Cambridge South new station construction progress.

[Lewisham2221]

That is a beautiful looking station, light and airy!

Is that not what looks like a ticket office by the first ticket barriers? Or does it need to be a separate room for it to qualify?

Looks too close to the ticket barriers for a ticket office EDIT: actually, it appears to be the wrong side of the gateline to be a ticket office - I'm assuming it's a station supervisors office, or similar, with the window to allow them to monitor the gateline?

 

[mr_moo]

That is a beautiful looking station, light and airy!

Indeed, I'm looking forward to seeing it take shape, and it's really interesting to be a part of making this.

Is that not what looks like a ticket office by the first ticket barriers? Or does it need to be a separate room for it to qualify?

No, that's the station control room. That's where announcements and decisions etc will come from.

 

[J-2739]

Looks too close to the ticket barriers for a ticket office EDIT: actually, it appears to be the wrong side of the gateline to be a ticket office - I'm assuming it's a station supervisors office, or similar, with the window to allow them to monitor the gateline?

No, that's the station control room. That's where announcements and decisions etc will come from.

Doh! Obviously it can't be the ticket office as it is on the other side of the gateline!

 

[mr_moo]

Lol. No worries - easy mistake to make. It is a nice big window!

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Doh! Obviously it can't be the ticket office as it is on the other side of the gateline!

Have you been to Blackburn or Rochdale? They fit that bill!

 

[Trainbike46]

Standards require us to do the 'old and inferior' 915 I'm afraid!
Level boarding makes it more difficult for other trains in terms of gauging and causes other issues, so we're going with standard heights and offsets.

Ticket office - yes, there is no ticket office in the design.

On top of that, some of the passenger stock on the line has a floor height designed to match the standard platform height!

Level boarding is better achieved by specifying the trains meet the platforms, not the other way round

 

[zwk500]

Level boarding is better achieved by specifying the trains meet the platforms, not the other way round

This requires, first of all, a consistent platform height.

 

[59CosG95]

On top of that, some of the passenger stock on the line has a floor height designed to match the standard platform height!

Level boarding is better achieved by specifying the trains meet the platforms, not the other way round

I'm fairly sure there's a Network Rail standard for platform heights, but there are so many instances of stations not meeting this due to grandfather rights of the stock operating them.

 

[Bald Rick]

I'm fairly sure there's a Network Rail standard for platform heights, but there are so many instances of stations not meeting this due to grandfather rights of the stock operating them.

915mm

(aka 3 feet)

 

[59CosG95]

915mm

(aka 3 feet)

That rung a bell! It is astounding so many new trains have doors that are above this level, although this probably warrants its own thread.

Back on topic, I've passed through Cambridge South today, and I can confirm that OLE piles are now in place on both sides of the line, in varying states of "driven-into-the-ground-ness" from Shelford Jn northwards.
Time to say auf wiedersehen to the headspans there then!

 

[mr_moo]

I'm fairly sure there's a Network Rail standard for platform heights, but there are so many instances of stations not meeting this due to grandfather rights of the stock operating them.

Yep, platforms are indeed 915mm target height. Here's an extract from the relevant standard, which is an RSSB level standard, not a Network Rail one (GIRT7020):


Agreed - there are a LOT of platforms that do not meet this standard, and, of course, as tracks are maintained, and often tamped (and the only way is up in tamping!) then tracks do often get a bit high (or platforms get a bit low, depending on your viewpoint).

That rung a bell! It is astounding so many new trains have doors that are above this level, although this probably warrants its own thread.

Indeed it does. I'm often amazed at how variable trains doors and footstep positions are. Hurrah for consistently applied standards...

Back on topic, I've passed through Cambridge South today, and I can confirm that OLE piles are now in place on both sides of the line, in varying states of "driven-into-the-ground-ness" from Shelford Jn northwards.
Time to say auf wiedersehen to the headspans there then!

Plently of them, but not all of them.
The next two possessions will see a fair few changes to the OLE arrangements...
And yes, by the time we're done, there will be no headspans in any area we've touched!

 

[Steve Harris]

That rung a bell! It is astounding so many new trains have doors that are above this level, although this probably warrants its own thread.

Back on topic, I've passed through Cambridge South today, and I can confirm that OLE piles are now in place on both sides of the line, in varying states of "driven-into-the-ground-ness" from Shelford Jn northwards.
Time to say auf wiedersehen to the headspans there then!

I think you mean Shepreth Branch Junction.

 

[Nodding Cat Ch]

Is there going to retail at the station?

 

[wagnaga]

Is there going to retail at the station?

If there is will it be occupied? Only the Costa at Cambridge North has being taken. The convenience store is still vacant though I think the wider area if coming along and that might go into a unit opposite the station and hotel.

 

[Nodding Cat Ch]

Here's a mock up poster.


The new crossing on the busway is finished.


Taken from the busway bridge yesterday

 

[MikeWM]

If there is will it be occupied? Only the Costa at Cambridge North has being taken. The convenience store is still vacant though I think the wider area if coming along and that might go into a unit opposite the station and hotel.

Yes, once that new 6-floor office building (finally) gets opened and filled up, which seems imminent, I suspect someone or other will take that on, as there is nothing else within half a mile walk in any direction.

 

[higthomas]

Yes, once that new 6-floor office building (finally) gets opened and filled up, which seems imminent, I suspect someone or other will take that on, as there is nothing else within half a mile walk in any direction.

Im not so sure. There's going to be a Co-op in the ground floor of that building. Perhaps Network Rail rents are too high.

https://www.businessweekly.co.uk/ne...t-england-co-op-hits-cambridge-two-new-stores

Regional co-operative the East of England Co-op is headhunting staff for two Cambridge food stores opening this year.

