Chase Line electrification

[edwin_m]

And another:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...s-part-of-walsall-to-rugeley-electrification/

Strikes me as pushing their luck to institute a 24/7 "temporary" closure due to some work going on some of the time when the rest the time the trains will be running normally. The statement about permanent closure lets the cat out of the bag - basically when nobody has been able to use it for several months there is no reason to keep it open.

 

[Kettledrum]

Strikes me as pushing their luck to institute a 24/7 "temporary" closure due to some work going on some of the time when the rest the time the trains will be running normally. The statement about permanent closure lets the cat out of the bag - basically when nobody has been able to use it for several months there is no reason to keep it open.

They need to close. They are potential death-traps.

 

[snowball]

Press release

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...-and-walsall-as-electrification-gathers-pace/

Passengers using the Chase line between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall are being reminded to check before they travel this August while Network Rail continues to electrify the Chase line.

Once the line is electrified, London Midland’s passengers will benefit from a cleaner, greener, quieter and more reliable railway between Birmingham and Rugeley with more frequent services.

An increasing number of passengers use the Chase line each year and improvements are needed to accommodate this growth. To deliver the £100m+ upgrade, which forms part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, the line will be closed from Sunday 13 August until Monday 28 August 2017.

The closure has been carefully planned with London Midland. Work which will take place includes:

Replacing and realigning the track at various locations between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley
Platform work at Cannock, Landywood and Bloxwich stations
Temporary closure of Bloxwich level crossing. A diversionary route for road traffic and pedestrians will be in place
Temporary closure of Landywood and Stoneyfields footpath crossings
Piling to install remaining foundations for stanchions
Installation of stanchions and gantries ahead of overhead lines being installed in 2018

Martin Tiller, Network Rail’s project sponsor said: “This work, part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, will mean passengers travelling between Rugeley and Birmingham via Walsall will have a better, more reliable railway.

“Unfortunately these upgrades cannot be done while trains are running so we have to close the line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley for 16 days in August. The work has been carefully planned with London Midland to get the maximum amount completed whilst causing the least disruption. I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these upgrades to deliver a better railway.”

Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase said: “I completely understand that passengers will be very concerned about the disruption on the Chase Line in the coming weeks but they will enjoy a much better service once the electrification is complete. The electrification of the Chase Line will see faster and more frequent trains which mean there are hundreds more seats, bringing an end to the misery passengers have faced over the last few years. I would urge passengers to check before they travel as there will be an amended timetable with a replacement bus service.”

London Midland’s head of Route, Rob Hornsey, said: “We would much sooner be running trains than buses in August but it will be worth it when we can run more frequent, cleaner, quieter and quicker trains to carry more people when the work is done. I’d like to thank all our passengers and neighbours for their patience and understanding while this exciting project to upgrade the Chase Line progresses.”

From Sunday 13 August until Monday 21 August buses will replace trains between Tame Bridge Parkway, Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable

From Tuesday 22 August until Monday 28 August buses will replace trains between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable.

Overhead wires are currently only installed as far as Walsall which means London Midland currently runs diesel trains from Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Once the electrification work on the Chase line is complete, electric trains will be able to run along the whole of the line from Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley.

For more information on the work visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...hase-line-electrification-rugeley-to-walsall/.

For travel information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

 

[snowball]

And another

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...-trent-valley-and-walsall-starts-this-sunday/

Passengers travelling between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall are being reminded to check before they travel from this Sunday (13 August) as Network Rail starts 16 days of intensive work to electrify the Chase line.

An increasing number of passengers use the Chase line each year and improvements are needed to accommodate this growth. To deliver the £100m+ upgrade, which forms part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, the line will be closed from Sunday 13 August until Monday 28 August 2017.

Once the line is electrified, London Midland’s passengers will benefit from a cleaner, greener, quieter and more reliable railway between Birmingham and Rugeley with more frequent services.

