GC Applies For Manchester Paths
The title of this post, is the same as that of a short news item in the August 2026 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the body of the news item.
Open Access Operator Grand Central has applied to operate five trains per day between St. Pancras International and Manchester Piccadilly from December 2029. These would operate via the Midland Main Line using GC’s five-car Class 180 DMU fleet currently employed on its East Coast Main Line operations. These are due to be replaced by a fleet of tri-mode Class 820s being constructed by Hitachi Rail, which were ordered last year and are being financed by Angel Trains.
Meanwhile, GC is also bidding to operate trains between London Waterloo and Bristol Temple Meads, running via the South West Main Line and Salisbury. The operator says that under these proposals, trains would begin operating from December 2027 with seven trains per day running using stock currently off lease.
These are my thoughts on the St. Pancras International and Manchester Piccadilly service.
The Route Between The Midland Main Line And Manchester Piccadilly
This OpenRailwayMap shows Dore Junction, where the Midland Main Line meets the Hope Valley Line between Chesterfield and Sheffield stations.
Note.
- Dore Junction is a triangular junction in the middle of the map.
- Dore and Totley station is on the North point of the junction, which leads to Sheffield station.
- Dore & Totley Station – 1st April 2025 shows the station before and after its rebuilding.
- The South-East point of the junction leads to Chesterfield station.
- The South-West point of the junction leads to the Hope Valley Line and eventually to Manchester Piccadilly station.
There are three routes that trains can take between the Midland Main Line at Chesterfield station and the Hope Valley Line.
- They can take the Dore South Curve shown in the map.
- They can go directly into Sheffield station and reverse.
- They can go via Barrow Hill and enter Sheffield station from the East.
Note.
- The first route doesn’t call at Sheffield.
- The second route is taken by trains between Liverpool and Norwich.
- I wrote about the third route in Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield.
The reinstatement of the Barrow Hill Line may ease operations in Sheffield and allow a new station or two.
The Current Hope Valley Service Between Manchester Piccadilly And Sheffield
There are two passenger services between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield stations.
- A Northern Trains local train that stops everywhere.
- An East Midlands Railway faster train, that only stops at Stockport.
Both trains are hourly.
The Northern End Of Grand Central’s St. Pancras International And Manchester Piccadilly Service
I would feel that the ideal route for Grand Central’s new service would call at Chesterfield, Sheffield, Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly.
Hopefully, it could use the Barrow Hill Line to avoid a reverse at Sheffield.
Where Would Grand Central’s St. Pancras International And Manchester Piccadilly Service Call On The Midland Main Line?
East Midlands Railway services to Sheffield call at Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby and Chesterfield.
I would expect Grand Central’s service would only call at a selection of those stations.
Would St. Pancras International Be Able To Handle The Extra Trains?
East Midlands Railway run the following services from St. Pancras International.
- Nottingham
- Sheffield
- Corby
Note.
- All services are two trains per hour (tph)
- Nottingham and Sheffield services can be five- or ten-car trains.
- Corby services can be four- or eight-car trains.
- There are only four East Midlands Railway platforms at St. Pancras International, but they are 260 metres long.
- 260 metre platforms will take a pair of five-car Class 800/801/802 Hitachi trains, which have the standard Hitachi car length of 26 metres. The architects got that right,
- Each platform can take one ten-car train or two five-car trains.
- East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains are 120 metres long.
- East Midlands Railway’s Class 360 trains are 80 metres long.
- Grand Central Trains’s Class 180 trains are 116.52 metres long.
- The train length of Grand Central Trains’s Class 820 trains has not been disclosed, but if they had the standard Hitachi car length of 26 metres, they’d be 130 metres long.
I am fairly certain, that St. Pancras International can handle two Hitachi trains in the same platform.
This leads me to believe that Grand Central Trains Class 180 and Class 820 trains could also share a platform with an East Midlands Railway Class 810 train.
The Route And Electrification Between Manchester Piccadilly And Hazel Grove
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Manchester Piccadilly end of the route.
Note.
- Tracks shown in black are not electrified.
