Storm Darragh - 6/7th Dec

[Wivenswold]

Certainly if I lived in one of the red or even amber areas I would be cancelling any plans. But yellow doesn't seem too excessive?

It's luck of the draw when we're talking about events like this. It takes one weak tree or sheet of material to land on the track to totally mess up a main line and it's a possibility even in areas currently under a yellow warning.

Incidentally, there's concern that the winds along the East Coast and across East Anglia tomorrow night could be worse than currently forecast.

 

[dk1]

According to someone I'm trying to help, the 21:48 was still at Reading until the 22:03 PAD->BRI arrived and will allegedly be running through.

Apparently this is knowable to those who trawl (and therefore must be logged into...) X, and nobody else.

Why does anyone think being compelled to "contribute to Elon Musk's wealth to get useful information about train running but everyone else can get stuffed" is an ok comms policy for a massively subsidised quasi-public body?

Anyone in London who checked journeycheck after about 21:45 (but not after 20:45 at which time all was fine in terms of public facing data) for the 22:49 is now presumably stuffed.

I don’t get why anyone cares so much about Elon or gets so hot under the collar about X. I just use it for whatever suits me regardless.

 

[yorksrob]

I don’t get why anyone cares so much about Elon or gets so hot under the collar about X. I just use it for whatever suits me regardless.

I hate SKUM anyway.

But from a public service point of view, you have to be logged into twitter (or x) to access any useful info, so it's pointless for the large number of people who aren't logged in to it.

It's poor for disseminating information.

 

[dk1]

I hate SKUM anyway.

But from a public service point of view, you have to be logged into twitter (or x) to access any useful info, so it's pointless for the large number of people who aren't logged in to it.

It's poor for disseminating information.

I just googled SKUM and am none the wiser. Thought it was our apposing football team down the GEML & A140 with a slightly differing spelling

 

[mikeb42]

I don’t get why anyone cares so much about Elon or gets so hot under the collar about X. I just use it for whatever suits me regardless.

Here I personally tend to agree with you dk1. It's not Musk soaking up all the paper wealth on the planet (and now seemingly angling to put himself at the heart of the government of the USA for good measure) it's the information gathering dystopia that bothers me. However, that ship has sailed in my opinion. Other technology type people are less sanguine though and go out of their way to avoid having anything to do with it.

yorksrob puts it much more succinctly. It's a rubbish way to disseminate critical information. In particular, having to log into *anything*, especially a weird ill-suited format like X threads to get this information is just poor.

Meanwhile, back to stuff blowing over...

 

[yorksrob]

I just googled SKUM and am none the wiser. Thought it was our apposing football team down the GEML & A140 with a slightly differing spelling

Wiggle the letters around a bit

 

[londonmidland]

Unsurprisingly, Avanti are advising NOT to travel on the North Wales Coast tomorrow:

We’re advising customers not to travel on our North Wales route on Saturday 07 December. If you were due to travel on this route, your existing ticket can now be used anytime on Sun 08 November.

 

[diffident]

It’s great when a plan comes off!

I got us seats on the 11.48 from Doncaster which turned out to be the (original) 11.15 from Leeds which instead was started from York. The Passenger Assistance was great. The train was almost empty on arrival and although a lot of people got on at Doncaster having been bussed from Leeds and Wakefield our first class carriage was only half full which was just as well as there were no reservations showing.

The service ran on time from Doncaster as it was in the window between storms.

Thanks again to everyone who chipped in.

Glad it worked out @Shepley

 

[krus_aragon]

It was originally cancelled at 19:35, reinstated at 19:57 and then cancelled again at 20:57

1B36 was also started from Reading due to late running caused by TfW 1B67 that had mechanical failure smoke/fire at Baglan

Not a great evening

I ended up travelling from Swansea via the Heart of Wales line to try to get around the Baglan blockage. I've ended up in Chester quicker overall, but then waiting over an hour for the next (and last) train down the coast. Not the plan I'd have aimed for, given the weather. Chester's still fairly quiet, weather-wise: we'll see how things go down the coast.

