Friday 31 October 2014

No News Is ... Er ... Bad News

Still no announcement from Network Rail regarding the delays to phase two, although work seems to be progressing at various locations.

ORR have published a letter which forms their response to Network Rail's proposed September 2014 updates to the CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan.  In this they reject a request to move the completion date for phase 2(c) (i.e. Ordsall Lane Junction to Manchester Victoria) from December 2014 to April 2015.  This doesn't mean the work will magically be completed on time after all, it is merely a paperwork exercise requiring Network Rail to keep the schedule date unchanged at December 2014 and then own up to missing it.

This month's Modern Railways has an article reporting the delays.  They also note that, ten months on, some electrical supply work is still to be completed on phase one.

Wednesday 1 October 2014

Phase Two Delayed

The latest edition of Rail carries a report quoting a Network Rail spokesman who stated that the electrified railway would not be ready for passenger use by 14th December, which is when the new timetable starts.

A number of problems have delayed the project, including unexpected abandoned mines around Roby and Huyton, and an incident earlier this year when a worker on a wiring train was injured when wires snapped.  Rumours have been circulating for some time, but this is the first admission by Network Rail that completion will be late.

So far, there has been no formal statement from Network Rail.