Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

I notice it also include a project of gauge clearance to cascade 165 dmus to the west country

[anthony215]

That isnt really a surprise considering many have expected the class 165/166 turbo fleet to make their way westwards.

I believe these units will bring a good boost to rail services around Bristol with their extra seating and higher top speeds.

[paul7575]

I notice it also include a project of gauge clearance to cascade 165 dmus to the west country

That has been highly likely for a good few years, it was mentioned in the SWML^▸ (South Western Mail Line) route plans (i.e. for Portsmouth Cardiff) 7 or 8 years ago.

In NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s revised list of CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019) work, published as an update in Jan 2013 following the HLOS^▸ (High Level Output Specification), they included a project named "West of England Diesel Multiple Unit capability works"  which gave an explicit list of main and diversionary route:

...To provide infrastructure capability enhancements to enable operation of cascaded DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)
from the Thames Valley to the West Country. Network Rail believes that the constituent
parts of the infrastructure capability works are as follows;
Scope of works
Gauge clearance for the cascaded Class 165 and 166 DMU fleet; and
A review of station operations at all stations where cascaded DMU trains are due to stop;
this may result in platform extensions; selective door opening; revisions to permissive
working for attaching; detaching; platform sharing arrangements and alterations to signal
controls and signal locations to deal with changes to train operations
Network Rail has assumed that the cascaded Class 165 and 166 units will operate over the
following parts of the Western, Wales and Wessex Routes:
Core routes:
o Cardiff - Bristol - Exeter ^ Penzance (including Weston-super-Mare)
o Bristol to Portsmouth
o Westbury to Weymouth
o Bristol to Worcester (including Gloucester)
o Bristol to Severn Beach
o Swindon to Gloucester
o Swindon to Westbury
Diversionary routes
o Bristol to Parkway via Avonmouth
o Castle Cary to Exeter
o Castle Cary to Exeter via Yeovil
o Romsey to Fareham via Eastleigh

It clearly covers nearly everywhere except Devon and Cornwall locals and not just the Bristol area as sometimes thought.   In this week's update, they've distilled the above down to just this:  "Network Rail has assumed that the cascaded Class 165 and 166 units will operate over extensive parts of the Western, Wales and Wessex Routes."

By the way, to save searching, the latest drafts of the delivery plan and the enhancements plan can be found here:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/delivery-plans/control-period-5/draft-cp5-delivery-plan/

Paul

[grahame]

It clearly covers nearly everywhere except Devon and Cornwall locals and not just the Bristol area as sometimes thought.

Included is the TransWilts (you would expect me to highlight that, of course!) but it appears that Brighton is not, nor (but I may be a pedant here) the Rhubarb loop.  And I thinks that's everything North East of Cowley Bridge?

[paul7575]

They don't go beyond Worcester either, so I wonder if like Brighton (which I hadn't spotted) that's just a slip up or is intentional, given that Brighton is usually linked with Great Malvern?

Paul

[grahame]

They don't go beyond Worcester either, so I wonder if like Brighton (which I hadn't spotted) that's just a slip up or is intentional, given that Brighton is usually linked with Great Malvern?

Paul

Worcester to Great Malvern is already cleared for 165/166 though

[paul7575]

Worcester to Great Malvern is already cleared for 165/166 though

Ah yes of course, for the main service via the Cotswolds...   

A bit off my beaten track...

Paul

[Rhydgaled]

In NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s revised list of CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019) work, published as an update in Jan 2013 following the HLOS^▸ (High Level Output Specification), they included a project named "West of England Diesel Multiple Unit capability works"  which gave an explicit list of main and diversionary route:

...To provide infrastructure capability enhancements to enable operation of cascaded DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit)
from the Thames Valley to the West Country. Network Rail believes that the constituent
parts of the infrastructure capability works are as follows;
Scope of works
Gauge clearance for the cascaded Class 165 and 166 DMU fleet; and
A review of station operations at all stations where cascaded DMU trains are due to stop;
this may result in platform extensions; selective door opening; revisions to permissive
working for attaching; detaching; platform sharing arrangements and alterations to signal
controls and signal locations to deal with changes to train operations
Network Rail has assumed that the cascaded Class 165 and 166 units will operate over the
following parts of the Western, Wales and Wessex Routes:
Core routes:
o Cardiff - Bristol - Exeter ^ Penzance (including Weston-super-Mare)
o Bristol to Portsmouth
o Westbury to Weymouth
o Bristol to Worcester (including Gloucester)
o Bristol to Severn Beach
o Swindon to Gloucester
o Swindon to Westbury
Diversionary routes
o Bristol to Parkway via Avonmouth
o Castle Cary to Exeter
o Castle Cary to Exeter via Yeovil
o Romsey to Fareham via Eastleigh

