Swindon to Kemble re-doubling - ongoing discussion and updates

[whole diary]

[quedgeley2002]

I notice that two long-term work compounds seem to have been created.

At the Kemble end a series of cabins have been set up with power supplies and plumbing just to the north of the station on the western side of the track. The cabins are white with blue and red bands painted on them.

At Swindon just as the single track becomes the current short double track section a similar compound has appeared on the eastern side of the tracks and is adorned with cabins of a similar colour scheme. This morning there was match activity going on with the neighbouring fishing lake being fenced off as well as vegetation clearance going on on the embankment.

Presumably we can expect some of the preliminary civils work to get going shortly?

As an aside the December timetables for the line show adjustments to the hourly service pattern with trains from Swindon to Cheltenham being brought forward by 15 minutes or so starting at the end of March. There are minor revisions in the other direction too. Why is this necessary on a single line railway?     

[Electric train]

As an aside the December timetables for the line show adjustments to the hourly service pattern with trains from Swindon to Cheltenham being brought forward by 15 minutes or so starting at the end of March. There are minor revisions in the other direction too. Why is this necessary on a single line railway?     

If work has started the shift in train timing might be done to give teams on the track longer working periods between trains, some of the work by require "Line Blockage" there are several methods to take non disruptive (that is the gang do not foul the line of remove rails etc) possessions to enable access such as through tunnels, cuttings, over viaducts etc and for works to take place where there is limited clearance.

[IndustryInsider]

I'm pleased to see that the late evening replacement bus service has been split into two with a fast bus to Gloucester/Cheltenham as well as a slow one calling at all the intermediate stations.  Journey times through to Gloucester and Cheltenham are only extended by 10-15 minutes over the normal train timings.  That's much better than when the (North) Cotswold Line was redoubled and if you wanted to travel through to Evesham/Pershore/Worcester you were looking at a journey by bus that added about an hour and a half to the usual journey times.

[Sapperton Tunnel]

There are also cabins in small compounds at the south end of Kemble tunnel and the next overbridge along (Kemble to Oaksey minor road), with the topsoil bulldozed back in the adjacent field to make an access road parallel to the railway. I can only assume that this is to enable the cutting to be shaved back at the top on the down side, in a similar fashion that the up side was done after the small landslip and minor derailment in 2008(?) .

Geology wise, the cutting leading to the tunnel is in what is known as 'Kemble Beds' which is a highly fractured limestone typical of where Cornbrash meets Forest Marble. 
After exposure to the elements it goes soft and crumbly and retaining walls have been built over time to prevent landslides, but this has led to blocked and poor drainage and pressure against the wall from the field side. Removing the top layers of the cutting helps relieve this pressure.

Signs are appearing that the redoubling work is being carried out by a 'Colas Rail and Morgan Sindall Joint Venture'.

 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard:

Improvements to Kemble Train Station welcomed

Long-awaited improvements at a Cotswolds train station have been widely welcomed.

Although Kemble station provides a crucial link between the Cotswolds and the wider area, there is only a single track to Swindon, severely limiting the number of trains which can travel to and from the station. Limited parking has also created problems for commuters and people living in the village.

Now, however, work has begun to double capacity between Kemble and Swindon by adding a second a second track, allowing four trains to travel along the route every hour.

Planning permission has also been granted for an additional 42 parking spaces at the station, which it is hoped will relieve the problem of commuters parking on residential streets throughout the village.

Cotswold MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he was delighted the work was going ahead. "The doubling of the line between Kemble and Swindon is something that I have been campaigning on for a number of years," he said. "I am also pleased that work will be proceeding to enlarge the car park which should relieve parking pressure on the street in Kemble village."

He added he was pleased the station^s garden was also set to be restored, saying: "When all of this is complete Kemble should be a fantastic place to welcome visitors and locals to the Cotswolds."

Kemble and Ewen Parish Council recently formed a working group to address parking problems in the village and chairman Cllr Roger Pettit said he welcomed the news. "The additional spaces are certainly necessary and I believe will help with the nuisance parking," he said. "However, I anticipate that some commuters will persist with roadside parking rather than pay the station parking fee, so we shall still need to find a solution to this."

