Labour Alienates The Jews And Drivers And Owners Of Diesel Vehicles
I come from mixed Jewish/Huguenot lines and my philosophy is probably humanist, although I’m a confirmed atheist.
But if I’m wrong, finding Heaven could be a bonus when I die!
This article on the BBC is entitled Labour ruling ‘fails Jewish community’, says Chief Rabbi.
Individuals, like Livingstone have no place in an inclusive political party.
This article on the BBC is entitled Date announced for London ultra low emission zone.
I am not against the ultra low emission zone, just the way that it is being brought in unilaterally in London.
We need ultra low emission zones all over the country and there is many things we can do.
- Cross-city railways and trams.
- More hybrid and electric buses when they are available at an affordable cost.
- Park-and-ride facilities.
- Trucks should be more environmentally and cyclist friendly.
- Grants will probably be needed to scrap older diesel vehicles and invest in new trucks and buses.
The one thing that is right is to bring in the zone in 2019, which will be just after the Central London section of Crossrail has opened.
There needs to be measures from Central Government, but as ever, staying in power comes first.
I have a feeling that London’s ultra low emission zone will not be good for Sadiq Khan in London, as it’s going to cause inconvenience for many in London.
The Pop Group That Saved A City With A Little Help From Their Friends
It is the fiftieth anniversary of the release of one of the best albums of all time; Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
I bought the album and still have it somewhere.
But I don’t think most people understand how the Beatles changed a city completely.
Liverpool in the sixties had nasty undercurrents of violence and religious hatred. But in the five years, I lived in the city, these changed for the better, with the rivalry being transferred to support for your favourite group or football team.
Liverpool acquired a belief that it could take on the world and win.
Now, when I go back regularly, I find a confident, bustling, modern and friendly city, that compares to any in the world.
But what would have happened if the Beatles hadn’t?
A Tough Way To Spend Easter
Hackney Wick station is being rebuilt.
It is not an easy job, as the rail line is on a viaduct six metres above ground level.
In addition to being a major line of the the London Overground, the North London Line is also an important freight route.
The picture was taken from the ramp that leads up to the station, which is high on the left.
To complicate matters on top of the station was a concrete footbridge.
This was demolished a month or so ago.
To make the creation of the subway through the embankment, even more challenging, they are building the subway to the North of the embankment.
And over Easter, they will do the tricky bit.
Starting on Friday, the 14th April, they will execute this sequence of operations.
- Remove the track through Hackney Wick.
- Dig a massive gap in the embankment and dig down to the stable gravel level.
- lightweight polystyrene blocs will even be used to replace a proportion of backfill.
- Push the station subway, which is 12.7 metres wide and 22.5 metres long into the gap.
The job will then be completed by rebuilding the railway on top, ready for the start of services on the Tuesday.
This is the sort of job that needs a web-cam high on a convenient tower block.
Hackney Wick Station – 8th April 2017
These pictures show the station on the Saturday before work starts.
Is the subway going to be turned before it is moved into place?
Call In A Herd If Mammoths – 13th April 2017
These pictures show the subway tunnel being readied for the big push!
I think the last train into Hackney Wick station gets there at three minutes past midnight.
Counting Them All In And Counting Them All Out – 14th April 2017
The embankment is now being removed and I have put up a series of pictures in Counting Them All In And Counting Them All Out.
Here is a picture from the 8th of April and a sample from today for comparison.
It is an impressive operation, with a stream of trucks coming and going.
Where Are All The Class 700 Trains?
Yesterday, as I returned from Ilkeston station, there were large numbers of Class 700 trains in sidings along the Thameslink route from Bedford to St. Pancras.
But this morning, when I sat in the sun on West Hampstead Thameslink station for an hour and a quarter, I saw the following trains running Thameslink services.
- 12 Class 319 trains
- 7 Class 700 trains
- 1 Class 377 train
There wasn’t a reliable service due to an earlier train failure.
On a rough calculation 65% of all services are still run by the previous fleet and only 35% by new Class 700 trains.
This article in Rail Magazine, which is dated September 2016, is entitled 29th Class 700 delivered to UK.
This is said in Wikipedia about the first delivery of the Class 700 trains.
The first delivered train arrived in the UK by the end of July 2015, and was delivered to the Three Bridges depot The first test run on the Brighton Main Line took place in December 2015.
The first train in service was unit 700108 forming the 1002 Brighton to London Bridge service on 20 June 2016.
So it would appear that Siemens have delivered about two trains per month.
That would mean that since September 2016, another twelve trains have been delivered, which would make a total of 41. This works out that 35% of the Class 700 trains have been delivered.
So that means that, the proportion of services run by Class 700 trains, is the same as that of the number of trains delivered.
Perhaps not too surprising!
It will be interesting to see this percentage in say a couple of months time.
Delivery Of The Complete Fleet
This article in Railway Gazette International is entitled Thameslink Class 700 testing to begin soon, says this about the completion of the fleet’s introduction into service.
