Are East Midlands Railway Jumping The Gun?
The pictures show the Class 222 train, that I rode from Sheffield to London, after my trip to Huddersfield
I thought East Midlands Railway don’t take over the franchise until the 18th of August!
I suppose it’s only an interim livery.
Hands-Free Phone Ban For drivers ‘Should Be Considered’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Drivers could be banned from using hands-free mobile phones in England and Wales, a group of MPs has suggested.
I don’t drive and I rarely use a mobile phone to make or receive a phone all, so it won’t bother me much.
But sitting in my preferred slightly-raised position in the downstairs facing-seats on a New Routemaster bus, it’s amazing the number of drivers you see having a phone conversation or typing.
Recently, I nearly had a collision whilst walking along Moorgate.
A young lady going the other way was having a video call with her phone in front of her face. I went left to pass on the road side, as gentlemen are supposed to do and she went the same way.
Luckily, she saw me at the last minute!
So if drivers are to be banned from mobile use, whilst driving, what about banning pedestrians from mobile use, whilst walking on busy streets?
Thoughts On Last Week’s Major Power Outage
This article on the BBC is entitled Major Power Failure Affects Homes And Transport.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Nearly a million people have been affected by a major power cut across large areas of England and Wales, affecting homes and transport networks.
National Grid said it was caused by issues with two power generators but the problem was now resolved.
This second article on the BBC is entitled UK power cut: Why it caused so much disruption, and gives these details.
It started with a routine blip – the gas-fired power station at Little Barford in Bedfordshire shut down at 16:58 BST due to a technical issue.
Then, a second power station, the new Hornsea offshore wind farm, also “lost load” – meaning the turbines were still moving, but power was not reaching the grid.
These are my thoughts on the incident.
Power Stations Do Fail
Any complex electro-mechanical system like Little Barford gas-fired power station or Hornsea offshore wind farm can fail.
- Little Barford gas-fired power station was built in 1994 and is a 746 MW gas-fired power station.
- Hornsea offshore wind farm obtained planning permission in 2014 and is being built in phases. It will eventually have a maximum capacity of 8 GW or 8,000 MW.
Compare these figures with the iconic coal-fired Battersea power station, which had a maximum output of 503 MW in 1955.
I will not speculate as to what wet wrong except to say that as the Hornsea wind-farm is relatively new, it could be what engineers call an infant mortality problem. Complex systems or even components seem to fail in the first few months of operation.
Why Do We Have Gas-Fired Stations?
According to this page on Wikipedia, there are around forty natural gas fired power stations in England.
Most gas-fired stations are what are known as CCGT (Combined Cycle Gas Turbine), where a Jumbo-sized gas-turbine engine is paired with a steam turbine powered by the heat of the exhaust from the engine.
This form of power generation does produce some carbon dioxide, but to obtain a given amount of electricity, it produces a lot less than using coal or ioil.
By combining the gas turbine with a steam turbine, the power station becomes more efficient and less carbon dioxide is produced.
Power stations of this type have three various advantages.
- They have a very fast start-up time, so are ideal power stations to respond to sudden increases in electricity demand.
- As they are a gas-turbine engine with extra gubbins, they are very controllable, just like their cousins on aircraft.
- They are relatively quick, easy and affordable to build. The Wikipedia entry for a CCGT says this. “The capital costs of combined cycle power is relatively low, at around $1000/kW, making it one of the cheapest types of generation to install.”
- They don’t need a complicated and expensive transport infrastructure to bring in coal or nuclear fuel.
- They can also be powered by biogas from agricultural or forestry waste, although I don’t think that is a comm practice in the UK.
The carbon dioxide produced is the only major problem.
Gas-Fired Power Stations In The Future
If you read the Wikipedia entry for combined cycle power plants, there is a lot of information on CCGTs, much of which is on various ways of improving their efficiency.
I believe that one particular method of increasing efficiency could be very applicable in the UK.
Under Boosting Efficiency in the Wikipedia entry, the following is said.
