Goblin Electrification info

There may be no tube lines in Hackney, but the local knowledge of LBH planning department should have been sufficient to ring alarm bells. There are of course plenty of railway tunnels in LBH, notably those north of Hackney Downs, as well as the GN&C.

Just had a look at the Network Rail GOBE project page. They have published their latest set of update letters for residents near the route.

Looks like the platform works, being done by TFL contractors, started on 22 December and continue on from now to reopening in "late Feb".

The wiring train starts in January and will work from the Gospel Oak end of the route. It will be working 24 hours a day - 2x12 hour shifts. Lots of work still happening with extensive track and formation replacement between Wanstead Park and Woodgrange Park now and other stuff happening in pockets of activity along the line from now until it reopens. Looks like the Lea Navigation closure, for the bridge replacement, has been extended for about a further week in January. There also seems to be a lot of more minor works like fencing, raising bridge parapets etc to give adequate post electrification clearances. There's also quite a lot of troughing work to do in advance of installing new cables.

The early official line was 8 months from June, or just "February" (see quotes below and tfl.gov.uk/info-for/media/press-releases/2016/may/gospel-oak-to-barking-line-closure-starts-4-june), but snoggle has seen NR documents stating 4 February.

Well the NR documents have now disappeared from view - both the local notices for the GOBE work and the possession plans. I hate website redesigns that obscure previously available information.

I agree the possession info has previously said 4 Feb as the end date. I am a tad sceptical that the wiring train can wire both roads from G Oak to Barking and crossovers and link lines in under 3 weeks even working 24 hours a day. It only started work on 12 Jan and suspect it can't go beyond Upper Holloway until TfL are clear from the bridge replacement works (after tonight!). A tamper is also due to run at the western end on 18 Jan which will probably assist in achieving clearances in one or two spots. I think the "end Feb" date has emerged recently as a way of managing risk and public perception. Most of the travelling public won't have a clue about NR possession plans and what was agreed. The TfL Planned Closures list recently went rather vague about the GOBE works - can't think why.

Network Rail tweeted a reply to someone last week that TfL would announce the reopening date "shortly". I will be genuinely surprsied if passenger trains resume operation on 4 Feb - I just can't see the wiring being complete. NR also have to take a decision about whether the wires are energised, if the actual hanging of the wires is running tight to schedule, so as to reduce the risk of cable theft on the route. I dare say we will find out soon enough.

Don't weekend closures continue for some time after the total blockade finishes?

Platform staff have been told 28th Feb.. But anything can happen between now & then.

Re-training on the line start next Thursday. Hoping to take my Gopro/camera with me.

No trackwork took place & only, so I'm told, 1 signal moved slightly & a banner repeater added near Wanstead Park.
"The infrastructure works have been heavily delayed since December and it is now unlikely that all the OLE work would have been completed by the reopening date, also there are still problems with passenger access to Blackhorse Road station and we are awaiting confirmation if this will be open to Overground Services when we begin running again."
Once I've been briefed next Wednesday I'll see what I can pass on.

Sorry my bad. Yes there were certain areas of track that have been lowered to allow for the installation of the overheads. I've been more interested in the OHLE installation & the 2 new bridges that have been replaced over the River Lea.

The weekly travel information email that TfL sent out on Thursday morning (26th Jan) for the forthcoming weekend states "There is no service between Gospel Oak and Barking until late February."

Scheduled opening is 27th Feb, which will not be reneged upon for political reasons. There will be nearly no wires up though

Hit a wall with procurement of SPS.

SPS being Small Part Steelwork I guess?

ie - not the huge structural bits

Once again thanks for the info / update. Much appreciated. I'll refrain from any specific comment or criticism about the steelwork issue because it wouldn't be fair to expect you to explain further.

I wish it had been made clear early on what the blockade was actually for. I think a decent number of people have expected to see wires dangling over the tracks by the time the line reopens to passengers. I was of the view that perhaps the wires might not have been energised come Feb 2017 but at least they'd have been in place thus allowing the "plugging in" and any fine tuning to take place subsequently. Those comments aren't directed at you personally more a general remark that the "powers that be" could have been clearer much earlier in managing expectations. As ever with heavy civils that are often "invisible" to the travelling public I can see people turning up at the end of Feb going "why have we had no trains for 9 months? I thought the line was being electrified." There will need to be some good comms being done to explain what's happened and what is left to do. And that's on top of the long standing issue of explaining why sparkly new electric trains won't be there until this time next year.

Looking at the NR GOBE Twitter account all people are asking is "when does the line reopen?". Perhaps TfL need to get announcing and quickly?