OVO Offers Solar Panels And A Battery
There are a couple of reports on the Internet, that the smaller energy supplier; Ovo Energy, is now offering deals on solar panels and a battery.
I have been thinking of adding a battery for some time, but I don’t think the time is quite right yet, as the price of batteries is becoming more affordable.
However, I do think that Ovo’s move is the first of many we will see in the next few months and years.
This march towards solar and batteries could have various consequences for the UK.
- Many house builders will add solar panels and a battery to new houses.
- Domestic electricity needs will reduce.
- Solar panels and batteries may have some interesting effects on the property market.
Battery owners could also charge up overnight on low-price electricity, so the daily operation could be something like.
- Overnight the battery is charged on low-price electricity.
- Morning ablutions and breakfast, thus uses low-price electricity.
- Hopefully, the sun charges the battery during the day.
- Evening electricity would in part be what has been stored during the day.
One overall effect of the battery is to smooth the energy needs of a property.
So as the proportion of houses with batteries increases, the National Grid will see a reduction in the spikes of electricity demand, as evetybody makes a cup of tea in the advert breaks.
But the biggest effect will be on how the UK would generate its electricity.
I am not against nuclear power for any technical or environmental reasons, but I do think that the cost of new nuclear power stations like Hinckley Point C are not good value for money compared with other methods of generation. On the other hand, if we are going to have much smoother electricity needs, then we do need the nuclear power station’s ability to produce a steady baseload of power.
I am against inappropriate on-shore wind in many locations, but I am not against off-shore wind or perhaps a few large turbines in an industrial estate.
I feel that solar, batteries and off-shore wind could give the UK very affordable electricity, but they need to be backed by some form of baseload power stations, which at the moment can only be nuclear.
Conclusion
Following my logic, I believe, that as more batteries are installed in the UK, the following will happen.
- Those who install a battery will save money whether they have solar panels or not!
- Batteries will be allowed to be charged on low-cost overnight electricity.
- As more batteries are installed in the UK, the UK power needs will be smoother.
- Overnight off-shore wind could be used to charge all these batteries.
This leads me to the conclusion, that the Government should create incentives for homes to install batteries, which would be charged with low-cost overnight electricity or solar panels.
A Town With Two Stations And Infrequent Rail Services
My Google Alert for the Robin Hood Line has picked up this article from the Gainsborough Standard, which is entitled Rail Campaigners Continue Fight For Better Brigg Line Service Through Gainsborough.
Gainsborough Central station, which appears to be in the centre of the town gets just three services a week, all on a Saturday, whereas Gainsborough Lea Road station has a better service according to Wikipedia.
Monday to Saturdays on the Sheffield-Lincoln Line there is generally an hourly service westbound to Sheffield, with the majority of services continuing to Adwick, and eastbound to Lincoln Central with a two-hourly service on Sundays from early afternoon. There is also one early morning service to Scunthorpe and one evening service to Hull.
In total, it is probably enough services for a twenty thousand people .
But with a new franchise for the East Midlands coming up, you do wonder, if plans to increase services through Gainsborough Central could be in the offing. This is said in the Wikipedia entry for Gainsborough Central station.
The line through the station was upgraded and refurbished in 2008 by contractors Arup and Carillon to allow it to carry increased levels of freight traffic from the port complex at Immingham to South Yorkshire and the East Midlands. This has been done to reduce congestion on the busy route via Scunthorpe.
So at least the track would appear to be in good order.
Arriva London Engineering Assists In Trial To Turn Older Diesel Engine Powered Buses Green
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article on the Arriva London web site.
This sums up the project.
A new idea to turn older diesel engine buses into much more environmentally friendly vehicles has been developed by Vantage Power Ltd based in Greenford, West London in association with Ensign Ltd, the largest reseller of buses in the UK.
The new unit will start trials in July, when two of Arriva London’s 2005, Volvo B7TL, Euro 3 buses, with Alexander Dennis bodies, VLA99 and VLA100 will resume service following their conversion. The trials are fully supported by TfL.
Effectively two twelve year old buses will become hybrids with new electric drive systems.
The objectives of the project are ambitious.
The new system will be tested to see how well it performs against its targets of 40% reduction in the use of fuel, 80%+ reduction in emissions, and a cost saving for the unit which is estimated to be 80% less than a new Hybrid bus.
