Is Liverpool, England’s Biarritz?
Earlier in the week, I was feeling terrible, with pains in both lower legs.
This has been typical for some months and on Sunday, it was so bad in my right foot, that I tried a new cream called Udrate, that my GP prescribed for me last year.
It seemed to do the trick and I now rub it on twice a day.
On Thursday, I went to Liverpool and in the pouring rain at Euston, as I walked to the train, my legs were feeling terrible.
Throughout the day they improved and at the end of the day, I walked across the City Centre from Liverpool Central to the Albert Dock with no problem at all.
My legs have gradually got worse since I returned.
They are not bad now, but they are certainly worse than when I left Liverpool.
I wrote Would I Go Back To Biarritz Again?, after my one and only visit to the French resort, where I said this.
Of course I would!
Especially, if I could be guaranteed some weather like I had just experienced. The temperature had been about 14 °C with a humidity of over 50%
I do wonder about my father’s health. He suffered from a similar catarrh to that I’ve suffered for the last couple of years and he had lots of skin problems. He always put the latter down to the solvents he used in his printing business. I’m pretty certain he was a coeliac too, as I must have got the genes from somewhere.
I also remember him saying once that he had been to Biarritz. So did he go because he felt healthy there, as I just had?
I don’t know and there’s no-one I can ask who knew him, who’s still alive.
But as I seem to feel better in Biarritz, if I think I need a break in the winter, I think I’ll go.
Liverpool was warm and sunny on Thursday.
The picture shows the new Everton stadium being constructed at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, was taken as I returned from Headbolt Lane station.
This picture shows Biarritz in early December.
Both cities are bathed in sunshine.
Consider.
- Both cities have seafronts that face West.
- The prevailing winds are from the South-West.
- Both cities have land masses with mountains or hills to their South-West.
Do the hills induce turbulence to the air, which gives both cities, a healthy Autumnal climate that I find acceptable?
UK’s Nuclear Fusion Site Ends Experiments After 40 Years
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
I have followed fusion research since ZETA at Harwell was started up in 1957.
These first few paragraphs from the BBC article, sum up up fusion research.
For the next four decades, the European project pursued nuclear fusion and the promise of near-limitless clean energy.
But on Saturday the world’s most successful reactor will end its last test.
Nuclear fusion was “discovered” in the 1920s and the subsequent years of research focused on developing fusion for nuclear weapons.
In 1958, when the United States’ war research on fusion was declassified, it sent Russia, UK, Europe, Japan and the US on a race to develop fusion reactions for energy provision.
Fusion is considered the holy grail of energy production as it releases a lot of energy without any greenhouse gas emissions.
It is the process that powers the Sun and other stars. It works by taking pairs of light atoms and forcing them together – the opposite of nuclear fission, where heavy atoms are split apart.
Four decades of research, loads of money and some of the best brains in the world have produced very little, except about knowing what doesn’t work.
It doesn’t seem that anybody is getting any value from fusion research any more.
It’s almost as if, we’ve hit a brick wall and we can’t go any farther.
It must be terribly demoralising for everybody involved.
Would the scientists and engineers be better employed on other research?
I wouldn’t totally abandon fusion research, but put it more on a watching brief, so that if anything positive happens elsewhere, the UK might be able to take advantage.
Could we even do what we have recently done with High Speed Two and scrap it, before using the money on other energy projects?
My priorities would be.
Floating Wind Research
Because we are surrounded by sea, offshore floating wind is likely to be our major energy source by the end of the decade.
Energy Network Control Research
Our energy network will be getting more complex and we need better algorithms to control it.
Storage Research
We need lots of energy storage, that is affordable to install, that can be placed everywhere in the UK.
Project Management Research
I believe that some of the energy ideas will need advanced project management techniques, that may or may not have been invented yet.
Small Modular Reactor Research
SMRs are one way to go, but is the backup research in place?
Tidal Research
Places in the UK have high tidal ranges and we should exploit them.
