Extending The Elizabeth Line – Thoughts On The Maximum Frequency In The Central Tunnel
The Wikipedia entry for the Elizabeth Line, says this about the indicative timetable after the 6th November 2022.
The indicative timetable consists of the following services on the Elizabeth line during peak hours: there will be 24 trains per hour (tph) in each direction in the central section (Paddington to Whitechapel): of these, 12 will run between Shenfield and Paddington, 6 will run between Abbey Wood and Heathrow, and 6 between Abbey Wood and either Reading or Maidenhead. Some trains on the Reading branch will not stop at all stations. Passengers travelling between stations west of Paddington and those on the north-eastern branch will need to change trains in the central section. Changing trains at Hayes & Harlington will be required for travel between Hanwell, West Ealing or Acton Main Line and other stations on the Reading branch.
The north-eastern section via Stratford is expected to see an additional four trains per hour during peak times between Gidea Park and the existing main line Liverpool Street station’s high level terminating platforms. Since these trains run over existing above-ground lines from Liverpool Street to Stratford, they will not call at Whitechapel.
When you consider, that Dear Old Vicky can handle 36 tph in the Peak, I feel that at some point in the future, the Elizabeth Line will handle more trains in the Central Tunnel.
This article on London Reconnections, which is entitled The Ninety Second Railway: Making the Victoria The Most Frequent Metro In The World, gives a history of increasing the frequency on the Victoria Line.
This is a paragraph from the article.
Of course, having the trains is only one part of the requirement. As our editor John Bull is prone to point out, there comes a point where frequency is not about how many trains you can squeeze through the tunnels, but about how quickly you can get passengers onto and clear of, the platforms.
As a regular passenger on the Victoria Line, there are times, when you notice that there are queues for the escalators and in the passageways at certain stations.
The Victoria Line probably can’t go to forty tph without substantial work on several stations.
But as these pictures show, the Elizabeth Line has space.
The Central Tunnel stations also have step-free walk-across access to the trains.
On my many journeys on the Lizzie Line, I’ve yet to see any delays in boarding in the Central Tunnel.
Extra Terminals
At present, the Elizabeth Line has been designed to have these terminal stations.
- Abbey Wood
- Heathrow Terminal 4
- Heathrow Terminal 5
- Maidenhead
- Paddington
- Reading
- Shenfield
The capacity in the East must match the capacity in the West.
Possible terminals in the East could be.
- Beaulieu Park
- Gravesend
- Hoo
- Northfleet
- Southend Victoria
And in the West they could be.
- Bedwyn
- Newbury
- Oxford
- Swindon
The numbers must still match.
Extra services would probably best be added gradually with time, when a need was proven.
Conclusion
I feel that only three things will limit the frequency of Elizabeth Line trains through the Central Tunnel.
- A frequency that fits the passenger numbers and route preferences.
- The capacity of the terminals
- The ability for engineers to meet that frequency safely and at an affordable cost.
Given that at certain times of the day, the Elizabeth Line is busier than you would expect, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that frequency higher than that planned.
Ilford Station – 4th September 2022
Ilford station is now substantially complete.
Note.
- Because of testing, the Elizabeth Line was running through Platforms 1 and 2 at Ilford station.
- Platforms 3 and 4 are running a test service between Shenfield and Paddington.
- Train displays on Platform 3 are showing trains going to Paddington.
It would appear, that there’s still a bit of work to finish.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting North Kent Line Services To The Central Tunnel At Abbey Wood
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Abbey Wood.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in purple.
- The North Kent Line is shown in black.
- The North Kent Line platform to London is the Southernmost platform and is numbered 1.
- The North Kent Line platform from London is the other Southern platform and is numbered 2.
- The Elizabeth Line platforms are numbered 3 and 4.
- Platform 4 is the Northernmost platform.
At present the Elizabeth Line service to Abbey Wood station is twelve trains per hour (tph), with each platform handling six tph.
This picture shows trains in both Platform 3 and 4 looking towards the station buildings.
Note.
- Platform 3 is on the right.
- Platform 4 is on the left.
In Elizabeth Line To Ebbsfleet Extension Could Cost £3.2 Billion, I talk about this proposal as described in this article on Ian Visits.
One of the key features of Crossrail To Ebbsfleet (C2E) project is that instead of all trains terminating at Abbey Wood, trains will terminate as follows.
- Abbey Wood – 4 tph
- Northfleet – 4 tph
- Gravesend – 4 tph
This will mean that 8 tph would pass through Abbey Wood station.
- Platform 4 could certainly handle the four tph that terminated on the Elizabeth Line.
- Platform 3 would need to handle eight tph in both directions or sixteen tph to fulfil the proposed C2E service.
- This would be one train every 225 seconds.
I believe that digital signalling could handle this easily and safely.
I am fairly sure that the track layout at Abbey Wood allows eight tph to go both ways between the North Kent Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
The Maximum Capacity At Abbey Wood Station
Because of the current track layout at Abbey Wood, I believe that without track modifications, Abbey Wood station will not be able to handle more than 12 tph.
