As with most mornings here in KL I was woken by the sound of the Muezzin’s tones as the call to prayer was announced from the local mosque which is literally only a car-park away. I don’t mind this at all, I don’t have to set my alarm-clock and the sounds are far less jarring and almost reassuring. After all, these ages old calls are so familiar to anyone who’s spent much time in a Muslim country’s. The place I normally go to for my roti canai breakfast normally has Muslim devotional music playing in the background. It’s similar to Qawwali music made famous in the UK by the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Maybe the fact I had a CD of his and I’ve always enjoyed world music has influenced my sensibilities. When I went for breakfast yesterday the younger member of staff had changed the music to techno ‘Hindi Pop’ which was far more intrusive and less easy on the ear!
I didn’t plump for roti this morning, instead I tried Mee Sarawak at a place down the road that I’d spotted the other day. ‘Mee’ means noodles whilst Sarawak is the Malaysian side of the island of Borneo that’s bigger than the peninsular. I must get there one day.
Anyway, Mee Sarawak consists of noodles (obviously) with slices of pork and chicken, accompanied with a fiery chili dip and a broth made from the meat and noodle water with added spring onions. This being Asia nothing is wasted which means the pork hasn’t had the fat removed. Instead you have a fine layer of crackling atop it. It’s delicious but perhaps not the thing if you’re counting calories. As I walk around 17,000 steps and only eat two meals a day I’m not that bothered!
After eating a sizeable chunk of my day was spent getting picture of and exploring the city’s only monorail system from end to end. Looking through my picture archive I’d realised I’d not done this since 2012. In which time the size of the trains has doubled and the stations have increased in size. to cope with ’em. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ll do a blog dedicated to the network in the future, now I have the updated pictures to do a ‘now and then’.
Another place I visited today was a beautiful clan-house/temple dedicated to the those Chinese with the surname ‘Chan’. It’s a fascinating place as it explains the origins of the name and how the Chans have spread. I have a passing personal interest in this as the first Chinese people ever I met when I was growing up in Southport were a Chan family who moved in next to my maternal Grandmother way back in the 1960s. There’s a story to tell there, but that’s for another day…
Now I’m relaxing back at my hotel whilst editing pictures and watching crap on Netflix. It being Saturday Chinatown’s packed with people, so I’m happy to be out of the way. I much prefer it during the week when it’s not choked with people and cars.
To finish my blog here’s a few pictures from the day.
This wonderful piece of craftwork is displayed above the door of the Chan temple.
Part of the informative displays inside the temple/clan house.
Do the maths. Each one of these 4-car monorail trains can carry up to 430 passengers. How many of the cars below only contain 1 person? Oh, spot the breakdown which has made matters worse!
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It’s been quite a day! I woke up on the sleeper train around 06:00 this morning, just in time to enjoy a wonderful dawn from the comfort of my bed. Food was soon sorted by the arrival of some hawkers who’d joined the train at the last stop so I literally bought breakfast in bed, spicy friend chicken and sticky rice, washed down with fresh coffee from a different hawker, leaving me free to enjoy the world passing by my window at a sedate enough speed to allow me to enjoy it. This Southern part of the railway is a marked contrast to the ongoing modernisation and double-tracking of the Northern sections as it remains undisturbed. You still pass through gorgeous little stations bedecked in bougainvillea and other colourful pot plants. The smart wooden buildings are home to sharply dressed staff. One stands by with green flags as our train passes whilst another collects and swaps single-line tokens with the driver of our train. The big brass station bell each station boasts remains silent because we’re not stopping.
Whilst scoffing my chicken and sipping my coffee a series of colourful snapshots passed by my window. A group of middle-aged women doing calisthenics in a lineside park. Klongs (canals) and rice paddies alive with masses of wading birds such as Lapwings, Egrets and Herons. Some burst into flight when they’re spooked by the train which causes a mass flight. It’s wonderful to watch. This section of line still is ‘old railway’ which is lined with telegraph poles and a multitude of wires which provide a perfect perch for other, smaller birds. Some sections of wire have been colonised by masses of spiders, like some weird alien invasion. Occasionally, the wires act as their own web, trapping an unwary child’s kite. We lost these telegraph poles in the UK many years ago although they were once a common feature. The last section of line I remember them in any number was the line between Norwich and Ely, but these are gone too.
Further away from the line the countryside is divided between palm oil or rubber plantations and rice paddy fields, leavened by Coconut palms and Bananas, just to remind you (where you in any doubt) that you’re in the tropics. The view from the train’s not always picturesque, but it is an insight into Thai life – like the shanties along the lineside on the approach to Hat Yai where plastic and other detritus takes over their back yards. Plastic pollution’s a big issue in Thailand and I’m really not sure how it’s being dealt with.
At Hat Yai our train’s split. The locomotive that brought us from Bangkok is taken off and retires to the depot and the station pilot (an old, leaky ‘Shovelnose) takes over to remove the two Padang Besar bound coaches from the head of the train and shunt them into an adjacent platform where a 3rd class coach is waiting to be attached to the rear. Then the locomotive to take us forward arrives. In this case it was an old Alsthom-built Class 44. Our train took on new passengers too – around a ten railway police who were there to escort the train due to the recent terrorist bombing of the line between Hat Yai and Padang Besar boarded. Three sat opposite me and I got into conversation with one officer who had good English. He translated my words for his colleagues. They were all incredibly friendly and chatty, which was great.