The Government And Research
The government is funding a lot of energy research.
Much of the funding is going for short term projects, which is good in that we have an urgent need for improvement in our energy performance, but is bad in that it ignores the future.
Diamond 2
The Diamond Light Source has been an unqualified success. I am convinced that we need Diamond 2 in the North, which I wrote about in Blackpool Needs A Diamond.
Evolyn To Launch Paris To London Route In Competition With Eurostar
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
These first two paragraphs outline the plan.
A company aiming to operate services through the Channel Tunnel in competition with Eurostar has agreed to purchase 12 trains, it said.
Evolyn has stated that it is ready to invest £1 billion in its bid to start cross-Channel rail services in 2025.
It looks like the order will go to Alstom.
It will be interesting to see what sort of product is offered.
Arup and ILF Join Forces To Enhance Pumped Storage Projects In The UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this of article on Water Power And Dam Construction.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Global sustainable development consultancy Arup and ILF Consulting Engineers have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening pumped storage projects in the UK. These projects include Coire Glas, Glenmuckloch, and up to 13 additional schemes in the pipeline.
This partnership marks a significant development in the hydropower sector in the UK, bringing both capacity and valuable experience to support the country’s net-zero energy transition.
Fifteen schemes could be a lot of energy storage.
These are a few useful web sites with information to back up the article.
As most of the work appears to be in Scotland, this would appear to be a second large installment of Power From The Glens. Perhaps it should be named Storage In The Glens.
My Phone Died!
So I bought a new one!
I’ve managed to set it up, but it’s so different to my previous Samsung, that i haven’t a clue hoe to use it. I also made the mistake of using a secure password, which it constantly asks me.
I’m seriously, thinking of giving up having a mobile phone.
Can’t designers leave well enough alone!
I hate being ripped off!
A First Trip To Headbolt Lane Station – 13th October 2023
Headbolt Lane station opened a week ago and I went to take a look today, where I took these pictures.
Note.
- It is a three-platform station, with two platforms pointing towards Liverpool and one towards Wigan Wallgate station.
- Changing trains is about a fifty metre walk.
- The toilets are trans-ready. But the toilets at Peterborough station, that I wrote about in A Pair Of Toilets At Peterborough Station were too.
I have a few thoughts.
Could There Be Through Running Between Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate Stations?
This picture shows the walkway between Platform 2 on the South side of the tracks and Platforms 1 and 3 on the North side.
Note.
- Platform 1 is the platform on the left and Platform 2 is on the right.
- Platform 3 is in line with Platform 1 behind the fence at the far end of Platforms 1 and 2.
- The tracks don’t go straight through.
- There are two concrete blocks forming the walkway between platforms.
I suspect the answer is no at the moment.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that the blocks have been designed to be lifted out and there is space to put a footbridge over the tracks, so that if in the future, through running were to be required, it is possible.
How Would A Station To Skelmersdale Be Connected?
In New Express Bus Improves Links Between Skelmersdale And Liverpool, I talked about a new express bus service between Kirkby and Skelmersdale.
This page on Bus Times gives details of the service.
The 319 Trainlink service will surely give useful information on possible passenger numbers.
In Would A Lower Cost Rail Link To Skelmersdale Be Possible?, I looked at options for the rail line.
Wigan’s Comprehensive Local Connections
Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate station have services to all these stations.
- Accrington
- Appley Bridge
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Atherton
- Bescar Lane
- Blackburn
- Blackpool North
- Bolton
- Broad Green
- Bryn
- Burnley Manchester Road
- Burscough Bridge
- Clifton
- Daisy Hill
- Deansgate
- Eccleston Park
- Edge Hill
- Euxton Balshaw Lane
- Farnworth
- Garswood
- Gathurst
- Hag Fold
- Headbolt Lane
- Hindley
- Hoscar
- Huyton
- Ince
- Kearsley
- Leyland
- Littleborough
- Manchester Oxford Road
- Manchester Victoria
- Meols Cop
- Moorside
- Moses Gate
- New Lane
- Orrell
- Parbold
- Pemberton
- Poulton-le-Fylde
- Prescot
- Rainford
- Toby
- Rochdale
- Rose Grove
- Salford Central
- Salford Crescent
- Smithy Bridge
- Southport
- Stalybridge
- St Helens Central
- Swinton
- Todmorden
- Thatto Heath
- Upholland
- Walkden
- Wavertree Technology Park
- Westhoughton
Fifty-eight stations is certainly comprehensively connected.
