HS2

16.11.15

First wires go up on GWML, but programme uncertainties remain

Network Rail engineers installed the first overhead wires for the Great Western Main Line electrification programme (GWEP) last week.

One mile (1.6km) of earth wire went up on the lines west of Reading between Pangbourne and Tilehurst – part of the track that will serve as a test section for the new Class 800 InterCity Express Programme (IEP) trains.

This is also the first section of the newly-designed overhead line to be erected on the operational railway and the first overhead line anywhere on the route beyond the existing wires at Airport Junction in Stockley, west London.

According to Network Rail, the first 1,000m of wire were installed in only 35 minutes.

Its senior programme manager, Sinan Al-Jawad, said: “This is a great milestone in this vital project to improve the line for passengers. Electric trains are quieter, cleaner and faster and will offer more seats and better journeys for everyone. I would like to thank all those who were engaged in getting the first wire up.”

Noel Dolphin from Furrer+Frey, the company that designed the new Series 1 OLE for Network Rail, also tweeted this today:


Installation of overhead electrification wiring 1

But despite the progress in GWEP, substantial doubts are still clouding the programme, with the ORR saying that Network Rail’s new estimate of its cost – which has nearly doubled since last year, and trebled since initial forecasts in 2012 – should not be accepted until independently verified.

In written evidence submitted to the Public Accounts Committee, the ORR said it is not possible to tell what exactly the new cost range estimate, £2.5bn to £2.8bn, actually covers.

And Network Rail and the Department for Transport are still in discussions as to whether timescales for the electrification programme should be delayed.

Chris Wilson, project engineering manager on the route’s modernisation programme, said Network Rail is working with the department to agree “achievable timescales” that tie up with the IEP programme and the subsequent AT300 project.

It is hoped that the programme’s fate will be clarified in the upcoming CP5 review by Network Rail chair Sir Peter Hendy, due imminently.

Comments

Warrena   17/11/2015 at 12:57

35 minutes good for a single 1000 metre of catenary conductor (support registrations already in situ). Let's us know how long for a full tension length, catenary, contact, supporting droppers, fully tensioned, registered to compliant parameters and fit for purpose.

C Miller   26/11/2015 at 12:54

where is the rest of the electrification train. The wiring truck do not seem to be part of the electrification that was bought specifically to be used on the GWML modernising. The only part of the electrification train that they are using are the hammers and piling trucks. No wonder everything is delayed. You will most probably find the rest of the train in Scotland.

Add your comment

rail technology magazine tv

more videos >

latest rail news

HS2 Ltd: Five tech firms join Innovation Accelerator initiative

11/09/2020HS2 Ltd: Five tech firms join Innovation Accelerator initiative

HS2 Ltd have announced today (11 Sept) the first five revolutionary tech firms that will join HS2 Ltd’s Innovation Accelerator programme. ... more >
Network Rail publish Decarbonisation Plan

11/09/2020Network Rail publish Decarbonisation Plan

Network Rail have released their interim Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy, illustrating its preliminary recommendations for decarbonisin... more >
Trains kept moving by AWC despite damaged overhead wires

11/09/2020Trains kept moving by AWC despite damaged overhead wires

Avanti West Coast have taken an unlikely option to allow their timetable to run, without delays, despite damaged overhead wires. The operato... more >

last word

Encouraging youngsters to be safe on the railway

Encouraging youngsters to be safe on the railway

This summer, Arriva Group's CrossCountry and the Scout Association joined to launch a new partnership to promote rail safety among young people. Chris Leech MBE, business community manager at the... more > more last word articles >

'the sleepers' daily blog

On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

29/06/2020On the right track, Sulzer is awarded RISAS accreditation for Nottingham Service Centre

Following an independent audit, Sulzer’s Nottingham Service Centre has been accepted as part of the rail industry supplier approval scheme (RISAS). The accreditation reinforces the high-quality standards that are maintained by Sulzer’s network of independent repair facilities across the UK and further afield in its global network. ... more >
read more blog posts from 'the sleeper' >

comment

The challenge of completing Crossrail

05/07/2019The challenge of completing Crossrail

With a new plan now in place to deliver Crossrail, Hedley Ayres, National Audit Office manager, major projects and programmes, takes a look at ho... more >
Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

04/07/2019Preparing the industry to deliver trains for the future

The move to decarbonise the rail network involves shifting to cleaner modes of traction by 2050. David Clarke, technical director at the Railway ... more >
Sunshine future beckons for South Wales Railways, says 10:10 Climate Action’s Leo Murray

02/07/2019Sunshine future beckons for South Wales Railways, says 10:10 Climate Action’s Leo Murray

Smart electrification is the way to boost clean energy resources, argues Leo Murray, director at 10:10 Climate Action. Contractors are clear... more >
Ambition doesn’t have to be expensive, says Midland Connect's Maria Machancoses

02/07/2019Ambition doesn’t have to be expensive, says Midland Connect's Maria Machancoses

The TCR Midlands conference is only days away and tickets are going fast for the sector event of the year at the Vox Conference Centre in Birming... more >

rail industry focus

View all News

interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24/06/2019Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he wo... more >