Cambridge South new station construction progress.

[Gathursty]

Will be interesting to see if they do - I would expect Cambridge South to be the sixth busiest station on that line behind Birmingham New Street, Cambridge, Stansted Airport, Leicester, and Peterborough so there could be a case but given it’s almost an intercity style service (albeit with a 170) two stops within 3.5km of each other seems unlikely to me.

Consider Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley and Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Consider Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley and Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Oxford Road.

Exactly!

 

[mr_moo]

I recognise why the twin island platforms were dismissed and I assume the platforms will be broadly as follows: 1 and 2 towards London LS/KX and Stansted. In terms of 3 and 4 towards Cambridge - there could be potentially for a bit of platform swapping depending on which train comes in first.

Correct - 1/2 Southbound, 3/4 Northbound.

Naturally with the outer platforms only being served by loops there wont be a time when two trains arrive at the same time and there's ambiguity re which will go first, unless something is being held to allow a later one to overtake, which I'm sure will happen at some point, especially if it's used to assist with correct platforming at Cambridge.

 

[camflyer]

Great news. And also a good example of how much work goes into gaining consent for what is, compared to many proposals, a relatively straightforward project. Great effort by the team involved for the last 3-4 years.

Also a great lesson for what happens if you go into a Public Inquiry without having thought through your proposal - see the comprehensive dismissal of the alternative put forward by Smarter Cambridge Transport (Section 10.4). Not a very ‘Smart’ proposal.

Especially when the former Mayor said that the station only needed a "couple of platforms" and could be be built inside a year.

 

[Magdalia]

Especially when the former Mayor said that the station only needed a "couple of platforms" and could be be built inside a year.

I remember being at a meeting in 2018 attended by both Mayor Palmer and the then leader of Cambridge City Council Lewis Herbert. Palmer bet Herbert a bottle of champagne that Cambridge South would be completed by 2021, and I still wonder whether Herbert ever got his champagne.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Thats the legals sorted but does it have funding to proceed with physical works?

 

[Bald Rick]

Thats the legals sorted but does it have funding to proceed with physical works?

Yes, funding was confirmed years ago.

 

[mr_moo]

Yes, funding was confirmed years ago.

Indeed, the project team are working hard and construction contracts are already in place, with site works starting in the quite near future.

 

[D365]

I remember being at a meeting in 2018 attended by both Mayor Palmer and the then leader of Cambridge City Council Lewis Herbert. Palmer bet Herbert a bottle of champagne that Cambridge South would be completed by 2021, and I still wonder whether Herbert ever got his champagne.

Palmer always struck me as odd, but what bought about the bottle of bubbly?

 

[mr_moo]

There's a pretty good news article with summary info here: https://www.newcivilengineer.com/la...ommendation&utm_campaign=Recommended_Articles

Green light for new £184M Cambridge South train station​

22 Dec, 2022 By Rob Hakimian








The Department for Transport (DfT) has granted a transport and works act order (TWAO) to Network Rail for the construction of its brand new Cambridge South railway station.
The station will be next to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, an area highlighted as having potential for major change. The new Cambridge South station will connect it with potential destinations such as London, London Stansted Airport, Ely, Birmingham and onwards to Europe.
In the future, East West Rail services from Bedford to Cambridge could also stop at the new station, depending on the final alignment for its third connection stage. A decision on that is expected soon.
An early appraisal of the scheme projected a cost of £183.6M to deliver the new station and related infrastructure. An outline business case suggested that this would largely come through Network Rail’s control period funding; £72.3M from CP6 (2019-2024) and £101.2M from CP7 (2024-2029).
On top of the construction of the new station, the TWAO gives Network Rail permission to carry out improvements at Shepreth Branch Junction and create a new connection between existing lines at Hills Road to improve access to the new station. The rail operator is also expected to replace two level crossings with a new accommodation bridge, create a new railway systems compound with a substation, signalling and telecommunications, create the supporting drainage works, hard and soft landscaping and the ancillary infrastructure such as fencing, lighting and electrical connections.
The DfT said that permission has been granted as the Cambridge South scheme will “significantly contribute to sustainable transport, support rail connections regionally, encourage modal shift, and support the development of environmentally sustainable transport in Cambridge, thereby contributing to broader environmental benefits such as transport decarbonisation”, as well as “reinforce the role of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, contributing to its further growth and sustainability”.



