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Post by snoggle on Mar 15, 2018 12:35:42 GMT
An update: Track now laid between Lea Bridge and almost Tottenham Hale. This is not yet connected to mainline, although I suspect this will be done last. Most of the ballast has been laid where the rest of the track will go The station rebuilds or new stations look some way from completion It’s quite exciting seeing the track down. Go and have a look! I saw this yesterday and I had missed your post so was quite surprised. While the track is down it's not really installed. It will need final positioning, ballasting and tamping. No track is in place at three locations where bridges are being installed or foundations are being put in place. Track is double stacked near these locations. I noted that electrification masts have been changed near the junction where trains diverge to Liverpool St. New wider spans covering the full alignment are now in use there. A couple of STAR only masts are in place. On the new double track bridge they appeared to be getting ready for a concrete pour which I thought was odd. I'd have expected the tracks to be laid on the metalwork as is often the case. The platform edging at T Hale is now a lot longer but a lot of work remains to be done. A lot of the glass panelling on the southbound platform has been replaced by wood hoardings now. |
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Post by waysider on Mar 29, 2018 22:06:31 GMT
Is it just me but does anyones elses heart sink watching these works?
The track being laid north of Tottenham Hale, rather than follow one path of the old goods line, sits bang it the middle of it. So, when this line at some point in the future made back into a four-track line, this third track we see being laid will be useless and will have to be pulled up and repositioned again?
I know this is to do with leaving existing signals and power cables and ultimately funding BUT really??
Again, at Tottenham Hale,all the disruption of adding a third platform now will only be repeated again in a few years time when a fourth platform is added.
Its a bit rich seeing an Enfield Councillor saying how bad Angel Road station is (which only dates from 1990 truth be known) for the local 'community' yet he's giving the thumbs up to a half-baked scheme that has built-in failings. Whats the betting on a video in ten years time with his successor saying how short sighted the STAR scheme was and how much of it is having to be pulled up and installed all over again?
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Post by snoggle on Mar 29, 2018 23:11:42 GMT
Is it just me but does anyones elses heart sink watching these works? The track being laid north of Tottenham Hale, rather than follow one path of the old goods line, sits bang it the middle of it. So, when this line at some point in the future made back into a four-track line, this third track we see being laid will be useless and will have to be pulled up and repositioned again? I know this is to do with leaving existing signals and power cables and ultimately funding BUT really?? Again, at Tottenham Hale,all the disruption of adding a third platform now will only be repeated again in a few years time when a fourth platform is added. Its a bit rich seeing an Enfield Councillor saying how bad Angel Road station is (which only dates from 1990 truth be known) for the local 'community' yet he's giving the thumbs up to a half-baked scheme that has built-in failings. Whats the betting on a video in ten years time with his successor saying how short sighted the STAR scheme was and how much of it is having to be pulled up and installed all over again? Not sure my heart is sinking but I understand your comments. The problem is that the scope has been pulled back, back and back to the absolute bare minimum to fit the funding. I suspect Mr Ford's "boiling frogs" have been running riot on the costings but have been nowhere near the funding side of the equation. Yes it dumps a load of cost into the future but given I am very sceptical about CR2's prospects it may be decades before anyone decides to do anything to upgrade this part of the railway once STAR works are finished by May 2019. |
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Post by waysider on Mar 30, 2018 10:11:44 GMT
oh I agree regarding CR2 - it just doesn't have the same obvious purpose as CR1 - and so will never get off the drawing board.
