Landslip at Wellington (Shropshire), Birmingham - Shrewsbury services suspended

[G_for_Gnome]

Surprised to see no thread on this yet - if I’ve missed one somewhere I apologise.

Yesterday the Birmingham to Shrewsbury services were suspended in the morning due to a landslip near Wellington. National Rail advise no trains now until 31st March.

Journey planner for next week still showing trains, I suspect that will change at some point.

Preplanned buses this weekend anyway for engineering works, if I remember correctly.

I did see Transport For Wales had quite a few units on the Birmingham side of the block. There was a combo of 3x158+150 at New Street, and 2x158 in Platform 6 at Wolverhampton, I guess around 1530 - I was wondering where they went as I assume Transport for Wales don’t have fuelling and maintenance facilities on the Birmingham side of the block?

 

[LowLevel]

It was agreed that they could run their stranded units back to Shrewsbury past the slip at extreme caution, they went in 2 different trips yesterday.

 

[trainophile]

31st March? That's three weeks away. It must be a fairly major landslip.

 

[The Planner]

31st March? That's three weeks away. It must be a fairly major landslip.

These are from the New St Twitter account

 

[Taunton]

Do Network Rail have any rail mounted sheet piling rigs?

 

[Hellzapoppin]

They hire them in as and when required.

 

[Kite159]

It was agreed that they could run their stranded units back to Shrewsbury past the slip at extreme caution, they went in 2 different trips yesterday.

Shame they don't sign the route via Stafford anymore to take the units back in that direction.

 

[Llanigraham]

Last statement I saw, earlier today, was closure until 28th of March.

 

[Russel]

It was agreed that they could run their stranded units back to Shrewsbury past the slip at extreme caution, they went in 2 different trips yesterday.

Looking at the photos in this thread, it must have been something of a nervous few minutes, driving past this landslip...

 

[Gomper]

Hello all, newbie here. Why can’t West midland rail run trains to Telford central and turn around there?

 

[DelW]

Do Network Rail have any rail mounted sheet piling rigs?

They hire them in as and when required.

There's a photo of one such in post #61 of this thread:

Another landslip on the SWML (01/12/23)

It'll be a noisy day for the local residents as work gets underway on the bank. Both the down lines are blocked, but as you can see from the pic they are using the up fast as a down line today. 1701857570 And on the nearby footbridge that's unsafe, it's still there this morning (Wednesday 6th)...

www.railforums.co.uk

The plant in the photo carries the company name "ELMEC Solutions".

 

[The Planner]

Hello all, newbie here. Why can’t West midland rail run trains to Telford central and turn around there?

Not sure the junction at Madeley is signalled to allow the move back across to the up line. They may well set up some sort of method of working over the next few days if staff are available for it on the ground.

 

[swt_passenger]

There's a photo of one such in post #61 of this thread:

Another landslip on the SWML (01/12/23)

It'll be a noisy day for the local residents as work gets underway on the bank. Both the down lines are blocked, but as you can see from the pic they are using the up fast as a down line today. 1701857570 And on the nearby footbridge that's unsafe, it's still there this morning (Wednesday 6th)...

www.railforums.co.uk

The plant in the photo carries the company name "ELMEC Solutions".

I don’t think they would use rail mounted plant if the repair, (as in this case), will need to start at the foot of a tall embankment. This is more like the Hook and Salisbury landslips on the SW network, in both those cases it needed a temporary road across fields to get conventional equipment into position.

 

[AlanL]

Not sure the junction at Madeley is signalled to allow the move back across to the up line. They may well set up some sort of method of working over the next few days if staff are available for it on the ground.

That would be a good idea as a Wolves-Telford shuttle would help passengers (especially with heavy luggage/mobility issues) and a similar shuttle could operate Wellington-Shrewsbury leaving only a very short bus connection which has already got a service bus every 15 minutes! (No 4 which operates Telford-Oakengates-Wellington) especially as this looks to be a long closure.

