Great Western Electrification Progress

[SpacePhoenix]

What a waste of money for a design that should be in service for 30-40 years. Well before then, all of the existing XC routes in DC territory should be AC. That's Basingstoke to Bournemouth. The only 3rd rail routes left by then will be within the current travelcard zones.

Why would it be a waste of money, given the modular design nature of modern stock they'd just remove the 3rd rail equipment when the route goes over completely to AC

 

[The Ham]

Why would it be a waste of money, given the modular design nature of modern stock they'd just remove the 3rd rail equipment when the route goes over completely to AC

In the same way as SWT's trains will just have the required equipment added when the OHLE's go up.

 

[davetheguard]

I took the attached picture this afternoon on extreme zoom looking west (towards Bristol/Newbury) from the station footbridge at Reading.

An up freight is coming off the Berks & Hants and into Reading Station. Behind it, the new flyover for the Up & Down Main looks almost complete, with track in situ and signal lamps lit. Passing by it on an up HST earlier in the day, it appears that all the bases and some of the masts are in place on the new viaduct.

Not sure when it is due to start carrying HST's, but presumably some time in 2015, once Christmas engineering work has been done?

 

[swt_passenger]

Not sure when it is due to start carrying HST's, but presumably some time in 2015, once Christmas engineering work has been done?

Engineering Access statement shows Sun Jan 4th is the intended first day of passenger use.

This is also currently shown on RTT. As an example this train runs through Platform 9 and then passes 'Reading High Level Jn', which is the crossovers on the flyover shown in your picture:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C20906/2015/01/04/advanced

 

[Class 170101]

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C20221/2015/01/04/advanced

Sunday 4 January
1C05 08:00 Paddington to Penzance (via Didcot) looks like the first train over it.

 

[HowardGWR]

I took the attached picture this afternoon on extreme zoom looking west (towards Bristol/Newbury) from the station footbridge at Reading.

An up freight is coming off the Berks & Hants and into Reading Station. Behind it, the new flyover for the Up & Down Main looks almost complete, with track in situ and signal lamps lit. Passing by it on an up HST earlier in the day, it appears that all the bases and some of the masts are in place on the new viaduct.

Not sure when it is due to start carrying HST's, but presumably some time in 2015, once Christmas engineering work has been done?

Just to let you know how grateful I, and I suspect others, are for the photo. Do keep them coming if you have opportunity. A sideways one from just past Reading West would be interesting too.

 

[BananaRepublic]

Just to let you know how grateful I, and I suspect others, are for the photo. Do keep them coming if you have opportunity. A sideways one from just past Reading West would be interesting too.

Lots more photos on other web sites and on Flickr.

e.g. Start here and work backwards.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Lots more photos on other web sites and on Flickr.

e.g. Start here and work backwards.

A wonderful photographic record

 

[HowardGWR]

Lots more photos on other web sites and on Flickr.

e.g. Start here and work backwards.

That's brilliant, thank you. Am I right in thinking the north entrance is no longer accessible directly from Caversham Rd? It seems like there is a factory built in the way now in this photo.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wirewiping/14723934852/in/pool-1945836@N21/

 

[swt_passenger]

That's brilliant, thank you. Am I right in thinking the north entrance is no longer accessible directly from Caversham Rd? It seems like there is a factory built in the way now in this photo.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wirewiping/14723934852/in/pool-1945836@N21/

That's an existing older building, the closed former Post Office 'shed' that NR took a lease on to use as a materials warehouse during the project, it will be demolished on completion, as will the former PO office building on Caversham Rd.

IIRC there's been no public access along there since the main station project started, but it is scheduled to be re-provided once the former PO buildings are demolished.

 

[starrymarkb]

What a waste of money for a design that should be in service for 30-40 years. Well before then, all of the existing XC routes in DC territory should be AC. That's Basingstoke to Bournemouth. The only 3rd rail routes left by then will be within the current travelcard zones.

3 Phase traction isn't too fussed about the input voltage. It would just need some shoes and a feed to the traction packs.

 

[83G/84D]

The BBC website carries this short report on the unveiling of new trains for the Great Western line:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-30067282

 

[59CosG95]

Booms have started to go up on the GWML, as Noel Dolphin, the head of Furrer + Frey GB states. https://twitter.com/noeldolphin/status/535717767295799296
EDIT:: Noel Dolphin has also said that wiring begins on Feb 15th.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Booms have started to go up on the GWML, as Noel Dolphin, the head of Furrer + Frey GB states. https://twitter.com/noeldolphin/status/535717767295799296
EDIT:: Noel Dolphin has also said that wiring begins on Feb 15th.

A good milestone. Somewhere near Didcot I presume?
Only 24 months to go...

 

[nuneatonmark]

Apologies if I have missed it but where can I find a before and after diagram or plan of Reading and associated track changes/new flyover?

 

[swt_passenger]

Apologies if I have missed it but where can I find a before and after diagram or plan of Reading and associated track changes/new flyover?

The proposed final layout was linked to a while ago in the 'Reading Remodelling Milestones' thread, but I can repeat it here to save you searching: http://richardwillisuk.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/stn-phases1.jpg

Can't help with a plan from before unfortunately.

 

[snowball]

There appear to be a couple of tracks from the proposed FGW depot sidings heading tram-like onto Cow Lane.

 

[Tio Terry]

That's an existing older building, the closed former Post Office 'shed' that NR took a lease on to use as a materials warehouse during the project, it will be demolished on completion, as will the former PO office building on Caversham Rd.

IIRC there's been no public access along there since the main station project started, but it is scheduled to be re-provided once the former PO buildings are demolished.

