The New And Unusual Way Commuters Will Be Able To Get To Canary Wharf And Central London
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on MyLondon.
The image shows a Thames Clipper at Greenwich Pier.
A new pier for Thames Clippers is to be built at Barking Riverside, close to the new Barking Riverside station.
This will create a whole series of new routes to the East of Canary Wharf, Greenwich and the Thames Barrier.
Conclusion
I think the new pier will also be good for tourists, just as much as commuters.
I shall certainly use it to show visitors, the historic sites of the Thames.
It’s also good to see the Thames Clippers getting integrated with London’s more traditional public transport.
Stonehenge Tunnel Campaigners Win Court Battle
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first part of the BBC article.
Campaigners have won a court battle to prevent the “scandalous” construction of a road tunnel near Stonehenge.
The £1.7bn Highways England project aimed to reduce A303 congestion but campaigners said it would detrimentally affect the world heritage site.
The government approved plans in 2020 for a two-mile (3.2km) tunnel to be created near the Wiltshire monument.
Mr Justice Holgate’s ruling means the order granted by transport secretary Grant Shapps has been quashed.
I obtained my driving licence in 1964 and since then the A303 past Stonehenge has been a worsening bottleneck.
I suspect that unreleased papers from successive governments since the 1960s would show that most Ministers of Transport hoped the problem of Stonehenge would be solved by the next Government of a different colour, which would hopefully lose them the next election.
If you read the whole of the BBC article you’ll see a large map from Highways England.
Note.
- The proposed tunnel is shown as a dotted red line to the South of Stonehenge, more or less following the line of the current A303.
- The Amesbury by-pass already exists in the East.
- A new Winterbourne Stoke by-pass will be built in the West.
Some feel that a longer tunnel might be the solution.
But it would probably need to start to the West of Winterbourne Stoke and be at least three times longer than the proposed tunnel.
So this short stretch of road would then probably cost around £5billion.
Can We Reduce The Traffic On This Road?
There are several ways that traffic might be reduced.
Universal Road Pricing
Every vehicle would be fitted with a meter, which charged drivers depending on the following.
- The type of vehicle.
- The congestion on the road.
- The speed, at which the vehicle is travelling.
It might work, but any government introducing universal road pricing would lose the next General Election by a landslide.
Tolls On Parts Of The A303
Again it might work and push drivers to find other routes.
Improve Other Routes Like The M4
As capacity is increased on other routes, drivers could be lured away from the busy section of the A303 around Stonehenge.
Improve Rail Services Between Paddington And West Of Exeter
I know because of friends, who regularly go to Devon and \Cornwall for both weekends and longer holidays, that many people go to the far-South West by car and most will use the A303 route to and from London.
These services are run by Great Western Railway and the destinations in the South West are not as comprehensive as they could be.
- GWR’s Class 802 trains can split and join efficiently, which could mean they could serve more destinations with the same number of trains.
- GWR seem to be in favour of developing more direct services between London and Bodmin, Okehampton and other places.
- GWR are adding stations to their network in the South-West.
But most importantly, GWR, Hitachi and the Eversholt Rail Group are developing the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which will lower carbon-emissions on the route. This Hitachi infographic describes the train.
These trains could attract numbers of car drivers to use the train, rather than drive.
Improve The Night Riviera Between Paddington And Penzance
Most other sleeper trains in Europe have renewed their fleet.
An improvement in the rolling stock could encourage more people to travel this way.
Improve Rail Services Between Waterloo And Exeter
The rail line between Waterloo and Exeter via Basingstoke and Salisbury runs within a dozen miles of Stonehenge.
- The rolling stock is thirty-year-old British Rail diesel trains.
- It is not electrified to the West of Basingstoke.
- There are portions of single-track railway.
The Waterloo and Exeter line could be improved.
- Remove some sections of single track.
- Upgrade the operating speed to up to 100 mph in places.
- Use a version of the latest Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train
- Add some new stations.
I believe the quality, frequency and journey times of the service could all be improved.
Would this second fast route from the South-West encourage more to take the train?
Stonehenge And Wilton Junction Station
Stonehenge may be the problem, but it can also be part of the solution.
In The Proposal For Stonehenge And Wilton Junction Station, I write about an innovative proposal, that uses a car park at a new station to create a Park-And-Ride for both Stonehenge and Salisbury.
This could bring more visitors to Stonehenge without their cars.
Conclusion
None of these proposals will take vast amounts of pressure from the A303. But every little helps.
Some like the decarbonisation of rail services will have to be done anyway.
