The Anonymous Widower

Articles In Today’s Times

In addition to World’s Top Wealth Fund Puts Billions Into Britain, there were other articles worth blogging about in today’s copy of The Times.

Build New Homes Away From Roads, Heath Watchdog Says

Surely, this very sensible! The distance can of course be vertical!

Plastic Packaging Used To Make Car Parts In Upcycling Revolution

Scientists working for the US Department of Defense have shown it is possible to convert recycled PET bottles and other packaging into useful long-life products.

Corbyn’s Favourite Firebrand Is Suspended In Antisemitism Row

My father believed that there was little different between the extreme left as represented by Stalin and the extreme right as represented by Hitler.

February 28, 2019 Posted by | World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Agent Orange Shows Fatty The Third The Art Of No Deal

The title of this post is my translation of the front page headline of today’s Evening Standard.

  • Agent Orange is Spike Lee’s nickname for the current US President.
  • Fatty The Third is how the Chinese refer to Kim Jong-un on social media.

These two imbeciles deserve each other!

February 28, 2019 Posted by | World | , , , , | Leave a comment

World’s Top Wealth Fund Puts Billions Into Britain

The title of this post is the same as that of a news story on the front page of today’s copy of The Times.

There is a subtitle to the article.

UK will be stronger after Brexit, Norwegians say.

Some points from the article.

  • Norway’s wealth fund is worth £740billion.
  • The fund owns £62billion of UK investments.
  • Britain is the third largest market for their investments.
  • The fund works to a thirty-year-plus investment strategy.
  • The fund is co-owner of Regent Street.
  • The fund is a top five investor in companies.

I feel a smidgen of pride, that Artemis, which was the project management software, that  I wrote; in the late 1970s, had played small part in the creation of Norway’s wealth from oil and gas.

February 28, 2019 Posted by | Finance & Investment, World | , , | 1 Comment

A Ride On The 16:03 From Barking To Gospel Oak

This afternoon, I went to see if there was any progress on the Barking Riverside Extension. The easiest way to see the works is to take a train to Dagenham Dock station and then cross over to the other platform and take a train back to where you started. It’s a two trains per hour (tph) service and usually you wait about six minutes at Dagenham Dock station, for the return train.

Nothing much seems to have happened by the bridge where Renwick Road goes over the line, except a bit of tidying up of junk left by British Rail.

The Interchange At Barking

Back at Barking, I just had time to join a surprising number of passengers, who were intending to catch the 16:03 between Barking and Gospel Oak stations.

One thing that should be noted, is that when the Barking Riverside Extension opens, the following services will share the  island Platform 7/8 at Barking station.

  • 2 tph – Platform 7 – Fenchurch Street to Grays
  • 4 tph – Platform 7 – Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside
  • 2 tph – Platform 8 – Grays to Fenchurch Street
  • 4 tph – Platform 8 – Barking Riverside to Gospel Oak

This is a well-designed same-platform interchange, that enables journeys like the following..

  • Barking Riverside and Grays
  • Barking Riverside and Fenchurch Street
  • Barking Riverside and Blackhorse Road (for the Victoria Line!)
  • Grays and Gospel Oak (for the North London Line!)

There are a lot of possibilities.

I do think, that the service between Fenchurch Street and Grays, should be doubled in frequency to four tph, if this is possible, to make the interchange more efficient.

Although, this might increase the number of passengers needing to use the Gospel Oak to Barking Line (GOBLIN).

The Full Four-Car Class 378 Train

The train was a four-car Class 378 train and nearly all seats were taken. There were a few standees and a dog lying in the middle, so it was a good demonstration of the advantages of the train’s longitudinal seating.

It does appear to me, that more passengers are using the GOBLIN.

Possible reasons could include.

  • Some services being run by four-car electric instead of two-car diesel trains.
  • A fifty percent increase in seats on the route.
  • The step-free interchange with the Victoria Line at Blackhorse Road station.
  • Passengers trying out the improved route.

I also wonder, if all the negative publicity has persuaded passengers to give it a try.

All Change At Blackhorse Road Station

A surprising number of passengers seemed to get off at Blackhorse Road station, as the train was much less full after the station.

On other trips recently, I’ve seen large number of passengers waiting to go East in the late afternoon.

It obviously has a lot of attraction as an interchange.

First Time Travellers

In my travels along the GOBLIN in the last few weeks, I have asked a lot of passengers, whether they like the current mixed service.

I have heard only a few moans about cancellations and unreliability, but I have been very surprised at how many first time travellers on the GOBLIN, that I have encountered.

Transport for London must be doing something right.

Conclusion

I am led to the conclusion, that the GOBLIN is stirring and that more and more travellers are using the line.

My only worry, is that in a couple of years, when the Barking Riverside Extension opens, that the line will need extra passenger capacity.

 

February 28, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 4 Comments

Is Brexit Stoating About Coming To An End?

