To Ely In A Class 387 Train
I’ve not used one of the Class 387 trains on this route before.
It was nice to get a table to be able to lay my paper flat.
I was going via Ely to Ipswich for two reasons.
- Yet again, there was no direct service between Liverpool Street and Ipswich.
- Ely makes a change from Cambridge and I wanted to photograph the level crossing.
These are some of the pictures I took.
Note.
- With a bit of smartening up, the Class 387 train makes the newer Class 700 train, look very ordinary.
- The Ely by-pass is coming on.
- The level crossing by the station is one of the UK’s worst.
Ely is becoming a much more important interchange, with five train operating companies using the station.
Routes For Bombardier’s 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra
This article in Rail Magazine, is entitled Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power.
A few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.
These are my thoughts on these franchises.
Bi-Mode And Pure Electric
I’m pretty certain that if you want to create a 125 mph bi-mode train, you start with a 125 mph electric train, if you want a high degree of commonality between the two trains.
Hitachi have a whole family of Class 800 trains, each of which has a different specification for the diesel power. Even the pure-electric Class 801 trains, has one diesel engine for emergencies.
An electric train with batteries could be very efficient, if the batteries were used to handle regenerative braking and boost the trains, where more power is required.
East Midlands
It is no surprise that Bombardier are talking to the groups, that are bidding to become the new franchise holder for the East Nidlands, when it is awarded in April 2019.
They wouldn’t want to see another company’s product roaring past the factory.
The proposed bi-mode Aventra will probably have been designed very much with the Midland Main Line in mind.
- The Midland Main Line will be electrified from St. Pancras to Kettering and Corby.
- Will the fast lines be electrified to Glendon Junction, where the Corby Branch joins the Midland Main Line?
- The route between St. Pancras and Glendon Junction is being upgraded to four tracks, with as much 125 mph running as possible.
- The non-stop nature of Midland Main Line services South of Kettering could be significant.
- North of Kettering, there is currently no electrification.
- The development of Toton station for HS2 is being accelerated and there could be an island of electrification here, by the mid-2020s.
- If HS2 shares the Midland Main Line corridor between Toton and Sheffield, this section could be electrified by the late-2020s.
Over the next decade, there will be more electrification and a greater proportion of the route, where 125 mph running will be possible.
There has been a bit of controversy, that the number of stops the franchise will make at Bedford and Luton is being reduced after May this year.
The reason given is that it will enable faster services to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
North To Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield
Consider a bi-mode train with batteries going North.
- Between St. Pancras and Kettering, it will be at 125 mph for as long as possible.
- The train will also ensure that at Kettering, it has the batteries brim full, sfter charging from the electrification.
- After a stop at Kettering station, if the electrification reached to Glendon Junction, the acceleration would all be electrically-powered.
- Whether it stopped at Kettering or not, the train would pass Glendon Junction at line speed with full batteries.
It’s almost as if the electrification is being used as a catapult to speed the train North.
South From Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield
Being as electrically efficient coming South would be a lot more difficult.
- I suspect that train batteries will be charged at Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, so they start their journey South with full batteries.
- Using a full battery and assistance from the onboard generator, trains would be accelerated away from the terminii.
- The trains computer would select automatically, whether to use battery or onboard generator power and would harvest all the power from regenerative braking.
- At each stop on the journey, energy would be lost, as regenerative braking systems do not are only between seventy and ninety percent efficient.
- Once at Glendon Junction, the train would raise the pantograph and switch to getting power from the overhead wires.
It’s all about a well-programmed computer on the train, which knows the route, the timetable and battery state so it can switch power sources appropriately.
Electrification
On the other hand, electrification around Toton could make everything easier and more efficient.
With electrification, every little helps.
- Modern trains can raise and lower pantographs, quickly and automatically.
- Faster journeys.
- Lower carbon emissions.
- Less noise and vibration from diesel generators.
Everyone’s a winner.
Oakham To Kettering
The Oakham-Kettering Line to Corby station is being electrified, double-tracked and I suspect speed limits will be raised.
Speed limits are also being raised and track improvements are being done, South of Glendon Junction.
Currently, services take seventy minutes. With the 125 mph Aventras on the route, they will not need to use the onboard generator, but surely the journey time could be reduced to under an hour, which would attract passengers and need less trains to run a two trains per hour (tph) service.
The Oakham Problem
Oakham station is in the middle of the town, as this Google Map shows.
The Department for transport would like to see more services to the town and the next station of Melton Mowbray.
But the line through the station is busy with freight trains and there is a level crossing in the middle of the town.
125 mph bi-mode trains, won’t help with the problem of Oakham.
Joining And Splitting Of Trains
There is also the possibility of joining and splitting trains.
Hitachi’s Class 800 trains can do this and I’m sure bi-mode Aventras will be able to do this automatically.
There is only four platforms available for trains on the Midland Main Line at St. Pancras and regularly two trains occupy one platform.
The ability to run a pair of bi-mode trains, that joined and split could be a great asset.
