21.09.17
Pushing forward with East West Rail plans
Source: RTM Aug/Sep 17
Andy Free, head of engineering assurance at East West Rail (EWR) Alliance, discusses the recent round two public consultation on the plans for the EWR Western Section Phase 2 project.
Just before RTM went to press, the latest public consultation for the EWR Western Section Phase 2 project had concluded. Approximately 500 formal responses were received by the team, down from the previous round where 1,200 had been submitted. And, overall, the general feedback for the plans has been positive.
From here, the EWR Alliance team will be replying to all those who sent in responses and including feedback into the final stage before submitting the TWA order around Easter next year.
“This work includes making sure the designs we have got have taken account of consultation feedback, where we can, and that our environmental impact assessment has taken account of feedback and included the relevant information in the environmental statement, which we need to complete by February,” said Andy Free, head of engineering assurance at EWR Alliance.
“The most contentious area is around what we are planning to do with level crossings on the Bedford to Bletchley Line, and the impact of noise and vibration. They are the two common themes. The issue is more about the level crossings we are not planning to close, so it is about the impact of our increased barrier down time on the highway network.”
Electrification scrapped
One controversial change to the plans, at the request of the DfT, has been the removal of electrification from the project’s scope on the Western Section between Oxford and Bedford. Asked what this means to the project, Free said: “Being candid, and on the face of it, not a lot. But actually, that was one of the big drivers behind our slippage to date for submitting our TWA application, because we had done the initial modelling for the environmental impact assessment based on some of the trains being electric and we have had to redo all of that modelling to provide an accurate model once the railway is an all-diesel railway.
“It wasn’t as simple as just don’t bother putting the electrification up – how much is the saving please? At this stage, it has cost money to do that, remove the electrification, to redo significant parts of the environmental impact assessment.
“It is very unlikely that electrification will come back into the scheme. The steer from the DfT is that wherever we are building a new structure it needs to be clear and suitable for electrification and we must do nothing that hinders future electrification, but it is not on the short- or medium-term horizon.”
Phase 2 of the Western Section is being delivered by the EWR Alliance, which comprises VolkerRail, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and Network Rail, the team who worked on Staffordshire Alliance.
“We are submitting the TWA order in spring next year. That will include a programme which assumes we can’t start any work until the order is made 18 months after the application,” said Free, adding that this gives the team an opening date towards the end of CP6.
In order to overcome this, and get the team on site earlier, the EWR Alliance will also be submitting a number of local planning applications to construct new overbridges at the same time as the TWA.
During the Phase 2 project, the team will also be upgrading and reinstating the Bicester-Bletchley-Bedford and Aylesbury-Claydon junction railway lines. There will also be a new station at Winslow, new platforms at Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bletchley stations, and platform extensions at Woburn Sands, Ridgmont and Princess Risborough.
“The work is about what we can do to refurbish and substantially rebuild the railway, as it is, into a condition akin to a mainline railway for the next 60+ years,” said Free. “That means that any structures which are significantly deficient we are planning to replace or repair; we have quite a lot of earthworks repairs to do – especially between Claydon and Bletchley, where the earthworks and drainage have not been maintained since the route last saw a train 24 years ago.
“We are also changing from a single track to a double track, upgrading from the historic speeds which were quite low to 100mph mainline railway standards. There is new track, new signalling systems, signalling power supplies, telecoms, etc. What Phase 2 will look like is very similar to EWR phase 1.
Unusually, EWR also has innovation workstream as part of the project. This is looking at trying to use a project of this scale to leverage benefits – some of which might only just break even for EWR, but could potentially save the industry money going forward. The team is currently looking at a number of innovations around lateral restraining plates on sleepers and noise mitigation barriers. It is hoped that developments in these areas could even bring the scheme’s £1bn price tag down further.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
W: www.ewrconsultation.co.uk