As a Control Engineer, I know that all systems  tend to an equilibrium.

As we approach the 29th of March, I see signs of actions, that are nudging us towards a deal, that will be acceptable to enough people.

  • Corbyn and May still have their own internal party problems, but both have moved slightly to a position, that could get a deal through Parliament.
  • The EU was also said to be more accommodating about a change to the backstop, by a Government minister.
  • Honda’s closure of UK manufacturing, seems to have added a dose of reality. Even though, I don’t feel Brexit was the major reason for closure.
  • Hard-liners on both sides seem to have stopped shouting so loud.
  • Companies are taking decisions, that will work in all eventualities.
  • The City is still announcing more mega office and residential towers, as are Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, to name but three cities.

It’s just like an airliner landing after a very bumpy flight from Australia, where somebody forgot to load any alcohol! A lot of panic, but then reality kicks in.

I think we’ll see a deal passed by Parliament in time for a March 29th Brexit, despite the Democratic Unionist Party saying No! They always do, as it’s the only word in their political dictionary, which is the smallest book in the world.

Enough of the Labour Party will vote for it and the Rees-Moggies will reluctantly give their support.

I will be relieved when it’s all over!

 

February 27, 2019 Posted by | World | , , , | Leave a comment

Scrapping Of Airport Link ‘Lack Of Ambition’ At The Heart Of Government

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

This is one of those sagas that rumbles on and on, with all those involved in the decision having different views on how to solve the problem.

I suspect a very experienced transport engineer and planner from Aberdeen, Cardiff or Liverpool, could tell the Glaswegians what they really need on the back of a used envelope.

But there are so many politicians grinding axes in the decision, that nothing sensible will ever happen.

One of my Glaswegian friends told me some years ago, that they should close both Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports and build a new rail-connected airport between the two cities.

Look at these distances

  • London to Gatwick – 27 miles
  • London to Stansted – 38 miles
  • Edinburgh to Glasgow – 46 miles

Perhaps my friend has a point, as a shared airport would be closer to Edinburgh and Glasgow, than Gatwick and Stansted are to London.

But as someone, who has only ever used Glasgow Airport once, I think that Glasgow’s biggest rail problem is the two separate stations in the centre with no simple interchange.

I walk between the two,stations, but not everybody can.

 

February 27, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment

Class 710 Trains Have Been Seen Running On The Gospel Oak To Barking Line

According to the RidingTheGoblin Twitter feed, 710261 has been seen in the bay Platform 3 at GFospel Oak to Barking Line.

Could it be that, that most unlikely of things happens; Class 710 trains start running on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line before Brexit?

To many people in North East London, the new trains will make a greater positive difference to their lives, than a leap in the dark.

February 27, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , | Leave a comment

Royal Mint Gardens

Royal Mint Gardens is a housing development to the East of Fenchurch Street and Tower Gateway stations.

These are a few pictures of the development.

But this doesn’t tell the full story.

This Google Map shows the position of the development.

Note.

  1. Fenchurch Street station is towards the top-left corner of the map.
  2. The c2c tracks running to the East from Fencurch Street station.
  3. Tower Gateway DLR station is just to the right of the centre, just above the green space.
  4. The tracks of the Docklands Light Railway running to the East from Tower Gateway DLR station.

The three concrete towers at the right of the map, lying to the South of the railway tracks, are the three structural towers of Royal Mint Gardens.

This Google Map shows a close up of Royal Mint Gardens.

Note how the Docklands Light Railway splits into two to the East of the development.

  • The Northern pair of tracks skirt the development to the North to go to Tower Gatewat DLR station.
  • The Southern pair of tracks go underneath the development to go to Bank DLR station.

The new development has put the Bank branch in a concrete tunnel.

So in an area of the world, where land is a very expensive commodity, this area is being used twice at the same time.

Royal Mint Gardens On The BBC

BBC London television has been covering various aspects of the building of Royal Mint Gadens in local news for most of the day.

The developer, the architect, Network Rail and the reporter, all seemed very positive about what is being created.

The architect felt up to 250,000 houses could be created on similar sites across London.

How many houses could be built over rail lines in the rest of the UK?

Conclusion

Building over rail lines like this, will increasingly be seen as a way of adding new housing in densely populated cities.

 

 

 

 

 

February 26, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DfT Keen To Encourage Rail Travel For Football Fans

The title of this post is the same as that of an article in Issue 873 of Rail Magazine.

I was moved to send this letter to the magazine.

Was this title on page 17 of Issue 873 serious or an ironic joke?

I am a seventy-one-year-old Ipswich fan and Season Ticket holder, who lives in London, within walking distance of Liverpool Street station on a fine day.

Over the last six or seven years, I have been unable to see Home matches as often, as I would like, as on perhaps half of weekend match days, there have been no trains running on the Great Eastern Main Line, due to the constant maintenance. Or is it a complete rebuilding for 140 mph trains?

