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East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder


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38 minutes ago, Richard E said:

Not surprised to see the valve on there. I'm guessing a T piece into the one down the side of the bank to the right and the other side of the bridge. They could even slew the pipe over as it seems fairly flexible from what I saw.

 

I'd noticed the white marquee when I was over on Friday but didn't remark on it.

 

Sitting here feeling a bit miserable. Dentist changed appointment to this morning and I'm nursing a sore jaw and cheek at the moment, at least the toothache has gone. Seems I've got rather substantial roots on my teeth ...

 

And to add to the delights I am not allowed alcohol at the moment either as it might cause the wound to bleed.

 

Must try and get out though especially during the blockade if I'm allowed. New filter masks ordered and arrived too.

 

Oh, the box is going to move at 150cm an hour according to the latest Twitter info. It was accompanied by another aerial photo using a slightly wider view. Also the cross-industry review of readiness for the project met today to check on progress, they are ready to start as soon as they are given the go ahead.

 

ErcgLvVXUAEEjck.jpeg.da27ec0b941a1127f6591435017a676b.jpeg

 

 

 

I am a bit baffled with that valve.  There is one opposite to the right which is buried under the road surface which I thought would be connected to that one in Hurn Road.

 

Good job you have got the tooth sorted out, nothing worse than toothache.  It wasn't those long roots that were stretching down to your leg giving that a problem was it, just kidding, hope that is getting better too.

 

Like you I want to get out next week but I'm reluctant to go out at the moment, there are too many tight spots with people getting too close to you.  It is a shame it has come to this after getting to this stage of the project.  I am still sad about not being able to go on site next week where I am sure it would have been far safer than being in public places.

 

I am sure there will be plenty of video made of next weeks work but if it is anything like what I have seen so far from official sources it is usually very minimal in content.

Edited by Donington Road
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From another forum:

 

"Another update: there will be another weekend closure of the ECML south of Grantham (and the Stamford Lines) on the first weekend in June.
From the Friday (4/6/21) to the Sunday (6/6/21) there will be no connecting trains between Stamford & Peterborough, and on the Saturday (5/6/21) and Sunday LNER won't go any further south than Grantham.
Buses will run from Grantham to Peterboro', and also to Bedford for Thameslink connections; there won't be any Thameslink ECML service at all (KGX is also closed).

This should be the weekend that the diveunder lines and the new, permanent Up Stamford (adj. to the Down Fast) get commissioned."

 

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Just arrived today on NR's intranet. Can't include the photos or video which showed the trial push..

 

Pioneering engineering

12-Jan-2021 09:50

11,000 tonne tunnel to be installed on the railway in first for UK engineering (video)

12/01/2021 09:50

Image Caption

Guide tunnel installed on site 

Page Content


 

A massive 11,000 tonne curved concrete box – which weighs more than the Eiffel Tower – is to be pushed under the East Coast Main Line in a first for UK engineering.

Hundreds of hours of passenger disruption to be avoided by industry-leading engineering technique

New tunnel will separate slow-moving freight from long-distance passenger trains – speeding up journeys and improving reliability

A massive 11,000 tonne curved concrete box – which weighs more than the Eiffel Tower – is to be pushed under the East Coast Main Line in a first for UK engineering.

Part of the £1.2bn East Coast upgrade, the work is being carried out at Werrington, north of Peterborough, where the East Coast Main Line is crossed by a slow-moving east-west freight route. Installing the tunnel will take slower freight trains off the fast route, speeding up services and improving reliability.

UK first

Engineers have spent the last nine months building the new tunnel by the side of the East Coast Main Line, as trains have sped past between London and Edinburgh.

Now, the 155-metre curved concrete tunnel is ready to be painstakingly pushed into place along pre-installed guiding supports. Teams will use massive jacks to propel and steer it at a pace of 150cm per hour, after the three tracks above will have been temporarily removed. It will be the first time this construction technique has been used in this way in the UK.

