Connected Energy Wins First Order for Next-Gen Energy Storage System
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewable Energy Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Second life battery pioneer, Connected Energy will be installing the first of its new generation of optimized energy storage systems as part of Suffolk County Council’s latest project, The Hold. The Hold, a flagship heritage facility for Suffolk which is due to open later this year on the University of Suffolk’s Ipswich Campus, will house the council’s archive collection and feature a low carbon energy system of which Connected Energy’s E-STOR energy storage system will be a key part. The E-STOR will help optimize energy use and peak loads across a system including PV, EV chargers and critical HVAC, designed to create a controlled climate for the archived materials.
That certainly sounds like a good plan in a town, that I know well.
A few of my thoughts.
Second Life Renault Kangoo Batteries
This paragraph describes the system.
The new 300kW/360kWh containerized systems, which include 24 second life Renault Kangoo batteries, have benefitted from collaborative support from Renault and ABB to increase efficiencies on both the power and capacity sides of the system.
It is surely a good use of second-hand lithium-ion batteries from an electric Renault Kangoo. These batteries appear to have a capacity of 22 kWh and as only 15 kWh per battery is needed for 360 kWh, there must be a margin for refurbishing the batteries and removing any faulty cells.
Towns And Cities Like Ipswich
Ipswich is a town of around a hundred people, a hospital, a central shopping centre a small university, several office blocks, a railway station and a football team.
There must be many large towns and cities, with similar energy needs to Ipswich in the UK.
In East Anglia and Essex, there are fourteen; Basildon, Billericay, Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Harwich, Kings Lynn, Lowestoft, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend and Yarmouth
Connected Energy will have a large market to fill.
Distributed Propulsion ‘Maybe The Only Means’ For Small Electric Flight Progress
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Institute of Mechanical Engineers web site.
If you want to fly again, then this article offers pointers to how you might do it.
The E-Fan X Airliner
It gives this latest information on the E-Fa X airliner being tested by Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
Amid the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rolls-Royce and Airbus cancelled flight tests of their E-Fan X airliner, a promising project that could have provided vital data on issues such as thrust management and electric systems at altitude.
Does that mean cancelled or scrapped?
2.5 MW From A Beer Keg-Sized Generator
This paragraph could be important.
“Among the many great achievements from E-Fan X has been the generator – about the same size as a beer keg – but producing a staggering 2.5MW,” said Vittadini’s Rolls-Royce counterpart Paul Stein. “That’s enough power to supply 2,500 homes and fully represents the pioneering spirit on this project.”
This picture shows a Class 66 locomotive.
The locomotive has a 2,460 kW diesel engine and an electric transmission.
I just wonder, if Rolls Royce’s high-powered small generator could replace the large, noisy and smelly diesel engines in these locomotives.
- It will be a lot lighter in weight.
- Could some of the saved weight be used for a battery?
- It could run on aviation biofuel, rather than diesel.
- I wrote about aviation biofuel in Grant Shapps Announcement On Friday.
If the technology worked there are 455 of the noisy locomotives.
Snowballing Improvements
The article has a section with this title and it talks about how electric power may lead to other advantages.
Conclusion
Electric aircraft are more promising, than many think!
Are Fuel Cell Generators The Future For RVs?
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
It surely is an interesting concept to go and explore the great outdoors in a vehicle that pollutes what you are enjoying.
But hydrogen power solves the problem!
Should High Speed Two’s Macclesfield And London Service Call At Birmingham Interchange?
Connecting Manchester City Centre to the High Speed Two network will be a major undertaking.
- It looks increasingly likely that High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail will have a shared line running from the main High Speed Two route through Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport.
- Between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly will be in a high speed tunnel.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail will connect Liverpool Lime Street and Warrington to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly.
- There will be a major problem keeping train services running between Manchester and Birmingham, London and the South.
But just at Project Rio kept Manchester connected during the rebuilding of the West Coast Main Line in the early years of this century, I believe that a similar creditable alternative route may be starting to evolve.
