Great Western Electrification Progress

[WelshBluebird]

I'm not familiar with the area but in post #2332 I linked and quoted this press release. Note that it does not mention lowering at Oldfield Park:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...tion-work-between-bristol-and-bath-approaches

Indeed, I am aware that nothing seems to be planned for this current closure.

However, I do remember reading this: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/projects/great%20western/electrification%20environmental%20statements/england/bath%20and%20north%20east%20somerset/gwml%20electrification%20-%20environmental%20statement%2011%20vol%201b%20-%20bath%20and%20ne%20somerset%20council.pdf

Granted this is an old PDF from 2014, but there are quite a few mentions of track lowering around the Oldfield Park area (Brougham Hayes, Brook Road, Bellots Road). I can't imagine that the need to lower the track (or raise the bridges) has disappeared, hence why I'm curious about what is going on.

 

[Hellzapoppin]

Oldfield Park is an s&c renewal and the only bridge with clearance issues in that area was the old Sads bridge which was demolished at Christmas.

 

[jimm]

According a Network Rail newsletter for Oxfordshire sent out this morning, the new Station Road bridge over the GWML in Shrivenham will be officially opened at 2pm today, with the old bridge being demolished over three nights from April 23.

It also has a link to a video shown at a presentation in Oxford last month about the forthcoming work along the Didcot-Oxford corridor, which gives a cab view of the amount of metalwork now in place at Didcot Parkway and then details other things happening, including a future 25kv feed point near Oxford North junction

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gp3FauL13H4

And several pictures of the Keynsham work here

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest

 

[snowball]

Confusingly, an item on that Twitter page dated April 6 says "The installation of new, lowered tracks at Oldfield Park is progressing well".

Meanwhile some readers may not have seen this press release which appeared on the NR site on April 5:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-thorney-lane-bridge-now-open

The new permanent Thorney Lane Bridge in Iver is now open. Network Rail has built the new bridge over the Great Western Main Line as part of improvement work in the area for the Crossrail project.

In October 2014, Network Rail removed the old bridge and set up a temporary span over the railway while the new permanent structure was built. The 110 metre long bridge opened to vehicles and pedestrians in the early hours of Saturday 2 April. The temporary bridge has closed and Network Rail will remove it later this spring.

Work will continue into the summer while the surrounding area is reinstated. Over the next few weeks, one of the two lanes will at times be closed while the team finishes its resurfacing work and connecting utilities.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

including a future 25kv feed point near Oxford North junction

Which looks to be plonked on the old LNWR solum, so no chance of reusing that approach to Oxford station.
Good to see the PR efforts though.

 

[QueensCurve]

Engineers are back today. I saw all the cables leading to the cabinet in the bottom left have been severed and think the track closest to me is about to be replaced. There are points to the left and right and I think these are up for replacement too. They were last used when the lines east of Bath Spa were closed and the building didn't have shake when trains passed over them!

http://www.uvarvu.com/pictures/engWorks3.jpg

Those will be the crossovers put in for bidirectional running when I was living in Bath in the late 1980s.

 

[TheKnightWho]

Which looks to be plonked on the old LNWR solum, so no chance of reusing that approach to Oxford station.
Good to see the PR efforts though.

What use would it be for? It's already 4 tracks in the area.

 

[76020]

Electrification work will be starting at Newport Station from April 11th, and the bridge at the west end of the station is going as well in June, please links below.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...for-new-fleet-of-electric-trains-due-to-begin

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...fleet-of-electric-trains-under-way-in-newport

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

What use would it be for? It's already 4 tracks in the area.

Not towards Bicester/Bletchley, which funnels everything into a single crossover (just beyond the new electrical supply point) before splitting back to double track.
This is OK for the Marylebone service, but unless the E-W plan doubles the junction it will be a bottleneck when it opens.

 

[jimm]

Not towards Bicester/Bletchley, which funnels everything into a single crossover (just beyond the new electrical supply point) before splitting back to double track.
This is OK for the Marylebone service, but unless the E-W plan doubles the junction it will be a bottleneck when it opens.

There are already planned to be two connections from the double track of the Bicester line into the up loop/Jericho line on the main line at Oxford North, though I think this is part of Phase 1 of the Oxford area enhancements - the track renewals and resignalling ahead of electrification that are due to be carried out in 2018 - rather than Phase 0, which is this summer's more modest work to pave the way for Chiltern's services to reach Oxford station and raising of the trackbed at Hinksey to solve the flooding problem.

