GCR: planning permission granted

[Shrub Hill]

GCR have just posted this on their twitter feed!


http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/2014/07/bridge-to-the-future-planning-permission-granted-2/

PLANNING PERMISSION GRANTED FOR NEW GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY BRIDGE !

The Great Central Railway is celebrating after planning permission was awarded by Charnwood Borough Council for a brand new bridge over the Midland mainline. The new structure is key to the aims to reunify two sections of the GCR and create an 18 mile heritage railway across the East Midlands. Volunteer experts from Network Rail are coordinating the build programme with the GCR committed to paying for the work.

Bill Ford, Managing Director of the Great Central Railway said, “This is a real milestone in the progress of this decades old dream as it moves towards reality. We really have to thank the entire Network Rail team for their hard work. Without them we wouldn’t be making such incredible progress.”

The conditional planning permission requires some small additional work before construction on the bridge can start...

 

[fsmr]

It was on BBC Radio Leicester tonight. Bill Ford was saying NWR have come in with a really good price to do the job by suing it a s training exercise and also part of electrification work on the MML so that kit is on site at the same time. I guess there will be spins offs for the network and Brush etc being able to rail access a 60 mph test track for the first time

 

[boing_uk]

And with any luck, one day the whole lot will be CPO'd for a central freight rail spine...

 

[muddythefish]

Good news indeed but it's very disappointing that the bridge will be only single track.

 

[Tomnick]

And with any luck, one day the whole lot will be CPO'd for a central freight rail spine...

I doubt it - far too much missing through Leicester and Nottingham (especially the latter) to make that a worthwhile prospect. The proposals thus far seem mainly to have used the GCR formation as far as the southern outskirts of Leicester, then across to Wigston and onto the MML's slow lines north from there.

Good news indeed but it's very disappointing that the bridge will be only single track.

Disappointing, but encroachment onto the formation south of the Midland means that the only realistic options (without vastly increasing the cost of the project) were a single line bridge and no bridge at all!

 

[Monty]

What's the score with the engine shed? Obviously after the bridge is completed the old shed will have to go, I know that the GCR currently have an impressive shed currently stored as a kit of parts but I have heard very little on their plans for it. Surely they would at least start construction of a new shed before demolishing the old one?

Also what are the plans for the GCR(N) once connected, does it stay a seperate entity or does it formally merge with the GCR? And what is it's development plan? It's no secret that the GCR(N) is not as well developed as the other section as far as Track, signalling, stations and facilities are concerned.

 

[fgwrich]

What's the score with the engine shed? Obviously after the bridge is completed the old shed will have to go, I know that the GCR currently have an impressive shed currently stored as a kit of parts but I have heard very little on their plans for it. Surely they would at least start construction of a new shed before demolishing the old one?

Also what are the plans for the GCR(N) once connected, does it stay a seperate entity or does it formally merge with the GCR? And what is it's development plan? It's no secret that the GCR(N) is not as well developed as the other section as far as Track, signalling, stations and facilities are concerned.

What I'm wondering is how the stock and locos will be preserved - what with the GCR South's preference for the BR Green Era, and the North's preference for the BR Blue / Grey / Railfreight type era. There was a mooting that the steam would transfer to the south and the Diesels would go North, but that doesn't quite explain how the stock would be shared/sorted. That said, I'd like to see more BR Blue / Grey era stock preserved anyway!

I doubt it - far too much missing through Leicester and Nottingham (especially the latter) to make that a worthwhile prospect. The proposals thus far seem mainly to have used the GCR formation as far as the southern outskirts of Leicester, then across to Wigston and onto the MML's slow lines north from there.


Disappointing, but encroachment onto the formation south of the Midland means that the only realistic options (without vastly increasing the cost of the project) were a single line bridge and no bridge at all!

The other draw in this project is that the donated bridges from Reading were single track as well. So to double the bridge would mean you'd have to find a suitable double track bridge or hope that one comes along, or double the costs and build one from scratch. These ones incidentally are fairly modern and luckily require a light refurbishment before being placed back to back - they were side to side at Reading as they carried the slow lines across the Caversham Road.

 

[fsmr]

It would make more sense to stick the engine shed down the end of the Swithland branch rather than spend money buying expensive commercial land in Luboru You could then have a valid reason to run shuttles to visit it Only joking, maybe Surely if the lines are joined, the existing GCR North will become the main shed with perhaps siding stabling at Loughborough for the odd weazels and railcars

Anyhow any bets for the date for the first steam railtour on the MML going under the new bridge with a Windcutter and 9f on top

 

[Monty]

Depends on how good the road links are at Swithland, after all the crew still need to get there when the trains aren't running.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

This is good news indeed. When is this likely to happen.

Will there still be the connection as there is now between the MML & GCR (North?)

I Presume near Ruddington, the trains will still have a short reversal to get to the platforms there? (Or are there any plans/possibilites to extended further northwwards towards Nottingham?).

 

[DarloRich]

Good news indeed but it's very disappointing that the bridge will be only single track.

Looking at the plans they have done bloody well getting a bridge in theere at all! :roll:

 

[GatwickDepress]

The superseded bridges from Reading are going to be used? Gah, another example of the north getting the south's cast-offs!

Seriously though, it's absolutely brilliant to see planning permission given, and how helpful Network Rail have been throughout all of this. I wonder if any normals will notice the changes in atmosphere - subtle as they may be - that exist between the two lines...

 

[Derbyshire Gra]

Even more good news - now the Government are backing the project with £1m.

Details here http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/2014/07/11585/

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Even more good news - now the Government are backing the project with £1m.

Details here http://www.gcrailway.co.uk/2014/07/11585/

Yes, that is a great extra boost for them.

 

[Tracky]

Does the shed need to be moved at all, when I visited it looked as I'd a single line would fit around the north west side if the shed... Needs a tidy but otherwise ok...

 

[Tomnick]

I think a single line will just about get around the shed, but it'd be a horrible alignment and a shame if we had to settle for that rather than, as viewed from the station, a double track mainline disappearing under Empress Road bridge. It'd also allow the single line section to be kept as short as possible (such that a down train could at least be dispatched from the station even with an up train approaching), minimising the potential for it to become a substantial bottleneck!