Chiltern Oxford Link completed

[HowardGWR]

I thought the protesters were somewhat less than clear. Did they want a bridge crossing for cyclists, wheelchairs and pedestrians, like the huge one just built further east, or do they want a vehicle bridge crossing, as well? Would it not be possible to construct a short road between London Road from the roundabout at Talisman Way / Mallards Way over to a roundabout on the A41? I know we have people with local knowledge here.

 

[swt_passenger]

I thought the protesters were somewhat less than clear. Did they want a bridge crossing for cyclists, wheelchairs and pedestrians, like the huge one just built further east, or do they want a vehicle bridge crossing, as well? Would it not be possible to construct a short road between London Road from the roundabout at Talisman Way / Mallards Way over to a roundabout on the A41? I know we have people with local knowledge here.

Just about every option you could think of was presented in the TWA Order inquiry evidence, and reasons for ruling them all out were given in detail, for instance:

4.305. Alternative locations for a bridge in the locality were considered. These include several options to the southwest of London Road, between London Road and the A41 bridge. The option of utilising the A41 and providing a new link to the northwest side of the railway was considered and ruled out because of the difficulty of providing a new junction on the ramped section of the A41 leading to the railway bridge and the difficulty of providing a route through the Bicester Village complex that would not have an excessively adverse impact on the retail businesses therein...

http://www.chiltern-evergreen3.co.uk/uploads/04Oct2010/CRCL-P-6-B1 - Appendix 1 - Stephen Barker.pdf

There are about a dozen pages of proposed road layouts in the engineering drawings supporting Chiltern's statement of case, pages 112 onwards:

http://www.chiltern-evergreen3.co.uk/uploads/04Oct2010/CRCL-P-6-B2 - Appendix 2 - Stephen Barker.pdf

No doubt many of these will have to be re-visited as part of EWR's forthcoming application.

 

[jimm]

I thought the protesters were somewhat less than clear. Did they want a bridge crossing for cyclists, wheelchairs and pedestrians, like the huge one just built further east, or do they want a vehicle bridge crossing, as well? Would it not be possible to construct a short road between London Road from the roundabout at Talisman Way / Mallards Way over to a roundabout on the A41? I know we have people with local knowledge here.

People want a full-on road crossing of some sort, as the current alternative routes involve using the rather busy Oxford Road/mixing it with Bicester Village traffic or going half way round the town. Whether they will get it, given the constraints of the site laid bare in those drawings, remains to be seen.

 

[67018]

I thought the protesters were somewhat less than clear. Did they want a bridge crossing for cyclists, wheelchairs and pedestrians, like the huge one just built further east, or do they want a vehicle bridge crossing, as well? Would it not be possible to construct a short road between London Road from the roundabout at Talisman Way / Mallards Way over to a roundabout on the A41? I know we have people with local knowledge here.

The protests were more incoherent than usual this time thanks to outrage over the closure being 'decided' despite assurances to the contrary. Nobody considered that it was cock up not conspiracy.

Some people want the closure of the railway, demolition of Bicester village and probably all the new housing too, and unlimited free parking for all.

Realistically, an alternative crossing looks like the best bet but there are no easy or cheap options. Long term there are plans to divert the A41 further south, which might open up some options.

 

[The Planner]

Which would be ironic as the A41 is what stopped a longer run round loop at the MoD.

 

[HowardGWR]

Just about every option you could think of was presented in the TWA Order inquiry evidence, and reasons for ruling them all out were given in detail, for instance:



There are about a dozen pages of proposed road layouts in the engineering drawings supporting Chiltern's statement of case, pages 112 onwards:

http://www.chiltern-evergreen3.co.uk/uploads/04Oct2010/CRCL-P-6-B2 - Appendix 2 - Stephen Barker.pdf

No doubt many of these will have to be re-visited as part of EWR's forthcoming application.

Thanks SWT, (and other respondents) I had not realised how elevated the A41 was at that location. Having taken this much interest, I will certainly study your linked docs.

