Is This The Most Unusual Idea For A New Railway Service in The UK?
In Issue 864 of Rail Magazine there is an article about the Class 230 train demonstration in Scotland, that I wrote about in Battery Class 230 Train Demonstration At Bo’ness And Kinneil Railway.
This is a paragraph.
HITRANS Partnership Manager Frank Roach told RAIL that he was keen to interest Transport Scotland in using battery Class 230s to run shuttle services between Wick and Thurso.
I don’t live in the Far North of Scotland and I’ve never been further North on the mainland that Inverness, so I have no right to criticise the need for a new rail shuttle service between Thurso and Wick.
This Google Map shows the Far North of Scotland.
Note.
- Wick is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Thurso is in the North-West corner of the map.
- John O’Groats is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Georgemas Junction, which connects to the Far North Line to Inverness, is indicated by the red array.
This second Google Map shows Wick.
Note.
- The single-platform Wick station.
- Wick Airport, which used to have flights to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
This third Google Map shows Thurso.
Note.
- The single-platform Thurso station.
- Scrabster with its harbour that has a ferry to the Orkneys.
Consider.
- Wick and Thurso are both towns with populations in the region of 7-8,000 people.
- I suspect that if you live in Wick and want a new widget for your boiler, that it will be in Thurso. And of course, vice-versa!
- Wick and Thurso get four trains per day to and from Inverness and the same number of trains each way between the two towns.
- So it’s not very convenient if an elderly person, who can’t drive wants to go and visit their sibling or friend in the other town for the afternoon.
The two towns would appear to be twenty-nine minutes or twenty-one miles apart by rail.
The article also states that a battery-powered Class 230 train can run at up to sixty mph with acceleration similar to that of an EMU up to forty mph.
Each round trip would probably take an hour, so a single train could provide an hourly service.
I would think, that using the fast charging system described in Charging A Battery-Powered Class 230 Train at Thurso and Wick stations, that a single train could shuttle all day between the two stations with an intermediate stop at Georgemas Junction station.
I suspect the Inverness and the shuttle services could interface seamlessly in something like the following way.
- The shuttle train would arrive in Wick and connect to the charging system.
- The Class 158 train from Inverness would arrive behind the shuttle.
- The Class 158 train would go to Thurso and back.
- The Class 158 train would leave for Inverness.
- The shuttle train would resume its shuttling between Wick and Thurso.
The Class 158 would have taken over one cycle of the shuttle.
The only works needed other than the installation of the charging system, could be to lengthen the platform to accommodate the two trains.
To try to predict the number of passengers that would use this shuttle will be very difficult.
- The train would have a high novelty value for the locals.
- The train could run seven days a week.
- The train could become a quirky tourist attraction.
- Train operators might like to see it for ideas for their problem lines.
- It might encourage a whole number of new ideas.
If say it happened at times, that the train was full, then it could probably be lengthened to by adding a trailer car.
A big beneficiary could be Vivarail.
They would have a service that was providing an hourly shuttle in a remote area, which could show off the features and benefits of the train.
- Remote servicing.
- No diesel fuel required.
- Hourly running
- Fast charging.
- Operation in cold and inclement weather.
- An unusual demonstration location.
There’s even the local Wick Airport to bring in interested parties.
This idea reminds me of a story I heard many years ago. GEC were attempting to sell an Air Traffic Control Radar to a Middle Eastern country.
- The most convenient installation of this radar in the UK was at Prestwick Airport, so the GEC salesman arranged for GEC’s corporate HS 125 business jet to take the prospective purchasers.
- It turned out to be a glorious autumn day.
- As the salesman returned with his guests to the plane, he was pulled aside by the pilot.
- The pilot told him, that there was no greater sight in the world, than the Scottish Highlands on a day like this, so would he like the Arabs to be shown the views.
- They then flew around the Highlands for thirty minutes or so before returning to London.
Was that the most unusual favour, that ever secured an order?
Charging A Battery-Powered Class 230 Train
In Issue 864 of Rail Magazine there is an article about the Class 230 train demonstration in Scotland, that I wrote about in Battery Class 230 Train Demonstration At Bo’ness And Kinneil Railway.
This was said about charging a battery-powered Class 230 train.
A prototype rapid charging facility at its Long Marston base would use short sections of third-rail to quickly recharge a Class 230’s batteries. He said that the third-rail shoegear fitted t the trains in their London Underground service could handle higher currents than simply plugging a cable into the train.
