Transpennine Route Upgrade and Electrification updates

[quantinghome]

I wonder if this 'softly-softly' approach to electrification from NR is an attempt to normalise the idea in the minds of the DfT and Treasury? Rather than present electrification as a series of grand projects with grand budgets, they seem to be saying that it's no big deal, just something the railway needs to do along with everything else. There may be merit in the approach.

 

[Brissle Girl]

If anyone is interested Network Rail has today published its Statement of Case for the Huddersfield to Westtown improvements. It's a mere 343 pages long and is linked to at the foot of this page.

Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) - Network Rail

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

There a new piece on TP electrification in Railway Gazette, suggesting there is increasing optimism about wiring the full route:
Trans-Pennine electrification hopes rise | Rail Business UK | Railway Gazette International

Previous suggestions by Network Rail that some of the tunnels on the route would prove to be too difficult to wire are now being rolled back; sources suggest only around 1% of the long Standedge Tunnel between Greenfield and Marsden will need additional work for wiring and clearance for W12 gauge freight trains. Nearby Scout Tunnel, 188 m long, is more challenging but shorter than the 270 m Farnworth Tunnel which was re-bored for electrification in 2015.

 

[snowball]

Points from the Statement of Case, H to W:

about 40 objections received

public inquiry expected next winter

Section 7.2 has construction timescales etc

The envisaged delivery timescales for the Scheme are as follows:
▪TWAO & related consents31stMarch 2021 to March2023
▪GRIP 4 & GRIP 5 Detailed DesignCurrently underway
▪Advanced (Enabling) Construction WorksSummer 2022 (start)
▪Main Construction WorksSpring 2023 (start)
▪Entry into ServiceEnd of 2026(planned)

The start of the main construction works requires TWAO consent for the Scheme and therefore the dates given above may vary depending on the overall timescale for that consent to be achieved and discharging of any pre-commencement conditions. Although most works commence post TWAO consent, there are discreet enabling works planned to support early site mobilisation. These will be authorised through requests for Prior Approval or by a specific planning application for advance works. This allows the programme to be delivered in the most efficient way, which will ultimately deliver the Scheme benefits to passengers in the shortest possible timescale.The construction programme is linked to a strategic track access plan which is planned against the whole TRU programme of works (Manchester to York) and other interfacing Network Rail projects. Therefore, early consent of the scheme is unlikely to change the main construction start. However, a later consent could significantly affect the track access strategy and delay the entry into service date.

Not clear whether "discreet" should be "discrete"!

Possessions and blockades discussed in 7.2.14 to 7.2.23.

 

[Bald Rick]

Points from the Statement of Case, H to W:

about 40 objections received

public inquiry expected next winter

This is an excellent read, and gives a good feel for how much work has to go into a project like this that needs a TWAO.

The good news is that 40 objections is a relatively small number, and are mostly from commercial organisations. Many of them already look likely to be resolvable prior to inquiry. That means the inquiry could be relatively swift. Needs a lot of work to be done over the summer and autumn by the designers, property specialists and lawyers.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Colton Junction is a popular photography spot. I'd love to see a photo from before electrification of either line, one from the present day or maybe a year or two ago, and one from a few years' time.

 

[Halifaxlad]

I wonder if this 'softly-softly' approach to electrification from NR is an attempt to normalise the idea in the minds of the DfT and Treasury? Rather than present electrification as a series of grand projects with grand budgets, they seem to be saying that it's no big deal, just something the railway needs to do along with everything else. There may be merit in the approach.

Certainly merit in that!

 

[Legolash2o]

NR have now released consultation details for Rose Lane on their site: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...nnine-route-upgrade/rose-lane-level-crossing/

"We are developing options for a new highway bridge to maintain access to the properties on Rose Lane and local farms."

With the properties being that close to the track is there even enough room to add a bridge?

 

[hwl]

"We are developing options for a new highway bridge to maintain access to the properties on Rose Lane and local farms."

With the properties being that close to the track is there even enough room to add a bridge?

View attachment 99407

No but the bridge wouldn't be there. One bridge to replace 3 crossings hence mostly likely to get a new access road to serve everything in the "V" with more room to do this further south.

