This looks like a landslip and a half! (Stainforth, South Yorkshire, February 2013)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

I think I can safely say it's going to take more than four hi-vis clad blokes with a transit van to fix....

[Worcester_Passenger]

The TransPennine Express website at http://www.tpexpress.co.uk/travel-advice/ is talking about the line being closed for eight weeks.

Will trains to Grimsby and Cleethorpes get diverted via the line through Gainsborough Central and Brigg?

[thetrout]

I pasted through Manchester Piccadilly last night and Cleethorpes trains seemed to only be going as far as Doncaster with Rail Replacement Bus Services for onward destinations.

[eightf48544]

It's not only a very busy passenger line but also one of the busiest freight lines in the country with imported coal  to the big Yorkshire power stations like Ferrybridge,
Eggborough and Drax plus other bulk commodities.

It also looks if it's blocked the Doncaster Hull line via Thorne.

Fortuantely ther are more two routes from Cleethorpes to Doncaster still open via Brigg (which will presumably depend if they can get signalmen and via Lincoln.

From Hull you can via Selby. 

From my recolection the Erewash Valley used to look like this in the 60's out every weekend with a couple of ballast trains.

Ironic it should happen by one of the few reamining deep mines in the country! 

[brompton rail]

The slip is from the adjacent colliery spoil heap (in use) which will need to be stabilised before any work can be done on the railway. it has been said that the restoration of the line will be take eight weeks once the colliery tip has been stabilised! Don't bank on going to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Cleethorpes or Goole by train for a while yet.

The railway line predates the colliery by more than 50 years - the railway from about 1850s and the pit from early 1900s.

Freight traffic to and from Immingham will take precedence on the limited line from Barnetby to Gainsborough (and then either via Worksop to Sheffield, or via the Joint line to Doncaster)

There are 4 passenger trains per hour each way past the closed site -
hourly TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes (now Manchester to Doncaster - bus to Scunthorpe - train Scunthorpe to Cleethorpes)
hourly Northern's Sheffield - Doncaster - Goole - Hull - Bridlington / Scarborough (some diverted via Selby - though first eastbound train doesn't leave Doncaster until 1020 approx. I don't think Sheffield crews sign via Selby)
hourly Northern stopper Sheffield to Scunthorpe and hourly Doncaster to Hull stopper. These are replaced by buses east of Doncaster (still trains Goole to Hull).

If the colliery company are not financially liable for damage and delays who on earth is?

[ellendune]

The slip is from the adjacent colliery spoil heap (in use) which will need to be stabilised before any work can be done on the railway. it has been said that the restoration of the line will be take eight weeks once the colliery tip has been stabilised! Don't bank on going to Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Cleethorpes or Goole by train for a while yet.

The railway line predates the colliery by more than 50 years - the railway from about 1850s and the pit from early 1900s.

Freight traffic to and from Immingham will take precedence on the limited line from Barnetby to Gainsborough (and then either via Worksop to Sheffield, or via the Joint line to Doncaster)

There are 4 passenger trains per hour each way past the closed site -
hourly TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) Manchester Airport to Cleethorpes (now Manchester to Doncaster - bus to Scunthorpe - train Scunthorpe to Cleethorpes)
hourly Northern's Sheffield - Doncaster - Goole - Hull - Bridlington / Scarborough (some diverted via Selby - though first eastbound train doesn't leave Doncaster until 1020 approx. I don't think Sheffield crews sign via Selby)
hourly Northern stopper Sheffield to Scunthorpe and hourly Doncaster to Hull stopper. These are replaced by buses east of Doncaster (still trains Goole to Hull).

If the colliery company are not financially liable for damage and delays who on earth is?

I hope they have good insurance or deep pockets.

[Electric train]

If the colliery company are not financially liable for damage and delays who on earth is?

Liable for the damage yes, consequential damages are unlikely without a court case (its just the way things work)

[ellendune]

If the colliery company are not financially liable for damage and delays who on earth is?

Liable for the damage yes, consequential damages are unlikely without a court case (its just the way things work)

With that consequential loss it might be worth a court case

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the magnificently named Epworth Bells & Crowle Advertiser:

Doncaster to Scunthorpe railway line closed until June


The current state of the railway tracks at Hatfield Colliery

Doncaster^s rail link to Scunthorpe will remain closed until late June, say engineers.

