Signal box closure plan

[Metroland]

Excel Spreadsheet showing proposed closure dates of remaining signalboxes before 14 new ROCs take over.

 

[RichmondCommu]

It’s good to see that the S&C will retain its signal boxes until at least 2024. The walk from Ribblehead to Whernside won't be the same if Blea Moor signal box isn't there!

 

[YorkshireBear]

It’s good to see that the S&C will retain its signal boxes until at least 2024. The walk from Ribblehead to Whernside won't be the same if Blea Moor signal box isn't there!

It certainly wont! its an annual trip for me the trip up to whenside from ribblehead station.

Good that it will remain for the forseable future while im in yorkshire.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Happily the signal boxes on the Hope Valley line are also to be retained until at 2019. When I'm back in the Motherland for the weekend there is nothing better than catching the train to Edale and enjoying a rewarding day on Kinder.

Its such a pity that the refuge sidings at Edale appear to be too short to cope with modern day freight trains as I'm sure they would help with capacity problems.

 

[WatcherZero]

Mmm, all the signal boxes near me would close in the 2017/18 timeframe bar Southport which is almost a decade later. Its surprisingly soon.

 

[NSEFAN]

Thankyou very much for uploading this, Metroland.

It's nice to see famous boxes and gantries such as Shrewsbury and Worcester will survive up until around 2050! Hopefully the preservation movement will be able to get their hands on some of the equipment during this programme of closures.

 

[the sniper]

Thanks for that Metroland, very interesting.

Good to see that the Scottish Highland Main line and West North Wales coast have got 10 years.

Funny to think that places like Shrewsbury will still have Semaphores in 40 years!

 

[Class172]

Funny to think that places like Shrewsbury will still have Semaphores in 40 years!

Quite ironic that when they plan for resignalling, it's the oldest that stay the longest. hock:

Good to see my area will retain its semaphores.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Somerleyton and Reedham Swing Bridge Boxes close in 2051, a long time after the rest of the Lowestoft and Yarmouth lines are done (2015). I wonder what the plans are for operating them after that? I suppose they can be remote controlled. Surely they won't just put fixed bridges in?

Aswell as the historic aspect of this, which will see the loss of many boxes which have been around for 100 years or more, I also feel this is a worrying thing for the future of jobs. It will lead to the loss of many skilled jobs, and the reduction in manpower is one of the primary reasons given for it. This is at a time when the population is increasing and jobs are becoming harder and harder to find, especially skilled work. I'm surprised the unions are so quiet on it? Remember, the next one on (and by the 2050s when this is done, technology will have moved on a long way to make it far more feasable) is driverless trains. It's not just the railways going like this either, but so many areas, infact the railways are behind many industries (manufacturing started it). The future is very likely to be a small number of highly skilled and highly paid people in IT and management type jobs, and the majority in low paid, low skilled manual labour (probably largely on state work programs). That's the dream of the modern political class IMHO, Capitalism for the elite, communism for the masses.

 

[Aictos]

As Peterborough PSB will close between 2019 and 2024, what will happen to the manual announcer who's based in the PSB controlling the CIS and announcements for the station.

Will they move to York as well or will they be based on the station?

Thanks by the way to Metroland for the spreadsheet,

 

[ushawk]

No surprises for the East Sussex Coast moving to Three Bridges in 2013, makes sense not to move all of Sussex into the centre at once.

With the boxes that control crossings, will these remain or does Three Bridges get control of these too ?

 

[Malderon]

Not knowing much about the plans could someone indicate how I should interpret this spreadsheet?

For instance I thought Three Bridges WAS a ROC, so what is happening under 2017 Three Bridges (Migration Plan Sussex)

And what is happening to Barnham in 2015 so soon after Barnham Signalling Centre was built?

 

[swt_passenger]

For instance I thought Three Bridges WAS a ROC, so what is happening under 2017 Three Bridges (Migration Plan Sussex)

And what is happening to Barnham in 2015 so soon after Barnham Signalling Centre was built?

I reckon it means that the currently planned moves such as the Arun Valley will be into Three Bridges ASC (existing) - then the relevant workstations will move again into Three Bridges ROC. Similar example can be found in Wessex, where the current transfer of Salisbury to Exeter is going into Basingstoke New, and will be transferred again into Basingstoke ROC in only a few years.


The building at Barnham will probably remain in situ, because it will still contain all the local interlocking. Think of it as a computer network, where all that changes is the length of the wires between the operators display and all the stuff that does the actual control of the hardware in the area...

The situation at Barnham isn't much different to Basingstoke New, which will have a similarly short life - as far as signallers working in the building is concerned.

 

[MrC]

That's the dream of the modern political class IMHO, Capitalism for the elite, communism for the masses.

Dream on. It's capitalism all the way.

 

[alanf]

I can't believe Belasis lane is staying open till 2051,on a good week 2 oil trains pass and for some reason it is open 24 hours a day to my knowledge.

Alan

 

[Metroland]

As Peterborough PSB will close between 2019 and 2024, what will happen to the manual announcer who's based in the PSB controlling the CIS and announcements for the station.

Will they move to York as well or will they be based on the station?

Thanks by the way to Metroland for the spreadsheet,

I suspect that the announcer will either remain at the station or be replaced by an automatic one.

Now the remodelling/resignalling has been moved forward (for the station area) as a pure guess, I wouldn't be surprised if part of the current PSB doesn't get move to York earlier than listed. York ROC is about complete when the station work is due to finish, with extra platforms etc.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Not knowing much about the plans could someone indicate how I should interpret this spreadsheet?

