Hope Valley Capacity Scheme updates

[MadMarsupial]

There are two separate RRBs, according to the departure boards at SHF. I'm talking about the fast to Stockport.

I see. I have been on the RRB to Chinley a few times over the years but never the express RRB to Stockport. Via Michelin's route planner has the three routes ( A57, A628 and A623 ) as very similar in timings with the A 57 shortest by about ten minutes. No way I would choose the Snake in winter.

 

[CHAPS2034]

No way I would choose the Snake in winter.

Snake was closed this morning after heavy snow over the last couple of days

 

[Killingworth]

Snake Pass ( A 57 ) is often closed in winter conditions and brings you out at Glossop which is inconvenient for Chinley. A623 via Tideswell crossroads and Chapel en le Frith is the more sensible route.

TPE are diverting via Huddersfield taking at least 30 extra minutes on the normal 55 maximum.

EMR passengers from Sheffield may go that way.

EMR passengers from Chesterfield and further south go by bus to Stockport.

Northern's bus takes well over 3 hours end to end (normally nearer 80 minutes). I believe the National Holidays coach I saw draw up outside Dore & Totley at 15.30 was the 15.15 service from Sheffield. Seen at a distance. One got off. Due Piccadilly 18.29 so a good tour.

It takes about 15 minutes on the hourly shuttle bus between Edale and Hope.

 

[_toommm_]

TPE are diverting via Huddersfield taking at least 30 extra minutes on the normal 55 maximum.

EMR passengers from Sheffield may go that way.

EMR passengers from Chesterfield and further south go by bus to Stockport.

Northern's bus takes well over 3 hours end to end (normally nearer 80 minutes). I believe the National Holidays coach I saw draw up outside Dore & Totley at 15.30 was the 15.15 service from Sheffield. Seen at a distance. One got off. Due Piccadilly 18.29 so a good tour.

It takes about 15 minutes on the hourly shuttle bus between Edale and Hope.

15 minutes Sheffield to Dore ain’t bad. Dread to think what it would be like in rush hour in the week going up Abbeydale Road. Used to feel like an eternity on the 97 and 98 bus.

 

[Killingworth]

There is no doubt that current weekend bus substitutions for Northern stopping services between Sheffield and Manchester are mainly due to bridge work and platform lengthening at Romiley, see; https://www.stockport.gov.uk/news/romiley-station-platform-upgrades-to-boost-future-rail-capacity

That doesn't explain why trains can't run via Hazel Grove and Stockport either.

The Hope Valley scheme appears blameless as 5 freight services have worked through the valley so far today. These are the planned blockades.


The Dore base camp site was all locked up and preparations are under way to make it much bigger. Work has also begun at sites at Bamford and near Hathersage.



Bamford looking east. From Hathersage looking west - note the dip. The Hathersage camp is out of sight in these views



== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Jan 2022 ==

15 minutes Sheffield to Dore ain’t bad. Dread to think what it would be like in rush hour in the week going up Abbeydale Road. Used to feel like an eternity on the 97 and 98 bus.

It allows 25 minutes and may take over 35. Train takes 7 or 8.

 

[M60lad]

I remember doing the Stockport Express Replacement a couple of years ago from Sheffield-Stockport and the route was out of Sheffield along A61 all the way up-to A616 then A628, M67 & M60 into Stockport.

As for The Snake Pass being shut this weekend well it has actually been open despite the fact that if you were coming from Glossop direction you were faced with a Road Closed sign with no such sign if you were coming from Sheffield direction.

 

[dosxuk]

The Hope Valley scheme appears blameless as 5 freight services have worked through the valley so far today. These are the planned blockades.

Good to see the Sheffield Midland name refuses to die

 

[adrock1976]

There is no doubt that current weekend bus substitutions for Northern stopping services between Sheffield and Manchester are mainly due to bridge work and platform lengthening at Romiley, see; https://www.stockport.gov.uk/news/romiley-station-platform-upgrades-to-boost-future-rail-capacity

That doesn't explain why trains can't run via Hazel Grove and Stockport either.

The Hope Valley scheme appears blameless as 5 freight services have worked through the valley so far today. These are the planned blockades.

[Snipped images]

Something that has just come into my mind is that for Sunday engineering works that results in the line through the Hope Valley being closed, could a possible diversionary route west of Nottingham be via Derby, Uttoxeter, and Stoke-on-Trent to Stockport, then normal route?

