Christmas 2018 - Slough to Paddington closure for engineering works

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Lines inwards from Slough to Paddington will be CLOSED from 23rd December 2018 to 26th December inclusive, and also on 30th December. Between 27th December and 29th December, and on 1st January, 2 tracks rather than 4 will be available.

Trains from the South West and from Bristol and South Wales will terminate at Reading.  Cheltenham Spa services will run only to Swindon. Cotswold line services will run to Slough, and there will be additional trains from Slough to Reading (twice an hour) and Didcot (hourly).

Services from Reading to Waterloo will be strengthed, and there will be additional services too.

Passengers from West of Exeter for London may wish to take the South West Railway service via Salisbury into Waterloo; these trains will have additional carriages.

Passengers from the Cotswold line and between Banbury and Oxford may wish to use Chiltern Trains in from Oxford to Marylebone.

There will not be any IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) or HST^▸ (High Speed Train) diversions into Marylebone or Waterloo. At Marylebone, the maximum IET length would be 5 carriages and (at one per hour) of very limited use. Waterloo has its own closure of platforms 1 to 10 and would lack capacity for long distance diversions.

I will follow up with rail replacement bus data in due course.

Two additional West of England service are scheduled on each on 20th 21st and 22nd December (westbound) and two additional eastbound on 27th December.

Note - West of England services will not call at Westbury from 23rd December to 3rd January inclusive due to relaying works there - they will use the avoider. See separate post.

Note - from Chrismas until 1st January inclusive , Severn Tunnel Junction is also closed and South Wales passengers will be transferred by bus from Bristol Parkway to Newport.  See separate post.

Note - Bridge works at Guildford will close the North Downs line from Christmas to 30th Decemmber inclusive. See separate post.

Above as told by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) major possessions team - a couple of elements may still be draft, but. am cleared to share. Please take this more as guildines that rules just for the moment.  Exact timetables online early November.

Separate posts will follow in next few days. I will come back and add links!

[SandTEngineer]

Grahame, thanks for posting that advance information.  I think I'll stay indoors and consume a G&T (or two, or three....) instead 

[grahame]

Grahame, thanks for posting that advance information. 

My pleasure - provided that members don't shoot the messenger if they feel there's something they don't like

[SandTEngineer]

Incredible that both diversionary route terminals will be unavailable as well.  Never known that to happen before!

[phile]

Incredible that both diversionary route terminals will be unavailable as well.  Never known that to happen before!

We've got the IETs^▸ (Intercity Express Train) now

[Timmer]

Incredible that both diversionary route terminals will be unavailable as well.  Never known that to happen before!

That is most disappointing especially when you couple that with the Severn tunnel being closed.

[SandTEngineer]

….and Westbury and Filton bank....

[SandTEngineer]

I've been advised that the reason for the Paddington closure is to allow decomissioning of the OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) depot and access sidings, and the permanent recovery of the single line to Park Royal (Greenford), to allow the start of HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) works.  Note the Greenford connection will not reopen and the Chiltern 'Parliamentary Service' will be permanently diverted via Ealing Broadway, the latter commencing from 10 December 2018.

[Oxonhutch]

That's going to mean a few more white levers in Greenford 'box. I wonder how long it will survive after this.

[ChrisB]

I think NR^» (Network Rail - home page) have plans for the Greenford connection to allow Chiltern to serve Old Oak Common after completion. My bet is that it'll get reinstated eventually

[JayMac]

I've been advised that the reason for the Paddington closure is to allow decomissioning of the OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) depot and access sidings, and the permanent recovery of the single line to Park Royal (Greenford), to allow the start of HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) works.  Note the Greenford connection will not reopen and the Chiltern 'Parliamentary Service' will be permanently diverted via Ealing Broadway, the latter commencing from 10 December 2018.

If the passenger service between Old Oak Common West Junction and Northolt Junction via Park Royal is to be withdrawn permanently then doesn't there have to be a formal closure procedure?

[paul7575]

The Chiltern Parliamentary will terminate in West Ealing bay from December, and not run through via Ealing B’way into Paddington.   I saw it in a track access application a few weeks back, but RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) already shows the curtailment.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/WEA/2018/12/17/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=CH

Looks as if they’ll share the platform with the Greenford shuttle.

I’m going with it being unnecessary to undertake formal closure procedures, because the section of line is planned for reinstatement.

Paul

[SandTEngineer]

The Chiltern Parliamentary will terminate in West Ealing bay from December, and not run through via Ealing B’way into Paddington.   I saw it in a track access application a few weeks back, but RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) already shows the curtailment.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/advanced/WEA/2018/12/17/0200-0159?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=CH

Looks as if they’ll share the platform with the Greenford shuttle.

I’m going with it being unnecessary to undertake formal closure procedures, because the section of line is planned for reinstatement.

Paul

Paul, thanks for your update. Since my original post I've seen it confirmed elsewhere that the service will terminate in West Ealing bay.  I'm searching elsewhere to see if the Park Royal-OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) line will reopen when HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) is commissioned.

[ChrisB]

Possibly after OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) station is completed, which may not be at the same point in time that HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) commences service

[SandTEngineer]

This was posted on the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) Forum but not sure how accurate it is:

.....the intention is to incorporate two terminating platforms in the layout of the OOC^▸ (Old Oak Common (depot)) joint HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))/Crossrail station - this effectively frees up space at Marylebone for extra services. Although TBH^▸ (to be honest) some could even continue and terminate at Paddington in the old platform 14 if there is enough capacity between Crossrail services. West Ealing is recognised as an unsuitable destination long-term to provide a terminating platform to transfer from a Chiltern train onto Crossrail.