Where The City Of London Leads The Rest Will Follow!
The City of London is a unique Local Authotity, in that very few people live in its area.
C and I used to live in the Barbican with our three boys. It was a very different experience to living anywhere else I’ve lived.
It still functions today as housing and many have lived in the Estate for longer than forty years.
It was one of the first high-quality Local Authority housing schemes in London and it showed if you built quality it worked.
From what I’ve seen elsewhere, other Local Authorities and Housing Associations are building high quality homes for rent.
The City is now tacking another problem in a radical way.
This article on the BBC is entitled The Politics Of Pedestrianisation.
Read the article, of which this is an extract.
Next week, the local authority will take another step towards a bold, radical plan to change the streets in the Square Mile over the next 25 years.
Some streets could be closed to motor vehicles during rush hour and there could be zero emission zones.
There will also be a 15mph speed limit across the district.
The local authority wants to cut the number of vehicles by a quarter by 2030.
The City has consulted workers and residents.
The article says this about the survey.
It found 98% of people travel to the area by walking, cycling or public transport, while 84% think pavements are too crowded.
Four in five people think traffic levels in the City are too high, with 67% saying it contributes to poor air quality, while 59% said it creates an unpleasant street environment.
The authority said it listened to workers and businesses and has to deliver what they want to remain competitive – especially in a post-Brexit world.
It also said it must improve the area to appeal to business and wants to change the priority completely, giving more space to pedestrians and cyclists.
But black cab drivers don’t like it. Surprise! Surprise!
Steve McNamara of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) says pedestrianisation is being dreamt up by middle-class blokes who don’t realise how the milk for their caramel lattes is delivered.
“They are strangling the best city in the planet and they don’t realise people need to have goods and services delivered,” he said.
He thinks the march to pedestrianisation will kill The City.
But I do like it! Look at these pictures I took in the City at about two in the afternoon.
The banning of all vehicles except cyclists and buses has cleared the area around Bank, where it is now a pleasure to walk.
I was actually walking to and from Bank to Leadenhall Market, where I go sometimes for a pleasant lunch in Leon
A year ago, walking would have required a lot of traffic-dodging!
It looks to me, that in a few years time, the City of London will be a square mile of tower blocks and historic alleys and buildings.
- It will be criss-crossed by cycle and pedestrians routes.
- Two or three major routes, will survive for buses and taxis.
- Around the City will be the ring of stations; Aldgate, Bank, Barbican, Blackfriars, Cannon Street, City Thameslink, Fenchurch Street, Liverpool Street, Monument, Moorgate, St. Pauls and Tower Hill.
- The massive Bank and Moorgate/Liverpool Street stations in the heart of the action, will be two of the largest Metro stations in the World.
The City of London will become the Gold Standard for historic cities.
Other UK cities and parts of London like Oxford Street will surely follow.
I do find it strange that the other two big cities in the UK, where walking is pleasant in the centre are Glasgow and Liverpool. Like the City of London, they have underground railways and a river
Council Launches Campaign To Extend Crossrail To Southend-on-Sea
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
I wrote about this extensively in Crossrail Tests Its Trains In Southend and feel it is a good plan.
Extra Capacity Between London And Southend
If some of the currently planned twelve trains per hour (tph) to Shenfield, ran to Southend Victoria station and terminated there, this might generate a lot of traffic between Southend and the West End, Paddington and Heathrow.
A More Intensive Service To Southend Airport
Southend Airport is growing fast and I suspect that with both Easyjet and Ryanair using the Airport, that Essex boys and girls will start using their local airport in droves.
With a more frequent rail service I suspect many more will use the trains.
If Crossrail served the Airport much of East London would probably use the service, to avoid the hassle of changing trains or parking the car.
A Twenty-Four Hour Service to Southend Airport
Consider.
- I’ve flown into Southend Airport at a late hour and just about caught the last train.
- I also had to get there at an early hour for a flight to Amsterdam.
There has been talk of Crossrail running through the night and I suspect, Southend Airport would welcome this development in the future.
Enabling Housing
London needs more housing and Southend is probably one of those places, where more houses can be built.
