Disruption to services - Storm Dudley & Storm Eunice

[Mcr Warrior]

Needles recorded a 122 mph gust, mean wind speed near 90 mph, but that is a very exposed station and not representitive of the southern counties in general.

Agreed. Up on a South West facing clifftop, on the Isle of Wight isn't it? Will, of course, generate exceptionally high m.p.h. figures for sensational media headlines.

 

[liamf656]

Currently on a service from Sheffield to London and I can definitely say that it’s a challenging day. A Meridian has struck an object at Leagrave northbound and reports of debris on the line at both Luton and Kentish Town. The EMR timetable has changed to take into account the delays, so a 120 minute delay into London can still mean an on time departure back out

 

[jon0844]

Both up lines Stevenage blocked due to debris on line.

Hertford Loop problems too. Reckon that's it for the ECML and diversionary route very soon.

And we've lost a bunch of roof tiles, which have come down and damaged some things in our garden and adjacent garage roof. Glad we moved the car last night.

 

[Horizon22]

Both Severn bridges are closed, so basically no way into Wales unless you go up to Gloucester from the South.

 

[bramling]

Both up lines Stevenage blocked due to debris on line.

That’s my journey to work gone then. I will potentially drive in, but certainly not until the red warning has passed.

I can’t see much chance of rail services later to be honest, as there’s also going to be issues with late turn staff getting in.

I really think in the face of the warnings things should have been ramped down earlier.

 

[Jan Mayen]

I see the Brighton main line is having problems. Most of the signals between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath are, according to open train times, showing *X** or something similar, which I assume means the signalling is stuffed. Or does it mean something else?

 

[55002]

Anyone interested in planes, and to see the conditions, fascinating watching Big Jet TV on YouTube at minute, live streaming from a very gusty Heathrow..

yes I realise this is a rail forum

 

[yorksrob]

It would be nice if there were some recognition amongst the national media and NR that not all of us are under a red or even amber warning.

Presumably there is some nuance as to how residents are supposed to react to them, otherwise they wouldn't be different colours.

 

[Ken H]

Upper ribblesdale. Just had a wet snow shower at 200'. No wind yet. Snow laying but you can still see the green of the grass.

 

[Wivenswold]

That is not hurricane force. The Beaufort scale refers to 10-minute mean winds, not peak gusts. Mean winds will likely be in the force 8-10 range.

Needles recorded a 122 mph gust, mean wind speed near 90 mph, but that is a very exposed station and not representitive of the southern counties in general. Widespread 80-90+ mph, even over 100 mph gusts along the south coast, some of these may be underestimates because some weather stations are starting to lose power or suffer damage to equipment.

Sorry, I meant "That's a hurricane-force gust". I know that to be "hurricane force winds" then the mean speed applies. Schoolboy and embarrassing error from someone who's been into the weather for 40-odd years.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's a curious thing, but Gridwatch is showing a lower power generation from wind than yesterday.
Currently showing 12.7GW, while this time yesterday it reached an all-time peak of 14.9GW.
I suppose it reflects the location of the big wind farms which are mainly off the east coast and in the northern Irish Sea, and on-shore in southern Scotland.

Wind power production

GB Wind Generation

gridwatch.co.uk

 

[bramling]

Hertford Loop problems too. Reckon that's it for the ECML and diversionary route very soon.

And we've lost a bunch of roof tiles, which have come down and damaged some things in our garden and adjacent garage roof. Glad we moved the car last night.

Sorry to hear about your damage, but glad you’re safe.

 

[Domh245]

SWR full stop, District line to/from Wimbledon stopped (along with swathes of the rest of the tube), Trams stopped - I'm very glad I didn't make a trip out to Reading for work today, although it seems the GWML is holding on (for now!)

 

[800001]

Hertford Loop problems too. Reckon that's it for the ECML and diversionary route very soon.

And we've lost a bunch of roof tiles, which have come down and damaged some things in our garden and adjacent garage roof. Glad we moved the car last night.

Now reports overhead line damage Potters Bar.

 

[Domh245]

It's a curious thing, but Gridwatch is showing a lower power generation from wind than yesterday.
Currently showing 12.7GW, while this time yesterday it reached an all-time peak of 14.9GW.
I suppose it reflects the location of the big wind farms which are mainly off the east coast and in the northern Irish Sea, and on-shore in southern Scotland.

Wind power production

GB Wind Generation

gridwatch.co.uk

I imagine that with windspeeds as they are, a lot of turbines are having brakes applied and aren't generating as it's too windy! That and possibly a combination of wind where there isn't turbines!