Energy Storage Will Deliver ‘Tens Of Billions Of Pounds A Year’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Energy Live News.
This is the first paragraph.
This week’s Net Hero Podcast delves into how energy storage is being underappreciated as a key to cutting costs on our energy bills.
I have listened to the half-hour podcast and it is a fascinating interview with Rupert Pearce, who is the CEO of Highview Power.
He talks about.
- Green stability services
- Power stations in a box
- Vehicle-to-grid storage
- How Highview Power is location agnostic.
- And lots of other topics.
He also talks about the twenty Highview Power CRYOBatteries located around the country and financed traditionally, as there is money to be made.
Listen to what he has to say!
Conclusion
Rupert Pearce is a man with vision. And I like what he says!
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Eastern Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel
If say it was ever needed to run a train between Ipswich or Southend Victoria stations and the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, three things must be possible.
Trains Would Have To Be Compatible With The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line
As any train would have to be compatible with the platform-edge doors in the central tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, the trains would have to be dimensionally identical to the current Class 345 trains.
- Nine cars
- Possibility of lengthening to ten cars.
- 204.73 metres long.
- 6 sets of doors per carriage
- Ability to run under full digital signalling.
I covered this in detail in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line.
Trains Would Need A 100 mph Capability To Travel On The Fast Lines Of The Great Eastern Main Line
They would be designed for a higher speed of at least 100 mph, to enable running on the fast lines.
The faster running would ease scheduling of the trains.
Effectively, the train would be a Class 345 train with more features and considerably more grunt.
Trains Must Be Able To Connect Between The Fast Lines And The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Stratford
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Stratford.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in black and purple.
- The Elizabeth Line to Shenfield goes through Platform 8 at Stratford station and Platform 2 at Maryland station.
- The Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield goes through Platform 10 at Stratford station and Platform 4 at Maryland station.
- The Stratford country end crossovers allow a train using the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel to go through Platform 8 at Stratford station and Platform 4 at Maryland station before continuing on the Great Eastern Main Line.
- The Elizabeth Line to Central London goes through Platform 1 at Maryland station and Platform 5 at Stratford station.
- The Great Eastern Main Line to Central London goes through Platform 3 at Maryland station and Platform 9 at Stratford station.
- The Stratford country end crossovers allow a train using the Great Eastern Main Line to go through Platform 3 at Maryland station and Platform 3 at Stratford station before continuing through the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
I am fairly sure that the track layout at Stratford allows trains to go both ways between Great Eastern Main Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Western Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel
If say it was ever needed to run a train between Oxford or Swindon stations and the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, three things must be possible.
Trains Would Have To Be Compatible With The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line
As any train would have to be compatible with the platform-edge doors in the central tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, the trains would have to be dimensionally identical to the current Class 345 trains.
- Nine cars
- Possibility of lengthening to ten cars.
- 204.73 metres long.
- 6 sets of doors per carriage
- Ability to run under full digital signalling.
I covered this in detail in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line.
Trains Would Need A 125 mph Capability To Travel On The Fast Lines Of The Great Western Main Line
They would be designed for a higher speed of at least 110 or 125 mph, to enable running on the fast lines.
The faster running would ease scheduling of the trains.
Effectively, the train would be a Class 345 train with more features and considerably more grunt.
Trains Must Be Able To Connect Between The Fast Lines And The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Royal Oak
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Royal Oak.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in purple.
- Great Western Railway (GWR) tracks are shown in black.
- Where the Elizabeth Line shares the tracks with GWR services the tracks are shown in black and purple.
This map shows an enlargement of Kensal Green East Junction in the North-West corner of the previous map.
Note.
- The top pair of lines lead to the Elizabeth Line Depot at Old Oak Common.
- the pair of lines that are shown in black and purple handle Elizabeth Line and GWR local services.
- The pair of black lines are the Great Western Main Line.
- North Pole Depot is used by GWR for their Hitachi trains.
This map shows an enlargement between Ladbroke Grove Junction and Royal Oak.
Note.
- In the South-East corner of the map is Subway junction, which appears to have two crossovers for maximum flexibility.
- To the East of Subway junction the curved line indicates the Royal Oak Portal of the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
- To the West of Subway junction, there is Paddington New Yard, where there is five tracks labelled CRL Eastbound, Turnback C, Turnback B, Turnback A and CRL Westbound from North to South.
- Turnback C, Turnback B and Turnback A are the three turnback sidings, where trains are turned back East through the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
- CRL Eastbound and CRL Westbound can be followed across the map to the black and purple lines of the Elizabeth Line to the West of Ladbroke Grove junction.
- At present the Western section of the Elizabeth Line terminates in Paddington station. Crossovers at Portobello junction appear to connect the Western section of the Elizabeth Line into Paddington station.
- More crossovers also appear to connect the Great Western Main Line to the CRL Eastbound and CRL Westbound through Paddington New Yard.
I am fairly sure that the track layout at Royal Oak allows trains to go both ways between Great Western Main Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
Pumped Storage Development In Scotland
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on International Water Power & Dam Construction.
