The Anonymous Widower

Direct Rail Service Plan Supported By PM

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Plans for a new passenger rail service running direct trains between north Wales, the West Midlands and London have received support from the prime minister.

These three paragraphs add detail to the story.

A new open-access rail operator, external, called the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR), has been formed, offering passengers in Wrexham, as well as Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Walsall and Coleshill, a direct link with the capital.

Speaking in the Commons, Shrewsbury’s Labour MP Julia Buckley asked Sir Keir Starmer if he would support the provider’s application.

The prime minister responded, saying he would be “delighted to make sure the MP and other interested MPs meet with the rail minister to put their case forward”.

He didn’t actually say he supported the application, but then lawyers are careful with words, as every syllable costs money.

I have a few thoughts on this service.

The North Wales Metro

The North Wales Metro was announced today and I wrote about it in £2.1bn North Wales Rail Overhaul Plans Unveiled.

The Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway connects the North Wales Metro to Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Coleshill and London Euston.

Will The Trains Be Hydrogen Powered

In Alstom And Eversholt Rail Sign An Agreement For The UK’s First Ever Brand-New Hydrogen Train Fleet, I reported how Alstom could be going to build a fleet of hydrogen trains in Derby.

I just wonder, if Alstom are going to create a hydrogen train with this specification.

  • Five cars
  • 125 mph top speed
  • Ability to use electrification, where it exists.
  • Sufficient range on hydrogen to cover the non-electrified section of the route between Wrexham General and Wolverhampton.
  • Wrexham General and Wolverhampton is just under sixty miles and takes an hour and six minutes.

As the fastest trains between London Euston and Walverhampton take one hour and forty-nine minutes, trains would take just under three hours between London Euston and Wrexham General.

I rode  an Alstom hydrogen-powered train in Germany in March 2019 and wrote My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint.

I took this picture at the time.

Alstom certainly have all the technology to build a 125 mph hydrogen-powered train, that can use electrification.

Where Would A Hydrogen Train Be Refuelled?

I suspect, that as the train would probably have a range of around a thousand kilometres, it could fill up overnight at Wrexham.

The hydrogen could be sourced from Runcorn or it might even be generated at the depot.

Would A Hydrogen Train Attract Passengers?

If the hydrogen-powered train were to be mouse-quiet like Wrightbus’s hydrogen buses, I believe it would.

May 22, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

£2.1bn North Wales Rail Overhaul Plans Unveiled

The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

A £2.1bn plan to overhaul north Wales’ railway network has been unveiled by Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates, but with no funding commitment from the UK government so far.

These three introductory paragraphs add more detail.

The proposals include more services, the introduction of pay-as-you-go “tap in tap out” technology, electrification of lines and a Metro-style service linking Wrexham and Liverpool.

Promising the plans would mean “better stations and more trains”, Welsh ministers have committed an initial £13m, with substantial UK government cash needed to realise the proposals.

The UK government has been asked to comment.

Having lived in Liverpool for seven years, I can understand how this upgrade will benefit Wales and also bring the area closer to Liverpool and Merseyside, to the benefit of the wider region.

There is also this press release from the Welsh Government, which is entitled “METRO IS GO” with Network North Wales.

This press release says plans include.

  • Commencing work on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool as the crucial first phase of delivering metro services direct between the two cities.
  • Doubling train services between Wrexham and Chester next May.
  • Bringing forward the introduction of 50% more services across the North Wales mainline from December 2026 to next May – resulting in a new service from Llandudno to Liverpool and extending the Manchester Airport service to Holyhead in place of Llandudno.
  • Upon completion of rail line works at Padeswood, increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to 2 trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of 4 trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.
  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.
  • A new, multi-million pound electrification innovation fund to develop a plan to decarbonise the railway in North Wales and enable more frequent metro services and additional stations
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton and Ruabon stations.
  • Working with local authorities to develop plans for Gateway multi-modal interchanges at Holyhead, Bangor, Caernarfon and Wrexham.
  • A new T13 bus service – connecting Rhyl, Ruthin, Denbigh and Wrexham.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.
  • A new bus network specifically designed to link communities with industrial estates in the Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone.

