How long does it take to fix?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Coming up for 24 hours .... and looks like a further 24 hours?

Cancellations to services between Reading and Newbury

Due to a tree blocking the railway between Reading and Newbury the line towards Reading is blocked.
Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled, delayed by up to 120 minutes or suspended between Theale and Reading West. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice

Limited replacement transport in operation between Newbury and Bedwyn in both directions.

Train services from Penzance, Plymouth, Exeter St David's and Taunton will divert between Westbury and Reading via Swindon, delaying services up to 30 minutes.

Train services from London Paddington to Taunton, Exeter St David's, Plymouth and Penzance will run through the affected area.
Reading buses jetBlack 1: Newbury (Wharf), Thatcham (Cropper Close), Midgham, Aldermaston, Theale (The Crown), Reading (Station) are conveying passengers via any reasonable route until further notice.

Further Information
An update will follow within the next 2 hours.
If you hold a valid single, return, or weekly ticket, you will be able to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes or more. Please keep your ticket and visit GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).com/DelayRepay
Last Updated:11/02/2020 03:20

What about Pewsey?  What about the TransWilts?    Service to be decimated again?    Maybe - but not important enough go get a mention here. We wait to see. "Update within 2 hours"

Does it take longer to fix the railway these days?  Have we got ourselves a "fair weather railway"?  Things will happen - but are railways more prone to damage these days, and prone to taking far, far longer to get up and running once there is a problem?  Even 5 years ago, would a tree falling on the line near Theale have taken days to remove and reopen the line?

[Timmer]

Looking very much like a ‘rinse and repeat’ day with many services cancelled, altered and shortened length trains.

[bobm]

The damage to the overhead has been fixed overnight such that the wires are now clear of any passing trains.  However they are not energised.  So services from the West of England should be able to run through on diesel but the Reading/Newbury service, which is largely in the hands of electric only 387s, is clearly confined to barracks.

[Thatcham Crossing]

but the Reading/Newbury service, which is largely in the hands of electric only 387s, is clearly confined to barracks.

Looks like there might be some Turbo's out running some sort of emergency timetable on the Reading-Newbury's.

Bedwyn's also look to be back in operation today.

Also heard on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Berks from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Rep that some long-distance trains will have extra Newbury stops inserted (presumbly to offset the effect of not having the new - since Dec TT change - 387's that run fast Newbury-Reading-Paddington hourly during the day).

[broadgage]

This reinforces my view that all new electric trains should have either a small diesel engine or a battery pack for use when the wires come down.
The ability to cover a few dozen miles at reduced performance would be most valuable and in this case would have allowed a near normal service.

And thinking back to other incidents, had the trains involved in the Lewisham stranding been so equipped, then they could have continued in normal service, since only a fairly small area was affected.

[IndustryInsider]

Agreed in most cases, although fairly recent amendments to the Rule Book do allow for 'Low Speed Coasting' (20mph max) and 'High Speed Coasting' (normal line speed) which can often mean electric trains can keep running though areas of damaged OHLE by lowering the pantograph and coasting.  Not suitable for every location, and presumably not this one for some reason, but better than it was before.

You can read more here (pages 43-48):  https://catalogues.rssb.co.uk/rgs/rulebooks/GERT8000-AC%20Iss%205.pdf

[ChrisB]

But how wuld drivers know when to lower & raise the pantograph?

I'm guessing in 'scheduled' areas, like Didcot on the way to Oxford, for example, a) drivers are trained where to lower/raise, and b) there are ground reminders?

Would drivers not need training in areas like this, where once the tree & any wires are tidied & removed, there would still be a requirement for driver knowledge/training?  New ground reminders can be quite easily placed, but otherwise?

And yes, Graham - now wires are up, you can expect fixes to downed trees to take far longer - not only does the tree(s) need removing, but then the wires do need fixing afterwards.

[IndustryInsider]

But how wuld drivers know when to lower & raise the pantograph?

I'm guessing in 'scheduled' areas, like Didcot on the way to Oxford, for example, a) drivers are trained where to lower/raise, and b) there are ground reminders?