The planning inspector and transport secretary Mark Harper have acknowledged that the construction of the station will have “a significant detrimental impact on users of Hobson’s Park”, which is adjacent to the west of the proposed development and rail alignment. It will cause visual harm to the character of the park and 20,439m2 of the land will be used up for a construction compound. However, these effects will be temporary and partially reversible, and it is deemed that these issues would be outweighed by the scheme’s “very considerable public benefits”.
It is predicted that the scheme will see the loss of about 0.26ha of mature trees, 0.45ha of broadleaved plantation woodland and, during construction, the significant loss of habitat for birds. There will be a mandatory biodiversity net gain of 10%, though this will be off site. Other mitigation actions will be taken to minimise the disruption of habitats and the planning inspector and secretary of state agree that the scheme will not give rise to significant harm to biodiversity overall.
The development of the station building cannot commence until full details of the scale, massing and external appearance, including details of floor and roof plans, elevations, and long sections of the development have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.

 

[MikePJ]

Palmer always struck me as odd, but what bought about the bottle of bubbly?

I met him a few years ago (for a meeting about cycle infrastructure) - he is indeed a bit odd, but a lot of that was that he was extremely focussed on getting re-elected, even by the standards of most politicians! His manifesto as mayor was that he wanted to "get stuff done quickly", hence his bet with Lewis Herbert (a much more experienced local politician) that he could build a station quickly. Palmer's flagship policy was the Ely southern bypass, which was built on a money-no-object-just-get-it-done-quickly basis, and which was delayed and overspent because it was inadequately planned due to political pressure.

 

[bspahh]

I met him a few years ago (for a meeting about cycle infrastructure) - he is indeed a bit odd, but a lot of that was that he was extremely focussed on getting re-elected, even by the standards of most politicians! His manifesto as mayor was that he wanted to "get stuff done quickly", hence his bet with Lewis Herbert (a much more experienced local politician) that he could build a station quickly. Palmer's flagship policy was the Ely southern bypass, which was built on a money-no-object-just-get-it-done-quickly basis, and which was delayed and overspent because it was inadequately planned due to political pressure.

The Ely Southern Bypass had been in planning stages for ages. Then it got pushed through quickly. Some of the ground surveys which would normally done in 3 months were done in something like 4-6 weeks. When they came to build it, they found that the foundations had to go a lot deeper, and the cost of the project rose from £36m to £49m. There was another delay when they realised that they would need to replace an overhead power line with an underground one. Given more time for the preparatory work, perhaps these would have been spotted. You would still need to have deep foundations, but perhaps other bits of the specification could have been trimmed to save some cash.

In a previous discussion, Bald Rick commented:

"There’s a saying in civil engineering:

You pay for your ground investigations whether you do them or not."

 

[Bald Rick]

The Ely Southern Bypass had been in planning stages for ages. Then it got pushed through quickly. Some of the ground surveys which would normally done in 3 months were done in something like 4-6 weeks. When they came to build it, they found that the foundations had to go a lot deeper, and the cost of the project rose from £36m to £49m. There was another delay when they realised that they would need to replace an overhead power line with an underground one. Given more time for the preparatory work, perhaps these would have been spotted. You would still need to deep foundations, but perhaps other bits of the specification could have been trimmed to save some cash.

Reading this I was going to wheel out the quote, but then I read on…

In a previous discussion, Bald Rick commented:

"There’s a saying in civil engineering:

You pay for your ground investigations whether you do them or not."

… and you saved me this job!

 

[bspahh]

Reading this I was going to wheel out the quote, but then I read on…



… and you saved me this job!

Searching, copying and pasting is most of my day job. I usually proof read it first though!

I'm just glad we are going to get a decent Cambridge South station, rather than Palmer's 2 platforms with hardly anything stopping there.