It all seems very comprehensive.

The Current Wrexham And Liverpool Route

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of North Wales between Chester, Flint and Wrexham Central.

Note.

  1. Wrexham Central station is at the bottom of the map indicated by the blue arrow.
  2. Chester is in the North-East corner of the map, where three orange tracks meet.
  3. The orange track running East from Chester is the North Wales Coast Line to Crewe
  4. The orange track running West from Chester is the North Wales Coast Line to Shotton, Flint and then on to Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead.
  5. The orange track running South from Chester goes to Wrexham.
  6. The yellow track running North from Chester is Merseyrail to Liverpool.
  7. Flint station is in the North-West corner of the map, with Shotton station between Chester and Flint stations.
  8. The yellow track running North from Wrexham Central station  to Shotton station is the Borderlands Line to Bidston for Liverpool.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the two Wrexham stations and the lines to Liverpool and Chester.

Note.

The orange track running North-South is the Chester and Shrewsbury Line, which runs through Wrexham General station.

The yellow track running North -West is the Borderlands Line to Shotton and Bidston for Liverpool.

Wrexham Central station is on an extension of the Borderlands Line.

This third OpenRailwayMap shows where the Borderlands Line crosses the River Dee on the Hawarden Bridge.

Note.

  1. Running across the South-West corner of the map is the River Dee.
  2. The orange track in the South-West corner of the map is the North Wales Coast Line between Chester and Holyhead.
  3. The yellow track is the Borderlands Line between Wrexham and Bidston for Liverpool.
  4. The Borderlands Line crosses the River Dee on the Hawarden Bridge.
  5. Shotton station is a poor interchange between the two lines.
  6. Hawarden Bridge station is North of the river.

This fourth OpenRailwayMap shows where the Borderlands Line joins Merseyrail’s Wirral Line at Bidston station.

Note.

  1. Bidston station is in the vNorth-West corner of the map.
  2. The yellow track running West from Bidston station is Merseyrail to West Kirby.
  3. The yellow track running South from Bidston station is the Borderlands Line to Wrexham.
  4. The yellow track running North from the triangular junction to the East of Bidston station is Merseyrail to New Brighton.
  5. The yellow track running East from the triangular junction to the East of Bidston station is Merseyrail to Liverpool via Birkenhead North, Birkenhead Park, Conway Park and Hamilton Square stations.
  6. Birkenhead Central station is in the South-Eastern corner of the map and is on Merseyrail’s branches to Chester and Ellesmere Port stations.

Services from Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby all combine at Hamilton Square to go round the stations under the centre of Liverpool; James Street, Moorfields, Lime Street, Central and James Street (again).

Wrexham And Liverpool Improvements

These plans concern the Borderlands Line or the Wrexham and Liverpool Line.

  • Commencing work on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool as the crucial first phase of delivering metro services direct between the two cities.
  • Upon completion of rail line works at Padeswood, increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to 2 trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of 4 trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.
  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.
  • A new, multi-million pound electrification innovation fund to develop a plan to decarbonise the railway in North Wales and enable more frequent metro services and additional stations
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton and Ruabon stations.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.

There looks a lot to do, but none of the actions would appear to be that large and expensive.

Running Class 777 Trains Between Wrexham Central Station And Liverpool City Centre

Consider.

  • There is no way, that the Office of Road and Rail will allow any more third rail electrification.
  • Class 777 trains could be fitted with pantographs, if the trains need to be charged on the tracks past Bidston station.
  • Siemens Mobility have developed a Rail Charging Converter, that I wrote about in Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks.
  • I suspect Stadler have some similar technology for the Class 777 trains.
  • Wrexham Central station is a single platform station.
  • Bidston and Wrexham Central stations are 27.5 miles apart or a 55 mile round trip.
  • In New Merseyrail Train Runs 135km On Battery, I describe how a Class 777 train ran for over eighty miles on battery power.

In Liverpool City Centre, trains would join services from Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby and go round a loop through James Street, Moorfields, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Central and James Street.