The first units are expected to enter service with Govia Thameslink Railway in spring 2016, initially on the Thameslink route and then on Great Northern services by 2017. All Thameslink services would be operated by Class 700s from 2017, with the full fleet in service by the end of 2018.
So this means that if there were 29 trains in the UK at the end of September 2015 and there will be 115 trains in service at the end of December 2018, this means a delivery rate of about three trains per month.
An increased rate of delivery is probably to be expected, as Siemens learn more about the production process.
Reliability
As to hard facts on train reliability, there is very little.
In the January 2017 Edition of Modern Railways,, Roger Ford compares the first few months of the Class 700 with the first few months if a Class 444 train.
This is said.
The lesson is clear; no matter how good your product or how many thousands of miles of test running accumulated at Wildenrath or Velim, the real world is a different matter.
Roger Ford also says the following.
- The performance of the Class 707 trains, which are Class 700 clones, will be very interesting, as they’ll have all of Thameslink’s experience.
- Put a ten pound bet on improvement.
So reliability is probably what to expect.
Comfort, Wi-Fi And Cup-Holders
If the Class 700 have a problem it is the interiors.
In By Class 700 Train To Brighton And Back, I said this.
I would describe the trains as adequate for the core route from East Croydon to West Hampstead and Finsbury Park, but they do have limitations for long-distance commuters.
- There are no tables or even anywhere to put a drink.
- There is no wi-fi.
- There are no power sockets to charge a laptop or phone.
The new Class 345 trains for Crossrail, don’t have tables either, but they do have wi-fi and 4G. But these are short-distance trains and unlike the Class 700 trains, which are taking over from Class 387 trains with tables, most of previous stock that worked from Reading to Shenfield didn’t have tables, wi-fi or power sockets.
Govia Thameslink Railway must be really pleased to get a set of trains, without some of the features their passengers demand.
To be fair it’s not their fault, as these trains were designed to fit a Passenger Focus report which can be found on the Internet, that was written in the dying days of the last Labour Government.
Read the document and draw your own conclusions.
It’ll be interesting to see how long the trains are in service, before they have a refit!
Conclusion
It looks like the trains are being delivered as promised and, their reliability could be as expected, but the interior is not what the passengers need or want.
Ilkeston Station Opens
I went to the new Ilkeston station this morning and took these pictures.
It is not the most sophisticated of stations and it is worth comparing the design with Lea Bridge station.
This picture is from A Look At Lea Bridge Station, which shows the station in detail.
Comparing Ilkeston and Lea Bridge stations, there are similarities and differences.
- Both stations are built adjacent to existing road bridges.
- Both road bridges have some good brickwork and a utilitarian span over the railway.
- Both stations have two platforms on the outside of a double-track main line.
- Both stations don’t have ticket barriers.
- Lea Bridge has lifts and Ilkeston has long ramps for step-free access.
- Lea Bridge is fitted with comprehensive CCTV for Driver Only Operation (DOO). Ilkeston is not!
- Ilkeston has car parking and Lea Bridge has none.
Both stations cost around ten million pounds, with perhaps Lea Bridge slightly more because of the lifts and DOO cameras.
My Overall View
I think that Ilkeston station is a job well-done by the architect to keep costs to a minimum for a well-functioning station, that meets all current and future regulations.
These are more details on various features.
The Station Entrance
One of my gripes with Lea Bridge station, is that when I use that station, I take a bus to it, which drops me just before the road bridge over the station. I then have to walk past the station footbridge, with no possible access and in a great circle to get to the station entrance at the side.
At Ilkeston, those walking to the station by the side of the road that crosses the bridge, just walk over the station footbridge, from which they walk down to their chosen platform.
This is a much better arrangement and will surely suggest to passers-by, that using the train isn’t a hassle.
When I went to Ilkeston, some months ago, I remember that the area between the Town Centre had what developers call potential and perhaps could be turned into a green walking and cycling route.
This Google Map shows the relationship between the town and the station.
It certainly isn’t as desolate as the Town Centre was on my last visit. There’s even a Marks and Spencer’s Simply Food store in a retail park, just a couple of hundred metres from the station.
I made a mistake in not exploring that way today, as it looked not to be finished.
I shall return!
Car Parking
The car parks are on both sides of the tracks, which is good for the able-bodied passengers, as if space allows they can park where is best for their personal circumstances.
My one worry about the car parking, is that 150 spaces might not be enough.
On the other hand car ownership is low in the Erewash Valley! So perhaps they expect a lot of passengers to walk to the station.
Access To The Platforms
At present, the landscaping is not finished on the Nottingham-bound side (Platformk 2) of the station and I suspect the walking route to the platform will be improved.
But supposing you are a passenger with a touch of arthritis and failing eyesight. Whatever side you park your car, you will have to negotiate both long ramps to cross the tracks, when you catch a train out of Ilkeston or on your return.
