EasyJet’s New Slimline Seats Will Offer 2 Inches More Legroom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The Kestrel seat’s thinner design promises improved knee and shin clearance. Could the ‘fixed recline’ feature also lead to fewer spats over space?
These three paragraphs add more detail to the story.
As budget airlines try to squeeze more and more passengers onto flights, it can feel as though the seat in front gets slightly closer every time you step on a plane.
But a “next generation” economy seat is coming, which its makers say will give travellers extra legroom with no loss of space for airlines.
The Kestrel seat from Mirus Aircraft Seating, a British manufacturer, will be installed from 2028 on hundreds of easyJet’s new aircraft, providing an extra two inches of “improved knee and shin clearance” for passengers.
Hopefully easyJet’s passengers will be sitting more comfortably.
Funds Committed To Explore More Rail Expansion
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Money has been allocated to develop plans to extend a popular rail route reinstated 15 months ago
These three paragraphs add more details.
Last week, the North East Combined Authority (NECA) committed an initial £2.5m to a dedicated Rail Development Fund, which included plans to expand the Northumberland Line.
Northumberland County Council leader Glen Sanderson said he hoped planning applications for the line’s extension to Newbiggin-on-Sea could be submitted by 2028 and suggested a station could be added to serve Wansbeck General Hospital.
The funding would be used to “accelerate rail‑related scheme development across the region” including a plan to reopen Ferryhill Station in County Durham as part of the Leamside Line.
This would appear to be most of what campaigners want.
How Green Are The Valley Lines?
This news item from Transport for Wales is entitled 100% Electrification Of The Core Valley Lines Complete.
This is the sub-heading.
Transport for Wales has completed the full electrification of the Core Valley lines, at the heart of the South Wales Metro, delivering one of Wales’ most ambitious rail infrastructure transport projects.
These two paragraphs describe the current status.
Dubbed the ‘Welsh Tube’, the £1bn project brought electric tri-mode trains to the South Wales Valleys for the very first time in 2024. This spring, TfW will introduce the first of its 36 fully electric Class 398 tram-trains. The new fleet will initially operate between Pontypridd and Cardiff Bay, providing greener, more frequent services as part of the South Wales Metro.
Passengers are already benefitting from these improvements with the Core Valley lines being one of the most punctual and reliable networks in Great Britain over the past 6 months.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification in the Cardiff area.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Cardiff station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- The black track going West from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Llantrisant, Bridgend, Port Talbot and Swansea.
- The red track going East from Cardiff is the South Wales Main Line to Newport, the Severn Tunnel, Bristol Parkway, Reading and London.
- The lines going North up the valleys are from the West to Maesteg, Treorchy, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhymney and Ebbw Vale.
- The most Easterly line is the Newport and Hereford Line.
I will now look at some of the electrification.
Caerphilly Station
Caerphilly statition is on the Rhymney Line.
In June 2018, I wrote Caerphilly Station and took these pictures of the station.
At the time, I considered it a difficult station to electrify.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the completed electrification through Caerphilly station.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Caerphilly station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- Tracks to the North of Caerphilly are electrified.
- Tracks to the South of Caerphilly are not electrified.
- The electrification layout allows station with its two bridges and the 1784 metre Caerphilly Tunnel to the South of the station, to be unwired.
- There appears to be another section of plain track to the North of Caerphilly.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the completed electrification through Caerphilly station.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Caerphilly station is indicated by the blue arrow.
- The electrification continues to the Western end of the station.
- The two main platforms 2 & 3 are not electrified.
- The bay platform 1 is electrified to charge trains for return to Cardiff.
- Class 756 tri-mode electric-diesel-battery trains are already in service.
- There appears to be a comprehensive bus interchange.
Euston Station – 22nd March 2026
I went for breakfast to Euston and took these pictures on a quiet Sunday morning.
Will Northumberland Line Success Help More Open?
The title of this post, is the same as this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
On 29 March the final station, Bedlington, opens on the Northumberland Line marking the completion of the project to reopen the route from Newcastle to Ashington.
These three paragraphs add detail to the story.
With passenger numbers exceeding predictions, could its success give new impetus to other projects to reopen former railways across northern England?
Dennis Fancett, chair of the rail users group Senrug, which campaigned for the Northumberland line for 20 years, hopes so.
He believes the obvious next step is to extend it along the existing freight tracks to a new station at Woodhorn and from there to Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
I believe that the Northumberland Line is following a pattern, that I call London Overground Syndrome.
Black Country Towns’ Trains Return After 60 Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Two Black Country towns have welcomed trains for the first time in 60 years following the opening of new stations.
These two paragraphs give details of the route.
The Willenhall and Darlaston stations are part of a £185m project to reinstate rail links across the West Midlands not used in decades.
The two stations have been added to the Shrewsbury to Birmingham New Street service via Wolverhampton.
Note.
- The services are run by four-car Class 196 dieselmultiple units.
- The frequency is two trains per hour.
