The Penistone Line And Rotherham Tram-Train Trials
The Penistone Line Tram-Train Trial
The Penistone Line from Sheffield to Barnsley, Penistone and Huddersfield was the line originally selected for the tram-train trial.
In the Wikipedia entry for the line, this is said about the tram-train trial.
On 18 March 2008, the Department for Transport released details of a proposal to trial tram-trains on the Penistone Line, the first use of such vehicles in the UK. The trial was to start in 2010 and last for two years. Northern Rail, the operator of passenger services on the line, asked potential manufacturers to tender for the design and construction of five new vehicles, which Northern Rail would subsequently lease. In addition, Network Rail planned to spend £15m modifying track and stations to make them compatible with the new vehicles.
However, it was announced on 15 September 2009 that a city tram-train trial between Rotherham and Sheffield would replace the Penistone Line scheme.
More about the trial is said in this article on Rail News, which is entitled Penistone Line Is Chosen For £24m Tram Trains Trial. In particular, this is said.
One of the biggest initial tasks is to set a specification for the building of the five diesel-electro hybrid tram trains at a cost of £9 million. The trains will have to be equipped with braking systems suitable for on-street running and a Train Protection Warning System which is required for running on lines with ‘heavy’ rail passenger and freight trains.
The article was written in 2008 and Chemnitz hybrid Citylink tram-trains didn’t enter service until 2016.
So was the trial on the Penistone Line a disaster before it even started?
It had the following problems.
- It was expecting a diesel-electric hybrid tram to be designed and built before 2010.
- A long distance was involved.
- The track-work needed to connect to the Sheffield Supertram could have been incredibly complicated.
- The first all-electric Citylink tram-trains weren’t delivered to Karlsruhe until May 2014, which was seven months late.
For these and other reasons, I think that the decision of the trial to be delayed and to use Rotherham, was a prudent decision.
The Rotherham Tram-Train Trial
Consider these characteristics of the current trial, between Cathedral and Rotherham Psrkgate.
- The tram-trains are virtually standard Karlsruhe Citylink tram-trains, adapted for UK 25 KVAC and painted blue!
- A simple chord connecting the two systems.
- A few miles of electrification, that could be powered by either 750 VDC or 25 KVAC.
- Modification of the recently-built Rotherham Central station.
- Building of a new terminal tram stop at Rotherham Parkgate.
It’s a simple plan, but one that covers a lot of design possibilities and has few, if any, risky elements, that haven’t been done in the UK or Karlsruhe.
The following can be tested.
- The Class 399 tram-trains on the Sheffield Supertram network and an electrified main line.
- Passenger entry and exit at Rotherham Central station and all over the Supertram network.
- Operation under both 750 VDC or 25 KVAC.
- Signalling systems on both tram and main line networks.
The one thing that can’t be tested is a diesel hybrid tram-train as they have in Chemnitz, as they haven’t ordered any!
But if they did want to order some, they could easily be tested between Cathedral and Rotherham Parkgate.
Conclusion
The original plan to use the Penistone Line and diesel-electric tram-trains was impossible.
Network Rail might have got this one right at the second attempt.
They could even run a UK version of the Chemnitz hybrid tram-train on the test route between Sheffield and Rotherham.
It Looks Like Platforms 21 And 22 Will Open Soon At Waterloo
I went to Reading from Platform 20 at Waterloo this morning.
There were temporary signs all over Platform 19 pointing to 20-22!
The barriers were blocking access to 21-22, but it looks like the extra two platforms are ready to open soon!
Class 399 Tram-Trains In Service
On my two day trip to Sheffield, I reckon that I saw six of the seven Class 399 tram-trains in service on the Supertram.
These pictures were taken on a quiet Saturday morning trip from the station to Herdings Park.
Current Service
Currently, the Class 399 tram-trams are running on the Purple Route from Cathedral to Herdings Park, which is generally tun at a frequency of two trams per hour.
If you arrive in Sheffield station and don’t feel like walking up the hill, you take any of the trams from the stop on the station side of the tracks.
But take a tram going to Cathedral and over the two and a bit days I was in Sheffield, it was always a Class 399 tram-train.
Comparison With Current Fleet
The Class 399 tram-trains and the existing Siemend-Duewag Supertram are surprisingly similar in several ways.
- Both have three sections and four doors on either side.
