Landslip at Crewkerne Tunnel - West of England Line closed.

[embers25]

The roads are all open again although it is raining again.

 

[RPI]

The situation west of Salisbury is a total farce, no trains, no rail replacement and last time I looked, no ticket acceptance! SWR could, but won't, run an Exeter to Axminster shuttle, even two hourly, the fact 2L92 has run the last two nights (and run back in service as 2L90) being the only train over the line, proves that a service could be run if they wanted to.

There are at least five 159's stuck in Exeter, two taking up the bay platform at Exeter Central as there is no more siding space at St Davids.

The last couple of years have been abysmal west of Salisbury with SWR chucking the towel in at the slightest sign of disruption.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The situation west of Salisbury is a total farce, no trains, no rail replacement and last time I looked, no ticket acceptance! SWR could, but won't, run an Exeter to Axminster shuttle, even two hourly, the fact 2L92 has run the last two nights (and run back in service as 2L90) being the only train over the line, proves that a service could be run if they wanted to.

Is the reason they aren't to do with the "action short of a strike" perhaps?

 

[RPI]

Is the reason they aren't to do with the "action short of a strike" perhaps?

Admittedly that could have an effect, or at least make it easy to wash their hands of it

 

[theironroad]

Would SWR have enough crew based at St Davids to man an Exeter-Axminster service—my suspicion, though happy to be corrected, is that there isn't? I don't think GWR could pick up the slack either as the pool of drivers they have available who sign via Axminster is pretty limited as far as I'm aware, in addition to the overtime ban that is in force this week.

SWR have ZERO crew based at Exeter. There's no SWR depot there. Yeovil Jnc and Salisbury are the main 158/9 depots.

 

[embers25]

SWR have ZERO crew based at Exeter. There's no SWR depot there. Yeovil Jnc and Salisbury are the main 158/9 depots.

True but they ran an Exeter to Axminster service just fine several weeks ago during the previous Crewkerne tunnel works and what excuse is there for nothing Salisbury to Yeovil. I assume the crews are still being paid to do nothing.

 

[Class800]

The situation west of Salisbury is a total farce, no trains, no rail replacement and last time I looked, no ticket acceptance! SWR could, but won't, run an Exeter to Axminster shuttle, even two hourly, the fact 2L92 has run the last two nights (and run back in service as 2L90) being the only train over the line, proves that a service could be run if they wanted to.

There are at least five 159's stuck in Exeter, two taking up the bay platform at Exeter Central as there is no more siding space at St Davids.

The last couple of years have been abysmal west of Salisbury with SWR chucking the towel in at the slightest sign of disruption.

In the past it's always been a default Paddington acceptance but no one has organised it this time.

 

[geoffk]

Would SWR have enough crew based at St Davids to man an Exeter-Axminster service—my suspicion, though happy to be corrected, is that there isn't? I don't think GWR could pick up the slack either as the pool of drivers they have available who sign via Axminster is pretty limited as far as I'm aware, in addition to the overtime ban that is in force this week.

Crews could be taken between Salisbury and Axminster by road. I assumed there would be SWR stock marooned at St. Davids but haven't been down there to look. Given that the hourly trains cross at Axminster a normal service could be provided with two units. A lot of college students travel to Exeter every day along with commuters etc. I'm sure that BR would have done this but now it seems to be all too difficult, and the lack of bus/rail acceptance is making things worse. What are the Salisbury train crews doing who would normally be on this line? Can someone explain the difference between a 158 and 159 which prevents GWR borrowing, sorry hiring, a few units to strengthen their Portsmouth - Cardiff service? If only we had a railway with a "can do" culture!

 

[vikingdriver]

Crews could be taken between Salisbury and Axminster by road. I assumed there would be SWR stock marooned at St. Davids but haven't been down there to look. Given that the hourly trains cross at Axminster a normal service could be provided with two units. A lot of college students travel to Exeter every day along with commuters etc. I'm sure that BR would have done this but now it seems to be all too difficult, and the lack of bus/rail acceptance is making things worse. What are the Salisbury train crews doing who would normally be on this line? Can someone explain the difference between a 158 and 159 which prevents GWR borrowing, sorry hiring, a few units to strengthen their Portsmouth - Cardiff service? If only we had a railway with a "can do" culture!

I suspect that the industrial action this week puts it into the not going to be possible category.

 

[randyrippley]

Just a thought, but having read the local reports of floods blocking the A303, A358, A359 and others (with the A303 probably closed until the weekend or later) and with more rain to come I just wonder if SW Trains didn't have confidence in their ability to get drivers down to Exeter, or even run a coach service? One of the blocked routes was Chard-Axminster.
Whether it's still blocked I don't know

 

[louis97]

True but they ran an Exeter to Axminster service just fine several weeks ago during the previous Crewkerne tunnel works and what excuse is there for nothing Salisbury to Yeovil. I assume the crews are still being paid to do nothing.

