Disruption between Castle Cary to Newbury (31/05): Anyone know why?

[Chingy]

There is a 60mph speed restriction in place on the B&H for passenger trains, between the hours of 11am and 6pm (although this can finish earlier). It's already been advertised has happening again tomorrow.

Freight is limited to 30mph, which is quite a trundle between loops. Some passenger trains are therefore catching up with even slower freight trains too, and many of them operate at the low speed of 45mph on a good day anyway!

I assume the few trains that aren't affected are the ones with either built in dwelling time en route or are the local suburban stuff that rarely gets above 60mph anyway.

 

[irish_rail]

In addition to the long 60mph from 1100 to 1800, there are numerous Temp speed restrictions throughout the route. Its a total mess at the moment to be Frank.
Even with the 60mph, it is possible to make up lots of time provided you get a clear run, which is im guessing is what has happened with the small group of trains that stayed more or less on time. I was thinking id be back on time by Reading the other day, then I caught up a freight and it all went out the window!

 

[brad465]

There is a 60mph speed restriction in place on the B&H for passenger trains, between the hours of 11am and 6pm (although this can finish earlier). It's already been advertised has happening again tomorrow.

Freight is limited to 30mph, which is quite a trundle between loops. Some passenger trains are therefore catching up with even slower freight trains too, and many of them operate at the low speed of 45mph on a good day anyway!

I assume the few trains that aren't affected are the ones with either built in dwelling time en route or are the local suburban stuff that rarely gets above 60mph anyway.

In addition to the long 60mph from 1100 to 1800, there are numerous Temp speed restrictions throughout the route. Its a total mess at the moment to be Frank.
Even with the 60mph, it is possible to make up lots of time provided you get a clear run, which is im guessing is what has happened with the small group of trains that stayed more or less on time. I was thinking id be back on time by Reading the other day, then I caught up a freight and it all went out the window!

Do we know if the issues are going to be sorted in any upcoming engineering work? Looking on National Rail, there are no concrete closures on the B&H line, only some night closures affecting Westbury-Frome next week, and Westbury later in the month, but nothing more than that, so they might have to pencil in emergency night works or something (not that I'm familiar with proceedings on this).

Either way there will come a point where the penalties for late trains and delay repay compensation mounts up and the case for a proper fix strengthens.

 

[irish_rail]

Do we know if the issues are going to be sorted in any upcoming engineering work? Looking on National Rail, there are no concrete closures on the B&H line, only some night closures affecting Westbury-Frome next week, and Westbury later in the month, but nothing more than that, so they might have to pencil in emergency night works or something (not that I'm familiar with proceedings on this).

Either way there will come a point where the penalties for late trains and delay repay compensation mounts up and the case for a proper fix strengthens.

Indeed network rail need to take the bull by the horns here and get it sorted. Having these kind of ESRs in 20 degree heat is unacceptable. God help us if we get some proper hot weather later in the summer.....

 

[Taunton]

Indeed network rail need to take the bull by the horns here and get it sorted. Having these kind of ESRs in 20 degree heat is unacceptable.

Not even that. It's not been above 15 C today. That's well under even the mean average for a June day, which is 21 C. Mrs T came home distinctly cold and wet. If someone is claiming it's heat related they should be called out on it

 

[irish_rail]

Not even that. It's not been above 15 C today. That's well under even the mean average for a June day, which is 21 C. Mrs T came home distinctly cold and wet. If someone is claiming it's heat related they should be called out on it

I think it says rather alot about the state of the B and H......

 

[Horizon22]

The Westbury avoider was also closed for a time yesterday and there were a few issues at Laira for the start of service. Earlier this week there was also an Axle Counter Failure near Theale. It's not been a good week for the B&H.

 

[The Planner]

Indeed network rail need to take the bull by the horns here and get it sorted. Having these kind of ESRs in 20 degree heat is unacceptable. God help us if we get some proper hot weather later in the summer.....

If something is required and GWR and other TOCs allow NR to take any disruptive access required then it will. Its still a two way process.

 

[irish_rail]

If something is required and GWR and other TOCs allow NR to take any disruptive access required then it will. Its still a two way process.

One big issue now is that most drivers at Paddington, and everyone at Plymouth don't sign Taunton to Bristol after a "business descion" was made in 2019. Many Exeter drivers also don't sign the Box road either. That is going to cause problems should the b and h need to be closed for repairs going forward as diverting trains that way is far more difficult now as a result.....

 

[Horizon22]

Another heat restricted now imposed on Westbury avoider of 20mph.

 

[Taunton]

Another heat restricted now imposed on Westbury avoider of 20mph.

Goodness. Temperature currently 19 C. Rails must be melting

 

[Horizon22]

B&H hasn't been in a good condition seemingly all year (and likely beyond); many passengers note the poor ride. Any time the temperature goes above 20C there seems to be issue. I understand the principle of track speed restrictions - even at cooler times when track work has been done - but there must be a wider underlying issue.

 

[Taunton]

So what work needs to be done to allow the track to survive 20 C temperatures, which (even in Taunton) we do get ... from time to time ... between now and October.

A strange decision not to maintain competence via Bristol. In these conditions it would actually be quicker (it's actually not far off at the best of times, the higher speeds mostly compensating for the extra miles). Even via Melksham might be as well, unless that one has also been let go.

