MML Electrification: progress updates

Helvellyn said:

Isn't Rushden the largest or second largest town without its own rail station now? Yet no public transport links to Wellingborough station.

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Merle Haggard said:

Quite likely; Corby was the largest town in England (and possibly in Europe) without a railway station, and when the station did open, it was a while before it had a train service...

But it's in Northamptonshire; the population of a quarter of a million between Corby and Wellingborough via Kettering and the A6 towns NEVER want to go North, obvs, and if they're going to London a suburban unit with no facilities is a wonderful improvement over Meridians because it's got hundreds of empty seats.

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Grumpy Git said:

I thought that Haverhill was one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station?

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Grumpy Git said:

I thought that Haverhill was one of the largest towns in the UK without a railway station?

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vic-rijrode said:

Gosport's population is over 82,000 and its station closed to passengers in 1953...
However it does have the Gosport ferry to Portsmouth!

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InTheEastMids said:

Returning to topic, the prime minister promised in an interview with BBC East Midlands Today that, if re-elected, the MML electrification would be completed to Nottingham/Sheffield.

The temptation to put this news in the Speculative Ideas section was quite strong

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• In the Cricklewood area, around 13 new structures are gradually being erected; these are confirmed to be part of the works for the new Brent Cross West station.
• Just south of Sundon FS, Lower Farm Rd ATFS is being commissioned - this will allow for a increase in electric traction on the route.
• From structure "SPC1 79/659/DF", just north of the Great Ouse Viaduct, new masts are going up on either side of the Fast tracks to support Bonomi Omnia (i.e. S2/UKMS) cantilevers. All of them appear to be up.
• Just south of the new Sectioning AT site (?) south of Bedford, 2 pairs of spanwire Feeder masts (for switching) are being installed; the more northerly pair's mast adj. to the Up Fast has yet to be installed.

