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Balfour Beatty Rail wins electrification contract

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pemma

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http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/ne...riangle-electrification-contract-awarded.html

Balfour Beatty Rail announced on November 11 that it had been awarded a contract by Network Rail to undertake electrification and minor signalling works under Phase 1 of the Northwest Triangle scheme to electrify routes around Liverpool and Manchester.

Due for completion by December 2013, Phase 1 covers the installation of 25 kV 50 Hz overhead electrification on 30 km of double track between Castlefield Junction in Manchester and Newton-le-Willows Junction, as well as the curve onto the West Coast Main Line at Lowton Junction.

Phase 2 of the programme will involve wiring the remaining 21 km of double track between Earlsfield and Bootle Branch Junction, completing electrification between Manchester and Liverpool Lime Street. This is due to be energised by December 2014*.

Phases 3 and 4 will see the remaining sections from Huyton to Wigan, Ordsall Lane Junction to Euxton Junction via Bolton, and finally Preston to Blackpool North electrified by December 2016.


*So 2014 is still the expected year for Manchester-Liverpool electrification to be complete, earlier than anything will be released from Thameslink, never mind delivering fully refurbished stock before the wires are ready, as the previous government proposed.
 
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Holly

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*So 2014 is still the expected year for Manchester-Liverpool electrification to be complete, earlier than anything will be released from Thameslink, never mind delivering fully refurbished stock before the wires are ready, as the previous government proposed.
So maybe we will see electric loco hauled coaches for a year or so. Wouldn't that be nice?

One wonders just how quickly a new build of LHCS could happen; start to finish. Presumably the Chinese would be happen to jump in on such an order.
 

pemma

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What phase will Victoria be done in?

I'd assume phase 2. It's not mentioned as being in phase 1 in the article: "30 km of double track between Castlefield Junction and Newton-le-Willows Junction, as well as the curve onto the West Coast Main Line at Lowton Junction"
 

pemma

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In the phase 2 section, do they mean Earlestown rather than Earlsfield?

I do as well. Although I imagine some people would like to see hundreds miles of electrification in the new few years.

If they electrify Earlsfield-Reading-Birmingham-Shrewsbury-Crewe-Chester-Warrington Bank Quay-Liverpool, I don't think there would be many complaints on this forum.
 

cle

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I thought 317s might be likely - once the GN trains are going through the Thameslink core tunnel.

Or maybe some 365s as they can't run through it I believe. They would be nice units for the Northwest!

Interesting the Blackpool section is last. I think Blackpool - London services are quite low down on the agenda. There will still be loads of diesel trains to Blackpool running under a lot of wires before 2016.

Wigan is a winner I think. Will be good compo for removing it from Euston - Glasgow runs.
 

pemma

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Interesting the Blackpool section is last. I think Blackpool - London services are quite low down on the agenda. There will still be loads of diesel trains to Blackpool running under a lot of wires before 2016.

It's not the last in real terms. Preston-Blackpool will be done at the same time as Manchester-Bolton-Preston but as Preston-Blackpool is shorter it should be completed first. Preston-Blackpool electrification serves no purpose by itself unless Blackpool-London trains are guaranteed and it is guaranteed that either electric trains will be ordered or pantograph vehicles will be ordered for Voyagers.
 

pmgarvey

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Is the splitting into Phase 1 and Phase 2 just an organisational thing for the project, or will we actually see electric trains using the stretch between Manchester and Newton-le-Willows before they've electrified all the way to Lime Street?
 

pemma

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will we actually see electric trains using the stretch between Manchester and Newton-le-Willows before they've electrified all the way to Lime Street?

Yes. 350s operating Manchester Airport to Scotland, which will be diverted via Wigan from December 2013.
 

ole man

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Until they cock it up.
There will be a severe shortage of GOOD Overhead Line staff very soon, the only way round it will to bring in the Europeans to help out.
 

Aictos

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Until they cock it up.
There will be a severe shortage of GOOD Overhead Line staff very soon, the only way round it will to bring in the Europeans to help out.

Hopefully that might mean better quality OHL being done, don't want to repeat the mistakes of the 80s of doing everything as cheaply as possible do we now....

