Middlesbrough To London LNER Trains To Run From 13 December
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
The title is clear and these paragraphs give details of the train service.
The daily weekday service in each direction will also connect nearby Thornaby with London King’s Cross.
The services will depart Middlesbrough at 07:08 and Thornaby at 07:15, arriving at King’s Cross at 10:22.
Northbound from London will leave at 15:25, stopping at York, to Thornaby at 18:08 and Middlesbrough at 18:18.
This is obviously not a complete service.
- It will be impossible to use direct trains to spend a day on Teesside from London, as I have done many times over the years, usually with a change at Darlington station.
- It needs to run seven days a week.
But as the article says, more work needs to be done at Middlesbrough to turn the trains.
Currently, LNER run one train per two hours (1tp2h) to York, which alternates with a service to Lincoln at the same frequency.
LNER have said, that the Middlesbrough service will be an extension of the York service.
- As York trains can be nine-car trains, this could explain the need for works at Middlesbrough station.
- As York and Middlesbrough are 51 miles and an hour apart, it looks to me, that once Middlesbrough station has been updated, LNER can extend services to Middlesbrough according to passenger demand.
I suspect that eventually, the London and Middlesbrough service will have a similar frequency as the Harrogate and Lincoln services of five trains per day (tpd).
What Real Time Trains Says About The Service
Although it’s exactly four months before the service starts, it has already been entered into Real Time Trains.
The following information is given about the services.
- One seven-minute stop at York going South and a five-minute stop going North.
- Changeover between diesel and electric at Longlands junction, where the Teesside trains leave and join the East Coast Main Line.
- Services do not appear to pass through Northallerton station.
Train times are as given by the BBC.
Splitting And Joining At Newark
I think it would be possible to combine the Lincoln, Middlesbrough and York services into one service.
- A pair of five-car Azumas would run between Kings Cross and Newark North Gate, with stops at Stevenage, Peterborough and Grantham.
- They would split at Newark North Gate station.
- The front train would continue Northwards to Middlesbrough, with stops at Retford, Doncaster, York and Thornaby.
- The rear train would continue Eastwards to Lincoln, with a possible extension to Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.
Returning South the trains would join at Newark North Gate.
Note.
- As TransPennine Express services to and from Middlesbrough, call at Northallerton, LNER services could do the same.
- As with splitting and joining at Newark, only a five-car train runs to and from Middlesbrough, this could be used before the new platform at Middlesbrough is constructed.
- if this service ran at a frequency of 1tp2h, there would be space in the timetable for a new 1tp2h service to perhaps Newcastle and Edinburgh.
There are a lot of possibilities.
Battery-Electric Trains Between London And Middlesbrough
Only the twenty miles between Northallerton and Middlesbrough on the route are without electrification.
Hitachi have announced the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
I believe that a version of this train could be given sufficient battery range to be able to achieve a round trip to Middlesbrough station from the electrification of the East Coast Main Line, without any need for charging at Middlesbrough.
It could be one of the first InterCity services in the world, run by battery-electric trains.
Whitechapel Station Reopens On August 23rd
I have been told that Whitechapel station will reopen on Monday, the 23rd of August.
Apparently the station has put it out on Twitter.
When I visited this week and wrote Whitechapel Station – 10th August 2021, I did think that reopening wouldn’t be too far away.
As the station is closed this weekend, I shall be going on Monday to observe the progress.
If Whitechapel station gets handed over to Transport for London in the next few weeks, that will leave just Bond Street and Canary Wharf stations still to be completed.
For a few years now Crossrail have talked about opening without Bond Street station, so will TfL just lock the platform edge doors shut and go for as early opening of Crossrail as possible?
Canary Wharf station could also be treated in the same way.
It would certainly be an option to open Crossrail earlier than expected.
Prototype Revolution Very Light Rail Vehicle Ready For Testing
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Business UK.
It is very much a complete article, which gives full information on the current status of the Revolution VLR very light rail prototype railcar.
- The railcar is an eighteen metre long bi-directional vehicle.
- It has capacity for 56 seated passengers and 40 standees. This is more than a double-deck bus load.
- It has a Cummins diesel-electric power-train.
- Maximum speed is 65 mph.
- There is regenerative braking to a battery, which can be used for traction in built-up areas.
I must admit that I am surprised that Revolution VLR is not fully zero-carbon, but as this is a prototype, that is probably a sensible move, as it will be able to test the concept and show the railcar to potential customers.
However, as Cummins are a member of the consortium and they are now embracing hydrogen as an alternative fuel, a zero-carbon hydrogen power-train may be under development, that would be suitable for the Revolution VLR.
When the Revolution VLR consortium was in its early stages I wrote Very Light Rail Research On Track, based on a Railway Gazette article with the same title.
That earlier article did talk about a problem.
However, the drawback of a lightweight vehicle is that its lower crashworthiness could make it unsuitable for mixed traffic lines.
But the consortium felt that the limitation could be overcome by better traffic management and digital signalling.
Mixed traffic running was also flagged up as a problem by the tram-trains running in Sheffield, but touch wood, they seem to be working well!
Hopefully extensive testing of this prototype will identify any limitations of the concept.
The Crossrail Tunnel Portal At Pudding Mill Lane
This 3D Google Map shows the Crossrail tunnel portal at Pudding Mill Lane.
The Crossrail tunnel portal is in the middle of the image.
- Pudding Mill Lane station on the DLR is in the top-left corner of the image.