What Does 2.5 MW Look Like?
This press release on the Rolls-Royce web site is entitled Rolls-Royce Generator Delivered For Most Powerful Hybrid-Electric Propulsion System In Aerospace.
This Rolls-Royce picture shows the generator installed on a test bed.
These are the first three paragraphs of the press release.
The generator that will be at the heart of the most powerful hybrid-electric aero power and propulsion system in aerospace has arrived for installation at our specialist testbed.
The generator, and related power electronics, was delivered to the newly-renovated Testbed 108 in Bristol, UK, from the Rolls-Royce facility in Trondheim, Norway, having completed an extensive development test programme. It will form part of the 2.5 megawatt (MW) Power Generation System 1 (PGS1) demonstrator programme, for future regional aircraft. In addition to hybrid-electric propulsion, the generator could also be used as part of a “more-electric” system for larger aircraft or within future ground or marine applications.
PGS1 forms an important element of our sustainability strategy, which includes developing innovative electrical power and propulsion systems.
I must say that as an engineer this 2.5 MW generator really excites me, as I see so many possibilities.
- I am fairly certain, that the generator can be powered by hydrogen, to create a true zero-carbon power generator.
- Rolls-Royce mention aerospace, ground and marine applications.
- The physical size must be an advantage, when it comes to some applications.
- The gas-turbine technology at the heart of the generator has been well-proven in the Lockheed Super Hercules.
But I do note in the press release that there is no mention of hydrogen or rail for which the generator must be eminently suitable.
- Rolls-Royce subsidiary; mtu are one of the leading companies, who power large rail locomotives.
- 2.5 MW is ideal for many rail locomotives.
- The small size must help integration into a rail locomotive.
- My calculations show that the generator and a hydrogen tank could be fitted into a typical modern rail locomotive.
- As electric transmissions can be used, the locomotive could also use electrification.
A lot of these arguments would also apply to the very large trucks used in the mining industries and ships of various sizes.
Conclusion
This Rolls-Royce 2.5 MW Generator will have lots of applications.
Whisky Galore!
The Levenmouth Rail Link has carried freight in the past.
Mainly in the past, it was coal to the now-demolished Methil power station.
But it has been known to carry whisky for Diageo.
This Google map shows the area.
Note.
- The blue dot marking Sainsbury’s by the bew Leven station, by the mouth of the River Leven.
- The railway follows the river with Cameron Bridge station to the East of the A915 and the two Camero Bridge distilleries.
- The silver warehouses at the North side of the map are labelled Diageo Global Supply.
I wonder, if a siding can be provided for the distribution of products stored in the warehouses?
Companies are looking to lower their carbon-footprint and I wouldn’t be surprised, if Diageo were looking at rail distribution.
Modern Rail Freight Distribution
Companies are converting redundant electric multiple units into fast parcel delivery trains to replace diesel trucks.
- Typically, four-car trains are used.
- Trains have a 100 mph capability and can be 240 metres in length.
- Eversholt Rail Group are proposing adding battery power. This would be ideal to reach Cameron Bridge over the Forth Bridge.
These trains would be ideal for the delivery of Scotch Whisky.
They might even be capable of exporting product through the Channel Tunnel.
I don’t think the capacity of the Levenmouth Rail Link would be a problem, as it is a double-track railway, that can probably handle over four trains per hour and there is plenty of capacity for a number of freight trains.
Conclusion
I think freight will play a use in the future of the Levenmouth Rail Link.
Related Posts
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
North From Thornton Junction
This Google Map shows how all the railways connect at Thornton junction.
Note.
- The village of Cameron Bridge is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The A 915 running diagonally across the map and to the East of the village of Cameron Bridge.
- In The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link, I showed how Cameron Bridge station was positioned to the East of the A915 and the village.
- The Levenmouth Rail Link would appear to pass to the South of the village, according to a Network Rail map in the related post.
Thornton junction is a large triangular junction in the South-West corner of the map.
- Thornton North junction is close to Thornton Golf Club, which is shown by the green marker.
- Glenrothes with Thornton station is at the Eastern point of Thornton junction.
- Trains going West from Glenrothes with Thornton station go through Dunfermline and over the Forth bridge to Edinburgh.
- Thornton South junction is South of Thornton Golf Club and leads South through Kirkcaldy station and over the Forth bridge to Edinburgh.
This second Google Map shows the main Edinburgh and Dundee rail line between Thornton Golf Club (Thornton North junction) and Markinch station, which is the next station to the North.
Note.
