Images from Network Rail on Twitter show the progress with the row of piles, they basically line up with the ends of the three main girders, it looks like a small area of deck plating has been removed for vertical access:

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1658843943038009349

I’m surprised they’re saying it’s just starting today 17th, given the previous photos taken on the 15th…

Paul

A chap called Brian Daniels has taken a good sequence of photos yesterday, with the piling rig in action, they can be found on his Flickr photo stream here:

https://flic.kr/p/2oAGjij

It’s possible to get an idea how close to the end of the span the piles are being installed.  There’s a good shot showing the mid-stream pier, but unfortunately there’s no details of any of the span centre bearings or securing points, must be hidden by masonry?

Paul

I hope it doesn’t come with colourful Thameslink signage locked in, or a station name sign which doesn’t meet proposed future GBR^▸ (Great British Railways) colour schemes and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) rules…

Paul

Did you notice at all that in some of the later photographs, eg #193, the centre main girder seems to be slightly lower than the sides? That is, the cross beams appear to pass over its bottom plate?  I originally thought the three bow string arches would be roughly the same size, but logically the centre one would need to be significantly stronger I suppose, like the keel of a ship.

My thoughts are that they’d somehow link the two spans in the middle, and make that a single fixed point, with any sliding being done at both the land abutments? 

That would be logical for ease of access if the sliding surfaces or maybe rollers had to be maintained.

Paul

I expect digging the construction shafts much deeper than required gave them
somewhere to put the spoil?   

Paul

It must be, yes, in a detailed view the portal brickwork is not quite so posh, especially in one of the later Twitter images, the one with a wider view where there’s a sign visible on the brickwork.

Paul

Similar to the 2020 embankment failure that was run into by a Voyager, which luckily did not derail.  Hopefully it’s not the exact same site,  is it the opposite end of the same tunnel?

Looks as if the weight of the landslip has overcome the existing barrier that should have prevented this?

Paul

I’ve seen in other forums that the bridge span was jacked level by yesterday. There’s a Twitter picture here that’s a good view of the present situation:

https://twitter.com/507stre/status/1655619283479560196

TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) Twitter operators are not to be trusted. Just another example of how poor their knowledge can be. Probably safer though than guessing about fares or route restrictions, and people being given information that revenue staff don’t accept later in the journey…

Paul

He’s called Stuart Calvert, (NR Western & Wales capital delivery director), he was name checked in the two earlier videos.

Paul

According to a recent post in the WNXX^▸ (Stored Unserviceable, Mainline Locos HQ All Classes) forum, biodiesel has been in use since Christmas.

Paul

I was wondering about this, because nothing said so far today suggests the use of biodiesels is new, does it?

Paul 

Yes, that’s how the NR^» (Network Rail - home page) chap Stuart Calvert explains it in the latest video, linked earlier by ChrisB. It’s at about 55s into the video.  

It was also stated in the previous video he also appeared in.

Paul

It’s more the HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) railhead than EWR, although some material is being used by HS2 for their contracted part of the EWR embankments where they cross.

It’s fair to say however that these are not reactionary diversions for the Nuneham viaduct failure, they’re running on their normal route in the WTT^▸ (Working Time-Table) for this whole timetable period.