Weather disruption caused in 2014, and how to prevent it happening again - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[thetrout]

The weather status from the MET Office for the Wouth West over the next 48 hours looks and makes very grim reading...

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings/#?tab=warnings&map=Warnings&zoom=5&lon=-3.50&lat=55.50&fcTime=1391644800&regionName=sw

If conditions at Dawlish get worse, I can see Network Rail pulling out of all attempted repair work for the safety of staff. That won't please the public, but the possibilities of something going wrong and staff being injured or worse would cause even more (and rightly so) public outcry.

I think NR^» (Network Rail - home page) are going to be the villains here whatever happens...

Does anyone know what the ongoing status is for the South West? How many areas remain on Red and Black status??

[ChrisB]

There's another storm brewing for this weekend and a further one for Tuesday.

Until the barricade to protect the wall works can be installed, I can't see them doing very much at all other than surveys frankly. A 48 hour window isn't enough time to anything major.

So there may well be 6 weeks 'work', but it might take that long before they can actually start. Easter might be a sensible target, to allow the holidaymakers in?

[AMLAG]

Ah but could this time the difference be that the 'Political' sensitivity to the mounting Campaign against HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))  actually mean a beneficial Sop to the SW in the form of an alternative rail route to the now demonstrated and very obviously short life threatened coastal route?

[ChrisB]

I don't see any 'short-life' if the sea wall is rebuilt properly & defences also built properly.

But the council is going to have to accept that their beach there may well disappear.

[stuving]

When I saw the cross-section of the existing wall at the break, I was struck by how insubstantial it is - more like a garden retaining wall than a proper seawall. You wonder how it has lasted so long, even with a lot a repair and maintenance each year.

As for an emergency repair, my first thought was to get some big concrete blocks and plonk them on the flat wall (path) in front of the ex-embankment. "Big" would mean big enough to stay put by their own weight - I'd guess about 20 tons or so. However, I can't find any mention of that as a standard technique, and it may not be possible to find a combination of crane size and crane siting that provides strong enough ground and adequate reach - the access road in front of the houses looks to narrow and likely to collapse. Still, I can't help feeling that there must be a method that starts with a phone call to Ainscoughs.

[JayMac]

From a Network Rail press release:

Engineers working to shore up damaged railway at Dawlish as weekend storm approaches

Thursday 6 Feb 2014

Network Rail engineers are today starting work to try and prevent any further damage to the railway at Dawlish in Devon as another Atlantic storm system is forecast to hit the south-west of England on Saturday.

Around 80m of sea wall has been destroyed by high tides and stormy seas, causing a significant stretch of railway to collapse into the sea. The road adjacent to the railway and several houses have also been significantly damaged, along with damage at Dawlish station itself.

Network Rail has mobilised a range of specialist contractors, engineers and suppliers from across the country to help with the work needed at Dawlish and has also taken up the offer of discussions with the Ministry of Defence to see if there is any help which can be provided by armed forces personnel based in the south-west.

Initial estimates are that it will take at least six weeks to reopen the railway, but the immediate priority is to shore up the damaged section on Thursday and Friday using a concrete spraying machine which was until recently being used to refurbish Whiteball Tunnel in Somerset.

A period of calmer weather is predicted once the weekend^s storm system has passed, which will enable Network Rail and its partners to fully assess the damage and how long it will take to begin the task of rebuilding the railway.

Network Rail^s route managing director for the Western route, Patrick Hallgate, said: ^We absolutely understand the importance of the railway to the south west and will do everything we can to rebuild the railway at Dawlish as quickly and safely as we can.

^After a quieter night^s weather, we have been able to begin delivering machinery to our site compound with a view to protecting the exposed section of railway and the land behind it. We need to make sure we limit any further damage this weekend so that the significant repairs that are needed do not become greater still.

