Great Western Electrification Progress

[JN114]

387 Introduction through Reading will require a massive upheaval of diagrams - presently stoppers from Oxford form Stoppers to Reading and vice versa at Paddington. It will render a large quantity of 16x stock redundant before sufficient driver training and infrastructure works are completed in the West Country. It will require many more LTV drivers to be 387 trained than are presently.

We'll stick with January next year.

 

[jyte]

A few questions:

1) Is NR still aiming to energise Maidenhead-Reading on the 16th-17th ?

2) How likely is that considering Hayes-Maidenhead slipped quite a bit?

3) How much electric 387 testing will there be before 387s start taking over services at the beginning of the year?

4) Will IETs use the wires after they go up or will they be on diesel till January?

 

[3973EXL]

Had a trip on the B&H today to check on progress.

After Southcote Junction masts start after MP38 1/4 and stop before the M4 bridge. There is then a gap to just before Theale.

There are no masts through any of the stations.

Mast start again after Theale station until the start of Ufton loop. There is then a gap to just before Aldermaston station.

After Aldermaston there are mast all the way through to just west of Newbury Racecourse. As already mentioned, there are no masts through stations, and some individual mast missing, or laying track side.

Between Thatcham and Racecourse there are registration arms on a lot of the masts.

Nothing up at Newbury and still prep work on the site for the new footbridge.

Two working ex Swindon Mon to Thurs night this week.

Some Photos, Theale, Aldermaston, Midgham and Thatcham.

 

[3973EXL]

Newbury Town & Racecourse stations today.

 

[HowardGWR]

Had a trip on the B&H today to check on progress.

After Southcote Junction masts start after MP38 1/4 and stop before the M4 bridge. There is then a gap to just before Theale.

There are no masts through any of the stations.

Mast start again after Theale station until the start of Ufton loop. There is then a gap to just before Aldermaston station.

After Aldermaston there are mast all the way through to just west of Newbury Racecourse. As already mentioned, there are no masts through stations, and some individual mast missing, or laying track side.

Between Thatcham and Racecourse there are registration arms on a lot of the masts.

Nothing up at Newbury and still prep work on the site for the new footbridge.

Two working ex Swindon Mon to Thurs night this week.

Some Photos, Theale, Aldermaston, Midgham and Thatcham.

Great stuff. If you had to give an 'eyeball' completion percentage, what would be your stab at it?

 

[Hophead]

Does anybody know if it is proposed to wire the through lines at Newbury?

 

[Thatcham Xing]

If you had to give an 'eyeball' completion percentage, what would be your stab at it?

I'm a local and was out observing progress over the weekend - I'd say 75%. As mentioned above, there are still some quite big gaps, and the only SPS I've observed is between Thatcham and Newbury Racecourse.

Recently, some uprights have gone up immediately east of the platforms at Thatcham, in the area I would have expected to be taken up the expected platform extensions (they can't be extended at the other end due to the level crossing - although we'd all like to get rid of it!).

You'd think the through lines at Newbury would be wired, so that non-stop IET's can transition from the wires to diesel as they pass through, but who knows?

 

[snowball]

There presumably has to be some wiring on the down through line (which may or may not be its official name - I don't have the relevant Quail) to allow for down electric trains routed onto it by mistake, so that they don't cause a dewirement by coming off the wire obliquely. Given that that will be done, it makes little sense not to wire all four lines for the full length of the station.

 

[Thatcham Xing]

Speculating, but maybe the wires will continue slightly past the bridge to the west of the Station, to allow reversal/platform changes for EMU's that terminate at Newbury? Otherwise you'll have up/starting trains departing from the down platform etc. The likes of an 8-coach 387 won't fit in the bay platform.

 

[Unclepete]

Speculating, but maybe the wires will continue slightly past the bridge to the west of the Station, to allow reversal/platform changes for EMU's that terminate at Newbury? Otherwise you'll have up/starting trains departing from the down platform etc. The likes of an 8-coach 387 won't fit in the bay platform.

Hi, that's an interesting thought, although the down platform 1 has been re-signalled as bi-directional recently with a new starter signal at the London end.

Also, I've noticed that on the West Berks section of NR's GW upgrade, they are now detailing works for clearance/piling on the Mortimer-Bramley section. Interesting!
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...estern/great-western-mainline/west-berkshire/

 

[swrailuser]

How long will it be before London to Bristol is electrified?

never Temple Meads has been canned parkway is as close as you get

 

[gwr4090]

never Temple Meads has been canned parkway is as close as you get

Wrong !. Electification of Temple Meads will be sometime in CP6 although a revised completion date has not yet been announced.

 

[nlogax]

Hi, that's an interesting thought, although the down platform 1 has been re-signalled as bi-directional recently with a new starter signal at the London end.

Also, I've noticed that on the West Berks section of NR's GW upgrade, they are now detailing works for clearance/piling on the Mortimer-Bramley section. Interesting!

Electric Spine..it lives!

Ok, maybe not, but that's a curious development.

 

[jimm]

Hi, that's an interesting thought, although the down platform 1 has been re-signalled as bi-directional recently with a new starter signal at the London end.

Also, I've noticed that on the West Berks section of NR's GW upgrade, they are now detailing works for clearance/piling on the Mortimer-Bramley section. Interesting!
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...estern/great-western-mainline/west-berkshire/

Suspect it may just be vegetation clearance they are referring to there - it is scheduled for 8am to 4.30pm, so won't be anything to do with piling at that time of the day.

 

[snowball]

Wrong !. Electification of Temple Meads will be sometime in CP6 although a revised completion date has not yet been announced.

What is your source for this information?

As far as I know the most recent official statement was last November when electrification of both approaches to Bristol TM was "deferred", along with Didcot to Oxford and the two Thames branches. No official statement was made that any of these will happen in CP6. Other posters have emphasized that there are not yet any committed enhancements in CP6.