But a better train service is needed and Crossrail could be one easy way to provide it.
Taking Pressure From Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station is full and lacks capacity.
Moving some Southend services to Crossrail will free up more capacity for other services.
Conclusion
Extending Crossrail to Southend has a lot going for it.
Could A 125 Mph Electric Train With Batteries Handle The Midland Main Line?
In Bombardier’s 125 Mph Electric Train With Batteries, I investigated a pure electric train based on Bombardier’s proposed 125 mph bi-mode Aventra with batteries.
It would have the following characteristics.
- Electric power on both 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third-rail.
- Appropriately-sized batteries.
- 125 mph running, where possible on electrification and/or battery power.
- Regenerative braking using the batteries.
- Low energy interiors and systems.
It would be a train with efficiency levels higher than any train seen before.
It would also be zero-carbon at the point of delivery.
An Example 125 mph Train
I will use the same size and specification of train, that I used in Bombardier’s 125 Mph Electric Train With Batteries.
- The train is five cars, with say four motored cars.
- The empty train weighs close to 180 tonnes.
- There are 430 passengers, with an average weight of 90 Kg each, with baggage, bikes and buggies.
- This gives a total train weight of 218.7 tonnes.
- The train is travelling at 200 kph or 125 mph.
Travelling at 200 kph, the train has an energy of 94.9 kWh.
I will also assume.
- The train uses 15 kWh per mile to maintain the required line speed and power the train’s systems.
- Regenerative braking is eighty percent efficient.
I will now do a few calculations.
Kettering To Leicester
Suppose one of the proposed trains was running between St. Pancras and Leicester.
- I’m assuming there are no stops.
- In a year or two, it should be able to run as far as Kettering using the new and improved 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The train would leave the electrification at Kettering with a full charge in the batteries.
- The train would also pass Kettering as close to the line speed as possible.
- Hopefully, the twenty-nine miles without electrification between Kettering and Leicester will have been updated to have the highest possible line speed, with many sections capable of supporting 125 mph running.
I can do a rough-and-ready calculation, as to how much energy has been expended between Kettering and Leicester.
- Twenty-nine miles at 15 kWh per mile is 435 kWh.
- The train has a kinetic energy of 94.9 kWh at 125 mph and twenty percent will be lost in stopping at Leicester, which is 19 kWh.
This means that a battery of at least 454 kWh will be needed to propel the train to Leicester.
Kettering To Sheffield
If the train went all the way without stopping between Kettering and Sheffield, the energy used would be much higher.
One hundred-and-one miles at 15 kWh is 1515 kWh.
So given that the train will be slowing and accelerating, we’re probably talking of a battery capacity of around 2000 kWh.
In our five-car example train, this is 400 kWh per car.
Kettering To Sheffield With Stops
The previous calculation shows what can be achieved, but we need a practical train service.
When I last went to Sheffield, the train stopped at Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby and Chesterfield.
I have built an Excel spreadsheet, that models this route and it shows that if the train has a battery capacity of 2,000 kWh, the train will get to Sheffield with 371 kWh left in the battery.
- Increase the efficiency of the regenerative braking and the energy left is 425 kWh.
- Reduce the train’s energy consumption to 12 kWh per mile and the energy left is 674 kWh.
- Do both and the energy left is 728 kWh.
The message is clear; train manufacturers and their suppliers should use all efforts to improve the efficiencies of trains and all of their components.
- Aerodynamics
- \Weight savings
- Bogie dynamics
- Traction motors
- Battery capacity and energy density
- Low energy lighting and air-conditioning
No idea however wacky should be discarded.
Network Rail also has a part to play.
- The track should have as a high a line speed as is practical.
- Signalling and timetabling should be designed to minimise interactions with other services.
Adding all these together, I believe that in a few years, we could see a train, that will consume 10 kWh per mile and have a regenerative braking efficiency of ninety-five percent.
If this can be achieved then the train will have 960 kWh in the batteries when it arrives in Sheffield.
Sheffield To Kettering
There is no helpful stretch of electrification at the Sheffield end of the route, so I will assume that there is a method of charging the batteries at Sheffield.