- The village of Cameron Bridge in the East of the map.
- Markinch station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Thornton Golf Club (Thornton North junction) is in the South-West corner of the map.
Looking at various maps, Thornton Junction appears very complicated.
- The North-South leg of the junction is at least double-track.
- The North-East leg of the junction appears to be single-track.
- The South-East leg of the junction appears to be single-track.
- The former Levenmouth Rail Link appeared to join the main line at a single-track junction to the North of Thornton North junction
- There is lots of space.
.I’m sure Network Rail can come up with an efficient track layout, that will enable the following.
- Trains can go between Glenrothes with Thornton and Kirkcaldy stations in both directions, as they do now.
- Trains can go between Glenrothes with Thornton and Levenmouth Rail Link in both directions.
- Trains can go between Kirkcaldy station and Levenmouth Rail Link in both directions.
This would enable the service provision, that was specified in Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link.
What Will Be Electrified At Thornton Junction?
This page on the Network Rail web site, says this about the trains that will run the service on the Levenmouth Rail Link.
And while the line will be electrified with overhead wires, services will be operated initially by battery electric units in order to reduce the number of diesels operating on the network as early as possible.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see full electrification between Glenrothes with Thornton and Leven stations, to make sure that the battery-electric trains had full batteries for the run South to Edinburgh.
- The other two legs of Thornton junction would also be fully electrified to give all passing trains a good charge.
- The distance between Kirkcaldy and Markinch stations is 7.3 miles and trains take about ten minutes. I suspect most of this section of the Edinburgh and Dundee line will be electrified. There looks to be about six overbridges that might need raising, but I suspect it would be nothing too terrible, with about the same degree of engineering difficulty as electrifying the Gospel Oak to Barking Line in London.
- I feel with good engineering and guile, enough electrification can be added to the route through Kirkcaldy to get the trains to the South.
- West of Glenrothes with Thornton station, the track looks to be good territory for electrification and enough wires can be added, so that by Cardenden station, there is enough power in the batteries to get the trains to the South.
I have a feeling that by intelligently using the two routes via Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline, Network Rail can increase the frequency of trains over the Forth Bridge.
- This probably partly explains, why trains to Leven go alternatively via Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.
- 100 mph battery-electric trains help too with their sparkling acceleration.
- Who’d have thought, that at the age of one hundred and thirty, the Forth Bridge will be at the heart of an electrified local train network?
And the only new electrification is based on Thornton junction, over twenty miles to the North.
Electrification Between The Forth Bridge And Edinburgh
Without doubt, the electrification to the South of the Firth of Forth must reach as far North as possible.
Dalmeny station is the most Northerly station South of the bridge and I feel that this could be a practical place for the electrification to end.
Distances from Dalmeny to stations further North include.
- Leuchars – 41.4 miles
- Leven – via Dunfermline – 28.2 miles
- Leven – via Kirkcaldy – 27.3 miles
- Dundee – 48.8 miles
- Perth – 47.4 miles
All these destinations would be within range of Hitachi Regional Battery Trains, which are described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note that the range on battery power alone is 90 km or 56 miles.
Given that the battery-electric trains would be able to grab a battery charge as they passed through Thornton junction, I am fairly certain that Hitachi Regional Battery Trains could reach Leuchars, Dundee or Perth.
An Electric Service Between Edinburgh And Dundee
Dundee is a new station and I doubt, that it was rebuilt without provision for full electrification.
It has two through platforms for Aberdeen and Edinburgh services.
There are also two South-facing bay platforms for regional services from the South.
This picture shows the two bay platforms with an Edinburgh-bound train to the left.
Note.
- In the picture the two Class 170 diesel trains will be going to Edinburgh or Glasgow.
- Scotrail’s plans include an hourly train to both of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
If these two bay platforms were electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires, these battery-electric services will be possible.
- Edinburgh and Dundee via Haymarket, Kirkcaldy, Thornton junction and intermediate stations.
- Glasgow Queen Street and Dundee via Stirling, Dunblane, Perth, Gleneagles and intermediate stations.
I suspect other routes battery-electric will be possible.
An Electric Service Between Dundee And Aberdeen
The distance between Dundee and Aberdeen stations is 72 miles.
In Solving The Electrification Conundrum, I described techniques being developed by Hitachi Rail and Hitachi ABB Power Grids to electrify routes like Dundee and Aberdeen.
With Hitachi looking to give battery-electric trains a range of over forty miles, it could be just two hops between Dundee and Aberdeen.
I suspect Montrose could be the charging point, as it is forty miles South of Aberdeen.
