No Progress On Chase Line Electrification
This morning, I went up the Chase Line to Rugeley Trent Valley station and took a few pictures.
I am not publishing any of the pictures, as nothing seems to have changed since I wrote Up And Down The Chase Line in September last year.
I am still puzzled at the lack of progress!
Musical Trains On TransPennine Express
The moving on of the inadequate Class 185 trains on TransPennine Express (TPE) seems to have started with this article in Rail News entitled Hitachi scoops 95-car TPE train deal. This is said.
- TPE have signed a deal for the delivery of nineteen five-car Class 802 trains for delivery from 2019.
- The trains will normally run at 125 mph, but will have a 140 mph capability, subject to track and signalling.
- The Class 802 trains will have 161 more seats than the Class 185 trains.
- A second fleet of twenty-five trains will be ordered by TPE for delivery in 2018.
It’s also said that TPE will retain about half of the existing Class 185 trains.
In Future Fleet in the TransPennineExpress Wikipedia entry, this is listed as their future fleet.
- Thirteen sets of five-car Intercity carriages for TransPennine routes with a top speed of 125 mph, with deliveries, starting in 2017.
- Twelve sets of five-car EMUs for Scottish routes with a top speed of 125 mph, with deliveries, starting in 2018.
- Nineteen sets of five-car Class 802 trains for TransPennine routes, with deliveries, starting in 2019.
The third fleet of nineteen trains have been ordered and I feel pretty sure, Hitachi will deliver them on time from Newton Aycliffe.
But what types of trains will be delivered for the first and second requirements?
Class 387 Trains
Twenty-nine Class 387 trains have been built and there are another twenty-eight on order.
- A proportion of the trains will be going to Great Western Railway (GWR), which is a sister company to TPE, to run Thames Valley services out of Paddington.
- Because of the late delivery of the Great Western Electrification, some could end up sitting in sidings.
- They are only a four car train, but as some Electrostars come in five car sets, I suspect that they can be lengthened to the required five cars.
- They are only a 110 mph train, but then so are the Class 350 trains, currently working Manchester Airport to Glasgow services for TPE.
Although Class 387 trains don’t quite meet TPE’s speed requirement, they could provide a valuable interim service, whilst awaiting the delivery of the new trains.
Class 387 Trains With An IPEMU Capability
A Class 379 train was used for the prototype IPEMU or Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit, which was successfully demonstrated in public service early in 2015.
This train has a range of upwards of fifty miles using on-board energy storage, charged on the main line from the overhead electrification.
The Class 379 and 387 trains are both Electrostars and are closely related, so it is very likely, that a Class 387 IPEMU can and will be developed.
A Class 387 IPEMU could be able to serve the following routes.
- Liverpool to Newcastle via Manchester and Leeds.
- Manchester Airport to Blackpool, Barrow and Windermere.
- Blackpool and Preston to Leeds via the Calder Valley Line.
- Manchester to Chester.
- Manchester to Sheffield via the Hope Valley Line.
I also think, that as experience of the trains is accumulated, other routes would become possible.
Class 802 Trains
The Class 802 trains are the ones ordered for the major part of services across the Pennines, but they have a major problem. It would be unlikely, that Hitachi could deliver the trains until after the rest of the trains have been delivered starting in 2019.
Aventra Trains
The Aventra is Bombardier’s successor to the Electrostar.
- It is designed as a modular train, that comes in a range of lengths. So far four car Class 710 trains and nine car Class 345 trains have been ordered.
- Modern Railways disclosed in the April 2016 Edition, that a 125 mph version of the new Aventra train is coming.
- It has been designed to be a very efficient train.
- According to Modern Railways, the trains are designed to be able to handle both commuter and longer-distance services.
- All Aventras are wired so that on-board energy storage can be fitted.
- As it will be a more efficient train than the Electrostar, range using on-board energy storage would probably be longer.
So it would appear that a 125 mph five-car Aventra, that can extend routes and bridge electrification gaps will be available.
The two requirements for TPE will now be examined.
The First Requirement
The first requirement for thirteen trains for TransPennine routes could be met by.
- Shortened five-car formations of InterCity 125s released by delivery of Class 800 trains to Great Western Railway (GWR) and Virgin Trains East Coast.
- Five-car Class 221 trains released by Virgin Trains.
- Five-car Class 222 trains released by East Midlands Trains.
- Five-car Class 387 trains with an IPEMU capability.
- Five-car Aventras with an IPEMU capability.
- Lengthening the existing Class 185 trains by adding two new cars.
- More Class 802 trains.
Option 1 – Every train operating company will be after these and there is a lot of work to do. But they would do the job.
Options 2 and 3 – What trains could be used to release the Class 221 and Class 222 trains?
Option 4 – Five-car Class 387 trains can be created. But would 110 mph trains be fast enough and would the IPEMU capability allow TPE to run the routes they require?
Option 5 – 125 mph Aventras with on-board energy storage, could probably do the job. But will they be available for delivery in 2017? I doubt it!
