The Third Track Between Northumberland Park And Lea Bridge Stations – 12th June 2018
The third track between Northumberland Park and Lea Bridge stations is substantially complete, as these pictures show.
Now that the track is laid, it becomes apparent, that with a bit of a squeeze, a fourth track could be laid.
Electrification Progress
Progress also seems to be being made with the overhead gantries.
Yet again, there seems to be better performance in electrification, where it is carried out on a new or totally rebuilt line.
This may be only a single track, but it is all new, with no buried Victorian unknowns.
Raising The Bridges
Steel footbridges, that are so numerous in South Wales, are notable by their rarity and where they do exist, they were raised or built to a safe height, when the West Anglia Main Line was electrified in 1969.
This bridge spans both the West Anglia Main Line and the Victoria Line‘s Northumberland Park Depot.
I walked across it in March 2017 and there are some pictures in From Tottenham Hale To Northumberland Park.
The only bridge that could be a problem, is the road bridge at Tottenham Hale station.
It might be possible to squeeze one electrified track underneath.
I suspect methods that will be used on the South Wales Metro, that I wrote about in How Can Discontinuous Electrification Be Handled?, could be used to electrify this section.
At some point, this bridge looks like it will have to be rebuilt.
Northumberland Park Station – June 12th 2018
The new Northumberland Park station is coming on and has allowed the temporary footbridge to go somewhere else!
The level crossing will not be reinstated and I was wondering how pedestrians and others will cross the railway. There is still an old bridge on the other side to the station, but it doesn’t look to be in the best condition.
I then saw the two staircases in the new station.
So will there be two separate routes across the railway in one bridge?
This image from Network Rail, shows the station from the Eastern side.
There appears to be the following.
- Two bridge sections, with the one on the far side connected to the low station buildings.
- Two sets of stairs and a lift giving access from the bridge to the current Platform 1 and new platform behind it, that will become an island platform.
- Two tracks this side of the island platform.
- With the two tracks on the other side of the island platform, this means the station will be ready for four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line.
- A set of steps leading down from the near rend of the footbridge, this side of the extra tracks.
I have wondered for some time, when the West Anglia main Line is four-tracked and/or Crossrail 2 is built, which pair of tracks will be the fast lines.
In the interim it is obvious, that the third rack, which will run between Meridian Water and Lea #bridge stations, will run on the near side of the island platform.
My only question is will it only handle trains towards Stratford or will the line be bi-directional?
But when the line is fully four-tracked, I think that the lines from West to East will be as follows.
- Northbound Slow (Current Platform 2) – Local trains and Crossrail 2
- Southbound Slow (Current Platform 1) – Local trains and Crossrail 2
- Northbound Fast – Stansted and Cambridge services
- Southbound Fast – Stansted and Cambridge services
I have put the slow lines on the West, as these are the platforms with the best access and few if any, fast services will stop in the station.
Crossrail 2 could of course change everything.
But I suspect that Northumberland Park station is being rebuilt, so that it will work with the most likely arrangement of tracks.
Nexus Invites Bidders To Build New Metro Fleet
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
Reading the article, it appears that the contract will be awarded, by the end of 2019.
After writing Comparing Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles With Tyne And Wear Metro’s Class 994 Trains, I think it is highly likely that Stadler will be in pole position, with a member of the Citylink family.
Comparing Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles With Tyne And Wear Metro’s Class 994 Trains
As the Class 994 trains of the Tyne and Wear Metro, are being replaced, it will be interesting to compare them with the proposed Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles for the South Wales Metro.
New Trains For The Tyne And Wear Metro
Under Proposed New Fleet in the Wikipedia entry for Tyne and Wear Metro Rolling Stock this is said.
