High Speed Two Publish Rural Footbridge Design
High Speed Two have published their rural footbridge design on this page of their web site.
This image from High Speed Two shows an artist’s impression of the bridge.
This is High Speed Two’s own thoughts on the design.
Made of weathering steel, the sides of the lightweight bridges will lean outwards to maximise views of the sky and improve the experience of people crossing the railway.
Weathering steel – which ages naturally to a russet brown colour – was chosen to help match the tone of the surrounding countryside, while the plates that form the structure of the bridges will be angled to appear narrower and lighter.
To emphasise the sense of lightness, each span will be slightly higher in the middle so that they appear to leap over the railway. Most of the bridges will consist of just one 42m span, with extra spans added where necessary to create bridges of up to 102m long.
The design of the bridge would appear to be a good compromise between accessibility, cost, ease of construction and installation and practicality.
The article also covers other topics.
Step-Free
This paragraph explains how the bridges will be step-free.
In order to improve efficiency of manufacturing and assembly, all the bridges will have the same basic form, with the approach paths built into the earthworks on either side of the bridge. This also means that all the footbridges will effectively be step-free.
I can see bridges of this type being built at other rural locations.
A Single-Platform Station
These images show James Cook station in Middlesbrough.
High Speed Two’s rural bridge design could be used as part of a design for a step-free station on a rural line.
Bridleways
The footbridge can be used for a bridge on a bridleway.
Designed with guidance from the British Horse Society, the bridges which carry bridleways will follow the same basic pattern, with a recycled, non-slip rubber deck and the structure acting like a baffle to stop horses being distracted by passing trains.
Footbridges will be 2.5m wide, while bridleways will be 3.5m wide to allow two horses to pass comfortably and safely.
It should be remembered, that horses are flight animals and if they are startled they run, so if say a train went under the bridge, when they were on top, they would most likely go forward and cross the bridge quickly.
I would happily have ridden my stallion; Vague Shot over a bridge like this.
I also think, the design of the bridge in the landscape should allow riders to approach to a safe distance from the bridge and perhaps watch a train or two go through.
Other Animals
I can see other animals like badgers, foxes and hares using a bridge like this.
I also think, that on classic railways, bridges like these could be used to allow farmers to move sheep or possibly cattle over a railway, with some simple design changes.
Conclusion
This bridge has more applications, than the initial one, for which it was designed.
A First Trip To Barking Riverside Station
I took a first trip to Barking Riverside station this morning and took these pictures.
I have a few thoughts and observations.
Birth Of A Station
Thanet Parkway station is under construction and should be opened in May next year.
Work is progressing as this Google Map shows.
Note.
- The A299 goes across the top of the map.
- The Ashford – Canterbury – Ramsgate Line runs diagonally from South-West to North-East across the map.
- Ashford and Canterbury are to the South-West.
- Ramsgate is to the North-East.
The new Thanet Parkway station appears to be being built on the triangular site between the A299 and the railway.
- There appear to be two entrances/exits to the station from the A299.
- The pedestrian bridge over the railway is under construction.
- The roads and walkways around the station are being laid.
This video gives more details of the station.
Parking At Thanet Parkway
According to the video, there are nearly three hundred parking spaces, with a number of disabled spaces and spaces with charging for electric cars.
Is that going to be enough spaces?
But at least, there may be fields around the station, that could be used to provide additional parking.
Richborough Energy Park
This Google Map shows the area around the station and to the South towards Richborough.
Note.
- The under-construction Thanet Parkway station is in the North-East corner of this map to the West of the village of Cliffsend.
- The dual-carriageway of the A256 runs North-South down the map to a roundabout.
- To the West of the roundabout is Richborough Energy Park.
This Google Map shows the are round the energy park and the roundabout in more detail.
Note.
- The Richborough substation in the South-West corner of the map.
- The Richborough Energy Park sits to the East of the substation.
- The solar panels to the North of the roundabout are the 4.9 MW Ebbsfleet Solar Farm, which is part of Richborough Energy Park.
Richborough Energy Park is an ongoing project.
The national grid interconnector from the original power station is still in place, and is now the grid link for the 300 MW offshore Thanet Wind Farm.
