The Anonymous Widower

Green Light For Major Transpennine Improvements

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.

These paragraphs outline the project.

Improvements on the Transpennine route in West Yorkshire have been given the green light, after a Transport and Works Act order was signed by the transport secretary on 27 June, six months earlier than planned.

The cost of the upgrades was described as ‘multi-billion’ by Network Rail, which said it was the ‘biggest milestone’ so far on the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme.

The improvements will be carried out between Huddersfield and Westtown in Dewsbury, and include quadrupling the double line and remodelling track layouts as well as major renovations at Huddersfield, Deighton and Mirfield and a new station at Ravensthorpe. In addition, there will be a flyover near Ravensthorpe to separate the Wakefield and Leeds lines and reduce conflicting movements.

Effectively, Grant Shapps fired the starting gun for this project four days ago.

I have written various posts on the upgrade and they can be read from this link.

The Transpennine Route Upgrade Web Site

The project now has its own comprehensive web site, which is named the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

A Reply To Peter Robins About Electrification

Peter Robins made this very perceptive comment.

The main point of TPU isn’t electrification, though, it’s upgrading the track to remove bottlenecks, improve lines speeds, add capacity. This is mainly what the Hudd-Dew TWA order is about. If you electrify the line while you’re doing that, then you increase the number of connecting places/lines which are within range of current batteries.

I think that Lds-CF will also have to wait for the post-IRP review, meaning the full upgrade will be a long time coming.

This Hitachi infographic shows the specification of their Regional Battery Train.

Note.

1. It is a 100 mph train.
2. Batteries can be charged when travelling under wires or 10-15 mins static.
3. Range on batteries is 90 km. or 56 miles.
4. My experience of Hitachi bi-modes is that pantographs on these trains can go up and down, with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers.

Hitachi have stated that they will be testing a Class 802 train with batteries later this year.

Could Hitachi Battery Trains Be Charged On The Electrification Between Huddersfield And Dewsbury?

Looking at the data from RealTimeTrains for this route it appears that the fastest time I can find between Huddersfield And Dewsbury is eleven minutes.

Would this be enough time to fully-charge the battery? If not the electrification could perhaps be extended for a couple of miles.

How Many Of Transpennine Express (TPE)’s Services Could Be Decarbonised, if Huddersfield And Dewsbury Were To Be Electrified?

I’ll look at each service that uses this route.

Liverpool Lime Street And Newcastle

This is an hourly service that calls at Newton-le-Willows, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, York, Northallerton, Darlington and Durham.

• Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria is electrified.
• Colton Junction and Newcastle is electrified.
• Huddersfield and Dewsbury will be electrified by the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 25.8 miles
• Dewsbury and Colton Junction – 29.3 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Leeds, which could be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 29.3 miles.

It looks to me that Liverpool Lime Street And Newcastle could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Manchester Airport And Redcar Central

This is an hourly service that calls at Gatley, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Yarm, Thornaby and Middlesbrough.

• Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria is electrified.
• Colton Junction and Northallerton is electrified.
• Huddersfield and Dewsbury will be electrified by the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 25.8 miles
• Dewsbury and Colton Junction – 29.3 miles
• Northallerton and Redcar Central – 28.8 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Leeds, which could be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 29.3 miles.
3. I suspect that charging could be needed at Redcar end of the route. Middlesbrough would probably be best, as it could also charge the LNER services, if they used battery power from Northallerton.

It looks to me that Manchester Airport And Redcar Central could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Manchester Piccadilly And Hull

This is an hourly service that calls at Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Leeds, Selby and Brough.

• Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria is electrified.
• Huddersfield and Dewsbury will be electrified by the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
• Leeds and Neville Hill Depot is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield – 25.8 miles
• Dewsbury and Leeds – 29.3 miles
• Neville Hill Depot and Hull – 50 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Huddersfield and Leeds, which could be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 50 miles.
3. I am sure that charging would be needed at Hull end of the route. Hull would probably be best, as it could also charge the Hull Trains, LNER and Northern Trains services, if they used battery power from the East Coast Main Line.
4. Alternatively, there could be electrification between Hull and Brough. or Neville Hill and Micklefield. The latter would knock eight miles off the unelectrified section and is needed to allow electric trains to access Neville Hill Depot under electric power.