The rapid charging concept consists of a shipping container of batteries that are trickle charged from a mains supply. When a Class 230 sits over the short sections of third-rail, electricity can be quickly transferred to the train’s batteries. When the train is away, the power rails are earthed to ensure they pose no risk The concept provides for charging a Class 230 as it pauses at a terminus before making its return journey.
What surprises me, is the claim, that third-rail is a very effective way of charging the batteries.
But Vivarail’s charging method using third-rail must open up affordable charging in stations and depots with poor-quality or low-capacity electricity supply.
Further Development
The design is very much capable of further development.
- The charging system could be used with any train, which has a third-rail capability.
- It could be made to work in both terminal and through platforms.
- The operation could be totally automatic .
- The system would switch on when the train stops over top and it completes the electrical circuit to allow charging.
- When the train moves away and breaks the circuit, the system would switch off and earth the third-rail.
- The batteries in the charging system could be charged by solar- or wind-power, instead of mains power.
I believe we’ll see some very ingenious charging systems for battery/electric trains.
It’s All About Going Dutch For Eurostar!
In today’s Times, there is an article called Eurostar Sets Pace As Channel Tunnel Booms.
The article says.
Passengers on the Eurostar trains topped 3 million in the quarter, in increase of 12 per cent.
Apparently, there has been a big increase on the Amsterdam route, with more to come.
- A third daily service will start next summer.
- Direct return journeys could be possible next year.
- Five London-Amsterdam return journeys could follow.
That all looks good and I’m sure it would be better if the terrible connecting trains to North Germany, that I wrote about in From Amsterdam To Hamburg The Hard Way, were to be improved.
World’s Longest Sea Crossing: Hong Kong-Zhuhai Bridge Opens
The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC.
It certainly looks to be an impressive bridge.
But I think it shows just how far design and construction of large bridges has moved in the last couple of decades.
In A Solution To The Northern Irish Problem!, I proposed building a fixed link between Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Chinese bridge has a length of 55 km, whereas a link between Northern Ireland and Scotland would be about 30 km.
Conclusion
I wouldn’t be surprised that the opening of the Chinese bridge will push politicians, engineers and financial institutions to look seriously, at a fixed link across the North Channel.
My Preparations For Brexit
My Dalstonian grandmother was caught out by WW1, so she had a hundredweight each of jam and sugar in her cellar for WW2.
I shall be storing my money in Zopa, as it should ride out any storms, as it has done in the past.
GE To Partner BNSF On Battery Freight Locomotive Tests
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
The article includes this image.
I think that there are some mixed up captions on the image.
It talks about Massive Power Generation Capabilities up to 2400 kWhrs.
kWhrs are a unit of total energy and could refer to the battery storage capability of the locomotive.
If you look at our much smaller ubiquitous UK diesel freight locomotive, the Class 66, this has a power output of 2,460 kW.
If the GE locomotive, which is experimental had a battery of 2400 kWh, then it could supply 2400 kW for an hour.
But the concept seems sound, where the battery electric locomotive would be paired with a diesel locomotive to haul a freight train. Fuel savings of ten percent are expected.
A Diesel/Electric/Battery Hybrid Locomotive For The UK
I could see a practical diesel/electric/battery locomotive being developed for the UK.
A Class 66 Replacement
Over four hundred of the these locomotives were built and they are currently used by these operators in the UK.
- Colas Rail – 5
- DB Cargo UK – 161
- Direct Rail Services – 19
- Freightliner – 127
- GB Railfreight – 88
Which adds up to a surprisingly precise four hundred locomotives.
- They have a power output of 2,460 kW – Call it 2500 kW for ease of calculation.
- They have a top speed of 75 mph, although some can only manage 65 mph.
- They weigh 68 tonnes.
- They are noisy, smelly and don’t meet the latest EU pollution regulations.
- Class 66 drivers, I’ve spoken to, are not keen on the working environment.
But they do various jobs for their operators competently and are not the most expensive of locomotives.
There are also other modern similar-sized diesel locomotives like the thirty Class 67 and thirty-seven Class 70, but these are not as unfriendly, to the environment and staff.
Many of the Class 66 locomotives pull heavy freight trains on routes that are fully or partly electrified like the East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line, Midland Main Line and Great Eastern Main Line. The services are diesel-hauled because at the ends of the route, they need to use diesel power.
