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HS2 construction updates

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absolutelymilk

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As LNW-GW Joint posted in another thread, Euston is closed 26-27 August for HS2 work so it seems we need another thread to cover the construction of HS2!

What work is this weekend closure likely to cover? Will there be working at night as well or will it just be weekend closures for a while?
 
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edwin_m

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There has already been some work including converting the backing out roads into an engineering siding and removing the OLE supports from the wall of the Down Side shed so it can be demolished. I don't know the details but I guess it hasn't been very disruptive so far.
 

Altfish

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I was surprised how advanced some of the survey work is.
My fishing club owns a small water which is about 400m from the leg that branches off the Manchester line and pieces into to the WCML near Wigan. In other words a section that hasn't been approved.
BUT we have been contacted for access to carry out ecological and other surveys on our land.
 

edwin_m

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I was surprised how advanced some of the survey work is.
My fishing club owns a small water which is about 400m from the leg that branches off the Manchester line and pieces into to the WCML near Wigan. In other words a section that hasn't been approved.
BUT we have been contacted for access to carry out ecological and other surveys on our land.

I think they need some sort of envirionmental impact statement in support of the Parliamentary bill. Either that or trying to get some certainty about the extent of great crested newt presence etc, so they can budget for their relocation.
 

Altfish

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I think they need some sort of envirionmental impact statement in support of the Parliamentary bill. Either that or trying to get some certainty about the extent of great crested newt presence etc, so they can budget for their relocation.

Yes, I'm sure that is the case but it also means that there are pots of money available for sections of HS2/3 well into the future.
I thought the section I'm referring to was at best 'on hold' and possibly cancelled.
 

deltic

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I was surprised how advanced some of the survey work is.
My fishing club owns a small water which is about 400m from the leg that branches off the Manchester line and pieces into to the WCML near Wigan. In other words a section that hasn't been approved.
BUT we have been contacted for access to carry out ecological and other surveys on our land.

The environmental work for HS2 Phase 2b hydrid bill is now well underway. This preparatory work is required in order to obtain the necessary approvals.
 

snowball

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I was surprised how advanced some of the survey work is.
My fishing club owns a small water which is about 400m from the leg that branches off the Manchester line and pieces into to the WCML near Wigan. In other words a section that hasn't been approved.
BUT we have been contacted for access to carry out ecological and other surveys on our land.
Obviously an eclogical survey wouldn't be able to inform the decision process if it didn't happen until after the route was already approved.

Edit: sorry, I see now that edwin has already said the above.

Anything you've heard about the Wigan link being dropped is only rumour and speculation. There's been nothing official to suggest it would be dropped or postponed.
 
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Altnabreac

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Obviously an eclogical survey wouldn't be able to inform the decision process if it didn't happen until after the route was already approved.

Edit: sorry, I see now that edwin has already said the above.

Anything you've heard about the Wigan link being dropped is only rumour and speculation. There's been nothing official to suggest it would be dropped or postponed.

And any move to drop it would be fiercely resisted in Scotland as it's an important part of the 3 hour journey time.
 

NotATrainspott

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And any move to drop it would be fiercely resisted in Scotland as it's an important part of the 3 hour journey time.

It's an important part of the 3h38 journey time planned for Phase 2. However, the report into the 3h journey time suggested that the link could be moved up to Coppull so that the Scotland trains wouldn't have to slow down to run through Wigan NW. There seems to have been a lot of thinking that has gone into the Phase 2 plans since they were announced, with proposed tweaks in the East Midlands being rejected but those in Yorkshire (South and West) being accepted. Many moons ago there was talk of the Wigan rolling stock depot being canned and replaced by one at Crewe. Ideally this would be sorted out ahead of time, really. The Wigan link has a ropey business case if Scotland trains would immediately start running to Coppull instead, given that no other trains were really planned to use it. The Wigan calls were, to the best of my knowledge, going to come from trains leaving HS2 at Crewe and calling at Warrington BQ on their way to Preston. Coppull is near enough to Wigan and would save enough complexity there (especially if bundled with the RSD moving to Crewe) that it might be cost-neutral or pretty close to it.
 

snowball

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Many moons ago there was talk of the Wigan rolling stock depot being canned and replaced by one at Crewe.
I think that was in a quite recent version of the plans, the most recent published draft amendment to phase 2 NW.
 
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NotATrainspott

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I think that was in a quite recent version of the plans, the most recent published draft amendment to phase 2 NW.

Indeed it is. I've been a little out of the loop when it comes to the most recent HS2 developments. I remember the depot change being talked about at the same time as the idea of the Wigan spur being dropped.

