Storm Frank: impact on West Coast and Highland Mainlines

[ScouserGirl]

The text is hideous beyond belief. It is serving only to confuse and baffle. Plenty of people have commented on their twitter feed that it also only deals with London, Birmingham and Glasgow really - no advice if you are traveling from the likes of Crewe, Preston. Milton Keynes etc.

During times of disruption like these someone needs to get these TOCs together and bang some heads. Clearly VT are being left high and dry by others with acceptance being removed pretty much all round on advance tickets. Ticket acceptance therfore is obviously a goodwill thing in these times....it really shouldn't be optional and a plan should be in place to a) protect the customer and b) auto compensate those TOCs who are forced to share some burden.

Virgin Trains Twitter feed can be appalling at times and like you I have noticed it's not giving advice if you are traveling from Crewe etc up to Glasgow, someone told me that Cross Country have started to remove ticket acceptance am not 100% sure how true this is but it wouldn't surprise me to be honest, I do feel sorry for people with advanced tickets as it seems to be proving do difficult for them to get where they are going, I have seen that VT do have very reduced service going on a diversionary route

 

[sprinterguy]

...someone told me that Cross Country have started to remove ticket acceptance am not 100% sure how true this is but it wouldn't surprise me to be honest, I do feel sorry for people with advanced tickets as it seems to be proving do difficult for them to get where they are going...

Crosscountry haven't been accepting Virgin West Coast advance tickets on their services with regard to this disruption since the 5th, although it has been poorly communicated, with Virgin in particular continuing to say otherwise.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Is the issue there East Coast, or are fTPE being as officious and inflexible as usual and refusing an easement on their own trains?

The issue is VTEC and XC who are refusing to accept other operator's Advance and TOC or route specific tickets via routes which they wouldn't normally be valid for. The exception being VTEC who will accept VWC tickets from London to Edinburgh only.

 

[najaB]

The issue is VTEC and XC who are refusing to accept other operator's Advance and TOC or route specific tickets via routes which they wouldn't normally be valid for.

Which is inconvenient for the passenger, but given that there are RRBs running, not entirely unreasonable as they would be struggling to carry their own passengers.

 

[QueensCurve]

I see NRE are using the more appropriate hashtag Lamington as opposed to the meaningless hashtag Lockerbie now !!

Clear concise and accurate information on the display screen at the entrance to Carlisle station on Tuesday.

 

[QueensCurve]

According to Radio Lancashire on 'traffic reports' before 7am this morning, there NO problems on the WCML !! Do they not look at Twitter ? @VirginTrains or the TPE feed (@NRE_FirstTPE) or by looking at service alterations on NRE website ? Do the TOCs and Network rail still issue press releases to the media ?

Id like to know what information Radio Cumbria is giving out about problems on WCML ! I will email Radio Lancashire as no one else seems to inform them !

yesterday (7/1) Radio Cumbria were giving valid information as per NRE.
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Have edited the original post for those offended by use of CRS codes.

Pardon my ignorance, but please decode "CRS".

 

[Bletchleyite]

Computer(ised?) Reservations System.

 

[QueensCurve]

Computer(ised?) Reservations System.

Many Thanks/Diolch yn Fawr.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
@Scotrail just tweeted:

https://t.co/NorxTb69XF

I am wondering about the engineering implications of the partial dam they have created.

Does this put additional pressure on the northernmost pier? If so, what might happen if there is a further flood?

 

[dcd]

Clear concise and accurate information on the display screen at the entrance to Carlisle station on Tuesday.

May be accurate but incomplete as there are trains from Carlisle to Glasgow via Kilmarnock by both Scotrail and Virgin. One could read the display and give up hope.

 

[reb0118]

Pardon my ignorance, but please decode "CRS".

I'm shocked that a man with your username does not know that CRS is the CRS for CRS.

 

[AndrewE]

I've just looked at the replacement Virgin WCML timetable
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stati...ay to Friday 11th to 29th January (4) (1).pdf
and somehow I was not surprised to see that you can connect off the Euston-Warrington-and stations to Carlisle into their bus to Edinburgh, but passengers going N from Crewe have their WCML train terminated at Preston, then have to wait 50 mins for the next Virgin train forward before taking the bus...
They really are trying hard to discourage the use of Crewe as a travel node, aren't they?

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Does this put additional pressure on the northernmost pier? If so, what might happen if there is a further flood?

No and nothing.

The dam arrangement would actually help the situation, the pier has been damaged because water has been impacting the pier at an angle (as you can see in the photograph, the bridge is on a bend in the river). The dam channels the water so it is at far less of an angle to the piers.

If it's judged to be an issue in future, it might be remedied by creating channels into which the water is directed, so flow is parallel to the piers bearing the load of the bridge.

 

[marks87]

The damage to the bridge at Lamington is more severe than first thought and a February 1st reopening is looking somewhat optimistic.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-35262669

 

[Zoidberg]

...the pier has been damaged because water has been impacting the pier at an angle (as you can see in the photograph, the bridge is on a bend in the river).

