Today’s been one where I’ve managed to cut myself off from the troubles of the world (and the results of the American election) to concentrate on something uplifting. Right now I’m knee-deep in judging the Community Rail Awards 2025 entries, specifically the ‘It’s your station’ category. We’ve had 39 entries this year, many of them from stations which have never applied before. I’ve spent the day reading through the submissions, checking the information supplied and doing my first sift of the entries to see which categories they fall into. Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. I can assure you, it’s nor all about station gardens either. Here’s some of the winners from this years Community Rail Awards.
As always, there’s some fantastic entries. Most of the stations I’m familiar with as I’ve visited them some time in the past (or even recently), a few I don’t really know at all. It doesn’t matter as we judge on the entries, some of which are incredibly inspiring as they showcase the best of the areas they represent and the total cross-section of people involved. Sometimes it’s easy to become jaded and cynical. These people, their achievements and their commitments to their communities restore your faith in humanity – something very much needed right now!
So, today’s picture is a reflection of what I’m seeing, although it’s not from a station that’s entered this year. These are some of the fantastic local history boards on display at Marple station in Cheshire.
I’ve a gallery dedicated to community rail on my Zenfolio picture website. You can find it here.
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’ve not really commented on politics much recently. That’s mainly for two reasons. One is that since Labour won the general election we’ve had a tsunami of speculation and hyperventilation over what Labour are (or aren’t) doing and I’d rather wait and see the reality. Most of the commentary has been utter dross. Even once respectable news sources like the BBC have indulged in (non)stories that in a more reasoned age wouldn’t even have seen the light of day. Then there’s the increasingly down-market Telegraph newspaper, which is sinking to new levels of batshittery daily. It feels like it’s trying to out red-top the red-tops nowadays. Adding to the problem has been the decline of Twitter. Until Musk bought it and bastardised it in his own egotistical image it was a pretty good place to find political comment, from all sides. Now Musk has turned it into a right-wing cesspit where you can’t trust anything as, anything goes as long as it’s right-wing and designed to fulfill his and Donald Trump’s interests.
Which brings me rather neatly on to the American elections, where voting is taking place now. From a European perspective it’s difficult to understand how America has got itself in such a mess politically that the choice is between a convicted felon, rapist and dayglo pile of incoherent word-soup – and an ordinary person. Yet a large chunk of the American population (whichever way it goes tomorrow) see Donald Trump as ‘normal’, like him and will vote for him in their millions.
Thankfully, Europe (well, most of it) saw through demagogues like Trump years ago, back in the 1940s. one of ours ended up committing suicide in a bunker whilst the other ended up hanging from a lamp post, but not before Hitler and Mussolini had caused the death of millions. Do we as a species ever learn? Sadly not it seems. Whilst Labour have come to power and are gradually (and fitfully) getting to grips with 14 years of Tory misrule, we still have people in the UK who idolise the likes of the ‘fagash Fuhrer’ Nigel Farage (who’s yet again abandoned his Clacton voters to brown-nose Trump in America).
Still, it’s not all bad if you like a political joke – which is what the Tory party seem intent on becoming. The Tories have just elected Kemi Badenoch as their new leader. Well when I say ‘the’ Tories – only 1/3 of their remaining MPs backed her, the turnout in the membership election was less than 73% and of those Badenoch won by 56.5% compared to Jenrick’s 43.5%. Not exactly what you’d call a ringing endorsement, is it? Badenoch’s first interview as leader was with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg who’s known for giving Tories an easy ride. Despite that, it didn’t go well. Badenoch came across as arrogant, graceless and with no sign of having learned a single thing from the Tories election defeat.
Then she went on to choose her shadow cabinet (shouldn’t that be shallow cabinet? Ed), most of which have been announced today. Admittedly, after their electoral decimation the talent pool has become a puddle, plus many experienced Tory MPs are keeping their powder dry so that they’re not tainted by Badenoch’s failure when it happens and can step into the breech. So, who did she choose? The one that’s outstanding for me is ‘Penfold’, sorry Mark Francois, the MP (although why is a mystery) for Rayleigh and Wickford, a man whose ego is in reverse proportion to his stature. One of the pro-Brexit fanatics and trouble-makers of the ‘European Research Group’ Badenoch has appointed this former member of the TA as….Shadow Defence Minister!
