Great Western Electrification Progress

[alxndr]

....and also now some pics from Bedwyn of Claire Perry (local MP) having a look at the completed turnback extension.

Unfortunately the pics don't really show the extent of the extension, or what's been done to the foot crossing, but assume it's as per the plan shared earlier in the week.

From memory the bufferstop was previously roughly level with the locs on the downside, which gives a bit of a rough idea of how far it has been extended.

Link to aforementioned tweets: https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1035460431534583808?s=09

 

[59CosG95]

I can also report that TTCs (and a portal) appear to now be up between Hayes & Harlington and Southall; these look to be replacing headspans around that stretch.
These tend to be concentrated

• between H&H and the A312 bridge
• around Southall West Jct (western end of the Brentford sidings)
• just west of Southall Station itself.

I'm sure these will allow the OLE to be strengthened on this crucial stretch of line, ready for higher operating speeds when the IET timetable comes into play.

 

[JN114]

I can also report that TTCs (and a portal) appear to now be up between Hayes & Harlington and Southall; these look to be replacing headspans around that stretch.
These tend to be concentrated

• between H&H and the A312 bridge
• around Southall West Jct (western end of the Brentford sidings)
• just west of Southall Station itself.

I'm sure these will allow the OLE to be strengthened on this crucial stretch of line, ready for higher operating speeds when the IET timetable comes into play.

Linespeed is already 125 there on the mains, that won’t change; or need to change; for full IET operation.

 

[59CosG95]

Linespeed is already 125 there on the mains, that won’t change; or need to change; for full IET operation.

But it might do if they go for ETCS L2 and 140mph operation...
Besides, headspans are far more problematic in the event of a dewirement (as the ECML has shown time and time again)

 

[JN114]

But it might do if they go for ETCS L2 and 140mph operation...

While that’s a longer term ambition it’s not within the scope of any current works, and certainly won’t be:

ready for higher operating speeds when the IET timetable comes into play

 

[D1009]

NR are currently not prepared to extend the statement of compatibility for 800 series stock for electric passenger operation outside of the current Paddington to Didcot section due to potential signalling interference issues.

Talks between Hitachi/NR/DfT are ongoing and possible solutions for both routes are being discussed and trialled.

Frankly, it’s a bit of a mess and neither the DfT or Hitachi are reported to be amused.

Clarence Yard posted this in the Class 800 thread, but I think it is relevant here.

 

[jyte]

Wait so the axle counter interference issue still hasn't been solved? I'm guessing NR's decision means they're limited to Diesel for the time being even as new sections go electric....what a mess!

 

[59CosG95]

GWML Electrification: State of Play, as of 3/9/18.
All mileages given from Paddington, except where noted.
Paddington to Wootton Bassett Jct - LIVE

• All main line tracks wired as far as Wootton Bassett Jct, and are to be considered "live" as such. Wires towards Bristol Parkway continue past Westerleigh Jct (107m 14ch) to the Winterbourne area; details are given below.
• TTCs have replaced/been replacing headspans at various locations within London - locations include Westway (beneath the A40), Acton Main Line, Ealign Broadway, and between Southall & H&H.
• Everything wired at Reading (bar P4-6 which were never in the plan). Includes the TCD & the curves, down to Reading West (see B&H section).
• West of Didcot Parkway, all lines are wired & live heading towards Swindon.
• Everything wired at Swindon; P1-4, and the Through Road. Switchgear at the Bristol end of P1-4 is now live.