A specification for a locomotive to replace the long-haul Class 66 locomotives for working fully or partly-electrified routes could be something like.
- Power on electrification of upwards of 3000 kW.
- Ability to move a heavy freight train in and out freight terminals to and from electrification.
- Ability to do a small amount of shunting.
- Sufficient diesel or battery power to handle the train, away from electrification.
- Ability to switch between electric and diesel/battery power at line speed.
I’ve heard from those who work at the Port of Felixstowe, that port operators wouldn’t electrify the port, for both cost and Health and Safety reasons.
The Felixstowe Problem
The Port of Felixstowe is at the end of the twelve mile long Felixstowe Branch Line, which is not electrified.
Trains seem to be allocated up to just over an hour for the journey between the Great Eastern Main Line and the Port.
This would mean that any proposed locomotive must be capable of handling a branch line to a port or freight depot remote from the electrified network.
Similar problems exist at other ports and freight depots including Hull, Immingham, Liverpool, Southampton, Tilbury and Teesport.
The Southampton Problem
If anything, the Port of Southampton has the worst problem, in that it only has access to the third-rail electrification South of the Thames, until freight trains reach Reading, where there is 25 KVAC overhead electrification. It looks like that trains take about ninety minutes between the Port of Southampton and Reading.
Even, if a powerful dual-voltage locomotive were to be available, I doubt that the power supply to the electrification could provide enough power.
The proposed solution to the Southampton problem was the Electric Spine, which would have linked the port to Northern and Central England with a 25 KVAC overhead electrified route.
It has now been largely cancelled.
An alternative would be a locomotive, that could pull a heavy freight train between the Port of Southampton and Reading in an environmentally-friendly way.
One point to note is that a Class 92 locomotive is rated at 4000 kW on 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
Thoughts On A Battery Locomotive
Suppose an operator needed a battery locomotive to go between Southampton and Cardiff, that would be a straight replacement for a Class 66 locomotive.
The proposed battery locomotive would need to be able to supply the 2500 kW of the Class 66 locomotive for two hours to handle the route between Reading and Southampton.
So it would need a battery capacity of around 5000 kWh, which is twice the size of the American test locomotive. A battery this size would probably weigh around fifty tonnes.
I am probably being conservative here, as regenerative braking would probably reduce the amount of energy needed to move the train.
The electro-diesel Class 88 locomotive would probably weigh around eighty tonnes without the diesel engine. So would it be possible to design an electric locomotive incorporating a 5000 kWh battery, with a weight of perhaps one hundred and thirty tonnes.
- It would be about the weight of a Class 70 locomotive.
- It would probably need to be a Co-Co locomotive, to reduce the axle-loading, to that of a Class 70 locomotive.
- It might need to be longer than other comparable locomotives to have enough space for the battery.
- The battery would handle the energy generated by the regenerative braking.
- It could have the 4000 kW power of a Class 88 locomotive.
- It should probably be designed with a 100 mph top speed and the ability to haul passenger trains
- It would be able to use both 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
If it is not possible now, as battery energy densities improve, it will be in a few years time.
Other countries other than the UK need a locomotive with a similar specification and I am certain at least one manufacturer in Europe will build a locomotive to this or a similar specification.
A Battery/Electric Locomotive And Felixstowe
Handling the Felixstowe Branch Line would entail the following.
- The locomotive must enter the branch with a battery containing enough energy for the sixty minute run to the Port.
- As the locomotive would probably have hauled a train from London or Haughley Junction using the existing electrification, a full enough battery probably wouldn’t be difficult.
- In the Port, there could be a charging station for the locomotive, where they would connect to a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- On leaving the Port, the locomotive would start with a full battery, which would be enough power to reach the Great Eastern Main Line.
- Trains going South to London would run on electrification as far as they could and would arrive in London with a full battery.
- Trains going West to Peterborough, would hopefully be able to top up their battery between Ipswich and Haughley Junction, where they would enter the section without electrification to Peterborough, which takes between two and two-and-a half hours.
It should be noted that, freight trains often wait at Ely in a passing loop alongside the station, to keep out of the way of passenger trains. As Ely is electrified with 25 KVAC, this loop could be electrified, so that locomotives could sneak a top-up during the wait.