Finally, we arrived at Padang Besar where I went through the border rigmarole I’d completed only a couple of weeks before – only this time in reverse. I’d talked Charlotte and Adi through what to expect, which was painless. I did get quizzed by Malaysian advance immigration but once I explained I was returning to Malaysia with my niece and her husband the latter two got waved through without demur.
Upstairs, the Malaysian ticket office was closed but there are now two ticket machines which accept credit cards (but NOT cash) so I bought our tickets onwards to Butterworth. The train arrived 40 minutes later which gave us enough time to buy a drink at the Warung upstairs. I was surprised to see our train was formed of one of the Chinese built 6-car SCS sets. Last time I’d used the line it was an older 3-car ‘Komuter’ set that had been recommissioned to operate the new local services. By the time we got to Butterworth I understood why they now use the SCS trains – it was packed – and loads were waiting to board it for the return trip.
It was at Butterworth I had my biggest surprise and biggest disappointment. The interchange between train and ferry had always been a pain sine the station was rebuilt as you were up and down several flights of stairs. Now there’s a brand-new and expanded ferry terminal and the adjacent bus station’s in the basement of a massive shopping complex. All good so far, until it came to the ferry…
The old Penang ferries are gone. They stopped in 2021. The joy of sitting on the top deck of a ferry with massive open sides, admiring the view of Penang or watching the mass of commercial shipping are history – as are the chances of getting photographs. Instead we were loaded into a cramped, claustrophobic and awkward catamaran that used to ply the Langkawi route. How are the mighty fallen! You don’t even go to the old terminal anymore which was right next to the bus station. Now you go the Swettenham Pier, further north. But, (allegedly) this is all better because it’s ‘faster’…
As there were three of us we split the fare on a taxi to get to Lebuh Chulia. If nothing else, it saves the wheels on your suitcases melting on the hot tarmac. It may not be as toasty as it was in Kanchanaburi, but 31 degrees is still warm!
I have to admit, I’ve had a fun afternoon introducing Charlotte and Adi to Georgetown and I’m chuffed that they’ve really taken to it. It’s always been one of my ‘happy places’. Having spent a few hours wandering I can say it’s changed but not enough to destroy its character.
I’ll type more tomorrow, but for now I’ll leave you with a picture of what has been lost – which is a crying shame. Here’s one of the old Penang ferries, seen from a sister ship on my last visit here on the 24th February 2017.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
I’m currently sat on Northern’s 06:00 from Halifax to Leeds en-route to London to join day 2 of the Railtex/Infrarail trade fair in London.
195128 arrives at Halifax on the 06:00 to Leeds
It’s a busy time that’s being made far more complex than I’d have liked by the fact so many things are hsppening at once (fairs, press trips and HS2 protester evictions) and to put the cherry on the cake I’ve got ‘technical issues’. The local cable network went down last night – just as my laptop was installing new updates. Now the machine’s having an attack of the vapours which means I’ll have to take it back to factory settings then waste a whole day reinstalling programmes and software on the damned thing! Ho bloody hum! On the bright side, I had time to copy all my files off the machine (just in case) as I’ve learned that the wifi being kaput is the first sign of issues.
So, this blog’s being brought to you courtesy of my smartphone. The weather’s doing its best to add to the gloom as it’s wet and miserable here in the Pennines snd it’s meant to be the same in London where I’m heading. Oh, and I’m also ‘cream crackered’ due to yet another early start after a late night trying to sort out the laptop. Still, as the old saying goes – you can sleep when you’re dead!
Moan over I’m actually looking forward to the next few days. There’s lots to see/do and friends and colleagues to catch-up with. But first, I have to get there…
07:15.
My transfer at Leeds between Northern and LNER was painless as everything was running to time so I had 20 mins to catch the 07:00 to London Kings Cross. This is the fast service that only stops at Wakefield Westgate before running non-stop to the capital, arriving into London at 09:00. LNER run another (slower) departure just 15 mins later which stops at Doncaster Grantham and Stevenage to arrive in London 30 mins behind the 07:00.
Today the train’s quiet. I’m relaxing at a table in coach C where I’m going to try and grab a little more sleep. See you later…
07:25.
So much for sleep! The Train Manager’s just announced we’re stopping at Doncaster where the trains terminating at Doncaster due to cable theft on the line “further down South”. No-one’s any idea what’s happening but the 07:15’s cancelled too…
07:45.
Well, I didn’t expect to be in Doncaster today! Apparently, the theft of signalling cable is between Peterborough and Stevenage, which screws up any chance of diverts via Lincoln. The station staff did a very good job of keeping disgruntled passengers informed and a plan B was soon put in place as LNER tickets are been accepted for travel to London on the Midland route from Sheffield to St Pancras – which is why I’m now sat on a Trans-Pennine Express 185 heading for Sheffield. Judging by how empty the rear set is some people are taking their chances that the ECML will reopen quickly, but as it’s cable theft I’m not risking it.
LNER passengers streaming off the 07:00 to catch unfamiliar traction to Sheffield…Many didn’t bother heading for the rear of the two sets. I did!
08:25.
The miserable weather’s followed me to Sheffield where I’ve swapped to a rather battered and careworn East Midlands Railway 5-car diesel ‘Meridian’ – a far cry from the smart LNER ‘Azuma’ trains we had to abandon at Doncaster.
Needless to say, the train is very busy as it’s the only way for folks to get to London right now.
