News from the East Anglian Branch of Railfuture, Edited by Martin Thorne and Jerry Alderson.
Railfuture News Snippets 340 - 31/07/2021
- RAIL ROUTES [all issues]
- Network Rail connects 11,000-tonne tunnel at Werrington dive-under on East Coast Mainline
- East West Rail contract to construct Bletchley High Level platforms signed, as Jacobs appointed East West Rail Programme Partner
- STATIONS [all issues]
- Works begin on March station improvements for passengers
- New Soham station construction progressing well with handover expected in September 2021
- Temporary footbridge to be provided at Royston station whilst existing station is made safe to use
- First proper waiting room provided on island platform at Cambridge station
- County councillor calls for Wickham Market station to be renamed to Campsea Ashe reflect its location
- Biggleswade transport interchange gets the green light from councillors
- RAIL FREIGHT [all issues]
- WEBSITES AND APPS [all issues]
- PRESERVED RAILWAYS [all issues]
The government's rail travel advice changed from Monday 19th July in line with the further relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. Although the legal requirements for social distancing and the wearing of face coverings ended (in England), train operators throughout Britain aligning with the national guidance that "Government expects and recommends that people wear face coverings in crowded areas, such as public transport", asking people to wear face coverings on busy stations and on busy trains (unless they are exempt). Railfuture's experience since June 2020 when face coverings became mandatory is that the vast majority of rail users have worn them.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its first Desiro City Class 700 trains having entered service. The fleet, which comprises 115 units, were the first 'walk along' trains it operated, have adaptive climate-controlled air conditioning (dynamically changes according to the number of passengers), have superior passenger information systems, send automatic maintenance requests to the depot (at Three Bridges and Hornsey) and introduced Automatic Train Operation (essentially self-driving capability), which is used in the Thameslink 'core' section. GTR says that the trains are "50% more energy efficient and 25% lighter than previous trains, all with faster acceleration and more efficient braking."
East Midland Railway has revealed that the patronage on its Liverpool-Norwich service is the highest across all of its routes. It describes the route as a keyworker flow – e.g. several hospitals on the route, rather than offices, so travel numbers less affected.
On Wednesday 14th July 2021 the former Histon station building reopened as a new cafe, called The Station House. See review at https://www.hihub.info/features/waffly-stylish-histon-station-house-cafe-opens-its-doors/. The building had been disused since about 2003, and Cambridgeshire County Council had wanted to demolish it when building the busway, but this was rejected by the inspector at the public inquiry.
RAIL ROUTES
Network Rail connects 11,000-tonne tunnel at Werrington dive-under on East Coast Mainline
Keywords: [EastCoastMainline]
As reported in [Snippets 334], the major work to create the Werrington dive-under just north of Peterborough was performed in January 2021, around 4km of track through the 11,000-tonne curved tunnel and either side of it still needed to be laid, and then connected up. Over the weekend of Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th July the new track was joined to the existing Stamford lines, meaning that rail replacement buses would operate between Peterborough and Leicester. East Midlands Railway services between Nottingham and Norwich were diverted via Grantham, and could not call at East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Oakham or Stamford, so rail replacement services served those stations. Intercity services continued running on the East Coast Main line itself.
Signalling equipment also needed to be installed, commissioned and tested. Work on the dive-under is due to be finished during summer 2021, ready for freight trains to use it later in the year, completing another project in the £1.2bn East Coast Upgrade.
East West Rail contract to construct Bletchley High Level platforms signed, as Jacobs appointed East West Rail Programme Partner
Keywords: [EastWestRail]
VolkerFitzpatrick has been contracted to construct Bletchley station's two high-level platforms, which will be used by East West Rail trains, and should be in use by 2025. This will increase the total number of platforms from six to eight, although platform 6 will see little use. There will also be a new link bridge to the existing platforms. Two lifts and an underpass will also be constructed in order to provide access between platforms 7 and 8. VolkerRail is a partner in the East West Rail Alliance. The work to upgrade the station will run through to spring 2022, constructed a safe distance away from the operational railway to ensure minimal disruption to train passengers.
Meanwhile, the East West Railway Company has awarded Jacobs the Programme Partner contract, worth an estimated £35m over three years and covers engineering, operations and IT support services. The company has also launched a market engagement exercise to obtain support for the development and launch of the new Oxford to Cambridge railway service. This would include train operations, asset management and strategic leadership of the project.