The reaction on social media has been swift – and merciless!
As you can imagine, there’s many many more like that.
Badenoch’s claims that this is the Tory party learning and listening after its humiliating defeat is looking hollower by the day – and she’s not even been Leader for a week! I can’t help wondering how soon the first rejection letters from MPs are going to be going in to the 1922 Committee. On the bright side, the numbers of letters required to trigger a leadership election has increased from 13 to 40. As the Tories are reduced to 121 MPs that means Badenoch may be around long enough to cause some real credibility problems.
The champagne corks must be popping in No 10!
Let’s hope that the rest of us moderate, sensible people will be able to raise a toast to American President Kamala Harris on Thursday, closing the door on a political shit-show that includes not just Trump, but Putin…
God (of your choice, or none) bless America!
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/
There’s been lots of stuff to unpick in Wednesday’s budget which was the first one from Labour for 14 years. Much of the endless speculation running up to it proved to be wrong. What wasn’t wrong was an expected announcement that High Speed 2 will be running to Euston.
Chancellor Rachel Reeve confirmed that the Government will directly fund the roughly £1bn cost of completing the 5.4-mile tunnel drive from Old Oak Common. The Tories has said this would only go ahead if private finance funded it. The new Labour government knows this was just an excuse for more dither and delay, so has committed to funding the work from Government funds.
Some people have expressed surprise that – whilst the tunnels will be built, there’s no announcement on building the HS2 station at Euston. There’s a reason for this.
The TBMs to bore the tunnels are already being assembled on site at Old Oak Common. There’s a tight window for launching them as any delay would impact on the construction of the HS2 station at Old Oak Common, so the decision had to be made quickly and the budget was a handy event to include it in.
The announcement of Euston station is much more complex. Plans for the station had changed a number of times due to the Government changing its mind on the size of the oversite development (OSD) and latterly, due to the station being designed by a Committee, the Euston Partnership Board. There’s an old adage that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. It’s similar in intent to ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’. All the different partners in the partnership wanted their needs and aspirations included in the station design and the costs escalated massively as a consequence. Now the new Government has redrawn plans yet again. Another budget announcement was the appointment of Bek Seeley to chair the Euston Housing Delivery Group which will be involved in Euston station design and the surrounding area. Meanwhile, funding for Euston station redevelopment isn’t expected to be announced until the March 2025 spending review. As things stand, there’s still considerable uncertainty over what the actual HS2 station will look like, many platforms it will have, or even when construction will begin – only that HS2 WILL get to Euston. For the rest, we’ll just have to wait and see…
Before the Tories dithered and delayed to waste 100s of £ms on HS2 at Euston…Here’s a 20th October 2021 view of the station’s Western wall under construction.
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/
This week sees the end of passenger operation across the West Midlands by the Hunslet transportation built Class 323s which have been a feature in the region since the early 1990s when 26 of the 43 built 3-car trains were allocated to the area by British Railways.
Numbered 323201-323222 and 323240-243, the units have slowly been replaced by the newly built Class 730s from Alstom (nee Bombardier). The last of the 323s will run this Sunday when a Branch Line Society railtour will take them along routes they served for so many years, but ending up in Liverpool Lime St!
Here’s a selection of pictures documenting their service over the years. But fear not, whilst some of the units will be going to store, others are being transferred to the North-West where they’ll join their sisters who work for Northern. The distinctive whine of the 323s electronics will be heard for many years yet!
Whilst many photographers have ignore the West Mids 323s (until now) I’ve been taking pictures of them for over 20 years. Here’s a small selection from different locations along the routes they’ve worked.
