Mass disruption due to flooding - December 2012

[whole diary]

[The Grecian]

There's the same quantity of standard class accommodation in a 6 car 159 as an 8 car HST^▸ (High Speed Train) - 5 carriages (4 and 2 halves to be precise), although First Class is down to 2 half carriages and there's no buffet.

If they have sufficient stock then you can run 9 carriage trains, increasing standard accommodation to 7.5 carriages. However the last 3 carriages wouldn't be able to be platformed between Exeter Central and Salisbury. I suppose it might be possible to direct local passengers to the front 6 coaches and long distance FGW^▸ (First Great Western) passengers to the back 3.

Any 3 coach trains out of Exeter towards Waterloo between 3.30pm and 6 used to often be full and standing, particularly on a Friday or Saturday. However the hourly service may have helped reduce this as there's now more services available.

[JayMac]

Further disruption is likely this morning as the line between Swindon and Bristol Parkway has closed due to flooding at Chipping Sodbury. The Paddington <-> Swansea (Paddington <-> Cardiff services are not running) services are being diverted via Box and Dr Days with reversal at Bristol Parkway and no additional calls. If road transport to provide a Parkway-Patchway shuttle can be sourced later this morning some services will call at Patchway and skip Bristol Parkway.

Also a landslip near Parsons Tunnel, Teignmouth has closed the Up Line. Looks likely that there will be single line working through this section this morning. This is a very recent development (0430) and the effect on passenger services is not yet known.

[bobm]

I went through Parsons Tunnel twice yesterday and there were Network Rail staff there monitoring the situation with a couple of diggers and other equipment close by. There were already deposits of the distinctive red clay visible in the four foot on both lines.

As I write it is pouring down outside so it can't be much fun being out there trying to sort all this out.

[JayMac]

According to one entry in the news feed provided to rail staff; due to the flooding at Chipping Sodbury:

All stations between Swindon and Bristol Parkway will not be served

Which stations are those then? 

[grahame]

All stations between Swindon and Bristol Parkway will not be served

Which stations are those then? 

OK - I know you're joking but there's a serious question that sprung to my mind - WHY are there none?

There use to be:

Hay Lane
Royal Wootton Bassett (know as "Wootton Bassett" when open)
Brinkworth
Little Somerford
Hullavington
Badminton
Chipping Sodbury
Coalpit Heath
Winterbourne

But none has had any service for years - first to close was Hay Lane on 31st May 1841, and last to close was Badminton on 3rd June 1968.

Cases could be made for certain re-openings once we have the improve accelleration of electric trains ... Royal Wootton Bassett (but there a station may be best to the west of the junction, on the Chippenham line), and I muse about Hullavington; a station where the A429 crosses the railway, just a mile from the M4.  With plentiful long term parking provided, this could be a serious magnet for new rail customers from further west spending a day or a week in London. With half hourly stops on the new Bristol to London via Parkway service, the new service would have an extra traffic source, and the service speed would become such that it would be every 15 minutes from London to Brstol and back, all services taking the same time, so regular clock-face all the way.

Hullavington station would, undoubtedly, attract custom from other stations which are used for London commutes.  However, many of those were never designed to be easy to drive to and park at, and they're creaking at the seams at times.  What a good idea to provide extra capacity where it's better capacity too, and relieve the other stations a little for their more local traffic growth.

[bobm]

SW Trains Journeycheck is reporting that many London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids services are being strengthened to six or nine carriages today.

Also noticed there is a 20:20 service from WAT which arrives at EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) at 00:01 Christmas morning.  Is this the only passenger train in service on the 25th?

[grahame]

Also noticed there is a 20:20 service from WAT which arrives at EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) at 00:01 Christmas morning.  Is this the only passenger train in service on the 25th?

Not running beyond Salisbury:

20:20 London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids due 00:01

This train will be terminated at Salisbury at 21:48.
Will be formed of 9 coaches instead of 6 between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids.
This train will no longer call at Tisbury, Gillingham Dorset, Templecombe, Sherborne, Yeovil Junction, Crewkerne, Axminster, Honiton, Feniton, Whimple, Pinhoe, Exeter Central and Exeter St Davids.
This is due to an unusually large passenger flow.

I would still like to see a 7 day, 24 hour railway, though Christmas Day is a different case.  I noted a comment earlier on this thread (?) about how the railways have to start up at 04:30 every morning, and suggesting that was operationally very clever and quite challenging.   Now ... it strikes me there's a solution to that 

[bobm]

Updated at 10:26 as I was typing my post!   

[Tim]

both lines at Teignmouth now shut by landslip.

[ellendune]

All stations between Swindon and Bristol Parkway will not be served

Which stations are those then? 

OK - I know you're joking but there's a serious question that sprung to my mind - WHY are there none?

There use to be:

Hay Lane
Royal Wootton Bassett (know as "Wootton Bassett" when open)
Brinkworth
Little Somerford
Hullavington
Badminton
Chipping Sodbury
Coalpit Heath
Winterbourne

But none has had any service for years - first to close was Hay Lane on 31st May 1841, and last to close was Badminton on 3rd June 1968.

Cases could be made for certain re-openings once we have the improve accelleration of electric trains ... Royal Wootton Bassett (but there a station may be best to the west of the junction, on the Chippenham line), and I muse about Hullavington; a station where the A429 crosses the railway, just a mile from the M4.  With plentiful long term parking provided, this could be a serious magnet for new rail customers from further west spending a day or a week in London. With half hourly stops on the new Bristol to London via Parkway service, the new service would have an extra traffic source, and the service speed would become such that it would be every 15 minutes from London to Brstol and back, all services taking the same time, so regular clock-face all the way.

Hullavington station would, undoubtedly, attract custom from other stations which are used for London commutes.  However, many of those were never designed to be easy to drive to and park at, and they're creaking at the seams at times.  What a good idea to provide extra capacity where it's better capacity too, and relieve the other stations a little for their more local traffic growth.

If you were to relocate Hay Lane just to the swindon side of the M4 it could serve West Swindon. 

[bobm]

Reading bound line now closed between Taunton and Castle Cary due to flooding.  Is that Athelney?

[ellendune]

It gets worse.

According to JourneyCheck reduced speed between Yate & Cam & Dursley due to flooding.  

[ellendune]

And worse still all lines blocked between Hereford and Great Malvern due to flooding according to Journey Check

[grahame]

If you were to relocate Hay Lane just to the swindon side of the M4 it could serve West Swindon. 

Yes, but you might be so close to Swindon which would be the main destination that you would need a very frequent service indeed for it to work. Which leads to issues of capacity of the line (if extra trains) / complaints about stopping trains at "all the shacks" and a very short peak journey loading (if the London trains stopped). I'm conscious that the first local station out of large town / city terminals is often poorly patronised - Bedminster, Devonport, Ardwick, Manors, Dunston, Slateford ... Haymarket in Ediburgh works because everything stops there and it's really "West City" to Waverley's "East City"

[grahame]

And worse still all lines blocked between Hereford and Great Malvern due to flooding according to Journey Check

To summarise the current position ... mostly due to flooding ... ongoing line incidents are between:

Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple
Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot
Exeter St Davids and Tiverton Parkway
Hereford and Great Malvern
Liskeard and Looe
Par and Newquay
Swindon and Bristol Parkway
Taunton and Castle Cary
Yate and Cam & Dursley