MML Electrification: progress updates

[59CosG95]

However, once you start increasing the distance between masts, you increase the wire deflection due to wind effects unless the wire tension is increased. With storm effects increasing due to climate change, increasing the distances between masts may be another East Coast waiting to happen.

That is certainly true. However, even before the structure spacings were increased, the tension was already higher in comparison to the ECML.
MML uses 12/15kN tensioning (12kN catenary, 15kN contact), independent of one another, north of Bedford.
South of Bedford it uses 11kN/11kN, shared on one balance weight that's supporting 22kN total.
(The whole ECML, pretty much, uses 11kN/11kN in the same way too.)

So already the OLE north of Bedford is more resilient than its ECML equivalent, and they didn't even experiment with ECML-esque structure spacing (circa 75m or so) until RS1 (Mkt H'boro - Wigston).

 

[Edvid]

South of Bedford it uses 11kN/11kN, shared on one balance weight that's supporting 22kN total.

South of Cricklewood, yes; part of Cricklewood-Bedford should be higher now but I've not seen the post-OLE125 rating. I'm guessing the contact/catenary wires are still equally tensioned, though.

 

[Trainman40083]

Yes, exactly. Penny wise, pound foolish.

Yes, you save so much money on the original project and everyone is happy because the project was delivered on time and under budget. But then money has to be found from a different budget to put it right

I think it's more to do with the fact that a lot of the ECML uses head span OLE, which tends to become quite vulnerable when there is a de-wirement, often affecting multiple lines. The MML electrification uses more newer, sturdier and independently tensioned OLE equipment. So it being more spaced out shouldn't be an issue here compared to older OLE schemes.

Must be the Pfisterer auto tensioners

 

[D Mylchreest]

I gather from online sources that that next part of the MML to be done is Wigston the Leicester North, but I can't find any dates. Does anybody know?

 

[QSK19]

I gather from online sources that that next part of the MML to be done is Wigston the Leicester North, but I can't find any dates. Does anybody know?

I would have thought it’s logical for both RS2 and RS3 to be done together given the planned road infrastructure works to accommodate electrification, peg placements and SPL acquiring compound space up to Trent Junction?

I stand corrected by those who are insiders and/or have more expertise.

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think it's more to do with the fact that a lot of the ECML uses head span OLE, which tends to become quite vulnerable when there is a de-wirement, often affecting multiple lines. The MML electrification uses more newer, sturdier and independently tensioned OLE equipment. So it being more spaced out shouldn't be an issue here compared to older OLE schemes.

Thankyou @londonmidland, @themiller, @GRALISTAIR, @WAO, @59CosG95, @Edvid & @Trainman40083 for your enlightenment.

 

[absolutelymilk]

I would have thought it’s logical for both RS2 and RS3 to be done together given the planned road infrastructure works to accommodate electrification, peg placements and SPL acquiring compound space up to Trent Junction?

For those who don't know:
RS2 – Wigston South to Syston
RS3 – Syston to Trent Junction

 

[Trainben]

I hope some arrangement can be made for a rail shuttle to run between Harborough and London while the line north is closed at weekends. The down side to this stop start electrification is that there is more disruption to passengers, unlike if it were done as a whole project. Maybe a couple of 360s could be utilised to operate the shuttle if that simplifies the operation.

 

[ShadowKnight]

How much has the current MML electrification works in the east midlands have benefited from preparatory works from the previous MML electrification before grayling cancelled?

There seems to be some rebuilt bridges and groundworks from the previous scheme that have helped.

 

[londonmidland]

It’ll be interesting to see which lines, apart from the mainline, will also get electrified around Leicester, as an ‘add-on’?

The lines in question are the Up & Down Goods, Leicester Carriage sidings, Leicester LIP and Humberstone Road sidings.

 

[tram21]

From June onwards looking on RTT there are blocks between Leicester and Kettering almost every weekend. I assume this is probably something to do with electrification?

 

[Roast Veg]

It’ll be interesting to see which lines, apart from the mainline, will also get electrified around Leicester, as an ‘add-on’?

The lines in question are the Up & Down Goods, Leicester Carriage sidings, Leicester LIP and Humberstone Road sidings.

I wouldn't put money on it, but I predict that only the UDL will get wired.

 

[QSK19]

For those who don't know:
RS2 – Wigston South to Syston
RS3 – Syston to Trent Junction

Thanks for clarifying on my behalf. Admittedly, it did occur to me that I should have maybe put in brackets what they stood for!

 

[duffield]

From June onwards looking on RTT there are blocks between Leicester and Kettering almost every weekend. I assume this is probably something to do with electrification?

