Monetarising The Freedom Pass
I find my Freedom Pass extremely valuable and I’m extremely grateful for it, as I can’t drive after a serious stroke, that left me with eyesight problems.
But I feel Freedom Pass use could be expanded, to improve the efficiency of London’s transport network and generate some much needed cash flow for Transport for London.
Some Principles
What I am proposing here will obey these principles.
- Charges will only occur, when the card is used in conjunction with a bank card to buy tickets or services.
- Any tickets or services bought through the Freedom Pass system, will be at the best possible price.
But the major principle will be that if a Freedom Pass holder continues to use their card as they do now, they will not pay any charges.
An Updated Web Site
The current web site at www.freedompass.org is mainly for information only.
This function could be increased, but I also think the website could be extended in several ways.
A Personal Profile
Some pass holders might like to add a personal profile with perhaps a photograph and selected personal details, next of kin and some medical details.
Obviously, creating a profile would be at the pass holder’s discretion.
Journey Logging
I believe that with Oyster, you can check where you’ve been on a ticket machine.
Some Freedom Pass holders might like to have a similar facility on a web site.
Railcard Management
If you have a Freedom Pass, the site will know if you are over a certain age or have a qualifying disability. I would actually get a Freedom Pass, even if I wasn’t quite as old, as my eyesight was deemed not good enough to drive.
So the Freedom Pass web site could prompt you when you needed to renew your Railcard.
Adding A Bank Card To A Freedom Pass
To get between Dalston Junction and Gatwick Airport stations, I need to buy a ticket from the Zone 6 Boundary to the Airport. It would be very handy, if a Freedom Pass could be linked to a bank card, so that there was no need to buy an extra ticket. The few pounds to get to the Airport, would be automatically charged to the linked bank card.
I would not need to buy a ticket and would just touch in at Dalston Junction station and touch out at Gatwick Airport. My bank card would be charged a few pounds.
The link would also work, where a journey was done before the 09:30 start time of Freedom Pass on many routes.
So if Esmerelda, who lived in Camden wanted to get to Orpington to walk her grandchildren to school., she would be able to use the Freedom Pass for a normal fare, which would be charged to her bank card.
I would assume that Transport for London would pick up a small commission for the National Rail tickets.
A Ticket Buying Web Site
Depending on the company, the rules for using Freedom Passes with National Rail tickets aren’t always simple.
Yesterday, I went to football at Ipswich and bought a return ticket between Harold Wood and Ipswich stations.
- Harold Wood is the Zone 6 boundary.
- I was also able to get on a Liverpool Street to Norwich train, despite it not stopping at Harold Wood.
- As a Greater Anglia ticket inspector told me off for not doing this about six months ago, when he saw my Freedom Pass alongside my Senior Railcard, when he checked my tickets, I feel it must be right.
But I don’t think all train companies are so accommodating.
Suppose you were able to buy any rail ticket on the Freedom Pass web site and I wanted to buy a return ticket on a Saturday from Dalston Junction to Ipswich.
- Logging in, the site would know I had a Freedom Pass and a Senior Railcard.
- I would ask for my ticket and then the web site would find my cheapest ticket.
- I would pay for it as one does on any of the numerous rail ticket web-sites.
But it would probably add a third orange ticket, giving my route and conditions.
Should Ticket Buying Be Limited To Freedom Pass Holders?
If you are a London resident, would you use a trusted ticket buying web site from Transport for London, where you knew any profits would be reinvested in London’s transport network?
If it was a best price, I would!
Conclusion
The right design of web site could be a nice little earner for Transport for London.
Or any other regionalised transport organisation, like Transport for Wales or Merseytravel.
Open Golf Championship’s £69m Boost To Scottish Economy
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The Open golf championship at Carnoustie in July boosted the Scottish economy by £69m this year, according to an independent study.
Researchers at Sheffield Hallam University found the Angus area alone received a £21m cash injection from hosting the event.
It just goes to show the value of big events to a country, region or a city.
I have to ask the opposite question! – Do some areas of the UK, suffer because they don’t host a big sporting event, arts festival or site or museum of national importance?
