ScotRail Offers 1st Class For £3 As Luxury Travel Reintroduced
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
To encourage passengers back after the pandemic, Scotrail have introduced a three pound onboard upgrade to First Class on services on Inter7City and Class 385 train services.
This sounds like a good idea!
Anxiety Over HS2 Eastern Leg Future
I did think about giving this post a title of Here We Go Again, as it yet another story about delaying or cancelling the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.
But in the end I decided to use the title of the article in the September 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
I wrote about this subject in Is The Eastern Leg Of High Speed Two Under Threat? in December 2020.
In that post, this was my major conclusion.
To achieve the required timings for High Speed Two, major improvements must be made to existing track on the East Coast Main Line and these improvements will mean that existing services will be competitive with High Speed Two on time.
It is backed up by the timings in the following table., which show the direct time by High Speed Two and my best estimate of time on an improved East Coast Main Line.
- Bradford – Will not served by High Speed Two – One hour and fifty-four minutes
- Cleethorpes – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and fifty-one minutes
- Darlington – One hour and forty-nine minutes – One hour and forty-nine minutes
- Doncaster – Will not served by High Speed Two – One hour
- Edinburgh – Three hours and forty minutes via Western Leg – Three hours and thirty minutes.
- Grimsby – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and thirty-six minutes
- Harrogate – Will not served by High Speed Two – One hour and fifty-two minutes
- Huddersfield – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and eight minutes
- Hull – Will not served by High Speed Two – One hour and fifty minutes
- Leeds – One hour and twenty-one minutes – One hour and thirty minutes
- Lincoln – Will not served by High Speed Two – One hour and fifty-one minutes
- Middlesbrough – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and twenty minutes
- Newcastle – Two hours and seventeen minutes – Two hours and sixteen minutes
- Nottingham – One hour and seven minutes – One hour and fifty minutes
- Scarborough – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and fifty-seven minutes
- Sheffield – One hour and twenty-seven minutes – One hour and twenty-seven minutes
- Skipton – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and seven minutes
- Sunderland – Will not served by High Speed Two – Two hours and thirty minutes
- York – One hour and twenty-four minutes – One hour and twenty-four minutes
Note.
- I have included all destinations served by Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER.
- I have included Nottingham and Sheffield for completeness and in case whilst electrification is installed on the Midland Main Line, LNER run services to the two cities.
- I suspect LNER services to Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton will split and join at Leeds.
There are a total of nineteen destination in this table.
- Twelve are not served by High Speed Two.
- Six are not more than fifteen minutes slower by the East Coast Main Line.
Only Nottingham is substantially quicker by High Speed Two.
In Is The Eastern Leg Of High Speed Two Under Threat?, I said that if Nottingham services ran at the sort of speed on the East Coast Main Line, that a time of one hour and twenty-one minutes between London St. Pancras and Nottingham could be possible. That would be just fourteen minutes slower than the time on High Speed Two with a change at East Midlands Hub.
Conclusion
I am getting more convinced that we don’t need the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two to East Midlands Hub and Leeds for a few years yet, as by uprating the East Coast and Midland Main Lines we can handle the traffic that we currently are generating with ease.
Whitechapel Station – 23rd August 2021
Whitechapel station reopened this morning, so I went to have a look.
Note.
- There are more lifts than any program on Strictly.
- All the main stairs are wide with lots of handrails.
- There is a passageway alongside the Ticket Hall to access Durward Street at the back of the station.
- There is still some work to do on the Overground platforms.
It certainly could be The Jewel In The East.
High Speed Two Trains Will Have A Moveable Step At Every Passenger Door
This document on the Government web site is the Train Technical Specification for High Speed Two trains.
There is a Section 7.15.2, which is entitled Moveable Step, which is labelled Mandatory.
This is said.
The Unit shall have a Moveable Step at every Exterior Door, which shall be automatically
deployed (unless inhibited) when the door is released, and fully retracted whenever the
Unit is in motion.
The rationale is also given.
A Moveable Step is considered necessary to provide an improvement in the PTI compared
with existing rolling stock and to meet HS2 goals for accessibility.
About time too!
If Stadler can do it, so can everybody else.
The picture shows a Class 755 train.
I think this step-free feature applies to all High Speed Two trains.
What Does High Speed Two Mean By Classic Compatible Trains?
