East Coast franchise - ongoing discussion, merged topic

[whole diary]

[Western Enterprise]

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) quoted as saying:
"There's a massive backlog of maintenance on the overhead cabling, massive shortage of staff because of 20% cuts in the maintenance capacity. We've got ageing overhead cable stock at a time when there's not enough staff to do the routine maintenance."

Any truth in this?
Perhaps short cuts and cost cutting somewhere along the line.

[Electric train]

There seems to be major disruption on the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) at St Neots today 20th with the O/H down. All 4 lines blocked.

Lets hope the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) is more robustly wired!

All new electrification will be MIR (mechanically independently registered) ....... what does this mean??? Well all the electrification west of Stockley on the GWML will not use headspan, headspan construction is where the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") across multiple tracks is supported by wires across track between to masts.  MIR uses portals (like the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line)) or structures with cantilevers. The advantage is any detriment is constrained to a single line where as with headspan the rip down tends to damage the span wires, disadvantage MIR is more expensive to install because of the greater number of foundations.

Both of the recent rip downs have been headspan areas also in an area with low road over bridges (wire highs change)  and OLE overlaps (where one wire run joins another or at crossovers, also allows for electrical sectioning) all of these have risks when they are all in the same location.

RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) quoted as saying:
"There's a massive backlog of maintenance on the overhead cabling, massive shortage of staff because of 20% cuts in the maintenance capacity. We've got ageing overhead cable stock at a time when there's not enough staff to do the routine maintenance."

Any truth in this?
Perhaps short cuts and cost cutting somewhere along the line.

There is a shortage of OLE staff in the construction suppliers NR^» (Network Rail - home page) are working in partnership with contractors to set a training school.  Maintenance have difficult balancing act do they have lots of staff standing by to deal with incidents or just enough to do the day to day stuff. 

The biggest pressure is actually access time to carry out maintenance work, passengers want later running trains during the week and at weekends and don't like buses on Sundays.  Track workers need a possessions to do there work which takes time to set up because of the Rules involved (most of which are there for good reasons), OLE workers need the possession and an isolation. 

An isolation of High Voltage equipment involves applying earths at quite a number of places in an isolated section these can only be applied and removed by trained staff, then safety documents need to be issued before work starts and cancelled at the end.  Why such a complex process 25,000Volts just don't hurt if you touch it ..................... it fries you crispy

[Jason]

More unspecified overhead problems just south of St. Neots today:

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/saa28912dddd450182c628498acfacbd/details.html

I lost about 20 minutes heading into Kings X on an early service from Leeds which was diverted onto the relief line.

[IndustryInsider]

All new electrification will be MIR (mechanically independently registered) ....... what does this mean??? Well all the electrification west of Stockley on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) will not use headspan, headspan construction is where the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") across multiple tracks is supported by wires across track between to masts.  MIR uses portals (like the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line)) or structures with cantilevers. The advantage is any detriment is constrained to a single line where as with headspan the rip down tends to damage the span wires, disadvantage MIR is more expensive to install because of the greater number of foundations.

Another disadvantage is that the whole MIR thing looks more obtrusive that headspan wiring.  I wonder whether they will still end up using headspan for short sections at sensitive locations, i.e. Maidenhead Bridge, Bath Spa, to reduce the impact on the environment?

[Electric train]

All new electrification will be MIR (mechanically independently registered) ....... what does this mean??? Well all the electrification west of Stockley on the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) will not use headspan, headspan construction is where the OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") across multiple tracks is supported by wires across track between to masts.  MIR uses portals (like the WCML^▸ (West Coast Main Line)) or structures with cantilevers. The advantage is any detriment is constrained to a single line where as with headspan the rip down tends to damage the span wires, disadvantage MIR is more expensive to install because of the greater number of foundations.

Another disadvantage is that the whole MIR thing looks more obtrusive that headspan wiring.  I wonder whether they will still end up using headspan for short sections at sensitive locations, i.e. Maidenhead Bridge, Bath Spa, to reduce the impact on the environment?

I doubt it, certainly not on high speed sections

[IndustryInsider]

Yes, I suppose Maidenhead would be asking for trouble, but Bath Spa and its surrounding area are only good for 75mph maximum, so perhaps that would be OK?

[thetrout]

OHLE equipment is likely to send some Bath Residents up in arms... Look at Sydney Gardens for example. Although I completely agree with the reasoning behind the installation of the fencing. Not to mention there are several listed buildings on or about the route through Bath Spa.

AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) isn't the bridge across the one way roundabout type thing on the A36 immediately west of the station also a Listed Structure? See this for an explanation of what I mean: http://goo.gl/maps/g6jYH

[Electric train]

Actually I think you will find that headspans will be more intrusive than well design structures with cantilevers , headspans structures are much higher which results in the steel masts being a larger cross section, cantilevers mounted on a round mast (who know with GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) finial on top well if I was the project engineer they would have  ) will be far less intrusive.

[eightf48544]

Agree with Electric train that MIR is less intrusive than headspan. Have look at Warncliffe viaduct with it's short round posts. Presumably similar to those that will be used on Maidenhead
Bridge. Like the idea of the GW^▸ (Great Western) finial.

[paul7575]

Isn't electrification deemed to come under the railway's permitted development rights?  Modern Railways recently raised this point, that although the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) wired a few grade 1 structures and buildings successfully, the people of Bath might not be so forgiving.

That seems quite wrong to me - they should be told that it is happening, and that whatever precedents exist for the style of equipment used on a grade 1 building or structure will be repeated - and that's all.

Paul

[eightf48544]

The problem with Sidney Gardens is that the cutting the railway runs in. is the wrong height and the wires will be accessible above the wall. Because the railway would be heavily castigated if some innocent member of the public managed to make contact with the wire and electrocuted themselves.  Thus the need for fences on the wall.

Of course if the Bath Society were to accept responsibility for anyone electrocuting themelves then the fences wouldn't be needed.

[bobm]

Ah that clears up a mystery.  I had read that the fences were put up to stop trespassers on the railway - which I took to mean those intent on getting on the track whether for vandalism or suicide.  I therefore wondered why the same case had not been made for Dawlish seawall section.  However I hadn't appreciated the cutting and the level of the wires which makes the case for the fencing much clearer.

[Electric train]

Isn't electrification deemed to come under the railway's permitted development rights?  Modern Railways recently raised this point, that although the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) wired a few grade 1 structures and buildings successfully, the people of Bath might not be so forgiving.

That seems quite wrong to me - they should be told that it is happening, and that whatever precedents exist for the style of equipment used on a grade 1 building or structure will be repeated - and that's all.

Paul

At the time the ECML was electrified BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)) being a Nationalised Industry had quite a few Crown exemptions NR^» (Network Rail - home page) does not enjoy this status

There are many things NR can do under permitted development rights, it is however cautious in using them where they believe what they want to build / install would be contentious without first consulting with the Local Planning Authority it is done this way because there are time when planning permission is needed therefore NR doesn't want to upset the LPA also NR is bad publicity averse 

NR also consults with English Heritage etc. for the same reasons it consults with the LPA.

[JayMac]

Ms Holt has moved on again. She is now working as UK^▸ (United Kingdom) Franchise Director at RATP Dev.

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/elaine-holt/1b/3a0/642

Looks like another French company may be attempting to enter the UK rail market....

...and I wonder what this means for National Express? Will they be re-bidding for Greater Western in a couple of years time?

[TonyK]

Looks like another French company may be attempting to enter the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail market....

Ici d^, comme vous pouvez le voir dans ce page