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The changing face of Bristol


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6 hours ago, burgundy said:

The process to reopen the Portishead branch grinds forward.

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/new-images-portisheads-long-awaited-4540943

The public examination that forms part of the Development Consent Order process begins next month.

There is also a visualisation of the proposed Portishead station. Hint - you will not need too many turnouts to build a model.

Best wishes 

Eric

No doubt more 'consultants' creaming off their cut.

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There are a few reasons why you want to hire a consultant. The first is to be able to pass the blame if it doesn't work out. The second is because you know sfa about the project. The third is because you accept bribes. Historically, the folk on most councils have never been the sharpest knives in the box, certainly few have any technical knowledge, and often they promote themselves since they have vested interests in the area, builders, whatever. So, to someone whose main interest is possibly drinks at the golf club, a railway line construction will be highly complex. The trouble is, that not all idiots are harmless. I have no knowledge of the people involved, just my general opinion of this sort of situation. Maybe those directly affected do a bit of digging into the apparent can of worms.

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5 hours ago, raymw said:

There are a few reasons why you want to hire a consultant. The first is to be able to pass the blame if it doesn't work out. The second is because you know sfa about the project. The third is because you accept bribes. Historically, the folk on most councils have never been the sharpest knives in the box, certainly few have any technical knowledge, and often they promote themselves since they have vested interests in the area, builders, whatever. So, to someone whose main interest is possibly drinks at the golf club, a railway line construction will be highly complex. The trouble is, that not all idiots are harmless. I have no knowledge of the people involved, just my general opinion of this sort of situation. Maybe those directly affected do a bit of digging into the apparent can of worms.

I don't doubt what you say here.

Hiring consultants would probably have been cheaper in the 1980s/1990s/2000s/2010s.

Hopefully by the 2030s no consultants will still be getting a cut for work on a proposed Portishead passenger service!

 

cheers

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On 19/09/2020 at 10:51, talisman56 said:

 

As well as the split-box 45 and the TTG 47. I mourn every time I go southbound out of BTM...

 

 

Split box 45 yes TTG47 no. It is in the original two tone green livery. Warships had all long gone by the time TTG came in.

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1 hour ago, 40F said:

 

 

Split box 45 yes TTG47 no. It is in the original two tone green livery. Warships had all long gone by the time TTG came in.

 

Don't quite understand what you're saying there - surely TTG 47 in the original post meant two tone green?

Are you confusing green and grey?

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4 hours ago, 40F said:

 

 

Split box 45 yes TTG47 no. It is in the original two tone green livery. Warships had all long gone by the time TTG came in.

TTG at that time and in this instance does mean two-tone green... :)

Edited by talisman56
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BBC reporting that stations in the South West could be made step-free.

 

They include Lawrence Hill station in Bristol where the southbound platform is accessible only by steps.

 

Among the other stations in line for improvements are Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Avonmouth, Keynsham and Weston-super-Mare.


 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-54536167

Edited by Dagworth
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The decrepit concrete steps at Lawrence Hill were replaced only a few years ago with steel ones.  I was surprised at the time that they didn't put in a long ramp to the island like the ones at Stapleton Rd.  (Northbound has flat access via Lidl car park for those of you who haven't been there lately.)

What on earth are they going to do at Keynsham?  The station was virtually rebuilt only a couple of years ago.

Edited by D6975
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On 18/09/2020 at 21:31, ForestPines said:

Network Rail are currently saying the bridge move will be in 5 to 7 weeks from now, from October 24th to November 7th.

 

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/western/great-western-mainline/south-gloucestershire/

Got an email update from South Glos Council, with this included at the bottom:-

 

"Preparations for the bridge move at Gipsy Patch Lane, Stoke Gifford, are going well. Overhead power equipment has been moved out of the way, track has been cut out and we’re digging out around the bridge. For the latest updates see our Facebook page."

 

Photo below shamelessly lifted from the email, credit South Glos Council.

 

unnamed (1).jpg

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On 16/10/2020 at 14:47, D6975 said:

The decrepit concrete steps at Lawrence Hill were replaced only a few years ago with steel ones.  I was surprised at the time that they didn't put in a long ramp to the island like the ones at Stapleton Rd.  (Northbound has flat access via Lidl car park for those of you who haven't been there lately.)

What on earth are they going to do at Keynsham?  The station was virtually rebuilt only a couple of years ago.

 

There is zig-zag ramp at Keynsham on the down side ie Bristol platform. Been there a couple of years at least.

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On 16/10/2020 at 14:47, D6975 said:

The decrepit concrete steps at Lawrence Hill were replaced only a few years ago with steel ones.  I was surprised at the time that they didn't put in a long ramp to the island like the ones at Stapleton Rd.  (Northbound has flat access via Lidl car park for those of you who haven't been there lately.)

What on earth are they going to do at Keynsham?  The station was virtually rebuilt only a couple of years ago.