Unsurprisingly, as the train is running the same total distance and making the same number of stops, if the train starts with a full battery at Sheffield, it arrives at Kettering with the same amount of energy in the battery, as on the Northbound-run to Sheffield.
An Interim Conclusion
I am led to the interim conclusion, that given the continued upward curve of technology and engineering, that it will be possible to run 125 mph electric trains with an appropriately-sized battery.
How Much Battery Capacity Can Be Installed In A Train?
In Issue 864 of Rail Magazine, there is an article entitled Scotland High Among Vivarail’s Targets for Class 230 D-Trains, where this is said.
Vivarail’s two-car battery units contains four 100 kWh lithium-ion battery rafts, each weighing 1.2 tonnes.
Consider.
- Vivarail’s cars are 18.37 metres long.
- Car length in a typical Aventra, like a Class 720 train, is 24 metres.
- Aventras have been designed for batteries and supercapacitors, whereas the D78 trains, used as a base for the Class 230 train,were not.
- Batteries and supercapacitors are getting better all the time.
- Batteries and supercapacitors can probably be built to fit in unusually-shaped spaces.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Aventras being able to take double the capacity of a Class 230 train under each car.
I wouldn’t rule out 2,000 kWh energy storage capacity on a five-car train, that was designed for batteries.
The actual size installed would depend on operator, weight, performance and cost.
My Excel spreadsheet shows that for reliable operation between Kettering and Sheffield, a battery of at least 1200 kWh is needed, with a very efficient train.
Charging Trains En-Route
I covered en-route charging fully in Charging Battery/Electric Trains En-Route.
I came to this conclusion.
I believe it is possible to design a charging system using proven third-rail technology and batteries or supercapacitors to transfer at least 200 kWh into a train’s batteries at each stop.
This means that a substantial top up can be given to the train’s batteries at stations equipped with a fast charging system.
An Astonishing Set Of Results
I use astonishing lightly, but I am very surprised.
I assumed the following.
- The train uses 15 kWh per mile to maintain the required line speed and power the train’s systems.
- Regenerative braking is eighty percent efficient.
- The train is fitted with 600 kWh of energy storage.
- At each of the six stations up to 200 kWh of energy can be transferred to the train.
Going North the train arrives in Sheffield with 171 kWh in the energy storage.
Going South the train arrives at Kettering with 61 kWh in the energy storage.
Probably a bit tight for safety, but surprising nevertheless.
I then tried with the following.
- The train uses 12 kWh per mile to maintain the required line speed and power the train’s systems.
- Regenerative braking is ninety percent efficient.
- The train is fitted with 500 kWh of energy storage.
- At each of the six stations up to 200 kWh of energy can be transferred to the train.
Going North the train arrives in Sheffield with 258 kWh in the energy storage.
Going South the train arrives at Kettering with 114 kWh in the energy storage.
It would appear that increasing the efficiency of the train gives a lot of the improvement.
Finally, I put everything, at what I feel are the most efficient settings.
- The train uses 10 kWh per mile to maintain the required line speed and power the train’s systems.
- Regenerative braking is ninety-five percent efficient.
- The train is fitted with 500 kWh of energy storage.
- At each of the six stations up to 200 kWh of energy can be transferred to the train.
Going North the train arrives in Sheffield with 325 kWh in the energy storage.
Going South the train arrives at Kettering with 210 kWh in the energy storage.
These sets of figures prove to me, that it is possible to design a 125 mph battery/electric hybrid train and a set of charging stations, that will make St. Pancras to Sheffield by electric train, a viable possibility without any more electrification.
Should The Train Be Fitted With A Means Of Charging The Batteries?
Why not?
Wires do go down and rest assured, a couple of battery/electric hybrids would get stuck!
So a small diesel or hydrogen generator to allow a train to limp a few miles might not be a bad idea.
Electrification Between Sheffield And Clay Cross On The Midland Main Line
In The UK’s New High Speed Line Being Built By Stealth, there is a sub-section with the same title as this sub-section.