Liverpool To Norwich
This long route is an important one for those, who live near its stations. It is usually served by one or two Class 158 trains, which are often very crowded.
The route is partially electrified.
- Liverpool to Hunts Cross
- Manchester Oxford Road to Stockport
- Grantham to Peterborough
- Around Ely
- Around Norwich
So there should be plenty of places to raise the pantograph and charge the batteries.
It is a typical long-distance route for the UK and I’m sure it would benefit from 125 mph bi-mode Aventras.
West Coast Partnership
Bids for the West Coast Partnership, which will run services on the West Coast Main Line and HS2, will be submitted by July 2018. The winning bidder will be announced in May 2019 and take over services two months later.
A modern 125 mph bi-mode would be an ideal replacement for the current twenty Class 221 trains, that work on the West Coast Main Line.
These Class 221 trains are.
- Diesel powered.
- Five-cars long.
- Built in 2001-2002 by Bombardier.
- 125 mph capable.
- Some services are run by splitting and joining trains.
But most importantly, most services are run substantially under wires.
New 125 mph bi-mode trains would certainly improve services.
- Several of the current services operated by Class 221 trains, would become electric ones.
- How much faster would they be able to run a service between London Euston and Holyhead?
- They would also be able to run new services to places like Barrow. Blackburn and Huddersfield.
- Five cars could be a convenient train size for the operator.
But above all, they would offer a better passenger experience, with less noise and vibration from the diesel engines.
The longest section of running using onboard power of a bi-mode Aventra will be along the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead.
- The line has an 90 mph operating speed.
- The line is 85 miles long.
- The gradients won’t be too challenging, as the line runs along the coast.
- Services stop up to half-a-dozen times on the route.
- From London to Crewe is electrified.
- The section between Crewe and Chester may be electrified.
It looks to be an ideal route for a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra.
As the route appears to not be as challenging as the Midland Main Line, could this route, be the ideal test route for a hydrogen fuel-cell powered Aventra.
West Coast Partnership may well have plans to use 125 mph bi-mode trains as feeder services for HS2’s hubs at Birmingham and Crewe.
I could certainly see West Coast Partnership ordering a mixed fleet of 125 mph Aventras, some of which would be bi-modes and some pure electric.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry has a diverse portfolio of routes, which have every characteristic possible.
- Some are lines with a 125 mph operating speed.
- Some are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- Some are electrified with 750 VDC third-rail.
- Some are not electrified.
A bi-mode train with these characteristics would fit well.
- 125 mph capability on both electric and diesel power.
- Battery power for short branch lines.
- Modern passenger facilities.
- Five-cars.
- Ability to work in pairs.
They could actually go for a homogeneous fleet, if they felt so inclined.
That would be a substantial fleet of upwards of fifty five-car trains.
The new CrossCountry franchise will be awarded in August 2019 and start in December 2019.
Other Routes
If the 125 bi-mode Aventra with batteries is built, there could be other routes.
Borders Railway
Why would you run a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra on the 90 mph Borders Railway?
- The Borders Railway will be extended to Carlisle, which will mean, that both ends will be electrified for a few miles.
- This will mean that bi-mode trains with batteries could charge their batteries at both ends of the line.
- If traffic increases, extra cars can be added.
- The trains would be able to use the West Coast Main Line to link the Lake District to Edinburgh.
- They could be given a tourism-friendly interior, to go with the large windows common to all Aventras.
The trains would help to develop tourism in the South of Scotland and the North of England.
East West Rail
The East West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge is going to built without electrification.
- But that doesn’t mean that it should be built with an operating speed in the region of 90 mph!
- The legendary InterCity 125s have been running on lines without electrification at 125 mph since the late 1970s, so it isn’t an unknown practice.
So if the line were to be built for high speed across some of the flattest parts of England, why not unleash the 125 mph bi-mode Aventras?
They could serve Ipswich, Norwich and Yarmouth in the East using their onboard generators.
They could serve Bournemouth, Bristol, Reading and Southampton, if the trains had a dual-voltage capability.
They could use electrification at Bedford, Bletchley, Cambridge and Reading to charge the batteries.
Settle-Carlisle Line
Surely, if the 125 mph bi-mode Aventras are suitable for the Borders Railway, then it should be able to work the Settle-Carlisle Line.
- Both ends of the line are electrified, so batteries could be charged.
- The line needs more and better services.
But the main reason, is that there will be a high-class scenic route between Edinburgh and Leeds.
I estimate that a London to Edinburgh service via Leeds, Settle, Carlisle and the Borders Railway would take six and a half hours, using a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra.
Some tourists love that sort of trip.
Waterloo To Exeter
The West of England Line has the following characteristics.
- It runs between Basingstoke and Exeter.
- It is a hundred and twenty miles long.
- It has a 90 mph operating speed.
- The line is not electrified.
- It is connected to the electrified South Western Main Line to Waterloo.
- The route is electrified between Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- Direct trains take three hours twenty-three minutes between Waterloo and Exeter, with fourteen stops between Basingstoke and Exeter.
- The trains used on the route are twenty-five year-old Class 159 trains.