A Nottingham - Sheffield shuttle could still operate (or Northern extending the short Leeds - Sheffield via Barnsley) so as to maintain overall frequency along that section of route.

 

[zwk500]

Something that has just come into my mind is that for Sunday engineering works that results in the line through the Hope Valley being closed, could a possible diversionary route west of Nottingham be via Derby, Uttoxeter, and Stoke-on-Trent to Stockport, then normal route?

A Nottingham - Sheffield shuttle could still operate (or Northern extending the short Leeds - Sheffield via Barnsley) so as to maintain overall frequency along that section of route.

You might get the odd path but fitting additional trains reversing in Derby and between Stoke and Stockport wouldn't be simple.

 

[LowLevel]

Something that has just come into my mind is that for Sunday engineering works that results in the line through the Hope Valley being closed, could a possible diversionary route west of Nottingham be via Derby, Uttoxeter, and Stoke-on-Trent to Stockport, then normal route?

A Nottingham - Sheffield shuttle could still operate (or Northern extending the short Leeds - Sheffield via Barnsley) so as to maintain overall frequency along that section of route.

May as well just have people change at Stoke or Crewe - plenty of people already use these routes from Nottingham to Stockport, Manchester, Liverpool etc. Crewe is a bit more of a pain than Stoke but neither are hugely difficult.

 

[Geeves]

There was works on Sunday at the junction of the Sheffield and Buxton lines just after Hazel Grove. I think besides that the Hope Valley was open for traffic from the south. I think they could've run a Chinley to Sheffield passenger service maybe. Perhaps it was too difficult to organise with crews only available at Piccadilly

 

[Killingworth]

There was works on Sunday at the junction of the Sheffield and Buxton lines just after Hazel Grove. I think besides that the Hope Valley was open for traffic from the south. I think they could've run a Chinley to Sheffield passenger service maybe. Perhaps it was too difficult to organise with crews only available at Piccadilly

That sounds right with both crews and units all in Manchester. However, getting 2 or 3 units to Chinley or New Mills the day before, and taxis for crews wouldn't be impossible if both lines were blocked like that in future. That would reduce the number of bussed miles and time considerably.. I don't think any Northern east side crews now sign this route.

When the main Capacity Scheme blockades kick in I'd expect the alternative arrangements to be very like those set out in my post 966 and on the poster in post 968.

However it would be fairly easy to reduce bus miles by terminating stopping services out of Piccadilly at Hope, reversing through the crossover at Earles. As far as I can see all the construction work will be east of there from Bamford to Dore South and Dore Station Junctions. Freight should still be able to access from the west.

 

[M60lad]

Maybe due to resource availability but surely on Saturday they could have also run Manchester-Sheffield Express services, I know that on Saturday there was a Johnsons Coach parked on Piccadilly Approach obviously on Standby.

 

[Killingworth]

Maybe due to resource availability but surely on Saturday they could have also run Manchester-Sheffield Express services, I know that on Saturday there was a Johnsons Coach parked on Piccadilly Approach obviously on Standby.

TPE"s regular diversion between Sheffield and Manchester is via Huddersfield and Wakefield taking about 80 minutes. I doubt a coach would be timetabled to do it quicker.

Those of us in the Sheffield and Manchester areas with cars will know different routes from their starting point to destination at the other side of the Pennines. On a Sunday I could probably do Sheffield Midland to Piccadilly in 80-90 minutes by car, but not during the working week.. Communication between Sheffield and Manchester is so hampered by the hills in the middle and traffic congestion at both ends.

 

[Llandudno]

TPE"s regular diversion between Sheffield and Manchester is via Huddersfield and Wakefield taking about 80 minutes. I doubt a coach would be timetabled to do it quicker.

Those of us in the Sheffield and Manchester areas with cars will know different routes from their starting point to destination at the other side of the Pennines. On a Sunday I could probably do Sheffield Midland to Piccadilly in 80-90 minutes by car, but not during the working week.. Communication between Sheffield and Manchester is so hampered by the hills in the middle and traffic congestion at both ends.

Shame that Hulley’s withdraw the Snake X57 bus last weekend…!

 

[VideozVideoz]

Snake Pass ( A 57 ) is often closed in winter conditions and brings you out at Glossop which is inconvenient for Chinley. A623 via Tideswell crossroads and Chapel en le Frith is the more sensible route.

