Kings Cross ‘uncrossed’ Layout/Remodelling - Information and Updates

[Bald Rick]

Got it - thanks - so none of this new European signalling being brought in on the EMCL for instance, changes this particular process.

In basic logic terms, (ie boxes on the process flowchart), no.

 

[Tempest Malice]

so none of this new European signalling being brought in on the EMCL for instance, changes this particular process.

Not that any new "digital signalling" (to use NR's preferred naming of it) is being brought in yet. (It comes to the ECML slightly further into the future than these works.) But even where it currently exists on Thameslink, normal train describers are used. The data to configure them is a bit more to do, as you need a train describer "berth" (a place where a headcode is) for each signal section, so with all the short sections added with all the extra marker boards between the signals there are a lot more Td berths to add. But as you are asking, there is not much change to the general process no.

 

[Mcq]

Thanks

 

[edwin_m]

Something different will have to be done for train describers, and indeed the control system as a whole, for ETCS Level 3 which will detect train positions by radio message to and from the train instead of by trackside equipment. But that is way off in the future somewhere.

 

[43055]

Not exactly. Each train detection section (I believe they are all track circuits at Kings cross but it's not impossible some axle counters have slipped in where I've not been looking) is wired to a local interlocking. Each interlocking is linked via a single connection to the control centre, and it is only this connection that needs re-routing during a re-control. Now as I understood previously (though seems to have slightly changed order of operations wise), the works at kings cross itself are more complex as they are completely building a new railway at the station (moving most the pointwork to the other end of gasworks tunnels and when doing this everything from the interlocking downwards is going in brand new.) For the earlier re-control of the north end of kings cross PSB's area to York last summer (roughly the Hitchin to New Barnet area) the existing interlockings were left in place and it was just the data channels to them that were re-routed to york from their existing locations. So no changes to actual wiring anywhere as these connections go over NR's configurable Fibre Transmission Network.

Alexandra Palace area is track circuit (and further north) so it is likely that King Cross is still track circuits as well. I would imagine the project will replace the track circuits with Axle Counters.

 

[Shwam3]

Alexandra Palace area is track circuit (and further north) so it is likely that King Cross is still track circuits as well. I would imagine the project will replace the track circuits with Axle Counters.

Correct, axle counters will replace the current track circuits south of Holloway. North of Holloway (including to Moorgate) is just a recontrol as Tempest Malice describes.

 

[swt_passenger]

The latest Twitter pictures include one of the area next to the PSB. Looks like the ground has been squared off back towards the PSB, and the outer REB, (ie nearest to the tracks that is still shown on Google satellite view), is no longer there. There’s a new OHLE stanchion near the southwest corner of the ‘box’, which is just where there’s one shown in the planning drawing I attached to post #277.

https://twitter.com/ECMLupgrade/status/1355902600160403461/photo/2

(REB = “relocatable equipment building”)

 

[swt_passenger]

Picture on Twitter showing track in place for Platform 0, curving neatly in front of the signal box, ie emphasising that the track layout doesn’t actually require demolition, as discussed a few weeks ago.

https://twitter.com/RealJohnWynne/status/1360578339229102087/photo/1

 

[Mcq]

Thanks

 

[takno]

Picture on Twitter showing track in place for Platform 0, curving neatly in front of the signal box, ie emphasising that the track layout doesn’t actually require demolition, as discussed a few weeks ago.

https://twitter.com/RealJohnWynne/status/1360578339229102087/photo/1

I hadn't noticed on the plans quite how much platforms 0-3 were getting straightened up. It's quite a significant change for the last 30m or so of platform.

 

[swt_passenger]

I hadn't noticed on the plans quite how much platforms 0-3 were getting straightened up. It's quite a significant change for the last 30m or so of platform.

Did you see the way it’s colour coded on the planning drawing extract I posted in #227? Everything on the east side seems to be aimed more towards the reopened tunnel.

 

[takno]

Did you see the way it’s colour coded on the planning drawing extract I posted in #227? Everything on the east side seems to be aimed more towards the reopened tunnel.

I did when I saw the twitter picture and then went back and looked at the plans! I suppose it all supports reduced gaps at the doors, and maybe slightly faster acceleration off the blocks

 

[swt_passenger]

I did when I saw the twitter picture and then went back and looked at the plans! I suppose it all supports reduced gaps at the doors, and maybe slightly faster acceleration off the blocks

Yes, seems so. I think the suggestion much earlier in the thread was that approach speeds might also improve very slightly, but the final line speeds weren’t available at that time. Posts in early January, (about #191), do now show there are speed increases in both directions.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 25 Feb 2021 ==


Additional Information Thur 25th

There’s a couple of decent new aerial photos on Twitter showing the changing Kings Cross layout, and the platform 0 walls making progress. Also confirms my earlier supposition that there’s an OHLE gantry stanchion right at the corner of the signalling centre.

https://twitter.com/ECMLupgrade/status/1364955356439474185/photo/2

So I’m still quite firmly of the opinion that the “box” doesn’t actually need to come down...

 

[jyte]

Is that a signalling gantry spanning all platforms? Do any other large termini have a similar arrangement?

 

[swt_passenger]

Is that a signalling gantry spanning all platforms? Do any other large termini have a similar arrangement?

I think it’s still possibly a work in progress. The bit over towards platform 11 looks new, and I don’t think all the signals are mounted on it yet. Older aerial views suggested it was two slightly different looking sections joined roughly in the middle, however the planning drawing I posted a few weeks back suggests, (by colouring it in red), that it’s all being renewed...