It looks to me that Manchester Piccadilly and Hull could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield

This is an hourly service that calls at Stalybridge, Mossley, Greenfield, Marsden, and Slaithwaite.

• Manchester Piccadilly is electrified.
• Huddersfield is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield – 25.5 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield, which would be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 25.5 miles.
3. Trains would be charged at both ends of the route.

It looks to me that Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Huddersfield And Leeds

This is an hourly service that calls at Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury, Batley, Morley and Cottingley

• Huddersfield is electrified.
• Leeds is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Dewsbury and Leeds – 29.3 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield, Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury and Leeds, which would be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 29.3 miles.
3. Trains would be charged at both ends of the route.

It looks to me that Huddersfield and Leeds could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

York And Scarborough

This is an hourly service that calls at Malton and Seamer

• York is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• York And Scarborough – 42.1 miles

Note.

1. The largest unelectrified section would be 42.1 miles.
2. Trains would be charged at both ends of the route.

It looks to me that York and Scarborough could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

How Many Of Northern Trains’s Services Could Be Decarbonised, if Huddersfield And Dewsbury Were To Be Electrified?

I’ll look at each service that uses this route.

Wigan North Western And Leeds

This is an hourly service that calls at Daisy Hill, Atherton, Walkden, Salford Crescent, Salford Central, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Morley and Cottingley

• Wigan North Western is electrified.
• Salford Crescent and Manchester Victoria is electrified.
• Heaton Lodge East junction and Dewsbury is electrified.
• Leeds is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Wigan North Western and Salford Crescent – 16 miles
• Manchester Victoria and Heaton Lodge East junction – 37.6 miles
• Dewsbury and Leeds – 29.3 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Wigan North Western, Salford Crescent, Salford Central, Manchester Victoria, Mirfield, Dewsbury and Leeds, which would be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 37.6 miles.
3. Trains would be charged at both ends of the route.

It looks to me that Wigan North Western and Leeds could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Huddersfield And Castleford

This is an occasional service that calls at Deighton, Mirfield and Wakefield Kirkgate.

As it is run by buses at the moment, I can’t get the data to work out if it could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

But I suspect it can, after looking at a map.

How Many Of Grand Central’s Services Could Be Decarbonised, if Huddersfield And Dewsbury Were To Be Electrified?

I’ll look at each service that uses this route.

London King’s Cross And Bradford Interchange

This is a four trains per day service that calls at Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor.

• King’s Cross and Doncaster is electrified.
• Mirfield is electrified.

This leaves the following sections without electrification.

• Doncaster and Mirfield – 34.8 miles
• Mirfield and Bradford Interchange – 17.3 miles

Note.

1. There are also stops under the wires, at Mirfield, which would be used to top up the battery.
2. The largest unelectrified section would be 34.8 miles.
3. Trains would need to be charged at Bradford Interchange, during the turnround of around an hour.
4. It is likely, that some electrification will be erected in the Bradford area, to improve services to Leeds.

It looks to me that London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange could be served using a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar.

Conclusion

It looks like electrifying between Huddersfield and Dewsbury will enable a Hitachi Regional Battery Train or similar to work all passenger routes, that run on that section of track.

 

July 1, 2022 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Bradford Interchange Station, Class 802 Train, Deighton Station, Dewsbury Station, Discontinuous Electrification, Electrification, Grand Central Trains, Hitachi Regional Battery Train, Huddersfield And Westtown Upgrade, Huddersfield Station, Leeds Station, Mirfield Station, Ravensthorpe Station, Scarborough, TransPennine Express, TransPennine Upgrade, York Station