Will A Double Track Fit Through Kirkby Station?
These pictures show Kirkby station.
It would be a very tight fit, without rebuilding the bridge.
East Midlands Commuter Programme
The East Midlands Commuter Programme has been launched.
It has its own web site, with this mission statement.
Working Towards A Sustainable/Healthy/Prosperous East Midlands By Investing In Rail
And this more expansive statement.
East Midlands Commuter Programme is a scheme to introduce a high-frequency and high-quality rail service across the East Midlands with as little new infrastructure as possible, as well as lobbying for the extension of NET trams into Derby, East Midlands Airport and more.
So what is the flesh on the bones?
Four Stages
These are.
- Stage One – Building the Core
- Stage Two – Trams and Stations
- Stage Three – A Vital Stage For Heavy Rail
- Stage Four – Achieving Twenty trams per hour Through Toton
It looks to me, that there is the start of good things there, but full information is not on the web site yet.
Every plan put forward must be capable of being built.
I shall not comment further until the plan has been completed, published and handed to the Government.
Liverpool’s Vision For Rail was published by the region in July 2021 and it is a complete and well-thought out plan.
In October 2021, I was able to write Chancellor To Fund £710m Merseyrail Expansion.
Work has already started on the first extension to Headbolt Lane station.
At a very much smaller level, look what happened in Devon with the Dartmoor Line, where a small scheme was delivered quickly.
We now also have two further smaller well-planned schemes underway; the Northumberland Line and the Levenmouth Rail Link in Scotland.
Conclusion
I would suspect, that if the East Midlands can write a plan that is complete, fully-costed and deliverable, then they will get the same result as the Liverpool City Region.
BHP Joins The Party On Electric Rail
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Australian Mining.
This is the introductory paragraph.
BHP will add four battery-electric locomotives to its Western Australian rail network, becoming the fourth major miner to improve rail decarbonisation efforts in Australia since mid-December.
These are some details of the locomotives.
- Two are from Progress Rail and two are from Wabtec.
- The locomotives have 14.5 MWh batteries.
- The locomotives will be delivered by 2023.
BHP will also investigate the use of regenerative braking using the topography of the rail route.
With four companies going electric, it does seem that Australian mining, is very much driving the move to battery-electric heavy-haul freight.
Considering, that Wabtec only formally launched the FLXdrive concept in Pittsburgh in September last year, which I wrote about in FLXdrive ‘Electrifies’ Pittsburgh, that would appear to have been good going.
Hydrogen Hub Plans Moving Forward For Stratford And Warwick
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on the Stratford-on-Avon Herald.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
An ambitious plan to create a futuristic hydrogen hub in the county moved a step closer this week.
The aim is to produce eco-friendly ‘green’ hydrogen that can be used as low-carbon fuel to power local buses and bin lorries.
These are further points from the article.
- It will have its own electrolyser.
- Energy could come from a nearby solar farm and a battery.
- It will be located near to junctions 13 and 14 of the M40 motorway.
This Google Map shows the area.
Junction 15 of the motorway is by the Holiday Inn and junctions 14 and 13 are towards the South-East.
It looks to be an excellent location for a hydrogen hub to serve bus, bin lorries and passing vehicles on the motorway.
Conclusion
I can see several other hydrogen hubs alongside major motorways an arterial roads.
Quiet, Clean And Fast – MTU Hybrid Drive From Rolls-Royce For Lake Constance Belt Railway
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
It is the earliest press release from the company, about the MTU Hybrid PowerPack that I can find.
It dates from May 2018.
The press release opens with these bullet points.
- Successful simulation of hybrid train operation on Lake Constance Belt Railway
- MTU Hybrid PowerPack reduces emissions, noise levels and operating costs on the existing infrastructure
- Development is part of the Rolls-Royce electrification strategy.
It looks to me, that the press release was produced as marketing material for the launch of the MTU Hybrid PowerPack, which took place in 2018.
These are my thoughts.
Lake Constance Belt Railway
The Lake Constance Belt Railway is introduced like this by Wikipedia.
The Lake Constance Belt Railway (German: Bodenseegürtelbahn) is a continuous, single-track railway from Stahringen to Lindau-Aeschach in the German states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It runs mainly along the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee).