- Tracks shown in red are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
- Tracks shown in mauve are the Manchester Metrolink.
- Manchester Piccadilly station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- Hazel Grove station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Between Manchester Piccadilly and Hazel Grove stations is fully-electrified.
- The red knot of electrified tracks close to Manchester Piccadilly station is Longsight depot.
- The Southern red knot of electrified tracks is Stockport station.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Hazel Grove stations are 8.7 miles apart and local trains take about 15 minutes.
The Route And Electrification Between Hazel Grove And Sheffield
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Hazel Grove and Sheffield.
Note.
- Tracks shown in black are not electrified.
- Tracks shown in red are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
- Tracks shown in mauve are the Manchester Metrolink and Sheffield Supertram.
- Stockport and Hazel Grove can be picked out on the electrified tracks in the North-East corner of the map
- Dore and Totley station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- Sheffield station is to the North-East of Dore and Totley station.
- The mauve tracks are the Sheffield Supertram.
- Leading West from Dore and Totley station is the Hope Valley Line which connects Sheffield and Hazel Grove stations.
- Dore and Totley and Hazel Grove stations are 29.7 miles apart.
- Leading South-East from Dore and Totley station is the Midland Main Line to Chesterfield, Derby and the South.
- The electrification from St. Pancras International finishes just North of Market Harborough station.
Dore and Totley and Market Harborough stations are 67.1 miles apart.
Will Tri-Mode Trains We Able To Go Between St. Pancras International And Manchester Piccadilly Stations
It would appear that the gap in the electrification between Market Harborough and Hazel Grove is a few miles under a hundred miles.
Both Hitachi Rail and CAF have said that their five-car trains should be able to handle up to 122 miles.
So there should be enough range to go via Barrow Hill, which would remove the reversal at Sheffield station.
These are my thoughts on the London Waterloo and Bristol Temple Meads service.
The Route Between Bristol Temple Meads And Salisbury
Currently, there are two Great Western Railway services between Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury.
- One calls at Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh and Warminster.
- One calls at Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bath Spa, Freshford, Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury and Warminster.
Note.
- Both services call at Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Westbury and Warminster.
- Only Bath Spa and Westbury have a frequent service to London.
- There are five other stations, that are called at occasionally by Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury services.
I do feel that Grand Central Trains have a lot of scope to create a very passenger-friendly timetable.
Tales Of Woe And Opportunity On The West Of England
The title of this post, is the same as that of the Railtalk editorial in the September 2027 Edition of Modern Railways.
These is the opening four paragraphs.
The West of England Line from London Waterloo to Exeter was once an important main line, the London & South Western Railway’s great rival to Brunel’s ‘billiard’ table, but its role is much diminished since the glory days.
Largely singled west of Salisbury in the 1960s, and with many of its coastal branches closed, a casual onlooker might conclude it has rather lost its purpose.
Yet recent journeys on the route suggest otherwise. Travelling from Waterloo on the way West one late afternoon was instructive.
On a baking hot day in London, the six-car South Western Railway Class 159 departed on time, full and standing. More passengers joined at Clapham Junction, and Woking.
The two problems of the line are mentioned in the text from the article.
- The singling of the West of England Line, to the West of Salisbury was typical of many short-sighted acts of vandalism inflicted by the Treasury on British Rail.
- The Class 159 diesel trains date from the early 1990s and probably need replacing.
This OpenRailwayMap shows middle part of the route between Basingstoke and Salisbury.
Note.
- Tracks shown in black are not electrified.
- Tracks shown in red are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead,
- Tracks shown in dashed red and black are proposed to be electrified.
- Tracks shown in mauve are electrified with 750 VDC third rail.
- Reading station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The Reading and Basingstoke Line runs South from Reading station and is shown dashed.
- Basingstoke station is on the third-rail electrified South West Main Line between London Waterloo and Southampton.
- Salisbury station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- Linking Basingstoke and Salisbury is the unelectrified West of England Main Line between London Waterloo and Exeter.
