Bicester Village Station – 28th May 2025
I went to Bicester Village station today and took these pictures.
Note.
- The station is fully step-free, with lifts.
- There is a reasonable coffee-shop.
- There is a very large car-park.
There are two trains per hour (tph) in both directions between Marylebone and Oxford stations.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- London is to the North.
- Oxford is to the South.
- The footbridge dates from October 2021 and is not shown on the map.
- The London Road level crossing is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The London Road level crossing is a problem, as I indicated in Bicester MP Calls On Chancellor To Fund London Road Crossing.
- To take the pictures of the level crossing, I crossed the footbridge to the North-West side of the station and walked through the car park to the station entrance on Station Approach. I then walked past the Bicester Bodyshop and Edmundson Electrical to the level crossing.
- The Shell garage can be clearly seen behind the level crossing.
During my walk of about thirty-five minutes three trains passed over the level crossing.
These are my thoughts.
The Long Platforms
The platforms are long.
- The Oxford-bound platform, which is Platform 1, is 240 metres long.
- The London-bound platform, which is Platform 2, is 230 metres long.
Both platforms will take a pair of five-car Hitachi Express Trains.
It looks to me, that East-West Rail are expecting a large number of passengers.
East-West Rail Plans For Powering Trains
I detailed these in Plans For Powering Trains And Details Of Our Upcoming Consultation.This post was based on an East-West Rail news item with the same title.
Distances include.
- London Marylebone and Oxford – 66.8 miles.
- Bletchley and Oxford – 47.2 miles.
Both distances are within range of five-car Hitachi Express Trains, that have been fitted with batteries.
I also suspect other manufacturers could supply suitable trains.
Thoughts On The London Road Level Crossing
This article on the BBC is entitled Level Crossing Petition Supported By Thousands.
This is the sub-heading.
A petition calling for a fully accessible underpass at a town’s level crossing has received more than 3,000 signatures.
These three paragraphs add more detail.
Launched by MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller, the petition calls on the government to ensure any replacement of the level crossing at London Road in Bicester includes access for cars, not just cyclists and pedestrians.
It is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail (EWR) line becomes fully operational, which many fear would cut off crucial access to thousands of residents.
Mr Miller will present the petition, which can only be signed in person, in Parliament on 3 June.
The argument is certainly hotting up.
But I believe, that a bridge that meets everybody’s requirements might be possible to be built.
- Suppose that all trains and locomotives passing through the level crossing had to be self-powered. Passenger trains could be battery-electric and freight locomotives could be either hydrogen or battery powered through the location of the level crossing.
- The track could also be lowered through the crossing.
- These actions would reduce the height of any bridge taking the road over the railway.
It looks to me that on the Northumberland Railway, which has recently opened, they had a similar problem, but they were able to squeeze a bridge into the space, as this 3D Google Map shows.
Note.
- The bridge looks like it carries a two-lane road and a pedestrian/cycle way.
- There is no electrification.
- I believe that the Northumberland Line could be run by battery-electric trains.
- The road bridge has been built to accept all traffic using the railway.
In Newsham Station – 30th March 2025, there are several pictures of the bridge. This one shows the bridge with a train.
In Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, I said this about battery-electric trains for the Northumberland Line.
I’m drawn inextricably to the conclusion, that the trains should be 100 mph battery-electric trains.
Hitachi, who have a factory in the North-East, have announced their Regional Battery Train in July 2020, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
These trains can be based on Class 385 trains.
- They are 100 mph trains.
- They come in three- and four-cars lengths.
- The three-car trains have 206 seats.
- They can work in pairs.
- They can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- They have a range of 90 kilometres or 56 miles on battery power.
- The batteries would be charged on the ECML between Benton North junction and Newcastle station.
- The battery packs will be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation in Sunderland.
- They have big windows for the views.
I’m sure Hitachi and Hyperdrive would like a fleet in service, just up the road from their factories.
Could a similar or even thinner bridge be squeezed in at Bicester Village station to take London Road over the railway?
