Bristol Resignalling - from Bristol Panel Signal Box to Thames Valley Signal Centre (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[SandTEngineer]

At the end of May 2016 the first stage of the Bristol area resignalling gets commissioned and control transferred to Thames Valley Signalling Centre.  The area concerned is the South Wales main line from Charfield/Chipping Sodbury through Bristol Parkway to Piling and down to Henbury/Horfield (including the new connections to the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) Depot at Stoke Gifford).  This area is controlled from what is known as the subsidiary panel in Bristol Panel signalbox.

http://www.networkrailconsulting.com/our-projects/bristol-area-signalling-renewal-and-enhancement/

http://www.networkrailconsulting.com/assets/Uploads/Bristol-Area-Signalling-Renewal-Enhancement-BASRE.pdf

See second page here for details of the services affected by the blockade: https://www.gwr.com/~/media/gwr/pdfs/planned-engineering/2016/bath-spa-warm-up-leaflet-web-version.pdf?la=en

[paul7575]

I see in one of those links that they aren't resignalling "Bristol South", because it is out of electrification scope.   

Presumably as that area's panel is co-located within Bristol Power Box it will have to be recontrolled anyway, as don't they want to run trains through the present signal box location into the re-opened platform (or platforms) beyond?

Paul

[stuving]

I see in one of those links that they aren't resignalling "Bristol South", because it is out of electrification scope.   

Presumably as that area's panel is co-located within Bristol Power Box it will have to be recontrolled anyway, as don't they want to run trains through the present signal box location into the re-opened platform (or platforms) beyond?

Paul

But it goes on to say:

the re-control of the Bristol Power Signal Box area (excluding Bristol South) signalling to Thames Valley Signalling Centre in line with the National Control Centre Strategy

Of course that just excludes it from this project, so it may be done in another - odd though that might seem, since it would presumably have lower priority.

[SandTEngineer]

On the signalling plans I have (usual disclaimer about updated-ness ) the two new platforms in the Brunel trainshed are not commissioned until a later date.  The area south of Flax Bourton to Bridgwater is not part of the resignalling for electrification but is shown as being re-controlled onto TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) at Didcot. The mid-platform X signs at Bristol Temple Meads also get replaced by 'Back to Back' conventional signals.

[rower40]

Stage 2 (but in fact the first to be commissioned!) is just the Filton Diamond, including Parkway, Patchway, Filton Abbey Wood and Filton West Jn. Narroways Hill Jn and Westerleigh Jn remain under Bristol PSB^▸ (Power Signal Box) control at present.  I think this is to avoid having to alter Bristol PSB for the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) Depot connections.
Due to go Live August 2016.

[ellendune]

Is Patchway the interface with S Wales signalling centre?

[rower40]

Is Patchway the interface with S Wales signalling centre?

Yup.  All signals beyond there, Pilning loops etc and the Severn Tunnel itself,are prefixed "NT" which I assume is Newport PSB^▸ (Power Signal Box).

[SandTEngineer]

Is Patchway the interface with S Wales signalling centre?

Yup.  All signals beyond there, Pilning loops etc and the Severn Tunnel itself,are prefixed "NT" which I assume is Newport PSB^▸ (Power Signal Box).

Newport (Panel) Signalbox closed on 29 October 2012.  The NT prefix refers to the Newport Workstation in Cardiff ROC^▸ (Rail Operating Centre - a centralised location for railway signalling and train control operations for a specific route or region).

May I kindly ask where you got your information from for the first stage of the Bristol re-signalling? The Signalling Scheme Plan I have (may be out of date) shows the first commissioning as I stated in my post above.

[DaveHarries]

May I kindly ask where you got your information from for the first stage of the Bristol re-signalling? The Signalling Scheme Plan I have (may be out of date) shows the first commissioning as I stated in my post above.

Stage 2 (but in fact the first to be commissioned!) is just the Filton Diamond, including Parkway, Patchway, Filton Abbey Wood and Filton West Jn. Narroways Hill Jn and Westerleigh Jn remain under Bristol PSB^▸ (Power Signal Box) control at present.  I think this is to avoid having to alter Bristol PSB for the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) Depot connections.
Due to go Live August 2016.