14:45
Well, that’s been an interesting few hours but not in any way that I expected. By the time I arrived in the capital I was running over two hours late. Plus, the weather was crap. Taking stock, I made a series of phone calls that meant I didn’t need to be at Infrarail after all. Whilst I’m going to miss catching up with some people I’ve had different priorities to think about. Plus, I’m going to be back in London again tomorrow anyway as I’ve now got a ministerial site visit in the calendar…
So, instead of looking at an arena full of sales stands I quickly nipped over to London Victoria for a last chance to get shots of some of the old ‘Southern’ Class 455s before they disappear after next weeks timetable change. Whilst I was at Ebury St I bumped into an old friend, the former Editor of The Railway Magazine – Chris Milner – who’d had the same idea as me!
Shots in the can I made my way back to Kings Cross to ponder my next move and see what the options were. East Coast services were still disrupted with services to most Yorkshire destinations canned through cancellations so heading back before rush hour and whilst I could seemed like the most sensible plan. I’m now sat on the 13:30 from Kings Cross to Edinburgh which I’ve been using as a mobile hospital whilst I nurse a sick laptop back to health. So far, so good. Restoring it to factory settings has cured the glitches and allowed me to connect to the internet (hence you reading this) but I’ve a long evening ahead of me reinstalling a multitude of programmes to restore full functionality ready for another busy tomorrow. Still, at least I’ll be able to have a good night’s kip tonight!
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It’s April already and day 3 of my self-imposed isolation after having tested positive for Covid 19 on Thursday. Thankfully the symptoms seem mild. Apart from feeling tired and aching nothing more has manifested itself. I’m grateful that I managed to dodge the bullet until after I was triple-jabbed as it could have been an awful lot worse. Covid’s a weird virus as it’s so capricious. So far Dawn shows no sign of having been infected (thank the Gods!) despite us living cheek by jowl in a small space for so long but then we’ve heard lots of anecdotal evidence from friends that this can happen – as can the other extreme where everyone in a family contracts it. I’ve given up in trying to apply logic to Covid – it defies logic, but then so does many people’s attitudes towards it. I blogged not long ago about how so many people seemed to think it had disappeared. Now I’m reading about record infection rates and nearly 5 million Britons having it. Hardly surprising when people stop taking precautions…
My hope it that we’re now getting to the stage where it’s endemic but no worse than having mild flu. Even so, I’m staying at home and isolating until I know I’m no longer infectious purely for the sake of others. I’m chafing, admittedly. Both Dawn and I have been cooped up since I tested positive. Regular readers will know how I get stir-crazy after a few days and having that freedom to travel (even locally) taken away from me is irksome to say the least. On the bright side, I don’t feel as tired or achy as I did and Dawn’s been a star in looking after me. Everything could have been far more stressful so I’m counting my blessings. In the meantime, I’ve got enough things to keep my mind occupied even if my physical exercise levels are suffering. I’ll start making up for that now I’m rested and feel fit enough to do so without risking any recovery.
Having given a life update let’s move on to the picture of the day. I really didn’t know what to use today. There’s no new pictures as I’m stuck at home, so I’ve delved into the archives and come up with this. I was doing some research for a blog earlier which meant I was perusing pictures from a trip to India I embarked upon in 2010-11 and this one sprang out at me as it summed up the juxtaposition of old and new (spiritual and temporal) perfectly – and why Delhi was building a metro system! A version of it was used as a cover picture for the International Railway Journal too. Here’s the traffic chaos at a roundabout in Jhandewalan as a blue line metro train glides quietly (and cleanly) above the mess whilst a massive statue of Hanuman, the Hindu monkey God gazes out across the scene on the 3rd March 2011.
You can find the rest of the pictures from my travels around in India in this gallery. They include visits to Lucknow, Calcutta, Ahmedabad and the states of Gujarat and enclave of Diu.
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s been an all-sorts kind of day here at Bigland Towers – although much of it has been spent anywhere but at home! This morning we met Dawn’s parent for brunch at Hinchcliffe’s farm shop which is one of their regular haunts. I must admit, having someone else cook for us made a pleasant change. I plumped for the English breakfast as a rare treat and I was suitably impressed – and stuffed!
Afterwards we adjourned to Chez Platt as Dee had arranged two new phones for her parents and needed to get them up and running. At the age of 87 her dad is now the proud (well, not that bothered, really) owner of a ‘smartphone’! All Dawn has to do now is to persuade him to leave the thing turned on!
Whilst the Dee oversaw the school of telephony and technology I was hunkered down with the laptop, sorting out old slides to go on eBay. After a year-long break I’ve decided to resurrect my account as a way of making some money and decluttering the cottage of some of the railway ephemera and surplus pictures that I’ve garnered over the past few decades. I’ll announce details soon.
To be honest, today was a good day to be stuck indoors as the weather’s been crap all day. We seem to be stuck in an endless cycle of rain and high winds at the moment, which is hardly conducive to wandering far – although I’ll be doing plenty of that next week.
When we finally made it back home after a detour to pick up some shopping Dee stayed at the cottage whilst I nipped out for a couple of hours to join some friends at a local hostelry to do something I’ve not done in decade and play pool. A small group of refugees from the Big 6 have decided that ‘early doors’ on a Saturday is an ideal time to shoot a few games at another local pub and I’ve been co-opted. Relearning old skills has been both fun and frustrating although the former outweighs the latter!
