The Anonymous Widower

Platform Canopies To Be Renovated For Passengers At Lancaster Station

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Station platform canopies are being renovated at Lancaster to improve passenger journeys on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail is investing £9.5m to restore and upgrade the station building for the future.

This picture from Network Rail shows an aerial view of the station.

Note that the camera is looking South.

This picture shows the current canopies.

Network Rail can surely do better on a Grade II Listed Building.

The press release lists that this work will be done.

• Replacing all glazing in the platform canopies
• Repairing and strengthening the structure of the canopy structures
• Repainting across the station

The press release says the work won’t affect train services, but will be done when trains aren’t running.

These are my thoughts.

Lancaster Station and High Speed Two

Lancaster station will be a terminus on the High Speed Two Network.

Note.

1. Train 4 , which is a pair of 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains, leaves London Euston  and splits at Crewe, with one train going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
2. Train 12, which runs between Birmingham Curzon Street and Scotland, also calls at Lancaster.

Both trains will be single 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains at Lancaster station and platforms 3, 4 and 5 can handle them.

But how will the Lancaster train terminate?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the lines through Lancaster station.

Note.

1. The red lines are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
2. In the North-West corner of the station are the bay platforms 1 and 2, which handle Morecambe services.
3. West Coast Main Line services between London Euston and Scotland, go through platforms 3 and 4 in the middle of the station.
4. On the East side of the station is platform 5 which is on a loop off the West Coast Main Line.

I would expect that the London Euston and Lancaster service will generally terminate in platform 5.

Wikipedia says this about platform 5 and the signalling.

Platform 5, which can be used by both northbound and southbound trains or by terminating services.

All platforms are signalled for arrivals and departures in either direction.

That all sounds very convenient.

There may be some minor changes for the longer High Speed Two trains, but I doubt it would be too challenging.

Onward To Morecambe

The Eden Project North at Morecambe  could attract a lot of traffic.

• Lancaster will be just two hours and three minutes from London by High Speed Two.
• There are numerous rail connections from Lancaster to all over the North of England and Scotland.
• Would you drive for two hours to the Eden Project North, if there was a convenient and quicker train?
• Train companies may offer combined tickets for the attraction with rail tickets.

Wikipedia says this about the development and opening of the attraction.

Having been granted planning permission in January 2022 and with £50 million of levelling-up funding granted in January 2023, it is due to open in 2024 and predicted to benefit the North West economy by £200 million per year.

I’ve always wanted to go to the Eden Project in Cornwall, but it’s difficult if you don’t drive.

However, I might manage to get to Eden Project North.

Trains between Morecambe and Lancaster are at least hourly.

• I think they can use any platform at Lancaster.
• Morecambe station has two platforms.
• Morecambe and Lancaster stations are four miles apart, with probably half electrified.
• A battery-electric train could work between Morecambe and Lancaster.

I can envisage two main ways to arrange the connection between Morecambe and Lancaster.

• Trains arrive in Lancaster and passengers for Morecambe catch the next Morecambe train for two stops, that take ten minutes.
• When High Speed Two serves Lancaster from Euston, the shuttle train can wait in the Northern end of Platform 5 and when the High Speed Two train arrives passengers can just walk up the platform to the shuttle.

But if the Eden Project North is as successful as the Cornish original, there is going to be a need for more trains between Morecambe and Lancaster.

This Google Map shows Morecambe station.

Note that the island platform is probably about 160 metres long.

This would accommodate.

• A five-car Class 802 or Class 805 train.
• A pair of four-car Class 319, Class 321 trains.
• A pair of three-car Class 331 trains.

But why not be bold and lengthen at least one platform to the full two hundred metres, so that it can accommodate a High Speed Classic Compatible train?

This would also accommodate.

• A seven-car Class 807 train.
• A pair of four-car Class 331 trains.

All of these electric trains would need the Morecambe branch line to be electrified to Morecambe station.

But the Eden Project North would get the public transport access it needs.

Electrifying To Morecambe

This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the Morecambe Branch Line between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station.

Note.

1. The tracks shown in red on the Eastern side of the map are the West Coast Main Line.
2. The black lines are the unelectrified tracks of the Morecambe branch line.
3. Morecambe station is marked by the blue arrow.
4. Much of the Morecambe branch line is single track, with some sections of double track.
5. The distance between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station is around 2.1 miles.

I don’t think it would be the most challenging of electrifications.

A Green Route To The Isle Of Man And Ireland

This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the terminal of the Morecambe Branch Line at Heysham Port.

Note.

1. There is a rail connection to the West Coast Main Line via Morecambe, which is shown in yellow.
2. The port appears to have three berths for ferries.
3. There are only a couple of train services per day.
4. South of the port is the Heysham nuclear power station, which has a capacity of 2.5 GW.

At a first glance, it would appear, that a rail-served passenger terminal could be built close to the port.

I suspect most passengers using Heysham are travelling with a vehicle.

The problem is also that the ferry crossing to Belfast takes around eight hours and there are faster and more convenient routes.

The ferries could be decarbonised by using ammonia or hydrogen fuel, but I doubt that they would be any faster.

I suspect that getting more passengers to use Heysham for the Isle of Man or Ireland will be a difficult proposition to sell to passengers.

And it is made even more difficult with such an infrequent train service.

Before High Speed Two

Avanti West Coast might like to run a train between Euston and Morecambe for the Eden Project North.

Are National Rail Promoting Theme Parks?

I found this page on the National Rail web site, which is entitled Theme Parks.

It gives a list of most theme parks and their nearest stations.

Does such a page exist for hospitals, cathedrals and other similar groups.

 

 

 

 

 

March 20, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Battery-Electric Trains, Eden Project Morecambe, Heysham Port, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, Ireland, Isle Of Man, Lancaster Station, Morecambe Station, Network Rail, Theme Parks, West Coast Main Line