Briefing on forthcoming changes - from GWR on 14.3.2024

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Which station, Euston or Waterloo, would make for the best temporary London terminus for GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) IC^▸ (Inter City) services when the route into Paddington is closed for HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) related work?

Could they end up using both?

I know which one I’d prefer and it certainly isn’t Euston.

They have been playing their cards close to their chest ... it seems that both options have their pros and cons and I suspect that the balance is quite fine and the decision will be based on how much weight is given to each of things like platform and path availability, extra running time needed, staffing considerations ... and how many trains are going to be diverted, how many stopped back at Reading (or Ealing?).  Marylebone is rule is ruled out - max length 5 carriages and hardly any paths available. 

Both. There isn’t the space to run everything into one.

I don't think they're going to attempt to run everything ...

[bobm]

And on the subject of both - looking at the pictures it seems the same unit went to both Waterloo and Euston - 802101.

[a-driver]

I don't think they're going to attempt to run everything ...

2 trains an hour into Euston, presumably the same for Waterloo

[eXPassenger]

What a pity Acton Bank was not electrified or they could run Heathrow Express into Euston.

[a-driver]

What a pity Acton Bank was not electrified or they could run Heathrow Express into Euston.

Electrification was planned, I don’t know if it’s still on the cards

[grahame]

What a pity Acton Bank was not electrified or they could run Heathrow Express into Euston.

Electrification was planned, I don’t know if it’s still on the cards

Wouldn't it make a huge difference to being able to run electric freight trains across North London, or have I misunderstood that?

How is the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) doing for people who know how to electrify railways and can do the specialist stuff?  Our "stop / go" system seems to mean that we build a skill base of people then loose it - or is there somewhere being electrified as I write b a roving progress team?  Are they - for example - under full employment on HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s))?

[Bob_Blakey]

Just a thought - and folks more knowledgeable than I will be able to explain why this is an unworkable option - but why not terminate some / most / all* 'fast line' scheduled services at Ealing Broadway (EAL^▸ (Ealing Broadway station))? The fast line platforms are available for use so passengers would be able to transfer to Elizabeth, District & Central line TfL^» (Transport for London - about) services with comparative ease. East of EAL there are crossovers which would allow bimode IET^▸ (Intercity Express Train - replacement for HSTs (manufactured by Hitachi in Kobe, Japan))'s access to (temporary?) fuelling / stabling facilities in Acton Yard should this be required. Fully electric trains could be stabled on the presumably OOU^▸ (Out Of Use) fast lines between EAL & AML with perhaps (a) new temporary crossover(s) to permit the departure order of RDG^▸ (Rail Delivery Group, or Reading station, depending on context)-bound ECS^▸ (Empty Coaching Stock) trains to be changed.

If required additional stabling capacity could be made available at Southall and near West Ealing.

There would be little conflict with relief line services and this would surely be easier than trying to 'shoehorn' GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) trains into either WAT or EUS train plans.

*I believe fast line services from/to PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) run at roughly 3 minute intervals, how about 50% to EAL and 50% terminating at/starting from RDG?

Of course an additional option would be to run all EXD^» (Exeter St Davids - next trains)<>WAT services as 9-coach trains, and temporarily reinstate as many BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains)<>WAT trains as possible, and encourage passengers via publicity campaigns to use these thereby reducing pressure on the route east of RDG. 

   

[stuving]

What a pity Acton Bank was not electrified or they could run Heathrow Express into Euston.

Electrification was planned, I don’t know if it’s still on the cards

The EAS^» (Engineering Access Statement - about) contains a lot of short possessions for "Poplars electrification", starting with surveying last December and continuing until the end of next year at least. "Acton Bank" seems not to be an official railway name; it was built as the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) Acton Wells Branch (its ELR^▸ (East Lancashire Railway, or Engineers Line Reference, depending on context) is still AWL) and the lines are now the Up and Down Poplar (oddly).

Electrifying that won't in practice get electric-only stock to Euston (it would take at least two reversals), but it will get 345s onto the NLL^▸ (North London line) and so to Ilford when they can't get to the Old Oak depot. If you accept that the Elizabeth Line is best run to Ealing Broadway and the Underground used to close the gap, there isn't really a current need for 387s to go further.

The route for bimodes to either Euston or Waterloo involves the Willesden South West Lines (still labelled as "sidings", though the actual sidings look abandoned). The connection at the north end is only low capacity (worse  for Euston), but then so is Acton East Junction to get to/from the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line). Those lines were redesignated for passenger trains in 1990, but I don't think there is any plan to electrify then or upgrade the junctions to give generally useful connecting route.

This does look like a missed opportunity - a case of "if a job's worth doing it's worth doing before you need it". And how much work can it take to electrify 41 chains of double track? The installation can't be a big job, though I suspect there are serious technical issues over how best to do it. Since the ends are two different electrification schemes, this link has to provide isolation. But it is so short - and not at all level - so making it all a neutral section isn't going to work.

[IndustryInsider]

And how much work can it take to electrify 41 chains of double track?

You’d only have to electrify one of the tracks as you could simply roll down the ‘Down Poplar’! 

[Electric train]

What a pity Acton Bank was not electrified or they could run Heathrow Express into Euston.

This has been talked about right from day one of the HEX scheme in the 1990's.

There are a number of challenges, the track layout where the UP & DN Poplars join the GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) is setup for freight moves in and out of Acton Yard, Acton Yard will also need to be wired, whilst all this is achievable the crux comes down to who funds the electrification and future Maintainenance.

The Freight Operators (FOC^▸ (Freight Operating Company, or possibly 'free of charge', depending on context)'s) currently due to their tight operating margins they have little or no need / desire to fund the electrification of Acton Yard and Poplars , they are private companies without public funding (unlike passenger TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company)) 
The Passenger TOCs have virtually no need for the Poplars to be electrified, the usage into Euston would be limited; indeed running a few trains via the poplars could impact the turning around of services at Ealing Broadway.
Network Rail cannot undertake the task alone as it could not justify the funding because neither FOCs or TOCs have a requirement for it.

Should Acton Yard and the Poplars be electrified ........... yes ............. but unfortunately there just is not the demand to spend the money to do it