What Are The Benefits Of Being Coeliac?
When I was diagnosed as coeliac by Addenbrooke’s Hospital in the 1990s, Artificial Intelligence didn’t widely exist, so I thought I’d ask Google AI, the question in the title of this post.
I received this reply.
While coeliac disease is a serious lifelong autoimmune condition, receiving a formal diagnosis and adapting to the lifestyle brings several unexpected secondary health, lifestyle, and practical benefits.
Health Improvements
Restored gut health: Eliminating gluten stops autoimmune attacks, letting your small intestine heal completely.
Increased energy: Improved nutrient absorption reverses chronic fatigue and malnourishment.
Reduced long-term risks: Strict adherence lowers your chances of developing osteoporosis, anemia, or other autoimmune conditions.
No medication needed: The primary treatment relies entirely on dietary changes, avoiding pharmaceuticals or surgeries.
Lifestyle & Nutritional Perks
Whole-food nutrition: Avoiding processed gluten foods naturally steers you toward fresh meats, fish, fruit, and vegetables.
Culinary exploration: You are introduced to naturally gluten-free alternative grains like quinoa, teff, and buckwheat.
Diverse cuisines: Finding safe meals encourages trying diverse food traditions such as authentic Thai, Indian, or Persian cuisines.
Intentional eating: Reading ingredient labels raises your awareness of hidden sugars, fats, and additives.
Home cooking: Missing out on standard fast-food joints builds confidence in cooking high-quality meals from scratch.
Practical & Community Advantages
Financial assistance: Depending on your location, such as the UK, you may qualify for gluten-free staples like bread on prescription. In other regions, you might be eligible for medical tax deductions.
Family health awareness: Because it is a hereditary condition, your diagnosis helps first-degree relatives get tested and treated early.
Built-in community: Patient support organizations like Coeliac UK provide robust networks, meal apps, and peer guidance.
Decisive ordering: Minimal gluten-free choices at restaurants eliminates general decision fatigue when browsing large menus.
The only thing, I might add is that according to the University of Nottingham, has shown, that because of their enhanced immune system, coeliacs have a lower cancer rate than the general population.
Ukraine Is Turning The Tide Against Putin. What Happens Next Should Terrify Europe
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Telegraph.
This is the sub-heading.
A ceasefire in Ukraine would not demobilise the Russian army… It would release ex-convicts.
This is the first paragraph.
Whisper it quietly, but the tide may be turning in the war in Ukraine. Yet what comes next should worry us all.
The article is by a Lib-Dem MP; Mike Martin and it paints a frightening picture of the future.
Council Says ‘No’ To East West Rail Demolitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A council has strengthened its opposition to houses being demolished to make way for a huge railway project.
These three parargraphs add more details to the story.
Bedford Borough Council said any demolitions for the East West Rail line, from Oxford to Cambridge, would be “unacceptable”.
The Conservative-led authority’s response to the latest consultation on the project, external was finalised at a meeting on Wednesday.
The East West Railway Company (EWRC) said the demolitions were necessary to speed up construction time.
In February, I wrote Delays To Opening Makes Station A ‘Laughing Stock’ and if Winsford station was a laughing stock then, it now appears that the whole East West Rail Line, is one gigantic omnistambles.
In the linked post, I said this.
My feeling is that this project has been badly affected by too many adverse factors.
- A lack of overall leadership at the top of the project.
- Too many changes of Government in the UK.
- Are all these governments committed to the project?
- No Overall Control In Bedford Council
- The uncertainty about the Aylesbury Spur, which I wrote about in East-West Rail: Aylesbury Spur.
- The inability to reach a sensible compromise on route through Bedford, with the large number of Nimbys in the area.
- I used to live near Newmarket and their ideas for the town will arise the anger of the horse-racing industry.
- The theme-park I wrote about in ‘Rollercoasters In My Back Yard’: Welcome To Universal Studios Bedford, hasn’t exactly helped.
- Stories like East West Rail: Could A New Rail Link ‘Tear Apart’ A Village?, don’t help.
The planning for East West Rail hasn’t been good.
I can see Universal Studios Bedford with the backing of Donald Trump, suing Bedford Council for all the money they’ve wasted.
