Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Network SouthEast]

Will these be the electric units that end up working the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) routes from Paddington to Oxford and Newbury after a short stint on the Thameslink route.  And will that 'extended order' end up providing the trains that end up working the East-West Rail route after that has been electrified?

I reckon the extended order could just be for life on LTV. NR^» (Network Rail - home page) expect 12 car trains to be needed in the future to keep up with demand on LTV.

[Electric train]

Will these be the electric units that end up working the LTV^▸ (London [and] Thames Valley) routes from Paddington to Oxford and Newbury after a short stint on the Thameslink route.  And will that 'extended order' end up providing the trains that end up working the East-West Rail route after that has been electrified?

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/southern-selects-bombardier-to-supply-trains-for-thameslink-cascade.html

Don't think these will find their way on to the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) or EWrail, Southern need more trains as it is in part to lengthen services (daft things like 12 cars on the Epsom's     ) 

[IndustryInsider]

We'll see!  Southern won't exist from July 2015 by the time these trains arrive, and I'm a bit lost on what the effect of the expanded Thameslink network (and the new Siemens trains) will have on  existing services, and thus how much released stock will be available for other services, on Southern's current network.

[Red Squirrel]

More preparation:

B4040 closes at Luckington for rail electrification and waterpipe work

THE B4040 Luckington Road is due to be closed until August 5 while Network Rail works on the electrification of the main London to South Wales line.

Source: Wilts and Glos Standard

Given the short duration, I presume they will just be raising the parapet.

[Electric train]

We'll see!  Southern won't exist from July 2015 by the time these trains arrive, and I'm a bit lost on what the effect of the expanded Thameslink network (and the new Siemens trains) will have on  existing services, and thus how much released stock will be available for other services, on Southern's current network.

The whole Thameslink service is supposed to operate with the (mystical) class 700's   I say mystical because we are building stuff to some pretty generic information.

There is also an expansion of Southeastern's services and lengthening which will require units, even with Southern ceasing after July 15 doesn't remove to increase in the number of trains and the lengthening.   The Investment Projects part of NR^» (Network Rail - home page) is deep in Power Supply Enhancement works across all 3 dc routes in readiness for the Dec 2018 timetable change

[ChrisB]

Here's a NR^» (Network Rail - home page) blurb on the engineering train

http://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/News-Releases/Groundbreaking-factory-train-to-cut-years-off-Great-Western-electrification-1e0d.aspx

[ChrisB]

And a DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) press release that refers to what stock is being transferred to run under the wires...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/commuters-to-benefit-from-state-of-the-art-electric-trains

The 116 new carriages will initially be used on the Thameslink route allowing the release of existing rolling stock to newly electrified routes across the country.

and

Once the new Thameslink rolling stock has been delivered these 116 carriages will also transfer to operate on newly electrified rou^s elsewhere in England.

[Red Squirrel]

For a moment I thought they were referring to Class 116 units...

[paul7575]

The way the dates pan out, I think we're probably now looking at the displaced 319s mostly going to the northwest, because they need suburban EMUs^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit) before the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) needs them, and then the 'temporary extra' Thameslink Electrostar/377s coming to the GW - the latter are supposed to have been ordered with 110 mph capability.

I think any nominally spare 319s will still find a use somewhere in the wider Southern area of operations - anywhere four car units without gangways would be suitable, such as on the coastway between Brighton and Portsmouth/Southampton.

Paul

[John R]

They only need a handful though before 2016, which is when the majority of the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) requirement also becomes due. There are around 9 Class 317's lying idle IIRC^▸ ('if I recall/remember/read correctly'), and it wouldn't surprise me to see those brought into use for the new Liverpool electric services which will happen in Dec 14.

Though I agree that 110mph stock would be better utilised on the GW than in the North West where the capability to run above 100mph will be worthless.

[Lee]

From the Bath Chronicle:

Minister derails hopes of electrified rail line

A Government minister has given short shrift to a town^s plea to be included in the plans to electrify the railway line from London to the West, saying there is no ^business case^.

Civic leaders in Westbury had written to Transport Minister Simon Burns to call for the Reading to Westbury main line, which runs on through Somerset to Exeter, to be part of the project.

The line is being electrified to Bristol and South Wales, but is going only as far as Bedwyn station in east Wiltshire, not across to Westbury and Frome.

Mr Burns told them a feasibility report looked into extending to west Wiltshire and Somerset and decided it would not be cost-effective.

On a slightly brighter note, Duncan Hames (Chippenham MP^▸ (Member of Parliament, or Mile Post (a method of measuring the railway in miles and chains from a starting point - usually London), depending on context)) is currently meeting the Transport Secretary to ask him about the new rail services that electrification makes possible, and the associated potential for trains to stop at Corsham.

[anthony215]

I agreee a local service between Bristol and Chippenham/Swindon would be ideal especially it served new stations at Corsham and Royal Wotton Bassett.

Of course this assumes there is capacity on the GW^» (Great Western - used as an abbreviation for the area / lines under the Great Western franchise, as opposed to FGW which includes "First", the company operating them too. For tickets - about) between Wotton Basset Jct and Swindon although an emu would be easier to path

[DidcotPunter]

It looks like work has started in earnest on electrification work between Reading and Didcot. After a few tubular steel piles were installed earlier this year near Pangbourne, piling for the OHLE^▸ (Over-Head Line Equipment (electrification via catenary)) masts is under way.  Currently these have been installed intermittently east of Cholsey and near Goring alongside the the down main and between Pangbourne station and the A329 overbridge next to the up relief.  There may be more but it was a bit difficult to spot from a HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) 

There was activity at the electrification stockpile at Moreton Cutting, east of Didcot today with lorries being loaded with steel piling when I passed by twice today.

It looks like Amey are not waiting for the arrival of the High Output train before starting work on this section of the line.

[ChrisB]

The High Output train arrived recently, didn't it?

[paul7575]

The High Output train arrived recently, didn't it?

The NR^» (Network Rail - home page) PR^▸ (Public Relations) in July only really mentioned the work going on towards completion by Windhoffs in Germany. 
AIUI^▸ ('as I understand it') from discussion elsewhere it is planned to visit the NR test track at High Marnham, for testing and crew training. Will probably need all sorts of certification and passing trials given it is supposed to work alongside an open line...

In September Railway Gazette were reporting its completion:
http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/high-output-electrification-train-ready-to-roll.html 

I suspect it won't be seen 'in the wild' for a few months yet, in fact has Amey's contract to operate it actually started yet?

Paul