Wigan-Bolton electrification. Construction updates only please

[Nicholas Lewis]

Excellent news. Really pleasing progress.

Of course its good to see but in the same time frame 50 years ago they had already completed Weaver Jcn to Preston. Productivity remains low depsite all the mechanically powered equipment that is available to todays installation contractors. The line should have shut for 3mths and just got on with it thats how you can deliver economically and realise MEGA.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The line should have shut for 3mths and just got on with it thats how you can deliver economically and realise MEGA.

Would've been more annoying to passengers.
Also if it was done in such a short time the Buckingham Group bankruptcy might've caused a lot more inconvenience (might've added a whole week to the closure), but that obviously couldn't be planned.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Would've been more annoying to passengers.

Of course but they would have had the benefits a lot quicker

Also if it was done in such a short time the Buckingham Group bankruptcy might've caused a lot more inconvenience (might've added a whole week to the closure), but that obviously couldn't be planned.

Can't legislate for that

 

[AMD]

So the first masts went up over the weekend - theres a few up just east of Ince by the Bakkavor factory, and I noticed that there's a pile of cantilevers in the compound at Crow Nest.

 

[Donny85]

Is something happening at Ince station at the end of April?

The pdf timetable for the Manchester - Wigan line on Northern's website seems to show all trains which would normally call at Ince skipping that station from Mon. 22 April onwards. See notes X and Y in the attached ...

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/s...s/N14/2023-12-10-to-2024-06-01-1698753245.pdf

That seems to suggest Ince will be closed (presumably for electrification work - maybe on Ince Green Lane bridge??)

However, I can't easily find a reference to station closure on any of Northern's website, the Network Rail electrification project page, or even on Wigan Council's upcoming roadworks & closures website.

Northern's journey planner will happily give me itineraries and sell me tickets for travel in either direction to & from Ince on random dates in early May.

Is the pdf wrong?
Or is there some hidden surprise coming up (nasty surprise, because I was planning to use Ince a few times during May!)

These were posted on Facebook recently by the local councillor and on a Ince Station page.

 

[td97]

Further update and images showing installation of first OLE masts

Derek Allan on LinkedIn: #splpowerlines #kier #networkrail #collaboration

11/3/24 First OLE masts WS24/33 installed on the Wigan to Bolton Electrification scheme, delivered without incident of accident , fantastic milestone for the…

www.linkedin.com

 

[jonesy3001]

Further update and images showing installation of first OLE masts

Derek Allan on LinkedIn: #splpowerlines #kier #networkrail #collaboration

11/3/24 First OLE masts WS24/33 installed on the Wigan to Bolton Electrification scheme, delivered without incident of accident , fantastic milestone for the…

www.linkedin.com

Funnily enough just been reading this post on LinkedIn.

 

[ic31420]

Would've been more annoying to passengers.
Also if it was done in such a short time the Buckingham Group bankruptcy might've caused a lot more inconvenience (might've added a whole week to the closure), but that obviously couldn't be planned.

By and large this is one of the most suitable routes for a closure alternatives are pretty much available.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

By and large this is one of the most suitable routes for a closure alternatives are pretty much available.

Even by road with a Rail Replacement bus it is not too bad and nice and short.

 

[WesternBiker]

This tweet is from guard amos on twitter showing the stanchions going up next to the iron bridge near hindley station.
Credit to Phil.

https://twitter.com/Guard_Amos/status/1767188712767508723?t=9PC6LsMMVo8gGyrC86dTSg&s=19

After a slow start, it's good to see they finally seem to be motoring. Let's hope they can maintain the momentum.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

By and large this is one of the most suitable routes for a closure alternatives are pretty much available.

Indeed which is why a blockade should have been used to show the economics that could be achieved.

 

[Nottingham59]

Indeed which is why a blockade should have been used to show the economics that could be achieved.

Do we know what the cost is of this electrification project?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Do we know what the cost is of this electrification project?

£78 million

Green light given for Wigan to Bolton electrification

Major upgrade, including electrification and longer electric trains, to railway line between Wigan and Bolton announced.

www.gov.uk

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris has today (1 September 2021) announced that a major upgrade to the railway line between Wigan and Bolton has been given the green light, focused on providing passengers with a greener and more reliable railway.

