Network Rail = Wessex Route plan

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I love the new Network Rail Strategic plan for the Wessex Route which has hit my browser - lots of good stuff for me to take in in the 122 pages, together with all the other stuff that has come out today.

https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Wessex-Route-Strategic-Plan.pdf

Amongst all the data, I was struck the the risk assessment graphics with (N) now we are doing now and (T) shat our target it



It's good to see them taking a look at all the aspects and how they're performing ... and I'm noting that they have two measures in most categories.  In every case, they look at the political reputation ... and indeed in one case (the one that relates to local issues) it is their only measure!

Should Network Rail - a government body - give such prominence to their political reputation - five charts for that, two for value, and one each for performance and safety?  Is that really the right balance?

[Phil]

Amongst all the data ... (T) shat our target

  Not the first time this government has shat on our targets to be fair

[stuving]

I love the new Network Rail Strategic plan for the Wessex Route which has hit my browser - lots of good stuff for me to take in in the 122 pages, together with all the other stuff that has come out today.

https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Wessex-Route-Strategic-Plan.pdf

Amongst all the data, I was struck the the risk assessment graphics with (N) now we are doing now and (T) shat our target it

Well, actually I though all those pictures just so much verbiage - pretty coloured verbiage, but still just NR^» (Network Rail - home page) talking to themselves and their regulators about stuff the rest of us don't need to know.

What is more interesting is to see the bigger (but not major, of course) projects they want to start doing the GRIP^▸ (Guide to Railway Investment Projects - Network Rail's process for project management of schemes through development and implementation) stuff on (excerpts only):

Enhancements
The enhancement schemes listed ... have been considered as having the potential to proceed to implementation in CP6^▸ (Control Period 6 - The five year period between 2019 and 2024), and have been considered alongside the renewals and maintenance portfolio to assess potential opportunities or conflictions.

5.1.1. Wessex main line upgrade
CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019): 10-car operation: power supply upgrade and platform lengthening
CP6: Woking grade separation; Woking platform 6
CP7^▸ (Control Period 7 - The five year period between 2024 and 2029): Extension of the up main relief and reconfiguration of lines between Queenstown Road and London Waterloo; CrossRail2; ECMS Level 2 (Digital Railway); Basingstoke grade separation

5.1.3. Guildford Station Capacity
CP6/7: New platforms are proposed to increase the number of peak hour train paths on the main line and the off peak connectivity of the North Downs line and Guildford ‘new line’. Platform works at Guildford over CP6 and CP7 will be required to handle the level of service that Digital Railway and Crossrail 2 will confer to passengers throughout Surrey and Hampshire. Undertaking the works in CP6 will minimise the disruption to services during the implementation of the CP7 schemes.

5.1.4. South of England Electrification
CP7: Electrification of the North Downs line between Wokingham and
Reigate would support journey time improvements of up to 10 minutes and the release of diesel rolling stock. Possible West of England Line Electrification, subject to funding.

5.1.7. Digital Railway
Wessex has worked with the Digital Railway team to develop a SOBC, repeated below. There is a strong business case for isolated traffic management that requires funding separately to this plan.
The re-signalling schemes put forward for CP6 will be provided with, as a minimum, Digital Railway ready passive provision, funded separately, because they do not provide immediate capacity benefits. Due to the advanced stage of development, we are seeking to provide an ETCS^▸ (European Train Control System) overlay for the Feltham scheme. In cab fitment of rolling stock will be undertaken on the new class 701s that are scheduled for deployment in line with the December 2020 timetable.
The first active DR schemes on Wessex will be Waterloo and Wimbledon in CP7, which will open up capacity on the main line and are contemporaneous with CrossRail2. Our Digital Railway strategy is discussed further in chapter 6.3.