For instance I thought Three Bridges WAS a ROC, so what is happening under 2017 Three Bridges (Migration Plan Sussex)

And what is happening to Barnham in 2015 so soon after Barnham Signalling Centre was built?

The new ROC is a separate building which isn't complete, so if Three Bridges PSB is listed for transfer, that would be from the old PSB into the new ROC, probably as a re-control to modern PC based workstations.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I also feel this is a worrying thing for the future of jobs. It will lead to the loss of many skilled jobs, and the reduction in manpower is one of the primary reasons given for it. This is at a time when the population is increasing and jobs are becoming harder and harder to find, especially skilled work. I'm surprised the unions are so quiet on it? Remember, the next one on (and by the 2050s when this is done, technology will have moved on a long way to make it far more feasable) is driverless trains. It's not just the railways going like this either, but so many areas, infact the railways are behind many industries (manufacturing started it). The future is very likely to be a small number of highly skilled and highly paid people in IT and management type jobs, and the majority in low paid, low skilled manual labour (probably largely on state work programs). That's the dream of the modern political class IMHO, Capitalism for the elite, communism for the masses.

I tend to agree with you. In 2050 God knows what we will have. Google have just patented driverless cars, so driverless trains (DLR style) might be the norm. In which case you wouldn't need lineside signalling in any case!

Many, many jobs can be replaced by automation and computers, not just on the railway. I suspect the markets may demand this (to make things cheaper) and people may resist. The best jobs are certainly going to be in IT and engineering.

I can see many jobs being deskilled to a huge extent. For example would we even need schools by 2050? Maybe kids would just have interactive holographic pre-defined lectures at 'learning centres' or even partly at home? Maybe surgeons would be replaced by robots, let alone unskilled manual jobs in shops and factories.

In some ways the future is a scary place.

 

[NSEFAN]

I tend to agree with you. In 2050 God knows what we will have. Google have just patented driverless cars, so driverless trains (DLR style) might be the norm. In which case you wouldn't need lineside signalling in any case!

Many, many jobs can be replaced by automation and computers, not just on the railway. I suspect the markets may demand this (to make things cheaper) and people may resist. The best jobs are certainly going to be in IT and engineering.

I can see many jobs being deskilled to a huge extent. For example would we even need schools by 2050? Maybe kids would just have interactive holographic pre-defined lectures at 'learning centres' or even partly at home? Maybe surgeons would be replaced by robots, let alone unskilled manual jobs in shops and factories.

In some ways the future is a scary place.

My dad tells me that that is what people said when he was young. All manual jobs will be replaced with machines and we'll all have lots of leisure time. In effect, this is what has happened with the massive closures of industry in the 1980s. I somewhat doubt that the majority of people without jobs will say they are happy with all the leisure time they get.

Even if we can replace people with machines in different jobs, I think people still need to be employed. Having a job of some description is more healthy than sitting around all day doing nothing productive. If that means we have to resort to employing people to do station announcements manually rather than use a machine, then so be it, says I!

 

[jopsuk]

In effect, this is what has happened with the massive closures of industry in the 1980s.

Even where industry hasn't closed, it generally employs a lot less people to produce a lot more, and generally more consistent, product through mass automation.

 

[NSEFAN]

Even where industry hasn't closed, it generally employs a lot less people to produce a lot more, and generally more consistent, product through mass automation.

It's good that the product quality is more consistent, but that's not much help to the people who lost their jobs.

 

[Rich_D3167]

Believe these plans when you see it. West Burton Signalbox closure has been put back a year to 2013, and the Brigg line boxes (Brigg, Kirton Lime Sidings, Northorpe & Gainsborough Central) have been put back at least 4 years already, so that puts them to 2020 on the current plan! It's all subject to funding, something which NR doesn't have a vast amount of these days.

 

[DaveHarries]

Thank you Metroland for this fantastically useful info. I will now update it with my own records of what I have in photos. Also useful for future signalling trip planning.

Dave

 

[Proud Salopian]

So all four Shrewsbury boxes (SUB, SBJ, CJ, AF) are staying until 2050! Hurrah!

 

[33056]

Believe these plans when you see it.

My sentiments exactly. Having seen various grandiose plans mooted in the 20+ years since I started, it wouldn't surprise me if many of the dates beyond the next couple of years slip a bit or even change quite dramatically.

 

[LE Greys]

King's Cross*
* Will move to Three Bridges

Whiskey tango fox?

 

[IanXC]

Whiskey tango fox?

Think Thameslink...

 

[ACE1888]

Proves that on the 'Modern Railway' time waits for no one...will be a shame, part of the railway scenery for sure, let alone railway 'culture'...

 

[142094]

Cheers for the list Metroland - few years to start driving around and getting some pictures.

 

[brianthegiant]

Says Caersws box closing 2045.. I thought it had closed as part of ERTMS? or is it maintained in cold standby in case of ERTMS problems?

 

[jopsuk]

It's good that the product quality is more consistent, but that's not much help to the people who lost their jobs.

Indeed, but with many of these schemes, if you wanted to preserve headcount levels, you'd need to come up with some way of running the headways/linespeeds/frequencies the new technology offers but using more people.

 

[IanXC]

Indeed, but with many of these schemes, if you wanted to preserve headcount levels, you'd need to come up with some way of running the headways/linespeeds/frequencies the new technology offers but using more people.

I think I have the perfect solution.

Open more lines!