Would a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra improve the passenger service between Waterloo and Exeter?
- The Aventras are built for fast dwell times at stations, so there could be time saving with all those stops.
- The Aventras could use the third-rail electrification between Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- There may be places, where the operating speed can be increased and the faster Aventras would take advantage.
- The trains could have a passenger-friendly interior and features designed for the route.
The real benefits for South Western Railway and their passengers would come, if the trains could do Waterloo to Exeter in three hours.
Routes For A Pure-Electric Version
There are several routes in the UK, where the following apply.
- Some long-distance trains are run by 125 mph trains.
- The route is fully- or substantially-electrified.
- A proportion of the route allows 125 mph running.
- Sections of the route is only double-track.
Routes satisfying the criteria include.
- The West Coast Main Line
- The East Coast Main Line
- The Great Western Main Line
- The Midland Main Line
On these routes, I believe it would be advantageous, if all passenger trains were capable of operating at 125 mph.
This is cause if all trains were running at 125 mph, they could be more closely spaced, thus increasing capacity.
Digital signalling would probably be needed.
There are several train services,, that use the electrified 125 mph sections of these routes.
Birmingham/Liverpool/Manchester To Edinburgh/Glasgow
TransPennine Express, are replacing their current Siemens 110 mph Class 350 trains on this service, with new CAF 125 mph Class 397 trains.
Euston To The West Midlands, Liverpool And Preston
West Midland Trains are replacing some of their current Siemens 110 mph Class 350 trains with new Aventras.
Information is scarce at the moment, but could some of these new Aventras be 125 mph units for working on the West Coast Main Line?
Leeds/York To Edinbugh
TransPennine Express run trains on this route.
St. Panvras To Corby
The Corby Branch is being upgraded.
- Double-track
- 125 mph running
- Electrification
The section of the Midland Main Line between St. Pancras and Glendon Junction is also being upgraded to allow as much 125 mph running as possible.
If 125 mph bi-mode trains are to be used from St. Pancras to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, then surely, it would be logical to use a pure-electric version of the train between St. Pancras and Corby?
Various documents and web pages say, that the St. Pancras to Corby services are going to be worked by 110 mph Class 387 trains. Surely, faster 125 mph trains, which had been designed for the route would be better for passengers and the train operating company.
From my experience of scheduling, the section of the Midland Main Line between St. Pancras and Bedford, must be a nightmare to timetable successfully.
- There are two train operating companies using the route, who go a hundred miles in different directions.
- The Class 700 trains used by Thameslink are only 100 mph trains, so probably can’t use the fast lines too often, as if they do, they’ll delay the expresses..
- Regular passengers object to any change in stopping patterns or journey times.
- Passengers liked to get on express services at Bedford, but they now don’t stop.
- Passengers don’t like the Class 700 trains.
- Luton Airport wants more services.
My experience, says that something radical must be done.
Consider.
- Plans are for two tph between St. Pancras and Corby.
- How many passengers would complain if they ended up in the St. Pancras Thameslink platforms, rather than the high-level ones? They’re both equally badly connected to the Underground, buses and taxis.
- There will be four tph between Bedford and London all day on Thameslink, with an extra four tph in the Peak.
- Some or all of these services will call at both Luton and Gatwick Airports.
- Looking at the two semi-fast services. which both run at tw trph, they seem to stop virtually everywhere.
I think it would be possible for the two tph St. Pancras to Corby services to become express services between Corby, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
- The services would only stop at Kettering, Bedford, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, St. Albans, West Hampstead Thameslink, St. Pancras Thameslink, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, London Bridge and East Croydon.
- The services would use the 125 mph fast lines North of St. Pancras, as much as possible.
- Corby services would always call at St. Pancras Thameslink.
- The trains would be designed for both Airport services and long-distance commuting.
- The trains would be maximum length.
Obviously, this is my rough idea, but something like it might satisfy the stakeholders, more than what is proposed.
I think there are also other services, which are fully electrified, which could be upgraded, so that they would be suitable for or need 125 mph electric trains.
Kings Cross To King’s Lynn
I wrote about this route in Call For ETCS On King’s Lynn Route.
Portsmouth Direct Line
Under Topography Of The Line in the Wikipedia enter for the Portsmouth Direct Line, this is said.
The central part of the route, from Guildford to Havant, runs through relatively thinly populated country. The line was designed on the “undulating principle”; that is, successive relatively steep gradients were accepted to reduce construction cost. In the days of steam operation this made the route difficult for enginemen.
But with.
- A second man in the cab, in the shape of the train’s computer, juggling the power.
- Regenerative braking to the batteries saving energy for reuse when needed.
- Bags of grunt from the traction motors.
The pure electric version of the 125 mph Aventra might just have the beating of the topography.
South Western Railway plan to introduce an older train from Litchurch Lane in Derby on this route, in the shape of the last of the Mark 3s, the Class 442 train or the Wessex Electrics, which were built in the 1980s.
It will be interesting to see how a 125 mph pure electric Aventra compares to something made in the same works, thirty years earlier.