But the four-tracking between Coppermill junction and the Hertford East is such an obvious goal for those in charge of our railways... A dedicated fast line to Stansted and one of the few corridors in London where new housing to replace redundant industrial land could be encouraged by a slow line alongside it. The current set up suits neither though and this STAR scheme only pays lip service to the idea and, like you say, just saddles those misfortunate people in the future who's job it will be to correct its cheapskate engineering with needless expense and work
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Post by Chris M on Mar 30, 2018 12:15:22 GMT
oh I agree regarding CR2 - it just doesn't have the same obvious purpose as CR1 - and so will never get off the drawing board. The problem isn't lack of purpose, it's too many purposes. |
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Post by snoggle on Mar 30, 2018 12:18:38 GMT
oh I agree regarding CR2 - it just doesn't have the same obvious purpose as CR1 - and so will never get off the drawing board. But the four-tracking between Coppermill junction and the Hertford East is such an obvious goal for those in charge of our railways... A dedicated fast line to Stansted and one of the few corridors in London where new housing to replace redundant industrial land could be encouraged by a slow line alongside it. The current set up suits neither though and this STAR scheme only pays lip service to the idea and, like you say, just saddles those misfortunate people in the future who's job it will be to correct its cheapskate engineering with needless expense and work Unfortunately for as long as CR2 remains a prospect then the DfT will do nothing about four tracking in the Lea Valley. Why would it? After all most of the hard work would be done by CR2 and Grayling (and the Treasury?) are insisting on TfL / Londoners funding at least 50% of the project cost "up front". Therefore the DfT avoids funding as much of the four tracking work as it can by dumping more than 50% of it on TfL. That's my reading of the situation - it's become a game of "who blinks first" and I don't think the SoS blinks very often.  I'm not quite as scathing as you about the works that are being done. OK they may not be perfect but at least *something* is being done that raises the prospects of a better rail service. I say that from the entirely selfish viewpoint of someone who uses the T Hale - Stratford service fairly often and who wants a more frequent service ASAP.  |
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Post by waysider on Mar 30, 2018 16:22:08 GMT
Ive lived in Tottenham Hale half my life and so, like you, am very keen to see improvements to transport in the area.
Its just disheartening to see half-baked schemes going ahead for no other reason than squabbling over who foots the bill.
1. How could so much money have been spent rejigging the Tottenham Hale forecourt only a few years ago (when the Tottenham one-way system was, erhrm, 'improved'), only to see it rebuilt again?
2. How could doing away with the stations Ferry Lane pedestrian underpass be seen as an improvement?
3. How were WAGN/ONE/GREATER ANGLIA (have i missed one out?) ever allowed to put their own barriers at Tottenham Hale, adding minutes onto everyones journeys?
Not expecting answers, just letting off steam about my local stations failings
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Post by snoggle on Mar 31, 2018 0:29:16 GMT
Ive lived in Tottenham Hale half my life and so, like you, am very keen to see improvements to transport in the area. Its just disheartening to see half-baked schemes going ahead for no other reason than squabbling over who foots the bill. 1. How could so much money have been spent rejigging the Tottenham Hale forecourt only a few years ago (when the Tottenham one-way system was, erhrm, 'improved'), only to see it rebuilt again? 2. How could doing away with the stations Ferry Lane pedestrian underpass be seen as an improvement? 3. How were WAGN/ONE/GREATER ANGLIA (have i missed one out?) ever allowed to put their own barriers at Tottenham Hale, adding minutes onto everyones journeys? Not expecting answers, just letting off steam about my local stations failings I agree with you about the gyratory changes. They're a mess. I spent 40 mins "debating" with the traffic engineers when they held a public consultation meeting and telling them it wouldn't work. Guess what it doesn't work! Far too many jams and pinchpoints and ridiculous driving from motorists determined to ignore TfL's "designed in" traffic bans (e.g no right turn out of the Retail Park on to Ferry Lane). Motorists turn left and hook a "U-ey" to head east. I've seen so many near accidents / collisions and people / cyclists nearly knocked down at the bus stn entrance. I think the underpass was closed because they need to move equipment and storage areas into that area as part of the stn rebuild. To be fair I've never seen it well used and it was not accessible and there was no prospect of it being made so. You do realise that the redesigned T Hale stn will have two gatelines facing each other in the new ticket hall? I believe the GA gateline installation was effectively mandated by the DfT who required Abellio to take action to reduce ticket fraud. I don't like the loss of the former simple interchange but the ticket inspectors who used to stand there raked in a load of penalty fares / ticket purchases from people they stopped. Without concerted action to put gates in at stns along the Lea Valley route and to ensure they are policed properly then it will always remain a bit "Bandit country" up there. The STAR project at least offers a little bit of scope to increase gating at N Park / Meridian Water but the very basic stn designs elsewhere don't really help. |
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Post by phil on Mar 31, 2018 19:16:51 GMT
