MML Electrification: progress updates

[snowball]

Coming along now. Amazing how quickly things move once the paperwork is signed

Why, what paperwork has been signed recently?

 

[InTheEastMids]

Coming along now. Amazing how quickly things move once the paperwork is signed

Yes. I've travelled down the MML 3 times in the last week and I think in terms of piling at least, I'm now thinking more in terms of what hasn't been done, rather than what has. The biggest gaps in piling seem to be Kettering between the A14 and A43 bridges, around Wellingborough station and immediately North of Bedford station. Plus no electrification work at all between Glendon Jnc & Harborough.

 

[cactustwirly]

Yes. I've travelled down the MML 3 times in the last week and I think in terms of piling at least, I'm now thinking more in terms of what hasn't been done, rather than what has. The biggest gaps in piling seem to be Kettering between the A14 and A43 bridges, around Wellingborough station and immediately North of Bedford station. Plus no electrification work at all between Glendon Jnc & Harborough.

I thought Glendon jct was the limit of electrification, well on the Main line at least.

 

[InTheEastMids]

I thought Glendon jct was the limit of electrification, well on the Main line at least.

No, the grid feeder will be at Braybrooke, so there was always a need to do something. Recent announcements have said that electrification will be to the "Market Harborough area", which to me could mean anything from the Braybrooke substation site to the A6 bridge North of Great Bowden.

 

[richieb1971]

Why, what paperwork has been signed recently?

Perhaps none, but the actual work seems to have progressed rapidly over the last few months, which in relation to how long it took for the decision to start work and with the stop/start politics behind it is comparably short. In this case I'm actually praising the work force behind the project. Unlike the GWR which is quite far from where I live, I do frequent north of Bedford quite a bit when something interesting comes by and I can say that on each visit I can see clear signs of progress.

 

[38Cto15E]

Once the electrification is up and running I can see the tabloid press having a field day, with the electrified lines through Desborough, but no electric trains.

 

[WymoWanderer]

Once the electrification is up and running I can see the tabloid press having a field day, with the electrified lines through Desborough, but no electric trains.

There's been talk of extending the wires up to Market Harborough station. Given MH station is only a couple of miles north of Braybrooke it would make sense to do this. However, when does making sense come in to it when politics is concerned.

 

[themiller]

Once the electrification is up and running I can see the tabloid press having a field day, with the electrified lines through Desborough, but no electric trains.

There are plenty of electric trains going off lease in time to be deployed on the line pending new deliveries for the TOC. Just look at the examples of this in Scotland (E - G) and when the Airedale line was completed!

 

[Foggycorner]

There are plenty of electric trains going off lease in time to be deployed on the line pending new deliveries for the TOC. Just look at the examples of this in Scotland (E - G) and when the Airedale line was completed!

Airedale that was a terrier

 

[themiller]

Airedale that was a terrier

The 308s that we’re drafted onto the Leeds to Bradford, Skipton and Ilkley services were the dogs. A bit of cost cutting at the time.

 

[Foggycorner]

Near the end of their life round Leeds they were woof

 

[59CosG95]

Apologies for the lack of updates; I've been on holiday in Cambodia for the past two weeks without access to a PC. (No, I didn't run into the Dead Kennedys if you were wondering lol)
Anyway...here's the 9th update.
MML Wiring Progressometer 9.0 (as of 3rd of August 2018)
Mileages are from St. Pancras.

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

• Work to raise Ford End Rd bridge is now complete.
• 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.
• At least 9 boomed and dressed (aka. bedanglied) TTC masts have now gone up north of Lower Farm Rd, adjacent to the Down Fast.
• Nothing up yet around Pavenham.
• 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 (all boomed) are up to the south of Oakley station; their extent is not yet known. Between Station Rd & Highfield Rd bridges, all TTCS over the Slows and Fasts are now boomed. 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 2 portal booms are up at the southern end of the viaduct; the portal for the Fast lines has gained its boom.
• 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?
• Almost all masts are now up over the Slow lines, from just north of Park Ln, Sharnbrook (https://goo.gl/maps/df2As431FDr) to Sharnbrook Rd overbridge (southern end of Souldrop bank); the 4-tracking here is not yet complete as signals "WH378" and “LR 8” sit right in the path of the restored Up Slow. Some TTCs have now gone up on the Fasts between these bridges too.
• 3 masts (1 with a TTC boom) are now in next to the future Down Slow at Souldrop, at the southern end of the bank (nr Sharnbrook Rd overbridge).
• Between Wymington (https://goo.gl/maps/apZ6wwj9StR2) and Wellingboro', intensive 4-tracking is underway, with the reversible Slow Line now reopened. 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. Further piling (and presumably mast erection) has recently (31/7) taken place at Wymington.
• Mast-wise, not much up around Kangaroo Spinney (https://goo.gl/maps/K8C8gkgvNaD2) or Irchester (https://goo.gl/maps/SxEfjQV71Ly) 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.
• At least 6 TTC masts (with booms) are now in position to the south of Harrowden Jct.
• Furnace Lane bridge (Burton Latimer, south of the Weetabix factory) now has a number of TTCs up over the Slow lines to the south, to join the 2 TTCs up to the north of it (over the Fasts).
• Finedon Station Road now has at least 6 TTC masts (with booms up; 4 over the Fasts, 2 over the Slows) up to the south.
• 1 or 2 piles have gone in around Isham.

