Standedge Tunnel Fire 25/1

[1D53]

Scheduled 25 minutes each way and proved horribly unreliable. The only option to make up lost time was a cancellation, which is what happened to me yesterday morning with the 10:46 from Huddersfield.

25 minutes should have been achievable and was for the most part. What went wrong was the late running TPE services diverting causing the shuttles to be held. The tight turnarounds meant they couldn't they be recovered without cancellation.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

in fact all the canal bridges for miles around Brum have red doors in the parapet walls (up to 3?) specifically for the fire brigade to drop hoses into the canal for a water supply
see (e.g.) https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6407802

Now that's interesting! I have seen these in central Birmingham and had no idea why they were there. Learned something today!

 

[Haywain]

25 minutes should have been achievable and was for the most part

Yes, 25 minutes was achieved but mostly not at the advertised times.

 

[Recessio]

Good work Network Rail!

Indeed, excellent work by all the crews involved.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Indeed, excellent work by all the crews involved.

Thirded on the excellent work from all involved. Time to close this thread now the tunnel has reopened?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Thirded on the excellent work from all involved. Time to close this thread now the tunnel has reopened?

It would be nice to know what the RRV incident was that started the fire, what damage was caused and how the repair was handled in the confined tunnel space.
But good that everything is now back up and running.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It would be nice to know what the RRV incident was that started the fire, what damage was caused and how the repair was handled in the confined tunnel space.
But good that everything is now back up and running.

I am sure that information will become available in the fullness of time. Agree on closure of the thread.

 

[stuartl]

Sarah Bell has a video on YouTube showing steel mesh used to support the damaged brickwork. Starts at about 55s in.

 

[dodecahedron67]

It would be nice to know what the RRV incident was that started the fire, what damage was caused and how the repair was handled in the confined tunnel space.
But good that everything is now back up and running.

It was a crane thingy (sorry for not having a more technical name in my head!)


It was dumped just outside Marsden station (Leeds side) on Monday when I went past working a shuttle service and it was a burnt out shell. Amazing that they managed to get everyone free of it given how burnt out it was

 

[Russel]

I am sure that information will become available in the fullness of time. Agree on closure of the thread.

To be fair, there is usually a steady drip feed of information when an incident like this happens, but this one has remained unusually quiet.

 

[Cell2025]

Thirded on the excellent work from all involved. Time to close this thread now the tunnel has reopened?

Why the push to close? If nothing happens then it will die of its own accord. If it went off topic then sure, but the desire to close seems odd to me (though I have noted many other threads which have been closed rather than left to wither away).

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The excellent video shows a remarkable solution to the fire-damaged tunnel roof, completed in 4 days and in the depths of the tunnel.
Does it look like a temporary fix before a possession to complete a permanent repair?
Looking towards electrification through the tunnel the steel mesh doesn't look very OHL-friendly.

 

[Russel]

The excellent video shows a remarkable solution to the fire-damaged tunnel roof, completed in 4 days and in the depths of the tunnel.
Does it look like a temporary fix before a possession to complete a permanent repair?
Looking towards electrification through the tunnel the steel mesh doesn't look very OHL-friendly.

I get where you're coming from, it does look a bit of a temporary fix until something more permeant can be arranged.

Still, fair play to them for getting it open so quickly.

 

[Charlie978]

Does it look like a temporary fix before a possession to complete a permanent repair?

Not sure when the next one is, but possessions in this neck of the woods aren’t infrequent, especially longer ones that would be needed to carry out a permanent solution to an issue like this.

 

[edwin_m]

Not sure when the next one is, but possessions in this neck of the woods aren’t infrequent, especially longer ones that would be needed to carry out a permanent solution to an issue like this.

Do you mean are infrequent?

There are more closures in the pipeline, such as the next Huddersfield blockade. If a permanent repair is needed it could perhaps be done during one of these.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

There are more closures in the pipeline, such as the next Huddersfield blockade. If a permanent repair is needed it could perhaps be done during one of these.

Indeed. Of course, when electrification starts, that will need a longish blockade anyway, so plenty of time to plan a permanent repair and do everything at the same time.

