Avanti West Coast Applies For Second Hourly Euston And Liverpool Service
Tucked away beside the Grand Union Sets Out Stirling Ambitions article in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways is a report on Avanti West Coast’s application for a second service between Euston and Liverpool.
This is said.
Avanti West Coast has applied for access rights for its second hourly Euston to Liverpool service, starting from December 2023, although a phased introduction of the new service is likely. This would make use of Avanti’s new fleet of 10×7-car Class 807 Hitachi EMUs, which are expected to enter service from Autumn 2023. The ‘807s’ would be deployed on the current hourly Liverpool service, on which a call at Liverpool South Parkway would be added. (provision is made for this in the December 2022 timetable.).
Pendelinos would then operate the second service each hour, calling at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth.
A linespeed project is in progress to raise the permissible speed for non-tilting trains on the West Coast Main Line, and Avanti’s new Hitachi trains will take advantage of this.
In Will Avanti West Coast’s New Trains Be Able To Achieve London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street In Two Hours?, I laid out my reasoning for a two-hour journey between Euston and Liverpool Lime Street.
I’m not sure, if they will reduce the time to two hours, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they do.
Grand Union Sets Out Stirling Ambitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Grand Union Trains has updated its plans to operate services between Stirling and London Euston. It is targeting a 10-year track access agreement with services starting in May 2025.
I have a few thoughts.
The Route
The route between Stirling and Euston is as follows.
- Trains will call at Larbert, Greenfauds, Whifflet, Motherwell, Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes.
- Station upgrades are proposed for Larbert, Greenfauds, Whifflet and Lockerbie.
- The route is fully-electrified.
- There will be four trains per day in both directions, with a slightly reduced service on Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings.
This sentence from the article sums up the philosophy of Grand Union Trains.
The company says the aim is to link towns which have no or limited long-distance services and to improve connectivity for some station pairs on the West Coast Main Line.
Note.
Currently Larbert, Greenfauds and Whifflet don’t have services running past Stirling or Motherwell.
- Currently, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes have no Scottish services.
- Nuneaton is well connected to Peterborough and the East.
- Milton Keynes will be on the East-West Railway to Oxford and Cambridge.
It looks to be a service that has been well-planned and offers good possibilities for travel.
The Trains
The article says this about the trains.
New bi-mode rolling stock would be used and GUT says discussions with potential suppliers and manufacturers are ongoing.
Why Are Bi-Mode Trains Needed?
I can think of these reasons.
- Grand Union Trains want to run their South Wales services with the same trains.
- They might want to extend Scottish services from Stirling to perhaps Perth or Dundee.
- They want to offer a reliable service, when the electrification is damaged.
Bi-mode trains will certainly offer flexibility and reliability.
How Long Will The Trains Be?
Consider.
- An eleven-car Class 390/1 train is 265.3 metres long.
- A pair if five-car Class 802 trains is 260 metres long.
I suspect a train has a maximum length of 260 metres and these can be run between London Euston and Stirling.
Could it be that station upgrades are needed for Larbert, Greenfauds, Whifflet and Lockerbie, is that these stations have short platforms?
Could the trains and platforms start short and grow with the business?
The Trains Will Have Three Classes
These classes will be offered.
- First Class in compartments
- Standard in a 2+1 arrangement
- Standard Economy in a 2+2 arrangement
You pays your money and you make your choice.
Vanload Freight May Be Carried
Consider.
- There has been a lot of speculation and some serious train conversions, looking at the possibilities of high speed freight.
- Imagine a train of perhaps five passenger cars and one freight car for containerised freight.
- I suggested earlier, that the trains might grow with the business.
- As business develops, extra cars can be added as appropriate.
- If business booms, then it might be best to run separate passenger and freight services.
Modern trains and refurbished older ones, offer a multitude of solutions.
The Finance
The article says this about finance.
Grand Union Trains has linked with European independent investment firm Serena Industrial Partners to support its ambitions for its new Great Western service, and the project is supported by Spanish operator RENFE.
Serena Industrial Partners are Spanish, so does that mean, that the trains could be Spanish too?
From 2025, Nestlé Waters France Will Use The First Hydrogen-Powered Freight Train Through An Innovative Solution Developed by Alstom and ENGIE
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Alstom.
These are the main points of the press release.
-
Nestlé Waters will be the first company in Europe to benefit from the hydrogen fuel cell solution developed by Alstom and ENGIE, for rail freight.