That office is now being used as the HQ for the Oxford Corridor Project and may well be used for the Basingstoke Electrification Project.

 

[The Planner]

Wont get knocked down for years then if its housing anything to do with Oxford!

 

[swt_passenger]

That office is now being used as the HQ for the Oxford Corridor Project and may well be used for the Basingstoke Electrification Project.

That makes sense. I guess the 'warehouse' part of the post office site might be given up earlier though, as it will be a bit too remote, especially for Oxford.

 

[BananaRepublic]

There may be no rush to vacate the former PO facilities, as I have a feeling that the redevelopment plans for the site also include the retail premises on Vastern Rd.
In which case it will be a few years before any of the proposed schemes are acted on, unless a much less grand proposal is approved.

 

[59CosG95]

According to Noel Dolphin, Head of Furrer+Frey UK (yep, him again), the first cantilever booms have gone up on the GWML this week. https://twitter.com/noeldolphin/status/540828235224072192 Also, some more masts are up. https://twitter.com/noeldolphin/status/541880512953221120

 

[LexyBoy]

There were quite a few booms up, over the mains (couldn't see the reliefs as I was on a train), on Saturday just west of Tilehurst. The photo is I think of the Tilehurst area looking east towards the station.

 

[Techniquest]

Good to see the progress is getting more visible now, think I need to get back down to the GWML and get some photos before the wires totally take over!

 

[76020]

I went from London to Cardiff and back yesterday so I thought I would give an update, I could only saw the north side as it was pitch black on the way back!
The new Stockley Bridge to connect to the up slow lines at Airport Junction is complete with track, a connection to the up slow, OHLE installed and looks like it will be in use very soon.
So one new bridge nearly in use and nearby two very old ones to be demolished over the Christmas break at Thorney Lane, near Iver and Stoke Poges just west of Slough, these are the last to go as part of Crossrail bridge works in the western section.
So electrification progress, the section between the end of the new Reading train depot/Tilehurst and Didcot has about 80-85% pilling complete and about 25-30% of the masts have been installed with a very small proportion of these having a cross section bolted to the top but these are not portals.
Between Didcot and Swindon I would guess there is about 10-15% pilling installed and between Airport Junction and Reading about 5-10% of pilling completed, the Crossrail website still states that the completion date for electrification is Dec 2015, well they will have to go as fast as Lewis Hamilton to get finished in a year from now!, there are no masts on the above two sections as yet.
The furthest east pilling is just west of Iver and to the west is about 12 miles short of Swindon, however plenty of pilling installed at the new Filton Triangle Depot just west of Bristol Parkway.
On the signalling side nearly all the new locations have been installed from the Airport Junction to about 5-10 miles from Bristol Parkway. Plenty of new signals from just east of Swindon and then going west towards Bristol but none in the Swindon station area.
The Cardiff resignalling between Newport and Cardiff seems to have come to a grinding halt at present, new gantry’s are up to just east of Cardiff Station, but there is still plenty of track work to be done before it becomes live which I believe is summer 2015.
I could not see any other new signals from Airport junction right through to just east of Swindon apart from the Reading station area.
So quite a bit done but they will have to get their skates on in the next few years to say the least.

 

[petersi]

Cross rail electrification is only as for as Maidenhead. Maidenhead to reading is great western
I may have misread things

 

[starrymarkb]

Flyover comes into use on the 30th IIRC for Heathrow Connect. Express will start using it after Xmas 2015 as another flyover needs to be built over the slows

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I went from London to Cardiff and back yesterday so I thought I would give an update, I could only saw the north side as it was pitch black on the way back!

Great, it's nice to get a feel for progress. Hard work at high speed!
Your mast count Tilehurst-Didcot doesn't seem a lot different to my estimate in October.
The original schedule had them finishing (ie fully wired) Maidenhead-Didcot in Jan 2015, on to Wootton Bassett by February and having made a start on the Badminton route by now!
I assume the cross-sections (booms they seem to be called) are over less than 4 tracks then?
It's going to require lots of possessions to get all the 4-track portals up.
Does anybody know how the Oxford/Newbury branches are doing?
One of those will be the first with a live service you would think.

 

[mr_moo]

The new Stockley viaduct becomes operarational at Christmas:
http://www.railstaff.co.uk/2014/12/11/christmas-stockley-for-crossrail/
The first engineering train went over it a few weeks ago and the first scheduled passenger train over is will be at 05:34 on 31st December:
http://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/P11122/2014-12-31

Various station works are happening too - Burnham, Langley and Maidenhead are having canopy works done and West Drayton is having platform change works ready for when the goods loop becomes a lot straighter.

Electrification will ramp up this next year - the new OLE depot at Langley is pretty much ready now and Balfour Beatty will be hard at work over the next year.

The biggest change you didn't mention is the new connections into North Pole depot - the former Eurostar depot. Two new connections have been built and they get comissioned at Christmas - North Pole joins the GWML at long last!

There are also very significant changes at Old Oak Common to start building the new layout into what will be the Crossrail depot.

You wont have noticed but there have also been many track lowering jobs done throughout the last year to get OLE clearance and the last is in Christmas.

Easter 2015 will be even busier, then Christmas 2015 will be very busy too, followed by Easter 2016 and Christmas 2016 all very full of works. And I'll be working all of them...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Cross rail electrification is only as for as Maidenhead. Maidenhead to reading is great western
I may have misread things

You are correct sire

 

[HowardGWR]

@Mr Moo
Do you know what has been sorted out about Steventon? They were arguing about lowering the lines to save replacing the bridge but that would spoil Brunel's billiard table and give a switchback ride possibly (I wondered?).

Do keep posting, much appreciated, thanks.