Would drivers not need training in areas like this, where once the tree & any wires are tidied & removed, there would still be a requirement for driver knowledge/training?  New ground reminders can be quite easily placed, but otherwise?

Details are given in the link I provided, but basically lineside signage is provided in the case of 'High Speed Coasting' (though drivers will still be told of it in advance) and it is different signage to that used in permanent/semi-permanent traction changeover locations for bi-mode trains.  And in 'Low Speed Coasting' the train is brought to a stand by the signaller and verbal instructions given.

[Robin Summerhill]

Does it take longer to fix the railway these days?  Have we got ourselves a "fair weather railway"?  Things will happen - but are railways more prone to damage these days, and prone to taking far, far longer to get up and running once there is a problem?  Even 5 years ago, would a tree falling on the line near Theale have taken days to remove and reopen the line?

Two points to mention.

Firstly the railway relies much more uon technology these days than in years gone by. As someone has already pointed out, in many cases a fallen tree doesn't just involve sending out someone with a chainsaw, if the tree has brought the OHLE knitting down with it.

Secondly, the railway no longer has the armies of staff that they once did to deal with out of course events. With a PW^▸ (Permanent Way) gang every few miles they could be on the scene far quicker than if you have to send people in from half a region away'

[Bob_Blakey]

Possibly slightly off topic, but reading this I couldn't help but wonder what the 'people who are moaning about their train service being disrupted' / 'people who have campaigned against NR^» (Network Rail - home page) removing lineside trees' Venn Diagram would look like. 

[TaplowGreen]

Possibly slightly off topic, but reading this I couldn't help but wonder what the 'people who are moaning about their train service being disrupted' / 'people who have campaigned against NR^» (Network Rail - home page) removing lineside trees' Venn Diagram would look like. 

Actually I haven't heard that many people moaning about Sunday's disruption for that reason, I think there was a general understanding and acceptance that the storm was a natural phenomenon of a "once every few years" type, and in those circumstances exceptional things happen.

People get more annoyed about NR failing to maintain lineside vegetation when we get the annual "Leaves on the line" season - you don't have to hack down every tree in sight to mitigate that, just manage it properly instead of leaving it to grow over as a short sighted exercise in saving money.

Not everything is a zero sum game.

[broadgage]

IME^▸ (in my experience), most passengers expect and forgive disruption during truly extreme weather, when other transport is also disrupted. In this case the disruption was largely on a Sunday when expectations are lower.

What is less acceptable is frequent disruption in only moderately adverse weather during which motorways and airlines operate as normal.

[grahame]

IME^▸ (in my experience), most passengers expect and forgive disruption during truly extreme weather, when other transport is also disrupted. In this case the disruption was largely on a Sunday when expectations are lower.

What is less acceptable is frequent disruption in only moderately adverse weather during which motorways and airlines operate as normal.

Also the trains can take far longer to recover.  My Monday Melksham to Bristol journey made by bus - round trip around 220 minutes on the move, versus around 90 by train.  Buses running AOK ...

[a-driver]

What about Pewsey?  What about the TransWilts?    Service to be decimated again?   

From what I gather from former colleagues, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management took the Bristol to Taunton route off some Paddington drivers (and Plymouth as well). This means they can no longer be diverted via Bristol. 
With the wires damaged at Theale the only diversion option was via Melksham.  Very short sighted move by all accounts. A lot of drivers and even signallers totally baffled by the decision. 

[SandTEngineer]

What about Pewsey?  What about the TransWilts?    Service to be decimated again?   

From what I gather from former colleagues, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) management took the Bristol to Taunton route off some Paddington drivers (and Plymouth as well). This means they can no longer be diverted via Bristol. 
With the wires damaged at Theale the only diversion option was via Melksham.  Very short sighted move by all accounts. A lot of drivers and even signallers totally baffled by the decision. 

I noted on OTT^▸ (Open Train Times website) maps quite a few Up services reversing at Bathampton Junction to avoid congesting the Melksham line.  Not seen that done for a long (long) time.