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Great Western Electrification Progress

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Ploughman

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Would it be better to say that where there is the possibility of future electrification then the wiring is laid out with this in mind.
If any future wiring is not likely then it gets ignored.

Or is that too sensible an approach?
 
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snowball

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Not always. There are plenty of examples where the wires go straight over a junction without any run-off on to the branch.
At Newport we can already see that the start of the Marches line (the Maindee triangle) will be getting wired.
I think the current electrification schemes include run-offs everywhere??
 

BanburyBlue

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I had a trip from Banbury to Maidenhead the other day, and seeing the wires got me thinking.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but I didn't have time to read through the 201 pages on this thread

1, so how far are electric trains running now?

2, it looks like some branches are electrified and some not - was there a reason for this?

3, Are the EMUs running (387s?)

Thanks,
 

TwistedMentat

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I had a trip from Banbury to Maidenhead the other day, and seeing the wires got me thinking.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but I didn't have time to read through the 201 pages on this thread

1, so how far are electric trains running now?

2, it looks like some branches are electrified and some not - was there a reason for this?

3, Are the EMUs running (387s?)

Thanks,

1. Maidenhead. Didcot early January

2. They'll be electrified eventually. :/ Part of the original plan was to do the Henley and Windsor branches.

3. Yes
 

snowball

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I had a trip from Banbury to Maidenhead the other day, and seeing the wires got me thinking.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but I didn't have time to read through the 201 pages on this thread

1, so how far are electric trains running now?

Paddington to Maidenhead, to become Didcot in early January.

2, it looks like some branches are electrified and some not - was there a reason for this?
Currently only Paddington-Cardiff, Wootton Bassett - Chippenham - Thingley and Reading-Newbury are being wired. The following were indefinitely postponed a year ago, but may be revived in the next control period (CP6, starting 2019):

Thingley - Bath - Bristol TM

Bristol Parkway - Filton - Bristol TM

Didcot - Oxford

Slough - Windsor

Twyford - Henley

Also, Cardiff to Swansea was cancelled in July this year.

It's a long story but basically the whole scheme was massively over budget and behind schedule.
 

Roast Veg

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I had a trip from Banbury to Maidenhead the other day, and seeing the wires got me thinking.

Apologies if this has been answered elsewhere, but I didn't have time to read through the 201 pages on this thread

1, so how far are electric trains running now?

2, it looks like some branches are electrified and some not - was there a reason for this?

3, Are the EMUs running (387s?)

Thanks,
The line is cleared for electric operation as far as Reading, class 800s are using the length of this in electric mode and the class 387s are presently operating as far as Maidenhead. All branch line electrification was cancelled earlier this year due to project cost overruns. Hopefully somebody will produce a diagram in due course.
 

Mag_seven

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The line is cleared for electric operation as far as Reading, class 800s are using the length of this in electric mode

Electric mode only as far as Maidenhead at the moment when in Passenger service as I understand it. There may be test trains in electric mode west of Maidenhead though.
 

BanburyBlue

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Paddington to Maidenhead, to become Didcot in early January.


Currently only Paddington-Cardiff, Wootton Bassett - Chippenham - Thingley and Reading-Newbury are being wired. The following were indefinitely postponed a year ago, but may be revived in the next control period (CP6, starting 2019):

Thingley - Bath - Bristol TM

Bristol Parkway - Filton - Bristol TM

Didcot - Oxford

Slough - Windsor

Twyford - Henley

Also, Cardiff to Swansea was cancelled in July this year.

It's a long story but basically the whole scheme was massively over budget and behind schedule.

So never plans for West Ealing - Greenford?

Can't see Maidenhead - Bourne End/Marlow mentioned, this looks like already wired (certainly seems so from Maidenhead station)?
 

snowball

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Okay, just looks like it from the station.
I haven't seen it but it's probably a run-off as discussed a few posts back.
The branch is thought to have been left out of the plans becasuse the reversal layout at Bourne End precludes the use of a train with more than two cars and there are no current 2-car EMUs.
 

3973EXL

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Some photos from Swindon today.

DSC00272.JPG DSC00273.JPG DSC00274.JPG DSC00275.JPG DSC00276.JPG

No masts through the station but there are piles lineside, and covered bases on the platforms.

