Rip-Off Ticketing At Bremen Hauptbahnhof
I am experienced user of Deutsche Bahn and generally buy my tickets at one of their reliable machines.
Note that queuing up at a Ticket Office sometimes takes up to thirty minutes and quite frankly I have better and more important thingfs to do with my life.
This picture shows a typical German ticket.
The two stations; Buxtehude and Cuxhaven are clearly shown.
But imagine my surprise at Bremen Hauptbahnhof, when the ticket machine dispensed this.
It is about one by four centimetres and the only readable writing on the front is EErw.
- Does it look like a ticket to you?
- There were no notices up about the change of ticket.
- How do you sort out today’s ticket from yesterday’s?
- What if you’re partially sighted?
I thought the machine had failed and curt off the ticket early.
So I tried again. With the same result!
I then tried the Ticket Office for an explanation, but the guy just played stumm, as Deutsche Bahn employees always do, when they know, there’s been a customer relations failure.
I did ascertain, that I had to put the ticket in a machine to validate it before travelling.
I did think about not doing this, so that I would get arrested on the train, but in the end, I can’t remember whether I did.
However, as tickets were not checked on the train, it didn’t matter.
It is the most arrogant system of ticketing I’ve ever found.
When I got home, I found I had been charge for two tickets.
My bank;Nationwide are trying to refuse one of the psyments.
I’ll update this post, to give you the result of their argument.
The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen
The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen
I have cut this out of The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands, so don’t read if if you’ve read it before.
Searching Google for hydrogen around Groningen, I found this document on the Internet, which is entitled Green Hydrogen Economy In The Northern Netherlands.
It is a fascinating read about what you can do with hydrogen generated from wind and biomass.
This is a sentence from the document.
Large scale green hydrogen product.ion together with harbor transport and storage facilities will be located at Eemshaven, with green chemicals production in Delfzijl
It is an ambitious statement.
Eemshaven
It also appears that Eemshaven will be the main connection point for electricity from offshore wind farms. This is said.
In the Eemshaven an offshore electricity cable from Norway, the NorNed cable with a capacity of 700 MW, comes on land. The Cobra cable, with a capacity of 700 MW, from Denmark is foreseen to connect at the Eemshaven to the onshore grid. The Gemini wind farm is connected to the grid in the Eemshaven with a capacity of 600 MW. Within 10 years it is foreseen that another 4.000 MW offshore wind will have their electricity cable to the Eemshaven.
Does all this explain, the building of a station at Eemshaven? Delfzijl station was built in 1883 and has its own connection to Groningen.
The following proposed actions are from the document
Build A 1,000 MW Electrolysis Plant
This is an extract from the of the document.
A 1.000 MW electrolysis plant that runs 8.000 hours a year, uses 8 billion kWh and 1,5 million m3 pure water to produce 160 million kg Hydrogen. A reverse osmosis plant has to produce the 1.5 million m3 pure water, using sea water or surface water as input. If an electricity price of 2‐2,5 €ct/kWh and a total investment between 500 million and 1 billion Euro with a 10 year life time is assumed, a green hydrogen cost price around 2‐3 €/kg will be the result. This is about competitive with present hydrogen prices, produced from natural gas by steam reforming.
How much energy is contained in a Kg of hydrogen?
This page on IdealHY says the following.
Hydrogen is an excellent energy carrier with respect to weight. 1 kg of hydrogen contains 33.33 kWh of usable energy, whereas petrol and diesel only hold about 12 kWh/kg.
At three euros for a kilogram of hydrogen, that works out at nine euro cents for a kWh.
Build A 1000 MW Biomass Gasification Plant
The title is a section in the document and this is an extract from the section.