To be fair, I have occasionally used the replacement buses, but the problem is that they make the journey well over an hour longer. So on a match day, there is no time left for anything else!

I had to watch the two Ipswich-Norwich matches on television, as on both these Sundays to get to the match by mid-day was impossible and probably needed an overnight stay!

I accumulated my very adequate pension pot, by writing software to schedule resources on complicated projects. Surely, Network Rail, Greater Anglia, the Premier League and the EFL can agree a plan that is better than the current shambles.

Greater Anglia surely have the means to improve the situation arriving in their depots.

Pairs of  four-car Class 755 trains could run reduced services via Cambridge.

  • If the line is blockaded between Ipswich and London, then a direct service could be run between Norwich and London via Ipswich and Cambridge.
  • If the line is blockaded between Ipswich and Norwich, then a direct service could be run between Norwich and London via Cambridge.

Although, this has nothing to do with football, pairs of Class 755 trains would also be useful for running a service between Peterborough and London, when the Southern section of the East Coast Main Line is closed.

I shall add a few extra notes to this on-line version of the letter.

Class 755 Trains

Points about Class 755 trains.

  • They are 100 mph trains on both electric and diesel, and probably have similar performance to the current Class 90 locomotive/Mark 3 coaches that run between Liverpool Street and Norwich.,
  • Capacity of a pair of Class 755 trains is 458 seats, as against the 514 seats of the current stock.
  • The interior will be suitable for services between London and Norwich.
  • The trains and their crews will probably be certified for all of Greater Anglia’s Network.
  • A single train is eighty metres long and a pair would be 160 metres.
  • The trains should fit all important main-line stations on the Greater Anglia Network.

I also suspect that these trains could run into Kings Cross station, either using the East Coast Main Line or the Hertford Loop Line.

They are blockade-busters par excellence.

February 26, 2019 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Potential Leicester To Coventry Rail Link

This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Potential Leicester To Coventry Rail lLnk Mulled Over In Updated Leicestershire Transport Vision.

This is the first two paragraphs.

The potential of a Leicester to Coventry rail link has been revived again as one of the key highlights of a new transport masterplan outlined by Leicestershire County Council.

In the council’s revamped Prospectus for Growth handed out to Leicestershire County Council members this week, the document noted that there are currently no direct rail services between Leicester and Coventry, meaning a journey of just 25 miles takes an average of one hour and eight minutes.

The route would use these two lines.

This sounds easy. So what’s wrong with using two trains and changing at Nuneaton station?

  • Driving along the M69 between the two cities will take around 43 minutes.
  • The fastest rail services take 48 minutes, and run hourly.
  • Most other rail services take over an hour and a quarter, with a long wait at Nuneaton station.
  • Leicester and Coventry services serve opposite sides of Nuneaton station.

I suspect regular travellers have got the rail journey sorted, but occasional travellers will always take the car.

This Google Map shows Nuneaton station.

Note.

  • The West Coast Main Line going NW-SE through the station.
  • Coventry services terminate in Platform 2, which is on the West side of the station.
  • Birmingham-Leicester services stop on the other side of the station.

The station has lifts, but it wouldn’t be a good one for a fast change of trains.

This Google Map shows the West Coast Main Line to the South of Nuneaton station.

Note how the West Coast Main Line splits into three.

  • The Coventry to Nuneaton Line goes South.
  • The electrified West Coast Main Line goes South-East.
  • The Nuneaton to Leicester breaks away to the East.

It would appear that a train going from Leicester to Coventry would need to cross the West Coast Main Line.

This would be very difficult without a flyover or a tunnel.

It would be even more difficult if the train had to call at Nuneaton station.

But it might be possible for trains between Leicester and Coventry to do the following.

  • Call at Platform 2 in Nuneaton station.
  • All trains would reverse at Nuneaton station.
  • A single-track flyover or dive-under  would link the Eastern track of the Coventry to Nuneaton Line to the Nuneaton to Leicester Line.

It would be a tricky piece of engineering.

The Possible Route

If the train did the same station stops as the current services, it could stop at the following intermediate stations.

  • South Wigston
  • Narborough
  • Hinckley
  • Nuneaton
  • Bermuda Park
  • Bedworth
  • Coventry Arena

The total time would appear to be around fifty minutes, with 28 minutes for Leicester to Nuneaton and 22 minutes from Nuneaton to Coventry.

I think if the route were to be run using a modern 100 mph bi-mode  or diesel train, that saved time at each stop, that a round trip could be done within two hours.

If this were possible then two trains would be needed for an hourly service.

The article talks of extending the services to Nottingham and The Thames Valley.

It would be likely, that a route length would be chosen, that was convenient to timetable.

Conclusion

The plan to run a Leicester to Coventry service looks feasible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

February 25, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 1 Comment

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