Do Those Who Live On The East Coast Main Line Tend To Go To Amsterdam, Brussels And Paris By Eurostar?
In Do Those Who Live On The Midland Main Line Tend To Go To Amsterdam, Brussels And Paris By Eurostar?, so I think it is only fair to investigate the East Coast Main Line.
Google AI gave me this answer, when I asked the question in the title of this post.
Whether people living along the East Coast Main Line (ECML) use the Eurostar to reach Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris depends entirely on how far north they live. While the ECML provides a seamless, direct connection into London King’s Cross—which sits right across the street from the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International—the choice between the train and flying shifts dramatically based on geographic location.
The London & South ECML Catchment (London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire)
For residents in the southern sections of the line (e.g., London, Stevenage, Peterborough, and even Cambridge via connections), Eurostar is highly favored and overwhelmingly popular.
Paris & Brussels: At just over 2 hours to Brussels and roughly 2 hours 15 minutes to Paris, taking the train from St Pancras is much faster, more reliable, and more convenient than dealing with airport security and city-to-airport transfers.
Amsterdam: At around 4 hours, it remains highly competitive with flying once airport transit times are factored in.
The Mid-ECML Catchment (Yorkshire & East Midlands)
For those living around mid-line stations like Grantham, Newark, Doncaster, and York, travel habits are split.
The Case for Train: The ECML offers blazing-fast transit into London King’s Cross (e.g., York to London takes just under 2 hours). Because King’s Cross and St Pancras are effectively the same complex, a station-to-station transfer takes less than five minutes. Travelers can buy a specialized “London International (CIV)” ticket, which provides legal protection if a domestic rail delay causes them to miss their Eurostar.
The Case for Flying: Despite the easy connection, total journey times begin to stretch. For a resident of York or Leeds, flying to Amsterdam or Paris out of Leeds Bradford Airport or Manchester Airport often matches or beats the total door-to-door transit time of taking two consecutive trains.
The North ECML Catchment (North East England & Scotland)
For residents in North East England (Darlington, Durham, Newcastle) and Scotland (Edinburgh, Dunbar, Berwick), Eurostar is rarely the primary choice, and flying dominates.
Time Penalties: A train journey from Newcastle or Edinburgh to London takes 3 to 4.5 hours. Adding a 30-to-90-minute Eurostar check-in window plus the European leg means a trip to Paris or Amsterdam takes 7 to 10 hours by rail.
Aviation & Ferry Alternatives: Newcastle Airport and Edinburgh Airport offer short, frequent, direct flights to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. Furthermore, travelers in the North East often prefer the overnight ferry options—such as the DFDS Newcastle-to-Amsterdam route or the P&O Hull-to-Rotterdam route—as a scenic, relaxed alternative to traveling south to London just to head back north-east into mainland Europe.
The East Coast Main Line seems to be much more of a you pay your money and make your choice, than the Midland Main Line.
Do Those Who Live On The Midland Main Line Tend To Go To Amsterdam, Brussels And Paris By Eurostar?
Yesterday, I had brunch in St. Pancras station and I was surprised at the large number of travellers, who appeared to be changing between Midland Main Line and Eurostar services, which is not a long walk.
This prompted me to investigate and Google AI gave me this answer to the question in the title of this post.
Yes, residents living along the Midland Main Line (MML) frequently choose the Eurostar to travel to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam. This is because the MML provides a seamless, direct connection into the international rail network.
The St Pancras Advantage
The primary reason for this travel preference is the unique geographical layout of London’s rail terminals:
Zero-Transfer Hub: The Midland Main Line terminates at London St Pancras International. Because East Midlands Railway (EMR) services roll into the exact same station where Eurostar departures are based, passengers from cities like Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham, and Leicester can simply walk across the concourse to clear passport control.
Bypassing the London Underground: Unlike passengers arriving at Euston, King’s Cross, or Paddington who may need to navigate the Tube with heavy luggage, MML travelers experience a completely self-contained, single-station transfer.
- Bedford
- Beeston
- Chesterfield
- Corby
- Derby
- East Midlands Parkway
- Kettering
- Leicester
- Long Eaton
- Loughborough
- Luton
- Luton Airport Parkway
- Market Harborough
- Nottingham
- Sheffield
- Wellingborough
Lumo And Hull Trains Launch New Report On Rail’s Impact On Social Mobility
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the sub-heading.
Open access train operators Lumo and Hull Trains held an event at Parliament to celebrate how rail connectivity can boost opportunity, growth and social mobility
These two paragraphs add some detail.