- The branch line going North from the West of England Main Line to the East of Salisbury is used by the Army to move tanks.
- Ludgershall Town Council want passenger trains on the branch line to support housing at Tidworth with trains to Andover on the West of England Main Line.
- I wrote about this branch line in A Branch Line For Ludgershall
- Across the top of the map is the Reading and Taunton Line, which is electrified as far as Newbury.
I will now look at replacing the Class 159 trains.
Consider.
- Between Exeter St. David’s and Basingstoke stations is not electrified and is 124.3 miles.
- I believe that both Hitachi and CAF have the capability to produce a zero-carbon train with a range of 125 miles.
- The Office of Rail and Road will not allow any more third-rail electrification.
- Trains could have a generous turnround time at Exeter St. David’s which could allow trains to be charged, before returning to London.
- Basingstoke and Salisbury is only 35.8 miles, so a train terminating at Salisbury from London, should be able to return to London.
- Trains could be charged using short length of overhead electrification.
- Five-car trains, which could run in pairs might be ideal.
- I believe several manufacturers could make trains capable of running the route.
I also believe that once the charging strategy is known and any infrastructure has been installed, the new trains can be introduced into service to run alongside the Class 159 trains.
This would hopefully avoid, the current problems of the Class 820 trains on the Midland Main Line.
We tried Lumo’s New Train Offering Direct Route From London To A historic UK City For Less Than £30
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on GB News.
This is the sub-heading.
GB News boarded Lumo’s brand-new route between London Euston and Stirling
These are the first two paragraphs.
Lumo’s new direct service between London Euston and Stirling launched just months ago, and it is already regularly selling out services.
We stepped on board one of the recently refurbished trains to see what the six-hour journey to the historic Scottish city was like.
Three things surprised me about the review.
- It is very upbeat, which surprised me, as GB News is often very critical.
- It didn’t mention Lumo’s misbehaving toilets.
- But it did say that the trolley came around regularly for anyone getting on at a later stop or needing a second coffee.
It also said, that the route is already proving incredibly popular.
But you’d hope that would be the case, if they’d chosen the route with care.
I have some thoughts about the route.
Stirling Station Is Well Connected
The Wikipedia entry for Stirling station lists these services.
Trains operate north to Dunblane (three trains per hour), to Perth, Dundee and Aberdeen (hourly), Inverness (four trains per day), south west to Glasgow Queen Street (three trains per hour), and east to Edinburgh Waverley (half-hourly). The service to Alloa and Dunfermline was withdrawn in October 1968, but the reopening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link partially restored that service with an hourly service from Glasgow to Alloa as an extension of the Croy Line services. This utilises the existing DMU from Glasgow, which previously spent considerable time in one of the bay platforms at Stirling with engines idling, but now utilises the layover time to make the return trip to & from Alloa.
It makes the city a good base for exploring Scotland.
Stirling Station Is Surrounded By Hotels
This Google Map shows the station and a few hotels.
Note.
- There are nine hotels on this map.
- There is a Premier Inn and a Travelodge for £38 per night.
- There is also a Vue cinema.
It reinforces, what I said earlier about the city being a good base for exploring Scotland.
Lumo Has Increased The Number of Direct Services To London From One To Five!
Prior to Lumo commencing services a few weeks ago, Stirling only had one train per day (tpd) to and from London.
Now there are five!
That surely can only have positive effects for Stirling.
Will Lumo Have Any Impact On The Economy Of Stirling?
I asked Google AI, the question in the title of this section and received this reply.
Lumo’s direct, low-cost rail service connecting Stirling to London Euston, which launched on May 25, 2026, is boosting the local economy by increasing tourism, encouraging business investment, and offering four daily return trips with fares starting at £29.90.
Economic Benefits
Tourism Growth: Affordable ticket prices from Lumo make it easier and cheaper for visitors from England to travel directly to historical sites like Stirling Castle.
Business and Investment: Four daily return trains improve connectivity for local companies, supporting inward investment and commercial links with London.
Job Creation: The route expansion has added around 100 new roles within the rail and supply chain sectors.
