Blackpool - Manchester Electrification

[LDECRexile]

Paul Gaskell has dropped me a line to say he drove over Oldfield Rd bridge at 04:40 this morning (as you do) and there was no sign of work in progress or needing doing. He reckons it's Job Done. I've updated the Bridgeoscope accordingly.

Wrinkley has also been in touch re Farnworth Tunnel, he writes:

I will try to find out how they are progressing with the tunnel. The Bolton motorists aren’t happy with the lane closures on the A666 above the tunnel as they coincide with other closures by Bolton Council on the A666 for resurfacing. They weren’t supposed to clash but the tunnel delay has caused it and Bolton cannot move their work.

Thank you both.

 

[PDG1949]

Paul Gaskell has dropped me a line to say he drove over Oldfield Rd bridge at 04:40 this morning (as you do)

Wuz coming back from an 0330 Airport run to MIA......honest.....

 

[snowball]

Ring 105 of 190 has been placed, according to Rail Technology magazine. That's equivalent to 147m out of 266m bored, or over 55%.

http://www.railtechnologymagazine.c...lfway-mark-but-delay-to-december-still-likely

Civils and stations
Farnworth Tunnel at halfway mark, but delay to December still likely
07.10.15

The delayed re-boring of Farnworth Tunnel has now reached the halfway point but December is still the latest estimate for when construction work will be completed, RTM has been told.

Work on enlarging the tunnel to enable the electrification of the line between Manchester and Preston was due to be complete by 5 October. However, in August, engineers came across “exceptionally poor ground conditions” and ran into “large swathes of sand” in the tunnel, built in 1834.

Speaking to RTM at the official opening of the refurbished Manchester Victoria station yesterday (6 October), Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “Initially we had a slip, we hit some soft sand, but we are now tunnelling through clay which, as a ground condition, is by far and away the best ground condition for tunnelling. We are making really good progress.

“We have passed the halfway mark and have done ring 105 of 190. We are getting well on with the project. It really looks like a tunnel.”

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

By counting pixels (not manually) on a 1:1250 map on old-maps.co.uk, I estimate that

1) The mid-point of the drive was just before the ventilation shaft

2) the 105th ring is below the first lane of the A666 (the eastern layby having been passed).

Breakthrough is likely to be around the middle of November.

 

[SodTheDrummer]

Has anyone travelled along the A666 over the tunnel recently? Better still, does anyone do so regularly?

The dates of the start and end of the lane closures will not provide a high-precision guide to Fillie's position, as NR could be intoducing the first closure before Fillie is directly underneath, or ending the last closure after she is directly underneath, as an extra safety precaution.

However the switch from the first lane closure configuration to the second, and from the second to the third, have to be precisely timed, as there is no overlap period when both lanes of one carriageway are closed.

Yeah, I pass over that twice a day as I work in Central Manchester and live in Bolton.. We're getting double whammy now after 8pm coming home as the whole road is shut so have to drive through Farnworth..Grrr :mad:

 

[LDECRexile]

Joe Callaghan has kindly sent a photo of Farnworth station, showing progress (and trees turning autumnal.)

Please see his comment attached to the shot.

Joe also sent this note on tunnelling:

They are about half way through now I would say. One lane of the motorway
was closed from last weekend so they can tunnel under it. Other lanes will
close as they progress.. I still see the trucks coming up..

(my emphasis)

I've put the photo on his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157651953947345

and on the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157648767927083

Thank you Joe

 

[snowball]

I estimate that they passed the halfway point round about last Friday.

In the caption to the new picture you ask "Does anyone know if, realising the tunnel would be late, resources were diverted away from the bridge and station?"

I've speculated previously that this may be the case with regard to the station. However don't think it was ever intended to reopen Cemetery Road bridge for early October. With Darley Grove footbridge nearby, the station could have reopened without Cemetery Road, if the tunnel had been finished in time.

The notice circulated to residents in the summer had demolition and reconstruction of Cemetery Road bridge done between 5th and 7th Sep, but I think that was just from the point of view of the railway and the placing of beams (which actually happened just one week late), and didn't include time to move services back to the main bridge and reopen the road.

 

[LDECRexile]

In the caption to the new picture you ask "Does anyone know if, realising the tunnel would be late, resources were diverted away from the bridge and station?"