But saying that several London Overground stations near me use long ramps and there doesn’t appear to be too many protests.
Lifts would of course be better. But a lot more costly!
Picking Up And Dropping Off Passengers
The drop-off/pick-up point is by the Chesterfield-bound Platform 1, but I suspect that when the station is completed, drivers will be able to do the drop-off/pick-up in the car park by Platform 2.
Taxi Rank
The taxi rank is by the Chesterfield-bound Platform 1, so passengers arriving on Platform 2 will have to cross the tracks on the footbridge.
I did talk to a taxi driver called Paul Kitchener, who is one half of a taxi company called Paul and Jackie Taxi. I was able to find them on Fscebook, so if you have special needs for a taxi and you don’t live in Ilkeston, you could always contact them first.
Shelters and Ticket Machines
As expected a shelter is provided on both platforms, but perhaps more surprisingly, there is a ticket machine on both platforms as well.
Thjs duplication of ticket machines is to be welcomed, as is placing them in an obvious place on the platform.
The Germans make their ticket machines very easy to find, which is not often the policy of some of our train operators.
Two ticket machines by stairs to the footbridge, which pedestrians will use as access to the station, is an idea, that might result in more revenue for the train operator.
Bike And Motor-Cycle Parking
I didn’t see much, although there were a few hoops outside Platform 1
Coffee Kiosks
A guy from London Overground, told me that if you have a coffee kiosk on the platform, it may attract more passengers.
The platforms at Ilkeston might not be quite big enough for a kiosk, but I’m certain the architect has ideas.
Future Proofing
There have been troubles recently, where stations have been built without enough clearance for future electrification.
Without getting out a measure, it appears that the two existing road bridges and the new foot-bridge at Ilkeston, may have enough clearance to satisfy the most nit-picking of inspectors. The bridge that could be dodgy is the rusty road bridge and that would not be the most difficult bridge to replace with a new one.
Perhaps, as it has not been given a coat of paint, the new bridges are being constructed, as I write.
The design of the station, would also allow the following.
- Two fast lines through the station, between Platform 2 and the boundary fence, where there is already an avoiding line.
- The possibility of putting a second face on Platform 2, so that a bay platform or a platform on a fast line could be created.
- The addition of lifts.
I also suspect that the platforms are long enough for a Class 222 train to call.
A Good Local Reaction
One of the staff told me that he reckoned about five hundred people had come to have a look at the new station, which he felt was more than expected.
Several, that I spoke to seemed enthusiastic.
One couple, I spoke to, said forty-eight pounds each was a lot to get see their daughter and her family. But yet again, they hadn’t heard of the Two Together Railcard. They felt thirty-two pounds was a lot more reasonable.
Services
Current services through the station are an hourly train between Leeds and Nottingham via Sheffield and a two-hourly service between Liverpool and Nottingham via Manchester.
This gives an impressive list of destinations from Ilkeston, that includes Barnsley, Chesterfield, Ely (for Cambridge), Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham and Sheffield.
But what is missing are connections to Birmingham, Derby, London and Mansfield.
London will be solved in the future, when passengers by their journey hsbits put sufficient pressure on the train operator.
A solution for Derby and Mansfield was proposed in this article in the Nottingham Post which is entitled Hopes HS2 could see ‘Maid Marian Line’ opened to passengers.
There is a freight-only line between Kirkby-in-Ashfield station on the Robin Hood Line and Pye Bridge on the Erewash Valley Line, on which Ilkeston is situated.
The proposal would allow trains to go between Kirkby-in-Ashfield via Pinxton and Selston to Langley Mill and Ilkeston and then on to Toton for HS2.
From there services could go on to Nottingham or Derby and also give access to the Nottingham Express Transit at Toton.
In my view, the ideal service would be Mansfield to Derby via Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Langley Mill, Ilkeston, Toton (when built), Long Eaton and Spondon.
At Derby, there is also up to four trains per hour to Birmingham.
Conclusion
This is a fine station, which has been built at a keen price, which with more services will be a big asset to Ilkeston.
Shenfield Station – April 1st 2017
It is perhaps around sixty days before the first part of Crossrail opens between Liverpool Street and Shenfield stations.
A lot of work has been done.
- It would appear that space could have been made for an extra track most of the way between Brentwood and Shenfield station.
- Is one going to be built to improve access to Platform 5 and the new Platform 6?
- Platforms 3 and 4 would appear to have been lengthened substantially. The new Stadler Flirts may be longer than the current trains.
- It looks like the stabling and reversing sidings are on the outside of the down line to Southend, which dives under the Great Eastern Main Line.
But there is still some work to do.
Greater Anglia’s New Manningtree Depot Site
It’s a bit of a mess, but contractors have started cleaning the site at Manningtree for Greater Anglia’s New Depot.
The site is on the left hand side of a train going towards Ipswich.
