Thames Valley infrastructure problems causing disruption elsewhere - 2016

[whole diary]

[Timmer]

Call me cynical but isn't it that the internet has made call centres smaller and less expensive to run.  For example, I don't imagine it matters very much to the bottom line if the NRE^▸ (National Rail Enquiries) call centre is based in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) or India because the number of calls must now be tiny.   

Good point and probably true in many cases now. Won't stop some companies trumpeting the fact that they are bringing call centres back to the UK to improve customer service.

[bobm]

I answer calls on behalf of six different organisations and each one has their own number - local to their part of the country.   Costs me £2 a month each as internet lines (Voip) - would have been far too expensive going back a few years to have exchange lines like that.  The phone even tells me the name of the organisation they are calling.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Agree about the clarity of that - can we have the explanation in the list of acronyms as well?

Now done.  CfN. 

[IndustryInsider]

Well, that's three days of hot weather and the infrastructure has held up pretty well with no major disruption- this year certainly hasn't seen the service completely collapsing as the thermometer breaks 30 like it has in previous years.

With the return to more seasonal temperatures tomorrow, at least we can get back to what we do well this time of the year - blaming leaves for delays.   

[patch38]

Ah, but help is at hand. Maybe...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37356162

A UK^▸ (United Kingdom) company has created a new type of treatment to remove the residue of leaves from railway lines.

Mark Hester is co-founder of the Imagination Factory who have made the new technique. He told Radio 4's PM programme that new microwave technology could create a more efficient way to prevent trains from being cancelled.

[bobm]

Well, that's three days of hot weather and the infrastructure has held up pretty well with no major disruption- this year certainly hasn't seen the service completely collapsing as the thermometer breaks 30 like it has in previous years.

With the return to more seasonal temperatures tomorrow, at least we can get back to what we do well this time of the year - blaming leaves for delays.   

You tempted fate there... flooding at Didcot and Newbury this morning and storm damage near Slough!

[grahame]

Well, that's three days of hot weather and the infrastructure has held up pretty well with no major disruption- this year certainly hasn't seen the service completely collapsing as the thermometer breaks 30 like it has in previous years.

With the return to more seasonal temperatures tomorrow, at least we can get back to what we do well this time of the year - blaming leaves for delays.   

You tempted fate there... flooding at Didcot and Newbury this morning and storm damage near Slough!

Looks like we may have flooding at Melksham again ...

07:33 Westbury to Swindon due 08:23
This train will be cancelled.
This is due to heavy rain flooding the railway.
Additional Information
Taxis will operate via Melksham.

... I would expect to see diversions because of the Newbury floods causing our service to be replaced by diverted trains, but it appears that the Berks and Hants is open, with trains calling at Newbury Racecourse rather than Newbury itself.

[TaplowGreen]

...............on the upside, it may wash all the leaves off the line (but hopefully the white paint will remain in place?) 

[didcotdean]

You tempted fate there... flooding at Didcot and Newbury this morning and storm damage near Slough!

Here's the best picture I've found on twitter for Didcot Parkway earlier today:

The bus parking outside was also flooded, and was Station Road / Hitchcock Way intermittently.

Water has already receded somewhat.

Some reports misleadingly refer to the 'underpass' at the station which might be one as far as the tracks are concerned but is of course at ground level.

[TaplowGreen]

..............I love the touching faith of the guy halfway up to his knees in water looking at the information boards!!!

We've got to have a caption competition for that one!!!

[Timmer]

Outside Didcot station:
https://twitter.com/LilleyMitchell/status/776675549657915392

[stuving]

There's clearly a lot of water where it's not meant to be. But some of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s attempts to explain its effects is a bit baffling.

The one for Didcot's quite clear about the local effects, but not for how to bypass it:

Alterations to services at Didcot Parkway
Due to flooding at Didcot Parkway fewer trains are able to run.
Train services running through this station may be delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until 12:00 16/09.
Customer Advice
Flooding at Didcot Parkway railway station has rendered the station subway impassible.

Only one platform is available for use at Didcot Parkway and this allows travel from Reading to Didcot Parkway and for travel from Didcot Parkway towards Swindon.

At present any customers wishing to travel from Didcot Parkway towards Reading and London Paddington will need to circulate via Swindon.

Any customers on London bound services from Oxford. Swindon, Bristol, South Wales, etc requiring Didcot Parkway will need to travel through to Reading and return to Didcot from there.

Customers seeking to travel from Didcot Parkway to Oxford and other local stations are, in the short term, requested to use other local stations instead or utilise a very limited replacement road transport link to / from Cholsey to connect with local train services there.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 1 hour.
Last Updated:16/09/2016 08:55

But as for this - is it really saying the track is usable, but the platform is flooded?

Cancellations to services at Newbury
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway at Newbury the line towards Westbury is closed.
Train services running through this station may be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 10:00 16/09.
Customer Advice
Due to platforms at Newbury station being flooded we are now able to call Reading and London bound train services at Newbury only.
Train services for Bedwyn, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance are unable to stop at Newbury station. Train service will call additionally at Newbury Racecourse instead of Newbury station.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 30 minutes.
Last Updated:16/09/2016 08:53

Even if it says "now" where it means "not" - a serious error in this case - it's a bit of a mess.

But maybe it's a holding message until things are a bit clearer and a better set of words is produced.

[Timmer]

..............the love the touching faith of the guy halfway up to his knees in water looking at the information boards!!!

We've got to have a caption competition for that one!!!

LOL^▸ ('laughing out loud')!!!!

Agree.

[Jason]

Newbury....
https://twitter.com/smart_leona/status/776687798992637952/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[Oxonhutch]

But as for this - is it really saying the track is usable, but the platform is flooded?

Only Platform 1 (Swindon-bound) is (was) accessible without using the subway.  Tracks above ok but platforms 2-5 cut-off by flooded subway.

Direction to go to Cholsey not so good as Station Road closed there due to flooding under the railway bridge. Interesting trip to work today!