Porterbrook Launch A Tri-Mode Train
In Bi-Mode Ate My Electrification, I asked this question.
Could We See A Tri-Mode Train?
Little did I suspect that just a few hours later, one would arrive.
This article on Global Rail News is entitled Northern and Porterbrook to convert electric trains to bi-mode.
This is the opening paragraph.
Leasing company Porterbrook is developing a bi-mode variant of Northern’s Class 319 EMU.
But that is not all, as this is said later.
Porterbrook said the design requires minimal modifications to the train. Additional batteries could also be fitted to improve performance on non-electrified sections.
So Northern will have a Class 319 Flex train that can run from electric, diesel or battery power.
That sounds like tri-mode to me.
Is It A Quad-Mode?
Some might even think it a quad-mode, as it could also run using 750 VDC third-rail electrification. It would help the trains charge the batteries at Southport, Ormskirk and Kirkby stations, which are terminals of Merseyrail’s third-rail network.
Will A Class 319 Flex Work Like A Hybrid Bus?
Several types of hybrid buses work, by driving the wheels using electric motors powered from a battery, that is charged from a small diesel engine.
When the battery is full, the engine is switched off.
So could, the Class 319 Flex be using hybrid bus methods to power the train?
The power-packs would keep the battery charged and the train would be driven from the battery or the external electrification.
One advantage of doing this, is that say on arrival at Blackpool with batteries without much power, the power-packs could charge the batteries before the train left for Preston and the overhead wires.
The driver would drive the train as an electric train, using electrification or battery automatically. The control system would cut the power-packs in to charge the batteries as necessary.
If they do go this route, could they be raiding the parts bin of the UK’s hybrid-bus manufacturers?
The 4.5 litre diesel engine and a 75 kW-hour battery, used by London’s Routemaster would surely be certified for use in a rail application and their performance and reliability will be well-documented.
Why Convert A Class 319 Train?
Who’d have thought that they’d convert a Class 319 train.
Consider.
- The class was built in the late-1980s.
- They are not the most stylish of trains, with all the panache of a house built by a Local Authority in the 1950s.
But over the last year or so, Northern have been refurbishing the trains and have probably found that under the skin, there are no serious problems and they have solutions for the minor ones.
They also scrub up pretty well and I suspect that if a bit more was spent on the interior, they could probably be better.
In my travels to Liverpool over the last year, I have talked to several drivers of Class 319 trains.
- Generally, they seem to like them.
- One told me, that on the West Coast Main Line, they will still hold 100 mph, so they are no suburban trundler!
- I have heard lavish praise for the brakes.
The only complaint, was that because of the softish suspension, the first few trains didn’t ride too well over Chat Moss.
They also have other things in their favour.
- There are 86 of the four-car trains, of which Northern has 32.
- The creation of a prototype, shouldn’t be a long process, unless Network Rail take forever to certify the train.
It should also be noted, that some of the similar Class 321 trains are having their traction equipment updated. So there may be some lessons from each program that can be applied to the other, especially as Wabtec are involved in both projects.
Will The Class 319 Flex Have Regenerative Braking?
The one problem with the Class 319 is that the trains don’t have regenerative braking.
If they did and they had onboard energy storage then the braking energy could be stored when a train stops at a station and recycled to get the train started after passengers have left and joined the train.
This would improve the energy efficiency and extend the range of the train, when running on lines without electrification.
How Will A Class 319 Flex Perform On Inclines?
Some of Northern’s routes like the Ribble Valley Line, climb into the hills.
Will the performance of the trains be sufficient to work these lines?
How Much Automation Will There Be On A Class 319 Flex?
The trains aren’t particularly complex, but with at least three power sources, it would probably help the driver, if changeover from one system to another was an automatically controlled.
It would also probably help if pantograph raising and lowering was automatic and could be at line speed.
Could A Class 319 Flex Be Able To Run Under Tram Rules?
In Zwickau in Germany, diesel multiple units, run through the town at slow speed under rules similar to those used by trams.
A DMU at the train stop in the centre of Zwickau
From Zwickau HbF to the Zwickau Zentrum stop, the diesel multiple units run on a line designed to the following rules.
- Slow tram-like maximum speed.
- A track with electrification just for the trams with which the trains share the line.
- Rail signalling.
- Simple stations, designed to fit the trams and trains working the line.
- Passengers can walk across the lines, as they can on any tramway.
- There’s even a couple of level crossings.
Zwickau’s system is more complicated than would be needed in the UK, as the trams and trains are of different gauges, so there is an unusual three-rail track, to accommodate standard- and metre-gauge vehicles.
Note that the system in Zwickau does not use a purpose-built tram-train, as the trains are standard Deutsche Bahn diesel multiple units, which were built by Stadler. They are very much like Class 172 trains. They just behave like trams away from the main line.
They are best described as Train-trams!
Will a Class 319 Flex be certified to do the same?
In a simple example, a Class 319 Flex could go through the buffers at Blackpool South station and continue through the car parks to a stop by the football ground.
Where Will Northern Use A Class 319 Flex?
Windermere To Manchester
When the franchise responsible for Windermere station changed from TransPennine to Northern, there was talk of electrifying the Windermere Branch Line , so that it could have an electric train service to Manchester or Manchester Airport.
But Network Rail’s electrification performance, stopped that, so passengers between Windermere and Manchester have to change at somewhere like Oxenholme Lake District station.
From Windermere, there is one direct train per day to Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, which takes two and a half hours and an hourly shuttle to Oxenholme.
I’m sure that Windermere to Manchester is the sort of route that Northern would like to cover with a direct hourly electric train. From December 2017 if Network Rail perform, the only part of the route from Windermere to Manchester Airport, that will not be electrified will be the ten miles of the Windermere Branch Line.
If Network Rail haven’t performed, the trains could use the electrified route via Nreton-le-Willows and the West Coast Main Line.
As it will take something like five hours to go from Windermere to Manchester Airport and back, it will need five trains yo provide an hourly service all day. Alternative power sources would only be used on the Windermere Branch.
Blackpool To Manchester And Liverpool
I would suspect that an early objective of the design of the Class 319 Flex, would be the ability to do a return trip between Preston and Blackpool, as this would enable services between Blackpool and Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester and Warrington.