This is the first part of that sub-section.
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Grayling Asks HS2 To Prepare For Electrification Of 25km Midland Main Line Route.
If this electrification happens on the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and Clay Cross, it will be another project in turning the line into a high speed route with a 200 kph operating speed, between London and Sheffield.
Currently, the electrified section of the line South of Bedford is being upgraded and the electrification and quadruple tracks are being extended to Glendon Junction, where the branch to Corby leaves the main line.
The proposed electrification will probably involve the following.
- Upgrading the line to a higher speed of perhaps 225 kph, with provision to increase the speed of the line further.
- Rebuilding of Chesterfield station in readiness for High Speed Two.
- Full electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross.
Clay Cross is significant, as it is where the Midland Main Line splits into two Southbound routes.
- The main route through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby station.
- The secondary route of the Erewash Valley Line to the East Midlands Hub station.
Note.
- Some of the tunnel portals in the Derwent Valley are Listed.
- Trying to electrify the line through the World Heritage Site will be a legal and engineering nightmare.
- Network Rail has spent or is spending £250million on upgrading the Erewash Valley Line.
- High Speed Two will reach The East Midlands Hub station in 2032.
When High Speed Two, is extended North from the East Midlands Hub station, it will take a route roughly following the M1. A spur will link High Speed Two to the Erewash Valley line in the Clay Cross area, to enable services to Chesterfield and Sheffield.
But until High Speed Two is built North of the East Midlands Hub station, the Erewash Valley Line looks from my helicopter to be capable of supporting 200 kph services.
If this electrification is performed, it will transform the prospects for battery/electric hybrid trains between London and Sheffield.
- Trains will have to run fifteen miles less on battery power.
- Trains will arrive in both St. Pancras and Sheffield with batteries that are at least three-quarters full.
- Returning the trains will fill them up on the electrification at the end of the line.
- There will probably not be a need for charging systems at St. Pancras, Chesterfield and Sheffield.
I also think, that as the train could arrive in Sheffield with a full battery, there is the possibility of extending services past Sheffield to Barnsley, Huddersfield and cLeeds, if the operator felt it was a worthwhile service.
Nottingham
Nottingham is just eight miles from East Midlands Parkway station, which is less distance than Derby.
So if the battery/electric hybrid trains can reach Derby from Kettering on Battery power, with some help from charging at Leicester and Loughborough, the trains can reach Nottingham, where charging would be installed.
Conclusion
From my calculations, I’m sure that an efficient battery/electric hybrid train can handle all current services on the Midland Main Line, with third-rail charging at intermediate stations.
I do think though, that if Sheffield to Clay Cross Junction is electrified in preparation for High Speed Two, that it makes the design easier and the economics a lot better.
It would also give Sheffield a genuine sub-two hour service to London, which would only get better.
What Would Tram-Trains With A Battery Capability Do For The Sheffield Supertram?
I asked this question in a slightly different form in Is The Sheffield Rotherham Tram-Train Showing Signs Of London Overground Syndrome?, where I said this.
Sheffield could do a lot worse, than replace the Siemens-Duewag trams with Class 399 tram-trains. Especially, as the South Wales Metro, will be buying thirty-six similar vehicles with batteries.
What would tram-trains with a battery capability do for Sheffield, Rotherham and the neighbouring towns?
We don’t know much about Stadler’s proposed tram-trains for the South Wales Metro.
- They look to be very similar externally to the Class 399 tram-trains.
- They will be able to work using 25 KVAC electrification on the South Wales Main Line.
- They will be able to work the two-mile long Butetown Branch Line on battery power.
- Whether they will have a 750 VDC capability has not been said.
A tram-train with batteries would certainly offer other possibilities.
On my trip to Rotherham, I met a guy of about my age, who was a resident of Sheffield. He was proud of the city’s trams and was trying out the tram-train for the first time.
He also suggested two possible extensions.
- Royal Hallamshire Hospital
- A tram-train to Doncaster.
There have also been plans at times to run tram-trains to Dore & Totley and Penistone stations.
So how would tram-trains with batteries help for these routes?
