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East-West Rail (EWR): Oxford-Bletchley construction progress

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yorkie

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Just a gentle reminder this is for actual progress updates.

I have moved some recent posts - discussing what might or might not happen - into the existing thread below:

East-West Rail (EWR): Alternative options and speculation

I just come across these people https://cambridgeapproaches.org/our-objectives/ . We exist to ensure that, first and foremost, the EWR Co. fully evaluates a northern approach to Cambridge, first advocated by the CamBed RailRoad (CBRR) community-based think tank. The northern route would...
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fgwrich

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Plenty of photos this week of progress by Phil Marsh, with plenty of Before, During and Now pictures;

Near Poundon:

Between Launton and Poundon:

Launton (former) Station site:

Current progress at Calvert - HS2 Ramp looking good:

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==


New Post Below:

More positive news from Winslow as the NTC has now laid the first (Oxford bound) line through the new station:


 
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From Modern Railways, March, p. 12:

Over half the track between Bicester and Bletchley has been laid, according to a talk on 2 Feb by EWR Alliance director to Bucks CC transport committee.

Infrastructure work is on schedule.

Concern has been expressed that no operator has been named and that the first passenger trains may not run until well into 2025 due to lack of operational readiness.

The section around the HS2 bridge is due to be handed over from HS2 to EWR Alliance for tracklaying by "the middle of this year". Repeated requests from Bucks CC to HS2 for a copy of the interface and handover documentation "have been stonewalled".

Network Rail is continuing to pursue ways of making the Aylesbury spur affordable by DfT's criteria before the TWAO powers expire, which they will do unless work begins by the start of 2025.
 
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Here’s another YouTube drone video only recently uploaded but could be a few weeks old. The video is showing overhead views of the section a mile or so east of Winslow:
 
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Just a reminder that the thread is for discussion of construction updates only.

If anyone wants to discuss anything else such as the operator of the new line then they are welcome to start a new thread in the appropriate forum section

thanks :)
 
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Bletchley footbridge to be finally installed end of April according to WMT Properties team. The bridge has had some modifications which is why it was installed and removed again
 
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You Tube video from the Lowi Family, thanks.


We have a signal installed.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

I really hope the HS2 debacle does not affect the construction timetable of EWR. I did raise my suspicions further up the thread, and I expect the worst. I can see the east and west sections of EWR completed and a yawning gap at Calvert courtesy of HS2.
 
jfowkes

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Neen Sollars said:
I really hope the HS2 debacle does not affect the construction timetable of EWR. I did raise my suspicions further up the thread, and I expect the worst. I can see the east and west sections of EWR completed and a yawning gap at Calvert courtesy of HS2.
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I thought the HS2 delays, if any, would be on the Euston-OOC and north-of-Birmingham sections. Very unlikely to affect EWR works I suspect.
 
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Neen Sollars

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JF, Hope you are right. My concerns are for HS2 construction delays at this particular site, not the HS2 project as a whole.
 
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Neen Sollars

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You tube video from Lineside South East. You have to stick with it to get some interesting new views of Bicester to Bletchley construction.

 
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Neen Sollars

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The Planner said:
The bridge over HS2 at Calvert is already in place.
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Thanks, but embankments and associated works are not. I was under the impression HS2 were responsible for construction of part of EWR at this complex intersection? Having two sets of construction teams working on different projects at the same site would not seem a good idea?
 
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Bletchleyite said:
It's Aylesbury that is messed up with HS2, but that's not part of the initial work anyway.
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A proportion of that is sorting out the bat mitigation tunnel down at Greatmoor woods as well as E-W cost constraints.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==

Neen Sollars said:
Thanks, but embankments and associated works are not. I was under the impression HS2 were responsible for construction of part of EWR at this complex intersection? Having two sets of construction teams working on different projects at the same site would not seem a good idea?
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Its only bad if there is no integration on the project management front and no one talks to each other. Though I suspect the civils earthworks are relatively straightforward if the structure is in.
 
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snowball

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Neen Sollars said:
Thanks, but embankments and associated works are not. I was under the impression HS2 were responsible for construction of part of EWR at this complex intersection? Having two sets of construction teams working on different projects at the same site would not seem a good idea?
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I don't think they are on the same site. A section of the EWR route for about a mile each side of the HS2 crossing is in the hands of HS2, with no access to EWR. HS2 Ltd are supposed to complete the bridges and earthworks by the middle of this year and then hand it back to EWR who will lay the track.
 
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snowball said:
I don't think they are on the same site. A section of the EWR route for about a mile each side of the HS2 crossing is in the hands of HS2, with no access to EWR. HS2 Ltd are supposed to complete the bridges and earthworks by the middle of this year and then hand it back to EWR who will lay the track.
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I’m not sure if I mentioned it in one of my posts above, but this was the state of play at the E-W / HS2 crossing a month ago. The road bridge is still in the way, so there may be an issue with diverting the road? Otherwise the ramp on the Oxford side is complete and ballasted, and I believe the other side may be, up to the edge of the bridge site, too.