Communities, charities, cultural organisations and businesses from across the two operators’ networks came together at a special parliamentary reception hosted by Labour MP Dr Scott Arthur. The event marked the launch of a new Social Mobility Impact Report from Lumo and Hull Trains.
Organisations represented at the event included Pride in Hull, North East Pride, Hull Freedom Festival, Edinburgh Science Festival, Hull Truck Theatre, Hull Maritime Museum, North East Museums, Newcastle Eagles, Doncaster Belles FC, Percy Hedley Foundation, Daft as a Brush, Visit Hull & East Yorkshire, Life Science Centre Newcastle and Humber Street Sesh.
This is the conclusion.
The operators believe that this demonstrates that strong rail connections support a wide range of communities, businesses, charities and cultural organisations.
I hope the Office of Rail and Road don’t shoot the messenger.
70 Years Of Clean, Renewable Power From Invergarry Power Station
The title of this post, is the same as this news item from SSE.
These four paragraphs introduce the article.
SSE is celebrating 70 years of operation at Invergarry Power Station, a key part of the Great Glen Hydro Scheme and one of the many remarkable projects delivered during the pioneering years of hydro-electric development in the Scottish Highlands.
Officially opened on 5 October 1956, Invergarry was developed during a transformative period when the Highlands became one of the largest construction sites in Europe. Alongside dozens of other hydro projects built by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, the station helped harness Scotland’s natural resources to deliver clean, reliable electricity while bringing jobs, investment and new opportunities to communities across the region.
Part of the wider Great Glen Hydro Scheme, Invergarry was built as part of a network of hydro-electric stations connected by the Highland Grid transmission system, enabling renewable electricity generated in some of Scotland’s most remote landscapes to be transported to homes, businesses and communities across the north of Scotland.
The development of Scotland’s hydro-electric network remains one of the country’s most significant engineering achievements. Across the wider hydro programme, 54 power stations and 78 dams were constructed, creating an enduring legacy that continues to support Scotland’s energy system today.
Note.
- The article is well worth a read.
- The Great Glen has its own web site.
- I was around in the mid-1950s, when Invergarry and other schemes were built. They got a lot of positive publicity in places like the Meccano Magazine.
- A lot of the publicity on energy projects today is negative.
Today, we should celebrate the seventieth birthday of Invergarry hydro-electric station.
Save Loch Ness Campaigners Fear Highland Council Hydro Decision Will Pave Way For Further Approvals
The title of this post, is the same as this article from the Press & Journal.
This is the sub-heading.
Campaigners have hit out after councillors decided to raise no objection to plans, but only by the narrowest of margins
These three paragraphs add some more detail.
A community group has been left “disappointed” after Highland councillors decided to raise no objection to a proposed new hydro scheme at Loch Ness.
The Save Loch Ness group has been campaigning against what it brands the “industrialisation” of the loch, including the proposal for the Glen Earrach Pumped Storage Hydro (PSH) scheme.
Yesterday, as a consultee on the project which will ultimately be decided by Scottish ministers, Highland Council’s south planning committee decided to raise no objection to the plans – but only on the casting vote of chairman Paul Oldham.
I can sympathise with the community group, but I believe that the Glen Earrach scheme can be incorporated sympathetically into Loch Ness.
- The Glen Earrach scheme will be a 2 GW/34 GWh pumped storage hydro scheme, which could be the largest in the UK. So it is important.
- The Glen Earrach scheme will contribute to a Community Wealth Fund, which is expected to deliver over £20 million a year over the operational lifetime of the project.
- The economics are favourable because the large height difference between the upper reservoir, at nearly 500 m above sea level, and Loch Ness
- It could create up to a thousand construction jobs.
- There appear to be no current plans for a visitor centre.
- Once operational, the majority of the project’s infrastructure will be located underground.
- The project is expected to be complete in 2031.
- It is likely to last 125 years. I don’t think this is surprising, given that Invergarry hydro power station has just celebrated seventy years of operation, which I wrote about in 70 Years Of Clean, Renewable Power From Invergarry Power Station.
- There were objections to the Coire Glas pumped storage hydro scheme, at the other end of the Great Glen.
- The cost of the scheme appears to be around £3 billion.
Whether this scheme is approved will be a close run thing.
But it will be needed to help back-up all of Scotland’s offshore wind power, which currently stands at 5.7 GW and could reach 40 GW by 2040, according to Gooogle AI and Wikipedia.
The Size Of The UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)
I want to refer to this more and more, so I’ve put it in a separate post.
This map from the European Atlas of the Seas, shows the various exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the North Sea.