- One hourly service calls at Smethwick Galton Bridge, Wolverhampton, Shifnal, Telford Central and Wellington.
- The other hourly service calls at Tame Bridge Parkway, Darlaston, Willenhall, Wolverhampton, Bilbrook, Codsall, Albrighton, Cosford, Shifnal, Telford Central, Oakengates and Wellington.
This map shows shows the route of the Birmingham New Street and Shrewsbury service via Wolverhampton.
Note.
- Willenhall station is in the North-Western corner of the map.
- Darlaston station is marked with a blue arrow on the yellow track to the East of Willenhall.
- Birmingham New Street station is in the South-East corner of the map.
I have one further thought.
Electrification
Only the almost thirty miles between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury is without electrification, but electrification is all the way between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street station is already wired.
I could see the Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury route being electrified using battery-electric trains.
Obviously, if the route is eventually electrified will depend on the traction needed for other services.
Offshore Vessel Charging Tech Developer Plans Commercial Rollout In UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Stillstrom, part of A.P. Moller – Maersk and based in Denmark, has established a dedicated entity in Aberdeen, Scotland, with plans to roll out its offshore vessel charging solution commercially in the UK.
These three paragraphs add more details.
The solution is transitioning from development to commercial deployment, and, according to a press release issued by Stillstrom on 16 March, the company is targeting one of the world’s most active offshore wind markets for the commercial rollout.
Stillstrom has been developing offshore charging solutions for service operations vessels (SOVs) since 2019, with testing and collaboration carried out with shipowners and developers in Aberdeen. SOVs are amongst the most energy-intensive ships operating at offshore wind farms, according to Stillstrom.
The company says that this has now translated into tangible momentum, with significant discussions underway with major wind farms, as well as partnership and compatibility agreements signed with leading SOV owners and operators.
Travelling Between Heathrow Airport And Staines Station
Staines Station and Heathrow Airport are not far apart, as this OpenRailwayMap shows.
Note.
- The mauve lines in the bottom half of the map are South West Trains services out of Waterloo.
- Waterloo via Feltham, Twickenham and Richmond to name but three stations , is to the East.
- Reading is to the South-West
- Windsor is to the North-West.
- The blue arrow indicates Staines station.
- Heathrow Terminal 5 is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The pink tracks are the Piccadilly Lines
- The red tracks are for the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express.
- This OpenRailwayMap shows Terminal 5 to a larger scale.
Note.
- The pink tracks are the Piccadilly Line.
- The red tracks are for the Elizabeth Line and Heathrow Express.
- In front of the red tracks is what looks like a circular walkway or emergency exit, with a rectangular block to its West.
- The rectangular block is the lift tower to get from the railway station to the Departures and Arrivals floors of Terminal 5.
I asked Google AI if it would it be possible in the future to extend the Elizabeth Line to the West out of the Western end of Terminal 5 and received this reply.
Extending the Elizabeth line west from Terminal 5 is technically possible and has been proposed, notably as part of a potential westward rail link to Staines or to support airport expansion, but it is not currently funded. Terminal 5 was designed with future expansion in mind, potentially allowing a connection to Staines to create a “southern rail link” for better connections.
Perhaps there are two tunnels under the lift shafts?
How many trains per hour (tph) terminate in those two platforms?
- 4 tph – Heathrow Express
- 2 tph – Elizabeth Line to Shenfield.
Note.
- Only six trains in two platforms is easily managed.
- Because, Heathrow Express services appear to use both platforms, when I visited yesterday, the system seems to confuse passengers.
- The services surely need to be evened up, so that there are four tph of each service, with each service having a dedicated platform.
- But terminating eight trains in two platforms could be troublesome.
- Platforms are numbered 1 to 6 from the South.
- Platforms 1 and 2 have not been built yet.
Although four tph for Heathrow Express in one platform, should be easy with digital signalling, as you see it every day in London, it may be difficult on two platforms, at the same time.
In Is More Capacity Between Heathrow Airport And Central London, Needed On The Elizabeth Line?, I said this.
Currently, the Elizabeth line provides up to 12 trains per hour (including Elizabeth line and Heathrow Express) on the relief lines, making it nearly at capacity.
Note.
- When I use the Elizabeth Line, I deliberately avoid trains going to and from Heathrow, unless I’m going that way, as they are too crowded with passengers and their oversized cases.
- High Speed Two, the West London Orbital Railway and the North London Line will bring passengers for Heathrow Airport to Old Oak Common station.
- Surely, as Heathrow Airport gets bigger and increases its passenger numbers. the Elizabeth Line will need to be increased in capacity.
I believe Elizabeth Line capacity needs to be increased soon.
The only feasible plan I’ve seen is Heathrow Southern Railways plan, which included.
- Construction of a bay platform 0 at Staines alongside the Staines to Windsor line.
- A step-free bridge across the tracks.
- Construction of a single-track railway with 25 KVAC overhead electrification and a passing looop, between the new platform 0 at Staines and Platform 3 at Heathrow Terminal 5 station.