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The purpose is to operate the first hydrogen-powered freight train from the Vosges plant, thanks to a hydrogen generator wagon system developed by Alstom and supplied with renewable hydrogen by ENGIE, from 2025.
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Ultimately, this project should enable Nestlé Waters to reduce emissions by 10,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.
-
This new collaboration is in line with the actions Nestlé Waters has been carried out for several years to decarbonize its supply chain.
In this Alstom visualisation that accompanies the press release, an Alstom Prima locomotive can be seen pulling a tender full of hydrogen, that generates electricity.
It would appear to be a very simple concept.
- The electric locomotive uses electrification where it is available.
- On lines without electrification, hydrogen is used to generate electricity.
- The locomotive and the tender are connected by a cable.
- I suspect for longer distances, larger generators with a larger hydrogen capacity can be developed.
- It would appear that typical SNCF Prima locomotives have at least 4 MW of power, so the generator must be at least this size.
I could see this concept being used with a 4 MW Class 90 electric locomotive.
Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?
Roger Ford in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways has written an article called Traction à la mode.
The article is a series of small sections, with the last section but one, labelled Monster.
Roger says this.
Finally, we come to the mighty Class 99, which is not at all flakey. In the past I have often commented on the UK railways’ prejudice against Co-Co bogies.
But with the ’99’ six axles will give 6MW (8,000 hp) at the rail, with contact patches to use all its 113 tonnes. Plus the extra axles mean it can accommodate the weight of a 2,400 hp Cummins diesel.
At the recent Rail Freight Group conference, Ross Shepherd, Chief Technical Officer of Beacon Rail, which has 30 locomotives on order for GB Railfreight, revealed a computer simulation which showed a Class 99 would save 36 minutes on a run timed for 1 hr 40 minutes for diesel traction. To quote Mr Shepherd:’It’s a monster and it’s coming.’
I have been doing some digging around the Internet and have found this bulletin from Cummins, which is entitled QSK60 For Rail.
The Class 99 locomotive appears to have a QSK50, which appears to be a less powerful version.
The bulletin describes a Stadler locomotive with a Cummins QSK60 engine, which Stadler are delivering to Bolivia.
This paragraph introduces the locomotives.
Stadler and the Bolivian Ferroviaria Andina (Andean
Railway) FCA have signed a contract for the supply of the first three state-of-the art South American Light
Loco (SALi) locomotives, which will feature the
Cummins QSK60 engine.
The bulletin gives these details.
- Locomotive type – diesel-electric
- Track gauge – one metre
- Axle load – 18 ton/axle
- Power – 1865 kW – 2500 hp
- Diesel engine – QSK60
- Maximum Speed – 100 km/h
- Starting Tractive Effort – 415 kN
- Coupling – AAR
- Fuel Tank – Up to 6000 litres
The bulletin is marked as Printed in UK, so does that mean that the engines will come from Darlington.
The weight of this locomotive is 98 tonnes and Roger says that the Class 99 locomotive is 113 tonnes. But the Class 99 locomotive is an electro-diesel locomotive with 6 MW available when running on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
It looks to me that Stadler have arranged the substantial electrical gubbins around the Cummins QSK50 diesel engine to create Beacon Rail’s monster.
Cummins And Hydrogen
Cummins is a company, that is big in hydrogen.
- They own hydrogen fuel cell and electrolysis company; Hydrogenics.
- They supply the fuel cells for Alstom’s hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint.
In Werner Enterprises Signs Letter Of Intent Planning To Secure 500 X15H Engines From Cummins, I said this.
More details of the X15H engine are given in this earlier press release, which is entitled Cummins Inc. Debuts 15-Litre Hydrogen Engine At ACT Expo, which has this first paragraph.
Today, Cummins Inc. debuted its 15-liter hydrogen engine at ACT Expo in Long Beach, California. This engine is built on Cummins’ new fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket each fuel type’s engine has largely similar components, and above the head gasket, each has different components for different fuel types. This version, with expected full production in 2027, pairs with clean, zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, a key enabler of Cummins’ strategy to go further faster to help customers reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
I certainly like the concept of a fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket, everything is similar, and above the head gasket, there are appropriate components.
Could This Philosophy Be Used To Create An Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive?
It looks to me that if Stadler use the Cummins QSK diesel engine in their locomotives, then if Cummins develop a hydrogen version of the QSK, Stadler can convert the locomotives to hydrogen, if Cummins follow their philosophy of a fuel-agnostic platform, with everything identical below the cylinder head gasket.
