Will Hollywood Celebrity Involvement Be The Catalyst To Spark Development Of the Borderlands Line?
In Wrexham General Station – 4th May 2023, I showed this map, of Wrexham General station and the Racecourse Ground.
Consider.
- Wrexham A. F. C. are certainly a club, whose fans won’t need much encouragement to go to matches by train.
- I also feel that given the celebrity ownership, it will be one of those grounds where away supporters will want go.
- Its ground and Wrexham General station is well-served by direct trains from Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
- Interesting matches next year could be against Crewe, Newport and Tranmere.
I’m sure that because of the location of the ground and the celebrity owners, there will be pressure to improve the Borderlands Line to Liverpool.
The Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line has a section called Development, where this is said.
The doubling of the journey frequency on the line is one of the aims of the Growth Track 360 group, a consortium of business, politicians and public sector leaders. The group aims to improve transport and create jobs in the North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire area over the next 20 years. During the 2017 Autumn budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond stated that part of the additional £1.2 billion funding Wales was receiving would be used to look into proposals to improve journey times on the line and developing a business case.
In October 2019, Transport for Wales announced £280,000 have been allocated to revamp stations along the line in north Wales and Merseyside, as part of TfW’s £194 million station improvement programme.
In a section called Proposed New Stations, these improvements have been proposed.
- Build a new station at Deeside Industrial Park.
- Build a new station at Woodchurch.
- Build a new station at Beechwood.
- Incorporate the line into the Merseyrail Wirral line to provide direct connectivity with Liverpool city centre.
- Replace the High and Low levels at Shotton station with a dedicated interchange station, improving connectivity between the North Wales Coast Main Line & the Borderlands line.
- Remove level crossings to improve line speed.
All these proposals seem reasonable.
There is also a section called Proposed Electrification, where this is said.
There have been proposals for the full or partial electrification of the line since 1999 with participation of Merseytravel and the devolved institutions in Wales. Such electrification is usually intertwined with proposals for the full incorporation of the line into the electrified Merseyrail network, allowing for services from either Wrexham Central or partway along the line to travel all the way to Birkenhead and Liverpool Central.
In 2008, a Network Rail study estimated the cost for third-rail electrification of the entire line to be £207 million. To lower costs, Merseytravel suggested overhead-wire electrification as an alternative, bringing estimates down to £66 million. However, this would mean trains running between Wrexham and Liverpool would have to be compatible with both electric systems, therefore incompatible with the third-rail only trains in use at the time.
There is political support to electrify the line from both Welsh and Merseyside authorities, however the responsibility of rail infrastructure lies with the UK Government’s Department for Transport. The Welsh Government aims to increase services between North Wales and Merseyside, in particular Wrexham and Deeside with Liverpool and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Whereas Merseyside authorities would like to increase services to stations on the line on the Wirral Peninsula in particular, as well as the rest of the line.
In 2016, a working group had been set up to examine improving the line, including proposals to increase the frequency of trains on the line. It is hoped that an increase in the number of passengers would improve the case for electrification.
It seems that various solutions have been proposed.
Consider what will be available to Merseyrail and Transport for Wales within a year or so.
- Merseyrail will be running a new fleet of electric Class 777 trains.
- These new trains will be running from Bidston station and under Liverpool City Centre using the Wirral Line.
- Merseytravel has an option for a further 60 units.
- Class 777 trains are designed for running with 25 KVAC overhead electrification, should this be required in the future.
- Merseyrail and Transport for Wales will be working with Stadler on the use of battery-electric trains.
- Bidston and Wrexham Central are only 27.5 miles apart.
- The Borderlands Line is not the most challenging of rail lines to improve, as it is fairly straight and level.
- It is unlikely that Health and Safety would allow any more third rail electrification. But would this ban also apply in Wales?
- West Kirby trains run for 10.4 miles in 34 minutes to perform their loop under from Bidston under Liverpool City Centre.
- If Wrexham trains could turn under Liverpool City Centre, this would improve shopping, business and educational opportunities for those living along the Borderlands Line.
This section of the Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line says this about the range of the Class 777 trains on battery power.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced that trials of the seven battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) versions of their new Class 777 had shown that they were capable of travelling up to 20 miles (32 km) without a charge. Further trials by Stadler reached a range of 84 miles (135 km). This would allow the line to be served without the full electrification.
In Battery Answer To Schleswig-Holstein’s Diesel Replacement Question, I talked about how Stadler were using battery-electric trains to replace diesels in Schleswig-Holstein.
It seems obvious to me, that Stadler would have experience of a suitable battery-electric train and charging system, that could be applied to the Borderlands Line.
- I would suspect that the 34 minutes that the train would take to go from Bidston to Liverpool and back to Bidston would be more than adequate to fully charge the batteries on a train.
- This would be enough to get a full train to Wrexham, even when Liverpool or Everton were playing an FA Cup match against Wrexham A. F. C.