 

I'm always amused that at Stapleton Road the new footbridge was given those huge ramps to maintain step-free access to the Down platform; when at some places along the platform it's a 2ft step up from the platform to the train

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6 hours ago, ForestPines said:

 

I'm always amused that at Stapleton Road the new footbridge was given those huge ramps to maintain step-free access to the Down platform; when at some places along the platform it's a 2ft step up from the platform to the train

A couple of years ago, Network Rail had plans to build a raised section, or hump, on the platforms at both Lawrence Hill and Stapleton Rd. Plans were abandoned over fears of it being a trip hazard and the need for all trains to stop with a door exactly over the hump. Hopefully they will lower the trackbed if they ever relay the down.

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51 minutes ago, Platform 1 said:

Same at Nailsea & Backwell - last time I alighted, I was lucky not to fall over! :o

A few years back, I was working a down train through NLS late one evening and the lighting had failed there. Fortunately, as I seem to remember, no passengers boarded or alighted in either direction.

 

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On 27/10/2020 at 17:23, rodent279 said:

Got an email update from South Glos Council, with this included at the bottom:-

 

"Preparations for the bridge move at Gipsy Patch Lane, Stoke Gifford, are going well. Overhead power equipment has been moved out of the way, track has been cut out and we’re digging out around the bridge. For the latest updates see our Facebook page."

 

Photo below shamelessly lifted from the email, credit South Glos Council.

 

unnamed (1).jpg


I'm surprised there are no posts on the status of the bridge which is (still)  ‘stuck in mud’ - all 4260 tonnes of it - some many meters away from its final location...
 

"Dear Stakeholder,



We are writing to you to provide information on the bridge replacement works currently taking place on Gipsy Patch Lane, as part of the Cribbs Patchway metrobus extension (CPME).

Despite detailed planning and preparation, our contractor, Network Rail, has encountered a significant issue moving the new 4,260-tonne Gipsy Patch Lane bridge into place.

The bridge, which is already built, is being moved into position on a number of independent hydraulic transporters. Having successfully moved two thirds of the way into place the bridge transporters are now stuck.

It is too early to say why the wheels have become stuck. This is a highly complex engineering project and is the heaviest lift of its kind ever undertaken in the UK, supported by detailed designs, modelling and preparatory work by Network Rail and its contractor Alun Griffiths. Understanding why this hasn’t worked will take time, and we are already working on that in parallel to our prime focus which is to get the work underway to move the bridge, free up the automated platform it is sitting on, and undertake the work required to get the bridge in place, and resume rail services.

Network Rail and its contractor Alun Griffiths are continuing to work around the clock to resolve the issue and currently undertaking detailed work on site so that the bridge can be moved into position. We will continue to update the community and our stakeholders on the work as it progresses.

We apologise for any inconvenience being caused by these ongoing works on Gipsy Patch Lane and we thank you for your patience."

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I've not been that way since March, been working from home since then, and that's not likely to change before March, so I've no idea what's happening there. The latest S. Glos update didn't mention it.

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We had an email saying not opening before 16th, but latest on the grapevine is the 23rd.

 

Bet people are wishing they hadn't been so hasty demolishing the old Severn Rail bridge.

 

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8 hours ago, JZ said:

 

Bet people are wishing they hadn't been so hasty demolishing the old Severn Rail bridge.

 

 

6 hours ago, martinT said:

 

... which in the end probably cost more than its repair!

 

Martin

Wasn't there insurance money paid out for the bridge?

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8 hours ago, JZ said:

We had an email saying not opening before 16th, but latest on the grapevine is the 23rd.

 

Bet people are wishing they hadn't been so hasty demolishing the old Severn Rail bridge.

 

Quite an expensive way of avoiding the time penalty of going via Gloucester.  For the route to be useful, the East-North side of the triangle at Yate would have to have been retained, plus the South-facing junction from Berkeley.  I suspect most diesels would have exceeded the weight limits of the bridge.  To be honest, the bridge was virtually demolished by the tankers, BR just got rid of the remainder to remove the liability and hazard to shipping (ironic considering it was the shipping that was the hazard to the bridge!).  

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Whilst delivering supplies to my parents I passed by the work site at Gypsy Patch Lane. The old bridge has gone and a large gap is evident, the new bridge was visible some 20 or 30 metres away on the Rolls Royce side.

 

When I told my mother where I had been she advised me that the impending replacment of the bridge had been notified to them by their solicitor when they bought their house 61 years ago! 

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3 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Quite an expensive way of avoiding the time penalty of going via Gloucester.  For the route to be useful, the East-North side of the triangle at Yate would have to have been retained, plus the South-facing junction from Berkeley.  I suspect most diesels would have exceeded the weight limits of the bridge.  To be honest, the bridge was virtually demolished by the tankers, BR just got rid of the remainder to remove the liability and hazard to shipping (ironic considering it was the shipping that was the hazard to the bridge!).  

 

And there would be very little shipping, hardly anything went up the river above Sharpness.

 

The barges that hit the bridge missed the entrance to Sharpness docks (due to thick fog), they should have gone under the swing bridge over the canal.

 

Adrian

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