Scottish Electrification updates & discussion

[GRALISTAIR]

Keith Brown mentioned the 100stk figure in parliament as recently as March this year so I suspect it is still an aspiration if not an exact guarantee.

Certainly should be possible to do all those Glasgow lines and make a good start on Dunblane to Dundee in CP6.

With Shotts now due for completion in late 2018 it seems liky that we could get an announcement on electrification fairly soon so that structures and piling teams can move straight on to the new schemes.

The point is - it is a nice steady rolling program even if it is not quite as fast as some of use would like.

 

[QueensCurve]

The Herald reports some interesting comments by Phil Verster: Legislation 'minefield' led to Edinburgh-Glasgow rail project delays, MSPs told

Roger Ford does a detailed write-up on this in the new Modern Railways.

Suffice it to say that following the TSI to the letter has left the railway unable to follow the standards it has safely followed for 50y.

Not only now is the railway following the original french specification for electrical clearances but they are having to add an extra 50mm so we have gone from 200mm to 350mm and larger clearances to the wires from where passengers stand.

There is a photograph of Polmont in the article which graphically shows how absurd the new clearances are.

 

[clc]

Interesting report entitled "Commercial Assurance Review of the Rail Major Projects Portfolio" appended to this SPT report: http://www.spt.co.uk/documents/sp111116agenda8.pdf

The CP5 project costs have increased by the following amounts:

Aberdeen-Inverness: £160m
EGIP: £136m
Shotts: £80m
Stirling/Dunblane/Alloa: £55m

Highland Mainline has reduced by £52m

The total forecast cost of the Portfolio has increased by £379m, from £1.131bn to £1.510bn.

 

[snowball]

Highland Mainline has reduced by £52m

Scope reduction?

 

[47271]

Scope reduction?

More like not doing it at all as far as I can see.

 

[snowball]

More like not doing it at all as far as I can see.

That is scope reduction isn't it?

 

[oldman]

The saving is attributed to Abellio using HSTs thus reducing the 'infrastructure interventions' needed to Aviemore track doubling(?) and Pitlochry platform extension.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

EGIP OHLE question - any informed opinion about the use of stand off brackets to mount the drop tubes on the cantilevers - what's the advantage? Can the bits be pre assembled and mounted more quickly for example? (see photos)

 

[Carntyne]

Maybe allows a bit more clearance? Not too sure.

 

[swt_passenger]

I wonder if the double stand off brackets as shown are being used specifically where wire runs overlap, so it might be to do with the registration arms being spaced far enough apart (along the track) to deal with some issue or other?

 

[Northhighland]

The saving is attributed to Abellio using HSTs thus reducing the 'infrastructure interventions' needed to Aviemore track doubling(?) and Pitlochry platform extension.

Not sure what you mean by that, HST can already pass at Aviemore so what are they not doing for £52m?

 

[najaB]

Not sure what you mean by that, HST can already pass at Aviemore so what are they not doing for £52m?

I assumed it was doubling 'to' Aviemore - which I would guess would be somewhere between Aviemore and Carrbridge and/or Aviemore and Dalwhinnie rather than 'at' Aviemore.

With the improved performance of the HST GTI's there's no need for the additional loop(s) to make the timetable work.

 

[QueensCurve]

Has Greenhill Upper been remodelled?

 

[McRhu]

EGIP OHLE question - any informed opinion about the use of stand off brackets to mount the drop tubes on the cantilevers - what's the advantage? Can the bits be pre assembled and mounted more quickly for example? (see photos)

Just a guess but it might be to provide the register arm enough room for lift without encroaching on the other elements in areas of limited clearance, where the catenary and contact are close. An underslung registration tube might necessitate a shorter vertical section (where the arm is fixed into) which might allow the arm to clip the tube when lifted by a fast pan head. This is Furrer Frey equipment (as used on the GE and closely related to the GWML Series 1 ole) which is designed for higher tension than the Omnia Series 2 equipment with which this is interspersed. Might be that lift is seen as a potential problem without such measures?

 

[mcmad]

Has Greenhill Upper been remodelled?

Partially. The Up (to Edinburgh/Stirling) has been, the down not yet.

 

[QueensCurve]

Partially. The Up (to Edinburgh/Stirling) has been, the down not yet.

Presumably this will be completed before the wiring is finished.

 

[mcmad]

No, it'll be CP6 at the earliest and that's dependant on a business case adding up to secure the funding.

 

[92002]

No, it'll be CP6 at the earliest and that's dependant on a business case adding up to secure the funding.

According to the Network Rail rules of the route there is a 54hrs possession over Christmas to transfer the Greenhill signalling over to ESIECC. So would appear the alterations have been completed. Also includes the erecting of OHL and wires.

Stirling station similarly has a 54hrs possession both at Christmas and New Year for OHL and wires. So that presumably completes there.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Stirling station similarly has a 54hrs possession both at Christmas and New Year for OHL and wires. So that presumably completes there.

No chance - nowhere near.

