Olive Mount chord
Encyclopedia
The Olive Mount chord in Liverpool
, England
, is a 300-metre stretch of railway track between Olive Mount Junction and Edge Lane Junction that provides access to the Canada Dock Branch
(more usually known today as the Bootle Branch).
at Edge Lane Junction on 21.01.1987 and subsequently lifted as the declining levels of dock traffic meant the cost of repairing the box or altering the signalling to allow remote operation from Edge Hill PSB was not justified. The delays resulting from its removal were a limiting factor in access to the Port of Liverpool
.
On 20 January 2008, the green light was given to reopen the line to make the ferrying of freight between the Port of Liverpool to the West Coast Main Line
easier. The works will remove the need for reversing at Edge Hill and for crossing lines in and out of Lime Street
and it is hoped will remove large vehicles from congested areas, including Switch Island
.
A further step change took place on Sunday 13 July 2008 when the Balfour Beatty New Track Construction machine was in use on the chord. It laid a single track from Olive Mount Junction on the Chat Moss line through the Olive Mount Tunnel up to the Bootle Branch at Edge Lane Junction. There was already a crossover and turnout on the Bootle Branch but no physical connection was made at that stage.
The project is operational from the Winter 2008 timetable starting on Sunday 14 December 2008. (Driver training was started by EWS on Thursday 4 December.) It has cost an estimated £7.9m, of which Merseytravel
will contribute £2.1m.
The chord was officially reopened on 6 March 2009.
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is a 300-metre stretch of railway track between Olive Mount Junction and Edge Lane Junction that provides access to the Canada Dock Branch
Canada Dock Branch
The Canada Dock Branch is a 4 mile 59 chain long railway line in Liverpool, England. The line runs from the large Edge Hill rail junction in the east of Liverpool to Seaforth Dock to the north. The line was originally built by the London and North Western Railway terminating at Canada Dock, with...
(more usually known today as the Bootle Branch).
History
It was taken out of use following a fire in the signal boxSignal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
at Edge Lane Junction on 21.01.1987 and subsequently lifted as the declining levels of dock traffic meant the cost of repairing the box or altering the signalling to allow remote operation from Edge Hill PSB was not justified. The delays resulting from its removal were a limiting factor in access to the Port of Liverpool
Port of Liverpool
The Port of Liverpool is the name for the enclosed 7.5 mile dock system that runs from Brunswick Dock in Liverpool to Seaforth Dock, Seaforth, on the east side of the River Mersey and the Birkenhead Docks between Birkenhead and Wallasey on the west side of the river...
.
Debate
On 27 June 2006, Douglas Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, revealed that the Olive Mount Chord was one of several projects to be included in the government's productivity transport innovation fund.On 20 January 2008, the green light was given to reopen the line to make the ferrying of freight between the Port of Liverpool to the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
easier. The works will remove the need for reversing at Edge Hill and for crossing lines in and out of Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street railway station
Liverpool Lime Street is a railway station serving the city centre of Liverpool, England. The station lies on a branch of the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, and on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network...
and it is hoped will remove large vehicles from congested areas, including Switch Island
Switch Island
Switch Island is a road junction south of Maghull and near Aintree in Merseyside, England on the Liverpool rural-urban fringe. The junction is at the western terminus of both the M57 and M58 motorways, which converge on the A59 trunk road, the north-south route from Liverpool...
.
Reinstatement
Over the Bank Holiday weekend of early May 2008, the Chat Moss line was closed to rail traffic to allow a facing crossover to be installed between the inbound (to Liverpool) and outbound (to Manchester) lines. This crossing was placed on site on Sunday 4 May 2008 and is located east of Mill Lane bridge. The work on this weekend involved the use of a Kirow rail mounted crane.A further step change took place on Sunday 13 July 2008 when the Balfour Beatty New Track Construction machine was in use on the chord. It laid a single track from Olive Mount Junction on the Chat Moss line through the Olive Mount Tunnel up to the Bootle Branch at Edge Lane Junction. There was already a crossover and turnout on the Bootle Branch but no physical connection was made at that stage.
The project is operational from the Winter 2008 timetable starting on Sunday 14 December 2008. (Driver training was started by EWS on Thursday 4 December.) It has cost an estimated £7.9m, of which Merseytravel
Merseytravel
Merseytravel Merseytravel Merseytravel (MPTE, or Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive, is the Passenger Transport Executive responsible for the coordination of public transport in the metropolitan county of Merseyside, England...
will contribute £2.1m.
The chord was officially reopened on 6 March 2009.