Four Cunard Queens To Come Together For The First Time, In Liverpool
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Liverpool City Region.
This is the sub-heading.
British cruise line Cunard has announced that all four Cunard ships will come together in Liverpool in 2028.
On 16 May 2028, Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne will unite on the River Mersey, the first time the full fleet of four has ever assembled.
This is a unique opportunity to see all four Queens together in one place, and will happen in Liverpool, Cunard’s spiritual home, where the company was founded in 1840.
These two paragraphs add some more details.
The last time Cunard ships gathered on the Mersey was in 2015, when the three Queens came together to celebrate the brand’s 175th anniversary, attracting more than one million spectators to the city and its waterfront.
The 2028 gathering is expected to build on that legacy, drawing significant crowds and global attention, with Liverpool marking the moment in its own distinctive style through a waterfront celebration as the Four Queens meet, returning home for the first time.
Queen Mary 2’s arrival in Liverpool on 16 May 2028 will also mark her first ever transatlantic crossing from New York directly to the city, as well as Cunard’s first eastbound arrival from New York to Liverpool in more than 61 years, since RMS Sylvania berthed at Princes Landing Stage on 18 November 1966.
But there is another big difference between the the 2015 gathering and the planned 2028 gathering, other than an extra liner, is that in 2017-8, Liverpool Lime Street station was transformed, which I wrote about in Liverpool Lime Street Station After the Transformation of 2017-18.
The station station has ten platforms, arranged so they can operate as two separate stations; one serving Manchester and the East and the other serving Crewe and the South.
- Five platforms are longer than 220 metres, so they can handle 8-car 200 metre HS2 Classic-Compatible trains.
- Three platforms are longer than 265 metres, so they can handle 11-car 265.3 metre Pendolino Class 390 trains.
- Four platforms are longer than 150 metres, so they can handle 5-car Hitachi Class 802 trains.
- Platform 5 on the Manchester and the East side of the station is 181 metres long and I suspect can handle a Hitachi Class 807 train in an emergency.
It looks to me, that the station was rebuilt, so that Liverpool can handle any combination of trains, that Network Rail envisage might want to use the station at the same time.
A major event like the Grand National, an important international football match in Euro 2028 or the 2028 Four Queens Gathering could attract lots of visitors, some of whom might come in luxury excursion trains.
If Network Rail have been prudent, they will have planned for an event like the 2028 Four Queens Gathering.
Typically, Liverpool Lime Street station now has two trains per hour (tph) to London Euston.
Usually, these are an 11-car Pendolino and a 7-car Class 807 train, which have a total capacity of 607+453 or 1060 seats.
This picture shows Platform 9 handling an 11-car Pendolino.
Note.
- The curve of the platform appears to be used to allow the longer train to fit.
- The platform is wide, so 607 passengers and their baggage, babies and buggies can safely embark from the an 11-car Penolino train.
- In Wires, New Platforms And Sidings At Blackpool North Station – 17th April 2018, it appears that platforms at Blackpool North station have a slight curve too.
Have Network Rail been listening to a certain limerick about a Man of Kent?
Liverpool Lime Street Station After the Transformation of 2017-18
This document from Network Rail is entitled £140m Transformation Of Liverpool Lime Street Completed On Time.
These bullet points serve as sub-headings.
- Track, platform and signalling improvements
- Paving the way for bigger, better trains with more seats for more customers in future
- Part of the wider Great North Rail Project
- Part of #StationsDay – celebrating the £5.2billion investment to regenerate Britain’s rail stations
But I also believe two other important sub-projects were carried out during the work.
The Station Has Been Substantially Prepared For High Speed Two
Consider.
- Platforms were lengthened so they can accept 265.3-metre long eleven-car Class 390 trains.
- Platforms were widened, so they could handle the 607 passengers, that can be carried in an eleven-car train.
- There appears to be five full-size platforms numbered 6-10.
- Is there the possibility of a sixth platform, which is currently numbered E (for Emergency (?))?
- The approaches to the station have been remodeled, so trains can enter the station very efficiently.
- The Class 390 trains are going between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street stations, in times that are not far off those expected from High Speed Two trains.
As Liverpool Lime Street will only need to handle half-length 200-metre long classic compatible High Speed Two trains, Liverpool Lime Street station is now ready for High Speed Two.
Liverpool Lime Street Station Is Now Effectively Two Five Platform Stations
This OpenRailwayMap shows the platform layout at Liverpool Lime Street station.
Note.
