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

[whole diary]

[NickB]

"some people have had half an hour added on to each journey which is a big delay" - If only they knew, if only they knew...

Re. the use of 1st class by standard class ticket holders at this time, is anyone in any doubt that if a train is overcrowded to dangerous levels we will be using 1st class as overspill ?
If a train is too crowded for a TM^‡(resolve) to move through it then declassification is taken as given by us frustrated masses.

[broadgage]

I see first class gets a bash again in the above. Who would refund everyone with a first class ticket if everything was declassified?

I think that we will see a lot more of this sort of thing, now that MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) cant use first class at the public expense.
Funny how MPs seldom made this suggestion when they got free first class travel !.

Regretfully I think that MPs should be allowed first class, not because I think that they deserve it, but to stop this sort of thing.

[warrej]

Does anyone in the know have an idea of when advance tickets will be going on sale again for travel between Paddington and the Westcountry?

TIA^▸ (Transient Ischemic Attack (aka "mini-stroke"))
Jon

[stebbo]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26229191

At last!

[grahame]

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh at Reading Station with John Howarth, Matt Rodda, Vicky Groulef and Annalise Dodds

The shadow minister for transport visited Reading station on Friday as part of a tour of the flood-hit train line from London.

Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Mary Creagh arrived in the town after visiting Slough to see how commuters are being affected by the recent flooding and subsequent delays to services.

Ms Creagh said: ^It^s clear that there is going to be significant disruption for weeks to come, and what we want is much better information for passengers.

Err ... she's seeing how commuters are doing and saying it's clear that there will be significant disruption for weeks to come.  I know it has been truly horrendous, but I thought it was / is getting better.  Isn't it unduly pessimistic to talk about disruption for weeks to come?   Does she know something we don't, or is she getting confused between Thames Valley issues (which are improving day by day) and the sea wall at Dawlsih, 150 miles to the west?

Grahame says  ^It^s clear that there is going to be significant work in teaching geography to politicians.

[IndustryInsider]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-26229191

At last!

Thank goodness for that - such a short section that causes such a problem.  I expect the job would have been made all the more difficult had the overhead wiring already been installed.

[thetrout]

30 minutes being a big delay?!?!

I think that's a bit of an insult if I'm completely honest...! The 18:20 London Waterloo - Salisbury Service on 14/02/2014 was delayed by just over 10 hours!

As much as I don't like to say it, nearly every single week this year where I have used an FGW^▸ (First Great Western) service, I've had a delay in excess of 1 hour! It's frustrating but there isn't much I can do about it other than moan and knock back more coffee Consequently the Shadow Transport Secretary has inadvertently rubbed me up the wrong way. I also think such comments are rather spiteful to those further west where disruption has included no service at all for a period of days!

I see first class gets a bash again in the above. Who would refund everyone with a first class ticket if everything was declassified?

First Class carriages taken out of service... That doesn't help anybody...! I think what she meant was "Declassified"

I have to say however that if First Class becomes declassified UFN^‡(resolve), then everyone who has existing First Class Tickets/1ST Season Tickets should be refunded the difference for that period. If they aren't then it's reasonable for those who have paid the premium to get upset and very vocal about it. Rightly so if I'm honest too!

[Umberleigh]

I don't think HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) comes into any discussions about rail access to Cornwall. Many, and not


Regarding the Plymouth - Tavistock - Okehampton - Exeter route - it would be slower than Dawlish, and serve  few places (yes, I know it is argued that people could drive to Okehampton from north Cornwall and Devon, but Exeter isn't much further so why bother). Current bus services show demand between Plymouth and Tavystock - 5 buses per hour commercial service, NO demand between Tavystock and Okehampton with 5 buses per day subsidised by Devon CC.

I have read that Network Rail have a legal responsibility to maintain the sea wall at Dawlish (part of the original Act), so it isn't going to be abandoned. An inland diversion at Powderham might be nice but the business case doesn't stack up.

Well thats got that off my chest!

I appreciate that you are not local to Devon, but I must take issue with your assertions. The road between Tavistock and Plymouth gets severely congested. Thus, when permission to build hundreds of new house at Tavistock was granted, it was in conjunction with a restored rail link to Plymouth. Devon County Council now own the tracked and progress is low but steady. There WILL be a Tavistock -Plymouth rail link within a few short years.

The further reopening of the entire SR^‡(resolve) Okehampton route would be to provide a diversionary route for when the GW^▸ (Great Western) route is blockaded or severed due to the Dawlish sea wall. It is not acceptable that the largest city west of Bristol and an entire county are cut off from the network for days, or even weeks on end. The rest of the time? There are already popular Summer Sunday services from Exeter to Okehampton and in my opinion there is a case for a summer service on the entire line at least (in addition to Tav - Ply). The line could also be used to free up capacity on the GW route, which is congested between Exe and Newton Abbot.

