DLR arriving at Bank on Platform 9

[kmkcheng]

Not sure how rare this is but I was waiting at Bank when a DLR service arrived on platform 9 full of passengers from the east with the train being manually driven into the station before departing as normal immediately to Lewisham. This meant it had to go the entire tunnel section the wrong way. There wasn’t any issues with the service in general as services continued to arrive at the other platform as normal.

[wirewiper]

Mar 11, 2019 11:05:14 GMT kmkcheng said:

Not sure how rare this is but I was waiting at Bank when a DLR service arrived on platform 9 full of passengers from the east with the train being manually driven into the station before departing as normal immediately to Lewisham. This meant it had to go the entire tunnel section the wrong way. There wasn’t any issues with the service in general as services continued to arrive at the other platform as normal.

Probably a control manoeuvre to keep emergency points, signalling and computer systems in working order and prevent them from failing through lack of use. A similar thing used to happen on the Victoria Line with one train a day scheduled into each of the turnback sidings at Victoria and Kings Cross. 

[ronnie]

Mar 11, 2019 11:05:14 GMT kmkcheng said:

Not sure how rare this is but I was waiting at Bank when a DLR service arrived on platform 9 full of passengers from the east with the train being manually driven into the station before departing as normal immediately to Lewisham. This meant it had to go the entire tunnel section the wrong way. There wasn’t any issues with the service in general as services continued to arrive at the other platform as normal.

I have had this twice till date both times I was in the front right seat so was an amazing experience. And both times there had been issues at Bank (once a medical emergency at the normal westbound platform, other being a faulty train stuck at the platform)

If this was for today - one of the escalators had broken down so the exit was stupidly crowded. The staff had closed the westernmost exit from the platform - so that might be the reason why

[Eastlondoner62]

Mar 11, 2019 11:05:14 GMT kmkcheng said:

Not sure how rare this is but I was waiting at Bank when a DLR service arrived on platform 9 full of passengers from the east with the train being manually driven into the station before departing as normal immediately to Lewisham. This meant it had to go the entire tunnel section the wrong way. There wasn’t any issues with the service in general as services continued to arrive at the other platform as normal.

This happened to me once about a month ago, there had been a points failure in the area then a medical emergency on the arrival platform. It was being driven manually through the tunnel and slowed down as it approached the platform and gave a whistle to alert unsuspecting commuters. 

[sid]

Mar 11, 2019 13:21:42 GMT Eastlondoner62 said:

Mar 11, 2019 11:05:14 GMT kmkcheng said:

Not sure how rare this is but I was waiting at Bank when a DLR service arrived on platform 9 full of passengers from the east with the train being manually driven into the station before departing as normal immediately to Lewisham. This meant it had to go the entire tunnel section the wrong way. There wasn’t any issues with the service in general as services continued to arrive at the other platform as normal.

This happened to me once about a month ago, there had been a points failure in the area then a medical emergency on the arrival platform. It was being driven manually through the tunnel and slowed down as it approached the platform and gave a whistle to alert unsuspecting commuters. 

I think it's standard practice to sound the whistle when making unorthodox manoeuvres.

[Deleted]

I have experienced this a few times and made me feel slightly nervous! You think what if a train is coming towards you (You know one won't be but still feels odd traveling the wrong way in a tunnel!)

[ronnie]

Mar 14, 2019 20:32:28 GMT @dannyb said:

I have experienced this a few times and made me feel slightly nervous! You think what if a train is coming towards you (You know one won't be but still feels odd traveling the wrong way in a tunnel!)

That fear is there for sure (esp because I was in the front seats both times this has happened!) but then this is done very very carefully.

[ThinLizzy]

Trains running direct from Shadwell to Bank are pretty rare nowadays, it used to be used before the King George/Woolwich extension opened if a train was running late. Even rarer is departing towards Shadwell from Platform 10- something I've only done one in 13 years there.

The train would be operated from the front as the train is "wrong roading" into the platform