They are also developing a technique called geo-fence technology. This is said.
This technology, uses GPS information combined with route information, and can enable the vehicle to ensure its batteries are at full charge before entering certain areas (such as the ULEZ), or past schools, or libraries, and upon entering these areas, the engine can shut itself down and the vehicle then operate as an almost silent ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle).
So the buses get new hybrid drives, which work as battery buses in sensitive areas and London gets cleaner air. And Arriva London gets a cashback!
I wonder how many old buses can be converted into cleaner hybrids. This conversion was on a Volvo B7TL chassis, of which there were 790 in London alone.
I also wonder if London’s current hybrid buses can have the geo-fence technology applied.
Close to my house there are six London bus routes, that go into or through the ULEX; namely routes 21, 30, 38, 56, 76 and 141 of which the 21, 38 and 76 are New Routemasters, which are modern hybrid buses. In addition, the 141 is run by seven-year-old hybrid buses. These routes would all be candidates for geo-fence technology.
Checking My Electricity Direct Debit
With the news this morning, that there is going to be a price cap on energy tariffs, I thought I’d look at mine.
I was paying £114 a month, but my supplier; OVO were recommended that I pay just £89.
The difference, is probably explained, as this has just been the first summer, when my solar panels have been installed.
So their charge calculating algorithm has only just caught up and I am now saving money.
Do you trust, your energy supplier to give you a an accurate estimate about what you should pay?
Interestingly, this morning, I’ve just found this web page detailing a link-up between OVO and Nissan concening the charging of electric cars.
The electricity market is changing very much for the better.
CAF Secures Tram Contracts In The United States
The title of this post is the same as this article in Global Rail News.
The sale of two batches of trams is not that remarkable, but this is an extract from the article, about the vorder for Seattle.
The trams will have a 100 per cent low floor and come with onboard energy storage to run on catenary-free sections of the network.
Trams with these characteristics are becoming increasingly common.
Transport for London Warns Crossrail 2 Could Be Delayed By Decade
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the Financial Times.
It’s all about funding and probably the Government not wanting to finance all of the large rail projects.
- HS2
- Crossrail 2
- Northern Powerhouse Rail
- East West Rail
HS2 is funded and underway and the last two projects are being sorted, but the cost of Crossrail 2 is too much to digest.
I have believed for some time, that Crossrail 2 is a number of separate projects.
- Increasing capacity on the Waterloo suburban lines
- Increasing capacity on the Lea Valley Lines
- Creation of the mega-station at Euston-St. Pancras
- New trains
- The high capacity central tunnel
I will now look at each in detail.
Increasing Capacity On The Waterloo Suburban Lines
In An Analysis Of Waterloo Suburban Services Proposed To Move To Crossrail 2, I showed that it would be possible to run a service with Crossrail 2’s characteristics terminating in Waterloo.
I said the following were needed.
- More platform capacity in Waterloo.
- Modern high-performance 100 mph trains like Class 707 trains or Aventras.
- Some improvements to track and signals between Waterloo and Wimbledon stations.
- Wimbledon station would only need minor modifications.
- A measure of ATO between Waterloo and Wimbledon stations.
Much of the infrastructure works have been completed as I reported in It’s All Over Now, Waterloo!.
All it needs is Bombardier to build the new Class 701 trains for South Western Railway.
Increasing Capacity On The Lea Valley Lines
In Could A Lea Valley Metro Be Created?, I looked at the possibility of creating a Lea Valley Metro with the following characteristics.
- Four-tracks between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne stations.
- Step-free stations.
- Termination in the unused loop at Stratford.
- 10-15 trains per hour.
- Links to Crossrail, the Underground and Southeastern Highspeed services at Stratford.
I came to the conclusion it was very much possible.
Creation Of The Mega-Station At Euston-St. Pancras
In Should A Mega-Station Be Created At Kings Cross-St. Pancras-Euston?, I looked at this mega station project for Crossrail 2.
I came to these conclusions.
- If Crossrail 2 is built, there will obviously be a mega station at Euston St. Pancras.
- But I believe that all the other improvements that will happen before HS2 opens may well be enough to cope with the extra capacity needed.
- Obviously though, any improvements must not compromise the building of Crossrail’s mega-station.
