WCML blocked at Carnforth 13/05/25, best travel options?

MontyP · 13 May 2025

I am currently at Preston having been on the 0830 Euston to Glasgow which has been terminated here due to a broken down train at Carnforth (looks like 4S60 is the culprit).

Any advice on alternative routes? Advice here at Preston is to wait for a rail replacement coach to Carlisle but no sign of any coaches at the moment! Another passenger has been told to take the Northern to York and change there and Edinburgh!

Incident: Lancaster | National Rail

Major disruption in the Lancaster area expected until 15:00. Find details of all current incidents on National Rail Enquiries.

www.nationalrail.co.uk

RailUK Forums

Bletchleyite · 13 May 2025

Probably wait for an RRB. Though you could get a service bus to Lancaster from the bus station (opposite end of Fishergate) and then take the 1319 Northern service to Carlisle via the Coast if you're not in a hurry and just want to be moving rather than sitting around, assuming that runs which I think is likely as it is I believe operated from Barrow depot. No idea if it's a permitted route or not but I'd imagine they would be nice about it in major disruption. Then you've got the ScotRail to Glasgow via Kilmarnock (which is a permitted route on Any Permitted/Not London south WCML-Glasgow tickets) if the WCML is still stuffed. It'll take most of the day though, may be substantially slower than waiting!

jfollows · 13 May 2025

The coast route via Barrow is a permitted route London-Glasgow, yes.

zwk500 · 13 May 2025

A 1Z99 is heading southbound (at Tebay 1143).

So hanging on may be the better option

Although it looks like 4S60 is moving forward (now north of Oxenholme), so maybe it's recovered, or been rescued at Carnforth (as there's another 1Z99 in one of the loops)?

pnepaul · 13 May 2025

If the line is blocked south of Carnforth, then the coast route via Barrow won't be possible!
Having said that, according to Tracksy 4S40 is on the move.

Mcr Warrior · 13 May 2025

pnepaul said:
If the line is blocked south of Carnforth, then the coast route via Barrow won't be possible!

Indeed. Looks like several Northern trains starting from or calling at Lancaster, that would normally have run onwards to Barrow-in-Furness/Carlisle/Leeds have been cancelled since mid morning.

Bletchleyite · 13 May 2025

Mcr Warrior said:
Indeed. Looks like several Northern trains starting from or calling at Lancaster, that would normally have run onwards to Barrow-in-Furness/Carlisle/Leeds have been cancelled since mid morning.

My railway geography is clearly a bit off!

For what it's worth you can get a fair way by bus though - 4x (forget what the X is) to Lancaster then 555 to Keswick then I believe there's a bus from there to Carlisle. Better off waiting now though I reckon.

andythebrave · 13 May 2025

4s60 split, front part has now continued, rescue loco from carnforth enroute for the separated wagons (it's just reversing at Lancaster now), advised that the Avanti Edinburgh that we're on will go to Edinburgh with estimated departure from Lancaster around 1235 so around 2 and a half hours down

Toby268 · 13 May 2025

zwk500 said:
A 1Z99 is heading southbound (at Tebay 1143).

View attachment 179878

So hanging on may be the better option

Although it looks like 4S60 is moving forward (now north of Oxenholme), so maybe it's recovered, or been rescued at Carnforth (as there's another 1Z99 in one of the loops)?

4S60 is indeed moving forward. However 1 of its wagons that detached and has caused this disruption are still sitting there. Couldn’t be coupled back together as there is damage to the coupler. 1Z99 will be coupling to south end and will take it away.

andythebrave · 13 May 2025

Funnily enough, there seems to be a second rescue loco from Carlisle approaching carnforth now

Scratch that, it's headed into WCR

Polarbear · 13 May 2025

Bletchleyite said:
My railway geography is clearly a bit off!

For what it's worth you can get a fair way by bus though - 4x (forget what the X is) to Lancaster then 555 to Keswick then I believe there's a bus from there to Carlisle. Better off waiting now though I reckon.

Either 40 or 41 Preston - Lancaster, 555 to Keswick for 554 onto Carlisle. Whilst a scenic run through the lakes, it's not fast!

Guard86 · 13 May 2025

andythebrave said:
Funnily enough, there seems to be a second rescue loco from Carlisle approaching carnforth now

Scratch that, it's headed into WCR

1Z99 from carlisle was originally meant to recover wagons, but it seems someone got impatient and managed to scramble another rescue loco, this time from steam town. Though seems like a waste of additional funds as the carlisle recuse loco seems to have been not far away by the time the WCR one got there.

MontyP · 13 May 2025

andythebrave said:
4s60 split, front part has now continued, rescue loco from carnforth enroute for the separated wagons (it's just reversing at Lancaster now), advised that the Avanti Edinburgh that we're on will go to Edinburgh with estimated departure from Lancaster around 1235 so around 2 and a half hours down

Which train are you on? And where is it now?