I think it can, if they use some of the latest 3D modelling.
Could A Cross-City Underground Railway Be Run Using Battery-Electric Trains?
Consider.
- Cross-city underground railways like London’s Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee,Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines are usually powered by third-rail technology, which can be dangerous, if someone falls on the track.
- Siemens new London Underground 2024 Stock, which is fully-described in this Wikipedia entry, has the following characteristics.
- A train width of 2.648 metres.
- A train height of 2.844 metres.
- Walk-through carriages
- Air-conditioning
They will also have batteries to support regenerative braking.
But say you were building a new underground line across a city like Birmingham, Leeds or Manchester.
Would the following be possible?
- The tunnel would be built as small as possible, which would probably mean that it was built faster and more economically.
- There would be no electrified rails or overhead wires to power the trains in the tunnel.
- The trains would be powered by batteries.
- Batteries would be charged by a pantograph, that erected to contact with an overhead line outside the tunnel.
- The central tunnel would be bored straight.
- When the train doors opened, passengers would be able to walk on a level surface into and out of the train.
- I believe it would be possible to align the train doors with openings in the tunnel wall at stations to eliminate the need for platform edge doors.
I believe that to design a train and tunnel to literally fit like a glove, could save a lot of money on building a cross-city underground line.
The New Southbound Northern Line Platform At Bank Station
These pictures show the new Southbound Northern Line Platform at Bank Station.
Note.
- This is probably London Underground’s newest platform.
- The step into and out of the train is fairly level.
- This improvement has been achieved with new track and thirty-year-old rolling stock.
Have Siemens redesigned the platform/train interface in the London Underground 2024 Stock, so that the train/platform interface is even better?
- Who’s to know what you can do with modern computer-aided design techniques?
- If the train were to be battery-powered, so that conductor rails were not needed, would the extra space help fit everything in?
- If there were no live rails under the train, would this increase safety, both real and perceived?
I believe it might be possible to design a train/platform interface, that would work with simpler and more affordable platform edge doors.
We probably find out what is possible until the London Underground 2024 Stock enter service later this year.
South Korea Aims To Lead The Global Market With Hydrogen Train
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railly News.
These are the first two introductory paragraphs.
South Korea is taking an ambitious step with a vision of becoming a major player in the rapidly growing global hydrogen rail market. To 26,4 billion dollars The country that wants to gain a competitive advantage in this market that is expected to reach A self-developed Hydrogen Train by 2028 announced plans to introduce.
This strategic project is the national railway operator of South Korea korail will be managed by Korail, Building a two-car hydrogen train prototype by 2027 and creating the necessary legal and operational infrastructure for the dissemination of this technology. $23 million will make an investment. South Korean officials also clearly state that they aim to set international standards in the field of hydrogen-based mobility with this project.
I’ve thought for some time, that the Koreans have been serious about hydrogen-powered transport, as Hyundai keeps popping up with hydrogen transport and other ideas.
British company; Centrica owns a big share with Hyundai, Kia and others of a British start-up company from Hull, called HiiROC.
This is the HiiROC web site.
HiiROC can take any hydocarbon gas and split it into green hydrogen and carbon black.
Green hydrogen is obviously useful and the carbon black can be used for making tyres for vehicles, anodes for lithium-ion batteries and in agriculture for soil improvement.
Waste off-gas from a chemical plant can be split into green hydrogen and carbon black.
Biomethane from a sewage plant can be split into hydrogen and carbon black. Could a sewage plant on an estate be used to create biomethane for cooking and feeding to the HiiROC plant? Yes!
Could green hydrogen produced on the estate be used to drive vehicles like cars, vans and ride-on-mowers. Yes! If the manufacturer of the vehicle allows it!
How convenient would it be to have Hydrogen-at-Home?
The Korean investment in HiiROC by Hyundai and Kia clearly fits with the philosophy expressed in the second paragraph of the article of creating the hydrogen infrastructure.