- The platforms indicated by blue dots with numbers are the ten platforms of the station.
- The platforms in the Northern-half of the station are numbered 1-5.
- The platforms in the Southern-half of the station are numbered 6-10.
- All platforms; 1-10 are electrified.
- The white line running diagonally across the map, shows the route of the loop of the Wirral Line.
Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
These are some of my pictures of the station.
It is without doubt, one of the best stations aesthetically and operationally in the world.
Magna Tram Stop – 23rd April 2026
I went to the new Magna tram stop on the Sheffield tram-train today and took these pictures.
The tram stop structure looks like two identical lift towers with a staircase, that have been lifted in onto foundations, that are opposite each other.
- The two structures appear to be made almost entirely of steel, which is surely appropriate for the Sheffield and Rotherham area.
- The lifts are typical quality lifts from Stannah.
- After installation the staircases point in opposite directions.
- Were the three components of the bridge just lifted into place and then wired up and switched on?
- A steel bridge completes the tram stop.
- The design of the bridge keeps the travellers well away from the electrification.
- The bridge steelwork was constructed locally at Barnsley.
I believe, this tram stop was designed for ease of installation and the lowest possible cost consistent with high quality.
I wouldn’t be surprised that this tram stop bridge has been designed so it can be replicated in different sizes at different locations.
I have some further thoughts.
Can This Design Be Adapted For Other Applications, Locations And Sizes?
I believe it can and this bridge could be the first of many.
Can This Design Be Assembled Around A Working Railway With A Few Short Possessions?
I believe it can, which would be a good cost and time saving in assembly!
I also believe, that as at Magna, it could be assembled around a working electrified railway.
There is a lot to like about this tram-stop design.
Are Sheffield Planning Any Expansion Of The Trams?
Out of curiosity, I had to ask Google AI, the title of this section.
I received this answer.
Yes, Sheffield is actively planning to expand its tram network as part of a major public transport regeneration project aiming for better connectivity and reduced congestion. Key proposals include extending the tram-train network to Doncaster and Barnsley, a new route to Stocksbridge, a connection to Chesterfield via Barrow Hill, and a new stop at the Magna Science Adventure Centre.
Key details of the expansion plans include:
Network Expansion Plans: The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is evaluating several extensions, including a potential route connecting the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and the southern city centre.
Tram-Train Focus: Future expansion heavily features tram-trains, which can use existing rail lines, such as the 9-mile link to Stocksbridge.
Doncaster and Barnsley Routes: Proposed extensions involve utilizing existing rail lines for faster connections to Doncaster and a new line to Barnsley.
Infrastructure Investment: The government has announced £570 million for upgrading the existing Supertram network, including improving capacity at Sheffield Train Station.
Timeline: While studies and developments are ongoing, significant work is expected to pick up speed toward 2030, integrated with Northern Powerhouse Rail developments.
Could we see more innovative bridges?
A Crossing For Coeliacs?
I have been getting increasingly frustrated with the roadworks at the crossroads of Moorgate and Ropemaker Street and at the weekend, I wrote How Not To Resurface An Intersection.
But at last order is beginning to emerge and today, I took these pictures of the new diagonal crossing.
Note.
- The diagonal crossing is in use.
- At the North-Eastern end of the crossing, is the Marks and Spencer on Finsbury Pavement, with its coeliac-friendly food department in the basement.
- At the South-Western end of the crossing on Moorgate is a branch of LEON, which serves excellent gluten-free food.
- The crossing also provides a shorter route between the Southbound bus stop and Moorgate station.
The work on the crossing appears to be more or less complete. Or will it be zebraed?
Ministers Sack Top Rail Adviser Who Spoke Out Over HS2 Train Debacle
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Chris Gibb, an industry veteran, said plans to shorten HS2 trains would likely inflate costs, slow services beyond Birmingham and result in fewer seats
These three paragraphs add more details.
A leading government adviser has been fired for criticising Whitehall plans to reduce the length of HS2 trains, it can be revealed.
Chris Gibb, a non-executive director of the nationalised train operator, is understood to have had his contract terminated by ministers this weekend after allegedly breaching media engagement rules.
Gibb was appointed to the board of the Department for Transport Operator Limited (DFTO) in 2020, having worked in the rail industry for more than 40 years. DFTO is the state-owned company that oversees train companies as they are brought into full public ownership.
This paragraph appears to detail what Gibb has said that caused offence.
Gibb said there was “no doubt that if HS2 opened by replacing 11-coach Pendolinos with eight-coach trains, these would be full and leave people behind on day one”.
