Storm Corrie, Sunday 30th January 2022

[Scotrail314209]

First dregs of the storm are beginning to hit Ayrshire. Started off calm but winds have been gradually picking up since 1pm. It's raining heavily here too with it due to worsen throughout the course of the evening.

 

[Huntergreed]

I’m currently onboard a Virgin Pendolino which is speeding past Lockerbie (been full line speed all the way).

Weather between Carluke and Lamington viaduct was particularly horrific, the rain was very noisy and made looking out the window quite challenging!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

First dregs of the storm...

Is that an Ayrshire saying? Thought 'dregs' were what's worthless or gets left behind, i.e. at the end, or following after something.

Certainly doesn't look good weather-wise in Scotland over the next few hours.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Is that an Ayrshire saying? Thought 'dregs' were what's worthless or gets left behind, i.e. at the end, or following after something.

I have no clue, I couldn't think of any other word. Now I think about, first or start would've been more appropriate

Update: It's substantially worsened a bit now. I wonder how the seawall will cope.

 

[InOban]

Absolute hoolie here. winds just veered SW.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Absolute hoolie here. winds just veered SW.

Oh it really is. I had to go the shop as the wind changed which resulted in me being basically blown by the wind, which made it take half the time.

 

[cadder toad]

All Scotrail services cancelled for rest of today

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

All Scotrail services cancelled for rest of today

Roads still open of course with Police Scotland only advising against travel in these areas currently



So would suggest Glasgow Suburban didn't need to be shut down only long distance services out of Glasgow/Edinburgh to the North.

 

[380101]

Roads still open of course with Police Scotland only advising against travel in these areas currently

View attachment 109536

So would suggest Glasgow Suburban didn't need to be shut down only long distance services out of Glasgow/Edinburgh to the North.

Strong gusts all afternoon here in Ayrshire, and lots of tree debris on roads as I was driving home less than an hour ago. ScotRail were absolutely correct in making the decision in conjunction with Network Rail to suspend all services from 1800 this evening.

Those who will be complaining that there was no need to suspend services this evening are the same sort of people who will complain about services not running due to storm/wind damage because a train brought the wires down!

 

[SuspectUsual]

Well it’s breezy in Portree, that’s for sure

 

[Scotrail314209]

Strong gusts all afternoon here in Ayrshire, and lots of tree debris on roads as I was driving home less than an hour ago. ScotRail were absolutely correct in making the decision in conjunction with Network Rail to suspend all services from 1800 this evening.

Those who will be complaining that there was no need to suspend services this evening are the same sort of people who will complain about services not running due to storm/wind damage because a train brought the wires down!

I'm surprised the Ayrshire line coped as it did yesterday with delays of around half an hour. The sea wall at Saltcoats behaved, but I wonder if thats the case this evening.

 

[GALLANTON]

Storm Corrie appears to be about as bad as a normal Scottish windy day. A lot of fuss over nothing if you ask me.

 

[syorksdeano]

Storm Corrie appears to be about as bad as a normal Scottish windy day. A lot of fuss over nothing if you ask me.

I'm not sure but Donald lost his Troosers again.

What time are they expecting the wind to die down? As Transpennine say they are not running trains until at least 9 am

 

[MadCommuter]

Storm Corrie appears to be about as bad as a normal Scottish windy day. A lot of fuss over nothing if you ask me.

This seems to be the approach now, especially since Stonehaven, which I fully understand. But this is another reason why I don't intend to be a rail commuter again.

 

[InOban]

Storm Corrie appears to be about as bad as a normal Scottish windy day. A lot of fuss over nothing if you ask me.

I can assure you that here it is a lot more than a normal windy day, although nothing we haven't had before. Quite a few trees down as happened yesterday also.

 

[driverd]

Total overkill to curtail a nations rail service. Advising customers to expect disruption would be appropriate - I think people understand a certain degree of disruption, but simply not to bother trying is ridiculous.

Also, can anyone substantiate all this "since Stonehaven" business? It's not the approach being taken across the rest of the network, there have been appropriate rule book changes but nothing to say services must be curtailed at the slightest chance of wind.

