Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates

[whole diary]

[willc]

The redoubling work will start in 2012-13, according to Theresa Villiers.

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/9116879.Government_confirms_work_to_double_Kemble_to_Swindon_line_will_start_next_year/

[Sapperton Tunnel]

The Swindon to Kemble redoubling seems to have gone a bit quiet; I have not seen any press releases from Network Rail or DafT of late, but this has popped up on Cotswold District Council^s Planning Website:

http://www.cotswold.gov.uk/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=2297&tt=cotswold&step=2&myID=12/00457/SCR

The Application is a request from Network rail to CDC to determine if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required.

Various snippets can be picked up in the document:

1 ^ The Contractor (in Glos at least) is Morgan Sindall

2 ^ Design has advanced to a level of detail, and quoting from the Application:

^The Proposed Development ^ Summary of Works within Cotswold District
Within Cotswold District, it is proposed to reinstate approximately 1.5 miles of railway track, to be laid wholly within Network Rail^s existing operational railway land boundary. This includes the realignment of the existing railway track, earthworks, installation of a second railway track and associated minor track works, relocation/installation of trackside equipment/infrastructure, the installation of new signals, improvements to 2 no. pedestrian level crossings, and minor alterations to existing bridge structures (1no. underbridges and 2 no. overbridges).
In order to facilitate the above works, 3 no. temporary site compounds and temporary new accesses to the existing railway line will be required. They will be located adjacent to the railway line at various locations along the route (where required by the contractor ^ Morgan Sindall).^    

I have been unable to find similar applications on the Wiltshire Council or the Swindon Borough Council's websites. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for that very useful update and information, Sapperton Tunnel - and welcome to the Coffee Shop forum! 

[paul7575]

The December 2011 update to the CP4^▸ (Control Period 4 - the five year period between 2009 and 2014) enhancements plan has the physical work for the redoubling (GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects) stage 6) taking place between Jan 2013 and April 2014.

Page 195 of the last document here: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/12072.aspx

Shows how the plans tie in with other projects, such as signalling recontrol... 

Paul

[Sapperton Tunnel]

Thank you for that, Paul7755,

The December 2011 Network Rail update says that the "linespeed remains unchanged" The speed has always been 90mph, with a 100mph for HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) in places.


This is at odds with a letter from Theresa Villiers to Geoffrey Clifton Brown (MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) for Cotswolds) in August 2011 which said (from his website):

""In a letter to Cotswold MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the Minister for Railways at the Department for Transport, the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, confirmed that:
 
^We have changed the scope of the Swindon-Kemble redoubling to a higher line speed of 110mph from the earlier plan of 100mph^
 
^This should enable a further reduction in journey time on services.^"

http://www.cliftonbrown.co.uk/08082011_getting_up_to_speed 


Guess someone needs to tell Network Rail

[paul7575]

Not unusual for Network Rail to be the last to know.

Most commentators reckoned that NR^» (Network Rail - home page) had absolutely no idea whatsoever that the Autumn Statement would come up with all that OHLE up north, so I guess a minor linespeed proposal would fall straight through their floorboards...

Paul

[stebbo]

I have just had an exchange of e-mails with my local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament), Lawrence Robertson (Tewkesbury) that goes like this (I would copy and paste but my PC is getting old and a bit crappy):

1. I receive a constituency newsletter this week that tells me how Laurence Robertson and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown have recently gone to see the PM and secured the redoubling of Kemble to Swindon;

2. I e-mail Robertson and tell him that, as far as I was aware, the redoubling had been approved in 2011 and was due to start in 2012/13. I quoted BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News website articles as far back as March 2011 and Geoffrey Clifton-Brown's website - so wasn't Laurence being a bit "economical"?

3. Robertson replies like a shot to say that the redoubling hadn't been approved last year at all and the earlier news stuff was not quite true - and gets a bit shirty with me to boot.

Any comments?

[anthony215]

Nice MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) 

I am sure I read  back in december somewhere that approval had been given.