The first of the class, 323201 seen with a sister unit at Bromsgrove (the end of electrification) on the 16th June 2021. It’s the 2nd May 2012 and 323203 sporting London Midland livery arrives at Sutton Coldfield with a service from Four Oaks.323204 is seen through the tunnels on the approach to Birmingham New St on the 23rd March 2008. 323205 calls at Wylde Green on the 23rd April 2024 whilst working 2R39, the 1446 Four Oaks to Redditch..Here’s 323206 at journey’s end in the bay platform at Wolverhampton after working a stopping train from Birmingham on the 8th August 2013. 323207 is at the rear of 323212 with a service leaving Longbridge on the 7th August 2013. Whilst working a shuttle service from Birmingham to Birmingham International on the 7th September 2005, 323209 is seen at the latter destination before returning North. Having terminated at Lichfield City the crew change ends before working back towards Birmingham on the 1st May 2012. 323212 approaches Sutton Coldfield from the Birmingham direction on the 2nd May 2012. On the 14th January 2014, 323213 crosses the junction at Bescot stadium with a service from Walsall. Here’s 323214 waiting to depart Bournville on the 25th February 2019.323215 arrives at Stechford on the15th January 2014 whilst working the 12:47 to Birmingham International. The previous day (14th January 2014) 323216 was captured crossing the junction outside Aston station with a service to Lichfield. The end of the line. Here’s 323218 at the single platform station at Redditch on the 7th August 2013. Taken a year earlier, this is the London Midland interior of 323218, seen on the 1st May 2012. 323219 approaches Tame Bridge Parkway station near Bescot with a service from Walsall on the 14th January 2014. On the 2nd May 2012 323220 arrives at the Wolverhampton’s bay platform 1 with a service from Birmingham.323221 has become a ‘celebrity’ after its repaint into the old ‘Centro’ livery. Here it is the first time around, seen in the turnback siding at Longbridge on the 21st February 2007.An interior view of one of 323222’s driving cars after the seating had been re-upholstered by West Midlands Trains. Seen on the 23rd April 2024. 323240 picks up passengers from the impressive station at Sutton Coldfield whilst working 2R41, the 1516 Four Oaks to Redditch. The date is the 23rd April 2024.On the same day, 323241 and a sister unit arrive at Four Oaks with 2P31, the 1229 Bromsgrove to Lichfield Trent Valley.323242 calls at the rebuilt station at Alvechurch on the 24th February 2019. It’s the 16th December 2006 and the last of the class is seen at journey’s end (Coventry) before working back to Birmingham.
If you want to find pictures of other members of the fleet (I have them all) simply visit my Zenfolio website and enter the unit number in the search bar at the top right hand side of the screen.
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’ll be honest, when I first heard that Huw Merriman the Tory MP for Bexhill and Battle since 2015 had been appointed Minister of State for Rail and HS2 back in October 2022 I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, He’d been a member of the Transport Select Committee since September 2017 so was well versed in the issues. Then, in January 2020 he’d been appointed Chair of the TSC and seemed to make a pretty good fist of it. He was intelligent and balanced, grasped the issues and managed to keep idiots like his fellow Tory MP Greg Hands (the virulently anti HS2 MP for Bucks) under control.
Sadly, as soon as he was appointed to the Government, the Tory Borg chip was implanted and he was assimilated.
Merriman in 2022. Enthusiastically backing HS2 all the way right until his boss did a volte face – and so did Merriman…
Telling the truth gave way to Owellian ‘Truthspeak’ – as today’s example shows. Merriman attended the opening of the rebuilt Dore and Totley station on the Hope Valley line which has being rebuilt. Here are his utterly BS tweets.
Jesus, where to start? Success? The December timetable has been delayed. There are no extra trains. When there are they’ll be limited to one extra train per hour because further work needs to be done at Manchester and Sheffield to provide capacity. The irony? Both of those locations were due to have capacity added by the very thing Merriman’s boasting about funds being diverted from – HS2.