Conclusion
It appears that the proposed electrification of Levenmouth Rail Link creates an electrification island at Thornton junction, that enables battery-electric trains to reach Dundee.
Coupled with plans to electrify between Stirling and Perth, this means that both Perth and Dundee will be connected to Scotland’s electrified rail network.
I suspect it is also possible to easily extend battery-electric trains all the way to Aberdeen, with only short sections of carefully positioned overhead wires.
Related Posts
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The reinstated Levenmouth Rail Link, will have two stations; Leven and Cameron Bridge.
According to this section in Wikipedia, which is entitled Service Provision, this will be the service.
The expected level of services is two trains per hour between Leven railway station and Edinburgh Waverley. Both will call at Cameron Bridge. One train will travel via Kirkcaldy and along the coast, while the other train will travel via Dunfermline along the inner Fife Circle Line.
In the Wikipedia entry for Leven station, it says that the service will take just over an hour.
Consider.
- Services between Edinburgh and Glenrothes with Thornton take about an hour whether the go via Kirkcaldy or Dunfermline.
- The current timings are based on Class 158 or Class 170 diesel trains.
- If as I surmise in Trains On The Levenmouth Rail Link, the trains are battery-electric Class 385 trains, these trains with their electric power will at least match the schedules of the diesel trains.
- Network Rail will design the track layout at Thornton junction, so that trains will clear the junction efficiently.
- Glenrothes with Thornton station is only half a mile from Thornton Junction.
- Leven station is only 5.9 miles from Thornton Junction.
I can see battery-electric trains moving smoothly and quietly up and down the Levenmouth Rail Line and around Thornton junction to provide a very efficient service to Edinburgh.
Could we even see trains from Edinburgh take this route?
Edinburgh, Haymarket, Edinburgh Gateway, Dalmeny, North Queensferry, Inverkeithing, Dalgety Bay, Aberdour, Burntisland, Kinghorn, Kirkaldy, Cameron Bridge, Leven, Cameron Bridge, Glenrothes with Thornton, Cardenden, Lochgelly, Cowdenbeath, Queen Margaret, Dunfermline, Dunfermline Town, Rosyth, Inverkeithing, North Queensferry, Dalmeny, Edinburgh Gateway and Haymarket.
Note.
- A second service would run in the opposite direction.
- Trains would reverse and the drivers would change cabs at Leven station.
- Trains would charge batteries on the Levenmouth Rail Link and at Edinburgh.
- Every station on the route would get two trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
The hourly service between Edinburgh and Cowdenbeath could continue.
The Bridges Across The Firth Of Forth
There would be a battery-electric train every thirty minutes in both directions across the Forth Bridge.
This Google Map shows the three bridges across the Firth of Forth.
Note.
- The most Westerly bridge is the Queensferry Crossing, which carries the M90 and was opened in 2017.
- The bridge in the middle is Forth Road Bridge, which opened in 1964.
- The Forth Bridge is the most Easterly bridge and it opened in 1890.
- North Queensberry station is to the North of the bridge and Dalmeny is to the South.
After opening of the Levenmouth Rail Link, there could be a battery-electric train every thirty minutes in both directions across the Forth Bridge.
This sounds like an opportunity to develop the bridge with its battery trains as a tourist attraction.
Battery-electric trains could run from Edinburgh to the following places.
- Dundee
- Perth
- St. Andrews
And that’s just for starters.
Conclusion
There is a lot more to the Levenmouth Rail Link, than just a double-track railway to Leven, as it enables so much.
Related Posts
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Cameronbridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Trains On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Hay Fever, Coeliac Disease And The AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine
I am 73 and was diagnosed as a coeliac at 50.
I am fairly sure, I have suffered from hay fever all my life, but usually I can control it.
This year, it has been particularly bad and I asked my GP about it last night. He indicated it had been a bad year.
I then said that as being a coeliac I have a strong immune system and from what I have read, the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine also boosts the immune system.
I just wonder, if my coeliac disease and the vaccine are both attacking the hay fever and making me feel, so much worse than in any other year.
Certainly, all I want to do, is lie down!
I’m certainly so much worse than I was last year, when Covid-19 was the same, but I hadn’t been vaccinated.
The only time my eyes felt so bad was sometime around 2000, when they were so sore, I had to have an operation to remove polyps.
This could have been a few years after I went gluten-free, which would surely have boosted my immune system.
Trains On The Levenmouth Rail Link
This page on the Network Rail web site, says this about the trains that will run the service.
