Mass disruption due to flooding - December 2012

[whole diary]

[Super Guard]

Well the predicted flooding has occured.  I assume it is Cowley Bridge again.

I notice the down sleeper is now over two hours late.  I assume the closure came early enough for it to be sent via Yeovil.  Perhaps the up sleeper went that way too.

Closure of the line couldn't really happen on a worse day what with the Christmas getaway (me included).

My Christmas wish?  Be nice to the staff out there - I'm sure they'll be doing their best!

Both sleepers went via Yeovil - they had enough warning during the day.  The up was 45 late, the down, sadly 165 late after the land-slide at Teignmouth (which also put the up 35 late earlier on in the evening.)

[macbrains]

In my view, FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s advice not to travel is hardly practical, given the date.

As stated on another thread, Miss Macbrains is (hopefully) travelling today from Truro to Cheltenham - today is the only day she could travel home.

Just had a txt from her - she's managed to get on the train from Truro to Plymouth, but

- the train is jammed full, being comprised of only two coaches - why?
- there will apparently be only two buses at Plymouth to forward passengers onwards, and FGW are quoting at least two hours delay there - why can't more buses have been provided, or at least on standby - this weather has been forecast for several days!

This is not acceptable.

rgds
macbrains

[phile]

Obviously being DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) worked so assume no HST^▸ (High Speed Train) available.    The provision of buses can depend on availability, something outside the Railway Industry control.

[JayMac]

A two coach train may have been all that was available. Better that than nothing at all.

It's Christmas. Coach and bus companies are already busy doing their own work. They don't have a strategic reserve of vehicles and staff to cover problems on the rail network.


I have taken FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) advice and decided not to travel today, that despite my journey not being further west than Taunton. Gathering with the family for Christmas was planned for later today or tomorrow. I'll now leave it until Monday. If I can't travel on Monday, then so be it. It's not essential to be with the family at Christmas, just desirable. Therefore my travel is not essential either.

[bobm]

I agree BNM very few things in life are essential and most instead fall into the desirable category.  It is increasingly looking like my trip to South Devon will be by road for at least part of the way.  It isn't vital I get there for Christmas, although certainly desirable as I have invested a large sum in a four course meal on Christmas Day for six people.  However given that the location is a restaurant overlooking a river that may not have been such a bright idea.... so again I might not be the only one to miss out if I don't get there. 

[chrisoates]

Obviously being DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) worked so assume no HST^▸ (High Speed Train) available.    The provision of buses can depend on availability, something outside the Railway Industry control.

And Crews - the 9:50 HST from PNZ was about 1h:15 late despite there being 4 HSTs at Long Rock - looked like they had to wait for the delayed Sleeper Crew to do the return working.

[Super Guard]

In my view, FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s advice not to travel is hardly practical, given the date.

- there will apparently be only two buses at Plymouth to forward passengers onwards, and FGW are quoting at least two hours delay there - why can't more buses have been provided, or at least on standby - this weather has been forecast for several days!

This is not acceptable.

rgds
macbrains

Why is it not practical?  Because it doesn't suit you?  If the motorways flooded and the Highways Agency said do not travel, would you be saying the same?

Mother Nature clearly doesn't give a toss about the date.  There is no magic source of buses available at a moments notice, we have sourced what road transport we can, but roads are flooding too.  Bus companies are not going to drop everything just because the railway clicks it fingers.

So many staff are doing their best to get people to their destinations, from those putting people on buses, people at stations, on trains and the control centre staff trying to keep a railway running.  The vast majority of the general public who have decided to travel have been very understanding and appreciative of the efforts and have been incredibly patient, but I am sorry I personally find your comments absolutely astounding and quite immature.

