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Wolverhampton Problems.

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sonic2009

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A fire near the railway is causing disruption at Wolverhampton.
Because of this, the following alterations will apply until further notice:

Arriva Train Wales services are suspended between Birmingham New Street / Wolverhampton and Wellington. Replacement buses are being arranged.

CrossCountry services are being diverted between Birmingham New Street and Stafford / Stoke-on-Trent / Crewe where possible.

London Midland services are suspended between Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury, and between Birmingham New Street and Stafford. Some trains may be diverted around the area.

Trains between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street will only run between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.

Virgin Trains services are being diverted between Birmingham New Street and Stafford / Stoke-on-Trent / Crewe.

Wolverhampton station and the roads around the station have been closed.
Customers should use West Midland Metro services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

More details and a video of the fire are available here


Ticket acceptance
Customers may use West Midland Metro and Bus services on any reasonable route.
Customers may use any operators service around the area to complete their journey.


Looks quite a bad blaze in all honesty.. if thread is being discussed already please feel free to delete :)
 
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ushawk

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Looks like most of the area around the fire has been cordoned off and looking at the pictures it looks like a huge fire which is going to cause problems for a while.

Perfect conditions for the fire really, report says it started in a timber area, thats why it has spread so quickly, lucky no one has been hurt.
 

sonic2009

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Not really good. Can probably see disruption until at least Tommorow Morning.
 

SS4

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Yeah, I got a text off my mate in Wolves detailing it. About time NRE caught up!
 

Smethwickian

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Wondered why I saw a Cross-Country voyager as I cycled home along the Rugeley Bypass.

Curious. Do they have clearance and route knowledge to divert (between Stafford and Birmigham) via Cannock, or was it heading via Trent Valley for Nuneaton and Coventry, I wonder?
 

Zoidberg

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Council just announced on Facebook that trains are now running as normal.

Supported by the NR website "Live Departure Board" info for Wolverhampton; but NR is still reporting "Major delays through Wolverhampton until further notice".
 

tnxrail

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I was at coventry and one of the points failed heard staff speaking and an engineer went out on track, but i did see 3 freight trains at a light engine move in 45 mins so not all bad.
 

dvboy

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Things were running again when I got to New Street at 15:15 but lots of delays and trains being replatformed all over the place. When I got to Wolves about half an hour later there was still a bustitution co-ordinator outside the front of the station talking to BTP officers but there were few cancellations, so I presume this was for buses still coming in from Telford and Stafford.

The 1508 stopper was replatformed while the announcement was being made - it was auto-announced as replatformed to 5a, then a human voice announced 5a at the start of the announcement and 2a at the end of the announcement - then auto-announced again as 2a.
 

D1009

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If the fire was so close to Wolverhampton station, does anyone know why the Bescot - Bushbury direct route wasn't used for diversions ?
 

Crossover

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Curious. Do they have clearance and route knowledge to divert (between Stafford and Birmigham) via Cannock, or was it heading via Trent Valley for Nuneaton and Coventry, I wonder?

I'm not sure they do. The usual diversion for XC is, from Stafford, down the Trent Valley to Nuneaton and then reverse along through Water Orton and into Birmingham via that route (can't remember the junction name it emerges at, sorry!)

I don't think it can go via Nuneaton AND Coventry...to get via Coventry via the TV, I think it would have to go to, and reverse at, Rugby
 

45378

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I was travelling mid-afternoon Liverpool Lime Street - Crewe today, so not directly impacted by the fire, but - perhaps inevitably - caught up by some of the consequences...

A few comments:

1. Both at Lime Street and Crewe the screens showed pictures of the fire - which helped convince people this was serious and not some jobsworth going over the top. A good move, and follows the precedent established after the publication of the photos of the class 90 at Bletchley - ie 'we've got a job on our hands here'

2. Lime Street announcements displayed a silo mentality - eg the LM Liverpool - Birmingham service was only going as far as Crewe, but no comments as to what might be on offer there; meanwhile the VT Pendolino for Euston (calling Runcorn and Stafford) was only given as an alternative for passengers to Stafford, and no clues offered as to whether XC and VT connections for Birmingham might be available there.