Note.
It was originally built by three different railway companies in what were then three different countries that are all now states in Germany; Bavaria, Baden and Wurttemberg.
- It is a 74 kilometre or 46 mile line.
- It is a standard gauge railway.
- The line has lots of curves.
- It appears to have about a dozen stations.
The railway also passes through Friedrichshafen, where MTU Friedrichshafen is based.
Note.
- MTU Friedrichshafen factory is indicated by a red arrow.
- The Lake Constance Belt Railway running between the factory and marina.
It’s all very handy for the factory.
Railway Operations
Services on the railway appear to be run using DB Class 611 trains.
- They are two-car tilting, diesel multiple units.
- They have a top speed of 160 kph or 99 mph.
- They have two MTU engines of 540 kW.
- Forty are still in service.
These trains were replaced with similar but more modern DB Class 612 trains.
- These have similar performance, but are fitted with Cummins engines.
- There have also been problems with the tilting mechanism with these trains
Forty of the earlier trains are are still in service on the Lake Constance Belt Railway and other routes.
It would appear that electrification could be the solution for this single track railway, which is only forty-six miles long.
But it appears some of the locals have objected.
Could it be that MTU Friedrichshafen felt they could provide a better solution?
Simulation Of The Route
The press release describes how the route was simulated.
The operation of the current VT 612 railcar was simulated – it had been retrofitted in virtual reality with MTU Hybrid PowerPacks. That such a retrofit is also possible in a real-world environment has also been demonstrated by a feasibility study carried out by the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary, DB Systemtechnik. This is particularly relevant because these are vehicles that travel fast on curving track. Only these trains, which are fitted with “tilt technology“, are able to negotiate the numerous curves encountered on the Lake Constance Belt Railway track at high speed and thus provide a fast service between Basel and Ulm.
It looks to be an interesting solution to maintain a fast service on a difficult route, that has a twisty bit in the middle.
The press release also describes the MTU Hybrid PowerPack to provide an efficient solution.
The MTU Hybrid PowerPack is a high-tech product from Friedrichshafen and the result of collaboration between the local companies Rolls-Royce Power Systems and ZF Friedrichshafen. It combines the following components to produce an intelligent drive system: a modern MTU diesel engine with exhaust gas aftertreatment, which meets current emission regulations in addition to the future EU Stage V that will come into force as of 2021, an innovative ZF automatic transmission, an electric motor that recovers energy in braking mode and also serves as a drive unit, and an advanced battery system to store the recovered brake energy. The Hybrid PowerPack has demonstrated its reliability, for example, in real-life test runs with a length of around 15,000 kilometres.
Certainly, MTU have done their research and where better, than with a local problem?
Northern Seeks Battery-Hybrid Class 195 Variant
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introduction to the article.
Northern Trains is seeking to introduce a battery-diesel hybrid version of its CAF Class 195 diesel multiple-units.
The article makes these points.
- The trains will be used on the lines modernised under the TransPennine Upgrade.
- Offers for trains with finance is being requested.
- Technology similar to Chiltern Rail’s Class 165 Hydrive train from Magtec would be ideal.
But I am not sure that this is the right train.
In How Much Electrification Will There Be In The TransPennine Route Upgrade?, I came to this conclusion.
By electrifying all the lines in the TransPennine Upgrade, it would allow all the stopping and slower services to be run by battery-electric trains.
I also said that battery-electric trains from both Hitachi and CAF had enough range to work all the TransPennine routes.
Given that I had my first ride in a battery-electric train in 2015, they have certainly been a long time coming.
It’s almost, as if the Men from the Ministry believe that battery trains will be inferior to diesel.
French City Cancels Purchase Of 51 Hydrogen Buses After Realising Electric Ones Would Be Six Times Cheaper To Run
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Recharge Magazine.
The city is Montpelier and it’s their decision, but I do find it strange, that the French city of Pau have chosen the hydrogen version of the the Van Hool ExquiCity bus.
But Pau have chosen a British hydrogen system from ITM Power, rather than a French one.
