Mind the gap errm I mean...Plant. At what point does the railway decide it's time for a trim of the plant growth on the line?

[ivorytoast28]

Today at Guildford platform 6, plenty of commuters almost tripping over the shrubbery growth getting off one of the strike day services.

(I decided to personally board at the next set of doors which I quickly regretted when a member of staff yelled at me for daring to get in his way despite the fact he'd been standing at the doors for the last few minutes showing no sign of getting off until I decided to finally get on. All part of the fun and games of a strike day I suppose.)

The platform is usually mostly used by single 4 car 450s that presumably don't end up aligning their door with the flora the way the 10 car 444 did. Someone on Reddit suggested that the extra plant growth could have been caused by water leakage from toilets but I think Guildford's April wet weather was probably enough alone

 

[GW43125]

Platform 8 is similarly shocking for vegetation, if that's near the top of the subway on 6 then that gutter leaks like a hose when it rains, which would probably explain it.

 

[Carntyne]

Every member of staff who walks past that should be ashamed of themselves. 2-3 seconds work and it wouldn't be there.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Every member of staff who walks past that should be ashamed of themselves. 2-3 seconds work and it wouldn't be there.

Come on they need a risk assessment and at least a T2 possession otherwise would be on a Form 1 for leaning over the platform these days im afraid.

 

[alxndr]

That looks like buddleia, so harder to get rid of than it looks from that photo, both short and long term. Most of the time I’ve ended up resorting to a pocket saw or loppers for a quick fix, but apparently that just encourages more growth.

 

[GW43125]

Come on they need a risk assessment and at least a T2 possession otherwise would be on a Form 1 for leaning over the platform these days im afraid.

Actually, platform staff can (and do) take a line block to retrieve dropped items with a litter picker from the platform.

 

[Recessio]

That looks like buddleia, so harder to get rid of than it looks from that photo, both short and long term. Most of the time I’ve ended up resorting to a pocket saw or loppers for a quick fix, but apparently that just encourages more growth.

The entire Southwestern is terrible for Buddleia. I live in Guildford and see it everywhere near the railway, the bridge carrying the Guildford New Line over the river Wey is terrible.

I used to live in Vauxhall/Nine Elms and saw how bad it was on the entire viaduct, and any building within about a half-mile.

NR Wessex could really do with more aggressively tackling it, in my view. It surely can't be good for the old brickwork it grows out of.

 

[ComUtoR]

Come on they need a risk assessment and at least a T2 possession otherwise would be on a Form 1 for leaning over the platform these days im afraid.

Not forgetting the 3 day training course to use cutting equipment and the environmental impact assessment for disposal of organic waste

 

[alxndr]

The entire Southwestern is terrible for Buddleia. I live in Guildford and see it everywhere near the railway, the bridge carrying the Guildford New Line over the river Wey is terrible.

I used to live in Vauxhall/Nine Elms and saw how bad it was on the entire viaduct, and any building within about a half-mile.

NR Wessex could really do with more aggressively tackling it, in my view. It surely can't be good for the old brickwork it grows out of.

The entire railway is pretty terrible for it.

I battled with it a little more when I was on the Western than I do in Glasgow, but it’s still a problem here. And if I remember rightly, it was buddleia that was growing from Northwich station before the wall collapsed.

 

[rower40]

Does the plant help to fill that tricky gap between platform and train? A solution to the Ealing Broadway problem?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Does the plant help to fill that tricky gap between platform and train? A solution to the Ealing Broadway problem?

 

[Topological]

Does the plant help to fill that tricky gap between platform and train? A solution to the Ealing Broadway problem?

This is not a bad idea

Over time any new growth which fouls the loading gauge gets knocked off before it has chance to take hold. Meanwhile, the part in the gap strengthens. Eventually there is level boarding and the gap is almost non-existant.

Only issue is making sure that the plants line up with the doors.

 

[Brush 4]

You would need a plant higher company for that.......

 

[wilbers]

You would need a plant higher company for that.......

