East-West Rail (EWR): Oxford-Bletchley construction progress

[Mark24]

Some pictures of the new bridge at Verney Junction, these appeared today on the @progresseast twitter site

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Good photos. Presumably this bridge is a replacement for the level crossing farm track from the village.

 

[swt_passenger]

Good photos. Presumably this bridge is a replacement for the level crossing farm track from the village.

Yes it is. New bridge ID is OXD/24C, heres a screengrab from the TWA drawings:

 

[Dr A.Johnston]

Pictures from the the Phil March Twitter site @Marshrail
The route of HS2 where EWR intersects in the Claydon/Calvert area today, its good to finally see some pictures of this area and the development work going on.

Photo 1 - Looking towards Oxford from the intersection of HS2/EWR at Claydon

Photo 2 - Looking towards Bletchley from the intersection of HS2/EWR at Claydon

Photo 3 - Pathway of the old line section from Quainton to Claydon Junction

Photo 4 - Old Calvert Station looking toward old waste plant before complete obliteration.

5. Map of area concered (look within the white squiggley line) - Goole Earth source


Again from the Phil March Twitter site @Marshrail
New, old and refurbished bridges at Claydon, Verney, Sandhills and Winslow today. Work positively racing on now with this project.

Photo 1 - Bridge at Claydon (Can be seen in the distance of Photo 1 of post 393 above)

Photo 2 - Bridge at Verney

Photo 3 - Bridge at Sandhills

Photo 4 - Bridge at Winslow

All photos are linked to source, hopefully this is the correct way of adding these. But a question, is it normal for two posts to merge together or did I do something wrong?

 

[swt_passenger]

Pictures from the the Phil March Twitter site @Marshrail



Again from the Phil March Twitter site @Marshrail



All photos are linked to source, hopefully this is the correct way of adding these. But a question, is it normal for two posts to merge together or did I do something wrong?

Linking posts is a normal forum feature if no-one has replied to your earlier post when you post again. See how (if you start a reply to your post) there’s a hidden “automerge” line has been added between the two posts?

 

[Jimbo]

I’m really sorry if it has been posted earlier, but would someone be able to share a link to the TWAO plans/section drawings please? I’ve seen them before, but I can’t for the life of me find them! Thank you.

 

[swt_passenger]

I’m really sorry if it has been posted earlier, but would someone be able to share a link to the TWAO plans/section drawings please? I’ve seen them before, but I can’t for the life of me find them! Thank you.

I posted a link in the earlier thread that became “EWR consultations”, I’ll try and find it again, here it is:

East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

This is what has been published so far on the service pattern. What will actually happen is just conjecture Route tph Calling at Oxford to Milton Keynes Central 2 Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley Oxford to Bedford 1 Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley...

www.railforums.co.uk

So if you follow that Network Rail link you should find all the docs, I also included a direct link to the file which contains the western end bridge info.

 

[fishwomp]

Thanks for sharing - minor correction, photos one and two are swapped. The first photo is looking east towards Bletchley (hence the distant new white concrete bridge at Steeple Claydon referred to subsequently), the second is looking towards Oxford.

Looking forward to seeing the rails rolling out this year!

 

[GB]

Is there still to be rail sidings at Calvert or are they permanently gone?

 

[The Planner]

Is there still to be rail sidings at Calvert or are they permanently gone?

They will be moved down to Greatmoor, opposite to the waste to energy plant. The current ones will never return.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is there still to be rail sidings at Calvert or are they permanently gone?

There’s a separate TWA order for new sidings at Greatmoor, as @The Planner just mentioned, there’s a link to the drawings in post #337.

 

[GB]

Ok thanks to both of you.

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks for sharing - minor correction, photos one and two are swapped. The first photo is looking east towards Bletchley (hence the distant new white concrete bridge at Steeple Claydon referred to subsequently), the second is looking towards Oxford.

Looking forward to seeing the rails rolling out this year!

