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Scottish Electrification updates & discussion

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mcmad

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Looks that way, runs up to Dunblane, then to Alloa with a reversal at Stirling in P6 then back to Dunblane reversing in P9 with a final run to Greenhill lower and back before returning to Shields. Busy shift for the driver!
 

Altnabreac

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Travelled along the Shotts line on Friday night and saw the footbridge at Hartwood was still in place. Wires won't be able to go live until it is removed so thought they needed to get on with removing it quickly.

Saw this on Twitter yesterday morning:
https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1066687614152048640
We removed the old station footbridge at #Hartwood station to clear for the overhead electrification. wires. It has been donated to #Hartwood community council to feature in a community garden in the future. Access is maintained via new stairs at west of the station. #ShottsLE

Good to see the Shotts team responding so quickly to my unspoken requests! Last structure cleared for Shotts is an important milestone.
 

Southsider

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Travelled along the Shotts line on Friday night and saw the footbridge at Hartwood was still in place. Wires won't be able to go live until it is removed so thought they needed to get on with removing it quickly.

Saw this on Twitter yesterday morning:
https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1066687614152048640
We removed the old station footbridge at #Hartwood station to clear for the overhead electrification. wires. It has been donated to #Hartwood community council to feature in a community garden in the future. Access is maintained via new stairs at west of the station. #ShottsLE

Good to see the Shotts team responding so quickly to my unspoken requests! Last structure cleared for Shotts is an important milestone.
I did the trip on Saturday, a two car 158 left lots of disappointed passengers on the intermediate stops as the train was full leaving Central with people heading for the rugby at Murrayfield. The extra capacity and, hopefully, availability of EMUs will make a big difference at peak times. I can only see the route growing in popularity once electrified. Despite what I've read on here, I thought the refurbished 158 was rather nice.
 

Aictos

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If so a major milestone. Rock and Roll Scotland for just getting electrification done.

Travelled along the Shotts line on Friday night and saw the footbridge at Hartwood was still in place. Wires won't be able to go live until it is removed so thought they needed to get on with removing it quickly.

Saw this on Twitter yesterday morning:
https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1066687614152048640
We removed the old station footbridge at #Hartwood station to clear for the overhead electrification. wires. It has been donated to #Hartwood community council to feature in a community garden in the future. Access is maintained via new stairs at west of the station. #ShottsLE

Good to see the Shotts team responding so quickly to my unspoken requests! Last structure cleared for Shotts is an important milestone.

Indeed pity Network Rail Scotland and Scotrail themselves don't respond as quickly as the Shotts team....

Still congratulations to everyone involved, am looking forward to the New Year when I be sampling the routes that's been newly electrified since my last visit which was when they reopened the A2B line!
 

59CosG95

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Scottish Wiring Progressometer - Post 11.1 (dated 26th November 2018)
Shotts (due March 2019)

All mileages taken from Holytown Jct (1m 24ch) to Midcalder Jct (23m 11ch).
New signalling system for the route tested & commissioned.
The Shotts Line (eastern section) has been live as of the 4th of November; the western section followed on the 23rd after the removal of the bridge at Hartwood. The ORR are due to sign the route off for electric traction near Christmas.

Holytown Jct (1m 24ch) to Midcalder Jct (23m 11ch)
Fully wired throughout on both lines; bespoke masts have been installed in the Carfin Cutting and now all bear wires.
East and west of the Track Sectioning Cabinet at Addiewell, all wires are now LIVE.

Platform extensions at Carfin are now open.
At Cleland, CCTV cameras & Customer Information Screens are being installed.
At Hartwood Station (6m 62ch), an entirely new DDA-compliant access route has been built, and the old footbridge (which fouled the clearances for live OLE) has been removed. CCTV/CIS improvements are also underway at the station.
The accommodation bridge at Hartwoodhill looks finished.
At Shotts station, Station Rd Bridge is being rebuilt, and platforms are being extended.
At Fauldhouse Station, CCTV and Customer Information Screens are being installed/improved.
Breich Station reopened after a 12-week closure. Platforms have been reprofiled, with access to the eastbound platform now coming from the north, avoiding the need for a new footbridge.
Addiewell Station's old footbridge has gone, and the New Footbridge almost complete. CIS screens and CCTV cameras are also being installed.

Edinburgh-Falkirk-Glasgow
All mileages taken from Queen Street High Level (0m 00ch) towards Haymarket (46m 02ch).
Electric services (Class 380s) running between Glasgow Queen Street High Level & Edinburgh Waverley via Falkirk High (21m 63ch) in regular service; due to switch to Class 385 operation in December '18.