So I will audit, what he said.
Now that Leeds is not going to be served by HS2, Manchester Piccadilly, is the only station other than Birmingham Curzon Street, that will terminate 400 m. trains, and the Birmingham station will be brand-new, so hopefully, that will be designed for the right capacity.
Manchester Piccadilly currently handles three trains per hour from London.
- Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport
- Nuneaton, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport
- Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
Trains are usually Class 390 11-car Pendolino with 607 seats
These will be replaced by.
- 200m. train – Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham International and Manchester Airport.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
- 400m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
Trains will be 200m 8-car HS2 train which will have 504 seats. 400m trains will be two trains running as a pair.
I can add up the hourly seats.
Currently, if the three trains per hour are 11-car Pendolinos, then the hourly London-Manchester capacity is 1821 seats.
On HS2, if the four and a half trains per hour are 8-car HS2 trains, then the hourly London-Manchester capacity is 9 x 504 or 4536 seats, or a 149% increase in capacity.
- And HS2 doesn’t serve Macclesfield, Stockport or Wilmslow!
- Four 200m. HS2 trains would give a 121 % increase in capacity.
- Perhaps, as there is spare capacity on HS2 between Crewe and London, another service could be fitted into the hourly scheme of things.
How about Blackpool?
How Many 8-car HS2 Trains Would Be Needed To Replace The Capacity Of The Current Service?
To provide an hourly London-Manchester capacity of 1821 seats with 8-car HS2 trains would need around 3.6 trains.
Even in the unreal world that in which politicians exist, I doubt fractions of a train exist.
So I suspect, a practical timetable could be.
- 200m. train – Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham International and Manchester Airport.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
- 200m. train – Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport.
This would be 2016 hourly seats, which is an increase of about 10 %
Please check my figures, as they could explain a lot.
What Offshore Wind Turbine Components Can Be Transported By RORO Ferries?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Roll-on/Roll-off (RORO) ferries, specifically specialized vessels like the Rotra class (Rotra Vente, Rotra Mare, Rotra Futura), are used to transport major, oversized offshore wind turbine components. These vessels allow large parts to be rolled directly on and off the deck using hydraulic ramps, mitigating the need for heavy-lift cranes in some cases.
Wind Turbine Blades: Modern RORO vessels can transport massive rotor blades—sometimes over 100 meters long—stowed in tiers (up to 12 or more blades per trip).
Nacelles: RORO vessels can carry multiple complete nacelles for large-scale direct-drive wind turbines.
Tower Sections: These vessels can accommodate large tower sections, often transporting multiple sections at once.
Hubs: Hub components can be transported via RORO, especially when loaded onto specialized trucks.
Drivetrains and Transformers: Internal components and large drivetrain assemblies are transported in the holds.
Floating Substructures/Substructures: In addition to the turbine itself, specialized RORO systems can transport components of floating substructures, such as secondary steel, inverters, and mooring equipment.
Advantages of RORO for Wind Components
Reduced Handling: Eliminates the need for cranes to lift heavy items, reducing the risk of damage during transport.
High Efficiency: Allows rapid loading and unloading of numerous large items simultaneously.
Protection: Specialized RORO vessels often feature telescopic roofs to protect sensitive nacelles from saltwater spray.
Efficiency for Large Projects: Specifically designed for handling large-scale offshore wind projects, such as the North Sea developments.
Specialized vessels, such as the Rotra Futura and Rotra Horizon, are designed to handle even larger, heavier components for next-generation offshore wind farms, and they often include cranes to complement their RORO loading method.
This article on offshoreWIND.biz is entitled RoRo Offshore Vessel Rotra Futura Hits the Water, and gives a full description of the vessel and her sister; Rotra Horizon.
This is the sub-heading.
The first of two offshore wind Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) vessels, the Rotra Future, designed to transport wind turbine components, has been launched at Jiangsu Zhenjiang Shipyard in China.
These four paragraphs give details of the design, financing, construction and ownership of the two vessels.
Concordia Damen has collaborated with Amasus, deugro Denmark, Siemens Gamesa, and DEKC Maritime in the development and construction of two RoRo vessels, namely Rotra Futura and Rotra Horizon.
The vessels, of which the first one was launched recently at the shipyard in China, are designed for the transport of large, and ever growing, wind turbine components.
The design of the two RoRo vessels builds on the previous ships in the Rotra concept, the Rotra Mare and Rotra Vente, which were also developed by Concordia Damen and have been operating since 2016.
