West Midlands Metro Tracklaying in Brum

[Robert Shrives]

I really look forward to this long overdue project creeping to completetion, it does gall at the seeming lack of drive - I am sure folk are beavering away but it does seem so very slow. I know concrete days 21 days to fully cure but it took ages to get just three welds done in Bull st. The easy win in summer to remove grass from trough at back of Snow Hill will now be a wet winter mudbath.

 

At least on Friday the final surfaces laid in 95% of bull street just need to add a little bit of cobbles and the rasied Island platform surfaces.  Still work on linking up the mainly complete single?? line down Corp st to the Bull st works nor the exciting bottom of hill bend at New st but at least that bit out side the station is getting on well and hopefully the pedrestrian crossing will move in the next few months now the school holidays are over the the foot traffic is at a maximum from the station.

 

Still no sign of any electric string works .

It is cheap to take shots at a big and expensive scheme but it does amuse that in less time a whole new station has been errected at Porthmadog, track laid ballasted and signalled and opened for a sucessful season. I look forward to my first tram ride to work!

and I really hope the network takes off with link to Eastside and up Broad st asap.

 

thanks for pics on here -never seem to stop in right place to take a pic.

Cheers

Robert        

[melmerby]

I really look forward to this long overdue project creeping to completetion, it does gall at the seeming lack of drive - I am sure folk are beavering away but it does seem so very slow. I know concrete days 21 days to fully cure but it took ages to get just three welds done in Bull st. The easy win in summer to remove grass from trough at back of Snow Hill will now be a wet winter mudbath.

 

At least on Friday the final surfaces laid in 95% of bull street just need to add a little bit of cobbles and the rasied Island platform surfaces.  Still work on linking up the mainly complete single?? line down Corp st to the Bull st works nor the exciting bottom of hill bend at New st but at least that bit out side the station is getting on well and hopefully the pedrestrian crossing will move in the next few months now the school holidays are over the the foot traffic is at a maximum from the station.

 

Still no sign of any electric string works .

It is cheap to take shots at a big and expensive scheme but it does amuse that in less time a whole new station has been errected at Porthmadog, track laid ballasted and signalled and opened for a sucessful season. I look forward to my first tram ride to work!

and I really hope the network takes off with link to Eastside and up Broad st asap.

 

thanks for pics on here -never seem to stop in right place to take a pic.

Cheers

Robert        

A lot of preparatory work has to be done before any track laying can take place as the services (and there is a real tangle of spaghetti under those streets) need to be move out of the way.

There is also the District Heating work that needed to be done at the junction of New St. and Corporation St.

 

The works at Porthmadog wouldn't have needed any where as near as much preparation.

 

I do however find it puzzling that the pace of work at the different locations varies so much.

The terminus in Stephenson St. was the first to start but is nowhere near complete although several other stretches started since are well advanced/near completion.

 

I assume the reason the majority is being built on one side of the road only to start with is for access reasons, once it is complete and that side of the road fully accessible again they can start messing around on the other side of the road.

 

I wouldn't expect the wiring to start until much more of the track is down.

 

Keith

[SNCF stephen]

One thing that is for certain is that this will all have been programmed in minute detail so whilst the timings may seem a little odd or slow it will al be for a reason. 

[Alan J Kirkman]

One thing that is for certain is that this will all have been programmed in minute detail so whilst the timings may seem a little odd or slow it will al be for a reason. 

We should also all remember there are restrictions on how  much of a road can be opened up at any one time, hence the apparent disjointed work sites on all new Tramway work on street. It is not like on a railway on private right of way. That why the off street sections make much more apparent sense whether in Nottingham or Manchester, even in Blackpool while the reconstruction on the reserved section was in a continuous work site when the street track in Fleetwood was done it had to be in sections which were finished before tackling the adjacent short length and there was a few separated sites at any one time.

[Robert Shrives]

Hi all,

good to report more surface finishing in Bull Street and towards Snow hill with only a 12 foot section to do.  Viz Port  in reality 3 years work doing all the land reclaimation and alterations to services along with environmental stopages to allow breeding seasons to be undisturbed and allowing three seasons of trains to run so like the works in Brum not simple - certainly a smaller site but just as exciting.  