Royal Hallamshire Hospital
On this page of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals web site, this is said about getting to the hospital by tram.
Supertram does not serve the Northern General Hospital. It can be used to reach the Royal Hallamshire, Jessop Wing, Charles Clifford and Weston Park Hospitals, although please be aware that there is still a 10-15 minute uphill walk from the nearest stop (University). We would recommend that anyone who experiences difficulty walking long distances choose some alternative means of travelling to hospital.
How many doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, would be put off by that paragraph and go and work elsewhere, where the public transport is better,
This Google Map shows the area.
Note.
- The University tram stop is in the North-East corner of the map and is marked by a blue dot, marked with University of Sheffield.
- The Royal Hallamshire Hospital is in the South-West corner of the map.
This Google Map shows the University of Sheffield tram stop and how the tram route turns East to go to and from the city centre.
If the terrain allows it, a short extension might be possible to be built to the West along Glossop Road.
- As in Birmingham City Centre, the tram-trains could run on batteries, without any overhead wires.
- Charging could be provided at the terminal station which could be a few minutes walk to the hospital.
- The hospital and the university could be a good terminus for tram-trains from Rotherham and the East.
This is a typical extension, that is made easier and more affordable by the use of trams with a battery capability.
Connecting The Supertram To Heavy Rail
The Sheffield Supertram was designed before tram-trains existed, but even so there would seem to be several places, where the two systems could be connected.
The design of the Class 399 train-trams also makes the connections easier to design and build.
- The tram-trains can take tight turns.
- There are various innovative solutions, that allow the pantograph to ride from one electrification system to the other.
- If the tram-trains have batteries, this helps the electrification system changeover.
As more tram-train systems are installed, the library of solutions will get larger. As Electrification specialist ; Furrer and Frey have their UK subsidiary based in Nottingham, Sheffield could play a big part in the evolution of tram-train systems.
Tram-Train To Doncaster
There is a two trains per hour (tph) Northern service that goes between Sheffield and Doncaster, stopping at Meadowhall, Rotherham Central, Swinton, Mexborough and Conisbrough.
- One train continues to Hull and the other to Adwick.
- The service takes forty minutes from Doncaster to Sheffield.
- The service goes past the Rotherham Parkgate tram-train stop.
- The service takes about twenty minutes to go from Rotherham Parkgate to Doncaster, which is a distance of around 11.5 miles.
There is surely scope to extend the tram-train service to Doncaster to improve links between Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster.
This Google Map shows the Rotherham Parkgate tram-train stop.
Note how the tram-train stop is effectively a siding alongside the double-track Dearne Valley Line, that links Rotherham Central with Leeds and York. It also has a link to Doncaster via the short Swinton-Doncaster Line.
Space would appear to have been left to convert the line through the tram-train stop to a loop. With an additional cross-over at the Eastern end of the stop, it would be possible to extend the tram-train service beyond its current terminal.
I have a map, which shows that the routes to Doncaster and along the Dearne Valley Line to where it crosses the Leeds-Doncaster Line could be electrified in the early 2020s.
If this electrification is carried out, then the tram-train service could easily be extended to Doncaster.
On the other hand, as Rochester Parkgate to Doncaster is around 11.5 miles and the route will have 25 KVAC overhead electrification at both ends, would it be possible for a tram-train with batteries to bridge the gap in the electrification?
Comparing a three-section Class 399 tram-train with a two-car battery/electric Class 230 train shows that the two vehicles have similar lengths, weight and passenger capacities.
As Vivarail have managed to fit 400 kWh of batteries under a Class 230 train, I wouldn’t be surprised to see at least 200 kWh of batteries squeezed under a Class 399 tram-train.
So would 200 kWh of battery power be sufficient to take a Class 399 tram-train between Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster?
It should be noted that the total power of a Class 399 tram-train is 870 kW, so it wouldn’t be possible if the tram-train was on full power all the time.
But.
- The route is along the River Don and appears to be not very challenging.
- Regenerative braking can be used at the three stops and any other stops due to red signals.
- The initial acceleration at both ends could be accomplished under a short length of electrification.
