Gatwick Second Runway Plan Approved By Transport Secretary
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has approved plans for a second runway at London Gatwick Airport, as the government looks for economic growth opportunities.
These four introductory paragraphs add some detail.
The £2.2bn privately-financed project involves in effect moving the current Northern Runway 12 metres to bring it into regular use, as well as other developments, including extending the size of terminals.
The airport says its plans will bring jobs and boost the local economy. But there has long been opposition from campaigners and groups worried about the impact on the surrounding area.
Gatwick currently handles about 280,000 flights a year. It says the plan would enable that number to rise to around 389,000 by the late 2030s.
A government source has described the plans as a “no-brainer for growth,” adding that “it is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.”
Over the last fifty years, I’ve been involved in many large projects, as I used to write project management software and at one period in the 1980s, half of all the world’s major projects, were being managed by the Artemis software, that I wrote in a Suffolk attic.
I am starting this post by asking Google AI, when Gatwick’s Northern Runway was built. This was the answer I received.
Gatwick’s Northern Runway was built in 1979 by widening an existing taxiway to serve as an emergency runway. While the main runway is known as 08R/26L, the standby or emergency runway is designated as 08L/26R and is located just to the north of the main runway.
Note.
- 08 means that the runway is aligned at 080 degrees, which is almost due East.
- 26 means that the runway is aligned at 260 degrees, which is almost due West.
- Normally, when landing and taking off at Gatwick, your aircraft will use the Southern runway, which points to the West or Runway 26L.
This Google Map shows the layout of the airport.
Note.
- The longer Southern 08R/26L runway.
- The shorter Northern 08L/26R runway.
- The station in the North-East corner of the map is Horley.
- The station to the East of the runways is Gatwick Airport station.
- Both stations are on the Brighton Main Line, which runs North-South past the Airport.
- As when it was built, the Airport envisaged that the Northern runway would be turned into a runway that would meet all standards, I doubt there will be any problems rebuilding the Northern Runway, the required twelve metres to the North.
It was a cunning plan, when it was executed in the late 1970s and worthy of Baldrick at his best.
I do wonder, if it had been developed using Artemis!
Wakefield Westgate Station – 18th September 2025
To get to Knottingley and the consultation about Ferrybridge hydrogen-fired power station, I had to change trains at Wakefield Westgate station.
Note.
- It is an impressive station.
- It has been rebuilt since the turn of the century.
- It is fully step-free.
- Entrance is level from the square outside the station to the Southbound platform.
- There are toilets on the Southbound platform.
- There are six trains per hour (tph) between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
Certainty, in the time I was changing trains and waiting for my train to Knottingley, there were a lot of trains going to and from Leeds.
The timetables are changing on December 14, 2025 and the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways gives this summary for Wakefield.
On Mondays-Saturdays, the CrossCountry train calling at Westgate at 18:17 will no longer stop at Wakefield. Northern will introduce an additional hourly fast train seven days a week between Leeds and Sheffield, and on Saturdays there will be extra later last trains between Sheffield and Westgate via Rotherham and Sheffield and Kirkgate via Barnsley.
With the development of the Leeds Metro, I can see more services being added on the route between Doncaster and Bradford via Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Bradford is getting a new through station.
- From December 14, 2025, Sunday services to Bradford Forster Square will be increased for two to six each way per day.
- It also looks like from December 14, 2025, the new Northern service between Leeds and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate, will form a two trains per hour with the CrossCountry service.
It certainly looks like the train companies have been co-operating to create a high-class Trans-West Yorkshire service.
UK Port Unveils GBP 150 Million Offshore Wind Expansion Plan
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The Port of Tyne, located in the northeast of England, has unveiled its plans to add 400 metres of deep-water quayside to support offshore renewables, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing.
These two paragraphs add details.
The Port of Tyne is investing GBP 150 million (approximately EUR 173 million) to transform 230 acres into the Tyne Clean Energy Park, a move that could create up to 12,000 jobs, deliver GBP 5.6 billion (about EUR 6.5 billion) to the economy, and establish the North East as a hub for the UK’s green energy revolution, according to an independent study by WSP.
The plan for Tyne Clean Energy Park includes a kilometre of both new and redeveloped deep-water, heavy-lift quay to facilitate the use of a 230-acre footprint located within an Industrial Strategy Zone.
The Wikipedia entry for the Port of Tyne has this opening paragraph.
The Port of Tyne comprises the commercial docks on and around the River Tyne in Tyne and Wear in the northeast of England.
This Google Map shows the River Tyne Through Newcastle.