All lines that have reopened to passengers (Wales in particular) have exceeded the estimates for passenger numbers. People prefer trains to buses: there are only a couple of buses between Exeter and Barnstaple yet the Tarka^▸ (Line from Barnstaple to Exeter) Line is attracting record numbers of passengers year-on-year.

[brompton rail]

I take your point about the Tavy - Plymouth line, and the congested main road. However I suspect that the sharpened pencil people in HM Treasury know the price of everything and the cost of nothing. Given that container loads of money is being buried at Dawlish, and hopefully will soon be spent near Bridgewater to restore the line to Taunton and Bristol, as well as dozens of other 'waterlogged tracks, land slips, signalling etc' all over the West Country and the rest of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). Despite 'money is not a problem' it will be, as HM Government have indicated that any "no problem" money will have to found from existing budgets. As Dawlish re opens and memories fade (at least the Media loose interest) Okehampton will drop down the priority list. With next year's election I think it unlikely that many of the Devon and Cornwall seats will be marginal enough to warrent promises of money for rail. Hope I am wrong.

[stebbo]

As a Devonian - born in Torquay - myself may I agree with Umberleigh although I would have thought a diversion inland from Dawlish would be the best bet for the main line. That said an upgrade to the existing line to Okehampton and a re-opening of Bere Alston to Tavistock ought to be looked at.

Oh, and I think we seem to have slightly forgotten that the track to the north of Exeter St. Davids could do with some weatherproofing in the same way as the line at Oxford is now being looked at.

[stuving]

I take your point about the Tavy - Plymouth line, and the congested main road. However I suspect that the sharpened pencil people in HM Treasury know the price of everything and the cost of nothing. Given that container loads of money is being buried at Dawlish, and hopefully will soon be spent near Bridgewater to restore the line to Taunton and Bristol, as well as dozens of other 'waterlogged tracks, land slips, signalling etc' all over the West Country and the rest of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). Despite 'money is not a problem' it will be, as HM Government have indicated that any "no problem" money will have to found from existing budgets. As Dawlish re opens and memories fade (at least the Media loose interest) Okehampton will drop down the priority list. With next year's election I think it unlikely that many of the Devon and Cornwall seats will be marginal enough to warrent promises of money for rail. Hope I am wrong.

I've only ever heard Dave refer to "no problem" money for flood relief. That money comes initially from departmental contingency - which is what that is there for. This close to the year-end, it should provide enough (perhaps with some switching between departments). Wee Georgie has some money up his sleeve too, if needed, and I've not heard it said that can't be used.

Infrastructure improvements to enhance resilience, like flood defences, are going on the "we'll look closely at that" list. It's hard to see how any government could do much else, in reality.

[BBM]

The 1706 from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to maybe-Newbury-possibly-Westbury-but-definitely-not-Bristol-TM^‡(resolve) was cancelled again tonight - but much better news was that the 1703 to Exeter SD made an extra stop at Twyford. The train was busy but certainly not overcrowded and there was only about 7 minutes of delay, mostly due to a late and slow start from PAD. Stress levels much reduced!

[johoare]

Yes much improved today.. I'm almost inclined to think we're back to normal..Tho because we're working on an "amended timetable" I did get caught out by the 7.06 Paddington to Henley being cancelled tonight which I imagine was expected..

A quick story re this morning.. I got to Maidenhead for the 7.59 non stop to Paddington. When I arrived at Maidenhead there was information saying there had been earlier signal problems.. Not sure if that was true or not? I saw no evidence of anything...Anyway whilst waiting for the 7.59 we were "strongly advised" to get on the first train (7.45 stopping train) even if we were waiting for 7.59 non stop as it would most likely be delayed...

So, all those people who had had enough I guess after the last week's travel, who had lost the will etc and were just doing what they were told, all herded on to the 7.45 stopper. not even considering there was another stopper 5 minutes later where there might be more room, let alone thinking that the 7.59 was on it's way (it was still showing as on time at that point)

Very strange.. the 7.59 arrived at Paddington on time (I do feel a bit sorry for the poor people who therefore arrived 15 or so minutes later in platform 13)

[Electric train]

.. I'm almost inclined to think we're back to normal..

Need the Marlow branch to get back to normal, I am catching the 06:24 instead of the 06:55, it does mean I get to work early which forces me to go home early .................... every cloud 

Must admit almost tempted to stay with the early train

[Ollie]

Yes much improved today.. I'm almost inclined to think we're back to normal..Tho because we're working on an "amended timetable" I did get caught out by the 7.06 Paddington to Henley being cancelled tonight which I imagine was expected..

Yeah - that's part of the plan, no direct branch (Henley/Bourne End) services to/from Paddington at the moment.