RENFE Ticket Offices Go Cashless
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
National operator RENFE stopped accepting cash payments for tickets at booking offices with effect from March 27, citing hygiene reasons. The measure will last as long as the duration of coronavirus lockdown, now prolonged at least until mid-April.
Should we have done the same thing as Spain?
Passing Loop Hope For Windermere
The title of this post is the same as that of a small story in Issue 903 of Rail Magazine.
This is the opening sentence.
The local priority for the Windermere branch is for a passing loop to enable two trains an hour to operate.
These are the distances from Oxenholme Lake District station of the stations on the Windermere branch line.
- Kendal – 2.05
- Burneside – 4.02
- Staveley – 6.52
- Windermere – 10.15
Note.
- Distances are in miles.chains.
- The return distance of 20.30 miles should be within the capability of a battery-electric train, that left Oxenholme Lake District station with full batteries.
Halfway would surely be a convenient place for a passing loop, which would be a mile towards Windermere from Burneside.
This Google Map shows Burneside and Staveley stations and the countryside in between.
Note.
- Burneside station is in the South-East corner
- Staveley station is in the North-West corner.
- The North-East side of the route is mainly agricultural land.
It looks like a passing loop could be built in the region of Bowston.
- It would be approximately halfway.
- It would be on the North-East side of the existing track.
- It would need to be long enough to take the longest train likely to use the route.
- ,It would allow a doubling in frequency.
I don’t think it would be the most expensive of projects.
Operational Considerations
A half-hourly service could be run as follows.
- It seems likely that the trains will be four-car Class 331 trains, as I wrote about in Northern’s Battery Plans.
- Two trains would probably be timed to leave Oxenholme Lake District and Windermere stations at the same time.
- Trains currently take twenty minutes to travel along the branch and do the round trip in an hour.
- ,This twenty minute timing would give ten minutes to turn back the train at Oxenholme Lake District and Windermere.
- Ten minutes at each terminal station, should be enough time to fully charge the batteries for the next trip.
It should be noted that trains going to and from Manchester Airport would be able to charge their batteries on the electrified route between Oxenholme Lake District and Manchester Airport stations.
I think it would be likely, that there would be two services
- An hourly service between Windermere and Manchester Airport stations, which is the current service on the branch.
- An hourly shuttle service between Windermere and Oxenholme Lake District, which would be run by a single train.
The two services would alternate to provide the half-hourly service.
One of the advantages of a half-hourly service run by two trains, is that it may open the possibility of one train rescuing the other train if it fails.
If a train arrives at Windermere station with flat batteries, I suspect that as Windermere and Oxenholme have similar altitudes, that the second train could drag it back to Oxenholme station. Possibly without passengers.
Southeastern Signs Deal To Lease Unwanted Class 707s
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
New trains made redundant before they even entered traffic are set for a new home, with Southeastern signing a deal to lease the 30 five-car Class 707s.
These pictures show Class 707 trains.
Having ridden in the trains many times, the trains don’t seem to have a major problem, except for the high step, which isn’t very wheel-chair friendly.
I can summarise the Class 707 fleet as follows.
- Thirty trains of five cars.
- 100 mph operating speed.
- Metro interior with lots of space, as I wrote about in The Space In A Class 707 Train.
- Air-conditioing
- 275 seats
- Built in 2014.
- Wi-fi
Looking at Southeastern fleet, they have a fleet of Class 376 trains.
- Thirty-six trains of five cars.
- 75 mph operating speed.
- Metro interior.
- 228 seats
- Built in 2004
Could it be that the Class 707 trains will replace these?
- They are ten years younger
- They have more seats.
- They are 25 mph faster and probably have better acceleration.
The Class 707 have better passenger features like air-conditioning, power sockets and wi-fi. They may also have shorter dwell times in stations, just because they are newer trains.
On the other hand, the fleet is six trains smaller.
I do wonder though, if the Class 707 trains are faster over a metro route, than the Class 376 trains, because of better performance, does this mean that fewer trains can work Southeastern’s metro routes?
