The Anonymous Widower

Battery Wagons To Lower Mining Railway Emissions

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

These two paragraphs introduce the concept of the wagons.

Intramotev is to supply three ReVolt battery wagons to enable regenerative braking on a industrial railway.

The battery and automation technology company said this would be the first deployment of self-propelled battery-electric wagons in a traditional freight train, with regenerative braking and battery technology used to reduce locomotive diesel consumption and thus costs and emissions.

It may seem an unusual concept, but it’s one of those ideas, where if the maths and the costs stack up, it will work.

Intramotev’s web site gives more details on their Product & Technology page, where this is said.

Combining the low energy usage of steel wheels on steel rails with the efficiency of electric drivetrains to create the most energy-efficiency overland transport.

This article on electrek is entitled A Company Is Developing Self-Propelled, Battery-Electric Railcars You Can Control With Your Phone has two paragraphs, which describe their two current products.

In a few short years, the company has been able to develop unique freight solutions using software and battery-electric propulsion technology. This includes the TugVolt battery electric railcar (seen above and below), which can decouple from the consist (the group of railcars as a whole) and operate independently for first and last mile legs.

The company has also developed a ReVolt railcar that can be positioned to stay within the train’s consist and capture energy using regenerative braking to reduce diesel consumption from the line’s locomotive.

As a Control Engineer, I feel strongly, that this technology would work very well in the UK.

 

 

June 14, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 5 Comments

East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

A new £5bn railway line connecting Cambridge and Oxford will transform much of the area between the two university cities. It could see one Bedfordshire village grow from a population of about 600 to more than 44,000. What would that change mean for people living there and how do they feel about it?

This Google Map shows the village.

Note.

  1. On the West side of the map there is the Great North Road and the Great Ouse.
  2. On the East side of the Map, there is the electrified East Coast Main Line.
  3. The  village is strung along the East-West lane in the middle of the map, which is inevitably named Station Road.

It appears to have a surgery, a playing field and a Methodist church, but not much else.

I have some thoughts.

Bedford And Tempsford

This Google Map shows Bedford and Tempsford.

Note.

  1. Bedford is in the South-West corner of the map.
  2. Tempsford is in the North-East corner of the map.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the East West Railway take an East West route to Tempsford, that skirted to the North of Bedford.

In East-West Rail: Through Bedford, I discuss how the East West Railway could branch away to the East from the Midland Main Line.

Tempsford And Cambourne

The next station to the East is Cambourne station.

This Google Map shows Tempsford and Cambourne.

Note.

  1. Tempsford is in the South-West corner of the map.
  2. Cambourne is in the North-East corner of the map.
  3. St. Neots station can be picked out on the Northern edge of the map.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see the East West Railway take a North-Easterly route from Tempsford.

The Possible Station Site At Tempsford

This Google Map shows where Station Road crosses the East Coast Main Line.

Note.

  1. There are a few industrial businesses on what was probably the old station site.
  2. There doesn’t appear to be any housing.

I flew my virtual helicopter lower and took this image.

Note.

  1. It is a level crossing.
  2. There is a car waiting to cross on the Eastern side.
  3. There is also a bus stop on the Western side.

This must be an accident waiting to happen as the speed limit on the trains through here is 125 mph. Remember Upton Nervet, where seven were killed and sixty-six were injured!

Hopefully, the new design of Tempsford station will incorporate a combined rail and road bridge or tunnel.

The Route Of The Railway At Tempsford

I think it is more likely that the railway would go roughly East-West to the North of Station Road.

 

June 14, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Tevva And ZF Develop A 4x More Efficient Regen Braking System

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International.

This is the first paragraph.

British electric vehicle manufacturer Tevva has successfully completed development of the regenerative braking system on its 7.5t battery-electric truck. Part of this involved working with global Tier 1 supplier ZF to integrate its electronic brake system (EBS) for use in zero-emission Tevva electric trucks.

I like what I read about Tevva and I suspect, if I still had horses, one of their trucks would make an ideal chassis for a non-HGV horse box.

