Thameslink’s 24tph Introduction Held Over To 2019
The title of this post is the sane as that of this article in Rail Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
Govia Thameslink Railway will introduce the full 24 trains per hour through the central London ‘core’ between St Pancras International and Blackfriars, as part of the £6 billion Thameslink programme, in December 2019, and not December 2018 as planned.
The decision has apparently been taken after an independent review, and has been designed to reduce risk at a major timetable change in May 2018.
But is it not all bad news. This is another paragraph.
However, GTR will start running some trains on routes earlier than planned. Speaking exclusively to RAIL on November 15, Chris Gibb, chairman of the Thameslink Programme Industry Readiness Board, said that as soon as drivers were trained, GTR services would be diverted via London Bridge from January instead of May, and via the Canal Tunnels from April.
Looking at the timetables for January, there doesn’t appear to be any Thameslink trains through London Bridge in the January timetable.
Is The West Midlands Going To Get A Tram-Train Line?
This article on Global Rail News is entitled Midland Metro Extension Receives £200m Boost From UK Government.
This is the first paragraph.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street has confirmed that £200 million from the UK government’s new ‘Transporting Cities Fund’ will be used to extend the Midland Metro to Brierley Hill.
The Brierley Hill Extension would use the currently disused South Staffordshire Line. It would link Wednesbury to Stourbridge, via Dudley, Brierley Hill and the Merry Hill |Shopping Centre.
Wikipedia says that ten trains per hour would run South of Wednesbury and five services would go to each of Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
The Need For Tram-Trains
The South Staffordshire Line is also wanted by Network Rail for use as a freight line.
Tram-trains would be the solution for a line-share.
- The extension could be configured to suit Class 399 Tram-trains.
- Class 399 tram-trains seem to be working well in Sheffield as trams.
- In Rotherham the Class 399 tram-trains will co-exist with the heaviest of freight trains.
- Dual-voltage tram-trains would allow electrification of the South Staffordshire Line with 25 KVAC at a later date if required.
The biggest advantage would be the cost savings, as both the tram-trains and the freight trains could use the same standard of track.
But I also feel that all the design problems for the extension will have been explored in a practical way in the Sheffield-Rotherham trial.
Should the Tram-Trains Terminate At Stourbridge?
The Global Rail News article doesn’t mention Stourbridge, but Wikipedia indicates it could be the terminus of the tram route.
If tram-trains are used on the route, then to run them as trains to Stourbridge Junction station may be a good idea.
Conclusion
This extension of the Midland Metro has a lot of possibilities.
I think that like the Midland Metro’s proposed use of battery trams, it shows that the West Midland Combined Authority is not afraid to be innovative.
The Anonymous Widower 