Chiltern Oxford Link completed

[L&Y Robert]

He didn't have to. The *NIMBYs* are the politicians.

You're so precious about politics - anything to censor political content you haven't personally sanctioned on these forums.

How many times have you demanded the moderators ban me over your political fews so far? They do tell me every time you do it...

Lads, lads! Let's not squabble on the forum - there's so much interesting technical stuff to discuss.

 

[HowardGWR]

Lads, lads! Let's not squabble on the forum - there's so much interesting technical stuff to discuss.

I still would like to know what 'poltical fews' are.

They can't resist each other. It's like Roger Ford and Mark Carne over 'digital railway' (see, on topic).

 

[jimm]

He didn't have to. The *NIMBYs* are the politicians.

You're so precious about politics - anything to censor political content you haven't personally sanctioned on these forums.

How many times have you demanded the moderators ban me over your political fews so far? They do tell me every time you do it...

Actually, no, they weren't. The people featured in the BBC report were all local residents, not councillors.

There was a mention of the MP for Oxford West and Abingdon at one point, but I'm not sure whether she's on your list of politicians to demonise.

What am I trying to censor? You, yet again, introduced your tedious obsession about "certain political factions in Oxford" into this thread for no obvious reason. It's boring and adds nothing to the discussion.

Did you actually see the BBC report?

Could you enlighten me as to other instances in which I have attempted to 'censor political content I haven't personally sanctioned' on these forums? I can't remember any.

Equally, I can't recall ever asking for you to be banned but since you claim that the moderators tell you every time that I have asked for you to be banned, perhaps could you enlighten me as to how many times you have received messages to that effect from the moderators, and when?

I vaguely recall raising your tedious obsession with the moderators on one occasion, but that was all. And I have no idea what the moderators told you as a result.

 

[Greenback]

Please stay on topic, otherwise action will have to be taken.

 

[jimm]

Various bits of work were carried out around Oxford station during the complete shutdown at the end of last week and over the weekend while the Castle Mill Stream bridge was replaced and even Cotswold Line trains weren't running into the station.

New signals are now in place and powered up on the Bicester line around Oxford North junction.

The point at the throat of what will be platforms 1 and 2 was replaced and new track was laid - as far as is possible at the moment - in platforms 1 and 2 (ie the former platform 3).

The front wall of platform 1 is starting to take shape, along with other bits of adjacent foundations, and contractors look to be starting work in the former short-stay car park. The train crew building is still standing in the middle of all this.

A line of temporary barriers between platform 2 and platform 3 (ie former platform 1) under the old GWR canopy at the north end mark the dividing line between a new surface, at a higher level, on platform 2.

There is also a new cantilevered walkway for staff across the Sheepwash Channel bridge at the north end of the platforms.

According to Network Rail email sent yesterday, the new culverts at Hinksey all went in on schedule last week, and they are working on the track raise and reinstatement this week.

Same email says there's a public information event on Wednesday, September 7, at the Said Business School, just outside the station, to explain the next stages of work around Oxford, with Network Rail project staff and other industry representatives on hand between 4pm and 7.30pm.

Lots of pictures and some video clips of work around Oxford at https://twitter.com/networkrailwest

 

[MK Tom]

Oh I'm confused now - the two Chiltern platforms are replacing the existing Banbury bay, not sitting next to it? So presumably terminating Banbury/Cotswold services will use the Chiltern platforms too?

I thought there would be 5 platforms after it was done rather than 4.

 

[swt_passenger]

Oh I'm confused now - the two Chiltern platforms are replacing the existing Banbury bay, not sitting next to it? So presumably terminating Banbury/Cotswold services will use the Chiltern platforms too?

I thought there would be 5 platforms after it was done rather than 4.

There is an expectation of an additional through platform 5 eventually on the down side. I expect that is part of the reason for the recent renumbering, to get all their ducks in a row with a logical sequence across the whole station.