Kent On The Cusp Of Change
The Kent On The Cusp Of Change article in the July 2017 Edition of Modern Railways discusses the improvements that may be made by the new franchisee of the Southeastern franchise.
In Kent On The Cusp Of Change – Elimination Of Slow Trains, I outlined the reasons for replacing the 75 mph trains in Southeastern’s fleet.
There are three sub-fleets of 75 mph trains.
- 36 x Class 376 trains
- 147 x Class 465 trains
- 43 x Class 466 trains
Note.
- The Class 465 and 466 trains generally work in ten-car formations of 2 x Class 465 and 1 x Class 466 trains.
- The Class 465 and 466 trains have toilets, but the Class 376 trains don’t.
- The Class 465 and 466 trains work both Main Line and Metro services.
- Surely, 75 mph trains will slow up Main Line services.
- I doubt that Class 707 trains can run Main Line services, unless they were updated with toilets.
It should also be noted that the trailer cars of Class 465 trains may be needed to lengthen Class 165 and 166 trains, as I wrote about in Shuffling The Class 165 Trains, where I estimated that sixty trailer cars would be needed from the Class 465 fleet.
I can see an intricate strategy being developed with the following objectives.
- Introduce the Class 707 trains on Southeastern’s Metro services.
- Withdraw sixty Class 465 trains so they can donate trailer cars to lengthen Class 165/166 trains.
- Reorganise some services, so Main Line services can be all 100 mph trains.
Southeastern may need to acquire some additional rolling stock.
- South Western Railway‘s thirty-six Class 458 trains, which are soon to be replaced with new Class 701 trains are a long-term possibility.
- South Western Railway’s ninety-one Class 455 trains, which are soon to be replaced with new Class 701 trains could be a stop-gap. Built in 1982, they still look good as I wrote in It’s Not A New Train.
- Greater Anglia will be withdrawing thirty Class 379 trains, which could be converted to third-rail operation and at the moment are homeless.
The first two fleets are 75 mph trains, but the Class 379 trains are 100 mph units, that could be ideal to support Southeastern’s Main Line services.
Conclusion
The Class 707 trains look like a good replacement for the Class 376 trains.
But because there appears to be a need for trailer cars to strengthen GWR’s Class 165 and Cass 166 trains, there also appears to be a need to withdraw some Class 465 trains, which creates the need for some detailed planning.
Will COVID-19 Create A Boom In Sleeper Train Services?
I have regularly used the Caledonian Sleeper to go to Scotland, as it gets you there at an early hour in the morning and if you book the train, at the right time, the cost of a single First Class cabin can be about the same cost as a day First Class ticket and a night in a Premier Inn.
Look at this picture, that taken a few months ago, as I was leaving Euston on a Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh. It would be very easy to board the train without breaking the two-metre rule.
I believe sleeper trains will see an increase in passengers.
We may also see in increase in services. These posts detail various planned or possible services.
- Caledonian Sleeper Considers Seven-Day Running
- Rail Sleeper Plan Between Caithness And Edinburgh
- Lying Not Flying, As Nightjet Sleeper Train Reaches Brussels
- SJ Invests In Thriving Sleeper Trains
- Austrian Railways To Run More Sleeper Trains
Note that the Caledonian Sleeper, the Swedes and the Austrians are investing in new rolling stock, so that won’t be a problem.
But perhaps the most interesting story, is described in Nightjet Plans Mini-Capsules For Private Travellers.
I can see a series of sleeper trains criss-crossing Europe, where everybody has their own mini-capsule. Perhaps, it will be called Ryantrain or easyTrain.
Climate Change: ‘Bath Sponge’ Breakthrough Could Boost Cleaner Cars
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A new material developed, by scientists could give a significant boost to a new generation of hydrogen-powered cars.
The article is a must read and the development could make it a lot easy to store hydrogen in vehicles.
The problem is that hydrogen is extremely light and the article says this about storage.
