Great Western Electrification Progress

[timatheronwood]

A friendly member of staff on the B & H told me yesterday that he thought that the electric trains would start in service before the timetable change. I hope he is right.

 

[D1009]

Passing Bristol Parkway on a bus an hour or so ago, wiring of Bristol Parkway station looked to be complete.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

A friendly member of staff on the B & H told me yesterday that he thought that the electric trains would start in service before the timetable change. I hope he is right.

It actually makes sense. Driver training and introduce them but do not run to a new timetable but keep them on current timetable timings. Get mileage accumulation and driver training hours up so they can enter squadron service. I hope (sorry OT) they do the same on the Preston - Manchester section too.

 

[Thatcham Xing]

but do not run to a new timetable but keep them on current timetable timings

One suspects that the 387's will be able to run well below their performance capability to keep the current 16x timings on the Reading-Newbury stoppers!

 

[JN114]

ORR OHLE sign off is still pencilled in for Christmas - so unlikely to have much, if any, passenger running before timetable change in January.

 

[-Colly405-]

Passing Bristol Parkway on a bus an hour or so ago, wiring of Bristol Parkway station looked to be complete.

Had a quick peek a few hours ago from the top deck of the car park.
Platforms 2, 3, 4 and the UPL are wired. Platform 1 and the Down Rec aren't.

 

[Telegram_Sam]

Looking from the M4 yesterday evening it looked to me like the wires terminate just to the west of the blue bridge for now. Hard to get a detailed look while accelerating up the slip road in rush hour! So presumably they're getting the station sorted and filling in the short distance between there and the bridge last.

 

[bertyboy]

Looking from the M4 yesterday evening it looked to me like the wires terminate just to the west of the blue bridge for now. Hard to get a detailed look while accelerating up the slip road in rush hour! So presumably they're getting the station sorted and filling in the short distance between there and the bridge last.

Well, the orange army must be doing overtime as I had a good look around today in the Bristol Parkway area and I can confirm that the wires do now go all the way to BPW and the Stoke Gifford depot.
Looking from the new Curtiss Bridge at Harry Stoke over the blue M4 bridge towards Winterbourne cutting:

At BPW:

Just west of the station, at the Patchway junction, the three isolation switches discussed earlier have some wiring with spans to the north of the jcn:

This line is the southern turnout on the diamond to Filton Bank. There's a sizeable overrun to near the southern end of the diamond, but not as far as Abbey Wood station:

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Well, the orange army must be doing overtime as I had a good look around today in the Bristol Parkway area and I can confirm that the wires do now go all the way to BPW and the Stoke Gifford depot.

Wow - what a great first post. Thanks for you contribution and update and welcome to the forum.

 

[ArchieWoodbine]

Might be of interest: the posession on the SWB was handed back this morning up to Westerleigh Jnc. to allow one of the high-output trains from Swindon to run with a pantograph up at speed. It's 603Q and it'll be running up to Chipping Sodbury before crossing over and heading back to Swindon.

The line will then go back under posession ahead of the start of testing & energisation at 08:00 tomorrow (as far as Westerleigh).

 

[superkev]

ORR OHLE sign off is still pencilled in for Christmas - so unlikely to have much, if any, passenger running before timetable change in January.

What do ORR actually do that hasn't already been done by the commissioning team or accepted by the Clerk of Works if NR still have them.
K

 

[superkev]

This months Modern Railways has a picture and moan about a restrictive 15mph crossover at Parkway. Do they have a point or do NR actually know what there doing. Seems odd to me.
K

 

[jyte]

I mean, it's not ideal but provided it's not used regularly (aka for reversal manoeuvres) it should be fine?

I haven't read the issue btw.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

Might be of interest: the posession on the SWB was handed back this morning up to Westerleigh Jnc. to allow one of the high-output trains from Swindon to run with a pantograph up at speed. It's 603Q and it'll be running up to Chipping Sodbury before crossing over and heading back to Swindon.

The line will then go back under posession ahead of the start of testing & energisation at 08:00 tomorrow (as far as Westerleigh).