It describes and gives the current status of the two large pumped storage hydroelectric schemes under development in Scotland.
The 1.5 GW/30 GWh scheme at Coire Glass, that is promoted by SSE.
The Cruachan 2 scheme, that is promoted by Drax, that will upgrade Cruachan power station to 1.04 GW/7.2 GWh.
Note.
- Construction of both schemes could start in 2024, with completion in 2030.
- Both, SSE and Drax talk of a substantial uplift in employment during the construction.
- Both companies say that updated government legislation is needed for schemes like these.
The article is very much a must-read.
Conclusion
Welcome as these schemes are, given the dates talked about, it looks like we will need some other energy storage to bridge the gap until Coire Glas and Cruachan 2 are built.
Will Highview Power step forward with a fleet of their 2.5 GW/30 GWh CRYOBatteries, as was proposed by Rupert Pearce in Britain Will Soon Have A Glut Of Cheap Power, And World-Leading Batteries To Store It.
- The site needed for each CRYOBattery could be smaller than a football pitch.
- In Could A Highview Power CRYOBattery Use A LNG Tank For Liquid Air Storage?, I came to the conclusion that a single LNG tank could hold a lot of liquid air.
- The storing and recovery of the energy uses standard turbomachinery from MAN.
- Highview Power should unveil their first commercial system at Carrington near Manchester this year.
I am sure, that when they get their system working, they could build one in around a year.
Berwick Bank Wind Farm Could Provide Multi-Billion Pound Boost To Scottish Economy And Generate Thousands Of Jobs
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
This press release is all about numbers.
- 307 turbines
- 4.1 GW nameplate capacity
- 5 million homes will be powered
- 8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide avoided
- Up to £8.3 billion to the UK economy
- 4650 potential jobs in Scotland
- 9300 potential jobs in the UK
These are all large figures.
This map from SSE shows the location of the wind farm.
The press release says this about connections to the grid.
Berwick Bank has secured a grid connection at Branxton, near Torness, in East Lothian. A second grid connection will be required for the project, which has been determined as Blyth, Northumberland.
Note, that Torness is the site of Torness nuclear power station.
- It has a nameplate capacity of 1.29 GW.
- It is scheduled to be shutdown in 2028.
This Google Map shows the coast between Dunbar and Torness nuclear power station.
Note.
- The town of Dunbar is outlined in red.
- The yellow line running diagonally across the map is the A1 road.
- Torness nuclear power station is in the South-East corner of the map to the North of the A1.
This second Google Map shoes an enlargement of the South-East corner of the map.
Note.
- Torness nuclear power station at the top of the map.
- The A1 road running across the map.
- The East Coast Main Line to the South of the A1.
- Innerwick Castle in the South-West corner of the map.
This Google Map shows the location of Branxton substation in relation to Innerwick Castle.
Note.
- Innerwick Castle is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Branxton substation is in the South-East corner of the map.
I estimate that the distance between Torness nuclear power station and Branxton substation is about five kilometres. The cable appears to be underground.
I have some thoughts.
Will The Connection Between Berwick Bank Wind Farm And Branxton Substation Be Underground?
If SSE follows the precedent of Torness nuclear power station, it will be underground.
Or will they use T-pylons?
This page on the National Grid web site is entitled What’s A T-Pylon And How Do We Build Them?.
From an engineering point of view, I suspect T-pylons could be used, but aesthetics and local preference may mean the cable is underground.
It should be noted that Torness nuclear power station will be shutdown in 2028. So will the current underground cable for the nuclear power station be repurposed after shutdown for the Berwick Bank wind farm?
This would mean, that the Southern connection cable to Blyth could be built first to support the first turbines erected in the wind farm.
When Will Berwick Bank Wind Farm Be Commissioned?
This page on the Berwick Bank wind farm web site is a briefing pack on the project.
The page gives construction and commission dates of 2026-2030.
Will There Be A Battery At Torness?
As we are talking about the latter half of the current decade for completion of the Berwick Bank wind farm, I believe that a substantial battery could be installed at Torness to smooth the output of the wind farm, when the wins isn’t blowing at full power.
One of Highview Power’s 2.5 GW/30 GWh CRYOBatteries could be about the right size if it has been successfully developed, but I am sure that other batteries will be of a suitable size.
If there is a case for a battery at Torness, there must surely be a case for a battery at Blyth.
Will Berwick Bank Wind Farm Be A Replacement For Torness Nuclear Power Station?
Consider.
- Torness nuclear power station is shutting down in 2028.
- Berwick Bank wind farm will be fully operational by 2030.
- Berwick Bank wind farm could use a repurposed connection to Branxton substation, if the nuclear power station no longer needs it.
- There is space on the Torness site for a large battery.
, it looks like Torness nuclear power station could be replaced by the larger wind farm.
When Did You Last See A Bluebottle?
I was on a train today and a big fly flew through.
But it wasn’t a bluebottle and I can’t remember seeing one for some time.
They were much more common, when I was growing up in the 1950s.
The Anonymous Widower 