I guess the wait will be worth it. Each day I vary my walk to work to see how work progresses

Robert

[melmerby]

A few shots taken last Thursday

 

Outside New St Station the more or less complete trackwork is covered, presumably for a temporary pedestrian way:

 

 

Further up towards Pinfold St. work is gathering pace:

 

(That's Ian Allan on Left)

 

 

A nicely rusted piece of infrastructure:

 

 

At the lower end of Corporation Street the east side has now re-opened for use,

Work has transferred to the West side:

 

 

Meanwhile further up work has started to bridge the gap by Union Street:

 

 

Into Bull Street where the current phase of work is all but complete:

 

 

Over in Snow Hill work has started on extending the current limit of track towards the bridge over Gt Charles Street:

(It will run in the previously constructed channel behind Snow Hill One and Two)

 

 

Keith

Edited October 4, 2014 by melmerby

[dmustu]

Rail Engineer article here - http://www.therailengineer.com/2014/09/23/private-tram-wednesbury/

[melmerby]

A few more pictures from the last couple of weeks.

 

Stephenson St alongside Ian Allan:

 

 

Corporation St with big vacuum cleaner to suck out the soil:

 

 

More work in Bull St next to the Minories:

 

 

I think these guys in Bull St. were having a Barby!:

 

 

Concrete just laid by the Union St gap:

 

 

Keith

Edited October 21, 2014 by melmerby

[richard brown]

I'm looking forward to my trip to Birmingham so I can see the new tram system. Keep the pictures coming 

 

Richard

[melmerby]

I'm looking forward to my trip to Birmingham so I can see the new tram system. Keep the pictures coming 

 

Richard

Still plenty to do before the trams run!

Barely a third of the track is down and that has taken most of this year so far. 

The trams should be running when New St Station/Grand Central Shopping fully opens in Sept 2015.

This topic might well continue afterwards as there is expected to be an immediately start to the extension from Stephenson Street to the ICC and by the time that finishes the line out to the Eastside!

 

Some sections, such as Colmore Circus on to Gt Charles St bridge and joining to the existing route should be much easier/quicker as there are no services to sort and carriageway possesions required.

The care required with services can be seen by the use of the vacuum excavator which sucks the soil away from the service ducts without damaging them.

 

Cheers

 

Keith

[melmerby]

A few pictures from early last week:

 

Stephenson Street, getting ready to encase the crossover in concrete:

 

 

Waterstones corner progressing:

 

 

Excavating (gingerly!) around a gas main in Corporation Street:

 

 

At the Union Street gap, also ready to encase the rails in concrete:

 

 

Bull Street work now approaching the "Square Peg":

(You can see the entrance to the Minories on the right)

 

 

Work continues by One Snow Hill:

 

 

Keith

Edited November 2, 2014 by melmerby

[dcroz]

Keith,

 

Many thanks for posting these photos, I don't get into Birmingham city centre very often, so really appreciate your effort in keeping us updated.

 

Best wishes,

 

David

[melmerby]

A few more pictures showing progress over the last couple of weeks

(Due to the earlier sunset the light has gone late in the afternoon so not so many each time!)

 

Bull Street near the Square Peg

 

And a week or so later:

 

Work continues apace on the Stephenson St. Corner:

 

And Waterstones:

 

At Union street the former gap in the track has been finished:

 

And by Snow Hill,some progress:

 

Work seems to have slowed somewhat in the last couple of weeks apart from Snow Hill, Bull St and Stephenson St. corner

Most activity seemed to be removing surplus barriers.

 

Here is a man emptying the water ballast out of one before the are taken away:

 

 

Keith

Edited November 21, 2014 by melmerby

[melmerby]

Another update from yesterday

 

Bull St alongside the Square Peg (2 views):

 

 

Stephenson St:

(The roller was rolling a curved course laid out with marker lines)

 

 

On the original trackbed beyond Gt Charles St. work has now started:

 

 

Won't be in Brum for a couple of weeks so I wonder how much progress there will be by then?

 

Keith

Edited November 26, 2014 by melmerby

[tractionman]

Good to see tramway lines once again in the centre of Brum, thanks for the pics Keith.

 

When I lived there in the late '80s I used to go and periodically pay homage to the odd bits of tramline that could be seen in situ from the olden days: there was a bit of track at the terminus at Lickey, and another short bit near the museum in the city centre. Memorials to the past really. 

 

Roll on the day we can once more get a tram through the streets of Brum... 

 

cheers,

 

Keith

 

 

PS. Just found this - great now and then shots of Birmingham's original trams: http://www.photobydjnorton.com/TramsAndBuses.html

Edited November 29, 2014 by Keith Lilley

[melmerby]

Another update with shots taken this afternoon.

