Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work TransPennine Express’s Services?
Before I answer this question, I will lay out the battery-electric train’s specification.
Hitachi’s Proposed Battery Electric Train
Based on information in an article in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, which is entitled Sparking A Revolution, the specification of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train is given as follows.
- Based on Class 800-802/804 trains or Class 385 trains.
- Range of 55-65 miles.
- Operating speed of 90-100 mph
- Recharge in ten minutes when static.
- A battery life of 8-10 years.
- Battery-only power for stations and urban areas.
- Trains are designed to be created by conversion of existing Class 80x trains
For this post, I will assume that the train is five cars long. This is the length of TransPennine Express’s Class 802 trains.
TransPennine Express’s Services
These are TransPennine Express services that run in the North of England and to Scotland.
I shall go through all the services and see how they would be affected by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train.
Liverpool Lime Street And Edinburgh
- The service runs at a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- Intermediate stations are Newton-le-Willows, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth
The service is 305 miles long and takes four hours and 25 minutes.
The route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria – 32 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9 miles – Not Electrified
- Leeds and Colton Junction – 20 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and Edinburgh – 220 miles – Electrified
Note that the distance between Manchester Victoria and Colton Junction, which is the only section of the route without electrification is sixty-three miles, which is just within the 55-65 mile battery range of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train.
That is too close for my liking, as what happens, if the train gets delayed by an operational incident.
In this article on the BBC, which was published in August 2019 and is entitled Detailed TransPennine £2.9bn Rail Upgrade Plans Unveiled, the following is said.
- The route between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will be electrified.
- Parts of this route will have two extra tracks.
- The plans will be going to full consultation, later in the year.
This would mean that a route summary would be like this.
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria – 32 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Electrified
- Dewsbury and Colton Junction – 29 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and Edinburgh – 220 miles – Electrified
The two sections without electrification are well within the 55-65 mile battery range of Hitachi’s proposed battery electric train.
It should also be noted that the electrification between Newcastle and Edinburgh is rather down on power and needs upgrading.
I would suspect that Hitachi’s proposed battery electric train could handle this power deficiency by using the batteries.
Liverpool Lime Street And Scarborough
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Lea Green, Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Leeds, Garforth, York, Malton and Seamer
The service is 142 miles long and takes two hours and 58 minutes.
The route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria – 32 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9 miles – Not Electrified
- Leeds and Colton Junction – 20 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and York – 6 miles – Electrified
- York and Scarborough – 42 miles – Not Electrified
Between Liverpool Lime Street and Colton Junction, the route is identical to the Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh service.
The improvement of the section between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will also benefit this service and mean that a route summary would be like this.
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria – 32 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Electrified
- Dewsbury and and Colton Junction – 29 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and York – 6 miles – Electrified
- York and Scarborough – 42 miles – Not Electrified
As Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train has a range of 55-65 miles on battery power, it looks to me that this service could be handled by the train.
It would need a Fast Charge system at Scarborough to recharge the batteries to be able to return to York.
But, as the timetable allows a generous turn-round, fully-charging the batteries shouldn’t be a problem.
Manchester Airport And Newcastle
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Chester-le-Street
The service is 162 miles long and takes three hours and one minute.
The route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria – 13 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9 miles – Not Electrified
- Leeds and Colton Junction – 20 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and Edinburgh – 86 miles – Electrified
Between Manchester Victoria and Colton Junction, the route is identical to the two Liverpool Lime Street services, that I discussed previously.
The improvement of the section between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will also benefit this service and mean that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train could handle this route with ease.
Manchester Airport And Redcar Central
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Gatley, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Yarm, Thornaby and Middlesbrough
The service is 162 miles long and takes three hours and fifteen minutes.
The route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria – 13 miles – Electrified
- Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 26 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9 miles – Not Electrified
- Leeds and Colton Junction – 20 miles – Not Electrified
- Colton Junction and Northallerton – 35 miles – Electrified
- Northallerton and Redcar Central – 29 miles – Not Electrified
Between Manchester Victoria and Colton Junction, the route is identical to the previously discussed services.
The improvement of the section between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will also benefit this service and mean that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train could handle this route with ease.
As with the Scarborough service, a Fast-Charge system would probably be needed at Redcar Central.
Manchester Piccadilly And Hull
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Leeds, Selby and Brough
The service is 94 miles long and takes two hours and four minutes.
The route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield – 25 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dewsbury and Leeds – 9 miles – Not Electrified
- Leeds and Hull – 52 miles – Not Electrified
Between Huddersfield and Leeds, the route is identical to the previously discussed services.
The improvement of the section between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will also benefit this service and mean that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train should be able to handle this route.
