the wires should be incapable of being brought down by the wind - you are highlighting the very criticism I am making which is our total lack of resilience to, frankly, not very extreme weather. Remember I live where they have actual proper weather (as well as interesting new pathogens).
OH HANG ON THERE WERE SOME EIGHTY MILE AN HOUR WINDS
EVERYONE DROP EVERYTHING YOU MIGHT HAVE PLANNED TO BE DOING
I was having to lean into the wind down in Sussex to stay upright and yesterday I saw floods in places that haven't flooded in all of my 43 years. The ground is so waterlogged that all the rain landing on our field on the top of the hill was just cascading down the sides of the hill which resulted in ditches that are usually a couple of inches deep in water at this time of year being two foot deep torrents.
The drive back to town yesterday afternoon was horrible with patches of standing water several inches deep in places where I've never even seen water gathering.
There were a few moments on Saturday evening when my parents and I would briefly stop talking and listen to the enormous gust and the building creaking for a moment before then continuing the conversation.
Very often it is not the OHL/Catenary that is brought down just by the high wind itself, but items such as broken tree branches and flying debris that does it.
I left home at 7.10 this morning and all but one train was cancelled due to a tree. A tree. Then the one I got on was cancelled half way down the track. I just arrived at Waterloo. 3 fooking hours. And the people doing the announcements had no clue. The woman at the ticket barrier was asked by a punter brandishing a phone why the app said there was a train coming when the board said not. She said ‘what is that app? I don’t recognise that’ and the exasperated guy said ‘SWR app’ and she laughed and said ‘ ooh that’s a bit awkward’
Stop worrying about the state of the network - it doesn't matter because we are all going to be able to save 20 minutes travelling between Birmingham and London in a few decades time!!!! Hurrah!!!
Instead of clearing all the trees from by the lines which are needed to hold embankments and the sides of cuttings together we should ban anyone with kids who lives within half a mile of a railway line from owning an outdoor trampoline.
It's not so much the delays as the lack of information that is really infuriating.
How hard is it to have a site that station staff can check that tells them what's going on with a delay and gives at least a ballpark estimate of how long it will take to fix. Or to radio drivers with the same information. Or to actually update the live times being reported by your app so passengers don't think a mythical train is due to arrive.
The few times I've actually had disruption properly explained everyone's anger pretty much dissipates and they go off to make other arrangements. TFL usually manage it alright.
What amazes me with TfL is when the chap on the platform is announcing one reason for the problem while the train driver is announcing a different reason at the same time.
Similarly with overground station staff they all have radios so should have information relayed directly to them to pass onto passengers.
Capacity is the problem, not delays. I don't care if I'm 5 hours late for work. I don't want to stand in the aisles, or perch on a narrow seat next to some fat oaf.
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Heheh.
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Elfensafety lunacy.
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You can't really run a train through a pile of debris TBF.
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the key is not to have lines that are susceptible to getting covered in debris when the wind gets up a bit
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in the west of the country I think that may actually be the case but not on the leeds main line
HS2 of course won’t have this problem because the track will be 40ft above the ground
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quality debate from abbey well there
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Is this what is needed
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/crossing-the-channel-proposed-subma…
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This service would be using predominantly the ECML line, which is electrified 'under the wires' via OHL Catenary.
If the storms have brought the OHL down, then the trains cant run.
HTH.
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the trains from London to the Toon were ok yesterday, except for being crowded and not having any booze ...
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Don't forget the extra strain on the system from all the ex-pats suddenly repatriating to escape Coronavirus... ;)
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the wires should be incapable of being brought down by the wind - you are highlighting the very criticism I am making which is our total lack of resilience to, frankly, not very extreme weather. Remember I live where they have actual proper weather (as well as interesting new pathogens).
OH HANG ON THERE WERE SOME EIGHTY MILE AN HOUR WINDS
EVERYONE DROP EVERYTHING YOU MIGHT HAVE PLANNED TO BE DOING
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I was playing with Fuzzy Felt yesterday! The fairytale edition.
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Laz did you venture out yesterday or on Saturday?
I was having to lean into the wind down in Sussex to stay upright and yesterday I saw floods in places that haven't flooded in all of my 43 years. The ground is so waterlogged that all the rain landing on our field on the top of the hill was just cascading down the sides of the hill which resulted in ditches that are usually a couple of inches deep in water at this time of year being two foot deep torrents.
The drive back to town yesterday afternoon was horrible with patches of standing water several inches deep in places where I've never even seen water gathering.
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yes I even went for a run on Saturday evening
wore a tracky top so I could hold it out like a sail when running with the wind at my back. Swift.
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There were a few moments on Saturday evening when my parents and I would briefly stop talking and listen to the enormous gust and the building creaking for a moment before then continuing the conversation.
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Very often it is not the OHL/Catenary that is brought down just by the high wind itself, but items such as broken tree branches and flying debris that does it.
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clear all trees from within falling distance of lines
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I left home at 7.10 this morning and all but one train was cancelled due to a tree. A tree. Then the one I got on was cancelled half way down the track. I just arrived at Waterloo. 3 fooking hours. And the people doing the announcements had no clue. The woman at the ticket barrier was asked by a punter brandishing a phone why the app said there was a train coming when the board said not. She said ‘what is that app? I don’t recognise that’ and the exasperated guy said ‘SWR app’ and she laughed and said ‘ ooh that’s a bit awkward’
japing fookwits
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Get the Chinese in.
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Stop worrying about the state of the network - it doesn't matter because we are all going to be able to save 20 minutes travelling between Birmingham and London in a few decades time!!!! Hurrah!!!
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Instead of clearing all the trees from by the lines which are needed to hold embankments and the sides of cuttings together we should ban anyone with kids who lives within half a mile of a railway line from owning an outdoor trampoline.
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Mutts
I sympathise! Can you work from home for the rest of the wk?
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It's not so much the delays as the lack of information that is really infuriating.
How hard is it to have a site that station staff can check that tells them what's going on with a delay and gives at least a ballpark estimate of how long it will take to fix. Or to radio drivers with the same information. Or to actually update the live times being reported by your app so passengers don't think a mythical train is due to arrive.
The few times I've actually had disruption properly explained everyone's anger pretty much dissipates and they go off to make other arrangements. TFL usually manage it alright.
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Why don’t trains have those cow catchers things on the front to just plough through debris
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What amazes me with TfL is when the chap on the platform is announcing one reason for the problem while the train driver is announcing a different reason at the same time.
Similarly with overground station staff they all have radios so should have information relayed directly to them to pass onto passengers.
Wellerz cows are bit more flexible than trees...
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Get the Chinese in.
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Capacity is the problem, not delays. I don't care if I'm 5 hours late for work. I don't want to stand in the aisles, or perch on a narrow seat next to some fat oaf.
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