Copenhagen Tunnel Reopening

[YourMum666]

Should NR try to get the eastern bore on the copenhagen tunnels to grant even more access into Kings X, and use the station to its full potential capacity

 

[D365]

If there was a case for its use, surely it would (at the very least) have been floated as a possibility during the last remodelling.

 

[RobShipway]

Not sure if it is correct, but the Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_Tunnel has the eastern bore as being the tunnel created in 1886.

As it says in the Wikipedia page, the current configuration is as follows:

In the current configuration, the lines approaching the tunnel from the north are grouped into Up Fast & Slow and Down Fast & Slow. Immediately before the northern portal the Up Slow is carried over the Up & Down Fast lines by an overbridge to join the Down Slow line so the central bore now carries the Up and Down Fast lines;[1][7] the western bore carries the Up and Down Slow lines.[1][7] The tracks in the eastern bore were lifted and it is now used to carry cables and provide occasional road access.

So given the above, if the Eastern bore tunnel was reopened to traffic, what would you do with the cables and how would you make sure that the staff of network rail have safe road access to the lines coming out of Kings Cross?

 

[D365]

If you look at satellite images - there's also the more fundamental problem of the Holloway Flyover (Up Slow) being in the way.

 

[ainsworth74]

Is the new layout particularly constrained? Since they re-opened the third bore of Gas Works tunnel the approach and exit from Kings Cross has been extremely quick. I'm not sure, even if it was possible, re-opening Copenhagen's third bore would achieve?

 

[30907]

Up Slow towards platforms 0-2: possible, but not much use.
Up Fast ditto: might just be possible without rebuilding the flyover, but marginal benefit only (it would allow one more train to queue for a platform...).

 

[Snow1964]

Is the new layout particularly constrained? Since they re-opened the third bore of Gas Works tunnel the approach and exit from Kings Cross has been extremely quick. I'm not sure, even if it was possible, re-opening Copenhagen's third bore would achieve?

Not sure what it would be needed for, there is no longer lots of light engine and empty coaching stock workings into & out of Kings Cross all day long

 

[edwin_m]

Also today's higher speed restrictions and better traction performance reduces the time each train takes to pass over the critical junctions.

 

[zwk500]

Should NR try to get the eastern bore on the copenhagen tunnels to grant even more access into Kings X, and use the station to its full potential capacity

If you look at satellite images - there's also the more fundamental problem of the Holloway Flyover (Up Slow) being in the way.

Is the correct answer!

King's Cross has only just been completely remodelled, there's no line capacity restrictions prevent full utilisation of the station. Of the 6 tracks between Finsbury Park and Alexandra palace, the 4 Slow Lines feed the Moorgate Branch and Thameslink Core, with plenty of room for King's Cross trains to use the Fast lines and inner slows if they need to.
The only significant infrastructure restriction on King's Cross is the Copenhagen junction area with flat conflicts between trains heading to the Thameslink core or North London Incline, and an overlap restriction for trains from the NLI to the northbound ECML (because of the gradient). however given the rarity of freight and the fact Thameslink is rather busy so movements are usually paired across the junction even that isn't a major problem.

 

[MarkyT]

I'll just post this here for reference:

http://townend.me/files/kingscrossremodelling.pdf

During the recent remodelling, the eastern bore of Copenhagen tunnel was definitely cleared and used for construction access, so I expect staff will continue to use it for maintenance access, especially to get road vehicles in at track level to the rail-locked Belle Isle area. If ever desired it would probably be possible to get a single track in next to the Holloway flyover, reconstructed in the 1970s, so such a track might be continued on south through the tunnel, but it would end up east of the up slow north thereof. If it was extended even further north as an independent line it might be possible to get over to the down side via the old tightly curved loco outlet underpass from Clarence Yard that went under all the other lines next to the football stadium. As others have said, with inner suburban services diverted to Moorgate via the Northern and City and the volume of empty stock and loco movements in and out of the terminus very much reduced compared to historic levels, an additional bi-di "engine and carriage line" or similar through the vacant bore, while vaguely plausible, is highly unlikely to ever be needed.

It's worth noting that before the 1970s remodelling, the west bore of Copenhagen tunnel and the Holloway flyover were freight only, giving access to the goods yard, Top Shed and the connection to the north London Line only, not the passenger terminus. The 70s remodelling repurposed the west bore and flyover to passenger use for the slow lines, which, with the drastic reduction of freight by then, made the east bore redundant.

 

[YourMum666]

What about if it opens up for single track use?

 

[ainsworth74]

What about if it opens up for single track use?

To what end? What flexibility or capacity does it add which is currently missing? The appraoch to Kings Cross, since the remodel seems to be very well optimised.

 

[zwk500]

What about if it opens up for single track use?

What problem are you solving?

 

[Magdalia]

Should NR try to get the eastern bore on the copenhagen tunnels to grant even more access into Kings X, and use the station to its full potential capacity

No, because Kings Cross station is already very close to full capacity.

Since they re-opened the third bore of Gas Works tunnel the approach and exit from Kings Cross has been extremely quick.

I have been impressed at what the recent changes have delivered for quicker reoccupation times in the platforms, especially platforms 0-2.

the Holloway flyover, reconstructed in the 1970s

I am old enough to remember the pre-electrification layout. The flyover installed in 1977 is on a different alignment to the old goods flyover, and takes up a lot of the space previously occupied by the tracks leading to the eastern Copenhagen Tunnel bore.

 

[MarkyT]

I have been impressed at what the recent changes have delivered for quicker reoccupation times in the platforms, especially platforms 0-2.

A great transformation. Faster and fewer points overall.

I am old enough to remember the pre-electrification layout. The flyover installed in 1977 is on a different alignment to the old goods flyover, and takes up a lot of the space previously occupied by the tracks leading to the eastern Copenhagen Tunnel bore.

Me too. I grew up in North Herts in the late 1960s and 70s and remember class 31-hauled suburbans into KX before electrification and awful DMUs. I never used the widened lines into Moorgate as a child though. Deltics heading north to visit Yorkshire grandparents were rather more exciting! This great video of KX in the 1950s shows some of the areas under discussion, including the Holloway freight flyover, seen at 7 minutes 55 seconds