- The Siemens tram is 34.8 metres long, whereas the Class 399 is 37.2 metres long.
- The Siemens tram weights 46.5 tonnes, whereas the Class 399 is a lot heavier at 66.1 tonnes.
- The Siemens tram has installed power of 1108 kW, whereas the Class 399 has just 870 kW.
- The Siemens tram has room for 86 sitting and 155 standing passengers, whereas the Class 399 has room for 88 and 150 respectively.
- The seats and their arrangement are vaguely similar.
- Neither tram has wi-fi.
The big difference other than the tram-train capability and what that entails, is that the Class 399 tram-train is faster with a 100 kph top speed, as against the 80 kph of the Siemens tram.
Other differences are detailed in the next sub-sections.
Step-Free Access
Getting on and off both trams is step-free and I saw people in wheel-chairs on both vehicles. One was easily pushed into a Class 399.
These pictures show the steps inside the two trams.
There is only a single-step on the Class 399 tram-train, whereas the Siemens tram has more.
Neither tram is a hundred percent step-free.
Weight
Note that the weight of the Class 399 tram-train is more than that of the Siemens tram.
As the two vehicles are of a similar size, could this mean that any of the following causes the weight increase.
- The electrical equipment needed to handle 15/25 KVAC power.
- The weight of the two extra traction motors.
- Strengthening for main line operation.
As someone, who has ridden for a few hours in both the Karlsruhe and Sheffield variants of the Citylink tram-train, they certainly don’t ride badly.
Performance
The current Siemens tram has 1108 kW of power and a weight of 46.5 tonnes, which gives an installed power/weight ratio of 23.8 kW/tonne.
The Class 399 tram-train has 870 kW of power and a weight of 66.1 tonnes, which gives an installed power/weight ratio of 13.1 kW/tonne.
So it would appear that the Class 399 tram-trains may not have the acceleration and hill-climbing capability of the Siemens trams.
However look at this data sheet on the Stadler Rail Espana web site for the Class 399 tram-train.
It clearly shows that the tram has four bogies and the text says that three are motored and one is a trailer. So this means that the central car is not a trailer and that power must be distributed along the tram, which probably puts the power to the rail in a more efficient way.
I did speak to a driver and he told me that on some of the hills the Siemens trams will strruggle with a full load, but the Class 399s can go up the hills at 40 mph.
The Class 399 tram-trains are very similar to the Stadler tram-trains in Karlsruhe, where the hills are much stiffer than Sheffield.
So it would appear that the layout of six smaller motors in a more modern vehicle probably does the trick.
Energy Efficiency
The question has to be asked if, as the Class 399 tram-trains have twenty-one percent less installed power, does this result in a saving of electricity use?
Comparison With Karlsruhe’s Tram-Trains
The Karlsruhe and Sheffield tram-trains are both variants of the Vossloh Citylink tram-train, that is now built by Stadler at Valencia in Spain.
The tram-trains in Karlruhe would appear to be very similar to the Class 399 tram-train, with a few small technical differences.
- They work on 750 VDC and 15 KVAC overhead wires, whereas the Class 399 can work on 750 VDC and 25 KVAC.
- As an electrical engineer, I wonder if the electrical systems are the same in both tram-trains and both can work 750 VDC and 15-25 KVAC, so they could work cross-border routes between say Germany and France.
- They have couplers to work in multiple.
- They have different passenger door arrangements.
- The driver’s cab windows have different arrangement.
These pictures show Karlsruhe’s tram-trains.
Imagine these trams in Supertram colours on the streets of Sheffield.
Take a close look at picture 4.
You will notice that the Karlsruhe tram-trains have an obvious coupling and it can be assumed that they can work in ,multiple, although I don’t seem to have seen it happening.
Picture 4, also shows passengers apparently sitting in the back cab of the tram-train.
The fifth picture was taken from sitting inside the tram-train looking backwards, over the folded-down driver’s desk.
This feature wasn’t being used in Sheffield and this could be for one the following reasons.
- The Class 399 tram-trains don’t have the feature installed.
- There has been a Health and Safety decision.
- It takes perhaps ten minutes to fold up the driver’s desk and this would slow the timetable.
It’s a pity , as this feature of German trams is very common and popular.
Comparison With Class 144 Train
The Class 399 tram-trains and Northern’s Class 144 train will share routes and on some routes the tram-trains may even take over from the Pacers.
So how do the two trains compare?