Now I’m at home and blogging this before turning off for the evening as it’s time to relax, listen to the rain and wind beating on the windows whilst curling up in front of a film, but before I do I’ll leave you with another old picture from my batch of slides taken in India in 1995. On the way back from Mapusa market (the last picture I posted) we had to catch the ferry from Siolem to Chopdem. Whilst we were waiting I noticed this very un-Indian vehicle in the queue for the ferry, then noticed that it also had a UK registration plate. Yep, someone had driven this old Ford Transit camper van overland all the way from the UK to India! Sadly, I’ve no recollection of having talked to them as I’d have loved to have known which route they took and how long they’d been on the road!
I wonder if it’s still there?…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
The usual apologies for absence for yesterday, but nothing exciting was happening so I took a day off to recharge my batteries at home and basically fester. OK, that’s not entirely true, but it’s not far off! The weather’s hardly been conducive to outward-bound adventures as (here in the Pennines at least) the elements seem to be doing their best as making up for dry January. No, not that one (I wasn’t very good at that) but the one that’s far more important and involves rainfall.
Today’s been even worse. The heavens have never stopped opening so neither of us have been up to much other than pottering around at home then popping out for food shopping – which has cost us an arm and a leg. Add all the influences that are driving inflation right now and it still doesn’t account for how prices have risen. OK, we’re told inflations running at 5%. Seriously? Look at the cost of some basic foodstuffs nowadays and you’ll soon see 5% is a massive understatement. Oh, and that’s before we start to look at what our utility (and other bills) are going to look like shortly. And don’t even get me started on the Chancellor’s smoke and mirrors ply with a ‘grant’ towards fuel bills. You’ll be paying it back even if you don’t claim it – as Money-saving expert Martyn Lewis pointed out.
The Tories giveth, and the Tories taketh away…
Despite this confluence of crap there was a couple of rays today. I did something I’ve not done for decades and joined a group of friends in a pub – to play pool! It’s a skill I once had when I lived in London back in the 80s/90s but that’s atrophied ever since. In those days there was a certain pub in the East End near where I lived called the Beehive which was run by an ex-copper that meant we could still be playing in the early hours of the morning – and for money too. Those days are long gone but tonight my muscles and eye remembered a few of the old skills – and it was great fun!
There was no danger of it turning into a late-nighter of old as Dee’s not well and I’m on cooking duty, so it was a case of a few quick games before I’m home chopping shallots to use in an Indian curry. Not that I mind, I find cooking therapeutic. Now all the chores are done and it’s time to relax, so I’ll leave you with the picture of the day. I’ve a new batch of old slides ready to scan but this is one of the first from the new selection.
Back in 1995 a group of us all met up in Goa, India at a place I’d known since a decade earlier. The happy band included friends from London, plus my brother. Apart from Lynn and one other old traveller none of them had been to India before. Some were unprepared. So much so that one friend (I’ll spare their blushes) hadn’t even carried any money as they assumed they’d just be able to go to the nearest ATM…
We arrived on Xmas Eve 1995 and this was how you crossed the rivers in those days..
A ferry from Chopdem arrives in Siolim as we take one in the opposite direction. Xmas eve 1995…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been a ‘come-down’ day after all the running around and excitement of the past couple of weeks working up in Scotland during COP26. Most of my day’s been spent sitting in the office at home wading through and editing hundreds of pictures taken at various events. I’ve managed to get the last batch out to a client who needed them for press releases and publicity, now I can take my foot off the gas as the last ones are less time-sensitive. Now I’ve got to move on to the words, not pictures as I’ve a whole series of articles to write for various magazines.
I must admit, as much as I enjoyed the fun and games in Scotland it’s nice to be home for a while – even if the weather’s been crap! I’ve really not minded being chained to the computer today when then rain’s lashing down and the winds doing its best to whip the remaining leaves off the trees. Being so busy I didn’t get chance to venture out for my normal exercise and had to make do with a late in the day walk to the supermarket to pick up some bits for the weekend. Even that earned me a soaking, leaving the bathroom looking like a Chinese laundry as all my waterproofs were spread out to dry as they’ll be needed again tomorrow.
The pair of us have decided to have a day off tomorrow. Next week is going to be full on and we’ve not had much quality time together recently, so the idea is to have Saturday off and get out for a long walk somewhere with lunch as part of it. The forecasts looking favourable for a foray into Derbyshire, so (for now) that’s the plan – unless the weather changes overnight. There’ll be no rolling blog, but there might be a few pictures…
Talking of pictures, here’s today’s. This shot was taken in Glasgow earlier this week and shows a pair of old BR ordered Class 156 diesel multiple units approaching Glasgow Central station, threading their way out of the station through the complex trackwork on their way to East Kilbride. Built between 1987 and 1989 by Metro-Cammell’s Washwood Heath works in Birmingham, 114 of these 2-car, 75mph units were built. All remain in service
Two of the lines these trains operate an extensive service on (East Kilbride and Barrhead) are being electrified at the moment with the work expected to be completed in 2022, so these trains are living on borrowed time. Scotland has an ambitious transport decarbonisation plan that’s legally binding so these trains are likely to find themselves being cascaded to services in England – probably in the North-West, where many of the rest of the class already operate. I wonder what will replace them in Scotland?
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Lat week HS2 Ltd released their corporate plan. Running to 76 pages it details the progress on the project so far and the key milestones which will be achieved over the next few years as construction of the new railway ramps up. It’s a great reality check to the manufactured media spin and speculation that we’ve been seeing over the past few days in advance of the September 13th non-event where a few MPs will debate HS2 in a room in Westminster Hall – with no vote at the end of the talking shop!
