One Selfish Mercedes Driver Creates A Traffic Jam
It’s 08:30 on a Saturday morning, so what does this selfish Mercedes driver decide to do?
Create a traffic jam, whilst he goes and does his shopping opposite.
I suppose, if the driver had parked directly outside the shop on the other side of the road, they would have been parking at a bis stop in a bus lane, so they might have got a ticket.
Yesterday, outside Waitrose and Sainsbury’s in Islington, another Mercedes driver accelerated over the pedestrian crossing and sped away at a speed of at least sixty.
Why is it, when I see a case of bad driving, parking or using a mobile phone whilst driving, it is very likely to be a privately-owned and driven big Mercedes?
As an aside here, Transport for London are replacing the traffic lights at this junction. During the work, they have installed a set of temporary lights, which are some of the most professional, I’ve ever seen.
In fact they’re so clear and well setup, that walking around the junction has been a lot easier, since the work started.has been a lot easier. Traffic seems to be flowing well too!
I hope when the new lights are installed, that they work at least as well as the temporary lights!
BT Gets Tough With Flying Rats
Flying rats or pigeons to the RSPB, are a problem in Liverpool Street station.
So BT has got tough!
BT Gets Tough With Flying Rats
It would probably help, if everybody dropping littler got sentence to sit on top of the phone-box for an hour.
Lord Sugar’s Tweet On Andy Murray’s Win
You’re Knighted
Come on your majesty @andy_murray for a knighthood. World number one.
I can’t imagine someone else connected with the US version of the show, tweeting that!
Crossrail Lined Up For A Skyscraper
This article from Building Design On Line, is entitled Shedkm’s Crossrail tower in for planning.
This is the first paragraph.
Shedkm-designed plans for a 29-storey residential tower block next to Abbey Wood Station in south-east London have been lodged for approval with the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
So Crossrail will go up and down, as well as East and West.
This scheme will comprise 208 homes and a ninety-bed hotel.
I think we’ll see more of schemes like this, especially to build much needed housing.
Is This The Worst Bottleneck On The UK Rail Network?
This Google Map shows Norwich station and the various rail lines that serve it.
Norwich Station And Approach Lines
All the lines come into the station from the East and they split soon after leaving the station, with lines to Cromer, Lowestoft, Sheringham and Yarmouth taking the Eastern line, with trains to Ipswich and Cambridge taking the Southern line.
Between the two lines, lies Crown Point Traction and Rolling Stock Depot, which looks after much of Greater Anglia‘s rolling stock.
This Google Map shows the bridge at the South West corner of the depot, where the rail line to Ipswich and Cambridge, crosses the River Wensum.
Trowse Bridge
Trowse Bridge is no ordinary bridge.
- It is a single track swing bridge.
- It was built in the 1980s, probably to a low cost design.
- It is electrified by overhead conductor rail, rather than overhead wire.
- It is mandated by an Act of Parliament to open for traffic on the river on demand.
- It is rather unreliable.
It must be a nightmare for both Greater Anglia and Network Rail.
I wonder if this bridge has had effects on projects that are happening in East Anglia.
The New Depot At Brantham
A new depot is being built by Greater Anglia at Brantham, just North of Manningtree station. There are obviously, good reasons for this, but could the access over the Trowse Bridge to Crown Point be a factor.
It would certainly be easier for bi-mode Flirts working Lowestoft-Ipswich and Colchester-Peterborough to be based at Brantham rather than Crown Point. Wikipedia says this.
Scheduled to open in 2018, it will be the home depot for Greater Anglia’s new fleet of Class 745 and Class 755 Stadler Flirts.
Greater Anglia would be a very unusual company, if they didn’t have an efficient plan for the stabling and maintenance of their new trains.
Direct Yarmouth To Lowestoft Trains Via A Reinstated Reedham Chord
There used to be a direct Yarmouth to Lowestoft Line, but now it is possible to use the Wherry Lines, with a reverse at Reedham station.
Network Rail are talking about reinstating the Reedham Chord to create a more direct route between East Anglia’s largest North-Eastern towns. This is said about the Reedham Chord in Direct Yarmouth Services in the Wikipedia entry for Lowestoft station.
In January 2015, a Network Rail study proposed the reintroduction of direct services between Lowestoft and Yarmouth by reinstating a spur at Reedham. Services could once again travel between two East Coast towns, with an estimated journey time of 33 minutes, via a reconstructed 34-chain (680 m) north-to-south arm of the former triangular junction at Reedham, which had been removed in c. 1880. The plans also involve relocating Reedham station nearer the junction, an idea which attracted criticism.
Could one of the reasons for looking at the the reinstatement of the Reedham Chord, be that it would allow diagrams for the trains working the branch lines to the East of Norwich and Ipswich to avoid the Trowse Bridge?