I've speculated previously that this may be the case with regard to the station. However don't think it was ever intended to reopen Cemetery Road bridge for early October.

You have indeed speculated thus, but I don't remember any replies, which could be my memory, of course.

Joe himself has come back with this:

You ask if it is thought resources may have been diverted from Farnworth in view of the tunnel problems. I don't think so, there are only so many workers you can employ efficiently in the area in question , and I would submit that the number of men seen on any day on the platforms is all that is needed for the work. I visit the station about every other day and always see good numbers of Orangemen, take a look back at my pictures.

Look at today's picture [above] and count the number of electrical men, in the blue helmets; machines have always been working. Ground works always look to be progressing very quickly at first but it's the finishing of unseen works that take the time - bricklaying, drainage , lighting , etc. I have no doubt that Network Rail would like to say it was because labour had been taken away but my eyes tell me a different story. They have underestimated the time to completion . A lot of work still needs to be done. I would be interested in the views of others that have been following the works.

Moving on to Ladybridge, I've received a note from The Real Mad Haggis saying the bridge reopened on Wednesday 7th as hoped. He was as pleased as Punch to be the first civilian to cross it!

 

[ironstone11]

Yeah, I pass over that twice a day as I work in Central Manchester and live in Bolton.. We're getting double whammy now after 8pm coming home as the whole road is shut so have to drive through Farnworth..Grrr :mad:

This suggests that for safety and to minimise ground vibration from traffic, the tunnelling is only being done at night.

If this is the case, the tunnelling rate is probably reduced to one ring per night. Down to 1.4m per 24 hr day while Fillie is under the A666.

 

[LDECRexile]

Joe Callaghan has kindly sent this:

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news...s_set_to_return_starting_this_weekend/?ref=eb

 

[snowball]

This suggests that for safety and to minimise ground vibration from traffic, the tunnelling is only being done at night.

The night-time road closures are for Bolton Council's work to the road, unrelated to the railway.

My estimates of the rate of progress since 19 September are around 3m a day.

 

[ironstone11]

Joe Callaghan has kindly sent this:

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news...s_set_to_return_starting_this_weekend/?ref=eb

WEEKEND train services are set to return to Bolton after a five-month absence.

There will be three to four trains per hour from tomorrow as Trinity Street train station re-opens to weekend passengers.

The station has been closed at weekends since the start of May as engineers work to enlarge the Farnworth Tunnel ahead of electrification of the line next year.

The complex engineering project — which has also had a knock on effect on the town's roads and was due to be completed last week — is now set to continue until December.

But despite this delay, rail chiefs last night confirmed that a reduced weekend service will return to Bolton.

Although a good idea from the travelling public's point of view, but bearing in mind the amount of work still to be done, this does seem somewhat premature.

 

[WatcherZero]

I think they had to do it to make enough capacity for the Christmas shoppers, the trains are choker in November/December.

 

[LeylandLen]

...and stations between Leyland and Bolton ; not only Northern but TPE as well !!

 

[Ploughman]

Is this tree clearance likely to get progress along the bank or is that it?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/21617094540/in/album-72157651953947345/

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Is this tree clearance likely to get progress along the bank or is that it?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/21617094540/in/album-72157651953947345/

It will need further work, but vegetation management can occur right up until the wiring stage. There was, as you may recall, a lot of tree felling after the masts and cantilevers had been installed on the Phase 1 route.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Although a good idea from the travelling public's point of view, but bearing in mind the amount of work still to be done, this does seem somewhat premature.

Thanks for the posting that you made as for some reason, my top of the range HP Pavilion desktop computer which sometimes displays a mnd of its own and refused to let me access the link to The Bolton News..

Does this therefore mean the Saturday services from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe will now revert back to their normal route via Bolton, rather than the long route via Rochdale and the Copy Pit line?

 

[spongsdad]

Thanks for the posting that you made as for some reason, my top of the range HP Pavilion desktop computer which sometimes displays a mnd of its own and refused to let me access the link to The Bolton News..

Does this therefore mean the Saturday services from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe will now revert back to their normal route via Bolton, rather than the long route via Rochdale and the Copy Pit line?

It does indeed. So no more trips over Copy Pit for your Saturday jaunts to Clitheroe, Paul (Unless you want to change at Blackburn, of course)

 

[LDECRexile]

Wrinkley has sent two bits of good news.

