Great Western Electrification Progress

Mikey C said:

A bit off topic but I always thought it was ridiculous (and a direct result I guess of the chaos surrounding the privatised railway in its early years) that when Heathrow Express was being planned, there was no plan to continue the wiring a bit further out and electrify many of the GWR commuter services 20 years ago...

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BR didn’t have the money nor interest to electrify the GW - the only reason it was electrified from Paddington to Airport Junction is because Heathrow Airport were paying for it. And then they only wired that which was necessary - all the goods loops/yards except Hayes Loop were left unwired - West Ealing has since been done for its conversion into an EMU light maintenance facility. Old Oak Common only had the sidings and connections necessary to provide a maintenance and stabling facility for Heathrow Express.

To this day that situation between Stockley and Paddington remains as-was.

Mikey C said:

A bit off topic but I always thought it was ridiculous (and a direct result I guess of the chaos surrounding the privatised railway in its early years) that when Heathrow Express was being planned, there was no plan to continue the wiring a bit further out and electrify many of the GWR commuter services 20 years ago...

Click to expand...

Heathrow Express was planned as a joint venture between BAA and BR, so the planning predates privatisation.

The Class 165 and 166s were being introduced at the time so the time to plan any electrification was when BR was planning to replace the old Pressed Steel dmus. But BR never had the money for such capital intensive exercises.

coppercapped said:

Heathrow Express was planned as a joint venture between BAA and BR, so the planning predates privatisation.

The Class 165 and 166s were being introduced at the time so the time to plan any electrification was when BR was planning to replace the old Pressed Steel dmus. But BR never had the money for such capital intensive exercises.

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Heathrow Express predated privatisation, but surely in other circumstances a project would have been out in place to continue the electrification out further. After all while the first Crossrail proposal was rejected in 1994, it never went away and even at stage Reading and the M4 corridor was a growing and prosperous area.

With the rolling electrification of the other DMU commuter lines in and around London in the previous 20 years (including under the Thatcher government), it's hard to imagine that without the mess of Railtrack etc the 1997 Labour government not wanting to continue this, especially with Prescott's intentions to reduce road traffic!

Mikey C said:

Heathrow Express predated privatisation, but surely in other circumstances a project would have been out in place to continue the electrification out further. After all while the first Crossrail proposal was rejected in 1994, it never went away and even at stage Reading and the M4 corridor was a growing and prosperous area.

With the rolling electrification of the other DMU commuter lines in and around London in the previous 20 years (including under the Thatcher government), it's hard to imagine that without the mess of Railtrack etc the 1997 Labour government not wanting to continue this, especially with Prescott's intentions to reduce road traffic!

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See JN114's reply above in post no. 9181.

Mikey C said:

With the rolling electrification of the other DMU commuter lines in and around London in the previous 20 years (including (ESPECIALLY) under the Thatcher government), it's hard to imagine that without the mess of Railtrack etc the 1997 Labour government not wanting to continue this, especially with Prescott's intentions to reduce road traffic!

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Err - ESPECIALLY the Thatcher government. In certain railway circles she is known as "The electrifier in Chief"

coppercapped said:

See JN114's reply above in post no. 9181.

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That was the situation in 1997 but it doesn't follow that a new government couldn't have put more money into BR (if it had still existed) and decided to electrify the sidings etc before a rolling programme

Mikey C said:

That was the situation in 1997 but it doesn't follow that a new government couldn't have put more money into BR (if it had still existed) and decided to electrify the sidings etc before a rolling programme

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But history demonstrates there was no money or interest - otherwise we wouldn’t be in the situation we are now.

BR had zero interest in electrifying the Great Western. BR(W) signalling as installed in the 60s and 70s was incompatible with electric traction; and was NOT life expired in the 1990s. Heathrow Airport paid for the necessary resignalling to enable electrification for the bits of railway they intended to run on - which saw the closure of Old Oak PSB and its replacement with Slough New IECC. With a further 20 years expected life out of existing assets not compatible with electrification; stagnant at best passenger numbers along the M4 corridor; and a poor business case for Crossrail Mk1 resulting in its shelving – BR/NSE went with Diesel units for fleet modernisation in the early 90s - it’s not as if with the rest of the Networker project there wasn’t already an AC design on the drawing board / production line of BR/NSE has wanted it.

Heathrow Electrification wasn’t an isolated scheme in the context of BR as a whole - it followed the successful wiring of the Birmingham Cross-City route, the ECML north of Hitchin, Leeds/Bradford/Ilkley and the BedPan line. You could argue it was scandalous that electrification didn’t continue beyond there; but with the exception of Heathrow all those schemes were to phase out life-expired assets. What was left beyond that was either infeasible or wasteful obsolescence of new or nearly new rolling stock and line side equipment.

With privatisation around the corner the last thing the government wanted to be doing was committing more massive capital expenditure upgrading infrastructure they were about to sell off at a knock-down price to Railtrack.

Plus, 1990s Electrification is generally the nasty headspan Mk3 equipment which falls down all the time (at least when installed on BR’s budget). I’m not sure we want a second East Coast Main Line...

GW Electrification (so far) has come at the right time. The signalling assets were reaching their 50 year lifespan from the mid-2010s onwards; similarly the high speed / long distance rolling stock was hitting the end of the bathtub curve for reliability. The requirement to replace both offered a sensible opportunity to wire the line.

