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I completely agree that the GWML is not as good as it deserves to be, but the assertion that short-formed 5 car trains aren’t going to be improved in the next 20 years is not true at all. The only reason there are random short-formings is because of the cracks, for which a solution has been...

Oh yeah, I’m well aware it’d need to be a big and complicated project. But if it’s possible then it may become necessary when demand rises.

Even if buildings are constructed that block some of the planned locations for platforms, surely they could expand a bit by taking a couple of platforms off the conventional station anyway? Obviously it’d be disruptive but once Ph1 to Euston is open the Birmingham trains at least can switch...

Maybe some of the money ‘saved’ from the northern leg should be spent on taking Simon Jenkins on a minibus tour of the HS2 works so far and asking him exactly what he proposes to do with everything after cancelling it. Maybe he could meet a few of the skilled workers who’ve been provided with...

Fairly sure I’ve seen posts on this very thread of piles and steelwork in on that line, so seems unlikely that they won’t be wiring it at all. Maybe less OHL and more battery for the 756s?

Ground has been broken at Curzon Street. Very good to see! https://x.com/andy4wm/status/1750141496991293926?s=46&t=aAnlBxjBRfdSJU5RzuMysw

Very good flyover video for Old Oak Common. You can see quite a lot of the excavation progress, as well as the piling work for the GWML station.

This great update flyover of Old Oak Common has just been uploaded, and it looks to me like the first TBM to launch from the Victoria Road Crossover Box has started. At 13:27 in the video, you can see the fully assembled TBM next to the partially assembled one, and the completed machine is...

HS2’s In Your Area Map has an item about the first piling works for Curzon Street dated to early February, so it looks like full construction might be starting there soon. https://www.hs2.org.uk/in-your-area/in-your-area-map/#16/52.4795/-1.8888/filter=hs2-stations,hs2-network,tbm/workId=63973

WCML is because it’s ageing and extremely intensively used. The first few miles from Paddington were built on a shoestring in the 90s and are pretty shoddily thrown together. Plus they now see 20+ electric trains an hour in each direction instead of the 4ish they were designed for.

The project started too early to be part of Project Speed unfortunately, it was already in development. Also, that was mostly stuff that was entirely in Network Rail’s control, and because they don’t own the trackbed it wasn’t possible.

I don’t think literally anyone in the country, from the Prime Minister down, knows the answer to that question right now. Probably depends on whether they can mess with the order much before the next election.

Is Bromford one of the tunnels with a slightly smaller diameter due to lower speeds? If so I guess there’s a new shield and cutter head.

Went for a walk today to the Barford Close Footbridge in Wigston and the TTCs all have their arms on up to the one just north of the bridge - guessing this means that most of the steelwork is in until the gap just south of the Blaby Road overbridge. Edit: forgot to add pictures, whoops!

Not really electrification related (maybe needs a new thread?) but good news anyway. Shame to lose quite a nice building but the station desperately needs a revamp and the plans look great.

There’s definitely been ground investigation and ecological works going on for a while. Nothing particularly solid yet though.

Yeah, North Somerset is looking a bit more marginal than the Tories would like right now. Liam Fox already lost vote share against a pretty rosy national picture for the Tories in 2019, and a lot of people have been seriously affected by the Liz Truss disaster since then. If the government have...

There are (iirc) four in situ but only three operational. Also, creating an exclusive double track line from the junction to Temple Meads would require changing which are the main lines, so probably quite a bit of upgrading/slewing/S&C work.

By that point, a change of government may well have happened, which improves their chances.

Value for money is irrelevant. The town is in desperate need of better transport connections as the current state of affairs is unacceptable. The value is in terms of providing services instead of creating money. Still, the productivity created by unblocking congestion and enabling people to get...