Can't compare a pre-planned line closure to an un-planned line closure however. I'm not sure what the roads are like down there, but an Exeter to Axminster shuttle would require taxis to/from Yeovil and if some roads are closed it becomes difficult to predict journey times. The action short of a strike won't help matters either, making a shuttle near impossible perhaps.

Regarding Yeovil to Salisbury, there was some Earthworks alarms triggered between Yeovil Pen Mill and Castle Cary on Monday, so with more rain expected there is a risk of trains getting stranded at Yeovil Junction. There was issues getting enough road transport to Yeovil Junction on Monday, so there is a risk of passengers becoming stranded there with no/limited road transport and no rail route in either direction.

 

[dciuk]

Crews could be taken between Salisbury and Axminster by road. I assumed there would be SWR stock marooned at St. Davids but haven't been down there to look. Given that the hourly trains cross at Axminster a normal service could be provided with two units. A lot of college students travel to Exeter every day along with commuters etc. I'm sure that BR would have done this but now it seems to be all too difficult, and the lack of bus/rail acceptance is making things worse. What are the Salisbury train crews doing who would normally be on this line? Can someone explain the difference between a 158 and 159 which prevents GWR borrowing, sorry hiring, a few units to strengthen their Portsmouth - Cardiff service? If only we had a railway with a "can do" culture!

As RPI said, there 5 units in Exeter (spread between the sidings at St Davids and the bay platform at Central). As the services normally pass at Axminster would there be time to turn them there and still get back to Pinhoe in time to pass the next eastbound service? Alternatively perhaps the services could pass at Honiton which would give ample turnaround time at Axminster and just enough to turnaround at St Davids, but no doubt it is easier for SWR just to give up on trying to serve their Devon stations and the line closure(s) further east has given them the perfect excuse

 

[RPI]

As RPI said, there 5 units in Exeter (spread between the sidings at St Davids and the bay platform at Central). As the services normally pass at Axminster would there be time to turn them there and still get back to Pinhoe in time to pass the next eastbound service? Alternatively perhaps the services could pass at Honiton which would give ample turnaround time at Axminster and just enough to turnaround at St Davids, but no doubt it is easier for SWR just to give up on trying to serve their Devon stations and the line closure(s) further east has given them the perfect excuse

They constantly just abandon everything west of Yeovil, it happend a few Saturdays ago when Exeter City and Exeter Chiefs were both at home, around 17:00 they cancelled everything, told people to make their own arrangements and that was that! They then ran the 18:25 Waterloo after everyone had gone off to the Bus station and taxi ranks, then ran nothing until 21:25, again, one of many occasions recently where they've literally just thrown the towel in. There aren't that many bus services between Exeter and East Devon beyond Cranbrook either, with there being zero to Whimple.

No TOC can claim to be perfect when things go wrong but most at least try to do something.

It will have been seven days with almost no service by the time SWR may or may not resume on Monday, we're talking of significant towns left without services for seven days on what is ultimately a main line, how they're getting away with it is beyond me.

Just to add, today the units from Exeter Central were moved to St Davids so I'm assuming that an SWR driver was sent in a taxi to do that as GWR drivers were on strike today!

 

[Snow1964]

SWR have ZERO crew based at Exeter. There's no SWR depot there. Yeovil Jnc and Salisbury are the main 158/9 depots.

But I know one SWR driver who lives in Exeter area, not sure where exactly since they moved, but much nearer Exeter than Yeovil

 

[Somewhere]

But I know one SWR driver who lives in Exeter area, not sure where exactly since they moved, but much nearer Exeter than Yeovil

But there won't be a booking on point at Exeter for them.

 

[geoffk]

Just to add, today the units from Exeter Central were moved to St Davids so I'm assuming that an SWR driver was sent in a taxi to do that as GWR drivers were on strike today!

Two units were in the bay at Central at around 16.30 this afternoon. I didn't go down to St. Davids but I see there were also 3 units there.

 

[RPI]

Two units were in the bay at Central at around 16.30 this afternoon. I didn't go down to St. Davids but I see there were also 3 units there.

There were two 159's in platform three at St Davids with the engines running at around 15:30, but they may then have been from New yard, the space was probably needed.

