When the Government finally gets around to publishing the Rail Bill, and then making time for it to go though Parliament & become law. And a few weeks after it receives Royal Assent.

 

Given that it was launched with much fanfare over a year ago, and has burned through upwards of £50 million already, it would be handy to know when it's going to step out of the shadows and start making a difference?

 

GBR is a "shadow" body at the moment as it has no legal standing, but that is not to say the rail industry is not working in the background of future rolling stock.

There is limited expansion of 25kV electrification on the Western Route, the only likely areas are Didcot - Oxford, Bristol Temple Meads - Bristol Parkway; there are still a number of issues to resolve for the Temple Meads route via Bath.  Therefore the option of replacing the 387's with a dual mode (contact system - battery) would make for a much more flexible fleet. 

The industry is looking a "short gap electrification" this where electrification is installed for a number of miles to charge the on board batteries also the GWR type scheme trial on the Greenford branch.

 
Well..if we are soon to be under one national operator (GBR), it's difficult to understand why there's not one project to replace all the remaining "second generation" diesel units across the country. Wouldn't it be nice and sensible if this was a phased 5 to 10 year program to work through the current diesel stock, starting with the oldest, and replace them with a new, inter-operable family of designs capable of working anywhere in the UK?

It's also a little concerning that current EMUs (presumably the Electrostar 387s) are possibly included as well among the stock to be replaced. That seems a strong signal that there's no prospect of further electrification on any of the current GWR & Chiltern networks, nor the West of England main line.

Another 30-40 years of sub-optimal rail transport ahead?

 
Just spotted that DfT has updated its procurement spreadsheet.

The GWR line now includes
"Potential for this procurement to include units for other non-GWR routes." which suggests there could be add on of more units for other Operators

The full text is "Procurement of rolling stock for Thames Valley / North Downs and West (including options)   
Replacement of all existing DMUs (and possibly EMUs), excluding the IET fleet, with Battery Electric Multiple Units (BEMUs) and/or diesel multi-mode units. Potential for this procurement to include units for other non-GWR routes."

I don't know if all existing DMUs includes the 175s (were 175s part of GWR fleet on update date 11th September)

https://www.gov.uk/csv-preview/6835872dd6d2692c9bdb02dd/dft-future-commercial-contracts-dft-partners.csv

 
This article had been doing the rounds and been posted now by rail magazine:

https://www.railmagazine.com/news/dft-talking-with-three-operators-about-combined-order-to-replace-dmus

Looks like the dft want to do a large combined order covering GWR/Chiltern and SWR. Battery emus look to be the plan and given Siemens proposals for discontinues electrification and new fast charging system been shown on the Greenford branch this could  actually happen.

Let's face it the GWR dmu fleet except 175s are in need or urgently being replaced same with the 159s etc