Additional 319 Working

A correspondent advises me of an extra trip which has been added to the Monday to Friday class 319 workings, which are now as follows:

Diagram 1
0616 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 0720
0735 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 0854
0916 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1020
1040 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1146
1215 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1320
1340 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1444
1516 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1620

1640 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1742

1814 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1920

1940 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 2044


Diagram 2 

0716 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 0820
0840 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 0946 

1116 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1220 (NEW)
1240 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1346 (NEW)
1416 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1520
1540 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1643
1713 Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Airport 1820
1840 Manchester Airport  to Liverpool Lime Street 1944

Pendolino Test Runs

Oh dear.

The first of this morning's scheduled Pendolino runs (1Q01 23:53 Liverpool Lime Street High Level to Newton-Le-Willows) ran, but all the others were cancelled - Reason I1 [Overhead line/third rail defect].

And then 1H42 06:16 Liverpool Lime Street High Level to Manchester International Airport was also cancelled, for the same reason.

So it would appear the Pendolino tests were not successful.

But don't panic - Finding problems is what testing is for, after all.

I've no reports so far on what the defect was, so I don't know how long it will take to resolve.  As I type, tonight's test runs are still in the timetable.

By the way, whatever it is these runs are testing (Power feed, gauging, something else, all of the above?) they aren't testing the autotransformer (AT) system because the AT wires are still missing at Huyton, and strapped to earth elsewhere.

Electrification Task Force

I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but I must confess to being a little miffed when I discovered that the recently published  "Report of the North of England Electrification Task Force" is called Northern Sparks.

The report comes up with a prioritised list of lines in northern England which are recommended for future electrification projects.  In the Northwest these are as follows:

Tier One (2019 to 2024)

• Calder Valley – Leeds to Manchester and Preston via Bradford and Brighouse.
• Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington Central.
• Southport and Kirkby to Salford (via Atherton).
• Chester to Stockport.
• Bolton to Clitheroe.
• Hazel Grove to Buxton.
• Warrington to Chester.

Tier Two (Post 2024)

• Manchester to Sheffield and local services in south east Manchester.
• Chester to Crewe.
• Burnley to Colne.
• Preston to Blackpool South.

Tier Three (Long term)

• Carnforth to Barrow.
• Preston to Ormskirk.
• Skipton to Carlisle.
• Cumbrian Coast.
• Skipton to Heysham.

You can read the full report here.

Update:  A more detailed examination of the report revealed that all the maps show the Ashburys to Philips Park line as non-electrified.  After a quick exchange of emails with Rail North I am pleased to confirm that this is a minor error in the report, and not a cancellation of part of phase 5.

Progress - Or The Lack Of It

An interesting article in Rail Technology Magazine discusses the progress of various projects in the railway's North Of England Programme.  A number of these are now running late, and "Configuration State 5", which includes electrification Preston-Blackpool North, Ordsall Lane-Euxton Junction, and Manchester Victoria-Stalybridge, Huyton four tracks, and the Ordsall Chord has been put back a year, to December 2017.

The March 2015 update to the CP5 Enhancements Delivery Plan, which came out this week, does not fully reflect these delays, but does include notes which imply that there may be significant changes in the next (June) update.

Quality Control

A contributor kindly sent me this picture of a stanchion base at Broad Green with a nut missing, taken in October of last year.

He returned a couple of weeks ago to find it was still missing.  As he says, Network Rail's QA procedures are not working.

Let's hope nothing falls over.