Felixstowe-Nuneaton

[deltic]

The upgrade work on the above route is anticipated to be complete by 2014. Will this result in all container trains from Felixstowe presently routed via North London Line being rerouted via Nuneaton - and what if any time savings will this provide?

 

[The Planner]

Time savings are fairly irrelevant in it, it is more capacity driven.

 

[GB]

The route is also generally shorter with regards to time and distance for most of the services but you will still get the odd working via London.

 

[Fred26]

Does that mean more services via the GOBLIN?

 

[Flywaver]

The route already has been upgraded. GBRF have a fair few diagrams that way. FL are doing road learning trips Peterborough Leicester last week.

 

[londonmidland]

The route already has been upgraded. GBRF have a fair few diagrams that way. FL are doing road learning trips Peterborough Leicester last week.

Do they do the route learning on weekdays or is it just on weekends?

 

[Bald Rick]

The upgrade work on the above route is anticipated to be complete by 2014. Will this result in all container trains from Felixstowe presently routed via North London Line being rerouted via Nuneaton - and what if any time savings will this provide?

In two words, no and maybe.

The upgrade is to cater for growth from the ports - the recently approved third terminal at Felixstowe for example. The exception is for engineering work - when the GEML is blocked overnight (as happens most weeknights from this January) all the night traffic will have to go via Peterboro'.

Time savings will be entirely due to not having to change engines or run round at Ipswich yard following completion of the new chord. On base timings it is quicker via London.

 

[eastdyke]

'The route already has been upgraded'

Still work to be done which has not yet started on site.

eg (as above) the Ipswich 'bacon' Chord due for construction 2012-14, I believe.

 

[Bald Rick]

It's a classic incremetal upgarde project, with bits coming into service regularly.

First was W10 clearance, next is a capacity upgrade between Bury St Edmunds and Ely (commissioning weekend after next), then Nuneaton North chord (under construction), then Ipswich Chord (2013), Ely - Soham doubling (2014), Leicester resignalling etc etc.

Each bit unlocks a little bit more capacity.

 

[TheBigD]

It's a classic incremetal upgarde project, with bits coming into service regularly.

First was W10 clearance, next is a capacity upgrade between Bury St Edmunds and Ely (commissioning weekend after next), then Nuneaton North chord (under construction), then Ipswich Chord (2013), Ely - Soham doubling (2014), Leicester resignalling etc etc.

Each bit unlocks a little bit more capacity.

Stand to be corrected but Ely-Soham isn't being doubled, but two long loops will be added to the single line.

Also, noticed this morning that the track between Peterborough and Leicester is getting quite rough in places.

 

[fsmr]

The route already has been upgraded. GBRF have a fair few diagrams that way. FL are doing road learning trips Peterborough Leicester last week.

tell us about it
The b!! crossings are down in Oakham all the time now before even more containers arrive

There is going at have to be some serious rethinks about the road network around here as it is splitting the town in half. Not using the up goods loop would help, as it can be 10 minutes if the train such as the Ketton cement has to start from the loop with Brooke rd crossing down (interlocked into the starter)
Of course if all those GBRF sheds were replaced by some 37s, things might be better
On another note, isnt 2014 a bit late, i thought it was being done due to the Olympics next year with pathing pressure around london not withstanding the loading gauge upgrade

 

[Flywaver]

Cambridgeshire County Council are asking local opinions in Ely and surrounding areas about options for a Bypass.. Too little too late. 23mill or 28mill for proposed bridges. The holding Lorry park seems to be best option. Ely already suffers and in these economic times i can't see how a bypass will get the green late. This was all discussed in 2003... Oh dear...

 

[Flywaver]

Just realised i meant Peterborough Nuneaton already upgraded....
Although it would be nice to have four tracks from Syston to South Wigston...

 

[GB]

On another note, isnt 2014 a bit late, i thought it was being done due to the Olympics next year with pathing pressure around london not withstanding the loading gauge upgrade

The initial time frame was 2012 to account for the olympics but I suspect there is enough capacity via cross country to cope. There will be no significant increase in traffic from Felixstowe untill the new terminal (end of 2012 currently) is built and even then pathings is severly limited on the branch.

As for the curve at Ipswich, I don't think its going to be the saving grace people (inc NR) wan't it to be as alot of services will still need to run round via the yard which in its self is due to be "remodeled".