[Chris from Nailsea]

My personal suggestion: forward your e-mail exchange to Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and invite him to comment on his colleague's views. 

[stebbo]

Which I did.

Mr. Clinton-Brown says that as I'm not a constituent of his, he can't reply to me...!

Mr. Robertson (my MP^▸ (Member of Parliament)) to whom I courteously copied my e-mail has responded with what appears to be further "obfuscation". No clarity on whether the public promises made last year actually mean anything.

So I assume the redoubling is going ahead as planned in 2013. But if any reader of this lives in Clifton-Brown's constituency feel free to have a go.

[stebbo]

And I only tried to get to the bottom of the question of whether:

1. the redoubling hadn't been approved last year as we all thought; or

2. my MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) was re-cycling an old story

My guess is no 2. What do you think?



Show Details FROM:ROBERTSON, Laurence   TO:essage flagged Friday, 20 April 2012, 13:
I am afraid that I do not understand why you are so exercised by this. I have explained the position. Whether or not that took place last week or last year is irrelevant. I^m afraid that, as I receive over 1,000 emails a week, many on important issues, this has to be my last response on this issue.

Yours sincerely

Laurence Robertson M.P.

 
>

[Sapperton Tunnel]

Network Rail made a presentation to Kemble and Ewen Parish Council on 13th April and the draft minutes (of the whole Parish Council meeting) including a summary of the presentation have now been published on the Kemble Parish Website:

http://www.kemble.co.uk/images/Uploaded_Files/Parish_Council/Minutes/2012_13thapril_draft.pdf

I have summarised the summary (!):


The Presentation was made by Michelle Scogings, Senior Programme Development Manager, (National Programmes), and Liam Bateman, Community Relations Manager.They plan to return every quarter to update residents, both users and neighbours of the line, on the plans. 

The project aspiration is of an hourly Cheltenham to Paddington service throughout the day. 12.5 miles of former double track between Kemble and Swindon will be reinstated, along with signalling improvement between Kemble and Standish. The provision is for 4 train paths an hour in each direction.

Earthworks will start in late Summer 2012, with track works in March 2013. The line will be closed for 23 days in August 2013 ^ requiring alternative road transport, and liaison with Councils to ensure roads are not under repair - and for a further 9 days over Easter 2014 to re-signal Swindon.

The Parish Council also took the opportunity to raise concerns about the state of Kemble Station generally. The feeling is that the fabric is neglected and deteriorating. (The last significant refurbishment work was done in early Railtrack days - my added note). 

Car Parking issues continue with station users parking in residential roads either to avoid the charges or because the car park is full. There is a new funded scheme for 65 more spaces, but this may turn out to be only 45 because of the site topography. If the site is moved the funding may be lost. 

Sapperton Tunnel

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Work to redouble Kemble to Swindon line to begin in October

Preparation work to redouble the line between Kemble and Swindon is to begin in October, Network Rail has announced.

The ^45m project was given the go-ahead in March 2011, despite concerns it would fall victim to government spending cuts.

Doubling the 12.5 miles of single-track will remove a bottleneck on the Cheltenham to London route.

Network Rail said the work would culminate in a 23-day closure of the line in the summer of 2013.

But Mike Gallop, director of route asset management at Network Rail, said the "vast majority of works will be undertaken at night".

Guy Dangerfield, from Passenger Focus, said information on planned rail closures was "absolutely critical to passengers".

"There are clearly going to be benefits to passengers from having a two track railway where there's more flexibility operationally and greater capacity overall," he said. "And passengers say to us that as long as they know about it sufficiently far in advance and information is all accurate and clear - they can generally work around things."

The section between Swindon and Kemble was "singled" in the late-1960s as a cost-saving measure by British Rail, under agreement with the government.

Work on the scheme is expected to be completed by spring 2014.

[TonyK]

Hmmm. Even the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) seem to think that this given the nod in March 2011. Still, not too late for your MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) to secure a bank holiday next week for the old Jubilee!

[eightf48544]

4tph doesn't seem very high. I would have thought they needed more particulary for diversions while the Severn tunnel is wired.