HS2

[Ron Ron Ron]

12 hours ago, melmerby said:

Presumably that is the one over the Derby lines?

Currently blue brick arches with a plate girder centre span.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

Shown partly assembled, back in the summer (Aug 2021)......

 

 

 

 

 

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[lmsforever]

On 18/12/2021 at 08:35, D826 said:

That drone footage shows just how much Aylesbury has already grown since I called it home - 1967 - 1995.  Black and Decker's post further back (excellent post that Black and Decker Boy) shows that the housing currently coming forwards delivers parts of the ring road the town needed 30 to 40 years ago.  (Only parts mind, and I'm curious about what it's doing to encourage active travel modes).   

 

Whether that will do anything to reduce congestion in the job lot of traffic signals (Highways signalisation off the back of traffic modelling* and no mistake) along the Tring Road into town, or encourage active travel to and through the town remains to be seen.

 

I used to walk/cycle from Broughton to 'The Floyd' secondary school via Adams Garage, Hazel's roundabout, Exchange Street, past the station to Oxford Road.  

 

Cycling that now would be akin to putting on a Banzai rising sun headscarf, drinking a cup of saki, strapping yourself into a Mitsubishi Zero with 2000lbs of explosives and pointing yourself at the nearest aircraft carrier.

 

Aylesbury has changed massively.  I really hope it gets its link to East West Rail.  Still feel fond of the town, warts and all.

 

I support HS2.  I don't support reductions in tax on domestic air travel or artificially high increases in rail fares.  (Watch the cups folks there's climate change commitments under one of the three, need to keep a careful eye on joined up Government policy).

 

Excellent and informative posts chaps.

 

Best regards

 

Matt W

 

*traffic modelling can almost tell you Black is white.  The results it churns out depends on the data and assumptions put in.  They may not necessarily reflect reality or real life experience.  Contrary to what people would have you believe transport Highways modelling is an art, not a science).

The traffic route you descibe would indeed require not just a banzi scarf but devine intervention !  Traffic levels are increasing daily due to all  the house building and virtualy nothing done to our roads ,the new Sainsbury store traffic lights are causing traffic queues back to the station virtualy all day.You did the right thing moving

[The Stationmaster]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

True, Mrs BB has RA and can be in severe pain some days which is why we always book first class seats, she picked up our grand daughter up at Paddington last Thursday and went 800 there and back, a almost nine hour total journey (with just less than an hour between trains) she said the seats in the train were fine, so maybe the first seats in the 800 First have changed?

 

Or your friend is substantially less “bulky” than we are……that makes a difference to cushion comfort 

Sorry to continue OT but i find it far easier to get a comfortable back angle on the GWR IET seats than it was on GWR HSTs although the seat 'cushions' are much firmer.  But, like many others, I reckon the 387s ride better and it will be interesting to try one of those when they're running at maximum speed instead of 90mph.

[boxbrownie]

39 minutes ago, The Stationmaster said:

Sorry to continue OT but i find it far easier to get a comfortable back angle on the GWR IET seats than it was on GWR HSTs although the seat 'cushions' are much firmer.  But, like many others, I reckon the 387s ride better and it will be interesting to try one of those when they're running at maximum speed instead of 90mph.

HST First class seat recline, or are at least adjustable……which was a major plus for me.

[Ron Ron Ron]

First drone video of 2022.

The location is just to the north of junction 9 of the M42, where the eastern leg splits off the main HS2 route to the northwest.

This is just to the north east of Water Orton and the site of the "Delta Junction", into and out of Birmingham.

 

The video starts looking north eastwards.

The large cleared worksite at the start of the video, is located on the eastern side of the M42 and the spur towards the eastern leg follows on this side of the motorway (eastern side), routing off into the distance.

As the camera pans around and moves to the south east, you can make out early earthworks where the route will cross the M42 (where the bridge with the green safety netting is sited)..

 

Note: Looking south east (into the sun), Junction 9 is visible in the near distance and the M42 is closed for what appears to be resurfacing, over the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited January 2, 2022 by Ron Ron Ron

[Arun Sharma]

On 24/12/2021 at 11:24, boxbrownie said:

True, Mrs BB has RA and can be in severe pain some days which is why we always book first class seats, she picked up our grand daughter up at Paddington last Thursday and went 800 there and back, a almost nine hour total journey (with just less than an hour between trains) she said the seats in the train were fine, so maybe the first seats in the 800 First have changed?

 

Or your friend is substantially less “bulky” than we are……that makes a difference to cushion comfort 

The seats in the 387s and 800s appear to have been designed with a lumbar lordosis segment that matches the curve of the average spine. Thus they ought to be more comfortable. I find them more comfortable than the seating on FGW HSTs. It could well be a function of sitting height - perhaps you have to be between say, 5ft3 and 5ft9in to get the benefit from the 387/800 seat curve.

[boxbrownie]

2 minutes ago, Arun Sharma said:

The seats in the 387s and 800s appear to have been designed with a lumbar lordosis segment that matches the curve of the average spine. Thus they ought to be more comfortable. I find them more comfortable than the seating on FGW HSTs. It could well be a function of sitting height - perhaps you have to be between say, 5ft3 and 5ft9in to get the benefit from the 387/800 seat curve.