Green hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis using green electricity, but can be produced also from biomass via gasification. Biomass gasifiers use solid biomass as an input and deliver a green syngas, a mixture of hydrogen, carbon‐monoxide (CO) and carbon‐dioxide (CO2), and char as an output. The CO could be used, together with water (H2O), to produce extra hydrogen. The resulting products from biomass gasification are green hydrogen and CO2. However, from CO2 and green hydrogen every chemical product could be produced. Therefore, the combination of green hydrogen and CO2 or green syngas creates the opportunity for a fully green chemical industry in the Northern Netherlands.
The process is still being developed. My first question, is can you use animal manure as a feedstock? It should be noted that The Netherlands used to have a very large and smelly manure problem.
Offshore Hydrogen Production From Far Offshore Wind Farms
The title is a section in the document and this is an extract from the section.
Offshore wind farms produce electricity which can be brought onshore via an electricity cable. Such an offshore electricity cable is expensive. The farther offshore the wind farm is located the more expensive the electricity cable cost. At the North Sea, an alternative solution for these wind farms is to convert the electricity into hydrogen at an existing oil/gas platform and to transport this hydrogen eventually mixed with gas via an existing gas pipeline. Onshore the hydrogen is separated from the natural gas and cleaned to be transported via pipeline, ship or truck to the markets.
I think that the technology and existing infrastructure could be made to work successfully.
- Europe has over fifty years experience of handling offshore gas networks.
- Recent developments have seen the emergence of floating wind turbines.
- Would it be easier to refurbish redundant gas platforms and use them to collect electricity and create hydrogen, rather than demolish them?
- Hydrogen is only produced when the wind blows.
- There is no need to store electricity and we’ve been storing gas since the Victorians.
There will be problems, like the integrity of an ageing pipeline, but I suspect that the expertise to solve them exists.
Will there be a North Sea, where every part has a large wind farm?
Note that the Hornsea Wind Farm has an area of 1830 square miles and could generate around 6 GW, when fully developed.You could fit 120 wind farms of this size into the North Sea. Even if only a small proportion could be developed, a sizeable amount of hydrogen could be produced.
A Market For 300,000‐tonnes Green Methanol + 300,000‐tonnes Green Ammonia
The title is a section in the document and this is an extract from the section.
Hydrogen (H2) and Carbon‐dioxide (CO2) can be used in chemical processes to produce a wide variety of chemical products. Two of the main building blocks in chemistry are methanol and ammonia. Methanol can be produced from H2 and CO2. Ammonia is produced from H2 and nitrogen (N2), captured from the air.
Wind power and biomass have been used tp create the basic chemicals for the petro-chemical industry.
The Construction Of Green Hydrogen Fuel Cell Balanced Data Centres
The title is a section in the document and this is an extract from the section.
Google builds a very large data center in the Eemshaven, see picture below. The reasons for Google to choose for the Eemshaven are the existence of an offshore data cable, enough space and green electricity. Google as well as other companies that install and operate data centers wants to run on green electricity. Therefore, Google has signed a power purchase agreement with Eneco to buy green electricity for 10 years. For this reason, Eneco builds an onshore wind farm nearby. On a yearly average this wind farm produces enough electricity to meet the data center demand.
However, supply and demand are not at every time in balance. At moments that there is no wind, other power plants must take over the electricity supply. Now, these are fossil fired power plants.In future, these power plants will be closed and supply and demand needs to be balanced in another way. And of course, that needs to be done with renewable electricity. This can be done by fuel cells fueled with green hydrogen. Fuel cells can follow demand and supply variations very fast with high efficiencies. Fuel cells are quiet and have no emissions, except very clean, demineralized, water.
I like this concept.
Surely, we could build a few data centres in places like Lincolnshire.
Build A Pipeline To Rotterdam And Germany
The Dutch have ambitious plans to export the hydrogen.
Other Ideas
The report is full of clever ideas and I suggest you take the time to read it fully!