Incidentally, whilst investigating the probable car traffic desire lines from the South Bicester estates, I came upon the fact that Tesco has 9 (nine) stores in Bicester, including a larger store adjacent to the Village, off the A41, nearly an effective monopoly, to my mind. It looks like Gavray Drive was originally planned to be the 'escape route' to the centre from those southern estates. It still has a stub road at the northern end on Google Earth.

 

[alexx]

Incidentally, whilst investigating the probable car traffic desire lines from the South Bicester estates, I came upon the fact that Tesco has 9 (nine) stores in Bicester, including a larger store adjacent to the Village, off the A41, nearly an effective monopoly, to my mind. It looks like Gavray Drive was originally planned to be the 'escape route' to the centre from those southern estates. It still has a stub road at the northern end on Google Earth.

Actually it's five - one superstore and four express convenience stores on the estates. It was six but the arrival of a large Sainsburys in the town centre pretty much decimated the adjacent Tesco Metro.

There's a new Tesco Extra planned for the other side of the A41, and Bicester Village will be expanding to where the current store is. There's also a Lidl, Aldi and four convenience store sized Co-ops, so Tesco aren't as dominant as they were a few years back.

Re: Gavrey Drive, it predates my time in the area but from what I've read I think you're right as to what was intended. It's still possible but Aldi might lose their car park in the process...

 

[67018]

Actually it's five - one superstore and four express convenience stores on the estates. It was six but the arrival of a large Sainsburys in the town centre pretty much decimated the adjacent Tesco Metro.

There's a new Tesco Extra planned for the other side of the A41, and Bicester Village will be expanding to where the current store is. There's also a Lidl, Aldi and four convenience store sized Co-ops, so Tesco aren't as dominant as they were a few years back.

Re: Gavrey Drive, it predates my time in the area but from what I've read I think you're right as to what was intended. It's still possible but Aldi might lose their car park in the process...

Yes, the locals used to refer to the place as 'Tesco Town' but it was hardly a monopoly even before the Sainsburys, Aldi and Lidl opened. (Some people just drove down the road to Kidlington Sainsburys or used the Co-op)

Gavray Drive is one of the alternatives being looked at on the latest County Council document I saw, and to me looks like the most likely solution. Moving the A41 is likely to happen after East West Rail as part of the Graven Hill redevelopment - it's listed under '2030+' in the 'Bicester Masterplan' from 'Eco Bicester' (see page 11) http://www.ecobicester.org.uk/cms/s...ter/docs/BicesterMasterplanPhase1Concept1.pdf

 

[alexx]

The freight services across the chord and through Bicester Village (Town) have been cancelled for this coming week according to Realtime Trains (there's no data showing at all on Open Train Times, not even for the bus replacement).

I can't get too close as the site is closed quite far back along Station Approach, but Bicester Village (Town) station looks like it's pretty much done.

 

[Andyjs247]

The freight services across the chord and through Bicester Village (Town) have been cancelled for this coming week according to Realtime Trains (there's no data showing at all on Open Train Times, not even for the bus replacement).

I can't get too close as the site is closed quite far back along Station Approach, but Bicester Village (Town) station looks like it's pretty much done.

The level crossing is still closed to rail traffic with temporary barriers to make a pedestrian path across the tracks.

Over at the chord itself the new footbridge is open at last. It's been in place for nearly a year but fenced off and inaccessible until last week. The footpath leads from Gavray Drive, over the chord then under the Chiltern line towards Jarvis Lane. With good views of all lines it's set to become a super location for photography. The path is a bit muddy at the moment if you go down there at the moment though.
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Driver training seems to have started on the mainline (but not using the chord). There are a number of STP and VSTP ECS paths in realtime trains for next week, and I'm fairly sure I saw one of the first 168/3 sets (ex TPE 170/3) in action on Friday, which I suspect was a training run. Realtime trains shows it as 5Z02 - saw it going into Bicester North then returning south almost immediately around 1520/5.