In November 2017, the Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that the government would provide £337 million towards the new fleet. The proposed new fleet would consist of 84 trains to replace the existing 90 train fleet, as Nexus believe that the improved reliability of the newer trains would allow them to operate the same service levels with fewer trains. These are proposed to have longitudinal seating instead of the 2+2 bench seating arrangement of the present fleet, and a full width drivers cab instead of the small driving booth of the existing trains. The proposed new fleet is planned to have dual voltage capability, able to operate on the Metro’s existing 1.5 kV DC electrification system and also the 25 kV AC used on the national rail network, to allow greater flexibility. Battery technology is also being considered.
Note.
- A dual-voltage capability will be required.
- Battery capability would be ideal for short movements and regenerative braking.
- In my, view longitudinal seating needs a walk-though capability.
- Currently, trains are two-car units and generally work in pairs.
- Trains can work in formations of three and four units, but the ability is not used.
If trains generally work in pairs would it be more affordable to have four-car trains?
Comparing Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles With The Current Tyne And Wear Class 994 Trains
In the following I will assume that the Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles are similar to Class 399 tram-trains, as they are both members of the Stadler Citylink family.
Train Width And Height
The width and height of the two vehicles are as follow.
- Class 994 train – 2.65 x 3.45 metres
- Class 399 tram-train – 2.65 x 3.60 metres
There’s not much difference here.
Train Length And Sections
- Class 994 train – 55.6 metres and two sections.
- Class 399 tram-train – 37.2 metres and three sections.
- South Wales Metro’s Metro Vehicle – 40 metres (?) and three sections.
It should be noted that Citylink tram-trains in Valencia have four and five sections.
Having used the Class 378 trains, with their walk-through capability and longitudinal seating, on the London Overground for at least seven years, I believe there is no other way to design a high-capacity metro train.
So the Tyne and Wear Metro’s new trains could be 110 metres long and four walk-through sections.
- This train would be the same length as two current trains working as a pair, which they generally do!
- The design reduces the number of cabs.
- Passengers distribute themselves along the train better.
- Passengers can move to the convenient point to disembark at their destination.
- On train staff are more prominent.
If in the future, the trains need more capacity, extra cars can be added.
Train Capacity
- Class 994 train – 64 seats and 188 standing.
- Class 399 tram-train – 88 seats and 150 standing
- South Wales Metro’s Metro Vehicle – 129 seats and 128 standing
This works out as.
- Class 994 train – 9 passengers per metre.
- Class 399 tram-train – 6.4 passengers per metre.
- South Wales Metro’s Metro Vehicle – 6.4 passengers per metre.
Are we creating trains, that give passengers more space?
Doors
The Class 994 trains have two double-doors on each side of all cars.
But with Stadler Citylink vehicles, it appears the number is flexible.
- Sheffield’s three-car Class 399 tram-trains have four double-doors on each side of the train.
- Visualisations of the proposed Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles, show a double-door in each of three cars.
- Karlsruhe’s version only appear to have a double-door on the two end cars on one side only.
It would appear that the customer gets what they want.
Maximum Speed
- Class 994 train – 80 kph
- Class 399 tram-train – 100 kph
- Karlsruhe’s Citylink tram-trains – 80 kph
There is no speed given for South Wales Metro’s Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles, but they are replacing diesel trains with a 120 kph maximum speed.
As tram-trains share tracks with faster trains, I would expect that a maximum speed of at least 100 kph is needed.
Power Supply
- Class 994 train – 1500 VDC
- Class 399 tram-train – 750 VDC and 25 KVAC
- South Wales Metro’s Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicle – 25 KVAC and battery.
I also suspect thst the Class 399 tram-train and other members of the Citylink family, can run for a few metres on battery power in order to bridge the gap between different voltages.
It is worth noting that future vehicles for the Tyne and Wear Metro will need to access both 1500 VDC and 25 KVAC. A possible battery capability is also mentioned.
I suspect that Stadler could easily produce a Citylink to work on all these common European voltages.
- 750 VDC
- 3000 VDC
- 15 KVAC
- 25 KVAC
All except 3000 VDC are already in service in Gerrmany, Spain or the UK.
So the Tyne and Wear Metro’s unusual 1500 VDC shouldn’t be a problem.
Minimum Curve Radius
Wikipedia says this about the minimum curve radius for a Class 994 train.