 

[InOban]

NR Scotland have a helicopter which they use to survey lines after a storm. Yesterday they found nearly 30, many in isolated locations. They were correct to shut down the network until they could prove it clear. I expect it will be the same tomorrow, since the strongest winds are a slightly different direction and in slightly different places.

 

[30907]

Total overkill to curtail a nations rail service. Advising customers to expect disruption would be appropriate - I think people understand a certain degree of disruption, but simply not to bother trying is ridiculous.

Also, can anyone substantiate all this "since Stonehaven" business? It's not the approach being taken across the rest of the network, there have been appropriate rule book changes but nothing to say services must be curtailed at the slightest chance of wind.

No, it's been happening for some years and in several countries.
Amber warnings, as for Scotland tonight, are for potentially nasty stuff - I drove from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge across the moor during the Yellow yesterday morning and that was bad enough.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Total overkill to curtail a nations rail service. Advising customers to expect disruption would be appropriate - I think people understand a certain degree of disruption, but simply not to bother trying is ridiculous.

Until the network is more resilient to high winds and other adverse weather conditions there will be this sort of response although to implement a nationwide closure seems a rather coarse response given the winds were tracking West to East from late afternoon to late evening. However, there are such high expectations placed on the railway industry and such negativity levelled against it when passengers get stuck on trains its hardly surprising its come to this.

The local weather station at Edinburgh Airport shows winds are lower than yesterday also Forth Bridge has remained opened except to high sided vehicles with a speed restriction. So I would say the situation could perhaps have been managed with disruptions warnings but then you end up in a space that if you have to suspend services your then liable to still transport people so again I can see how we end up with this sort of reaction. Anyhow given ScotRail managed to fail to run a Sunday service service for most of 2021 along with Covid suspect number of people inconvenienced isn't as many as we may think.

 

[driverd]

NR Scotland have a helicopter which they use to survey lines after a storm. Yesterday they found nearly 30, many in isolated locations. They were correct to shut down the network until they could prove it clear.

Meanwhile, across the rest of the UK, where we had numerous trees down on Saturday, we manage to maintain a service until such a point as this becomes impossible.

A tree down doesn't mean the trains have to stop across a large geographical area. This can be localised as appropriate. Further, a tree being down doesn't mean its a tree sufficiently large or in a location which would cause it to prevent the passage of trains. You'd be surprised what we can pass without any drama.

Should we shut down the national network every time winds exceed a certain speed, or rainfall exceeds a certain volume and provide helicopter surveys - because its right to "shut down the network until they could prove it clear", or do we behave a little more pragmatically and accept the procedures not requiring a helicopter that are already in place?

No, it's been happening for some years and in several countries.
Amber warnings, as for Scotland tonight, are for potentially nasty stuff - I drove from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge across the moor during the Yellow yesterday morning and that was bad enough.

Has it? Over a decade of working on the railway and we've never shut down in any of the areas I've worked in that time period. Services are curtailed where needed, but I've never seen a precautionary network wide shut down. In fact, we're usually very resilient and do all we can to keep going.

I was driving a train yesterday as it happened. We had a perfectly sensible blanket speed restriction (which necessitates some service reduction), but thats part of the procedure that keeps us moving.

However, there are such high expectations placed on the railway industry and such negativity levelled against it when passengers get stuck on trains its hardly surprising its come to this.

It's a shame really that the industry has lowered itself to the "s*d it let's not even bother if there's a chance we could look bad" approach, but I suspect theres some truth in this!

The local weather station at Edinburgh Airport shows winds are lower than yesterday also Forth Bridge has remained opened except to high sided vehicles with a speed restriction. So I would say the situation could perhaps have been managed with disruptions warnings but then you end up in a space that if you have to suspend services your then liable to still transport people so again I can see how we end up with this sort of reaction. Anyhow given ScotRail managed to fail to run a Sunday service service for most of 2021 along with Covid suspect number of people inconvenienced isn't as many as we may think.