Note.
- The pinkish zone to the East of the UK, is the UK’s EEZ.
- The light blue zone at the top is Norway’s EEZ.
- The greenish zone in the North-East corner of the map is Denmark’s EEZ.
- The light blue zone below Denmark’s EEZ is Germany’s EEZ.
- Then we have the EEZs for The Netherlands, Belgium and France.
The Dogger Bank is situated where the UK, Dutch, German and Norwegian EEZs meet.
Didn’t we do well!
But Belgium and Germany miss out badly, when it comes for virgin sea to fill with wind farms.
Electrification Project’s Major Milestone Delivered On Time And Under Budget
The title of this post, is the same as this news item from Network Rail.
These four paragraphs give details of the electrification project.
The railway line between Kettering in Northamptonshire and Wigston near Leicester has reached a major milestone by being officially declared ready and safe for electric trains.
The certification for the 23-mile section is a massive achievement in Network Rail’s Midland Main Line Electrification Programme – the biggest programme of improvements to the line since its completion in 1870.
Electrification is a key part of the Government’s net zero carbon target by 2050, while also being quieter for passengers and residents living near the railway.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued the Authorisation to Place into Service (APiS) for the Kettering to Wigston section, which includes a new substation at Braybrooke, near Market Harborough, to provide extra power and resilience to the network.
This map from Open Railway Map shows the newly electrified section.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified and black tracks are not.
- The triangular track in the North-West corner of the map is Wigston junction.
- The track going North from this junction is the Midland Main Line to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield and other destinations served by East Midlands Railway.
- The track going West from this junction goes to Birmingham.
- The track going South from this junction is the Midland Main Line to Kettering and ultimately to London St. Pancras.
- The blue arrow indicates Kilby Bridge junction.
The electrification goes all the way between Wigston junction and London St. Pancras station.
I believe that what electrification has now been erected on the Midland Main Line can support battery-electric trains to the East Midlands Railway’s existing destinations.
Battery-Electric Trains Between St. Pancras And Leicester Stations
Real Time Trains reveal the following about current St. Pancras and Leicester services, that are run by the new Class 810 trains.
- Trains switch between electric and diesel power at Kilby Bridge junction.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and St. Pancras station, overhead electrication provides train power.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and Leicester station diesel generators provide train power.
- Kilby Bridge junction and Leicester station are 5.6 miles apart.
This would mean.
- For a one-way journey a battery range of 5.6 miles would be needed.
- For a return journey a battery range of 11.2 miles would be needed.
I suspect charging could be erected if required at Nottingham station.
Battery-Electric Trains Between St. Pancras And Nottingham Stations
Real Time Trains reveal the following about current St. Pancras and Nottingham services, that are run by the new Class 810 trains.
- Trains switch between electric and diesel power at Kilby Bridge junction.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and St. Pancras station, overhead electrication provides train power.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and Nottingham station diesel generators provide train power.
- Kilby Bridge junction and Nottingham station are 33.1 miles apart.
This would mean.
- For a one-way journey a battery range of 33.1 miles would be needed.
- For a return journey a battery range of 66.2 miles would be needed.
- Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway and Beeston stations would be served on battery power.
I suspect charging could be installed if required at Nottingham station.
Battery-Electric Trains Between St. Pancras And Sheffield Stations
Real Time Trains reveal the following about current St. Pancras and Sheffield services, that are run by the new Class 810 trains.
- Trains switch between electric and diesel power at Kilby Bridge junction.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and St. Pancras station, overhead electrication provides train power.
- Between Kilby Bridge junction and Sheffield station diesel generators provide train power.
- Kilby Bridge junction and Sheffield station are 71.4 miles apart.
This would mean.
- For a one-way journey a battery range of 71.4 miles would be needed.
- For a return journey a battery range of 142.8 miles would be needed.
- Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby and Chesterfield stations would be served on battery power.
I suspect charging could be installed if required at Sheffield station.
What Battery Range Would be Needed For Battery-Electric Trains To All Destinations?
Consider.
- I will assume that trains will change between power sources, as they do now at Kilby Bridge junction.
- Leicester is only a few miles from Kilby Bridge junction.
- Sheffield is the largest distance from Kilby Bridge junction at 71.4 miles.
- A return trip to Nottingham from Kilby Bridge junction at 66.2 miles is less than a one-way trip to Sheffield.
- It would appear that so long as the battery-electric trains have a battery range of greater than 71.4 miles, Battery-electric trains could cover all destinations.
I would expect a battery range of between 80 and 90 miles would be ideal, as it would give a sensible reserve.
