Platform Closures at Westbury Station due to Severe Weather

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Looking at Journeycheck, some services are not currently stopping at Westbury due to a ‘security alerts at a station’.

Looking at the departure board, all other services are stopping at platform 1 only.

Anyone have any idea what could be happening there?

edit: Title change owing to new information

[ChrisB]

Graham left his bag there? :-)

[Timmer]

Now saying ‘due to severe weather’ earlier. Will amend the thread title.

[Timmer]

Graham left his bag there? :-)

If it was from last night’s visit, they’ve only just found it ;-)

[Timmer]

And here’s our answer from Journeycheck:

Alterations to services at Westbury
Due to severe weather earlier at Westbury:
Train services running through this station may be revised. Westbury will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
It is unsafe to call trains at Westbury station due to structural damage to the station roof following recent storms. Alternative transport is being arranged to convey customers between Castle Cary and Westbury, although no ETA for this is currently available.

[ChrisB]

National Rail have just tweeted the same

[Timmer]

Looks like the issue must be with platforms 2 and 3. Some trains are still stopping at platform 1, using the freight only line (if only that had been reopened as a passenger platform again) or using the Westbury avoiding line.

[bobm]

Problem with part of the station roof. Only one platform available for use.

[Timmer]

Looks like the issue must be with platforms 2 and 3. Some trains are still stopping at platform 1, using the freight only line (if only that had been reopened as a passenger platform again) or using the Westbury avoiding line.

Again, the Station Update section of Journeycheck confirms this:

Westbury: Significant Closure
Significant Closure
Additional Information
Platforms 2 & 3 at Westbury station are closed until further notice. Some trains are unable to call at Westbury.

[grahame]

Westbury: Significant Closure
Significant Closure
Additional Information
Platforms 2 & 3 at Westbury station are closed until further notice. Some trains are unable to call at Westbury.

Looking at Open Train Times, the tracks through the platforms are shut - so it's not just a "cannot stop".  Rather confirms other posts about only platform 1 and the freight loop being in use.

[Trowres]

Journeycheck:

Alterations to services at Westbury
Due to severe weather earlier at Westbury:
Train services running through this station may be revised. Westbury will not be served. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
It is unsafe to call high speed trains at Westbury station due to structural damage to the station roof following the recent storms. Customers who wish to alight at Westbury who are travelling on services between London, Reading and the South West- in both directions- are required to alight at Castle Cary. Alternative transport has been arranged to convey customers between Castle Cary and Westbury.

 ...

21:04 London Paddington to Plymouth due 00:43 will no longer call at Westbury.
This is due to severe weather earlier.

My italics.


Several observations:
Westbury will not be served... except that some Portsmouth or Weymouth trains were calling (as was the 21:06 Exeter-Bristol via Westbury which made an additional call at Castle Cary).

There is no advice for passengers from the Bath, Salisbury or Weymouth directions should their train be missing Westbury.

It appears that the 21:04 Paddington did call at Westbury platform 1. This was the only 5 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) service following the closure of platforms 2 and 3.

Platform 1 was not lengthened to accommodate full-length IETs.  Do the IETs not have a manual SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) option?

[IndustryInsider]

It appears that the 21:04 Paddington did call at Westbury platform 1. This was the only 5 car IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan)) service following the closure of platforms 2 and 3.

Platform 1 was not lengthened to accommodate full-length IETs.  Do the IETs not have a manual SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) option?

Yes they do - well, the driver confirms the platform on arrival if it’s a 9 or 10 car.

[Timmer]

Looks like whatever needed to be done to make platforms 2 and 3 safe for passengers and trains again was done overnight as things appear back to normal this morning.