Over twenty years ago, I did a small data analysis task for Cummins in Darlington. One of their engineers explained to me how they would rearrange the components of diesel engines, so they fitted with the customer’s application. It looks to me that they have taken this philosophy a step further, so that the customer can have diesel or hydrogen engines in the same application, depending on what the end user wants.
In the case of the order from Beacon Rail for thirty Class 99 locomotives, they will be delivered as electro-diesel locomotives, but at some point in the future, when Cummins has developed the hydrogen engine, they will be able to be converted to electro-hydrogen locomotives.
These locomotives could be in front-line service for over forty years!
The Very Long Range Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive
Hydrogen surely has the power and range to move freight trains across continents.
But can everything be fitted in a standard locomotive body?
Alstom have come up with an innovative solution, which I described in From 2025, Nestlé Waters France Will Use The First Hydrogen-Powered Freight Train Through An Innovative Solution Developed by Alstom and ENGIE
I would also suspect a simple tender containing a tank full of hydrogen will also work.
Collateral Benefits Of A Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive
These are possible benefits of electro-hydrogen locomotives.
- Staff in ports and freight depots get all the clean-air benefits of working with zero-carbon and low-pollution locomotives.
- Ports are becoming hydrogen hubs to fuel ships and ground-handling equipment, so electro-hydrogen locomotives could be easily-fueled.
- Ports and freight depots don’t like electrification, as containers occasionally get dropped.
- Electro-hydrogen locomotives will be able to do their own shunting.
- Electro-hydrogen locomotives will not need all tracks to ports and freight depots to be electrified, but won’t mind if they are.
These benefits would allow Network Rail and the operators of ports and freight depots to develop the best solutions for their operations.
London Bus Cuts: Sadiq Khan Pulls Handbrake On Planned Changes
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
In The Mayor Of London Is Pruning The North London Bus Network Again, I pointed out Sadiq Khan’s lopsided pruning of the London bus network.
Sadiq Khan has now changed his mind, as this paragraph indicates.
Transport for London (TfL) has announced it will only get rid of three bus routes following a consultation which saw more than 20,000 replies.
These paragraphs explain the changes in detail.
As a result of the consultation, 17 routes which had been proposed to be cut will be saved and kept as they currently operate. Another 40 services will also no longer be changed as initially planned.
Only three routes will be removed entirely – the 521 between Waterloo and London Bridge, the 507 between Victoria and Waterloo, and the 332 between Brent Park and Paddington – while alterations will be made to another 11 services.
Of the plans consulted on:
Routes 4, 12, 14, 24, 31, 45, 72, 74, 78, 242, 349, C3, D7, N31, N72, N74 and N242 will be saved and kept as they are
Planned tweaks to routes 15, 19, 27, 43, 47, 49, 53, 56, 88, 98, 100, 113, 135, 148, 171, 189, 205, 214, 236, 254, 259, 277, 279, 283, 328, 343, 388, 414, 430, 476, D3, D8, N15, N19, N27, N98, N133, N205, N414 and N430 will no longer happen
Proposed changes to routes 3, 6, 11, 23, 26, 59, 77, 133, 211, C10 and N26 will still go ahead
TfL said the consultation had raised issues with the plans and as a result the mayor of London had been able to find extra funding to ensure the cuts did not happen on such a large scale.
That is certainly a substantial U-turn!
Construction Has Started On The Silvertown Tunnel
These pictures show that construction has started on the Silverton Tunnel.
Note that New Civil Engineer is reporting that tunnelling has started.
My Current Thoughts On The Silvertown Tunnel
In 2015, I wrote No To Silvertown Tunnel, which I started with these two paragraphs.
My personal feelings about the Silvertown Tunnel are that it is irrelevant to me, except that it might help some trucks bring goods that I buy online or at a local shop. Although as a sixty-eight year-old-widower living alone, I don’t think my transport needs through the tunnel will be high.
I don’t drive after my stroke and I like that lifestyle, except when last night it took me three trains, a coach and a taxi to get back from watching football at Ipswich. But that tortuous late night journey was caused because NuLabor spent my tax money on pointless wars that will haunt us for generations, rather than in extending and renewing our rail system, that will nurture and enrich our future.
But my objections to the Silvertown Tunnel have changed and expanded.
New Transport Infrastructure Attracts Passengers
This may seem obvious, but there has been several cases recently in London to prove my point.
- The London Overground has been a success beyond Transport for London’s wildest dreams and as an example the North London Line, that started with three x three-car trains per hour (tph) is now running eight x five-car tph. This is a four time increase in capacity.
- New buses and contactless ticketing have encouraged more passengers to use the buses.