June 13, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 1 Comment

Worcester – 11th June 2023

On Sunday, I took a train to Worcester Foregate Street station and then walked across the City Centre to the other station; Worcester Shrub Hill station.

I took these pictures of Worcester Foregate Street station.

Note.

  1. There are no lifts.
  2. It had one of the worst set of stairs, I’d seen in a station.
  3. Wikipedia doesn’t list any improvements to the station in the future.

The station is an utter disgrace.

I took these pictures, as I walked between the two stations.

 

Note.

  1. It was not a particularly long walk.
  2. The last section was up a steep hill.
  3. There was virtually no signage.
  4. The roads were dominated by private cars.
  5. I didn’t see a sign to the cathedral or the bus station.
  6. There was even a crude handrail on the pavement to help people up the hill.
  7. The only good thing I saw was a defibrillator half-way up the hill, which was where you might need it.

No-one in their right mind would spend a few days in Worcester, unless they drove a car. In which case, it would probably be better to stay in a friendlier nearby town.

I took these pictures of Worcester Shrub Hill station.

Note.

  1. There is no sign outside to indicate it’s a station.
  2. There are no lifts to get across the tracks.
  3. Both clocks are showing the wrong time.
  4. The station needs a deep clean.
  5. Wikipedia doesn’t list any improvements to the station in the future.

The only thing in good condition was the Victorian waiting room. But it was locked.

Conclusion

Worcester is not a town, I could recommend for anything.

It has two dreadful, disabled-unfriendly stations, no working signage or maps and is dominated by private cars.

I also would have liked some refreshment, as I walked across the City. I didn’t see anything I fancied, but that often happens when you’re coeliac.

June 13, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 2 Comments

A Fraught Journey Between Worcester Shrub Hill And Reading Stations

My train home from Worcester Shrub Hill station didn’t make the most impressive of starts to my journey back to Reading.

  • The five-car train was supposed to leave at 15:15.
  • It was also supposed to arrive in Reading at 16:58.
  • But the relief driver was delayed.

Eventually, we left at 15:31.

The train didn’t appear to be running at full speed and around Moreton-in-Marsh, staff started distributing water, which in my view is always a sign that all is not well.

I measured the temperature and humidity at 26.7 °C and 40% respectively, so the water was welcome.

I asked one of the staff what was up and was informed, that two of the engines were overheating because of the heat, so were we effectively running on the remaining cool engine?

Eventually, we were informed that the train would terminate at Charlbury station, where we would all be picked up by the following train, which would have nine cars.

After Charlbury, things didn’t get much better.

  • The rescue train eventually left Charlbury at 17:38, which was twenty-six minutes late.
  • The train wasn’t full and I had a table to myself, but after Oxford, there wasn’t a seat anywhere.
  • We missed out the stop at Didcot Parkway station because of flooding, caused because of a violent thunder storm.
  • The rescue train didn’t even make Paddington and it was terminated short in the bi-directional Platform 7 at Reading, because of an unwell passenger.

Eventually, when I arrived in Reading station at 18:55, the rescue train was fifty-five minutes late.

As my original train, should have arrived at 16:58, I was actually, three minutes short of two hours late.

By the time, I got to Platform 14 for the 16:59 Elizabeth Line train to Central London, it had gone, so I had another thirty minute wait.

I finally arrived home at 21:00, after a nearly 5¾ hour journey.

I have a few thoughts.

Changing At Reading

Part of the reason, that I missed my Elizabeth Line train, was that the escalators to Platform 14 were out of action and I had to wait for the lift, as I don’t trust myself going down stairs.

I have said before that if you need a ticket in your change a Reading, there should be a ticket machine on the bridge.

As Reading station is managed by Network Rail, perhaps, they should examine the operation of the station with a good dose of old-fashioned time and motion in more detail.

The Elizabeth Line Frequency To London

The Elizabeth Line only runs two trains per hour (tph) between London and Reading.