- The Class 399 has room for 88 sitting and 150 standing passengers, whereas the Pacer has 99 seats in a two-car and 157 in a three-car train.
- The Class 399 weighs 66.1 tonnes, whereas a two-car Pacer weighs 49.2 tonnes and a three-car weighs 72 .7 tonnes.
- The Pacer has a toilet.
- The Class 399 is air-conditioned, whereas the Pacer relioes on waste heat from the engine.
- The Pacer is a 75 mph train, but seems to operate most of the time at 60 mph
- The Class 399 has installed power of 870 kW, whereas the Pacer has just 336 kW.
- The Pacer is thirty-year-old crap, that should have been strangled at birth, whereas the Clas 399 is a modern unit.
You could argue, that I’m being biased, as the tram-train can’t operate without electrification.
But it can!
Chemnitz or Karl Marz Stadt as the East Germans renamed it. also runs Stadler Citylink tram-trains, which are similar to the Class 399 tram-trains.
But the tram-trains in Chemnitz are different in that instead of being dual-voltage like Sheffield and Karlsruhe, they have a diesel-generator to power them away from the 750 VDC overhead wires.
This data sheet gives a few details of the Chemnitz Hybrid tram-train. The data sheet doesn’t specify the power of the diesel powerpack, but the much heavier Class 769 train uses two rail-proven MAN diesel engines of 390 kW each.
In this article on Rail News, which is entitled Penistone Line Is Chosen For £24m Tram Trains Trial, the original trial is described and this is said.
One of the biggest initial tasks is to set a specification for the building of the five diesel-electro hybrid tram trains at a cost of £9 million.
The article was written in 2008 and hybrid Citylink tram-trains didn’t run in Chemnitz until 2016.
So the original proposal envisaged using hydrid diesel tram-trains.
Why not use them in Sheffield?
Operational Details
The Class 399 tram-trains have other features that became apparent on my observations.
Battery Use
Passing a Class 399 tram-train, I took this picture.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but batteries on a tram must have similar uses to those in any vehicle.
- Starting up the vehicle.
- Raising the pantograph, on an electric tram, train or locomotive.
- Opening the powered doors.
- Providing lighting and other important services in a power failure.
- Being able to move the vehicle a short distance in case of a complete overhead power failure.
- With a dual-voltage vehicle, it must be there in case the changeover isn’t successful.
But with a tram-train, battery operation surely opens up the possibility of changing between the tram and heavy rail lines using very simple track without electrification, points and cross-overs.
The driver would do the following.
- Pan down on one network.
- Use battery power to move perhaps fifty or a hundred metres to the other system.
- Raise the pantograph on the other network.
Provided the driver obeys the rules and the signals, it should be a safe transfer.
Regenerative Braking
This article on the Railway Gazette is entitled Karlsruhe orders Vossloh tram-trains.
These tram-trains were the first of the Citylink family of tram-trains, of which the Class 399 tram-trains are a member.
This is said.
The three-section steel-bodied tram-trains will incorporate extensive crashworthiness design elements and provision for regenerative braking. Top speed will be 80 km/h, with the four bogies having pneumatic secondary suspension. The air-conditioned interior will have 104 seats cantilevered from the sides for easy cleaning.
How do the Citylink tram-trains handle the regenerative braking?
Two methods are possible.
- They return the braking energy to the overhead wires.
- They store it in their battery for reuse.
In the Wikipedia entry for the Supertram, there is a section called Overhead Wiring. This is said.
The contact wires are twin cadmium copper ones, twin wires being necessary because of the high installed power rating of the trams (1 megawatt). The regenerative braking on the tram feeds current back into the wires.
So any braking energy can be returned to the wires.
But as the Railway Gazette article dates from 2011, I wonder if the trams have been developed to use battery storage?
How Far Could The Tram-Train Go On Battery Power?
I’ll assume the following.
- A New Routemaster bus battery of 75 kWh can be fitted to the Class 399.
- Running on an easy track, the Class 399 could need 5 kWh for each car-mile.
This would give a range of five miles.
Note.
- The stiffer the route the smaller the range.
- Battery capacity should increase through the years.
- Battery cost should decrease through the years.
- Charging stations can be fitted at station stops.
The only certainties are that practical battery range will increase and battery cost will decrease.
Conclusions
These tram-trains have been well worth waiting for.