Waterloo To Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth
The South Western Main Line goes to Southampton Central, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
- It is a 100 mph line
- It is fully-electrified.
Would a 125 mph pure-electric Aventra be able to put the hammer down?
I’m sure Network Rail can improve the line to a maximum safe line-speed.
Conclusion
If Bombardier build a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra with batteries, there is a large market. Especially, if there is a sibling, which is pure electric.
Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries
This article in Rail Magazine, is entitled Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power.
A few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
It’s an interesting specification.
Diesel Or Hydrogen Power?
Could the better ambience be, because the train doesn’t use noisy and polluting diesel power, but clean hydrogen?
It’s a possibility, especially as Bombardier are Canadian, as are Ballard, who produce hydrogen fuel-cells with output between 100-200 kW.
Ballard’s fuel cells power some of London’s hydrogen buses.
The New Routemaster hybrid bus is powered by a 138 kW Cummins ISBe diesel engine and uses a 75 kWh lithium-ion battery, with the bus being driven by an electric motor.
If you sit in the back of one of these buses, you can sometimes hear the engine stop and start.
In the following calculations, I’m going to assume that the bi-mode |Aventra with batteries has a power source, that can provide up to 200 kW, in a fully-controlled manner
Ballard can do this power output with hydrogen and I’m sure that to do it with a diesel engine and alternator is not the most difficult problem in the world.
The Mathematics
Let’s look at the mathematics!
I’ll assume the following.
- The train is five cars, with say four motored cars.
- The empty train weighs close to 180 tonnes.
- There are 430 passengers, with an average weight of 80 Kg each.
- This gives a total train weight of 214.4 tonnes.
- The train is travelling at 200 kph or 125 mph.
- A diesel or hydrogen power pack is available that can provide a controllable 200 kW electricity supply.
These figures mean that the kinetic energy of the train is 91.9 kWh. This was calculated using Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator.
My preferred battery arrangement would be to put a battery in each motored car of the train, to reduce electrical loses and distribute the weight. Let’s assume four of the five cars have a New Routemaster-sized battery of 55 kWh.
So the total onboard storage of the train could easily be around 200 kWh, which should be more than enough to accommodate the energy generated , when braking from full speed..
I wonder if the operation of a bi-mode with batteries would be something like this.
- The batteries would power everything on the train, including traction, the driver’s systems and the passenger facilities, just as the single battery does on New Routemaster and other hybrid buses.
- The optimum energy level in the batteries would be calculated by the train’s computer, according to route, passenger load and the expected amount of energy that would be recovered by regenerative braking.
- The batteries would be charged when required by the power pack.
- A 200 kW power pack would take twenty-seven minutes to put 91.9 kWh in the batteries.
- In the cruise the power pack would run as required to keep the batteries charged to the optimum level and the train at line speed.
- If the train had to slow down, regenerative braking would be used and the electricity would be stored in the batteries.
- When the train stops at a station, the energy created by regenerative braking is stored in the batteries on the train.
- I suspect that the train’s computer will have managed energy, so that when the train stops, the batteries are as full as possible.
- When moving away from a stop, the train would use the stored battery power and any energy used would be topped up by the power pack.
The crucial operation would be stopping at a station.
- I’ll assume the example train is cruising at 125 mph with an energy of 91.9 kWh.
- The train’s batteries have been charged by the onboard generator, on the run from the previous station.
- But the batteries won’t be completely full, as the train’s computer will have deliberately left spare capacity to accept the expected energy from regenerated braking at the next station.
- At an appropriate distance from the station, the train will start to brake.
- The energy of the train will be transferred to the train’s batteries, by the regenerative braking system.
- If the computer has been well-programmed, the train will now be sitting in the station with fully-charged batteries.
- When the train moves off and accelerates to line speed, the train will use power from the batteries.
- As the battery power level drops, the onboard generator will start up and replace the energy used.
This sequence of operations or something like it will be repeated at each station.
One complication, is that regenerative braking is not one hundred percent efficient, so up to thirty percent can be lost in the braking process. In our example 125mph train, this could be 27.6 kWh.
With an onboard source capable of supplying 200 kW, this would mean the generator would have to run for about eight and a half minutes to replenish the lost power. As most legs on the proposed routes of these trains, are longer than that, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
If it sounds complicated, it’s my bad explanation.
This promotional video shows how Alstom’s hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint works.
It looks to me, that Bombardier’s proposed 125 mph bi-mode Aventra will work in a similar way, with respect to the batteries and the computer.
But, Bombardier Only Said Diesel!
The Rail Magazine article didn’t mention hydrogen and said that the train would be able to run at 125 mph on both diesel and electric power.
I have done the calculations assuming that there is a fully-controllable 200 kW power source, which could be diesel or hydrogen based.
British Rail’s Class 150 train from 1984, has two 215 kW Cummns diesel engines, so could a five-car bi-mode train, really be powered by a single modern engine of this size?
The mathematics say yes!
A typical engine would probably weigh about 500 Kg and surely because of its size and power output, it would be much easier to insulate passengers and staff from the noise and vibration.