This Google Map shows Wrexham Central station.

Note.

  1. The single track, with the platform alongside.
  2. There would be plenty of space on the North side of the track to put up a short length of overead wire to charge the trains.
  3. The station appears to be surrounded by a shopping centre.

One platform should be able to handle four trains per hour (tph)

This second Google Map shows Bidston station.

Note.

  1. Bidston station is indicated by the station symbol.
  2. Merseyrail’s line between West Kirby and Liverpool runs through the station.
  3. Trains to Liverpool take the Eastern point of the triangular junction.
  4. Trains to New Brighton take the Northern point of the triangular junction.
  5. Trains to West Kirby and Wrexham take the Westerly lines, from Bidston station.

Work will probably need to be done at the junction, where the West Kirby and Wrexham line split.

I discuss the work at Padeswood in Train Frequency Focus In North Wales Transport Commission’s Interim Recommendations.

It doesn’t seem to me, that to be able to run 2 or even 4 tph between Wrexham Central and Liverpool, is going to need a large budget. Although, a few extra Class 777 trains, with a battery-electric capability, will be needed.

But this corner of Wales will have one of the world’s first battery-electric international trains.

New And Improved Services And Stations

These plans concern new and improved services and stations on the Borderlands Line or the Wrexham and Liverpool Line.

  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton station.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.

Deeside Industrial Park Station

This is planned for Deeside Industrial Park station.

Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.

This Google Map shows Deeside Industrial Park

Note.

Shotton station is in the South West corner of the map.

Hawarden Bridge station is indicated by the red arrow.

The double-track Borderlands Line runs between the two stations and then Northwards between the warehouses and factories of the estate.

This second Google Map shows the area to the North of the two stations in greater detail.

Note.

  1. Flintshire Bridge Converter Station is the Southern end of the 2.2 GW Western HVDC Link from Scotland.
  2. Toyota’s Deeside Solar Park.
  3. The Borderland’s Line running between the substation and the solar park.

It does appear there could be plenty of space for a station.

 

Network Rail on Merseyside certainly have access to to a temporary station, as these pictures show of one’s use at Liverpool South Parkway station, which I wrote about in Liverpool South Parkway Station Stands In For Lime Street.

Note.

  1. It was mainly built of scaffolding.
  2. It was long enough for an eleven-car Class 390 train.

It could certainly be rearranged to make a temporary two-platform station.

But why a temporary station?

  • It may turn out, that Bidston and Wrexham Central is too long for battery-electric trains.
  • But Deeside Industrial Park station would be about half-way, so an ideal place for a pit-stop.
  • It’s also got plenty of electricity.
  • Toyota might also want to see how it helps the operation of their engine plant.

Network Rail might want to try out the idea of building a temporary station elsewhere in the future.

May 22, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

An Extreme Day Out – Bradford Forster Square Station

It seems to be the fashion to go and visit somewhere far away in a day. So why not?

For my first trip in this vein, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Bradford Forster Square station.

Why Did I Choose Bradford Forster Square Station?

There are three main reasons.

  1. A new platform has just opened at the station to handle the longest LNER trains.
  2. LNER are now running a seven trains per day (tpd) service via Leeds.
  3. I wanted to see how LNER’s walk-up ticketing performed on the route.

In addition, I wanted to see how the service performed, now that Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture.

King’s Cross To Bradford Forster Square Station For £43.00 With A Railcard

I just missed the 11:03, so I booked the 13:03 for £43.00 with my Senior Railcard, from one of the numerous ticket machines in King’s Cross.

The train arrived on time in two hours 47 minutes for the 199.4 miles, which was an average speed of 72 mph.

In What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?, I predicted this.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see with full digital signalling and a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.

  • 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
  • Four Acceleration/Deceleration sections at 6 minutes each – 24 minutes.
  • Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes

This would mean a total time of one hour and 59 minutes.

As my Bradford service took two hours and 28 minutes between London King’s Cross And Leeds, that would mean, that a time close to two hours and fifteen minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square stations.

