MML Electrification: progress updates

[GRALISTAIR]

A few pictures from Oakley this afternoon, courtesy of a mate that took these pictures.

Great shots - thanks very much

 

[Flying Phil]

Hopefully one day they will find the cash to electrify the entire line.

Absolutely! Promised in the 1980's......

 

[Bald Rick]

Absolutely! Promised in the 1980's......

1970s actually, possibly before then.

 

[westcoaster]

Work to install Wellingborough south junction has progressed over the weekend closure.

 

[Senex]

Work to install Wellingborough south junction has progressed over the weekend closure.

Is the South Junction to be a full ladder, or will it be only Up Slow to Up Fast? (I remember reading somewhere that there is a plan for down Corbys to cross to slow at Wellingborough North, up Corbys to cross to fast at Wellingborough South.)

 

[westcoaster]

It looks to be a single slip junction. And looks to go from the up slow across to down slow to up fast to down fast.

 

[Senex]

It looks to be a single slip junction. And looks to go from the up slow across to down slow to up fast to down fast.

Thanks!

 

[richieb1971]

I'm a bit surprised that not a lot of enhancing is being done on the slows between Bedford and Wellingborough. They are building a 4th track between Sharnbrook and Wellingborough and I would have thought that the line speed on that particular line would be greater than the pre existing one. Of course Bedford doesn't have a fast up platform which means as soon as you go to the fasts your right back on the slows to get onto a platform, and then I suspect the trains will go back to the fasts south of Bedford.

That is not what I would call ideal, efficient or even best practice. To put a ladder either side of Wellingborough doesn't seem like a great investment.

 

[edwin_m]

I'm a bit surprised that not a lot of enhancing is being done on the slows between Bedford and Wellingborough. They are building a 4th track between Sharnbrook and Wellingborough and I would have thought that the line speed on that particular line would be greater than the pre existing one. Of course Bedford doesn't have a fast up platform which means as soon as you go to the fasts your right back on the slows to get onto a platform, and then I suspect the trains will go back to the fasts south of Bedford.

That is not what I would call ideal, efficient or even best practice. To put a ladder either side of Wellingborough doesn't seem like a great investment.

According to the recent Modern Railways article the plan is that all passenger services will normally use the fasts between Bedford and Wellingborough, where the Corby trains will cross to the slows. So the Wymington lines will only get freight and diversions which probably aren't enough to justify greater speeds (what speed is the curved alignment suitable for anyway?). I'm rather surprised these lines were't value-engineered out of the electrification.

Is the South Junction to be a full ladder, or will it be only Up Slow to Up Fast? (I remember reading somewhere that there is a plan for down Corbys to cross to slow at Wellingborough North, up Corbys to cross to fast at Wellingborough South.)

I wonder if this means the Up Corbys cross onto the Down Slow at Wellingborough North, running "wrong line" before crossing to the Up Fast at Wellingborough South. This would avoiding having to reinstate the fourth platform - something that shows no sign of happening other than de-vegging which would be needed even if the track is put back with no platform.

 

[richieb1971]

There is a Corby st Pancras working in the morning which already uses the diversion lines. It runs at about 9:15am to let an inter city service over take it. Of all the times I've filmed it it's doing no more than 50mph.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I'm rather surprised these lines were't value-engineered out of the electrification.

Please don't put ideas into DfT Grayling's head.

 

[richieb1971]

Please don't put ideas into DfT Grayling's head.

Considering the investment on those lines already made I doubt thats going to happen.

Its a shame that the capacity is already there but they are not utilizing it fully. I mean, in a few years the work will likely need being done anyway. Apart from the more acute angles of the slow lines and the lack of banking does anyone know of any bottlenecks on that stretch of track which prohibit the investment? I know that at Oakley south of the road bridge there is a 20mph limit on the up slow but there isn't any such restriction on the down slow. I gather from the verge nearest the up slow that there may have been a land slide once upon a time since the incline is re-enforced with concrete slabs. If Oakley station gets re-instated that won't pose so much of a problem since it runs up to the old station. But then you need platforms on the slows. EWR might even go this far if its routes 4 or 5 that gets selected.

 

[edwin_m]

Please don't put ideas into DfT Grayling's head.

Put it another way. If the 20 miles of double-track OLE had been put on the main lines starting at Market Harborough instead, it would have got to Leicester!

 

[WymoWanderer]

Just to let everyone know we've been notified there will be a delivery of the substation to the Wymington works site on Sunday 19th May. We have been notified because a temporary road closure will be in operation to allow crane access to the site.

 

[westcoaster]

This big signal structure appeared overnight just south off Wellingborough on the slow lines. I'm going to guess this is where the South end off the platforms will be.

 

[westcoaster]

There is a Corby st Pancras working in the morning which already uses the diversion lines. It runs at about 9:15am to let an inter city service over take it. Of all the times I've filmed it it's doing no more than 50mph.