Sustainable Travel: Providing a budget-friendly rail alternative helps shift travelers away from higher-emission car and air journeys.
It looks like Lumo will be good for Stirling.
Larbert, Greenfaulds And Whifflet Get Direct Services To London And England
These three stations to the East of Glasgow will get four directtpd to and from London and intermediate stations.
These services will be the first direct services to the capital for these three stations.
Motherwell and Lockerbie Get Four Extra Direct Services To London And England
Motherwell has eleven tpd to London, but Lockerbie has only two, with one on Sundays.
Lumo’s extra four tpd will probably more important at Lockerbie, than Motherwell.
Calls At English Stations
These are the number of calls at English stations.
- Carlisle – 4 tpd
- Preston – 4 tpd
- Crewe – 2 tpd, 4 tpd on Saturday
- Nuneaton – 4 tpd
- Milton Keynes Central – 4 tpd
Note.
- Effectively, 4 tpd seem to stop at all stations, with two not stopping at Crewe.
- As 4 tpd stop at all Scottish stations, this could be a useful direct service for many.
- When the unions sort out their differences, Milton Keynes Central could be a useful interchange to the East-West Rail for Oxford, Universal Studios Bedford, Bedford and Cambridge.
- Nuneaton could be a useful interchange for CrossCountry for Birmingham, Leicester, Peterborough, Ely, Cambridge and Stansted Airport.
- Crewe and Preston could be a useful interchanges for Liverpool, Manchester and Blackpool.
- Carlisle could be a useful interchange for the Northernmost parts of England.
It is a very well connected service.
Nearly Three Million Teslas Recalled In China Over Hidden Door Handles
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Minimalistic door handles became a signature feature of electric vehicles (EVs), but the controversial designs are now at the centre of China’s biggest car recall, affecting more than 4 million vehicles.
These three paragraphs add some more details.
The recall, which includes 2.98 million Chinese-made Teslas, follows safety concerns that the hidden door handles are difficult to locate and open in emergency situations.
Other brands affected by the recall include Chinese carmakers XPeng, Xiaomi and Geely.
The recalled vehicles will have a warning label stuck on the interior door and receive a software update to automatically lower the windows in a crash.
I remember reading a story in Flight International.
- An engineer, who worked in airliner interior design was in a Boeing 737 (?), that made a heavy landing.
- He was also sitting by the emergency exit.
- The emergency exit worked as it should and he was able to climb out on to the wing.
- He then helped other passengers get out the way he had.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the magazine any more. But he felt that it might result in better design.
The principles that aircraft designers work to would appear to be much higher than those of Tesla’s car designers.
I find the idea of a hidden door handle completely stupid.
New Train Service Connects Finland And Sweden For First Time In Decades
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A new passenger train linking Finland and Sweden has begun running, creating the first rail connection between northern Finland and southern Europe in nearly 40 years.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Shortly after 05:00 local time (03:00 BST) on Monday, a double-decker train set off from the coastal Finnish city of Oulu, rumbling its way across the border to Sweden.
As the inaugural service crossed the Torne river from Finland and pulled into Sweden’s Haparanda station, it was met by crowds of people waving Finnish and Swedish flags.
The route was initially suspended in the late 1980s to the early 1990s, due to low passenger numbers and technical differences in the tracks between Finland and Europe.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Oulu and Haparanda stations.
Note.
- The map is drawn by track gauge.
- Finnish gauge tracks are shown in red.
- Swedish gauge tracks are shown in black.
- The location of Oulu in Finland is shown by the blue arrow.
- The location of Haparanda in Sweden is at the Eastern end of the black track in the North-Western corner of the map.
- The route seems very much along the coast.
- I wouldn’t be surprised that the sea views are excellent.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Kemi and Haparanda stations.
Note
- The location of Haparanda in Sweden is shown by the blue arrow.
- The location of Tornio in Finland is indicated by the blue lettering to the North-East of Haparanda.
- The location of Kemi in Finland is indicated by the blue lettering to the South-East corner of the map.
