Network Rail has announced that the Reading- Didcot section has the majority of the overhead line equipment installed, including the wires that carry the high voltage electricity to power the electric trains. Once complete, this section of track will be used to test the new electric trains.
The Reading- Didcot electrification is part of Great Western Electrification Programme, a plan that will provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers.
‘This marks a really important milestone in our work to upgrade Brunel’s railway. For the first time, a major section of the Great Western Main Line will soon have a fully functioning overhead power supply, enabling us to start testing the new electric trains,’ the company says.
In addition, Network Rail opened the £10m state-of-the-art Electrification Training Centre in Swindon, which features the overhead line equipment, in every configuration, on a section of track not connected to the main line. This enables Network Rail’s engineering Orange Army to learn how to install and maintain the new system in a safe environment.
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