- The tram-trains will probably have been designed to use the lowest level of energy possible.
- The tram-train could run in a low energy mode, when under battery power.
Stadler also know that handling a route like this on battery power would be an important sales feature all round the world.
Tram-Train To Dore & Totley
Running a tram-train service to Dore & Totley station in the South West of Sheffield seems to keep being mentioned.
When it was planned that HS2 was going to Meadowhall, this document was published. This was said about connecting Dore & Totley station to HS2.
Improved rail access to Meadowhall from south-west Sheffield could also be considered – for
example, a frequent service between Dore & Totley and Meadowhall could be included.Proposed future transport schemes include the tram-train project; if successful, this could be extended to allow further interchange possibilities at the HS2 station.
But HS2 is now going to the main Sheffield station.
This will probably mean.
- The route between Sheffield and Chesterfield will be upgraded and electrified, with I suspect extra tracks.
- The electrified lines will pass through Dore & Totley station.
- HS2 will need frequent connecting services from all over South Yorkshire into Sheffield station.
Dore & Totley and the stations on the Hope Valley service have a truly inadequate erratic hourly service to both Sheffield and Manchester.
There are two compatible solutions.
- A four tph regional solution of a train between perhaps Hull and Manchester stopping at Doncaster, Rotherham Central, Sheffield and a few stations on the Hope Valley Line.
- A higher frequency Sheffield solution of a train between perhaps Doncaster and the stations near to Sheffield on the Hope Valley Line.
The first service would be an advanced bi-mode train, whilst a tram-train with batteries could be ideal for the second
.Consider using a tram-train with batteries on the second service.
- It could use batteries on the Hope Valley Line to avoid electrification.
- It would serve Sheffield and Meadowhall stations.
- It could use heavy rail or tram routes in between the two major stations.
- It could provide a high frequency service between the two major stations.
There are a lot of possibilities and the transport planners will know the best things to do, with respect to traffic.
Tram-Train To Penistone
In Riding The Penistone Line, I described a trip on the Penistone Line.
This was my conclusion.
Tram-trains like the Class 399 tram-train could easily climb the hill to Penistone to provide a perhaps two trains per hour service to Sheffield.
But the line would need to be electrified or hybrid diesel tram-trains, as in Chemnitz will need to be used.
So perhaps Northern‘s plan for the Northern Connect service, which would use more powerful Class 195 diesel multiple units, might be better suited to the Penistone Line.
I think the heavy rail solution will be used.
Conclusion
I think that tram-trains with batteries will find a few worthwhile uses in the wider Sheffield area.
Is The Sheffield Rotherham Tram-Train Showing Signs Of London Overground Syndrome?
I went to Sheffield today and took a ride on a Class 399 tram-train on the Sheffield Supertram, between Sheffield and the new Rotherham Parkgate tram stop.
These are my observations.
Class 399 Tram-Trains And The Siemens-Duewag Supertram
On this brief excursion, I took three rides in Class 399 tram-trains and two in the original Siemens-Duewag Supertrams.
The existing supertrams are twenty-three years old and it shows.
Not in the state of the supertrams, which is very good, but in the design.
- As an example, the tram-trains have a much flatter floor, than the super trams.
- Drivers have also told me that they have more power and can get up Sheffield’s hills with a full load, easier than the supertrams.
- The tram-trains are also faster at 120 kph, as against to 80 kph for the supertrams.
I have seen reports, that Sheffield are thinking of replacing the supertrams with new rolling stock.
This is understandable, as the Sheffield supertrams must be the oldest light rail vehicles in the UK, without a plan to replace them with modern rolling stock.
Sheffield could do a lot worse, than replace the Siemens-Duewag trams with Class 399 tram-trains. Especially, as the South Wales Metro, will be buying thirty-six similar vehicles with batteries.
What would tram-trains with a battery capability do for Sheffield, Rotherham and the neighbouring towns?
After all geographically, South Yorkshire and South Wales aren’t that different with hills rising up from a flatter area.
Rotherham Central Tram Stop
This tram stop in a station is better than anything that I’ve seen in Germany, where tram-trains share platforms with ordinary trains.