Small Points

• ATF wires in operation from Maidenhead to Wootton Bassett; Kensal Green to Maidenhead currently only using return conductors but will be AT-ready in the near future. Some AT wires up along this stretch now; whether they are live remains to be seen.
  • In preparation for the Elizabeth Line running to Maidenhead, Hayes & Harlington to Maidenhead was closed off over the Early May Bank Holiday (5/5 to 7/5); this included renewals of S&C at West Drayton & Slough West Jct, alongside HOPS work at Langley. Paddington to H&H was also closed on May 6th, and encompassed final OLE works for Crossrail, alongside (presumably) ATF installation, finishing of Platform Extensions, lift shaft installation, passenger footbridge installation, and ticket hall foundation installation.
• Parapet Work ongoing at Southbury Lane Bridge, Ruscombe.
• Twyford platform extensions all completed.
• Parapet Work has yet to commence on Butts Hill Rd Bridge, Woodley.
• Few masts and cantilevers now up on the Didcot Avoiding Line, which finish at Appleford; Appleford LC being the limit of wires for the time being.
• Oxford Lines west of Didcot Pkwy wired as far as the loco fuelling sdg; Down Oxford as far as 53m31ch, Up Oxford as far as 53m42ch. Didcot avoiding lines have sprouted masts (4 portals, 2 TTCs), with a wire pair over the Down Didcot Avoider.
• A note on Steventon: Wires up under the High St Bridge (aka the "Brunel Bridge"); however, the bridge may well be demolished in CP6. It *MIGHT* need temporary parapet work to protect passers-by from stray currents; the discussion continues.
• Both Bourton & Uffington crossovers wired.
• Overruns through Swindon Jct (77m 36ch) onto the Golden Valley Line have also been wired.
• Another note on the OLE to Wootton Bassett - testing with IETs has now been pushed back to September, and entry of IETs in AC passenger service is unlikely before December.

The "Main Line"; Wootton Bassett Jct - Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge)
Until further notice, the 25kV transmission wires will run in a trough from Cocklebury Lane Bridge (just east of Chippenham) to Thingley Jct. Large steelwork is expected to remain in situ until wiring is authorised west of Thingley, but some specific items may be poached if required elsewhere (and duplicates aren't stored at RAF Wroughton). Details given in the "Postponements" section.

• All masts and earth wires are now up between Wootton Bassett Jct & Cocklebury Lane Overbridge with the majority of SPS fitted.
• On the Up Line, there is a mile of catenary wire only west of WB Jct, followed by 2 miles of no wires until just west of Dauntsey Lock, where Catenary & Contact wires then reappear and remain in situ until Cocklebury Lane.
• Over Sutton Ln Bridge, Kellaways (between Christian Malford & Langley Burrell), catenary & contact wires have been erected over both lines; these extend eastwards as far as the eye can see, and westwards to Langley Burrell over both lines.

Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - Thingley Jct

• No piles in Chippenham station, nor any masts affixed to the viaduct.
• All piles in and majority of masts (and cantilevers) up from the western end of the viaduct to Thingley Junction (where the feeder station will be). Most TTCs have booms from beyond the viaduct to Thingley East Junction. About 14 masts are up in the vicinity of Thingley Feeder Stn, 2 of which have TTC booms affixed. Another has an STC boom.
• Piles continue westwards to the next bridge.

Thingley Jct - Keynsham

• No wiring for the foreseeable future, but overbridges between Thingley Jct & Box Tunnel have all been rebuilt. Corsham Main Road Bridge needs its parapets raising. New aqueduct & footbridge at Corsham complete.
• Both Box & Middle Hill Tunnels have had track lowered.
• A new footbridge has been built at Ashley Box.
• Piles also in (and have been for over a year) at Ashley (beyond Box Tunnel) - these might well be trial piles.
• Bathampton Jct to beyond Sydney Gardens has had track lowered. A new signal gantry at Bathampton Jct was installed over Xmas 2017 but is not yet in use.
• Bath Spa platforms realigned & raised, with track also slewed.
• Track through Oldfield Park & Keynsham now lowered.
• A lot of piles are in along the embankment around Saltford and Keynsham in readiness for future wiring.

South Wales Main Line (Wootton Bassett Jct-Bristol Parkway-Severn Tunnel-Newport-Cardiff)

Wootton Bassett Jct - Bristol Parkway; apparently set to go live in September 2018.