This third OpenRailwayMap shows the route between Tournio and Haparanda stations.
Note.
- The map is drawn by track gauge.
- Finnish gauge tracks are shown in red.
- Swedish gauge tracks are shown in black.
- The track to Oulu in Finland is shown by the blue arrow.
- Tornio station is by the marshalling yard on the Finnish side.
- Haparanda station is by the marshalling yard on the Swedish side.
- The track between Haparanda and Tornio is shown dashed red and black, as it accepts trains of both Finnish and Swedish gauges.
I have some thoughts.
Torne River Railway Bridge
This is is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Torne River Railway Bridge.
The Torne River Railway Bridge is a dual gauge railway bridge on the Tornio–Haparanda railway between Haparanda, Sweden and Tornio, Finland; the bridge can be used by the 1524mm gauge trains of Finland, as well the 1435mm gauge trains used in Sweden. A temporary ice river track was built over the Torne River in 1917.
Note
How Do Trains Cross The Torne River Railway Bridge?
I asked Google AI the title of this section and received this answer.
Trains cross the Torne River Railway Bridge on dual-gauge tracks featuring four rails.
This setup accommodates both Finland’s wider 1,524 mm track gauge and Sweden’s standard 1,435 mm track gauge, allowing freight and specialized rail equipment to pass directly between Tornio, Finland, and Haparanda, Sweden, without stopping.
Bridge and Track Design
Dual-Gauge System: Four physical rails are laid on the bridge deck. They interlace the wide-gauge and standard-gauge tracks so different wheel sets fit.
Electrification: The 410-meter truss bridge and connecting line feature overhead catenary wires aligned with Finnish electric standards.
Control and Operations: Train movements across the bridge and its shared dual-gauge sections are managed by Finnish rail traffic control.
Cross-Border Travel
Freight Transport: Freight trains and containerized goods (such as shipments from Outokumpu) use the dual-gauge tracks to move directly between the marshalling yards of both countries.
Passenger Services: While regional passenger train connections operate across the border via the Tornio–Haparanda railway, regular passenger operations involve seamless station transfers at Haparanda rather than continuous through-running for all service types.
It is a simple but ingenious system.
I’ve never seen one anywhere else, although I have ridden on the three rail track at Zwickau.
Note.
- Standard gauge trains use the two outer rails.
- Metre gauge trams use the two far rails, which are a metre apart.
- In the UK, all modern trams are standard gauge, so we don’t have the problem.
But say a narrow-gauge heritage railway wanted to connect into a standard gauge station, I’m sure that the Zwickau system could be used.
Do Other Bridges Use The Same Interleaved Dual Gauge Track As The Torne River Railway Bridge
I asked Google AI the title of this section and received this answer.
Yes, other rail locations use an interleaved dual-gauge track setup (technically known as a gauntletted or four-rail configuration) when two track gauges are too close together to share a common rail.
Why Interleaved Tracks are Used
Gauge Proximity: When the difference between two track widths is small (such as Finland’s 1,524 mm and European standard 1,435 mm, a difference of only 89 mm), a standard three-rail shared setup cannot fit the necessary rail-fastening hardware.
Space Constraints: Interleaving four separate rails inside the same restricted width allows different trains to cross narrow infrastructure like bridges or tunnels without building entirely separate parallel spans.
Examples of Similar Infrastructure
Russia-North Korea Border: The crossing over the Tumen River utilizes multi-gauge configurations to accommodate Russian broad gauge and standard gauge connecting to the port of Rajin.
Historical and Industrial Lines: Short interlaced stretches have been historically deployed on restricted-width civil engineering structures like the Boyne Viaduct in Ireland during structural renewals, or on specific quarry tramways (such as the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in the UK) to temporarily interchange standard and narrow gauge wagons.
How Will ‘The Worst El Niño On Record’ Affect The UK?
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The weather cycle is forecast to push up global temperatures, bring storms to Britain and raise food prices for everyone
These are the first three paragraphs, which outline some predictions.
The weather phenomenon El Niño is shaping up to be an unprecedented “super-event”.
