LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
Doing the sums, Network Rail now has approval to wire over 900 miles of double track.
This is the split over the various NR Routes:
LNW 215 miles
Lancashire Triangle and TP as far as Diggle 106
Bletchley-Bedford/Bicester 35
Nuneaton-Coventry-Leamington-Heyford 74
Walsall-Rugeley 15
Barnt Green-Bromsgrove 8 (includes fast lines east of Barnt Green)
LNE 186 miles
TP - Diggle-Copley Hill and Neville Hill-Selby/Colton Jn 56
Bedford-Derby-Sheffield 116
Kettering-Corby 6, Trent-Nottingham 8
GW 210 miles
Hayes-Wootton Bassett-Badminton-Patchway 93
Wootton Bassett-Bristol-Patchway 48
Thames Valley Branches (Windsor, Marlow, Henley) 15
Reading-Newbury 18
Didcot-Oxford-Heyford 24
Oxford-Bicester 12
Wales 205 miles
Patchway-Severn Tunnel-Cardiff-Swansea 77
Valleys 128 60 miles of which are single track
Wessex 48 miles
Reading-Basingstoke 13
Basingstoke-Southampton 35 (replaces 3rd rail DC)
Scotland 60 miles approx (EGIP)
The 60 miles of single track Valleys lines are balanced by about the same length of quadruple track on the main lines, mostly between Hayes and Swindon and Bristol-Severn Tunnel-Cardiff, plus some around Sheffield, Derby, Oxford, Leicester, Salford, east of Leeds etc.
There are of course complications at many places which will extend the mileage needed to be wired, for things like depots, loops and junctions.
The original WCML electrification (Euston-Birmingham-Stoke/Crewe-Manchester-Liverpool) was about 420 route miles (much of it quad track) and took 10 years.
The Glasgow extension was about 220 miles, and the ECML about 430 miles (Hitchin-Edinburgh-Carstairs and Doncaster-Leeds) and both took about 5 years.
The interesting thing now is how NR will manage this vast workload and deliver new stretches to the TOCs.
There will also be big technical issues with signalling, layout, tunnels and W12 clearance to resolve, to say nothing of the 3rd rail issues on the LSW route.
There are already two electrification teams at work on the ground (North West and GW), but it will surely need another couple of teams to deliver all this in parallel, with first class project management.
Time to watch with interest (and buy shares in Balfour Beatty and the other contractors!).
This is the split over the various NR Routes:
LNW 215 miles
Lancashire Triangle and TP as far as Diggle 106
Bletchley-Bedford/Bicester 35
Nuneaton-Coventry-Leamington-Heyford 74
Walsall-Rugeley 15
Barnt Green-Bromsgrove 8 (includes fast lines east of Barnt Green)
LNE 186 miles
TP - Diggle-Copley Hill and Neville Hill-Selby/Colton Jn 56
Bedford-Derby-Sheffield 116
Kettering-Corby 6, Trent-Nottingham 8
GW 210 miles
Hayes-Wootton Bassett-Badminton-Patchway 93
Wootton Bassett-Bristol-Patchway 48
Thames Valley Branches (Windsor, Marlow, Henley) 15
Reading-Newbury 18
Didcot-Oxford-Heyford 24
Oxford-Bicester 12
Wales 205 miles
Patchway-Severn Tunnel-Cardiff-Swansea 77
Valleys 128 60 miles of which are single track
Wessex 48 miles
Reading-Basingstoke 13
Basingstoke-Southampton 35 (replaces 3rd rail DC)
Scotland 60 miles approx (EGIP)
The 60 miles of single track Valleys lines are balanced by about the same length of quadruple track on the main lines, mostly between Hayes and Swindon and Bristol-Severn Tunnel-Cardiff, plus some around Sheffield, Derby, Oxford, Leicester, Salford, east of Leeds etc.
There are of course complications at many places which will extend the mileage needed to be wired, for things like depots, loops and junctions.
The original WCML electrification (Euston-Birmingham-Stoke/Crewe-Manchester-Liverpool) was about 420 route miles (much of it quad track) and took 10 years.
The Glasgow extension was about 220 miles, and the ECML about 430 miles (Hitchin-Edinburgh-Carstairs and Doncaster-Leeds) and both took about 5 years.
The interesting thing now is how NR will manage this vast workload and deliver new stretches to the TOCs.
There will also be big technical issues with signalling, layout, tunnels and W12 clearance to resolve, to say nothing of the 3rd rail issues on the LSW route.
There are already two electrification teams at work on the ground (North West and GW), but it will surely need another couple of teams to deliver all this in parallel, with first class project management.
Time to watch with interest (and buy shares in Balfour Beatty and the other contractors!).
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