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Line problem: between Great Malvern and H...

Owing to emergency engineering works between Great Malvern and Hereford all lines are blocked.
Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed at short notice. Disruption is expected until 23:45 24/09.

The badgers are being blamed again.

and indeed, there's a scary picture at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-19710125 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-19710125).

The badgers are being blamed again.

Hereford to Malvern rail line remains closed after collapsed pipe

Trains between Great Malvern and Hereford remain cancelled after a collapsed pipe caused a "very deep hole" on the line in Colwall.

Network Rail said it appeared after heavy rain next to one that emerged after a build-up of water in June.

A statement from Network Rail said it is hoped the line will reopen on Wednesday.

National Rail Enquiries said a limited bus service was running between Worcester Shrub Hill and Hereford.

Its website said First Great Western passengers could use Arriva Trains Wales services between Hereford and Newport, and London Midland services between Worcester Shrub Hill and Great Malvern.

A statement from Network Rail said water flowing from a clay pipe had saturated the surrounding ground and a chamber has been dammed for the water to be pumped from it.

Engineers were planning to dig out the wet ground and install concrete sleepers as a new base before new ballast and track are installed.

Earlier in the year surplus water after heavy rain caused another hole, leading to some rail services on the line being cancelled, Network Rail said.

On Monday the Met Office said on Twitter that in 24 hours 64.6mm (2.5in) of rainfall had been recorded in Hereford, making it "one of the wettest places in the country".

A flood warning for the River Teme at Bransford in Worcestershire has been issued by the Environment Agency.

A warning for the River Teme at Stanford Bridge in Herefordshire remains in place.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said they were called to more than 40 flood-related incidents on Monday.

Hmm ... what they say is "Network Rail said the hole emerged on Monday in Colwall next to one believed to have been caused by badgers." which doesn't actually blame the badgers.  If it did, it would be rather like taking you to court because your neighbour has been caught fiddling his taxes  :D

Railway hole caused by 'water build-up'

A hole which appeared by a Herefordshire railway line, causing services to be cancelled, was caused by a build-up of water, Network Rail said.

...

Network Rail said engineers were at the scene to look into where the surplus water had come from.

A theory the hole was caused by badgers was speculation, the spokesman said.

It^s the mighty hole that stopped trains

(http://www.malverngazette.co.uk/resources/images/2171828/?type=articleLandscape)
HOLE: This five-metre opening appeared at Colwall station after Monday^s floods.

A deep hole which appeared under the tracks of the Colwall railway station stopped train services for two days.

Appearing on Monday morning after a month^s worth of rainfall fell in just a day, it opened up just a few paces from where a similar hole had appeared at the end of June.

The more recent hole has now been repaired, but a speed limit has been put in place while the repair is monitored.

On Monday morning, London Midland was forced to suspend all its services while the hole was inspected, with trains having to terminate at Great Malvern rather than carry on through to Hereford.

The hole at Colwall, just one station along from Ledbury, was inspected by Network Rail engineers who dug out the ballast and traced the cause to a collapsed 250mm clay pipe.

In breaking, the pipe had been discharging water into the immediate area and washing away the ballast under the track causing a hole to form.

The hole had originally measured about half a metre but grew to five metres as engineers dug 2.5m to 3m down to locate the problem.

Repairs were made using concrete sleepers with drainage laid on top and the ballast and track had to be reinstated.

Train services restarted on Wednesday (26) morning with the first service, the 4.29am Hereford to Ledbury, arriving three minutes early at Ledbury.

Full services are expected to operate ^ though a 20mph speed restriction has been placed on the line, which normally operates at 70mph, while the repairs are monitored.

A hole had previously appeared on the track in June but National Rail spokesman John Baker said they were confident they had now resolved the problem, permanently.

Train services disrupted through Malvern and Ledbury

UPDATE 4.38pm: It is understood that services are back to normal on the line.

Rail services through Malvern and Ledbury are being disrupted after a hole reappeared in the line at Colwall.