Hydrogen Trains In The Northern Netherlands
The document says this about trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
In the Northern Netherlands, 50 diesel trains are daily operated on non‐electric lines. These trains, operated by ARRIVA have two or three carriages and a power of 450‐600KW supplied by Diesel‐Electric engines. Fuel cell‐electric hydrogen trains could replace these diesel trains. Alstom is a company that builds these fuel cell hydrogen trains and will perform a test next year on the line Groningen‐Bremen. Because the depreciation time for trains is 25 years, not all trains will be bought new. Some trains may need to be retrofitted with fuel cell‐electric power supply, which is technically feasible. When all these 50 diesel trains are replaced an investment in new and retrofitted trains of about …? Million Euros is needed. The total hydrogen consumption of these trains is about 5,000 ton.
These points are shown in a table.
- Total (diesel) trains in the Northern Netherlands is 50 units
- Hydrogen consumption approximately 25 kg H2/100km
- Train operations average 6 days per week. Train is operated approximately 1.200 km per day, based on two times per hour per trajectory of 50km.
- Train operations average 6 days per week. 330 days per year.
- Capital expenditure per train approximately …. ? 50 Units …? Million Euro
- 50,000 tonnes of hydrogen will be needed.
- The fuel bill at three euros a Kg will be 150 million euro.
Would this be economic?
From various comments, I suspect that Stadler are working on a hydrogen-powered GTW.
But failing that, as Stadler are developing a diesel/electric/battery Flirt for the South Wales Metro and some of the routes from Groningen are only about 30 km, I wouldn’t be surprised to see diesel/electric/battery GTWs running across the flat lands of the North.
Battery trains could be fitted with pantographs and recharge in Groningen, where most of the platforms are electrified.
There are a lot of possibilities and engineers will come up with the best solution with regards to operation and economics.
Conclusion
Thr Dutch have big plans for a hydrogen-based economy in the North of the Netherlands.
Where is the UK Government’s master plan for hydrogen?
Should The Borders Railway Be Extended To Carlisle Before The Opening Of High Speed Two?
The UK and Governments seem to be moving on extending the Borders Railway.
This article on the BBC is entitled Borders Railway Extension Study Supported.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The UK government has announced its backing for a feasibility study into extending the Borders Railway.
It could see the line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank taken to Hawick and Newcastleton and then on to Carlisle.
The promoters of High Speed Two have insisted that the High Speed Rail Line, is a line for all the UK.
By High Speed Two Between London And Carlisle
High Speed Two will have one train per hour between London and Glasgow, which will use the West Coast Main Line, to the North of Crewe.
This page on The Guardian is entitled How Will HS2 Change Journey Times To And From London?
The current time between Euston and Preston is two hours and eight minutes, which High Speed Two will reduce to one hour and twenty-four minutes.
Currently, the fastest trains between Preston and Carlisle take an hour and five minutes, so Carlisle is reached in three and a quarter hours.
I think it is a reasonable assumption to make that when High peed Two opens, Carlisle could be reached in two and a half hours, either direct or with a change at Preston.
West Coast Main Line Improvements
At the present time, the maximum speed on the West Coast Main Line, which is used by all trains between Preston, Carlisle and Glasgow is 125 mph.
But Virgin’s Class 390 trains could run at 140 mph with digital in-cab signalling. This improvement could reduce the time between Preston and Carlisle to an hour.
It is likely that before High Speed Two opens to Crewe in 2027, the Class 390 trains will be replaced.
As the West Coast Main Line and High Speed Two, will have the same operator, It would surely be sensible to replace the Pendolinos, with the High Speed Two classic-compatible rolling stock.
This is said in Wikipedia about High Speed Two rolling stock.
Alstom, one of the bidders for the contract to build the trains, proposed in October 2016 tilting HS2 trains to run on HS2 and classic tracks to increase overall speeds when running on classic tracks.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the following.
- A single class of trains on High Speed Two handling all services.
- Classic services on the West Coast Main Line using High Speed Two rolling stock.
This approach has advantages.
- One type of train, must be more economic to operate.
