Peterborough and Doncaster Speed Restrictions...

[RichW1]

Hey All,

Does anyone know why Peterborough and Doncaster have 105mph speed restrictions when they seem like they could just go at full speed through there? Or am I out of date on this one and has this been lifted?

 

[The Planner]

Id take a guess at signal spacing.

 

[TheBigD]

Peterborough has been the same for years. It's due to the reverse curves, 105 one way and 115 the other. Was as low as 20 before they remodelled it in the mid 1970's.

 

[paul1609]

Id take a guess at signal spacing.

Main Lines in the North still have line side signalling?, how quaint!

 

[brompton rail]

Main Lines in the North still have line side signalling?, how quaint!

True, but too often the copper cable between them has gone missing!!

 

[jopsuk]

Isn't Peterborough also partly due to the elderly bridge at the south side?

 

[TomBoyRacer]

Doncaster also has reverse curves and suffers from short signal spacing. The two down fast signals are around 400m apart at Doncaster. A train doing 100mph would cover that in around 8-9 seconds. The next signal isn't that far away either

 

[RichW1]

Thanks for the info....shame really but what can you do, I guess it's a little complicated to go and change!

 

[Old Timer]

The signalling has nothing to do with the speed of the trains at these locations.

The greater issue is the track geometry, the design of the S&C and the rate of change in geometry, which impacts upon both vehicle ride and passenger comfort, as well as maintenance costs.

By way of example, certain type of S&C are not permitted in lines above 105 mph, and the through speeds through a junction can be affected by the nature of the junction turnout, and any curvature that needs to be incorporated into the turnout.

 

[91101]

The "Peterborough PSB" effect seems to be that anything travelling through the station on the up or down fast will almost inevitably be brought to a stand or very close to one!

The reality of it is just that the station layout is just not fit for purpose. You have a half hourly service with FCC, upto about 4-5 TPH during the peak, that needs to cross the up fast to access P1-3.

 

[TheBigD]

The "Peterborough PSB" effect seems to be that anything travelling through the station on the up or down fast will almost inevitably be brought to a stand or very close to one!

The reality of it is just that the station layout is just not fit for purpose. You have a half hourly service with FCC, upto about 4-5 TPH during the peak, that needs to cross the up fast to access P1-3.

Like so many places these days the service far exceeds what operated when the station was remodelled.

In the case of Peterborough the service operated in the mid 1970's consisted of a 2 hourly Birmingham-Anglia train, a few Cambridge DMU's, only 2 or 3 an hour each way on the ECML and less than hourly Hitchin service, and the odd Spalding service. Plus a fair bit of freight.

Now we've got upto 5 ECML services each way, every 30 minutes to Huntingdon, Hourly to Spalding, Birmingham, Cambridge, Liverpool, Norwich and 2 hourly to Ipswich, plus freight.

I'm sure there are other examples that have seen much greater growth.