Great Western Coffee Shop

Be aware that due to a problem with a river bridge in the Feltham area trains between Reading and Paddington (HSS) and between Slough and Paddington (L&TV and HSS) may be busier than normal due to First Great Western accepting South West Trains tickets.

More info: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/sa1c9e4a1d1349548b8faaad06961215/details.html

..and this continues for all of this week at least. Officially, SWT say they hope to 'bridge the gap' (sorry) between Feltham and Staines by next week, but I have a creditable sorce telling me this could go on for a further two weeks on top. Slough-Windsor will remain 3 car until further notice. Reading will be trying to suggest some SWT die-hards go via Basingstoke (FGW have allowed this and the Guildford line on ticket acceptance) to relieve the pressure on Wokingham. SWT have not helped thoughh by changing the bus/rail plan again from tomorrow (forget Virginia Water; think Feltham!)

Floods cause travel chaos on train line to Waterloo

Commuters faced lengthy delays today after a railway bridge collapsed into a river following heavy rain.

Flood damage to the bridge over the river Crane, in Feltham, caused chaos on South West Trains (SWT) services this morning. Part of the London Waterloo line was closed leaving thousands stranded or facing lengthy commutes on replacement bus services.

It follows torrential rain and high winds that battered London at the weekend. All South West Trains between Feltham and Waterloo have been cancelled.

Trains between Waterloo and Weybridge via Hounslow and Feltham, in both directions, were today being diverted via Wimbledon, and will not serve intermediate stations between Clapham Junction and Staines. Trains will only run between Staines and Weybridge from tomorrow, connecting with other services.

Those running from Waterloo to Waterloo, all the way around the Hounslow loop in both directions, will run as normal, meaning stations on this route - Hounslow, Isleworth, Syon Lane, Brentford, Kew Bridge, Chiswick and Barnes Bridge - will have only a half-hourly service.

A bus shuttle service will operate between Feltham and Twickenham, and passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to Feltham will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station.

Passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to Ashford or Staines will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station then to trains at Feltham.

Passengers travelling today from Hounslow loop stations to stations between Egham and Weybridge or Egham and Reading will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station then to Windsor and Eton trains at Feltham, then to Weybridge or Reading trains at Staines.

From tomorrow, passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to those between Feltham and Reading or Feltham and Windsor will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to bus route 235 at Isleworth station, then to these trains at Feltham.

Passengers for Chertsey, Addlestone and Weybridge will also need to travel by these services and change again at Staines.

Passengers from Hounslow loop stations or the central Hounslow area can also use bus route 117 to travel to Feltham and to Staines via Lower Feltham.

First Great Western trains will accept South West Trains tickets between London and Reading or Windsor.

London Buses will accept South West Trains tickets between Feltham, Osterley and Hounslow.

London Underground will accept South West Trains tickets between Osterley, Richmond and Central London, or any reasonable alternative route.

Passengers wishing to travel between Feltham and Waterloo have been advised to make alternative arrangements, with the recommended bus routes being H25, H26, 90, 285 or 490 to Hatton Cross underground station, then Piccadilly Line train to central London.

The disruption is expected to last at least until the end of the week.

The collapse of the 100-year-old bridge has sparked fears that passengers could have been in danger of potential disaster for months.

A walker said he had noticed a crack developing since a large tree fell across the river in the summer, causing a dam. Simon Butler, 49, of Cygnet Avenue, Feltham, was walking by the bridge this morning when he saw the damage. He said he was told by the engineers that the line could be out of action for up to three months - however on the platform at Staines, commuters were told over a loudspeaker that it would be four weeks.

He said: ^There^s engineers, the Environment Agency and all sorts of people down there. I^ve just been down there talking to some of the guys and they said it^s going to be out for three months. Christmas is going to be murder. It^s huge, all of one corner of the bridge has just collapsed into the river. From down on the river bank you can actually see a light up onto the track. I don^t think any trains were derailed, but just how it got discovered would be interesting.^

Mr Butler, who used to work on the railways, said it appeared as though the fast flowing river took out a bottom corner of the bridge, next to Hounslow Heath golf course, during heavy rain on Saturday night. He said a large tree fell across the river in the summer, and he later noticed a small crack developing on the bottom corner of the bridge during his regular walks near the river.

He said: ^It was 4ft wide at most, and now a whole section of the bridge has just dropped into the river. Apparently it happened on Saturday night when the rain and the river was at its busiest. When I was down there yesterday, bits were still falling out of it as we watched it, and the danger is there is more rain forecast.^

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ^The railway bridge over the river Crane on the southern edge of Hounslow Heath was damaged over the weekend after heavy rainfall caused the river to swell. Early indications suggest that the increased speed and turbulence of the river washed away some of the foundations of the 100-year-old bridge, damaging the main arch. Network Rail technicians and divers are on site to assess the structure and plans will be put in place to carry out repairs so the railway can be reopened as quickly as possible. No trains will be able to cross the bridge until the repairs have been carried out. Alternative travel arrangements have been put in place so passengers can continue to make their journeys.^

Full details of alternative travel arrangements are available at southwesttrains.co.uk.

