• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Great Western Electrification Progress

Status
Not open for further replies.
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Mag_seven

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
1 Sep 2014
Messages
9,994
Location
here to eternity
So I wasn't imagining the pan dropping as I stepped off a westbound IET at Swindon tonight! I assume there is still no electric running west of the station?
 
Joined
9 Nov 2017
Messages
260
So I wasn't imagining the pan dropping as I stepped off a westbound IET at Swindon tonight! I assume there is still no electric running west of the station?
Not yet. Electric services onwards to Wootton Bassett and Bristol Parkway will come in January.
 

Dai Corner

Established Member
Joined
20 Jul 2015
Messages
6,316
Network Rail have officially launched electric operation to Swindon

https://twitter.com/networkrailwest/status/1057871330819883008?s=21

Today is a big day for #Swindon as we officially launch electric services from London Paddington to Swindon.


Passengers will benefit from a new train fleet with @GWRHelp with more seats and better facilities.


‍♂️#TracksideToby has been down to the station to explain more.
 

Railperf

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2017
Messages
2,923
It is the same train fleet albeit running in electric mode rather than diesel. of course the HST's will eventually disappear completely. Are the 387's going to serve beyond Didcot to Swindon?
 

JN114

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Messages
3,346
It is the same train fleet albeit running in electric mode rather than diesel. of course the HST's will eventually disappear completely. Are the 387's going to serve beyond Didcot to Swindon?

Not initially in passenger service - there are certain staffing agreement hurdles to overcome, there will be some stabling at Swindon Cocklebury in the not too distant future though.
 
Joined
9 Nov 2017
Messages
260
of course the HST's will eventually disappear completely
They'll still be kept as the 2+4 'Castle' units in the West Country.

I've also heard that GWR are now proposing to keep x8 full sets in reserve to cover for IET failures. Admittedly I've not seen anything official for that, only second-hand info.
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,267
I've also heard that GWR are now proposing to keep x8 full sets in reserve to cover for IET failures. Admittedly I've not seen anything official for that, only second-hand info.
That’s been shot down in the rolling stock forum numerous times, usually by the very reliable Clarence Yard...
 
Last edited:

Railperf

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2017
Messages
2,923
So to clarify...what is the plan for electric services to/from Swindon and beyond if any? Will there be an extension of London to Didcot stopping services? And if so, will that mean fewer IET's stopping at Swindon in the long term? Also when will the section towards Chippenham go live - or will that be only once the wiring to Thingley Jn is completed?
 

swt_passenger

Veteran Member
Joined
7 Apr 2010
Messages
31,267
The 2015 stakeholder brief mentioned “morning peak only” Swindon starters on Thames Valley services, from Dec 2018. I’ve never seen any subsequent official confirmation of if or when it might ever happen. However they are providing EMU stabling at Swindon.
 

JN114

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Messages
3,346
So to clarify...what is the plan for electric services to/from Swindon and beyond if any? Will there be an extension of London to Didcot stopping services? And if so, will that mean fewer IET's stopping at Swindon in the long term? Also when will the section towards Chippenham go live - or will that be only once the wiring to Thingley Jn is completed?

No firm plans for regular 387 passenger services beyond Didcot at the present time, short or long term. Once the wires reach Cardiff they may be used occasionally on crowd-busting trains after special events.

Wires to Chippenham/Thingley I think is some point mid-late 2019.
 

jimm

Established Member
Joined
6 Apr 2012
Messages
5,230
The 2015 stakeholder brief mentioned “morning peak only” Swindon starters on Thames Valley services, from Dec 2018. I’ve never seen any subsequent official confirmation of if or when it might ever happen. However they are providing EMU stabling at Swindon.

But the stakeholder briefings never mentioned what type of rolling stock might be used on peak extras starting at Swindon. I seem to recall it was mentioned in another thread they were likely to be IETs.

The stabling at Swindon is only being provided because 387s cannot get to the nice new sidings laid out for them at Oxford and the need to vacate the Crossrail sidings at Maidenhead that GWR has been able to borrow until now.
 

Railperf

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2017
Messages
2,923
getting back on-topic to the infrastructure - lol, I was found this snippet in Network Rails literature on GWML electrification -

"The key point is that electrification will allow the provision for future line speeds but will offer journey time reductions: journeys between London and South Wales will be reduced by approximately 15-20 minutes – this will be achieved through faster rolling stock acceleration"

I guess they will say that is all the way to Swansea, and time gains will be lower now that electrification is being limited to Cardiff!!
 

Railperf

Established Member
Joined
30 Oct 2017
Messages
2,923
A colleague of mine has worked out that the time loss - lowering pantographs at Moreton cutting - diesel power through Steventon - then raising pantograph and reaccelerating back to 125mph costs around 20 seconds time loss for non-stopping trains. Those stopping at Didcot westbound lose further time as they have to accelerate from Dicot in diesel mode.
 

td97

Established Member
Joined
26 Jul 2017
Messages
1,292
No hold up per se, Network Rail just want to ensure everything runs smoothly in the down direction before allowing up trains to do the same. Up trains should be able to use the wires through the same section from the following week (Sunday 4th November).
Are the IETs now enjoying electric power from Swindon eastwards?
Edit: apart from the problematic bridge/level crossing in the Steventon area
 
Last edited:

FGW_DID

Established Member
Joined
23 Jun 2011
Messages
2,724
Location
81E
Are the IETs now enjoying electric power from Swindon eastwards?
Edit: apart from the problematic bridge/level crossing in the Steventon area

It would appear not, word is that, electric running Swindon towards Causeway Crossing (Steventon) suspended UFN.

Don’t know why!
 

59CosG95

Established Member
Joined
18 Aug 2013
Messages
6,477
Location
Between Peterborough & Bedlington
Why would the 387s need to work to Swindon anyway?
They'll be stabling at Swindon Cocklebury Sidings, because
  • By the end of the year, they won't be able to stable at Maidenhead any longer; and
  • The sidings for them at Oxford aren't yet ready to take 387s (unsurprising, as there's no wires up there yet!)
I can't see them working passenger services into Swindon itself.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top