Oxford area rail infrastructure improvements

[jimm]

Since previous threads about the Oxford area are closed/not strictly related to the following, thought it best to start a new thread.

Much more of the steelwork for the new canopy at the station between platforms 2 and 3 is now in place, with the supporting arms attached to the spine and upright supports but no sign of roof sections just yet.

Tracklaying has begun as part of work to move the up side (ie Jericho side of the main line) carriage sidings further to the east.

Work to put back the recently-lifted new track on the down loop extension up to Wolvercote is about to start, with engineering lighting in place and excavators, etc on site.

 

[Andyjs247]

Since previous threads about the Oxford area are closed/not strictly related to the following, thought it best to start a new thread.

Much more of the steelwork for the new canopy at the station between platforms 2 and 3 is now in place, with the supporting arms attached to the spine and upright supports but no sign of roof sections just yet.

Tracklaying has begun as part of work to move the up side (ie Jericho side of the main line) carriage sidings further to the east.

Work to put back the recently-lifted new track on the down loop extension up to Wolvercote is about to start, with engineering lighting in place and excavators, etc on site.

Photo of the new canopy supports on platform 2/3 taken yesterday...

 

[II]

The new sidings four and five at Rewley Road are taking shape as jimm reports. After they open the plan is to realign roads one to three, shifting them all over towards the realigned road 4 and new road 5. That then leaves room for a new line from the Oxford Up Relief which will run on the alignment of the current road 1 through and into Platforms 1 and 2 and mean conflicting moves will reduce, which has been a big problem since the temporary Oxford Corridor Enhancements Phase 0 fix was introduced last December.

Elsewhere, a healthy percentage of the new signals outside of the immediate station area are installed and bagged over, some fixed on new gantries, some standalone. This is in readiness for the transfer of signalling to Didcot TVSC which will introduce a much more flexible layout between Tackley and Didcot.

Straight track with a kink at one end has been laid to replace gently curved track on the Up Passenger Loop near Wolvercote Junction in readiness for a 90mph crossover to be installed to replace the current 25mph one at a location slightly closer to Oxford than currently.

Nice to see it all taking shape on the ground.

 

[L&Y Robert]

The new sidings four and five at Rewley Road are taking shape as jimm reports. After they open the plan is to realign roads one to three, shifting them all over towards the realigned road 4 and new road 5. That then leaves room for a new line from the Oxford Up Relief which will run on the alignment of the current road 1 through and into Platforms 1 and 2 and mean conflicting moves will reduce, which has been a big problem since the temporary Oxford Corridor Enhancements Phase 0 fix was introduced last December.

Elsewhere, a healthy percentage of the new signals outside of the immediate station area are installed and bagged over, some fixed on new gantries, some standalone. This is in readiness for the transfer of signalling to Didcot TVSC which will introduce a much more flexible layout between Tackley and Didcot.

Straight track with a kink at one end has been laid to replace gently curved track on the Up Passenger Loop near Wolvercote Junction in readiness for a 90mph crossover to be installed to replace the current 25mph one at a location slightly closer to Oxford than currently.

Nice to see it all taking shape on the ground.

We need a diagram!

 

[takno]

We need a diagram!

I've had a go at drawing what I think is meant below (live version at https://traksy.uk/live/M+53+OXFD+-21)
Happy to get feedback if I've got the wrong end of the stick or with locations of new signals etc.

 

[jimm]

To save you further work, I've tracked down some Network Rail slides that were shown at various public events in Oxford in 2015 and 2016.

They are in the presentation at this link https://www.slideshare.net/Construc...etwork-rail-eng-presentation-14-0116-py-final

Slide 7 shows the track layout that was in use when Chiltern services first started running into the station.

Slide 8 is the layout that will be completed for the resignalling project. I think all the renewals and alterations south of the station were completed during this summer's blockade. Still to come are the full new Oxford North junction and relocated carriage sidings, new connections for platforms 1 and 2 as outlined by II above - note the scissors crossing across the end of platforms 2 and 3 - plus the extended down loop to Wolvercote. I think there may be a couple of crossings at Oxford North that should be shown as dotted lines for removed old track work - does anyone know?

Slide 9 is a slide showing the track that Network Rail wants to electrify once the resignalling is complete. IE, for all those who keep trying to link completion of electrification to Oxford with a new - still unfunded - station, Network Rail has a wiring plan ready to go ahead without a rebuilt station, as I have said several times previously.

