Dundee electrification plans

[GRALISTAIR]

Also, there's no reason that the neutral section has to be immediately adjacent to the grid feeder station.

And I can actually make a case where that (NS not being adjacent to the GF) is actually a good thing. Perhaps that is for another thread.

 

[zwk500]

Also, there's no reason that the neutral section has to be immediately adjacent to the grid feeder station.

Quite so, and given that you would usually want an access at the point the feeders actually connected to the railway, shifting it a bit further east may be a good thing.

 

[jamieintercity]

Bit of topic regarding electrification but the disused platform 3 at arbroath could potentially be reinstated sometime in the future as vegetation was recently cut back

 

[najaB]

Bit of topic regarding electrification but the disused platform 3 at arbroath could potentially be reinstated sometime in the future as vegetation was recently cut back

Maybe they'll use it for the local from Dundee to wait in?

 

[waverley47]

Bit of topic regarding electrification but the disused platform 3 at arbroath could potentially be reinstated sometime in the future as vegetation was recently cut back

There's a very very large program of veg clearance ongoing around the railway at the moment as the various NR regions come to terms with the fact that having full grown forests in many cases overhanging the line is just a recipe for disaster as climate change worsens and extreme weather gets more frequent. It's also coming to light just how damaging having fully grown trees eating into embankment and cutting walls can be, and cutting back growth to an extent can, but does not always, help stabilise old earthworks. As such, I wouldn't read too much into this.....

However, there is also a long running aspiration to bring this platform back into use, as it will give terminators somewhere to sit off the main line, and, eventually, give BEMUs somewhere to tick over under the wires.

I'll see what I can find out from friends in NRScot however I'd have expected such a development to be announced in advance.

 

[Morayshire]

There's a very very large program of veg clearance ongoing around the railway at the moment as the various NR regions come to terms with the fact that having full grown forests in many cases overhanging the line is just a recipe for disaster as climate change worsens and extreme weather gets more frequent. It's also coming to light just how damaging having fully grown trees eating into embankment and cutting walls can be, and cutting back growth to an extent can, but does not always, help stabilise old earthworks. As such, I wouldn't read too much into this.....

However, there is also a long running aspiration to bring this platform back into use, as it will give terminators somewhere to sit off the main line, and, eventually, give BEMUs somewhere to tick over under the wires.

I'll see what I can find out from friends in NRScot however I'd have expected such a development to be announced in advance.

Mostly veg clearance at the moment which was long overdue at that location and mostly done during the day as well. (suprisingly, as normally its chainsaws/mulching from midnight onwards).

Source - Network Rail neighbour notification letters

 

[ajwffc]

The work at to remove the vegetation at Arbroath has mainly been done by Volker and RSA in contacting with there other work their(resignalling and track work). Instead of QTS who do the majority of the veg clearance in Scotland.

 

[takno]

The work at to remove the vegetation at Arbroath has mainly been done by Volker and RSA in contacting with there other work their(resignalling and track work). Instead of QTS who do the majority of the veg clearance in Scotland.

What's happening resignalling-wise?

 

[MadMac]

What's happening resignalling-wise?

I’ve heard nothing “concrete” as yet. They certainly need to do something with the 60+ year old interlocking at Perth: I believe the “integrated transport hub” plan that was mooted there is now essentially “dead in the water”, so whatever happens will be broadly based on the current layout. As for Dundee/Arbroath, the design contractors appear to be unwilling to take on alterations to relay-based, never mind mechanical, interlockings, so there’ll probably be something major coming along for that area.

 

[RiverDon]

They are installing tail lamp cameras at Arbroath at the moment, you can see them attached to the wall on the down side of the line. So the signaller can see the tail lamps of a train arriving at the station from the Carnoustie direction before it passes the signal box. Apparently it's meant to save time and delays. That might be why they've done the vegetation clearance, to provide clear line of sight?

 

[ajwffc]

What's happening resignalling-wise?

They are installing tail lamp cameras at Arbroath at the moment, you can see them attached to the wall on the down side of the line. So the signaller can see the tail lamps of a train arriving at the station from the Carnoustie direction before it passes the signal box. Apparently it's meant to save time and delays. That might be why they've done the vegetation clearance, to provide clear line of sight?

so far just this but there have been a number of surveys done of what is in place

 

[Durradan]

Maybe they'll use it for the local from Dundee to wait in?

A bit of wishful thinking, but it would definitely be handy. I've spent a lot of time stuck in that mobile signal deadzone at Carnoustie waiting for the local service to change tracks on the way home.

 

[exilis]

Possibly a separate project to electrification, but plans lodged for a big upgrade to the sidings at Greenmarket, including a couple of new buildings.

https://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TG4AT7GC06600&activeTab=summary

In this instance, the proposed works include buildings, namely the staff
accommodation building and a shunter’s bothy. The shunter’s bothy is considered
to be operational railway infrastructure and falls within permitted development
under Class 34, as described below.