Using a traditional method of installing a tunnel on the crucial stretch of the line would have meant closing it completely – for about a month. But the pre-constructed structure will be installed in just nine days – and means a reduced level of service will be able to operate at the same time. 

Inside the concrete structure at Werrington

 

Werrington, north of Peterborough - Photo credit, Network Rail Air Operations

'Massive engineering challenge'

Paul Rutter, route director, East Coast, said: "This is a massive engineering challenge, but it will avoid hundreds of hours of closure on one of the most important lines in the country.

"This is industry leading work that really puts the needs of passengers first in how we approach improvement work.

"In the past, Network Rail might have approached this problem by thinking about the easiest way to do the engineering. Instead, I'm proud to say we have come up with a creative and innovative solution that will deliver massive benefits while keeping disruption to a minimum."

Chris Heaton Harris, rail minister, said: "This is an astonishing feat, underlining this country's reputation for pioneering engineering and delivering major upgrades for passengers.

"By undertaking a project of this magnitude now we are making the most of our railways being quieter, putting in place vital new infrastructure that will improve our railways."

While the line will be kept open during the work, it will mean a very limited number of services will run south of Grantham during the nine-day piece of work. 

Video shows trial push at Werrington:

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23 hours ago, 96701 said:

Just arrived today on NR's intranet. Can't include the photos or video which showed the trial push..

 

Pioneering engineering

12-Jan-2021 09:50

11,000 tonne tunnel to be installed on the railway in first for UK engineering (video)

12/01/2021 09:50

Image Caption

Guide tunnel installed on site 

Page Content


 

A massive 11,000 tonne curved concrete box – which weighs more than the Eiffel Tower – is to be pushed under the East Coast Main Line in a first for UK engineering.

Hundreds of hours of passenger disruption to be avoided by industry-leading engineering technique

New tunnel will separate slow-moving freight from long-distance passenger trains – speeding up journeys and improving reliability

A massive 11,000 tonne curved concrete box – which weighs more than the Eiffel Tower – is to be pushed under the East Coast Main Line in a first for UK engineering.

Part of the £1.2bn East Coast upgrade, the work is being carried out at Werrington, north of Peterborough, where the East Coast Main Line is crossed by a slow-moving east-west freight route. Installing the tunnel will take slower freight trains off the fast route, speeding up services and improving reliability.

UK first

Engineers have spent the last nine months building the new tunnel by the side of the East Coast Main Line, as trains have sped past between London and Edinburgh.

Now, the 155-metre curved concrete tunnel is ready to be painstakingly pushed into place along pre-installed guiding supports. Teams will use massive jacks to propel and steer it at a pace of 150cm per hour, after the three tracks above will have been temporarily removed. It will be the first time this construction technique has been used in this way in the UK.

Using a traditional method of installing a tunnel on the crucial stretch of the line would have meant closing it completely – for about a month. But the pre-constructed structure will be installed in just nine days – and means a reduced level of service will be able to operate at the same time. 

Inside the concrete structure at Werrington

 

Werrington, north of Peterborough - Photo credit, Network Rail Air Operations

'Massive engineering challenge'

Paul Rutter, route director, East Coast, said: "This is a massive engineering challenge, but it will avoid hundreds of hours of closure on one of the most important lines in the country.

"This is industry leading work that really puts the needs of passengers first in how we approach improvement work.

"In the past, Network Rail might have approached this problem by thinking about the easiest way to do the engineering. Instead, I'm proud to say we have come up with a creative and innovative solution that will deliver massive benefits while keeping disruption to a minimum."

Chris Heaton Harris, rail minister, said: "This is an astonishing feat, underlining this country's reputation for pioneering engineering and delivering major upgrades for passengers.

"By undertaking a project of this magnitude now we are making the most of our railways being quieter, putting in place vital new infrastructure that will improve our railways."

While the line will be kept open during the work, it will mean a very limited number of services will run south of Grantham during the nine-day piece of work. 