Cambridge Should Have A Metro System Like Barcelona
This was the title on this article in the Cambridge News.
This map shows the proposition.
It is probably a reasonable aspiration for the city, but the plan proposed would be very expensive, as the proposer suggests a tunnel under Cambridge.
In Making Sense Of The New East Anglia Franchise, I had a section entitled A Cambridge Metro. Some of this post is an update of the previous one.
So what do we know is actually happening?
Cambridge’s £750Million City Deal
This article in the Cambridge News is entitled Three new train stations and £750m City Deal projects to fuel Cambridge public transport revolution.
These rail improvements are mentioned in the article.
- New stations at Addenbrooke’s, Cherry Hinton and Fulbourn.
- Cambridge to Kings Lynn service increase from one to two trains per hour (tph)
- Two tph to Stansted.
- March to Wisbech rail reinstatement.
- Cambridge to Ipswich service increase to two tph
- East Coast Main Line rail capacity improvements between Huntingdon and Peterborough
- A new station at Alconbury on the East Coast Main Line.
- Reinstate the ‘Newmarket west curve’ to allow direct services to run between Ely and the new station at Soham to Newmarket and Cambridge.
- Double tracking of railway line between Ely and Soham.
Cambridge is bursting and needs more local transport systems and the City Deal and other funding recognises that!
Services Through Cambridge
Within a few years, all of these services will arrive at one or all of Cambridge, Cambridge North and the proposed Cambridge South stations.
- Greater Anglia from Ipswich
- Greater Anglia from Liverpool Street
- Greater Anglia from Norwich
- EastMidlands Trains and CrossCountry from Peterborough
- Greater Anglia and CrossCountry from Stansted Airport
- East West Rail Link from Bedford, Milton Keynes and Oxford
- Great Northern from Kings Cross
- Great Northern from King’s Lynn
- Thameslink from Brighton
- Thameslink from Maidstone East
- Thameslink from St. Pancras
Cambridge is taking over the world. Or at least making it a much better place!
Cambridge Crossrail?
These services could be organised, so they ran more efficiently.
Consider.
- Perhaps they could call at Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North and Ely stations in an appropriate order as they pass through the City in a North-South direction.
- It might be better if services from the South were run back-to-back with services from the North.
- Greater Anglia are already proposing a Norwich-Stansted Airport service.
- Great Northern already run a King’s Lynn-Kings Cross service.
- Cambridge has four bay platforms for terminating trains.
- Cambridge North station will have a South-facing bay platform.
- Ely station has had a South-facing bay platform
I think it very likely that after a meeting in one of Cambridge’s excellent real ale hostelries, a very adequate core service can be developed through Cambridge.
Could this core service do for Cambridge, what other Cross-City services have done for Berlin, Birmingham, Leipzig, Liverpool, Newcastle and Paris?
On published plans the following will be running in a year or so, between Ely and the site of Cambridge South station.
- 1 train per hour (tph) between Norwich and Stansted Airport
- 1 tph between Birmingham and Stansted Airport
- 1 tph between Kings Cross and Kings Lynn.
In addition Thameslink will have 2 tph between Cambridge North and Brighton via St. Pancras and London Bridge, so the three Cambridge stations could have a 5 tph connection.
The Bombardier Aventra
Greater Anglia have ordered 89 five-car and 22 ten-car Aventras and they obviously have plans to use them all efficiently.
The Aventra has a slightly unusual and innovative electrical layout.
This article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-Iron batteries if required.
This was published six years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have improved the concept.
It looks like the length and capacity of a ten-car Aventra is equivalent to that of a twelve-car formation of Class 317, Class 321 or Class 360 trains.
So on a rough estimate the Aventras are equivalent to about 200 four-car units.
Currently Greater Anglia have 170 four-car electric trains, ignoring the Class 379 trains, which will be replaced by Stadler Flirts.
Greater Anglia appear to have increased the fleet by the equivalent of thirty four-car trains or another twenty five-car Aventras than they would need to replicate current services.
When you consider that for some of their routes, the faster and quicker-stopping Aventras, should provide current service with fewer trains, you wonder what Greater Anglia are going to do with these spare trains?
Bombardier’s concept of a pair of cars sharing the electrical components, that I indicated earlier, is a good one from an engineering point of view.
It shares the weight of heavy components and would allow a weighty high-capacity energy storage device to be easily installed, to give sufficient range to go between say Ely and Peterborough stations, which is a distance of just twenty-five miles.
In addition, suppose though the train was packaged in a passenger-friendly skin, that made it look more as much like a tram than a train!
You would have a train, that would be equally at home using the electrification on the 100 mph Great Eastern Main Line or running silently through the countryside at a leisurely 40-50 mph using onboard energy storage.
In the following sections, I’ll investigate how Aventras could expand the basic core service around Cambridge.
Turn-Up-And-Go Services
Where I live in Dalston in East London, the London Overground run services at what they call a Turn-Up-And-Go service of four trains per hour (tph).
