{"id":278401,"date":"2024-01-18T11:24:34","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.c2c-online.co.uk\/?p=278401"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:25:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:25:30","slug":"an-apology-for-disruption-wednesday-17-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.c2c-online.co.uk\/media-centre\/latest-news\/an-apology-for-disruption-wednesday-17-january\/","title":{"rendered":"An apology for disruption Wednesday 17 January"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are very sorry for the disruption our customers experienced last night on the c2c route.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What happened?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday at approximately 16:00 a power failure was reported in the Pitsea area owing to a UK power network switch out, which in turn impacted the signalling system between Pitsea and Benfleet.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of this signal failure, no services could run on the London-bound track between Pitsea and Laindon until the signal failures were repaired by Network Rail. This severely restricted the number of trains we could operate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At approximately 17:15, crowd control measures were implemented at Fenchurch Street as the station was extremely busy. This meant we had to temporarily close the station for a short time to ensure the safety of our customers and colleagues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At approximately 18:00 Network Rail confirmed the fault had been fixed and services could resume through Pitsea in both directions but due to driver and train unit displacement, the service was severely affected.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, at 19:00 the power supply failed again at Pitsea, which affected the signalling system between Pitsea and Shoeburyness. This led to a train being trapped in the Pitsea area, which impacted how many trains we could run in the Basildon area.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At 19:50, UK Power Networks and Network Rail confirmed the power had been reinstated and we worked hard to recover the service for customers. However, the power outage caused considerable knock-on delays and cancellations to our service.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon confirmation of the power failure, arrangements were made for c2c tickets to be accepted on First Buses, Greater Anglia and London Underground services to help provide alternative options for travel. We also provided a bus replacement service between Laindon to Leigh-on-Sea and Stanford- le- Hope to Pitsea.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

c2c Managing Director Rob Mullen, said: \u201cI am very sorry for last night\u2019s disruption on the c2c network.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know this will have caused extensive delays to your journeys, especially as it happened at the worst possible time in the evening peak and when the weather was extremely cold.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe worked closely with our Network Rail colleagues throughout the evening to get our services up and running as quickly as possible but due to the severity of the power, it took longer than usual for normal running to resume.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe know it was a difficult evening for customers so I would urge anyone caught up in the incident to share their feedback on last night\u2019s disruption via the survey below. This will allow us to review our current emergency plans and help us respond better to future disruption. The survey results and updates to plans will be shared with and delivered in collaboration with our partners at Network Rail.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Huw Margetts, Operations Director for Network Rail, Anglia said \u201cOn Wednesday afternoon an outage affected the power network near Pitsea. This caused our signalling system in the area to fail.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe railway between Benfleet and Pitsea had to be closed while we fixed the problem. We know this disrupted many of our passengers\u2019 journeys, for which we\u2019re sorry.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The survey can be accessed here: https:\/\/forms.office.com\/e\/DiY3GN0wLm<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Compensation for delays<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you were delayed you will be eligible for compensation for your journey. Find out more about the compensation we offer, and how to claim,<\/span> here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n