The Blackpool Branch has the following characteristics.
- It is without electrification.
- It is only about fifteen miles long.
- It is has two current termini in Blackpool North and Blackpool South stations.
- There have been proposals in the last few years to reinstate services on the Fleetwood Branch Line to a new Fleetwood station.
The return trip would be about 30 miles on to each terminus, but trains could use their power-packs if needed to charge their on-board energy storage before returning to Preston.
Blackpool North to Liverpool Lime Street would only need a Class 319 Flex train to be delivered.
Blackpool to Manchester Victoria, Piccadilly or Airport, would need the Preston to Manchester electrification to be completed, unless they could sneak down the West Coast Main Line.
It looks to my simple mind, that as regards Liverpool, Manchester and Prestojn to Windermere and Blackpool, the Class 319 Flex is a very workable solution, whether Network Rail finish the electrification of Manchester to Preston or not!
As the residents and visitors of Blackpool should understand trams, I could see Class 319 Flex trains running to Blackpool South and Fleetwood through simplified stations without any electrification, under rules similar to trams.
If the Germans can do it in Zwickau, then surely Lancastraians can do it in Blackpool.
Being able to run four-car Class 319 Flex trains to Blackpool South would also help to increase services to the area, if the Open Championship were to be held at Royal Lytham. A simple station could even be built adjacent to the course.
Blackpool South To Colne
The East Lancashire Line spans the Preston between Blackpool South and Colne stations.
After a long chat with an off-duty conductor on a crowded train in Summer 2016 on this line, I’ve thought it was a line , that could do with an improved level of service and more capacity.
Since then I’ve experienced severe overcrowding after Ipswich played at Blackburn on the same day that Blackpool played at Accrington.
Consider.
- Blackpool South to Preston is about fifteen miles.
- Preston station is electrified.
- Blackburn station has recently been rebuilt.
- Trains going between the Manchester to Preston Line and the East Lancashire Line can bypass Preston station.
- Blackburn station has a West-facing bay platform.
- Preston to Blackburn is about ten miles.
- Preston to Burnley is about twenty-five miles
- Preston to Colne is about thirty miles.
It would certainly appear that the following services would be possible using Class 319 Flex trains.
- Blackburn to Blackpool South
- Blackburn to Blackpool North
- Blackburn to Manchester via Bolton
- Blackburn to Manchester via the West Coast Main Line
- Blackburn to Liverpool.
This opens up all sorts of possibilities for integrated services centred on Preston.
If Blackburn to Preston were to be electrified, this would probably bring Colne and Burnley into the operational range of Class 319 Flex trains.
Northern could have tremendous fun planning those services!
Colne To Skipton
This missing link in Northern’s network could be a worthwhile line to reinstate.
So why not create a single-track line without electrification between Colne and Skipton stations?
Consider.
- The missing track between the two stations is just 11.5 miles.
- The reinstatement would probably only need one expensive bridge, that would be North of Colne station.
- The line could be a valuable piece of tourist infrastructure.
- A Leeds to Blackpool service via Burnley and Blackburn through the Pennines would be possible.
It could be designed to be easily worked by Class 319 Flex trains.
I somehow like the concept of 1980s British Rail electric multiple units, built to bring commuters to and from London, being redeveloped as a tourist train, through some of the most beautiful parts of The North.
The Ribble Valley Line
The Ribble Valley Line could be an interesting challenge to run using Class 319 Flex trains.
Consider.
- The Southern section of the line is twelve miles between a hopefully electrified Bolton station and Blackburn.
- The Northern section is ten miles between Blackburn and Clitheroe stations.
- The Northern section is a climb into the hills.
- The Ribble Valley and East Lancashire Lines share tracks sround Blackburn station.
I think that if Preston to Blackburn were to be electrified, Class 319 Flex trains, might be able to reach Clitheroe.
Stalybridge
In the January 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Extra Platforms At Piccadilly Abandoned?.
In this article it suggests that electrification between Manchester Victoria and |Stalybridge might be late. This is also said.
However, any delay in wiring the section crates problems for Northern in that its plans for the move to additional electric services sees them terminating at Stalybridge rather than at Manchester Victoria, freeing up -platform capacity.
But Stalybridge is under nine miles to the East of Manchester Victoria, so a Class 319 Flex could be used to bridge the gap.
So do we have the bizarre result of obtaining some bi-mode trains freeing up platform space?
Manchester Victoria To Huddersfield
Once Network Rail get Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge electrified, Huddersfield is only another twenty miles, so could be in reach of a Class 319 Flex.
Southport And Kirkby To Manchester
North of Liverpool, there are two routes, which go between Wigan Wallgate station and Southport and Kirkby stations.
There are also three routes from Wigan Wallgate to Manchester.
The line between Bolton and Wigan Wallgate was supposed to be electrified by December 2017, but no work appears to be ongoing yet.
But when Manchester to Preston and Wigan to Bolton are electrified, there will be an electric route to Manchester Victoria, Piccadilly and Airport stations from Wigan Wallgate.
So could Wigan Wallgate to Southport (20 miles) and Wigan Wallgate to Kirkby (16m iles) be bridged by a Class 319 Flex?
One great advantage at Southport and Kirkby is that 750 CDC third-rail electrification is available. So could the batteries be charged using this electrification, whilst the train is turned back..
A Train Designed For A Specific Route
It seems that one of the great features of the Class 319 Flex trains, is that the number of different power sources will mean that trains can be designed for a particular route.
So if say on a route, like the Ribble Valley Line to Clitheroe, more power might be needed, then an extra battery might be added, as has been stated in some of the various Press Releases for the train.
Routes In The East
I have only looked at the routes I know in the West of the Northern franchise.
But as it is an extensive franchise providing services over a wide area, there could be routes in the East, where the Class 319 Flex could provide an increase in capacity and quality of service.
Porterbrook
I must say something about Porterbrook’s involvement in this development.
Porterbrook are a leasing company and they are not participating in this venture out of charity.
By financing the increase in the capabilities of this train, they are doing themselves a big favour by turning a Class 319 train of limited use and value into a more desirable asset for a train operating company, that they can lease for a higher price.
- Northern get a train they need to increase capacity and expand electric services.