The Connection To High Speed Two At Wigan North Western
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the two Wigan stations; North Western and Wallgate.
Note.
- The orange tracks are the West Coast Main Line, which in the future, will carry High Speed Two services to and from Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Scotland.
- The yellow tracks are the local lines between Manchester in the East and Kirkby and Southport in the West.
- The local lines split after they pass under the West Coast Main Line, with the North-Western branch going to Southport and the Western branch going to Headbolt Lane, Kirkby and Liverpool.
- Wigan North Western is on the West Coast Main Line.
- Wigan Wallgate is on the local lines.
The stations are close enough to be converted into a superb combined station, where local passengers can join high speed services.
This picture shows the platforms of Wigan North Western station.
Wigan North Western station can’t be far off being able to accept pairs of High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains, that will be 400 metres long.
This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.
Only two High Speed Two services stop at Wigan North Western.
- The London and Lancaster service, which splits and joins with a London and Liverpool service at Crewe.
- The Birmingham and Scotland service.
As Wigan North Western has comprehensive local connections to the Northern areas of Liverpool and Manchester, it surely needs more services.
North West To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment
This is the title of this government document, which has this sub-heading.
Multibillion-pound plan to link major cities in the North via bus, rail and new and improved roads.
It says this about Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.
- Greater Manchester will also receive around £1.5 billion from the CRSTS2 budget and around £900 million additional funding – funded from HS2 – which is an unprecedented investment in local transport networks. That is more than double their allocation under the previous programme
- Liverpool City Region will also receive c.£1 billion from the CRSTS2 budget, plus a further £600 million on top – funded from HS2. That is more than double their allocation under the last round
Some of that amount of money could go a long way to improve Liverpool and Manchester connections through Wigan and create a link to High Speed Two.
TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland
Currently, the following services run between Liverpool and Manchester, and Scotland.
- Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell
- Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District and Haymarket Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle and Lockerbie and Haymarket
- Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – via St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell
Note.
- tp2h is trains per two hours.
- tpd is trains per day.
- Only the Liverpool services go through Wigan.
- North of Preston all trains will use the same route.
- All three services are run by Class 397 trains.
- When High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains start running to Glasgow and Edinburgh, they will use the same route North of Preston.
Point 5 surely means that High Speed Two’s trains will be limited to the same speed as the current Class 397 trains, which is 125 mph. Although, this might be increased to up to 140 mph, by the use of in-cab digital signalling.
Consider.
- Edinburgh to Preston is 191.4 miles.
- The current TransPennine express service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 34 minutes, with five stops, at an average speed of 74.6 mph.
- The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the London-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 30 minutes, with two stops and a split/join at Carlisle, at an average speed of 76.6 mph.
- The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the Birmingham-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 24 minutes, with four stops, at an average speed of 79.8 mph.
Note.
- The first timing is based on a Class 397 train and the others will be High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains.
- The times would appear to be vaguely in line with each other.
- The removal of the split/join could explain why the Birmingham service is six minutes faster.
The following would appear to be true.
- Both the Class 397 and High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains can run at similar speeds North of Preston.
- The High Speed Two Classic Compatible train may have faster acceleration and deceleration, which could save a few minutes.
- Nothing substantial has been done to improve the tracks between Edinburgh and Preston.
