The Anonymous Widower

Do Network Rail Have A Cunning Plan To Run Battery Electric Trains To Wigan Wallgate And Blackburn?

This news story, which is entitled £72 million Boost For Train Services In Manchester And The North, was released by the government today.

This is the sub-heading.

This package will improve the passenger experience by having more reliable trains and fewer delays.

These two paragraphs describe the work.

The funding will deliver a third platform at Salford Crescent station and track improvement work across north Manchester to help reduce delays, bottlenecks and station overcrowding, meaning passengers will enjoy more comfortable and reliable journeys.

Manchester Victoria Station will also benefit from extra entry and exit points to platforms, making it easier for passengers to travel through the station during busier periods.

These are my thoughts.

Battery-Electric Trains

New Merseyrail Train Runs 135km On Battery says a lot about the capabilities of modern battery-electric multiple units.

135 km is 84 miles and if you look at services in the Wigan and Blackburn area, these are the services, currently run by diesel trains on lines without electrification.

• Blackburn and Bolton – 13.9 miles
• Blackburn and Manchester Victoria – 39.4 miles
• Hindley and Salford Crescent – 16.2 miles
• Southport and Wigan Wallgate – 17.4 miles
• Kirkby and Wigan Wallgate – 12 miles
• Clitheroe and Bolton – 23.7 miles
• Manchester Piccadilly and Buxton – 19 miles

I believe that a modern battery-electric train would be able to handle all these routes, with assistance from regenerative braking and Newton’s friend.

I also believe that CAF, Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler would be capable of building a battery-electric train for these routes.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification between Wigan and Lostock Junction.

Note.

1. Wigan is in the South-West corner of the map.
2. Lostock Junction is in the North-East corner of the map.
3. The black and red line between Wigan and Lostock Junction indicates the track is being electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
4. The black line going East to the South-East corner of the map is the unelectrified line to Salford Crescent via Atherton.
5. At Lostock Junction the line joins the electrified Manchester and Preston Line via Bolton.

Network Rail’s layout means that trains to Kirkby, Southport and Salford Crescent via Atherton can all charge their batteries in a convenient station before embarking to their destination without electrification.

The Third Platform At Salford Crescent Station

Three platforms at Salford Crescent will give capacity advantages.

But it will also mean, that if all battery-electric trains for Wigan Wallgate via Atherton can have a dedicated platform, that if necessary, they can use to top up the batteries.

Northern’s Trans-Pennine Services

Northern Trains run four hourly trains across the Pennines.

• York and Blackpool North via Church Fenton, Garforth, Leeds, New Pudsey, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge, Burnley Manchester Road, Accrington, Blackburn, Preston, Kirkham & Wesham and Poulton-le-Fylde.
• Leeds and Manchester Victoria via Bramley, New Pudsey, Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Rochdale.
• Leeds and Wigan Wallgate via Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Walsden, Littleborough, Smithy Bridge, Rochdale, Manchester Victoria, Salford Central, Salford Crescent, Swinton, Moorside, Walkden, Atherton, Hag Fold, Daisy Hill, Hindley and Ince.
• Leeds and Chester via Bramley, New Pudsey, Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden, Rochdale, Manchester Victoria, Newton-le-Willows, Earlestown and Warrington Bank Quay.

Note.

1. All routes are partly electrified.
2. Hebden Bridge gets four trains per hour (tph).
3. Bradford Interchange, Halifax, New Pudsey Rochdale, Sowerby Bridge, Todmorden and Manchester Victoria get three tph.
4. It is a comprehensive set of routes serving nearly fifty stations in the North.

Stretches of line without electrification include.

• Chester and Earlstown – 23 miles
• Leeds and Manchester Victoria – 49.8 miles
• Leeds and Blackburn – 50.2 miles
• Hindley and Salford Crescent – 16.2 miles

There may be a need to electrify Blackburn and Preston or some other short sections.

Conclusion

I have a feeling that most of the diesel services in Manchester could be replaced by battery-electric trains.

May 25, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Battery-Electric Trains, Blackburn Station, Buxton Station, Kirkby Station, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Manchester Victoria Station, Northern Trains, Southport Station, Wigan Wallgate Station