March diversions - what was done?

Stephen Lawrence asked - in a comment to the 9 March posting on that month's Busway diversions - if anyone knew what work was carried out. And lo, as chance would have it, correspondent RichardC provided some very interesting information about the two weekends of work at Histon, together with a number of further questions! If anyogone has further information, please post a comment or email the blog at: buswayblog@btinternet.com

Here's what RichardC reports:

"Quick update on closures over weekends of 17/18 and 24/25 March.  On the first weekend it appears that five beam sets to south-east of Histon overbridge (Bridge Road) were lifted and realigned.  On the second weekend the work concentrated on the area around the Cambridge-bound stop to the west of the bridge.

 

Attached image shows activity in the afternoon of 24 March. 

Lifting frames with hydraulic jacks, apparently under supervision of Ekspan of Sheffield who supplied the original close-tolerance bearing pads.

 

Clearly lifting the beam set is not easy.  At this location, buses will have braked to a standstill at the stop, then accelerated away.  In the mornings the buses will be full almost to capacity, so maybe the beams have shifted, and jammed tightly together?  Surprising to see puddles on the guideway, on what should be a very flat, level surface.  Also at a similar point on the maintenance track.  Wonder what is causing that?"

Smarter Cambridge Transport publishes major report on Busway defects

Many readers of this blog will know of Smarter Cambridge Transport (SCT), the initiative of an impartial group of local volunteers, who are developing and promoting a modern vision for integrated transport in Cambridge and the surrounding region. They have recently posted a major report, with accompanying commentary, on the Busway's defects. Actually, I'd go further than that - although the title of the report mentions only "defects", the report itself explores the whole long-term viability of the Busway, not just the immediate repairs which are required (and which are likely to be the subject of legal proceedings between the County Council and BAM Nuttall).

Here's just a short taster from SCT's blog post:

Smarter Cambridge Transport has prepared a detailed review of reports commissioned by the County Council. It identifies more than twenty areas of concern with the busway not identified in those reports. The council leader, Councillor Count, has indicated that two companies, Capita and Atkins, are continuing investigations and that our findings have have already been investigated. We cannot verify this until a new report or statement of claim is published.

Perhaps the most important question we pose is whether the problems are due in part not to construction defects, but to inherent design flaws that repairs alone cannot fix.

The review runs to 22 pages. For those who don't have the time or energy to read the whole thing (although it comes highly recommended for anyone interested in the future of the Busway), there's the usual Executive Summary. And the blog post which helped launch it also provides a useful (but different) summary.

Although the report was launched on 20 July, the version currently available from the SCT website (and to which the link below leads) is dated 26 July (the blog post was updated on that date as well). There's no indication as to what changes were made that I can find.

Here are the links you need:

Blog post: http://www.smartertransport.uk/guided-busway-defects/

Report (PDF): http://www.smartertransport.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Guided-Busway-Defects-1q.pdf

According to the Cambridge News, the County Council "do not consider that [the SCT report] raises any new issues that need to be considered as part of our claim [against BAM Nuttall]." In addition, the council leader, Councillor Count, has indicated that twenty areas of concern with the busway listed by SCT as not having been identified by Capita's reports into the Busway's defects "have already been investigated". Smarter Cambridge Transport say they cannot verify this until a new report or statement of claim is published. Here's the link to that Cambridge News story.

[Declaration of interest: earlier this year I was asked to comment on an early version of the SCT report  - which I did. I have had no involvement with the report or its authors since then.]

