Labour Responds To Tories’ Promise Of High Speed Hastings Trains
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Hastings Observer.
This is a paragraph.
The Tories would have to spend a vast amount of money, upwards of £20 billion, to create a faster rail service between Hastings and London, Labour said.
This is based on the cast per mile of HS2, but the only work would be some new track and electrification, so that electric trains with batteries could go between Ashford and Hastings.
I doubt it would cost more then fifty to hundred million pounds in total.
RSSB Appoint Arup To Review Hydrogen Trains
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has tasked Arup with developing a case for hydrogen-powered trains on the Great Britain (GB) mainline.
The review will move to establish a high-level operational concept, any relevant operational hazards and obligations of regulation.
This must be good forward thinking.
Battery Trains To Be Tested In Denmark
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Suppliers are to be invited to test battery-powered trains on regional lines in late 2020 and early 2021, ahead of a potential order which could see battery trains enter passenger service from 2025.
This order follows on from three confirmed or possible German battery train orders in Schleswig-Holstein, Baden-Württemberg and Chemnitz.
So far interest in battery trains in the UK, has not been so strong, with only orders in Wales.
A Use For John McDonnell
Of all of today’s crop of politicians with crackpot policies, the one I like least is John McDonnell!
Today, though, he appeared on the BBC, as I was prevaricating about going to get my newspaper and some other shopping.
I left with all the speed of a rat up a drainpipe.
Thinking about it, I do rather look down on people who treat mathematics as fiction.
Ipswich and Felixstowe In A New Class 755 Train
These pictures show my trip frip from Ipswich to Felixstowe and back in a new Class 755 train.
Some points about the journey.
The Class 755 Train Was Fast
Between Derby Road and Trimley stations, the train rattled on at around 70 mph, which is consistent with the current operating speed of 75 mph of the Felixstowe Branch Line.
Looking at Real Time Trains, my train yesterday took four minutes to do the eight miles between Derby Road and Trimley stations and arrived four minutes ahead of schedule.
- The acceleration and deceleration of the new trains is much faster than that assumed for trains on the line.
- The new track is probably capable of handling faster trains.
- The figures on Real Time Trains have a measure of error.
Once the Class 755 train had cleared the junction at the start of the loop, the freight train waiting to come out could leave.
The New Loop
The train I took, illustrated how the new loop allows a passenger train to into into Felixstowe, at the same time as a freight train is coming out.
- The freight train positions itself in the loop.
- The Class 755 train, goes like a rat up a drainpipe down the Northern track and stops into Trimley station.
- As soon as the Class 755 train has passed the freight train, the freight train continues through Derby Road and Westerfield stations to the Great Eastern Main Line..
It looks like the performance of the Class 755 trains, is used to make sure the required timetable is kept.
Could A Second Half-Hourly Service Passenger Service On The Branch?
Consider.
- Felixstowe and the surrounding villages is an area that could be developed with more housing, so there could be a large increase in passenger traffic between Ipswich and Felixstowe.
- The new trains could be very successful in attracting new passengers to the route.
I would be very surprised if Network Rail had designed the new loop at Trimley, without a plan to allow it to be upgrdaed to a half-hourly service.
Are Train Services Around Norfolk And Suffolk Unbalanced?
Consider the following services in trains per hour (tph) after Greater Anglia’s proposed changes in their franchise.
- Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds- 1 tph
- Cambridge and Ipswich – 1 tph
- Cambridge and Norwich – 1 tph
- Cambridge and Peterborough – 1 tph
- Cambridge and Stansted Airport – 2 tph
- Ipswich and Bury St. Edmund’s – 2 tph
- Ipswich and Colchester – 4 tph
- Ipswich and Lowestoft – 1 tph
- Ipswich and Norwich – 3 tph
- Ipswich and Peterborough – 1 tph
- Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth – 0 tph
- Norwich and Great Yarmouth – 2 tph
- Norwich and Lowestoft – 1 tph
- Norwich and Peterborough – 1 tph
Note.