In normal atmospheric pressure, to carry 1kg of hydrogen which might power your car for over 100km, you’d need a tank capable of holding around 11,000 litres.
That is rather large. This extract from the article describes the solution.
To get around this problem, the gas is stored at high pressure, around 700 bar, so cars can carry 4-5kg of the gas and travel up to 500km before refilling.
That level of pressure is around 300 times greater than in a car’s tyres, and necessitates specially made tanks, all of which add to the cost of the vehicles.
Now researchers believe they have developed an alternative method that would allow the storage of high volumes of hydrogen under much lower pressure.
The team have designed a highly porous new material, described as a metal-organic framework.
As ITM Power’s hydrogen filling stations can provide hydrogen at up to 350-700 bar, I’m sure that there could be a useful coming together, that will make hydrogen-powered vehicles more common.
Could for instance, the new material mean, that hydrogen becomes the fuel of choice for heavy trucks and railway locomotives?
First Of Five FirstGroup Class 803s Arrives In UK
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
The Class 803 trains will be used by East Coast Trains for their low-cost, one-class, open-access service between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
The trains would appear to be being delivered in time for services to start in Autumn 2021.
The article says the trains are the first to have a new feature.
They will be fitted with batteries, although these will not provide traction performance – instead, they can power on-board services should the train fail.
The Class 803 trains are electric trains and are these batteries a replacement for the single diesel-engine on the electric Class 801 trains? This diesel-engine has two main purposes.
- Provide emergency power for on-board services.
- Move the train to a safe place foe evacuation of passengers.
The article also says that Hitachi could fit traction batteries to existing bi-mode fleets.
HS2 Phase One Given The Green Light
The title of this post is the same as that as this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the two introductory paragraphs.
Government confirmed today (April 15) that work can now start on building Phase 1 of HS2 from London to Birmingham.
Until now, only preparatory work had been carried out. But the Department for Transport has now given approval for HS2 Ltd to issue Notice to Proceed (NtP) to the four main works civils contractors, to commence full detailed design and construction of the railway.
The article also gives this quote from the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd; Mark Thurston.
In these difficult times, today’s announcement represents both an immediate boost to the construction industry and the many millions of UK jobs that the industry supports, and an important investment in Britain’s future – levelling up the country, improving our transport network, and changing the way we travel to help bring down carbon emissions and improve air quality for the next generation.
Perhaps, we should give the go-ahead for more big infrastructure projects, to create the employment we need.
It would only be enacting one of the principles of Franklin D. Roosevelt‘s New Deal.
There is a section called Public Works in the Wikipedia entry for the New Deal.
This is said.
To prime the pump and cut unemployment, the NIRA created the Public Works Administration (PWA), a major program of public works, which organized and provided funds for the building of useful works such as government buildings, airports, hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and dams. From 1933 to 1935 PWA spent $3.3 billion with private companies to build 34,599 projects, many of them quite large.
Under Roosevelt, many unemployed persons were put to work on a wide range of government-financed public works projects, building bridges, airports, dams, post offices, hospitals and hundreds of thousands of miles of road. Through reforestation and flood control, they reclaimed millions of hectares of soil from erosion and devastation. As noted by one authority, Roosevelt’s New Deal “was literally stamped on the American landscape”
Wouldn’t this be good for the UK to offset the damage caused by COVID-19?
The current government has already flagged up several suitable projects, since they were elected.
- High Speed Two
- Northern Powerhouse Rail
- East-West Rail
- City Light Rail Systems
- Decarbonisation of the Rail Industry
- Offshore Wind Farms
- Energy Storage
- Reversal of the Beeching Cuts
- Improvements to and decarbonisation of bus services
- Flood relief schemes
There are many more.
One difference to the United States in the 1930s, is that some of these projects can be funded by financial institutions like Pension Funds and Insurance Companies. In World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant, I talk about how Aviva will have invested a billion pounds in offshore wind by the end of 2018, to fund pensions and insurance.
Thoughts On Powering Electrification Islands
In The Concept Of Electrification Islands, I didn’t say anything about how electrification islands would be powered. Although, I did link to this post.
