Great Western Coffee Shop

Latest weather report from your local correspondent in Nailsea: it's very windy, steady rain and 6^oc here at the moment.  ::)

Meanwhile in Swindon.....

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/weather/banner.php)

Just seen on Sky News that Southeastern have postponed all services bar High speed until 12pm. In a word Pathetic. They have form in jumping the gun and axing services. Meanwhile the two TOCs that would probably have more reason to say no services before xx.xx, FGW and SWT, plan to operate a full service except where damage was caused by the storm on Monday.

Weather report from deepest Somerset:

It's wet and windy.

No trains around here, although the railway isn't that far away. But thanks to Marples there ain't a station between Castle Cary and Taunton. Closure of Somerton and Langport East predated Beeching. Langport West on the Taunton to Yeovil Line hung on for a bit longer, but eventually succumbed to Dr B's axe in 1964. The only link to the past here is the fact that the former junction near Langport is named after the village where Mumsy lives - Curry Rivel Junction.

I'm not travelling on the 27th, having decided to avail myself of Mumsy's hospitality until the New Year.

I think you need to take a look at the news from those parts of the world before branding their efforts as pathetic.  Sussex and Kent were by far the worst hit areas on Monday and Tuesday. According to the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25517504)


There has also been widespread flooding with the Medway being particularly badly hit. Also overnight and in the morning winds gusting up to 50 mph are forecast in Kent. These coming on top of the winds earlier in the week might reasonably be expected to cause more damage from trees etc weakened by the previous winds and not yet properly assessed.

If those are your expected standards then I suggest the following actions:
a) all trees within 20m of any rail line should be compulsorily felled to create a vegetation free belt either side of every line.
b) any building near to the line should be subject made tornado proof.
c) flood barriers should be built at any flood prone location on the line or the line should be raised on a viaduct.

Of course all this to be paid for without increased subsidy and without raising the fares, by getting the TOC to pay no doubt out of their huge profits. Except that what appear to be huge in terms of cash to you and me would take a couple of centuries to pay for anything like this work.  As for the clear felling of trees I am sure the locals would understand the need for this without compliant and the people living near the line would be only too happy to have their houses of places of business disturbed by the builders for many months.  

Could we have a bit more realism please

Wetter than an otter's pocket in Lostwithiel right now.

I believe that that is slightly drier than a turbot's trousers, but wetter than water vole's waistcoat.

Windy night ... (we sleep in a 2nd floor bedroom, single glazed and rattly to we feel the weather, and we're at the centre of FGW land) but nothing like as wet as the start of the week, and not quite as draughty.  Not sure how it relates to animals.  Let's just say that Gypsy just went out for a pee and didn't turn back in disgust as she's been know to do it really bad conditions.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/gypsy001.jpg)

As they say ... early trains not running, and engineering changes too. Trains from Melksham to Swindon ... at 07:48, 10:04, 12:17, 14:30, 16:48 and 18:48, returning at about 09:49, 11:05, 13:05, 15:05, 17:36 and 20:36 from Swindon. Also a bus between Chippenham and Westbury in the early evening, filling the 17:36 to 20:36 gap and providing a later northbound service.

I agree with


Places like Yalding are flooded which is a typical village in that area, the problem will be TOC and NR staff getting from home to their booking on point, even for SE's HS service depot in Ashford the train crews will live out from there.

Problems at Paddington for the start of service, not caused by the weather but a late finish to engineering work.

Apparently no trains can leave Old Oak Common towards Paddington, but can run west.  Therefore some services starting at Slough, Reading, Didcot Parkway or Bristol Temple Meads.

I was supposed to be in the office in London today. I did an 8am conference call from home as there was no planned train early enough to get me in for that time even before the engineering works overran. At least I found out before I left for the station. So I am now working from home instead.   ;D

Oh dear, oh dear. Nowt to do with SouthEaastern - following NR's request, of course. Lines to be checked in *daylight*

If as you say it was a request by NR not to run any services on Southeastern metals than fair enough.

But why close all services operated by SouthEastern (I assume this is what you meant ;)) when other operators in the South continued regardless?

I don't think they did - cf Southwestern this morning - but admittedly not for so long.

Ask @NetworkRail on twitter?

After the shambolic "service" offered by FGW today, I find it difficult to criticise any  other TOCs, clearly they were never going to be able to run anything like the service promised, exactly the same as Dec 27th 2012 as I recall?

Short interview with Robin Gisby on bbc website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25524378) (you need to scroll down towards the bottom of the page) in which he addressed many of the issues raised by TaplowGreen.  It would appear it is not just a few trees to clear, but checking for landslips in areas of flooding. 

Checking stability of earth structure (embankments and cuttings) is much more difficult than a brick or concrete structure, it does need daylight and is not just a quick look. I know that where a bridge over a river has been subject to flood flows this will also need checking for stability as foundations get eroded and there have been many cases of bridges collapsing as a result.  If southeast was where there was most new flooding was then I can appreciate it might take more time than elsewhere.

I am also reminded of similar criticisms in St Jude's storm. On the continent a railway administration did not take this action and was criticised as thousands of passengers were trapped on trains. 

-I was referring specifically to the overrunning engineering works affecting FGW services out of Paddington today, along with the signal failures, lack of communication etc in that area.....happy to be corrected if I'm wrong but I don't think that had anything to do with the storm etc? Think it was just a localised issue?

To be totally fair to FGW they did get off to a good start, I was at Maidenhead this morning for 07:40 they had the trains on the departure boards unfortunately it was a NR engineering overrun that caused them grief, FGW did have a unit failure on the Redhill service that did case that line a few issues early on.



There was that infamous bridge collapse at Feltham in November 2009 http://www.londonreconnections.com/2009/in-pictures-the-feltham-bridge-collapse/ (http://www.londonreconnections.com/2009/in-pictures-the-feltham-bridge-collapse/) this is why NR are cautious, you cannot expect staff to inspect bridges over a swollen river or stream in the dark

A video news report, from the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25527851):


(My highlighting. CfN.)

The Weather Forecast for Sunday Evening/Monday is looking very dire for the South West... http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2635167 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2635167)

To make matters worse, I've just booked 1C86 (14:28 Paddington - Penzance) on Sunday to Liskeard... I wish I had checked that forecast first and I might not have bothered!

Nice interesting route mind. Non stop Reading - Taunton via Melksham and Westbury (http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P76500/2013/12/29/advanced) ;D

Indeed - thanks for posting that reminder, Electric train!  ;)

We discussed that particular incident here on the Coffee Shop forum, at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5690.0

Forecast weather does not look bad to me, am I looking in the wrong place ? or has the forecast been revised to more favourable conditions after the above post ?

The severe weather warning of rain for Monday has indeed been revised but not more favourably.  When I looked just after this post IIRC it only covered Cornwall it now seems also to cover Devon, west Somerset and the extreme west of Dorset.