Rail replacement bus disruption 'unacceptable'



Calls have been made to address "unacceptable" issues with a rail replacement service that has left passengers stranded.

Northern is running buses instead of trains between Workington and Sellafield in West Cumbria after a survey found issues with the tunnel floor at Corkickle. The buses cannot run through Braystones and Nethertown, Northern said, leaving the villages without a service and other passengers complaining about missing and delayed buses.

Josh MacAlister, Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington, wrote to Northern asking it to address the issues quickly. A spokesperson for Northern and Network Rail apologised, saying: "We understand how frustrating this disruption is."

MacAlister's letter said: "I have had reports of some buses not turning up, others severely delayed, some not stopping at scheduled stations, leaving people stranded." He added some drivers were allowing dogs, while others were not, causing confusion for passengers. MacAlister said: "The confusion and disruption is unacceptable, especially as this is going to continue for most of the year."

Northern said it planned to run replacement buses between Sellafield and Workington until 10 August. From 11 August, the buses would run between the nuclear site and Whitehaven.

Northern and Network Rail said: "From Monday, trains will run to Whitehaven on the northern side of the tunnel, and we are looking at the options available to be able to run trains to Corkickle on the other side."

But MacAlister said he had been told by "experienced engineers" there was no reason for such a large railway closure and he wanted to see just the section between Whitehaven and Corkickle closed, with buses running between the stations.



He asked the rail firm to give its "urgent attention" to implementing changes so that buses are only needed for the shorter route, meaning Braystones and Nethertown would no longer be "isolated".

Network Rail carried out survey work last week, ahead of a planned three-week closure from 30 August to replace tracks and carry out drainage works. Part of the line had been affected by contaminated water flowing from abandoned mines through Bransty railway tunnel and discharging into the harbour at Whitehaven, causing the water to turn orange.

During the survey engineers discovered further repairs to the tunnel floor were needed. Network Rail said this would likely mean a delay to the planned work.

Pecorama at Beer, East Devon.

Half price entry on Sat 13 Sept  icw it’s 50th Anniversary and also a special exhibition of working models of various stations on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.

Gartell light railway, Templecombe

Launceston Steam Railway?

Long time since I was there - I think it was called the Lappa Valley Railway back then

These are loco hauled coaches replacing loco hauled coaches, not DMUs.

Construction is due to begin in August 2025 and will be done in stages, including:

construction of the station, including footbridge and platforms
construction of the station forecourt
construction of the southern car park
improvements to Station Road including widening of carriageway and footpaths, and work to the rail access point
final works on Little Bristol Lane, including road surfacing
The new station is expected to open in spring 2027.

or possibly the artificial island on the Oresund bridge, Peberholm (if that counts?).

Starting August 1, Deutsche Bahn's 280-kilometer (174-mile) route linking Berlin to Hamburg will be completely closed for at least nine months. With up to 30,000 passengers daily, it is the most heavily used direct connection in Germany's long-distance rail transport. Around 230 regional, long-distance and freight trains travel daily on the tracks between Germany's two largest cities.

Starting Friday, the intercity passenger trains will have to take a 100-kilometer detour, while freight trains will be rerouted even further. In addition, 170 buses will be deployed daily to continue connecting the towns between Berlin and Hamburg that will be cut off from rail service. Both the construction work and the replacement transport will be complex and potentially prone to disruption.

Fehmarn?