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Recommissioning after Coronavirus

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by johnofwessex, Mar 24, 2020.

  1. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Which is why I'm surprised to see inconsistency between different operations in Tier 3, with some running and others not. I can see how the EOR run to Epping Forest might fail the "carriage of passengers from the same start and end point" test, but not how a Santa/lights operation with a common boarding point elsewhere could pass it, even if it does run to a terminating station.
     
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  2. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

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    Probably best not to ask too many questions such discussion can sometimes have unwanted consequences.

    Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk
     
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  3. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    I didn't expect detailed answers...
     
  4. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    I assume the EOR issue may be that the LA, who of course has Public Health Control, have used those powers. Same as Southampton did in September to close events at very short notice, ( two boat shows and three fairs) despite there being no tiers or lockdowns in place.
    Of course whether those powers trump the government advice Charnwood B.C received for the GCR I do not have enough legal knowledge of governmental issues to comment.
     
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  5. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    There are repeated reports through media of greater lockdowns to follow from Boxing Day, for example Sussex and West Midlands to tier 4, with some areas also going up to tier 3. Speculation, but this might affect Festive season services either because the lines are in lockdown areas or because its staff and passengers are. Luckily most lines won't be running services for some time thereafter, with Feb half-term the next traffic. Watch this space...

    Patrick
     
  6. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I'm watching intently, as I have a turn on December 27th (Normally we would be doing p/way repairs in January, but when the November lockdown hit, our SteamLights services were moved from November to January). I feel for the people manning our phones at the moment.

    Tom
     
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  7. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Bugger, I think that's put the kibosh on that, certainly for you Tom, probably for me too with Gloucestershire in tier 3. Which railways have/haven't run in tier 3 so far?
     
  8. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Yeah, I reckon so :(. Guess I’ve done my last turn for a while ...

    Tom
     
  9. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    The way things are looking, I would not bet on there being another national lockdown in January , possibly well beyond if the R numbers don't start to come down, it may well be the case that only when sufficient numbers i.e. most of the population have been inoculated that restrictions will start to be relaxed .
     
  10. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    As pointed out upthread, the National Audit Office forecast is less than half inoculated in 2021.

    Patrick
     
  11. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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    Latest GCR e-newsletter states that they are suspending passenger services after operation on Monday 28th December due to the worsening Covid situation.
     
  12. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Mid Hants services now finishing today due to the latest government announcement:[​IMG]

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  13. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    (Moving this from the Swanage thread as more appropriate here).

    At the moment I am veering towards being short-term pessimistic and long-term optimistic about next year.

    The short-term pessimism is because, in SE England at least, cases are still rising, and prior experience was that when they did start to fall, they fell more slowly than they rose. I think that does put February half term in jeopardy as cases may still be high at that point.

    The long-term optimism is that there is now a virus being rolled out, and that will Strat to have an impact on transmission, deaths and confidence - even though it will only have had a limited roll out for a few months. So Easter 2021 - that might look more feasible, and hopefully - touch all sorts of bits of wood - there is only improvement from then on.

    (Apologies for the Jeremiad. Relevant graphs for Dorset show cases lower than the England average, but rising).

    https://www.publichealthdorset.org....lth/latest-updates-on-covid-19-in-dorset.aspx - scroll down.

    Tom
     
  14. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    Titter

    My (healthcare) daughter's got a date for her jab, but her husband won't also get one (yet) and the guidance is they don't know the extent to which she might still be able to transmit the disease. The NAO reckons 25m vaccinations (not half the population) by *the end* of 2021. I'm wary of the 'it'll all be over by Easter' stuff I'm reading, I don't think we know. I hope you're right though

    Patrick
     
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  15. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    I understand that the K&ESR are making no plans to run at February half-term.
     
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Oops ...


    I wasn't meaning to suggest the epidemic will be over; rather that I am cautiously optimistic that conditions will be such as to allow railway operations by Easter; I am wary about anything earlier (i.e. February half term) because of the current scale and the fact that cases are still rising, not falling.

    Tom
     
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  17. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

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    I would be more inclined to believe that, rather pessimistic outlook, than Matt Hancock's apparent assertion that they are aiming to vaccinate everybody by spring... That to me seems to be too great of a logistical challenge, even if that many vaccine doses are available to be administered by that point. I would expect a summer similar to the one we have had, possibly with a longer potential running season, but with minimal difference in terms of what kind of service restrictions will allow.

    It's also interesting to see how different railways have interpreted tiers differently, especially within tier 3. The Glos Warks ceased services upon entering Tier 3, the Battlefield in Leicestershire has ran throughout tier 3, whereas the Avon Valley initially were closed, then reopened (although now that I type that, it occurs to me that this may have coincided with Bristol and North Somerset being downgraded to tier 2?) So I think we will see a little disparity across the country as, for whatever reasons, different railways interpret and respond to differing levels of restrictions in different ways
     
  18. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Not only that, but all bar essential volunteering has ceased as well, whereas on other railways in tier 3 that hasn't appeared to be the case - even wagon groups have been allowed to continue their work for example, and much as I'm a massive fan of that, even I'd struggle to define it as "essential".
     
  19. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    Avon Valley - is it South Glos (tier 3) or Bath & North East Somerset (2), or part in each? It's not Bristol or North Somerset (was 3. then 2, then 3, shake it all about)

    Patrick
     
  20. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Lots of areas have just moved up a level ...

    Tom
     

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