Radley station platform extensions

[Nicholas43]

Just had a circular through the door telling us Network Rail are about to lengthen the platforms at Radley. They say it's because they are electrifying Paddington to Cardiff, and ''this will enable GWR to introduce new electric trains".
Do they mean that GWR may be introducing refurbished tri-mode trains (Paddington?) - Reading - Oxford ? If so, do informed sources here know a likely date for that?

 

[steevp]

tri-mode trains

Um, have I missed something? Surely one of Grayling's finest bi-modes will do?

 

[Nicholas43]

Grayling's finest bi-modes

Is that class 80x ? Don't think they'll be doing Radley (etc) stoppers, especially not coupled as 10 carriages. The existing platforms take 6 (I think).
I'm wondering if Radley (etc) will see class 769 (wires, third rail, and rubber bands, or something).

 

[swt_passenger]

Radley platform extensions are for 8 car length as part of the Thames Valley EMU capability project, as per the last enhancement plan update.

 

[reytomas1228]

Will the platforms at Culham be lengthened as well?

 

[Nicholas43]

Radley platform extensions are for 8 car length as part of the Thames Valley EMU capability project, as per the last enhancement plan update.

Thanks. But I thought that (a) wires Didcot to Oxford are postponed indefinitely; and (b) electrostars have selective door opening, eg currently at ? Cholsey.

 

[NSEFAN]

Thanks. But I thought that (a) wires Didcot to Oxford are postponed indefinitely; and (b) electrostars have selective door opening, eg currently at ? Cholsey.

As far as I'm aware, electrification to Oxford is still desired, but is dependent upon the resignalling and new layout being completed first.

I'm not sure of he situation at Cholsey, but SDO is a solution to where platform extensions are Too Hard™, so if a platform can be extended easily then it should be.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Is that class 80x ? Don't think they'll be doing Radley (etc) stoppers, especially not coupled as 10 carriages. The existing platforms take 6 (I think).
I'm wondering if Radley (etc) will see class 769 (wires, third rail, and rubber bands, or something).

769s would allow the through stopping service to Paddington to be reinstated, which would (to the extent anything is from those stations) be reasonably popular.

 

[swt_passenger]

Thanks. But I thought that (a) wires Didcot to Oxford are postponed indefinitely; and (b) electrostars have selective door opening, eg currently at ? Cholsey.

Not “postponed indefinitely”, as discussed at length in the electrification thread, Oxford is currently shown as regulated output“CP6”. Cholsey is another station shown to be lengthened to 8 car, as of March 2018 plan.

 

[snowball]

Not “postponed indefinitely”, as discussed at length in the electrification thread, Oxford is currently shown as regulated output“CP6”.

However it (along with both routes to Bristol and the Thames branches) was described at the time as being "deferred", without any statement of when it was being deferred to. It has also been emphasized that no CP6 schemes are yet committed.

 

[3973EXL]

Platform extension work is on going at Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Cholsey. All currently front 7 of 8 car 387's.

 

[II]

Platform extension work is on going at Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Cholsey. All currently front 7 of 8 car 387's.

And it is proceeding at a glacial pace like most of the other platform extension works have. Not the end of the world as it just means SDO 7 rather than all 8 on most of the 387 services, but a bit annoying to have a load of extra unnecessary announcements telling you where you need to be.

Regarding Radley I did wonder whether they would bother extending it at the moment, given electrification is still a few years away at best. It formed part of the enhancement plan as mentioned above (Culham and Appleford are to be extended to 4-car length IIRC), and was probably let as one contract with the likes of Cholsey, so possibly easier to just carry on with it? Plus of course we will be in a situation where 4-car 769s are operating next year, so that gives the option of running them as 8-cars and stopping at Radley, and 4-car length will be needed for Culham and Appleford. That would be quite a leap from the often 2-car peak service currently offered which is going down like a lead balloon with commuters.

A worksite compound has just been set up in the car park at Radley, presumably to facilitate the platform works.

 

[JonathanH]

769s would allow the through stopping service to Paddington to be reinstated, which would (to the extent anything is from those stations) be reasonably popular.

