Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[onthecushions]

The good news is that the first 319 ran from Liverpool to Newton le Willows yesterday, just 14 weeks late.

OTC

[paul7575]

Given the way the current NW project has changed in just two months the current physical state of the GW^▸ (Great Western) around Reading - Didcot doesn't actually make me worry a great deal.   

Once all the gantries are up, (after all the piling issues are sorted), the rest can follow fairly quickly,  assuming can be paid for...

Paul

[TaplowGreen]

Given the way the current NW project has changed in just two months the current physical state of the GW^▸ (Great Western) around Reading - Didcot doesn't actually make me worry a great deal.   

Once all the gantries are up, (after all the piling issues are sorted), the rest can follow fairly quickly,  assuming can be paid for...

Paul

........has anyone got a spare billion lying around?

[PhilWakely]

........has anyone got a spare billion lying around?

Very briefly, back in 2000, I was in possession of 1 Billion Turkish Lira

[IndustryInsider]

I don't know if the footbridge at Goring needed to be replaced for electrictrification purposes (as opposed to being knackered), but the temporary one they are installing is MUCH higher than the current one. However, it is taking them forever to finish assembling it - the one we had a couple of years ago when they refurbished the old bridge went up in half the time. It really seems to be going at a snails pace at times, despite starting off rather quickly.

The temporary one looks like all it's missing is the steps down to the island platforms, and it looks like the steps won't be put into position until the current bridge is partially demolished, so possibly that will happen overnight or over a weekend soon.   The temporary structures are all much higher than the ones they replace - presumably that makes things easier should there be a delay putting in the new structure as electrification works can progress under them.  Or it might be something as simple as it being a requirement for all temporary, as well as new permanent structures, to be OHLE compliant?

Either way, Goring footbridge is to be replaced as it's too low (though also a little knackered looking!), and we now know that disabled access will be provided in the form of new lifts.

[TonyK]

Very briefly, back in 2000, I was in possession of 1 Billion Turkish Lira

It was a sad day when they knocked six noughts off the money.

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) chap reported that delays to the western electrification will delay testing the IEO/Hitachi SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) trains. As they intended to be used on the East Coast line why can't they be tested there and if OK put into service for a year or so earlier than planned? Some of the East Coast HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) could then be passed back to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to relieve its overloading for a year so before the electrification is complete and the Hitachi trains can be used on the western as planned a year or so later

[Thatcham Crossing]

Updating what I said back in early Jan:

On my first trip into London today (THA-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)) since the Christmas break and noticed quite a few of those circular piles in evidence sticking out of the ground trackside between Reading and Theale, and also a few between Theale and Aldermaston. The work is spreading!

As of today, piles are now in evidence, albeit somewhat sporadically, as far along the line as just east of Midgham. So, there is progress, but there seem to be a lot of gaps between where the piles have been driven home (with wooden lid on top) and where there are none as yet.

There is also work ongoing at Thatcham Station on construction of a new footbridge, but the progress does seem quite slow to me.

[Electric train]

Let's have a go, as a layman in these matters.  It's a bit like one of those quizzes but without photos...

BT = Booster Transformer

RC = Return Conductor (a cable which parallels the rails, nominally at 0 Volts)

FS = Feeder Station

ITSC = Intermediate Track Sectioning Cabin  (divides the OHLE into switchable sections)

MPTSC  = Mid Point Track Sectioning Cabin

AT = Auto Transformer

ATF = Auto Transformer Feeder (a 25 kV cable which is anti phase to the catenary - hence 50 kV transmission) 

ATFS = Auto Transformer Feeder Section

MPATS^▸ (Mid Point Auto Transformer Site - electrification) = Mid Point Autotransformer Section

Paul

What Paul said   


I am disappointed but not surprised at the announcement that GWEP^▸ (Great Western Electrification Program) is a year behind, its been well known within the electrification fraternity there are issues, to many of the old n bold who were involved in BedPan, ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line), GN schemes GEWP seem painfully relearning the lessons of 3 decades ago. 