^We will continue working with the Government, Environment Agency, local authorities and other partners to explore ways of improving the railway^s resilience to extreme weather. The disruption to rail services in the south-west highlights the importance of that work and the need for all forms of transport to ensure that they are fit for the future.^

In addition, engineers are on site at a number of locations in the south west of England and are making repairs where the weather conditions permit. Services have resumed between Plymouth and Newton Abbot, but there will be no trains east of Newton Abbot to Exeter until the line is repaired at Dawlish.

Notes to editors

Further photos of the damage at Dawlish can be found here: bit.ly/LSxX2Q

Timeline:
Tuesday, 4 February ^ Weather forecasts predict a major storm off the coast of Devon and Cornwall. Network Rail marine buoys predict ^black^ storm conditions, with six-metre waves. This is the first ^black^ conditions predicted since the system was installed in 2007.

3.15pm ^ The line through Dawlish is closed to trains and staff withdrawn to safe locations.

Serious overtopping by waves is reported through the evening.

9pm onwards, damage reports received concerning both the railway and the adjoining land.

11pm-2.30am Inspections confirm extent of severe damage.

Wednesday, 5 February ^ Engineers on site at first light but unable to inspect the line due to contiuning storm conditions. Teams of engineers, contractors and suppliers mobilised and head to Dawlish. Work begins on site compound to store machinery to shore up damage, including spray-concrete equipment.

[bobm]

Seat reservations and all advance purchase tickets for journeys west of Taunton suspended until a revised timetable is drawn up.

Ticket restrictions for today and tomorrow for London to Exeter and beyond lifted.

Unused tickets dated for today also valid tomorrow.

[phile]

Looking ahead, the very real problem for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and Cross Country is what stock have they got trapped west of the sea wall and what effect will it have on the rest of the fleet which cannot access Laira depot for maintenance.  How much of their work can be done at FGW's other depots?

As I understand it most of the Cornish branchlines use stock based in Plymouth, Par or Penzance so should be relatively unaffected however the Paignton line uses stock from Exeter which is currently not an option.  Also I think Cornish DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) stock goes to Exeter for exams etc. from time to time.

As for HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) and Voyagers there could possibly be too many the wrong side of the seawall which might impact on services "up country".

All in all I expect some midnight oil is being burned by the train planning teams.

The Branches stock are not based at Plymouth (Laira, I presume you mean).  They are based at Exeter, work into Cornwall (on 06 29 Exter to Newquay), cycle round the Branches and return to Exeter on 21 25 Plymouth to Exeter (attd 150).   They visit Plymouth and also Long Rock for overnight servicing but not for maintenance.

[ellendune]

I don't see any 'short-life' if the sea wall is rebuilt properly & defences also built properly.

But the council is going to have to accept that their beach there may well disappear.

A larger beach may well be a part of the improved sea defences!.  Look at what they did at Lyme Regis.

As for an emergency repair, my first thought was to get some big concrete blocks and plonk them on the flat wall (path) in front of the ex-embankment. "Big" would mean big enough to stay put by their own weight - I'd guess about 20 tons or so. However, I can't find any mention of that as a standard technique, and it may not be possible to find a combination of crane size and crane siting that provides strong enough ground and adequate reach - the access road in front of the houses looks to narrow and likely to collapse. Still, I can't help feeling that there must be a method that starts with a phone call to Ainscoughs.

I think Gabions (large wire baskets filled with rocks) would be a more practical way of a quick repair.

[thetrout]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Three points that stood out to me from a skim read of the article. I am intentionally playing devils advocate here mind

Mr McLoughlin promised MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) a "rigorous review" of alternative rail routes in south-west England in the wake of the storm that destroyed parts of the railway line in Dawlish, Devon.

Oh, so you are having the review now a serious incident has happened...

But UKIP, which dismissed the extra spending as "far too little, far too late", called on the government to channel part of its foreign aid budget into helping those worst hit by the flooding.

It is urging the government to suspend payments from the ^11bn annual budget and divert them "on a month by month basis" to areas in most need of repairs to storm-damaged property, renewal of flood defences and restoration of transport links.

