First-Of-Its-Kind Electriq Powder Manufacturing Plant To Be Built In Amsterdam
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the sub-heading.
The powder plant can provide a safe end-to-end hydrogen solution.
The home page of their web site has this bold statement.
Meet the Safe & Practical Hydrogen Powder
Underneath is this explanation.
Electriq is a hydrogen carrier that acts like coffee powder for a coffee machine – simplifying storage, transport, and use of hydrogen in off-grid applications and long-term storage.
Similar processes have been proposed for hydrogen in the past, but no-one has compared them to coffee before.
This Technology page gives a lot more details.
These two paragraphs outline the chemistry used.
Electriq’s Fuel and Release technologies turn hydrogen into a coffee-like powder form, then back into electricity through a proprietary catalyst and release system.
Our hydrogenation process reacts hydrogen gas with KBO2 to produce a powdery coffee-like compound (KBH4), ready for easy storage and transportation. Our dehydrogenation process releases the hydrogen – and KBO2 as a by-product – thus forming a full cycle.
The Electriq Release system uses a proprietary catalyst to release hydrogen from the Electriq Fuel, after mixing it with water. The dehydrogenation (release) process provides fuel-cell grade hydrogen and zero-emissions electricity.
Note.
- KBO2 is a chemical compound formed of one potassium, one boron and two oxygen atoms.
- KBH4 is a chemical compound formed of one potassium, one boron and four hydrogen atoms.
- As is with often the case with these processes, It appears that there may be a clever catalyst doing some hard work.
The Technology page finishes with a comparison with other methods of transporting hydrogen.
This Press & Insights page has more information on the company and some interesting videos.
It would certainly be something new, if you filled up your electric bike with a canister of dry powder.
But they have a video of that!
Eurostar Plans To Start Direct Amsterdam – London Trains In October
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette International.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Cross-Channel high speed operator Eurostar has confirmed its intention to launch direct Amsterdam – London St Pancras services from October 26, complementing the London – Amsterdam trains which have run since April 2018.
The article then goes on to give more details of the service.
- Security checks will be undertaken at Amsterdam CS and Rotterdam Centraal stations.
- Amsterdam to London will be nine minutes over four hours.
- There will initially be two trains per day.
- There was a hint of more next year.
- It will carry Shengen area passengers between Amsterdam and Brussels.
Eurostar says it will offer flexible booking options to help, if the Government changes COVID-19 quarantine regulations.
Conclusion
It looks a sensible offering and as I’ve used it between London and Amsterdam three times, I will be trying to fit in a trip before the end of the year.
Eurostar Amsterdam To London Treaty Formally Signed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railnews.
The first paragraph says it all.
The treaty allowing full customs and security procedures for Eurostar passengers at Amsterdam and Rotterdam has been formally signed, said the Department for Transport.
Perhaps, next time I go to Amsterdam, I’ll come back by train.
Eurostar Confirms Start Date For Amsterdam – London Through Services
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
Points made in the article include.
- A preview service ran on February 4th.
- Two services a day will run from Amsterdam Centraal to London from April 30th.
- Journey times will be around four hours.
- Through journeys from Rotterdam to London will be possible from May 18th.
- Tickets will be available from February 11th.
I’m fairly sure that after the success of the London to Amsterdam Centraal service, which will be four trains per day (tpd), by the end of this year and five tpd by the end of 2021, that this could be the start of something similar.
- Five tpd would mean a capacity of 4,500 passengers or about the same as eleven Ryanair 737 Max 8 aircraft.
- Four hours between city centres.
- Current prices for a trip this month are under fifty pounds or under ninety for Premium Economy.
As Paris has sixteen tpd and Brussels has seven tpd, I could see that five tpd will be increased.
- All London to Amsterdam Centraal services stop at Brussels to pick up passengers.
- I’m sure that a method will be found to allow Amsterdam Centraal to London trains to drop passengers at Brussels.