A gentle, rolling electrification programme is good for the industry – the current indeterminate hiatus is not.

Personally I think we should be thankful BR did not electrify the GWML. It fixes so many infrastructure features in aspic; just imagine the additional complexity of remodelling Reading in 2010 if the original layout had been wired. Remember there were about 4 intermediate layouts and various slews, platform repositioning etc; this would have needed rewiring each time! This would have created an additional barrier to making the necessary capacity enhancements (which would have also been required earlier due to the likely ‘Sparks Effect’ that would have occurred earlier if BR wired.) BR were also good at over-rationalising prior to wiring to minimise costs - just look at York - which would have exacerbated this problem even more.

GWML Electrification: State of Play, as of week commencing 07/10/19.
All mileages given from Paddington, except where noted.
Paddington to Wootton Bassett Jct - LIVE

• All main line tracks wired as far as Wootton Bassett Jct, and are to be considered "live" as such. From Wootton Bassett Jct, the envelope of "live" wires continues along the South Wales Main Line to Filton Jct (inc. Bristol Parkway), and to the Limits of Wiring on the Berks & Hants line and Reading-Basingstoke Line; details are given below.
• TTCs have replaced/been replacing headspans at various locations within London - locations include Westway (beneath the A40), Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, and between Southall & H&H. These are part of the works for the Elizabeth Line.
• Everything wired at Reading (bar P4-6 which were never in the plan). Includes the TCD & the curves, down to Reading West (see B&H section).
• West of Didcot Parkway, all lines are wired & live heading towards Swindon.
• Everything wired at Swindon (bar the goods lines north of P1, where provision is provided).

Small Points

• ATF wires in operation from Maidenhead MPATS to Royal Wootton Bassett ATFS; Kensal Green ATFS to Maidenhead MPATS currently operating as boosterless classic but will be AT-ready in the near future. AT wires up along this stretch now; whether they are live remains to be seen.
• Parapet Work extended upwards at Southbury Lane Bridge, Ruscombe; the wing walls remain unfinished. Original Coping stones have now been replaced.
• Platforms all extended from Reading (exc.) to Didcot Parkway.
• Few masts and cantilevers now up on the Didcot Avoiding Line, which finish at Appleford; Appleford LC being the limit of structures for the time being.
• Oxford Lines west of Didcot Pkwy wired as far as the loco fuelling sdg; Down Oxford as far as 53m 31ch, Up Oxford as far as 53m 42ch. Didcot avoiding lines have sprouted masts (4 portals, 2 TTCs), with a wire pair over the Down Didcot Avoider.
• The AT Site just north of Radley is structurally complete, but no electrical connections have been made.
• The vast majority of piles have been installed between Didcot & Oxford; no piles were installed in the Oxford area (pending resignalling & remodelling works, and EWR Phase 1 junction works).
• A note on Steventon: Wires up under the High St Bridge (aka the "Brunel Bridge"); however, the bridge may well be demolished in CP6. "Temporary" parapet work to protect passers-by from stray currents now complete. Wires west of Causeway Crossing are only authorised for passenger service on 80x trains in both directions, however, 387s are allowed to run empty to/from Cocklebury sidings under AC. Modelling data suggests that electric trains can run safely beneath the bridge at 110mph. The discussion continues.
• Overruns through Swindon Jct (77m 36ch) onto the Golden Valley Line have also been wired.
• Swindon Cocklebury Sidings in operation for Class 387 stabling as of 2/1/19.

The "Main Line"; Wootton Bassett Jct - Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - LIVE
Until further notice, the 25kV transmission wires will run in a trough from Cocklebury Lane Bridge (just east of Chippenham) to Thingley Jct. Large steelwork is expected to remain in situ until wiring is authorised west of Thingley, but some specific items may be poached if required elsewhere (and duplicates aren't stored at RAF Wroughton). Details given in the "Postponements" section.

• Both lines are LIVE, signed off for passenger use, and in service from Wootton Bassett Jct to Christian Malford (93m 31ch) as of 0700 on 21/04/2019 (Easter Sunday).
• Catenary, contact & Earth wires are up over/adj. to both lines from Cocklebury Lane to Wootton Bassett Jct.
• Limit of AT Feeding: the Auto-Transformer Site at Christian Malford.

Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - Thingley Jct

• No piles in Chippenham station, nor any masts affixed to the viaduct.
• All piles in and majority of masts (and cantilevers) up from the western end of the viaduct to Thingley Junction ATFS. Most TTCs have booms from beyond the viaduct to Thingley East Junction. About 14 masts are up in the vicinity of the ATFS, 2 of which have TTC booms affixed. Another has an STC boom.
• Piles continue westwards to the next bridge.

Thingley Jct - Keynsham

• No wiring for the foreseeable future, but overbridges between Thingley Jct & Box Tunnel have all been rebuilt. Corsham Main Road Bridge needs its parapets raising. New aqueduct & footbridge at Corsham complete.
• Both Box & Middle Hill Tunnels have had track lowered.
• A new footbridge has been built at Ashley Box.
• Piles also in (and have been for over a year) at Ashley (beyond Box Tunnel) - these might well be trial piles.
• Bathampton Jct to beyond Sydney Gardens has had track lowered. A new signal gantry at Bathampton Jct was installed over Xmas 2017 and is now in use after the removal of the old gantry in May 2019.
• Bath Spa platforms realigned & raised, with track also slewed.
• Track through Oldfield Park & Keynsham now lowered.
• A lot of piles are in along the embankment around Saltford and Keynsham in readiness for future wiring.

