Storm Isha may affect your journey in parts of England, Scotland and Wales on Sunday 21 and Monday 22 January

[yorkie]

Was due to travel today on the 17:10 service from Nottingham to London St Pancras. I decided to leave a very blustery Nottingham two hours earlier.

The journey has so far been uneventful, apart from being challenged by the train manager for not travelling on my booked train.

He claimed the ticket waiver only applied after 6pm. This is even though the guidance on the EMR website clearly states advance ticket restrictions are waived for all of today.

Storm Isha - Monday 22 January the speed restrictions have now been withdrawn | EMR

www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk

I'd put in a complaint; such behaviour really needs to be stopped these days.

Particularly as it's Northern*, it would surely be good PR to send you out a free return ticket in response to your taking their advice not to travel?

*Not meant as an insult, merely they're the only TOC I know of that do issue complimentary tickets on a "go anywhere" basis routinely.

If you don't travel at all, it's usually a refund from the point of purchase.

The complimentary tickets generally only apply where the customer did travel but was disrupted.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I understand from the conductor of our train that this is a nationwide restriction

Certainly applying to the WCML too.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Gridwatch is not actually showing exceptional wind power generation at the moment (15GW as against an all-time maximum of 17GW).
This might be because the centre of generation is in the North Sea rather than in the west/north of the UK, and may apply later.
We are also on roughly maximum import from Europe (6.7GW, more than everything else except gas 10GW).
Weekends are a bit different with a lower overall demand.
It makes up for a couple of weeks of feeble wind power generation, with a number of very quiet days from the high pressure.

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output

gridwatch.co.uk

 

[Falcon1200]

Typical British over reaction

This post is surely a wind-up?

But in case it is not, what do you, @Jamiescott1, think the railway should do when an amber weather warning is issued? Nothing, continue to run a full service (in effect, promising passengers they will all get to their destinations), only to have multiple trains become stranded due to flooding, trees on the line, overhead wires down, requiring rail staff to attend and evacuate passengers onto the track in the face of horrendous weather conditions (where I am, there are not just very strong winds but heavy rain too)? It is madness to send trains, passengers and traincrew out in the full knowledge that many of them have no chance whatsoever of completing their journeys, and will be put at risk.

 

[BwniCymraeg]

I've decided to strike while the iron's hot and pick up a citylink reservation to Edinburgh for my 9am seminar. Will need to leave the house at 0545 but I'm sure it's worth it...

 

[Bletchleyite]

Gridwatch is not actually showing exceptional wind power generation at the moment (15GW as against an all-time maximum of 17GW).
This might be because the centre of generation is in the North Sea rather than in the west/north of the UK, and may apply later.
We are also on roughly maximum import from Europe (6.7GW, more than everything else except gas 10GW).
Weekends are a bit different with a lower overall demand.
It makes up for a couple of weeks of feeble wind power generation, with a number of very quiet days from the high pressure.

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output

gridwatch.co.uk

May also be because it can be too windy for turbines to operate safely and they have to be stopped.

 

[800001]

May also be because it can be too windy for turbines to operate safely and they have to be stopped.

Anything in excess of 25 m/s (90 km/hr) is dangerous for the wind turbine so it opts to shut down.

 

[68000]

On this BBC News webpage there's a video that can be accessed via a thumbnail image titled "Storm Isha: Widespread warnings as system set to hit UK": https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-68036507

Apologies that I can't seem to link directly to this video and it may change. The video is presented by a weather forecaster, and starts and ends with a background image showing a (two track portal framed?) overhead electrified railway running alongside a concrete topped sea wall. Where is this location?

Thanks in advance!

Saltcoats

 

[Russel]

You've not worked on the railway have you?

Let's see how well your comment ages.

To be fair, he does have a point.

I work in road transport and other than taking a few minor precautions, we carry on as normal.

The railway does have a habit of getting it's self tied up in knots.

 

[Wivenswold]

May also be because it can be too windy for turbines to operate safely and they have to be stopped.

I'm surprised the tabloids haven't had a moan about "the wrong kind of wind" like they do when they deliberately act dumb to misinform the public.

 

[Willie Bee]

Particularly as it's Northern*, it would surely be good PR to send you out a free return ticket in response to your taking their advice not to travel?

*Not meant as an insult, merely they're the only TOC I know of that do issue complimentary tickets on a "go anywhere" basis routinely.

Thanks for the reply.
I have just emailed Northern stating that I am not travelling .. so hopefully I'll get a replacement ticket to Carlisle, or even better a 'go anywhere' ticket.
STAY SAFE EVERYBODY

 

[Wivenswold]

To be fair, he does have a point.

I work in road transport and other than taking a few minor precautions, we carry on as normal.

The railway does have a habit of getting it's self tied up in knots.

I don't think the two industries can be compared to be honest. Most of the issues with high winds on the railways are due to overhead wire problems and trees that have blocked the track. When a tree comes down across a road, you'll have a number of alternative routes, even for HGVs . There are fewer opportunities for diversions on the railway network thanks to Dr Beeching and privatisation.

 

[Future]

Just to confirm:
From 18:00hrs onwards a blanket Emergency Speed Restriction of 50mph applies to the ENTIRE National Rail network. This includes England, Scotland and Wales.
Network Rail Scotland have advised that NO trains are to run in Scotland from 19:00hrs onwards. All trains currently moving will finish their journey ASAP.

