Another Electrification Debacle

[whole diary]

[John R]

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/commuters-hit-by-third-delay-to-scotrail-s-new-electric-service-1-4561609

Is it any wonder that our politicians are fed up with the rail industry's efforts to electrify the network.  In Scotland, having endured two delays to the completion of the wiring (one due to faulty equipment having been installed), now the trains won't be ready.  I don't buy Hitachi's excuse that if the line had been electrified on time then there wouldn't have been a delay.  There are enough alternative electrified lines in the Glasgow and Edinburgh region for them to be fully tested on.

Meanwhile, down south, a further 12 weeks closure (split in two) of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line starts tomorrow to finish off the electrification work that wasn't done in the previous 6 month closure.

[stuving]

Is it any wonder that our politicians are fed up with the rail industry's efforts to electrify the network.  In Scotland, having endured two delays to the completion of the wiring (one due to faulty equipment having been installed), now the trains won't be ready.  I don't buy Hitachi's excuse that if the line had been electrified on time then there wouldn't have been a delay.  There are enough alternative electrified lines in the Glasgow and Edinburgh region for them to be fully tested on.

But what about those vexatious "interference" issues? Each line's OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE") installation is different (and that's potentially true even on two lines done to the same design). So I expect the plan says: 1. test trains and OLE supply together by running them, 2. analyse results and fill out paperwork.

I can see that if the OLE is late, Hitachi see the whole plan as delayed, and may even put back completion and delivery of the trains. Maybe the plan could or should have been rescheduled, it's hard for us to know - or indeed whether anyone is being 100% honest in public statements (unlikely).

I wonder if Hitachi's "12 weeks of approvals work" is really form-filling, or whether it includes real engineering activities. Is the highly bureaucratic nature of these programmes is becoming an issue in its own right?