LNER reduced service for Sunday 9th Feb

[Mallard60022]

Just seen the LNER reduced service timetable due to weather forecast for this Sunday. 50mph limit seemingly so it looks like it is going to be challenging.  Additional advice "Do Not Travel!"

Any other TOCS planning this?

Phil

Edited February 7, 2020 by Mallard60022

[4630]

I’ve seen messages that both West Midlands and London Northwestern railway are advising that an amended timetable will be in operation on 9th Feb in anticipation of Network Rail applying a speed restriction. 

 

Plus there’s this from Thameslink and Great Northern;

 

Thameslink and Great Northern are advising rail passengers not to travel on two of their key routes - between Peterborough and London, and Bedford and London - this Sunday, 9 February, because of Storm Ciara.

High winds of up to 80mph and heavy rain are forecast by the Met Office, increasing the risk of damage to overhead power lines and trees or other debris being blown on to the tracks.

As a safety precaution, and to reduce the chance of the overhead lines being damaged, Network Rail is set to impose a speed restriction of 50mph across the network on Sunday.

Thameslink and Great Northern will have to significantly reduce its service, and trains that do run will take longer due to the speed restrictions in force.

As well as advising passengers not to travel between Peterborough or Bedford and London, the route between Kings Lynn, Cambridge and London will also be heavily impacted.

 

 

 

 

 

[31A]

57 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

Just seen the LNER reduced service timetable due to weather forecast for this Sunday. 50mph limit seemingly so it looks like it is going to be challenging.  Additional advice "Do Not Travel!"

Any other TOCS planning this?

Phil

 

Not a day for heading towards Doncaster, then!

 

[bimble]

SWR are putting a 50mph restriction between 1100 and 1900 and recommending travelling on the Sat or Mon instead.

[John M Upton]

Southern have a 50mph restriction from 11:00 on Sunday and through into Monday.  Subject to review if the storm takes a different track than currently predicted though,

[Bernard Lamb]

If you do reach London you will also find that all the main parks are closed as a precaution..

Bernard

[ColinK]

Northern have cancelled all trains between Barrow and Carlisle along the Cumbrian coast.  While it might be inconvenient for some, it does make sense as the line is very exposed in places and rescuing passengers difficult.

[Metr0Land]

I believe Transport for Wales have stopped everything west of Swansea (incl Heart of Wales line), Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth/Pwllheli and North Wales coast line (Holyhead to Llandudno/Llandudno Junc) and also some unspecified Valley bits around Cardiff.  There was a bit on BBC Wales Today last night, but TfW site this morning has dire warnings about Ciara and 'Check Jouney Planner' rather than an at-a-glance map.

[The Stationmaster]

Affecting numerous operators -

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/241997.aspx

 

Looks like the 'normal' 50mph 'very bad weather' TROS will be applied all over the place as well - quite a sensible precaution although IMHO an even better one would be to get rid of a lot more lineside trees.

[RFS]

12 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Affecting numerous operators -

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/241997.aspx

 

Looks like the 'normal' 50mph 'very bad weather' TROS will be applied all over the place as well - quite a sensible precaution although IMHO an even better one would be to get rid of a lot more lineside trees.

 

I suspect It's not just lineside trees - it's garden sheds, trampolines and such like that can get blown onto the track causing all sorts of problems during high winds.

[John M Upton]

Builders Bags seem to be a popular flying hazard in recent times, wrap one of those around your shoegear or pantograph and you are going nowhere...

[caradoc]

53 minutes ago, RFS said:

 

I suspect It's not just lineside trees - it's garden sheds, trampolines and such like that can get blown onto the track causing all sorts of problems during high winds.

 

Indeed, and in one severe storm in Scotland a few years ago we had wooden garages blown onto the line as well !

 

[royaloak]

GWR have a blanket 50 from 12:00 to 18:00 Sunday pretty much everywhere from Paddington Westwards except Wales.

 

And from 06:00 Sunday to 0500 Monday-

West of Swindon and Castle Cary to pretty much everywhere in England.

 

They have also cancelled all diagrams so everything will be made up on the day giving maximum flexibility subject to which lines are affected or closed.

