Cambrian Storm Damage / Conwy Valley Flooding 02/20

[PHILIPE]

Any idea how long the reopening will take?

Dovey Jn and Cambrian Coast latest estimate is Monday. Conwy Valley, shall we say, indefinite

 

[Llanigraham]

Dovey Jn and Cambrian Coast latest estimate is Monday. Conwy Valley, shall we say, indefinite

Monday is the Aberystwyth srction, not the coast north.

 

[Kite159]

Hopefully Dennis doesn't cause more damage to the infrastructure this coming weekend

 

[Bletchleyite]

Dovey Jn and Cambrian Coast latest estimate is Monday. Conwy Valley, shall we say, indefinite

How extensive is the Conwy Valley damage, or haven't they surveyed it yet? The photo I've seen just looked like a ballast washout from a concrete base which I guess was put there as a result of the last set of damage.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

How extensive is the Conwy Valley damage, or haven't they surveyed it yet? The photo I've seen just looked like a ballast washout from a concrete base which I guess was put there as a result of the last set of damage.

Did you see my pictures above of Dolgarrog station, the new still unopened station under water?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Did you see my pictures above of Dolgarrog station, the new still unopened station under water?

I did, but a concrete platform being underwater doesn't necessarily mean it's damaged (I believe they've piled down to avoid it floating away). I'd imagine they might need a new digger, though.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

I did, but a concrete platform being underwater doesn't necessarily mean it's damaged (I believe they've piled down to avoid it floating away). I'd imagine they might need a new digger, though.

But the track was 4ft below that platform...I doubt that will be looking great.

 

[Bletchleyite]

But the track was 4ft below that platform...I doubt that will be looking great.

It might be fine. The thing that causes damage is fast-moving water which washes ballast away and undermines foundations. Static or slow-moving water won't do a lot.

 

[krus_aragon]

For comparison, here's how far they'd gotten with Dolgarrog three weeks back:

 

[Meerkat]

Such a waste of money and carbon putting that PIS in - how many trains a day are there, how many passengers? I assume there is also a help point so surely a timetable and a help point is plenty?
I guess it will get told it’s only (yet more) marginal cost.....

 

[Kite159]

Such a waste of money and carbon putting that PIS in - how many trains a day are there, how many passengers? I assume there is also a help point so surely a timetable and a help point is plenty?
I guess it will get told it’s only (yet more) marginal cost.....

The vast majority (if not nearly all) of Welsh stations have PIS installed. Yes including some rural halts on the Heart of Wales line

 

[Bletchleyite]

The vast majority (if not nearly all) of Welsh stations have PIS installed. Yes including some rural halts on the Heart of Wales line

And when they did, they probably just let a contract for "PIS at all our stations" rather than going round picking a few out. I suspect a similar thing led to the seemingly frequent replacement of station signs at Denton and Reddish South.

 

[CambrianCoast]

Such a waste of money and carbon putting that PIS in - how many trains a day are there, how many passengers? I assume there is also a help point so surely a timetable and a help point is plenty?
I guess it will get told it’s only (yet more) marginal cost.....

Every station in Wales has a PIS which forms part of making stations more accessible for people with a visual or hearing impairment hence why they’re also part of PRM mod specs on trains. Playing the carbon card could be seen as a weak argument seeing as the PIS have LED displays which are very efficient and no, there’s no help point.

 

[Meerkat]

Every station in Wales has a PIS which forms part of making stations more accessible for people with a visual or hearing impairment hence why they’re also part of PRM mod specs on trains. Playing the carbon card could be seen as a weak argument seeing as the PIS have LED displays which are very efficient and no, there’s no help point.

Ok. Having a PIS but no help point seems a bit odd.

 

[DelW]

The vast majority (if not nearly all) of Welsh stations have PIS installed. Yes including some rural halts on the Heart of Wales line

Even Sugar Loaf already had a PIS display when I caught a train from there in November 2013. It, a bus-type shelter, and two lampposts were the only platform furniture.

 

[mmh]

PIS is important at unstaffed and infrequently served stations. If there's only a train every three hours you want to know if it's coming or not! It's not a waste of money, if you're going to run a train service on the line then you should be providing information at its stations.

 

[Samuel88]

Instead of closing the Conwy valley line why not just withdraw national rail trains and transform it into a tourist railway, perhaps as an extension of the Ffestiniog railway?

 

[mmh]

Instead of closing the Conwy valley line why not just withdraw national rail trains and transform it into a tourist railway, perhaps as an extension of the Ffestiniog railway?

Those of us who live here would love to see a proper, usable service, which would take us out of the mercy of the commercial bus route gods! A 90 minute service would be marvellous. Contrary to popular belief, we're more than a tourist attraction

 

[DelW]

PIS is important at unstaffed and infrequently served stations. If there's only a train every three hours you want to know if it's coming or not! It's not a waste of money, if you're going to run a train service on the line then you should be providing information at its stations.

Unfortunately in my experience, the system on the Heart of Wales only shows the timetabled departure times, not what's actually happening. When a train is running late, the PIS clears and shows the next train (in 4 or 5 hours time) before it arrives. At Llanwrtyd, I've had to reassure other passengers that their train is still coming, based on RTT, but of course that only works in areas with data reception.

 

[mmh]

Unfortunately in my experience, the system on the Heart of Wales only shows the timetabled departure times, not what's actually happening. When a train is running late, the PIS clears and shows the next train (in 4 or 5 hours time) before it arrives. At Llanwrtyd, I've had to reassure other passengers that their train is still coming, based on RTT, but of course that only works in areas with data reception.

