The weather continues to play havoc throughout the south and south west of England, giving railway engineers plenty to do in the weeks ahead. (See Network Rail Press Releases below)
And there will be plenty for officials, political and otherwise, to contemplate as a direct result of the Dawlish incident in particular. What to do about the Dawlish question? Is this the time to consider an alternative route? And how will the extensive repairs.. and ongoing costs....of the current infrastructure impact upon the prospects for HS2? According to The Telegraph, There are greater rail priorities than HS2... We shall see what develops and unfolds.....
On a more reassuring note, why not take a look at the current rerunning of Great Continental Railway Journeys with Michael Portillo, currently airing on BBC2 and BBC iPlayer?
And for some real light relief, why not take your teddy to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway?
Read On.....
HS2 will 'destroy' 11 Staffordshire wildlife sites, trust claims. (BBC News) New
HS2 boss needs French lessons to get his project moving. The Guardian) New
Ed Miliband faces new Labour split over HS2(The Telegraph)
There are greater rail priorities than HS2. (The Telegraph)
UK storms: Locals speak about life in coastal Cornwall (BBC News)
Landslip causes further rail misery for South West travellers. (BBC News)
Taunton to Bridgwater railway line remains under water. (BBC News)
Great Continental Railway Journeys - Series 2 - Reversions. Madrid to Gibraltar: Part 2 (BBC iPlayer)
(C) Boundless Productions.Business leaders delighted about spin-off benefits of Bombardier deal(Derby Telegraph)
Decongesting Bangalore(The Hindu)
Network Rail
Network Rail reopens Dorking-Horsham railway five days ahead of schedule
After more than a month’s work by Network Rail engineers and contractor BAM Nuttall, the landslip at Ockley has been repaired five days ahead of schedule.
More than 4,000 tonnes of new material has been put in place to rebuild the railway where the embankment collapsed at Christmas, supported by a new wall of sheet steel, embedded in the ground.
A limited service from operator Southern had been operating over the undamaged track at peak times, but full service will now resume.
Network Rail’s route managing director Tim Robinson said: “This has been a fantastic effort from everyone involved. We have had teams on site since the line first collapsed on December 25 and a great deal of work had to be done just to get equipment to the location. We couldn’t have achieved that without the help and support of local residents, and we appreciate their involvement.
“We have also really appreciated passengers’ patience during the disruption and we thank them for their understanding. We will now begin the task of returning the worksite to nature and removing the access road.”
A spokesman for Southern said: “We’re very pleased for our passengers that the line is now open. Network Rail has worked extremely hard under very challenging circumstances to repair the damage.”
The incident happened when torrential rain fell on already-saturated ground overnight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Cambrian Coast Railway - Update
Network Rail is planning to re-open the section of Cambrian Coast railway between Dovey Junction and Barmouth next week.
A limited service from operator Southern had been operating over the undamaged track at peak times, but full service will now resume.
Network Rail’s route managing director Tim Robinson said: “This has been a fantastic effort from everyone involved. We have had teams on site since the line first collapsed on December 25 and a great deal of work had to be done just to get equipment to the location. We couldn’t have achieved that without the help and support of local residents, and we appreciate their involvement.
“We have also really appreciated passengers’ patience during the disruption and we thank them for their understanding. We will now begin the task of returning the worksite to nature and removing the access road.”
A spokesman for Southern said: “We’re very pleased for our passengers that the line is now open. Network Rail has worked extremely hard under very challenging circumstances to repair the damage.”
The incident happened when torrential rain fell on already-saturated ground overnight on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Cambrian Coast Railway - Update
Network Rail is planning to re-open the section of Cambrian Coast railway between Dovey Junction and Barmouth next week.
The weekend weather forecast is for more storms but should this pass without major incident, then services will be running between Machynlleth and Barmouth on Monday (10th February).
The Cambrian Coast line has been closed following the unprecedented storm damage earlier this year. The railway, which runs between Dovey Junction and Pwllheli, was battered by the high tides and storm surge in the first week of January. This resulted in damage to sea defences and embankments, the loss of rail ballast to the sea and debris including rocks and boulders littering the line.
A number of locations along the line were hit and Network Rail is undertaking a phased programme to repair and re-open the line. The work schedule has been progressing well despite the continuing run of severe storms and high tides, which did cause further damage along the railway.
The overall work programme includes removing thousands of tonnes of debris from the railway environment, replacing sea walls and other sea defences, and relaying new track and ballast.
