AECOM Invests In Heathrow Southern Railway Link
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in Global Rail News.
AECOM is one of the largest engineering consultancy and design companies, who in the UK have been involved in projects like Crossrail, London Gateway, London 2012, Sellafield and Titanic Belfast.
This is the last two paragraphs from the article.
David Barwell, chief executive, AECOM London, said: “We are delighted to announce our investment in Heathrow Southern Rail.
“As a long-term partner to Government AECOM is delighted to bring its development, engineering and delivery capability to resolve current and future infrastructure needs and to bring private sector funding to accelerate the delivery of critical public infrastructure.”
Designing projects like the Heathrow Southern Railway is a complex business and the involvement of AECOM in the project must be beneficial from a design and planning aspect.
When the project was announced in September 2016, I wrote Why I Like The Heathrow Southern Railway Proposal. As things have changed since, I have updated that report and I think I’m getting to like the project even more.
Is Existing UK Electrification Up To Scratch?
I ask this question after a very delayed rail journey from Leeds to London after the football yesterday.
I left Leeds on the 19:15 and all went well until between Grantham and Peterborough the train ground to a halt.
The driver informed us, that the previous train had had a pantograph failure and had brought the overhead wires down.
So we were stuck.
Free water was offered and I took a carrier bag to the buffet and looted half-a-dozen bottles for myself and a few fellow travellers.
But we waited and waited as the the train awaited a tow from a diesel locomotive.
Eventually, one arrived and it towed us to Peterborough, where the train started on its own power to London on the unaffected electrification.
We finally arrived at 02:10 at Kings Cross or four and a half hours behind schedule.
Virgin were rounding up taxis for everyone at Kings |Cross. But the length of queue was such, I came home using that lady of the night;Victoria and a 277 bus.
But consider other facts from last night.
- At least four Southbound trains were delayed upwards of four hours.
- Some Northbound trains, got no further than Peterborough.
- Virgin probably had to make arrangements for large number of disgruntled passengers.
- Taxis appeared to be in short supply.
- The train ran out of snacks.
I also think from comments from friends, that problems with the overhead wires are not uncommon.
This article in Rail Magazine is entitled MPs Debate Reliability Of ECML Wiring. This is a paragraph.
Maskell had asked: “We already know that there is six times higher spend in the South than in the North on rail and transport infrastructure, but we also seem to have an east-west divide in rail – the East Coast route has received £3 billion less than that of the West. Will the Government bring forward their funding to upgrade the East Coast Main Line infrastructure, since the passenger performance measure is now at 25.1% because of overhead line failure?”
Rachel Maskell is MP for York Central.
It would appear that the electrification needs to be made more robust and improved in reliability.
East Coast Main Line Power Supply Upgrade
This page on the VolkerRail web site describes a project called East Coast the Main Line Power Supply Upgrade, which has the following project scope.
The Rail Electrification Alliance (REAL) is responsible for the delivery of Network Rail’s East Coast Main Line Power Supply Upgrade Project. The alliance, comprising of Network Rail, VolkerRail, Siemens, J Murphy and Sons, Jacobs and TSP, will construct new substations, install over 600km of new cabling and renew overhead line equipment (OLE) and structures over 246km of the ECML, from Wood Green in London to Bawtry near Doncaster.
The new power supply upgrade (PSU) is in direct support of the InterCity Express Programme, providing an enhanced traction power supply to enable the introduction of the new faster, more environmentally friendly Class 800 and 801 trains at the end of 2018, providing an improved service for passengers. The improvements will also reduce the amount of maintenance required for OLE.
Hopefully, this will reduce the likelihood of incidents like yesterday’s!
How Will The Class 800 and Class 801 Trains Deal With Line Problems?
In Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I looked at the electrical systems of how Class 800 and Class 801 trains and how they would cope with various problems, based on this document on the Hitachi Rail web site, which is entitled Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme.
I found the following.
All Class 801 Trains Have At Least One Generator Unit
All Class 801 trains have at least one generator unit, so it can obviously provide hotel power and probably enough power to limp to the next station, in case of overhead line failure.
So if yesterday’s problem hit and the line was not physically blocked the electric Class 801 train could move to the next station or perhaps cross to an unaffected line.
The Class 800 train would just continue on its onbopard diesel power.
Locomotive Haulage Is Possible
So a rescue similar to yesteday’s is possible.
Automatic Coupling And Uncoupling
This is definitely in line with Class 395 train performance.
