Grand Central Trains And CAF’s Tri-Mode Trains
In First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line, I wrote about LNER’s purchase of a new fleet of ten CAF tri-mode trains to work services between London and Yorkshire.
In this press release from LNER, which is entitled First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line, this is a paragraph.
This new fleet of trains will keep LNER on track to reduce its emissions by 67 per cent by 2035 and be net zero by 2045. LNER has already reduced carbon emissions by 50 per cent compared with 2018/19. Per mile, LNER trains produce 15 times less carbon emissions than a domestic flight.
I believe that as they compete over similar routes with LNER, that Grand Central Trains will have to implement a similar decarbonisation strategy or their business will suffer.
The new trains for Grand Central Trains, will need to have the following conditions.
Train Length
Consider.
- The train must be able to fit all the platforms it will use.
- Ten-cars may be too long for some of the platforms.
- Train length should also be long enough to capture as much of the market as possible.
But as adjusting the length of trains is an easy process, I suspect all manufacturers will be happy to supply extra carriages.
Distances Without Electrification
These are the distances on Grand Central Trains’s services without electrification.
- Doncaster and Bradford Interchange – 52.1 miles
- Northallerton and Sunderland – 47.4 miles
A battery-electric train with a battery range of 110 miles would probably be able to reach Sunderland and return, after charging on the main line.
But a CAF tri-mode train, which ran on diesel or a suitable sustainable fuel like biodiesel or HVO wouldn’t give the driver, operator or passengers any worries.
Possible Time Savings To Bradford
Digital signalling is being installed on the East Coast Main Line between Woolmer Green and Dalton-on-Tees, which will allow running on the line up to 140 mph.
- Woolmer Green is 132.1 miles South of Doncaster.
- A typical train time by Grand Central Trains is 75 minutes.
- This is an average speed of 110 mph.
- Trains take typically three hours and eight minutes between London and Bradford Interchange.
I can build a table of timings and savings at various average speeds.
- 120 mph – 66 minutes – 9 minutes
- 125 mph – 63 minutes – 12 minutes
- 130 mph – 61 minutes – 14 minutes
- 140 mph – 57 minutes – 18 minutes
Several times, I have timed an Hitachi train running at 125 mph on routes like the East Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line, so I have no doubt, that London and Bradford Interchange services can be less than three hours.
These journey time savings will be available to any train able to use the digital electrified railway to the South of Doncaster.
Possible Time Savings To Sunderland
Dalton-on-Tees, where the first phase of the digitally signalling will end, is North of Northallerton, so once the Sunderland train is on the East Coast Main Line, it will be a digital electrified railway all the way to Woolmer Green.
- Woolmer Green is 194.6 miles South of Northallerton.
- A typical train time by Grand Central Trains is 151 minutes.
- This is an average speed of 77.3 mph.
- Trains take typically three hours and twenty-eight minutes between London and Sunderland.
I can build a table of timings and savings at various average speeds.
- 120 mph – 97 minutes – 54 minutes
- 125 mph – 93 minutes – 58 minutes
- 130 mph – 89 minutes – 62 minutes
- 140 mph – 83 minutes – 68 minutes
It looks like times of two hours and thirty minutes will be possible between between London and Sunderland.
Will The Trains Need A 140 mph Capability?
Trains will need to average 125 mph on the digital electrified East Coast Main Line to get under three hours for Bradford Interchange and 2½ hours for Sunderland, so I feel a 140 mph capability is required between Northallerton and London.
Could The Trains Split And Join At Doncaster?
High speed paths on the digitally signalled and electrified East Coast Main Line might be at a premium, so running pairs of five-car trains to two destinations could be commonplace working.
- It could be a way of increasing frequency to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, by perhaps running pairs of five-car trains that split at Doncaster.
- Grand Union Trains have proposed in the past to use splitting and joining to run services to Cleethorpes.
As Hitachi trains can split and join, I suspect that the CAF tri-mode trains will be at least able to be retrofitted with the ability.
Conclusion
These are my conclusions.
- The digital signalling certainly gives good time saving to Yorkshire and the North-East
- New trains for Grand Union Trains would give them faster services on their existing routes.
- Trains with a 140 mph capability would be needed.
- CAF tri-mode trains wouldn’t need any new infrastructure, but battery-electric trains may need chargers at the destinations.
- Because of the lower infrastructure requirements, I think the CAF trains will get the nod.
The Anonymous Widower 