The Classic-Compatible trains are described in this section in Wikipedia, by this sentence.
The classic-compatible trains, capable of high speed but built to a British loading gauge, permitting them to leave the high speed track to join conventional routes such as the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line. Such trains would allow running of HS2 services to the north of England and Scotland, although these non-tilting trains would run slower than existing tilting trains on conventional track. HS2 Ltd has stated that, because these trains must be specifically designed for the British network and cannot be bought “off-the-shelf”, these conventional trains were expected to be around 50% more expensive, costing around £40 million per train rather than £27 million for the captive stock.
The Classic-Compatible trains will share these characteristics with the Full-Size trains.
- Maximum speed of 225 mph.
- Cruising speed of 205 mph on High Speed Two.
- Length of 200 metres.
- Ability to work in pairs.
- A passenger capacity around 500-600 passengers.
But what characteristics will the Classic-Compatible trains share with other trains on the UK network?
The Classic-Compatible trains will share some tracks with other trains, according to High Speed Two’s latest plans.
- On the East Coast Main Line, the trains will run between York and Newcastle.
- On the Liverpool Branch between Weaver junction and Liverpool Lime Street station.
- On the Midland Main Line between Clay Cross North junction and Sheffield.
- On the Midland main Line between East Midlands Hub and Bedford.
- On the West Coast Main Line, the trains will run between Crewe and Glasgow.
- On the West Coast Main Line, the trains will run between Stafford and Macclesfield.
As High Speed Two develops, the Classic-Compatible trains could venture off the main routes to places like Aberdeen, Barrow-in-Furness, Blackburn, Blackpool, Cleethorpes, Holyhead, Huddersfield, Inverness, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Scarborough, Stirling and Sunderland.
They will need to be able to go anywhere, which is worthwhile to connect to High Speed Two.
The main restriction is the size of the train and so a Classic-Compatible train probably can’t be larger than the largest train on the UK network, with respect to width, height and to a certain extend length.
Widths of typical trains are as follows.
- Class 319 train – 2.82 metres
- Class 321 train – 2.82 metres
- Class 387 train – 2.80 metres
- Class 700 train – 2.80 metres
- Class 710 train – 2.77 metres
- Class 745 train – 2.72 metres
- Class 800 train – 2.70 metres
- Mark 4 coach – 2.73 metres
Heights of typical trains are as follows.
- Class 319 train – 3.58 metres
- Class 321 train – 3.78 metres
- Class 387 train – 3.77 metres
- Class 710 train – 3.76 metres
- Class 745 train – 3.95 metres
- Mark 4 coach – 3.79 metres
Note.
- I find it odd, that the smallest width is one of the newest trains; Hitachi’s Class 800.
- Length is fairly irrelevant as many trains in the UK are almost 240 metres long.
I suspect that Classic-Compatible trains will have width of between 2.70 and 2.80 metres and a height of around 3.80 metres.
Could A High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Train Go Through The Thameslink Tunnel?
I ask this question, as surely in a post-pandemic world, where we are all flying there may be a case to be made for a train service between the North of England and Gatwick Airport.
But when East Midlands Railway has their new Class 810 trains, it might be possible, if they didn’t use the diesel engines.
Signalling would not be a problem, as in a few years time, all trains will be equipped with the latest digital signalling systems.
If running a Class 810 train, through the tunnel is possible, given that a Classic-Compatible train will not be larger than a Class 810 train, will High Speed Two’s trains be able to cross London in the Thameslink Tunnel?
As Midlands Connect are planning to run a Leeds and Bedford service using High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains, could this service be extended through the Thameslink Tunnel to Gatwick Airport and Brighton?
I have a feeling that this will be physically possible.
- It would be under the control of the signalling.
- There’s no reason, why a high speed train can’t have a precise low speed performance.
- It would stop at all stations.
- It would use one of the Bedford and Brighton paths on Thameslink
Passengers would like catching a train at a station in Central London and like being whisked all the way to East Midlands Hub and Leeds.
Could A High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Train Go Through The Crossrail Tunnel?
Consider.
- It would surely be possible to arrange tracks at Old Oak Common to allow High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains to go between High Speed Two and Crossrail.
- Crossrail is considering running to Ebbsfleet.
- It might even be possible to connect in East London.
- The High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains would be digitally-signalled and controlled through Crossrail without stopping.
