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

[Railwaysceptic]

Yeah I don't understand this. Only electric freight occupies the NNL and WCML, and they can only divert diesel freight down EWR, but that freight is already going via a route that avoids the NNL and WCML as far as Nuneaton already.

Most of the freight trains on the southern section of the WCML and on the NLL are diesel hauled.

 

[richieb1971]

What do freight operators have to say in this EWR situation?

Do they just stay quiet until the line goes live? Do they have some input into the project itself? Nobody talks about this.

As part of the consultancy it would be nice if the current FOC's put together which potential paths would be aligned along the EWR or any new railway so that it can assumed more accurately if objection groups are coming up with the right numbers.

 

[Bald Rick]

What do freight operators have to say in this EWR situation?

Do they just stay quiet until the line goes live? Do they have some input into the project itself? Nobody talks about this.

As part of the consultancy it would be nice if the current FOC's put together which potential paths would be aligned along the EWR or any new railway so that it can assumed more accurately if objection groups are coming up with the right numbers.

Yes they have a say, both via industry channels and the public consultation process.

However, the freight ‘business’ is half a dozen or so competitors in a fast-moving cut-throat market. They may not want to declare in public what use they would make of the line for existing traffic, and certainly would not say what new traffic they would be looking to win. Besides the market moves so quickly what they say now may well have changed completely by the time it is built.

 

[swt_passenger]

What is the exact nature of the relationship between Network Rail and EWR?

AFAICT the EWR consortium and Dft are the funders and stakeholders, and Network Rail is part of an Alliance doing the work, consisting of themselves, Volker, Atkins, and Laing O’Rourke

I found this:

The East West Rail Alliance
Established in 2015, following the successful completion of the Staffordshire Area Improvements Programme, the East West Rail Alliance consists of four partners

https://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/EWR-Alliance-Project-Update-EWR-Consortium-SHOWFILE.pdf

 

[wildcard]

Looking at route E north of Bedford - what are the various options for crossing under the A6 Great Ouse Way ( the new North Bedford bypass ) and then going over or even under the other bit of the A6 ( Paula Radcliffe Way ) . Using the existing bridge under the Gt Ouse Way looks to me to make the curve eastward way too sharp to maintain decent line speeds . So would it involve a second bridge almost adjacent - but that then sharply increases the incline on the A6 up from the roundabout . Plus demolishing and rebuilding a newly opened road . Not impossible of course ,

 

[DaveN]

AFAICT the EWR consortium and Dft are the funders and stakeholders, and Network Rail is part of an Alliance doing the work, consisting of themselves, Volker, Atkins, and Laing O’Rourke

I found this:

EWR can mean 3 different organisations/groups:

1. East West Rail Consortium. The group of councils and companies that has been campaigning since 1995. They are the ones that came up with the maps showing Norwich and Ipswich
2. East West Rail Alliance. Formed in 2015 by Network Rail, Atkins, Laing O'Rourke and Volker Rail. The people delivering Bicester to Bletchley.
3. East West Railway Company. Created by the Department for Transport in 2018. Responsible for planning the section of East West Rail between Bletchley and Cambridge, while overseeing delivery of the section between Bicester and Bletchley.

Simple isn't it.

The company was set up because Mr Grayling and co were frustrated by the delays and cost overruns of the Network Rail run Great Western Mainline.

 

[snowball]

The people delivering Bicester to Bletchley.

It will be fascinating to watch Bicester arriving at Bletchley.

 

[work-traveller]

Station Road (Launton) bridge coming on nicely.

 

[swt_passenger]

Looks odd with the walls at an slight angle to the line of route, but it’s shown exactly like that on the drawings so there must be a good reason. Is it a precaution against impact of a derailed train?


But as an aside, I followed the Twitter link shown a few pages back, and there’s now a short video showing drone footage at a number of different locations:

https://twitter.com/RichardCrouch1/status/1370389634430156800

For some odd reason the phrase used is “not much happening...”

 

[Nottingham59]

the walls at an slight angle to the line of route

I think that's just part of the design. It gives the main load-bearing part of the bridge a less sharp skew angle, simplifying the design and reducing the amout of extra bracing and support needed at the corners.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think that's just part of the design. It gives the main load-bearing part of the bridge a less sharp skew angle, simplifying the design and reducing the amout of extra bracing and support needed at the corners.

Ok thanks, presumably then there’s a trade off going on somewhere between narrow with max skew, and wider with no skew but longer span? All driven by a safe layout for the new road as well.