Oh, the diverted funds bit is utter horseshit too (and Merriman knows it). You see, the Hope Valley upgrade was given funding in 2021, something that seems to have slipped Merriman’s mind – despite his time on the TSC. Here’s the DfT’s press release from that year announcing the work.
Claiming this is a ‘Network North’ project is complete bollocks. A fag packet would be embarrassed to have had this so-called plan drawn up on it. A ‘plan’ which dates from November 2023 – when Rishi Sunak unilaterally decided to cancel HS2 phases 2a and 2b. Y’know – the bits that were meant to deliver ‘levelling up’. The claim that this fictional money (which wasn’t due to be borrowed until 2029) has funded a project started in 2021 shows how Merriman and his boss (Sunak) are gaslighting people – and how Merriman is happy to promulgate a lie. Yeah, I know – he’ll pull the usual pained face he does when he’s caught out. But make no mistake, this is a lie.
Oh, I forgot. Electrification of the Hope Valley? Dream on! That was never a priority in anyone’s plans. It was added to ‘Network North’ ‘cos whoever wrote on the back of that particular fag-packet hadn’t checked real priorities. Of course, it’s pure co-incidence that some of the projects that did get a mention (like the Stocksbridge branch) go through Tory marginals and ‘red wall’ seats, honest! By the way, remember, this is written on the bottom of page 24 of the NN fag-packet plan.
So, what’s the business case for Hope Valley electrification? There isn’t one. And, if there was, it’s been hopelessly compromised by the scrapping of HS2 East and West.
How are any of Merriman’s boasted about improvements going to be delivered before the next general election? They’re not. Nothing’s going to happen at all. The Tories are taking you for fools. Are you going to fall for it again? I won’t. I gave Merriman the benefit of the doubt. As the old saying goes, ‘fool me once’…
A pair of East Midlands Railway DMUs pass through the Hope Valley in September 2023
I’ll leave you with this famous quote from a Russian writer and dissident which sums up the state of Tory politics right now.
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/
Today, the Department of Transport tweeted this ridiculous claim.
I actually feel sorry for the civil servants at the DfT. They know this is a con but their political masters are using them to push Government (read Tory) propaganda out in an election year. This is a naked abuse of what the civil service is there for, but there’s no low this Government won’t stoop to – including politicising the civil service.
Why tweet this? There’s no supporting press release or announcement of anything happening on the DfT website, or through the DfT’s normal press releases, there’s just this tweet. So why put this out now? Oh, wait. Rishi Sunak was in North Wales yesterday on his pre-election campaign ‘grand tour’. What a co-incidence!
So, what’s happening with North Wales electrification, announced as being funded by scrapping Hs2 phase 2 by Sunak last years and included in the risible ‘Network North’ not even the back of a fag packet plan?
Nothing. Zip. Bugger all. Last month RAIL magazine carried an excellent article detailing why nothing is likely to happen before 2030. You can read it here.
For a start, the £1bn is a con. There’s no HS2 money to ‘release’. It doesn’t exist. It wasn’t due to be borrowed for years yet. It sure as hell isn’t say in a pot in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ that’s just waiting to be rebadged. It’s classic ‘jam tomorrow’ politics. Cancel something you *were* building that had a business case, planning permission and even spades in the ground and announce utter vapourware for sometime in the future instead.
Before a spade enters the ground in North Wales there needs to be a business case for the work. That doesn’t exist. There *was* one, but that dates from 2015 and is hopelessly out of date. That £1bn figure is assumed to be based on that now-defunct business case. Since then, construction costs have increased by roughly 7% per annum – meaning that there’d be no spare change from £1.5bn.
As you can see, the project exists on in the imagination. It’s not included in Network Rail’s future plans and budget which is known as CP7. Control Period 7 runs from April 2024 to March 2029.
The truth is, there’s not a cat in hell’s chance of ANY work planning/consultations being done before the next General Election, which could come as early as May this year. As for actual spades in the ground – don’t make me laugh…
This is nothing but a dishonest and deceitful election con by Sunak and the Tories. Don’t fall for it – or him.