I confirm, but without naming my source of information, that I also understand that the new signalling around Parkway, Patchway, Filton AbbeyWood and Filton West Jcn will not go live until August 2016.

Two things in the meanwhile:
- for the May blockade, I note from a map on a leaflet on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s website that during the May closure CrossCountry services will divert between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham Spa via. Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon (reverse) and Kemble. Nice detour: don't think i have ever seen a CrossCountry service heading through Kemble!

- GWR's website also advises that the lines from Bristol Parkway / Filton AbbeyWood to the Severn Tunnel will be closed 24/7 between Monday 12th September and Friday 21st October 2016 although the line from Filton AbbeyWood to Bristol Parkway will; remain open. I don't commute from South Wales but go there fairly regularly when working due to the nature of my job so things will be rather tricky for a while!

Dave

[ellendune]

Two things in the meanwhile:
- for the May blockade, I note from a map on a leaflet on GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s website that during the May closure CrossCountry services will divert between Bristol Temple Meads and Cheltenham Spa via. Bath Spa, Chippenham, Swindon (reverse) and Kemble. Nice detour: don't think i have ever seen a CrossCountry service heading through Kemble!

For a time when Virgin XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) proposed to run services from Birmingham to Paddington via Cheltenham and Swindon all the local services from Glos to Swindon transferred to Virgin XC.  But then when they plan all went wrong this was undone. So normal XC services have run through Kemble before not just diverted services. 

[IndustryInsider]

Indeed, and the proposed Birmingham to Paddington via Swindon was to use a fleet of 2+5 HST^▸ (High Speed Train)'s IIRC^▸ (if I recall/remember/read correctly). 

[Adelante_CCT]

I notice that they will also be calling at Bath, to set down only 'southbound' and pick up only 'northbound'

[Timmer]

I notice that they will also be calling at Bath, to set down only 'southbound' and pick up only 'northbound'

Makes sense so Bath passengers heading North don't have to double back travelling to Bristol first.

[grahame]

I notice that they will also be calling at Bath, to set down only 'southbound' and pick up only 'northbound'

Makes sense so Bath passengers heading North don't have to double back travelling to Bristol first.

It does make sense as there's a huge passenger flow through Bath Spa ... though could they not have changed at Swindon onto the XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)) rather than doubling back?

[DaveHarries]

the re-control of the Bristol Power Signal Box area (excluding Bristol South) signalling to Thames Valley Signalling Centre in line with the National Control Centre Strategy

I am a member of a couple of signalling-related forums and it seems that the timescale for this national ROC^▸ (Rail Operating Centre - a centralised location for railway signalling and train control operations for a specific route or region) (Rail Operating Centre) idea. It came to my attention on one forum last week that the resignalling of the Medway Valley (Kent) line between Cuxton, Aylesford and Wateringbury to East Kent SCC^‡(resolve) - which, I believe, was supposed to have been done recently in connection with Phase 2 of the recontrol work - has been put back by several years, possibly to 2024-2029 at the earliest.

Of course that just excludes it from this project, so it may be done in another - odd though that might seem, since it would presumably have lower priority.

The whole of the area south of Bristol all the way to Penzance is eventually supposed to be passing to TVSC^» (Thames Valley Signalling Centre - about) (Thames Valley Signalling Centre) at Didcot which will, I believe, eventually be renamed as the West of England ROC. I believe Devon and Cornwall are due to be done around 2017 - 2020 though I suspect that will probably slip.

In terms of the transfer of the Bristol Parkway / Filton / Westerleigh area to the TVSC I was at Clifton Down station this evening and noticed that there is, as I think we already knew, a closure of the lines from Bristol Parkway to Filton, Temple Meads, Severn Tunnel and Westerleigh Junction for Saturday 28th to Monday 30th May inclusive. I note, however, that buses will replace trains Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach for Saturday 27th to Monday 29th August inclusive. Perhaps the works for May are simply preparation for the recontrol of Bristol Parkway, Filton and Westerleigh while the commissioning date will indeed not be until August? Saying that I heard from someone connected with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) that the commissioning date is indeed the May weekend. I guess we just wait and see.

For anyone interested in how the Thames Valley SCC looks there are pictures here of the building, along with some of the workstation screen layouts:
http://photos.signalling.org/index?/category/205-thames_valley_sc

HTIOI,
Dave