Re: [NSW] Newcastle realignment {Snake Valley Line Flavour}

[ahonan@zipworld.com.au (Andrew Honan)]

On Wed, 12 Jan 2000 21:50:11 +1100, "Christopher Downs"
<cvdowns@ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>The East Hills line amplification has been approved and affected services
>(signalling, telecom, water, sewer....whatever) are being moved.
>
>(The following technical details are from the East Hills Rail Line
>Amplification EIS - August 1996)
>
>Despite initially hearing that a 3rd track would be added between Turrella
>(at the station) and Kingsgrove (13.9km - actually closer to Beverly Hills)
>the RSA staff at AusRail advised that the line would be quadruplicated over
>this section.
>
>Planned speed for the new tracks are 80km/h NSR interface to Bardwell Park
>station and 100km/h Bardwell Park to end of work near Beverly Hills.
>
the line around Bardwell park (especially over bardwell creek) has got
very tight curvature. After Kingsgrove is straightens right out.


>The extra two tracks will not have platforms and will be the express lines.
>The express lines will join the existing lines via 100km/h tangential
>turnouts.
>
>Someone else may be able to advise whether or not Kingsgrove will gain extra
>platforms for the express lines and/or the installation of a terminating
>road between the existing up and down lines.

No, the existing cross over is a mechanical one, use only during
tamping maintenance. The track from the down side of Turrella right
through to East Hills is automatic signals (including Kingsgrove).

The only crossovers at the tangentials near Beverly Hills merging both
the Up and Down express into the older UP and Down


>Its possible (or was a couple of weeks prior to Xmas) to see conduit
>protuding from the ground where signals and associated equipment for the
>express tracks will be located.
>
Most of this conduit (orange) was for HV underground reloaction as the
33 (or 11??) KV transmission lines falls into the footprint of the new
tracks.
Conduit (white) was also put in for the signal relocation, but also
for Fibre Optic cable.


>Once the new tracks are completed the existing up and down line were due to
>be completely rebuilt with new ballast, concrete sleepers and continuously
>welded rail - the ultimate in deferred maintenance.

I would like to see that.... i thought they were not going to touch it
for years and years.
Stage 3 of the amplification was going to take the new track from
Beverly Hills out to Riverwodd (or Revesby???) starting 'God knows
when'

>I don't know when this work is due for completion but it will quite be some
>time after the NSR opens.  Any updates?
>
Probably around Feb 2001!!!!
They got enough money, this financial year (to 30th June) to do
bridgeworks and procurement and signal relocation. Earthworks and
trackwork will start next financial year. (nothing will happen over
the olympic period)

>And the vegie gardens between Kingsgrove and Bevo, I bet they only got the
>flick for the new down track.
>
>Chris
>
>Hubert Lam <hubert@imap4.com> wrote in message
>85hgdp$1qn$1@news1.mpx.com.au">news:85hgdp$1qn$1@news1.mpx.com.au...
>> How do they manage to fit all the trains at the moment that run on the
>line
>> with such crappy infrastructure?
>>
>>
>> Andrew Honan <ahonan@zipworld.com.au> wrote in message
>> 387c080d.2524540@news.zipworld.com.au">news:387c080d.2524540@news.zipworld.com.au...
>> >
>> > I agree with this...
>> > The East Hills service is stuck in a time warp. Maintenance on the
>> > line needs to be substanially upgraded and the Right of Way secured
>> > for an upgraded service.
>> > The line needs to be upgraded to Continous Welded Rail and concrete
>> > sleepers.
>> > The line needs to be properly secured,  Access onto the corridor is
>> > too easy for vandals. (Market gardeners on the corridor have only just
>> > been evicted).
>> >
>> > There needs to be much better asset management of these lines.....
>> >
>> > Andrew
>> >
>> > On Tue, 11 Jan 2000 23:47:58 +1100, "Bradley Torr"
>> > <btorr@bigpond.nospam.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > >
>> > >David Bromage wrote in message ...
>> > >
>> > >>Electrifying Macarthur to Moss Vale would be a useful starting point.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >Yes! This would be excellent... but as you mentioned to me before,
>> provision
>> > >for electrification hasn't been made on the Main South past the Glenlee
>> > >branch (bridge heights, etc.) I have always thought it odd that the
>Main
>> > >South is the only intercity line not to have been electrified - surely
>if
>> > >the Blue Mountains can be electrified (with a population catchment of
>> about
>> > >50,000), surely the southern highlands (without about 75,000 people)
>> should
>> > >be electrified as well? Now that Wollondilly Shire is officially part
>of
>> the
>> > >Sydney metropolitan area (and I would suspect Wingecarribee Shire not
>too
>> > >far behind - or perhaps it could become a metro area in its own right)
>it
>> > >might be something worth looking into.
>> > >
>> > >Also, this would have the effect of greatly improving service
>regularity
>> and
>> > >speed for commuters in the south-western suburbs..... while people in
>> > >Hornsby, Penrith and Sutherland can catch intercity services express to
>> > >Central, while people in Campbelltown have to put up with the poor
>excuse
>> of
>> > >a rail line called the East Hills line... has anyone ever caught a
>train
>> > >from Campbelltown to Central in peak hour? The train is full by
>Macquarie
>> > >Fields! And even the so-called 'express' service stops at stations
>which
>> it
>> > >should just fly through, like Riverwood Padstow and Kingsgrove.....
>> > >
>> > >Oh well, my rant on south-western railway services should be left to
>> another
>> > >thread...
>> > >
>> > >Regards,
>> > >Bradley.
>> > >Who now lives in Wollongong and enjoys the V-set expresses up to
>Sydney.
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>