 

[mcmad]

There might be possessions at Greenhill and Stirling but there's no trackworks taking place at either.

As I said, Greenhill phase 2 is CP6 subject to funding.

Stirling electrification is a long way off, there are no physical works for electrification yet, all focus (of that team) is on completing the E&G.

 

[92002]

There might be possessions at Greenhill and Stirling but there's no trackworks taking place at either.

As I said, Greenhill phase 2 is CP6 subject to funding.

Stirling electrification is a long way off, there are no physical works for electrification yet, all focus (of that team) is on completing the E&G.

Stirling works description is Wires, masts and aux in station area. Alloa branch mast installation. Doesn't sound like a focus on the E&G to me. The main line is near completion, Last time I checked physically.

Greenhill migration of signalling to Edinburgh IECE. Wiring and masts Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower. Doesn't sound very finishing off EGIP. Greenhill junction is one of a few junctions to yer get wired and any layout change will be at a later cost to the project.

 

[Mordac]

Stirling works description is Wires, masts and aux in station area. Alloa branch mast installation. Doesn't sound like a focus on the E&G to me. The main line is near completion, Last time I checked physically.

Greenhill migration of signalling to Edinburgh IECE. Wiring and masts Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower. Doesn't sound very finishing off EGIP. Greenhill junction is one of a few junctions to yer get wired and any layout change will be at a later cost to the project.

Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower was always meant to be ready at the same time as EGIP IIRC.

 

[92002]

Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower was always meant to be ready at the same time as EGIP IIRC.

Mostly all mast bases have been installed between Cumbernauld and Greenhill Lower for many months. Looking like they are now getting finished off at Christmas, since the E&G needs to be wheels free to migrate the Greenhill signalling to the IECC.

The next part of the plan will be to install from Greenhill Lower to be Polmont so that it can be used for freight to Grangemouth. The Queen Street to Falkirk Grahamston services which shortly goes on to Edinburgh as an all stations service in the next shake up of services and a diversion route to the E&G from Glasgow to Polmont.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Stirling works description is Wires, masts and aux in station area. Alloa branch mast installation. Doesn't sound like a focus on the E&G to me. The main line is near completion, Last time I checked physically.
Greenhill migration of signalling to Edinburgh IECE. Wiring and masts Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower. Doesn't sound very finishing off EGIP. Greenhill junction is one of a few junctions to yer get wired and any layout change will be at a later cost to the project.

You don't do all that lot in 54 hours.
Maybe enabling works and recontrolling signalling.

 

[snowball]

Press release

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.c...first-phase-demolition-on-station-road-bridge

Network Rail successfully completed the first part of the demolition of the bridge over the railway at Station Road, Shotts over the weekend.

Working continuously from 11pm on Saturday night until 6 am on Monday morning, the demolition team successfully removed the ‘modern’ concrete section of the bridge on the south (station) side of the structure.

Work involved cutting and removing steel and concrete sections and removing them from site before clearing and reinstating the railway in time for normal service to resume for Shotts commuters on Monday morning.

The work is part of the route clearance programme in preparation for electrification of the line by March 2019. Station Road bridge in Shotts is one of 17 structures that need to be ‘height cleared’ in order to safely run overhead electrification cables as part of the Scottish Government’s investment to upgrade the line.

 

[mcmad]

Stirling works description is Wires, masts and aux in station area. Alloa branch mast installation. Doesn't sound like a focus on the E&G to me. The main line is near completion, Last time I checked physically.

Greenhill migration of signalling to Edinburgh IECE. Wiring and masts Cumbernauld to Greenhill Lower. Doesn't sound very finishing off EGIP. Greenhill junction is one of a few junctions to yer get wired and any layout change will be at a later cost to the project.

Sorry, but you're living in cloud cookoo land here.

Stirling will be prep works (Ground investigations and the like) and the E&G/Greenhill is OLE adjustments and some track circuit works.

Can't see any references to greenhill SB relocating to Edinburgh or masts up at Stirling this Christmas.

 

[92002]

Sorry, but you're living in cloud cookoo land here.

Stirling will be prep works (Ground investigations and the like) and the E&G/Greenhill is OLE adjustments and some track circuit works.

Can't see any references to greenhill SB relocating to Edinburgh or masts up at Stirling this Christmas.

Guess you don't know where to find the details.

Will see what is achieved with Santa and his elf's over the holidays and see then who is in what land when it's all done and dusted.

Prep works have been ongoing in Stirling for at least a couple of years.

 

[Ginaro]

Just heard someone from Scotrail on Radio Scotland say the new 385s will be delivered in a week with driver training to begin in December. Does that mean trains will actually be running on the network?

 

[QueensCurve]

Just heard someone from Scotrail on Radio Scotland say the new 385s will be delivered in a week with driver training to begin in December. Does that mean trains will actually be running on the network?

I think driver training was supposed to start in time for them to start running in July.
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Has anyone got any up to date progress prictures?

 

[adrock1976]

Regarding Greenhill Junction, are there still plans to grade separate it, or have those plans been quietly shelved?