Avanti’s Additional Class 807 Trains Will Be Delivered
These trains will allow additional services and release some Class 390 trains to reinforce other services.
Avanti West Coast’s Future West Coast Main Line Service
The small fleet of Class 807 trains are needed to provide extra services on the West Coast Main Line.
- But if these trains are successful, will more be used as replacements for the nearly twenty-years-old Class 390 trains?
- Will they also be given more traction power to double as the classic-compatible trains for High Speed Two.
- Other operators might also like to purchase a high capacity 200 metre long high speed train, which would share routes used by High Speed Two.
In Thoughts On Class 807 Trains And High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible Trains, I discuss the design of extra trains for High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line.
Surely, though having similar trains handling both roles on the West Coast Main Line and High Speed Two, would be an advantage to Avanti West Coast?
London And Manchester Services
Currently, there are these services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
- Via Milton Keynes Central, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport
- Via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport
- Via Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
All services have a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
High Speed Two plans to run these services between the South and the Manchester area.
- 1 tph – 200 metres – London Euston and Wigan North Western via Old Oak Common, Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay
- 1 tph – 200 metres – London Euston and Macclesfield via Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke.
- 1 tph – 400 metres – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport
- 2 tph – 400 metres – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport
- 2 tph – 200 metres – Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Piccadilly via Manchester Airport
- 1 tph – 200 metres – Birmingham Curzon Street and Wigan North |Western
Note.
- I have included Wigan North Western, as it has good connections to North Manchester.
- Services can’t go via Manchester Airport until the tunnel is completed.
- The 400 metre services will need to use dedicated High Speed Two tracks, so will need to use the tunnel via Manchester Airport.
Wigan and Macclesfield stations will not be requiring major rebuilding, during the construction of High Speed Two. That should mean the stations will not need to be closed for long periods.
- Macclesfield station could probably handle up to three tph from the South.
- Wigan North Western station could probably handle two tph from the South.
- Work in the Manchester Piccadilly area, may well close the station at times.
I suspect Macclesfield and Wigan North Western could be very useful alternative stations for travelling to and from the South.
Manchester And Birmingham Via Macclesfield
I can see that there could be difficulties for some passengers, if they found themselves at Macclesfield wanting to go to the Birmingham area.
A solution would be for the Macclesfield and London service to stop at Birmingham Interchange, which will be extremely well-connected.
Birmingham Interchange
This map from High Speed Two, shows Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham International stations.
Note.
- Birmingham Interchange station is marked by the blue dot.
- Birmingham International station is to the West of the M42.
The two stations will be connected by an automatic people mover.
Destinations and their frequencies available from Birmingham Interchange, when High Speed Two is complete will include.
- 2 tph – Birmingham Curzon Street
- 1 tph – Carlisle
- 1 tph – East Midlands Hub
- 1 tph – Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1 tph – Edinburgh Waverley
- 1 tph – Glasgow Central
- 1 tph – Leeds
- 5 tph – London Euston
- 1 tph – Manchester Airport
- 1 tph – Manchester Piccadilly
- 5 tph – Old Oak Common
- 1 tph – Preston
It looks like if you miss your train to many important cities at Birmingham Interchange, it will be an hour to wait for the next train.
Destinations and their frequencies available from Birmingham International are currently.
- 8 tph – Birmingham New Street
- 1 tph – Bournemouth
- 1 tph – Crewe
- 0.5 tph to Edinburgh Waverley
- 0.5 tph to Glasgow Central
- 7 tph – London Euston
- 1 tph – Macclesfield
- 1 tph – Manchester Piccadilly
- 1 tph – Reading
- 1 tph – Shrewsbury
- 1 tph – Southampton
- 1 tph – Stafford
- 1 tph – Stoke-on-Trent
- 2 tph – Wolverhampton
Note that 0.5 tph is one train per two hours.
These two lists can be combined.
