Amber Train Links The Baltic States To Western Europe
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These paragraphs outline the freight link.
A trial Amber Train service between the Baltic States left the Estonian port of Muuga on September 13, arriving the following day at Kaunas in Lithuanian where its load of semi-trailers was transferred to 1 435 mm gauge wagons for onward transport to destinations including France and the Netherlands.
The 1 520 mm gauge wagons returned to Muuga with trailers for onward sea transport to Finland.
This Google Map shows the Estonian port of Muuga Harbour.
Note.
- Muuga Harbour is the largest cargo port in Estonia, located on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, 17 kilometres (11 mi) northeast of the capital Tallinn
- It is one of the few ice-free ports in northernmost Europe and one of the most modern ports in the Baltic Sea region.
- Enlarging the picture shows a lot of rail lines.
It looks like Muuga Harbour is an ideal Northern terminus for the Amber Train freight service.
This Google Map shows the area of the Kaunus Intermodal Terminal.
Note.
- The railway runs diagonally across the map.
- Estonia is to the North-East.
- Poland is to the South-West.
This map shows how the different gauges are used in the North-East of the previous map.
Note.
- Standard gauge tracks are shown in black.
- Russian gauge tracks are shown in red.
- The standard gauge track ends in the North-East corner of the map.
Trucks would probably moved between trains on parallel tracks in this freight terminal.
It appears to be a very simple way to run piggy-back trains of trucks between The Baltic States and Finland and Central and Western Europe.
Rail Baltica
According to Wikipedia, the location for the Kaunas Intermodal Terminal was chosen as it is compatible with the route of Rail Baltica, which will create a new standard gauge route between Kaunas and Tallinn in Estonia.
The Amber Train
The Amber Train has an impressive web site, where this is said on the home page.
Amber Train is a joint project of the national railways of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. It is an excellent example of cooperation, that offers road and railway clients convenient and efficient freight logistics.
Amber Train is an intermodal train, which runs on the route Šeštokai / Kaunas – Riga – Talinn, thus connecting the three Baltic States by railways and opening new business opportunities for freight shippers.
Exclusivity of the project is the connection of Western and North Europe, using the unique Šeštokai and Kaunas intermodal terminals, which enable the transshipment of freight from the European gauge to the 1520 mm gauge and vice versa.
The train is planned to run 2 times per week (with a future perspective to run up to 4 times per week), delivery time is 24 hours. Train length – up to 43 container wagons.
It is planned, that already in 2021 customers will be offered the opportunity to transport semi-trailers by railways via all three Baltic States. For this purpose, special “pocket” wagons are already in production.
Operations are managed by AB LTG Cargo (Part of Lithuanian Railways group), Latvia’s LDZ Loģistika and Estonia’s Operail.
It appears to be a well-thought out service.
A few years ago, I was on the roads of North-East Poland, about a hundred miles South of Kaunas.
These roads were crowded with large trucks going between The Baltic States and Finland and Central and Western Europe.
I suspect that once the Amber Train is fully established, a proportion of these trucks will go by rail.
Could Chiltern Go Battery-Electric?
In the October 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled Chiltern Considers Turbo Future, with a sub-title of Battery Replacement Could Be On The Cards.
These are the first two paragraphs.
In early September Chiltern Railways was preparing to launch a market sounding exercise to consider options for the future of the Class 165 Turbo DMU fleet.
The operator has 28×2-car and 11×3-car ‘165s’. which operate alongside its more modern Class 168 DMUs and its loco-hauled sets. The market sounding exercise will consider two options for the future of the fleet – some sort of hybrid conversion, or outright replacement.
The Class 165 Trains
The Class 165 trains were built in 1990-1991.
- Maximum Speed – 75 mph
- Prime Movers – One per car, Perkins 2006-TWH
- 2-car Trains – 28
- 3-car Trains – 11
One is being converted to a diesel/battery hybrid.
The Class 168 Trains
The Class 168 trains were built in 1998-2004.