I am fairly certain, that a 4000 kW electric locomotive fitted with a 5000 kWh battery could handle all freight services to and from the Port of Felixstowe, at least as far as London and Peterborough.
A Battery/Electric Locomotive Between Peterborough And Nuneaton
How would a battery/electric locomotive handle this important route between Felixstowe and the Midlands and North?
Currently freight trains between Peterborough and Nuneaton have a timing on the section without electrification between Werrington Junction and Nuneaton of a few minutes under two hours.
This should be possible, given the battery range and power of the locomotive.
It would also mean that the battery/electric locomotive could haul a train between the West Coast Main Line and Felixstowe.
A Battery/Electric Locomotive And Southampton
Trains hauled by a battery/electric locomotive on this route, could probably take advantage of the third-rail electrification to top-up the battery as required, which would make it very likely that a 4000 kW electric locomotive fitted with a 5000 kWh battery could handle the route with ease.
A Battery/Electric Locomotive Between ReadingAnd The Midlands And The North
From Reading routes to Bristol, Cardiff and London are fairly easy, but the problems start, if trains need to go to Oxford, Birmingham or the Midlands and the North.
This is where the Electric Spine would have been useful
I have traced some trains from Southampton to the Midlands and the North.
- Southampton to Birch Coppice – There is a three hour section without electrification from Didcot to Birch Coppice.
- Southampton to Birmingham Freightliner Terminal – There is a two-and-a half hour section without electrification from Didcot to the terminal.
- Southampton to Castle Bromwich Jagiuar – There is a two-and-a-half-hour section without electrification from Didcot to Castle Bromwich Jaguar.
- Southampton to Liverpool – There is a two hour section without electrification from Didcot to Coventry.
All of these services are routed through Didcot, Oxford and Banbury. Extending the planned electrification between Didcot and Oxford to Banbury would probably reduce the amount of time on battery power by around thirty minutes.
TransPennine Passenger Services
TransPennine Express will soon be running services between Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle using rakes of Mark 5 coaches, that will be hauled by a Class 68 diesel locomotive, which has a power of 2800 kW and a maximum speed of 100 mph.
On the TransPennine route, the current service takes seventy-one minutes between the electrified stations of Manchester Victoria and York.
The proposed battery/electric locomotive could handle this with ease to provide a flagship electrically-hauled service across the Pennines without any difficult electrification.
The locomotive would be charged on the current electrification between Liverpool and Manchester Victoria and along the East Coast Main Line.
Chiltern Main Line Passenger Services
Chiltern Main Line passenger services between London Marylebone and Birmingham, are another route, where a rake of coaches are hauled by a Class 68 locomotive.
The problem is that there is no electrification on this route and although a charging station could be provided at Marylebone and Moor Street, it is questionable, if enough power could be taken on during turnround.
But I said earlier, that to ease the passage of freight from Soiuthampton to the Midlands, that Didcot to Banbury should be electrified.
So could this electrification be continued all the way to Birmingham?
This would mean that the battery/electric locomotives would only need to be able to handle the hour-long journey to and from Marylebone, which would have 25 KVAC electrication over the platforms to top up the battery.
The solution is not as easy as TransPennine, but Chiltern Main Line to Birmingham would become an electric service.
The Stadler Class 88 Battery/Electric Locomotive
As Stadler seem to have a monopoly of new locomotives in the UK at present, I will look at their proven Class 88 locomotive.
- It has a power of 4,000 kW on electricity.
- It has a power of 700 kW using an onboard diesel.
- It has a top speed of 100 mph.
- The Caterpillar C27 diesel engine weighs around seven tonnes.
- The locomotive has regenerative braking.
The locomotive is certainly no weakling on electricity, although performance, when pulling a heavy freight train on diesel might be desired to be better. This article on Rail Magazine is entitled Inside Direct Rail Services. This is an extract about the pulling ability of the Class 88 locomotive.
Sample performances over the northern section of the West Coast Main Line (Preston –Carlisle–Mossend) demonstrate that Class 88 can operate the same train weight to the same schedule as Class 68 using 15% less energy. Alternatively, it offers a 45-minute time advantage over a ‘68’ and 80 minutes for Class 66. This gives a competitive edge because a significant proportion of movement costs are absorbed by fuel.