The Design Of The London To Norwich Trains
The current rakes of eight Mark 3 coaches hauled by Class 90 locomotives, that run the service between London to Norwich, only have one pantograph.
So does this mean there are operational problems with the train on the Trowse Bridge, as it does seem that the bridge owes a lot to Mr. Heath Robinson.
A long modern electric multiple unit, like say the Class 345 trains for Crossrail, often has two pantographs. This should be more reliable, if one should fail.
Consider.
- The Class 745 trains, which have been ordered to replace current trains, will be somewhere around two hundred metres long.
- These trains are Stadler Flirts, which in some cases have two pantographs.
- Trowse bridge is less than thirty metres long.
- The other passenger trains that will use bridge, will be bi-mode like the Class 755 trains or diesel.
- On modern trains, pantograph control is automatic and fast.
- Electrification gaps are common on third-rail systems.
Would two pantographs, allow the Class 745 trains to bridge an electrification gap on the bridge.
Suppose, the electrification was removed from the Trowse Bridge!
Would this and other improvements make it possible to simplify the bridge and improve reliability?
|Electric trains could use the following procedure to cross the bridge.
- Trains could approach the bridge with the front pantograph lowered., drawing power from the rear one.
- The train would cross the bridge and when the front pantograph was under the overhead wire on the other side, it would automatically raise and connect, lowering the rear pantograph appropriately.
Bi-mode trains would just use their diesel engines, swapping between modes automatically.
The Replacement Of The Bridge
Eventually, the bridge will have to be replaced, but surely a bridge without electrification would be easier to design and build. It could even be double-track to improve capacity into and out of Norwich.
I suspect that the long-term solution would be a double-track lifting bridge, similar to the Kingsferry Bridge in Kent. This was built in 1960 at a cost of £1.2million, which is £19.3million in today’s money.
When it is completed the Western Gateway Infrastructure Scheme, will incorporate a similar lifting bridge which will carry a road and the Manchester Metrolink over the Manchester Ship Canal.
Both these schemes also incorporate roads, so the Trowse Bridge will be simpler.
I think there could be scope for an engineer or architect to design something special for this crossing.
The Affordable Alternative
It has to be said, that perhaps the most affordable solution would be to build a stylish fixed link, probably with a double-track railway and foot and cycle bridges.
As to the boat users, all boats that need to go under the bridge regularly would be modified so their masts could be lowered at no cost to their owners.
Other bribes could be given to occassional users.
The Power Of Three!
I went to Ipswich for the football yesterday with a friend.
We travelled both ways in one of Greater Anglia’s refurbished rakes of Mark 3 coaches.
My friend doesn’t travel by long distance train that often and remarked both ways, that the ride was exceptionally smooth!
The design of Terry Miller and his team has worn well in the forty years they have been in service.
We might think of railway coaches as rather mundane everyday objects, but this design will outlive us all!
Keep Taking The Medicine
On Sunday, I usually fill up my daily pill-boxes.
I use my old Coaguchek strip containers, which each box having the pills for one day.
Eleven White Boxes
If I find that I can’t get seven sets of pills, like last Sunday, I know it is time to get my boots out and go to Boots for some more.
The great advantage of individual boxes, is that when I go away, I just take an appropriate number of boxes – two more than the nights I’m away.
Counting out the pills has been a lot easier, since my doctor decided that one pill wasn’t needed any more.
So now, I just put 4 mg. of Warfarin (one blue and one brown), a statin, two other drugs and two vitamin pills in for each day.
I check my own INR and have used 4 mg. a day, for a couple of years now and it tends to hover around the 2.5 level, that I need.
I test myself bi-weekly and only if it is below 2.2 or above 2.8, do I take any action.
Usually, I just stick to the 4 mg. and retest the next day. Very often, it has bounced back, as it was probably something I ate or drunk. Or it could be the weather, as the INR can rise in sun or fall, when you get back to miserable weather.
Some doctors may not like that I choose my own level of drug, but setting the level, is just the sort of problem for which I have a B. Eng degree in |Control Engineering from Liverpool University.
Some of the regimes, I’ve had from doctors and their systems, are pretty complicated and I suspect quite a few patients get confused.
Would I Go Back To Las Palmas?
It’s over a week now, since I returned from Las Palmas and I ask myself the inevitable question.
Yes! I certainly would, at this time of year, as the sun has done me good.
Although, I probably wouldn’t go back for a year or so, as there are lots of other islands out there in the Atlantic with sun.
Crossrail 2 ‘Cannot Go Ahead’ Without Four-Tracking Of West Anglia Line
This is the title of an article in Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
MPs for constituencies along the West Anglia line called for the route to be four-tracked in order to accommodate new rolling stock and Crossrail 2 at a Westminster Hall debate yesterday.
