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

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

The 1818 did actually run on Monday, I worked it!!  It was reinstated shortly after 1800 and left Paddington about 15 minutes late.  Due to it being reinstated at the last minute it wasn't displayed on the departure boards but was announced.  It left packed.

Thinking about it, you are completely right - because I caught it!  Platform 9?  I'd forgotten what train it actually was as I'd just fled the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) on Platform 3 at 18:30 which had removed Maidenhead as a destination at the last minute.
Thanks for your on train announcements.  You pacified a very grumbly crowd in my carriage.

You're welcome!  Yep, platform 9.  It was that late being reinstated not even the signaller knew what the train was doing, that's the reason we stayed on the main into Maidenhead and didn't cross over onto the relief as usual.
If I remember rightly (it might have been a different service) but Maidenhead was removed from the HST because the train manager on it was concerned he wouldn't be able to get through the train to be able to operate the SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) and release the doors. 

[NickB]

The 18:30 on Monday was ridiculously (and IMO^▸ (in my opinion) dangerously) overcrowded. 
There was no chance of the TM^‡(resolve) being able to turn their head let alone make it through any part of the train.
I'm not sure that changing the calling destinations at 18:29 improved the situation or made it more dangerous.
Either way I was glad to find your train on P9, even if it was still so overcrowded that people were sat fully cross-legged on the tables to free up another sq foot of standing room.

[sorch]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is to provide direct road replacement from Cornwall to Tiverton Parkway.

It was running today, I got it from Bodmin Parkway. It was a nice First/Truronian coach, only one of two passengers, arrived at Tiverton in about 1h30 instead of the timetabled 2h. It's a sad indictment of the railway in the SW when the equivalent train would take considerably longer (although the difference is cancelled out by waiting for the 0804 at Tiverton).

It will be interesting to see how the reverse journey goes on Friday.

The guard on the silly o clock service to Newton Abbot seemed unaware of it and suggested I changed at Plymouth.

[Super Guard]

Mid-April re-opening now being quoted by Network Rail for Dawlish re-opening.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/Dawlish-railway-restoration-update-1ff7.aspx

[Chris from Nailsea]

More details, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Dawlish rail line may not reopen before 'mid-April'


A temporary sea wall made out of shipping containers was damaged by Friday's storm

Further damage to the railway line in Dawlish means it will not be repaired until mid-April, Network Rail has said.

It had originally hoped to complete the repairs by the middle of March but the line suffered more damage on Friday.

Exeter Labour MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Ben Bradshaw said the delay was "another serious blow" to the South West economy.

Network Rail said it was "conscious of the importance" of the line which connects Cornwall and most of Devon to the rest of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom).

The line was wrecked at Dawlish by an earlier storm at the beginning of February.

The predicted date for the work to be completed comes just ahead of the Easter Bank Holiday. Good Friday falls on 18 April but the company said it hoped to "beat" its date.

Patrick Hallgate, route managing director for Network Rail Western, said: "We are all conscious of the importance of this railway to the South West, its economy and the people of Dawlish. We are confident that we will have the railway back by mid-April and if we can we will beat that date."

Shipping containers used as a makeshift sea wall in front of the damaged track were almost destroyed on Friday.

Tim Jones, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council, has previously said between ^2m and ^20m a day was being lost from those businesses which relied on the rail network.

MP Mr Bradshaw said: "I am sure Network Rail is doing everything as fast as possible, it is a very difficult job and not helped by further storms. But I think every effort must be made to try and get the line reopened in time for the Easter school holidays. Most people drive to the South West, but the rail connections are incredibly important and any impediment to travel has to be unhelpful."

Network Rail said it would work "night and day with dedicated resources".

Until then rail services will stop at Exeter with replacement buses ferrying people to Cornwall.

[ChrisB]

Tim Jones, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council, has previously said between ^2m and ^20m a day was being lost from those businesses which relied on the rail network.

Tim needs to make his mind up - that's a 1000% difference between the two! At this time of year, its far, far closer to the first figure. Runs over Easter & then it'll start mounting up....

[TaplowGreen]

Mid-April re-opening now being quoted by Network Rail for Dawlish re-opening.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/Dawlish-railway-restoration-update-1ff7.aspx

-that'll be June/July then! 

[PhilWakely]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) is to provide direct road replacement from Cornwall to Tiverton Parkway.