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/
This is a rewrite on a much earlier blog which is now out of date due to a changing financial world, but where the basic economic rules still apply. Rules that our (hopefully soon to be Ex) Prime Minister – despite his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer – seems to be unaware of. More likely? He’s gaslighting you. Let me explain…
What are Capex and Opex – and why does the difference matter?
Capital expenditure is an expense incurred to create future benefit, such as buying new assets for a business – like buildings, machinery or equipment. Doing so generates profits for the future over several tax years. Hs2 is a very good example of the principle. It will generate jobs (which generate tax revenue), kick-start regeneration in some of our major cities and make the UK a more attractive place for businesses (which generate corporation tax). Capital investment on decent infrastructure is well understood as bringing economic benefits. This BBC article sums up the situation. As capital expenditure will generate tax revenue year after year it’s not just a one off. That income stream would enable the Treasury to spend money on many different things, from the NHS to social welfare, to more modern infrastructure and even tax cuts if it so chose.
Operating expenditure covers the day to day functioning of a business, like wages, utilities, maintenance and repairs. It also covers depreciation. It’s money needed every year. It’s not a one-off – and it doesn’t generate any extra income the way Capex does.
The UK has a poor record for capital expenditure on infrastructure. It’s why so much of the countries infrastructure is old and outdated (like the railways) and why our productivity is so low.
The OECD (Organisation Economically Developed Countries) recommends that baseline infrastructure investment is 5.5% of GDP annually for an economy with aspirations to growth. We’ve only spent this amount twice since WW2. This is especially relevant now as the UK desperately needs to invest in ‘green’ infrastructure to both tackle and be resilient to Climate Change. HS2 was one of the projects that ticked all these boxes. The importance of such investment has been thrown into the spotlight by the recent storms that have closed railways and flooded large parts of the country. We need modern infrastructure designed and built to cope with them.
Now to the present. Rishi Sunak has announced he’s ‘scrapping’ HS2 and diverting the capital expenditure to operating expenditure, like filling potholes and subsidising bus fares. It’s economic madness, but it’s also a con as the ‘diverted’ money doesn’t exist. There’s no pot of money sat in the Treasury labelled ‘for HS2’ that’s waiting to be diverted elsewhere. HS2 is funded from Government borrowing and the money for the sections of HS2 Sunak has cancelled isn’t on the Governments books as it wasn’t due to be borrowed for many years yet. It’s fantasy money, as real as the stuff you play Monopoly with. Sunak knows this, but he’s taking voters for fools as he also knows most people have no understanding of either economics or Government finances.
Sadly, much of the media is helping him perpetuate the con by lazily copying and pasting his claims and not once asking any awkward questions, informing people of economic basics (like Capex and Opex) or doing any analysis of his claims.
Don’t be fooled.
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/
Yesterday the Government was busy on social media, spreading a message so asinine that satirists across the country were immediately put out of work. Converted to electricity, the levels of derision this poster generated could have powered the UK for a day at least. Here’s how the message appeared on Twitter (bugger off Musk, I refuse to call it X).
Network North – London?
The ridicule was savage and widespread. It soon got picked up by the national media such as the Independent, who highlighted it here.
I’ve blogged many times in the past about this whole scam (there is no money to redirect from HS2, it wasn’t due to be borrowed for years yet) but unashamedly, the Tories keep doubling down on the lie. This particular stunt appears to be a pathetic attempt to prop up the flailing campaign for London Mayor of Tory no-hoper Susan Hall, hence this awful tweet featuring Transport Minister Mark Harper, exposing the fact that ‘levelling up’ the North-South divide actually means levelling up London’s roads.
Rather then fill in any holes Harper continued to dig them for himself with these follow up tweets.
Needless to say they went down like a cup of cold sick. Many commentators pointing out the gaslighting here. ‘Network North’ now covers the whole of the UK, apparently! None of this money exists and there’s a huge elephant in the room that Harper is deliberately ignoring. It was a footnote on page 24 of the risible ‘Network North’ fantasy list.