In other words, some service seems quite achievable. In a time when we're supposed to be going the extra mile to bring people back to rail, I find it really upsetting that TOCs are prepared to just throw in the towel, when the evidence suggests it was really quite unnecessary.

 

[Scotrail314209]

Certain routes not operating tomorrow morning due to track inspections.

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1487903824023011333?s=20&t=8zSWfAlb8LhdeuMxbAdKDg

The following routes WILL NOT OPERATE first services tomorrow morning and are subject to alteration:

Inverness-Wick

Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh

Tweedbank-Edinburgh

Glasgow Central-Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock-Girvan and Stranraer

Glasgow Central-Barrhead

Glasgow Central-East Kilbride

Looks like the decision to shut the network was a good one. Got a feeling there may be more closures in the morning.

 

[142blue]

I’m currently onboard a Virgin Pendolino which is speeding past Lockerbie

Are VT back?

 

[357]

Are VT back?

There's always one....

 

[Blindtraveler]

I actually managed the full night sleep last night for the first time since the weekend. I live in north west Edinburgh on the 10th floor of a council tower block and Friday to Saturday morning was interrupted by the first storm, Saturday evening I was so knackered that I fell asleep on the sofa waking up freezing cold and stiff as a board at 2 in the morning on Sunday so lot of old man dozers and and a total write-off of Sunday followed and I didn't actually bother going to bed last night until the wind which was about half the intensity of Saturday and those of us living in high-rise dwellings would know about this had died down and buggered off. I think that we probably should have kept some trains running in the less affected areas and and fully vindicate the decision to close rural and coastal or routes and perhaps curtail long-distance services

Such hysteria as a complete shutdown with all the hysterics accompanying it simply hand passengers to the bus companies on a plate. Whilst the virus and the crisis in the long-distance truck industry not to mention the complete fast that is DVLA Swansea have left bus driving industry in a bit of chaos itself, there is nothing, subject to stock availability stopping said bus and coach companies simply flooding the road with extra services and duplicates so that people keep moving wherever necessary.

 

[Falcon1200]

Perhaps those believing the railway grossly overreacted this weekend could check what an Amber weather warning actually means, say what action they would take on receipt of a severe weather warning if in a position of responsibility and accountability for rail safety, and check the various news media for details of the deaths, injuries and damage (not just to the railway) caused over the last two days.

 

[Retorus]

Are VT back?

Pedantry really does fuel this place.

 

[dk1]

Perhaps those believing the railway grossly overreacted this weekend could check what an Amber weather warning actually means, say what action they would take on receipt of a severe weather warning if in a position of responsibility and accountability for rail safety, and check the various news media for details of the deaths, injuries and damage (not just to the railway) caused over the last two days.

But the armchair experts always know better. Surely you knew that.

 

[Morayshire]

Dundee to Aberdeen currently has mass cancellations.

But the engineering trains from yesterdays work near Aberdeen are heading southwards. Heard but not seen at least 3 locos going south through Arbroath station. Hopefully that means the line is being proved clear and a passenger service of some form can then resume.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Are VT back?

It's still VT in the timetable...

 

[driverd]

Perhaps those believing the railway grossly overreacted this weekend could check what an Amber weather warning actually means, say what action they would take on receipt of a severe weather warning if in a position of responsibility and accountability for rail safety, and check the various news media for details of the deaths, injuries and damage (not just to the railway) caused over the last two days.

I think you're rather missing my point. This isn't the first amber or red warning we've had. As an industry, we historically speaking, work through these type of conditions because, you know, a passenger railway is about moving people.

It's not a good look when road and air competition manage to keep going, yet the railway has no resilience, no back up plan, no contingency. Just shut the lot down and offer no alternative to users, other than "sort yourself out". It's not really good enough - especially when, historically, we've kept going (atleast until such a point of the line affected becomes unpassable).

Let's also remember the Amber warning is just that - a warning. It's neither an instruction or law - it's just saying expect disruption and serious weather. I think that's a reasonable place to be - and the response taken elsewhere other than Scotland.