The vehicles have a minimum curve radius of 50 m (55 yd), although there are no curves this tight except for the non-passenger chord between Manors and West Jesmond.
This page on Wikipedia, says that the Karlsruhe Citylink tram-trains can handle a minimum cure radius of twenty-two metres.
Conclusion
I am led to the conclusion, that a version of the Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicle similar to those of the South Waes Metro, could be developed for the Tyne and Wear Metro.
My specification would include.
- Length of two current Class 994 trains, which would be around 111 metres.
- Walk through design with longitudinal seating.
- Level access between platform and train at all stations.
- A well-designed cab with large windows at each end.
- Ability to use overhead electrification at any voltage between 750 and 1500 VDC.
- Ability to use overhead electrification at 25 KVAC.
- Pantographs would handle all voltages.
- A second pantograph might be provided for reasons of reliable operation.
- Ability to use onboard battery power.
- Regenerative braking would use the batteries on the vehicle.
Note.
- Many of these features are already in service in Germany, Spain or Sheffield.
- The train would be designed, so that no unnecessary platform lengthening is required.
- As in Cardiff, the specification would allow street-running in the future.
- Could battery range be sufficient to allow new routes to be developed without electrification?
I also feel that the specification should allow the new trains to work on the current network, whilst the current trains are still running.
Electrostars Are Going Digital
This article on the Railway Gazette is entitled Electrostar ETCS Contract Awarded.
Hopefully, this will mean that as more lines become part of the Digital Railway, Electrostars can all be fitted accordingly.
It should be noted that all the major train leasing companies seem to be part of the deal.
Radyr Station
Radyr station is a junction station on the Cardiff Valley Lines.
These pictures show the station.
It certainly has a massive modern step-free bridge.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The platforms are long.
- South of the station, the tracks split into two, with the City Line going in a more Southerly direction.
Currently services at the station are as follows in trains per hour (tph).
- Two tph North to Aberdare
- Two tph North to Merthyr Tydfil
- Two tph North to Treherbert
- Six tph South to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central stations via Cathays.
- Two tph between Radyr and Coryton stations via the City Line, and Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations.
In 2023 the service will be upgraded.
- Four tph North to Aberdare
- Four tph North to Merthyr Tydfil
- Four tph North to Treherbert
- Six tph South to Cardiff Queen Street and The Flourish stations via Cathays.
- Two tph South to Cardiff Queen Street and The Cardiff Central stations via Cathays and back via the City Line.
- Two tph South to Cardiff Queen Street and The Cardiff Central stations via the City Line and back via Cathays.
- Two tph South to Cardiff Queen Street via Cathays.
All services will be run by new Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles.
Note.
- No services will start at Radyr station.
- No station will get a less frequent service.
- There will be a doubling of services through Radyr station.
- There will be level access between platform and vehicles at all stations.
- If required the new vehicles can run in pairs to increase capacity.
I also suspect this is only the start and that capacity will be increased on some lines.
Train Depot In Taffs Well, While Newport Factory Named As Preferred Bidder For New Diesel Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Walesonline.
The interesting part is the holistic thinking, where a new depot is to be built at Taff’s Well, where the station is also to be modernised, with the addition of a Park-and-Ride.
Taff’s Well station is a very outdated affair, as these pictures show.
Note.
- The station could certainly do with a new step-free bridge.
- The train frequency is also being raised from six to twelve trains per hour (tph)
- Six tph will go to The Flourish.
- There will also be a new two tph service on the City Line.
- All trains will be new Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles.
That Park-and-Ride will certainly be needed.
As Taff’s Well station will be at the heart of the tram-train network, it is most certainly a good place for the depot.
The article also says that enhanced stabling facilities will be built at Treherbert and Rhymney stations.
Enhancements At Rhymney
Rhymney station is the terminal of the Rhymney Line.
These are my pictures of the station.
This Google Map gives an aerial view.
In addition to the enhanced stabling, the station will also be upgraded to accommodate more and longer Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts.
