Will Alstom Use The Buxtehude To Cuxhaven Route As A Test Route For The iLint Train?
I think there are various factors that could make the route between Buxtehude and Cuxhaven stations an ideal test route for hydrogen-powered iLint trains.
Bremervörde Depot
This Google Map shows the area of Bremervörde station.
There appears to be a lot of space.
In this article on Railway Technology, which is entitled iLint: The World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Train, this is said.
As part of the deal, Alstom will provide maintenance for the trains over a 30-year period. Meanwhile, leading gas company Linde will supply hydrogen for the new trains and erect the first-ever hydrogen filling station for trains in Bremervörde. The plan is that hydrogen will be produced onsite via electrolysis and wind energy at a later stage of the project.
As I passed through Bremervörde station, on my trip to the line at the weekend, I took this picture.
There would be plenty of space for the proposed hydrogen plant and to stable both the working fleet and any other trains, that were being tested for other places in Europe.
Linde would would only have to ensure that the hydrogen plant was sized for all future needs.
The Buxtehude To Cuxhaven Route
The route between Buxtehude and Cuxhaven has the following characteristics.
- It is about a hundred kilometres long.
- It is mainly single track except for the section through Bremerhaven, where it has at least two electrified tracks.
- There are passing places.
- The scheduled service is one train per hour (tph) in both directions.
- The line appears to have reasonably new signalling.
- There are numerous level crossings.
- I didn’t see any other traffic on the line, but I suspect there must be extra paths for freight, service trains, empty stock movements and a heritage service that uses part of the route.
I suspect that it could make an ideal test route, if extra trains could be squeezed in between the scheduled service.
Distance From the Salzgitter Factory
The Lint trains are built at in a factory at Salzgitter, which is between Hanover and Bruaunwieg, which is about four hours away.
The iLint trains could do this making their own small amounts of steam, but they would probably be dragged by a diesel locomotive.
Testing An Electric iLint
I think that we’ll eventually see a pantograph on the iLint, for one of three reasons.
- It would allow running on overhead electrification to charge the battery and reduce hydrogen consumption.
- It would allow creation of a diesel/electric hybrid version, that might be a lower capital cost alternative for shorter lines.
- It would create a battery.electric hybrid for short extension routes.
Alstom could possibly create a range of solutions for a wide range of applications.
The Buxtehade To Cuxhaven route includes a section of electrified line, which would surely be ideal for the testing of these trains.
Conclusion
I think that Alstom will use the route to test hydrogen-powered trains.
A Sighting Of The Two Coradia iLint Hydrogen Trains
I finally got to see the two Coradia iLint trains, parked at Bremervörde station.
On bahn.de they were talking about weather warnings, so perhaps Alstom and the operator were just being prudent. After all they didn’t want another Hindenburg disaster!
Not that there’s much chance of that these days when modern materials are used to build safe methods of hydrogen storage.
A Full-Barrier Level Crossing For Pedestrians And Cyclists At Bremervörde Station
I photographed this full-barrier level crossing For pedestrians and cyclists At Bremervörde station.
I watched the crossing for several minutes as my train waited for a green signal and pedestrians and cyclists crossed safely at times when the barriers were up. The barrier were also lowered, so that a train could proceed into the nearby depot.
Nobody seemed to disregard the barriers.
Perhaps, though the Germans are better than obeying orders than we are? Although, walking about Hamburg, I did feel that German pedestrians cross in more dangerous ways, than Londoners do.
Surely, if the Germans can put in this level crossing under the same European Health and Safety rules as we use, then we can do the same?
Think Again, If You Think We Have Too Many Level Crossings!
These are some pictures of the level crossing on the route between Buxtehude and Cuxhaven stations.
Some seemed to be very busy, but others were just on a concrete farm track.
I think with the exception of in the electrified Bremerhaven section, I didn’t see any bridges over the route.
The other feature visible from the line, was the large number of wind turbines.
A Brief Glimpse Of A Hydrogen-Powered Coradia iLint
On my early morning journey between Hamburg and Bremerhaven stations, with a change at Buxtehude station, I caught the first train of the day.