It clearly covers nearly everywhere except Devon and Cornwall locals and not just the Bristol area as sometimes thought.   In this week's update, they've distilled the above down to just this:  "Network Rail has assumed that the cascaded Class 165 and 166 units will operate over extensive parts of the Western, Wales and Wessex Routes."

By the way, to save searching, the latest drafts of the delivery plan and the enhancements plan can be found here:

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/publications/delivery-plans/control-period-5/draft-cp5-delivery-plan/

Paul

Doesn't sound good. More suburan stock on Regional Express services.

And why does the Wales route come into it? I thought a Swansea-Bristol electric service was looking likely, which I thought would be in place of the Cardiff-Taunton, with DMUs running Bristol-Taunton instead or perhaps linking Taunton-Bristol with the Gloucester/GreatMalvern - Bristol trains instead of Cardiffs.

[Network SouthEast]

I don't think Turbos operating on long distance regional routes is necessarily a bad thing IF they get a good quality refurb (like the Chiltern ones had).

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

I agree with the last comment - the Turbos are good trains and, I believe, have had superior reliability,
We had them on the Cotswold Line since soon after they were introduced and the ride on them is very good. The seating layout (3+2) is adequate for suburban services but for longer distance journeys such as on the CL, not really satisfactory. As already commented, the Chiltern refurbishment was a much more satisfactory arrangement for longer journeys.

[Lee]

Four-tracking expected to go ahead, according to Chris Aldridge of Network Rail - http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Electric-trains-London-Bristol-running-Great/story-20785715-detail/story.html

Decision expected later this year, according to the article.

[TonyK]

I hope Chris Aldridge is right! That will be a fun engineering project to watch taking place. Part of my working week is spent in Stapleton Road, and I should see what's happening at close quarter. The recent round of fettling of the stone bridge, with its new truss rods and pointing, seems to be over, but the stockyard by the station remains, and the interpontal section remains fenced off - waiting for further orders?

[chuffed]

Is this the last final announcement to gladden FTN's heart, or yet another 'cold' dish served lukewarm ?

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bristol rail investment to see tracks reinstated

Reinstating four tracks between Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads is part of a ^700m investment in the city's railway infrastructure.

Network Rail has announced 31 projects in the city over the next five years including the electrification of the line between Bristol and London.

Doubling the track has been described as "fundamental" to the expansion of services in and around Bristol

"Reinstating the four lines between Temple Meads and Parkway is the arterial route around which the rest of the Bristol growing railway is going to be hung," said Mike Gallop, Network Rail's Route Asset Director.

The new tracks will be built on Filton Bank, making it possible for local passenger services to use the line.

"It's a very significant first step but it is a first step," said Rob Dixon from the campaign group Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways.

"Without this investment there can be no improvements in local services - things like the reopening of the line to Portishead, the Henbury Loop, improvements on the Severn Beach line and from Weston to Yate - which all need extra capacity and without that they just couldn't run. So these changes are a first step to what we want and need to see."

Charlotte Leslie, Conservative MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Bristol North West, has campaigned for the reopening of the Henbury Loop.

"The four-tracking of Filton Bank is the basic infrastructure which makes other things possible," said Ms Leslie.

"But what I'd like to see is more ambition in getting Henbury station and Henbury Loop and our network of rail around the city open faster because Bristol is growing and our transport infrastructure isn't keeping up."

The package also includes building new platforms at Bristol Parkway and upgrading Bristol Temple Meads station.

Moderator note: Edited to include quote and attribute source. bignosemac

[TonyK]

Looks tasty to me! I shall do more research before popping any corks, but it looks good to me so far!

[paul7575]

Looks tasty to me! I shall do more research before popping any corks, but it looks good to me so far!

    So they've confirmed the work in the required timescales I explained in post #11 after all; whatever next!

Paul