Great Western Electrification Progress

spark001uk said:

I'm curious - why are there runs of decorative gold discs hanging on the catenary wires in several places in the Hayes / Southall area? Are they just that, decorations??

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World-first rollout for British technology innovation set to deliver a more punctual railway

A new delay-busting traffic management system on the Great Western Railway will boost performance on train journeys between London Paddington and Bristol Parkway.

Thanks to a two-year contract agreed between Network Rail and the British signalling and train control specialist Resonate, a one-year trial of Luminate traffic management system could see reactionary delays reduced by up to 15 per cent.

Traffic management systems on the railway manage and monitor the flow of trains, identifying conflicts, allowing plans to be changed, and so more effectively reduce delays and the impact to passengers.

The system takes into account the different types of trains and services operating across the network, forecasting their forward journey and highlighting any potential conflicts or delay. When disruption occurs, traffic management enables real-time re-planning to happen quickly so that train services can get back to normal as fast as possible, minimising delays. This benefits train and freight operating companies and passengers alike.

The project to deploy the system has already started. Once finished in June 2018, the trial will run for a year until 2019.

"This is a really exciting time on the railway and particularly on the Western route as we move towards a more efficient digital railway and introduce a fleet of new modern trains. On a crowded network one issue can cause several delays so any opportunity to improve train performance for passengers and freight and deliver real measurable passenger benefits is welcome. Being a devolved route organisation has enabled us to move faster and get this trial up and running quickly in a new, innovative way."
- Mark Langman, Western route managing director, Network Rail

Network Rail and Resonate have agreed an innovative and ground-breaking way to finance the project so that the cost to Network Rail and the taxpayer is minimal and the financial benefits will be shared. In practice, this means that Resonate is picking up much of the costs to install and run the system. If reactionary delays reduce as predicted, compensation paid to train operating companies will also shrink and the money saved shared between Network Rail and Resonate.

"Thousands of passengers will benefit from the introduction of this cutting edge technology that could reduce train delays by up to 15 per cent on the main lines out of London Paddington. We have also revolutionised the way we work with suppliers in the last year so that together, we can deliver real improvements to the railway and show measurable passenger benefits. Early contractor involvement and true partnership working is at the heart of all Digital Railway proposals. The pace at which we have designed and will deliver this trial is a testament to that approach. We need our partners in the supply chain to be 100 per cent invested in the products they provide for us, so why not share the costs and share the benefits? That’s the way to produce first-rate improvements to the railway. We’re not interested in paying a fortune for a product and then when challenges come our way, as they inevitably do, having none of the product expertise in the organisation to deal with them. I’m delighted to be working with Resonate on this project to improve performance on the Great Western railway. The last remaining British signalling company, it has a stellar track record and will undoubtedly be a great partner to implement this trial by early summer 2018."
- David Waboso, group managing director for Digital Railway

"Digital Railway’s enlightened and open collaborative approach to early contractor involvement was the catalyst for our proposal. Understanding the outcomes required, as well as the business case, enabled us to make a ground-breaking commercial offer. We are delighted that our digital platform, developed in the UK, will be used on this busy and complex route to reduce train delays. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Digital Railway and the Western route to improve passenger journeys."
- Anna Ince, chief executive officer at Resonate

The Department for Transport has been working very closely with the Digital Railway team on numerous proposals and business cases to increase capacity and improve performance on Britain’s railway.

"Digital railway technologies will allow us to safely and securely put more trains on our network. This means more service, more space and more choice for passengers, and we have always said that we want to see passengers at the heart of everything we do on the railway. I am delighted to see Network Rail choosing to work closely with an innovative, British company to realise the benefits that digital technologies can bring to passengers and the economy."
- Rail Minister Paul Maynard

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snowball said:

Not strictly electrification:

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds...ation-set-to-deliver-a-more-punctual-railway/

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jimm said:

How about reading a few previous posts before posting?

I said the GWR diversions were going via Bicester Village when I posted that Reading would be shut for testing of the overhead, on the previous page in post 5229.

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jyte said:

Oh great another IT system that'll fail......
Interesting how little that press release manages to say whilst also saying so much.