Hybrid Power On The Railways
In my opinion, one of the best hybrid transmissions is that of London’s New Routemaster bus. This description of the drive-train is from Wikipedia.
The bus is a hybrid diesel-electric driven by a battery-powered electric motor, charged by a diesel fuelled generator and recovering energy during braking by regenerative braking.
It is a classic serial hybrid vehicle.
- There is no mechanical connection between the engine and the driving wheels.
- The diesel engine only runs, when the battery charge is low.
- The electric motor is always powered directly from the battery.
- The control systems for the drive-train are very simple.
- It is very efficient, as the engine only runs when needed and regenerative braking is employed.
- The bus can run on battery power only, for short distances.
- The various components of the drive-train can be placed in convenient places and connected by power and control cables.
In the New Routemaster, the components are placed as follows.
- The diesel engine is half-way up the back stairs.
- The battery is under the front stairs.
- The electric motor is under the floor in front of the rear axle.
This flexibility is very useful in a large vehicle.
Hybrid transmissions are starting to be employed on the railways.
These are the applications in use or planned.
Alstom Coradia iLint
The Alstom Coradia iLint is a hydrogen-powered two-car multiple unit.
This video shows the operation of the train.
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It would appear to be a serial hybrid, where the hydrogen fuel-cell charges the battery and this drives the train through an electric motor,
I suspect most hydrogen trains will work in a similar way.
Class 321 Hydrogen Train
Some Class 321 trains are being converted to run on hydrogen. Unlike the Coradia iLint, the trains will also be able to use electricity from electrification.
MTU Hybrid PowerPacks
MTU have produced a Hybrid PowerPack, which is being retrofitted into several trains, including Class 170 trains in the UK.
Class 93 Locomotive
The recently-announced Class 93 locomotive appears to be a hybrid locomotive with a large diesel engine and about 125 kWh of batteries, that can also use electrification.
High Speed Bi-Mode Aventra
I am sure that Bombardier’s proposed High Speed Bi-Mode Aventra, which features batteries and 125 mph running under both diesel and electric power is a hybrid train.
Conclusion
Just as hybrid cars are becoming more numerous, I suspect we’ll be seeing more hybrid trains in the future.
Funding Injection For Smart Central Heating Project
The title of this article is the same as that of this article in The Scotsman.
This is the first two paragraphs.
East Lothian-based thermal energy storage specialist Sunamp and energy supplier OVO have secured seven-figure funding to develop a commercially viable smart central heating system.
The project brings together OVO’s intelligent energy management platform, called VCharge, with Sunamp’s super compact “heat batteries” which are said to store four times more heat than hot water tanks of a similar size.
This sounds like an interesting concept from Sunamp and OVO.
This video from Fully Charged, shows Sunamp’s thermal batteries in action.
I believe we’ll be seeing more of thermal batteries!
It’s Not Just Drones We Should Worry About!
In The Private Thoughts of Engineers and Scientists, I talked about a discussion, I had with a chemist about the production of sarin gas.
His view was that if amateurs tried to make the deadly gas, there was a high chance, they’d kill themselves, but he had a better idea to cause havoc in a city, which I will not disclose.
I too, have a couple of non-lethal methods, that would bring an airport or a city to a standstill.
One idea is so simple, that I suspect many terrorists could think it up.
Again, I will not disclose my ideas, but they are probably just two of many.
In some ways, the success of the drones in closing Gatwick Airport will only encourage others to think of new ways to disrupt our lives.
We still don’t now, who were behind the Gatwick Airport drones, but there must be a long list of suspects.
- Extinction Rebellion
- Anti-Airport Protesters
- Russia – It worked better than Novichok!
- North Korea – Unlikely, as they don’t seem to have any spats with the UK.
One thing that may rule out a lot of groups, is that sophisticated high-performance drones are not cheap.
Other groups will be ruled out, because they want to kill hundreds of innocent people and a couple of drones are unlikely to do this.