The track layout being installed for the resignalling scheme has been designed to allow for it to be easily adapted to fit in with what would be needed should funding for the station ever be put in place. For example, platforms 1 and 2 were deliberately located so they are ready to form the north ends of extra future through platforms at the east side of the station.

The proposed electrified area has changed slightly since the first version of the slides appeared, which showed the yellow area for overhead wires extending to Wolvercot junction.

 

[giblets]

If anyone has any doubt as to if Chiltern are having any effect on great western, one only has to take the escalators at Marylebone....

 

[gallafent]

If anyone has any doubt as to if Chiltern are having any effect on great western, one only has to take the escalators at Marylebone...

Somebody should tell GWR that Marylebone has quicker access to the Bakerloo line and is a couple of stops closer to central London (as well as being only a short walk down the road to Baker Street, etc. … and that large chunks of North Oxford and Kidlington have another station closer than Oxford Central with far cheaper parking, … it's the end-to-end journey time that counts! … and it's also the guarantee of 2+2 seating with plenty of tables, (just pick a Mainline or Mainline Hybrid train in the timetable), air-con which works, coffee-tables even on the non-mainline trains, trains which start at one's departure station and are generally sitting waiting for a long time before departure so one may board and start working / reading / sleeping, out of the weather, well before departure time, that late evening trains back from Marylebone are often quicker than those from Paddington ……… and so on.

In my view what we need is a price and quota war on advance tickets — not that I have a a vested interest in this at all of course

 

[didcotdean]

GWR has been running ad campaigns on and off at Marylebone from before the service from there to Oxford started.

For that matter Chiltern did an ad campaign around Didcot years back to coincide with the increase in car parking capacity at Haddenham and Thame Parkway.

 

[jimm]

Could we try to confine this thread to infrastructure and resignalling activity around Oxford, rather than drifting off into who copied someone else's marketing campaign. I put it in infrastructure and stations for a reason.

 

[II]

The diagrams on the slides are accurate, though a little difficult to see clearly, and they don't have details of the signalling. I do have the SSP's for the resignalling of Oxford, but am unable to post them here, though if anyone has any specific questions regarding track or signalling then I can hopefully answer them.

The resulting layout will be a huge leap in flexibility, with the only major item missing being the extension of the down loop (to be known as the Down Oxford Relief) as far as Wolvercote Junction, so departing Cotswold Line trains and through freight trains could be completely conflict free - perhaps that may come at a later date when the Cotswold Line is redoubled to Charlbury? Also the new Platform 5, not part of this current Phase 1 works, also can't come quickly enough!

 

[jimm]

I did try to find better versions of the slides online, but without success.

Platforms 5 will be tied in with the wider station rebuilding scheme, due to the presence of the youth hostel - well done Railtrack - and the need to make alterations to Cripley Road to replace the section of Roger Dudman Way that will have to disappear under railway tracks again.

There is a joint task force of rail companies and other interested parties now looking at potential future improvements to infrastructure and services on the Cotswold Line, but all at a very early stage and running a bit late as the DfT's involvement meant that nothing could happen during the election run-up 'purdah' period - there was an initial meeting in the summer but I haven't heard anything since.

Things like further redoubling at both ends of the line and improvements at Wolvercot junction will be looked at, plus the possibility of electrifying at least as far as Hanborough and creating a turnback there, so Class 387s could go there and back in the time they would otherwise be sat in the sidings at Oxford (also removing shunting moves around Oxford station) - but all likely to be long-term prospects unless someone locates that magic money tree.

 

[II]

There's a slightly better version attached (if I've done it right!)

Agreed that Platform 5 is tied in with the wider rebuilding scheme. That to me is a dangerous game as shovels are nowhere near ready to hit the ground and I could easily see it being ten years until we have a brand sparkly new station building at Oxford based on recent experience of the way we do things these days. I would like to think there is no fundamental reason (other than money being made available) why progress couldn't be made on Platform 5 before the station gets fully rebuilt. A two-phase delivery programme where the first phase involves the demolition of the Youth Hostel, the replacement of the Botley Road bridge, the construction of Platform 5 (and alterations to Platform 4 that would be needed as a result), and the splicing together of Roger Dudman Way and Cripley Road. Perhaps a third of the overall budget? Phase two then removes the current concourse and builds the new station over the tracks and that new alignment, extends Platform 2 to make it a through platform and overhauls the station forecourt and car park.

The sooner Platform 5 arrives the better.

