EWR Calvert to Winslow

East-West Rail (EWR) is a project to (re)open a rail line between the University cities of Oxford and Cambridge. Much of it is along existing routes that are either being modernised, or are being reconstructed following closure in the 1960s.
This section is from where EWR meets the highly controversial HS2 at Calvert in Buckinghamshire, eastwards through Verney Junction to Winslow.

[@ianhart3048]

Another great update. Thanks! Strange how they are not electrifying this line from the start. Seems short-sighted to say the least.

[@theboy-uk]

Probably on cost grounds, and gives the opportunity for the rail industry to go cap in hand for funding for that improvement. Sadly, that will always result in ultimately higher costs and more disruption, but probably keeps some execs in jobs for longer....

[@pedromorgan99]

@@theboy-uk and nobody seems to understand this... there are cost spitted out .. and nothing .. like a soil.void !!! Get the Japanese in to run things and do things proper.. Its always runs from 6am to 11pm.. in the meantime...... kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIPMepeeibV0hbs

[@highvoltageswitcher6256]

They could have put the catenary mast foundations in for not much extra cost. That would reduce the trackside intrusive civils activity. Once the line was up and running then go and get the money for electrification. The catenary masts and support structures could then have been fairly quickly installed, minimising line disruption in the future. 😊

[@theboy-uk]

@@highvoltageswitcher6256 They could of. But seems these major publicly funded projects aren't that organised :(

[@joginns778]

@@highvoltageswitcher6256 did you know the bletchley flyover was set up for electrifying from the first day it was built,

[@CrazyCatLady351]

Great footage TB. Fascinating to take a trip down memory lane as it were, where old and new come together, makes sense of course, utilising what is already in existence.

[@theboy-uk]

Indeed, and as the route of the old line had never been developed or used for other purposes, a no brainer really 👍

[@gwynnej3]

Very interesting, thanks. I went to Horwood House several times in the 1980s (BT college) and used to wonder about that line, which then IIRC still had a few trains on it.

[@theboy-uk]

I remember Horwood House when it was a British Telecom management training centre, and I'm fairly sure you are right about some non passenger trains running on it back then, certainly around the area where it goes under the Little Horwood to Mursley road.

[@joginns778]

Brilliant drone work, I don't know how you did this, the technology is beyond me, question did you here prime minister's question, the MP for Aylesbury asked about the connection to Verney junction and all got was HS2 and network rail are in talks about it but it had to be a light railway and come in at a much lower cost, but what I can't understand is why network rail allowed hs2 to take over the track bed in the first place at Calvert, HS2 has said it has widen the cutting to allow the Calvert to Aylesbury to go ahead when the money is available,

[@theboy-uk]

The cynic in me says Network Rail (from which HS2 Ltd was spun out of, and filled with (what was then) Railtrack personnel) is ignoring everything else but HS2, as the whole HS2 project is on thin ice, due to monumentally bad planning and hopeless execution of the plan, hence way behind schedule and catastrophically over budget. If they cock this one up, that's probably the end of any further major rail projects. So they will end up doing non HS2 bits piecemeal, even if it costs more, causes yet further disruption to local communities and rail users, and takes far longer than it should.

[@johnjephcote7636]

@@theboy-uk Government delays were much of the cause of overspending plus the necessity to obtain a cheap-looking winning bid in the first place. Some day another stupid government will cancel all of it and build roads on the formation. This is a country with no vision in government beyond the next term of office.

[@joginns778]

@@johnjephcote7636 John you can't trust any government I don't know if you have noticed the highway's department are getting away with filling in lots of old railway bridges so it seems your right about roads on these old track bed's,I can also the Bedford to Cambridge being cut, east west rail are missing out on a Golding opertunity with no train running from bletchley to Bedford they could have started the upgrades on that line, it's been sometime the last train ran on it,

[@theboy-uk]

@@johnjephcote7636 Government or Civil Service? Civil Service includes the entity know know as Network Rail. I would happily vote for any manifesto that closes HS2 down, as it will be a financial drain on the country until it is closed (using HS2's figures, every UK taxpayer will have to stump up an average of £600 a year to help run HS2, that's on top of the several thousand pounds we are all stumping up to build the thing in the first place). Not sure we need another road between Birmingham and London, as we have 2 decent ones already, much like we had to decent rail links between the 2 cities before HS2.