- Maximum Speed – 100 mph
- Prime Movers – One per car, MTU 6R 183TD13H
- 2-car Trains – 9
- 3-car Trains – 8
- 4-car Trains – 11
One has been converted to a diesel/battery hybrid.
Conversion To Hybrid Operation
If this proves to be feasible, it will surely be the more affordable of the two options.
But it does leave Chiltern with a mixed fleet with two types of train with different maximum speeds and these lengths.
- 2-car Trains – 37
- 3-car Trains – 19
- 4-car Trains – 11
Would a fleet of similar trains, with perhaps a maximum speed of 100 mph, be better operationally?
Battery-Electric Operation
The Modern Railways article introduces the concept of battery-electric operation with this paragraph.
If a replacement fleet is considered the best option for the Turbo units, the replacements could take the form of a straight battery EMU, taking advantage of recent advances in ‘fast charge’ technology.
The article also says this about battery technology and electrification.
There is optimism that advances in battery technology will provide a smooth pathway to decarbonise Chiltern’s operations – the company serves the only non-electrified London terminus.
In the longer-term, it is hoped electrification from Birmingham to Banbury as part of a strategy to decarbonise CrossCountry and freight services would enable Chiltern to run a battery EMU on London to Birmingham duties, running under battery power as far north as Banbury and switching to overhead wires from there, both powering the unit and enabling the batteries to be recharged.
The Modern Railways article looked at each route and I will do this in more detail.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury via High Wycombe
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 40 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Aylesbury stations.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Vale Parkway
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 41 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations.
It might be better to electrify between Aylesbury and Aylesbury Vale Parkway stations.
London Marylebone And Banbury
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 69 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Banbury stations.
Leamington Spa And Birmingham Moor Street
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route will be electrified.
London Marylebone And Birmingham Moor Street Or Birmingham Snow Hill
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route can be considered to be in two sections.
- London Marylebone and Banbury – Battery operation – 69 miles
- Banbury and Birmingham – Electric operation – 42 miles
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station and on the electrified section.
London Marylebone And Gerrards Cross
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 19 miles or 38 miles both ways.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station.
London Marylebone And High Wycombe
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 28 miles or 56 miles both ways.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station.
London Marylebone And Oxford
London Marylebone and Oxford would be under battery operation for 66.8 miles.
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone and Oxford stations.
London Marylebone And Stratford-upon-Avon
Assuming the Birmingham and Banbury section of the route is electrified, this route can be considered to be in two sections.
- London Marylebone and Banbury – Battery operation – 69 miles
- Banbury and Hatton Junction – Electric operation – 26 miles
- Hatton Junction and Stratford-upon-Avon – Battery operation – 9 miles
Trains would be charged at London Marylebone station and on the electrified section.
Chiltern’s Mainline Service
Chiltern’s Mainline service between London and Birmingham is run by either a Class 68 locomotive pulling a rake of six Mark 3 coaches and a driving van trailer or two or three Class 168 trains.
As the locomotive-hauled train is about eight coaches, it could surely be replaced by two four-car multiple units working together.
I believe that if Chiltern obtained a fleet of four-car battery electric trains, this would be the most efficient fleets for all their routes.
Charging At London Marylebone Station
I took these pictures at Marylebone station today.
Note.
- It is a surprisingly spacious station and I feel that Furrer+Frey or some other specialist company could add some form of charging to the platforms.
- Charging would probably performed using the train’s pantograph.
It appears that the turnround time in Marylebone is typically twelve minutes or more, which should be adequate to fully charge a train.
Conclusion
Both solutions will work for Chiltern.
But I prefer the new battery-electric train, which has some crucial advantages.
- Battery-electric trains will be quieter than hybrid trains.
- Marylebone station has a noise problem and battery-electric trains are very quiet.
- Chiltern have ambitions to built new platforms at Old Oak Common and to serve Paddington. This could be easier with a battery electric train.
Rhe only disadvantage is that Banbury and Birmingham would need to be electrified.