 

[jimm]

Doing something sooner rather than later to help improve the flow of northbound services through Oxford would be welcome but I can't see anyone splitting the new station scheme into smaller elements, especially in a climate where the Transport Secretary has just stated that:

Government has already made clear that it expects new enhancements to the rail network to be developed outside of the regulatory system.

and

I will announce further details on a new process for taking forward enhancements later in the year

Which to my mind looks like meaning the DfT will dump schemes like a new Oxford station into the laps of the councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships to try to sort out - though I expect ministers will still turn up to claim the credit when there's a ribbon to cut and a plaque to unveil...

 

[gallafent]

http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/1...revamp_will_ruin_their_community/?ref=mr&lp=2

“THE scale of Oxford Station's £125m redevelopment has been increased to lure private investors after Network Rail warned there was a lack of funding for the project.

“More commercial buildings have been added at the expense of parking spaces, and student flats could be built above the bus interchange to lure investors.”

… and so on.

 

[BanburyBlue]

I haven't paid much attention to this, but have they ever considered dividing platforms 3 and 4 into two (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) with appropriate trackwork and points (akin to how it works a Leeds)? The platforms are very long and look like you could get two trains on each one?

 

[MarkyT]

I haven't paid much attention to this, but have they ever considered dividing platforms 3 and 4 into two (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) with appropriate trackwork and points (akin to how it works a Leeds)? The platforms are very long and look like you could get two trains on each one?

I suggested something similar to this when I was working for Railtrack projects in Swindon about 2 decades ago. There was no formal study going on for Oxford at the time though, and the 'split platform' idea has not been subject to any serious option analysis since then AFAIK. It might be plausible once the Botley Road emergency level crossing has closed, allowing platforms to be extended south over Botley Road bridge. Then there could be a full length section at one end and a half length at the other, with a scissors crossover at their conjunction, connecting to the adjacent through line. That would deliver less capacity than the 4 or 5 x full length through platforms envisaged in the masterplan however, and the masterplan's parallel platforms could also allow more simultaneaous parallel movements, increasing flexibility further.

 

[route:oxford]

I haven't paid much attention to this, but have they ever considered dividing platforms 3 and 4 into two (3a, 3b, 4a, 4b) with appropriate trackwork and points (akin to how it works a Leeds)? The platforms are very long and look like you could get two trains on each one?

Don't/didn't they do that in a way anyway? With a terminating train pulling up right to the end of what was platform 2 thus allowing another teriminator to come in behind it. Pretty sure you can't get

It's quite simply not good enough though, Oxford has been in need of at least 4 through platforms for over 20 years. I've lost many days of my life sitting/standing staring at the the swing bridge or the back of the explosion damaged flats.

 

[NotATrainspott]

http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/1...revamp_will_ruin_their_community/?ref=mr&lp=2

“THE scale of Oxford Station's £125m redevelopment has been increased to lure private investors after Network Rail warned there was a lack of funding for the project.

“More commercial buildings have been added at the expense of parking spaces, and student flats could be built above the bus interchange to lure investors.”

… and so on.

I don't think it's a bad thing if they reduce the amount of parking at the new station. They could most certainly make more money by using the land for development than for car parking. If park and ride capacity is needed it should be kept well away from the city centre.

 

[route:oxford]

I don't think it's a bad thing if they reduce the amount of parking at the new station. They could most certainly make more money by using the land for development than for car parking. If park and ride capacity is needed it should be kept well away from the city centre.

That's all very well, but the parking dynamic has changed or is about to change in central Oxford. When the "new" car park was built in the late 90s(?) there was a planning restriction put in place that only permitted rail users to get tolerable parking rates. Previously anybody could pay the little man £2 at the gate and park anywhere on the old station site. This is why you have to go onto the platform to get the code. Walk-up buyers have to pay the considerably higher price at the machine.

The Crown Estate are running parking at the new shopping centre - they've almost halved what was the City Council controlled parking prices from around £29 a day to around £15 and will be offering heavily discounted pre-booking rates. The City Council will be doing the same at their now permanent car park next door.

The City Council's control and monopoly of Oxford parking is over, maybe it's time to lift the covenant at the staton rather than limit availability further?

 

[HowardGWR]

Do they change the code every week, say?

 

[route:oxford]

Do they change the code every week, say?

No, it's more often than that. Although not as often as a RAS token!