The efficiency of CCGT and GT can be boosted by pre-cooling combustion air. This is practised in hot climates and also has the effect of increasing power output. This is achieved by evaporative cooling of water using a moist matrix placed in front of the turbine, or by using Ice storage air conditioning. The latter has the advantage of greater improvements due to the lower temperatures available. Furthermore, ice storage can be used as a means of load control or load shifting since ice can be made during periods of low power demand and, potentially in the future the anticipated high availability of other resources such as renewables during certain periods.
The UK is the world’s largest generator of power using offshore wind and as we are surrounded with sea and wind, the UK is only going to produce more of the power it needs in this or other way.
This method could be used to store the wind energy produced when the demand is low and recover it, when it is needed.
Could The UK Develop A Chain Of Carbon-Neutral Gas-Fired Power Stations?
In parts of the UK, there is a unique mix of resources.
- A plentiful supply of natural gas, either from offshore fields or interconnectors to Norway.
- Large amounts of electricity generated by offshore wind, which will only get larger.
- Worked out gas-fields still connected to the shore, through redundant platforms and pipes.
- Closeness to agricultural areas.
Technologies under development or already working include.
- Offshore creation of hydrogen using electricity generated by offshore wind and then using the redundant gas pipes to bring the hydrogen to the shore.
- Using a hydrogen-fired CCGT power station without producing any carbon-dioxide.
- Feeding carbon dioxide to plants like salad and fruit to make them grow better.
- Using excess electricity from renewable sources to cool the air and improve the efficiency of CCGT power stations.
I can see all these technologies and development coming together in the next few years and a chain of carbon-neutral gas-fired power stations will be created
- Hydrogen produced offshore on redundant gas platforms, using electricity from nearby wind farms, will be turned back into electricity, where it is needed by onshore hydrogen-fired power stations.
- Redundant gas platforms will be refurbished and reused, rather than demolished at great expense.
- Some natural gas will still be used for power generation
- I’m not quite sure, but I think there could be dual-furled CCGTs, that could run on either hydrogen or natural gas.
- Any carbon dioxide generated will be stored in the worked out gas fields or fed to the crops.
- Gas storage onshore will ensure that the gas-fired power station can respond quickly.
I also believe that there is no technological and engineering challenges, that are too difficult to solve.
This strategy would have the following advantages.
- It should be carbon-neutral.
- Because there could have as many as two hundred individual power stations, the system would be very reliable and responsive to the loss of say a cluster of five stations, due to a tsunami, a volcanic eruption or a major eathquake.
- If power from renewable sources like offshore wind is low, extra stations can be quickly switched in.
- It is not dependent on fuel from dodgy dictators!
- It would probably be more affordable than developing nuclear power stations.
There is also the possibility of bringing more hydrogen onshore to be used in the decarbonisation of the gas-grid.
Conclusion
A chain of carbon-neutral gas-fired power stations, linked to hydrogen created offshore by wind farms is very feasible.
Last week, after the double failure, extra stations would have immediately been switched in.
Energy Storage
The fastest response system is energy storage, where a giant battery holds several gigawatt-hours of eklectricity.
Electric Mountain
The biggest energy storage facility in the UK is Dinorwig Power Station.
This is the introduction to its Wikipedia entry.
The Dinorwig Power Station , known locally as Electric Mountain, is a pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme, near Dinorwig, Llanberisin Snowdonia national park in Gwynedd, northern Wales. The scheme can supply a maximum power of 1,728-megawatt (2,317,000 hp) and has a storage capacity of around 9.1-gigawatt-hour (33 TJ)
It is large and has a rapid response, when more electricity is needed.
We probably need another three or four Electric Mountains, but our geography means we have few suitable sites for pumped-storage, especially in areas, where large quantities of electricity are needed.
There are one other pumped-storage system in Wales and two in Scotland, all of which are around 350 MW or a fifth the size of Electric Mountain.
In the Wikipedia entry entitled List Of Power Stations In Scotland, this is said.
