Nuneham Viaduct shut - Didcot- Oxford

[rob.rjt]

Network Rail have posted an update stating that they think the line will be closed until late April: https://www.networkrailmediacentre....nd-oxford-to-remain-closed-until-after-easter

Passengers advised to check before travelling as railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford to remain closed until after Easter​

Region & Route: Wales & Western: Western
The railway between Didcot Parkway and Oxford will not reopen until after Easter as Network Rail engineers continue their assessment of Nuneham viaduct in Oxfordshire.

The line is closed for safety concerns as monitoring equipment detected increasingly significant movements of the viaduct, which crosses the River Thames between Culham and Radley, despite Network Rail doing stabilising works in recent weeks.

Detailed inspections of the bridge are now underway, but it is expected that the railway will remain closed until late April.

To help keep passengers moving GWR, CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways and Network Rail, are working closely together with a revised timetable in operation for the duration of the line closure, with a rail replacement service and local shuttle services running.

Those travelling between London Paddington and Oxford/North Cotswolds will need to change at Didcot Parkway for replacement bus services, adding about 40 mins to journey times. Passengers travelling between the midlands and south coast will also need to use replacement bus services between Oxford and Didcot Parkway.

A shuttle train service will also operate between Didcot and Appleford and Culham, and between Radley and Oxford. Trains will continue to operate largely as planned between Hereford/Worcestershire and Oxford.

David Davidson, Network Rail’s interim Western route director, said: “We are sorry for the disruption this has caused for passengers and advise them to continue to check before they travel.

“Safety is our top priority and our engineers our now working round the clock to identify what can be done to make this viaduct safe for passenger and freight trains to run again.

“We are disappointed that the work we’ve done so far hasn’t been successful and our efforts haven’t been helped by the wettest March in over 30 years. We will continue to provide updates as we work to reopen the line as quickly and as safely as possible.”

Passenger journey information:

CrossCountry will run a full service north of Oxford other than the 5.15am Southampton to Manchester service which will start at Banbury and 8.25pm Manchester to Reading service which will terminate at Birmingham.

A limited Crosscountry service will operate between the south coast and Didcot Parkway with a rail replacement service running between Didcot Parkway and Oxford.

Great Western Railway services between London, Oxford and the North Cotswolds are impacted with services terminating at Oxford; as well as the Didcot Parkway and Oxford shuttle.

Rail replacement services are operating a fast service between Oxford and Didcot Parkway and a stopping service calling at Radley, Culham and Appleford. These services are expected to be extremely busy.

Tickets are being accepted on:

• Avanti West Coast, Chiltern Railways, London Underground, and West Midlands Railway via any reasonable route
• Stagecoach S6 bus services between Swindon and Oxford
• Thames Travel X2 and X32 bus services between Didcot and Oxford

ENDS

Interestingly they plan a shuttle train service to the stations either side of the closure.

 

[Benjwri]

Interestingly they plan a shuttle train service to the stations either side of the closure.

Surely this is just maybe a slightly increased frequency on the Banbury shuttle? There isn’t really anywhere else for a shuttle train service unless they’re doing OTW to Radley and Culham?

 

[zwk500]

I was suggesting lengthening the Oxford trains rather than running more services. Surely there are enough "long" platforms at Marylebone to do this

It depends what else is using the platforms and whether there's space to juggle them around if they need to. The Marylebone platform plan is a remarkable piece of timetabling, but it's oh so very tight. There's a hell of a lot of top working and units dropping off and onto each other to strengthen or form additional trains through the day, and then you have the flat crossing at Neasden Jn to contend with not far out of the station.

Platforms at Marylebone are 229m (1), 245m (2/3), 115m (4), 215/16m (5/6). It will take a lot of work to identify which diagrams are able to be extended without requiring extra shunt moves or replatforming, and then a little more time to identify a spare unit to add on.

 

[Magdalia]

Just for context, we've had flood warnings in Abingdon for some weeks. The Thames and Ock have been higher than I have seen at any time since I moved down here two years ago. Tesco was closed the last two days because it was flooded. In short, yes, it's been very, very, very wet indeed.

Here in the Fens we have been in the same path of the Atlantic weather systems that dominated our weather in March.

Cambridge rainfall in March was 110mm, more than 4in, and more than three times the March average. March rainfall was higher than December, January and February combined, which was 80mm or about 3in. February in particular was very dry.

I live on a relatively new development that has a surface water run-off pond. This is more full than I have ever seen it since I moved here 5 years ago. And last August it had dried out completely.

