TRANSPORT AND WORKS ACT 1992 Transport and Works (Applications and Objections Procedure) (England and Wales) Rules 2006 THE NETWORK RAIL (EAST WEST RAIL WESTERN SECTION PHASE 2) ORDER DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT CHAPTER 2: PROJECT DESCRIPTION Document Reference 133735-PBR-REP- EEN-000009 Author Network Rail Date June 2017 Date of revision and June 2017 revision number 2.0 The Network Rail (East West Rail Western Section Phase 2) Order Draft Environmental Statement CONTENTS 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION ...................................................... 1 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 2.2 Project Location ................................................................................................. 1 2.3 Description of the Area ...................................................................................... 4 2.4 The Project ........................................................................................................ 8 2.5 Land Use Requirements .................................................................................. 47 2.6 Removal/Demolition of Structures ................................................................... 48 2.7 Construction ..................................................................................................... 49 2.8 Operation and Maintenance ............................................................................. 71 TABLE OF INSERTS Insert 2.1 Effect of the HS2 project on EWR2 ....................................................................... 4 Insert 2.2 Typical section of double track railway ................................................................ 11 Insert 2.3 Typical railway embankment ............................................................................... 12 Insert 2.4 Typical railway cutting ......................................................................................... 13 Insert 2.5 Aylesbury Vale Parkway Station .......................................................................... 16 Insert 2.6 Location of Winslow Station ................................................................................ 18 Insert 2.7 Typical highway overbridge ................................................................................. 20 Insert 2.8 Typical stepped footbridge .................................................................................. 24 Insert 2.9 Gantry mounted signal ........................................................................................ 33 Insert 2.10 Conventional signal ........................................................................................... 34 Insert 2.11 Lightweight signal .............................................................................................. 34 Insert 2.12 Typical GSM-R mast ......................................................................................... 36 The Network Rail (East West Rail Western Section Phase 2) Order Draft Environmental Statement LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 Limits of Works ........................................................................................... 2 Table 2.2 Main Features of the Project ...................................................................... 9 Table 2.3 Summary of proposed earthworks ............................................................ 14 Table 2.4 Relevant Engineering Line References .................................................... 19 Table 2.5 Public highway crossings affected ............................................................ 21 Table 2.6 Other vehicle crossings affected .............................................................. 22 Table 2.7 Foot crossings affected ............................................................................ 24 Table 2.8 Bridge structures affected......................................................................... 28 Table 2.9 Signalling Proposals ................................................................................. 35 Table 2.10 Fencing proposals .................................................................................. 42 Table 2.11 Summary of Ancillary Development Works ............................................ 43 Table 2.12 Area of land required .............................................................................. 47 Table 2.13 Summary of Construction Phasing by Location ...................................... 50 Table 2.14 Construction Programme........................................................................ 51 Table 2.15 Indicative Construction Sequence .......................................................... 54 Table 2.16 Summary of Construction Strategies by Section .................................... 63 Table 2.17 Proposed Construction Compounds ....................................................... 65 Table 2.18 Summary of proposed services .............................................................. 72 The Network Rail (East West Rail Western Section Phase 2) Order Draft Environmental Statement 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION This Draft ES includes some references to the replacement of Marsh Lane Level crossing (and associated works at Dodds Farm and Apsley Manor Farm accommodation crossings). Any work at these locations falls outside of the scope of the Project and no references will be included in the final ES which will accompany the TWAO Application. 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 This chapter describes the Project, which is the subject of this Draft Environmental Statement (Draft ES). Chapter 1 (Introduction) sets out how the Project fits within the wider EWR Programme, as well as differentiating the Project from the TWAO Scheme. The following sections describe the limits of the Project and the TWAO Scheme respectively. 2.2 Project Location 2.2.1 The Project will comprise works along approximately 60 miles, or nearly 100km, of the existing railway between Bicester, Bletchley, Bedford and Princes Risborough, via Aylesbury. 2.2.2 The Project crosses two County Council areas, namely Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and Buckinghamshire County Council (BCC) and several local authority boundaries (listed geographically from west to east): Cherwell District Council (CDC), within OCC; Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC), within BCC; Wycombe District Council (WDC), within BCC; Milton Keynes Council (MKC), a Unitary Authority (UA); Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC), also a UA; and Bedford Borough Council (BBC), also a UA. 2.2.3 Figure 1.1 in Volume 4 shows the geographical extent of the Project within each of these local authority areas. 2.2.4 The Draft ES has been prepared during a period of on-going design development and consultation and, in order to assess the environmental effects of the Project during this period of evolving design, the Draft ES has Volume 2 Chapter 2 Page 1 The Network Rail (East West Rail Western Section Phase 2) Order Draft Environmental Statement made a series of assumptions about the Project, based on information available at the time when the assessment started. Since then, the Project design has continued to develop. The most notable area of design development relates to the Project Boundary, which, for the purposes of the draft assessment, was fixed in November 2016. This Project Boundary delineates the Project Area for the purposes of assessment, and is presented on the figures (Volume 4) accompanying the Draft ES as the “Project Boundary (November 2016)”. This varies from the current “Application Boundary and Extent of Permanent and Temporary Works” that is presented on the Scheme Drawings submitted for consultation (which were fixed in January 2017). 2.2.5 The outer limits of the works within the Project and TWAO Scheme Areas, are also shown in Figure 1.1 (Volume 4), and set out in Table 2.1: Table 2.1 Limits of Works Location of Outer Extent of Works Limit The Project The TWAO Scheme Crossing with the Chiltern Main Line, Crossing with the Chiltern Main Line, approximately 1km south east of approximately 1km south east of Western Bicester Village Station at OS Grid Bicester Village Station at OS Grid Reference SP 598228. Reference SP 598228. Denbigh Hall South Junction, Denbigh Hall South Junction, approximately 4.2km south east of approximately 4.2km south east of Northern Milton Keynes Central Station at OS Milton Keynes Central Station at OS Grid Reference SP 841380. Grid Reference SP 841380. Bedford Station (via Bedford St Woburn Road crossing, Bedford, off Eastern Johns) at OS Grid Reference TL Chantry Road, Bedford at OS Grid 041496. Reference TL 034464. Princes Risborough railway station Aylesbury Station at OS Grid Southern at OS Grid Reference SP 799027. Reference SP 817134. 2.2.6 EWR2 crosses an area covered by High Speed 2 (HS2) between Grebe Lake (Calvert), Queen Catherine Road (Steeple Claydon) and Station Road (Quainton). Volume 2 Chapter 2 Page 2 The Network Rail (East West Rail Western Section Phase 2) Order Draft Environmental Statement 2.2.7 The proposed route of HS2 runs parallel to the Marylebone–Claydon Junction line for 7.6km, running north of Quainton to Claydon Junction and then crosses under the Oxford to Bletchley line. Continuing north, the route of HS2 broadly follows the remains of the Great Central Main Line track bed. 2.2.8 Insert 2.1 below is a schematic diagram showing the location of HS2 in relation to the existing EWR2 railway. As a result of this, approximately 12.5km of works to