Issues North of Newcastle - Plessey Viaduct - 09/10 (onwards)

[najaB]

Just coming across this now, has this failure not been caused by the extreme weather towards Scotland at the weekend, which saw the line closed?

Given that there was engineering work on the viaduct at the time, it's much more likely a consequence of that than of the weather.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Just coming across this now, has this failure not been caused by the extreme weather towards Scotland at the weekend, which saw the line closed?

Very unlikely - while there has been a little rain here in the North East and it's been a rather dour weekend, most of the worst of the rain has been further north.

 

[josh-j]

Nothing about this on the National Rail website yet, as far as I can see.

It's on there now but likely maybe not reflecting the level of disruption now evident (says disruption until at least Wednesday).

Helpfully the various operators' advice conflicts, e.g. CrossCountry advises taking TPE between Newcastle and Edinburgh but TPE says they will only start from Berwick going north. I'm sure the messaging will get a bit more refined as this develops.

Edit: ok I guess it just says tickets will be accepted on TPE, but that does kinda send a confusing message about what's running!

 

[camvsthetrains]

Awaiting my rail replacement bus at Morpeth.. commutes going to be fun this week. The 7:13 LNER I was supposed to depart on but has been cancelled did pass through the station going southbound on up line.

i don’t believe it crossed tracks in the station (but I am in a queue for a bus and didn’t get a good view!)

 

[jp4712]

According to Real Time Trains, the Northern Chathill morning service appears to have run - I admit to being vaguely surprised by that.

 

[YorkshireBear]

According to Real Time Trains, the Northern Chathill morning service appears to have run - I admit to being vaguely surprised by that.

The two Chathill services are the only daily Northern services that have been kept.

 

[800001]

Awaiting my rail replacement bus at Morpeth.. commutes going to be fun this week. The 7:13 LNER I was supposed to depart on but has been cancelled did pass through the station going southbound on up line.

i don’t believe it crossed tracks in the station (but I am in a queue for a bus and didn’t get a good view!)

It crosses from up to the down just north of station and crosses back over to the up line at Plessey just south of the damaged viaduct.

5 minute delays to the first up services.

At the moment 1S29 sat at Plessey awaiting 1E03 to pass through wrong line.

 

[dan4291]

The crossover that's being used is actually within Morpeth station itself, hence why many Up services aren't calling there.

Northern are only running the Chathill services, everything else withdrawn. Lumo are I think the only TOC running a full timetable up there, but with delays, and I think they are the only TOC calling at Morpeth heading towards Newcastle.

 

[camvsthetrains]

Ah they are crossing in the platform itself.

Northern service is only 2 small coaches. Still fits fine in station despite crossing in the middle of station. Probably why it can still run!

 

[The exile]

I think that is the least of everyone's worries right now. Plants grow out of the side of many viaducts but it doesn't usually lead to the whole thing collapsing.

Not in the short term perhaps- and of course that’s all that matters to bean-counters.

 

[dan4291]

Ah they are crossing in the platform itself.

Northern service is only 2 small coaches. Still fits fine in station despite crossing in the middle of station. Probably why it can still run!

Northern will have been asked to withdraw their services to free up capacity for others while single line running is in place. Probably one of the reasons TPE have withdrawn all of their services too.

 

[Wallsendmag]

View attachment 144482
Given the speeds on OpenRailwayMap for it, I doubt power would be too much of a problem.

I was on one of the Northumberland Line specials, it certainly didn't tax the 158

 

[CT494]

The crossover that's being used is actually within Morpeth station itself, hence why many Up services aren't calling there.

Northern are only running the Chathill services, everything else withdrawn. Lumo are I think the only TOC running a full timetable up there, but with delays, and I think they are the only TOC calling at Morpeth heading towards Newcastle.

Looks like Northern from Chathill is still calling Morpeth towards Newcastle

 

[yorkie]

...

I’m travelling to Doncaster tomorrow and looks like I will have to revisit my plans!

I've created a dedicated thread, at the link below, for anyone who requires travel advice:

Issues North of Newcastle - Plessey Viaduct: Travel advice

This thread is for people to request/ provide travel advice for anyone who is traveling north of Newcastle over the coming days/weeks... https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service-disruptions/morpeth-20231008/ Northern Customer Advice: Effect on service: Services between Newcastle and Morpeth...

www.railforums.co.uk

There is also a speculative thread at the link below:

Plessey Viaduct (North of Newcastle): suggestions/possibilities/predictions and any other speculation

This thread is for people to post any ideas/suggestions or any other form of speculation relating to the problems at Plessey Viaduct.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[cowboysfan]

Given that there was engineering work on the viaduct at the time, it's much more likely a consequence of that than of the weather.

I believe the engineering work just uncovered it as there was a planned rerail that evening so the excavators uncovered the extent of the damage while carrying out the rerail.

 

[Warrior2852]

801s might also struggle (could a 5 car 800 drag a 5 car 801 via it in passenger service?)

During line closures before I've been on an Edinburgh to Kings Cross that was diverted (non-stopping) via Sunderland between Newcastle and York. It was 10 coaches made of one 800 and one 801, so it is possible and has been done.

 

[theblackwatch]

During line closures before I've been on an Edinburgh to Kings Cross that was diverted (non-stopping) via Sunderland between Newcastle and York. It was 10 coaches made of one 800 and one 801, so it is possible and has been done.

It's also been done on Joint Line diversions, Newcastle to Carlisle and Leeds to Harrogate as well as Leeds to Hambleton Junction as previously mentioned. So not at all uncommon.

