Rail travellers face eight weeks of disruption following landslide between Doncaster and Scunthorpe

“Good to see the latest catastrophe to hit the line is provoking lot's of comment.
Conjecture,if's maybe's,How much is factual?How much is informed knowledge?
What is needed is a comprehensive statement from the Industry insiders/bosses giving the full and true situation.
What is coming from the comments is that the Industry is unprepared for such events and seems incapable of practical solutions.
Slackerbtech and others comments indicate some knowledge of the workings.A lot is negativity,what cannot be done.Not enough stock or staff,staff not trained for alternatives,not enough capacity,stock unsuitable or not cleared to work alternatives.A massive reliance on a single track from Brigg.
It's not very good nor is it good enough.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing but so is foresight if clever enough.The Louth line would have proved very useful now,single tracking is proving inconvenient/unhelpful.Errors of the past should not be repeated.The future planning needs to provide better systems and alternatives.
The Rail bosses and Government need to hope no further disruption occurs in view of the National importance of the steel and coal movements,otherwise it's a wing and a prayer.
Answers need to be forthcoming,Can the shuttle run to Thorne,and intermediate stops.
The figs. quoted for the Brigg line 4/hr. equates to 96/day.Lincoln 8/hr(is that for both ways?)equates to 196/day.Surely some Passenger traffic can be slootted in with priority for freight overnight.
Some problems will not be solved overnight or in a few days but a start needs making on recruiting ,re-rostering,training,increased stock,extra track etc.If that is what is needed let's get it done.
Once again I call on all the Politicians MP's/Councillors to get together on this. Get some urgent meetings with Industry Bosses,GovernmentOfficials,Advisory and Passenger Groups.”

“Errr, what I said is not anything to do with "suiting the rail co's" at all - they are valid technical reasons as to why running a passenger rail service is not feasible via the Brigg line. That line can take, I believe 4 trains per hour (two in either direction) and space for around 8 trains per hour on the Lincoln line.

So there would have to be some freight cancelled which would have national - yes, national - consequences in terms of train timetabling, having drivers available elsewhere etc etc. Think of the railway as a massive butterfly effect engine.

What happens in Lincolnshire could have far-reaching consequences elsewhere on the network, particularly if a train only has a certain window to pass through on a section of track; if that window is missed, all other trains using that section are delayed to let the late train through, those trains are then late and so on.

Next, we have to assume that there are paths available in to Doncaster station from the south for the train to reverse (we'll go to Doncaster via Finningly, instead of to Sheffield on this hypothetical diversionary journey), which there very well may not be.

And then there is the driver and guard training, where are these spare staff going to come from? And it would take weeks, yes weeks, of route learning to have enough staff available to run any kind of service over the diversion route, assuming of course that Class 185's are even cleared to use the diversion route at all.

Freight drivers will already know the route, as it is generally a freight route. Northern run a Saturday service only, so wont have that many drivers who will sign the route either - perhaps they could conduct a service over the line on the odd occasion, but it would hardly qualify as a "service" and wouldn't have any consistency and again would require re-rostering of dozens of train-crew to accommodate.

The safety regulation on the railways is enormous. It is just not possible for a train driver to take a train down a route he does not know. It is not like driving a car - more akin to driving a heavy goods vehicle on an ice rink with half the wheels replaced with skis.

So it is not "excuses" preventing travel via Brigg, they are massive technical and logistical problems which cannot be overcome "in a few days".”

“Seems some technical arguments are being put forward as reasons to avoid giving serious considerations to providing a rail service that does not use buses.
Most rail travellers will not be aware or care about some of these technicalities assuming they are factually correct.They just want to get settled on a train at point A and get off at point B.
Points put forward suit the Rail Co. and maybe Network Rail,but are obviously loaded against the Passengers.providing easy and quick answers but they do not answer all the questions.
The majority will not be aware of the railway workings but they will know that buses arranged for rail travel will be less convenient,probably inadequate for luggage/ disabled/pushchairs/cyclists,subject to delays,erratic timekeeping,traffic problems and do not address the disruption to business,regular,seasonal,holiday travellers and the local economies.
Many will revert to the already congested road links.
Short term emergency use has to be accepted,one or two days maybe,but should not have to accept where aprolonged situation arises.
If the Brigg line has so many impediments to its use for passenger traffic how long has this been the case?Services use to run regularly on this route,an expanding and populace place like Brigg should have a regular service.How is a service possible on Saturdays?
If Driver training and capacicity is such a problem howcome all the extra Scunthorpe Steel and Imminham coal can be accommodated?Has there been some innovative scheduling,Have the Staff recieved quick courses to work the routes?
If the RailCo Staff is not capable or trained for other routes surely its about time contingencies were made for the problem now being faced.
As Network Rail pointed out trains can go one way via Brigg and one way via Lincoln.The Clee to Lincoln line must have spare capacity as some days no trains are running.
Is reversing at Sheffield something new or was it always the case?
Accepted the alternative routes will take longer but better the through train to Doncaster/Sheffield/Manchester and back,luggage on once/off once.Even transfering trains at stations is easier than lugging in/out to/from buses in adverse weather especially.
Clearly the situation is not good enough and short and long term remedies must happen.
All Local-North,North East,Axholme MPs and Councillors need to get together and get their noses into this to find out the facts and what can be done instead of the quick easy answers.
This could be a prolonged situation leading to an exasperatingly long summer for local rail travellers.”

“Because there is not enough capacity to run any extra trains via the Brigg line (it is single track with long signal sections) and also trains would then have to reverse at Sheffield - and that is not even considering drivers having to be trained with the route knowledge for the alternative route.

There may not be available paths between Gainsborough and Sheffield and the additional length added to the journey time will affect not only pathing at the Grimsby end but also on the busy section between Sheffield and Manchester.

Unfortunately some people dont seem to understand these less-than-trivial matters which are barriers to providing an hourly or even bi-hourly alternative rail journey on TPE.”

“Nick Donovan quote "we are doing everything in our power"should look at the efforts of the Ports Director who is working closely with Network Rail to arrange freight movements,and take note of the Network Rail statement regarding Freight movements."vast majority Immingham traffic running via Brigg line and back via Lincoln,Scunthorpe steel via Barnetby/Lincoln and Barnetby Brigg and Doncaster"
As a Managing Director of a Rail Co. I would have thought he would be able to likewise work
closely with Network Rail and also be aware of these alternatives,or does everything in his power not extend to these factors.
Re Big-Hat-Harry 8 weeks seems optimistic if not impossible.What happens then ,carry on with buses through the Summer?
Surely Rail Co should be trying to re route as freight,what is holding them back?
Come on local MPs get involved as the better alternatives are being ignored and the consequences could be very damamaging to the local economy come Easter onwards.”

“Remove debris, stabilise the ground, remove both lines and replace. I doubt that this is going to happen in eight weeks. I imagine that six months is more realistic, especially given the speed at which the railways people work.”