So does that actually mean RS2 – Wigston South to Syston is moving into the full-on electrification stage - piling and masts etc., starting with the section of RS2 south of Leicester? Or does it relate to supplementary work on the existing wiring south of Wigston South?
I guess if there's piling work going on, locals may be getting warning letters about this?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

So does that actually mean RS2 – Wigston South to Syston is moving into the full-on electrification stage - piling and masts etc., starting with the section of RS2 south of Leicester?

No, but it means that massive amounts of preparation work is being done. (might bean announcement in parliament- possibly) Still good news afaiac.

Or does it relate to supplementary work on the existing wiring south of Wigston South?

unlikely imho

I guess if there's piling work going on, locals may be getting warning letters about this?

Now that would definitely be an extremely strong indication.

 

[londonmidland]

From June onwards looking on RTT there are blocks between Leicester and Kettering almost every weekend. I assume this is probably something to do with electrification?

I notice Cross Country are also affected, as it’s rail replacement buses to Nuneaton, so almost certainly something which requires a lot of work between Wigston South Jn and Leicester.

It seems too coincidental for it not to be electrification related.

 

[D365]

It’ll be interesting to see which lines, apart from the mainline, will also get electrified around Leicester, as an ‘add-on’?

The lines in question are the Up & Down Goods, Leicester Carriage sidings, Leicester LIP and Humberstone Road sidings.

I can’t imagine that LIP would be electrified. UKRL seems to have access to plenty of diesel ’super shunters’ on site!

 

[themiller]

I can’t imagine that LIP would be electrified. UKRL seems to have access to plenty of diesel ’super shunters’ on site!

Better to pan-up in the sidings rather than on the main line - saves time stopped to uncouple.

 

[Richard123]

That is certainly true. However, even before the structure spacings were increased, the tension was already higher in comparison to the ECML.
MML uses 12/15kN tensioning (12kN catenary, 15kN contact), independent of one another, north of Bedford.
South of Bedford it uses 11kN/11kN, shared on one balance weight that's supporting 22kN total.
(The whole ECML, pretty much, uses 11kN/11kN in the same way too.)

So already the OLE north of Bedford is more resilient than its ECML equivalent, and they didn't even experiment with ECML-esque structure spacing (circa 75m or so) until RS1 (Mkt H'boro - Wigston).

When the longer span publicity went out, it was one temporary span with a spare structure installed adjacent to return to after trial if needed.

Given it takes a combination of gust of wind, track tolerances, vehicle sway and some bad luck to cause a blow-off dewirement, I'm not sure what a one-year trial proves.

Back in the 1980s Margaret Thatcher demanding two 10% efficiencies on ECML electrification at approval of each phase. The Mark 3 design was robust, but when pressure increased on budget variables like "surrounding terrain" were stretched to fall in categories allowing longer spans. You can see the effect as you progress north!

It was this application of the rules that impacted performance rather than the system itself, with repeated dewirements in areas which with 20:20 hindsight should have fallen in the most exposed category.

The headspans don't affect risk of dewirement, but do affect time to restore traffic after one. That 20% cost saving was on a programme that was already being delivered for a tenth the cost of present UK electrification costs!

WCML electrification suffered similar blow-off dewirements in its early years, but money was found by BR to add additional structures in poor performing areas, which was never done on ECML, where "weather related speed restrictions" were successfully used to reduce vehicle sway and risk of dewirement on the existing infrastructure - at cost of reduced PPM. Of course the ECML problems became evident after privatisation and Railtrack had bigger capital spending problems on WCRM at the time, which was starting its journey to a 10x overspend.

The system hasn't changed significantly from an engineering perspective since then, but lower windspeed/terrain factors or tolerance of increased risk can allow longer spans to be installed in specific places, and the maximum span length limit in the rules has been raised to give more flexibility to designers.

Across Europe there are many off-the-shelf systems similar in design to UKMS, most of which use higher tensions than 11kN, but maximum span lengths are pretty similar across them all. Copper doesn't behave differently in British wind...

 

[themiller]

Across Europe there are many off-the-shelf systems similar in design to UKMS, most of which use higher tensions than 11kN, but maximum span lengths are pretty similar across them all. Copper doesn't behave differently in British wind...

A quick question for you, is the cross section of the contact and catenary wires the same across these European systems as a thicker wire is a stiffer one (generally) and a heavier section also has an inertia effect? I do know that the systems installed in Britain have been ‘optimised’ to make them cheaper at the behest of the government so there is less resilience built into them.

