Progress is continuing in Birmingham City Centre on the construction of the short extension between Snow Hill and New Street railway stations, which is due to open during 2015. On 19th November Ken Jones paid a visit to the city centre to see the latest progress and as these photos show most of the track work and points have now been installed on Bull Street.
Three views showing trackwork in situ with the top surface completed as well.
Notices are also in place around the City Centre to let the public know just what is going on. (All Photos:Ken Jones)
I briefly visited Birmingham on the 17th November. Whilst trackwork in Bull Street is largely complete the progress along Corporation seems to be slow. only the inbound track is in position – and not fully finished – whilst nothing appears to have been down for the outbound track. Some work was taking place to connect the track already laid in Stephenson Place to Corporation Street.
Also no work as been done link st pauls to bull st. So hopefully it by Feb/march we should see some kind of improvement to the route
Its been in local papers that around Dec 2015 might see this under 1 mile extension finished ..
Meanwhile welding work noted on the track sections at the Royal on Saturday.
Not much track left from the Royal towards Wolves SG though .. wondering if they will rip out Priestfield to Royal ? The road section needs fresh tarmac alongside the rails ..
Regards
Ian Mandley
I just wonder what speed it is reasonable to expect this kind of work to be done at in the UK. I would dearly like to be able to compare it to similar work in, say France, where they have opened twenty-five new tramways – yes, really – since the 1980s and are continuing to do so. But then, they have positively pressurising and supportive politicians and civil servants! Unlike the UK.
Commentators always complain that the work is not done quick enough, and say it is faster in other countries when we have the whole world to choose from for the fastest work. The complexity of modern trackwork and power supply is far greater than it was in the days of Holroyd Smith or Sir James Clifton Robinson (but even the London United was delayed for more than a year after its stated opening date 110 years ago). So I think we should put ourselves in the position of the engineers who are actually delivering the goods in the real world, and enjoy using their lines when they open, knowing they have been built to the highest safety standards.
It appears that in this country there is an attitude that trackwork in town locations can not undertaken without work being done to ensure that all services under the roadway are moved first. If one reads what experts are saying such work in this country is “over the top” and completely unnecessary. As John Gilbert says tramways in France can be installed and opened much more quickly than in the UK.
they should of left the Wolverhampton section alone! Trams were running fine they messed it up!
With regard to the utilities diversions we have different laws to france and elsewhere. As such the tram company has a legal obligation to move the utilities which have a statutory right to be there, but the tramway is there through one act of legislation alone, if not just an order. Plus do you really want utilities under the track, with delays to trams every two minutes as they are dug up and relaid?
I
Perhaps in other countries they don’t plan tram lines to go over the top of where utilities are laid in the first place?
I’m afraid Ken that if lines were planned on that basis nothing would ever get built. If you look at construction photos of any of the recent lines it is amazing just how many pipes and cables litter the streets of our towns and cities. You have only to think how many telecomms and cable TV companies exist each with their own networks to realise how congested the ground is under our feet.
I wasn’t criticising Steve, just an observation of the possible reasons, thinking maybe other countries didn’t put their utilities under roads etc in the way that we do. There again it could be that other countries just get on with it whereas we have to spend thousands on having meetings about meetings and enquiries to set up enquiries to try to find 50 reasons for not building things!