In Should A Mega-Station Be Created At Kings Cross-St. Pancras-Euston?, I proposed a four-level mega-station.
- Surface level – National Rail and HS2
- Sub-surface level – Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines
- Deep level – Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines.
- Very deep level – Crossrail 2
Lines would be connected by escalators, travelators and lifts going all over the place.
It would not be that different to the double-ended Crossrail station at Moorgate-Liverpool Street station, which I described in London’s First Underground Roller Coaster, except that it connects three stations instead of two.
This would enable Crossrail 2 to be bored through at a deeper level after Euston station had been rebuilt for HS2.
In terms of Crossrail 2, the creation of the mega station at Euston St. Pancras could be the last project to be completed.
New Trains
This should be the easy bit, as surely using the same Class 345 trains on Crossrail and Crossrail 2, would be an objective, if it were possible.
The High Capacity Central Tunnel
I’ve never built a tunnel, although my software; Artemis helped to build the Channel Tunnel, but I would suspect that building the central tunnel for Crossrail 2 will be easier than building that for Crossrail.
So many things like riding a bike or sex are a lot easier the second time.
There must be so many lessons from Crossrail that can be applied to Crossrail 2.
If all of the central stations on the tunnel, from Dalston to Wimbledon, where there is interchange with Crossrail 2 can be made tunnel-ready, then I don’t see why boring the central tunnel can’t be one of the last jobs to be started.
The tunnel boring machines would then just pass through the stations to link them all together.
It’s probably not as simple as that, but it is going to be a lot easier job than Crossrail.
The Importance Of The Victoria Line
I’ve never seen this said before, but one of the keys to building Crossrail 2 is the Victoria Line or Dear Old Vicky.
I believe the Victoria Line should be updated as follows to be as near the standard of Crossrail as possible, by using the existing trains, track and signalling and by updating the stations.
- Addition of the missing escalators and other features left out to save money in the 1960s..
- Full step-free access at all stations.
- Addition of new entrances at Oxford Circus, Highbury and Islington and Walthamstow Central.
- Better interchange with the Overground at Blackhorse Road and Walthamstow Central.
- Better interchange with National Rail at Brixton, Vauxhall, Finsbury Park, Seven Sisters and Tottengham Hale.
- Forty tph between Brixton and Walthamstow Central.
Forty tph may need a reversing loop at Brixton and an extra one-platform station at Herne Hill.
I believe that an update of this type and scale could be applied to the Victoria Line without causing too much grief for passengers. The work on the stations is necessary to cope with the current and increased passenger numbers and could be carried out in much the same way as the upgrade at Victoria station has been done in the last few years.
The Victoria Line would then offer a high capacity link between Tottenham Hale and Vauxhall prior to the building of Crossrail 2’s central tunnel.
Passengers from say Broxbourne to Hampton Court would take the following route.
- Lea Valley Line from Broxbourne to Tottenham Hale – (10 tph)
- Victoria Line from Tottenham Hale to Vauxhall – (>30 tph)
- South Western Railway from Vauxhall to Hampton Court – (4 tph)
Two changes (both hopefully step-free) would be needed, but with improvement to the National Rail routes at both ends, it would be faster than now.
The Importance Of The Bakerloo Line
Ask TfL’s Journey Planner, which is the quickest way from Tottenham Hale to Waterloo and it gives the following route.
- Victoria Line from Tottenham Hale to Oxford Circus
- Bakerloo Line from Oxford Circus to Waterloo
There is a simple cross-platform interchange at Oxford Circus, with the two legs taking 16 and 8 minutes respectively.
Currently, the Bakerloo Line has a frequency of twenty-two tph and plans have been mooted, that will see this going to twenty-seven tph by 2033.
It looks like when combining an updated Victoria Line with the current Bakerloo Line, you get a excellent connection that can stand-in for the Crossrail 2 central tunnel between Tottenham Hale and Waterloo.
But the Bakerloo Line might be extended to Lewisham, so will this extension make the combined Victoria/Bakerloo route more important.
The extended Bakerloo Line is not planned to have a connection with Crossrail 2, so using the Victoria Line across Central London will probably be the fastest way from say Lewisham to Enfield Lock.
It looks to me, that the cross-platform interchange at Oxford Circus between the Bakerloo and Victoria Lines is more important than anybody thinks and will continue to be so.