When hauling the maximum permitted load of 1,536 tonnes on the 1 in 75 banks on this route, Class 88 has a balancing speed of 34mph in electric mode or 5mph in diesel mode. Taken together, all these factors helped Class 88 win the Rail Freight Group ‘Rail Freight Project of the Year’ Award in the Innovation and Technical Development category this year.
The locomotive doesn’t appear to be a wimp.
But could the Class 88 locomotive be fitted with a battery?
Current energy storage technology seems to be able to store about 100Wh/kg. So on this basis a seven tonne battery would store about 700 kWh.
I think in a few years it would be possible to build a version of a Class 88 locomotive with no diesel engine and a battery with a 1000 kWh capacity.
But even so, the 1000 kWh battery may be too small.
Would it be able to handle these important routes with a full-length freight train?
- Haughley Junction to Peterborough
- Peterborough to Doncaster via Lincoln
- Peterborough to Nuneaton.
- Southampton to Reading
- Immingham to Doncaster
However, Stadler and Direct Rail Services will be able to extensively model the performance of a battery/electric Class 88 locomotive pulling various weights of freight train on different routes in the UK.
The modelling would show how much battery capacity would be needed for various routes.
Suppose though the battery capacity needed was say 2400 kWh, as I suspect has been specified by the Americans for their locomotive. This would be too heavy and large for the small Class 88 locomotive
But just as the Americans are using their battery/electric locomotive in combination with a diesel locomotive, why not run the battery-electric Class 88 locomotive as a pair with a standard electro-diesel Class 88 locomotive?
TransPennine Passenger Services With A Class 88 Battery/Electric Locomotive
Currently electrification is planned or very likely on the Liverpool to Newcastle route between.
- Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge
- Leeds and Colton Junction on the East Coast Main Line.
This would mean that only around forty minutes of the entire Liverpool to Newcastle route would be without electrification.
Would a battery/electric locomotive with a 1000 kWh battery be able to bridge the gap in the wires between Stalybridge and Leeds?
The battery would be fully charged, at both Stalybridge and Leeds, as the locomotive would have been running under the wires for some time.
It is a very interesting and in my view, a totally feasible possibility.
Conclusion
My modelling experience says that there is at least one solution in there.
- A new build battery/electric locomotive could be designed.
- A battery/electric version of the Class 88 locomotive must be possible and it could work alone or with the current electro-diesel Class 88 locomotive.
I am sure that Jo Johnson’s dream of removing diesel from UK railways will take a big step forward in the next decade, when a battery/electric locomotive with sufficient performance becomes available.
I also believe that short lengths of electrification like Oxford to Banbury, may usefully increase the range of an electric/battery locomotive.
Northumberland Park Station – 22nd October 2018
Northumberland Park station is coming on.
It’s going to be a complicated steel construction.
Some people will like it! Other’s won’t!
I do suspect though, that there will be some superb photographs of this station, when the light is similar to how it was today.
The New Bridge At Tottenham Hale Station – 22nd October 2018
The new footbridge at Tottenham Hale station is being constructed.
It looks like the station should be finished by the middle of next year.
Batteries In Class 378 Trains Revisited
Two and a half years ago, I wrote Will London Overground Fit On-board Energy Storage To Class 378 Trains?.
This post effectively updates that post, with what we now know.
As far as I know, batteries have not been fitted to the Class 378 trains, but there have been other developments involving Bombardier since.
Aventras
The linked post was based on statements by Marc Phillips of Bombardier in this article in Rail Technology Magazine entitled Bombardier enters key analysis phase of IPEMU. He also said about Aventras.
Bombardier is also looking at battery options on new builds, including its Aventra platform.
I have stated several times including in Rail Magazine, that the Class 345 trains for Crossrail must have batteries and no-one has told me that I’m wrong.
Battery Train Applications
The Rail Technology article also says this.
Bombardier has started assessing potential customers for battery-powered trains, looking first at branch line applications. Batteries could be a solution allowing non-continuous electrified infrastructure, and emergency rescue and last-mile opportunities.
The article was written three and a half years ago and I suspect Bombardier have been busy researching the technology and its applications.
The High-Speed Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries
This train was first reported to be in development in this article in Rail Magazine, which was entitled Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra Could Feature Battery Power.
The article stated the following.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
I very much believe that the key to the performance of this train is using batteries to handle regenerative braking in both electric and diesel modes.
In Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, I looked at how the train might operate.
Bombardier with better data and the latest mathematical modelling techniques have obviously extensively modelled the proposed trains and prospective routes.