As with the Scarborough and Redcar Central services, a Fast-Charge system would probably be needed at Hull.
Manchester Piccadilly And Huddersfield
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Stalybridge, Mossley, Greenfield, Marsden and Slaithwaite
The service is 25 miles long and takes forty-three minutes.
The route is without electrification.
Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train should be able to handle this route with ease.
The train could charge at either end using the electrification.
Huddersfield And Leeds
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley and Cottingley
The service is 17 miles long and takes thirty-six minutes.
Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train should be able to handle this route with ease.
The train could charge at Leeds using the electrification.
Manchester Airport And Cleethorpes
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield, Meadowhall Interchange, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town
The service is 124 miles long and takes two hours and fifty-eight minutes.
he route can be divided into sections, some of which are electrified and some of which are not!
- Manchester Airport and Stockport – 16 miles – Electrified
- Stockport and Sheffield – 37 miles – Not Electrified
- Sheffield and Doncaster – 19 miles – Not Electrified
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52 miles – Not Electrified
There would need to be some en route charging and surely the easiest way to achieve this would be to extend the electrification at Doncaster to Sheffield.
As with the other services, a Fast-Charge system would probably be needed at Cleethorpes.
Manchester Airport And Glasgow Central Or Edinburgh Waverley Via Preston
This service is all-electric.
Conclusion
Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train can handle all of TransPennine’s routes without using one drop of diesel.
What I have found interesting, is that the eight miles of electrification between Huddersfield and Dewsbury appears to make the operation of a battery-electric train a lot easier.
It looks like someone at Hitachi and Network Rail have taken a calculator to a decent hostelry and worked out a cunning plan!
The Anonymous Widower 
[…] Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work TransPennine Express’s Services?, I said this about their Manchester Piccadilly and Hull […]
Pingback by Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work Hull Trains’s Services? « The Anonymous Widower | February 26, 2020 |
Batteries would have to be sized to cope with the long uphill sections either side of the pennies as well air con load on a hot summers day but of course good opportunity to recharge on the way down. Sad thing here is the Woodhead route was already low carbon 70 years ago where uphill and downhill freights could be coordinated to allow regenerative braking to power an uphill train. Its sad to see how backwards we’ve got!
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | February 26, 2020 |
All the regenerative braking energy will be stored on the train, which is much more efficient.
I also think, that there is a wind of change blowing through electrification. For instance Vivarail’s Fast-Charging technology, which uses third-rail connections could be placed at stations, where trains tend to run out of juice. I also think that Hitachi have a few aces up their sleeves, in that battery technology is improving, as was hinted in the original article. I also think, that a lot of people dismiss battery trains as a gimmick, that will run out of charge all.the time. But a lady told me, who used the 379 BEMU every day it ran, said it was very reliable. And that was cobbled together as a demo. Manufacturers of battery trains like Bivarail, Bombardier and Hitachi certainly seem very bullish about their product. Have we been drip-fed the good news to counter a lot of cynicism from accountants and politicians?
Comment by AnonW | February 26, 2020 |
Batteries perfectly viable now we have fast charging but ORR/RSSB need to enable it otherwise through appropriate standards otherwise NR will stifle it.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | February 26, 2020
As Network Rail sponsored the original 379 BEMU trial and it is easier to install than electrification, I suspect Notwork Rail will be in favour.
Comment by AnonW | February 27, 2020
NR is paradox on the one hand when theirs a crisis it can does do fantastic things but its also equally capable of prevaricating and examining its navel on medium to longer term issues. The BEMU trail was good but run in pretty safe infrastructure ie pan up if you have any issues whereas we need to be bold now. In my day Regional Engineers and there teams just got on with it and we used our judgement to get things done. Modern standards have become too rigid and engineers are always seeking full compliance along with risk assessment to even justify compliance. Perhaps the fact its being called a climate emergency will up the ante. Im also confident that the new CEOs approach will in due course wash down over the organisation but it takes time to move the culture (or fear) in an organisation.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | February 27, 2020
I’ve always wondered, if Network Rail spent too much time avoiding annoying The Treasury, rather than doing the important things!
Comment by AnonW | February 27, 2020
In the Liverpool-Edinburgh section about 8 miles of the 26 from Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge will also be electrified, so 18 miles only won’t be electrified.
Comment by Daniel Altmann | March 9, 2020 |
And isn’t Dewsbury-Leeds going to be electrified? That would be another 8-9 miles…
Comment by Daniel Altmann | March 9, 2020 |
Not sure if it is, but as you say it’s another few miles!
Comment by AnonW | March 9, 2020
[…] Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work TransPennine Express’s Services?, I concluded that Class 802 trains equipped with batteries could handle all their routes without […]
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