Chiltern Oxford Link completed

[swt_passenger]

What are they doing at Oxford - still those ex-Mail bays at the north end?

That's what they have permission for, extending the two platforms southwards into space vacated by current staff facilities. The planning issues were all about the location and height of the replacement temporary building.

I don't think any of Chiltern's proposals prevent any likely future alterations to the main station, such as the bay on the opposite side of the up through platform presumably being earmarked for conversion to a through platform if needed.

I don't think that through platform on the up side was part of the main station improvements last time I saw a track diagram, it was only a long term 'might have'; the major changes were all on the down side.

 

[Hophead]

Does this mean that Chiltern will have no immediate need for TPE's last 4 170s?

 

[swt_passenger]

Does this mean that Chiltern will have no immediate need for TPE's last 4 170s?

Not necessarily, because there are also trains to be strengthened on the Marylebone to Banbury route, another project that is often ignored.

You wouldn't need four extra units to run from Oxford Parkway to Oxford and back anyway, depending on the planned turnaround time at Oxford.

 

[67018]

Not necessarily, because there are also trains to be strengthened on the Marylebone to Banbury route, another project that is often ignored.

You wouldn't need four extra units to run from Oxford Parkway to Oxford and back anyway, depending on the planned turnaround time at Oxford.

My understanding is that the timetable in place now is already the Oxford one, with the units hanging around at Oxford Parkway during the time that in future they would be making the return trip to Oxford. Presumably because it doesn't make any sense to re-cast the whole timetable twice within a year or so.

So the stock requirement is already there, give or take what's been allowed for any projected traffic growth as a result of the new service.

 

[berneyarms]

My understanding is that the timetable in place now is already the Oxford one, with the units hanging around at Oxford Parkway during the time that in future they would be making the return trip to Oxford. Presumably because it doesn't make any sense to re-cast the whole timetable twice within a year or so.

So the stock requirement is already there, give or take what's been allowed for any projected traffic growth as a result of the new service.

I suspect that's not quite the case.

Turnaround time at Oxford Parkway ranges from 7-13 minutes, with the expected journey time to Oxford being 6 minutes or so.

Therefore I suspect that when the extension to Oxford opens, trains will operate the following return service rather the current one.

That will require more trains to deliver.

 

[swt_passenger]

That will require more trains to deliver.

As long as the combined dwell at Oxford is less than an hour, it can be done with only one extra train's worth of stock.

As you point out the through timetable requires an extra 6 mins in each direction, which basically soaks up all of the current turnaround, so the dwell then has to be half an hour per train at Oxford.

So if the normal service provision is 2 units in multiple, then that is what you'd need all day to allow for the extension.

 

[Andyjs247]

Are Chiltern still 2 units short following tree damage in December? I'd imagine they'd want to get them back asap. Either way I'm sure the remaining 170s from TPE would be very useful at the moment, if available.

 

[67018]

Are Chiltern still 2 units short following tree damage in December? I'd imagine they'd want to get them back asap. Either way I'm sure the remaining 170s from TPE would be very useful at the moment, if available.

Yes they are. Their website (and the poster at Marylebone) say they hope to have them fixed by the end of Feb. See http://www.chilternrailways.co.uk/news/capacity-update

 

[jimm]

Work is now under way between Oxford North junction and Wolvercote tunnel to prepare the trackbed for the laying of the second track. An excavator was being used on Thursday morning when I went past to strip off spoil before ballasting can start.

 

[davetheguard]

Work is now under way between Oxford North junction and Wolvercote tunnel to prepare the trackbed for the laying of the second track. An excavator was being used on Thursday morning when I went past to strip off spoil before ballasting can start.

Thanks for the update jimm.

Here's hoping that midlandred might perhaps be able to come up with some more of his excellent photos of work on the line sometime?

 

[jimm]

Lots of pieces of steel have been dropped alongside the trackbed running towards Wolvercote from Oxford but I'm not sure what they are for. Perhaps some sort of shuttering, as they are long pieces, about twice the length of sleepers. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Oxfordblues]

It's now been confirmed that work will finally start at Oxford Station on Monday 15 February with the short-term car park being transferred to the Becket Street site.

 

[midlandred]

Thanks for the update jimm.

Here's hoping that midlandred might perhaps be able to come up with some more of his excellent photos of work on the line sometime?

Thanks for that

Visited First Turn, Wolvercote, this afternoon and have added 11 photos to my Wolvercote gallery

PS On the way home, looked in at Islip station - two cars in car park, one bicycle in the racks, 14.30hrs :roll:

 

[MarkRedon]

Have added 11 photos to my Wolvercote gallery

Brilliant, great to see such activity. Thank you very much for the photos. You may want to revise some of the dates which show as August 2016.

