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Weather Disruption caused by storm Ciara (February 9th, 10th and 11th)

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Well said mate. Far too many insulting replies creeping into these Forums. And imo, far too much moaning and complaining about everything on the railway!
Thanks. Too many keyboard warriors here and elsewhere. People need to get out more and debate over a pint. Things never get as bitter and insulting in my local pub, no pun intended. Having worked on the railway I fully understand the difficulties faced today, but people here expect miracles.
 
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gazzaa2

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To be fair they've done a good job to get any service on today. You can accept and expect the disruption when the weather is genuinely extreme.

Best that it's on a Sunday because although people still work it's not the same hordes of commuters who rely on the railways to get to work Monday to Friday. It'd be chaos if it was a weekday.
 

6Gman

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Because on a Sunday most of them want to get home and have nowhere else to go! I think this sanctimonious attitude is wrong and unhelpful.

Perhaps they could have headed home a day early?

This disruption has been widely forecast.
 

6Gman

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why on Earth can’t TOC’s get their act together and sort out buses? All this rubbish about it being too dangerous, no one has told National Express, Scottish Citylink etc this...

Perhaps the bus companies don't want to place their vehicles and drivers at risk.

(If I owned a £200k coach I'd think twice about sending it out today)
 

R G NOW.

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The London Paddington, now only to Swindon sat on platform 4 at Gloucester for ages, showing delayed. It then departed and went to Swindon after all abeit no passengers, 'What the hell for.' From what I gathered a bus took them.
 

PHILIPE

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Things are starting to clear now but there have been Overhead Line and tree problems between Maidenhead and Paddington which have been severely delaying trains heading towards Paddington because trains couldn't get out and blocked the station.
 

Nippy

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Has the speed restriction been lifted in places? RTT is showing trains doing PAD-RDG in 24 minutes, which is not possible at 50mph.
When I left work this morning, the speed restriction on the London end of the western wasn't going on until 11 or 12 (can't remember which).
 

father_jack

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Waverley shut due to overcrowding. Are these people mad ? Probably car drivers who never take the train............

https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman....-overcrowding-caused-cancelled-trains-1393941

Storm Ciara: Edinburgh Waverley closed due to 'overcrowding' caused by cancelled trains
The Capitals main station is feeling the strain of the severe disruption due to the weather

By Conor Matchett

Sunday, 9th February 2020, 11:49 am
Updated 12 minutes ago
Waverley Station is shut to new passengers due to overcrowding
Edinburgh's main train station is shut due to overcrowding caused by passengers arriving due to Storm Ciara.

LNER, who are the main train operators in Edinburgh Waverley, said new customers would be turned away at the station due to overcrowding.

The train operating company said: "Please DO NOT TRAVEL unless absolutely necessary. Edinburgh Waverley station is currently closed to new customers arriving due to overcrowding. Tickets will be valid all day tomorrow.


Network Rail Scotland said the station is open for ScotRail customers, but that this could change.

They said: "Edinburgh Waverley is open for ScotRail customers, though we're keeping this under review. For those planning to travel cross-border, those operators are recommending passengers do not travel."

On Twitter, Sarah Moyes said: "Just arrived at Edinburgh Waverley to meet my family, but police at all entrances stopping people from getting in. Lots of very confused faces with suitcases everywhere.

Lesley added: "Nobody being allowed into Waverley station. Police not letting anyone in. They say enough people in station already for all trains south."

Stuart Anderton said: "Got out of Edinburgh just in time as now reporting Waverley station closed. It was packed with people trying to get to England when we went through."

Storm Ciara is causing major disruption on the railways in Scotland and England.
 

Megafuss

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If Stagecoach have buses out in service, running to time, clearly not. And there are taxis at Lancaster station which could have been used (there aren't many people there, most actually are heeding the advice).
I meant coach depots, not Stagecoach
 

FQTV

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Overhead line damage now on the East Coast Main Line north of Doncaster on the Leeds branch.
 

Alfie1014

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Not a good day in the air either, lots of go arounds flights from London airports and diverts elsewhere, Brussels, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Oslo to name a few.
 

Roast Veg

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331 at South Elmsall declared a failure. Passengers will be moved all stations to Doncaster by RRB.
 

Furrball

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Perhaps the bus companies don't want to place their vehicles and drivers at risk.

(If I owned a £200k coach I'd think twice about sending it out today)

https://news.stv.tv/weather/storm-ciara-three-injured-after-pub-roof-collapses?top

In Aberdeenshire, a coach overturned into a ditch due to the severe gales on the B9000 near Newburgh.
The accident happened at around 6.45pm on Saturday.

Police said no one was seriously hurt, but one person suffered a slight injury to their knee.

The bus was eventually recovered on Sunday morning.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Police were called at around 6.45pm on Saturday to reports of a bus on its side on the B9000 at Newburgh.

“The ambulance service was called, but there were no reports of serious injuries.

“There was one minor injury to someone’s knee, but nothing serious.

“The road was closed at 8pm. The bus was recovered at 9.30am on Sunday.”

The road will be reopened once the debris is cleared up.
 