 

[Waverley125]

the next step i suppose is OHL, which given that the line will, after the stuff announced in the IIP, form a link between 5 northbound electrified main lines is probably a good thing, as well as helping provide the capacity for a half-hourly passenger service (which there's certainly demand for east of Leicester)

 

[MK Tom]

Does anyone have a plan of the Nuneaton chord? I went past the works today on my way to Stafford and the preparatory works go a lot further north than I expected.

 

[dk1]

I have started to notice we are passing more freight on the Haughley-Ipswich leg of the route.

Also Stobart have recently run a trial Felixstowe...

www.directrailservices.com/NewsEvents/DRSrunstrialtrainforStobartRailfromFelixstowetoDIRFT2.aspx

 

[Flywaver]

It's being discussed in mess room talk that the route is starting to get rough in a fair few places. I'm sure a few Speed Restrictions will be in place soon... Oh great more talk of O.H.L... Only means more chaos.. No thanks.. Left all that.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Does anyone have a plan of the Nuneaton chord? I went past the works today on my way to Stafford and the preparatory works go a lot further north than I expected.

Its the top link on Google if you search for "Nuneaton Chord"

Looks fairly straightforward. Trains come from the Leicester branch as before but continue through platform 6, they then go over the bridge which takes Birmingham bound trains over the four tracks of the WCML. Instead of going on to Birmingham the new chord swings back towards the WCML, runs alongside it for a while before rejoining X number of SLUs up the road. I presume there will be an up to down crossover on the WCML so trains heading from the north to Felixtowe can also access the new chord and pass through Nuneaton via platform 7. If you are unfamiliar with the area then Nuneaton station is in the extreme top right of the map (actually it is just off the edge of the map) and the whole map has been rotated from the "normal" view because north-south runs from left to right of the picture instead of top to bottom. The WCML is pretty visible as a straightish line four fifths of the way up the map.

It is a pretty significant and rather elegant upgrade if you ask me.

 

[TheBigD]

It's being discussed in mess room talk that the route is starting to get rough in a fair few places. I'm sure a few Speed Restrictions will be in place soon... Oh great more talk of O.H.L... Only means more chaos.. No thanks.. Left all that.

From my trip across to Brum yesterday I can assure you that it's getting very rough in several places. Ketton-Luffenham-Manton and Whissendine-Saxby seemed particularly bad.

 

[MK Tom]

That's a good image of it, but yeah I had already found that one I was wondering if anyone has a schematic that shows the track layout and bridges etc?

 

[The Planner]

Looks fairly straightforward. Trains come from the Leicester branch as before but continue through platform 6, they then go over the bridge which takes Birmingham bound trains over the four tracks of the WCML. Instead of going on to Birmingham the new chord swings back towards the WCML, runs alongside it for a while before rejoining X number of SLUs up the road. I presume there will be an up to down crossover on the WCML so trains heading from the north to Felixtowe can also access the new chord and pass through Nuneaton via platform 7.

That's changed then since I last saw the plans then, if they are coming from Leicester and using the chord, you go bang road through 7. You won't need a crossover as you can reach the Leicester lines from the WCML anyway.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

It was pure conjecture on my part, just going on the map and what makes sense. Having platform 7 as a bi directional platform works too and in a lot of ways makes more sense. I wonder if it would be a true bi directional platform open for passenger services too?

 

[The Planner]

It is now AFAIK, it just doesn't get planned as one.

 

[Bald Rick]

Stand to be corrected but Ely-Soham isn't being doubled, but two long loops will be added to the single line.

Oh, err, whoops a bit ahead of myself. Watch this space.

 

[mappman1000]

Surprised its not been mentioned, but Trimley - just before Derby road is scheduled to be double tracked at some point

 

[GB]

That has been put back for several years.:-x

 

[mappman1000]

Yea, I'm a bit disappointed my local line isn't getting done, been in the pipeline for years now!

 

[Flywaver]

That's going to be an interesting Roller Coaster at Nuneaton. The curve upto the Arley route from WCML is already climbing..

 

[Bald Rick]

That has been put back for several years.:-x

Because the port are on the hook for it, know it is expensive, and don't want to pay.

But it raises a good (hypothetical) question.

What would benefit UK plc the most -
a) spending £30m+ on another track for an extra 20 freight trains a day, or,
b) replacing the Felixstowe passenger service with a bus to free up the same capacity