If I was in charge of the Sheffield Supertram and a decision was made to replace the original Siemens trams, I would think seriously about going to Stadler for a replacement fleet.
If the fleet was all Class 399 tram-trains, this could offer other savings.
- The lower-power of the Class 399 tram-trains might cut electricity use.
- Regenerative braking using onboard batteries saves electrification costs.
- Would expensive twin cadmium copper contact wires still be needed?
- One tram type would save costs in maintenance and staff training.
New must-have features like wi-fi and 4G boosters could be added, as the technology has now been developed, since the Siemens trams were built.
A Trip To Gainsborough
I wrote about Gainsborough in A Town With Two Stations And Infrequent Rail Services, so when I was in Sheffield, I had to go and have a look at the town.
From Sheffield To Gainsborough Central
I left Sheffield on the 08:09 train to Cleethorpes and arrived at Gainsborough Central on time at 09:01.
I took these pictures on the way.
Note.
- The route is double-track.
- The terrain is flat with no tunnel,
- There are seven intermediate stations and several level crossings.
- There is an interchange at Worksop station with the Robin Hood Line to Nottingham.
- There is an interchange at Retford station with the East Coast Main Line.
Our Class 144 train handled the route with ease at a steady sixty mph or so.
Gainsborough Central Station
Gainsborough Central station only has a train service on a Saturday.
As the pictures show, the facilities are basic. Although there is plenty of parking.
Gainsborough Central station illustrates the the problems of providing step-free access at some stations.
Consider.
- With modern trains or trams, all the tools are there to enable anybody to board and leave the train easily.
- At present, someone in a wheelchair or pushing a buggy would just use the crossing shown in picture four.
- The three services a week, probably don’t attract many passengers.
- How many passengers have used the bridge recently?
This is a station, that cries out for a well-designed solution to ensure safety.
Marshall’s Yard
Marshall’s Yard is a Shopping Centre by Gainsborough Central station.
The Shopping Centre is a comprehensive one, with a wide range of shops and a few cafes and restaurants.
- I bought an excellent gluten-free breakfast at Root
- I was surprised to see an M & S food store.
- There were several middle-range specialist chain stores.
It was certainly busy.
It strikes me, that a more frequent train service to the station might be in the interest of everyone.
Walking Between Gainsborough Central And Lea Road Stations
It took me about half-an-hour and I took these pictures as I walked.
I would have taken more, but I was walking directly into the sun and couldn’t see much!
Gainsborough Lea Road Station
Gainsborough Lea Road station is an unusual station, as these pictures show.
I would assume British Rail asked the local agricultural building manufacturer to design and build the wooden disabled ramp on the Lincoln-bound platform.
A couple of years ago I was coming down from Edinburgh to London in an Inter-City 125, when because of engineering works, we were diverted through Gainsborough Lea Road station.
From Gainsborough Lea Road To Sheffield
The two routes from Gainsborough to Sheffield join between Gainsborough and Retford and these are pictures of the return journey.
I timed this journey, so that I would arrive in Sheffield, to get to Bramall Lane in good time, for the Ipswich match. There were a lot of football supporters on the train, as Rotherham were also at home and the poor old Pacer was creaking at the seams.
It certainly proved to me, that the trains working between Lincoln and Sheffield are totally inadequate for the task.
Improving The Service Between Sheffield And Lincolnshire
The service between Sheffield and Lincolnshire needs improvement.
New Trains
New trains on the services are desperately needed and I will be interested to see in a couple of years, what trains are running the services.
The football crowds on the Saturday, showed that a two-car train is sometimes inadequate.
I suspect that Northern will run new Class 195 trains on the Sheffield to Lincoln route.
- These are 100 mph trains, as opposed to the 75 mph of the Class 144 trains.
- I suspect the trains will have wi-fi and power sockets.
- Three-car units are on order.
They should be a great improvement.
Improved Stations
The stations are rather variable, with some like Retford and Worksop of a high quality, but others a bit more suspect.
Is there also a need for extra stations to serve new developments?
Extra Services
The current times from Sheffield are as follows.
- Worksop – 30 minutes
- Retford – 41 minutes
- Gainsborough Lea Road – 56 minutes
It is reasonable to assume that the Class 195 trains will better these times by a few minutes.
Consider.
- The passenger demand will probably be higher, close to Sheffield.
- Worksop station has a turnback facility.
