RMweb Premium Gary H Posted December 31, 2015 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 31, 2015 Just to add to the country's already increasing list of flood damage, Lamington viaduct south of Carstairs has now been damaged by flood water. A displaced beam and the deck has apparently dropped by 2 feet. https://twitter.com/NetworkRailGLC/status/682508357954068480?s=09 Track bed also washed away between Perth and Dalwhinnie. https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/682609714723602433?lang=en Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted January 1, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 1, 2016 With the amount that's happened over the last few days I'm wondering if Network Rail have enough engineers and contractors to fix it all. That viaduct on the WCML looks like a massive job to fix if the support has been undermined. Sort of thing that NR do in a weekend IF they've had months to plan and prepare. When it's a sudden job like this it'll take months! Hopefully they'll be able to patch it well enough that it can solider on long enough for a replacement to be planned and made. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouser Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 The bad weather is showing that our excellent Victorian infrastructure is not going to last for ever. I believe that we need to try and get our power brokers to start thinking long term, the way our ancestors thought. But I also think Liverpool might one day win the premier league, so no hope for me then! Happy new year, and may all our working people stay safe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan Posted January 1, 2016 Share Posted January 1, 2016 At the risk of upsetting the moderators, unfortunately I don't believe politicians are able to do this & the current lot in London are fixated on cutting taxes & dumping the resultant costs on "private enterprise" without considering the cost to ordinary people or the country in the medium or long term. To them 5 years is long term, to the Asians, that is short term. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 Not looking good for the WCML http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx Trains are currently unable to run on the West Coast Main Line between Glasgow / Edinburgh and Carlisle. This is because urgent repairs are required to a river bridge at Lamington, which is located between Motherwell and Lockerbie. There is currently no estimate for how long repairs will take as specialist divers are required to make an inspection on the structure, but are unable to do so until the river level has dropped. Disruption is expected to continue until at least Friday 8 January. Seems that TPE services are terminating at Lockerbie and Carlisle and bussing people, and Virgin are diverting using the wiggly line that runs up through Ayrshire and Dumfires, adding 90 minutes to the journey. Not sure if it's a drag or if they're using voyagers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Virgin are diverting using the wiggly line that runs up through Ayrshire and Dumfires, adding 90 minutes to the journey. Not sure if it's a drag or if they're using voyagers. For long distance travellers surely better than bus replacement Hope it's repaired soonish Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 Certainly better than busses. For those traveling to London they'd be better off going across to Edinburgh and getting the ECML. It would be marginally quicker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 I wonder when they will discover that there used to be another diversionary route that's just had the northern third reinstated. Jamie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sng7 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Unfortunately there seems to be OHLE problems on the ECML at the moment too..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Richard E Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 From the National Rail website: An overhead wire problem between Newcastle and Morpeth is causing delays of up to 70 minutes to journeys between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed. A very limited bus service is running between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed. Northern Rail services between Metro Centre and Morpeth are currently being delayed by up to 10 minutes. Virgin Trains East Coast passengers travelling between Edinburgh and Newcastle who are currently at Berwick-upon-Tweed are advised to return to Edinburgh and travel later today, when all lines have reopened. That implies that the ECML is effectively closed as well ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 2, 2016 At the risk of upsetting the moderators, unfortunately I don't believe politicians are able to do this & the current lot in London are fixated on cutting taxes & dumping the resultant costs on "private enterprise" without considering the cost to ordinary people or the country in the medium or long term. To them 5 years is long term, to the Asians, that is short term. So being wholly apolitical (or should that be 'even handed') that makes them no better than the lot that were in power prior to 2010 - during the time when replacement power stations should have been order to takeover from those which are now being closed. The simple fact is that virtually all politicos, of whatever colour or affiliation, are unable to see beyond the next election. The only influence that 'politics' plays in any of this - be it upgrading national infrastructure or indeed even pursuing logical policies in the best interest of the country - is that it is beyond the wit and ability of every sort of UK politicos and their hangers on. Oddly similar nonsense does not affect many other European countries - but we live in this one for our sins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grovenor Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Its nothing to do with the politicos anymore now is it! They sold off the CEGB to private interests specifically on the promise that the required investments would be easily accomplished by the private companies with no need to go cap in hand to the treasury. Thwere is no equivalent of Network Rail in the power supply business. Regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 ...the current lot in London are fixated on cutting taxes & dumping the resultant costs on "private enterprise" without considering the cost to ordinary people or the country in the medium or long term. To them 5 years is long term, to the Asians, that is short term. But this is in Scotland, so nothing to do with London, right? A brisk Sturgical Strike will sort it out in minutes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitalspark Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Not looking good for the WCML http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx Seems that TPE services are terminating at Lockerbie and Carlisle and bussing people, and Virgin are diverting using the wiggly line that runs up through Ayrshire and Dumfires, adding 90 minutes to the journey. Not sure if it's a drag or if they're using voyagers. Don't know why its adding 90mins as the Sou West route is only marginally longer and a 2 hr journey was the norm when Peaks ran it with the Thames Clyde…that would suggest that the direct line had a 30 min timing!.. As usual they are at it and probably want to discourage its use and convince the passengers its quicker to detrain and get on a b****y bus as it will be way cheaper for Virgin to provide buses rather than pay access charges for another route no doubt…you can see why there's a growing feeling that it is time that it was all one railway again. Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsforever Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Hope its sorted by end of Feb am off on my annual expedition to the north but if I get towed round via Dumfries wont complain but surely this will get priority by the Scottish government so as the link is reopened ,perhaps Nicola will kick arse ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gary H Posted January 2, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 Looks like remedial inspection work is under way-https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lamington?src=hash Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon Connell Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Not looking good for the WCML http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx Seems that TPE services are terminating at Lockerbie and Carlisle and bussing people, and Virgin are diverting using the wiggly line that runs up through Ayrshire and Dumfires, adding 90 minutes to the journey. Not sure if it's a drag or if they're using voyagers. Well I did this journey this morning. Two Voyagers over the old Sou-West route and it took two hours, so 45 minutes, more or less, on top of the Carstairs route. Hadn't gone that way for years so I actually quite enjoyed it. After rejoining the WCML, and changing to a Pendolino at Carlisle, there was some occasional slow running through Cumbria to allow for flood damage and I don't know if that might also have been true on the Sou-West as this was closed by flooding on the 31st. Gordon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caradoc Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Don't know why its adding 90mins as the Sou West route is only marginally longer and a 2 hr journey was the norm when Peaks ran it with the Thames Clyde…that would suggest that the direct line had a 30 min timing!.. As usual they are at it and probably want to discourage its use and convince the passengers its quicker to detrain and get on a b****y bus as it will be way cheaper for Virgin to provide buses rather than pay access charges for another route no doubt…you can see why there's a growing feeling that it is time that it was all one railway again. Dave. The WCML is a 125mph electrified railway equipped for tilting trains whereas the GSW is not. The normal expectation is an additional 60 minutes minimum to divert via the GSW vice the WCML, plus there is a need to change at Carlisle; Through trains beyond Carlisle cannot operate due to lack of diesel trains. This is also a factor the limiting the frequency of the diverted service, along with the perennial issue of Traincrews with route knowledge. Far from discouraging passengers Virgin Trains and Network Rail are doing their utmost to provide a service. Other Operators are assisting, with mutual ticket acceptance agreed and Transpennine running additional trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle. But hey, why miss the chance to do down the railway on the basis of incorrect and incomplete information. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Wouldn't the Virgin 57 fleet have come in handy about now, dragging Pendolinos between Carlisle and Glasgow? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium nightstar.train Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 Virgin's fleet utilisation is so high that I don't think it'd make a difference. They simply don't have any spare trains to allow long unplanned diversions. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted January 2, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 2, 2016 The WCML is a 125mph electrified railway equipped for tilting trains whereas the GSW is not. The normal expectation is an additional 60 minutes minimum to divert via the GSW vice the WCML, plus there is a need to change at Carlisle; Through trains beyond Carlisle cannot operate due to lack of diesel trains. This is also a factor the limiting the frequency of the diverted service, along with the perennial issue of Traincrews with route knowledge. Far from discouraging passengers Virgin Trains and Network Rail are doing their utmost to provide a service. Other Operators are assisting, with mutual ticket acceptance agreed and Transpennine running additional trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle. But hey, why miss the chance to do down the railway on the basis of incorrect and incomplete information. Quite - something that more than a few on here are guilty of on occasion. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 With the amount that's happened over the last few days I'm wondering if Network Rail have enough engineers and contractors to fix it all. That viaduct on the WCML looks like a massive job to fix if the support has been undermined. Sort of thing that NR do in a weekend IF they've had months to plan and prepare. When it's a sudden job like this it'll take months! Hopefully they'll be able to patch it well enough that it can solider on long enough for a replacement to be planned and made. If there's a Scottish equivalent to Captain Kernow (Captain Caledonia?) I'm sure NR will have it sorted out faster than we might expect. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 Virgin's fleet utilisation is so high that I don't think it'd make a difference. They simply don't have any spare trains to allow long unplanned diversions. Then let them work to an amended timetable, I can't image a huge amount of VWC journeys begin and end in Carlisle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Wouldn't the Virgin 57 fleet have come in handy about now, dragging Pendolinos between Carlisle and Glasgow? I imagine they would be quite a bit slower than the Voyagers. Then let them work to an amended timetable, I can't image a huge amount of VWC journeys begin and end in Carlisle. But quite a lot begin and end in Manchester, Birmingham, London etc. All of which would be affected more severely if Pendolinos were borrowed for drags. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sng7 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Bad news from @NetworkRailSCOT on twitter: #Lamington The Viaduct is to remain closed until end of January. Significant damage caused by #StormFrank likely to take a month to repair Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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