I have seen a recent EMR RRB go via tideswell, Chapel and then A6 through Disley to Stockport. This is their usual route

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2022 ==

It's a minibus to Hope

It's a minibus to Hope.

Back in the early 00s, they used to send the full sized coach down to Edale. The one I was on got scraped on the narrow bridge between edale and Hope. Needless to say, they soon ran a minibus shuttle to cater for Edale customers

 

[Mugby]

Saw one of the Stockport RRBs in Sheffield Bus Station today, one of Andrews of Tideswell, the digital displays, front and side were showing:

CHOO CHOO, i'M A TRAIN. - made me smile!

 

[Killingworth]

Railway triangle site at Dore cleared of vegetation for main worksite, to be ready by end of March. The footpath is about to be fenced off on the right hand side to allow coninued access to Twentywell Lane. A slope from the left hand side to the track level has to be constructed next. The main contract for earthworks to construct the loop from Westview Lane road bridge to current Dore West Junction starts in April. Bew Dore West Junction will be moved west beyond Westview Lane.

 

[D365]

Dore West Junction will be moved west beyond Westview Lane.

Would that not cut off the west curve?

 

[Killingworth]

Would that not cut off the west curve?

No, the west curve is to become a loop, a third track, long enough to hold a freight service between the Hope Valley and Midland main lines. No access to loop from Sheffield direction due to angle of cant on the curve itself.

Artists impression of 20 years from now (subject to nature). New Dore West junction to be behind this viewpoint.

 

[D365]

No, the west curve is to become a loop, a third track, long enough to hold a freight service between the Hope Valley and Midland main lines. No access to loop from Sheffield direction due to angle of cant on the curve itself.

Artists impression of 20 years from now (subject to nature). New Dore West junction to be behind this viewpoint.

View attachment 108865

So you’re just describing how the west curve will be lengthened. Understood.

 

[175001]

Work was taking place at New Mills South Junction yesterday.

 

[VideozVideoz]

Work was taking place at New Mills South Junction yesterday.

Yes I saw that but not sure what they were doing? Think I saw the tamping machine??

 

[yorksrob]

It was a strange set up on the hope valley on Saturday as some services seemed to be bustituted whilst the stoppers and some TPE's went straight through.

 

[Killingworth]

Work was taking place at New Mills South Junction yesterday.

It will probably have been routine work as it's not part of the Hope Valley scheme itself. Freight was running down the Hope Valley from the Dore end yesterday afternoon

 

[td97]

It will probably have been routine work as it's not part of the Hope Valley scheme itself.

New Mills South Jn is indeed covered by the Hope Valley scheme. There is a journey time improvement component from Edgeley Jn No.1 to Dore West Jn. However, none of the scheme is at construction yet so yesterday will have been maintenance work.

 

[Killingworth]

New Mills South Jn is indeed covered by the Hope Valley scheme. There is a journey time improvement component from Edgeley Jn No.1 to Dore West Jn. However, none of the scheme is at construction yet so yesterday will have been maintenance work.

Sorry, I'll rephrase it. It's not part of the major construction work authorised under the Transport and Works Act, "The Network Rail (Hope Valley Capacity) Order 2018" granted on 28th March.

Further less major work is being completed to separately address other areas that will improve performance, one of which is signalling to allow longer trains to stand in the Heeley Up loop.

 

[175001]

Sorry I was replying to a post about why couldn't there be a shuttle from NMC or Chinley yesterday. The work at New Mills would have restricted that idea.

 

[Killingworth]

It was a strange set up on the hope valley on Saturday as some services seemed to be bustituted whilst the stoppers and some TPE's went straight through.

Bizarre that EMR acted as though there was a full blockade on Saturday and had buses from Chesterfield and Sheffield to Stockport. Both TPE and Northern appeared to be running normally. Surely someone didn't misread the blockade dates

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 18 Jan 2022 ==

Sorry I was replying to a post about why couldn't there be a shuttle from NMC or Chinley yesterday. The work at New Mills would have restricted that idea.

And operating eastwards from Edale wouldn't work!

 

[Class 170101]

Bizarre that EMR acted as though there was a full blockade on Saturday and had buses from Chesterfield and Sheffield to Stockport. Both TPE and Northern appeared to be running normally. Surely someone didn't misread the blockade dates

Unless NR withdrew the block without much notice, remember planning teams are under pressure right now, it might have been easier for Northern and TPE than for EMR.