Cross-City Electrification from Barnt Green to Bromsgrove

[The Planner]

Bromsgrove and Cross City South recontrol is meant to be November and the final panel goes and subsequent closure of Saltley PSB.

 

[Class172]

Peter Plisner, Transport Correspondent on Midlands Today posted this picture last week.

https://twitter.com/BBCPeterPlisner/status/720598790835683328

 

[moggie]

It look very nice, classic almost with real grass growing in the landscaped areas. What the picture doesn't show is currently there's no connection to and plain track in the new plat 4 (Worcester/ Cheltenham side). Does this come into use with the new signalling once installed?

It's also good to see the mobilisation of the electrification site team. With bridge reconstruction complete the next phase marked by the new compound being put in place up at Vigo is rapidly taking place with OLE piles already being delivered. I wonder if it's planned to start installing these before the resignalling or only after, bearing in mid the GWML disruption? Vibration near old signalling kit has a nasty habit of revealing high resistance electrical connections.

 

[The Planner]

Station first, resignalling and loops after.

 

[hello]

there are a lot of piles already in on the lickey

 

[Harbornite]

It look very nice, classic almost with real grass growing in the landscaped areas. What the picture doesn't show is currently there's no connection to and plain track in the new plat 4 (Worcester/ Cheltenham side). Does this come into use with the new signalling once installed?

It's also good to see the mobilisation of the electrification site team. With bridge reconstruction complete the next phase marked by the new compound being put in place up at Vigo is rapidly taking place with OLE piles already being delivered. I wonder if it's planned to start installing these before the resignalling or only after, bearing in mid the GWML disruption? Vibration near old signalling kit has a nasty habit of revealing high resistance electrical connections.

Does this mean that the foot crossing at Vigo has been closed? That was the plan.

 

[D869]

Peter Plisner, Transport Correspondent on Midlands Today posted this picture last week.

https://twitter.com/BBCPeterPlisner/status/720598790835683328

A few questions:

1. Which way are we looking?
2. Which platform is which?
3. How many tracks are on the far side of the island platform? Appears to be room for two.
4. Is near platform also an island?
5. Are the footbridges at the ends of the platforms? The narrow space between footbridge and track looks really dangerous or is fencing missing on near platform?

 

[Class172]

1) Looking northbound
2) Platforms are 1-4 going left to right
3) As far as I can recall it is just one track on the far side, which will become the freight loop
4) Both platforms are islands
5) Footbridge is at end of platform

It should be noted that upon opening, only platforms 2 (northbound) and 3 (southbound) will be used. Once all the works are complete it will change such that platform 4 caters for southbound trains, and platform 3 for Cross-City terminators.

I expect The Planner to come and correct me now!

 

[The Planner]

Sounds about right, though I can't recall if 1 is also the freight loop not looked at the signalling plans for a while.

 

[Chris125]

Flickr has a few photos of recent progress, these are looking towards Birmingham with the existing station in the far distance just out of sight.


170510 London Midland by Steven Taylor, on Flickr


It's Bromsgrove Jim, but not as we know it. by Stapleton Road, on Flickr

 

[D869]

Flickr has a few photos of recent progress, these are looking towards Birmingham with the existing station in the far distance just out of sight.

Thank you for posting staticflickr.com links/images. Since Flickr decided not to support my browser links to photo albums are useless but links to individual images work fine.

1) Looking northbound
2) Platforms are 1-4 going left to right
3) As far as I can recall it is just one track on the far side, which will become the freight loop
4) Both platforms are islands
5) Footbridge is at end of platform

It should be noted that upon opening, only platforms 2 (northbound) and 3 (southbound) will be used. Once all the works are complete it will change such that platform 4 caters for southbound trains, and platform 3 for Cross-City terminators.

I expect The Planner to come and correct me now!

Thank you for this info. So platform 4 will become the down main ultimately? And Cross-City trains will have to reverse south of the station to access the trailing crossover?

 

[Class172]

Thank you for this info. So platform 4 will become the down main ultimately? And Cross-City trains will have to reverse south of the station to access the trailing crossover?

Yes, platform 4 will become the down main. However I think a crossover is being (or will be) installed at the northern end of the station to allow the Cross-City trains to leave straight back towards Brum without any fiddling around.

 

[Senex]

Yes, platform 4 will become the down main. However I think a crossover is being (or will be) installed at the northern end of the station to allow the Cross-City trains to leave straight back towards Brum without any fiddling around.

The design, with 1 and 4 ultimately being the up and down main lines and 2 and 3 being the loops/turn-back facilities is very obviously the sensible one. But does anyone know whether it has been done British-style on the cheap, or whetheer the final main lines have the space to splay out and then come together again north and south of the station with no speed restriction below the ultimate line-limit? Or is the curvature crowded into a short space so that lower limits are or will be required?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The design, with 1 and 4 ultimately being the up and down main lines and 2 and 3 being the loops/turn-back facilities is very obviously the sensible one. But does anyone know whether it has been done British-style on the cheap, or whetheer the final main lines have the space to splay out and then come together again north and south of the station with no speed restriction below the ultimate line-limit? Or is the curvature crowded into a short space so that lower limits are or will be required?

I thought it was 2 and 4 which would become the main lines?
Even so, there will be significant curvature into the new (as yet unbuilt) P4.