 

[jimm]

Oh I'm confused now - the two Chiltern platforms are replacing the existing Banbury bay, not sitting next to it? So presumably terminating Banbury/Cotswold services will use the Chiltern platforms too?

I thought there would be 5 platforms after it was done rather than 4.

To add to what swt_passenger says, the eventual plan is five platforms but that's a way off - probably in Control Period 6, post-2019, depending on the future development of the station and nearby area, which is still at the planning stage and not funded.

Platform 1 is the brand new, easternmost platform of the station and is being built where the parcels dock was, opposite what is now platform 2 (ie the former platform 3).

A limited number of GWR services will continue to use the bays, but almost everything on the Cotswold Line will be running through Oxford to and from London anyway, same as they do now, and, at least until electrification reaches Oxford, a lot of the GWR Banbury stoppers will be combined with the remaining local diesel service between Oxford and Didcot, so they will not be using the bays either - not that the bays are intended to be the exclusive domain of Chiltern services.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is it still the case that the timings as far as Oxford Parkway are same as for the future through service? I expect if it were possible to estimate the additional running time to/from Oxford then we'd get an idea what the platform occupancy will be.

Answering my own question, opentraintimes has timings showing Chiltern layover of roughly half an hour alternating P1 and P2, and the Banbury service fitting in between them.

Which reminds me, I asked a couple of weeks back if the new platform lengths allow for use of LHCS, does anyone know for sure what the intention is?

 

[87015]

Which reminds me, I asked a couple of weeks back if the new platform lengths allow for use of LHCS, does anyone know for sure what the intention is?

Reliably informed the hauled set is in the timetable (for PR reasons it a must, a unit vice does not go down well) on the same peak trains but the return working obviously moves back to suit.

 

[jimm]

Fresh photographs from Wolvercote taken by Martin Loader on Wednesday showing the trackbed complete, cutting regraded and sound barriers in place. Tracklaying looks imminent once work inside Wolvercote Tunnel is finished.

http://hondawanderer.com/Wolvercote_Tunnel_2016.htm

http://hondawanderer.com/Wolvercote_Tunnel_2016_2.htm

 

[Oxfordblues]

With just 15 weeks to go it's looking very tight for a 12 December start for Chiltern trains at Oxford. The Red Star/traincrew/catering block is still occupied with no sign of it being demolished. Does anyone know when this is planned? The contractors are doing a grand job, but until that's out of the way they're stymied. At this rate I can see the opening being put back again to the May 2017 timetable date.

 

[davetheguard]

I've posted some photos of the current Oxford platform work in the "East-West Rail Delayed until 2019" thread.

www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=99892&page=57

 

[jimm]

Sections of the new train crew temporary building are now being put in place at Oxford station. Lots of work going on either side of the existing building and boring work for what I assume will be the foundations for the supports for the new canopy between platforms 2 and 3 (former 3 and 1) was taking place a couple of days ago underneath the existing canopy.

Possible date for canopy demolition - and train crew building? - could be Sunday, September 18, when there is a blockade between Reading and Swindon and Didcot to Banbury/Hanborough, so no trains at Oxford all day and the replacement buses will be well out of the way in the long-stay car park the far side of Botley Road.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Less than 100 days to go now, according to a reassuring press release from Chiltern Trains: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14...on_Marylebone___39_complete_in_100_days__39_/

... but you wouldn't think so from the continued presence of the Red Star Parcels block at Oxford Station (last time I was there)!

 

[t_star2001uk]

Driver training is ongoing as we speak. Enough drivers should be passed out on the section ready for opening to run a full service.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Which reminds me, I asked a couple of weeks back if the new platform lengths allow for use of LHCS, does anyone know for sure what the intention is?

Platform 1 157m
Platform 2 161m
Platform 3 230m
Platform 4 275m

Platform 1 & 2 are 6 car only platforms so the LHCS will either be using 3 or 4.
From what i am led to believe the 1st LHCS service which at the moment is 5T03 from Wembley to form 2T03 06.55 from Bicester Village to Oxford Parkway. This service will extend to Oxford and then go ECS to Hinksey Yard and return via Platform 4.