South Wales Main Line (Wootton Bassett Jct-Bristol Parkway-Severn Tunnel-Newport-Cardiff)

Wootton Bassett Jct to Patchway Jct (inc. Bristol Parkway) - LIVE

• Wires from Wootton Bassett Jct to Bristol Parkway in passenger service since 30/12/18.
• All 6 through Lines at Bristol Parkway have been wired and are live.
• Live wires continue to Patchway Jct (112m 68ch) & Stoke Gifford IEP Depot; Chipping Sodbury Goods Loop and the Cheltenham Curve overrun (as far as the limit of wiring) are also fully wired and live.
  • Limit of Live Wires on the Filton Lines (+ Down Bristol Parkway Relief): 112m 23ch.
  • Limit of Live Wires on the Charfield Lines (from Westerleigh Jct): 120m 59ch.
• Filton Bank bridge works (mileages all from Temple Meads):
  • Easton Rd Overbridge (1m 18ch) completely rebuilt.
  • Narroways FB (2m 12ch) & Ashley Hill FB (3m 11ch) replaced.
  • Bonnington Walk Overbridge (3m 62ch) - parapets raised.
  • FB south of Filton Abbey Wood (4m 18ch) will need work if wiring is to occur.

Filton Jct - Severn Tunnel - Newport - St. Brides: LIVE

• Stoke Gifford IET Depot all wired and energised.
• Patchway Tunnels conductor rail installed.
• Wires extend westwards from Filton Jct through Patchway and Pilning (across all lines) to the Severn Tunnel (on BOTH lines).
• Severn Tunnel Conductor rail in place.
• All wires are now LIVE from Up & Down Tunnel Line structure "BSW 181/747" and Up & Down Bristol Line structure "BSW 181/200" to Relief Lines & Main Lines structure "SWM 220/160" (162m 01ch). This also includes:
  • Both Pilning Loops;
  • the Up Tunnel Loop;
  • the Up Branch Down Loop in East Usk Yard;
  • all 4 platforms at Newport; and
  • the Up/Down Goods Loop adjacent to ADJ Yard.
• The overruns at the following locations are also LIVE:
  • Main Lines + Down Relief from STJ to Caldicot structure "SWM 198/313" at 148m 33ch;
  • Up Service Line at structure "SWM 210/422" at 155m 78ch;
  • Up and Down Hereford Line at structure "HNL 213/668" at 41m 50ch (from the former Rotherwas Jn);
  • Gaer Branch Line at structure "SWM 216/293" at 159m 49ch; and
  • the Up/Dn Cardiff Curve at structure "SWM 216/844" at 0m 11ch.
  • Wires are now up over all lines (both Tunnel Lines, both Main Lines & the Down Relief) at STJ Station; this also includes the overruns on the mains towards Chepstow. Wires continue westwards to Somerton Rd Bridge (East Usk Yard); all 4 lines have C&C.
  • The Up Tunnel Loop between STJ & the Tunnel is fully wired.
  • Ground trunking installed at STJ in preparation for the electrical feed.
  • Feeder cables now hang from both the eastern set and western set of Switchgear Masts at STJ Feeder.
  • All previous gaps of C&C have now been closed between STJ & Newport.
  • 6-track portals, probably 'Vierendeels', going up around East Usk Yard (approx. MP157 1/2).
  • Switchgear installed on a TTC near Moorland Park, Newport.
  • Between the Maindee Jcts (157m 74ch to 158m 16ch), a cluster of piles is in beside the Down Relief; these are complemented by masted piles on the Main side (adjacent to the Up Main).
  • Both Up & Down Hereford Lines are wired between Maindee West Jct & Maindee North Jct (41m 03ch from the former Rotherwas Jct, just south of Hereford); the Limit of wires is just north of signal "NT 1559".
  • The gap between the Maindee Triangle (Caerleon Rd Bridge) & East Usk Yard (Somerton Rd Bridge) is closing, with the erection of a number of back-to-back non-Series 1 TTCs in East Usk Yard. The Reliefs are now fully wired between Somerton Rd & East Usk Yard.
  • At the AT Feeder Station at the Maindee Triangle, the tall masts have now gained their spanwires in readiness for the C&C below.
  • Wires are up over the Usk Bridge; C&C is now up over BOTH Relief lines from the Tensorex portal immediately east of the bridge, through P1 & the Through Lines at Newport and up to Hillfield Tunnel.
  
  Newport
  • Fully Wired.
  
