Network Rail working at silly times....

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

So, I am generally not one for moaning, I understand safety, I know work has to be done to keep us all safe.

I will try not to turn this into a rant, but...

The Llandudno branch doesn't have a Sunday service for at a guess ‍ 42 Sundays a year.; that leaves 42 Sundays a year for maintenance and any other work that is needed.

I currently have the children all awake, at past 1.00am due to circular saws, loud dropping of metal noises and odd blue lights on the railway.

These are not emergency works... why are they required and why so loud at 1.00am on a Saturday night? There are 42 weeks a year when they have from 21.45 Saturday until approx 06.00 Monday to do as they please. Are night time works in such a populated area really necessary?

RailUK Forums

Starmill · 11 Aug 2019

42 Sundays a year? How did you calculate that? It's a franchise commitment to introduce Sunday services year-round to Llandudno anyway.

bramling · 11 Aug 2019

Y Ddraig Coch said:
...Why are they required and why so loud at 1.00am on a Saturday night....

Well, not necessarily disagreeing with the general point. However, spare a thought for shift workers, and particularly those who work nights, for whom being woken up whilst attempting to sleep is a regular occurrence, be it by someone doing their lawn, hedge trimmers, building work, forgetting to turn the doorbell off and being woken up by a cold caller, bin lorry coming round, traffic noise, hot weather during the daytime, or whatever.

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

bramling said:
Well, not necessarily disagreeing with the general point. However, spare a thought for shift workers, and particularly those who work nights, for whom being woken up whilst attempting to sleep is a regular occurrence, be it by someone doing their lawn, hedge trimmers, building work, forgetting to turn the doorbell off and being woken up by a cold caller, bin lorry coming round, traffic noise, hot weather during the daytime, or whatever.

Understood completely...but, in general, there is an allowance for working anti social hours which takes things like that into consideration and puts up to 12/15% on top of a day workers wage. I don't want to stray off topic here. Point is , after calling Network rail, we should have been informed apparently, it hasn't happend and now I have cranky kids and noisy rail workers to deal with when this could have been avoided for reasons I posted earlier.

CarltonA · 11 Aug 2019

The point here is that shift workers will work at shift times. They would have been on nights earlier in the week and or later in the week. So working in the daytime may interfere with the other shifts which need to be at night on other days. Very unfortunate for those who are disturbed but as already mentioned shift workers put up with it all the time from the normal population who deprive them of sleep during the day.

The Planner · 11 Aug 2019

Did you not get a letter through the door telling you about it? normally a letter drop is done.

Bigfoot · 11 Aug 2019

You live near the railway, the railway was there when you moved in, therefore you only have yourself to blame for not thinking of your surroundings, I recently moved house and spent much more time looking at the surrounding area than I did inside the property.

On a side note a 32 hour possession will be much more productive than an 8 hour one too.

jopsuk · 11 Aug 2019

Bigfoot said:
On a side note a 32 hour possession will be much more productive than an 8 hour one too.

I think his point is that this weekend is one of a small number of Sundays per year when there's only 8 hrs available, compared to the usual 32 hours.

hwl · 11 Aug 2019

jopsuk said:
I think his point is that this weekend is one of a small number of Sundays per year when there's only 8 hrs available, compared to the usual 32 hours.

But the equipment and personnel are available this weekend...

jopsuk · 11 Aug 2019

hwl said:
But the equipment and personnel are available this weekend...

That may indeed be the case. Just that there seemed to be a misapprehension

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

hwl said:
But the equipment and personnel are available this weekend...

Poor planning then...?

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

The Planner said:
Did you not get a letter through the door telling you about it? normally a letter drop is done.

No , nobody has apparently.

Network rail are going to get back to me about it in the next 48 hours apparently.

I also have someone I know who works for NR at Llandudno Junction depot. I will speak to him later and see if he can explain why it needed to be done so late on a Saturday.

GB · 11 Aug 2019

Y Ddraig Coch said:
Poor planning then...?

Sorry, forgot time, equipment and people are unlimited.

furnessvale · 11 Aug 2019

Given recent weather, why are you sure they are not emergency works?

Mag_seven · 11 Aug 2019

Bigfoot said:
You live near the railway, the railway was there when you moved in, therefore you only have yourself to blame for not thinking of your surroundings,

That doesn't let Network Rail off the hook in informing their neighbours of potential noisy overnight works. This informing (by for example a letter drop) doesn't appear to have happened in this case.

