Leeds to Huddersfield electrification

[sevenhills]

Hi

The Government announced in November 2011 that this route will be electrified in the near future.
I help with 'Friends of Morley station' and we were told, by what looked like a Northern Rail employee boarding a train, that the station bridge across the line was being replaced because it was old and past its sell by date.
I emailed Northern over a week ago, and they haven’t got back to me yet. But it crossed my mind that the bridge might be placed due to electrification? Will Morley tunnel need any work?
It could also be the case that the Northern Rail employee was confusing the footbridge at the station, with the new footbridge further up the line towards Churwell that is being added due to an accident/death.

Thanks ...

 

[elarchibaldo]

Hi, the footbridge at Morley will have to be made higher, as to accomodate the wires. I presume the track in the tunnel will be lowered. The bridges that have clearance issues will all be raised. Hope this helps

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I help with 'Friends of Morley station' and we were told, by what looked like a Northern Rail employee boarding a train, that the station bridge across the line was being replaced because it was old and past its sell by date.

I understand from a family friend who lives in Heald Green, that also has a Northern Rail managed station, that the footbridge there was dismantled on account of concrete degradation. There is now no longer any station platform to platform access, with passengers having to leave the railway station and cross the road overbridge to do this. This station has had electrified services now for many years, being the penultimate station to that of Manchester Airport. There appears to be no plans for a replacement footbridge there.

 

[yorksrob]

I used to commute to Cottingley and the concrete on the footbridge there was severely degraded by the last two (but one) severe winters, hence why it's either been replaced or heavily repaired (can't remember which).

 

[bluenoxid]

Hi

The Government announced in November 2011 that this route will be electrified in the near future.
I help with 'Friends of Morley station' and we were told, by what looked like a Northern Rail employee boarding a train, that the station bridge across the line was being replaced because it was old and past its sell by date.
I emailed Northern over a week ago, and they haven’t got back to me yet. But it crossed my mind that the bridge might be placed due to electrification? Will Morley tunnel need any work?
It could also be the case that the Northern Rail employee was confusing the footbridge at the station, with the new footbridge further up the line towards Churwell that is being added due to an accident/death.

Thanks ...

I hate to be blunt but have a natter with Network Rail who are actually holding the purse strings for this work.

 

[Ploughman]

Morley tunnel was relaid on both lines a few years ago.
I do not think that lowering is going to be an easy option due to the amount of water and bedrock we encountered during the relays.
It may be possible that clearances are adequate.

 

[9K43]

The few years ago you mention was in the mid 1990's.
The clearance of the tunnel wall on the down end of the tunnel is very tight.
HM did all that work on the tunnel right the way through as well as putting in the through road at Dewsbury
We seem to have followed each other up and down on the big iron road.
All this electrification should have been done when we did the Leeds/ Skipton Jobs.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Does the Bramhope Tunnel on the Leeds to Harrogate line have any problem similarities to the Morley Tunnel, as both of these are quite sizable in length ?

 

[Ploughman]

The few years ago you mention was in the mid 1990's.
The clearance of the tunnel wall on the down end of the tunnel is very tight.
HM did all that work on the tunnel right the way through as well as putting in the through road at Dewsbury
We seem to have followed each other up and down on the big iron road.
All this electrification should have been done when we did the Leeds/ Skipton Jobs.

It was fully reballasted and relaid again in about 2007 - 8.
Dewsbury would have been about 1993 - 4.

Paul
Bramhopes main problem is water and lots of it.
You wear a wet suit when you go in you will need it.
Main drainage is a very large culvert in the 6ft this runs full bore 365 days a year with no reduction at all in times of drought.
You can hear the rocks that get into it rolling along the pipe.
It was fully relaid around 2004 I think.

 

[yorksrob]

When I caught the train to Harrogate recently I noticed it was raining inside the tunnel but not outside

 

[sevenhills]

Hi, the footbridge at Morley will have to be made higher, as to accomodate the wires. I presume the track in the tunnel will be lowered. The bridges that have clearance issues will all be raised. Hope this helps

Thanks all, I was thinking this all might happen quite soon, perhaps not.

 

[9K43]

It was fully reballasted and relaid again in about 2007 - 8.
Dewsbury would have been about 1993 - 4.

Paul
Bramhopes main problem is water and lots of it.
You wear a wet suit when you go in you will need it.
Main drainage is a very large culvert in the 6ft this runs full bore 365 days a year with no reduction at all in times of drought.
You can hear the rocks that get into it rolling along the pipe.
It was fully relaid around 2004 I think.

We at Healey Mills, were involved in the Bramhope Tunnel job.
Full of water and not a nice place to work.
This tunnel was operated on to a set time, which I think was over run.
Although I was involved in the ballast trains, I only ever went in the tunnel for about 100 yards, and that was enough for me.

 

[Waverley125]

Harrogate line won't be wired for a while though, given the problems with water will make it very interesting as to how contact is secured with the pantograph.

As for Leeds-Huddersfield, is there any word on whether the 3rd & 4th lines are going to be reinstated between Dewsbury & Diggle? Certainly loops would make overtaking both Leeds-Huddersfield & Huddersfield-Piccadilly stoppers by TPEx services much easier.

 

[Ploughman]

I understand that reopening of the single bore nearest the current running lines is still on the cards and will possibly form the fast line rather than for use by the stoppers.

 

[Welshman]

Harrogate line won't be wired for a while though, given the problems with water will make it very interesting as to how contact is secured with the pantograph.

As for Leeds-Huddersfield, is there any word on whether the 3rd & 4th lines are going to be reinstated between Dewsbury & Diggle? Certainly loops would make overtaking both Leeds-Huddersfield & Huddersfield-Piccadilly stoppers by TPEx services much easier.

I think I seem to remember reading somewhere that electrification will make the reinstatement of treble/quadruple track/loops unnecessary.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Harrogate line won't be wired for a while though, given the problems with water will make it very interesting as to how contact is secured with the pantograph.

Put a waterproof composite sheeting ( similar to but obviously much longer than bridge exhaust protection thingys ) along the tunnel above the wiring, wide enough to ensure that no water drips onto anything electrical.

It only needs to be an inch or so below the tunnel lining. Just drains all the water off to the side of the trains.