Is it just me but does anyones elses heart sink watching these works? The track being laid north of Tottenham Hale, rather than follow one path of the old goods line, sits bang it the middle of it. So, when this line at some point in the future made back into a four-track line, this third track we see being laid will be useless and will have to be pulled up and repositioned again? I know this is to do with leaving existing signals and power cables and ultimately funding BUT really?? Again, at Tottenham Hale,all the disruption of adding a third platform now will only be repeated again in a few years time when a fourth platform is added. Its a bit rich seeing an Enfield Councillor saying how bad Angel Road station is (which only dates from 1990 truth be known) for the local 'community' yet he's giving the thumbs up to a half-baked scheme that has built-in failings. Whats the betting on a video in ten years time with his successor saying how short sighted the STAR scheme was and how much of it is having to be pulled up and installed all over again? As far as I am awere ALL the STAR works make pasive provision for full quadrupling (I.e. No cable routes, signaling equipment, overhead line masts to be foul of any 4th track). BUT what most people forget is standards have moved on since the days when it previously had 4 tracks - specifically the clearances needed between each pair so as to allow efficient engineering work to take place For example although the BML between South Croydon and Colusdon has 4 tracks, the lack of any seperation between each pair means that any work taking place on the inner 2 lines requires the closure of the lines either side and single line working out in place over the one remaining line that can remain open to traffic (which of course requires 'Pilotman' working in one direction due to the lack of bidirectional signalling). I imagine similar issues present themselves on the GEML, ECML, MML, WCML etc.... |
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Post by waysider on Apr 3, 2018 18:10:17 GMT
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Post by waysider on May 3, 2018 21:35:07 GMT
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Post by waysider on May 5, 2018 8:33:25 GMT
And a few more snaps taken from the flyover on the A1055, just north of Tottenham Hale station...  20180504_120532 by james tuite, on Flickr looking south towards Tottenham Hale station (Victoria line depot exit to the left)  20180504_120459 by james tuite, on Flickr looking north (Victoria line depot tracks to the right)  20180504_120506 by james tuite, on Flickr looking north (Tottenham Hotspurs new ground under construction on the skyline) In all three pictures, the new STAR line, in my eyes anyway, seems to be going down the middle of what was once the trackbed of a double line? So in the future, if the STAR line is doubled, this new line will need to be lifted and repositioned to make room for a fourth track ...or am I missing something? |
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Post by naz on May 5, 2018 9:16:39 GMT
Nice photos. I notice the earthworks seem to finish just beyond the new meridian waters station is this where the third track ends or will it continue beyond Angel road to the old junction site at Picketts lock ?
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Post by waysider on May 5, 2018 9:42:49 GMT
No, it seems all works stop before the North Circular road flyovers
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Post by snoggle on May 5, 2018 9:43:45 GMT
Nice photos. I notice the earthworks seem to finish just beyond the new meridian waters station is this where the third track ends or will it continue beyond Angel road to the old junction site at Picketts lock ? The third track ends at Meridian Water Stn. |
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Post by phil on May 7, 2018 11:34:13 GMT
And a few more snaps taken from the flyover on the A1055, just north of Tottenham Hale station... In all three pictures, the new STAR line, in my eyes anyway, seems to be going down the middle of what was once the trackbed of a double line? So in the future, if the STAR line is doubled, this new line will need to be lifted and repositioned to make room for a fourth track ...or am I missing something? I suspect you are. Looking carefully at the pictures it seems to me that there is room to lay a 4th line between the existing LU boundary fence and the freshly installed line. Given the way that footbridge has been choped off the right hand support is not going to be needed and can be removed if its in the way. It should be noted that 'passive provision' does NOT mean preparing the trackbed ready for the installation of a 4th track - all it means is not placing things like cable routes, OLE masts, equipment cases where the future track might be laid. Using the existing 2 tracks as a guide I have yet to see anything that fundamentally contravenes the 'passive provision' the STAR project is supposed to have.EDIT: I have just spotted a couple of location cases hiding behind the LU brick building that are in the way. |
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Post by Ben on May 7, 2018 13:46:07 GMT