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

The frequency on the hammersmith and city will double to a train every 5 minutes.

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

More correctly, it will no longer be possible to get a direct train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street, after the alterations to the Circle Line. It will still be possible to get a train and change at Edgware Rd, if pax go to the Praed St platforms.

Paul

Which River is invoved? Is it the Colne? The Thames Bridges are at Richmond, Staines and Datchet.

I've heard it suggested it might be a landslide whether it's associted with abridge i didn't hear..

For a pic of the damage see

http://www.hounslowchronicle.co.uk/west-london-news/local-hounslow-news/2009/11/17/no-feltham-to-london-trains-until-christmas-109642-25187632/

This is a real pain for me as I have been using this line on Fridays to get to college. Now I shall have to go via Central London.

What really freaks me out though is the thought that I went over that bridge on Saturday evening.....!

UPDATE: Rail travel advice for rugby fans heading to Twickenham

South West Trains (SWT) has drawn up an action plan to help passengers disrupted by a collapsed railway bridge.

The rail operator announced today it expects to offer commuters affected by the damaged bridge over the river Crane, in Feltham, an improved service ^at some point next week^.

Network Rail engineers have been working on a temporary solution which is expected to allow a limited through service.

Meanwhile, lines between Feltham and Whitton and between Feltham and Hounslow will remain closed, affecting routes from Reading to Waterloo via Staines, and from Windsor to Waterloo via Staines.

Passengers have been advised to use alternative arrangements until a temporary solution is in place.

SWT has revised services for this weekend, and issued special advice for rugby fans travelling to the England v New Zealand international at Twickenham on Saturday.

It said eight trains per hour will run directly from London Waterloo to Twickenham, but passengers should be aware that they are likely to be ^extremely^ busy and advised they should allow extra time to get to and from the game.

Andy Pitt, managing director of SWT, said: ^The damaged bridge at Feltham has severely disrupted rail services in the Feltham area and we would like to apologise to our customers for the significant disruption they have experienced.

^We have been working hard around the clock, in partnership with our colleagues at Network Rail, to deliver the most comprehensive service we can.

^We have also been working to identify the best and quickest temporary solution for our passengers until the bridge itself can be repaired.

^Network Rail have now advised us that they hope to have a temporary solution in place next week that will allow us to improve the service we can deliver.

^I would like to thank our customers for their patience and our staff for their hard work during what has been a very difficult situation for everyone.^

For details of alternative travel arrangements, visit www.southwesttrains.co.uk

Unusually, a link to a high quality picture has been provided with the National Rail site's disruptions info:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/additional_info/Feltham_Bridge_Nov09.JPG (http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/additional_info/Feltham_Bridge_Nov09.JPG)

Paul

The RAIB is carrying out an investigation into the failure of a brick arch that occurred on a bridge over the River Crane, located between Whitton and Feltham stations on the line between London Waterloo and Reading.
 
Late on the night of 14 November 2009 track maintenance staff were asked to inspect the track following reports from train drivers of a dip in the track in the area close to the bridge.  On arrival at the eastern end of the bridge, the staff found that a hole had formed under the track used by trains heading towards London.  Further inspection by Network Rail revealed that the north-east section of the arch had partially collapsed and track ballast had fallen into the river below.  This resulted in the bridge being declared unsafe for the passage of trains in either direction. 

The route remained blocked to railway traffic for more than a week while the track was diverted over an adjacent parallel bridge.

The RAIB^s investigation is independent of any investigations by the safety authority.

The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

From the RAIB website (http://www.raib.gov.uk/publications/current_investigations_register/091114_feltham.cfm):

Summary

During the evening of Saturday 14 November 2009, the foundations of a Victorian bridge carrying the railway over the River Crane near Feltham in West London failed without warning, causing part of the bridge to subside. The first indication of a problem was a track defect reported by a train driver crossing the bridge on the up line. Track maintenance staff, called to the site, immediately blocked the up line to all traffic when they became aware of a serious defect with the bridge. The down line was blocked shortly afterwards.

A total of 21 trains crossed the failing bridge between the first report and closure of the line. There was no derailment and no injuries occurred.

The RAIB have made five recommendations to Network Rail concerning the management of structures, and one recommendation to the Environment Agency concerning notification to railway infrastructure owners when obstructions are found against a structure.