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MML Electrification: progress updates

Philip Phlopp

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Looks like it is from the Schedule. Unlikely to be anything else.

1Q12 - two pantographs being tested tonight on the pair of Class 91s, with 184m spacing (comparable to 2 x Class 810 with front+rear pantographs in operation).
 
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GRALISTAIR

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Announcement from Harborough District Council on Twitter:.

You can find out more about Network Rail's work on the electrification of the Midlands Mainline, set to begin over the next month, at an online presentation. Visit https://t.co/5mXA0AKDA2 at 6.30pm on Wed 28 October 2020. There'll be a short presentation & chance to ask questions

Bookmarked- thanks. That is 2.30pm here in the USA EDT.
 

pwr

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MML Wiring Progressometer 46.0 (Updated as of 13th of October 2020)

The Future - Midlands Engine Rail (Midlands Connect), MMLU Key Output 2 & HS2

  • Electrification proposed from Market Harborough to Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham & Derby; as part of the Midlands Connect strategy. The March 2020 Budget committed to the scheme; details are alleged to be found in the July Spending Review. When this will actually be released (what with COVID-19) remains to be seen.

Where did the Budget commit to MML electrification? It awarded funding to Midlands Rail Hub, but that's to do with improving connections within the region and AFAIK doesn't include MML. Electrification to Toton is implied by Midlands Connect's plans for Bedford-Leeds classic-compatible trains, but that is all awaiting the Integrated Rail Plan. Midland Connect's recently published IRP says of MML electrification: "The plans outlined in Package East require the full electrification of the Midland Main Line ... We ask that these vital plans are reinstated, and that Government commits to a truly carbon-neutral rail network." Running cc trains to Leeds also means electrification beyond Sheffield to the HS2 jcn at Thurnscoe. I'll leave others to decide whether that's part of MML, but this extension is included in HS2's map.
 

Domh245

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I presume the work referred to in the Harborough DC tweet is investigatory works rather than (eg) the first piling runs? Or will we have the slightly odd situation of trains using freshly installed OLE at Market Harborough that is still yet to be officially announced!
 
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InTheEastMids

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I presume the work referred to in the Harborough DC tweet is investigatory works rather than (eg) the first piling runs? Or will we have the slightly odd situation of trains using freshly installed OLE at Market Harborough that is still yet to be officially announced!

It was piling but I missed the start so don't know exactly where

Edit: clicking the teams meeting link above takes you to a recording. Incredibly, they manage to be very specific about the What (piling & vegetation) but entirely opaque about the Where. Nothing as useful as a map!

The only clue is that somebody mentions 58 piles for this work. This isn't far at 50m spacing, so given that it's a 'Harborough' event then my guess is they mean 58 inside the District. This is consistent with the distance from the southern boundary to Harborough station, perhaps as far as the first road bridge North of the station if it's mostly TTCs

Edit to my edit: the work is planned for the second half of November
 
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edwin_m

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Somewhere about the first road bridge is the logical place to end the electrification (hopefully only for the time being). It means trains can terminate at the Down platform, use the crossovers to reverse north of the station and return to the Up platform. So for example with engineering works between Market Harborough and Leicester, the 810 fleet could run the main routes via (and some calling at) Corby with the 360s serving Market Harborough instead.
 

Kneedown

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Somewhere about the first road bridge is the logical place to end the electrification (hopefully only for the time being). It means trains can terminate at the Down platform, use the crossovers to reverse north of the station and return to the Up platform. So for example with engineering works between Market Harborough and Leicester, the 810 fleet could run the main routes via (and some calling at) Corby with the 360s serving Market Harborough instead.

I'm not sure if the plan is to change over on the move, but if so I would think (although I stand to be corrected) a stretch of straight track would be more desirable, in which case the length from Great Bowden to East Langton would seem to be suitable?
 

WAO

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The NR TEAMS presentation helpfully referenced in post #3934 gives confirmation that the wires will indeed stretch to MH and be well used. The trick by NR and the TOC with DfT agreement no doubt was to provide two terminators per hour both to MH and Corby, all being provided by EMU's.

I expect in time, that the MH trains will be found to have a viable potential for extension over the Kibworth hump to Leicester, when the Capacity Scheme there has progressed.

Just the odd way good news leaks out these days.

WAO
 

Bald Rick

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Listen carefully to the soundtrack on the NR presentation.

You might need TEAMS.

WAO

I have, twice, and it doesn’t say that. It says 4 bi mode services to Market Harborough* and 2 electric services to Corby. Which is and always has been the plan.

* being the 4 that go on to Sheffield or Nottingham.
 

WAO

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You are quite right. I've "listened carefully" again and between 2.40 - 3.05 the intro is as you say. It did seem odd only to send 2/hr North of MH.

The most significant item in my view was confirmation of wiring North of Glendon Jn.

Thanks for the correction.

WAO
 

59CosG95

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Official confirmation of planned works in the Kettering area, no doubt related to the posts above mine...

Network Rail is inviting residents in Kettering to join an online information event to find out more about work taking place on the town’s railway over the next month.

Between Saturday, 31 October and Saturday, 28 November, Network Rail workers will continue with the electrification of the route between Bedford and Kettering and Corby as part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade, which is a £1.5billion investment into the railway.

The first two weeks of work will see the removal of some vegetation alongside the railway. This is necessary to allow the second stage of work to take place. The second stage of work is installing steel piles which are needed to support overhead line equipment. Further work along the route will take place next year.

Piling will begin on Monday, 16 November and will take place overnight as this is a time when fewer trains run. Piling can be noisy, so Network Rail would like to give residents a chance to ask any questions which they may have about the work. Usually, Network Rail would hold a face to face event, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event has been moved online instead.
 

InTheEastMids

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Official confirmation of planned works in the Kettering area, no doubt related to the posts above mine...

OK so that's interesting. The press release references the event last week discussed above. This means we should probably reframe the discussion above as the actual work being talked about is presumably in the Kettering area rather than Harborough...
 

59CosG95

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OK so that's interesting. The press release references the event last week discussed above. This means we should probably reframe the discussion above as the actual work being talked about is presumably in the Kettering area rather than Harborough...
If so, what we can mainly expect to see is deveg and piling work from the northernmost Tensorex anchor on the Fasts (SPC3/116/654). There's 3 full tension lengths of OLE northwards from here to Kettering North Jn TSC (SATS in the future AFAIK); interestingly enough, an across-track switch feeder has already been installed over the Fasts at the first planned overlap (i.e. between the first pair of Tensorex anchors that span all 4 lines but only have equipment on the Slows). The wires on said across-track switch feeder are coiled OOU for now. As stated before, there are also similar across-track feeders coiled OOU at the overlap by the TSC.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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I went on the MML a month or so back, I had not been on that route for quite some time and I was interested to see that there was electrification beyond Bedford Midland through to Kettering and then on the Corby Branch, for what purpose I wondered and how far does it go?
 

59CosG95

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I went on the MML a month or so back, I had not been on that route for quite some time and I was interested to see that there was electrification beyond Bedford Midland through to Kettering and then on the Corby Branch, for what purpose I wondered and how far does it go?
This is all part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade Programme, which (among other things) enables a 2tph 12-car service to Corby. Currently, Kettering is the limit of OLE on the fasts, and Corby the limit on the branch, but works are due to start soon to wire up to Market Harborough. Wires north of Corby doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.
 

STEVIEBOY1

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This is all part of the Midland Main Line Upgrade Programme, which (among other things) enables a 2tph 12-car service to Corby. Currently, Kettering is the limit of OLE on the fasts, and Corby the limit on the branch, but works are due to start soon to wire up to Market Harborough. Wires north of Corby doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.
Thank you, what type trains would they use for these electric services North of Bedford?
 

Brissle Girl

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Trying to get back on topic, do you think there is any appetite to try and get approval to push on to just south of Leicester, to keep the team working. Once Braybrooke is in place, presumably it is "just" a matter of stringing the wires north (and maybe a few bridges) until the first major obstacle, which would be Leicester.
 

59CosG95

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Trying to get back on topic, do you think there is any appetite to try and get approval to push on to just south of Leicester, to keep the team working. Once Braybrooke is in place, presumably it is "just" a matter of stringing the wires north (and maybe a few bridges) until the first major obstacle, which would be Leicester.
Honestly, I've no idea off the top of my head, although I know the next substations north of Braybrooke are at East Langton (Autotransformer site proposed) and South Wigston (Sectioning Autotransformer site proposed).
And of course, the KO1a work also involves basically re-wiring the MML south of Bedford...
 

Bald Rick

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Trying to get back on topic, do you think there is any appetite to try and get approval to push on to just south of Leicester, to keep the team working. Once Braybrooke is in place, presumably it is "just" a matter of stringing the wires north (and maybe a few bridges) until the first major obstacle, which would be Leicester.

It’s going to be all or nothing next.
 

GRALISTAIR

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Honestly, I've no idea off the top of my head, although I know the next substations north of Braybrooke are at East Langton (Autotransformer site proposed) and South Wigston (Sectioning Autotransformer site proposed).
And of course, the KO1a work also involves basically re-wiring the MML south of Bedford...
And next Grid Feeder is I assume still Kegworth?
 

Hairy Bear

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Trying to get back on topic, do you think there is any appetite to try and get approval to push on to just south of Leicester, to keep the team working. Once Braybrooke is in place, presumably it is "just" a matter of stringing the wires north (and maybe a few bridges) until the first major obstacle, which would be Leicester.
A few bridges !.......5 up to Braybrooke, 19 on to Leicester. Theres also a dozen or more signal gantries to replace plus a set of water/ Sewage pipes to alter. There's a hell of work to do first before you even consider the overheads. And they will also need the embankments reinforced in places as well.
 

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