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

[whole diary]

[Andy]

Thanks, RichardB. I hadn't thought of it but now you come to mention it, I see what you mean!

[Lee]

Slippy is absolutely right - it is all about the tightness of the timetable and, yes, the position will improve once the Park and Ride moves to St Erth.   That's either for Summer 2011 or, more likely, Summer 2012.   The plan then is also to move to five coach trains in peak Summer.

What would you and your partnership consider to be the optimum Lelant/Lelant Saltings service level once the Park and Ride moves to St Erth?

[RichardB]

What would you and your partnership consider to be the optimum Lelant/Lelant Saltings service level once the Park and Ride moves to St Erth?

Lee, I'd see a minimal service at Lelant Saltings, hourly at Lelant and Carbis Bay served by all trains. 

It's still all being discussed.  Carbis Bay is a definite for all trains though.

[dooby13]

Cheers to one and all.

Your info and advice is much appreciated.  I look forward to a hopefully improved service at Lelant in the next few years, as it's a quality little station, especially in the summer when refreshments can be purchased in the garden there.  It's good preparation for the killer Station Hill!

Thanks again folks 

[vacman]

The reason that the winter sunday service has been reduced at Lelant is due to the sunday service being increased to half hourly, it only used to be hourly on winter sundays.

One improvement that needs to be done is to have a later train on summer sundays, the last few years it's been around 1930, whereas it's around 2200 mon-sat!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Live Updates:

Line incident

Line problem between St Erth and St Ives.
Train services are being disrupted due to a trespass incident between St Erth and St Ives. Short notice cancellations can be expected.
Replacement road transport is now in operation between St Erth and St Ives in both directions.
Last Updated: 06/04/2010 19:49

Service incidents

19:41 St Erth to St Ives due 19:56
This train has been cancelled. This is due to a trespass incident.
Replacement road transport is now in operation between St Erth and St Ives.
Last Updated: 06/04/2010 19:51

19:55 St Ives to St Erth due 20:10
This train has been cancelled. This is due to a trespass incident.
Replacement road transport is now in operation between St Ives and St Erth.
Last Updated: 06/04/2010 19:50

20:11 St Erth to St Ives due 20:24
This train has been cancelled. This is due to a trespass incident.
Replacement road transport is now in operation between St Erth and St Ives.
Last Updated: 06/04/2010 19:50

20:25 St Ives to St Erth due 20:39
This train has been cancelled. This is due to a trespass incident.
Replacement road transport is now in operation between St Ives and St Erth.
Last Updated: 06/04/2010 19:51

[ReWind]

This was a very near miss, according to an inside source.

Could of been much worse than just trespassing.  Hope the driver is Ok. 

[vacman]

problem with the St Ives line is that some of the locals regard the line as a public footpath! Network rail are forever replacing the fence near Hawks point due to ramblers breaking it, they have now put up huge green metal fencing down one side of the line!

[STATION MASTER]

yes it was a near miss but what made it worse was it was the drivers second one of his shift.

[old original]

There should be a railway bye-law permitting train crew to carry firearms. A bit of tourist target practice wouldn't go amiss....

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) press release:

BTP APPEALS FOR WITNESSES AFTER TRAIN MAKES EMERGENCY STOP TO AVOID TRESPASSER - ST IVES

British Transport Police (BTP) officers are warning Cornwall residents to stay clear of railway lines and not to use the tracks as a shortcut after a train driver was forced to make an emergency stop to avoid hitting a trespasser.
Officers have today released a CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele Vision) image of a man they want to identify and speak to in connection with the incident which happed near St Ives on Tuesday 6 April.
The driver of the 1525hrs St Ives to St Erth service was forced to apply the emergency brake after seeing a man with a dog that was not on a lead trespassing on the line between St Ives and Carbis Bay.
The train^s rear facing CCTV camera captured a photograph of the man who scrambled up a bank and made off after the train had come to an emergency stop and the driver had spoken to him.
PC Bob Edwards said: ^This was incredibly dangerous behaviour that could have had far worse consequences and I am urging anyone with any information that could help our investigation or who recognises the man pictured in the CCTV image to get in touch.
^BTP officers work closely with First Great Western, other train operating companies and Network Rail to educate people about the dangers of going near railway lines because trains can^t swerve and they can^t stop suddenly.
^People who use the railways as a shortcut are not only risking a court appearance, they are also risking their own lives, as well as those of passengers and rail staff on board trains.^

[ReWind]

I believe this is related to this topic!

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6557.msg65143#msg65143

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks, Rick, for making that perfectly allowable connection! 

I've now merged these topics, for continuity.

C. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

The suspect, from that BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) press release:



Edit note: Images now removed due to expiry of copyright permission. CfN

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

to be honest im guessing he would be easy to catch if hes local dog walkers tend to stick to a set route hes probly been going this way for years and this time may have been 5 mins later or something like that... if btp waited here i bet he would come back