This may be fine when everything is going well, but on days like Sunday, when trains aren’t performing well and the weather is not behaving itself, would four tph be better?

Perhaps, the two extra trains would run between Reading and Abbey Wood, and only stop at say Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Ealing Broadway, Old Oak Common, Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich.

Great Western Railway Trains Between Oxford, Reading and Didcot Parkway and London

The three terminals get the following services to and from London

  • Didcot Parkway – 4 tph
  • Oxford – 4 tph
  • Reading – 11½ tph – 8½ fast and 3 slow

Consider these questions.

  • How many travellers between Didcot Parkway, Oxford and Reading and Paddington, now use the Elizabeth Line for onward travel from Paddington?
  • How many of the endless visitors to Oxford start their journey on the Elizabeth Line?
  • How many visitors to Oxford combine a trip with one to Bicester Village?
  • How many travelling by train between Oxford and Cambridge will use part of the Elizabeth Line for the journey?
  • Is it fair, that Cambridge is connected to four London rail terminals; King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge and St. Pancras and Oxford is connected to just two; Marylebone and Paddington?

I suspect there’s considerable scope to reorganise services between the three stations and London to provide a better service.

GWR’s Paddington and Didcot Parkway service, which has a frequency of two tph,  could be moved to the Elizabeth Line and possibly extended to Oxford, once Didcot Parkway and Oxford is electrified.

This would give.

  • Didcot Parkway would have  two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line with all its connectivity and delights.
  • Oxford would have  two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line.
  • Reading will have a much-needed Elizabeth Line frequency of four tph.

Note.

  1. Terminating the Elizabeth Line at Oxford, means that there are services connecting Oxford and Cambridge, with a single change at either Farringdon or Liverpool Street.
  2. Oxford would also get one change connectivity to Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.
  3. The slow lines between Oxford and Maidenhead typically have operating speeds of 90-100 mph. So if the Class 345 trains on the Elizabeth Line and the track were upgraded to 100 mph, this might save a few minutes in the outer reaches of the Elizabeth Line.
  4. The Elizabeth Line could terminate in one or two South-facing bay platforms on the East side of the station. This position would reduce passenger traffic on the crowded footbridge.
  5. If all the bay platforms were on the same East side of the station, this would simplify and ease passenger flows.
  6. Chiltern and East West Railway services could be timed for an easy interchange.
  7. The proposed Cowley Branch could also use the South-facing bay platforms.

The more I look at it, the more I like the idea of running the Elizabeth Line to Oxford.

The Heat Problem On The Class 800 Trains

The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 trains has this paragraph on the overheating of the engines or generator units (GUs) on the trains.

The GU is installed on vibration-isolating mountings, and fitted with side-mounted cowls to reduce external noise. Heat management measures include thermal insulation around key areas such as cable ducts. According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs is responsible for them being prone to overheating. It claimed that, on one day in summer 2018, “half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating”.

That was in 2018, which was five years ago. But it appears to be still happening.

Would Overheating Happen With Battery Units?

One of the reasons, I went to Worcester was to assess the feasibility of battery-electric trains on the route.

This article from EV-Lectron is entitled Electric Cars in Hot Weather – What You Need To Know, gives a detailed set of answers.

But it probably comes to the conclusion, that cold weather with the extra heating load might be more of the problem.

I suspect, that if you were running battery electric trains on a route of over fifty miles, the best thing would be to have electrification at both ends of the route.

If, as I have calculated in Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023, that to run battery-electric trains to Hereford needs a length of electrification between Worcester Shrub Hill and Great Malvern stations, then when they leave the electrification, they should have the interiors at the right temperature for staff and passengers.

I also suspect that battery-electric trains need to be well insulated to cope better with cold weather.

 

June 13, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023

Yesterday, after breakfast on Moorgate, I went for an explore at the Western end of the Elizabeth Line.

My aim was to change at Reading for Oxford and then have a bit of an explore in the University City.

These are my observations and thoughts.