- If Rotterdam will get direct services, surely Antwerp and Schipol Airport should as well.
- Thalys between Paris and Amsterdam Centraal runs at 10 tpd.
- Thalys and Eurostar are merging and surely Eurostar between London and Amsterdam Centraal and Thalys between Paris and Amsterdam Centraal should be combined between the Belgian and Dutch capitals.
Get the Brussels and Amsterdam Centraal route right, after the merger of Thalys and Eurostar and I can see the following.
- Two trains per hour (tph) between Amsterdam Centraal and Brussels.
- One tph starting in London and the other in Paris.
- Ability to pick up and set down International and domestic passengers at the intermediate stations; Antwerp, Rotterdam and Schipol Airport.
Surely, if a two tph service works between London and Edinburgh is highly successful, two tph between Brussels and Amsterdam Centraal would be the same.
The same philosophy could then be applied to the London/Paris routes via Brussels to Cologne/Frankfurt.
- Eurostar has stated it wants to serve the two German cities.
- Thalys runs services between Paris and Dortmund via Brussels, Liege, Cologne and Essen.
- The Thalys frequency between Paris and Cologne is five tpd.
The London and Paris services could combine to run a joint service into Germany.
- Destinations could be Cologne, Dortmund and Frankfurt with stops at Liege and Aachen.
- London and Germany could probably sustain the currently proposed Amsterdam frequency of five tpd.
I’m looking forward to taking a direct train from London to Cologne.
More Eurostar Services Between London And Amsterdam Are On The Way
This article on NL Times is entitled NS, Eurostar To Run 5 Trains Daily Between Netherlands & London; More Sustainable Than Flying, Says NS.
The article contains these points.
- Five trains per day between London and the Netherlands.
- This is a total of 4,500 p-assengers in both directions.
- The train only creates twenty percent of the carbon emissions per passenger journey.
- Currently, twenty-three percent of passengers between London and the Netherlands use rail.
- A fourth train will be added in 2020, with a fifth in 2021.
- Eliminating the Customs check in Brussels when travelling to the UK, should bring Amsterdam to London times to around four hours.
NS or Dutch Railways seem fairly bullish about expanding the services between London and the Netherlands.
I believe that NS are right.
- The British and especially Londoners are very used to taking four hour journeys on a train to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- The British with their poor language skills, don’t consider the Netherlands to be as foreign as Belgium, France and Germany
- The Dutch will surely develop better rail connections from Amsterdam into Northern Germany.
- Will the Dutch persuade Austrian Railways to run NightJet services from Amsterdam to Central Europe?
I also feel that just as people cruise from port-to-port, there will be a parallel development of rail cruising from city-to-city. Surely, Amsterdam would be a place for the cautious to start.
Conclusion
NS seem to be thinking of more than five trains per day and I wouldn’t be surprised to see around ten trains per day before 2030.
NightJet Expands To Amsterdam And Brussels
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the Railway Gazette.
The Amsterdam Service
This is said about the NightJet service to Amsterdam.
- It will run daily.
- It will run between Amsterdam and Vienna via Munich.
- Service will start in December 2020.
- Journey time will be fourteen hours.
- The Dutch government is supporting the service with €6.7million.
The Dutch Minister for Infrastructure is also quoted as saying that International rail traffic to and from The Netherlands has increased by 13% this summer and that they are targeting intra-European journeys of up to six hours.
Given that it has recently been announced that the Customs and Immigration problems on the Amsterdam to London services will soon be resolved, I can shhe the following happening in the next couple of years.
- Tourists taking Eurostar from London to Amsterdam and then exploring the City before taking a NightJet to Vienna, after a night or two in Amsterdam.
- More tourists exploring Europe by rail.
- Eiurostar needing to run four daily services between London and Amsterdam.
I feel the Dutch Government are backing an obvious winner.
The Brussels Service
This is said about the NightJet service to Brussels.