SSE have proposed building two new pumped storage schemes in the Great Glen; 600 MW at Balmacaan above Loch Ness, and 600 MW at Coire Glas above Loch Lochy, at £800m. Scotland has a potential for around 500 GWh of pumped storage
I’m sure the Scots will find some way to fill this storage.
If all else fails, there’s always Icelink. This is the description from Wikipedia.
Icelink is a proposed electricity interconnector between Iceland and Great Britain. As of 2017, the project is still at the feasibility stage. According to current plans, IceLink may become operational in 2027.
At 1000–1200 km, the 1000 MW HVDC link would be the longest sub-sea power interconnector in the world.
The project partners are National Grid plc in the UK, and Landsvirkjun, the state-owned generator in Iceland, and Landsnet, the Icelandic Transmission System Operator (TSO)
Plugging it in to Scotland, rather than London, probably saves a bit of money!
Conclusion
Increasing our pumped-storage energy capacity is feasible and would help us to survive major power failures.
Batteries In Buildings
Tesla have a product called a Powerwall, which puts energy storage into a home or other building.
This was the first product of its kind and there will be many imitators.
The Powerwall 2 has a capacity of 13.5 kWh, which is puny compared to the 9.1 GWh or 9,100,000 kWh of Electric Mountain.
But only 674,074 batteries would need to be fitted in the UK to be able to store the same amount of electricity as Electric Mountain.
The big benefit of batteries in buildings is that they shift usage from the Peak times to overnight
So they will reduce domestic demand in the Peak.
Conclusion
Government should give incentives for people to add batteries to their houses and other buildings.
Could Hydrogen Work As Energy Storage?
Suppose you had a hydrogen-fired 500 MW hydrogen-fired CCGT with a hydrogen tank that was large enough to run it at full power for an hour.
That would be a 0.5 GWh storage battery with a discharge rate of 500 MW.
In an hour it would supply 500MWh or 500,000 kWh of electricity at full power.
In Hydrogen Economy on Wikipedia, this is said, about producing hydrogen by electroysis of water.
However, current best processes for water electrolysis have an effective electrical efficiency of 70-80%, so that producing 1 kg of hydrogen (which has a specific energy of 143 MJ/kg or about 40 kWh/kg) requires 50–55 kWh of electricity.
If I take the 40 KWh/Kg figure that means that to provide maximum power for an hour needs 12,500 Kg or 12.5 tonnes of hydrogen.
Under a pressure of 700 bar, hydrogen has a density of 42 Kg/cu. m., so 12.5 tonnes of hydrogen will occupy just under 300 cubic metres.
If I’ve got the figures right that could be a manageable amount of hydrogen.
Remember, I used to work in a hydrogen factory and I had the detailed guided tour. Technology may change in fifty years, but the properties of hydrogen haven’t!
Gas-Fired Versus Coal-Fired Power Stations
Consider.
- The problem of the carbon dioxide is easier with a gas-fired power station, than a coal-fired power station of the same generating capacity, as it will generate only about forty percent of carbon dioxide.
- Gas-fired power stations can be started up very quickly, whereas starting a coal-fired power station probably takes all day.
- Coal is much more difficult to handle than gas.
Using hydrogen is even better than using natural gas, as it’s zero-carbpn.
Conclusion
I believe we can use our unique geographic position and proven technology to increase the resilience of our power networks.
We need both more power stations and energy storage.
The Traction System Of A Class 385 Train
This document on the Hitachi web site is entitled Development of Class 385 Semi-customised/Standard Commuter Rolling Stock for Global Markets.
The Hitachi document gives a schematic of the traction system of a Class 385 train.
This is the description, that accompanies the diagram.
Railway businesses in the UK include ROSCOs, TOCs, and track maintenance and management companies. The TOCs pay fees, called track access charges, which are based on the weight of rolling stock and the distance travelled, and are obliged to pay the track maintenance and management company for the electrical power consumed in train operation. Because lighter trains put less load on the track, they incur lower track access charges. As lighter trains also consume less electrical power, there was strong demand from the TOC to make the rolling stock lighter, right from the pre-contract stage.