- Passengers travel in a refurbished faster four-car electric train instead of a two-car diesel train of possibly dubious quality.
- Hopefully, the better train service will create economic activity and jobs.
Porterbrook will of course expect to make a return on their investment.
Other Customers
This article on the European Railway Review is entitled Porterbrook and Northern to jointly develop bi-mode Class 319 Flex trains. It says the following.
The first Bi-mode Class 319 Flex trains will be in Northern passenger service by 2018. The units will then become available to operators who wish to make full use of electrically powered rolling stock on partially electrified routes.
It will be interesting to see, who leases the trains.
Conclusions
I am drawn to the following conclusions.
- Nothing about the technicalities of the Class 319 Train is difficult and with my limited experience of project management in railway engineering , if Wabtec give a delivery date, it will likely be achieved.
- There are lots of ways to run these trains, especially if modes can be switched automatically.
- The trains would be more efficient and have a longer range, if they had regenerative braking.
- The trains will be incredibly useful in providing electric services across the Northern franchise.
- I believe that used on a line like Harrogate Line, they will also show whether a line should be electrified.
I think the concept is very sound and good for Porterbrook, Northern and their passengers. It will also create economic ctivity and jobs.
If the Class 319 Flex proves to be a success, I feel that other trains will be upgraded in this way.
Bi-Mode Ate My Electrification
The title of this post, is the headline on an article by Roger Ford in the January 2017 Edition of Modern Railways.
The article describes how electrification of the rail line between Selby and Hull has been dropped and quotes Chris Grayling as implying that it’s all because the train companies have bought Class 802 trains, which are bi-mode, and won’t need electrification between Selby and Hull.
Both train companies; Hull Trains and TransPennine Express need to run high-class services with modern fast trains to Hull.
I will look at Hull Trains need in more detail.
Much of the route used by Hull Trains is along the electrified East Coast Main Line, so a 140 mph capability could be needed in the next few years, as speeds increase on that line.
If the Selby-Hull line were to be electrified, Hull Trains could run electric trains like Class 801 trains, InterCity 225s, or perhaps a version of the Stadler Flirt, that Greater Anglia will be running.
Hull Trains obviously need to increase quality and capacity on the route and it appears that the only train available is the bi-mode Class 802 train.
The only certain way Hull Trains could get new trains in a reasonable time, given that electrification is continually being kicked into the long grass, is the bi-mode route.
Purists might not like the bi-mode train, but at least it will enable Hull to have a quality high-speed train service.
The Problems With Electrification
Electrification is needed, so that trains can run fast and efficiently, without the noise, pollution and carbon-emissions of diesel power.
But.
- Electrification in the UK, is like trying to make a Victorian house fit for a modern lifestyle and it is even more expensive.
- Electrification gantries and wires, ruin landscapes.
- Much of our railway infrastructure,like stations, bridges and viaducts are beautiful structures in their own right and perhaps electrification will not be for some of them.
As we get further into the future, I think that there will be more reasons why existing lines will not be electrified.
We’re All In It Together
Several countries have a substantial proportion of lines without electrification, of which Germany, India and, the UK and the US are the most notable examples.
So ideas will be developed in these and other countries, that could be replicated in other countries with a pressing need for electrification.
The Problem Is An Opportunity For The Train Builders
Consider.
- Hitachi have developed their Class 800 family of trains to include bi-modes.
- Bombardier are developing trains with onboard electric storage and have a philosophy for all markets that I wrote iabout in Parallel Thinking From Bombardier.
- Stadler have a Pandora’s box for of ideas and technologies.
- CAF are supplying trams with onboard energy storage.
I can’t believe that Alstom, Siemens and other fFar Eastern manufacturers are not looking at using self-powered trains to cut down on electrification.
It is also worth noting that others are developing technologies, that will assist train builders in providing the trains that train companies and their passengers desire.
- Tessla and other companies are developing batteries with a higher storage density.
- Automatic pantograph up and down is being developed, so trains can use overhead power, where it exists.
- Automatic coupling and uncoupling will be developed.
- Trains will be driven automatically, so minimum power is used.
The train of the future will be powered and braked by electricity, and highly automated. It could be driven automatically, but I suspect like the Victoria Line or your average commercial airliner, the driver will be in overall control and monitoring everything.
Why Trains Need An Energy Storage Capability?
If an electric train has an onboard energy storage capability, it has various advantages.
- It can store the energy generated from regenerative braking and release it to help get the train back up to speed.
- On board energy storage can be used with both electric and diesel-electric trains.
- Depots can be designed with less electrification for safety and to save money.
- Trains can be given a remote wake-up capability as I discussed in Do Bombardier Aventras Have Remote Wake-Up?, so a train parked in a siding can be warmed up ready for the driver at the start of the day.
- Trains can recover to the next station using stored power, if electrification power fails.
- Trains can take diversions without electrification if needed.
- Depending on the size of the storage, trains could provide a service over a limited distance on stored power alone.
Hybrid cars and buses, which have onboard energy storage, might suggest even more reasons.
Energy Storage Can Only Get Better
Over the last few decades the energy capable of being stored in a device of a fixed physical size and weight has increased dramatically.
This process can only increase, so onboard energy storage will become more and more viable.
What Is The Kinetic Energy Of A Train?
I ask this question to show the energy values involved.
If I take a nine-car Class 345 train, which will be used on Crossrail, this has a mass of less than 350 tonnes and a maximum speed of 145 kph.
1500 passengers at 80 kg each works out at another 120 tonnes.
So for this crude estimate I’ll use 450 tonnes for the mass of a loaded train.
This gives the train an energy of 365 megajoules or 101 kilowatt-hours.
This amount of energy is only a couple of kWh larger than the largest battery size of a Tessla Model S car.
Can Regenerative Braking Be Handled By Onboard Energy Storage On A Train?
As an example, look at the Stadler Flirts and Bombardier Aventras, that will be running between London Liverpool Street and Cambridge, Colchester, Ipswich, Norwich, Southend and Stansted Airport.
- These are fully-electrified lines.
- The ability to stop and restart quickly is needed as these are very busy lines, with another 110 mph train along in a couple of minutes.
- All the passenger trains on the lines will have regenerative braking.
The electricity generated by braking can either be returned to the overhead wires using an inverter to get the voltages right or stored on the train in an onboard energy storage device.
