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Roger B

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16 Jun 2018
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Gatley
Hi everyone,

I've updated my maps taking into consideration the latest Midlands Mainline topic update.

https://railmap.azurewebsites.net/Public/ElectrificationMap

Apologies for those that are colour blind. I've still not found a solution as I use dashed lines and others for things like tunnels, but I haven't forgotten about it.

Great work Legolash2o. And thanks for keeping us colour-vision challenged people in mind! Appreciate it's a challenge given use of dotted lines, etc used to signify other things, Might I suggest using a wider palette, including blues and yellows - so it's easier for us folks to distinguish. Thanks again
 

Legolash2o

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Joined
27 Sep 2018
Messages
601
Great work Legolash2o. And thanks for keeping us colour-vision challenged people in mind! Appreciate it's a challenge given use of dotted lines, etc used to signify other things, Might I suggest using a wider palette, including blues and yellows - so it's easier for us folks to distinguish. Thanks again
No problem and thanks for the suggestion.

I'll probably end up adding a menu at the top somewhere where people can change the colour palette depending on the colour they struggle with. I could also add an option for people to choose their own colours. I had found a tool that can remove colours from my screen; which will be very useful. I tried it on my maps and realised how difficult my maps are see.
 

Roger B

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16 Jun 2018
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Gatley
No problem and thanks for the suggestion.

I'll probably end up adding a menu at the top somewhere where people can change the colour palette depending on the colour they struggle with. I could also add an option for people to choose their own colours. I had found a tool that can remove colours from my screen; which will be very useful. I tried it on my maps and realised how difficult my maps are see.

Many thanks Legolash2o. Great work - really appreciate the effort on our behalf.
 

thelem

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17 Mar 2008
Messages
549
I prefer this map to similar ones I've seen in the past - it's just the right level of detail for me. I don't consider myself colour blind, but it is hard to tell the difference between the Proposed and Construction colours - maybe a yellower colour would work for one of them. Maybe a darker green for 3rd rail too, to make is more different from 4th rail.

The Island Line (Isle of Wight) is 3rd rail electrified.
 

Legolash2o

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27 Sep 2018
Messages
601
I prefer this map to similar ones I've seen in the past - it's just the right level of detail for me. I don't consider myself colour blind, but it is hard to tell the difference between the Proposed and Construction colours - maybe a yellower colour would work for one of them. Maybe a darker green for 3rd rail too, to make is more different from 4th rail.

The Island Line (Isle of Wight) is 3rd rail electrified.
Thanks. I've made some tweaks to the colours. You may have to press Ctrl+F5 on the map to force a refresh (proposed should be yellow).

Thanks for the Isle of Wight tip, I've added the data.
 

GRALISTAIR

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January - March 2021 Threads

Speculation - phasing out diesel if electrification is not rolled out quickly
Suggestions to phase out diesel-only rolling stock if electrification does not progress as quickly as planned | Page 1 | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

PARTIAL QUOTE The government has clearly stated that it wants to ban all diesel trains by 2040, but to do so would require hundreds more miles of overhead electrification to be built, and in the looming economic crisis I’m not sure that this would be feasible in a 20-year timeframe. The other issue is that new diesel-only rolling stock such as the Class 196 and 197 is still in the process of being rolled out, so will be nowhere near life expired by the time 2040 comes along.

Decarbonisation and electrification of Scotlands Railways
Decarbonisation of Scotland’s Railways | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

Semaphore Signals with 25 kV AC Electrification
Trivia: semaphore signals and 25kv ac overhead electrification. | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

Electrification system islands
Electrification system islands. | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

GEML Overhead questions
GEML overhead questions | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

Booster Transformers - Scotland OLE Work (Carstairs)
Booster Transformers - Scotland OLE Work | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)
 
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Surreyman

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29 Jan 2012
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950
Latest report from Scotland, confirms East Kilbride/Barrhead electrification and then goes on to outline plans for 'partial electrification' of Borders and Fife circle with 'BEMUS', report is 'light' on dates/funding etc so is more intention than hard commitment at this stage.
 

73128

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8 Dec 2019
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Reading
Useful map thank you. Depending on your definition of proposed, Henley was also planned alongside Basingstoke and Windsor branches. And Oxford to Leamington, Coventry and Nuneaton as part of electric spine, although that was more tenuous.

At Oxford the colouring seems to meander just onto the Cotswold line but I'm not sure that the GW electrification would have gone beyond the carriage sidings immediately north of the station.
 

Legolash2o

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27 Sep 2018
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601
I use the following as proposed:

"Proposed is a scheme that has been confirmed to go ahead but has not been officially cancelled. These include deferred schemes."