[@Thevinylscavenger]

It'd be nice if the Aylesbury MP pulled his finger out and actually did something for Aylesbury. HS2 nothing EWR link to Aylesbury nothing Aylesbury ring road nothing Regeneration of town centre nothing Ex Channel 5 newsreader for an MP fails to make the headlines again......

[@davidharle952]

Great video, It seems well on the way to completion, I wish they would reopen more of the old lines that were closed in the 60's. They seem to have done a good job of it, nice and tidy. I wonder if they would help me with my model rail layout.

[@theboy-uk]

Well, I doubt the HS2 mob could help you with your models before we are all dead. The EWR lot seem to have got more of a wiggle on though :)

[@davidharle952]

@@theboy-uk Lol, At least HS2 will ensure income for the wealthy for the next 100 or so years.

[@theboy-uk]

@@davidharle952 Given the levels of subsidy needed to run the service, I'm not sure even the rich will make money off it!

[@laurenceskinnerton73]

It’s all down to cost,sounds like the Treasury interfering again,electrification is the ONLY way forward.

[@theboy-uk]

I guess with the existing sections not yet being electrified, and all the rail budget well and truly blown on HS2, and the magic money tree not bearing fruit, it was sadly inevitable :(

[@DaveFiggley]

Interesting footage. The EWR is progressing nicely and the contractors seem to be making a tidy job of it. It's a shame this line ever shut but, I suppose, the economics of the time dictated that the Varsity Line wasn't worth subsidising. Has a definitive route into Cambridge been agreed or is that conversation still ongoing?

[@theboy-uk]

I believe Beeching actually recommended this one was kept open, despite it running at a loss. Its probably far more viable now, as we accept all UK rail services run at a loss, although I think the rail industry should be able to be profitable, but I don't think the rail industry is ready to change. I think the Bedford - Cambridge bit is not finalised yet.

[@johnjephcote7636]

The idea that motor vehicles were the future pleased the government and delighted the road and fuel lobbies.

[@theboy-uk]

@@johnjephcote7636 And, realistically, motor vehicles remain the future for anyone not in the centre of cities were public transport is viable. Its certainly cheaper, despite all the taxes put on cars/fuel/electric, and the government doesn't have to dip into the taxpayer's purse to fund 50+% of every rail fare. Even air travel is cheaper than trains, though obviously has environmental implications.

[@StevieProton]

Another cracker mate with callouts as well. I always feel a bit of sympathy for some of those people with nice expensive houses in the quiet countryside, then next thing a thundering railway line appears at the bottom of the garden. Oh dear.

[@theboy-uk]

Yes, I'm not sure I'd want the noise of trains going past the bottom of my garden all the time.

[@johnson_street_IEMD]

This looks mostly brand new 🤔

[@theboy-uk]

Obviously the trackbed has been re-laid, as 5 decades of non use had made it in need of some work, and many of the foot bridges are new, rather than use crossings, but it follows the existing route along this section :)

[@PhillipParr]

With the music it feels like I'm playing a sim game 😄

[@theboy-uk]

LOL 🤣

[@leswall3061]

Hope you're allowed to fly when the track laying starts, great video

[@theboy-uk]

When trains are eventually running, I'd probably go along the side, rather than directly over the track, just in case something unexpected happens. Although these videos of EWR and HS2 are more as a reference to the build, so may stop once the lines are opened. After all, who wants to see a dirty diesel chugging along the line....