- Electrification and new trains has transformed the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- The expansion of Thameslink and new trains now carries a lot more North-South traffic through London.
- Every time, a new section of the Elizabeth Line opens more passengers are attracted to the new line.
- The remodelling of London Bridge station has increased passenger numbers. And shoppers!
On a personal note, I live on a bus corridor, that runs between North London and Moorgate for the Lizzie Line. Since the Lizzie Line has been fully connected, passenger numbers have risen by a big margin.
I don’t believe that the ability to attract more traffic of the Silvertown Tunnel will be any different.
More Traffic Means More Congestion And Pollution
I live close to the Balls Pond Road, which increasingly seems to be a truck route across North London.
The Silvertown Tunnel will be two lanes each way; one for trucks and buses, and one for smaller vehicles.
I can’t see that pollution and congestion around the Silvertown Tunnel and on the routes to the tunnel, will not increase.
There Is Little Or No Provision For Cyclists And Pedestrians
This will be a big problem. Especially, as the local traffic in the area will increase dramatically.
Does Central London Have Enough Parking For The Increased Traffic?
Parking in Central London is probably close to capacity now!
So What Would I Do?
Given that construction has already started, I feel it is too late to cancel.
Better Alternatives Than Driving
I feel measures should be adopted that provide better alternatives than driving.
Obviously, this won’t help with trucks, but it could reduce the total number of vehicles going through the tunnel.
These could include.
- Increase the frequency of trains on both the Lizzie Line and Thameslink.
- Increase the number of destinations on both the Lizzie Line and Thameslink.
- Add an extra car to Lizzie Line trains.
- Remove First Class on the shorter eight-car Thameslink trains.
- Add provision on some Lizzie Line and Thameslink routes for bicycles.
- Add a Silvertown station to the Elizabeth Line for London City Airport.
- Add one or more pedestrian and cycling bridges across the Thames.
- Expand of the Docklands Light Railway.
- Expand the Thames Clipper.
- Connect Barking Riverside station to Thamesmead and Abbey Wood station either by a rail or a fast ferry.
- Keep the cable-car.
I suspect there are other viable ideas.
Develop Incentives To Use Public Transport
Incentives could be in these areas.
- Better station and bus terminals encourage more to use trains and buses.
- Full free onboard wi-fi and phone charging.
- Special fares for some journeys.
An example of the latter could be a discount for certain cross-river journeys.
Make The Silvertown Tunnel Available For Zero Carbon Vehicles Only
This would surely cut pollution in London.
Conclusion
We should use the Silvertown Tunnel to improve London’s air quality.
Could Battery-Electric Trains Be Used To Fight Cable Theft On Third-Rail Electrified Lines?
This article on the Network Rail web site is entitled What We’re Doing To Beat The Thieves.
These two paragraphs introduce the article.
Cable theft costs us millions of pounds each year. The total cost to the economy – taking into account the impact of freight delays to power stations and supermarkets, and on passengers who miss appointments or have their day ruined – is even higher.
The theft of metal is a big problem for the railway as thieves target signalling cables, overhead power lines and even metal fences to sell for scrap.
I took these pictures of cables on a trip to Hayes station, where the electrification is third-rail.
They all seem to be big and fat and are almost solid copper. Note that the cables are fat as they are carrying 750 VDC, so they need to be so, to carry the power for the trains, which can be several megawatts.
This explains, why thieves love these cables lying around and easy to access.
I should also say from personal experience, that with the right tools, it is easy to cut cables like these. When I worked at Enfield Rolling Mills in one summer in the early 1960s, I was asked by an electrician to help him dismantle the power cables to a machine. He cut through one with ease with an ordinary hacksaw, whilst I held it, with a couple of clamps.
I suspect modern day cable thieves have more advanced tools than we did sixty years ago.
A rail network like the UK, generally has four main types of lines that are electrified using third rails.
- Main Lines, where trains run at 100 mph plus.
- Branch Lines, which are generally shorter and trains run more slowly.
- Sidings and depots.
- Junctions
Note.
- Main Lines are probably easier to protect using security cameras, drones and surveillance devices on trains.
- As trains are also more frequent and faster, this must make cable thefts less likely to happen on Main Lines.
- Branch Lines and especially rural ones, that may be quiet for long periods could be very difficult to protect.
- Judging by the amount of graffiti on trains put on in sidings and depots, these are not easy to protect.
- Junctions are complex, often with lots of cables, so could be magnets for thieves.