No sane company listed on a Stock Exchange would launch such a product, if it didn’t know that the mathematics of the dynamics and the numbers for the accountants didn’t add up.
Voyagers With Batteries
In Have Bombardier Got A Cunning Plan For Voyagers?, I discuss a snippet found in the July 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, in an article entitled Bi-Mode Aventra Details Revealed.
In a report of an interview with Bombardier’s Des McKeon, this is said.
He also confirmed Bombardier is examining the option of fitting batteries to Voyager DEMUs for use in stations.
Batteries appear to be being proposed to make the trains more environmentally-friemdly and less-noisy.
Talent 3 With Batteries
Bombardier have launched a version of their Talent 3 train with batteries. This is the launch video.
Some of Bombardier’s points from the video.
- Emission-free
- The current range is forty kilometres
- The range will be extended to a hundred kilometres by 2020.
- Charging for forty kilometres takes between seven and ten minutes from overhead electrification.
This looks to be a serious train with orders from German train operators.
It would appear that Bombardier are very serious about the application of batteries to both new and existing trains.
Class 378 Trains And Batteries
What could batteries do for the Class 378 trains?
It looks like over the next few years, the Class 378 trains will be increasingly used on the East London Line, as they have the required evacuation capability for the Thames Tunnel.
Various documents indicate that to maximise capacity on the line, the following may happen.
- Some or all services may go to six trains per hour (tph)
- Trains may be lengthened to six-cars from five-cars.
Extra destinations might be added, but although this could be easy in South London, it would probably require a lot of station or platform development in the North.
Trains Required For The East London Line
If you look at the timing of the East London Line, you get the following journey times for the four routes.
- Highbury & Islington to West Croydon – 52-57 minutes
- Dalston Junction to New Cross – 24 minutes
- Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace – 46 minutes
- Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction – 47-48 minutes
It could almost have been choreographed by Busby Berkeley.
This means that to run four tph on the routes needs the following number of trains.
- Highbury & Islington to West Croydon – 8 trains
- Dalston Junction to New Cross – 4 trains
- Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace – 8 trains
- Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction – 8 trains
Which gives a total of 28 trains.
To make all these services six tph, would require the following number of trains.
- Highbury & Islington to West Croydon – 12 trains
- Dalston Junction to New Cross – 6 trains
- Highbury & Islington to Crystal Palace – 12 trains
- Dalston Junction to Clapham Junction – 12 trains
Which gives a total of 42 trains.
At present only the Crystal Palace and Clapham Junction routes have dates for the extra trains and if only these routes were increased in frequency, there would be a need for 36 trains.
Six-Car Trains
The trains might also go to six cars to increase capacity on the East London Line.
As I indicated in Will The East London Line Ever Get Six Car Trains?, cars could be used from the five-car trains not needed for the East London Line.
You would just end up with a number of three- and four-car Class 378 trains, that could be used on other routes with less passengers.
My conclusion in Will The East London Line Ever Get Six Car Trains? was this.
It will be interesting to see how London Overground, increase capacity in the coming years.
There are fifty-seven Class 378 trains in total, which have the following formation.
DMOS-MOS(B)-PTOS-MOS-DMOS
They can be lengthened and shortened, by adding or removing MOS cars.
As an extra MOS car was added to convert all trains from four-cars to five-cars a few years ago, I suspect it is not the most difficult of processes.
It should also be noted that the original three-car trains for the North London Line had the following formation.
DMOS-PTOS-DMOS
If all East London Line routes go to six tph, the required number of trains would be forty-two.
This would leave a surplus of fifteen trains to act as donors for lengthening.
To make all trains six-cars would require a further forty-two MOS cars.
Reducing the trains not needed for the East London Line to three-cars, would yield thirty MOS cars.
This could give the following fleet.
- Thirty six-car trains.
- Twelve five-car trains
- Fifteen three-car trains
To lengthen all trains needed for six-cars would require another twelve MOS cars to be obtained.
Some services could be run with five-car trains, but I don’t think that be a good idea.
I am inevitably led to the conclusion, that if the the Class 378 trains need to be extended to six-cars, then Bombardier will have to produce some more cars.
Adding Batteries To A Six-Car Class 378 Trains
Batteries would be added to Class 378 trains for all the usual reasons.
- Handling energy from regenerative braking.
- Health and safety in depots and sidings.