Rolls-Royce Releases mtu Rail Engines For Sustainable Fuels
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
The press release starts with these bullet points.
- mtu Series 1300, 1500 and 1800 engines already released; Series 1600 and 4000 to follow shortly
- Up to 90% CO2 savings by operating existing engines with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO/renewable diesel)
- Locally emission-free operation possible in combination with mtu Hybrid PowerPack
- Field tests with DB Cargo and RDC Autozug Sylt
Note.
- Hitachi Class 800, 802, 805 and Class 810 trains appear to use Series 1600 engines.
- CAF Class 195, 196 and Class 197 trains appear to use Series 1800 engines.
- Class 43 power cars, as used in InterCity 125 trains appear to use Series 4000 engines.
It would appear that many of the UK’s new diesel trains and the remaining Class 43 power-cars can be converted to run on HVO.
This paragraph from the press release gives more details.
Rolls-Royce is taking a significant step towards even more climate-friendly rail transport with the release of mtu rail engines for use with sustainable fuels. With synthetic diesel fuels of the EN15940 standard, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 100 percent compared to fossil diesel. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO or renewable diesel), which is already commercially available today, reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. If the fuels are produced with the help of renewable energy and green hydrogen – through what is termed a Power-to-X process – existing rail vehicles can be operated in a completely CO2-neutral manner. The mtu Series 1800 engines which are used in mtu PowerPacks, as well as Series 1300 and 1500 for locomotives and multi-purpose vehicles, are already approved for use with synthetic fuels such as HVO. Series 1600 and versions of Series 4000 engines will follow in the near future. The release of engines for climate-friendly fuels requires a series of tests and trials and Rolls-Royce has found strong partners for this activity. DB Cargo and RDC Autozug Sylt have already tested or are currently testing mtu Series 4000 engines with HVO in their locomotives.
Rolls-Royce mtu seem to have covered all issues.
This is a very significant statement in the paragraph.
If the fuels are produced with the help of renewable energy and green hydrogen – through what is termed a Power-to-X process – existing rail vehicles can be operated in a completely CO2-neutral manner.
This must be the most affordable way to make your diesel trains zero carbon.
Conclusion
Rolls-Royce and Cummins seem to be doing a thoroughly professional job in decarbonising the diesel engines they have made in recent years.
It now needs someone to take small diesel engines down the conversion route, just as Rolls-Royce mtu and Cummins are cleaning up their large engines.
Ricardo Partners On Innovative Hydrogen-Electric Train Trial
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Ricardo Rail.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Ricardo, in partnership with Scottish Power, Network Rail Scotland and the University of Leeds, have received next phase energy sector funding to develop their innovative Holistic Hydrogen Approach to Heavy Duty Transport (H2H) project, which aims to be a catalyst that will help the UK remove all diesel trains from the network by 2040.
Of all British companies, one of those with most to lose from world-wide decarbonisation and the phase out of petrol and diesel is Ricardo.
Ricardo plc is an unusual company, which started life as Engine Patents Ltd in 1915.
For over a hundred years, they have been the go-to company, if you have a tricky design problem, with your diesel or petrol engines or the transmission.
Wikipedia has a list of technologies that shaped the company’s first 100 years.
I used to know the grandson of the company’s founder; Sir Harry Ricardo and he told me, that virtually every modern diesel or petrol engine in the world, has been designed with help from one or more of the company’s patents.
So decarbonisation has meant that Ricardo has diversified and their innovative Holistic Hydrogen Approach to Heavy Duty Transport (H2H) project has been one of the results.
Wabtec Signs $600M MoU With Kazakhstan Railway Company
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Seeking Alpha.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Wabtec announced Tuesday signing of a $600M memorandum of understanding with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy for 150 FLXdriveTM battery-electric shunters and modernization work to transform the mainline fleet into NextFuelTM liquid natural gas-powered (LNG) locomotives.
Note.
- It is for 150 shunting locomotives, which is not a small number.
- A lot of the work will be done in Kazakhstan.