I believe that at some point in the future, you will be able to buy a HiiROC device, that gives you as much hydrogen as you need to power your car, truck, bus, tram or train. The Koreans have a track record of turning ideas like this into reality.
Haventus, Sarens PSG Unveil ‘On-Land to Launch’ Floating Wind Solution
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
UK companies Haventus and Sarens PSG have developed a low-cost solution for the integration and launch of floating offshore wind turbines.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Haventus said that it is working to enable offshore wind project developers to acquire fully assembled floating bases and turbines at Ardersier, Scotland, as well as providing dry storage which does not require complex licensing.
A heavy-lift solution will enable safe on-land integration and launch to the harbour of fully integrated floating offshore wind turbines.
Note.
- Haventus introduce themselves on their web site, as an energy transition facilities provider, offering pivotal infrastructure for the offshore wind industry. The first facility, they are developing is the Port of Ardesier in the North of Scotland, to the North-East of Inverness.
- Sarens PSG introduce themselves on their web site, as specialists in turnkey heavy lifting and transportation solutions for offshore wind component load-in, marshalling, assembly, deployment, and integration.
It looks to me that the two companies are ideal partners to put together flotillas of large floating wind turbines.
These two paragraphs seem to describe the objectives of the partnership.
This should shorten supply chains through single-site sourcing of key components and remove the operational, safety, logistical, and engineering complexity that comes with storage and integration activities in the marine environment.
The companies also said that the solution can also drive down the costs and accelerate floating offshore wind deployment by simplifying transport and installation requirements and remove the obstacles of weather and design life variables that must be considered with ‘wet’ storage and integration.
I was always told as a young engineer to define your objectives first, as you might find this helps with the design and costs of the project.
I do wonder sometimes, if the objectives of High Speed Two smelt too much of a project designed by lots of parties, who all had different objectives.
The Location Of The Port Of Ardesier
This Google Map shows the location of the Port of Ardesier in relation to Inverness, the Orkneys and Shetlands, and Norway.
The Port of Ardesier would appear to be ideally placed to bring in business for the partnership.
Surgeon Invents Plastic-Reducing Urine Collection Pot
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A hospital specialist has invented a new product that manages to reduce plastic and simplify the process of testing urine.
These three introductory paragraphs, add more detail.
Consultant urologist Dr Nick Burns-Cox has been working on his own innovation, the Pee-In-Pot (PiP) for 10 years.
Made from bamboo and sugar cane, it removes four items from the current urine collection process, three of them plastic.
Mr Burns-Cox, who works at Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, said he hoped it would cut down the use of single-use plastic in the NHS and reduce the chance of errors.
I like the design of this simple device.
But, personally, I hope it becomes universal, as I have trouble giving urine samples.
I had my stroke in Hong Kong and the Chinese nurses, were so aggressive, when it came to taking urine samples, they have given me an aversion to them.
In my view the device could help the patient psychologically, at what could be a difficult time.
Wigan Wallgate To Headbolt Lane – 10th May 2025
I was now running late and decided to go back to Liverpool via the Kirkby Branch Line, with a change of train at Headbolt Lane.
I took these pictures along the route.
Note.
- Wigan Wallgate station could be refurbished into a quality station.
- Manchester to Wigan Wallgate is likely to be electrified, as I wrote in Bolton-Wigan £78m Rail Electrification Project Announced.
- Headbolt Lane station is a new station.
- The other stations on the line are fairly rudimentary affairs.
- Only Headbolt Lane station is step-free, as all platforms are on the same level.
The Kirkby Branch Line runs across the flat Lancashire countryside.
This Google Map shows the unusual layout of Headbolt Lane station.
Note.
- Liverpool is to the South-West.
- Wigan and Manchester are to the North-East.
- The station buildings and the car parks are on the North side of the tracks.
- There are two platforms pointing towards Liverpool.
- There is a single platform pointing towards Wigan.
- There is a second track pointing towards Wigan, that has no platform.
- None of the tracks are electrified.
- Three red buffer stops can be picked out.
- Trains to Liverpool are run by battery-electric Class 777 multiple units.
