Great Western Main Line electrification - ongoing discussion

[whole diary]

[Electric train]

  Curiously enough, someone was talking about you, Rower, when one Ursus maritimus stopped us all near a railway bridge somewhere in the Greater West Midlands Conurbation.


As for Pilning, it's ironic that a place with two trains a weeks gets an electrification event, but it's just the sort of place that would have a Mafeking Hall. Goes with the Indian Orthodox Church! In a way...

Maybe the piles at Piling will by Boers  unless of course Mafeking get relived    Mafeking did have an earlier version of the "orange army" - From his headquarters, the British commander directed Major Alick Godley and B Squadron (Protectorate Regiment) to smother the attack and dispatched D Squadron, some armed railway employees and others to help.  Which given the hostility of some of the modern day "customers" many railwayman wishes they still were armed

[Chris from Nailsea]

Tasers for train managers - now there's an idea! 

[JayMac]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUC9FZ2GEfc

[Jason]

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/green-park-station-letter-demands-10595790

Reading councillor Tony Page wants Network Rail and the secretary of state for transport to confirm that trains will stop at Green Park Station when it opens.

Councillor Tony Page , lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport has written a letter to chairman of Network Rail Peter Hendy and transport secretary Patrick McGloughlin.

In November, the Hendy Report meant Network Rail announced that the installation of an electrified railway line will be pushed back until sometime between 2019 and 2024 .

Without the electrification, trains may not be able to stop at the station when it opens in 2018 because of timetabling conflicts with other stations on the line.

However, Network Rail has stated that an additional diesel service could operate on the line.

Cllr Page was angered about the delay, as he has described the station as "a key piece of regional and local infrastructure."

The station would enable passengers to access Green Park business park and the Madejski Stadium as well as the planned Royal Elm Park development.

His letter to Peter Hendy reads: "We have invested substantial resource in developing the scheme to date and the local community and businesses are fully expecting the station to open in December 2018.

"The council, Thames Valley Berkshire LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about) and the Berkshire Local Transport Body have agreed the station remains a priority for investment through the Local Growth Fund and that we should continue to progress the scheme in line with the agreed programme.

"Therefore, as previously requested, could you please confirm that the Department for Transport and Network Rail will ensure that the necessary rolling stock resource is both made available and fully funded to allow the station to open in December 2018 with a diesel operation until electrification on the line."

The letter continues: "Reading Green Park Station is a key piece of regional and local infrastructure, which will achieve central government's objectives of promoting economic growth, delivering much needed housing provision, unlocking significant private sector investment and enabling access to the area by sustainable transport.

"I hope you and ministers would agree it is essential to deliver a solution that enables trains to serve the station from the first day it opens in December 2018."

[ChrisB]

Wasn't there a delay by the council in getting its funding together for their project? And now he's complaining about someone else's? he has a cheek....

[TaplowGreen]

Tasers for train managers - now there's an idea! 

Didn't you hear? Electrification has been delayed!!! 

[Cruithne3753]

Does this mean there'll be piling in Pilning?

(Will they be using Tubular steel in Oldfield Park?)

Moaybe you should ask Ponting of Ponting Punting... https://youtu.be/r56wlRsHric

[ellendune]

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/green-park-station-letter-demands-10595790

Reading councillor Tony Page wants Network Rail and the secretary of state for transport to confirm that trains will stop at Green Park Station when it opens.

Surely if trains don't call there it won't have opened. So no problem 

[ellendune]

Does anyone know what is planned for Steventon High Street Bridge.  The website has not been updated for over a year and if they haven't made a decision yet on what to do it will surely delay the project. 

[eightf48544]

The wires are up !

Over Christmas the O/H has been slung over the Up and Down Mains at around milepost 22.25 (between Burnham and Taplow) which is right by my house.

They were bright and shiny in the sun this morning when I was trimming the fast growing shrubs in the front garden.

Mileage corrected 22.5 is Taplow station wires stop short of station.

[BerkshireBugsy]

The wires are up !

Over Christmas the O/H has been slung over the Up and Down Mains at around milepost 22.5 (between Burnham and Taplow) which is right by my house.

They were bright and shiny in the sun this morning when I was trimming the fast growing shrubs in the front garden.

Thanks for the update. Given that there is probably no power flowing through the cables at the moment is there a potential risk for them being stolen and sold as scrap?

[broadgage]

The wires may have been energised for test purposes of course, though this does deter theft to an extent.

[eightf48544]

Further update just a caught road rail cherry picker finishing off Up Relief O/H by means of hitting the drop wire connections with a spanner! plus fixing return wire. They hope to be finished today testing tomorrow All four lines around 1400 yards!

[TaplowGreen]

The wires are up !

Over Christmas the O/H has been slung over the Up and Down Mains at around milepost 22.5 (between Burnham and Taplow) which is right by my house.

They were bright and shiny in the sun this morning when I was trimming the fast growing shrubs in the front garden.

Thanks for the update. Given that there is probably no power flowing through the cables at the moment is there a potential risk for them being stolen and sold as scrap?

That's a very good point!

[DidcotPunter]

Does anyone know what is planned for Steventon High Street Bridge.  The website has not been updated for over a year and if they haven't made a decision yet on what to do it will surely delay the project. 

I haven't heard anything officially but my understanding is that the bridge will not be replaced but the track will be lowered in the area beneath it. This will necessitate the closure of Stocks Lane crossing as there would be too great a change in contact wire height between under the High St bridge and the crossing in order to maintain a minimum safe clearance at the latter (i.e. presumably there is a need to avoid excessive pantograph bounce and associated arcing at 125mph). However I believe The Causeway crossing will remain open.

Whilst I would not consider the Steventon Parish Council website an authoritative source on the subject (and the page is undated), I have heard this from elsewhere:

http://www.steventon.info/Railway.html

I have no idea when this work is planned but when I hear more I will post about it.