Decarbonising Scotland’s Railways

[snowball]

The refresh of the Decarbonisation Action Plan was ongoing and would be published ‘in due course’.

The fact that he's saying nothing more specific than that sounds a bit ominous. There have been ministerial promises that it will be published by the end of the year, an ever-narrowing window, and Modern Railways speculated that it will be on 19 Dec, Scottish Budget day.

 

[clc]

He also mentioned that Scotrail has quite an old fleet with an average age of 22 years. That must be one of the oldest fleets in the Uk, which is quite embarrassing for the Scottish government.

 

[takno]

He also mentioned that Scotrail has quite an old fleet with an average age of 22 years. That must be one of the oldest fleets in the Uk, which is quite embarrassing for the Scottish government.

That does include the extensively refurbished but 60-year old HSTs. From a customer experience standpoint they're basically new trains, but they drag the average down pretty drastically.

From a decarbonisation point of view of course it presents an opportunity, since there's a lot of old diesels which clearly need replacing fairly soon

 

[Bald Rick]

That does include the extensively refurbished but 60-year old HSTs. From a customer experience standpoint they're basically new trains, but they drag the average down pretty drastically.

Yes they are old … but not 60!

40-47

 

[chuff chuff]

Yes they are old … but not 60!

40-47

Maybe by the time we finally get rid of them.

 

[Bald Rick]

Maybe by the time we finally get rid of them.

Well that may be true. The Scottish Government is doing a very good job at keeping a lid on its “fiscal turbulence”

 

[SC318250]

With 2024 just around the corner. No announcement has been made on fleet replacement of Class 318/320.
I think it could be at least 2028 before replacement could be due, or will the Class 318/320 be expected to soldier on longer?

 

[clc]

I’ve just been reading a fairly depressing report on the Scottish Government’s budget situation written by economists at the University of Strathclyde. The SG faces a £1.5bn shortfall in funding for next year of which £700m is on capital investment. So we can expect big cuts to be announced at the budget on 19 December. Presumably the decarbonisation programme will be pushed back further.

 

[snowball]

I've just discovered that the Scottish Government's annual Major Capital Projects Progress Update, dated December 2023, was published on 29 Jan:

Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: major capital projects progress update - December 2023

Scottish Government information relating to projects with a capital value of £5 million or more which are at the outline business case (or equivalent) approved stage or beyond.

www.gov.scot

Transport is on the second page. It has this to say on future electrification schemes.

Project: Borders Railway Decarbonisation

...

Progress at December 2023 : A refresh of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is underway. The outcome of this will allow for the project to be replanned. Timescales for this project will be determined by the wider programme and the rolling stock procurement exercise.

A contract to provide a new Feeder Station at Tweedbank has been placed with National Grid PLC, with the Feeder Station planned to enter service in September 2026. This will be used to provide power to the planned railway electrification at the south end of the Borders Line. The anticipated final cost of these works is £14.4 million. A contract has also been placed with National Grid PLC for a new Feeder Station at Portobello. This is due to enter service in December 2025. The primary purpose of this Feeder Station to provide additional power and network resilience in the Edinburgh area. In addition, it will support the planned decarbonised Borders Line rail services. The anticipated cost of these works is £32.4 million.

Project: Fife Decarbonisation

...

Progress at December 2023: A refresh of the Rail Services Decarbonisation Action Plan is underway. The outcome of this will allow for the project to be re-planned. Timescales for this project will be determined by the wider programme and the rolling stock procurement exercise.

A contract to provide a new Feeder Station at Thornton has been placed with National Grid PLC. With the Feeder Station planned to enter service in September 2026. This will be used to provide power to the planned railway electrification in Fife. The anticipated final cost of these works is £29.4 million.

The above quotes include the most recent expectations for completion dates for three of the feeder stations contracted in 2022:

Portobello December 2025
Tweedbank September 2026
Thornton September 2026

 

[Starmill]

I've just discovered that the Scottish Government's annual Major Capital Projects Progress Update, dated December 2023, was published on 29 Jan:

Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-22 to 2025-26: major capital projects progress update - December 2023

Scottish Government information relating to projects with a capital value of £5 million or more which are at the outline business case (or equivalent) approved stage or beyond.

www.gov.scot

Transport is on the second page. It has this to say on future electrification schemes.





The above quotes include the most recent expectations for completion dates for three of the feeder stations contracted in 2022:

Portobello December 2025
Tweedbank September 2026
Thornton September 2026

I didn't even realise those had been contracted firmly. The timings are pretty good given the nature of the work.

 

[snowball]

I didn't even realise those had been contracted firmly. The timings are pretty good given the nature of the work.

Wasn't the contract awarded in 2022 as announced in the press release in post #38 above?

Since then I have wittered on about the six new feeder stations in numerous posts in several threads.

The 2022 update to the Enhancements Delivery Plan for Scotland gave the following "aspirational" commissioning dates:

Elderslie [now called Ferguslie] March 2023
Currie Aug 2023
Newton Nov 2023
Tweedbank Jun 2024
Portobello Nov 2024
Thornton Nov 2024

I've heard nothing of Newton since then. I found a picture showing work at Currie in #207 above.

There doesn't appear to have been a more recent update to the Enhancements Delivery Plan, unlike the one for England and Wales.

 

[Starmill]

Wasn't the contract awarded in 2022 as announced in the press release in post #38 above?

Since then I have wittered on about the six new feeder stations in numerous posts in several threads.

