Cotswold Line platform extension work autumn 2018

[satisnek]

Thanks - it just seems ludicrous that platforms have to be extended so soon, when the basic specification of replacement rolling stock must have been known at the time of construction.

 

[ABB125]

Have anyone seen any signs of work at the stations further west towards Worcester, ahead of the blockade there from the 17th to 25th?

There is a worksite of a couple of shipping container portacabins now put up in part of Evesham station car park. I will try to get a picture today or tomorrow.

 

[jimm]

Thanks - it just seems ludicrous that platforms have to be extended so soon, when the basic specification of replacement rolling stock must have been known at the time of construction.

Why is it 'ludicrous' when about two-thirds of the train services then, now and in the future on the Cotswold Line will be trains of five coaches - or less in the case of Turbos?

If there was a nailed-on guarantee that all the peak services that need more coaches would be nine-car IETs using selective doors, then most of the current extensions could have been done without - though Hanborough and platform 1 at Honeybourne have needed to be lengthened for a long time anyway. But there are no guarantees, so the extensions are needed to allow for a 2x5 turning up on occasion.

At the time the Cotswold Line redoubling project was being finalised, the IEP order was still in a state of flux, so no one actually knew for sure what length of trains would be in the final order. What was known on the Cotswold Line was that the majority of trains would be at the shorter end of the scale, so opting for five-car platforms was a perfectly reasonable choice.

 

[ABB125]

Here is the worksite at Evesham. Platform 1 (on the other side to me) will (presumably) be extended towards the bridge off the left of the picture. Platform 2 will probably be extended at the other end off to the right.

 

[ABB125]

Some large, dirty, somewhat misshapen polystyrene(?) blocks have appeared at the worksite at Evesham, along with lots platform edge slabs. It also looks like there has been a bit of clearance done where P1 will probably be extended to.

 

[jimm]

All the polystyrene base blocks were in place at Hanborough this morning, plus some of the surface panels, and most base blocks for platform 2 at Charlbuty and a few for platform 1 are in place there.

Most of the remaining part of the ramp at the north end of platform 2 at Moreton-In-Marsh has been dug out and a safety fence put up to separate the contractors from trains using platform 1 at Moreton-in-Marsh to turn back there during the next nine days while the line is shut between Moreton-in-Marsh and Worcester for the extension work at Evesham, Pershore and Honeybourne.

 

[Essan]

Work has been underway constantly since the early hours of Saturday morning in Evesham - some pctures taken just now from the Black Bridge, with part of the southbound platform completely removed

 

[swt_passenger]

I think the dirty misshapen blocks mentioned a few days ago are those typically used to make a temporary ‘bridge’ between platforms for the use of the contractors, they get moved from site to site. There are cut outs to sit over the rails.

 

[ABB125]

Here are some more pictures of Evesham.
Is the tamper (?) there to guage the new platform edge?

 

[II]

Is the tamper (?) there to guage the new platform edge?

It could be, though hopefully it's there to sort out the horrendous ride quality, requiring numerous TSR's, that has developed in several locations on the North Cotswold line over the last year or so.

 

[ABB125]

It could be, though hopefully it's there to sort out the horrendous ride quality, requiring numerous TSR's, that has developed in several locations on the North Cotswold line over the last year or so.

Well, the ballast through the station looks new!

 

[ABB125]

More pictures of Evesham station, early afternoon and then later, about 1730.

 

[olympus]

Works at Evesham are looking extensive. There are a couple of temporary signs dotted about near Lower Moor (a few miles north of Evesham), perhaps these are indicating a TSR and will be seen to this week.

Tamper DR75407 'Gerry Taylor' travelled as 6J84 09:33 Canton Taff Vale Sidings to Honeybourne Sidings on Friday 16th, looks like the one at Evesham in your photographs.

 

[ABB125]

Platform 2 has been completely resurfaced. There is still no sign of the extension to platform 1, other than the metal uprights stuck in the ground.

 

[jimm]

Noticed when passing today that the external facing on the trackbed side of the polystyrene blocks at Charlbury has a fake stone block look to match the front wall of platform 1, which was built by a team of masons in 2011 for the redoubling project. Everywhere else just seems to be a plain grey 'concrete' look.