£31 million claim against busway contractor

Cambridgeshire County Council is suing BAM Nuttall for £31 million for repair of defects on the guided busway track. BAM Nuttall is the contractor which built the busway.

https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/cambridge-council-to-sue-bam-for-further-31m/10015672.article

Busway defects report - BAM Nuttall responds

I only have the Cambridge News report to go on, so I'm treading carefully (it would be nice if the BBC were to pick up this report and run a story on it, but I've been unable to find anything yet). The CN is currently running this story - it suggests (a) that BAM Nuttall's relations with the County Council haven't improved any, and (b) that they are quite prepared to put right any Busway faults for which they are responsible. Note this last phrase, because the current version of the CN headling on its website ("If there is anything wrong we will put it right") is definitely not supported by the company's statement further on in the story! It's only defects for which BAM Nuttall is responsible they are promising to correct. And there's no indication in the company's statement that they accept all (or, indeed, any) of Capita's findings. If there's one thing we can be sure of it's that this is likely to run for a little while yet! First of all we need to see what the County Council's General Purposes Committee makes of the report. That meeting takes place next Tuesday, 29 Nov.

Busway defects - report published

Just over a year ago, the County Council and BAM Nuttall agreed a temporary suspension in what had become an increasingly bitter "blame game" on the defects that had become all too apparent in the Busway's track and foundations (ok, you're right - that's my personal gloss, not the official line!). Indeed, they agreed to an independent survey and investigation, as reported in a blog posting from September 2015.

Well, the waiting is over. The issue is due to be discussed at the 29 November meeting of the County Council's General Purposes Committee, and in anticipation of that meeting the report of that investigation (mostly carried out by Capita) has just been posted on the County Council website. (except for one of the appendices, which has been withheld on grounds of confidentiality).

Documentation for this meeting can be found here.

The Cambridge News has already read the report and come to its own conclusion - the headline on its news story (i.e. the one that was there when I wrote this post) reads:

"Independent experts agree with Cambridgeshire County Council that Guided Busway contractors must pay for repairs"

If you want to read the CN's full story - and why wouldn't you, given that it might save you reading all 170-odd pages of documentation - here's the link.

Survey of busway structural faults

The legal dispute between Cambridgeshire County Council and BAM Nuttall, the contractors who built the busway, appears to be on hold while the two parties jointly fund a survey and investigation of the busway and its construction. Some elements of the survey will take place at night to minimise disruption to busway users.

Read more details at
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Cambridgeshire-guided-busway-dug-investigations/story-27868295-detail/story.html

Ouse viaduct closed 14 June

The Ouse viaduct will be closed for repairs this weekend - all day Sunday through to 04.00 Monday. Buses will be diverted between St Ives and Swavesey, and the Fen Drayton Lakes stop not served. The adjacent bridleway will also be closed. For more information see the County Council website.

Busway track in need of major repairs

A report published by Cambridgeshire County Council has revealed that the busway track is in need of around £20 million worth of repairs, according to an article in the Cambridge News.

The faults are in the bearings which support the concrete track beams, and in the foundations of the beams. There are mid beam cracks which are bigger than permissible.

As these problems arise from the way the track was constructed, legal action against  BAM Nuttall, the engineering firm which built the busway, is being considered.

Busway faults

Cambridgeshire County Council is having to consider how to remedy a number of serious faults with the guided busway.

Some relate to shrinkage and heavage of clay affecting the foundation of the busway. Others concern dropping of the end of the concrete beams.

BAM Nuttall is said to have rectified a fault that required buses to slow to 5mph at Histon in the summer.

But regular travellers on the busway will be aware that buses still traverse some bad sections of track  a short distance east of Histon.

Read Cambridge News article here.

Repairs to track near Histon

Regular travellers on the busway will be aware that, a short distance east of Histon busway stop, there have been some irregularities or 'dips' on the track. Buses give a lurch as they go over these dips. This problem has existed since the busway opened, if my memory serves me correctly.

Some repair work has been carried out, and currently there is a 5mph speed restriction for east-bound buses.

When I travelled back from Cambridge on Sunday, my west-bound bus was still faced with poor track at this location.

These two photos show the  the point near Histon where one of the westbound dips is. It's difficult to capture in a photo but the slight change of alignment can be detected on the right hand edge of the track.

Link to Cambridge News Article here includes a slideshow with close-ups of the faulty track.