There are two types of Class 385, a four-car train set and a three-car train set. The four-car train set has two motor cars (M) and two trailer cars (T) in what is called a 2M2T configuration. For a three-car train set, in contrast, sufficient traction capacity is provided by 1.5 M cars. Accordingly, the Class 385 adopts a system in which the traction unit (converter) is split into two drive systems, with each car having two motor bogies that are controlled separately (see Fig. 4). This means that three-car train sets can have a 1.5M1.5T configuration in which one of the bogies on one of the two M cars is a trailer bogie, thereby eliminating two traction motors and one traction unit drive system. This configuration reduces the weight of a three-car train set by approximately 1.5 tonnes.
Next time you design a train, will you stand more chancw of getting the order, if you think out of the box?
The Lengths Of Hitachi Class 800/801/802 Trains
Hitachi’s Class 800/801/802 trains are part of the AT-300 family of trains, with 26 metre long cars.
- A five-car train is 130 metres long
- A nine-car train is 234 metres long.
Current trains and ones the Hitachi trains are going to replace have the following lengths.
- A twelve-car Class 387 train is 244.7 metres long.
- An eight-car Class 387 train is 163.1 metres long.
- A standard InterCity 225 formation is 245.2 metres long.
- A 2+8 InterCity 125 formation is 219.6 metres long.
- A five-car Class 180 train is 116.5 metres long.
- Two three-car Class 185 trains working as a pair are 142.5 metres long
I think the Hitachi trains will fit platforms designed for these trains well.
Perhaps a five-car train might be a bit short for a eight-car BR standard 160 metre log train. But a six-car Hitachi train is 156 metres long.
Conclusion
Twenty-six metre long carriages seem to work well against BR’s historic standards based on a twenty-metre cars.
Batteries Are Beautiful – Silent Sailing Is An Eco-Winner
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Riviera Maritime Media.
It is a must-read article about the way, ships will be powered in the future.
Already, the Norwegian operator; Hurtigruten, has ordered two hybrid powered cruise ships, the first first of which is the MS Raold Amundsen.
Scottish Government Approve £75m Levenmouth Rail Link
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
The plan seems to have been well-received by politicians and the media.
I’ve always thought this line to be a good candidate for reopening.
- It is only five miles long.
- It would serve Scotland’s largest town without a rail station.
- There must be freight opportunities for freight, as the line could serve Scotland’s largest distillery.
There is more here on the Wikipedia entry for the Levenmouth Rail Link under Cost, Feasibility And Services.
Could The Levenmouth Rail Link Be Part Of A Bigger Picture?
The Fife Circle Line is an important route into Edinburgh for commuters, shoppers and visitors.
This map from Wikipedia shows the stations on the Fife Circle Line.
Consider.
- The route is not electrified.
- A train starting in Edinburgh and going rund the loop would cover about sixty miles.
- Trains have a frequency of four trains per hour (tph)
It would appear that it would be the sort of service that would be ideal for electric trains, like ScotRail’s Class 385 trains, where a fleet of perhaps eight trains could provide the current service.
But there is a big obstacle to electrification; the Forth Rail Bridge.
It would be a difficult engineering project, that would cause massive disruption and one that would probably be strongly opposed by the Heritage lobby.
This map from Wikipedia shows the proposed Levenmouth Rail Link.
Note how it connects to the Fife Circle Line at Glenrothes with Thorton and Kirkcaldy stations.
I estimate that the distance between Leven and Edinburgh stations would be about 31 miles.
Could Battery-Electric Trains Work To Glenrothes with Thorton And Leven?
Consider these facts abut battery-electric trains.
- Bombardier ran a battery-electric train on the 11.5 mile Mayflower Line in public service for three months, without a hitch in 2015.
- Hitachi, Siemens, Stadler and Vivarail have sold battery-electric trains.
- Hitachi are running battery-electric trains in Japan.
- Ranges of upwards of fifty miles are being claimed.
- Battery-electric trains are a quality experience for passengers.
