The Anonymous Widower

East-West Rail: Oxford And Bedford

This map from East West Rail shows the route between Oxford and Bedford.

Note.

  1. The proposed route is shown in blue.
  2. The possible Southern extension to Aylesbury is shown dotted.
  3. The route between Bicester and Bletchley is rebuilt track along a former alignment.
  4. The route between Bletchley and Bedford will surely be rebuilt track along the Marston Vale Line.
  5. The Bicester and Bedford sections of track will be joined by the Bletchley Flyover, which is well on the way to completion.

This Google Map shows Bletchley station.

Note.

  1. Bletchley Station has six platforms.
  2. The double-track Bletchley Flyover runs North-South at the Eastern side of the station.
  3. There are the beginnings of two platforms on the flyover, which will increase the number of platforms at Bletchley station to eight.
  4. There is a junction at the Northern end of the flyover, where one pair of tracks go North to Milton Keynes Central and the other takes the Marston Vale Line to Bedford.

The track-layout at Bletchley station allows trains between Oxford and Bedford and Oxford and Milton Keynes Central to call at Bletchley station.

Proposed Passenger Trains Between Oxford and Bedford

According to the Wikipedia entry for the East West Railway, these service will run on the railway between Oxford and Bedford.

  • East West Railway – Oxford and Milton Keynes Central via Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley – 2 tph
  • East West Railway – Oxford and Bedford via Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands and Ridgmont – 1 tph
  • East West Railway – Aylesbury and Milton Keynes Central via Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Winslow and Bletchley – 1 tph
  • West Midlands Trains – Bletchley and Bedford via Fenny Stratford, Bow Brickhill, Woburn Sands, Aspley Guise, Ridgmont, Lidlington, Millbrook, Stewartby, Kempston Hardwick and Bedford St Johns – 1 tph

Note.

  1. tph is trains per hour.
  2. All larger stations get at least a half-hourly service.
  3. There are three tph  between Oxford and Bletchley via Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village and Winslow.
  4. There a fast train and a stopping train between Bletchley and Bedford.
  5. It is still undecided, whether provision will be made for the Aylesbury service.

I think that this service pattern is achievable, with or without the Aylesbury service.

 

 

May 26, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 2 Comments

East-West Rail: Route For £5bn Bedford To Cambridge Link Announced

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

The preferred route of part of £5bn railway line connecting Oxford and Cambridge has been announced.

The first two paragraphs summarise the route.

The East-West Rail (EWR) project confirmed details of the section between Bedford and Cambridge.

It will include new stations at Tempsford and Cambourne, and enter Cambridge via the south of the city.

This map from East West Rail shows the route.

Note.

  1. The proposed route is shown in blue.
  2. The possible Southern extension to Aylesbury is shown dotted.
  3. The Wikipedia entry for East West Rail has conflicting information, as to when trains can run between  Bicester and Bedford.

These related posts describe and discuss various parts and issues of the route.

East-West Rail: Oxford And Bedford

East-West Rail: Through Bedford

May 26, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Peckham Rye Station – 26th May 2023

The roof of the station now appears to be complete.

This article on Ian Visits, describes the use of real gold in the work.

May 26, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

SSEN Transmission Signs Debut £750m Sustainability-Linked Facility

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from SSE.

This is the sub-heading.

SSEN Transmission has signed its first ever sustainability-linked Revolving Credit Facility (RCF), further reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainability in line with its Sustainability Action Plan.

This is the first paragraph.

The facility has been upgraded to include four key performance indicators, which have been designed to align with SSEN Transmission’s commitment to sustainability, and each indicator will be assessed annually during the term of the loan, thus bringing greater alignment between SSEN Transmission’s sustainability and financing strategies.

It seems to be that SSEN Transmission are benefitting from some innovative financing.

As someone, who benefited from innovative financing from a bank manager in the past, I’m all for more of this, if it helps development of our renewables.

May 26, 2023 Posted by | Energy, Finance | , , , , | Leave a comment