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SWR Weybridge area block Monday 10 August

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ABDeltic

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The SW main line through Weybridge is blocked tomorrow with diversions via Chertsey. Unusual for a Monday but I have seen no publicity for this apart from a hard to find bit on the SWR website. Normally there are posters and announcements on the trains in the preceding week. I expect some people may get caught out with it.
 
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BluePenguin

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This is absolutely disastrous, 1 hour from Woking to Waterloo instead of 25 minutes. I appreciate these suburban lines are full of stopping services but is there any need for expresses to be this slow? The line speed is surely much higher
 

Sebastian O

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Pretty slow round the curve and up on the Windsor side, there’s been decent enough publicity that’s I’ve seen and I’m not that often going out.
 

DorkingMain

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This is absolutely disastrous, 1 hour from Woking to Waterloo instead of 25 minutes. I appreciate these suburban lines are full of stopping services but is there any need for expresses to be this slow? The line speed is surely much higher
Multiple low(er) speed junctions along the route - e.g. Byfleet Curve, the junction at VIR, the junction at SNS, the junction at BNS, etc.

Even with a clear path, the speed along the route is much slower than flying up the main at 80-90mph
 

Flange Squeal

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Sunday was perhaps further complicated by the line through Richmond and Twickenham also being closed for works, meaning everything had to run via the Hounslow loop.
 

WrongRoad

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The points at Weybridge are being replaced. The Temporary Speed Restrictions that have been on the Up Fast & Slow will now be gone and we can get back to full line speed.
 

43055

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Did wonder why there was a pair of SWR 158s in the westbound bay platforms at Reading last night.
 

Taunton

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This is going to be a challenge in the peak hours at the various level crossings along the line. They are bad enough normally with almost continuous traffic queues from the limited time the gates are open to road. I'm sure there was an agreement between DfT and the area MPs (which included London Buses, the fire/ambulance services etc) that there would not be any further reduction in the time per hour of them being open to road traffic.
 

Ianno87

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This is going to be a challenge in the peak hours at the various level crossings along the line. They are bad enough normally with almost continuous traffic queues from the limited time the gates are open to road. I'm sure there was an agreement between DfT and the area MPs (which included London Buses, the fire/ambulance services etc) that there would not be any further reduction in the time per hour of them being open to road traffic.

Though road traffic will be down quite considerably with it being school holidays.
 

Robertj21a

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This is absolutely disastrous, 1 hour from Woking to Waterloo instead of 25 minutes. I appreciate these suburban lines are full of stopping services but is there any need for expresses to be this slow? The line speed is surely much higher
...."Disastrous..."...

Really???
 

3rd rail land

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The SW main line through Weybridge is blocked tomorrow with diversions via Chertsey. Unusual for a Monday but I have seen no publicity for this apart from a hard to find bit on the SWR website. Normally there are posters and announcements on the trains in the preceding week. I expect some people may get caught out with it.
I heard multiple announcements regarding engineering works while I was using the railway for a return journey between Clapham Junction and Surbiton on Saturday.
 

greaterwest

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...."Disastrous..."...

Really???
I think hyperbolic to say the least...

I've certainly heard announcements in the week leading up to this and have seen publicity at the stations along the route that I have used, including posters and electronic screen notices.
 

swt_passenger

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This is absolutely disastrous, 1 hour from Woking to Waterloo instead of 25 minutes. I appreciate these suburban lines are full of stopping services but is there any need for expresses to be this slow? The line speed is surely much higher
You’d hope anywhere on the two track section an express ought to be able to just stick its flashers on and overtake the stopping train in front…. :D
 

BluePenguin

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...."Disastrous..."...

Really???
For people travelling, yes

You’d hope anywhere on the two track section an express ought to be able to just stick its flashers on and overtake the stopping train in front…. :D
Haha if only. We must do with what we have

For one day? I think you need to get a little more perspective on things.
Sure, care to provide any if you can?

I think hyperbolic to say the least...

I've certainly heard announcements in the week leading up to this and have seen publicity at the stations along the route that I have used, including posters and electronic screen notices.
Your opinion may differ although it cannot be ignored how inconvenient this work can cause passengers. Understandably it must be done
 

Brissle Girl

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Sure, care to provide any if you can
How about no trains to or from Bristol Temple Meads from 31st Aug to 3rd Sep, with replacement buses provided in all directions.

Funnily enough, there's been little negative reaction locally, with people understanding of the need for the work (which is part of a six week project with significant disruption and replacement buses - eg hardly any trains this week either).

That's perspective.
 

43096

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For people travelling, yes


Haha if only. We must do with what we have


Sure, care to provide any if you can?


Your opinion may differ although it cannot be ignored how inconvenient this work can cause passengers. Understandably it must be done
Here’s some perspective: it’s in the middle of school holidays when many are off work and it’s at a time when commuting is at its lowest for as long as many people will ever remember. So, other than during lockdown #1, it’s about the best time in at least the last 20 years to do it.
 

