WCML rewiring 2026 to 2036

[The Planner]

Siting masts on the twisty Windermere branch would be quite a design challenge, and I'm sure is out of scope.
The WCML rewiring will probably use high-output equipment as they did for WCRM.
The challenge there will be to rewire the maximum length in (weekend?) possessions to avoid weekday disruption on the line.
I expect it follows on from similar life-expired rewiring on the GEML, which was considerably more complex (mostly 4-track with many crossings).
At least they won't have to deal with LNER-era hardware.

The big blocks will be so weekends are hardly used.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Jan 2025 ==

One would hope they will be rewiring near Penrith (South of M6 Junction 40) during the M6 Bridge Renewal next January.

They will. Its effectively a free block for them.

 

[Class 317]

What would make sense is ensuring sufficient power to allow BEMU'S to charge allowing them to operate on it and also on other connecting routes

 

[thecrofter]

So they probably wont be doing it then!!

Correct - another little known fact (albeit slightly off topic) is that Oxenholme Feeder Station, being originally destined for another location on West Coast where planning permission was refused, doesn't have the spare physical capacity to accommodate an extra Circuit Breaker necessary to feed the Windermere Branch.

 

[Russel]

Siting masts on the twisty Windermere branch would be quite a design challenge, and I'm sure is out of scope.
The WCML rewiring will probably use high-output equipment as they did for WCRM.
The challenge there will be to rewire the maximum length in (weekend?) possessions to avoid weekday disruption on the line.
I expect it follows on from similar life-expired rewiring on the GEML, which was considerably more complex (mostly 4-track with many crossings).
At least they won't have to deal with LNER-era hardware.

All good points, but if the Windermere line is to every be wired, wouldn't it be the most cost effective way of doing it, to combine it the main WCML rewire?

 

[Bletchleyite]

All good points, but if the Windermere line is to every be wired, wouldn't it be the most cost effective way of doing it, to combine it the main WCML rewire?

Replied here: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...-as-part-of-the-2026-2036-wcml-rewire.280179/

 

[The Planner]

What would make sense is ensuring sufficient power to allow BEMU'S to charge allowing them to operate on it and also on other connecting routes

That is a different issue to replacing failing assets.

 

[Elecman]

Correct - another little known fact (albeit slightly off topic) is that Oxenholme Feeder Station, being originally destined for another location on West Coast where planning permission was refused, doesn't have the spare physical capacity to accommodate an extra Circuit Breaker necessary to feed the Windermere Branch.

Would you really need another Circuit Breaker for a short single line ? If you really did then either the Ordsall method of an additional small seperate Track Sectioning cabin fed off the main busbars in the feeder station or even just a post mounted ITSL would suffice. Would have thought that a plain sectioning switch would be sufficient though

 

[Bald Rick]

I am sure there will be a major write up in the next few months in RAIL or Modern Railways or both.

There already has been in MR, last year.

Would you really need another Circuit Breaker for a short single line ?

Yes. Otherwise the wires coming down on the branch shuts the WCML. Undesirable.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

There already has been in MR, last year.

Wow. Careless of me. I am a subscriber - sorry to be lazy please could you tell me which issue?

 

[Bald Rick]

Wow. Careless of me. I am a subscriber - sorry to be lazy please could you tell me which issue?

Feb 24

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Feb 24

Muchas Gracias. I will reread tonight.

 

[ABB125]

Is (passive) provision for power supply upgrades being included in the work (eg: masts suitable for autotransformer wires)? If not, it would definitely come quite high up the list of wasted opportunities

 

[6Gman]

Such as betting on Elvis driving the first train following each blockade.

Does he sign 805s?

 

[The Planner]

Is (passive) provision for power supply upgrades being included in the work (eg: masts suitable for autotransformer wires)? If not, it would definitely come quite high up the list of wasted opportunities

Its only the wire being replaced I think, not the masts.

 

[ABB125]

Its only the wire being replaced I think, not the masts.

If that is the case then fair enough, although it still strikes me as the perfect time to change the masts as well if required for ATF

 

[McRhu]

Is it just the contact wire? If so I would imagine that would make the job a bit easier.

 

[The Planner]

If that is the case then fair enough, although it still strikes me as the perfect time to change the masts as well if required for ATF

Only if there is money for that, and if its only the wires are funded then it isn't happening.

 

[Bald Rick]

Is (passive) provision for power supply upgrades being included in the work (eg: masts suitable for autotransformer wires)? If not, it would definitely come quite high up the list of wasted opportunities

If that is the case then fair enough, although it still strikes me as the perfect time to change the masts as well if required for ATF

there might be a few new masts, but most of them will remain. They’re good for a century at least. And you dont need new masts for ATF. Plenty of places on two track railways with ATF on ’heritage’ masts, including the WCML.