 

[_toommm_]

Southeastern looking to close ALL mainline routes asap

https://twitter.com/Se_Railway/status/1494638816820346882

Just been confirmed as of thirty seconds ago.

 

[JN114]

I see the Brighton main line is having problems. Most of the signals between Three Bridges and Haywards Heath are, according to open train times, showing *X** or something similar, which I assume means the signalling is stuffed. Or does it mean something else?

It’s a good indicator the signalling is stuffed, especially when widespread like that; but it’s actually what comes up when a describer step is triggered without a description present to step.

I can’t quite think of the wording to describe it correctly.

 

[MikeWM]

Suspending services now is presumably going to strand lots of people that are neither at their home or their destination. And was entirely predictable.

And we can say that they shouldn't have started journeys in the first place, but when you have eg. SWR saying they are planning to run a full service 24 hours beforehand, even given the forecasts, then I'm not sure we can entirely blame people for heading out and thinking it won't actually be all that bad.

I still maintain that pretty much nothing should have been started today - perhaps a skeleton service for the morning peak to get people to work, that's all.

 

[ungreat]

Can't say I'm looking forward to my shift...

 

[Dave W]

I've just been out on to the shared terrace in my flats and it's utter chaos - tables and chairs strewn everywhere, but the trampoline is, fortunately, tethered. I'm a big lad but it was pushing me sideways - I've not experienced wind like that since I was on the south west coast of Iceland in an Atlantic storm (which blew over a 5'0" tall lass and sent her 10 yards across the car park)

So I'm not surprised the ECML in the vicinity is stuffed.

 

[bramling]

Suspending services now is presumably going to strand lots of people that are neither at their home or their destination. And was entirely predictable.

And we can say that they shouldn't have started journeys in the first place, but when you have eg. SWR saying they are planning to run a full service 24 hours beforehand, even given the forecasts, then I'm not sure we can entirely blame people for heading out and thinking it won't actually be all that bad.

I still maintain that pretty much nothing should have been started today - perhaps a skeleton service for the morning peak to get people to work, that's all.

I’d have run some early morning services to get key workers in (and, of course, out). But anything more than that appears quite injudicious.

Someone’s just asked on GN’s twitter “Is the 1515 from Knebworth going to run?” I suppose some points for asking rather than just turning up, but still.

 

[stuartl]

BBC seem to be showing gusts 10mph higher than Met Office, for Sheffield anyway

 

[jupiter]

I’m in Dorset, the power has been out at home for about two hours now. It’s intermittently reasonably calm in between getting a battering like I can’t remember.

Stay safe everyone, don’t take unnecessary risks.

 

[coppercapped]

I've just had a quick look at Flightradar and BA583 Venice-Heathrow was sat circling over south London but has now started to head north - presumably being diverted? (wrong mode of transport, I know...)

The Big Jet TV YouTube channel

has some interesting live pictures of pilots trying the impossible at Heathrow. (Ignore the commentary... )

 

[pompeyfan]

It’s a good indicator the signalling is stuffed, especially when widespread like that; but it’s actually what comes up when a describer step is triggered without a description present to step.

I can’t quite think of the wording to describe it correctly.

Usually indicative of a wrong direction move

 

[Saint66]

All lines now blocked on the ECML.

 

[urbophile]

Still fairly quiet on Merseyside. Fingers crossed.

 

[Horizon22]

Suspending services now is presumably going to strand lots of people that are neither at their home or their destination. And was entirely predictable.

And we can say that they shouldn't have started journeys in the first place, but when you have eg. SWR saying they are planning to run a full service 24 hours beforehand, even given the forecasts, then I'm not sure we can entirely blame people for heading out and thinking it won't actually be all that bad.

I still maintain that pretty much nothing should have been started today - perhaps a skeleton service for the morning peak to get people to work, that's all.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The amount of people complaining of an over-reaction and "how do I get to work" would be in equal numbers. Public transport cannot win in severe weather. In fact nobody can. We have to accept that even as a modern and developed nation and society, sometimes we will have to deal with one-off significant disruption to our way of life. The red weather warning for the Southeast came incredibly late and as such the message had to be changed very late in the day. Weather is by its nature changeable and the rail companies can only adapt accordingly - not to mention trying to make additional service alterations in less than 24 hours is incredibly difficult and will be done ad-hoc by Control, not planners.

 

[cambsy]

Though not train related, just watched on you tube Big Jet TV, at Heathrow, great way see conditions in London,and planes trying to land or do go around, well worth a watch. Shows how bad it is in London.

 

[infobleep]

When I go to National Rail Enquries app and look up the live departure board for Guildford I get an error message.

We can not access this information right now.

I'm aware SWR are running no services now.