There’s certainly a lot of space for the stabling.
Enhancements at Treherbert
Treherbert station is the terminal of the Rhondda Line.
I took these pictures of the station in 2014.
This Google Map shows an gives view.
There certainly would appear to be space for the enhanced stabling.
Caerphilly Station
Caerphilly station is an important one on the South Wales Metro.
The current service is a four trains per hour (tph) service to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central stations. Some trains travel through to Penarth station
In 2023, the service will be upgraded.
- Two tph between Barry Island and Rhymney stations via Cardiff Central.
- Two tph between Bridgend and Rhymney stations via Cardiff Central and Rhoose Airport
- Two tph between Penarth and Caerphilly stations via Cardiff Central.
In 2023, the service will be three minutes quicker to and from Cardiff.
In addition, note the following about Caerphilly station.
- The station is on the Rhymney Line, which will be worked by Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts.
- The station lies just to the North of the Caerphilly Tunnel, which is not being electrified and trains are expected to transit using battery power.
- The station has a bay platform.
- The station appears to be a hub for buses.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The long bay platform on the North side of the station. It may be long enough to accommodate two of the Tri-Mode Stradler Flirts, which are 65/80 metres long. This means that the bay platform could be very valuable for service recovery.
- The station serves as a Park-and-Ride.
- Three structures cross the track, which from the left are the old station buildings, the station footbridge and a footbridge independent from the station.
- Looking at the track layout on the Eastern approach to the station, the cross-overs are within fifty metres of the platform end.
These pictures show the station.
These are my thoughts on various issues.
Electrification Under The Bridges And The Old Buildings
I think there would be serious issues with standards for electrification at this station.
The three structures will have to be handled in the way I described in How Can Discontinuous Electrification Be Handled?
The Old Station Building
The old station building is integral with a road bridge and would be a costly and very disruptive operation to replace.
So if the structure will safely last a hundred years or so and the wires can be squeezed underneath using discontinuous methods, everybody wins.
The Easternmost Footbridge
The Easternmost bridge at the far end of the platforms looks to be a fairly recent structure and is independent of the station, as it just gives pedestrians a route across the railway. It might even have been built, when the bay platform was built a few years ago.
The Station Footbridge
So that leaves the elderly footbridge, which probably dates from 1871, when the station was moved to its present position.
It is the main way that passengers cross the line and given that Caerphilly station has nearly a million passengers a year, it would be classed by disabled activists as a disgrace.
A few stations up the line, lifts were added to the footbridge at Ystrad Mynach station, in conjunction with other works. Wikipedia says this.
In 2014, the station underwent a £1.6 million refurbishment with new ticket machines, waiting areas and ticket office, with disabled toilet being installed in addition to major work carried out on the footbridge with lifts being installed to improve accessibility.
Surely some of the money saved on electrification could be spent on improving access?
Electrification Between The Structures
25 KVAC wires have to be several metres away from any staff and passengers.
The Northbound Platform 3 is wide and if the overhead wire can be suspended high enough, I suspect that the latest regulations can be met.
The Southbound Platform 2 is narrower and the platform has a low roof, which might mean electrification is trickier.
But if as I suspect, battery power and gravity will be used to power the trains on the downhill track, then there could be a case for leaving the downhill track without wires.
That could save half the costs on some sections of the route.
Electrification Of The Crossover
On a railway with full electrification all crossovers must be electrified..
But on the Rhymney Line, all the trains will be Swiss all-purpose trains, that can work on all power sources, probably including cuckoo-clock motors.
So imagine a Tri-Mode Stadler Flirt arriving from Penarth, which will be turning back in the bay platform at Caerphilly.
- It would use the electrification between the unelectrified Caerphilly Tunnel to just before the crossover to come up the hill and probably add some charge to the batteries, that have been depleted in the run through the mile-long tunnel.
- \\\the train would probably rate at a signal just before the crossover, until told to proceed by the signalling system.
- The pantograph will be dropped and the train switched to battery or diesel power.