6H09 Swindon Transfer-Swindon Transfer, timed at 60mph.
Last reported at Wootton Bassett Junction 116E at 1209!

 

[3973EXL]

This months Modern Railways has a picture and moan about a restrictive 15mph crossover at Parkway. Do they have a point or do NR actually know what there doing. Seems odd to me.
K

"The Capacity Conundrum" by Julian Worth is the article. "Value for money options to extract additional capacity on an increasingly busy network".

It is not about GW electrification progress and the use of the Parkway picture, for me fails to make the point in the article.
The picture shows the 15 mph crossover from the down passenger loop (Platform 1 line, used to be the loop) to the down goods (old reception).
The DPL is 40 mph and the DGL 15 mph, so a higher speed turnout is pointless. If you wanted a 40 mph crossover you would have to up the down goods speed as well.​

 

[59CosG95]

Well, it's past 8AM, so something *should* have happened...
Assuming it HAS, here's the latest update.

GWML Electrification: State of Play, as of 1/10/18.
All mileages given from Paddington, except where noted.
Paddington to Wootton Bassett Jct - LIVE

• All main line tracks wired as far as Wootton Bassett Jct, and are to be considered "live" as such. As of 0800 today, the envelope of "live" wires continues along the South Wales Main Line to just short of Westerleigh Jct (107m 14ch); details are given below.
• TTCs have replaced/been replacing headspans at various locations within London - locations include Westway (beneath the A40), Acton Main Line, Ealing Broadway, and between Southall & H&H.
• Everything wired at Reading (bar P4-6 which were never in the plan). Includes the TCD & the curves, down to Reading West (see B&H section).
• West of Didcot Parkway, all lines are wired & live heading towards Swindon.
• Everything wired at Swindon; P1-4, and the Through Road. Switchgear at the Bristol end of P1-4 is now live.

Small Points

• ATF wires in operation from Maidenhead to Wootton Bassett; Kensal Green to Maidenhead currently only using return conductors but will be AT-ready in the near future. Some AT wires up along this stretch now; whether they are live remains to be seen.
  • In preparation for the Elizabeth Line running to Maidenhead, Hayes & Harlington to Maidenhead was closed off over the Early May Bank Holiday (5/5 to 7/5); this included renewals of S&C at West Drayton & Slough West Jct, alongside HOPS work at Langley. Paddington to H&H was also closed on May 6th, and encompassed final OLE works for Crossrail, alongside (presumably) ATF installation, finishing of Platform Extensions, lift shaft installation, passenger footbridge installation, and ticket hall foundation installation.
• Parapet Work ongoing at Southbury Lane Bridge, Ruscombe.
• Parapet Work has yet to commence on Butts Hill Rd Bridge, Woodley.
• Few masts and cantilevers now up on the Didcot Avoiding Line, which finish at Appleford; Appleford LC being the limit of wires for the time being.
• Oxford Lines west of Didcot Pkwy wired as far as the loco fuelling sdg; Down Oxford as far as 53m31ch, Up Oxford as far as 53m42ch. Didcot avoiding lines have sprouted masts (4 portals, 2 TTCs), with a wire pair over the Down Didcot Avoider.
• A note on Steventon: Wires up under the High St Bridge (aka the "Brunel Bridge"); however, the bridge may well be demolished in CP6. "Temporary" parapet work to protect passers-by from stray currents now complete; the discussion continues.
• Overruns through Swindon Jct (77m 36ch) onto the Golden Valley Line have also been wired.
• Another note on the OLE to Wootton Bassett - although testing with IETs is now underway (the first 2 IETs reached Swindon on AC over the night of 12th/13th September), entry of IETs in AC passenger service is unlikely before December.

The "Main Line"; Wootton Bassett Jct - Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge)
Until further notice, the 25kV transmission wires will run in a trough from Cocklebury Lane Bridge (just east of Chippenham) to Thingley Jct. Large steelwork is expected to remain in situ until wiring is authorised west of Thingley, but some specific items may be poached if required elsewhere (and duplicates aren't stored at RAF Wroughton). Details given in the "Postponements" section.

