Site visit report 24th November

No pictures today but instead some interesting information from my visit to the site this afternoon.  Hochtief and Network Rail held an open day from 11.00am to 3.00pm with minibus tours around the site.  Unfortunately the weather was foul and the windows of the minibuses were steamed up and rain covered.  Because of this no worthwhile photos could be taken.  However the staff were very welcoming and pleased to answer any questions.  There were several time lapse videos covering the main work sites.  These graphically demonstrated the incredible pace of work.  As one of the Network Rail guys remarked, there was nothing there only ten months ago. These are some of the more interesting facts:

• New junction between the new line and the Cambridge line goes in tomorrow morning between 9.00am and 10.30am and will be known as Hitchin East junction.  A 90m section of track will be cut out and the prepared points and track panels lifted in.
• New junction between the ECML and the new line will go in in December and will be known as Hitchin North Junction.  The existing junction will still be called Cambridge junction whilst just south of there the various connections are known as Hitchin South Junction.
• A track laying machine will visit in February and lay all the track and concrete sleepers in around a week.
• Overhead work will be completed in March.
• The line will go into public service in June, 31 weeks from now.  Drivers will be trained by simulator and walk throughs as it will not be feasible to do driver training on the new line.
• Line speed will be 50mph due the steep gradient and tight curves.
• The line will be ballasted throughout including the viaduct to keep the noise down.  The viaduct has a concrete trough running throughout to facilitate this and to manage the run off.
• Maximum number of people working on site at any one time was 150, now around 60.
• Temporary quarry will be removed and hill reinstated to farmland next May.  Around half a million tonnes of chalk was removed although not all was useable.  Unused chalk will be used for reinstatement.  The reason for the delay is the weather now would not allow machinery to operate.
• Drainage on the east side all goes to soakaways adjacent to the embankment.  A large hole is dug and filled with something similar to milk crates.  It is capped and a drain pipe put in. 

I was surprised at how many people visited the site.  Minibus tours ran every 15 minutes throughout.  Weather permitting, I will try and get some pictures in the morning.