Midland Main Line Electrification – Matt Parkin

Our speaker was Matt Parkin of SPL Powerlines. Matt has been involved with overhead electrification on the network for many years and has been involved with the Midland Mainline Electrification for the last 10 years including the phases from Bedford to Kettering and more recently Kettering to Wigston.

Matt took us through the process involved in implementing an electrification project. They are consistently trying to improve on the processes in terms of time and cost. These days for instance the surveying is all done by on-track machines and drones, to reduce the need for “boots on the ballast”, and piling for the masts and fitting the masts to the piles has been refined to make this rather more efficient than earlier schemes.

There was an enthusiastic Q&A session related to the ‘pause’ and the outline plans to complete the electrification to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.after what was excellent presentation.

27 members and guests attended