colchester high street on a weekend should be avoided at all costs), you can expect trouble at times.
I don't recon you will get your money back as it was "an act of God" and will be excused away as such. Move nearer London and save time (and money), and don't put your life in the hands of these incompetants. Epping is lovely, by the way.
- Rod, Epping, UK, 17/09/2009 11:57
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Damn those station staff and their unhelpful ways. I can't believe that they
weren't even telling anybody what was happening. And to think that they shut
the entrance just as the crowds kept coming beggars belief.
It's little wonder the station got completely packed and chaos ensued.
- R. Burgundy, Steeple Bumpstead, Essex, 17/09/2009 11:44
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Steven, I know exactly what you mean. I use Platforms 1 - 8 at Liverpool Street. If you live anywhere on the Cambridge Line, once past Hackney Downs, you have real problems if the is a fault up the line as there is only 1 line going north; once blocked it is virtually impossible to get past a train that is stuck or whatever.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England, 17/09/2009 11:44
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I agree. The situation was dangerous at the station - the Bishopsgate entrance was shut and everyone was advised to use the side doors which are narrower. NXEA published on their website that a bus replacement service was in operation between Shenfield and Witham, but the next thing we heard was that there were not enough buses and Shenfield had become so crowded with people waiting that the station had been shut. Surely NXEA must have contingency plans for this sort of situation - if you are going to have replacement buses make sure there are enough - the incident originally happened at around 4pm and there was still chaos three hours later - surely more than enough time to put their alternative arrangements into play. I eventually got home at 8.30pm - three hours to do a journey that normally takes an hour at most door to door. This was the third delay this week - granted it was an emergency that nobody could have foreseen but the organisation was still absolutely appalling!
- Julie Rayner, Chelmsford, England, 17/09/2009 11:44
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I was one of the people in the crush at Liverpool Street. It was extremely unpleasant, if not potentially dangerous. No information, no help, no interest as usual from National Express. I got a cab home and am just completing forms to claim it back from them by Small Claims. I strongly advise everyone else to do the same. It's about time this shower of a company lost their franchise. They pay their chief executive and shareholders millions, and inflict utter misery on their passengers. It's not as though last night's situation is actually anything unusual...
- Steven Davidson, Colchester, England, 17/09/2009 11:44
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