Unsurprisingly, Avanti are advising NOT to travel on the North Wales Coast tomorrow:

That's rich of them: I'm still sat in Chester after midnight (i.e. tomorrow) purely because their (admittedly late-running) Holyhead service pulled out of Chester as my train was pulling in. Ah, well! :P

 

[londonmidland]

Great Western Railway have just posted a late notice service update:

- No trains running between Plymouth and Penzance until at least 13:00
- No trains running on Oakhampton and Barnstaple branch, as well as ALL Cornish branch lines, ALL DAY Saturday
- No trains running between Swansea and Carmarthen, ALL DAY Saturday
- Delays expected on rest of the GWR network due to speed restrictions. Avoid travel if possible

Link to X post

 

[krus_aragon]

I've ended up in Chester quicker overall, but then waiting over an hour for the next (and last) train down the coast.

Now a replacement bus service from Chester, just waiting on late inbound connections before we head off.

 

[mrmartin]

I got caught up in the cancellations from PAD to Wales tonight...

I was actually checking journeycheck every few minutes. Was hoping to get the 2248 as had an xmas meal. All seemed fine, which was honestly suspicious given the severity of weather warnings until about 2030 when both the 2148 and 2248 were cancelled.

There was then a 2130ish added (which I couldn't make to get to Paddington) showing on GWR app but not RTT or NR. This seemed like a bit of 'ghost' train as didn't run afiak.

Got to paddington expecting the worst; maybe get a train to Bristol and have to get a taxi back over the Severn (and all hassle that goes with trying to claim that back). But it was actually well organised once I got to the station - got the 2153 to reading which came into platform 9 and then the swansea train arrived on platform 8.

God knows what happened to those trying to get the 2248!

I think the main complaints are the very late notice of the cancellation of the 2248; if they had said that earlier I would have been at paddington at 2148 and would have been a lot less stressful, and secondly absolutely no communication whatsoever that there was a train running from Reading instead apart from the station. GWR twitter didn't have anything and was more or less closed because of staff sickness (again!).

I think there needs to be some way for the train network to communicate stuff like this to customers better. Like a special cancellation message which says "this train is cancelled, but will start from XXX at YYY instead" would have saved a lot of stress that could be put across all apps.

But to be fair the connection worked really well.

 

[InkyScrolls]

Services on the Leeds NW Triangle have been severely reduced today.

Edit: Having said that it appears to mostly be the early morning services which are affected.

 

[mikeb42]

God knows what happened to those trying to get the 2248!

Had it not been for them asking me what to do ("blag your way onto any train going west as soon as possible, don't take no for an answer, not that you'll have any trouble as the gatelines will be open and 99% of GWR guards are decent and helpful") rather than relying on any published info, I have some colleagues who could now tell you...

The 23:32 to Bristol ran, and indeed arrived just 10L. Taxis from there? Ubers will probably drive into a red warning for enough money.

That the 23:32 Bristol ran all the way while the 22:49 Swansea never left Paddington let alone went part way is decidedly "interesting" in itself.

Amber warning in Bristol started at 01:00. Red at 03:00. In Newport, Cardiff, Bridgend it was... 01:00 and 03:00. 2332 to Bristol arrived at 01:23. 2249 to Swansea should have arrived at Bridgend at 01:18. "Please Explain" as they say.

Looks very much like the railway cancelling last trains for operational convenience on a face value logical comparison.

Ultimately, cancelling services in these circumstances is something reasonable people can accept, even if there seem to be logical inconsistencies. The woefully short notice aggravated by a comms void however - unacceptable.

Meanwhile, as it happens I ended up rescuing someone else by car who'd been stranded, from Bristol to the coastal Vale of Glamorgan. Down there at 3am, it was what we would once have called "really windy". What it wasn't was the apocalypse, or not yet anyway.

