Gunnislake Branch branch disruption (until at least 27 September)

[D Williams]

TRAIN services on a Cornwall to Devon cross-Tamar branch line are to be suspended for two weeks due to urgent repairs being required to a bridge.
Services between Gunnislake and Plymouth on the Tamar Valley line are set to be interrupted until at least the end of September 27.
It comes after Network Rail declared the bridge unsafe to run over, with the line requiring immediate closure while further inspections and repairs are carried out.
Rail replacement transport between the stations will be in place for the duration of the closure, which has come after engineers discovered a defect in the structure and a track issue on a bridge between Calstock and Gunnislake during the morning of Friday, September 13.

 

[Western 52]

I thought one of the reasons why that line escaped closure in the 1960s was the lack of a suitable alternative road route. Which route can the buses now take?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Perhaps they`ll paint the other half of the Tavy viaduct one day.

 

[geoffk]

Will trains still run as far as Calstock?

 

[Ashley Hill]

Trains are running to Calstock.

 

[6Gman]

I thought one of the reasons why that line escaped closure in the 1960s was the lack of a suitable alternative road route. Which route can the buses now take?

If trains can run to Calstock (which I believe they can) the road link on to Gunnislake is probably quicker than the train!

The lack of an alternative road route is crossing the Tamar south of Calstock.

 

[nanstallon]

If trains can run to Calstock (which I believe they can) the road link on to Gunnislake is probably quicker than the train!

The lack of an alternative road route is crossing the Tamar south of Calstock.

By the time you've walked down the path from Calstock station to the road, and the mini-bus has been loaded, it won't be quicker than the train continuing to Gunnislake.

 

[185143]

I thought one of the reasons why that line escaped closure in the 1960s was the lack of a suitable alternative road route. Which route can the buses now take?

I've been on a replacement bus to Bere Ferrers which had to run via Tavistock. Wasn't quick!

 

[johnnychips]

I've been on a replacement bus to Bere Ferrers which had to run via Tavistock. Wasn't quick!

It apparently takes nine minutes by car from Calstock to Gunnislake along the same route as the 79 bus. As others have said, it is bridging the Tamar that is the problem for cars between Bere Alston and Calstock: but apparently that is only 19 minutes by car.

 

[QueensCurve]

TRAIN services on a Cornwall to Devon cross-Tamar branch line are to be suspended for two weeks due to urgent repairs being required to a bridge.
Services between Gunnislake and Plymouth on the Tamar Valley line are set to be interrupted until at least the end of September 27.
It comes after Network Rail declared the bridge unsafe to run over, with the line requiring immediate closure while further inspections and repairs are carried out.
Rail replacement transport between the stations will be in place for the duration of the closure, which has come after engineers discovered a defect in the structure and a track issue on a bridge between Calstock and Gunnislake during the morning of Friday, September 13.

It always surprises me that the Gunislake branch survived given the three major structures required to maintain it.

 

[sammyy]

It always surprises me that the Gunislake branch survived given the three major structures required to maintain it.

Very true must be an absolute mammoth task keeping those lines going

 

[30907]

Very true must be an absolute mammoth task keeping those lines going

OTOH a service entirely operated by DMUs isn't going to place huge stresses on the viaducts (two of which were built for the main line), so as long as they don't have structural defects. The underbridges approaching Gunnislake were light railway standard though, and could well be life-expired.

(Idle thought - if Tavistock "South" reopens, would Gunnislake lose a lot of its traffic?)

 

[nanstallon]

OTOH a service entirely operated by DMUs isn't going to place huge stresses on the viaducts (two of which were built for the main line), so as long as they don't have structural defects. The underbridges approaching Gunnislake were light railway standard though, and could well be life-expired.

(Idle thought - if Tavistock "South" reopens, would Gunnislake lose a lot of its traffic?)

I don't think that reopening the line to Tavistock would affect Gunnislake. The most logical railhead at present for Tavistock would be Bere Alston, rather than Gunnislake. I'd have thought that Gunnislake passengers were more likely to come from Gunnislake itself and points west such as Callington.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Calstock - Gunnislake reopened this p.m. after bridge repairs.

NR Press

Network Rail has reopened the Gunnislake branch line a day earlier than planned, with services able to use the line again this afternoon (Thursday 26 September) following a two-week closure for emergency repair work.

The line was closed on Friday 13 September after engineers discovered a structural defect and track issue on a bridge between Calstock and Gunnislake, following a routine inspection. As a result, the train service between those two stations was suspended to enable engineers to repair the bridge and replace the track.

Network Rail’s team has worked around the clock to complete the repairs, which involved laying a bespoke timber deck onto the steel structure of the bridge and lifting the track to allow for access. While trains weren’t running because of the closure, Network Rail also used the opportunity to carry out maintenance on the line.

 

[leezer3]

Gunnislake branch line in Devon and Cornwall reopens a day early following emergency repairs

Network Rail has reopened the Gunnislake branch line a day earlier than planned, with services able to use the line again this afternoon (Thursday 26 September) following a two-week closure for emergency repair work.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

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