Infill schemes to keep Electrification teams from dispersing?

[AndrewE]

Inspired by a comment in the Trans-Pennine thread, what jobs need doing (but are unlikely to stand up on their own) which would keep teams together and active, ready for the next big job? And some might pay back by allowing diversion of electric trains when an electrified main line is blocked...
The Windermere branch, obviously.
Something paralleling the ECML in the north-east?
Bletcley to Bedford?

 

[Ianno87]

Bletchley-Bedford doesn't really make much sense. Many platforms on the route are too short for even a 3 car EMU, and East West Rail may come along and significantly change everything anyway. Plus limited use as a diversionary route without wires north of Kettering (if in the unlikely event of EMT wanting to divert this way, future bi-mode stock would sort that anyway)

 

[NSEFAN]

A logical thing to do would be to expand the electrification on routes which will be using bimodes, doing so at a gradual pace in order of importance (for example, Newbury - Westbury, Bedford - Leicester or Edinburgh - Kirkcaldy?) As time goes by this allows for more flexible cascades of electric trains to different parts of the network, where further electrification to complete the job is not much extra work for the skilled team who by now is hopefully very good at what they do!

 

[snowball]

There's Lostock-Wigan, which has never been officially dropped, but which has not shown any sign of happening either, though there was a rumour a couple of months ago.

Then there are the suspended bits of GWR: Oxford, Bristol via Bath, Bristol via Filton, Windsor, Henley. I think Oxford at least has a good chance of happening early in CP6.

There's no confirmation yet that MML will even extend north of Kettering on the main line but it seems plausible.

 

[randyrippley]

the Morecambe branch!!!
surely if Blackpool can have direct electrics to London and Manchester, so should Morecambe? Remember, electrics were justified there before

 

[anthony263]

Cardiff to Swansea

 

[Muenchener]

In advance of the missing 11 mile link being re-instated; electrify the East Lancs line from Colne to Preston.
OK; I'll get my coat...

 

[Midnight Sun]

Ely-Peterborough useful as a diversionary route plus allowing the Ely Terminators to run through to Peterborough therefore providing a much needed local service. Should be fairly easy to do due to the very low number of bridges.

 

[SilentGrade]

Leeds to York

 

[Ianno87]

Ely-Peterborough useful as a diversionary route plus allowing the Ely Terminators to run through to Peterborough therefore providing a much needed local service. Should be fairly easy to do due to the very low number of bridges.

Almost certainly awful ground conditions though!

 

[Thunderer]

Bromsgrove to Bristol Parkway, Birmingham to Sheffield and on to where line joins ECML to Wakefield, Leeds to York, Newbury to Exeter, Bristol Parkway to Exeter, Cardiff to Swansea. Bi mode GWR trains could then run from Paddington to Exeter, Bristol TM/WSM and Swansea under the wires, Devon and Cornwall Northbound XC services could run on wires from Exeter all the way to Edinburgh/Glasgow (ready for potential new bi-mode trains for the new franchise). It seems a bit pointless only electrifying the line on the Berks and Hants to Newbury when the 802 will have to run many miles on Diesel to Devon and Cornwall. Yes its all down to money, but if projects were better planned and financially kept to budget (GWML project take note) then there would be more resources to carry out electrification of some of the sensible routes suggested above.

 

[HowardGWR]

Just finishing off the 4 tracking of Filton bank with electrification from TM to Parkway, as was promised, would be a no-brainer!

 

[birchesgreen]

Bromgrove onto Worcester

 

[swt_passenger]

Reading (Southcote Jn) to Basingstoke. Supposedly was required to speed up local trains to allow a useful service at Reading Green Park.

 

[Steve Harris]

Ely-Peterborough useful as a diversionary route plus allowing the Ely Terminators to run through to Peterborough therefore providing a much needed local service. Should be fairly easy to do due to the very low number of bridges.

Almost certainly awful ground conditions though!

And probably not enough capacity to add more services!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Ely-Peterborough useful as a diversionary route plus allowing the Ely Terminators to run through to Peterborough therefore providing a much needed local service. Should be fairly easy to do due to the very low number of bridges.

Almost certainly awful ground conditions though!

Agree with both posters- also part of a much larger project that need doing F2N

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I also think Northallerton to Middlesbrough would be a really useful add on. Free up bimodes get some more all electric on order part of a good rolling sparks and cascade strategy.

 

[Gareth]

The CLC line - electrified at either end and could be a diversionary route for Chat Moss electrics.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Bromgrove onto Worcester

The CLC line - electrified at either end and could be a diversionary route for Chat Moss electrics.

Also two really useful schemes.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

In advance of the missing 11 mile link being re-instated; electrify the East Lancs line from Colne to Preston.
OK; I'll get my coat...

Don’t need your coat. Start at the Preston end and then continue to Leeds and come back via Rochdale. What I am saying is get the full Calder Valley line done eventually but start at the west end rather than the east end.

 

[notlob.divad]

In my opinion, ask 2 questions.
A) Is it a railway on the national network?
B) is it already electrified?
If the answer to A is yes and the answer to B is no then put it on the list.

The ask to the ones where B is yes...
C) Is the electricity supplied by a big metal bar at ankle height that goes boom when you touch it? If the answer is yes, add it to the bottom of the list.

That should keep the electrification teams going for a good few decades.

 

[route101]

Maryhill line , Barrhead and East Kilbride

 

[jyte]

That should keep the electrification teams going for a good few decades.

Few hundred years even!

Personally I'd just like to see the projects announced for CP5 back on the table and completed. *fite me*.

 

[linuxlad7]

Bromgrove onto Worcester

Bromgrove onto Worcester

but don't forget Cheltenham. alma mater mea {I could
have been a judge but I didn't have the latin)

 

[tbtc]

Keeping things nice and modest:

• Rose Hill Marple - Guide Bridge - eight miles
• Ashburys - New Mills - twelve miles - these two Greater Manchester lines would free up a few DMUs on routes more suited to EMU operation (lots of short stops) - would remove a few diesel services from Piccadilly too (since inner city air pollution is obviously a big issue)

• East Kilbride - Muirhouse Jn - ten miles - lots of juicy low hanging 156s to free up

• Knaresborough - Armley Jn - twenty one miles - four DMUs per hour on the Harrogate line, so fairly good bang for you buck

• Metro Centre - King Edward Bridge - just a couple of miles!

...that's around fifty miles - no disruption at major city centre stations required (much as I'd like to see wires in Sheffield!).

If you were committed to bi-modes then I'd suggest a few lines where there's a high frequency through an urban area (without needing to wire all of the branches at the far ends). For example Stourbridge Jn to Tylesely is only fifteen miles but if you had bi-modes on the Snow Hill lines then you'd remove a lot of diesel pollution from fair Birmingham. Dalmeny is only about five miles from the wires on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and wiring there would avoid the tricky bit of tackling the Forth Bridge (since the idea is to keep things simple/ low cost).

 

[AM9]

Ipswich to Felixstowe including enough knitting into the docks to allow class 88s to run round the GOBlin.

 

[Midnight Sun]

And probably not enough capacity to add more services!

Greater Anglia do intend to go hourly from 2019 on the Peterborough-Ipswich providing much need capacity between Peterborough and Ely. In the near future with the overcrowded Cross Country services, I don't see any inprovements, more so with the state that DB are in.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Another vote for Sheffield to the junction just beyond Moorthorpe here. Doing to Metrocentre would make sense too, especially if the loops and turnbacks up the ECML are included allowing Morpeth and even the Chathill flyer to become a 321 or similar. Middlesbrough is another good suggestion.

Doing the whole CLC or Calder Valley doesn't really qualify as an "infill" scheme though!

 

[yorksrob]

Keeping things nice and modest:

• Rose Hill Marple - Guide Bridge - eight miles
• Ashburys - New Mills - twelve miles - these two Greater Manchester lines would free up a few DMUs on routes more suited to EMU operation (lots of short stops) - would remove a few diesel services from Piccadilly too (since inner city air pollution is obviously a big issue)

• East Kilbride - Muirhouse Jn - ten miles - lots of juicy low hanging 156s to free up

• Knaresborough - Armley Jn - twenty one miles - four DMUs per hour on the Harrogate line, so fairly good bang for you buck

• Metro Centre - King Edward Bridge - just a couple of miles!

...that's around fifty miles - no disruption at major city centre stations required (much as I'd like to see wires in Sheffield!).

If you were committed to bi-modes then I'd suggest a few lines where there's a high frequency through an urban area (without needing to wire all of the branches at the far ends). For example Stourbridge Jn to Tylesely is only fifteen miles but if you had bi-modes on the Snow Hill lines then you'd remove a lot of diesel pollution from fair Birmingham. Dalmeny is only about five miles from the wires on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and wiring there would avoid the tricky bit of tackling the Forth Bridge (since the idea is to keep things simple/ low cost).

Surely if doing to Knaresborough, it makes sense to finish it off and continue to York.

I can think of a few on the Southern, but everyone's to scared of the third rail these days.

 

[E100]

Northallerton to Middlesborough

Tyne Valley