- The tracks to the right of the portal lead to and from Liverpool Street station.
- The circular building in the top right of the image is the sewage pumping station for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Note the single track on the left side of the portal, which allows Crossrail trains to go to Liverpool Street station.
Th
Innovation Funding Awarded
The title of this post, is the same as that of a short article in the August 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Developments in passenger information, cutting carbon emissions and electrification are amongst the 30 winners of the latest round of the Department for Transport/Innovate UK’s First Of A Kind (FOaK) competition.
I particularly liked the first innovation mentioned.
Furrer+Frey is proposing a movable overhead conductor rail system for freight terminals which allows electric locomotives to enter them while providing obstruction-free loading and unloading of freight. It says this will remove the current barrier of end-to-end rail freight electrification and end the reliance on diesel traction.
Some years ago, I sat next to a crane driver from the Port of Felixstowe at a football match. At half-time we talked for a few minutes about the problems of overhead wires in ports and freight terminals. As he said “Accidents do happen!”
Furrer+Frey’s idea might be just what is needed to help decarbonise ports and freight terminals.
There is a good description of the project in this article on Rail Business UK, which is entitled Movable Overhead Electrification Aims To Eliminate The Need For Diesel Shunting Locomotives.
This link shows a picture of a similar Furrer + Frey system in a workshop or train shed.
It appears to be based on proven technology and will be tested at a Tarmac depot in Dunbar.
Furrer+Frey also got a second funding award.
It has also won funding for its innovative composite Mast for Greener Electrification, which could reduce the mass of overhead line electrification masts, as well as the size of foundations, depth of piling and lifting capability of installation machinery.
That sounds like a classic application of Buckminster Fuller’s More With Less Syndrome.
I shall add other awards later.
Viritech Issues A Call To Action For Hydrogen In The United Kingdom
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Daily Research Reporting.
This is the first paragraph.
According to Viritech, adopting clean hydrogen innovation to power road, air, and marine transportation offers the UK a major potential to retake a global engineering pioneering role, create an economic premium, and secure a key environmental dividend. The firm makes the case in its Call to Action for accelerated public and private sector commitment to groundbreaking technology with the potential to restore the UK’s leadership role in the automotive industry while also making a strong dedication to decarbonizing the difficult-to-reduce heavy freight segments of the transportation mix.
I’ll go along with what Viritech says.
Three things caught my eye in the article.
The first is the picture of a car, which I assume is hydrogen-powered.
I also liked this paragraph, which gives a prediction about how batteries and hydrogen will play out their competition.
“Hydrogen is a critical component of the zero-emissions puzzle,” said Jay Nagley, a seasoned automotive pundit from Viritech. “Batteries cannot do everything, and there are many use cases, particularly in heavy freight applications like heavy cargo vehicles, where batteries solely are not the answer to replacing fossil fuels. A dual-track method combining hydrogen and batteries, on the other hand, offers a full range of possibilities for achieving this goal. While batteries will be the primary source of growth in the early 2020s, the hydrogen powertrains will become the primary source of growth in the late 2020s.”
I agree with Jay Nagley.
The last point is only a few words.
Structural graphene pressure vessels.
That sounds to be just the ticket to reduce the size of hydrogen tanks.
Conclusion
Viritech could be one to watch.
Avanti Train Wedding: The Couple Who Said ‘I do’ On A 125 mph Train To Birmingham
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
I’ll put one quote from the article here.
The couple say they were worried about missing the train and having to catch a “marriage replacement service”
Obviously, they didn’t!
The article doesn’t say, if anybody has got married on a train before.
- I suspect that some heritage railways can and have arranged it.
- It appears that you can get married on the Bluebell Railway. But is that in a station or on a train.
- This web site offers Wedding Train Chartering
But only three train companies have the trains and routes to offer you a wedding at 125 mph.
Conclusion
This could start a trend!
Afghanistan War: Taliban Back Brutal Rule As They Strike For Power
This article on the BBC describes the evil that are the Taliban.
They need to be rounded up and sent to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Violent thugs and despots like the Taliban give Islam a bad name.
What Will Wales’ Proposed World-Class Rail Testing Centre Deliver?
This question is answered in this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
As yet, there is no Wikipedia entry.
Norrbotniabanan Final Phase To Go Ahead
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Railway Gazette.
This is the first two paragraphs.
The government has decided to press ahead with completion of the Norrbotniabanan coastal railway linking Umeå and Luleå via Dåva and Skellefteå.
Recognising that ongoing investment in industrial development across the north of the country would drive demand for improved transport links, Infrastructure Minister Tomas Eneroth has instructed Trafikverket to continue planning work for the new line.
If you get your maps out, you’ll find that the Norrbotniabanan or North Bothnian Line is at the North of the Baltic Sea.
- It’s also planned as a high speed line with an operating speed of 160 mph, which is faster than the East Coast Main Line in the UK.
- It is also 170 miles long.
- Journey time between Umeå and Luleå will be ninety minutes as opposed to four hours today.
Wikipedia also says this about connections at the Northern end.
Currently, the area is served by the Main Line Through Upper Norrland, which is located inland and with branch lines connected to various towns along the coast. To the north, the line will connect with the Main Line Through Upper Norrland and onwards along the Haparanda Line to connect to the Barents Region and the Finnish railway network. It will also connect to the Iron Ore Line.
Sounds like it will be a great place to go for a rail-oriented holiday.
The Anonymous Widower 