 

[keithboddey]

I was at Chester Friday morning waiting for the Holyhead to Birmingham international.
It came in on time at 11.18. (class 158)

We were delayed for 20 minutes while they attached a class 150 to the back.

During this delay I overheard 2 mobile phone conversations about a blockage between Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

I thought to myself why don't Tfw tell the Birmingham passengers get off and go to Crewe.

We left Chester and straight away the guard informed us that Buses would be waiting for us at Shrewsbury.

Didn't Tfw know about this serious blockage?

When we got to Shrewsbury passengers were told to board a Manchester train and go back to Crewe.

Is there an explanation for this nonsense, or is it just shockingly bad customer care?

 

[DelW]

I don’t think they would use rail mounted plant if the repair, (as in this case), will need to start at the foot of a tall embankment. This is more like the Hook and Salisbury landslips on the SW network, in both those cases it needed a temporary road across fields to get conventional equipment into position.

Yes, you're absolutely right. I was really just answering the general question, but I wasn't properly considering its suitability for this location .

Usually for slope repair a bottom-up method is preferable if feasible, which of course suited rail-borne plant at the Woking site, being in a cutting.

Apart from anything else, driving piles with a rail mounted impact hammer or vibrator at this location would probably further destabilise the slope long before they were far enough in to become effective.

 

[G_for_Gnome]

That would be a good idea as a Wolves-Telford shuttle would help passengers (especially with heavy luggage/mobility issues) and a similar shuttle could operate Wellington-Shrewsbury leaving only a very short bus connection which has already got a service bus every 15 minutes! (No 4 which operates Telford-Oakengates-Wellington) especially as this looks to be a long closure.

I assume that would mean TFW running the Shrewsbury Wellington bit - even if WMT have 196s on the Shrewsbury side, have they got anywhere to fuel them?

Similar reasons mean the service Bham to Telford would need to be operated by WMT

I suppose it all comes down to signalling and where trains can be turned back, as mentioned by The Planner - there’s also little point turning back at any station that’s not massively accessible for the bus operation - my guess is it’s buses and coaches Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton for the rest of the month!

 

[AlanL]

I assume that would mean TFW running the Shrewsbury Wellington bit - even if WMT have 196s on the Shrewsbury side, have they got anywhere to fuel them?

Similar reasons mean the service Bham to Telford would need to be operated by WMT

I suppose it all comes down to signalling and where trains can be turned back, as mentioned by The Planner - there’s also little point turning back at any station that’s not massively accessible for the bus operation - my guess is it’s buses and coaches Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton for the rest of the month!

Running a Shrewsbury -Wellington shuttle (by TFW) should be straightforward (they have done before several times) as Wellington station has the infrastructure (bi-directional signalling etc) and a Wolves-Telford shuttle should be possible as there is a cross-over at Madeley Jnt. It needs the train companies to put passenger first rather than looking at ways it won't work and it would probably save them money on coaches especially with such a regular bus service between Telford and Wellington!

 

[Amlag]

Rather surprised reduced train service not planned from Mon 11 Mch with SLW in operation, but I’m not too familiar with the operational facilities to do so between Wolves and Wellington /Salop.

Note how the ballast shoulder, mainly due CWR, has spilled over into what was once the safe walking lineside cess path area.

Of major concern throughout NR is the growth of vegetation and now increasingly bushes and trees in the cess area as the revised weedspraying (downwards in standards and application) now rarely includes beyond the ballast shoulders to include the full cess areas.

 

[Joey Beauchamp]

I'm travelling between Northampton and the Heart of Wales line on the 28th March. Sods law, I purchased tickets two days ago with a split at Birmingham. I really want to avoid the rail replacement coach as I'll have my five year old with me and last time we caught a coach, he projectile vomited everywhere!

Am I right in thinking that, despite ticket acceptance via any reasonable route, the split tickets still won't be valid via Crewe as we'll be going nowhere near Birmingham?