- Short movements on lines without electrification
- Emergency train recovery
But there might also be another important use.
The Thames Tunnel is under five hundred metres long.
As the only trains running through the tunnel are Class 378 trains, it might be possible and advantageous to run services on battery power through the tunnel.
I will estimate the kinetic energy of a six-car Class 378 train, as the batteries must be able to handle the energy of a full train, stopping from maximum speed.
- The empty train will weigh around 192 tonnes
- The maximum speed of the train is 75 mph.
- The train will hold 1050 passengers, who I will assume each weigh 90 Kg with baggage, bikes and buggies.
- This gives a fully loaded train weight of 286.5 tonnes.
Using the Omni Kinetic Energy calculator gives an kinetic energy of 45 kWh.
If four 100 kWh batteries can be fitted under a two-car Class 230 train, then surely a reasonable amount o capacity can be fitted under a six-car Class 378 train.
These pictures show the under-floor space on a dual-voltage Class 378/2 train.
As a six-car train will have five motored cars, why not put one 50 kWh battery in each motored car, to give a capacity of 250 kWh.
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which is not very challenging.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
So how far would a six-car Class 378 train go with a fully-charged 250 kWh battery?
- 5 kWh per vehicle mile – 8 miles
- 4 kWh per vehicle mile – 10 miles
- 3 kWh per vehicle mile – 14 miles
- 2 kWh per vehicle mile – 20 miles
This is only a crude estimate, but it shows that fitting batteries to a Class 378 train with batteries could give a useful range.
Adding Batteries To A Three-Car Class 378 Trains
The same calculation can be performed for a three-car train created by removing the two MOS cars.
- The empty train will weigh around 96 tonnes
- The maximum speed of the train is 75 mph.
- The train will hold 525 passengers, who I will assume each weigh 90 Kg with baggage, bikes and buggies.
- This gives a fully loaded train weight of 143.3 tonnes.
Using the Omni Kinetic Energy calculator gives an kinetic energy of 22.4 kWh.
Unsurprisingly, the kinetic energy of the three-car train is around half that of a six-car train.
As a three-car train will have two motored cars, why not put one 50 kWh battery in each motored car, to give a capacity of 100 kWh.
Using the Ian Walmsley formula gives the following ranges.
- 5 kWh per vehicle mile – 7 miles
- 4 kWh per vehicle mile – 8 miles
- 3 kWh per vehicle mile – 11 miles
- 2 kWh per vehicle mile – 17 miles
When you consider that the length of the Greenford Branch Line is 2.5 miles, these ranges are very useful.
Routes For Three-Car Class 378 Trains With Batteries
I would suspect that these trains will have the following specification.
- Dual-voltage with ability to use either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- A maximum speed of 75 mph
- Three cars
- Passenger capacity of 525 passengers.
- Range of between seven and fifteen miles
So for what routes would the train be suitable?
Brentford Branch Line
There have been various ideas for reopening the freight-only Brentford Branch Line to passenger traffic.
The simplest proposal would be to run a two tph shurttle train Southwards from Southall station.
As the branch is only four miles long, I believe that a three-car Class 378 train, which ran on battery-power and charged at Southall station could work the branch.
Greenford Branch Line
I’ve already mentioned the 2.5 mile long Greenford Branch Line.
The following work would need to be done before the trains could be used.
- Electrification of the bay platform at West Ealing with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- Electrification of the bay platform at Greenford with 750 VDC third-rail.
- Minor lengthening of the bay platform at Greenford to allow sixty metre long trains.
- An extra crossover at the West Ealing end of the branch.
With these modifications it might be possible to run four tph on the branch.
Romford To Upminster Line
Currently, the Romford-Upminster Line uses a single train to shuttle the three miles at a frequency of two tph.
If the passing loop were to be reinstated, I believe that two trains could run a four tph service.
Using battery-power on the line and charging on the existing electrification at either end of the line might be a more affordable option.
It should be noted that increasing the current two x four-car tph to four x three-car tph, would be a doubling of frequency and a fifty percent increase in capacity.
West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway is outlined like this in Wikipedia.
The West London Orbital is a proposed extension to the London Overground that makes use of a combination of existing freight and passenger lines including the Dudding Hill Line, North London Line, and the Hounslow Loop. The route runs for approximately 11 miles from West Hampstead and Hendon at the northern end to Hounslow at the Western end via Brent Cross West, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common, Acton and Brentford.