• All masts and earth wires are now up between Wootton Bassett Jct & Cocklebury Lane Overbridge with the majority of SPS fitted.
• On the Up Line, there is a mile of catenary wire only west of WB Jct, followed by 2 miles of no wires until just west of Dauntsey Lock, where Catenary & Contact wires then reappear and remain in situ until Cocklebury Lane.
• Over Sutton Ln Bridge, Kellaways (between Christian Malford & Langley Burrell), catenary & contact wires have been erected over both lines; these extend eastwards as far as the eye can see, and westwards to Langley Burrell over both lines.

Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Bridge) - Thingley Jct

• No piles in Chippenham station, nor any masts affixed to the viaduct.
• All piles in and majority of masts (and cantilevers) up from the western end of the viaduct to Thingley Junction (where the feeder station will be). Most TTCs have booms from beyond the viaduct to Thingley East Junction. About 14 masts are up in the vicinity of Thingley Feeder Stn, 2 of which have TTC booms affixed. Another has an STC boom.
• Piles continue westwards to the next bridge.

Thingley Jct - Keynsham

• No wiring for the foreseeable future, but overbridges between Thingley Jct & Box Tunnel have all been rebuilt. Corsham Main Road Bridge needs its parapets raising. New aqueduct & footbridge at Corsham complete.
• Both Box & Middle Hill Tunnels have had track lowered.
• A new footbridge has been built at Ashley Box.
• Piles also in (and have been for over a year) at Ashley (beyond Box Tunnel) - these might well be trial piles.
• Bathampton Jct to beyond Sydney Gardens has had track lowered. A new signal gantry at Bathampton Jct was installed over Xmas 2017 but is not yet in use.
• Bath Spa platforms realigned & raised, with track also slewed.
• Track through Oldfield Park & Keynsham now lowered.
• A lot of piles are in along the embankment around Saltford and Keynsham in readiness for future wiring.

South Wales Main Line (Wootton Bassett Jct-Bristol Parkway-Severn Tunnel-Newport-Cardiff)

Wootton Bassett Jct to Bristol Parkway - LIVE as far as Westerleigh Jct as of 0800 on October 1st; to extend to Filton Jct (inc. Bristol Parkway) from 1000 on October 13th.

• All catenary & contact wires up from Wootton Bassett Jct, past Westerleigh Jct (107m 14ch) through to Bristol Parkway and Stoke Gifford IEP Depot; Chipping Sodbury Goods Loop is also fully wired.
  • On the curve towards Cheltenham Spa, all catenary & contact wires are now up from the Limit of Wiring to Westerleigh Jct. Earths & AT wires are assumed to be installed, as the overrun is also now LIVE.
• BPW Platforms now being wired;
  • Down Bristol Goods Loop - unwired. P1 - unwired. P2-4 - fully wired. Up Passenger Loop - Fully wired.
  • A number of masts & booms (now all wired up) are up on the line towards Filton Abbey Wood, between Stoke Gifford Jct No.1 (111m 79ch) and Filton Jct No.1 (113m 01ch); these end just short of Filton Jct 1 and will presumably act as an overrun until electrification continues into Temple Meads.
  • Section Isolator Masts now installed immediately before Stoke Gifford Jct No. 1, for the proposed neutral section just west of Bristol Parkway; these now have their feeder wires.
• Filton Bank bridge works (mileages all from Temple Meads):
  • Easton Rd Overbridge (1m 18ch) completely rebuilt.
  • Narroways Footbridge (2m 12ch) replaced.
  • Ashley Hill Footbridge (3m 11ch) replaced.
  • Bonnington Walk Overbridge (3m 62ch) - parapets raised.
  • Footbridge south of Filton Abbey Wood (4m 18ch) will need work if wiring is to occur.

Bristol Parkway - Pilning

• The Patchway/Severn Tunnel Blockade is now complete.
• 2 boomed masts are up at the Welsh end of Bristol Parkway, and a concrete foundation awaiting a mast can be seen next to them.https://flic.kr/p/245kEME A twin track portal has also appeared near there, and the station masts are now gaining SPS.
• Stoke Gifford IEP Depot all wired.
• Patchway Tunnels conductor rail installed.
• Masts, booms and SPS up through Patchway. No wires yet.
  • Cattybrook Brickworks Bridge closed as of 18/3/18.
• At Pilning, during the Summer Tunnels blockade, all portals and masts have now been erected, and wires have gone up.