Option 6 – I doubt Siemens would like to lengthen Class 185 trains, but as an interim they could run as six car trains. But until the Class 802 trains arrive, they’re needed across the Pennines.
Option 7 – Not probably a possibility for delivery in 2017, unless Hitachi find how to 3D-Print trains at a rate of one a day.
TPE Needs More Capacity Now
The big problem, is that TPE needs extra capacity across the Pennines now! It should also be noted that the Ordsall Chord could open in December 2017, which will create a need for more trains.
TPE could decide to just muddle through until 2017, but I think they would like some extra capacity, otherwise all the euphoria of the new franchise, will be flushed down the toilet
The only trains that could be running across the Pennines, before the end of 2016, are Class 387 trains with an IPEMU capability. In fact, they could probably be running in time for the May 2016 timetable change.
I have believed for some time, that they could work the routes across the Pennines between Leeds and Manchester.
If TPE did go down this interim route, then it would be likely that the thirteen new trains ordered for this route would be 125 mph Aventras with an IPEMU capability.
Bombardier would love that if it turned out to be successful, as publicity of using batteries to extend the range of a 125 mph train must open up some very lucrative markets all over the world.
The Second Requirement
The second requirement used on the Scottish routes could be.
- Class 350 trains until new trains are delivered.
- Class 387 trains to add capacity to or replace the existing fleet.
- Class 802 trains
- 125 mph Aventra trains
All except the Class 350 trains could be five car trains and the Class 802 trains and the Aventras are 125 mph trains or faster.
140 mph Running
One complication is that at some time in the 2020s, the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line will be able to accept 140 mph running. So the Scottish services, may end up bein worked by Class 802 trains.
Airport Expresses
An intriguing possibility is to use Class 387/2 trains as used on Gatwick Express on some services.
- TPE services call at Manchester Airport and Liverpool South Parkway for Liverpool Airport.
- The Class 387/2 trains have an interior designed for airport passengers.
- The trains could be delivered as five car trains.
- The trains could have an IPEMU capability.
Manchester and Liverpool Airports are very ambitious and probably would like connections to places such as Chester, Nottingham and North Wales.
Conclusions
There are a large number of possibilities and a massive need for an interim solution, which will probably use some of the available Class 387 trains, with or without an IPEMU capability.
The final solution will come down to a choice between.
- Thirteen Class 802 trains with a bi-mode capability and twelve Class 802 EMUs
- Twenty-five Aventras, of which at least thirteen would have an IPEMU capability.
I might find the Class 185 trains inadequate, but as new trains arrive, inevitably some of the diesel multiple units will be cascaded to other operators.
I think there’ll come a time, when TPE has just Class 802 trains and/or Aventras, with some trains having a bi-mode or IPEMU capability.
When there is electrification between Leeds and Manchester and if Aventra IPEMUs were handling the parts of the network without electrification, then TPE could rightly claim that they were running an all-electric fleet, which must give a green edge to their marketing.
Some bi-mode Class 802 trains could be converted to EMUs and hopefully would be able to cruise to across the Pennines at over 125 mph and to Scotland at 140 mph on the flagship routes.
- Liverpool to Edinburgh via Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.
- Liverpool and Manchester to Glasgow via the West Coast Main Line.
It will be an interesting decision, as to which trains are chosen for the extra twenty-five trains.
The only certainty is that TPE will get a very good price.
The Death Of Traditional Steel Making
If we’re being serious about making steel using the traditional methods of blast furnaces, converters and lots of energy, it’s not a very green process and it contributes to pollution and global warning.
We have a serious oversupply of steel in the world and this page lists production by countries.
In 2014, the world produced 1670 million tonnes of steel, of which we produced just twelve.
Looking at the production levels, there are quite a few countries that produce produce small numbers of million tonnes of steel like we do.
As China produced 822 million tonnes of steel in 2014, how many of these countries will be forced out of steel making in the next few years?
What will save steel making in a lot of countries is improvements in technology.
The parts of the steel industry, that seem to be the most profitable are the downstream uses of the metal, like making rails for railways. In this country, we have a reputation for using steel in innovative ways, but few of these uses need steel made in Britain, although they may need a quality steel to start with.
But that quality steel can come from anywhere with the knowledge to produce it.
China will acquire that knowledge, just as the Japanese did in the 1950s and 1960s.
It is interesting to look at iron ore by country in 2014. Out of a world product total of 3.22 million tonnes, we see.
- China – 1.5 million
- Australia – 0.66 million
- Brazil – 0.32 million
- India – 0.15 million
- Russia – 0.1 million
So does this partly explain China’s massive production of steel?
I think Australia and Brazil are the two most important countries on this list. Both have large amounts of energy and because they are ambitious intelligent countries, as the steel-making technology develops, will we see them increasingly becoming makers of quality steel?
I don’t know, but it says to me, that even producing quality steel in a niche market won’t be profitable for long.
The money and employment is in using quality steel, not in making it.
It may be a hard unpopular view, but we should let the rest of the world fight over supplying us with quality steel. If we want security of supply, I’m sure the Aussies would provide it.
As to the steel-making areas like Teesside and South Wales, we have to move on.