How Far Will A Class 897 Train Travel Without Using The Electrification?
I have not seen this question answered, so out of curiosity, I asked Google AI and received this answer.
LNER’s upcoming Class 897 “tri-mode” trains are designed to travel approximately 120 miles (around 193 km) on battery power alone when not using 25 kV overhead electrification. These 10-car Civity UK trains, ordered from CAF, are expected to operate on electric, diesel, or battery, with the latter used for sustainable, emission-free, quiet running near stations and on non-electrified sections.
Key details regarding the Class 897, as highlighted by LNER’s announcement and related news, include:
Operational Capability: They are designated as tri-mode, capable of running on 25 kV AC overhead electric, onboard battery power, or diesel.
Intended Usage: The battery power is primarily intended for use on the approach to and departure from stations.
Range: The batteries are reported to offer a range of roughly 120 miles.
Introduction: The units are expected to be delivered from 2027 to serve the East Coast Main Line.
Branding: The trains will operate under the new Great British Railways (GBR) branding.
Most of the information used by Google AI came from an article in Railway Gazette International in early 2026.
It certainly looks like Great British Railways will have at least one 125 mph, 120 mile range express away from the wires.
I also asked Google”Do Hitachi Battery Electric InterCity Trains Have Problems?” and received this answer.
While Hitachi’s battery-powered intercity trains have shown promising results in trials, particularly regarding fuel savings and emissions reduction, there are some potential challenges and considerations. These include safety concerns related to lithium battery fires, especially in the event of a crash or derailment, as well as range limitations for longer journeys. However, the technology is continuously evolving, and Hitachi is actively working to address these issues.
That seems fairly positive.
There is also this article on the BBC, which everybody should read, which is entitled Will New Battery-Powered Trains Replace Diesel, And Are They Safe?.
In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I look at the data sheet, that Hitachi published in late 2023.
These were my conclusions about the data sheet.
These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.
- The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
- A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
- The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
- The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.
As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.
Hitachi have seen my figures.
They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.
It looks like Great British Railways will have at least two 125 mph, 120 mile range express trains away from the wires.
125 mph trains with a 120 mile range on batteries, will revolutionise UK train travel.
LNER’s Class 897 Trains
In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said about LNER’s new ten CAF tri-mode trains.
In November 2023, LNER placed an order for 10 ten-car tri-mode (electric, diesel and battery power) Civity trains from CAF. In August 2024, it was announced that the units will be designated Class 897 under TOPS.
According to their Wikipedia entry, it appears the Class 897 trains will be delivered from 2027.
Can I Build A Schedule For The Introduction Of New Trains, Services and Batteries?
I think that I can from the information that is out there.
- East Coast Main Line – December 2025 – Introduction of Lumo between London King’s Cross and Glasgow
- West Coast Main Line – Spring 2026 – Introduction of Lumo between London Euston and Stirling
- Midland Main Line – 2026-2027 – Introduction of EMR Class 810 trains between London St. Pancras and Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
- East Coast Main Line – From 2027 – Introduction of LNER Class 897 trains between London King’s Cross and Yorkshire.
Note.
- The two Lumo services use trains already in service.
- The Class 810 trains for EMR are being debugged and introduced at the present time.
- The only new trains are the Class 897 trains for LNER.
- The introduction of the Class 897 trains will allow LNER to withdraw some trains for refurbishment and fitting of batteries.
This would mean that before the next general election, almost the full timetable between London and the North of England and Scotland would have been implemented using diesel-electric technology.
Is it a low-risk start to the full electrification of services to the North?
The second-phase would see battery-electric trains introduced.
I believe that Grand Central’s new trains would be brought into service first.
- The new trains are scheduled to be introduced in 2028.
- Grand Central will still have the diesel trains for backup.
- Their new trains would be similar to the other Hitachi trains.
- It looks like they could be doing some splitting and joining.
After the Grand Central trains had been introduced successfully, the trains for the other Hitachi operators would have batteries fitted.
I suspect short routes like Lincoln would be electrified with battery-electric trains first.
There might also need to be short lengths of electrification erected, so that trains could be charged to send them on their way.
Other routes could also be electrified in the same way.