I’ve been reading though the report (which you can read here) to bring you the highlights. Right from the beginning the report acknowledges the impact of the global pandemic has had when it says “Inevitably, Covid-19 has had an impact on schedule, cost and productivity but the programme remains on schedule” – which is good news! Having personally visited two of the main construction sites (at Calvert and South Heath) I can attest to the lengths HS2 Ltd and its Joint-Venture construction partners have gone to in order to ensure a Covid-free workplace and the difficulties and expense this has led to. The challenges were especially strong in London, where most workers would be using public transport to/from work. Thankfully, all these challenges are now subsiding.
There is another challenge mentioned that may people would rather ignore. Brexit. Whilst the first two multi-million pound Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) were imported from Germany before January 1st 2021 (saving time and import duties) another 8 are yet to arrive. There’s no doubt our new relationship with the EU (being outside the single market and customs union) will add costs to HS2.
Moving on, the report mentions another significant milestone that’s already been achieved. Piling work has started on one 3.4km long Colne Valley viaduct. Over the next year, 292 piles will be sunk, some as driving as deep as 55 metres into the ground to support the viaduct. Initially, engineers sank 12 piles at two locations and used the geological and structural data to refine the design of the viaduct. This has allowed them to reduce the depth of piles by 10% to 15%, saving time, money and Co2 emissions. The viaduct piers and sections will be built at the HS2 site at South Heath and the factory for making them is currently under construction. Construction of the viaduct itself is expected to start in the second half of 2022 with the superstructure complete in late 2024.
The report contains a handy graphic outlining the time table for the next few years. Here’s 2021-22.
As you can see – there’s an awful lot going on! There are other works which have only recently started that haven’t been mentioned. For example, at Wendover construction of the cuttings and other major earthworks at what will be the North portal of the Chiltern tunnel began this month. Of course, work still continues at other sites such as Calvert, where East-West rail crosses HS2.
Here’s the 2023-24 time table.
The update does highlight one area of concern – Euston station. It says this on page 34;
“Following the DfT’s instructions in November 2020, we have been exploring design options to reduce cost and speed up delivery by building the station in a single construction stage. This includes considering options to reduce the number of platforms at Euston from 11 to 10 while maintaining 17 trains per hour (tph) operations for the full Phase Two service. If this design option is adopted, the station construction programme will become a single-stage build, reducing the impact of our works on local communities”.
Whilst speeding up the delivery of redevelopment of the Euston site, reducing the number of HS2 platforms is seen by many people (including myself) as a retrograde step that sacrifices the long-term operational future of HS2 for short-term expediency. I would really hope this temptation is resisted. The good news is that the decision doesn’t appear to have been made. Yet…
The report has more to say about Euston.
“MDJV has started work on-site preparing for early works and has completed installing the first 161 piles for the station’s west wall. Enabling works will continue to the end of 2023. Network Rail will undertake demolition works on the Euston conventional rail station through to the end of 2025. This will allow the construction of the east side of the HS2 station. Following the enabling works and design, the main station construction will start in spring 2023 with piling and excavations works”.
There’s more…
“Work on the 4.5 mile Euston tunnel, which will be built up to 50 metres underground, is scheduled to begin in early 2024 and be completed in mid-2025”
But it’s not just tunnels in the centre of London. The report mentions work at West Ruislip, saying;
“West Ruislip will be the first site to launch tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in London. The machines will be assembled at the end of 2021 and launched in 2022, travelling five miles east to create the western section of the Northolt tunnel. Piling works at the site have been progressing well, with the second piling rig installed in April this year. A base slab for the TBM launch will be created in the autumn and the launch portal is due to be complete by the end of 2021”.
Delivery of the new station at Old Oak Common is discussed (pages 38-41) and one particular piece caught my eye, which was the section on Co2 emissions.
“The roof covers an area larger than three football pitches and will be mounted with 3000m2 of solar panels to generate green energy for the station. Together with a number of sustainable design and construction innovations, the solar panels will allow us to cut the station’s emissions by more than 144,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent across its 120-year design life compared with the original designs”
This puts into perspective opponents dishonest claims that HS2 won’t be carbon neutral for 120 years. This claim (based on a 60 year rough calculation of HS2 Phase 1 from 2011) has been completely overtaken by detailed design work and a continual focus on reducing the Co2 produced in the building and future operation of HS2.
The report has some interesting things to say about the 50 mile rural section of the route being built by EKFB which includes Calvert. There’s this insight into the haul-road system.
“As this stretch of HS2 mainly runs through the countryside, the closest existing access to the route is often via minor roads through villages. Our construction team developed the concept of building a temporary access road to join up the whole 50-mile (80km) section. We are building a hard-surfaced road, with standard road signs and traffic lights, instead of a traditional earthworks haul road to reduce dust and noise and take traffic off local roads. The internal access road will be used to move people and materials and provide more efficient vehicle movements, cutting emissions, energy use, dust suppression measures and maintenance costs. Some sections of the internal access road will be removed when the site footprint is reduced but others could be retained for rail maintenance, farm access, or as a cycleway”.
On pages 55-57 details are given of another tunnel further North on the route – at Long Itchington.
“We started excavating the TBM launch portal at Long Itchington in April 2020. This involved 120 people and was completed in February 2021.