Both methods are possible with good electrical engineering and there is probably no weight or installation advantage with either technology.
I don’t know what Stadler are doing, but this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-Iron batteries if required.
As this was published five years ago, I can’t believe that an innovative company like Stadler have not been thinking about onboard electrical storage.
As I showed in the previous section, the kinetic energy of a Crossrail Class 345 train is around 101 kiowatt-hours.
So it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that a couple of Tessla batteries could handle the regenerative braking for a fully-loaded Crossrail train!
The same would apply to all of the trains in East Anglia, which would probably have a bit more kinetic energy.
It can obviously be done on an Aventra, so I feel that the Flirts will do it as well.
If all the trains on the routes handled their own regenerative braking, this could mean that there would be no need for the power supply to the overhead wires to be able to handle it. Whether that would save money, I don’t know!
Can the same technology be applied to a locomotive-hauled train, like a Class 68 locomotive pulling a rake of five Mark 3 coaches at 160 kph?
The kinetic energy is slightly less than that of the Crossrail train, so it might be feasible to put onboard energy storage in the diesel-electric locomotive to reuse braking energy.
Onboard energy storage for regenerative braking will become universal on all electric or diesel-electric trains.
In March 2016, I wrote Will London Overground Fit On-board Energy Storage To Class 378 Trains?, which was based on this article in Rail Technology Magazine entitled Bombardier enters key analysis phase of IPEMU. In the article, Marc Phillips of Bombardier is quoted as saying this.
All Electrostars to some degree can be retrofitted with batteries. We are talking the newer generation EMU as well as the older generation. So, the 387s and 378s are the ones where we have re-gen braking where we can top-up the batteries and use the braking energy to charge the batteries. That gives us the best cost-benefit over operational life.
So it would seem that the Class 378 trains of the London Overground are candidates for fitting with batteries. This would give the following advantages.
- Electricity savings.
- Recovery to the next station if the electricity supply fails.
- Simplified depot layouts with less electrification.
As nearly all lines are electrified in London, the ability to travel on short routes without electrification wouldn’t be needed.
On the other hand, new services might need a new branch line or a chord between two electrified lines, which if worked with trains with onboard energy storage, would not need to be electrified.
In Don’t Mention Electrification!, I noted that in all the documents for the extension of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line to Barking Riverside, there is no mention of electrification, although electric trains are stated to be working the route.
So could this be the first newly-built line in the UK to be worked by electric trains powered by onboard energy storage?
How Far Will Trains Go On Onboard Energy Storage?
This is very much a case of answering these and other questions.
- How much range do you want?
- Does the route have lots of stops?
- Is the route hilly?
- How much space there is on the train?
In the end, the most important question is can you afford it?
Could We See A Tri-Mode Train?
A tri-mode train would be one that could use the following power sources.
- Electric power from either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail.
- Diesel power.
- Onboard energy storage.
It could even pick up 750 VDC from a tramway, if it was running as a train-tram.
Consider.
- If you look at an Hitachi Class 800 train, I suspect that the engineers could find space somewhere for onboard energy storage.
- The Aventra double-power-car concept, has probably been designed with a diesel version in mind.
- A hydrogen fuel-cell would be an alternative to diesel.
- The power control system would just switch between power sources automatically.
It’s all down to good engineering design and innovation.
I suspect, that a tri-mode train will be launched in the next few years.
Conclusions
I believe there is a lot of scope to cut the amount of electrification that is done, by using alternative technologies.
The bi-mode is in pole position, but with the advance of battery and other technologies, the current lead will not last long.
A Walk Along The River
It was very sunny so I walked along the Thames from Blackfriars station to the Tower.
Note.
- The works for the Tideway Tunnel.
- The impressive new Blackfriars Pier for the Thames Clippers.
- Queenhithe.
- You walk underneath the City’s waste transfer station at one point.
I couldn’t believe that the weather was that good for December.
At Queenhithe, you have to walk inland as the Thames Path is blocked by development, that was done a couple of decades ago.
I do hope that the new development at Queenhithe will include a bridge across the ancient dock to continue the path.
Why Isn’t The Mall Traffic Free?
This article on the BBC is entitledPlans to block vehicles from the Mall brought forward after Berlin lorry attack.
I can’t understand, why the Mall isn’t traffic free from say nine in the morning until perhaps four or five in the afternoon.
This would create a large walking area from Trafalgar Square to Victoria, with the shops of Oxford, Bond and Regent Streets and Crossrail to the North-West and the Thames not far away in the East.
This Google Map shows the area around Buckingham Palace.
It would improve London for everyone, except prossibly taxi and Uber drivers.
But just as with the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, there would be protests.
The Glasgow Airport Rail Link Will Be A Tram-Train
This article on the BBC is entitled Plans for direct tram-train link between Glasgow Airport and city.
This is the three opening paragraphs.
Plans to create a “tram-train” link between Glasgow Airport and the city centre have been unveiled.
The £144m Glasgow Airport Access Project could see journey times cut to 16.5 minutes and would bypass the need to use the busy M8.
It would involve a specially-designed hybrid tram-train using the existing railway network and on-street tracks.
That sounds like a sensible plan.
What Is A Hybrid Tram-Train?
As I said in Were The New Merseyrail Trains Designed In A South London Pub?, I believe that Stadler have designed a rail vehicle, that can.
- Be equipped to run on any of the electrified rail lines in the UK.
- Run as a train on heavy rail lines such as that between Glasgow Central and Paisley St. James stations, where it would use 25 kVAC overhead electrification.
- Run as a tram on a dedicated tram track to the Airport, built without electrification, using onboard energy storage charged on the journey on the electrified line between Glasgow and Paisley.
- Provide step-free access by making sure that the trains fit the platforms, which would all be built to the same height.
I believe that the trains could be a version of those that Stadler are building for Merseyrail. After all, the Swiss company are already building special trains for the Glasgow Subway.
How Many Trains?
As it takes about sixteen minutes between Glasgow Central and Paisley St. James stations., one train would probably provide an hourly service.
But obviously, things do go wrong, so at least two trains would be needed, with one as a spare or in maintenance.
Two trains could provide two trains per hour (tph), with four trains needed to provide 4 tph.