A Last Look At Bank Station Before Shutdown
On Sunday, I took a last look at the Northern Line before its closure on January 15th until mid-May 2022.
Note.
- The tunnel without cladding on the wall is the Southbound tunnel.
- The Southern tunnel will be opened up and will become a platform for the Northern tunnel.
- The doors in the Southern tunnel will lead to the new Southern tunnel, which is a number of metres to the West.
- The last two pictures are on the Central Line.
I had a brief chat with staff and they are not sure yet, if the Waterloo and City Line will be open during the closure.
The Completed Bridge At Feltham Station
I took these pictures of the completed bridge at Feltham station.
Note.
- The platforms at Feltham station have been lengthened.
- The level crossing at the station has been removed.
- The new bridge allows pedestrians to cross the railway.
- 4. The new bridge has already been vandalised.
In addition to the bridge, there is also a bridge with lifts in the station.
Barriers And Planters On The London Overground Platforms At Clapham Junction Station
To get home from Feltham station, after my visit this morning to see the new bridge, which I wrote about in The Completed Bridge At Feltham Station, I changed trains at Clapham Junction station.
I noticed that a barrier has been put up between the current two Overground platforms; 1 and 2.
.I suspect it is for safety reasons, as it will certainly stop passengers falling off the platform.
I also noticed that planters had been placed where I suspect that the new Platform 0 will be built.
Note.
- If the track is to placed between the planters and the platform, the space could be a bit small.
- Or is the platform going to be rebuilt a bit narrower?
- It also looks like the platform won’t be long enough for the planned eight-car train.
I also took these pictures of what looks to be a Fire Exit.
Could it be a temporary entrance, that will be used if there is a lot of work going on about the Grant Road entrance to create the new platform?
I also took these pictures of the Eastern end of the platform.
Considering, that the Class 378 train is five cars and an eight-car train would be sixty percent longer, it looks to me, that they will have to extend the platform, behind the temporary entrance or perhaps further towards the East.
Or could Network Rail have called up Baldrick, and asked him for one of his cunning plans?
Consider.
- Currently, there is a one train per hour (tph) between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations, run by Southern.
- The service used to run between Milton Keynes and South Croydon stations.
- There surely is a need for a high-frequency service between the High Speed Two station at Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction station.
- Currently, there is no planned link between Crossrail and the West London Line.
Hythe Road station is planned to be on the West London Line and will serve the High Speed Two station at Old Oak Common.
This Transport for London map, shows the position of the proposed Hythe Road station with respect to High Speed Two and Crossrail.
Note.
- The West London Line to and from Clapham Junction goes down the East of the map.
- The North London Line to and from Richmond goes down the West of the map.
- The current Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service doesn’t go through the site of Hythe Road station, but somehow sneaks round on the freight line in the map.
Wikipedia describes the proposal for Hythe Road station like this.
Hythe Road railway station would be situated about 700 metres (770 yards) from the mainline Old Oak Common station. Construction work would involve re-aligning the track along a new railway embankment (built slightly to the north of the existing line) and demolishing industrial units along Salter Street, on land currently owned by a vehicle sales company (‘Car Giant’). The station structure will sit on a viaduct, with a bus interchange underneath. The station will incorporate 3 platforms, allowing through services between Stratford and Clapham Junction with an additional bay platform to accommodate terminating services from Clapham Junction.
I can envisage an eight tph service between Clapham Junction and Hythe Road stations, made up something like this.
- Four tph between Stratford and Clapham Junction stations
- One tph between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations
- Three tph between Hythe Road and Clapham Junction stations
Note.
- Services would stop at Shepherd’s Bush, Kensington (Olympia), West Brompton and Imperial Wharf.
- Two platforms at Clapham Junction station could easily handle eight tph.
- The London Overground’s five car Class 378 trains would probably be long enough for the shuttle.
- There is even the possibility of running the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service with five car trains, to void the expense of creating an eight-car platform at Clapham Junction station.
It would be better if the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service could go through Hythe Road station. But this might be difficult to arrange.
Conclusion
An eight tph service through Old Oak Common could be a nice little add-on for both High Speed Two and Crossrail.
The Anonymous Widower 