Plymouth & Cornwall resignalling to be completed by December 2018

[whole diary]

[RichardB]

I was lucky enough to be at the lunchtime event at Long Rock.  The Sleeper refurbishment and new sleeper depot at Long Rock are great news but for me the best news of all is resignalling.

Not just the whole of Cornwall but also Plymouth will be resignalled by December 2018.  No ifs, buts or maybes - that is today's commitment.  The resignalling will allow at least a half-hourly service to operate across Cornwall.  The big thing now for this is funding the additional rolling stock and traincrews to do it.

I hadn't picked up until today that Plymouth would be included.  This will cover to the boundary of Exeter Panel - Marley Tunnel, at the top of Rattery Bank, west of Totnes.

Over the next few months, between us all, we need to ensure that the project is sufficiently "future proofed".  An example of this is the plan for Tavistock - the aim is for a 30 minute frequency service in the peaks.  This will need some sort of loop between St Budeaux and Bere Alston (or possibly, "simply" the second platform at St Budeaux brought back into use.)  This will need to be decided and built in now, or it will be much more difficult and expensive later.

Another example is remodelling St Erth to make it much easier to run the St Ives branch to and from Penzance as a matter of course, with trains able to pass in St Erth main line platforms.

Very exciting times!



Richard Burningham,
Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership


 

[Andy]

This is definitely good news, though as Richard points out there is a "time bomb" effect regarding the building in of future plans. Apart from the examples of the loop for Tavistock & the St. Erth remodelling that Richard mentions, what other future-proofing provisions need to be made?
 

[Kernow Otter]

Reinstatement of passenger services on the Lostwithiel - Fowey branch.

[RichardB]

Reinstatement of passenger services on the Lostwithiel - Fowey branch.

Your problem there is the transhipment equipment at Fowey Docks.  I went around the site a few years ago and there was no room for a passenger line.  If the Docks cease to be used for China Clay, then it might be possible.  I suspect a simple renewal of the signalling as is at Lostwithiel would do.  While China Clay traffic runs, I think a passenger service is a non-starter, unfortunately.

[Andy]

RichardB, your post has got me thinking about what other provisions may be factored in and two which have come to mind are any changes to the arrangements at Newquay and the connection between the B&W and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) at Bodmin Road/Parkway (Bodmin Part-way?!).

[RichardB]

RichardB, your post has got me thinking about what other provisions may be factored in and two which have come to mind are any changes to the arrangements at Newquay and the connection between the B&W and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) at Bodmin Road/Parkway (Bodmin Part-way?!).

Good thoughts, Andy.  Re Newquay, it might be better to have a loop around St Columb Road but I hope the options are thoroughly looked into.  I'll certainly be encouraging that.

[SandTEngineer]

Even with the possible part application of Modular Signalling (for which Cornwall is an ideal application, but not the Plymouth area) and knowing what signalling work has to be delivered by NR^» (Network Rail - home page) in CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019), I think the date for resignalling may turn out to be very optimistic

There is a distinct lack of qualified S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) resource already (and that includes resources brought in from overseas - before anybody mentions it).  I will wait and see.  I'll dig out the BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) 1980s Cornwall resignalling plans and see what other 'improvement' was proposed at that time (one I can recall was full application of Simplified Bi-Directional signalling - SIMBIDS and another was no loop at St.Blazey on the Newquay line).

[eightf48544]

If this to be complete resigalling wouldn't it be better to go for ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) straight away and have done with it?

[RichardB]

Even with the possible part application of Modular Signalling (for which Cornwall is an ideal application, but not the Plymouth area) and knowing what signalling work has to be delivered by NR^» (Network Rail - home page) in CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019), I think the date for resignalling may turn out to be very optimistic

There is a distinct lack of qualified S&T^▸ (Signalling and Telegraph) resource already (and that includes resources brought in from overseas - before anybody mentions it).  I will wait and see.  I'll dig out the BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) 1980s Cornwall resignalling plans and see what other 'improvement' was proposed at that time (one I can recall was full application of Simplified Bi-Directional signalling - SIMBIDS and another was no loop at St.Blazey on the Newquay line).

I certainly take your point.  That date has come from the top within NR, so we'll see.  I think Modular Signalling is what is in mind for Cornwall.  Would be very interested to hear what was in the 1980s plan.

[stuving]

If this to be complete resigalling wouldn't it be better to go for ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) straight away and have done with it?

Most of the Western Route is being resignalled, recontrolled, or both over the next few years with lineside signals and ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System)/ERTMS. The stated date for removal of lineside signals is December 2025. That looks wasteful, but the problem with going to ETCS only - and no lineside signals - is that any train not equipped with ETCS that wants to use this track, for whatever reason, can't. That's a powerful enough reason (combined with the reduced maintenance of LEDs) to put in new lineside signals for less then ten years.

[Rhydgaled]

If this to be complete resigalling wouldn't it be better to go for ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) straight away and have done with it?

Most of the Western Route is being resignalled, recontrolled, or both over the next few years with lineside signals and ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System)/ERTMS. The stated date for removal of lineside signals is December 2025. That looks wasteful, but the problem with going to ETCS only - and no lineside signals - is that any train not equipped with ETCS that wants to use this track, for whatever reason, can't. That's a powerful enough reason (combined with the reduced maintenance of LEDs) to put in new lineside signals for less then ten years.

To put that in a more dramatic way, do you want steam railtours? The Cambrian Coast line had a regular steam service every summer before ETCS, now it cannot since no steam locomotives have yet been fitted with ETCS (although I think Tornado has passive provision for it). ETCS fitment to steam locos might begin to happen when lineside signals have disappeared from a large part of the network but for a few years it probably will be either no steam or a very small pool of suitably equiped locos.

[John R]

Yes, I do want steam railtours, but I don't believe that the future direction of the railways should be influenced by something which represents such a minute portion of the railway's business.

Besides, when there is only one line affected, the cost justification for devising a solution isn't there, when the locomotive owners can find alternative uses.   I suspect once the a majority of the network is covered, the situation might change, although that would appear to be at least 20 years away, so in the interim some lines may be out of bounds to steam.

[SandTEngineer]

Well it will signal () the end of some significant and historic signalbox structures (some of which I know are to be preserved):

Plymouth Panel opened 1960
Liskeard opened 1915
Lostwithiel opened 1893
Par opened 1882 (estimated but believed to have signalled Broad Gauge trains)
St.Blazey opened 1908
Goonbarrow Junction opened 1909
Truro (Former Truro East) opened 1899
Roskear Junction opened 1895
St.Erth opened 1899
Penzance opened 1938

So even the youngest is 54 years old.  Can't see ERTMS^▸ (European Rail Traffic Management System.) lasting that long

[bobm]

All the more reason to get out with a camera sooner rather than later.

[SandTEngineer]

All the more reason to get out with a camera sooner rather than later.

Agreed.  And to record some of the things that the public don't (usually) get to see (in this case the lever frame interlocking under the operating floor at Penzance which is now 76 years old):


Image (c)2014 SandTEngineer