That's bad, I'd say a PIS that just displays the timetable and not the real time information is worse than just having a timetable board!

 

[bramling]

That's bad, I'd say a PIS that just displays the timetable and not the real time information is worse than just having a timetable board!

One does wonder whether PIS at some of these places has already become an anachronism, with the spread of real-time apps.

Something like OTT or RTTT is far more useful in my view. It wouldn’t be too much of a step forward for the industry to develop their own official version which puts the information into a format aimed at the less operationally-aware traveller.

Obviously there is the slight issue that there will be a few places where it’s not possible to get a data signal.

 

[mmh]

One does wonder whether PIS at some of these places has already become an anachronism, with the spread of real-time apps.

Something like OTT or RTTT is far more useful in my view. It wouldn’t be too much of a step forward for the industry to develop their own official version which puts the information into a format aimed at the less operationally-award traveller.

Obviously there is the slight issue that there will be a few places where it’s not possible to get a data signal.

That's a very real issue with using online services instead in many areas, along with the usual issue that a higher than average number of passengers in these areas tend to be older.

In many parts of North Wales it's common for residents of some areas to avoid one or more of the mobile networks, not for tariff / offer reasons but their basic coverage. That's the case in some of the "big" towns as well as rural areas, for example I find EE's coverage in and around Llandudno and Colwyn Bay very patchy, and it's awful around Llanrwst, hardly the middle of nowhere itself. Anecdotally, I'm told I should go for O2 or a virtual network that piggy backs off O2 (e.g.Tesco)

 

[Llanigraham]

Instead of closing the Conwy valley line why not just withdraw national rail trains and transform it into a tourist railway, perhaps as an extension of the Ffestiniog railway?

Because the Ffest don't want it, just like they don't want the Trawsfynydd extension. It would tie up huge amounts of capital for little to no return.

 

[Llanigraham]

One does wonder whether PIS at some of these places has already become an anachronism, with the spread of real-time apps.

Something like OTT or RTTT is far more useful in my view. It wouldn’t be too much of a step forward for the industry to develop their own official version which puts the information into a format aimed at the less operationally-award traveller.

Obviously there is the slight issue that there will be a few places where it’s not possible to get a data signal.

Exactly, some of these stations don't have a mobile signal or even 2G!

 

[Llandudno]

Those of us who live here would love to see a proper, usable service, which would take us out of the mercy of the commercial bus route gods! A 90 minute service would be marvellous. Contrary to popular belief, we're more than a tourist attraction

Yep, one extra unit would enable a 90 minute frequency, shame no attempt is made to coordinate bus times at Betws or Blaenau even the County Council subsidised ones!
No through ticketing either apart from the highly secretive North Wales Day Rover ticket!

 

[Parallel]

That's bad, I'd say a PIS that just displays the timetable and not the real time information is worse than just having a timetable board!

I think it’s due to the time measurement locations - I’m pretty sure on the HOW it’s just the stations at the loops, such as Knighton, Llandrindod, Llanwrtyd, Llandovery and Llandeilo. The PIS and online systems will assume the train is running as it was from the previous timing point, so if the train is delayed by a few minutes between Llandrindod and Llanwrtyd, it will disappear off the PIS at subsequent stations if it doesn’t depart by the ‘expected’ time. It happens on the Cambrian Coast too. Some of the rural stations have a help point or a phone, but not all.

 

[Llanigraham]

It shall be interesting to see what happens over night with Black Bridge, just outside Machy. With the amount of rain currently falling I suspect buses from Newtown to Machy.

 

[AndrewE]

I think it’s due to the time measurement locations - I’m pretty sure on the HOW it’s just the stations at the loops, such as Knighton, Llandrindod, Llanwrtyd, Llandovery and Llandeilo. The PIS and online systems will assume the train is running as it was from the previous timing point, so if the train is delayed by a few minutes between Llandrindod and Llanwrtyd, it will disappear off the PIS at subsequent stations if it doesn’t depart by the ‘expected’ time. It happens on the Cambrian Coast too. Some of the rural stations have a help point or a phone, but not all.

My experience of trying to use a "Help point" (at Edale) was that the Indian call centre person assured me that the train was running & was on time, but couldn't answer why it hadn't arrived, or even accept that it hadn't, almost refused to believe that I had been standing on the platform for well over 1/4 hour! I cut the call when a train approached... which hammered straight through. Our stopper arrived not long after, however.
If this is the norm then maintaining a "help point" is money down the drain.

 

[xc170]

Instead of closing the Conwy valley line why not just withdraw national rail trains and transform it into a tourist railway, perhaps as an extension of the Ffestiniog railway?

Because the Ffestiniog have the cash and resources to rebuild the Conwy Valley when it's washed away every winter...

 

[PHILIPE]

My experience of trying to use a "Help point" (at Edale) was that the Indian call centre person assured me that the train was running & was on time, but couldn't answer why it hadn't arrived, or even accept that it hadn't, almost refused to believe that I had been standing on the platform for well over 1/4 hour! I cut the call when a train approached... which hammered straight through. Our stopper arrived not long after, however.
If this is the norm then maintaining a "help point" is money down the drain.

Did the Indian Call Centre understand "Edale" in the first place ? Outsourcing this type of service is disgraceful Customer Service