Rail Live 2016 Highlights Part 1

Rail Live is an outdoor show held every 2 years which brings together companies from the whole rail industry, the 2 day event allows companies to show and demonstrate the products which they have to offer.

Over the course of the 2 days there were various live demonstrations of rail products from hand tools such as grinders to demonstrations of rail vehicles such as Railcare's RailVac system. 

As well as demonstrations, a number of seminars and presentations were held by Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and a number of leading rail companies.

HS2

HS2 was an obvious hot topic, with the construction phase getting ever closer. Alstom which hopes to secure Tier 1 contracts for signalling and systems, also is interested in bidding for the contract to supply rolling stock.

Alex Burrows Marketing & Strategy Director at Alstom UK gave a presentation which showed what Alstom had to offer, from rolling stock and systems to rolling stock maintenance and logistics.

Alstom is already a big player in the UK employing 2500 people over 20 sites. The company is probably most famous in the UK for the tilting Pendolino which has been speeding passengers up and down the WCML since 2001. People may not be aware however that a 3rd of all passengers daily are carried on trains built or developed by Alstom.

For HS2 Alstom has been developing a double deck High Speed train which the company claims could carry 40% more passengers than a standard single deck train.

Marketing & Strategy Director Alex Burrows discussing Alstom technology at Rail Live.

Maintenance innovation

With a record 1.7bn passengers carried on the UK's rail network last year, maintaining the network whilst reducing closures is imperative. In order to help maintain the 20,000 miles of track, Network Rail have invested in 8 state of the art Mobile Maintenance Trains or MMTs.

The 3 car trains built by Robel in Germany are operated by Colas Rail under a 3 year deal. The trains are kept at various locations around the country and mobilised to carry out repairs, renewals and upgrades,

Each of the mobile workshops consists of 3 carriages, the first contains welfare facilities for the engineers, the second contains tools and underneath the floor there is space for 6, 45ft rails. The third unit houses the workshop area which provides access to sections of rail to be repaired or upgraded, 

The 3rd carriage has no floor, instead clear access is provided for engineers to work on the rails below. The walls either side can be retracted to increase the amount of work space available, The system means that engineers will be able to work safely on sections of the railway in relative comfort. 

A gantry which spans between carriages 2 and 3 allows 2 2 tonne cranes to lift rail and equipment and transfer them between the storage area in carriage 2 and the workshop area. The workshop also contains power and air hoses in order to provide power for tools and lighting. 

It is expect that the new train will save Network Rail around £1m a year by reducing down time and increasing productivity.

The open floor workshop area of carriage 3 

 The hatch pictured can hold up to 6 45ft rails.  

Looking down the length of the train past the storage and welfare facilities in carriage 1

Much more to come in part 2

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A556 Knutsford to Bowdon - June 2016 update

It has been over a year since I started following the project to construct a new dual carriageway to replace the existing A556 alignment which connects the M56 at Bowdon to the M6 at Knutsford. In that time it has been fascinating to watch the project develop, now in June 2016 some tangible signs of the new road are beginning to take shape. 

Looking North from the A50 it is possible too see the first signs of the new road surface being constructed. On the day of my visit the site which sits on the A50 was a hive of activity, with articulated tipper trucks delivering thousands of tonnes of stone to create the base course.

Looking south from the A50 the main bridge structure which will eventually carry the A50 over the new A556 alignment is complete. With the bridge deck complete work has now shifted to building up earth on either side of the bridge in order to create an approach for the new A50 alignment. 

 

Looking between the bridge piers it is possible to see that work has also begun to construct the base layer to the south of the A50.

At junction 19 of the M6 work has reached the stage where construction can begin on the interface between the existing junction 19 and the new A556 alignment. 

Old Hall lane has now been closed permanently and a new underpass has been constructed, however this will only allow access for pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. 

In the picture below it is possible to see the bridge that will provide the southbound entry/exit toward the M6 from the existing A556 alignment onto the new road. In distance the other bridge in the picture will provide local access over Bentley Hurst Lane.

At the Millington Lane site the bridge which will carry the lane over the A556 has been constructed and work can now focus on building the new lane alignment. Once the new lane alignment has been constructed work can move on to excavating the existing lane to bring the level down to that of the new A556 alignment. 

At the M56 end of the project some initial road surfacing is already taking place, with asphalt already having been laid on some stretches of the new road. 

Work to prepare the interface between the new road and the existing A556 is still underway with significant works already undertaken on the existing road. 

With another year to go until the completion of the project it is clear that there is still a great deal to do, however with ground works commencing well and key elements already complete there is no reason why the road shouldn't open on time in early 2017.


For more information about the project click here

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Mersey Gateway - Making connections (Revisited)

Back in August 2015 I reported on the project underway to upgrade the existing road connections that will eventually connect the M56 and A562 Speke Rd to the new bridge. At the time the sites in Runcorn and Widnes were just being prepared for work to commence. Now however a great deal have been achieved since then and some elements of the project are gearing up for completion.