At Bremervörde station, my train stopped alongside a hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint and this was the best of the pictures I tried to take in the bad light and pouring rain.
I saw passengers sitting on the train, but by the time we left, they all seemed to have taken other means of transport.
Are Greater Anglia Buying So Many Class 755 Trains, So They Can Run A Better Service During Constant Works On The Great Eastern?
Yet again, they were rebuilding the Great Eastern Main Line, so I didn’t get to football at Ipswich yesterday.
It’s not that I mind the buses, but it means two things.
- I have to leave so early, that I can’t do my weekly shop before I go.
- I also get back so late that I will miss Strictly on the television.
There is also the problem, that Ipswich is one of the worst places to find a gluten-free meal, unless you go to Pizza Express.
I often have my lunch before I travel or take it on the train from Leon or M & S.
For some time now, I’ve suspected that Greater Anglia have ordered a lot more Class 755 trains, than they need, based on a train-for-train replacement basis
It now becomes obvious why!
At weekends, they will link four-car trains together and run four trains per hour on the following routes.
- Norwich to Cambridge
- Ipswich to Cambridge
One train in four will continue to and from London after Cambridge.
On the other hand, it could be a plot by Norwich fans in Greater Anglia’s headquarters in Norwich to annoy Ipswich fans!
How To Build A Station In Nine Months
This document on the Network Rail web site is entitled Highlights Of The Great North Rail Project.
There is this section which is entitled We Build A Railway Station In Just Nine Months.
It’s about the building of Maghull North station.
This is said.
Network Rail undertook the scheme on behalf of Merseytravel, appointing contractor Buckingham Group.
How did we deliver the station so quickly and carry out most of the works while keeping the railway line open? A head start, line access and a tight summer deadline.
Robert Grey, a project manager of infrastructure projects at Network Rail, said: “Nine months is quite short for a station… The restricting factor is the access. We had quite a bit of flexibility there. We had access for long weekends and a 12-day possession of the line after Christmas… Without those we’d still be there now.”
I also put it down to the Liverpudlian attitude, which in my experience seems to accept disruption to their lives without complaining too much and then joke about it, when it’s all over.
I was in Liverpool during the bus strike of 1968. where Liverpudlians just walked.
Some of this attitude would be of great help in sorting the problem of the Steventon Bridge in Oxfordshire. I wrote about this bridge at the end of The Stone Arch Railway Bridges Of Scotland.
Crossrail-Spoil Wetland Provides Haven For Wildlife
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A £70m project to create a wetland twice the size of the City of London is nearly finished with wildlife thriving in new lagoons, marsh and fields.
New wetland on Wallasea Island, off the Essex coast, was created from tunnel spoil from London’s Crossrail project.
Wallasea Island shows that large construction projects don’t have to be all about steel and concrete.
Where Will Greater Anglia Deploy The First Class 745 Trains?
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled ‘Gorgeous Beast’ Will Change Perception Of Rail Travel.
This is unusual language, when you’re talking about modern diesel and electric trains, especially when it comes from the CEO of a financial company investing in trains, as a safe long-term investment for money like pension funds.
But if the Class 755 trains cause Mark Swindell to use such language, they must have something about them.
Perhaps, it’s the fact that they follow the layout of the legendary and much-loved by some, Class 442 train, which also had a power-car in the middle. It is informative to compare the Class 442 train with a four-car Class 755/4 train.
- The 442’s power-car is electric, whilst the 755/4’s is diesel/electric and can be diesel/electric/battery.
- The 442 has seats for 346 in two classes, whilst the 755/4 has 229 in a single class.
- The 442 has 1200 kW of power, whilst the 755/4 has 2600 kW on electric power and 1920 kW on diesel-electric power
- Both are 100 mph trains, although the 442 holds the World Record for a third-rail train at 108 mph.
I am drawn to the following conclusions about the Class 755 train.
Passenger Comfort
Passengers will have plenty of space, in addition to the customer comforts, which appear to be of a high standard.
Some passengers might miss First Class, but will the extra space compensate.
