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

A Challenge · 9 Feb 2020

david737 said:
That happened this Morning at Chelsfield (between Sevenoaks & Orpington) I think it's NR that's got the date wrong.

The tweet was sent yesterday, so can't have been a picture of an incident today.

RailUK Forums

QueensCurve · 9 Feb 2020

Scott M said:
May be quicker to go via coach than travel on ECML tomorrow. NCL to Leeds is 2hr 30 by coach, looks like NCL to YRK is 2hr with LNER and then you would still need to find yourself a train from YRK to Leeds.

cumbrianbill said:
Northern have cancelled all trains on the Cumbrian coast line between Barrow and Carlisle. The local News and Star website's headlines are that Northern cancel all trains, but I don't think it's that bad. Some local passengers are upset that their long planned weekends are ruined, and are wondering whether Northern will pay for an extra night's hotel or compensate them for a day's work if they can't get back until Monday.

With the onshore wind, storm surge and a high spring tide it will be interesting to see if the infrastructure survives between Whitehaven and Harrington.

cambsy · 9 Feb 2020

Scottish Citylink are running Dundee-Aberdeen, no report of abandoning services, though only single deckers running, no double deckers due to wind, The Scottish Citylink drivers are a hardy bunch.

Unixman · 9 Feb 2020

Grumpy Git said:
Pedant mode on:

Metal will burn if hot enough.

Bigger pedant: no. Not all metals will burn irrespective of the temperature.

duffield · 9 Feb 2020

Given the many, many instances of trees and other obstructions on the line, plus landslides and multiple flooding instances, I wonder if *any* of the posters who were calling the reduced and speed restricted services a massive over-reaction would like to admit they were wrong? Or were they happy for their trains to plough into a large obstruction at (say) 100mph and derail? Or get stranded in deep flood water for hours?
I *was* planning to travel today but reviewed the situation this morning and decided it was not appropriate; and had I done so my journey would have been stopped due to a large tree.

Merseysider · 9 Feb 2020

weastebusdepot said:
RRBs are still running Nuneaton - Rugby - Northampton but not much else in the area is.

12-16 seaters are being used, thankfully the crowds aren’t too big.

Nuneaton to Coleshill running normally, although delayed, and proper RRBs from there to Birmingham.

Nuneaton to Cov is also doing alright, but Avanti is all over the place.

QueensCurve · 9 Feb 2020

CaptainHaddock said:
But that's just it, a weather forecast isn't an authority stating what will definitely happen just one predicting what might possibly happen, which is no more accurate than a horoscope. By all means cancel the trains if a tree blows onto the line but cancelling trains on the off chance that a tree might blow onto the line is ridiculous. One would hope that the TOCs cancelling trains needlessly tomorrow will face hefty compensation claims from passengers needlessly disrupted.

Weather forecasts are, to be fair "more accurate than a horoscope". They aren't always correct. Those who learn to read the synoptic chart generally have a better idea of the general picture without getting bogged down in the exact time it is going to rain.

Spurs · 9 Feb 2020

I know it's a bit of a guessing game at best, but is there a rough idea of how likely the 05:52 London to Sheffield is to run in the morning? Right now there's apparently a tree on the line between London and Bedford but I'm hoping that gets cleared up overnight...

Horizon22 · 9 Feb 2020

Severe damage to a train near Swanley (https://mobile.twitter.com/NetworkRailSE/status/1226542055184195590) and Victoria Platforms 1-6 closed due to precariousness of the roof.

TrafficEng · 9 Feb 2020

ChiefPlanner said:
Certain people locally in St Albans do that in any case. Really is a joke.

The highway authorities have a convenient scapegoat in climate change.

A road floods locally and they claim it is due to climate change and we should start getting used to it. Nothing else they can do....

Especially not the possibility of reinstating the quarterly cleansing of every road gully to remove the silt and stop it blocking up pipes and catchpits. Not to mention the more frequent cleansing of gullys in locations where there is a known regular flooding problem.

The same goes for trees. Once upon a time there was regular inspection of all highway trees to make sure they are safe, along with swift action against anyone with a tree near to a highway which looks sick, or has branches hanging down at double deck bus height. Now we wait for them to fall over or get hit by high vehicles.

All of which reduces resilience when bad weather arrives. Like today.

miami · 9 Feb 2020

Inevitable consequence of voting in successive governments that reduce council funding

jfollows · 9 Feb 2020

voyagerdude220 said:
I think Avanti are using the 2x221 from 1M05 12:04 Preston to London Euston (which terminated at Warrington) to do a train to train evacuation.

It looks like the 2x221 has operated as 1Z99 and is currently on its second trip to rescue stranded passengers, presumably because there were too many of them for the first rescue trip.

EDIT: And 9G52 has reversed into Winsford station as well

robbeech · 9 Feb 2020

Mag_seven said:
Re tickets for today being accepted tomorrow - given all the reported damage I would be gobsmacked if there is not a similar level of disruption tomorrow.

Several operators have strictly said NO to ticket acceptance on Tuesday. I see absolutely ZERO reason why this would be but i'm sure there will be a reason.

RichJF · 9 Feb 2020

Trees down at Dormans on the East Grinstead line too now!

