Werrington grade separation updates

[HSTEd]

If true its a particularly appalling example of value engineering. The dive under project is solely for freight to be diverted from the ECML, now even more important as HS2 will no longer relieve it. According to DfT the rail network has to be decarbonised by 2040, yet for freight there is no known alternative to electric traction, as hydrogen and battery technology can't do the job. For that reason NR's own Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy - Interim Programme Business Case (networkrail.co.uk) marks the line as 'core electrification' so why on earth would you not design the dive under to be capable of being wired?!

Strikes me as standard railway short termism to be honest.

It probably saved £1m or something, but will cost many tens of millions to fix later.

 

[Nottingham59]

The Modern Railways article says the diveunder is designed to accept electrification with a conductor bar and converting from ballasted to slab track. Which was probably the right choice when the decision was made.

 

[Starmill]

The Modern Railways article says the diveunder is designed to accept electrification with a conductor bar and converting from ballasted to slab track. Which was probably the right choice when the decision was made.

Indeed. The additional cost of using 'slab track' today, when there's no electrification to come for many years, would have been significant.

 

[dk1]

ORR has Authorised the Werrington dive under into use this afternoon.

 

[snowball]

The Modern Railways article says the diveunder is designed to accept electrification with a conductor bar and converting from ballasted to slab track. Which was probably the right choice when the decision was made.

I can't find the specific reference to slab track in my copy, where the wording is as I quoted in #626. Maybe it's different if you have access to the online version.

 

[59CosG95]

ORR has Authorised the Werrington dive under into use this afternoon.

Full EIS due on Sunday!

Indeed. The additional cost of using 'slab track' today, when there's no electrification to come for many years, would have been significant.

Especially as electrification plans for the PMJ route (the Stamford lines, and onwards to the MML/WCML etc.) and the Joint Line haven't materialised yet. Wiring the Joint Line and the Stamfords would be best done as part of another, separate project, as the OLE on the ECML would also need to be altered along the entire length of the realigned Up Stamford. Structures may even need to be 'shared' between the diveunder (at its southern extremities in the sheet piles) and the Up Stamford; this is of course just speculation on my part.

 

[dk1]

Full EIS due on Sunday!

Thank you.

 

[Nottingham59]

I just did a Google search: https://www.modernrailways.com/article/werrington-work-presses

"The dive under includes passive provision for electrification, which would take the form of a conductor beam; ballast would be replaced with slab track and the track lowered to make space for this."

Probably not the same article, though.

 

[Bald Rick]

If true its a particularly appalling example of value engineering

Value Management, not Value Engineering.

ORR has Authorised the Werrington dive under into use this afternoon.

Monday actually!

 

[InOban]

Full EIS due on Sunday!


Especially as electrification plans for the PMJ route (the Stamford lines, and onwards to the MML/WCML etc.) and the Joint Line haven't materialised yet. Wiring the Joint Line and the Stamfords would be best done as part of another, separate project, as the OLE on the ECML would also need to be altered along the entire length of the realigned Up Stamford. Structures may even need to be 'shared' between the diveunder (at its southern extremities in the sheet piles) and the Up Stamford; this is of course just speculation on my part.

Apologies for ignorance, but EIS stands for? （Apart from my old trade union ）

 

[dk1]

Monday actually!

Just going by the ORR tweet this afternoon.

 

[swt_passenger]

Apologies for ignorance, but EIS stands for? （Apart from my old trade union ）

Entry Into Service!

 

[Bald Rick]

Just going by the ORR tweet this afternoon.

Ah. Actually I was wrong, the authorisation was yesterday. Evidently the ORR tweet a little late.

 

[norbitonflyer]

The only one which could probably use the dive-under is the 18:35 Lincoln to Peterborough, as that will form the 20:12 Peterborough to Nottingham via Melton service. Just to save that Nottingham service having to cross over from platform 2 towards the Stamford lines.

RTT for dates after the timetable change shows that service is scheduled to use platform 2B

 

[Class 170101]

Value Management, not Value Engineering.

But we will end up paying for it long term. ECML wiring - in the past couple of years its having work done to it to 'physically' strengthen it, never mind the power upgrades.

 

[zwk500]

But we will end up paying for it long term. ECML wiring - in the past couple of years its having work done to it to 'physically' strengthen it, never mind the power upgrades.