- Trains to Wigan and Manchester are run by diesel multiple units.
All platforms are the same level and you can walk from one side of the station to the other between the buffer stops.
It is effectively a step-free three-platform station without lifts or escalators.
I have never seen another station like it!
Modernising The Route Between Wigan Wallgate And Headbolt Lane
Consider.
- With the exception of Headbolt Lane station, there is no step-free access on this line and that needs to be addressed.
- Wigan Wallgate station has an island platform, with steps to the street.
- With the exception of Headbolt Lane station, there is very little parking.
- The Class 150 diesel multiple units are forty years old.
The distance between Wigan Wallgate and Headbolt Lane stations is about 15 miles.
The Future Of HS2 Could Lie In Its Original Vision
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the sub-heading.
High Speed 2 should be rescoped to run from London Euston to Crewe, taking advantage of the lessons learned and supply chain foundations established during Phase 1, says Dyan Perry, Chair of the High Speed Rail Group.
The article has been written by Dyan Perry, who knows her railways and especially high speed ones well.
These two first paragraphs introduce her arguments.
High Speed 2 stands at a defining crossroads. Phase 1 from Old Oak Common to Birmingham has the green light, and under the new leadership of HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild the project is undergoing a positive and much needed ’reset’. With around 31 000 jobs currently supported, more than 75% of tunnelling completed and construction underway on two-thirds of HS2’s viaducts, momentum is building again.
This fresh injection of energy is welcome after years of shifting goalposts and cuts to the project’s scope. However, while Phase I pushes ahead, the handbrake has been pulled on the next critical phases of the project: the route from the West Midlands to Crewe and Old Oak Common to London Euston.
In the short term, this may appear fiscally sensible. However, as with all infrastructure investments, the project and potential returns must be viewed through a long-term lens. After all, a half-built railway moulded by short-term decision-making risks squandering investment to date and losing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.
The High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) has these recommendations.
- A “Euston to Crewe” Core.
- West Midlands to Crewe must be given the go-ahead before the powers to do so run out. This would provide much needed capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
- Use the lessons learned on Phase 1 to build West Midlands to Crewe more effectively.
- Build a streamlined, cost effective station at Euston.
- HSRG believes a concession let for a London to Birmingham and Crewe railway line, one that takes learning from the High Speed One financing model, could generate between £7·5bn and £10bn in concession value, a significant return for taxpayers.
High Speed Two needs a cohesive long term plan.
I very much agree with what Dyan and the HSRG are saying.
I also have some related thoughts.
High Speed East Coast
I am a Control Engineer by training and I’ve felt for some time, that the some of the bottlenecks on the East Coast Main Line to the South of Doncaster could be solved by intelligent digital signalling.
I believe that the major cities of the North-East of England and Eastern Scotland would be best served by direct high speed trains from London on the East Coast Main Line. I also think, that such an approach would deliver similar times to High Speed Two via Birmingham.
North of York
Just as stations on the West Coast to the North of Crewe will be served by High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line, stations North of York will be served by trains going up the East Coast Main Line.
The Element Of Competition
I said earlier, that if a 30-year concession were to be sold for the West Coast Main Line, it could raise between £7.5bn and £10bn.
So why not sell a concession for the East Coast Main Line?
A further benefit, is that competition between the two concessions and the budget airlines, might bring down timings and prices, just as competition did in the Railway Races of 1888 and 1895.
High Speed North Wales
I have believed for some time, that there is a need for a zero-carbon (green) route between London and Dublin and ultimately between the Channel Tunnel and Dublin.
The last Conservative government promised to electrify Crewe and Holyhead along the North Wales Coast.
This route could deliver passengers to Holyhead for a zero-carbon high speed catamaran to Dublin.
The EU would be a beneficiary and might like to help fund the route.
Arriving In Liverpool Lime Street Station – 10th May 2025
Liverpool Lime Street station has one of the more spectacular approaches of British railway stations, as these pictures show.
These sections describe the approach.