Class 769 Flex In Action
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
The article describes a ride in a Class 769 train, which is under test on the Grand Central Railway.
The article is very comprehensive, so if you want information on the progress of these trains, you ought to read the article.
One overall impression, I received, was that the train is a lot quieter, than the author expected.
This was the last sentence.
That said, based on the Flex experience, this writer would rather travel on a Class 769 than on a Class 150.
I can’t wait to have a ride, when they enter service in the New Year.
The article also gives a summary of Porterbrook’s various FLEX projects, which are taking redundant, but very serviceable electric-trains and converting them into self-powered trains needed on the UK rail network.
The article also says this about the future of the Class 319 trains.
There are 86 Class 319 four-car units, all of which were made redundant from the Thameslink route. Porterbrook has been successful in placing approximately 45 units for further use – 32 for Northern (eight of which will be converted to Flex specification) and 13 units with West Midlands Trains. In addition, there are Flex orders for five units for Wales, 19 units for Great Western Railway and one for the University of Birmingham (the HydroFLEX). This makes a grand total of 71 of the 86 units, leaving 15 still to find new homes.
I believe that Porterbrook’s reaction to finding that they had a fleet of trains for some of which, there were no obvious uses has been admirable. But also very pragmatic and hopefully financially rewarding in the long-term.
Looking back to the days of British Rail, these trains would probably have been sent to the scrapyard.
London’s Northern Line Extension To Battersea Delayed By A Year
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the Financial Times.
This is a paragraph.
People close to the project believe that TfL will announce in the new year that the completion date is being pushed back until September 2021.
This delay will heap more financial woes on Transport for London.
Transport for London have already postponed these important upgrades.
- The resignalling of the Piccadilly Line.
- The rebuilding of Camden Town station.
- The rebuilding of Holborn station.
I believe that on financial grounds, the Mayor must reverse his fare-freeze as soon as possible.
Gates Among Billionaires Backing Alphabet Energy Spinoff
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Bloomberg.
This is the first paragraph.
Alphabet Inc.’s secretive X moonshot lab is spinning off an energy-storage project with backing from billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.
Read the article. This could be the affordable grid-scale energy storage everyone needs.
The Future Class 93 Locomotive And The Port Of Felixstowe
This is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for the Port of Felixstowe.
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the United Kingdom’s busiest container port, dealing with 42% of Britain’s containerised trade. In 2011, it was ranked as the 35th busiest container port in the world and Europe’s sixth busiest. The port handled 3.74 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of traffic in 2011.
The sleepy dock of my childhood has become a giant.
Many of the containers going through the port, travel by rail, with upwards of forty trains per day, travelling along the Felixstowe Branch Line, which is mainly single-track and not electrified.
Freight Routes From Felixstowe
There are three main routes for freight trains from Felixstowe to the rest of the country.
Trains from Felixstowe to London take the following route.
- Felixstowe to Ipswich – No electrification – Around an hour.
- Ipswich to London – Electrified and 100 mph line.
Freight trains from Felixstowe to Liverpool, Manchester or Glasgow usually take the following route.
- Felixstowe to Ipswich – No electrification – Around an hour.
- Ipswich to Haughley Junction – Electrified and 100 mph line.
- Haughley Junction to Peterborough – No electrification – Around two hours.
- Peterborough to Werrington Junction – Electrified and 125 mph line.
- Werrington Junction to Nuneaton – No electrification – Just under two hours.
- Nuneaton to Liverpool, Manchester or Glasgow – Electrified and 125 mph line.
Freight trains from Felixstowe to Doncaster, Leeds, Newcastle or Edinburgh usually take the following route.
- Felixstowe to Ipswich – No electrification – Around an hour.
- Ipswich to Haughley Junction – Electrified and 100 mph line.
- Haughley Junction to Peterborough – No electrification – Around two hours.
- Peterborough to Werrington Junction – Electrified and 125 mph line.
- Werrington Junction to Doncaster via Lincoln – No electrification – Around two hours.
- Doncaster to Leeds, Newcastle or Edinburgh – Electrified and 125 mph line.