I estimate that this map is around twenty kilometres from East to West.
This news item from the Port of Tyne is entitled Port of Tyne Unviels 230 Acre Green Development Terminal and gives full details.
This summary is given.
The Port of Tyne is investing £150 million to transform 230 acres into the Tyne Clean Energy Park, adding 400 metres of deep-water quayside to support offshore renewables, clean energy, and advanced manufacturing. The redevelopment could create up to 12,000 jobs, deliver £5.6 billion to the economy, and establish the North East as a hub for the UK’s green energy revolution.
This is not a small development.
In future I shall tag developments like this with a tag of UK Port Development.
.
Railway Station Opening Date Announced
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A date has been announced for the latest station to be completed on a new railway line.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Blyth Bebside, on the Northumberland Line, will be opening on 19 October and only two stations remain before the line is fully operational.
The final stations at Bedlington and Northumberland Park are due to open in early 2026.
I shall be going for the opening of the new station, if I can get a Lumo both ways.
Hydrogen Coaches? Setra Begins Testing Of A Technology Carrier With Cellcentric Fuel Cell Module
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
This paragraph introduces the article.
Daimler Buses has started test drives of its first Setra coach equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell drive, named the technology carrier “H2 Coach.” The 13.9-meter high-decker, model S 517 HD, combines two hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 46 kilograms and a fuel cell module capable of as many as 300 kW, developed.
Dailmler have also said this about the interim approval for the H2 Coach.
This approval allows test drives both on Daimler Buses’ internal testing grounds and on public roads. The vehicle is intended to offer a zero-emission alternative to diesel-powered coaches, with lower noise, higher range, and shorter refueling times compared with battery-electric vehicles, contributing to improved air quality in cities and holiday regions.
I’ll go along with that.
As Wrightbus and others are developing hydrogen coaches, I believe this could be the first big hydrogen application in road transport.
Which Companies Are Developing Hydrogen-Powered Coaches?
Google AI gave me this answer.
Companies actively developing or deploying hydrogen-powered coaches include Wrightbus (UK), partnering with Symbio, and Temsa and Caetanobus (Turkey). Toyota is converting used coaches with fuel cell modules, while Daimler Buses is road-testing its H2 Coach precursor. Other companies in the broader hydrogen transport space with relevant technology are Hyundai, Volvo, and Tata Motors.
As Symbio’s Wikipedia entry is in French, I am fairly certain, that Symbio is a French company in Grenoble.
This press release from Symbio is entitled Symbio And Wrightbus Unveil TThe Successful Outcome Of Their UK Government-Funded Partnership At CENEX EXPO 2024: A 300 kW Hydrogen-Powered Demonstrator Coach.
This is the sub-heading.
A partnership to develop a 300 kW, zero-emission demonstrator fuel cell coach and future 75 kW city bus applications.
These two introductory paragraphs add more details.
Symbio and Wrightbus signed a partnership to develop and demonstrate a zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell coach designed for on-road public transportation in the UK. The joint project started in January 2024 with the delivery by Symbio to Wrightbus of four 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems, forming a 300-kW power unit that Wrightbus integrated and tested into one of its single-deckers. The tests enabled the innovation teams on both sides to adjust and define the optimal settings for the vehicle’s powertrain. Having successfully completed this objective, the demonstrator is displayed for the first time at the Cenex Expo, starting Sept. 4, and will be operational and hit the road shortly.
This successful project sets the basis for future development of hydrogen-powered city buses equipped with Symbio 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems, specifically designed for bus applications.
Symbio’s approach is different.
- Many drivers of my generation had a Ford XR3i hatchback.
- This sporty car had an 80 kW engine, a top speed of 115 mph and an acceleration time of 0-60 mph, of under 9 seconds.
- It was also great fun!
I do wonder if one of Symbio’s 75 kW StackPack™ fuel cell systems could be developed and fitted into a small hatchback, to create an afffordable zero-carbon runabout.
Already the press release says that Wrightbus and Symbio are co-operating with each other on 75 kW city bus applications.
Lord Bamford’s company ; JCB found Hyperdrive Innovation to develop batteries for their diggers. These batteries are now used in Hitachi’s Battery Intercity Express Trains.
Now, it looks like his son’s company have found Symbio to develop the fuel-cells needed for their innovative buses and coaches. Would one or two 75kW fuel cells be idea for smaller tractors and diggers?
E-Bike Injuries Are A Massive Burden, Say Surgeons
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
We’re in the morning meeting on the orthopaedics trauma ward on the 10th floor at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
These three introductory paragraphs add more detail.
