MML Electrification: progress updates

[Edvid]

Contrary to my previous assumptions it looks like much of the remaining installation work is already done - I've attached pictures of the setup near Braybrooke / Wigston substations.

From what I could tell on yesterday's travels there were some sealing ends on cross-track feeder masts and most of the Braybrooke neutral (Up Main) left to install, but the wire run connections are probably all in place. Even the Wigston neutrals are already there, which I previously considered a RS2 deliverable.

From the Spion Kop bridge you can see the RS1 OLE limit about 400 metres up the line (OHNS is 230 metres further up). Incidentally the Freightliner loco - spotted by chance - was operating under headcode 6M92.

I also had a look at the fast line OLE anchoring south of Bedford. As expected there are more anti-fall installations in place, but the retensioned Mk3b wire runs in Wixams (see post #7065) were still attached to one BWA at each end; it appears that OLE125 is not replicating the 15/12kN tensioning present in UKMS125.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Fantastic update photos -thanks for posting.

 

[londonmidland]

There's a real contrast between the heavy vegetation in the foreground and the cleared section where the OLE has been put up in the background, at Wigston. Are there any further vegetation works planned for this area, ready for future electrification?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

There's a real contrast between the heavy vegetation in the foreground and the cleared section where the OLE has been put up in the background, at Wigston. Are there any further vegetation works planned for this area, ready for future electrification?

One would assume that will happen when scheme RS2a starts.

 

[londonmidland]

One would assume that will happen when scheme RS2a starts.

Hopefully that happens fairly soon. Would hate for it to be ‘paused’ for another few more years again. A steady rolling electrification project is the way forward and no doubt keeps costs down, whilst maintaining workers’ competency and jobs.

 

[InTheEastMids]

There's a real contrast between the heavy vegetation in the foreground and the cleared section where the OLE has been put up in the background, at Wigston. Are there any further vegetation works planned for this area, ready for future electrification?

From the Spion Kop bridge you can see the RS1 OLE limit about 400 metres up the line

A bit off topic but regarding vegetation - quite the contrast the two links below. The first is a photo from 1975 from an identical point of view. The second is the earliest Google Street View imagery from 2008.

File:Type-2 Bo-Bo nos. 25313 & 25299 on a northbound train passing the site of Wigston Magna station, Nigel Tout, 4.5.75.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org

Kilby Lock Bridge · Unnamed Road, Wigston LE18 4NG

★★★★☆ · Bridge

maps.app.goo.gl

Hopefully that happens fairly soon. Would hate for it to be ‘paused’ for another few more years again.

There are definitely things planned to happen north of Syston in the near future - e.g. Network Rail have applied to close the A6006 bridge at Sutton Bonington from November to July 2025 for reconstruction.

 

[Edvid]

That could be the first piece of post-preliminary RS3 construction work to get started. Had a look at that bridge (labelled Rempstone Road, SPC5/OB:88) on Street View and am pleased to see it isn't one of those already adjusted pre-2017-descoping.

In the meantime, there are still a couple of ongoing RS1 bridge closures to road/pedestrian traffic:
* Wistow Road (SPC3/OB:9) until 26 July
* Glen Station (SPC3/OB:10) until 23 August [further extension from 29 July recently granted]

 

[59CosG95]

Looking on one.network over the next 12 months, there's a planned overnight closure of Stanford Rd/Bowleys Bridge (SPC5/83, 113m 24ch), from 22:00 1/3/25 to 06:00 2/3/25.

 

[snowball]

Looking on one.network over the next 12 months, there's a planned overnight closure of Stanford Rd/Bowleys Bridge (SPC5/83, 113m 24ch), from 22:00 1/3/25 to 06:00 2/3/25.

That bridge appears from Streetview to have undergone some sort of rebuild between 2011 and 2017 - at minimum its brick parapets were replaced by modern concrete ones.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.co.uk

(link is to Streetview)

However a one-night closure is not a big event, possibly a routine inspection.

 

[edwin_m]

That could be the first piece of post-preliminary RS3 construction work to get started. Had a look at that bridge (labelled Rempstone Road, SPC5/OB:88) on Street View and am pleased to see it isn't one of those already adjusted pre-2017-descoping.

In the meantime, there are still a couple of ongoing RS1 bridge closures to road/pedestrian traffic:
* Wistow Road (SPC3/OB:9) until 26 July
* Glen Station (SPC3/OB:10) until 23 August [further extension from 29 July recently granted]

That's got to be one of the lowest parapets on a road over rail bridge anywhere!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

That's got to be one of the lowest parapets on a road over rail bridge anywhere!

B****y ***l that is incredibly low indeed.

 

[Trainman40083]

So, heading North, how far away would the next substation be? I know there was plans for one at Ambergate, but wondered if there was one serving the Nottingham leg.

 

[Edvid]

Assuming you're asking about feeder stations in particular, the next one would be near Kegworth, per post #6875. There's a National Grid compound nearby (where soon-to-close Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is), but I don't think it's clear whether the connection would start there or (as Braybrooke ATFS does) tee-off the transmission lines above.

 

[snowball]

And there's to be another feeder station after that at Chesterfield.

Others may know where track sectioning cabins or autotransformer stations are proposed.

As far as I know, no physical work has been seen at any sites, nor any planning applications, but it has been mentioned upthread that the application for the grid connection at Kegworth was put in some time ago.

 

[59CosG95]

And there's to be another feeder station after that at Chesterfield.

Others may know where track sectioning cabins or autotransformer stations are proposed.

As far as I know, no physical work has been seen at any sites, nor any planning applications, but it has been mentioned upthread that the application for the grid connection at Kegworth was put in some time ago.