I believe this no longer runs via the slow lines.

 

[Verulamius]

In the May 2019 timetable the 7.31 Derby to St Pancras is timetabled to use platform 3 at Wellingborough so that fast Sheffield and Nottingham trains can overtake.

 

[edwin_m]

This big signal structure appeared overnight just south off Wellingborough on the slow lines. I'm going to guess this is where the South end off the platforms will be.

Not necessarily. The structure appears to coincide with the existing signals on both the Up Fast and the Slow lines, which are well off the end of the existing platforms (if the AWS magnet is at the standard spacing the signal is over 200 yards from the camera). Keeping the signals in the same position probably reduces the risk of driver misjudgment and may avoid having to move other signals to maintain the spacing.

Providing a gantry suggests there will be signals for Up direction moves on both Slows, which could be to do with providing a turnback facility via the south crossovers. It would also support my hunch that platform 4 won't be reinstated and Up Slow trains will cross to the Down Slow and use platform 3.

 

[70014IronDuke]

According to the recent Modern Railways article the plan is that all passenger services will normally use the fasts between Bedford and Wellingborough, where the Corby trains will cross to the slows. So the Wymington lines will only get freight and diversions which probably aren't enough to justify greater speeds (what speed is the curved alignment suitable for anyway?). I'm rather surprised these lines were't value-engineered out of the electrification.. ...

I made more or less the same point up thread. Really strange, very much a sort of half-done job, happeny worth of tar etc.

 

[richieb1971]

I believe this no longer runs via the slow lines.

Since nothing is using the slows at the moment this statement is correct. I would imagine one train or the other is up to 15 mins late every day though.

 

[richieb1971]

Took a Easter weekend drive north of Bedford today in the glistening sunshine. I didn't like what I saw for personal reasons but there has been some developments since I last put feet on the ground at Milton Ernest, Sharnbrook and Souldrop. Before I start posting pics though I would like to say that north of Bedford Midland to Oakley area is fully wired (or appears to be). There is a section north of Bedford Midland where its not wired fully, but this would be a short length in the grand scheme of things. The wires seem to stop somewhere near Oakley but I cannot confirm this as I am guessing. Since Milton Ernest is nearest road bridge I will start my pics there -

As you can see no wires.

Looking south at Sharnbrook.

Looking north at Sharnbrook, some new 4th track laying going on. A gap signifies a set of points?

The next set of pics are from Souldrop, the best angles you get without help from a ladder.

Looking south from the west side (fast line side) through a big green metal fence.

If I step back a few feet, this is the big green fence from the same angle.

Looking south from the east side (slow line side) where the short wall goes to the new high wall. Would be nice except the tree is obstructing any good view from this angle.

Looking north towards the tunnel where the low wall goes to high wall. Unfortunately no visibility like before, very disappointing.

Looking east and west across the new road bridge at Souldrop, clearly showing that safety for the railways is much higher priority than giving railway enthusiasts even a glimmer of hope of seeing anything at all without an aid to help you reach higher places. This was a fragmented road full of potholes and weeds before, so at least that much has improved.

 

[richieb1971]

These pictures all taken with the aid of a ladder. I know there needs to be safety in place, but putting so much obstruction on electrified lines is just ridiculous. The WCML has loads of places that accessible and bridges with low enough walls that you can see over, yet in the new age of railway building it has be higher than 7 feet tall and extend to 30 feet wide of the track. I suppose the ladder business will see a climb in in the coming months. Where there is a will there is a way. Anyway I hope you found the pictures informative.

 

[John Webb]

......

These pictures all taken with the aid of a ladder. I know there needs to be safety in place, but putting so much obstruction on electrified lines is just ridiculous. The WCML has loads of places that accessible and bridges with low enough walls that you can see over, yet in the new age of railway building it has be higher than 7 feet tall and extend to 30 feet wide of the track. I suppose the ladder business will see a climb in in the coming months. Where there is a will there is a way. Anyway I hope you found the pictures informative.

Thanks - good weather for photos! Re the obstruction of views, while I sympathise, there are regrettably idiots around carrying out stupid actions which the railway needs to protect itself and passengers from.

I've found relatively little problem - my SLR has an LED 'viewfinder' screen which can be angled so I can see what I'm taking pictures of when holding the camera at arms' length above my head.

 

[westcoaster]

As I came past again, the two signals to be hung from the gantry are now present, these will be for routes across Wellingborough south junction.

The closest has two route indications a route 4&5 I believe this will go above the up slow ( route 4 will take you onto the down slow in the up direction and route 5 will take you onto the up fast), and the other signal has a route 4 indicator and again I believe this will go up above the down slow in the up direction ( will take you onto the up fast).