- 10 tph – Birmingham Curzon Street/New Street
- 1 tph – Bournemouth
- 2 tph – Carlisle
- 1 tph – Crewe
- 1 tph – East Midlands Hub
- 1.5 tph – Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1.5 tph – Edinburgh Waverley
- 1.5 tph – Glasgow Central
- 1 tph – Leeds
- 12 tph – London Euston
- 1 tph – Macclesfield
- 1 tph – Manchester Airport
- 2 tph – Manchester Piccadilly
- 5 tph – Old Oak Common
- 1 tph – Preston
- 1 tph – Reading
- 1 tph – Shrewsbury
- 1 tph – Southampton
- 1 tph – Stafford
- 1 tph – Stoke-on-Trent
- 2 tph – Wolverhampton
This list is surely missing Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Sheffield and Newcastle.
Conclusion
We should not underestimate the importance of Macclesfield and Wigan North Western stations in getting to and from Manchester during the building of High Speed Two.
Thoughts On Class 807 Trains And High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible Trains
Avanti West Coast’s New Class 807 Trains
Avanti West Coast have ordered a small fleet of Class 807 trains.
This article on Railnews, gives this short description.
There will be more seats, because a seven-car train will have 453 and five-car sets will have 301. First said the seven-car version will have about the same number of seats as a nine-car Pendolino, because each IET vehicle is longer, at 26m.
Adding standard details of other Hitachi trains in the family, the following seems to be known.
- They are seven-car trains.
- The cars are the standard twenty-six metres, so a seven-car train will be 182 metres.
- Ten trains have been ordered.
- I suspect that like all the other trains in the family, they will be 125 mph trains, that are capable of 140 mph, when the signalling and track allows.
- They are pencilled in for services between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, Blackpool North and Liverpool Lime Street stations
- They will not have batteries or diesel engines for emergency or hotel power. Could this mean, that the trains have been designed for high performance, by removing excess weight?
- The trains don’t have a tilting capability. Does this save weight and increase acceleration?
- The trains have 453 seats, as opposed to the nine-car Class 390 trains, which have 469 seats.
Could these trains be designed, to be able to better the Class 390 train schedules on the West Coast Main Line?
- They have no tilting capability.
- They can only work on electric power, like the Class 390 trains.
- They could have very fast acceleration, due to the weight loss.
- They only reduce capacity by 3.5 %, when compared to a nine-car Class 390 train.
In Will Avanti West Coast’s New Trains Be Able To Achieve London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street In Two Hours?, this was my conclusion.
I believe the following will be possible.
-
- A two hour service between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street will be possible with Avanti West Coast’s new Class 807 trains.
- The current Class 390 trains could go a bit faster.
- I estimate that a Class 807 train could save as much as two-and-a-half-minutes at each stop.
- Blackpool North and London times will be comfortably under three hours.
- Coventry and London times will be comfortably under an hour.
The performance of these Class 807 trains will improve the West Coast Main Line.
What will London in two hours, do for Liverpool?
Class 807 Trains With Different Car Lengths
It is possible to create a table showing car length, train length and capacity for Class 807 trains
- 26 metres – 182 metres – 453 seats
- 26.5 metres – 185.5 metres – 462 seats
- 27 metres – 189 metres – 470 seats
- 27.5 metres – 192.5 metres – 479 seats
- 28 metres – 196 metres – 488 seats
- 28.5 metres – 199.5 metres – 497 seats
It seems that by lengthening all cars by half a metre, just adds nine seats.
Does this point to the fact, that twenty-six metres was a carefully-chosen optimal car length?
Class 807 Trains With Different Numbers Of Cars
A similar table can also be created for different numbers of twenty-six metre cars.
- 7 cars – 182 metres – 453 seats
- 8 cars – 208 metres – 518 seats
- 9 cars – 234 metres – 582 seats
- 10 cars – 260 metres – 647 seats
Note that as an eleven-car Class 390 train is 265.3 metres, a ten-car Class 807 train will fit all platforms, currently used by eleven-car Class 390 trains.