- As the current times are run without digital signalling and the Class 397 train, is within ten minutes of that, I would be very surprised if digital signalling will be installed before High Speed Two services reach Edinburgh.
I also suspect that if digital signalling and a few other improvements were made to the North of Preston, a few extra minutes could be saved.
The Future Of TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland
Will the TransPennine services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland continue after High Speed Two services start running to North of the border?
Consider.
- I have never seen any plans from High Speed Two for services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland.
- If the TransPennine services, aren’t kept, travelling between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland will need a change at Wigan North Western or Preston.
- The TransPennine services will probably need only a single train per hour (tph) on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Preston.
I can see them continuing. But possibly in a different form.
In 1967, I went from Glasgow to Manchester on a train.
- The Glasgow and Edinburgh trains joined at Carstairs.
- They then split again at Preston.
- One half went to Manchester and the other half went to Liverpool.
I remember that the train was late, because of late arrival of the Edinburgh train at Carstairs.
I needed to take a taxi. But I wrote my first complaint letter and got a cheque from British Rail.
Could similar joining and splitting be used again, as it uses only one train path between Preston and Scotland?
Would it also be better, if the service were to be under the Management of High Speed Two?
There are several possibilities, but I feel the TransPennine services will continue.
What Will Israel Do Next? Military Options In Gaza Explained
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.
Like many, I worry about what is going on in Israel and Gaza.
This is a paragraph from the article.
So the more likely scenario is a full-frontal invasion of Gaza, similar to what happened in Lebanon in 1982, when Ariel Sharon, the defence minister at the time, earned worldwide notoriety for the brutality of his tactics but appreciation at home for extirpating the Palestine Liberation Organisation from Israel’s northern neighbour. Yasser Arafat and his men were simply put on boats.
It is probably a solution, that would appeal to many Israelis and expulsion is certainly a policy that has been applied to Jews themselves in the past.
In 1290, Edward I issued the Edict of Expulsion, which is outlined in the first paragraph of its Wikipedia entry.
The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree issued by Edward I of England on 18 July 1290 expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England. Edward told the sheriffs of all counties he wanted all Jews expelled by no later than All Saints’ Day (1 November) that year. The expulsion edict remained in force for the rest of the Middle Ages. The edict was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of over 200 years of increasing antisemitism in England. The edict was eventually overturned more than 365 years later, during the Protectorate when Oliver Cromwell permitted the resettlement of the Jews in England in 1656.
I am not in any way religious, but my great-great-great-grandfather; Robert, was a Jewish tailor from Konigsberg in East Prussia, which is now Kaliningrad in Russia.
He left Konigsberg, as the law said, that if you were Jewish, male and eighteen, you had to leave. So he embarked on a ship and ended up in London around 1800.
I have one indirect memory of Robert. My father told me, how his grandfather had met him in his later years and he was a small man, who only spoke German and no English. My father’s grandfather was born in 1853 and died at some date after 1911. So as my father was born in 1904, this tale is possible.
And surely, the Nazis’ policies were the ultimate expulsion.
I worry if the Israelis were to repeat the Palestine Liberation Organisation solution for Hamas.
Would some join the queues of migrants trying to get to the UK?
Conclusion
I can see Israel’s actions having repercussions for the UK.
National Grid’s London Power Tunnels Breakthrough Completes £1 Billion Project’s Tunnelling Activity
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
These bullet points sum up the press release.
- Landmark moment for London Power Tunnels project as 140-tonne boring machine emerges at Eltham site following final subterranean journey
- Breakthrough marks the completion of 32.5km of tunnelling at depths of up to 60m under seven South London boroughs
- Due for completion in 2026, the project is rewiring the capital’s electricity network to boost resilience and future-proof supplies as demand grows
This is the seventh major tunnel in London in recent years to be completed.