 

[Nottingham59]

A few residents and land owners have now had a zoom meeting with Network Rail and they have confirmed that they are looking at putting in a new highway and flyover off common lane near the entrance to Pouter's yard. The flyover would cross near the unmanned crossing to Pouter's land giving access to Rose Lane on the left and also Adamson's land to the right, work is expected to start in two years time.

from post #4240

 

[B Box]

Presumably the wiring of the Normanton lines north of Church Fenton facilitates further electrification through Sherburn, Milford Junction, Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate to Dewsbury.

This route avoids any Leeds East bottleneck for through freight and potentially increases cross Pennine capacity, offering a less disruptive passenger service from Manchester/Huddersfield to York and beyond.

Which might be a benefit if Leeds/WYCA continue to add stations along the existing line (eg White Rose and Thorpe Park).

It also is a step towards a number of further electrification fill in routes.

 

[zwk500]

Presumably the wiring of the Normanton lines north of Church Fenton facilitates further electrification through Sherburn, Milford Junction, Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate to Dewsbury.

It does facilitate this but is unlikely to happen because the actual benefits to services on those routes is very low. Strategic network effects of electrification are happy bonuses, not driving forces. Also, freight isn't going to change until the entire route is wired. The most effective strategy is to wire key passenger runs until a critical mass is achieved at which point short freight avoiders and chords will become viable.

 

[59CosG95]

Presumably the wiring of the Normanton lines north of Church Fenton facilitates further electrification through Sherburn, Milford Junction, Castleford and Wakefield Kirkgate to Dewsbury.

This route avoids any Leeds East bottleneck for through freight and potentially increases cross Pennine capacity, offering a less disruptive passenger service from Manchester/Huddersfield to York and beyond.

Which might be a benefit if Leeds/WYCA continue to add stations along the existing line (eg White Rose and Thorpe Park).

It also is a step towards a number of further electrification fill in routes.

Perhaps (I say, putting the tinfoil hat on) a need to avoid a bottleneck east of Leeds could be met by reopening Healey Mills? *ducks for cover*

As for infill routes, I count:

• Milford Jn - Hambleton Jn (potentially on to Selby)
• Milford Jn - Micklefield
• Normanton/Castleford delta Jn - Leeds via Woodlesford
• Hare Park Jn - Wakefield Kirkgate - Wakefield Westgate
• Horbury - Meadowhall (via Barnsley) - probably worthy of a scheme in its own right

It does facilitate this but is unlikely to happen because the actual benefits to services on those routes is very low. Strategic network effects of electrification are happy bonuses, not driving forces. Also, freight isn't going to change until the entire route is wired. The most effective strategy is to wire key passenger runs until a critical mass is achieved at which point short freight avoiders and chords will become viable.

The tricky thing with the area around Leeds is knowing where to go after the Garforth route is done. While the south (Wakey W) and NW (Airedale) are done, and the SW (Dewsbury) is part and parcel of TRU works already, the clincher is 'where next?'
Should it be the north (i.e. York via Harrogate) or the SE (towards Castleford, Normanton & Knottingley) first?

 

[zwk500]

The tricky thing with the area around Leeds is knowing where to go after the Garforth route is done. While the south (Wakey W) and NW (Airedale) are done, and the SW (Dewsbury) is part and parcel of TRU works already, the clincher is 'where next?'
Should it be the north (i.e. York via Harrogate) or the SE (towards Castleford, Normanton & Knottingley) first?

I think any response I gave would be moved to speculative ideas by the mods!

 

[YorksLad12]

The tricky thing with the area around Leeds is knowing where to go after the Garforth route is done. While the south (Wakey W) and NW (Airedale) are done, and the SW (Dewsbury) is part and parcel of TRU works already, the clincher is 'where next?'
Should it be the north (i.e. York via Harrogate) or the SE (towards Castleford, Normanton & Knottingley) first?

I think any response I gave would be moved to speculative ideas by the mods!

Ditto. I'll see you over there shortly

On-topic, it'll be interesting to see how this one pans out; someone upthread made a comment about various road routes around Church Fenton and that bridge just south of the station. Could this form one, integrated project to include all those clearances (sorry - am sounding vague).

 

[snowball]

Press release on the upcoming closures around Victoria and Miles Platting:

Major railway improvements get underway around Manchester this month – passengers reminded to check their journeys

At the end of this month, railway engineers will be making major improvements to track and railway bridges between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria and Rochdale.

www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk

At the end of this month, railway engineers will be making major improvements to track and railway bridges between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge and Manchester Victoria and Rochdale.

This work is part of the multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). The project will improve connectivity in the North of England – providing faster, more reliable services for passengers travelling between York, Leeds and Manchester.

Between Saturday 31 July and Sunday 15 August, over 3000m of track is being upgraded to bring smoother, more reliable journeys. Major work will also be carried out on six bridges across Central Manchester.

This will mean changes to services between Yorkshire and Manchester. Network Rail, Northern and Transpennine Express have built a plan to keep passengers moving on trains across the Pennines as much as possible.

Some journeys may need to be completed partly by bus, primarily between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria. The latest, state-of-the-art buses will be available to passengers so they can travel in comfort throughout.

Passengers looking to travel over this period are being urged to check nationalrail.co.uk and continue to follow Government guidance around the use of public transport.

to see continued investment in the North of England’s railway as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade. And with these works this summer, we will see a better, more reliable railway for our customers.

...

The following changes to services will be in place between Saturday 31 July and Sunday 15 August:

Leeds – Manchester Victoria via Todmorden and Rochdale

Trains will start/terminate at Moston station.

Express buses will run between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria and between Manchester Victoria and Moston. No calling buses will run between Rochdale and Moston.

Ashton-under-Lyne – Manchester

• Trains will not run, but Metrolink services will be available to/from Manchester Piccadilly.
• On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 August only, Metrolink services will not run on the Ashton line due to engineering work. Replacement bus services will be in place for passengers.

Liverpool Lime Street – Newcastle

• Trains from Liverpool Lime Street will be diverted to run to/from Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly. Newcastle services will start/terminate at Manchester Piccadilly for onward connections.

Manchester – Leeds/York/Hull/Redcar

• Trains will divert to/from Manchester Piccadilly only

Stalybridge – Manchester via Guide Bridge

• Trains between Leeds (via Huddersfield) and Manchester Piccadilly will divert via Stalybridge and Guide Bridge.
• Buses will run between Stalybridge, Ashton-under-Lyne and Guide Bridge.

...

• Road closures:
  
  Some roads will be closed and diversions will be in place in Central Manchester while bridge reconstruction work takes place:
  
  • Closure of Dantzic Street:15 July – 25 August.
  • Closure of Gould Street 15 July – 25 August
  • Closure of Queens Road: 17 July – 16 August.
  • Closure of Irk Street: 15 July – 25 August
  • Closure of Aspin Lane: 15 July – 25 August
  • Closure of Bromley Street: 8 July – 30 August
• 
  Metrolink:
  
  Essential maintenance works are taking place across the Metrolink network at the same time to minimise overall disruption to passengers.
  
  • Between 31 July and 9 August, 14 – 16 August and 21 – 23 August, no services will operate through Victoria.
  • In addition, the Metrolink Eccles line will be closed between 19 July and 1 August and there will be additional changes to some services while work is carried out near to Piccadilly Gardens between 31 July and 6 August.
  • A bus replacement service will be in operation and additional staff will be out across the network to help customers.

 

[Roast Veg]

Perhaps (I say, putting the tinfoil hat on) a need to avoid a bottleneck east of Leeds could be met by reopening Healey Mills? *ducks for cover*

Good luck! You'll need a new road and some serious flood mitigation. Not to mention the silver birches have taken over. Good areas for parking on the north side though.

• Horbury - Meadowhall (via Barnsley) - probably worthy of a scheme in its own right

I walked the disused trackbed of this at the Horbury end not yesterday - a fair section is a public footpath. The bridges over the river and canal probably wouldn't need new decks, but definitely remedial work. Somebody has covered it in ballast, which makes walking on them rather fun.

 

[59CosG95]

Not much OLE work to report in the July 2021 work tracker for York - Church Fenton. There's a lot of track work going on from the 11t to the 26th from Church Fenton to Colton, lots of signal work throughout the month, etc.
There will be some additional piling going on around Braegate Lane/Colton Jn at the very end of the month - doubtless to close the small gap between the new structures and the existing Mk3b OLE.

 

[Ken H]

do you have to beef up the OHLE at places where trains will raise/drop pans habitually?

 

[snowball]

do you have to beef up the OHLE at places where trains will raise/drop pans habitually?

I think so, if they do it on the move. It has been done at various places on the GW, according to posts in the relevant thread over the years.

 

[D6975]

The tricky thing with the area around Leeds is knowing where to go after the Garforth route is done. While the south (Wakey W) and NW (Airedale) are done, and the SW (Dewsbury) is part and parcel of TRU works already, the clincher is 'where next?'
Should it be the north (i.e. York via Harrogate) or the SE (towards Castleford, Normanton & Knottingley) first?

I thought that Leeds-Selby-Hull was back on now? (dropped back in 2016)

 

[snowball]

I thought that Leeds-Selby-Hull was back on now? (dropped back in 2016)

Don't think so. All the documents in relation to the Hudds-Westtown TWAO application, for example, refer to the overall scheme as Manchester-Leeds-York.

I'm fairly sure that Selby-Hull hasn't been part of the scheme since I joined this board in 2013. I forget what date Micklefield-Selby was dropped.

Maybe I'm getting mixed up and others will remember better.

Hull is often mentioned as part of NPR but that's a separate scheme and still vague.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think so, if they do it on the move. It has been done at various places on the GW, according to posts in the relevant thread over the years.

Posts in the GW thread have explained on a couple of occasions that the changeover areas are not actually beefed up at all, they are just subject to increased monitoring by Network Rail.

 

[Glenn1969]

The docs also say there are no plans for 4 tracks beyond Westtown mentioning use of the existing tracks into Leeds. Why?

 

[Halish Railway]

The docs also say there are no plans for 4 tracks beyond Westtown mentioning use of the existing tracks into Leeds. Why?

There has never been a four track alignment east of Westtown, with the exception of Dewsbury station, so the implementation of four tracks would be difficult, although in my opinion there really ought to be a four tracks between Ravensthorpe and Dewsbury.

 

[billio]

Don't think so. All the documents in relation to the Hudds-Westtown TWAO application, for example, refer to the overall scheme as Manchester-Leeds-York.

I'm fairly sure that Selby-Hull hasn't been part of the scheme since I joined this board in 2013. I forget what date Micklefield-Selby was dropped.

Maybe I'm getting mixed up and others will remember better.

Hull is often mentioned as part of NPR but that's a separate scheme and still vague.

Electrifying Leeds to Hull would help with short-term infill such as
- link to East Coasr main line
- to Doncaster
- from Selby north and south
- link to Church Fenton
And longer term :
- to Trans Pennine route near Dewsbury.

I don't quite understand, if you justify electrifying to Blackpool, why not to Hull with about twice the population, much more industry and a rail connected port.

 

[edwin_m]

The docs also say there are no plans for 4 tracks beyond Westtown mentioning use of the existing tracks into Leeds. Why?

As well as the practical difficulty, I imagine the reason is that a fast train from (or to) Manchester can overtake a stopper between Huddersfield and Westtown, but the distance between Westtown and Leeds is short enough that the stopper can get through it without being caught up by the next fast.

There has never been a four track alignment east of Westtown, with the exception of Dewsbury station, so the implementation of four tracks would be difficult, although in my opinion there really ought to be a four tracks between Ravensthorpe and Dewsbury.

The Leeds New Line was effectively the third and fourth tracks between Heaton Lodge and Leeds, but is long gone except for the first bit that now forms the Heaton Lodge diveunder.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I don't quite understand, if you justify electrifying to Blackpool, why not to Hull with about twice the population, much more industry and a rail connected port.

It's a good point, but the NW electrification was really Manchester-Preston, which has a large population along the route, and extends beyond Preston round the Fylde coast.
Blackpool is where many services terminate, and it is also a good place to turn round services and to have a decent maintenance facility.
By contrast, the 52 miles Leeds-Hull is pretty empty once out of the Leeds conurbation.
There's no equivalent to Preston on the line (ie a major interchange), in some ways that role falls to York, or Doncaster.

 

[507020]

I don't quite understand, if you justify electrifying to Blackpool, why not to Hull with about twice the population, much more industry and a rail connected port.

I believe the justification was only to have an electric terminus in a reasonable location, rather than have all the new electric services blocking through platforms on the West Coast Main Line at Preston as they had to reverse and lay over. I assume there are also tea bags and a kettle at Blackpool North. The consequence being 5.5tph in each direction between Preston and Blackpool, more than on some lines which run an intensive metro service.

 

[edwin_m]

Leeds to Hull is about three times further than Preston to Blackpool. Even Selby to Hull is significantly further.