 

[Nottingham59]

a trade off

I assume that's what it is. (But then I'm not a civil engineer and no doubt one will be along in a minute to tell us that I've got it all wrong!)

 

[edwin_m]

Looks like one of those bridges they build out of prefabricated blocks they bring to site, rather like Lego. The abutments to the M42 bridge for HS2 (or rather for a road that had to be moved for HS2) were similar.

 

[DelW]

The wingwalls are there to support the embankment slopes either side of the abutments. At bridges where the routes cross at right angles they'd often be at 45° to the abutment and to cantilever off it, which minimises the area of wall needed. At skew bridges, the optimum for cantilever wingwalls is to bisect the angle between the two alignments. If the wingwalls are founded at ground level, they're more likely to be roughly parallel to the lower alignment, as there isn't a slope in front of them.

In this case it looks as though the short wall roughly bisects the angle, while the long one is more nearly parallel to the track alignment.

 

[swt_passenger]

The wingwalls are there to support the embankment slopes either side of the abutments. At bridges where the routes cross at right angles they'd often be at 45° to the abutment and to cantilever off it, which minimises the area of wall needed. At skew bridges, the optimum for cantilever wingwalls is to bisect the angle between the two alignments. If the wingwalls are founded at ground level, they're more likely to be roughly parallel to the lower alignment, as there isn't a slope in front of them.

In this case it looks as though the short wall roughly bisects the angle, while the long one is more nearly parallel to the track alignment.

That makes sense, although my original query was more about the abutments themselves. Is @Nottingham59 on the right lines?

 

[DelW]

That makes sense, although my original query was more about the abutments themselves. Is @Nottingham59 on the right lines?

Ah, sorry, I see what you mean - it might well be to reduce the skew angle. I'm not familiar with the precast system in use here, but if the pads on the bearing shelves are at a standard spacing, it may only be able to accommodate a certain range of angles between the beams and the bearing shelf of the abutment. If so, slightly angling the abutments in plan might just bring the skew within the limits of the system. It also makes the abutments slightly shorter.

 

[swt_passenger]

Ah, sorry, I see what you mean - it might well be to reduce the skew angle. I'm not familiar with the precast system in use here, but if the pockets in the bearing shelves are at a standard spacing, it may only be able to accommodate a certain angle between the beams and the bearing shelf of the abutment. If so, slightly angling the abutments in plan might just bring the skew within the limits of the system.

Thanks - that also makes a lot of sense. So as you add skew angle the individual beams rotate slightly with respect to the abutments, and eventually you’d run out of gap between them. The drawings include a cross section showing ten beams with a reasonable gap between them.

 

[DelW]

Thanks - that also makes a lot of sense. So as you add skew angle the individual beams rotate slightly with respect to the abutments, and eventually you’d run out of gap between them. The drawings include a cross section showing ten beams with a reasonable gap between them.

In my bridge building days (admittedly some decades ago), standard concrete bridge beams were about 950mm wide, which allowed them to be spaced at 1m centres with a tolerance for small variations. The slab on top was cast on permanent formwork which fitted between recesses on the top flanges. I don't suppose it's much different now!

 

[swt_passenger]

heres a snip from the planning (TWA Order application) drawing:

 

[DelW]

Since that drawing shows normal reinforced concrete wingwalls, possibly the precast system is a contractor's alternative? If so, the alignment probably isn't related to the precast construction system.

The beams are evidently a narrower version than those I installed years ago too.

 

[Oxfordblues]

According to my Oxford Mail the East-West Expressway (the competing road project) has been cancelled: Oxford to Cambridge expressway project cancelled by Grant Shapps | Oxford Mail

CONSTRUCTION of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway has been cancelled after it was found to be too costly, the Transport Secretary has confirmed.

Grant Shapps has today announced the major road-building project will not go ahead after analysis revealed it is not 'cost-effective'.

 

[Verulamius]

According to my Oxford Mail the East-West Expressway (the competing road project) has been cancelled: Oxford to Cambridge expressway project cancelled by Grant Shapps | Oxford Mail

Oxford to Cambridge expressway project cancelled as Transport Secretary looks to alternative plans for improving transport in the region 

Construction of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway has been cancelled as analysis shows the benefits the road would deliver are outweighed by its costs.

www.gov.uk

The official government notice for cancelation of the expressway.

• Oxford to Cambridge expressway formally cancelled following pause last March
• extensive analysis and local engagement reveals the expressway would not be cost-effective for the taxpayer
• government will continue to work on alternative plans to boost transport connectivity in the arc, alongside delivering the transformational East West Rail

Building on the insight already developed by Highways England, the Department for Transport (DfT) will now investigate the need for more targeted road interventions in the area, recognising the vital role that transport investment has to support sustainable growth in the region, as noted by the National Infrastructure Commission. The DfT will work closely with Highways England and England’s Economic Heartland as the sub-national transport body to develop a study on proposals, which will also support the spatial framework.