- ÖBB will trial a service to Brussels from January 2020
- It will run between Brussels and Vienna via Dusseldorf and Innsbruck.
- It will initially run two days per week.
The aim would be to go daily, at the same time as the start of the Amsterdam service.
Everything said about the Amsterdam service would apply to the Brussels service, but would it be used by European politicians going to and from their home countries.
Conclusion
These two services will open up Central Europe to civilised comfortable train travel for passengers starting in the Benelux countries, Northern France and South-East England.
Vienna is a hub for other NightJet services going further East, so after a day or two the options to travel further are many and varied.
Will we ever see a London and Vienna sleeper?
We might!
But consider!
- The last Eurostar from London to Brussels leaves at 18:04 and arrives at arrives at 21:05
- The last |Eurostar from London to Paris leaves at 20:01 and arrives at 23:17
- You can get a good meal in the two top classes; Standard Premier and Business Premier.
It may be a better idea to run a later service from London to Brussels to connect with the NightJet
Amsterdam – London Through Train Agreement To Be Signed Shortly
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
The international agreement which would permit the operation of through passenger services between the Netherlands and the UK is expected to be signed in October, State Secretary for Justice & Security Ankie Broekers-Knol told the Dutch parliament’s lower house on September 25.
I can’t wait!
Hopefully, a similar agreement will be signed soon with the Germans to allow direct London and Frankfurt services via Cologne.
I can only see one problem!
What if Amsterdam, Germany, Bordeaux and all the other destinations that are being talked about are hugh successes?
Will St.Pancras cope?
Thoughts On Eurostar To North Netherlands And North West Germany
I have now taken Eurostar to Hamburg twice, with a change at Amsterdam Centraal.
The first time, I took two German Inter City trains, with a change at Osnabruck. I wrote about it in From Amsterdam To Hamburg The Hard Way.
On my latest trip, I took the following route.
- An overnight stay in Amsterdam
- Train from Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen with changes at Almere Centrum and Zwolle
- An overnight stay in Groningen
- Rail Replacement Bus from Groningen to Leer
- Train from Leer to Bremen
- Train from Bremen to Bremerhaven
- Train from Bremerhaven to Hamburg
Note.
- There are no direct trains between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen. Most involve a quick interchange at Almere or Utrecht.
- Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen is electrified.
- Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen takes two hours six minutes on the fastest train.
- When the bridge over the Ems is rebuilt, there should be an hourly train between Groningen and Leer, rather than a two-hourly bus.
- Leer to Bremen is electrified and takes under an hour and a half.
- I took a roundabout route from Bremen and Hamburg, as I wanted to check that the hydrogen-powered trains were running.
- There are direct trains between Bremen and Hamburg.
Could The Slower Route Be Improved?
My thoughts are as follows.
Between Amsterdam Centraal And Groningen
Consider the following.
- The Dutch probably planned the timetable before Eurostar served Amsterdam.
- Eurostar is going to three trains per day between London and Amsterdam
- There are new Dutch InterCity trains on order for other routes.
- A direct service between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen could probably be under two hours, with perhaps two stops.
- On my trip, the trains trundled along at 50-60 mph, which isn’t very fast.
For these reasons, I would rate it highly lightly that the Dutch will think about a direct service.
Between Groningen And Leer
Without doubt, the problem on this section is the bridge over the Ems.
I estimate the following.
- The mainly single-track railway without electrification between Groningen and Ihrhove near Leer is about seventy kilometres.
- After the bridge is rebuilt, one of Arriva’s Stadler GTWs could do the journey in perhaps 30-35 minutes.
- A bi-mode Stadler Flirt, like one of Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, which have a top speed of 100 mph and bags of grunt could probably break the half-hour.
Some web sites put the opening of the new bridge in 2024. I’m reasonably certain, that by that date, an electric train with these power systems would be able to handle the route.
- Dutch electrification
- German electrification
- Batteries
Bombardier and Stadler are certainly aiming to have battery-powered trains in service by the bridge opening date.