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

• At Glendon Jct/Kettering North Jct, all piles on the Slow side have now grown TTCs with booms; some are now bedanglied ("dressed"). A few signal gantries from the BR days have been (or are due to be) removed. Unclear of progress with piling/masts on the Main line north of Glendon Junction.
• 2nd track now in operation, and linespeed raised to 90mph where it was previously 60mph.
• Largest piling gap around here is between the A14 & A43 bridges.
• A handful of masts (~10) are now up in the Great Oakley area, halfway between Glendon Jct & Corby. All are single track cantilevers.

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 been all but decided to reach the station itself.

Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

 

[richieb1971]

I'm really interested to know if the Oakley station area will be using the current alignment on the slow lines (which wrapped around the old station) or the alignment will be improved and run parallel to the fast lines?

 

[38Cto15E]

I saw a lot of construction work going on where the old Wellingborough Depot 15A once stood, will the old steam loco building survive this work, it should do as it hasn't been demolished yet

 

[jfowkes]

How will wiring to Market Harborough (assuming that happens) tie in with the track realignment, in terms of the timing of works?

 

[59CosG95]

How will wiring to Market Harborough (assuming that happens) tie in with the track realignment, in terms of the timing of works?

Wires would come after the track's been realigned; not much point in wiring and then re-wiring to accommodate the realigned track!

 

[jfowkes]

But will the track be re-aligned in advance of wiring, or will wiring come up short of the station and then electrification work will stop there while they finish the station?

 

[59CosG95]

But will the track be re-aligned in advance of wiring, or will wiring come up short of the station and then electrification work will stop there while they finish the station?

The OLE *might* go as far as the track is due to be unaltered before it enters the realigned area; whether the realignment happens before or after such an event remains to be seen.

 

[edwin_m]

But will the track be re-aligned in advance of wiring, or will wiring come up short of the station and then electrification work will stop there while they finish the station?

It's not really the case that the wiring is starting at Bedford and working northwards. Rather that supports and wiring appear in apparently random sequence along the route but presumably dictated by factors that forum users aren't aware of.

Assuming wiring comes to Harborough at all (not definitively confirmed as far as I know, though some semi-official mentions suggest it is so) I think it will stop at the north end of the platforms. There are crossovers just off the south end so any train that for some reason couldn't continue on diesel could turn back, and no crossovers to the north (unless some are being added) so no reason to continue beyond. If this is so then there will only be maybe 10 OLE supports in the area of realignment.

 

[InTheEastMids]

I've only seen "Market Harborough area" as the extent of electrification in official communication and Braybrooke would qualify.

However if the wires do get to/beyond Harborough, I think it'll be after the station project is finished. Dates I've seen

MH station completed: summer 2019
Braybrooke substation: October 2020
Bimodes enter service: 2022
(No plan to use Corby electrics to MH, and if normal operation is disrupted, trains are turned back at Kettering and Leicester, never MH)

So I'm pretty sure the current project will do a lot of preparation eg clearances and buried infrastructure, but the actual electrification will be left until the current Harborough project is completed

 

[Senex]

Assuming wiring comes to Harborough at all (not definitively confirmed as far as I know, though some semi-official mentions suggest it is so) I think it will stop at the north end of the platforms. There are crossovers just off the south end so any train that for some reason couldn't continue on diesel could turn back, and no crossovers to the north (unless some are being added) so no reason to continue beyond. If this is so then there will only be maybe 10 OLE supports in the area of realignment.

I wonder if those crossovers will stay where they are. In the Leicester MAS plans when they included the Harborough work the crossovers were to be on straight track north of the station, and as I understood it they were moved south of the station on to the curve so as not to queer the pitch if the re-alignment could be done later. They are perhaps more reliable now, but there was a time when keeping them in good order on that curve seemed to be quite a problem. And they presumably restrict the amount of cant on the curve.

