Chiltern Evergreen 3 project - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[mjones]

Maybe I'd misunderstood the implication of earlier quote expecting a 12 to 15 month construction time, which from now would mean opening in 2014..?

[paul7575]

Maybe I'd misunderstood the implication of earlier quote expecting a 12 to 15 month construction time, which from now would mean opening in 2014..?

It's likely there'd be a good few months of live testing and driver training as well on top of construction (and testing).  As a current example, the extension of the LO network from the ELL round to Clapham Junction only involves a relatively short new railway linking existing sections, but although the construction phase finished in May this year, services don't actually start until December.

Paul

[mjones]

Good point. Hopefully this is all on track now then. Will be good to see progress.

[IndustryInsider]

It's on Chiltern's site under 'press releases' (but not 'news'); dated 18th October, and quoted elsewhere on the 19th:

Ah, thanks for that, Paul.  Mind you, if that doesn't qualify as 'news' then I don't know what does!  The reference to 'joint project approach' reference hopefully means the East-West Rail elements will be completed at the same time to avoid more work a couple of years later.

[ellendune]

http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/chiltern-railways-given-green-light-build-new-rail-line-between-oxford-and-london

Chiltern Railways given green light to build new rail line between Oxford and London

Date:18 Oct 2012 15:45

^        First new rail route between London and a major British city in 100 years
^        New line will drastically improve rail capacity between the two cities
^        Thousands of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire commuters set to benefit
 
Chiltern Railways has been given the green light to build a groundbreaking new rail line between Oxford and London.  The Secretary of State for Transport under the Transport and Works Act granted permission for Chiltern to start work on the line; the first new rail link between London and a major British city for 100 years.  The groundbreaking ^130m project will result in the train company running services between London Marylebone and Oxford from 2015.  This work brings Chiltern^s total investment in the line to ^600 million since the start of their franchise.
 
 The new line will benefit thousands of commuters at a time when rail traffic is rising into London Paddington and there are frequent reports of road transport gridlock on the A34.  The news will also be welcomed by Thames Valley businesses with two London to Oxford trains each way every hour, providing fast frequent links to London and Buckinghamshire. 
 
 As part of the project, Chiltern Railways will build new stations in Bicester and in north Oxford.  The new parkway station in north Oxford will be located at Water Eaton and will be a multi-modal interchange, linking trains, buses, cars and bikes allowing passengers to avoid the congestion of central Oxford.  Bicester Town station will also be redeveloped providing a first-class gateway to the town next to the popular Bicester Village fashion outlet centre. 
 
 Graham Cross, Business Development Director of Chiltern Railways said: ^We are pleased to have been granted the power to proceed with this significant railway investment, which will benefit thousands of commuters and businesses in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.  The Oxford to London link is the latest in a long line of innovative Chiltern-led projects to upgrade the rail infrastructure, fuelled by our understanding of rail^s potential to make a significant contribution to economic growth and prosperity.^
 
 The recently announced East West Rail project will also benefit from Chiltern^s new line from Oxford to London with both routes using the line between Oxford and Bicester.  Chiltern Railways will now work in partnership with the East West Rail team to determine a joint project approach.
 

[FremlinsMan]

Event starts at 18:30 (probably light refreshments), talk starts 19:00. The event is free and open to all, but registration is required.

Details and registration link at http://www.theiet.org/local/uk/thames/oxon/evergreen-project.cfm

===

Evergreen 3 Project Free event

Lecture
Stephen Barker of Chiltern Railways will present a talk on the Evergreen 3 Project. Chiltern Railways is proposing to construct a new railway (including the reconstruction of an existing railway) between Bicester and Oxford.

Speaker(s)
Stephen Barker, Chiltern Railways
Date & Time
12 December 2012
18:30 - Registration
19:00 - Lecture
iCalendar Entry (What's this?)

Location
Oxford Brookes University
Headington Campus
Oxford, UK^▸ (United Kingdom)

Organiser
The IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train) Oxfordshire Network

About this event
Chiltern Railways is proposing to construct a new railway (including the reconstruction of an existing railway) between Bicester and Oxford, together with the construction or reconstruction of stations at Bicester Town, Islip, Water Eaton and Oxford. These improvements will facilitate the operation of direct railway services between London Marylebone, High Wycombe, Bicester Town and Oxford.

The following topics will be covered:
Chiltern Railways ^ who we are, and why we are undertaking the project
Overview of the Bicester ^ Oxford scheme ^ what it is and what it aims to deliver
Development of the scheme
Details of the engineering features of the scheme
The Transport & Works Act Order process
Scheme challenges ^ with a particular focus on the ecological issues that we have had to deal with
Progress to date and programme going forward
Registration
Please complete the registration process to be part of this lecture.