• All catenary & contact wires up from Wootton Bassett Jct, past Westerleigh Jct (107m 14ch) to around the Winterbourne area; Chipping Sodbury Goods Loop is also fully wired. One ATF wire contines westwards over the junction for a short distance.
• From Westerleigh Jct to Bristol Parkway, all structures are up as far as approx. MP110, in Winterbourne Cutting.
  • On the curve towards Cheltenham Spa, all SPS is now up. The northbound track also appears to have a wire run from the Limit of Wiring to Westerleigh Jct.
• Earth Wire (on the Down side) now accompanies the SPS up on the STCs and TTCs to the west & east of "The Dramway" footbridge nr Ram Hill (Coalpit Heath); a pair of single masts which seem to be destined for a portal boom can be found just east of the bridge (https://flic.kr/p/23WGyV5).
• Huckford Viaduct has had bespoke mast fittings applied.
• The "Blue Viaduct" over the M4 just east of BPW now has SPS up on the masts along it.
• Winterbourne Viaduct now also has masts up along its length.
• BPW Platforms extensions complete.
  • TTCs up over all platforms as of 20/3, along with the Down Bristol Goods Loop (opposite P1).
  • Portal now up at the eastern end over all lines through the station. Nothing more up further east on the approach though.
  • A number of masts & booms are up on the line towards Filton Abbey Wood, between Stoke Gifford Jct No.1 (111m 79ch) and Filton Jct No.1 (113m 01ch); these end just short of Filton Jct 1 and will presumably act as an overrun until electrification continues into Temple Meads.
  • Section Isolator Masts now installed immediately before Stoke Gifford Jct No. 1, for the proposed neutral section just west of Bristol Parkway.
• Filton Bank bridge works (mileages all from Temple Meads):
  • Easton Rd Overbridge (1m 18ch) completely rebuilt.
  • Narroways Footbridge (2m 12ch) replaced.
  • Ashley Hill Footbridge (3m 11ch) replaced.
  • Bonnington Walk Overbridge (3m 62ch) - parapets raised.
  • Footbridge south of Filton Abbey Wood (4m 18ch) will need work if wiring is to occur.

Bristol Parkway - Pilning

• The Patchway/Severn Tunnel Blockade is now complete.
• 2 boomed masts are up at the Welsh end of Bristol Parkway, and a concrete foundation awaiting a mast can be seen next to them.https://flic.kr/p/245kEME A twin track portal has also appeared near there, and the station masts are now gaining SPS.
• Stoke Gifford IEP Depot all wired.
• Patchway Tunnels conductor rail installed.
• Masts, booms and SPS up through Patchway. No wires yet.
  • Cattybrook Brickworks Bridge closed as of 18/3/18.
• At Pilning, during the Summer Tunnels blockade, all portals and masts have now been erected, and wires have gone up.

Severn Tunnel - Newport

• Severn Tunnel Conductor rail in place. A number of masts on both sides of the line are now up at Caldicot, just before the Western tunnel mouth.
• All bridge rebuilding complete from Severn Tunnel Jct (149m 14ch) to Bishton Flyover (152m 30ch).
• Masts beginning to go up between Severn Tunnel Jct & Bishton Flyover, as of 3/4/18. These include:
  • At least 11 between Undy (Playing Fields Footbridge) and the M4 viaduct over the mains; one just east of the "white house" has a TTC boom. It can be assumed that its 8 comrades will be similarly adorned. Another mast over the Reliefs west of the "white house" has now gained a TTC boom with 1 SPS assembly; it has a twin over the Mains.
  • Two large uprights have gone up between Undy Playing Fields footbridge & "the ramp" bridge at Magor on opposite sides of the line; these may well take a portal boom.
  • Another 3 masts (two for a portal boom, one a TTC with boom up) have appeared east of "the ramp" bridge at Magor; these join the sole TTC on the Up side by the bridge.
  • The 3 TTCs west of "the ramp" bridge (2 on the Down, 1 on the Up) have gained SPS.
  • The signal gantry at Magor (west of the West End Footbridge) has been replaced by 4 signals on posts; this should mean its removal prior to electrification is imminent. A TTC with SPS is up over the Mains there too.
  • 1 mast is up to the west of Redwick Rd Bridge (by the Down Relief), and a mast due to bear a portal is up to the east of Whitewall Footbridge (by the Up Main). OTP is in place for a piling/masting operation by Redwick Rd compound.
  • Masts (with SPS fitted) up between Bishton Flyover (including over it) and Llanwern West Jct (156m 20ch). 5 masts are currently up on the curve down from the flyover at its eastern end.
  • Plenty single masts (with SPS fitted & folded) up along the Mains between the Flyover and Bishton LC.
• Plenty piles are in around the Bishton LC (153m 01ch) to Llanwern Works East Connection (153m 05ch) area; further west towards Llanwern Works West Connection/Llanwern West Junction (156m 03ch to 156m 20ch), masts are going up at the double. Portal structures/TTCs etc. are up just east of the utility bridge between the Llanwern Connections, and to the west. SPS has gone up too on lots of them; not easy to find exact numbers though.
• Some masts have sprouted near Lliswerry pond.
• 6-track portals, probably TGBUs (aka Thumpin' Great Big-Uns) going up aroung East Usk Yard (approx. MP157 1/2).
• Between the Maindee Jcts (157m 74ch to 158m 16ch), a cluster of piles is in beside the Down Relief; these are complemented by masted piles on the Main side (adjacent to the Up Main).
• Caerleon Rd Overbridge to be refurbished in 2 phases - 20/7 to 30/11, and then January ‘19 to March ‘19. Not sure what impact on wiring this will have.
• Some SPS has now gone up between Maindee West & Maindee East; between Maindee West Maindee North Jct (41m 03ch from the former Rotherwas Jct, just south of Hereford; the ELR for the southern part of the Marches Line), masts with TTCs on are also going up (as overruns) over the Marches Line; the termination mast & associated TTC are just north of signal "NT 1559".
• Fixings for masts have now been installed on the Usk Bridge.

