Let's leave the off-topic chat about routes there thank you. This thread is about the landslip which has caused disruption to services in the area. Please ensure future posts address that subject only.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Chichester and Fareham have run this week, on the normal route according to RTT, along with a few trains between Westbury and Eastleigh/Southampton and some intermodal trains. Has the slip been fixed enough for freight to pass or is it not as bad as first thought?
THERE is "no timescale for repair" after the Salisbury railway landslip, according to Network Rail Wessex.
Commuters were warned that they could face two months of travel disruption after a landslide blocked a railway line between Romsey and Salisbury on Tuesday February 18.
The incident meant that the railway needs "substantial repair work" and this is expected to take up to two months to fix.
Now, rail chiefs are saying there is "no timescale for repair at present", but have ensured residents that they are doing everything they can.
A spokesperson on the Network Rail Wessex twitter account said: "We apologise to those affected by the landslip that has closed the line between Salisbury and Dean. Our geotechnical team are on site analysing and planning the repair. Unfortunately, the field next to the site remains flooded.
"This is preventing us accessing the site with heavy machinery. We have no timescales for repair at present, but are doing everything we can to get the line reopened to passenger trains as quickly as possible. We will share any updates as soon as they are available."
As previously reported, replacement busses have been arranged, running between Romsey and Southampton, calling at Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh, as well as between Salisbury and Southampton, calling at Redbridge and Milbrook.
It doesn't need doubling, just a loop to pass two trains without blocking up either Bradford or Thingley Jns.A regular service between Swindon and Salisbury to link with the Romsey service isn’t possible without doubling the Melksham line. All previous reports have carefully ignored the multitude of freight traffic which uses this line and holds at Thingley Junction awaiting paths onto the Box route.
The line is at near capacity and that is why you have the current irregular pattern passenger service as it’s the best that can be fitted round long standing freight traffic. Double the line and it becomes possible but that’s actually quite expensive....
I would have thought Frome should be a more pressing case for a better service, but it looks like these luminaries don't understand why Filton is important while lumping Wales into the too difficult category.Hopefully one day we will finally get a sensible DMU service through a Westbury.
SWR Pompey - Bristol limited stop
GWR Swindon - Southampton - Romsey
GWR Weymouth/Westbury - Cardiff
If I recall correctly, these suggestions are regularly made including by former SWT management to the DfT.
You would cover all major flows with best stock allocation.
There’s a section of a hundred yards or more about half a mile south of Eastleigh on the Botley line, where they reinforced an embankment with some major work, even though it was done without a significant closure it still took many months of TSRs. It basically consists of a massive piled box structure either side of the embankment, and almost as high as the embankment. It’s easily visible on Google satellite view, there’s an underbridge part way along...The South Today piece earlier this morning indicated that some 136 x 13m piles would be sunk in and then linked by boring through the bank and inserting a bar (or whatever the techy term might be) to link through and provide stability. This to be done by the end of March, when the line would be open for traffic. The longer term solution will take a while longer - River Bourne water levels go down, ground firm enough for temp roadway and heavy kit arrives to yield a solution. It will, by the look of it, take time.
Both Turbos broke downAppears a great Western 158 is travelling back to Portsmouth as 3N78 of all headcodes. The turbos have been missing for the previous few days.
Any idea what’s going on?
Network Rail wessex still says end of March as of yesterday.Local news seems to be saying the line will re-open by the end of March, but NR still says 30 April. Does anyone know which is correct?
Could it be the difference between the temporary piling work to get it open for end of March, and the full repair that NR are explaining will happen afterwards?Local news seems to be saying the line will re-open by the end of March, but NR still says 30 April. Does anyone know which is correct?
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/...reopen-at-the-end-of-march-following-landslip
- Landslip close to Salisbury closed the line between Salisbury and Romsey on 18 February
- Interim fix devised by engineers will enable the line to be reopened by the end of March
- Longer-term solution to rebuild the embankment will be delivered once local flooding subsides and heavy machinery can reach the area
A landslip has damaged part of the railway between Salisbury and Romsey resulting in all lines being closed. From an initial inspection, Network Rail engineers have observed that the embankment has slipped, leaving the track unsupported over approximately 20 metres, making it unsafe to run trains.
We don't expect the line to reopen before Thursday 30 April as extensive repairs will be required to reopen the line.
Is anyone else having issues getting information about the rail replacement services being ran due to this?
Looking at travelling on Sunday NRE doesn't show any changes to get a replacement bus at Salisbury (or a timetable change) but does have a note saying rail replacement buses are running. NRE doesn't make it clear if tickets routed via Salisbury are valid via Reading for a Cardiff to Southampton journey.
GWR site has no details when you click through on more information.
Have tried contacting GWR on Twitter but no reply so far.
Should have been today when I spoke to him last week in the same circumstances...he said they were on target for the 23rd but they’d been rostered all this week “just in case”Should be open Thursday according to the Pilotman this morning when I navigated the SLW.
It was still in operation yesterday afternoon, I went through around 1320.Trains running through normally today. Not sure when single line working was lifted, I think it was still in place yesterday.
I suspect the Salisbury MOMs will be glad to have a break from piloting duties and continually shuttling up and down the A36.
I think, going back to the March announcements, that they got trains running by means of a temporary fix with steel piles, and they were not going to start a permanent solution until water levels subsided. I think there’s more to what’s been going on than “final touches” - although there’s very little info on NR’s website.Trains have continued to run normally and there is still quite a lot of activity to add the final touches.
Is that definitely related to this problem though?Romsey - Salisbury line closures scheduled for weekends of 12/13 Sept, 3/4 Oct, 10/11 Oct, 17/18 Oct according to SWR engineering works page