Between Leer and Bremen/Hamburg
This electrified double-track section has the following timings.
- Leer and Bremen – 1:24
- Leer and Hamburg 2:23
There doesn’t appear to be any major improvements needed.
Times On The Two Routes Compared
How do the fastest times on the two routes compare?
Via Osnabruck
This is the only route available and the fastest times are something like.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – 4:16
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – 5:14
It appears that most services go to both Bremen and Hamburg.
Every time, I’ve changed at Osnabruck, the second train has been late.
Via Groningen
I would estimate the best fastest times are something like.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – three hours
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – four hours
I am very surprised that the route via Groningen could appear to be over an hour faster.
Trains For An Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen/Hamburg Service Via Groningen
At present, this service would not be possible, because of the bridge over the Ems.
The route has the following characteristics.
- Dutch electrification at 1.5 KVDC between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen.
- No electrification from Groningen between Groningen and Ihrhove, which is seventy kilometres.
- German electrification at 15 KVAC between Ihrhove and Bremen/Hamburg
There are several trains that can handle both electrification systems at the two ends of the route, it’s just the seventy kilometres in the middle.
In my view there are several ways to bridge the gap.
Electrification
The Dutch or the Germans can probably electrify the line on time and on budget better than we could.
But which electrification system would be used?
Diesel
Using a dual-mode bi-mode train, that could also run on diesel would be a possibility and I’m sure that Bombardier, Hitachi and Stadler could supply a more or less off-the-the-shelf train, that could run at up to 200 kph where possible and handle the section without electrification on diesel.
But using diesel in an area developing a green economy based on wind power and hydrogen, is probably not a good marketing idea.
Hydrogen
If diesel can handle the route, I’m certain that hydrogen could be used on the section without electrification.
Battery
The section without electrification is only seventy kilometres and in a few years time will be totally in range of a battery train, that charged the batteries on the end sections. Power changeover could be arranged in Leer and Groningen stations if this was thought to be more reliable.
Note that in Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires, I write that Hitachi are claiming a battery range of sixty miles or a hundred kilometres with a Class 385 train with batteries in a few years time. Hitachi won’t be the only train manufacturer with the technology to build a suitable product.
I have to conclude that Groningen and Leer is a classic application for battery power.
Intermediate Stops For An Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen/Hamburg Service Via Groningen
Obviously, the Dutch and the Germans, should know their market and would know where the trains should stop.
Having experienced the route in the last few days, the following stops could be possible.
- Almere Centrum
- Zwolle
- Groningen
- Leer
- Oldenburg
But with modern trains, that have a minimum dwell time at stations, there may be more stops than some might think.
Which Company Would Run The Service?
I don’t know anything about the complications of running international trains, even when they are totally in the Schengen Zone.
In the UK, Amsterdam to Hamburg is the sort of service that would be proposed by a well-funded Open Access Operator.
The company, who would benefit most from this service is Eurostar.
So could we see Eurostar operating or sponsoring Open Access feeder services in Europe, using say 200 kph trains?
Conclusion
It would appear that the following journey times are possible.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – three hours
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – four hours
For this to be possible the following is needed.
- The bridge over the Ems is rebuilt.
- Battery power works as its developers hope it will.
How many other routes in the world, would benefit from a similar philosophy?
What Do You Do With An Unwanted Eurostar Train?
In Edition 865 of Rail Magazine, there is a short article which is entitled Eurostar ‘373s’ Leased To Thalys.
This is the first paragraph.
Class 373s that were due to be scrapped have instead been leased to Thalys for a year.
Class 373 trains and Thalys rolling stock are very similar, as both were built by GEC-Alsthom around the same time.
So just as ScotRail borrowed a few Class 365 trains to make up for a shortage, Thalys are borrowing a pair of Class 373 trains.
I wonder if passengers between Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, that they are getting a train, that was destined for the scrapyard?
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.
The Anonymous Widower 