This has always surprised me - even with previous closures south of Exeter - why FGW insist on starting replacement buses at Exeter and put up with the city centre traffic rather than starting the buses at Tivvy Parkway which is so convenient for the motorway that coaches can make rapid progress to places such as Newton Abbot and Plymouth. I can imagine that coaches leaving St Davids at 5pm Mon-Fri could take as long as 30 minutes just to get to the motorway.

Sure, terminate the train at Exeter, but make the bus connections at Tivvy Parkway.

[PhilWakely]

Sorry - slight digression from the main discussion, but still very loosely connected to the topic.......

I was on a XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) HST^▸ (High Speed Train) this afternoon diverted between Bristol and Taunton via Bath and Westbury. As we passed through Westbury station, there was a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) HST and a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) 159 at the platforms. Under normal operating conditions, what are the chances of seeing such a combination from all three TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) at Westbury?

[Timmer]

This has always surprised me - even with previous closures south of Exeter - why FGW^▸ (First Great Western) insist on starting replacement buses at Exeter and put up with the city centre traffic rather than starting the buses at Tivvy Parkway which is so convenient for the motorway that coaches can make rapid progress to places such as Newton Abbot and Plymouth. I can imagine that coaches leaving St Davids at 5pm Mon-Fri could take as long as 30 minutes just to get to the motorway.

Sure, terminate the train at Exeter, but make the bus connections at Tivvy Parkway.

FGW/XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) often provide a fast buses from Tiverton Parkway direct to Plymouth during times of Engineering work between Exeter and Plymouth for those travelling to Plymouth and Cornwall. Over the past few weeks, which I think is for the first time, they have also provided a direct coach to/from Plymouth to/from Bristol Parkway which is more convenient for those travelling to Birmingham and the North whilst the line between Bridgwater and Taunton is closed. At one point during the height of the flooding a few weeks back, going via Bristol Parkway was the only to get to London by train from Devon and Cornwall.

[broadgage]

Not looking very good this morning.
More weather damage at Penzance, according to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site. Services due to run to Penzance are terminating short.
So London to Penzance is now train/bus/train/bus or 3 changes instead of a direct service.

[TaplowGreen]

Not looking very good this morning.
More weather damage at Penzance, according to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site. Services due to run to Penzance are terminating short.
So London to Penzance is now train/bus/train/bus or 3 changes instead of a direct service.

..............or more realistically, London to anywhere west of Exeter is now by road/air for the foreseeable future 

[Pb_devon]

Not looking very good this morning.
More weather damage at Penzance, according to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site. Services due to run to Penzance are terminating short.
So London to Penzance is now train/bus/train/bus or 3 changes instead of a direct service.

..............or more realistically, London to anywhere west of Exeter is now by road/air for the foreseeable future 

However...... I looked at flying from Newquay for my regular Plymouth/Central London journey.
Usually: short drive/train/tube - Alternative: long drive/checkin & wait/fly/long walk/train/tube.
Unsurprisingly the fly option turned out to be longer, and with all the interfaces, much more complex.
I appreciate that further west might tip the balance, and, yes, the change to a bus is inconvenient - but flying isn't the panacea flybe make it out to be.

[TaplowGreen]

However...... I looked at flying from Newquay for my regular Plymouth/Central London journey.
Usually: short drive/train/tube - Alternative: long drive/checkin & wait/fly/long walk/train/tube.
Unsurprisingly the fly option turned out to be longer, and with all the interfaces, much more complex.
I appreciate that further west might tip the balance, and, yes, the change to a bus is inconvenient - but flying isn't the panacea flybe make it out to be.
[/quote]


I wouldn't argue with that, but certainly as far as Plymouth is concerned it would have been a nice option to have, especially in the current situation - I won't start ranting again about the folly of allowing Plymouth Airport to close but this brings it into sharp relief - when it was open and before Air Southwest got rid of the London City Airport slots I could leave my office (at the time) in Southwark around 1700 and with a combination of tube/DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) and the 20 minute checkin at City be back in Plymouth within 2 hours........."London" Gatwick I agree is pretty hopeless, the only "true" London airports are Heathrow and City.
 

[SDS]

Extract from internal weekly E-mail. (Videos publicly accessible)

Youtube videos
We have produced three videos, explaining what is causing disruption on our network and highlighting the good work we^re doing to resolve it:


^   Flooding at Maidenhead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZ56cv5ZZes)
^   FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Engineering depots and the flooding (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDNXWLkrI6M)
^   West Country Challenges  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67jT1CAidhY)