Longest engineering blockade?

telstarbox · 3 May 2018

As we know, weekend engineering works sometimes require the closure of a section of railway and the provision of railway replacement buses. The ones round my way tend to be fairly short blockades between junction stations e.g. New Cross to Charlton or Sevenoaks to Tonbridge, but what's the longest blockade (in distance not time) which has been put in place?

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185143 · 3 May 2018

Longest I can think of is Preston to Glasgow/Edinburgh over Easter a couple of years back.

There were several works being done, but passengers had to travel on replacement buses all the way from Preston to Scotland.

civ-eng-jim · 3 May 2018

At what point does a line closure become a blockade? I'm sure if you take possession of one of the far-reaching single-line routes in Scotland or Wales the whole line (Or at least a large chunk of it) is not in use for normal traffic.

swt_passenger · 3 May 2018

Isn’t the term “blockade” generally used nowadays to mean a planned line closure extending through the normal working week, as opposed to a normal closure. It doesn’t define the actual distance closed. IIRC last summer’s Waterloo work was referred to as a blockade, long in time but not long in distance, but the effects were felt over a long distance.

The_Engineer · 3 May 2018

Let's try the Blackpool North blockade, that must break some records. And the train service is still not fully restored yet........

steverailer · 3 May 2018

swt_passenger said:
Isn’t the term “blockade” generally used nowadays to mean a planned line closure extending through the normal working week, as opposed to a normal closure. It doesn’t define the actual distance closed. IIRC last summer’s Waterloo work was referred to as a blockade, long in time but not long in distance, but the effects were felt over a long distance.

Generally we refer to them as Blockades if they are more than 1 work shift long.

xc170 · 3 May 2018

The WCML in the early 2000's when the Trent Valley 4 tracking was taking place?

I have memories of it being unusable every weekend for what seemed like years...

jamesst · 3 May 2018

The Liverpool loop on merseyrail, was closed for nearly 6 months in 2017

Ploughman · 3 May 2018

I would say a Sat Night - Monday morning would be classed as a normal possession any thing over that such as a 9 day Weekend to Weekend job would be a blockade.

LNW-GW Joint · 3 May 2018

There's the Lamington Viaduct closure of the WCML in Scotland (31 Dec 2015-22 Feb 2016). Closed Carlisle-Glasgow/Edinburgh.
And the Dawlish GW route closure in Devon (5 Feb-4 April 2014). Closed Plymouth-Exeter.
And two historical biggies:
- Penmanshiel tunnel collapse on the ECML in the Borders (17 March-20 August 1979), new alignment constructed. Pretty much closed Newcastle-Edinburgh.
- Britannia Tubular Bridge fire across the Menai Strait, new road/single-track rail bridge constructed on the original piers (23 May 1970-30 Jan 1972). Closed Bangor-Holyhead.

I'm reminded that during the Penmanshiel works the WCML operated (nominally) non-stop trains from Edinburgh to Euston via Preston.

Steamysandy · 3 May 2018

Close to the Penmanshiel Tunnel there was also the 1948 closure between Dunbar and Berwick due to flooding which included Landslips and the destruction of seven bridges over the Eye Water.The line technically closed on 12 August and it was well into October before it reopened.
Diversions included via the Settle and Carlisle in the first few days but later mainly via Galashiels and Kelso

Ianno87 · 3 May 2018

Arley Tunnel blockade in 1993 was something like 6-9 months.

Stockport-Crewe blockade in 2005 for resignalling was eventually 7 months (originally planned for 4)

xc170 said:
The WCML in the early 2000's when the Trent Valley 4 tracking was taking place?

I have memories of it being unusable every weekend for what seemed like years...

Wasn't a blockade for the most part. Was weekend after weekend after weekend for 3-4 years. Happily coincided with the 3 years I was at uni in Coventry and enjoyed a weekend train ride...

ChiefPlanner · 3 May 2018

xc170 said:
The WCML in the early 2000's when the Trent Valley 4 tracking was taking place?

I have memories of it being unusable every weekend for what seemed like years...

Along with Norton Bridge to Cheadle Hulme and Crewe to Stockport via Wilmslow (WCML upgrade - mixed results shall we say) - this led of course to Project Rio from St Pancras to Manchester via the Hope Valley.

route:oxford · 3 May 2018

telstarbox said:
What's the longest blockade (in distance not time) which has been put in place?

Ness Viaduct back in 1989. 231 miles and 15 months.

ChiefPlanner · 3 May 2018

route:oxford said:
Ness Viaduct back in 1989. 231 miles and 15 months.