NPR has thrown so many things up into the air about the northern end of Phase 2 that it's hard to say that anything is definite. We still don't know what NPR is and thus how it could affect HS2. The most ambitious programme would involve a whole series of new lines and bypasses planned like the motorway networks back in the 50s. HS2, NPR and 3h Scotland projects all come together in the Wigan area - the Wigan spur might become unnecessary for Scotland trains but it could be used for a Bolton bypass for Manchester-NW services. It's almost certain that the main Scotland-Manchester services would pass over to HS2 upon significant stretches of new line bypasses being open but making them trundle into Manchester along a two-track commuter railway would be absurd.
 

furnessvale

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I think they need some sort of envirionmental impact statement in support of the Parliamentary bill. Either that or trying to get some certainty about the extent of great crested newt presence etc, so they can budget for their relocation.

You can be certain that the "rare" Great Crested Newt will be present at many locations along the route of HS2 as it is ALWAYS present at any major construction site.

Either this newt is not rare at all, OR the more active anti progress elements within out society relocate those available into the path of the build.

I prefer the second explanation.
 

edwin_m

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You can be certain that the "rare" Great Crested Newt will be present at many locations along the route of HS2 as it is ALWAYS present at any major construction site.

Either this newt is not rare at all, OR the more active anti progress elements within out society relocate those available into the path of the build.

I prefer the second explanation.

Well presumably if they don't find any now but they do if and when they start building, that will provide you some evidence. They may even smell a rat (which are probably there as well).
 

Roast Veg

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Either this newt is not rare at all, OR the more active anti progress elements within out society relocate those available into the path of the build.

The newt is not particularly rare. The species is neither at risk of extinction nor cause for concern over its survival in the medium term. Rather it's an issue of biodiversity under the "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981", which declares it as illegal to cause harm to this newt and its habitat for the sake of preserving the ecosystem of the UK.
 

YorkshireBear

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The newt is not particularly rare. The species is neither at risk of extinction nor cause for concern over its survival in the medium term. Rather it's an issue of biodiversity under the "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981", which declares it as illegal to cause harm to this newt and its habitat for the sake of preserving the ecosystem of the UK.

In addition its high level of protection is an EU environmental protection not a UK one, mainly because in the rest of Europe it actually is in real trouble. Here, conservation efforts have done wonders.
 

furnessvale

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In addition its high level of protection is an EU environmental protection not a UK one, mainly because in the rest of Europe it actually is in real trouble. Here, conservation efforts have done wonders.

Perhaps all the Great Crested Newts recovered from UK construction sites should be sent to Europe to help them out.

This would have the secondary benefit of rendering those newts unavailable to eco warriors for redistribution to other UK construction sites!
 

Chester1

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Perhaps all the Great Crested Newts recovered from UK construction sites should be sent to Europe to help them out.

This would have the secondary benefit of rendering those newts unavailable to eco warriors for redistribution to other UK construction sites!

The Great Crested Newt stopping developments is a myth. I worked in a planning related job for a while and at most their presence delays a development slightly. There was a point 20 years ago when they were under threat of extinction in the UK and worldwide. Huge efforts were made to build alternative habits to move them to but many NIMBYs seem to think they are a magic name that stops development. Its simply not true because the the level of mitigation required has dropped as their numbers have grown.
 

Groggy

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has anyone heard who will get the work for the stone and ballast? DB , FLHH or GBRf?
 

Lurpi

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Slab track

Are you sure about that?

The HS2 project specification from 2012 says ballasted track will be used, apart from in (bored) tunnels. And if you think things might've changed in the past five years, here is a more recent source - from when Phase 1 procurement was already underway: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/requ.../5/FOI15 1458 Mr J Marriott response.pdf.html

At present, slab track is used in the HS2 bored tunnels and ballasted track is used in the cut and cover
tunnels.
 

The Planner

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That FoI is nearly 2 years old and only states the tunnels anyway. Things change, especially now that the Civils Contracts have been awarded. There has been no indications the mainline will be ballast.
 

AM9

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That FoI is nearly 2 years old and only states the tunnels anyway. Things change, especially now that the Civils Contracts have been awarded. There has been no indications the mainline will be ballast.

Isn't ballast problematic at very high speeds, even if glued?
 

gsnedders

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Isn't ballast problematic at very high speeds, even if glued?

The LGV use ballast, do they not, even for the newest lines? The notable case of slab-track on HSR in Europe is Germany, is it not? Does anywhere else primarily use slab-track?
 

Lurpi

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That FoI is nearly 2 years old and only states the tunnels anyway. Things change, especially now that the Civils Contracts have been awarded. There has been no indications the mainline will be ballast.

Well, there was the project specification I referred to. I know that's even older, but are you positively saying that ballasted track has been explicitly written out of the civils contracts?
 
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