Biggleswade Wind Farm
The Biggleswade Wind Farm is a small wind farm on the East side of the East Coast Main Line, to the South of Biggleswade.
I took the pictures as I went North to Doncaster yesterday.
- The wind farm generates 20 MW.
- There are ten turbines.
I was sitting backwards in one of LNER’s Azuma trains.
It was in some ways an experiment to get a general wind farm picture.
‘Upgrade East Coast Main Line Before HS2’ If Leeds And Yorkshire Want Faster Rail Links To London
The title of this post, is the same as that of this letter to the Yorkshire Post.
This is the opening paragraph.
The decision to scrap HS2 running to Leeds is controversial but those who travel to London should not despair.
The writer makes these points.
- High Speed Two will probably charge a premium fare because of the speed.
- The current journey time to the capital is two hours 13 minutes at a cost of £28-60, if purchased in advance.
- Planned improvements on the East Coast Main Line will reduce the journey time to London King’s Cross to one hour 56 minutes.
- High Speed Two will take one hour 22 minutes.
- If the line between Doncaster and Leeds were to be improved, the journey time could be reduced to one hour 45 minutes.
The writer finishes by saying that if the government ‘four tracked’ the entire East Coast route, 140mph LNER’s Azuma trains would match the times of High Speed Two.
In What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?, I came to this conclusion.
It looks like a non-stop service between London and Leeds running at 140 mph, with perhaps some sections at perhaps a bit faster, could be able to match the High Speed Two times.
Running non-stop saves a total of eighteen minutes.
In an hour, I would give Leeds one non-stop and one stopping service to London.
To Middlesbrough By LNER
Today, I took the new LNER service to Middlesbrough.
It left at 15:25 and should have arrived in just under three hours. But it was eighteen minutes late.
I took these pictures of our arrival in Middlesbrough.
Note.
- The train wasn’t full at Middlesbrough.
- Quite a few passengers left and joined at York.
- There were also a good number of leavers at Thornaby.
- The train was five cars.
As it is only the third day of the new service, passenger numbers seem to me to be on-line with what I’ve seen for other new services.
I have a few thoughts.
Is A London and Middlesbrough Service Needed?
In the 1970s, when I worked at ICI, I would regularly travel to Middlesbrough from London for a day’s work at their Wilton site.
In those days there was no direct train and you had to change at Darlington.
Since then I’ve also travelled to Middlesbrough to see football matches and visit the local countryside.
I suspect I’ve done well over fifty trips between the town and London, but today’s trip was my first one that was direct.
Will More Services Be Added?
If you look at LNER’s service patterns to Harrogate and Lincoln, they started with a single service and have quietly grown to between five and seven trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
I suspect that an early and a late train are essential to allow a full day in London or Middlesbrough.
Could This Route Be Run By A Nine-Car Train?
I suspect normally, a five-car train would be sufficient, but suppose one of the big London football clubs was playing Middlesbrough in an FA Cup quarter final, LNER might like to add capacity for the match.
King’s Cross and York stations regularly handle nine-car Azuma trains and from my pictures, it looks like Middlesbrough can too! The only other stop is Thornaby station, which is shown in this Google Map.
I suspect that it might just be possible, if Thornaby passengers were told to get in the first six cars.
Could This Route Be Run By A Battery-Electric Train?
Consider.
- The trains run on diesel power North of Longlands junction, where they leave and join the East Coast Main Line.
- It is a distance of only 22.2 miles.
With some form of charging at Middlesbrough, I think that within a few years, this could be an all-electric service.
It would be very handy for Hitachi, as any possible customers for battery-electric trains could be given a demo to or from London.
I Think The Stop At York Is A Good Idea
It could be argued that LNER’s King’s Cross and Middlesbrough service is two services in one.
- A direct service between London King’s Cross and Thornaby and Middlesbrough.
- A fast non-stop service between London King’s Cross and York, that takes several minutes under two hours.
Hence my view, that the York stop is a good idea.
Could The Middlesbrough Service Split And Join With Another Service At York?
The Middlesbrough service takes five minutes for the stop at York, but other services only take three minutes.
Has the longer stop been inserted into the timetable, so that the Middlesbrough timetable can be split to serve two separate destinations?
- Secondary destinations would have to be North of York or York station itself.
- These could include Bishops Auckland, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Scarborough and Sunderland.
- Given the arguments, there have been over the new timetable not calling at smaller stations, could these be served by a train to Newcastle?
There are quite a few sensible possibilities.
An alternative could be to split and join at Thornaby to serve both Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
Would A Lumo-Style Service Work Between King’s Cross And Norfolk?
This is a bit of a fantasy and you’ll never know the real reason why I have written it!
