East Kilbride/Barrhead electrification updates

[Mag_seven]

Am I correct in thinking that this has already happened for East Kilbride?

According to the NR Scotland Sectional Appendix, yes. (controlled by the West of Scotland SC, Cathcart Workstation)

 

[CEN60]

Do wonder when we will see the first stanchions?

I would suggest you are a year (s) away from seeing an OLE mast in the ground - the project is still at feasibility stage.

 

[nlogax]

I would suggest you are a year (s) away from seeing an OLE mast in the ground - the project is still at feasibility stage.

To me the whole process from feasibility study to construction feels considerably quicker than what currently happens on routes south of the border. Is that a misconception or is it accurate?

 

[CEN60]

To me the whole process from feasibility study to construction feels considerably quicker than what currently happens on routes south of the border. Is that a misconception or is it accurate?

Not sure about South of the Border but the slowness of progression has been recognized within NR - they have instigated "P.A.C.E" - Project Acceleration in a Controlled Environment - in other words - "stop fannying about, hurry up and get on with it, but be careful!."

 

[Southsider]

I would suggest you are a year (s) away from seeing an OLE mast in the ground - the project is still at feasibility stage.

There’s a Network Rail document I referenced in post #177 that uses the word soon and mentions a contractor having been appointed. I guess ‘soon’ is a fairly flexible term.

 

[route101]

I would suggest you are a year (s) away from seeing an OLE mast in the ground - the project is still at feasibility stage.

I see, though if they are putting in foundations for OLE, would they be committed?

 

[themiller]

If the piles are going in, I would have thought that they would be in the right position for masts. Also, the masts must have been defined in order to inform the selection of the correct piles. With all of this, I may be naive to think that the majority of the knitting is also known. Can someone explain what I’m missing, please?

 

[clc]

I would suggest you are a year (s) away from seeing an OLE mast in the ground - the project is still at feasibility stage.

According to Transport Scotland the project is at delivery stage: https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/rail/prioritisation-of-rail-projects/

 

[OLEEng]

If the piles are going in, I would have thought that they would be in the right position for masts. Also, the masts must have been defined in order to inform the selection of the correct piles. With all of this, I may be naive to think that the majority of the knitting is also known. Can someone explain what I’m missing, please?

The project is currently at the 'outline design' stage.

Yeah, piles are going in on the easier sections of the route. The piles for the contentious areas won't be released until they have solution.

The survey position of the installed foundations will be sent back to the designer for verification. The mast allocations would be released shortly after for installation.

 

[Bald Rick]

To me the whole process from feasibility study to construction feels considerably quicker than what currently happens on routes south of the border. Is that a misconception or is it accurate?

Misconception - generally. The process for feasibility, design etc is just the same, and takes roughly the same time north / south of the border for similar projects (scale, complexity etc). For example feasibility for the Shotts line electrification - a rather simple one - was complete by 2013, but it wasn’t finished until 2019.

What might be different is the respective Governments’ speed of decision making.

 

[waverley47]

This is definitley an aspect of political rather than industry speed. The UK government has taken a drip feed approach, approving projects one at a time. These projects take a long time to plan, to model the locations of portals and foundations, to check sight lines and clear vegetation, and finally to get boots on the ground doing the building. Each part of a project can only begin when the whole thing has been funded, so in England we see a project approved, then all this stuff, hence long lead times.

In comparison, the Scottish government has basically outlined in which order projects will be done, so that the teams work in parallel on different projects. Different parts of different projects will be being worked, for example we'd probably expect to see details of feeder stations for Levenmouth in the next year for example.

The Scottish approach has also been to approve projects and then fund them out of a central pot, rather than individually fund specific projects as in England. This means less value engineering, less micromanaging from government, and less fear of cost overruns, but also an overall cheaper project as multiple different lines can be worked on at the same time.

All this together means that although projects probably take about the same time as south of the border, there is less wasted time and money, so things appear to move more quickly.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Whatever is the case, I just love that Scotland is just doing it.

 

[themiller]

The project is currently at the 'outline design' stage.

Yeah, piles are going in on the easier sections of the route. The piles for the contentious areas won't be released until they have solution.

The survey position of the installed foundations will be sent back to the designer for verification. The mast allocations would be released shortly after for installation.

Thanks for that. I didn’t think I was too far off the mark. What I didn’t realise was that, from your description, in some places, it’s the pile that defines the mast rather than the other way round.

 

[snowball]

Whatever is the case, I just love that Scotland is just doing it.

However Scotland, though better, is not as good as sometimes suggested. In two weeks' time we'll be two years into CP6, and they didn't have any electrification plans ready to start on day 1 of CP6 or for about 18 months after.

 

[waverley47]

However Scotland, though better, is not as good as sometimes suggested. In two weeks' time we'll be two years into CP6, and they didn't have any electrification plans ready to start on day 1 of CP6 or for about 18 months after.

But they do, electrification takes time.

This project (EK and Barrhead) is already underway. Granted, they could have planned it so that they'd start building immediately after Shotts as done, but they didn't, and this is the next best thing. By the time that's done, they will have started work on Levenmouth, and after that whichever order is chosen, they will start working down the list.

The documents in the Scotland decarbonisation thread outline this, they have committed one big pot for decarbonisation and will slowly work their way down.

While granted, they haven't funded all the projects in one big bang, this approach is far better. We know from England how terrible the boom and bust approach, and micromanaging from government can be. Just giving NR a list, a pot of cash and saying have at it is probably the better approach. They'll get there slowly, but at least they'll get there.

 

[clc]

However Scotland, though better, is not as good as sometimes suggested. In two weeks' time we'll be two years into CP6, and they didn't have any electrification plans ready to start on day 1 of CP6 or for about 18 months after.

The cost/programme overruns from CP5 may have been a factor as some of the CP6 budget had to be allocated to CP5 projects.

 

[nlogax]

Interesting.. appreciate the different takes on those differences north of the border. Obviously a lot more than planning law and project funding that play into this.

 

[edwin_m]

This is definitley an aspect of political rather than industry speed. The UK government has taken a drip feed approach, approving projects one at a time. These projects take a long time to plan, to model the locations of portals and foundations, to check sight lines and clear vegetation, and finally to get boots on the ground doing the building. Each part of a project can only begin when the whole thing has been funded, so in England we see a project approved, then all this stuff, hence long lead times.

Having a long wait also makes it more likely that something has changed (on the ground, in the standards or in the business case), which makes it more likely that the next stage will have to start by going back to re-do bits of what has been done already.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Prioritisation of rail projects (transport.gov.scot) I mean I think they have learned their lessons (unlike the rest of UK) and at least published a plan and above all a pipeline.

Under active consideration --Future phases of Decarbonisation Action Plan
Aberdeen to Central Belt Electrification
Aberdeen to Inverness Electrification
Aberdeen to Inverness Improvements (Phase 2)
Dunblane-Hilton route clearance for future electrification
Electrification - Ayrshire and Glasgow & South West
Electrification - Dunfermline Queen Margaret to Longannet
Electrification - Fife Circle
Electrification - Fife to Perth and Dundee
Highland Mainline Electrification

 

[waverley47]

Prioritisation of rail projects (transport.gov.scot) I mean I think they have learned their lessons (unlike the rest of UK) and at least published a plan and above all a pipeline.

I think this sums it up perfectly. Scotland has learned the lesson that stop and start wiring is inefficient and wasteful, whereas England still hasn't.

The wiring in terms of pounds spent or time versus single track km probably isn't that different, but the Scottish system will be quicker overall. As commitments by government lead to confidence in industry, and a better knowledge base of what works, so overall the projects will be delivered faster and cheaper.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

One of my favourite expressions - EVERYTHING is possible with enough time, money and above all POLITICAL WILL . Scotland has the political will and has learned lessons. end of

 

[ScottDarg]

Network Rail has written to the Strathbungo Society to address concerns raised by the community about the works related to this project. Most notable parts relate to the intention to demolish the old Strathbungo station building and the associated footbridge:

Former station building​

I truly appreciate the value the community placed on the former station building and am aware of the petition that was launched last year. I also understand that there was no foresight or community discussion before a letter was distributed to inform you of its removal, and I am deeply sorry for this.

With this being a publicly funded project the costs to repair this building outweigh any return that may potentially be achieved, and we cannot justify the use of public money. I have spoken to our team and can share with you that February 2022 is currently being proposed for the demolition of the former station building. I will continue to keep you informed of any updates regarding this.

Footbridge​

I would like to assure you that the decision for this bridge to be replaced hasn’t been taken lightly. Our highly experienced project teams have put in significant efforts to be able to retain the bridge in its current state.

Regarding the refurbishment works in 2019, repair and paint works were carried out due to the poor condition of the structure. The structural steelwork was significantly corroded and there was a defect in the bridge deck. Although we were aware of the future possibilities of height restrictions around electrification, the works carried out were required at that time to keep the footbridge open safely. In addition to this and as we have mentioned previously, without formal commitment to electrification, modifying or designing a new bridge is not something we could have undertaken at the time.

Raising the height of the footbridge to allow for electrification includes significant changes to the current structure and would include the addition of 1.8m high parapets and supporting foundations, which would leave little in the way of its original appearance. Similarly, track lowering does not solve the non-compliance issues associated with the bridge, meaning like the above, the bridge would still require the addition of parapets as well as more structural and foundational support. As a result of this, our planning team has discounted these options as it would leave little in the way of the bridges original appearance.

Given its location, we understand the visual importance of this bridge and therefore believe the community should be significantly involved in the selection of its replacement. Our goal is to have footbridge design proposals to share with you in June 2021, where the community will be asked for their views on a preferred option. I would very much like to share these designs with you in person, however with covid restrictions in place, this is something that we may do virtually. I will share further details on this nearer the time.

Full article: https://bungoblog.com/more-from-network-rail/

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The cost/programme overruns from CP5 may have been a factor as some of the CP6 budget had to be allocated to CP5 projects.

Indeed.
And the Scottish approach didn't avoid the cost overruns, and design arguments with the ORR, on the E&G wiring.

 

[Southsider]

There is significant ground clearance taking place at Giffnock station today with some fairly large trees being removed next to the EK bound platform. Preparation for new footbridge?

 

[sannox]

Network Rail has written to the Strathbungo Society to address concerns raised by the community about the works related to this project. Most notable parts relate to the intention to demolish the old Strathbungo station building and the associated footbridge:

Full article: https://bungoblog.com/more-from-network-rail/

That footbridge is in a weird location anyway- it's less than 100m from Nithsdale Road bridge anyway and it's not step free. I think it would be better if they could move the bridge up to the old bridge location which was about 150m north of the path from Pollokshields West station. It would then be equidistant between Titwood Road bridge at Crossmyloof and Nithsdale Road.

I do feel the closure option has some appeal given alternatives over years of long weekend and evening closures- especially as the EK line seems as busy on Saturdays as it does at peaks- the 1747 on Saturdays is rammed (obviously not at present!). Would be nice to see them explore some different options given the options available.

 

[JModulo]

Network Rail have posted information that piling for the overheads has to begin overnight for the next 12 weeks between Kennishead and Crossmyloof.

https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/1373223985865953280

We're due to begin piling works in mid-April between Kennishead and Crossmyloof. It'll take place during the night.

 

[Southsider]

I don’t know how recent it is but this document talks about ‘more’ rather than ‘full’ double tracking between Busby and East Kilbride.

East Kilbride rail electrification | Transport Scotland

www.transport.gov.scot

 

[hexagon789]

I don’t know how recent it is but this document talks about ‘more’ rather than ‘full’ double tracking between Busby and East Kilbride.

East Kilbride rail electrification | Transport Scotland

www.transport.gov.scot

A leaflet we had through the door from Network Rail implied full doubling from Busby-EK as well as stating that Thorntonhall and EK would gain another platform and Hairmyres station was to be relocated.

 

[Southsider]

A leaflet we had through the door from Network Rail implied full doubling from Busby-EK as well as stating that Thorntonhall and EK would gain another platform and Hairmyres station was to be relocated.

That’s been my understanding too but I wonder if this is more recent de-scoping of the project, time will tell.
There were a couple of Geo-Info vans parked between Giffnock and Clarkston today. The occupants were working on the embankment, presumably surveying.

 

[route101]

Used the line today. Vegetation works looks almost complete. You do notice now the watercourses that flow near the line now, especially Thornliebank. No sign of piling near Crossmyloof, early days though.

I thought it had been de scoped too.