 

[duffield]

...
Assuming wiring comes to Harborough at all (not definitively confirmed as far as I know, though some semi-official mentions suggest it is so) I think it will stop at the north end of the platforms.

A 'normal' electrification would surely allow for overruns. Would you not bother with this if it's all bi-modes?

 

[edwin_m]

A 'normal' electrification would surely allow for overruns. Would you not bother with this if it's all bi-modes?

Overruns are generally for junctions, in case the train is mis-routed and to avoid having to modify the junction wiring if the non-electrified route is electrified later. I don't see any need for overrun if the electrification simply ends at a station, other than perhaps a mast or two to terminate beyond the end of the platform. I think this is similar to what happens at Bedford for example (only the siding north of the platforms is electrified) and until recently the east end of Manchester Victoria.

I wonder if those crossovers will stay where they are. In the Leicester MAS plans when they included the Harborough work the crossovers were to be on straight track north of the station, and as I understood it they were moved south of the station on to the curve so as not to queer the pitch if the re-alignment could be done later. They are perhaps more reliable now, but there was a time when keeping them in good order on that curve seemed to be quite a problem. And they presumably restrict the amount of cant on the curve.

Indeed, this was stated in Modern Railways at the time of the re-signalling and it would make more sense to have the crossovers on the straight. I've not heard any suggestion of relocating them though.

 

[Flying Phil]

Re the MH cross-over, they also allowed trains to access the two sidings to the East of the Southbound platform where track tampers were often stabled. One siding has now been removed completely and the other is now very short...... and not shown on the plans for the new station. So the cross-over on the curve may be moved??

 

[ashworth]

Travelled from Nottingham to London this week the first time since April. I could see lots of work being done on the slow lines between Kettering and Bedford. It made me wonder just how much use the slow lines are actually going to get after electrification to justify all that expence. Isn’t it going to be basically 6 trains per hour each way. 2 Sheffield, 2 Nottingham and 2 Corby. I can’t see the slow lines being needed that much for passenger trains except for during blockages on the fast lines. I know it will be useful to have 4 tracks electrified between Kettering and Bedford but very disappointed that they couldn’t have electrified at least as far as Leicester.

 

[AM9]

Travelled from Nottingham to London this week the first time since April. I could see lots of work being done on the slow lines between Kettering and Bedford. It made me wonder just how much use the slow lines are actually going to get after electrification to justify all that expence. Isn’t it going to be basically 6 trains per hour each way. 2 Sheffield, 2 Nottingham and 2 Corby. I can’t see the slow lines being needed that much for passenger trains except for during blockages on the fast lines. ...

How about freight, 75mph maximum? Accommodating those ambling trains (whether electric or diesel) would decimate even a 6tph service.

 

[ashworth]

How about freight, 75mph maximum? Accommodating those ambling trains (whether electric or diesel) would decimate even a 6tph service.

I understand that, but will the freight use electric power? I can’t see them changing loco somewhere like Kettering or Corby or are they planning on using bi mode freight loco’s.

 

[AM9]

I understand that, but will the freight use electric power? I can’t see them changing loco somewhere like Kettering or Corby or are they planning on using bi mode freight loco’s.

I was commenting on the reinstatement of four tracks. That allows the slower freight services to keep clear of the express workings. Providing OLE on all those tracks gives flexibility to run all services on all tracks into the future. Over the next 50+ years the incremental cost of wiring the other two tracks will give operational flexibility and allow electric freight to run through from the NLL to wherever the MML wires connect to in the future. We may see bi-mode locos like the class 88s (but with more than a final mile diesel capability) as a way of dealing with the removal of local pollution from freight.

 

[richieb1971]

I'd like to see an engine and tender design for freight. Diesel/electric primary, with tender having opposite secondary. Surely this is not impossible.

 

[ashworth]

I was commenting on the reinstatement of four tracks. That allows the slower freight services to keep clear of the express workings. Providing OLE on all those tracks gives flexibility to run all services on all tracks into the future. Over the next 50+ years the incremental cost of wiring the other two tracks will give operational flexibility and allow electric freight to run through from the NLL to wherever the MML wires connect to in the future. We may see bi-mode locos like the class 88s (but with more than a final mile diesel capability) as a way of dealing with the removal of local pollution from freight.

Totally agree that the reinstatement is great news for the future of the MML as a freight route. My comments were more concerned with the electrification of the slow line tracks.
I completely agree that for flexibility it is best for all 4 tracks to be wired. However with the cancellation of electrification of the line further north I just wonder if that money would have been better spent electrifying further north at least to Leicester or even Nottingham. I really don’t know all the facts it was just a few thoughts after seeing how much money is being spent on the slow lines south of Kettering.