Changing Trains At Reading

There are two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Reading station, but at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, there is no way of buying a ticket, that would get me between Reading and Oxford. To make things more complicated, I needed to be quick with my change at Reading, as I only had a few minutes before the next Oxford train left Reading.

In the end I had to leave Reading station and walk across the concourse in front of the station.

O then bought a ticket in a machine and then re-entered the station.

Great Western Railway can do better.

In Germany, there would be a ticket machine inside the barriers for those changing trains. But we never do that!

In the end, I missed my train and had to wait thirty minutes for a very crowded London Paddington to Oxford train.

Electrification At Oxford

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the planned electrification at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The four through lines are shown in dotted red-and-black, which indicates, that they will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  2. The proposed electrification continues all the way to Didcot Parkway station on the map.
  3. The two black tracks are the unelectrified platforms for Chiltern and East West Railway services.

But the proposed electrification stops just outside the station. Why?

Great Western Railway Services Beyond Oxford

Great Western Railway run an hourly service to Great Malvern, which according to Wikipedia terminates as follows.

  • 4 trains per day continue to Hereford calling at Colwall and Ledbury.
  • 1 train per day terminates at Worcester Shrub Hill.
  • 4 trains per day terminate at Worcester Foregate Street.

So what are the distances of these stations from Oxford?

  • Great Malvern – 65.6 miles
  • Hereford – 86.3 miles
  • Worcester Foregate Street – 57.6 miles
  • Worcester Shrub Hill – 57.2 miles

I suspect that one version of the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is shown in the infographic below

could handle all these distances.

After the Oxford and Didcot Parkway electrification is complete, trains will arrive at Oxford station with a full battery.

But how would the batteries be recharged for the journey back to Oxford?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks at Worcester.

Note.

  1. Trains to and from Oxford, use the tracks in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Trains to and from Birmingham, use the tracks in the North -East corner of the map.
  3. Trains to and from Great Malvern and Hereford, use the tracks in the South-West corner of the map.

I suspect that some selective electrification would be able to charge the trains.

Trains take around twenty minutes to go between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill via Worcester Foregate Street.

Electrifying this 8.5 mile section would surely enable the following.

  • Trains to leave Worcester Shrub Hill for Oxford with a full battery.
  • Trains to leave Great Malvern for Hereford with a full battery.
  • As Hereford and Great Malvern are only 20.7 miles apart, I suspect a return trip without a recharge is possible.
  • Trains terminating at Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street to be fully recharged before travelling back to Oxford.

Other services to and from the Worcester stations could also be run by battery-electric trains.

As Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford stations are only 57.2 miles and well within the capabilities of most battery-electric trains, there would be no need to electrify the route.

I may of course, be wrong about the length and position of the electrification at Worcester, but this could be just one of many solutions using partial electrification.

Does this explain the stopping of the proposed electrification at Oxford?

In addition, there must be marketing opportunities in running a battery-electric service to Hereford and Worcester.

The Bay Platforms At Oxford Station

These pictures show the two North facing bay platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The platforms are not electrified.
  2. They appear to be easily updated with electrification to be able to charge Chiltern and East West Railway trains.
  3. Marylebone is only 66.7 miles from Oxford.
  4. Milton Keynes Central is just over 40 miles from Oxford.
  5. Bedford is just under 60 miles from Oxford.

I suspect that services from Oxford to Bedford, Marylebone and Milton Keynes can all be run by battery-electric trains.

 

 

June 11, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Battery-Electric Trains On The Henley Branch

As I keep mentioning battery-electric trains on the Henley branch line and I was in the area today, I thought I’d pop in and take a trip to Henley-on-Thames station.

These are my thoughts about the Henley branch line.

The Branch Line Was Busy

The two-car Class 165 train coped with the traffic today, but I suspect that on some days more capacity is needed.

The Branch Line Is Only 4.6 Miles Long

Battery-electric trains of a length of three- or four-cars are typically showing battery ranges of upwards of fifty miles, so I am fairly certain, that several battery-electric trains could handle the route, with charging at Twyford station.

