MML Electrification: progress updates

[hwl]

Posted on Facebook in Bentley systems account.

‘The Midland Main Line (MML) is a major railway line in the UK that carries more than nine million passengers a year between London and Sheffield. This well-traveled stretch of rail is getting an electrifying upgrade.⚡

The Midland Main Line electrification (MMLE) program is a multidiscipline infrastructure project to increase capacity and provide a full overhead electrified route between London and Sheffield. Once completed it will be a significant step towards a cleaner energy mix for more sustainable travel in the UK.

SPL Powerlines UK, in partnership with Network Rail, was tasked with installing 447 single-track kilometers of overhead line equipment along the historic railway corridor.

SPL used Bentley software as the basis for its connected data environment, sending and receiving information from 20 design organizations working on the project. They also created an iTwin to improve the visibility of all design data further. The improved collaboration among stakeholders helped reduce site walkouts by 94%, ensuring safety while reducing carbon emissions and project costs.

Continued progress towards electrifying the MML helps support the UK’s net zero carbon emissions target and allows passengers to benefit from quieter, greener journeys.

#digitaltwins #energy #rail #transportation #engineering #infrastructure #sustainability’

Someone else can do the maths to determine the extent.

<back of envelope>

The key question is how much north of Bedford has already been included:
Bedford - Glendon Jn ~159stkm
Glendon Jn - Corby ~18stkm
Glendon Jn Wigston South ~70stkm

So potentially 244 stkm "recently installed" leaving at worst 201stkm, If just Glendon Jn - Wigston South included then 378stkm outstanding.


Wigston South - Trent South Jn will be at least 130 stkm
Trent South Jn - Chesterfield South Jn via Derby will be at least 105 stkm (excluding track inside Etches Park)
Trent South Jn - Nottingham will be at least 35 stkm (excluding track inside Eastcroft)
Chesterfield South Jn - Sheffield will be at least 66 stkm (suitably north of station excluding carriage sidings)
So a bare minimum of 336stkm extra new mainline electrification

447-336 = 111stkm. So if the recent Glendon Jn Wigston South ~70stkm is included that still leaves 41stkm for sidings...

An out of scope comparison: a bare minimum Erewash Valley for through freight would be ~80stkm.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

<back of envelope>

The key question is how much north of Bedford has already been included:
Bedford - Glendon Jn ~159stkm
Glendon Jn - Corby ~18stkm
Glendon Jn Wigston South ~70stkm

So potentially 244 stkm "recently installed" leaving at worst 201stkm, If just Glendon Jn - Wigston South included then 378stkm outstanding.

Wigston South - Trent South Jn will be at least 130 stkm
Trent South Jn - Chesterfield South Jn via Derby will be at least 105 stkm (excluding track inside Etches Park)
Trent South Jn - Nottingham will be at least 35 stkm (excluding track inside Eastcroft)
Chesterfield South Jn - Sheffield will be at least 66 stkm (suitably north of station excluding carriage sidings)
So a bare minimum of 336stkm extra new mainline electrification

447-336 = 111stkm. So if the recent Glendon Jn Wigston South ~70stkm is included that still leaves 41stkm for sidings...

An out of scope comparison: a bare minimum Erewash Valley for through freight would be ~80stkm.

Very useful summary indeed thank you.

 

[Edvid]

More closure dates for south-of-Bedford OLE upgrades have been added to the Network Rail page, some of which are already publicised:

* 7/8 December 2024 (north of Luton)
* 21-29 December 2024 (south of Luton)
* 16 February 2025 (north of Luton; RTT implies usual RotR* overnighter for now)
* 22/23 February 2025 (north of Luton)
* 1/2 March 2025 (south of Luton)

In addition, 8/9 & 15/16 March 2025 look like south-of-Luton closures on RTT so there may be a rather packed programme of OLE125 works in the latter stages of winter.

[ * Rules of the Route]

 

[GRALISTAIR]

More closure dates for south-of-Bedford OLE upgrades have been added to the Network Rail page, some of which are already publicised:

I know (or think!) that this is a different discipline than new OHLE, but I can see why with all this work that they are not in a hurry to progress north of Wigston just yet.