- It is likely, that a Class 1895 train could go from Sheffield to Worksop and back, within an hour.
I, therefore feel that an extra service from Sheffield to Worksop may well be possible.
Tram-Train To Worksop
In Class 399 Tram-Trains In Service, I discussed the Class 399 trains that are now running in Sheffield.
The performance of the Class 399 tram-trains is such, that they could be able to achieve the one hour time for a complete journey to Worksop.
If a suitable route from the Supertram at Sheffield to Worksop could be identified and electrified, I don’t see why Sheffield’s new Class 399 tram-train couldn’t run to Worksop.
This Google Map shows where the Sheffield to Workshop rtoute passes alongside the Supertram Depot.
Note.
- The Sheffield to Workshop route is the two tracks at the top of the map.
- The Meadowhall Branch of the Supertram is the two tracks at the bottom of the map.
- The Nunnery Depot is in between.
I believe it would be possible to arrange a connecting pair of track, so that tram trains could go between the two routes.
Use Of Hybrid Tram Trains
I have assumed that the tram-train route will need to be electrified, but this isn’t necessary.
Chemnitz or Karl Marz Stadt as the East Germans renamed it. also runs Stadler Citylink tram-trains, which are similar to the Class 399 tram-trains.
But the tram-trains in Chemnitz are different in that instead of being dual-voltage like Sheffield and Karlsruhe, they have a diesel-generator to power them away from the 750 VDC overhead wires.
This data sheet gives a few details of the Chemnitz Hybrid tram-train. The data sheet doesn’t specify the power of the diesel powerpack, but the much heavier Class 769 train uses two rail-proven MAN diesel engines of 390 kW each.
Conclusion
The service between Sheffield and Lincolnshire needs to be improved.
This could be done traditionally using Class 195 trains or creating a tram-train extension.
Riding The Penistone Line
The Penistone Line from Sheffield to Barnsley, Penistone and Huddersfield was the line originally selected for the tram-train trial.
I wrote about the tram-train trials in The Penistone Line And Rotherham Tram-Train Trials.
Sheffield To Penistone
I took these pictures between Sheffield and Penistone
Note.
- Barnsley Interchange is a combined train and bus station, that does the town proud.
- There are several level crossings, including one in the middle of Barnsley.
- Some stations are rather basic.
- The Class 144 train, I rode is totally inadequate for the line.
The line certainly needs improvement to stations and trains.
Penistone Station
Penistone station is an unusual station, in that it is a two-platform station without any form of bridge, subway or controlled level crossing.
Note that to cross the line, passengers just walk across on a uncontrolled pedestrian crossing.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
It certainly has a lot of space and possibilities.
Wikipedia says this about services to the station.
On Monday to Saturday, trains operate every hour in each direction towards Huddersfield and Sheffield via Barnsley. On Sundays, these run every two hours each way.
There are proposals by Alliance Rail to run a 4 trains-per-day service between Huddersfield and London Kings Cross, via Worksop, Sheffield and Penistone, giving Penistone a direct train to London 4 times a day.
So Alliance Rail, think the station has possibilities too!
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.
Progress On The Sheffield-Rotherham Tram-Train – October 13th 2017
It is only a couple of weeks since I wrote Progress On The Sheffield-Rotherham Tram-Train and progress seems to have accelerated in that time.
The Class 399 tram-trains are now running between Cathedral and Herdings Park, as I reported in Class 399 Tram-Trains In Service.
Progress On The Tinsley Chord
I took these pictures at Tinsley Chord, where the track connects theMeadowhall branch of the Supertram to the freight line to Rotherham.
There isn’t really much to see, as trees obscure any good view from the road.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note.
- The Tinsley Viaduct carrying the M1 cutting across the bottom-left corner of the map.
- Blackburn Meadows, with the Water Treatment Plant and Biomass Power Station, at the North of the map.
- The Blackburn Meadows Way linking into Meadowhall.
- The freight line to Rotherham runs to the outh of this road.
- The Supertram running along the West side of the motorway.
The Tinsley Chord, that links the tram and freight lines is hidden under the viaduct.
I did get some more pictures later.
The Tinsley Chord appears to be double-track, where it will join the existing tram line.
The Wires Are Going Up
These pictures show that the wires are going up between the freight line and Rotherham Central station.
The gantries seem much more main line than tram.
But the Class 399 tram-trains, won’t care if they contain 750 VDC or 25 KVAC. Changing the volts is a lot easier than changing the catenary.