Can I nominate that post for the best railway pun of the year award [I am aware that as such an award doesn't yet exist that other nominations may be sparse].

 

[InkyScrolls]

Every member of staff who walks past that should be ashamed of themselves. 2-3 seconds work and it wouldn't be there.

It's immediately clear you don't work on the railway.

 

[Carntyne]

It's immediately clear you don't work on the railway.

I do. It's unbelievable that it's been left to get into such a state. How many people have walked past that between pway, s&t, station staff and train crew.

Zero pride in their patch.

 

[jfowkes]

How many people have walked past that between pway, s&t, station staff and train crew.

In the defence of train crew, they would hardly have the tools or materials to remove it, all they could do is report it.

 

[InkyScrolls]

I do. It's unbelievable that it's been left to get into such a state. How many people have walked past that between pway, s&t, station staff and train crew.

Zero pride in their patch.

I'll grant you that it's PW's job to remove it. However unless the local NwR crew receive 'removal of greenery at Guildford' as a specific job, they are not allowed to touch it.

In the defence of train crew, they would hardly have the tools or materials to remove it, all they could do is report it.

Or time!

 

[Parham Wood]

Perhaps either you could put in a complaint to the relevant railway authority or report it to H&S as a trip hazard that has not been addressed.

 

[alxndr]

I'll grant you that it's PW's job to remove it. However unless the local NwR crew receive 'removal of greenery at Guildford' as a specific job, they are not allowed to touch it.

Nonsense. They couldn’t access the line just for that purpose, but if they were in the platforms already and saw it they could remove it and put in a WAIF (Work Arising Identification Form) to claim a couple of minutes times against doing so.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I do. It's unbelievable that it's been left to get into such a state. How many people have walked past that between pway, s&t, station staff and train crew.

Zero pride in their patch.

So the only way people in some of those grades can prove they have pride is to break rules and get themselves a disciplinary? Yes, because what every safety critical industry needs is the promotion of ignoring procedures and rules, isn’t it. And anyone who doesn’t break rules and risks their job is what, incompetent?

 

[LUYMun]

So the only way people in some of those grades can prove they have pride is to break rules and get themselves a disciplinary? Yes, because what every safety critical industry needs is the promotion of ignoring procedures and rules, isn’t it. And anyone who doesn’t break rules and risks their job is what, incompetent?

So what's your solution in this - leave the plant growing for a while longer to some staff member permitted to carry out vegetation cut backs, but couldn't be available due to being required elsewhere (much ado the current state of the railways), the situation spiralling further downwards until an accident occurs?

 

[Flange Squeal]

So what's your solution in this - leave the plant growing for a while longer to some staff member permitted to carry out vegetation cut backs, but couldn't be available due to being required elsewhere (much ado the current state of the railways), the situation spiralling further downwards until an accident occurs?

For someone who is actually allowed to deal with it to deal with it. I don’t think the answer to your question is for untrained staff to start feeling shamed/pressured into breaking the rulebook and undertaking safety critical tasks that they have no training for and/or authority to conduct, putting their livelihoods on the line in the process. That concept is unlikely to end well or improve safety, as well as reducing staff numbers even further once the disciplinaries start.

 

[Russel]

I noticed something similar at Erdington on the Cross City last week, the vegetation is starting to take over the track bed and is creeping up the side of the platform, if no trains ran for a few days the rails would probably be covered too.

Does make me wonder how bad it has to get before it's dealt with.

 

[rower40]

Does make me wonder how bad it has to get before it's dealt with.

I expect the type of plant makes a difference. If it’s a water lily….

 

[Brush 4]

In the fashion of most things these days, encroaching vegetation will be left until there is an accident. H&S over saving money. the latter usually wins.

 

[Russel]

I expect the type of plant makes a difference. If it’s a water lily….

Looked more like Ivy to me but I'm no expert.

But, I'm always cutting my neighbours Ivy back so it doesn't start to take over my garden too, it's a never ending job that's very hard to get on top of.