Werrington grade separation updates

[snowball]

Press release

Network Rail completes major signalling work near Peterborough ready for freight trains to begin diving under East Coast Main Line this winter

Network Rail completes vital stage of work in a project to install a tunnel at Werrington, north of Peterborough Engineers completed work on the signalling system over the weekend- with no disruption to passenger train services Essential work will now take place to test the new tunnel ready for...

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Network Rail has completed major signalling work on a new section of track north of Peterborough, ready for freight trains to dive underneath the East Coast Main Line, helping to cut congestion and increase capacity.


Over the weekend (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September) engineers commissioned the signalling system, which will allow trains to safely run on the two new tracks, marking a major milestone in the final stage of the project, part of the £1.2billion East Coast Upgrade.


Work began onsite at Werrington in Summer 2018 and the ground-breaking 11,000-tonne tunnel -which was built onsite as trains continued running on the East Coast Main Line - was pushed into place using innovative construction techniques in January 2021.


Teams then installed around 8km of track in the area which runs through the new tunnel. Over the summer, work has been completed to connect the new track to the existing Stamford lines and put signalling equipment in place.


Vital work to test the new tunnel will take place over the next few weeks and trains are expected to begin using it by the end of this year. Diverting freight trains underneath one of the busiest routes in the country will mean faster, more reliable services for both passengers and freight.

 

[Brissle Girl]

Have you noticed with NR press releases it's always "vital" this and "vital" that. Three uses in this release alone. I mean when is there going to be unnecessary signalling work that we've just decided to do for the sheer hell of it. It's a redundant word inserted just to big up the work done.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Have you noticed with NR press releases it's always "vital" this and "vital" that. Three uses in this release alone. I mean when is there going to be unnecessary signalling work that we've just decided to do for the sheer hell of it. It's a redundant word inserted just to big up the work done.

I suppose those who consider HS2 to be a white elephant would argue the disruption it is causing at Euston is not "essential engineering work"

 

[WesternBiker]

Have you noticed with NR press releases it's always "vital" this and "vital" that. Three uses in this release alone. I mean when is there going to be unnecessary signalling work that we've just decided to do for the sheer hell of it. It's a redundant word inserted just to big up the work done.

Spot on. That would not have got past me if I were editor!

 

[snowball]

I always think it must be a highly depressing job to be a writer of press releases - always having to be so upbeat about everything, and often having to trade in half-truths.

 

[trebor79]

I always think it must be a highly depressing job to be a writer of press releases - always having to be so upbeat about everything, and often having to trade in half-truths.

Some of them revel in it. Our PR consultants came up with a load of ridiculous guff for one of our press releases. We rewrote it with sensible language and told them "Put this out instead, and use this sort of style in future and drop the hyperbole".

 

[swt_passenger]

I always think it must be a highly depressing job to be a writer of press releases - always having to be so upbeat about everything, and often having to trade in half-truths.

If there’s any PR people don’t want to be upbeat about anything they should try for the RMT gig…

 

[mwmbwls]

Press release

Network Rail completes major signalling work near Peterborough ready for freight trains to begin diving under East Coast Main Line this winter

Network Rail completes vital stage of work in a project to install a tunnel at Werrington, north of Peterborough Engineers completed work on the signalling system over the weekend- with no disruption to passenger train services Essential work will now take place to test the new tunnel ready for...

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Does this winter mean the start of the new timetable? - or will the opening be later than this to allow drivers to sign for the route?

 

[trebor79]

Is it just the freight that's going to use the diveunder? I expect the Pterborough - Lincoln etc services will continue to use the north end of platform 1, as they sit for some time and that would cause problems if they used the higher number platforms?

 

[Lansraad01]

In case anyone is interested I sometimes produce computer graphics for this project. I have just released a new one showing the use of Fluid Mechanics.

 

[swt_passenger]

In case anyone is interested I sometimes produce computer graphics for this project. I have just released a new one showing the use of Fluid Mechanics.

Thanks for posting and welcome.

I think if people haven’t been following fairly closely they’ll be surprised at the complexity of the hidden aspects of the overall drainage system…

 

[Starmill]

Is it just the freight that's going to use the diveunder? I expect the Pterborough - Lincoln etc services will continue to use the north end of platform 1, as they sit for some time and that would cause problems if they used the higher number platforms?

A handful of passenger services might use it if they work via Spalding to Peterborough and then their next working is via Stamford or vice versa. Diverted passenger services could also use it.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

In case anyone is interested I sometimes produce computer graphics for this project. I have just released a new one showing the use of Fluid Mechanics.

Thanks for posting - your first post. Welcome to the forum

 

[TheBigD]

A handful of passenger services might use it if they work via Spalding to Peterborough and then their next working is via Stamford or vice versa. Diverted passenger services could also use it.

The 1835 Lincoln-Peterborough forms the 2020 Peterborough-Leicester-Nottingham. Having checked for the December timetable change its still booked in to platform 2 at Peterborough and across then ECML at New England on its way to Leicester.

Given that the Werrington dive under can also be used to recess a freight and not block the Spalding/Leicester lines I doubt we'll see any passenger services booked that way but I'm probably wrong!

 

[mwmbwls]

I concur Big D

Connecting-East-Lincolnshire-Greengauge-21-FINAL.pdf (greengauge21.net)
Greengauge 21 have produced a somewhat thin gruel report regarding rebuilding rail links in East Lincolnshire that raises in passing an extension of Thameslink to Spalding from Peterborough. Inherent to this would be electrification and the delivery of a decarbonised railway. I can only see this standing up if as part of a more general freight decarbonisation strategy involving Felixstowe to Nuneaton and Peterborough to Doncaster via Spalding.