 

[class68fan]

The big car park south oxford station is far more room than Banbury

And the people who usually park there would do what exactly ?

Oxford's not exactly well served with parking.

It that car park use when week long Oxford block in the past happend, it probable be use for the next plan weeks blocks.

 

[D6130]

It depends what else is using the platforms and whether there's space to juggle them around if they need to. The Marylebone platform plan is a remarkable piece of timetabling, but it's oh so very tight. There's a hell of a lot of top working and units dropping off and onto each other to strengthen or form additional trains through the day, and then you have the flat crossing at Neasden Jn to contend with not far out of the station.

Platforms at Marylebone are 229m (1), 245m (2/3), 115m (4), 215/16m (5/6). It will take a lot of work to identify which diagrams are able to be extended without requiring extra shunt moves or replatforming, and then a little more time to identify a spare unit to add on.

Would it be worth turning round the Aylesbury via the Met services at Harrow, which would give greater connectivity than Amersham, but still free-up platform capacity at Marylebone?

 

[Meerkat]

Network Rail have posted an update stating that they think the line will be closed until late April: https://www.networkrailmediacentre....nd-oxford-to-remain-closed-until-after-easter

Interestingly they plan a shuttle train service to the stations either side of the closure.

Have I become illiterate or is this bit terribly written and very confusing?

Great Western Railway services between London, Oxford and the North Cotswolds are impacted with services terminating at Oxford; as well as the Didcot Parkway and Oxford shuttle.

 

[hwl]

Has it been especially wet in Oxfordshire this winter? The BBC report mentioned the ground is saturated, but even so there seems to be an alarming rate of bridge failures due to ground movement in that part of the world.

Wettest March in 40+ years and in the top 10 wettest March in local records since 1767.
Also the wettest March since M40 north of J8 was completed which increased the rate at which rainfall entered the Cherwell (and then ending up in the Thames south of Oxford)

 

[Meerkat]

Will XC stock be freed up that could run Birmingham-Banbury shuttles in the place of Chiltern, freeing them to concentrate on Banbury/Oxford to Marylebone?

 

[birchesgreen]

What a shame, i'm due to travel through there on friday (and sunday), how much longer will the bus add to the journey time between Oxford and Didcot roughly?

 

[The Planner]

Will XC stock be freed up that could run Birmingham-Banbury shuttles in the place of Chiltern, freeing them to concentrate on Banbury/Oxford to Marylebone?

Good few units stuck south of the block appparently.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Good few units stuck south of the block appparently.

Quite a few ways to run them back to be fair, though I suppose they might require a GWR or Chiltern driver conducting.

 

[nickswift99]

What a shame, i'm due to travel through there on friday (and sunday), how much longer will the bus add to the journey time between Oxford and Didcot roughly?

The regular express bus (X32) from Oxford to Didcot takes about 30 minutes from St Aldates to Didcot Station. I'd add 15 minutes for the Oxford traffic and another 15-20 minutes for transfers either end. So assume an hour, compared to the 15 minutes it normally takes on the train.

National Rail is showing a timetabled 40 minute bus replacement which feels about right.

 

[CyrusWuff]

With Euston being closed over the Easter weekend due to Engineering Work, and this on top, it's not going to be pleasant to travel on Chiltern this weekend!

 

[nickswift99]

With Euston being closed over the Easter weekend due to Engineering Work, and this on top, it's not going to be pleasant to travel on Chiltern this weekend!

Reading are at home to Birmingham on Friday, so away fans will have a challenge

 

[swt_passenger]

Good few units stuck south of the block appparently.

I think they need 6 units to run an hourly service anyway, there’s nearly an hour layover at Didcot. I suppose all timings east and south of Didcot have to stay the same as normal though.

 

[Hophead]

National Rail Enquiries was updated at 12:57 to advise "Disruption between Reading and Oxford is expected until the end of the day. "

Perhaps, on closer inspection, they've found that trains can run for the time being. Or perhaps there will be a further update later today.

 

[156444]

National Rail Enquiries was updated at 12:57 to advise "Disruption between Reading and Oxford is expected until the end of the day. "

Perhaps, on closer inspection, they've found that trains can run for the time being. Or perhaps there will be a further update later today.

Updated 5 minuted ago, It's now saying until 23 April again.

 

[zwk500]

National Rail Enquiries was updated at 12:57 to advise "Disruption between Reading and Oxford is expected until the end of the day. "

Perhaps, on closer inspection, they've found that trains can run for the time being. Or perhaps there will be a further update later today.