The Met Office said on Friday that the natural cycle, which influences weather and food prices around the globe, is forecast to be the most powerful on record.
There have been other intense cycles recently, notably between 2014 and 2016, but the most extreme was in the 1870s, bringing droughts and famines.
I shall be following the article’s predictions throughout the winter.
My only worry is that the actions of the leaders of China, Iran, Israel, Russia and the United States will make it worse.
Chinese Offshore Wind Foundation Manufacturer Inks MoU With Scotland’s Ardersier Port
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Dajin Heavy Industry and Haventus, the owner and developer of Ardersier Port in Scotland, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore combining Dajin’s manufacturing and transport capability with Ardersier’s port infrastructure to support both fixed-bottom and floating wind projects in the UK and across Europe.
These two paragraphs add more details.
Dajin and Haventus will also work together to identify potential new commercial opportunities and how Ardersier Port could provide a site for storage, marshalling, assembly and transportation of offshore wind components to the offshore wind foundation manufacturer.
According to Haventus, Ardersier Port’s extensive quayside land, deep-water access and a high-voltage power connection can support the manufacturing, fabrication, assembly and storage of large-scale structures for offshore wind and other energy-related projects.
These are my thoughts.
Where Is Ardesier?
This Google Map shows the location of the Port of Ardesier in relation to Inverness, the Orkneys and Shetlands, and Norway.
The Port of Ardesier would appear to be ideally placed to bring in business for the partnership.
This Google Map shows more detail around Haventus – Ardesier Port.
Note.
- Haventus appears to be located close to Inverness Airport, which has a railway station on the Inverness and Aberdeen Line.
- Inverness is on the Moray Firth.
Are Haventus A British Company?
I asked Google AI the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
Yes, Haventus is a British company.
It is registered in the UK with its corporate headquarters in London, and its primary operations focus on redeveloping the Ardersier Port in the Scottish Highlands to support offshore wind energy.
Company Details
Registration: Registered in England and Wales (Haventus Limited).Head Office: London, United Kingdom.
Project: Transforming the former fabrication yard at Ardersier Port near Inverness, Scotland, into an energy transition facility for offshore wind.
Key Backing: Funded by British institutions like the UK Infrastructure Bank and the Scottish National Investment Bank, alongside major private equity investment from US-based Quantum Capital Group.
Could The Port Of Ardersier Have A Rail Connection?
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Port of Ardersier, the Aberdeen and Inverness Line and Inverness Airport.
Note.
- The heavy black track is the Aberdeen and Inverness Line.
- The Port of Ardersier is above it in the middle of the map.
- Inverness Airport is marked by the blue arrow.
There seems to be a lot of space in the area.
Could A Steel Mini-Mill Be Built In The Area?
Consider.
- Dajin Heavy Industry could need a lot of steel.
- A steel mini-mill would need a lot of energy.
- The UK has a lot of scrap steel, that could be of good enough quality to make the steel gubbins needed for offshore wind components.
- Scrap could be brought in by sea or rail.
- That part of Scotland has lots of offshore wind power.
- Three pumped storage hydro systems are being built in the Scottish Highlands to store electricity.
- Workers could be brought in by train from as far as Aberdeen.
The Port of Ardersier could be an ideal place for a steel mini-mill.
How Many Acres Do You need for a Small Steel From Scrap Mill?
I asked Google AI the question in the title of this section and received this answer.
A small scrap-based steel mini-mill requires roughly 5 to 20 acres of land for basic production, casting, and rolling units.
If you include a dedicated on-site scrap yard and heavy inventory storage buffers, the requirement expands closer to 25 to 50+ acres.
Core Space Breakdown
Melt Shop & Electric Arc Furnace (EAF): 2 to 4 acres for the core melting furnace, ladle metallurgy furnace, and pollution control equipment.
Casting & Rolling Mill: 2 to 5 acres for continuous casting (billets or blooms) and the hot re-rolling lines.
Scrap Yard & Raw Materials: 5 to 20 acres depending on how much local scrap inventory you need to stockpile.
