RPM
Established Member
I despair if the the average passenger can't understand that a landslip a couple of metres away from the line needs to be made safe.
Despair away. I speak from long experience
I despair if the the average passenger can't understand that a landslip a couple of metres away from the line needs to be made safe.
I'm not sure it was wise of Chiltern to release those pictures. The average passenger is going to see an apparently clear pair of tracks and wonder why on earth the line is closed.
http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...arbury-tunnel-landslip-update-1-Feb-2263.aspxAt around 3pm yesterday (Saturday 31 January), there was an extremely significant landslip in the Harbury area between Leamington Spa and Banbury affecting both train lines and the tunnel.
After an initial assessment it is estimated that around 350,000 tonnes of material will need to be removed and the line between Leamington Spa and Banbury will have to remain closed for at least one week to allow for an investigation to determine the scale of the problem.
Engineers are currently monitoring the site today (Sunday 1 February) to see if it continues to move and to know if its safe to begin a detailed assessment, which may take several days. This is a known problem area experiencing elevated levels of ground water and engineers continue to work with local landowners to try and rectify and control the situation safely.
If the earth is unstable enough that it may collapse, a TSR won't help much.
Does anybody know if Chiltern have enough stock north of the slip to operate their full service between Birmingham and Leamington Spa?
Looking to make use of the 2-hourly Lapworth service tomorrow.
Q. Does this disruption affect trains between Kidderminster, Solihull and Birmingham?
Yes. We do not have sufficient trains trapped on the north side of the landslip to run our normal Monday train service between Kidderminster and Leamington Spa via Birmingham, therefore there will be a thinned out service. Please check the timetable that will be on our website for details of which trains will run.
Given Chiltern's tickets between London and Birmingham are being accepted by Virgin presumably there is nothing to stop one buying a cheap Chiltern only ticket and using it on Virgin's very expensive peak services when you were not intending to use Chiltern in the first place - not sure if its morally correct to do so but it must be termpting
Q. Do your ticket restrictions still apply?
Yes, tickets will only be valid at the times they are normally valid. Advance tickets between the West Midlands and London should be used within an hour of the time booked.
Is there a way for Chiltern to shift some of their trains to West Midlands?
168s are exactly the same dimensions as any class 170 Turbostar.165s and 168s are a bit wider than most trains, so won't be cleared via many routes. They might not be allowed up the WCML, but are allowed to go to Worcester up the Cotswolds line - I'm not sure about the rules for them then traversing the West Mids
165s and 168s are a bit wider than most trains, so won't be cleared via many routes.
...and don't 165/166 get from the GW get to and from Wolverton by rail for overhaul:
http://mark-beal-tmd.smugmug.com/RecentRail/July-2014/i-8hJ7WRh/A
Let's try not to exaggerate the problems of Turbos travelling on the wider railway...
Passengers can be bustituted but something like 48 freight trains a day will all have to be diverted. Quite a challenge!
Well one could point out the obvious one that the 166 is missing its step boards...
The original question was about getting stock round the closure, not necessarily in passenger service.
If the earth is unstable enough that it may collapse, a TSR won't help much.