  St. Brides - Cardiff
  • The western limit of live wires is at St. Brides ATFS, at structure "SWM 220/160" (162m 01ch), as of 11:00 on 14th of September 2019.
  • Wires up across all 4 tracks between Pengam Jct (168m 40ch) & Marshfield; these are assumed to continue to St. Brides.
  • About 4 or 5 portals have been erected just west of Pengam Jct; 5 masts are up on the Up side east of Rover Lane bridge, complemented by 2 on the Down side.
  • 1 run of C&C has gone up between Moorland Road Jct (168m 65ch) and Long Dyke Jct (169m 35ch) over the Reliefs; this is assumed to be a crossover as it crosses from one Relief line to the other.
  • Wires are now at Cardiff Intersection Bridge, and stop at the Tensorex overlap around Bute St.
  • Just east of St. Mary's St Bridge, 2 hexagonal Tensorex Portals have been erected over all tracks.
  • Over the bridge over St. Mary's Street in Cardiff (just east of Central), and immediately to the west of the bridge, 5 portal booms spanning all tracks have gone up.
  • Similar bespoke mast foundations are going in just east of Bute St Bridge, near the junction with the line from Queen Street.
  • Splott Rd Bridge upgrade work now complete.
  Cardiff Central - Platforms 0-4 to be wired
  • Re-signalling completed. Platform 0 now open.
  • All steelwork appears to be up through Platforms 0-4 (and the Through Roads), extending down to the tracks adjacent to Canton.
  • Brickwork Sidings to be increased in length (and electrified) to accommodate GWR Class 387s; the first masts and cantilevers have now gone up, with around 2 boomed TTCs and 2 STCs in position.
  • Proposed Limit of Wiring: Leckwith Loop North Jct (171m 55ch) at a guess.
  Swansea IEP Depot
  • New IEP Depot at Maliphant Sidings, Swansea now complete; all steelwork up. SPS, such as Insulators, Switchgear and Cantilevers have all been taken down, leaving only bare masts/booms in situ.
  
  GWML/SWML Blockade Works (2018):
  • 6/7 to 3/12: Reduced capacity (2 lines only) for wiring work between Newport & Cardiff Ctl.
  • 15/9 to 6/10, and 13/10 to 14/10: Bristol Parkway electrified.
  • 27/10 to 18/11, 24-25/11, 1-2/12: Filton Bank 4-tracked.
  • 11/11: Bristol TM to Bath Spa resignalled.
  • December blockades at Bristol Parkway & Didcot Parkway done.
  • Christmas-New Year Blockade at Severn Tunnel Jct done.
  
  GWML/SWML Blockade Works (2019):
  • 20/1/19, and 10/2/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work AT Cardiff Central; both done.
  • 17/2/19: Bristol Parkway to Newport blockaded for electrification work over the Usk Bridge at Newport; done.
  • 31/3/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work AT Cardiff Central; done.
  • 19/4/19 to 22/4/19, and 27/4/19 to 28/4/19: Bristol Parkway to Newport blockaded for electrification work in the Severn Tunnel Junction area; done.
  • 9/6/19, and 16/6/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 27/7/19 to 28/7/19: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 25/8/19 until 14:00: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 8/9/19 until 14:00: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 14/9/19 to 15/9/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for "the big switch-on"; done.
  • 22/9/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 29/9/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 13/10/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work.
  • 20/10/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work.
  • Details of any further OLE-related blockades will be added as they are made available.
  
  Berks & Hants Line (Reading-Newbury) - LIVE
  Electric trains in squadron service.
  • Wires from Oxford Rd Jct are LIVE to the limits of electrification (53m 42ch on the Newbury Lines, 38m 07ch on the Basingstoke Lines) since 0650 on 21/10/18.
  • Class 387s are now in service on Reading-Newbury services as of 31/12/18.
  • Within Reading West, piles for the new footbridge (under Murphy's remit) are in, but have been "decapitated" (i.e. shortened) and capped until a new footbridge solution is found.
  • Immunised signalling continues to about MP55 1/2.
  
  Project Postponements
  • Thames Valley Branches:
    • Windsor & Henley deferred to at least CP6. The first few yards of the Windsor branch (Not the Henley Branch) have been wired as an overrun.
    • Marlow removed from scope of current programme. The first few yards of the branch have been wired as an overrun.
    • Southcote Jct to Basingstoke deferred to at least CP6. The first few yards of the Basingstoke Lines have been wired as an overrun.
  • Appleford LC to Oxford paused; if CP6 accounts allow for wiring to be extended to Oxford, it would be very likely to happen now that Oxford has been remodelled.
  • Catenary & Contact wires between Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Overbridge) & Thingley Jct have been deferred until at least some point in CP6. All Large steelwork to remain, unless required elsewhere.
    
  • Bristol Temple Meads to Bath & Bristol Parkway paused, dependent on Bristol resignalling:
    • Taunton-Bristol Parkway completed over Easter 2018;
    • Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa completed in November 2018;
    • The WSM stretch from Flax Bourton Tunnel to Cogload Jct remains outstanding;
    • Track remodelling of Bristol East Jct remains outstanding;
    • Filton Bank 4-tracking completed Autumn 2018.
    • Further Signalling works due in 2019: Bath Spa due to be resignalled over the 11th/12th of May, and the 23rd of June (both done).
  • Bristol Temple Meads' "Midland Shed" to be reopened in CP6 at the earliest, after Bristol resignalling is complete and the PSB is demolished.
  As always, do let me know if I've missed anything!
  (apologies to anyone who saw it in a state of source code chaos too).

Re Steventon Bridge, trains are now running on electric at 110mph, so it would appear as though the matter has now been resolved.

oglord said:

Indeed, although that could well be extended after the timetable change in December, before complete running to/from Cardiff on the 28th December.

