Services via Barnes Bridge suspended

[Craig1122]

There are two long pre-existing culverts, more like tunnels, running for over 200m right under the marshalling yard footprint. One is for the River Crane, and there’s a parallel flood relief tunnel as well.

You can see some internal photos and plan drawings in this article about the tunnels here. There’s a bit of metric/imperial exaggerated conversion going on, references to 750 yd, but the text has it 750 ft long.

Feltham Cavalry Tunnel (40 acres) - Art of the State

Feltham Cavalry Tunnel aka Feltham 40 Acres Tunnel Known locally as Feltham Cavalry Tunnel or 40 Acres Tunnel there is an unlit culvert that runs for 750 yards under the former site of Feltham Marshalling Yards in West London. It runs adjacent to the redirected River Crane and was constructed to...

www.artofthestate.co.uk

The extent can just about be made out on the current Google satellite view, if you look for the tight bend in the river course.

Thanks, hadn't seen it in this much detail before.

Bit of an update about the bridge in the video embedded in this tweet:

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailWssx/status/1595465814442151937?t=5sixbMp6syNCGiZ6-xEa8A&s=19

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks, hadn't seen it in this much detail before.

The Feltham RAIB report has some good detail about the setup, but probably not for this thread.

Bit of an update about the bridge in the video embedded in this tweet:

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailWssx/status/1595465814442151937?t=5sixbMp6syNCGiZ6-xEa8A&s=19

I see they’re referring to the bridge as “very unique”. Does that mean there’s even less than one of them?

 

[43096]

I see they’re referring to the bridge as “very unique”. Does that mean there’s even less than one of them?

Well, the fact it can’t be used currently would suggest it is less than complete currently!

 

[N0G83]

Both junctions are electrified and traversed by SWR service trains, it’s the spurs to South Acton that are not. There is a crossover at Old Kew Junction so it’s a fair question from anyone who’s not a subject matter expert on the signalling arrangements.

Barnes - Barnes Bridge - Chiswick - Kew Bridge is all very awkward to do on local buses - is there a replacement bus service in place to link the stations?

yes apologies, Kew Spur/Branch up & Down non electrified.

 

[Taunton]

There is no 3rd Rail at New or Old Kew Jct, freight usage nominally to & from South Acton.

Used to be 3rd rail though; the North London line electric services were once more frequent down to South Acton, whence half continued to Richmond as at present, and the others along what is now the freight link, to Kew Bridge on the Hounslow loop.

 

[Goldfish62]

The advice given on the SWR website for the unserved Barnes Bridge and Chiswick stations is particularly vague and useless:
- TfL bus routes between Feltham and Barnes via Hounslow (there aren't any and never have been)
- London Underground any reasonable route.
- London Overground between Richmond and Kew Gardens (Kew Gardens is completely irrelevant and nowhere near the two impacted stations).

Better advice may have been:
Chiswick - go to Richmond, Underground to Turnham Green then route E3.
Barnes Bridge - route 419 from Richmond.

 

[Craig1122]

The advice given on the SWR website for the unserved Barnes Bridge and Chiswick stations is particularly vague and useless:
- TfL bus routes between Feltham and Barnes via Hounslow (there aren't any and never have been)
- London Underground any reasonable route.
- London Overground between Richmond and Kew Gardens (Kew Gardens is completely irrelevant and nowhere near the two impacted stations).

Better advice may have been:
Chiswick - go to Richmond, Underground to Turnham Green then route E3.
Barnes Bridge - route 419 from Richmond.

Kew Gardens is still a useful alternative for Kew Bridge given there's only an hourly service going the 'wrong' way for many people. The real lack of understanding is not extending that acceptance to Gunnersbury given that it's both a similar distance away and is in any case jointly served by the underground. I'm guessing the reference to bus routes would be better phrased as 'any reasonable alternative' rather than implying one route mirrors the whole rail route.

SWT produced useful graphics for each station showing alternatives in the event of there being no train service. They seem to have stopped using them so I presume no one at SWR has ever thought to update them.

 

[Goldfish62]

Kew Gardens is still a useful alternative for Kew Bridge given there's only an hourly service going the 'wrong' way for many people.

Gunnersbury is closer and bus services to Kew Bridge are at least if not more frequent and no walking is required.

In any case the travel advice specifically refers to Chiswick and Barnes Bridge. No ticket acceptance is in place for Kew Bridge.

 

[Craig1122]

Gunnersbury is closer and bus services to Kew Bridge are at least if not more frequent and no walking is required.

In any case the travel advice specifically refers to Chiswick and Barnes Bridge. No ticket acceptance is in place for Kew Bridge.

Just reread their advice and that's awful there's no acceptance in place for the rest of the loop. It probably matters less these days with Oyster but in a sane world everything possible would be done to try and lessen people's inconvenience when something like this happens.

 

[Hophead]

London underground via any reasonable route seems to me to include Gunnersbury for the reasons given

 

[Goldfish62]

London underground via any reasonable route seems to me to include Gunnersbury for the reasons given

I was talking about London Overground.

It doesn't matter how pedantic people on here want to get, the information given out by SWR is vague, inaccurate and inconsistent. I'd have expected better for arrangements lasting a couple weeks at least, especially given where the MD last worked!

 

[Railwaysceptic]

Used to be 3rd rail though; the North London line electric services were once more frequent down to South Acton, whence half continued to Richmond as at present, and the others along what is now the freight link, to Kew Bridge on the Hounslow loop.

I didn't know that. How long ago was this?

 

[Taunton]

I didn't know that. How long ago was this?

Electrified in 1920, closed in WW2. Strictly, it was 4th rail (like the rest of the North London/Watford DC line at the time). Probably meant to be reinstated afterwards, but never was.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Electrified in 1920, closed in WW2. Strictly, it was 4th rail

Sorry this is slightly OT, but I suspect some who are not familiar with the area may not realise this was the old Kew Bridge platforms on the Kew East/New Kew Jn curve.

 

[Train Maniac]

Hey guys. Daft question, has the Barnes Bridge loop reopened yet? More specifically will railtours be able to traverse this route, or will they be diverted via Twickenham?

 

[Taunton]

Seems to have been open all this week.

 

[Goldfish62]

Seems to have been open all this week.

Yes, all back to normal.

 

[Roger Feltham]

Opened Saturday 3rd

 

[davews]

As reported on the Network Rail twitter feed, reopened as Roger said on 3rd December.

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailWssx/status/1598726547476578304