Newport

• P1 Canopies all cut back; P2 & P3 canopies still in progress.
• Masts and portals now appearing at the western end of the station, some with SPS attached. More started to appear in mid-April; additionally, two at the Cardiff end & two through the P1 canopy on the weekend of April 28th/29th.
• 4-track portal now up over the southern 4 tracks, just east of the new station footbridge.
• Two six-track portals have now gone up over the western throat of the station, just short of a 4-track portal (uprights of) & a TTC (with SPS) adjacent to Clytha Park Rd.
• Old stn footbridge now removed; 4-track portal of the "TGBU" (Thumpin' Great Big 'Un) variety has been installed in its place.
• A new portal has gone up at the east end of Newport, with all the fixings for switchgear affixed at the top. Droptubes for registration arms are also on.

Newport - Cardiff

• Plenty masts up around Gaer Jct (159m 32ch) north of Cardiff Rd Bridge (the B4237):
  • one by the Down Relief;
  • two by the Up Main (one of which is a boomed TTC with SPS);
  • three by the Gaer Jct - Park Jct Chord.
• Around 6 piles are in adjacent to the Up Main between Gaer Jct and Ebbw Jct (160m 07ch); these will probably take masts for portal booms. One such boom appears to have gone in! Currently unknown if Alexandra Dock Jct Yard will be electrified.
• Lots of steelwork up immediately behind the signal gantry adjacent to the Up Main at Ebbw Jct; this includes a full portal boom and a TTC acting as an overrun mast on the Ebbw Vale branch.
• Over 100 masts from Ebbw Jct to Marshfield (163m 60ch). Booms & SPS starting to appear in the area too.
• Green Lane Bridge, nr Marshfield (164m 57ch) reopened to traffic after reconstruction. Masts (with SPS) up around here too.
• Lots of masts (with booms, SPS & ATF brackets) now up near Mardy Rd Bridge, Rumney.
• Two TTCs, one on each side of the tracks, have been erected by the bridge at Rhymney River Bridge Jct (167m 61ch).
• About 4 or 5 portals have been erected just west of Pengam Jct (168m 40ch); 5 masts are up on the Up side east of Rover Lane bridge, complemented by 2 on the Down side. Some of the portals now have booms, and bear SPS; one of these has all its registration arms up.
• A handful of masts are also up around Long Dyke Jct (169m 35ch); some have now gained TTC booms and SPS as well.
• Splott Rd Bridge upgrade work now complete.

Cardiff Central

• Re-signalling completed. Platform 0 now open. 3 masts now up over P0/1 with TTC booms.
• Piling underway at the extreme ends of P1/2 & P3/4 for future masts. One can assume portals will bridge the gap between P2 & P3, over the Through lines.
• Canopy cut-back work now underway on P2.
• Brackets appear to be in place on the coping stones on the Taff Viaduct (at the western end of the station).

Swansea IEP Depot

• New IEP Depot at Maliphant Sidings, Swansea now complete; all steelwork up but no wires.