- Platform edge doors would ensure safety, but also prevent the trains from stopping at the existing stations.
I have just looked at the London railway map on carto metro, there are stretches of Crossrail under London, where there is space for a station with 200 metre, if not a 400 metre platforms, to the West or East of current Crossrail stations.
- To the West of Bond Street
- To the East of Tottenham Court Road
- To the West of Farringdon
- To the East of Liverpool Street
- To the West of Canary Wharf
- To the East of Canary Wharf
Would all appear to have the required space and be possibilities for extra High Speed Two platforms.
Effectively, some stations would have two sets of platforms on the tracks beside each other.
- One pair of platforms would be the existing station, with platform edge doors compatible with Crossrail’s Class 345 trains.
- The other pair of platforms would be the High Speed Two station, with platform edge doors compatible with High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- The signalling and train control systems would automatically stop trains in the appropriate platform.
- Extra passageways would link the new platforms to the existing station.
I suspect when Crossrail was designed, the possibility of adding extra stations to the underground section was considered and there is a method of adding extra platforms in Crossrail’s book of cunning engineering ideas.
Conclusion
I don’t rule out a High Speed service between Birmingham and stations in the North of Great Britain and major cities on the Continent.
- Crossrail would be used to link High Speed One and High Speed Two.
- High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains would be used.
- Stops in London could be Old Oak Common, Bond Street, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf and Ebbsfleet
It may sound to be a fanciful idea, but I believe it is possible.
Thoughts On Phase 2a Of High Speed Two
This map shows the route of Phase 2a of High Speed Two.
Note.
- The blue circles are stations.
- From the top, the stations are Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford, Birmingham Curzon Street and Birmingham Interchange.
- The lighter blue track is sections of the West Coast Main Line, that will be used by High Speed Two services.
- The darker blue track is Phase 1 of High Speed Two.
- The orange track is Phase 2b of High Speed Two to East Midlands Hub, Leeds and Sheffield.
- The mauve track is Phase 2a of High Speed Two.
This page on the High Speed Two web site, which is entitled Phase 2a: West Midlands To Crewe, says this about the building and opening of Phase 2a.
It will be built at the same time as the line between London and the West Midlands. High speed services will begin operating between London, Birmingham and Crewe between 2029 and 2033.
It is my opinion, to build Phase 1 and Phase 2a together is a good move.
- Crewe is a very well-connected station.
- It will reduce times between Crewe and London Euston by 34 minutes.
But most importantly, it completes a second separate route for the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and London Euston.
Just think what new bypasses and motorways have done for your driving.
These are some thoughts and observations.
West Coast Main Line Benefits
The High Speed Two web page, which is entitled Phase 2a: West Midlands To Crewe, has a section called West Coast Main Line Benefits, where this is said.
Phase 2a unlocks more rail capacity on the West Coast mainline. It will carry six long distance high speed services per hour, freeing up the West Coast Mainline between Lichfield and Crewe. This could see services rise from hourly to half-hourly or better between Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent to Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield and Rugeley, as well as more services from Crewe to Runcorn and Liverpool, as well as via Crewe between North Wales, Chester and London.
It would appear the six long-distance services could be.
- Train 1 – London Euston and Lancaster – Splits and joins with Train 2 at Crewe.
- Train 2 – London Euston and Liverpool – Splits and joins with Train 1 at Crewe.
- Train 3 – London Euston and Liverpool – Single train
- Train 4 – London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Splits and joins at Carlisle for Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Train 5 – London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Splits and joins at Carlisle for Edinburgh and Glasgow
- Train 6 – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Serves Edinburgh and Glasgow alternately.
Note that all services use a single or a pair of High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains.
A High Speed Test Route Can Be Created
Consider.
- At the Northern end of the Phase 2a track is Crewe station.
- At the Southern end of the Phase 2a track is Birmingham Interchange station.
- The track between the two end stations will be newly-laid modern high speed track capable of 225 mph running.
- There will be no intermediate stations or Victorian throwbacks like level crossings.
- The only junctions are at the end of the route.
- If the High Speed Two trains are built in this country, there will be a need for somewhere to check them out.
The Phase 2a track will surely make an ideal test track for testing trains and systems and training drivers.
HS2 Moves Stafford Ahead At High-Speed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on StokeonTrentLive.