Obviously not the fault of GOOD Overhead Line staff by the way.
 

ole man

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The work you are referring to must be the East Coast Main Line, most of the West Coast is ok because it's not Headspans which i have a rather dislike for.
The first stage of Liverpool- Manchester will be a mix of normal Cantilevers, TTC's and some two track portals which most of the time (if installed correctly) will never give you any problems.
As for the Europeans it depends on where you get them from, each country as you can imagine has a different degree of skills and knowledge.
The Germans and French would be better than say the Turks or Bulgarians, just because of the standard of OLE it that country is better.
 

cle

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It's not the last in real terms. Preston-Blackpool will be done at the same time as Manchester-Bolton-Preston but as Preston-Blackpool is shorter it should be completed first. Preston-Blackpool electrification serves no purpose by itself unless Blackpool-London trains are guaranteed and it is guaranteed that either electric trains will be ordered or pantograph vehicles will be ordered for Voyagers.

How about electric trains from Manchester to Blackpool, via Wigan?
 

Aictos

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The work you are referring to must be the East Coast Main Line, most of the West Coast is ok because it's not Headspans which i have a rather dislike for.
The first stage of Liverpool- Manchester will be a mix of normal Cantilevers, TTC's and some two track portals which most of the time (if installed correctly) will never give you any problems.
As for the Europeans it depends on where you get them from, each country as you can imagine has a different degree of skills and knowledge.
The Germans and French would be better than say the Turks or Bulgarians, just because of the standard of OLE it that country is better.

I am of course referring to the ECML, I remember one former West Coast driver stating that if the OHL came down on one line in that area then you could still use the other lines for trains to use simply because of the way the electrification of the WCML was done.

I don't suppose you could explain what "Cantilevers, TTC's and some two track portals" are please other then OHL structures.

Are the two track portals, the ones which look like goalposts or are they the ones which are sited in the middle between two tracks and support the OHL separately for twin track sections of electrified lines?
 

ole man

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The driver in question is of course right each line/road on the WCML in the majority of places (apart from near Warrington which has Headspans) is independently registered enabling you to still run services and sometimes work on the nearest roads without be affected by the Damaged OLE.
Two track portals are structures that are like you say goalposts, they have 2 legs and a boom, 1 leg either side with the boom over the top, majority of the WCML has 4 track portals.
TTC's are twin track cantilevers, 1 leg on one side with a boom that covers 2 tracks enabling you to register two lines.
Cantilevers register only 1 track and are mostly used on two track systems with each cantilever opposite each other.

Anything else you require?
 

pemma

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How about electric trains from Manchester to Blackpool, via Wigan?

Wouldn't really serve much purpose as you'd still need the Blackpool via Bolton services so would just finish up as a waste of paths on the WCML. A more effective use of paths would be to run Liverpool to Scotland services or more Manchester to Scotland services.
 

John55

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A few points.

When the Preston-Blackpool is energised there will be an electric Liverpool-Blackpool service to start immediately.

There is lots of headspan ohle between Warrington and Preston but few trains use it and there is not too much running at 125mph.

Delivery of the Desiro City stock for Thameslink puzzles me. The much reviled Bombardier took 25 months from order to passenger service for the Cl 379 which was not a simple follow on order. The 172s which were a substantial redesign of the 170 (or 171) took 31 months from order to passenger service. Why then is the delivery of Desiro City in 37 months from today such a problem? Especially now the signalling will not require lots of new on board equipment for the initial delivery.
 

sprinterguy

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I thought 317s might be likely - once the GN trains are going through the Thameslink core tunnel.

Or maybe some 365s as they can't run through it I believe. They would be nice units for the Northwest!
You've got the wrong end of the stick there. Any 317s that might be used in the North West are likely to be the nine 317/7s released from East Anglia by the Abellio franchise. 317s from the Great Northern wouldn't be available for service anywhere else anytime sooner than the 319s released from Thameslink.

In fact, won't the GN 317s be released later than the 319s, as the Great Northern services wil not be instantaneously linked into the Thameslink service as soon as the new Desiro City trains are delivered, but will happen a little while after?
 

pemma

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There is lots of headspan ohle between Warrington and Preston but few trains use it and there is not too much running at 125mph.