Trains, Infrastructure And Costs
Merseyrail is paying £9million for each similar four-car train, which includes extras like maintenance.
The only differences would be.
- Glasgow’s trains would be 25 kVAC trains, whereas Merseyrail’s are 750 VDC third-rail trains.
- Interior fit and colour scheme.
Note that Stadler have said that the Merseyrail trains can have 25 KVAC equipment and batteries fitted.
I would buy five trains to provide a four tph service, with one as a spare or in maintenance.
This would leave around £100million for the only new infrastructure, which will be a rail spur to the airport from the West of Paisley St. James station station on the Inverclyde Line.
This spur could be built along the following lines.
- Single- or double-track.
- On-street or dedicated fenced off track.
- No electrification.
- Traditional signalling or in-cab.
- Simple stations like the tram stops in Birmingham, Croydon, Edinburgh or Nottingham.
- Step-free level access.
I think a single-track bi-directional track would work, but space should probably be left for double track, if it proves very popular.
It might be better to think of the rail spur as a long well-landscaped siding, which just happens to end within a few metres from an airport terminal.
I think that this link could be built inside the allocated budget of £144million.
Other Airport Links
Note that if this works for Glasgow, what about Bristol, Cardiff, East Midlands and Leeds/Bradford and Liverpool Airports?
Leeds/Bradford Airport
This article on the BBC is entitled Leeds Bradford Airport railway station one of three planned.
This is said.
The proposed new station about one mile (1.6km) from the airport would also act as a park and ride for commuters to Leeds and Harrogate.
I wonder if the trains at Leeds/Bradford Airport will go the last mile? It would need the Leeds-Harrogate Line to be electrified, but it would give the Airport the high-class rail link it needs.
Liverpool Airport
I believe that Merseyrail’s new trains, have the capability to serve Liverpool Airport in the same manner, in which the Glasgow Airport Rail Link could be built and operated.
There are more details here in Thoughts On Merseyrail’s New Trains.
Conclusion
Stadler will sell a lot of these trains to provide links into places like airports and town-centres.
In The Brick Caverns Under London
I took these pictures as I walked through London Bridge station to the Underground.
I do like well-executed brickwork! I hope they don’t cover it with plaster or concrete.
I certainly don’t think they’re finished yet! The lights are for light rather than to a design that fits.
This set of brick arches will form a level passageway between the inner concourse of the station and the exits towards the City and the Underground.
London Bridge looks like it could take the mantle of London’s best railway station from Kings Cross.
Were The New Merseyrail Trains Designed In A South London Pub?
In Thoughts On Merseyrail’s New Trains, I postulated that the new Stadler trains could work as trams on appropriate infrastructure.
I looked at the pictures in The Design Of Tram Or Tram-Train Stations, which I wrote in March 2015 and came to the conclusion, that Merseyrail’s new trains might be able to run on the London Tramlink with some modifications.
- The ability to run on 750 V DC overhead electrification.
- Precise adjustment to the platform height.
- Tram lights and signalling to make the vehicles comply with regulations.
So why do I say that the new Merseyrail trains were designed in a London Pub?
- Both Merseyrail and South London have networks with third-rail electrification.
- Merseyrail need a train to match their tunnels and platform heights, which are sized to the current Class 508 trains.
- South London has the London Tramlink, which runs Stadler Variobahn trams.
- The London Tramlink has strange infrastructure between Birkbeck and Beckham Junction stops, which could be improved if trams and trains could share lines and platforms.
- The London Tramlink would like to extend to Bromley South station.
- Merseyrail have been talking about running a tram-train to Liverpool Airport.
- Stadler have experience of trams, trains and the very special experience of Zwickau, where Stadler DMUs share tracks with electric trams.
- Stadler builds the tram-trains for Karlsruhe, Chemnitz and Sheffield.
- Karlsruhe has a problem of two different sized tram-trains, which has been solved, by clever design of the vehicles and the platforms.
- Every Stadler train seems to be different, with different car dimensions to fit the customers tracks and different power systems to give them the required performance.
I think that a Stadler engineer or perhaps more came over to look at both London and Liverpool’s problems and after riding round South London, they ended up in a local hostelry and lots of alcohol was added to the mix to see what would happen.
The result was a concept, which I think of as a train-tram with the following features.
- The ability to run as a speedy commuter EMU train on either 750 VDC third-rail, 750 VDC overhead or 25 kVAC overhead electrification.
- The ability to run as a tram on 750 VDC overhead electrification.
- The ability to run on energy stored in an onboard energy storage device.
- It could be built to fit any of the tram gauges and platform sizes in the UK and quite a few around the world.
- Level access to the vehicle from platforms of the correct height at all times.
- Signalling would either be using traditional signals or in-cab displays. The second would be preferable, as it could display the same format at all times.
- The ability to run the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, in a city where Stadler are providing trains for the Subway.
- The ability to run on the other tram lines in the UK, if the vehicle were to be built to the correct size.
- The ability to run on standard heavy rail infrastructure.
If you see the Zwickau DMU in a train station, you think it’s a train, if you see it at the stops in the centre of Zwickau, you think it’s a tram.
Get the dimensions and the look of the vehicle right and no passengers will bother that it’s a train, when running in tram mode.
The big advantages come with certification.
- As it’s a train, certification for heavy rail and lines without electrification is the same for any new train.
- Adding the vehicles to a tram network, would be like adding any new tram type to any existing tram network.
Merseyrail have got in first with an order, but I wouldn’t rule out something similar used to extend the London Tramlink or vehicles for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.
Where could you run a train-tram with onboard energy storage on London’s third-rail network?
- Extend Ttranlink from Beckenham Junction to Bromley South
- Abbey Wood to Thamesmead
- Grove Park to Bromley South via Bromley North and Bromley town centre.
- Greenehithe to Bluewater.
- Chessington South to Chessington World of Adventure.
These are just for starters.
I also didn’t include short branch lines and routes without electrification, but close to 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Ticketing In Liverpool And Manchester
On my trip to Wigan, I travelled around Liverpool and Manchester extensively on both days.
Whether the cities like it or not, transport-wise, the whole of Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester is one ticketing area.
I bought a Lancashire Day Ranger at £15 on both days. But!
- That is not expensive for me, but it probably is for others.
