The Anonymous Widower

East-West Rail: Electrification

The first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the East West Railway, says this about electrification.

As of March 2020, electrification of the line is not planned, but the 2019 decision (to rule it out) is under review.

But I don’t think it’s a simple decision of electrify or not!

These observations are guiding my thoughts.

Milton Keynes Central Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms and whether they are electrified in Milton Keynes Central station.

Note.

1. Lines shown in red are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
2. The short platform is Platform 2A, which can take a five-car train and was built recently to terminate the Marston Vale Line service.
3. Could Platform 2A be ideal for handling and charging, battery-electric trains, that terminate in Milton Keynes station?

The Wikipedia entry for Milton KeynesCentral station, has a section called Platforms and Layout, which gives full details.

Bletchley Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms and whether they are electrified in Bletchley station.

Note.

1. Lines shown in red are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
2. The wide swath of red going North is the West Coast Main Line.
3. The smaller patch of red to the East of the West Coast Main Line are electrified sidings.
4. All low-level platforms at Bletchley station are electrified.
5. The viaduct platforms, are shown in black as they are not electrified.
6. A non-electrified line leads North-West from the viaduct towards Milton Keynes Central.
7. The Milton Keynes end of the line between Milton Keynes Central station and the viaduct is electrified.
8. A non-electrified line leads North-East from the viaduct towards Fenny Stratford and Bedford.

The Google Map shows a 3D visualisation of Bletchley station.

I can’t see much sign of any electrification.

Bedford Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms and the electrification around Bedford station.

Note.

1. All platforms at Bedford station are electrified.
2. The lines to the West of the station are the electrified Midland Main Line.
3. The Marston Vale Line services terminate in the short Platform 1A, which is the South-East corner of the station.
4. The track into Platform 1A is electrified for about two hundred metres, through the sidings South of the station.

This picture shows the electrified track as it crosses over the river.

Could Platform 1A be ideal for handling and charging, battery-electric trains, that terminate in Bedford station?

It’s odd that there is the same platform layout at both ends of the Marston Vale Line.

Is it just a coincidence or does Engineer Baldrick have a cunning Plan?

Oxford Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms and the electrification around Oxford station.

Note.

1. The dotted red and black tracks, indicate electrification is planned.
2. The planned electrification will connect Oxford station to Didcot Junction station.
3. The two bay platforms at the North of the station are not electrified and Platform 2 is now used by Chiltern’s London services.
4. Platform 1 could be used by trains on the East West Railway that terminate at Oxford.

When Oxford station is electrified, it wouldn’t be the largest project to add 25 KVAC overhead electrification to the two bay platforms.

Aylesbury Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms and the lack of electrification around Aylesbury station.

Note.

1. No tracks are electrified.
2. Platforms are numbered 3, 2, 1 from the top, so 2 and 3 are paired in the middle.
3. All freight trains go through Platform 2 and most seem to go via Princes Risborough and High Wycombe.
4. Chiltern services use Platforms 1 and 3.

Putting a charging system in Aylesbury station could be tricky.

I wonder if the simplest system for East West Railway would be to electrify between Aylesbury and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations.

Chiltern Railway’s time between the two stations is as much as seven minutes.

Some trains to Aylesbury take over twenty minutes to do the short journey to Aylesbury Vale Parkway and return, which is more than enough to fully-charge a battery-electric train.

You can even have Chiltern’s hourly Aylesbury Parkway service, sharing the same stretch of electrification with East West Railway’s Aylesbury service, as there is a loop, which creates double-track for some of the way.

It should be noted that between Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations is only 41.1 miles, so some battery-electric trains could do that with a full charge at one end.

East West Railway Distances

In Trains Needed For The East West Railway, I calculated some of these distances.

• Oxford and Bedford – 46.8 miles
• Oxford and Milton Keynes – 33.4 miles
• Aylesbury and Milton Keynes – 25.9 miles

With charging at both ends, all of these routes are possible using modern battery-electric trains, where even a Class 777 IPEMU, designed for extending Merseyrail’s suburban network has done 84 miles on one charge.

On To Cambridge

In this document on the East-West Rail Consortium web site, these services are suggested, for when the East West Railway is complete.

• An hourly train via Norwich terminating at Great Yarmouth.
• An hourly train via Ipswich terminating at Manningtree.

These are distances on these routes that are not electrified, that are to the East of Cambridge.

• Ely and Norwich – 53.7 miles
• Norwich and Great Yarmouth – 18.3 miles
• Cambridge and Haughley Junction – 40.3 miles

Note.

1. The Manningtree service would be able to charge its batteries after passing Haughley junction going East and it would be nearly an hour before it needed to use the battery for traction.
2. If the Yarmouth service could handle the full route on batteries, then it could return to Cambridge with an efficient charger at Great Yarmouth, which for 25 KVAC overhead electrification trains is an off the shelf item.
3. But it does look to me that the trains must leave Cambridge with full batteries, so they can reach electrification at Bedford, Haughley or Norwich.

This map shows the route of the East West Railway between Bedford and Cambridge.

Note.

1. Bedford is on the electrified Midland Main Line to London.
2. Tempsford is on the electrified East Coast Main Line to London.
3. Cambridge has two electrified main lines to London.
4. These connections should ensure a good power supply to the East of Bedford for electrification.

I suspect the easiest option will be to add some more electrification at one or more of these places.

• At the Eastern end of the Bedford and Cambridge section.
• To the West of Haughley junction, when it is rebuilt.
• To the North of Ely, when the railways in that area are improved.

Although, as it will be a new route, it might be best to build Bedford and Cambridge as an electrified railway.

June 3, 2023 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Battery-Electric Trains, Bedford Station, Bletchley Station, Bletchley Viaduct, Cambridge Station, Chiltern Railways, East Coast Main Line, East West Railway, East West Railway - Eastern Section Prospectus, Electrification, Marston Vale Line, Midland Main Line, Milton Keynes Central Station, Oxford Station