Hardly ideal interworking 769s with 387s into Paddington with the increased number of services after Crossrail. I suspect the 'Didcot split' is here to stay.

There is still one up and down through Turbo working in the peak direction which call at Radley - perhaps these could eventually be 769 if the timetable doesn't change materially.

1P03 0550 Oxford to London Paddington
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C40431/2018/06/11/advanced

1D35 1718 London Paddington to Oxford
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C40218/2018/06/11/advanced

 

[Nicholas43]

I've belatedly found First Group's press release of 19 April about leasing the 769s.
http://www.firstgroupplc.com/news-and-media/latest-news/2018/19-04-18a.aspx
It talks of using the tri-mode for Reading-Gatwick (ie third rail and diesel?) and Reading-Oxford (ie wires and diesel?). This causes me to wonder if The Plan is for TfL to completely take over Reading-Paddington stoppers.

 

[coppercapped]

I've belatedly found First Group's press release of 19 April about leasing the 769s.
http://www.firstgroupplc.com/news-and-media/latest-news/2018/19-04-18a.aspx
It talks of using the tri-mode for Reading-Gatwick (ie third rail and diesel?) and Reading-Oxford (ie wires and diesel?). This causes me to wonder if The Plan is for TfL to completely take over Reading-Paddington stoppers.

Yes, ever since the announcement was made that Crossrail would be extended to Reading two or three years ago. Off-peak the Crossrail trains will replace the two trains per hour GWR stopping service between Reading and Paddington.

 

[Nicholas43]

Or might TfL take over all [passenger] services on the relief lines Reading - Paddington, leaving GWR to provide Oxford-Didcot-Reading stoppers?

 

[The_Engineer]

wires Didcot to Oxford are postponed indefinitely;

No - deferred to CP6

 

[Nicholas43]

No - deferred to CP6

But see post #10.

 

[The_Engineer]

But see post #10.

Well, we shall soon know - when CP6 output is defined. I expect Oxford remodelling first, then electrification.

 

[jimm]

I assume you actually mean rebuilding of Oxford station with more through platforms.

The track layout that will be completed next month, in conjunction with the Oxford area resignalling, is designed to allow for connections for new platforms to be installed with the minimum of changes, principally dropping in new pointwork where needed.

As I have pointed out previously elsewhere, Network Rail has shown a plan for electrification of the post-July track layout at a number of public events in Oxford in recent years.

See post 6 in this thread https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/oxford-area-improvements.155460/

If no wiring work is done until the station is rebuilt, you may well be looking at CP7, given how much work will be needed to get together the funding for the station and associated developments in the surrounding area - including a new rail bridge over Botley Road - and the glacial pace of many big projects in Oxford. Google 'Westgate Centre' for some indications of how long it can take from initial idea to execution.

 

[coppercapped]

There seems to be some considerable mis-understandings around concerning the content and significance of Control Period 6.

From CP6 onwards the settlement between Network Rail and the DfT (and therefore the Treasury) for funding will cover only the on-going costs of operating the railway - that is operations (signalling and so on), track and other infrastructure maintenance and 'like-for-like' renewals and replacements.

The CP6 settlement does not include funding for any enhancements to the network - that is electrification, adding tracks or building flyovers and the like. These will be designed, costed and, it is to be hoped, the capital expenditure will be approved by the DfT on a case by case basis. This returns the process to that followed in the days of British Railways.

There is no shopping list for CP6. All that 'deferred to CP6' means is that the project will be approved/started/completed (delete as appropriate) during the CP6 period, that is from 2019 to 2024.

Or might TfL take over all [passenger] services on the relief lines Reading - Paddington, leaving GWR to provide Oxford-Didcot-Reading stoppers?

Anything is possible. However the published current plan is that the two stopping trains per hour between Didcot and Reading will continue to (and from) Paddington making a limited number of stops at Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough and (IIRC) Hayes and Ealing Broadway. When these were formed of Class 165/166 trains they started from and ran through to Oxford, which of course is now impossible as the wires end at Didcot. In view of the considerable traffic which runs through Reading, Maidenhead and Slough being considerable employment centres, it does not really make sense to force these passengers to change. Especially into what is, in effect, a Tube train.