- It doesn’t include Manchester’s or Blackpool’s trams.
- It doesn’t include the Wirral Line in Liverpool.
Why can’t I just touch in with my contactless bank card, like I can in London?
This article on Global Rail News is entitled Sydney to trial contactless payments on public transport network.
Sydney will be using London’s system, so why can’t Liverpool and Manchester?
Thoughts On Merseyrail’s New Trains
Merseyrail have ordered 52 new Stadler trains to replace, the 59 geriatric Class 507 and Class 508 trains on the Northern and Wirral Lines.
In some ways I was surprised, as with the possible takeover of tye Borderlands Line to Wrexham in Wales, I thought that Bombardier, may have had a good chance with Aventras with an onboard energy storage or IPEMU-capability.
Reports On The Internet
These are some useful articles that give more details.
- Article in the Liverpool Echo, entitled Merseytravel reveals new £460m train fleet plans – with no train guards
- Article in Railway Gazette, entitled Stadler selected to supply bespoke Merseyrail train fleet
- Article in Rail News entitled Stadler wins contract to build new Merseyrail trains
- Article in Focus Transport entitled New Stadler Trains Announced for Merseyrail
These are my thoughts on the new trains.
The Loop
The Wirral Line trains run in a single-track circular loop tunnel under Liverpool (The Loop), which is a fairly unusual railway formation. But it works well and means that the three stations on The Loop can be single-platform.
The track in the Loop is being relaid in the first half of 2017 and this article on the Merseyrail web site describes the work.
This is a video of the rebuilding.
Note.
- The tunnel has a diameter of 4.7 metres.
- By comparison, the Crossrail tunnels have a diameter of 6.2 metres.
- If you are relaying the track, you will make sure, that the track and platforms fit your current trains, which could run for another five years or more.
- The tunnels and platforms will probably be sized, so that there is only a small gap between the train and platform.
- The slab track chosen looks to be of the highest quality and similar to that which Transport for London are using on the Sub Surface lines, as described in this article in Rail Engineer.
So Liverpool is getting a world-class railway track on The Loop, which will fit its current rolling stock, like a glove.
It will also be very safe, as the gap between the trains and the platform could be very narrow.
They don’t say in the video, but will the tracks be arranged so that the trains align for step-across at the stations on The Loop?
The Tunnel Size Issue
If you have just rebuilt the track in the Loop, then this will have implications for the new trains needed for the lines.
The small size of the tunnel and the precision fit, mean that any new trains must be a similar height and width, as the current Class 507/508 trains.
The height of the Class 508 train is 3.58 metres and for comparison the height of a Class 378 train is 3.78 metres.
I don’t have a figure for a Bombardier Aventra, but I suspect that they are just too fat.
So it looks like that a small number of non-standard size trains need to be built to fit the slightly smaller size tunnels under Liverpool.
The Railway Gazette article says this about the trains ordered from Stadler.
There will be a mix of airline and facing seats, with more space for bicycles, pushchairs and persons with reduced mobility. The train body will be designed specifically for the Merseyrail network, with lower floors and a sliding step to provide near-level access.
It is interesting to note, that Stadler also won the order for the smaller trains on the Glasgow Subway, which I wrote about in Glasgow Subway Orders New Trains From Stadler.
As it looks like they will be specially built to fit the tunnels and the platforms, this has various implications.
- Passengers in wheelchairs, pushing buggies or dragging large suitcases should be able to just wheel themselves into the train, which is described as lower floor.
- All platforms, that the trains call at, must have the same critical dimensions.
- Safety could be increased as the gap between train and platform could be very narrow.
- Incidentally, the trains are reported to be fitted with automatic gap fillers, to make sure nothing drops through the gap.
- Will the tracks in the Northern Line tunnel through Liverpool be renewed?
The trains had better be well-built as they’re going to have to last a long time. But if say extra trains were to be needed to increase frequency, capacity or routes, Merseyrail would probably just send an e-mail to Switzerland.
Platforms And Stations
Most new trains need modifications to platforms, to match the trains.
As it appears that the new trains are designed to fit the current platforms, I suspect that very little will need to be done before they arrive.
On my travels, I did notice on-going work at some stations, but this would fit either fleet of trains.
From the specification of the trains, it would appear that all of the driver-only-operation equipment is on the trains, rather than the platform, so station improvement money can be spent on passenger facilities like lifts and weather protection.
Any new stations that may be required could possibly be built to an affordable but very passenger-focused design.
Cost
Special trains don’t come cheap and these 52 trains roll in at a total of £450million or about nine millions a train.
Compare this with the price of £260million, that Transport for London paid for 45 similar-capacity Class 710 trains for the London Overground, which works out at just under six million a train.
The trains are apparently not leased, but paid for directly. The Rail News article, says this.
The 52 four-car trains will be publicly owned rather than leased from a ROSCo, and the finance needed will be raised in various ways, including by using a rail reserve that has already been established for this purpose, plus loans at ‘favourable interest rates’. Merseytravel said ‘such opportunities are currently being explored, such as a loan from the European Investment Bank’.
London financed the first London Overground trains in a similar way.
Capacity
The Railway Gazette article, says this on capacity.
The 65 m long four-car EMUs will have the same number of seats as the existing three-car sets, but will be 4 m longer with wide through gangways to provide an increase in standing space. This will increase total capacity per EMU from 303 to 486 passengers.
Some of my observations.
- It looks like each train is 64 metres long, with a car length of 16 metres, as opposed to 60 and 20 for the current trains.
- I suspect that there is some interesting behavioural software out there, that is used to design people systems. So the interiors will work!
- The current trains pack in five passengers in every metre of length, whereas the new trains pack in 7.6
- Will it be a lot more packed in there? I don’t know, but the space between carriages is now available for passengers.
- The same trains will be able to run on both the Northern and Wirral Lines.
- Will the extra capacity in a single train, mean that most services will be run by a single four-car unit?
In the Peak, I suspect two trains could be coupled together, as they are now. However, they will couple together and uncouple much quicker and probably automatically.
On the other hand the trains themselves could increase capacity.
I’ll look at the Northern Line first.
In London, Thameslink, Crossrail and the East London Line, run similar services to those on Liverpool’s Northern Line, where services fan out from a central core.
