Weymouth Line - service issues (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[RA]

Bit of a mess up on the Weymouth route today. The Network Rail Weekly Operating Notice states that Yeovil Pen Mill is within an engineering possession and that Rail Replacement Road Transport is required from Castle Cary for stations to Weymouth. Unfortunately, the trains are shown as running through to Yeovil Pen Mill with road transport forwards from there. Confirmed that Weymouth route trains will be terminating at and starting from Castle Cary for the remainder of today.

[grahame]

Thank you for that alert, RA ... looks like the line is back open from first service this morning, with just Chetnole and Thornford stations late re-opening, and that being described as a fault on the 05:33 train from Weymouth.

[bradshaw]

Plus the second down and its return working!

[grahame]

Cancellations to services between Castle Cary and Weymouth
Due to animals on the railway between Castle Cary and Weymouth all lines are blocked.

Train services running to and from these stations will be cancelled or terminated at and started back from Yeovil Pen Mill. Disruption is expected until 12:00 02/05.

Customer Advice

Following a train hitting several cows near Yetminster yesterday, a clean up operation is in place. Until this is complete, and we can ensure the line is not damaged, trains will be amended.

Replacement road transport has been requested to operate in both directions between Weymouth and Westbury. Further details of this will be advertised when the road transport has been sourced.

South Western Railway are conveying passengers between Weymouth and Southampton Central in both directions until further notice. Arrangements have been made for Great Western Railway rail tickets to be accepted for these journeys.

06:42 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads due 09:06

06:42 Weymouth to Bristol Temple Meads due 09:06 will be cancelled.
This is due to animals on the railway.

06:52 Westbury to Weymouth due 08:23

06:52 Westbury to Weymouth due 08:23 will be terminated at Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will no longer call at Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West, Upwey and Weymouth.
This is due to animals on the railway.

07:02 Worcester Foregate Street to Weymouth due 11:00

07:02 Worcester Foregate Street to Weymouth due 11:00 will be terminated at Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will no longer call at Thornford, Yetminster, Chetnole, Maiden Newton, Dorchester West, Upwey and Weymouth.
This is due to animals on the railway.

08:42 Gloucester to Weymouth due 12:06

08:42 Gloucester to Weymouth due 12:06 will be delayed at Yeovil Pen Mill.
This is due to animals on the railway.

08:50 Weymouth to Gloucester due 12:26

08:50 Weymouth to Gloucester due 12:26 will be started from Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster and Thornford.
This is due to animals on the railway.

11:11 Weymouth to Gloucester due 14:29

11:11 Weymouth to Gloucester due 14:29 will be started from Yeovil Pen Mill.
It will no longer call at Weymouth, Upwey, Dorchester West, Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster and Thornford.
This is due to animals on the railway.

[Robin Summerhill]

The first train to be cancelled was the 0523 from Weymouth,so clearly the aimals must have been on the line before then.

It is now 1200 and still nothing has run south of Yeovil

Just exactly how long does it take to move animals off the line these days? Are they trying to put hi-viz jackets on 'em all first???

[WSW Frome]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) now say that several animals were hit on Sunday and the clean-up will take all of Monday. This will include a line inspection for safety. So currently no services on Monday and no bus replacement. Tickets are valid via Southampton.

[IndustryInsider]

Just exactly how long does it take to move animals off the line these days? Are they trying to put hi-viz jackets on 'em all first???

There's a total of 9 cows sadly killed after nightfall yesterday, 5 are on the line, and 4 right by it.  The farmer that owns them tried to use his farm equipment but it wasn't up to the task.  So, a RRV^▸ (Road Rail Vehicle (for example, JCB-type diggers adapted for use also on rails)) needs to be sourced and used and there are a limited number of staff from the company providing that who are abattoir trained apparently.

[bobm]

Sounds a grim job for all involved.

[JayMac]

Yes, a far more complex clean up than just moving a few errant cows. Daylight was needed. Specialist rail equipment and specialist enviromental health personnel, along with a trained salughterman, were also needed.

The MOM^▸ (Mobile Operations Manager) decided that earlier plan to use the farmer's JCB to remove the carcasses may have damaged the track and trackbed, which would have led to even more delay in reopening the line.

[bradshaw]

RTT^» (Real Time Trains - website) indicates that it was the last up service that was involved. Seems to be between Chetnole and Yetminster as it left there for Westbury 3hours late.
There is an occupation crossing just south of Yetminster, was the gate open, or was it the result of damaged fencing?

[bobm]

That last train is known for being "lively" bringing people back from a day out by the seaside (and in the pubs).   How they endured the delay could have been interesting.

[Robin Summerhill]

Just exactly how long does it take to move animals off the line these days? Are they trying to put hi-viz jackets on 'em all first???

There's a total of 9 cows sadly killed after nightfall yesterday, 5 are on the line, and 4 right by it.  The farmer that owns them tried to use his farm equipment but it wasn't up to the task.  So, a RRV^▸ (Road Rail Vehicle (for example, JCB-type diggers adapted for use also on rails)) needs to be sourced and used and there are a limited number of staff from the company providing that who are abattoir trained apparently.

Thanks for this - it makes what is going on far more understandable

But of course the general public are apparently only being told that there are "animals on he line" and, like me initially, may think of it as a reltively trivial matter that should not take very long to sort out. Many of them are not going to enquire into the details, they will simply see what the departure boards are telling them.

It would be better for railway PR^▸ (Public Relations) if they actually made clear the full extent of the problem

[IndustryInsider]

They were told rather more detail than just ‘animals on the line’, Robin.  See the initial post.

[Robin Summerhill]

They were told rather more detail than just ‘animals on the line’, Robin.  See the initial post.

Yes they did. Fourth sentence/ paragraph down. I wonder how many passengers had stopped reasing before then!

At least I can claim mitigation because of my bloody glaucoma...

[Worcester_Passenger]

Yes they did. Fourth sentence/ paragraph down. I wonder how many passengers had stopped reasing before then!

At least I can claim mitigation because of my bloody glaucoma...

Well, this passenger certainly didn't get as far as reading the 'line' entry, and I don't have glaucoma.