Rotherham Station
These pictures show the current state of Rptherham Central station.
Note.
- The wires are going up.
- The low-level platform extensions need to be completed.
- Trains will use the high end of the platforms and tram-trains the low end.
Karlsruhe have much worse platform height problems, as they have two generations of tram-trains and German trains that need low platforms to cope with.
Walking To The Parkgate Shopping
I thought about using a taxi, but in the end, I walked to the Parkgate Shopping, as the weather was sunny.
I did manage to get an idea of the distance in a thirty minute walk.
Parkgate Shopping
Parkgate Shopping is the sort of shopping centre I rarely visit.
I am a guerrilla shopper, who decides what he needs and then chooses where to go and buy it. Being a coeliac, food shopping usually requires a couple of shops. One of these must be a Marks and Spencer, as their gluten-free staples like bread, biscuits, beer and muesli are better than most.
These days, I don’t drive, but a couple of doctors have told me, they reckon I could get my licence back.It’s just that not having a car, removes a whole chunk of hassle from your life. I don’t want it back!
I also often create shopping with a visit to either a friend, a restaurant, a museum or perhaps even a dentist.
I’ll often plan my day, so I come home via somewhere like the Angel, Moorgate, Eastfield or King Cross, where I pick up my supper.
Parkgate might be a place to go if it fitted my target requirements and I lived locally.
But it would need decent public transport like Meadowhall down the riad.
The Tram Stop At Parkgate Shopping
These pictures show the railway that passes Parkgate Shopping and the tram-train stop being built.
The stop needs finishing and a route to the stops would need to be created.
But it looks like the designers have developed a simple one platform stop capable of handling the required three trains an hour.
Conclusion
The project appears to be coming towards the end.
There are several things that need to be completed.
- The catenary.
- The connection of the tracks at the Tinsley Chord.
- Rotherham Central station pltforms
- Parkgate Shopping tram stop.
Then it would need to be tested.
If I have a question about the project, I wonder how they managed to be so late and over budget, as IS reported in this article in the Guardian, which is entitled Sheffield to Rotherham Tram-Train Is Five Times Over Budget, Says NAO.
My gut instinct tells me, that there are a few problems with this project, that would have been avoided by a little bit more thought before it started.
But I think it’ll come out alright on the end.
Is A Cap On Energy Prices A Good Idea?
All political parties including the Motherhood and Apple Pie Tendency think this is a good idea, but I’m not sure.
I changed to OVO Energy, one of the smaller companies a couple of years ago, so I looked up on a comparison site to see if I could make a big saving by changing supplier.
Sixty-three suppliers would give me a saving of up to four pounds a month.
As my solar panels haven’t been installed for a year and I don’t know the full affect on my bill yet and I would be changing with solar panels, I shall not be changing my supplier now.
But the interesting figure is that sixty-three different deals were offered. That says to me that competition is working in the energy field.
An Ideal Energy Market
Most consumers would prefer a fixed low price.
But surely, that is impossible as there has to be an equilibrium between the price energy companies pay for their energy and the price they charge consumers.
What happens if there is a global crisis and energy prices are universally high?
The other problem with a low energy price, is that doesn’t encourage consumers to save energy.
The UK’s Energy System
The energy system and market is a constantly changing dynamic system and since energy privatisation in the UK, there have been massive changes to the generation, supply and use of electricity.
- A nnetwork of interconnectors is starting to stretch over Western Europe to allow interchange of electricity.
- Wind and solar power generation are increasing dramatically.
- Coal is dead for generating electricity.
- Consumers have invested in low-energy appliances.
There will be more developments in the next few years.
- A planned interconnector to Iceland could be a game changer.
- Solar panels and energy storage will increasingly be fitted to homes.
- Millions of electric cars will be sold.
- Some high-priced nuclear energy will come on stream.
All of these developments have and will continue to move the energy price up and down.
As a Control Engineer, I know that the best way to get a dynamic system like this to a stable point acceptable to all parties, is to apply as few restrictions as possible.
An energy price cap will impose a condition, that will distort the equilibrium and it might not be in the way that politicians want.
Politicians would be better to concentrate on actions that helped the current system find an equilibrium acceptable to all.
- Make it as easy as possible for consumers to change energy supplier.
- Avoid backing high-priced energy generation like Hinckley Point C.