It seems a positive headline in comparison to some you usually see about High Speed Two.
The subtitle doesn’t have any negative words either.
Construction has begun on the first section and there will be a community and business roadshow this August to find out more.
Perhaps people from Staffordshire have a positive outlook on life.
After all, with respect to High Speed Two, Stoke will be one of the first two cities in the country outside London to receive a high speed service.
Stoke might even be first!
A Big Advantage Of Only Ten Platforms For High Speed Two At Euston Station
Many of us have been involved in the start-up and handover of a new project, even it is just buying a new house to live in from a builder.
All projects have one thing in common. Something will go wrong, even if it is just the lock on the toilet door.
Harold Macmillan expressed it memorably as “Events, Dear Boy! Events!”
This article on Ian Visits is entitled Call For A Rethink Of HS2’s Euston Station Plans.
These two paragraphs describe the current plan for Euston station.
The current plans for the HS2 station at Euston will see it delivered in two phases, with six platforms opened first to carry HS2 trains on the first stage of the railway up to the West Midlands. The second phase of the Euston station would open later, with an additional 5 platforms to manage demand when HS2 is extended to Crewe, Manchester and Leeds.
Phase one was scheduled for completion in 2026, and phase two in 2033.
This paragraph describes the latest idea from the Department for Transport.
However, the Oakervee review from last year called for a redesign of the station scaling back the station and increasing the amount of oversite development to fund it. Earlier this year it was revealed that the Department for Transport has instructed HS2 to refine the development to build it in one phase, but with just 10 platforms instead of 11 platforms.
There are now two camps arguing as to whether the station should be built with ten or eleven platforms.
The eleven platform station project will involve.
- Two-phase construction
- Five platforms by 2026
- Eleven platforms by 2033
On the other hand, the ten platform station project will involve.
- Single-phase construction
- Ten platforms on opening.
- More oversite development.
Note.
- There will be eleven trains per hour (tph) in Phase 1 of High Speed Two from London Euston.
- , Trains will serve Birmingham, Carlisle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Macclesfield, Manchester. Preston, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Scotland.
- Full-size trains will be able to run to Birmingham Curzon Street and Crewe, but not to the two Manchester stations, as the trains don’t fit the infrastructure.
I suspect that Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains will be running to Manchester.
The Big Advantage Of A Two-Phase Project With Ten Platforms
In the two-phase project with eleven platforms to rebuild Euston station, there will be five platforms, when the station opens, but in the single-phase project with ten platforms, there will be ten platforms.
If there are ten platforms, the station must be easier to operate, especially during the tricky phase of opening the new station.
With ten platforms, there will be more space to sort out those unexpected events!
Building Council Flats In London
I was told this tale by the Head of the Construction Branch of the Greater London Council, who was a big user of the first Project Management System;PERT7, that I wrote in the 1970s.
The GLC were building some council flats alongside the railway.
There were four parallel blocks with five floors and I’ll number them 1 to 4, with 4 alongside the railway and 1 furthest away.
The plan to build them involved the following.
- Deliveries were planned, so that the many residents around the site and British Rail were not inconvenienced.
- Site access was arranged with British Rail along the railway on a track to and from a major road a few hundred yards away.
- The site would be cleared with all the rubble going out in the reverse direction.
- The plan then was to build the blocks 1, 2, 3 and 4 towards the railway.
- This was logical, as when each block was completed it could be occupied and the new tenants wouldn’t be living in a building site, as what needed to be done was towards the railway.
But he was overruled by a vociferous local lobby and some local politicians, who had convinced themselves that building away from the railway in a 4, 3, 2, 1 order would be better.
In the end they were built in the 4, 3, 2, 1 order with budget and time overruns and endless complaints from residents.
If there is a lesson from this fairly insignificant project, it is that in a construction project, there is often one way to build it, that minimises construction time and disturbance to neighbours and maximises the cash flow from the development.
Why Does Birmingham Interchange Station On High Speed Two Need Four Long Platforms?
This page on the High Speed Two web site describes the design and construction at Birmingham Interchange station.
This paragraph talks about the overall design philosophy of the station.
The Interchange Station itself will be made up of two 415 metre long island platforms, offering 4 platform faces, as well as 2 central high speed through lines for non-stopping services. The station will be linked to the NEC, Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport via an automated people mover carrying up to 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction. In addition to the APM, the station will be fully integrated with other local buses, taxis and private vehicle options.