I believe that if the Northern Line ran twelve trains per hour (tph) between Sandhills and Hunts Cross stations, that this would increase the capacity on that route. Twelve tph running all day, would need just 24 trains.
If in the Peak more trains were needed, extra services would be added to an appropriate route.
The Wirral Line is unique, in that trains from four destinations slot together to go under the Mersey, go round The Loop, before going back to Birkenhead and fanning out to where they started.
Currently, twelve tph run in The Loop and I suspect to provide this service all day needs just 24 trains.
Merseyrail have ordered 52 trains, which means there are just four trains to cover maintenance issues and increase services in the Peak.
London Overground Syndrome
All new and upgraded lines seem to suffer from London Overground Syndrome, where passengers see what they like and the original passenger forecasts prove to have been pessimistic.
On the East London Line, three-car trains were forecast to be the right size, but they had been designed to be lengthened and now after two upgrades, the trains are now five-cars long.
As this syndrome has been seen on the Borders Railway, the Nottingham Express Transit and other places, I would not be surprised to see it on Merseyrail’s Northern and Wirral Lines.
But the design of the trains, future-proofs the lines, should there need to be more capacity.
Provided, the signalling can accept the increased frequencies, more identical trains would be added to the fleet.
Or trains could be lengthened, by adding another car, so that the busiest routes perhaps ran five-car trains.
As it would only be a problem of success, I suspect, that the financing wouldn’t be a problem.
Extras In The Contract
The Railway Gazette article, says this on extra items included in the contract.
This headline figure also covers upgrades to the power supply, platforms and track, as well as refurbishment of the depots at Kirkdale and Birkenhead North and future maintenance of the new trains.
I’ve heard that Merseyrail’s power supply is a bit dodgy and probably needs updating. I’ve always wondered, if the trains would handle regenerative braking by the use of onboard energy storage.
Nothing is said except this in the Railway Gazette article.
At 99 tonnes, the EMUs will be lighter than the current 105 tonne trains, and energy consumption is expected to be 20% lower, including regenerative braking; options for energy storage are to be studied.
It will be interesting to see the specification of the new train.
Performance
The Railway Gazette article, says this on performance.
A new timetable will be introduced in 2021 once the existing Class 507 and 508 units dating from the 1970s have been withdrawn; the new trains’ better acceleration and braking is expected to enable Hunt’s Cross – Southport journey times to be reduced by 9 min.
The interesting thing, is that being nine minutes quicker between Southport and Hunts Cross, will bring the journey under the hour and mean that the service can be achieved using less trains.
It would also mean that all trains could go through the core to Hunts Cross, without having to turn trains at Liverpool Central.
Energy Storage
The trains will be fitted with regenerative braking, where the traction motors, act as generators to slow the train, turning the train’s energy into electricity.
There are three common ways of handling the electricity generated.
- Feed it back into the power network for other trains to use, as is done on the London Underground and on the extensive third-rail network in the South East.
- Store the energy on the train and reuse it, as has been demonstrated by Bombardier and is common in vehicles as diverse as high-performance cars, hybrid buses and trams in Seville.
- Feed the electricity into resistors on the roof of the train and turn it into heat.
I believe that option 3 is totally unacceptable and is akin to burning money.
Option 1 will probably require extensive modification to the power supply of the Merseyrail network, as the supply is not known to be of the best and there is no need to handle regenerative braking with the current Class 507/508 trains.
So will we see some form of energy storage on the trains? Birmingham’s trams will have on board energy storage in a few years, so the technology is on its way.
The Railway Gazette article, says that options for energy storage are to be studied.
As an Electrical and Control Engineer, I strongly believe that the cost cost-effective way to handle the regenerative braking energy is to store the energy on the trains.
On European gauge trains, equipment is often mounted on the roof, where there is plenty of space in the generous loading gauge.
But Merseyrail has the problem of the small tunnels.
Look at this picture of a Class 507/508 train entering a tunnel at James Street station.
Note how there is some space above the train in the tunnel entrance.
Imagine a train specifically-designed for these tracks, platforms and tunnels, with the bottom of the doors level with the platforms. Would this release more space for putting energy storage on the roof, as has been done with Seville’s trams?
If I am right with this speculation, onboard energy storage also enables the following.
- Regenerative braking on the whole of the Merseyrail third-rail network.
- Next station recovery of the trains, in case of power failure.
- The ability to extend routes using stored energy.
In addition, trains with onboard energy storage have other maintenance and operational advantages.
More Destinations
The Railway Gazette article, says this on more destinations.
The 750 V DC third-rail EMUs will be capable of conversion to dual-voltage operation for use on 25 kV 50 Hz lines with a view to serving Skelmersdale, Warrington and Wrexham in the longer term.
If onboard energy storage is fitted with sufficient range, this would open up other possibilities and also make destinations like Preston much more affordable to implement.
Train-Tram Operation
Note that I said train-tram and not tram-train.
In Riding The Vogtlandbahn, I talked about riding a unique German railway in Zwickau, where the trains go walkabout from the main line station and travel through the city just like trams to a stop in the centre. This picture shows a train-tram at that stop.
At Zwickau Zentrum Train/Tram Stop
You don’t need to guess, who made the train! It was of course Stadler and is not electric, but a diesel-multiple unit.
It is worth comparing weight and capacity of Liverpool’s new trains with Manchester’s trams.
The Railway Gazette article, says that the trains will weigh 99 tonnes and have a capacity of 486 passengers. This compares with the M5000 on the Manchester Metrolink, which weighs in at 80 tonnes for a double unit and carries 400 passengers.
So weight and capacity is not out of line with a typical large tram.
Trams need to have a door sill height, that gives level access between the tram and platform.
Level Access On The London Tramlink
Not all trams and trains match the platform, as well as this example on the London Tramlink.
But, Liverpool’s new trains will be built to fit the current track and platforms, which after updating, will all be to the same height and designed to give step-free access..
Without doubt, the new trains could call at correctly-dimensioned tram-style stops, just as the train-trams do in Zwickau.
Tram-style sections of the route could be designed to the following principles.
- Tram-style flush slab track, so passengers can just walk across the track.
- Segregated tracks.
- No electrification
- Trains would run using onboard energy storage.