There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Leeds And Bradford Forster Square Stations

These pictures show the nearly empty train and the small numbers, who alighted at Bradford Forster Square station.

But I don’t think three in the afternoon is a time, when many passengers will need to go between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.

Bradford Forster Square Station

I described that station, with its new Platform 0 in Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025, where I said the station needed these additions.

The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop, ticket machines and toilets.

But it’s not been open very long.

Bradford Forster Square Station To King’s Cross For £25.70 With A Railcard

I bought this ticket from a Yorkshire Lass in the Ticket Office.

There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Bradford Forster Square And King’s Cross Stations

Only about a dozen passengers boarded the train at Bradford Forster Square and some got out at Leeds.

In fact the train wasn’t very busy all the way to London with perhaps twenty passengers in my carriage, when we arrived in King’s Cross.

Will This Service Develop Into A Two-Hourly London King’s Cross And Leeds Or Bradford Forster Square Service With A Trans-Yorkshire Service Tacked On?

Currently, it is the following.

  • An express service between King’s Cross and Leeds with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate.
  • An express service between King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
  • A local service between Doncaster and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
  • Additional calls on some services are at Stevenage, Grantham, Retford and Shipley.

In addition the following would be possible.

  • Pairs of trains could split at Leeds, with one train going to Bradford Forster Square and the other train to somewhere like Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton.
  • Additional stops could be added between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square without slowing services between Leeds and King’s Cross.

But then where does this fit with LNER buying ten CAF tri-mode trains?

Surely they would get better flexibility, if they’d bought more Azumas, which could run on the electrification all the way to Bradford Forster Square, Huddersfield and Skipton. If some had batteries, they could run all the way to Harrogate.

LNER’s Disabled-Unfriendly Refreshments System

I am not disabled, but I only have one fully-working hand, as the school bully broke my left humerus and I have difficulty doing certain things with my left hand, due to the quality of the care I received in Highlands Hospital in Winchmore Hill.

Having a left-sided stroke didn’t help either.

One of the things, I can’t do is take pictures on my mobile phone, so I always carry a proper camera. Because of the injury, I have also never read a QR code with my phone.

On LNER’s trains to get a drink, you either have to order it by reading a QR code or walking to the buffet.

As on the train going North, the buffet was closed, I went thirsty.

In future, if I have a choice of trains, I’ll choose one with a trolly service.

Are The CAF Tri-Mode Trains Part Of A Plan To Drive Open Access Operators Out Of Yorkshire?

This is possibly the only scenario that makes sense.

The ten-car tri-mode trains would be used to take over Grand Central’s services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, and Hull Trains services to Hull.

After Monday, LNER are now running more daily services to Bradford Forster Square, than Grand Central are to Bradford Interchange.

If like my return to London on Tuesday, you can buy a walk-up ticket on LNER, then why would you travel on Grand Central.

Conclusion

£68.70 is not a bad price for what is in effect a walk-up day return to Bradford Forster Square.

I’ve just looked how much, I would be charged for an advance ticket on Friday, using the trains I used on Tuesday.

I could get a ticket for £25.70 going North and £28.95 going South  or a total of £54.65. All are with my Senior Railcard.

But it does look to me, that LNER and the Government are trying to drive Grand Central off the Bradford route.

If I am right and Hull Trains and Lumo will be next in LNER’s sights, then what was Starmer and other Government ministers doing at the launch of orders for new trains for Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo?

 

 

May 22, 2025 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Uber Partners With Gemini For Channel Tunnel Train Plan

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

These two introductory paragraphs give more details.

Ridesharing app company Uber has announced a co-branding partnership with Gemini Trains, which is developing plans to launch open access passenger services through the Channel Tunnel.

Gemini plans to purchase 10-newly designed trains to offer ‘comfortable high-quality and frequent’ services with competitive fares, running from London Stratford International station – which has never been used for international services – to Paris Nord and Brussels Midi. All trains would call at Ebbsfleet International, which Eurostar no longer serves. Gemini also plans to expand services to ‘further exciting European destinations’, suggesting that Paris and Brussels are ‘just the start’.