Llanigraham

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If Stagecoach have buses out in service, running to time, clearly not. And there are taxis at Lancaster station which could have been used (there aren't many people there, most actually are heeding the advice).

With your expert knowledge, have the Rail Replacement companies got drivers available?
Have they enough drivers with hours available today?
Would any driver used today be out of hours for a job/tour booked for tomorrow?
Do they want to tie up a coach for a whole day, and possible more, when it might be booked out already for tomorrow?
And how many taxi drivers want to do a long distance trip?

You are looking at the situation with a very large pair of blinkers on; perhaps you need to take them off and look at the bigger picture.
 

ExpressTrain

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Looking at Traksy, 1M52 York- Biringham ran via Tamworth & Kingsbury to Coleshill Parkway, is now starting as 1S45 1230 Birmingham - Dundee (good luck with that :) ) There may be a queue for the buses as only the 170s were planned to terminate there (Leicester/Cambridge/Stanstead & Nottingham). Presumably a single Voyager as Coleshill Parkway has 6x20m platforms according to Quail maps.
My flat in the Rotunda overlooks New Street station so it's been interesting to see all the comings and goings today. There was quite a big huddle of people waiting for buses to Coleshill Parkway (CEH) outside the TK Maxx, but two National Express WM double deckers running as rail replacements have just picked them all up. Not sure whether they were planned to run today alongside the other buses or drafted in last minute due to voyagers being turned around at CEH.
 

SuperNova

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If Stagecoach have buses out in service, running to time, clearly not. And there are taxis at Lancaster station which could have been used (there aren't many people there, most actually are heeding the advice).

Things you must factor in:

1) Availability of RRB. Demand is going to be huge and their is only a finite resource. Last year WCML went down, ECML had pre-planned works on so all that could be sourced at short notice was a 16 seat minibus.
2) Can RRB get to destinations. Just because Point A to Point B is clear. But the bus depot is at Point C - can said bus got to Point A safely.
3) Availability of coach drivers. Seemingly forgotten in the midst of everything.

It is very easy to sit behind a keyboard criticising - but trust me, if RRB could have been sourced, it would have been.
 

Robertj21a

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Why the thing about buses and coaches? The way things are at the moment I’d rather be in a train than a bus or coach, and it isn’t going to get very far if the roads are blocked.

The original query related to a train arriving at Lancaster, and there being no onward arrangements in place.
 

Bletchleyite

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It is very easy to sit behind a keyboard criticising - but trust me, if RRB could have been sourced, it would have been.

I don't agree. There were options; the options were not taken.

They could have had staff stood at the bus stop on the main road purchasing tickets on the 40 for people to travel to Preston, at a push. Those are running to time and aren't overcrowded.

They could have used taxis.

"Get lost and sort yourself out", basically. Not acceptable.
 

61653 HTAFC

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Huddersfield was like a ghost town just now, so most people have decided to stay inside today. Just crossed over the Calder near Mirfield East junction and the river has burst it's banks, with the Dr. Reddy's chemical works bridge acting like a dam. The railway has gotten off lightly by comparison!
 

Alfie1014

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Wires down at Manor Park on the GE, multiple tress down on West Anglia routes, plus more trees down at Bury St Edmunds, Halesworth and Eccles Road. Advice from GA for rest if day do not travel as alternate road replacement not practical due to similar conditions on the roads.
 

jfollows

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Open train times maps shows 1A22 and 9G52 just south of Winsford

EDIT: 1A22 11:47 Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston (Pendolino); 9G52 11:17 Preston to London Euston via Birmingham (diesel).
Some movement at Winsford; 1Z99 has moved, presumably alongside, on the up slow. Down trains are passing, using the down slow from Crewe to Winsford.
 

SuperNova

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I don't agree. There were options; the options were not taken.

They could have had staff stood at the bus stop on the main road purchasing tickets on the 40 for people to travel to Preston, at a push. Those are running to time and aren't overcrowded.

They could have used taxis.

"Get lost and sort yourself out", basically. Not acceptable.

Again, you're failing to understand how RRB works. There is a process and set coach companies that can be used. You can't just wave down a bus. Now if a customer really wants to get to Lancaster, they can of course get that bus and claim back if they so wish.

There are also circumstances where there will be acceptance from a bus company. Coastliner currently are accepting rail tickets on buses between York and Scarborough, Metrolink to the Airport from Manchester as both routes are shut due to a tree falling on the line. These will have been proactively sourced. However, sometimes companies plainly refuse acceptance.
 

infobleep

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I was in on a NR/TOC/MET OFFICE Conference yesterday, and the Met Office were VERY CLEAR in stating what was going to happen today, and only an irresponsible authority would have ignored it !
So would the Met Office be able to advice the TOCs, which ones are likely to have it the worst and as a result which ones should tell passengers not to travel and which ones don't need to warn passengers not to travel?

I ask because only some TOCs are advising passengers not to travel. I'd have expected this advice to be more widespread across more TOCs.

I say all this whilst appreicating what the Met Office give is their forecast and yes the weather can do something different. Anyone who thinks weather forecasting is easy, should try it. I once wanted to be a meteorologist but I found the physics and maths too hard at A Level so didn't so left it to the experts.
 
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