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East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

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DarloRich

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Without knowing the detail of what is happening at this time, there is an overview of works required at the Flyover in powerpoint form by Andy Free, Alliance Head of Engineering Assurance. Originally presented to The Institution of Civil Engineers, Herts and Beds Section, 15th March 2018.
Bletchley Flyover from slide 48 on:
https://www.ice.org.uk/getattachmen.../East-West-Rail-Programme-slides-(1).pdf.aspx

Edited to add:
The final line of the presentation at slide 64 is:

thanks - that is very interesting. I was unaware an online copy of this presentation was available.
 
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hooverboy

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thanks - that is very interesting. I was unaware an online copy of this presentation was available.
so if they have concerns over the structural integrity of it then what is the point of putting a sticking plaster over it?
...better just demolish and put in a proper elevated chord that serves MKC as well.
 

richieb1971

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I read somewhere on here earlier that the viaduct/flyover is fit for purpose and just needed a slight upgrade.

There is nothing about cancelling the project, so somehow the trains need to go over the WCML.
 

swt_passenger

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I read somewhere on here earlier that the viaduct/flyover is fit for purpose and just needed a slight upgrade.

There is nothing about cancelling the project, so somehow the trains need to go over the WCML.
I suspect what they meant was that there would be certain aspects of the viaduct work (such as waterproofing) that couldn’t be accurately costed until it was deballasted.
 

hwl

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so if they have concerns over the structural integrity of it then what is the point of putting a sticking plaster over it?
...better just demolish and put in a proper elevated chord that serves MKC as well.
That is properly sorting it rather than a sticking plaster.

Many "Highways Agency" concrete bridges pre early 1990s have similar issues and solution are well understood.
 

Jorge Da Silva

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East West Rail Central Section will have capacity apparently for 6 trains per hour by 4 tracking the section between Cambridge station and Shrepreth Branch Junction according to Railfuture
https://www.railfuture.org.uk/ox-cam/


The Department for Transport has agreed with Network Rail that the new Cambridge South station (which would serve Addenbrooke's Hospital and the biometric campus) will be opened as a four-platform station with the railway doubled from two to four tracks between Cambridge station and Shrepreth Branch Junction (where the Liverpool Street and King's Cross lines diverge) ultimately allowing capacity for six trains per hour between Bedford and Cambridge.
 

Kingham West

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East West Rail Central Section will have capacity apparently for 6 trains per hour by 4 tracking the section between Cambridge station and Shrepreth Branch Junction according to Railfuture
https://www.railfuture.org.uk/ox-cam/
The Railfuture update is incredibly informative, I suspect Route A, ticks most boxes , for housing and economic growth.
The treasury is paying, so they want VFM ( except if it’s the expressway, with its 1:1.2 CBR.), and A ticks the boxes, lots of houses.
 

eastdyke

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Thank you very much for posting that link.
At last something written with a realisation that EWR will need to be designed to carry people, a lot of people. I can't quite square the possibility of 8 car trains for EWR with the 106m platforms proposed at Winslow/Woburn Sands/Ridgmont (ok don't stop there) but Bletchley High Level would be a big problem. Cambridge (classic) Station is noted as potentially having crowding issues. Not many! When I last scribbled some numbers I reckoned that by 2050 it would be used by something like those currently using Edinburgh Waverley.
Where would 6tph go?
A very good question.
Don't forget the freight at 1tph (off-peak).
Answer: About as far as Bedford (South Parkway) with what is currently proposed for EWR Western Section phase2, as what is included in that project for The (Marston) Vale could quite simply not cope.
 

camflyer

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The Railfuture update is incredibly informative, I suspect Route A, ticks most boxes , for housing and economic growth.
The treasury is paying, so they want VFM ( except if it’s the expressway, with its 1:1.2 CBR.), and A ticks the boxes, lots of houses.

Looks like Route A is the clear favourite now with most of the local councils along the route supporting it. As for Cambourne, I agree with the Railfuture submission, it does need much better public transport connections but EWR isn't the way to do it. A well designed Cambridge Metro would be complementary to EWR.

In other news, cold water has been poured on the plan for a "autonomous bus" network:

https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/metro-system-not-the-answer-experts-warn-9067053/
 

Bletchleyite

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I would support a tram network for Cambridge (battery power could be used, as per Birmingham, to avoid stringing wires all over the historic colleges in the central area). But as you say it would complement EWR, not replace it. The thing it could replace is the St Ives busway.
 

Jorge Da Silva

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the 6tph could go from Cambridge:

  • 4tph to Oxford From Cambridge
    • 2tph would be fast service calling Sandy, Bedford South, Bletchley and Oxford
      • 1tph: from Norwich (calling at Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford and Norwich)
      • 1tph from Ipswich (calling at Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Ipswich)
    • 2tph would be an stopping service (Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands, Ridgmont, Bedford South, Sandy, Bassingbourn, Cambridge South and Cambridge
  • 2tph from Cambridge to either Bedford Midland (should a Bedford South be built) or Bletchley
Plus the currently planned:

  • 2tph from Milton Keynes Central to Oxford calling at Bletchley, Winslow, Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway and Oxford
  • 1tph from Aylesbury to Milton Keynes Central calling at Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Winslow, Bletchley and Milton Keynes Central
  • 1tph from Bedford to Oxford calling at: Ridgmont, Woburn Sands, Bletchley, Winslow, Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway and Oxford.
 
