Great Western Electrification Progress

[spark001uk]

Another contact wire run has gone up in Sonning cutting, UM adjacent to the one on the DM. Runs from east of Duffield road bridge to west of Butts Hill road bridge.

Unable to go further west yet as there are two cantilevers with missing registration arms. These are now the last two in the cutting still to do.

Yep saw that as I passed earlier. You'd think they'd have stuck the reg arms up while they were at it and completed the job!

 

[59CosG95]

https://twitter.com/25kV/status/837346428875833348 Seems P1 at Reading now has wires; though, as GazK says, the insulators aren't cut in at present.

 

[fgwrich]

Wires seem to be finally going up in all sorts of different places at the moment.

Looking at Martin Loader's website tonight, they've gone up at Steventon as well.

http://www.hondawanderer.com/66589_Steventon_2017.htm

http://www.hondawanderer.com/43003_Steventon_2017.htm

 

[Mintona]

As you can see in the second picture, everything ends at the portal nearest the camera. Still waiting to see what the solution is for Steventon village area.

 

[341o2]

BBC news today has story that the project may not be completed by the proposed date of December 2018

The electrification of the Great Western rail line has been described by MPs as a "stark example of how not to run a major project".

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said "mismanagement" of the project had left customers "angry and frustrated".

It warns "similar flaws" could impact on planned electrification schemes on Midlands and TransPennine routes.

Network Rail claimed it had "learnt lessons" and major projects no longer start before being "properly scoped".

However, doubts have been expressed that the plan to electrify the London to Cardiff line can be delivered by December 2018 and to a budget of £2.8bn, while the PAC described a £1.2bn increase in costs "in the space of a year" as "staggering and unacceptable".

sourcehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39143416

 

[jochta]

I couldn't see any missing masts today between Airport Jn and Tilehurst.
A few booms missing between Maidenhead and Reading, but the steelwork seems mostly complete.
The OHL looks least complete Ruscombe-Twyford West, with not much reg gear.
A few masts on the Didcot avoiding line, running out before Appleford.

Masts and cantilever arms are now present to just beyond Appleford Level Crossing. AFAIK this is the limit of electrification towards Oxford for the time being.

 

[4973]

BBC news today has story that the project may not be completed by the proposed date of December 2018.

Still no mention of the problems caused by ORR's mid-project changes.

 

[hwl]

BBC news today has story that the project may not be completed by the proposed date of December 2018.

Still no mention of the problems caused by ORR's mid-project changes.

Looks like the BBC have just been reading the PAC report, nothing more substantive.

Recent reports on here suggest better progress.

 

[reddragon]

I had a look too yesterday.

There are still a couple of missing piles in Sonning Cutting, laying there is a gap between mast, but yes, part of the down main has been wired at the eastern end of the cutting.

I also noticed that the wires have extended further west from Maidenhead to near Twyford.

In the Reading area, there is a lot of activity. Wires up going up on the new viaduct from Didcot; wires on the curve from the B&H to p10/11 are going up near the station.

Almost too much to report. Missed the work at P1 though, maybe I need to go there with a track map to mark up!

 

[fgwrich]

A few pictures taken passing through from Wednesday evening. As mentioned Platform 8 is now wired - which must have been carried out on Saturday evening, Platform 1 now has the contact wire but no return wire, and the return wire running along Platform 7 crosses over to platform 3 at the western end of the station.

 

[3973EXL]

Missing registration arms over the mains went up last night in Sonning Cutting.

 

[jyte]

A few pictures taken passing through from Wednesday evening. As mentioned Platform 8 is now wired - which must have been carried out on Saturday evening, Platform 1 now has the contact wire but no return wire, and the return wire running along Platform 7 crosses over to platform 3 at the western end of the station.

Great pics, thank you.

 

[Melancholia]

So tonight at 00:01, the wires will be powered on from Airport Jn to Maidenhead. Let's see how it goes...

 

[341o2]

Looks like the BBC have just been reading the PAC report, nothing more substantive.

Recent reports on here suggest better progress.

Good. Why are the media always so negative regarding rail developments

 

[Ironside]

Good. Why are the media always so negative regarding rail developments

They don't seem to have rail specialists who have time to investigate properly so those that do report on the issue tend to regurgitate reports that come there way.

 

[Tw99]

I posted in the class 800 thread that there were several test runs between Reading and Didcot last night, apparently on electric power.

 

[FGW_DID]

So tonight at 00:01, the wires will be powered on from Airport Jn to Maidenhead. Let's see how it goes...

Not very well!

Stockley Bridge Jn - Maidenhead:

Energisation of the Up & Down Mains and the Up & Down Relief Lines has been postponed.

 

[jyte]

Not very well!

Oh ....