- Promote lower-cost generation and energy storage systems.
- Fund energy research at universities.
- Build more interconnectors.
But above all they should not distort the market.
As an aside here, I don’t object to Nicola Sturgeon setting up a tax-payer funded energy company in Scotland. In a free market, it will only promote more competition and possibly lower prices.
But it might lose Scotland a lot of money!
Upgrades For Northern And Jubilee Lines Have Been Brought To A Halt By Transport for London
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in City AM. This is the first paragraph.
Planned upgrades for the Northern and Jubilee Lines have been paused by Transport for London (TfL), though train drivers’ union Aslef says they will be cancelled entirely.
But is it such a disaster?
The Jubilee and othern Lines need more trains to increase the service frquencies. This is said in the article.
The Northern Line upgrade plan was to buy 17 additional trains so the Northern Line could run a 30 trains per hour service on all branches of the line, while the Jubilee Line would have had 10 new trains to operate a 36 trains per hour service.
So it looks like twenty-seven new trains are needed.
The Central Line Train Upgrade
This article on Railway-news.com is untitled London Underground’s Central Line Trains Set For Upgrade.
Currently, the Central Line‘s 1992 Stock have DC motors, which will be replaced by more efficient motors and a sophisticated control system.
The cost of the upgrade will be £112.1 million or about £1.3 million per train.
Transport for London are only making a reliability claim for the upgrade. Hopefully, if the trains are more reliable, then more can be in service. so can a higher frequency be run?
I also think in addition, the trains could possibly accelerate faster from stops, thus reducing the dwell times at stations and ultimately the journey times.
- Epping to West Ruislip currently takes ninety minutes with 38 stops.
- Ealing Broadway to Newbury Park takes sixty minutes with 24 stops.
- Northolt to Loughton takes sixty-seven minutes with 28 stops.
Saving just ten seconds on each stop will reduce journey times by several minutes.
I suspect that Transport for London will rearrange the timetable to increase the service frequency from the current twenty-four trains per hour (tph).
It will be interesting to see what frequency of trains and journey times are achieved, when all the Central Line trains have been updated.
The Victoria Line Upgrade Of 2016
In 2016, the Victoria Line track was upgraded at Walthamstow Central station, so that services could be increased to thirty six tph.
The Problem Of Ordering A Small Batch Of Unique Trains
This article on London Reconnections is entitled Third World Class Capacity: Cancelling Tube Upgrades.
The article talks about the problems of building small batches of unique trains and I would conclude they will be expensive, unless you could find some way of not buying them.
Could The Jubilee And Northern Line Trains And Stations Be Upgraded To Increase The Capacity And Avoid The Need For More Trains?
I’ve no idea, but I suspect that Transport for London have looked into the possibility.
The Jubilee Line
Currently, the Jubilee Line is worked by sixty-three 1996 Stock trains.
Wikipedia gives a good description of the Traction Control of the trains. This is the first sentence.
1995 and 1996 stocks have similar body shells but they use different AC traction control systems. The 1995 stock system is more modern, since the 1996 stock design specification was frozen in 1991.
This gives me the impression, that a more modern traction control system could improve the train performance, as electronics have moved on in the last twenty years.
The Northern Line
Currently, the Northern Line is worked by one hundred and six 1995 Stock trains.
Upgrading The Traction Control
I wonder if the most economic way is to update the traction control on both sets of trains with the same system.
If the upgrade needed new AC motors at the Central Line cost £1.3 million a train, would give total cost of around £220 million.
Upgrading The Stations
I suspect that Transport for London will upgrade the stations with Harrington Humps and other facilities to make train loading and unloading easier and less likely to delay the train.
I suspect that all the lessons learned in raising the Victoria Line to 36 tph will be applied.
Crossrail And The Jubilee Line
Crosrail appears to have been designed, so that it works in co-operation with London’s older Underground lines.
When considering Crossrail’s relationship with the Jubilee Line, the following must be taken into account.
- The two lines have interchanges at Bond Street, Canary Wharf and Stratford stations.
- Crossrail has good connections to the Metropolitan and Baskerloo Lines, which in North-West London serve Jubilee Line territory.
Perhaps more importantly, there is a cross-platform interchange at Whitechapel between the two Eastern branches of Crossrail. This will give passengers an easy route between Sssex and Canary Wharf.
These features should divert passengers away from the Jubilee Line.