At the time of the EIA Screening Request, full details of the staff accommodation
building were not available. On a precautionary basis, it was considered that the
building may fall within the definition of an office use and could therefore fall
outside the scope of Class 34 permitted development. As such, it was treated as
Part 11 development and excluded from the Screening Request.

Detailed proposals have now been developed which confirm that the staff
accommodation building is primarily a welfare facility ancillary to railway
operations and would not constitute an office use in planning terms. It is therefore
considered that the building would fall within Class 34 permitted development

The staff accommodation building is required to provide facilities to railway staff in
direct connection with the train stabling depot facility...

Planning reference 26/00354/PNB

 

[Snow1964]

Possibly a separate project to electrification, but plans lodged for a big upgrade to the sidings at Greenmarket, including a couple of new buildings.

https://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=TG4AT7GC06600&activeTab=summary

Planning reference 26/00354/PNB

The application form on that planning application (strictly an information notice as its operational railway land so doesn't need planning permission) includes

The current phase focuses on the Dundee - Arbroath section and includes targeted infrastructure upgrades to increase line capacity and reduce journey times between the north-east and the Central Belt.

A key component of the project is the provision of depot and stabling facilities to support the introduction of battery-electric trains.

So appears to be for a BEMU depot and stabling.

The attached plan (eastern end of site, nearer station) clearly shows a 4 road depot, with 2 pairs of walkways, and the electrification masts and lighting gantry locations are all on the plan, with staff room nearest the station.

https://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/files/DDFC2588CFBF6696C86DBD1F9845F93F/pdf/26_00354_PNB-09_-_SITE_PLAN_-_DEPOT_2_2-1691994.pdf

The other (western) end seems to have a carriage washer, plus couple of sidings or headshunts. Next to the carriage washer is an area marked Future provision for MRX (no idea what that means)

https://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/files/F83A01E5F15950BFC5170D1388C5659C/pdf/26_00354_PNB-08_-_SITE_PLAN_-_DEPOT_1_2-1691995.pdf

Just realised there is a diagrammatic track layout inset on bottom of the site location plan, here

https://idoxwam.dundeecity.gov.uk/idoxpa-web/files/E1CB4D2E8678CAF638B3682C2EDC9DCD/pdf/26_00354_PNB-02_-_SITE_PLAN-1691942.pdf

 

[TrainViation]

Sorry, just a bit random.

After recently travelling from Aberdeen to Kirkcaldy on LNER, I noticed really how much of the route has absolutely ZERO trackside clearance between Dundee and Monifieth! So many occurrences of stone walls or back gardens or public paths effectively touching the ballast on which the track sits. Unless land is bought or changed in some way, I think it's going to be an extremely hard task to fully electrify the line north of Dundee. Most of the way north from Monifieth and Arbroath up to Aberdeen doesn't seem so tricky thankfully clearance wise.

 

[najaB]

Sorry, just a bit random.

After recently travelling from Aberdeen to Kirkcaldy on LNER, I noticed really how much of the route has absolutely ZERO trackside clearance between Dundee and Monifieth! So many occurrences of stone walls or back gardens or public paths effectively touching the ballast on which the track sits. Unless land is bought or changed in some way, I think it's going to be an extremely hard task to fully electrify the line north of Dundee. Most of the way north from Monifieth and Arbroath up to Aberdeen doesn't seem so tricky thankfully clearance wise.

I think it's doable with judicious use of twin-track cantilevers as there's more clearance on the southern side of the line.

 

[TrainViation]

I think it's doable with judicious use of twin-track cantilevers as there's more clearance on the southern side of the line.

Agreed, and as well as this, a large amount of wall-mounted masts and arms. Broughty Ferry seems to have liked building high brick walls at the side of the railway apparently... hopefully something can be done about that.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Aug 2026 ==

Here's an area which would pose a very big issue to OLE installation. Ogilvie Road and the Royal Tay Yacht Club have absolutely no lineside clearance, having a car park and a boat storage area either side for hundreds of metres without any suitable ground for piling.

 

[najaB]

Here's an area which would pose a very big issue to OLE installation. Ogilvie Road and the Royal Tay Yacht Club have absolutely no lineside clearance, having a car park and a boat storage area either side for hundreds of metres without any suitable ground for piling.

I was thinking the same thing. That said, I don't think that the boat club would object to an injection of cash in exchange for a small bit of their boat storage area, or a couple of car park spaces.

Street View of the car park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YN8KatEu1U4PH36D9

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I was thinking the same thing. That said, I don't think that the boat club would object to an injection of cash in exchange for a small bit of their boat storage area, or a couple of car park spaces.

Street View of the car park: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YN8KatEu1U4PH36D9

Im sure the sailing club will be only too happy to oblige by selling off some small areas to install the mast foundations so cantilevers can be used. We are more used to being vertically challenged with ole rather than horizontally in open sections!