Bristol to Cheltenham - very rough riding track?

[londonmidland]

Around a week ago, I was on a Cross Country HST travelling from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street. I noticed the section between Bristol Parkway and Cheltenham Spa was extremely rough riding.

The carriage was, by no exaggeration, swaying from side to side and rocking like a boat whilst at line speed. Certainly enough movement to make a cup of tea slide off a table. I was very surprised that there wasn’t an emergency speed restriction in place, as I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such rough riding. Certainly not from a HST, which usually rides quite well at high speeds.

Rather ironically, the line is closed at the time of typing between Bristol Parkway and Cheltenham Spa due to a reported kink in the track.

Has anyone else experienced a similar experience on this section?

 

[12LDA28C]

Around a week ago, I was on a Cross Country HST travelling from Bristol Temple Meads to Birmingham New Street. I noticed the section between Bristol Parkway and Cheltenham Spa was extremely rough riding.

The carriage was, by no exaggeration, swaying from side to side and rocking like a boat whilst at line speed. Certainly enough movement to make a cup of tea slide off a table. I was very surprised that there wasn’t an emergency speed restriction in place, as I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such rough riding. Certainly not from a HST, which usually rides quite well at high speeds.

Rather ironically, the line is closed at the time of typing between Bristol Parkway and Cheltenham Spa due to a reported kink in the track.

Has anyone else experienced a similar experience on this section?

This is by no means an isolated incident and is a regular occurrence all over the railway. Once rough riding is reported by a driver, the line will be inspected and appropriate action taken. A line closure would be an extreme reaction however, suggesting the fault was severe and not easily fixed by P-way or tamping etc.

 

[Parallel]

Interestingly, I’ve always found the track between Cheltenham Spa and Bromsgrove to be rough riding in places, especially on a XC Class 170!