Will this make upgrading the Jubilee Line, less urgent?
London Bridge Station, Thameslink And The Jubilee Line
One of the problems with the Jubilee Line is that you have to walk miles to get to the platforms at some stations.
London Bridge and Waterloo stations are bad examples.
These two stations are now connected by a fourteen tph link across the South Bank, which goes from London Bridge to Charing Cross via Waterloo East.
I use the route regularly back from Waterloo, as I can get a 141 bus to my home at London Bridge station.
Next year, when Thameslink is fully open even more passengers will be able to avoid the Jubilee Line.
And then there’s West Hampstead Interchange!
If this station were to be created to link all the lines together at West Hampstead, it would also create a second connection between Thameslink and the Jubilee Line.
The Splitting Of The Northern Line
Once Camden Town and Bank stations have been upgraded in 2025, the Northern Line will become two separate lines, with cross-platform interchange at Camden Town and Kennington stations. This will enable thirty-six tph on both branches and allow trains to be used more efficiently.
I do wonder, if in the detailed design and planning of the station extension at Camden Town, has shown that the split can be performed earlier, thus efficient train usage can start earlier.
Thameslink And The Northern Line
My late wife used to live in Barnet until we were married.
From that area in the 1960s, you could either take the Northern Line from High Barnet station or the two tph local train into Kings Cross from Oakleigh Park or New Barnet stations.
The local rail service is now three tph to Moorgate. Not a great improvement in fifty years!
However, things are changing at New Barnet and Oakleigh Park stations.
- New trains and an uprated service into Moorgate.
- Thameslink will add a two tph service to Sevenoaks.
Will these developments take a small amount of pressure off the Northern Line?
The Provision Of Depot Space
One of the disadvantages of buying more trains, would be that the depots would need to be expanded, so they could be stored.
London is a crowded city, which is short of land.
So is this a problem?
Londoners
Londoners are World Champions at ducking and diving!
So don’t underestimate their abilities to find the quickest routes that take the pressure off the Jubilee and Northern Lines.
Replacing The Whole Jubilee And Northern Fleets
It is intended that new trains will be in service on the Piccadilly Line around 2022. Wikipedia says this about Siemens proposal for the trains.
Siemens has publicised an outline design, which would feature air-conditioning and would also have battery power enabling the train to run on to the next station if third and fourth rail power were lost. It would have a lower floor and 11% higher passenger capacity than the present tube stock. There would be a weight saving of 30 tonnes, and the trains would be 17% more energy-efficient with air-conditioning included, or 30% more energy-efficient without it.
By the end of the 2020s, the Jubilee and Northern Line trains will be over thirty years old, and by then the two lines will be in need of even more capacity.
Replacing the current trains with a London-proven new train would surely be a distinct possibility.
Conclusion
The more I look at whether the top-up order for new trains is needed, the more I’m convinced it isn’t!
Along The Golden Mile
London used to have a Golden Mile in Brentford, which used to be a string of Art Deco buildings.
As the pictures show, a lot of them have gone and been replaced with modern buildings.
The Brentford Branch Line
You can clearly see where the Brentford Branch Line terminated to the right of Currys and the footbridge.
Hounslow Council is proposing to reopen the branch line and Wikipedia says this.
n April 2017, it was proposed that the line could reopen to allow a new link between Southall to Hounslow and possibly down to the planned Old Oak Common station with a new station in Brentford called Brentford Golden Mile. [5][6] The proposals suggest the service could be operated by Great Western Railway and could be open by 2020 with a new service from Southall to Hounslow and possible later to Old Oak Common.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note.
- The old track of the railway by Currys PC World and the footbridge over the Great West Road.
- The Hounslow Loop Line going across the South-East corner of the map.
- I’m not sure that a connection between the two lines would be a practical proposition.
Surely though, there is a better way to connect the Golden Mile to Old Oak Common!
The Brentford Branch Line connects to Crossrail at Southall station.
If the connection was fully step-free, then the Brentford Branch Line would have an easy connection to all of Crossrail’s stations, including Old Oak Common and Heathrow.
A Safety Fence At Barnes Station
I noticed this barrier at Barnes station and I just had to investigate.
I don’t like being on the platform, when a train speeds through. Not that the Class 66 locomotive in the pctures was going fast.
This barrier will allow you to duck through and hang on to fence.
The Anonymous Widower 