Video shows trial push at Werrington:

Some photographs from inside and outside of the tunnel as well as the time lapse film:

 

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/peterborough-north-passengers-who-have-to-travel-on-east-coast-main-line-urged-to-plan-ahead-as-major-stage-of-gbp-1-2billion-upgrade-takes-place-this-month

Edited by Crun
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Thanks to all for the info and updates on this massive project. 

 

I do have to wonder though, does anyone in Network Rail read through the letters they send out: 'construction of a dive under the ECML'; Does Peterborough not have enough dives already ?!!

 

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1 hour ago, caradoc said:

Thanks to all for the info and updates on this massive project. 

 

I do have to wonder though, does anyone in Network Rail read through the letters they send out: 'construction of a dive under the ECML'; Does Peterborough not have enough dives already ?!!

 

 

Peterborough, yes, but Werrington is upmarket I'll have you know.:O:haha:

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A question about the signalling during the work

Earlier it was stated that the signals at Tallington Jn. had be modified to allow southbound movements onto to the down slow and then via Helpston Jn. onto the Up Stamford.

Has that meant any extra bi-directional signalling between Tallington Jn. & Helpston Jn. on the down slow, or is it just being used on some emergency rule basis?

 

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45 minutes ago, melmerby said:

A question about the signalling during the work

Earlier it was stated that the signals at Tallington Jn. had be modified to allow southbound movements onto to the down slow and then via Helpston Jn. onto the Up Stamford.

Has that meant any extra bi-directional signalling between Tallington Jn. & Helpston Jn. on the down slow, or is it just being used on some emergency rule basis?

 

Looking on Real Time Trains just now, there is still an ECML service operating today between Grantham and Peterborough, but it is vastly reduced. I presume they have implemented the procedure you describe, which limits the number of trains that can run. Stamford line services appear as normal today.

 

John.

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3 minutes ago, John Tomlinson said:

Looking on Real Time Trains just now, there is still an ECML service operating today between Grantham and Peterborough, but it is vastly reduced. I presume they have implemented the procedure you describe, which limits the number of trains that can run. Stamford line services appear as normal today.

 

John.

Also operating via Cambridge as the ECML is closed for much of Kings Cross -Werrington (Including the ECML platforms at Peterborough)

RTT doesn't seem to track the trains correctly as they show them on the wrong track in the text.

 

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Taken a walk today. I didn't hang around for too long as it is pretty horrid out today.

 

As expected not a lot can be seen and it is not helped by the weather as already noted.

 

Nothing happening, as expected, at Lincoln Road. As evidenced by Crun (thank you) it certainly looks as if both pipes over the bridge there are going to be connected to the water main. There is also a nice open view of both bridges now, again this has been shown to us already by Crun.

 

As for the view from Cock Lane it is evident they have been digging for some time as the big dumper trucks are already crossing the line with the ground level with the cab windows!

 

IMG_0056

 

Access to the joint line via the up slow was blocked by OHLE vehicles as was the Up fast. The Down fast is also out of use looking at the above picture and all signals were at red as expected.

 

IMG_0058

 

From Hurn Road the view wasn't much better although there was an engineering train in section being loaded with track panels using a Kirov crane. 66706 was on the front (north end), powered down.

 

IMG_0052

 

IMG_0054

 

IMG_0055

 

Whilst I was there, around 11:30 or so, this rather nefarious character was seen wandering around, I caught up with him in a local garden a little later on ...

 

IMG_9743

 

IF RTT have got it correct then there should be some 'bang road' running on the down slow/down Stamford as they are quoting the Azumas as running on electric power through Werrington. For some reason I feel a little doubtful about this. All I saw were a couple of freight services and an EMR 'local' passing.