 

[68000]

To be fair, he does have a point.

I work in road transport and other than taking a few minor precautions, we carry on as normal.

The railway does have a habit of getting it's self tied up in knots.

The railway operates totally different to the road network. The road network tolerates over a thousand people being killed and tens of thousands injured every year

 

[800Travel]

If we follow the advice and defer travel to tomorrow, does this mean that we are also able to claim full delay relay?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Just to confirm:
From 18:00hrs onwards a blanket Emergency Speed Restriction of 50mph applies to the ENTIRE National Rail network. This includes England, Scotland and Wales.
Network Rail Scotland have advised that NO trains are to run in Scotland from 19:00hrs onwards. All trains currently moving will finish their journey ASAP.

What will be put in place to assist passengers and crews who may be stranded in the middle of nowhere (given how rural Scotland is)? Or are they at least running them to places where there are at least hotels?

Dumping people at e.g. Corrour would be quite serious and likely to result in fatalities.

 

[JamieL]

Just to confirm:
From 18:00hrs onwards a blanket Emergency Speed Restriction of 50mph applies to the ENTIRE National Rail network. This includes England, Scotland and Wales.
Network Rail Scotland have advised that NO trains are to run in Scotland from 19:00hrs onwards. All trains currently moving will finish their journey ASAP.

Amazed they are leaving that long. Since midday the weather has got progressively worse and it is now howling here in Argyll. Haven't seen it this bad for a long time.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If we follow the advice and defer travel to tomorrow, does this mean that we are also able to claim full delay relay?

Not if you elect to delay your journey, no.

 

[Rich1974]

No emails from my company re nationwide blanket speed restricts, only a few lines have been highlighted in our (GWR) Region so far.

 

[800001]

No emails from my company re nationwide blanket speed restricts, only a few lines have been highlighted in our (GWR) Region so far.

Same at LNER, and train in on is doing 125mph.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Same at LNER, and train in on is doing 125mph.

We ran as normal to Northampton and have now become a 50mph restricted all stations service instead of the originally planned semifast.

 

[800001]

We ran as normal to Northampton and have now become a 50mph restricted all stations service.

Avanti and certainly wcml had been planned to be 50mph i think since early evening (16:00ish).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Avanti and certainly wcml had been planned to be 50mph i think since early evening (16:00ish).

WMT's LNR branded website says 1800, and that's exactly what happened.

 

[Future]

What will be put in place to assist passengers and crews who may be stranded in the middle of nowhere (given how rural Scotland is)? Or are they at least running them to places where there are at least hotels?

Dumping people at e.g. Corrour would be quite serious and likely to result in fatalities.

As I understand it all trains that started their journey before 19:00hrs will be allowed to complete it where reasonably possible. In the case of remote stations I’d imagine ScotRail will provide hotels as per the NRCoT because no RRS is available.

 

[The Puddock]

What will be put in place to assist passengers and crews who may be stranded in the middle of nowhere (given how rural Scotland is)? Or are they at least running them to places where there are at least hotels?

Dumping people at e.g. Corrour would be quite serious and likely to result in fatalities.

Trains in Scotland that are already en route at 19:00 will run through to their destination (with the 40mph - as it is in Scotland - blanket speed restriction applied). No trains will be allowed to start a journey after 19:00. Contrary to your apparent belief, Network Rail Scotland isn't daft enough to dump people at Corrour, Rannoch or even Kildonan overnight in a storm.

 

[68000]

What will be put in place to assist passengers and crews who may be stranded in the middle of nowhere (given how rural Scotland is)? Or are they at least running them to places where there are at least hotels?

Dumping people at e.g. Corrour would be quite serious and likely to result in fatalities.

Journeys will finish to their destination. If somebody wants to get off at Corrour, that is their choice

 

[Bletchleyite]

Trains in Scotland that are already en route at 19:00 will run through to their destination (with the 40mph - as it is in Scotland - blanket speed restriction applied). No trains will be allowed to start a journey after 19:00. Contrary to your apparent belief, Network Rail Scotland isn't daft enough to dump people at Corrour, Rannoch or even Kildonan overnight in a storm.

That makes more sense than what the post I was replying to said

 

[Rich1974]

My company must be slow then as I haven't had an updated Late notice yet. Had 2 throughout the day the last being late morning and it just listed a few stretches of lines with 50mph restrictions on, unless they are doing broadcasts over the GSMR that is.

 

[cheekybifta]

To be fair, he does have a point.

I work in road transport and other than taking a few minor precautions, we carry on as normal.

The railway does have a habit of getting it's self tied up in knots.

There are fatalities on the roads every single day. Sadly this week's storms will likely result in some.

I think there's been one passenger fatality on the railways since Greyrigg in 2007, so I'm happy for them to stick with the "tied up it knots" approach.

 

[Future]

Just been advised that all service north of Crediton is suspended following earlier bridge collapse at Copplestone and the following just occurred:
Driver of 2E61 reports a number of obstructions on the Okehampton.
-Struck a branch at approx. 196mp
-Reports railings at Old Bow station appear to be falling towards the line at 187m 55ch
-Struck a large branch which is now stuck under the train at approx. 2miles Yeoford-side of Coleford Jn (~182mp)