Network Rail experts say the landslip at the Hatfield Colliery spoil heap to the tracks has now been stopped moving. Its staff have now conducted more detailed surveys of the damage and are planning the work which needs to be completed to restore rail services through the area.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, said: ^I want to thank passengers and our freight customers for their patience in this difficult time. In recent days it has become apparent that the damage to the railway is a lot worse than we originally thought and the repair work will be more complex. Clearly our priority is to get rail services running again as quickly as possible but we need to do so safely. The complexities of this job mean it will take 16 to 18 weeks to complete, approximately until the end of June. However we will not be in a position to confirm this timeline until more extensive investigations have been completed in the next few days. We will do everything possible to reduce the time it will take to get the railway back.^

He added the organisation is working closely with train operators to minimise disruption to passengers.

Richard Allan, area director at Northern Rail, added: ^During the forthcoming weeks, keeping passengers informed and on the move is our priority. We^ve been working closely with Network Rail and First TransPennine Express to ensure people are aware how this disruption can affect their journey. We will continue to keep passengers updated at our stations and on our trains as well as online via our website and Twitter feed. I^d like to thank everyone for their continued patience as this essential work is carried out and the line returned to us as soon as possible.^

First TransPennine Express is running buses from Doncaster to Cleethorpes and Scunthorpe.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Doncaster Free Press:

VIDEO: Massive operation to shift tons of pit waste

More than one-and-a-half million tonnes of colliery spoil has got to be moved before the wrecked railway line at Stainforth, Doncaster, can be rebuilt, say experts.

Network Rail yesterday allowed the media on to the tracks near Hatfield Colliery for a view of the damage caused by last month^s landslip, and explained why it will take until June or July to restore train services between Doncaster and Goole and Scunthorpe.

The costs will be ^tens of millions of pounds^ - but it could be up to two years before it is decided who pays the bill.

The landslip has now stopped moving and teams have already started felling trees next to the railway line to allow heavy plant to start moving the spoil.

Phil Verster, route managing director of Network Rail, has confirmed it is the worst damage suffered to a British railway line in the past half century.

They plan to move the 1.5m tonnes of spoil to other parts of the colliery site and are negotiating with landowners for other locations, all within two miles, so there will be little movement on public roads.

That will take at least 12 weeks, then it will take another three or four weeks to relay the track, firstly with two lines so trains can resume as the other two lines are laid.

^Our biggest challenge is to do this job safely and, while the spoil was moving, we could not start, but now it has stabilised,^ said Mr Verster. "This is all new for us and we may find other challenges that may affect the timescale. Laying the trackbed is the easy part. We will be working as little as possible in the public domain - our focus is to get trains moving again.^

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Cleethorpes to Sheffield Saturday train service for landslip line

A Saturday train service between Cleethorpes and Sheffield has started running, more than three months after the line was closed after a landslip.

The weekly service will use the Brigg line, which is normally used by freight trains, Network Rail said.

Services were suspended in February after a landslip at Stainforth in South Yorkshire.

A collapsed spoil heap at Hatfield Colliery pushed the track upwards, forcing the line to shut until July.

It is the only train running to and from Cleethorpes.

The 181-passenger capacity, Saturday-only train left Sheffield at 10:00 BST and is expected to arrive in Cleethorpes at 12:13, after calling at Retford and Grimsby.

A return train will leave Cleethorpes at 18:11 and arrive back in Sheffield at 19:58.

First TransPennine Express (FTPE^» (First TransPennine Express - website)), which is operating the Saturday service, said the Brigg line had become "extremely congested" since the closure.

A spokesman said: "It previously had 40 freight trains a day operating on it and this has now increased to over 120 as a result of the closure of the line at Hatfield and Stainforth. These freight trains are moving around 30% of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)'s coal needs and thus it is vital to maintain freight operations."

FTPE also said it was aware of the "potentially damaging effect to the resort of Cleethorpes with no rail service in operation" and said it continued to meet with local stakeholders and business organisations.

A replacement bus service currently in place between Doncaster and Cleethorpes and Doncaster and Scunthorpe will continue to operate.

Network Rail said it was continuing to work to restore the line.

[grahame]

Re-launched today ... by the Chuckle Brothers.
http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2013-08-05/full-report-chuckle-brothers-on-hand-to-relaunch-train-service/?

Who would YOU choose to relaunch a train service in the South West?

[brompton rail]

A good promotion for the line, though First TransPennine Express might have wished their name had been mentioned more often.

Actually through TPE^▸ (Trans Pennine Express) trains have been running Cleethorpes to Doncaster, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Manchester Piccadilly and the Airport since the first week of July! Perhaps Network Rail and their staff and contractors deserve better recognition .

[SandTEngineer]

....and fully restored (from the Railway Technology website)