The programme to repair the section of the line from Barmouth to Pwllheli is currently on schedule to complete in mid-May. The anticipated final cost for the full works to re-open the Cambrian coast railway is estimated to be in the region of £10m.
Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “The Welsh coastline has been hit hard by this run of storms and the railway has bore the brunt in many locations.”
“People in the region rely on the railway and our first priority was to pull together a plan to re-open the line as soon as it is safe to do so. That plan has seen workers operating in really challenging conditions and it’s great news that we’re ready to open the first section.”
“Our focus continues on the significant damage north of Barmouth, with an aim to get it open ahead of the Whitsun holiday period.”
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank passengers and communities right along the line for their continued patience.”
The recent run of Winter storms have highlighted the importance of a robust strategy to manage the railway’s coastal defences.
The development of the Coastal Asset Management Plan in Wales, which Network Rail has been conducting since May 2013, will allow the Wales route to manage all of the 34 miles of sea defences and to help mitigate the impact of extreme weather and changing climate on coastal routes.
The long-term strategy builds on the existing annual £1.2m programme to maintain and renew the railway sea defences in Wales and is aimed at boosting rail resilience using data based on increased frequency of severe weather and rising sea level predictions to focus on assets requiring investment to ensure the safety of the railway.
Mark Langman added:
“In Wales, we have a programme to modernise the railway right across the country. Part of this plan is designed to ensure that the railway is more resilient to future changes in the climate. We’re now seeing damaging storms with seemingly increasing frequency and it is our job to effectively plan to meet this challenge.”
“The importance of this strategy has come into sharp focus in recent months following a number of powerful storms. Severe damage to the railway has occurred at Ferryside in Carmarthenshire, Mostyn in North Wales and on several sections of the Cambrian line. In these cases sea defences were breached causing widespread damage and major disruption to rail services.”
Comprising four phases, the strategy will become vital in informing our maintenance and renewal strategy of railway sea defences into the future.
More than 10,000 tonnes of stone and round-the-clock working needed to repair Sussex landslip
Engineers have started to build an access road to a remote section of railway at Whatlington Viaduct, near Battle in Sussex, in order to begin work repairing the damage caused by a serious landslip.
The Cambrian Coast line has been closed following the unprecedented storm damage earlier this year. The railway, which runs between Dovey Junction and Pwllheli, was battered by the high tides and storm surge in the first week of January. This resulted in damage to sea defences and embankments, the loss of rail ballast to the sea and debris including rocks and boulders littering the line.
A number of locations along the line were hit and Network Rail is undertaking a phased programme to repair and re-open the line. The work schedule has been progressing well despite the continuing run of severe storms and high tides, which did cause further damage along the railway.
The overall work programme includes removing thousands of tonnes of debris from the railway environment, replacing sea walls and other sea defences, and relaying new track and ballast.
The programme to repair the section of the line from Barmouth to Pwllheli is currently on schedule to complete in mid-May. The anticipated final cost for the full works to re-open the Cambrian coast railway is estimated to be in the region of £10m.
Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail Wales, said: “The Welsh coastline has been hit hard by this run of storms and the railway has bore the brunt in many locations.”
“People in the region rely on the railway and our first priority was to pull together a plan to re-open the line as soon as it is safe to do so. That plan has seen workers operating in really challenging conditions and it’s great news that we’re ready to open the first section.”
“Our focus continues on the significant damage north of Barmouth, with an aim to get it open ahead of the Whitsun holiday period.”
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank passengers and communities right along the line for their continued patience.”
The recent run of Winter storms have highlighted the importance of a robust strategy to manage the railway’s coastal defences.
The development of the Coastal Asset Management Plan in Wales, which Network Rail has been conducting since May 2013, will allow the Wales route to manage all of the 34 miles of sea defences and to help mitigate the impact of extreme weather and changing climate on coastal routes.
The long-term strategy builds on the existing annual £1.2m programme to maintain and renew the railway sea defences in Wales and is aimed at boosting rail resilience using data based on increased frequency of severe weather and rising sea level predictions to focus on assets requiring investment to ensure the safety of the railway.
Mark Langman added:
“In Wales, we have a programme to modernise the railway right across the country. Part of this plan is designed to ensure that the railway is more resilient to future changes in the climate. We’re now seeing damaging storms with seemingly increasing frequency and it is our job to effectively plan to meet this challenge.”