 

[alexx]

The level crossing is still closed to rail traffic with temporary barriers to make a pedestrian path across the tracks.

Ah thanks, I haven't been down there for a few days. might go for a wander tomorrow.

Driver training seems to have started on the mainline (but not using the chord). There are a number of STP and VSTP ECS paths in realtime trains for next week, and I'm fairly sure I saw one of the first 168/3 sets (ex TPE 170/3) in action on Friday, which I suspect was a training run. Realtime trains shows it as 5Z02 - saw it going into Bicester North then returning south almost immediately around 1520/5.

Do the ex TPE 170/3 sets have pink/purple handrails by any chance? I'm sure was on one the other day, spotted it and didn't think too much beyond the fact it was a different colour.

 

[route:oxford]

Over at the chord itself the new footbridge is open at last. It's been in place for nearly a year but fenced off and inaccessible until last week. The footpath leads from Gavray Drive, over the chord then under the Chiltern line towards Jarvis Lane. With good views of all lines it's set to become a super location for photography.

I'm just waiting on the next headline in the Oxford Mail:-

"Nursery managers terrified by photographers on bridge."

 

[Dampflok]

Having noted on RTT that 6A49 was running last Thursday, 17th September, I went to Bicester to see it, hopefully from the new footbridge over the chord. To my surprise this was open, though the work site there is still in operation.

Signals on the chord are lit, but stop boards were still in place near Gavray Junction, the tracks quite rusty.

6A49 turned up eventually, running rather late, and was the longest train I've seen on this working, so perhaps it was expected that it may not run again for a while - I didn't see 6A48 on the return though. As the train was not booked to run on Friday 18th September and according to RTT routed via the chord from today, 21st September, I thought this may be last time the train ran via Claydon.

However, it now appears on RTT for this week as still being via Claydon and not via the chord until next week from the 28th September - though it has been cancelled for today.

The new footbridge does make an excellent vantage point at the moment, but whether it will get caged in future is another matter. There is little in the way of trees and bushes at present, at least until the tree-planters get busy!

A few photos on my site starting with this one:

https://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/September-2015/i-BTQ8ZvD/A

followed by several more.

168 329 has been out on driver training runs for some time, its first being on 9th September 2015:





and subsequently:



"Clickable" images.

These training runs continuing at the moment - it hasn't appeared in passenger service as yet, as far as I'm aware.

Cheers, Geoff

 

[swt_passenger]

I'm just waiting on the next headline in the Oxford Mail:-

"Nursery managers terrified by photographers on bridge."

The post by Andyjs247 refers to a different bridge, the one on the Chord itself.

The Oxford Mail have already run all the panic stories about the one with all the ramps at Tubbs Lane, the one overlooking the nursery school, a year or so back; despite all the implications having been publicly addressed in the TWA inquiry.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Having noted on RTT that 6A49 was running last Thursday, 17th September, I went to Bicester to see it, hopefully from the new footbridge over the chord. To my surprise this was open, though the work site there is still in operation.

Full details are in the relevant WONs, but it essentially involves the possession being given up for a few hours a day a couple of times a week to allow said trains to run...at least in theory!

 

[ironstone11]

For the week beginning Sept. 28, Realtime Trains is showing a lot of activity on the line.

Look like driver training runs.

 

[MarkRedon]

Railfuture has an interesting link to photographs by John Elvin taken in July which show considerable progress on the Oxford Parkway link from Marylebone and also vegetation clearance on the East-West railway. See http://www.railfuture.org.uk/article1609-Oxford-countdown.

 

[Andyjs247]

For the week beginning Sept. 28, Realtime Trains is showing a lot of activity on the line.

Look like driver training runs.

I suspect so, but there are some strange things in the detailed view. I do wonder how some get up to 224mph though.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

So when is the sextention to Oxford happening then?

 

[ironstone11]

So when is the sextention to Oxford happening then?

According to an earlier post and quoting the Oxford Mail, they are suggesting 'summer' of 2016.

