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Lostock- Wigan electrification

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a_c_skinner

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The Wallgate bit of Wigan strikes me as rather down at heels and a redevelopment project is needed, esp. as it leads very quickly into the town centre proper, so replacing the bridge and buildings might not be such a lost cause. Meanwhile Northern seems doomed to have a lot of routes which are partly under the wires and partly not yet unlike most TOCs has singularly failed to order any new bi-modes or enough 769s (assuming they work properly).
 
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ian1944

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Ianno87 said:
Article has a picture of Horwich Parkway, naturally....
Click to expand...

The picture I'm seeing is of Lostock Junction, with the Rumworth Road bridge and the now-closed Lostock Arms in the background.

As I understand it, the current signalling arrangement would make opening the Wigan line platforms difficult, but I can't remember the details. It's been covered on another thread, somewhere.
 
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Mogster

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Something will have to be done at Wallgate soon. There was a partial collapse a few years ago. The “temporary“ support structures seem to be still in place, from the photos online it looks a bit scary...

It will be a massive undertaking though, would the whole station have to come down as well as the road and buildings opposite? The road takes a lot of heavy traffic. Is the whole bridge area the responsibility of Network Rail?
 
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cle

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What would use a new electric route?

And more importantly, could Wallgate be shifted NW-wards somewhat, with a bit of a concourse, and fully merged with North Western to create one cohesive hub?
 
yorksrob

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cle said:
What would use a new electric route?

And more importantly, could Wallgate be shifted NW-wards somewhat, with a bit of a concourse, and fully merged with North Western to create one cohesive hub?
Click to expand...

The entrance to Wallgate is quite handy as is, so I don't think they'd want to move it
 
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Ianno87

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ian1944 said:
The picture I'm seeing is of Lostock Junction, with the Rumworth Road bridge and the now-closed Lostock Arms in the background.

As I understand it, the current signalling arrangement would make opening the Wigan line platforms difficult, but I can't remember the details. It's been covered on another thread, somewhere.
Click to expand...

Ah, the picture has been changed.

Problem with signalling is that the Up signal from Wigan protecting the junction is immediately before passing underneath Rumworth Rd bridge so, either...

-The platforms have to be offset some distance towards Wigan to be in rear of the signal (so would require crossing the road to access from the rest of the station, and the platforms would be a not-unappreciable curve/gradient), or
-The signal moved closer to the junction, but with the overlap fouling the Preston lines (the previous Red signal, 2-aspect on the LCN route, being between Crow Nest and Westhoughton), or
-The signal moved back from the junction to give space for the platforms, but an Up Wigan calling train locking up the entire junction while it stops

As I've said before, in spite of platforms being personally beneficial to me, I'm sceptical of the actual need. A risk of just abstracting passengers into thr car park from Horwich/Westhoughton for a 3/4tph service, for a relatively minor local connectivity benefit
 
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WatcherZero

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Saves a good amount of time as you have to go all the way to Bolton and double back if for example you want to go to Middlebrook.
 
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cle

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yorksrob said:
The entrance to Wallgate is quite handy as is, so I don't think they'd want to move it
Click to expand...
Yep the street placement is good. What I meant was perhaps building out the concourse further, over the car park towards the North Western platforms, with access down to the northern end of those. It would need to cross the road, and the northbound platform is so narrow at that point. Tough call.
 
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WatcherZero

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Interestingly the car park used to contain a siding with no pedestrian barriers.
 
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Mogster

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Ianno87 said:
Ah, the picture has been changed.

Problem with signalling is that the Up signal from Wigan protecting the junction is immediately before passing underneath Rumworth Rd bridge so, either...

-The platforms have to be offset some distance towards Wigan to be in rear of the signal (so would require crossing the road to access from the rest of the station, and the platforms would be a not-unappreciable curve/gradient), or
-The signal moved closer to the junction, but with the overlap fouling the Preston lines (the previous Red signal, 2-aspect on the LCN route, being between Crow Nest and Westhoughton), or
-The signal moved back from the junction to give space for the platforms, but an Up Wigan calling train locking up the entire junction while it stops

As I've said before, in spite of platforms being personally beneficial to me, I'm sceptical of the actual need. A risk of just abstracting passengers into thr car park from Horwich/Westhoughton for a 3/4tph service, for a relatively minor local connectivity benefit
Click to expand...

It would seem there’s plenty of land available nearby for park and ride. Maybe that’s what’s intended.
 
td97

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Interestingly, there was an idea of upgrading the Lostock station car park with an extra level as part of NWEP4. It would have made the electrical installation easier for NR, and was substantially cheaper than the alternative (go back to square one, somewhat ironically their office address). Neither TOC nor council wanted anything to do with the maintenance of such a structure. So users were left with an inadequate car park, and NR left with an expensive redesign regarding the electrical kit there.
 
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Ianno87

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Problem is, for an upgraded car park, the surrounding roads are relatively lousy, through 20mph residential areas with speed humps etc. It's not like it's straight off a motorway, like Horwich Parkway is...
 
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Wtloild

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Ianno87 said:
Problem is, for an upgraded car park, the surrounding roads are relatively lousy, through 20mph residential areas with speed humps etc. It's not like it's straight off a motorway, like Horwich Parkway is...
Click to expand...
Yep, rail replacement buses would be much quicker journey if they didn't have to crawl down to Lostock.
 
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geoffk

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jonesy3001 said:
is there going to be an announcement for the wiring of the lostock to wigan line, since the springs branch depot is being wired as well.
Click to expand...
Northern's plan appears to be to divert its two trains an hour from Bolton to Wigan Wallgate and Southport, instead of North Western. So what benefit would wiring from Lostock serve, other than as a diversionary route?
 
jonesy3001

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geoffk said:
Northern's plan appears to be to divert its two trains an hour from Bolton to Wigan Wallgate and Southport, instead of North Western. So what benefit would wiring from Lostock serve, other than as a diversionary route?
Click to expand...

more EMUs on the wigan line to north western instead of using them 769s and has you said a diversionary route.
 
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Bovverboy

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Bearing in mind that Springs Branch is being trumpeted as the new principal base for the 319s, does anyone know what the future holds for Allerton?
 
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Bovverboy

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wrinkley said:
The Lostock to Wigan line connects to both Wallgate and North Western.
Click to expand...

But if the plan is to run trains ex-Bolton to Wallgate and Southport, instead of to North Western, how are you proposing to use EMUs, when there are currently no plans to electrify Wallgate, let alone Wallgate to Southport?
 
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Bovverboy

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Greybeard33

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Bovverboy said:
Darloscott's post doesn't expressly say that it is proposed to run Alderley Edge/Stalybridge to Southport services via Bolton, but I take it that is the implication. So that, presumably, puts Lostock-Wigan electrification off for a while, but, of course, it was never going to happen in five minutes anyway.
Click to expand...
If you look at the draft ARN 18th Supplementary Agreement, which @darloscott summarised in that post, it does in fact explicitly state that the Alderley Edge and Stalybridge to Southport services will both be routed via Bolton.
 
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