Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
Travel & transport from BBC stories as at 09:15 28 Mar 2024
- Easter travel warning as millions set to hit roads
- Man suffers life-threatening injuries after train stabbing
- Baltimore Bridge Collapse
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
28th Mar (1992)
MOD Kineton tour, branch line society (*)

Train RunningCancelled
06:57 Swansea to London Paddington
07:43 Swansea to London Paddington
08:18 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
08:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
09:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
09:12 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
09:29 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
09:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
09:46 Westbury to Swindon
10:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
10:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
10:41 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
11:00 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington
11:05 Swindon to Westbury
11:16 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
11:23 Weston-Super-Mare to London Paddington
11:30 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
11:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
12:15 London Paddington to Cardiff Central
12:17 Westbury to Swindon
12:30 London Paddington to Weston-Super-Mare
13:15 Swindon to Westbury
14:19 Westbury to Swindon
15:14 Swindon to Westbury
Short Run
05:40 Bristol Temple Meads to Penzance
06:38 Weymouth to Gloucester
06:54 Taunton to London Paddington
08:38 London Paddington to Westbury
09:50 Cardiff Central to London Paddington
Delayed
05:03 Penzance to London Paddington
05:23 London Paddington to Swansea
05:33 Plymouth to London Paddington
05:55 Plymouth to London Paddington
06:00 London Paddington to Penzance
06:05 Penzance to London Paddington
07:10 Penzance to London Paddington
08:03 London Paddington to Penzance
08:35 Plymouth to London Paddington
09:04 London Paddington to Plymouth
An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 09:13 Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester
09:37 London Paddington to Paignton
10:04 London Paddington to Penzance
10:23 London Paddington to Oxford
10:35 London Paddington to Exeter St Davids
PollsOpen and recent polls
Closed 2024-03-25 Easter Escape - to where?
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
March 28, 2024, 09:29:59 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[146] West Wiltshire Bus Changes April 2024
[117] would you like your own LIVE train station departure board?
[80] Return of the BRUTE?
[63] Infrastructure problems in Thames Valley causing disruption el...
[49] Reversing Beeching - bring heritage and freight lines into the...
[27] CrossCountry upgrade will see 25% more rail seats
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Pages: [1]
  Print  
Author Topic: Ongoing maintenance of structures on closed lines.  (Read 1796 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« on: August 01, 2018, 08:32:00 »

Land from railway lines and other facilities closed during the great network reductions in the 1960s and early 1970s was sold off by British Rail as best / much as they could - but some elements were retained because they were not saleable or just might be required for re-use.  Amongst those retained were significant structures such as viaducts and tunnels, where demolition / disposal was not an option.

Once British Railways was wound up, the BRB(resolve) residuary body got ownership of the remaining unwanted bits, where the wanted (live) bits went on via the Railtrack route and are now within the Network Rail portfolio.

BRB residuary made some effort to sell or offload its resources.  Here in Melksham, we are delighted that Wiltshire Council invested in the old goods yard site, as BRB considered it of no future rail use but we thought (and have proven) them wrong - half is now a rail car park, and as I write the other half is a rail construction yard for the platform enhancement - with other rail plans anticipated when that use is complete.

The remaining BRB Residuary body land and structure assets were transferred to Highways England when the residuary body was itself wound up, and the task of safety inspections, keeping structure safe, and potentially finding new uses passed on, subcontracted to Carillion  ... who have now gone out of business ... and to Balfour Beatty.

From Rail Engineer, confirmation that Balfour Beatty are now looking after the whole estate.

This continued inspection and maintaining safe is important - in an era where the pendulum has swung from shrinkage to a very modest and hard-fought expansion, the presence of an asset even in mothballed or degraded form may make the difference between a new scheme's viability and failure - so I'm posting this in the "campaigns for new lines and services" area.


Edit to correct text - Thanks to Ellendune for pointing the error out.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2018, 08:53:08 by grahame » Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ellendune
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4452


View Profile
« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2018, 08:37:25 »

You of course mean...


"The remaining BRB(resolve) Residuary body land and structure assets were transferred to Highways England when the residuary body was itself wound up, and the task of safety inspections, keeping structure safe, and potentially finding new uses passed on, subcontracted to Carillion and to Balfour Beatty... who have now gone out of business, and to Balfour Beatty.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40687



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2018, 08:51:38 »

You of course mean...


"The remaining BRB(resolve) Residuary body land and structure assets were transferred to Highways England when the residuary body was itself wound up, and the task of safety inspections, keeping structure safe, and potentially finding new uses passed on, subcontracted to Carillion and to Balfour Beatty... who have now gone out of business, and to Balfour Beatty.

Indeed I do ... I will go back and correct that in the original!

The perils of going back to my text (prior to posting) when I realised that the original contract was split!
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1]
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page