Replacement Of Eleven-Car Class 390 Trains With Class 807 Trains
The eleven-car Class 390 trains are 265.3 metres long and seat 589 passengers.
Looking at the two tables, nine-car Class 807 trains would be almost direct replacements for an eleven-car Class 390 trains.
- The performance of the Class 807 trains would be as good if not better.
- The passenger capacity of both trains would be similar, with just seven seats less in the new trains.
- The Class 807 trains would also be shorter and could fit any platform currently served by an eleven-car Class 390 train.
It should also be noted, that the Class 807 trains would have to run as singles, as platforms on the West Coast Main Line can’t handle a four hundred metre train.
I believe it is highly likely that the classic-compatible trains for High Speed Two and the trains that replace the Class 390 trains will be the same and based on the Class 807 trains, that are now being assembled at Hitachi’s factory at Newton Aycliffe.
Could A Class 807 Train Be Stretched To Become A High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Train?
The Classic-Compatible trains are described in this section in Wikipedia, by this sentence.
The classic-compatible trains, capable of high speed but built to a British loading gauge, permitting them to leave the high speed track to join conventional routes such as the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line. Such trains would allow running of HS2 services to the north of England and Scotland, although these non-tilting trains would run slower than existing tilting trains on conventional track. HS2 Ltd has stated that, because these trains must be specifically designed for the British network and cannot be bought “off-the-shelf”, these conventional trains were expected to be around 50% more expensive, costing around £40 million per train rather than £27 million for the captive stock.
The trains will have the same characteristics as the full-size trains.
- Maximum speed of 225 mph.
- Cruising speed of 205 mph on High Speed Two.
- Length of 200 metres.
- Ability to work in pairs.
- A passenger capacity around 500-600 passengers.
A seven-car Class 807 train with twenty-six metre long cars would appear to be a partial match and tick all the boxes, except for the following.
- The train’s maximum and cruising speeds are well below what is needed.
- The train is only 182 metres long.
- The train has a passenger capacity of 453.
Would a train with eight twenty-five metre long cars be a better fit?
- The train length would be 200 metres.
- I doubt twenty-five metre cars would cause a problem!
- I estimate the passenger capacity would be 498 seats.
The trains or members of the same family have already shown.
- They can run on the East Coast, Great Western, Midland and West Coast Main Lines.
- They can run on High Speed One.
- They can split and join automatically.
- When needed they can run on local lines.
If I was Avanti West Coast’s train-Czar, I would be seriously interested in a Classic-Compatible High Speed Two train, that was very similar to one, that I already had in service. Provided, of course it did what it promised in the specification.
In Wikipedia, the car lengths for Class 800, Class 801, Class 802, Class 805 and Class 810 trains are all given and have been reported in the media.
But the car lengths of the Class 803 and Class 807 trains are not given. Is it just an omission or is it deliberate?
Both these trains are designed for demanding routes.
- The Class 803 trains are designed for London and Edinburgh in four hours.
- I believe that the Class 807 trains are designed for London and Liverpool in two hours.
To get these demanding times, have Hitachi changed the car lengths?
- Trains with shorter cars might accelerate better.
- A redesigned interior might get more passengers in the shorter length.
I shall await the launch of both these lightweight speedsters with interest!
Conclusion
I wouldn’t be surprised that Hitachi’s offering for more trains on the West Coast Main Line and the Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two are very similar to the Class 807 trains.
- The classic-compatible trains for High Speed Two could be eight-car trains with twenty-five metre cars.
- The replacements for the eleven-car Class 390 trains could be nine-car trains with twenty-six metre cars.
Both would be based on the Class 807 train.
Beeching Reversal – Stockport And Ashton Line
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
I came across this railway, when I was writing Macclesfield Station And High Speed Two, as I felt the Stockport and Stalybridge Line could be a useful connection to the proposed High Speed Two terminus at Macclesfield station.
This article on the Quest Media Network is entitled Proposals For New Rail Link Between Ashton And Stockport.
This paragraph described the political backing.