“The importance of this strategy has come into sharp focus in recent months following a number of powerful storms. Severe damage to the railway has occurred at Ferryside in Carmarthenshire, Mostyn in North Wales and on several sections of the Cambrian line. In these cases sea defences were breached causing widespread damage and major disruption to rail services.”
Comprising four phases, the strategy will become vital in informing our maintenance and renewal strategy of railway sea defences into the future.
More than 10,000 tonnes of stone and round-the-clock working needed to repair Sussex landslip
Engineers have started to build an access road to a remote section of railway at Whatlington Viaduct, near Battle in Sussex, in order to begin work repairing the damage caused by a serious landslip.
The line between Battle and Robertsbridge was closed on Tuesday for urgent repair work at two landslip sites, Whatlington Viaduct, and Marley Farm.
The estimated construction time has been halved through the decision to work 24 hours a day and it is anticipated that the railway will re-open to for passenger services in the last week of February.
Network Rail’s route managing director, Fiona Taylor, said: “We have got a massive job on our hands to rebuild the line at Whatlington, with at least 10,000 tonnes of stone needed to rebuild the embankment, all of which will be delivered to site by engineering trains.
“Safety is our priority and, for that reason, we cannot run trains at the same time as we do the work. We realise this has caused more disruption to passengers, for which I am very sorry. However, this work has to be done, and it has to be done safely. The weather this winter has been incredibly challenging and we appreciate passengers’ ongoing patience during this difficult period.“
Once the access road has been completed at Whatlington, machinery can be brought to the site, including two massive piling rigs. These will embed a 300 metre-long sheet steel wall in the ground and provide a stable base on which the new embankment will be built.
The slip near Marley Farm is smaller in scope, but will still require a 60m length of steel piles to be installed and 3,000 tonnes of stone delivered.
In the meantime, buses will replace trains between Battle and Robertsbridge, with a shuttle train service to Hastings from Battle and onwards from Robertsbridge to London.
Southeastern tickets will be valid on Southern services between Hastings and Ashford for the duration of the closure.
Overnight work brings good progress at Dawlish
Network Rail engineers have been working though the night to protect the most damaged section of sea wall in the coastal town of Dawlish, Devon.
The estimated construction time has been halved through the decision to work 24 hours a day and it is anticipated that the railway will re-open to for passenger services in the last week of February.
Network Rail’s route managing director, Fiona Taylor, said: “We have got a massive job on our hands to rebuild the line at Whatlington, with at least 10,000 tonnes of stone needed to rebuild the embankment, all of which will be delivered to site by engineering trains.
“Safety is our priority and, for that reason, we cannot run trains at the same time as we do the work. We realise this has caused more disruption to passengers, for which I am very sorry. However, this work has to be done, and it has to be done safely. The weather this winter has been incredibly challenging and we appreciate passengers’ ongoing patience during this difficult period.“
Once the access road has been completed at Whatlington, machinery can be brought to the site, including two massive piling rigs. These will embed a 300 metre-long sheet steel wall in the ground and provide a stable base on which the new embankment will be built.
The slip near Marley Farm is smaller in scope, but will still require a 60m length of steel piles to be installed and 3,000 tonnes of stone delivered.
In the meantime, buses will replace trains between Battle and Robertsbridge, with a shuttle train service to Hastings from Battle and onwards from Robertsbridge to London.
Southeastern tickets will be valid on Southern services between Hastings and Ashford for the duration of the closure.
Overnight work brings good progress at Dawlish
Network Rail engineers have been working though the night to protect the most damaged section of sea wall in the coastal town of Dawlish, Devon.
Around 80m of sea wall has been destroyed by high tides and stormy seas, causing a significant stretch of railway to collapse into the sea. The road adjacent to the railway and several houses have also been damaged, along with damage at Dawlish station itself and several other sites in the area.
Rail and concrete sleepers that once carried trains along the sea wall have been cut away and placed across the bottom of the damaged section. These are gradually being reinforced with sprayed fast-drying concrete, which will form a temporary barrier to take the brunt of today's forecast heavy seas.
It is hoped this will absorb enough of the force of the waves over the next 24 hours so that the weakened sub-soil, which is very soft, will not erode further. The most damaged platform at Dawlish station has been demolished and will be rebuilt in the coming weeks.
Network Rail has appealed for help from the public to stay away from the worksite, as the combination of heavy machinery, concrete spraying, and the waves means it is not safe to be around.