===

[chuffed]

The Sos decision letter on this will appear on the Daft website shortly.
I asked why it had not appeared on Friday, 48 hours after the announcement was made. They are just getting round to it now. Anyone would think they had other things on their mind....

[JayMac]

I've heard it said that currently at the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I think it's worse than that. The thumb of the left hand doesn't know what the index finger of the left hand is doing. 

[Electric train]

I've heard it said that currently at the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I think it's worse than that. The thumb of the left hand doesn't know what the index finger of the left hand is doing. 

.... and worse than that the ring finger on the left hand doesn't know the left hand has been separated from the right 

[IndustryInsider]

The Inspector's report and SoS's letter authorising the TWA have finally appeared on the DfT's website.

You can view them both here:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/chiltern-second-addendum/

As with the previous documents, a read through them will adequately demonstrate why it takes so bloody long and costs so much to get anything done in this country.  The fact that so much fuss can be made out of so little (to, in effect, make improvements to an existing railway), depresses me to be honest!

Still, the correct (and almost inevitable) decision has finally been reached, and I understand main construction work is scheduled to start next Summer.  Though I'm sure a few objectors will still try to make hay out of their last throw of the dice:

RIGHT TO CHALLENGE ORDERS MADE UNDER THE TWA
Any person who is aggrieved by the making of a TWA Order may challenge its validity, or the validity of any provision in it, on the ground that ^
it is not within the powers of the TWA, or
any requirement imposed by or under the TWA or the Tribunals and Inquiries Act 1992 has not been complied with.
Any such challenge may be made, by application to the High Court, within the period of 42 days from the day on which notice of this determination is published in the London Gazette as required by section 14(1)(b) of the TWA. This notice is expected to be published within three working days of the date of this decision letter.

One final thing, I hadn't realised it until reading through the documents, but it is International Year Of The Bat apparently: 

http://batsnbikes.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/2012-international-year-of-the-bat/   

[Electric train]

I attended this event last night. An excellent presentation by Stephen Baker of Chiltern Railways.

He went through the business reasons behind Chilterns decision, adapting their design to accommodate EW Rail, future freight and electrification also the proposed changes at Oxford.  They have eliminated all but one of the level crossings on the route.

He also went through Chilterns rational for going through the Transports Works Act process and not just using the permitted development rights, the pain they went through with the public enquires and the fact there is a last minute challenge through the Judicial Review they are going through at the moment (although not specific details given for legal reasons)

If you get the opportunity to attend any events where this presentation is being delivered it is well worth it

[Chris from Nailsea]

Thanks for giving us that update, Electric train. 

Were there any links to the slides or presentation notes provided?

[ChrisB]

There may be up-to-date news on the commencement of works at OBRAG's AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) on 17th January.

Notice is here

[IndustryInsider]

There may be up-to-date news on the commencement of works at OBRAG's AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) on 17th January.

That would be nice - given that the Evergreen 3 website still has no mention of anything since giving details of the re-opening of the enquiry last May! 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Buckingham Advertiser:

Rail barriers down 24 minutes per hour


Bicester railway level crossings. London Road.

Drivers using London Road in Bicester could be waiting for 24 minutes every hour once the new rail service to Oxford and London Marylebone is running. Details of level crossing closures were revealed at a presentation to Bicester Town Council^s planning committee on Wednesday.

Councillor James Porter asked Chiltern Railways representative Steve Barker: ^Local people are interested in the level crossing on London Road ^ have you got any idea how long it will be closed per hour?^

Mr Barker responded: ^It will be 24 minutes in an hour. But as part of the Transport and Work Act modelling, the computer simulation showed tailbacks don^t build up that much ^ it will be in short sections of two minutes. Some people will be inconvenienced, but will typically wait up to two minutes. Four minutes is the worst case.^

The presentation came as Chiltern Railway announces major changes to its Evergreen 3 project to create a new Oxford to London Marylebone service via Bicester. The project, which has faced years of delay due to a public inquiry and a new legal challenge, is now to be combined with the East-West Rail link joining Bicester with towns such as Milton Keynes and Bedford.

The combined project could have a price tag nearing ^500million.

Mr Barker said Bicester Town station would be getting ^a fair bit of attention^ under the plans. New facilities could include a coffee shop, toilets, and a canopy to protect passengers from the elements. Extra parking and road improvements are also likely to be included.

Plans shown on Wednesday revealed a second entrance to the station from London Road to remove the temptation for drivers to jump the level crossing if they are late for a train. Bus stops on London Road would also be moved, and a new pedestrian crossing would be installed on the town centre side of the road.

Mr Barker also denied rumours the station would be renamed Bicester Village station. Chairman of the planning committee, Councillor Richard Mould, said: ^Speaking for all electors, we would prefer the name to stay as Bicester Town station.^