 

[plymothian]

Some of the problems gleened from those in the know are:

There are 247 low balast points between Langport and Newbury.
There are no plans to lift the Fairwood junction 70 vice 100.
50 vice 70 at Crofton due to poor rail in wet weather, remedial work planned for November.
50 vice 90 at Hungerford & 70 vice 110 at Kintbury are waiting realignment for raising freight (2022/23) and non-freight 27 June.
50 vice 100 at Midgham to remain until formation has dried out.
TSR at Edington planned removal 18 July.
Westbury Avoider due to reopen 6 June along with blanket speed restriction Westbury - Newbury.
Lifting critical rail temperature to 44c (air temperature of 25c).

 

[stuu]

Goodness. Temperature currently 19 C. Rails must be melting

It's the rail temperature that matters, which can be significantly higher than the air temperature. Still pretty poor though, as it's not an issue on other routes

 

[Taunton]

It's the rail temperature that matters, which can be significantly higher than the air temperature. Still pretty poor though, as it's not an issue on other routes

Well unless there's some rail heating machine sneaking along in the night, the temperature can only come from the atmosphere, a combination of air temperature and direct solar heating. At 51 degrees north the B&H is further north than Newfoundland, all of the USA, etc. It never previously suffered from this in the 120 years since it was built, nor does any of the Southern, which is further south.

If, as described above, the best that the railway engineering industry can deliver now is raising normal operational temperature to 25 C, then we may as well give up the railway now. My car runs perfectly well on the M4/M5 up to London at higher temperatures.

 

[Chris Butler]

Well unless there's some rail heating machine sneaking along in the night, the temperature can only come from the atmosphere, a combination of air temperature and direct solar heating. At 51 degrees north the B&H is further north than Newfoundland, all of the USA, etc. It never previously suffered from this in the 120 years since it was built, nor does any of the Southern, which is further south.

If, as described above, the best that the railway engineering industry can deliver now is raising normal operational temperature to 25 C, then we may as well give up the railway now. My car runs perfectly well on the M4/M5 up to London at higher temperatures.

Exactly.

From the beginning it's seemed to me that there is something fundamentally wrong if the current/recent conditions have been causing such significant thermal problems.

 

[Taunton]

This is one of the concerns of the new, effectively-nationalised railway. Previously the whole idea of Railtrack having to pay compensation to the TOCs when there were delays was it was real money going out from them, which was the most powerful incentive there is to do something about it quickly. Now it seems within weeks of a new structure things like this happen. Don't have to bother any more.

The absence of any realistic explanation why temperature affects this line but not the others all around it is also telling.

 

[The Planner]

This is one of the concerns of the new, effectively-nationalised railway. Previously the whole idea of Railtrack having to pay compensation to the TOCs when there were delays was it was real money going out from them, which was the most powerful incentive there is to do something about it quickly. Now it seems within weeks of a new structure things like this happen. Don't have to bother any more.

The absence of any realistic explanation why temperature affects this line but not the others all around it is also telling.

Nothing has changed, if NR has to pay out it will pay out. There is no new structure yet.

 

[Bald Rick]

From the beginning it's seemed to me that there is something fundamentally wrong if the current/recent conditions have been causing such significant thermal problems.

From what I have read - entirely on this thread - it appears there is something going on with the formation (underneath the ballast) causing a lack of lateral restraint on some sections of track. This appear to be unpredictable as to where it is occurring, and this has therefore caused a reduction in critical rail temperatures. Until remediated* it therefore needs speed restrictions when the (lower) CRT is reached.

* the remediation could be quite significant if it is formation issues.

 

[Chris Butler]

From what I have read - entirely on this thread - it appears there is something going on with the formation (underneath the ballast) causing a lack of lateral restraint on some sections of track. This appear to be unpredictable as to where it is occurring, and this has therefore caused a reduction in critical rail temperatures. Until remediated* it therefore needs speed restrictions when the (lower) CRT is reached.

* the remediation could be quite significant if it is formation issues.

Yes. That (or similar) over such a large area is what I mean by "something fundamentally wrong".

In general, I'd expect a formation issue to be localised, but plymothian's list (below) is spread over 80 miles.

Some of the problems gleened from those in the know are:

There are 247 low balast points between Langport and Newbury.
There are no plans to lift the Fairwood junction 70 vice 100.
50 vice 70 at Crofton due to poor rail in wet weather, remedial work planned for November.
50 vice 90 at Hungerford & 70 vice 110 at Kintbury are waiting realignment for raising freight (2022/23) and non-freight 27 June.
50 vice 100 at Midgham to remain until formation has dried out.
TSR at Edington planned removal 18 July.
Westbury Avoider due to reopen 6 June along with blanket speed restriction Westbury - Newbury.
Lifting critical rail temperature to 44c (air temperature of 25c).

 

[Horizon22]

Blanket speed restrictions again today of 30/60 between Somerton Tunnel (West of Castle Cary) & Heywood Rd Junction (east of Westbury). This is affecting up trains much more than down trains currently. This isn't going to go away any time soon as its also been affected by all the other defects as @plymothian states.

The absence of any realistic explanation why temperature affects this line but not the others all around it is also telling.

Quite a lot of lines radiating out from Westbury have issues, but I understand what you mean as why here if not Bristol or Salisbury for example.

 

[brad465]

There doesn't appear to have been (and certainly isn't right now) any bulletin on National Rail under service disruptions regarding this long running issue, which seems odd. I don't know what the minimum disruption time is when NR reports disruption, but a number of trains seem to be being delayed enough to allow passengers to claim delay repay (I certainly did when I travelled on the 31st May).