Are there any more electrification projects in the pipeline after the MML and TPU are done?
Yes. At least one in progress and at least one Grid Feeder ordered.Aren't there schemes in Scotland?
Yes. At least one in progress and at least one Grid Feeder ordered.
It's part of the 2024 Non Statutory Consultation plans, so yes it is proposed. Clearly dependent on the scheme as a whole receiving DCO consent.Potentially parts of E-WR, as part of the "discontinuous electrification" ambition. But this isn't officially confirmed from what I've seen.
I did of course mean to say that project (in Scotland) is Haymarket to Dalmeny which is in progress with boots on the ground. Grid Feeders in Scotland is as above.Yes. At least one in progress and ---------
Politicians/DfT don't like getting embarrassed and have learned their lesson regarding this. They just seem to quietly get on with it rather than the big fanfare with dates and then project being late and over budget.We don't find press releases announcing electrification, like we did in the 80's and early 90's.
HS2 (not viable without it).Are there any more electrification projects in the pipeline after the MML and TPU are done?
We don't find press releases announcing electrification, like we did in the 80's and early 90's. Instead, we hear reports of "de-vegetation" i.e serious weeding, or letters to neighbours apologising for overnight pile driving noise or advertising road closures for bridge work.
There is a lot of work taking place to increase capacity and speeds on existing systems such as increasing power supplies and replacing headspans with portals, re-tensioning etc, non of which is cheap. An important instance IMV is Marshall Meadows a notorious low spot for OLE power. When this is rectified, both XC and TPE could work electrically from York (or even Leeds) to Edinburgh, as well as LNER. There is also the progression of technology so that the Static Frequency Converter may make the Autotransformer system obsolete.
We can also read more tea leaves in that pegs/paint are appearing at mast/stanchion sites North of Wigston South, all the way to Derby, it seems. This suggests that more than just desk top work is in progress, albeit with stop stages allowed at intervals in the project.
Finally, battery EMU's will need charging sections, so will precipitate some wiring (and power supplies), and not just in terminal bays.
WAO
There was a time in the industry, particularly the Railtrack era, when every tiny maintenance job anywhere on rail infrastructure seemed to be heavily publicised as a major investment, announced by multiple press releases, with corporate hoardings emblazoned with positive messages and logos of partners etc. Doing things more quietly in the background suits much activity on the railway. Bimodes, batteries and new types of supply points give engineers far more freedom to reschedule stages of electrification work according to realtime resource availability and other constraints, allowing activity to proceed almost piecemeal as convenient but within overall program goals and financial plans. Signalling has also gone this way to an extent, where new systems can be preinstalled and run in parallel shadow mode with existing methods for months even years while bugs are ironed out, and the operations function gets everyone trained and certified on the new kit. The actual commissioning changeover dates and extents are no longer, at least technically, a major dependency and can be shuffled as expedient, unless they have to coincide with major track remodelling perhaps.Politicians/DfT don't like getting embarrassed and have learned their lesson regarding this. They just seem to quietly get on with it rather than the big fanfare with dates and then project being late and over budget.
Those (especially the WSM extension) are still very speculative, and I don't think come anywhere near being "in the pipeline" as I understood the OP's question.Plus potentially Cardiff to Swansea and Filton to Bristol TM with a extension to Weston-super-Mare according to their local MP
Will Scotrail have suitable rolling stock (i.e. bi-modes) to take advantage of the wires as far as Dalmeny by the time the electrification is complete? Or is there a plan for service changes when the wires go live?I did of course mean to say that project (in Scotland) is Haymarket to Dalmeny which is in progress with boots on the ground. Grid Feeders in Scotland is as above.
Don’t forget East Kilbride, so two in progress.I did of course mean to say that project (in Scotland) is Haymarket to Dalmeny which is in progress with boots on the ground. Grid Feeders in Scotland is as above.
Any news of gwr new rolling stock program or additional gwr electrificationSo in the March 2025 edition of Modern Railways, they are saying that the Scottish Programme of electrification is "intact". They are keeping the electrification teams intact and thus gaining efficiencies. Masts in place on the Levenmouth branch and feederes already connected.