Like every morning, the team are here to talk through the cases that will face them in the day ahead, and a familiar theme pops up.
From one side of the room a surgeon talks about his patient: “A 32-year-old, fit and well student… a couple of days ago he fell off an e-bike sustaining a closed left tibial plateau fracture.”
And a few moments later a voice next to us describes another case: “Six-year-old girl, she was hit by an electric bike, she has a closed tib/fib fracture.”
There is a lot more like this in the article.
The introduction of e-Bikes into London has been like the Wild West, with no suitable regulation and a powerless and afraid to act Police force.
Cycling and e-bikes in particular are going to be a big issue in the next London elections in May 2026.
Reform ‘Would Scrap’ High-Speed Northern Rail Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A Reform UK government would scrap plans to build the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) link, its deputy leader has said.
These two paragraphs add extra details.
In a report to the right-leaning Policy Exchange think tank, Richard Tice said companies considering bidding for contracts to build east-to-west high-speed rail links should “not bother”.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham rejected Tice’s comments and suggested Reform UK wanted a “second-class railway” for the north of England.
As I showed in I’ve Just Glimpsed The Future Of Train Travel Across The North Of England And I Like It, much of Northern Powerhouse Rail is complete or under construction to the East of Manchester and the only section of Northern Powerhouse Rail to be announced, designed and constructed is between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester via Manchester Airport. I discussed this section in Completing Northern Powerhouse Rail.
I also suspect that Reform UK, is the only party, that is against the building of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Conclusion
How do you scrap a railway, that is half complete and only needs about twenty miles of new track for completion?
Comings And Goings Of Battery-Electric Buses On Route 242 At Aldgate Bus Station – 4th September 2025
I took these pictures of 242 battery-electric buses at Aldgate bus station, last night.
Note.
- All the buses on route 242, were Volvo BZL battery-electric buses.
- All the battery-electric buses backed onto the chargers for about ten minutes.
- Range on battery of the buses is probably about 214 miles according to Google.
- Buses arrived and left every few minutes.
- There was no indication, if the buses were charged at Aldgate bus station, although as the pictures show, some went dark for a few minutes.
If the buses were being charged, it certainly looked an efficient way to charge them.
I took these pictures of 242 battery-electric buses at Aldgate bus station and in Dalston, this morning.
Note.
- All the electric buses are Streetlite Electroliners from Wrightbus.
- All Wrightbuses have a stylised ‘W’ on the front.
- The seventh picture shows the enlarged destination board on the back of the Streetlite bus.
Are Stagecoach running two different types of buses on the same route to ascertain the best and give the chargers a decent workout?
I have some further thoughts.
Could This Form Of Charging Be Used To Convert New Routemasters Into Electric Buses?
Consider.
- In Equipmake Hybrid To Battery Powered LT11, I show a battery-electric New Routemaster is possible.
- In Wrightbus Launches NewPower In Bicester, I write about Wrightbus’s new factory in Bicester to convert buses to battery power.
- In New Routemasters As Advertising Hoardings, I show how New Routemasters have a nice little secondary earner as advertising hoardings.
- New Routemasters have become a symbol of London.
- As pictures five to seven show, New Routemasters could share the chargers with younger battery-electric buses.
- There is still at least another dozen years left in most New Routemasters.
Converting a thousand New Routemasters must be cheaper, than buying a thousand new buses.
Could This Form Of Charging Be Used Outside London?
Most certainly, provided you can get enough power to the charger.
Aldgate doesn’t have a problem with power, as the Underground is underneath.
Shell Pulls Plug On Rotterdam Biofuels Plant
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
Retreat from green energy continues as facility that was earmarked to produce sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel will not now be built
These first three paragraphs add some details.
Shell has scrapped construction of one of Europe’s biggest biofuels plants as it continues its retreat from green energy
The move by the FTSE 100 oil and gas group represents a further setback for efforts to cut aviation emissions.
Shell said it would not restart construction of the biofuels facility at its Rotterdam energy and chemicals plant, which was due to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.
When I wrote Centrica Secures Investment Stake In Gasrec Helping Boost UK Bio-LNG Ambitions, I took a look at the use of liquified natural gas (LNG) in transport.
This paragraph from the Centrica press release about the stake, gives the thoughts of Chris O’Shea, who is Group Chief Executive, Centrica.
Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica plc, said: “Demand for bio-LNG for transport is growing fast as more HGV operators make the switch – drawn by a clean, ready-to-use fuel which slashes CO2 emissions by up to 85 per cent in comparison to diesel*. This investment in Gasrec enhances our collaboration with the leading company in the sector, and puts us in a strong position to energise a vital sector of the industry on its journey to net zero.”
Chris O’Shea of Centrica appears to feel that bio-LNG is a good alternative to diesel, so have Shell come to a similar decision, about satisfying the demand for diesel?
I asked Google AI if LNG has advantages over diesel as a truck fuel and received this answer.
Yes, LNG offers advantages over diesel, including significantly lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), and particulate matter (PM), which improves local air quality. It can also be more economically efficient, with fuel costs potentially lower than diesel depending on market conditions. However, the overall greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits are mixed; while LNG has a lower carbon content, it can result in higher lifecycle GHG emissions due to energy losses in its production and transport, as well as methane slip.
Note.
- If it drops emissions by up to 85 percent for bio-LNG, surely, it would do the same for LNG.
- I also think with tight regulations, the use of LNG could improve air quality in cities like London.
- LNG would probably be a more affordable fuel than hydrogen.
It should also be noted, that several major diesel engine makers, now make families of engines, which can handle, diesel, hydrogen and natural gas.
LNG would also be a convenient stepping stone between current fuels and hydrogen, that might give a few extra years for the transition.
Could LNG Be Used In Aircraft?
Consider.
- LNG would certainly give some reduction in carbon emissions.
- Handling LNG in aircraft could have similar problems to hydrogen, so companies like Airbus might have already solved them.
- In addition, LNG doesn’t have the fearsome reputation, that hydrogen seems to have gained because of the Hindenburg.
- It would be easier to provide LNG fuel at airports all round the world.
- Airbus have said availability of hydrogen at airports, could be a problem.
Out of curiosity, I asked Google AI if LNG could be used to power an airliner and received this answer.
Yes, liquefied natural gas (LNG) can theoretically be used to power airliners, offering a potential reduction in CO2 emissions compared to conventional jet fuel, but significant challenges exist. These challenges include the need for entirely new, larger, and heavier cryogenic fuel tanks, modifications to aircraft engines and fuel systems, and the development of a new global infrastructure for LNG supply. While experimental tests have been conducted, such as on the Soviet Union’s Tupolev Tu-155 in 1989, LNG is not currently in normal service due to these practical and infrastructural hurdles.
I would prefer it was a purpose-designed Airbus, than a Soviet-era Tupolev.
Centrica Secures Investment Stake In Gasrec Helping Boost UK Bio-LNG Ambitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Centrica.
This is the sub-heading.
Centrica has secured a minority stake in Gasrec, the UK’s largest dual provider of bio-LNG (bio-Liquified Natural Gas) and bio-CNG (bio-Compressed Natural Gas) to the road transport sector,
These first two paragraphs give more details.
Gasrec says the investment will drive the next phase of its infrastructure ambitions, with plans to open a UK wide network of open-access refuelling stations supplying renewable bio-LNG for the decarbonisation of heavy goods vehicles.
Centrica is taking a 16% stake and becomes one of three major shareholders in Gasrec, alongside global integrated energy company bp and private family office 44 North.
I have some thoughts.
Does Running A Truck On bio-LNG or bio-CNG. Reduce Carbon Emissions?
This paragraph from the press release, gives the thoughts of Chris O’Shea, who is Group Chief Executive, Centrica.
Chris O’Shea, Group Chief Executive, Centrica plc, said: “Demand for bio-LNG for transport is growing fast as more HGV operators make the switch – drawn by a clean, ready-to-use fuel which slashes CO2 emissions by up to 85 per cent in comparison to diesel*. This investment in Gasrec enhances our collaboration with the leading company in the sector, and puts us in a strong position to energise a vital sector of the industry on its journey to net zero.”
As Centrica is a public company, with shareholders, who would take a dim view of Mr. O’Shea telling porkies, I suspect we can assume that the following is true.
Drawn by a clean, ready-to-use fuel which slashes CO2 emissions by up to 85 per cent in comparison to diesel.
The asterisk in the full quote, refers to this note.
Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, Innovate UK and Office for Low Emission Vehicles, Low Emission Freight & Logistics Trial (LEFT), Key Findings, November 2020. Using specific feedstocks CO2 reductions of 200% are achievable.
Centrica could be being conservative with their claims.
Decarbonising Buses, Locomotives And Trucks
Despite what Elon Musk, would have us believe, electric trucks will not dominate the future of freight transport.
An electric truck would be the vehicle equivalent of asking Usain Bolt to run a hundred metres with a large refrigerator on his back.
Trucks are going to need a fuel without a weight penalty and with a long range.
I asked Google for information about Cummins diesel, natural gas and hydrogen engines and received this AI Overview.
Cummins offers engines powered by diesel, natural gas, and hydrogen. While diesel engines are well-established, Cummins is also developing both natural gas and hydrogen engines, particularly focusing on hydrogen as a pathway to zero-carbon solutions for various applications. Cummins utilizes a fuel-agnostic platform, meaning a common base engine can be adapted for different fuel types, including diesel, natural gas, and hydrogen.
Recently, GB Railfreight purchased thirty Class 99 locomotives from Stadler.
- They can use electrification, where it exists.
- Where electrification doesn’t exist, they can use an onboard Cummins diesel engine, which is built in Darlington.
- In electric-mode, they have 6.2 MW of power, and are the most powerful locomotives ever to run on UK railways.
- In diesel-mode, they have 1.8 MW of power, which is more than enough to haul a large container train in and out of Felixstowe.
I had thought that at some future date, Cummins would convert these locomotives to electro-hydrogen.
But now that Gasrec is providing bio-LNG and bio-CNG, GB Railfreight, have the option of converting both hydrogen and biomethane.
Similar logic can be applied to Wrightbus’s Streetdeck Ultroliner, one version of which is fitted with a Cummins engine, that can be converted to electric, hydrogen or natural gas, which of course includes biomethane. This page on the Wrightbus web site describes the bus.
Wrightbus are also going back into coach manufacture, as I wrote about in Wrightbus Goes Back To The Future As It Relaunches The Contour Coach. As with the Streetdeck Ultroliner, Cummins seem to be providing one of the power units.
It seems to me, that the zero- and low-carbon revolution in transport will generate a need for the availability of biomethane, hydrogen and natural gas fuel for transport all over the country.
Gasrec with around twenty biomethane fuelling points around the country, seem well-placed to supply the biomethane in bio-LNG or bio-CNG form.
Could Gasrec Deliver Hydrogen?
Various bus companies in the UK, have had difficulty getting the fuel for their hydrogen buses.
I believe that delivering hydrogen would be very similar to delivering LNG and if Gasrec can deliver LNG successfully and safely, they probably have the technology to do the same for hydrogen.
Centrica Seem To Be Assembling An Interesting Consortium
These are some deals, that I have reported on this blog, that involve Centrica.
- Centrica, along with Hyundai, Kia, Siemens and others have backed Hull-based hydrogen start-up; HiiROC, who can produce affordable hydrogen from any hydrocarbon gas including natural gas, where it is needed.
- Centrica have invested in Sizewell C. Will they be using their share of the electricity to make affordable pink hydrogen using HiiROC?
- In Centrica And Ryze Agree To Develop Hydrogen Pathway, I talked about how Centrica and Ryse were aiming to bring hydrogen to the masses.
- In Recurrent Energy’s Middle Road Project Sold To Centrica, I talked about a Centrica investment in solar power.
- In Aberdeen’s Exceed Secures Centrica Rough Contract, I talked about how Centrica were redeveloping the Rough gas storage site for hydrogen.
- In Lhyfe And Centrica To Develop Offshore Renewable Green Hydrogen In The UK, I talked about developing offshore hydrogen.
- In Centrica Announces Hydrogen Ready Combined Heat And Power Partnership With 2G, the title says it all.
- In Centrica Signs UK Biomethane Agreement With Yorkshire Water And SGN Commercial Services, Centrica appear to be sourcing biomethane from Yorkshire Water.
- In Centrica Invests In Renewable Energy Storage Capabilities To Boost UK’s Energy Security And Accelerate Transition To Net Zero, I talk about Centrica, Goldman Sachs and others, investment in liquid-air energy storage company; Highview Power.
- In British Gas Owner Mulls Mini-Nuke Challenge To Rolls-Royce, I talk about rumours that Centrica might invest in SMRs.
Note.
- A lot of these deals are are about hydrogen production.
- Some of these deals are about biomethane production.
- None of these deals talk about getting hydrogen and biomethane to customers.
It appears to me, that Gasrec have a model that works to get hydrogen, methane and biomethane from production and storage to the end customers.
Developing A Rural Hydrogen Network
In Developing A Rural Hydrogen Network, I talked about supplying all those millions of off-gas grid properties with hydrogen for heating, agricultural and industrial purposes, in the countryside of the UK.
Gasrec have the technology to decarbonise the countryside.
Conclusion
Gasrec would appear to be a very useful partner for Centrica.
The Anonymous Widower 