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Whilst there is every chance of Newport to Bristol parkway being live for passenger service in december. Cardiff to Newport will most likely not be signed off for traffic until the new year. This is because wiring through Cardiff central is still not complete ( aparently that is due to be done over the Christmas period)

Brissle Girl said:

Re Steventon Bridge, trains are now running on electric at 110mph, so it would appear as though the matter has now been resolved.

Click to expand...

So the original plan to demolish and rebuild was unnecessary. How many other bridges could have been retained? No wonder the project is over budget!

Grumbler said:

So the original plan to demolish and rebuild was unnecessary. How many other bridges could have been retained? No wonder the project is over budget!

Click to expand...

I think that's what's called a matter of opinion.

As the original electrification specification that Network Rail was given by the government required it to allow for the possibility of 140mph running in the future, that bridge would certainly have had to disappear (along with the adjacent level crossings, which are a key factor in the particular issues encountered at Stevenson) in order for that to happen. As it is, running at 110mph still requires a 15mph reduction from the maximum of 125mph that HSTs were allowed to run at.

Don't try to draw conclusions from one bridge to apply to others. In each case there were specific factors influencing whether things like the level of the track could be adjusted to allow enough clearance for overhead wires (and 9ft 6in shipping containers carried on standard flat wagons underneath the overhead) or not. Unless you are suggesting that having the GWML's 125 mph speed limit area broken into bits by a series of reduced speed limits under bridges was a sensible way to go.

Brissle Girl said:

Re Steventon Bridge, trains are now running on electric at 110mph, so it would appear as though the matter has now been resolved.

Click to expand...

110mph is not 125mph line speed.

Grumbler said:

So the original plan to demolish and rebuild was unnecessary. How many other bridges could have been retained? No wonder the project is over budget!

Click to expand...

No they have just taken the hit with a speed reduction and increased wire wear and maintenance instead.

Has the wiring corrosion issue in Severn Tunnel been resolved yet?

Grumbler said:

So the original plan to demolish and rebuild was unnecessary. How many other bridges could have been retained? No wonder the project is over budget!

Click to expand...

That is not a logical conclusion to my mind. The original budget included dealing with the bridge and so not doing that would have only reduced the costs. I understand that it is a cost for the local council now, should they wish to carry out works anyway.

mic505 said:

Has the wiring corrosion issue in Severn Tunnel been resolved yet?

Click to expand...

I've heard they're just accepting the increased wear and more regular replacement schedule whilst they search for a solution but I'm not sure how true that is as it was Facebook IIRC

Nick Ashwell said:

I've heard they're just accepting the increased wear and more regular replacement schedule whilst they search for a solution but I'm not sure how true that is as it was Facebook IIRC

Click to expand...

It wasn't wire wear it was earthing spikes into the structure.

The monitor regularly and replace as appropriate solution is the most sensible approach.

The reality is that the problems may change when it goes live so wait and see make sense.

hwl said:

The reality is that the problems may change when it goes live so wait and see make sense.

Click to expand...

It is live.

It’s not currently signed off for passenger use; but it is live.

JN114 said:

It is live.

It’s not currently signed off for passenger use; but it is live.

Click to expand...

Excellent, ideal opportunity to monitor any changes in corrosion rates before /after going live then!

JN114 said:

It is live.

It’s not currently signed off for passenger use; but it is live.

Click to expand...

Don't believe Severn Tunnel is live. Everything else in Wales is under "permanent" isolation while works continue.

59CosG95 said:

GWML Electrification: State of Play, as of week commencing 07/10/19.
All mileages given from Paddington, except where noted.
Paddington to Wootton Bassett Jct - LIVE

• All main line tracks wired as far as Wootton Bassett Jct, and are to be considered "live" as such. From Wootton Bassett Jct, the envelope of "live" wires continues along the South Wales Main Line to Filton Jct (inc. Bristol Parkway), and to the Limits of Wiring on the Berks & Hants line and Reading-Basingstoke Line; details are given below.
• TTCs have replaced/been replacing headspans at various locations within London - locations include Westway (beneath the A40), Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, and between Southall & H&H. These are part of the works for the Elizabeth Line.
• Everything wired at Reading (bar P4-6 which were never in the plan). Includes the TCD & the curves, down to Reading West (see B&H section).
• West of Didcot Parkway, all lines are wired & live heading towards Swindon.
• Everything wired at Swindon (bar the goods lines north of P1, where provision is provided).

Small Points

• ATF wires in operation from Maidenhead MPATS to Royal Wootton Bassett ATFS; Kensal Green ATFS to Maidenhead MPATS currently operating as boosterless classic but will be AT-ready in the near future. AT wires up along this stretch now; whether they are live remains to be seen.
• Parapet Work extended upwards at Southbury Lane Bridge, Ruscombe; the wing walls remain unfinished. Original Coping stones have now been replaced.
• Platforms all extended from Reading (exc.) to Didcot Parkway.
• Few masts and cantilevers now up on the Didcot Avoiding Line, which finish at Appleford; Appleford LC being the limit of structures for the time being.
• Oxford Lines west of Didcot Pkwy wired as far as the loco fuelling sdg; Down Oxford as far as 53m 31ch, Up Oxford as far as 53m 42ch. Didcot avoiding lines have sprouted masts (4 portals, 2 TTCs), with a wire pair over the Down Didcot Avoider.
• The AT Site just north of Radley is structurally complete, but no electrical connections have been made.
• The vast majority of piles have been installed between Didcot & Oxford; no piles were installed in the Oxford area (pending resignalling & remodelling works, and EWR Phase 1 junction works).
• A note on Steventon: Wires up under the High St Bridge (aka the "Brunel Bridge"); however, the bridge may well be demolished in CP6. "Temporary" parapet work to protect passers-by from stray currents now complete. Wires west of Causeway Crossing are only authorised for passenger service on 80x trains in both directions, however, 387s are allowed to run empty to/from Cocklebury sidings under AC. Modelling data suggests that electric trains can run safely beneath the bridge at 110mph. The discussion continues.
• Overruns through Swindon Jct (77m 36ch) onto the Golden Valley Line have also been wired.
• Swindon Cocklebury Sidings in operation for Class 387 stabling as of 2/1/19.