- When giving the green by the signal, the train would move into the bay platform.
All done efficiently and safely without any electrification, which would not be installed on the crossover or in the bay platform.
Train Failure In The Caerphilly Tunnel
There will have to be a plan for handling train failures in the tunnel. I suspect that as Switzerland has lots of railways in the mountains, some with extensive tunnels, that the Swiss have pretty good methods for dealing with failures.
One Train Rescues Another
Trains are generally designed, so that a second train can rescue a failed train of the same class or even a similar type. This makes good sense, as a train operator generally has several trains of the same type and their Thunderbird locomotive may be working miles away.
I’m sure that the Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts will have this capability.
Rescuing A Train Going Downhill
If a train should fail in the Caerphilly tunnel on the downhill track, a second train would probably couple up and shepherd the train slowly down the hill to the depot at Canton.
Rescuing A Train Going Uphill
If a train should fail in the Caerphilly tunnel on the downhill track, a second train would probably couple up and push the stricken train into the bay platform at Caerphilly station.
Conclusion
The more I look at the South Wales Metro, it has been designed in an holistic manner with routes, tracks, electrification, stations and trains all designed to work together.
The Flourish Station Is The Focus Of The South Wales Metro
On my visit, I walked for an hour in the Cardiff Bay area. Wikipedia says this.
Cardiff Bay is the area of water created by the Cardiff Barrage in south Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It is also the name commonly given to the surrounding areas of the city. According to Cardiff Council, the creation of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom.
These picture were taken as I walked.
I’m not exactly sure, where the new station at The Flourish will be placed.
This document on the KeolisAmey web site details their plans for the new Wales and Borders Franchise.
Look at this image that I clipped for the document.
And this Google Map of the area.
It looks like The Flourish station will go by the triangle of roads to the right of the Merchant Place building.
It will really bring the South Wales Metro to the heart of the action.
Battery Tram-Trains To The Flourish
The Cardiff Bay Line links to Cardiff Queen Street station and is only two kilometres long.
This distance should be well within the capabilities of a battery electric tram or train.
So will the Cardiff Bay Line be left totally without wires from Cardiff Queen Street station?
If it was, this would reduce costs and visual intrusion.
In Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles, I estimated that if a tram-train had a 50 kWh battery, this would have a range of five miles, which would take the vehicle from Queen Street to The Flourish and back.
If necessary, the uphill line to Queen Street station could be electrified.
But there would certainly be no wires South of Cardiff Bay station.
The Proposed Service To The Flourish
Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil and Treherbert will have a four tph service to Cardiff Queen Street station and a two tph service to The Flourish station.
This means there will be six tph between Cardiff Queen Street and The Flourish stations. Or a tram-train every ten minutes!
There will also be a new station at Loudon Square, between Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay stations.
From figures in the KeolisAmey document, if appears that Cardiff Queen Street to The Flourish will take four minutes.
Conclusion
This will certainly be a World Class station fit for the area it serves.
Between Cardiff Queen Street And Cardiff Bay Stations
Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay stations are the two termini of the Butetown Branch Line.
These pictures show my trip from Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay and the trip back.
Note.
- Cardiff Bay station is a Grade II* Listed Building.
- With passenger usage of nearly a million and a quarter last year, is it the busiest single-platform station in the UK?
- It was certainly busy yesterday.
- The access for the number of passengers is inadequate.
- After removing the foliage, there must be room to add a second track, between the two stations.
This Google Map shows where the railway lines cross.
Note.
- Cardiff Central station is to the West.
- Cardiff Queen Street station is to the North.
- Cardiff Bay station is to the South.
Does the map show that running a service between Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay stations would be difficult?
Loudon Square Station
The planned Loudon Square Station would appear to be 300-400 metres North of Cardiff Bay station.
Capacity Increase
When the current Class 150 trains with a frequency of five trains per hour are replaced by new Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles with a frequency of six trains per hour, this will give an approximate doubling of capacity.
And there is always the option of using the Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles in pairs!
The Anonymous Widower 