More ECML woes

[jon0844]

It often surprises me, it is not as if they have people and machines sitting around waiting for such events. The co-ordination involved is excellent. Tebay was fixed very quickly and look significant.

Dunkirk spirit in operation I'd expect.

No doubt, besides some stupid Tweets from idiots, most people accepted the situation and just got on with things. Just like we did on 7/7.

 

[Ferret]

Got to say the speed at which NR have got lines open is bloody impressive. In an age where the railways do leave themselves wide open to criticism on a regular basis, some serious praise is due here.

 

[khib70]

Got to say the speed at which NR have got lines open is bloody impressive. In an age where the railways do leave themselves wide open to criticism on a regular basis, some serious praise is due here.

Agree with you 100% on that one. Given the photographs, to get anything running is a tremendous achievement.

 

[David]

It is not correct to claim that the disruption is outwith the ToC's control. It would be perfectly possible to construct a railway that was impervious to such conditions. However to do so would be incredibly costly.

A more accurate assertion would be that the disruption occurred because the taxpayer and rail travellers are unwilling and/or unable to pay the costs needed by ToCs and Network rail to bring our railway network to a adequate standard where it is resilient in the face of extreme weather.

I use the term adequate because, despite the severity of the conditions such conditions are now happing several times a year and as a result it is no longer accurate to describe them as "extreme" or "unusual" - yesterday is I am afraid the reality of a British summer in the 21st century and the sooner we all accept this and start to make the necessary adjustments and investment to cope the better!

First off, the extreme weath you mentioned was exactly that, it is very rare we get sustained monsoon type rainfall over a couple of hours in this country. It's doubtful if anywhere in the world would have been able to cope with several inches of rain falling in 2 hours ....

I doubt that flooding is happening with increasing frequency. It's that with the proliferation of social media, and technology improving all the time, even minor flooding is being widely reported now, where as 10 years ago it would have only been mentioned in the local papers.

 

[Darandio]

It is not correct to claim that the disruption is outwith the ToC's control. It would be perfectly possible to construct a railway that was impervious to such conditions.

Amazing.

 

[142094]

I'd say that building a railway that could withstand what happened yesterday would no doubt either bankrupt the country or make sure that no-one could afford the ticket prices to travel on it. It also wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference where the railway is affected by say a landslip on land that Network Rail do not own or have no control over.

 

[khib70]

I wonder when XC will start running as well.

According to the website

A full service will operate south of Newcastle. The following services will run north of Newcastle and in Scotland:

•12:23 and 13:23 Plymouth to Edinburgh
•16:52 Glasgow Central to Birmingham New Street
•18:11 Edinburgh to Aberdeen
•21:31 Aberdeen to Edinburgh



No other CrossCountry services will run between Newcastle and Edinburgh / Glasgow Central. Passengers should use East Coast services.

Passengers who choose not to travel between North East England and Scotland may use their tickets tomorrow, Saturday 30 June.

CrossCountry passengers may use East Coast and First Transpennine Express services on all reasonable routes.

 

[Atishyou]

Got to say the speed at which NR have got lines open is bloody impressive. In an age where the railways do leave themselves wide open to criticism on a regular basis, some serious praise is due here.

Agreed

 

[Failed Unit]

What is the situation at the moment, single line working? Some very big delays with trains bunching. I guess a very heavy speed limit as well.

 

[LE Greys]

Got to say the speed at which NR have got lines open is bloody impressive. In an age where the railways do leave themselves wide open to criticism on a regular basis, some serious praise is due here.

Agreed

+1 to that!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

What is the situation at the moment, single line working? Some very big delays with trains bunching. I guess a very heavy speed limit as well.

Something like that, according to the lady in the Stevenage booking office. 20mph and running slow. I've postponed my out leg until Tuesday.

 

[andylloyd]

This is what caused the majority of the signalling issues in the Newcastle area yesterday afternoon/evening, filmed from my humble abode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kxpuJuiUmA

 

[tsr]

+1 to that!

Same here!

Something like that, according to the lady in the Stevenage booking office. 20mph and running slow.

Would they not also be proceeding according to the general rule that states that they have to be able to stop within half the distance they can see? I can imagine things are pretty precarious, that there are many crews out and that rather a lot of machinery is in operation!

 

[carriageline]

http://twitter.com/networkrailPR/status/218436243644628992/photo/1

That's the landslip near Berwick.

That tweet really boiled my blood..

YES, you half brained cretin that is a reason. I'm sure youd love for your train to roll down the embankment and possibly hurting you and your kids?

Why do some people fail to think for them selves!!!! Get a bus?

 

[LE Greys]

Would they not also be proceeding according to the general rule that states that they have to be able to stop within half the distance they can see? I can imagine things are pretty precarious, that there are many crews out and that rather a lot of machinery is in operation!

I meant 20mph and single-line running, but then all she had to go on was information on her computer.

 

[Darandio]

And an MP retweeted it?! Says so much really.

 

[jon0844]

She's a Labour MP so probably thinks she can score some points by blaming coalition cuts or something. Pathetic.

 

[Skimble19]

Got caught up in the mess at Hitchin yesterday - was on the train that's pantograph got damaged. Looked fairly serious, ended up being pushed north by the rear unit, after staff repaired the points that had just failed in font or it. Staff were very helpful, bringing round bottles of water for everyone. I feel sorry for the pax stuck on the Cambridge train that was sitting on the fasts, unable to move because of the signal failure, I've no idea how long they were there in the end.

 

[marks87]

And now there's a "trespass incident" at Huntingdon...

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Re the damage to the ECML in Northumberland near Berwick.

East Coast have announced that they expect to operate their normal service as of tomorrow, Sunday 1st July.

Cross Country have not yet made such an announcement, but if they have the operational capacity to do so, then it is reasonable to assume that they will be permited to operate their scheduled services and just haven't announced it yet.

 

[LE Greys]

Re the damage to the ECML in Northumberland near Berwick.

East Coast have announced that they expect to operate their normal service as of tomorrow, Sunday 1st July.

Cross Country have not yet made such an announcement, but if they have the operational capacity to do so, then it is reasonable to assume that they will be permited to operate their scheduled services and just haven't announced it yet.

Excellent! Provided there are no further problems, I'll make it to Aberdeen.