With the upgrade of the East Coast Main Line to full digital signalling, there will be a problem South of Hitchin with 140 mph Azumas and Hitachi Class 802 trains and similar from Grand Central , Hull Trains and Lumo hogging the fast lines to and from King’s Cross. I first wrote about it in Call For ETCS On King’s Lynn Route.
One solution would be to replace the current Class 387 trains with a 140 mph train , such as a Hitachi Class 802 variant. This would enable these fast King’s Lynn and Cambridge trains to join the 140 mph trains on a fast run to and from King’s Cross.
The Future Of Cambridge
Cambridge is one of the UK’s four world cities, with its heritage and lately its high position in any technology league table.
The Current Rail Service Between London And Cambridge
Currently, it has a good service into King’s Cross, Liverpool Street and St. Pancras.
- Great Northern – two tph to King’s Cross – A stopping train using Class 700 or Class 387 trains.
- Great Northern – one tph between Ely and King’s Cross – A fast train using Class 387 trains.
- Great Northern – one tph between King’s Lynn and King’s Cross – A fast train using Class 387 trains.
- Thameslink – two tph to Brighton – A semi-fast train using Class 700 trains.
- Greater Anglia – two tph to Liverpool Street – A semi-fast train using Class 720 or Class 379 trains.
Note.
- tph means trains per hour.
- The similar Class 387 and Class 379 trains are both late-model Bombardier Electrostars with sensible seats and a large number of tables. Both train types can or could be modified to run at 110 mph.
- The Class 700 trains are unsuitable for the route, as they have ironing-board seats and no tables. These are only 100 mph trains.
- The Queen’s bottom doesn’t like the Class 700 trains.
A large proportion of the passengers and commuters between to and from Cambridge work in high-tech or information-rich businesses and I believe if the trains were more geared to this market they would attract passengers away from the roads.
The Cambridge Employment Problem
Fast-growing Cambridge is taking over the region and it is always looking for towns and villages to develop as places for dormitories and to build premises for the hundreds of high-tech businesses.
This is one of the reasons why Greater Anglia acquired new Stadler Class 755 trains to run services from Cambridge to Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough and Stansted Airport.
If you’re going to lure Cambridge’s well-paid high-tech commuters out of their cars, you must give them an equivalent seat to their car. The Class 379, 387 and 755 trains do this.
Living In Norfolk And Suffolk And Working In Cambridge
This has always been the choice of many who work in Cambridge, but using rail into Cambridge didn’t really take-off seriously until modern three-car Class 170 trains replaced the single-car Class 153 trains.
Greater Anglia have followed the upward trend in passenger numbers, by running hourly four-car Class 755 trains from Cambridge to both Ipswich and Norwich.
Before the pandemic, it was starting to look like Norwich and Cambridge would soon need a second service, especially with the planned opening of the new Cambridge South station in 2025.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital And The Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Cambridge South station is being built to serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which intend to be create the foremost medical research cluster in the world.
Staycations And Holiday Homes In East Anglia
Life is changing because of the covids and more people are taking staycations or buying holiday homes.
And many are following the example of the Queen and going to Norfolk for their relaxation.
The Undoubted Need To Improve Rail Services Between London King’s Cross And Norfolk Via Cambridge
These factors convince me that there is a need for a new or repurposed rail service between London King’s Cross and Norfolk via Cambridge.
- The need to provide a high-class commuter service between London and Cambridge.
- The need to bring workers into Cambridge from Norfolk.
- The need to provide a fast high-class rail link to Cambridge South station with all its medical research.
- The need to provide a comprehensive working environment on the trains.
- The need to cater for all those people relaxing in Norfolk after a hard week in London.
It is my view, that a radical design of train is needed for this route.
- It would need to have a high-class interior.
- It would need at least a 125 mph capability, so that it can use the fast lines between Hitchin and King’s Cross.
- The train may need the ability to split and join.
- It would need an independent power capability for running on the Breckland Line between Ely and Norwich.
- Because of Cambridge and because East Anglia is easy country for cycling, it would need a sensible capacity for cycles.
I also believe that because of the need to decarbonise, the train should be zero-carbon.
These are my thoughts.
Operating Speed
Because of running on the fast lines between Hitchin and King’s Cross with the 140 mph trains from the North, I suspect that an operating speed of at least 125 mph is needed. But if the Hitachi trains of LNER, Hull Trains, Lumo and in the future possibly other operators like Grand Central, will be capable of 140 mph, this speed could be desirable.
Speed limits once the trains have left the East Coast Main Line at Hitchin North junction are as follows.
- Hitchin and Cambridge – 90 mph
- Cambridge and King’s Lynn – 90 mph
- Ely and Norwich – 75-90 mph
I can see Network Rail using their expertise to raise the speed limit on sections of these lines.