The Labour politicians are backing a bid to the ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund’, which will distribute £500 million of funds to reinstate axed local services and restore stations.
The bid was put forward by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Stockport Council, but also has the backing of Tameside Council.
Not fans of Boris, I would presume!
These paragraphs describe the proposals
It proposes two options – a heavy rail service between Stockport and Manchester Victoria via Denton and Reddish South, and a light rail service connecting with the existing Manchester-Ashton Metrolink line at Ashton Moss in the north, and with the proposed Stockport-East Didsbury line in the south.
The proposals also open possibilities of new stations along the line at Audenshaw, Thornley Lane and Heaton Norris.
These are my thoughts.
Macclesfield As A Terminal
As I said in conjunction with High Speed Two, I believe that Macclesfield station would make a good terminal, where a Stockport-facing platform could be built, which would give step-free access to the hourly High Speed Two train to Stoke, Stafford and London.
Manchester Victoria And Stockport
This route map, which has been clipped from Wikipedia, shows the route between Manchester Victoria and Stockport stations.
Note.
- The connection to Manchester Victoria station joins at Denton Junction.
- There are possible stations at Denton, Reddish South and Heaton Norris.
- Trains to Macclesfield station take the West Coast Main Line from Stockport station.
- At Stalybridge there is a connection to the Huddersfield Line for Huddersfield and Leeds.
Realtimetrains devolves this extra information.
- Manchester Victoria and Stockport are twelve miles apart via Denton.
- It is a busy freight route with upwards of a couple of trains per hour (tph)
- There used to be a station at Miles Platting.
It is a comprehensive route and deserves a lot more than a simple hourly service to Manchester Victoria station.
Battery Electric Trains
Consider.
- Macclesfield, Manchester Victoria and Stockport stations are all fully electrified.
- About twelve miles of track are not electrified.
- Manchester Victoria and Macclesfield stations are twenty-four miles apart.
- I estimate a four-car 100 mph battery electric train like a Class 350 train would do the trip in close to 25 minutes.
It looks like an ideal route for a battery electric train to me.
Two trains would be needed to run a two tph service, with no extra infrastructure.
Conclusion
Develop a service between Manchester Victoria and Macclesfield stations using battery electric trains, with at least a frequency of two tph.
Dore And Totley Station – 13th July 2020
These pictures show Dore and Totley station.
These are my thoughts on the station and the tracks through it.
The Midland Main Line And High Speed Two
The two tracks, that are furthest away from the station platform are the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and Chesterfield, Derby and the South.
- These tracks will be taken over by High Speed Two.
- They will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification between Clay Cross North junction and Sheffield station.
- The trains on the Midland Main Line will continue to use the electrified tracks.
- East Midlands Railway have ordered bi-mode Class 810 trains, which will each be 120 metres long or 240 metres long, when running as a pair.
- CrossCountry’s Class 220 trains are 187 metres long running as a pair.
- I estimate that the faster trains were doing around 100 mph, as they passed Dore and Totley station. I shall measure it properly next time, I go to Sheffield on a train.
Note.
- High Speed Two’s trains will probably be going through at the same speed as East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains.
- High Speed Two will be running their 200 metre long classic-compatible trains to and from Sheffield, so except that there will be two more trains in every hour, there will be little difference.
- Both the High Speed Two and the East Midlands Railway trains will be running on electric power between Sheffield and Chesterfield stations.
- It is likely that other services will use electric power on the Midland Main Line.
- There will be no platforms on the High Speed tracks at Dore and Totley station.
I would suspect that there will be little disruption to train services through the area, whilst the electrification is installed, judging by the disruption caused during electrification between Bedford and Corby.
Dore Junction
Dore Junction is a triangular junction, that connects the Hope Valley Line and the Midland Main Line to the South of Dore and Totley station.
This Google Map shows Dore Junction.
Note.
- Dore and Junction station is at the North of the Map.
- Dore West Junction is in the South West corner of the map and leads to the Hope Valley Line.