The "Main Line"; Wootton Bassett Jct - Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - LIVE
Until further notice, the 25kV transmission wires will run in a trough from Cocklebury Lane Bridge (just east of Chippenham) to Thingley Jct. Large steelwork is expected to remain in situ until wiring is authorised west of Thingley, but some specific items may be poached if required elsewhere (and duplicates aren't stored at RAF Wroughton). Details given in the "Postponements" section.

• Both lines are LIVE, signed off for passenger use, and in service from Wootton Bassett Jct to Christian Malford (93m 31ch) as of 0700 on 21/04/2019 (Easter Sunday).
• Catenary, contact & Earth wires are up over/adj. to both lines from Cocklebury Lane to Wootton Bassett Jct.
• Limit of AT Feeding: the Auto-Transformer Site at Christian Malford.

Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - Thingley Jct

• No piles in Chippenham station, nor any masts affixed to the viaduct.
• All piles in and majority of masts (and cantilevers) up from the western end of the viaduct to Thingley Junction ATFS. Most TTCs have booms from beyond the viaduct to Thingley East Junction. About 14 masts are up in the vicinity of the ATFS, 2 of which have TTC booms affixed. Another has an STC boom.
• Piles continue westwards to the next bridge.

Thingley Jct - Keynsham

• No wiring for the foreseeable future, but overbridges between Thingley Jct & Box Tunnel have all been rebuilt. Corsham Main Road Bridge needs its parapets raising. New aqueduct & footbridge at Corsham complete.
• Both Box & Middle Hill Tunnels have had track lowered.
• A new footbridge has been built at Ashley Box.
• Piles also in (and have been for over a year) at Ashley (beyond Box Tunnel) - these might well be trial piles.
• Bathampton Jct to beyond Sydney Gardens has had track lowered. A new signal gantry at Bathampton Jct was installed over Xmas 2017 and is now in use after the removal of the old gantry in May 2019.
• Bath Spa platforms realigned & raised, with track also slewed.
• Track through Oldfield Park & Keynsham now lowered.
• A lot of piles are in along the embankment around Saltford and Keynsham in readiness for future wiring.

South Wales Main Line (Wootton Bassett Jct-Bristol Parkway-Severn Tunnel-Newport-Cardiff)

Wootton Bassett Jct to Patchway Jct (inc. Bristol Parkway) - LIVE

• Wires from Wootton Bassett Jct to Bristol Parkway in passenger service since 30/12/18.
• All 6 through Lines at Bristol Parkway have been wired and are live.
• Live wires continue to Patchway Jct (112m 68ch) & Stoke Gifford IEP Depot; Chipping Sodbury Goods Loop and the Cheltenham Curve overrun (as far as the limit of wiring) are also fully wired and live.
  • Limit of Live Wires on the Filton Lines (+ Down Bristol Parkway Relief): 112m 23ch.
  • Limit of Live Wires on the Charfield Lines (from Westerleigh Jct): 120m 59ch.
• Filton Bank bridge works (mileages all from Temple Meads):
  • Easton Rd Overbridge (1m 18ch) completely rebuilt.
  • Narroways FB (2m 12ch) & Ashley Hill FB (3m 11ch) replaced.
  • Bonnington Walk Overbridge (3m 62ch) - parapets raised.
  • FB south of Filton Abbey Wood (4m 18ch) will need work if wiring is to occur.

