The forthcoming major engineering works around Westbury ( autumn / winter 2024 )

[30907]

Its going to be fun at Frome, especially with the station only having one platform.

The timetable is slightly thinned, though, with no SWT services and no short workings from/to the east, so only about 1tph each way. (I note one unresolved conflict on RTT around 0900....).

@Peter Mugridge during January there's a 1735 Swindon-Hawkeridge-Weymouth as well as the 0618 Pen Mill already mentioned.

 

[MarkyT]

Westbury South Jn is being completely relayed as it was last done in the 80s just before the PSB opened and always seems to be failing. The original plan involved all trains on Gloucester - Weymouth reversing at Heywood Road but that seems to have been scrapped and it’s now bustitution. I believe all the service changes have been helpfully summarised above.

I think Westbury South was remodelled and relaid in the late 70s (76?) and the separate SB closed, with a new relay interlocking and colour light signals provided. These facilities were remote controlled from a small temporary route setting panel installed in Westbury North SB alongside the lever frame retained for the north junction, until the new PSB opened.

 

[Western Sunset]

When I travel between Bristol/Keynsham & Bath by car, I never use the A4 through Saltford anyway. It’s always congested and slow.

Slightly longer admittedly, but I often go up Keynsham Road to Markesbury and back down towards Corston on the A39. Not much time difference at all and much easier drive.

Thanks for that tip. Remarkably, I drove through Saltford four times this week without any delays. Usually, it's a pain in the ----

 

[The exile]

Thanks for that tip. Remarkably, I drove through Saltford four times this week without any delays. Usually, it's a pain in the ----

I’ve not been driving to work this week - that’s why!

 

[Snow1964]

I understand the reason for closure of Warminster-Salisbury section is to do work on Sherrington viaduct (just south of Codford, where railway crosses river Wylye).

From memory this was the viaduct where just over 3 years ago (June 2021) there was a Network Rail press fanfare about introducing new composite sleepers.

 

[Benjwri]

I understand the reason for closure of Warminster-Salisbury section is to do work on Sherrington viaduct (just south of Codford, where railway crosses river Wylye).

From memory this was the viaduct where just over 3 years ago (June 2021) there was a Network Rail press fanfare about introducing new composite sleepers.

Yeah however I understand this is structural works on the viaduct itself rather than anything to do with the sleepers.

 

[Snow1964]

And as a double whammy, signs have just gone up on the A4 between Bath and Keynsham giving advance notice of delays due to gas main works from 25th October for (I think) 10 days. You couldn’t make it up!

Could be quite busy in Bristol area this weekend as M4 is closed Friday 7pm to 6am Monday between junctions 18 and 19. They are digging a utilities trench across the motorway ahead of removing the deteriorating Badminton Road bridge.

Also relevant is the busy A350 through Westbury is being closed, and the damaged rail bridge at Limpley Stoke worked on. They really ought to put a low height steel beam in where the Camerton track span used to be considering how many trucks hit the bridge. (The closed A36 is being temporarily opened with single lane traffic lights during these works).

The A350 closures in Westbury are from Monday 21 Oct to Friday 8 Nov (some 24 hours a day, some overnight)

 

[Western Sunset]

The A350 closures in Westbury are from Monday 21 Oct to Friday 8 Nov (some 24 hours a day, some overnight)

From what I gathered from the yellow roadside sign - difficult to take in all the info when driving past - is that there is no weekend working. Though whether that means the road is open or closed over the weekends is open to interpretation...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If anyone is planning on photographing the engineering works movements around the Westbury blockade, I just posted an accommodation recommendation in the relevant thread in trip planning; ignore the apparently different paragraph displayed below - that's just the forum software showing the leading post on the page. The link will take you direct to my post:

Accommodation suggestions and reviews

Thanks for the recommendation, I am doing an increasing amount of work in MK at the moment and some of it we are expected to do as a day trip and there are times when I'm simply too tired to travel all the way back to Kent and not have the following day as a complete write-off so this is useful...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Couru]

Its going to be fun at Frome, especially with the station only having one platform.