Severn Tunnel - Newport

• Severn Tunnel Conductor rail in place. A number of masts on both sides of the line are now up at Caldicot, just before the Western tunnel mouth; these now extend westwards towards the eastern end of the platforms at STJ.
• Part of the central island platform at Severn Tunnel Junction has been fenced off - a possible mast location?
• All bridge rebuilding complete from Severn Tunnel Jct (149m 14ch) to Bishton Flyover (152m 30ch).
• Masts beginning to go up between Severn Tunnel Jct & Bishton Flyover, as of 3/4/18. These include:
  • At least 11 between Undy (Playing Fields Footbridge) and the M4 viaduct over the mains; one just east of the "white house" has a TTC boom. It can be assumed that its 8 comrades will be similarly adorned. Another mast over the Reliefs west of the "white house" has now gained a TTC boom with 1 SPS assembly; it has a twin over the Mains.
  • Two large uprights have gone up between Undy Playing Fields footbridge & "the ramp" bridge at Magor on opposite sides of the line; these may well take a portal boom.
  • Another 3 masts (two for a portal boom, one a TTC with boom up) have appeared east of "the ramp" bridge at Magor; these join the sole TTC on the Up side by the bridge.
  • The 3 TTCs west of "the ramp" bridge (2 on the Down, 1 on the Up) have gained SPS.
  • The signal gantry at Magor (west of the West End Footbridge) has been replaced by 4 signals on posts; this should mean its removal prior to electrification is imminent. A TTC with SPS is up over the Mains there too.
  • 1 mast is up to the west of Redwick Rd Bridge (by the Down Relief), and a mast due to bear a portal is up to the east of Whitewall Footbridge (by the Up Main). OTP is in place for a piling/masting operation by Redwick Rd compound.
  • Masts (with SPS fitted) up between Bishton Flyover (including over it) and Llanwern West Jct (156m 20ch). 5 masts are currently up on the curve down from the flyover at its eastern end.
  • Plenty single masts (with SPS fitted & folded) up along the Mains between the Flyover and Bishton LC.
• West of Bishton LC (153m 01ch), masts are around 90-95% up (all bar a few have booms and SPS), with the main gap at Llanwern Works East Connection (153m 05ch). This continues west towards Llanwern Works West Connection/Llanwern West Junction (156m 03ch to 156m 20ch).
• Some masts have sprouted near Lliswerry pond.
• 6-track portals, probably TGBUs (aka Thumpin' Great Big-Uns) going up aroung East Usk Yard (approx. MP157 1/2).
• Between the Maindee Jcts (157m 74ch to 158m 16ch), a cluster of piles is in beside the Down Relief; these are complemented by masted piles on the Main side (adjacent to the Up Main).
• Caerleon Rd Overbridge to be refurbished in 2 phases - 20/7 to 30/11, and then January ‘19 to March ‘19. Not sure what impact on wiring this will have.
• Some SPS has now gone up between Maindee West & Maindee East; between Maindee West Maindee North Jct (41m 03ch from the former Rotherwas Jct, just south of Hereford; the ELR for the southern part of the Marches Line), masts with TTCs on are also going up (as overruns) over the Marches Line; the termination mast & associated TTC are just north of signal "NT 1559".
• Fixings for masts have now been installed on the Usk Bridge.

Newport

• P1 Canopies all cut back; P2 & P3 canopies still in progress.
• Masts and portals now appearing at the western end of the station, some with SPS attached. More started to appear in mid-April; additionally, two at the Cardiff end & two through the P1 canopy on the weekend of April 28th/29th.
• 4-track portal now up over the southern 4 tracks, just east of the new station footbridge.
• Two six-track portals have now gone up over the western throat of the station, just short of a 4-track portal (uprights of) & a TTC (with SPS) adjacent to Clytha Park Rd.
• Old stn footbridge now removed; 4-track portal of the "TGBU" (Thumpin' Great Big 'Un) variety has been installed in its place.
• A new portal has gone up at the east end of Newport, with all the fixings for switchgear affixed at the top. Droptubes for registration arms are also on.

