Great Western Coffee Shop

The main line in Devon is closed again this time due to a collapsed culvert which is causing a sinkhole to swallow up part of the line (currently 4 sleepers in size) in the Newton Abbot area.

Significant disruption expected.

Cancellations to services between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot
Due to urgent repairs to the track between Exeter St Davids and Newton Abbot all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
Customer Advice
Cross Country Trains and GWR have mutual tickets acceptance on Trains and Road Replacement Buses between Bristol and Penzance.
Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.

(https://flic.kr/p/PTAAZ7)

trying to share a picture bit flickr won't play ball

When did “sinkhole” become the all embracing term used by journalists for any underground fault such as the aforesaid collapsed culvert?

Is “collapsed culvert” too difficult to understand?

Paul

That'll be at least a weeks work to repair.

Culvert?

That's a dead end street isn't it?

Sadly I suspect the correct nomenclature is lost on those waiting in the rain for rail replacement buses.

However I do despair at the constant dumbing down of our language on the basis we apparently can no longer cope with long words.  There is a balance to be struck however.   I saw a leaf-busting train called a "seasonal mitigation service" the other day.

That'll be at least a weeks work to repair.

The "hole" is reported to be 20ft deep with more heavy rain in the area.

The "hole" is reported to be 20ft deep

Next to the estuary between Teignmouth and Newton Abbott, a collapsed culvert is in need of urgent repair preventing GWR and CrossCountry from operating train services between Exeter St David's and Newton Abbot for the rest of Sunday 14 October, with replacement road transport in operation.

Due to the location of the culvert, repairs can only be carried out whilst the tide is out.

How many of those will it take to fill the Albert Hall?*

*Mandatory "joke" #2.

How many of those will it take to fill the Albert Hall?*

*Mandatory "joke" #2.

Surely that should be "Olympic Swimming Pool" ?

Shame they don't know how to correctly spell one of their station names..... ::)

From JourneyCheck ;-

Cancellations to services between Liskeard and Looe.
 
Due to urgent repairs to the track between Liskeard and Looe the line is closed.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.


Customer Advice

The train that would normally be used to run this branch line is being used to run additional services between Newton Abbot and Truro because of urgent repairs to the main line following the collapse of a culvert beneath the track near Newton Abbot.

Further Information

An update will follow within the next 3 hours.

Last Updated:14/10/2018 17:16


Why oh why does conflicting information get put on JourneyCheck to confuse the already delayed passenger.

On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I am entertaining myself with an old bound copy of volume 77 of the Railway Magazine with an article on the 1935 government loan guarantee scheme for the four major railway companies to the tune of £30M - a not inconsiderable sum in today’s monies.

Two schemes proposed by the GWR, neither of which saw the light of day.  I wonder what became of them but I am sure that the Second World War finished them off.  They were as follows (quoting pages 413 & 459):

“[A] new branchline to Looe which will divert much of the traffic from the existing Liskard-Looe line, even if it does not result in the abandonment of the latter. The new branch to Looe is designed to leave the main West of England line about 1 3/4 miles west of St. Germans station at what is known as Trerule Foot. It will be about 7 miles long; will traverse the Hessenford Valley; and will probably have three intermediate stations at Hessenford, Seaton Beach (near Downderry), and Millendreth. A new terminus station will be built on the high ground at East Looe. The train service will be worked by streamlined diesel railcars to and from Plymouth where connections will be given with the main line services. The journey between Plymouth and Looe will occupy 35 min., representing a saving of about half-an-hour as compared with the existing route.”

and,

“The only other new line contemplated is a G.W.R. 8 1/2 mile double-track deviation between Dawlish Warren and Newton Abbot. It will pass under Haldon Down, north of the existing sea coast route, and will be used for trains to and from the Torquay line, Plymouth, and Cornwall, not requiring to serve Dawlish or Teignmouth.”

I can’t see why there was the pressing need for the former...

Updated.....Network Rail have been aware of the situation for 4 years.....question for them is why has nothing been done?

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon-news/real-reason-dawlish-mainline-closed-2108074

Just in case anybody is wondering what Code Black is: https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/travel-updates/our-disruption-plan/pidd-plan-gwrd-final.pdf

Disruption thresholds

To ensure that we provide appropriate support to our customers and colleagues, we have a number of thresholds for disruption based on how the service is operating.

Green the service is operating normally or with a minimal number of minor delays

Yellow there is moderate disruption but customers are able to continue their journeys, albeit with some delay

Red the service has (or is expected to) deteriorated to a level where customers are experiencing significant delay to their journeys and we are providing alternative transport, tickets can be accepted on other Train Operators services or we are diverting trains via alternative routes

Black we advise customers to avoid travelling as we cannot guarantee they will be able to reach their destination (an example of this could be a major flooding incident)

When disruption thresholds are triggered, we advise our colleagues via our internal messaging system.

Code black in place... unable to source adequate road vehicles for replacement. A do not travel advise has been put in place.

Just in case anybody is wondering what Code Black is: https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/travel-updates/our-disruption-plan/pidd-plan-gwrd-final.pdf

.......what about people already in transit?

Thanks Grahame.  I did attempt to copy that bit into my post but I couldn't get the colours to copy over.  Must be me then.....

You - PLEASE - keep giving me the clever bits about signalling and dynamic loops, and I'll do the colour stuff.  

If you quote my article, you'l see the tags

Because it’s not London.

And just possibly because, as it would have needed the line to be closed in any case, why not wait until nature does the preliminary demolition work for you?