Midland Mainline will now be electrified

[2030720310]

It's been reported in railnews that Network Rail are proposing to electrify the MML, which IMO is great news.
It does beg the question of where will the 222s go, with suggestions for their use on the Great Western mainline.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2009/10/28-electrification-midland-main-line-goes.html

 

[jamesontheroad]

It's been reported in railnews that Network Rail are proposing to electrify the MML, which IMO is great news.
It does beg the question of where will the 222s go, with suggestions for their use on the Great Western mainline.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2009/10/28-electrification-midland-main-line-goes.html

To CrossCountry perhaps?

 

[starrymarkb]

222s to the far west? well it would be much more sensible then trying to use IEP-BM (which AIUI would have to be formed into 2x5cars in order to negotiate the Devon banks)

 

[37401]

what about the HST`s will XC get them, like someone said yonks ago

 

[ukrob]

It's been reported in railnews that Network Rail are proposing to electrify the MML, which IMO is great news.
It does beg the question of where will the 222s go, with suggestions for their use on the Great Western mainline.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2009/10/28-electrification-midland-main-line-goes.html

It is just taken from the electrification RUS which was published about a week ago. It is still just a proposal. You won't wake up tomorrow and it will be done - the GWML is going to be another eight years until it is done!

 

[mrcheek]

what about the HST`s will XC get them, like someone said yonks ago

this whole plan is so long term that the HSTs will surely be retired by the time electrification is complete!

then again, we have said that before......

 

[NXEA!]

All in all cross-country have 57 voyagers. XC already have 5 HST sets so I don't know if anybody would agree or if anybody thinks its possible with me but couldnt they refurbish the 54 FGW sets for yet another 10 years and put them to use on Cross-Country replacing the ghastly voyagers from long distance routes?

 

[37401]

Ive got a feeling that deep down if they could XC would rid of all the 4 and 5 car voyagers for more 8 car HST`s, would solve most of the sardine problems

 

[starrymarkb]

All in all cross-country have 57 voyagers. XC already have 5 HST sets so I don't know if anybody would agree or if anybody thinks its possible with me but couldnt they refurbish the 54 FGW sets for yet another 10 years and put them to use on Cross-Country replacing the ghastly voyagers from long distance routes?

Nope - the HSTs are in need of replacing - Corrosion is an issue - if FGW had got their way their fleet would have been replaced by new trains from Siemens in 2004-2005

 

[Crossforth]

How many HSTs do you reckon will be preserved?
Anybody here reckon we could club together as a forum to save up for one?

 

[87015]

Ive got a feeling that deep down if they could XC would rid of all the 4 and 5 car voyagers for more 8 car HST`s, would solve most of the sardine problems

Its not the sardine problems they will be worried about, but taking the lowest cost option, which isn't HSTs. That applies to most, if not all, TOCs not just XC aswell (unless they can get public money to fund it...)

 

[tbtc]

...by the time the wires are up on the MML, the Voyagers will be getting pretty old, never mind the HSTs!

I just hope that if/when they wire it up, they do it properly and do all the lines, not just the main line (compare with the ECML where there's no electric diversion possible anywhere between Stevenage and Edinburgh, meaning any track work/ disruption throws the whole thing into chaos)

 

[Geezertronic]

How many HSTs do you reckon will be preserved?
Anybody here reckon we could club together as a forum to save up for one?

Why not contribute here - http://www.125group.org.uk/

 

[gingerheid]

There's an election coming up, isn't there?

 

[O L Leigh]

It is just taken from the electrification RUS which was published about a week ago. It is still just a proposal. You won't wake up tomorrow and it will be done - the GWML is going to be another eight years until it is done!

Thanks. You beat me to it.

Nitwit Rail float so many ideas in RUS documents, all of which are just ideas for consultation and consideration. They are neither announcements nor even firm proposals that anything they contain will ever happen.

Besides, the MML has been a candidate for further electrification ever since the wires went up at Bedford way back in the early 1980's, so it's omission from an electrification RUS would be strange in the extreme.

O L Leigh

 

[asylumxl]

I'm doubtful it'll happen despite the good business cases for it.

 

[sheff'd victoria]

...by the time the wires are up on the MML, the Voyagers will be getting pretty old, never mind the HSTs!

I just hope that if/when they wire it up, they do it properly and do all the lines, not just the main line (compare with the ECML where there's no electric diversion possible anywhere between Stevenage and Edinburgh, meaning any track work/ disruption throws the whole thing into chaos)

It wont happen but an electric Peterborough-Spalding-Sleaford-Lincoln-Doncaster line would be a benefit

 

[tbtc]

It wont happen but an electric Peterborough-Spalding-Sleaford-Lincoln-Doncaster line would be a benefit

Agreed!

In Deltic/ HST days, we'd cope with any engineering/ accidents by diverting trains via Ely, via Lincoln, via Leeds, via Hartlepool, via Carlisle etc if there were diversions needed between London and Edinburgh.

Now, with 225s, as none of these alternative lines are wired, there's no decent "plan B", so we end up with 225s running London to York with HSTs doing the York - Edinburgh bit (or similar, depending on where the work is).

I'd hope that if they wire the MML they'll not just do the bare minimum like they did on the ECML... Do it properly or don't bother!

 

[dk1]

Its all about cost though. Whats the point of doing the Erewash Valley at a cost of Millions of pounds just for the very few occasions the Derby-Chesterfield section is closed. If there was frequent electrified freight then yes but this is just not the case. Even the passenger trains on the Norwich-Liverpool & Nottingham-Leeds have to be diesel.

 

[EM2]

Going back to Voyagers/Meridians, there's also a piece in RailNews about fitting them with a pan to make them bi-modal. Bombardier say it's never been done, but there's no technical reason why it couldn't.

Electrification story http://www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2009/10/28-electrification-midland-main-line-goes.html

 

[Aictos]

It wont happen but an electric Peterborough-Spalding-Sleaford-Lincoln-Doncaster line would be a benefit

I'm sure WAGN were in talks with Railtrack a few years ago about running stopping services to Doncaster which would have seen the GNERs run non stop to Doncaster I think.

It fell though but still having that line electrified would be a good move as 91s could then use it on diversions should there be trouble on the route via Grantham.

It would also bring much needed investment into services in the area, okay the whole area won't get done but with a decent clockface service running along the line with feeder services from the diesel lines, it could very well be the beginning of the next chapter in the history of the railways in that area.

 

[Failed Unit]

Agreed!

In Deltic/ HST days, we'd cope with any engineering/ accidents by diverting trains via Ely, via Lincoln, via Leeds, via Hartlepool, via Carlisle etc if there were diversions needed between London and Edinburgh.

Now, with 225s, as none of these alternative lines are wired, there's no decent "plan B", so we end up with 225s running London to York with HSTs doing the York - Edinburgh bit (or similar, depending on where the work is).

I'd hope that if they wire the MML they'll not just do the bare minimum like they did on the ECML... Do it properly or don't bother!

The other problem is the lack of route knowledge, I have been on a HST after a dewirement, we waited to use the mainline when we could have easily gone via Lincoln. The driver doesn't know the route and they can't just grab the first person to sit with said driver at Doncaster / Peterborough anymore.

 

[asylumxl]

Going back to Voyagers/Meridians, there's also a piece in RailNews about fitting them with a pan to make them bi-modal. Bombardier say it's never been done, but there's no technical reason why it couldn't.

This would be ideal, and i'd love to see it happen.

They could even make use of them currently between St Pancras and Bedford .