Marches Line Closed (10/04)

[PHILIPE]

The Marches Line is closed between Shrewsbury and Hereford due, according to ATW Journey Check, an operating incident and unlikely to re-open until 06 00 in the morning. However, it does go on further to explain in this instance.
Apparently Network Rail are unable to provide a Signaller to operate Onibury Signal Box. There is also a signaller operated level crossing here.
Passengers advised not to travel but limited road transport for intermediate stations. For any travelling other operators accepting tickets via Birmingham.

 

[trainophile]

Oh that's great . We're booked on the 0547 from Hereford to Southport via Manchester in the morning. Glad I checked this forum before logging off for an early night. Operators on other routes are apparently accepting tickets but it will make us much later arriving, and we're only on a day trip so hardly worth it .

No idea what our chances are now, will have to see what's going on when we get up at 0330 :roll: . We've done a few of these day trips, by various routes, and something always goes wrong!

 

[PHILIPE]

ATW Journey Check shows Hereford unstaffed from 20 40. Who will look after any passengers with queries arriving off trains from Cardiff & beyond terminating there and any needs of passengers requiring southbound trains restarting there.
ATW now showing an additional 22 19 Carmarthen to Manchester Picc (arr 03 35) !!!

 

[Rich McLean]

ATW Journey Check shows Hereford unstaffed from 20 40. Who will look after any passengers with queries arriving off trains from Cardiff & beyond terminating there and any needs of passengers requiring southbound trains restarting there.
ATW now showing an additional 22 19 Carmarthen to Manchester Picc (arr 03 35) !!!

Box to now open at 2200hrs, as cover has been found

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

After reading the postings, it just goes to show that there are other matters besides a broken-down freight train that can be the bane of the life of the Marches Line...:roll:

 

[PHILIPE]

What limited Road Transport was in operation earlier soon fizzled out. People at stations between Hereford and Shrewsbury not to travel or asked to ring NRES. I only hope that ATW got Management staff to Hereford to assist, especially as the station couldn't be staffed after 20 40.

 

[trainophile]

My 0547 still not showing on RTT, but looks to be running from all other sources. We will see when we get to the station.

Paul - please don't put the evil eye on any passing freight trains!

 

[PHILIPE]

My 0547 still not showing on RTT, but looks to be running from all other sources. We will see when we get to the station.

Paul - please don't put the evil eye on any passing freight trains!

It left Hereford right-time (RT) according to Realtimetrains (RTT). I hardly think it would have been removed and put back again!

Incidentally Heart of Wales (HOW) line trains were not affected by the closure.

 

[jimm]

It left Hereford right-time (RT) according to Realtimetrains (RTT). I hardly think it would have been removed and put back again!

Incidentally Heart of Wales (HOW) line trains were not affected by the closure.

Well they wouldn't be, because Onibury is south of Craven Arms.

 

[PHILIPE]

Well they wouldn't be, because Onibury is south of Craven Arms.

What a cheeky remark. Of course, I know Onibury is South of Craven Arms. This was merely to clarify any possible uncertaintainty because trains were suspended between Shrewsbury and Hereford and just to confirm that this did not refer to HOWL trains. Trains from the North would not be turned round at Craven Arms.

 

[jimm]

What a cheeky remark. Of course, I know Onibury is South of Craven Arms. This was merely to clarify any possible uncertaintainty because trains were suspended between Shrewsbury and Hereford and just to confirm that this did not refer to HOWL trains. Trains from the North would not be turned round at Craven Arms.

You might know, I know because I used to live in South Shropshire, but others might not, even people posting on this forum...

I don't know what exactly was said on Journeycheck last night, so perhaps you can enlighten us? It wouldn't surprise me if the information provided to passengers was vague and done by someone in a hurry who failed to clarify that the Heart of Wales trains were not affected.

 

[ReeceEmmitt]

Travelled from Cardiff on the 1740 Man Pic to Shrewsbury before planning to get onward train to Wrexham.

Ended up getting home at 0030 after Hereford - Birmingham - Shrewsbury - Wrexham. Extremely frustrating. To be fair Arriva did their best - and although i don't know the ins and outs I dont understand how this can happen.

 

[HowardGWR]

Travelled from Cardiff on the 1740 Man Pic to Shrewsbury before planning to get onward train to Wrexham.

Ended up getting home at 0030 after Hereford - Birmingham - Shrewsbury - Wrexham. Extremely frustrating. To be fair Arriva did their best - and although i don't know the ins and outs I dont understand how this can happen.

Your first sentence confused the whatsit out of me. Got it now.

I think that's pretty good in the circumstances and presumably you will be entitled to some refund.

 

[PHILIPE]

You might know, I know because I used to live in South Shropshire, but others might not, even people posting on this forum...

I don't know what exactly was said on Journeycheck last night, so perhaps you can enlighten us? It wouldn't surprise me if the information provided to passengers was vague and done by someone in a hurry who failed to clarify that the Heart of Wales trains were not affected.

No record of Journey Check now, but Twitter said no trains between Shrewsbury and Hereford so I posted just to avoid confusing any people who did not understand the geography of the area by saying, in effect, they were able to run between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms.
I know the area well myself as I used to live in Shrewsbury.