In most cases they are hauled by a diesel locomotive all the way.
Although in some cases, London trains may change to electric haulage at Ipswich.
An Ideal Freight Locomotive
If you look at these routes, the following should be noted.
- All the electrified sections have an operating speed of 100 mph or more.
- No section without electrification is longer than two hours.
- None of the routes from Felixstowe have any serious gradients.
An ideal locomotive should be able to pull the heaviest freight train in both the following ways.
- Using electric power – At 100 mph on an electrified line, if the operating speed allows.
- Using diesel or hybrid power – For two hours on a line without electrification.
It looks to me that the specification of the Class 93 locomotive fits this specification.
Stadler’s New Tri-Mode Class 93 Locomotive
In Thoughts On A Battery/Electric Replacement For A Class 66 Locomotive, I looked at an electro-diesel freight locomotive with batteries instead of a diesel engine, as a freight locomotive. It would have the size and weight of a Class 70 locomotive and perhaps use similar technology to Stadler’s Class 88 locomotive.
I concluded the article like this.
It would be a heavyweight locomotive with a performance to match.
I believe that such a locomotive would be a very useful addition to the UK’s fleet of freight locomotives.
Stadler have not produced a battery/electric replacement for a Class 66 locomotive, but they have added a diesel/electric/battery Class 93 locomotive with a heavyweight performance to their Class 68/88 or UKLIGHT family of locomotives built at Valencia in Spain.
Details of the locomotive are given in this article in Rail Magazine, which is entitled Rail Operations Fuels Its Ambitions With Tri-Mode Class 93s. There is also a longerand more detailed article in the print edition of the magazine, which I purchased today.
Reading both copies of the article, I can say the following.
A More Powerful Class 88 Locomotive
At a first glance, the Class 93 locomotive appears to be a more powerful version of the Class 88 locomotive.
- The power on electric mode is the same in both locomotives at four megawatt. It would probably use the same electrical systems.
- Some reports give the diesel power of the Class 93 locomotive as 1.34 MW as opposed to 0.7 MW of the Class 88 locomotive.
- The Class 93 locomotive has a top speed of 110 mph, as opposed to the 100 mph of the Class 88 locomotive.
- The article says, “It’s an ’88’ design with the biggest engine we could fit.”
It would also appear that much of the design of the two locomotives is identical, which must make design, building and certification easier.
The Class 93 Locomotive Is Described As A Hybrid Locomotive
Much of the article is an interview with Karl Watts, who is Chief Executive Officer of Rail Operations (UK) Ltd, who have ordered ten Class 93 locomotives. He says this.
However, the Swiss manufacturer offered a solution involving involving an uprated diesel alternator set plus Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) batteries.
Other information on the batteries includes.
- The batteries are used in regenerative braking.
- Batteries can be charged by the alternator or the pantoraph.
- Each locomotive has two batteries slightly bigger than a large suitcase.
Nothing is said about the capacity of the batteries, but each could be say 200 litres in size.
I have looked up manufacturers of lithium-titanate batteries and there is a Swiss manufacturer of the batteries called Leclanche, which has this data sheet, that describes a LT30 Power cell 30Ah.
- This small cell is 285 mm x 178.5 mm x 12 mm.
- It has a storage capacity of 65 Wh
- It has an expedited lifetime of greater than 15,000 cycles.
- It has an energy density of 60 Wh/Kg or 135 Wh/litre
These cells can be built up into much larger batteries.
- A large suitcase is 150 litres and this volume would hold 20 kWh and weigh 333 Kg.
- A battery of 300 litres would hold 40 kWh. Is this a large Swiss suitcase?
- A box 2.5 metres x 1 metre x 0.3 metres underneath a train would hold 100 kWh and weigh 1.7 tonnes
These batteries with their fast charge and discharge are almost like supercapacitors.
, It would appear that, if the large suitcase batteries are used the Class 93 locomotive will have an energy storage capacity of 80 kWh.
But this is said about Class 93 locomotive performance..
LTO batteries were chosen because they offer a rapid recharge and can maintain line speed while climbing a gradient, and will recharge when running downhill.