 

[Stephenbrown]

Looking good perhaps removing all trees in carpark would make it all better too

 

[ABB125]

More pictures. The new part of platform 1 wasn't there yesterday evening, so they've done a lot of work overnight.

 

[II]

Here's the progress as of yesterday at Moreton-In-Marsh.


Note also the new waiting room being installed on the up platform.

 

[jimm]

Platform 2 extension at Moreton-in-Marsh is being put together under floodlights right now - at the right hand side of II's first picture, running towards the road bridge.

 

[Essan]

Midday in Evesham - still a lot of tidying up to do (I assume they are emphasising getting it ready for trains) and IMO they don't seem to have extended the platforms very much at all! I love the dinky little tonka toy caterpillar track hoppers though. I want one!

 

[jimm]

None of the extensions is ready for trains just yet - I've yet to see platform lighting installed at any station and fencing is also needed in several places.

With the exception of the single platform at Hanborough and the Worcester-bound platform at Honeybourne (both previously able to take just 3x23-metre coaches) the extensions were mostly just a couple of extra coach lengths to take them from five and a bit to seven coaches

 

[ABB125]

A train calls at Evesham! (800012)
It still appears that there is much work left to do.

 

[Stephenbrown]

There was ment up up extend the London platform right down to the bridge

 

[ABB125]

More pictures

 

[jimm]

The contractor's version of events - though the main picture shows the extension to platform 1 at Moreton-in-Marsh that had already been constructed prior to the blockade.

Dyer & Butler, a multi-disciplined engineering services specialist focused on transport infrastructure including airports, railways and highways, and a part of M Group Services, has successfully completed a nine day blockade on behalf of Network Rail IP Wales & Western as part of an ongoing programme of platform extensions and associated works at stations throughout the North Cotswolds line.

Over the course of the nine day period, blockade works (the closure of routes for an extended period) were planned across four station locations; Pershore; Evesham; Honeybourne and Moreton-in-Marsh.

https://www.railbusinessdaily.com/d...for-network-rail-on-north-cotswold-platforms/

 

[Essan]

They were doing more work on Platform 1 in Evesham last night (through till the early hours) ......

 

[HowardGWR]

Were these extensions really reinstatements, even if a different location was chosen, or were there any genuinely new facilities? I don't know the line well, but find it difficult to imagine the GWR would have built short platforms on the route, at least at the main stations?

 

[70014IronDuke]

Work has been underway constantly since the early hours of Saturday morning in Evesham - some pctures taken just now from the Black Bridge, with part of the southbound platform completely removed
View attachment 55593 View attachment 55594 View attachment 55595

I don't know Evesham - OT question - what is the line to the left of the station? Part of the former goods yard, an old loop or ... ?

 

[Essan]

Were these extensions really reinstatements, even if a different location was chosen, or were there any genuinely new facilities? I don't know the line well, but find it difficult to imagine the GWR would have built short platforms on the route, at least at the main stations?

At Evesham at least they are extensions, especially on platform 2 where the extension goes over an old point/siding. Don't think the platforms were ever any longer, not least because the station is constrained between 2 road bridges. Might be different at Honeybourne where the platforms could have been made shorter than in old GWR days when the station was reinstated in 1981. Pretty sure Perhore's single platform length is as original as well.

I don't know Evesham - OT question - what is the line to the left of the station? Part of the former goods yard, an old loop or ... ?

A siding down the rear of platform 2 - not sure what it was used for in terms of services, but it extended right down the length of the platform but has been mostly taken up now and certainly hasn't been used for many, many years. There are some good pictures here: http://www.miac.org.uk/evesham.html which include a sketch map suggesting it was a loop round the back of the platform. The goods sidings were on the other side.

 

[70014IronDuke]

...

A siding down the rear of platform 2 - not sure what it was used for in terms of services, but it extended right down the length of the platform but has been mostly taken up now and certainly hasn't been used for many, many years. There are some good pictures here: http://www.miac.org.uk/evesham.html which include a sketch map suggesting it was a loop round the back of the platform. The goods sidings were on the other side.

Very interesting. Thanks.