GWML/SWML Blockades:

• 14/4 & 15/4 - Swindon; done.
• 26/5 to 28/5 - Swindon; done.
• 23/4 to 25/5 (exc. weekends): Complete; Swansea-Padd services are now leaving/arriving at Swansea as per their booked times again.
• 30/4 to 18/5 (exc. weekends): Complete; Cardiff-Pompey & Cardiff-Taunton services working as normal.
• 16/6 to 6/7: Bristol Parkway - Severn Tunnel Jct is now complete.
• 30/6 to 1/7: Bristol Parkway - Swindon; done.
• 6/7 to 3/12: Reduced capacity between Newport & Cardiff Central while electrification progresses; assume only 1 pair of lines open at a time.
• 15/9 to 6/10, and 13/10 to 14/10: Bristol Parkway blockaded to allow OLE to be installed within the station. RRBs in operation between Yate & Filton Abbey Wood, and between Swindon & Newport.
• 24/12/18 to 1/1/19: Bristol Parkway - Newport will be blockaded again for more OLE works.
• More Blockades will follow; details as they become available.

Berks & Hants Line (Reading-Newbury)
Reading-Newbury set to go live from December 2018; electric trains in service from January 2019.
Reading West - Southcote Junction - Theale

• All large steelwork is in.
• Within Reading West, piles for the new footbridge (under Murphy's remit) are in, but have been "decapitated" (i.e. shortened) and capped until a new footbridge solution is found.
• Both the Down Westbury & Up Westbury lines are fully wired through Reading West & Southcote Jct, but stop short of joining the existing wiring around Theale East crossovers.
• Both B'stoke lines and crossovers at Southcote Jct fully wired to the end of the overruns.
• Reading West Crossover and the plain line around Theale East Crossover needs wiring; the catenary wire on both lines over Theale East is now wired.
• Parapet work now complete on the A4 (Bath Rd) overbridge; Tilehurst Rd overbridge will require similar works.

Theale - Aldermaston - Midgham - Thatcham - Newbury Racecourse

• Wires over the main lines (DW/UW) from Reading West are now continuous to just east of Kennet Viaduct (nr Newbury Racecourse); approximately at MP 51 1/4.
• Theale Goods Loop is now fully wired, including over the pointwork at the Newbury end.
• Platform extension works nearly complete at Theale.
• The platform extensions at Aldermaston and Thatcham are structurally complete; finishing works (e.g. levelling, fencing etc.) are all that remains to be done.
• After the gap over Kennet Viaduct, all wires (Catenary, contact, Earth) over all lines (Mains, crossovers and the DPL) resume at about MP51 3/4. These continue through to Newbury (see below).

Newbury Racecourse (excl.) - Newbury Town - Limit of Wiring

• The electrical substation/PSU at Boundary Rd looks roughly 80% complete; the feeder wires from the Substation to the railway have been installed.
• Bay platform and all through lines (DM, DPL, UM, UPL) fully wired through Newbury station to the limit of wiring. Newbury West Crossovers also wired.
• At Newbury, the new footbridge is now open (not the lifts yet). The canopy has now been completely cut back, and all the facing boards are removed.
• Proposed Limit of Wiring: 53m 51ch. Gives Ample room to reverse a 12-car 387 formation.
  • Immunised signalling continues to about MP55 1/2. Bedwyn Turnback Siding now extended, to accommodate 5-car IETs.

B&H Blockades:

• 12/3 to 15/3; done.
• 23/4 to 26/4; done.
• 14/5 to 17/5; done.
• 2/6 to 10/6; done.
• 9/7 to 12/7; done.
• 16/7 to 5/8; done.
• 28/8 to 30/8; done.
• 8/10 to 11/10,
• 19/11 to 22/11; possibly cancelled.

Project Postponements

• Thames Valley Branches: Windsor & Henley deferred to CP6. Marlow removed from scope of current programme. The first few yards of each branch (bar the Henley Branch) have been wired as an overrun.
• Southcote Jct to Basingstoke has also been deferred to CP6.
• Appleford LC to Oxford paused; if CP6 accounts allow for wiring to be extended to Oxford, it would be very likely to happen now that Oxford has been remodelled.
• Catenary & Contact wires between Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Overbridge) & Thingley Jct have been deferred until (presumably) CP6; presumably this will wait until Bath-Bristol resignalling is complete. All Large steelwork to remain, unless required elsewhere.
• Bristol Temple Meads to Bath & Bristol Parkway paused, dependent on Bristol resignalling (Taunton-Parkway over Easter 2018; Temple Meads to Bath in October 2018), track remodelling and Filton Bank 4-tracking (to be completed by December 2018).
• Bristol Temple Meads' "Midland Shed" to be reopened in CP6, after Bristol resignalling is complete and the PSB is demolished.

