European Railroad Discussion > So How Is That Northwest Electrification Going?

Last Saturday I went from Manchester to Preston via Liverpool to do laundry in one of the best launderettes in the UK, Liver Laundry. A good launderette (laundromat to US) is a hard find so it is worth the extra effort, plus I wanted to see how the northwest electrification was going. After laundry was finished I rode the Rt 10B bus out to Prescott to catch a train toward Preston instead of riding all the way back into Liverpool.
1) Looking northeast toward Wigan from Warrington Rd, note the signal is at Danger (red, stop).
2) Looking southwest toward Liverpool from Warrington Rd.
3) Prescott Station as seen from Bridge Rd.

---

---

---

I walked to the platforms where a lovely young woman was also waiting on platform. The station agent came out and told us that there were no trains operating. Instead there was a bus replacement service.
4) Looking toward Liverpool. Notice how there are no trains listed on the platform tote board.
5) Looking toward Warrington Rd and Wigan. I wonder if the footbridge was replaced in preparation for electrification?
6) Nice hired coaches were used for the bus replacement, this one going toward Liverpool.

---

---

---

7) This was the coach that we rode on to Wigan. I'm sure who or how this was done but the hired coaches were sourced from many different operators but seamed to all be coordinated by first Group with first Group people at each station heard cats, or queuing passengers.
8) At St Helen's Central men working under the platforms.
9) Another coach toward Liverpool loading at the recently rebuilt St Helen's Central station.

---

---

---

From talking to the woman riding toward Wigan this line has been shut down for several weekends in a row to work on the overhead. I see that is shut down today as well.
10) Through St Helen's Central the catenary masts had not yet been installed.
11) At Garswood Rd in Garswood and
12) Bryn the catenary masts are up and contact and messenger wires up but still not properly tensioned.

When all phases are complete the NW electrification will allow electric operation from Manchester to Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan on this line and Manchester to Blackpool North, which will also allow the hourly Northern service from Blackpool North to Liverpool across the line studied here to be ran by electric. Add the Great Western electrification and I think a lot of older DMUs will be cut up five or so years from now.

Jim

---

---

---

Right, right, enough about the technical stuff. You mentioned
the pretty woman more than once, but don't include a photo?
You wouldn't even rate a pint with my buddies without some
cheesecake to show off!..................8>)

Larry Dodgion
Wilsonville, OR

To reply to the question about coaches, they are sourced from wherever First can find them, so they do come from different operators. There is a specific company set up by First that coordinates the coaches and ensures that there are people there to guide the customers around. I think that these people are sometimes from the coach companies and sometimes they are displaced station staff, but I think that it is done differently in different areas.

Hey - we don't cut up old DMUs in this country. They will probably send the bloody things to Yorkshire!!!
Lovely photos, and good reporting, better than any UK based reporter!!
Chris, Yorkshire, UK

And the EMUs replacing the diesels ain't modern either, they're old First Capital Connect cast off 319s.

Thanks for the picts! Really enjoyed this.

I'm glad everyone enjoyed this one. My dad and I rode the line from Blackpool North to Liverpool last year when the first catenary masts were being erected so it was great to see how much had been done since then. I also liked the additional information about how the buses and what EMUs we can look forward to. I would simply feel uneasy riding in anything with Northern Rail on the side that isn't at least twenty years old. (I know, Northern does operate some 333s around Leeds but I did not ride them.)

Jim