 

I have never seen such a restriction applied so they must be expecting the storm to have a massive impact but I am sure everyone travelling will only be doing so because its a life or death essential journey.

 

Edit-

The lack of info about Wales might be because I dont sign any routes in Wales and my late notices only cover routes I sign.

Edited February 8, 2020 by royaloak

[royaloak]

1 hour ago, The Stationmaster said:

Affecting numerous operators -

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/241997.aspx

 

Looks like the 'normal' 50mph 'very bad weather' TROS will be applied all over the place as well - quite a sensible precaution although IMHO an even better one would be to get rid of a lot more lineside trees.

A lot have been felled around the GWR network and more will no doubt follow so it is being dealt with but there is a lot of catching up to do.

[uax6]

I have to say I'm not looking forward to tomorrows shift.. Its not the rain, but the wind which will cause issues. The 30ft crossing gates here are almost impossible to control in 40mph winds, so it may get to a stage where it is actually dangerous to swing them... Getting police out to close the road off won't be easy either....

 

It will be a fully challenging day all round I think.

 

Andy G

[Ron Ron Ron]

Cross Country are running a much reduced service across their route network.

They have cancelled all services north of York, south of Reading and SW of Bristol.

There’s a skeleton service between Birmingham and Reading - just 6 trains northbound and 7 southbound in total, for the whole day.

Birmingham to Cardiff is also cancelled.

In order to provide resilience to the limited services running, all services that route through Birmingham New St. will be split and will terminate there, requiring a change of train for onward journeys.

 

Sod’s law, we have tickets to travel north from Southampton with XC tomorrow ( Sunday).

[Ian Hargrave]

13 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Affecting numerous operators -

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/241997.aspx

 

Looks like the 'normal' 50mph 'very bad weather' TROS will be applied all over the place as well - quite a sensible precaution although IMHO an even better one would be to get rid of a lot more lineside trees.

And just right now,sitting here looking at it,I ‘ve a few of my own to be jittery about.For the next twelve hours,fingers crossed.Good luck to our comrades in Doncaster or attempting to get there.It really isn’t fit to be out.

[The Stationmaster]

18 hours ago, royaloak said:

GWR have a blanket 50 from 12:00 to 18:00 Sunday pretty much everywhere from Paddington Westwards except Wales.

 

And from 06:00 Sunday to 0500 Monday-

West of Swindon and Castle Cary to pretty much everywhere in England.

 

They have also cancelled all diagrams so everything will be made up on the day giving maximum flexibility subject to which lines are affected or closed.

 

I have never seen such a restriction applied so they must be expecting the storm to have a massive impact but I am sure everyone travelling will only be doing so because its a life or death essential journey.

 

Edit-

The lack of info about Wales might be because I dont sign any routes in Wales and my late notices only cover routes I sign.

Things were running at or near normal speeds earlier today but i do wonder if there was 'a problem' somewhere east of Reading a while as there was a period of several hours with everything cancelled.  Some trains are now on the move, fortunately as daughter has to get to work in a hospital in Oxford this evening for her 13 hour night shift.

 

I reckon the last time a blanket 50 mph was put on was back in the 1980s when we had some very strong winds indeed in the Thames Valley with a lot of damage outside the railway.  I had to rush home because part of our roof had been damaged I think I was on the last eastbound HST to go through before the blanket TROS was put on but even then we were running at less than 100mph all the way.  N visible damage on the railway at that stage but. parts of Reading were like battlefield with huge sheets of cladding, and illuminated sign facades, off buildings blowing about like newspapers caught in the wind - truly frightening stuff.  Best thing about it was I beat many other folk to the builders' merchant so got enough tiles to do the job - although they were the wrong colour but taht didn't help as we had a night if quite heavy rain with flippin' hole in the roof.

