The Anonymous Widower

Could HS2 Trains Continue To Wales?

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on New Civil Engineer.

This is the sub-heading.

North Wales business group Growth Track 360 has recently renewed its calls for electrification of the North Wales Main Line to accommodate HS2 trains.

These two paragraphs add some more detail.

The group is pushing for electrification of the North Wales Main Line to Crewe and Warrington, which would allow HS2 trains to run directly from London and Birmingham to Chester and beyond.

It has also commissioned a series of conceptual artworks to help the public visualise the proposed improvements. Produced by Nataliia Marchuk, a Ukrainian Fine Arts undergraduate at the University of Chester, the first shows an HS2 train passing Conwy Castle on an electrified North Wales Main Line.

The article dates from May 2022, so it is a bit old now, but transport in Wales is moving on.

On the Growth Track 360 web site, I found this mission statement.

Growth Track 360 has been launched to secure £1bn of rail improvements, which would transform the North Wales and Cheshire regional economy and deliver 70,000 new jobs over 20 years.
It’s being led by a cross-border alliance of business, political and public sector leaders.
If successful, it would lead to a massive boost to the North Wales, Cheshire and Wirral economies, linking them with the planned HS2 line between London and the North of England.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways in the area.

Note.

  1. The lilac tracks are Merseyrail’s third rail network.
  2. The lilac knot in the North-West corner of the map is the city of Liverpool.
  3. The red tracks are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead and connect Liverpool to Manchester in the East and Crewe in the South-East corner of the map.
  4. The black tracks are not electrified.
  5. The blue arrow marks the position of Chester.
  6. The lilac line going North from Chester is the Borderlands Line to Liverpool.
  7. Chester and Crewe are a distance of just over twenty-one miles.

Looking at the route on Google maps, I don’t think to electrify between Crewe and Chester will be the most difficult of projects.

The Advantage Of Electrifying Between Crewe and Chester

In How Far Will A Class 897 Train Travel Without Using The Electrification?, I showed that that these new tri-mode trains have a range of 120 miles.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I look at the data sheet, that Hitachi published in late 2023.

These were my conclusions about the data sheet.

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

Hitachi have seen my figures.

They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.

It looks like Great British Railways will have at least two 125 mph, 120 mile range express trains away from the wires.

These are distances from Chester.

  • Holyhead – 84.4 miles
  • Bangor – 59.7 miles
  • Llandudno Junction – 44.7 miles

It would appear that electrifying between Crewe and Chester will be an insurance policy to make sure, that battery-electric trains can serve Holyhead.

Electrifying between Crewe and Chester, will also ensure, that any battery-electric train leaves Chester with a full battery.

Are There Any Battery-Electric High Speed Trains?

I asked Google AI, this question and received this answer.

Yes, battery-electric high-speed and intercity trains are entering service, primarily in Europe. While many battery trains are designed for regional speeds, Hitachi Rail offers intercity battery trains capable of high speeds and over 70 km ranges. In 2026, the UK’s Great Western Railway (GWR) launched a record-breaking, fast-charging battery train with a 200-mile range.

Key Developments in Battery Trains:

Hitachi Rail Intercity Battery Trains: These trains can operate at intercity speeds, designed for both electrified and non-electrified routes, enhancing sustainability without sacrificing performance.

GWR Class 230 Battery Train: This UK-based, three-car train achieved a world record of over 200 miles on a single charge in 2025.

Rapid Charging Technology: The GWR train uses a 2,000kW fast charger, allowing it to recharge in just over three minutes while stopped at a station, making it suitable for extending electrical service without full, expensive track electrification.

Regional Battery Trains: Beyond the UK, Hitachi’s battery trains (Full battery, Hybrid, Tri-brid) are part of a broader shift in Europe toward lowering emissions. In Argentina, battery-electric units are also used for regional services, designed to operate with solar-powered charging.

These developments show a move towards using battery technology to reduce reliance on diesel trains on partially electrified lines.

How Long Will HS2 Take To Go Between London Euston And Holyhead?

Consider.

  • Sources like the House of Commons Library give HS2 times of 56 minutes between London Euston snd Crewe.
  • Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains take two hours and two minutes between Crewe and Holyhead.

