Wigan-Bolton electrification. Construction updates only please

[pokemonsuper9]

The platform extensions are not yet complete but are on schedule to be so when the station reopens and stopping services re-commence, 24 July.

I pass the platforms on my commute, the land for the Wigan-bound platform has been cleared of plants but that's about it, the land for the Manchester bound platform has been cleared and has some bricks on it (See image)

Is there any chance lostock will get
new platforms for the Wigan line

No.

 

[Geeves]

Yes maybe I am remembering wrong but the plan for services to service both lines involves moving the entire station in a southerly direction to the other side of the junction. Not currently on the cards I dont think.

 

[507020]

I can only see
- All busses on 24th and 25th
then for 26-29th
All busses on Wigan-Bolton
Odd mix of busses and trains via Atherton

It’s not buses on the 24th and 25th. Trains will run Southport - Leeds via Golborne Junction hourly on Saturday supplemented by 2 hourly all stops calling at Bescar Lane, New Lane and Hoscar giving 1.5tph. Hourly Southport - Blackburn via Golborne Junction on Sunday.

26-29th again not buses. Trains will run hourly Southport - Oxford Road semi-fast via Atherton, not via Golborne Junction as before, calling only at Daisy Hill between Wigan and Salford Crescent but half calling at Bescar Lane, New Lane and Hoscar. Likely 769s. Wigan - Leeds and Rainford - Blackburn services running all stops via Atherton, with half the Leeds services extended to Southport, again giving 1.5tph.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Trains will run Southport - Leeds via Golborne Junction hourly on Saturday supplemented by 2 hourly all stops calling at Bescar Lane, New Lane and Hoscar giving 1.5tph. Hourly Southport - Blackburn via Golborne Junction on Sunday.

I forgot to check for that, I only checked Atherton and Westhoughton.

26-29th again not buses.

Not sure why but there's both trains and busses showing for the same time slots, no clue why. Only difference is the bus stopping at Hindley (although probably just the town centre because they have to go past it anyway)

Realtime Trains | 2I09 1027 Salford Crescent to Leeds | 26/06/2023

Real-time train running information for 2I09 1027 departure from Salford Crescent to Leeds on 26/06/2023. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:s50760/2023-06-26/detailed

 

[Gricer99]

News from Network Rail...

 

[snowball]

And here's a press release:

Revised schedule announced for Wigan to Bolton railway bridge work

Engineers have released a revised schedule to replace a road bridge over the railway in Greater Manchester after earlier demolition work was unable to take place.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Engineers have released a revised schedule to replace a road bridge over the railway in Greater Manchester after earlier demolition work was unable to take place.

Network Rail is currently investing £78m to upgrade a six-mile stretch of railway between Wigan and Bolton to enable electric trains to serve the key North West towns in the future.

For the complex web of overhead electric wires to be installed, alterations need to be made to 17 bridges along the route.

In early May, Ladies Lane bridge in Hindley was meant to be demolished so a modern, more suitable structure for the new electrified railway equipment could be built.

But problems aligning this major work with other utility companies meant that the demolition could not happen as originally planned.

As demolition work like this cannot take place while trains are running, Network Rail will need to close the route for a second time at the end of this month.

Passengers are being advised of the six-day railway closure between Saturday 24 June and Friday 30 June.

During this time rail replacement buses will keep people on the move Wigan North Western, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Ince and Lostock.

...

Meanwhile Hindley station itself, which is right by Ladies Lane bridge, will remain closed to passengers until Monday 24 July.

The road closure is also being extended until 1 September, with a diversion route in place for road users.*

The £78m Wigan-Bolton electrification project was announced by the Department of Transport in September 2021 and is scheduled to be finished by 2025.

 

[td97]

Does any other country refer to OLE as a "complex web of overhead electric wires"? It is very simple - contact wire, catenary wire, and earth wire. Nothing too complicated at all.

 

[59CosG95]

Does any other country refer to OLE as a "complex web of overhead electric wires"? It is very simple - contact wire, catenary wire, and earth wire. Nothing too complicated at all.

I know Germany has a term called "kabelsalat" (google can explain it better than I can!) but that's the only similar example.

 

[snowball]

I like the term "knitting" which some people use.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I like the term "knitting" which some people use.

Variation on the theme - fizzy knitting.

 

[swt_passenger]

Does any other country refer to OLE as a "complex web of overhead electric wires"? It is very simple - contact wire, catenary wire, and earth wire. Nothing too complicated at all.

It’s just the sort of spin NR PR people put on everything they do. I mean why write ‘normal planned maintenance” when you’ve got “massive investment” to deploy…

 

[The exile]

I know Germany has a term called "kabelsalat" (google can explain it better than I can!) but that's the only similar example.

Though that’s more what you find behind your desk as the various power and connector cables to your pc etc slowly tie themselves in knots!

