Great Western Electrification Progress

JN114 said:

Current briefs to train crew are still changeover at Pilning and West of Severn Tunnel Junction. I’m not convinced 1L34 was on electric through the tunnel.

It will have been the first to leave Cardiff on Electric, being the first eastbound train of the morning.

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• 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).

• ATF wires in operation from Maidenhead MPATS to Royal Wootton Bassett ATFS; Kensal Green ATFS to Maidenhead MPATS currently operating (AFAIK) 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. West Drayton's Relief Line platforms (3 & 4) have now been extended - Platform 5 is also open.
• 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 High St Bridge (aka the "Brunel Bridge"): Wires west of Causeway Crossing are authorised for passenger service on all trains in both directions, with a universal 110mph PSR, since 15th September 2019. IETs no longer have to undertake traction changeover at Denchworth to the west, and Moreton Cutting to the east.
• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.
• 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.

• 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 AND LIVE 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 Newport
• The Up Tunnel Loop between STJ & the Tunnel is fully wired.
• All previous gaps of C&C have now been closed between STJ & St. Brides.

• Wires up across all 4 tracks between St. Brides and Cardiff Central.
• About 4 or 5 portals have been erected just west of Pengam Jct (168m 40ch); these support 3 wire runs in the Sidings at Pengam.

• 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.
• Wires are up through Platforms 0-4 (and the Through Roads) - Limits of Wiring are shown below.
• Brickwork Sidings have been 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.
• Limit of Live Wiring: SWM2 170m 43ch on ALL lines. Wires continue to 171m 26ch.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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; done.
• 20/10/19 until 14:00: Newport to Bridgend blockaded (inc. Cardiff Central) for electrification work; done.
• 24/12/19 to 27/12/19: OLE renewal in the Southall area; done. This was presumably to the east of the current station, where new Series 1 style masts have gone up. This work is more strictly part of Crossrail.
• 27/12/19 to 01/01/20: electrification work at Cardiff Central; done.

• 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.

• 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. This has been, according to informed sources on Twitter, put on hold until a decision on the scopes of 4-tracking Didcot to Oxford, and grade-separating Didcot East Junction, can be agreed.
• 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. This looks less certain now; details on this will be made available once the information goes public.

59CosG95 said:

First one of these in quite a while, and might be the last one of these in an even longer while on this thread...

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Mag_seven said:

Thank you for your updates - these have been really useful to help keep track of the developments in this project

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devonexpress said:

So we are nearly there then. I do hope the Didcot to Oxford electrification goes ahead, allowing 387s to go all the way to Oxford, finally freeing up 165/166s

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devonexpress said:

So we are nearly there then. I do hope the Didcot to Oxford electrification goes ahead, allowing 387s to go all the way to Oxford, finally freeing up 165/166s

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linuxlad7 said:

Isnt the 75 mph caveat on max speed in the tunnel in the appendix to the letter from the ORR??

And ii there any hope of an augmented role for Pilning now its wired in the network. its only 7 miles away but a twice a week timetable doesn't really cut it except perhaps for Cardiff shopping trips

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Optom1 said:

Has the original plan to have two extra platforms at Oxford,along with a station rebuild been scrapped? Looking at the delays in that area today causing knock on effects as far as Paddington an extra up platform is needed.Is there any further news on making Handborough the terminus (along with redoubling from Wolvercote) of London bound stoppers?

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oglord said:

View attachment 72437

Presumably this new sign at Newport only applies to ECS moves from Stoke Gifford that reverse at NWP?

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Envoy said:

A pity that they did not build a new airport at Pilning and shut that awkward to reach Bristol Airport. Pilning Airport would have had a mainline station within the terminal and has easy access from the nearby motorways. Instead, the area now has a surfing place called ‘The Wave’.

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Optom1 said:

The ORR gave a derogation on 02/09/2019 for the use of an aluminium contact wire due to the harsh environment.(galvanic corrosion of the Al. R.O.C. system with a Cu alloy contact wire).

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R G NOW. said:

So my idea of a copper chrome plated wire would not work in the tunnel then. I had thought that an aluminum wire would be too soft.

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Brissle Girl said:

At the moment there's no plan for any local services to be switched to emu, not least because the line down to Temple Meads is not wired. So the current project does nothing to improve Pilning's position, other than of course to have contributed to it by virtue of demolition of its footbridge.

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oglord said:

Surely the graphite on the pantograph head is softer still?

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R G NOW. said:

So my idea of a copper chrome plated wire would not work in the tunnel then. I had thought that an aluminum wire would be too soft.

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linuxlad7 said:

ITS an ally alloy 6082.. quite strong, and has low corrosion rate. used in boat hulls

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oglord said:

Surely the graphite on the pantograph head is softer still?

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oglord said:

Surely the graphite on the pantograph head is softer still?

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themiller said:

It’s not graphite but a hard form of carbon. Graphite would wear too quickly.

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themiller said:

It’s not graphite but a hard form of carbon. Graphite would wear too quickly.

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Mordac said:

Diamonds?

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Optom1 said:

Not too much wear between S.T.Jnc and Parkway today as driver kept the pantograph down between those stations,perhaps choosing not to drop the 7-8 mph east of Pilning changing from diesel to electric.

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Optom1 said:

A great day for the electric service today,very little late running.

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