⚠️🌧. We’ve had to slow @SouthernRailUK and @TLRailUK London-bound trains down near to #HaywardsHeath tunnel just outside the town after our earthworks alarms sounded a warning. A team is on its way to investigate and will make sure it’s safe before we speed things up again.
Our first responder is walking to site now and we have moved all trains to 1 (of 2) track to give them a safe walking route, meaning there will be disruption to services while this goes on. Sorry for the delays and keep checking before you travel on the Brighton Main Line.
Here’s the first pictures of the slip at #HaywardsHeath - those white poles are the sensors that warned us of the problem. Trains are running slowly past the site while our geotechnical engineers assess the damage.
We will be watching the slip to make sure it’s still safe to run and over the next 24 hours we will get specialists to site to plan how we fix the problem and what sort of impact it will have on passengers. Our best advice for now is to check before you travel...
... and we will be working with @SouthernRailUK and @TLRailUK to keep you up to date, along with this thread. Thank you
@SouthernRailUK@TLRailUK Final Tweets on this thread:
We're going to "take possession" of the Brighton line south of Three Bridges later tonight to start work on this slip and install more monitoring - like the antenna you can see on its side in the picture. You can see how close the slip is to the line.
We're not going to be able to fix it, but we can hope to shore it up. Our team will scoop up as much of the debris as we can, and then crane 1-ton bags of stone in place as a temporary wall, much like we did at #Crowborough today.
Once that's done we aim to get the line open with a 5mph speed restriction, at least until a daylight inspection can be made at 0800. A 5mph restriction has a major impact on punctuality, much as it would on a busy motorway, so expect changes to train times tomorrow morning.
All being well, we can raise that speed and run as close to a normal service as we can later tomorrow morning - but we urge passengers to check before they travel with @SouthernRailUK or @TLRailUK , as there will be changes. Thank you for your patience, and good night.
We’re glad to say the line reopened (at a reduced speed) earlier this morning. Thank you for your patience - we needed to ensure it is safe to run trains through the affected area. Check with @SouthernRailUK and @TLRailUK for travel updates through the day.
Our team is monitoring any further movement on site (you can see below where the earth slipped yesterday). We have had to keep a 5mph speed limit on this stretch of line so trains can pass safely. Thank you for your patience.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
⚠️🍂We're really sorry for the disruption @Se_railway passengers are experiencing today. It's due to a signalling problem at Hayes because of heavy autumn leaf fall. Leaves on the line are no joke for us, autumn is our most challenging season and here's why... 👇
🍂Every autumn, thousands of tonnes of leaves fall onto railway lines. High winds can cause heavy leaf fall very quickly and rain means they are more likely to stick to the rails... networkrail.co.uk/stories/how-do…
🍂When trains pass over the leaves, the heat & weight of the trains bake them into a hard, slippery layer. This is the railway’s equivalent of black ice. It makes it harder for trains to accelerate & brake effectively, so drivers have to go slower & brake earlier to stop in time.
⚠️⚡️ Were so sorry for the disruption to @Se_Railway + @TLRailUK passengers on the Orpington/Charing Cross line this morning - this is the problem right here, at #PettsWood. It’s a “blown insulated block joint”, although actually two of them have gone. /1
You can see the blocked lines just outside #PettsWood as they have BLOC in their train indicators. We’re able to run on the other 2 lines and the connecting loops at the bottom of the picture, which is why there is still a train service, albeit not a normal one. /2
An insulated block joint is used to separate 2 track circuits, which use electric currents in the rails to tell us where trains are. This is one in happier times. /3
⚠️🌧️ We're sorry to say that disruption is expected tonight and tomorrow morning across parts of South London, Surrey, Kent and Sussex, affecting @Se_Railway , @SouthernRailUK + @TLRailUK . Predicted rainfall means we are having to put a 40mph speed limit on some routes. /1
Vulnerable earthworks on certain lines are already saturated after last night's heavy rain, and with this storm on the way - and a yellow weather warning - we have to protect trains from the prospect of landslips or washouts. /2
This kind of washout can occur when heavy rain falls on saturated soil and we can't run the risk of trains ploughing into the debris at full speed. We're taking a careful approach and only putting the limits in place on routes where earthworks are at risk. They are... /3
👷We're really sorry for the frustrating delays into London today for @Se_Railway & @TLRailUK passengers. The delays were caused by a cracked rail on a set of switches & crossings (S&C) (like the one pictured) near New Cross, which is a really busy part of the network. 👇
In the S&C are points which are movable sections of track which allow trains to move lines. Our engineers knew of the fault and were running trains at a reduced speed, so we could keep passengers moving, albeit slightly delayed, until we could get into fix the problem tonight. 👇
But a further inspection overnight yesterday revealed the defect (pictured) had got much worse. This meant we couldn't safely run trains, even at a reduced speed, and unfortunately we had to block the line.
⚠️We’re sorry to say that despite our best efforts the derailed loco remains at #Lee, blocking the @Se_Railway Sidcup line this morning. The rescue team encountered serious problems last night with soft ground as it wasn’t solid enough to provide a stable base for the jack. /1
We’ve got 4 of 6 wheels on now and a new plan will see the involvement of another loco in dragging the engine back onto the rails. We’re just awaiting the arrival of that extra loco and driver and will be underway when they arrive. /2
We’re working with @Se_Railway to manage the emergency timetable so we can open the line as soon as it’s safe to do so. We’ll report back when we have a progress report from site but until then please accept our apologies for letting you down this week. /3
⚠️Sorry to say @Se_Railway's Sidcup line is likely to remain blocked for most of the day while we work to re-rail a locomotive that came off the tracks at #Lee yesterday. The plan is to jack it up and move it back onto the rails from its current position (pictured). /1
@Se_Railway The location of the loco means it's impossible to run trains on the line as there's nowhere to switch tracks, so tickets are valid on some London buses (for full details see @Se_Railway ). We're checking over signalling and track at the same time as re-railing so... /2
@Se_Railway ... all being well we should have a railway back for tomorrow. Current estimations are that it will be at least nightfall before the engine has been moved and we will make sure everything is working properly before running passenger trains again. /3