Tyne & Wear Metro OLE Renewals

[59CosG95]

Tyne and Wear Metro to upgrade its overhead electrics as part of its transformation | Rail Technology Magazine

Nexus has awarded Furrer+Frey a contract to renew the metro network’s electrification equipment.

www.railtechnologymagazine.com

Furrer + Frey have been awarded a contract to renew the 1.5kV DC OLE on the Tyne & Wear Metro, further increasing the "Swissification" of light rail in the North East.

The article suggests that 100 single track km will be renewed over the next 5 years, replacing equipment dating from the 1980s (which rules the 2000s-era extension to South Hylton out). It probably also doesn't include the recently-redoubled section of the South Shields branch via Jarrow.

IMO they'll probably commence on the section between Tynemouth & Haymarket first, as that was the first section to open.

 

[DanBlanchflowe]

Yes I travelled on that opening section in 1980. The OLE must need replacing after nearly 45 years use.

 

[59CosG95]

Yes I travelled on that opening section in 1980. The OLE must need replacing after nearly 45 years use.

Absolutely - I think the only post-80s change I can think of is the slight realigment for Northumberland Park in the early 2000s.
Interestingly the new depots at Howdon and South Gosforth (the latter being rebuilt) all seem to be using mainline (i.e. OLEMI/Series 1/Series 2/UKMS etc) equipment for the masts and piles (along with the Metro Flow project from Pelaw to Jarrow); I can't remember if the 2000s era extensions in South Tyneside used similar masts.

 

[Paul_10]

Tyne and Wear Metro to upgrade its overhead electrics as part of its transformation | Rail Technology Magazine

Nexus has awarded Furrer+Frey a contract to renew the metro network’s electrification equipment.

www.railtechnologymagazine.com

Furrer + Frey have been awarded a contract to renew the 1.5kV DC OLE on the Tyne & Wear Metro, further increasing the "Swissification" of light rail in the North East.

The article suggests that 100 single track km will be renewed over the next 5 years, replacing equipment dating from the 1980s (which rules the 2000s-era extension to South Hylton out). It probably also doesn't include the recently-redoubled section of the South Shields branch via Jarrow.

IMO they'll probably commence on the section between Tynemouth & Haymarket first, as that was the first section to open.

Am I being nieve or something but I thought OHL has been replaced numerous times across the system over the past 10 to 15 years hence all the weekend and major line closure we have seen?

Or is this more the equipment you see on the linesides that are being replaced rather than the OHL itself?

 

[59CosG95]

Am I being nieve or something but I thought OHL has been replaced numerous times across the system over the past 10 to 15 years hence all the weekend and major line closure we have seen?

Or is this more the equipment you see on the linesides that are being replaced rather than the OHL itself?

The conductors and droppers are what was renewed recently, I believe - this work is replacing the actual masts.
Also, on the older sections of route, the overlaps between wire runs occur only at one structure rather than across two.

This is the current situation, based off of G. Keenor's "Overhead Line Electrification for Railways" (6th Edition):


And this is the overlap which I'm guessing will be introduced in the renewed areas:

This type of overlap has been installed in the 2000s era equipment towards Sunderland & South Hylton, along with (presumably) the new equipment in the Jarrow area.