Poor rail conditions near Exeter (08/11/2008)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

12:20 Exmouth to Paignton due 13:41
This train will be started from Exeter St Davids.  It will no longer call at: Exmouth, Lympstone Village, Topsham, Digby & Sowton and Exeter Central.  This is due to poor rail conditions.

12:40 Barnstaple to Exmouth due 14:15
This train has been terminated at Topsham.  It will no longer call at: Exton, Lympstone Commando, Lympstone Village and Exmouth.  This is due to poor rail conditions earlier.

14:20 Exmouth to Paignton due 15:40
This train will be started from Topsham.  It will no longer call at: Exmouth and Lympstone Village.  This is due to poor rail conditions earlier.

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

WHATS GOING ON WITH THIS LINE ITS THE MOST IMPORTAND BRANCH ILINE IN DEVON I DIDNT GO TO THE SDR GALA TODAY DUE TO MULTIPLE CANCILATIONS ON THIS LINE I GO FROM DIGBY WHATS GOING ON IS IT REALLY POOR RAIL CONDITIONS ON A FINE DAY OR ARE THEY TRYING TO SAVE MONEY OR SHORT STAFFED?

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

OH AND JUST TO CLARIFY POOR RAIL CONDITIONS... WHY DID^» (Didcot Parkway - next trains) TRAINS IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION RUN?? (A COUPLE WERE CANCLLED BUT THEY STILL RAN THIS WAS NOT POOR RAIL CONDITIONS!!)

[gaf71]

There were poor rail conditions on various parts of the Barnstaple branch due too heavy rain, and strong winds, causing leaf fall, in the early hours of yesterday morning, also problems with one of the 142's coming from BNP^▸ (Barnstaple) on one engine, with no exterior lighting, at 20mph! Arrived at Exeter about an hour late, I think. This then as a knock on effect on later services,(including the Exmouth branch, where most trains from Barnstaple go) due to displaced crew and units. Why in only one direction? Simple....Gradient, in one direction its uphill, in the other down. Obvious if you think about it.

[gaf71]

WHATS GOING ON WITH THIS LINE ITS THE MOST IMPORTAND BRANCH ILINE IN DEVON I DIDNT GO TO THE SDR GALA TODAY DUE TO MULTIPLE CANCILATIONS ON THIS LINE I GO FROM DIGBY WHATS GOING ON IS IT REALLY POOR RAIL CONDITIONS ON A FINE DAY OR ARE THEY TRYING TO SAVE MONEY OR SHORT STAFFED?

You say it was a fine day.....it may have been when you got up, but it actually hammered it down for about 4 hours from 3am.(in the Exeter area) I know because I was at work in it!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

I CANT REMEMBER TYPING ANY OF THAT LAST NIGHT?? THATS SCARY!!

[Super Guard]

There were poor rail conditions on various parts of the Barnstaple branch due too heavy rain, and strong winds, causing leaf fall, in the early hours of yesterday morning, also problems with one of the 142's coming from BNP^▸ (Barnstaple) on one engine, with no exterior lighting, at 20mph! Arrived at Exeter about an hour late, I think. This then as a knock on effect on later services,(including the Exmouth branch, where most trains from Barnstaple go) due to displaced crew and units. Why in only one direction? Simple....Gradient, in one direction its uphill, in the other down. Obvious if you think about it.

Another consideration was HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) using the line between Exmouth Junction and EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains) no doubt taking priority.

You say it was a fine day.....it may have been when you got up, but it actually hammered it down for about 4 hours from 3am.(in the Exeter area) I know because I was at work in it!

Bit like passengers from Plymouth wondering how it was possible the line was closed at Hele for flooding, as it had not rained in Plymouth much the day before 

Also, relex109, could you avoid the capitals please because it usually constitutes shouting on a forum and is harder to read too - thanks.

[Phil]

I was caught up on the 09:45 125 out of Plymouth (to Paddington) this morning, which got to around 5 minutes out of the station before shuddering to a stop on an incline. The driver walked back down the train and took us back into Plymouth, where we waited for the line to be sanded.

