Dougal2345
Member
- Joined
- 29 Oct 2009
- Messages
- 578
This is something of a 'sequel' to the thread No weekend trains Southampton to Bournemouth until 2nd November...
Then I was grumbling about engineering work closures for four consecutive weekends around Oct 2024.
That seemed like quite a lot of maintenance at the time, but as someone said, "Routine planned maintenance, happens almost every year, and almost every year someone posts a new thread about it."
However for "almost every year" perhaps we should substitute "every six months", as now the Southampton-Bournemouth line is going to be closed for (almost) another four consecutive weekends in April.
Full details here - and a summary, showing any closures of line between SOU & BMH here:
Sat 5 BCU-BMH
Sun 6 SOU-POO
Sat 12 open!
Sun 13 SOU-BMH
Sat 19 SOU-BMH
Sun 20 SOU-BMH
Sat 26 SOU-BMH
Sun 27 SOU-BMH
[added later for clarity - SOU=Southampton Cent., BMH=Bournemouth, POO=Poole, BCU=Brockenhurst]
(The Lymington branch also closed on those 7 days).
Still, I suppose we did get 5 months of uninterrupted weekend travel, bookended by month-long shutdowns? Well no, I don't think we did - I think 15-16 Feb was another such weekend, and there may have been others (I can't find 'historical engineering works' info. anywhere).
I'm sure I'll be told that the maintenance is essential, and I'm sure it is - but such a shame it has to disrupt quite so many weekends in a block like this, on such a long stretch of line - especially now the sun is shining and people's fancies might be lightly turning to thoughts of leisure train travel - only to see the RRB offerings and abandoning the thought, possibly forever.
Then I was grumbling about engineering work closures for four consecutive weekends around Oct 2024.
That seemed like quite a lot of maintenance at the time, but as someone said, "Routine planned maintenance, happens almost every year, and almost every year someone posts a new thread about it."
However for "almost every year" perhaps we should substitute "every six months", as now the Southampton-Bournemouth line is going to be closed for (almost) another four consecutive weekends in April.
Full details here - and a summary, showing any closures of line between SOU & BMH here:
Sat 5 BCU-BMH
Sun 6 SOU-POO
Sat 12 open!
Sun 13 SOU-BMH
Sat 19 SOU-BMH
Sun 20 SOU-BMH
Sat 26 SOU-BMH
Sun 27 SOU-BMH
[added later for clarity - SOU=Southampton Cent., BMH=Bournemouth, POO=Poole, BCU=Brockenhurst]
(The Lymington branch also closed on those 7 days).
Still, I suppose we did get 5 months of uninterrupted weekend travel, bookended by month-long shutdowns? Well no, I don't think we did - I think 15-16 Feb was another such weekend, and there may have been others (I can't find 'historical engineering works' info. anywhere).
I'm sure I'll be told that the maintenance is essential, and I'm sure it is - but such a shame it has to disrupt quite so many weekends in a block like this, on such a long stretch of line - especially now the sun is shining and people's fancies might be lightly turning to thoughts of leisure train travel - only to see the RRB offerings and abandoning the thought, possibly forever.
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