 

[alastair]

They constantly just abandon everything west of Yeovil, it happend a few Saturdays ago when Exeter City and Exeter Chiefs were both at home, around 17:00 they cancelled everything, told people to make their own arrangements and that was that! They then ran the 18:25 Waterloo after everyone had gone off to the Bus station and taxi ranks, then ran nothing until 21:25, again, one of many occasions recently where they've literally just thrown the towel in. There aren't that many bus services between Exeter and East Devon beyond Cranbrook either, with there being zero to Whimple.

No TOC can claim to be perfect when things go wrong but most at least try to do something.

It will have been seven days with almost no service by the time SWR may or may not resume on Monday, we're talking of significant towns left without services for seven days on what is ultimately a main line, how they're getting away with it is beyond me.

Just to add, today the units from Exeter Central were moved to St Davids so I'm assuming that an SWR driver was sent in a taxi to do that as GWR drivers were on strike today!

some seem to have run back to Salisbury https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:22715/2023-12-07/detailed

 

[RPI]

some seem to have run back to Salisbury https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:22715/2023-12-07/detailed

Explains that then, wonder who worked it? As far as I'm aware no Salisbury drivers sign via Taunton anymore, but some may have retained it?

 

[Wychwood93]

But I know one SWR driver who lives in Exeter area, not sure where exactly since they moved, but much nearer Exeter than Yeovil

If he was based at Yeovil he would, perhaps, have a 'lodge' to work an early turn from Exeter. It would certainly have been the case back in BR days.

But there won't be a booking on point at Exeter for them.

Some 20+ years ago a Freightliner driver could book on remotely.

 

[43096]

Explains that then, wonder who worked it? As far as I'm aware no Salisbury drivers sign via Taunton anymore, but some may have retained it?

Reported elsewhere as a GWR driver having worked it.

 

[vikingdriver]

But I know one SWR driver who lives in Exeter area, not sure where exactly since they moved, but much nearer Exeter than Yeovil

I must admit I have no idea who that is so I'm not sure how accurate that statement is!

 

[embers25]

some seem to have run back to Salisbury https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:22715/2023-12-07/detailed

And they couldn't run in service??????

 

[Irascible]

And they couldn't run in service??????

Not via Taunton! I'd be interested where the crew for that trip came from though.

The weather has been abysmal in SE Devon today, I don't think I'd have wanted to get on a bus. SWR's behavior recently has also been similarily abysmal.

 

[geoffk]

I've seen a strongly-worded letter which has gone from the Salisbury to Exeter Rail Users' Group (SERUG) to Claire Mann, MD of SWR, and copied to local MPs, about the situation, in particular the lack of service between Axminster and Exeter and of ticket acceptance on GWR or bus services. (Claire has just been appointed TfL’s Chief Operating Officer). I've seen it as a member of another user group and probably shouldn't share the text on this forum.

 

[vikingdriver]

I've seen a strongly-worded letter which has gone from the Salisbury to Exeter Rail Users' Group (SERUG) to Claire Mann, MD of SWR, and copied to local MPs, about the situation, in particular the lack of service between Axminster and Exeter and of ticket acceptance on GWR or bus services. (Claire has just been appointed TfL’s Chief Operating Officer). I've seen it as a member of another user group and probably shouldn't share the text on this forum.

How does the Action Short of Strike effect the rostering of crew to operate an Axminster - Exeter service on an ad-hoc basis? The two don't sound like they go hand in hand!

 

[infobleep]

I suspect that the industrial action this week puts it into the not going to be possible category.

Why don't SWR publicly explain this?

But there won't be a booking on point at Exeter for them.

In the modern age, why can't they sign on remotely in times of disruption?

 

[vikingdriver]

Why don't SWR publicly explain this?

Maybe it isn't the industrial action, maybe those that control things these days have said not to bother. Who really knows anymore!

 

[SJ21]

The sets at Exeter Central should be moved tomorrow, 159004 and 019 running 5Z59 via Taunton, Westbury and Warminster.

Realtime Trains | 5Z59 1534 Exeter Central to Salisbury T&R.S.M.D | 08/12/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Z59 1534 departure from Exeter Central to Salisbury T&R.S.M.D on 08/12/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

If they do move tomorrow, that would mean they’ve been sat in the Bay at EXC for 5 days.

 

[dciuk]

The sets at Exeter Central should be moved tomorrow, 159004 and 019 running 5Z59 via Taunton, Westbury and Warminster.

Realtime Trains | 5Z59 1534 Exeter Central to Salisbury T&R.S.M.D | 08/12/2023

Real-time train running information for 5Z59 1534 departure from Exeter Central to Salisbury T&R.S.M.D on 08/12/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

If they do move tomorrow, that would mean they’ve been sat in the Bay at EXC for 5 days.

By moving all these units back to Salisbury gives them another excuse not to run anything between Exeter and Axminster