 

[BRX]

Lots of pieces of steel have been dropped alongside the trackbed running towards Wolvercote from Oxford but I'm not sure what they are for. Perhaps some sort of shuttering, as they are long pieces, about twice the length of sleepers. Anyone got any ideas?

These things?

If so probably for a bit of retaining wall or similar.

 

[HowardGWR]

These things?

If so probably for a bit of retaining wall or similar.

What things?

 

[jimm]

These things?

If so probably for a bit of retaining wall or similar.

They could be but there are an awful lot of them and there's nowhere in that area that would appear likely to need a retaining wall as the line is on a shallow embankment through the area they have been dropped in.

 

[BRX]

What things?

Oops

These things

http://www.civilengineeringbasic.co...ntages-disadvantages-uses-construction-steps/

 

[midlandred]

Brilliant, great to see such activity. Thank you very much for the photos. You may want to revise some of the dates which show as August 2016.

Thank you. And thank you

 

[jimm]

Oops

These things

http://www.civilengineeringbasic.co...ntages-disadvantages-uses-construction-steps/

Could well be something like that, but if so I'm still not sure where they might be needed.

 

[edwin_m]

Could well be something like that, but if so I'm still not sure where they might be needed.

They might need to widen the embankment to get the extra track in while complying with modern standards for track spacing and trackside access. Building a retaining wall out of sheet piling would allow them to do so without acquiring more land.

 

[BRX]

I was looking at the works in Wolvercote just a few weeks ago and noticed there was a section of the cutting where some small retaining walls have been built; I assume for the sorts of reasons edwin_m gives above.

In fact you can see this in the photos posted a few posts ago - although these ones were concrete.

http://cliffjones.zenfolio.com/p258135346/h60736de4#h60736de4

 

[swt_passenger]

Here's a section of the twin track through Wendlebury that runs between steel sheet piling: http://cliffjones.zenfolio.com/wendlebury_halt/h8cec7c5#h8cec7c5

No idea why it is done though. Later images in that section show the completed piling capped with a steel section supporting railings.

 

[BRX]

Here's a section of the twin track through Wendlebury that runs between steel sheet piling: http://cliffjones.zenfolio.com/wendlebury_halt/h8cec7c5#h8cec7c5

No idea why it is done though. Later images in that section show the completed piling capped with a steel section supporting railings.

I can see that it would stabilise the embankment and maybe prevent it from being undermined in floods.

It's less easy to see what the point of the handrails are though - it doesn't look like there's a big drop on the other side.

 

[swt_passenger]

I can see that it would stabilise the embankment and maybe prevent it from being undermined in floods.

It's less easy to see what the point of the handrails are though - it doesn't look like there's a big drop on the other side.

Could just be ever changing safety standards. If (as is likely) it was classed as brand new work there may be a recent rule that requires it, even for that shallow a slope.

I did hear somewhere that the block walls in the cuttings in the Wolvercote area have some sort of noise reducing effect as well, which I suppose seems possible assuming they reflect or absorb transmitted noise?

 

[HowardGWR]

In those latest photos from MidlandRed, just how many tracks will be there at that point? It looks like they are just about to bore another tunnel through Wolvercote, in the photos!

 

[swt_passenger]

In those latest photos from MidlandRed, just how many tracks will be there at that point? It looks like they are just about to bore another tunnel through Wolvercote, in the photos!

Just the two tracks as normal.

 

[The Ham]

I can see that it would stabilise the embankment and maybe prevent it from being undermined in floods.

It's less easy to see what the point of the handrails are though - it doesn't look like there's a big drop on the other side.

Although if you look at the later photos the finished level is broadly the top of the pilings (once cut down to the right level), as such the drop does get bigger.

Also if you look at the width available it looks wider than a lot of old twin tracked sections, presumably this is so that there is more safe standing space for those who need to work on the tracks (the width between each set of track is less than the width between the edge of the track and the railings).

 

[HowardGWR]

Just the two tracks as normal.

Thanks very much, so anyone know why that huge space was carved out on the left hand side in the photos?

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks very much, so anyone know why that huge space was carved out on the left hand side in the photos?

Could be that they are adjusting the embankment slope angle, and improving its overall quality. They can rebuild it in better materials using modern machinery and make it much more stable in the long term.

I'm not a civil engineer though!

Late follow up to the above, I've since looked at the TWA Order 'statement of case' drawings package - and it shows a number of areas along the route where either embankments or cuttings were to be rebuilt for strengthening or regrading purposes.