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East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder


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And this one too, that looks like hard work, setting up the OHLE in the dark and with a couple of inches of snow lying as well. We really should be praising the orange army for their input.

 

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The ECML was handed back at 04:03 this morning, ahead of schedule and the first scheduled service ran at 06:10. It certainly looks as if there is a TSR on the line at present. Video courtesy of Morgan Sindall.

 

 

Also a still of the track laying that we haven't seen before. The lifting rig being used on the sleepers here is the one that I mentioned a few posts back as being delivered to Hurn Road footbridge access to the site.

 

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Edited by Richard E
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Those are nifty bits of kit. They used a similar one on the Borders Railway, picks up a batch of sleepers then separates tem out to the correct spacing before laying them. I remember  being well impressed when I followed that project.

 

Jamie

 

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26 minutes ago, Richard E said:

The ECML was handed back at 04:03 this morning, ahead of schedule and the first scheduled service ran at 06:10. It certainly looks as if there is a TSR on the line at present.

 

 

I don't know whether they have been having problems with the signalling on the re-opened stretch but earlier today LNER service 1Y14 was brought to a stand on the UF at Tallington Jn. and then made slow progress to Peterborough having lost about 15m.

 

At least we use proper lifting kit for track panels.

On Virtual Railfan in the USA there have been several track relays in the last few months and all they do is use a couple of back hoe diggers with slings to lift the track off the flatbeds.

Once on the ground it is pushed and pulled into place with the buckets!

 

 

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Three more photos from Twitter which I don't think we've seen.

 

First is the eastern portal of the box, this shot appears to have been taken during the push as the box is still partly in the approach cutting.

 

Eskw2V1W4AAUlqH.jpeg.0285359380589f1b02dc8ef6e58e6b9c.jpeg

 

And again from a slightly different angle, I think this is at the completion of the push as the box is pretty much at the end of the piled approach walls.

 

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And finally a shot from track level.

 

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Edited by Richard E
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18 hours ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Will there be a speed restriction over the new tunnel while everything settles down?

 

I would think so.  It is usually standard practice for newly laid line, probably last for around two weeks, with the tamper visiting for the next two weekends to repack the ballast.

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18 hours ago, Richard E said:

We really should be praising the orange army for their input.

 

 

8 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

Yes, congratulations to the team: floods, snow etc but seems to have been finished on time.

 

Praise indeed,  According to all reports, this the major part of the project has been executed to perfection.  Well done to all involved at NR and Morgan Sindall.

A big thank you as well to all those on site who took the time to put some fantastic photos on Twitter.  Not being a Twitter user myself, perhaps someone here who is, could say a big thank you from us here at the RMweb community for their efforts. :friends:

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Yes a good example of engineering teamwork. Thanks to the 'local' ream of correspondents in keeping us entertained with excellent 'unbiased' journalism.............I've looked in on the thread every day and found it quite compelling viewing.

Perhaps the same engineering team can make a start on the Bedford-Cambridge portion of the East West Rail Link and it may then be completed whilst I'm still alive.................I have my doubts if I'll still be here to travel on it otherwise! It will probably take longer to do the consultation than it will to construct it!

All in all an excellent diversion from Covid.

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1 hour ago, Donington Road said:

 

 

Praise indeed,  According to all reports, this the major part of the project has been executed to perfection.  Well done to all involved at NR and Morgan Sindall.

A big thank you as well to all those on site who took the time to put some fantastic photos on Twitter.  Not being a Twitter user myself, perhaps someone here who is, could say a big thank you from us here at the RMweb community for their efforts. :friends:

 

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1 hour ago, Donington Road said:

 

 

Praise indeed,  According to all reports, this the major part of the project has been executed to perfection.  Well done to all involved at NR and Morgan Sindall.

A big thank you as well to all those on site who took the time to put some fantastic photos on Twitter.  Not being a Twitter user myself, perhaps someone here who is, could say a big thank you from us here at the RMweb community for their efforts. :friends:

I have praised the efforts and congratulated all concerned on the East Coast Upgrade Twitter outputs. 

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A question from another forum:

 

"Just as a point of interest, did they design the dive-under so that they could add a fourth ECML track at a later date? Currently, only three ECML tracks go over the tunnel and ECML Down Slow traffic uses the Down Melton line. This will become a constraint if freight traffic to/from Melton and Spalding grows"

 

 

 

 

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32 minutes ago, Crun said:

A question from another forum:

 

"Just as a point of interest, did they design the dive-under so that they could add a fourth ECML track at a later date? Currently, only three ECML tracks go over the tunnel and ECML Down Slow traffic uses the Down Melton line. This will become a constraint if freight traffic to/from Melton and Spalding grows"

 

 

 

 

 

There is room for four tracks over the dive under by re-aligning the existing three tracks but it is highly unlikely that it will ever be needed as there are other constraints to the ECML elsewhere.  Stoke tunnel is only two track, for seven miles south of Peterborough it is only two track.

Any future constraints as far as I can see are going to be Peterborough station to the dive under (Marholm Junction) where the majority of freight from Ely and the ECML south will now mix with the Cross Country services to the Midlands and anything else going north on the ECML that uses the Down Stamford as far as Helpston.  IF, this ever gets to the point of over capacity then there is enough room to put a direct two track line in from Peterborough station to the dive under eliminating the use of the Stamford lines as access to the dive under.  Basically, any present bottleneck just moves to a different location.

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34 minutes ago, Donington Road said:

 

There is room for four tracks over the dive under by re-aligning the existing three tracks but it is highly unlikely that it will ever be needed as there are other constraints to the ECML elsewhere.  Stoke tunnel is only two track, for seven miles south of Peterborough it is only two track.

 

 

That raises the question of whether the scheme at Holme Fen/Connington Fen will ever go ahead to reinstate track that was removed a very long time ago.

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15 minutes ago, Richard E said:

 

That raises the question of whether the scheme at Holme Fen/Connington Fen will ever go ahead to reinstate track that was removed a very long time ago.

Is one of the problems with reinstating the track the land being historically part of the fenland of old with very wet, boggy peat? I seem to recall reading the track was laid on top of wood or bundles of wooden brush etc.  Natural England has two National Nature Reserves nearby in Holme Fen and Woodwalton Fen, relics of the old, more widespread fen that included Whittlesea Mere.

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Yes, the nature of the ground is a problem especially given that some of it is being allowed to revert to wetland. As such it is likely that the line will remain double track from Holme to Yaxley and beyond. There is an issue that, as you approach Peterborough, the trackside is quite built up.

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24 minutes ago, Richard E said:

Yes, the nature of the ground is a problem especially given that some of it is being allowed to revert to wetland*. As such it is likely that the line will remain double track from Holme to Yaxley and beyond. There is an issue that, as you approach Peterborough, the trackside is quite built up.

*That would be the Great Fen project. A scheme to recreate the lost lowland fen landscape that has been under way for several years and will take many more years to change drained arable fields into wet, grazed fields and open water.

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A question from another forum:

 

"World leading engineering!' ??

Terrific job, yes, great stuff but NR say its a first for UK engineering so where was this technique developed and first used?"

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