I'd imagine there'd be an ATS or SATS in the Syston area, with overruns on the "triangle" towards Melton, either in whole or (more likely) in part.
An educated guess would probably place another ATS in or around Loughborough, and there'd definitely have to be SATSs at Trent, Derby and possibly Nottingham.

IIRC, Hasland would be the 4th and final grid connection, after Long Meadow Farm, Braybrooke & Kegworth.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I confess I had to google map Hasland - basically Chesterfield.

 

[snowball]

I confess I had to google map Hasland - basically Chesterfield.

And I had to do some map searches to find Long Meadow Farm! Both have been discussed upthread but most mentions of them are a long way back.

 

[Trainman40083]

I confess I had to google map Hasland - basically Chesterfield.

Some will remember the shed there.

 

[eastwestdivide]

New Transport secretary MP for Sheffield Heeley - is there hope for a speedier electrification?
From https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0veg88g7jyo

Louise Haigh has been named as transport secretary.
…
Keir Starmer made her shadow Northern Ireland secretary in 2020 before she took on the shadow transport brief in 2021.
…
Haigh, the MP for Sheffield Heeley…

Edit: already being discussed on here at

New Transport Secretary - Louise Haigh

As might have been expected, Louise Haigh has been appointed Transport Secretary in the Starmer government. She's MP for Sheffield Heeley, and has been in the Shadow role since 2021. A lot is now riding on her decisions on the rail industry...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Killingworth]

The western boundary of Louise Haigh's Heeley constituency is actually the MML from Dore into Sheffield Midland station, see; https://boundarycommissionforenglan...c807f77/a3-maps/YH_44_Sheffield Heeley BC.pdf

Louise was party to a proposal to the Restoring Your Railway Fund to reopen Heeley, Millhouses and Beauchief stations along that stretch. It was unsuccessful, not least because it would have potentially conflicted with adding a third track in conjunction with electrification. (There's no longer enough space to restore a 4th.) That and reconfiguring platforms and tracks at Sheffield (and then beyond?) make that an expensive section to deal with. Plenty of scope to add delays but Huw Merriman reckoned it would be done by the early 2030s. Without expecting miracles maybe by 2035-40?

 

[Trainman40083]

The western boundary of Louise Haigh's Heeley constituency is actually the MML from Dore into Sheffield Midland station, see; https://boundarycommissionforengland.independent.gov.uk/review2023/b65f7782-658b-4c4a-9cba-59c16c807f77/a3-maps/YH_44_Sheffield Heeley BC.pdf

Louise was party to a proposal to the Restoring Your Railway Fund to reopen Heeley, Millhouses and Beauchief stations along that stretch. It was unsuccessful, not least because it would have potentially conflicted with adding a third track in conjunction with electrification. (There's no longer enough space to restore a 4th.) That and reconfiguring platforms and tracks at Sheffield (and then beyond?) make that an expensive section to deal with. Plenty of scope to add delays but Huw Merriman reckoned it would be done by the early 2030s. Without expecting miracles maybe by 2035-40?

Maybe bi mode trains took away the urgency. Still seems odd, lugging all that dead weight about.

 

[tram21]

Sorry if I missed something upthread, but is there actually funding/ proper plans for electrification past Leicester? There's mention of work potentially starting, but I believed there wasn't funding, but I may be mistaken in that!

 

[Nottingham59]

Sorry if I missed something upthread, but is there actually funding/ proper plans for electrification past Leicester? There's mention of work potentially starting, but I believed there wasn't funding, but I may be mistaken in that!

I think the latest is a Framework contract that was announced at the end of 2023, but that doesn't mean any money has been committed yet. Details here:

MML Electrification: progress updates

A higher profile would also mean more risk of politicians interfering in the project though...

www.railforums.co.uk

Others may have more definite information.

 

[38Cto15E]

The MP for Nottingham South is a former Chair of the Transport Select Committee so the MML has people in the right places.

 

[Bald Rick]

Sorry if I missed something upthread, but is there actually funding/ proper plans for electrification past Leicester? There's mention of work potentially starting, but I believed there wasn't funding, but I may be mistaken in that!

Funding for implementation beyond Syston has not been approved yet. If it had been, you can be sure there would have been a big announcement.

 

[Mikey C]

I was surprised, electorally, that the previous government didn't approve funding for the rest of the MML scheme, for the photo ops and chance to show they were investing in the East Midlands and South Yorkshire etc. I wonder if the early election meant that they weren't ready for announcement...

 

[WAO]

Until there is a NG offer with price and completion date for the Grid Supply Point from the Ratcliffe sub station, no Govt/NR approval can take place, as there is no firm completion date and therefore proposed installation program. It's always possible that a PFC solution may now be adopted.

Patience

WAO

 

[snowball]

Until there is a NG offer with price and completion date for the Grid Supply Point from the Ratcliffe sub station, no Govt/NR approval can take place, as there is no firm completion date and therefore proposed installation program.

Have NG [National Grid] been asked for a quote?

It's always possible that a PFC solution may now be adopted.

What's PFC? Private finance something? Or something Frequency Converter?

 

[John R]

Until there is a NG offer with price and completion date for the Grid Supply Point from the Ratcliffe sub station, no Govt/NR approval can take place, as there is no firm completion date and therefore proposed installation program. It's always possible that a PFC solution may now be adopted.

Patience

WAO

PFC?

 

[WAO]

My typo: should be SFC = static frequency converter, the latest way to obtain 25kV for traction.

I understand (from these columns) that enquiries have been made about the supply point. Can't quote the post number offhand.

WAO