- Wabtec certainly seem to be getting their FLXdrive technology about.
- Obviously LNG locomotives must be a good route to reduce carbon emissions for diesel locomotives.
- The Kazahks seem pleased with the deal for economic and decarbonisation reasons.
But what surprises me about this deal, is that it has not gone to Russia. Does this say something about Putin’s lack of friends.
Cummins Shows Hydrogen Internal Combustion-Engined Concept Truck At IAA Transportation Exhibition
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Commercial Motor.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Cummins believes hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE) will be suitable for the 10- to 26-tonne GVW range, and showed a concept vehicle at the IAA Transportation exhibition.
The truck, which is based on a Mercedes-Benz Atego 4×2, is fitted with Cummins’ new 6.7-litre B6.7H engine. It is rated at 290hp, has a peak torque of 1,200Nm, and a range of up to 500km.
Alison Trueblood, Cummins executive director – on-highway business Europe, is extensively quoted in the article and it is worth reading what she says.
I believe that by providing a hydrogen infrastructure and converting trucks to hydrogen, by using similar techniques to Cummins could be a quick and effective way to improve air qualities in urban areas.
Tevva Unveils 19-Tonne Hydrogen Electric Truck
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Fleetpoint.
These paragraphs outline the company’s launch into Europe and their new 19-tonne hydrogen-electric truck.
Electric and hydrogen truck OEM Tevva is to unveil its 19-tonne (19t) hydrogen-electric truck and announce its strategy for mainland Europe at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany from Monday 19 September.
The company is partnering with its wide portfolio of customers, including Kinaxia Logistics, Codognotto and FM Logistic, to showcase its range of full-electric and hydrogen-electric medium-duty (7.5t to 19t / Class 5 to 8) truck solutions designed for the European market.
Its largest truck platform launch to date, Tevva’s 19t hydrogen-electric model represents a significant milestone and highlights the scalability of its technology. As with the 7.5t hydrogen-electric model, the 19t variant benefits from the company’s revolutionary dual energy system, combining lithium-ion batteries and a hydrogen fuel cell range extender. The truck is expected to have a range of up to 500km depending on the number of hydrogen cylinders specified, which can be refilled in 10 minutes.
Since, I first wrote about Tevva trucks in Tevva Presents 7.5 Tonne Truck With Range Extender, I have felt that their design of truck could be one way to go.
- It seems to give a very good range.
- It has a good load carrying capacity.
- It is zero-carbon.
- The batteries can be charged on a charge system or by use the the hydrogen fuel cells.
- It would be good for deliveries in a city.
Tevva’s engineers seem to have done a good job.
My First Ride In A Refurbished New Routemaster
When I went to see the Queen’s flowers, that I wrote about in The Queen’s Flowers In Green Park, the 38 bus, I rode to Green Park, was a refurbished New Routemaster.
Note.
- It appears to have scrubbed up well.
- There is a new fabric and all the gold metal parts have been re-anodised.
- The priority seats for those with limited mobility are now labelled.
- As they are now up to eleven years old, will they now be good for at least another ten?
This article on Key Buses is entitled New Routemaster Refurbishment Underway, where this is said.
Despite coming under threat as a result of Tf L’s funding crisis the first New Routemasters have now returned from refurbishment. These include buses in the Abellio London, Metroline and London United fleets. The latter now carry RATPDev Transit London fleetnames. The first 200 vehicles are expected to be refurbished by March 31, 2023.
With 200 buses, I should get a lot of chances to add some more pictures.
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.
Since then I’ve written Werner Enterprises Signs Letter Of Intent Planning To Secure 500 X15H Engines From Cummins, which describes the application of Cummins technology to convert heavy trucks to hydrogen power.
Britain’s Longest Road Tunnel Could Be Built Along A27
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Argus.
These three paragraphs outline the scheme.
The longest road tunnel in the UK could be built as a long-term solution to congestion along the A27.
The tunnel, which would cost around £2 billion, has been touted as a way of addressing traffic and a way to improve local quality of life.
