Cotswold Line redoubling: 2008 - 2011

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

Are we on schedule to re-open in 2.5 weeks?  Thats what I want to know!

I'm crossing the days off mentally until normal service resumes.  I will never be so happy to be stuck at Morton or Evesham waiting for the single line

[Oxman]

I have been told the work is running to schedule. Track is being laid in Campden tunnel.

[willc]

In what I think was only the second or third email I have received from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) from their redoubling update service, which arrived a couple of days ago, they also said that the work is on schedule.

[willc]

Further early morning problems between Oxford and Moreton in the past couple of days, according to Charlbury commuter blog posts, with a cancellation and some very late running. Not entirely sure why they don't leave the halts DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) in a siding at Moreton overnight, as it would ease a bit of the pressure.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are so proud of actually managing to send an email update that I got it again today.

[willc]

And more problems today, with the 8.13 from Moreton actually starting at Oxford.

[willc]

There is now a redoubling picture gallery online at the Oxford Mail website. Some of them will look familiar, because I took them, but there are some more from inside Chipping Campden tunnel taken by a colleague last month and a few golden oldies from west Oxfordshire out of the Oxford Mail library. It's at http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/pictures/oxfordshire_galleries/cotswoldline2009/

[IndustryInsider]

Not entirely sure why they don't leave the halts DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) in a siding at Moreton overnight, as it would ease a bit of the pressure.

I think in hindsight it's one of the few areas that could have been improved upon, and if a similar block occurs later into the project - then that may well be changed. For this block it probably wouldn't be worth the effort of amending the unit, driver and crew diagrams for the limited time that remained once the problem came to light.

[willc]

By way of an update http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/headlines/4559972.Cotswold_Line_doubling_up_enters_final_phase/

[willc]

Some pictures here http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009/ of an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) being shunted from one platform to the other at Moreton-in-Marsh station on Saturday evening - pretty slick operation, eight minutes start to finish, despite the driver having to walk the length of the train.

[paul7575]

By way of an update http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/headlines/4559972.Cotswold_Line_doubling_up_enters_final_phase/

A member of the 'general public' quickly reading that headline would presumably think the re-doubling was nearly finished - a bit of an unfortunate wording?

Paul

[willc]

I could give you my full one-hour lecture on headlines - gripping, I can assure you - followed by an hour trying to write some to fit tight spaces - always a winner with students - but in short, the idea of a headline is to get people's attention and convey a flavour of the tale, so they read the full story.

They need to be short and snappy - whether in print or on the internet - because if they ramble on for a dozen words, people just give up on reading the headline, never mind looking at the story.

I assume you did read on, so now have the full, rounded picture (hence the 200-plus words that went below the headline). The same goes for members of the 'general public' who read it.

The headline could have said something like 'Cotswold Line preparatory engineering work for doubling up enters final phase for this summer' but most people would just give up after 'preparatory engineering work'.

If you'd like to practise writing some yourselves - half a dozen words or fewer - you could always try conveying the gist of this tale from the Charlbury commuter blog of events at Oxford last Wednesday evening....

18.21 Paddington/19.33 Oxford-Charlbury: 30 minutes' delay
Utter chaos at Oxford where there was a connection to the Moreton train because of the alternative timetable. Due to leave from platform 3, passengers waited for the train to arrive to continue their journey. After 10-15 mins a train pulled in. No announcement to the contrary so people got on it. A few minutes later the train despatcher told everyone to get off: 'not this train, not this train'. A second, two-carriage turbo then arrived and parked in front of the first train. Passengers got on that one: 'not this train, not this train' said the depatcher (no tannoy announcements were happening). Everyone got off again, and watched as the two trains coupled together. Some minutes later the train pulled out of platform 3 empty and stopped a few hundred yards up the train in a siding. Another few minutes passed and it drew back onto platform 3. Everyone got on. After some minutes sitting, the driver announced this was the train for Banbury. Getting off, the display boards no longer showed the Moreton in Marsh train. Still no tannoy announcement was forthcoming. I went to the station concourse to complain, along with some other people. While I was doing this, other passengers were directed to platform 2 over the footbridge. Having made requests for the correct information to be given over a tannoy to a stroppy customer service person who said that he knew what was happening and had been telling everyone(not true), that an order for taxis had been countermanded by central control, that the station manager had left at 7.30 and that there was no-one in charge, we noticed all the passengers trooping over the footbridge back to platform 3. Finally a tannoy announcement stated that the train had not been cancelled and that it was for Moreton after all. It pulled away around 30 minutes late. The guard "could only apologise for the utter shambles". Too right!

[willc]

Another outing to Evesham today, so took the scenic route back, retracing my route through the Vale on August 8 and found a few more changes to photograph, along with the rare sight of a 'train' - okay, a road-rail excavator - running into the sidings at Honeybourne to collect ballast, which I assumed was destined for just east of the station, where work was taking place and a bulldozer with a ballast plough was parked in a field beside the line, close to the single-track bridge deck over the old Cheltenham line that will be replaced next year.

Signal technicians out and about at various places along the way, including Blockley and Dorn, near Moreton-in-Marsh, where there was also freshly-laid ballast awaiting tamping, presumably by the machine which is back in residence at Moreton sidings this week.

As usual, see http://www.flickr.com/photos/willc2009

PS: Have just noticed buried in a Network Rail press release about engineering work over the bank holiday weekend that the redoubling budget now appears to be ^70m.

[Tim]

Nice photos Willc.  I like the wavy track after it can been opushed aside!

[willc]

An engineering train to remove spoil ran on the Worcestershire end of the line today, after taking the long way round from Oxford's Hinksey Yard to approach from the Worcester direction. Pictures here http://www.petertandy.co.uk/Recentpics.html

And an explanation of the confusion at Oxford last week has now been posted on charlbury.info by the local customer panel rep, who was told there were communication problems between the control room - who first cancelled, then reinstated the train - and the staff at Oxford station, resulting in conflicting information.

[willc]

Network Rail has released a couple of new pictures from Chipping Campden tunnel today, including one of some double track sticking out of the Mickleton end.

Online now at http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/pictures/oxfordshire_galleries/cotswoldline2009/page/1/