Xmas upgrades - Coulsdon to Merstham

[Minstral25]

Does anyone know what Network Rail and Southern are doing between Xmas and New Year that means all services between Redhill and Purley are suspended.

Of course I am working this year so my daily commute will be by Bus to Purley and then train to London

 

[swt_passenger]

Hooley Cutting earthworks, according to the Engineering Access Statement for the route. Southern will have no involvement - other than to disappear...

Google found this:

http://www.nce.co.uk/nuttall-wins-early-christmas-present-with-hooley/8621477.article

Seems to be enabling works to provide catch nets etc before the main project starts. Haven't there been a few rock falls in the past few years - resulting in RAIB investigations?

 

[tsr]

That'll be interesting to watch when I go past it on a 377 of a morning. I say this because the works resulting in the closure are "enabling works" so that trains can run during the stabilisation project.

There was at least one incident several years ago in which a train derailed after hitting a landslip of some description. I believe one person was injured, and I think this happened on the Coulsdon side, although I am by no means sure. As I remember it the front wheels of an EMU came off the track. There was a major operation to take stranded passengers out of the embankment.

 

[Waddon]

Slightly off topic, but went through Merstham recently, was sad to see the old footbridge has been replaced with something which wouldn't look out of place in a high security prison Plus massive obtrusive pallisade fences everywhere... I'm generally in favour of station improvements but this one is horrible...

 

[tsr]

Slightly off topic, but went through Merstham recently, was sad to see the old footbridge has been replaced with something which wouldn't look out of place in a high security prison Plus massive obtrusive pallisade fences everywhere... I'm generally in favour of station improvements but this one is horrible...

I know! Southern are doing a bit of remodelling for some new automatic ticket barriers so they have put up fences so people are forced to use them, as well as generally improving security (apparently). The new footbridge isn't really an improvement, but they probably want to eventually have the same programme of maintenance for all footbridges.

 

[Minstral25]

Its a bit of a shambles as not even the platform staff knew about it until I asked them and very few passengers do. This type of major closure should be announced months in advance.

I know less people travel on those three working days but there will be several thousand people expecting a reasonable service to get to work who are going to turn up and find no trains and a 30/40 minute bus journey to Purley to start there commute.

I only found out because I checked the national rail journey planner as I expected some changes and found all my trains routed via Gatwick Airport which seemed odd!

 

[Malderon]

This is the first I am hearing about these closures. I am working on those three days and so would like more details if possible.

Is the quarry line closed too or just Redhill line?
Are Tattenham Corner services affected? (As they are running paralell with mainline basically Purley - Coulsdon Town)?

I think my gold card expires on the 28th anyway. But I'd like to get maximum use in terms of travelling on the 28th!

 

[ushawk]

The Tattenham Corner line looks unaffected and it is just the Redhill line affected (the fast quarry line is running as normal).