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

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Empty train tests storm-damaged Cornwall rail line


An empty train has been testing the main line after an aerial survey revealed "multiple" fallen trees and some flooding

An slow-moving empty train is testing the main railway line in Cornwall in the hope services can resume later.

The line between Plymouth and west Cornwall has been closed since Friday when several parts of the track were flooded or damaged by fallen trees in stormy weather.

Many branch lines were also affected, but most reopened on Saturday. First Great Western (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)) said a bus replacement service will continue to operate between St Erth and Penzance.

FGW spokeswoman Jane Jones said an aerial survey on Saturday revealed "multiple" felled trees on the line which had to be removed. "Yesterday Network Rail had a helicopter that flew across the whole route identifying where there was debris on the line," she told BBC News. "Throughout the day and overnight we've removed all the trees and all the debris and we've not got a train which left Plymouth earlier this morning that's travelling at 30mph. It'll run the whole length of the track, just to make sure everything is absolutely safe, then later this afternoon we should be able to start running services."

I rather suspect that what Jane Jones actually said was, that they'd now got a train, rather than not got a train.  Poor BBC journalism - again.  

[Timmer]

I see on Real Times Trains that despite engineering work between Bristol and Trowbridge there are XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services booked to run through Bath due to flooding in the Bridgwater area. Can anyone confirm this is the case? If they are running through Bath then surely FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can run a normal timetable today instead of buses.

In answer to my own question. Yes XC are running via Bath and rather sensibly now stopping at Bath Spa rather than just passing through. I guess it was too late in the day to cancel the replacement bus services and run services via their normal route.

[bobm]

In addition

15:54 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington due 17:57
This train will be diverted between Bristol Temple Meads and Swindon.
This train will call additionally at Bath Spa and Chippenham.
This is due to an unusually large passenger flow.

[Southern Stag]

According to Real Time Trains it looks like everything including stoppers are being routed via the UM & DM this morning, indeed the 1019 Reading - Paddington appears to have actually GAINED 3 minutes between Twyford and Maidenhead. Hopefully this means that work on the Relief lines is currently taking place and indeed it'll look much better for tomorrow morning.

Having said that though, I'm prepared to bet that my usual 0654 from Twyford (the 0620 from Didcot Parkway) won't turn up because of the ongoing flooding issues at Radley - is there any news on the situation there? (though if at least there are some reliable alternative services tomorrow morning at TWY^▸ (Twyford station) it won't be all bad news for me by any means.)

When I went through the area on Friday the flooding in the Oxford area is no longer a problem, trains were running through at linespeed and despite looking out for it I didn't actually notice any water around the rails.

[johoare]

The National Rail Departures board and Journey planner is showing a very odd set of trains from Maidenhead between the 7.49am and 8.45am departures which I think is wrong and bears no relation to the timetable or realtime trains (which seems to have caught up finally).

Journeycheck is also confused and is reporting on lots of "changes" which are just changes from last week's timetable I think rather than the normal one..

e.g. 5.30 Oxford to Reading "This train will be diverted from Reading.
 This train will call additionally at Twyford, Maidenhead, Taplow, Burnham, Slough, Langley, Iver, West Drayton, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Ealing Broadway, Acton Main Line and London Paddington.
 This is due to flooding earlier. "

 

[JayMac]

There's an internal message to staff which says the following:

The CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) System and today's service

Please be advised that the CIS system is showing last weeks amended time table. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are running a normal service in the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) area with only a few cancellations. Paddington to Cardiff in both directions services are running as normal. Paddington to Cheltenham services are running as normal (with the exception of 1G02 06:57 Swindon to Cheltenham and 1L36 08:31 Cheltenham to Pad). Oxford/ Banbury to Paddington services in both directions are running as normal. Paddington to Bedwyn in both directions are running as normal.

That might also explain why Journey Planners are also currently bearing no resemblance to reality.

[James]

Also this morning the 06:38 fgw to marlow is somehow delayed to 08:36 then appears to arrive cook ham at 06:43 but get delayed by over 4 hours before arriving at Marlow after 11:30 You can't really trust apps 

Also had a look at real time trains and fgw journey check and it shows fewer trains stopping at Taplow or Iver... what's the dealo here fgw

[bobm]

There's an internal message to staff which says the following:

The CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) System and today's service

Please be advised that the CIS system is showing last weeks amended time table. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are running a normal service in the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) area with only a few cancellations. Paddington to Cardiff in both directions services are running as normal. Paddington to Cheltenham services are running as normal (with the exception of 1G02 06:57 Swindon to Cheltenham and 1L36 08:31 Cheltenham to Pad). Oxford/ Banbury to Paddington services in both directions are running as normal. Paddington to Bedwyn in both directions are running as normal.

That might also explain why Journey Planners are also currently bearing no resemblance to reality.

Might also explain why I got a FGW text advising me of an "additional" 07:15 Paddington to Cardiff service.   So often I get a text telling me the 07:15 is cancelled, so made a change.

[grahame]

then appears to arrive cook ham at 06:43 but get delayed by over 4 hours before arriving at Marlow after 11:30

The ham will be beautifully tender having been slow cooked for so long     ... sorry James, I couldn't resist!

[bobm]

A couple of pictures posted on FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s Twitter feed overnight


Platforms 3&4 at Penzance


Dawlish station looking towards Dawlish Warren

[James]

then appears to arrive cook ham at 06:43 but get delayed by over 4 hours before arriving at Marlow after 11:30

The ham will be beautifully tender having been slow cooked for so long     ... sorry James, I couldn't resist!

No problem hadn't realised the mistake until now, but now I feel hungry

[BBM]

There's an internal message to staff which says the following:

The CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) System and today's service

Please be advised that the CIS system is showing last weeks amended time table. FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are running a normal service in the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) area with only a few cancellations. Paddington to Cardiff in both directions services are running as normal. Paddington to Cheltenham services are running as normal (with the exception of 1G02 06:57 Swindon to Cheltenham and 1L36 08:31 Cheltenham to Pad). Oxford/ Banbury to Paddington services in both directions are running as normal. Paddington to Bedwyn in both directions are running as normal.

That might also explain why Journey Planners are also currently bearing no resemblance to reality.

The 0643 fast from Twyford (the 0609 Adelante from Newbury) turned up just a couple of minutes late this morning even though it wasn't on LDB nor was there any mention of it on the station screens (although it was on Real Time Trains). Myself and 2 other people caught it, most of the others having boarded the 0643 stopper although there was also a coach to Maidenhead (and some FGW guy was trying unsuccessfully to direct people onto it).

[broadgage]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and network rail are to be congratulated on the return of, if not normality, something near it.

It is however most regretable that so much out of date or otherwise incorrect information is out there.
Makes rather a mockery of the advice to "check before you travel"!

Despite a bit more storm damage it appears that work at Dawlish is going well, anyone got an estimate as to when the line will reopen ?

[chuffed]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News 24 report says that the March 18th date has ben put back a couple of weeks, following the storm damage to the containers last Friday, so it looks like early April.

[Umberleigh]

Now all over the media that the damage on Friday night has put back reopening by another two weeks.

Also, the Guardian are claiming that work on the sea wall before the storms was affected by Government cuts, be interesting to see how that pans out...