 

The track at last breaks out from Stephenson Street:

View from the opposite direction:

 

Bull Street by the Square Peg:

 

And from the opposite direction:

 

Colmore Circus with the barriers removed:

 

On the viaduct approaching Gt Charles Street:

 

A Close up:

(Not a lot of progress here!)

 

Keith

 

 

Edited December 11, 2014 by melmerby

[richard brown]

When I was in Birmingham I walked the new tram route and was shocked to see how short it is I was expecting it to be longer for how long it has taken to build.

 

Richard

[melmerby]

When I was in Birmingham I walked the new tram route and was shocked to see how short it is I was expecting it to be longer for how long it has taken to build.

 

Richard

The big problem is, so that there is minimum disruption and to maintain access for deliveries etc. it has got to be done piecemeal.

No doubt if it was all new build on virgin land it would have been finished by now!

 

Before every stretch is built there is a thorough check on subterranean services.

That means moving them if necessary so they don't have to dig up the tram line in future if a fault develops.

Sometimes the work on the services has been done and the road surface reinstated some time before track laying commences, meaning the surface has to be dug up again!

 

Keith

 

EDIT

Latest news from Centro suggests a finish date of 7th Sept 2015.

Then there will be a testing and commisioning phase in to December 2015, so it won't be ready for the full opening of the revamped New St. Station and Grand Central shopping!

Edited December 13, 2014 by melmerby

[melmerby]

Further to the above post.

 

The Waterstones on the Corner of Stephenson Street and Stephenson Place has a cellar extending out under the road/pavement which would have been unsatisfactory in it's original state for running a tram track over.

 

There was quite a bit of re-inforcing carried out some months ago using some hefty steel beams over the ceiling of this area before any work on the track could be carried out there.

I suppose also  the fact that the corner of the building is held up by some iron/steel columns meant they couldn't risk any settlement at that point!

 

Keith

Edited December 13, 2014 by melmerby

[PhilJ W]

Further to the above post.

 

The Waterstones on the Corner of Stephenson Street and Stephenson Place has a cellar extending out under the road/pavement which would have been unsatisfactory in it's original state for running a tram track over.

 

There was quite a bit of re-inforcing carried out some months ago using some hefty steel beams over the ceiling of this area before any work on the track could be carried out there.

I suppose also  the fact that the corner of the building is held up by some iron/steel columns meant they couldn't risk any settlement at that point!

 

Keith

My understanding is that it was once a bank and the actual vault created some problems.

[melmerby]

My understanding is that it was once a bank and the actual vault created some problems.

The Building was the old Midland Bank before they moved across to the other corner. Maybe the vault (or the remains of it) was under the road.

The back corner was Thomas Cook & Sons 100 years ago.(Part of the name was visible when they were doing some dismantling before rebuilding the Waterstone's entrance at that point.)

 

Keith

[melmerby]

A few more pictures today, now the Christmas/New Year hiatus is over.

Things really seem to be getting a move on!

 

Behind One & Two Snow Hill the previously constructed trough is being got ready:

 

Further along, work progresses getting the old track base ready:

 

 

The curve from Bull Street into Corporation Street:

 

 

And a view of same from Lower Bull St. ('Spoons in background!):

 

 

With all this fencing gone up looks like some serious work starting!

 

Keith

Edited January 8, 2015 by melmerby

[melmerby]

Some more updates

 

Alongside Snow Hill a couple of weeks ago:

 

And last Thursday:

 

Corporation Street:

Two weeks ago (Bull St end)

 

Last Thursday

 

More of Corporation Street:

Last Thursday (New St end)

 

Over by Gt Charles St.:

Two weeks ago one of the new units passes by. Another (Number 20) was parked dead in the platform in Snow Hill with the service units stopping at the end of it, not using the othe platform!

 

 

Last Thursday a crane was being used to get materials on site.

 

Stephenson Place  towards New St:

 

 

Stephenson Street (Section up to Pinfold Street:

 

 

Keith

Edited February 9, 2015 by melmerby

[JJGraphics]

I don't get to visit Brum very often, so I'm always interested to see these updates on the progress of the extension (along with quite a few other people, I suspect) . . . please keep them coming! 

[melmerby]

Another update from earlier today.

 

At the junction of Bull Street and Corporation Street the triangular junction which will be needed for the Eastside extension seems to be taking shape (3 views):

 

 

At the bottom of Corporation Street some paving work going on before the concreting of the track:

 

 

In Stephenson Place concrete for the track base was being laid as I watched:

 

 

In Stephenson Street heading towards Pinfold Street the first concrete is down (and covered against the weather)(viewed each direction):

 

 

Keith