My other concern is that the Manchester - South Wales trains sometimes have as few as 2 coaches. Are TFW likely to use their spare units (assuming they're not running a Shrewsbury -Wellington shuttle) to strengthen the Crewe - Shrewsbury services, either by increasing train length or additional services?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

TfW could divert the Cambrian services to Crewe - it has happened in the past.

 

[chris_in_salop]

Related to this disruption, one of the rail replacement buses clipped the low bridge at Albrighton station on Friday, as reported in the Shropshire Star.

 

[Steve Harris]

Related to this disruption, one of the rail replacement buses clipped the low bridge at Albrighton station on Friday, as reported in the Shropshire Star.

It is now on the BBC News app
Albrighton bridge crash sees passengers 'covered' in debris - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn04vpz1ekpo

 

[Class 170101]

It was agreed that they could run their stranded units back to Shrewsbury past the slip at extreme caution, they went in 2 different trips yesterday.

Shame they don't sign the route via Stafford anymore to take the units back in that direction.

That would be far too sensible, but even as TfW don't surely there must be another operator that could have route conducted them between Wolverhampton and Crewe (via Stafford).

 

[Snow1964]

Seems one of the rail replacement coaches with 25 people on board crashed into a bridge near Albrighton and got covered with debris.

So would it have been safer to use temporary single line working on the railway and use shuttle trains rather than dangerous coaches

A rail replacement coach has crashed into a bridge, with one passenger describing how she was left covered in debris.
The bus from Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton hit a low bridge near Albrighton Station, just hours after a landslip on the busy line.
Passenger Kathleen Riot said the vehicle's air conditioning box had clipped the structure.
Nobody was injured in the incident, which happened at about 19:00 GMT on Saturday.
"[The] driver smashed [a] low bridge outside Albrighton," Ms Riot said.
Pictures showed what appeared to be smashed glass scattered through the aisle after it rained down on passengers.
"No one was hurt but some of us were wet and covered in debris," Ms Riot added.
Police and firefighters attended the scene before a new bus arrived to take passengers to their destination.

Albrighton bridge crash sees passengers 'covered' in debris

The rail replacement coach hit a low bridge in Albrighton.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[dvboy]

Notice the ticket acceptance advice from WMT includes a NXWM bus that hasn't been operated by NXWM since November.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Seems one of the rail replacement coaches with 25 people on board crashed into a bridge near Albrighton and got covered with debris.

So would it have been safer to use temporary single line working on the railway and use shuttle trains rather than dangerous coaches

Albrighton bridge crash sees passengers 'covered' in debris

The rail replacement coach hit a low bridge in Albrighton.

www.bbc.co.uk

According to said article there were no actual injuries. But if a train had been caught up in a collapsing embankment it's pretty well certain that some injuries would have occurred. It's all very well promoting rail as a safer travel mode than road but when doing so it's important to get the context right and not undermine the case.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Looking at the photos in this thread, it must have been something of a nervous few minutes, driving past this landslip...

Presumably on the adjacent line although units have much lower axle loading than a loco or a loaded freight wagon.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I'm travelling between Northampton and the Heart of Wales line on the 28th March. Sods law, I purchased tickets two days ago with a split at Birmingham. I really want to avoid the rail replacement coach as I'll have my five year old with me and last time we caught a coach, he projectile vomited everywhere!

Am I right in thinking that, despite ticket acceptance via any reasonable route, the split tickets still won't be valid via Crewe as we'll be going nowhere near Birmingham?

My other concern is that the Manchester - South Wales trains sometimes have as few as 2 coaches. Are TFW likely to use their spare units (assuming they're not running a Shrewsbury -Wellington shuttle) to strengthen the Crewe - Shrewsbury services, either by increasing train length or additional services?

Friend went Salop to Crewe yesterday - plenty of space on the Cardiff to Manchester loco hauled and the slow shuttle had been sensibly upgraded to a 3 car vice a 153........

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Notice the ticket acceptance advice from WMT includes a NXWM bus that hasn't been operated by NXWM since November.

Not the only error: Bus Route 55A - Telford Central to Stafford.