While the normal mode of operation for Chiltern will be bi-directional running in and out of the station on the Jericho line, once the extra connection is in place a train from Bicester will be able to head into Oxford station while another service is going the other way, having crossed the up lines from from the down main line.

The location of that electrical supply point means that when Oxford electrification work finally takes place in 2019, it will include Oxford North junction and a short stretch of the Bicester line, plus the main line towards Banbury up to and including Wolvercot junction, where the Cotswold Line diverges.

 

[fgwrich]

Electrification work will be starting at Newport Station from April 11th, and the bridge at the west end of the station is going as well in June, please links below.

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...for-new-fleet-of-electric-trains-due-to-begin

I know it's all progress, but I couldn't help but to feel a little sad when I saw that photoshopped picture of Newport Station. It took me a moment to realise that it is Newport and not somewhere on the GEML.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

I know it's all progress, but I couldn't help but to feel a little sad when I saw that photoshopped picture of Newport Station. It took me a moment to realise that it is Newport and not somewhere on the GEML.

I like the way the CGI hides the PTFE slug dumped atop the station a few years ago.

 

[dviner]

Meanwhile some readers may not have seen this press release which appeared on the NR site on April 5:

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/new-thorney-lane-bridge-now-open

The temporary bridge over the railway on Thorney Lane isn't the first Bailey Bridge down that road - I think that the bridge over the Grand Union Canal was also a temporary one back in the 80's.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I know it's all progress, but I couldn't help but to feel a little sad when I saw that photoshopped picture of Newport Station. It took me a moment to realise that it is Newport and not somewhere on the GEML.

The P2/3 island looks like it is getting masts set in both platforms.
Full portals over all the tracks would have kept them clear.

 

[leomartin125]

I know it's all progress, but I couldn't help but to feel a little sad when I saw that photoshopped picture of Newport Station. It took me a moment to realise that it is Newport and not somewhere on the GEML.

At least they have some rough idea of what they are planning to do at Newport and aren't just going in 'hoping for the best'. I must admit, that first image does look surprisingly similar to Manningtree just outside Ipswich...

 

[Philip Phlopp]

At least they have some rough idea of what they are planning to do at Newport and aren't just going in 'hoping for the best'. I must admit, that first image does look surprisingly similar to Manningtree just outside Ipswich...

A rough idea ? Hoping for the best ?

Do you think we send out workers every night and tell them to just put some foundations in wherever they feel like it ?

The workers on the ground are working to a series of drawings, one for every mast, twin track cantilever or portal structure that is to be installed.

There will also be drawings for the modifications needed to the platform canopies and to the platforms themselves, for the work at Newport.

 

[uvarvu]

Those will be the crossovers put in for bidirectional running when I was living in Bath in the late 1980s.

You're right! One set of points is half way complete.

http://www.uvarvu.com/pictures/engWorks4.jpg

 

[GRALISTAIR]

A rough idea ? Hoping for the best ?

Do you think we send out workers every night and tell them to just put some foundations in wherever they feel like it ?

The workers on the ground are working to a series of drawings, one for every mast, twin track cantilever or portal structure that is to be installed.

There will also be drawings for the modifications needed to the platform canopies and to the platforms themselves, for the work at Newport.

I bet they are also stored electronically and backed up religiously. Gone are the days of poor record keeping

 

[QueensCurve]

I like the way the CGI hides the PTFE slug dumped atop the station a few years ago.

What a lovely expression. Very fitting.

 

[leomartin125]

With Network Rail having to retrofit the wires between Reading and Didcot Parkway to comply with those annoying 'Goring Gap' protesters, does this mean the section won't be ready for IEP testing in Autumn 2016? Or can they still meet this target?

 

[steverailer]

With Network Rail having to retrofit the wires between Reading and Didcot Parkway to comply with those annoying 'Goring Gap' protesters, does this mean the section won't be ready for IEP testing in Autumn 2016? Or can they still meet this target?

What retro fitting?

All going ahead as planned originally AFAIK. Balfours are doing a study into the alternatives, but by the time they report the wires will be up and the DfT will back heal any changes as to costly to change.

 

[NSEFAN]

With Network Rail having to retrofit the wires between Reading and Didcot Parkway to comply with those annoying 'Goring Gap' protesters, does this mean the section won't be ready for IEP testing in Autumn 2016? Or can they still meet this target?

I believe that Network Rail said that they would "look into" making the wires less visually intrusive, rather than actually committing to do anything about them. I expect at best we'll see that OLE painted dark green as has been done with palisade fencing in some locations.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

What retro fitting?

