Could Cirencester Be Reconnected To The Rail Network?
In Boris Johnson Vows New Life For High Streets And Axed Rail Lines, I laid out a list of rail lines that could be reopened by a future Conservative government.
Today, I’m going to Cirencester to have lunch with an old friend.
But, Cirencester does not have a rail connection, although there used to be a Cirencester branch line from Kemble station.
The Wikipedia entry says this under Future.
As of 2016, discussions have taken place regarding the potential of relaying 5km of track from Kemble station to the edge of Cirencester at Chesterton Halt.
In January 2019, the Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments)
It looks to me, the sort of rail reopening that fits with Boris’s list.
These are a few of my thoughts on the rebuilding.
The Connection At Kemble Station
This Google Map shows the connection at Kemble station.
It appears that connecting a new single-track branch line could be possible.
Crossing The A 429
This Google Map shows, where the A 429 and the Cirecenter Branch cross.
A bridge would be needed, as Network Rail doesn’t do level crossings on major roads.
Crossing Of Spratsgate Lane
This Google Map shows, where the Cirecester Branch crosses Spratsgate Lane as Cirencester is approached.
Would a bridge be needed?
Other Crossings
There are three other minor crossings on the route, between the two major ones I’ve mapped.
Approach To Cirencester
This Google Map shows the approach to Cirencester.
Could a rail track be squeezed in for a station?
Service Frequency
I would feel that, if the Cirencester Branch was reinstated as a single-track line, that a two tph service could be run between Swindon and Cirencester station with a stop at Kemble.
Extra Stations
The Golden Valley Line used to have two extra stations between Swindon and Kemble stations.
If housing developments were to be proposed near these two locations or perhaps in other locations in Swindon, it would improve the financial case for a shuttle between Swindon and Cirencester stations.
Could Battery Trains Be Used?
The nearest electrification is fourteen miles away at Swindon station. An out-and-back trip on battery power should be possible.
Could Tram-Trains Be Used?
I don’t see why not! They would also have advantages.
- Bridges would be lighter and less intrusive.
- The minor crossings could work under tramway rules.
- They might be able to reach Cirencester Town Centre
- The branch could be fitted with lightweight tramway electrification.
- Extra stations at Minety & Ashton Keynes and Purton could be simpler designs.
- Battery power could be used on sections of the route.
I very much feel that a tram-train solution would be possible, from my observations in Karlsruhe and Sheffield.
A Visit To Cirencester
I had an excellent lunch with my friend in Cirencester and I have some some observations.
Cirencester
I have seen towns like Cirencester so often and used to live near Bury St. Edmunds which is going in a similar direction.
- A town that is worth a visit, but is overrun with cars and people driving around looking for somewhere to park.
- It is a typical country town, that is unfit for the Twenty-First Century.
- It will strangle itself with traffic.
- At least through traffic can use a by-pass.
- Is it the sort of place, where teenagers, that are too young to drive, or don’t have a car, get exceedingly bored?
Residents will move away and the shopping centre will see lower footfall.
The Bay Platform At Swindon Station
This picture shows the Western end of the bay plstform 2 at Swindon station.
Shuttle trains from Cheltenham and Kemble, usually call in this platform, with through trains stopping in either Platforms 1 and 3.
All platforms are fully electrified, with the electrification continuing about a hundred metres up the Golden Valley Line.
Kemble Station
These pictures show Kemble station.
Note.
- There is a lot of car-parking for a small station.
- How many of the cars parked at the station are commuters Between Cirencester and London?
- It is not a step-free station.
- The station, water tank and limestone bridge are all Grade two Listed.
It also looks like the Cirencester branch had its own platform.
Traffic On The Golden Valley Line
It appears that except for the occasional freight train, it is not a busy line.
Although one of the reasons for making it a full double track, was so it can be used as a diversion route, when the Severn Tunnel is closed.
Electrification Of The Golden Valley Line
The distance between Swindon and Cheltenham stations is a short distance over forty-three miles, with four intermediate stations, Listed structures and two tunnels.
Electrification has been considered and under Electrification Proposal in the Wikipedia entry for the line, this is said.
As of 2016 there are no plans to electrify the line.
At present trains from London are Class 802 trains, which are electric trains with onboard diesel engines for routes like this.
As Hitachi have stated they will be using battery power to extend ranges of their trains, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of the current trains modified to have batteries instead of some of their current diesel engines.