STATIONS
Works begin on March station improvements for passengers
Keywords: [MarchStation]
On 12th July 2021 the main entrance at March station closed and a temporary ticket office was provided on the far side of the station to allow construction work to remodel the entire station building on the entrance side (platform 1). The work will create an open-plan ticket hall and waiting area, accessible modern toilet facilities, retail outlets, and an upgraded and extended car park at the station. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2021. It is being funded by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. Improved car parks are also being provided at Manea and Whittlesea stations.
New Soham station construction progressing well with handover expected in September 2021
Keywords: [SohamStation]
According to the summer 2021 newsletter provided by Network Rail, the footbridge was being assembled in July, ready to be lifted into place shortly. August will see activity to complete the drainage works, the car park and the access road. Handover of the completed station is expected in September, for final commissioning activities ready for it coming into service from December 2021. Old track in the area has also been replaced.
Throughout July, Soham station has been showing as station code 'SOJ' on Real Time Trains.
Temporary footbridge to be provided at Royston station whilst existing station is made safe to use
Keywords: [RoystonStation]
The passenger footbridge over the tracks at Royston station was temporarily closed in spring 2020 after an inspection had detected serious faults in the structure. As this was during the COVID-19 pandemic, with drastically reduced train usage, no replacement was provided and passengers has to leave the station and walk over the road bridge and re-enter the station in order to change trains, visit the ticket office or go to/from their car. Great Northern staff have been on hand to help passengers use the long diversion. Now that passenger numbers are starting to recover, following the ending of most COVID-19 restrictions, this is becoming a significant inconvenience, so Network Rail (NR) will be installing two temporary staircases at Royston station, with work starting in August 2021 for completion in autumn. The best long-term solution has not yet been established, which some may find surprising given that it is more than a year since the faults were discovered. NR says it is "continuing to develop plans to improve accessibility for people using the station as well as making sure the existing footbridge can be used safely and reliably in future." It is unclear why the footbridge could not have been repaired or replaced by now, and the statement did not mention whether COVID-19 had delayed design work.
First proper waiting room provided on island platform at Cambridge station
Keywords: [CambridgeStation]
The island platform at Cambridge station (platforms 7 and 8) was opened in December 2011, with a canopy stretching along around eight carriage lengths, with a couple of shelters and an enclosed office for railway staff. In July 2021 (almost a decade later) an enclosed waiting room was finally opened – the first waiting room at Cambridge not part of an AMT coffee kiosk – providing full shelter from the weather. It is split into two halves, with a coffee shop facing the footbridge stairs and the waiting room backing onto it.
A tenant is yet to be found for the new coffee shop. Annoyingly, there is no hatch it to the waiting room (partly because the canopy stanchion is in the way), so passengers would have to walk outside to buy a coffee! The AMT portable kiosk on the island platform, which has not opened since COVID, has not reopened at the time of writing.
When Jamie Burles, Greater Anglia (GA) Managing Director, spoke to Railfuture in December 2016 he revealed that GA had a budget of £4m to spend at Cambridge station on passenger benefits. Apart from the new CIS screens, which some consider to be amongst the best in Britain, this appears to be the first such (not previously planned) improvement at Cambridge station since the start of the franchise in October 2016. Railfuture's priority at Cambridge station is an eastern entrance with a second footbridge, along with additional toilets (ideally on the island platform, as it's a long walk to platform 4, although it is understood that there is no sewerage) as they are quite inadequate at peak times.
Simone Bailey, Greater Anglia's Asset Management Director, said in a press release, "As passengers start to return to the railway, it's important that we continue to invest in upgrades that will improve their journey and maintain rail as an attractive travel option by providing excellent facilities and service to our customers." Railfuture would heartily agree with that sentiment.
Most of the retail outlets at the station have now reopened, the latest being Delice de France on platform 4.
County councillor calls for Wickham Market station to be renamed to Campsea Ashe reflect its location
Keywords: [WickhamMarketStation]
Suffolk County Councillor Alexander Nicoll has offered to spend some of his locality money to buy new signs for Wickham Market station so that it can be renamed Campsea Ashe to accurately record its position. Mr Nicoll and other councillors and community leaders have compiled a dossier of occasions when the name has caused confusion. These include a family who booked a holiday cottage in Wickham Market having been told that the town had a station, expecting to easily access other parts of Suffolk, only to find they needed to hire a taxi every time they wanted to catch a train. A potential employee needed to buy a ticket to get to a care home in Campsea Ashe for an interview. When he asked where the nearest station was, the ticket office told him to go to Woodbridge and get a taxi. One he arrived at the home he found it was a short walk from the station. Volunteers at the Station House centre have recounted numerous occasions when passengers arrived at the station expecting to walk to an address in Wickham Market, only to find they are a long way from the town.