The Future On Teesside
In fact Teesside seems to be doing that, if a BBC report this week wasn’t truly negative.
What puzzles me about Teesside, is that there is little mention in the media about York Potash. This is from Wikipedia.
The project intends to mine the world’s largest deposit of polyhalite – a naturally occurring mineral – located on the Yorkshire coast.
The mine site is located outside the village of Sneatonthorpe, between Whitby and Scarborough in North Yorkshire. The project plans to construct two 1,500 m (4,900 ft) shafts to reach the mineral seam which includes a mineable area of around 25,200 hectares (62,000 acres).
To minimise the amount of visible infrastructure within the North York Moors National Park, a protected area, the polyhalite will then be transported 37 kilometres (23.0 miles) in an underground tunnel to the company’s processing plant at Teesside. After granulation and drying, the finished product – marketed by Sirius Minerals as POLY4 – will be exported from the nearby harbour facilities.
Could it be that, this project appears to not be very green and in the minds of many is creating a giant hole in the North York Moors National Park?
My view is that the UK needs more big projects like York Potash, that earn billions of pounds from exports, create thousands of jobs and don’t despoil the environment.
So what have we got for South Wales and Port Talbot in particular?
Nothing as big as York Potash, but there are plans for the world’s first tidal lagoon power station in Swansea Bay Wikipedia says this about the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.
It is planned to be the first of six tidal lagoon power plants to be constructed in the United Kingdom, and one of four planned to be built in Wales. The tidal lagoon would have a capacity of 320 MW.
The project was named as part of the UK government’s 2014 National Infrastructure Plan and was granted planning permission by theDepartment for Energy and Climate Change in June 2015. Power production is expected to begin in 2019. The operational life time of the artificial lagoon is 120 years, effects of global warming have been included in the planning. It is also to be constructed to withstand 500-year-storms and to function as a coastline protection against storms and floods.
So what are we waiting for?
The economics depend very much on the strike price for electricity generated and the Government seems reluctant to set one. I do wonder if they have got themselves tied in knots with trying to build a white elephant at Hinckley Point, that they can’t think of anything else.
Consider.
- I’m not against nuclear power, but Hinckley Point C is so expensive and its strike price is so high, that it will be a millstone around the necks of energy users for decades.
- If we want to go nuclear, there are smaller and proven reactor systems available.
- Electricity generation is going more distributed with the growth of solar panels, local heat and power systems and other technology.
- Large energy users are changing technology to cut use.
- The tidal lagoon technology gives protection against storms and floods.
- Tidal lagoons could be the twenty-first century equivalent of the nineteenth-century seaside pier.
- If the technology and economics of the tidal lagoon work, it will produce carbon-free electricity for at least 120 years.
- There are other places, where tidal lagoons could be built.
You could bet your life on the Dutch building a tidal lagoon, but they don’t have the tides.
Rather than back a doomed steelworks, the Government should back the unique energy project of the Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay.
If the energy economics don’t work out, you still get the coastal protection and leisure facilities.
A Metro For Teesside
The Tees Valley Metro has been in planning mode for some years and I can’t understand why it hasn’t happened yet.
All that seems to have happened is the opening in 2014 of James Cook University Hospital station, which I wrote about in James Cook Station – The Reinvention Of The Halt. The station certainly seems to be attracting a level of use, typical of a station of its type.
I also wrote about the metro in The Creation Of The Tees Valley Metro.
A Metro For South Wales
The Welsh are also keen to create a South Wales Metro for some time. I wrote about my observations on the trains in the area in The Welsh Could Be Having A Lot Of Fun Playing Trains In The Cardiff Valleys.
This project should be beaten into action as soon as possible.
It is interesting to take a look at a Google Map of the coast between Swansea and Port Talbot.
Swansea To Port Talbot
I don’t know the area well, but I know many people, who have enjoyed leisure time spent all along the South Wales Coast.
Perhaps, if the steelworks were to be closed, it could be treated to a Barcelona solution, where their steelworks was closed and the area turned into beaches and parks, which formed part of the Olympics in 1992.
The Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay would be generally sitting in the western part of the bay.
I believe that a comprehensive South Wales Metro, could go a long way to creating more jobs, than will be inevitably lost at Port Talbot.
Conclusions
Steel production is virtually dead in the UK and we must move on.
If we can find an innovative project to replace steel making, we should back it and as with York Potash, it doesn’t necessarily mean billions of public money.
But decent infrastructure and local rail, tram and bus systems can go a long way to creating the jobs needed everywhere.
In both the examples of Teesside and South Wales, surely if nothin else, a decent metro would give a boost to tourism.
The East-Facing Bay Platforms At Reading Station
This picture shows the east-facing bay platforms at Reading station.
Bay Platforms 4, 5 and 6 At Reading Station
Note that they are numbered 4, 5 and 6 from the right. The train on Platform 5 is a Great Western Railway service for Gatwick Airport via Guildford. with a South West Trains service for Waterloo on Platform 6.
Gatwick Via The North Downs Line
Trains go to Gatwick using the North Downs Line, which is a double-track line effectively in five sections.