 

[MadMac]

Does he sign 805s?

I think a marginally better bet would be him riding through half the section with Lord Lucan taking over midway…..

 

[thealexweb]

Well thats TPE North West unable to run during this lol. Wish they kept the Liverpool-Man Vic-Edinburgh…

 

[DJH1971]

Well thats TPE North West unable to run during this lol. Wish they kept the Liverpool-Man Vic-Edinburgh…

Why did they stop it?

 

[Nottingham59]

Its only the wire being replaced I think, not the masts.

If it's only the wire, why would they need blockades lasting three two weeks at a time? Couldn't they do a wire length in an overnight possession?

 

[Falcon1200]

If it's only the wire, why would they need blockades lasting three two weeks at a time? Couldn't they do a wire length in an overnight possession?

On the WCML north there are trains throughout the night, except on Saturday nights, and no electrified or reasonable diversionary routes.

 

[thealexweb]

Why did they stop it?

Lack of paths/stock/will to get it to run. Only one through service a day now and five Edinburgh-Newcastle shuttles.

 

[59CosG95]

If it's only the wire, why would they need blockades lasting three two weeks at a time? Couldn't they do a wire length in an overnight possession?

Also depends on the type of wire. Contact wires are replaced more frequently on the whole, and are typically easier to replace than catenary wires, which is what I assume these fairly opaque articles are alluding to.
Both catenary wire and droppers would have to be replaced; my bet is that the old AWAC (Alumoweld aluminium composite) catenary, cheaper than copper but prone to galvanic corrosion, will be going, as will the stainless steel droppers (which aren't flexible).
Bronze II catenary and Bronze II droppers (which are flexible) will likely replace them. If I remember correctly, there have been a few sporadic upgrades of WCML catenary to "Mark IIID" standards in the same way previously on the route, albeit not at the proposed scale. You'd also have to slack off the OLE at the balance weights (or Tensorexes as the case may be; unlikely but possible for the WCML!) to replace either catenary or contact wires.

 

[The Planner]

If it's only the wire, why would they need blockades lasting three two weeks at a time? Couldn't they do a wire length in an overnight possession?

Depends on how.long a wire section is. I don't believe they are that long. I expect @Elecman may know. The amount of wire runs is going to be massive over that distance. You get economies of scale in a blockade in that you arent getting the equipment there, setting up, isolating and handing back multiple times. It applies to any substantial project. As @Falcon1200 has said, trains run overnight, so you would be diverting the sleeper and freight to the extent no one could do work on the ECML etc

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

What confuses me about the WCRM catenary upgrade was that the cross-section and tensioning were changed in order to support 125mph (previously 110mph).
The catenary alignment was also changed to support tilt operation.
As Pendolinos run at 125mph throughout the northern sections of the WCML, I though that those changes must already have been done.
Evidently not.

 

[zwk500]

The rewiring also probably puts paid to ideas of new sections of the WCML to bypass congested areas (which was a post-HS2 ambition).

Re-wiring shouldn't make any difference to the capacity, so if new sections are needed they'll still be needed. It's also (presumably) funded out of a renewals budget, so a completely different pot any enhancement would be funded from.

 

[Phillipimo]

Apologies if already mentioned, but isn't this the TriLink project?

TriLink - the intelligent renewal of West Coast Main Line north - Rail Engineer

Listen to this article The West Coast Main Line (WMCL) is arguably the most important long-distance railway trunk route in Britain. The line was developed in the mid-1800s, to connect London and Glasgow with connections to the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. It does...

www.railengineer.co.uk

Now, 50 years later, TriLink is the name of the programme to ‘intelligently’ renew the route and to provide a more reliable timetable for passengers and freight services.

A cross industry partnership to completely renew and slightly enhance the north WCML. The Rail Engineer article mentions track, overhead wire and signalling renewals, as well as increasing the speed trains can enter and exit loops, and extending some loops too.

 

[Elecman]

Apologies if already mentioned, but isn't this the TriLink project?

TriLink - the intelligent renewal of West Coast Main Line north - Rail Engineer

Listen to this article The West Coast Main Line (WMCL) is arguably the most important long-distance railway trunk route in Britain. The line was developed in the mid-1800s, to connect London and Glasgow with connections to the cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. It does...

www.railengineer.co.uk

A cross industry partnership to completely renew and slightly enhance the north WCML. The Rail Engineer article mentions track, overhead wire and signalling renewals, as well as increasing the speed trains can enter and exit loops, and extending some loops too.

Correct yes this is part of the Trilink project