Merseyrail use this frequency on some of their lines, as do Birmingham and Leeds.
This should be the aim for services to and from Cambridge.
Commuting Into Cambridge
Many travel into Cambridge every day for work.
- The trains are crowded.
- Many travel with bicycles.
- The Cambridge Park-and-Ride is very busy.
- It is not unknown for commuters to unfold their Brompton in a Park-and-Ride and cycle to work.
- The City Centre seems grid-locked with traffic and walkers most of the day.
The conclusion is that extra capacity is needed.
Cambridge North Station
Cambridge North station will provide extra capacity in the North of the City and better access to the Science Park.
But extra thought will need to be put into services at the station.
Consider.
There are no plans for a direct service between Cambridge North and Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich.
- There is only one tph to Norwich.
- There is only one tph to Peterborough.
- Will CrossCountry’s Birmingham to Stansted service stop at both Cambridge and Cambridge North stations?
A chord at Ely Dock Junction would create a route between Suffolk and Cambridge North station.
Rail Lines Into Cambridge
In a few years, these rail lines will bring passengers to Cambridge.
- The electrified West Anglia Main Line from London Liverpool Street.
- The electrified Cambridge Line from London Kings Cross via the East Coast Main Line.
- The electrified Fen Line from Kings Lynn.
- The Breckland Line from Norwich.
- The Ipswich to Ely Line.
- The Ely-Peterborough Line.
From the late 2020s, the lines will be joined by the East-West Rail Link..
The Guided Busway
Cambridge has spent a lot of money developing the Guided Busway.
One of the main reasons for developing the Southern section of the Guided Busway was to serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the surrounding cluster of health-related companies and research establishments.
Now that Addenbrooke’s is getting a new Cambridge South station, will the Guided Busway be less important?
Possibly, but the station will probably rule out any extension of the Busway at its Southern end.
The Guided Busway will also call at both Cambridge and Cambridge North stations. Surely, passengers who are using the busway to go North of Cambridge will change transport mode at Cambridge North station.
It looks to me, that when Cambridge North and Cambridge South stations are fully operational, that the busway’s main purpose will be to bring passengers to and from the two new stations.
Services Via The West Anglia Main Line
Services to London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport on the fully-electrified West Anglian Main Line, consist of the current services.
- 1 tph fast to Liverpool Street
- 1 tph semi-fast to Liverpool Street
- 1 tph to Stansted Airport.
When Greater Anglia receive their Stadler Flirts, the operator will add a one tph Norwich to Stansted Airport service.
All except one of these services are fast services with limited stops and two will only go as far as Stansted Airport.
As the Aventras will be able to cruise at a fast speed and thus keep out of the way of the express Flirts, could we see some extra local services on the line, that will improve local journeys and connections to Bishops Stortford, Cambridge and Stansted Airport?
Commuting, shopping and leisure activities in Cambridge would certainly be easier if your local station had four tph.
Services Via The Cambridge And East Coast Main Lines
Services to London Kings Cross via the fully-electrified Cambridge Line will consist of the current services.
- 1 tph fast to London Kings Cross
- 1 tph semi-fast to London Kings Cross
Thameslink will add the following services.
- 2 tph to Brighton – Semi-fast stopping at Royston, Baldock (peak only) Letchworth Garden City, Hitchin, Stevenage
- 2 tph to Maidstone East – Stopping at all stations.
These might replace the current semi-fast service to Kings Cross.
Stations like Letchworth Garden City, Baldock and Royston currently get two tph to Cambridge and will get four tph when Thameslink opens.
But surely a Turn-Up-And-Go service of four tph at a lot more stations, would pull more passengers out of the woodwork.
So why not run Aventras from Cambridge to a suitable station to improve the service?
There may be a problem with Greater Anglia running this service, as the Cambridge Line is Great Northern territory, but if that is the case, Great Northern should join the party around Cambridge.
Services To Bedford, Milton Keynes And Oxford
The East West Rail Link and Cambridge South station could be delivered in the late 2020s.
I will deal with local services on this line later.
Services To Norwich
The one tph from Norwich to Cambridge will be replaced by a one tph Norwich to Stansted Airport service, so in practice those living in Cambridge will only notice a destination change and a new larger train.
North of Ely, the service will actually be two tph, as there is a one tph Norwich-Nottingham service.
This service pattern will be sufficient for a few years, but I can see a time, when there is a need for two tph on the Cambridge-Norwich route, with possibly one extended to Yarmouth.
This service frequency is not sufficient for a commuter route into Cambridge.
As an example, Thetford station has just two tph in each direction between Norwich and Ely, with only one tph going to Cambridge. Miss a train and wait an hour doesn’t attract customers!
The line is not electrified between Ely and Thetford, but the distance is only a small amount over twenty miles, which could be in out-and-back range for an Aventra running on onboard energy storage.
