Great Western Coffee Shop

From the Marlow - Maidenhead Passengers Association website http://www.mmpa.org.uk/ (http://www.mmpa.org.uk/)


This bridge crosses the GWML west of Maidenhead, originally part of the Maidenhead Southern bypass between the Maidenhead Thicket (A4) and Huntercombe (A4 at Burnham) later the western end of the M4 until the extension west in the 1970's now forms a link from Jcn 8/9 of the M4 to the A4 Maidenhead Thicket (A4) Jcn 9b and then onto the A404 which links to the M40 Jcn 4 at High Wycombe.

So expect some potential chaos Monday 28 June

Is it just me or does that not make it clear which other weekends are involved here? I hope the train service isn't disrupted for too many Saturday nights/Sundays leading up to that as I have a couple of things planned in London which are paid for and can't be changed during June, one on a Saturday (but will require travelling back in the evening) and one on a Sunday  ???

More on dates at the Highways Agency website here http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/16443.aspx but neither they nor FGW and National Rail seem to have anything to say about possible effects on train services, with no mention of it at either railway site on any of the dates involved, even though a lot of other work affecting several routes around the Thames Valley on those dates is already posted.

And the bridge is west of Maidenhead station, so even if the line is shut towards Reading at some point, presumably there will still be Maidenhead-London shuttles running throughout.

Surely Glastonbury Festival weekend isn't the best time to disrupt FGW services?

Sounds interesting.  I will keep an eye out for what will happen with the weekend services between Bristol and London.  HST's diverted from Reading through to London Waterloo would make for a very interesting journey - but there would of course only be capacity for a very limited number of services for that route. The last time this happened I think was back in August 2003.   Chances are it will just be rail replacement bus services which isn't very appealing.   

Unfortunately the FGW website isn't as good as it used to be with notices about upcoming engineering works.  They used to give details 3-4 months ahead.  Now they only seem to give details 3-4 WEEKS ahead.

The Highways Agency probably didn't think that 26th-28th June is Glastonbury weekend.

and if it wasn't that it would be some other event

Probably saving any other major works for when the Olympics is on?

Ah now there's the problem, I think there will be a total hold on any works for 2 or 3 months leading up to the games which in effect will freeze major projects for 6 months that effect track, signals electrification

But you're all assuming that on the weekends when the road is shut that there will always be some effect on the railway. As I noted earlier, in the case of the A34 at Wolvercote, near Oxford, that has not always been the case - just as well given that the project has been running for almost two years and still has a month or so to run. And as much work as possible that could affect the railway will be timed for the middle of the night, when there won't be any trains.

It really depends on the way they are going to go about taking out the existing bridge and put the new deck in. The contractors talk about demolish, build, slide, switch, which makes it sound as though once the demolishing is done, much of the rest can carry on with trains running happily underneath, http://www.birsecl.co.uk/html/company-news/view/WorkstartsontheA404MWesternRegionRailwayBridgeReplacement.html?ContentID=299

I do believe they are overnight rail possessions with one being extended slightly on a Monday morning to allow the renewal of a foot bridge over the GWML as well as the A404(M) bridge.  These bridge operations are slick now the A40 bridge near Gypsy Corner over the GWML was renewed recently without any delays to the railway.

Yes, I read it as rail possessions too..

Hopefully FGW will put something on their site soon so we'll all know for sure.. :)

The nearby A406 'Hanger Lane' over-bridge just to the east of Ealing Broadway station is about to be renewed too.

(http://www.msn101.com/content/emoticons/whistle_EHWYHS.gif)