Newport - Cardiff

• Plenty masts up around Gaer Jct (159m 32ch) north of Cardiff Rd Bridge (the B4237):
  • one by the Down Relief;
  • two by the Up Main (one of which is a boomed TTC with SPS);
  • three by the Gaer Jct - Park Jct Chord.
• Around 6 piles are in adjacent to the Up Main between Gaer Jct and Ebbw Jct (160m 07ch); these will probably take masts for portal booms. One such boom appears to have gone in! Currently unknown if Alexandra Dock Jct Yard will be electrified.
• Lots of steelwork up immediately behind the signal gantry adjacent to the Up Main at Ebbw Jct; this includes a full portal boom and a TTC acting as an overrun mast on the Ebbw Vale branch.
• Over 100 masts from Ebbw Jct to Marshfield (163m 60ch). Booms & SPS starting to appear in the area too.
• Green Lane Bridge, nr Marshfield (164m 57ch) reopened to traffic after reconstruction. Masts (with SPS) up around here too.
• Lots of masts (with booms, SPS & ATF brackets) now up near Mardy Rd Bridge, Rumney.
• Two TTCs, one on each side of the tracks, have been erected by the bridge at Rhymney River Bridge Jct (167m 61ch).
• About 4 or 5 portals have been erected just west of Pengam Jct (168m 40ch); 5 masts are up on the Up side east of Rover Lane bridge, complemented by 2 on the Down side. Some of the portals now have booms, and bear SPS; one of these has all its registration arms up.
• First Welsh Wire Run: 1 run of C&C has gone up between Moorland Road Jct (168m 65ch) and Long Dyke Jct (169m 35ch) over the Reliefs on the 15-16th September 2018; this is assumed to be a crossover as it crosses from one Relief line to the other.
• A handful of masts are also up around Long Dyke Jct; some have now gained TTC booms and SPS as well.
• Splott Rd Bridge upgrade work now complete.

Cardiff Central

• Re-signalling completed. Platform 0 now open. 3 masts now up over P0/1 with TTC booms.
• Piling underway at the extreme ends of P1/2 & P3/4 for future masts. One can assume portals will bridge the gap between P2 & P3, over the Through lines.
• Canopy cut-back work now underway on P2.
• Brackets appear to be in place on the coping stones on the Taff Viaduct (at the western end of the station).
• Plenty piles up adjacent to Cardiff Canton.

Swansea IEP Depot

• New IEP Depot at Maliphant Sidings, Swansea now complete; all steelwork up but no wires.

GWML/SWML Blockades:

• 6/7 to 3/12: Reduced capacity between Newport & Cardiff Central while electrification progresses; assume only 1 pair of lines open at a time.
• 15/9 to 6/10: Bristol Parkway blockaded to allow OLE to be installed within the station.
• 13/10 to 14/10: Bristol Parkway blockaded to allow OLE to be installed within the station.
• 27/10 to 18/11: Filton Bank blockaded for 4-tracking; worth posting on here as *some* OLE works might occur - not that I know for certain.
• 11/11: Bristol TM to Bath Spa blockaded until 13:00 while the resignalling work is completed on this stretch.
• 24/12/18 to 1/1/19: Bristol Parkway - Newport will be blockaded again for more OLE works.
• More Blockades will follow; details as they become available.