So an Aventra running using onboard power could probably run a four tph Turn-Up-And-Go service from Cambridge as far as Thetford with the following stops to the North of Ely.
- Prickwillow – Reopened station
- Shippea Hill
- Lakenheath
- Brandon
What would four tph in addition to the current two tph do to this area?
Services To Peterborough
Cambridge to Peterborough currently has only one tph, with three tph between Ely and Peterborough.
This means that Peterborough with all its connections to the North of England and Scotland, is not a particularly difficult journey, but a rather infrequent journey from Cambridge.
But it needs a Turn-Up-And-Go service of four tph from the two Cambridge stations.
The Ely-Peterborough Line is a major freight artery, but it is not electrified.
However, the section without electrification is just over twenty miles, so an Aventra with onboard storage could manage it with ease and charge the energy storage at both ends.
There are also just two stations on the line at March and Whittlesea.
So why not open a few more stations on the line and give them a decent four tph service between Cambridge and Peterborough?
This Google Map shows the location of the former Peterborough East station.
Surely, with everything going on in the area and need to develop more housing, a station is needed here.
Extension To Wisbech
The track already exists and if ever there was a town that needed a two tph rail link to Cambridge , it is Wisbech, which is less than ten miles from the main Ely-Peterborough Line. Even if the main line isn’t electrified, Wisbech is probably within range of 2020 battery technology from Ely.
The Service To Nottingham
East Midlands Train run a one tph service between Nottingham and Norwich.
Perhaps, as services from Cambridge develop, it might be better for this Nottingham service to terminate at Cambridge.
This would give Cambridge direct access to Nottingham and Leicester, but it would also give the service to Peterborough an increased frequency
If this were to be done, a second Cambridge-Norwich service should probably be added, to restore two tph to Norwich.
Services To Bury St. Edmunds And Ipswich
Network Rail have thought long and hard about what to do with services from Ipswich to Cambridge and Peterborough over the years.
Greater Anglia’s solution is to run the following services using bi-mode Flirts.
- 1 tph from Ipswich to Cambridge
- 1 tph from Colchester to Peterborough.
This will give the following.
- Services quicker by a few minutes.
- Two tph between Kennett, Bury St. Edmunds, Stowmarket and Ipswich.
- More capacity.
But the service to Cambridge and Newmarket and Bury St. Edmunds is as now!
- There is only one tph from Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and all the other stations East of Kennett.
- The service only goes to Cambridge and not Cambridge North or the proposed Cambridge South stations.
- There is an alternative route with a change at Ely.
Bury St. Edmunds and Newmarket need two tph to both Cambridge stations! And they need that service now!
Currently trains from Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Newmarket take 79, 42 and 22 minutes respectively to get to Cambridge.
Cambridgeshire County Council also has plans to reopen Fulbourn and Cherry Hinton stations, which with the current trains would probably add five minutes to the current timings.
Could a new bi-mode Flirt go from Ipswich to Cambridge in an hour as opposed to the current one hour nineteen minutes?
- Is the current timing based on a single-car 75 mph Class 153 train or a 100 mph Class 170 train, that works the route today?
- The bi-mode Flirts could run on electricity from Ipswich to Haughley unction.
- There are eight stops on the route, where a minute or two could be saved.
- Step-free train access from the platform could be provided
- Haughley Junction could be improved.
- Wikipedia quotes the line-speed as 40-75 mph, which surely could be raised.
- Fast turnbacks with a driver change could be performed at Cambridge and Ipswich.
It might just be possible to do Ipswich to Cambridge in an hour.
I can’t believe that this is not an aspiration of Greater Anglia.
It would give.
- A headline-grabbing one hour trip between Ipswich and Cambridge.
- ,Currently, Greater Anglia probably use two Class 170 trains on the route, so two trains could give a 2 tph service.
- Ipswich to Bury St. Edmunds would get a three tph service.
But there would still be a need to change at Cambridge to get to Cambridge North and Cambridge South stations.
A Cambridge Eastern Metro
In the plans for the Cambridge region in the Cambridge News, these two points are made.
- Reinstate the ‘Newmarket west curve’ to allow direct services to run between Ely and the new station at Soham to Newmarket and Cambridge.
- Double tracking of railway line between Ely and Soham.
Obviously, these assume that there is a new station at Soham.
This Google Map shows the triangular junction on Newmarket Heath, where the Newmarket West Curve has been lifted.
The railway from Bury St. Edmunds splits into two, with one branch curving round the British Racing School and going North to Ely and the other curving South to go in a short tunnel under Newmarket to get to Newmarket station.
The reinstatement of the West Curve would enable a service to run between Ely and Cambridge stopping at the following stations.
- Soham – New station
- Fordham – New station
- Newmarket
- Dullingham
- Fulbourn – New station
- Cherry Hinton – New station
I have added another station at Fordham.