All going ahead as planned originally AFAIK. Balfours are doing a study into the alternatives, but by the time they report the wires will be up and the DfT will back heal any changes as to costly to change.

Treasury is unlikely to sanction the extra expenditure, and it's politically difficult to manoeuvre round as refitting Goring Gap directly removes money from projects in other areas which don't exactly enjoy a four track, 125mph railway to London.

If it is to be changed though, it'll be done (and will have to be done) in the same way as the headspan to portal conversions out to Stockley. That will make it very, very costly.

I can't see how it could be done for less than £10m and it could get much more expensive depending on how expensive any replacement equipment is, how many conversions can be done during each possession and any additional work needed, such as additional piling works.

 

[swt_passenger]

Bumping a question from a few months ago, was it ever established exactly who is now contracted to do the Maidenhead to Reading section of GWEP? There was some debate about whether it had been transferred over to the Crossrail contractor (albeit still under NR).

Was an official answer ever forthcoming?

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Bumping a question from a few months ago, was it ever established exactly who is now contracted to do the Maidenhead to Reading section of GWEP? There was some debate about whether it had been transferred over to the Crossrail contractor (albeit still under NR).

Was an official answer ever forthcoming?

Maidenhead MPATS is the extent of Crossrail's design responsibility, but I don't know exactly where their electrification technically stops (well, I do, in that I've seen the mileage but can't remember what document it's in to double check).

 

[snowball]

Bumping a question from a few months ago, was it ever established exactly who is now contracted to do the Maidenhead to Reading section of GWEP? There was some debate about whether it had been transferred over to the Crossrail contractor (albeit still under NR).

Was an official answer ever forthcoming?

Roger Ford (Modern Railways April p.26), reporting on a session with GWEP engineers, says this, which may or may not be relevant:

Note that at its eastern end GWEP 'fringes' with NR's separate Crossrail Surface Works Programme. This £2.5 billion project includes signalling and electrification from Airport Junction to Maidenhead and Reading. Fellow OHLE watchers may care to note that this section uses a different design of OHLE. Commissioning of this section is scheduled for June 2017.

The accompanying table gives this date for Airport Junction to Madenhead but desn't mention Maidenhead to Reading. The numbering of route sections in the table starts at Reading.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Roger Ford (Modern Railways April p.26), reporting on a session with GWEP engineers, says this, which may or may not be relevant:

What do we think of Roger's assertion that the design east of Maidenhead (or is it Reading) is different from that to the west?
I'm sure Mr Phlopp said there was only one Series 1 design.

I'd be very surprised if Crossrail (Balfours) are doing Maidenhead-Reading, unless contracts have been altered to advance overall completion.
It was certainly part of the Amey GW contract originally.

 

[swt_passenger]

What do we think of Roger's assertion that the design east of Maidenhead (or is it Reading) is different from that to the west?
I'm sure Mr Phlopp said there was only one Series 1 design.

He definitely did, here: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2360760&postcount=1679

I'd be very surprised if Crossrail (Balfours) are doing Maidenhead-Reading, unless contracts have been altered to advance overall completion.
It was certainly part of the Amey GW contract originally.

Adjacent posts to that one above are where the question of the Crossrail contract being altered was being discussed (back in November) as a result of confusing NR twitter posts.

Hence I asked the question earlier this afternoon as the discussion was never really concluded.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

What do we think of Roger's assertion that the design east of Maidenhead (or is it Reading) is different from that to the west?
I'm sure Mr Phlopp said there was only one Series 1 design.

There is only one Series 1 design. I'm not certain what Roger is talking about, but I have an idea.

There is UK1 and Mark 3 catenary being used which is replacing some the old headspans between Paddington and Stockley, and which was used on the Stockley flyover.

It's the most effective way of providing mechanically independent registration without over complicating maintenance of the route, for the same reason Norton Bridge didn't get Series 1 or Series 2.

The new build electrification west of Stockley is Series 1. Mark 1 eyeball confirmed, and I'm sure all the correspondents here can similarly confirm tomorrow morning.

 

[jimm]

Maidenhead MPATS is the extent of Crossrail's design responsibility, but I don't know exactly where their electrification technically stops (well, I do, in that I've seen the mileage but can't remember what document it's in to double check).

I believe the location where what Crossrail calls its Outer West Package contract area ends is Ruscombe junction, about five miles west of Maidenhead, so that would seem to be a likely candidate for the point where Amey takes over responsibility for the wiring work.