In regards to Oxford, I can't remember which source that determined where the electrification will stop.
 

73128

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8 Dec 2019
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417
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Reading
and the MML plans went all the way to Sheffield (via Derby), not terminating there (and at Nottingham).
 

Legolash2o

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27 Sep 2018
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and the MML plans went all the way to Sheffield (via Derby), not terminating there (and at Nottingham).

I thought the current plans was to go as far as Derby? I'm just uploading a new version that goes all the way to Sheffield as that is the ultimate aim, that keeps coming back.
 

Domh245

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I thought the current plans was to go as far as Derby? I'm just uploading a new version that goes all the way to Sheffield as that is the ultimate aim, that keeps coming back.

The current plan officially sees the wires ending at Kettering Jct for the mainline, but these are being extended to Market Harborough (although I'm still yet to see any actual official confirmation of this!). When announced in 2012, it was officially Bedford - Nottingham/Sheffield via Derby & Kettering - Corby, all as part of the electric spine scheme


35.The routes to be electrified as part of the Electric Spine are:  Southampton Port – Basingstoke (conversion from 750 dc);  Basingstoke – Reading;  Oxford – Leamington – Coventry;  Coventry – Nuneaton;  Oxford – Bletchley – Bedford (East West Rail core route);  Bedford – Nottingham and Derby, and Derby – Sheffield (Midland Main Line); and  Kettering – Corby
 

Wyrleybart

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Useful map thank you. Depending on your definition of proposed, Henley was also planned alongside Basingstoke and Windsor branches. And Oxford to Leamington, Coventry and Nuneaton as part of electric spine, although that was more tenuous.

At Oxford the colouring seems to meander just onto the Cotswold line but I'm not sure that the GW electrification would have gone beyond the carriage sidings immediately north of the station.

Pretty sure I have read fairly recently of an intention to wire from Wolvercot Jn towards Evesham, maybe to the first station, which in my atlas is Hanborough. Is there a new park and ride operation planned using 387s maybe ? Indeed, did I dream it ?
 

Roger B

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16 Jun 2018
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Gatley
Pretty sure I have read fairly recently of an intention to wire from Wolvercot Jn towards Evesham, maybe to the first station, which in my atlas is Hanborough. Is there a new park and ride operation planned using 387s maybe ? Indeed, did I dream it ?
Yes, I read something about it. But my impression was that the scheme's pretty aspirational at the moment - plans haven't been submitted for approval, and no funding has been earmarked. So i'd say it's a bit premature to include, until things progress further.
 

Wyrleybart

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Yes, I read something about it. But my impression was that the scheme's pretty aspirational at the moment - plans haven't been submitted for approval, and no funding has been earmarked. So i'd say it's a bit premature to include, until things progress further.
Agree Roger. Oxford is a massive massive problem with so many through trains (pass and freight) as well as the suburban services. The whole station needs rebuilding, resignalling and wiring but there isn't really much of an alternative available. If land wasn't an issue then building a temporary double track "avoider" to the west and maybe a temporary south bay whilst the station is demolished and rebuilt.

It strikes me that a number of the shunts in and out the carriage sidings to the north would be unnecessary if there were a couple of south end bay platforms for the terminators and starters.
 

jimm

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6 Apr 2012
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5,230
Useful map thank you. Depending on your definition of proposed, Henley was also planned alongside Basingstoke and Windsor branches. And Oxford to Leamington, Coventry and Nuneaton as part of electric spine, although that was more tenuous.

At Oxford the colouring seems to meander just onto the Cotswold line but I'm not sure that the GW electrification would have gone beyond the carriage sidings immediately north of the station.

Pretty sure I have read fairly recently of an intention to wire from Wolvercot Jn towards Evesham, maybe to the first station, which in my atlas is Hanborough. Is there a new park and ride operation planned using 387s maybe ? Indeed, did I dream it ?

Yes, I read something about it. But my impression was that the scheme's pretty aspirational at the moment - plans haven't been submitted for approval, and no funding has been earmarked. So i'd say it's a bit premature to include, until things progress further

Agree Roger. Oxford is a massive massive problem with so many through trains (pass and freight) as well as the suburban services. The whole station needs rebuilding, resignalling and wiring but there isn't really much of an alternative available. If land wasn't an issue then building a temporary double track "avoider" to the west and maybe a temporary south bay whilst the station is demolished and rebuilt.

It strikes me that a number of the shunts in and out the carriage sidings to the north would be unnecessary if there were a couple of south end bay platforms for the terminators and starters.
In the period when electrification to Oxford was still meant to be part of the main GW scheme, Network Rail produced a couple of maps showing the planned extent of wires at Oxford for public consultation events.