• Work to raise Ford End Rd bridge is now complete.
• On the Fast side, behind Bedford P4's fence, masts to support troughing appear to have been erected. These may carry feeder cables or similar.
• 3 Twin Track Cantilevers (TTCs) are going up behind Platform 4 (the Down Fast platform); none have their booms yet. 2 portals are also due to go up over the Fasts.
  • North of the station footbridge, the northern portal is due to be located north of existing headspan F/80/22; it has a pile hoarded off on P4, a pile fenced off on P2/3, and a mast installed behind P1. This must be an Anchor Portal, over all lines.
  • South of the station footbridge, the southern portal is due to be located between headspans F/80/18 & F/80/19, and might only span the Fasts. Its pile on P2/3 is fenced off, and a mast has gone up behind hoardings on P4.
• Two Tensorex portals are now up immediately north of Bedford. Between them lies a "castellated" portal, which has a spanwire feeder mast adjacent to it in the Down Fast Cess. It has yet to receive its twin on the Up side.
• One TTC is awaiting installation just south of Bromham Rd Bridge in the Down Fast cess; its pile is driven.
• Over the pointwork of Bedford North Jct (just north of Bromham Rd Bridge), the majority of masts now have booms (either TTC or Portal).
• The southernmost portal on this stretch is missing its Up side leg, and also its boom. Just north of it, two pairs of spanwire feeder masts have gone up. North of them, two pairs of Tensorex Portal legs are awaiting their boom.
• Between Bedford North Jct & Sharnbrook Jct, about 90% of masts are up on both sides of the line.
• Aerial Earth Wire is now up on both sides between Bedford & Oakley, verified in the Clapham area. All four lines are now wired past the former site of Oakley Station as far north as the Tensorex portal between Oakley Viaduct & Highfield Rd. Two-track portals now appear to be up over Oakley Viaduct too (on both lines).
• The Fast Lines are wired (C&C, plus Aerial Earth on both sides) from just north of the A6 (Great Ouse Way) O/B; the Slow Lines start from the next Tensorex Portal at Lower Farm Rd.
• In the Milton Ernest area, C&C on the Up Slow stops at the Tensorex portal immediately south of Milton Ernest Viaducts. Wires on the Fasts stop at the "wicket-keepers" immediately south of Radwell Rd O/B, while the Up Slow is wired again from the Tensorex portal a few structures south. on all lines except the Up Slow. North of there, wires only continue on the Up Fast & Down Slow.
• Both Slow Lines are now fully wired over Radwell Viaduct.
• Between Radwell Viaduct & Moor End Lane O/B, C&C resumes on the Down Fast and terminates on the Up Slow. Both wire runs on the Down Fast & Down Slow terminate shy of Sharnbrook Viaducts.Two pairs of spanwire feeder masts (one pair for the Slows, one pair for the Fasts) are also up, but have not received any switching equipment yet; these are located between the end of the aforementioned wire runs and the southern end of the viaducts.
• All 4 lines now wired over Sharnbrook Viaducts.
• Around Sharnbrook Jct (south of Templars Way O/B), at least 4 piles have gone in adjacent to the proposed alignment of the future Up Slow.
• North of Templars Way overbridge, an AT switching site has been constructed in the former works compound. A pair of spanwire feeder masts are adjacent to the northern perimeter of said compound.
• Almost all masts are now up over the Slow lines, from just north of Park Ln, Sharnbrook (https://goo.gl/maps/df2As431FDr) to Sharnbrook Rd overbridge (southern end of Souldrop bank); the 4-tracking here is not yet complete as signals "WH378" and “LR 8” sit right in the path of the restored Up Slow. Some TTCs have now gone up on the Fasts between these bridges too.
• At Souldrop (between Sharnbrook Rd & Back Lane overbridges), 400m approx of Aerial Earth Wire (AEW) has gone up on the Slow side TTCs. On the Down Slow (to be), a run of C&C has now gone up, continuing south of Sharnbrook Rd to a point halfway between Sharnbrook Rd and Park Ln O/B's. The corresponding MPA portal on the Fast lines is now erected, but SPS, cantilevers & registration arms have yet to be installed. The Fast side AEW is also up to the south of Sharnbrook Rd, but is not registered on the portal.
• Wymington Deviation - Fasts
  • On the Fasts, wires are now up from the 2nd-closest Tensorex portal south of Back Lane Bridge (aka Odell Viaduct), and continue north past Irchester, north of where the Fast lines rejoin the Slow lines.Three pairs of Spanwire Feeder masts are being installed at the northern end of the Fasts on this stretch, although the central one on the Down Fast side has yet to be installed.
• Wymington Deviation - Slows
  • The Slow Lines are now both in operation along the Deviation, and wires look complete on both tracks along its length.
  • The switching/feeder site at Wymington now looks structurally complete.
• Just north of the A45 overbridge, a number of portals (2-track & 4-track?) are awaiting installation.
• Irthlingborough Viaduct now has masts over all lines, with cantilevers going up too.
• Between Irthlingborough Viaduct & I'borough Rd Bridge (i.e. the Kangaroo Spinney area), virtually all TTCs have booms now. The Fast side is seeing much more progress than the Slow side, with masts/booms nearly at I'boro' Rd Bridge. (Progress on the Slows stops west of signal LR 23.) A 4-track portal is being erected, with the boom not yet in situ - the structure number is "SPC2 103/387". Both "DF" & "US" masts are up.
• Irthlingborough Rd Bridge was demolished on Christmas Day 2018 - only the utilities pipe remains. A temporary footbridge has also been erected. Immediately north of the temporary bridge, 2 pairs of TTCs (1 pair in the Fast side cess, the other pair in the 10-foot) have gone up complete with booms, and a mast for a Tensorex Anchor portal has gone up too (in the Slow side cess). Immediately south, 1 4-track portal leg & one boomed TTC are up in the Fast Side cess.
• Just south of Wellingborough Viaduct, 4 wicket-keeper masts are due to go up; the Down Fast one has been erected, but lacks Tensorex drums. The other 3 are in the 10-foot/cess. North of the viaduct, the 6 nearest TTCs on the Slow lines still lack booms.