The Need For A Substantial Electrical Supply
Electrification can use a lot of electricity.
This was illustrated by the electrification of the Midland Main Line, where a high-capacity feed from the National Grid had to be provided at Market Harborough.
But then the Government cancelled electrification North of Kettering leaving a twelve mile gap to be filled. I wrote about the problem in MML Wires Could Reach Market Harborough. In the end the sensible decision was taken and the electrification will now reach to Market Harborough station.
So places like Cambridge, Darlington, Doncaster, Leeds Norwich and York. which are fully electrified and on a main route probably have enough electrical power to charge passing or terminating battery-electric trains on secondary routes.
In Thoughts On The Actual Battery Size In Class 756 Trains And Class 398 Tram-Trains, I quoted the reply to a Freedom of Information Request sent to Transport for Wales, which said.
A four-car Class 756 train will have a battery capacity of 600 kWh.
A Class 756 train is similar to a Greater Anglia Class 755 train, which in Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’, I estimated weighs about 135 tonnes when full of passengers.
Weights for the Hitachi trains are difficult to find with a figure of 41 tonnes per car given for a Class 801 train on Wikipedia. In Kinetic Energy Of A Five-Car Class 801 Train, I estimated a full weight of a five-car Class 801 train at 233.35 tonnes.
Based on the Stadler figure, I would estimate that every train passing an electrification island will need to pick up as much as somewhere between 600-1000 kWh.
An Electrification Island At Sleaford
In The Concept Of Electrification Islands, I proposed an electrification island at Sleaford station.
- Sleaford is a market town of around 18,000 people.
- I doubt the power in the town has much surplus capacity.
- This station is served by four trains per hour (tph), one to each to Lincoln, Nottingham, Peterborough and Skegness.
- So it looks like a feed of three to four MW will be needed to charge passing trains.
Can the electricity supply in a town like Sleaford provide that sort of power for perhaps eighteen hours a day?
The only ways to provide that sort of power is to build a new power station or provide energy storage capable of boosting the supply.
Could Highview Power Provide The Solution?
I have been following Highview Power and their CRYOBatteries for some time.
They have already built a 5 MW pilot plant in Manchester and are currently aiming to build a plant with 250 MWh of energy storage, that can supply up to 50 MW. The company and this plant is discussed in this article on The Chemical Engineer.
One of these CRYOBatteries, would surely be ideal to power an electrification island, like the one at Sleaford.
- It could be scaled to the electricity needs of the town and the railway.
- It would be charged using renewable or excess energy.
- There is a lot of wind power in Lincolnshire and just off the coast, which needs energy storage.
- Similar systems could also be installed at other electrification islands at Cleethorpes, Lincoln, Skegness and other places, where the grid needs strengthening.
I have used Highview Power in this example, but there are other systems, that would probably boost the electricity just as well.
Government Boost To Reopen Skelmersdale Rail Link To Manchester And Liverpool
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Lancs Live.
These two paragraphs give the whole story.
Rosie Cooper says the government has given her new assurances that it is committed to creating a Skelmersdale rail link.
Transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris told the West Lancashire Labour MP that an initial £500m funding pot set aside for reopening lines closed under the Beeching Act could be used towards ongoing efforts for Skelmersdale.
To my mind, Skelmersdale illustrates the appalling planning of the 1960s.
These dates are from Wikipedia.
- November 5th, 1956 – Skelmersdale station closed to passenger services.
- January 10th, 1957 – Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
- 1961 – Skelmersdale was designated a new town.
- March 27th, 1963 – Beeching Report
- October 19th, 1963 – Sir Alec Douglas Hume becomes Prime Minister
- November 4th, 1963 – Skelmersdale station closed to all services.
- October 16th, 1964 – Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister
- 1968-1970 – The M58 opens to connect Skelmersdale to the M6 and the M57 at Switch Island.
- June 19th, 1970 – Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister.
It looks like a rail connection to the new town was removed, but a comprehensive road network was built.