- Elstree and St. John’s Wood Cable Tunnel – Electricity – 12 miles – 2005
- Lower Lea Valley Cable Tunnels – Electricity – 3.7 miles – 2008
- Lee Tunnel – Sewage – 4.3 miles – 2016
- New Cross and Finsbury Market Cable Tunnel – Electricity – 3.5 miles – 2017
- Northern Line Extension To Battersea – Rail – 2 miles – 2021
- Elizabeth Line – Rail – 26 miles – 2022
- Silvertown Tunnel – Road – 1 mile – Under Construction
- Thames Tideway Tunnel – Sewage – 16 miles – Under Construction
- Euston Tunnel – Rail – 4.5 miles – Under Construction
Note.
- It is likely that there will be CrossRail 2 and an extension to the Bakerloo Line.
- It certainly seems to have been a prudent decision to create Tunneling and Underground Construction Academy or TUCA to train more tunnellers, before the Elizabeth Line was built.
But I don’t believe that will be all the large tunnels that will be built in the capital.
World’s Largest Offshore Wind Farm Produces Power For The First Time
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from SSE.
These bullet points sum up the press release.
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hails Dogger Bank’s role in bolstering energy security, creating jobs, lowering costs, and achieving Net Zero
- First power achieved at UK’s Dogger Bank as the first of 277 turbines installed 130km from UK coast
- Dogger Bank is now connected via HVDC technology to Britain’s national grid and providing renewable power to homes and businesses
- Each rotation of the first turbine’s 107m long Haliade-X blades can produce enough clean energy to power an average home for two days
- When complete Dogger Bank will deliver clean energy to six million homes annually
I will repeat a highlight of important paragraphs from the press release.
The Size Of The Dogger Bank Wind Farms
When fully complete, Dogger Bank’s world-record-beating 3.6GW capacity will comprise 277 giant offshore turbines capable of producing enough clean energy to power the equivalent of six million homes annually and deliver yearly CO2 savings equivalent to removing 1.5 million cars from the road.
Note.
- The first 1.2 GW section is scheduled for completion in the next few months.
- Two more sections of the Dogger Bank wind farm will eventually raise the capacity to 6 GW.
This cluster of wind farms certainly shows what can be achieved with British offshore wind power.
Innovative HVDC Technology
Dogger Bank also marks the first use of HVDC transmission technology to connect a British wind farm to National Grid’s UK energy network. This includes the installation of the world’s first unmanned offshore HVDC substation platform at the site, as well as first use of Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light® transmission system which was successfully executed in record time of 38 months with the highest safety and quality standards.
Note.
- HVDC technology appears to be a more efficient way of transmitting energy under the sea and is now generally used for interconnectors.
- This page on the Hitachi Energy web site is entitled Dogger Bank HVDC Connection and gives a good description of the connection and its advantages.
The HVDC Technology and its installation looks like a real achievement, that can be applied to lots of other offshore wind farms.
XLCC seem to be doing the right thing in building an HVDC cable factory in Scotland. Check out their web site.
High Speed Two To Barrow-in-Furness
There has been a lot of speculation about the Northern end of High Speed Two, so I might as well add sort out a few facts and add a bit of speculation of my own.
Barrow-in-Furness Used To Have A Service To London
Barrow-in-Furness station doesn’t have a direct service to London.
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry, describes how it used to be.
The present station was formerly known as Barrow Central, and at one time it was a terminus for British Rail long-distance or InterCity services. From October 1947 until May 1983 these included sleeper services to and from London Euston. A sleeper service in the London direction only was briefly reintroduced between May 1987 and May 1990.
Note.
- I find it interesting, that the area had both InterCity and sleeper services.
- There are some big employers like BAe Systems and British Nuclear Fuels in the area.
- Rishi Sunak has announced that the Cumbrian Coast Line will be upgraded.
- A High Speed Two service could improve low-carbon access to the Lake District.
- Grimsby/Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, which probably has a similar economic profile to Barrow-in-Furness appears to be getting a service from London as I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route. So why shouldn’t Barrow-in-Furness have a similar service?
It is my view that Barrow-in-Furness station could support a sprinkling of services.