Automatic Train Identification Function
This is said in the Hitachi document.
To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length, and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in
normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.
I suspect most modern trains can do this.
One Twelve-Car Train Can Rescue Another
That would have been very useful yesterday.
Conclusion
The design of the new Class 800 and Class 801 trains will probably help in the coping with some of the problems on the East Coast Main Line and any other routes on which they operate.
I suspect there is already a lot of provision of crossovers for trains to cross between slow and fast lines and also to allow trains to run bi-directionally to get around various problems.
Will Elland Road Stadium Ever Get a Railway Station?
The traffic getting to Elland Road for the match between Leeds United and Ipswich Town was horrendous. But then the crowd was over 34,000!
You can see Elland Road stadium as you come into Leeds on the trains from London, and this Google Map shows the relation between the rail line and the stadium.
My friend actually parked her car alongside the rail line and we walked to the ground along Elland Road.
I took these pictures from where we parked.
Development is happening between the railway and the stadium including a new ice rink.
So will a new station be built on this line, if Leeds United won promotion to the Premier League?
This article in Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Plans For Three New Leeds Railway Stations Unveiled. It says that a new station at theWhite Rose Shopping Centre could be built.
This Google Map shows Elland Road Stadium and the White Rose Shopping Centre and the two rail lines in the area.
Note.
- The line through Cottingley station is the Huddersfield Line.
- Cottingley station is currently the nearest station to Elland Road Stadium.
- The Huddersfield Line passes alongside the White Rose Shopping Centre.
- The Huddersfield Line is not electrified.
After the traffic, I saw at the match, something needs to be done.
TransPennine Improvements
The Huddersfield Line will be improved to form part of a strategy for 125 mph trains across the Pennines.
The map from Wikipedia shows the lines between Leeds and Batley stations, that go through Cottingley.
Note.
- The White Rose Centre is probably near the closed Churwell station.
- The four kilometre long Morley Tunnel, which if it is in good condition could be reasonably easy to electrify.
- After Batley the route diverges and serves nemerous towns in the area like Bradford, Brighouse, Halifax and Huddersfield.
There is surely scope for a comprehensive and frquent service to the West of Leeds.
A Digitally-Signalled Trans-Pennine Route
The complexity of the routes around Leeds must be a nightmare to operate.
In this article on Rail Technology Magazine, which is entitled Grayling Commits £5m To Install Digital Signalling On TransPennine Route, the Transport Minister advocates the use of digital signalling to increase capacity and stability on the line.
Having waited at Leeds station to get a train to Guiseley, operation of the suburban routes in Leeds seems to be incredibly complicated and I suspect difficult for both passengers and the operators.
The Ordsall Chord will give Manchester a cross-city route, so could digital signalling open up an East-West route across Leeds and thread it through all the long distance services serving Leeds?
New stations at Apperley Bridge, Kirkstall Forge, Leeds-Bradford Airport, Thorpe Park and White Rose Shopping Centre would all fit this pattern and I believe digital signalling could be the key to making it work, with four trains per hour to each terminus.
More Suburban Electrification In Leeds
In some ways the most important stretch of electrification needed in Leeds would be the route from Neville Hill depot to York, as this would add the following.
- Ease movements of trains between York and the depot.
- Improve the performance of services between Liverpool and Newcastle via Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York.
- Allow electric services from Thorpe Park to destinations on the other side of the city.
There must be an exceedingly good reason, why this route has not been electrified.
Conclusion
Leeds could expand the Metro dramatically by doing the following.
- Running services through two through platforms in Leeds station.
- Building several new stations.
- Electrifying between Neville Hill depot and York.
- Using digital signalling.
- Obtaining some bi-mode trains. Even Class 769 trains would do the job.
The network of lines around Leeds could give Leeds a Metro of a very high standard, at a very affordable cost.
Progress On The Sheffield-Rotherham Tram-Train
I took these pictures in Sheffield and Rotherham, whilst trying to take pictures of Class 399 tram-trains.
Note.
- The heavy-weight gantries for the electrification, which I suspect would support 25 KVAC electrification.
- It appears simple bi-level platforms are being built at Rotherham Central station.
- Could a stop being put at the New York stadium?
It certainly doesn’t seem to be an expensive system.
Single Or Double Track Electrified At 25 KVAC
The heavy rail route which is both single and double-track is electrified using standard 25 KVAC electrification.
