Emergency engineering works between Abergavenny & Hereford (1st & 2nd Feb)

[PHILIPE]

Network Rail have imposed a last minute Possession resulting in bustitution between Abergavenny and Hereford from approx 1930 onwards to carry out urgent track repairs.

 

[PaulHarding150]

Network Rail have imposed a last minute Possession resulting in bustitution between Abergavenny and Hereford from approx 1930 onwards to carry out urgent track repairs.

So the work isn't urgent enough that it can wait until 1930 tomorrow evening, but it is urgent enough it can't wait until midnight or the early hours of Sunday. Interesting.

 

[Llanigraham]

So the work isn't urgent enough that it can wait until 1930 tomorrow evening, but it is urgent enough it can't wait until midnight or the early hours of Sunday. Interesting.

Perhaps the staff needed tonight are already booked elsewhere over the weekend.
And perhaps the rail fault is VERY urgent.

 

[PHILIPE]

Network Rail have now announced on the NRE Website that the work is from 2000 Saturday to 1600 Sunday in order to clear new TFW Stock. This would be the Mark IVs to hazard a guess

 

[Dai Corner]

Network Rail have now announced on the NRE Website that the work is from 2000 Saturday to 1600 Sunday in order to clear new TFW Stock. This would be the Mark IVs to hazard a guess

Although Journeycheck currently says

Cancellations to services between Abergavenny and Hereford

Due to urgent repairs to the track between Abergavenny and Hereford all lines will be blocked.
Impact
Train services running through these stations may be cancelled or delayed. Disruption is expected until 02:00 03/02.
Customer Advice
On Saturday 01 February 2020, due to essential work required to introduce newer trains onto our network , rail replacement bus services will run between Abergavenny and Hereford from 20:00.


Internal Information


Emergency T3 possession imposed on the Up and Down Main lines between 20:00 Saturday 01 and 16:00 Sunday 02 February.



Later trains will terminate and restart from Hereford and Abergavenny respectively. Buses will be sourced to cover the gap. Some additional trains will be restarted.
Further Information
Trafnidiaeth Cymru/Transport for Wales
If you have experienced a delay or cancellation, please contact our customer relations team or pick up a form from your nearest ticket office. You can email us using: [email protected]
Last Updated:31/01/2020 14:53

 

[PHILIPE]

Although Journeycheck currently says

The Train Plan (RTT) indicates a 1600 finish

 

[_toommm_]

Just seen this on National Rail Enquiries - is it to adjust platforms for the MK4s presumably?

In order for Transport for Wales to introduce new trains to their network, emergency engineering work is required between Abergavenny and Hereford. Consequently, from 20:00 on Saturday 1 until 16:00 on Sunday 2 February, buses will replace trains between these stations to allow this work to take place.

Train services at Abergavenny and Hereford will also be retimed to help customers maintain connections with the bus services

http://m.nationalrail.co.uk/pj/disruption/details/151AE8CC208C42F6AF3D14A254D6BE39

 

[krus_aragon]

Just seen this on National Rail Enquiries - is it to adjust platforms for the MK4s presumably?



http://m.nationalrail.co.uk/pj/disruption/details/151AE8CC208C42F6AF3D14A254D6BE39

It must be the MkIVs, but I'm not sure about the exact nature of the work. There'll be trains arriving and departing both stations, meeting the rail replacement buses, so at least some of the platforms will still be in use.

Perhaps they're working on Pontrilas tunnel instead?

 

[Mag_seven]

Work to introduce new trains is not "emergency engineering work" in my opinion (unless they plan to introduce them on Monday!)

 

[craigybagel]

It must be the MkIVs, but I'm not sure about the exact nature of the work. There'll be trains arriving and departing both stations, meeting the rail replacement buses, so at least some of the platforms will still be in use.

Perhaps they're working on Pontrilas tunnel instead?

If it is platform related it could only be platform 3 at Hereford. To turn back a train in service at Abergavenny you need to use both platforms, and at least one platform out of 1 and 2 at Hereford needs to be open to turn back trains from the North - and that being the case they could run them through to the South as well so that wouldn't explain the block.

