Workington Travel Difficulties

[whole diary]

[IndustryInsider]

However its not in Live Departures!

No, I doubt that the Network Rail schedule software which that service feeds from have had a chance to upload the changes yet - or in fact have the capability to do so given the short notice of the changes.

It's fair to point out though that there's a note on the Workington live departures page stating that all trains will call at Workington North.

[inspector_blakey]

Looks as if the shuttle service is operating with DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about) 47s and mark 3s... if it really is then I predict an influx of bashers to the Cumbrian coast...

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page), a video news report shows the stock being used: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8385656.stm ... 

[devon_metro]

Looks as if the shuttle service is operating with DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about) 47s and mark 3s... if it really is then I predict an influx of bashers to the Cumbrian coast...

47 + Intercity Mk2^▸ (Mark 2 coach) + 3 DRS Mk3s + 37/4

[Tim]

And the shuttle between Workington and Workington North is free!

Seems a sensible way to avoid updating the ticketing and fares system (I assume that if you are travelling from outside Workington you buy a ticket to Workington and use whichever station suits you best)

[IndustryInsider]

And the shuttle between Workington and Workington North is free!

Seems a sensible way to avoid updating the ticketing and fares system

It really has to be free. Any actual fare charged for the service would take away all the positive spin on the story and open up the railway industry to claims of profiteering out of other peoples misfortune.

[eightf48544]

Looks as if the shuttle service is operating with DRS^» (Direct Rail Services Ltd, a national rail freight operator providing a range of services with its head office in Carlisle and depots at the South East, York, Crewe, Sellafield, and Scotland. - about) 47s and mark 3s... if it really is then I predict an influx of bashers to the Cumbrian coast...

That would be good because although the shuttle is free they will hopefully come by train to Workington.

Pity it's such a long way from Taplow otherwise I might have been tempted.

[inspector_blakey]

Perhaps predictably, the carping has started about "why can't station reopenings always be this quick?"...

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2009/11/rail-industry-gets-it-together-but-why-not-all-the-time/

Whilst Workington is definitely a great effort by all involved, it is after all a lash-up made out of scaffolding and the odd portacabin; perfectly adequate for its intended temporary status but it's probably a bit of a stretch to say all new stations could be built in the same way!

[eightf48544]

Whilst Workington is definitely a great effort by all involved, it is after all a lash-up made out of scaffolding and the odd portacabin; perfectly adequate for its intended temporary status but it's probably a bit of a stretch to say all new stations could be built in the same way!

The Southern Railway used to able to knock out prefabricated concrete platforms fairly quickly look at the Chessington South Branch stations. All made at Exmouth junction. However as far as I know the staion building e.g entrance and booking office were still built on site.

Nowadays there are lots of very high quality prefabricated buidings you can crane into place (most schools have them).

You could even have kit footbridges.

 So it should be possible to knock out a very resonable station fairly qickly. Look at Aylesbury North.

Maybe DB^» (Deutsche Bahn - German State Railway - about) influence they are replacing S Bahn staions with simailr prefabricted platforms and bus shelters, very basic but just about adequte although I wouldn't want to change at Wegeleben on dark cold winters night.

It's where it's bespoke to the site and therrefore a one off which makes for delays.

[paul7575]

The Southern Railway used to able to knock out prefabricated concrete platforms fairly quickly look at the Chessington South Branch stations. All made at Exmouth junction. However as far as I know the staion building e.g entrance and booking office were still built on site.

You could even have kit footbridges.

The famous Exmouth Junction prefabricated stuff is all rotting from the inside now though.  All the footbridges have been condemned, and there is a full replacement programme, as I discovered when reading a planning application for Woolston station's footbridge. (Woolston is a listed building believe it or not!) Modern analysis has found that when aggregates were in short supply, they went and picked some up from the local beach... 

They are apparently using standardised prefabricated steel footbridges for the 'access for all' works - Fratton, Fareham, Haslemere, Forest Hills, that I've seen recently, all have the same basic steelwork, with slight variations for the staircases - but they are clearly from the same catalogue.

Paul

[Lee]

From the News & Star:

Bus service timed to connect with Workington's new rail station

A special bus service is running from Seaton and Northside to the new railway station, Workington North.

Journeys are timed to connect with trains and buses will wait if trains are late.

The first bus from Seaton is 5.40am and the last from Workington North at 10.35pm.

The rail timetable has been beefed up with extra trains between Maryport and Workington calling at Flimby and Workington North.