I live in Ely, so the bypass is OK for me. It got built, and it still has a pedestrian walkway for a nice walk up and down the river. If I was a tax payer somewhere else in Cambridgeshire, I might have a different view. They aren't going to use the walkway, but still have to pay for the overspend, when it could have been built for something closer to the original budget, if it hadn't been rushed for short term political gain.

 

[Magdalia]

I cycled round the station site at the weekend. Nothing is going on yet apart from posting of signs, in at least 5 places, relating to compulsory purchase of land.

I also took a detour down Purbeck Road, having earlier seen some evidence of activity from the busway. There is a new concrete foundation, big enough for a small hut or some lineside cabinets, just south of the end of Purbeck Road. Next to it is a 10/12 car and FLU stop marker which I don't recall being there before. So it looks like that little bit of the project, which can progress within Network Rail's existing powers, has already started.

The weather was a bit too unpleasant to cycle all the way to Shepreth Branch Junction!

 

[mr_moo]

The stop markers will be part of the Cambridge resignalling - signalling works for CSIE haven't started yet at all. Cambridge comissioning is Christmas 2023 so things are being progressed ready for their changes.
The only evidence of actual site works so far for CSIE is a new access point that has been built.
(I have some level of insider knowledge on this project)

 

[mr_moo]

Site works have started - the first materials have arrived - some stone, down near Addenbrookes road.

 

[Magdalen Road]

Does anyone know what the impact of the Cambridge South building works is going to be on the usual train services. This weekend there were replacement buses between Cambridge and Royston. Are there going to be months of weekend altered services? I use the train for weekend travel with a bicycle which are not allowed on buses.

 

[adamedwards]

I would expect there to be some weekends when the line is shut, not least for the trackwork at Shepreth Junction. But then the railway does that every so often anyway. Based on the example of Brent Cross West I would not expect there to be many more weekend closures than there normally are for other reasons. As for the bicycle, the only solution I can think of is a folding bike. I appreciate that's not especially helpful.

 

[dk1]

Cambridge South is a lot more complex than Cambridge North construction wise as will have two island platforms. Not only the construction of it but Shepreth Branch Jcn is to be remodelled too so I would expect quite a bit of varying disruption over the next couple of years.

 

[Brubulus]

Does anyone know what the impact of the Cambridge South building works is going to be on the usual train services. This weekend there were replacement buses between Cambridge and Royston. Are there going to be months of weekend altered services? I use the train for weekend travel with a bicycle which are not allowed on buses.

I did notice both lines into Cambridge from London were shut this weekend. Should be avoided where possible so one of the lines is always open.

 

[dk1]

I did notice both lines into Cambridge from London were shut this weekend. Should be avoided where possible so one of the lines is always open.

That unfortunately cannot be in the case of Cambridge South & Shepreth Branch Jcn work.

 

[Brubulus]

That unfortunately cannot be in the case of Cambridge South & Shepreth Branch Jcn work.

I understand, but given that I believe it's separate works on each line further south(correct me if i'm wrong) but to shut both lines seems like an error)
They could at least terminate GN services at Foxton given the presence of a crossover there. WA could run to Whittlesford, however they'll probably be cut back to Royston and Bishops Stortford...

 

[D365]

Cambridge South is a lot more complex than Cambridge North construction wise as will have two island platforms. Not only the construction of it but Shepreth Branch Jcn is to be remodelled too so I would expect quite a bit of varying disruption over the next couple of years.

Does anybody have a track diagram to hand?

 

[dk1]

Does anybody have a track diagram to hand?

Sorry no but I think it was on the Rail Future site.

 

[zwk500]

Does anybody have a track diagram to hand?

It's not 100% but the Project page here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...he-railway-in-anglia/cambridge-south-station/ has a file 'NR13 Deemed Planning Drawings' that show the planned layout.
Essentially, Shepreth Branch gets a slightly smoother alignment but remains a 2-track flat junction and Cambridge south is Side-Island-Side layout, with the tracks as 2 loops, Paired by direction (So no cross-platform interchange between same-direction trains). The line remains 2-tracks either side of Cambridge South, albeit quite briefly in both directions.

What would happen with EWR is a separate discussion.

