Ordsall Chord Consultation

Network Rail have announced what they call a "Phase 2 Consultation" on the Ordsall Chord, with public exhibitions to be held as listed below.  Much more information on Network Rail's web site.

• Tuesday 20 November, 4pm - 8pm, Museum of Science & Industry
• Wednesday 21 November, 12pm-8pm, Museum of Science & Industry
• Friday 23 November, 12pm - 8pm, Creative Media Centre, Salford
• Saturday 24 November, 1pm - 5pm, Museum of Science & Industry
• Monday 26 November, 4pm - 8pm, Salford Central Station
• Tuesday 27 November, 10am - 5pm, Manchester Town Hall
• Wednesday 28 November, 4pm - 8pm, Manchester Piccadilly Station

Prescot Resignalling

The resignalling work was completed at the weekend, and Prescot Box is now closed.  In addition to the changes at Prescot, the gantry at Huyton Junction which has for many years supported just one semaphore signal now has none, and the other three semaphores controlled by Huyton have also gone.  Hopefully I'll take a ride up the line soon to get more details of the changes.

Update:  I have now been for a trip and there isn't that much to report, just a smattering of new signal posts.  I am disappointed that the opportunity to insert more sections, thereby increasing capacity, doesn't seem to have been taken - I used to commute along here and my journeys towards Huyton were almost always delayed waiting for the preceding train to clear.  And while I'm having a moan, the displays at Prescot are not linked to the signalling system - I watched a train shown as on time until a couple of minutes after its scheduled time, whereupon it was replaced on the display by the next train.  The errant service finally appeared fifteen minutes later.

Four Tracking Broad Green to Huyton

September's Modern Railways reports that the funding of the Northern Hub project announced by the Government in July will provide improvements for the Chat Moss route including four tracking between Broad Green and Huyton, with Roby and Huyton stations having four platforms.

Network Rail's web site suggests construction starts in Spring 2014.

Resignalling at Prescot

Prescot signal box is scheduled to be abolished from Monday 24 September 2012. The area - I think there are currently eight signals - will be controlled from St Helens by Track Circuit Block using axle counters.

Summer Timetable

As the engineering works get going, reductions in late evening trains from Liverpool are a feature of the new timetable. For example, the last train to Huyton on Mondays to Thursdays will be 21.42. Traditionally this was 23.16, and it was 23.02 in the last timetable. Buses replace the lost trains. On Fridays and Saturdays, the trains run as usual.

The posters at Lime Street seem to say these reductions are until September, while the National Rail Timetable valid until 8th December shows them throughout. Your guess is as good as mine!

The similar reductions in trains from Manchester Victoria to Liverpool introduced in the December 2011 timetable remain in force.

On the plus side, there are no weekend blockades shown.