Conclusion
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion, that a 125 mph bi-mode train is a practical proposition.
- It would need a controllable hydrogen or diesel power-pack, that could deliver up to 200 kW
- Only one power-pack would be needed for a five-car train.
- For a five-car train, a battery capacity of 300 kWh would probably be sufficient.
From my past professional experience, I know that a computer model can be built, that would show the best onboard generator and battery sizes, and possibly a better operating strategy, for both individual routes and train operating companies.
Obviously, Bombardier have better data and more sophisticated calculations than I do.
The Camp Hill Line Behind St. Andrew’s Stadium
I took these two pictures, as I left St. Andrew’s Stadium after the Ipswich game.
Note the railway track of the Camp Hill Line, with a bridge over it.
This Google Map shows the stadium.
Note the railway line behind the stand on the left.
As it is planned to reopen the Camp Hill Line to passenger services, if Birmingham City were higher in the Leagues, this would surely expect a station to be built here.
Bordesley Station To St. Andrews Has Improved
At various times on this blog, I’ve complained about this route, but it’s finally got better, as these pictures show.
Bordesley station is really only opened for the football, so I suspect that a lift would very much be a low priority.
I have a feeling that it might be possible to walk along the canals from the City Centre, to the lock that I saw.
A Walk Across Birmingham City Centre
I took this walk across Birmingham City Centre to look at the works on the Midland Metro Extension to Egbaston.
These are some of the pictures I took.
There’s certainly a lot of work going on.
It will be interesting to see how the trams get from New Street station to Victoria Square. It could be power up one hill and gravity down another.
The tram extension is to be finished in 2019.
Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power
The title of this post is the same as this article in Rail Magazine.
A few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.
In some ways, I am not surprised about what is said in this article.
Another article on Christian Wolmar’s web site, is entitled Bombardier’s Survival Was The Right Kind Of Politics.
This is said.
Bombardier is not resting on its laurels. Interestingly, the company has been watching the problems over electrification and the fact that more of Hitachi’s new trains will now be bi-mode because the wires have not been put up in time. McKeon has a team looking at whether Bombardier will go into the bi-mode market: ‘The Hitachi bi-mode trains can only go 110 mph when using diesel. Based on Aventra designs, we could build one that went 125 mph. This would help Network Rail as it would not have to electrify everywhere.’ He cites East Midlands, CrossCountry and Wales as potential users of this technology.
The article was published in February 2017 and mentions, 125 mph on diesel and two of the companies in the recent article.
The Design Of The Trains
My thoughts are as follows.
The Starting Point
I’m pretty certain that if you wanmt to create a 125 mph bi-mode train, you start with a 125 mph electric train, if you want a high degree of commonality between the two trains.
Bombardier haven’t yet built any of their Aventras for West Midland Trains, but as they will use the West Coast Main Line extensively, will they be 125 mph trains and not 110 mph trains, as is said in Wikipedia?
Aventras And Battery Power
I will believe until Bombardier say I’m wrong, that Crossrail’s Class 345 trains, which are Aventras, use batteries for the following purposes.
- To handle regenerative braking.
- To limp the train out of the tunnel or to the next station or safe exit point, if there should be a catastrophic power failure.
- To lessen the amount of electricity fed to the trains in the tunnels.
- To allow features like remote wake-up, which need a train to have some form of power at all times.
- To move trains in sidings and depots without having live electrification.
- To run passenger features, when the power fails.
Effectively, the Class 345 trains have electricity as a main power source and batteries for energy storage and a secondary or emergency power source.
I talked to one of their staff, who was training drivers on Crossrail’s Aventras. The conversation went something like this.
- Me: “What happens, when the Russians hack the power supply?”
- Driver-Trainer: “We switch the train to emergency power!”
- Me: “You mean batteries?”
- Driver-Trainer: (Pause, then something like) “Might be!”
Can anybody think of another way to have emergency power on the train?
Electric Traction, Regenerative Braking and Batteries
Bi-mode trains and Alstom’s hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint are electrically powered at all times.
This means that under electric, diesel or hydrogen power, the traction motors can generate electricity to brake the train.
On an electric train, this electricity is returned through the overhead wire or third rail to power other nearby trains. This electricity could also be stored in an onboard battery, just as it is in a hybrid or battery-electric vehicle.
Driving A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The bi-mode Aventra could have electricity from one of four power sources.
- 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- An onboard electricity generator powered by diesel fuel or hydrogen.
- Batteries
So will the driver need to keep switching power sources?
I am a Control Engineer by training and optimising the best power to use is a typical problem for someone with my training and experience.
The train’s computer would take all the information about the route, timetable, signal settings, battery charge level, train loading, weather and other factors and drive the train automatically, with the driver monitoring everything thoroughly.
Aircraft have been flown in a similar fashion for decades.
I look in detail, at the mathematics of a bi-mode Aventra with batteries in Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries.
I came to the following conclusions.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion, that a 125 mph bi-mode train is a practical proposition.
