Four track for Filton Bank - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Bristolian]

Where is everyone

Well - my nearest station at the moment is Waterbeach

Seem to of have Disowned the Filton bank. I Am still waiting to travel down to see it. Waiting for Bristol parkway to be electrified.

Posts here and elsewhere ebb and flow in sync with significant things going on or not and we're now in the wind down towards Christmas. Rail and public transport meetings are fewer for a few weeks ... train cancellations seem to be down.  Campaign for 6 tracks on Filton Bank not due to start until February 

I'm not all that far away from you, I'm in Huntingdon.

[Dispatch Box]

Hows the Filton Bank?.

Nice and new.

Now very happy

Now on opentraintimes, but with some errors on.

[Red Squirrel]

Went on an outing this afternoon, from Montpelier up to Bristol Parkway and back, just for the fun of it.

Montpelier to Bristol Temple Meads train was on time, and it was novel to swoosh straight off the branch at Narroways without the once-familiar wait for the signal. At Stapleton Road, where the tangerine folk are still hard at work building the new footbridge ramps, an incoming Cross Country passed us on the main line in exactly the way it wouldn't have been able to a few weeks ago... brilliant! After the predictable holdup at Bristol East jct, we arrived a minute or so late into Temple Meads.

We caught a Manchester Piccadilly service up to Bristol Parkway, which meant we got to try out the new main lines. You couldn't help noticing that we seemed already to be going very fast by the time we got to Dr Days jct, and the ride was as smooth as glass. At Parkway, having bought my daughter a hot chocolate (she takes an interest in this sort of trip, but the odd bribe helps!) we headed for Platform 1 to catch the Weymouth train (whose calling points sound like a Betjeman poem, or a verse from a Flanders and Swann song) back to Temple Meads. Goodness me Parkway's a bleak place to hang around waiting for a train; it's a lazy wind there that finds it easier to go straight through you than to go around. We stopped at Platform 1 at Filton Abbey Wood, before slipping smoothly across to the reliefs at Horfield jct. On time at Temple Meads, and finished up in declassified first back to Montpelier.

All in all a pleasant way to spend a December afternoon, and very impressed with the job they've done. Makes you wonder how we ever got by with two tracks!

[martyjon]

.... Goodness me Parkway's a bleak place to hang around waiting for a train; it's a lazy wind there that finds it easier to go straight through you than to go around....

But there is an enclosed heated waiting area on each of the two island platform areas from which customers can escape that lazy wind. 

[Red Squirrel]

.... Goodness me Parkway's a bleak place to hang around waiting for a train; it's a lazy wind there that finds it easier to go straight through you than to go around....

But there is an enclosed heated waiting area on each of the two island platform areas from which customers can escape that lazy wind. 

I thought there ought to be something like that, but I didn't find it...

I had a quick look on the NRE^‡(resolve) website for the waiting room on the station map: So there I was berating Lisa on another thread for her failure to update the Temple Meads map with the new gatelines, when the Parkway map still doesn't shew Platform 1! Tsk!

[TonyK]

Never mind the wind being lazy - Lisa seems to be pulling less than her weight!

[Adrian]

I'm convinced the added resilience provided by the 4 tracks on Filton Bank has significantly improved punctuality of the Bristol suburban services.  My regular train home, the 1733 from Patchway (1721 ex BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)) has been on time (near enough) on 10 out of 10 of the last weekdays.  That compares with not much better than 50% on time for the period July to October.  the 1624 and 1822 ex BRI to CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) have also both managed 100% on time for the last 2 weeks.  Let's hope this isn't just a temporary blip!

Apart from the remodelling of Bristol East Junction, the other infrastructure improvement that would really make a difference to the Cardiff - Taunton route would be to double track the Weston Loop.  Nearly every day the 1500 Cardiff to Taunton runs a few minutes late, and delays the 1608 Taunton to Cardiff at Uphill junction, which then delays the 1430 Paddington to Weston at Worle Junction.  And there must be plenty of other examples.