It is the terminal for the NemoLink interconnector to Belgium.
Wikipedia says this about future plans.
The current owner of the site, BFL Management Ltd, plan to bring the site back into use as a £750 million green energy park. There are additional plans to create additional recycling and green energy facilities on site, including an anaerobic digester, a waste processing plant, a biomass combined heat and power generator, a pyrolysis plant and a peak demand 30MW diesel generator. When fully operational, the park could provide up to 1,400MW of power, employing 100 full-time equivalent, with up to 500 jobs in the construction phase.
I am surprised, that there is no mention of batteries or energy storage.
This press release from Network Rail is entitled Charge While You Travel With New Electric Vehicle Charging Points At Network Rail Stations.
This the body of the press release
Rail passengers with electric vehicles will be able to charge while they travel thanks to the introduction of 450 new electric vehicle charging points at Network Rail-managed car parks at railway stations.
The charging points, powered by guaranteed renewable energy, provide enough power to fully charge a vehicle in as little as 3-4 hours.
In this phase, Network Rail has powered: 160 charging points in Reading, 111 in Manchester, 84 in Edinburgh, 56 at Leeds and 41 in Welwyn Garden City.
Electric vehicle charging points will be installed across 10% of car parking spaces (approximately 779 spaces) at car parks managed by Network Rail by March 2024.
Rail is already the leading form of green public transport and this marks another milestone in Network Rail’s commitment to a low-emission railway – making sure rail is environmentally-friendly, resilient to climate change and able to provide an excellent service for years to come.
The new Compleo charging points are marked with green parking bays and passengers can pay for what they need quickly and easily via the APCOA Connect app.
Note, that there is no mention, if these are vehicle-to grid (V2G) chargers.
In Airport Plans World’s Biggest Car Parks For 50,000 Cars, I stated my belief that car parks, with hundreds or even thousands of vehicles could be turned into giant grid batteries.
- All electric vehicles, when they are parked would be plugged in to V2G chargers.
- The vehicle and the grid, would know your expected return time and how much power you would need. Probably from a parking app, assisted by AI!
- If the grid borrowed your electricity, whilst you were away, you wouldn’t know, until you received the payment for the loan.
- If your car runs on hydrogen, the parking could also handle the battery, that all hydrogen-powered vehicles have.
Thanet Parkway station would be an ideal station for such a parking system for electric vehicles.
Five New Derbyshire Stations Could Be Built Under Rail Plans
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These paragraphs outline the schemes.
Up to five new railway stations could be built in Derbyshire as two projects to reopen existing lines to passengers have progressed in a government scheme.
The Barrow Hill line from Chesterfield to Sheffield could be opened to passengers as part of the government’s £500m Restoring Your Railway programme.
It would see stations built at Whittington, Barrow Hill, Eckington/Renishaw and Killamarsh.
It will now go through to the next stage of the scheme.
In addition, Derbyshire County Council said proposals to reopen the Ivanhoe line from Burton-upon-Trent to Leicester were being progressed as part of the project, which would see a new station built at Castle Gresley.
Business cases will now been drawn up to see if the cases will proceed.
Barrow Hill Line
I wrote about the Barrow Hill Line in Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield.
Ivanhoe Line
I wrote about the Ivanhoe Line in Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line.
There also is a Wikipedia entry for Gresley station, where this is said.
In the 1990s BR planned to restore passenger services between Leicester and Burton as the second phase of its Ivanhoe Line project. However, after the privatisation of British Rail in 1995 this phase of the project was discontinued. In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies published a £49 million proposal to restore passenger services to the line that would include reopening a station at Gresley to serve the town of Swadlincote.
This map shows the possible position of the station.
I suspect it would be to the West of the roundabout.
Northumberland Line On Track As Approval Granted
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first three paragraphs.
A new rail line in Northumberland – including six new stations – is on track after getting ministers’ support.
The aim is to open the stations and upgrade track between Newcastle and Ashington by December 2023.
Following an inquiry, the government has granted a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) authorising the closure of level crossings and purchase of land.
Northumberland Council said it was a “key milestone”.
These two paragraphs describe the project.
Construction work on the line is due to start this summer.