It looks like Gemini Trains will run the trains and Uber will help with marketing, publicity and ticket sales.

May 21, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

UK Solar Applications Spike Ahead Of CP30 But Planning Process Remains Slow

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Solar Power Portal.

This is the sub-heading.

Solar Media Market Research analyst Josh Cornes tracks the time solar PV developments spend in the planning system, as delays and refusals slow the rate of buildout.

These three introductory paragraphs add more detail.

Solar PV buildout in the UK continues to pick up, with year-on-year growth forecast for 2025, the seventh year of growth in a row.

With government-led initiatives like Clean Power 2030 (CP30) encouraging buildout and the Contracts for Difference (CfD) mechanism incentivising development, this growth is unlikely to slow down.

However, there are several factors at play stunting this growth, hurting the UK’s chances of hitting the CP30 target of 45-47GW solar generation capacity by 2030.

The article also talks about the problems of grid connections and says that some solar farms will take thirty-three years to get a connection.

In Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks, I said this.

Cameron Bridge station is lucky in that there is already a 132,000 KVAC electricity connection to the distillery next door.

But at other places, where there is no connection, you could wait as long as seven years to be connected to the grid.

So could the clever engineers at Siemens, devise some sort of electrical gubbins, that connects a solar farm directly to Siemens innovative Rail Charging Converter?

Instead of needing two connections to the grid, the setup won’t need any.

Surely, other types of users could be driven directly, or through an appropriately sized battery?

 

 

May 21, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025

I took these pictures during my visit to Bradford Forster Square station today.

Note.

  1. The platforms are numbers 0-3, with the ten-car LNER train in platform 1.
  2. Platforms 0 and 1 can take ten-car LNER Class 800/801 trains.
  3. Platform 0 is the recently-built new platform.
  4. Poundland is alongside Platform 0.
  5. The Coffee seems to have bolted.
  6. As Bradford is this year’s City of Culture, someone has decorated the station’s benches.

I have some further thoughts.

Station Additions

The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop and toilets.

Platform Lengths

It would appear that Platforms 0 and 1 are able to take a pair of Class 800, 801 or 802 trains, which are just under 260 metres long and each can carry 604 passengers.

It would also be able to handle a single nine-car Class 800, 801 or 802 train, which are just under 234 metres long.

This would mean, that at a future date, the station could handle a 200 metres long High Speed Two Classic-Compatible half-train.

Number Of Services

It appears there were seven services to and from London, with about one every two hours.Going to London three were nine-car trains and four were ten-car trains.

I travelled both ways in the same ten-car train.

May 20, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks

This title of this post is the same as that of this news item from Siemens, which was published in December 2024.

These three bullet points introduce the news item.

  • The Mireo Plus B battery train is rolled out in the East Brandenburg network, Germany, using the same technology as the British Desiro Verve project.
  • The Desiro Verve would save £3.5 billion and 12 million tonnes in CO2 emissions for Britain’s railways over 35 years.
  • The development marks the latest step of this technology’s journey to Britain’s railways.

No-one, including me, seemed to have spotted this news item, especially, since it is significant to both the UK and Germany.

But then parts of Siemens’s home country; Germany and Yorkshire, where they are building, a train factory to build London’s new Piccadilly Line trains have  something big in common – There is a distinct shortage of electric trains and the overhead wires to power them.

So did German engineers, egged on by pints of British real ale, realise that their battery-electric technology for the Mireo Plus B battery-electric train, would turn a Desiro City multiple unit, like the Class 700, 707 or 717 into battery-electric trains.

These are three paragraphs from the Siemens news item.

The innovative technology behind Siemens Mobility’s British battery trains has been rolled out in the East Brandenburg network in Germany.

31 of the company’s Mireo Plus B trains are being phased in to the Berlin Brandenburg metropolitan region, beginning on Sunday (15 December) and is the latest proof point of the technology that underpins the Desiro Verve project in Britain. This follows the debut of this technology on 27 new trains in the Ortenau region of Germany in April, with more set to arrive in Denmark in 2025.