What business cases? Fantasy projects don’t have them and never will.
Clearly, the Tories have given up any pretense of being honest or credible. They really are just taking the piss out of people. No-one with half a brain falls for this stuff. You have to wonder what they were thinking when they produced this stuff. I feel sorry for the decent people working for the Department of Transport who’re having their reputations besmirched by association with this crap.
The derision at this idiotic attempt at currying favour with London motorists whilst alienating the rest of the UK is still spreading. I can’t wait to see what stupid stunt they come up with next! It’s worth remembering that Harper and Co recently announced they were giving Transport for London just £250m of the £500m funding TfL had requested. Now suddenly there’s another £235m available for London. Anyone smell a rat?
Meanwhile, if you’re a Tory voter who lives anywhere outside London and the South-East, all I can say is – what on earth are you thinking? They’re taking the piss out of you too…
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/
This article originally appeared in RAIL magazine back in October 2023.
Built as a single track line by the Wycombe Railway and opened in 1879, the line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury has always been a bit of a Cinderella line. Its only claim to fame was the fact it was the last place in the UK to run BR built Class 121 ‘bubble cars’ which were finally retired in May 2017, having been introduced to the line by Chiltern railways in 2003. However, thanks to the arrival of Phase 1 of High Speed 2, this sleepy backwater’s currently having a makeover. HS2 will pass under the existing line to the West of Aylesbury. To do so the EKFB Alliance and Network rail have closed the line from August 19th until the 30th October. The closure has allowed a culvert close to Aylesbury to be rebuilt and a new 1.8km long embankment and bridge to be constructed to replace the 1879 formation. To future-proof the line the new bridge can carry two tracks and the linespeed has been raised from 40 to 90mph. Unlike other bridges on or over HS2, this bridge has been built by sinking four 2.4m diameter piled piers to a depth of 57 meters, making them the biggest piers on HS2. Each pier took between 36-48 hours to pour. Atop the piers sits a 100m long double-track width steel bridge which was built in 30m sections in the North-East before being transported South and assembled on site. To complete the work Network Rail has used 3000 sleepers and 14,000 tonnes of fresh ballast on the new alignment. A high-output track laying machine installed the rails over a single weekend.
When I visited on September 25th 2023 Colas Rail had begun tamping the new track ready for the lines reopening. Once tamping is complete 200 tonnes of check-rails will be installed on the bridge to mitigate against the chance of any possible derailment on the bridge affecting HS2 services. Meanwhile EKFB had begun excavating the clay underneath the bridge to form the HS2 cutting which is exposing the top 8 meters of the piers. This bridge is unique amongst HS2 bridges in that it was constructed at ground level and then the ground’s being dug out from underneath it.
The new bridge on the Aylesbury-Princes Risborough line with excavators beginning to dig out the route of HS2. This view’s looking South towards LondonBeginning to excavate around the bridge piers.The first few meters of a pier’s exposed.
The excavation work’s being done in stages from the North to the South due to the proximity of the old railway formation which still carries fibre-optic signalling cables and has the disconnected track still in situ which will be recovered at a later date. On the South of the old formation EKFB are building the piers and deck of a road bridge over HS2 as passive provision for the South-East Aylesbury Link Road (SEALR) whilst another road bridge over HS2’s being built further to the North-West as part of another link road scheme.
The new bridge with track in situ looking towards Aylesbury.Check rails waiting to be installed on the bridge after the line’s been tamped and levelled. In the foreground is the old railway line. Behind it in the light coloured troughing are the signalling cables which have been lifted and protected whilst work goes on. Looking South from the new railway bridge along the trace of HS2 towards London.The Colas tamper waits to begin work. In the foreground is one of the new culverts which improve drainage on the Aylesbury-Princes Risborough line. This photo gives a better impression of the length of the new bridge over HS2.
Future work to the line will see the half-barrier level crossing at Marsh Lane near Little Kimble upgraded and replaced with full-width barriers (which will allow linespeed improvements) and resignalling.
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/
Paul Bigland 