- There would be timing improvements on West Coast Main Line services, due to the faster trains running under digital signalling.
- Trains could be introduced on West Coast Main Line services first.
, The trains might cost more, as Wikipedia points out.
But this will be a very large and important order for whoever wins the contract to build trains for High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line!
So expect the bidders to submit some very innovative solutions for these trains!
No-one would change the fleet on the West Coast Main Line for a new fleet of faster trains, without doing the following.
- Removing some or all of the known problems with junctions and stations on the route.
- Installing digital signalling on the whole route and all trains.
- Introducing 100 mph freight locomotives and trains.
What would happen to timings to Carlisle?
I think the following would not be impossible, with new trains, digital signalling and selective route improvements.
- London and Carlisle in three hours using the West Coast Main Line.
- London and Carlisle in two hours using the High Speed Two to Crewe and then the West Coast Main Line.
Considering, that these trains could probably go between Carlisle and Glasgow in an hour, there could be some impressive times to Glasgow.
Extending The Borders Railway To Carlisle
As I said in the previous section, there will be a lot of improvement in the times between London and Carlisle in the next few years, with times possibly dropping to around two hours in 2027, when High Speed Two opens to Crewe.
Before 2027, it looks like there will be a steady reduction in journey times between London and Carlisle.
This will mean that increasingly the residents of the Borders will go to Carlisle, when they want to go South.
So I come to the conclusion, that it is absolutely essential, that the Borders Railway be extended to Carlisle as soon as is possible.
Improving The West Coast Main Line North Of Carlisle
To make best use of the new trains between Carlisle and Glasgow, there will probably be improvements to the West Coast Main Line through and to the North of the City.
The old MOD Depot at Longtown has been proposed as a new freight depot and this too will also require improvements, to the West Coast Main Line.
As the rebuilt Borders Railway will join the West Coast Main Line in the Longtown area, it looks to me, that a proper plan, would incorporate the Borders Railway connection in the West Coast Main Line improvements, that probably must be done.
Conclusion
High Speed Two will turn Carlisle into an important rail hub with links all over the Borderlands.
I believe it is essential that the Borders Railway should be extended to Carlisle as soon as possible and certainly before 2027.
With good planning, the Southern section could even be done as part of West Coast Main Line improvements for High Speed Two.
Greater Anglia Train Drivers Taking Leap Into New Technology
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
New state-of-the-art train simulators are being used to train 768 Greater Anglia drivers that will be driving the new trains due to replace all of the company’s existing fleet from later this year, when it starts to receive 38 bi-mode and 20 all-electric trains from Stadler followed by 111 more electric commuter trains from Bombardier.
The article is a must-read, as it gives a good insight into part of the process of getting mew trains into service.
Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
Hitachi are in discussions with the Scottish Government to run a Class 385 variant with underfloor batteries that could either be charged whilst under the wires or whilst stationary at the end of the route.
The article makes these points, about adding batteries to Class 385 trains.
- It would be straightforward to add batteries to give a range of twenty miles on batteries.
- Sixty miles would be possible but more difficult.
- Experience gained with the DENCHA trains in Japan would be used.
The article concludes with this paragraph.
Hitachi’s proposal to operate battery trains in Scotland is at an early stage. However, with their use being recommended by the rail decarbonisation task force and the Scottish Government about to pass new climate change legislation, it may not be long before battery trains are operating in Scotland.
I think it should be noted that Hitachi’s order book is rather thin these days and it appears that innovative technology will sell new trains.
Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Siemens, Stadler and Vivarail have all designed, demonstrated or sold trains, where batteries are used improve efficiency or extend range.
As Scotland has several routes, where battery trains could provide a service, perhaps Hitachi thought it was time to do some marketing, to make sure that they got any orders for battery trains.
Scotrail would probably prefer to have a battery train similar to their largest fleet of electric trains.