Berks & Hants Line (Reading-Newbury)
Reading-Newbury set to go live from December 2018; electric trains in squadron service from January 2019.
Reading West - Southcote Junction - Theale

• Wires from Oxford Rd Jct due to go LIVE as far as 37m 23ch (just short of Southcote Jct; 37m 62ch) at 0005 on 14/10/18. The wires west of here are due to go LIVE to the limits of electrification (53m 42ch on the Newbury Lines, 38m 07ch on the Basingstoke Lines) at 0650 on 21/10/18.
• Within Reading West, piles for the new footbridge (under Murphy's remit) are in, but have been "decapitated" (i.e. shortened) and capped until a new footbridge solution is found.
• Both the Down Westbury & Up Westbury lines are fully wired through Reading West & Southcote Jct, but stop short of joining the existing wiring around Theale East crossovers.
• Both B'stoke lines and crossovers at Southcote Jct fully wired to the end of the overruns.
• Reading West Crossover now wired. Extension to Reading West Up platform nearly complete.
• The plain line around Theale East Crossover (on both lines) lacks contact wires.
• Parapet work now complete on the A4 (Bath Rd) overbridge; Tilehurst Rd overbridge will require similar works.

Theale - Aldermaston - Midgham - Thatcham - Newbury Racecourse - Newbury Town - Limit of Wiring

• Wires over the main lines (DW/UW) from Reading West are now continuous to just east of Kennet Viaduct (nr Newbury Racecourse); approximately at MP 51 1/4.
• Theale Goods Loop is now fully wired, including over the pointwork at the Newbury end.
• Platform extension works complete (but not yet opened) at Theale, Aldermaston and Thatcham.
• The gap at Kennet Viaduct is due to low-hanging National Grid 400kV power lines; work to raise them may be starting soon.
• After the gap over Kennet Viaduct, all wires (Catenary, contact, Earth) over all lines (Mains, crossovers and the DPL through Newbury Racecourse) resume at about MP51 3/4.
• The electrical substation/PSU at Boundary Rd looks roughly 90% complete; the feeder wires from the Substation to the railway have been installed.
• At Newbury, all lines (DW, UW, DPL, UPL, and the Bay platform) are fully wired, along with Newbury West Crossovers, extending to the limit of wiring.
• Newbury's new footbridge is now open (not the lifts yet). The canopy has now been completely cut back, and all the facing boards have been replaced.

Proposed Limit of Wiring: 53m 42ch.

• Gives Ample room to reverse a 12-car 387 formation.
• Immunised signalling continues to about MP55 1/2. Bedwyn Turnback Siding now extended to accommodate 5-car IETs.

B&H Blockades:

• 12/3 to 15/3; done.
• 23/4 to 26/4; done.
• 14/5 to 17/5; done.
• 2/6 to 10/6; done.
• 9/7 to 12/7; done.
• 16/7 to 5/8; done.
• 28/8 to 30/8; done.
• 8/10 to 11/10.

Project Postponements

• Thames Valley Branches: Windsor & Henley deferred to CP6. Marlow removed from scope of current programme. The first few yards of each branch (bar the Henley Branch) have been wired as an overrun.
• Southcote Jct to Basingstoke has also been deferred to CP6.
• Appleford LC to Oxford paused; if CP6 accounts allow for wiring to be extended to Oxford, it would be very likely to happen now that Oxford has been remodelled.
• Catenary & Contact wires between Chippenham (Cocklebury Lane Overbridge) & Thingley Jct have been deferred until (presumably) CP6; presumably this will wait until Bath-Bristol resignalling is complete. All Large steelwork to remain, unless required elsewhere.
• Bristol Temple Meads to Bath & Bristol Parkway paused, dependent on Bristol resignalling (Taunton-Parkway over Easter 2018; Temple Meads to Bath in November 2018), track remodelling and Filton Bank 4-tracking (to be completed by December 2018).
• Bristol Temple Meads' "Midland Shed" to be reopened in CP6, after Bristol resignalling is complete and the PSB is demolished.

As always, do let me know if I've missed anything!
(apologies to anyone who saw it in a state of source code chaos too).

 

[superkev]

"The Capacity Conundrum" by Julian Worth is the article. "Value for money options to extract additional capacity on an increasingly busy network".