1. Soho St Bridge is done and dusted, all contractors and kit have gone. Nice job.

2. He visited Ladybridge today and contractors were washing it down and packing up, job's a good 'un.

He sent nine nice photos, too, which I've added to his album here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157654034635234

and to the Combined Volume here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/albums/72157648767927083

Thank you Wrinkley.

On the subject of deveging and wiring, try this for size:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/15926637663/in/photostream/

 

[Class 170101]

Is this tree clearance likely to get progress along the bank or is that it?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127646831@N03/21617094540/in/album-72157651953947345/

It will need further work, but vegetation management can occur right up until the wiring stage. There was, as you may recall, a lot of tree felling after the masts and cantilevers had been installed on the Phase 1 route.

I hope that fence is replaced though, the trees remaining look like it was impossible to get onto the track but now?

 

[Philip Phlopp]

I hope that fence is replaced though, the trees remaining look like it was impossible to get onto the track but now?

It'll get a new fence as it's due to become an electrified route, which brings with it more stringent fencing/access restrictions. You'll perhaps remember new fencing going in on the previous phases of the NW project.

 

[DJH1971]

I have noticed for the next 3 Saturdays that there will be no trains betewwn Earlestown to Manchester due to engineering works.

Anyone know what it relates to, as I thought there were still legal wrangling concerning the Ordsall Chord.

I know, this should be in the Manchester-Liverpool electrification thread and though I was in it at the time. Sorry.

 

[ironstone11]

This was reported in the thread Manchester to Liverpool Electrification, but it should be on this thread.

It is reported in the newspapers that Carillion has been chosen for electrification projects including NW.

Carillion is gearing up its operations after securing contracts and framework wins worth £1.7bn in the second half of the year.

For example Construction Enquirer or Yorkshire Post

 

[MarkRedon]

Thanks, IronStone11, for correcting my mistake.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

All quiet on the NW electrification front.
No sign of any new mast bases in the last couple of weeks.
The completion date must be slipping day for day at the moment.

It would be interesting to know if the new Carillion contract will cost more than the one Balfours turned down.
I suspect it will.

 

[WatcherZero]

Well it says the Midland main line, North West and Schotts line in Scotland are together worth £400m so that doesnt sound like an increase.

 

[SodTheDrummer]

This suggests that for safety and to minimise ground vibration from traffic, the tunnelling is only being done at night.

If this is the case, the tunnelling rate is probably reduced to one ring per night. Down to 1.4m per 24 hr day while Fillie is under the A666.

Massive dip has appeared on A666 - presume Fillie is now under there somewhere.. middle lanes closed in both directions today..

 

[Howardh]

Massive dip has appeared on A666 - presume Fillie is now under there somewhere.. middle lanes closed in both directions today..

Oh dear! We've had enough recently with big holes appearing in the Mancunian Way, now Bolton's about to disappear!

(And if anyone suggests that's a good thing they won't get any complaints from this member )

Actually that sounds very worrying - is it? After tunneling are they going to rebuild the road above the tunell? More delays...

 

[snowball]

Massive dip has appeared on A666 - presume Fillie is now under there somewhere.. middle lanes closed in both directions today..

The dip is somewhat worrying, but the lanes were going to be closed anyway when Fillie is under them.

As the road isn't totally closed we can be confident that the authorities don't think there's a threat to life and limb.

 

[ironstone11]

Massive dip has appeared on A666 - presume Fillie is now under there somewhere.. middle lanes closed in both directions today..

That is really alarming.

It just should not have happened and suggests a considerable amount of material has collapsed into the cutting face.

The excavated ground is supposed to support itself long enough to get the lining rings placed.

 

[Lurpi]

That is really alarming.

It just should not have happened and suggests a considerable amount of material has collapsed into the cutting face.

The excavated ground is supposed to support itself long enough to get the lining rings placed.

The excavated ground doesn't have to support itself. As was pointed out earlier in this thread, Fillie is fitted with a hood and fore-poling plates which extend 2.275 metres ahead of the main body. So the ground is supported before the cutting booms even get to work.

All of which of course makes a subsidence all the more puzzling, if not worrying. It sounds as though the subsidence is taking place outside the immediate vicinity of the cutting face. Perhaps the ground has turned to loose sand again?