- Basingstoke and Exeter
- Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth – 81.5 miles
- Bristol and Penzance
- Cardiff and Swansea – 45.7 miles
- Crewe and Holyhead – 105.5 miles
- Edinburgh and Aberdeen – 130.5 miles
- Edinburgh and Inverness – 175 miles
- Reading and Bristol Temple Meads – 82.4 miles
- Reading and Cheltenham Spa – 84.5 miles
- Reading and Exeter – 137.5 miles
- Reading and Penzance – 269 miles
- Reading and Plymouth – 189.5 miles
- Reading and Taunton – 128:15 miles
- Reading and Western Super Mare – 101.4 miles
- Reading and Worcester Shrub Hill – 84.5 miles
- St. Pancras and Chesterfield – 146.1 miles
- St. Pancras and Derby – 128.3 miles
- St. Pancras and Doncaster – 157.3 miles
- St. Pancras and Leeds – 187.2 miles
- St. Pancras and Nottingham – 126.4 miles
- St. Pancras and Sheffield – 160.0 miles
If this technique could work for main lines, surely a scaled-down version with smaller trains would work for branch lines.
Conclusion
Consider.
- It looks to me, that someone has planned this thoroughly.
- There will be a lot of 125 mph trains with a 120 mile range on batteries, running before the next election.
It all fits together extremely well.
It could be the first phase of a cunning plan to use battery-electric trains to electrify the UK’s railways.
Passengers will also see benefits, from when Lumo runs its first train into Glasgow Queen Street station.
I don’t think Hitachi’s trains have any problems, but there is enough float in this plan to make sure, it can be implemented on time and on budget.
Was South Wales Once The World’s Largest Coal Exporter?
I asked Google AI, the title of this post and received this answer.
Yes, South Wales was once the world’s largest coal-exporting region and home to the busiest coal-exporting ports in the world. During its peak in 1913, the South Wales coalfield supplied almost one-third of total global coal exports, with Cardiff and Barry leading the world as the top coal ports.
Key details regarding the coal boom in South Wales:
Peak Production: In 1913, the region produced 57 million tons of coal, with more than half exported.
Top Export Ports: In 1913, Barry was recognized as the world’s largest coal-exporting port, closely followed by Cardiff.
The “Coal Metropolis”: Cardiff became the world’s leading coal and shipping metropolis, with the Cardiff Coal Exchange setting the global price for steam coal.
Economic Impact: The boom drove massive population growth in the South Wales Valleys and created tremendous wealth for cities like Cardiff, Barry, and Newport.
Global Demand: Welsh coal was highly sought after for its high quality, fueling steamships, railways, and industries across the world, from Russia to South America.
By 1920, the industry employed over 270,000 miners, but it saw a steep decline thereafter due to economic depression, international competition, and the exhaustion of accessible reserves.
Ørsted to File for Another Preliminary Injunction Against Stop-Work Order In US
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ørsted will submit a motion for a preliminary injunction against the recently imposed construction halt for its Sunrise Wind project in the US, the company said on 7 January, several days after announcing the same legal action in relation to Revolution Wind, which the developer is building through a joint venture with Skyborn Renewables.
These two paragraphs add more details.
For Sunrise Wind, Ørsted is set to file a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Columbia challenging the lease suspension order issued by the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on 22 December 2025, which will be followed by a motion for a preliminary injunction.
The company says that Sunrise Wind, being built off New York, is now nearly 45 per cent complete, with 44 of 84 monopile foundations, the offshore converter station, and nearshore export cables installed. The construction of the onshore electric infrastructure is also substantially complete, according to the developer.
It appears now that Ørsted is now involved in two injunctions, as another one that I outlined in Ørsted-Skyborn JV Takes Legal Action Against US Gov’t Over Stop-Work Order; Seven Turbines Left To Install On Revolution Wind.
It would appear that Trump is throwing good money down the drain in pursuit of his stupid vendetta against wind farms.
ABP’s New Lowestoft Facility To Support East Anglia Two & Three O&M Ops
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
UK port operator Associated British Ports (ABP) and ScottishPower Renewables have entered into a long-term agreement for supporting operations and maintenance (O&M) activities at the East Anglia Two and East Anglia Three offshore wind farms from ABP’s Lowestoft Eastern Energy Facility (LEEF).
