BBC and FGW sites mention a landslip which has closed the line. This is on the FGW site.
A major landslip has closed the line between Swindon and Bristol Parkway in the Chipping Sodbury area. A reduced train service is operating between London and South Wales. Train services for Bristol Parkway will now call at Patchway station instead, with a coach connection linking the two stations.
The line is expected to remain closed for a number of days.
Chipping Sodbury Landslip
Source: BBC News
Landslip closes part of rail line
A major landslip has disrupted First Great Western services between London Paddington and South Wales.
The slippage, near the Chipping Sodbury tunnel, has closed the line between Swindon and Bristol Parkway stations.
Passengers are being warned of short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 30 minutes.
First Great Western engineers were working to restore services, but warned that the affected line was expected to remain closed at least until Saturday.
A number of services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central have been cancelled.
Services for Bristol Parkway will call at Patchway station instead, with a coach connection linking the two.
First Great Western said the line needed to be "completely rebuilt", including stabilisation work, new foundations, and new track and signalling.
The incident happened on the day a rail consumer watchdog released a survey, which put the train operator bottom of a passenger satisfaction league table.
The company has been criticised for poor service, delays and overcrowding.
Landslip closes part of rail line
A major landslip has disrupted First Great Western services between London Paddington and South Wales.
The slippage, near the Chipping Sodbury tunnel, has closed the line between Swindon and Bristol Parkway stations.
Passengers are being warned of short notice alterations, cancellations and delays of up to 30 minutes.
First Great Western engineers were working to restore services, but warned that the affected line was expected to remain closed at least until Saturday.
A number of services between London Paddington and Cardiff Central have been cancelled.
Services for Bristol Parkway will call at Patchway station instead, with a coach connection linking the two.
First Great Western said the line needed to be "completely rebuilt", including stabilisation work, new foundations, and new track and signalling.
The incident happened on the day a rail consumer watchdog released a survey, which put the train operator bottom of a passenger satisfaction league table.
The company has been criticised for poor service, delays and overcrowding.
Passenger Focus - details here
Source: BBC News
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Troubled train firm comes in last
FGW is struggling to improve punctuality and cut overcrowding
Troubled train company First Great Western (FGW) has come bottom of a passenger satisfaction league table.
Independent rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus sampled 50,000 people in its National Passenger Survey.
Only 74% of the Swindon-based firm's passengers were satisfied with their journeys - the national average is 81%.
Peter Andrews, from the campaign group, More Train Less Strain, said: "I'm not at all surprised. This is why our fare strike on Monday will be going ahead."
Next week's proposed action follows repeated criticism of the firm over poor service, delays and overcrowding.
'Same apologies'
The survey also found that fewer than half of FGW's passengers were happy with the price of tickets, the ability of the company to deal with delays, and the state of the toilets.
FGW announced this week that it would double the amount of compensation paid to season ticket holders for delays after it failed to meet its punctuality and reliability targets.
The company has blamed a shortage of rolling stock and staff.
"We've been getting the same apologies for a year, but their profits continue to go up," said Mr Andrews.
"They're more interested in giving their shareholders a large return, rather than providing the public with a punctual, affordable and reliable railway."
A statement from First Great Western said many of the problems were due to the "old and fragile infrastructure" on which the trains ran, but that it was working hard with Network Rail to tackle the issues.
"First Great Western is introducing a new management structure with more highly-experienced railway professionals now running the company," it said.
"We are investing ú200m to improve trains and stations and this work is already beginning to produce excellent results."
The company added that it was also recruiting more drivers and guards to boost reliability.
Source: BBC News
---------------------------
Troubled train firm comes in last
FGW is struggling to improve punctuality and cut overcrowding
Troubled train company First Great Western (FGW) has come bottom of a passenger satisfaction league table.
Independent rail consumer watchdog Passenger Focus sampled 50,000 people in its National Passenger Survey.
Only 74% of the Swindon-based firm's passengers were satisfied with their journeys - the national average is 81%.
Peter Andrews, from the campaign group, More Train Less Strain, said: "I'm not at all surprised. This is why our fare strike on Monday will be going ahead."
Next week's proposed action follows repeated criticism of the firm over poor service, delays and overcrowding.
'Same apologies'
The survey also found that fewer than half of FGW's passengers were happy with the price of tickets, the ability of the company to deal with delays, and the state of the toilets.
FGW announced this week that it would double the amount of compensation paid to season ticket holders for delays after it failed to meet its punctuality and reliability targets.
The company has blamed a shortage of rolling stock and staff.
"We've been getting the same apologies for a year, but their profits continue to go up," said Mr Andrews.
"They're more interested in giving their shareholders a large return, rather than providing the public with a punctual, affordable and reliable railway."
A statement from First Great Western said many of the problems were due to the "old and fragile infrastructure" on which the trains ran, but that it was working hard with Network Rail to tackle the issues.