Got up the incline 35 minutes later, only to be held up again at Exeter Central awaiting the incoming SWT^▸ (South West Trains) unit off the single line - and then got held up near Chard Junction due to a small van hitting a bridge.

Arrived Westbury well over an hour and a half late. Bit of a debacle, really. Did I mention the buffet also ran out of hot drinks somewhere around Honiton?!

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Will do sorry

[devon_metro]

I was caught up on the 09:45 125 out of Plymouth (to Paddington) this morning, which got to around 5 minutes out of the station before shuddering to a stop on an incline. The driver walked back down the train and took us back into Plymouth, where we waited for the line to be sanded.

Got up the incline 35 minutes later, only to be held up again at Exeter Central awaiting the incoming SWT^▸ (South West Trains) unit off the single line - and then got held up near Chard Junction due to a small van hitting a bridge.

Arrived Westbury well over an hour and a half late. Bit of a debacle, really. Did I mention the buffet also ran out of hot drinks somewhere around Honiton?!

Tut! Aren't they meant to give out free drinks when delays exceed 60 minutes?

[Phil]

They were to be fair giving out free bottles of water to anyone who went up there. The girl running the buffet was very, very apologetic - quite funny at times.

Personally I couldn't see why they couldn't have arranged for more hot water (flasks, even) to be loaded in at the next "station stop", since there was obviously quite a way still to go from Honiton to Paddington - and people who had been left hanging around at places like Castle Cary, where there are precious few station facilities, for well over an hour were really quite cold.

[devon_metro]

They were to be fair giving out free bottles of water to anyone who went up there. The girl running the buffet was very, very apologetic - quite funny at times.

Personally I couldn't see why they couldn't have arranged for more hot water (flasks, even) to be loaded in at the next "station stop", since there was obviously quite a way still to go from Honiton to Paddington - and people who had been left hanging around at places like Castle Cary, where there are precious few station facilities, for well over an hour were really quite cold.

I think your post sums the reason up nicely. There are simply no facilities to provide drinking water into the buffet!

[Phil]

They were to be fair giving out free bottles of water to anyone who went up there. The girl running the buffet was very, very apologetic - quite funny at times.

Personally I couldn't see why they couldn't have arranged for more hot water (flasks, even) to be loaded in at the next "station stop", since there was obviously quite a way still to go from Honiton to Paddington - and people who had been left hanging around at places like Castle Cary, where there are precious few station facilities, for well over an hour were really quite cold.

I think your post sums the reason up nicely. There are simply no facilities to provide drinking water into the buffet!

Yes, but my point is that there are perfectly adequate facilities at Yeovil Pen Mill, the station immediately before Castle Cary.

There is also, forgive me if I am wrong here, an approach road to Castle Cary station, one assumes. All it would take would be a phone call to arrange for flasks of hot water to be ready to meet the arriving train. It's hardly rocket science. Sheesh.

[dog box]

All well and good Phil,.... But where were these flasks going to come from? who was going to fill them ?and from where? who was going to deliver them to Castle Cary? and in or with what? and also who was going to cover this persons job when they were on the mercy trip to Casle Cary?

[Phil]

All well and good Phil,.... But where were these flasks going to come from? who was going to fill them ?and from where? who was going to deliver them to Castle Cary? and in or with what? and also who was going to cover this persons job when they were on the mercy trip to Casle Cary?

Well, given that I'm a humble passenger and not a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) employee myself I'm not really in a position to answer these very valid questions, but my best guess would be in the first instance to approach James Burt, Customer Service Director.

According to the following press release the ball appears to land squarely in his court:

http://www.atoc-comms.org/dynamic/toc-press-story/1000541/New-Directors-at-First-Great-Western

"This role encompasses customer contact, service delivery at stations, quality auditing, catering provision on trains, and European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) accreditation. One of his first tasks is to appoint a new Head of Security to help concentrate on personal security matters for  staff and customers, working closely with the British Transport Police. He is also recruiting a new head of on-board catering."

I'd be happy to write to him asking for responses to your questions. Anyone have any others they'd like asked?