The Current Barrow-in-Furness Service
Barrow-in-Furness station’s current services are described in these two paragraphs from the Wikipedia entry.
Services to the north are provided on Monday-Saturday by Northern, with services approximately hourly during the day to Whitehaven and Carlisle. One train per day operates to Sellafield specifically for workers at Sellafield nuclear plant (BNFL). Evening trains run only as far as Millom. There are 19 northbound departures each weekday; 15 of these go to Carlisle, three to Millom and one to Sellafield. There are 20 arrivals from the northern part of the line: 15 from Carlisle, three from Millom, one from Maryport and one from Sellafield. Some of these services continue along the Furness Line to Lancaster and Preston.
To the south, there are a mixture of stopping services to Lancaster and a number of through services to Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly. These operate on a broadly hourly frequency, with a few peak extras throughout the week (including Sundays).
Hard facts on what the improvements to the line will be, have not been reported. But it does seem that a doubling of frequency to two trains per hour (tph) is being proposed.
What Are The Government’s Plans?
This news story from the Government is entitled North West To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment.
Proposed improvements in Cumbria are contained in this paragraph.
A brand new £2.5 billion fund to transform local transport in 14 rural counties, smaller cities and towns. This new money could pay for new stations, further electrification, bus corridors and new integrated public transport networks. The Energy Coast Line between Carlisle, Workington and Barrow will be upgraded, improving capacity and journey times, enabling trains every 30 minutes between Carlisle, Workington and Whitehaven. The upgrade will also accommodate major new freight demands from the new coal mine and provide regular services for the Westlakes Science Park, Nuclear Academy and Sellafield. This could support the creation of over 18,000 jobs.
I have my thoughts.
Will The Route Be Electrified?
The Cumbrian Coast and the Furness Line effectively form a near 120 mile loop between Carnforth and Carlisle stations on the West Coast Main Line.
- A journey from one end to the other takes about three hours and 18 minutes.
- Main towns and places served include Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.
- A train between Carnforth and Carlisle can stop at as many as 29 stations.
- The route is not electrified, but it connects to the electrified West Coast Main Line at both ends at Carnforth and Carlisle.
This OpenRailwayMap shows Carnforth.
Note.
- The red line is the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Lancaster.
- Carlisle is to the North.
- Lancaster is to the South.
- The black line going North-West is the Furness Line to Barrow-in-Furness.
- The black line going East is the Bentham Line to Settle and Leeds.
This OpenRailwayMap shows Carlisle.
Note.
- The red line is the West Coast Main Line between Scotland and Carnforth.
- Scotland is to the North.
- Carnforth is to the South.
- The black line going South-West is the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness.
- The black line going East is the Settle and Carlisle Line to Settle and Leeds.
If it were to be fully electrified, it could be a diversion route for electrified trains on the West Coast Main Line.
This document on the Government web site is the Train Technical Specification for High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains.
The specification says this about the unit and train formation.
The nominal length of the Unit shall be 200m. It has been determined that all Units should
be the same length, with no requirement for a Unit to be capable of being lengthened or
shortened. This supports the overall HS2 business case.The Unit shall be capable of Normal Operation as a single Unit or as two coupled Units.
On the Wikipedia entry for the Cumbrian Coast Line, there is a picture of a very long steam-hauled train on the line.
Full electrification would have these advantages.
- In the next few years several 21st century electrical multiple units will be looking for new places to operate.
- I am fairly certain, that a fully-electrified Cumbrian Coast Line could act as a diversion for High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line between Carnforth and Carlisle.
- It would enable occasional High Speed Two services to Carlisle via Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.
- It would also allow electrified freight trains to the new coal mine at Workington and to Sellafield.
But trains from the coal mine would probably need to have hydrogen-hybrid locomotives to get across the Pennines to Teesside for export.
Partial Electrification Of The Line
Partial electrification would probably need the following.
