LU flood defences

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What are the current measures on the LU that take effect in case of external flood scenarios?

 

[jopsuk]

Not sure about external floods- I know several (all?) of the lines going under the Thames have flood doors in case the river breaks in.

 

[swt_passenger]

According to a BBC documentary 5 or 6 years ago the vast majority of the LU floodgates are non-operational, having not been maintained since the Thames barrier was completed.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

According to a BBC documentary 5 or 6 years ago the vast majority of the LU floodgates are non-operational, having not been maintained since the Thames barrier was completed.

This is exactly what I had in mind when I posted this thread. Thank you for your input.

 

[Galvanize]

Apparently, having read about them on other forums:
*The ones on the Jubilee Line at Canning Town (beneath the Thames Barrier esque structure) are the ONLY operational floodgates on LUL.
*The ones on the Bakerloo Line last worked in the late 1990s when the tunnels were strengthened.
*The others are isolated out of use.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

We must not forget about the various sump pumps throughout the system - it is surprising just how much water there is beneath some of the platforms and tunnels etc, and with several highly publicised long delays to trains in the tunnels caused by power failures in the past couple of years, we must be very thankful that in no instance ( yet! ) has the pumping system failed.....

 

[DavyCrocket]

Galvanise is spot on.

The floodgate protection signals are still in use, numbered as such and wired up!

The floodgates used to be tested on a Sunday (I think), until one morning on the Bakerloo, they got stuck!

And indeed an awful lot of water is pumped out.

 

[Simon11]

Does that mean the public safety is at risk if the barriers don't work?

 

[oversteer]

I thought all those gates were originally to protect against bomb damage in WWII ?

 

[DavyCrocket]

Does that mean the public safety is at risk if the barriers don't work?

Only if the Thames floods in the areas west of the Thames Barrier (until that can't cope in however many years), then yes, you risked being drowned!

I'd be more worried about pumps in stations failing though, having heard about the volume of water that came into Charing Cross from the Trafalgar Square fountain leaks!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes, a failure of the pumping system would be the greatest risk to the system.

 

[BestWestern]

Any photos of these gates?! I never knew they existed!

 

[Metrailway]

Any photos of these gates?! I never knew they existed!

Here is the one at Canning Town. They are by the mouth of the tunnel. The red light on the left is illuminated when the floodgates are closed.

 

[Daniel]

The one at Canning Town is the only one "operational" AFAIK.

I do have a map showing the projected extent of flooding of the network should the thames barrier fail.

 

[ainsworth74]

I do have a map showing the projected extent of flooding of the network should the thames barrier fail.

Any chance of seeing this map or is it not in the public domain?

 

[Daniel]

Any chance of seeing this map or is it not in the public domain?

Sorry it's not released publicly as far as I'm aware.

On a totally unrelated note, can you PM me your email address?

 

[Surreytraveller]

Any chance of seeing this map or is it not in the public domain?

http://maps.environment-agency.gov....ndon&lang=_e&layerGroups=default&textonly=off

 

[150001]

How do the gates go around the rails though? DO they come from above or something. The one at Waterloo on the Bakerloo, how would that actually close?

Thanks!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The gates seal off the platforms from the passageways, not the stations from the running tunnels.

 

[DavyCrocket]

The gates seal off the platforms from the passageways, not the stations from the running tunnels.

The are in the running line tunnels.

The ones that I have seen come down from above.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've not seen those; only the ones that were ( some still are ) positioned above the platform exits.

 

[Dstock7080]

On the District, the tunnel ones are at South Kensington and Embankment.

Where the gates cross/drop to track level a landing plinth is built up to rail level. Yes, a small gap would persist when the gate is fully closed but a negligible amount would flow through.

 

[simple simon]

I would wish that they were all fully operational, and that more of the Underground was similarly protected.

I would not be at all surprised if an event occured which required their urgent use 'in anger'. Possibly even later this year, when the comets pass by.

Simon

 

[ainsworth74]

Possibly even later this year, when the comets pass by.

What on earth (or not as the case may be ) have comets got to do with LUL flood defences?

 

[SS4]

What on earth (or not as the case may be ) have comets got to do with LUL flood defences?

All I can imagine is that their gravity will cause movement of water in much the same way the moon affects the tides

 

[ainsworth74]

All I can imagine is that their gravity will cause movement of water in much the same way the moon affects the tides

It would have to be one ruddy huge comet and pass really close to have much effect upon the tides. I also suspect it would have to coincide with high tide in London and possibly even a storm surge to really give London something to worry about.

Whilst I agree that would seem to be the only reason I'm not convinced that there is actually a danger here...

 

[SS4]

It would have to be one ruddy huge comet and pass really close to have much effect upon the tides. I also suspect it would have to coincide with high tide in London and possibly even a storm surge to really give London something to worry about.

Whilst I agree that would seem to be the only reason I'm not convinced that there is actually a danger here...

Same reasons I'm skeptical.

 

[Dstock7080]

All I can imagine is that their gravity will cause movement of water in much the same way the moon affects the tides

We must keep remembering that the UndergrounDs floodgates are for an entirely different reason than tidal flooding.
They were designed to prevent whole-scale flooding of the 'Tube' system after the piercing of the under-river tunnels, in wartime.

 

[simple simon]

re: comets and flooding in London, you've obviously not been following Terral03 on youtube, or all the talk about Elenin, YU55, Honda etc.

In theory nothing is expected to impact the planetary surface, but with several of the space bodies passing closely by no-one is 100% sure.

Whilst this is OT the possible ramifications are anything but.

I have been expecting a tidal surge up the Thames and around the sides of the Thames barrier since I was a teenager - in the 1970's.

Rather than give data here I'll just give a link. btw, this link suggests that the big quakes such as Japan earlier in March, the Boxing Day tsunami a few years ago and even Alaska in the 1960's are directly linked to Elenin, and that these big quakes shifted the earth's rotation, changing its climate.

I dont have a link at hand about the solar flares, but from what I've read our government is worried that they will damage the electricity system. All I can say is to investigate the Carrington Effect of 1859, but imagine it happening much more powerfully this time.

Simon
http://alamongordo.com/mysteries/elenin-timeline/