PERMANENT WAY
Double tracking work in the Cotswolds has been completed, allowing more trains to run faster each day and reversing 1970s cuts, reports Kate Ashley.
W
ork on redoubling the line through the Cotswolds has now fi nished,
with the project’s backers hosting an open- ing ceremony which took place on August 22. The project has taken two years and £67m to complete, with the 16 miles be- tween Moreton-in Marsh and Evesham forming the fi nal phase of the works. Since the 1970s there has only been a single line of track running through much of the Cots- wolds, which meant that delays were fre- quent and the number of services possible per day was limited.
Network Rail contracted Amey to lay the extra track in 2009 and the route now in- cludes 32 miles of double track, which will improve the punctuality and performance of train services and brings journey times between London and Worcester down by 15 minutes to just two hours.
A new timetable will be launched on Sep- tember 12, with three extra trains running each way between Oxford and Moreton- in-Marsh. Improvements have also been made to stations and platforms along the line, including Charlbury, Ascott-under- Wychwood and Honeybourne.
The opening of the new track in late August did not run smoothly, as safety checks on
signals were carried out behind schedule. This meant that there were speed restric- tions on the reopened section through the Vale of Evesham, so trains were either late or cancelled.
David Northey, Network Rail’s redoubling project manager, said: “It means over the next few years we’ll have a much more ro- bust and strong timetable. It’s nearly 40 years since British Rail was poised to start removing the double track in 1971. We have now put back what was taken out then. It’s a great achievement.”
John Ellis, chairman of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, which represents pas- sengers, said at the opening ceremony: “Great things are happening on the Cots- wold Line and it’s a great day for us all. We look forward to more frequent, faster and better trains.”
The current token exchange signalling sys- tems along the route have been upgraded with new axle counter technology to im- prove the reliability of the infrastructure. Signalling control panels at Evesham and Ascott-under-Wychwood have also been modernised with digital equipment. The level crossings at Littleton and Badsey, Chipping Campden, Blockley and Ascott
have new barriers and lights. The North Cotswolds line has been a particularly con- gested part of the railway, which means even small delays have tended to have a huge im- pact on rail services in the area.
Since the line was singled in the late 1960s, the existing track followed a route that con- sists of sections of the old south-bound or north-bound lines. In many places these existing tracks had also been ‘centred’, leaving insuffi cient track bed for the new lines to be laid.
Six weeks of preparatory work last summer focused on re-aligning the existing track to make room for the extra track to be in- stalled in the next phase. The drainage sys- tem at Chipping Camden Tunnel was also improved. This early work was fundamen- tal to minimising disruption for the next phase of work.
Around 90% of the work in the fi nal phase of the redoubling scheme was carried out dur- ing quieter travel periods, such as overnight when trains are not running, which resulted in limited passenger inconvenience.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
New timetables are available at:
www.fi rstgreatwestern.co.uk
rail technology magazine Aug/Sep 11 | 69
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