[31/01/2014] Waterford - flooding

[Traincustomer]

Update: Waterford Station. Further flooding expected. Service alterations in place.

31 January 2014

Update: 15.10hrs

Waterford Station Flooding: The following service alterations are in place this evening due to expected further flooding caused by high tides.

16.40hrs Heuston/Waterford will operate to Kilkenny only. Bus transfers will operate from Kilkenny to Thomastown and Waterford.

17.35hrs Heuston/Waterford will operate to Kilkenny only. Bus transfers will operate from Kilkenny to Thomastown and Waterford.

18.25hrs Waterford/Heuston will operate from Thomastown at 18.46hrs. Passengers from Waterford will be transferred by road to Kilkenny to connect onward to Heuston.

Iarnród Éireann apologises for any inconvenience caused.


Source: http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_news.jsp?i=4987&p=116&n=237

Add to that list that presumably the 16.25 Waterford to Limerick Junction and 18.40 Limerick Junction-Waterford are bus transfers Waterford to Carrick on Suir and vice versa.

Earlier flooding resulted in, for example, the 07.10 Waterford to Heuston being substituted by bus between Waterford and Carlow whereas the 07.50 ex Waterford was a bus transfer Waterford to Kilkenny. The station reopened around noon but the problem is back again this evening.

[Jamie2k9]

This is starting to get ridiculous at this stage and quiet frankly un acceptable. It won't be just day it will be for the next few days with the spring tide.

Yet again IE won't do anything to prevent it, the local authorities did on the city side but IE won't even build up a defence instead they splash out money for a fancy railing along the edge.

It will take the RAIU to say flooding contributed to the landslide before IE do something.

2 hour delay this morning on the 7.10 no buses and when we got buses they let the train leave Carlow without so another hour for the 07.50 waiting. Unreliable carry on and starting to piss passengers right off.

The excuses this morning have put IE in a new league.

[Traincustomer]

Given that meteorological extremes seem to be becoming more prevalent there is a clear need to address the issue. A flood defence is a good idea. Presumably it would solve the problem permanently.

In a related vein earlier this month there was a letter in one of the local papers along the lines of possibly relocating the station given the recurring flooding issues. I think a suggestion of Sallypark yard was made. In my view these points are relevant and valid and ultimately this could be something that may have to be considered too.

[Jamie2k9]

Relocating not the answer, it's already in a bad place moving further away not good idea.

They have flood after flood and have not done anything it will take serous accident or damage to rolling stock before they do anything.

[Traincustomer]

Is there a national funding mechanism available for a strategic flood defence such as this or would IÉ have to fund the entire cost?

[Jamie2k9]

It's a small wall that's needed at most 6 layers of bricks, cost is nothing big.

[Traincustomer]

Didn't realise that's all that's needed. Is it at the car park on the west side that this would need to be built?

[Jamie2k9]

Yeah after the bay platform, there isn't much work involved anyway. Turns out the place didn't flood this evening, water levels were way higher last week.

[ACustomer]

Rectifying the Waterford flooding problem may be much more difficult than one might think.

The problem in Waterford extends well beyond the passenger station: flooding has occurred as far out as Newrath Level crossings. I don't know how far the problem extends on the other side towards Belview.

A retaining wall is not likely to be a solution: I presume that at very high tides, water comes up through the drains which normally have the function of conveying water the other way. Even if shutting the drains were feasible, then how do you then drain off the heavy rainfall which so often accompanies storm tide surges?

Also, I presume that some drainage is through porous soil, etc, and this will also to let flood tides in.

That leaves one with the option of raising the tracks, platforms, goods yard, etc by at least a metre: this would be a huge and very expensive undertaking.

No easy solutions, unfortunately.

[Jamie2k9]

The flooding over the last two years have only happened on the platforms, trains are operating into the station and being parked so flooding out further isn't a problem as major works were undertaken with the N25/M9 projects in the area.

The last couple of times the levels have being a little above the rail heads and not platform level that happens from time to time. Yes more work would be required but the simple fact is IE have done nothing except raise signalling equipment to platform levels. Building a wall would help massive as it would stop the volume of water flowing over as what happens it flows over and there is a slop into the platforms so all runs down. Nothing will be prefect now we are in a situation that any sort of wind and rain will cause the closure of the station. Just how much do they expect passengers to put with it. It will probably be Monday at the earliest when services resume.

They could easily build a small platform in the yard just after Waterford West and allow passengers access when flooding happens as there is lots of space and it's safe.

Simple facts are nothing had being down to help and the chances of something being down are slim. Justifying such fare increased for regular and annual holders, smaller trains as SO far a months worth of disruption isn't acceptable and the NTA really need to look at service levels being offered to customers. I have yet to be a train that had arrived on schedule this year.

All you have to do is take a trip on a peak service and ask how many passengers have being showing up to work 2 and 3 hours late more than once in the last month.

[Traincustomer]

Weather watch: Saturday 1st February

01 February 2014

The following services are currently affected by today's storm:

Due to flooding at Waterford Station, there are bus transfers in operation:

- between Waterford and Kilkenny on the Waterford/Dublin route.

- between Waterford and Carrick-on-Suir on the Waterford/Limerick Junction route.

Extract from source: http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_news.jsp?i=4988&p=116&n=237