It is planned to run a half-hourly passenger service along the 18-mile line, stopping at Bedlington, Blyth, Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval and Northumberland Park Metro station.
We need more rail reopening like this to level-up the country.
List Of 34 New Train Stations And Wish List Schemes Leading The UK Railway Upgrade
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Business Live.
On the list are.
- Liverpool Baltic – In Planning
- Headbolt Lane – Under Construction
- Cheadle – In Planning
- Ashington – In Planning
- Bedlington – In Planning
- Blyth Bebside – In Planning
- Newsham – In Planning
- Seaton Delaval – In Planning
- Northumberland Park – In Planning
- Aldridge – In Planning
- Darlaston – In Planning
- Willenhall – In Planning
- Hazelwell – In Planning
- Kings Heath – In Planning
- Moseley – Under Construction
- Birmingham Moor Street – Upgrade
- Birmingham Snow Hill – Upgrade
- University of Birmingham – Upgrade
- Cardiff Parkway – In Planning
- Deeside Parkway – In Planning
- Edginswell – In Planning
- Portway Park and Ride – Under Construction
- Winslow – Under Construction
- Bletchley – Upgrade
This is a fairly comprehensive list.
Penge East Station – 11th March 2022
When I wrote Advance Warning Of Brixton To Beckenham Junction Rail Closure In July, I realised I’d never been to Sydenham Hill station.
So when I visited Sydenham Hill station this morning, I decided to take the train through Penge Tunnel to take some pictures of Penge East station.
Note.
- The station is a Grade II Listed Building.
- It has been well-painted since I last visited.
- It would be very difficult to make the existing bridge step-free.
I think this station could be difficult to incorporate into a Penge Interchange station.
But it would be a shorter walk along the platforms to a lift and stairs to the high level platforms, than the current one to Penge West station.
The New Winslow Station Site
This Google Map shows the site of the new Winslow station, on the East West Railway.
Note.
- The line from north of Wolvercote Tunnel (just north of Oxford) through Bicester to Bletchley would be enabled for 100 mph (160 km/h) double-track running.
- There will be two platforms at Winslow station.
- The station is planned to open in 2024.
Services at the station are likely to be.
- Two tph – Oxford and Milton Keynes via Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley
- One tph – Oxford and Bedford via Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands and Ridgmont
Note.
- tph is trains per hour.
- It appears the current Bedford and Bletchley service will continue.
It looks like the one tph service between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes via Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Winslow, Bletchley has been deferred indefinitely.
Consider.
- Building a single track railway between Aylesbury Vale Parkway station and Claydon Junction on the East West Railway can’t be that challenging or expensive.
- A single track railway should be able to handle the required train service of up to two tph at Aylesbury Vale Parkway station and occasional freight trains.
It doesn’t look too difficult or costly. So why? The only valid reason I can think of is that High Speed Two doesn’t want it for some reason.
Work Begins On Bristol’s First Railway Station Since 1927
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Construction work has begun on Bristol’s first new railway station in 95 years.
Portway Park & Ride will open in the Summer, linking Shirehampton with the Severn Beach railway line.
It is planned to open this Summer.
I first wrote about Portway Parkway station in DfT Names Five Winners Of Fresh £16m Stations Fund in 2017, when the stations names were as follows.
- Horden Peterlee in County Durham
- Warrington West in Cheshire
- Reading Green Park
- Bow Street in Ceredigion, Wales
- Portway Parkway near Bristol
Note.
- Portway Parkway is the last station to start construction.
- Reading Green Park station is still under construction and should open this year.
- Bow Street station opened in February 2021.
- Horden station opened in June 2020. I wrote about station after a visit, in Horden Station – 28th October 2020.
- Warrington West station opened in December 2019. I wrote about the station after a visit in January 2020, in The New Warrington West Station.
Given the pandemic, the construction hasn’t gone too badly.
Following The Barking Riverside Extension – 20th January 2022
I took this route at Barking Riverside.
- Took a train from from Barking station to Dagenham Dock station.
- Took an EL3 bus to Stern Close.
- Walked to Barking Riverside station.
- Took an EL1 bus to Ilford station.
These are the pictures I took.
It seems to be substantially finished and an Autumn 2022 opening should be possible.
The Anonymous Widower 