West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum

[TheSignalEngineer]

that means that the driver should have noticed he was not on the road!

He did, but not until he had driven about 100 metres on a grass verge with tram tracks embedded in it. Looking at the pictures I'm surprised how far he went.

[melmerby]

He did, but not until he had driven about 100 metres on a grass verge with tram tracks embedded in it. Looking at the pictures I'm surprised how far he went.

Here are some pictures:

 

Damage to turf looking towards Bull Street:

 

He had driven past Snow Hill One and stopped after starting to pass Snow Hill Two:

 

 

View of Bollards with and without a Tram passing:

 

 

View from car park showing bollards:

 

 

The driver must have come via Livery St. and across the front of Snow Hill as any attempt to come from Colmore Circus would have demolished the street furniture on a mid road refuge (off to the left on the above view).

The bollards are hard plastic and it looks like the two rightmost ones (from my vantage point) may have been replaced.

The opening looks like it is somewhere between 3 and 3.2 metres, square on.

 

Keith

 

BTW I notice the tram leans slightly as it rounds that curve (very slowly), the posts are upright!

Edited February 2, 2017 by melmerby

[big jim]

it looks like the plasticard has warped on those benches in the first picture

[PhilJ W]

He did, but not until he had driven about 100 metres on a grass verge with tram tracks embedded in it. Looking at the pictures I'm surprised how far he went.

There was a picture on Facebook recently. A recently laid concrete road (still wet) and a heavy truck that had succeeded in traveling at least 200 metres along it.

[dcroz]

Midland Metro Alliance Latest News 6th February 2017: Wednesbury To Brierley Hill Project Update

http://www.metroalliance.co.uk/wednesbury-to-brierley-hill-project-update-6th-february-2017/

 

The initial work to clear the overgrown section of the disused railway line on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill route is now complete. The clearing works took place in order to allow for the next step, a number of detailed structural and environmental surveys to be carried out. As expected on a disused railway line, the vegetation removal has revealed a large amount of detritus and debris, as well as many uncovered manholes and drains. The manholes and drains have temporarily been made safe, but people are reminded that as the site is an active construction site and therefore not accessible to members of the public.

Below are a number of ‘before and after’ pictures that show the work that the MMA has done to date in order clear this route.

 

Image 1: A strip of track near Dudley Port prior to clearance work taken in November 2016

 

Image 2: Uncovered manholes made safe with temporary barriers

 

Image 3: Uncovered manholes made safe with temporary barriers

 

Image 4: An example of the cleared corridor

 

Image 5: The site clearance team hard at work

 

Image 6: A cleared access point to allow surveys to be conducted

 

Image 7: An example of the vegetation growth prior to clearance

Edited February 7, 2017 by dcroz

[melmerby]

I remember seing some of that trackwork after it had been abandoned and before the forest had covered it.

IIRC at one time the colour light signals at the Walsall end were still operational even though the track had been out of use for some time.

 

Keith

[28XX]

There was an infestation of Japanese Knot Weed in the cutting by the Horseley Road bridge in 2012. I hope appropriate steps have been taken to deal with it.

[melmerby]

There was an infestation of Japanese Knot Weed in the cutting by the Horseley Road bridge in 2012. I hope appropriate steps have been taken to deal with it.

There has been one or two reports recently of JKW infestations on railway land encroaching onto adjacent property.

It is my understanding that the owner of the land is required by law to deal with any outbreaks of this weed. Just leaving it is not an option.

If the reports are true NR are clearly not carrying out their legal requirements.

 

Keith

[28XX]

My company had a job laying a cable from the corner of Mansion Drive to the telephone exchange, over the bridge. The agency civils team cut through the flange of the 16" water pipe which was only a couple of inches below the surface of the footway. Being cast iron, the pipe burst and flooded Great Bridge. I was the project manager. The insurance claim approached £1 million. I still have nightmares about it now.

[Siberian Snooper]

Has work started on the Broad Street extension?

[melmerby]

Has work started on the Broad Street extension?

Some preparatory work has been done in Pinfold St and in front of the old PO building. (Services etc.)

It seems unlikely the main work will start until the clearance of the Paradise Circus site has been completed, as currently the only pedestrian way from Victoria Square to the new library complex is in front of the Town Hall and via the skeleton remains of Fletcher's Walk, which is where the new tram line will eventually go.

Once the site has been cleared and a new pedestrian route established from the Museum/Art Gallery area to the new library they can start in earnest.

 

Keith

[melmerby]

Further to the above post here are some pictures showing the route from the current terminus in Stephenson Street (Outside Ian Allan)

 

View towards current terminus with tram about to turn back through the crossover:

 

 

View from current terminus towards Pinfold Street

(this will be where the trams start their run on batteries):

 

 

Looking up Pinfold Street towards Victoria Square

(Note the patched surface where utility work has been going on and some currently right at the top):

 

):

 

Detail of street name plate

(this emphasises the gradient at this point which is about 1:6 or 1:7):

 

 

Victoria Square and Antony Gormley's Iron man, which will have to move!:

 

 

Across the front of the Town Hall:

 

 

Crossing where the Southbound Road was at Paradise Circus

(there won't be a road here when it's finished):

 

 

And through where Fletcher's Walk shopping arcade was:

 

 

The land through the site of Fletcher's Walk will need to be raised as the other end is well below road level at a pedestrian subway and the tram will need to be at street level to cross the road junction.