The technique of a double-height platform, will be used in Karlsruhe to allow their versions of the Class 399 tram-trains to share platforms with their older tram-trains in the Karlsruhe tunnel, if it is ever finished.
The attention to detail at Rotherham Central station might go some way to explain the cost and time overrun on the project, but now there is a working example for other tram-train schemes to copy.
- The platform to tram-train access is absolutely level.
- There is a gentle slope, when changing between tram-trains and trains.
- There is a barrier to stop passengers walking across.
The only thing needed is an entrance directly to the Sheffield-bound platform, so that passengers walking along the river and from the football can get directly to the tram-train platform.
Rotherham Parkgate Tram-Train Stop
This tram-train stop follows the best practice of single platform stanations and tram-stops everywhere.
- The platform to tram-train access is absolutely level.
- There is a zebra crossing and a gentle ramp to get to the path to the shopping.
- There is a shelter and a few seats.
If it gets busier, it may need a few extra facilities.
Information
Information at stops and stations will need to be improved and some of the displays didn’t seem to be fully working.
There was also a lack of signage in Rotherham Parkgate, as to where the tram-train stop is located.
All of this will improve with time!
Ridership
What surprised me was that for a Tuesday morning, the tram-trains were busy with passengers going all the way between Sheffield and Rotherham Parkgate. The tram-trains were perhaps half-full.
But then several said to me, that they preferred Rotherham Parkgate to Meadowhall for shopping.
There also seemed to be a lot of older passengers with free passes.
In my view, it won’t be long before the route requires a service of four tram-trains per hour.
This would require an extra tram-train for the Cathedral to Rotherham Parkgate service.
Currently, about six-seven trains per hour go through Rotherham Central station in each direction, so squeezing in an extra train probably wouldn’t be a major job for the signalling.
Conclusion
I think it is a job well done, that has been well worth the wait.
I do have this feeling that the signs are already there for a break-out of London Overground Syndrome.
In the Supertram’s case, it could be cured by the purchase of an extra Class 399 tram-train.
London Overground Syndrome
As I keep referring to this, I had better define it.
This benign disease, which is probably a modern version of the Victorian railway mania, was first identified in East London in 2011, when it was found that the newly-refurbished East London Line and North London Line were inadequate due to high passenger satisfaction and much increased usage. It has now spread across other parts of the capital, despite various eradication programs.
It keeps appearing across the UK and I suspect it happens in other countries too!
Morecambe Eden Project Gains Chancellor’s Backing
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the Westmoreland Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
Plans for an Eden Project in Morecambe have received official backing from the Chancellor today as he pledged £100,000 in today’s budget to support the development of the proposals being led by Eden Project International.
This is surely good news for the project.
Could A Platform Or Platforms Be Added To The High Meads Loop To Improve Connectivity At Stratford?
This Google Map shows Stratford International station..
The main station is obvious, but note the Stratford International DLR station to the North on the other side of Interbational Way.
- From the DLR station the tracks curve Southwards and cross the High Speed tracks towards St. Pancras.
- Alongside these tracks is the double-track High Meads Loop.
- On the Northern side of the DLR station, the loop enters a tunnel to connect the tracks to Lea Bridge and Tottenham Hale stations.
- At the Southern end, the loop connects to the tracks that go through platforms 11 and 12 of the domestic Stratford station, before joining with the other side of the High Meads Loop at Temple Meads East Junction to go North.
- Platform 11 would handle trains going clockwise round the loop and Platform 12 those going anti-clockwise.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the track layout in detail.
The loop has been used in the past to turn Stansted Expresses that ran to Stratford, where they called in Platform 12. The signs are still there, as this picture, which was taken at the Eastern end of the Overground plstforms 1 and 2, shows.
The capacity of the loop must be quite large.
- A similar single-track loop under Liverpool handles as many as fourteen trains per hour (tph).
- The double-track loop could probably handle upwards of sixteen tph.
The following is also planned, is happening or could happen.
