MML Electrification: progress updates

[Flying Phil]

Do wanna bet...Hst in 2+4 formation during project Rio.......56 mins !.

I didn't know that - any more details?

 

[59CosG95]

Found a small goldmine on NR's website earlier - the Transport & Works Act Order application (TWAO) was sent to Mr Grayling today by NR for the works on structures along the route.

To support the largest upgrade of the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870, we have submitted an application for an order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 in order to confer powers and deemed planning permission, which will enable work to be carried out in specific locations including Bromham Road Bridge and Souldrop Level Crossing in Bedford.

Following our public consultation, we prepared a TWAO application, which was submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport on 22 June 2018.

There are a lot of documents on the page worth looking at too - NR10 and NR11 particularly.
https://www.networkrail.co.uk/runni...e-improvement-programme/london-to-corby-twao/

 

[snowball]

This notice appeared in the London Gazette today, which may be about the same TWAO application:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3049323

 

[59CosG95]

This notice appeared in the London Gazette today, which may be about the same TWAO application:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/3049323

Yep, that's the same one. Glad to see some tangible progress on the way!

 

[Class 170101]

Do we know how they are going to feed the MML from Braybrooke feeder Station yet? Its been said they might extend the OLE to it or that they might just put in a cable similar to way Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge was done.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Do we know how they are going to feed the MML from Braybrooke feeder Station yet? Its been said they might extend the OLE to it or that they might just put in a cable similar to way Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge was done.

Nothing confirmed but it has been said options have been put forward that include wiring to Market Harborough station

 

[Flying Phil]

Nothing confirmed but it has been said options have been put forward that include wiring to Market Harborough station

Given that the substation is about a mile from the Harborough Station I'm sure there is "relatively" little difference in the cost between the various options - but politically/socially/economically I'm sure the electrification to Harborough makes it the best choice. It means the Northbound Bi Modes are running as electric for a greater proportion of their journey - therefore less CO2/wear and tear/diesel fuel use/etc. We can believe that Electrification may "creep North" sometime in the future. It shows the MML is getting some investment in the North. Also, as Harborough Station is being re-aligned, putting in electrification infrastructure will cause minimal disturbance at this point in time.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Exactly - you named that tune in one

 

[70014IronDuke]

Upping the speed saves a significant amount of time — there was a very brief period in the 1980s when the speed went up to 25 into 2 (somewhere I've got a photo of the 25 sign, but I don't know where now), and that was worth a good half minute to all trains. To have the 40 that has been said to be the aspiration would effectively by an unchecked entry into the station. As for speeds between Leicester and Syston, well, both HSTs and Meridians manage very much more than 50-60 by the time they pass Syston.

Well, maybe my memories are warped, but I'd say in days of yore a Cl 45 with 9 on could be doing close to 80 mph at Syston.

 

[Hairy Bear]

Actually a Meridian will hit 110 by Thurmaston and we have throttled back by then. A healthy Hst will be doing around the 103 mark and still accelerating. The shorter formed 'mushroom' sets will also be up to 110.

The remodelling at Leicester south has saved 35 sec's to Wigston on current timings. I don't know the reason why it's still 15 northbound but it's more likely to do with signal sighting, the rulings being quite fickle in recent years.

 

[Senex]

Actually a Meridian will hit 110 by Thurmaston and we have throttled back by then. A healthy Hst will be doing around the 103 mark and still accelerating. The shorter formed 'mushroom' sets will also be up to 110.

The remodelling at Leicester south has saved 35 sec's to Wigston on current timings. I don't know the reason why it's still 15 northbound but it's more likely to do with signal sighting, the rulings being quite fickle in recent years.

A nice example of a very significant saving through relatively simple works that could be done in the course of renewals and within the existing formation!

I wondered whether keeping the 15 down might be signal-sighting. Surely no problem with 407 on the approach to the station, but is it a case of 415 at the north end of pl2 not coming into view until "too late"? But why? If you're coming in on a yellow at 415, then you're preparing to stop at the red of 407 in any case.