Between Didcot and Swindon, no change in the Steventon area.
Wires from West of Causeway LC MP57 1/4 to East of Uffington MP65 3/4. Some ATF runs missing.
Masts through Uffington MP65 3/4 to MP67 1/2. Looks about ready for wires.
Then wired to MP69 1/4. Again from there until around MP74, looks about ready for wires.
From MP74 to Swindon station most masts are now up. Some gaps, biggest west of Transfer sidings on the down side.

Meanwhile on the B&H, couple of registration arms up east of Ufton bridge.
 
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TT-ONR-NRN

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Is the Reading - Basingstoke line still going to be electrified? If so I assume it will use 387s and overhead wires?
 

snowball

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I don't think anything has been confirmed for CP6.

Reading-Basingstoke seemed to get put back before the others - I think it was as part of the Hendy review in 2015.
 

jyte

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I was under the impression that if Reading-Baskingtoke comes back onto the cards it will have to 'compete' with other CP6 enhancement projects. Is that correct?
 

snowball

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I was under the impression that if Reading-Baskingtoke comes back onto the cards it will have to 'compete' with other CP6 enhancement projects. Is that correct?
As I understand it, that applies to all the bits under discussion, such as the approaches to Bristol - but not including Cardiff to Swansea, which has been cancelled.
 

Envoy

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I find it incredible that one of the richest countries in the world cuts back on planned electrification. I note that electrification of the railways is widespread in many countries that are poorer than the the UK and have less frequent train services. Perhaps we should ask them to put the wires up and carry out the changes to bridges etc. rather than Network Rail? Perhaps the Government expected too much of Network Rail is too short a time span - or is NR just inefficient?
 

HowardGWR

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^^^Good idea, ask the Chinese. They put up more complete railway in a day than NR puts up in a year. In fairness, if one examines the Steventon embarrassment, then all becomes clear - paper pushers (planning, lawyers, etc).
 

Wirewiper

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Is the Reading - Basingstoke line still going to be electrified? If so I assume it will use 387s and overhead wires?

The prospect of this line being electrified could be boosted by the proposed new station at Reading Green Park.

At the moment the Reading-Basingstoke GWR service is a tightly-timed self-contained shuttle using two units, and it will not be possible to insert an extra stop using diesel traction unless Mortimer and Bramley are skip-stopped.

Using four-car Electrostars would also provide a welcome capacity increase - arguably electrifying Reading-Basingstoke rather than Reading-Newbury would have been a better use of resources anyway. Although it should have been Reading-Basingstoke AND Reading-Bedwyn in the first place*

* apologies if this has already been done to death earlier in the thread!
 

coppercapped

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^^^Good idea, ask the Chinese. They put up more complete railway in a day than NR puts up in a year. In fairness, if one examines the Steventon embarrassment, then all becomes clear - paper pushers (planning, lawyers, etc).
If the railway plans to demolish your house you have no recourse at all - all land is deemed to belong to the state.
Your second point is easily answered - it's called the rule of law.
 

swt_passenger

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I don't think anything has been confirmed for CP6.

Reading-Basingstoke seemed to get put back before the others - I think it was as part of the Hendy review in 2015.

Looking at a sample of the CP5 EDP updates the location of the info about Reading - Basingstoke changes quite a few times.

June 2014 - it was reported on as part of the Electric spine development project, no dates given.
Dec 2014 - combined with the other "Thames Valley branches", it was showing "completion TBA".
June 2015 - it was still on the same project page with the other "Thames Valley branches", it was still showing "completion TBA".
Sept 2016 - it had its own project page again, now completion "assumed CP6".

Unless I've been unlucky with my 'sample' of reports, actual calendar dates don't seem to ever come up...
 

Maurice3000

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And they do so with no regard to the rules and restrictions we in the UK have to abide by Howard.
Yes, China is not a good comparison because here in Europe we tend to be a bit more squeamish about people dying on work sites, bridges collapsing while trains pass over it or forcibly moving people from their houses because they are in the way of a new project.

It is better to compare the UK to other European countries which are economically, culturally and legally similar. The big problem the UK still suffers from is that when most other European countries decided to focus on electrification (1960's and 70's mostly) the UK decided instead that diesel was the future. That has come back to haunt the UK decades later. The UK's main problem with these things is often short-termism.
 
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