I don’t think that a sub-three hour journey is unreasonable.

Is A Green Route Between London And Dublin Possible?

As we’re more likely to see a zero-carbon ferry, than a zero-carbon airliner. Yes!

April 27, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Making The Most Of What Is Left Of High Speed Two

High Speed Two is in a bit of a mess.

In the original design for HS2, this was the service pattern.

Note.

  1. Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
  2. Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
  3. Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
  4. The dotted circles are stations, where trains split and join.
  5. In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.

Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

The Eastern Leg Has Been Cancelled

This means that these trains have been cancelled.

  • Train 15 – 200 m HS2 FS – Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds via East Midlands Hub
  • Train 16 – 200 m HS2 FS – Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds via East Midlands Hub
  • Train 17 – 200 m HS2 CC – Birmingham Curzon Street and Newcastle via East Midlands Hub, York, Darlington and Durham
  • Train 18a – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Sheffield via Old Oak Common, East Midlands Hub
  • Train 18b – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common and East Midlands Hub
  • Train 19 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common and East Midlands Hub
  • Train 20 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and East Midlands Hub
  • Train 21a – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Sheffield via Old Oak Common, East Midlands Hub and Chesterfield
  • Train 21b – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and York via Old Oak Common and East Midlands Hub
  • Train 22 – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Newcastle via Old Oak Common and York
  • Train 23 – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Newcastle via Old Oak Common, York, Darlington and Durham

Note.

  1. All trains are one train per hour (tph)
  2. Train 18 splits and joins at East Midlands Hub, so runs as a 400 m train between London Euston and East Midlands Hub.
  3. Train 21 splits and joins at East Midlands Hub, so runs as a 400 m train between London Euston and East Midlands Hub.
  4. There are now no Birmingham and Leeds services.
  5. There are six spare HS2 paths between London Euston and Birmingham.

In my opinion, the big losers are travelers between Leeds and Birmingham, as travelers between London and Leeds can use the East Coast Main Line, which caters for several destinations in Yorkshire and the North-East.

Services Between London Euston and Birmingham

Services between London Euston and the Birmingham area are as follows.

  • Train 1 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street via Old Oak Common
  • Train 2 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street via Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange
  • Train 3 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street via Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange
  • Train 7 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport
  • Train 11a – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange , Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
  • Train 11b – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange , Preston and Carlisle
  • Train 12 – 200 m HS2 CC – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central via Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Carstairs and Edinburgh Haymarket/Motherwell

Note.

  1. All trains are one train per hour (tph)
  2. Train 11 splits and joins at Carlisle, so runs as a 400 m train on the Trent Valley Line.
  3. Train 12 runs alternatively to Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley/Motherwell and Glasgow Central.
  4. All these services will join the Trent Valley Line at Handsacre junction.

There are 5 x 400 metre trains and 1 x 200 metre train.

Services Between London Euston and Manchester

Services between London Euston and the Manchester area are as follows.

  • Train 6 – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
  • Train 7 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport
  • Train 8 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport
  • Train 9 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport
  • Train 13 – 200 m HS2 FS – Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport
  • Train 14 – 200 m HS2 FS – Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport

Note.

  1. All trains are one train per hour (tph)
  2. Macclesfield should be able to handle one 200 m. HS2 Classic-Compatible train per hour, as it is shorter and has less passengers than an 11-car Pendolino.
  3. All Manchester Piccadilly services call at Manchester Airport.
  4. All these services will join the Trent Valley Line at Handsacre junction.

There are 3 x 400 metre trains and 3 x 200 metre train.

Services Between London Euston and Liverpool, Lancaster and Scotland

Services between London Euston and Liverpool, Lancaster and Scotland are as follows.

  • Train 4a – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Lancaster via Old Oak Common, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston
  • Train 4b – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Liverpool via Old Oak Common, Crewe and Runcorn
  • Train 5 – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Liverpool via Old Oak Common, Crewe and Runcorn
  • Train 10a – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
  • Train 10b – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Preston and Carlisle
  • Train 11a – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange , Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
  • Train 11b – 200 m HS2 CC – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange , Preston and Carlisle
  • Train 12 – 200 m HS2 CC – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central via Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Carstairs and Edinburgh Haymarket/Motherwell

Note.