Engineers are working in very difficult conditions with work taking place on a six-hours on, six-hours off basis, designed around the tidal patterns. Full assessment of repairs will come with calmer weather after the weekend, along with a revised timescale. Initial assessments are that it will be at least six weeks to completion from when work begins.
Network Rail has mobilised a range of specialist contractors, engineers and suppliers from across the country to help with the work needed at Dawlish and has also taken up the offer of discussions with the Ministry of Defence to see if there is any help which can be provided by armed forces personnel based in the south-west. In addition, engineers are on site at a number of locations in the south west of England and are making repairs where the lines have been blocked by flooding.
Work underway at Dawlish, showing the scrapped rails and the first spray of concrete
Network Rail Photo.
Damage to the railway at Dawlish in Devon (Network Rail Photo)
Media update: flooding and landslip block routes to Exeter
Flooding on the Somerset Levels and a landslip at Crewkerne means there are no routes to the West Country open to trains this Saturday afternoon.
Landslip near Crewkerne (Network Rail Photo.)
Water covering the railway at Bridgewater - there are actually two tracks here
(Network Rail Photo)
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Rail and concrete sleepers that once carried trains along the sea wall have been cut away and placed across the bottom of the damaged section. These are gradually being reinforced with sprayed fast-drying concrete, which will form a temporary barrier to take the brunt of today's forecast heavy seas.
It is hoped this will absorb enough of the force of the waves over the next 24 hours so that the weakened sub-soil, which is very soft, will not erode further. The most damaged platform at Dawlish station has been demolished and will be rebuilt in the coming weeks.
Network Rail has appealed for help from the public to stay away from the worksite, as the combination of heavy machinery, concrete spraying, and the waves means it is not safe to be around.
Engineers are working in very difficult conditions with work taking place on a six-hours on, six-hours off basis, designed around the tidal patterns. Full assessment of repairs will come with calmer weather after the weekend, along with a revised timescale. Initial assessments are that it will be at least six weeks to completion from when work begins.
Network Rail has mobilised a range of specialist contractors, engineers and suppliers from across the country to help with the work needed at Dawlish and has also taken up the offer of discussions with the Ministry of Defence to see if there is any help which can be provided by armed forces personnel based in the south-west. In addition, engineers are on site at a number of locations in the south west of England and are making repairs where the lines have been blocked by flooding.
Work underway at Dawlish, showing the scrapped rails and the first spray of concrete
Network Rail Photo.
Damage to the railway at Dawlish in Devon (Network Rail Photo)
Media update: flooding and landslip block routes to Exeter
Flooding on the Somerset Levels and a landslip at Crewkerne means there are no routes to the West Country open to trains this Saturday afternoon.
The route from Bridgewater is blocked by the flooded River Parrett to the south of the town, while the main line from Castle Cary is blocked by flooding at Athelney.
The diversionary route via Yeovil is also blocked by an embankment landslip at Crewkerne. This was discovered soon after 9am this morning but it has now deteriorated to the extent that trains are no longer able to run.
It is likely that the slip at Crewkerne will be closed for a least a week, but it is too early to say when the line through Bridgewater will reopen. The floods are currently being blown into waves by the high winds in the area, which are washing away the stones the track rests on.
The route via Athelney is under water but will be assessed as soon as the flood level drops.
Work at the damaged sea wall at Dawlish, on the Devon coast, is progressing well in 6-hour shifts, in between high tides.
Passengers are advised to check before they travel for the rest of the weekend, either with their operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk
The diversionary route via Yeovil is also blocked by an embankment landslip at Crewkerne. This was discovered soon after 9am this morning but it has now deteriorated to the extent that trains are no longer able to run.
It is likely that the slip at Crewkerne will be closed for a least a week, but it is too early to say when the line through Bridgewater will reopen. The floods are currently being blown into waves by the high winds in the area, which are washing away the stones the track rests on.
The route via Athelney is under water but will be assessed as soon as the flood level drops.
Work at the damaged sea wall at Dawlish, on the Devon coast, is progressing well in 6-hour shifts, in between high tides.
Passengers are advised to check before they travel for the rest of the weekend, either with their operator or at www.nationalrail.co.uk
Landslip near Crewkerne (Network Rail Photo.)
Water covering the railway at Bridgewater - there are actually two tracks here
(Network Rail Photo)
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