The closure has been carefully planned with London Midland. Work which will take place includes:

Replacing and realigning the track at various locations between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley
Platform work at Cannock, Landywood and Bloxwich stations
Temporary closure of Bloxwich level crossing. A diversionary route for road traffic and pedestrians will be in place
Temporary closure of Landywood and Stoneyfields footpath crossings
Piling to install remaining foundations for stanchions
Installation of stanchions and gantries ahead of overhead lines being installed in 2018

Martin Tiller, Network Rail’s project sponsor said: “This work, part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, will mean passengers travelling between Rugeley and Birmingham via Walsall will have a better, more reliable railway.

“Unfortunately these upgrades cannot be done while trains are running so we have to close the line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley for 16 days in August. The work has been carefully planned with London Midland to get the maximum amount completed whilst causing the least disruption. I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these upgrades to deliver a better railway.”

Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase said: “I completely understand that passengers will be very concerned about the disruption on the Chase Line in the coming weeks but they will enjoy a much better service once the electrification is complete. The electrification of the Chase Line will see faster and more frequent trains which mean there are hundreds more seats, bringing an end to the misery passengers have faced over the last few years. I would urge passengers to check before they travel as there will be an amended timetable with a replacement bus service.”

London Midland’s head of Route, Rob Hornsey, said: “We would much sooner be running trains than buses in August but it will be worth it when we can run more frequent, cleaner, quieter and quicker trains to carry more people when the work is done. I’d like to thank all our passengers and neighbours for their patience and understanding while this exciting project to upgrade the Chase Line progresses.”

From Sunday 13 August until Monday 21 August buses will replace trains between Tame Bridge Parkway, Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable

From Tuesday 22 August until Monday 28 August buses will replace trains between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable.

Overhead wires are currently only installed as far as Walsall which means London Midland currently runs diesel trains from Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Once the electrification work on the Chase line is complete, electric trains will be able to run along the whole of the line from Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley.

For more information on the work visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...hase-line-electrification-rugeley-to-walsall/.

For travel information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

 

[snowball]

And another:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...alsall-electrification-work-is-well-underway/

Rugeley Trent Valley to Walsall electrification work is well underway

Improvements to the railway between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall are progressing as planned as Network Rail engineers continue work to electrify the Chase line.

Over the past six days, engineers have carried out a range of work including installing 52 steel structures to support the overhead lines which will power electric trains, refurbishing existing power lines south of Walsall station and installing over 25 concrete foundations ready for steel stanchions to be installed. Vegetation has been cut back, 120m of new drainage has been put in and the railway tunnel under Walsall has been inspected.

The line will reopen on Tuesday 29 August after a 16 day closure as part of Network Rail’s national Railway Upgrade Plan which is seeing more than £100m invested in the Chase line.

An increasing number of passengers use the Chase line each year and improvements are needed to accommodate this growth. Overhead wires are currently only installed as far as Walsall which means London Midland currently runs diesel trains from Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Once fully electrified, passengers will benefit from a cleaner, greener, quieter and more reliable railway between Birmingham and Rugeley with more frequent services.

Over the next 10 days the remaining steel structures will be installed, more of the existing overhead power lines will be replaced and 2800m of rail will be replaced.

Martin Tiller, Network Rail’s project sponsor, said: “This work, part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, will mean passengers travelling between Rugeley and Birmingham via Walsall will have a better, more reliable railway.

“The work is going to plan and we are progressing well. Unfortunately these upgrades cannot be done while trains are running so we have had to close the line between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley for 16 days. The work has been carefully planned with London Midland to get the maximum amount completed whilst causing the least disruption. I would like to thank passengers for their patience while we carry out these upgrades to deliver a better railway.”

Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase said: “I completely understand that passengers will be very concerned about the disruption on the Chase Line in the coming weeks but they will enjoy a much better service once the electrification is complete. The electrification of the Chase Line will see faster and more frequent trains which mean there are hundreds more seats, bringing an end to the misery passengers have faced over the last few years. I would urge passengers to check before they travel as there will be an amended timetable with a replacement bus service.”

London Midland’s head of Route, Rob Hornsey, said: “We would much sooner be running trains than buses in August but it will be worth it when we can run more frequent, cleaner, quieter and quicker trains to carry more people when the work is done. I’d like to thank all our passengers and neighbours for their patience and understanding while this exciting project to upgrade the Chase Line progresses.”

The closure in numbers:

16 days of closure
Over 100 new steel structures installed
14 engineering trains used
500m of troughing put in
2,800m of rail replaced
20,000 tonnes of aggregates used
6 gantries erected
12+ pre cast concrete bases installed
40 piles installed
20 concrete foundations installed
2 electricity substation developed
Nearly 200,000 track components used
1,250m of geotextile matting installed under the track

The closure has been carefully planned with London Midland. Work which will take place includes:

Replacing and realigning the track at various locations between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley
Temporary closure of Bloxwich level crossing. A diversionary route for road traffic and pedestrians will be in place
Temporary closure of Landywood and Stoneyfields footpath crossings
Piling to install remaining foundations for stanchions
Installation of stanchions and gantries ahead of overhead lines being installed in 2018

From Sunday 13 August until Monday 21 August buses will replace trains between Tame Bridge Parkway, Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable

From Tuesday 22 August until Monday 28 August buses will replace trains between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley to an amended timetable.

For more information on the work visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...hase-line-electrification-rugeley-to-walsall/.

For travel information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

 

[tbtc]

And another:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...alsall-electrification-work-is-well-underway/

Good to hear that it's still moving slowly forward (compared to other schemes that have been officially cancelled).

The recent WM franchise announcement seemed to focus a lot more on rolling stock than on service improvements, and I didn't spot anything about he Chase on the bits that I skimmed, so good news that electrification hasn't been forgotten about!

(that said, as a supporter of electrification, it becomes harder and harder to justify when you're talking over £100m for a fifteen/twenty mile bit of line - with ought worrying about four tracked sections or engineered to 125mph - that will take years to build - I'm starting to lose my faith!)

 

[GRALISTAIR]

QUOTE[16 days of closure
Over 100 new steel structures installed
14 engineering trains used
500m of troughing put in
2,800m of rail replaced
20,000 tonnes of aggregates used
6 gantries erected
12+ pre cast concrete bases installed
40 piles installed
20 concrete foundations installed
2 electricity substation developed
Nearly 200,000 track components used
1,250m of geotextile matting installed under the track] END QUOTE

GREAT news indeed

 

[alex17595]

Shame the work hasn't been going particularly well. We turned up for work and they had some issues with mine shafts. They had to cancel like 15 miles of tamping.

 

[Mordac]

Shame the work hasn't been going particularly well. We turned up for work and they had some issues with mine shafts. They had to cancel like 15 miles of tamping.

That's worrying information. I hope this doesn't turn into another GOBLIN.

 

[The Planner]

It isnt really new info though, the scheme isnt on schedule in the slightest.

 

[158756]

It's not exactly a secret there were mines in the area. I thought Network Rail were meant to be improving their planning of these schemes?

 

[The Planner]

Might not have been a secret, having the complete information on where they all were is a different matter.

 

[Elecman]

There are hundreds of uncharted old shafts all over the various coalfields so no great suprise they found some

 

[Magicake]

I think it's just as much panic about what would happen if they did accidentally encounter one as actually having found much.

 

[snowball]

And yet another press release:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...ley-trent-valley-and-walsall-reopens-on-time/

The railway between Rugeley Trent Valley and Walsall reopened on time today (29 August) after 16 days of work to upgrade the Chase line.

The £100m+ upgrade, which forms part of the Railway Upgrade Plan, meant the line was closed from Sunday 13 August until Tuesday 29 August 2017 as part of the electrification of the line.

Once electrified, London Midland’s passengers will benefit from a cleaner, greener, quieter and more reliable railway between Birmingham and Rugeley, with more frequent services, from December 2018

An increasing number of passengers use the Chase line each year and these improvements are needed to accommodate this and future growth.

During the 16 day closure Network Rail completed the following work:

Replacing and realigning the track at various locations between Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley
Piling to install remaining foundations for stanchions
Installation of stanchions and gantries ahead of overhead lines being installed in 2018
Temporary closure of Bloxwich level crossing. A diversionary route for road traffic and pedestrians was in place
Temporary closure of Landywood and Stoneyfields footpath crossings

Martin Tiller, Network Rail’s project sponsor, said: “I would like to thank passengers and local residents for their patience during this work. This forms part of our Railway Upgrade Plan and will mean passengers travelling between Rugeley and Birmingham via Walsall will have a better, more reliable railway.

“The completed work already delivers speed improvements on the line and by the end of 2018 quieter, greener electric trains with more seats will be able to run along the whole route.”

Amanda Milling, MP for Cannock Chase, said: “I completely understand that passengers were very concerned about the disruption on the Chase Line but they will enjoy a much better service once the electrification is complete. The electrification of the Chase Line will see faster and more frequent trains which mean there are hundreds more seats, bringing an end to the misery passengers have faced over the last few years.”

London Midland’s head of route, Rob Hornsey said “I’d like to thank our passengers for all their patience and understanding over the last two weeks. While there is still more to do, this work means the plans to double the Chase Line services next May and bring in quieter electric trains with capacity to carry more people, in December 2018, have taken a massive step forward.”

Overhead wires are currently only installed as far as Walsall which means London Midland currently runs diesel trains from Birmingham to Rugeley Trent Valley. Once the electrification work on the Chase line is complete, electric trains will be able to run along the whole of the line from Birmingham New Street to Rugeley Trent Valley.

For more information on the work visit: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...hase-line-electrification-rugeley-to-walsall/.

For travel information visit www.nationalrail.co.uk.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Where are they going to find the DMU stock to "double the Chase line services by May 2018", when EMUs won't be running until Dec 2018?

 

[alex17595]

Based on my time there it was a huge failure. The track was supposed to be slewed over which never happened, didn't relay one of the roads. They look to be struggling for things to put in the press release as well. 'Temporary closure of Bloxwich level crossing.' You can do that job in about 10 minutes!

 

[Ronnie268]

W10 would have been part of the remit and 75mph has been dropped, its 60mph as you don't need more to timetable a half hourly service. The unknown mine workings have caused big problems.

Is there any official confirmation that 75mph has been dropped?

 

[The Planner]

The Network Change that was signed off by all the TOCs etc shows it, you dont get to see the detail as part of what is on the NR website but it will be 60mph.

 

[Elecman]

Where are they going to find the DMU stock to "double the Chase line services by May 2018", when EMUs won't be running until Dec 2018?

Class 230s now the linespeed is confirmed as 60 mph max.

 

[XDM]

So not much use as a Pendolino diversionary route. Another failure from Network Rail.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Class 230s now the linespeed is confirmed as 60 mph max.

 

[Southsider]

So not much use as a Pendolino diversionary route. Another failure from Network Rail.

Can't they just go slower?

 

[jimm]

It's not exactly a secret there were mines in the area. I thought Network Rail were meant to be improving their planning of these schemes?

Short of carrying out ground radar surveys of miles of trackbed and adjacent ground (and the results are never guaranteed), trying to find old unmapped mine workings on Cannock Chase - and just down the road in the Black Country - is fraught with difficulty, to put it mildly.

Coal has been dug on the Chase since at least the mid-14th century and one of the early techniques used was to create what are called bell pits, from their shape. Once they had got out all the coal they thought they could extract safely without a collapse, they would start a new one close by - and medieval miners weren't big on record-keeping.

Come across a pocket of bell pits and you can have serious problems - they have been known to collapse suddenly, taking houses, gardens and chunks of roads with them - so no reason to suppose they couldn't take out a track tamper or two as well.

The article below is about mining nearby at Willenhall and the bell pit technique - it also has a map of Willenhall showing known bell pits and how concentrated they can be. The Wolverhampton-Walsall line weaves between some known ones - the problem is no one knows where all of them are and we probably never will.

http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/articles/Willenhall/CoalMines.htm

So not much use as a Pendolino diversionary route. Another failure from Network Rail.

Talking about 'failures' from Network Rail is unfair - or would you prefer they plough on regardless, risking track and electrification workers' lives now or the lives of passengers should another unknown bell pit collapse under a train?

 

[The Planner]

So not much use as a Pendolino diversionary route. Another failure from Network Rail.

So it won't be an electrified route that will be cleared for a Pendo? Considering it will have to traverse the 30mph ladder at Rugeley, 20mph through Walsall, 30mph at Bescot and the crawl around Perry Barr and Soho, having 75mph for a distance makes no difference at all.

Considering the fact it would be a diversionary route once in a blue moon it all makes very very little difference. Virgin or the successor could well turn round and say "no, we don't consider the cost of keeping route knowledge up worth it"

 

[XDM]

Sorry Planner, but a speed upgrade from the pitiful Victorian 60 mph to the 75mph I read was planned, (& why not 80 mph) would have been worthwhile. Here is why. For about 10 miles of the approx 15 miles north of Walsall a diverted express would have saved 12 seconds a mile, about 2 minutes.
Before you scoff at this as trivial, remember the two main time based costs of running an expensive train like a pendalino are lease & crew costs. I have been told by people higher up the chain that these may total £150 an hour, that is £2.50 a minute.
If two expresses in each direction each hour were diverted via the Chase line an 80 mph speed upgrade would save £150 a diversion day, plus passenger time saving, plus a small time saving for local electric trains.
Of course the speed upgrade doesn't benefit Network Rail in the short term. It may add to their costs, but it benefits the rail industry & passengers. But this appears not to enter Network Rail planners' consideration. If the operators made the decisions rather than Network Rail the line speed would be raised perhaps to 80 mph & some curves eased. Network Rail making the decisions in their sole interest explains why our Rail industry needs such a stomping subsidy.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Most masts are now up north of Cannock, the southernmost being north of Landywood.
There are some autotensioners attached in a few places, but otherwise no registration gear yet.
The "join" at the WCML end has some extra gear attached, maybe this is for a neutral section.
There are also new masts in the Walsall station area stretching west towards Pleck Jn.
It looks as though some of the 1960s masts/wiring is being replaced, with new masts on the already wired section (even though the old portal structures spanned all 4 tracks, with only 2 wired).
Plenty of new bases appearing, mostly of the large-footprint concrete type.
New piled bases sport a fitted orange cap, like those on the Shotts route.
Maybe this is a new NR requirement, replacing the odd bits of plywood with brick on top used previously, to stop things falling into the hollow pile.
A couple of buzzards were perching on the new masts across Cannock Chase, finding them making ideal elevated spotting sites.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Most masts are now up north of Cannock, the southernmost being north of Landywood.
There are some autotensioners attached in a few places, but otherwise no registration gear yet.
The "join" at the WCML end has some extra gear attached, maybe this is for a neutral section.
There are also new masts in the Walsall station area stretching west towards Pleck Jn.
It looks as though some of the 1960s masts/wiring is being replaced, with new masts on the already wired section (even though the old portal structures spanned all 4 tracks, with only 2 wired).
Plenty of new bases appearing, mostly of the large-footprint concrete type.
New piled bases sport a fitted orange cap, like those on the Shotts route.

Outstanding - thanks very much for this update

 

[absolutelymilk]

Sorry Planner, but a speed upgrade from the pitiful Victorian 60 mph to the 75mph I read was planned, (& why not 80 mph) would have been worthwhile. Here is why. For about 10 miles of the approx 15 miles north of Walsall a diverted express would have saved 12 seconds a mile, about 2 minutes.
Before you scoff at this as trivial, remember the two main time based costs of running an expensive train like a pendalino are lease & crew costs. I have been told by people higher up the chain that these may total £150 an hour, that is £2.50 a minute.
If two expresses in each direction each hour were diverted via the Chase line an 80 mph speed upgrade would save £150 a diversion day, plus passenger time saving, plus a small time saving for local electric trains.

How many days a year are trains diverted via the Chase line?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

How many days a year are trains diverted via the Chase line?

A lot more when it is upgraded and electrified.
The Wolves-Stafford route is regularly blocked, with VT/XC diversions via Nuneaton and LM bustituting.