Is picture 2 showing the start of a bridge to take Gawcott Rd under EWR, rather than over it as before? The spoil heap in the left background is visible on the current Google Streetview if you take up a position on the road bridge, I’m not sure if the road bridge has since been removed?

Ah, looking back at the drawing in post #317 I’m assuming this is going to be Charndon Lodge underbridge, ie road under rail.

 

[fishwomp]

Is picture 2 showing the start of a bridge to take Gawcott Rd under EWR, rather than over it as before? The spoil heap in the left background is visible on the current Google Streetview if you take up a position on the road bridge, I’m not sure if the road bridge has since been removed?

No - the brick bridge in the background of that (looking towards Oxford) is the Calvert to Gawcott Road. That's recently been renovated as part of the works, and is very much an overbridge still.

Ah, looking back at the drawing in post #317 I’m assuming this is going to be Charndon Lodge underbridge, ie road under rail.

No, I think this is the supports for the bridge of HS2 passing under EWR.

 

[swt_passenger]

No - the brick bridge in the background of that (looking towards Oxford) is the Calvert to Gawcott Road. That's recently been renovated as part of the works, and is very much an overbridge still.


No, I think this is the supports for the bridge of HS2 passing under EWR.

Have you compared with the current Google Streetview? I believe the HS2 crossing is well behind the photographer’s position for picture 2.
Dropped pin

https://goo.gl/maps/HJGebNNhLonZiz6r8

 

[fishwomp]

Have you compared with the current Google Streetview? I believe the HS2 crossing is well behind the photographer’s position for picture 2.
Dropped pin

https://goo.gl/maps/HJGebNNhLonZiz6r8

ooh... indeed I hadn't. I had my bridges mixed - it looks like they are messing with the bridge (massively!) at that Calvert-Gawcott section, perhaps making an underpass for the road. My bad! Last time I was out that way, in October, the road was shut for (ahem,. bridge work) so I actually posted photos from the next bridge along (west)..

At this point, EWR rises upwards and HS2 is to be in cutting, so that does make a lot of sense now.

 

[swt_passenger]

ooh... indeed I hadn't. I had my bridges mixed - it looks like they are messing with the bridge (massively!) at that Calvert-Gawcott section, perhaps making an underpass for the road. My bad! Last time I was out that way, in October, the road was shut for (ahem,. bridge work) so I actually posted photos from the next bridge along (west)..

At this point, EWR rises upwards and HS2 is to be in cutting, so that does make a lot of sense now.

Thanks for replying. The EWR/HS2 crossing does seem a bit of a black hole in terms of detailed drawings, you probably realise already the EWR TWA drawings, (that I have posted extracts from a few times), just have an unexplained missing stretch through that area because the problem had already been given to HS2 to sort out.

What would probably be very useful here would be a drone overflight…

 

[Jimbo]

I posted a link in the earlier thread that became “EWR consultations”, I’ll try and find it again, here it is:

East-West Rail (EWR): Consultation updates [not speculation]

This is what has been published so far on the service pattern. What will actually happen is just conjecture Route tph Calling at Oxford to Milton Keynes Central 2 Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley Oxford to Bedford 1 Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley...

www.railforums.co.uk

So if you follow that Network Rail link you should find all the docs, I also included a direct link to the file which contains the western end bridge info.

Thanks @swt_passenger for the kind reply - exactly what I was trying to find and much appreciated. I shall be able to track progress more clearly!

 

[fishwomp]

Thanks for replying. The EWR/HS2 crossing does seem a bit of a black hole in terms of detailed drawings, you probably realise already the EWR TWA drawings, (that I have posted extracts from a few times), just have an unexplained missing stretch through that area because the problem had already been given to HS2 to sort out.

What would probably be very useful here would be a drone overflight…

Yes, true - we know the track to the east and west of the gap is to be fully laid by late summer (ish). The updates on https://sway.office.com/vKlm9Bv9obosHFEA?ref=Link&loc=play are superbly done and highly informative...

.. and then there's the HS2 blackhole!

