Agreed. To use an American expression "I want to see him walk the walk and not just talk the talk"
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Should that not be "cash dieback"? (I'll get my coat).
Market Harborough ought to be at the head of the queue, considering design work was authorized a year ago and construction teams will shortly be wrapping up the Bedford-Corby electrification just down the line, with costs coming out well below GWML according to the RIA report. It also has the political advantage of benefitting the Midlands and North.Reading that I'm optimistic for the chances of more electrification. Hell..may as well be optimistic about something in this day and age. We're hardly spoilt for choice. Chippenham > Bath > Bristol TM for the first 'quick win'?
(go on, chuck this in the speculation subforum
Approximately 800,000.
Not much point now the IEP all have diesels engines. MML needs to be priority then the new trains can be bought as electrics only to fit in with government policy on eliminating diesels.
New MML stock will have already been ordered as bi-mode. It’ll almost certainly arrive many years before any wiring gets extended. They still have to modify the existing wiring to allow for the full speed of the 810s...
Lots of point as it get rid of local DMUs and enables the the stopper to run Oxford - Reading again. (+ various proposal to rejig things post full Crossrail to address future Reading platform utilisation issues). The local DMU service is pretty much the limiting factor on performance ont he Corridor with delays radiating outwards.
It's probably sensible to wait for or rebuild Oxford station at the same time, to future proof the electrification i.e a 6 platform 8 track station with 2 platforms for up Cherwell Valley Services,2 tracks between for non-stopper fasts, 2 platforms for down Cherwell Valley platforms and 2 platforms for Chiltern services (Marylebone to Oxford and Kassam Stadium services.) All through platforms. Should be electrified that way because otherwise it will cost more in the future.
Agree thats the reality based on where we were but if the government is serious about climate change then it shouldn't be buying anything with diesels and it should have revoked Graylings decision and pushed on with electrification of the route. This would allow the existing teams to be retained as well as using it as an opportunity to train up further teams to be deployed around the country.
The electrification design is future proofed for the rest of the planned Oxford rebuild, no need to wait.
Is that just the modification of the station for new Chiltern services enabled by the Evergreen 3 services or the entire rebuild of Oxford station in the pipeline due to traffic levels? It would probably be a waste of time and money to electrify the station and Cherwell Valley Line now when that section would have to be comprenhensibly rebuilt later when the new Oxford station is funded and rebuilt.
I’m pretty sure, (from previous discussions), that what @hwl means is that the only foreseeable modifications, such as the additional P5 on the down side, or converting P2 into a through platform, are already accounted for in the re-signalling and track changes in 2018.
Ah OK, that makes sense thanks. My point is that it would be stupid to electrify and remodel the station and then waste all that infrastructure and money for it to be replaced in a station rebuild 10 years down the line. I think Oxford's going to need the extra capacity for the new services in the pipeline down the old Wycombe Railway/GWR line to the Kassam Stadium/Cowley.
But they can move west towards Bristol as far as Bath or even just short of East Junction on both routes surely?