Simple Voltage Changeover
In Karlsruhe, a ceramic rod is used to connect the overhead wires of different voltages. The pantograph of the tram-train runs on this rod, as the vehicle passes between the two voltages.
The different voltages would be handled automatically on the tram-train.
Kinetic energy or a battery will take the tram-train over the very short dead section.
I didn’t see it, but I suspect a similar system is used on the Tinsley Chord in Sheffield, where the two voltage systems meet.
The advantage of this simple system, is that voltage changeover can be completely automatic, with the driver only monitoring the changeover.
Simple Bi-Level Platform Extensions
This technique is used in Karlsruhe, where they have myriad problems due to various classes of tram-trains and conventional trains.
Modern construction methods will certainly help here.
How Did Network Rail Manage To Spend So Much Money?
The only feasible positive explanation is that this tram-train trial is being very comprehensive and covers all possible UK operations.
- The tram-trains are tested on 25 KVAC at Rotherham.
- Single and double-track.
- The tram-trains are tested on 750 VDC all over Sheffield.
- The tram-trains are tested on sharp curves and climbing hills on the Sheffield Supertram network.
- The voltage changeover is thoroughly tested on the Tinsley Chord.
- Platform designs get a rigorous test.
If the tram-train passes these tests and the regulators and operators like it, it’ll be passed for the UK network.
Is The Rotherham Trial A Tram-Train Or A Train-Tram?
When going from Sheffield to Rotherham, the Class 399 train, starts as a tram and changes to a train on the Tinsley Chord.
But when going from Rotherham to Sheffield, the vehicle starts as a train and changes to a tram.
So I suppose it’s both and it changes over where the voltage changes on the Tinsley Chord.
But just as in the Rotherham trial, provided there is an overhead wire with an acceptable voltage, the Class 399 tram-trains can run on any track, be it for trams or trains.
On What Routes Could A Class 399 Train Run?
There are several possibilities.
Extending An Existing Tram Network On A Heavy Rail Line
The tram-train runs normally on a standard tram line and then the route is extended on a heavy rail line, which is electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
This is what is being done at Rotherham.
More possibilities exist in Sheffield and probably on other systems like Birmingham, Blackpool, Edinburgh, Manchester and Nottingham.
Creating A Tram Link Across A Town Or City
Suppose a town or city has two electrified stations on opposite sides. Perhaps one handles trains from the West and the other handles trains from the East.
If a tram route can be created between the two stations, which is connected to the lines at the station, then tram-trains can run across the town or city.
This has been done in Karlsruhe and other European cities, but I doubt we’ll see a cross-city link like this in the UK for a decade or two.
Creating A Tram Link Between Two Electrified Lines
This is similar to the previous application, except that the tram route might be in a rural area.
One possibility might be from Cambridge to Marks Tey along a rebuilt Stour Valley Railway.
Running A Branch On A Heavy Rail Line As A Tram
Creating a branch line to tram standards should be cheaper than creating it to heavy rail standards.
The proposed Glasgow Airport Tram-Train could be built this way, by building a tram track from the Inverclyde Line to the Airport.
The branch would have the following characteristics.
- Segregated single-track from the Inverclyde Line
- 750 VDC overhead electrification.
- Low floor tram-trains.
- Simple stations.
The tram-trains could run as normal electric trains from Glasgow Central station to West of Paisley St. James station, where they would take to the branch line and run as trams to the Airport.
As the performance of a Class 399 tram-train is not much slower than the current Class 314 trains that work some services on the Inverclyde Line, I feel that fitting the tram-train service into the service pattern on the line would be possible.
I estimate that a round trip from Glasgow Central to the Airport could be done within an hour, which would mean that to provide an adequate four tram-trains per hour, would require four vehicles.
Two other airports could be served in this way; Leeds and Liverpool
- Leeds Airport would require electrifying as far as Horsforth station, where a tram track would lead to the Airport.
- I suspect that the tram-trains could not only connect Leeds to the Airport, but Bradford as well.
- Liverpool Airport from Liverpool Lime Street services would change to a tram at Liverpool South Parkway station.
I think we’ll be seeing tram-trains used for services like these.
Consider these points.
- A suitable station on the electrified network is needed as a terminus.
- A suitable junction must be possible between the branch and the electrified network.
- Any number of stops could be built on the branch.
- Simple tram-style 750 VDC overhead wires can be used, which would be less visually intrusive.
