GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Paul Harwood – Director Route Investment, Network Rail
24 Jan 19 / 1 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Thameslink Resilience Programme and the Three Bridges to Brighton Blockade
24 Jan 19 / 2 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line Improving resilience and reliability Thameslink Resilience Programme - a £300m programme to improve reliability for passengers on key routes both north and south of the Thameslink ‘core’ through central London, cutting asset failures by a targeted 15% ahead of expanded Thameslink timetables. The programme will boost the reliability of all services, including Southern & GEX, travelling on these routes. We are targeting those areas where the most significant asset- related delays currently originate. £205m is being spent on the railway in Sussex and Kent.
► £67m is being spent on the Brighton Main Line
24 Jan 19 / 3 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Why Three Bridges to Brighton?
➢ VTB3 Brighton to Balcombe Tunnel Jct is a two line section of railway. ➢ 49% of trains presenting late at the ‘core’ are impacted by the VTB3 section of railway. ➢ Delays through this section are impacted heavily by repeat failing assets.
24 Jan 19 / 4 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Blockade and story so far Already delivered a lot of work over 9 weekends ➢ Successfully delivered complicated and integrated packages of work including major junction and track renewals at Gatwick and Earlswood, drainage works, embankment strengthening etc. ➢ No over-runs ➢ Experience of managing large numbers of passengers and running complex bus replacement operations. Blockade is a much greater level of complexity
➢ Increased volume of work to be delivered in phases ➢ Peak passenger volumes, weekday closures BUT… ➢ Safer and more efficient with just one overall handback risk.
24 Jan 19 / 5 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Blockade – Scope of Works
Worksite B – BAM Nuttall (IPSE) Worksite A – S&C Alliance Primary Works Primary Works - Haywards Heath Drainage Works - Balcombe Tunnel Jn (S&C Alliance) (IPSE) Secondary Works Secondary Works - Balcombe Tunnel Drainage - Station improvements (WDSE) (WDSE) - Various Maintenance (Brighton DU) - Balcombe Station improvements Worksite C – Kier Signalling (IPSE) & footbridge renewal (IPSE) Primary Works - Signal Head & Track Circuit Worksite E – WDSE/Maintenance Renewals, Westplex signalling Planned Works system upgrade (IPSE) - Signal Head Conversions (WDSE) Secondary Works - Plumpton Station improvements - Wivelsfield Platform Refurb (IPSE) and footbridge refurbishment - Folly Hill Conductor Rail Renewal (IPSE) (IP Track) - Cooksbridge Station - Burgess Hill Conductor Rail improvements and footbridge Renewal (IP Track) refurbishment (IPSE) - Patcham Tunnel Down Track - Various Maintenance (Brighton Renewal (IP Track (Worksite D) DU) - Tunnel inspections and Repairs (WDSE) - Re-Railing (Brighton DU)
24 Jan 19 / 6 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Passenger communications
24 Jan 19 / 7 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line Media & digital communications
24 Jan 19 / 8 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Stakeholder & Community Engagement
➢ Full stakeholder database and business toolkit ➢ Joint weekly newsletters to line of route MPs, CRMs to businesses ➢ Regular engagement with 400 local stakeholders, av. engagement rate 69%, over 150 in-depth conversations to date ➢ Postcards to 13,750 businesses ➢ Numerous articles in business publications ➢ Monthly updates to 7,500 directly impacted lineside neighbours ➢ Posters in community locations ➢ Art competition launched for 58 local schools
Henry Smith MP at Three Bridges Stephen Lloyd MP at Eastbourne
24 Jan 19 / 9 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Summary Good progress in all key areas supported by an ongoing assurance process
➢ Positive stakeholder support
➢ Outstanding passenger awareness
➢ High confidence in our engineering works based on the planning and record in delivering enabling works
➢ Operational activities progressing and under control
➢ Passenger management preparations and associated enabling works on programme
24 Jan 19 / 10 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Gatwick Station Project
24 Jan 19 / 11 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Challenges
24 Jan 19 / 12 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Scheme Summary
➢ Will tackle problems of pedestrian crowding and poor access/egress
➢ Provides station capacity to tackle existing problems and future growth scenarios
➢ Supports a more reliable and efficient service by reducing platform dwell times resulting from access/egress issues
➢ A completely new concourse above the existing platforms 5, 6, and 7
➢ Five new lifts and eight new escalators and four new stairways
➢ Improved connections to the existing interchange and overbridges
➢ Almost doubling existing rail concourse, providing more space
24 Jan 19 / 13 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Indicative Timeline
Milestone Date
Detail Design commences Spring 2019
Early works (to be agreed) Spring 2019
Start of main track works May 2020 (Phase 1: closure of platform 7)
First Christmas Possession Christmas 2020
Continue track works January 2021 (Phase 2: closure of platform 5/6)
Scheme open to the public December 2022
24 Jan 19 / 14 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Scheme Proposal
24 Jan 19 / 15 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Brighton Main Line Strategy and proposals for ‘unblocking the Croydon Bottleneck’
24 Jan 19 / 16 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Brighton Main Line – the Croydon bottleneck Performance on the BML is impacted by low capacity junctions in the Selhurst triangle and insufficient platforms at East Croydon This is one of the most severe constraints on the busiest part of the UK network; a train every 45 seconds Our proposals for new flyovers and dive-unders and a station upgrade would fix the bottleneck Consultation with local people has started Our design activity is ongoing
24 Jan 19 / 17 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line Croydon bottleneck – consultation summary ➢ Local focus: the first phase of consultation (November 2018) focussed on the immediate Croydon local area (line of route communications is ongoing)
➢ Well attended: 400+ attendees / 1000+ online responses
➢ High levels of support: the principle of “unblocking the Croydon bottleneck” by grade separation and providing extra platforms at East Croydon station appears to be widely accepted – over 90% support
➢ First step towards future land acquisition: affected landowners were advised with issues being worked through with NR specialists
➢ Do it faster: The most common response was “just get on with it”
➢ Local issues: a major concern was how we would reconstruct Lower Addiscombe Road bridge (1/2 mile north of East Croydon) – this will inform our next stages of activity
24 Jan 19 / 18 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Croydon bottleneck – outputs
➢ Performance: a step-change improvement by greatly reducing secondary delay due to the ‘flat’ junctions in Selhurst
➢ Capacity: Croydon upgrade (plus minor other supporting schemes) could allow +6 main line trains per peak hour, consistent with forecast growth. This could be higher if Clapham Junction and Victoria are also addressed in the longer term.
➢ Station improvements: far better passenger experience at East Croydon and Norwood Junction, part of a phased programme of major station improvements on the BML
➢ Local regeneration: support ongoing regeneration of central Croydon.
24 Jan 19 / 19 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Croydon bottleneck – timeline
➢ Further consultation: second, third and final phases of consultation in 2019
➢ Design: concept development to 2020
➢ TWA process: potentially 2021-2022, subject to funding
➢ Scheme commitment: opportunity to align with GTR refranchising
➢ Enabling works: aim to get critical path enabling works on site by 2023
➢ Benefits: phased from late 2020s (multiple stages of grade separation)
➢ Completion: indicatively 2030
24 Jan 19 / 20 GATCOM: Gatwick and the Brighton Main Line
Thank You
24 Jan 19 / 21