The first components of the 2,000-tonne variable density slurry TBM arrived in December 2020. The TBM is set to launch from the north portal in the autumn and is planned to break through about six months later. It will be extracted at the south portal ‘reception’ box, which is under construction, before being transported by road back to the north portal for the second bore. We plan to complete tunnelling in summer 2022. The north portal is also the site of the slurry treatment plant, which was built in six months. It will be used for processing the spoil excavated by the TBM so it can be reused for landscaping for HS2. At the south portal, we have started building the diaphragm walls for the green’ tunnel which will be about 160 metres long and forms the final section of the Area North scope before linking into the works by EKFB. The ‘green’ tunnel will blend into the landscape and be completed next year”
There’s also news of a tunnel extension and other green initiatives on page 58 that show how the detailed design work that continuing to be developed throughout the project means it’s always evolving.
“It is proposed that a second twin-bore tunnel, the Bromford tunnel, near Birmingham, be extended by 1.4 miles (2.2km) to 3.6 miles (5.8km) to run next to the M6 between Water Orton and Washwood Heath. Extending the tunnel has ecological benefits as it will reduce disturbance to Park Hall Nature Reserve. It will also take up to 250,000 lorries off roads in Birmingham city centre. Earthworks and enabling works started in February 2021 at the east portal, from where the TBM will launch. It is due to start its first ‘drive’ in August 2022 with the breakthrough expected a little over 12 months later. To overcome constraints at the tunnel’s western end, the TBM will then be returned to the east portal for the second tunnel.
We will start setting up piling platforms and the batching plant for the 522-metre Burton Green tunnel in Warwickshire, the shortest on the Phase One route, in October 2021. Piling works are set to begin in early 2022. This ‘green’ tunnel involves a cutting being created in the ground before a tunnel ‘box’ is built inside it. The space around the box is then filled to create an area of land on the surface. We have revised the design of the railway through the Canley Brook area, near Kenilworth, so it will travel in a slightly shallower and longer cutting. A viaduct can be built over the brook, reducing the diversion of the river from 700 metres to just 80 metres. This means we will excavate 600,000 cubic metres less earth and save 28,000 cubic metres of concrete by removing the retaining wall for the Canley Brook realignment. Less excavation and building work will cut the number of lorry movements by 2,500. Avoiding a major realignment of the waterway will help to preserve the home of otters and bats and we plan to create a wetland habitat either side of the realigned section of the brook”.
Page 59 contains this insight into the initial HS2 Phase 1 train timetable.
“Initially there will be at least three trains per hour between Curzon Street and Old Oak Common, which will act as the temporary London terminus for HS2 pending the completion of Euston. We are working with the DfT to assess whether a maximum of up to six trains per hour could be operated from Old Oak Common”.
The timetable for construction of Curzon St station is also discussed.
“We will build on the design vision as we work with Mace Dragados to agree a target price and we expect notification of Stage 2 in mid-2022, signalling the start of the detailed design and construction of the station. Construction activity will step up from summer 2022 to 2024 as we set up a site compound and start extensive works including excavation and piling. We will need to hit the key dates for the delivery of Curzon Street to make sure other contracts for the high-speed railway remain on schedule. Elements of the station building need to be completed by the end of 2025 to allow the Rail Systems team to access the station from January 2026. The station is currently scheduled for completion in 2028”.
Reducing the Co2 footprint is also mentioned.
“Revisions to the original designs for Curzon Street mean we will reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 55% during the ‘whole life’ design of the station and we will achieve net zero carbon emissions from regulated energy consumption. We will cut the station’s emissions by more than 87,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent – similar to removing the emissions of more than 10,000 houses”.
Moving on to Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe the report has this to say (page 64-67). I’ve gone into detail here as people don’t always understand that much about what’s being built on this phase of HS2.
“Our goal to deliver HS2’s national benefits as quickly as possible was boosted by Royal Assent for the Phase 2a hybrid Bill, achieved in February 2021. Activity is now ramping up along the 36-mile (58km) route connecting the West Midlands and Crewe, clearing the path for the railway in readiness for the start of main construction work in 2024”.
The report mentions a new approach on Phase 2a than 1. Early Environmental and Civils contracts are being let to speed up construction.
“Our new model also includes two early civils work packages. Early Civils Work package 1 (ECW1) includes two major junction improvements in Staffordshire at M6 Junction 15/A500 (Hanchurch Interchange) and the widening of Wood End Lane/A515 Tewnalls Lane near Lichfield for construction traffic. Early Civils Work package 2 (ECW2), due to start in Q4 2021 and valued at £50 million, will be awarded via the Government’s Construction Works and Associated Services framework. ECW2 includes a range of enabling works such as major highways work, utility diversions and a new bridge over the M6 near to Stone. This work will take place alongside environmental and other surveys. The package represents HS2’s first major civils work north of the West Midlands and will help us accelerate delivery as we build towards the handover to main civils construction in 2024″.
Page 62 contains a schedule for and details of the mains civils work to Crewe.
“We will start major earthworks in spring 2024, excavating cuttings and building embankments. The main civil engineering works include the IMB-R, 17 viaducts, 26 cuttings, 36 embankments and 65 bridges. We will build two twin-bored tunnels, totalling about 1.2 miles (2km), at Whitmore and Madeley. A short section (about 200 metres) of the southern part of the Whitmore tunnel will be a cut-and-cover or ‘green’ tunnel. The TBMs are set to be launched in 2025 and will tunnel from south to north. Both tunnels will have porous portals to control noise and make sure there is no adverse effect on the surrounding area as trains exit the tunnels. Both tunnels sit high in their respective hillsides and require significant works to secure access to start the building. Other significant structures include the River Trent and Kings Bromley viaducts which stretch for about two miles (3.5km) through flood plain and are separated by a large embankment. The Great Haywood viaduct spans the Colwich to Macclesfield line, the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey canal. It requires significant temporary works including a 230 metre temporary access bridge to allow articulated dumper trucks to pass over the rail and waterways to build the viaduct.