- It would need a controllable hydrogen or diesel power-pack, that could deliver up to 200 kW
- Only one power-pack would be needed for a five-car train.
- For a five-car train a battery capacity of 300 kWh would probably be sufficent.
From my past professional experience, I know that a computer model can be built, that would show the best onboard generator and battery sizes, and possibly a better operating strategy, for both individual routes and train operating companies.
Obviously, Bombardier have better data and more sophisticated calculations than I do.
Note, that everything I proposed, is well within the scope of modern engineering, so other companies like CAF and Stadler, who are actively involved in rail application of battery technology, could join the party.
This picture is a visualisation of a Stadler Class 755 train, which they are building for Greater Anglia.
Note the smaller third car, which contains the diesel engine of this hybrid train. Is there room for batteries as well?
I can’t find any information on the web about the power train of the Class 755 train, but this article in the Railway Gazette, describes another Stadler bi-mode Flirt, that Stadler are building for Italy.
This is said.
The units will be rated at 2 600 kW with a maximum speed of 160 km/h when operating from 3 kV DC electrification, and 700 kW with a maximum speed of 140 km/h when powered by the two Stage IIIB compliant Deutz TCD 16.0 V8 diesel engines.
There is provision to add up to two more cars if required to meet an increase in ridership. Two more engines could be added, or the diesel module removed if only electric operation is needed.
Note.
- The Deutz diesel engines are rated at 520 kW.
- As 700 kW is the power of the train, I suspect each engine generator creates 350 kW of power.
- 160 km/h would be ideal for the Great Eastern Main Line
- 140 km/h would be more than adequate for roaming around East Anglia
I suspect that if batteries were used on this train, that the engines would be smaller.
We will see in May 2019, when the trains enter service.
Diesel Or Hydrogen Generator
Electricity generation using a diesel generator and electricity generator from a hydrogen fuel cell, each have their own advantages.
- Diesel fuel has a higher energy density than hydrogen
- Diesel engines create a lot of noise and vibration and emit carbon dioxide, noxious gases and particulates.
- Hydrogen fuel cells can be silent and only emit water and steam.
- Ballard who are a Canadian company and a leading manufacturer of hydrogen fuel-cells, manufacture one for use in rail applications which has an output of 100 kW, that weighs 385 Kg.
- MTU make the diesel engine for a Class 800 train, which has an output of over 600 kW, that weighs 5000 Kg.
- Hydrogen storage is probably heavier and more complicated than diesel storage.
- Both generators can be fitted into convenient rectangular power packs.
I would envisage that in the future, hydrogen electricity generators will get more efficient, lighter in weight and smaller in size for a given power output.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to believe, that within a reasonable number of years, hydrogen generators and their hydrogen storage tank, will be comparable in weight and size to current diesel generators and fuel tanks.
Accelerating A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The major use of electricity on a 125 mph train, will be in accelerating the train up to line speed. The energy needed will be.
- Proportional to the mass of the train. This is why your car accelerates better, when it’s just you in the car and you don’t have your overweight mother-in-law in the back.
- Proportional to the square of the velocity.
I have calculated that a five-car bi-mode Aventra, carrying 430 passengers and travelling at 125 mph, will have a kinetic energy of 91.9 kWh.
Obviously, using electricity from electrification is the best way to accelerate a train.
- Electricity from electrification is probably cheaper and more convenient, than that from an onboard electricity generator.
- If diesel is not used to power the train, there is no noise and vibration from an onboard diesel generator.
- A route with a lot of running on onboard fuel, means more fuel has to be carried.
Using electricity stored in batteries on the train, is also a good way to accelerate a train, but the batteries must have enough charge.
The onboard electricity generator will be used, when there is no electrification and the power stored in the batteries is approaching a low level.
|When Bombardier’s spokesman says, that the ambience will be good, control of the train’s power sources has a lot to do with it.
Could he have been hinting at hydrogen, as hydrogen fuel cells do not have high noise and vibration levels?
Cruising A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
Newton’s First Law states.
Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless impressed forces act on it.
If you have a train on a railway track moving at a constant speed, the following forces are acting to slow the train.
- Aerodynamic forces, particularly on the front of the train.
- Rolling friction of the steel wheel on a steel rail.
- Bends and gradients in the track.
- Speed limits and signals.
So the driver and his control system will have to feed in power to maintain the vrequired spreed.
I have sat on the platform at Stratford, whilst an Aventra has gone past at speed. I wrote about it in Class 345 Trains Really Are Quiet!
This was my conclusion.
Bombardier have applied world class aviation aerodynamics to these trains. Particularly in the areas of body shape, door design, car-to-car interfaces, bogies and pantographs.
Remember too, that low noise means less wasted energy and greater energy efficiency.
In addition steel wheel on steel rails is a very efficient way of moving heavy weights. Bombardier have a reputation for good running gear.
Once a train has reached its cruising speed, appropriate amounts of power will be fed to the train to maintain speed.
But compared to the power needed to accelerate the train, they could be quite small.
For small amounts of power away from electrification, the control system will use battery power if it is available and can be used.
