Great Western Coffee Shop

With the "north" GWML line from Bristol Parkway to RWB being electrified as well as the mainline through to Paddington, whats happening with the cabling towards Thingley junction? 

As I understand it, Network Rail has permitted development rights to run the cabling along their land, but I heard that people near Chippenham put a complaint in and stopped the work?

Welcome to the forum, Mark; we have a number of experts here who should know the status.   Overhead, it seems rather odd that the electrification ceased around Cocklebury Lane Bridge ... not sure about cables along the line to all the hardware they've installed at Thingley ... with the cable dug in from there to Melksham Electric Substation.

And here's another welcome. This electrification was one of several stretches deferred because Network Rail needed money for other things and DfT wouldn't add to their budget for CP5 (2014-2019). Or else "deferred", for other devious reasons of DfT's, according to various conspiracy theories.

While most of the supports are in place from the west side of Chippenham to the substation at Thingley, power is fed from there via a Big Wire in a trough (and as Graham says gets to Thingley by an even bigger wire in a trench from Melksham).

In principle it is for NR to decide they want to restart work on any of the deferred stretches, but it's not really that simple. Other deferred stretches have higher priority, and the whole budgeting process has been changed for CP6 - and that's all before Dominic Cummings, or the Williams review, get started on it.

Aren't there some issues with Chippenham Station?

I can't recall anything specific (but that proves little). However, work was I think stopped with some of the design, and approvals such as for listing buildings, outstanding. In that case we have no way of knowing if there are serious issues still to be dealt with or not.

I didn't know whether or not the cable had been run ... but I am aware of the stated issue at Chippenham Station with raising the listed footbridge to provide the required clearance for the overhead conductor cable while at the same time satisfying the listed building requirements.  The renewal of the ticket office, provision of barriers and shelter building on the north side for barriers and ticket machine was protracted in planning, and caused objections as to how elements had been implemented too

Other posters have commented on the masts erected on the way to Thingley Junction ... I will add comment as to the  impressive-looking substations there (is it really all needed just for that cabled puppy to Cocklebury Lane), the major bridge replacement at the bridge just west of the junction, a long closure of Box tunnel for works, moving of the tracks and widening the platforms away from the canopy at Bath Spa.   I wonder how much money was spent on preparation works through Chippenham and towards Bristol, and the usefulness (or otherwise) of that spend with the project now suspended indefinitely.

Logic suggests that after Bristol East remodelling it ought to make sense to sort out Temple Meads, and the wire Parkway to TM, after which the Bath route might be viable. Oxford looks more of a priority.

When is the Severn Tunnel being energised?

Travelled from Oxford to Didcot Parkway this week and was surprised how much work was done along that route before the project was paused.   A lot of uprights, quite a few crosspieces and a shiny new feed point at Radley.

Think you need to have a little read here because thats where we are generally discussing the GWR Electrification: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=18592.0

Stopping the electrification to Oxford was very short sighted. The piling is pretty much complete to Kensington Junction and I believe that of the bridges only Culham Farm Bridge and possibly the footbridge at Hinksey need any work. And of course the signalling is also electrification ready.

I believe the Oxford reason is the same as Bristol, as both track layouts were scheduled to be remodelled post resignalling but prior to electrification.  But of course that was the NR CP5 Plan........ ::)