 

[RPM]

I'm surprised nobody here has commented on the use of spitting distant signals for the approach to Bicester South Junction. They don't even feature in the current rule book, although presumably they will reappear in the next amendment. Even stranger, the outer splitting distant (ME353) can display a red aspect, so isn't technically a distant signal. All very curious.

 

[The Planner]

Are they different to the ones that are at Tilehurst then?

 

[route:oxford]

So when is the extension to Oxford happening then?

Not soon enough!

Although a letter this week to the Oxford Mail from one of the leading opponents of the line (and from a political party I'm forbidden from mentioning in the forums) questions whether Oxford Parkway station will be opened in time.

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/op...ay_station_autumn_opening_set_to_be_delayed_/

How likely is that Network Rail and Chiltern will fail to open the new line on time? It's being heavily promoted on "Jack" and I've already bought my ticket for the first Saturday it is open.

 

[RPM]

Are they different to the ones that are at Tilehurst then?

I'm not familiar with the ones at Tilehurst. Are they a recent installation or have they been there some time? I was led to believe at the BiOx route briefing that the splitting distants at Bicester were the only ones currently on the network, excluding splitting banners which are commonplace.

 

[The Planner]

Unless they were removed as part of Reading, they have been there years.

Danny Scroggins site shows examples. Here and Here

 

[coppercapped]

I'm not familiar with the ones at Tilehurst. Are they a recent installation or have they been there some time? I was led to believe at the BiOx route briefing that the splitting distants at Bicester were the only ones currently on the network, excluding splitting banners which are commonplace.

There are, or at least were, splitting distants on the Down Main on the GW east of Hayes and Harlington for the original 90mph (now 75mph) turnouts for the Heathrow Airport branch at Airport Junction. I haven't travelled Down with my head out of the window for some time to check whether they are still there...

 

[RPM]

Unless they were removed as part of Reading, they have been there years.

Danny Scroggins site shows examples. Here and Here

I stand corrected. The only difference I can see with the Bicester ones is that the two heads are mounted on separate posts (not that this alters how they should be interpreted).

 

[Andyjs247]

I'm surprised nobody here has commented on the use of spitting distant signals for the approach to Bicester South Junction. They don't even feature in the current rule book, although presumably they will reappear in the next amendment. Even stranger, the outer splitting distant (ME353) can display a red aspect, so isn't technically a distant signal. All very curious.

Are they different to the ones that are at Tilehurst then?

Well I'm not terribly familiar with splitting distant signals but according to railsigns.co.uk the ones at Bicester South Jn are indeed different - the difference seems to be the height of the green aspect set for the diverging route.

In 2002, the principles for outer splitting distant signals changed again. The new principles saw a return to 1996 practice whereby one head would display a double yellow aspect while the other was showing green; however, the green aspect would be positioned higher or lower than both yellow lights in the other head [6.54], instead of being at equal height with one of them (see [6.53]). The first outer splitting distant signal was introduced in September 2015, on the approach to Bicester South Junction.

How do splitting distants work with bi-di signalling? At Bicester coming along the Down there is the possibility to take either of the diverging chord lines towards Oxford but as the speed is the same presumably it is not necessary to specify which route until later at the junction itself.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I went over the Charbridge Lane crossing at Bicester earlier this afternoon and noticed that the railway has now been fenced off with temporary barriers. It would seem that trains now must use the new chord to reach Bicester and won't be running via Claydon.

 

[Nippy]

I think the ones approaching Bicester are the only ones with an outer splitting distant. Also, the splitting distantly will only apply to one other line. If the route is set to the other line it will revert to approach release.

 

[RobLawrence]

Unless I've missed it, I still don't think we have seen a timetabled service on the chord yet, have we? The few freight services timetabled to have used that route have been cancelled.

Is that about to change today? There are a number of ECS movements in the timetable today that are timetabled that way. Perhaps I am wrong, but there did appear to be a number of hi-viz clad workers standing, waiting on the newly opened footbridge -- looking down the chord, perhaps with some expectation?!