 

[edwin_m]

The relevant HS2 plan is at https://assets.publishing.service.g...ile/529514/C222-ATK-CV-DPP-020-000009-FPD.pdf

 

[swt_passenger]

The relevant HS2 plan is at https://assets.publishing.service.g...ile/529514/C222-ATK-CV-DPP-020-000009-FPD.pdf

Yes that’s very like the drawing in post #317. I was meaning that HS2 doesn’t really provide the same detail as EWR have done.

 

[Dr A.Johnston]

The attached PDF (now appearing at the bottom of this post) is from a on-line presenation from HS2 in July this year about what is happening at Calvert/Claydon and shows also the interconnections between HS2 depot and EWR and the new passenger loop. Line maintenance trains will be able to access the new Claydon/Calvert depot form either HS2 or EWR. Its about the best detail I have seen about this part of the EWR project.


A couple of videos appeared on You tube posted by Trains, Plains, Phones and drones, GRM Production

Mursley EWR railway update

Bletchley Flyover update

 

[Dr A.Johnston]

Its been quiet on here for a while, so here are some photos from Bletchley posted by Rugd1022 on the RM Web (Page 90)

At least progress is being made on preparation for the second track.

 

[richieb1971]

2nd picture threw me off until I saw the gantries on the left.

 

[Gathursty]

A quick question: there is a section of single track at both Fenny Stratford and Bedford St Johns. Will this be doubled for EWR? It looks like a tight fit from Google Maps.

 

[swt_passenger]

A quick question: there is a section of single track at both Fenny Stratford and Bedford St Johns. Will this be doubled for EWR? It looks like a tight fit from Google Maps.

No, it’s not part of the current scheme.

 

[Bletchleyite]

No, it’s not part of the current scheme.

This is one reason they want to close Fenny Stratford, as it lengthens occupation of the single track section. But bizarrely not St John's, which being so close to Midland has very little real value. Sure, it is well used, but I doubt closing it would result in a loss of passengers, it's mostly college kids who would moan a bit but walk from Midland. I can't help but think that someone involved in the scheme lives there.

 

[tspaul26]

This is one reason they want to close Fenny Stratford, as it lengthens occupation of the single track section. But bizarrely not St John's, which being so close to Midland has very little real value. Sure, it is well used, but I doubt closing it would result in a loss of passengers, it's mostly college kids who would moan a bit but walk from Midland. I can't help but think that someone involved in the scheme lives there.

This is slightly off: the currently consented scheme would not change the single track sections or close the stations at Fenny Stratford or Bedford St John’s.

The most recent consultation in 2021 for the next phase suggested that both sections could be doubled and, potentially, one or both stations closed or relocated, but no decision has been taken on any of this and it has not been consented or funded as things stand.

 

[richieb1971]

On the St John's end they proposed double track using the Hitchin line bridge which is 2 arches over from the current St Johns Station. The curve would be faster and allow double tracking all the wat to Bedford. They even talked of using jowitt sidings.

On the Fenny end, they proposed double tracking all the way up to the flyover and building a 2nd bridge to accommodate it.

 

[mr_jrt]

If I recall correctly, in my response I said the options at St Johns would be better combined - having the southernmost station option would have a better catchment area, but having the alignment of the northern option would give the better speeds and save on the expensive new bridge. I can't see why they presented them as mutually exclusive unless they were doing the classic working backwards from their preferred option.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If I recall correctly, in my response I said the options at St Johns would be better combined - having the southernmost station option would have a better catchment area, but having the alignment of the northern option would give the better speeds and save on the expensive new bridge. I can't see why they presented them as mutually exclusive unless they were doing the classic working backwards from their preferred option.

Though moving it south (if I'm getting the location right) would remove its current primary role*, as it'd be further from the colleges than Midland, so you'd want to be sure the new catchment would use it enough to be worth doing that over realigning and closing it.

* Rare to see anyone using it who doesn't look like a college kid, and they are in quite big numbers in so far as that line goes.