Wigan to Bolton electrification officially given go ahead

[Nicholas Lewis]

The thing that makes the CLC particularly suitable is the large number of local stations, for which a high acceleration modern EMU would be able to provide a considerable timetable improvement over a DMU.

Lots of diesel routes fall into that category and in the long need to be electrified but this govt are still hooked on alternative fuel sources being the panacea so im not hopeful that we will see much more happening until they realise that at best 10-20 mile excursions off an existing electrified route is the best that battery trains can achieve reliably.

 

[175001]

Vegetation clearance has taken place on the disused platform section at Westhoughton.

 

[Grumpy Git]

The failure of NR to deliver on electrification schemes in early 2010's is costing us dearly now.

What caused the massive overspend? For example, was the estimate wildly inaccurate or the engineering team(s) not up to the job (maybe one and the same)?

 

[yorkie]

Just a gentle reminder this is an updates thread regarding Wigan to Bolton electrification.

If anyone wishes to discuss any other line, and/or post about anything other than electrification and/or anything speculative, please create a new thread (if there isn't one already).

 

[alf]

Best tell the Germans, the French, the Japanese, the Hungarians, and the Danes, all of whom have bought battery trains soon to enter service, or already in service... they are clearly all wrong.

Exactly. You are right.
Done to earn politically correct brownie points.

The 379 battery trial on Essex’s Southminster branch (ironically with a huge nuclear power station beyond the end of the line) was crudely carried out.

But even if the range was twice as good as the hopeless result achieved on the 379, & the battery life twice as good it would have been a flop.

This brownie point rush to train batteries & the enormous generation of CO2 produced in making the tons of battery needed for a heavy multiple unit train will be regretted.

Just a gentle reminder this is an updates thread regarding Wigan to Bolton electrification.

If anyone wishes to discuss any other line, and/or post about anything other than electrification and/or anything speculative, please create a new thread (if there isn't one already).

Sorry Yorkie.
Wrote my post below whilst you were writing your reminder.
Can you move my post as I don’t know how to...or junk it.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

The thing that makes the CLC particularly suitable is the large number of local stations, for which a high acceleration modern EMU would be able to provide a considerable timetable improvement over a DMU.

Plus CLC trans already run under the wires from Lime St until just short of Hunts Cross and from Trafford Park (West Jn) into Manchester, that is 10 miles already wired on a 35 mile end to end route - EMU for locals and some form of bi-mode for the long distance trains.

EDIT - apologies here also.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

What's CLC? Manchester to Liverpool via Warrington, right?

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Exactly. You are right.
Done to earn politically correct brownie points.

The 379 battery trial on Essex’s Southminster branch (ironically with a huge nuclear power station beyond the end of the line) was crudely carried out.

But even if the range was twice as good as the hopeless result achieved on the 379, & the battery life twice as good it would have been a flop.

It was the Harwich branch and VivaRail recycled the batteries into one of there 230s. Even diesel engines need taking out for refurbishment every few years. Anyhow 25kV BEMUs will have a place on branches 10-20 miles off an existing electrified route but not many of those but may also have a place on routes where it could avoid expensive civils works with discontinuous electrification.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What's CLC? Manchester to Liverpool via Warrington, right?

Which is nothing to do with anything related to the title of this thread.

 

[hwl]

But even if the range was twice as good as the hopeless result achieved on the 379, & the battery life twice as good it would have been a flop.

The battery supplier went bust because of all the warranty claims globally (all the early Boris buses need battery replacements at less than 2 years old and the replacements are working far better).
Batteries need to be somewhat larger than simple calculations would suggest.

It was the Harwich branch and VivaRail recycled the batteries into one of there 230s.

And replaced them fairly soon after finding out they were knackered.

 

[yorkie]

Exactly. You are right.
Done to earn politically correct brownie points.

The 379 battery trial on Essex’s Southminster branch (ironically with a huge nuclear power station beyond the end of the line) was crudely carried out.

But even if the range was twice as good as the hopeless result achieved on the 379, & the battery life twice as good it would have been a flop.

This brownie point rush to train batteries & the enormous generation of CO2 produced in making the tons of battery needed for a heavy multiple unit train will be regretted.


Sorry Yorkie.
Wrote my post below whilst you were writing your reminder.
Can you move my post as I don’t know how to...or junk it.

If there isn't already an existing appropriate thread, please go to the relevant forum section (e.g. Speculative Ideas) and press the "Post Thread" button at the top right corner, to create one

We do not wish to stifle any such discussion, but we just ask that it be posted in the appropriate forum section please, thanks!

Edit: there is now a new thread for electrification progress updates (non-speculative infrastructure updates) here:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...tion-construction-updates-only-please.224276/

And a thread to discuss electrification alternatives here:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/electrification-possible-alternatives-and-solutions.224275/