Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 March 2018 - Severe weather - advice not to travel

[whole diary]

[froome]

Amber warning issued for areas around/including outer surburban London now

Also amber warning now out for much of Devon and Somerset, including Bristol, and for S.E. Wales, for Sunday morning, with more organised snow developing then. Some uncertainty on the extent of this at present. But it is now being talked about as more akin to the snow we had two weeks ago.

I see Timmer has just beaten me to it!

[JayMac]

I've read and heard this term, "organised snow" a few times now. What does it mean exactly?

Surely disorganised snow is more of a concern. 

[ellendune]

I've read and heard this term, "organised snow" a few times now. What does it mean exactly?

Surely disorganised snow is more of a concern. 

It is snowflakes that have joined the National Union of Snowflakes and have arranged for collective bargaining in disputes over their short lives.  They organise the disruption of transport and other human activities in protest that their demands for longer living snow are not being met. 

[devonexpress]

Apparently the South West has an amber warning, who wants to bet that a few peaks on Dartmoor get some snow, and thats about it. 

[grahame]

OK .. looks like we are in for a Saturday (17th) of services quite unlike any other Saturday.  Looks more like a Sunday!

* Swindon shut - Bristol and South Wales services diverted via Berks and Hants
* Crew shortages - significant(%) cancellations from between Paddington and South Wales
* Crew shortages - significant(%) cancellations from between Paddington and North Cotswolds
* Bedwyn turn back out of use - services turning back an Newbury
* Bradford junction out of use - no trains from Westbury to Chippenham
* Heathrow connect - one in 3 cancelled due to lack of available trains

% - "Significant" - loss of 2 successive trains at certain points in the day

Will update topic when next awake - someone in an office somewhere is still adding journey changes as I write!

[Timmer]

Looks like this thread needs renaming Saturday 17th of March as well as Sunday advice not to travel and not because of the weather.

[Timmer]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have published a webpage outlining services affected due to weather:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/live-network-updates/disruption-information

If you are viewing this outside of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) please don’t laugh at us.

[martyjon]

08:10 Westbury to Chippenham due 08:35
08:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 09:08
10:05 Westbury to Chippenham due 10:30
10:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 11:10
12:05 Westbury to Chippenham due 12:30
12:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 13:08
14:05 Westbury to Chippenham due 14:30
14:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 15:08
16:05 Westbury to Chippenham due 16:30
16:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 17:08
18:05 Westbury to Chippenham due 18:30
18:30 Bristol Temple Meads to Chippenham due 18:56
18:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 19:08
19:11 Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads due 19:40
20:11 Chippenham to Taunton due 22:00
20:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Chippenham due 21:06
21:00 Westbury to Chippenham due 21:30
21:15 Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads due 21:44
21:42 Chippenham to Westbury due 22:08
21:57 Bristol Temple Meads to Chippenham due 22:23
22:47 Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads due 23:15

All cancelled due to severe weather.


Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

[TaplowGreen]

Unlike the Trans Wilts, the Trans Siberian railway is expected to operate a normal service this weekend, notwithstanding a little chilly weather.

[grahame]

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

That is more colourful wording but the same sentiment that I'm seeing on Facebook.  I am asking about alternatives via twitter; response awaited.

[TaplowGreen]

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

That is more colourful wording but the same sentiment that I'm seeing on Facebook.  I am asking about alternatives via twitter; response awaited.

........sled drawn by huskies perhaps?

[grahame]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have published a webpage outlining services affected due to weather:

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/live-network-updates/disruption-information

If you are viewing this outside of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) please don’t laugh at us.

And for those viewing from outside (and inside) the UK when this has changed / the GWR page has been archived into oblivion, here is what it says.

Snowfall impact on travel

Snow showers have been forecast across some parts of our network this weekend, and the Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning in the Thames Valley from 1600 on Saturday.

Please check expected local weather conditions and train travel advice for both your outward and return journeys in case train services are affected.

Saturday 17 March
The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for much of the GWR network.

Train services will be unable to operate between Newbury and Bedwyn, visit JourneyCheck for more details.
Train services will be unable to operate between Westbury and Chippenham via Melksham, visit JourneyCheck for more details.
From 19:00, train services will be unable to operate between Bristol Temple Meads and Chippenham, we are sourcing replacement road transport.
Snowfall is forecast to spread over the network on Saturday, starting in the East between London Paddington and Reading from 6am, spreading westwards towards Devon (as far as Exeter, Severn Tunnel Junction and Hereford).

From 16:00 on Saturday, the Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning between London Paddington and Reading, between Reading and Basingstoke and between Reading and Gatwick Airport. Snow showers are expected to become more frequent through Saturday evening and night with icy patches also developing on some untreated surfaces.

[grahame]

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

That is more colourful wording but the same sentiment that I'm seeing on Facebook.  I am asking about alternatives via twitter; response awaited.

Response received:

Hello. There aren't any replacement buses in place. Train services will be unable to operate between Westbury and Chippenham via Melksham due to the expected impact of snowfall. Natalie

[bobm]

Left hand and right hand... this was posted on Journeycheck just before 8am

Alterations to services between Westbury and Chippenham

Due to severe weather between Westbury and Chippenham all lines are closed.
Train services running through these stations have been suspended. Melksham will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
Due to anticipated heavy snowfall; the decision has been taken to suspend services between Chippenham and Westbury (via Melksham) in both directions for the whole of today; 17th March 2018.

The suspension allows Network Rail to protect critical signalling assets to enable the main Westbury to Bath and Chippenam to Bath lines to run.

Replacement Buses have been sourced to run at the following times between Westbury and Chippenham:-

Westbury 08:10
Trowbridge 08:25
Melksham 08:40
Chippenham 09:05
Melksham 09:25
Trowbridge 09:40
Westbury 09:55

And then approximately every 2 hours until 18:10 (incl).

Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
Last Updated:17/03/2018 07:53

[broadgage]

Unless my ears are deceiving me the snow isn't forecast to hit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) land till this evening so why are services being cancelled as early as 08:10. Me thinks to myself and thinks the flying pigs have crashed and the resultant carcasses have been turned into pork pies and to feed to customers.

Normal pigs are incapable of level flight.
The flying pigs are genetically modified, are NOT approved for human consumption, and the carcasses of crashed flying pigs must therefore be either used as pet food or be disposed off.

If a flying pig crashes into the OHLE I suspect that it would make a bigger explosion than a pigeon.