I have a mate who lives in the town and she said to me that its a shame that there isn't a Frome Central located at the rear of the Cheese & Grain as such a station would have been useful at times like this.

Add to that it being single-track, and having to contend with the quarry traffic for access at Frome North Junction... I would be surprised if most don't spin at Trowbridge or Salisbury, with only a few going into Frome proper.

 

[Snow1964]

Now that the 4 week closure has started, thought it would be useful to link the Network Rail presentation pdf of the work being done.

Includes plans, photos etc (both of Westbury and Sherrington viaduct)

https://sacuksprodnrdigital0001.blob.core.windows.net/westbury-toolkit/Westbury%20winter%20drop-in%20slideshow.pdf

If anyone is interested in weird workings, there is a 17:01 on Friday from Severn Beach to Weymouth (reversing at Heywood Road Junction). I think this train also adds lots of first time directly served destinations stations from the relatively new Portway Park and Ride station

Realtime Trains | 2O82 1701 Severn Beach to Weymouth | 27/12/2024

Real-time train running information for 2O82 1701 departure from Severn Beach to Weymouth on 27/12/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[DadimF]

Quite a bit left out of that pdf. Especially signalling.

 

[QueensCurve]

Quite a bit left out of that pdf. Especially signalling.

I am wondering what the "fine-tuning signalling" entails.

Elsewhere, engineers are still working on the railway through Westbury in Wiltshire, which remains closed. The team has been working 24/7 since Christmas Eve and will remain on site until the early hours of Friday 24 January, when train services are due to resume. The work involves fully replacing the track and ballast stone to update worn components. The team is also fine-tuning signalling in the area and making adjustments to the platform edge stones at the station. Trains are being diverted while some are replaced by buses.

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/network-rail-completes-festive-engineering-work-in-the-thames-valley

 

[Freightmaster]

Quite a bit left out of that pdf. Especially signalling.

What signalling work is being done?



MARK

 

[DadimF]

Route changes and additions. Speed changes, locking changes.

 

[Snow1964]

Posted this in GWR weekend cancellations, but then thought it would be better copied here.

Works affecting the Portsmouth-Cardiff services (the one serving 7 cities), summary of how little the line actually operates fully over current 4-5 months

26 Oct Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
27 Oct suspended Bath-Westbury, and diverted via Eastleigh
28-31 Oct suspended Bath -Bristol
2 Nov suspended Warminster - Salisbury
3 Nov suspended Warminster - Southampton
9 Nov Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
10 Nov suspended Southampton - Portsmouth
23 - 24 Nov Southampton area, diverted via Eastleigh
15 Dec suspended Westbury - Warminster
25 - 26 Dec no service
27 Dec - 23 Jan suspended Trowbridge - Salisbury
25-26 Jan suspended Severn Tunnel
1-2 Feb suspended Westbury area
8-9 Feb suspended Fareham - Portsmouth
15-18 Feb suspended Fareham -Poersmouth
19-21 Feb suspended Portsmouth area
22-23 Feb suspended Warminster-Southampton
1-2 Mar suspended Fareham-Portsmouth
8-9 Mar suspended Warminster - Bath Spa

Only a couple of weekends in 4-5 months where they even advertise a normal service, and yes those two didn't run the full service, there were cancellations. Many of these dates are also weekdays, not just weekends.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

What signalling work is being done?



MARK

Certain 25mph crossovers at Westbury South Jn are being upgraded to 40mph, which means that the approach-control restriction on W305 signal going into Westbury platform 3 can be removed. This has always been something of a performance issue as the preceding signal is in rear of Dilton Marsh platform. Professional driving styles do not favour accelerating away from a platform towards a red signal on a falling 1:70 gradient!

 

[Western Sunset]

They are busy, day and night at Westbury...

 

[Snow1964]

Certain 25mph crossovers at Westbury South Jn are being upgraded to 40mph, which means that the approach-control restriction on W305 signal going into Westbury platform 3 can be removed. This has always been something of a performance issue as the preceding signal is in rear of Dilton Marsh platform. Professional driving styles do not favour accelerating away from a platform towards a red signal on a falling 1:70 gradient!

It's good that there is upgrade, but choice of only 40mph seems low as all trains from South stop at far end of platform, so still have about quarter of a mile to go at the junction

 

[The Planner]

It's good that there is upgrade, but choice of only 40mph seems low as all trains from South stop at far end of platform, so still have about quarter of a mile to go at the junction

Faster the S&C, the bigger the footprint, could it fit? Everything on the approaches is 40 anyway.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

It's good that there is upgrade, but choice of only 40mph seems low as all trains from South stop at far end of platform, so still have about quarter of a mile to go at the junction

The critical point is that the pointwork is now the same speed as the overall linespeeds so there is no need for restrictive signalling. I presume a more significant uplift would have cost a lot more and probably been unworkable if it lengthened pointwork turnouts etc, as you’d need more space.

 

[fgwrich]

A very minor question which got me thinking while passing through Salisbury the other day that I didn’t think merited its own thread;

With this blockade on, which fleet have GWR chosen to ‘strand’ over the southern half of the blockade - is it a mix of Turbo's and 158s, or solely 158s and are they being maintained at Salisbury in the meantime?

Thanks!

 

[swt_passenger]

A very minor question which got me thinking while passing through Salisbury the other day that I didn’t think merited its own thread;

With this blockade on, which fleet have GWR chosen to ‘strand’ over the southern half of the blockade - is it a mix of Turbo's and 158s, or solely 158s and are they being maintained at Salisbury in the meantime?

Thanks!

I read in a different thread that there are transfers between Salisbury and Yeovil direct, so whatever they are running they’re not stranded:

GWR stock swaps using West of England line

I see this week that, I assume due to the Westbury closure, GWR are using the West of England line to swap out 158s by running the Barnstaple-Axminster train on to Salisbury empty. This train then forms a service train to Pompey. One of the Pompey trains then returns empty to Exeter also via the...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[fgwrich]

I read in a different thread that there are transfers between Salisbury and Yeovil direct, so whatever they are running they’re not stranded:

GWR stock swaps using West of England line

I see this week that, I assume due to the Westbury closure, GWR are using the West of England line to swap out 158s by running the Barnstaple-Axminster train on to Salisbury empty. This train then forms a service train to Pompey. One of the Pompey trains then returns empty to Exeter also via the...

www.railforums.co.uk

Cheers, I had wondered with those - of course, the 158s are maintained at Exeter so it does make sense to squeeze them in along the WOE.

For some reason I had it in my mind they were still predominately SPM based alongside the Turbo’s.

 

[stuu]

I imagine the answer is no, but has any provision been made for reinstating platform 1 for passenger services?

 

[DadimF]

It's good that there is upgrade, but choice of only 40mph seems low as all trains from South stop at far end of platform, so still have about quarter of a mile to go at the junction

The signal spacing between 305 and 111 is underbraked. Plus line speed is 40 through the station.

 

[Snow1964]

Looks like works have finished for now, full service is back in operation.
More disruption to follow 1-2 Feb and 8-9 March

The Cardiff-Portsmouth service is not operating normally at weekends for quite a while.

Westbury closure to Thur 23rd Jan
Severn Tunnel closure 25-26 Jan
Westbury 1-2 Feb
Portsmouth area 8-9 Feb and 15 to Fri 21 Feb
Salisbury 22-23 Feb
Fareham - Portsmouth 1-2 March
Warminster - Bath 8-9 March
Salisbury - Southampton 23 March

 

[DadimF]

Now it's done i can give a little overview of the signalling changes.

28 points in total renewed, all HPSS aside from the double slips and two hand points.

MAR removed for 305B & 402A and the line speed from the Up Salisbury into platform 3 increased to 35/40. Line speed over both 854 and 887 points increased to 40.

709 GPL and DC track removed. 699B was extended to read up to 411.

A new main and call on route, 407A, has also been added from 407 to 111.

There were some additional locking changes as the layout has changed with some ground signals and points moving.