London Power Cut for half-hour
Aug 28th 2003, 9:23 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
London Power Cut for half-hour
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
Network Rail says between 500 and 1,000 trains have been affected by the
power cut, caused by a fault with the National Grid. Train company Connex
reported the power went out between London and Ashford, in Kent. South
London was hardest hit and Transport for London said 60% of the Tube network
was affected.
Stations and trains were evacuated as commuters using the Tube were plunged
into darkness and some were stuck underground as the power went off at about
1820 BST. Buses quickly became extremely busy and lines of people waiting
for taxis grew as commuters abandoned packed Tube platforms. London Fire
Brigade took 400 calls and say they rescued about 100 people who were stuck
in lifts.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said at least 250,000 people were affected
and said the situation showed the need for a serious look at the National
Grid and why power went down for so long. "We've never had this catastrophic
failure before and we clearly can't have it again," he said.
British Transport Police say Tube services on the East London Line and the
Central Line have been restored. There are limited services on other lines
but the Jubilee, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines are still suspended.
Commuter Jane Marriott, 27, was trying to get to Paddington from Canada
Water on the Tube, but ended up taking the bus and walking part of the way.
She said: "It's absolute chaos, it's very wet which is making people very
miserable. "A bit of the Blitz spirit is kicking in and people are talking
to each other which is nice, but we need more cabs and more bus lanes."
Businesses and homes in Brixton, Battersea and London Bridge were plunged
into darkness and police said 270 sets of traffic lights went out. St
Thomas's Hospital, in south-east London was among those which had to rely on
back-up power generators. Network Rail spokesman Kevin Groves said the
situation was "unprecedented" as far as he knew.
The National Grid is investigating the cause of the fault but spokesman Sean
Regan said any loss of power supply was "an unusual occurrence". He added:
"There was a fault in the 275,000 volt system affecting a ring around
London, which occurred at 1826 BST. "Power to the distribution network in
London was restored at 1900 BST.
"Obviously it is going to take the regional distribution network some time
to restore supplies to the end users of their system. Hopefully it shouldn't
be long now."
Civil servant Alan Basford, 52, from Meopham, Kent, added: "This disruption
seems very similar to what happened in New York, and it's also a bit strange
the two events have happened close together."
Transport for London press release http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-766.shtml
Discussion news:uk.transport.london
Owain
A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
Network Rail says between 500 and 1,000 trains have been affected by the
power cut, caused by a fault with the National Grid. Train company Connex
reported the power went out between London and Ashford, in Kent. South
London was hardest hit and Transport for London said 60% of the Tube network
was affected.
Stations and trains were evacuated as commuters using the Tube were plunged
into darkness and some were stuck underground as the power went off at about
1820 BST. Buses quickly became extremely busy and lines of people waiting
for taxis grew as commuters abandoned packed Tube platforms. London Fire
Brigade took 400 calls and say they rescued about 100 people who were stuck
in lifts.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said at least 250,000 people were affected
and said the situation showed the need for a serious look at the National
Grid and why power went down for so long. "We've never had this catastrophic
failure before and we clearly can't have it again," he said.
British Transport Police say Tube services on the East London Line and the
Central Line have been restored. There are limited services on other lines
but the Jubilee, Circle and Hammersmith and City lines are still suspended.
Commuter Jane Marriott, 27, was trying to get to Paddington from Canada
Water on the Tube, but ended up taking the bus and walking part of the way.
She said: "It's absolute chaos, it's very wet which is making people very
miserable. "A bit of the Blitz spirit is kicking in and people are talking
to each other which is nice, but we need more cabs and more bus lanes."
Businesses and homes in Brixton, Battersea and London Bridge were plunged
into darkness and police said 270 sets of traffic lights went out. St
Thomas's Hospital, in south-east London was among those which had to rely on
back-up power generators. Network Rail spokesman Kevin Groves said the
situation was "unprecedented" as far as he knew.
The National Grid is investigating the cause of the fault but spokesman Sean
Regan said any loss of power supply was "an unusual occurrence". He added:
"There was a fault in the 275,000 volt system affecting a ring around
London, which occurred at 1826 BST. "Power to the distribution network in
London was restored at 1900 BST.
