Fife Rail Electrification/Decarbonisation

[Highlander1]

Six years for infrastructure work before stock even arrives is unusual, no?


Not on the Leven branch.

The work isn't completed yet. It won't be sitting unused for 6 years.
The Leven branch is 5 miles long. It is approx 4% of the routes through Fife. Why would you not do it at the same time as the rest of the route, surely it's financially prudent to do it at the same time.

 

[waverley47]

The reasons for the order and timing of the Fife wiring have been well discussed and explained, and we don't need to go into them here, however I'll bring up two points.

Firstly, if we do need to discuss why the wiring is happening, I'd point out that wiring takes a long time, and it's more beneficial to have infrastructure waiting for rolling stock, than the other way around. The stock is being ordered, so we wire while we wait for the stock, and then move on to wiring other bits.

Secondly, for clarity about why these particular bits are being wired, I'll repost this here.

BEMUs*

The BEMU plan is particularly interesting. The 222s are coming to Scotland, and everybody knows that they are. Once the 222s arrive, there will be enough, and reliability should be good enough, to run pretty much everything between the Central Belt and Inverness/Aberdeen with the 222s, prioritising the Inverness services first.

That buys you enough space in the 158/170s to start splitting diagrams across the country at Perth and at Arbroath. That leaves you with a sizeable chunk of the fleet confined to services across the Central Belt. Currently the 158/170 fleet runs the following services:

2tph Edinburgh - Tweedbank
1tph Edinburgh - Cowdenbeath
1tph Edinburgh - Leven via Dunfermline
1tph Edinburgh - Leven via Kirkcaldy
1tph Edinburgh - Perth via Ladybank
1tph Edinburgh - Dundee via Kirkcaldy
1tph Glasgow Queen Street - Dundee (some extended to Arbroath)
1tp2h Dundee - Arbroath

Plus, some of the Anniesland services

That is the full complement of Central Belt services run by the 158/170 fleet, and, crucially, are worked by units from Haymarket and Eastfield (some of the 158s stable at Corkerhill, but that's not important). It amounts to about 32 diagrams south of the Perth - Arbroath line at any given time, although some units do transfer back and forward from Aberdeen/Inverness to the Central Belt on passenger services, which should be eliminated with the 222 fleet. The longest distance currently run off the wires are the Dundee and Perth services, which conveniently will find themselves running under the wires for about half of the route, following the commissioning of the wires around Glenrothes. Units which out-stable do so at Tweedbank (soon to be wired), Leven (soon to be wired), Perth Depot and Dundee (to be wired).

The highest priority for Scotrail is to be able to bin off the suburban fleet from Haymarket and Eastfield depots. Space there is severely limited, especially at Haymarket, and switching the Anniesland, Fife Circle, Tweedbank, Perth and Dundee services over to the BEMUs would allow you a uniform fleet. Following the commission of all planned electrification, none of these services would spend more than two hours, or about 120 miles off the wires (Dunblane to Arbroath and back), less when Dundee to Arbroath is wired. That allows an internal cascade, with the 158/170s transferring to Aberdeen and bolstering services, replacing the worst 156s on the G&SW routes, and the 158s potentially (although gauging issues may need to be addressed) on the West Highland

Edit:

There are also two more relevant points that need made.

Firstly, wiring now will be cheaper than wiring in five years. It's most efficient to build infrastructure as part of a rolling program, while institutional momentum is behind you. If you wound up the wiring teams, you'd be paying more in five years to spool them back up again, as NR found out to their detriment with the GWML electrification. Rolling programs of anything reduces cost, and OHLE is a particularly strong example of that.

It saves money doing it now.


Secondly, the additional marginal OPEX that will be paid to maintain the new OHLE in Fife, even over five years being unused, is an infinitesimally small amount compared to the additional leasing costs on a new fleet of BEMUs that can't be used until the wiring is finished. The additional annual maintenance costs will be a single digit percentage, probably less than 2%, of the annual cost of leasing the BEMU fleet.

You save money by building the wires now and waiting for the trains later.

 

[John R]

And that's fair, but it seems odd that they've done the last bit to be used, first.

The piles were already in, so why not get it done as presumably if the piles were in then the plans for what steelwork was required were already completed. Planning for the other three arms could then be progressed whilst one team was working on the ground.

 

[The exile]

Every rolling stock procurement faces difficult delays especially in the testing and entry into service phases. This will surely be even more troublesome because it's a new method of operation with totally bespoke trains. Nothing tried and tested about a discontinuous system with 20mile long gaps

Though the length of the gaps should be of little relevance once they exceed coasting distance.

 

[najaB]

This will surely be even more troublesome because it's a new method of operation with totally bespoke trains. Nothing tried and tested about a discontinuous system with 20mile long gaps.

Which is, naturally, a good reason not to try it. Much better to not electrify at all unless you can do entire routes.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Much better to not electrify at all unless you can do entire routes.

Well I am sure you are not surprised but I disagree in current circumstances. If some electrification is done it will be easier to fill in gaps later - say in 10 years time.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

At the moment, I would trust that ScotRail can use discontinuous electrification as a staging mechanism - which is a sensible strategy. If Fife Circle were an English scheme, I would be much more disparaging about it.

Which is, naturally, a good reason not to try it. Much better to not electrify at all unless you can do entire routes.

I trust you're being sarcastic, but for the record I said this to highlight the fact that introducing this new fleet is very obviously going to outrun that given timescale firstly because they always do, and secondly because there's a lot of first times here.

 

[najaB]

I trust you're being sarcastic...

Naturally.

...but for the record I said this to highlight the fact that introducing this new fleet is very obviously going to outrun that given timescale firstly because they always do, and secondly because there's a lot of first times here.

Yes, there's scope for things to go wrong, but as one of my former managers used to quote: "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got."