Essan · 9 Feb 2020

Numerous cancellations on the Cotswold line, and we've missed the worst of it

800001 · 9 Feb 2020

APT618S said:
LNER 1Z10 0900 Edinburgh - KGX left Edinburgh 7 min late and has arrived at Newcastle 60mins EARLY against booked time of 1135.
So they must have lifted some speed restrictions.

It ran at line speed to Newcastle, but was then at the 50mph limit from there.

Essan · 9 Feb 2020

Passengers on the 1414 Faversham to Victoria - thank you for staying calm. We have plenty of people on site and more on their way to help you. Control are planning how to get you moving again (even if not on this train). You're safe on board + we will update you ASAP.

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSE/status/1226547446207127553

LancasterRed · 9 Feb 2020

On the 125 (Preston-Bolton) now alongside some displaced Manchester travellers. They've been told at PRE to not expect any trains tomorrow.

With weekday timetables can see the North West bus network going down tomorrow

Bletchleyite · 9 Feb 2020

Regarding RRBs, a NatEx to Whitehaven has just gone past the window where I'm sitting, so it is clearly safe to operate coaches on the M6.

Aictos · 9 Feb 2020

Any TOC yet to say what service they expect to operate in the morning?

darasafvatnia · 9 Feb 2020

Hi guys. I’m riding a hst tomorrow afternoon from St Pancras to Nottingham. Do any of you know if the hst services on the east midland main line will be affected tomorrow?
I hope not!

thanks!

Horizon22 · 9 Feb 2020

Aictos said:
Any TOC yet to say what service they expect to operate in the morning?

Most are just saying "check before you travel" as understandably and quite rightly they are trying to deal with getting passengers stranded or stuck at stations to their destinations today.

PHILIPE · 9 Feb 2020

Aictos said:
Any TOC yet to say what service they expect to operate in the morning?

As posted up thread, TFW not running Cambrian or Conwy Valley due flooding

chris11256 · 9 Feb 2020

c2c have cancelled the first service of the day via Laindon, Chafford Hundred & Rainham to allow for line inspections/

jfollows · 9 Feb 2020

jfollows said:
It's relatively quiet here in Wilmslow now. Road outside my house flooded because the drains are useless, but that'll be gone in another hour. Windy still but nothing beyond normal now.

At 5pm it's now really quiet in Wilmslow, only slight wind and the puddles in the road are going gradually - it took more than an hour though.

ChiefPlanner · 9 Feb 2020

Spurs said:
I know it's a bit of a guessing game at best, but is there a rough idea of how likely the 05:52 London to Sheffield is to run in the morning? Right now there's apparently a tree on the line between London and Bedford but I'm hoping that gets cleared up overnight...

From St Albans South SB (grand total of 8 visitors this bleak afternoon) - 1M46 stood in the down fast platform for over an hour when an obstruction was removed from the OLE somewhere around Luton Airport Parkway - a 12 car 700 working the Bedford shuttle also stood - as could go no further , as the slow line turnback is 8 cars only !!! (juice presumably off north of Sandridge)

Anyway - all on the move from about 1645 , unless something else has happened.

Bletchleyite · 9 Feb 2020

And I've just seen a RRB heading towards Lancaster station. So not as "impossible" as people said it was. Are the naysayers ever correct?

QueensCurve · 9 Feb 2020

Bletchleyite said:
This is the big issue...most UK storms are for one day/night - this one is going to last 3-4 days. I would predict it will be far, far worse for the Lakes than 2016.

I'm presently sat in the Costa at Lancaster station...

Which up until a few years ago was a very traditional station tea room, complete with wainscotting, reminiscent of Brief Encounter.

jimm · 9 Feb 2020

Bletchleyite said:
Regarding RRBs, a NatEx to Whitehaven has just gone past the window where I'm sitting, so it is clearly safe to operate coaches on the M6.

Bletchleyite said:
And I've just seen a RRB heading towards Lancaster station. So not as "impossible" as people said it was. Are the naysayers ever correct?

I'm not sure the people on this coach blown over in Scotland yesterday evening would share your confidence.

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

ChiefPlanner · 9 Feb 2020

TrafficEng said:
The highway authorities have a convenient scapegoat in climate change.

A road floods locally and they claim it is due to climate change and we should start getting used to it. Nothing else they can do....

Especially not the possibility of reinstating the quarterly cleansing of every road gully to remove the silt and stop it blocking up pipes and catchpits. Not to mention the more frequent cleansing of gullys in locations where there is a known regular flooding problem.

The same goes for trees. Once upon a time there was regular inspection of all highway trees to make sure they are safe, along with swift action against anyone with a tree near to a highway which looks sick, or has branches hanging down at double deck bus height. Now we wait for them to fall over or get hit by high vehicles.

All of which reduces resilience when bad weather arrives. Like today.

Largely down to non city centre street cleaning* - Autumn fallen leaves are still around in February , and drain cleaning is , I suspect , yearly + when someone complains or a blockage leads to a mini-lake. Really not good enough.

Plus there is always an argument over who's responsibility it is , and (as ever) - contracting services out leads to the usual nonsense.

Oh for the days of a City / Borough Engineer of the quality there used to be , with a flexible and directly employed workforce.

* City centre street cleaning to be fair is good. Elsewhere , not so.

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

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