East West rail, Bletchley to oxford line

[Nearholmer]

Real-time trains shows a few “ordinary passenger trains” have operated today. 

[simon b]

4 hours ago, 2750Papyrus said:

The BBC has reported test working of 150 class has begun over the Bletchley - Bedford section, with passenger workings to begin in November.

 

I'm sure there's an obvious reason, but curious as to why test working is needed at all? The class were comonplace on the route in Silverlink days, so surely all the necessary testing has already been done?

[rodent279]

1 hour ago, simon b said:

I'm sure there's an obvious reason, but curious as to why test working is needed at all? The class were comonplace on the route in Silverlink days, so surely all the necessary testing has already been done?

What the BBC reports as "test" may not actually be a test.

[Tony Teague]

Perhaps more likely = driver route re-learning.

[Lambton58]

Yes, it is crew training - our local rail user group posted this the other day on Facebook.  

Cheers

Ralph

[Nearholmer]

Some “unadvertised ordinary passenger trains” (= crew familiarisation) are running on Wednesday 11th, so presumably one could go for a ride …….

[Arun Sharma]

Given recent proposed alterations to the scope of HS2, are they likely to have any effect on the progress of E-W rail?

[Ron Ron Ron]

2 hours ago, Arun Sharma said:

Given recent proposed alterations to the scope of HS2, are they likely to have any effect on the progress of E-W rail?

 

It shouldn't have any impact on E-W rail.

 

Where the two meet and cross, at Calvert, is within HS2 Phase 1, which is going ahead as planned.

None of the "slow downs" or "pauses" affect that section of line AFAIA.

 

 

 

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[Ron Ron Ron]

After I posted my reply just above, this video popped up on YouTube, posted yesterday and filmed 11 days ago, on 5th October.

 

Work at Calvert on both HS2 and E-W Rail, going full steam ahead.

Most of this time-lapse video concentrates on the earth works to create the HS2 cutting and track bed, but E-W Rail is clearly visible.

 

Note:

At time 1.54  you get a first glance in this video, of the E-W Rail bridge over HS2.

The earthworks have now been completed to incorporate the bridge into the E-W Rail embankment and from the activity observed, it looks like the track bed is now being prepared, across this section.

 

At time 3.30 there's the first sight of a GBrF Class 66 with Autoballasters, standing on the newly laid rails, to the east and just short of the HS2 bridge.

 

That was 11 days ago and if they haven't started laying track across this section yet, it must be imminent.

The laying of continuous, new railway track from Bicester to Bletchley, has almost been completed.

Lots more to do though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Oldddudders]

A choreographed ballet if ever there was one! 

[jamie92208]

Some serious muck shifting going on there.  The trace of HS2 is really starting to appear. 

 

Jamie

[Northmoor]

If only HS2 could be built at that speed.  By the time protesters had finished climbing the tree, we'd have about a mile of railway......

[simon b]

About time they finished the EWR embankment, it's sat half done for a long time. I note the road through the area is closed again so perhaps they are taking out the old road bridge at the same time to finish the job?

[Davexoc]

9 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said:

That was 11 days ago and if they haven't started laying track across this section yet, it must be imminent.

The laying of continuous, new railway track from Bicester to Bletchley, has almost been completed.

Lots more to do though.

 

There was a rail delivery train in the Mursley area just this morning. Last week there was a ballast delivery in Falcons just east of Winslow, t'n't Freightliner job, left overnight on the bridge over Little Horwood Road....

[melmerby]

7 hours ago, Northmoor said:

If only HS2 could be built at that speed

The problem with HS2 is that when you start a shift, you don't know whether by the end of it, the politicians will have changed something.😁

[Nearholmer]

 

Very strange this, because Berry Lane is private road, and the crossing is user-operated, having first contacted the signaller. What I don’t know is whether its released by the signaller, I have a feeling not, so the phone call might be a tad optional.

 

Looking at the number of misuses here, well …….

 

https://abcrailwayguide.uk/berry-lane-private-level-crossing-central-bedfordshire

 

Here's a photo of it from your roving reporter, taken last August.

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by Nearholmer

[melmerby]

Reports are that the car driver did a runner and there is an appeal for witnesses.

[Nearholmer]

Drove off.

 

I’m pretty certain it’s covered by cctv though.

[The Stationmaster]

It looks to be a fairly straightforward UWC crossing with not much of anything beyond a 'phone.  However as there has been persistent abuse then CCTV might well have been provided to record the happenings at the crossing.

Edited October 24, 2023 by The Stationmaster

[Grovenor]

Given that the map suggests that the road connects a whole village to the main road, hence the high number of users one wonders why a user worked crossing is considered acceptable.

[Nearholmer]

It doesn’t really; the map can be a bit misleading.

 

It connects a farm-converted-mostly-into-business units to the village. The farm has another route out onto the A421 on the other side, the gate of which seems to be locked under control of the farm office, and the road through the crossing is ‘private’ - much to my frustration it isn’t even a right of way as a bridleway - and physically is a sort of upper class farm track. It’s no a viable through route.

 

It might get used as a shortcut, although frankly it wouldn’t really save any time compared with the proper route, so I reckon the mis-users are those with call to go to the farm.

 

TBH, I’m surprised it’s not been closed altogether, because if it was, nobody would be ‘cut off’.

 

This very afternoon. Notice how it is shown as a culdesac,

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Nearholmer

[The Stationmaster]

I wonder if, in the light of its record, it will now be closed especially as there is an alternative route?

[Tony Teague]

The consultation on this section of the line is closed and both options list this crossing as being closed with alternate private access tracks to be provided on either side of the line - so no crossing in either case.

See: https://eastwestrail.co.uk/consultation/maps

 

[Nearholmer]

There’s so much “fantasy railway building” in the consultation papers for the Bletchley-Bedford section that it’s hard to guess what might or might not happen in reality if it ever does go ahead!

[Pannier Tank]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

There’s so much “fantasy railway building” in the consultation papers for the Bletchley-Bedford section that it’s hard to guess what might or might not happen in reality if it ever does go ahead!

 

Wasn't one of them (fantasy)  "10 trains per hour and 100MPH running" !  !