The Windsor Link Railway

[gwr4090]

According to the BBC, Network Rail has given "approval" to the proposed privately funded Windsor Link Railway which has aspirations to link the Southern and Western lines to Windsor by means of a tunnel under the Thames. This would allow a Staines-Slough service, presumably by extension of the Waterloo-Windsor services.

Further details here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-22983453
http://windsorlink.co.uk/
http://www.sloughobserver.co.uk/new...90502-boost-for-windsor-link-railway-project/

David

 

[Monty]

I'll believe it when I see it, I seriously cannot see them accomplishing this project without destroying many historical buildings in Windsor's town centre.

I note the management team appear to have no experience in railways (engineering or operational) whatsoever, well according to their website anyway.

 

[CarltonA]

The tunnel is not to go under the Thames but under the town of Windsor south of the river. This also implies that the third rail system could be extended to Slough or wires to run to Staines.

 

[snowball]

There's already a railway known as the Windsor Link, opened in about 1989 - in Salford!

 

[455driver]

There's already a railway known as the Windsor Link, opened in about 1989 - in Salford!

Thats up north so doesnt count!

 

[johnnychips]

The tunnel is not to go under the Thames but under the town of Windsor south of the river. This also implies that the third rail system could be extended to Slough or wires to run to Staines.

You're right, looking at the map on the link from the OP. That doesn't give much space for the tunnel under Windsor to dive down and come up again. More questions than answers.

 

[swt_passenger]

NR cannot 'approve' such a thing. I guess they are saying it is feasible to build it, but without any funding and without a TWA Order (or current equivalent) to authorise it, I think NR's opinion really means little.

Does anyone see DfT jumping on this bandwagon?

 

[bnm]

Porcine aviation will happen first.

 

[jopsuk]

It looks like NR have basically said "Yeah, as long as it doesn't cost us anything, we're OK with that".

I'm intrigued by their idea for connecting to Heathrow- is that gradient from the station in the bowels of T5 to a bridge over the motorway feasible? Wires to Staines would seem to be the sensible solution for power.

 

[Muzer]

The part about this that I don't like is the bringing out of use of Windsor & Eton Central. Though I suppose compared to what it once was, it's near enough out of use already

 

[EM2]

I'm trying to work out where the replacement station would be.

 

[Rational Plan]

£100 million for an underground link through Windsor that rises onto a viaduct? Ha ha ha.

 

[tbtc]

On one level it looks like an interesting logistical problem - trying to find a solution that deals with the current lack of links (e.g. Reading to Windsor/ Heathrow, Slough to Heathrow/ Staines).

I don't know the area well enough to comment on whether it'd be easy enough to build this new link between the two lines in Windsor. What does interest me is the idea of private firms/ organisation building new links (or upgrading bits of existing line, adding chords etc)... on paper it sounds good (e.g. Chiltern's Evergreen), but I don't know how realistic this would be.

 

[Pumbaa]

As it wants to build it 'cut and cover' style, I give it approximately 0% chance happening in its current form. I know 'retro' is all the rage these days, but returning to Victorian construction methods? Not a chance.

 

[quantinghome]

As it wants to build it 'cut and cover' style, I give it approximately 0% chance happening in its current form. I know 'retro' is all the rage these days, but returning to Victorian construction methods? Not a chance.

Cut and cover is still alive and well. For shallow tunnels it's the most economic method. It's a well-used technique all over the world. Not that it will make particular this scheme any more likely to happen though.

 

[route:oxford]

If the majority of the railway through Windsor goes underground...

How much ground level land (at Windsor prices) becomes available for developers?

 

[Bedpan]

Cut and cover is still alive and well. For shallow tunnels it's the most economic method. It's a well-used technique all over the world. Not that it will make particular this scheme any more likely to happen though.

The 1km or so long Hatfield Road tunnel (A1(M)) built about 25 - 30 years ago is cut and cover.

 

[jopsuk]

Cut and cover is still alive and well. For shallow tunnels it's the most economic method. It's a well-used technique all over the world. Not that it will make particular this scheme any more likely to happen though.

Cut and cover down busy town streets though...

 

[Pumbaa]

Cut and cover down busy town streets though...

Quite. That was more my angle.

 

[Ivo]

Is Windsor flat enough for cut-and-cover, even by the river? Or are we looking at some silly 20m-deep trenches being built just a couple of minutes' walk from the castle?

 

[Monty]

The gradient aside, cut and cover would surely require the demolishing of many historic buildings in Thames Avenue, Thames Street and the High street. All that for the sake of shaving off 10 minutes (though admittedly I reckon it would be closer to 25 minutes) would be an act of cultural vandalism.

If also like to know how they intend to make money from this ill conceived plan, I can hardly see them force the TOCs to use the line then make them pay a track access charge. It's like telling someone they have to cross their bridge, but insist you pay the toll too. :roll:

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There's more chance of the cross-Bradford link happening, and there's literally no chance of that either.

 

[Rational Plan]

Not only that, but think of the change in Levels. The new combined station would either be at the existing Riverside station or next to the riverside park. The problem is the centre of the town and the main tourist attraction (the Castle) is at the top of the Hill, where the current station is nicely placed in the middle of shopping centre and a level walk to the Castle (and Windsor swarms with Tourists all year round).

There is no way the anyone in Town let a shallow rail tunnel bulldoze through the riverside, cutting off Eton for three or four years.

The only way it would happen is with a deep bore tunnel, so it avoided demolition though the town and cutting a new embankments and tunnels across the Thameside flood plain.

This would have to be a government project, TOC's aren't really interested in providing slow orbital links, when all their lines to London are choked with traffic, with people paying much higher fares.

If we were looking at a proper outer London orbital line, then it would centre on Heathrow, providing links to all the main lines.

 

[monsento]

ive been watching the windsor rail link developments with keen interest now they have approval and funding they are getting a plan together on how to build the thing.

where will ten cars go at Slough?

 

[bluenoxid]

ive been watching the windsor rail link developments with keen interest now they have approval and funding they are getting a plan together on how to build the thing.

where will ten cars go at Slough?

I would not say that they have funding that will get them through GRIP and the only approval I am aware of is inclusion on the local plan. However, if you can confirm otherwise, I would be interested. WRATH is a separate project.

 

[monsento]

I would not say that they have funding that will get them through GRIP and the only approval I am aware of is inclusion on the local plan. However, if you can confirm otherwise, I would be interested. WRATH is a separate project.

see the main site it is funded is the more the permission/planning then building, loads of red tape!

 

[bluenoxid]

They need £100m and they are not celebrating that. They may claim a robust business case but that is very different to cash in the hand. They have got a major amount of work to do before the first sod is cut on site

 

[yorksrob]

Is there really a market of people wanting to get from one side of Windsor to the other? Seems like a lot of money for an uncharted benefit.

 

[monsento]

Is there really a market of people wanting to get from one side of Windsor to the other? Seems like a lot of money for an uncharted benefit.

look at it again lol

 

[Busaholic]

Is there really a market of people wanting to get from one side of Windsor to the other? Seems like a lot of money for an uncharted benefit.

Noblesse oblige, as they say in Rotherhithe.