A new report by Transport for the South East (TfSE) said investing in such schemes is the only way carbon emissions from congested road traffic can be seriously tackled and improve.
The article also states, that the project is unlikely to be started before 2050.
These are my thoughts.
Where Will The Tunnel Be Built?
This Google Map shows Worthing.
Note.
- The A27 road runs roughly across the top of the map.
- The A27 has sections of dual-carriageway.
- There are two roundabouts, where the A27 connects with the A24 road between London and Worthing via Sutton, Dorking and Horsham.
- The West Coastway Line runs across the middle of the map.
- Four of the five stations in Worthing are visible.
- From East to West the stations are East Worthing, Worthing, West Worthing and Durrington-on-Sea, with Goring-by-Sea off the map to the West.
This Google Map shows the section of the A27 to the West of the A24.
Note.
- The A27 goes all the way across the map.
- There is a large junction with the A280 at the Western edge of the map.
- There is a large roundabout at the junction with the A24, at the Eastern edge of the map.
- The Western half of the A27 between the two junctions, appears to be dual-carriageway.
- The A27 continues in the West as a dual-carriageway between the junction with the A280, almost as far as Arundel.
I suspect the Western portal of the tunnel would be close to the junction with the A280 and for much of the route, it could be bored under the A27 to minimise noise and vibration for those living along the route.
This third Google Map shows the section of the A27 to the East of the A24.
Note.
- The A27 goes all the way across the map.
- It shares a route with the A24 between the two roundabouts towards the West of the map.
- The Eastern section of the A27 appears to be dual-carriageway.
- T27 continues in the East to the North of Shoreham and Brighton and the South of Lewes.
I suspect the Eastern portal of the tunnel would be close to the Western end of the dual-carriageway section to Lewes and for much of the route, it could be bored under the A27 and A24 to minimise noise and vibration for those living along the route.
As we’re good at tunneling in the UK, I don’t think this will be a difficult tunnel to bore.
What Should We Do In The Interim?
The article in the Argus says this.
Should the plans go ahead, the tunnel could be ready for construction by 2050, with a range of other measures proposed to cut congestion in the short term.
2050 is a long time to wait.
I haven’t driven in the area much in the last twenty years, as even before I didn’t drive, I’ve tended to take the train to places like Brighton, Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Southampton.
In my experience the East and West Coastway Lines along the South Coast have reasons, why people drive for preference.
- The trains are not frequent enough. There should be four trains per hour (tph) if possible.
- There needs to be more direct train services to London and Gatwick Airport.
- Some of the stations are not very passenger-friendly. More step-free access is needed.
- Some of the stations can’t handle twelve-car trains.
- The Class 313 trains, that are used to the West of Brighton, were built in the 1970s. Similar trains of that period in the rest of the UK, have either been replaced or will soon be.
- Is there enough car parking?
- Could some closed stations be reopened?
- Could Park-and-Ride facilities be built, where the A27 crosses the railway?
- Would it help, if the West and East Coastway Lines didn’t need a change at Brighton?
- Would a high speed service between Eastbourne and London via Hastings and High Speed One attract leisure passengers.
An improved railway might reduce traffic on the A27.
Perhaps the easiest improvement would be to replace all the East and West Coastway fleet with new or refurbished trains with the following specification.
- 100 mph operation.
- High-class well-designed interior matched to the passenger mix.
- Ability to handle the Marshlink Line and other sections without electrification.
- Wi-fi and power sockets.
- A refreshment trolley might be a good idea.
A marketing campaign might help.
Battersea Power Station Station To Battersea Power Station Pier – 18th September 2022
I walked between Battersea Power Station station and Battersea Power Station pier.
Note.
- A new route between the station and the pier has been opened up, which is shorter.
- The development opens on the fourteenth of next month, but there is already some good restaurants and coffee shops.
- The corgi was the first one I’d met for a few years.
I walked between the station and the pier in under ten minutes.
The Anonymous Widower 