Misery for Plymouth/Cornwall passengers in early 2009

[whole diary]

[TJ]

Because of engineering work between Exeter and Plymouth passengers travelling to or from Plymouth from mid January to the end of March are warned to check journey times before travelling. 

At weekends the line between Exeter St David^s and Plymouth will be closed for engineering work as follows:

All day Saturday on January 17th, 24th and 31st
All day Sunday every weekend from January 18th until March 21st.

A replacement bus service will operate, with both non-stop services between Exeter St David^s and Plymouth, and stopping services calling at intermediate stations.

Weekday services during the weeks commencing Monday 19th and 26th January and Monday 2nd March will be running to a revised timetable, because of single line working through Marley tunnel between Totnes and Newton Abbott.

TJ

[signalandtelegraph]

Weekday services during the weeks commencing Monday 19th and 26th January and Monday 2nd March will be running to a revised timetable, because of single line working through Marley tunnel between Totnes and Newton Abbott.

TJ

Marley Tunnel is between Totnes and Plymouth.

[TJ]

Marley Tunnel is between Totnes and Plymouth.

Thanks for correction; I had copied the information from my source without enagaging brain!!

TJ

[devon_metro]

Interesting. The coach companies might be busy. if the whole railway west of Exeter is closed!!

[woody]

Interesting. The coach companies might be busy. if the whole railway west of Exeter is closed!!

There already halfway there,the so called "main" line west of Newton Abbot is now little more than a branch line anyway with its 55/65mph line speeds,while new road schemes have transformed the parallel trunk roads.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

if only there was another route.........................

[devon_metro]

if only there was another route.........................

It wouldn't be any quicker.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

no it wouldnt but an extra route would improve capacity,reliability, more destinations more convinient

[smokey]

if only there was another route.........................

It wouldn't be any quicker.

Maybe IF trains could still go the LSWR^▸ (London South Western Railway) route from Exeter St D to Plymouth the Train journey might well be 10 minutes longer than the route via Newton Abbot, BUT I and 99.9% of passengers would prefer that extra 10 miutes than,

1, Getting off train with bags and luggage at Exeter,
2, Finding the coach and putting luggage on coach,
3, Bouncing around inside a Coach (with no Driver Safety devices) for about 1 hour,
4, Off loading from the Coach and finding luggage in bus hold,
5, Finding train in Plymouth,
6, Waiting for Depature Time at Plymouth (anything from 10-25 minutes).

That little lot is bad enough on a fine day but on a windy wet day!

Of Course 80% of Passengers Don't put themselves through all that, they DON'T Travel, well NOT by TRAIN!!!

It takes about 5 1/2 hours by Rail from Penzance to London Padd, but when Buses are used the journey time is up around the 7 hour mark.

It's bad News when Lines shut for engineering work, yet BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) used to use Single line working to keep trains running IN most cases.

Health & Safety is the Reason for MOST total line closure.

OK then: ANY H & S Reps like to explain WHY MORE DEATHS have occured SINCE Single line working at relaying sites has been outlawed.

Because H & S has produced a work area where it's presumed that the RISK has been removed.

Much better (for everyone) and SAFER on a worksite where engineers are Kept on the alert.

Of course H & S can't work around that it doesn't add up ON PAPER!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

exactly!!

[devon_metro]

if only there was another route.........................

It wouldn't be any quicker.

Maybe IF trains could still go the LSWR^▸ (London South Western Railway) route from Exeter St D to Plymouth the Train journey might well be 10 minutes longer than the route via Newton Abbot, BUT I and 99.9% of passengers would prefer that extra 10 miutes than,

1, Getting off train with bags and luggage at Exeter,
2, Finding the coach and putting luggage on coach,
3, Bouncing around inside a Coach (with no Driver Safety devices) for about 1 hour,
4, Off loading from the Coach and finding luggage in bus hold,
5, Finding train in Plymouth,
6, Waiting for Depature Time at Plymouth (anything from 10-25 minutes).

That little lot is bad enough on a fine day but on a windy wet day!

Of Course 80% of Passengers Don't put themselves through all that, they DON'T Travel, well NOT by TRAIN!!!

It takes about 5 1/2 hours by Rail from Penzance to London Padd, but when Buses are used the journey time is up around the 7 hour mark.

It's bad News when Lines shut for engineering work, yet BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) used to use Single line working to keep trains running IN most cases.

Health & Safety is the Reason for MOST total line closure.

OK then: ANY H & S Reps like to explain WHY MORE DEATHS have occured SINCE Single line working at relaying sites has been outlawed.

Because H & S has produced a work area where it's presumed that the RISK has been removed.

Much better (for everyone) and SAFER on a worksite where engineers are Kept on the alert.

Of course H & S can't work around that it doesn't add up ON PAPER!

Isn't there a possession planned near Totnes utilising single line working in the near future?

[super tm]

They never run buses from Exeter. It takes too long.  They will run them from Tiverton Parkway as they always do.

Also I sorry to tell you that the journey time will be exactly the same as the train.  The quick access to the M5 from Tiverton means there will be no extented journey times.

[gaf71]

They never run buses from Exeter. It takes too long.  They will run them from Tiverton Parkway as they always do.

Also I sorry to tell you that the journey time will be exactly the same as the train.  The quick access to the M5 from Tiverton means there will be no extented journey times.

They run buses from Exeter for the intermediate stops. Not all services are HST^▸ (High Speed Train) you know!

[smokey]

I belive there is Single line working planned in the Totnes Area, would image the work to be done is on the Single Bore Marley Tunnels, so there is an alternative to using Buses.

[Naz Nomad]

Because of engineering work between Exeter and Plymouth passengers travelling to or from Plymouth from mid January to the end of March are warned to check journey times before travelling. 

At weekends the line between Exeter St David^s and Plymouth will be closed for engineering work as follows:

All day Saturday on January 17th, 24th and 31st
All day Sunday every weekend from January 18th until March 21st.

I have a question about this. The above mentions Sundays up til March 21st. But the 21st is a Saturday,which is the day I will be travelling back from St Austell to London,so are the trains going to be affected on this day? It mentions Saturdays,but only up to Jan 31st. Was the above copied and pasted from somewhere,or was that a typo by the poster?
My travel plan is as follows.:
Sunday 15th March - Night Riviera from Paddington to St Austell (arr Monday 16th morning) Will this train be affected?
Sat 21st March travel back to London(not sure which exact train yet,around 9am)

We will have 2 or 3 suitcases with us,and we don't really want to have to lug them onto a bus then back on the train again. I couldn't seem to find this info on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website,and the ticket booking system does not go that far ahead for me to do a sample journey.