 

[DelW]

In case anyone is interested I sometimes produce computer graphics for this project. I have just released a new one showing the use of Fluid Mechanics.

Wow, that's somewhat fancier than my one-time CFD colleagues used to produce!

Is the siphon necessary because the trench interrupts an existing watercourse or drainage system? It looks more complex than I'd have expected if it was just draining the dive-under itself. But there again, hydraulics were always a bit of a mystery to me .

 

[swt_passenger]

Wow, that's somewhat fancier than my one-time CFD colleagues used to produce!

Is the siphon necessary because the trench interrupts an existing watercourse or drainage system? It looks more complex than I'd have expected if it was just draining the dive-under itself. But there again, hydraulics were always a bit of a mystery to me .

I think I read in a planning document that there‘s some sort of surge storage system combined with the siphon. But that’s from memory of a planning document I read a year or two back. I think the trench does cut through an existing ground level watercourse as well, there’s one marked in the vee of the original junction on OS maps anyway, it’s apparently going under both routes.

 

[fflint]

As this thread seems to be coming to it's end, can I and I hope all followers or this thread, say a huge thank you to Crun and all they other "on site reporters" for keeping us all up to speed on this project.

Well done to all!!

 

[InOban]

AIR that it's still not authorised for use?

 

[DelW]

Crun has posted the following in the Werrington thread in the photography forum (I hope the link works, but if it doesn't, it's in post 348 in that thread):

Trains on the ECML at Werrington Junction in mid-October 2021. A YouTube film from werrington junction:

(Edited to add)
This is that thread from the start:

Photos and videos from Werrington Junction, including work on the grade seperation project

Saturday the 13th June. Showing views of sheet piling, augers and the dive under excavation near the Cock Lane Bridge:

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[helpstonjctn]

Is the dive under coming into service with the winter timetable on Sunday 12th Dec? If so, does anyone know what the first service is likely to be?

 

[Freightmaster]

Is the dive under coming into service with the winter timetable on Sunday 12th Dec?

That's still the plan, as far as I am aware!

If so, does anyone know what the first service is likely to be?

Probably nothing until the Monday, as there is no freight booked to run via Spalding on a Sunday,
unless there is to be a special 'inauguration' working to beak some strategically placed banners
on the Sunday?




MARK

 

[snowball]

Modern Railways, December, p. 19, says it will come into service in "early December" and adds:

"The dive-under is not electrified - passive provision has been made for installation of an overhead conductor bar, although this may require lowering of the tracks." (!)

 

[HSTEd]

Modern Railways, December, p. 19, says it will come into service in "early December" and adds:

"The dive-under is not electrified - passive provision has been made for installation of an overhead conductor bar, although this may require lowering of the tracks." (!)

Ah the wonders of "value engineering"

 

[Brissle Girl]

That would appear to rule out any quick extension of services to a Peterborough North station then as a poster on a related thread recently enquired.

Although whilst it appears an attractive idea given the extent of housing in the area, I can imagine it wouldn’t be cheap with a long platform required and the period whilst trains were turning around would reduce capacity on the joint line, completely contrary to the whole purpose of making freight easier to use it without other conflicts.

 

[Mollman]

That's still the plan, as far as I am aware!


Probably nothing until the Monday, as there is no freight booked to run via Spalding on a Sunday,
unless there is to be a special 'inauguration' working to beak some strategically placed banners
on the Sunday?




MARK

Depends when Boris / Grant Shapps is free for the photo-opp

 

[norbitonflyer]

A handful of passenger services might use it if they work via Spalding to Peterborough and then their next working is via Stamford or vice versa. Diverted passenger services could also use it.

It's unlikely diverted passenger services would need to use it, as a diversion is only necessary if the ECML towards Grantham is closed, in which case there is no conflict using the flat junction. (Just possibly, if the closure is between Grantham and Newark, a northbound passenger service for Doncaster or beyond might use the diveunder to avoid conflict with a southbound Liverpool - Grantham - Norwich train)

 

[Starmill]

It's unlikely diverted passenger services would need to use it, as a diversion is only necessary if the ECML towards Grantham is closed, in which case there is no conflict using the flat junction. (Just possibly, if the closure is between Grantham and Newark, a northbound passenger service for Doncaster or beyond might use the diveunder to avoid conflict with a southbound Liverpool - Grantham - Norwich train)

Indeed. An edge case.

 

[Kite159]

Indeed. An edge case.

The only one which could probably use the dive-under is the 18:35 Lincoln to Peterborough, as that will form the 20:12 Peterborough to Nottingham via Melton service. Just to save that Nottingham service having to cross over from platform 2 towards the Stamford lines.

Although I wouldn't be surprised if there will be a couple token services from Spalding which uses the dive-under to terminate on the high number platforms at Peterborough before returning towards Spalding for route knowledge. Especially if it's at peak time when there are more Great Northern branded services around

 

[WilloughbyGC]

Ah the wonders of "value engineering"

If true its a particularly appalling example of value engineering. The dive under project is solely for freight to be diverted from the ECML, now even more important as HS2 will no longer relieve it. According to DfT the rail network has to be decarbonised by 2040, yet for freight there is no known alternative to electric traction, as hydrogen and battery technology can't do the job. For that reason NR's own Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy - Interim Programme Business Case (networkrail.co.uk) marks the line as 'core electrification' so why on earth would you not design the dive under to be capable of being wired?!