  1. All trains are one train per hour (tph)
  2. Train 4 splits and joins at Crewe, so runs as a 400 m train on the Trent Valley Line.
  3. Train 10 splits and joins at Carlisle, so runs as a 400 m train on the Trent Valley Line.
  4. Train 11 splits and joins at Carlisle, so runs as a 400 m train on the Trent Valley Line.
  5. Train 12 runs alternatively to Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley/Motherwell and Glasgow Central.
  6. All these services will join the Trent Valley Line at Handsacre junction.

There are 3 x 400 metre trains and 2 x 200 metre train.

 

How Many Services Ran Between London And Lancashire, Liverpool and Manchester In The Proposed Timetable?

  • Train 4a – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Lancaster
  • Train 4b – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Liverpool
  • Train 5 – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Liverpool
  • Train 6 – 200 m. HS2 CC – London Euston and Macclesfield
  • Train 7 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
  • Train 8 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly
  • Train 9 – 400 m HS2 FS – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly

Note.

Macclesfield may be in Cheshire, but for my purposes in this calculation, it’s also in South Manchester.

 

There are 4 x 400 metre trains and 2 x 200 metre train.

But as I stated in Manchester Piccadilly Station Platform Layout, until the track and the tunnel to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly is built, 400 m HS2 Full-Size will have to be replaced by 200 m HS2 Classic Compatible trains, as no other train will fit the existing Manchester Piccadilly station.

This would mean that 6 x 200 m HS2 Classic Compatible trains will run.

I can turn these two schedules into seats per hour.

Consider.

  • The current service is 3 x 11-car Pendolinos per hour, which is 607 seats per train or a total of 1821 seats per hour.
  • A 200 metre HS2 Full-Size and a 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible train, both have 504 seats.

This means that the proposed timetable has 5040 seats, but only 3528 seats, if HS2 FS trains can’t be used and have to be replaced by 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible train.

I can build this table.

  • Current – Pendolinos – 1821 seats per hour.
  • Interim – Using 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible trains – 3528 seats per hour – This is a 94 % increase over the current figure.
  • Full – Using 200 metre HS2 Full Size trains in tunnels to Manchester Piccadilly – 5040 seats per hour – This is a 177 % increase over the current figure.

Note.

In Manchester Piccadilly Station Platform Layout, I stated that it is my belief, that an Interim timetable can be achieved by replacing all 11-car Pendolinos by 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible trains.

Could More Capacity Be Added By Adding A Blackpool Service?

In Blackpool North Station Platform Layout, I looked at the possibilities of adding a Blackpool service to HS2.

This was my conclusion.

I believe Blackpool North station could handle as least one pair of 200 metre HS2 Classic-Compatible Trains to and from London Euston every hour.

It might be able to handle two such trains in every hour.

Adding two pairs of 200 metre HS2 Classic-Compatible Trains between London Euston and Blackpool every hour, would add 1008 seats.

If it is possible to add two pairs of 200 metre HS2 Classic-Compatible Trains, my table would be as follows.

  • Current – Pendolinos – 1821 seats per hour.
  • Interim – Using 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible trains – 5544 seats per hour – This is a 204 % increase over the current figure.
  • Full – Using 200 metre HS2 Full Size trains in tunnels – 7056 seats per hour – This is a 287 % increase over the current figure.

I must admit, the percentage increases have surprised me, but I have checked and checked them.

Is The Interim Solution Plus Two Trains Between London Euston And Blackpool North The Solution?

Consider.

  • Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston, get two extra services to London Euston, Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange.
  • All trains will be 200 metre HS2 Classic Compatible trains.
  • Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston, Manchester Piccadilly will not need major upgrades.
  • Manchester Airport would not be served initially, but a tunnel connecting Crewe, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly could be added later.
  • There is no connection between Birmingham and Leeds and the East Midlands.

Could HS2 Serve Holyhead?

In Could HS2 Trains Continue To Wales?, I show that if Crewe And Chester Is Electrified, then a HS2 Classic Compatible train fitted with batteries should be able to go between London Euston and Holyhead in a couple of minutes under three hours.

It could be a good start!

 

April 27, 2026 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments