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Derailment Near Watford Junction due to landslip

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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I think it is 2K04, derailed in Watford Tunnel (slow line), by a land slip, on the basis of what is being announced to customers and looking at RTT.

 

There has been some sort of work going on over/around the northern portal of the tunnel, possibly grouting to stabilise the ground, for the past few weeks, and there has been very, very heavy rain in the past hour or two slightly further north (and, checking the Met Office site, there was a really heavy thunderstorm going on over Watford at the time).

 

The fast line is now open again - everything was brought to a stand on all roads when the incident happened.

 

K

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CovDriver

CovDriver

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The report is that 350264 + 350117 working 0619 Milton Keynes to Euston has hit an earthslip and derailed on approach to Watford Tunnel.

Reported that unit(s) have come to a stand within the tunnel and has come into contact with 0639 Euston - Birmingham (350233).

 

Damage sustained to 350233 but still on the rails.

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Bernard Lamb

Bernard Lamb

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The fast line is now open again - everything was brought to a stand on all roads when the incident happened.

 

K

For those who do not know the location the tunnel has separate bores for the fast and slow lines with a high bank between the two sets of tracks on the approach to the tunnel mouth. 

That set up might well have prevented this incident from being much more serious.

I am about 5 miles north west at the moment and it has been a night of repeated thunderstorms with very heavy rain.

Bernard

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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Thank the good lord that nobody was hurt.

 

About thirty year ago, I was on what amounted to the same train, on the slow line, but travelling at full line speed (75mph?), when it hit a BRUT trolley, on the barrow crossing at the south end of Hemel Hampstead. The train was derailed, but remained (sort of) upright, foul of the down slow road. The guard lost, and never found, his glasses, as he stuck his head out to see what was happening, but that was another "thank the good lord", with nobody hurt.

 

K

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jonny777

jonny777

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Looking at the Watford railcam, the services appear to be confined to the fast lines although at much reduced speeds; but the weather there looks atrocious.

 

Edited to add that 2Y59 appears to be the other slow line service involved, in addition to 2K04.

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Nearholmer

Nearholmer

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Yes, fast roads are open, with a TSR because the ground is very wet indeed. Met Office are saying that downpours are hitting 50mm/hour, which must be challenging the capacity of drainage.

 

There has been a lot of tree/brush clearance around the Watford cuttings and tunnels recently, as well as whatever is specifically being done at the slow line tunnel northern end, so my (purely amateur) reading of things is that there is a combination of pre-existing poor ground condition, and changed "rainwater arriving on the ground rate" (trees providing less buffer-storage), factored-in with downpours.

 

Neither of the trains is visible at the northern end of the tunnel, so they must both be some way inside, I think. As can be expected, lots of emergency services and engineering staff on the ground.

 

Kevin

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johnb

johnb

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Living few miles north of Watford it certainly has been chucking it down. My rain gauge showed 42mm at 0800 this morning, it's only  a cheapie so may not be all that accurate. Still raining pretty well at 0935. WCML which I can hear but not see seems pretty quiet, which isn't exactly a surprise!

 

LM website reports 'very basic service'

 

John

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jonny777

jonny777

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Yes, John, some less expensive rain gauges do under-read in heavy rain.

 

Looking at the 12 hour accumulated totals from the high res rain radar, the Watford area appears under the 60mm band, so you would not be incorrect in adding maybe 33% to your total.

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Arpster

Arpster

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It is very good news indeed that nobody was hurt in this. Hopefully the disruption won't last too long either.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is the kind of thing that I was talking about on the S&C Landslip thread yesterday. 50mm or 60mm/hr rainstorms can be considered extreme events, but they're expected to become more and more frequent because of climate change. These are the kind of changes that Network Rail are now trying to get their heads around and understand what the implications are for drainage and culverts. Often those are built for 'design storms' which are based on the observed climate over the last few decades. Unfortunately that observed climate is become less and less relevant...

Arp

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Silver Sidelines

Silver Sidelines

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Not just a Network Rail issue.  After Desmond last November I was involved with a number of slips of 'natural' ground which had blocked local roads in the Council.  Geotechnical processes are continuous.  Soil erosion and weathering of rocks are natural processes which don't stop with construction.  Higher rainfall will bring higher ground water levels and for the foreseeable future there will be an increase in the number of such incidents.

 

Ray

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Rugd1022

Rugd1022

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Looking at the photo of the slip it strikes me that the Driver of the 350 unit did very well to stop where he did. The approach to the tunnel on the Up Slow has a sharpish left then right 'kink' with a banner repeater and a main aspect signal just before entering the portal. As has been mentioned the outcome could easily have been much worse.

 

Just had a phone call from our roster clerk to say that the job I'm on later tonight which is booked along the Up Slow to Willesden may still run, so the Network Rail bods are obviously doing a good job in the circumstances.

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BR(S)

BR(S)

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I wouldn't criticise the driver, but what would he/she actually do in that situation, beyond hitting the brakes? Not being a train driver myself the skills involved are beyond me...

 

More what they do after the event.  Obviously brake as quickly as possible and then it's emergency call time via the GSM-R radio, and emergency protection if necessary after that (e.g. due to GSM-R failure).

Accurate reporting on some Twitter feeds as usual!: https://twitter.com/StevenEuesden/status/776721106350776320

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petethemole

petethemole

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Now I'm not a civil engineer or a soil scientist but I used to have to work out where to pile spoil near excavations with sloped sides, so I'm wondering whether the works shown here have increased the load on the top of the cutting side: http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/train-hits-landslide-and-derails-near-watford/ar-BBwdSNH?fullscreen=true#image=1

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Bruce Depot

Bruce Depot

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Getting the people out of the train(s) and out of the tunnel is only the first stage, with it being a long cutting either end thought might end up

being given to bringing a sprinter with a pilotman etc in and working back out to Kings Langley to drop the pass off. Would require ladders and staff so no simple

job etc.

 

getting the units moved in the tunnel will also not be a quick job I suspect.

 

Could have been so much worse mind.

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