.As the Edinburgh and Leven and dinburgh and Glenrothes with Thorton routes are about thirty miles, I believe it is now possible to run battery-electric trains on these two routes.
- They would be charged at the Edinburgh end using the existing electrification.
- Charging stations would be needed at Leven and Glenrothes with Thornton.
- Electrification could also be erected as far as Dalmeny station at the Edinburgh end, which would reduce the range on batteries by about seven miles.
There would be no difficult engineering and the Forth Rail Bridge would look the same as the day it was built!
Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires
I covered this in more detail in Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires.
Hitachi appear to be serious according to this article of the same name on Rail Engineer.
The article concludes with this paragraph.
Hitachi’s proposal to operate battery trains in Scotland is at an early stage. However, with their use being recommended by the rail decarbonisation task force and the Scottish Government about to pass new climate change legislation, it may not be long before battery trains are operating in Scotland.
Hitachi aren’t stupid and I doubt they could want for a better portfolio of launch routes, than some of those in Scotland.
- Edinburgh and Leven over the Forth Rail Bridge.
- Edinburgh and Grenrothes with Thornton over the Forth Rail Bridge.
- The Borders Railway.
I also show in the related article, that Glasgow to Oban and Mallaig may be possible.
The Rail Network And Electrification To The West Of Edinburgh
This map shows the rail system to the West of Edinburgh.
All lines except for the route through South Gyle and Edinburgh Gateway stations are electrified.
Electrification as far as Dalmeny station, the addition of the new chord (shown in yellow) and fill in electrification to join the chord to the Glosgow wires would open up the possibilities of more routes between Edinburgh and Glasgow and a connection between Glasgow and the Fife Circle.
But battery-electric trains would be needed.
ScotRail has Options For More Class 385 Trains
This is said in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 385 trains.
10 unit optional follow up order after 2020.
So ScotRail seem to have a gateway to the future.
Will Battery-Electric Trains Be Good For Tourism?
I very much doubt, that they’ll be bad for it!
Conclusion
The announcement of the reinstatement of the Levenmouth Rail Link, could be be a collateral benefit of a decision to trial or even order some battery-electric Hitachi Class 385 trains.
Donald Trump: ‘Make Plastic Straws Great Again’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Live.News.
This is the first two paragraphs.
US President Donald Trump has raised nearly $500,000 (£411,000) for his re-election campaign by selling plastic straws.
The branded straws, released in Republican Party-red, were launched on the 19th of July, selling out in a matter of hours before being restocked.
The site also links to another post, which is entitled. President Trump: ‘Wind turbines cause cancer’.
I am a reasonably knowledgeable engineer and scientist and know a Compleat Wanker, when I see one
How can so many Americans take this idiot seriously?
More New Trains On LNER Wish List
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
LNER has revealed it is in the market for new trains, despite only just starting to introduce its new Hitachi Azumas.
There would appear to be more work to be done for their original plan of using shortened InterCity 225 sets.
So to be able to fulfil the timetable to be introduced in 2021, LNER need perhaps another six ten-car trains.
Obviously, they would want Hitachi Class 800 trains or Azumas.
Now here’s a twist!
Under EU regulations, it has to be an open competition.
I thought that Boris Johnson had said we were leaving the EU!
South Lincolnshire, West Norfolk And The North Netherlands
These three areas are very similar.
This sentence comes from the Wikipedia entry for The Fens, which are found where Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk come together.
Most of the Fenland lies within a few metres of sea level. As with similar areas in the Netherlands, much of the Fenland originally consisted of fresh- or salt-water wetlands. These have been artificially drained and continue to be protected from floods by drainage banks and pumps.
I have heard it said, that The Fens owe a lot of their landscape to the Dutch, as it was the Dutch, who originally had a lot to do with draining the land.
It should also be noted, that one of the most famous people from the area is Commander George Vancouver of the Royal Navy, who was the son of John Jasper Vancouver, a Dutch-born deputy collector of customs in King’s Lynn. He gave his name to the Canadian city of Vancouver.