But how would trains recharge at Wrexham? This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at Wrexham.
Note.
- Wrexham Central station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Wrexham General station is towards the top of the map marked by blue letters.
- A single track connects Platform 4 at Wrexham General station to the single platform at Wrexham Central station.
It looks like space could be a bit limited at Wrexham Central station, so would it be an idea to electrify between the two stations?
A train takes typically about seven minutes from arrival at Wrexham General station from Bidston until it leaves the station to return to Bidston.
- This should be enough to charge the train fully.
- Theoretically, it would allow Wrexham to have a four trains per hour (tph) service to Liverpool.
- Electrifying between the two stations would be about 0.6 miles of single-track electrification.
- Connection and disconnection to the electrification would be in Wrexham General station.
- The electrification would only be switched on, when there is a train using it. This could be arranged using simple automation or by employing another signaller.
I do wonder if Welsh Health and Safety would allow third-rail electrification? If it’s a UK matter, then give it to the Welsh Government. But it would be the only third-rail electrification in the Principality.
Conclusion
I believe that if the Welsh Government would allow third-rail electrification, the service could start as soon as Merseyrail has enough battery trains.
South Korea Targets Over 2,000 Hydrogen Buses By 2026
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Argus Media.
This is the sub-heading.
South Korea plans to convert more than 250 commuter buses intro hydrogen-fuelled buses by this year and more than 2,000 by 2026, in a concerted effort to raise the uptake of hydrogen vehicles.
It appears to be a well-thought plan.
This last paragraph gives South Korea’s long-term objective.
A higher uptake of hydrogen vehicles is in line with the hydrogen roadmap the government released in November 2022, where it envisioned the transportation sector as one of the key drivers of large-scale hydrogen demand. South Korea aims to raise its supply of high-mobility vehicles such as hydrogen buses and trucks, with a goal of producing 30,000 hydrogen commercial vehicles and building 70 liquid hydrogen refuelling stations in the country by 2030.
We need an ambitious plan like this in the United Kingdom.
As the UK population is thirty percent larger than South Korea’s we probably need one with similar but larger ambitions.
Green Hydrogen Production Facility
The title of this post is the same as this project on the Arup web site.
This is the introduction.
Green hydrogen – hydrogen produced using 100% renewable energy – holds promise as a future, low emission energy source. Across the world many players are beginning to explore or invest in its production at scale.
Statkraft are Europe’s largest renewable energy producer and are investing heavily in green hydrogen as an energy source for use in transportation and industry. Statkraft have identified a site in Pembrokeshire for a green hydrogen production facility near to the Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone, an area focusing on developing opportunities within the energy and environment sectors.
This green energy hub will be located on the former Royal Navy Armaments Depot in Trecwn, Pembrokeshire. During development, the site employed over 3,000 people, and it is hoped that this new facility can continue to support highly skilled jobs in the area, while contributing to the Welsh Government’s net zero strategy.
Statkraft have a web page for the Trecwn Green Energy Hub, where this is said about the expected production.
It is estimated that the 15MW hydrogen plant will generate up to 4 tonnes of hydrogen a day, the equivalent of powering a single bus for over 40,000 miles. The hydrogen produced could be used locally for a range of purposes including transport, as a feedstock or heat source for industry and manufacturing, as well as for heating buildings.
This Google Map shows the location of Trecwn in Pembrokeshire.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates Trecwn.
- The port of Fishguard is just to the North of Trecwn.
The site appears to be at RNAD Trecwn, which is a decommissioned Royal Navy Armaments Depot.
This second Google Map shows the remains of some of the site.
Note the railway line to the site, which is visible in West of the map, which connects to Carmarthen, Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
Wikipedia says this about its condition.
Network Rail have not only kept the railway connection operational, but refurbished it to allow the site to develop as an Intermodal freight traffic distribution site from Fishguard.
Note.
This would surely enable local trains, port operations, railway locomotives and ships to be hydrogen-powered.
- Trains and railway locomotives could be filled on the site.
- Buses and trucks could be filled on the site.
- Ports could be supplied by hydrogen trains.
- Strangely, I’ve not seen a design for a short hydrogen delivery train, which would be needed to supply the ports. But I doubt, it would be difficult to design and build.
All the Health and Safety protocols could probably easily be created, given the former use of the site.
Conclusion
Statkraft seem to have chosen an ideal site for the hydrogen electrolyser.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Three Peer-Reviewed Papers
Three Peer-Reviewed Papers
As the pandemic took hold, I was spending more time looking for peer-reviewed papers concerning coeliacs and Covid-19.
By mid-2020, because of the lockdown in Leicester, the large numbers of deaths of South Indian medical staff in London and the situation in India, I had increased the number of searches to include papers about coeliac disease in India.
These three posts on my blog all have the same title as peer-reviewed papers I have found.
Risk of COVID-19 In Celiac Disease Patients
Coeliac Disease: Can We Avert The Impending Epidemic In India?