The River Lea viaduct sits in a valley between the two tunnels and has to span the WCML and Silverdale branch line. This will require two temporary crossings of the WCML for construction. The landmark Meaford viaduct will cross the M6 just north of the IMB-R. The three-span structure includes a 130 metre span over the motorway. The viaduct will be built off site before being transported into position and will be one of the most visible structures on the Phase 2a route. The complex spurs and main line which gives HS2 connection into Crewe station and onto the conventional rail network require major engineering, including a diversion of the WCML. The portal for the Crewe tunnel will need to be constructed at the same time due to space constraints with the tunnel being built as part of Phase 2b, subject to Parliamentary and government approval.
Following the completion of the track bed, we will install the railway systems, including slab track, signalling and the power supply. Testing and commissioning is expected to take place over two years from 2029 to 2031. Testing will start at the southern end of the Phase 2a route to allow us to test the train operating systems at the earliest opportunity. The route does not feature any new stations and the Phase 2a trains are part of the classic compatible fleet that will be shared with Phase One. The total estimated cost range for Phase 2a is £5 billion to £7 billion and the funding range will be finalised alongside the construction works delivery model.
So, on to Phase 2b. What’s the plan? Well…
“In line with the Government’s instructions, we are continuing to develop a hybrid Bill for the Phase 2b western leg, extending the railway from Crewe to Manchester with a connection to the West Coast Main Line (WCML) south of Wigan. The western leg will allow HS2 trains to serve destinations including Preston, Carlisle, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Glasgow”.
This means the Golborne spur South of Wigan is still very much part of the project. Despite local opposition claiming it’s ‘unnecessary’ the spur provides a relief route to the the heavily used two track section of the WCML at Weaver Junction where the Line to Liverpool diverges and also by-passes Warrington with its freight yards, junctions and congested station.
In his recent briefing to the Transport Select Committee Mark Thurston stated he expects the Phase 2b Hybrid Bill to be submitted to Parliament in February 2022. I won’t go into detail about what the 2021-24 report says about Phase 2b to Manchester and Wigan as plans could change once the Bill starts its journey through Parliament and the Petitioning process begins. However if you want to read about it, check out pages 66 and 67 of the report.
I hope this has been a useful insight into how things stand with HS2 now.
Cheers,
Paul
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
My day’s travels are having a later start than normal as I’m currently waiting for a check-up at the Royal Calderdale hospital’s Dematology department. After forty-odd years of backpacking and beach-bumming around the world in exotic, sunny places you’ll find more moles on me than on the average golf course! So far, all have proved to be benign but recently a new one’s appeared on my cheek below my left eye. My GP reckons is OK but has sent me to get it checked out by experts – just in case. Once this is done I’ll be on my way, heading North. Of course, the problem with hospitals (especially ‘cos of Covid) is that you’ve no idea how long things will take. I’m not a great fan of hanging around hospitals (after all, they’re full of sick people!) but I really can’t complain about the Royal Calderdale. Whenever I’ve been here in the past the staff have been excellent.
It’s my first visit since the pandemic broke and it’s odd to see the place quieter than usual and waiting areas stripped to the bare minimum to enable social distancing. This is a big hospital with a large catchment area so it’s normally buzzing.
11:40.
Everything’s A-OK. The Dermatology nurse who examined me was a chippy and cheerful Yorkshire lass. After quizzing whsre I was going with such a large bag she waxed lyrical about a trip she’d taken along the Settle-Carlisle railway with her husband! In examining me she told me what I had under my eye was a seborrhoeic keratoses (a name that doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue!) and the good news? They’re harmless!
As my visit was mercifully short I managed to catch an earlier train. I’m now on a busy 3-car Class 195 working the 11:32 Halifax – Blackpool North. Leisure travel’s returned with a vengance. I was nearly mown down by a fleet of women with prams who were leaving the train to head the ths towns ‘Eureka’ childrens museum. Even with them disembarking the train remains busy.
12:30.
We’ve just left Blackburn and the train’s packed. We’ve lots of families aboard who’re on their way to Blackpool for a holiday. I feel rather sorry for them as the weather’s not looking very promising over the next few days, but then that’s why budget holidays to Spain became so popular!
14:30.
I’m now on the final leg to Carlisle after changing trains at Preston and Lancaster. All the services I’ve used today have been busy. It’s true that Preston station was quieter than I’d usually expect this time of year, but then there’s rather a dearth of foreign tourists – for obvious reasons! From Preston I caught a TPE Class 397 working a Manchester Airport – Edinburgh service, which was well loaded. If it had been on one of the old 3-car Class 185s used on the route it would have been rammed. I’ve not travelled on a 397 on the WCML before so I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the ride at linespeed – especially as I was stood over a bogie on the trailing vehicle!