The British Desiro Verve trains would be assembled at Siemens Mobility’s new Train Manufacturing Facility in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, formally opened by the Transport Secretary and Mayor of London in October.

I’d always wondered, what Siemens would do with this factory, when it had finished making the Piccadilly Line trains.

It also should be noted, that the boss of Siemens UK, when the Goole factory was planned was Jürgen Maier, who according to his Wikipedia entry has Austrian, British and German citizenship and is now the boss of Great British Energy.

I believe that Siemens have big plans for the Goole factory.

One thing it has, that at the present time could be a problem in Germany, is large amounts of renewable electricity and hydrogen, so will energy-intensive components for trains be made at Goole?

It will be interesting to see how the Goole factory develops.

The Desiro Verve Train For The UK and Ireland

In the Siemens news item, their Joint CEO for the UK and Ireland; Sambit Banerjee, says this.

The Desiro Verve would be assembled at our state-of-the-art Goole Rail Village in Yorkshire and offers an integrated solution to replace Britain’s aging diesel trains without having to electrify hundreds of miles of track, saving the country £3.5 billion over 35 years and providing a practical path to decarbonising British railways.”

In June, Siemens Mobility identified how the Desiro Verve could save Britain’s railways £3.5 billion over 35 years compared with using diesel-battery-electric ‘tri-mode’ trains. This would support the Government’s aim of removing diesel-only trains from Britain’s railways by 2040.

The British trains would be powered by overhead wires on already electrified routes, then switch to battery power where there are no wires. That means only small sections of the routes and/or particular stations have to be electrified with overhead line equipment (OLE), making it much quicker and less disruptive to replace diesel trains compared to full electrification.

I agree with his philosophy.

The Rail Charging Converter

When I wrote Cameron Bridge Station – 15th May 2025, I described how a short length of overhead electrification could be erected at the station to charge passing trains, using their pantographs.

Cameron Bridge station is lucky in that there is already a 132,000 KVAC electricity connection to the distillery next door.

But at other places, where there is no connection, you could wait as long as seven years to be connected to the grid.

So Siemens have come up with the Rail Charging Converter, that provides a local electricity supply to support the charger.

It is described in this paragraph from the news item.

This OLE can also be installed much more quickly using Siemens Mobility’s innovative Rail Charging Converter (RCC), which makes it possible to plug directly into the domestic grid – potentially cutting delivery times for OLE from seven years to as little as 18 months.

This Siemens visualisation shows a Verve train and an RCC.

This arrangement could be used in sensitive countryside or close to historic buildings.

Modern Railways – June 2025

There is an article about the Siemens technology in the June 2025 Edition of Modern Railways.

It is called The Battery Revolution Starts In Long Marston for which this is part of the sub-heading.

New technology being installed by Siemens Mobility at Porterbrook’s test facility paves the way for widespread use of battery trains in the UK.

The article is a must-read.

Conclusion

Siemens appear to have the technology with their Rail Charging Converter and battery-electric trains like the Verve and the Mireo Plus B, to be able to decarbonise lines without electrification all over the world.

Would larger gauge trains be delivered from Germany and smaller gauge ones from Goole?

I wouldn’t be surprised that a version for a German S-Bahn could share more characteristics, with a small British train, than a large German one.

I can also see an underground railway, that was built without power in the tunnels. So if you were building the Waterloo and City Line today, would it be battery-electric and charged at each end of the line using a pantograph?

 

 

May 19, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Support For Edinburgh Tram-Train Scheme

The title of this post, is the title of a third-of-a-page article in the June 2025 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is the first paragraph.

Final-Year civil engineering undergraduates at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus have received warm support for a study in which they recommend reopening the city’s 7.5 mile South Suburban Railway, used for freight and diversions since 1962, using tram-trains.

It looks like they would start in the West at say Edinburgh Gateway or the Airport and would then turn South at Murrayfield to join the South Suburban Railway at Gorgie.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks to the South of Murrayfield stadium.

Note.