In addition, they refer to the Edinburgh to Fife electrification as "STEALTH ELECTRIFICATION". This means masts are going in while formal approval is awaited.
View attachment 175445
Marshall Meadows seems to have been cancelled mid construction! Any change on this - feels like a terrible decision with all those 80Xs running on diesel.An important instance IMV is Marshall Meadows a notorious low spot for OLE power. When this is rectified, both XC and TPE could work electrically from York (or even Leeds) to Edinburgh, as well as LNER.
The Autotransformer system was touted as allowing for fewer feeder stations, which is true. But the developments of GWML seem to show that new ATFSs have to be built for resilience purposes (namely the whole bramley gsp/holly cross atfs/reading independent feeder situation) because the loss of one feeder is a significantly bigger problem. So in the end, you don't really end up building that many fewer FSs unless you have a much more favourable context (like with HS1 i guess)There is also the progression of technology so that the Static Frequency Converter may make the Autotransformer system obsolete.
Still makes me remember about oxford and Chippenham being cancelled with masts constructed. The wooden pegs definitely show intent but I try not to get too hopeful about themWe can also read more tea leaves in that pegs/paint are appearing at mast/stanchion sites North of Wigston South, all the way to Derby, it seems. This suggests that more than just desk top work is in progress, albeit with stop stages allowed at intervals in the project.
The LNER services will use it from day one, and Scotrail is/was planning to order a BEMU fleet that will make use of it as well when introduced, but no such order has been placed at present (or if it has, it is not public information), and therefore we don't have a planned delivery date but it seems unlikely Scotrail will have trains to use that particular piece of electrification on day 1, so only LNER will use it at the beginning.Will Scotrail have suitable rolling stock (i.e. bi-modes) to take advantage of the wires as far as Dalmeny by the time the electrification is complete? Or is there a plan for service changes when the wires go live?
I'm glad to hear they're still committed to electrification, even if timescales have changed a bit!So in the March 2025 edition of Modern Railways, they are saying that the Scottish Programme of electrification is "intact". They are keeping the electrification teams intact and thus gaining efficiencies. Masts in place on the Levenmouth branch and feederes already connected.
In addition, they refer to the Edinburgh to Fife electrification as "STEALTH ELECTRIFICATION". This means masts are going in while formal approval is awaited.
View attachment 175445
Furthermore, SFS could be blended with an AT system maybe?? A 132kV connection could feed a 2x25kV system via an SFC.
So does an SFC FS have an equivalent power output to an ATFS, or is somewhere between ATFS and classic FS but good enough for the applications that AT was offered for? Because I thought SFCs were all about efficiency and reducing disbalance on the supply side.There's not much point as both systems have the object of maintaining the contact wire voltage. The AT system does it by topping up at the AT sites; the SFC does it by increasing current delivered (electronically) to deliver 27.5kV, the top end of the spec, increasing current with demand. This has the virtuous circle effect of reducing traction current demand and hence losses as pantographs see a generally higher voltage at the contact wire. The PWI presentation explains this more fully.
Maybe they should delay the Chesterfield FS instead lol. Wasn't MML descoped from AT to Classic, presumably without changing any grid supply locations? I suppose this suggests MML didn't actually need the AT system, except maybe to feed more trains in its sections (probably freight trains).This may mean a delay in say the MML Ratcliffe FS decision.
The latest SFC is modular, sharing common modules with other applications, so you can choose your rating.So does an SFC FS have an equivalent power output to an ATFS, or is somewhere between ATFS and classic FS but good enough for the applications that AT was offered for? Because I thought SFCs were all about efficiency and reducing disbalance on the supply side.
The ultimate SFC system would be one in which the entire 25kV system is fed by converters and operates in parallel.
Well I guess you could say the autotransformer system has the transmission characteristics of 50kV. But that still isn't that high for being able to usefully spread power around the country. Either you have a lot more grid connections/feeder stations that is necessary for day-to-day operation which sit around on standby, or a single phase HV backbone system, like they have in Germany, to get a useful amount of alternative feeding connections.Auto transformer feeding would allow feeder capacity to be shared as required over much longer distances.