In addition, charging would be needed at Sheffield.
Charging At Sheffield Station
This OpenRailwayMap shows Platform 8 at Sheffield station.
Note.
- The pink tracks are the Sheffield Supertram, that runs on the East side of the station.
- The black tracks are those in the platforms of Sheffield station.
- The Easternmost platform in the station is Platform 8, which is 368 metres long.
- Platform 8 could hold two five-car Class 810 trains.
I believe that if Platform 8 were to be electrified, it could charge trains before they returned to London.
Could Pairs Of Five-Car Class 810 trains, Work Between St. Pancras And Sheffield Stations?
Consider.
- Pairs of five-car Class 810 trains, were designed to be able to use St. Pancras station.
- It appears Platform 8 at Sheffield could handle a pair of five-car Class 810 trains.
- Hitachi’s IET trains have been designed to be converted into battery-electric express trains.
- Battery-electric trains are likely to be quieter and have less vibration, than diesel trains.
What would a two battery-electric trains per hour service do for the City of Sheffield?
Conclusion
It does appear, that the Midland Main Line was designed for battery-electric operation.
The mathematical fit of trains, routes and stations is faultless.
Toyota Launches New Generation Sora Fuel Cell Bus, Based On Isuzu Bus Platform
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
This is the sub-heading.
Toyota has launched the new-generation Sora fuel cell route bus, offering a stated range of more than 300 km and using a platform jointly developed with Isuzu
These two paragraphs add more detail.
The new Sora combines Isuzu’s battery-electric full-flat route bus platform with Toyota’s fuel cell system. Toyota Motor Corporation announced the launch on 5 October 2026, eight years after introducing the first-generation Sora in 2018.
The new Sora follows the fuel cell bus cooperation between Toyota and Isuzu announced in September 2025, when the companies said production of their jointly developed model would start in FY2026 at J-Bus’s Utsunomiya plant. The cooperation followed an earlier initiative involving Isuzu, Hino and Toyota announced in 2022.
Note.
- There are also two detailed drawings of the bus in the article.
- The first shows the fuel cell stack and three hydrogen tanks in a hump on the roof.
- I would assume that as Toyota and Isuzu, jointly developed the platform, that senibly, both hydrogen and electric buses use the same chassis and electric drive train.
- The bus seems to be extremely well-equipped.
- The article also says Toyota has also developed a new large-capacity hydrogen tank for commercial vehicles.
I have a strong feeling, that this fuel cell bus, with its 300 km range, 10 minute refuelling and dual-Japanese pedigree will be a big winner.
ORR Rejects WSMR And Lumo WCML Bids
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Modern Railways.
These two paragraphs add more details.
Aspirations by Wrexham, Shropshire & Midlands Railway Company (WSMR) and Lumo to run more open access services on the West Coast main line have been rejected by the Office of Rail and Road.
WSMR hoped to run four Wrexham-London Euston return services, and Lumo up to four return trains between Rochdale and Euston. The ORR also rejected Avanti West Coast’s bid for extra Blackpool-Euston trains.
I feel by its rejection of the two open access bids from WSMR and Lumo, the ORR is showing its obedience to its socialist masters and following a policy of no trains, must be run by private enterprise.
But its rejection of more services to Blackpool, is surely an error of the highest order.
- Blackpool needs more express trains.
- Blackpool North station now has a well-designed interchange between the trains to Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, London and the South and the Blackpool tramway.
- Blackpool North and Euston is a fully-electrified route.
- There is scope to add extra services to the Blackpool tramway.
- Avanti West Coast will be run by the state from the 7th March 2027.
Surely, similar rules can apply independently of the owner?
But obviously not in Burnham’s Bankrupt Britain.
DNV Certifies Floating Wind Turbine Foundation Design For Buchan Project
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Buchan Offshore Wind has received Basic Design Certification from DNV for the BW Ideol-designed concrete Damping Pool floating foundation selected for its nearly 1 GW floating wind project off Scotland.
This initial paragraph adds some more detail.
The certification covers the Buchan-specific Damping Pool design, which has been developed for the project’s North Sea site. BW Ideol’s standard 15 MW-plus Damping Pool platform received DNV Basic Design Certification in May 2025. The technology is also being used on the Floatgen demonstration project in France, which has been operating since 2018.
Note.
The Buchan Offshore Wind Farm has a web site.
It appears to have a capacity of at least 960 MW, with 64 x 15 MW turbines.
The web site has a video of the Damping Pool platform.
The platforms will be built at the Port of Ardersier in Scotland.