 

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Neen Sollars

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snowball said:
I don't think they are on the same site. A section of the EWR route for about a mile each side of the HS2 crossing is in the hands of HS2, with no access to EWR. HS2 Ltd are supposed to complete the bridges and earthworks by the middle of this year and then hand it back to EWR who will lay the track.
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Thanks, That is the impression I was under, essentially EWR just lay the track and do S&T on the bed prepared by HS2. The Aylsebury spur section junction will also be prepared by HS2 and no doubt the small section of junction track and out of service S&T done by EWR. You can clearly see the boundary of construction responsibility on the Marston Vale video above. The "ski ramp" over HS2 is being constructed by HS2?
Edit: Can clearly be seen in post #1008 above which I have just seen!
 
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swt_passenger

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Neen Sollars said:
Thanks, That is the impression I was under, essentially EWR just lay the track and do S&T on the bed prepared by HS2. The Aylsebury spur section junction will also be prepared by HS2 and no doubt the small section of junction track and out of service S&T done by EWR. You can clearly see the boundary of construction responsibility on the Marston Vale video above. The "ski ramp" over HS2 is being constructed by HS2?
Edit: Can clearly be seen in post #1008 above which I have just seen!
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Not much of a “ski ramp” though. When I checked the HS2 drawings for the intersection area last year, (it’s in the closed HS2 thread somewhere), EWR basically crosses HS2 at what will be local ground level. I think many of the photos in this thread are significantly foreshortened and are not showing what it will look like when the landscaping is 100% complete.
 
fgwrich

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So I hadn’t realised that, part of the delay seems to be in the form of a road bridge being constructed over East West, after it crosses HS2 at Claydon loop.

In related news, the track laying has from the Western end has reached the boundary now, so fingers crossed it won’t be too long before we start to see more of the East West side opening up.

Latest update with photos from Phil Marsh here on twitter:


 
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swt_passenger

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fgwrich said:
So I hadn’t realised that, part of the delay seems to be in the form of a road bridge being constructed over East West, after it crosses HS2 at Claydon loop.
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I think the idea was that the various north/south roads in that section could only be closed one at a time. The bridge you’re referring to, (I think OXD/27), takes Addison Road over the EWR tracks and the east end of the new infrastructure depot tracks, which is why the girders you can see are relatively long. It will be a much larger span overall than the previous brick arch. It’s possible that they won’t demolish the existing road bridge OXD/28 just next to HS2 and tie the new underbridge route in until there’s a nearby alternate route for traffic, the new bridge in the distance would seem to be the best alternative route.

(I edited my original bridge numbers, I forgot they’re decreasing from west to east. Although Phil Marsh’s second post is described as “view from bridge 29”, he’s actually on bridge 28 in one of them, that’s the one that gets replaced by an underpass.)

But another point shown in the photos is that the embankment east of the HS2 bridge appears relatively complete. So I don’t agree with the view posted earlier that EWR will be delayed by outstanding embankment works.
 
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Neen Sollars

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"But another point shown in the photos is that the embankment east of the HS2 bridge appears relatively complete. So I don’t agree with the view posted earlier that EWR will be delayed by outstanding embankment works".

But the other embankment is not? I think the suggestion the site (site) will not be handed over on time is contained in post #994.
 
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Neen Sollars said:
"But another point shown in the photos is that the embankment east of the HS2 bridge appears relatively complete. So I don’t agree with the view posted earlier that EWR will be delayed by outstanding embankment works".

But the other embankment is not? I think the suggestion the site (site) will not be handed over on time is contained in post #994.
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The only gap in the embankment, having seen all the recent photos appears to be in the immediate vicinity of bridge OXD/28, ie the short distance just west of the HS2 bridge. So I don’t believe there’s a significant problem.
 
fgwrich

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Picking up on Bridge OXD 28 again, This week, Phil Marsh has captured the teams installing the beams to the bridge which will carry East West over the road (I missed the fact that these weren’t in place yet). So once that is complete, and work has been ramped up on the new replacement road, the old bridge can be demolished and the gaps between OXD & HS2 bridge can be filled in.



Phil also appears to have covered the section down to Quainton this week as well:


 
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fgwrich said:
Picking up on Bridge OXD 28 again, This week, Phil Marsh has captured the teams installing the beams to the bridge which will carry East West over the road (I missed the fact that these weren’t in place yet). So once that is complete, and work has been ramped up on the new replacement road, the old bridge can be demolished and the gaps between OXD & HS2 bridge can be filled in.


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I think the pics of the intersection area progress are reassuring. I think it shouldn’t take that long to open the new road and divert traffic.

Then I‘m assuming the main construction plant access between HS2 sites on either side of EWR, (if needed), will have to be through the HS2 intersection bridge?

AIUI the local authority‘s stance is that any HS2 plant and heavy traffic cannot use the local road network?
 
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tspaul26 said:
Not their decision to make
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I’m sure they can‘t prevent anything already allowed by the Act, but in general HS2 have already built separate haul roads along their worksites, and in some places they have had to build temporary overbridges to avoid flat road crossings. I believe it’s part of the reason comments on overhead videos often take the view it’s a ‘scar on the landscape’, even though it’s obvious much of the width of the present linear site will be fully reinstated.
 
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