The first showed the 25kv finishing just north of Wolvercot junction (known since the recent resignalling as Wolvercote North junction) on the Banbury line.

The later version showed them stopping short of Wolvercote. Some sort of equipment for the power supply is meant to be located close to Oxford North junction (the Bicester line junction) so the wires would have to carry on at least as far as that whatever happened.

The proposals for electrification on to the Cotswold Line are just that at the moment, as part of aspirations to extend Thames Valley stopping services out there (and removing lots of shunt moves at Oxford station) to encourage more park-and-ride traffic from Hanborough and nearby communities into Oxford and beyond by offering a high-frequency service. No detailed design work for electrification has been done - unlike at Oxford - and there is no commitment to go ahead, nor funding in place at the moment.

At Oxford station, the track layout installed during the resignalling scheme was designed with a station rebuild in mind, allowing for two island platform either side of the existing quadruple track through the station and a north-facing bay on the city centre side which has the potential to become a fifth through platform.

I have attached a slide showing the first electrification plan for the Oxford area - but can't find the other one at the moment - and a small pdf indicating the intended future layout for the station.

The current intention seems to be to create a new platform 5 on the west side of the station first, then move on to the city centre side, including a new main station building and concourse

See https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-routes/western/oxfordshire/

Oxford Corridor Phase 2​

The rail infrastructure in the Oxford Station area is reaching full capacity and cannot accommodate any forecast in service enhancements as anticipated in the 2024 indicative train service specification.

Therefore, to increase capacity, Oxford Corridor Phase 2 is being developed, and subject to funding, will provide the following improvements:

  • A new platform will be achieved by building another platform face (Platform 5) and associated track to the west of Platform 4, creating an island platform. The platform will include new customer facilities including a café, toilets, waiting room and train staff facilities, with a new canopy the full length of the island platform.
  • A new entrance on the western side of the station with retail outlets and customer facilities in the new concourse area. Step-free access to Platforms 4 and 5 will be provided via a subway from the new western entrance to a new lift and stairs up to platform level. Platform 4/5 will also remain accessible to the rest of the station and the main (east) entrance concourse via the existing footbridge and lifts.
  • A new track bridge span over Botley Road to accommodate the track to the new Platform 5.

and

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18627651.new-plans-overhaul-oxford-train-station-will-drawn/

A NEW plan to overhaul Oxford's railway station will be drawn up.

Plans to redevelop the city's railway station, on the edge of Frideswide Square, have been in the pipeline for more than a decade, with the most recent efforts for a blueprint of how this might look coming to a head in 2017.

Now, a new 'Master Plan' will be written to replace the previous one, with the announcement that engineering consultancy firm Atkins has been brought on board to oversee the project.
 

Attachments

  • TVA_Ox_Schematic Future Work_Final (3).jpg
    TVA_Ox_Schematic Future Work_Final (3).jpg
    165.6 KB · Views: 33
  • oxford station layout.pdf
    71.8 KB · Views: 31
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Wyrleybart

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Thanks very much for those illustrations Jimm. Some clear improvement there but the big concern is that there is only really one Up platform for southbound trains to use, unless crossing over onto the Downside and complicating flows. If the Up platform has a train at it which cannot proceed for whatever reason, then trains start to stack up behind, from Worcester and the Cherwell valley.
 

jimm

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Thanks very much for those illustrations Jimm. Some clear improvement there but the big concern is that there is only really one Up platform for southbound trains to use, unless crossing over onto the Downside and complicating flows. If the Up platform has a train at it which cannot proceed for whatever reason, then trains start to stack up behind, from Worcester and the Cherwell valley.
I think anyone familiar with Oxford is well aware of the operational and other limitations of the current station - though platform 4 is now bi-directionally signalled, along with the rest of the Oxford area, thanks to the 2018 resignalling scheme, so things are a bit more flexible than in the past.

The expectation is that any full-on station rebuilding, with the existing main building removed, will see platform 2 become part of an island platform on the up side as well - noted as passive provision on that plan.

I have also dug out this other plan which shows the double-island idea sketched out, though the lines indicating tracks are a bit random on the up side. The key point of this plan was to illustrate how sites around the station could be used as part of the overall redevelopment project, not to give an accurate rendition of possible future track layouts, electrification options or anything else.
 

Attachments

  • OXSTM A4 plan.pdf
    1.2 MB · Views: 28

Legolash2o

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27 Sep 2018
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601
Thanks for the info everyone.

  • Oxford: I've changed where the electrification ends and won't remove it completely until there's some official document, article, letter type thing that says it's cancelled.
  • Scotland: I've also set Glasgow Central (Muirhouse Central & Larkfield Jns) to East Killbride to the 'Construction' phase.
 

