East Coast Mainline Blockade for Werrington Junction diveunder

[4630]

This is the current position with the Transport and Works Act application that was submitted to the Department for Transport for the Werrington Dive Under;

...We announced on 7 March 2017 that an inquiry would be held into this application. We are currently waiting for Network Rail to propose dates and a venue to our colleagues in the Planning Inspectorate so that they can appoint an Inspector. At the moment the applicants are proposing a start date of late September/early October * but these dates have yet to be confirmed.



Looks like any meaningful ground work is still some way off yet.

 

* refers to the start date of the enquiry.

Edited May 11, 2017 by 4630

[Richard E]

Just to clarify I read that as a start date for the inquiry and not for the works. That suggests to me that it is going to be 18 months or more before we see any meaningful action on the ground.

[4630]

That was my understanding of the reply that I received - the enquiry is to start late September/early October (presumably 2017).

Of course, subsequent to the enquiry there's the possibility of various stages of appeal before work can actually legally start.

Hopefully the project won't face a similar situation as to that which delayed the start of the Ordsall Chord project in Manchester, although I do understand the need for 'due process' with projects of this nature.

And, all this assumes that Network Rail has the funding to do the work, presumably in CP6.

Edited May 11, 2017 by 4630

[Richard E]

There is a fair bit of opposition from Werrington residents whose houses back on to the line on the grounds of increased noise and nuisance caused by increased traffic on the line once the works are completed. I guess they'll have formed an 'action' group ...

 

Didn't they know there was a railway line there when they bought their houses?

[JeffP]

This is going to take more freight through Lincoln?

 

What of the folk who live there? The High Street is often blocked for ages when freight trains pass even at the present level of traffic. All crossings except Pelham Bridge being on the level.

[PaulCheffus]

Hi

 

 

This is going to take more freight through Lincoln?

 

What of the folk who live there? The High Street is often blocked for ages when freight trains pass even at the present level of traffic. All crossings except Pelham Bridge being on the level.

The high street level crossing no longer has road traffic since the opening of the East - West link road. This just leaves the one on Brayford Wharf East which is now one way Northwards towards Wigford way.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[Ken.W]

So, the DafT approve increased service levels on the ECML, including additional services the franchise premiums were based on, plus an additional open access operation, based on upgrade works providing increased line capacity...

and then put the works to an inquiry which will probably mean them not being completed in time

[jamie92208]

Just a little off topic but I wonder if anyone can answer me a question. Not far south of Peterborough a long run of toughing for 25Kv feeder cables has been erected from south of Welwyn, where there's a grid feeder station, as far as IIRC Hitchin. From memory the main work was done at least 2 years ago. However it's still not complete through a lot of bridges and the cables are obviously still not installed. In many places the vegetation has grown right over it and many of the piles of troughing lids are disappearing into the undergrowth. Does anyone know what's going on.

 

Jamie

[ess1uk]

Just a little off topic but I wonder if anyone can answer me a question. Not far south of Peterborough a long run of toughing for 25Kv feeder cables has been erected from south of Welwyn, where there's a grid feeder station, as far as IIRC Hitchin. From memory the main work was done at least 2 years ago. However it's still not complete through a lot of bridges and the cables are obviously still not installed. In many places the vegetation has grown right over it and many of the piles of troughing lids are disappearing into the undergrowth. Does anyone know what's going on.Jamie

Power supply upgrade I think to do with IEP.

The yard at Sandy has been used as the base for this.

Seems to have been going on for ages.

[RANGERS]

So, the DafT approve increased service levels on the ECML, including additional services the franchise premiums were based on, plus an additional open access operation, based on upgrade works providing increased line capacity...

and then put the works to an inquiry which will probably mean them not being completed in time

No, the Werrington works have nothing to do with ECML capacity and neither DfT or Network Rail put it to an enquiry, the Planning Inspectorate did they, they needed planning permission to do it.

 

The works only provide additional paths between the ECML/ Ely lines and the north by removing it from the ECML north of Peterborough. Currently the ECML has a capacity requirement which precluded any additional freight from the Ely line crossing it to access the Lincoln route or heading north on the main line. This dive under removes any conflict at Werrington, keeping the two completely separate.

[Donington Road]

There is a fair bit of opposition from Werrington residents whose houses back on to the line on the grounds of increased noise and nuisance caused by increased traffic on the line once the works are completed. I guess they'll have formed an 'action' group ...

 

Didn't they know there was a railway line there when they bought their houses?

 

A couple of snippets from the June/July edition of the local Werrington rag.

 

 

[Richard E]

Didn't realise it affected Kilverstone - my ex lives there ...