Finished Goods & Logistics: 3 to 10 acres for cooling beds, product staging, truck loading docks, and internal roadways.
From this crude analysis with Google AI, I believe that there is enough space to put a small steel mill in the area.
Ideas Borrowed From Failures During The Years Of North Sea Oil and Gas
I suspect there are a few of these, which might be possible to develop at Ardersier.
Conclusion
The Port of Ardersier has lots of possibilities,
Every Great Football Team Has A Terry Dyson
The Tottenham Hotspur 1960-61 Double-winning footballer ; Terry Dyson has died and the club has published his obituary.
This is their sub-heading.
The Club is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Dyson, a key member of Bill Nicholson’s all-conquering team of the early 1960s. He was 91.
These two introductory paragraphs add some more detail.
Famously small in stature at 5 ft 3 ins, Terry was the man for the big occasion.
He scored in the FA Cup Final as we clinched the ‘double’ of league championship and FA Cup in 1961 and produced arguably his best display in the 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup Final, when he scored twice as we beat Atletico Madrid 5-1 to become the first British side to claim a European trophy.
My father who used to take me to Spurs in those far-off days, was a great fan of Dyson. But my father was about the same size and had played non-league football before the Second World War.
Dyson was unique because of his height, his ability to score goals, when they were needed and because of his willingness to do all the fetching, carrying and helping the defence on the left of the team.
The other similar player, who found fame a few years later was England’s World Cup winner in 1966 ; Alan Ball
Why Monopile Lowering Is Becoming A Critical Load Case For Jack-Ups
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
As offshore wind monopiles continue to increase in size, the installation phase is emerging as a key structural design consideration for jack-up vessels. According to a recent GustoMSC study, loads generated during monopile lowering can approach — and in some cases exceed — those associated with extreme survival conditions.
This paragraph adds more detail.
With monopile diameters now exceeding 10 metres and weights surpassing 2,000 tonnes, installation dynamics are becoming increasingly complex. The challenge is no longer simply about crane capacity. Instead, the interaction between the suspended monopile and the supporting jack-up is becoming a governing factor.
In the 1970s, I worked on a similar problem as a consultant to a Cambridge company called Balaena Structures.
I described the Balaena in The Balaena Lives, but I believe the design could be applied to a large monopole foundation for a large wind turbine.
- The idea came from two Cambridge University engineering professors, who were much older than me, so they’ve probably passed on.
- The design was patented.
- None were built, as no-one ordered one.
- The computer, that I ran the simulation on doesn’t exist anymore.
- But, I’m fairly certain, I could create a design of XXL Monopile for the world’s largest wind turbine.
- The Balaena was designed to be reuseable.
- I did all the calculations and I believe that the Balaena could be turned into an easier-to-handle XXL Monopole.
None of the details of this project are written down, but they are locked safely in my head.
Hornsea 3 Battery Energy Storage To Start Operations Next Year, Ørsted Selects Arenko’s Platform to Operate BESS
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Arenko has been selected by Ørsted to deploy its Nimbus optimisation, asset management and trading platform at the 300 MW/600 MWh Iceni battery energy storage system (BESS) that will be part of the 2.9 GW Hornsea 3 offshore wind farm in the UK. The BESS project is scheduled to enter operations in the first quarter of 2027.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Named Iceni, the battery storage project is being developed as one of the UK’s first large-scale co-location projects under the Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR).
Iceni is designed to share transmission infrastructure and an onshore grid connection with Hornsea 3, rather than securing a separate grid connection. According to Arenko, this makes it the world’s first utility-scale battery to be directly integrated into offshore transmission infrastructure.
Under the agreement with Ørsted, Arenko’s Nimbus software will be used to forecast market and asset conditions, determine how battery capacity should be allocated in real time and automate trading across power markets. The platform will also support the technical, data and controls integration required to operate the battery alongside the offshore wind farm through their shared connection.
Note.
The Offshore Transmission Network Review (OTNR) has a web site.
The Hornsea 3 wind farm has a capacity of about ten times that of the battery.
The Anonymous Widower 