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

Apparently they were collecting all the old rails from previous works and cutting them all into smaller easier to move pieces.

With regard to the timing of it all, I will ask all the questions when I get my call back and let you know the outcome.

Bald Rick · 11 Aug 2019

It would quite conceivably be a short notice rail defect. If there is cutting of rail, and rail being moved around, but no heavy machinery (cranes etc) it certainly sounds like a rail being replaced.

Rail defects are time limited -some defects have to be replaced within 36hours of discovery, some within 7 /14 / 28 days. If it was discovered in the last few days or weeks, and this was the first time resources were available, that’s your answer.

Y Ddraig Coch · 11 Aug 2019

Bald Rick said:
It would quite conceivably be a short notice rail defect. If there is cutting of rail, and rail being moved around, but no heavy machinery (cranes etc) it certainly sounds like a rail being replaced.

Rail defects are time limited -some defects have to be replaced within 36hours of discovery, some within 7 /14 / 28 days. If it was discovered in the last few days or weeks, and this was the first time resources were available, that’s your answer.

See above, no defect, just scrap collecting.

507 001 · 11 Aug 2019

Mag_seven said:
That doesn't let Network Rail off the hook in informing their neighbours of potential noisy overnight works. This informing (by for example a letter drop) doesn't appear to have happened in this case.

Agree entirely.
There’s a considerable difference between normal service noise (which people do get used to) and the noise generated by engineering work. I think it’s only fair for NR to at least attempt to make its neighbours aware of such work. Obviously if it’s emergency work that’s not always possible.
If I, or my neighbours were planning a party for example, it would simply be common courtesy to inform each other.

hwl · 11 Aug 2019

Y Ddraig Coch said:
Poor planning then...?

On a national scale excellent planning, allocating people and equipment to less critical jobs when they aren't needed elsewhere on more critical ones. ORR do require some efficiency...

It has been known to leaflet the wrong properties before.

route:oxford · 11 Aug 2019

Y Ddraig Coch said:
Apparently they were collecting all the old rails from previous works and cutting them all into smaller easier to move pieces.

With regard to the timing of it all, I will ask all the questions when I get my call back and let you know the outcome.

Were they definitely Network Rail workers then? Metal Faeries?

Steve Harris · 11 Aug 2019

Bigfoot said:
You live near the railway, the railway was there when you moved in, therefore you only have yourself to blame for not thinking of your surroundings

Sorry to inform you, but that attitude doesn't stand up in a court of law!

Just take a look at https://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/new-judgement-could-force-mildenhall-stadium-to-close-1-4165627

In short, a couple moved into a bungalow just down the road from a motorsport stadium that had been there for some 30 + years before they moved in. They took the stadium to court for being a noise nuisance. And the couple won. (Sorry but can't quote the article as on a mobile device. Hope my summary suffices.)

I know railways are not a motorsport stadium, but the point I'm trying to make is that you do have a responsibility to your neighbours and not just say tough, I was here first.

northernchris · 11 Aug 2019

The Planner said:
Did you not get a letter through the door telling you about it? normally a letter drop is done.

I live next to a railway line and twice in the last year have received a letter from Network Rail informing us of the dates and times of the work as well as what is being carried out and the reasons why. Very impressed with them, especially as on both occasions I wasn't woken at all and one of the possessions was apparently for piling work!

Antman · 12 Aug 2019

Again, the issue isn't the work, it's the apparent lack of consideration by the railway for everyone else. As ever, a number of the posters here intimate the sun revolves around the earth.... where's the local radio news snippet, the article in the Llandudno Gazette or whatever, the maildrop.... (don't know if there are twitter updates etc). but none of it is difficult or expensive. It's just treat people fairly and you'll find they're a lot more relaxed with things. Instead we get absolute spikey, defensive, aggressive responses from railway people to an entirely reasonable question....

Dr Hoo · 12 Aug 2019

Mail drops seem to be normal practice. A family member lives next to the Corby line that has been re-doubled and then electrified over the last few years. Many drops in connection with various work packages.
Only one ‘issue’, when the dynamic track stabiliser was working. Worried telephone call from family member, “we’re having an earthquake here!”
I suspect that the leaflet distributor let NR down.

Y Ddraig Coch · 12 Aug 2019

route:oxford said:
Were they definitely Network Rail workers then? Metal Faeries?

Yes confirmed by a friend who works for NR.

Network Rail working at silly times....

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