PLANNING THE WINTER STOPPAGE PROGRAMME
This year has been one of the most challenging so far for everyone, including the team who plan the Canal & River Trust’s winter stoppage programme. Janet Richardson had a virtual meeting with programme manager Paul Wroe and co-ordinator Julia Moore to find out how it has impacted on them.
AS WE went to press, the final version of the winter stoppage programme went online with over 130 packages on more than 50 navigations.
This followed months of planning involving programmers, engineers, construction and delivery managers responsible for priority projects, third party works, mechanical and electrical and other winter maintenance works.
Programme manager Paul Wroe plans the programme of works for the trust’s direct services teams while Julia Moore, who works in his team, co-ordinates the planned winter stoppages, working with the programmers from around the country and producing stoppage notices for the website to keep all the canal users informed.
Paul explained that records of all the assets such as locks, bridges and other structures must be kept up to date with regular inspections. “We monitor the condition of a structure or canal length and give it a condition grade. We prioritise and programme the works based on condition grades and decide, for example, if a gate needs replacing or a quoin needs repairing.
“We have a rolling three-year programme and record any changes, for instance whether a defect is getting worse or has already been repaired. Because the network is 200 years old there is always going to be a need for repairs.”
Julia commented: “This year has been very challenging, especially as the programmers had to re-prioritise completely in the middle of the process due to coronavirus. The closure of lock gate workshops during the early stages of lockdown meant that some of the gates which were due to be fitted during the winter would not be ready in time so they had to advise which gates could still be manufactured for the winter works.”
She said they had to strike a balance between the different types of repairs needed in order to plan what could be achieved. “It is not just about lock gates, we carry out a wide array of works throughout the year, some of which we can do without closing the navigation. Programmers play a key role to make sure these can be delivered.”
Or if a navigation has to be closed earlier in the year, due to water supply issues for instance, they look to see if a team can go in at short notice and do repairs early instead of waiting until the winter. “But you can’t just magic a gate out of the workshop, they are all different.”
Paul pointed out that the lock gate workshops were one of the first teams to get back to work with social distancing measures in place. “They are working at full capacity now.”
Planning for winter
Julia explained that she gets involved in the winter programme at the beginning of the year when they start looking at timings for all the closures during the following winter, taking into account third party works such as Network Rail’s work to their bridges. She works with a group of consultees including commercial and hire boat operators and private boaters.
They usually meet face-to-face but since March have had Zoom meetings. “The technology has made it easier; being able to see people’s faces has made a difference.
“We have a protocol for keeping key north-south-east-west routes open in the winter. We then pull together the programme.” This is usually done in April but was impacted by the lockdown. “We can all work from home so we carried on with the consultation and published the first version on June 1.”
Two stages of public consultation via the trust’s website continued through the summer, leading to the publication of the final programme on August 17. “We don’t expect any further major changes and any revisions will need director approval,” Julia continued.
“As part of the consultation we receive lots of comments through the website and we try to make sure the way the works are planned is best for our customers.”
For instance a proposed stoppage on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal will start a day later than originally planned in order that local hire boats can get back to base after Christmas.
Julia commented on recent speculation about whether the holiday season should be extended in view of its late start. “There has been a lot of discussion with hire boat operators and private boaters and it was decided we would continue with the dates we already have agreed.
“If we hold the start of the winter programme it will have a knock-on effect and we would have to extend it after Christmas which could impinge on the Easter holidays.”
The programme starts on November 2, seven weeks before Christmas and after a two-week break continues for another 11 weeks until March 19. “We do our best to reduce the impact on our customers. It’s not just the hire boat operators and private boaters, but there are coal and fuel suppliers and other freight traffic to consider, as well as canalside businesses who can be affected when the navigation is closed. We also try to keep the network open for Christmas cruising and Santa trips.”
Virtual open days
Current restrictions mean that the trust will be unable to hold its usual stoppage open days and weekends. “It would be difficult to do them safely,” said Julia. “We are planning to do some virtual openings with tours and time lapses and put these on our website. Hopefully this will provide an opportunity to show the variety of work we do.”
If you want to see the winter stoppages in your area, look on www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/ notices/winter-stoppages