Ploughman
Established Member
Are any revised guess completion dates for any of the stages known?
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Blackpool - Manchester Electrification
- Thread starter GRALISTAIR
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
In public they're still quoting the Hendy dates. An item about Chorley on the Twitter feed on 9 Aug said Dec 2017.
Joseph_Locke
Established Member
Judging by the piles of piles at Agecroft and Lostock (sighted on Friday), foundations are afoot.
childwallblues
Established Member
Once the concrete bases are in the masts will soon follow.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Hmmm...
Some of the bases have been in 18 months or more and are still waiting for masts, with 2 summers' vegetation growth around them!
But new stacks of piles is progress.
Sight of an engineering base would be encouraging, like Edge Hill was for Phases 1/2.
Xenophon PCDGS
Veteran Member
What would have been the reason for such an 18-month time period to have elapsed?
Philip Phlopp
Established Member
- Joined
- 31 May 2015
- Messages
- 3,004
Balfour Beatty.
Joseph_Locke
Established Member
The main offices have been in place next to the TA compound at Bolton for 18 months ... there are a dozen satellite compounds, but no point paying for lighting, cabins, portabogs, security, etc. if no-one is using them...
In other news, the down line track slue and re-decking of Chorley station subway is happing on the BH weekend, preceded by the plain lining of Friday St. GF (I can only assume that the new Buckshaw Parkway crossover is commission already).
The down line at Lostock will also get re-aligned for 95mph in the next few weeks. Track quality tamping in support of the speed improvements is also nearly all done ...
LDECRexile
Established Member
SodTheDrummer
Member
What's the situation in regards to the road bridge at the Crescent? The mess room rumour mill is on overdrive. Talk of demolition of the road bridge, jacking it up. demolishing the whole damn station!!
I thought Bolton TS was the 'problem' bridge?
Demolish the (Crescent) station by all means, reopen Pendleton to replace it and make the students walk a bit further..
Very odd location for a station....or put a station on Frederick Road to serve Bolton and Atherton lines..?
YorkshireBear
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 8,686
I thought Bolton TS was the 'problem' bridge?
Demolish the (Crescent) station by all means, reopen Pendleton to replace it and make the students walk a bit further..
..or put a station on Frederick Road to serve Bolton and Atherton lines..?
Would that allow 8 car platforms and release capacity?
SodTheDrummer
Member
No idea - probably not. Wasn't a serious suggestion! Unless of course it would, in which case I'll claim consultancy fees.
While a station on the junction would of been nice, the current location gets more popular every year. Three years ago when the station first moved to road level it was dead during the summer. Its certainly not anymore. People of Salford have finally realised they don't need to go to Manchester for Blackpool or Southport now. Its a money spinner! Its busy enough now to warrant they installation of barriers now!
Anyway slightly off topic there. I am await to see what engineering plan they come up for the Crescent. I presume the current south junction remains the same layout after the wires?
Anyway slightly off topic there. I am await to see what engineering plan they come up for the Crescent. I presume the current south junction remains the same layout after the wires?
Bullfield WEst
Member
- Joined
- 1 Jan 2013
- Messages
- 238
I this a reply on Twiitter from NetworkRail....
Northern Programme @NetworkRailNP Jul 25
@KeninSpoons Hi Ken, pleased to advise that Trinity Street bridge meets required clearance standards. Thanks
Northern Programme @NetworkRailNP Jul 25
@KeninSpoons Hi Ken, pleased to advise that Trinity Street bridge meets required clearance standards. Thanks
WatcherZero
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Feb 2010
- Messages
- 10,272
And heres the Irony, they've just won a $700m contract to design and build 84km of electrification in the US as well as renew signalling. :roll:
http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/balfour-beatty-awarded-largest-e7ver-u7s-contr7act/
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Signs of new life in the electrification project.
Two piles have gone in just north of Windsor Bridge North Jn, on the Up line.
Also on the Up, about 7 piles have gone in between Horwich and Blackrod.
Most of these are closely adjacent to the existing concrete bases put in last year.
They can't be redoing all the bases with piles, surely?
As Joseph Locke says, there are piles stocked at a couple of access points, one at Agecroft and another between Lostock and Horwich.
Ground has been cleared on the south side of the Chat Moss route approaching Ordsall Lane. Maybe another track going in there.
Lots of activity in the area.
Nice to see things moving again.
Two piles have gone in just north of Windsor Bridge North Jn, on the Up line.
Also on the Up, about 7 piles have gone in between Horwich and Blackrod.
Most of these are closely adjacent to the existing concrete bases put in last year.
They can't be redoing all the bases with piles, surely?
As Joseph Locke says, there are piles stocked at a couple of access points, one at Agecroft and another between Lostock and Horwich.
Ground has been cleared on the south side of the Chat Moss route approaching Ordsall Lane. Maybe another track going in there.
Lots of activity in the area.
Nice to see things moving again.
YorkshireBear
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 8,686
The concrete bases have I believe been found to not be up to scratch.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Hmm. So instead of the bases being about 25% complete between Salford and Euxton, they are actually 0% complete?
Some of the recent concrete ones (around Buckshaw) were put in by the new contractor, although it's noticeable that piles have been used as well.
Another morsel from today's round - a carriage washer has been installed in the sidings at Leyland.
YorkshireBear
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 8,686
Any installed by the new contractor are likely to be good. It was the original piles where a problem was found.
edwin_m
Veteran Member
Aren't the "original" ones all bases rather than piles? And is the problem really with all of them?
YorkshireBear
Established Member
- Joined
- 23 Jul 2010
- Messages
- 8,686
It is the vast majority yes, practically all.
Sorry was a slip of the keyboard. I meant bases not piles indeed.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
So they'll be there in perpetuity as a reminder of bad design (or was it bad installation)?
I make it about 450 concrete bases that were installed by BB.
It will add at least 6 months to the project if they have to replace them all.
I wonder how NR will explain it in the next set of Hendy milestones...
edwin_m
Veteran Member
The Hendy "milestones" are starting to look about as reliable as a BB concrete base.
I wouldn't say quality as much as I'd say the green copper things that are on wood poles and run very very close to the concrete foundations!
SodTheDrummer
Member
What about the ones that have masts near Windsor Bridge South Jn - were they done by BB and will they need ripping out and replacing?
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
There's a whole set of concrete bases from Salford Crescent extending half way towards Ordsall Lane and Salford Central.
These were put in right at the beginning of Phase 4, Christmas 2014.
The new set nearer Ordsall Lane (the ones with masts) are a mix of concrete and piles, and Joseph Locke said they were installed by the Chord project (ie not BB).
So hopefully the new ones are OK.
I'm still trying to work out why the concrete bases on Phase 4 are deficient, when 40 route miles of them have been successfully installed by BB on Phases 1/2.
Last edited:
Windsor Bridge south foundations have been installed by Northern Hub, same designer different contractor, no issues to date.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I mentioned in my earlier post the issues aren't all quality related, theres a mixture of design problems and safety issues such as power lines in close proximity, hence the new piles and aborted concretes.
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
I didn't really understand your point about cables on poles.
Do you mean the buried signalling power supply, for instance?
Maybe not connected but I noticed a cable has recently been highlighted in fluorescent green in the Edge Hill-Lime Street cutting.
It has "650" stencilled above it at intervals, and disappears into a 650V cabinet near Lime St, so presumably it is the main 650V feed along the route.
I guess this is in advance of the remodelling work about to start in the area.
Sever at your peril, perhaps!
WatcherZero
Established Member
- Joined
- 25 Feb 2010
- Messages
- 10,272
Sounds more like referring to National Grid power cables passing over or alongside the line.
- Status