- Reading to Wokingham – electrified
- Wokingham to North Camp – not electrified
- North Camp to Shalford Junction – electrified
- Shalford Junction to Reigate – not electrified
- Reigate to Redhill and Gatwick – electrified.
According to Wikipedia, there needs to be work at Redhill and Gatwick Airport stations, but I believe that is underway.
Wikipedia also states that the line has an operative speed of 70 mph. The journey currently takes 76 minutes.
Once Crossrail and Thameslink are fully open, it would surely be quicker to change at Farringdon.
- The fastest journey between Farringdon and Gatwick Airport is now 54 minutes.
- The Crossrail route calculator says that Reading to Farringdon will take 57 minutes.
So that means that at 111 minutes, surprisingly the London route is thirty five minutes slower and needs a change of train.
Note these further points about the North Downs route.
- A well-driven electric train like a 110 mph Class 387 train might even be able to do the journey a few minutes quicker than the current 76 minutes, if the line were to be electrified.
- It is my belief, that the current piecemeal nature of the third-rail electrification would enable a Class 387 IPEMU to run between Reading and Gatwick Airport, using the batteries as required.
- I don’t think the batteries would need charging at the end of the journey, as both ends of the route are electrified.
- The line has ten level crossings, which must speed the trains, if some were removed.
- There must be other track improvements.
- Class 387 trains have also been fitted with an Airport Express interior for Gatwick Express.
- Can an Airport Express be battery-powered? Engineers like me, would say yes, but Marketing Departments would be sceptical.
I believe that ultimately a Class 387 train or an IPEMU with a similar performance could do Reading to Gatwick Airport in an hour, without further electrification.
Is Cambridge University Being Pragmatic About The East West Rail Link?
I must admit, I was a bit surprised, when it was announced in this article in Global Rail News, that the East West Rail Link would go via Sandy between Bedford and Cambridge. This is said.
Network Rail has selected the Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge corridor as its preferred route for the Central Section of the East West Rail project.
The preferred route was chosen from 20 options and will now be developed further with a view to producing a ‘line on a map’ route in May.
They also show this map.
East West Rail Link
Various other articles suggest that the route will also be via Bourne Airfield and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
I have traced the old route of the Varsity Line and very little seems to have been built on the route of the old line. Much too, seems to be on flat Cambridgeshire farmland and farmers are usually easily persuaded by alternative and profitable land uses.
The big problem is the old line is used as the track for the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory‘s Ryle Telescope. I’ve heard several times from astronomers in Cambridge was that it is very important and it was the major reason, why the railway line couldn’t be rebuilt on the old track-bed.
I do wonder, if Cambridge University values a direct link to Oxford highly and that as the Ryle Telescope is getting quite old, that it is better value to move it to allow the railway to be built.
A Quick Look At The Route
I’m starting at the Cambridge end and going East, as that is the area I know better.
The Varsity Line In Cambridge
This Google Map shows how the old Varsity Line connected to Cambridge station.
The Varsity Line In Cambridge
Note how the M11 curves to the West of Cambridge. You will notice, that there is a sandy coloured line going West from the motorway, which starts at the second blue market by the kite-shaped field, that identifies the road on the map. This is the disused trackbed of the Varsity Line and after passing under the motorway, through some housing in a cutting and under another road, it turns North to join the main Cambridge to London Rail Line.
Cambridge station is in the North-East corner of the map.
Cambridge Station
This Google Map shows Cambridge station and the rail lines going South from the station.
Note how after going under the bridge at the South End of Cambridge station, the main rail line goes off in a southerly direction pass the sports ground and then under the A1134.
Branching off from this rail line and going slightly to the West, there appears to be a second rail line. This is the trackbed of the Varsity Line, which has been converted into the Cambridge Guided Busway.
Cambridge station is a very busy station and has recently been upgraded with a long pair of island platforms and it is going to get even busier with Cambridge North station opening soon and Thameslink services due to call in a few years time.
The opening of Cambridge North station, may ease access to Cambridge station, as those living in or to the North of Cambridge, will be able to use the second station.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital
I have believed for many years, that there needs to be a Cambridge South station at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. This is the view of many in Cambridge and the surrounding areas.
This Google Map shows Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the land to the West.
In addition to being a large general hospital, Addenbrooke’s is surrounded by major research institutions as the map shows.
It is generally sited to the East of the main railway line between Cambridge and London, which runs North-South down the map, with Cambridge station to the North and the junction where the Cambridge Line to Hitchin and the West Anglia Main Line divide just off the map to the South. The diagonal line to the South-West corner of the map, is the route of the Varsity Line, which has been partially reused for the Cambridge Guided Busway.
But there appears to be plenty of space to build a station for the hospital, which would be on both the main line and the East West Rail Link.
There is scope and space on this site to create a truly world-class station.
- It would serve the hospital.
- It would provide services on the West Anglia Main Line to London, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Kings Lynn and Stansted Airport.
- Thameslink would provide services to all parts of London and many places in the South like Gatwick Airport.
