Flooding Disruption January 2014

[whole diary]

[didcotdean]

Situation as of 14:00 8/1/2014:

Services between Worcester, Oxford and Didcot Parkway. The line between Oxford and Didcot Parkway has been affected by flooding. We are still able to operate services between Oxford and Didcot Parkway. A limited shuttle service is in operation between Didcot Parkway and Oxford (in both directions). Arriva Cross Country Services are no longer operating between Didcot Parkway and Oxford (in either direction).
There is limited capacity on these shuttles and customers travelling from London Paddington to Oxford and North Cotswolds should travel on Chiltern Trains Services from London Marylebone to Banbury and change there for Oxford. Unfortunately, we are unable to operate road transport in lieu of trains on this route, due to roads in the area being flooded.

Since the shuttle service is all stations between Didcot and Oxford, Culham and Appleford have an exceptional  service compared to usual, but the local roads are flooded so might be a help.

Picture from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) twitter of one of the affected areas:

[ChrisB]

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are sending their London commuters via Chiltern and Banbury/XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) to Oxford this evening.

Chiltern are going to be *swamped*.

If the London coaches are still running, they ought to be arranging for them to carry FGW pax^▸ (passengers) too. Otherwise just Chiltern won't cope.....(and I'm a Chiltern pax....arrgh!)

[didcotdean]

Cross Country are only running half their trains down to Oxford, turning the other half round at Birmingham NS. That won't help those changing from the Chiltern services at Banbury to go Oxford.

In Oxford itself Botley Road is closed to traffic from the railway station to the A420/A34 junction, explaining the impracticability of replacement coaches. Roads into the south of Oxford are also closed.


(picture - BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page): Botley Road)

[IndustryInsider]

The bridge you can see in the picture is Redbridge, at Hinksey.  One of the first areas to struggle when there's significant flooding.  Shame that when that bridge was rebuilt higher for the imminent electrification a couple of years ago, that the track bed couldn't have been raised (at least on the two main running lines) at the same time.  That's pretty much the only place between Oxford and London which can and does flood, and it's over a fairy short stretch of only a couple of hundred metres.  Still, at least it has (just) remained open so far!

[mjones]

The two coach train that formed the Oxford to Didcot shuttles I used earlier isn't going to go down well if used in the peak!

[stebbo]

Surely FGW^▸ (First Great Western) could operate some Worcester/Hereford services via Cheltenham and allow North Cotswold passengers to travel from Worcester to Oxford?

[Southern Stag]

There were a couple of services diverted via Cheltenham this morning and a couple will also be diverted this evening.

[bobm]

I went through Hinksey about 10.45 and the water was as the picture above.

My train from Oxford up the North Cotswold line was due to leave at 11:20 but eventually left at 11:38 and then spent half an hour at Charlbury after hitting a bird and suffering a cracked windscreen.

On the way back I opted to take the bus from Oxford to Abingdon and went down to the river to see the water covering most of the fields.  It isn't a new phenomenon there - in years gone by the monks built a causeway to keep their feet dry - and that has remained above the water.

Then the bus to Didcot and train home.

More rain is forecast tonight and that suggests no respite for tomorrow in the Thames Valley.

[Electric train]

Surely FGW^▸ (First Great Western) could operate some Worcester/Hereford services via Cheltenham and allow North Cotswold passengers to travel from Worcester to Oxford?

Problem is HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units))'s have electric traction motor which are axle hung, the motors do have open vent which will allow water in

[johoare]

I was lucky this morning in that my fast train from Maidenhead to Paddington was relatively ok.. One of the few I think.. However the 7.45 stopping service which is usually 5 or 6 car turbo turned up as a Class-180 which surprised a few people and I'm sure some people got on thinking it was non stop.

Looking at real time trains it lost 45 minutes somewhere around about Hayes and Harlington and finally got to Paddington 45 minutes late.. Anyone know if that is what happened and if so why? Not sure the passengers would have appreciated the hour and a half to do less than 30 miles 

[Southern Stag]

The service train suffered a fault at West Dryaton and was unable to obtain door interlock, so was unable to proceed until the fault was rectified.

[johoare]

The service train suffered a fault at West Dryaton and was unable to obtain door interlock, so was unable to proceed until the fault was rectified.

Thanks for the information Southern Stag...

[bobm]

Same plans for tomorrow.

Services between Oxford and London will only run between Didcot and London.  A half hourly shuttle will run between Oxford and Didcot.

Most North Cotswold services will only operate between Oxford and Worcester Shrub Hill.  Some peak hour services to/from Hereford/Worcester will run either via Oxford or Swindon.

[johoare]

National rail departures board/journey check and realtime trains are not in agreement on what is running currently and what isn't... 19.48 Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill is one example where it doesn't appear on NR^» (Network Rail - home page) site yet and journey check says it is cancelled yet it appears to be running according to Realtime trains

[stebbo]

Seems to me the flooding around Oxford has been going on for enough years for Network Rail to do something - although judging by the comment about the bridge alterations, one doesn't hold out hope.