Great Western Coffee Shop

Journey by Journey => London to the West => Topic started by: Timmer on March 15, 2018, 09:21:53



Title: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: Timmer on March 15, 2018, 09:21:53
Not surprised to see this just appear on the GWR Twitter feed as there's been a lot of rain in the West Country over the past 24 hours:

Heavy rain has flooded the railway between Taunton and Exeter St Davids therefore all lines are closed until further notice. Replacement road transport is being sourced. Mutual ticket acceptance is in place with Crosscountry trains.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: SandTEngineer on March 15, 2018, 09:21:56
Here we go again.  Not sure exactly where the problem is:

Quote
Cancellations to services between Taunton and Exeter St Davids Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Taunton and Exeter St Davids all lines are closed.

Impact:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or terminated at Taunton and restarted from Exeter St Davids. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice:
Replacement road transport services are conveying passengers between Exeter St Davids and Taunton via Tiverton Parkway in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys. Crosscountry trains will be accepting GWR tickets.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: grahame on March 15, 2018, 09:27:15
I have merged these two topic started within seconds of each other!


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: JayMac on March 15, 2018, 09:30:57
Location of the flooding is Hele & Bradninch where the line crosses the River Culm floodplain.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: PhilWakely on March 15, 2018, 09:32:54
So, not only having to contend with extended journey times because of the Newbury blockade, but also because of flooding at Hele. I feel very sorry for anybody from Devon and Cornwall visiting the capital today.

To compound matters, there is flooding between Axminster and Crewkerne on the Mule, so diversions are not possible that way either.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: Timmer on March 15, 2018, 10:44:43
I have merged these two topic started within seconds of each other!
Wow so they were by 3 seconds!


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: grahame on March 15, 2018, 10:46:10
Mutual ticket acceptance is in place with Crosscountry trains.

At times I pull my hair out ... it really shouldn't be necessary for there to be major disruption for tickets to be accepted across operators ... and even where a ticket is train specific, if that train doesn't run / failed to connect the automatic fallback should be to a train operated by any company!    

Joe Public understands "this train only".   He understands "Any train at certain times of day".   He had more trouble with "Green ones or blue ones, but not grey ones or white ones, unless the white one has a crew in a green uniform running it".


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: grahame on March 15, 2018, 11:03:08
I have merged these two topic started within seconds of each other!
Wow so they were by 3 seconds!

We can cope - easily - with a post every 3 seconds, even if the Railcard site struggled to sell a railcard every 3 seconds (divide the number of cards sold by the time it took to sell out ...)


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: Fourbee on March 15, 2018, 11:04:28
At times I pull my hair out ... it really shouldn't be necessary for there to be major disruption for tickets to be accepted across operators ... and even where a ticket is train specific, if that train doesn't run / failed to connect the automatic fallback should be to a train operated by any company!    

e.g. "ticket acceptance has been arranged with SWR"

So... one bit of FirstGroup has talked to er, another bit of FirstGroup and some movement between internal pots might take place. Even though, ultimately, there is just one big pot.

Some users on the cotswold line might say they've no pot at all of course.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: stuving on March 15, 2018, 11:10:59
So, not only having to contend with extended journey times because of the Newbury blockade, but also because of flooding at Hele. I feel very sorry for anybody from Devon and Cornwall visiting the capital today.

To compound matters, there is flooding between Axminster and Crewkerne on the Mule, so diversions are not possible that way either.

SWR are now (10:50) saying this:
Quote
Due to a river flooding the railway earlier today between Axminster and Yeovil Junction:

What's Going On:
Train services running through these stations may be delayed by up to 10 minutes or revised. Disruption is expected until 15:00 15/03.

What We're Doing About It:
Water levels in a river that runs alongside the railway between Axminster and Yeovil Junction rose precariously high. As a result, trains were running at caution through this area, however the water level has now dropped and normal working has resumed. Please see https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/looking-after-the-railway/delays-explained/flooding/ for more information on how flooding affects rail services.

We may need to make short-notice changes to trains in order to manage delays. We may need to cancel your train or change where your train stops.

It only ever was short delays, no cancellations; we'll see if the threat really has gone away.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: TaplowGreen on March 15, 2018, 11:43:09
Very glad I drove down to Plymouth yesterday, absolutely no problem M5/A38 despite the monsoon warnings.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: JayMac on March 15, 2018, 12:00:18
Having been in Axminster this morning I can confirm that the river Axe is dropping. In the time it took me to wander round Pets at Home it dropped by about a foot. Mk 1 eyeball measure at the point where the Axe flows under the A358 at Weycroft Bridge. It's a little further up the line at Wadbrook, between Broom AHBC and Axe AHBC where the river threatened the rail overbridge.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: ChrisB on March 15, 2018, 12:10:45
"The line towards Exeter is due to open shortly" - @GWRHelp


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: grahame on March 15, 2018, 12:19:21
"There are minor disruptions on the GWR Network" - GWR front page, my bolding


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: bobm on March 15, 2018, 12:33:09
Single line working being introduced over the down line as water has dropped below the height of the rail on that side.


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: rogerpatenall on March 15, 2018, 14:51:19
Some things never change. At Prep school in the 1950s my start/end of term routine was Castle Cary- Taunton-ESD-Tiverton. Never any problems getting to Tiverton at the start of term, but at the end of term it seemed to always be a case of 'No Trains today - flooding at Stoke Canon' (or, on the rare occasion that Stoke Canon escaped, then Cadeleigh or Up Exe). At least in the latter case, Kingdom's coach took us through to St Davids. But if the main line was closed, I can see to this day the Headmaster's face as he said "Never mind, boys, we'll get you home tomorrow. . .maybe".


Title: Re: Flooding between Taunton and Exeter - 15 March 2018
Post by: ChrisB on March 15, 2018, 14:54:51
All lines are open again....



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