Watford Blockades

[DarloRich]

Yes as the correct technical term for the bridge is I think "knackered".

surely the correct terminology is “unsuitable for further life extension works”

 

[Clip]

No it won't. The WCML will have no access into Euston at least 2-4 days a year (outside of Christmas) every year. HS2 won't help any of the stations in Bucks, Herts or Northants.

When I said main I meant the bigger proper cities and longer journies that will be done away with. And as others have pointed out there will be other routes open by then.

So yes, yes it will. And they should build it in your back garden for being a naysayer

 

[aylesbury2]

Going to the football on Sunday and I'm going to have to travel from Stoke Mandeville thanks to this..real inconvenience!

 

[Philip Elliott]

When I said main I meant the bigger proper cities and longer journies that will be done away with. And as others have pointed out there will be other routes open by then.

So yes, yes it will. And they should build it in your back garden for being a naysayer

HS2 won't help when there is a Crewe - Weaver block or anywhere north of Wigan or are Liverpool and Glasgow not "proper cities"?

HS2 will have it's own engineering work, the fat trains won't be able to divert. Buses and long slow diversions will always be required.

 

[Bald Rick]

HS2 will have it's own engineering work ... Buses and long slow diversions will always be required.

Not for HS2. There will be a suitably wide separation of the tracks, and of course will be fully bi-di. So it will be a similar maintenance and renewal regime as the LGVs, or for that matter HS1, ie all overnight.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Not for HS2. There will be a suitably wide separation of the tracks, and of course will be fully bi-di. So it will be a similar maintenance and renewal regime as the LGVs, or for that matter HS1, ie all overnight.

Agreed - there is just a bit of awareness these days about "cyclical maintenance" and the need to provide as far as possible, a "service".....

The French and Germans manage it quite well .....as we will.

 

[Carlisle]

Shoulda been done as one long two week blockade as originally planned. Short term blockades such as this are a pain in the arse to diagram, they are a pain in the arse for traincrew, and they are a pain in the arse for the punters.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


Luck?? More like a bloody miracle!!

Were they ever that serious about one long blockade ,? I do wonder as during the several years of the fairly recent WCML modernisation project I can't recall them ever being willing to shut the mainline through the proper working week other than the Trent valley route for a while where of course most longer distance trains could be diverted via the Birmingham area ,all other closures occurred at weekends,Christmas or extended bank holiday periods I think

 

[FGW_Lad]

Surely 2-3 day over weekends/bank holiday blocks are better than one big 2-week ones? Yes it may disrupt some people but it must be better than doing it during the weekdays.

I know they are upgrading the OHLE equipment and signalling but are they going to increase the linespeed through Watford? It is around 80mph northbound at the moment as far as I know.

 

[Urban Gateline]

I know they are upgrading the OHLE equipment and signalling but are they going to increase the linespeed through Watford? It is around 80mph northbound at the moment as far as I know.

The speed limits are already 75mph on the slow lines and 110mph on the fast lines!

Full marks to passengers as it wasn't as busy as I'd expected today, many must have planned alternative routes or not travelled! Didn't get abuse off anyone which is nice...although someone ranted at my colleague that she shouldn't have to pay for the part of the Journey replaced by a Bus!

 

[Nym]

Marylebone-Aylesbury-Bletchley/MKC will be if it goes via Amersham, a majority of the route is LUL's track. If it does go via High Wycombe, that entails that the entire stretch from Princes Risborough - Aylesbury is 40mph, single track.

It's really not that hard to fit a train with a tripcock...

 

[swt_passenger]

... If it does go via High Wycombe, that entails that the entire stretch from Princes Risborough - Aylesbury is 40mph, single track.

All the evidence so far is that the EWR Marylebone service will be an extension of the existing service via High Wycombe - the project page in the CP5 plans includes the possibility of an upgrade to the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury line; and EWR themselves have always explained it as running via High Wycombe, and shown that on their maps:

Installation of a new running loop between Aylesbury and Princes Risborough, if required, to accommodate extension of the proposed East West Rail Milton Keynes – Aylesbury service to Marylebone.

Milton Keynes to London Marylebone via Aylesbury and High Wycombe Services are expected to run hourly calling at Bletchley, the new station at Winslow, Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Aylesbury, Princes Risborough, High Wycombe and onward to London Marylebone.
http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/western-section

 

[FGW_Lad]

The speed limits are already 75mph on the slow lines and 110mph on the fast lines!