The onboard electricity generator would only be switched in, when larger amounts of power are needed or the battery power is low.
Slowing A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The regenerative braking will always be used, with the energy being stored in the batteries, if there is free capacity.
Imagine the following.
- A bi-mode making a stop at Leicester station on the Midland Main Line.
- It is doing 100 mph before the stop on the main line.
- It will be doing 100 mph after the stop on the main line.
The energy of the train after Leicester will be roughly the same as before, unless the mass of the train has changed, by perhaps a large number of passengers leaving or joining the train.
Let’s assume that the energy at 100 mph in the train is X kWh
- When the train brakes for Leicester this energy will be transferred to the train’s batteries, if there is capacity.
- On accelerating the train, it will need to acquire X kWh. It couldn’t get all of this from the batteries, as for various reasons the overall efficiency of this sort of system is about seventy to ninety percent.
- The onboard electricity generator will have to supply a proportion of the energy to get the train back up to 100 mph.
But in a diesel train it will have to supply all the energy to get back to 100 mph.
Where Would I Put The Batteries?
Aventras seem to have a lot of powered-bogies, so to keep cable runs short to minimise losses and maximise the efficiency of the regenerative braking, I would put a battery in each car of the train.
This would also distribute the weight evenly.
Where Would I Put The Electricity Generators?
Diesel engines always seem to be noisy, when they are installed under the floor of a train. I’ve travelled a lot in Bombardier’s Turbostars and although they are better than the previous generation, they are still not perfect.
I’ve also travelled in the cab of a Class 43 locomotive, with a 2,250 hp diesel engine close behind me. It was very well insulated and not very noisy.
As I said earlier, the most intensive use of the onboard generators will come in accelerating a train to operating speed, where no electrification or battery power is available. There is only so much you can do with insulation!
Stadler, who are building the Class 755 train for Greater Anglia, have opted to put a short diesel generator car in the middle of the train.
This was an earlier train, where Stadler used the technique.
There are reports in Wikipedia, that the ride wasn’t good, but I’m sure Stadler has cracked it for their new 100 mph bi-mode trains.
Creating a bi-mode by adding an extra motor car into the middle of an electric train could be a serious way to go.
- The dynamics are probably better understood now
- A powerful diesel engine could be fitted.
- Batteries could be added.
- Insulating passengers and staff from the noise and vibration would surely be easier.
- There could be a passage through the car, to allow passengers and staff to circulate.
In an ideal world, a four-car electric train could be changed into a five-car bi-mode train, by adding the motor car and updating the train software.
In Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, I came to the conclusion, that if the batteries are used in conjunction with the power-pack, that a single power-pack of about 200 kW could be sufficient to power the train. This would be smaller and lighter in weight, which would probably mean it could be tucked away under the floor and well-insulated to keep noise and vibration from passengers and staff.
In this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-ion batteries if required.
This was published six years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have refined the concept.
So could it be that Bombardier have designed a secondary power car, that can be fitted with a battery and a diesel engine of appropriate size?
- Using a diesel engine with batteries means that a smaller engine can be used.
- The diesel engine could also be replaced with a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell.
I won’t speculate, but Bombardier have a very serious idea. And it’s all down to the mathematics.
What Would Be The Length Of A 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra?
Long distance Aventras, like those for Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains, seem to be five and ten car trains.
This would fit well with the offerngs from other companies, so I suspect five- and ten-cars will be the standard lengths.
Could There Be A Bi-Mode Aventra for Commuter Routes?
The London Overground has ordered a fleet of four-car Class 710 trains.
The Gospel Oak to Barking Line is being extended to a new Barking Riverside station.
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which probably has a terrain not much different to the lines to London.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
The new extension is about a mile, so this would need 20 kWh each way.
This could easily be done with a battery, but supposing a small diesel engine was also fitted under the floor. Would anybody notice the same 138 kW Cummins ISBe diesel engine that is used in a New Routemaster hybrid bus?
I doubt it.
It is a revealing to calculate the kinetic energy of a fully-loaded Class 710 train. I estimate that it under 50 kWh, if it was travelling at 90 mph, which would rarely be achieved on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
Could Bombardier Be Serious About Exporting Bi-Mode Aventras?
In my opinion, the Aventra is a good train an it seems to sell well in its electric form to train operating companies in the UK.
But would it sell well in overseas markets like the United States and Canada, India and Australia?
They obviously know better than I do, so we should take their statements at face value.
The Prospective Customers
The Rail Magazine article mentions three prospective customers.
I deal with them and other possiblilities in Routes For Bombardier’s 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra.
This was my conclusion.
If Bombardier build a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra with batteries, there is a large market.
It looks like the company has done a lot of research.
Conclusion
Bombardier are designing a serious train.
Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Service Between Weybridge And Heathrow 5
In an article in the December 2016 Edition of Modern Railways about the Heathrow Southern Railway, Chris Stokes proposes a service between Weybridge and Heathrow Terminal 5 stations.
With the addition of a chord at Staines, it would also be potentially possible to operate a half-hourly Weybridge – Virginia Water – Egham – Terminal 5 service, providing a further attractive local link to Heathrow.