Brystar35

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15 Jan 2013
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Miami Gardens, Florida, United States
Hello everyone I am sorry to interrupt all of you, I am a Foreigner here from the United States and I have to say I am very excited and happy that Network Rail and the UK Government is thinking forward for the Railways and High Speed Rail.

I hope this all gets build it would be exciting and very fun to travel on Railways that are powered by Electricity either Overhead or Third Rail, Hydrogen, and Battery powered.

The Future of the UK Railways will be very interesting indeed, I hope with the success of this gets other countries inspired like the USA which here we do need to develop alternative powered trains, because I think a Cleaner Railway would be much more sustainable for the natural environment as a whole.

In the USA I don't think there will be massive electrification (OHLE) but in certain major Corridors for the most part, but I do see Batteries, Bio Diesel, Batteries and Hydrogen as a possibility for super long Railway journeys.

I don't know if this was the right place to bring this up or no?
 

Mordac

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Birmingham
Thanks for the info everyone.

  • Oxford: I've changed where the electrification ends and won't remove it completely until there's some official document, article, letter type thing that says it's cancelled.
  • Scotland: I've also set Glasgow Central (Muirhouse Central & Larkfield Jns) to East Killbride to the 'Construction' phase.
Maybe add Church Fenton to the under construction phase too?
 

Legolash2o

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27 Sep 2018
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Hello everyone I am sorry to interrupt all of you, I am a Foreigner here from the United States and I have to say I am very excited and happy that Network Rail and the UK Government is thinking forward for the Railways and High Speed Rail.

I hope this all gets build it would be exciting and very fun to travel on Railways that are powered by Electricity either Overhead or Third Rail, Hydrogen, and Battery powered.

The Future of the UK Railways will be very interesting indeed, I hope with the success of this gets other countries inspired like the USA which here we do need to develop alternative powered trains, because I think a Cleaner Railway would be much more sustainable for the natural environment as a whole.

In the USA I don't think there will be massive electrification (OHLE) but in certain major Corridors for the most part, but I do see Batteries, Bio Diesel, Batteries and Hydrogen as a possibility for super long Railway journeys.

I don't know if this was the right place to bring this up or no?

Welcome!

Maybe add Church Fenton to the under construction phase too?
Has that officially started?

EDIT: It seems like it has, i'll tag it as under construction. Thanks!
 

GRALISTAIR

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Good to see some main stream press reporting on the issue of electrification after publication of the latest "Trains fit for the future" report

MPs call for rolling programme of rail electrification projects to cut carbon | Evening Standard

A 30-year rolling programme of rail electrification projects is vital for the industry to cut its carbon emissions, according to MPs
The Commons’ Transport Select Committee (TSC) called on the Government to take action “as soon as possible” to help the UK bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Transport Committee: To hit its own decarbonisation deadline, Government must set out clear strategy for rail network - Committees - UK Parliament

As a matter of priority, the Government should publish a long-term strategy that sets out its vision for electrification and for the use of battery and hydrogen technology that is underpinned by appropriate costings, a credible delivery plan and enabling targets and milestones.

As part of its strategy, the DfT should commit to a 30-year rolling programme of electrification projects. If the Government is to meet the legally binding target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and a former Minister’s pledge to remove all diesel trains from tracks by 2040, the current Government must take the first steps and start the electrification programme as soon as possible rather than waiting for the start of the next control period in 2024.

Network Rail and the industry should be subject to greater transparency and controls over cost to ensure the rolling programme delivers value for money. As electrification is the only immediate decarbonisation option for most of the network, the Department should publish the list of ‘no regret’ electrification schemes identified by Network Rail and confirm which will come first and when.

Uncertainty is a key obstacle to delivering a decarbonised railway. The Committee heard that delays to key transport strategies such as the Department’s Decarbonisation Plan, the Rail Reform White Paper and the Williams Review, combined with a mismatched target framework, have cost the sector valuable time for planning and investment.


This is the thread in the sub-forum UK Rail Discussion
House of Commons Transport Committee "Trains fit for the future?" Report | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)
 
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Wyrleybart

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That is presumably the very same TSC that accepted Grayling's pathetic excuses for cancelling a load of electrification projects a few years ago.
 

GRALISTAIR

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7,807
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Dalton GA USA & Preston Lancs
April - June 2021 Threads

Cost of Bimodes vs OHLE wiring
Cost of bi-modes v's wiring-up | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

OHL Electrification dates in Railway History and nostalgia section
British electrification OHL dates (mainly 25kV plus the most significant 1.5KV DC) | RailUK Forums (railforums.co.uk)

OHL isolations

3rd rail vs OHLE

OHLE Lifespan?
 
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