This policy seems to be very different to decisions taken at Billericay, Crawley, Harlow, Hemel Hempstead, Kirkby, Milton Keynes and Stevenage, where rail connections were at least maintained.
The Latest Plan For Skelmersdale Station
This is the latest plan for Skelmersdale station, according to the Wikipedia entry.
It has been proposed a new station at Skelmersdale would act as the terminus for Merseyrail’s Northern Line, with connections available to Wigan and Manchester. Initial estimates suggest that the scheme could cost around £300 million to develop. On page 36 of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Long Term Rail Strategy document of October 2017, it states that Merseytravel is currently working with Lancashire County Council and Network Rail to develop a plan to extend the Merseyrail network from Kirkby through to Skelmersdale, with work completed in 2019. They are considering 3rd rail electrification and other alternatives with a new station at Headbolt Lane to serve the Northwood area of Kirkby. The document on page 37 states two trials of electric 3rd rail/battery trains will be undertaken in 2020, this is one of the “alternatives”
Lancashire County Council approved a plan in May 2019 to commission an outline business case into reopening the station which will be presented to the government.
Note.
- The possible site of Headbolt Lane station and the Concourse Shopping Centre in Skelmersdale are about 8 miles apart.
- Will the trains to Wigan and Manchester be direct or via a change at the new Headbolt Lane station?
- The reference to battery-electric trains, which would be able to handle the sixteen-mile round trip easily.
The site of the station will be at the former Glenburn Sports College, which is a couple of hundred metres to the East of the Concourse Shopping Centre.
This Google Map shows the location.
I would feel that this is very convenient.
- The former Glenburn Sports college is marked by the red arrow.
- The Concourse Shopping Centre is to the West of the station.
- The station would be well-connected to the road network.
- The approach track to the station could probably run by the side of Southway and cross it using a bridge or underpass.
This second Google Map shows the station in relation to the Kirkby Branch Line.
Note.
- The Glenburn Campus is indicated with the red marker at the top of the map.
- The M58 goes across the map.
- Rainford station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Upholland station is on the Eastern edge of the map below the M58.
The Kirkby Branch Line links the two stations.
- The Kirkby Branch Line continues to the West to the new Headbolt Lane station, Kirkby station and Liverpool city centre.
- The Kirkby Branch Line continues to the East to Wigan Wallgate, Bolton and Manchester Victoria stations.
- The Kirkby Branch Line is double-track to the East of Rainford and single-track to the West.
How will Skelmersdale station be connected to the Kirkby Branch Line?
If you look at the previous map, notice that a network of roads lead down from the Concourse Shopping Centre and then go under the M58. From the Google Map, it looks like the roads go under the M58 where there is a generous bridge.
This Google Map shows the section of the route on both sides of the M58.
It looks to me that a single-track railway could be run between the new Skelmersdale station and the Kirkby Branch Line.
- Merseyrail’s new Class 777 trains are not large trains and I am certain a single track could be squeezed in alongside the roads.
- The distance is about three miles and a train would take about six minutes or around about fifteen minutes for the round trip.
- Four trains per hour (tph) would be possible, which is the same frequency as the current service between Kirkby station and Liverpool.
Putting this together, I think the following would be possible.
- A single track line without electrification between the Kirkby Branch Line and the new Skelmersdale station to the East of the Concourse Shopping Centre on the Glenburn Sports Campus site.
- Class 777 trains would use battery power to the East of Headbolt Lane station.
- The trains would charge their batteries between Liverpool and Headbolt Lane station.
- The branch would leave the Kirkby Branch Line to the East of Headbolt Lane station.
- Up to four tph between Liverpool Central and Skelmersdale stations, calling at all stations.
- Up to two tph between Headbolt Lane and Manchester Victoria stations via Wigan.
- Passengers between Skelmersdale and Manchester would change at Headbolt Lane station.
Other schemes would be possible, but allowing a direct Manchester and Skelmersdale service might be complicated and add substantially to the cost.
The Anonymous Widower 