Great Western Coffee Shop

All across the Great Western territory => The Wider Picture in the United Kingdom => Topic started by: grahame on December 28, 2015, 12:14:30



Title: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on December 28, 2015, 12:14:30
Dawlish is not the only sea wall that carries a railway ...

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/railway-between-dover-priory-and-folkestone-central-closed-after-damage-to-sea-wall?

Quote
Railway between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central closed after damage to sea wall

The railway between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central in Kent is currently closed following severe damage to a sea wall at Dover.

High tides damaged the sea wall that supports the railway near Dover Harbour and cracks on the wall were discovered on Christmas Eve.

Since then, the wall has deteriorated further with severe damage to a number of sections and there are a number of sink holes two or three metres deep along the length of the wall.

Major work will need to be carried out to repair the track and the sea wall will also need to be rebuilt. Engineers are on site carrying out a full assessment of the damage ^ only once this is complete can an estimate be made about when the railway will reopen.

I note that - unlike at Dawlish - alternative routes are available, with buses covering only the Folkestone Central to Dover Priory immediate section.  It makes for a very interesting contrast in how connectivity is maintained, and I see no sense of rush / panic / outrage in the announcement or other media as to the effect this breakage will have on the economy of Dover and East Kent.  An eloquent illustration, as if one were needed, of the prudence of having at least two rail routes to major ports and cities.


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: Bmblbzzz on December 28, 2015, 14:27:16
Yes. Though the people who count (as in make the decisions ultimately) would probably say there is more than one route to Exeter already ^ from London, and the area to the west is ultimately unimportant. Especially so if it's considering independence or autonomy in the long term!


This post may contain cynicism or traces of cynicism.


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on December 28, 2015, 15:57:19
We now have some timing estimates - from The Mirror (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/commuters-face-grim-new-year-7080849?)

Quote
Commuters are facing a grim start to the New Year after a train company announced a stretch of track ravaged by storms may be closed for up to two months.

Southeastern trains, which runs the route, has admitted the track, which is the only train route between the two Kent towns, may not reopen until the end of February.

Cracks on the wall were spotted by Southeastern trains on Christmas Eve and the company says that major repair work, including the rebuilding of the sea wall, will take a "significant amount of time".


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: Adelante_CCT on December 31, 2015, 19:55:04
Here be an alternative

http://www.dover-express.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276432/Article/images/28445584/11770036-large.jpg


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: JayMac on December 31, 2015, 22:30:46
The people of Folkestone and Dover are fortunate that travel wholly by rail to the rest of Great Britain is still possible with, admittedly some extension to journey times. For Dover and stations east of, there is one change onto High Speed services from Ramsgate. Or the pre-existing classic services to Charing Cross.

The folk of Devon and Cornwall were less fortunate. To get round their sea wall breach they had no choice but to use replacement road transport.

DAL now.


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on January 01, 2016, 00:51:59
The people of Folkestone and Dover are fortunate that travel wholly by rail to the rest of Great Britain is still possible with, admittedly some extension to journey times. ...

What we're seeing in Kent is comparable to either the seawall at Dawlish being washed out, or a collapse at Rattery tunnel, once an alternative line is (re)opened to Plymouth


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: ellendune on January 01, 2016, 10:00:53
The people of Folkestone and Dover are fortunate that travel wholly by rail to the rest of Great Britain is still possible with, admittedly some extension to journey times. ...

What we're seeing in Kent is comparable to either the seawall at Dawlish being washed out, or a collapse at Rattery tunnel, once an alternative line is (re)opened to Plymouth

The London Victoria trains still run from Dover with about the same journey time as routes via Folkestone so not really even the same as that


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: ChrisB on January 01, 2016, 10:11:18
Pre-HS1, maybe.

HS1 will run from Folkestone tomorrow. I suspect it will be quicker via the bus to Folkestone & HS1 than the Victoria trains. Even if changing to the (slow) Medway towns HS1 trains.


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: TaplowGreen on January 01, 2016, 15:14:27
The people of Folkestone and Dover are fortunate that travel wholly by rail to the rest of Great Britain is still possible with, admittedly some extension to journey times. For Dover and stations east of, there is one change onto High Speed services from Ramsgate. Or the pre-existing classic services to Charing Cross.