As always, do let me know if I've missed anything!
(apologies to anyone who saw it in a state of source code chaos too).

 

[FGW_DID]

Wait so the axle counter interference issue still hasn't been solved? I'm guessing NR's decision means they're limited to Diesel for the time being even as new sections go electric....what a mess!

Is there an actual issue though? Between Paddington and Didcot, the issue was traced to an errant axle counter on the down main at Cholsey, which has since been rectified. Although I am aware similar problems have been encountered on the ECML as well

I note the word potential in the NR quote. Until NR have carried dynamic testing of the new OLE sections using the 800s they won’t know for sure if there is an issue.

 

[edwin_m]

On the ECML this issue relates to SSI trackside modules, according to Modern Railways, and the restricted zone largely aligns with the re-signalling that was done with fairly early type SSI equipment around 1990. Areas of the GWML re-signalled about the same time would be Paddington and a section between Didcot and Swindon, so possibly more recent work at Paddington has replaced/modified the problem equipment but the other section still has to be done.

 

[Telegram_Sam]

I can't see an update on this as yet so I will add that driving down Shire Way in Yate last night I could see that the catenary and contact wires are now all in place around the curve towards Cheltenham as far as the limit. Whether the other wires are in place I didn't notice.

 

[Mintona]

Wootton Bassett Junction to Westerleigh Junction to be energised on 1st October and to be treated as live from 0800 onwards.

 

[59CosG95]

Wootton Bassett Junction to Westerleigh Junction to be energised on 1st October and to be treated as live from 0800 onwards.

Big news indeed! Given the timings of the Bristol Parkway blockade, live wires extending to there can't be far off from there either.

 

[Thatcham Xing]

Still a bit of wiring to do on the down at Theale east (between the station and the M4 overbridge) from my observations this morning.

Thatcham platform extensions also complete bar some back-fencing where the new meets the old. Pretty much the same at Theale.

Another observation was lots of fresh-looking ballast in the Towney Loop - looks like it's been relaid during one of the recent blockades.

 

[Thatcham Xing]

Not strictly electrification I know, but related to the introduction of new trains....

Popped down to Bedwyn earlier to have a look at the extended turnback siding.

Looks like a neat job. The 165 you can see parked was a 2-car but shows the remaining space now available.

The siding is only about 10m longer, but it looks like about half of it was re-layed.

 

[swt_passenger]

Not strictly electrification I know, but related to the introduction of new trains....

Popped down to Bedwyn earlier to have a look at the extended turnback siding.

Noticeable how the siding curves away from the running line. Will they have done that by design to give better visibility for crossing users if there’s a train in the siding?

 

[59CosG95]

This is very interesting: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...tern/great-western-mainline/bath-ne-somerset/

The page on the GW Modernisation Programme seems to give away the fact that Bath WILL be wired in CP6; the relevant quote is in red.

We're modernising the Great Western route, increasing capacity for passengers and freight; creating more reliable services and better stations.
This is the biggest investment in the Great Western railway since Brunel built it more than 175 years ago. Modernising the route will improve the experience of everyone who uses it and stimulate economic growth in the South West and beyond.

This page explains the work we’re doing in Bath and North East Somerset and when it's due to take place. Electrification in the area has been deferred until the next control period (CP6), which runs from 2019 to 2024.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Well thank f--- for commonsense. Huge amount done already. Crazy if it were not electrified. You can have tasteful IHLE through Bath Gardens. It does not need to be built like a brick ****house capable of taking 20 million pantographs and 200 mph.

 

[hwl]

This is very interesting: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...tern/great-western-mainline/bath-ne-somerset/

The page on the GW Modernisation Programme seems to give away the fact that Bath WILL be wired in CP6; the relevant quote is in red.

Some of the text on that page seems to indicate it hasn't been updated in 14-16 months so beware

 

[59CosG95]

Some of the text on that page seems to indicate it hasn't been updated in 14-16 months so beware

That is certainly worth bearing in mind, but I'm feeling more hopeful, given that the CP6 announcements for contracts aren't expected to be far away.

 

[Phil G]

That page hasn't changed for months i'm afraid! It's still going on about the platform 2 extension which completed months ago. Not even a mention of the possible platform 1 extension.