But doing it to the minimum first time got it done. It's not a perfect world, and you sometimes just can't stretch the budget far enough.
I suspect the diveunder won't be wired for a long time yet, and that it will save more disruption by eliminating the flat crossings in it's un-wired life than it will take to convert it to slab track and wire it up when it's time comes. It's also entirely possible that by the time we do come to electrify the GNGE better understanding and equipment means they can use smaller clearances and not need to touch the track at all.

 

[Bald Rick]

But we will end up paying for it long term. ECML wiring - in the past couple of years its having work done to it to 'physically' strengthen it, never mind the power upgrades.

I agree that it seems an odd decision, sufficiently so that there must be a good reason for it. Knowing how the box was built, making it another 300mm taller (or whatever it needs) would have cost essentially nothing. Therefore if it really doesn’t have electrification clearances, there must be something site specific about gradient or ground conditions that required it to be the dimensions it is.

Regardless, at least it has W12 clearance

 

[IrishDave]

It's unlikely diverted passenger services would need to use it, as a diversion is only necessary if the ECML towards Grantham is closed, in which case there is no conflict using the flat junction. (Just possibly, if the closure is between Grantham and Newark, a northbound passenger service for Doncaster or beyond might use the diveunder to avoid conflict with a southbound Liverpool - Grantham - Norwich train)

The only circumstance in which diverted trains would need to use the diveunder would be a block at the flat junction at Werrington itself, since that would entail blocking the ECML and the flat route to Lincoln. As it happens, such circumstances are planned for the weekends of 12th/13th and 19th/20th November 2022 according to the Engineering Access Statement (that's weeks 33 and 34 for those who think in weeks!). This is to permit renewal of the S&C at Werrington Junction; the notes explicitly state:

"TRAINS TO TRAVEL FROM MARHOLME JN TO GLINTON JN VIA THE DIVE UNDER, THEN DIVERTED VIA GNGE BETWEEN GLINTON JN JN AND DONCASTER. NO ACCESS TO THE GNGE VIA WERRINGTON JN"

Those weekends could therefore be the first non-charter passenger trains over the diveunder.

 

[Brissle Girl]

I agree that it seems an odd decision, sufficiently so that there must be a good reason for it. Knowing how the box was built, making it another 300mm taller (or whatever it needs) would have cost essentially nothing. Therefore if it really doesn’t have electrification clearances, there must be something site specific about gradient or ground conditions that required it to be the dimensions it is.

Regardless, at least it has W12 clearance

I believe the level of the underpass was significantly constrained by drainage issues, so it may have been quite expensive to provide that extra clearance.

 

[RichE]

On at least one site visit I asked about OHLE clearance and I was told the box has sufficient headroom within it for electrification.

Incidentally the track is still not in use as at lunchtime today.

 

[59CosG95]

On at least one site visit I asked about OHLE clearance and I was told the box has sufficient headroom within it for electrification.

Incidentally the track is still not in use as at lunchtime today.

Keep your eyes peeled next week, I would...

 

[Nottingham59]

the level of the underpass was significantly constrained by drainage issues

They had to install a siphon on the stream that crosses the track. I wonder if they could have built that at a slightly lower level?

 

[swt_passenger]

They had to install a siphon on the stream that crosses the track. I wonder if they could have built that at a slightly lower level?

There seems no reason why not - although it’s quite massive and complex it wouldn’t be any more complex if a metre deeper.

For anyone who missed it post #613 in this thread has a video simulation of the siphon and associated stuff.

 

[55002]

4E21 Felixstowe to Tinsley used the dive under today apparently according to a twitter post.

 

[swt_passenger]

4E21 Felixstowe to Tinsley used the dive under today apparently according to a twitter post.

RTT showing “No report” at Werrington Junction would also substantiate that, I think?

 

[55002]

RTT showing “No report” at Werrington Junction would also substantiate that, I think?

Apparently 4E25 Bow to Heck and 4E20 Felixstowe to Masborough used it aswell

 

[OxtedL]

RTT showing “No report” at Werrington Junction would also substantiate that, I think?

RTT also shows all three of the above trains as joining the Down Stamford after leaving Peterborough, which would also strongly support the use of the diveunder.

 

[55002]

4E56 Felixstowe to Doncaster using it now

 

[zwk500]

4E56 Felixstowe to Doncaster using it now

Signal maps screenshot for those interested:

 

[59CosG95]

Signal maps screenshot for those interested:
View attachment 106280

Interestingly OTT hasn't updated it yet...