It is not about GW electrification progress and the use of the Parkway picture, for me fails to make the point in the article.
The picture shows the 15 mph crossover from the down passenger loop (Platform 1 line, used to be the loop) to the down goods (old reception).
The DPL is 40 mph and the DGL 15 mph, so a higher speed turnout is pointless. If you wanted a 40 mph crossover you would have to up the down goods speed as well.​

I think the point he was making was if NR are installing new pointwork why go for such low speeds where space permits. Can't be much difference in installed cost between a 15mph turnout and a 40mph turnout and its likely to be future proof.
Bit off topic but some of the sharp curves abd turnouts installed on uk light rail systems even where there's
acres of space makes me cringe. Do they buy them from Hornby.
K

 

[3973EXL]

I think the point he was making was if NR are installing new pointwork why go for such low speeds where space permits. Can't be much difference in installed cost between a 15mph turnout and a 40mph turnout and its likely to be future proof.
Bit off topic but some of the sharp curves abd turnouts installed on uk light rail systems even where there's
acres of space makes me cringe. Do they buy them from Hornby.
K

This is all off topic, but to answer your point, why in this case install a 40 mph crossover onto a 15 mph goods loop which is never likely to be increased.
I do not have a problem with the article, just that the example illustrated. This important crossover is the previous set of points (photo above in the article) off the Down to the Down platform loop, now linespeed 90 to 40. This was 90 to 25 when the DPL was the Down Goods before platform 1 was built.

 

[snowball]

From Modern Railways October, page 9:

"At the time we went to press, Network Rail had not responded to our request for a firm date for achieving the Cardif wiring, but we understand that July 2019 is the target for electric trains to be in service - which means having the wires in South Wales energised for testing in March."

 

[59CosG95]

From Modern Railways October, page 9:

"At the time we went to press, Network Rail had not responded to our request for a firm date for achieving the Cardif wiring, but we understand that July 2019 is the target for electric trains to be in service - which means having the wires in South Wales energised for testing in March."

I suppose that July is a "worst case scenario" target in case history repeats itself with the May timetable change...

 

[ArchieWoodbine]

Well, it's past 8AM, so something *should* have happened...
Assuming it HAS, here's the latest update.

That's the thing about electrification testing: if it goes well...nothing really happens. It's all very anti-climactic.

However, yes, the wires are now considered live all the way from Paddington up to Westerleigh Jnc. (as well as the Charfield line over-run). Testing to continue during the week.

 

[3973EXL]

Reading West today.


Tilehurst Rd parapet work has started.


Platform extn no change.


Temporary supports on gantry at Oxford Rd replaced by SPS.


Only obvious overhead work left, dropper adjustment.

 

[Telegram_Sam]

Well, the orange army must be doing overtime as I had a good look around today in the Bristol Parkway area and I can confirm that the wires do now go all the way to BPW and the Stoke Gifford depot.

Good photos. Nice shot from the new bridge. Thanks bertyboy

 

[Oxfordblues]

I was at Newbury today with about 100 others waiting to board the 14:57 "express" to Paddington when what should turn-up but a 2-car suburban turbo DMU. Introduction of the Class 802s will revolutionise the service!

 

[snowball]

The latest update to the CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan is now up:

https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Enhancement-Delivery-Plan-.pdf

Bristol Parkway to Cardiff infrastructure authorised for passenger use, November 2019, first timetabled use Jan 2020!

 

[jyte]

The latest update to the CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan is now up:

https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Enhancement-Delivery-Plan-.pdf

Bristol Parkway to Cardiff infrastructure authorised for passenger use, November 2019, first timetabled use Jan 2020!

So, a year late?

 

[JN114]

So, a year late?

A year later

 

[59CosG95]

A year later

Sobering indeed!

 

[ATW158Xpress]

The latest update to the CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan is now up:

https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Enhancement-Delivery-Plan-.pdf

Bristol Parkway to Cardiff infrastructure authorised for passenger use, November 2019, first timetabled use Jan 2020!

It also mentions in small print that work to extend Brickwork sidings west of Cardiff to accommodate Class 387’s. Which means that iit ndicates the limit of wiring will be up to Leckwith Loop North Jn.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

It also mentions in small print that work to extend Brickwork sidings west of Cardiff to accommodate Class 387’s. Which means that iit ndicates the limit of wiring will be up to Leckwith Loop North Jn.

And further adds the scope has been changed - increased