 

[Phil G]

At one point those NR pages were really useful and were kept up to date - not much has changed on them for some time now - even when they do slip in a notice of some piling they don't update sections of the page that are months out of date - you'd think they'd have a clear up occasionally especially as there is a note at the end of the page saying these pages will be updated regularly!

 

[Lurpi]

This is very interesting: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...tern/great-western-mainline/bath-ne-somerset/

The page on the GW Modernisation Programme seems to give away the fact that Bath WILL be wired in CP6; the relevant quote is in red.

More convincingly, this is confirmed in the latest version of NR's Enhancements Delivery Plan (see here).

I can't quote the relevant bits in a meaningful way, as they're in a table, but you can see for yourself on page 80 that Thingley Junction to Bristol Temple Meads (via Bath Spa) is due to be electrified in CP6, as is Oxford and Filton Bank.

Of course, the projects, having been paused, could be cancelled, but that is speculation. The June 2018 EDP is fully updated (for example, it makes clear conversely that there are no plans to deliver Oxford-Bletchley wiring at this time).

 

[jimm]

More convincingly, this is confirmed in the latest version of NR's Enhancements Delivery Plan (see here).

I can't quote the relevant bits in a meaningful way, as they're in a table, but you can see for yourself on page 80 that Thingley Junction to Bristol Temple Meads (via Bath Spa) is due to be electrified in CP6, as is Oxford and Filton Bank.

Of course, the projects, having been paused, could be cancelled, but that is speculation. The June 2018 EDP is fully updated (for example, it makes clear conversely that there are no plans to deliver Oxford-Bletchley wiring at this time).

Sorry to rain on people's parade but those pages in the enhancements delivery plan have been saying CP6 for a long time now - it is there in the Match 2016 update that can be downloaded from the National Archives at the link below - and that update still gave target months in 2019 and 2020 for various stages of the work in the areas which had been deferred, which have since just become 'CP6'.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives....ery-plans/control-period-5/cp5-delivery-plan/

In essence, nothing has changed since the Hendy Report was published.

 

[snowball]

In essence, nothing has changed since the Hendy Report was published.

Those documents may or may not have changed since the Hendy Report (late 2015) but there was a negative development more recent than Hendy. In late 2016 it was announced that Oxford, Bristol via Bath, Bristol via Filton and the Thames branches were being deferred, with no statement about when they were deferred to:

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-update-rail-investment-in-the-great-western-route

 

[deltic08]

Those documents may or may not have changed since the Hendy Report (late 2015) but there was a negative development more recent than Hendy. In late 2016 it was announced that Oxford, Bristol via Bath, Bristol via Filton and the Thames branches were being deferred, with no statement about when they were deferred to:

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-update-rail-investment-in-the-great-western-route

Is this saved £165m identifiable and can it be proved it has been put back into the railways for the benefit of passengers?

 

[snowball]

Is this saved £165m identifiable and can it be proved it has been put back into the railways for the benefit of passengers?

I imagine the £165M and more had already been spent on the rest of the GWR electrification - or if it hadn't then, it has by now.

 

[jimm]

Those documents may or may not have changed since the Hendy Report (late 2015) but there was a negative development more recent than Hendy. In late 2016 it was announced that Oxford, Bristol via Bath, Bristol via Filton and the Thames branches were being deferred, with no statement about when they were deferred to:

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-update-rail-investment-in-the-great-western-route

Not the point I was making - posters above were suggesting that mentions of CP6 in various places were some new development. They're not. And Hendy had already done a pretty good job of deferring those areas into CP6 anyway, whatever was said in late 2016.

 

[ArchieWoodbine]

Big news indeed! Given the timings of the Bristol Parkway blockade, live wires extending to there can't be far off from there either.

From Westerleigh Jnc. to Filton Jnc., includinding Bristol Parkway, is planned to be energised at 10:00 on 13th of October. So, just under two weeks after the aformentioned section further East.

 

[59CosG95]

From Westerleigh Jnc. to Filton Jnc., includinding Bristol Parkway, is planned to be energised at 10:00 on 13th of October. So, just under two weeks after the aformentioned section further East.

Thanks for the info there Archie! Does the first energisation (i.e. WBJ to Westerleigh) include the Cheltenham Curve, or will that be included in the second energisation?

I'm sure it won't matter much, given the relatively short time between the two energisations.