The Dutch have returned in that two of the three rail franchises in the area, are under the control of the Dutch company; Abellio; Greater Anglia (GA) and East Midlands Railway (EMR).
Current and future services through the area include.
- GA – Stansted Airport and Norwich via Ely and Cambridge
- GA – Liverpool Street and King’s Lynn via Ely and Cambridge
- GA – Colchester and Peterborough via Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Ely
- EMR – Norwich and Nottingham
- EMR – Peterborough and Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln
- EMR – Nottingham and Skegness via Grantham, Sleaford and Boston
- CrossCountry – Birmingham and Stansted Airport via Peterborough, Cambridge and Ely.
- Great Northern – King’s Cross and King’s Lynn via Ely and Cambridge
- Thameslink – King’s Cross and Peterborough
- Thameslink – King’s Cross and Cambridge
Note.
Most services are hourly, with some London services at a higher frequency.
- EMR are planning to increase certain early, late and Sunday services, so there may be improvements.
- GA are planning to introduce new Class 755 trains pn diesel services and new Class 720 trains on electric services.
- The Ely, Cambridge North and Cambridge corridor can have a frequency as high as eight trains per hour (tph)
Will EMR and GA work together to improve services in the area they jointly serve?
These are a few of my thoughts.
A Look At The North Of The Netherlands
In The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands, I looked at what the Dutch are doing in the North of the country, near to the city of Groningen.
- Groningen is a city of around 200,000 people and a major rail hub, with services fanning out through the flat landscape.
- The trains are mainly Stadler GTWs, which are the forerunners of GA’s Class 755 trains.
- The Dutch are developing a hydrogen-based economy in the area, which I described in The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen.
Are Abellio looking to bring some of the ideas from the Netherlands to the UK?
I think to a certain extent, we’re going the same way. For instance, in the North of Lincolnshire a lot of development is going on to develop an energy economy based on offshore wind and energy storage.
The Cambridge Effect
Cambridge effects the whole of the area, in its demand for housing and premises for research, development and manufacture.
The Cambridge And Peterborough Problem
I used to play tennis, with a guy, who was promoting Peterborough as an expansion area for Cambridge. Peterborough is a city, with space and good connections to London and the North, by rail and the A1 road.
,But the problem is that the road and rail links between the two cities are atrocious, with a two-lane dual-carriageway and an hourly three-car diesel train.
It is my view, that the gap in the electrification between Ely and Peterborough should eventually be removed.
- The land is flat.
- The route is thirty miles long.
- The route was recently upgraded to take the largest container trains, so electrification, surely wouldn’t be too difficult.
- The biggest problem would probably be dealing with the numerous level crossings.
Electrification would allow.
- More frequent and faster passenger trains between Cambridge, Ely and Peterborough.
- Freight trains between Felixstowe and the North would be easier to haul using electro-diesel locomotives like the Class 88 and Class 93.
- It would create an electrified diversion route for trains on the East Coast Main Line.
After electrification, it would be possible to have a much-needed four tph service between Cambridge and Peterbough with stops at Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely, Manea, March and Whittlesea.
- Cambridge and Peterborough sstations both have several platforms, that could be used to terminate extra services.
- The service could be extended to Cambridge South station, when that is built in a few years.
GA’s Class 755 trains could even provide the service without electrification.
What About Wisbech?
Wisbech is a town of 33,000 people without a passenger rail link.
But it does have the Bramley Line.
This is the introductory paragraph in Wikipedia.
The Bramley Line is a railway line between March and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England. A number of proposals are currently being investigated relating to the possible restoration of passenger services along the route.
The Association of Train Operating Companies and various politicians have supported creating a passenger service between Wisbech and Cambridge via March and Ely.
The service could be as follows.
It would use an existing single-track line, which would probably just need upgrading.
- Cambridge and Wisbech would take around forty-five minutes.
- A train would take two hours for the round trip.
- An hourly service would take two trains.
What is useful, is that the length of the branch line is short enough, that it may be possible to be run the service using One Train Working.
Improvements Between Cambridge And King’s Lynn
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Work On £27m East of England Upgrades Set To Begin.