You sure ? - after the collapse , a termporary depot was made at Muir of Ord / Dingwall and a shuttle using class 156 sets roaded in from Inverness ran an emergency shuttle to the far North (it also brought back some stranded and expensive Polybulk wagons otherwise trapped ,on the returning low loaders , plus some class 37's) - good job there by BR Scotrail.

route:oxford · 3 May 2018

ChiefPlanner said:
You sure ? - after the collapse , a termporary depot was made at Muir of Ord / Dingwall and a shuttle using class 156 sets roaded in from Inverness ran an emergency shuttle to the far North (it also brought back some stranded and expensive Polybulk wagons otherwise trapped ,on the returning low loaders , plus some class 37's) - good job there by BR Scotrail.

There was no direct rail access between the two sides. 231 miles blockaded from the other.

ChiefPlanner · 3 May 2018

route:oxford said:
There was no direct rail access between the two sides. 231 miles blockaded from the other.

Yes but this long section maintained a service. Anyway - no point arguing.

The block really was Inverness to around the blocking point at Dingwall. (or south of)

edwin_m · 3 May 2018

Most of these seem to be closures due to unplanned events. What's the longest planned blockade?

ChiefPlanner · 3 May 2018

edwin_m said:
Most of these seem to be closures due to unplanned events. What's the longest planned blockade?

Probably the long WCML ones aformentioned

westcoaster · 3 May 2018

Thameslink between London bridge and London Blackfriars 3 years.

185143 · 3 May 2018

If we're looking at time, let's not forget:

Eden Brows, no trains between Armathwaite and Carlisle for about 15 months.

Llandecwyn bridge collapse, nothing between Porthmadog and Pwllheli for about 9 months (I think?)

Ianno87 · 3 May 2018

westcoaster said:
Thameslink between London bridge and London Blackfriars 3 years.

*Technically* Metropolitan Jn to Blackfriars Jn has only been out of use since August 2016 until Jan 2018 - before then it was still accessible from Cannon Street for Empty Stock moves.

London Bridge to Metropolitan Jn has been in continuous use - until August 2016 on the old Charing Cross lines, since then via the new Borough market viaduct.

The Planner · 3 May 2018

Gavray Jn to Claydon LNE is planned to be blocked for a minimum of 3 years. It might be hard to beat that for a planned block.

Ianno87 · 3 May 2018

The Planner said:
Gavray Jn to Claydon LNE is planned to be blocked for a minimum of 3 years. It might be hard to beat that for a planned block.

How long was Oxford-Bicester blocked for?

FGW_Lad · 3 May 2018

Ianno87 said:
How long was Oxford-Bicester blocked for?

Early 2014 until late 2015 if I am correct.

Bald Rick · 3 May 2018

Ianno87 said:
Arley Tunnel blockade in 1993 was something like 6-9 months.

It was planned to be 6 months (March-September 1993) but was nearly a year. A year that coincided almost exactly with my year commuting to Birmingham from the Nuneaton direction.

Bald Rick · 3 May 2018

I think the OP was referring to length of blockade by distance.

Some terminology needs clarification.

A ‘worksite’ is a planned area of work, and must be planned only for the area being specifically worked on.

A ‘possession’ is a length of track (or tracks) that is handed from being in control of the signaller(s) to a Person in Charge of Possession (PICOP). Each possession can have multiple worksites.

Train services are then diverted, or have bus replacements, to avoid one or more possessions.

As an extreme example, it would in theory be possible to have a 100metre worksite in a 1mile
possession at, say, Watford Junction, another at Rugby, another at Crewe, and a final one at Carlisle, which together would cause VTWC to abandon any service. It would be seen as a 399mile blockade, albeit 395miles of the route would actually be open, and only 1/4 mile be actually being worked on.

53703 · 4 May 2018

Stainforth Landslip? January/Feburary until July 2013

ikcdab · 4 May 2018

Well one of the longest was Exeter to Penzance in 1892 when the broad gauge was narrowed. 171 miles were converted over one weekend.
Longest distance, shortest time...
Probably biggest workforce to!

M28361M · 4 May 2018

Going back a bit, Liverpool Central to James Street was closed for nearly two years, from 28 July 1975 until 9 May 1977, to allow for construction of the Loop and Link tunnels on the Merseyrail network.

Original plan was for the Loop to be finished and trains running through it before the Mersey Railway tunnel at Liverpool Central was needed for the Link line works, but the Loop construction ran seriously behind schedule so it wasn't ready in time. Rather than delay the Link works as well, it was decided to close the line to allow work to proceed.

Someone has put a passenger information leaflet from the time on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lukeorourke/albums/72157664272550906

Longest engineering blockade?

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