Bath Spa - facilities, improvements, parking, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Major works at Bath Spa station next Easter (April 2017) should re-align tracks and platforms and I would anticipate the situation would be improved after the works are completed.

Is this definitely the case? The big step up or down at the western end of that platform was one of the issues I meant to raise at the consultation meetings NR^» (Network Rail - home page) held earlier this year, but didn't. It would be excellent news if it was indeed going to be improved, though with the curve, is there a limit to how much improvement can be achieved?

There has to be re-alignment at Bath Spa to ensure clearance between the longer carriages and the (listed) canopies and the opportunity is being taken to widen the platforms enough to take more people on them.  In other cases in the same program of works associated with electrification, platforms that are substandard in terms of access into trains are being brought up to modern standards, even where those works are purely a lengthening that you might not have expected to effect the current platform.

So - I'm not definite, no, but I think I've come to a pretty likely conclusion from the evidence I've been given.

[Chris from Nailsea]

A pedant replies.

... with a fair comment: my 'blaming Isambard' generalisation was rather too sweeping. 

[LawrenceHillbilly]

Seems a train (haven’t worked out which) struck a person in the Sidney Gardens area at around 1640ish. I’m in 1C20 which was behind it between Box and Bathampton Jcn, which is wrong lining back to Chippenham, to divert via Badminton down to Bristol

Usual thoughts for BTP^▸ (British Transport Police), Driver and those on site

Andy

[bobm]

I have taken the opportunity to move this topic to a more appropriate board and amend the title.

The train involved was the 16:30 from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington.

Trains are now diverting via Hullavington (Badminton) not calling at Chippenham or Bath Spa.

North/south trains are terminating/starting back from Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury.

[bobm]

Latest update is the person is alive and has been airlifted to hospital.  One line has reopened for reversible working.

[Bmblbzzz]

Limited good news. Let's hope they survive and make a full recovery.

[froome]

The railway in Sydney Gardens is all in deep cutting isn't it. How would anyone be able to get onto the track there?

[grahame]

The railway in Sydney Gardens is all in deep cutting isn't it. How would anyone be able to get onto the track there?

The gardens (Sydney Gardens) at one side of the cutting slope down to what is (or used to be) quite a low wall - you can see that on the right in the picture at Wiltshire 999.  Favoured spot for watching trains go by! Actions to raise the wall / add further protection have certainly been on the agenda; I'm not 100% sure on the status of that, though.

Edit
Looks like fencing was put in as long ago as 2012 - https://bathnewseum.com/virtual-museum-of-bath-2012/train-by-fencing/ ... and reading RailUK Forum from around that time, I note that member BigNoseMac has frequented the area and can fill us in on the background.

[Bmblbzzz]

I have been on trains which have stopped in Sydney Gardens so the driver could have a not so quiet word with kids sitting on that wall, legs dangling over the trackside. That was back in the 90s though.

[grahame]

From the Bath Chronicle

A 17-year-old hit by a train in Bath was airlifted to hospital with critical head and arm injuries.

Two air ambulance helicopters attended the railway near Sydney Gardens just before 5pm on Monday (October 2).

South Western Ambulance Service said the teenage casualty was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for treatment.

British Transport Police confirmed he was in a critical condition and that the incident was not suspicious.

Note picture showing the seat in the park, the fence, and an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) behind it.   No confirmation that this picture was taken just after the incident, but it could well have been.

[Bmblbzzz]

It's not much of a fence, is it? However, I think that's probably an old stock photo, as hasn't the bridge been recently rebuilt to allow greater headroom for the electrification that's not happening?

[Chris from Nailsea]

As further details have now emerged, I have updated the heading of this topic again, in the interests of clarity.

[Rhydgaled]

It's not much of a fence, is it? However, I think that's probably an old stock photo, as hasn't the bridge been recently rebuilt to allow greater headroom for the electrification that's not happening?

I thought the plan for getting wires under the bridges in Sydney Gardens was to lower the track rather than raise the bridges but I could be wrong.

[John R]

Yes, that's what happened during the now pointless closure (as was the one for Box Tunnel).

As an aside, I recall that the person hit subsequently died. Sympathies to the family and others caught up in the incident.

[Rhydgaled]

Yes, that's what happened during the now pointless closure (as was the one for Box Tunnel).

If the track-lowering has been carried out it was not pointless. Having space available for wires will be one less cost when they finally get round to installing the OHLE. We are not talking about the Midland Main Line or the South Wales portion of the Great Western Main Line here; unlike those routes I beleive electrification through Sydney Gardens is postponed not cancelled. Even on those less-fortunate lines however, where the question is 'if' not 'when' they get around to electrification, having the necessary height available is probably still a good thing.