 

[Hairy Bear]

There is an issue of flank protection at the north end which is why there is additional timed tpws loops on the approach to the signals.
I am atempting to find out why as it intrigues me as well. Will probably have to wait until the next Network Rail guy rides with me.

 

[londonmidland]

I don’t know if it is possible or practical to do so but would an installation of a banner repeater signal help things in any way?

 

[WymoWanderer]

Had a little look at what's been going on around Wymington today.

• The slow line reopened last week - freight is using the line as normal.
• Concrete base for the sub-station has been laid.
• At least one pile placed on the slow line.
• Very little other activity going on.

 

[59CosG95]

And here's the next update
MML Wiring Progressometer 6.0 (25th June 2018)
Mileages are from St. Pancras.

Bedford (49m 65ch) - Wellingborough (65m 09ch)

• Work underway (since 19/2) on Ford End Road Bridge (https://goo.gl/maps/gBj4QfKex5K2); should finish Aug '18.
• About 4 piles now in on the Down side south of Bromham Rd Bridge, Bedford. These piles stretch northwards from Bromham Rd as far as the eye can see, towards the Great Ouse Bridge.
• 8-9 piles are now in on the Up side north of Bromham Rd Bridge; none are fully down yet.
• Two masts are up on the Up side, immediately south of the Great Ouse Box Girder Bridge (nr Bedford North Jct); one of them has a boom, the other doesn't.
• At Bromham, between the A6 (Great Ouse Way) & Lower Farm Rd (https://goo.gl/maps/rSPFrDAZQ362), 13 Twin Track Cantilevers/TTCs (with booms) are up over the Slow Lines, and about 6/7 over the Fast Lines. This includes the Box Girder bridge over the river Great Ouse.
• A single TTC mast has now gone up north of Lower Farm Rd, adjacent to the Down Fast.
• At Oakley, on the site of the old station (just south of Station Rd Bridge), all visible piles over both lines now carry TC booms. Plenty of TTC uprights (almost all boomed) are up to the south of Oakley station; their extent is not yet known. Between Station Rd & Highfield Rd bridges, 4 boomed TTCS are up over the Slows. Piles for corresponding TTCs have gone in adjacent to the Down Fast. Another upright has gone up to the north of Highfield Rd bridge, adjacent to the Down Fast.
• 2 piles are in just south of Oakley Viaduct (https://goo.gl/maps/r5oXUSSPSAo); one next to the DF, another next to the US. These seem to have been in for a while.
• Lots of TTCs also up over both pairs of lines around Milton Ernest (between Radwell Rd & East End; https://goo.gl/maps/V5afGGQEZiE2).
• Between Radwell Rd & New Rd, a TTC mast has been placed between the Up Fast & Down Slow, as the embankment adjacent to the Up Slow had to be replaced with a gabion retaining wall.
• About 6 TTCs are up immediately to the north of Radwell Viaduct, over the Slow lines (https://goo.gl/maps/r5oXUSSPSAo); 3 more TTCs are up accompanying them over the Fast lines (positioned between the pairs of lines). Another 2 are now up over the Slows south of the viaduct. Masts for a possible "2 Capital Pi's" portal boom (i.e. |T|) are up at the southern end of the viaduct.
• Roughly 3 or 4 piles (now with boomless TTC masts) are in next to the Down Fast, and another 4 (3 of which have boomed TTC masts) next to the Up Slow just north of Moor End Lane, Radwell (https://goo.gl/maps/cmgWsgyYAo62). South of Moor End Lane (but north of the next bridge to the south), about 5 TTC masts are up (2 of which have booms) adjacent to the Up Slow, with a similar number in adjacent to the Down Fast. South of that bridge, another 2 piles have masts (possibly w/ booms).
• 2 parallel piles are in place (no masts) adjacent to the Fast lines at Radwell; possibly for a portal frame?
• About 4 or so masts are now up beside the Up Slow, just north of Park Ln, Sharnbrook (https://goo.gl/maps/df2As431FDr); the 4-tracking here is not yet complete as signal "WH378" sits right in the path of the restored Up Slow.
• A pile is now in next to the future Down Slow at Souldrop.
• Between Wymington (https://goo.gl/maps/apZ6wwj9StR2) and Wellingboro', intensive 4-tracking is underway, with the Slow Lines still closed. Near the Google Maps link posted for Wymington, the car park used for the 4-tracking works is due to house a National Grid substation for the electrification; the concrete base has now been laid for the substation. Link to application to Beds Council: http://www.publicaccess.bedford.gov...ils.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=ONBIS8CUMMJ00
• Nothing up regarding masts in the Wymington area at this stage; piles are going in around the Fasts, and have started on the Slows too.
• Mast-wise, not much up around Kangaroo Spinney (https://goo.gl/maps/K8C8gkgvNaD2), Irchester (https://goo.gl/maps/SxEfjQV71Ly), Souldrop (https://goo.gl/maps/DYdb2rWw8BL2) or Sharnbrook Jct (https://goo.gl/maps/umEb3T9ftD62) at this point.
• Station Rd Bridge, Irchester (see above link) is closed from 9/4 to 22/11 to allow reconstruction for OLE; the replacement deck over the Relief Lines is now complete.