- Most services are a measly 1 tph. Especially, if you’ve walked or cycled to a bleak station and just missed a train.
- Norwich and Ipswich get 3 tph, whereas Norwich and Cambridge and Ipswich and Cambridge get just 1 tph.
- East West Rail will add an extra 1 train per two hours on the Norwich and Cambridge and Ipswich and Cambridge routes, but improvements are needed now.
I would recommend.
- Two tph between Cambridge and Ipswich, Norwich and Peterborough.
- A direct Norwich service to Kings Cross, via Ely and Cambridge.
- Building Cambridge South station tomorrow!
- Terminate the Ipswich and Cambridge service at Cambridge South.
- All passing services would stop at Cambridge South.
- Add a second Ipswich and Cambridge service that terminated at Stansted Airport.
- Run a high-frequency local shuttle between Ely and Cambridge South stations.
- Improve the frequency on as many of the other routes as possible.
The could also be some new stations.
East-West Eail Link
This report on the East-West Rail web site is entitled Eastern Section Prospectus and gives full details of their proposals for the train services along the East-West Rail Link, to the East of Cambridge.
These are the main proposals as regards passengers.
- A new A14 Parkway station will be built to the North of Newmarket, where the railways and the A14 and A11 cross.
- Passenger services between Ipswich and Felixstowe will be replaced by a four tph tram-train running on the Felixstowe Branch Line and through the streets of Ipswich. Read all about it in Could There Be A Tram-Train Between Ipswich And Felixstowe?.
- The current hourly Ipswich and Cambridge service will be replaced or more likely augmented by an hourly Manningtree and Oxford via A14 Parkway, Cambridge and the East-West Rail Link.
- Combined with the Colchester and Peterborough service, there will be two tph between Ipswich and A14 Parkway via Needham Market, Stowmarket and Bury St. Edmunds.
- The current hourly Norwich and Standsted via Cambridsge service will be replaced or more likely augmented by a Reading and Great Yarmouth service via Cambridge and Norwich.
The two new East-West Rail Link services, which could be run by a train similar in design and performance to one of the new Hitachi expresses would act as both local and long distance trains to and from Cambridge and the West.
A Cambridge Crossrail?
Cambridge dominates the whole of the East of England and has a voracious appetite for more people to work in the high-tech businesses.
- Travel to Cambridge by train in the morning from London and there are large numbers of commuters going North.
- A large quantity of housing is being built at places like Bury St. Edmuds, Cambourne, Haverhill, Huntingdon, Lakenheath, Newmarket, Peterborough, Royston, Soham, Thetford and Wisbech.
Some places, where large developments are happening, have poor or no rail access to the City.
I believe the solution is a high-frequency local shuttle across the City.
- The core stations would be Ely, Waterbeach, Cambridge North, Cambridge and Cambridge South.
- The core frequency would be up to twelve tph between Cambridge South and Ely.
- Cambridge South station would turnback most Cambridge Crossrail services in the South.
- There could be additional Southern terminals at Haverhill, Royston and Stansted Airport
- Ely station would turnback most Cambridge Crossrail services. in the North.
- There could be additional Northern terminals at A14 Parkway, Bury St. Edmunds, Thetford and Wisbech.
Most of the infrastructure is already in place, but the following would be needed.
- Improvement of Ely station.
- Building of a junction, so that trains and passengers could go between Cambridge North and Bury St. Edminds stations without a change of train nor a reverse.
- Reinstate the Wisbech Branch with a new station in the town.
- Build the new Cambridge South station.
- Connect Haverhill to the West Anglia Main Line with a simple single-track branch.
The core section would use the same platforms as other trains on the route, to make interchange between services easier and stations more affordable.
A14 Parkway Station
Rereading this article, I believe that this station should be built as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Services in Cambridgeshire, Notfolk and Suffolk can be improved greatly and they need to be to allow, the UK’s premier Powerhouse to grow.