Electric Trains On The West Highland Line Between Glasgow And Mallaig/Oban
This might be considered as difficult as putting a London bus on the Moon.
But consider.
- The West Highland Line is electrified as far as Helensburgh Central station.
- Electrification to Helensburgh Upper station would probably not be a difficult project for Network Rail in Scotland.
- Heleburgh Upper to Mallaig is just under 140 miles.
- Hellensuburgh Upper to Oban is around 76 miles.
- Crianlarich station, where the two routes divide is under forty miles from Helensburgh Upper.
- Fort William station is around halfway between Mallaig and Crianlarich.
- Trains take several minutes to reverse at Fort William.
Vivarail have developed fast charging for battery trains, that I wrote about in Vivarail Unveils Fast Charging System For Class 230 Battery Trains.
If Hitachi can develop a Class 385 train with batteries, that has a range of perhaps sixty miles on a full battery, then I believe it would be possible to run an electric train service between Glasgow and Oban and Mallaig.
- Charging stations would need to be able to fully charge the batteries in perhaps six minutes.
- Trains would leave Hellensburgh Upper with a full battery and charging stations at Crianlarich and Fort William would top up the batteries.
- The longest stretch is between Crianlarich and Fort William and it would probably need an additional charging station at perhaps Tulluch.
What would battery-electric trains to Oban and Mallaig do for tourism in the area?
Hitachi would have one of the most scenic and iconic test tracks in the world!
Go-op Plans New Services From Summer 2020
The title of this article is the same as that of this article on Modern Railways.
This is the first sentence.
Community-owned rail operator Go-op Co-operative Ltd is seeking views on proposed new open access rail services in Somerset and Wiltshire. Services, which it hopes could start in summer 2020, would be operated by two refurbished Class 769 units working ‘a complex series of trips between Oxfordshire and Somerset’
I wrote about this before in An Ambitious Proposal For A New Train Service?
In the intervening three years, their plans have developed with more detail and a change to Class 769 trains.
I suggested the latter trains in my original post about Go-op, would be an idea.
Given the proposed route structure, they would be able to run at 100 mph on the electrified sections.
The Shape Of Things To Come
Yesterday, I needed to go between Moorgate and Tottenham Hale stations.
It was just before the evening Peak and I took the escalators down to the Northern City Line platforms, where a new Class 717 train was waiting.
The increased capacity meant I got a seat and I took the train three stops to Highbury & Islington station.
It was then just a walk through a very short tunnel to the Victoria Line and a train to Tottenham Hale.
It was so much more relaxed than squeezing into a crowded and very elderly Class 313 train.
After the timetable change in May, there will be eight trains per hour (tph), as there is now, but given the number of trains in the new fleet and signalling improvements in the pipeline, I feel that this frequency will be increased.
It should also be noted that in the Peak there are twelve tph, which in the future could be used all day.
But in the interim, trains with extra capacity will be very welcome.
From An Ugly Ducking To A Swan
These developments are either underway or planned for the next few years.
- Improved signalling on the Northern City Line.
- Full step-free interchange at Finsbury Park between Moorgate services and Thameslink, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines.
- Higher frequencies on Thameslink and the Piccadilly Line through Finsbury Park
- Full step-free access to the Northern City and Victoria Lines at Highbury & Islington station.
- Full step-free access at Old Street station.
- Hopefully, Essex Road station will be cleaned.
- Crossrail will finally arrive at Moorgate station.
North London’s ugly ducking, which has caused passengers, British Rail and London Underground, so much trouble, will finally have turned into a swan.
I always wonder if the City of London’s transport planners, wish that the Victorians had built the planned extension to a new Lothbury station, close to Bank.
What Will Be The Ultimate Frequency?
Currently the frequency between Alexandra Palace and Moorgate stations in the Peak is twelve tph.
Compare this with the following frequencies.
- Crossrail will be initially 24 tph.