[TonyK]

I've just driven from Barnstaple to Bristol. Every river I crossed was a raging mass of angry water, with the Mole, Crooked Oak, and Exe having burst their banks, albeit onto flood plains where I was. All looked normal at Tiverton Parkway, and the signals were working. I saw a Cross Country train heading down at Highbridge, but with the amount of water that there is around, I was surprised to see even that. I've just seen Cowley Bridge on the news, with its new inflatable dams, something that will hopefully prevent damage on the scale of last time.

They say it's as bad as the Great Flood of a month ago.

[ellendune]

Picture of Cowley bridge inflatable dams at

http://www.thisisexeter.co.uk/story-17656490-detail/story.html?

[devon_metro]

Just hoping my drive home tomorrow will be without issue, thinking the motorways are a safer bet than crossing through Wiltshire and rural Somerset.

[John R]

As stated on another thread, Miss Macbrains is (hopefully) travelling today from Truro to Cheltenham - today is the only day she could travel home.
This is not acceptable.

rgds
macbrains

The only day? Really? According to my calendar there are another two days before Xmas.

Like Super Guard I find your comments somewhat immature. The sea of displaced passengers I experienced today at Temple Meads were resigned but generally understanding of the situation the railways are in, and the efforts being made by staff to get as many people to their destinations as possible.

[ellendune]

In my view, FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s advice not to travel is hardly practical, given the date.

As stated on another thread, Miss Macbrains is (hopefully) travelling today from Truro to Cheltenham - today is the only day she could travel home.

Just had a txt from her - she's managed to get on the train from Truro to Plymouth, but

- the train is jammed full, being comprised of only two coaches - why?
- there will apparently be only two buses at Plymouth to forward passengers onwards, and FGW are quoting at least two hours delay there - why can't more buses have been provided, or at least on standby - this weather has been forecast for several days!

This is not acceptable.

rgds
macbrains

I realise that this is a major failing of the clairvoyance department at FGW who, knowing how difficult it would be to get large numbers of coaches and drivers a couple of days before Christmas, should have foreseen this months ago so that they could have arranged with a number of bus companies in the necessary time to be ready to provide alternative transport at this just before Christmas.

What....  ....you mean that FGW do not employ a clairvoyant!   That is totally unacceptable, no self respecting transport organisation could be without one.   

Maybe I should put it in irony marks, but I do not know what they look like.

Seriously - that is why FGW are advising people not to travel on that route!  You cannot summon up that number of buses and drivers even in a couple of days just before Christmas.  And with so much of the South West affected some of the roads are not recommended either. If you do try and travel today, then expect it to be difficult and uncomfortable. 

[grahame]

Hey, folks ... there are times when we have to travel on a particular day / to be somewhere at a particular time.   We don't know the particulars of why Miss McBrains had to travel today, and we shouldn't approach the limit of what's acceptable in terms of getting personal on the forum when we don't know, nor should we pry by asking.  The journey to Cheltenham may be for Christmas with family ... or it could be for a hospital admission tomorrow. And I hope the critics would be comfortable with their criticism if that were the case!

[StuartStIves]

Good advice not to travel unless you have to.  However, there are some positives looking at Live Arrivals and Departures and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Journeycheck on the web:

- services are running between Plymouth and Exeter (despite NRE^‡(resolve) disruption pages saying lines closed Plymouth to Taunton)
- A few Penzance / Plymouth to/from Paddington services appear to be diverted via Honiton/Yeovil/Castle Cary offering some through trains without having to change.
- Unlike last time, Exeter to Waterloo route is still open
- Bristol - Taunton is shut, but you could take SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Exeter to Basingstoke and change there to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) services to Birmingham and the North (or the few FGW services diverted via Yeovil and change at Reading)

Worrying notice that North Devon and Looe branch lines may be closed until 29 December, which suggests damage must be very severe.  No bus replacements to Barnstaple possible either. 

[swrural]

Good points Stuart.  I don't know what rescued what now emerges as a temporary failure of the Yeovil to Exeter line, but clearly there was no washout as previously.  I can confirm that there was mass flooding of the Axe valley roads so it looks like the Chard to Axminster railway line stretch held up.