Floods across the GWR network, 4th December

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

Today's rain... high impact at several locations? Long distance, both routes to Devon cut, stranding passengers. On a smaller scale, a tweet from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) indicates that the Severn Beach line is drowned at Clifton Down, can't recall if that's happened in the past. Thoughts with everyone coping with this.

Mark

[bradshaw]

The rain bearing front was virtually stationary for much of the day, other than some degree of rotation. Crewkerne had up to 90mm, the NCI station at Burton Bradstock recorded 40mm by 7pm.
We tried to get to Yeovil using the A3066/A30 but eventually gave up, having had to turn back twice at Haselbury Plucknett!

[Timmer]

For the record:

Cancellations to services between London Paddington and Plymouth via Taunton
 
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Exeter St Davids and Castle Cary all lines are blocked. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Train services between London Paddington and Plymouth via Taunton and Exeter St Davids may be cancelled, delayed or revised.

Customer Advice
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.
-
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway on this route, and on the alternative routes on the railway network, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is advising customers not to travel in this area.
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Network Rail has advised that the lines between Castle Cary and Taunton are flooded and therefore we are unable to run trains on that route.
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Some long distance GWR services between London Paddington and the West Country were diverted on an alternative route via Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton, however that route is now also flooded.
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We currently have no indication of when either of these lines will be able to be reopened and we're having great difficulty obtaining rail replacement road transport today.
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Passengers from London Paddington and Reading are advised to travel to Basingstoke and then change there for SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) services to Exeter St Davids via the West of England route.

South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids via Salisbury in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.

Cancellations to services between Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids
 
Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Bristol Temple Meads and Exeter St Davids all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
-
We apologise for the disruption to your journey today.

Due to flooding of the railway all lines between Bristol Temple Meads and Taunton are blocked. We currently have no indication of when the lines will be able to be reopened. Our customer advice is not to travel.

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As an alternative we do have the following local bus ticket acceptance agreements in place until further notice to help customers try and complete their journeys: With First buses Bristol, Bath and the West routes: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,19/19A,39/X39,42,43,44,45,Y1,Y6,48,48A,49,70,72,73,75,76,349,D1,D2,X1,X5 & X9 are accepting GWR rail customers until further notice.

Alterations to services between Bristol Parkway and Swindon

Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Bristol Parkway and Swindon all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations will be delayed by up to 20 minutes or diverted. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

[Timmer]

I’m not sure why GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) is advising those needing to travel to the South West to travel to Basingstoke to pick up a SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) service down to Exeter. SWR have got problems of their own:

Cancellations to services between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction

Due to heavy rain flooding the railway between Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction all lines are blocked.

What's Going On:
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

What We're Doing About It:
Due to flooding in the Crewkerne area we are advising customers not to travel between Salisbury and Exeter St Davids. Disruption is expected to last until the end of the day.
The line through Crewkerne has been closed again. This is because of damage caused by flooding to a tunnel in the area.

Rail replacement bus services running between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction are running but are subject to delays and short notice changes owing to flooding on roads between these stations.

So it looks like all three routes to the Southwest are closed due to flooding.

Weather in this part of the world has been absolutely awful today causing trouble for travel by both road and rail.

[JayMac]

The rail replacement buses running between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction have also experienced cancellations and re-routeing due to flooding of roads.

Here in Templecombe the local bus service was also disrupted today. I had travel plans that had to be abandoned. There was effectively no public transport for a large part of the afternoon. The main road through Templecombe (A371) was barely passable both sides of the village.

[bradshaw]

Flooding on the road from Yeovil to Barwick, covering the two possible ways into the station.

[TaplowGreen]

Customers being advised to get a taxi (in some cases for very long distances) and claim the fare back. Even if they are able to find a driver willing to make the trip, some are pointing out that they don't have the cash to pay up front.

[Mark A]

Not just the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). The return leg of today's excursion from Newcastle to Bath Spa ran to time up the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) up to London but hasn't fared so well on the East Coast Main Line and is currently north of York, but an hour and ten minutes down.

Mark

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66354/2023-12-04/detailed

[Timmer]

Not just the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). The return leg of today's excursion from Newcastle to Bath Spa ran to time up the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) up to London but hasn't fared so well on the East Coast Main Line and is currently north of York, but an hour and ten minutes down.

Mark

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66354/2023-12-04/detailed

Wow, that’s along way to come just to peer into some sheds in the pouring rain and pay a heck of a lot of money for the privilege. Though being on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) with silver service would be my highlight of the day by along way regardless of the weather.

[LiskeardRich]

Hopefully an exaggeration but on a Facebook group I’ve just seen a post that Crewkerne tunnel has collapsed.
I’d assume it’s actually a landslide near the tunnel from the flooding?

[grahame]

Wow, that’s along way to come just to peer into some sheds in the pouring rain and pay a heck of a lot of money for the privilege. Though being on an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) with silver service would be my highlight of the day by along way regardless of the weather.

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive - https://lovedreamlive.com/blurbs/travel-hopefully-better-than-to-arrive

Reminds me of Melksham to Faro by train last autumn!

[ellendune]

Hopefully an exaggeration but on a Facebook group I’ve just seen a post that Crewkerne tunnel has collapsed.
I’d assume it’s actually a landslide near the tunnel from the flooding?

South Western Railway Journey Check says

The line through Crewkerne has been closed again. This is because of damage caused by flooding to a tunnel in the area.

Sounds less serious when put like that. 

[1st fan]

Quite a long day for that tour, train left Newcastle at 05:39 this morning and didn’t get back there until 22:34, 47 minutes late. Yes silver service would help but I think I’d be knackered by the end of that.

Hope everyone who was travelling today got there safely in the end.

[JayMac]

Hopefully an exaggeration but on a Facebook group I’ve just seen a post that Crewkerne tunnel has collapsed.
I’d assume it’s actually a landslide near the tunnel from the flooding?

South Western Railway Journey Check says

The line through Crewkerne has been closed again. This is because of damage caused by flooding to a tunnel in the area.

Sounds less serious when put like that. 

Landslip of the portal slope.

[Timmer]

The two GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) lines to the Southwest appear to be open again today.

Latest on the line closure between Yeovil and Exeter in a new thread:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=28214.0