 

[londonmidland]

I found this debate, which was posted on Thursday the 21st of November. A response stated that full electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby is to be completed by the ‘early 2030s, subject to business case approvals and wider affordability considerations.’

Unless we have a continuous rolling electrification program for the MML, I find this very dubious. There are too many ‘pauses’ between electrification projects, which is no good for costs, skilled labour and keeping to expected time frames.

Neil O’Brien
(Harborough, Oadby and Wigston) (Con)
Share this specific contribution
3. What recent estimate she has made of when electrification of the midland main line will be complete.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
(Lilian Greenwood)
Share this specific contribution
The electrification of the remainder of the route to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby—the midland main line electrification programme—is in development, and currently it is planned to be completed by the early 2030s, subject to business case approvals and wider affordability considerations.

 

[Killingworth]

I found this debate, which was posted on Thursday the 21st of November. A response stated that full electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield via Derby is to be completed by the ‘early 2030s, subject to business case approvals and wider affordability considerations.’

Unless we have a continuous rolling electrification program for the MML, I find this very dubious. There are too many ‘pauses’ between electrification projects, which is no good for costs, skilled labour and keeping to expected time frames.

As I've been saying for many months, including face to to face to Huw Merriman, that means at some date after 2035 if we're lucky. He didn't disagree. He knew as well as anyone how the railway works, or doesn't. I may live to see it to Sheffield, but I'm having doubts. These Parliamentary statements mean nothing.

 

[apinnard]

Extra 7-8 minutes on the slow between Bedford and Wellingborough. Also it goes from 4 aspect to 3 aspect signalling on the fast at Wellingborough and that slows things down a fair bit if trains are close together.

Is there still that bridge on the slows near Bedford with the very tight speed restriction?

 

[baz962]

Yes 20 mph on the Up (southbound).
But the majority of the slows are 50 with some 75 between Bedford and Wellingborough. 110 , 115 and 125 on the fast.

 

[Mikey C]

A ridiculously elongated and stop start timetable, but the government will want to have some progress before the next election. A number of marginal seats in the East Midlands...

 

[GRALISTAIR]

A ridiculously elongated and stop start timetable, but the government will want to have some progress before the next election. A number of marginal seats in the East Midlands...

Correct. I guarantee there will be some progress northwards even if it is not what most of us on this forum would like ideally.

 

[Yindee8191]

Happened to walk over the Welford Road overbridge a little south of LEI today and there were a couple of wooden pegs in the ground by the tracks (see attached photo). Not sure whether it’s electrification-based. If they are pile locations they seem badly placed though, they seem to be in positions that would obstruct future four-tracking, which I’m fairly sure Network Rail is planning for.

 

[Edvid]

Happened to walk over the Welford Road overbridge a little south of LEI today and there were a couple of wooden pegs in the ground by the tracks (see attached photo). Not sure whether it’s electrification-based. If they are pile locations they seem badly placed though, they seem to be in positions that would obstruct future four-tracking, which I’m fairly sure Network Rail is planning for.

They are indeed markers for mast piles, and their placement in line with the existing layout corroborates posts #6722 & #7184.

Looking elsewhere, this picture on Flickr provides a comparison between the original single-track cantilevers and 125mph-compatible versions (both Mk3).

360105 Ampthill 1540 COR-STP 12-8-24

On 12 August 2024, 360105 passes Ampthill on the 1540 Corby - St Pancras.

www.flickr.com

On the Corby branch, another Class 810 changeover zone has been designated (extract from December 2024 NESA).

 

[Chris 76]

the government will want to have some progress before the next election. A number of marginal seats in the East Midlands...

Yes. I thought that with Louise Haigh being Transport Secretary and a Sheffield MP, the prospects were good for full electrification to Sheffield being at least underway by the next election. She's gone, but it must be done to Derby and Nottingham. There's great regional political interest and pressure for this, and you'd hope that Great British Railways would want their HQ city to be electrified.
The economic case for electrification should be boosted by the potential for replacement of diesel local and regional services with battery electric (BEMU) trains. Electrification at Leicester, Derby and Nottingham would provide BEMU terminal recharging for all East Midlands Regional routes, plus Northern's Leeds-Nottingham, and Cross-Country's Nottingham-Birmingham-Cardiff and Stansted-Leicester-Birmingham. Now that Chiltern is talking about partial electrification and BEMUs, Cross Country is the only remaining all-diesel operator to be silent (to my knowledge) on how it will and must electrify.