3. I presume LM only had one or possibly two 350's north of Wolverhampton at the time the fire started - hence the turn-round at Crewe. Given a blank sheet of paper a turn-round at Stafford would be more use, with the potential of accessing 2 XC ph on the Manchester - Birmingham axis, and one VT ph on the Scotland - Birmingham axis, whereas Crewe only offered the one VT ph option.

I assume from what others have said that XC and VT managed to make use of routes avoiding Wolverhampton - eg via Walsall and Rugeley, or via Bescot and Bushbury Junc. (But the erosion of route knowledge on such diversions is a real loss of corporate memory - I can remember some amazing meanders through the back routes of the Black Country on Sunday diversions in the Sixties and Seventies - nowadays we'd all be shoved on a bus)

4. In the event the 1504 Lime Street - Birmingham (that I was on) turned out to be the first LM s/bound allowed through. The train mgr did a good job - as far as Weaver Junc she was holding out hope on the PA that it might get through, and then was able to confirm. Meanwhile she'd memorised the principal connecting passengers wanting Crewe, and was able to give folk advance details of the right place to be for the Milton Keynes and Euston train, the Derby train, and the S Wales train. Given that at the last moment we were run into Plat 12 at Crewe as opposed to the more usual Plat 5, she probably saved several folks' connections.


Rgds

45378
 

ushawk

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If the fire was so close to Wolverhampton station, does anyone know why the Bescot - Bushbury direct route wasn't used for diversions ?

Some were i think, said something on NRE along the lines of "some trains may run via an alternative route in the area" for London Midland and for Virgin and XC, it just said trains will be diverted so the route may of been used.
 

VTPreston_Tez

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Looks like it was nowhere near as bad as the Leyland fire in January. It's still mad though, the TOCs and the crews did the right thing.
 

The Planner

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I'm not sure they do. The usual diversion for XC is, from Stafford, down the Trent Valley to Nuneaton and then reverse along through Water Orton and into Birmingham via that route (can't remember the junction name it emerges at, sorry!)

I don't think it can go via Nuneaton AND Coventry...to get via Coventry via the TV, I think it would have to go to, and reverse at, Rugby

It can, just has to cross over the entire set of lines at Ashby junction north of Nuneaton and through either P1 or 2 at the station towards Bedworth.
 

Whistler40145

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What is the route being taken by Virgin & XC services between Birmingham NS & Stoke/Stafford/Crewe?


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Whistler40145

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Thanks.

I didn't think they would be diverting from Bescot to Rugeley via Cannock.


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D1009

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I have inside information that the XC Bournemouth trains were running direct Stafford - Nuneaton - Coventry which meant they were on time forward but probably with few passengers, and the Bristol trains reversed at Nuneaton, I'm baffled why Bushbury - Bescot- Birmingham wasn't used where route knowledge is certainly not a problem.
 

dangie

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Judging by the speed the CrossCountry voyager was doing as it sped alongside the Rugeley Bypass it certainly hadn't come off the Chase Line at Rugeley Trent Valley.
 

Whistler40145

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Only reason I can think of is that their maybe a complete power failure in the whole Wolverhampton area.


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dvboy

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I remember reading overhead power was switched off at Wolverhampton, not sure if that would affect Bescot-Bushbury as well.

The main concern was the gas canisters being so close, and therefore the surrounding buildings which are also close to the railway.
 

Whistler40145

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Does anyone know if the OHLE was only switched off from Wolverhampton to Bushbury Junction?


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Batman

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Were any Cross Country trains been diverted down the Chase. If they had, I probably would have paid money to see that.

I've seen Voyagers on the Sutton Park before, but never on the Chase.
 
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