I know the West Anglia Main Line very well, as for perhaps fifteen years, I used to travel on it, regularly to get between Cambridge and London.
The Problems Of The West Anglia Main Line
Summarising its shortcomings, I would include.
- Trains are too slow.
- Capacity on the line is too small.
- There are lots of level crossings, which cause problems.
- With the development of the port at London Gateway, there could be pressure to put more freight trains on this line, to go to and from the North.
- Services from London, should be better integrated with Peterborough and Norwich services.
- Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds to Stansted Airport, is not easy by train.
This Infrastructure section in Wikipedia describes the West Anglia Main Line.
The line was initially 5 ft (1,524 mm) gauge, but between 5 September and 7 October 1844 it was converted to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge.
In 2013 the line was double track for most of its length, with small sections of single track on the Stansted branch and at Ware and quadruple track between Hackney Downs and Liverpool Street. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC and has a loading gauge of W8 except for the Stansted branch, which is W6.
The line is very much inferior to the Great Eastern Main Line.
The New Greater Anglia Franchise
The new Greater Anglia Franchise, will go a long way to sorting points 5 and 6, by introducing hourly services on the following routes.
- Norwich to Stansred Airport via Ely, Cambridge North and Cambridge stations.
- Colchester to Peterborough via Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds, and Ely.
With improved services from London to Stansted, this will help sort out a lot of the problems on the line.
But these changes will only put more pressure on capacity on the West Anglia Main Line.
Freight
The West Anglia Main Line doesn’t carry large numbers of freight trains, but there could be pressure to increase freight on the line in the future.
Once the Gospel Oak to Barking Line is electrified, there will be another electrified route from London Gateway to Peteborough.
It might be decided to reinstate the rail line from March to Spalding and the Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line, to take freight away from the East Coast Main Line.
If thiese routes get to be used for freight, it will put extra pressure for more capacity on the West Anglia Main Line.
More Capacity On The West Anglia Main Line
With demand for more capacity on the West Anglia Main Line, I think it is inevitable that the line will be improved.
This Future Developments section in Wikipedia, outlines what might happen.
If Stansted Airport’s expansion is authorised it is planned that the line will see many further changes. Long term proposals include four-tracking between Coppermill Junction and Broxbourne junction; an additional tunnel and platform edge on the Stansted Airport branch; one additional train per hour serving Stansted and up to six further trains per hour at peak times, including four into Stratford as a terminus. More stations, such as Broxbourne, will also have platform extensions to accommodate 12-car trains.
It seems likely that two tracks will be built alongside the line to Cheshunt as part of Crossrail 2. Intermediate stations from Tottenham Hale will transfer to Crossrail 2 releasing capacity on the main line for additional trains
Stansted Airport have certainly been a forceful advocate of four-tracking the West Anglia Main Line.
Four-tracking of the twelve or so miles between Coppermill and Broxbourne Junctions would allow the following.
- The possibility of at least 100 mph running on the fast lines.
- Separation of slow and fast services.
- Stansted and Cambridge Express services, that would be worthy of the name.
- The possibility of more freight trains.
Four-tracking would certainly do the following.
- Get the line ready to connect to Crossrail 2.
- Probably make all stations between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne step-free.
- Add the station at Meridian Water to the line.
- Improve the freight gauge from W8 to W10, where needed.
I suspect that four-tracking will also remove some of the notorious level crossings on the line.
I have this feeling that the four-tracking of this line could be one of those projects, where the existing infrastructure works normally, whilst the new tracks are built alongside.
Fast Services To Stansted, Cambridge And Norwich
South of Broxbourne station, fast services to and from Cambridge, only stop at Cheshunt and Tottenham Hale.
Given that the Flirts, that will be running Cambridge and Stansted services in a few years will be 125 mph trains, would it be worth it to save a few minutes building the new fast lines to allow running at this speed?
But should the four-track section of railway stop at Broxbourne Junction?
Between Broxbourne and Bishops Strtford, the West Anglia Main Line, has wide margins and I think that there are possibilities of extending the four-track section further North, perhaps even to Bishops Stortford station.
As an example, this Google Map shows Roydon station.
Roydon Station
The biggest problem at Roydon is the level crossing, but on a quick look, it would appear that four-tracking would be possible.
From my memories of driving past and going through Bishops Stortford station, I thought this station would be a major problem to four-tracking.
But look at this Google Map of the station.
Bishops Stortford Station
It would appear that space is not the premium I expected.
I think it would be possible to expand the station, to take advantage of two slow and two fast lines South of the station.
Surely, the fast lines, even if a good proportion of trains stopped at the station could accommodate twelve or more trains per hour (tph) to Stansted Airport, Cambridge and the North.
North of Bishops Stortford, all of the trains would be modern trains with the following characteristics.