Definitely would expect a later update.

 

[Mathew S]

It that car park use when week long Oxford block in the past happend, it probable be use for the next plan weeks blocks.

Remember that, from next Tuesday 11th April, the big car park will not be accessible from Botley Rd. In fact, none of the station car parks will. This is due to the road closure to begin the bridge replacement works.

Trying to run the RRB's into the city centre up Abingdon Rd, around past the Westgate to the station, and then back out northbound up either Banbury Rd or Woodstock Rd (or vice versa), would be completely daft.. and even more so given what the traffic is going to be like with people diverting from Botley Rd.

RRBs into/out of Oxford will need to run to the same temporary bus turning arrangements as local buses approaching from Botley, on the western side of Oxford station.

 

[Hophead]

Updated 5 minuted ago, It's now saying until 23 April again.

Ahh yes - they omitted the crucial words "on Sunday 23 April"!

 

[Alan Glaum]

Currently the Rail Replacement Buses at Oxford are using the station forecourt rather than the car park.

 

[Adsy125]

When I took a replacement bus yesterday it went to Didcot via Botley Road, and took around 25 minutes, and the barriers were open at Didcot so I comfortably made a train 28 minutes after leaving Oxford. Of course, I did have to wait in the bus queue for a while, and then wait for everybody to board.

One assumes when the bridge closes the buses will be boarding at Osney Island, it would be crazy to try and send them along Abingdon road. The traffic along Botley road however should be lovely!

 

[D6130]

Admittedly only very vaguely relevant, but I've just heard via my Google news feed that an emergency closure has just been put into place on the M62 near Castleford due to a rapidly-deteriorating overbridge....so far until the end of the day, but I suspect that it will probaly last considerably longer. It seems that it's not only our hundred-plus year old railway infrastructure that's collapsing!

 

[Crossover]

Admittedly only very vaguely relevant, but I've just heard via my Google news feed that an emergency closure has just been put into place on the M62 near Castleford due to a rapidly-deteriorating overbridge....so far until the end of the day, but I suspect that it will probaly last considerably longer. It seems that it's not only our hundred-plus year old railway infrastructure that's collapsing!

A bridge joint, more specifically, I believe

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Admittedly only very vaguely relevant, but I've just heard via my Google news feed that an emergency closure has just been put into place on the M62 near Castleford due to a rapidly-deteriorating overbridge....so far until the end of the day, but I suspect that it will probaly last considerably longer. It seems that it's not only our hundred-plus year old railway infrastructure that's collapsing!

Between J31 and J30 (Westbound). That'll be fun!

 

[Benjwri]

Any is better than none, and presumably you could further backfill with 166s released by 80x?

Would definitely all be 165s, all the 166s are in the West and no single diagram can be replaced by a 80x.

Two obvious ones to free up are the Bedwyn shuttle unit and the Oxford-Didcot stopper, but I'm sure they could manage a few more.

Bedwyn could, and the Oxford to Didcot frees up 1 or 2 diagrams, depending if they need 1 or 2 to run the service to Banbury. I’m not really sure there aren’t any others. All the rest at Reading are on the branches (Unless IETs are cleared to Gatwick or Basingstoke?), and the west has the issue of Weymouth/Southampton.

Quite a few ways to run them back to be fair, though I suppose they might require a GWR or Chiltern driver conducting.

GWR drivers who were rostered on IET services which have now been cut in half will all sign Reading to Bristol Temple Meads/Parkway, which is presumably the simplest route back to the network.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Two obvious ones to free up are the Bedwyn shuttle unit and the Oxford-Didcot stopper, but I'm sure they could manage a few more.

GWR are running Didcot-Culham and Oxford-Radley stoppers, so probably no spares available from the latter.

 

[TurboMan]

GWR drivers who were rostered on IET services which have now been cut in half will all sign Reading to Bristol Temple Meads/Parkway, which is presumably the simplest route back to the network.

Not all of them. A lot of the services to/through Oxford are worked by Oxford drivers (no surprise there) and they don't sign any routes west of Didcot.

 

[Topological]

80x to replace turbos between Cardiff and Bristol TM on the Portsmouth Harbours? Possibly not enough drivers trained on 80x and the route between Bristol and Cardiff?

Closure of Didcot to Oxford really does leave a big gap in the network either way. Having crossed that bridge a few times recently I am glad I did not know how bad it was.