Filton Bank Update?

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From a FOSBR^▸ (Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways) member:

Thought you all might be interested to know that the over-grown foliage up Filton Bank between the end of the southern quad. section (South of Lawrence Hill) & Stapleton Road has been cleared from the track-bed, and new lengths of rail (in 4s!) sit on the Down line. Looks suspiciously like re-quadrupling to me!

Why the bloody hell is it so hard to get any info. out of Network Rail?! Does anyone have an idea of the schedule of works? Who's the best person to contact locally in NR^» (Network Rail - home page) to be kept up-to-date?

Could somebody on here possibly make this persons day and provide more info on this?..

..And can TJ please advise me where to put the apostrophe in "persons" ? Damned if I can remember..

[TerminalJunkie]

Could somebody on here possibly make this persons day and provide more info on this?..

..And can TJ please advise me where to put the apostrophe in "persons" ? Damned if I can remember..

If you are referring to one person, the possessive form would be "person's". Of course, if you changed it to read "make his day" you wouldn't need to worry about it.

Oh, and an ellipsis should be formed with three dots...

[Tim]

I find it hard to believe that a major project like this would start without it being announced.  I suspect it is just a rerailing exervise.

I'd love to be proved wrong.

[paul7575]

Quadrupling Filton Bank is shown in the current enhancement plan as a project that is authorised to draw down development funds only during CP4^▸ (Control Period 4 - the five year period between 2009 and 2014), ie up to 2014; then is expected to be undertaken during CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019); and the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) RUS^▸ (Route Utilisation Strategy) reports "...therefore recommends the development of both the three and four track options for subsequent implementation during Bristol resignalling in CP5", ie beyond 2014 up til 2019.

So it is almost certainly normal renewals. 

Paul

[Lee]

Oh, and an ellipsis should be formed with three dots...

Thanks, TJ 

Frankly, I'm amazed at that. A while back, someone else specifically advised me that an ellipsis should be formed with two dots!

You learn something new every day...

[devon_metro]

Think some of the bridges would need some attention before 4 tracking can begin.

[JayMac]

I wouldn't even hold my breath for rerailing. Take a look at the Severn Beach Line. From Narroways Junction down to Redland, there are hundreds of 'new' sleepers along with bags of ballast that have been there for years. So long in fact that nature has taken over and is slowly covering it all in greenery.

Such a waste of materials.

[paul7575]

Could also be 'prepositioned for emergency repairs' though...

That's what I'd say if I worked in rail infrastructure and didn't know why the stuff had ever been dropped off and then forgotten about... 

Paul

[rich0099]

I've recently noticed Tata branded rails in the middle of the tracks at Avonmouth station (SVB to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) direction).

Also... possible track work by the Oil refinery at 51.525286,-2.688292 (using google maps)? It may be someone having a laugh, but the 3 or 4 sleepers look very purposefully placed to suggest a set of points.

Nice to see the coal trains back at St Andrew's Road... it's been a bit quiet recently.

[Dispatch Box]

This has now been done, 2018, Lovely.

[TonyK]

Then:



Now:

[Red Squirrel]

Two new railway lines into Bristol Temple Meads completed to help improve passenger journeys



This morning (Monday 3 December) Network Rail successfully completed the installation of two new railway lines between Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Temple Meads – doubling the number of lines into Temple Meads from two to four.

These two new train lines will help improve reliable services for passengers because they enable local stopping services to run on separate lines to faster intercity services – which is often why trains are delayed into and out of Bristol Temple Meads and makes journeys longer. The two new tracks will also help get services up and running faster when incidents occur and critically the new lines pave the way for an increase in direct London – Bristol Parkway – Bristol Temple Meads services that will be introduced at the end of 2019.

Engineers started on the £130m upgrade programme in 2015 and this culminated in up to 350 engineers on the tracks at any one time during an intensive three-week upgrade in November this year, with the final testing being done in the last two weeks of weekend closures.

Mark Langman, route managing director for Network Rail said: “This upgrade will transform rail travel for passengers across Bristol. It will also ease congestion at the bottleneck into Bristol Temple Meads where trains are often delayed getting into the station. From the end of next year it will enable GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) to run more frequent and quicker services between Bristol and London Paddington, providing more seats and better journeys for passengers – a real boost for the region’s economy.

“I’d like to really thank passengers for their patience with the disruption caused whilst we completed the final stages of this work. I’d particularly like to thank the local communities that live around Filton, Horfield, Stapleton Road and Narroways for their patience as we’ve been working in their areas since 2015 to deliver this project. We are particularly grateful for their support.”

Both Bristol City and South Gloucestershire Councils have been highly supportive of the Filton Bank scheme.

Mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees commented: “I’m grateful for the work Network Rail have done to put these important improvements in place and recognise the patience of everyone affected while these were being done.

“By investing in infrastructure with our partner organisations, we move closer to delivering a thriving transport exchange at Temple Meads that will support our ambitions for Temple Quarter, Bristol and the wider city region. Better and faster transport connections are crucial to building Bristol’s success, ensuring accessibility to new jobs and homes and supporting inclusive growth across the West of England.”

Cllr Colin Hunt, South Gloucestershire Council Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport and Strategic Environment, said: “As a strong supporter of rail travel, South Gloucestershire Council is very pleased to see the progress Network Rail has made on the project.  We have worked with Network Rail over the last few years to help them deliver this important project which will greatly contribute towards improving capacity for passengers, as well as sustainable travel for residents and commuters in South Gloucestershire and beyond.”

Source: Network Rail

ENDEX ENDEX

[TonyK]

Why thanks for our patience? I for one don't count it as one of my virtues. As Spike Milligan said in Puckoon: "Patience? That word was invented by dull buggers who can't think quick enough."

[JayMac]

Ahh, Puckoon. A favourite book of mine. One of the naughtiest books in our school library.

"Caw," said the crow.
"Balls," said the Milligan.

[Red Squirrel]

Why thanks for our patience? I for one don't count it as one of my virtues. As Spike Milligan said in Puckoon: "Patience? That word was invented by dull buggers who can't think quick enough."

Patience would have been a very useful virtue for those who had to negotiate the astonishingly heavy traffic between Montpelier and Clifton Down during the three-week blockade.

Some people might think that a 3-car train running every 40 minutes wouldn't make that much difference to traffic, but with narrow already-congested roads I have no doubt that it makes a huge difference. It would be interesting to ask the scores of schoolkids who use the Severn Beach line to get to Cotham, Colston's and Redland Green schools what mode they switched to during the blockade; my guess is that more than half of them went by car.