- The East West Rail Link would provide services to Bedford, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Oxford and Reading.
- Cross country services would call, but would passengers use the East West Rail Link and a change at Beford or Milton Keynes?
- Would the station be connected to Haverhill and Sudbury, by reopening the Stour Valley Railway? This would give Essex good access to the East West Rail Link.
I think that a truly bold station will take the pressure of the current Cambridge station, which is squeezed into the centre of the city.
The Mullard Observatory
The next section West of Cambridge and the M11 is currently the Mullard Observatory.
This Google Map shows the area.
Mullard Observatory
The telescopes seem to be clustered to the north of the track in a triangular grouping around the middle. They used to be strung out along the line. So perhaps, the astronomers don’t need it any more, as their research has moved in a different direction.
Bourne And Gamlingay
From the Observatory, the old line is more or less intact and it curves to the South of Bourne Golf Club and through the village of Gamlingay, which used to have a station. An industrial estate has been built on the trackbed.
A more northerly route could also be taken, if it was desired to have a station to serve Cambourne.
There is certainly a lot of open countryside and a couple of sizeable villages, that could benefit from a station.
Potton
The line then goes on to Potton, where this Google Map shows the village, which had a station.
Potton
The green scar of the line can be seen, as it curves around the North-West of the village. I wonder if York House was the station.
Sandy
After Potton, the line goes through the countryside to Sandy, where the old Varsity Line came alongside the East Coast Main Line through Sandy station, before crossing the main line.
This Google Map shows the area.
Sandy, The East Coast Main Line And The Varsity Line
Sandy station is towards the top of the map and you can just see how the old line curves around the headquarters of the RSPB.
One possibility in this area, is that there are proposals for a Sandy-Beeston by-pass on the A1, to remove a bottleneck. Surely, if the routes of the by-pass and the railway were considered together, planners might come up with a superior solution.
Bedford
The original route went via stations at Blunham, Willington and Bedford St. Johns and it still shows on the Google Map.
This Google Map shows the route as it joins the East West Rail Link at Bedford St. Johns station, which is on the Marston Vale Line, which is being incorporated into the East West Rail Link, to form the link between Bedford and Bletchley.
Bedford St Johns Station And The East West Rail Link
Note the green scar going between the bus garage (?) and the retail warehouses to the East. This was the old Varsity Line to Sandy.
If it were to be connected directly to the Marston Vale Line as it originally used to be, not all traffic would need to go to Bedford station.
Questions
I have some questions.
- How many of the old stations at Gamlingay, Potton, Blunham and Willington will be rebuilt?
- Will a more northerly alternative route from the Mullard Observatory to Sandy be better?
- Will there be a station at Sandy to link the East West Rail Link to the East Coast Main Line?
- Will a route be safeguarded to reopen the Stour Valley Line to Haverhill and Sudbury in the future?
Hopefully, these and other questions will be answered, when the definitive route is published.
Conclusions
After writing this, I’m surprised how much of the original line can be reinstated.
Certain factors have helped.
- The desire of Cambridge to have a station at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
- A change in direction of the research at the Mullard Observatory or a pragmatic attitude on the part of the University.
- The need to build a bypass on the A1 at Sandy and Beeston.
- The ability to thread the railway through Bedford to link up with the Marston Vale Line.
I doubt there’ll be too much demolition of domestic properties or opposition to the route.
I also think, it will be pretty easy to build, as there don’t appear to be many bridges and viaducts.
The West-Facing Bay Platforms At Reading Station
Reading station has three west-facing bay platforms, numbered 1, 2 and 3.
They are used as follows.
- Platforms 1 and 2 for local services to Basingstoke, Newbury and Bedwyn.
- Platform 3 for Cross Country reversing trains.
Whilst I was at Reading yesterday, a Cross Country train reversed in a higher numbered platform.
These are some pictures of the bay platforms.
The View From Above
The Layout Of Bay Platforms 1, 2 and 3 At Reading Station
Note that the electrification gantries are in place across the three tracks.
The Platforms From Ground Level
Platforms 1, 2 and 3 At Reading Station
Note how good the access is to the platforms. To the right of Platform 3, is platform 7, which is used for Down trains for the Berks and Hants route and for reversing Cross Country services.
So passengers arriving on a Cross Country train from say Manchester to Bournemouth or Newcastle to Southampton train on Platform 7 have these choices if they need to change trains.
- They could walk across from their train to a local service from platforms 1, 2 or 3.
- They could walk to the other end of the platform and get a local train from the east-facing platforms 4, 5 or 6.
- They could use lifts or escalators to cross the massive bridge to get a train on the Great Western Main Line to London or the West.
- They could also walk across to local services or in future, Crossrail to London.
And of course, they could walk out of the nearby station entrance and get a bus, taxi or their own transport.
Is there a station in the UK, where changing trains comes with so less hassle?
Ready For The Electrification
Looking Back At The Buffer End Of The Bay Platforms 1, 2 And 3 At Reading Station
Note that the gantries seem to have been designed into the station and are ready for the wires, with a nice secure steel plate to which to bolt them.