  1. The more Westerly-oriented orange tracks lead to Glasgow.
  2. The orange tracks running South-Westerly are the tracks to Carstairs.
  3. The yellow tracks are the South Suburban Railway.
  4. Tram-trains could then go all the way to Brunstane on the Borders Railway.
  5. The blue arrow indicates the tram-stop for Murrayfield.
  6. I would assume that the connection to the South Suburban Railway, is to the East of this stop.
  7. Gorgie East, Craiglockhart and Morningside Road were stations on the South Suburban Railway.

This map shows where the South Suburban and Borders Railways meet in a large triangular junction.

Note.

  1. Newcraighall station on the Borders Railway is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Brunstane station is to its North-West almost halfway up the map.
  3. The two stations are the North and South points of the triangular junction, where the South Suburban and Borders Railways meet.
  4. The South Suburban can be seen going West towards Gorgie and Murrayfield.
  5. Edinburgh’s beach at Portobello is in the North-East corner of the map.
  6. Between Murrayfield and Brunstane, there would be an appropriate number of tram stops and a tram-train every fifteen minutes.

Optionally, the route can be extended to Leith on a mothballed freight line.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways and tramways of Edinburgh between Brunstane, Edinburgh Waverley and Leith.

Note.

  1. The orange track running across the bottom of the map is the East Coast Main Line into Edinburgh Waverley station, which is clearly marked.
  2. The pink track is the Edinburgh tram to Newhaven.
  3. Brunstane station is in the South-East corner of the map.
  4. The site of the former Portobello station is marked by the blue arrow.
  5. The yellow track from Portolbello up the coast is a mothballed freight line to Leith Docks.

The proposal suggests that the tram-train route finishes at Leith Docks. One of the reasons, is that this part of Edinburgh, is not well served by public transport.

I have some extra thoughts.

Changing Between Borders Railway and the Tram-Train At Brunstane Station

Brunstane station, is a two-track station, with only one platform, so there may need to be track modifications.

Do Edinburgh’s Urbos Trams Have A Tram-Train Variant?

They do!

Do Edinburgh’s Urbos Trams Have A Battery Variant?

Battery tram-trains charged at either end of the route will be needed.

A battery-electric Urbos 3 tram, can be seen running through the City of Birmingham in England.

Conclusion

The proposal looks feasible to me. But the devil will be in the detail.

 

May 18, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Leven Station – 15th May 2025

I was only at Leven station for a few minutes, but I was able to take these pictures.

Note.

  1. There are two platforms, one each side of a wide island.
  2. The platforms are 205 metres long.
  3. As four-car Class 385 trains are 93.3 metres long, each platform will be able to take a pair of four-car Class 385 trains.
  4. Will the station platforms be used to stable four trains overnight.
  5. The car park has 134 spaces.
  6. On approach to Leven station, there appears to be a crossover, which allows trains to use either platform.

From the Wikipedia entry for Leven station, it appears a second hourly service starts on the 18th May 2025, with services alternating between going via Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

It also appears that last night (17th May 2025) two trains spent the night in Platform 1 at Leven station.

In The Lack Of Information At Edinburgh Waverley Cost Me £55.10, I explain, why the chaos at Waverley station didn’t give me enough time to do more on Thursday.

May 17, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 1 Comment

Would A Train Manufacturer Save CrossCountry’s Iconic Aberdeen And Penzance Route?

The article in The Times about the cancelling of CrossCountry’s iconic Aberdeen and Penzance route was entitled After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever, I gave my post the same name and both received a number of nostalgic comments, from those, who had ridden the route or wished they had.

The Characteristics Of The Line

This article on the BBC is entitled We Had To Be On Last Run Of UK’s Longest Train Route.

This is said in the BBC article.

The connection – first established back in 1921 – is 775 miles (1,247km) long.

But electrification is rather thin on the ground.

Between Leeds and Edinburgh stations is electrified and I suspect that some of the route through Birmingham New Street and Bristol Parkway stations are also electrified, so perhaps, a battery-electric train could get a top-up on the way.

But as Leeds and Edinburgh is around 220 miles, there’s about 550 miles of the route or 70 % without electrification.