Filton Jct - Severn Tunnel - Newport - St. Brides: LIVE

• Stoke Gifford IET Depot all wired and energised.
• Patchway Tunnels conductor rail installed.
• Wires extend westwards from Filton Jct through Patchway and Pilning (across all lines) to the Severn Tunnel (on BOTH lines).
• Severn Tunnel Conductor rail in place.
• All wires are now LIVE from Up & Down Tunnel Line structure "BSW 181/747" and Up & Down Bristol Line structure "BSW 181/200" to Relief Lines & Main Lines structure "SWM 220/160" (162m 01ch). This also includes:
  • Both Pilning Loops;
  • the Up Tunnel Loop;
  • the Up Branch Down Loop in East Usk Yard;
  • all 4 platforms at Newport; and
  • the Up/Down Goods Loop adjacent to ADJ Yard.
• The overruns at the following locations are also LIVE:
  • Main Lines + Down Relief from STJ to Caldicot structure "SWM 198/313" at 148m 33ch;
  • Up Service Line at structure "SWM 210/422" at 155m 78ch;
  • Up and Down Hereford Line at structure "HNL 213/668" at 41m 50ch (from the former Rotherwas Jn);
  • Gaer Branch Line at structure "SWM 216/293" at 159m 49ch; and
  • the Up/Dn Cardiff Curve at structure "SWM 216/844" at 0m 11ch.
  • Wires are now up over all lines (both Tunnel Lines, both Main Lines & the Down Relief) at STJ Station; this also includes the overruns on the mains towards Chepstow. Wires continue westwards to Somerton Rd Bridge (East Usk Yard); all 4 lines have C&C.
  • The Up Tunnel Loop between STJ & the Tunnel is fully wired.
  • Ground trunking installed at STJ in preparation for the electrical feed.
  • Feeder cables now hang from both the eastern set and western set of Switchgear Masts at STJ Feeder.
  • All previous gaps of C&C have now been closed between STJ & Newport.
  • 6-track portals, probably 'Vierendeels', going up around East Usk Yard (approx. MP157 1/2).
  • Switchgear installed on a TTC near Moorland Park, Newport.
  • Between the Maindee Jcts (157m 74ch to 158m 16ch), a cluster of piles is in beside the Down Relief; these are complemented by masted piles on the Main side (adjacent to the Up Main).
  • Both Up & Down Hereford Lines are wired between Maindee West Jct & Maindee North Jct (41m 03ch from the former Rotherwas Jct, just south of Hereford); the Limit of wires is just north of signal "NT 1559".
  • The gap between the Maindee Triangle (Caerleon Rd Bridge) & East Usk Yard (Somerton Rd Bridge) is closing, with the erection of a number of back-to-back non-Series 1 TTCs in East Usk Yard. The Reliefs are now fully wired between Somerton Rd & East Usk Yard.
  • At the AT Feeder Station at the Maindee Triangle, the tall masts have now gained their spanwires in readiness for the C&C below.
  • Wires are up over the Usk Bridge; C&C is now up over BOTH Relief lines from the Tensorex portal immediately east of the bridge, through P1 & the Through Lines at Newport and up to Hillfield Tunnel.
  
  Newport
  • Fully Wired.
  
  St. Brides - Cardiff
  • The western limit of live wires is at St. Brides ATFS, at structure "SWM 220/160" (162m 01ch), as of 11:00 on 14th of September 2019.
  • Wires up across all 4 tracks between Pengam Jct (168m 40ch) & Marshfield; these are assumed to continue to St. Brides.
  • About 4 or 5 portals have been erected just west of Pengam Jct; 5 masts are up on the Up side east of Rover Lane bridge, complemented by 2 on the Down side.
  • 1 run of C&C has gone up between Moorland Road Jct (168m 65ch) and Long Dyke Jct (169m 35ch) over the Reliefs; this is assumed to be a crossover as it crosses from one Relief line to the other.
  • Wires are now at Cardiff Intersection Bridge, and stop at the Tensorex overlap around Bute St.
  • Just east of St. Mary's St Bridge, 2 hexagonal Tensorex Portals have been erected over all tracks.
  • Over the bridge over St. Mary's Street in Cardiff (just east of Central), and immediately to the west of the bridge, 5 portal booms spanning all tracks have gone up.
  • Similar bespoke mast foundations are going in just east of Bute St Bridge, near the junction with the line from Queen Street.
  • Splott Rd Bridge upgrade work now complete.
  Cardiff Central - Platforms 0-4 to be wired
  • Re-signalling completed. Platform 0 now open.
  • All steelwork appears to be up through Platforms 0-4 (and the Through Roads), extending down to the tracks adjacent to Canton.
  • Brickwork Sidings to be increased in length (and electrified) to accommodate GWR Class 387s; the first masts and cantilevers have now gone up, with around 2 boomed TTCs and 2 STCs in position.
  • Proposed Limit of Wiring: Leckwith Loop North Jct (171m 55ch) at a guess.
  Swansea IEP Depot
  • New IEP Depot at Maliphant Sidings, Swansea now complete; all steelwork up. SPS, such as Insulators, Switchgear and Cantilevers have all been taken down, leaving only bare masts/booms in situ.
  
  GWML/SWML Blockade Works (2018):
  • 6/7 to 3/12: Reduced capacity (2 lines only) for wiring work between Newport & Cardiff Ctl.
  • 15/9 to 6/10, and 13/10 to 14/10: Bristol Parkway electrified.
  • 27/10 to 18/11, 24-25/11, 1-2/12: Filton Bank 4-tracked.
  • 11/11: Bristol TM to Bath Spa resignalled.
  • December blockades at Bristol Parkway & Didcot Parkway done.
  • Christmas-New Year Blockade at Severn Tunnel Jct done.
  
  GWML/SWML Blockade Works (2019):
  • 20/1/19, and 10/2/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work AT Cardiff Central; both done.
  • 17/2/19: Bristol Parkway to Newport blockaded for electrification work over the Usk Bridge at Newport; done.
  • 31/3/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work AT Cardiff Central; done.
  • 19/4/19 to 22/4/19, and 27/4/19 to 28/4/19: Bristol Parkway to Newport blockaded for electrification work in the Severn Tunnel Junction area; done.
  • 9/6/19, and 16/6/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 27/7/19 to 28/7/19: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 25/8/19 until 14:00: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 8/9/19 until 14:00: Bristol Parkway to Cardiff Central blockaded for electrification work; done.
  • 14/9/19 to 15/9/19: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for "the big switch-on"; done.
  • 22/9/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 29/9/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
  • 13/10/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work.
  • 20/10/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work.
  • Details of any further OLE-related blockades will be added as they are made available.
  