 

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East Coast Upgrade on Twitter: "Our #EastCoastUpgrade teams have been busy on site at #Werrington all day today. They’ve been getting the hydraulic jacks ready to start pushing our 11,000 tonne tunnel beneath the East Coast Main Line once the tracks have been removed tonight: East Coast Upgrade on Twitter:  ➡️https://t.co/X4WAXtQ1G2 https://t.co/58yHuSGg1m" / TwitterErzPiWSXcAAXBOb?format=jpg&name=large

Edited by Crun
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2 hours ago, Richard E said:

Nothing happening, as expected, at Lincoln Road. As evidenced by Crun (thank you) it certainly looks as if both pipes over the bridge there are going to be connected to the water main. There is also a nice open view of both bridges now, again this has been shown to us already by Crun.

 

 

May I please remind everyone that the video(s) posted by Crun have been produced by my friend Trackside ECML and as such should be credited to him.:friends:

As to the water pipe, you are correct Richard, both pipes will be connected to form a loop across the bridge, probably so there is even weight being carried on either side of the bridge.

Thank you for today's photos, keep safe.:declare:

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3 hours ago, Richard E said:

 

 

IF RTT have got it correct then there should be some 'bang road' running on the down slow/down Stamford as they are quoting the Azumas as running on electric power through Werrington. For some reason I feel a little doubtful about this. All I saw were a couple of freight services and an EMR 'local' passing.

 

When I looked at RTT and compared to the signal berths on Railcam there was a difference.

 

Railcam diagrams showed southbound LNER  trains crossing to the down slow at Tallington, then running onto the up Stamford via Helpston Jn. (presumably on diesel), into Peterborough.*

Northbound on Down Stamford/Slow then crossing through Helpston Jn. to the Down fast at Tallington.

 All KX services were via Cambridge as most of the ECML is closed between KX and Posh.

 

Grantham is being used as the start/finish for some trains, presumably to reduce the congestion at Tallington that would arise with the bi-directional single line working on the down slow between Tallington Jn. & Helpston Jn.

 

*EDIT

Can't be any other way as two trains have just passed on the Stamford lines with the Northbound waiting for the Southbound to run on to the Up Stamford before proceeding through Helpston Jn.

 

You can see a Southbound LNER Class 80x on the Up Stamford in the last of Trackside ECML's pictures posted by Mick

 

 

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20 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

 

 

May I please remind everyone that the video(s) posted by Crun have been produced by my friend Trackside ECML and as such should be credited to him.:friends:

As to the water pipe, you are correct Richard, both pipes will be connected to form a loop across the bridge, probably so there is even weight being carried on either side of the bridge.

Thank you for today's photos, keep safe.:declare:

 

I must be going daft, I was sure I'd seen some stills from Crun of the pipework. Apologies to all concerned if I have got things wrong.

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55 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

Do you know where are they taking the spoil out. I would think thay they won't want to muck up the approach cutting.

 

Jamie

 

Using the access roads either side of the dive-under cutting and storing the spoil at Hurn Road.

 

du.jpg.6636ca466fa06761ddb8fc6c4c742866.jpg

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On 16/01/2021 at 16:04, Donington Road said:

 

 

May I please remind everyone that the video(s) posted by Crun have been produced by my friend Trackside ECML and as such should be credited to him.:friends:

As to the water pipe, you are correct Richard, both pipes will be connected to form a loop across the bridge, probably so there is even weight being carried on either side of the bridge.

Thank you for today's photos, keep safe.:declare:

 

My apologies for not crediting Trackside ECML in my earlier posting of his video. I have amended my posting of his video. 

 

Edited by Crun
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I've just gathered some pictures from Network Rail via twitter of the track and spoil removal work.

 

Track panels lifted.

 

Er3hfN1XMAAOGb4.jpeg.85db385df1b0612dedbc0ff0a891afe0.jpeg

 

And the engineering train I photographed earlier.

 

Er3hfNyXEAE-LdM.jpeg.7fae5db904a6251c7989f06e2dad3343.jpeg

 

And the dumpers lined up ready to remove old ballast and other spoil.

 

Er3hfNuW4AEhOql.jpeg.5ebe31c760af48c67858f0839d27938e.jpeg

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