- Low speed limit.
- Rail-style signalling, whether trackside or in-cab.
- Charging station, like a Railbaar if required.
Lines could be single-tracked with single-platform stops to make everything more affordable.
Train-Tram To Liverpool Airport
Could we see Merseyrail’s new trains leaving the rail lines at Liverpool South Parkway station, switch to onboard energy storage and continue to the Airport on a dedicated track without electrification?
This Google Map shows the station and the Airport.
Liverpool Airport And Liverpool South Parkway Station
Note.
- The station is at the top of the map in a triangle of lines.
- There must be various possibilities for a route between the station and the airport.
- The train could call at the New Mersey Shopping Park.
From my knowledge of both areas, the Liverpool Airport route is no more difficult, than what was done in Zwickau.
Journey times to and from Liverpool Airport would be something like.
- Liverpool South Parkway station – 5 minutes
- Liverpool Central station – 18 minutes
- Southport station – 54 minutes
If they followed Northern Line principles, the frequency would be four tph.
I may be wrong, but it looks like Merseyrail have acquired trains, that running as train-trams can fulfil the link to Liverpool Airport.
More Train-Tram Routes
The proposed Liverpool Airport link is a classic route extension using onboard energy storage, which is very similar to the extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre.
So could any of the routes to current terminals, be extended using onboard energy storage and running as a tram.
Ellesmere Port, New Brighton, Southport and West Kirby stations all serve coastal towns, but despite this, they don’t seem the sort of places that cry out for a tram along the promenade.
Chester could possibly benefit, but I suspect this could be one very much for the future.
Skelmersdale could be a distinct possibility, as the scars of the rail routes to the old Skelmersdale station, from the two Northern Line termini of Ormskirk and Kirkby, which are still visible on Google maps. This map from Wikipedia shows the old Skelmersdale Branch.
Skelmersdale Branch
A new railway could be built simply, as it was in Zwickau.
- Single-track
- No electrification
- Trains would run using onboard energy storage.
- Tram-style stops.
The train could even go walkabout in Skelmersdale to serve important places.
As Kirkby station needs demolition and rebuilding, unless it gets Listed status, as a monument to the British Rail School Of Crap Design, there must be opportunities to give Kirkby and Skelmersdale a modern transport system to be envied.
If you think all of this speculation is outrageous fantasy, I suggest you visit Zwickau and ride the Vogtlandbahn.
The Ultimate Train-Tram Route
A lot of people, that I’ve met from Liverpool, mourn the passing of the Liverpool Overhead Railway or the Docker’s Umbrella.
Because of this, it has been suggested that a tram should run along the Mersey, past the main attractions of the Waterfront, connecting to the Northern Line at perhaps Sandhills and Brunswick stations.
This is one of those projects thast gets speculated about for years and then it gets implemented because it is integral to another project, like a massive development or a City getting the Olympic Games. Or in Liverpool’s case the Commonwealth Games, which is a distinct possibility in either 2022 or 2026!
As it runs through a World Heritage Site, it will have to be built without overhead wires and run on stored energy.
Canada Dock Branch
The Canada Dock Branch runs in an arc to the North and East of Liverpool city centre.
- It is a freight route linking Liverpool Docks to routes out of the city.
- The capacity of the route is being upgraded to 48 freight trains per day.
- It is not electrified.
- There are no passenger services.
- The line runs close to both Liverpool’s main football grounds.
- Are there any large developments, that would benefit from a train service along the route of the line?
With the development of the massive new dock at Liverpool2 and the pressure for more electrified freight trains, I think it is likely that the Canada Dock Branch will be electrified.
So could passenger services be reinstated on the line?
This Google Map shows the section of the Canada Dock Branch, where it curves round the two football grounds.
The station at the bottom left is Sandhills station, with Merseyrail’s Kirkdale depot to the North.
I don’t know whether there is a connection, but the lines cross in the region of the depot and if required one could probably be built.
I think it is likely, that if the Canada Dock Branch is electrified for freight reasons, then Merseyrail will look at running a service along the line.
- It might terminate at Sandhills in the North.
- It might terminate at Broad Green, Edge Hill or even Lime Street in the South.
- Stations could be simple affairs, much like the one in the picture at Zwickau.
Whether they did propose a service would depend on traffic forecasts and possible costs.
The Commonwealth Games Line
Liverpool do spectaculars well and if they get the Commonwealth Games in either 2022 or 2026, I can see that the city could use the new Stadler trains to create a line for the Games, thaqt would be a legacy, that the city needs and wants.
Starting in the South by the Albert Dock and the Echo Arena, the line would go past the Three Graces at the Pierhead and then North to Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which is being proposed as the main venue of the Games. From there it could continue to Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium, which will probably play some part in the Games.
The line would also connect or go close to the following.
- Mersey Ferry
- The Wirral Line at James Street station.
- The Northern Line at the new Vauxhall station.
- The museums and galleries at the Albert Dock.
- Liverpool Cruise Terminal
- Liverpool One
- The Liverpool Waters development
I’m sure Liverpudlians will give it a suitable nickname.
Consider.
- Much of the Southern part of the route is within the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site.
- I think it would be possible to run the route using onboard storage.
- Charging would be at each end of the route.
- Catenary running could be used between the two football grounds, some of which could be on an electrified Cansada Dock Branch.
- The Southern end could use on-street running with catenary to go up the hill to Hope Street , to serve both cathedrals.
- After the Games, both Liverpool football grounds would have a tram connection to the Pierhead.
Designed properly, it could become one of the world’s most iconic tram lines.
Conclusions
Merseyside will be getting one of the best commuter railways in the world!
I also think, that these innovative trains will make other cities and train operators, think hard about the design of their railways and the trains.
Football In The Fog
Surprisingly, the strongest team on the pitch; the fog, didn’t win this game.
The guy next to me was a teacher, whose duties included taking games, Never having been any good at ball games, I wouldn’t know, but he felt it was very difficult out there.
Strangely, Ipswich seemed to improve, when they substituted the blonde-harired Williams and two other lighter-skinned players, with three of a much darker hue in Bru, McGoldrick and Ward.
Perhaps, they were more difficult to pick out. After all, McGoldrick used his head to create one goal and score the other.
The Anonymous Widower 