The folk of Devon and Cornwall were less fortunate. To get round their sea wall breach they had no choice but to use replacement road transport.

DAL now.
A nice idea but even if the money could be found for another route it'd take years. In the meantime, the idiocy of allowing Plymouth Airport to close is further highlighted.


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on February 16, 2016, 21:51:51
Dover rail line collapse: Repairs to take 'up to a year' ... BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-35589169)

Quote
Damage to a sea wall in Kent which is causing major disruption for rail passengers will take six to 12 months to repair, Network Rail has admitted.
Southeastern services were stopped between Folkestone and Dover Priory on 24 December after huge cracks appeared.
Network Rail said major work is needed to repair the track and the sea wall will also need to be rebuilt.
Its Chief Executive Mark Carne admitted on Tuesday six to 12 months was "the sort of timeframe we are looking at".
A bus replacement service is running between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central while repairs take place.

[continues]

We seem to have a spate of outages ... Appleby, Lamingon, Bleaneau Festniog ...


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: trainer on February 16, 2016, 22:48:55
We seem to have a spate of outages ... Appleby, Lamingon, Bleaneau Festniog ...

Lamington is due to re-open next week, I read, and the Bleaneau Ffestiniog line is rarely open for more than a few weeks at a time (probably a gross exaggeration, but that what it seems like).


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: Brusselier on April 05, 2016, 00:16:07
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/damaged-railway-to-be-fully-93714/ (http://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/damaged-railway-to-be-fully-93714/)

Quote
The damaged stretch of railway between Dover and Folkestone will re-open in mid-December with the ^44.5 million project needing a full re-build.
 
...
 
A new viaduct will need to be built before trains can run again due to rotting of the wooden viaduct that was placed there in the 1800s. 

A few pictures and audio from southeastern and Kent route manager


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on March 17, 2019, 19:57:39
We seem to have a spate of outages ... Appleby, Lamingon, Bleaneau Festniog ...

Lamington is due to re-open next week, I read, and the Bleaneau Ffestiniog line is rarely open for more than a few weeks at a time (probably a gross exaggeration, but that what it seems like).

Bleaneau Ffestiniog gone again ... http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/216433.aspx

Quote
Incident created: 17/03/2019 16:46
Last updated:  17/03/2019 19:04
Route affected: between Llandudno Junction / Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog
TOC(s) affected: Transport for Wales

Description

Flood water damaging the railway infrastructure between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog means trains are unable to run on this route until further notice. From Monday 18 March, buses will replace trains between these stations. The buses will be run by Llew Jones Coaches and will reflect the normal train timetable, subject to traffic conditions.

Additional information:

Network Rail have reported that, following the severe weather events during Friday 15 and Saturday 16 March, damage to the infrastructure in multiple locations along the Rheilffordd Dyffryn Conwy Valley Railway route means that significant repair work must be undertaken.

Full surveys of the whole route are ongoing today, Sunday 17 March. The line is expected to remain closed for several weeks. Once more accurate updates are received by Network Rail engineers, route disruption information will be updated to reflect a reopening date.

Customers with restricted mobility and bus accessibility restrictions [e.g. wheelchairs, mobility scooters] will be provided with special transport arrangements. We strongly advise that such customers contact Transport for Wales as far in advance of planned journeys as possible.



Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: ChrisB on March 18, 2019, 11:38:20
Can we get off-tropic posts into a different thread please?


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: grahame on March 18, 2019, 11:46:05
Can we get off-tropic posts into a different thread please?

It already is .... (quoted at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=21224.msg260625#msg260625 ).

I thought hard before posting on this thread in the first place ... off initial subject, but there was some B.F. stuff here and I wasn't sure whether members would welcome another thread.

Back on topic ... the Sea Wall in Kent.   Current status, anyone? ...


Title: Re: Sea Wall closed ... in Kent
Post by: Red Squirrel on March 18, 2019, 12:12:06
We seem to have a spate of outages ... Appleby, Lamingon, Bleaneau Festniog ...

It's almost as if... well, it's like...  it as though... the climate is in some sense changing!



This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net