Looking at the batteries, they could provide up to around 40 kW of extra power for perhaps half an hour to help the train climb a gradient and then recharge using regenerative braking or the diesel alternator.
This is a hybrid vehicle, with all the efficiency advantages.
The article does say, that with a light load, the locomotives can do 110 mph on hybrid. Nothing is said about what is a light load.
Could it be a rake of five modern Mark 5A coaches?
In Thoughts On A Battery Electric Class 88 Locomotive On TransPennine Routes, I said this.
It is worth looking at the kinetic energy of a Class 88 locomotive hauling five forty-three tonne CAF Mark 5A coaches containing a full load of 340 passengers, who each weigh 90 Kg with baggage, bikes and buggies. This gives a total weight would be 331.7 tonnes.
The kinetic energy of the train would be as follows for various speeds.
90 mph – 75 kWh
100 mph – 92 kWh
110 mph – 111 kWh
125 mph – 144 kWhThe increase in energy is because kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the speed.
There would be little difference in this calculation, using a Class 93 locomotive, which is only a tonne heavier. The kinetic energy at 100 mph, would be 93 kWh.
This could be very convenient, as it looks like the battery capacity could be almost as large as the kinetic energy of a fully-loaded train.
A train stopping in a station without electrification, would cut diesel running drammatically in the station and when accelerating away.
Similar Weight And Axle Load To A Class 88 Locomotive
The article states that the locomotive will weight 87 tonnes, as opposed to the 86 tonnes of a Class 88 locomotive.
As both locomotives have four axles, this would mean that their axle loading is almost the same.
So anywhere the Class 88 locomotive can go, is most likely to be territory suitable for the Class 93 locomotive.
Again, this must make certification easier.
A Modular Design
In a rail forum, members were saying that the Class 93 locomotive has a modular design.
So will we see other specifications with different sized diesel engines and batteries?
The TransPennine routes, for example, might need a locomotive with a smaller diesel engine, more battery capacity and a 125 mph-capability for the East Coast Main Line.
Stadler have said they specialise in niche markets. Have they developed the tailor-made locomotive?
Power Of Various Locomotives
These are various UK locomotives and their power levels in megawatts.
- Class 43 – Diesel – 1.7
- Class 66 – Diesel – 2.4
- Class 67 – Diesel – 2.4
- Class 68 – Diesel – 2.8
- Class 88 – Electric – 4
- Class 88 – Diesel – 0.7
- Class 90 – Electric – 3.9
- Class 91 – Electric – 4.8
- Class 93 – Electric – 4
- Class 93 – Diesel – 0.9
- Class 93 – Hybrid – 1.3
The interesting figure, is that the Class 93 locomotive has 53 % of the diesel power of a Class 43 locomotive from an InterCity 125. The difference could probably be made up at times using battery power, where needed. The batteries could be partly recharged using regenerative braking.
Could The Locomotive Be Uprated To 125 mph?
Consider.
- The UK has successfully run 125 mph Class 43 and 91 locomotives for many years.
- Stadler has built trains that run at that speed.
- Mark 3, Mark 4 and Mark 5A coaches are all certified for 125 mph.
- There are hundreds of miles of track in the UK, where 125 mph running is possible.
I would think it very unlikely, that the engineers designing the Class 93 locomotive, ruled out the possibility of 125 mph running in the future!
Only Stadler will know!
Could A Battery/Electric Version Of The Locomotive Be Created?
I don’t see why not!
The diesel engine, fuel, exhaust and cooling systems and some ancilliary systems could all be removed and be replaced with an equivalent weight of batteries.
As the C27 diesel engine in a Class 88 locomotive weighs almost seven tonnes, I suspect a ten tonne battery would be possible.
Given the current typical energy density and using the Leclanche figures, this would mean that the batteries would have a total capacity of around 700-700 kWh.
Possible Uses Of The Class 93 Locomotive
The Rail Magazine article goes on to detail some of the uses of a Class 93 locomotive.
Express Freight
Karl Watts says this.