[Donington Road]

Didn't realise it affected Kilverstone - my ex lives there ...

 

It doesn't, if the residents of Kilverstone are complaning then the whole of Peterborough may as well call for the abandonment of all railways.

I am about the same distance from ECML where we were just one field away from seeing all the action and sounds of Deltics roaring past.  On a fine summers night you could here them from as far away as Conington Fen and Helpston, pure bliss.

Since then we have had a dual carraige way and an industrial estate built between us and the railway and it is still not noisey except for the odd Barry Sheen's testing out their bikes top speed.

Too many people jumping on the bandwagon as usual without giving any thought to the benefits that it will bring to other areas.  It will be those same people that will already be complaining about too many lorries on the road which hold them up on all their journeys to and from nimby land.

All of the houses in the areas mentioned have been built using modern methods of good insulation so I cannot see where these complants are justified.

[Richard E]

I wasn't going to make much comment but my view is the railway was there first, didn't these people, or their solicitors notice the railway line. I have no sympathy.

[chris p bacon]

I wasn't going to make much comment but my view is the railway was there first, didn't these people, or their solicitors notice the railway line. I have no sympathy.

Sadly "Grandfather rights" don't have much standing within planning law. 

 

Personally I think projects such as these should have a much wider scrutiny so they show how it benefits other areas or the rest of society and the credit is offset against local but vocal opposition. (I'm starting to notice it with East West rail around here)

[Donington Road]

I wasn't going to make much comment but my view is the railway was there first, didn't these people, or their solicitors notice the railway line. I have no sympathy.

 

They only notice anything around them when someone comes along and says sign my petition, sheeple the lot of them.

They should have been around when loose fitted freights were held at Werrington Junction, the snatching of couplings on empty coal wagons would have woken them up to the presence of a railway.  Today's modern fitted freight trains with powerful locos that have quick acceleration are very quiet in comparison.

 

I have a relation who bought a house on a flood plain, he had a lot of advice at the time that the area was always prone to being saturated and risked possible flooding at times of heavier rain.  Oh, it's alright says he, the developers have put in substantial drainage so it all goes in to the river. Yeah, but it is the river that floods.

Now everytime we get a lot of wet weather he gets worried because the dykes around the estate fill very quickly and water lays on his garden for a long time.  The street has been flooded once but luckily it did not get into the house, one day it will though.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I like the bit about the number of trains going up, as if this was entirely unconnected with the need for extra bits of railway.....

[Mike Storey]

I guess the determining issue will be whether Peterborough City Council (Unitary Auth still?) and Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire CC's support the scheme overall. If they do, subject perhaps to some minor mitigations for political purposes, it will save the scheme being referred to the Sec of State, which will add more delay. I cannot see an Ordsall scheme type of constant appeal process as there are no historic, environmentally sensitive or other specifically excluded criteria (that I am aware of).

[ess1uk]

Got a mayor for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire now

[jamie92208]

I suppose that there will be someone tipping buckets of newts over the area as we type to delay it even more or has that study been done already. Or am I being a tad cynical.

 

 

Jamie

[ess1uk]

There are probably newts there already as there is a water course by the junction.

[lmsforever]

We are becoming a nation of nimbys every time a road or rail development is proposed there are always residents ready to jump and cry we don't want the noise or pollution But they are perfectly willing to push any new plan onto someone elses back garden with the help of smart lawyers and enviromentalists .Back in the seventies we had a situation in Aylesbury of a new estate with houses backing onto the Marylebone line ,they complained of noisy trains (two an hour) and wanted rate rebates guess what the council gave in ,pathetic or what.

[Donington Road]

We are becoming a nation of nimbys every time a road or rail development is proposed there are always residents ready to jump and cry we don't want the noise or pollution But they are perfectly willing to push any new plan onto someone elses back garden with the help of smart lawyers and enviromentalists .Back in the seventies we had a situation in Aylesbury of a new estate with houses backing onto the Marylebone line ,they complained of noisy trains (two an hour) and wanted rate rebates guess what the council gave in ,pathetic or what.

 

Ha, perhaps I could get a rate rebate from Peterborugh City Council for spoiling my view and enjoyment of the ECML with industry and over landscaping.  Perhaps I could sue the government for closing the M&GN and allowing a dual carraigeway to be built on it which slows my attempt to reach the city centre.

[Donington Road]

Got a mayor for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire now

 

Yeah, another level of bureaucracy with a fat salary.

[101]

I suppose that there will be someone tipping buckets of newts over the area as we type to delay it even more or has that study been done already. Or am I being a tad cynical.

 

I find it hard to believe that newts are an endangered species - they seem to turn up all over the country whenever there's a planning dispute!