I can’t see the Heritage Taliban arguing about this design of catenery.
The Length Of The Platforms
Platform Length Of The Bay Platforms 1, 2 And 3 At Reading Station
Note the three-car diesel multiple unit in the platform. I haven’t measured the platform, but I think they are long enough for a five car Class 800 train.
Future Use Of The Bay Platforms
At I said earlier the three platforms are used for local services to Basingstoke, Newbury and Bedwyn and reversing Cross Country trains., but there are two major purposes for which the bay platforms might be used.
The Test Track for Class 800 Trains
When the electric track between Didcot and Reading has been energised, it will be used as a test track for the new Class 800 trains. This article from the Witney Gazette gives more details.
The first three trains are due to be shipped to the UK early next year to begin an extensive test programme, which will include high-speed running on the line between Didcot and Reading once the installation of overhead electric power cables is completed later next year.
Roger Ford in the April 2016 Edition of Modern Railways said this.
Energisation for test running is now scheduled for September this year.
So will one of the bay platforms be used to reverse the train?
I’ve no idea! But the showman in me, would certainly do it, just for the publicity it would generate!
On a serious side, tests could also be performed on the train/platform/passenger interfaces.
Charging Platforms for IPEMUs
Great Western Railway would probably want to get their Class 387 trains into revenue service as soon as possible.
In the September 2015 edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Class 387s Could Be Battery Powered. This is said.
Delivery as IPEMUs would allow EMUs to make use of as much wiring as is available (and batteries beyond) while electrification pushes ahead under the delayed scheme, and in the longer term would allow units to run on sections not yet authorised for electrification, such as Newbury to Bedwyn. The use of IPEMUs might also hasten the cascade of Class 16x units to the west of the franchise.
To run IPEMUs from Reading to Bedwyn or Basingstoke, would need them to be charged.
These bay platforms would be ideal for charging the trains and would mean that Basingstoke, Bedwyn and Newbury would get electric shuttles to Reading.
Conclusion
The team that designed Reading station, deserve a few gold stars.
Strings Of Class 171 Trains On Test
I took these photographs of four or possibly six of Southern Class 171 trains running in a long formation, just south of South Croydon station
These were probably the units from Scotrail, which are going to be working Southern’s diesel-operated services.
- London Bridge to Uckfield on the Oxted Line
- Hastings to Ashford on the Marshlink Line.
To use these Class 171 trains was the original plan, but I do wonder if these routes will be run using Class 387 IPEMUs.
On the other hand, their may be more important uses for the Class 387 trains, as I wrote about in Are The TOCs Arguing Over The Class 387 Trains?
Or the IPEMUs might not be ready yet?
Who knows?
But whatever happens, someone is going to get a string of Class 171 trains in Southern livery.
The Uckfield Branch Is Almost Ready For Longer Trains
These are some of the pictures, that I took on the Uckfield Branch of the Oxted Line.
I can’t believe that they’ve spent all this money, just to run an eight, ten or twelve car train formed by formations of Class 171 trains.
Increased Services To Uckfield
On my trip, the line seemed exceedingly busy for one with just a single service an hour. When coming back North, I was passed by a Class 171 train going South, somewhere South of Ashurst station, which prompted me to take the picture of the passing loop.
So it would seem that my observations, ehich also included the sight of a long string of Class 171 trains at South Croydon, could point to Southern testing or training drivers on the line, to see if they can operate a more frequent service to Uckfield. After all, if the service were to be every half-hour to Uckfield, logic says, this would generate more business. They’ve certainly got the capacity at Uckfield with a new station with a long twelve-car platform and a large car park, which is now free to all users at weekends.
There is also an electrified two trains an hour service from East Grinstead to Victoria, which calls at Oxted station. There is probably scope, if you get the service pattern right, to get a two trains per hour service from both Oxted Line termini that serves London Bridge, Victoria and Farringdon for Crossrail, either direct or with one very easy change.
An Uckfield To Oxted Shuttle
Could Southern be planning to link a two train per hour service from Oxted to Uckfield, with the East Grinstead trains, to effectively give passengers on the Uckfield Branch, a two train per hour service to London? Perhaps, they will be using an Oxted to Uckfield shuttle to fill in the gaps between the London trains, as I suspect there aren’t the paths available for all Uckfield trains to go to a London terminus.
There would just be an easy interchange at Oxted or East Croydon.
Timings could be adjusted so that.
- A Southbound Victoria to East Grinstead service would allow cross platform interchange to the Oxted to Uckfield shuttle.
- The Northbound East Grinstead to Victoria service would call at Oxted a couple of minutes after the shuttle arrived.
As Southern know the traffic numbers and passenger behaviour, I’m sure they’ll get the timings right.
The Bay Platform Puzzle At Oxted Station
On Sundays, the service on the Uckfield Branch is just a diesel shuttle between Oxted and Uckfield, with a same platform interchange to the East Grinstead to Victoria service at Hurst Green station.
So why have Network Rail electrified the bay platform at Oxted Station?
There are three possible reasons.