Wellingborough (65m 09ch) - Kettering (72m 01ch)

• Extensive 4-tracking laid (except at points where existing infrastructure has to be moved).
• Finedon Rd Bridge is closed from 22/3 to 28/9 to allow reconstruction for OLE.
• A couple of piles (with orange caps) have gone in around Finedon.
• 1 or 2 piles have gone in around Isham; not much progress elsewhere.

Kettering (72m 01ch) - Glendon Jct (74m 00ch) - Corby (79m 40ch)

• Piling going on to the north of Kettering station. A few signal gantries from the BR days have been (or are due to be) removed. Unclear of progress with piling/masts towards Corby, or on the Main line north of Glendon Junction; I assume some wires will go this way to be used as overruns.
• 2nd track now in operation, and linespeed raised to 90mph where it was previously 60mph.

North of Glendon Jct (74m 00ch)

• Braybrooke Substation approved. To be located here: (https://goo.gl/maps/fuy1uZeDjdQ2).
• The extent of wiring towards Market Harboro' has not yet been decided; it might be Braybrooke, it might not be as far as Braybrooke, it may even go to Market Harboro' itself (which is unlikely).
  It may run in a trench like the situation planned for Thingley-Chippenham on the GWEP, from Braybrooke to Glendon.

Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Flying Phil]

59CosG95 and WymoWanderer
Thanks for your updates - much appreciated.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

59CosG95
Thanks for your updates - much appreciated.

I absolutely Concur

 

[whhistle]

Just heard on the radio that an "influential group" are calling on electrification to be restarted (again!).

MP Lilian Greenwood is the head of the group but I missed the name.

 

[hwl]

Just heard on the radio that an "influential group" are calling on electrification to be restarted (again!).

MP Lilian Greenwood is the head of the group but I missed the name.

Lillian is the Chair of the Transport Select Committee

 

[snowball]

Just heard on the radio that an "influential group" are calling on electrification to be restarted (again!).

MP Lilian Greenwood is the head of the group but I missed the name.

See this thread:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/cancelled-electrification-schemes.166430/

 

[edwin_m]

Lillian is the Chair of the Transport Select Committee

And the member for Nottingham South.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Lillian is the Chair of the Transport Select Committee

And the member for Nottingham South.

I will try and not get too political. I am not a fan of the Labour Party but Lillian Greenwood is a damn fine Chair of the Transport Select Committee. She seems to be doing a great job in Calling Grayling etc to account. I am hopeful some electrification will progress.

 

[kevjs]

Just heard on the radio that an "influential group" are calling on electrification to be restarted (again!).

MP Lilian Greenwood is the head of the group but I missed the name.

That's turning into a weekly story now!

Can't see this one mentioned in this thread from last Thursday
http://www.transportnottingham.com/electrification/

Nottingham City Councillors are calling on the Government to reverse its decision to scrap the electrification of the Midland Mainline in the interest of public health.