I had half an hour at Lancaster, long enough to grab a couple of pictures, notice that all the station’s catering outlets had reopened (bar the WH Smiths by the ticket office) and have a quick word with an old friend who was on dispatch duty before catching Avanti West Coast’s 13:55 Northwards. Station announcements warned that it would be busy and advised those on flexible tickets to get a later train. 390104 rolled in to do the honours and it was indeed busy. I was lucky, a family of four were detraining so I managed to blag their table which is where I’m sat typing this. Having flown through a gloomy Lune Gorge we’ve hit mist and rain at Shap summit, so I’ve no idea what to expect in Carlisle…
15:15.
In fact, the weather in Carlisle is changeable, but OK. The sun put in an appearence for this beastie anyway. Rail Charter Services green HST working the 15:09 to Skipton via the Settle and Carlise line.
Epilogue!
After meeting up with Hassard at Carlisle the lair of us headed off to territory he’s never explored before – the Cumbrian Coast line as far as Whitehaven. We’d planned to walk along an old tramway from there to Parton but the rain lashed our train as it made its way to the coast, so we dicided to be flexible. The 2-car 156 we were on was really busy with a mix of locals on their way home from work and tourists. Two young couples opposite were heading to Whitehaven with their bikes to begin the popular coast to coast cycle route.
Fortunately for us (and the cyclists) the weather broke en-route. As we headed South the rain headed North so our plan came together after all. The old tramway runs parallel to and above the railway, giving excellent views of line, rocky beaches and out to sea. The route’s tarmac’d as it’s part of the national cycle network, so it’s an easy walk.
My morning has started with an example of just how crap public transport can be in the UK.
I’m heading for Calvert which has no working rail links, and being environmentally conscious I use public transport whenever I can. There’s a bus route from Aylesbury that goes through the village. The No 16 is run by a company called ‘Red Rose’ and goes from this God-awful bus station buried under a multi-story car park.
I arrived in plenty of time and found the right bay by checking every one as the tiny information screens in the dingy waiting area are too small to list anything more than 30 mins later.
Some bright spark has timetabled 2 buses from the same bay at the same time, the 10 and 16. The 10 turned up and sat there for ages whilst the driver went to the toilet. The 16 never appeared. I ring ‘Traveline’ (and paid 12p a minute for the privilidge) but they’re useless as they only have timetables, not real-time info. There’s a ‘press for info’ button at the stop. I press. It says “no bus is due”. Great.
10 mins after booked departure time another Red Rose driver spotted me and asked what bus I was waiting for. When I told him he said “well, it should be running” another driver wandered over, then said “the 16? It’s gone – it pulled in over there” (pointing to an anonymous bit of tarmac at the end of the bays). There were no announcements, no information as the bus drops off the screens which aren’t real-time information anyway. Nothing. So. I now have another hour to wait. I ring the bus company after finding their number on Google. No-one answers…
Is it any wonder so many buses drive around like this? Yep, i’m the only passenger, having paid £4.40 for the honour!
13:10.
My own personal taxi – sorry – the bus passed through some places I’d never visited before which included Waddesden which has some lovely old buildings. I really enjoyed the trip, even if it it did meander. I got off at journey’s end, the village of Steeple Claydon, then set off to explore.
Getting shots of the work reactivating the old East-West railway line led me to the line where it passes Poors Piece, a tiny bit of woodland that became a stophs2 protest camp. The irony being it’s nowhere near HS2! I popped in to get a few pictures only to find the camp deserted. The few remaining occupants appear to have buggered off to Stonehenge. The only occupants of the untidy mess were a couple of chickens!
It’s a good example of how the protest campaign against HS2 never stood a chance. A handful of people in camps like this were never going to achieve anything. Now, despite the bluster you see on social media from the likes of Hs2Rebellion it’s obvious all but a handful of the protesters have given up and moved on. How any of them thought sitting in a treehouse off the route was going to stop the largest construction project in Europe is a mystery, but there you go. They didn’t – and now the project’s in full swing.
14:55.
On site and being briefed on the work.
19:15.
Well, that was a busy day! After our site briefing and presentation on what HS2 contractors are doing in the area (lots) we went out on site to see the work up close. The sheer size of the site is the first thing that impresses, but then it includes a sizeable chunk of E-W rail, HS2s Infrastructure Maintenance Depot (IMD), passive provision for a link between E-W rail and the line to Aylesbury as well as road diversions – and that’s without HS2 itself. Plus, the site contains its own railhead which receives three trains a day of aggregates. Nearly half a million tons have already been delivered and by the end of the programme that will reach 787,000 tons. Not bad for a plan that was originally conceived to deliver 100,000 tons in total!
The third train of the day arrived when we were on site so we went out to watch the slick unloading operation. Operated by DB Cargo, the loco in charge has been converted to run on HVO (vegetable oil) not diesel. This is yet another example of HS2’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions.
22.15.
I’m now back in my hotel room in Aylesbury after a long day of wandering around the Calvert/Steeple Claydon area on what was a very warm day. With the combination of that and lugging around a full camera bag for nearly 14 miles I’m treating myself to a glass of wine and an early night. I’ll blog about my HS2 site visit in full in the next few days. There’s some great stories – including what’s probably the most expensive Jackdaw nest ever! For now, here’s a shot of where E-W rail crosses over the route of HS2. The piles for the bridge have already been sunk. Above the little digger in the far background you can see the rest of the E-W route heading East.
I’ll leave you with one last picture, which is of myself and fellow journalist and railwayman Phil Marsh. See what I mean about the camera bag?
Tomorrow I’ll be making my way back North, so I’ll be rolling blogging once more. Only this time there are no buses involved…
I’ve a favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances need all the help that we can get. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 