 

[swt_passenger]

Less than 100 days to go now, according to a reassuring press release from Chiltern Trains: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14...on_Marylebone___39_complete_in_100_days__39_/

... but you wouldn't think so from the continued presence of the Red Star Parcels block at Oxford Station (last time I was there)!

I don't think the situation is as bad as you might think, there's only a few yards of the new platform that cannot be built yet, as seen in the photos linked in a recent post above. Finishing the demolition of the existing buildings won't take long at all once there is somewhere to move the people to.

 

[jimm]

Less than 100 days to go now, according to a reassuring press release from Chiltern Trains: http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/14...on_Marylebone___39_complete_in_100_days__39_/

... but you wouldn't think so from the continued presence of the Red Star Parcels block at Oxford Station (last time I was there)!

How long do you think it will take them?

Network Rail managed to complete new five-car platforms plus building two complicated ramped footbridges at both Charlbury and Honeybourne from standing starts in that amount of time in 2011 during the redoubling of the Cotswold Line.

The work at Oxford is already well well in hand, no footbridges are needed and the new staff building is taking shape right now.

 

[t_star2001uk]

So here are the track diagrams from Oxford Parkway to Hinksey Yard....

Sheet 1


Sheet 2


Sheet 3


Sheet 4


Sheet 5


Sheet 6

 

[The Planner]

They really like using their coloured pencils with the yellow perils now.

 

[Nicholas43]

Thanks for the diagrams. Quite interesting that it's now down to Bletchley in the (Paddington) > Didcot > Oxford > Bletchley direction. After Robert Stephenson and Thomas Brassey built, from scratch, the whole line from Bletchley to Oxford (Rewley Road) in 2 years (1850-1), the LNWR of course worked it as down from Euston to Bletchley to Oxford.

 

[t_star2001uk]

So just for completeness here are the rest of the diagrams from Claydon.....

Sheet 1


Sheet 2


Sheet 3


Sheet 4


Sheet 5


Sheet 6


Sheet 7

 

[a_c_skinner]

I spent Friday night camping at a site in Oxford near Hinksey reception lines, there was some jolly noisy work going on into the early evening with a HUGE crane there. What was being done?

Andrew

 

[jimm]

I spent Friday night camping at a site in Oxford near Hinksey reception lines, there was some jolly noisy work going on into the early evening with a HUGE crane there. What was being done?

Andrew

Continuing work to install new culverts for the River Thames either side of the railway line, extending the sections installed under the Oxford-Didcot line during last month's blockade in the area.

 

[route:oxford]

Platform 1 & 2 are 6 car only platforms so the LHCS will either be using 3 or 4.
From what i am led to believe the 1st LHCS service which at the moment is 5T03 from Wembley to form 2T03 06.55 from Bicester Village to Oxford Parkway. This service will extend to Oxford and then go ECS to Hinksey Yard and return via Platform 4.

If only there was a platform at Littlemore or at Garsington Road by the abandoned dogging stadium.

It would make a wasted turnback worthwhile.

 

[Mordac]

If only there was a platform at Littlemore or at Garsington Road by the abandoned dogging stadium.

It would make a wasted turnback worthwhile.

Please tell me that was an autocorrect mistake. hock:

 

[t_star2001uk]

The Cowley extension is a possibility for a future project....

 

[midlandred]

If only there was a platform at Littlemore or at Garsington Road by the abandoned dogging stadium.

It would make a wasted turnback worthwhile.

If only they could sort out the stadium and allow speedway to return to Cowley

 

[The Planner]

If only there was a platform at Littlemore or at Garsington Road by the abandoned dogging stadium.

It would make a wasted turnback worthwhile.

Assuming of course you could get there and back in time.

 

[HowardGWR]

Please tell me that was an autocorrect mistake. hock:

Well you noticed it and so did I. Judging by the straight quotes from others, I wonder if some of us have an 'autoread' function.