It is recruiting an unspecified number of people from customer service assistants to team managers as it expands its regional reach into Cambridgeshire.

The first store will open in Waterbeach this summer with a second at the new One Cambridge Square development at Cambridge North station later this year.

 

[mr_moo]

Is there going to retail at the station?

That's one I can't answer at this time I'm afraid. Another for the 'ask me again in about 12 months time' pile!

 

[MikeWM]

Im not so sure. There's going to be a Co-op in the ground floor of that building. Perhaps Network Rail rents are too high.

Ah, I wasn't aware of that, thanks. That does seem to be a bit of a fail for NR to have the space but have lost the business.

 

[Bald Rick]

Ah, I wasn't aware of that, thanks. That does seem to be a bit of a fail for NR to have the space but have lost the business.

Very unlikely to be NR letting it out.

 

[neill]

A few more photos from Sunday taken from the busway bridge. Looks like the platforms are continuing to take shape and culverts over the drain now almost complete.

 

[Magdalia]

The Cambridge South station design, including cycle parking provision, has been agreed by local councillors. Further details here:

Cambridge South station design agreed by councillors

Cambridge South station is being built near the city's Biomedical Campus.

www.bbc.co.uk

Councillors have agreed proposals for the design of Cambridge South Station and its cycle parking.
Initial work on the site began in spring, with the £200m station due to be built off Francis Crick Avenue in the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Overall plans were approved by the government in December.
At a meeting of the two local planning authorities, councillors heard the station would have a biodiverse roof, with rainwater collected and reused.
The plans also include 1,000 cycle parking spaces, split evenly across each side of the station.

 

[neill]

The Cambridge South station design, including cycle parking provision, has been agreed by local councillors. Further details here:

Cambridge South station design agreed by councillors

Cambridge South station is being built near the city's Biomedical Campus.

www.bbc.co.uk

More here: https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=497&MId=4353&Ver=4, including plans.

 

[Silenos]

Note that design of the station is in the later stages of detailed design but there are still some parts subject to change so this will be mostly what the station will look like, but not 100%

Well I hope that it does end up like this - it seems a vastly superior design to Cambridge North!

 

[Nodding Cat Ch]

Edges of platforms 3, and 4 (!) now in position (taken last Wednesday)


No changes at Shepreth Junction yet.

 

[neill]

Some photos from yesterday. Lots of sleepers to the north of the busway bridge waiting for something.

 

[mr_moo]

Well I hope that it does end up like this - it seems a vastly superior design to Cambridge North!

It wont be too far off that. We're at a high level of design completion. It's not going to get any wholesale changes, but some of the specifics of exact positions, the materials, the connections, the finishings, equipment, signage, art work, etc - smaller more detail level stuff, is still being worked upon. Overall, that is indeed what the station will more or less look like.
I agree - it's going to look amazing (and better than Cambridge North!).

I'm really looking forward to seeing those designs all coming to life and I'll be very proud to have been part of it.

View attachment 141295
Edges of platforms 3, and 4 (!) now in position (taken last Wednesday)

Indeed - I meant to mention that. That is indeed the final location of the front (Edit: actually the rear) face wall of platform 4. You can get a reasonable view of the station layout coming to life now.

View attachment 141296
No changes at Shepreth Junction yet.

Not quite. What you will spot in your photo is the new piles for the new OLE masts (dark CHS piles with wooden caps). Not much, but we've definately started there too!

Some photos from yesterday. Lots of sleepers to the north of the busway bridge waiting for something.

The next two sets of track works will be:
1) Construction of the tracks through the future platforms 3 and 4 which will happen gradually during the day. It's virgin ground so slower, plus it's in a place where we don't need possessions (apart from the bits at the ends where it gets close).
2) Renewals at the North end of the site, currently scheduled for October/November this year.


Sorry I've been a bit quiet - life is so busy at present!!

Some updates from me then:

This is the front (Edit: rear) face wall of platform 4 from a closer angle. No-where near complete yet, but it's showing the space and the layout a bit better:


This is the almost complete front face wall of platform 1 (There's a few sections that wont be built for a while yet, as we need to get other plant etc in past where the wall ends will go):



And this rather boring looking photo is actually an extremely important one...


This is an archological dig we've done to ensure there's nothing of archological significance there before we proceed with driving piles down etc and destroying anything there.

 

[swt_passenger]

Some updates from me then:

This is the front face wall of platform 4 from a closer angle. No-where near complete yet, but it's showing the space and the layout a bit better:
View attachment 141335

I‘m confused now. I thought you’d said the black waterproof coating was on the inside, so isn’t that right hand wall the back face of P4?

 

[neill]

This is an archological dig we've done to ensure there's nothing of archological significance there before we proceed with driving piles down etc and destroying anything there.

Ah - thanks for sharing that, I couldn’t work out what they were for. I was looking at those holes and thought someone must have been playing with the plant. You can just see the area in question to the right in my photo 4574

I‘m confused now. I thought you’d said the black waterproof coating was on the inside, so isn’t that right hand wall the back face of P4?

Must be rear face surely. Unless it’s a very close up view of where the front face will be in future

 

[Silenos]

I agree - it's going to look amazing (and better than Cambridge North!).

I'm really looking forward to seeing those designs all coming to life and I'll be very proud to have been part of it.

Justifiably!

Sorry I've been a bit quiet - life is so busy at present!!

I think we all appreciate being given so much insight into the work involved in bringing this project to completion - on top of your day job!