 

[trainophile]

It left Hereford right-time (RT) according to Realtimetrains (RTT). I hardly think it would have been removed and put back again!

Incidentally Heart of Wales (HOW) line trains were not affected by the closure.

When I went on RTT first thing (0315) today, putting in Hereford station and leaving everything else blank, the only departure that showed up was the 0542 southbound to Barry Island, no mention of the 0547 to MAN, hence my concern that there was still a problem. Same on NRE Live Train Departures, not showing my intended train at all. On arrival at the station all was well. I assumed that there was no-one updating the status in the small hours of the morning.

In the event we had one of the smoothest journeys ever, only slightly complicated by the lack of direct MAN-SOP (Southport) trains this weekend, meaning a detour on EMT to Liverpool South Parkway, but as that was in the booked schedule we weren't unduly inconvenienced.

On our return tonight via Chester it was a different story! The 1829 ex-Holyhead was delayed a few minutes due to having hit a bicycle that someone had left on the track, somewhere around Rhyl I'm guessing from the delay timings :roll: , and when it did turn up it was a two coach 175... on Grand National Day! Needless to say it was pretty packed, but we made it home. I suppose some trains might still have been out of place following yesterday's problems, so I'm sure they did their best with what was available.

 

[Michael.Y]

it was a two coach 175... on Grand National Day!

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

 

[trainophile]

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

Ooh, didn't expect that reaction but sorry for any annoyance caused.

If it had been a three coach there would have been room for the "other people" as well as the horse fans!

Point taken though .

Edited to add that our north bound 0547 was carrying almost entirely fresh air - three coaches with probably no more than 10 pax in each until around Crewe, and even then it arrived at MAN half empty.

 

[Tomnick]

I don't know what an "allocation diagram" is, but most TOCs seem quite happy to shuffle things around to provide extra capacity for major events...

 

[The Planner]

Agree, most TOCs will alter diagrams for major events.

 

[Zoidberg]

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

Heaven forbid that customer service enters the equation.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

The Grand National does attract a great deal of visitors, rather more than the few to which you allude, as it is one of the major British sporting events.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't know what an "allocation diagram" is, but most TOCs seem quite happy to shuffle things around to provide extra capacity for major events...

I believe EMT use 222s on some Liverpool to Norwich services for extra capacity.

 

[louis97]

When I went on RTT first thing (0315) today, putting in Hereford station and leaving everything else blank, the only departure that showed up was the 0542 southbound to Barry Island, no mention of the 0547 to MAN, hence my concern that there was still a problem. Same on NRE Live Train Departures, not showing my intended train at all. On arrival at the station all was well. I assumed that there was no-one updating the status in the small hours of the morning.

Highly likely that it was just too long till your train for it to show up. If you had adjusted the time a bit rather than just 'now' as is the case when leaving the time box blank, the train will most likely of shown up. NRE LDB is most likely the same, just was too early before the train was due.

 

[hassaanhc]

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

There were probably more "horse fans" than those watching the boat race in London yesterday. Yet South West Trains completely changed the unit type on one of the routes passing near it, to use those units fitted with SDO to increase services from 4 cars to either 5, 8 or 10 cars. During which process it brought out 5 car units that (currently) are are not normally used on weekends, and giving that route's usual Saturday non-aircon stock to another route that normally has the SDO fitted (and air conditioned) units.

 

[Tomnick]

I believe EMT use 222s on some Liverpool to Norwich services for extra capacity.

That's one of the best examples that I can think of, although the 222s don't go through to Norwich - they go as far as splitting the through journey at Nottingham to keep the 222s north/west of there, with any through passengers needing to change for the normal 158 forward.

 

[ReeceEmmitt]

Yes let's just redraw the entire allocation diagram and have an extra coach ferrying fresh air around for most of the day for a few ****ed up horse fans. Other people have to use the rail network as well, you know.

Yes god forbid TOCs are responsive to real world events and demands on their services.

 

[trainophile]

Highly likely that it was just too long till your train for it to show up. If you had adjusted the time a bit rather than just 'now' as is the case when leaving the time box blank, the train will most likely of shown up. NRE LDB is most likely the same, just was too early before the train was due.

Our train was only five minutes after the Barry Island one so not sure whether your theory bears out on this occasion!

 

[tsr]

Our train was only five minutes after the Barry Island one so not sure whether your theory bears out on this occasion!

This theory does sound correct, I'm afraid, especially in the case of RTT which is wholly automated when it comes to how far ahead to show trains. I expect it is unlikely the train had been listed under the planned cancellation category (therefore not showing by default in a search) at that point, therefore I would expect that it was just outside of the range of "near future" times. As for NRE, by comparison, if you look at the board for Redhill at 0300, it will usually start to show the 0504 to Bedford but no other trains for quite a significant time after that, even though they are usually reliable at that time of day, so one of my local routes also shows this happening.

 

[trainophile]

Fair enough tsr, I stand corrected!

 

[Parallel]

Agree, most TOCs will alter diagrams for major events.

When there was a rugby match in Cardiff in February, a 2-car 175 was being used on a Manchester - Milford Haven service a couple of hours before the start of the match. Crush loaded wasn't the word - Think there were about 60 people standing just in the middle vestibule. Scary stuff.