...

Thanks for that. I had been wondering if the damage had been caused simply by the impact of the flow of water, or if a sizeable piece of debris (e..g. a tree washed downstream) had hit the pier and caused the damage.

 

[najaB]

Thanks for that. I had been wondering if the damage had been caused simply by the impact of the flow of water, or if a sizeable piece of debris (e..g. a tree washed downstream) had hit the pier and caused the damage.

My understanding is that the flow of the water caused the foundation of the pier to be scoured away. That could have been as a result of eddies caused by large piece of debris, or it could just have been the volume of water was great enough to cause the eddy to form as the water tried to get around the bend in the river.

 

[Zoidberg]

My understanding is that the flow of the water caused the foundation of the pier to be scoured away. That could have been as a result of eddies caused by large piece of debris, or it could just have been the volume of water was great enough to cause the eddy to form as the water tried to get around the bend in the river.

Thanks. A reminder, if any were needed, of just how powerful and destructive flowing water can be.

 

[PHILIPE]

Unless I've missed a post, the TPE trains running to and from Lockerbie run to Beattock and back to crossover for their return.

 

[neilb62]

Thanks. A reminder, if any were needed, of just how powerful and destructive flowing water can be.

Starting to hear whispers of mid-March at work, but nothing certain...

 

[PHILIPE]

Mentioned another Forum the Tyne Valley Blockage could be a long job also. Already in NRE as closed until end of month.

 

[edwin_m]

Thanks. A reminder, if any were needed, of just how powerful and destructive flowing water can be.

This was the cause of the bridge collapse at Glanrhyd in the late 80s, when a DMU went into the river with the loss of several lives. The industry has taken it pretty seriously since then.

 

[sng7]

Network Rail Scotland on twitter (https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT) keep tweeting updates and have just said they are (still) aiming for a February 1st reopening which gives hope as they should have a better idea of whats needed by now

 

[Bletchleyite]

VT have now put some proper timetables on their website for the next week or so including the weekend. About time

Next thing, can we get them in the journey planner please?

FWIW, the mention of the East Coast easement has now been completely removed.

 

[marks87]

Starting to hear whispers of mid-March at work, but nothing certain...

Is the width of the river small enough for a single-span bridge?

If so, could a temporary bridge be built quicker than it would take to repair the existing one? Even if it meant single-line, no OHLE and a very low speed restriction, it would still be a faster route for the Voyager shuttles than via Dumfries.

 

[snowball]

Scottish Government press release:

http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Ministers-review-West-Coast-Mainline-recovery-works-2124.aspx

Transport Minister visits repair operation at vital viaduct on the West Coast Mainline.

Scottish Government Transport Minister Derek Mackay joined Network Rail managing director for Scotland Phil Verster and UK Government Rail Minister Clare Perry at Lamington today to see the ongoing operation to repair a vital viaduct on the West Coast Mainline.

Engineers are currently working around-the-clock to stabilise the structure after one of its stone piers was badly weakened by floodwater damage caused by Storm Frank.

Over 1,500ton of stone has been used to create a temporary dam across part of the River Clyde to allow engineers to access the base of the pier, where large sections of the original stone foundations have been washed away.

Over the weekend, engineers will pump around 150tons of quick-setting concrete into the void to recreate the pier base before beginning additional work to strengthen the structure and realign and repair the railway track above.

 

[najaB]

Is the width of the river small enough to for a single-span bridge?

I'd say no based on this picture. (Hopefully it will display correctly for those without G+ accounts.)

 

[edwin_m]

The bridge is quite possibly multi-span precisely so it can accommodate flooding outside the main channel.

 

[Zoidberg]

Starting to hear whispers of mid-March at work, but nothing certain...

Network Rail Scotland Tweeted just under an hour ago that 1st Feb is still the target.

There is also a pic in the link to the Tweet

https://mobile.twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/685511702167859200/photos

#Lamington Recovery work currently progressing to plan & we're targeting 1st Feb for reopening line for passengers

EDIT: Sorry, I missed the earlier post (#351) about this.

 

[amcluesent]

Further delay possible on West Coast Main Line repair

Engineers working to repair the West Coast Main Line have said damage to a crucial viaduct is more severe than they first thought.

An initial assessment led engineers to predict that the line could be back to normal operation by 1 February.

They have now said that a new timetable for repairs will not be issued until next week.

Virgin Trains will operate a regular hourly shuttle rail service between Glasgow and Carlisle via Dumfries from this weekend.

 

[Bletchleyite]

And snow causing replacement bus trouble...

 

[Chrism20]

And snow causing replacement bus trouble...

Yes the M74 wasn't too pretty when I came up that way at teatime from Lancashire.

Was originally booked on the train but arranged for the tickets to be cancelled and refunded and opted to drive down to my folks instead.

There was an accident around Moffat and the conditions over Beattock (as expected) weren't the best.

I passed a good few RRBs though so things were still moving albeit a bit slower.