- Network Rail are just future-proofing the Uckfield Branch, so that if it is electrified, they can still run the Sunday shuttle.
- The East Grinstead branch is very busy at times and an East Grinstead to Oxted shuttle could be used to give passengers access to the less busy Uckfield services.
- There is the possibility, that the Oxted branch will be served by an IPEMU in the future. This platform is being prepared, so it can charge the train’s on-board energy storage.
With respect to reason three, Oxted to Uckfield would also be a very good test track for IPEMUs and driver training, especially as there is only one passenger train an hour in both directions.
Hopefully, the reason will become clearer when the May 2016 timetable changes are announced. Although, nothing is known at present!
Trains To Work The Uckfield Branch
In my view there are only two trains that could work the line.
- Class 171 trains in an appropriate formation and as I wrote in Strings Of Class 171 Trains On Test, they certainly have acquired enough of these trains.
- Electrostar trains with an IPEMU capability.
I’d always assumed that Electrostar IPEMUs would be based on Class 387 trains, as Southern run them on Thameslink and Gatwick Express. Porterbrook have also ordered twenty from Bombardier.
But after writing Are The TOCs Arguing Over The Class 387 Trains?, and getting a tip-off (Thank you! John!) , I took a look at the closely related Class 377 trains and wrote Will Southern Fit On-board Energy Storage To Class 377 Trains?
The Class 377 train is an interesting possibility for conversion to an IPEMU for use by Southern.
- Bombardier has said that it could convert other recently-built Electrostars to IPEMUs
- The trains have regenerative braking, but it is not always used according to this article on railway-technical.com.
- Southern have over two hundred Class 377 trains in various sub-types with three, four and five car sets.
- Class 377 trains already work the East Grinstead Branch of the Oxted Line.
Because of the issue of the wasting of regenerative braking energy, there could be a financial case to convert some or all of Southern’s Class 377 trains to IPEMUs, whether they are used as such or not!
A mixture of the diesels and IPEMUs would also be an alternative.
I’ll now look in detail at the three alternatives. For this analysis, I’m assuming that Southern will want to improve the service with these objectives.
- At least two trains per hour from Uckfield to Oxted.
- Passengers can travel to and from both London Bridge and Victoria from both branches of the Oxted Line, with an easy change.
- Longer trains to Uckfield.
- Improved numbers of passengers using the trains between the Oxted Line and London.
I’m certain, that Southern could also have the long term objective of becoming an electric train only company, with all the positive operational and marketing benefits that that will give them.
They may also want to show that there is a demand for more capacity from the area to London, so that they can push for a reopening of the Wealden Line to Lewes.
Class 171 Trains To Uckfield
This solution works, as it has been running for years and given that Southern will soon have more trains, twelve car platforms, improved stations and car parking on the branch, it is an option they could implement for the May 2016 timetable change.
Electrostar IPEMUs To Uckfield
There are two ways this could be done.
Electrostar IPEMUs could work the whole line from London Bridge to Uckfield, charging their batteries on the London Bridge to Oxted section of the route. This would mean that the change to access Victoria would not always be a simple one at Oxted. It could involve a platform change at East Croydon.
I think a better alternative would be for Electrostar IPEMUs to work the current hourly London Bridge to Uckfield service and use another Electrostar IPEMU to work a shuttle between Oxted and Uckfield to fill in the half-hours and provide two trains per hour. It would charge the batteries in the bay platform at Oxted. This would not need another path between Oxted and London Bridge.
There are issues that must be settled before Electrostar IPEMUs can run to Uckfield.
- The technology has been shown to work on a four-car Electrostar, but will it work on a two or three train formation?
- How do you recover a failed Electrostar IPEMU from the Uckfield Branch? Southern wouldn’t want one incident to ruin everything!
- Will IPEMUs be created from Class 387 trains or Class 377 trains? The latter trains already work the East Grinstead Branch.
Because of the problems with the availability of Class 387 trains, I suspect Class 377 trains could be converted.
But whatever train is used, there would be tremendous kudos for the company that ran the first successful battery trains in the UK.
A Mixture Of Class 171 And Electrostar IPEMUs To Uckfield
One of the problems of running an intensive train service, is what do you do when a train fails? Sod’s Law also states, it will always fail at the worst time, in the most difficult place on the network.
In other words, an IPEMU will one day, fail with a flat battery or some other IPEMU fault at Uckfield station. Another train or a Thunderbird locomotive will have to go in and pull the train out.
To facilitate this, all trains run by Southern have the same Dellner couplings. Wikipedia says this about the couplings, when highlighting the difference between Class 170 and Class 171 trains.
The Class 171 Turbostar is a type of diesel multiple unit (DMU) train built by Bombardier Transportation (previously ADtranz) at its Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, England, which is identical to the Class 170, except for the replacement of the BSI (Bergische Stahl Industrie) coupler with a Dellner coupling. This provision was made to allow emergency joining with Class 377 DC third-rail electric units.
Remember that some of Southern’s Class 171 trains have been converted from Scotrail’s Class 170 trains.
As a Class 377 train is an Electrostar train, it would appear that a Class 171 train could easily rescue a stalled Electrostar IPEMU or vice-versa.