 

[Class172]

Forgive the poor quality diagram, as I've quickly knocked it up in paint, but I think this is the general plan for the station (as LNW-GW Joint says). I haven't included all the other crossovers as I don't know the full track plan.

 

[The Planner]

Right, dug the plans out to stop the general confusion (including mine) that is going on.

1 to 4 from left to right as said. 1 is the Up Bromsgrove Loop where freight will sit which is 30mph and 40mph on the exit. 2 is the Up Gloucester main line at 90mph. 3 is the Down Bromsgrove Station Loop at 40mph and where Cross City trains will turn back, they get back to the Up line via a crossover at the north end of the platform, also 40mph, which does not conflict with the Down line. 4 is the Down Gloucester at 90mph. Only 2 and 3 are wired. The old station has to close before the lines through 1 and 4 can be completed as they go through the ends of the platforms.

 

[Senex]

Right, dug the plans out to stop the general confusion (including mine) that is going on.

1 to 4 from left to right as said. 1 is the Up Bromsgrove Loop where freight will sit which is 30mph and 40mph on the exit. 2 is the Up Gloucester main line at 90mph. 3 is the Down Bromsgrove Station Loop at 40mph and where Cross City trains will turn back, they get back to the Up line via a crossover at the north end of the platform, also 40mph, which does not conflict with the Down line. 4 is the Down Gloucester at 90mph. Only 2 and 3 are wired. The old station has to close before the lines through 1 and 4 can be completed as they go through the ends of the platforms.

Thanks -- that's really interesting. So the 90 on the mains will extend a little further north than it does today, presumably to the foot of the bank. Is it correct to assume the 30 into the up loop is based on the braking curve to the signal at the north end of the platform (otherwise seems a bit odd that it's 30 and not the 40 of the other connections, which would also clear the up main a little quicker)?

 

[The Planner]

Possibly as it is only freight that is going to use it, though I suspect it is S&C related as it doesn't show as new, the distance from the point work to signal BA7612 at the end of the loop is approx. 800m. It is actually increased from the 15mph it is now.

 

[Senex]

Possibly as it is only freight that is going to use it, though I suspect it is S&C related as it doesn't show as new, the distance from the point work to signal BA7612 at the end of the loop is approx. 800m. It is actually increased from the 15mph it is now.

And thanks again.

 

[Class 170101]

Only 2 and 3 are wired. The old station has to close before the lines through 1 and 4 can be completed as they go through the ends of the platforms.

Seems a bit short sighted not to wire Platforms 1 and 4 whilst the station is being constructed - lines under possession.

 

[The Planner]

Why, when nothing is going to use them that needs juice? You can do 1 and 4 when Brum Bristol gets wired.

 

[Class 170101]

Why, when nothing is going to use them that needs juice? You can do 1 and 4 when Brum Bristol gets wired.

Yes but that needs another possession for them to be wired.

 

[Techniquest]

Strictly speaking it wouldn't be from Birmingham to Bristol, it would be Bromsgrove to Bristol

Is there an opening date now then for the new Bromsgrove station? Looking forward to less of a crawl up the Lickey whenever I have to go to Birmingham!

 

[Bald Rick]

Yes but that needs another possession for them to be wired.

As and when Bromsgrove to Bristol is wired, there will be an awful lot of possessions to do it. Doing two runs through these platforms won't make any difference.

 

[Ianno87]

Strictly speaking it wouldn't be from Birmingham to Bristol, it would be Bromsgrove to Bristol

Is there an opening date now then for the new Bromsgrove station? Looking forward to less of a crawl up the Lickey whenever I have to go to Birmingham!

The Fast Lines Kings Norton-Longbridge would also need wiring, plus (probably) the Camp Hill route.

So, yes, it would be Birmingham to Bristol (or, strictly, Grand Jn to Westerleigh Jn, with a couple of gaps)

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Possibly as it is only freight that is going to use it, though I suspect it is S&C related as it doesn't show as new, the distance from the point work to signal BA7612 at the end of the loop is approx. 800m. It is actually increased from the 15mph it is now.

Will the line speed on the Lickey itself change at all?
It's currently 80mph from Bromsgrove up the hill almost to Blackwell where there's a short 75 before going up to 90.
Sounds like it will be 90 at the bottom, but what about the top?

 

[The Planner]

Still 80 up the bank, will need to check again for the rest.

 

[deltic08]

Peter Plisner, Transport Correspondent on Midlands Today posted this picture last week.

https://twitter.com/BBCPeterPlisner/status/720598790835683328

Is this a change of policy? Covered walkway and stairway. This must be the first in a long time?

 

[Senex]

Will the line speed on the Lickey itself change at all?
It's currently 80mph from Bromsgrove up the hill almost to Blackwell where there's a short 75 before going up to 90.
Sounds like it will be 90 at the bottom, but what about the top?

Is this one of the rare cases where the vertical curvature affects the maximum speed that can be allowed top and bottom?

 

[Harbornite]

The Fast Lines Kings Norton-Longbridge would also need wiring, plus (probably) the Camp Hill route.

So, yes, it would be Birmingham to Bristol (or, strictly, Grand Jn to Westerleigh Jn, with a couple of gaps)

Wiring the camp and the line to Nuneaton would provide opportunities for electric freights to be diverted, but this would very limited. However, it would also allow the Bristol- Manchester trains to run under the wires for the entirety of their journey, but XC would need electric stock to make the most of this. This would also be the incentive for wiring the fast lines from Kings Norton to Longbridge.