Some FGW Trains may be more crowded than normal until further notice...

[whole diary]

[Ollie]

Be aware that due to a problem with a river bridge in the Feltham area trains between Reading and Paddington (HSS^▸ (High Speed Services)) and between Slough and Paddington (L&TV and HSS) may be busier than normal due to First Great Western accepting South West Trains tickets.

More info: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/sa1c9e4a1d1349548b8faaad06961215/details.html

[Mookiemoo]

Be aware that due to a problem with a river bridge in the Feltham area trains between Reading and Paddington (HSS^▸ (High Speed Services)) and between Slough and Paddington (L&TV and HSS) may be busier than normal due to First Great Western accepting South West Trains tickets.

More info: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/sa1c9e4a1d1349548b8faaad06961215/details.html

Twas rather cosy until I got off at Wokingham!

[Rogang]

..and this continues for all of this week at least. Officially, SWT^▸ (South West Trains) say they hope to 'bridge the gap' (sorry) between Feltham and Staines by next week, but I have a creditable sorce telling me this could go on for a further two weeks on top. Slough-Windsor will remain 3 car until further notice. Reading will be trying to suggest some SWT die-hards go via Basingstoke (FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have allowed this and the Guildford line on ticket acceptance) to relieve the pressure on Wokingham. SWT have not helped thoughh by changing the bus/rail plan again from tomorrow (forget Virginia Water; think Feltham!)

[Mookiemoo]

..and this continues for all of this week at least. Officially, SWT^▸ (South West Trains) say they hope to 'bridge the gap' (sorry) between Feltham and Staines by next week, but I have a creditable sorce telling me this could go on for a further two weeks on top. Slough-Windsor will remain 3 car until further notice. Reading will be trying to suggest some SWT die-hards go via Basingstoke (FGW^▸ (First Great Western) have allowed this and the Guildford line on ticket acceptance) to relieve the pressure on Wokingham. SWT have not helped thoughh by changing the bus/rail plan again from tomorrow (forget Virginia Water; think Feltham!)

How does allowing the Guilford line relieve pressure on Wokingham?

EVERYTHING goes through there - all it means is that passengers get the Turbos to Guildford rather than getting SWT?

[eightf48544]

Which River is invoved? Is it the Colne? The Thames Bridges are at Richmond, Staines and Datchet.

I've heard it suggested it might be a landslide whether it's associted with abridge i didn't hear..

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Richmond and Twickenham Times:

Floods cause travel chaos on train line to Waterloo

Commuters faced lengthy delays today after a railway bridge collapsed into a river following heavy rain.

Flood damage to the bridge over the river Crane, in Feltham, caused chaos on South West Trains (SWT^▸ (South West Trains)) services this morning. Part of the London Waterloo line was closed leaving thousands stranded or facing lengthy commutes on replacement bus services.

It follows torrential rain and high winds that battered London at the weekend. All South West Trains between Feltham and Waterloo have been cancelled.

Trains between Waterloo and Weybridge via Hounslow and Feltham, in both directions, were today being diverted via Wimbledon, and will not serve intermediate stations between Clapham Junction and Staines. Trains will only run between Staines and Weybridge from tomorrow, connecting with other services.

Those running from Waterloo to Waterloo, all the way around the Hounslow loop in both directions, will run as normal, meaning stations on this route - Hounslow, Isleworth, Syon Lane, Brentford, Kew Bridge, Chiswick and Barnes Bridge - will have only a half-hourly service.

A bus shuttle service will operate between Feltham and Twickenham, and passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to Feltham will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station.

Passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to Ashford or Staines will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station then to trains at Feltham.

Passengers travelling today from Hounslow loop stations to stations between Egham and Weybridge or Egham and Reading will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to route 235 at Isleworth station then to Windsor and Eton trains at Feltham, then to Weybridge or Reading trains at Staines.

From tomorrow, passengers travelling from Hounslow loop stations to those between Feltham and Reading or Feltham and Windsor will need to change to shuttle buses at Twickenham, or to bus route 235 at Isleworth station, then to these trains at Feltham.

Passengers for Chertsey, Addlestone and Weybridge will also need to travel by these services and change again at Staines.

Passengers from Hounslow loop stations or the central Hounslow area can also use bus route 117 to travel to Feltham and to Staines via Lower Feltham.

First Great Western trains will accept South West Trains tickets between London and Reading or Windsor.

London Buses will accept South West Trains tickets between Feltham, Osterley and Hounslow.

London Underground will accept South West Trains tickets between Osterley, Richmond and Central London, or any reasonable alternative route.

Passengers wishing to travel between Feltham and Waterloo have been advised to make alternative arrangements, with the recommended bus routes being H25, H26, 90, 285 or 490 to Hatton Cross underground station, then Piccadilly Line train to central London.

The disruption is expected to last at least until the end of the week.

The collapse of the 100-year-old bridge has sparked fears that passengers could have been in danger of potential disaster for months.

