Falmouth Branch Line - stations, facilities, services and improvements - ongoing discussion, merged posts

[whole diary]

[caliwag]

Ah, thanks...but can you get shorter than a 153?

[grahame]

Ah, thanks...but can you get shorter than a 153?

http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/37/68/1376879_290579d4.jpg

[caliwag]

ROFL...OK and thanks

[RailCornwall]

Ah, thanks...but can you get shorter than a 153?

Every other service is a 150series, so I presume that's been replaced by a 153 today.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

For a 1 coach train the capacity of a 153 isn't that bad!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Falmouth Packet:

Disruption on First Great Western between Falmouth Docks and Truro due to road vehicle hitting a bridge at Falmouth Town. Tickets being accepted on First Bus route 88 services.

[LiskeardRich]

sorry bringing up an old post, the red arrows are making a return this summer during falmouth week, so can expect a similar need for fgw to be prepared!

[RailCornwall]

I attach a picture today of Truro looking west. There is a new semaphore, T26, and TPWS^▸ (Train Protection and Warning System) grids for presumably a west signalled route out of platform 3.

Unless I am wrong then this will mean all platforms now have a signalled route to the west. If a train from Penzance is going to Falmouth there should be no further need for everyone to gert off.

I assume this is so a Falmouth train can come in and leave from any platform.

Interesting to note the galvanised steel cage around it compared with all the other semaphores. No wonder it costs so much to do nothing.

Yesterday's 1620 Truro > Falmouth was cancelled, due to late running of the down mainline service which the branchline's crew were on. The following service at 1651 was re-routed to depart from Platform 3 at Truro, leaving the 1620 in the bay ready to leave on the 1727 service. This was the first service I've been on that used the west bound signal erected in connection with the Falmouth line improvement.

apologiese for bringing up an old topic, but thought it wasn;tt worth a new one.

[inspector_blakey]

No problem, thanks for taking the trouble to dig up the appropriate thread and post there!

[Coombe Stn]

There were four waiting today who all seemed startled by the down train.

Mind you its not as though the train is Hurtling by, its only 25mph and you can hear the rails ''singing'' before the train rounds the bend.

[JayMac]

From the West Briton:

Delight as rail firm signals change of heart over Falmouth repairs

Guest house owners in Falmouth are celebrating a victory after Network Rail backed down and postponed works planned along the branch line. The improvement work, which will involve replacing sleepers overnight, was due to start tomorrow but has now been put off. The timing of the work, planned to start the day before Falmouth Week gets under way, had been condemned.

Although Network Rail said there would have been no disruption to rail services, it would have meant the heavy and noisy work would have been carried out between 10pm and 8am.

The news of the postponement has been welcomed by several guest house owners in Melvill Road who feared the work would disrupt their businesses at the busiest time of year. The original schedule for the work, from tomorrow until August 27, was branded "idiotic," and the change of heart is being celebrated.

Gillian Jansen, who runs Ivanhoe with Donna Sears, said: "It's brilliant. It's the best news I have had in a long time. The fact they have listened is brilliant, I really did not think they would. I understand the work has to be done, I am not questioning that, we all want it as safe as possible and would expect it to be kept up to date. It was just the timing. Once August is over and the evenings close in and people close their windows, I don't have a problem."

Trish Bennett, who runs Penpol guest house with her mother Sadie Franklin, added: "I am so glad, it will make life a lot easier. It just proves people power works and you don't have to be American to complain. That is the thing, we don't do that (complain) because we're English but it proves it's worth it."

Network Rail failed to respond to daily inquiries from the West Briton for a week before saying it would not comment before the publication deadline. But at the last minute, spokeswoman Mavis Choong said: "We have looked at it again and the work that was going to start this week will not be going ahead. We will be looking for another window of opportunity to carry out the work, which could be quite difficult as we have booked the materials and resources."

[caliwag]

Maritime Line looked to be a shambles earlier on, what with bustitutions...any news?

[devon_metro]

Looks like only 1 unit on the branch.

[RailCornwall]

Been on it this afternoon and tonight, apparant train failure and subsequent signalling issues earlier. Red Arrows day too. Trtains not running to timetable tonight, working single units more or less to daytime 30 minute frequency. Very frustrated conductor too.

[slippy]

Unable to split the two sets this morning at Truro. Got back to normal by the afternoon only to fall apart in the evening due to sever overcrowding with the Red Arrows display in Falmouth.