Bridge Collapse at Barrow on Soar 2nd Aug 2016

[43074]

According to Realtime Trains, the 1815 St Pancras to Leeds has left and is running as normal along the normal route.

I'm guessing this will be diverted at some point, but where?

There's no diversion available to EMT services to avoid the blockage, it will be terminated at Leicester, and is shown as doing so on EMT's emergency timetable - https://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk/Global/Replacement Timetable Monday 020816 v1.pdf.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It is not the brick arch that has failed but the parapet, which was clearly acting as a retaining wall for the in-fill behind it. Expect a round of inspections of similar structures.

Thanks for making that posting, though you should not have had to make this clarification.

 

[jp1147]

My house backs on to the Mainline just north of Sileby and my driveway goes under Bridge no. UB52.
I'm currently working on my stable block that's about four metres from the bottom of the embankment.
It's very,very spooky with no 43s and no 222s thrashing through,all I've seen all day is a couple of stone trains going into the railhead at Redlands.
JP1147.

 

[AndyW33]

Yes but that won't help you get stock north of Leicester.

I would have thought that the best route would be via Grantham.

You don't want to get stock north of Leicester, that's where nearly all of it already is because it overnights on Etches Park and Neville Hill depots. In fact you want to get it south of Leicester where the Leicester-St Pancras service is seriously under-resourced and there are no sets to do Corby-St Pancras.
I'm sure the poster who suggested that stock moves had taken place via Peterborough meant that they reached Peterborough via Grantham and then continued to Leicester via Melton. This is the only physically possible route that EMT drivers sign. They'd obviously try to use their own crews before asking other TOCs or FOCs for conductor drivers, it's quicker and with luck they can find people who have both traction and route knowledge.
There are a few workings on the Norwich service that use the Peterborough-Syston line, specifically to retain route knowledge.

 

[louis97]

EMT have ran an HST from St Pancras to Peterborough this evening, this then formed 1H10 to Hull from Peterborough with the VTEC EMTish HST running back to Cricklewood. Presumably the set that was stabled in London last night requires an exam and does not have enough mileage left to run another day of services tomorrow.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Will they be able to get a few sets south for shuttle runs, even if sending the ECS via normally freight only lines?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-36950451

Looking at the second picture is it me or is the road still sagging a little?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

EMT have ran an HST from St Pancras to Peterborough this evening, this then formed 1H10 to Hull from Peterborough with the VTEC EMTish HST running back to Cricklewood. Presumably the set that was stabled in London last night requires an exam and does not have enough mileage left to run another day of services tomorrow.

This sort of practical set swopping may be needed if the problem goes on for more than say 36 hours .....

 

[RichmondCommu]

You don't want to get stock north of Leicester, that's where nearly all of it already is because it overnights on Etches Park and Neville Hill depots. In fact you want to get it south of Leicester where the Leicester-St Pancras service is seriously under-resourced and there are no sets to do Corby-St Pancras.

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I was really referring to the need to get stock back to Etches Park / Leeds for maintenance.

 

[AndyW33]

Will they be able to get a few sets south for shuttle runs, even if sending the ECS via normally freight only lines?

Only if the normally freight only line is cleared for HSTs or 222s, is open for traffic at the time of day the move needs to happen (freight only lines aren't necessarily open 24 hours a day if they still have manual signalboxes), and a helpful FOC can supply conductor drivers, since EMT drivers won't know the road on any of the lines that would provide a workround for the blocked section of line. (Except Nottingham-Grantham-Peterborough-Syston-Leicester which EMT run over as part of Nottingham-Norwich and its planned-for diversionary route).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

EMT have ran an HST from St Pancras to Peterborough this evening, this then formed 1H10 to Hull from Peterborough with the VTEC EMTish HST running back to Cricklewood. Presumably the set that was stabled in London last night requires an exam and does not have enough mileage left to run another day of services tomorrow.

Sensible co-operation between 100% Stagecoach EMT and 95% Stagecoach VTEC.

 

[PHILIPE]

I assume that stock could be moved via Coalville if the line was expected to be closed for longer than a couple of days.

What about route availability of HSTs and Meridians. Are they cleared ? What about traincrew route knowledge ? Not very practicable, perhaps.

 

[Tomnick]

Yes but that won't help you get stock north of Leicester.

I would have thought that the best route would be via Grantham.

That's what I meant - via Grantham and a reversal at Peterborough to get stock from Etches Park to Leicester. I don't know whether that happened in the end, or whether it was just a single set swapped at Peterborough, but it's certainly the only route that EMT drivers have route knowledge for such a move.

 

[RichmondCommu]

What about route availability of HSTs and Meridians. Are they cleared ? What about traincrew route knowledge ? Not very practicable, perhaps.

Very fair and valid points. I was only thinking that running extra ECS up / down the ECML might be difficult given how busy that route is.

 

[MadCommuter]

"At the current time, we are working towards providing a near normal train service tomorrow but strongly advise that you check with us before travel especially customers travelling from Loughborough, Barrow upon Soar, Syston and Sileby."

http://www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk...ormation/DISRUPTION-Leicester---Loughborough/

 

[howittpie]

The latest update on the EMT website at 21.20 states they are working to provide a near normal service tomorrow. If they believe this is the case this is probably why are they are not moving many sets around as they will need them to provide the early services towards London.

 

[edwin_m]

Very fair and valid points. I was only thinking that running extra ECS up / down the ECML might be difficult given how busy that route is.

Shouldn't be a problem overnight, though I think Nottingham-Grantham boxes close so they would have to get through before that or get NR to find someone to open them specially. Nobody seems quite sure what will be running tomorrow but it would be a wise precaution to move a few trains southwards (and perhaps northwards too if in need of a depot visit).

