Network rail have issued an update today on the progress of their work in preparation for electrification of rail network through Bath.
The update is reproduced below.
We had a busy week with several key guests visiting our sites to see the progress of the work which is progressing well to hand back the line on time at 05:15 am on Tuesday, 1 September.
Guests on site
We had the privilege of hosting the visit of Claire Perry, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport (pictured below with Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s West of England project director) this Wednesday at our track lowering sites. Our project team showed her the work completed at Box Tunnel and the current works at Sydney Gardens. She was very impressed with the scale of the programme, the amount of planning and our progress over the last five weeks.
On the same day we hosted the One Show who came along for a second day to film a piece on Box Tunnel, its history and the challenges of track lowering. Also in attendance was the great Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s great-great-grandson visiting the tunnel for the very first time. The piece will be aired early in September. Please keep an eye on our Twitter account, @networkrailgwrm, where we will let you know the date as soon as it is confirmed.
Work's progress
We're happy to report that the track lowering work at Box Tunnel is finished, with just some snagging work to complete by the weekend. We will be starting tamping on the up road at Middle Hill Tunnel tonight, to finish work on this site this weekend as well.
We have finished stressing and tamping yesterday at Bathampton Junction. We will carry out signal testing work over the next few days to confirm that all systems communicate properly in order to open the line as planned on Tuesday morning.
We started track lowering work at Sydney Gardens this Monday and work is progressing well. It is of course the jewel in the crown of Brunel’s railway and as part of a World Heritage Site, it deserves a lot of care and attention to be given to it as we undertake such a large piece of work. Those of you who have been able to go to the gardens and view the work will appreciate just how constrained a site this is, with lots of men and big pieces of kit required, all contained between the high retaining wall, the low balustrade wall and 4 listed bridges!
We are monitoring the high retaining wall to ensure that our works do not disturb it or to notify us should anything untoward happen. We are very pleased to report that as we type, no movement has been detected.
The core works are due to finish early Saturday morning but of course the fencing will remain up for a couple of days more and you will continue to see activity, as we complete all the necessary testing we have to do prior to handing the line back to First Great Western.
The last few days of a project are always the most critical and Sydney Gardens is a fairly complex site, but we are confident that we will finish on time and re-open the line as planned on Tuesday, 1 September.
Showing posts with label Network Rail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Network Rail. Show all posts
Friday, 28 August 2015
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Rail updates
Network Rail have issued an update on 21st August on the progress that they are making with the track upgrades in The Bath area.
Please see below the update issued.
Progress at Box Tunnel and Bathampton Junction
We’ve completed the lowering and installation of the new track inside Box Tunnel on the up main line and we’re on track to finish tamping and stressing work this weekend.
We will start lowering the track on the up main line from Box Tunnel to west of Middle Hill Tunnel as well this weekend. This work is due to finish at the end of next week, but more updates on this in our next newsletter. Work at Bathampton Junction is progressing well and we’re on schedule to finish welding and stressing next Wednesday.
Sydney Gardens – work starts today
The final stage of work starts today in Sydney Gardens. For the next three days we will be working from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm on the drainage. On Monday morning we will be starting the track lower. Please remember we will be working around the clock until Saturday, 29 August.
We will be holding a drop in session in Sydney Gardens next Tuesday, 25 August from 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm. Look for the orange tent (pictured below) between the railway and the Holburne
Museum. Our team will be happy to answer any of your questions.
The bus replacement service - First Great Western
The intensive rail replacement operation has settled down to operate smoothly bringing commuters and visitors to and from Bath.
The highly visible bus coordinators and customer service staff brought in to look after the bus operation and the customers have added a welcoming, helpful and informative personal touch.
Confidence and knowledge has grown and the customer service staff in Bath have become adept at helping customers with train and bus information, but also act as information sources for local buses and mini tourist guides to the thousands of tourists enjoying a visit to Bath.
Traffic congestion in Bath remains a challenge, but some mitigations developed in association with BANES City Council, such as an extended bus lane on London Road, phasing of traffic lights at a key junction and re-locating some standby vehicles have helped minimising delays in the evening peak.
Coordinators and customer service staff at Chippenham, Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury and Frome continue to offer excellent support at these key bus/rail or bus/bus interchange locations.
Please see below the update issued.
Progress at Box Tunnel and Bathampton Junction
We’ve completed the lowering and installation of the new track inside Box Tunnel on the up main line and we’re on track to finish tamping and stressing work this weekend.
We will start lowering the track on the up main line from Box Tunnel to west of Middle Hill Tunnel as well this weekend. This work is due to finish at the end of next week, but more updates on this in our next newsletter. Work at Bathampton Junction is progressing well and we’re on schedule to finish welding and stressing next Wednesday.
