Weather disruption caused in 2014, and how to prevent it happening again - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Chris Patten?.....seconded!

Chris (Lord) Smith but with the way the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) has been lately you can have Chris Patten as well!

[JayMac]

Flybe have announced additional flights between Newquay & Gatwick and National Express are laying on additional coaches.

http://www.flybe.com/corporate/media/news/1402/07.htm

http://www.nationalexpressgroup.com/media/allnews.aspx?newsyear=2014&newsitem=1240

Interesting to note that the Service Delivery Director at National Express is one Kevin Gale, formerly Operations Director at FGW^▸ (First Great Western). So that's where he went after his 'gardening leave'.

[warrej]

Hi, I have an annual parking pass for Newton Abbot station, and I've already booked my train travel for the next 10 weeks or so from NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  I've no desire to get bus transport from NTA to Exeter each week.  What are the chances of me being able to park in Exeter St Davids using my NTA pass whilst the disruption is ongoing?  I realise this is probably a matter for Apcoa rather than FGW^▸ (First Great Western), but I'd hope that they'd have put some sort of arrangement in place whilst the line is closed.  Any thoughts?

[SandTEngineer]

Meanwhile in Somerset, video of a HST^▸ (High Speed Train) attempting to get through the floods between Bridgwater and Taunton:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26084245

I'm lost for words.  In the 30 years I have lived in the far South-West I have never seen things so bad............

[bobm]

Official link to fares announcement now available - http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/About-Us/Media-Centre/2014/February/FGW-confirms-25-discount-on-walk-up-fares-for-services-affected-by-Dawlish-line-closure

[ChrisB]

Hi, I have an annual parking pass for Newton Abbot station, and I've already booked my train travel for the next 10 weeks or so from NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  I've no desire to get bus transport from NTA to Exeter each week.  What are the chances of me being able to park in Exeter St Davids using my NTA pass whilst the disruption is ongoing?  I realise this is probably a matter for Apcoa rather than FGW^▸ (First Great Western), but I'd hope that they'd have put some sort of arrangement in place whilst the line is closed.  Any thoughts?

I'd post the enquiry on their Facebook page if you can - as the answer would be of interest to others.

If you have no Facebook account, I'd email customer services & ask. Can you post their reply here too please?

[bobm]

Hi, I have an annual parking pass for Newton Abbot station, and I've already booked my train travel for the next 10 weeks or so from NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  I've no desire to get bus transport from NTA to Exeter each week.  What are the chances of me being able to park in Exeter St Davids using my NTA pass whilst the disruption is ongoing?  I realise this is probably a matter for Apcoa rather than FGW^▸ (First Great Western), but I'd hope that they'd have put some sort of arrangement in place whilst the line is closed.  Any thoughts?

I was speaking to two people from FGW earlier today at the official launch of the TransWilts service and it seems the company is looking to find extra land for parking in the Taunton/Tiverton area because they realise many people will want to drive to meet the train.  So I would expect an annoucement regarding car parking arrangements soon.

There will also be coaches from Plymouth to Tiverton direct - which takes about the same time as the train would - by virtue of bypassing traffic in Exeter City Centre.

[JayMac]

To add to bobm's comments, I'd also suggest contacting APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to see what they say.

[Timmer]

The Anti HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) campaigners are joining the debate with those in the South West calling for money to be spent on existing lines instead of on the HS2 'vanity project'.

http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/2014/02/07-hs2-brought-into-dawlish-rail.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

I agree with those posting here and in other medias that there has never been a better time to push for something to be done about building/reopening an alternative rail link to the South West. Perhaps some good can come out of what has happened this week.

I could be wrong, but my guess is millions will be spent on making the current line through Dawlish as weatherproof as possible but that could come at a price of losing the wonderful views presently offered along this stretch of line as they would have to build a very high wall along the coastal section. Hope I'm wrong.

[JayMac]

I wonder whether a breakwater from Langstone Rock to Coryton Cove would be feasible? You could then create a lagoon and marina for Dawlish.

[warrej]

Hi, I have an annual parking pass for Newton Abbot station, and I've already booked my train travel for the next 10 weeks or so from NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains) to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains).  I've no desire to get bus transport from NTA to Exeter each week.  What are the chances of me being able to park in Exeter St Davids using my NTA pass whilst the disruption is ongoing?  I realise this is probably a matter for Apcoa rather than FGW^▸ (First Great Western), but I'd hope that they'd have put some sort of arrangement in place whilst the line is closed.  Any thoughts?

I'd post the enquiry on their Facebook page if you can - as the answer would be of interest to others.

If you have no Facebook account, I'd email customer services & ask. Can you post their reply here too please?

I've emailed both FGW and Apcoa.  I'll update this post with any responses I receive

[andy_89uk]

Well just for a little bit of light relief from all the gloom.  Found this on the NRE^‡(resolve) website as an alternative route between Penzance and London :

Nice try, but Plymouth/Roscoff is also scuppered by the weather too!   :-(
http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/routes/sailing-updates

[ellendune]

Spayed concrete ??  that's a new operation to me !

Its been used to line tunnels for over 30 years now. Indeed it was used on the work on Whiteball Tunnel

[SandTEngineer]

An interesting timeline concerning Dawlish has started to appear on the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) website: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/improvements/dawlish/

[JayMac]

Spayed concrete ??  that's a new operation to me !

Its been used to line tunnels for over 30 years now. Indeed it was used on the work on Whiteball Tunnel

I think chuffed may have been 'shocked' by the typo in the preceding post rather than not knowing about sprayed concrete.