Travel is free until the end of the month.

Elsewhere, Stagecoach is operating emergency bus timetables on several routes.

The 300 Whitehaven-Carlisle runs in two sections, Whitehaven-Workington and Northside-Carlisle. Journeys to Northside serve the estate.

The 30/31 Thornhill/Frizington-Maryport runs normally to Workington where buses now call at the railway station as well as the bus station.

A link from Workington to Maryport is provided by a special service via the A66, Papcastle Bridge and A594.

There are at least two buses an hour in both directions between 7am and 7pm.

Tesco also provides a free hourly bus service from Maryport, Seaton, Broughton Moor and Cockermouth Sheep and Wool Centre to its supermarket in Workington.

Departures from Maryport and Workington are at half-past each hour.

Buses to Cockermouth can now serve the town centre.

There is a temporary stop outside the school in Gallbarrow.

But all journeys on the X4 Workington-Keswick-Penrith via Castle Inn still follow the X5 route on the west side of Bassenthwaite because Ouse Bridge remains closed.

[Lee]

From Network Rail:

TEMPORARY STATION EXPANDS TO MEET DEMAND

Network Rail has extended the length of the platforms at the temporary Workington North railway station to meet passenger demand and the longer trains now calling there.

Jo Kaye, Network Rail^s route director, said: ^When I originally conceived the idea of building Workington North, most of the trains had only one or two carriages, so we built the platforms long enough to accommodate them.

^The huge demand from passengers wanting to travel means that additional three-carriage trains have been introduced on a shuttle service between Workington and Maryport. We have responded by extending the temporary platforms by a further 23 metres.^

The shuttle trains call at Workington North and Flimby en route, and travel between the four stations is free, courtesy of train operator Northern Rail.

Matt Beeton, area director, Northern Rail added: "Services between Maryport and Workington continue to be very popular and the platform extensions will make it easier for passengers to get on and off trains."

Not only have the platforms been lengthened, but the car park has also been enlarged. Not knowing what the demand would be to park at the station, Network Rail originally used 240 tonnes of stone for the car park surface, but that proved to be not enough. Roads near the station were becoming clogged with cars belonging to passengers who could not park at the station

1,000 tonnes of stone have now been used, virtually trebling the size of the car park and providing in the region of 200 spaces.

The platform extensions will be in use by the weekend (12 December)

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Commons inquiry into flood damage

An inquiry is to be held into the impact of devastating flooding on Cumbria's transport infrastructure.

During last month's storms six bridges collapsed, one leading to the death of a police officer, and others were damaged.

A railway station and footbridge had to be built to reconnect Workington after collapsed bridges left it split in two.

The Commons Transport Committee will look into the causes and whether roads and railways were adequately protected.

Members of the committee will investigate whether structural flaws, the age of the bridges or maintenance of them led to their collapse.

They will also examine the likelihood of similar incidents being repeated in other parts of the country in the event of floods.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has pledged that the government will fund any road and bridge repairs in the county.

On Monday, a temporary Army-built footbridge opened in Workington, to help reunite the community split by the River Derwent.

It is named Barker Crossing, after Pc Bill Barker who was swept away when the town's Northside Bridge collapsed, and is 300m (980ft) upstream of the unusable Calva Bridge, which is currently being assessed for repair or demolition.

[Lee]

From the News & Star:

Free Workington train link extended

A vital train service which connects both sides of Workington will continue into the new year, after the government pledged more funds to keep it running.

The shuttle service runs hourly between Workington, Flimby, Northside and Maryport and has been invaluable to the community after the floods washed away the town^s bridges.

The initial contract - which has seen Northern Rail provide the service for free ^ expires on December 31, and there had been concern in the town that this would spell the end of the lifeline service.

But now the government has stepped in, pledging to keep the service going for another six months.

[eightf48544]

[
The famous Exmouth Junction prefabricated stuff is all rotting from the inside now though. 

They are apparently using standardised prefabricated steel footbridges for the 'access for all' works - Fratton, Fareham, Haslemere, Forest Hills, that I've seen recently, all have the same basic steelwork, with slight variations for the staircases - but they are clearly from the same catalogue.

Paul

Of course they didn't know about concrete cancer in those days. Still it's lasted 70 years.

RE^▸ (Religious Education) current designs I beleive Networkrail is using standard designs for stations and structures. I also believe they are looking at Plastic modules for buildings.