[2-2-2008] Bray Greystones Closed
 

That vanished and was replaced by this

So I don't get this the 13:05 to Rosslare is running despite the rockfall

:confused:

Curiously the afternoon Gorey Maynooth train has just rolled past me, curious that for a closed line, seems like they are recovering the train back to Dublin leaving the folks in Wicklow with no early morning train tomorrow

Not the best day for this to happen.

From AA Roadwatch

Far too many bus transfers here

Unless there has actually been structural damage to the line I honestly can't see why this landslide will shut the line between Greystones and Bray tomorrow and possibly the next day. This is a massive disruption for Greystones residents including myself...is there a chance the line could open tomorrow?

Chances are looking bad. Our reports indicate that the line is not actually blocked but there is a risk of loose rocks falling on trains unless secured.

To be honest this could be the end of the Rosslare line

The exact location is about 25 minutes walk from Bray station just before the first tunnel, the rock face is almost vertical at that point, its only accessible on foot. Bray Head is strange by virtue of the fact the rock strata are at a 45 degree angle not nicely layered on top of each other so they just slide off

hyperbole much, Mark? Bear in mind this section of line once fell into the sea and the victorians managed to fix it. Now I'm not crediting IE with any sort of Victorian-levels of expertise or ingenuity, but securing rock-faces is a fairly common task for engineers the world-over, I'm sure its solvable.

how long was that line in Norn Iron closed for last year, it was a similar issue wasn't it?

I've walked around Bray Head many times in recent years, there has been a massive acceleration in the coastal erosion, there isn't any space to move. There have been far too many close calls with trains stopping short of rockfalls

Only long term alternative is to bore a new tunnel from Bray to Greystones, about 3.5km in length

Its going to take several days if not weeks to sort this mess out, Bus Eireann are going to make a killing with the new timetable and passengers are not going to come back when the line reopens

probably be much cheaper to cover over the existing track at the vulnerable points (disclaimer - I am not an engineer!)

passengers from Greystones certainly are going to come back as the DART, slow and all as it is, is substantially quicker and more comfortable than Dublin Bus. South of Greystones I think a substantial proportion of commuters already use BE. The 1725 Enniscorthy commuter train (probably the busiest on the line) discharges most of its passengers in Bray and Greystones.

For reference the exact location http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...cl=1&encType=1

probably be much cheaper to cover over the existing track at the vulnerable points (disclaimer - I AM an engineer!) :D



That was my first thought 'shweeney'. The line wouldnt warrant any expenditure on tunnelling. Just takes some ingenuity.

The actual track bed is a big problem as the sea eats away at it, a fortune has been spent on coastal defense works

Long term the only way to reduce journey times and increase capacity is a new tunnel, that needs to be looked at now, not much point looking at it when the engineers come back one day and say they have to close permanently

Rockfall -> derailment -> train 50 feet drop head first into the sea

Brunel's Folly!
 

Cheers for the link Mark. The site is more inaccessible than I thought. Maybe expecting some ingenuity from IE was a mistake...

Bringing precast units to that area be it by sea or road seems quite impossible. Everything will have to come by rail and also fit through the preceding tunnels. Get your thinking hats on boys!

I still don't see tunnelling as an option at the moment given the expense but examining the feasibility of it is no harm. It need not be too long but just to link back with the line when it cuts inland.

you're talking about a 2-mile+ tunnel. It would cost an astronomical amount.

Straightforward straight single track tunnel through a solid enough rock with no stations or funny bits, given the number of tunnel boring machines and trained people who will be standing around post metro/interconnector it wouldn't be half as expensive as you might think

Interconnector was 1.4-1.8 billion for 5.4km with 5 stations and twin tunnels, probably get change out of 300 million for Greystones job

It will have to happen sometime, its 92 years since the last major works on the line to deal with the problems

problem is it never cuts back inland - the line hugs the cliffs from the end of the long-tunnel (greystones end) all the way into bray. to get away from the cliffs you'd have to have one tunnel right the way through.

half as expensive is still pretty f***ing expensive to connect up a relatively small commuter town. You'd have to double-track it as well, no point perpetuating the existing problems...

*gets out crayons*

You cant just say that the tunnel is for Greystones commuters alone! You're forgetting the entire catchment of passengers south of Bray all the way along the Rosslare line. If this sort of disruption is going to continue at a stage where rock fall is happening annually, a feasibility study for a new route through or round Bray Head should be undertaken.
It's a very good point that the expert knowledge in tunneling soon to come from the dublin rail tunnel projects could vastly reduce the cost of carrying out tunneling work inbetween Bray and Greystones.