These vessels are designed with a RO/RO (Roll-On/Roll-Off) system and an innovative ramp, allowing for the safe and efficient transport of larger loads.
Platform 17 At Clapham Junction Station
I took these pictures at Clapham Junction station this morning.
Note.
- The double-platform 1/2 is the main platform for the London Overground at Clapham Junction station.
- Platform 1 handles trains from Stratford station via the North and West London Lines
- Platfom 2 handles trains from Dalston Junction station via the East and South London Lines
- I arrived today in Platform 2 from Whitechapel station.
- Platform 17 is decidedly curved.
- Platform 16, which is used by trains going the other way, is also curved.
- Both Platform 16 and 17 have lifts to the station’s main overbridge.
Currently, some minor upgrade work is being carried out on the station.
The Platform Layout At Clapham Junction Station
This map from CartoMetro shows the platform layout at Clapham Junction.
Note.
- Mildmay services from Stratford on the North and West London Lines are shown in blue and terminate in Platform 1.
- Windrush services from Dalston Junction on the South London Line are shown in red and terminate in Platform 2.
- Platform 17 is the Southernmost of the platforms at Clapham Junction.
Platforms are more or less numbered 1 to 17 from North to South.
How Long Did It Take Me To Walk Between Platforms 1 And 17?
It took me five minutes this morning, but the bridge wasn’t crowded.
Cardiff Queen Street And Cardiff Bay Stations – 24th March 2026
After I’d visited Caerphilly station, which I wrote about in Cardiff And Caerphilly – 24th March 2026, I went to look at Cardiff Queen Street And Cardiff Bay stations.
I took these pictures.
Note.
EasyJet’s New Slimline Seats Will Offer 2 Inches More Legroom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The Kestrel seat’s thinner design promises improved knee and shin clearance. Could the ‘fixed recline’ feature also lead to fewer spats over space?
These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
As budget airlines try to squeeze more and more passengers onto flights, it can feel as though the seat in front gets slightly closer every time you step on a plane.
But a “next generation” economy seat is coming, which its makers say will give travellers extra legroom with no loss of space for airlines.
The Kestrel seat from Mirus Aircraft Seating, a British manufacturer, will be installed from 2028 on hundreds of easyJet’s new aircraft, providing an extra two inches of “improved knee and shin clearance” for passengers.
Hopefully easyJet’s passengers will be sitting more comfortably.
How Green Are The Valley Lines?
This news item from Transport for Wales is entitled 100% Electrification Of The Core Valley Lines Complete.
This is the sub-heading.
Transport for Wales has completed the full electrification of the Core Valley lines, at the heart of the South Wales Metro, delivering one of Wales’ most ambitious rail infrastructure transport projects.
These two paragraphs describe the current status.
Dubbed the ‘Welsh Tube’, the £1bn project brought electric tri-mode trains to the South Wales Valleys for the very first time in 2024. This spring, TfW will introduce the first of its 36 fully electric Class 398 tram-trains. The new fleet will initially operate between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay, providing greener, more frequent services as part of the South Wales Metro.
Passengers are already benefitting from these improvements with the Core Valley lines being one of the most punctual and reliable networks in Great Britain over the past 6 months.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification in the Cardiff area.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Cardiff station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- The black track going West from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Llantrisant, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Swansea.
- The red track going East from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Newport, the Severn Tunnel, Bristol Parkway, Reading and London.
- The lines going North up the valleys are from the West to Maesteg, Treorchy, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Ebbw Vale.
- The most Easterly line is the Newport and Hereford Line.
I will now look at some of the electrification.
Caerphilly Station
Caerphilly statition is on the Rhymney Line.
In June 2018, I wrote Caerphilly Station and took these pictures of the station.
At the time, I considered it a difficult station to electrify.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the completed electrification through Caerphilly station.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Caerphilly station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- Tracks to the North of Caerphilly are electrified.
- Tracks to the South of Caerphilly are not electrified.
- The electrification layout allows station with its two bridges and the 1784 metre Caerphilly Tunnel to the South of the station, to be unwired.
- There appears to be another section of plain track to the North of Caerphilly.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the completed electrification through Caerphilly station.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Caerphilly station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- The electrification continues to the Western end of the station.
- The two main platforms 2 & 3 are not electrified.
- The bay platform 1 is electrified to charge trains for return to Cardiff.
- Class 756 tri-mode electric-diesel-battery trains are already in service.
- There appears to be a comprehensive bus interchange.
The Anonymous Widower 