 

[krus_aragon]

If it is platform related it could only be platform 3 at Hereford. To turn back a train in service at Abergavenny you need to use both platforms, and at least one platform out of 1 and 2 at Hereford needs to be open to turn back trains from the North - and that being the case they could run them through to the South as well so that wouldn't explain the block.

I don't quite follow. If platform 3 at Hereford were closed for engineering work, isn't platform 2 bi-directional (and could be used for both up and down trains)?

(Also, are both platforms at Abergavenny needed to turn back a passenger service from the Cardiff direction? I.e. the crossover south of the station isn't cleared for passenger trains, and/or no suitable signal at the southern end of platform 1? I can see that the pointwork clearly doesn't allow turning back a train from the North without using both platforms.)

 

[craigybagel]

I don't quite follow. If platform 3 at Hereford were closed for engineering work, isn't platform 2 bi-directional (and could be used for both up and down trains)?

(Also, are both platforms at Abergavenny needed to turn back a passenger service from the Cardiff direction? I.e. the crossover south of the station isn't cleared for passenger trains, and/or no suitable signal at the southern end of platform 1? I can see that the pointwork clearly doesn't allow turning back a train from the North without using both platforms.)

Platforms 1 and 2 aren't fully bidirectional. You can arrive and depart from the North into those platforms, but there isn't a signalled move for passenger trains from the south to go straight in. In that direction if a train is in service it can only use platform 3.

You are correct about Abergavenny - the signalling does not permit passenger trains over the crossover, so a shunt between platforms would be required to turn back there.

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Work to introduce new trains is not "emergency engineering work" in my opinion (unless they plan to introduce them on Monday!)

It is an emergency if you've only just found out that this weekend is your last chance to do the work you've only just found out about (or quite possibly that you've only just found out that is weekend is your last chance to start the work you've only just found out about by the time that you've committed to accepting the new trains, and this is just the first weekend closure ...)

 

[krus_aragon]

Platforms 1 and 2 aren't fully bidirectional. You can arrive and depart from the North into those platforms, but there isn't a signalled move for passenger trains from the south to go straight in. In that direction if a train is in service it can only use platform 3.

You are correct about Abergavenny - the signalling does not permit passenger trains over the crossover, so a shunt between platforms would be required to turn back there.

Many thanks for the clarification.

 

[eisenach]

So, do we know yet what was done and where?

 

[pdeaves]

The weekly notice supplement gives two work streams between the same mileages (10m 17ch to 22m 4ch); platform/structures gauging and rail changing. It is possible that the rail changing fell under the 'emergency' heading (it's hard to believe that gauging would be 'emergency' unless something fell over, in which case it isn't really gauging). Having said that, the rail changing was in the original notice whereas gauging only appeared in the supplement.

 

[Ploughman]

From personnal experience Rail changing can affect gauging.
Old 98lb rail replaced with new 113A in a recently rebuilt tunnel (More a Long Bridge really) meant that we had to uplift the track, skim dig to achieve a lower and then relay again.
This was on NWR OHLE lines.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I travelled back from Shrewsbury on Saturday evening, intending to catch the 19.26 departure to Newport.

I arrive at Shrewsbury on a train from Telford and, on checking the platform for my train, saw that it was only going as far as Hereford. I asked the enquiry office what was happening, and they said that there were "emergency engineering works" and buses would run between Hereford and Abergavenny. The train was a few minutes late leaving Shrewsbury and the same arriving at Hereford (on Platform Two). I went straight out of the station and got on the bus, and, apart from knowing that the train had pulled forward along Platform Two, I don't know where it went to afterwards.

When we got to Abergavenny, I crossed the footbridge to Platform Two. A unit was in Platform One, having presumably arrived from Newport, and that reversed out of the station to the south, drew back in and we all got on. The train then took the path of the 21.19 to Carmarthen (the projected 19.58 from Shrewsbury), left on time and I got off at Newport, also on time.

For all that the change was apparently made at very short notice, it worked very well and was very efficient. There wasn't much said about "why", but we were kept informed of "what", which was okay.

 

[eisenach]

Thanks very much for the answers.