 

[Rob-M]

Spotted this steel work that looks to have been driven in at the base of the embankment near the A6 bridge at Westhoughton station the other day. Is this something to do with track lowering? I noticed that the track left from the old Metal Box siding approach has been lifted too…

 

[snowball]

Sometimes a temporary retaining wall is built by sinking a row of H-piles a sleeper length apart, and then slotting old wooden sleepers into them. These look as though that could be going to happen, but I don't know what such a wall would be for, and I don't know whether the same method is used where a permanent wall is needed. I suppose it could be for track lowering as you say.

 

[Gricer99]

6L41 and 6L42 arrived at Hindley last night, either side of midnight. Sounds of falling masonry this morning. I will post some pictures later if I can

 

[GRALISTAIR]

6L41 and 6L42 arrived at Hindley last night, either side of midnight. Sounds of falling masonry this morning. I will post some pictures later if I can

Absolutely fabulous news. Look forward to the pictures.

 

[snowball]

Press release from a couple of days ago

Six-day railway closure from Saturday between Wigan and Bolton

Rail passengers are being advised of a six-day railway closure between Wigan and Bolton from this Saturday while work continues on the electrification of the line.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Rail passengers are being advised of a six-day railway closure between Wigan and Bolton from this Saturday while work continues on the electrification of the line.

Network Rail is progressing with a £78m investment to upgrade the 6.5-mile stretch of railway* to enable electric trains to serve the key North West towns in the future.

In preparation for the installation of high-voltage overhead electricity cables, alterations need to be made to 17 railway structures along the route.

One of those is Ladies Lane bridge in Hindley, which needs to be taken down and a modern, more reliable structure rebuilt in its place.

Work began in March when the road was closed but has taken longer than expected due to issues aligning the railway work with utility companies.

Now a further six-day railway closure is needed for engineers to demolish the old structure above the tracks without trains running beneath.

To keep passengers on the move between Saturday 24 and Friday 30 June, replacement buses will run between Wigan, Westhoughton, Daisy Hill, Ince and Lostock**.

 

[QueensCurve]

Does any other country refer to OLE as a "complex web of overhead electric wires"? It is very simple - contact wire, catenary wire, and earth wire. Nothing too complicated at all.

Tell the residents fo Norton Bridge that they don't have a complex web of wires.

 

[Elecman]

Does any other country refer to OLE as a "complex web of overhead electric wires"? It is very simple - contact wire, catenary wire, and earth wire. Nothing too complicated at all.

Droppers, AT wires, overlap run ins/outs, Neutral sections,

 

[Gricer99]

So the Ladies Lane bridge came down successfully today and the new one I scheduled to go in from noon tomorrow.

 

[snowball]

Press release

Railway reopen after Wigan to Bolton electrification bridge work

Rail passengers are being thanked for their patience after a six-day closure of the line between Wigan and Bolton to rebuild a bridge as part of a major electrification project.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

Rail passengers are being thanked for their patience after a six-day closure of the line between Wigan and Bolton to rebuild a bridge as part of a major electrification project.

In preparation for the installation of high-voltage overhead electricity cables, alterations need to be made to 17 railway structures along the route, including the new bridge in Hindley.

Network Rail engineers have spent the last week demolishing a former road bridge which took Ladies Lane over the railway beside Hindley station.

They then used a large crane to lift pre-cast concrete sections into position to build a modern structure which will be suitable for electric lines to be installed underneath next year.

It’s part of a £78m investment to upgrade a 6.5-mile stretch of railway* to enable electric trains to serve the key North West towns in the future.

Train services between Wigan and Bolton resumed today (Friday 30 June) after six days of rail replacement bus services.

However, Hindley station itself remains closed for passengers until Friday 24 July with improvement work continuing there.

 

[td97]

Bridge parapet repair work and raising begins tomorrow on Church St (Westhoughton Station).

 

[507020]

Bridge parapet repair work and raising begins tomorrow on Church St (Westhoughton Station).

Any closures/diversions for this?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Any closures/diversions for this?

Doesn't look like it, maybe they can use the strike day to do anything that would need them to block the line tomorrow and do more work with the line operational?

 

[Rob-M]

Had this letter through last week and no mention of station closures just the road being single lane for the duration, supposedly until October!

 

[AMD]

Latest view from Hindley, the existing platform has had new drainage put in and back filling is ongoing. The extension bits still have a bit of work to go.

 

[stan claire]

Realtime Trains has it as an Unadvertised stop at Hindley throughout, probably to keep to the existing timetable. I assume that means they stop but don't open the doors?

I use the line quite frequently - they usually just pass through at line speed and just have a longer dwell time at the next station.

 

[Gricer99]

Hindley station is due to reopen tomorrow. The area outside the station entrance in still unpaved and uneven. No one wS working there when we passed yesterday afternoon. I doubt it will be allowed to open in this state.

 

[stan claire]

I mean wasn't Salford Central due to reopen for the summer timetable but instead they delayed the reopening until just under three weeks later? I remember seeing the boards at Salford Crescent advertise the reopening for the 21st until a few days before the 21st, probably some issue with getting the canopy finished as the platforms were already completed at that point

 

[Gricer99]

Trains are now stopping again at Hindley and. The overbridge is due to reopen September 1st though they privately claim it may be mid August. Seems a lot of work to do before then!