Skills leaving the industry

[steverailer]

Once again the shortsightedness of the Govt/NWR will lead to a serious lack of skill in the industry. The current lack of CP6 work starting and the lack of OLE work in CP6 is meaning that skilled staff are having to look elsewhere for work. I know of some long served top linesmen who cannot find work at all!!

2 companies are currently undergoing redundancy processes, with a lot of lads already laid off/on short hours, others have cut the amount of contractors used and focused on their employed lads and lasses.

If they ever decide to start electrification again they'll be back to the situation they had 5 years ago where they lacked the skills required and cost extra on projects because of this.

 

[a_c_skinner]

Insane, isn't it? Especially with some obvious fill in projects, or even making gradual progress with the stalled stuff. Stuff we all know will get done. In a railway that is expected to get rid of diesel.

 

[Legolash2o]

It is daft. I hope the next Prime Minister will be open to having a rolling electrification approach similar to areas in Europe.

If cost is the reason, then it would make sense to fill in any gaps and then use a hybrid approach for the rest.

 

[Andyjs247]

I too hope the next prime minister would be open to a rolling electrification program. Sadly common sense at DfT and in government seem rather lacking when it comes to electrification.

 

[class26]

I too hope the next prime minister would be open to a rolling electrification program. Sadly common sense at DfT and in government seem rather lacking when it comes to electrification.

more bionic duckweed, that`s what is needed !

 

[Flying Phil]

Totally agree that the short-sightedness, re lack of a "Rolling Electrification" programme, is happening. The continuing uncertainty re HS2 is not helping either!

 

[stj]

Its always been the same the WCML was stop start from the 60s/70s and the Blackpool branch has only just been completed.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Meanwhile, in Scotland ministers declared a rolling programme of electrification as far back in 2013 and this was again referenced in the July 2017 High Level Output Specification (albeit with more detail to follow).

Can somebody give an update on how this is going?

 

[Southsider]

Meanwhile, in Scotland ministers declared a rolling programme of electrification as far back in 2013 and this was again referenced in the July 2017 High Level Output Specification (albeit with more detail to follow).

Can somebody give an update on how this is going?

Stopped at the moment as far as ‘spades in the ground’ goes. Schemes being designed and costed such as East Kilbride/Barrhead and the inevitable mention of the Scottish Parliament’s pet, the Borders. Progress is slow and nothing guaranteed to be approved so I guess the skills loss applies here too.

 

[hooverboy]

bad news...this sort of cyclicality is rife in nearly all industries.
the railway is no exception.

I do agree that infrastructure like this should be better planned to smooth over the cracks, but out in the real world I can assure you it's just as much feast or famine.
My line of work(telecom networks) is exactly the same.every 10 years you'll get a killer app,and companies do a 2-3 year spurt of wanting everything done yesterday,and paying top dollar for it, then 2 years later they are laying off en masse because the market is saturated

 

[HSTEd]

Thanks to the magic of bi-modes that appear to actually work..... electrification is essentially complete.

How many routes are there that would justify electrification without the network effect that are not already electrified?

And how many of them are likely to actually be 25kV schemes? The aren't many and one of the biggest I can think of is Marylebone approach and suburban - and that is likely to be a DC scheme simply because its in such close proximity and so closely integrated with the Underground.

Unless a piece of track carries enough traffic to justify electrification, it will not be electrified.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

The aren't many and one of the biggest I can think of is Marylebone approach and suburban - and that is likely to be a DC scheme simply because its in such close proximity and so closely integrated with the Underground.

I can't foresee any further third rail installations, period. It can be 'reinstalled' for the purposes of maintaining what's already been grandfathered in but no more.

 

[Flying Phil]

Thanks to the magic of bi-modes that appear to actually work..... electrification is essentially complete.

How many routes are there that would justify electrification without the network effect that are not already electrified?

And how many of them are likely to actually be 25kV schemes? The aren't many and one of the biggest I can think of is Marylebone approach and suburban - and that is likely to be a DC scheme simply because its in such close proximity and so closely integrated with the Underground.

Unless a piece of track carries enough traffic to justify electrification, it will not be electrified.

I hope this is not the case as I'm sure the use of diesel Bi-modes is significantly more polluting and less efficient than pure electric. It is always the higher initial cost of our method of electrification which skews the economic argument. However the costs are very dependant upon the weighting given to some very difficult to quantify benefits....

 

[HSTEd]

I can't foresee any further third rail installations, period. It can be 'reinstalled' for the purposes of maintaining what's already been grandfathered in but no more.

The possibility has increased as even Network Rail in it's recent Kent route studies has admitted that the arguments it used to say that 25kV was cheaper were complete junk.

ORR then (apparently) cites the Electrical Regulations for why third rail is impossible, even those regulations specificly exclude traction current supplies from their scope.

Meanwhile no attempt is made to make third rail safer, as 25kV is cheaper etc etc etc.

It stinks of people having made the decision that they only wanted 25kV years ago and then subconciously or otherwise cooking the books and interpreting rules to ensure that result.

 

[Meerkat]

Has anyone presented politicians with this problem and solutions?
ie explained how it would be cheaper to keep the skills and presented some outline smaller schemes - Thames Haven, Felixstowe, Bath?
The government understands the concept - ordering ships for the Navy that they don’t really want so that the shipyard and skills are maintained, but that is lumpier and more obvious (shipyard layoffs a bigger political issue than a scattered load of layoffs)