Could be, Mrs BB is just about dead between those heights where as I am a bit more at 6’3” and I find the 800s seats (first class) awful, and the cushion is far too hard for me, but the HST first class seats are good for me, especially as they have the adjustable back angle (recline).

[Siberian Snooper]

I'm a shade under 5ft 9ins and the 8** seats play havoc with my back, I've normally got sciatica by the time the train has got to the top of Hemerdon,  never had a problem with HST seats.

 

 

[Ron Ron Ron]

Chiltern Tunnelling progress.

 

15th December 2021

Florence - 2604 metres 

Cecilia - 1970 metres 

 

After a 2 week pause in work, over the Xmas & NY period

 

7th January 2022

Florence - 2754 metres 

Cecilia - 2127 metres 

 

Also, at Long Itchington

Dorothy - 20 metres

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

 

[jamie92208]

Thanks to Ron for the tunnelling updates.   I've just had an intriguing hour trying to get the data into the graphs as I'd totally forgotten how to do it.  I have also put in a target distance for Dorothy of 1600 metres as I can't find an accurate length.  I will treat the 2nd drive as a separate series as it will take some months the restart for the 2nd bore.  It would seem that they took a 10 day or so break over the holiday period as the rate of progress dropped from 15m per day to 6.5m per day.  However here is the up to date graph. Dorothy's progress to date hardly shows at all.

Jamie

Edited April 22, 2022 by jamie92208

[melmerby]

3 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

 

A link to what is happening there:

https://countryparks.warwickshire.gov.uk/kenilworthgreenway

[Ron Ron Ron]

The piers of the Colne Valley viaduct, are sprouting upwards....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Piling across the lakes....

 

 

 

 

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[lmsforever]

HS2  services are a long way off starting so we have no idea  what situation the UK will be in ,so i think this column should concentrate on the consrtuction for the time  being.

[jamie92208]

8 hours ago, lmsforever said:

HS2  services are a long way off starting so we have no idea  what situation the UK will be in ,so i think this column should concentrate on the consrtuction for the time  being.

I quite agree and we now seem to be doing that with the tunneling and now bridge work progress.

 

I found this on Youtube today that relates to the West Ruislip site

 

Interesting to see how much work they needed to do just to get the power for the TBM's

Jamie

Edited January 17, 2022 by jamie92208

[Mike Storey]

14 hours ago, lmsforever said:

HS2  services are a long way off starting so we have no idea  what situation the UK will be in ,so i think this column should concentrate on the consrtuction for the time  being.

 

I broadly agree, except to say that I will allow comment/news on the evolution of the plans for Phase 2B West and for whatever Phase 2B East turns out to be. Part of that may overlap with the MML thread, but so be it.

 

[Ron Ron Ron]

HS2 press release.

 

"HS2 Ltd today confirmed that TK Elevator has been awarded the framework to deliver around 300 state-of-the-art lifts and escalators for the four major new stations being built as part of the HS2 high speed rail project.

In total, Birmingham Curzon Street, Interchange, Old Oak Common and the new HS2 platforms at London Euston will need more than 160 lifts and 130 escalators to help hundreds of thousands of people access HS2 trains every day".

[martin_wynne]

1 hour ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

TK Elevator has been awarded the framework to deliver

 

What is a "framework to deliver"? Is it an actual lift?

 

Martin.

[jamie92208]

I presume  that it's a framework contract with the details of actual design to be confirmed when the designs are finalised.

 

Jamie

[lmsforever]

Went past the works on the Thame Rd today work is progressing well on the haul rd to the left it looks complete with ten mph signs in place.To the right the roadway is starting to take shape so how long before the new bridge and road are started ?

[Ron Ron Ron]

45 minutes ago, martin_wynne said:

 

What is a "framework to deliver"? Is it an actual lift?

 

Martin.

Probably a 2022 addition to the BS Bingo dictionary.

 

 

 

[Bob83a]

18 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

I quite agree and we now seem to be doing that with the tunneling and now bridge work progress.

 

I found this on Youtube today that relates to the West Ruislip site

 

Interesting to see how much work they needed to do just to get the power for the TBM's

Jamie

They are clearly using voice recognition on these video’s to produce the subtitles, but is anyone checking the conversion. islip and rice occur in the location and Keir becomes as clear at one point.

 

Surely someone should be checking what is being put out meets a level of quality. The quality of the works though looks to be much better.

[jamie92208]

23 minutes ago, Bob83a said:

They are clearly using voice recognition on these video’s to produce the subtitles, but is anyone checking the conversion. islip and rice occur in the location and Keir becomes as clear at one point.

 

Surely someone should be checking what is being put out meets a level of quality. The quality of the works though looks to be much better.

I noticed that, War appeared at one point.

 

Jamie

[Mike Storey]

5 hours ago, martin_wynne said:

 

What is a "framework to deliver"? Is it an actual lift?

 

Martin.

 

It's an interesting description. TK Elevators is the old Thyssen Krupp lifts and escalators biz, which separated from Thyssen Krupp AG a few years ago. They are one of the Big 3 (the others being Otis and Schindler).

 

Interesting because, most recently, NEC4 has been used for Frameworks, which just defines a process, with some pre-priced elements, for D&B. But "framework to deliver" suggests a more traditional contract, with set unit prices for a given number of lifts and escalators, over a certain timescale. But I doubt we will ever be told, so it is, probably, moot.