It should also be noted that there are phone apps, that can be used by the thieves to know when a train is coming.
So could it be possible to cut cable theft, by using battery-electric trains, that didn’t need electrification in theft-prone areas like branch lines, sidings, depots and junctions?
Harringay Station – 20th November 2022
This article on Rail Advent, is entitled Essential Improvements Programme For Harringay Station Gets Underway!
These two paragraphs outline the work to be done.
Harringay station will see major improvement work carried out including vital work to reinforce the footbridge which is located inside the station, making it fit for purpose into the future. The bridge is also the home of the old ticket office which will also be relocated in order to comply with building regulations.
Both platforms will see brand new waiting shelters and will allow passengers heading to destinations like Welwyn Garden City, Stevenage and Moorgate are able to keep dry in a sheltered location whilst waiting for their train leading to improved passenger experience.
It appears the work will not inconvenience passengers.
So earlier today, I went to have a look at Harringay station.
Note.
- All trains calling at the station are Class 717 trains.
- The old ticket office is on the bridge.
- The platforms are rather narrow.
- The train-platform access is not good.
The bridge has certainly seen better days, but then it does date from 1885.
I have some thoughts.
Digital Signalling
Digital signalling is being installed on the Great Northern route and the Hertford Loop Line and this could mean up to ten trains per hour (tph) into Moorgate.
The Current Service
At present there seems to be only two tph on these two routes.
- Moorgate and Stevenage via Hertford North
- Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City
This is an insult and both routes need at least four tph all day to attract passengers.
The Ultimate Service
It can certainly have a frequency of around eight tph between Moorgate and Alexandra Palace stations.
But no predictions have been made about what frequency will be used once the signalling is complete.
German Startup EVIA AERO Commits To Hydrogen-Powered Britten-Norman Islanders
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Simple Flying.
These two paragraphs outline the deal.
EVIA AERO has signed a letter of intent with Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) to increase its order for hydrogen modification kits and aircraft. As part of the agreement, the startup airline expects to receive five additional hydrogen modification kits and ten 19-seat aircraft.
The hydrogen modification kits are designed to power the nine-seat Britten-Norman Islander aircraft and come in addition to a previous order with CAeS for 10 kits.
I can remember seeing the Islander prototype at a Farnborough Air Show in the mid-1960s on the BBC with commentary from the iconic Raymond Baxter.
ZERRCI – Zero Emissions Repowering Of Railway Construction Infrastructure
This project was one of the winners in the First Of A Kind 2022 competition run by Innovate UK.
In this document, this is said about the project.
Project No: 10037562
Project title: ZERRCI – Zero Emissions Repowering Of Railway Construction Infrastructure
Lead organisation: EMINOX LIMITED
Project grant: £59,852
Public description: Eminox, HS2 and SCS Railways propose a solution for the delivery of a low emissions, greener
railway. Our solution covers the development of an electric motor and battery system, which can be
retrofitted into existing construction equipment, replacing the traditional diesel engine with a quieter,
cleaner, zero emissions drivetrain. These pieces of plant and equipment will be used as direct
replacements for diesel machines in the constructing and maintaining railway infrastructure.
Eminox is leading this project with its experience in providing cost effective retrofit emissions
solutions and together with HS2 and SCS JV will be involved in demonstrating the first repowered
construction equipment in a real-world rail infrastructure environment.
This proposed venture has been instigated by HS2 in line with their ambition as set out in their Net
Zero Carbon plan for diesel free construction sites by 2029. As the solution will extend the life
expectancy of the machine, it will contribute to HS2’s vision of net-zero by 2035.
This solution will offer a more cost-effective route to zero emissions construction compared to
purchasing similar new electric powered equipment by extending the life expectancy of existing
plant and machinery. With a target of 50% the price of purchasing new excavators it is expected to
incentivise the broader uptake of demand in electric plant and equipment at scale across the
industry supply chain.
Phase 1 of this project aims to deliver a proposal for a prototype zero-emissions excavator. By
performing a feasibility study on the conversion principals, we intend to extract a broad
understanding of the challenges associated with integration and develop an optimised battery and
motor system specification.
Phase 2 will involve the conversion, commissioning and delivery of a repowered excavator, and
subsequent in-service validation. By using this converted machine to conduct initial trials, it will be
proven that no machine functionality or safety features have been compromised during conversion,
and we will establish power storage requirements to provide adequate duty cycle performance.
This will result in a fully proven demonstrator with real-world validation enabling further
development of optimised battery solutions.
My Thoughts And Conclusion
The Anonymous Widower 