 

[dk1]

Here I personally tend to agree with you dk1. It's not Musk soaking up all the paper wealth on the planet (and now seemingly angling to put himself at the heart of the government of the USA for good measure) it's the information gathering dystopia that bothers me. However, that ship has sailed in my opinion. Other technology type people are less sanguine though and go out of their way to avoid having anything to do with it.

yorksrob puts it much more succinctly. It's a rubbish way to disseminate critical information. In particular, having to log into *anything*, especially a weird ill-suited format like X threads to get this information is just poor.

Meanwhile, back to stuff blowing over...

My goodness, that’s practically in Chinese to me

Wiggle the letters around a bit

Doh!!!

 

[Megafuss]

On the first LNER service north of Newcastle and doing a max of 50mph once over the Scottish Border. 70mph gusts predicted in a couple of hours in this area.....

 

[Snow1964]

The Met Office has a wind gust chart

81mph in Anglesey
70+mph west coast
60+mph in South

UK wind gust map - Met Office

Our wind gust map shows you the strength and direction of wind gusts across the UK. Includes forecasts up to 5 days and observations from the last 24 hours.

weather.metoffice.gov.uk

 

[Dai Corner]

Meanwhile, as it happens I ended up rescuing someone else by car who'd been stranded, from Bristol to the coastal Vale of Glamorgan. Down there at 3am, it was what we would once have called "really windy". What it wasn't was the apocalypse, or not yet anyway.

Presumably via Gloucester as both the Severn Bridge and Prince of Wales Bridge are closed?

An all night Bristol-Cardiff service via the tunnel might have been useful to stranded people if GWR could/would have provided one.

 

[73001]

Single deck I hope. That area could see some of the worst inland winds.

Probably not. I drive them and standard is double deckers. My timetable shows an extra 15min each way allowed to drive slower. Merseyrail have already had 2 trees down and 'object on the tracks' disrupting services.

 

[side effect]

Very windy here just blew our little fence in. Nearest station Custom House.

 

[dk1]

Going to visit friends at their caravan (don’t laugh) in Cromer this afternoon. Will catch the train back around 16:00 as supposed to worsen more early evening. Still getting off extremely lightly compared to some poor people in the west of the UK.

 

[RailwayRookie]

As Dk1 has said, the west is getting it hard, but even we have a 40mph Blanket ESR from Cambridge North to King's Lynn on the Fen Line

 

[dk1]

As Dk1 has said, the west is getting it hard, but even we have a 40mph Blanket ESR from Cambridge North to King's Lynn on the Fen Line

Is that more to do with the OHL on that section? I know it has been quite susceptible over the years.

 

[RailwayRookie]

Is that more to do with the OHL on that section? I know it has been quite susceptible over the years.

I suspect so, as being the Fens the lineside trees are so rare they are practically landmarks in themselves.

 

[dk1]

I remember that happening before for electric traction Cambridge North-Ely so I remained in diesel mode on the 755s so as to keep time.

 

[Bald Rick]

Is that more to do with the OHL on that section? I know it has been quite susceptible over the years.

Yep, the OLE is liable to ‘blow off’ incidents where the contact wire sways away from the pantograph mid span in very high winds. Then the horn of the pantograph hooks over and starts popping the droppers off, then ADD, then it all comes down.

 

[RailwayRookie]

I remember that happening before for electric traction Cambridge North-Ely so I remained in diesel mode on the 755s so as to keep time.

Unfortunately not such option for the 387s or 700s that use the line now

 

[MontyP]

Still seems to be problems between Doncaster and Leeds following yesterday's tree incident. I'm on the 08:03 from KX which is diverted to York, 0833 and 0903 cancelled as well. Not good for getting to the match at Elland Road with an early kick off!

 

[Sonic1234]

Are GWR tickets refundable today? The advice from GWR suggests they are

 

[dk1]

Unfortunately not such option for the 387s or 700s that use the line now

No of course not but that’s bimodal benefit for us

Perhaps it’s a blanket restriction for ALL traction today as my colleagues along with XC are also losing 12-15 minutes.