- The ability to cruise at 100 mph or more.
- The ability to stop and start extremely fast.
So I suspect, that if the current infrastructure was improved, consistent 100 mph running would be possible to Cambridge.
Cambridge could be a problem with all the work going on.
- The expansion of the existing Cambridge station
- The building of the new Cambridge North station
- The reorganisation of services to cope with the new Greater Anglia franchise.
- The arrival of the East West Rail Link in the mid-2020s.
But I suspect Network Rail and Greater Anglia are working together on the solutions, to raise speeds all the way to Ely.
North of Ely, the Breckland Line has a lower speed limit of 75-90 mph, but if it were to be upgraded for 100 mph running, this would mean that the new Norwich to Stansted service via Cambridge using bi-mode Flirt trains, would be considerably faster, than the ten minutes short of two hours now possible with a change at Cambridge.
One thing, that I suspect will happen is that the following services will arrive and leave in a convenient pattern at Cambridge.
- Cambridge to/from Ipswich
- Stansted Airport to/from Norwich
- Cambridge to/from Kings Lynn
- Kings Cross to/from Cambridge
- Liverpool Street to/from Cambridge
- Peterborough to/from Cambridge
- Thameslink to/from Cambridge
Cambridge will become an increasingly busy interchange.
As an example, I think we could see a Norwich to Kings Cross time of under two hours, with a change at Cambridge. Perhaps not ninety minutes, but with an upgraded Breckland Line running 100 mph plus bi-mode Flirts, it wouldn’t be far off.
Coppermill Junction
Four-tracking is proposed to start at Coppermill Junction, just South of Tottenham Hale station.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows Coppermill Junction.
Coppermill Junction
Note.
- The tunnels for Crossrail 2 will emerge to the North-West of this junction.
- Rail access to the Crossrail 2 worksite would be a necessity.
- I talked about plans to reinstate the Coppermill and Hall Farm Curves in Rumours Of Curves In Walthamstow.
- The only inhabitants of the area are probably foxes, great crested newts and other sundry wildlife.
Surely, the creation of an upgraded track layout at Coppermill Junction, that allows Crossrail 2 to be built without disrupting services on the West Anglia Main Line and the Chingford Branch is important.
The reinstated Hall Farm Curve would also allow Chingford Branch services to run to Stratford for Crossrail and alternative Underground services.
The work to this junction, further emphasises that four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line must be done before Crossrail 2 is built.
Crossrail 2
Politics, public relations and good project management all probably say, that when Crossrail 2 gets the go-ahead, four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line, should be done first.
In a related and parallel project, the branch lines in South West London, should also be upgraded as early as possible to bring visible benefits.
- Longer platforms at stations where needed.
- Step-free access at all stations.
- Sorting of level crossings and bottle-necks.
These improvements are needed, even if Crossrail 2 is not built.
If I have a criticism of the current Crossrail and Thameslink projects, it is that they are big-bang projects, where nothing appears to have happened except disruption for years and then it will all come together in a great splurge in 2018-2019.
With Crossrail 2, there is possibly a chance to build the line, so that the benefits come in a steady stream.
An Understated Headline
This article on Business Insider is entitled A rail link between Oxford and Cambridge could help create a massive tech hub in the UK.
Could is not the word I’d use!
This page on the Government web site, contains a summary of the report, on which the article is based.
This is the second paragraph of the report.
The Commission’s central finding is that a lack of sufficient and suitable housing presents a fundamental risk to the success of this area. Without a joined-up plan for housing, jobs and infrastructure across the corridor, it will be left behind its international competitors. By providing the foundations for such a strategy, new east-west transport links present a once in a generation opportunity to secure the area’s future success.
As housing is so important to any development, this is crucial. The interim report makes a series of recommendations. This is the first.
- Government should go ahead with East West Rail’s initial phase, a new link cutting journey times by more than half on the route from Oxford to Bedford and Milton Keynes, ensuring it is delivered before 2024; and it should invest in developing as soon as possible detailed plans for both the next phase of East West Rail (which would complete the link to Cambridge) and for a new Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.
So why is the Government farting about?
I blame the following.
- The route via Bedford, contains lots of great-crested newts, in all the disused brick works.
- The name; East West Rail Link, doesn’t have North in it.
- Oxford doesn’t want a railway, that might encourage more visitors who would interfere with academic life.
- The Sir Humphries of this world went to one of two universities; Oxford or Cambridge. They believe the two academic cities shouldn’t be connected and certainly not via Milton Keynes.
- Addenbrooke’s hospital has objected, as it will bring lots of patients from the route to their world-class facilities.
- It doesn’t go near Islington for the Labour Party or Edinburgh for the SNP.
- Democracy
The Chinese would have built it last week or possibly yesterday, as it calls at Bicester Village!
The Anonymous Widower 