2015 Christmas to New Year major engineering works

Cletus · 6 Sep 2015

PLEASE NOTE: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY A 2015 THREAD. 2016 POSTS ARE FROM POST NUMBER 107

Let me be the first person to ask this :lol:

Any there any major engineering works already planned between Christmas and New Year in 2015?

I'm think about where to go in that period, so I'm looking at East Coast Mainline, West Coast Mainline and Midland Mainline + also lines in Kent.

I appreciate we are over the 12 week period for booking advance tickets, but I am looking to book hotels in advance of that date.

Thank you in advance for any information.

RailUK Forums

david737 · 7 Sep 2015

With reference to lines in Kent there will be a 10 day blockade of the London Bridge area from close of service Xmas Eve to Mon 4th Jan 16. Don't know about East, West Coast & Midland main line etc.

yorksrob · 7 Sep 2015

david737 said:
With reference to lines in Kent there will be a 10 day blockade of the London Bridge area from close of service Xmas Eve to Mon 4th Jan 16. Don't know about East, West Coast & Midland main line etc.

Are Kent Coast services being diverted into Victoria ?

Bald Rick · 7 Sep 2015

yorksrob said:
Are Kent Coast services being diverted into Victoria ?

Some will be.

yorksrob · 7 Sep 2015

Bald Rick said:
Some will be.

Cheers,

Would those include Ashford via Tonbridge ?

Cletus · 8 Sep 2015

So I assume that High Speed services will run as normal?

david737 · 8 Sep 2015

High speed should be running normally
Ramsgate & Dover via Ashford services will be diverted to/from Victoria
Hastings trains will be diverted via Redhill & East Croydon into London Bridge low level which will be open as normal.

Class 170101 · 8 Sep 2015

Reduced service into Liverpool Street due to Crossrail works.

Bungle965 · 8 Sep 2015

Class 170101 said:
Reduced service into Liverpool Street due to Crossrail works.

GA turning back somewhere else then?
stratford??
Sam

yorksrob · 8 Sep 2015

david737 said:
High speed should be running normally
Ramsgate & Dover via Ashford services will be diverted to/from Victoria
Hastings trains will be diverted via Redhill & East Croydon into London Bridge low level which will be open as normal.

Ah, many thanks.

N Levers · 8 Sep 2015

david737 said:
Hastings trains will be diverted via Redhill & East Croydon into London Bridge low level which will be open as normal.

No they won't. Purley is also blocked for 10 days. I believe Hastings services are diverted to Blackfriars. (Don't quote me on the Blackfriars bit)

Cletus · 8 Sep 2015

Good news that I can out of Kent.

Now, anyone tell me if there's any blockades on the WCML, perhaps I can get to Manchester?

ushawk · 8 Sep 2015

N Levers said:
No they won't. Purley is also blocked for 10 days. I believe Hastings services are diverted to Blackfriars. (Don't quote me on the Blackfriars bit)

Purley blocked ? What are they up to there then ?

It was only a couple of years ago there was another blockage in that area with the Sloats Nest renewal. Mainline blockages seem to occur every 2 years.

Bald Rick · 8 Sep 2015

ushawk said:
Purley blocked ? What are they up to there then ?

It was only a couple of years ago there was another blockage in that area with the Sloats Nest renewal. Mainline blockages seem to occur every 2 years.

Renewing all the point work at Purley. It's been in the plan for years, but couldn't get done as the resources were used for Stoats Nest / Gatwick 2 years ago and London Bridge last year.

philjo · 9 Sep 2015

I'll be needing to get to either Cotswolds or Shropshire just after Christmas
Are there any major works affecting FGW services from Paddington ( either to Kemble or Newport) or ATW on the Marches line ?

Also I assume via Birmingham to Shrewsbury is OK as I think some services will go that way during the Stafford closure ?

DaveHarries · 9 Sep 2015

The close of service on Christmas Eve 2015 will sadly see 5-5-7 (bell code for closing of a signalbox) ring out from the block bells of 10 boxes in South Humberside for the final time. Thereafter a T3 (Engineering Possession) will be in place to allow for the abolition of all 9 signalboxes between Cleethorpes and Appleby Lincs (Pasture Street, Grimsby Marsh Jcn, Stallingborough, Roxton Sidings, Brocklesby Jcn, Barnetby East, Wrawby Junction, Elsham and Appleby) in addition to Ulceby Junction.

For the signalling enthusiasts among us this will leave York ROC controlling all that area with fringe boxes at Brigg, Holton-le-Moor, Goxhill, Immingham Reception and Great Coates no. 1.

The work, I am told, will be done over a 17-day blockade beginning Christmas Eve 2015.

In the meantime a quick heads-up. One of the signalmen on the South Humberside circuit posted yesterday toa Facebook group that the wheel-operated gates come out at Roxton over the weekend of 19th / 20th September: there is a T3 in place all day Sunday for the work to take place. There be some temp gates with keylocks on instead for 6 months. So if you want photos of Roxton's wheel operated gates you haven't got long to get them!