[@leswall3061]

@@theboy-uk Seen this on line,>>>The contract for the first batch was awarded to a 50/50 joint venture between Hitachi Rail and Alstom, for 54 conventional compatible trains, which will be constructed in the United Kingdom.[10] The trains will be based on a revised version and evolution of the Zefiro V300 platform.[11] The electric multiple units (EMU) will be 200-metre (656 ft 2 in) long with the option to couple two units together to create a 400-metre (1,312 ft 4 in) train.[12]

[@theboy-uk]

@@leswall3061 Thats for HS2, EWR will use DMUs

[@leswall3061]

@@theboy-uk Oops crossed lines, sorry

[@theboy-uk]

@@leswall3061 No worries 👍

[@robodrone5662]

The weather is much better I suppose 👍

[@theboy-uk]

It was a cracking day when I did all those flights, roll on summer!

[@johnpapworth433]

Is that Calvert as what was part of the GC?

[@theboy-uk]

Yes, indeed. HS2 on the section from just north of Aylesbury to just south of Brackley mostly follows that bit of the GCR

[@johnpapworth433]

@@theboy-uk Thank you :)

[@Bristoltwingo]

I hope the new bridges are high enough for 25kW OHLE.

[@theboy-uk]

Its initially going to be a diesel service. I'm not sure the rail industry looks far enough ahead to worry about future electrification, so the bridges probably will need rebuilding if that ever happens!

[@ianhosier4042]

Tracks all the way to verney junction? Shame completion will probably be delayed for years thanks to hs2.

[@theboy-uk]

Tracks mostly in place from Verney Junction to at least Winslow, and the other way from near Calvert to Bicester, but the HS2 crossing is nowhere near ready yet.

[@ianhosier4042]

@@theboy-uk I have seen a video from the bletchley end and there is double track out from bletchley almost as far as swanbourne and single track at least to Winslow which was where their film ended. I heard the only way to get EWR finished in time was for EWR to pay thr cost of bridging HS2 which probably won't be finished for another decade at least if at all. Sadly the extra money incurred in bridging HS2 (which HS2 should have paid for) means the Aylesbury link was sacrificed although there was talk of an Aylesbury - Buckingham bus service linking both to Winslow.

[@theboy-uk]

@@ianhosier4042 It does appear that the entire section from Oxford to Bicester is just waiting really on the HS2 crossing then. I think the Aylesbury to old Varsity line, originally planned to use the existing route which (then) Railtrack kept ownership of according to my (then) Railtrack planner neighbour, was jeopardised right from the moment that HS2 commandeered that for their big white elephant.

[@thetessellater9163]

Wondering what the diagonal bar is at 3:12, anyone ?

[@theboy-uk]

I'd be interested to know as well! I did wonder if it was a tunnel for wildlife, to try to keep them off the track, but assume that would take the shortest route, not be diagonal.

[@MrRichUK]

Enjoyable video, thanks. At 1:39, what is the purpose of that long concrete construction on the left hand side of the picture?

[@theboy-uk]

That's a very good question I don't know the answer to. It looks very similar to some of the hauls roads built for HS2, and that area is going to be part of HS2's maintenance depot, so maybe its a temporary haul road? Can't see it on the HS2 plans I have, it just has a grey area with just "Calvert Maintenance Depot" covering the whole area.

[@Paul_707]

I think it’s a culvert taking a watercourse under the HS2 depot

[@johnjephcote7636]

A map at the beginning would have been useful.

[@theboy-uk]

Thanks for the suggestion, not been asked that before, and never even considered it. Anyone else think it will be a worthwhile addition?

[@gwynnej3]

@@theboy-uk I watched it on my iPad, with OS map open on my phone totrack progress!

[@theboy-uk]

@@gwynnej3 Thats what I tend to do when watching similar videos - watch the main video on my TV, and have Google Maps open on another device. Though I can see that some would find it hard to follow quite where your were on the map.

[@duckydashcam751]

Looking better. If only theyd put the money from HS2 into this project..

[@theboy-uk]

Well, yes, quite. You can also see from near the start that HS2 is holding up the section of EWR around Calvert :(

[@pedromorgan99]

Complete Fail..IMHO Its Not electrified is a WTF .. why not.. (I really want to find WHO made that decsion) ?? And ETCS from start.. and communirty fiber brodband and Wifi+telecoms build in a freebies for neighbours.. and also eletric local distribution.. Just like Japan ;-)

[@theboy-uk]

I think you are failing to remember the UK rail industry exists and functions purely for the benefit of the UK rail industry, and nobody else. Just look at the RMT/ASLEF demands currently causing dispute. So by not electrifying now, they can ask for money in 5 years to upgrade the line to keep them happily employed for another 5 years. It will cause more disruption, but passengers and local communities are nothing more than an inconvenience!