The Splitting Of The Northern Line
TfL would like to split the Northern Line into two branches, but this can’t be done until Camden Town station is rebuilt around 2024.
The only effect this split will have on Crossrail 2, is it will give extra routes to Euston station, which may probably make it less important that Crossrail 2 is completed before HS2.
A Possible Timetable
This is very much speculation on my part.
- 2020 – Improved Overground services to Cheshunt, Chingford and Enfield Town using new Class 710 trains.
- 2021 – Increased Greater Anglia services on the Lea Valley Lines using new Class 720 trains.
- 2021 – Waterloo suburban branches running at four tph using new Class 701 trains.
- 2024 – Extended Camden Town station opens.
- 2024 – Splitting of the Northern Line
- 2024 – More capacity on the Victoria Line
- 2025 – Increased services on the Lea Valley Line after four-tracking.
- 2025 – Upgraded Euston station opens with better connection to the Underground.
- 2026 – Old Oak Common statio opens
- 2026 – HS2 opens to Birmingham
The Crossrail 2 central tunnel could be built, when traffic levels are predicted to be too much for the Victoria Line.
Conclusion
This analysis says to me that Crossrail 2 could be planned as a series of much smaller projects, that would give passengers benefits from the early-2020s and also ease the funding problems for the line.
But the analysis also says that if the central tunnel is not built before the 2040s, then the Victoria Line must be upgraded to create a high capacity link between Tottenham Hale and Vauxhall or Waterloo using the Bakerloo Line.
Grayling Gives Green Light To Double Track On Part Of Felixstowe Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the East Anglian Daily Times.
This page on the Network Rail web site gives more details.
This is said.
Building the additional track will help increase the capacity of the Felixstowe branch line and take lorries off the road. It will also mean more reliable journeys for passengers traveling between Ipswich and Felixstowe.
There is also this map, which shows where a second track is being added to the Felixstowe Branch Line between Trimley station and Grimston Lane level crossing.
Note that six level crossings are also being removed, with the one at Gun Lane being replaced with a bridge, which seems to be a bit controversial.
Freight Traffic On The Line
The East Anglian Article says this.
This will allow up to 47 freight trains to run per day, 14 more trains than can currently run on the single line. Each train can carry the equivalent of 60 lorry loads, meaning fewer lorries on busy roads such as the A14.
That is quite a lot of freight and a forty-two percent increase in the number of trains.
Trimley Station
Trimley station will be the Southern end of the new track.
This Google Map shows Trimley station.
Note.
- Cordy’s Lane crossing the line at Trimley station.
- The line to Flelixstowe Port (North) going South.
- The line to Felixstowe station going straight on.
Judging by the number of houses on the South side of the track, I would assume that an automatic level crossing is being installed there.
Noise, Smell And Vibration
The Felixstowe Branch Line illustrates one of the problems of the various freight locomotives and especially the ubiquitous Class 66 locomotive. The locomotives are not particularly environmentally-friendly, especially when they are hauling up to forty truck with containers.
I think that some parts of the branch need to have noise mitigation measures installed, otherwise there will be serious levels of complaint.
New Locomotives Are Needed
This article in Rail Magazine is entitled GB Railfreight In ‘Locomotive Acquisition’ Talks, so at least one company thinks so!
In Jumbo Trains Are Arriving, I mused about the type of train required.
I came to this conclusion.
Some more powerful freight locomotives are needed, but the designs should be available.
I would add to that now. The locomotives would need to be dual-mode and a lot more environmentally-friendly/
Hammond To Announce ‘More Money’ For Northern Powerhouse Rail
This title of this post is the same as that on this article on the BBC.
This is said.
Chancellor Philip Hammond is to announce an extra £300m to improve rail links in northern England, in a speech to the Conservative Party conference.
Plans to electrify the whole Trans-Pennine route have been in doubt.
But the new money will be used to ensure HS2 will link to faster trains between Liverpool and Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and York – so-called Northern Powerhouse rail.
What would I do with £300 million to improve the rail lines in the North?
To Electrify Or Not!
If we don’t electrify a few routes it will make things difficult.
As an example, you might want to create an HS2 route from London to Middlesbrough, using the Northallerton to Middlesbrough Line.
