Looe Branch Line - timetables, cancellations, engineering work, closures and incidents

[whole diary]

[a-driver]

Cancellations to services between Liskeard and Looe

Due to a shortage of train crew between Liskeard and Looe the line is closed.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 15:00 15/06.

Customer Advice

Due to crew shortages, we are unable to run train services today.

An astonishing failure ... on what would be a peak early summer's day.   Should someone come back and explain that there's a local transmitted flu or something else that has struck all the crews in the last 24 hours, this service decimation is "unforgivable" ... but of course it will probably get forgotten in the mists of time and the fog of the next issue.

Two questions when something goes wrong:
1. What lessons will be learned from today?
2. How will those lessons result in actions which make sure this should not happen again?

1.  Lessons were learnt a long time ago. 
2.  “7-day railway” discussions have been ongoing for sometime, unfortunately the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)  won’t release any further funding to resolve the issue. They want to continue with the “cheap sticky plaster” fixes which we all know doesn’t work.

The issue isn’t with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). GWR run the operation as per the contract outlined by the DfT.  It’s for the DfT to sort.

[grahame]

The issue isn’t with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). GWR run the operation as per the contract outlined by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about).  It’s for the DfT to sort.

I look forward to the time that everything is owned and run by the nation so there won't be (sometimes correct) buck passing.  I just fear that the nation will follow the time lines taken by the DfT which is the nation and things will get done far far far too slowly if at all.

[a-driver]

I look forward to the time that everything is owned and run by the nation so there won't be (sometimes correct) buck passing.  I just fear that the nation will follow the time lines taken by the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) which is the nation and things will get done far far far too slowly if at all.

What do you think the future holds for local Rail User Groups when it's all owned and run by the nation? 

[grahame]

What do you think the future holds for local Rail User Groups when it's all owned and run by the nation? 

That is a superb question. 

"What do you think" ... I think (I know!!) that I don't know enough about what the future holds.  I can visualise good and bad scenarios; the question comes do we [just] wait and see or do we look to partner and persuade in what gets set up or not, and in what authority it has.

[TaplowGreen]

Cancellations to services between Liskeard and Looe

Due to a shortage of train crew between Liskeard and Looe the line is closed.

Train services running to and from these stations may be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 15:00 15/06.

Customer Advice

Due to crew shortages, we are unable to run train services today.

An astonishing failure ... on what would be a peak early summer's day.   Should someone come back and explain that there's a local transmitted flu or something else that has struck all the crews in the last 24 hours, this service decimation is "unforgivable" ... but of course it will probably get forgotten in the mists of time and the fog of the next issue.

Two questions when something goes wrong:
1. What lessons will be learned from today?
2. How will those lessons result in actions which make sure this should not happen again?

1.  Lessons were learnt a long time ago. 
2.  “7-day railway” discussions have been ongoing for sometime, unfortunately the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)  won’t release any further funding to resolve the issue. They want to continue with the “cheap sticky plaster” fixes which we all know doesn’t work.

The issue isn’t with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). GWR run the operation as per the contract outlined by the DfT.  It’s for the DfT to sort.

GWR had years to address this issue when it was in their control before the DfT tightened their grip. Instead of doing so they left it on the "too difficult" pile.

[a-driver]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had years to address this issue when it was in their control before the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) tightened their grip. Instead of doing so they left it on the "too difficult" pile.

It's never been within GWR's control.  That was the whole point of privatisation! 

[ChrisB]

What do you think the future holds for local Rail User Groups when it's all owned and run by the nation? 

That is a superb question. 

"What do you think" ... I think (I know!!) that I don't know enough about what the future holds.  I can visualise good and bad scenarios; the question comes do we [just] wait and see or do we look to partner and persuade in what gets set up or not, and in what authority it has.

Partner with who(m), exactly?

[TaplowGreen]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had years to address this issue when it was in their control before the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) tightened their grip. Instead of doing so they left it on the "too difficult" pile.

It's never been within GWR's control.  That was the whole point of privatisation! 

It's been suggested on another forum that Liskeard-Looe is often the first branch to be sacrificed on a Sunday when there is crew shortage as it's the easiest one to bustitute.

[a-driver]

It's been suggested on another forum that Liskeard-Looe is often the first branch to be sacrificed on a Sunday when there is crew shortage as it's the easiest one to bustitute.

Probably true. It has the shortest journey time by road, good roads as well, so you don’t need a lot of coaches….. which would be a struggle to source on a Sunday, and the majority of journeys will be end to end.   

[grahame]

It's been suggested on another forum that Liskeard-Looe is often the first branch to be sacrificed on a Sunday when there is crew shortage as it's the easiest one to bustitute.

Probably true. It has the shortest journey time by road, good roads as well, so you don’t need a lot of coaches….. which would be a struggle to source on a Sunday, and the majority of journeys will be end to end. 
 

Indeed - and here's another comment I heard - think it related to Coombe Junction but it could have been Bere Alston - that there are staff members not strong enough to work the points, so that restricts who can be rotaed. If someone can answer to / talk to me on that rumour it would be appreciated.

[LiskeardRich]

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) had years to address this issue when it was in their control before the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) tightened their grip. Instead of doing so they left it on the "too difficult" pile.

It's never been within GWR's control.  That was the whole point of privatisation! 

It's been suggested on another forum that Liskeard-Looe is often the first branch to be sacrificed on a Sunday when there is crew shortage as it's the easiest one to bustitute.

It’s definitely not the easiest to bustitute.
Coombe Junction, st keyne wishing well, and Causeland are completely inaccessible to a bus. Especially the ones that GWR have on standby for Cornwall mainline and branches today (a 15m triaxle coach)

Falmouth has the sea shanty festival with huge queues seen today, they had 1 coach on standby which would have been as good as useless, how do you decide which 53 passengers to move, and upset the rest.

[a-driver]

It’s definitely not the easiest to bustitute.
Coombe Junction, st keyne wishing well, and Causeland are completely inaccessible to a bus. Especially the ones that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have on standby for Cornwall mainline and branches today (a 15m triaxle coach)

But very few passengers will travel to Coombe Junction, St Keyne Wishing Well and Causeland.  A taxi is provided for the handful that require those stations.

[a-driver]

Probably true. It has the shortest journey time by road, good roads as well, so you don’t need a lot of coaches….. which would be a struggle to source on a Sunday, and the majority of journeys will be end to end. 
 

Indeed - and here's another comment I heard - think it related to Coombe Junction but it could have been Bere Alston - that there are staff members not strong enough to work the points, so that restricts who can be rotaed. If someone can answer to / talk to me on that rumour it would be appreciated.

In my opinion, that is pure rubbish.  Hand points don't require much strength to operate.  In respect of the Coombe Junction working, it's probably more strenuous going from ballast to train/train to ballast then operating the points...... and if you struggle going from ballast to train/train to ballast then you won't be considered fit to work trains.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Cornwall Live:

Trains cancelled in Cornwall due to herd of cows

All trains are cancelled between Liskeard and Looe



A large herd of cows on the railway in Cornwall has cancelled train services between Liskeard and Looe this afternoon (Sunday, June 29). The herd of cows was reported between Sandplace and Looe, suspending the Looe Branchline.

All trains running between Liskeard and Looe will be cancelled. Disruption is expected until 5pm.

Great Western Railway said: "We apologise for the disruption to your journey today. A large herd of cows has been reported on the railway between Sandplace and Looe which means that the Looe Branchline is suspended.

"Rail replacement transport has been requested but not yet confirmed. During this disruption if you wish to use local buses as an alternative means of transport and the local bus is not accepting GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) tickets please purchase a ticket on the bus, keep it and send it, together with your train ticket, to us to claim for a refund."

Train service has since returned to normal.

Of note is that actually relevant image from Cornwall Live.

CfN.