Some schemes will be simple like perhaps the Slough to Windsor and Eton Line and others would be more complicated.
Conclusion
In a year or so’s time, we’ll know if tram-trains are another method of expanding and improving the UK’s rail network.
Ordsall Chord Progress – 22nd September 2017
The Ordsall Chord is coming on.
The wires would appear to be on the way up and it looks like trains will be running over it on schedule around the end of December 2017.
Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – Skelmersdale Station
In Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – How To Plan A New Rail-Link, I talked about a new Skelmersdale station.
From Kirkby, I took a taxi to look at the sites of Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale stations.
These pictures were taken in and around the Concourse Shopping Centre at Skelmersdale.
The Shopping Centre has everything needed for a railway station, if one should be built nearby.
This Google Map shows the Concourse Shopping Centre.
As the rail line from the junction to the East of Rainford station comes in from the South, I’m sure that Merseyrail have a good place to put the station, so that passengers can walk into the Concourse Shopping Centre.
Passengers might even be able to use the existing bridge.
Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – Headbolt Lane Station
In Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – How To Plan A New Rail-Link, I talked about Headbolt Lane station.
From Kirkby, I took a taxi to look at the sites of Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale stations.
These pictures were taken at the site of the proposed Headbolt Lane station.
Plans for the station talk about a single platform.
This Google Map shows the railway line, which runs alongside Headbolt Lane.
Note the footbridge in the bottom left corner of the map.
Merseyrail would seem to have a lot of space to put the station.
Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – Kirkby Station
In Merseyrail To Skelmersdale – How To Plan A New Rail-Link, I talked about Kirkby station.
So as I was going from Liverpool to Blackburn, I took a detour.
These pictures were taken at Kirkby station.
The amazing thing about Kirkby station is that in the last three years, the yearly passenger totals have averaged around 2.4 million.
Not bad for a station with four trains per hour (tph) to Liverpool and two tph to Manchester.
Near me in London, Chingford station has 4 tph to London and struggles to attract 1.7 million passengers per year.
You can understand, why Merseyrail are considering expanding the train service to Kirkby and the surrounding area.
Under Merseyrail’s plans, the station will remain a single platform, but I suspect the upgrading will do the following.
- Trains will stop by the stairs and the ramp.
- Platform facilities could be improved.
- There’s space for a lift!
I suspect there’s not too many single-platform stations that will be able to handle 4 tph in both directions.
Details In A Class 345 Train Interior
These pictures were taken of internal details of a Class 345 train.
Various thoughts.
Cantilevered Seats
The bays of four-seats are cantilevered to the sides of the train, which means the space underneath the seat is available for luggage and well-behaved dogs.
Heating
It would appear that the heating is under the Metro-style seating.
As I said in Aventras Have Under Floor Heating, it would appear that the Greater Anglia Aventras do have under-floor heating, so perhaps this is a customer-chosen option, more suited to longer-distance routes.
The Lobbies
East car in the Class 345 train, has three sets of doors and lobbies.
Note how each lobby has a central handrail and two vertical handrails in each corner. One of these is just behind the door and you can grab it from outside.
Metro-Style Seating
I have not travelled in the Peak, so I don’t know how the seats perform with a full load, but this type of seating works well in the Overground’s Class 378 trains.
Note how the Class 378 seats have wider armrests and are not so open underneath. That vertical handrail in front of the seats can get in the way too!
The Class 378 trains were introduced in 2009, so the differences are probably down to eight years of design and advanced manufacturing.
Armrests
The armrests have received praise in some reports and they appear to work.
Note how in the metro-style seating the armrests have two levels.
Conclusion
As the first Aventra to enter service, it is a very good effort.
Certainly finding criticism of these interiors is difficult.
If you’re in London and want to go to the Olympic Park or the Eastfield Shopping Centre at Stratford, why not forsake the Jubilee and Central Lines of the Underground and take one of these new trains from Liverpool Street.
There are four trains in service at the present time, but by the end of the year, there will be eleven, so there is an improving chance you’ll get a ride in the best commuter train, in which I’ve ever ridden.
West Anglia Route Improvement – STAR – 19th September 2017
Progress appears to being made on installing the third track for STAR.
Note.
- The piles for the electrification.
- The completed piles with their orange caps.
- The digging out of the bed for the third track.
- The work around Meridian Water station
There’s certainly a lot of work going on.
The Anonymous Widower 