Crossing The Mersey
You cross the Mersey at Runcorn on the Ethelfreda or Britannia Bridge, which is described in this Wikipedia entry.
It was completed in 1868 and hopefully in a few years, it will be carrying High Speed Two trains between London and Liverpool.
On your right as you cross the Mersey to Liverpool is the Silver Jubilee road bridge, which is a through arch bridge that opened in 1961 to replace a historic transporter bridge. I am just a little bit too young to have seen the transporter bridge.
Further to your right, you can see the Mersey Gateway Bridge, which is a cable-stayed bridge, that opened in 2017 and is described in this Wikipedia entry.
Drax’s Biomass
As you approach Lime Street station, you pass through Edge Hill, where there are the GB Railfreight sidings, where the biomass trains for Drax power station are marshalled for their journey across the Pennines. These Drax trains seem to be one of the few freight trains in the UK, that carry advertising. Tesco trains also do, but their’s is just big letters.
In Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?, I talked about the possible conversion at some date in the future of GB Railfreight’s new electro-diesel Class 99 locomotives to electro-hydrogen locomotives. These locomotives will surely be ideal for hauling Drax’s biomass trains across the Pennines.
I do believe that these Class 99 locomotives are the future of heavy freight trains in the UK. In Iarnród Éireann Looks At Diesel Loco Replacement Options, I write about speculation, that Stadler may build a version for the Irish.
Through The Edge Hill Cutting
From Edge Hill a deep cutting through the sandstone takes you into Lime Street station.
It looked good in the sun, but the first time I arrived in the city to start my studies at Liverpool University, it was chucking it down and the cutting was very dark and wet.
It was a very different welcome to that, which I got yesterday.
My Train Arrived In Platform 10
Liverpool Lime Street has two cast iron train sheds.
- The Western shed has platform 1 to 5 and generally handles trains from the East.
- The Eastern shed has platform 6 to 10 and generally handles trains from the South.
Note.
- Changing between trains is just a step-free walk across the station concourse.
- Both sections have their own taxi rank and full-size clock.
- The Ticket Office is in the Western train shed.
I just walked from my train to the Ticket Office, bought a Lancashire Day Ranger ticket and then walked fifty metres to my next train.
How many stations have such an easy change of trains?
Is Liverpool Lime Street Station Ready For High Speed Two?
Consider.
- I travelled North in an 11-car Class 390 train, which is 265.3 metres long and can carry 607 passengers.
- As the last pictures show, the train fitted easily into platform 10.
- High Speed Two plans to send 200 metre classic-compatible trains to Liverpool Lime Street, with each having a capacity of up to 528.
It looks to me, that these High Speed Two classic-compatible trains will fit into Liverpool Lime Street station, at any platform that currently accepts an eleven-car Class 390 train.
Looking on Real Time trains over the last few days, I’ve found eleven-car Class 390 trains using platforms 9, 10 and 6.
It seems that Network Rail’s engineers have done a superb job to turn the Grade II Listed station, into one of the best operationally.
New Routemasters As Advertising Hoardings
Increasingly, New Routemasters are appearing as advertising hoardings.
Note.
- I am unsure if some of the products should be advertised so prominently.
- The last picture is of a naked bus to fill the space.
- I shall be adding to this gallery.
In Could London’s New Routemaster Buses Be Converted To Hydrogen Power?, I came to this conclusion.
I believe from my knowledge of Cummins and the way they work, that they will come up with a hydrogen-based solution, that will replace the Cummins diesel in these buses with a zero-carbon engine.
If Cummins don’t then someone else will.
Whoever solves the problem of converting London’s new Routemasters to hydrogen will have one of the best adverts for their product, there has ever been.
After converting London’s thousand Routemasters, the engineers could move on to anything powered by a Cummins engine.
It would be a quick, easy and affordable way to create a thousand zero-carbon buses.
Does Your Car Have A Large Capacity, Dash Mounted Refrigerator?
I suspect not, but Wrightbus’s new Contour Coach will have one for the driver and the lucky soul, who sits in the other front seat.