- Dore South Junction is in the South East corner of the map and leads to Chesterfield on the Midland Main Line.
This second Google Map shows Dore South Junction.
Could this junction be improved to increase capacity and efficiency?
- The Southern track of the triangular junction is only single track.
- It is a major route for stone trains between Derbyshire and London and the South.
If Network Rail have any ideas for Dore Junction, then surely, when the works in the area are being carried out, is the time for them to be performed.
Platform Length At Dore And Totley Station
I took these two pictures when I arrived at Dore and Totley station.
As the train was formed of two two-car Class 150 trains and the train fits the platform, it would appear that the platform is about eighty metres long.
An Extra Platform At Dore And Totley Station
There may be no plans to put platforms on the Midland Main Line, but plans exist for an extra track through the station, that will connect to the Hope Valley Line.
This Google Map shows Dore and Totley station and the Midland Main Line.
The second platform wouldn’t be the widest platform,. but I’m sure a second track and a safe platform could be squeezed in.
- A bridge with lifts would be needed.
- The current single platform at the station is around eighty metres long, but as I said in Beeching Reversal – Sheaf Valley Stations, the platforms must be long enough to take a pair of Class 185 trains or a five-car Class 802 train, which is probably around 140 metres.
I wonder if more space is needed, the Midland Main Line could be realigned to give more space and better performance.
A Turnback At Dore And Totley Station
In Beeching Reversal – Sheaf Valley Stations, I said this about a possible turnback at Dore and Totley station.
This Google Map shows Dore & Totley station and the area to the South.
Note.
- There would appear to be a lot of space between the Midland Main Line and the single track, that leads between Dore & Totley station and the Hope Valley Line.
Flying my helicopter, as low as I dare, it looks like the area is either a rubbish dump or very low grade businesses.
Crossrail has designed turnbacks at Abbey Wood and Paddington stations, that will handle twelve tph.
I believe that it would be possible to design a turnback at Dore & Totley station, that would handle eight trains per hour, if not twelve tph.It might even be possible to squeeze in some overnight stabling.
Whilst I was at Dore and Totley station, I met a couple, who were perhaps a few years older than me, who had grown up in the area.
He could remember local steam services between Sheffield and Dore and Totley stations, where there had been a turntable to the South of the station to reverse the locomotive.
Conclusion
After what I saw on my visit to Dore and Totley station, I would suspect that the station can be updated to the standard required to allow four tph between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield stations.
It could also be a station that will attract passengers.
Along The Hope Valley Line – 13th July 2020
These pictures show my return trip between Manchester Piccadilly and Dore & Totley stations.
There are an assorted set of stations.
- Some stations appear to have new platforms.
- Marple station has a impressive step-free bridge.
- Some stations may be Listed or should be.
- There are walking routes from some stations.
- Some stations need improvements to the access.
I also have some thoughts on the service.
The Class 150 Trains
The Class 150 trains have these characteristics.
- Installed Power – 426 kW
- Weight – 35.8 tonnes
- Operating Speed – 75 mph.
This compares with these for a Class 195 train.
- Installed Power – 780 kW
- Weight – 40 tonnes
- Operating Speed – 100 mph.
- Acceleration – 0.83 m/sec/sec
Unfortunately, I can’t find the acceleration for a Class 150 train, but I suspect that it’s not as good as the Class 195 train.
- I was in a Class 150 train, for both journeys.
- IThe train was on time both ways.
- The engine under my carriage wasn’t working that hard.
- The train was trundling around at around 60 mph.
- The operating speed of the line is 90 mph.
So I suspect, that a well-driven Class 195 train will shave a few minutes from the journey time.
Transport For The North’s Plan For Manchester And Sheffield
Transportbfor the North objective for Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield stations can be summed up as follows.
Four tph in forty minutes.
As current trains take over anhour, it could be a tough ask!
The Timetable
The timetable isn’t very passenger-friendly with no easy-to-remember clock-face timetable.
This must be sorted.