Any idea when it will be?

 

[Melancholia]

5th of April perhaps?

 

[Mordac]

5th of April perhaps?

More like 1st of April...

 

[FGW_DID]

Oh ....

Any idea when it will be?

No dates given!
I've no idea why either, just a notice I saw advising of the postponement.

 

[jyte]

No dates given!
I've no idea why either, just a notice I saw advising of the postponement.

Oh well thanks anyway.

Maybe they're waiting to switch on the whole of Stockley - Reading at once? Some good, substantive positive PR.....

When is Reading-Maidenhead due for energisation and how late is it running?

 

[Melancholia]

Some good, substantive positive PR.....

I reckon it would be quite the opposite. People are expecting 387s to run to Maidenhead from May to boost capacity. Delaying their introduction past Hayes & Harlington even more would be a bad idea.

 

[jyte]

I reckon it would be quite the opposite. People are expecting 387s to run to Maidenhead from May to boost capacity. Delaying their introduction past Hayes & Harlington even more would be a bad idea.

Oh,

I thought the 387s were due to start running from "summer" which I took as August or September. By the sounds of things, Maidenhead-Reading is mostly finished. I was just thinking perhaps they could energise Maidenhead-Reading earlier than the target and have 387s in service on the Reading-London route before then.

 

[leomartin125]

Oh,

I thought the 387s were due to start running from "summer" which I took as August or September. By the sounds of things, Maidenhead-Reading is mostly finished. I was just thinking perhaps they could energise Maidenhead-Reading earlier than the target and have 387s in service on the Reading-London route before then.

Maidenhead to Reading isn't earmarked to be finished until well into late Autumn early Winter 2017, Stockley Junction to Maidenhead was always the plan to start from May with the 387's terminating at Maidenhead and the Bourne End to Paddington trains finishing their journey at Maidenhead for a 387 connection to Paddington. It's just annoying to know that despite a boost in service to Paddington from Maidenhead in May, the amount of trains to Oxford and Reading will remain the same for a significant amount of time.

 

[hwl]

Maidenhead to Reading isn't earmarked to be finished until well into late Autumn early Winter 2017, Stockley Junction to Maidenhead was always the plan to start from May with the 387's terminating at Maidenhead and the Bourne End to Paddington trains finishing their journey at Maidenhead for a 387 connection to Paddington. It's just annoying to know that despite a boost in service to Paddington from Maidenhead in May, the amount of trains to Oxford and Reading will remain the same for a significant amount of time.

Surely the main issue with Maidenhead to Reading is the lack of 387s to operate the extra services for the time being as any mixed 387 / 165 / 166 service would still have to use DMU timings?
Hence there isn't much for a rush to complete Maidenhead to Reading till there is enough stock to operate the Didcot services (and IEPs from December? ) but progress on the ground according to reports here suggest that completion at the current rate of work will be sooner.

 

[hassaanhc]

Autotransformer wire has appeared for pretty much the entire distance between Hanwell and Ealing Broadway, and from around Acton West until the NLL bridge. Some of the insulated one has been there for a while, but the exposed one is all recent.

 

[coppercapped]

Maidenhead to Reading isn't earmarked to be finished until well into late Autumn early Winter 2017, Stockley Junction to Maidenhead was always the plan to start from May with the 387's terminating at Maidenhead and the Bourne End to Paddington trains finishing their journey at Maidenhead for a 387 connection to Paddington. It's just annoying to know that despite a boost in service to Paddington from Maidenhead in May, the amount of trains to Oxford and Reading will remain the same for a significant amount of time.

Hmm! I wasn't aware that there were any plans to increase the number of trains to Oxford after electrification. As I understood it there would still be 4tph, two fast between Oxford and Paddington and two stopping at all (or most) stations between Oxford and Reading with limited stops between Paddington and Reading.

There would be a slight increase in main line trains to Reading as the Cheltenham service will go hourly. The 2tph Paddington to Reading terminators will be replaced by Crossrail.

The peak services may be more frequent but, as I understand it, it is not planned to increase the off-peak frequencies.

 

[Chris125]

There are some interesting snippets emerging on RMweb about GWR's plans for the rollout of electric services - some encouraging signs of optimism that the wires to Reading could energised earlier than expected.

 

[Clarence Yard]

There are some interesting snippets emerging on RMweb about GWR's plans for the rollout of electric services - some encouraging signs of optimism that the wires to Reading could energised earlier than expected.

Uninformed speculation on the service, I'm afraid. It's still December for Didcot (02/01/18 is the current expected full EMU service date) and any displaced HST sets go north to Scotland first.

The wires may be going up fairly fast now but the issues with the new electrical control system still haven't been resolved, afaik. If someone can tell me otherwise, I will be delighted!