 

[AndrewE]

It struck me as a quick neat relatively light structural arch supporting a mesh , maybe temporarily until it gets encased in shotcrete (or boarded out and filled in with grout.)

 

[weastebusdepot]

Not sure when the next one is, but possessions in this neck of the woods aren’t infrequent, especially longer ones that would be needed to carry out a permanent solution to an issue like this.

There are weekend Huddersfield-Stalybridge closures planned for April and weekday Brighouse -Huddersfield closures in May.

 

[Snow1964]

It would be nice to know what the RRV incident was that started the fire, what damage was caused and how the repair was handled in the confined tunnel space.
But good that everything is now back up and running.

Just out of interest, as the damaged RRV clearly has name 'Story plant', would Network Rail get them (via their insurers) to pay for any direct losses (repairs to tunnel, and compensation to operators unable to use the route).

Or would Network Rail absorb the losses, even if it was indirectly taking funds from another project. If they don't claim, rather undermines point of contractors having third party (public liability) insurance.

 

[LittleAH]

There are weekend Huddersfield-Stalybridge closures planned for April and weekday Brighouse -Huddersfield closures in May.

Stand edge open in April. Trains runs through to Marsden.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Just out of interest, as the damaged RRV clearly has name 'Story plant', would Network Rail get them (via their insurers) to pay for any direct losses (repairs to tunnel, and compensation to operators unable to use the route).

Or would Network Rail absorb the losses, even if it was indirectly taking funds from another project. If they don't claim, rather undermines point of contractors having third party (public liability) insurance.

I really hope that it is not Network Rail that will foot the bill. That just does not seem fair.

 

[RGM654]

I am wondering why, having got the offending vehicle out of the tunnel and past Marsden station, they then abandoned it beside the track rather than take it to wherever it is to be investigated (if necessary) and eventually (presumably) scrapped.

 

[eastdyke]

I really hope that it is not Network Rail that will foot the bill. That just does not seem fair.

Do we know the full circumstances to be able to apportion all responsibility for the incident?

I am wondering why, having got the offending vehicle out of the tunnel and past Marsden station, they then abandoned it beside the track rather than take it to wherever it is to be investigated (if necessary) and eventually (presumably) scrapped.

The vehicle will need to be checked for contamination as a result of the incident, in which case it will need decontamination/containment before moving away. It can't be simply taken 'down the road'.

 

[QueensCurve]

The vehicle will need to be checked for contamination as a result of the incident, in which case it will need decontamination/containment before moving away. It can't be simply taken 'down the road'.

With what would it be contaminated?

 

[Pacef8]

Flame retardants and the now mixture of hydraulics burnt rubber fuel Oil diesel etc.

 

[RichardAsh1981]

Standage canal tunnel is much deeper than normal, around 7 feet or 2.1m (according to the visitor centre), to provide additional water storage precisely because it is pretty much the whole of the summit level of the canal, with locks close each side. There shouldn't be too much silt as it was cleared prior to reopening the canal in 2001. So there should be plenty of water, especially in winter when the tunnel is closed to navigation and so little lockage.

 

[eastdyke]

Standage canal tunnel is much deeper than normal, around 7 feet or 2.1m (according to the visitor centre), to provide additional water storage precisely because it is pretty much the whole of the summit level of the canal, with locks close each side. There shouldn't be too much silt as it was cleared prior to reopening the canal in 2001. So there should be plenty of water, especially in winter when the tunnel is closed to navigation and so little lockage.

Thank you for putting me right
That was an awlul lot of extra effort put in over 200 years ago! [On a project that went well overspent].

I have since seen reference to extra depth to allow for falling rocks to settle on the bottom of the canal with clearance to passing boats!

 

[TransportHub]

Canals are frequently used if they’re the nearest source, they’re very long so the depth isn’t that much of an issue.

Standedge must be one of the only places where a rail replacement canal boat could be an option

 

[AndrewE]

Standedge must be one of the only places where a rail replacement canal boat could be an option

how long have you got? Definitely only for leisure journeys! (Cue reference to /memory of bus-replacement train...)

 

[nr758123]

Standedge must be one of the only places where a rail replacement canal boat could be an option

It's been suggested before, possibly on 1st April