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Great Western Electrification Progress

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Optom1

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It cost £8million just to replace one road bridge in Splott Cardiff There are awful lot of road bridges between Cardiff and Swansea that will need changing or replacing.I think that is one of the reasons for its rejection along with no diversionary route west of Bridgend.
 
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WAO

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The Swansea electrification failed surely because it was 46 miles of wiring for 1 (bi-mode) train per hour each way - the figure of £600M was mentioned. I don't think that the stopping and regional services were included.

Wiring is for busy railways, where it will actually be fully used. There are plenty out there, both suburban and interurban.

WAO
 

edwin_m

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There were thoughts of replacing the regional service on the Cardiff-Swansea section by EMUs, but I believe the west of Swansea interests were unhappy that they would have to change there for Cardiff.
 

Dai Corner

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It cost £8million just to replace one road bridge in Splott Cardiff There are awful lot of road bridges between Cardiff and Swansea that will need changing or replacing.I think that is one of the reasons for its rejection along with no diversionary route west of Bridgend.
The Swansea electrification failed surely because it was 46 miles of wiring for 1 (bi-mode) train per hour each way - the figure of £600M was mentioned. I don't think that the stopping and regional services were included.

Wiring is for busy railways, where it will actually be fully used. There are plenty out there, both suburban and interurban.

WAO

The electrified Severn Tunnel Junction-Cardiff Relief lines will normally carry zero electric trains per hour.
 

Optom1

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Tata were also concerned that that its Port Talbot -Llanwern steel trains could not run during prolonged closures.I spok to a railtrack engineer who prior to cancellation was working on a plan to reopen the mothballed Margam- Tondu line,more cost!
 

Envoy

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I really do wonder whether the first A48 road bridge over the mainline west of Cardiff Central would be high enough for overhead wires to pass underneath in the event that they electrify Cardiff to Swansea? I can’t see how the line could be lowered at this point as it is right by the River Ely. Recently, a very expensive low level road viaduct was built into the new Ely Mill development area. I really do wonder whether a new bridge for the A48 over the railway at this point would have been a better option in order that the present bridge could be removed? That would have been one less expensive problem to overcome should they electrify west from Cardiff being as they built this new road in any case. You can see the location here:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4842823,-3.2267474,661m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1

If they just assumed that only one IET per hour would make use of the wires between Cardiff & Swansea, then that is surely wrong? During the peaks, 2 IET’s per hour run along this line. Having the local stoppers electric would also have given a better cost v benefit ratio.
 

deltic08

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I really do wonder whether the first A48 road bridge over the mainline west of Cardiff Central would be high enough for overhead wires to pass underneath in the event that they electrify Cardiff to Swansea? I can’t see how the line could be lowered at this point as it is right by the River Ely. Recently, a very expensive low level road viaduct was built into the new Ely Mill development area. I really do wonder whether a new bridge for the A48 over the railway at this point would have been a better option in order that the present bridge could be removed? That would have been one less expensive problem to overcome should they electrify west from Cardiff being as they built this new road in any case. You can see the location here:>https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4842823,-3.2267474,661m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1

If they just assumed that only one IET per hour would make use of the wires between Cardiff & Swansea, then that is surely wrong? During the peaks, 2 IET’s per hour run along this line. Having the local stoppers electric would also have given a better cost v benefit ratio.
Any overbridge built since 1960, as this is, has to allow for eventual electrification clearances and are built with flat decks.
 

Optom1

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I think its metal girder, so may be able to use the same solution that was used to get the wires under the valley line bridge at Cardiff East.That bridge has a special coating and special wiring arrangements.I remember seeing a picture of the old Ely station next to the bridge with the track under water from a flooded river Ely.
 

w1bbl3

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Any overbridge built since 1960, as this is, has to allow for eventual electrification clearances and are built with flat decks.

Crowbridge road bridge was I thought a 1930's / 40's construction, it's a plate girder construction which as method had fallen out of use by the 60's. The usage of rolled sections for shorter spans and box girders for longer was common in the 60's and 70's. Even still the construction is a flat underside deck but considering age not likely to be high enough for electrical clearance.
 

deltic08

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Crowbridge road bridge was I thought a 1930's / 40's construction, it's a plate girder construction which as method had fallen out of use by the 60's. The usage of rolled sections for shorter spans and box girders for longer was common in the 60's and 70's. Even still the construction is a flat underside deck but considering age not likely to be high enough for electrical clearance.
You could be right, but thought it was new since my regular journeys along the A48 in 1967 before the M4 was built to bypass Cardiff.
 

linuxlad7

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The Swansea electrification failed surely because it was 46 miles of wiring for 1 (bi-mode) train per hour each way - the figure of £600M was mentioned. I don't think that the stopping and regional services were included.