 

[swt_passenger]

Yes. I thought that with Louise Haigh being Transport Secretary and a Sheffield MP, the prospects were good for full electrification to Sheffield being at least underway by the next election. She's gone, but it must be done to Derby and Nottingham. There's great regional political interest and pressure for this, and you'd hope that Great British Railways would want their HQ city to be electrified.
The economic case for electrification should be boosted by the potential for replacement of diesel local and regional services with battery electric (BEMU) trains. Electrification at Leicester, Derby and Nottingham would provide BEMU terminal recharging for all East Midlands Regional routes, plus Northern's Leeds-Nottingham, and Cross-Country's Nottingham-Birmingham-Cardiff and Stansted-Leicester-Birmingham. Now that Chiltern is talking about partial electrification and BEMUs, Cross Country is the only remaining all-diesel operator to be silent (to my knowledge) on how it will and must electrify.

Is there any precedent for a Transport Secretary ever producing major rail benefits for their own constituency? I thought there were government rules in place to prevent such focussed decision making. For a start the treasury would never be a walkover.

 

[slowroad]

Correct. I guarantee there will be some progress northwards even if it is not what most of us on this forum would like ideally.

Will there be any discernible benefits for passengers? I live in South Wales and travel regularly to London. I think the only difference most passengers would notice in recent years is not having to lean out to open doors. (I am deliberately keeping away from the topic of seat bases.)

 

[Killingworth]

Is there any precedent for a Transport Secretary ever producing major rail benefits for their own constituency? I thought there were government rules in place to prevent such focussed decision making. For a start the treasury would never be a walkover.

In any event there will be many reasons produced to delay work from Derby into Sheffield. Not least is the cost and complexity of work to provide extra track capacity from Chesterfield through Dronfield and Bradway Tunnel then down the Sheaf Valley into Sheffield.

Reconfiguring at the south end of Sheffield knocks on to the north end. A cheap and simple electrification project that is not. Prevarication and delay inevitable I'm afraid. If it's fully electrified by 2035 I'll be very pleasantly surprised. Those bi-modes will be needed for longer than suggested when the procurement process began.

 

[slowroad]

In any event there will be many reasons produced to delay work from Derby into Sheffield. Not least is the cost and complexity of work to provide extra track capacity from Chesterfield through Dronfield and Bradway Tunnel then down the Sheaf Valley into Sheffield.

Reconfiguring at the south end of Sheffield knocks on to the north end. A cheap and simple electrification project that is not. Prevarication and delay inevitable I'm afraid. If it's fully electrified by 2035 I'll be very pleasantly surprised. Those bi-modes will be needed for longer than suggested when the procurement process began.

Surely you can just replace the generators with batteries and abandon the difficult bits.

 

[Killingworth]

Surely you can just replace the generators with batteries and abandon the difficult bits.

Quite possibly, but looking at Bristol and Swansea that hasn't been the solution there.

 

[AM9]

Quite possibly, but looking at Bristol and Swansea that hasn't been the solution there.

Because there weren't any BEMUs available and still aren't in terms of IC stock.

 

[slowroad]

Because there weren't any BEMUs available and still aren't in terms of IC stock.

But it’s pretty clear there soon will be, so it would be crazy to spend now on electrifying difficult bits.

 

[AM9]

But it’s pretty clear there soon will be, so it would be crazy to spend now on electrifying difficult bits.

But a lot less clear when a) decisions were being made about the main GWR electrification project and b) when there was budget to do something about it.

 

[Meerkat]

In any event there will be many reasons produced to delay work from Derby into Sheffield. Not least is the cost and complexity of work to provide extra track capacity from Chesterfield through Dronfield and Bradway Tunnel then down the Sheaf Valley into Sheffield.

Reconfiguring at the south end of Sheffield knocks on to the north end. A cheap and simple electrification project that is not. Prevarication and delay inevitable I'm afraid. If it's fully electrified by 2035 I'll be very pleasantly surprised. Those bi-modes will be needed for longer than suggested when the procurement process began.