This is one of those plans, which ticks a lot of boxes.
- The tracks are already in existence.
- There is a proven need.
- Passenger numbers would support at least four tph.
- The route connects to Crossrail and HS2.
- Changing at Old Oak Common to and from Crossrail gives a quicker route to Heathrow for many in West London.
- There is electrification at both ends of the route, with only four miles without any electrification.
- At only eleven miles, it could be run by electric trains under battery power.
- The cost is quoted at around £250 million.
- Studies show it has a benefit cost ratio of 2.2:1.
As the route is now being promoted by the Mayor of London, I have a feeling this route will be created in time for the opening of HS2 in 2025.
If you want to know more about the proposals, this document on the Brent Council web site, which is entitled West London Orbital Rail, was written by consultants WSP to analyse the proposals and give a cost.
This is paragraph 5.4.38
At this stage we are assuming that the railway will be operated by diesel traction, or possibly battery or hybrid traction. While the Kew – Acton and Dudding Hill Line sections are not electrified, all the rest of the line is and battery technology may have developed sufficiently by the time of opening to be a viable option. Therefore, potential subsequent phases of the
enhancement plans could electrify the non-electrified sections.
The consultants go on to say, that stabling for diesel trains is more difficult to find in London than for electric..
The route would be suitable for Class 378 trains with batteries, but the consultants say that four-car trains will be needed.
So four-car Class 378 trains with a battery capability will be needed.
Alternatively, new four-car Class 710 trains, which I’m certain are built around a battery capability could be used instead.
A rough estimate says that for the full service of two four tph routes will need a total of eight four-car trains.
This is a much-needed route with definite possibilities.
Should A Battery MOS Car Be Designed?
If the Class 378 trains are lengthened to six cars, it looks like there will be a need for at least twelve new MOS cars.
I wonder, if it would be better to design a new BMOS car with batteries, that could either be created from an existing MOS car or newly-built.
The car would have the following specification
- It would be able to replace any current MOS car.
- It would contain the appropriate size of battery.
The advantages of a compatible new BMOS car are.
It would not require any modifications to the PTOS or DMOS cars, although the train software would need to be updated.
It would make it possible to easily create trains with a battery option with a length of four and five cars.
Could The PTOS Car Be Updated With Batteries?
This could be a logical way to go, if a battery of sufficient size can be fitted in the limited space available with all the other electrical gubbins under the floor of a PTOS car.
These pictures show a Class 378/2 PTOS car.
Modifying only the PTOS cars would give the following advantages.
- Only the PTOS car would need to be modified.
- PTOS cars for Class 378/1 trains would be 750 VDC only.
- PTOS cars for Class 378/2 trains, would be dual-voltage.
- Only PTOS cars for Class 378/2 trains would have a pantograph.
I will propose that the PTOS car is fiited a 100 kWh battery.
This would be sufficient for the six-car East London Line services, as all it would do was handle the regenerative braking energy, which has a maximum value of just 45 kWh. Battery range of the train would be between three and five miles, which would be enough to recover the train if power failed.
For three-car trains, the 100 kWh ranges would be as I calculated earlier.
- 5 kWh per vehicle mile – 7 miles
- 4 kWh per vehicle mile – 8 miles
- 3 kWh per vehicle mile – 11 miles
- 2 kWh per vehicle mile – 17 miles
Which is a very useful range.
If some four-car trains, were built by adding a new MOS car, the ranges on 100 kWh batteries would be.
- 5 kWh per vehicle mile – 5 miles
- 4 kWh per vehicle mile – 6 miles
- 3 kWh per vehicle mile – 8 miles
- 2 kWh per vehicle mile – 12.5 miles
As the Dudding Hill Line is only four miles long with electrification at both ends, these four-car Class 378 trains would be able to work the routes of the West London Orbital Railway.
Conclusion
Fitting batteries to Class 378 trains opens up a lot of possibilities.
One scenario could be.
- Forty-two six-car trains for the East and |South London Lines.
- One three-car train for the Brentford Branch Line
- Two three-car trains for the Greenford Branch Line.
- Two three-car trains for the Romford to Upminster Line.
- Eight four-car trains for the West London Orbital Railway.
There would be two spare three-car trains and another twenty MOS cars would be required.
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I certainly don’t!
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The Anonymous Widower 