Battery Power, Hydrogen Power Or Both?

If diesel is ruled out on environmental grounds, it means that only battery or hydrogen power could be used for the route.

Despite some of the progress made by battery-electric trains in the last few years, I feel that unless the route has a large number of charging stations, then battery-electric trains will not be a practical solution.

This is a paragraph from The Times article.

Rail bosses said one of the reasons for ending the train was the difficulty keeping such a long journey on time. The fact that most customers made only short journeys along the route was also a consideration.

And this is another.

As an “express” service it was severely challenged, partly because of the long waits at a number of stations along the way, including 14 minutes at both Edinburgh Waverley and Bristol Temple Meads, and seven minutes at Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids.

Stopping regularly to charge the batteries, is going to make timekeeping more difficult and will probably end up with irritable passengers, after all the waiting.

So I suspect, hydrogen would be the ideal power for such a long service over a route with such sparse electrification.

But the trains, would be fitted with regenerative breaking to battery, so that kinetic energy is conserved as much as possible in the station stops.

I believe, that the trains should effectively be tri-mode or hydrogen-hybrid trains, but then many drivers praise the frugality of their hybrid cars.

Would Efficient Hydrogen-Hybrid Trains Attract More Passengers?

Consider.

  • All the battery and hydrogen trains and buses, with one exception, that I have ridden on, have been mouse-quiet.
  • The exception was a German hydrogen train, that had a very noisy mechanical transmission.
  • I also would expect that the trains would be capable of keeping up a cruising speed of 100 mph or perhaps even 125 mph.
  • This would enable them to handle the current timetable, which is written for 125 mph Class 222 diesel trains.

An efficient, unobtrusive, reliable and speedy service would surely attract passengers.

What’s In It For The Manufacturer?

Consider.

  • There are not many 775 mile routes in the UK.
  • But, there are many long rail around the world, that need decarbonising or even creating.
  • Some countries, like China, India and France are creating more electrified high speed long-distance lines.
  • Others countries, like Australia and the United States are planning and building high speed long-distance lines.

Perhaps, what is needed is a drop-in solution to decarbonise and/or create new high speed long-distance railways.

Could Aberdeen and Penzance be an ideal test bed to trial and demonstrate, your drop-in hydrogen solution?

I am reminded of a story, told to me, by a guy, who was selling an expensive air traffic control radar to an Arab state.

The initial presentations were done in the company’s offices in London.

The only working radar was installed at Prestwick Airport and had been working successfully for a couple of years, so the Arabs would be taken on a visit.

As they were very important clients, the salesman was told, that he was entitled to borrow the chairman’s executive jet for the trip.

The flight to Scotland was uneventful, but as they left the plane, the pilot said to the salesman. “There’s no finer view, than the Scottish Highlands at this time of year, I could fix it, that I gave them the view of a lifetime on the way home.”

After thinking about it for a few seconds, the salesman asked the pilot to fix it.

When they returned to the plane after a successful demonstration, the pilot said. “It’s on if you want it?”

The tale had a very happy ending, in that the Arabs bought an Air Traffic Control radar.

To return to the hydrogen trains; What better route is there to show off the capabilities of your high speed hydrogen-hybrid trains?

  • There is the spectacular scenery of the North of Scotland, The Pennines and Cornwall.
  • The Firth of Forth is crossed on the Forth Rail Bridge.
  • There is running on the wires between Edinburgh and Leeds.
  • There is the spectacular views of Durham and York from the train.
  • There will be several hours of running on hydrogen.
  • The Saltash Bridge is crossed.

What better route is there to sell trains?

Could CrossCountry Customer Service Be Improved?

I’ve never done a long journey on CrossCountry.

But surely, if the trains were designed for the route and the manufacturer was showing them off, the trains could have a top-of-the-range specification and high-quality service?

If you’re going to be stuck on a train for over a dozen hours the service must be good.

Conclusion

Get everything right and the train service would be an unquestionable asset to the UK and extremely good for the manufacturer.

May 17, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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