Note.
- There would appear to be six tracks through the station.
- The four platforms will accept the longest High Speed Two trains.
- The automated people mover appears to be very comprehensive.
Birmingham Interchange certainly seems to have been designed as a very high capacity station.
This table gives the a list of the trains that will call at Birmingham Interchange station.
- Train 2 – London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre Full-Size
- Train 3 – London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre Full-Size
- Train 7 – London Euston and Manchester – 400 metre Full-Size
- Train 11 – London Euston and Edinburgh – Classic Compatible
- Train 11 – London Euston and Glasgow – Classic Compatible
- Train 14 – London Euston and Leeds – 400 metre Full-Size
Note.
- 400 metre Full-Size trains will be a pair of 200 metre trains.
- Train 11 is a pair of 200 metre long Classic-Compatible trains, that split and join at Carlisle.
Only five 400 metre trains call at Birmingham Interchange.
I have some thoughts.
Stations Served From Birmingham Interchange
These destinations are served from Birmingham Interchange.
- Two tph – Birmingham Curzon Street
- One tph – Carlisle
- One tph – East Midlands Hub
- One tph – Edinburgh Haymarket
- One tph – Edinburgh Waverley
- One tph – Glasgow Central
- One tph – Leeds
- Five tph – London Euston
- One tph – Manchester Airport
- One tph – Manchester Piccadilly
- One tph – Motherwell
- One tph – Preston
I suspect as the service develops more services will stop at Birmingham Interchange, to reduce the number of passenger journeys where a change is necessary.
Surely Liverpool needs a service from Birmingham Interchange, as it doesn’t have one from Birmingham Curzon Street.
Perhaps, the Liverpool/Lancaster service should stop at Birmingham Interchange?
Splitting And Joining At Birmingham Interchange
Consider.
- The position of Birmingham Interchange to the South of the junction where the Western and Eastern legs, surely makes it an ideal place for splitting and joining a pair of trains, one of which serves the Western leg and the other serves the Eastern.
- The Liverpool/Lancaster service could split and join at Birmingham Interchange to give better connectivity between the North West and the West Midlands.
Intelligent use of splitting and joining at Birmingham Interchange could make better use of paths to and from Euston.
Splitting And Joining Of Full-Size Trains At Birmingham Interchange
According to the currently proposed timetable Birmingham Curzon Street, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly will all get three Full-Size tph to and from London Euston, with East Midlands Hub and Leeds getting two Full-Size tph.
This may be a right decision, but if four Full-Size tph is the frequency needed on some routes, then splitting and joining of Full-Size trains can be used at Birmingham Interchange to increase frequencies.
Suppose it was decided that the Leeds and Manchester services needed to be four Full-Size tph.
- The London and Manchester service that stops at Birmingham Interchange would split into two trains at the station, with one train going to Manchester and the other going to Leeds.
- The London and Leeds service that stops at Birmingham Interchange would split into two trains at the station, with one train going to Manchester and the other going to Leeds.
Coming South the two services would join at Birmingham Interchange.
I can almost envisage Full-Size pairs of trains leaving London Euston every ten minutes, which then split and join at Birmingham Interchange to give Leeds and Manchester a core service of six Full-Size tph.
There are a large number of possibilities.
Down One Leg Up T’Other
Birmingham Interchange can be used as an interchange station for journeys where you come South on one leg and then go North on the other.
It might even be possible to arrange some changes with an interchange across one of the island platforms at Birmingham Interchange.
Turning Back Trains
There is a worry about late trains delaying everything.
But because it has four platforms, it could be the station, where trains are turned back, when they are running very late.
It could be better to turnback a train at Birmingham Interchange, rather than let it run all the way to Euston and create havoc.
Perhaps, simulation has shown, that two extra platforms at Birmingham Interchange enable the optimal working of ten platforms t Euston?
Line Blocked Or Blockaded Between Birmingham And Euston
Events happen and there may be reasons why services can’t run through to London.
It could easily be turned into a mini-terminus for services to the North and linked to London by either the West Coast Main Line or a Rail Replacement Bus.
Conclusion
Because of its position in the middle of the country, I suspect there are many reasons for the four long platforms at Birmingham Interchange station.
The Anonymous Widower 