The track between Wigan North Western station and Lostock Junction near Bolton will receive a £78 million upgrade, targeted to complete in 2024/2025.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

£78 million

Green light given for Wigan to Bolton electrification

Major upgrade, including electrification and longer electric trains, to railway line between Wigan and Bolton announced.

www.gov.uk

for six route miles although the actual cost of the electrification element not revealed and there are plenty of new bridges and modified stations included but looks way off the £1m/stkm target that is needed to get mass electrification away.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

for six route miles although the actual cost of the electrification element not revealed and there are plenty of new bridges and modified stations included but looks way off the £1m/stkm target that is needed to get mass electrification away.

bit under 6.5 miles from Wigan Station Junction to Lostock Jn
bit under 21km of track
£3.7mil per track km
but as you said that doesn't account for bridges, platforms, any other things.
To get £1m per track km, the "other" parts would have to cost £57m.

And also that doesn't account for any possible increases in price (I think works have overran a couple times)

 

[jonesy3001]

Will changing contractors add to the cost as well?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Will changing contractors add to the cost as well?

Didn't Kier directly buy out Buckingham Group's rail operations rather than Network rail being involved?

 

[snowball]

Deleted

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Is something happening at Ince station at the end of April?

The pdf timetable for the Manchester - Wigan line on Northern's website seems to show all trains which would normally call at Ince skipping that station from Mon. 22 April onwards. See notes X and Y in the attached ...

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/s...s/N14/2023-12-10-to-2024-06-01-1698753245.pdf

That seems to suggest Ince will be closed (presumably for electrification work - maybe on Ince Green Lane bridge??)

However, I can't easily find a reference to station closure on any of Northern's website, the Network Rail electrification project page, or even on Wigan Council's upcoming roadworks & closures website.

Northern's journey planner will happily give me itineraries and sell me tickets for travel in either direction to & from Ince on random dates in early May.

Is the pdf wrong?
Or is there some hidden surprise coming up (nasty surprise, because I was planning to use Ince a few times during May!)

Just looked at next timetable and the Ince calls are missing.

 

[AMD]

Just looked at next timetable and the Ince calls are missing.

Yes, Ince temporary closure is part of the programme - should have happened last summer as it was originally planned to close the day after Hindley reopened, however Hindley over-ran then Buckinghams went into adminstration so it was all postponed.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Yes, Ince temporary closure is part of the programme - should have happened last summer as it was originally planned to close the day after Hindley reopened, however Hindley over-ran then Buckinghams went into adminstration so it was all postponed.

Yes, although a lot of the discussion was about the paper timetable being the only sign of the bridge closing.

 

[GhostManDN91]

Any idea what is happening at Ince station during the closure and how long trains will be passing there for? Can't remember if it was mentioned in detail anywhere?

 

[david l]

Closure today involved plenty road railers between Hindley and just beyond Crow Nest Junc taking out any trees within the rail boundary, following on from massive tree clearances over the past few weeks on the Crow Nest-Lostock Junc section. More masts have appeared between Wigan NW and short of Ince, then a gap before masts between Ex Hindley No2 box and just west of Hindley station.

 

[AMD]

As it was yesterday (Saturday), a total of 10 masts up between Hindley station and the iron bridge.

And the masts just east of Ince.

 

[jonesy3001]

Wonder if they'll go up to crow's nest junction first, so they can use the atherton line for diversions and just crack on with the westhoughton line up to lostock jct.

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The guard on my train this morning did an announcement for the Ince closure, unfortunately I couldn't hear it too well thanks to quiet speakers and people talking (not loudly, not blaming them) next to me.

Something about ending in October.

 

[GhostManDN91]

I'm surprised they haven't done a full line closure for a few months tbh like they did with the Blackpool electrification project.

 

[The exile]

bit under 6.5 miles from Wigan Station Junction to Lostock Jn
bit under 21km of track
£3.7mil per track km
but as you said that doesn't account for bridges, platforms, any other things.
To get £1m per track km, the "other" parts would have to cost £57m.

And also that doesn't account for any possible increases in price (I think works have overran a couple times)

I would imagine that the shorter the line, the harder it is to get down to the desired cost - what brings the cost down will be miles and miles of plain track with minimal structures. Something like Gretna Jn to Carstairs, for example. Problem is that most electrification candidates tend by their nature to be the precise opposite.

 

[Foggycorner]

New mast base piles have appeared in the Chew Moor area towards lostock junction and platform work is almost finished at Hindley

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I would imagine that the shorter the line, the harder it is to get down to the desired cost - what brings the cost down will be miles and miles of plain track with minimal structures. Something like Gretna Jn to Carstairs, for example. Problem is that most electrification candidates tend by their nature to be the precise opposite.

Yes ( I know slightly OT) but Berks and Hants all the way to Taunton and of course Leeds all the way to Hull. Back on topic, this stretch has loads of bridges and in old mine workings area etc. Cost per route km and cost per stk all high.