[Dispatch Box]

I'm convinced the added resilience provided by the 4 tracks on Filton Bank has significantly improved punctuality of the Bristol suburban services.  My regular train home, the 1733 from Patchway (1721 ex BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)) has been on time (near enough) on 10 out of 10 of the last weekdays.  That compares with not much better than 50% on time for the period July to October.  the 1624 and 1822 ex BRI to CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) have also both managed 100% on time for the last 2 weeks.  Let's hope this isn't just a temporary blip!

Apart from the remodelling of Bristol East Junction, the other infrastructure improvement that would really make a difference to the Cardiff - Taunton route would be to double track the Weston Loop.  Nearly every day the 1500 Cardiff to Taunton runs a few minutes late, and delays the 1608 Taunton to Cardiff at Uphill junction, which then delays the 1430 Paddington to Weston at Worle Junction.  And there must be plenty of other examples.

In electrical terms the same would happen, Our homes are fed with a 3 phase supply in the street. If there was 1 wire, the system would be overloaded. Also maybe NR^» (Network Rail - home page) will do that when Weston is resignalled.

[TonyK]

I'm convinced the added resilience provided by the 4 tracks on Filton Bank has significantly improved punctuality of the Bristol suburban services.  My regular train home, the 1733 from Patchway (1721 ex BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)) has been on time (near enough) on 10 out of 10 of the last weekdays.  That compares with not much better than 50% on time for the period July to October.  the 1624 and 1822 ex BRI to CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) have also both managed 100% on time for the last 2 weeks.  Let's hope this isn't just a temporary blip!

Apart from the remodelling of Bristol East Junction, the other infrastructure improvement that would really make a difference to the Cardiff - Taunton route would be to double track the Weston Loop.  Nearly every day the 1500 Cardiff to Taunton runs a few minutes late, and delays the 1608 Taunton to Cardiff at Uphill junction, which then delays the 1430 Paddington to Weston at Worle Junction.  And there must be plenty of other examples.

In electrical terms the same would happen, Our homes are fed with a 3 phase supply in the street. If there was 1 wire, the system would be overloaded. Also maybe NR^» (Network Rail - home page) will do that when Weston is resignalled.

Er, right.

[simonw]

The upgrade has not helped the reliability of journeys from Bristol Temple Meads to Bristol Parkway.

At Temple Meads, trains are routinely cancelled, re-platformed at short notice (10-> 1) and delayed.

On the journey into Bristol Temple Meads, still see routine delays leaving Parkway and arriving at Bristol Temple Meads.

On the journey into Bristol Parkway there are so many delays, virtually every day due to late express trains, and trains to|from Stoke Gifford Depot having priority.

I am not sure what can be done to address these issues, but the reliability of 2+ years ago on this service has been lost.

If Metrobus service M1 proves reliable, high unlikely, I'll have an alternative.

[SandTEngineer]

There is still work to do between Filton Abbey Wood and Bristol Parkway to allow trains to/from the BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI)) direction to enter Platform No.1 at BP^» (Beyond Petroleum (Former name - British Petroleum) - home page) without crossing the whole layout there.  That will help in the long term.  The other solution is the Bristol East Junction work that really needs doing earlier than currently planned, but won't be

[Dispatch Box]

Happy Christmas to everyone, Happy Christmas Filton Bank, Your first one.

[TonyK]

Happy Christmas to everyone, Happy Christmas Filton Bank, Your first one.

...since 1984.

[Dispatch Box]

Happy Christmas to everyone, Happy Christmas Filton Bank, Your first one.

...since 1984.

I was 19.

Is there any more works at filton or Bristol east junction this xmas.

[TonyK]

Is there any more works at filton or Bristol east junction this xmas.

Signalling work at Parkway, electrification work in the Severn Tunnel until 1 January, work to finish Filton Abbey Wood, and I think building work at Stapleton Road. Plus tamping along the whole length of the line along Filton Bank. More here.