Wiring is for busy railways, where it will actually be fully used. There are plenty out there, both suburban and interurban.

WAO
Meanwhile ...any more news on progress in THE tunnel??? (its nearly March...)

Later - but there is hope … according to noel dolphyns twitter feed there is a furrer and frey hand over meeting at the end of the month (E & OE)
 
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Scottychoo

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Meanwhile ...any more news on progress in THE tunnel??? (its nearly March...)
Yes isn't it funny how quiet all those 'experts' are who forcibly, as well as rudely, assured everyone that the tunnel would go live in March. I know we are not quite in March but electric through the tunnel is still a loooong way off.
 

Dai Corner

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Yes isn't it funny how quiet all those 'experts' are who forcibly, as well as rudely, assured everyone that the tunnel would go live in March. I know we are not quite in March but electric through the tunnel is still a loooong way off.

How far off, would you say?
 

JN114

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end of the month!!?? see my addendum above from noel dolphyns twitter feed

I think Dai was more after specifics from the poster he quoted (I’m certainly curious) that suggested otherwise to the rest of us experts who have been saying March for a while now, and who have been quiet as there really isn’t any news until the meeting you mention happens.
 

R G NOW.

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When is the next phase of electrical works going to take place. The line through bath needs doing and the Filton bank which is much hoped for.
 

JN114

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Does anyone know if trains are running through the Severn tunnel on electric yet?

Not yet. As put just a handful of posts upthread, handover and sign off is expected at the end of March, which will enable trains to run on Electric from then.
 

Trailfinder

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Where the electrification of the lines and branches has been postponed, has the design work been completed and could work start straight away if a decision to proceed was given?
How long would it actually take to electrify the Windsor branch?
At the moment there must be a lot of trained/skilled staff and equipment with nothing to do.
 

themiller

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Where the electrification of the lines and branches has been postponed, has the design work been completed and could work start straight away if a decision to proceed was given?
How long would it actually take to electrify the Windsor branch?
At the moment there must be a lot of trained/skilled staff and equipment with nothing to do.
Possibly correct but materials are also needed. Didn’t a load of steelwork get sent for scrap last year that should have been used for extending the wires through Bath etc.?
 

59CosG95

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Possibly correct but materials are also needed. Didn’t a load of steelwork get sent for scrap last year that should have been used for extending the wires through Bath etc.?
Possibly, in the case of the TV Branches, there might be a case to re-evaluate the equipment design to be cheaper than Series 1 equipment (e.g. SICAT). The SICAT range has longer span lengths than S1, which consequently means less masts and cantilevers than S1 would have used. That might not account for much cost difference on the Branches (as opposed to TransPennine), but I wouldn't rule out a redesign, especially if new materials need to be procured.
 

Mag_seven

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Where the electrification of the lines and branches has been postponed, has the design work been completed and could work start straight away if a decision to proceed was given?

If there are designs they will probably now be out of date as I understand they have a "shelf life".
 

S-Bahn

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As most of the departures from Paddington are now electric, which services still use diesel?

I did notice an improvement in the air quality when I was there a couple of months ago (1st time since the HST withdrawal).
 

Jamesrob637

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As most of the departures from Paddington are now electric, which services still use diesel?

I did notice an improvement in the air quality when I was there a couple of months ago (1st time since the HST withdrawal).

I think one or two very early or very late services still use 166s too
 
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There are a handful of services still booked for turbos, many at similar times of the day to the sleeper.

Weekdays
2G02 0541 Paddington - Greenford
1D46 2315 Paddington - Oxford
1D48 0030 Paddington - Oxford

2P07 0354 Reading - Paddington
2G65 2155 Greenford - Paddington
1P47 2305 Oxford - Paddington

Saturdays
2G02 0541 Paddington - Greenford
1K26 1907 Paddington - Bedwyn
1D45 2250 Paddington - Oxford

2P03 0413 Reading - Paddington
1K03 0606 Bedwyn - Paddington
2G65 2150 Greenford - Paddington
2P77 2130 Reading - Paddington

Sundays
1K86 1905 Paddington - Bedwyn

1P34 0955 Oxford - Paddington
1P71 1751 Oxford - Paddington
 
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