• Immediately south of the station, MPA portals are going up. The portal over the Fasts is complete; the one over the Slows is not.
• Preparations to return the 4th platform (P4) at Wellingborough to public use have now begun. Concrete facings for P4 are now appearing.
• All masts are now up within Wellingborough Station.
• Extensive 4-tracking laid (except at points where existing infrastructure has to be moved).
• It is very difficult to track the progress of specific items from an outsider's perspective, but it seems to me that Wellingborough to Kettering is almost wire-ready.
• Between Mill Rd O/B, and Finedon Rd O/B, over 95% of steelwork is now up. Only a few things remain outstanding, like Anchor Portal Backstays, Across Track Feeder masts etc.
• North of Finedon Rd Bridge, all portal booms are now up.These accompany the TTCs over both pairs of lines near Wellingborough Yards; SPS and cantilevers are now starting to go up.
  South of these booms, a TTC (boom facing the Slow side) has been erected in the 10-foot.
• Rumours are afoot that the two western sidings in Wellingborough Up Yard (those nearest the Up Slow) will be wired and used by NR. These rumours also state that a northern connection to the yards will be provided as well. These rumours have been confirmed as a certainty with the erection of cantilevers over the westernmost siding, and the provision of an additional pile foundation within the yard for a future structure; there may be more. There doesn't seem to be any concrete plan to put northern access into the yard yet, though.
• TTCs stretch north from Wellingborough Yards over both pairs of lines as far north as the Weetabix factory (north of Burton Latimer). Structures also extend north of this point to Kettering South Jn. There are some structures missing over the Fast lines (AFAIK) between Burton Latimer & Finedon Sidings.
• At Harrowden Junction, Aerial Earth Wires are up on both sides of the line. Contact & Catenary has now appeared at the southern end of the junction over the Down Fast; wires also up across Fasts and Down Slow from the Tensorex portal south of Harrowden Jn to the one north of Finedon Road O/B.
• A new feeding/switching site is going in at the former Finedon Sidings; six pairs of spanwire feeder masts are now all up on either side of the line where the switching equipment will be suspended. One of these now has its wire coiled up and ready for installation.
• At Burton Latimer (south of the Weetabix factory), power lines (National Grid) might be due a raise; taller wooden poles have been erected adjacent to the existing ones.
• Almost all masts and booms have now gone up around Kettering Headlands. SPS also starting to go up.
• Ground clearance works ongoing at Kettering Yard; the yard will be electrified as part of an EMU stabling facility.
• A number of TTCs have now been erected on the southern approach to Kettering station, roughly parallel to Kettering Yard. So far, these amount to 8 over the Fasts (4 having booms) and 5 (all boomed) over the Slows. At least 1 STC and 2 Anchor Portal uprights are also up next to the Slows.
• Within Kettering Station, all 5 Mk1-style bespoke portal booms spanning all 4 tracks have been erected.

• Works appears to have started to extend the southern end of P3, and a small chunk of the canopy on P3 is missing at the north end.
• On the Fast side, around 6 TTCs are up to the north of the signal gantry at the north end of Kettering station; another is up immediately south of said gantry. A matching number is up on the Slow side; SPS appearing on both sides now. An SSA (wicketkeeper) has gone up in the 10-foot between the Up Fast & Down Slow, where there was previously a capped pile.
• Immediately north of the platforms at Kettering, the MPA Portal is now boomed, and has SPS affixed (certainly over the Fasts).
• Limit of Live Wires on the Fasts appears to be 500m north of Kettering Station.
• At Glendon Jct/Kettering North Jct, all piles on the Slow side have now grown TTCs with booms; at least 5 are now bedanglied ("dressed"). A few signal gantries from the BR days have been (or are due to be) removed. A pair of portals spanning all 4 lines have gone up over the Kettering North Jct pointwork.
• A pair of Anchor Boom Portal Masts are now up on the Slow side just short of where the lines to Corby diverge; 2 TTCs (one without a boom) are between them.
• 4 Spanwire masts have also gone up around Glendon, all so far on the Up side. A pile for a fifth is up near the northernmost one.
• About 5/6 STC masts are up adjacent to each side of the line just north of Glendon Jct, roughly where the Corby Lines diverge from the Mains.
• Pile now in on the Down side near Kettering North Jct.
• 2nd track now in operation, and linespeed raised to 90mph where it was previously 60mph.
• A good stretch of the overheads are now up between a point south of Barford Bridge (over the A6003), continuing northwards to the end of the planned wiring at Corby. At this stage, only the earth wires have reached as far south as the Iron Coy's Bridge nr Glendon (the first overbridge on the Corby branch).

• Braybrooke Substation approved. To be located here: (https://goo.gl/maps/fuy1uZeDjdQ2).
• Enabling Works are now underway.
• The extent of wiring towards Market Harborough has now been as good as confirmed to reach the station.