"First Great Western is introducing a new management structure with more highly-experienced railway professionals now running the company," it said.
"We are investing ú200m to improve trains and stations and this work is already beginning to produce excellent results."
The company added that it was also recruiting more drivers and guards to boost reliability.
"First Great Western engineers were working to restore services, but warned that the affected line was expected to remain closed at least until Saturday."
Didn't realise First maintained infrastructure as well now.
Surprised that Sodding Chipbury cutting hasn't been stabilised, as for drainage, I happened to be delayed by flood affected signals just a day or so before land slip, there was so much water flowing either side of track I thought I was on a cruise. Didn't Network Rail improve drainage etc a year or so back?
Didn't realise First maintained infrastructure as well now.
Surprised that Sodding Chipbury cutting hasn't been stabilised, as for drainage, I happened to be delayed by flood affected signals just a day or so before land slip, there was so much water flowing either side of track I thought I was on a cruise. Didn't Network Rail improve drainage etc a year or so back?
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horace
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Horace's engineering lecture for today!!
Looking at the photograph i am not surprised there has been a land slip, and would not be surprised at another one if all they have done is what is shown in this photograph.
What i notice in this picture is that there is herring bone drains on side slope of the cutting but not on the other.
As they are getting the slip on the sides without the drains to me there is something like a perched water table in this vicinity. The geology in this area must be something impervious(it looks like blue lias clay) under lying a permeable layer. Thus any rain that falls on the surrounding ground will find the easiest way out, which by the looks of it is through the side of the cutting. Now the ground at the the top of the cutting to the left may fall away from the top of the cutting. But this does not mean that the water will flow that way. Water under artesian pressure looks for the easiest way out, you could say water will flow uphill. Its not quite like that, but the Aussies have been using this phenomenon for years.
In my view hearing bone drains are required on both sides of the cutting to drain and direct the water away. Until such things are installed the surface of the cutting will keep slipping every time it becomes waterlogged.
Looking at the photograph i am not surprised there has been a land slip, and would not be surprised at another one if all they have done is what is shown in this photograph.
What i notice in this picture is that there is herring bone drains on side slope of the cutting but not on the other.
As they are getting the slip on the sides without the drains to me there is something like a perched water table in this vicinity. The geology in this area must be something impervious(it looks like blue lias clay) under lying a permeable layer. Thus any rain that falls on the surrounding ground will find the easiest way out, which by the looks of it is through the side of the cutting. Now the ground at the the top of the cutting to the left may fall away from the top of the cutting. But this does not mean that the water will flow that way. Water under artesian pressure looks for the easiest way out, you could say water will flow uphill. Its not quite like that, but the Aussies have been using this phenomenon for years.
In my view hearing bone drains are required on both sides of the cutting to drain and direct the water away. Until such things are installed the surface of the cutting will keep slipping every time it becomes waterlogged.
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horace
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Situations like this are difficult to deal with in retrospect. Which is what is faced here. When the line was built i suspect that the knowledge of geology and ground water flows in the area was unknown. Also the building of the cutting itself will of course have a dramatic effect on the ground water flows. The building of this line is well before the days of digital ground water models and being able to work out the consequences of such a construction. It was our capability of being able to do such things that finally sunk the A303 Stonehenge tunnel. I suspect in the present political climate and attitude towards railways that the chances of a long term solution being designed and installed are fairly low. One of the major problems would be as to where to put all of the water that comes off of this area. Dump it in the Frome and Eastville would be under water again. I suspect that letting it gather on the side of the railway and soak away is environmentally the best option.
If correct that is some volume of water. I think it would need channeling away as dumping lineside it would be quite a river. Would the Frome not handle capacity as there are sluices down by Ikea car park to control level. What is the flow rate of water from Severn Tunnel does anyone know? just out of interest.
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horace
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http://www.wapug.org.uk/past_papers/Aut ... 4/hale.pdf
Worth a read, as it says in here they are only dealing with the situation not curing it.
Also notice that on the geological long section the western portal is indeed in the lias clay, hence the reason for the slips and the problem of getting rid of the water. All the bank slope soil will become saturated as it is not draining to the substrata, without drainage it will slip.
Worth a read, as it says in here they are only dealing with the situation not curing it.
Also notice that on the geological long section the western portal is indeed in the lias clay, hence the reason for the slips and the problem of getting rid of the water. All the bank slope soil will become saturated as it is not draining to the substrata, without drainage it will slip.
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horace
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Used to be enough to supply the local brewery and the Sudbrook paper mill, which uses the most i do not know (Hic Hic)nickt wrote: What is the flow rate of water from Severn Tunnel does anyone know? just out of interest.
According to this article 50 million litres a day, that is 50,000 tonnes.
http://www.severnsideforum.co.uk/severn%20tunnel.htm