- Crossrail should open in 2019 giving a direct connection between Stratford and Heathrow via Paddington, the West End and Liverpool Street.
- Four tph will run between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.
- A Stansted Express service between Stansted and Stratford could be reintroduced.
- Liverpool Street is getting increasingly crowded.
- London Overground might run services between Stratford and the Lea Valley.
Utilising the capacity of the existing High Meads Loop would probably be an easier option, than expanding Liverpool Street.
I arrived at Stratford International DLR station today and after using the Western entrance, I took these pictures.
The High Meads Loop is not that far from the DLR station and there would appear to be scope to create at least one platform.
This Google Map shows the Western end of the DLR station and the High Meads Loop.
I think there is scope in the area to create a link between the three stations at the Western end of the DLR station, which is the building with the blue roof.
It could also be a better walking route to the Internation station, as you won’t have to fight your way through Eastfields.
Conclusion
I think it will be tricky, but a better interchange will be created.
Crossrail’s Pudding Mill Lane Portal – 29th October 2018
Crossrail’s Pudding Mill Lane portal now appears to be substantially complete.
These pictures were taken from the Stratford-bound platform of Pudding Mill Lane DLR station and a train that had just left the station for Stratford.
It is an impressive structure.
Station Dwell Times On The London Overground
This afternoon, I had to go to Walthamstow for lunch, so on the way out, I checked how long it was between brakes on at James Street station and the Class 315 train was moving again.
The dwell time was a very respectable thirty seconds, which is probably more down to the driver and the signalling, than the nearly-forty-year-old train.
Coming back, I took the Gospel Oak to Barking Line to Gospel Oak station..
The driver gave a display of precision driving a Class 172 train, with the intermediate stops, all taking thirty seconds or less.
From Gospel Oak, I switched to the North London Line and took a Class 378 train to Canonbury station, from where I walked home.
The dwell times on this line were more variable, with two times at thirty seconds or less, two at nearly two minutes and the rest in-between.
From these small number of observations, it would appear that the minimum dwell time on the London Overground is thirty seconds.
Various factors will determine the actual dwell time.
- Trains must not leave early, as passengers don’t like this.
- Trains must not leave, before the driver has ascertained it is safe to do so.
- If a train arrives early, then the dwell time might be lengthened, even if the train leaves on time.
- Large numbers of passengers or a passenger in a wheelchair, who needs a ramp will lengthen the dwell time.
I should say that today, the trains were not full and there were plenty of empty seats.
Conclusions
If trains and drivers can handle thirty second dwell times, then everything else associated with a station stop, must be capable of the same fast response.
This thirty-second dwell time may have repercussions for rapid charging of battery/electric trains, that I wrote about in Charging A Battery-Powered Class 230 Train.
I think there are three options for charging a train at a station stop.
Plug the Train Into A Power Socket
Can you plug you mobile phone into the mains, give it a reasonable charge and then disconnect it and store all leads in thirty seconds?
Use a Pantograph To Connect To 25 KVAC Overhead Electrification
Even if a driver or automation is very fast at raising and lowering the pantograph, I don’t believe that in a total time of thirty seconds, enough electricity can be passed to the train.
This method might work well in longer stop at a terminal station, but it is unlikely, it could be used successfully at an intermediate stop.
Use 750 VDC Third-Rail Electrification
750 VDC third-rail electrification has a very big advantage, in that, trains can connect and disconnect to the electrification automatically, without any driver intervention.
Look at this picture of a train going over a level-crossing.
The ends of the third-rails on either side or the crossing are sloped so that the contact shoes on the train can disconnect and connect smoothly.
As you have to design the system for a possible thirty-second stop and don’t have the time available for the first two options, I am fairly certain, that the only way a worthwhile amount of electricity can be transferred to the train’s battery, is to use some form of system based on tried-and-tested 750 VDC third rail electrification.
There may also be advantages in using a longer length of third-rail, so that the connection time is increased and more than one contact shoe can connect at the same time.
Automation would control the power to the third-rail, so that no live rail is exposed to passengers and staff.
After all a train on top, is a pretty comprehensive safety guard.
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The Anonymous Widower 