Storm Doris Thursday 23rd - Major disruption on some routes

[gimmea50anyday]

I never forget october 1987 as a roof tile crashed through my bedroom skylight window.

 

[al78]

87 dead in 1990
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burns'_Day_Storm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/25/newsid_3420000/3420797.stm

"The trail of destruction from the Isles of Scilly to Denmark left 100 people dead, 47 of them in the British Isles alone."

So 47 dead in the UK, the higher figures include other affected countries.

 

[Mordac]

Any updates on the Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch?

 

[PHILIPE]

Any updates on the Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch?

Nobody knows as has been pointed out already. Just keep an eye on the NRE website

 

[Mordac]

And a day afterwards the answer comes:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...-reopen-in-april-following-extensive-repairs#

Friday 24 Mar 2017
Conwy Valley Line set to reopen in April following damage caused by Storm Doris

Route:
Wales

The Conwy Valley line is expected to reopen in mid-April following weeks of extensive repair work needed as a result of damage caused by Storm Doris in February.

The line has remained closed since Thursday 23 February, when a tree fell on the line disturbing lineside vegetation on the rock face next to the railway at Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Following an aerial assessment, engineers have been busy working to fix the damage, scaling the rock face to remove the disturbed vegetation and unstable rock formations.

Due to the limited accessibility of the site, with a single track railway and no road access, engineers have been unable to use machinery typically used for similar repairs. A team of specialist geo-technical engineers have been clearing the vegetation and will then remove over 300 tonnes of rock from the rock face in the coming weeks to ensure the line is safe to reopen for passengers.

Chris Howchin, route programme manager for Network Rail Wales, said:

“We have faced some challenges during the repair work, including some extreme weather conditions and limited site access, however our team of specialist engineers have been working tirelessly to repair the storm damage.
“The safety of passengers and our workforce is our number one priority, and we’re working hard to repair the rock face and get the line reopened as soon as it is safe to do so. I would like to thank the local community for bearing with us whilst this essential work takes place.

“We are working closely with our partners, Arriva Trains Wales, to keep passengers moving .A rail replacement bus service will continue to be in operation until the line reopens.”

Arriva Trains Wales are operating a rail replacement bus service between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog whilst the repair work takes place. Passengers are reminded to check before they travel at: https://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/

 

[PHILIPE]

Well found. Mordac.

 

[185143]

Well found. Mordac.

Agreed-been planning a few trips to clear some of those shacks for a while now-just never got round to doing it. Good find!

 

[GCRS]

Strangely, the indicator on the platform at Glan Conwy has reverted today to showing departure times as if the trains were running, even though the bus replacement service is in place until the middle of next month. I assume it's the same with the other stations on the line.

 

[tsr]

Strangely, the indicator on the platform at Glan Conwy has reverted today to showing departure times as if the trains were running, even though the bus replacement service is in place until the middle of next month. I assume it's the same with the other stations on the line.

If I remember correctly, there are a few different ways of associating buses with rail services within CIS software - not sure if it applies on the ATW patch, but in some areas there are certainly ways of creating a bus journey as part of an onwards journey listed as part of calling patterns on CIS screens, and I believe that can end up copying over as a bus journey for the screens on the stations with no train service. This may, in this case, occur if the CIS for connecting train services has been set to show "change at [x] for connecting bus services to...".

It's not so bad if this appears on a summary list of departures, such as you find at larger stations, as it allows the word "Bus" to be clearly visible instead of a platform number, but it is confusing on the platform CIS screens if indicated where a train usually would be, and for this reason it's mostly deemed best to have alternative "placeholder" text with an explanation of the situation.

 

[Sox]

Strangely, the indicator on the platform at Glan Conwy has reverted today to showing departure times as if the trains were running, even though the bus replacement service is in place until the middle of next month. I assume it's the same with the other stations on the line.

Unaware of the line closure, I was walking past Tal-y-Cafn station on 29/03/17 and was studying the (fully "live") departure board only to notice the track was rusted over.

I think the crossing keeper was in residence also.

Courtesy to Philipe for directing me here.

 

[GCRS]

Any updates on the Blaenau Ffestiniog Branch?

Services are apparently starting again from tomorrow. I'll be glad to see them running again.

 

[snowball]

Press release with video

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...nwy-valley-line-following-storm-doris-damage/

Andy Thomas, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “I am delighted that the Conwy Valley line has reopened, once again connecting people, businesses and communities.

“Our team of specialist engineers have worked tirelessly to repair the storm damage and they have faced a number of unique challenges during the work, including some extreme weather conditions and limited site access.

“We have worked closely with our partners Arriva Trains Wales to keep customers moving while the repairs took place and we’d like to thank the local community for their patience during this time.”

Lynne Milligan, Customer Service Director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We’re delighted to be able to start providing our normal rail services for passengers on the Conwy Valley line again after what has been a very challenging time in the fallout from Storm Doris.

“Clearly this has been a very difficult period for both our regular and occasional travellers and we have worked hard with our partners at Network Rail to reduce the impact this has had.

“The damage done to the line was significant, whilst more than a dozen of our trains suffered damage so I would like to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding.”

The line was closed on Thursday 23 February after a tree and rocks fell on the railway between Llanrwst and Blaenau Ffestiniog.

A full engineering assessment of the area revealed the storm had caused more damage than originally thought, disturbing lineside vegetation on the rock face next to the railway and an extensive package of design and repair work had to be quickly prepared.

The site posed unique challenges, with difficult access, dense vegetation and steep rock faces. No road access and a single track railway meant engineers were unable to use machinery typically used for similar repairs.

Following an aerial assessment and careful deliberation, a team of specialist geo-technical engineers used small charges of explosives to remove the unstable and dangerous high level rock from the railway embankment. This was done in a stepped fashion to reduce the rock to manageable sizes.

Low level clearance could only be carried out once the high level work had been completed, due to the danger of falling material.

Engineers faced severe weather conditions, with high winds, rain, sleet and snow preventing safe access to the rock face at times during the repair work.

More than 300 tonnes of rock and debris was removed mechanically and with explosive charges to ensure the line was safe to reopen for passengers.