Such a train would would be ideal for the following routes.
- Paddington and Bedwyn – 13 miles
- Paddington and Cheltenham – 43 miles
- Paddington and Oxford – 10 miles
- Paddington and Weston-Super-Mare – 19 miles
The distance is the length that is not electrified.
I don’t think it improbable, that London Paddington and Swansea will be achieved by a battery-electric train based on the current Hitachi train designs.
Train Frequency Between Paddington And Kemble
Trains on the Paddington and Cheltenham route, run every two hours and I just missed the 09:36, so I had to change at Swindon.
- Cheltenham and Gloucester probably need at least an hourly service to and from London.
- The current timetable effectively gives an hourly service, with the second service provided by a change at Swindon.
- But it was a busy down-and-up interchange, and I wonder how many travellers miss the connection.
An hourly direct service from London would be so much more convenient.
Conclusion
With some clever and sympathetic engineering on the branch to handle the crossings, it could be a feasible reopening.
My Preference Would Be For A Tram-Train With Batteries
It would have the following characteristics.
- Single-track branch from Kemble.
- Kemble and Cirencester electrified with 750 VDC overhead.
- Tram rules on the branch.
- Trams as close to the centre of Cirencester as possible.
- Two trams per hour between Swindon and Cirencester.
- Trams would use batteries between Kemble and Swindon.
- Batteries would be charged at Swindon station using the existing 25 KVAC overhead electrification and on the branch.
- Extra stops where needed.
The route might even loop into Cirencester to provide a Park-and-Ride on the by-pass, that would serve the town and Kemble station.
The tram-trains ordered for the South Wales Metro would be able to run the service.
It would be an unobtrusive rural tram-train.
Boris Johnson Vows New Life For High Streets And Axed Rail Lines
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Boris Johnson is promising to revitalise “left behind” high streets through tax cuts for pubs and shops and reversing some of the Beeching rail cuts to branch lines.
The article gives a map of the lines and here is a list of them.
- Newcastle and Ashington/Blyth.
- Bristol and Portishead
- Camp Hill Line
- Willenhall and Darlaston
- Thornton-Cleveleys and Fleetwood
- Okehampton and Exeter
- March and Wisbech
- Uckfield and Lewes
- A new station he building of a station at Skelmersdale.
I will suggest other possibilities and add them here.
- West Hampstead and Hounslow – Part of the West London Orbital Railway
- Brent Cross and Kew – Part of the West London Orbital Railway
- Cirencester – See Could Cirencester Be Reconnected To The Rail Network?
There could be several!
The Technology Is With Us!
Anyone who follows railway technology, as I do, knows that technology coming on stream will ease the creation of these routes.
- Modern digital in-cab signalling, as already used on Thameslink.
- Battery-electric trains.
- Innovative charging for battery-electric trains.
- Hydrogen-powered trains.
- Tram-trains
- Automatic train control
- Remote services in simple depots.
- Better bridge-raising and other construction techniques.
Many of these new routes will be able to use a standard train.
Nationalised British Broadband
Labour’s plans to nationalise broadband and provide it free to homes and small business is a cracker!
Advantages For Labour
It would have one big advantage for Labour!
It’s a great way of listening in to all their political opponents. They only have to ask the Chinese how to do it!
How for instance, would another political party, with a radical agenda organise?
But!
Consider these points.
- Mobile phone traffic uses the same Internet backbone as broadband.
- Internet tech giants like Amazon, Facebook and Google wouldn’t pay up without a fight
- Everybody’s pension fund would suffer, as BT is often there and shares would be replaced by junk bonds.
- Virgin Media and other broadband suppliers would be nationalised as well or could become worthless.
- A lot of American Internet companies would go running to the US President and just as Trump has applied tariffs willy-nilly in his trade war with China, a future President wouldn’t take it lying down.
- The high-tech industry has already said they don’t like it.
The biggest problem is that Internet usage will grow exponentially with 5G broadband and all the connected devices, like
- Driverless cars.
- Automated warehouses and delivery systems.
- Connected smart household and other appliances.
- Connected massive screens, which every business, school or home will have.
- Every child watching content on mobile devices.
- Collectinbg operating data from cars, trucks and trains to make them more reliable.
- Automated care assistance for the ill, frail and elderly.
Can any government afford the cost of continual upgrading of capacity, which will not be like anything seen before?
It certainly, is a cracker!