JamesT

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I don’t think anyone would doubt the necessity of the work, but the question is why on a Monday?

It’s been ongoing since Saturday. So if it needs three days, is losing Friday or Monday better?
 

Bald Rick

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Excellent piece of scheduling. Normally this would be done at a Bank Holiday weekend when numbers are low. However with commuting currently at very low levels - and even lower due to being in peak holiday season - the passenger numbers are likely to be lower this week (and the next couple) than on the Bank Holiday (when the leisure travellers come out). Fridays have more leisure travellers than Mondays, so this provides the least disruption to the fewest passengers. Credit where it is due.
 

baza585

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How about no trains to or from Bristol Temple Meads from 31st Aug to 3rd Sep, with replacement buses provided in all directions.

Funnily enough, there's been little negative reaction locally, with people understanding of the need for the work (which is part of a six week project with significant disruption and replacement buses - eg hardly any trains this week either).

That's perspective.
+1.

Compared to the minor inconvenience at Weybridge, which like the Bristol work had been well publicised in advance.
 

Brooklands

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It’s been ongoing since Saturday. So if it needs three days, is losing Friday or Monday better?
Perhaps a Friday or Bank holiday weekend? Rightly or wrongly many people were unaware of these works, and while the public have a expectation of disruption at weekends, many were unsurprisingly ‘caught out’ when confronted by rail replacement buses on a Monday morning (normally the busiest day of the week).
I’m sure there were valid reasons but obviously the TOC failed to get the message across.
The major works at Bristol, however,seemed to be advertised months in advance.
 

jayah

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You’d hope anywhere on the two track section an express ought to be able to just stick its flashers on and overtake the stopping train in front…. :D
The problem is that Virginia Water is no closer to Waterloo than Woking and a normal timetable Class 1 takes 50mins from there, with a lot of stops.

The Portsmouth line has been going from Guildford via Cobham in about 37mins.
 

Bald Rick

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(normally the busiest day of the week)

Normally, yes, but we haven’t had normal travel patterns for 17 months. Monday is now quieter than Friday, and a Monday in early August is forecast to be quieter than the BH Monday.
 

Brooklands

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Normally, yes, but we haven’t had normal travel patterns for 17 months. Monday is now quieter than Friday, and a Monday in early August is forecast to be quieter than the BH Monday.
Whatever the why’s and wherefores the publicity for a closure of a major mainline into London has been sadly lacking. This has been born out by the various questions/complaints on the SWR Twitter feed.
Yes, I have travelled on this line in the morning peak, and while the loadings are obviously below pre pandemic levels, they are still significant enough to cause unnecessary ire and frustration in these circumstances.
As we know rail replacements can be chaotic enough on a weekend.
If there was really no alternative that’s fine. There is no excuse however for the lack of publicity.
 

Bald Rick

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There is no excuse however for the lack of publicity.

But there has been publicity, as others have said.

Twitter isn’t a good barometer of how much publicity there has been - no one is going to tweet to say ‘thanks for the publicity’ - you will only get the complaints. Such is life.
 

Flange Squeal

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But there has been publicity, as others have said.

Twitter isn’t a good barometer of how much publicity there has been - no one is going to tweet to say ‘thanks for the publicity’ - you will only get the complaints. Such is life.
Apparently two months notice isn't enough though.... That's (at least) how long it has been displayed in the engineering works listings under the 'Plan My Journey' section of the South Western Railway (SWR) website. I'd imagine it has also featured on National Rail Enquiries' website and journey planners, and it appears they have been regularly tweeting about it recently as well. Additionally, for regular passengers/commuters, they're usually pretty good at updating posters and playing announcements at stations in the run-up to works each week.
 

Brooklands

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But there has been publicity, as others have said.

Twitter isn’t a good barometer of how much publicity there has been - no one is going to tweet to say ‘thanks for the publicity’ - you will only get the complaints. Such is life.
I agree about Twitter, but it is the only barometer we have without actually being there.
As a ‘local’ and ex railway worker on this line I was unaware of of the significance of these works until Sunday. I’m so glad I’ve now retired and didn’t have to face another stressful day of complaints.
Anyway, let’s hope it was a successful job and everything will open on time tomorrow (Tuesday).
 

route101

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I took a service from Waterloo to Basingstoke this afternoon. 1501 from Waterloo. I was unaware of these works. But I'm not local. Least I got some new track and perhaps a rare curve.

I was wondering why there wasn't any 158/159 services at Waterloo.
 

A Challenge

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From what I've heard from a friend going to Reading, at Fleet this morning there were a lot of people surprised at the lack of through trains to London, and despite the fact he has been travelling that way frequently recently I don't think he knew about it either.

I travelled on a diverted service yesterday and had realised that they were on diversion when I travelled earlier in the week, but hadn't realised it went into Monday, not that the extra day affected me.
 
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