I estimate Ely to Newmarket will take 13 minutes making the journey time 35 minutes between Ely and Cambridge, as opposed to 16 minutes by the direct route.
This route could open up various route possibilities in addition to being a longer route between Ely and ambridge.
- It certainly gives Newmarket a better service to Cambridge.
- Services could terminate the other side of Ely at Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Thetford or Wisbech.
- With reverses at Cambridge and Ely, a loop service would connect Newmarket and the East of Cambridge to Cambridge North station.
- The loop service could be extended to Cambridge South station.
I’m sure Greater Anglia have better ideas based on how passengers travel.
A Rebuilt Newmarket Station
Network Rail had a plan to rebuild Newmarket station with an island platform to give interchange between Ely and Peterborough services via the Newmarket West Curve and those going East to Bury St. Edmunds and Ipswich.
Could a train going from Peterborough and Ely to Cambridge via Soham be timed to be in Newmarket station at the same time as one going from Cambridge to Ipswich?
Consider.
- With two tph on both services in both directions, it would be an efficient way to improve services without buying lots of trains.
- Perhaps one Ely service would go to Peterborough and the other to Thetford.
- Ely and Ipswich would have a two extra services in each hour, with just a step across the platform at Newmarket.
- Newmarket, Fulbourn and Cherry Hinton would have four tph to Cambridge.
- Newmarket would have two tph to Ely.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Extension To Haverhill
There was a very good railway from the South of Cambridge to Haverhill and onto Sudbury, Marks Tey and |Colchester. But the last train ran on the Stour Valley Railway in 1967.
Greater Anglia have plans for the Eastern end of this route and it will be extended to Colchester Town station with probably two tph to Sudbury.
I suspect that Greater Anglia regret that British Rail closed this line fifty years ago, as two tph running between Colchester Town and Cambridge North stations via Colchester, Marks Tey, Sudbury, Haverhill, Cambridge South and Cambridge stations, wouldn’t be just a nice little earner, but quite a valuable gold-mine.
I believe that Greater Anglia will be running Colchester Town to Sudbury using Aventras with onboard energy storage, away from the overhead wires.
I also believe that by the time the line was extended from Sudbury to Cambridge South, that battery technology will have advanced enough to power a train from Marks Tey to Cambridge South.
Cambridge would gain a new route into the City, using the best that modern British technology can do!
An Aventra Between Marks Tey And Cambridge
After taking on a full load of electricity on the Great Eastern Main Line, a train would just trundle from Marks Tey to Sudbury, Haverhill and on to Cambridge.
- The route would be nearly all single track.
- There would be no need for any electrification.
- Signalling would be conventional.
- There would be no level crossings.
- All stations would be single platform, with appropriate facilities.
- A passing loop might be provided at perhaps Sudbury.
- Trains might even run on the street in Haverhill, with perhaps three stops in the town.
- When running on the street, the trains would obey the rules that street-running trams, do in places like Birmingham, Edinburgh and Nottingham.
It wouldn’t look like a conventional railway, but to the operator and the authorities that’s what it would be.
To anybody living or walking in the countryside, it would just be a silent electric vehicle passing at an appropriate speed.
As it’s going to work out of Cambridge, the interior would be geared to the needs of the bicycle-friendly city.
With a range of fifty miles on onboard energy storage, it would have no difficulty with these services.
- The Cambridge Eastern Metro
- Marks Tey To Cambridge Via Sudbury And Haverhill.
- Ely To Thetford
- Ely to Peterborough
- Extension To Wisbech
Where else could these trains take the rail network in Cambridge?
Along The East West Rail Link
All the plans for the East West Rail Link are about long distance services services between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
But why if you have a 100 mph electrified railway between two important cities, should it not have a two or even four-train per hour stopping service between the cities.
Modern trains are able to execute a station stop so quickly compared to trains of twenty years ago, that having a stopping train on a main line, isn’t the liability, that it was even a few years ago.
So on the East West Rail Link between Cambridge and Bedford will we be seeing four tph, that stop at all stations in addition to the fast expresses?
In the map that introduced this post, a service to Cambourne is shown.
This Google Map shows the location of Cambourne to the West of Cambridge.
Cambourne is at the top of the map, just South of the A428 road.
The red arrow at the bottom right, indicates the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory,
The East West Rail Link passes to the North of the observatory, which used to use the old track bed, as a track for radio telescopes and then goes to the South of Cambourne.
Perhaps a single track branch line could be built.
Conclusion
A Metro in Cambridge will develop because of these factors
- Cambridge needs to reach out to the hinterland, as it is growing fast.
- A high-frequency cross-city line with three important stations in a row will happen.
- Greater Anglia have bought a lot of five-car Aventras.
- Aventras will be able to run using onboard energy storage.
- A lot of the lines radiating from Cambridge have capacity for extra services and are electrified.
But the biggest factor will be that towns and cities around Cambridge will want part of the prosperity.
