Pilning - the station, services, viability and closure of down platform - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Journey planners are showing Wales bound trains calling at Pilning on the 22nd and 29th October (the two Saturdays after the Severn Tunnel blockade) and the poster at the station - shown above - shows changes from 5th November.  So are there two more trains?

Yes.  Bridge removal not happening during the blockade. Your post includes the "From 5th November" poster that's up at Pilning. I didn't wonder "why" at the time, but it was recently confirmed that there are the trains calling towards Wales for a couple more Saturdays after the blockade.

[Kempis]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Radio Bristol covered the Pilning story on Emma Britton's breakfast programme on Monday.

Audio available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p045m19m -- advance clip to 38:05 for interviews with Olga Taylor of Save Pilning Station and Julian Burnell of Network Rail, and to 1:32:35 for a further contribution from another local resident.

There is a report on NotTheLastTrainFromPilning here: http://fosbr.org.uk/files/20160910_pilning_notlasttrain_blog.pdf.

And more photos on FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)'s Facebook page: http:www.facebook.com/FOSBR:

[grahame]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Radio Bristol covered the Pilning story on Emma Britton's breakfast programme on Monday.

Audio available here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p045m19m -- advance clip to 38:05 for interviews with Olga Taylor of Save Pilning Station and Julian Burnell of Network Rail, and to 1:32:35 for a further contribution from another local resident.

There is a report on NotTheLastTrainFromPilning here: http://fosbr.org.uk/files/20160910_pilning_notlasttrain_blog.pdf.

And more photos on FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways)'s Facebook page: http:www.facebook.com/FOSBR:

Many thanks for those links and pictures.   

As an update (or is that downdate?) removal of the footbridge has slipped back a few weeks in Network Rail's schedule, and the final train towards Cardiff probably calls on 29th October.  See http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C47762/2016/10/29/advanced . This is inline with Bobm's post earlier in this thread (sat month) which tells of alternative arrangements from 5th November.

[Kempis]

As an update (or is that downdate?) removal of the footbridge has slipped back a few weeks in Network Rail's schedule, and the final train towards Cardiff probably calls on 29th October.  See http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C47762/2016/10/29/advanced . This is inline with Bobm's post earlier in this thread (sat month) which tells of alternative arrangements from 5th November.

Thanks, grahame.

I think that's a change in plan -- when I was at Pilning, I saw one poster showing the new arrangements from 5 November, as shown earlier in the thread, and another poster showing replacement bus services in the interim.

Anyway, just as well the event was called NotTheLastTrain!

The local people did well to decorate the platform with English and Welsh flags, I thought.

[The Tall Controller]

It was a change it plan, but this was made around a month ago.

The other poster you saw is dated up to the end of the Severn Tunnel works (21 October) so its validity doesn't cover whatever is beyond it.

[Kempis]

So the actual last train to call at the northbound platform at Pilning is scheduled for today, leaving Temple Meads at 15.21 and arriving at Pilning at 15.40, with removal of the footbridge perhaps commencing later this weekend. We won't be there, but would be interested to hear any reports.

[Kempis]

Latest news is that the brick staircases of the footbridge have been demolished, with removal of the metal part scheduled for Saturday 5 November.



Inspired by last week's demonstration in Buckinghamshire of a new technique for bridge lifting (see below), campaigners are asking for the metal part of the bridge to be removed intact for future reinstatement.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/bridge-lift-to-increase-clearances.html

http://www.railengineer.uk/2016/08/19/planning-for-a-worlds-first-elevarch-masonry-arch-jacking-trial/

[Noggin]

Of course if you lift it, you have to provide new steps, so you are probably classed as new construction which has to meet modern regs and accessibility requirements.

Note also that the new safety rules relating to electrification also require parapets to be higher to keep people away from wires, so the bridge would probably require modification anyway. 

[JayMac]

Now that the down platform is closed, how are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) complying with their Service Level Commitment? That requires one call in each direction on Saturdays.

Have the got the necessary derogation to ignore the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment), or has it been amended? 

[Oxonhutch]

Maybe they will continue to call but for pick-up only!   

[ChrisB]

Or institute a bus replacement? That would count

[stuving]

Now that the down platform is closed, how are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) complying with their Service Level Commitment? That requires one call in each direction on Saturdays.

Have the got the necessary derogation to ignore the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment), or has it been amended? 

There are two Up trains now calling on Saturday; so would they say, if pressed, that you "just" need to change (at BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) or STJ^▸ (Severn Tunnel Junction railway station), presumably)? The timings kind of work in some cases, but not for all four directions.

[Kempis]

Of course if you lift it, you have to provide new steps, so you are probably classed as new construction which has to meet modern regs and accessibility requirements.

Perhaps -- though at Stapleton Road, where the footbridge also had to be raised to allow clearance for electrification, a new footbridge without ramps was installed. However, there is currently level access to both platforms there; I'm not sure how access will be provided to what will become the island platform after the four tracking.

Note also that the new safety rules relating to electrification also require parapets to be higher to keep people away from wires, so the bridge would probably require modification anyway.

Yes -- such parapets have recently been installed on the bridge carrying the railway path (on the old Midland line) over the railway near Lawrence Hill.

Now that the down platform is closed, how are GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) complying with their Service Level Commitment? That requires one call in each direction on Saturdays.

Have the got the necessary derogation to ignore the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment), or has it been amended?

As stuving has said, passengers have been advised to travel via Severn Tunnel Junction. There doesn't appear to be a formal easement in place, but I understand tickets to Pilning will be accepted without the need to pay an extra fare.

For the outward journey, one can still depart Pilning at 08.32 and arrive at Temple Meads at 08.53 as before.

For the return journey:

• Previously, one could depart Temple Meads at 15.21 and arrive at Pilning at 15.40.
• Now, one must depart Temple Meads at 12.21, change at Severn Tunnel Junction (arrive at 12.48 and depart at 13.25) and arrive at Pilning at 13.34 (an extra Pilning stop in the Bristol-bound direction has been provided on this train).

So a return journey is still possible, but with a double-back at STJ^▸ (Severn Tunnel Junction railway station) and a much shorter time in Bristol (or for journeys elsewhere). I don't know whether that is enough to ensure compliance with the SLC.

[JayMac]

Any questions to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) will probably be countered with ticket sale information.

I suspect they'd state that no one was making the return journey. With just 68 recorded journeys last year...

I'd just hope that the proper legal derogation of thr SLC has been obtained. Pilning may be a special case, but if a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) is allowed to vary SLC arbitrarily, this case could be the thin end of the wedge.

[ellendune]

Any questions to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on the SLC^▸ (Service Level Commitment) will probably be countered with ticket sale information.

I suspect they'd state that no one was making the return journey. With just 68 recorded journeys last year...

I'd just hope that the proper legal derogation of thr SLC has been obtained. Pilning may be a special case, but if a TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) is allowed to vary SLC arbitrarily, this case could be the thin end of the wedge.

Not really a case of GWR being allowed to vary SLC. Rather GWR being effectively forced to.