It lists the work to be done and the benefit in these two paragraphs.
The upgrades, between Cambridge and King’s Lynn, will include two platform extensions at Waterbeach and a platform extension at Littleport.
This will allow the introduction of eight-car services during peak times, providing passengers with more seats and a better experience.
The works will certainly add capacity for commuters to and from Cambridge and London.
Will the upgrade at Waterbeach station allow Greater Anglia’s four-car Class 755 trains to call.?
There is a section in the Wikipedia entry for Waterbeach station, which is entitled Future Plans, where this is said.
Plans to develop a New Town of 8,000 to 9,000 homes on the former Waterbeach Barracks site have been outlined by South Cambridgeshire District Council. As part of the proposal, there are plans to relocate the station to a new site and extend the platforms to accommodate 12 car trains.
This is more housing for Cambridge and I’m sure that the promised Norwich and Stansted Airport service will call.
Will Services Be Joined Back-To-Back At Peterborough?
Train companies sometimes find that joining two services together in a busy station is a good idea.
- It may use less trains and drivers.
- It uses a through platform rather than two bay platforms.
- Trains could be turned in a more convenient station.
A proportion of passengers don’t have to change trains.
Note.
- |East Midlands Railway are joining the Doncaster and Lincoln, and Lincoln and Peterborough services into one service.
- Greater Anglia are extending the Peterborough and Ipswich service to Manningtree.
- Greater Anglia are extending the Norwich and Cambridge service to Stansted Airport.
But East Midlands Railway are also splitting the Norwich and Liverpool service into two.
These are the services that are planned to terminate at Peterborough.
- Peterborough and Colchester via Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Ely
- Peterborough and Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln
As I said earlier, I would’ve be surprised to see extra Cambridge and Peterborough services to increase capacity between the two cities.
Current timings of the various sections are as follows.
- Peterborough and Lincoln – one hour and twenty-three minutes
- Lincoln and Doncaster – fifty-four minutes
- Peterborough and Ipswich – one hour and thirty-nine minutes
- Ipswich and Colchester – nineteen minutes
- Peterborough and Cambridge – fifty minutes
Adding up 3 and 4 gives a Colchester and Peterborough timing of one hour and fifty-eight minutes. But the new Class 755 trains are faster and will be running at full speed on electrification for sections of the journey.
With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under four hours. This would mean that four trains would be needed for an hourly service.
Adding up 1 and 2 gives a Peterborough and Doncaster timing of two hours and seventeen minutes.
With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under five hours. This would mean that five trains would be needed for an hourly service.
Could these two services be run back-to-back to create a Colchester and Doncaster service?
It would take four hours and fifteen minutes or nine hours for a round trip. This would mean that nine trains would be needed for an hourly service.
This is the same number of trains that would be needed for the two separate services.
The two companies might decide to run a joint service, but!
- In whose colours would the train run?
- Would there be crewing difficulties?
- If a train fails, it would probably be a long way from home.
- It has been felt sensible to split the five hour and thirty-five minute Norwich and Liverpool services.
Would it be possible to run a service between Cambridge and Lincoln?
- Adding up 1 and 5 gives a timing of two hours and thirteen minutes.
- With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under five hours.
- This would mean that five trains would be needed for an hourly service.
It would be possible, but would the convenience attract enough passengers to make the service viable?
Would It Be Worth Reinstating March And Spalding?
There used to be a railway between March and Spalding.
Wikipedia says this about the closure of the route.
When the line closed between March and Spalding in 1982,[3] freight traffic was diverted through Peterborough station instead of cutting across the western edge of the Fens to avoid the line through Peterborough station
Some have called for the route to be reinstated to enable freight trains to by-pass Peterborough, when travelling between Felixstowe and the route to the North through Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster.
- It is not a long route.
- It could provide a passenger route between Cambridge and Lincoln.
I suspect that Network Rail looked at this scheme as an alternative to the Werrington Dive Under, which has been costed at £200 million.
Wikipedia says this about the Werrington Dive Under.
