WCML blocked at Carnforth 13/05/25, best travel options?

[Tetchytyke]

And what is the point in telling Avanti Glasgow passengers to take a coach to Carlisle when there are no services being turned there.

It’s one of those situations where it makes sense on paper to do that but, for anyone going beyond Carlisle, it often doesn’t.

Those who took the Northern train to York then up the ECML will almost certainly have made the right call. Bit I can see why that wouldn’t be loudly advertised as an option as a 3-car 195 wouldn’t cope.

At least there’s a cracking pub on Lancaster station!

 

[Falcon1200]

Did anyone start a thread on how this chaos could be obviated by bidirectional signalling?

Having been responsible for a while as Network Rail Controller for the WCML in Scotland, and having dealt with multiple 'one line blocked but other line open' incidents, I suggested (more than once) that someone should analyse such incidents and produce an estimate of the delays and cancellations than bi-di signalling could have saved. Needless to say, it never happened.

 

[andythebrave]

As it happened, the best option would probably have been to wait, as it was we stayed in our seats being looked after and ended up just over three hours down.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It’s one of those situations where it makes sense on paper to do that but, for anyone going beyond Carlisle, it often doesn’t.

There is the service via Kilmarnock to Glasgow, though it'd struggle with a Pendolino full.

 

[MontyP]

There is the service via Kilmarnock to Glasgow, though it'd struggle with a Pendolino full.

It would have been a coach load, that's all - all the Pendolinos were stuck at Preston!

 

[childwallblues]

It would have been a coach load, that's all - all the Pendolinos were stuck at

I believe the freight train ended up straddling the Hest Bank Level Crossing which is were the line is close to Morecambe Bay. Anybody with a car on the beach side of the crossing would have been severley inconvenienced as there is to my knowledge no other road crossing.

 

[Pinus contorta]

I believe the freight train ended up straddling the Hest Bank Level Crossing which is were the line is close to Morecambe Bay. Anybody with a car on the beach side of the crossing would have been severley inconvenienced as there is to my knowledge no other road crossing.

Severely inconvenienced would be if the tide came right up over the car park. Like it can do a mile or two further along north near to the shore at Mill Lane.

 

[andythebrave]

Got to have a chuckle, returning today on the 1652 from Edinburgh and there's an OLE issue (I think between Penrith and Carlisle on the down).

 

[williamn]

Yep WCML closed yet again. Ticket acceptance on Scotrail, LNER and Crosscountry.

There seem to be a LOT of serious issues on the West Coast at the moment.

 

[driver9000]

Got to have a chuckle, returning today on the 1652 from Edinburgh and there's an OLE issue (I think between Penrith and Carlisle on the down).

Hest Bank but trains are running again.

 

[andythebrave]

The chuckles get louder, due to arrive back at Milton Keynes at 2126 with change at Crewe, actual arrival 2226 and 19 seconds staying onboard at Crewe but RTT shows 2225 and 3/4, fight upcoming for the 100%.
Joy.

 

[zwk500]

The chuckles get louder, due to arrive back at Milton Keynes at 2126 with change at Crewe, actual arrival 2226 and 19 seconds staying onboard at Crewe but RTT shows 2225 and 3/4, fight upcoming for the 100%.
Joy.

TRUST (the authoritative record of train running) doesn't use 1/4 minutes - IIRC it uses half minutes for the planned times, but whole minutes only for recorded actual times, although I can't remember if it will round up half-minutes or if it simply ignores seconds (i.e. if the train arrived 22:25:50 whether it might be recorded as 2225 of 2226.) Of course in your case the issue is whether the arrival (wheels stop, not doors open) is listed as 22:25:50 or 22:26:19.