Least used double track line?

[Kite159]

Sheepcote curve near Clapham Junction. Closed for all intents and purposes.

Is that the curve which used to be used for Eurostars to connect to the West London line to go to North Pole depot?

 

[Justin Smith]

One thing I find surprising, with several recent schemes to reinstate double track, is the eye-watering cost and timescale of doing so. This includes things like very expensive and time-consuming moving the single line back to the side of the formation where it has been slewed to the centre, because it always seems to have been so slewed at some time in the past with minimal trouble, but then becomes a major trouble to reverse that.

I find every price for everything on the whole railway scene is eye wateringly expensive. You hear that there are plans to open a new platform at some relatively small station or they`re going to build a new footbridge and the quote is millions of pounds. You can buy a reasonable size house in a reasonable area complete with the land for £250 to £300,000.
Where do they get these prices from ?

 

[Busaholic]

I find every price for everything on the whole railway scene is eye wateringly expensive. You hear that there are plans to open a new platform at some relatively small station or they`re going to build a new footbridge and the quote is millions of pounds. You can buy a reasonable size house in a reasonable area complete with the land for £250 to £300,000.
Where do they get these prices from ?

Not just on the railway. Sainsbury's 'offered' (my italics) to provide a new bus stop if they were allowed to build a new store in Penzance and claimed it would set them back half a million pounds!!

 

[philthetube]

Rickmansworth to Croxley via north curve on Metropolitan line, 1 passenger and one empty working in each direction daily. (impossible to single though because of length and track layout).

 

[Clansman]

--Removed--

 

[Francis]

Stockport to Guide Bridge has one train a week; Guide Bridge to Stalybridge is very busy with TPE

Check Denton Junction on RealTimeTrains and you'll find about 50 freight trains per day in the WTT which explains the nice shiny rails between Heaton Norris Jc and Guide Bridge or Ashton Moss N Jc. .

 

[richieb1971]

I find every price for everything on the whole railway scene is eye wateringly expensive. You hear that there are plans to open a new platform at some relatively small station or they`re going to build a new footbridge and the quote is millions of pounds. You can buy a reasonable size house in a reasonable area complete with the land for £250 to £300,000.
Where do they get these prices from ?

Yeah, you have to bribe so many people to sign the required paper works that stuff costs ££££MMMMMillions before a brick is laid or a rivet attached to a piece of track. The Great Western electrification is being delayed.. In normality that means people sitting on their bums doing sweet FA, so why does the cost go up and up and up? Network rail aren't even supposed to making a profit on this stuff.. Its beyond ridiculous.

 

[Poolie]

Norton West to East/East to West can't see much. Always looks rusty :cry:

 

[Dr_Paul]

Sheepcote curve near Clapham Junction. Closed for all intents and purposes.

It doesn't look like it's been used for quite some time. It's not only double-track, it's also reversible, which seems a bit extravagant. I wondered at the time the curve was reinstated whether a single-line connection would have been sufficient, as it was only ever used for Eurostar empty-stock running to and from North Pole, along with a short-lived service from Waterloo to Edinburgh (I think) service connecting with Eurostar.

The curve from the West London Line into platform 2 at Clapham Junction was singled, but has been restored to double track since the service was developed from a couple of rush-hour trains to Olympia into a regular service to Willesden Junction.

 

[47271]

The West Coast Main Line between Lockerbie and Carstairs

 

[LWB]

A lot of truth in what you say.

In the bad old days when singling was on the agenda, it was often considered when one of the two lines became due for relaying so lifting it saved money (in the short term).

A variation on that was where the second line was good and it could be lifted and used elsewhere.

Either way it was false economy as history has shown.

Especially when someone then builds a by-pass over the single with a single span bridge, thus making doubling an almost certain no-no. The Barrow-Park South block being a prime example!:mad:

 

[najaB]

The West Coast Main Line between Lockerbie and Carstairs

There's possibly been handful of engineering trains.

 

[driver_m]

Can't believe no one has mentioned allerton-Garston. Double track, ac electrified and nothing that I'm aware of that uses it.

 

[Jamesb1974]

Deleted

 

[steamybrian]

How many trains use Acton Wells Jn- Cricklewood/Brent Curve Jn via Dudding Hill loop line...??

There is no booked passenger service.

 

[james60059]

I would have though the double track section of line between Leicester and Burton would be a good contender, apart from Knighton Junction to Bardon Hill area quarries (single track) nothing much uses the double section from Coalville to Burton uses it apart from the tube stock move and the Tinsley - Bardon GBRf service.

Also the Swansea District line too?, think the only scheduled passenger service is the Fishguard Harbour "boat train".

 

[Joseph_Locke]

Yeah, you have to bribe so many people to sign the required paper works that stuff costs ££££MMMMMillions before a brick is laid or a rivet attached to a piece of track.

That's a very serious accusation you make (in writing) against a government department ... I would go straight to your local police station with the evidence you have before bribery and corruption become rife.

Also, I'd call CIRAS on 0800 4 101 101 and report your sightings of items being riveted to rails, as this is no longer acceptable practice on UK railways.

 

[DarloRich]

I find every price for everything on the whole railway scene is eye wateringly expensive. You hear that there are plans to open a new platform at some relatively small station or they're going to build a new footbridge and the quote is millions of pounds. You can buy a reasonable size house in a reasonable area complete with the land for £250 to £300,000.
Where do they get these prices from ?

Yeah, you have to bribe so many people to sign the required paper works that stuff costs ££££MMMMMillions before a brick is laid or a rivet attached to a piece of track. The Great Western electrification is being delayed.. In normality that means people sitting on their bums doing sweet FA, so why does the cost go up and up and up? Network rail aren't even supposed to making a profit on this stuff.. Its beyond ridiculous.

