East-West Rail (EWR): Oxford-Bletchley construction progress

[swt_passenger]

How far back does the video go? The crossovers are past the flyover on the Winslow side.

I think looking at the back gardens it’s at least about a kilometre. Quite a long way round the bend I think.

 

[The Planner]

I think looking at the back gardens it’s at least about a kilometre. Quite a long way round the bend I think.

Signalling plan has the end of P8 at 79410m, Bletchley West at 80605m and Selbourne Ave road bridge at 81080m so 1200m away from the platforms and 475m from the road bridge. So based on Google Maps that appears to be around the green space between Coleridge Close and Wordsworth Dr.

 

[swt_passenger]

Signalling plan has the end of P8 at 79410m, Bletchley West at 80605m and Selbourne Ave road bridge at 81080m so 1200m away from the platforms and 475m from the road bridge. So based on Google Maps that appears to be around the green space between Coleridge Close and Wordsworth Dr.

Ok, and many thanks again for digging out the detail.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Many thanks for posting those videos "Richieb". Very useful indeed as the last time I went over there was on a railtour in the early 1980s !!!

One thing I found odd was after the DMUs had changed ends on the single line after traversing the eastern end of the flyover. There was a 25 speed board after the set of points. i would have expected the points to be 20 or 25 mph, so what speed would the line be prior to that signal which I think was MV61. Just seemed odd having the speed board after the points.

Also noticed after coming off the viaduct and taking the junction towards Bedford the line becomes single and passes over a rather long single line bridge, with another bridge to the left for the line coming out of Bletchley. Presume EWR will be building a substantial new double track bridge there, but doesn't seem a lot of "wriggle room" without acquiring a lot of land to convert it to a double track formation.

Thanks again for really useful links to videos.

 

[swt_passenger]

…Also noticed after coming off the viaduct and taking the junction towards Bedford the line becomes single and passes over a rather long single line bridge, with another bridge to the left for the line coming out of Bletchley. Presume EWR will be building a substantial new double track bridge there, but doesn't seem a lot of "wriggle room" without acquiring a lot of land to convert it to a double track formation.

There’s no change to that section of the route in the current works, the road bridge remains single track, as does Fenny Stratford station.

 

[Wyrleybart]

There’s no change to that section of the route in the current works, the road bridge remains single track, as does Fenny Stratford station.

Ahhh. OK Thanks for that.

 

[Trainee9]

Where's the track? Today I visited the overbridge on the Newton Longville road, which affords a view back toward West Bletchley. No sign of any track here yet. The end of the newly constructed track is somewhere in West Bletchley.

 

[swt_passenger]

Where's the track? Today I visited the overbridge on the Newton Longville road, which affords a view back toward West Bletchley. No sign of any track here yet. The end of the newly constructed track is somewhere in West Bletchley.

Yes, my suspicions are that too much has been possibly read into post #466. It did use “towards” rather than “to” Newton Longville.

My only idea is to try and locate the items in the back gardens of the video in post #468, and compare them with Google satellite view. The video suggests at that stage they were still somewhat east of Selbourne Ave, in fact having just searched again I think the track starts alongside Coleridge Avenue, about 21s in there’s a sharp triangular shaped garden, then a little while later at 31s there’s a couple of recognisable white rectangular things probably shed roofs?

 

[Trainee9]

My only idea is to try and locate the items in the back gardens of the video in post #468, and compare them with Google satellite view. The video suggests at that stage they were still somewhat east of Selbourne Ave, in fact having just searched again I think the track starts alongside Coleridge Avenue, about 21s in there’s a sharp triangular shaped garden, then a little while later at 31s there’s a couple of recognisable white rectangular things probably shed roofs?

On the rmweb forum, somebody has posted an image of a train adjacent to Selbourne Avenue, taken from the nearby allotments, so clearly the track reaches at least that far.

 

[swt_passenger]

On the rmweb forum, somebody has posted an image of a train adjacent to Selbourne Avenue, taken from the nearby allotments, so clearly the track reaches at least that far.

Ah right I’ll have a look at rmWeb as well…

 

[DarloRich]

Works trains have been running over the flyover into the new station so track clearly extends some distance towards Oxford therefore seeing a train at Selbourne Avenue makes sense.

EDIT: Wednesday - another train of side tippers on the flyover, single engined by an FLHH class 66 with the engine facing Oxford.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Works trains have been running over the flyover into the new station so track clearly extends some distance towards Oxford therefore seeing a train at Selbourne Avenue makes sense.

EDIT: Wednesday - another train of side tippers on the flyover, single engined by an FLHH class 66 with the engine facing Oxford.

So presumably the sleepers and then the side tippers of ballast means the new track is being built from Bletchley towards the junction for Oxford and Aylesbury. I guess you will be seeing CWR next.

 

[swt_passenger]

So presumably the sleepers and then the side tippers of ballast means the new track is being built from Bletchley towards the junction for Oxford and Aylesbury. I guess you will be seeing CWR next.

AIUI from previous discussions the new track is to be built from both ends towards the section where HS2 have their worksite. The original aim was to have much of the track in position this coming summer.

 

[Train Maniac]

Thats a reasonably good question:
Has it actually been confirmed yet when the Marston Vale line will be closed for the upgrade works?
(Sorry if it has )

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thats a reasonably good question:
Has it actually been confirmed yet when the Marston Vale line will be closed for the upgrade works?
(Sorry if it has )

It hasn't even been confirmed that there will even be Marston Vale upgrade works. At the moment there's quite a high chance there won't, and EWR will just be 2tph Oxford-MKC for the foreseeable.