Via Falkirk Grahamston - LIVE as of 1/5/18. This includes
  • Greenhill Upper Jct to Greenhill Lower Jct;
  • Greenhill Lower Jct to Polmont Jct via Falkirk Grahamston;
  • Grangemouth Jct;
  • The "Larbert Triangle" (Larbert Jct, Carmuirs West Jct, and Carmuirs East Jct).
Now signed off for passenger service; Class 365s in operation as of 23/6/18.
As the OLE in the Grangemouth Terminal area fell under the SDA remit, it is assumed that the equipment is now to be treated as LIVE.
Some work in the freight terminal does remain outstanding, but it has been all but confirmed that enough C&C to turn a Class 385 formation has been completed and energised.

Larbert - Stirling - Dunblane/Alloa - LIVE as of 4/11/18
SDA has been energised as of the 4th of November; the ORR are due to sign the route off for electric traction near Christmas.
New LED Signals at Stirling North have been commissioned.
Registration work may still need to be done at a few locations (e.g. Grangemouth - see above)
First test EMU for the OLE due on Wednesday.
 
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InOban

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I trust they sign off SDA sooner than 'near Christmas' since services are timetabled from Dec 9. And there must be sufficient C&C on the Grangemouth branch to turn round a 385 as that's what will happen in the evening.
 

59CosG95

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More tweets from @shottslineelec on twitter.
  1. https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1067116144186847232?s=19 - shows the completion of the Carfin Platform extensions.
  2. https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1065881074805424128?s=19 - notifying locals of bridge works at Cleland and Fauldhouse.
  3. https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1065881062075715590?s=19 - signifies that the OLE is now live throughout.
  4. https://twitter.com/shottslineelec/status/1065881071466815488?s=19 - shows details of upcoming platform works (inc. Carfin, which is now complete).
 

kilonewton

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The train ran, yes - left Shields Road at 2315, had a wander around Central Scotland for a while and returned at 0627 this morning.
So assuming that all went well, (there are no reports of delays due to wires falling down, and as the train made it back to the depot we can assume that it didn’t catch fire), is it now over ScotRail to check the 385s & 365s can safely run and train the drivers?
 

alangla

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So assuming that all went well, (there are no reports of delays due to wires falling down, and as the train made it back to the depot we can assume that it didn’t catch fire), is it now over ScotRail to check the 385s & 365s can safely run and train the drivers?

Nah, it’s not the test train catching fire that you need to worry about, it’s the OHLE! (This actually happened to a test train on the Newbridge to Bathgate section. For reasons best known to NR, the initial electric tests were done during the day, you can imagine the resulting chaos)
 

mcmad

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Funny how they can find crews to run test trains but not to run the passenger carrying trains during the peaks!
 

InOban

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As far as I can see from RTT, there's another test run tonight, and then none until Tuesday, less than a week before public operation is due to commence. Isn't this cutting things a bit fine?
 

najaB

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As far as I can see from RTT, there's another test run tonight, and then none until Tuesday, less than a week before public operation is due to commence. Isn't this cutting things a bit fine?
Only if they discover major problems. The lull is likely to allow time to correct any minor snags.
 

najaB

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How do you know the cancellations yesterday were down to Guard shortages only?
I don't. I'm just saying that might be why they were able to find a driver at 2300, when they might not have been able to find a driver and a guard at 1600.
 

Southsider

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The test train seemed to miss Friday morning, perhaps the need for some adjustments had been highlighted? Ran this morning, Class 385 according to RTT.
 

Highlandspring

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The test train seemed to miss Friday morning, perhaps the need for some adjustments had been highlighted? Ran this morning, Class 385 according to RTT.
Testing happened on Thursday night/Friday morning exactly as planned with 385031 and 385015. Last night/this morning’s testing was with was 365517. Timing loads on realtimetrains bear absolutely no relation to what is actually working a service.
 

Southsider

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Testing happened on Thursday night/Friday morning exactly as planned with 385031 and 385015. Last night/this morning’s testing was with was 365517. Timing loads on realtimetrains bear absolutely no relation to what is actually working a service.
Many thanks and good to hear. I appreciate RTT is not entirely accurate nor is my reading of it!
Any prospect of test trains on the Shotts line soon?
 

najaB

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Timing loads on realtimetrains bear absolutely no relation to what is actually working a service.
Splitting hairs here - the accuracy of timing loads varies depending on service, and always bear some relationship to what actually runs. For example if it says Class 385 then you can be fairly sure it's not going to be a DMU operating it.
 
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