Full marks to passengers as it wasn't as busy as I'd expected today, many must have planned alternative routes or not travelled! Didn't get abuse off anyone which is nice...although someone ranted at my colleague that she shouldn't have to pay for the part of the Journey replaced by a Bus!

Fair enough I thought there was a 80mph TSR on the northbound fast line but must have been removed.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

All the evidence so far is that the EWR Marylebone service will be an extension of the existing service via High Wycombe - the project page in the CP5 plans includes the possibility of an upgrade to the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury line; and EWR themselves have always explained it as running via High Wycombe, and shown that on their maps:

Logistics aside I think there will be more demand for the train to go via High Wycombe anyway. The line isn't really going to be used for end to end journeys, Euston - MK has that licked, but linking the three main centres of population in Buckinghamshire will be very welcome.

 

[CyrusWuff]

It's really not that hard to fit a train with a tripcock...

It is when they've got Voyager style bogies...I challenge you to try fitting a tripcock to a 172 :P

 

[aylesbury2]

It is when they've got Voyager style bogies...I challenge you to try fitting a tripcock to a 172 :P

Yep, that's why at Aylesbury we only have 1990s 165s and the very occasional 168.

 

[IrishDave]

Fair enough I thought there was a 80mph TSR on the northbound fast line but must have been removed.

There is an 80mph TSR on the *southbound* fast line, over the pointwork at Watford South Jn. As I understand it, this weekend's block was to take out that pointwork, but I doubt the TSR will get lifted until the works are finished.

 

[carriageline]

I "think" (May be incorrect) there may be lower TSRs after the blocks (50 things a bell?) but I can't say for certain!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[oversteer]

Is there a publicised schedule anywhere of the works that will take place at each weekend?

 

[Class 170101]

But with any luck we'll have Bletchley-Aylesbury-Marylebone,

Not until 2019 if this board is anything to go by.

 

[driver_m]

I "think" (May be incorrect) there may be lower TSRs after the blocks (50 things a bell?) but I can't say for certain!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes there is going to be a 50 TSR from Tuesday instead of the 80 currently on at the junction. We've had notices pinned up to warn us its dropping.

 

[The Planner]

Fairly surprised at that, we were making a big thing a while back at handing the 9 day block up at Bamfurlong/Springs Branch etc... back at 80mph.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Well fancy that - it's all gone pear-shaped on the first weekend...
Blockade overrunning by 2 hours.
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

 

[infobleep]

It says Southern services can't run between Watford Junction and Shepberds Bush. We're they never due to run to Milton Keynes today, like they normally would on a Monday bank holiday? Can't believe they would be the only company running services during the engineering works overrun.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[IrishDave]

At least one train (9M48, the 0817 Preston-Euston via Birmingham) was diverted via Banbury at short notice (according to Twitter) - clearly Virgin have a few drivers who sign the route outright, rather than needing to hire in route conductors.

 

[33056]

It's all gone very pear-shaped....now doing single line working on the Up Slow from Wembley to Watford due to OHL issues affecting the Down Slow

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

It's all gone very pear-shaped....now doing single line working on the Up Slow from Wembley to Watford due to OHL issues affecting the Down Slow

First 2 VT services out of Euston (nominally 1020, 1050) taking 55 and 79 minutes to Watford respectively.
First Up train (1M08) just arrived at Euston only 17 late.

 

[33056]

Think they must have re-opened the Down Slow about the time 1M08 arrived at Watford, trains now running on both slow lines with correct headcodes - they were 1Txx to Rugby earlier.

 

[ushawk]

It says Southern services can't run between Watford Junction and Shepberds Bush. We're they never due to run to Milton Keynes today, like they normally would on a Monday bank holiday? Can't believe they would be the only company running services during the engineering works overrun.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Southern always run a Saturday service on Bank Holidays so usually it would run to MKC.

1 service did indeed run via Banbury too, fair play for that getting sorted out quickly at short notice.

 

[swt_passenger]

Southern always run a Saturday service on Bank Holidays so usually it would run to MKC.

But for today, the National Rail engineering works advance info says the WLL service was running only to Shepherds Bush until 1030, and only as far as Watford Junction from 1030. Perhaps someone's crystal ball foresaw a need to thin the service out...

The same info doesn't seem to appear on the Southern engineering work page though...

 

[dannypye9999]

The Watford Blockades should have been done on a weekend when it would have been less quieter. Why did they choose the bank hol weekend when more people will be travelling than on a normal weekend? Reason I say this is because today (Bank hol Mon) there is a near normal service in and out of Euston so they could have done the blockades on a less quieter weekend.