- Installation of electrification between Carnforth and Barrow-in-Furness, so that High Speed Two services can reach Barrow-in-Furness.
- Installation of electrification from Carlisle for enough miles towards Workington to be able to charge the local trains.
- The local trains would need to be able to run about seventy miles on batteries.
Partial electrification would be more affordable, but it would allow the following.
- Battery-electric trains to work between Carnforth and Carlisle.
- It would enable occasional High Speed Two services to Barrow-in-Furness
- Hydrogen-hybrid locomotive-hauled freight trains to the new coal mine at Workington and to Sellafield.
Rail passengers in, to and from Cumbria would probably see a similar level of improvement to that with full electrification.
What Time Would Be Possible At The Present Time?
Consider.
- According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, two hours and twenty-five minutes is the fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster.
- Trains are timed to take one hour and four minutes with the nine stops, between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
- To save time some stops could be cut between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
This would give a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness time of three hours and twenty-nine minutes, but by removing perhaps five stops, the time could be around three hours and fifteen minutes.
What Time Would Be Possible When High Speed Two Lite Opens To Handsacre Junction?
Consider.
- According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, two hours and three minutes will be the fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster, after High Speed Two opens to Handsacre junction.
- Trains are timed to take one hour and four minutes with the nine stops, between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
- To save time some stops could be cut between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
This would give a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness time of three hours and seven minutes, but by removing perhaps five stops, the time could be under three hours.
What Frequency Would Be Needed?
LNER seem to run their secondary services to places like Harrogate and Lincoln using a frequency of one train per two hours (tp2h).
That could be an ideal frequency.
Would There Be A Path For The Train To And From London Euston?
This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.
Note.
- Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
- Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- Each of these trains will have a frequency of one tph.
- The nine paths to the right of the vertical black line will not be needed for some time. If ever!
- It looks like a maximum of only eleven paths will be needed to the South of Birmingham.
- It looks like a maximum of only fourteen paths will be needed to the North of Birmingham.
In Will High Speed Two Lite Make Stafford An Important Station?, I totted up all the services through Stafford after High Speed Two Lite opened to Handsacre junction and got these figures.
- Through Stafford station, there are totals of 11 tpd and 14 tph.
- Along the Trent Valley Line, there are totals of 11 tpd and 12 tph.
- North of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 9 tpd and 12 tph.
- South of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 2 tpd and 2 tph.
- Between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, there are totals of 2 tph.
I accounted for services moving from the West Coast Main Line to High Speed Two.
Consider.
- A large proportion of the route between Preston and Handsacre junction, where the route would join High Speed Two Light has two dedicated high speed tracks and two tracks for freight and local services.
- Digital signalling on High Speed Two has been designed to handle eighteen trains per hour (tph) at 225 mph.
- Surely, the two dedicated high speed tracks, if fitted with High Speed Two digital signalling could handle say 16 tph at 140 mph.
- Network Rail are good at juggling trains to squeeze in more services.
- Extra paths could be created by splitting and joining trains at Crewe or Preston.
My Control Engineering training and practice tells me that it should be possible to add perhaps two tph between Lancaster and Euston.
Could High Speed Two’s Lancaster Service Be Extended To Barrow-in-Furness?
I don’t see why some services could be extended the 34.8 miles to Barrow-in-Furness.
Would Much Work Be Needed At Barrow-in-Furness?
This Google Map shows Barrow-in-Furness station.
Note.
Trains to and from Carnforth come and go from the South East.
Trains to and from Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington and Carlisle come and go from the North West.
There are three platforms.
Work needed to be done would include.
- Creation of a 200 metre platform for the High Speed Two trains.
- Electrification.
- Addition of charging facilities to the platform for the local trains, which would probably be standard electrification.
Passengers would walk across between the High Speed Two and local trains.
Conclusion
I believe that High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains could be under three hours between Barrow-in-Furness and London Euston, when High Speed Two Lite opens from Handsacre junction.
The Anonymous Widower 