Wrightbus have now put the specification of the Contour coach on a page that is entitled Experience The Contour Difference.
This is the introduction.
Introducing the Wright Contour Diesel Coach, where luxury, innovation, and performance come together. Since 1946, Wright has been at the forefront of transportation innovation, shaping the future with its unwavering commitment to excellence. Today, as UK’s No.1 zero-emission bus manufacturer and one of Europe’s fastest growing brands, Wright is making a bold return to the luxury coach market with the all-new Contour Diesel Coach (available in UK and Europe). In the 1980s, Wright revolutionised the luxury coach industry with its innovative, high-end Contour models, setting new standards in design and comfort. On 5th March 2025, Wright makes a bold return to the coach market with the all-new Contour Diesel Coach, redefining performance, style, and efficiency, offering spacious interiors, advanced safety features, and a high-performance Cummins X11 Euro 6 engine delivering 400hp. With competitive pricing, reduced lead times, and full service support to ‘complete Vehicle OEM and operator support’ from Wright’s All Service One Network, the Contour is built to exceed expectations. Plus, with a 2-year or 200,000km warranty backed fully by Wright, it ensures reliability and peace of mind.
I asked Google AI if the Cummins X11 engine can be converted to hydrogen and was told this.
Yes, while not inherently designed for hydrogen from the factory, the Cummins X11 engine, like many Cummins diesel engines, can be converted to run on hydrogen fuel. This involves modifications, including changing the cylinder head and fuel system.
As I discussed in Wrightbus StreetDeck Ultroliner Next-Gen To Get Cummins Power, it appears Wrightbus are going the Cummins route, to open up the possibility of converting the vehicles to hydrogen at some point in the future.
Cummins have certainly seen a green vision. on the Road to Net Zero, which seems to go via their Darlington factory.
The coach specification includes.
- Premium reclining seats for all passengers.
- Adjustable armrests, and USB ports at every seat.
- Safety features like 3-point seat belts and ‘buckle up’ alerts.
- Powered doors to the lockers underneath.
- Reversing and rear-door cameras.
Wrightbus are also promising reduced lead times, which in my experience as a part-owner of a leasing company, that financed a large number of coaches, is very much to be welcomed.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Coaches
Two trips convinced me, that hydrogen fuel cell coaches are the way to go.
In Riding Rail Air Between Reading Station And Heathrow Terminal 5, I did what it says in the title.
I was very disappointed.
The coach may have been a nearly-new top-of-the-range model, but my journey was to the accompanying thump-thump-thump of the diesel engine. There were also no USB ports, which these days many British Rail-era trains are sporting.
In Sutton Station To Gatwick Airport By Hydrogen-Powered Bus, I also did what it said in the title.
I was very impressed and it convinced me that hydrogen fuel cell-powered coaches could be an interesting proposition.
The power unit was mouse-quiet and the bus had more than adequate performance for the route, through the Surrey Hills.
It would be a very fruitful experiment, if say a twenty-mile route to say an airport, that is currently run by a traditional diesel coach, were to be replaced by a hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus, with a more luggage-friendly interior.
- Would passenger numbers increase?
- Would the number of airport workers using the service increase?
I believe that in a few years diesel coaches will be filed under Betamax.
Is There A Market For A Wrightbus Hydroliner FCEV-based Hybrid Coach?
A few years ago, there was a plan, to improve public transport to Heathrow, that would have seen the Elizabeth Line to Terminal 5 extended to Staines. I went to Staines and discussed this with one of the staff at the station.
He was all for this, as it would have given staff at the airport and in the airlines, an easy route to and from work, which would mean, they didn’t have to pay to take their car, especially, when they were working difficult shifts.
A Wrightbus Hydroliner FCEV, with a hybrid interior geared to both passengers with heavy luggage and passengers and airport and airline workers with just a carry-on size bag, might appeal to some operators.
Especially for some of the night bus routes operating to Heathrow.
The Anonymous Widower 