Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

White water filled barriers have been place up Filton bank from the access point by the Ford dealership up to Horfield Station

I only had the phone with me, but here are some pictures. Firstly, from the bridge at Lockleaze Road looking towards Temple Meads:



This is the site preferred by many, myself included,  for the new Horfield Station, possible under Phase 2 of MetroRail West (or is it MetroWest Rail?). I do not think the orange jackets are involved in building a station just yet.

From the opposite side of the road, looking towards Filton, the row of white plastic is clearer to see:



I don't recall how it looked recently, but it seems to me that at least some clearance work has taken place. Now, before the nesting season, is the right time, and I hope that johnnyw's opinion is a little overly-pessimistic. The bridge at Bonnington Walk, at the site of the former Horfield Station, is visible.

Speaking of which, here is the view from that bridge towards Temple Meads. The slew (or is it slue - I have seen both) of the track is clear.



Was that done at the time the third line from Abbey Wood was installed? There is room for two more lines easily. What are the wire cages for - just to hold rubbish?

Looking towards Abbey Wood from the same bridge:



there is a wide open vista. I don't know if those electricity pylons are due for replacement as part of the refurb of the National Grid. What is clear that there is a source of supply to transformers for the 25KV OHLE, if it works that way.

I am looking forward to a ramping up of work in the summer. There is little point in cutting back the Beeching Forest* just to let it grow again, so I assume these parts will be a hive of activity**.

(*Not strictly accurate, but it does seem a good generic term for those bits of former railway left to grow naturally)
(** I don't want any bees harmed in the requadrification of this railway. Wasps are another matter, despite their clear place in the pollenation shenanigans)

[coachflyer]

There has been a lot of clearance done. You can easily see the boundary fence in places plus all the rubbish that the households along that streach have been throwing onto the railway land.

What are the wire cages for - just to hold rubbish?

They mark where the drains are presumably so that the workers don't fall into them!

[johnneyw]

Good pictures and it seems I was indeed a little pessimistic in my observation on delayed progress although I have only been recently keeping an eye on the Narroways to TM^‡(resolve) stretch. The Network Rail page on the subject still says "date to be confirmed" though. Perhaps someone should tell them!

[TonyK]

I have a "before and after" comparison, the older picture being taken in September 2012:

Before:



After:



Certainly enough room for another 10-foot.

[SandTEngineer]

....and crikey you can see the signalling cable route again 

[johnneyw]

With the four tracking slowly beginning to take momentum (I hear work is starting on improvements needed on the Bonnington Walk Bridge) could it be likely that the work on the line above Narroways Junction will require some service diversions along the Severn Beach Line/Henbury Loop. The slew in the track that was created in the 1980's after the line was reduced from 4 tracks to 2 will need to be reversed to make space available again. This, along with the new tracks being laid, could mean the closure of the line for a while, or seriously reduced capacity. The SB^▸ (Signal Box) Line has been used as a diversionary route in the past, could it happen again?

[TonyK]

It could, although whether it will be used depends. I would think every effort will be made to keep disruption on the SVB line to a minimum. It is a much busier line than it was when the last two-week diversion happened to open the third track through  Abbey Wood. There are going to be a few crossovers built in, so it may be possible to do the work in stages over a few weekends, or at least get two lines in the proper place then do the rest with the railway running. The proposed fourth track through Filton Abbey Wood looks the toughest bit - that will need a bit of work on the actual structure of the station.

[johnneyw]

Dave Wood from the RMTU who writes the "On Track" column for the Bristol Evening Post added an online article on Sept 28th which included mention of the Henbury Loop and Severn Beach Line being used as a diversionary route during 4 tracking, probably for the last time. On thing is for sure though. There is a visible increase in lineside activity between Narroways junction and Stapleton Road bridge now, including, by the look of it, some new access points being constructed.

[simonw]

Has anyone published details when the new four tracked stretch will be in use, and what use will be made of it prior to MetroWest Phase 2, which is still a long way off.


   

[ellendune]

I thought the justification was the additional service from Paddington to Temple Meads via Parkway

[paul7575]

Has anyone published details when the new four tracked stretch will be in use, and what use will be made of it prior to MetroWest Phase 2, which is still a long way off. 

The last info and dates I could find were in the latest CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019) milestones plan: 

The scheme provides the infrastructure to support up to four additional train paths an hour in each direction between the two major stations in Bristol. As well as contributing to reducing end to end journey times for cross-country and Bristol ^ London Paddington services and the HLOS^▸ (High Level Output Specification) capacity metrics for both Bristol and London Paddington, it will provide the capability to keep train services operational when engineering works and asset maintenance are planned.

Milestones:

Milestone - Description - Date
GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) 4 completion - Single option scope defined - October 2014
GRIP 6 start - Start on site - May 2015
GRIP 6 completion - Infrastructure ready for use - August 2017 - Regulated Output

Hendy's report doesn't give revised dates for Filton Bank, although confirming it remains within CP5, so we should check the next CP5 Milestones report when it comes out.

Paul

[SandTEngineer]

An interesting update on the progress in the Bristol area can be found here:
http://www.railengineer.uk/2015/12/04/the-focus-moves-to-bristol/

[John R]

Interesting, though the comment about the work at Parson St is both irrelevant and inaccurate. It's a 2 track  railway at that point and the work is nothing to do with Metrowest or electrification, just the construction of a new road.

I also smiled at the comment that the increased space in the station would be used by local retailers. Yeah, right, it'll be the same national chains that are everywhere else. Am I right in thinking local retailers lost out in the rebuilding of Reading?

[SandTEngineer]

Interesting, though the comment about the work at Parson St is both irrelevant and inaccurate. It's a 2 track  railway at that point and the work is nothing to do with Metrowest or electrification, just the construction of a new road.

I think its a 3 track railway there and isn't it supposed to go to 4 track for the Portishead reopening?

[Red Squirrel]

This is the passage in question:

In addition, preparations for the construction of a new underbridge at Parsons Street are progressing. The new bridge is designed to carry the four tracks over a new four-lane highway. Temporary bridge spans are being constructed to enable pile foundations and abutments to be constructed ready to receive a new bridge deck which will be constructed alongside the formation and slid into place over the newly constructed abutments. This final phase will be completed over the Christmas period.

I'm not aware of any new 4-lane highway at Parson St. The South Bristol Link (a road, funded by an alleged public transport scheme which I think may have been discussed elsewhere on this forum) passes under the 2-track main line at Colliter's Brook, a way to the south.