 

[swt_passenger]

It hasn't even been confirmed that there will even be Marston Vale upgrade works. At the moment there's quite a high chance there won't, and EWR will just be 2tph Oxford-MKC for the foreseeable.

There’s a fair bit of detail in the TWA drawings package, but I don’t believe there’s any physical work at all started, and as you say it is probably in the same black hole as Aylesbury Vale Parkway.

Also, the ”winter 2021/22” project newsletter linked in post #426 does not mention anything east of Bletchley either.

 

[snowball]

Ten pages of the April Modern Railways are devoted to two articles on E-W Rail. On page 53 it gives the order in which track is being laid:

1) 10km westwards from Bletchley to Winslow

2) 8km eastwards from Bicester to the west edge of the HS2 integration area

3) From Winslow westwards to the east edge of the HS2 integration area

4) The HS2 integration area.

Having listed the above four phases it then seemingly confuses the issue by quoting the EWR Alliance Deputy Director as saying "we have an aggressive track programme in five phases, with the last track to be laid in the HS2 box in 2023."

Is there a published date by which HS2 Ltd are supposed to hand back the EWR alignment ready for tracklaying?

Edit: MR has, at the bottom of pp. 54-5, a picture of the abutments under construction for the EWR/HS2 bridge.

 

[DarloRich]

Kirow crane with attendant FL class 66 on the MK side of the high level station today. I couldn't see what it was up to as it was hidden by the stone terminal

 

[Trainee9]

See https://twitter.com/Marshrail
and https://twitter.com/ProgressEast for tangible signs of progress. There are pictures of a two-track crossover in the West Bletchley area.
The Bletchley high level station has acquired some metal cladding.

 

[swt_passenger]

See https://twitter.com/Marshrail
and https://twitter.com/ProgressEast for tangible signs of progress. There are pictures of a two-track crossover in the West Bletchley area…

Thanks for the links. That’ll be the crossover @The Planner and I were discussing the position of a while ago, post #475 onwards.

 

[adamedwards]

A question about Oxford station: As far as I am aware all passenger trains stop at Oxford. So the two thorugh lines must be only used for freight. Assuming so, could one line be taken out and replaced with a platform, as a less expensive way of adding a platform than the platform 5 loop? I am assuming this must have been considered and discounted for some reason e.g. would the resulting platform simply be too narrow?

 

[zwk500]

A question about Oxford station: As far as I am aware all passenger trains stop at Oxford. So the two thorugh lines must be only used for freight. Assuming so, could one line be taken out and replaced with a platform, as a less expensive way of adding a platform than the platform 5 loop? I am assuming this must have been considered and discounted for some reason e.g. would the resulting platform simply be too narrow?

It's been discounted because the freight uses the through lines intensively. Removing the opportunity to get freight out of the way of passenger traffic would inevitably lead to either less freight, sending all those containers onto the A34, or less passenger trains.

 

[raspberrypeel]

What sort of rolling stock is EWR expected to use? And what line speeds?

 

[bspahh]

What sort of rolling stock is EWR expected to use? And what line speeds?

It is discussed here

East West Rail Project (Rolling Stock)

It's been mentioned a few times before the the rolling stock used on the new East West Railway from Bletchley will be a number of WMR 196s. Do we know roughly how many please just out of interest?

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[The Planner]

A question about Oxford station: As far as I am aware all passenger trains stop at Oxford. So the two thorugh lines must be only used for freight. Assuming so, could one line be taken out and replaced with a platform, as a less expensive way of adding a platform than the platform 5 loop? I am assuming this must have been considered and discounted for some reason e.g. would the resulting platform simply be too narrow?

The cost of disruption would blow that out the water anyway even if you ignored the impact to freight.

 

[Bald Rick]

A question about Oxford station: As far as I am aware all passenger trains stop at Oxford. So the two thorugh lines must be only used for freight. Assuming so, could one line be taken out and replaced with a platform, as a less expensive way of adding a platform than the platform 5 loop? I am assuming this must have been considered and discounted for some reason e.g. would the resulting platform simply be too narrow?

in addition to what others have said, yes the platform would be too narrow. Not only would it be too narrow on its own (Minimum platform width is 3.5m, wider spending on pedestrian modelling of usage) it wouldn’t be possible to get to it, as stairways / lifts etc can not encroach on that 3.5m width.

 

[swt_passenger]

…And what line speeds?

Max 100 mph Bicester to Bletchley, no change from Bletchley to Bedford (60?). The latter will no doubt change during later phases of the overall project - if they happen.

 

[Trainee9]

Progress around Bletchley: had a walk around today. The Duncombe Street compound has been cleared and landscaped. The high level station has acquired metal cladding (pic). The Water Eaton Road EWR002 compound has been cleared and landscaped, with an earth bank and saplings next to the viaduct. (pics). The access road EWR008 has been closed and earthed over.
A high acoustic fence extends along the railway embankment south of West Bletchley.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Good lord, that is ugly. Have they not learned from the monstrosity that is Newport?

 

[DelW]

Good lord, that is ugly. Have they not learned from the monstrosity that is Newport?

It looks like the Grimshaw Architects house style, which has looked like that at least as far back as Camden Town Sainsbury's in the 1980s. So they're unlikely to change it now.


(Street view picture of that Sainsbury's)