Dave

embers25 · 9 Sep 2015

Given there's already an easement for it, it looks like fGW are diverting west of england trains from Reading into Waterloo reversing at both Reading and Basingstoke this time not going via Salisbury. Also the Bristol line trains seem to be going via Banbury again based on their easement??

fv43576 · 9 Sep 2015

I didn't know that Purley will be closed for new track point, I could not see any planner of new track layout from Network Rail website. What part is going change if anyone knows

SpacePhoenix · 9 Sep 2015

embers25 said:
Given there's already an easement for it, it looks like fGW are diverting west of england trains from Reading into Waterloo reversing at both Reading and Basingstoke this time not going via Salisbury. Also the Bristol line trains seem to be going via Banbury again based on their easement??

I hope all their HSTs are short-link ones

greatkingrat · 9 Sep 2015

Some other extended closures:

Bournemouth - New Milton closed 25 Dec - 3 Jan
WCML closed at Norton Bridge 25-28 Dec, trains diverted via Stoke.
Crewe - Wilmslow closed 25 Dec - 3 Jan
Scunthorpe - Cleethorpes / Barton-on-Humber closed 25 Dec - 11 Jan

theblackwatch · 9 Sep 2015

embers25 said:
Also the Bristol line trains seem to be going via Banbury again based on their easement??

And in to Marylebone perhaps?

Kite159 · 9 Sep 2015

theblackwatch said:
And in to Marylebone perhaps?

I've heard that a couple months ago in one of the railway magazines that FGW were diverting into Marylebone at some-point over the Christmas/New Year period due to works closing lines into Paddington.

Crossover · 10 Sep 2015

DaveHarries said:
The close of service on Christmas Eve 2015 will sadly see 5-5-7 (bell code for closing of a signalbox) ring out from the block bells of 10 boxes in South Humberside for the final time. Thereafter a T3 (Engineering Possession) will be in place to allow for the abolition of all 9 signalboxes between Cleethorpes and Appleby Lincs (Pasture Street, Grimsby Marsh Jcn, Stallingborough, Roxton Sidings, Brocklesby Jcn, Barnetby East, Wrawby Junction, Elsham and Appleby) in addition to Ulceby Junction.

For the signalling enthusiasts among us this will leave York ROC controlling all that area with fringe boxes at Brigg, Holton-le-Moor, Goxhill, Immingham Reception and Great Coates no. 1.

The work, I am told, will be done over a 17-day blockade beginning Christmas Eve 2015.

In the meantime a quick heads-up. One of the signalmen on the South Humberside circuit posted yesterday toa Facebook group that the wheel-operated gates come out at Roxton over the weekend of 19th / 20th September: there is a T3 in place all day Sunday for the work to take place. There be some temp gates with keylocks on instead for 6 months. So if you want photos of Roxton's wheel operated gates you haven't got long to get them!

Dave

So that will be the end of the semaphores at Barnetby then?

swt_passenger · 10 Sep 2015

Kite159 said:
I've heard that a couple months ago in one of the railway magazines that FGW were diverting into Marylebone at some-point over the Christmas/New Year period due to works closing lines into Paddington.

Yes, this is also covered by new easements mentioned a few days ago in the routeing guide update thread.

berneyarms · 11 Sep 2015

It's generally helpful to post a link to threads referenced - here's a link to the post in the routeing thread mentioned above:
http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2293378&postcount=292

railnerd · 13 Sep 2015

Hi.

Yes the semaphores at Barnetby will go. There will still be some on the Barton branch and down the Gainsborough line. The crossing at Barton Lane (with the semaphores, outside frame and Portakabin) is apparantly being converted to MCB-OD. The crossings at Bystaple Lane and Barrow Road Crossing will remain.

Class 466 · 13 Sep 2015

N Levers said:
No they won't. Purley is also blocked for 10 days. I believe Hastings services are diverted to Blackfriars. (Don't quote me on the Blackfriars bit)

Hastings - Charing X DIVERTED to Blackfriars
Sevenoaks - Charing X Start back from Tonbridge Plat 4 and are DIVERTED to Blackfriars
Ramsgate/Dover Priory - Charing X DIVERTED to Victoria

tsr · 13 Sep 2015

fv43576 said:
I didn't know that Purley will be closed for new track point, I could not see any planner of new track layout from Network Rail website. What part is going change if anyone knows

AFAIK there are no major layout changes, though Bald Rick will probably be back to correct me if I'm wrong (I'm afraid I last read proper details a few months back and don't have them saved on this computer). It's more a full renewal, especially of the crossovers immediately to the North of Purley. These are neither as well-used on the Fasts, nor as well-known, as Stoats Nest Jn, but they are crucial for the efficiency of Caterham/Tattenham Corner services and many trains that are amended due to engineering works.

If any extra speed can be got out of them it would be ideal. Many are the red signals I have encountered because the junction hasn't seemed able to react quickly enough to the demands of my trains.

Blindtraveler · 13 Sep 2015

So Waterloo East and Charing X shut entirely then?

Anything major in Scotland and what about on LU?

Cletus · 14 Sep 2015

greatkingrat said:
Some other extended closures:

WCML closed at Norton Bridge 25-28 Dec, trains diverted via Stoke.
Crewe - Wilmslow closed 25 Dec - 3 Jan

So can I safely assume that there will direct trains between Euston and Manchester Piccadilly 29th-31st December?

2015 Christmas to New Year major engineering works

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