Power
The power figures quoted in the Railway Gazette show the following.
- In electric mode, the train will have more than double of the power of the 442.
- In diesel-electric mode, the train has sixty percent more power, than the 442.
This will mean that the train should have superb acceleration.
Top Speed
With all this power, the planned operating speed of 100 mph will be determined more by the track, signalling and other trains, rather than any limitations of the trains.
There are three improvements in Network Rail’s Improvement Pipeline, that will allow faster running by Class 755 trains.
- Trowse Swingbridge
- Haughley Junction doubling
- Ely Area service improvements
The improvement will help these services by Class 755 trains.
- Norwich to Stansted Airport via Ely, Cambridge North and Cambridge.
- Peterborough to Colchester via Ely, Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich
- Cambridge to Ipswich
I could also see the operating speed on the Breckland Line raised.
Routes
How will the routes be affected by trains with a better performance?
Norwich To Stansted
Currently, the two legs take.
- Norwich to Cambridge – 1:24
- Cambridge to Stansted – 0:39
Which adds up to a convenient 2:03.
With the faster trains and eight stops, it looks like this route could be done several minutes under two hours, with a round trip of four hours, which would need four trains for a one train per hour (tph)service.
Ipswich to Cambridge
Currently, this route takes 1:16 with eight stops.
This is not very convenient and the time savings needed to get the route under an hour will not be easy.
Colchester to Peterborough
Currently, the two legs take.
- Colchester to Ipswich – 0:19
- Ipswich to Peterborough – 1.41
Which adds up to a convenient 2:00.
With the faster trains, it looks like this route could be done several minutes under two hours, with a round trip of four hours, which would need four trains for a one tph service.
Ipswich to Lowestoft
Currently, this route takes 1:26 with nine stops.
With the faster trains, it looks like this route could be done several minutes under one-and-a-half hours, with a round trip of three hours, which would need three trains for a one tph service.
It also looks like up to three trains per day will run from London to Lowestoft.
So Which Route Will Get The New Trains First?
Greater Anglia will obviously deploy them, where there is the greatest need for extra capacity or there is the greatest return to be made!
I think, we’ll see them on the Lowestoft route or between Cambride and Norwich first.
They’ll certainly be worth waiting for, if Mark Swindell is right.
Network Rail Is Open For Business
Network Rail has published this document, which is entitled Open For Business.
The document is subtitled.
Opportunities for third parties to fund, finance or deliver improvements on Britain’s railways September 2018.
The improvements are listed by area.
Anglia – 5 Projects
- Trowse Swingbridge
- Loop north of Witham and associated works
- Haughley Junction doubling
- Ely Area service improvements
- Road vehicle incursion mitigation (various sites)
London And North Eastern and East Midlands – 8 Projects
- Leeds Station
- Ashington Blyth & Tyne
- East Coast Main Line (ECML) South Digital Railway
- West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) new stations
- Meadowhall Station
- Pontefract Monkhill Station
- Signalling
- Level Crossing Lighting
London North Western – 9 Projects
- Cumbrian Coast Line Upgrade
- Birmingham Airport Connectivity
- University Station, Birmingham
- Watford Junction
- Carlisle Station Masterplan
- Snow Hill Station
- Hest Bank Coastal Defence (CGJ7 W21470) in Lancashire
- Leven Viaduct Major Structure (CBC1 34) in Cumbria.
- CP6 Mining remediation programme
Scotland – 2 Projects
- Perth Station Refurbishment
- CP6 Building Fabric Renewal Programme
South East – 5 Projects
- Stations Capacity Programme (Lewisham, Peckham Rye and Denmark Hill)
- Victoria Station redevelopment
- Thanet Parkway Station
- Marshlink Enhancement
- Cannon St river bridge repair and refurbishment
Wales – 8 Projects
- Cardiff Central Station
- Footbridge (various locations)
- Sea Defence – Sudbrook
- River bank protection
- Ebbw Junction MDU
- Port Talbot MDU
- Shrewsbury MDU
- Cardiff Canton LMD
This totals up to 37 projects.
The Anonymous Widower 