And if it is implemented, it will blow up in the ultra-Marxists’ faces.
US Hydrogen Train Contract Awarded
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Southern California’s San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has awarded Stadler a contract to supply a Flirt H2 hydrogen fuel cell powered multiple-unit to enter passenger service in 2024, with an option for a further four units.
The train follows the layout of Greater Anglia’s Class 755 train, with a power-pack in the middle.
The project was originally called the Redlands Passenger Rail Project, but it has now been renamed Arrow.
Stadler’s press release gives the following details.
- Two cars and a central power-pack.
- 108 seats and standing spaces.
- Operating speed of 79 mph.
- Entry into passenger service in 2024.
It looks to me, that Stadler are not being over-ambitious with their offering to the Californians.
But imagine replacing the diesel power-pack of a Class 755 train on the Felixstowe and Sudbury branches with a hydrogen power-pack!
Conclusion
Stadler could have designed the ideal train for branch lines!
Consider London Bridge and Uckfield.
- The train could use third-rail electrification on the 21 miles between London Bridge and Hurst Green.
- The train would use hydrogen on the 25 miles between Hurst Green and Uckfield
The train would need an appropriate sized hydrogen tank.
Could the required hydrogen tank, fuel cells, batteries and gubbins be fitted in a power-pack in the middle, which would not need any diesel engines.
This picture shows a visualisation of an Alstom Breeze train based on a Class 321 train.
The hydrogen tank, fuel cells, batteries and gubbins are in the blocked off area at the right end of the train.
- As cars on a Class 321 train are twenty metres long, I estimate that the hydrogen section is about eight metres long.
- Stadler’s power-packs are 6.69 metres long.
Efficient design should mean that a hydrogen engine with a range of several hundred miles could be installed in a Stadler Firt H2.
Stadler’s unusual design with the power-pack or engine in the middle is looking good.
Soaring Demand For SUVs Exacerbates Climate Crisis
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in today’s copy of The Times.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The increasing demand for sports utility vehicles is eliminating the emissions savings made by those who have switched to electric cars, the global energy watchdog has warned.
According to the International Energy Agency, SUVs now account for forty percent of new car sales worldwide.
In some ways, I regard having my stroke as being one of the best things that ever happened to me.
- It was serious, but modern clot-busting drugs, left most of my brain intact.
- My eyesight was damaged, so that I am unable to drive, but I do occasionally ride a bicycle away from roads.
- Cars are now no part of my life and in the ten years, that I haven’t driven, I’ve only needed one on perhaps two or three times.
- My bank account is healthier.
- I can afford to take a black cab, as many times as I need.
You have to remember though, that my excess of survival genes; Devonian, Huguenot and Jewish, honed by living in Liverpool and Suffolk, always mean that I am up to the toughest challenge.
We all need to adjust our lifestyle to the modern world.
A Few Related Thoughts
In National Trust Looks At Car Ban In Lake District, I looked at the car problems of the Lake District.
SUVs and their owners are surely drawn to the wilder areas of the UK.
So perhaps, we should create SUV-free areas, except for residents who need one?
Extinction Rebellion want everybody to use electric cars. What would happen if kids refused to go in any car that wasn’t zero carbon?
If I put myself at say sixteen, with my father in his fifties in the present day, I would try to convince him to have an electric car. Knowing my father, he would have probably bought one on my pestering.
But can I convince my son to buy one?
No!
Hyundai, Nikola And Toyota Start To Build The Hydrogen Highway
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Trucks.com.
It is a must-read article.
Piers Corbyn
I’ve just read Piers Corbyn’s entry in Wikipedia.
It is the sort of short light reading, that you need to pass the time on a bus, train or toilet.
Galliard Homes To Develop £140m Luxury Flat Complex Above Crossrail Station
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on City AM.
This is yet another Crossrail related development.
One Liverpool Street: City Of London Approves Crossrail Entrance Office Block
The title of this post is the same as that as this article on City AM.
This paragraph describes the financial structure of the development.
One Liverpool Street will be run by asset managers Aviva Investors, through a joint venture with Transport for London (TfL), and will replace an existing six-storey office block.
It is yet another development along the Crossrail route.
Should High Speed Two Have A Station At Calvert?
The leak of the Oakervee Report into High Speed Two published in today’s Times, says that extra stations might be added to High Speed Two and in particular one could be built at Calvert in Buckinghamshire, where it would also be an interchange with the East-West Rail Link between Oxford and Cambridge.
