The gas leak in Didcot is close to where I live, so I went to take a look this morning to see if I could try and understand why the railway remains closed.

The line has now been shut for more than 20 hours, yet people are able to walk and drive past the site without restriction. There have been no evacuations of nearby buildings and there is no longer any noticeable smell of escaping gas. Given that, I'm struggling to understand why the railway remains closed. If cars and lorries can safely pass the location, it seems reasonable to ask why, at the very least, diesel trains cannot do the same.

The leak was first reported yesterday afternoon, several hours before train services were suspended, so I find it difficult to believe that, at the very least, the gas supply has not been isolated.

SGN (Southern Gas Networks) requested the railway closure. Does anyone know whether they are required to compensate Network Rail for the disruption caused? More generally, are SGN and similar utilities being overly risk-averse, or is there simply insufficient incentive for them to restore normal operations as quickly as possible?

As an example of how incentives can work, there was another gas leak on a major road in Didcot last week. SGN initially maintained that the road would need to remain closed for more than a week, much to the frustration of local residents. However, once Oxfordshire County Council indicated that penalties of £8,000 per day could be imposed, the roadworks magically disappeared.

SGN (Southern Gas Networks) requested the railway closure. Does anyone know whether they are required to compensate Network Rail for the disruption caused? More generally, are SGN and similar utilities being overly risk-averse, or is there simply insufficient incentive for them to restore normal operations as quickly as possible?

A couple of examples of your nemesis advice/advise.   

How does the new GBR livery work on units with odd numbers of vehicles as stripy triangular pointy bit faces the nearest end.  Which way will it point on middle vehicle ?

Clearly there are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 vehicle units around network

15:16 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 16:30

15:16 Bristol Temple Meads to Oxford due 16:30 will be cancelled.

This is due to a gas leak near the railway.

17:00 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:18

17:00 Oxford to Bristol Temple Meads due 18:18 will be cancelled.

This is due to a gas leak near the railway.

I know it's for "bus and train services", but might it be worth mentioning that Ubers are available in the area? They might be a last resort, and it reassures potential users that Melksham isn't one of those places where the Uber app implies it is available but in fact it isn't (eg. Thirsk, where we were a few weeks ago).

Does this mean that those of us who favour: small government/lower regulation + low taxation/high growth + freedom of speech and association + secure borders + strong national defence + preservation of our constitution, all of which are considered by many as "right wing politics", are not welcome here?

If so, I will take my leave of what would be a leftist echo chamber and bid everyone here all the best

How does the new GBR livery work on units with odd numbers of vehicles as stripy triangular pointy bit faces the nearest end.  Which way will it point on middle vehicle ?

Clearly there are 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 vehicle units around network

Strange at it might seem, UK-born are far more likely to be rapists. Now let's keep right-wing politics OFF this board please?

Do you know your Atlantics from your Prairies and Pacifics?  What is a Decapod?

http://www.railway-technical.com/trains/rolling-stock-index-l/wheel-notation.html

Significant disruption between Reading and Swindon – Wednesday 23 September

We wanted to make you aware of significant disruption affecting rail services through the Thames Valley today following a gas leak close to the railway in the Didcot area. While this incident was not caused by railway operations, we are working closely with the gas company, SGN, to get trains moving again as quickly and safely as possible.

We are working together to manage the impact on passengers, but normal services cannot operate until the leak has been repaired because the railway falls within the safety exclusion zone. Engineers from SGN are on site working to rectify the problem as quickly and safely as possible.

As a result, normal train services cannot operate through the affected area and passengers are being advised not to travel between Reading and Swindon today. However, severe disruption is expected throughout the day and services that are able to operate are likely to be extremely busy.

We are expecting to operate services between:

Reading and London Paddington
Swindon and Cheltenham Spa
Swindon and Chippenham/Bath/Bristol
South Wales and Bristol Temple Meads
Worcester and Oxford
Oxford and Didcot
Bristol Temple Meads and Didcot – hourly
London Paddington and Bath/Bristol – hourly via an alternative diversionary route
Services which do not normally operate between Reading and Didcot are also expected to run broadly as timetabled.

Ticket arrangements

To provide customers with greater flexibility, tickets for journeys through Didcot today will also be valid for travel tomorrow, Thursday 24 September.

Customers who decide not to travel can apply for a refund through GWR.

Ticket acceptance is also in place with a number of alternative operators, including Chiltern Railways, London Underground, Avanti West Coast, West Midlands Railway, CrossCountry and South Western Railway.

CrossCountry is separately advising customers not to travel between Reading and Oxford while the disruption continues.

Advice to passengers

We would be grateful if you could share this message with your own networks.

Passengers who do need to travel should check their journey before setting off, allow significantly more time and be prepared for services to be very busy.

We are sorry for the significant disruption this incident is causing. We are working closely with SGN, but services through the affected area cannot resume until it is confirmed safe to do so.

The Railways decision to close the railway because of an external incident / event is will out of the Railways hands.  It will be the local civic authorities (Police, Fire, Council) that put the exclusion area in place, the Railway Route Control would work with the requestor for the closure to minimise the impact.

Sets on North Pole depot can run into London Paddington and then form Bristol or South Wales services diverted via Newbury.  (As well as the usual services to the South West.)