These two initial paragraphs add a few more details.
Under the agreement, ScottishPower Renewables will utilise berths at LEEF for service operations vessels (SOVs) and crew transfer vessels (CTVs) that will serve the East Anglian offshore wind farms. The company already operates its East Anglia One O&M base in Lowestoft.
LEEF was officially opened by the UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in January 2025, after ABP invested GBP 35 million (almost EUR 40 million) in the port infrastructure. The facility features deep-water berths, modern utilities and future-proofed infrastructure to support shore power and alternative fuels, according to the port operator.
These are some of my thoughts
How Large Are The East Anglian Wind Farms?
There are four East Anglian Wind Farms.
- East Anglian 1 – 714 MW, which was commissioned in 2020.
- East Anglian 1 North – 800 MW, which is planned to be commissioned in 2026.
- East Anglian 2 – 963 MW, which is planned to be commission in 2029.
- East Anglian 3 -1372 MW, which is planned to be commission in 2026.
That makes a total of 3849 MW.
Where Do The Cables Come Ashore?
Google AI gives this answer to the question.
The subsea export cables for the East Anglia wind farms, including East Anglia ONE, come ashore at Bawdsey in Suffolk, where they connect to onshore cables that run underground for about 23-37 km to the Bramford converter station, near Ipswich, to join the National Grid.
I know Bawdsey well from about the late 1950s until we moved my wife and I moved our family from East Suffolk to West Suffolk in the 1990s.
These posts are two memories of Bawdsey Manor and Felixstowe Ferry on the other side of Deben, that I wrote after one of my last visits to the Deben Estuary in 2009.
It hasn’t changed much over the years.
Severe Delays At Blackwall Tunnel, Woolwich Ferry And Dartford
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Murky Depths.
These three paragraphs give more details.
There are severe delays at all crossings of the Thames between east and south east London and beyond this afternoon after a collision on the Dartford crossing.
Miles of queues are in place at the approach to the Blackwall crossing with traffic backed up for the entire length of the A2 and A102 between the M25 and Greenwich then back into east London.
Extremely long waits for the Woolwich ferry are also seen, with numerous bus routes delayed.
It appears to have been caused by a crash on the Dartford Crossing, that required extensive repairs to the road and barriers.
In 2015, I published No To Silvertown Tunnel.
Since the tunnel opened, I have written Is The Silvertown Tunnel A Silver Elephant?
I am certainly keeping an open mind, after yesterday’s article in Murky Depths.
Wrightbus Delivers More Hydrogen Buses To Germany Bringing Total To 43 – Around 130 Are Due To Be On The Roads By The End Of 2025
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Belfast Newsletter.
This is the sub-heading.
The Ballymena bus manufacturer has also opened a European service centre and spare parts warehouse in Brühl, near Cologne
These three paragraphs add detail to the story.
Northern Ireland zero-emission bus manufacturer Wrightbus has delivered 12 new hydrogen vehicles to German operator WestVerkehr GmbH.
The latest order completion of Kite Hydroliner single decks means there are now 43 hydrogen-powered buses on the streets of Germany – with around 130 due to be on the roads by the end of 2025.
WestVerkehr GmbH is based in the westernmost district of Germany, on the border with the Netherlands, and will operate the Kite Hydroliners between Heinsberg, Hückelhoven, and Erkelenz.
I always think, that if you can sell anything vehicles to the Germans, there can’t be much wrong with them.
This picture shows one of the new Wrightbus electric buses, that I ride regularly around Finsbury in London.
I was on a Chinese electric bus yesterday and there’s no doubt, that the ride in the Wrightbus product is smoother, than that of the Chinese one. Especially, when standing. The Chinese bus doesn’t even come close for ride with a New Routemaster.
London would do better, if it converted the thousand New Routemaster to zero-carbon power, rather than import a thousand Chinese buses.
In Equipmake Hybrid To Battery Powered LT11, I describe how one New Routemaster had a transmission transplant in Norfolk.
As it is possible, are Wrightbus NewPower working on it?
The Anonymous Widower 