Mr Nicoll said the council had talked to Greater Anglia about this but no substantial progress has been made, and was surprised that GA seemed not to appreciate the confusion caused by name a station that is two and a half miles away, via difficult roads, certainly for pedestrians. The station sign does describe it as Campsea Ashe (in very small letters) for Wickham Market, but all timetables and on-train announcements call it simply Wickham Market. GA has explained that Network Rail would need to officially rename it in conjunction with rail industry partners and wider local stakeholders, stating that renaming a station is a very complex process and involves much more time and investment than simply changing the signs at the station.
News: https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/traffic/campsea-ash-station-name-bid-8136306.
Biggleswade transport interchange gets the green light from councillors
Keywords: [BiggleswadeStation]
As reported in [Snippets 337], there were proposals to create transport interchange at Biggleswade station, which would include bus stops, improved pedestrian access and a bus turning circle, located on unused land owned by Network Rail. This got the green light in mid-July. The station is less than an hour's commute from London, and only 30 minutes from Cambridge, Luton and Bedford.
News: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/biggleswade-transport-interchange-gets-the-green-light/.
RAIL FREIGHT
Spoil from HS2 works in London delivered by rail to Barrington for filling quarry site
Keywords: [BarringtonBranch]
At 03:51 on Tuesday 29th June 2021, the first freight trains carrying spoil removed from HS2 early construction works in London left the HS2 Logistics hub in Willesden. The train, operated by GB Railfreight, carrying 1,470 tonnes of spoil travelled to Barrington in Cambridgeshire where the spoil will help to fill the disused quarry, enabling the land to be used for a new housing development in the distant future.
The train's route was via North London and the Gospel Oak to Barking line, onto the East Coast Mainline at Harringay, and then on the Hertford loop to Stevenage and finally to Foxton (arriving at 06:50), where it reversed onto the freight line up to the former Cemex site.
Over the lifecycle of the HS2 project, up to seven freight trains per day will depart from the Willesden hub, removing up to one million HGVs from the roads in the London area alone. Spoil from construction for both the future Old Oak Common station and the rebuilt Euston station will be taken to the hub for forwarding.
WEBSITES AND APPS
Greater Anglia improves its website for colour-coded "journey heat map" to enable passengers to identify less-busy trains
Keywords: [Felixstowe2Nuneaton]
Although the government removed COVID-19 restrictions England on 19th July 2021, some people are still nervous about using trains. Greater Anglia has improved its website's "less busy trains" tool to highlight which services are likely to be the least busy, based on selected rush-hour journeys, to and from London, using data that is uploaded once a week (i.e. it is not a live feed). Clicking for more details will allow people to see how busy (or quiet) the train is at every station along the route. By showing data for services on the same route at different times, passengers can choose to travel earlier or later. The tool also uses passenger monitoring data from the week before, gathered by staff at Greater Anglia station who count how many passengers are getting on at each station. On trains displayed as "crowded" it will not be possible to socially distance, although passenger risk is minimised by enhanced cleaning and sanitisation of trains, either air conditioning (which replaces air inside the train every six to nine minutes or) opening windows as well as doors which open at stations.
For those people who turn up at a station without having done any research, they can ask a member of staff or press at the help button on a ticket machine to talk to an assistant in Norwich.
PRESERVED RAILWAYS
Smaller East Anglian heritage railways join forces for nationwide campaign
Four small east Anglian railways (Bure Valley Railway, Colne Valley Railway, Mid-Suffolk Light Railway and Whitwell & Reepham Railway) but not the larger ones (Nene Valley, Mid-Norfolk, North Norfolk or Wells and Wolsingham) have joined the #LoveYourRailway nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the many heritage railways across Britain, which has been led by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Love Your Railway is a six-week summer campaign from 26th July to 5th September 2021 to shine a spotlight on not only the important work that heritage railways do with regards to conservation, education and research, but also highlight how they have all been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of reduced capacities and income. Around 35 or so of the 150 operational heritage railways, which run trains over nearly 600 miles of track, are involved. There are six themed weeks: Heritage, Education, Volunteers, Family, Sustainability and Future.
Since 19th July, the Mid-Norfolk Railway (MNR) has allowed tickets to be purchased on the day and reintroduced day rover fares with no reserved seating requirements. It had reopened on 3rd July (delayed from 23rd June as reported in [Snippets 338]) for reserved bookings only. There will be a 'masks mandatory' coach and the MNR encourage all passengers to remain wearing masks at its stations and on trains. Passenger trains are not currently stopping at intermediate stations.
News: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/heritage-railways-join-forces-for-nationwide-campaign/.
Railfuture East Anglia Branch News Snippets 340 - 31/07/2021
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