Abellio Greater: potential timetable improvements, additional rolling stock & cascades?

[TheWalrus]

Lots needs doing. OLE needs retensioning and checking for gradents at Bridges and Level Crossings and power supply might need upgrading (albeit probably not, but would need checking). Signal spacing would need adjusting, and everything would need resighting. Track maintenance would have to be upgraded (more frequent inspections). Every level crossing would need reassessing for risk, all the AHBs would have to be replaced (which itself would drive more signals), and they would all need strike in points moving. Any unprotected footpath crossing would need closing, diverting, bridging or have lights installed. Every bridge / culvert under the rsilway would need assessing, and some would need strengthening. Every bridge over the railway would need assessing for aerodynamics. There’s more, but you get the gist.




Yiud be arriving at many level crossings a little earlier than the minimum time required for the barrier sequence, thereby increasing the chance of a collision…

Thank you for your detailed response! I didn’t realise how much was involved. I suppose if you’re stopping at Diss and Stowmarket there would be less benefits whoch would potentially be outweighed by the costs. Ideally you would want non-stop Norwich-Ipswich I suppose.

 

[Bald Rick]

Thank you for your detailed response! I didn’t realise how much was involved. I suppose if you’re stopping at Diss and Stowmarket there would be less benefits whoch would potentially be outweighed by the costs. Ideally you would want non-stop Norwich-Ipswich I suppose.

No problem.

If the whole line from Ipswich to Norwich was upgraded to 110mph, the saving would be 2 minutes with a Diss stop.

Alternatively, leaving it at 100mph and not stopping at Diss (or any other one station call) saves 4 minutes.

 

[dk1]

With the old class 90s they never seemed to get beyond mid 90mph between Colchester and Ipswich (where I alighted) according to the navigation app on my device

There wasn’t much point getting to 100 between Colchester & Manningtree as line speed drops to 95 just after Ardleigh. I was always doing 100 just after Bentley though unless catching up a freight.

If it is mostly straight track and nothing is unlikely to happen as you say, how much infrastructure work would actually need doing to upgrade the linespeed or would it be more of a paperwork exercise?

110mph has been discounted before because of limited time saving and the fact that 13 AHBs would need to be upgraded. This was one of the reasons the spec for the new fleet only specified 100mph rolling stock.

It was reported that the FLIRTS were delivered with a 100mph maximum speed and the ability to be upgraded to 110mph in the future.

I'm pretty sure there is no linespeeds over 100mph on the GEML and its branches, though dk1 is the expert here!

Thank you mate. Yes nothing above 100 on the GEML. Although it’s possible to modify them, they currently would not allow any driver to go above the 100mph. Very smart little bits of kit these 745s.

 

[cle]

Would surely be better to increase Stratford-Shenfield, which is a crawl - and would help every service.

 

[Bald Rick]

Would surely be better to increase Stratford-Shenfield, which is a crawl - and would help every service.

It’s 90 from Maryland East to just short of Shenfield, hardly a crawl. Make that 100 and you save just under a minute. Would need resignalling and lots of station assesments (and possibly works). The OLE is ok though, now!

 

[cle]

I don't ever feel like I get a clear run, slow out of the blocks and doesn't seem to fly along until Chadwell Heath or so - maybe due to a Romford call in front.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

It all goes back to anywhere south of Ipswich will not make any difference to journey times as the there's only 2 lines and any Norwich service catches the stopping service in front.

Prime example was the May 24 timetable change (from memory) the 18:30 added the extra stop at Stratford for the same end to end time, this also avoids the 10 minute early just before Colchester waiting for the train in front to get to it's platform.

 

[Trainbike46]

It all goes back to anywhere south of Ipswich will not make any difference to journey times as the there's only 2 lines and any Norwich service catches the stopping service in front.

Things that speed up both the stopping and the fast service can have advantages - though whether any of those are possible is a different question!

 

[Zomboid]

What will the impending overtaking facility at Beaulieu Park gain?