 

[Class 170101]

Cambridge South is a lot more complex than Cambridge North construction wise as will have two island platforms. Not only the construction of it but Shepreth Branch Jcn is to be remodelled too so I would expect quite a bit of varying disruption over the next couple of years.

Two side platforms and one island platform at Cambridge South. Cambridge resignalling also to happen during this period so hopefully lots of piggybacking on that has been planned.

I did notice both lines into Cambridge from London were shut this weekend. Should be avoided where possible so one of the lines is always open.

i would agree with you but in this case Cambridge South Station is between Cambridge and Shepreth Branch Jn so this isn't possible as @dk1 highlights below

That unfortunately cannot be in the case of Cambridge South & Shepreth Branch Jcn work.

I understand, but given that I believe it's separate works on each line further south(correct me if i'm wrong) but to shut both lines seems like an error)

No its a shared section between GTR, GA and XC see comments of mine and @dk1 above.

They could at least terminate GN services at Foxton given the presence of a crossover there. WA could run to Whittlesford, however they'll probably be cut back to Royston and Bishops Stortford...

Remember there may be bus issues at Foxton and Whittlesford which may mean it isn't possible to use those crossovers. Cambridge PSB also covers to somewhere north of Stansted North Jn so that may well be a reason to not run north of Stansted Airport.

It's not 100% but the Project page here: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...he-railway-in-anglia/cambridge-south-station/ has a file 'NR13 Deemed Planning Drawings' that show the planned layout.
Essentially, Shepreth Branch gets a slightly smoother alignment but remains a 2-track flat junction and Cambridge south is Side-Island-Side layout, with the tracks as 2 loops, Paired by direction (So no cross-platform interchange between same-direction trains). The line remains 2-tracks either side of Cambridge South, albeit quite briefly in both directions.

Indeed @zwk500 describes it better than I do, though I should point out Shepreth Branch Jn, I understand, ceases to become a fixed diamond junction.

What would happen with EWR is a separate discussion.

Total understatement of the century and the layout is, in my opinion, rather short sighted.

 

[zwk500]

Indeed @zwk500 describes it better than I do, though I should point out Shepreth Branch Jn, I understand, ceases to become a fixed diamond junction.

Has it not already been replaced with a crossover ladder? Appears to do so from Google maps (although the resolution isn't great)

Total understatement of the century and the layout is, in my opinion, rather short sighted.

I don't think it's that bad - when EWR comes in by far the most sensible layout is paired by use, as it limits crossing moves of terminating trains. So you'll have an eastern pair of tracks for the GEML WAML and a western pair for the EWR/GN route. It does mean you'll have to fiddle with Cambridge South as it would then be D/U/D/U rather than D/D/U/U, but until the 4-tracking happens there's no point introducing the extra conflicts.

 

[Class 170101]

Has it not already been replaced with a crossover ladder? Appears to do so from Google maps (although the resolution isn't great)

Hmmmm, I'll have a look next time I'm up there

I don't think it's that bad - when EWR comes in by far the most sensible layout is paired by use, as it limits crossing moves of terminating trains. So you'll have an eastern pair of tracks for the WAML and a western pair for the EWR/GN route. It does mean you'll have to fiddle with Cambridge South as it would then be D/U/D/U rather than D/D/U/U, but until the 4-tracking happens there's no point introducing the extra conflicts.

If EWR terminates at Cambridge I agree with you, its if it doesn't that concerns me and they seem very keen to head towards Norwich and / or Ipswich.

 

[Bald Rick]

Does anyone know what the impact of the Cambridge South building works is going to be on the usual train services. This weekend there were replacement buses between Cambridge and Royston. Are there going to be months of weekend altered services? I use the train for weekend travel with a bicycle which are not allowed on buses.

I did notice both lines into Cambridge from London were shut this weekend. Should be avoided where possible so one of the lines is always open.

This weekend was for .Cambridge resignalling. Obviously difficult to run any trains without signalling.

The disruption for the station will overlap with the resignalling disruption to a certain extent, ie two jobs for one set of disruption.

Has it not already been replaced with a crossover ladder? Appears to do so from Google maps (although the resolution isn't great)

Yes it’s a junction with standard pointwork, no diamond.