  • Conversions of Class 321, Class 379 and Class 387 trains would probably be possibilities.
  • The Class 379 and Class 387 have a very handy 110 mph operating speed.
  • Alstom, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens could probably offer new trains.
  • All are four-car trains.

Because of the length of the branch, I doubt there wouldn’t need to be any infrastructure changes at Henley-on-Thames station.

Charging A Train In Platform 5 At Twyford Station

These pictures show the Class 165 train, that worked the branch in Platform 5 at Twyford station.

Note.

  1. The two-car Class 165 train in the station is 46.50 metres long.
  2. I suspect that a three-car or even four-car train, that would be eighty metres long, could be accommodated in the platform.
  3. The last picture shows a Class 387 train in the adjoining electrified Platform 4 in Twyford station.

It looks to me, that installing a three-car length of overhead electrification in the bay platform would not be the most challenging of projects.

Longer Trains To Henley-on-Thames

The Wikipedia entry for the Henley branch line says this about services.

The current (2022) passenger train service pattern on the line provides trains at about 30 minute intervals off peak. The first train out from Henley is at 06:05 and the last train back at 00:18. The Saturday service is also half-hourly until around 20:15, after which a largely hourly service is operated. This is also the case with the Sunday service, with half-hourly services until 19:15.

Additional services are provided during Henley Regatta at the beginning of July, with longer trains. All services are operated by Great Western Railway (GWR), using Class 165 and 166 Turbo diesel multiple units. Upon completion of electrification, Class 387 trains will be used, while the Turbos will be displaced to other parts of the GWR network.

The map from OpenRailwayMap shows the platform and track layout at Henley-on-Thames station.

Note.

  1. The Henley branch line is shown in yellow.
  2. The scale in the bottom-left corner of the map.
  3. I would estimate that the platform is around 200 metres long, which means it will take an eight-car train.

The second map from OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at Twyford station.

Note.

  1. Both maps are to the same scale.
  2. The Henley branch line is shown in yellow.
  3. The slow lines of the Great Western Main Line are shown in orange.
  4. The fast lines of the Great Western Main Line are shown in red.

There is a cross-over between the two slow lines to allow trains from London to access the branch line.

It looks to me, that the line will be fully-electrified or battery-electric trains could be used.

Ticketing

I can get to Twyford by using my Freedom Pass on the Elizabeth Line, like probably a large number of those over sixty, who live in London.

I had started my journey at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, where there is no ticket office or machine capable of selling an extension ticket.

In the end, I bought my ticket for the branch in the ticket office, but you can buy tickets on the train.

Transport for London and Great Western Railway can do better.

 

June 10, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 8 Comments

Polish Hydrogen Locomotive Becomes First In World To Get Approval

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on TVP World.

This is the sub-heading.

The Polish company PESA has received approval to operate its first hydrogen locomotive. As the company boasts, this is the first such approval in the world.

These three paragraphs describe the design and performance of the locomotive.

The approved locomotive is equipped with a zero-emission hydrogen drive. PESA Bydgoszcz SA has been working on such a vehicle for a few recent years.

It is powered by four engines with a power of 180 kW each. Energy for them is provided by two hydrogen cells, with a power of 85 kW, manufactured by Ballard.This is a system that generates electrical voltage through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen from the atmosphere.

The hydrogen itself is drawn from tanks with a total capacity of 175kg. One refueling is sufficient for 24 hours of continuous operation.

It sounds a very useful locomotive.

June 9, 2023 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Trains Back On Track After Repairs To Unsafe Nuneham Viaduct

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Rail services between Didcot and Oxford have resumed after a two-month line closure caused by an unsafe viaduct.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Services had been expected to resume on Saturday but the first passenger train ran on the line earlier.

Nuneham Viaduct, which crosses the River Thames near Abingdon, was declared unsafe on 3 April.

It looks like it was a job well done.

June 9, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 2 Comments

More Trains To Carmarthen

The last time, I looked at the number of GWR trains to Carmarthen its Wikipedia entry, it was just a couple.