And a few more snaps taken from the flyover on the A1055, just north of Tottenham Hale station... In all three pictures, the new STAR line, in my eyes anyway, seems to be going down the middle of what was once the trackbed of a double line? So in the future, if the STAR line is doubled, this new line will need to be lifted and repositioned to make room for a fourth track ...or am I missing something? I suspect you are. Looking carefully at the pictures it seems to me that there is room to lay a 4th line between the existing LU boundary fence and the freshly installed line. Given the way that footbridge has been choped off the right hand support is not going to be needed and can be removed if its in the way. It should be noted that 'passive provision' does NOT mean preparing the trackbed ready for the installation of a 4th track - all it means is not placing things like cable routes, OLE masts, equipment cases where the future track might be laid. Using the existing 2 tracks as a guide I have yet to see anything that fundamentally contravenes the 'passive provision' the STAR project is supposed to have.EDIT: I have just spotted a couple of location cases hiding behind the LU brick building that are in the way. Not sure he is. I've either read somewhere online, or seen in video, that 'passive provision' is being provided, well, passivly - ie; where it is not more expensive. Sure I've seen pictures of some OHLE masts that have been plonked where you would assume a fourth track might go? |
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Post by waysider on May 15, 2018 22:47:57 GMT
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Post by waysider on May 16, 2018 22:57:16 GMT
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Post by waysider on May 20, 2018 21:25:47 GMT
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Post by waysider on May 25, 2018 0:00:06 GMT
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Post by rsdworker on May 25, 2018 8:00:01 GMT
i see 5 lifts there looks intersting design
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Post by routew15 on May 25, 2018 10:06:54 GMT
Excellent snaps waysider !! Do enjoy your updates  Thats quite a lot of stairs...shame there are no escalators. If the bridge at Meridian Water ever becomes as busy as the bridge between Stratford and Stratford City the lifts will have quite a long queue to them. |
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Post by waysider on May 25, 2018 21:37:51 GMT
Thanks routew15, glad it's not just me who finds 'under construction' pictures interesting! I went over Leeside Road bridge this evening and took a couple more pictures. The same places as those taken and posted on April 3rd (previous page) Looking north. Not much change track-wise but zoom in on Meridian Water station and a huge amount of progress has been made...  20180525_210858 by james tuite, on Flickr Looking south, lots of lengths of track now dropped onto the trackbed. Note - spot the floodlight tower in the distance at Northumberland Park depot lit up  20180525_210822 by james tuite, on Flickr |
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Post by rincew1nd on May 29, 2018 19:49:08 GMT
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Post by Dom K on Jun 6, 2018 8:47:38 GMT
I’ve taken a trip from Angel Road to Stratford this morning.
My observations:
- the track is connected via new points just north of Lea Bridge Station and it’s quite clear it has had a train on it by the markings on the track. This track goes as far as just north of the GOBLIN bridge.
- the station at Meridian Water is coming along nicely and the most northerly point of the platforms is not far from the old Angel Road station
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2018 10:48:39 GMT
I saw a tamping machine going over the points onto the new 3rd track.
I think it was last Sunday.
I am no expert, but to me the ballast looks like it has been tamped up to round about the new Coppermill Lane overbridge.
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Post by waysider on Jun 10, 2018 23:38:12 GMT
A few views of the works going on at Northumberland Park Station taken yesterday... From Garman Road looking towards the station - the level crossing was behind the white van...  20180609_134152 by james tuite, on Flickr From the existing footbridge looking south at the existing ticket office (blue building in foreground) with what looks like the framework of an expanded station building and lifts going up behind it...  20180609_134324 by james tuite, on Flickr From the west side of the existing footbridge looking north...  20180609_134353 by james tuite, on Flickr From the east side of the existing footbridge looking north...  20180609_134228 by james tuite, on Flickr Looking south at the new footbridge over the existing tracks...  20180609_134339 by james tuite, on Flickr Looking south at the new footbridge continuing over the path of the new track...  20180609_134420 by james tuite, on Flickr Same view as above but from ground level...  20180609_134526 by james tuite, on Flickr The new third platform looking south...  20180609_134553 by james tuite, on Flickr From the existing southbound platform looking north at the new footbridge...  20180609_134653 by james tuite, on Flickr looking south at the existing northbound platform, 317669 whizzes by on its way to Hertford East...  20180609_134623 by james tuite, on Flickr Another view looking north showing more of the footbridge on the northbound platform (with 317669 having gone by)...  20180609_134627 by james tuite, on Flickr |
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Post by waysider on Jun 16, 2018 8:51:17 GMT
Ooooh ...it appears the STAR project has appeared on the carte metro map already
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Post by waysider on Jun 19, 2018 23:36:03 GMT
Fair bit of progress on Meridian Water station since my last pictures on 3rd May... Not too sharp this one - taken from the elevated section of the A406 looking south...  20180619_125424 by james tuite, on Flickr Over the existing tracks looking south at the new platforms (note how there's a slight curve at the far end of the new platforms)  20180619_125458 by james tuite, on Flickr And over the line of the new track. Again, compare the width between the new platforms on the two existing tracks and space to the right? Does that look wide enough for a future fourth track? Certainly not enough space for a future fourth platform?  20180619_125516 by james tuite, on Flickr |
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