Chiltern Evergreen 3 - Further new Track Access Agreement Application

[whole diary]

[paul7575]

The details of work to be done are in the Chiltern 73rd track access application (TAA).  It was linked to in the first post, but now that the consultation is complete, it has changed locations on the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) site.

Now at:  http://tinyurl.com/ydf6rty  - the NR site includes the TAA and all the draft timetables, or

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s22-chiltern-73sa-application-form.pdf - ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) site for TAA only.

Section 6 of the TAA lists all the infrastructure work.  No detailed timetable, but going by the rest of the form they are aiming at completion for Dec 2010...

Interestingly (and a separate issue to the infrastructure work really) there are a number of objections to the new timetable that have appeared in a file on the ORR website.  Including the obligatory 'revenue abstraction' issue from Virgin, cos Chiltern's service will be improved. More surprisingly, ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) also have objections, on the assumption that their services will already be running during next year...   

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/s22-chiltern-73sa-responses.pdf

Edit: It can only be the mainline part of Evergreen 3 that could be signed off so far, as Bicester - Oxford still has to go through the TWA^▸ (Transport and Works Act 1992) Order approval procedures?

Paul

[Btline]

Excellent news! I simply can't wait for the new timetable to start next December!

[ChrisB]

Or the fare rises that will certainly come with it!

[IndustryInsider]

With one out of the two Birmingham trains an hour terminating at Moor Street, does anyone know what will happen to them? It looks like Phase 1 will have a 12 minute turnaround each hour (quite tight!). Will they sit and block one of the through platforms at Moor Street, or is the long conceived plan to reconnect the bay platform(s) going to happen by next December and mean they can stay out of the way in one of them?

[ChrisB]

The work to reconnect the bay platforms at Moor Street is imminent - prep work out on the main lines has already started.

12 minute turn-round wil be easy as a drivers depot will also be there.

[IndustryInsider]

The work to reconnect the bay platforms at Moor Street is imminent - prep work out on the main lines has already started.

12 minute turn-round wil be easy as a drivers depot will also be there.

Thanks for confirming that, Chris. Good to see it finally happening. Though I maintain that 12 minutes is not a lot for a turnaround of a medium distance train on an already very tight schedule. It's 6.5 miles from the previous stop at Solihull and allowing only 8 minutes for a train to make that journey and terminate in a bay platform gives little or no recovery time at all - unusual these days when several minutes are usually added to the final station stop of a train to help massage the PPM^▸ (Parry People Mover, or Pence Per Mile, or Public Performance Measure - depending on context) figures.

[ChrisB]

Your forgetting the 'engineering minutes' added to the end time on all their journeys - arrival time is usually at least 5 minutes ahead of timetable time.

THat, and you are looking at a sample timetable, I assume, not a fully working one.

[ChrisB]

Looking through those objections, there are some very valid points, not least those of ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) re the 'penalty' or extra services and unused slots currently;

however, I'm on Chiltern's side definitely over most of Centro's points - London Midland is the local stations operator for Birmingham, not Chiltern - and to request that Chiltern cover London Midland's inadequacies just because they pass through the relevant stations, isn't fair on Chiltern.

[IndustryInsider]

Your forgetting the 'engineering minutes' added to the end time on all their journeys - arrival time is usually at least 5 minutes ahead of timetable time.

THat, and you are looking at a sample timetable, I assume, not a fully working one.

Whilst taking your point about the difference between working and public timings, I assume the southbound departure times from Moor Street are accurate at around xx:30, and I assume the times for Solihull coming the other way at around xx:10 are also accurate. With over six miles to cover from Solihull and a slow arrival into a bay platform,that will only give a maximum of 12 minutes to turnround, and it doesn't appear to me that there's much scope for increasing those without compromising the timetable further up the line. We'll see what the final versions look like in good time though of course.

[ChrisB]

Nothings 'accurate', it's just a sample timetable....

[IndustryInsider]

Nothings 'accurate', it's just a sample timetable....

I do accept that and hope that my concerns about that turnaround time and others I made earlier in this thread (some of which are mirrored by the official responses from the other interested parties) are addressed.

I suspect that with lots of contentious issues to hammer out still, and the large amount of infrastructure work to carry out, a start date of one years time will be put back and Btline will have to wait a little longer than he hopes for his faster trains - which at the final outcome won't be anywhere near as fast as in that timetable proposal!

As I said, we will see in good time.

[gwr2006]

Edit: It can only be the mainline part of Evergreen 3 that could be signed off so far, as Bicester - Oxford still has to go through the TWA^▸ (Transport and Works Act 1992) Order approval procedures?

Paul

Despite the Chiltern Railway's Franchise Agreement requiring the process to be completed by 1st December 2009, as of today, there has been no financial sign-off or agreement between DfT^» (Department for Transport - about), Network Rail and Chiltern Railways in relation to any part of Evergreen 3.

None of the parties involved is willing to say when, or if, this will happen.

The Transport & Works Act Order for the Bicester-Oxford (Phase 2) upgrade is also running late and is not due to be submitted now until early January 2010.

[paul7575]

Edit: It can only be the mainline part of Evergreen 3 that could be signed off so far, as Bicester - Oxford still has to go through the TWA^▸ (Transport and Works Act 1992) Order approval procedures?

Paul

Despite the Chiltern Railway's Franchise Agreement requiring the process to be completed by 1st December 2009, as of today, there has been no financial sign-off or agreement between DfT^» (Department for Transport - about), Network Rail and Chiltern Railways in relation to any part of Evergreen 3.

None of the parties involved is willing to say when, or if, this will happen.

The Transport & Works Act Order for the Bicester-Oxford (Phase 2) upgrade is also running late and is not due to be submitted now until early January 2010.

I must admit I had my doubts as well which is why I added the above Edit - I'm wondering if the 'signed off' story was simply based on the Network Rail track access application consultation deadline being passed.  All that meant, as I see it, was that the paperwork was passed to ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) ...

Paul

[ChrisB]

Yes, I noticed that the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) failed to sign off by the franchise required date of 30th November.

There is obviously a problem - I wonder with which part? Time will tell.

[Lee]

I wonder if its being put quietly on hold while the "Improving value for money" study is being carried out? - http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=5875.msg56519#msg56519