 

[Richard123]

A quick question for you, is the cross section of the contact and catenary wires the same across these European systems as a thicker wire is a stiffer one (generally) and a heavier section also has an inertia effect? I do know that the systems installed in Britain have been ‘optimised’ to make them cheaper at the behest of the government so there is less resilience built into them.

Pretty similar for contact wire. UK uses 107 or 120mm2 contact wire. Most non-HSL systems are 95-120. HSL sometimes 150.

Variety of catenary wires in use.

Bigger isn't always better in this case.

 

[londonmidland]

I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned but there’s an intermittent scattering of wooden pegs placed just north of Leicester (opposite the LIP) to Syston, as well as between Syston and Barrow-upon-Soar.

Photo attached shows wooden peg placement, dug into the ballast opposite Leicester LIP.

 

[TheHSRailFan]

The electrification between Kettering and Wigston has been delivered both on time and under budget and is now officially ‘ready’ for electric trains.

Let’s hope the wheels keep in motion in terms of further electrification of the MML!

Full article here

I feel like the new low clearance OHLE (or whatever it is called) massively helped with it being under budget. This is a step in the right direction, However getting the government funding to do more seems like a migraine in itself. Heres hoping RRV's and shovels are on the ground soon!

 

[PJM]

I’m not sure if this has already been mentioned but there’s an intermittent scattering of wooden pegs placed just north of Leicester (opposite the LIP) to Syston, as well as between Syston and Barrow-upon-Soar.

There have been some observations, the stick markers are intermittent but they stretch from South Wigston to approximately half a mile north of Long Eaton station and the number are increasing daily.

 

[59CosG95]

There have been some observations, the stick markers are intermittent but they stretch from South Wigston to approximately half a mile north of Long Eaton station and the number are increasing daily.

They go beyond Spondon now! Weirdly, beyond Trent Jn, they seem to have gone more for a TRU style of naming, as in and around Spondon I've seen "202.002/UM", then "202.004/UM" etc.
Who knows if that'll change back...

 

[Archie810]

They go beyond Spondon now! Weirdly, beyond Trent Jn, they seem to have gone more for a TRU style of naming, as in and around Spondon I've seen "202.002/UM", then "202.004/UM" etc.
Who knows if that'll change back...

so does that mean the next phase will be going all the way to derby?

 

[59CosG95]

so does that mean the next phase will be going all the way to derby?

I believe so. RS2 (Wigston - Leicester - Syston), RS3 (Syston - Loughborough - EM Pkwy - Trent Triangle (inc.)) and RS4 (Trent Triangle (exc.) - Long Eaton - Spondon - Derby - Chaddesden Sdgs) all seem to be being delivered in tandem, at least as far as surveys are concerned.

 

[Archie810]

I believe so. RS2 (Wigston - Leicester - Syston), RS3 (Syston - Loughborough - EM Pkwy - Trent Triangle (inc.)) and RS4 (Trent Triangle (exc.) - Long Eaton - Spondon - Derby - Chaddesden Sdgs) all seem to be being delivered in tandem, at least as far as surveys are concerned.

is there any word on when this will begin?

 

[Edvid]

is there any word on when this will begin?

Track lowering took place in Barrow upon Soar a couple of weeks ago. On RTT it also appears there are six consecutive weekend closures south of Leicester (likely RS2-related, starting 22 June) that affect both EMR and XC.

With that in mind, further OLE125 weekend closures (if needed after 1 June) probably won't happen at the same time.

 

[InTheEastMids]

is there any word on when this will begin?

Wouldn't expect anything this side of the Comprehensive Spending Review (May?)

Various sources seems to suggest that assuming it's signed off, it'll mobilise in earnest in the summer.
Earlier posts indicate some activity to create site compounds e.g. Loughborough and Syston stations.
A further compound at Rempstone Road, Sutton Bonington appears to be planned to be constructed from mid-July.

How much has the current MML electrification works in the east midlands have benefited from preparatory works from the previous MML electrification before grayling cancelled?

Wouldn't know about anything that's been done trackside but a number of bridges were rebuilt around 2015, including Station Road at Sutton Bonington and Stanford Road at Normanton-on-Soar.
Grove Lane Bridge in Barrow collapsed a few years later, after electrification had been announced, so presumably was rebuilt to required standards.

The focus now seems to be on using track lowering and/or reduced clearances to avoid bridge replacements - e.g. Network Rail changed their minds on rebuilding the B582 Blaby Road bridge at Wigston and will now lower the track (I wonder if this is one of the jobs on the to-do list for the upcoming Leicester-Kettering weekend closures, which obviously must be focused on work between Leicester and Wigston).