Sydney Gardens – work starts today
The final stage of work starts today in Sydney Gardens. For the next three days we will be working from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm on the drainage. On Monday morning we will be starting the track lower. Please remember we will be working around the clock until Saturday, 29 August.
We will be holding a drop in session in Sydney Gardens next Tuesday, 25 August from 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm. Look for the orange tent (pictured below) between the railway and the Holburne
Museum. Our team will be happy to answer any of your questions.
The bus replacement service - First Great Western
The intensive rail replacement operation has settled down to operate smoothly bringing commuters and visitors to and from Bath.
The highly visible bus coordinators and customer service staff brought in to look after the bus operation and the customers have added a welcoming, helpful and informative personal touch.
Confidence and knowledge has grown and the customer service staff in Bath have become adept at helping customers with train and bus information, but also act as information sources for local buses and mini tourist guides to the thousands of tourists enjoying a visit to Bath.
Traffic congestion in Bath remains a challenge, but some mitigations developed in association with BANES City Council, such as an extended bus lane on London Road, phasing of traffic lights at a key junction and re-locating some standby vehicles have helped minimising delays in the evening peak.
Coordinators and customer service staff at Chippenham, Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury and Frome continue to offer excellent support at these key bus/rail or bus/bus interchange locations.
Friday, 14 August 2015
Electrification of rail Network
Network Rail have been carrying out improvements to the rail tracks in preparation for electrification works.
Below is a statement issued by Network rail on the work that they are doing.
We’re almost at the end of the fourth week of our project to prepare the Bath railway line for electrification, with one piece of work completed at Dundas and the other sites progressing well.
Dundas Aqueduct - track work completed on time
We have successfully completed the track work at this location last weekend, with approximately one mile of track lowered in one week. This wasn't a project without challenges, as due to the high temperatures recorded last weekend, we had to re-schedule a piece of stressing work on the up main line for next Wednesday, 19 August. There will also be some follow up work in the area during the second half of next week, as originally planned.
The track lower work at Dundas will allow the line to be used as a diversionary route for freight trains in the future. It also means that we now have the right capacity for the DMUs (diesel shuttle trains) that will be cascaded from the Thames Valley area once the electrification project is complete, which will give an increased passenger capacity on the valley line for local commuters.
If you’d like to see the scale of the project and the level of the work involved, but also the beautiful scenery at Dundas, please watch the stunning time-lapse video below. We hope you’ll enjoy it.
Network Rail Video
Box Tunnel and Bathampton Junction - work progress
The track lowering work in Box Tunnel is progressing well and we are on schedule. Our team is currently working on the up main line coming from the Corsham end of the tunnel, relaying the ballast and the new tracks.
It has been a challenging week for our team working at Bathampton Junction. On Monday night we had more spoil to remove than expected. However, our national supply chain came up trumps and sent in an additional train at very short notice. This has had a slight impact on the programme but nothing to worry about. Our planning team has worked hard to reduce the impact.
The rail replacement service – First Great Western
The rail replacement service is running very well, with many peak morning services arriving early. First Great Western is in constant contact with the council to identify and resolve any issues as they arise. Bath is very much open for business throughout the rest of the work.
Below is a statement issued by Network rail on the work that they are doing.
We’re almost at the end of the fourth week of our project to prepare the Bath railway line for electrification, with one piece of work completed at Dundas and the other sites progressing well.
Dundas Aqueduct - track work completed on time
We have successfully completed the track work at this location last weekend, with approximately one mile of track lowered in one week. This wasn't a project without challenges, as due to the high temperatures recorded last weekend, we had to re-schedule a piece of stressing work on the up main line for next Wednesday, 19 August. There will also be some follow up work in the area during the second half of next week, as originally planned.
The track lower work at Dundas will allow the line to be used as a diversionary route for freight trains in the future. It also means that we now have the right capacity for the DMUs (diesel shuttle trains) that will be cascaded from the Thames Valley area once the electrification project is complete, which will give an increased passenger capacity on the valley line for local commuters.
If you’d like to see the scale of the project and the level of the work involved, but also the beautiful scenery at Dundas, please watch the stunning time-lapse video below. We hope you’ll enjoy it.
Network Rail Video
Box Tunnel and Bathampton Junction - work progress
The track lowering work in Box Tunnel is progressing well and we are on schedule. Our team is currently working on the up main line coming from the Corsham end of the tunnel, relaying the ballast and the new tracks.
It has been a challenging week for our team working at Bathampton Junction. On Monday night we had more spoil to remove than expected. However, our national supply chain came up trumps and sent in an additional train at very short notice. This has had a slight impact on the programme but nothing to worry about. Our planning team has worked hard to reduce the impact.
The rail replacement service is running very well, with many peak morning services arriving early. First Great Western is in constant contact with the council to identify and resolve any issues as they arise. Bath is very much open for business throughout the rest of the work.
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