Are There Seat Reservation Systems On Class 755 Trains?
Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains may have been ordered mainly for local routes in Norfolk and Suffolk, but they are also going to work some long routes.
- Colchester and Peterborough – 79 milrs
- London Liverpool Street and Lowestoft – 118 miles
- London Liverpool Street and Norwich 114 miles
- Stansted Airport and Norwich – 92 miles
- London Liverpool Street and Norwich via Cambridge 134 miles
These distances are ones, where passengers like to have a reserved seat and you can certainly get reservations on London and Norwich services.
Look at this picture of the window in a Class 755 train.
There would appear to be no reservation displays.
Perhaps, they haven’t been fitted yet?
But, it these trains ever run London and Norwich services, via Cambridge because of a weather or power supply emergency, they will need a reservation system.
Can Greater Anglia Run Four-Car Class 755 Trains On Most Services?
Greater Anglia will eventually have the following fleet of Class 755 trains.
- 14 x three-car
- 24 x four-car
Note that only four-car trains are in service.
How Many Trains Are Needed For Each Route?
A rough calculation gives theses trains for various routes.
- Colchester and Peterborough – four trains
- Ipswich and Cambridge – four stains
- Ipswich and Felixstowe – one train
- Ipswich and Lowestoft – three trains
- Norwich and Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft – two trains
- Norwich and Sheringham – two trains
- Norwich and Stansted Airport – four trains
- Sudbury and Colchester Town – two trains
This makes a total of only twenty-two trains. And Greater Anglia have a fleet of twenty-four!
I have seen it written that the Sudbury and Colchester Town service will be run using three-car trains.
Trains North Of Ipswich And Cambridge
Sp it looks like all trains North of Ipswich and Cambridge can be four-car trains, as there are enough trains.
It also gives operational advantages for services to Norwich.
- I took a train from Cambridge to Norwich and noticed, that after unloading passengers at Norwich, it picked up a load more for Cromer and Sheringham and reversed out of the station.
- Norwich services to Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft weave a pattern between the City and the coast all day.
- A spare can be based at Norwich Thorpe Depot, in case a train fails.
- I assume that one Class 755 train can act as a Thunderbird or rescue locomotive for a stalled train.
Ipswich station could see a major sort-out.
- Only three services to and from Cambridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft, will terminate and go North at the station.
- Will eventually all these services turnback in the bay platform 1?
- Through services going South from Norwich and Lowestoft would use Platfoirm 2
- The new Peterborough and Colchester service will use Platform 2, when going South.
- All Northbound through services would use Platform 3.
- Terminating services from London will use Platform 4.
It looks like Greater Anglia’s proposed timetable simplifies operation at Ipswich and means no new building there.
I suggested that the three services from Cambridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft all terminate in Platform 1.
- Platform 1 can handle a four-car Class 755 train.
- Three trains per hour (tph) could easily be accommodated in one platform.
- There is space around the platform to improve the passenger experience.
There may be the possibility to use the trains more efficiently.
- Ipswich and Lowestoft currently takes 91 minutes
- Ipswich and Cambridge currently takes 81 minutes
The Class 755 trains will shave a few minutes off these times, but they will still result in a long wait at terminals.
Combining the two services with a reverse at Ipswich might be advantageous.
- Greater Anglia could need less trains for the service.
- Passengers would have extra route choices.
There are some interesting possibilities.
Where Will The Three-Car Trains Be Used?
I believe and I have tried to show the possibilities, that Greater Anglia will use four-car trains efficiently on all their core routes, with the exception of Sudbury and Colchester Town, where three-car trains will be used.
So where will the other three-car trains be used?
New Services
Greater Anglia, Network Rail and politicians have talked about the following new services.
- A direct service between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth via Reedham.
- Reinstatement of the March and Wisbech service.
- Partial reopening of the Aldeburgh Branch if Sizewell C is built.