The map shows the new route traffic will take from the M56 to Liverpool.

In Widnes work to connect the A562 to the new bridge reached a crucial stage, in March (2016) the link which connects the current Jubilee bridge to the A533 was permanently closed. This closure was to allow engineers to begin demolition of the existing flyover which crossed Ditton Junction. Now work is underway to construct a new flyover which will take traffic over Ditton Junction and onto the new approach viaduct leading to the new bridge.

The images below show some of the progress which has been made to build a new road which will connect the A562 with the new bridge. To the right of the image a new junction will be constructed which will take traffic from the A557 Queensway onto the new connecting road.

To the left of the image the connecting road will join the the A562 Speak Road, in addition Ditton Junction will be remodelled, with the exiting roundabout converted into a flat traffic light junction with the a new flyover which will provide a free flow link between the A5562 and the new bridge.

The new flyover will be opened only when the new bridge is finished, therefore traffic will continue to be diverted from the Jubilee Bridge and on to the Ditton Junction roundabout until Autumn next year when the project is due for completion.  

The image below shows the remnants of the old Ditton Flyover still being crushed

In Runcorn the travelling public will soon benefit from the completion of a major aspect of the project. Work has been underway for the past 11 months to remodel the roundabout which connects the A557 to the M56. This roundabout has been upgraded from a flat roundabout controlled by part timed traffic lights to a 'throughabout' with permanent traffic light control.

The throughabout or 'hamburger roundabout' will allow some traffic to drive through the middle of the roundabout under traffic light control, whilst other traffic navigates the roundabout itself. The new junction with extra approach lanes should vastly increase capacity and cut waiting times without the need to build an expensive grade separated junction.

It should come as relief to many who use the junction frequently that work, at this junction at least should be complete within the next week. 

The images below show the progress on the new throughabout. Road markings have already been painted and large parts of the junction have already had the final road surface applied. 

For more information about the project click here

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Chester's renaissance

When most people picture Chester they usually think of the famous clock, the "Roman" walls or the Tudor/Mock Tudor buildings. It's true to say Chester has a rich past which helps to attract tens of thousands of tourists and it's more laid back feel, combined with leading high street stores attracts many tens of thousands of shoppers each year.

However in Chester's recent past there have been some architectural misses which have spoiled the look and feel of some corners of the city. 

The first purpose built market was constructed in Chester next to the Town Hall in 1826, and as with most buildings had evolved over the decades. However in 1970 what has been described as "civic vandalism of the worst kind"(1) commenced with the demolition of the existing building to make way for the modern brutalist concrete structure we see today.

The rear of the Town hall is now lost in a sea of angular concrete and brick structures which do not fit all all with the hall which opened in 1869 and built in the Gothic Revival style. A Striking photo of the building which once stood next to the Town Hall shows what had been lost.

Fortunately however the days of the existing market hall may be numbered, as the council has now put forward plans to redevelop this corner of the city.  In fact if it were not for the financial crisis of 2008 the market hall would have already given way to a new development which would have included a retail units, apartments, extended hotel and large department store. 

The new proposals which have been developed by Cheshire West and Chester council are smaller in scale to the original plans for a £800m privately financed development. However it will still included key elements of the original proposal and will transform this part of the city. 

The new development will use the land which is currently used as the main city centre bus station, as well as the market and Forum Shopping Centre.

The Cinema in the background of the image is already undergoing a transformation. It was always to be included in the plan, however has sat empty since 2007. The 1930s brick art deco building which is Grade 2 listed will be transformed into a cultural centre.

The existing brick building is being fully restored whist a new modern extension is being constructed that should hopefully compliment the existing structure. The new cultural centre will house a 800-500 seat theatre, library spaces, café and a boutique cinema

In order to facilitate the construction of the new development a new bus station is already being built on the site of former Gorse Stacks car park. The new curved bus station will provide passengers with a fully enclosed waiting area which will be a vast improvement over the collection of inadequate shelters which makes up the current interchange.

Progress on the new bus interchange April 2016

It appears that developers have learned from the past and are now designing buildings that whilst appear modern fit contextually within their surroundings.

We'll be watching the development closely and will provide updates as soon as construction starts.


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Infrarail 2016

On Tuesday I was at the opening day of Infrarail 2016 to see what's new in the world of rail infrastructure.

For those who haven't heard of Infrarail before, it is an exhibition which is held every 2 years which brings together leading railway infrastructure companies from across the world. Attracting upwards of 5000 industry professionals it is the "UK's definitive rail infrastructure event".

One of the first exhibits that caught my eye was that of Aerialtronics who are exhibiting a range of remotely piloted aircraft (or drones). As an engineering photographer and blogger this was bound to catch my attention.

These aircraft are becoming more commonplace and an important tool for inspecting sites. Most people would have seen by now some of the stunning footage Network Rail have published using drones.