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Yes, there's scope for things to go wrong, but as one of my former managers used to quote: "If you always do what you've always done, then you'll always get what you've always got."

Now that is a great quote!

 

[TrainViation]

A small but relevant update, a new pedestrian footbridge is to replace an older one outside of Kirkcaldy around Randolph Place and Boreland Road. Very exciting news following!

It also features some overhead line equipment in the background, shown in these images:

 

[37025]

A small but relevant update, a new pedestrian footbridge is to replace an older one outside of Kirkcaldy around Randolph Place and Boreland Road. Very exciting news following!

It also features some overhead line equipment in the background, shown in these images:

View attachment 197686View attachment 197687View attachment 197688View attachment 197689

That'll be this one I guess which I was stood on earlier this afternoon.
Definitely in need of replacement !!

 

[najaB]

That'll be this one I guess which I was stood on earlier this afternoon.
Definitely in need of replacement !!

Looking at it, I'm surprised it hadn't been closed already!

 

[TrainViation]

That'll be this one I guess which I was stood on earlier this afternoon.
Definitely in need of replacement !!

Wow! That's in an absolute state! Looks like someone could've assembled that with some leftover front-garden fences!

 

[fgwrich]

Wow! That's in an absolute state! Looks like someone could've assembled that with some leftover front-garden fences!

Along with a load of redundant Bullhead Rail to boot!

I’m actually quite surprised, I can’t think of many footbridges made of bullhead rail like that!

 

[59CosG95]

A small but relevant update, a new pedestrian footbridge is to replace an older one outside of Kirkcaldy around Randolph Place and Boreland Road. Very exciting news following!

It also features some overhead line equipment in the background, shown in these images:

View attachment 197686View attachment 197687View attachment 197688View attachment 197689

Hopefully the OLE shown in the model actually becomes reality - fingers crossed.

 

[najaB]

I wonder how old that bridge is?

 

[37025]

A bit more info about the replacement bridge:

New footbridge over rail line in Kirkcaldy as part of electrification project

Plans have been unveiled for a new footbridge over the rail line in Kirkcaldy as part of the electrification of the route.

www.fifetoday.co.uk

 

[TrainViation]

“A new footbridge over the railway is required at Boreland as part of the electrification of the railway line. This is because the existing bridge does not provide sufficient clearance for the passage of Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) for electric trains to pass under.”

Maybe also the fact it looks like it's made out of garden fences, and could collapse at any moment...?

Also I may have found a new proposal in the Kirkcaldy area, Viewforth Footpath: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/caseDetails.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=T9XEK2HF0O100

 

[InOban]

Judging by the photo there was no need to replace for the wires - the clearance seems more than adequate. But it clearly needs replace on safety grounds - it wouldn't support the necessary raised parapets

 

[TrainViation]

After talk of work being carried out around the Kirkcaldy area, I decided to finally go out and see what was going on. I wasn't disappointed.

(Link to video showing new piling around the Seafield and Kirkcaldy area, as part of the Fife Electrification programme.)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Fabulous. Thanks for posting. Love the pile of piles starting at 1:20

 

[37025]

After talk of work being carried out around the Kirkcaldy area, I decided to finally go out and see what was going on. I wasn't disappointed.

(Link to video showing new piling around the Seafield and Kirkcaldy area, as part of the Fife Electrification programme.)

Thanks for sharing. By coincidence I drove along Seafield from Kinghorn today and thought I saw mast bases installed.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Which is, naturally, a good reason not to try it. Much better to not electrify at all unless you can do entire routes.

I used to think like that, but that was before the days of BEMU operation (where there will be no electrified freight opportunities) but I have changed my mind. In my view, it depends on whether BEMUs can charge from OLE in station platforms during station calls.

Some say it is possible others not due to melting / stressing the contact wire of the catenary, but i envisage a scenario where an Anniesland bound BEMU charges in the platform at Glasgow Queen St, then climbs Cowlairs bank on 25kV. Drops the pan at Cowlairs junction then runs on battery to Anniesland and back. I assume the although Anniesland is wired, the bay platform probably isn't, so the unit runs the 6 odd miles back to Cowlairs, then pan up to receive regen braking as it descends into Queen St. The enviromental benefits of practically "banning" exhaust fumes from Cowlairs tunnel must be a huge win for such a project.

 

[37025]

Maybe also the fact it looks like it's made out of garden fences, and could collapse at any moment...?

Also I may have found a new proposal in the Kirkcaldy area, Viewforth Footpath: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/caseDetails.do?caseType=Application&keyVal=T9XEK2HF0O100

This is the Viewforth Footpath Bridge. There are steps from the right which can just be seen and the other side comes out at street level:

 

[QueensCurve]

Just north of Kinghorn to Ladybank is due to be electrified as part of the project.

Presumably not including Kinghorn Tunnel which has a kink in it.

 

[John R]

Presumably not including Kinghorn Tunnel which has a kink in it.

"North of Kinghorn" would exclude the tunnel.

 

[najaB]

Presumably not including Kinghorn Tunnel which has a kink in it.

The kink isn't nearly as much of a problem as the fact that the tunnel is extremely narrow.

 

[TrainViation]

The kink isn't nearly as much of a problem as the fact that the tunnel is extremely narrow.

They'd be better re-digging the tunnel altogether, which would allow clearance for OLE as well as raising the speed limit from the painfully slow 30mph.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

The kink isn't nearly as much of a problem as the fact that the tunnel is extremely narrow.

They'd be better re-digging the tunnel altogether, which would allow clearance for OLE as well as raising the speed limit from the painfully slow 30mph.

Farnworth Tunnel type solution?

 

[najaB]

Farnworth Tunnel type solution?

Possibly, though it depends on the geological conditions.