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Southeastern Snow Disruption - 11/12

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ComUtoR

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Yes, what a disgraceful situation that the TOC doesn't have a fleet of four wheel drive vehicles and trained drivers on hand at every station


Er... You might want to rethink that statement :/
 
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DNCharingX

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Bad time to not have a car, but I suppose it's not like you get your own snow-free personal highway to work :D

Seems like much of SE London rail is at a stand. I suppose if you could get to Abbey Wood you can use the EL which seems to be immune to everything. :D
 

MrB

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I presume the strike will have to be postponed if people can't travel today.
I would not bank on this being the case at all.

Even if the strike were to be called off, it is likely far too late to adjust timetables/diagrams/rosters to run anything like a normal service.
 

gmaguire

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I can’t see any metro trains running. Luckily I was able to get to Woolwich and the Elizabeth line wasn’t busy.
 

bramling

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Bad time to not have a car, but I suppose it's not like you get your own snow-free personal highway to work :D

Roads are just as bad if not worse. Many people reporting utterly horrific road journeys last night and this morning. Allegedly numerous roads not even treated especially in Essex.
 

DarloRich

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We have snow this morning in Milton Keynes. Cant tell you how the trains are running as we don't have any on my line ;)

Driving was fun on the side roads but the main roads have been well treated and were completely clear.
 

BluePenguin

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My sister had a terrible time getting back from Staplehurst yesterday afternoon. She had to be collected from Ashford and brought home. I think she must have luckily taken one of the last few coast bound services of the day

Interestingly a lot of the high-speed services seemed to run to and from Dover, considering they are on third rail beyond Ashford. Nothing much via Tonbridge made it though. Would this have been because they had only the de-iced the track a few hours ago?
 
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ExRes

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That comment was clearly sarcastic

Spot on, it does make me laugh when coaches and taxis are mentioned, my daughter had to abandon her car in the town last night because of the state of the roads, why do people think taxis are going to do any better? I always wrap some compensation claims round my tyres, they help me to get a grip
 

gmaguire

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I can’t see any metro trains running. Luckily I was able to get to Woolwich and the Elizabeth line wasn’t busy.
I’ve found one. 2N02 09:27 Charing Cross to Dartford via Sidcup. Started from London Bridge and is only a couple of minutes behind so far.
 

RichJF

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I do find it strange. Southern are running (with delays) but still running. A lot of their electric routes (Oxted, Brighton, Coastway) got hammered by the snow last night but services seem to be running.

Southeastern appear to have just given up!
 

MrB

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Seems that the signal failure at Tunbridge Wells which started yesterday afternoon (3pm ish) still hasn't been fixed - anyone have any ideas why it's taking so long? Seems very unusual.
 

Class 466

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Seems that the signal failure at Tunbridge Wells which started yesterday afternoon (3pm ish) still hasn't been fixed - anyone have any ideas why it's taking so long? Seems very unusual.
It was a points failure - probably points compacted with snow/ice - Nobody could attend last night because the road conditions were so hazardous.
 

Snow1964

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Spot on, it does make me laugh when coaches and taxis are mentioned, my daughter had to abandon her car in the town last night because of the state of the roads, why do people think taxis are going to do any better?
Maybe it is because taxi drivers don’t like crashing or getting stranded as it affects their livelihood, so often spend few extra pounds and often fit good all season tyres, or winter tyres in hilly rural areas.

Perhaps your question to your sister should be why she opted to go out in bad weather on summer only tyres, if she had all year tyres almost certainly wouldn’t have got stuck.

Never ceases to amaze me why some people choose 4x4 then use summer road tyres, when it is well known a 2wd car with winter tyres will get up frosty or snowy hills better.

EDIT, found couple of videos to illustrate the point
 

Islineclear3_1

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Very bad my way last night, lots of abandoned cars; very hilly so many getting stuck and tractors pulling big lorries up the hills. Others have just got stuck

Count myself lucky last night only having to walk 7 miles home after flying back from Denmark. A colleague got stuck at Hither Green after work and needed to get back to Tunbridge Wells. Think she finally made it 4 hours later o_O
 

Mikey C

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Everyone was caught out, as the snow came a LOT earlier than forecast. Hence people who had been out for the day being stranded when the snow started in late afternoon
 

30907

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Interestingly a lot of the high-speed services seemed to run to and from Dover, considering they are on third rail beyond Ashford. Nothing much via Tonbridge made it though. Would this have been because they had only the de-iced the track a few hours ago?
Temperatures typically higher nearer the coast than inland, plus a relatively flat route?
 

zwk500

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Temperatures typically higher nearer the coast than inland, plus a relatively flat route?
Also the effect of sea breeze combined with the downs can have a dramatic effect. I used to live in Sussex and the difference between one side of the South Downs and the Other was quite remarkable at times.
 