 

[Mcq]

Can anyone give a milestone synopsis of what this weekends KX closure is tackling please?

 

[swt_passenger]

Can anyone give a milestone synopsis of what this weekends KX closure is tackling please?

A quick summary from Modern Railways.

Getting ready over the weekend for the station half closure for phase 2.

From Monday 1st Mar platforms 0-6 and the fast lines are out of use for track layout and platform remodelling for 7 weeks, although the eastern bore should become available for engineering trains. Reduced east coast main line service operates, only 4 tph Long distance.

(3 tph was the original frequency quoted from Modern railways - it‘s 4 tph on the 1st Mar...)

Over weekend of 23rd Apr station is fully closed while they change sides, then phase 3 starts, with platforms 0-6 back in use controlled by York ROC, remodelling of platforms 7 - 11 commences.

 

[Mcq]

Many thanks - very helpful synopsis.
When does the signalling, up to Palmer Green, move to York please?

 

[Bald Rick]

Many thanks - very helpful synopsis.
When does the signalling, up to Palmer Green, move to York please?

Weekend of 24 April

 

[Mcq]

Thanks again

 

[swt_passenger]

Latest Twitter posts about the upgrade show a very busy area in the throat, demolition has already started at the end of platform 2 & 3. A temporary fence/wall has been erected down the length of platform 6.

https://twitter.com/Trigg/status/1365607944797249538/photo/1

There are many more images of recent overnight work in related posts there...

There’s also a recent article in Rail Engineer that explains the work, but also emphasises that an aim of the sewer replacement work was to flatten the layout, ie to remove a hump in the tracks:

King's Cross: Clearing the Throat and removing the hump! - Rail Engineer

Listen to this article Back in pre-COVID times, when life felt normal but hectic, Rail Engineer published an article about Network Rail’s plans to spend £1.2 billion upgrading the East Coast main line. It outlined a hugely ambitious scheme that has taken some time to plan and organise, coupled...

www.railengineer.co.uk

 

[Class 170101]

A quick summary from Modern Railways.

Getting ready over the weekend for the station half closure for phase 2.

From Monday 1st Mar platforms 0-6 and the fast lines are out of use for track layout and platform remodelling for 7 weeks, although the eastern bore should become available for engineering trains. Reduced east coast main line service operates, only 3 tph Long distance.

Over weekend of 23rd Apr station is fully closed while they change sides, then phase 3 starts, with platforms 0-6 back in use controlled by York ROC, remodelling of platforms 7 - 11 commences.

From the changeover at the end of April does that mean the Eastern Bore opens to passenger traffic?

 

[swt_passenger]

From the changeover at the end of April does that mean the Eastern Bore opens to passenger traffic?

You’d have to believe so, because if P0 and P1 are in use, (as stated), they can only be accessed through the eastern bore. Please refer to post #3 for the before and after layouts.

 

[Bald Rick]

From the changeover at the end of April does that mean the Eastern Bore opens to passenger traffic?

Yes it does

 

[liam456]

Here's a silly question; with the whole-scale resignalling taking place, would it be easy/ier to renumber the platforms back to 1-11 now that control is at York rather than King's Cross PSB?

 

[swt_passenger]

Here's a silly question; with the whole-scale resignalling taking place, would it be easy/ier to renumber the platforms back to 1-11 now that control is at York rather than King's Cross PSB?

Well, it’s regularly been explained to only become possible following resignalling, but I don’t think it’s been reported yet as definitely happening. All the before and after descriptions so far still seem to have a platform 0...

 

[liam456]

Well, it’s regularly been explained to only become possible following resignalling, but I don’t think it’s been reported yet as definitely happening. All the before and after descriptions so far still seem to have a platform 0...

Here's an even sillier question then!
What is resignalling defined as? Surely a big change in track layout, and a change in control from King's Cross PSB to York ROC, as well as making it 'ETCS-Ready' (which I saw on one of the track diagrams) counts as resignalling ?

 

[swt_passenger]

Here's an even sillier question then!
What is resignalling defined as? Surely a big change in track layout, and a change in control from King's Cross PSB to York ROC, as well as making it 'ETCS-Ready' (which I saw on one of the track diagrams) counts as resignalling ?

Well yes, this is definitely the scale of work that people had always predicted would allow renumbering. What I’m saying is there’s still nothing to say officially it will happen...

 

[YorksLad12]

Here's an even sillier question then!
What is resignalling defined as? Surely a big change in track layout, and a change in control from King's Cross PSB to York ROC, as well as making it 'ETCS-Ready' (which I saw on one of the track diagrams) counts as resignalling ?

Well yes, this is definitely the scale of work that people had always predicted would allow renumbering. What I’m saying is there’s still nothing to say officially it will happen...

I suppose one issue would be that you can't renumber as you go on this project; you either renumber before you start or at the end, otherwise you have two P7s in play (I think). When Leeds 1st happened, new platforms were built at both ends; the southern platforms were 16 & 17. From memory, everything was renumbered once the new P1-P8 were open and the rest were closed for work.

 

[Bald Rick]

Not as easy to renumber as anywhere else unfortunately. If Platform 0 was to become platform 1 then Platform 9 3/4 has to move too and that is a whole lot more difficult, and requires specific approval of the Minister (of Magic).