HS2 trains would probably travel from the HS2 terminus at Leeds along the East Coast Main Line to Northallerton.
If the last few miles were not electrified, then the train would need to be a bi-mode.
However, the dead weight of a diesel engine might reduce the performance sufficiently, so the train couldn’t run at full speed on HS2.
So the HS2 trains would probably need electrified track at all time!
I don’t think that all the destinations that might need an HS2 service are on all-electric route from HS2.
How about these stations?
- Barrow
- Blackburn
- Burnley
- Edinburgh
- Huddersfield
- Lincoln
- Middlesbrough
- Newcastle
- Sheffield
- York
Note that Carlisle and Glasgow are not on my list, but four important stations , that are served by the East Coast Main Line, cannot be reached by an electric train from HS2, because of gaps in the electrification.
Splitting And Joining
I am assuming that trains can join and split like the Class 395 trains to Kent.
As a simple example two five-car trains might start from London as a ten-car train and split at Crewe or Nottingham, with perhaps each train going to different destinations.
Going southward, two trains would join for the dash to London.
Cross-And Same-Platform Interchanges
By clever station design, it might be possible for interchanges at places like Crewe, Nottingham, Preston and York to be a simple procedure, where passengers get off one train and get on the connecting service either immediately or after a few minutes, without negotiating any steps, escalators or lifts.
Electrification
Possible routes to electrify would be as follows.
Batley To Selby Via East Leeds Parkway, Leeds and White Rose Centre
Leeds are keen to build two new stations; East Leeds Parkway and White Rose Centre. The line could be electrified between these two stations to form a new electrified CrossLeeds service perhaps between Batley in the West and Selby in the East.
There is the 4km. long tunnel at Morley and this could be easy to electrify, by using an overhead rail, as was used in the Severn Tunnel.
Leeds to York
This would give the following advantages.
- It would complete a fully electric route from Leeds to York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- A time saving of upwards of upwards of five minutes between Leeds and York.
- Direct connection for HS2 to the East Coast Main Line.
- It would allow electric trains to be moved between York and Neville Hill depot in Leeds.
It would also be a fairly simple piece of electrification.
Northallerton To Middlesbrough
This line is only twenty miles long and it would allow electric trains and HS2 to go to Middlesbrough.
Preston To Burnley via Blackburn
I’m very keen on this electrification.
- It would give a lift to the area.
- Electric and bi-mode trains could run between Blackpool, Blackburn, Clitheroe, Burnley, Colne, Liverpool and Manchester.
HS2 trains would be able to reach Blackburn and/or Burnley.
Tunnels
There are several long tunnels in the Pennines. I believe that these should be electrified, as Network Rail seem to be able to handle tunnels.
Bi-mode trains would run through using the electrification.
Improved Lines
These lines could be improved and might even be electrified.
Camp Hill Line
This would create a second line across Birmingham. Extra chords at Bordesley, a couple of stations and electrification would make it a quality improvement.
Carnforth To Barrow
Barrow and the nearby Sellafield need a lift and perhaps, if the line were to be improved bi-mode trains could reach Barrow from Crewe, where there will be an easy interchange with HS2.
Electrifying the line might be possible, but the Heritage lobby won’t want the Lake District spoiled.
Derby To Nottingham Via East Midlands Hub
When HS2 gets to the East Midlands Hub station between Nottingham and Derby, it will need good connections to both cities.
This could be heavy rail or an extended Nttingham Express Transit.
Liverpool To Manchester Via Chat Moss
The electrified route between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria stations has a very low operating speed.
Sort it!
New And Reopened Lines
There are a couple of lines thsat could be built or reopened.
MerseyRail’s Northern Line to Skelmersdale
I like this idea and it could be an improvement with a high return.
Skipton And Colne
This missing link should be created, so that there is another route across the Pennines.
As Skipton is electrified, why not electrify the link and the existing Colne to Rose Grove line, which would be on the Preston to Burnley route that I think should be electrified.
Conclusion
I’ve probably spent £300 million now!
But I do think, if Network Rail are innovative, things can be made a lot better.
What Happened In The City That Banned Uber
The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC.
It details what happened in Austin, where after a spat over security, Uber left the city.
It gives a good insight into Uber and how the people of Austin reacted.
The Anonymous Widower 