Hopefully, it will increase the number of passengers riding on the route.
Battery Electric Trains
Consider.
- Sheffield station will be electrified for High Speed Two.
- It is likely that the route between Dore & Totley and Sheffield station will be electrified.
- There is electrification at the Manchester end of the route.
- The distance without electrification in the middle is probably about thirty-six miles.
- Fifty-sixty miles seems a typical range quoted for a battery electric train by train manufacturers.
As electric trains generally accelerate faster than their diesel equivalent, these could run the route reliably and save time on the journey.
Conclusion
I’m coming round to the opinion, that Transport for the North’s objectives for the route can be met without electrification.
Macclesfield Station And High Speed Two
Today, I went to Macclesfield station.
In the latest iteration of High Speed Two, two new destinations were added to the High Speed Two Network; Macclesfield and Lancaster.
These pictures show Macclesfield station.
It is a modern station, with three through platforms, two bridges and some Modernist architecture from the 1970s, that could be improved.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
Note.
- Platform 1 is in the West and is used by trains to Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly.
- Platform 2 is in the middle and is used by trains going to Stoke, London and the South.
- Platform 3 is in the East and appears to be used a couple of times per day.
- It also appears there might have been a fourth platform.
All platforms appear capable of handling an eleven-car Class 390 train, which are over two hundred and sixty metres in length.
Is the plan to use Macclesfield as a High Speed Two terminal feasible?
Which Trains Will High Speed Two Use On Macclesfield Services?
It appears that High Speed Two will have two types of trains.
- Trains built to the European loading gauge, that will only be able to work on high lines like High Speed One and High Speed Two. Examples would be Eurostar’s Class 373 and Class 374 trains.
- Trains built to the UK loading gauge, that could also work on existing UK 125 mph routes like the East Coast, Great Western, Midland and West Coast Main Lines. Examples would be Class 800. Class 801, Class 802, Class 390 and Class 745 trains.
The second type, which are referred to, as class-compatible trains will be used to Macclesfield, as these services will share track with Class 390 and other trains, that have been or will be built to the smaller UK loading gauge.
Will Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains Fit Into Macclesfield Station?
Currently, every hour, one eleven-car Class 390 train calls in Macclesfield station in both directions, as they provide one of Avanti \west Coast’s three trains per hour (tph) between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
The current trains are sixty metres longer than the proposed classic-compatible High Speed Two trains, that could be terminating in Macclesfield station.
How Would Passengers Who Started And Finished Their Journeys In Macclesfield, Connect to Manchester?
Currently, these hourly services connect Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke stations.
- Avanti West Cost – Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston.
- CrossCountry – Manchester Piccadilly and Bournemouth
- CrossCountry – Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol
- Northern – Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke, which stops at all stations.
The characteristics would be common to all these four trains.
- Services call at Stockport, Macclesfield and Stoke stations.
- As services share tracks with a High Speed Two service, they must be reasonably fast.
- All except the Northern service are 125 mph trains.
- The Northern service is run by a 90 mph Class 323 electric train.
- As Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke via Stockport is a fully-electrified route, the trains should probably be able to take advantage.
In an ideal world should the frequency be six tph or one train every ten minutes in each direction?
Which Platforms Would Be Used To Terminate High Speed Two Services?
Trains built to the UK loading gauge could probably terminate in any of the three platforms.
But it might be advantageous to terminate all services in the same platform.
Platform 3 would be the obvious choice.
- It shares an island platform with classic services going South between Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke.
- Passengers starting their journeys in Manchester Piccadilly or Stockport could just walk across from their connecting train to the High Speed Two train.
It must surely be a possibility to make Platform 2 able to operate bi-directionally, so that all trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Stoke stations in both directions, stop in Platform 2, alongside the High Speed Two train for London and the South, that is waiting in Platform 3. The combined frequency would be eight tph. All passengers would just walk across the island platform to change trains.
Could A North-Facing Bay Platform Be Fitted Into The Northern End Of The Island Platform 2/3?