[APOLLO]

Right mess WCML in the NWest. Nothing running north of Preston and even the emergency timetable shows nearly everything cancelled. A southbound so I read has brought wires down at Winsford and an evacuation currently on the way with the service behind it terminating at Warrington and used as a rescue train. Edinburgh Waverley closed due to overcrowding etc. (Scottish Newspaper). My daughter was going to return Wigan - Lancaster tonight but  nowt's running so we will see tomorrow - no real problem for her and at least she is not stranded like many poor souls this evening. The M6 southbound at preston is closed at the moment also.

 

Poor show I think in the up to date news department though - in this age of instant communication all the rail web sites seem next to useless. Yes its a very changing scene minute on minute, but the above info was gleaned on a Rail Forum site, backed up by real time info here , scroll to the right for Winsford

 

https://traksy.uk/live/M+22+ECCLES+4/M+48+MSGT+-15/M+27+INCE+-27+487Q

 

I'm not knocking the guys n gals out there doing there best in the severe weather we're having (and it WAS a severe wind nere in Wigan earlier today - lots of damage and some local flooding though others have it worse). We need better on line real time information,  Searches for such on Google are a joke.

 

Has anyone any info on whether such sites exist ? - If they do I can't seem to find them.

 

Brit15

 

[Alex TM]

Hi,

First, thanks to Apollo for that link; it's a site that's new to me.

 

Not long home from Edinburgh city centre.  According to staff the station is open to passengers travelling within Scotland; those wishing to travel to England and beyond are being asked to keep away for the reasons Apollo gave in the previous post.

 

So far we've been surprisingly lightly touched by the storm.

 

Regards,

 

Alex.

[Mallard60022]

It has been rough all day here at 36E. About 12.30 we had a violent squall with torrential rain that has caused local road flooding and standing water. Then about 15.00 the sky cleared for about an hour (Eye?) and then back came the winds but not quite such violent gusts and rain but not squalls. I hope all that were working today are safe and sound and it wasn't too challenging.

P

[woodenhead]

I had a look on Dawlish Cams this morning expecting really bad waves, it was choppy but not stormy and there was a 9 coach IEP passing like it was a summers day.

[The Stationmaster]

I agree with Apollo - trying to get information apart from the 'pre-printed'  general comments from some operators (which have been on the 'net for a day or two) is very difficult'. I've just delivered the daughter to Reading because if nothing else I did at least find on RTT a Birmingham train formed off stock in the platform at Reading which was therefore likely to run.  She boarded about 20 minutes before the train was dye to leave and it was already full and standing - not surprising with a Paddington - Oxford supposedly 30 minutes earlier cancelled with no explanation.  Next problem she might have is getting out to the hospital as there is a tree down in the Headington Road in Oxford but that might be cleared by the time she gets there.  Yes the 'net can tell me a road in Oxford is n blocked by a fallen tree but not why the GWML east of Reading was effectively shut for several hours earlier today and how well they're recovering from that.

 

I fully realise from past experience that life in a Control Office today will be like hell on earth but it's the sort of day when you get extra folk in, including all the senior ops managers, to help with communications if nothing else.  But of course NR don't do that - they just leave it all to the normal Control staff - shows just how much their senior ops management care about trying to deliver what they're supposed to deliver.

[APOLLO]

Yes, in Wigan around 2pm it went very sunny with hardly any wind and no clouds or rain for a couple of hours then built up around 4pm. now squally but as you say nowhere near as bad as this morning. Snow forecast tomorrow on the nearby hills. (snow - what's that ? !!).

 

Eye of the hurricane ? - I never thought I'd see one of those in sunny Wigan !!

 

Brit15

 

 

[The Stationmaster]

Just now, APOLLO said:

Yes, in Wigan around 2pm it went very sunny with hardly any wind and no clouds or rain for a couple of hours then built up around 4pm. now squally but as you say nowhere near as bad as this morning. Snow forecast tomorrow on the nearby hills. (snow - what's that ? !!).

 

Eye of the hurricane ? - I never thought I'd see one of those in sunny Wigan !!

 

Brit15

 

 

We seem to have had one here as well.  Lovely conditions when I took the daughter over to Reading - no rain and minimal wind.  on the way back I hit torrential rain, coming down like stair rods and the wind has got up again.

 

Earlier on we even had (un-forecast) thunder and lightning.