Sheffield will have to be sorted at some point anyway won’t it?

 

[12LDA28C]

But it’s pretty clear there soon will be, so it would be crazy to spend now on electrifying difficult bits.

Is it? Which units are these?

 

[Nottingham59]

Sheffield will have to be sorted at some point anyway won’t it?

Maybe. Or bypassed: the orginal plan for HS2 to have a through station at Meadowhall would have solved the problem, but relegated Sheffield to a local node on the national network. For which two tracks to the south and two tracks to the north would have been quite adequate.

 

[Killingworth]

Maybe. Or bypassed: the orginal plan for HS2 to have a through station at Meadowhall would have solved the problem, but relegated Sheffield to a local node on the national network. For which two tracks to the south and two tracks to the north would have been quite adequate.

George Stephenson bypassed Sheffield when surveying for Derby to Leeds in the 1830s. The route down the Sheaf Valley followed 30 years later with Sheffield effectively on a branch line until the 187Os.

 

[Yindee8191]

They are indeed markers for mast piles, and their placement in line with the existing layout corroborates posts #6722 & #7184.

Looking elsewhere, this picture on Flickr provides a comparison between the original single-track cantilevers and 125mph-compatible versions (both Mk3).

360105 Ampthill 1540 COR-STP 12-8-24

On 12 August 2024, 360105 passes Ampthill on the 1540 Corby - St Pancras.

www.flickr.com

On the Corby branch, another Class 810 changeover zone has been designated (extract from December 2024 NESA).

View attachment 170274

Good to hear there’s progress in the works, but surely NR wouldn’t have designed a project which precluded four-tracking when that’s on the agenda for the next decade or so?

 

[Chris 76]

Is there any precedent for a Transport Secretary ever producing major rail benefits for their own constituency? I thought there were government rules in place to prevent such focussed decision making. For a start the treasury would never be a walkover.

All MPs lobby for constituency projects and try to keep them on government radar, especially during spending reviews and negotiations. That doesn't mean Louise Haigh would have secured full MML electrification to Sheffield, but her influence may have had some effect. Interesting that coverage of John Prescott's death mentioned Hull Trains as part of his legacy. Not all down to him, of course, but he helped local leaders and business interests get their case heard in Whitehall.

 

[themiller]

But it’s pretty clear there soon will be, so it would be crazy to spend now on electrifying difficult bits.

It’s all very well electrifying the easy bits (plain line) but, when the s*** hits the fan, trains will be held in stations where the batteries can run down if there are no wires. It’d be more responsible to electrify the stations and a few miles either side and leave the plain line for later given that the greatest current draw is accelerating away from a stop. However, having done that, the cost of completing the job would be marginal. On top of that, the overheads etc would have to be updated to accommodate normal traction AND fast charging. KISS!

 

[slowroad]

O

It’s all very well electrifying the easy bits (plain line) but, when the s*** hits the fan, trains will be held in stations where the batteries can run down if there are no wires. It’d be more responsible to electrify the stations and a few miles either side and leave the plain line for later given that the greatest current draw is accelerating away from a stop. However, having done that, the cost of completing the job would be marginal. On top of that, the overheads etc would have to be updated to accommodate normal traction AND fast charging. KISS

It’s all very well electrifying the easy bits (plain line) but, when the s*** hits the fan, trains will be held in stations where the batteries can run down if there are no wires. It’d be more responsible to electrify the stations and a few miles either side and leave the plain line for later given that the greatest current draw is accelerating away from a stop. However, having done that, the cost of completing the job would be marginal. On top of that, the overheads etc would have to be updated to accommodate normal traction AND fast charging. KISS!

Well, what I suggested is very similar to what TfW is doing on suburban lines. If it works, why would anyone do difficult bits again?

 

[Peter Sarf]

Anyone think full MML electrification will only happen when the class 810 Bi-Modes are coming up to the end of their life ?.
Optimistically the 810s would get moved on to another partially electrified route earlier thus hastening full electrification.
A bit like Cardiff to Swansea has not happened - yet.