A walker said he had noticed a crack developing since a large tree fell across the river in the summer, causing a dam. Simon Butler, 49, of Cygnet Avenue, Feltham, was walking by the bridge this morning when he saw the damage. He said he was told by the engineers that the line could be out of action for up to three months - however on the platform at Staines, commuters were told over a loudspeaker that it would be four weeks.

He said: ^There^s engineers, the Environment Agency and all sorts of people down there. I^ve just been down there talking to some of the guys and they said it^s going to be out for three months. Christmas is going to be murder. It^s huge, all of one corner of the bridge has just collapsed into the river. From down on the river bank you can actually see a light up onto the track. I don^t think any trains were derailed, but just how it got discovered would be interesting.^

Mr Butler, who used to work on the railways, said it appeared as though the fast flowing river took out a bottom corner of the bridge, next to Hounslow Heath golf course, during heavy rain on Saturday night. He said a large tree fell across the river in the summer, and he later noticed a small crack developing on the bottom corner of the bridge during his regular walks near the river.

He said: ^It was 4ft wide at most, and now a whole section of the bridge has just dropped into the river. Apparently it happened on Saturday night when the rain and the river was at its busiest. When I was down there yesterday, bits were still falling out of it as we watched it, and the danger is there is more rain forecast.^

A spokesman for Network Rail said: ^The railway bridge over the river Crane on the southern edge of Hounslow Heath was damaged over the weekend after heavy rainfall caused the river to swell. Early indications suggest that the increased speed and turbulence of the river washed away some of the foundations of the 100-year-old bridge, damaging the main arch. Network Rail technicians and divers are on site to assess the structure and plans will be put in place to carry out repairs so the railway can be reopened as quickly as possible. No trains will be able to cross the bridge until the repairs have been carried out. Alternative travel arrangements have been put in place so passengers can continue to make their journeys.^

Full details of alternative travel arrangements are available at southwesttrains.co.uk.

[BBM]

This morning at Paddington I noticed an army of people with clipboards counting people alighting from arriving trains. I wonder if they're recording the extra passengers being carried by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) as a result of the Feltham bridge problems?

[super tm]

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

The frequency on the hammersmith and city will double to a train every 5 minutes.

[eightf48544]

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

The frequency on the hammersmith and city will double to a train every 5 minutes.

Definitely a case of the Chinese curse "may you live in interesting times".

Going through Padd yesterday 14 to 16 I did notice that both the sets of stairs are labled with an arrow pointing up on one side and a red no entry on the other the stair treads have green and red risers repectively, The bridge between 13/14 to 15/16 has a temporary tape barrier like they use for queues at airports dividing the footbridge.

Fortunately they've made the flow to 15/16 as the right hand side the down onto 16 which will be the main flow of passengers going East so that the main flow of passengers up the stairs will be on platform 15 side which will be the main flow.

Previously they had tried to make you go left so down to 15 and up from 16 which never seemed to make sense to me.


But the non Circle is going to be interesting missing out one corner. I always thought the corners were the point of the Circle!

[Mookiemoo]

circles do not have corners

[devon_metro]

The barriers on the overbridge where the path curves are going to be an absolute nightmare, also, where does one buy LU tickets when arriving? It used to be a nice walk down the steps into the LUL^▸ (London Underground Ltd) station.

[paul7575]

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

More correctly, it will no longer be possible to get a direct train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street, after the alterations to the Circle Line. It will still be possible to get a train and change at Edgware Rd, if pax go to the Praed St platforms.

Paul

[JayMac]

More likely in connection with the closure of the circle line from 13 December.  From that date it will no longer be possible to get a train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street.  All passengers for these stations will have to take the hammersmith and city line and a lot more passengers are expected to use the over bridge as a result.

More correctly, it will no longer be possible to get a direct train from the Paddington circle district line platforms to Baker Street, Kings Cross and Liverpool Street, after the alterations to the Circle Line. It will still be possible to get a train and change at Edgware Rd, if pax go to the Praed St platforms.

Paul

Or if you are so inclined you can go anticlockwise round the Circle Line from Praed St platform 1.

[Electric train]

Which River is invoved? Is it the Colne? The Thames Bridges are at Richmond, Staines and Datchet.

I've heard it suggested it might be a landslide whether it's associted with abridge i didn't hear..

Not sure exactly which stream or river but I have been told it is a culvert that sunk on Saturday, divers have been down to assess the damage rumors flying around are from "will be fixed this weekend" to "will take 3 weeks"  Nothing has been posted on the intra net as yet which surprises me

[paul7575]

It's the River Crane. Runs through a tunnel, previously a subway, some distance east of the station, and just west of the Royal Mail sorting office, which is at the end of the former marshalling yard site of outstanding natural er.. wasteground. (There are two river courses, one open and one buried).  Fairly easy to locate on multimap or similar.

Might have been some sort of scheme to increase the river's capacity, as it drains a fair old area, although Google doesn't show anything up.

One suggestion made elsewhere is that they might slew the tracks to the south, onto more solid support...

Paul