The hole, near the railway station, appeared following over 12 hours of heavy rain in the area.

A hole in the track first appeared at the end of June after heavy rain, but was repaired the following day.

It reappeared in the last week of September after a month's rain fell in seven days. It caused train services to be stopped for two days.

The hole has been blamed on a broken drainage pipe which caused the ballast to be washed away.

The London Midland website says today: "Train services running through these stations may be delayed or revised at short notice. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed."

Hereford to Malvern rail line is 'safe' despite disruptions by new hole appearing

A railway track has been called "safe" by Network Rail, despite a hole appearing underneath it.

Trains between Great Malvern and Hereford were disrupted for the third time in six months after a hole appeared under the track on Thursday.

John Baker of Network Rail said "further remedial work" will be carried out in the future, but trains are running now at normal line speed. He said the hole at Colwall, Malvern was due to a collapsed drainage pipe.

Mr Baker said: "Last night the problem wasn't as bad as it had been before, but it's in the same place. It's safe, unless it falls in again^ You can't predict these things."

He said that future work would be done overnight and possibly at weekends to save disrupting rail services.

A collapsed pipe caused a "very deep hole" at Colwall in September. In June heavy rain caused another hole there. On Thursday night, engineers carried out remedial work on the line where the ballast had gone and continued to assess the damage.

Network Rail is waiting for survey results to find out when further work can be carried out.

Hereford to Malvern rail line is 'safe' despite disruptions by new hole appearing

Mr Baker said: "Last night the problem wasn't as bad as it had been before, but it's in the same place. It's safe, unless it falls in again^ You can't predict these things."

06:17 Hereford to London Paddington due 09:29
This train will be started from Colwall.
This train will no longer call at Hereford and Ledbury.
This is due to a train fault.
Additional Information:
Road transport will operate from Hereford & Ledbury direct to Worcester Shrub Hill.
Message Received :10/11/2012 05:33

More repairs needed for rail trouble spot

More repairs are likely on a troublesome railway line which has collapsed for the third time in six months.

In what is turning into a recurring nightmare for some rail passengers, there were fresh disruptions on the Worcester to Hereford line at Colwall station after a hole opened up in the rock ballast supporting the metal track sections.

The same problem held up rail services when it first occurred in June, and for a second time in September, as previously reported in your Malvern Gazette.

Then last Thursday another hole was reported by train drivers. Services were stopped, but after an inspection by Network Rail engineers services were allowed along the stretch but under a 50mph speed limit.

In September, Network Rail engineers dug out a section of the stone ballast to uncover what was on that occasion the culprit ^ a broken underground water pipe. Repairing the pipe at the time engineers said they were confident it was a ^permanent fix^ but the problem has now re-occurred.

In this latest appearance, heavy rainfall fell in the hours before the hole emerged.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^There may have been a further collapse of the drainage pipe under the track at Colwall station. Engineers have surveyed the section and are doing further investigative work, which may need more work.

^The hope is any further work will be able to be carried out overnight and at the weekend. It^s an ongoing problem that^s not been solved ^ hopefully the work we now do will lead to a solution.^

Line problem: between Great Malvern and Hereford.
Owing to a problem with line-side equipment between Great Malvern and Hereford all lines are blocked. Train services through these stations may be subject to disruption on all routes at short notice. An estimate for the resumption of normal services will be provided as soon as the problem has been fully assessed.

A train guard required hospital treatment after being attacked with a screwdriver at a railway station.

The guard needed stitches to a forehead wound after a man attacked him with the screwdriver and then threw it at his face.

British Transport Police is appealing for witnesses after the assault at Colwall Station in Herefordshire at about 22:00 GMT on 21 March.

The attacker had previously shouted at the guard from the platform, it added.

He was described as a white male in his late 20s and at the time of the attack was said to have been wearing a tracksuit and baseball cap, British Transport Police said.

It appealed for anyone with information to contact the force.