Completely agree with my emphasis in bold! Not the first time this has happened and now it's caught everyone by surprise. As I said in an earlier post. Hats off to all the rail staff, I don't think the words "difficult times" covers it.

David Cameron, who is chairing a Cobra emergency committee, insisted: "We're not just talking, we're acting."

Asked whether visiting flood-hit Somerset would be more useful than talking in London, the prime minister said: "It was because of Cobra that we got extra pumps down to Somerset. It was because of Cobra that I forced through the extra ^100m of funding.

"It's because of Cobra that the army is available to help in Somerset. If there's anything that they can do to help, they will do."

And he added: "Believe me, I will be in Somerset before long, listening to people directly."

Blowing your trumpet is all very well and good. But having meetings about getting work done is not always the best way to go about things. During those meetings who is doing the urgent work that needs to be done?

Last year I was asked to provide a report on why a server I manage failed, what happened, why it happened and who's fault it was. During this "discussion" I suggested that it would take me about 4 hours to produce the report to sufficient detail; But asked during the 4 hours it's taking me to do the report, who is fixing the server to resume it's service? The board of managers just looked at me and said nothing ... To which I bluntly said "Fix the problem, then find out who's fault was..." Needless to say, I was told to fix it and then do the report.

I suspect Mr Cameron hasn't been down to Somerset after the Environment Secretary got more than he bargained for from residents of Somerset for allegedly doing nothing and not learning lessons from last year.

All the above is cynical and intentionally devils advocate. I'm in the middle of something so needed to be brief. So open to corrections

[John R]

Blowing your trumpet is all very well and good. But having meetings about getting work done is not always the best way to go about things. During those meetings who is doing the urgent work that needs to be done?

So, how do you decide what work you're going to do unless you have some meetings?  The alternative is that David Cameron (or somebody else) decides alone without the benefit of specialist advisors, on the basis of a knee jerk reaction, and it's of no benefit whatsoever. Which I suspect is what happened with the deployment of army resource last week, which on arrival, found that it wasn't able to help.

[JayMac]

Army equipment wasn't needed on the Somerset Levels following initial recces and discussion with Somerset County Council, but they remained on standby. From yesterday a detachment of Royal Marines have been helping various agencies.

[broadgage]

When I saw the cross-section of the existing wall at the break, I was struck by how insubstantial it is - more like a garden retaining wall than a proper seawall. You wonder how it has lasted so long, even with a lot a repair and maintenance each year.

As for an emergency repair, my first thought was to get some big concrete blocks and plonk them on the flat wall (path) in front of the ex-embankment. "Big" would mean big enough to stay put by their own weight - I'd guess about 20 tons or so. However, I can't find any mention of that as a standard technique, and it may not be possible to find a combination of crane size and crane siting that provides strong enough ground and adequate reach - the access road in front of the houses looks to narrow and likely to collapse. Still, I can't help feeling that there must be a method that starts with a phone call to Ainscoughs.

One possibility is large hollow concrete structures such as the precast concrete rings used for constructing large sewers, drains, and culverts. These can  be placed in position by small cranes at low tide, or even by hand, each section weighing a few hundred Kilos. Once in place the structures can be filled with rubble and ready mix concrete. The rubble can be moved by hand, and the concrete pumped a considerable distance from the neaerest available sound parking place.

This approach has the merit that only relatively modest weights need be handled without concerns as to safe access and sound hardstanding for a large crane. The materials and equipment are all readily available from stock.

[Pb_devon]

Picking up the suggestions above on temporary protection, I will add my own opinion as someone associated with the Civils industry.  You will see what has happened to the permanent structures, so any impermanent (and relatively lightweight) methods are unlikely to survive the battering of more of the same weather.  What the engineers will want to avoid is making the situation worse and/or adding to the clear up problems, by having to recover pieces of the temporary works.  I see reports this morning of using spayed concrete on the exposed surfaces of the breach, probably to try & limit the scour effect.

[chuffed]

Spayed concrete ??  that's a new operation to me !