Calvert And The Current Railways
This Google Map shows the area around the village of Calvert.
Note.
- The two lakes in old clay pits to the North of the village; one for sailing and one for fishing.
- A massive landfill to the South.
- The route of the East-West Rail Lnk runs East-West to the North of the two lakes.
The enlarged Google Map shows the two lakes and the East-West Rail Link.
There is a distinct cross where the North-South Great Central Main Line crosses the former the East-West Varsity Line.
The Great Central Main Line from Aylesbury Vale Parkway station in the South, has a chord to the East and joins the disused track, that used to form part of the Varsity Line. This chord and line will be developed in the next few yeas to allow Chiltern Railways to open a service to Milton Keynes Central station.
Calvert And High Speed Two
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Calvert, describes the possibilities in the area for High Speed Two.
The planned route of High Speed 2 (HS2) will run along the Great Central Railway north-south corridor in this area, past Calvert and the phase one Infrastructure Maintenance Depot will be located near Calvert. No passenger interchange between East West Rail and HS2 is proposed, since stopping high speed trains ‘too often’ reduces their high speed benefits, although in February 2017, the local MP called for the station to be built at the junction between East West Rail and the HS2 line, serving both lines.
Note how the track of the Grand Central Railway can be picked out on the second map.
It looks like the Oakervee Report is recommending that at least passive provision is made for a station in the area, that would connect to the East-West Rail Link.
Calvert And The Oxford To Cambridge Expressway
This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry for Calvert, describes the trunk roads in the area.
Calvert sits in the strip of land which the Government announced in 2018 as its ‘preferred route’ for the new Oxford-Cambridge Expressway road, which would link the A34, M40, and M1 trunk roads. It has been noted that the convergence of HS2, East-West Rail, and the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway at this location would offer opportunities for future provision of a key regional facility, such as an airport, or a New Town.
I doubt there will be a new airport, but other forms of development would be better than landfill.
Oakervee’s Recommendation For Calvert
It looks like the Oakervee Report is recommending that at least passive provision is made for a station in the area, that would connect to the East-West Rail Link.
Thoughts On A Possible Calvert Station
These are my thoughts on a possible Calvert station, that would be built to connect the East-West Rail Link and High Speed Two.
Changing Between The East-West Rail Link And High Speed Two At Calvert Station
This would be very easy to arrange in a well-designed station and would give a lot of stations a direct connection to High Speed Two.
- Oxford, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea
- Oxford, Swindon, Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance
- Reading, Basingstoke, Southampton and Bournemouth
- Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich
- Milton Keynes and Northampton
Bi-mode trains would run direct to Calvert station, where passengers would change to and from High Speed Two.
Could Trains Run Direct Between The East-West Rail Link And High Speed Two At Calvert?
In the leak of the Oakervee Report, The Times also says that it could be advantageous if existing trains could use the HS2 track.
Suppose Transport for Wales wants to improve services between South Wales and the Northern destinations of High Speed Two.
As I read the leak, they could obtain their own Classic-compatible High Speed Two trains and perhaps run services to Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and other destinations.
The only extra infrastructure needed would be as follows.
- Appropriate flyovers at Calvert.
- Electrification between Calvert and Didcot.
- Electrification between Cardiff and Swansea.
The electrification would be needed, as I suspect trains running on High Speed Two would be unlikely to be bi-modes.
In fact, if the connection is built as Phase 1 of High Speed Two, Swansea and Birmingham via Cardiff, Bristol, Swindon and Oxford, could be one of the initial High Speed services on High Speed Two.
I estimate that a Swansea and Birmingham service would take about two and a half hours.
When the East-West Rail Link is completed between Calvert and Cambridge, services will also be able to turn East to Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich.
How the services are arranged will depend on where passengers want to go and in what numbers.
Will There Be Commuters From Calvert Station?
Consider.
- Calvert station will not be surrounded by large amounts of housing, with the exception of Milton Keynes perhaps fifteen minutes away.
- Services on the East-West Rail Link will probably call at Calvert station.
- The route of the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway could serve Calvert station.
- I estimate that Euston and Calvert will have a journey time around twenty-five to thirty minutes.
Calvert might develop into a commuter station and not just to London and Birmingham.