If you are going to provide a High Speed Two service to and from Macclesfield station, it needs to have superb and comprehensive connections to as many places as possible.
The station currently has four tph to Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Stoke, but would a North-facing bay platform with level access to the High Speed Two platform make any of the following feasible?
- Run a second local stopping service between Manchester Piccadilly and Macclesfield to give all intermediate stations two tph to High Speed Two.
- Run hourly services to places that don’t have good connections to high speed services to London and the South.
- The Stockport and Stalybridge Line could be used to connect Stalybridge and Huddersfield to High Speed Two.
- There might even be a way of creating a link between Macclesfield and Manchester Airport.
Note.
- Looking at the platform layout at Macclesfield station, fitting in a bay platform would appear to be feasible.
- The important Stockport station, which seems to have been forgotten by High Speed Two would probably have at least six tph to High Speed Two at Macclesfield station.
- The local train could be timed to arrive at Macclesfield station, a convenient time before the High Speed Two train is scheduled to depart.
The bay platform could even be part of Platform 3, if it was decided that trains stopping in Platform 3, never used the platform as a through platform. It would be Macclesfield’s version of the Clapham Kiss.
I suspect more space could be found, by moving the signal box at the end of the station.
\remember that these days most signalling is controlled from centralised Rail Operation Centres.
Could High Speed Two Trains Run Between Macclesfield And Manchester Piccadilly?
As I said earlier, High Speed Two’s classic-compatible trains will be the same cross-section and shorter, than an eleven-car Class 390 train.
So the answer to my question must be yes!
- This would enable a stop at Stockport station.
- No platform lengthening would be required at Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport stations.
High Speed Two must have good reasons for using Macclesfield as a terminal.
- There are capacity issues between Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
- Macclesfield offers opportunities to connect to places, that are difficult to reach from Manchester Piccadilly station.
But these problems could probably be overcome by digital signalling or extension of the Manchester Metrolink.
Could More High Speed Two Services Run Between Macclesfield Station and The South?
Consider.
- I believe that Macclesfield station could handle more than an hourly High Speed Two train.
- It is a general principle, that on a metro like the London Overground or Merseyrail, that a single platform can handle up to four or even six tph.
- Four tph would surely be too high, but Macclesfield could easily handle a second classic-compatible train to and from Birmingham Curzon Street via Stoke and Stafford.
- During the inevitable works at Manchester Piccadilly station to sccomodate High Speed Two, Macclesfield could offer an alternative route, between London and Manchester.
Using Macclesfield station, as an alternative terminal for Manchester Piccadilly, builds in extra capacity for the future and offers a valuable alternative route during construction and upgrade works.
Rationalisation Between Cross Country And High Speed Two
Consider.
- In a lot of locations North of Birmingham, CrossCountry and High Speed Two seem to provide similar services between the same stations.
- Using currently proposed connections between High Speed Two and the classic network, CrossCountry’s services could run faster.
- CrossCountry’s new fleet of trains will probably be multi-mode trains, that will be very similar to the classic-compatible High Speed Two trains.
- Some of the routes used by CrossCountry’s services will have a substantial upgrade to allow higher speeds and more trains, to speed up High Speed Two services.
There must be a case for rationalisation of services.
Conclusion
The more I look at High Speed Two terminating at Macclesfield station, the more I like it.
I can see these services running from the station in the future.
- High Speed Two – Macclesfield and London Euston – One tph – This service would additionally call at Birmingham Interchange to link up with CrossCountry to the South.
- High Speed Two – Macclesfield and Birmingham Curzon Street – One tph
- CrossCountry – Macclesfield and Bournemouth, Plymouth or Reading – One tph.
- Northern and others – Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport – Four-six tph
- Northern – Macclesfield and Huddersfield via Stockport and Stalybridge – Two tph
- Northern – Macclesfield and Manchester Airport – Two tph.
Obviously, this is all speculation, but Macclesfield will develop into an important rail hub to the South-East of Manchester.
The Anonymous Widower 