Another exhibit of interest was that of the joint venture between Tarmac and Max Bogl. They were exhibiting a slab track system that is aimed squarely at HS2. They envisage that the entire line from London to Birmingham and beyond could be constructed using their slab track system.

I'll be covering this system in more detail in a future blog.

I also had time to catch the latest Crossrail update presented by Director of Operations Howard Smith. With tunnelling complete the emphasis of the project has moved to station fit out, installation of track and systems.

The fit out of the underground stations is now well underway and work has started to improve or build new stations on the western section of the line above ground.

The specialist concreting train that was last used to build the track bed for HS1 is now advancing though the new cross city tunnels. Sections of track under Barbican and Soho are using floating track due to the sensitive nature of the buildings above.

Work on the floating track system has been advancing for some time given the complex nature of the task.

Cossrail is another subject I will be covering in more detail soon.

One of the largest stands at this years event belonged Chinese train manufacturer CRRC Corporation. Rolling stock manufacturers usually exhibit at Railtex which is held on alternate years to Infrarail, however CRRC are clearly keen to enter into the UK market and are pitching high speed trains aimed at HS2 and a conventional EMU model which could also be sold in the UK.

To date CRRC hasn't managed to win any UK rolling stock contracts, however with ongoing electrification and HS2 going ahead there are certainly plenty contracts for them to bid for in the pipeline.

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Ordsall Chord

Work to construct a new chord that will eventually connect Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly began in October 2015 after several years of debate, planning and legal wrangling. In fact the final legal challenge which had the potential to halt the project was not thrown out of court until March this year (2016).

It was hoped that the chord would be open by 2016 but the legal challenge has meant that the £85m project will not now be complete until late 2017.

The denial by the court for the projects main opponent Mark Whitby to appeal an earlier decision to throw out his case means that the project can now proceed at full pace. In late March (2016) an agreement was signed by Amey, Skanska, Bam Nuttall, and Siemens in partnership with Network Rail to deliver the project.

Approval to proceed with the chord constitutes a major step forward in the Northern Hub programme which aims to connect cities across the north with reliable, frequent and fast rail services. By connecting Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly together for the first time new service opportunities will arise and crucially capacity will be released with the ability to run through services from Victoria instead of having services terminate.

The new chord will link the Castlefield Junction line with the Deal Street Junction line, connecting Manchester's three main stations for the first time. The line must cross the A6042 Trinity Way, the River Irwel, Princess Bridge and bisect the line which currently connects the Museum of Science and Industry to the national rail network.

Looking south along Trinity Way toward where the new bridge will be constructed

The line will feature the UK's first Network Arch bridge, which will span the River Irwel and take the line over the Princess Bridge which provides pedestrian and cycle access between Water Street and Trinity Way.

The view from Water St looking toward where the bridge will cross the River Irwel

Since the start of work last year the main sites have now been established and piling is now commencing. A 10 day blockade of Manchester Victoria took place over the Easter period to allow the track between the station and the chord to be aligned along with other associated track works.

Admittedly there isn't currently a great deal to see on the ground other than the work sites and some piling work, but we will return in a few months to check on progress when the structures start to take shape.

The main site located on the junction of Trinity Way and Water St

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Mersey Gateway - March 2016 update

Work to construct the new bridge over the River Mersey is progressing well and all indications are the bridge will open on time in autumn 2017. Since our last update in October 2015, visible signs of the bridge construction have begun to appear, most notably the northern and southern pylons which will support the bridge deck are now slowly rising up from their foundations. 

Image taken on 15th of March shows the progress so far of the 3 pylons.

On the Widnes side of the River, progress is being made on the approach viaducts which will take traffic from the A553 toward the new bridge. So far 2 spans have been poured and are now visible, with the MSS (Moveable Scaffold System) in place ready for the 3rd span to be poured.

Construction of the approach viaduct making steady progress.

Close up of the MSS which was in place to construct the 3rd span.

Work in Widnes to connect the existing road network to the new bridge has reached a crucial stage, as of yesterday night (28 March 2015) the vital link which connects the current Jubilee bridge to the A533 was permanently closed. This important but disruptive closure will allow the engineers to construct a new flyover which will take traffic over Ditton junction and onto the new approach viaduct leading to the new bridge.

The closure of the existing flyover will mean that traffic which currently uses the free flow link from the bridge onto the A533 will be diverted onto Ditton junction itself, which has been remodelled to help ease the congestion that will arise from the closure of the flyover. This closure will now remain in place for the remainder of the construction phase until the opening of the new bridge in autumn 2017.

For more information regarding the closure click here

There will also be a number of weekend closures of the roundabout at junction 12 of the M56, this will allow engineers to safely continue to remodel the roundabout, with the majority of the work on the runabout complete by Summer 2016


For more information about the Mersey Gateway project click here

Image of the north pylon with the form travel at the base, which will eventually be lifted into place to construct the bridge deck

Image of the progress so far with Fiddlers Ferry power station in the background.

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