ProRail And Arriva Launch Automation Trials
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
I have posted this article, because it lays out in a simple way, the benefits of digital signalling and Automatic Train Operation.
Hastings Bus Stop Note Lands Homeless Man Job
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first paragraph.
A man who has been living on the streets for nine years has been found a home and job after a teenager spotted his note posted next to a bus stop.
This is a must-read heartwarming story.
My father always reckoned if you wanted something from an individual, company or organisation, that a polite, well-written note often got results.
It’s a technique, I’ve used all my life and it has been successful on the whole.
This guy has just used a modern version, helped by a school-girl and social media.
Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
FirstGroup has finalised an order for five Hitachi AT300 electric trainsets which it will use to launch a London – Edinburgh open access service in autumn 2021.
The trains appear to be be similar to those used by FirstGroup companies; Hull Trains and Great Western Railway.
These are some points from the article.
- FirstGroup is targeting the two-thirds of passengers, who fly between London and Edinburgh.
- They are also targeting business passengers, as the first train arrives in Edinburgh at 10:00.
- The trains are five-cars.
- The trains are one class with onboard catering, air-conditioning, power sockets and free wi-fi.
- Stops will be five trains per day with stops at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth.
- The trains will take around four hours.
- The service will start in Autumn 2021.
These are my observations.
Earlier Start
I suspect that the service can’t start earlier, due to one of the following.
- The lead time in building the trains.
- Completion of the new Werrington Junction.
- Completion of the sorting of Kings Cross.
- Completion of the works at Stevenage station.
The track works will probably be needed to create the extra paths needed on the East Coast Main Line.
Electric-Only Trains
Most other AT300 trains are bi-mode trains, but will these be electric-only?
Capacity Issues
If the trains prove too small, they can just add extra carriages or two trains can run as a pair.
Timetables
Trains will probably take nine hours for a round-trip, allowing 30 minutes for turnround.
This would mean that two trains leaving London and Edinburgh at six, would arrive back at home after two round trips around midnight.
Conclusion
I think it will be a successful service.
Government Promises To Look ‘Very Carefully’ At £218m Bid For Second Chelmsford Station
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first paragraph.
The government will look “very carefully” at a £218m funding bid for a new railway station in Chelmsford, Theresa May has said.
It was said in response to a question in Prime Minister’s Questions.
Beaulieu station has been a long time coming.
Freight Diesel Traction Realities
The title of this post is the same as that of a comprehensive article by Roger Ford in an article in the April 2019 Edition of Modern Railways.
In the article Roger talks about the problems of decarbonising the freight sector on the UK’s railways.
Future Traction
This section in the article begins with this paragraph
Since the laws of physics and chemistry rule out pure battery or hydrogen fuel cell 3 MegaWatt (4,000 hp) freight locomotives from around 2035 we are going to need to start replacing the diesel locomotives for routes yet to be electrified.
The following actions are suggested.
- More electrification, through a rolling program.
- Research into and production of low-CO2 locomotives.
- 4000 hp locomotives to run faster, longer and heavier freight trains.
These actions will apply to many countries in Europe and the wider world.
Hybrid
This section in the article begins with these two paragraphs.
Extension of electrification will reduce the length of the last miles beyond the end of the wires, making increased use of electric traction viable. Here the challenge will be to provide sufficient diesel traction power and range. Stadler’s Class 93 ‘tri-mode’ locotive provides an interesting preview.
It builds on the Class 88, which adds a 700kW diesel engine to a 4MW Bo-Bo electric locomotive.
The Class 93 locomotive has a larger 900 kW diesel engine and a lithium titanate oxide battery.
I estimated the battery size at 126 kWH in Stadler’s New Tri-Mode Class 93 Locomotive.
Roger reckons that the battery gives 6-7 ,minutes of power to boost output to 1,740 hp or 1300 kW.
- The boost from the battery would appear to be 400 kW
- For 6.5 minutes this would need 43.3 kWH
Either Roger’s 6-7 minutes or my deduced battery size of 126 kWH is wrong. So I will assume both figures are wrong.
Suppose though, you wanted to boost the power of a Class 93 locomotive to the 2,500 kW of a Class 66 locomotive for an hour, which would get a freight train into or out of the Port of Felixstowe.
- 1600 kW will be needed to boost the diesel engine.
- 1600 kWH will need to be stored in the battery.
- I will assume 75 Wh/Kg for the LTO batteries.
- I have made no allowance for the use of regenerative braking.
This gives a weight of 21.3 tonnes for the batteries.
Roger says this in the article.
If you need to fit diesel engines and batteries into an electric locomotive for freight the a Co-Co configuration gives you another 20 tonnes on a 17.5 tonne axle load.
This leads me to believe that a hybrid locomotive with the power of a Class 66 locomotive and a range of one hour is possible.
‘Compelling Case’ Put Forward For £4bn Metro Network For Cambridgeshire
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first two paragraphs.
There is a “compelling case” for a metro scheme for Greater Cambridge after a feasibility report has claimed it could create 100,000 jobs and 60,000 new homes, but could cost £4bn.
The feasibility study was commissioned by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), and mayor James Palmer declared there was a compelling case for the new regional transport network covering 88 miles.
Other details of the Cambridge Autonomous Metro include.
- Turn-Up-and-Go service.
- It would use trackless electric vehicles.
- Across Cambridge in twelve minutes.
- 7.5 miles of underground corridors under the City.
- Cambourne, Haverhill, Huntingdon, Mildenhall, St. Ives, St. Neots and Waterbeach would be served.
I think that the route network is feasible and if any City in England can fund such a scheme it is Cambridge.
I can see the point about trackless electric vehicles, as illustrated by this picture.
It looks to me, that the track is just a road with a cycle track alongside.
But would it be better to use tram-trains and the Karlsruhe model?
- This would enable the system to use the heavy rail tracks to Bury St. Edmunds, Ely, March, Newmarket and Wisbech.
- Bury St. Edmunds certainly needs a frequent service to Cambridge.
- East West Rail Consortium has a plan for a Parkway station on the A14, which needs a frequent connection to Cambridge.
- The technology is proven.
Hopefully, tram-trains have been rejected for good reasons.
But does the proposed system fit well with the East-West Rail Link.
Stadler Rail to launch IPO
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the International Rail Journal.
I feel that from an engineering point of view the company has a bright future, as they seem to have their fingers in a lot of innovative pies.
But whether that makes the company a good investment, I’ll leave to the experts.
The Anonymous Widower 