Night Riviera Reductions: 24th Jan - 18th March (Dawlish works)

[Horizon22]

Not seen it posted yet but from the 24th January - 17th March, the GWR Night Riviera will not run Monday-Thursday whilst the DfT have approved additional access to keep strengthening the Dawlish Sea Wall.

Monday 24 January – Thursday 17 March​

Overnight engineering work every Monday to Thursday, Monday 24 January - Thursday 17 March, will see the line between Exeter St David and Teignmouth closed.

During these eight weeks, as part of its plans to improve the resilience of the line between Dawlish and Holcombe, Network Rail will be building a 209-metre extension to the existing rockfall shelter north of Parsons Tunnel.

We always work with Network Rail to minimise the impact of their work. Traditionally, this might mean reducing services at weekends. However, with fewer customers using this service at present due to Covid, carrying out the work during the week will cause less disruption.

Our Night Riviera Sleeper is extremely popular, providing an important link between London and Devon & Cornwall, and we are sorry for the disruption this vital work will cause. We look forward to its completion, when we can welcome back the world-famous Night Riviera Sleeper into full service.

Additional class 57 moves will run between Penzance (Long Rock) & Reading to keep up retention and ensure Reading isn't full. Sleeper knowledge for crew and rotation will be maintained by running the following trains:

• Monday - Thursday: Reading - Paddington - Bristol - Paddington - Reading as ECS
• Monday daytime: Reading - Long Rock
• Tuesday & Wednesday daytime - Long Rock - Exeter - Long Rock
• Friday daytime: Long Rock - Reading

 

[Bald Rick]

DfT approved the access? Interesting. That will raise a few eyebrows.

 

[Bletchleyite]

DfT approved the access? Interesting. That will raise a few eyebrows.

There's scarcely a better time for blockades in the Westcountry than the middle of winter when almost no business travel is going on.

 

[Bald Rick]

There's scarcely a better time for blockades in the Westcountry than the middle of winter when almost no business travel is going on.

Oh I quite agree. But since when did the DfT* take decisions on midweek night possessions ?

*strictly speaking the DfT doesn’t take decisions, the Secretary of State does. If so, some poor soul has had to write a paper to him explaining this, and, presumably, why he was being asked to decide on a frankly trivial matter.

 

[Horizon22]

Oh I quite agree. But since when did the DfT* take decisions on midweek night possessions ?

*strictly speaking the DfT doesn’t take decisions, the Secretary of State does. If so, some poor soul has had to write a paper to him explaining this, and, presumably, why he was being asked to decide on a frankly trivial matter.

Perhaps there's a political element as part of the sleeper being funded by Cornwall County Council? Therefore NR has had to request the disruptive access.

 

[Requeststop]

BBC Radio Cornwall discussion on the eight week closure.

Julie Skentelbery - Engineering works cancel Night Riviera Sleeper services - BBC Sounds

The popular Penzance to Paddington route faces 8 weeks of disruption

www.bbc.co.uk