Both of you are hilariously beyond clueless :roll:

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Yeah, you have to bribe so many people to sign the required paper works that stuff costs ££££MMMMMillions before a brick is laid or a rivet attached to a piece of track. The Great Western electrification is being delayed.. In normality that means people sitting on their bums doing sweet FA, so why does the cost go up and up and up? Network rail aren't even supposed to making a profit on this stuff.. Its beyond ridiculous.

Do you know why the Great Western electrification is being delayed ?

Would you like the issues concerning the GWep explained to you again, or can I trust you to review the Great Western electrification thread where I've explained in detail the issues which have been faced ?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I've also just heard that a Furrer+Frey delivery heading to the UK was boarded by immigrants in France, and that the French police or army used tear gas within the load area to disperse. They didn't ventilate the vehicle properly before allowing it to continue, and when unloading, warehouse staff have been overcome by the residual fumes.

For all the paranoid NR engineers out there, it never ceases to feel like everything that can go wrong has, is and will continue to go wrong when it comes to electrification.

 

[PHILIPE]

I would have though the double track section of line between Leicester and Burton would be a good contender, apart from Knighton Junction to Bardon Hill area quarries (single track) nothing much uses the double section from Coalville to Burton uses it apart from the tube stock move and the Tinsley - Bardon GBRf service.

Also the Swansea District line too?, think the only scheduled passenger service is the Fishguard Harbour "boat train".

No it isn't the only one. What about:-

1W48 05 03 Carmarthen to Manchester Picc
1V62 18 30 Manchester Picc to Carmarthen.

 

[Aldenham]

How many trains use Acton Wells Jn- Cricklewood/Brent Curve Jn via Dudding Hill loop line...??

There is no booked passenger service.

More than I would have thought, just having had a look at RTT for tomorrow 27th January there are 27 freight movements along the line.

 

[montyburns56]

You're forgetting that in the 'BR' days, the section between Fidlers Ferry and Widnes West Deviation/Ditton was really busy.

http://www.8dassociation.btck.co.uk/TheLNWRWidnesDeviation

Yeah, well one reason I visited the site was to see the remains of the sidings that served the various industries around the area which used to justify its existence back then, but as that traffic has all disappeared, having double tracks now seems a bit extravagant for the small number of services using the line.

 

[swissrailpassion]

York to Scarborough. 40 miles of railway with only one train per hour in each direction.

 

[infobleep]

That's a very serious accusation you make (in writing) against a government department ... I would go straight to your local police station with the evidence you have before bribery and corruption become rife.

Also, I'd call CIRAS on 0800 4 101 101 and report your sightings of items being riveted to rails, as this is no longer acceptable practice on UK railways.

When was riverting, if that's the right word, no longer accepted practice?

 

[Jamesb1974]

Deleted

 

[DarloRich]

About the same time airing your opinion about perceived government corruption became a notifiable matter apparently..

The initial statement was not presented as an opinion but as a fact. they are two very different things.

I guess you are of the same mindset then?

 

[Taunton]

Aside from the nit-picking over words above, there are many within the construction world, well aware of current prices for labour, materials, etc, who find the prices quoted for railway civils/building works to be extraordinary, compared to what is paid for similar activities in other sectors.

There is a longstanding tradition of this. Stewart Joy, who was Beeching's economist, regularly found, and wrote about, quoted costs which bore no basis with reality; he likewise found figures for revenue which again just didn't match reality but were put down to try to justify some further aim.

 

[DarloRich]

Aside from the nit-picking over words above, there are many within the construction world, well aware of current prices for labour, materials, etc, who find the prices quoted for railway civils/building works to be extraordinary, compared to what is paid for similar activities in other sectors.

but with the greatest of respect you are not comparing like with like. The environments of construction and railway construction works are very different.

In traditional construction your access to site isn't often limited to a 4 hour slot at 2am with vehicles passing just feet from you at 100mph under 25kv powerlines................

 

[Taunton]

but with the greatest of respect you are not comparing like with like. The environments of construction and railway construction works are very different.

In traditional construction your access to site isn't often limited to a 4 hour slot at 2am with vehicles passing just feet from you at 100mph under 25kv powerlines................

Actually it's not a huge difference. Which is why you find a significant number of mainstream construction companies doing both.

Having experience of both trackside and motorway-side, I can tell you the latter is far more concerning, although there are significant and appropriate safety measures for both. Or maybe up on the 20th floor of a high rise under construction in London, with just CombiSafe http://www.combisafe.co.uk/ between you and the edge - which someone had to put in place and maintain. Or dealing with failed electrics high up ladders on a North Sea oil rig rolling (they do) in a storm (not me, but colleagues). All done by the same contracting companies. To some extent the rail industry has it easy, and it's misleading to pretend otherwise.

 

[deltic08]

Aside from the nit-picking over words above, there are many within the construction world, well aware of current prices for labour, materials, etc, who find the prices quoted for railway civils/building works to be extraordinary, compared to what is paid for similar activities in other sectors.

There is a longstanding tradition of this. Stewart Joy, who was Beeching's economist, regularly found, and wrote about, quoted costs which bore no basis with reality; he likewise found figures for revenue which again just didn't match reality but were put down to try to justify some further aim.

At last someone who supports what I have been saying for years about what Beeching was deviously doing to close profitable lines such as Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton.

Where can I find evidence of this despicable person Stewart Joy practising his treachery please? It could be misleading in law and aid reinstatement campaigns.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

but with the greatest of respect you are not comparing like with like. The environments of construction and railway construction works are very different.

In traditional construction your access to site isn't often limited to a 4 hour slot at 2am with vehicles passing just feet from you at 100mph under 25kv powerlines................

But this doesn't apply to reinstatements that are just another construction site.