QueensCurve · 13 May 2025

Did anyone start a thread on how this chaos could be obviated by bidirectional signalling?

andythebrave · 13 May 2025

0616 (?) Euston to Edinburgh, currently at Lancaster, headcode changed to 9z54 with schedule of the next Euston Edinburgh service which I think has been turned at Preston.

Mcr Warrior · 13 May 2025

andythebrave said:
0616 (?) Euston to Edinburgh, currently at Lancaster, headcode changed to 9z54 with schedule of the next Euston Edinburgh service which I think has been turned at Preston.

Showing as "cancelled" beyond Lancaster, or is it maybe going to continue Northwards (with a different headcode) once the track is clear? Presume it's been sat at platform 4 for some time now?

andythebrave · 13 May 2025

Mcr Warrior said:
Showing as "cancelled" beyond Lancaster, or is it maybe going to continue Northwards (with a different headcode) once the track is clear?

Realtime Trains | 9Z54 1209 Lancaster to Edinburgh | 13/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 9Z54 1209 departure from Lancaster to Edinburgh on 13/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 May 2025 ==

And we've been here since 1110

MontyP · 13 May 2025

andythebrave said:
Realtime Trains | 9Z54 1209 Lancaster to Edinburgh | 13/05/2025

Real-time train running information for 9Z54 1209 departure from Lancaster to Edinburgh on 13/05/2025. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 May 2025 ==

And we've been here since 1110

And still there by the look of it!

andythebrave · 13 May 2025

You are not wrong, but I am very optimistic, as is my nature

pnepaul · 13 May 2025

9Z54 now at Oxenholme.

Mag_seven · 13 May 2025

QueensCurve said:
Did anyone start a thread on how this chaos could be obviated by bidirectional signalling?

Yes there is a thread:

Should the two track railway north of Preston be fitted with bidirectional signalling?

moderator note-split from https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/4s38-has-failed-on-beattock-bank-29-4-2025.285542/ Anyone know why they can't run wrong road here? Guessing there will be good reason, but just wondering what it is really For such a critical section of track, SimBids would be...

www.railforums.co.uk

Toby268 · 13 May 2025

Another freight, 6E41 has came to a stand just south of Lancaster now. Couldn’t make it up!

SiTheTrainGuy · 13 May 2025

I was driving 2H01 Skipton to Morecambe and passed the divided train. Looked like to coupler had broken off. Made it to Morecambe and then had to get a taxi back to Skipton. If it hadn’t stopped where it did they could have run trains round the North Curve to bypass it.

zwk500 · 13 May 2025

Toby268 said:
Another freight, 6E41 has came to a stand just south of Lancaster now. Couldn’t make it up!

6E41 now in Oubeck loop on OTT.

childwallblues · 13 May 2025

I boarded 1S42 Euston to Glasgow at Wigan North Western at 0926 to meet friends at Haitwhistle. We eventually reached Lancaster after a lot of slow running 17 late. It was obvious that nothing was going to move north and platform staff said that they had been told of a 2 to 4 hour delay. I returned south to Preston on the late running 1M73 which TPE terminated at Preston.

Ollie29 · 13 May 2025

zwk500 said:
6E41 now in Oubeck loop on OTT.

It's now on the move, thankfully

800001 · 13 May 2025

Guard86 said:
1Z99 from carlisle was originally meant to recover wagons, but it seems someone got impatient and managed to scramble another rescue loco, this time from steam town. Though seems like a waste of additional funds as the carlisle recuse loco seems to have been not far away by the time the WCR one got there.

Quicker a loco gets there, quicker the issue is resolved!
Good idea if they managed to source another loco.

MontyP · 13 May 2025

childwallblues said:
I boarded 1S42 Euston to Glasgow at Wigan North Western at 0926 to meet friends at Haitwhistle. We eventually reached Lancaster after a lot of slow running 17 late. It was obvious that nothing was going to move north and platform staff said that they had been told of a 2 to 4 hour delay. I returned south to Preston on the late running 1M73 which TPE terminated at Preston.

I ended up waiting at Preston from 1045 until 1315 and then caught the additional 9Z55. Which picked up lots of passengers at Carlisle who had taken the coaches from Preston!

I won't add to the suggestions thread on bi-directional signalling etc. What strikes me whenever an incident like this occurs is the totally disjointed and incoherent information that is provided. The staff at Preston are just using the public-facing apps to provide information. And what is the point in telling Avanti Glasgow passengers to take a coach to Carlisle when there are no services being turned there.

Mcr Warrior · 13 May 2025

MontyP said:
And what is the point in telling Avanti Glasgow passengers to take a coach to Carlisle when there are no services being turned there.

It's both 'helpful' and then someone else's problem to sort out? :rolleyes:

williamn · 13 May 2025

This seems to be a frequently occurring problem. My 12.30 from Euston was unaffected but packed to the rafters with passengers from the prior cancelled service.

WCML blocked at Carnforth 13/05/25, best travel options?

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