 

[diy_dude]

I’ve just been across the Plessey viaduct southbound on an LNER train. We crossed onto the northbound side at Morpeth station and back to normal at Plessey junction. We were going slowly for a good 10 minutes, but it certainly wasn’t 5mph.

 

[hexagon789]

I’ve just been across the Plessey viaduct southbound on an LNER train. We crossed onto the northbound side at Morpeth station and back to normal at Plessey junction. We were going slowly for a good 10 minutes, but it certainly wasn’t 5mph.

Was 10mph ESR over the bridge, now increased to 50mph.

 

[kkong]

Surely a viaduct on a mainline does not just crumble like that?

A viaduct south of Stonehaven suffered similar damage in January 2022 2021, leading to a complete line closure for over five weeks.

See this forum thread for details: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...between-laurencekirk-stonehaven-15-01.213154/

 

[londonmidland]

Network Rail have made a thread here on X/Twitter explaining the situation and extent of the damage.

 

[Gaelan]

Network Rail have made a thread here on X/Twitter explaining the situation and extent of the damage.

For anyone who can't access Twitter (I believe they now require a login to view some posts):

We’re sorry for disruption to some journeys on the northern end of the East Coast Main Line.

It’s caused by structural issues we’ve found on the viaduct at Plessey between Morpeth and Cramlington stations.

– Please check your journeys before you travel with your train operator or via @nationalrailenq: https://nationalrail.co.uk

– What’s happened between Morpeth and Cramlington stations?

During planned track work, we found that the viaduct’s parapet – the safety barrier at the edge of the bridge – had moved.

– So why has this disrupted services? The site location, viaduct design and heavy machinery involved meant it was impossible to quickly move the parapet back to its original position. Our priority is to keep you safe, so one of the lines on the viaduct is currently closed.

– And what’s happening now?
Structural engineers and other specialists are working on different options. These include rebuilding or realigning the structure. We’re also looking into the time and access each option will take.

– We need to work through each option before we can open the line going north to traffic again.

We’re making a detailed plan and will do everything we can to minimise the impact on you and freight. We’ll continually review the plan to make sure it works well.

– The viaduct’s structural integrity is intact. The damaged is contained to part of the parapet, which we strengthened in 2014.

The issue is with 20 metres of the wall leaning away from the north end of the viaduct, where the railway line goes north.

– The movement has displaced about 30t of masonry and concrete on the bridge, which is 177 years and is Grade II listed.

– We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience this will cause you and our freight partners until we’ve completed the repairs.

We’ll give you more information as soon as we can.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Network Rail have made a thread here on X/Twitter explaining the situation and extent of the damage.

Interesting it says they found parapet wall had moved and they didn't have machinery to move it back. If it had they shouldn't have ripped out all the track out. Still feels like the track renewal has caused the failure even if the wall was weakened already. Also did they then to decide to demolish wall or did it collaspe.

 

[DelW]

For anyone who can't access Twitter (I believe they now require a login to view some posts):

Thank you for doing that.

I do wish NR would put information like this on their own website rather than using Twitter / X or whatever its megalomaniac owner has called it this week. I have no wish to support that most unpleasant character in any way, and I don't see why that should mean that I can't access NR travel information.

 

[Andymo]

Photos of the damage show it’s quite extensive and, as a layman, I’m quite surprised this can occur on a main line subject to regular inspection and maintenance. This surely can only be due to both existing defects and some trouble in the recent work.

 

[swt_passenger]

Interesting it says they found parapet wall had moved and they didn't have machinery to move it back. If it had they shouldn't have ripped out all the track out. Still feels like the track renewal has caused the failure even if the wall was weakened already. Also did they then to decide to demolish wall or did it collaspe.

Clearly ‘moderated‘ by the PR department to downplay how bad this was. Does “moved” really mean “fell into the valley below”?

 

[HurdyGurdy]

The tweets play down the extent of the failure. If you look at the last photo posted in #33, the collapse has reached a level which is below the crown of the arch(es). That's a partial failure of the spandrel walls.

The second and third photos show the copings on top of the remaining length of the wall at approximately track level. If the structure had a masonry parapet, that's the level you'd normally see a string course, as the footing for it.

Difficult to be categoric without seeing more photos but I would say this structure never had a masonry parapet and that what has collapsed are spandrel walls together with their copings. If that's the case it would be a structural failure, not just movement of a non-structural safety barrier.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Clearly ‘moderated‘ by the PR department to downplay how bad this was. Does “moved” really mean “fell into the valley below”?

If you read all of it they explain that the original issue was it moving but that it doing so knocked a load off as a secondary issue. Or that's how I read it, anyway.

As in this:

(8/9) – The movement has displaced about 30t of masonry and concrete on the bridge, which is 177 years and is Grade II listed.

...reads to me that the movement knocked that off.

 

[swt_passenger]

I was on one of the Northumberland Line specials, it certainly didn't tax the 158

Very brave of you in the light of the poor conditions alleged in posts 17 and 20…

 

[HurdyGurdy]

If you read all of it they explain that the original issue was it moving but that it doing so knocked a load off as a secondary issue. Or that's how I read it, anyway.

Alongside the photo evidence, you would read it that way. I have only seen the text of the tweets posted here. Do the tweets themselves have photos making it clear that part of the wall has fallen off the structure?

What I find more troubling is the description of the collapsed wall as a parapet and that the viaduct’s structural integrity is intact.