The Government last year cancelled the planned electrification, which would have reduced the number of high polluting diesel trains coming into the city centre every day.

Now as part of a range of activities to mark the second annual Clean Air Day today (Thursday, June 21), Council Leader Jon Collins will once again urge Transport Secretary Chris Grayling to fulfil the original promise.

Councillor Sally Longford, Portfolio Holder for Energy and Environment, said: “We’ve talked a lot about the economic benefits of electrifying the Midland Mainline, but the environmental benefits are equally important.

“The health of our citizens is a top priority, and the harmful effects of air pollution are well known. We’re proud of the work we’ve been doing to address this; introducing greener transport, including one of the largest all-electric park and ride bus fleets in the country, and expanding our successful tram network, as well as investing in cycle infrastructure and ultra-low emission vehicles.

“But now we need the Government to step up and fulfil its promise to electrify the Midland Mainline, especially as they increasingly talk about the importance of clean air and put pressure on councils to address air quality. They need to practise what they preach.

“Our monitoring shows significantly higher emissions of nitrogen dioxide in the vicinity of the station, compared to other heavily trafficked roads elsewhere in the city, and its evident dirty diesel trains are contributing to this.

“The new trains being proposed by the Government – bi-mode trains – would continue to emit high levels of nitrogen dioxide into the city centre – an area of our city that the Government has already identified as having poor air quality. It’s simply not good enough.”

 

[whhistle]

With all this stopping and starting, they may as well just do it.
The problem I see is that it'll probably come after the order of bi-mode trains and thus will that mean yet another new fleet of trains for the MML?

 

[edwin_m]

In principle a franchise bidder could combine with one or more infrastructure bodies to offer the government a deal to finish the electrification and get partial payback from the lower cost of buying and running EMUs compared with bi-modes. However there are several practical problems with that, including:
- The savings wouldn't pay for the electrification during the franchise period, unless it was very long indeed. So the goverment would have to underwrite the arrangement into subsequent franchises, or reimburse by an additional mileage charge or similar.
- I think the invitation to tender for the franchise specifies bi-modes so would rule out any other solution.

 

[Kneedown]

The problem I see is that it'll probably come after the order of bi-mode trains and thus will that mean yet another new fleet of trains for the MML?

The core MML was always going to be bi-modes of some form to allow for running over non electrified diversionary routes.

 

[edwin_m]

The core MML was always going to be bi-modes of some form to allow for running over non electrified diversionary routes.

I don't think that was ever a certainty although it may have been discussed elsewhere. The WCML and ECML manage with a sub-fleet of diesels or bi-modes which cover diversions where necessary, and the MML could do the same. The extensions of service beyond what was going to be electrified are essentially stock positioning moves that happen to be available to passengers, and would be eliminated by basing the trains at more appropriate places on the route.

 

[cle]

Was the route via Alfreton going to be done? Presumably this would also be part of the feeder/regional Toton routes.

 

[Kneedown]

The Erewash Valley was not in the plans, nor was Corby to Syston, Sheet Stores to Derby via Stenson, Tapton to Sheffield via Beighton. All commonly, and routinely used diversionary routes that would make bi mode of some form essential. This was recognised inside the industry, even it wasn't public knowledge.

 

[DDB]

The Erewash Valley was not in the plans, nor was Corby to Syston, Sheet Stores to Derby via Stenson, Tapton to Sheffield via Beighton. All commonly, and routinely used diversionary routes that would make bi mode of some form essential. This was recognised inside the industry, even it wasn't public knowledge.

There are also lots of ocassions when the "London trains" are used on the local routes to strengthen services at the weekend e.g. seaside trips to Skegness or Scarborough and extras for Lincoln Christmas market and Uttoxeter races which can only continue if the London intercity stock and can still be used away from the wires.

OT: My personal theory for what makes a "good franchise" is this mix of long distance and local services which I assume must make it much easier to strengthen leisure services for occasional events as long as they don't clash with peak times.

DDB