 

Originally it was planned to take the tram route slightly further south of the front of the Town Hall and over a dedicated bridge over Queensway Tunnel entrance but this was ruled out on cost grounds,

so the route via the site of Fletchers walk was chosen instead.

I believe it did mean a slight delay to the plans while the site was cleared.

 

Keith

Edited February 10, 2017 by melmerby

[Siberian Snooper]

Wow, it's been a long time since I was in that neck of the woods, a lot of change going on!

[Northroader]

Shift the iron man, keep the floozie in the jacuzzi.

[rovex]

Shift the iron man, keep the floozie in the jacuzzi.

 

Since last summer when the jacuzzi was filled in and turned into a flower bed, more a case of "a tiptoe through the tulips"

[melmerby]

Shift the iron man, keep the floozie in the jacuzzi.

 

 

Since last summer when the jacuzzi was filled in and turned into a flower bed, more a case of "a tiptoe through the tulips"

Problem with that fountain (one of the largest public ones in Europe apparantly) was that it leaked virtually from day one and was never completely cured.

 

Keith

[melmerby]

A piece of info regarding the Metro is that it will become "In house" operated by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) once the current contract with National Express expires.

All part of the integrated transport operations that are coming, rather like TfL, whilst the network expands.

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/midland-metro-nationalised-12779423

 

Keith

Edited March 24, 2017 by melmerby

[melmerby]

The final business case for the Brierley Hill Extension has been submitted by TfWM to the DoT, which from all reports about it seem to expect approval:

 

http://www.metroalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WBHE-Business-Case-June-2017.pdf

 

Express & Star pitch here:

 

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2017/06/20/midland-metro-extension-to-brierley-hill-take-major-step-forward/

 

Keith

 

Looks like might have to start another thread "Midland Metro Tracklaying to Brierley Hill"

I hope I live long enough, to see, with all the extensions, the culmination of a proper network that has been too long in the making

Edited June 21, 2017 by melmerby

[SNCF stephen]

The final business case for the Brierley Hill Extension has been submitted by TfWM to the DoT, which from all reports about it seem to expect approval:

 

http://www.metroalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/WBHE-Business-Case-June-2017.pdf

 

Express & Star pitch here:

 

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/local-hubs/dudley/2017/06/20/midland-metro-extension-to-brierley-hill-take-major-step-forward/

 

Keith

 

Looks like might have to start another thread "Midland Metro Tracklaying to Brierley Hill"

I hope I live long enough, to see, with all the extensions, the culmination of a proper network that has been too long in the making

 

I remember when it was originally submitted but sadly they determined the business case (with road pricing) was not viable. I hope that this time it gets through. I am interested to know where a new depot might go? They said in an article that there would be a new one required I understood that the existing depot could simple be expanded onto more of the adjacent land. 

[melmerby]

 I am interested to know where a new depot might go? They said in an article that there would be a new one required I understood that the existing depot could simple be expanded onto more of the adjacent land. 

It could go where Dudley Station was as there is plenty of land there which is where the track will come up from the South Staffs line onto Castle Hill for Dudley Centre

 

https://goo.gl/maps/9gbBqMoUVES2

 

Seems too be some vegetation clearance there:

https://goo.gl/maps/vhAw6FGaDg52

 

It was rather overgrown last time I saw it.

 

Keith

Edited July 3, 2017 by melmerby

[Edwin_m]

It could go where Dudley Station was as there is plenty of land there which is where the track will come up from the South Staffs line onto Castle Hill for Dudley Centre

 

https://goo.gl/maps/9gbBqMoUVES2

 

Seems too be some vegetation clearance there:

https://goo.gl/maps/vhAw6FGaDg52

 

It was rather overgrown last time I saw it.

 

Keith

The other extensions they are promoting as higher priorities (to the HS2 station etc) probably use up all the room for expansion in the existing depot. 

 

Earlier versions of the Dudley Metro route left space for a single-track freight line which would have continued through the old Dudley station and the tunnel (possibly with a passing loop).  There was no intention to build that at the same time, but just to leave space.  However if they are still reserving that space it probably rules out using the station site as a depot. 

[Supaned]

A pity they didn't order Alstom trams for the replacement fleet as then they could have used the APS system through the city without the need for overheads or batteries.  

[Alan J Kirkman]

A pity they didn't order Alstom trams for the replacement fleet as then they could have used the APS system through the city without the need for overheads or batteries.  

 

Ye Gods even more expensive!!!!!

[rockershovel]

Which is about 8' 8". In that case so would the artic but it would need to be square to the bollards which quite obviously is impossible with a long vehicle.

I assume it just went over them!

 

Keith

 

(EDIT maximum width of a truck is 2.55mm

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/moving-goods-by-road

Just enough clearance if straight)

Living fairly close to Amazons vast new depot outside Peterborough, a magnet for every lorry in the East of England (or so it seems) NOTHING would surprise me about the places lorries end up, or the manoeuvres their drivers attempt to perform at times.

[melmerby]

A few photos to show that a start has now been made on the Broad St extension

 

It shows off the lovely new barriers that the Midland Metro Alliance have got!

 

Pinfold Street (3 views) It looks like Pinfold St is closed for the duration whilst theextension is built.

 

 

Victoria Square showing Anthony Gormley's "Iron Man" which has now been removed to be re-located next year

 

Going Going:

 

 

Gone:

 

 

Keith