Increasing Capacity On Waterloo Suburban Services
A new franchise is taking over the services out of Waterloo station to the South West.
There is an informative article in Rail Technology Magazine, which is entitled First MTR joint venture awarded South Western franchise.
I wrote about the suburban services in An Analysis Of Waterloo Suburban Services Proposed To Move To Crossrail 2.
The Services Proposed To Move To Crossrail 2
These suburban termini and their routes are proposed to be connected to Crossrail 2.
- Chessington South – 34 minutes – 9 stops
- Epsom – 37 minutes – 9 stops
- Hampton Court – 36 minutes – 9 stops
- Shepperton – 51 minutes – 14 stops
The times are for a typical one-way journey from Waterloo, which usually has a frequency of two trains per hour (tph).
But consider.
- The routes are probably timed for 75 mph Class 455 trains.
- The latest Class 707 trains are 100 mph trains and probably execute a station stop much quicker.
I would think it is highly likely that a Class 707 train could do a round trip to Chessington South, Epsom and Hampton Court stations, within an hour. For the purpose of this calculation, I’ll assume that trains to Shepperton take two hours for the round trip.
So this would mean that to execute the current 2 tph, would need the following number of five-car trains, which would work as a ten-car unit.
- Chessington South – 2×2 = 4 trains
- Epsom – 2×2 = 4 trains
- Hampton Court – 2×2 = 4 trains
- Shepperton – 4×2 = 8 trains
So a total of 20 new five-car Class 707 trains would be needed to run these four services at a frequency of 2 tph, stopping as they do now!
As they can’t do the round trip in an hour with the current stock, they need to use more trains. And drivers and depot space!
Services to Windsor and Eton Riverside
Services between Waterloo and Windsor and Eton Riverside stations currently take 54 minutes.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect that a Class 707 train could do the round trip in two hours.
So that means that just eight trains are needed to run the ten-car 2 tph service to Windsor.
Services On The Hounslow And Kingston Loop Lines
These seem to be timed as follows.
- Hounslow Loop – 85 minutes – 20 stops.
- Kingston Loop – 79 minutes – 22 stops
Consider.
- The services are probably timed for 75 mph trains.
- 100 mph Class 707 trains with a faster station-stop performance could save a minute at each stop.
- All the platforms on the loop have only recently been updated for ten-car trains.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Class 707 trains, run round the Hounslow and Kingston Loop Lines in under an hour.
This would enable clockface services, simplify train scheduling and please passengers, signallers and the train operating company.
Other Services
There are other services that would benefit from Class 707 trains.
These are two examples of services out of Waterloo
- Weybridge via Hounslow and Virginia – 75 minutes – 20 stops.
- Guildford via Epsom – 71 minutes – 17 stops
Would a Class 707 train, bring these journeys under the magic hour including a turnback?
Waterloo Station
When the former International platforms at Waterloo station has been upgraded in the Summer, it will have five new Platforms 20-24.
To gain efficient access to the new Platforms, Network Rail are replacing the Eurostar tracks, with lines that enable trains to take a sneaky quick route in and out of Platforms 20-24.
These pictures show the lines going from Platforms 1 and 2 at Vauxhall station to the former Eurostar Platforms.
It looks like when it’s finished Platform 1 at Vauxhall will be the up platform towards Waterloo and Platform 2 will be the down platform.
Currently Platform 2 at Vauchall seems to handle services that come through Putney and Clapham Junction stations, with services going the other way using Platform 3.
According to Services in the Wikipedia entry for Putney station, typical off-peak service at the station is.
- 10 tph to London Waterloo
- 2 tph to Weybridge, calling at all stations via Hounslow.
- 2 tph fast to Windsor & Eton Riverside, calling at Richmond, Twickenham, Whitton, Feltham and all other stations.
- 2 tph taking the Kingston Loop Line via Richmond to return circuitously to Waterloo
- 2 tph in each direction round the Hounslow Loop Line to return circuitously to Waterloo
- 2 tph between Waterloo and Reading, which go through without stopping, but they stop on Sundays.
This means that there are 12 tph in both directions from Putney to Waterloo via Clapham Junction and Vauxhall.
It does look that after all the work is finished, these services will go into the rebuilt Platforms 20-24.
Will the various services be given their own platforms in Waterloo?
It would be a way of increasing passenger throughput in the station at busy times, as commuters would know that their trains always used the same platform. Simple and efficient!
It could be done with all services and I think this is done to a certain extent now.
Conclusion
South West Trains new fleet of thirty Class 707 trains is sized to run the services to Chessington South, Epsom, Hampton Court, Shepperton and Windsor and still leave a couple of spares for breakdowns and maintenance.
This calculation shows that you can sometimes replace a large number of 75 mph trains with a significantly smaller number of 100 mph units and still attain the same service frequency.
As they have just lost the franchise, I feel a little bit sorry for Stagecoach. But not that sorry!
The Anonymous Widower 