EMT website:

At the current time, we are working towards providing a near normal train service tomorrow but strongly advise that you check with us before travel especially customers travelling from Loughborough, Barrow upon Soar, Syston and Sileby.

That looks like they are aiming to get the slow lines open, reduce the number of calls at Loughborough where through trains can only access platform 3, and possibly turn the Ivanhoe back at Loughborough platform 1 or EM Parkway to free up capacity on the slows.

 

[HowardGWR]

I presume that there will be some sort of inquiry (even though there were no collisions). If a train had met that apparent huge block across the line, that was amongst the spoil from the collapse, it could have been very nasty, given the proximity of the bridge itself, and it reminded me of that appalling ICE derailment.

The point being that it appears, stress appears, that the impending collapse was possibly predictable, as the subsidence of the bridge pavement had been already noted.

As Bald_Rick advised earlier, we have to await such an inquiry's findings, but clearly it's very worrying.

 

[MadCommuter]

Was a possession in place last night during the inspection? If so, less of a concern, but only if the inspection itself was found to have caused a disturbance to the parapet. If the inspection and the collapse were not linked then the collapse could have occurred at any time which is a serious concern.

 

[Bald Rick]

I would be very surprised if RAIB didn't investigate. Assuming they do, you can expect an initial sequence of events fairly soon.

Word on the street is a full service tomorrow for the London trains via the Slows (with speed restriction). The stoppers (Leicester - Lincoln?) operating north/east of Nottingham only.

 

[Robertj21a]

The locals have been reporting the state of the bridge for a long time, with photographs to highlight their worries. I'm sure that they will be very vocal in calling for a detailed inquiry as to why nothing had been done about their concerns.

The sight of all that bridge rubble across the main lines, not long after the last train went through, must send shockwaves through the hearts and minds of anyone who stops to consider what would have happened to any train passing through at speed.

 

[gnolife]

I would be very surprised if RAIB didn't investigate. Assuming they do, you can expect an initial sequence of events fairly soon.

Word on the street is a full service tomorrow for the London trains via the Slows (with speed restriction). The stoppers (Leicester - Lincoln?) operating north/east of Nottingham only.

Will the one of the London - Nottingham services be calling at all stops to replace the Leicester - Lincoln, or will it be buses running Leicester - Loughborough?

 

[najaB]

I'm sure that they will be very vocal in calling for a detailed inquiry as to why nothing had been done about their concerns.

But they *were* doing something about it. Unfortunately it may turn out that the 'something' ended up causing the collapse.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

The locals have been reporting the state of the bridge for a long time, with photographs to highlight their worries. I'm sure that they will be very vocal in calling for a detailed inquiry as to why nothing had been done about their concerns.

That's not correct. The locals are wrong/mistaken.

 

[Bald Rick]

Will the one of the London - Nottingham services be calling at all stops to replace the Leicester - Lincoln, or will it be buses running Leicester - Loughborough?

Don't know, but I doubt it due to Platform lengths.

 

[Robertj21a]

That's not correct. The locals are wrong/mistaken.

On the face of it they may seem justified in believing that not enough was done.

After all, it may be logically assumed that even Network Rail did not expect the bridge to fall down as soon as they started to investigate !

Thank goodness it didn't decide to collapse a few hours earlier.

 

[Class 170101]

What about route availability of HSTs and Meridians. Are they cleared ? What about traincrew route knowledge ? Not very practicable, perhaps.

HSTs are cleared via Coalville I've been on one on a Railtour.

Don't know, but I doubt it due to Platform lengths.

SDO on Meridians?

 

[Robertj21a]

Two of the lines have been reopened. Still buses from Leicester to Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway. Lincoln - Leicester trains terminating at Nottingham.
London trains not stopping at Loughborough.

 

[YorkshireBear]

It is not the brick arch that has failed but the parapet, which was clearly acting as a retaining wall for the in-fill behind it. Expect a round of inspections of similar structures.

Thanks for that....

As i was making a joke i was simply using the type of structure involved to make my point.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Thanks for making that posting, though you should not have had to make this clarification.

No he shouldn't but some people enjoy taking everything seriously don't they?



I now note the BBC have altered their article to show that the workers were drilling in the bridge at the time of the collapse, i would be fairly confident earlier rumours of hitting a water main are true.

 

[ivanhoe]

That's not correct. The locals are wrong/mistaken.

Do you have prima facie knowledge to that effect? Local people are often ignored when they voice concerns , by the so called experts, or fobbed off. We will find out in due course as to the reasons why.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

From the NR press release about the bridge:

The bridge, like all Network Rail structures, is regularly inspected.
Additional inspections and repairs have been completed previously as this area is known for subsidence.
The team working for Network Rail was investigating the structure of the bridge when part of it collapsed onto the railway

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...s-following-bridge-collapse-in-leicestershire

 

[LowLevel]

Shouldn't be a problem overnight, though I think Nottingham-Grantham boxes close so they would have to get through before that or get NR to find someone to open them specially. Nobody seems quite sure what will be running tomorrow but it would be a wise precaution to move a few trains southwards (and perhaps northwards too if in need of a depot visit).

EMT website:


That looks like they are aiming to get the slow lines open, reduce the number of calls at Loughborough where through trains can only access platform 3, and possibly turn the Ivanhoe back at Loughborough platform 1 or EM Parkway to free up capacity on the slows.

The only Nottingham - Grantham boxes nowadays are EM ROC Netherfield workstation, Allington Junction (the hours of which I don't know but may be 24/7 now) and Doncaster PSB - the rest have all been closed in stages since 2013.

As for calling at Loughborough or bothering with shunt moves, they rarely bother stopping anything to protect the service timekeeping from being affected when trains are on the slows. See Sunday mornings at times when it's entirely possible to stop but nothing does if it's on the slows!