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eastdyke

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.....
In other news, cold water has been poured on the plan for a "autonomous bus" network:
https://www.cambridgeindependent.co.uk/news/metro-system-not-the-answer-experts-warn-9067053/
Plus ça change! 'Gareth Dennis, director of consultancy Permanent Rail Engineering' denigrates a solution that involves ... no rails!!
Cambridge sure does need to sort out its 'last mile' transport. Whatever they do cars need to be removed from the central streets with all the ramifications of that.
At this rate heavy rail will be doing the best job. See the Network Rail piece linked by @Bald Rick above.
Doubling of Coldhams Lane Junc. to (nr) Teversham, and up the service from Newmarket (with a turnback there) to 3tph by 2043 would enable a new station at Cambridge 'East' (Cherry Hinton) to cater as both a parkway station and to serve the new developments in that vicinity.
Now for Cambridge 'West' ..... and of course someone still needs to find the money ......
But with £4bn(!!) mooted for CAM there seems to be plenty of that about :lol:
 

mr_jrt

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Still can't see the point of EWR going via Bassingbourn given Royston and Shepreth are so close (about 3 miles)...just seems such a waste.
 

a good off

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Still can't see the point of EWR going via Bassingbourn given Royston and Shepreth are so close (about 3 miles)...just seems such a waste.

What about the people in the area who want to travel to points west of Royston and Shepreth such as the Bedford, MK and Oxford areas or the people in the west who want to travel to the south Cambs and Royston areas?! Those people do exist and presently have no other alternatives to road transport! It isn’t all about London as people want to travel west too, including myself.
 

camflyer

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Plus ça change! 'Gareth Dennis, director of consultancy Permanent Rail Engineering' denigrates a solution that involves ... no rails!!
Cambridge sure does need to sort out its 'last mile' transport. Whatever they do cars need to be removed from the central streets with all the ramifications of that.
At this rate heavy rail will be doing the best job. See the Network Rail piece linked by @Bald Rick above.
Doubling of Coldhams Lane Junc. to (nr) Teversham, and up the service from Newmarket (with a turnback there) to 3tph by 2043 would enable a new station at Cambridge 'East' (Cherry Hinton) to cater as both a parkway station and to serve the new developments in that vicinity.
Now for Cambridge 'West' ..... and of course someone still needs to find the money ......
But with £4bn(!!) mooted for CAM there seems to be plenty of that about :lol:

By 2043? Ooohh... I can't wait.

Light rail with an underground central section seems to be the most sensible solution. It's proven technology (unlike this "autonomous buses". Combined with EWR, integrated bus services and a bigger car-free area then Cambridge might start to have a modern and usable transport system. Go around Europe and you will find a lot of similarly sized small historic cities which have managed it. I just hope Cambridge will before 2043 (weren't we all supposed to be using jet packs by then?)
 

Bletchleyite

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What about the people in the area who want to travel to points west of Royston and Shepreth such as the Bedford, MK and Oxford areas or the people in the west who want to travel to the south Cambs and Royston areas?! Those people do exist and presently have no other alternatives to road transport! It isn’t all about London as people want to travel west too, including myself.

Change at Cambridge? You can't have direct trains from every small village to everywhere else.
 

a good off

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Change at Cambridge? You can't have direct trains from every small village to everywhere else.

By the time I’ve changed at Cambridge and gone on a long round the houses journey via Cambourne, I’d be at work quicker in my car. A parkway station at Bassingbourn makes complete sense as it can serve both North Herts and South Cambs areas. With a quick and frequent service to points west it would certainly be well used by the people who don’t want to travel in the London direction.
 

eastdyke

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By 2043? Ooohh... I can't wait.

Light rail with an underground central section seems to be the most sensible solution. It's proven technology (unlike this "autonomous buses". Combined with EWR, integrated bus services and a bigger car-free area then Cambridge might start to have a modern and usable transport system. Go around Europe and you will find a lot of similarly sized small historic cities which have managed it. I just hope Cambridge will before 2043 (weren't we all supposed to be using jet packs by then?)
It's only 25 years :). 'They in Cambridge' have done pretty much b***er all in the last 25*
Be it CAM, light rail or magic carpet I still think that cost will rule out anything sub-surface.
*Edit - to remove cars from the centre. Apart of course from the guided bus.
 
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eastdyke

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By the time I’ve changed at Cambridge and gone on a long round the houses journey via Cambourne, I’d be at work quicker in my car. A parkway station at Bassingbourn makes complete sense as it can serve both North Herts and South Cambs areas. With a quick and frequent service to points west it would certainly be well used by the people who don’t want to travel in the London direction.
Not to mention the 43,000 new houses that it could find itself slap bang in the middle of.
 

Class 170101

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the 6tph could go from Cambridge:

  • 4tph to Oxford From Cambridge
    • 2tph would be fast service calling Sandy, Bedford South, Bletchley and Oxford
      • 1tph: from Norwich (calling at Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford and Norwich)
      • 1tph from Ipswich (calling at Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Stowmarket and Ipswich)

I am surprised that Cambridge South isn't included in this given it will probably need fast links to Oxford due to what Cambridge South will serve.
 

Mark24

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Driving from Winslow to Bicester last week I saw what looked like surveying teams measuring up the sections of track west of Winslow where the road crisscrosses under the railway, and near the level crossing by the old Launton station.
Could they finally be about to start building this project?
 

DarloRich

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Driving from Winslow to Bicester last week I saw what looked like surveying teams measuring up the sections of track west of Winslow where the road crisscrosses under the railway, and near the level crossing by the old Launton station.
Could they finally be about to start building this project?

No. Not yet
 
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