 

[Flying Phil]

Thanks for those latest pictures Richie and westcoaster.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Just been looking at the latest EDP update, and one thing I'd missed before is that there will be a staged introduction of the Corby electrification. For the avoidance of doubt this is Key Output 1 (KO1), not KO1a*. Perhaps other people were aware of this, but I hadn't seen it spelled out before.

Page 34 has three milestones that are relevant (my italics)
1. Infrastructure Authorised for passenger use: prioritised electrified route - May 2020
2. Infrastructure Authorised for passenger use: full electrified route - August 2020]
3. First timetabled use - December 2020

What I think this means in the real world is that (subject to availability of stock), some/all of the Corby services could transfer to EMU in May 2020, using the "priority route", which would presumably be the fast lines from Bedford to Kettering South Junction, then cross to slow lines and on to Corby. Then in August 2020, the rest of the Corby scheme is finished (e.g.4-tracking & electrification of the slow lines from Kettering to Bedford). In December 2020, the platform lengthening etc. has all been done, leading to a re-cast of the timetable with 12-car EMUs, EMT/EMR peak-time stops at Bedford once more, and so on.

So...
1. What EMUs are available in May 2020? Arguably, you would need perhaps 5 to substitute Cl222s 1-for-1, perhaps 10 to double up to 8 cars and bump up the capacity?
I'm starting a rumour - here, now - that the 10 365s that went to Scotrail to cover 385s are going to spend a year or so doing this, as with the delays to the Anglia Aventras, there won't be anything else available. Tee hee.

2. Freeing up the Corby 222s allows the ex-GC HSTs to be withdrawn in May 2020, without the need for any Class 180s, which does seem to be a popular theory on here at the moment.

Link to EDP:
https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Enhancement-Delivery-Plan-March-2019.pdf

*KO1a includes the Braybrooke substation, electrification from Kettering North Junction to "Market Harborough Area" and the upgrades to OHLE South of Bedford required for 125mph

 

[swt_passenger]

The EDPs have shown separate key outputs for some while, before the Hendy report rescheduling KO1 was Bedford to Corby, and KO2 was Kettering to Sheffield. That was in the plan until some time in 2016, but KO1a appeared some time in 2017. Unfortunately I haven’t got every version close to hand.

It does mean though that a power supply adequate for Corby EMUs has always been on a separate KO timeline to long distance mainline electric services - or bimodes as its turned out...

 

[InTheEastMids]

The EDPs have shown separate key outputs for some while, before the Hendy report rescheduling KO1 was Bedford to Corby, and KO2 was Kettering to Sheffield. That was in the plan until some time in 2016, but KO1a appeared some time in 2017. Unfortunately I haven’t got every version close to hand.

It does mean though that a power supply adequate for Corby EMUs has always been on a separate KO timeline to long distance mainline electric services - or bimodes as its turned out...

Thanks. I'd seen the KO1/KO1a distinction.
The thing I'd missed was the different milestones in KO1. I'd assumed that EMUs would arrive with completion of the scheme in Dec 2020, and had missed the promise of EMUs in May 2020. And I kl now think that it'll be EMUs from next May that frees up 222s to allow the GC HSTs to go

 

[DaveN]

Page 34 has three milestones that are relevant (my italics)
1. Infrastructure Authorised for passenger use: prioritised electrified route - May 2020
2. Infrastructure Authorised for passenger use: full electrified route - August 2020]
3. First timetabled use - December 2020

What I think this means in the real world is that (subject to availability of stock), some/all of the Corby services could transfer to EMU in May 2020, using the "priority route", which would presumably be the fast lines from Bedford to Kettering South Junction, then cross to slow lines and on to Corby. Then in August 2020, the rest of the Corby scheme is finished (e.g.4-tracking & electrification of the slow lines from Kettering to Bedford). In December 2020, the platform lengthening etc. has all been done, leading to a re-cast of the timetable with 12-car EMUs, EMT/EMR peak-time stops at Bedford once more, and so on.

I read that as driver training and rolling stock testing can start in May 2020 with maybe some existing services switched over before December 2020. Similar to the London Bridge thameslink route being "complete" in December 2017.

 

[InTheEastMids]

Took the train into London... Since I'm on the train, it's hard to see what's above the fast lines, but in general

Piling: There seems to be very little to do
Large steelwork: I'd say this is something like 80-90% done, some highlights are the big multi-track portals around Wellingborough Yards
Small Steelwork: A lot has gone up since my last journey. I think that they are electrifying a line in the Eastern side of Wellingborough North Yard
Wiring: There's one big section above the slows, between Clapham and Oakley, and some return wire visible from the train around Wymington.
Bridges: There's still some gaps here e.g. the long Great Ouse bridges near Sharnbrook still doesn't seem to have any visible progress. Perhaps it's a trial of discontinuous electrification?

4-tracking: Didn't see massive amounts of progress, there are bits where there's a cantilevers with all the dangly bits for two lines, but only 1 line in place.