They can operate express freight. In Europe, there are vehicles capable of 100 mph running, and these are perfect for high-speed domestic freight. We have been running intermodals at 75 mph since the 1960s – It’s time to change that.
The locomotive would certainly be able to haul express freight at 100 mph on an electrified main line.
Note the following.
- This would greatly help with freight between Felixstowe and London on the 100 mph Great Eastern Main Line.
- Running freight trains at 100 mph on the major electrified lines would increase capacity, of the lines.
- Ports and freight terminals wouldn’t need to be electrified.
Overall, the proportion of freight mileage, where electric power was used, would grow significantly.
Electrification Gap Jumping
In Thoughts On A Battery/Electric Replacement For A Class 66 Locomotive, I gave a list of typical gaps in the electrification in the UK.
- Didcot and Birmingham – Around two-and-a-half hours
- Didcot and Coventry – Just under two hours
- Felixstowe and Ipswich – Around an hour
- Haughley Junction and Peterborough – Around two hours
- Southampton and Reading – Around one-and-a-half hours
- Werrington Junction and Doncaster via Lincoln – Around two hours
- Werrington Junction and Nuneaton – Just under two hours
How many of these gaps could be bridged by a Class 93 locomotive working in a diesel hybrid mode?
It should be noted, that many of the busiest gaps are in the flatter Eastern areas of England.
I’m sure Stadler and Rail Operations Group have done extensive simulation of possible routes and know where the locomotives are best suited.
Class 66 Locomotive Replacement
I suspect that several of these locomotives will end up replacing duties currently done by Class 66 locomotives.
It could haul an intermodal freight from Felixstowe to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow or Doncaster, using electrification where it exists.
And do it at a speed of 100 mph, where speed limits allow!
No other locomotive on the UK network could do that!
Use On Electrified Urban Freight Routes
Near to where I live there are two electrified lines passing through North London; the North London Line and the Gospel Oak To Barking Line.
Both lines have several freight trains a day passing through, that are still hauled by diesel locomotives.
There are other urban freight routes around the UK, where despite electrification, polluting diesel locomotives are still used.
Class 93 locomotives would be an ideal environmentally-friendly replacement locomotive on these routes.
Thunderbird Duties
Karl Watts says this.
They can be used for network recovery as a more comprehensive Thunderbird. Currently, stand-by locomotives are hired or used by an operator to rescue its own trains, but these would be available for anything or anyone. I have sopken to Network Rail about this and they need convincing. But as the network gets busier, so it will be that one failure causes chaos.
Perhaps, a better method for recovering failed trains could be developed.
Passenger Trains
Karl Watts says this.
I can say that the 93s’ feature n two franchise bids, although I cannot say which, due to non-disclosure agreements.
We can only speculate!
Class 93 locomotives could replace the Class 68 locomotives on TransPennine Express services between Liverpool and Scarborough, where Mark 5A coaches will be used.
- Electric mode could be used between Liverpool and Stalybridge and on the East Coast Main Line.
- Diesel or hybrid mode would be used where needed.
- If the locomotives could be uprated to 125 mph, that would help on the East Coast Main Line.
There are certainly, redundant Mark 4 coaches or new Mark 5A coaches that could be used to provide services.
An InterCity 125 For the Twenty-First Century
The InterCity 125 is a masterpiece of engineering, that passengers love.
One of the reasons for the success, is the superb dynamics of the train, which gives them a very comfortable ride.
Could it be that by putting two Class 93 locomotives at each end of a rake of suitable coaches could create a 125 mph train, with the same faultless dynamics?
The answer is probably yes, but in many cases either half-length trains or bi-mode multiple units may be a more affordable or capable train.
The locomotive certainly gives a lot of flexibility.
Conclusion
This is going to be a very useful locomotive.
This was the last paragraph of the printed article, as spoken by Karl Watts.
I don’t think I will be ordering only ten or 20 – there will be more.
I have registered 93001 to 93050.
The word hybrid opens the door.
I think this might be the third member of a very large and widespread family.
The Anonymous Widower 