Track reconstruction around Fisherton Tunnel / Salisbury Tunnel Junction

[swt_passenger]

Latest NR tweet shows a picture of a track machine and a team replacing track within the tunnel:

And the works to repair the track and signalling infrastructure are well underway. Here’s a snap from the works last night and we hope to be able to share more news with you soon about when the railway can reopen.

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailWssx/status/1457973342015733761/photo/1

 

[D6130]

Interesting that the former wooden-sleepered bull-head rail on the Down line has been replaced by wooden-sleepered flat-bottom rail. Is there any reason why wooden sleepers seem to be preferred in tunnels? Is it purely for noise reduction in the confined space....or is there an engineering reason?

 

[Kite159]

Is it just a trick of the photo or does the relaid track look to be lower than the other track?

 

[swt_passenger]

Interesting that the former wooden-sleepered bull-head rail on the Down line has been replaced by wooden-sleepered flat-bottom rail. Is there any reason why wooden sleepers seem to be preferred in tunnels? Is it purely for noise reduction in the confined space....or is there an engineering reason?

In the tweet’s replies NR say it’s about weight limits and the shape of the tunnel invert (floor).

 

[Ploughman]

Is it just a trick of the photo or does the relaid track look to be lower than the other track?

I would imagine it will need a tamp to bring it up to level, final alignment and crosslevel.

 

[Bald Rick]

Is it just a trick of the photo or does the relaid track look to be lower than the other track?

It is. But when the ballast is laid it will be lifted through it to the final level.

 

[FOCTOC]

Four trains out there this evening/morning. 6F05/F06/F07 and F08. Work concentrated on relaying the up road, the down road has already been renewed. The (Tunnel) junction is still plain lined, and presumably will be sorted after the tunnel relaid. All signals in the vicinity are out - very eerie. Locos involved with the latter 3 trains were 66591/556/717 in that order.

 

[Brush 4]

I can't find the original Salisbury thread, it has been split up so many times. Anyway, BBC South Today didn't mention Salisbury in their travel news, only Pad to Slough. Does this mean trains are running or BBC are getting slack?

 

[DelW]

I can't find the original Salisbury thread, it has been split up so many times. Anyway, BBC South Today didn't mention Salisbury in their travel news, only Pad to Slough. Does this mean trains are running or BBC are getting slack?

RTT is only showing westbound departures at present, which are shown as starting from Salisbury.

 

[34006]

The South Western railway website is showing delays / cancellations until the end of day 15/11/2021

 

[swt_passenger]

I can't find the original Salisbury thread, it has been split up so many times. Anyway, BBC South Today didn't mention Salisbury in their travel news, only Pad to Slough. Does this mean trains are running or BBC are getting slack?

Just means BBC don’t repeat everything every bulletin. It’s just been mentioned on R2 traffic, but hasn’t been on every time this morning.

 

[Horizon22]

There is supposed to be a SWR 5Zxx service running later today to route prove.

 

[swt_passenger]

There is supposed to be a SWR 5Zxx service running later today to route prove.

This is a 5Z00 which seems to cover all relevant areas between Salisbury, Andover, and Romsey:

Realtime Trains - 5Z00 1340 Salisbury T&R.S.M.D to Salisbury T&R.S.M.D

Realtime Trains is an independent source of live realtime running information for the Great British railway network.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

 

[Towers]

7V16 is currently passing through Tunnel Jcn, it would appear that the line is open...

Confirmed having navigated the tunnel and passing through Salisbury.

 

[74A]

Points or signal have just failed at Tunnel junction. All on stop at the moment

Trains on the move now

 

[pompeyfan]

travel news reporting that the Romsey services are suspended and the Exeter services terminating at Salisbury due to poor railhead conditions.

 

[Towers]

travel news reporting that the Romsey services are suspended and the Exeter services terminating at Salisbury due to poor railhead conditions.

Surely the RHTT has been through!!

 

[FOCTOC]

travel news reporting that the Romsey services are suspended and the Exeter services terminating at Salisbury due to poor railhead conditions.

That's a knee jerk reaction to an annual event if ever I saw one. What do they intend to do next, suspend services September to December now?

 

[baza585]

That's a knee jerk reaction to an annual event if ever I saw one. What do they intend to do next, suspend services September to December noemw?

GWR appear to be coping, and even making extra stops at Millbrook and Redbridge. Some delays, sure, but SWR do seem to be taking the proverbial......

 

[Brush 4]

If SWR are that worried, I hope they are pressuring NR to cut down or at least cut back the trees, along the whole route to Exeter. We can't have operational autumn paranoia every year. We already have too hot, too snowy, leaves on the line was already a thing. Only the latter can be prevented, just do it.

 

[01d-and]

The Network Rail site says that this "incident" was created at 01.14 this morning and will continue until the end of the day. Are all RHTT sets out of use for the day ???

The Network Rail site says that this "incident" was created at 01.14 this morning and will continue until the end of the day. Are all RHTT sets out of use for the day ???

Or is it a shortage of crew ???

 

[PTR 444]

It appears that GWR services going to destinations other than Cardiff or Portsmouth have also been cancelled for the day.

 

[Right Away]

Surely the RHTT has been through!!

That's a knee jerk reaction to an annual event if ever I saw one. What do they intend to do next, suspend services September to December now?

GWR appear to be coping, and even making extra stops at Millbrook and Redbridge. Some delays, sure, but SWR do seem to be taking the proverbial......

There were multiple wrong side track circuit failures yesterday in the Salisbury area with circuits clearing with trains in section. There were also multiple reports of reportable low adhesion and a service experienced a severe wheelslide under braking coming down Alderbury bank approaching Milford curve, even after a RHTT had been through. All of these are indicative of severe railhead contamination which is not surprising with the lack of trains over the last few weeks. Running an RHTT isn't a magic bullet, it will take a couple of days of treatment as well as having the weight of trains regularly over the lines again. As a result, block working is in place between Salisbury and Dean, effectively making this one section and reducing capacity. There is also a blanket 40mph speed restriction between these points as well as between Salisbury and Grateley, reducing capacity even further. Network Rail have specified one passenger train per hour. These restrictions will remain in force until the conditions improve.

operational autumn paranoia

It is anything but.

 

[baza585]

There were multiple wrong side track circuit failures yesterday in the Salisbury area with circuits clearing with trains in section. There were also multiple reports of reportable low adhesion and a service experienced a severe wheelslide under braking coming down Alderbury bank approaching Milford curve, even after a RHTT had been through. All of these are indicative of severe railhead contamination which is not surprising with the lack of trains over the last few weeks. Running an RHTT isn't a magic bullet, it will take a couple of days of treatment as well as having the weight of trains regularly over the lines again. As a result, block working is in place between Salisbury and Dean, effectively making this one section and reducing capacity. There is also a blanket 40mph speed restriction between these points as well as between Salisbury and Grateley, reducing capacity even further. Network Rail have specified one passenger train per hour. These restrictions will remain in force until the conditions improve.


It is anything but.

Thank you for the comprehensive explanation. Just a shame the public couldn't be well informed; "slippery rails" is only part of the issue but the public were not told about the signalling issues, which are worrying.

 

[adrock1976]

A quick question here:

Are there also any preparation works for future electrification while the line is closed, or is this simply putting things back as they were before the derailment?

 

[swt_passenger]

A quick question here:

Are there also any preparation works for future electrification while the line is closed, or is this simply putting things back as they were before the derailment?

The line reopened on Monday (EC), Tuesday (public). Like for like replacement but they extended the track renewal through the tunnel.

 

[pdeaves]

any preparation works for future electrification while the line is closed

Unlikely as the designs wouldn't be complete/checked in the time scale available.

 

[Annetts key]

A quick question here:

Are there also any preparation works for future electrification while the line is closed, or is this simply putting things back as they were before the derailment?

It’s not within the remit of Network Rail to carry out such improvement works unless a specific project (with associated funding) has been agreed. So as others have said, it will only be operational equivalent infrastructure works using the current preferred materials.

The materials (rails, sleepers, etc.) may well be better specified than what was replaced. But this would be no different to normal renewal engineering works.

 

[73128]

all you

It’s not within the remit of Network Rail to carry out such improvement works unless a specific project (with associated funding) has been agreed. So as others have said, it will only be operational equivalent infrastructure works using the current preferred materials.

The materials (rails, sleepers, etc.) may well be better specified than what was replaced. But this would be no different to normal renewal engineering works.

all you need for dc electrification is sleepers with holes for the conductor rail insulators, which are pretty standard in the southern zone.

 

[swt_passenger]

…all you need for dc electrification is sleepers with holes for the conductor rail insulators, which are pretty standard in the southern zone.

However it can’t have escaped your attention that ORR is completely against extensions of third rail. Nevertheless, as can be seen in NR tweets linked earlier in this thread, (in my post #1), the new concrete sleepers installed do have the relevant holes.