The project will see the construction of 1.9 miles (3 km) of new line that will run underneath the fast lines, culverting works on Marholm Brook and the movement of the Stamford lines 82 feet (25 m) westwards over the culverted brook. The project, coupled with other ECML improvement schemes (such as the four tracking from Huntingdon to Woodwalton) will improve capacity on the line through Peterborough by 33% according to Network Rail. This equates to two extra train paths an hour by 2021, when the work is scheduled to be completed.
A thirty-three percent capacity increase seems a powerful reason to build the Werrington Dive Under.
Would it also enable a faster route for trains between King’s Cross and Lincoln?
As to whether the direct route between March and Spalding will ever be reinstated, this will surely depend on several factors.
- The number of freight trains needing to go between Felixstowe and Doncaster.
- The maximum number of freight trains, that can use the freight route, through Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
- Whether a passenger service on the route is worthwhile.
There are also protests about the number of freight trains already using the route.
I can see the capacity of the freight route being increased and the route being made a more friendly neighbour, after the opening of the Werrington Dive Under.
- Level crossings will be replaced by bridges.
- Adoption of zero-carbon locomotives.
- Installation of noise-reduction measures.
The line might even be electrified.
Peterborough After Werrington
If we assume that the services stay as currently proposed, the following trains will stop at Peterborough on their way to either Cambridge or Lincoln.
- GA – Peterborough and Ipswich or Colchester – Platform 6
- EMR – Peterborough and Lincoln or Doncaster- Platform 1 or 2
- EMR- Norwich and Nottingham – Platform 7
- EMR- Nottingham and Norwich – Platform 6
- CrossCountry – Stansted Airport and Birmingham – Platform 7
- CrossCountry – Birmingham and Stansted Airport- Platform 6
Note.
- Trains going to Cambridge use Platform 6.
- Trains coming from Cambridge use Platform 7
- The Ipswich or in the future; Colchester service uses Platform 6 to turnback.
- The Lincoln or in the future; Doncaster service uses Platform 1 or 2 to turnback.
- Platform 6 and 7 is a new island platform with direct access to the Stamford Lines and the tracks in the Werrington Dive Under that connect to Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
This means that after the Werrington Dive Under opens in a couple of years, the Peterborough and Doncaster service will stop in the wrong side of the station.
So it is likely, that Doncaster services will continue from the Werrington Dive Under into Platform 6 or 7 in Peterborough station.
As the Colchester service will probably still turnback in Platform 6 could we see the Doncaster and Colchester services timed to be in the island platform 6 & 7 at the same time.
Passengers would just walk a few metres between the two trains.
This Google Map shows the lines South of the station.
The Peterborough-Ely Line can be seen running East-West, to the South of the River Nene and then going under the East oast Main Line, before connecting to Platforms 6 and 7 on the West side of the station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note the three island platforms, which are numbered 6 & 7, 4 & 5 and 2 & 3 from West to East.
The Wikipedia entry for Peterborough station, says this about Platforms 6 & 7.
Platforms 6 & 7: These new platforms were commissioned over the Christmas break 2013, and are now used by CrossCountry services between Stansted Airport/Cambridge via Ely and Birmingham New Street via Leicester; East Midlands Trains services between Norwich and Liverpool; and Greater Anglia services to Ipswich.
North from Peterborough station and just South of the site of the Werrington Dive Under is the Cock Lane Bridge. I took these pictures in November 2018.
Note the three fast lines of the East Coast Main Line on the Eastern side and the two Stamford Lines on the Western side.
Just North of thie bridge, the Stamford Lines will split and trains will be able to continue to Stamford or cross under the East Coast Main Line towards Lincoln.
As there is a loop for freight trains through Peterborough station, the Werrington Dive Under will be able to handle sufficient trains.
Conclusion
The layout of Peterborouh station and the Werrington Dive Under will give Abellio a lot of flexibility to improve services in South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk.
Network Rail gets a lot of criticism, but you can’t fault the design and what lies behind it, in this instant!
The Anonymous Widower 