Prototype Revolution Very Light Rail Vehicle Ready For Testing
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Business UK.
It is very much a complete article, which gives full information on the current status of the Revolution VLR very light rail prototype railcar.
- The railcar is an eighteen metre long bi-directional vehicle.
- It has capacity for 56 seated passengers and 40 standees. This is more than a double-deck bus load.
- It has a Cummins diesel-electric power-train.
- Maximum speed is 65 mph.
- There is regenerative braking to a battery, which can be used for traction in built-up areas.
I must admit that I am surprised that Revolution VLR is not fully zero-carbon, but as this is a prototype, that is probably a sensible move, as it will be able to test the concept and show the railcar to potential customers.
However, as Cummins are a member of the consortium and they are now embracing hydrogen as an alternative fuel, a zero-carbon hydrogen power-train may be under development, that would be suitable for the Revolution VLR.
When the Revolution VLR consortium was in its early stages I wrote Very Light Rail Research On Track, based on a Railway Gazette article with the same title.
That earlier article did talk about a problem.
However, the drawback of a lightweight vehicle is that its lower crashworthiness could make it unsuitable for mixed traffic lines.
But the consortium felt that the limitation could be overcome by better traffic management and digital signalling.
Mixed traffic running was also flagged up as a problem by the tram-trains running in Sheffield, but touch wood, they seem to be working well!
Hopefully extensive testing of this prototype will identify any limitations of the concept.
The Crossrail Tunnel Portal At Pudding Mill Lane
This 3D Google Map shows the Crossrail tunnel portal at Pudding Mill Lane.
The Crossrail tunnel portal is in the middle of the image.
- Pudding Mill Lane station on the DLR is in the top-left corner of the image.
- The tracks to the right of the portal lead to and from Liverpool Street station.
- The circular building in the top right of the image is the sewage pumping station for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Note the single track on the left side of the portal, which allows Crossrail trains to go to Liverpool Street station.
Th
Innovation Funding Awarded
The title of this post, is the same as that of a short article in the August 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Developments in passenger information, cutting carbon emissions and electrification are amongst the 30 winners of the latest round of the Department for Transport/Innovate UK’s First Of A Kind (FOaK) competition.
I particularly liked the first innovation mentioned.
Furrer+Frey is proposing a movable overhead conductor rail system for freight terminals which allows electric locomotives to enter them while providing obstruction-free loading and unloading of freight. It says this will remove the current barrier of end-to-end rail freight electrification and end the reliance on diesel traction.
Some years ago, I sat next to a crane driver from the Port of Felixstowe at a football match. At half-time we talked for a few minutes about the problems of overhead wires in ports and freight terminals. As he said “Accidents do happen!”
Furrer+Frey’s idea might be just what is needed to help decarbonise ports and freight terminals.
There is a good description of the project in this article on Rail Business UK, which is entitled Movable Overhead Electrification Aims To Eliminate The Need For Diesel Shunting Locomotives.
This link shows a picture of a similar Furrer + Frey system in a workshop or train shed.
It appears to be based on proven technology and will be tested at a Tarmac depot in Dunbar.
Furrer+Frey also got a second funding award.
It has also won funding for its innovative composite Mast for Greener Electrification, which could reduce the mass of overhead line electrification masts, as well as the size of foundations, depth of piling and lifting capability of installation machinery.
That sounds like a classic application of Buckminster Fuller’s More With Less Syndrome.
I shall add other awards later.
Viritech Issues A Call To Action For Hydrogen In The United Kingdom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Daily Research Reporting.
This is the first paragraph.
According to Viritech, adopting clean hydrogen innovation to power road, air, and marine transportation offers the UK a major potential to retake a global engineering pioneering role, create an economic premium, and secure a key environmental dividend. The firm makes the case in its Call to Action for accelerated public and private sector commitment to groundbreaking technology with the potential to restore the UK’s leadership role in the automotive industry while also making a strong dedication to decarbonizing the difficult-to-reduce heavy freight segments of the transportation mix.
I’ll go along with what Viritech says.
Three things caught my eye in the article.
The first is the picture of a car, which I assume is hydrogen-powered.
I also liked this paragraph, which gives a prediction about how batteries and hydrogen will play out their competition.
“Hydrogen is a critical component of the zero-emissions puzzle,” said Jay Nagley, a seasoned automotive pundit from Viritech. “Batteries cannot do everything, and there are many use cases, particularly in heavy freight applications like heavy cargo vehicles, where batteries solely are not the answer to replacing fossil fuels. A dual-track method combining hydrogen and batteries, on the other hand, offers a full range of possibilities for achieving this goal. While batteries will be the primary source of growth in the early 2020s, the hydrogen powertrains will become the primary source of growth in the late 2020s.”
I agree with Jay Nagley.
The last point is only a few words.
Structural graphene pressure vessels.
That sounds to be just the ticket to reduce the size of hydrogen tanks.
Conclusion
Viritech could be one to watch.
Avanti Train Wedding: The Couple Who Said ‘I do’ On A 125 mph Train To Birmingham
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
I’ll put one quote from the article here.
The couple say they were worried about missing the train and having to catch a “marriage replacement service”
Obviously, they didn’t!
The article doesn’t say, if anybody has got married on a train before.
- I suspect that some heritage railways can and have arranged it.
- It appears that you can get married on the Bluebell Railway. But is that in a station or on a train.
- This web site offers Wedding Train Chartering
But only three train companies have the trains and routes to offer you a wedding at 125 mph.
Conclusion
This could start a trend!
What Will Wales’ Proposed World-Class Rail Testing Centre Deliver?
This question is answered in this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
As yet, there is no Wikipedia entry.
Norrbotniabanan Final Phase To Go Ahead
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Railway Gazette.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The government has decided to press ahead with completion of the Norrbotniabanan coastal railway linking Umeå and Luleå via Dåva and Skellefteå.
Recognising that ongoing investment in industrial development across the north of the country would drive demand for improved transport links, Infrastructure Minister Tomas Eneroth has instructed Trafikverket to continue planning work for the new line.
If you get your maps out, you’ll find that the Norrbotniabanan or North Bothnian Line is at the North of the Baltic Sea.
- It’s also planned as a high speed line with an operating speed of 160 mph, which is faster than the East Coast Main Line in the UK.
- It is also 170 miles long.
- Journey time between Umeå and Luleå will be ninety minutes as opposed to four hours today.
Wikipedia also says this about connections at the Northern end.
Currently, the area is served by the Main Line Through Upper Norrland, which is located inland and with branch lines connected to various towns along the coast. To the north, the line will connect with the Main Line Through Upper Norrland and onwards along the Haparanda Line to connect to the Barents Region and the Finnish railway network. It will also connect to the Iron Ore Line.
Sounds like it will be a great place to go for a rail-oriented holiday.
Greater Manchester’s First Low Carbon Hydrogen Hub To Be Developed As Part Of New Collaboration
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article from Manchester Metropolitan University.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A new partnership aims to support ambitions for Greater Manchester to become the first Net Zero region in the world by 2040, with the planned installation of the city’s first low-carbon hydrogen hub.
For the first time, sustainable hydrogen fuel will be produced at scale in the region, creating opportunities for businesses in the area to make Net Zero plans with hydrogen in mind.
It doesn’t say much about the hydrogen hub, but from other sources, I have found the following.
it appears it will have the capability of producing 200 MW of green hydrogen.
- Carlton Power is the main developer.
- It will be built on the Trafford Low Carbon Energy Park.
- Building will start next year with operation scheduled for 2023.
- It will be built near Highview Power’s 50MW/250 MWh CRYOBattery.
It sounds ambitious. Especially, as it appears Carlton Power are talking about developing another ten similar sites in the UK.
Grand Union Plans ‘93s’ To Stirling
The title of this post, is the same as an article in the August 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Grand Union Trains hopes to use tri-mode Class 93 locomotives ordered by Rail Operations (UK) Ltd on its proposed Stirling to London Euston open access service – if it is approved by the Office of Rail and Road.
The article also says that they will be using nine-car rakes of Mark 4 coaches and a driving van trailer.
- Full-length InterCity 225 trains have the same formation.
- A full-length InterCity 125 can carry 406 Standard Class and 129 First Class passengers.
- InterCity 225 trains are hauled by a Class 91 locomotive, which is rated at 4.8 MW.
- A Class 93 locomotive has a rating of 4 MW on electricity.
As the Class 93 locomotive has a maximum speed of 110 mph, as opposed to the 125 mph of the Class 91 locomotive, the reduced power is probably enough.
Th following sections give more information from the article.
Planned Route
This sentence from the article gives the route.
If approved, trains will call at Greenfaulds, Whifflet and Motherwell on their way south from Stirling, then Lockerbie, Carlisle, Preston, Crewe and Nuneaton before arrival in London.
The route appears to be fully-electrified.
Planned Timetable
More details of the planned service are also revealed.
- Trains will be approximately every three hours.
- There will be four trains per day in each direction.
- The first train South will leave Stirling at 05:15
- The first train North will leave Euston at 07:30.
That will be a total of around 3,500 seats per day or over a million seats per year.
Planned Start Date
A start date around the end of 2022 is suggested, but it does say that delivery of the Class 93 locomotives could make this tight.
But it does appear that gauge clearance for the service is in hand.
Conclusion
I like this service proposal and I think the Class 93 locomotive improves it.
I do think if Grand Union’s service is an operational success, that we will see these locomotives replacing Class 68 locomotives on passenger services, where there is a proportion of electrification.
Could the almost brand-new Class 68 locomotives be converted to run on hydrogen, as surely they are too young for the scrapyard?
Stadler are not stupid and I suspect they could be converted to something with a smaller carbon footprint. My choice would be hydrogen.
Will Whitechapel Station Have The Widest Platform On The Underground?
I took this picture across the island platform for the Sub Surface Lines at Whitechapel station, this morning.
It will certainly be a wide platform, when the station is completed.
It is also shown on this map from carto metro of the lines through the station.
Note.
- Crossrail is shown in purple.
- The Overground is shown in orange.
- The Sub Surface Lines are shown in green and red.
Platforms 1 and 2 form a very wide island platform.
The station is unique in that three full-size high-capacity and high-frequency lines connect at the station.
- Crossrail – East-West – 24 tph – 1,500 passengers per train.
- Sub Surface Lines – East-West – 21 tph – 1209 passengers per train
- Overground – North-South – 16 tph – 170 passengers per train
A lot of passengers will change trains at Whitechapel station, so the spacious platform will be useful.
Will passengers also use the platform to reverse direction.
The quickest way between Liverpool Street and Blackfriars stations is to get a Circle Line train, but passengers could go two stops on a Hammersmith and City train to Whitechapel, walk across the platform and then take the District Line to Victoria.
Alternatively, you could take Crossrail to Whitechapel to get the District Line.
But the latter is in the advanced course on Ducking and Diving.
The Anonymous Widower 