Quite right. There were a number of level crossings between Harrogate and Northallerton. As part of the reinstatement process new bridges have had to be designed where once there were crossings. Some over and some under. This has helped to straighten roads at the benefit of County and at other places the rail route has had to be slewed off line to provide room for a bridge where it runs tight with a road such as A61 at Wormald Green.
I was told that a bridge is no more expensive than a CCTV controlled full barrier crossing nowadays as both are about one million pounds.
I’m afraid you’ve been told wrong. Very wrong. A new CCTV crossing is about £3m. However annual running costs are in the high tens of thousands, going well into the hundreds of thousands when you include the share of signaller costs and delay costs.
A new overbridge (in open country, simple topography and geology, 2 lane road over 2 line railway, no utilities or land purchase difficulties, delivered through planning permission rather than needing a TWO or similar) is about £10m. But negligible annual costs (essentially inspection). Rather surprised your designers haven’t told you this.
If the curvature allows, what is needed to raise linespeed from 60 to 70 or 75mph on concrete sleepers with cwr and deep ballast. The line has just been resignalled so I assume spacing and sighting has been adjusted for higher speed eventually?
Firstly, you can never assume that signals have been spaced and sighted for a higher speed. But to answer the question, all the other 80 odd factors would need to be checked (except those that aren’t applicable, e.g. relating to electrification). A particular area of attention would be what’s under the ballast, eg formation, embankments, bridges and culverts; another would be level crossings: strike in times, sighting, risk score, crossing surface, etc.
As
@Bald Rick Pointed out above, there are over 80 reasons to limit a line speed to what it is.
Your post gives me an idea though, how about we all list the reasons we think limit linespeed and Rick can mark us!
Let’s see if we can get to 50?
Probably best on a separate thread.
I’ll have to dig out the standard...