• 23/6/19: Kettering to Corby replaced by buses all day; done.
• 30/6/19: No early morning trains between Bedford & Kettering. First northbound service from Bedford departs 10:47; first southbound service from Kettering departs 10:45. Done.
• 7/7/19: No early morning trains between Bedford & Kettering. First northbound service 10:47. Kettering to Corby replaced by buses all day; done.
• 14/7/19: All trains diverted between Kettering & Syston North Jns (i.e. via Corby & Manton Jn). Leicester & Mkt H'boro served by coach from Kettering; done.
• 21/7/19: Kettering to Corby replaced by buses all day; done.
• 28/7/19: Kettering to Corby replaced by buses all day; done.
• 4/8/19: No early morning trains between Bedford & Kettering, and no trains between Kettering & Corby; done.
• 11/8/19: No early morning trains between Bedford & Kettering, and no trains between Kettering & Corby; done.
• 31/8/19 to 1/9/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering; done.
• 8/9/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering all day. Kettering to Corby still open; done.
• 29/9/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering all day. Kettering to Corby still open; done.
• 6/10/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering all day. Kettering to Corby still open; done.
• 2/11/19 to 3/11/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering; done.
• 10/11/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering all day. Kettering to Corby still open; done.
• 16/11/19 to 17/11/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering; done.
• 1/12/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering all day; done.
• 7/12/19 to 8/12/19: No trains between Kettering & Corby.
• 21/12/19 to 28/12/19: No service between Bedford & Kettering.

• Electrification proposed from Market Harborough to Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham & Derby; as part of the Midlands Connect strategy.
• Electrification proposed from Clay Cross HS2 Connection to Sheffield (Midland) as part of HS2 works.
• Currently, no electrification is proposed between Clay Cross HS2 Connection & Nottingham, or Tupton & Derby (via Belper).
  
  Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

1. Kettering, looking toward London: https://flic.kr/p/2hUW5ia
2. Bedford, showing the portal mast behind P1: https://flic.kr/p/2hV17D3
3. Bedford, showing the foundation for the northern portal on P2/3: https://flic.kr/p/2hUWwpU
4. Bedford, showing the hoarded-off foundation for the northern portal on P4: https://flic.kr/p/2hUWzeS
5. Bedford, showing the southernmost of the 3 P4 TTCs (south of the signal gantry): https://flic.kr/p/2hUWFqQ
6. Bedford, showing the foundation for the southern portal on P2/3: https://flic.kr/p/2hUZaWS
7. Bedford, showing the TTC on P4 immediately south of the footbridge: https://flic.kr/p/2hUZg6j
8. Bedford, shwoing the TTC on P4 immediately north of the footbridge: https://flic.kr/p/2hV1uS6

InTheEastMids said:

Returning to topic, the prime minister promised in an interview with BBC East Midlands Today that, if re-elected, the MML electrification would be completed to Nottingham/Sheffield.

The temptation to put this news in the Speculative Ideas section was quite strong

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WAO said:

Mr Johnson said that several electrification projects across the country had been cut by then Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne

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edwin_m said:

It was cancelled in 2017 during Grayling's tenure as Transport Secretary, Theresa May's government as the story also said. By that time Osborne was out of government and Johnson was in the Cabinet. Another Johnson lie.

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swt_passenger said:

I suppose it sort of depends how strictly you define the decision in 2015 to “pause” the MML. IIRC many posters here interpreted it as cancelled...

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GRALISTAIR said:

And indeed so. The correct political decision would have been to pause all the “cancelled” schemes until CP6. I confess I interpreted as cancelled.

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WAO said:

Surely the pause/cancellation was because of NR's handling of the projects. They were over budget, overdue and showed poor project management.

Any Government would have pulled the plug, at least until NR learned the ropes.

Who invented NR?

WAO

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swt_passenger said:

I suppose it sort of depends how strictly you define the decision in 2015 to “pause” the MML. IIRC many posters here interpreted it as cancelled...

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swt_passenger said:

Maybe Johnson is effectively suggesting in a hamfisted fashion that the 2015 “pause” was forced on DfT by the treasury?

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WAO said:

Surely the pause/cancellation was because of NR's handling of the projects. They were over budget, overdue and showed poor project management.

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Bald Rick said:

Perhaps the ‘cause’ was government hurriedly announcing projects for political reasons before costs and programmes had been developed and verified by those who are charged with building them?

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CdBrux said:

but is the MML the best candidate to be in the next electrification projects?

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GRALISTAIR said:

Correct and verifiable. The Chancellor at this time was not Osborne. It was Philip Hammond, PM was May and SoS Transport Grayling. Grayling cancelled with the approval of May and Hammond.

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CdBrux said:

but is the MML the best candidate to be in the next electrification projects?

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duffield said:

Given the amount of work that's already been done or is in progress, it seems like a no-brainer to me, with the bonus that the bi-modes will be able to use the wires as they get progressively extended and they can then be cascaded to (e.g.) cross-country when the wiring is complete. But I'll only believe it when I see gantries erected at Nottingham station. All sorts of political promises are being thrown around like confetti at the moment.

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