In this post, I will look at the various issues associated with this proposal.
Weybridge Station
Currently, Weybridge station is serviced by the following trains on the South Western Main Line.
- Four trains per hour (tph) to London Waterloo.
- Two tph to Woking.
- Two tph to Basingstoke via Woking.
In addition two tph use the Chertsey Branch Line to go to London Waterloo via Virginia Water, Staines and Hounslow.
This Google Map shows the staion on the South Western Main Line.
Note the train that will use the Chertsey Branch Line in Platform 1, which shares an island with the London-bound Platform 2.
This would have been convenient for me, as I arrived from Woking, with the intention of taking the branch line to Staines and Feltham.
But as there are only two tph on the Chertsey Branch, I had to wait twenty-five minutes. Luckily, the train has a long turnround at Weybridge, so I was able to sit in a comfortable seat for much of the wait.
These are a few pictures of the station.
The bridge is an interesting structure, which has a set of new lifts.
Wikipedia says this about the use of the station.
Up and Down platforms serve the slow lines; there is a bay platform on the up side, from which trains operate on the Chertsey or Weybridge Branch of the Waterloo to Reading Line. Stops on this line include the main towns and villages of Runnymede and it gives Weybridge’s longer route to Waterloo via Staines. This service can also be used to provide a cheaper and quicker route to the Great Western Main Line, by changing at Virginia Water for the service to Reading, Berkshire from Waterloo, for passengers on or by the South West Main Line but not near the North Downs Line.
In the middle of a wet Thursday, there weren’t many people waiting for a train for the Chertsey Branch.
Trains On The Chertsey Branch Line
This Google Map shows the station and the triangular junction between the South Western Main Line and the Chertsey Branch.
Note, the historic motor-racing circuit of Brooklands to the South of the South Western Main Line and the triangular junction.
The connection between the Chertsey Vranch Line and the South Western Main Line is a flying junction, so I don’t think there’ll be any issues with Heathrow Express trains using Heathrow Southern Railway’s new railway to Woking.
Going towards Weybridge and London, there appears to be a single track connecting the Chertsey Branch to Platform 1 in Weybridge station.
There may be need for small changes to the track, but this simple layout should be able to easily handle four tph.
Looking at Real Time Trains, shows that in the hour I travelled, only four passenger services passed, through Addlestone station on the branch, with three other freight and stock movements.
So it is not a busy line.
If Heathrow Southern Railway is built and Heathrow Express runs to Working, passenger trains in each direction will become.
- 2 tph – London Waterloo to Weybridge – Calling at Addlestone, Chertsey, Virginia Water, Egham and Staines.
- 4 tph – Heathrow Express – Non-stop between Terminal 5 and Woking, joining the Chertsey Branch Line, just to the North of Chertsey station.
- 2-4 tph – Freight trains and stock movements.
There would appear to be enough paths to squeeze in two extra trains between Terminal 5 and Weybridge, which call at Addlestone, Chertsey, Virginia Water and Egham, and use the new chord at Staines, that I talked about in Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Chord At Staines.
Should Services Between Weybridge and Terminal 5 Stop At Staines?
This would need a platform or platforms on the chord.
This Google Map shows the area of the chord.
Note.
- There is a vehicle ramp to gain access to a multi-story car park.
- Much of the space to the East of the ramp is surface car parking and in my view, wasted space.
- There appears to be a bus station.
I think there is sufficient space to create an innovative transport interchange.
It could even be very simple.
- Single platform long enough for one of South Western Railway’s five car Class 701 trains, which are possibly around 120 metres.
- Bi-directional working.
- Walking routes to the bus station and the main station.
The most complicated piece could be a step-free bridge to the rest of the station.
Terminal 5 Station
Heathrow Terminal 5 station was built with two Westward-facing terminal platforms.
As each has a capacity of probably four to six tph, there shouldn’t be any problems of capacity.
Conclusion
A Weybridge to Terminal 5 service seems a serious possibility.
But I can’t help wondering, if it should be four tph and the direct service to Waterloo via Chertsey should be discontinued.
But a platform at Staines to interchange should be provided.
I’ll be interested to see the final proposals.
Heathrow Southern Railway’s Proposed Chord At Staines
In an article in the December 2016 Edition of Modern Railways about the Heathrow Southern Railway, Chris Stokes proposes a new chord at Staines to connect the lines to Reading and Windsor.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the chord.
Note.
- London trains take the lines to the East.
- Windsor and Heathrow trains take or will take the lines to the North-West.
- Reading trains take the lines to the South-West.
The chord is shown as a pair of dotted lines between the Windsor and Reading Lines.
These pictures taken from a train from Egham to London, show how the chord has been developed.
In the article this is said about how the chord could be used.
With the addition of a chord at Staines, it would also be potentially possible to operate a half-hourly Weybridge – Virginia Water – Egham – Terminal 5 service, providing a further attractive local link to Heathrow.
If this service were to be added, that raised the problem of putting the chord through the development.
The Anonymous Widower 