"Obviously it is going to take the regional distribution network some time
to restore supplies to the end users of their system. Hopefully it shouldn't
be long now."
Civil servant Alan Basford, 52, from Meopham, Kent, added: "This disruption
seems very similar to what happened in New York, and it's also a bit strange
the two events have happened close together."
Transport for London press release http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-766.shtml
Discussion news:uk.transport.london
Owain
Aug 29th 2003, 11:39 pm
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
Owain <[email protected]> wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
>
> A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
> in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
> but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
That's saying something. It was a disaster, and in my opinion at least
some of the blame has to be borne by the transport system as well, which
seemed unable to cope. We were in a restaurant when the power cut
occurred, but were unaffected, and I didn't know anything was wrong
until I checked the news on my phone. The British Museum, where we went
after dinner, closed early 'because of the power cut.' In retrospect, it
would have made more sense to keep it open late, as most people didn't
have a chance in hell of getting home until much later! If it had just
been me, I would have stayed in a pub or something, but I was with a
woman in her sixties, and we had had a long day (talking the Eurostar
from Paris), so tried to get back to Hammersmith, where we were staying.
All the nearby tube stations were closed (this about 8.30pm)- we walked
to Piccadilly Street, and got on a bus which ended up going to Victoria.
Most buses just whizzed by stops wiith hundreds of people waiting,
because they were already too full. The staff at Victoria underground
seemed clueless. One told me no tube lines were running, when I was
listening to the radio which claimed that the British transport police
were saying otherwise. I asked him to check if a nearby tube station
would be open as a result, and he went away saying he would come back in
a few minutes. He never returned, which wasn't really a surprise.
Ironically, he was pictured on the BBC news on the late evening
bulletins "helping" stranded passengers. We walked towards Sloane
Square- which was also closed. At about 10pm, I heard that the
Piccadilly Line was running, so we headed to South Kensington, but
managed to get a cab, and hailed it- not wanting to take any more
chances with public transport. Got back at 10.30pm which isn't terrible
really, given that we left the British Museum at 8pm. A lot of people
didn't get moving until around 2am. The tube the next day was just as
screwed up on some lines, but that's because it has a crumbling
infrastructure that no one seems to want to pay for to fix properly-
nothing to do with the power strike.
If it had been just me travelling, I would probably have walked back
(probably about an hour and a half's walk- not much for me!) or gone to
the pub, like I said. Being with others made it more stressful, and
there were some elderly people at Victoria with nowhere to go, and
absolutely none of the staff seeming to take much interest. On the
whole, people were calm, though there were some rude outbursts, frayed
nerves and more than a little jostling in the myriad queues.
David
--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
>
> A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
> in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
> but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
That's saying something. It was a disaster, and in my opinion at least
some of the blame has to be borne by the transport system as well, which
seemed unable to cope. We were in a restaurant when the power cut
occurred, but were unaffected, and I didn't know anything was wrong
until I checked the news on my phone. The British Museum, where we went
after dinner, closed early 'because of the power cut.' In retrospect, it
would have made more sense to keep it open late, as most people didn't
have a chance in hell of getting home until much later! If it had just
been me, I would have stayed in a pub or something, but I was with a
woman in her sixties, and we had had a long day (talking the Eurostar
from Paris), so tried to get back to Hammersmith, where we were staying.
All the nearby tube stations were closed (this about 8.30pm)- we walked
to Piccadilly Street, and got on a bus which ended up going to Victoria.
Most buses just whizzed by stops wiith hundreds of people waiting,
because they were already too full. The staff at Victoria underground
seemed clueless. One told me no tube lines were running, when I was
listening to the radio which claimed that the British transport police
were saying otherwise. I asked him to check if a nearby tube station
would be open as a result, and he went away saying he would come back in
a few minutes. He never returned, which wasn't really a surprise.
Ironically, he was pictured on the BBC news on the late evening
bulletins "helping" stranded passengers. We walked towards Sloane
Square- which was also closed. At about 10pm, I heard that the
Piccadilly Line was running, so we headed to South Kensington, but
managed to get a cab, and hailed it- not wanting to take any more
chances with public transport. Got back at 10.30pm which isn't terrible
really, given that we left the British Museum at 8pm. A lot of people
didn't get moving until around 2am. The tube the next day was just as
screwed up on some lines, but that's because it has a crumbling
infrastructure that no one seems to want to pay for to fix properly-
nothing to do with the power strike.