Today, one train per hour (tph) is shown between London Paddington and Swansea, with this supplementary information.

  • 7 trains per day continue to Carmarthen, calling at Gowerton (limited), Llanelli, Pembrey & Burry Port, Kidwelly (limited) and Ferryside (limited)
  • On Summer Saturdays, 2 trains per day run to Pembroke Dock, calling at all stations between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock

In Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington, I talked about the plans of Grand Union Trains to run five trains per day (tpd) between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This would appear to give a total of twelve tpd between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This page on the Crown Estate web site is entitled Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind, where this is said.

The Government has set an ambition to deliver up to 5GW of floating wind by 2030, with rapid expansion anticipated thereafter.

At The Crown Estate, we are committed to helping the UK achieve its net zero ambitions. To support this, we are excited to deliver a new leasing opportunity in the Celtic Sea for the first generation of commercial-scale floating offshore windfarms – unlocking up to 4GW of new clean energy capacity by 2035, kick-starting industry in the region, and providing power to almost four million homes.

We will be inviting full commercial scale projects up to 1GW, which may be developed in a phased or ‘stepping stone’ approach. Recognising the need to develop the UK supply chain and supporting infrastructure for this nascent technology, this approach is deliberately intended to provide opportunities for growth and investment. This will also facilitate the co-ordination of the necessary infrastructure, such as ports and grid connections, all of which are key to the sustainable development of the UK floating wind sector over the long term.

This leasing opportunity will provide the foundation for greater capacity in the future and help establish an exciting new industrial sector for the UK, creating opportunities for significant new investment in jobs, skills and infrastructure for the communities onshore.

It appears to me, that Great Western Railway and Grand Union Trains both believe that there will be large increase in demand for rail travel between London Paddington and Carmarthen and also along the South Wales Coast.

Grand Union Trains are also proposing the building of a new parkway station at Parc Felindre North of Swansea.

But then this area of South Wales and the Celtic Sea, has the four things needed for the development of up to 5 GW of offshore wind; a lot of wind, a large area of empty sea, steel and deep water ports to assemble all the floating wind turbines.

A Zero-Carbon High Speed Railway Between London Paddington And Carmarthen

Consider.

  • The Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Carmarthen is 222.5 miles and trains take around three hours and fifty minutes, which is an average speed of 58 mph.
  • Between Bristol Parkway and Reading stations, the operating speed is 125 mph.
  • In South Wales, the operating speed is generally between 70 and 100 mph.
  • Only the 77.4 miles between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Swansea is not electrified.

There is probably scope to increase the operating speed using digital signalling and by improving the track.

I would suspect that a time between London Paddington and Carmarthen of under three-and-a-half hours is possible.

The Range Of Battery-Electric Trains

Hitachi have not been specific about the zero-carbon range of their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.

In Stadler FLIRT Akku Battery Train Demonstrates 185km Range, I talk about Stadler’s record-braking Battery-electric; Akku, which covered 185 km or 115 miles.

I suspect that Hitachi’s engineers  and those at their battery suppliers; Turntide Technology will be ultra-competitive, so I wouldn’t be surprised that the zero-carbon range of the Hitachi train is very competitive to the Stadler FLIRT Akku.

A hundred mile range would allow electric services to be run on these routes.

  • Cardiff and Carmarthen – 77.4 miles
  • Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads and return – 48.8 miles
  • Chippenham and Bristol Western-super-Mare and return – 86.9 miles
  • Swindon and Cheltenham Spa and return – 86.5 miles
  • East Coast Main Line and Hull and return – 72.2 miles
  • Plymouth and Penzance – 79.5 miles
  • Taunton and Newbury – 89.6 miles
  • York and Scarborough and return – 84.1 miles

I am fairly sure that Hitachi will aim for at least a hundred mile battery range for their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

  1. This would be competitive with other train manufacturers like Stadler and Siemens.
  2. They would handle a lot of important routes.
  3. With development they could probably handle Edinburgh and Inverness.

I can’t wait to have a ride.

June 8, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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