And there's me thinking that I am just a tad cynical. However, I fear Killingworth's analysis may be absolutely spot on, given the integrity demonstrated by out elected representatives to date!
They say Sheffield was built on 7 hills but Sheffield Midland Station was built on an area of lower ground where the River Sheaf met the Porter Brook and flowed into the River Don. The OS 1:1056 map of 1853 shows Ponds and Ponds Dams. This was all reclaimed, part now the Pond Street bus station and the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre.
The Midland was intending to carry the quadrupling north from the station, with the new work at first on the west side. However, World War One came along, then Grouping, and this was never done. Whereas perhaps it's a good thing that the Bradford scheme was never completed, it's a shame Sheffield didn't get done in time. The way the approach from the south was handled at Sheffield was an excellent example of the way in which planning for good operation had developed towards the end of the C19 and start of the C20—well up to the standards of what was being done in other countries.
Platform 5 near the Station Manager Office
The benefit to EMR services of that is negligible south of Luton and not great enough to make it a priority between Luton and Bedford.
Presumably that is about the limit of savings south of Luton given the need maintain headways between EM & TL services?
It's a shame that there isn't one or two slow pinch points that could be improved enough to gain more time savings than making trains waste energy by accelerating for quite short sprints.
The tunnels are straight - so most likely the aero-dynamics due to their size (or lack of it!)
It'll most likely be adjustments, and not necessarily a complete rewire as such. I'll have a look at the SA for a ballpark figure when I'm near a laptop again.
There were some estimate quite few pages back when the (rather small) maximum time saving estimates were discussed.
Call me a cynic, but I’ve just got a sneaking suspicion that just before the start of COP26, Grant Shapps will rise to his feet in the House of Commons and say ‘Today I can announce to the House that this Government will commit to funding the electrification of the Midland main line through the heart of our vital East Midlands region to Nottingham, Derby and onwards to the city of Sheffield, thereby reducing the emissions and carbon footprint along this vital railway artery, as part of our levelling up agenda.’ Or something like that anyway! Overlooking that it has been cancelled three times already.