A Calvert And Market Harborough Service Via Milton Keynes And Northampton
In Shapps Supports Beeching Axe Reversals, I talked about a proposal to reopen the Market Harborough-Northampton Line that was only finally closed in 1981.
I also included this map, which shows the link between Milton Keynes and link to Market Harborough.
So could we see a service linking High Speed Two at Calvert to the fast-expanding Milton Keynes Northampton and Market Harborough?
I feel that if there was a four trains per hour (tph) service between Calvert and Milton Keynes, this could mean a possible simplification of the services on the completed East-West Rail Line.
\services to Milton Keynes could be.
- Two tph – Calvert and Market Harborough via Winsford, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Wolverton and Northampton.
- Two tph – Marylebone and Milton Keynes via Winsford and Bletchley.
East-West Rail Link services wouldn’t call at Milton Keynes Central, as this would mean a reverse.
Calvert Station Will Be A High Speed Station For The Local Area
If road access is good, the station will get used as a Park-and-Ride station for accessing High Speed Two for passengers living in the local area.
Useful Routes Via Calvert
Off the top of my head, these are a selection of routes, that could be run via Calvert station; either direct or with a change.
- East Anglia (Cambridge, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich) and The Midlands, Northern England and Scotland
- South Wales (Cardiff, Newport and Swansea) and The Midlands, Northern England and Scotland
- West and South West England (Bristol, Exeter, Penzance and Plymouth) and The Midlands, Northern England and Scotland
- Southern England (Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Southampton) and The Midlands, Northern England and Scotland
- Thames Valley (Oxford, Reading and Heathrow) and The Midlands, Northern England and Scotland
Journeys between areas like South Wales and East Anglia could be done with a change at Calvert.
Times To And From Calvert
These are my estimates of times to and from Calvert station.
- Aylesbury Vale Parkway – 12 minutes
- Baswingstoke – 68 minutes
- Bedford – 49 minutes
- Bicester Village – 14 minutes
- Birmingham via HS2 – 19 minutes
- Bletchley – 21 minutes
- Bournemouth – 150 minutes
- Bristol Temple Meads – 125 minutes
- Bristol Parkway – 110 minutes
- Cambridge – 91 minutes
- Cardiff – 147 minutes
- East Midlands via HS2 – 21 minutes
- Euston via HS2 – 25-30 minutes
- Exeter – 186 minutes
- Glasgow via HS2 – 318 minutes
- Leeds via HS2 – 60 minutes
- Leicester – 74 minutes
- Liverpool via HS2 – 66 minutes
- Manchester via HS2 – 70 minutes
- Manchester Airport via HS2 – 61 minutes
- Market Harborough – 62 minutes
- Marylebone via Chiltern – 77 minutes
- Milton Keynes – 26 minutes
- Newport – 133 minutes
- Northampton – 42 minutes
- Oxford – 29 minutes
- Penzance – 360 minutes
- Portsmouth – 146 minutes
- Preston via HS2 – 54 minutes
- Plymouth – 240 minutes
- Reading – 52 minutes
- Swansea – 203 minutes
- Swindon – 85 minutes
- Southampton – 103 minutes
- Winchester – 83 minutes
I will improve and add to these figures.
As an example, I’ll take journeys from Leicester to the North West of England.
Currently, Manchester Piccadilly takes 140 minutes with one change, whereas my estimates say the HS2 route will be four minutes longer, with a change at Calvert.
Currently, Manchester Airport takes 165 minutes with two changes, whereas my estimates say the HS2 route will be thirty minutes shorter , with only a single change at Calvert.
Currently, Liverpool takes 170 minutes with one change at Birmingham New Street, whereas my estimates say the HS2 route will be thirty minutes shorter, with a change at Calvert.
Currently, the faster time to Preston is about 150-160 minutes with one change, whereas my estimates say the HS2 route will be about 130 minutes with a change at Calvert.
My estimates were only crude, but ithey do indicate.
- Changing at Calvert often means the journey only needs a single change.
- Some journeys are up to thirty minutes faster.
Other HS2 interchange stations, like Birmingham Interchange, Crewe, East Midlands Hub and Preston will probably function in a similar manner.
Conclusion
Trying to predict what would happen if a station were to be built at Calvert is not easy.
But on balance, I very much feel that it would improve the connectivity of High Speed Two.
A Calvert station would also improve the East-West Rail Link, with faster trains and better connectivity.
High Speed Two should be for all and not just services to and from London!
The Anonymous Widower 