Wrexham General Station – 4th May 2023
I took these pictures on my trip to Wrexham General station, yesterday.
Note.
- The station is next to the Racecourse Ground, which is the home of Wrexham A.F. C.
- I didn’t walk to the ground, but there can be few league grounds, in England, Scotland or Wales, that are closer to a station.
- There is a one train per hour (tph) service along the Borderlands Line to Bidston station on the Wirral Line.
- It is a well-equipped station with lifts, toilets and a cafe.
It was tastefully refurbished in the 1990s.
This Google Map shows the relationship between the Racecourse Ground and Wrexham General station.
It can’t be much for than about two hundred metres between the station and the ground.
Possible Coeliacs Should Get Tested
I was diagnosed as a coeliac by both the quick genetic test and the gold standard of endoscopy.
The genetic test is no more painful than any other blood test, but many people are afraid of endoscopy.
I have had four endoscopies.
- Two to check I had coeliac disease.
- One to investigate a problem in my gut with an ultrasound probe, which turned out to be gallstones.
- One to remove the gallstones, by punching a hold in my gut and then inserting and inflating a balloon to force them out.
Only for the last procedure, did I have any form of sedative. I was game, but the surgeon wasn’t!
Note that gallstones are often associated with coeliacs! As are cataracts, which I’ve also had removed from both eyes.
Yesterday in Liverpool, I had chats with two possible coeliacs, one of whom actually had a coeliac mother and the other a gluten-intolerant daughter.
This page on the NHS web site is an overview about Coeliac Disease.
Under Diagnosis Of Coeliac Disease, this is said.
First-degree relatives of people with coeliac disease should be tested.
My three sons didn’t get tested, despite both my late wife and myself insisting after my diagnosis.
Conclusion
If it’s ever suggested you be tested for coeliac disease, you should get tested.
It’s not a big deal these days.
US Offshore Wind Pipeline Blows Past 51 GW, Report Says
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) has released a report on the US offshore wind market, outlining a rapidly growing pipeline of projects across 32 leases totaling 51,377 MW of expected capacity which is enough to power the equivalent of more than 20 million homes.
The American wind market seems to be powering ahead.
If the pattern of offshore oil and gas from the last century, repeats itself, there’s going to be a lot of money made and jobs created.
The report talks of the following.
- 83,000 jobs by 2030.
- $25 billion of economic output.
- Thirty new ships built in domestic shipyards.
Are we geared up for proportionate numbers in the UK?
The Much-Loved Railway Food Carrier Bag
Coming back from Liverpool yesterday on Avanti West Coast, I treated myself to a coffee and a Nakd bar.
I took this picture after I’d cleared away and put all the rubbish in the bag.
These bags seem to be unique to British trains and I’ve never seen one in use on the many foreign trains, I’ve used all over the world.
Yesterday, the train was a Pendolino and I had no trouble carrying my coffee back to my seat, whilst the train tilted.
Were these bags invented by British Rail?
I can never understand, why they are not used by takeaways, as they are ideal for carrying food and drinks without spilling anything and they are much easier to carry and are ideal for collecting up the rubbish to put in a litter bin.
Retired Alaska Airlines Turboprop To Get New life As ‘World’s Largest’ Hydrogen-Powered Plane
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on KUOW.
It’s increasingly looking like, there will be at least a couple of viable hydrogen conversions of current turboprop aircraft to hydrogen.
Ed Sheeran Wins Thinking Out Loud Copyright Case
The title of this post, is the same as that pf this article on the BBC.
This was the sub-heading
Ed Sheeran did not copy Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On when composing Thinking Out Loud, a US court has ruled.
It certainly looks like justice has been done, after a court case urged on, by unscrupulous lawyers, who would probably have got millions of dollars in fees, if they’d won.
It was an example of the American legal system at its worst.
I was probably about fourteen, when I went to a Scout camp on the Verulam Estate near St. Albans. I can remember we walked from East Barnet to St. Albans with the trek cart.
One evening at the camp around a wood fire, a Scoutmaster from another troop, entertained up on his guitar, playing various songs of the day. He showed us how most songs were created using the same chords and rhythm. He also gave us a few pieces of his own.
It was fascinating. But it seems to me that Sheeran has used a similar line and argument in his defence.
I don’t have much respect for American lawyers.
One of the companies, that I helped create was taken over by an American corporation. I can remember at dinner one night with one of their senior managers, some of the best legal jokes and advice being offered.
On the other hand, I would defend one of my ideas in the US Courts, if I had an idea, that someone had stolen. But in that case, I would make sure, I’d got my case correct.
I suspect, it could be a good way to protect an idea.
I have sold two companies and ideas to Americans and one to the Germans. Only one American deal ended up in the Courts and that was one of these opportunistic cases, dreamed up by sharp lawyers, that was thrown out.
The German deal was for several millions and it was interesting, as the Germans were happy to do all the negotiating in the UK, with the contract being wholly written in English law.
The Anonymous Widower 