[@PhillipParr]

At the moment they're proceeding without a business case. No public analysis has been done on how many passengers there may be, how many may be attracted to use it, etc. They could literally be building a ghost line with public funds.

[@theboy-uk]

@@PhillipParr As a regular user of the existing 2 lines from Birmingham to London, I certainly don't see demand for people wanting to go all the way from central Birmingham to central London, so I really do believe it is a line that either needs to get stations en-route and become yet another commuter line, or just be closed down.

[@brianwillson9567]

I am a great supporter of rail, but the degree of rebuilding here surely means that the project is a money pit which could never achieve economic justification,

[@theboy-uk]

Obviously, history shows us that it wasn't a viable line in the past, hence was closed. This line was actually recommended to stay open by Beeching. As it serves areas with no other viable public transport links, if this one cannot survive, that's probably the end of rail projects - though cynics of HS2 might suggest the massive cost and time overruns on that have already done that....

[@adrianpeters2413]

Does your car ...reach economic justification????

[@brianwillson9567]

@@adrianpeters2413 yes. My 1998 volvo. T4, owned since new, has proved to be a very economic use of my, and the earth's, resources.

[@adrianpeters2413]

@@brianwillson9567 well done to you...I think that Volvo has the euro 5 cylinder in it .... ???? I get your point there ....

[@brianwillson9567]

@@adrianpeters2413 no. 1998.any euro regulations then.? Its an 1800cc 4 cylinder turbo. Has built up 25 years service by being driven gently, but is a bat out of hell machine when necessary.

[@mjpm2409]

Awful soundtrack from 11.30....cheese grater/chalk board stuff

[@theboy-uk]

I shall bear that in mind in the future. All music for this video came from KZbin's audio library.

[@pedromorgan99]

where's the outrage !!! Vanity project, waste money.. future cycle way... disater CANCEL NOW.. STOP EWR !!!

[@pedromorgan99]

cant wait to make a trip ;-))

[@theboy-uk]

I think as its a "new" route (ok, a reopened route!), it has a use, unlike HS2 which is a rather wasteful attempt at yet another Birmingham to London line, competing with the 2 existing lines. If memory serves, Beeching actually recommended this line staying open in the 1960s, though obviously it was losing too much money, and closed. Lets hope history doesn't repeat itself, as if EWR can't be "profitable" (which in rail industry terms, means not needing more than 50% subsidy per fare), then I think that's the end of the UK rail industry. I haven't supported HS2 since it became apparent at the roadshows how inept they were, and how they were prepared to outright lie in order to feather their own nest, and the realisation it simply wasn't needed. I do support EWR because there is no other viable public transport route across this part of the South Midlands.

[@pedromorgan99]

@@theboy-uk How about London to Glasgow in say 3hrs.. like japan (and have travelled as a music engineer last century) kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHTaf5uQipKSrtU

[@KingFinnch]

@@theboy-uk every single countries first high speed rail project goes insanely overbudget and has thousands protesting its building even the shinkansen between tokyo and osaka had it, but nobody has ever built a high speed rail line and then turned around and said "that was a bad idea"

[@theboy-uk]

@@pedromorgan99 Even the entity that is now Network Rail, who ran the HS2 roadshows, said words along the lines of not even the government is that daft to approve that... ...and that was for the Phase 2 sections, not Phase 3/4. So it'll never happen. Eastern Phase 2 is already cancelled, and the Western leg of Phase 2 is now in jeopardy. So it's another unneeded Birmingham to London commuter route, only there are no commuters. In addition, local public transport services aren't good enough, and if you have to drive 2 hours at either end to/from your start/final start and end points, its arguably quicker to just drive it. And if speed is important, a plane is quicker.