Off The Rails

Posted in Tubeworker's blog on ,

The job's well and truly up the wall on the Central line today, following last night's engineering train derailmemt.

The battery-powered ballast train derailed its last bogie and clattered into the wall, sending four on board to hospital, including the tamper driver. The good news is that all have been released, with the main injury bring whiplash.

Recovery work was held up when the HMRI/RAIB quarantined the area so they could identify the cause. After initial suspicion of a broken rail, it now seems that the train itself was faulty. We will not be surprised to see an unseemly blame game between LUL and Tube Lines, with the betting on Tube Lines to come off worse.

With the original estimated time for rerailing the train now past, it looks like that section of the line could be out of action all day. Which, of course, means chaos and congestion on the rest of the Central line and beyond. Overcrowding saw Wanstead, South Woodford and other stations closing during the morning peak and beyond, and central London stations taking a hammering.

Spare an extra thought, though, for Leytonstone, rammed out with passengers and the location where trains are being turned. Management seem to think this station can manage with around half its current staffing levels from next year. Fit for the future? We think not.

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