Line Problem near Honeybourne on 31st January 2013.

[whole diary]

[CLPGMS]

Does anyone have any detail of how what was reported as a collapsed culvert under the track near Honeybourne (possibly on Campden Bank) affected train services and passengers?

I was caught up in what can be described as a degree of confusion, which, I suspect, resulted from Network Rail not making a clear decision one way or another that it was safe to reopen the line.

My train, the 1513 HFD^» (Hereford - next trains)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) was shown on the screen at Worcester FS as running to London Paddington.  However, I had been advised by a member of LM^▸ (London Midland - recent franchise) staff that the line was closed between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh.  The Train Manager announced that the train would not be going to London and requested passengers for London tio leave the train and catch a London Midland service and change in Birmingham.  Tickets would be accepted.

On arrival at Shrub Hill, the train was shown on the screen as only running to Evesham.  Passengers for stations beyond Evesham were requested to talk to a member of train staff, which I did, but was told to remain on the train as no road transport was available at Worcester.

When we got to Pershore, the Train Manager reported that the train would now be running through to Paddington, but the story had been changed by the time we got to Evesham, where it did terminate and returned ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) to Worcester.  Taxis were provided to take us to Moreton-in-Marsh where there should be a train for us (presumably the 1551 ex PAD which would have to terminate there).  At Moreton, no train was in sight, so we were put back into taxis which then ran through to Oxford.

From what I could tell:

The 1421 PAD-WOF terminated at MIM and returned to Oxford.

The 1551 PAD-WOS^» (Worcester Shrub Hill - next trains) terminated at Oxford - hence no train at MIM.

The 1715 DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains)-GMV was cancelled - the stock to form it (180106) was in the middle road at Shrub Hill.

The 1522 GMV-DID terminated at WOS (see above).

The 1728 WOF-PAD was cancelled.

The 1849 WOF-PAD was cancelled, even though the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) which had started as the 1513 ex HFD was back at Shrub Hill.

What arrangements were made for the 400 or so passengers from Oxford who wished to travel on the cancelled 1649 and 1732 departures.

What happened to passengers who planned to travel from Worcester FS at 1728 and 1849?

It appears that the 1722 PAD-HFD did run through and that the first up train was the 1944 GMV-PAD, formed by the Class 180 and started from Shrub Hill, according to JourneyCheck.

[Jason]

It appears that the 1722 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-HFD^» (Hereford - next trains) did run through and that the first up train was the 1944 GMV-PAD, formed by the Class 180 and started from Shrub Hill, according to JourneyCheck.

I got off the 1722 at RDG^‡(resolve) but the train manager made an announcement to the effect that it would run through. At PAD it was in doubt.

[ray951]

What arrangements were made for the 400 or so passengers from Oxford who wished to travel on the cancelled 1649 and 1732 departures.

The passengers on the 16:49 from Oxford were squeezed onto the 17:06 XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) service to Birmingham.

There were a lot of people on platform 1 at Oxford and I can't be certain they all got on the XC service as it was only a 4 car (3- standard, 1-first) Voyager and is already quite busy at that time of day. I am glad I wasn't on it.

[charles_uk]

Passengers for the 1649 from Oxford to stations to Evesham were told replacement road transport would be arranged. After being directed to and from the front of the station  a couple of times, we gathered behind platform 2 where there were about eight taxis waiting! I can't really say what happened much after that as five of us for Hanborough managed to get one of the available taxis. In the event I got to Hanborough station at about 1740, roughly when the halts train would have arrived.

There were a couple of passengers at Hanborough who were getting no help at all from the information point. The taxi provided by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that got us to Hanborough refused to take those two passengers back to Oxford - presumably because FGW had not made any arrangements to accommodate passengers wanting to get to Oxford.