The 2022 update to the Enhancements Delivery Plan for Scotland gave the following "aspirational" commissioning dates:

Elderslie [now called Ferguslie] March 2023
Currie Aug 2023
Newton Nov 2023
Tweedbank Jun 2024
Portobello Nov 2024
Thornton Nov 2024

I've heard nothing of Newton since then. I found a picture showing work at Currie in #207 above.

There doesn't appear to have been a more recent update to the Enhancements Delivery Plan, unlike the one for England and Wales.

No, I just misunderstood it. I thought Borders and Fife were still "in development".

 

[snowball]

No, I just misunderstood it. I thought Borders and Fife were still "in development".

I don't know whether those electrification schemes still count as in development, but I suppose there can be a committed, contracted feeder station as part of an in development electrification scheme.

 

[Starmill]

I don't know whether those electrification schemes still count as in development, but I suppose there can be a committed, contracted feeder station as part of an in development electrification scheme.

I suppose so yes.

 

[snowball]

Many of the posts on the previous page (between #216 and #238) speculate on the sites for a proposal to reduce the number of signalling centres in Scotland to 8.

In the April issue of Modern Railways, pp. 72-73 are about signalling in Scotland (mostly about the training centre at Newtongrange). It says

... last year, the intention was to have eight of these mini-ROCs: Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, the West of Scotland signalling centre in Glasgow, and Banavie.

...

Since then, the plans have been adapted slightly - Fort William (which controls the small area around the town's station not under RETB control) may be retained, as may Fouldubs, while Paisley and Yoker, which were destined to transfer to WoSSC, are likely to be retained for the foreseeable future.

 

[MadMac]

Many of the posts on the previous page (between #216 and #238) speculate on the sites for a proposal to reduce the number of signalling centres in Scotland to 8.

In the April issue of Modern Railways, pp. 72-73 are about signalling in Scotland (mostly about the training centre at Newtongrange). It says

Didn’t Paisley go to WSSC a while back?

 

[gingertom]

just wondering if, during the recent blockade to undertake track replacement at Moncrieff tunnel, the opportunity was taken to lower the track to gain electrification clearance?

 

[snowball]

just wondering if, during the recent blockade to undertake track replacement at Moncrieff tunnel, the opportunity was taken to lower the track to gain electrification clearance?

I wondered that too, but the question was not addressed in the press release, which went on about the plastic sleepers used:

Recycled plastic sleepers laid in historic Perthshire railway tunnel

A 175-year-old Perthshire railway tunnel has been given a new lease of life in a £6m project delivered by Network Rail.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

A 175-year-old Perthshire railway tunnel has been given a new lease of life in a £6m project delivered by Network Rail.

Trains travelling through Moncrieffe tunnel, south of Perth, will now be running on rails supported by recycled plastic sleepers.

More than 3,690 new plastic sleepers were laid during engineering work to renew the track which was successfully completed on Tuesday, February 27, following three short closures of the line during February.

It’s the first time that composite sleepers – which lay on top of the ballast, hold up the rails and keep them the correct distance apart – have been used at such volume anywhere on Scotland’s Railway.

Trains couldn’t run while work took place but have now returned following the £6m investment in the project, which will keep the railway reliable for years to come.

During the work, 10,860 tonnes of ballast, around 6000m of new rails, and 448 concrete sleepers were also laid on both lines.

At over 1000m long, Moncrieffe tunnel - which first opened in May 1848 - is the fifth longest and one of the oldest railway tunnels in Scotland.

Craig Barclay, operations director, said: “The work we’ve completed at Moncrieffe tunnel will keep the railway, and train services, as reliable as possible now and in the future.

“While the tunnel has had a long and very significant history, we’ve used innovative and modern technology that’ll keep trains moving on what is a vital route on Scotland’s Railway.

“We thank passengers for their patience while we carried out the work.”

The recycled composite sleepers will help Network Rail in its aim to achieve a net zero carbon target by 2035.

The sleepers also offer a significant life cycle of 50 years and when they are eventually replaced, they can be re-used, re-purposed or recycled to make new sleepers or other composite products.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I wondered that too, but the question was not addressed in the press release, which went on about the plastic sleepers used:

Recycled plastic sleepers laid in historic Perthshire railway tunnel

A 175-year-old Perthshire railway tunnel has been given a new lease of life in a £6m project delivered by Network Rail.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Umm doubt if they would want them on reduced depth ballast unless its been trialled somewhere already

 

[Railsigns]

Didn’t Paisley go to WSSC a while back?

Yes, at the end of 2011.

I recently saw a box full of tiles from Paisley's NX panel at Bo'ness.

 

[Nottingham59]

I wondered that too, but the question was not addressed in the press release, which went on about the plastic sleepers used:

I always understood that one of the advantages of composite sleepers is their lower profile, which would help get clearances for electrification. (But i may be completely wrong about this.)

EDIT. I may have been thinking about slab track.

 

[mcmad]

just wondering if, during the recent blockade to undertake track replacement at Moncrieff tunnel, the opportunity was taken to lower the track to gain electrification clearance?

Yes, as long as no one changes the rules again.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

I always understood that one of the advantages of composite sleepers is their lower profile, which would help get clearances for electrification. (But i may be completely wrong about this.)

EDIT. I may have been thinking about slab track.

They are a suitable replacement for wood which would often be used in tunnels when you reduce the ballast depth to the base of the tunnel especially if its brick to avoid too much force being transferred from a hard concrete sleeper to tunnel base.

 

[MadMac]

Yes, at the end of 2011.

I recently saw a box full of tiles from Paisley's NX panel at Bo'ness.

Wasn't Inverness the same style? If it still exists

 

[Railsigns]

Wasn't Inverness the same style? If it still exists

It appears to be the same style, yes. It still exists, but is being replaced by a VDU workstation.