So could a conservative and safety-first approach, see an hourly London Bridge to Uckfield service worked by Class 171 trains, with a shuttle from Uckfield to Oxted run by a Electrostar IPEMU?
The East Grinstead Branch
The East Grinstead Branch of the Oxted Line has a two trains per hour service to Victoria worked by Class 377 trains.
Would there be any benefits on running Class 377 trains with an IPEMU capability on this line?
- If identical trains worked the Uckfield Branch, there must surely be operational advantages and benefits in the training of drivers and other staff.
- If the Oxted line is one of those with a poor power system, then there would be cost savings on electricity.
It would not appear that there are other connections, that can use the IPEMU capabilities of the trains, except fantasy ones, like running down the Bluebell Line to Sheffield Park.
Conclusion
I believe we could see an improved service to Uckfield with the May 2016 timetable change.
I think that the service will still be run initially by Class 171 diesel multiple units, but that when they are available, Electrostar IPEMUs could be tried out on the Uckfield Branch possibly as a shuttle between Oxted and Uckfield.
As passenger numbers increase and IPEMU reliability and acceptance is proven, I suspect that this line could be one of the first in the UK to be run solely by IPEMUs.
Electrification At Didcot Parkway – 29th March 2016
On the 25th of March, I wrote Electrifying Didcot Parkway, after I passed through Didcot Parkway station on the way to Oxford.
Yesterday, as I passed through on the way to Bath, I took this picture of the forest of masts at the station.
A Forest Of Masts At Didcot Parkway
It does appear to me, that more have gone up over Easter, but because WordPress doesn’t let me look at galleries, I can’t be sure.
I also took this picture looking towards Oxford.
Masts Marching Towards Oxford
It would appear that the electrification is going to go at least as far as Didcot North Junction, where the West Curve from the direction of Swindon joins the Cherwell Valley Line. This schematic was clipped from Wikipedia.
Didcot To Oxford On The Cherwell Valley Line
And this is a Google Map of the same area.
Didcot To Oxford
I estimate that from Didcot North Junction to Oxford station is about ten or twelve miles.
This would mean that if an IPEMU could reach Didcot Parkway station using overhead electrification, it could undoubtedly reach Oxford and then get back to Didcot.
Between Reading and Didcot, it would appear that the wires are going up.
Wires Between Reading And Didcot
This picture shows the wires over the two slow or relief lines.
How Long Would An IPEMU Take From St. Leonard’s To St. Pancras International?
If an IPEMU is going to be used between St. Leonard’s and St. Pancras International station, there are two possibilities.
- A 110 mph IPEMU based on existing Class 387 trains.
- A 125 mph IPEMU based on a purpose-built Aventra. Ian Walmsley stated in the April 2016 Edition of Modern Railways that a 125 mph Aventra is possible.
This compares with the 143 mph and 100 mph speeds of a Class 395 train on high speed and classic lines respectively.
For this estimate, I will make the following assumptions.
- St. Leonards takes four minutes longer than Hastings.
- The baseline time from St. Pancras to Ashford is 38 minutes in a Class 395 train.
- Times on the high speed section are in proportion to the train speed.
- The baseline time from St. Leonard’s to Ashford is 46 minutes in a Class 171 train.
- All trains on the unelectrified section are limited to 100 mph.
Times From St.Leonards to Ashford
The Class 171 train takes 46 minutes, but it is only a benchmark, as few would go to Ashford and then get on a Class 395 train on High Speed 1.
The Class 395 train and the IPEMUs would be quicker as they would save a couple of minutes at each of the typical five stops, because of their faster acceleration.
Two minutes a stop would save ten minutes.
Times From Ashford to St. Pancras
Doing a simple calculation based on train speed gives the following times.
- Class 395 train – 38 minutes
- Class 387 IPEMU – 48 minutes
- Aventra IPEMU – 43 minutes.
Times from St. Leonards to St. Pancras
Adding the two times together gives.
- Class 395 train – 74 minutes
- Class 387 IPEMU – 84 minutes
- Aventra IPEMU – 79 minutes.
With Hastings it will be four minutes less.
In Wikipedia, there is a section called Future for the entry for the Marshlink Line. This is said.
The line is strategically important, as electrification and junction improvements would mean that High Speed 1 trains could travel directly from St Pancras International to Hastings. Amber Rudd, Member of Parliament for Hastings, has campaigned for electrification works to start by 2017. The aim is to reduce times to London from Hastings to 68 minutes, and from Rye to under an hour. This would require remodelling Ashford International station so the existing Marshlink line could connect to HS1, installing power systems, and adding a passing loop at Rye, all in addition to requiring new trains.
I think that the aim of 68 minutes from London to Hastings is a modest one, but as my crude estimate was only six minutes longer, I think the 68 minutes is totally attainable, especially as my times from St. Leonards to Ashford are just based on current timings and taking off a couple of minutes for each stop.
But if the Marshlink Line could be significantly improved, then time reductions of several minutes could well be achieved.
The Anonymous Widower 