The East West Rail scheme remains central to providing critical infrastructure within the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, with it not only improving connectivity but also bringing new jobs and opportunities to people in the area. In January, the government announced a £760 million funding commitment to deliver the next phase of East West Rail, which will create 1,500 skilled jobs and reinstate direct rail services between Bicester and Bletchley for the first time since 1968.

 

[snowball]

Verulamius beat me to post a link to the press release.

The cancellation is really only Oxford to Milton Keynes. As far as I can see the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme will continue to work its way through the pipeline, and will be the last link in a dual carriageway from Milton Keynes and the M1 to Cambridge, the rest of which exists already.

 

[fgwrich]

Station Road (Launton) bridge coming on nicely.

View attachment 92555

Looking at the photo, is the house by the level crossing due to remain or will that be demolished?

 

[swt_passenger]

Looking at the photo, is the house by the level crossing due to remain or will that be demolished?

It’s still there on the TWA drawing, as “Station House”, and there’s a new road junction for it, teeing off the diverted main road over the bridge. The south approach road to the level crossing site remains as an NR compound/access.

 

[BrianW]

Verulamius beat me to post a link to the press release.

The cancellation is really only Oxford to Milton Keynes. As far as I can see the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet scheme will continue to work its way through the pipeline, and will be the last link in a dual carriageway from Milton Keynes and the M1 to Cambridge, the rest of which exists already.

It's progress of a kind; 'Progress Jim but not as we know it ..'.
It's something that will now be factored in to projections/ calculations about who may use EWR from where to where, when and how often. It still leaves a lot of uncertainties, though one fewer.
I imagine the kind of demographic of the area is not going to be much different with EWR from the current, though more houses and people, with 'significant' car-owning.
When is Oxford- Bedford due to complete?

 

[swt_passenger]

It's progress of a kind; 'Progress Jim but not as we know it ..'.
It's something that will now be factored in to projections/ calculations about who may use EWR from where to where, when and how often. It still leaves a lot of uncertainties, though one fewer.
I imagine the kind of demographic of the area is not going to be much different with EWR from the current, though more houses and people, with 'significant' car-owning.
When is Oxford- Bedford due to complete?

2024 for testing. 2025 for opening.
The current phase is referred to by NR as Bicester to Bletchley.
Bletchley to Bedford really only gets fairly trivial alterations in this phase such as platform lengthening, major work comes later, and is still at the planning stage.

Oxford to Bicester is considered complete, the Chiltern Evergreen 3 project scope was increased to allow for EWR ‘s long term service pattern.

 

[cle]

2024 for testing. 2025 for opening.
The current phase is referred to by NR as Bicester to Bletchley.
Bletchley to Bedford really only gets fairly trivial alterations in this phase such as platform lengthening, major work comes later, and is still at the planning stage.

Oxford to Bicester is considered complete, the Chiltern Evergreen 3 project scope was increased to allow for EWR ‘s long term service pattern.

What are the main plans for the Bletchley-Bedford section? I understood the (not so long ago) upgrade to 60mph was not going to be improved upon.

In 2025 when the next section opens, what is the initial pattern planned to be? 2tph Oxford to Bletchley?

 

[swt_passenger]

What are the main plans for the Bletchley-Bedford section? I understood the (not so long ago) upgrade to 60mph was not going to be improved upon.

In 2025 when the next section opens, what is the initial pattern planned to be? 2tph Oxford to Bletchley?

I don’t believe there are any “main plans” in the public domain. It’s an existing operational line, they wouldn’t need to jump through any hoops now that the speed increase was de-scoped. I think possible changes to level crossing operation came up in discussion a while back, but I haven't searched for it.

I don’t know anymore about the timetable. It was discussed at length in January when the phasing decision was announced, but I never saw an explicit service pattern.

 

[DavidGrain]

I don’t believe there are any “main plans” in the public domain. It’s an existing operational line, they wouldn’t need to jump through any hoops now that the speed increase was de-scoped. I think possible changes to level crossing operation came up in discussion a while back, but I haven't searched for it.

I don’t know anymore about the timetable. It was discussed at length in January when the phasing decision was announced, but I never saw an explicit service pattern.

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, Woburn Sands, Ridgmont
Aylesbury to Milton Keynes Central	1	Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Winslow, Bletchley