- Run four trains per hour in both directions between Heathrow Terminal 5 and Staines stations.
- This plan would would add two trains per hour through the Central Tunnel.
Various Journeys Would Be As Follows
This OpenRailwayMap shows Staines junction and the positions of the three platforms.
Note.
- The Windsor Line goes North-West.
- The Reading Line goes West.
- The Waterloo Line Goes East.
- Platform 1 is on the North side of the tracks.
- Platform 2 is on the South side of the tracks.
- The bay platform, which I’ve numbered 0, will be on the North side of the tracks towards Windsor.
- I suspect the step-free bridge will be over the tracks and replace the current rickety structure.
- The bridge would be a short walk from all three platforms.
Interchanges would be as follows.
- Windsor to Heathrow – Walk between Platforms 1 and 0.
- Reading to Heathrow – Walk between Platforms 1 and 0.
- Heathrow to Windsor – Cross the bridge between Platforms 0 and 2.
- Heathrow to Reading – Cross the bridge between Platforms 0 and 2.
- Waterloo to Heathrow – Cross the bridge between Platforms 2 and 0.
- Heathrow to Waterloo – Walk between Platforms 0 and 1.
Note.
- All trains to or from Heathrow use Platform 0.
- All trains to Waterloo use Platform 1.
- All trains going away from Waterloo use Platform 2.
- Reading and Heathrow gain a step-free route at 2 tph.
- All interchanges at Staines station would be step-free.
- A train like London Crosslink, which used to go between Feltham and Woking, would use Platform 1 going towards Feltham and Platform 2 going towards Woking.
Staines station would gain step-free access to all Heathrow terminals, all Elizabeth Line and High Speed Two stations.
Could Anglia Railways’ London Crosslink Be Recreated As Part Of The London Overground?
I like the idea of the London Crosslink service, that ran for a few years between East Anglia and Hampshire via the North London Line and Staines.
My arguments for its restoration are described in Could Anglia Railways’ London Crosslink Be Recreated As Part Of The London Overground?
At various times in my life, it would have been very useful.
Today, as I live about fifteen minutes from Highbury and Islington station, I could use London Crosslink for the following reasons.
- Visiting friends and family in Hampshire.
- Going to Heathrow Airport, especially Terminal 5.
- Visiting friends in East Anglia.
- Going to football at Ipswich.
- Exploring new parts of England.
- I would wait at home and time my departure to catch a booked train at a fully step-free station.
Conclusions
Extending the Elizabeth Line to Staines gives these advantages.
- Staff at Heathrow, who live in the Staines area get easy access to the airport.
- Buses and coaches between Heathrow and the local area may be reviewed.
- Less cars will be used to get to and from the airport.
- Reading and Heathrow gain a step-free route at 2 tph.
- A lot of stations would gain a step-free route to all terminals at Heathrow, and all Elizabeth Line and High Speed Two stations.
There may well be other advantages.
Five New Railway Stations To Open Over Next Month
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Opening dates have been announced for five new railway stations in the West Midlands following a £185m project to reinstate links not used in decades.
These two paragraphs add more details.
On the Black Country line, new stations for Willenhall and Darlaston open on 19 March. The sites were last visited by trains in 1965.
On 7 April, Camp Hill Line stations Moseley Village, Kings Heath, and Pineapple Road open, allowing locals access to neighbourhood services for the first time since World War Two.
I shall go up, some time on or after the 7th and see all five stations.
Would Extending The Elizabeth Line To Staines Offer Any Advantages?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Extending the Elizabeth line to Staines offers significant advantages, including improved direct access to Heathrow Airport from Surrey/south-west London, reduced road traffic congestion, and enhanced connectivity for commuters. Proposed as part of the Heathrow Southern Railway project, it would provide a “game-changer” link and support economic growth around Heathrow.
Key Advantages of Extending the Elizabeth Line to Staines:
Improved Airport Access: The extension would provide a direct, sustainable, zero-emission rail link to Heathrow for commuters and travelers from Staines, Virginia Water, and surrounding areas.
Reduced Congestion & Environmental Impact: The project is estimated to reduce road traffic by approximately 3 million journeys annually, significantly lowering emissions.
Faster Commutes & Connectivity: It would create a new, faster route from Surrey and Hampshire (via Staines) to key locations like Heathrow, Old Oak Common (for HS2), and central London.
Relieving Existing Lines: The extension would help relieve overcrowding on the South Western Main Line into London Waterloo.
Utilizing Existing Infrastructure: The project would likely use the underground space already created at Terminal 5 to facilitate a southward extension.
Challenges and Considerations:
Funding and Cost: The project requires significant upfront investment, requiring collaboration between private sectors, Transport for London, and the Department for Transport.
Capacity Constraints: The existing Elizabeth line is already high-demand, and integrating a new, long branch would require careful capacity management.
This extension is closely tied to proposals for a Southern Rail Access to Heathrow, intended to support the expansion of the airport and the economic development of the surrounding region.
The Anonymous Widower 