 

[II]

Which to my mind looks like meaning the DfT will dump schemes like a new Oxford station into the laps of the councils and Local Enterprise Partnerships to try to sort out - though I expect ministers will still turn up to claim the credit when there's a ribbon to cut and a plaque to unveil...

Yes, there is certainly a good chance you'll be right. Though the sooner OD2373 and OD2360 signals (the I.D's allocated to the new Platform 5 signals) shine green the better.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Happy to get feedback if I've got the wrong end of the stick or with locations of new signals etc.

For as long as I can remember you could approach Oxford from the north at speed with flashing yellows controlling the approach to the 25mph turnout for the platform road just north of the station; but from the south you were brought almost to a stand at Osney Cemetery before the signal cleared even when the platform was empty. So I was delighted when the whole layout south of the station was recently remodelled: a much-needed improvement I thought. Imagine my disappointment to find that, not only is the new turnout still 25mph when a longer-lead for at least 50mph would have been possible, but worse there's still no approach-control and the potential for 2-minute time saving for arriving trains appears to have been missed. Or will this be rectified when control passes to the TVSC at Didcot?

 

[II]

It's good news, thankfully Oxfordblues.

Currently, as you say, when the route for Platform 4 is set from OX20 it is approach controlled and that didn't change when the signal was relocated as that was a simple relocation for the future. The reason I was always told that a flashing sequence wasn't possible was the proximity of OX20 to the 25mph S&C from a permissible speed of 75mph. The much larger distance involved in the other direction from OX19 meaning flashing aspects were permissible.

However, when the track layout and resignalling is complete OD2365 (the new ID for signal OX20) will have preceding flashing aspects at OD2359 and OD2347 for movements into the down platform 4. The replacement S&C into Platform 4 is going to be 30mph which is a slight increase on the current 25mph (kept at this initial phase as that's the permissible speed through Platform 4) and will be the new linespeed into (and through) platform 4 which then increases to 40mph at the end of the platform and then 65mph and then 90mph on the Down Oxford Relief. The 25mph crossover onto the Down Main is retained, rising to 75mph then 85mph.

Moreover, as and when Platform 5 is brought into use that has a permissible speed of 50mph throughout and I would imagine the plan is for that to be the main routing for through trains, with the current Platform 4 acting as a relief platform for terminating trains and/or trains turning back.

 

[Brian M]

On 5 10 2017 jimm posted:

............Work to put back the recently-lifted new track on the down loop extension up to Wolvercote is about to start, with engineering lighting in place and excavators, etc on site..........

my reply:

The down loop connection at the northern end (just north of the Godstow Road bridge) was made in early January 2014. I attach (I hope) a photo I took on 20 Jan 2014, showing a northbound unit just passing over the said points.

Only three and a half years ago !

 

[II]

View attachment 35806
Only three and a half years ago !

Yes, the work was done when the expected closure date of Oxford PSB was scheduled for 2015, but (like most resignalling schemes) that slipped and slipped. Oxford PSB has absolutely no more capacity for any more signals and routes, so hence the loop hasn't been brought into service sooner.

 

[jimm]

New track is starts to appear alongside Wolvercote Common - a spot of welding and the northern end will be reconnected to the point pictured above.

 

[Brian M]

New track is starts to appear alongside Wolvercote Common - a spot of welding and the northern end will be reconnected to the point pictured above.

By coincidence I drove to the Godstow bridge this afternoon and yes, as you say, just a few inches of fresh air between the 'final join'. However, I think the work required at the south end, by Aristotle Lane crossing, will be a little more complex. I took the above picture some weeks ago and there was a stretch of about 150 metres southwards to go to join up to where the two down lines currently merge into one (just south of the rebuilt over-bridge).

Incidentally, photography from the new bridge is now quite difficult with the colander style mesh that tops the already high parapets.

 

[jimm]

View attachment 35843

By coincidence I drove to the Godstow bridge this afternoon and yes, as you say, just a few inches of fresh air between the 'final join'. However, I think the work required at the south end, by Aristotle Lane crossing, will be a little more complex. I took the above picture some weeks ago and there was a stretch of about 150 metres southwards to go to join up to where the two down lines currently merge into one (just south of the rebuilt over-bridge).

Incidentally, photography from the new bridge is now quie difficult with the colander style mesh that tops the already high parapets.

Work at the south end to connect with the existing down loop won't be completed until a blockade next summer, which will be needed to complete the full new Oxford North junction on the right of your picture and commission the Oxford area resignalling, with control switching to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre in Didcot.