Someone seems to have snuck in some low bridges     

[Chris from Nailsea]

I blame that Isambard Kingdom Brunel bloke - such a woeful lack of foresight, on his part. 

And - purely as an aside, and probably going off on a fairly wide tangent: Network Rail's contractors have just done a fair bit of work on the cast-iron hundred-year-old footbridge at Nailsea & Backwell station, none of which seemed to involve raising it in any way.  Was that anything to do with electrification? 

[ChrisB]

The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) chap reported that delays to the western electrification will delay testing the IEO/Hitachi SET^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) trains. As they intended to be used on the East Coast line why can't they be tested there and if OK put into service for a year or so earlier than planned? Some of the East Coast HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) could then be passed back to FGW^▸ (First Great Western) to relieve its overloading for a year so before the electrification is complete and the Hitachi trains can be used on the western as planned a year or so later

If the project slips much further, I guess they may do exactly that...will testing on the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) still be needed before going live in service here though? But yes, there are sufficient new trains for both East Coast & GWR, so at the point the East Coast starts using theirs, this would release HSTs from that route.

I suspect the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) has long-term plans for these, but some might be able to be loaned to GWR until the project here is complete? A year isn't probably long enough to bother, seeing the East Coast's were entering service after GWR

[DidcotPunter]

The Hitachi SETs^▸ (Super Express Train (now IET)) destined for the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) need to be tested on it prior to entering service as they'll be fitted with the GW^▸ (Great Western) ATP^▸ (Automatic Train Protection) (which isn't installed anywhere else). Hence the focus on getting Didcot to Reading wired and energised as this is planned as the test site. This is supposed to be completed by August  but I would think that the end of the year is more likely. How this fits in the testing of the pre-series trains on the Old Dalby test track and the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) I am unsure.

[Rhydgaled]

But yes, there are sufficient new trains for both East Coast & GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), so at the point the East Coast starts using theirs, this would release HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) from that route.

I suspect the DfT^» (Department for Transport - about) has long-term plans for these, but some might be able to be loaned to GWR until the project here is complete? A year isn't probably long enough to bother, seeing the East Coast's were entering service after GWR

ScotRail will probably want to get its hands on whichever IC125s are released first, since the refurbishment they have planned before the trains enter service is MAJOR. As for DfT, they don't even have plans for the younger IC225 sets on the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) after IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.), so I very much doubt they have plans for IC125s. My opinion is that planning a new fleet without having plans for the existing assets is daft, but that's the DfT and the fragmented rail industy for you.

[BerkshireBugsy]

Updating what I said back in early Jan:

On my first trip into London today (THA-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)) since the Christmas break and noticed quite a few of those circular piles in evidence sticking out of the ground trackside between Reading and Theale, and also a few between Theale and Aldermaston. The work is spreading!

As of today, piles are now in evidence, albeit somewhat sporadically, as far along the line as just east of Midgham. So, there is progress, but there seem to be a lot of gaps between where the piles have been driven home (with wooden lid on top) and where there are none as yet.

There is also work ongoing at Thatcham Station on construction of a new footbridge, but the progress does seem quite slow to me.

Thatcham crossing I think you are being unfair about the footbridge replacement at Thatcham.

Only this morning I noticed a ladder had been put in the hole next to the existing waiting room and I'm sure the ladder wasn't there last week (although the hole was)

[JayMac]

ScotRail will probably want to get its hands on whichever IC125s are released first, since the refurbishment they have planned before the trains enter service is MAJOR. As for DfT^» (Department for Transport - about), they don't even have plans for the younger IC225 sets on the ECML^▸ (East Coast Main Line) after IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.), so I very much doubt they have plans for IC125s. My opinion is that planning a new fleet without having plans for the existing assets is daft, but that's the DfT and the fragmented rail industy for you.

It's not up to the DfT what they do with the existing assets. They'll say it's for the owners to decide extended or new leases.