If it had been just me travelling, I would probably have walked back
(probably about an hour and a half's walk- not much for me!) or gone to
the pub, like I said. Being with others made it more stressful, and
there were some elderly people at Victoria with nowhere to go, and
absolutely none of the staff seeming to take much interest. On the
whole, people were calm, though there were some rude outbursts, frayed
nerves and more than a little jostling in the myriad queues.
David
--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
Aug 29th 2003, 11:50 pm
#3
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: OZ
Posts: 3
yes it was a bit of a bind
one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub. Most annoying.
Aug 30th 2003, 4:48 am
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
"flynnplanet" wrote
| one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
| Most annoying.
It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
Owain
| one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
| Most annoying.
It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
Owain
Aug 30th 2003, 10:28 am
#5
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
"Owain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "flynnplanet" wrote
> | one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
> | Most annoying.
> It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
> Owain
What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports that I
read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
Derek.
news:[email protected]...
> "flynnplanet" wrote
> | one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
> | Most annoying.
> It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
> Owain
What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports that I
read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
Derek.
Aug 30th 2003, 9:10 pm
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
"Derek F" wrote
| What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports
| that I read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
The National Grid is investigating the cause of the fault but spokesman Sean
Regan said any loss of power supply was "an unusual occurrence". He added:
"There was a fault in the 275,000 volt system affecting a ring around
London, which occurred at 1826 BST. "Power to the distribution network in
London was restored at 1900 BST.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
Owain
| What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports
| that I read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
The National Grid is investigating the cause of the fault but spokesman Sean
Regan said any loss of power supply was "an unusual occurrence". He added:
"There was a fault in the 275,000 volt system affecting a ring around
London, which occurred at 1826 BST. "Power to the distribution network in
London was restored at 1900 BST.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
Owain
Aug 30th 2003, 9:44 pm
#7
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
"Derek F" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Owain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "flynnplanet" wrote
> > | one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
> > | Most annoying.
> >
> > It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
> >
> > Owain
> What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports that I
> read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
> Derek.
About 5.30-6pm I think
news:[email protected]...
> "Owain" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > "flynnplanet" wrote
> > | one had to spend all evening in the jolly old rub-a-dub-dub.
> > | Most annoying.
> >
> > It would have been if the beer engines stopped working.
> >
> > Owain
> What time did the power cut happen. None of the newspaper reports that I
> read put a time to it other than 'Rush hour@
> Derek.
About 5.30-6pm I think
Aug 30th 2003, 10:31 pm
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: London Power Cut for half-hour
So...an unpleasant inconvenience, a major incompetence by the nitwits
who sold off the Lots Road power station and those who hadn't got a
quick enough contingency plan.. But hardly a disaster, in a week when
dozens of people are being bombed to kingdom come around the world.
PJW
On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 12:39:50 +0100, [email protected] (David
Horne) wrote:
>Owain <[email protected]> wrote:
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
>>
>> A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
>> in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
>> but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
>That's saying something. It was a disaster....
>On the
>whole, people were calm, though there were some rude outbursts, frayed
>nerves and more than a little jostling in the myriad queues.
>David
>--
>David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
>davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
who sold off the Lots Road power station and those who hadn't got a
quick enough contingency plan.. But hardly a disaster, in a week when
dozens of people are being bombed to kingdom come around the world.
PJW
On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 12:39:50 +0100, [email protected] (David
Horne) wrote:
>Owain <[email protected]> wrote:
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/england/london/3189755.stm
>>
>> A rush-hour power cut has caused major disruption on rail and Tube services
>> in London and the South East. Power returned to the system at about 1900 BST
>> but the knock-on effects are still being felt by commuters struggling home.
>That's saying something. It was a disaster....
>On the
>whole, people were calm, though there were some rude outbursts, frayed
>nerves and more than a little jostling in the myriad queues.
>David
>--
>David Horne- www.davidhorne.co.uk
>davidhorne (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk