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LNW-GW Joint said:

I think this means NR has dumped the previous trial Train Management systems at Romford and Cardiff.
It's also turned into a PFI contract.
Roger Ford covers the scene in April Modern Railways.

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spark001uk said:

Perhaps you would care to get your facts in order, rather than concentrating so much on unravelling that vitriol tongue at other members. Post #5229 says nothing of the sort.

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jimm said:

Silly me, well try 5227, all of two posts above that, so obviously very hard to find, where the words Bicester Village did appear...

And that was the only post mentioning the blockade and diversion (unless you count the subsequent one asking about routing in London) before you posted, hence my 'vitriol' about a question to which the answer was already there in black and white.

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snowball said:

The press release also seems to draw attention to how strapped for cash NR is by saying the system will be installed for free and Resonate will be paid later out of the savings.

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spark001uk said:

Yes I'm aware of that now, my point is the majority of folk aren't so rude about such things, they point out something has been said already in a friendly manner. Politeness costs nothing!

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NETWORK Rail have thanked commuters for their ‘patience and understanding’ after electrification works brought trains out of Chippenham to Swindon and London grinding to a halt this week.

Three groups of railway workers have been busy on the mammoth £3.5m project on the line through north Wiltshire, working near Dauntsey and Langley Burrell where a new drainage culvert was installed and labouring to lower the track under two listed bridges to allow new electric train services to run on the line later this year.

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edwin_m said:

Roger Ford has been arguing for some time that Resonate should be given a chance at installing their system. Previously DeltaRail, previously AEA Technology, previously BR Research they were the originators of the ARS system and by installing traffic management on top of their own system at TVSC they ought to have a better chance of making it work than the third party suppliers elsewhere. So if that system doesn't give much benefit then the competitors will have to do a lot of selling to convice NR that their own will do any better.

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snowball said:

The press release also seems to draw attention to how strapped for cash NR is by saying the system will be installed for free and Resonate will be paid later out of the savings.

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hwl said:

Roger bigging up his long term chums in Derby again...

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hwl said:

Roger bigging up his long term chums in Derby again...

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imagination said:

Is the digging/drilling that's been going on at platform 1 at Twyford for the last week or so anything to do with electrification or is it something different?

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Rail passengers are being urged to check before they travel ahead of essential electrification work in Cardiff, which forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan for Wales.

Services between Newport and Cardiff will be reduced between 19 August and 3 September 2017, with rail replacement buses in operation between the two cities over the August bank holiday.

Travelling over the bank holiday weekend?

There will be no trains between Newport and Cardiff over the August bank holiday weekend (Saturday 26 August – 13:00 on Monday 28 August), with replacement buses running instead.
Services will continue to run between Swansea and Cardiff.
Services to London will start at Newport and will be diverted via Patchway instead of Bristol Parkway due to upgrade work.

From 23 September to 29 October 2017, a second phase of electrification work on the eastern approach to Cardiff Central station will see services between Cardiff and Newport reduced during the week and at weekends, with some rail replacement bus services in operation. Over the six weekends, the Severn Tunnel will also be closed for annual maintenance, so there will be reduced services between Cardiff and London Paddington, with a diversion through Gloucester.

Network Rail will host a public drop-in event at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Bute Terrace, in Cardiff city centre, on Monday 24 July between 3pm and 7pm. Members of the project team will be on hand to answer any questions about the works and no appointments are necessary.

Andy Thomas, Network Rail route managing director for Wales, said: “We recognise that passengers will face some disruption, and we understand how frustrating this can be but this work is essential in preparing Cardiff for new electric trains as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan.

“We would like to thank passengers for their ongoing patience as we undertake this essential engineering work. We will continue to work closely with our partners at Arriva Trains Wales and Great Western Railway to ensure passengers are able to get to where they need to be during this period.”

GWR’s development manager Wales Mark Youngman said:

“The first Intercity Express Train to enter passenger service is just a number of months away; providing over a fifth more seats per train and, with the completion of electrification, quicker journeys.

“The work next month is a key part of Network Rail’s upgrade plans, helping GWR to take full advantage of our new fleet and the greatest step-change in experience for our passengers in a generation.”

Lynne Milligan, customer services director at Arriva Trains Wales said: “We will be working closely with our partners in Network Rail to ensure our customers experience as little disruption to their journeys as possible whilst this essential work goes ahead. All customers should look to plan ahead before travel so they are aware whether there is an impact on their journey.”

Passengers are urged to ‘check before they travel’ as journeys will be less frequent and may be longer during these works.

More detail on the diverted rail services and replacement buses as well as up to date journey information can be found via www.nationalrail.co.uk or by calling Travel Line Cymru on 0800 464 0000.

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The railway line between Chippenham and Swindon re-opened today (Monday 17 July) after Network Rail completed a £3.5m drainage upgrade and track-lowering project, improving reliability of the railway through the area and paving the way for a new fleet of trains.

More than 550 Network Rail engineers put in more than 10,000 accumulative working hours to complete the project at Dauntsey, which forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan.

The track has been lowered under two listed bridges, which will allow Great Western Railway (GWR)’s new Intercity Express Trains to run on the line later this year; providing more seats, more frequent services and more comfortable journeys for passengers.

In addition to the track lowering, engineers have also installed a drainage culvert which will help reduce the chance of the line flooding in the future.

The site was handed back three hours ahead of schedule, allowing services to resume as normal at 6am.

Simon Spencer, programme manager for Network Rail, said: “We are pleased to hand back this site ahead of schedule this morning with as little disruption caused to passengers as possible.

“I’d like to thank passengers for their patience while we have undertaken this vital upgrade work and I’d also like to thank our engineers, who worked quickly and safely to complete this work.

“This work is another important part of our Railway Upgrade Plan, delivering significant investment into the railway network to provide a better, more reliable railway for passengers.”

GWR Operations Director Rob Mullen said:“We would like to thank passengers for their patience during the past week as Network Rail modernise the railway.

“The first Intercity Express Train to enter passenger service is just a number of months away; providing over a fifth more seats per train and with the completion of electrification quicker journeys – and the greatest step-change in experience for our passengers in a generation.”

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Colly405 said:

Not strictly GW electrification, but associated works...

The publicity for the works around BPW over the summer mentions making the existing stormwater lagoon at Chipping Sudbury to 8 times it's size.

Where is this, and is it in the open or underground?

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Colly405 said:

Not strictly GW electrification, but associated works...

The publicity for the works around BPW over the summer mentions making the existing stormwater lagoon at Chipping Sudbury to 8 times it's size.

Where is this, and is it in the open or underground?

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coppercapped said:

It's Chipping Sodbury, not Sudbury, and it's on the GWR's Badmington line just east of Westerleigh Junction - it can be found on the map. The tunnel there has a history of flooding and a couple of years ago a lot of work was done to improve the drainage. At the time of the work it was stated that one of the issues was that the outfall from the tunnel was close to the level of the Avon which after heavy rain was also full. It looks as if the enlargement of the lagoon is to increase the buffer between the tunnel and the river.

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coppercapped said:

It's Chipping Sodbury, not Sudbury, and it's on the GWR's Badmington line just east of Westerleigh Junction - it can be found on the map. The tunnel there has a history of flooding and a couple of years ago a lot of work was done to improve the drainage. At the time of the work it was stated that one of the issues was that the outfall from the tunnel was close to the level of the Avon which after heavy rain was also full. It looks as if the enlargement of the lagoon is to increase the buffer between the tunnel and the river.

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Hartington said:

Badmington or Badminton?

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Plans to electrify the Great Western Railway line between Cardiff and Swansea have been scrapped, the UK's transport secretary has said.
Chris Grayling told the Western Mail a faster journey between the cities would be achieved without the "needless disruption of engineering works".

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LNW-GW Joint said:

Cardiff-Swansea electrification has been cancelled, according to the BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-40665659


Probably the first of several such announcements, as part of the CP6 HLOS process.
The phrase "needless disruption" is telling.
The future is evidently bi-mode.

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