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Post by rdm on Oct 12, 2023 22:32:47 GMT
On passing through the station today I noticed a 'Local' notice advising that from 31st October for six weeks the Westbound staircase (which has been steadily deteriorating for some time now) will be closed for repairs and that a further notice is to be posted 'soon' giving details of the program of work - the Eastbound stairway is in a similarly poor state and today has been reduced to one side only in use. This will mean WB passengers arriving and departing will need to use Northfields instead and return to South Ealing on the EB.
Let's hope the EB stairway, already reduced, remains in service until the WB repairs are completed, otherwise the station will have to close completely for the duration.
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Post by Dstock7080 on Oct 18, 2023 12:20:16 GMT
South Ealing station:
Westbound trains will not stop at South Ealing between Tuesday 31 October and Monday 11 December 2023
Eastbound trains will not stop at South Ealing between Wednesday 13 December 2023 and Monday 22 January 2024
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Post by AndrewS on Oct 21, 2023 21:16:05 GMT
A very confident changeover date! I'm surprised they haven't just given a rough overall timescale and said they'll switch from one side to the other in December as work progresses, with the exact date to be announced later.
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Post by sealingmark on Nov 28, 2023 18:37:18 GMT
South Ealing Westbound platformS have now been closed for nearly a month. I use the station 4-5 times per week.
To date, have not seen any sign of any work taking place. That concerns me for meeting the end date.
Main question: SEA has 2 eastbound and 2 westbound platforms. It lies between Nortthfields and Acton Town, both of which have many points.
Could they not have closed platforms 3/4 (Westbound), but used platforms 1 and 2 (normally both Eastbound) for one Eastbound and one Westbound service?
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DWS
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Post by DWS on Nov 28, 2023 22:17:38 GMT
Sealingmark the idea of yours about how to close platforms is not doable due to the high cost of rearranging the track and signals.
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Post by sealingmark on Nov 29, 2023 9:07:04 GMT
I had wondered if there were existing crossover points between fast West and fast East at both Northfields and Acton Town.
There's an always-red 'wrong way' signal at the 'wrong' end of every platform, so thought they could do extra duty...
Apparently not.
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Nov 29, 2023 11:39:31 GMT
Additionally having both directions serving one island would double the load on the staircase to that island, which seems like the last thing they'd want to do at the moment. If it was desirable to completely close a staircase without closing a platform then it is far more likely that a temporary footbridge would have been constructed. This was the approach taken at Kenton a few years back.
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Post by nig on Nov 29, 2023 19:53:50 GMT
I had wondered if there were existing crossover points between fast West and fast East at both Northfields and Acton Town. There's an always-red 'wrong way' signal at the 'wrong' end of every platform, so thought they could do extra duty... Apparently not. The wrong road starter on west of east bound local is for trains to get back into depot after using the test track all other lights on wrong end of platforms would be fixed red lights . There is no points or signals to do what you suggest |
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Post by sealingmark on Nov 30, 2023 17:35:02 GMT
Thanks all for the education! I accept that my proposed 'solution' is not viable.
The question arose partly because there appears to be no, or glacial, progress on the staircase refurbushment. My daily transit through the station sees no work taking place after 4 weeks elapsed.
6 weeks of no Westbound, then 6 weeks of no Eastbound, is a HUGE inconvenience to passengers... in order to achieve an improved staircase.
Seems there is no better way :-( Roll on February.
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Dec 1, 2023 2:10:28 GMT
It is possible that work can only take place during off-peak hours, or possibly even only overnight when trains aren't running. Additionally it is not unusual for building projects to achieve very little visible impact to the casual observer for an extended period at the start of a project but for it to then apparently progress rapidly at the end.
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Post by rdm on Dec 1, 2023 15:10:26 GMT
I looked over the road bridge parapet this morning and there is definitely evidence of work in progress - materials up against the side of the footbridge etc - which would tend to support this theory.
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Post by gantshill on Dec 2, 2023 18:33:54 GMT
....... Could they not have closed platforms 3/4 (Westbound), but used platforms 1 and 2 (normally both Eastbound) for one Eastbound and one Westbound service? I note that others have said that this idea would not be do-able. I am not suggesting otherwise, but the idea reminded me that some years ago I read an article in Underground News about some wrong line running somewhere between Acton Town and Baron's Court, where the Piccadilly line was slewed across, to allow this to happen. I don't remember many details, other than there being a desk at the end of a platform where staff gave wrong-line permission slips to give the drivers the OK to proceed. I think the situation lasted for a long weekend. Possibly for a bridge replacement. Perhaps one of our better historians could give more details. Anyway, this is slightly off topic for South Ealing. |
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Post by tut on Dec 4, 2023 23:40:10 GMT
I had wondered if there were existing crossover points between fast West and fast East at both Northfields and Acton Town. There's an always-red 'wrong way' signal at the 'wrong' end of every platform, so thought they could do extra duty... Apparently not. You can see the track and signalling layout between Northfields and Acton Town in this photograph of the old Earls Court Control Room:
Control has since moved from there but I don't believe there have been any changes to the track or signalling (at least none that change the answer to your suggestion).
WR22 points at Northfields form a trailing crossover between the Westbound Fast and the Eastbound Fast and there is a wrong-road starter WR10 at Northfields Platform 2. The only other actual wrong-road signal is WR24 at South Ealing on the Eastbound Local (west end of Platform 1), which is the one nig mentioned. It is a curious signal and its purpose has been explained above. It only allows movements from South Ealing back to Northfields wrong-road and according to my information an Engineer's Possession is required to have been taken of the Eastbound Local road between South Ealing and Acton Town for it to be used. It was not provided when the signalling was originally commissioned and is a later addition. There is absolutely no provision whatever for bi-directional working between Northfields and Acton Town on any of the four lines, although the Eastbound Local only between Northfields and South Ealing only is very unusual in having that capacity. As has been mentioned it is to do with the test track which can be used in both directions for testing purposes under the appropriate conditions. |
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Post by rdm on Dec 13, 2023 9:18:02 GMT
Noted from the station foyer this morning (13 December 2023) the WB side has reopened, with the closure transferring to the EB side, meaning that to travel East one must firsst go West to Nortfields and change there for EB trains. This is expected to last until mid-January 2024. I have not yet sampled the repaired stairs but will do so tomorrow and report back.
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Post by sealingmark on Dec 13, 2023 21:06:18 GMT
[snip] There is absolutely no provision whatever for bi-directional working between Northfields and Acton Town on any of the four lines, although the Eastbound Local only between Northfields and South Ealing only is very unusual in having that capacity. As has been mentioned it is to do with the test track which can be used in both directions for testing purposes under the appropriate conditions. BTW, belated thanks for that extremely interesting photo.
Your final comment explains why I've seen various unusual-looking trains travelling west (as welll as east) on the Eastbound local line.
In passing, I enjoyed travelling both from, and to SEA yesterday, in the 1-day gap when all platforms were open :-)
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Post by rdm on Dec 18, 2023 15:16:42 GMT
Further to mine above (13/12), I have now sampled the newly refurbished WB stairs and found them to be greatly improved, with deeper, non-slip treads, which are much safer especially for those with mobility problems. In passing today I noted that the works to the EB stairs are progressing even in traffic hours so the completion date of end-Jan 2024 would seem to be achievable even with a break for the Christmas/New Year period.
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Post by goldenarrow on Jan 17, 2024 18:13:50 GMT
An update:
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