Whether or not that's the case most of the services between Manchester and Preston still need to be routed via Bolton as that is where the demand is. The diversion of the Scottish service via Wigan is to not have too much commuter traffic filling up long distance services. Diverting semi-fasts of around 55 miles in total journey length can't have the same reason applied.
 

Lampshade

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You've got the wrong end of the stick there. Any 317s that might be used in the North West are likely to be the nine 317/7s released from East Anglia by the Abellio franchise. 317s from the Great Northern wouldn't be available for service anywhere else anytime sooner than the 319s released from Thameslink.

They'll do nicely. 2+2 seating, power interior doors and (under Northern) declassified first class.

Just keep the unrefurbished ones away :lol:
 

swt_passenger

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In fact, won't the GN 317s be released later than the 319s, as the Great Northern services wil not be instantaneously linked into the Thameslink service as soon as the new Desiro City trains are delivered, but will happen a little while after?

Yes - I'd expect the 319s to be released first of all. Then the Desiro City stock for the GN routes will all have to be delivered by Dec 2018 when the routes are transferred and the 24 tph peak service commences, so they'll have to arrive some time before then. AFAICT they'll have to be introduced into service on the existing GN routes into Kings Cross as they are delivered, primarily so that driver training is complete before the additional routes north and south of the Thames are linked. A similar procedure will have to happen in the existing SN and SE networks, where new Thameslink Desiros will have to be in use on routes down to transfer, but running into the existing termini until Dec 2018...
 

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TTC's are twin track cantilevers, 1 leg on one side with a boom that covers 2 tracks enabling you to register two lines.

These are often used in areas of suspect ground conditions were a good foundation is only available on one side of the track. e.g between Burley in Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding on the Ilkley line, were the Down side has the masts installed due to the Up side being liable to subsidence.

Some are also installed where there is not enough space to install a mast inside the boundary.
 

Aictos

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The driver in question is of course right each line/road on the WCML in the majority of places (apart from near Warrington which has Headspans) is independently registered enabling you to still run services and sometimes work on the nearest roads without be affected by the Damaged OLE.
Two track portals are structures that are like you say goalposts, they have 2 legs and a boom, 1 leg either side with the boom over the top, majority of the WCML has 4 track portals.
TTC's are twin track cantilevers, 1 leg on one side with a boom that covers 2 tracks enabling you to register two lines.
Cantilevers register only 1 track and are mostly used on two track systems with each cantilever opposite each other.

Anything else you require?

Thanks for that, always interesting learning about the different parts of the railway.

Are there any locations in the North West electrification triangle where OHL cannot simply be wired up because of gauging issues and if so, would they be using the same system which is in use in the Haymarket tunnels in Scotland ie rails?

Also as Blackpool to Preston is being wired up, I guess this will only be North seeing the wires - what about South as it makes sense to wire both locations with that being said will the York-Leeds-Bradford Interchange-Halifax-Accrington-Blackburn-Preston ever see the wires this century as it's a service which ought to be classed as TPE operated but isn't.
 

ole man

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And also were the wind speed is above normal, and also signal sighting issue's.
Next to the M6 just before the Shap Junction there is quite a few new one's.
And either side of Shugborough Tunnel there is new TTC's due to Sighting issue's
 

IanXC

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Also as Blackpool to Preston is being wired up, I guess this will only be North seeing the wires - what about South as it makes sense to wire both locations with that being said will the York-Leeds-Bradford Interchange-Halifax-Accrington-Blackburn-Preston ever see the wires this century as it's a service which ought to be classed as TPE operated but isn't.

Yes only Blackpool North is planned. I'd recon theres a good chance for this century, probably second half of though!
 

cle

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Is Warrington - Wigan - Preston 125mph for non-tilt stock?

So will the 350s be able to hit their proposed new speed of 110mph? How much else of the WCML north could they run at 110 for? Might knock some time off current journeys, especially running via Wigan.
 

ainsworth74

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Is Warrington - Wigan - Preston 125mph for non-tilt stock?

Fairly sure the entire WCML (well those areas where high speeds are possible anyway) is 110mph only for non-tilt stock.
 
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