  Berks & Hants Line (Reading-Newbury) - LIVE
  Electric trains in squadron service.
  • Wires from Oxford Rd Jct are LIVE to the limits of electrification (53m 42ch on the Newbury Lines, 38m 07ch on the Basingstoke Lines) since 0650 on 21/10/18.
  • Class 387s are now in service on Reading-Newbury services as of 31/12/18.
  • Within Reading West, piles for the new footbridge (under Murphy's remit) are in, but have been "decapitated" (i.e. shortened) and capped until a new footbridge solution is found.
  • Immunised signalling continues to about MP55 1/2.
  
  Project Postponements
  • Thames Valley Branches:
    • Windsor & Henley deferred to at least CP6. The first few yards of the Windsor branch (Not the Henley Branch) have been wired as an overrun.
    • Marlow removed from scope of current programme. The first few yards of the branch have been wired as an overrun.
    • Southcote Jct to Basingstoke deferred to at least CP6. The first few yards of the Basingstoke Lines have been wired as an overrun.
  • Appleford LC to Oxford paused; if CP6 accounts allow for wiring to be extended to Oxford, it would be very likely to happen now that Oxford has been remodelled.
  • Catenary & Contact wires between Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Overbridge) & Thingley Jct have been deferred until at least some point in CP6. All Large steelwork to remain, unless required elsewhere.
    
  • Bristol Temple Meads to Bath & Bristol Parkway paused, dependent on Bristol resignalling:
    • Taunton-Bristol Parkway completed over Easter 2018;
    • Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Spa completed in November 2018;
    • The WSM stretch from Flax Bourton Tunnel to Cogload Jct remains outstanding;
    • Track remodelling of Bristol East Jct remains outstanding;
    • Filton Bank 4-tracking completed Autumn 2018.
    • Further Signalling works due in 2019: Bath Spa due to be resignalled over the 11th/12th of May, and the 23rd of June (both done).
  • Bristol Temple Meads' "Midland Shed" to be reopened in CP6 at the earliest, after Bristol resignalling is complete and the PSB is demolished.
  As always, do let me know if I've missed anything!
  (apologies to anyone who saw it in a state of source code chaos too).

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There's another blockade scheduled in Wales for Week 30, 18-21 Oct 19.

Fougasse said:

Don't believe Severn Tunnel is live. Everything else in Wales is under "permanent" isolation while works continue.

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Despite the notices to treat everything as far as 162m 01ch as live since September 14th?

59CosG95 said:

Despite the notices to treat everything as far as 162m 01ch as live since September 14th?

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Yes. Once it has been energised, as it was in Week 25 for testing, it must be regarded as live and normal isolation procedures apply.

I’ve been told the tunnel isn’t live, they’ve not been able to get it on. However, I’m not going to be the one to touch it and find out.

On the welsh side at least there are ‘change of mode’ boards near Magor for up trains currently covered up. Whether this will apply to all trains or just trains continuing via Lydney I’m not sure.

JN114 said:

BR didn’t have the money nor interest to electrify the GW - the only reason it was electrified from Paddington to Airport Junction is because Heathrow Airport were paying for it. And then they only wired that which was necessary - all the goods loops/yards except Hayes Loop were left unwired - West Ealing has since been done for its conversion into an EMU light maintenance facility. Old Oak Common only had the sidings and connections necessary to provide a maintenance and stabling facility for Heathrow Express.

To this day that situation between Stockley and Paddington remains as-was.

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The WCML was in dire need of investment in the latter days of BR.I think that would have got priority if there was any cash to spare.

stj said:

The WCML was in dire need of investment in the latter days of BR.I think that would have got priority if there was any cash to spare.

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The WCML was only 110mph and most of its southern half was untouched since the 1960s electrification which actually left quite a lot of older stuff still in place. Most of the ECML and GWML were upgraded more recently than that.

The HSTs displaced by ECML electrification were mostly transferred to Midland and Cross Country but electrifying the GWML before privatization would have displaced more HSTs with no obvious place for them to go, and the government wouldn't have looked kindly on premature replacement of stock.

edwin_m said:

The WCML was only 110mph and most of its southern half was untouched since the 1960s electrification which actually left quite a lot of older stuff still in place. Most of the ECML and GWML were upgraded more recently than that.

The HSTs displaced by ECML electrification were mostly transferred to Midland and Cross Country but electrifying the GWML before privatization would have displaced more HSTs with no obvious place for them to go, and the government wouldn't have looked kindly on premature replacement of stock.

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But then I don't think anyone (and I certainly wasn't) was suggesting electrifying the whole GWML in the 90s but rather the commuter services, which would have displaced Turbos which could have been used elsewhere. Effectively it would have replicated the Bedpan scheme where commuter trains were EMUs and the Inter City services HSTs.

Mikey C said:

But then I don't think anyone (and I certainly wasn't) was suggesting electrifying the whole GWML in the 90s but rather the commuter services, which would have displaced Turbos which could have been used elsewhere. .

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Get the timing right and diesel Networkers (165/166) are built as electric in the first place.