Stroud - station, facilities, improvements, events and incidents - merged posts

[whole diary]

[Btline]

Same at the other end.

Axe Norton Junction signal box, motorise the points, add an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) length loop on the branch, put in new colour signals, add everything to one of the Worcester signal boxes, continue the 90 mph speed limit to just outside Shrub Hill.

Knock at least a minute off the journey, more when you factor in the reduction in delays, improved operational flexibility and the capacity.

Also reduces operational costs, so would pay back (maybe )!

[stebbo]

I live in Hereford but have worked in Cheltenham for the last 16 months. As a result I have travelled a lot on the Cotswold line over the last 18 years (almost always delayed) and a few times on the Cheltenham/Paddington line (on time or 5 to 10 minute delay). In my experience, the Cotswold line suffers far more congestion and delays and is thus a prime candidate for redoubling and should receive primary focus. I don't now use the Cotswold line but go from Cheltenham or drive all the way to Swindon.

I totally agree that the single track from Kemble to Swindon is a nonsense - indeed what idiot thought it up? I can't see what purpose it ever served - why stop at Kemble?. Why didn't they single all the way to Stroud whilst they were at it - clearly and thankfully rational thought set in somewhere.

Also, in this week's local paper for Glos and Wilts (the Standard) I saw the paper proudly present photo evidence that the Kemble/Swindon stretch WAS once double track. I despair of local newspapers - whoever thought it wasn't, as it was the original mainline to South Wales pre-Severn Tunnel days? Oh, and not all the track needs to be moved for a re-doubling - there is a good stretch of the old track still in place, albeit rotten, alongside the current single track from Swindon for a good few miles.

[12hoursunday]

Oh, and not all the track needs to be moved for a re-doubling - there is a good stretch of the old track still in place, albeit rotten, alongside the current single track from Swindon for a good few miles.

Whilst part of your comment above is true re the old track being in place ( I think the rotting pice at the Swindon end served the undergroud storage depot whilst it was still used by trains) I'm afraid that probally the whole lot will have to be replaced. The old bit happens to be Three foot lower than the bit used today . Over the years the ballast has been built up and will have to removed espeacilly under the bridges. Failing that bridges etc will have to be removed and replaced as trains now run through the middle of the 'hole' and would no way fit under if the track was doulbed!

[12hoursunday]

Axe Norton Junction signal box, motorise the points, add an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) length loop on the branch, put in new colour signals, add everything to one of the Worcester signal boxes, continue the 90 mph speed limit to just outside Shrub Hill.

Flipping Heck Btline what do you think we are trained in the art of kamikazi train driving or something! I can just see it now. The first day of the new working and the first Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill HST coming off the road as he went speeding through those points ( which gives a bit of a kick at 25) at 90mph!

[Btline]

Axe Norton Junction signal box, motorise the points, add an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) length loop on the branch, put in new colour signals, add everything to one of the Worcester signal boxes, continue the 90 mph speed limit to just outside Shrub Hill.

Flipping Heck Btline what do you think we are trained in the art of kamikazi train driving or something! I can just see it now. The first day of the new working and the first Paddington to Worcester Shrub Hill HST coming off the road as he went speeding through those points ( which gives a bit of a kick at 25) at 90mph!

  You what?

[signalandtelegraph]

What's happened to all the signal engineers.

It shouldn't be that difficult to put in a small SSSI at Wolvercote multiplexed to the Oxford panel. When Oxford is upgraded it can interface with the new equipment.

It isn't,  but at the moment the initial cost would not justify the return given the age of the current infrastructure.  NR^» (Network Rail - home page) would rather wait until resignalling is due and do it then. 

[stebbo]

"My view is that good start would be to add a 4 miles of double track from Wolvercote to Hanborough (exclusive) to get Cotswold trains off the mainline and shorten the single line section,  without having to rebuild any stations. Coupled with the upgrades of S&C^▸ (Settle and Carlisle ) proposed by industry insider this would be a good start"

My view - expressed in another blog on the Cotswold section - is that if you are going for half measures on the Cotswold line you redouble Evesham to Charlbury so extending the middle double track bit but it is a bit half-baked and not as good as doing the lot. Fortunately sense may prevail there.

But doesn't really sort out the Stroud line with the odd single bit at one end. As I said earlier on this blog, can't understand what half wit thought up this piece of nonsense, but there you go. For a chain or two short of 14 miles, do the lot.

[12hoursunday]

to get Cotswold trains off the mainline

There is already the facility to do this as there is a signal protecting the single line 500 yds past Wolvercote. However it would only help if nothing was coming along in the up direction.

[Lee]

The Stroud Valley scheme is among those ruled out by the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) (link below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/06/network_rail_told_to_make_cuts.html#more

[stebbo]

"There is already the facility to do this as there is a signal protecting the single line 500 yds past Wolvercote. However it would only help if nothing was coming along in the up direction."

Correction - I don't think I said that as the point you make is obvious. My point was that, if you're not going to do the whole Cotswold line, do the middle bit - but that has no relevance to the Stroud line.

[12hoursunday]

What you said was!

"My view is that good start would be to add a 4 miles of double track from Wolvercote to Hanborough (exclusive) to get Cotswold trains off the mainline and shorten the single line section,  without having to rebuild any stations.

What I said was

 
There is already the facility to do this as there is a signal protecting the single line 500 yds past Wolvercote. However it would only help if nothing was coming along in the up direction.

 

[Btline]

But if trains are coming towards Oxford, you can't get the Northbound train off the mainline. Ditto at Norton.

[Lee]

The Stroud Valley scheme is among those ruled out by the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) (link below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/06/network_rail_told_to_make_cuts.html#more

Cotswolds MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Geoffrey Clifton-Brown is urging people to write to the ORR to push for work to start on the Cotswold Line as soon as possible and to reverse the decision on the Swindon to Kemble line (link below.)
http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=231771&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231774&contentPK=20823012&folderPk=108867&pNodeId=231888

[Lee]

Transport minister Tom Harris is backing the Stroud Valley re-doubling plans (link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7482746.stm

"I will commit my own officials to working with the industry to make the case very strongly to the ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) that the re-doubling of this lane (article probably meant to say "line") should in fact go ahead."

[swlines]

Lee, are you sure he isn't referring to a road that runs next to the railway? He clearly says lane!

Damn you, you edited...