43066

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I’ve found one. 2N02 09:27 Charing Cross to Dartford via Sidcup. Started from London Bridge and is only a couple of minutes behind so far.

Still virtually nothing moving on the metro routes. The Chatham mainline side seems to have a little more running.
 

LAX54

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Sounds more appealing then being amongst the thousands spending the night on the M25 between Junctions 23 and 27!
Even this morning at 0800 the M25 was still closed J23 to 25, and last night saw reports of the A12, A13, A406 and M25 all closed at various locations.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

Roads are just as bad if not worse. Many people reporting utterly horrific road journeys last night and this morning. Allegedly numerous roads not even treated especially in Essex.
Indeed, see abpve ! M25/A12/A13/A12 and others all closed at various places, with the M25 still closed at 8am
 

ashkeba

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Even this morning at 0800 the M25 was still closed J23 to 25, and last night saw reports of the A12, A13, A406 and M25 all closed at various locations.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==


Indeed, see abpve ! M25/A12/A13/A12 and others all closed at various places, with the M25 still closed at 8am
The A12 must have been bad to close double ;)
 

Dave W

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Last night bus control had obviously given up on the idea of getting W7s up Muswell Hill and Crouch Hill, so one was forced to perambulate from Finsbury Park. Lo and behold, there were several cars stuck on Crouch Hill, including one driven by a rather panicked woman who asked me - noticeably several sheets to the wind - to help her. I obviously declined and promptly slip-slid all the way down to the Broadway. She might have benefited from some of those winter tyres.

The one feature of Inner London which always startles me is the speed at which snow tends to melt - even that which is undisturbed. But today it's a lot more stubborn than usual. It's bitterly cold still.
 

Mikey C

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Last night bus control had obviously given up on the idea of getting W7s up Muswell Hill and Crouch Hill, so one was forced to perambulate from Finsbury Park. Lo and behold, there were several cars stuck on Crouch Hill, including one driven by a rather panicked woman who asked me - noticeably several sheets to the wind - to help her. I obviously declined and promptly slip-slid all the way down to the Broadway. She might have benefited from some of those winter tyres.

The one feature of Inner London which always startles me is the speed at which snow tends to melt - even that which is undisturbed. But today it's a lot more stubborn than usual. It's bitterly cold still.
Nobody is going to change to winter snow tyres in London, for a couple of bad days a year, if that. Indeed I've never even seen winter tyres in London.

If the forecast had said snow in London starting in early evening, I'm sure most people would have changed their plans to get home before it started.

The temperature has struggled to get above freezing for the last few days, this lying snow is going to linger...
 

Dave W

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Nobody is going to change to winter snow tyres in London, for a couple of bad days a year, if that. Indeed I've never even seen winter tyres in London.

Well quite - I don't think I have either!

If the forecast had said snow in London starting in early evening, I'm sure most people would have changed their plans to get home before it started.

This is largely the problem I think - from what I'd seen on the Met Office it was likely to start at 2300. A more coherent self might have done the same once I saw it coming down, but I was in "invincible" mode by then. 45 minutes of sliding around Stroud Green soon snapped me out of that nonsense.

Still plenty of it on the ground; like you say, definitely lingering...
 

bramling

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@PringlePopper1 I'd want compensation for that on top of the delay repay. I'm more than happy to accept it's not the TOC's fault that the snow fell, but the contracted obligation of the ticket to get you from A to B has not been fulfilled by close of service, and a hotel has not been provided, and therefore I'd be writing in.

Compensation is going to help you get home?
 

MrB

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Just thinking about coming days. With temperatures unlikely to get above freezing for much of the week, and only marginally above if they do, seems to me that there is a pretty decent chance of service being ruined until Sunday afternoon - effectively nothing today, strikes Tues & Weds, Thurs likely to be a mess with nothing having run to clear snow/ice for 3 days, strikes again Fri & Sat...
 
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