In recent years Greater Anglia, Network Rail and others have used the Mid Norfolk Railway, which is a heritage railway for various purposes.
- Storing rail maintenance equipment.
- Moving light tanks for the Army by train.
- Training emergency services.
- Rail enthusiasts tours, including one in an HST,
- Storing trains for Greater Anglia. This was a £3.25million. deal.
I feel that because of the train storage deal, Greater Anglia will explore the possibility of a local Norwich service to Dereham, which is a town of just under 19,000 people with no National Rail connection..
- It could be a joint venture between Greater Anglia and the Mid Norfolk Railway.
- Norwich and Dereham would take under thirty minutes.
- Services could use the Mid-Norkfolk Railway’s stations at Wymondham Abbey, Kimberley Park, Thuxton, Yaxham and Dereham as appropriate.
- Felixstowe, a similar sized town to Dereham attracts 200,000 passengers per year.
The service could be a nice little earner for both companies.
Capacity Increases
With new trains on all Greater Anglia’s services, I suspect that Greater Anglia believe they will see a substantial increase in passengers.
- There will be a large increase in train capacity.
- Services should be faster.
- Services will be more frequent.
But some services will need more capacity.
So will we see pairs of three-car trains working on some services, where a four-car train is not big enough?
Sub-Leasing To Other Companies
It does seem that either Greater Anglia is going to have a large expansion of services or they have acquired too many trains.
Unless of course, they hope to make some of the Class 755 trains available to other companies.
Conclusion
In answer to the title of this post, the answer is yes!
But Greater Anglia must have expansion plans using their three-car Class 755 trains.
Class 755 Trains Are Now Running Between Ipswich And Cambridge
According to this article on the East Anglia Daily Times, the new Stadler Class 755 trains are now running between Ipswich and Cambridge stations.
The article also makes these points.
- The Class 153 trains will be retired at the end of this week.
- More Class 755 trains wll come into service in the coming weeks.
There is a software problem that restricts full operation, which should be fixed in a couple of weeks, which is described like this.
A new piece of software is due to be installed within a few weeks – but until then passengers heading east from Elmswell and west from Kennett are being taken by bus to the next station.
Both Elmswell and Kennett are simpler stations, with short platforms.
This Google Map shows Elmswell station.
And this Google Map shows Kennett station.
I wonder, if with these stations, selective door opening is needed the on one platform and the layout doesn’t fit the original software.
When you write software to work in a large number of situations, it’s difficult to make sure you cover everything.
Greater Anglian’s solution of a bus to get around the problem is not an ideal solution, but it should work, until the software is fixed.
A Freight Train With Four Locomotives
Every time, I go through Ipswich station, there are usually at least one pair of Class 86 locomotives stoating about.
But these pictures show four locomotives, bringing a train into Ipswich Yard.
Much of the train was empty, so I suggest it was some kind of positioning move. It also looks like only two locomotives had their pabtographs up.
It seems that Freighliner must like the locomotives, as increasingly, I see pairs at Ipswich and going along the North London Line, with a heavy freight train in tow.
Wikipedia says this about their current use by Freightliner.
However, the class does still remain in use with the company, with Freightliner retaining a core fleet of 14 locomotives in service as of 2019, ensuring the class has been in service well over 55 years after first being introduced.
British Rail were obviously better at making locomotives, than sandwiches.
A pair of Class 86 locomotives, which each have 2685 kW, is a powerful pair and more than the 4,000 kWQ of the modern bi-mode Class 88 locomotive.
Freighliner also have ten Class 90 locomotives and will acquire another thirteen locomotives from Greater Anglia in the near future.
- These locomotives have a power output of 3,730 kW.
- They have an operating speed of 110 mph, which must be very useful on the higher speed main lines.
- For most operations, they probably don’t need to be used in pairs.
With all these electric locomotives, it looks like Freightliner are looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
The Anonymous Widower 