Severn Tunnel - engineering improvements, events, incidents and history - merged posts

[whole diary]

[grahame]

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:K03023/2023-08-14/detailed

5Q86 - Worksop to Sims, Newport.  Empty none-passenger stock.  A withdrawn train with some personality objecting to being taken to the scrapyard?

Pathed as Diesel locomotive, trailing load 600 tonnes
Planned for 75mph max

[grahame]

Journeycheck was showing disruption until 8am, now extended to 10am

And if you read into individual trains you'll find warnings of ongoing disruption.  Everything will not be magically back on time by 10:01!

11:23 Swansea to London Paddington due 14:14

11:23 Swansea to London Paddington due 14:14 will be starting late from Swansea.
This is due to a broken down train.

[grahame]

Journeycheck was showing disruption until 8am, now extended to 10am

Cancellations to services between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central
Following a broken down train earlier today between Pilning and Severn Tunnel Jn the line will be reopened shortly. Disruption is expected until 11:00 15/08.
Train services between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central are returning to normal but some services may still be cancelled or delayed.

[grahame]

From Wikipedia

Structurally completed during 1885, the first passenger train was run through the tunnel on 1 December 1886, nearly 14 years after the commencement of work.

[JayMac]

The Severn Tunnel was closed late afternoon, 2nd May 2024 after a passing train driver noticed water shooting out from the tunnel wall on the up side approximately 1/4 mile from the Welsh portal.

Inspections confirmed water ingress and some dislodged brickwork.

Lots of cancellations to regional services with some London<>Wales services diverted via Lydney.

The tunnel reopened around 9.45pm. Down services at line speed. Up services cautioned through the affected area.

[broadgage]

Only very recently, I said

"I have no problem with crossing a properly built UK^▸ (United Kingdom) bridge, but would be reluctant to cross the improvised looking suspension bridges that are common overseas.
I would certainly avoid bridges with a glass deck as have recently become popular, and I avoided the glass floor at Paddington station.
Waterloo bridge made me a bit nervous in extreme high winds, because the railings looked too low, and I had a fear of being blown over the railings and into the water to a certain death. I took care to only use the upwind walkway in extreme weather, or to take a taxi.
I once knew someone with a phobia about crossing the Thames or any other large body of water by bridge, that was understandable as they had survived an oil rig disaster.

I have a slight fear of deep tunnels under water, lest they suddenly flood. The SEVERN TUNNEL is the worst due to the vast amount of water that enters and the requirement for continual pumping.
Not very keen on the older tube tunnels under the Thames either.
No problem with the channel tunnel as it is newer and well built."

[Noggin]

Only very recently, I said

"I have no problem with crossing a properly built UK^▸ (United Kingdom) bridge, but would be reluctant to cross the improvised looking suspension bridges that are common overseas.
I would certainly avoid bridges with a glass deck as have recently become popular, and I avoided the glass floor at Paddington station.
Waterloo bridge made me a bit nervous in extreme high winds, because the railings looked too low, and I had a fear of being blown over the railings and into the water to a certain death. I took care to only use the upwind walkway in extreme weather, or to take a taxi.
I once knew someone with a phobia about crossing the Thames or any other large body of water by bridge, that was understandable as they had survived an oil rig disaster.

I have a slight fear of deep tunnels under water, lest they suddenly flood. The SEVERN TUNNEL is the worst due to the vast amount of water that enters and the requirement for continual pumping.
Not very keen on the older tube tunnels under the Thames either.
No problem with the channel tunnel as it is newer and well built."

Slightly off-topic but IIRC^▸ ('if I recall/remember/read correctly') there's at least one toll bridge in the US where if you are afraid of heights, there's the option for you and your vehicle to be driven across by their staff.

Personally I'm more nervous about fellow travellers

[bobm]

I wondered which tunnel it was.   

[Mark A]

As it happens, Network Rail have today tweeted a link to a short video on their pump renewal work to keep the tunnel reliably dry. Presumably those pumps will today be adding the small additional ingress from whatever it was managed to pop through the lining at the Welsh end of the structure to their day-to-day load.

The Wikipedia article on the Severn Tunnel quotes 26 minutes between complete cessation of pumping and "The tunnel being full of water" which sounds a bit gloomy. There's no source for that figure, 26 minutes might just be the time for the water to rise above rail level perhaps.

Interesting paper from 1970 on the source of the Great Spring:

https://www.ubss.org.uk/resources/proceedings/vol12/UBSS_Proc_12_2_203-212.pdf

Mark

https://twitter.com/networkrail/status/1786375113962619160

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Travel warning as 11 day Severn Tunnel works start

People using the railway network around the West of England are being warned of disruption as "vital" work to the Severn Tunnel's overhead power lines is due to start.

The tunnel, which links England and Wales, will be closed from Monday 9 June for 11 days, until 20 June, with reduced train services in place.

Trains between London and South Wales will stop at Gloucester instead of Bristol Parkway and replacement buses are planned to operate between Bristol Parkway and Newport, as well as Cardiff Central.

A limited train service will still run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.

Rail passengers travelling between Bristol and South Wales are being advised to change at Gloucester or Cheltenham Spa, where trains will still be running.

Network Rail programme director Ross Mahoney said: "All of this work is vital to ensure the continued safe and reliable running of the railway."

Engineers will be carrying out work to the overhead lines, which power trains through the Severn Tunnel, and where track was replaced last summer, Network Rail said.

It will also be working to replace track, sleepers and stone in the Stoke Gifford area, as well as renewing points in Filton.

While the line is closed, vegetation will also be cleared from the Severn Beach area of South Gloucestershire.

The same work, focused on South Gloucestershire and the Severn Tunnel, will take place on 29 June until about 16:00 BST, with train services impacted in a similar way.

Network Rail is also warning that on 15 June replacement buses are planned between Bristol Parkway and Cardiff Central.

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains will run between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway, as well as between Newport and Swansea or Carmarthen.

[ChrisB]

Change at Gloucester/Cheltenham eh? Not today you couldn't - XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) are very limited service owing to no Sunday drivers on that route!

[grahame]

Change at Gloucester/Cheltenham eh? Not today you couldn't - XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) are very limited service owing to no Sunday drivers on that route!

Why not - GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and Transport for Wales?   Agreed it'll be quite thin

[ChrisB]

TfW^▸ (Transport for Wales) won't cope with GWRs^▸ (Great Western Railway) traffic as well as theirs?

[grahame]

With the Severn Tunnel Closed ... could this happen at a worse time?

Cancellations to services between Bristol Parkway and Gloucester
Due to a points failure between Bristol Parkway and Gloucester all lines are blocked.
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes. Disruption is expected until 07:00 09/06.
Customer Advice
What has happened?
-
The points are not working correctly. Points are the moving pieces of metal which enable trains to change tracks.