Fire on train at Micheldever causing delays on line between Hampshire and London

4:38pm Thursday 5th April 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Melanie Adams, Health Reporter

A FREIGHT train on fire at Micheldever is causing massive delays on the railways.

Firefighters are on the scene but the blaze has stopped all trains passing through the station.

Crews from Winchester and Whitchurch were called to the scene at 3.42pm, after the fire started in the engine compartment of the freight liner diesel locomotive.

This has caused delays of up to 45 minutes between Basingstoke and Winchester.

South West Trains said a number of service alterations have been put in place. They are:

• Buses are replacing trains between Basingstoke and Eastleigh / Southampton Central.
• Trains between London Waterloo and Weymouth are being diverted via Havant and will not call at stations between Woking and Eastleigh.
• Trains between London Waterloo and Portsmouth Harbour via Eastleigh are only running between Eastleigh and Portsmouth Harbour.
• Trains between London Waterloo and Poole are only running between London Waterloo and Basingstoke.
• Passengers from London Waterloo for stations beyond and including Southampton Central should travel via Portsmouth Harbour services (changing at Havant).
• CrossCountry services between Basingstoke and Southampton Central may be diverted via Andover.
• Stopping services between London Waterloo and Basingstoke are currently able to run normally.

Comments(10)

Gaia says...
7:47pm Thu 5 Apr 12

Regrettably South West Trains continue to show at the best incompetence, at the worst contempt for their customers. Trains were not running between Eastleigh and Portsmouth, they were cancelled. Two hours after the fire (described as a breakdown!) the staff at Eastleigh had no news about replacement bus service. Passengers for London were being directed to travel to Southampton on a seriously overcrowed TWO car train. All this when they say they are seriously trying to improve customer service.

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That one says...
9:39pm Thu 5 Apr 12

Gaia, I think you are perhaps being a little harsh on swt. I use them daily, and have had some painful experiences, but despite using Basingstoke today, I was home on time. Information takes time to filter down the line. How long do you think it takes to organise a replacement bus service / larger train? Do you think they have these things sitting around waiting, this fire was completely unexpected, and I think given the circumstances, SWT did a fine job!!!

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FatBoy01 says...
9:59pm Thu 5 Apr 12

Work for SWT That one?

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That one says...
11:01pm Thu 5 Apr 12

Nope, don't work for them! Just think people under estimate what needs to be done sometimes. I actually made an official complete about a journey home last week, and was fully expecting a nightmare journey home tonight!

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Georgem says...
11:34pm Thu 5 Apr 12

That one wrote:
Nope, don't work for them! Just think people under estimate what needs to be done sometimes. I actually made an official complete about a journey home last week, and was fully expecting a nightmare journey home tonight!
You're wrong. The simpletons of the Echo hivemind have spoken, and if you argue now, that just proves they're right. Or something

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Lyn-Bn says...
8:20am Fri 6 Apr 12

I agree with Gaia information was not forthcoming at Basingstoke either. Even an hour after I had seen the report on National Rail there was no way of getting to Winchester. As it was the husbands Birthday and we were going out I had to get a cab at £26.50. Luckily when it arrived to pick me up 2 other people who needed Winchester asked if they could come as well, so the cost was less. Thanks to both of you.
That one - Lucky You. Did you get a lift or leave before the train breakdown as they kept telling us? I bet you wanted Soton Central because that was the only train that ran. Non-stop and no use to anyone else.

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Andy Locks Heath says...
9:09am Fri 6 Apr 12

Remember that Freightliner and Southwest trains are not the same company, and that SWT do not have any involvement in track or signalling - that is Network Rail. So there are three completely separate organisations at work here and in a sense SWT are innocent victims of circumstance but having to face up to all the anger from frustrated passengers. There is a loop line just south of Micheldever where a freight train could be pulled over, but the train would need to be inspected by engineers before it could be moved and the track inspected by P-Way engineers before anything else could run. This is the basic problem of the current railway setup at work. If anyone blame John Major's government which created this strange overcomplex structure.

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starinthesouth says...
12:05pm Fri 6 Apr 12

I was sat at Winchester rail station for 3 hours yesterday, and whilst I realise it wasn't SouthWest Trains fault, they could have organised alternative transport much quicker. We were told to make our own arrangements at one stage (not a lot of use for me as I needed to get back to Bournemouth), and then later told there would be coaches that would be on a first come first served basis and they couldn't tell us when they would arrive and where they would go to! I only got home because a fellow traveller's wife kindly gave me a lift with them to Bournemouth. I think SouthWest trains need better plans in place for such events.

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starinthesouth says...
12:07pm Fri 6 Apr 12

Oh and reading that the official line was that the delay was 'up to 45 minutes' does show a severe lack of knowledge of what was going on on the ground.

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Georgem says...
5:33pm Fri 6 Apr 12

starinthesouth wrote:
Oh and reading that the official line was that the delay was 'up to 45 minutes' does show a severe lack of knowledge of what was going on on the ground.
And if they'd said "We don't know" which was the truth, they'd be equally damned. Exactly how does one predict how long a fire will last?

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