I think TM will happen in CP6 but unless you have new or inside information I don't think you should be so definite.

 

[jyte]

My understanding was that the projects deferred from CP5 to CP6 will have to compete against other new projects for funding and will have their cost:benefit ratio recalculated - they're not guaranteed to even happen in CP6 and maybe not even in CP7.

 

[edwin_m]

The CP6 funding appears to be just maintenance and renewals, and enhancements will be funded separately by a process that doesn't run in five-year cycles, so a project can be approved any time. In principle that's probably a good idea but it does give politicians a few more options for spin and obfuscation.

 

[leomartin125]

What is your source for this information?

As far as I know the most recent official statement was last November when electrification of both approaches to Bristol TM was "deferred", along with Didcot to Oxford and the two Thames branches. No official statement was made that any of these will happen in CP6. Other posters have emphasized that there are not yet any committed enhancements in CP6.

I think TM will happen in CP6 but unless you have new or inside information I don't think you should be so definite.

In all honesty, if you thought electrifying Reading was bad with it's 15 or so platforms, it will be nothing compared to the sheer amount of money needed to put Series 1 up in BTM, with its ancient building structure, it will need a lot of work to the station canopy and the platforms themselves before NR can even think about getting masts near the station, let alone wires. If there is a budget for it, it may occur in CP6. Though the Government seems to believes bi-modes will do the trick, and with the investment in HS2, it will take a lot to see electrification through to BTM now in my opinion.

 

[swt_passenger]

In all honesty, if you thought electrifying Reading was bad with it's 15 or so platforms, it will be nothing compared to the sheer amount of money needed to put Series 1 up in BTM, with its ancient building structure, it will need a lot of work to the station canopy and the platforms themselves before NR can even think about getting masts near the station, let alone wires. If there is a budget for it, it may occur in CP6. Though the Government seems to believes bi-modes will do the trick, and with the investment in HS2, it will take a lot to see electrification through to BTM now in my opinion.

They don't need to use full series one within a listed trainshed where all trains stop. Paddington recently completed platforms are another example. Indeed there are a number of Grade 1 listed trainsheds around the country with existing wiring installations which are fairly unobtrusive, I don't see this as a major issue.

 

[edwin_m]

Haven't the platforms been done already to give acceptable stepping distances for 80x units? This is essentially independent of the future re-modelling and re-signalling, which mainly affects the trackwork either end. I wouldn't expect to see any further changes to platforms or the tracks alongside them with electrification, although I agree the canopies may need modification.

 

[Southsider]

They don't need to use full series one within a listed trainshed where all trains stop. Paddington recently completed platforms are another example. Indeed there are a number of Grade 1 listed trainsheds around the country with existing wiring installations which are fairly unobtrusive, I don't see this as a major issue.

Glasgow Queen Street has been done with head spans. Relatively unobtrusive and fine for low speed.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Also, I've noticed that on the West Berks section of NR's GW upgrade, they are now detailing works for clearance/piling on the Mortimer-Bramley section. Interesting!
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...estern/great-western-mainline/west-berkshire/

May be associated with the "Bramley Grid Feeder Station" which is part of the GW scheme.
I think that means they will need a lineside cable route to Southcote Jn, but no OHLE on the Basingstoke line itself.

 

[spark001uk]

May be associated with the "Bramley Grid Feeder Station" which is part of the GW scheme.
I think that means they will need a lineside cable route to Southcote Jn, but no OHLE on the Basingstoke line itself.

Interesting thought, but the publication clearly says "We're undertaking piling work in the areas shown below", and Mortimer - Bramley is listed. Would they need to pile just for a lineside cable?

 

[swt_passenger]

Interesting thought, but the publication clearly says "We're undertaking piling work in the areas shown below", and Mortimer - Bramley is listed. Would they need to pile just for a lineside cable?

Yes if it was to be built as an "along track bare feeder", they'd have to mount it on normal masts at the necessary safe height. A bit ike an ATF conductor. It would probably end up looking like a single track cantilever installation, but without the horizontal arm etc.

 

[spark001uk]

Seems a fair way out to come for some more juice. I thought they were building a feeder at Reading at some point? Or are they just sticking to Didcot being the next one down?

 

[swt_passenger]

Seems a fair way out to come for some more juice. I thought they were building a feeder at Reading at some point? Or are they just sticking to Didcot being the next one down?

This would be the Reading independent feeder. It has to come from a grid supply point, and that is near Bramley. Or Didcot.

It is project W001c in the Jun 17 CP5 NR enhancements plan- and its title is Reading Independent Feeder (Bramley) Grip 3 April 2017 for completion during CP6.

 

[spark001uk]

Shame they're not wiring down there, even if only to B'stoke, it would certainly have opened up the opportunity of using 92's to their full potential on the route.

 

[Sean Emmett]

Wriring activity this morning on Badminton line visible from M4 just West of Wootton Bassett.

 

[swt_passenger]

Shame they're not wiring down there, even if only to B'stoke, it would certainly have opened up the opportunity of using 92's to their full potential on the route.

One of the reasons for proposing OHLE from Basingstoke to Southampton was that the existing DC supply system cannot provide enough power for the Class 92s on top of the existing EMU demands. There are also various competing demands for additional EMU paths in the route study in the medium term.

I'd be very surprised to see 92s running on the third rail in the area, whatever happens to the Reading - Basingstoke section...

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Not infrastructure, but the Turbo fleet has a new announcement about the dangers of overhead wiring. It only plays at stations from Hayes/West Drayton west. Presumably everyone is deemed to be aware of the dangers of the Paddington to Heathrow wiring and not poking fishing rods at it etc.