And while the line will be electrified with overhead wires, services will be operated initially by battery electric units in order to reduce the number of diesels operating on the network as early as possible.
The obvious battery-electric trains to be used will be Hitachi Regional Battery Trains, which are described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note that the range on battery power alone is 90 km or 56 miles.
ScotRail currently run a fleet of the following Hitachi trains.
- 46 x three-car Class 385 trains.
- 24 x four-car Class 385 trains.
Hitachi have indicated that these trains can be fitted with batteries
Could some of these trains be fitted with batteries to work the Fife Circle Line and the Levenmouth Rail Link?
Distances involved include.
- Haymarket and Glenrothes-with-Thornton via Kirkcaldy – 29.6 miles
- Haymarket and Glenrothes-with-Thornton via Dunfermline – 30.5 miles
- Leven and Thornton junction – 5.9 miles
If between Haymarket and Dalmeny stations were to be electrified, this would reduce distances on battery power by over eight miles.
It would appear that if between Leven station and Thornton junction were to be electrified, then with a battery range of forty miles, the battery-electric trains could reach Haymarket station with ease.
Conclusion
It looks to me, that Baldrick’s Scottish cousin has developed a cunning plan!
But it does show how one short length of easy electrification on a new track – Leven and Thornton Junction, can avoid a more difficult electrification – Haymarket and Glenrothes-with-Thornton, which goes over the culturally-sensitive World Heritage Site of the Forth Bridge.
North From Thornton Junction
It should be noted that Haymarket and Dundee via Kirkcaldy is 57.9 miles.
- I have just flown my virtual helicopter on the route and much of it is flat farmland.
- Electrification to the North of Thornton Junction could use the same power feed as that used for the Levenmouth Rail Link.
- A good proportion of the battery-electric trains, that are pencilled in for Edinburgh and Aberdeen have been or will be built by Hitachi.
I would expect that Hitachi’s techniques, that I talked about in Solving The Electrification Conundrum could be used to enable battery-electric Class 385 and Class 80x trains to run between Edinburgh and Dundee.
I have a feeling, that electrifying the Levenmouth Rail Link, may only be 5.9 miles of double-track electrification, but that with a few miles of electrification North of Thornton Junction, it can enable electric trains to run the following routes.
- Edinburgh and Leven via Kirkcaldy.
- Edinburgh and Leven via Dunfermline.
- Edinburgh and Dundee
- Edinburgh and Perth
Note that as Dunblane is electrified, battery-electric trains might be able to reach Dundee from Glasgow with some charging at Perth.
It does appear that electric trains could be serving Dundee.
Related Posts
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The reinstated Levenmouth Rail Link, will have two stations; Leven and Cameron Bridge.
This Google Map shows the River Leven and the remains of the old railway as they run West from Leven.
Note.
The River Leven runs South-West to North-East across the map.
The track of the old rail link runs towards Leven along the North Bank of the river.
This Map from this page on the Network Rail web site, shows the location of the new Cameron Bridge station.
Note.
- The station will be to the East of the A915 road.
- Cameron Bridge station will have two platforms.station has two platforms.
- There will be 150 car parking spaces.
- There is space for a bus stop and turning area.
- There will be two waiting shelters.
- The platforms look like they could be extended if needed.
Unlike Leven station, there will be a bridge with lifts for passengers.
Related Posts
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Trains On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The New Leven Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The reinstated Levenmouth Rail Link, will have two stations; Leven and Cameron Bridge.
This Google Map shows the mouth the the River Leven.
The key point to note is the Sainsbury’s supermarket, which is to the North of the Riven Leven, close to the A955 bridge across the river.
This Map from this page on the Network Rail web site, shows the location of the new Leven station.
Note.
- Leven station has two platforms.
- There is a car park.
- There is space for a bus stop and turning area.
- There are two waiting shelters, both on the same platform
- The platforms look like they could be extended if needed.
It appears that passengers will cross the line by walking past the end of the line.
This map shows a close-up of the bridge over the River Leven.
It used to connect the railway to the coal-fired Methil power station.
Some of the track is still visible.
Is provision being made in the design of Leven station, so that the rail link can be extended across the River Leven to a second station near the Bayview stadium or to allow the development of housing or industrial sites along the Forth of Firth?
Conclusion
It looks to be a good scheme, which connects to the centre of the town and could be developed with bus and walking links for onward travel.
Related Posts
The New Cameron Bridge Station On The Levenmouth Rail Link
Service Provision On The Levenmouth Rail Link
The Anonymous Widower 