Marlow branch line - engineering work, closures, incidents (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

So far the journey checker says

This train will be cancelled.
This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable.
Additional Information:
Replacement road transport is available

for the 08:35, 09:35, 10:35 Maidenhead Marlow and the 09:01, 10:01, 11:01 Marlow Maidenhead

[bobm]

Wasn't the 08:35 and return due to be a bus anyway because of engineering work?  With a bus already in place perhaps it was easier to cover the shortage of train crew by pulling the other ones rather than cancel another service elsewhere.

[Steve Bray]

And it wasn't jut the Marlow branch where there was a member of train crew unavailable.

2001 Cheltenham to Paddington; 2026 Weston super Mare to Paddington and the 1908 Gatwick to Reading trains all cancelled today for the same reason

[bobm]

Also an early afternoon service from Weston super Mare to Paddington because of an "operating incident" and the 16:30 Paddington to Cheltenham Spa cancelled because of crew shortage as well as the Crediton/Barnstaple shuttle.

[Chris from Nailsea]

There's also been a rather bizarre situation at Newton Abbot today, apparently. 

From First Great Western JourneyCheck:

Newton Abbot Facilities: Ticket Vending Machine problem At Newton Abbot station.
The ticket vending machines are out of order.
TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) currently unable to take credit card purchases - Please purchase tickets at ticket offices, where applicable, or ticket barriers or on-train where no other means of purchasing is available.
Message Received: 08/12/2012 07:31

Newton Abbot Facilities: Ticket Vending Machine problem At Newton Abbot station.
The ticket vending machines are only accepting cards.
Please purchase tickets at ticket offices, where applicable, or ticket barriers or on-train where no other means of purchasing is available.
Message Received: 07/12/2012 09:38

My highlighting, obviously. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Maidenhead Advertiser:

Bourne End railway bridge to get ^1m revamp



Work has started on a ^1m revamp of the historic Bourne End Railway Bridge. The structure over the River Thames, which runs from the village to Cookham, carries the Marlow Branch Line train service and provides a crossing point for walkers using the Thames Path.

Network Rail owns the bridge and has employed building contractor Osborne to undertake the project. The steel bridge requires minor structural changes and will also be given a new coat of protective paint. Bad weather had delayed the start of work which had been due to start in mid January. A team of 20 will now be working six days a week to make up time.

No date for the project to be completed has been given and estimates have ranged from the 'end of the summer' to the winter. Work will not affect the train service or walkers although boats will be restricted to passing through only one of the three spans at certain stages.

Osborne has consulted with the Environment Agency, Bucks County Council and The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. Noise control measures, including special acoustic curtains, will be used.

The bridge was first constructed in 1854 out of wood by Isambard Kingdom Brunel before being demolished and then reconstructed from steel in 1895.

[BBM]

A work colleague wants to travel from Cookham to Maidenhead in the afternoon of next Sunday (May 19th) but he can find no available train times. I've checked Realtimetrains.co.uk which is similarly blank for that day. I've searched in the service disruptions on Network Rail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) websites but although there is mention of engineering work that day affecting services between Reading and Paddington, there is no word specifically on anything affecting the Marlow branch. Is it correct that there'll be no service that day on the line?

[BandHcommuter]

A work colleague wants to travel from Cookham to Maidenhead in the afternoon of next Sunday (May 19th) but he can find no available train times. I've checked Realtimetrains.co.uk which is similarly blank for that day. I've searched in the service disruptions on Network Rail and FGW^▸ (First Great Western) websites but although there is mention of engineering work that day affecting services between Reading and Paddington, there is no word specifically on anything affecting the Marlow branch. Is it correct that there'll be no service that day on the line?

According to the printed timetable the Marlow branch is operated by replacement bus on Sundays until 16th June. http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/~/media/PDF/Timetables/May%202013%20timetable/GW13M_TT12_WEB.ashx

[bobm]

Sad to report there was a fatality on the Marlow Branch in the early hours of this morning.  Train involved was the last one of the night from Marlow to Maidenhead.  Driver reported hitting something at the Mill Lane crossing.  When staff went back to the scene they found a body.

It is the second incident at this crossing in 18 months.  The last one, in January 2012, was reported earlier in this thread - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=168.msg105168#msg105168

[JayMac]

From the Bucks Free Press:

A MAN from Marlow has died after being hit by a train late last night.

British Transport Police said the death of the 35 year-old is not being treated as suspicious.

First Great Western, which runs the service from Marlow train station, said it happened about 11.30pm during the last service of the day.

The company has expressed its condolences to the victim's family.

One train has been out of action as a result but services are running as normal today.

British Transport Police spokesman Simon Letouze said: ^BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) officers were called to the line close to Marlow station,  on Thursday, June 27 following a report of a man being struck by a train.

^The incident was reported to BTP at 12.15am and is currently being treated as non-suspicious.

^Medics from the South Central Ambulance Service also attended the incident, but a man, a 35-year-old from Marlow, was pronounced dead at the scene.

^A file will be prepared for the Coroner.^

Dan Panes, spokesman for First Great Western, said: ^Originally we didn't realise a person had been hit and the service continued through to Maidenhead. Our thoughts are with the person involved in the incident and the family and also very much with our driver. These services are going pretty fast, it's not something a driver can do anything about and when they're involved in these kind of incidents it can hit them hard.^

The driver will be given counselling.

The train, consisting of five cars, is out of service while police investigate.

I think Dan Panes could have chosen his words a bit more carefully. The end of his last quoted sentence is rather inappropriate given the circumstances. 

[bobm]

Problems with the signalling at Bourne End has led to the cancellation of the first few services between there and Marlow this morning. Also some disruption to trains back to Maidenhead.

Road transport has been put in place.

[DataMonkey83]

Late last year train describers were installed and commissioned on the Marlow branch line.  At Marlow you also get an automated announcement about 5 minutes before the train is scheduled to arrive and then leave.

Anybody had any experience on whether these just recite the timetable or reflect actual real-time train running?

[Electric train]

West Coast Railways 47237 light engine 0Q47 running 12 late at 08:40 on its return trip

untitled-7758.jpg by Richard1632, on Flickr

[autotank]

Interesting! Do we know why?

[autotank]

Looks like it visited the Henley branch as well.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R91594/2014/06/07/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R91595/2014/06/08/advanced

Shame as if I'd know I might have been tempted out to see it as the branch is 50 yards from my house!