- The East London Line is planned to go to 20 tph
- The Piccadilly Line is currently at 24 tph between Arnos Grove and Acton Town stations in the Peak.
- Thameslink will soon be at 24 tph
- The Victoria Line is currently at 36 tph.
I don’t think it unreasonable that a frequency of at least sixteen and possibly twenty tph between Alexandra Palace and Moorgate stations is achievable.
- Digital signalling and Automatic Train Control will be possible.
- If Dear Old Vicky can turn 36 tph at Brixton and Walthamstow Central stations, with two platforms, then surely 20 tph at Moorgate is possible, once there is better access for passengers to the platforms.
- Alexandra Palace to Moorgate is a double-track railway, that is almost exclusively used by Moorgate services.
- 16-20 tph would make the cross-platform interchange with the Victoria Line at Highbury & Islington station very efficient.
- There are two branches North of Alexandra Palace station. I’m sure each could handle 8-10 tph.
- The Hertford Loop Branch has three terminal stations; Gordon Hill, Hertford North and Stevenage stations.
- The East Coast Main Line has two terminal platforms at Welwyn Garden City station.
I could see the following frequencies.
- Moorgate and Gordon Hill – four tph
- Moorgate and Hertford North – four tph
- Moorgate and Stevenage – four tph
- Moorgate and Welwyn Garden City – four to eight tph
It will be a very high-capacity Metro into Moorgate. There could be a need for a few more trains.
But with increased speed.
Should The Northern City Line Be Shown On The Tube Map?
Increasingly, passengers will use the high-frequency Southern section of the Northern City Line between Alexandra Palace and Moorgate stations, as a new tube line.
So like Thameslink, the arguments will start as to whether this line should be on the Tube Map.
If Crossrail is to be shown, it is my view that nThameslink and the Northern City Line should be shown too!
McPhy Launches “Augmented McFilling”, Its New Smart Hydrogen Station Architecture For Heavy Duty Vehicles
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Nasdaq.
It shows the way that lots of individuals and companies are putting effort into the hydrogen economy.
From Groningen To Leer By Train
On my recent trip to the Netherlands and Germany, I didn’t get to do this trip by train and had to make do with a slow bus ride.
However I’ve just found this video on YouTube.
The Freisenbrücke is about an hour from the start of the video.
I should fast forward, as there is only so much travelling on a single-track rail line, that you can watch before falling asleep.
I got this impression of the route in the video, which was made in October 2014.
- The route is mainly single-track, with some passing loops at stations.
- the track is not electrified, except for short sections at either end.
- The track was almost straight.
- The track, stations and signalling appear to be in good condition.
- There were a large number of level crossings.
- The train took around one hour and twenty minutes between Groningen and Leer stations.
I can imagine that Deutsche Bahn and Arriva Netherlands were a good bit more and just annoyed, when the MV Emsmoon destroyed the bridge.
Wikipedia says this about the accident.
On 3 December 2015, Emsmoon collided with the Friesenbrücke [de], which carries the Ihrhove–Nieuweschans railway over the Ems. The cause of the accident was reported to be miscommunication between the bridge operator and pilot on board the ship. The bridge could not be raised as a train was due, but the ship failed to stop and collided with the bridge, blocking both railway and river. The bridge was so severely damaged that it will have to be demolished. Replacement is expected to take five years
I suspect, it’s not just an massive inconvenience for the railway, as a couple of miles South on the River Ems, is the Meyer Werft shipyard, where cruise ships up to 180,000 tonnes are built.
I found this document on the NDR.de web site and gleaned the following information.
- The cost of rebuilding could be up to eight million euros.
- The new bridge will be finished in 2024, if all goes well.
- Environmentalists are bringing lawsuits against the construction of the bridge.
It will be a challenge to rebuild this bridge.
This video shows the new bridge
Let’s hope that one of those large cruise ships doesn’t hit the bridge.
Conclusion
This surely has been a very costly accident.
The Anonymous Widower 