[TonyK]

Very good news! This should be done by spring 2014. A shame the line to Cirencester isn't being replaced, though.

[Chris from Nailsea]

... nor the line to Tetbury - a particular favourite of mine. 

[Sapperton Tunnel]

They've started!!

During the Christmas & New Year period I took photos at all the overbridges and crossings between Kemble and Minety. The only work in progress was at the south end of Kemble Tunnel where they have started scalping back the cutting on the down side. A photo taken on December 22 is attached.

I will do Minety to Swindon in the coming weeks. They have also erected low (approx 2 feet high ?) screens, which I guess is to prevent small animals and foxes, badgers etc from trespassing.

I have never had a modern camera before and only got this one as the Mrs had a ^25 off voucher for Tesco, so you must excuse the poor shot. I am unable to put in the time, effort and have nowhere the skills that Will C used for the North Costwold redoubling, or Industry Insider's fabulous before and after videos, but will do my best from time to time that I can. I have converted the photo into a PDF as the original size as a JPEG was 3.76MB and I don't know how else to get it below the 256KB maximum size for posting

[swrural]

Much appreciated ST and look forward to future instalments, thanks very much.

[CLPGMS]

If those screens are of the same as type as were used during the North Cotswold Line redoubling, then they are to prevent newts from getting back onto the track after it has been cleared of them.

[IndustryInsider]

I have never had a modern camera before and only got this one as the Mrs had a ^25 off voucher for Tesco, so you must excuse the poor shot. I am unable to put in the time, effort and have nowhere the skills that Will C used for the North Costwold redoubling, or Industry Insider's fabulous before and after videos, but will do my best from time to time that I can. I have converted the photo into a PDF as the original size as a JPEG was 3.76MB and I don't know how else to get it below the 256KB maximum size for posting

Your contributions will be very gratefully received.  Sadly I don't get down that way too often, though I'm hoping to find an excuse to soon. 

Regarding file sizes, there are some free software options around for saving files in much smaller sizes with little loss in quality.  Photoscape is one of them: http://photoscape.en.softonic.com/
Or (as Willc did) you could set up a Flickr account, and as long as you don't go too mad with uploads that is also free.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I have never had a modern camera before and only got this one as the Mrs had a ^25 off voucher for Tesco, so you must excuse the poor shot.

No problem at all with your picture, Sapperton Tunnel - thanks very much for posting!

In addition to the other helpful suggestions from our members, I can only offer a link to ImageShack, which is the site I use for posting my own pictures on this forum. It's free, although I have to say it's a little cumbersome in its process for uploading images.

If you do have any problems, with whichever method of posting you may choose, please do let us know: I'm sure we'll be able to help you to resolve any issues!

[Sapperton Tunnel]

Thank you all for your encouragement.

The 11 year old who installed the camera software on my PC and does my systems admin will be back in a couple of weeks, so I'll ask her to sort out an Imaging site then from your recommendations.

Thank you for your help and advice.

Regarding the screens and fencing, there appears to be 2 different types:

The attached photo is looking towards Kemble from Oaksey Bridge. Down in the cess, on both sides of the solum, are orange coloured plastic fencing posts with about 3 or 4 strands of wire from ground level up. I would think they would stop badgers, but not foxes, rabbits or deer. At the top of the embankment are the green screen - these would be the newt ones I would think and would also stop rabbits and other small animals. The screens are quite prevalent between Kemble and Swindon, the fencing less so.

[paul7575]

Network Rail press release about the year's plans today:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/7285/Swindon-to-Kemble-railway-enhancement-project-begins

Includes a couple of key items:

"While the impact of the work will be minimised, some rail services will be affected during this project. From Monday 25 March 2013, the last train in each direction between Swindon and Gloucester/Cheltenham will be replaced by road transport on Monday to Thursday nights until Thursday 5 December."

"From 23.55 on Friday 9 August to 05.00 on Monday 2 September 2013 Network Rail will close the line between Swindon and Kemble and rail services will be replaced by road transport between these two locations."

Paul

[bobm]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West also said tonight the line would be closed for a week early in 2014.