Flighting Of Trains On The East Coast Main Line
To increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line, I believe that at some point in the not too distant future that trains will be flighted. This will involve two or more trains leaving King’s Cross in a sequence and proceeding with all trains at a safe distance from each other.
I can envisage a flight like this from King’s Cross.
- An Edinburgh train with York as the first stop – Leaves at XX.00
- A Leeds train with Doncaster as the first stop – Leaves at XX.03
- A Lincoln train with Peterborough as the first stop – Leaves at XX.06
- A Cambridge train with Stevenage as the first stop – Leaves at XX.09
Note.
- The Edinburgh train would set the speed.
- Trains would maintain their time behind the lead train.
- Everything could be controlled by the digital signalling.
- Gaps between the trains would be sufficient for a safe stop.
- No train in the flight would make a station stop unless it was the last train in the flight.
- The last train in the flight would drop off and go to their destination.
As there are at least two tph to Edinburgh, Leeds and Cambridge, there would be two main flights per hour leaving King’s Cross, with the second flight perhaps incorporating a service to Hull.
Digital signalling and precise driving would enable the flights to be built in the opposite direction into King’s Cross.
The big advantage would be that instead of needing eight paths per hour on the East Coast Main Line, only two would be needed.
All trains would need to have similar performance, so this is another reason why the Cambridge trains need to be at least 125 mph trains.
Train Interiors
Lumo has broken new ground in train interiors.
- It is one class.
- Everybody gets a decent seat.
- Everybody gets good legroom.
- Everybody gets some form of table.
- There are decent-sized overhead racks for hand-baggage and coats.
- There is space for bicycles and heavy luggage appropriate to the route.
This can be built on to provide a good working and playing environment suited to the passengers who would use a fast King’s Cross and Norfolk service via Cambridge.
- Lots of tables for four, as in the high-class Electrostars.
- Better bicycle storage.
- Better alignment of seats with windows.
Hitachi could obviously produce a train to this specification.
But what about other manufacturers.
Stadler’s Class 755 trains are surely a possibility.
- A senior driver from Greater Anglia told me that the design speed for a Class 755 train is 200 kph or 125 mph.
- They have good seats.
- They have flat floors.
- They have large windows.
- They have step-free access between train and platform.
- Like the Hitachi trains, they are in service.
I believe the closely-related Class 745 trains are probably the best commuter trains in the UK and are the only alternative to the Hitachi trains on a125 mph fully-electrified route.
Bridging The Electrification Gap Between Ely And Norwich
Between Norwich and Ely stations is 53.8 miles and this section is not electrified, although both stations have full electrification.
The line is not heavily used with typically only two passenger trains and the occasional freight trains in each direction in an hour.
This Hitachi infographic describes the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
A 90 km. range could be sufficient to cover the gap between Norwich and Ely.
Could Hitachi build a Class 802 train or similar with a battery range of 90 km or 56 miles?
Certainly, a speed of 100 mph would probably be sufficient to bridge the gap in a decent time.
Improving The Breckland Line
The Breckland Line is the route between Cambridge and Norwich.
- Cambridge and Norwich is 68.5 miles
- Only the sixteen miles between Cambridge and Ely North junction is electrified.
- There are thirteen stops between the two cities.
- A typical time is 79 minutes
- This is an average speed of just 52 mph.
- The operating speed is 75-90 mph.
I am sure that Network Rail can squeeze a few minutes here and there to get the operating speed up to the 100 mph of the Great Eastern Main Line.
But the big problem at Norwich is the Trowse swing bridge.
It is only single track and it is likely that this bridge will be replaced soon.
This Google Map shows Trowse junction, a short distance South of the swing bridge.
Note.
- The electrified double-track of the Great Eastern Main Line goes across the map from North East to South West.
- The double-track railway to the East of the main line is the unelectrified Breckland Line to Cambridge, which turns West and goes under the main line.
- On the West of the main lines are the Victoria sidings that I wrote about in Greater Anglia Completes Directly-Managed Norwich Victoria Sidings Project.
As the replacement of the swing bridge will require some work to be done to the electrification, I wonder if at the same time Network Rail would electrify the Norwich end of the Breckland Line.
There must be a balance point adding electrification or batteries to the trains.
As the Breckland Line has few freight trains, electrification is not needed for freight.
Ticketing
A high-speed high-capacity service as I’m proposing must be easy to use.
It is a classic route, where nothing short of London-style contactless ticketing will do, as I’m certain this encourages people to use the trains.
As East Anglia is self-contained and has few services that don’t terminate in the area or in London, I am certain that this could be achieved.
If you remove First Class as Greater Anglia has done on many services, you actually simplify the ticketing, so a Lumo-style mid-class is ideal.
High Speed Train Services
Currently Great Northern run two tph from King’s Cross to Ely via Cambridge.
- One service is extended to King’s Lynn.
- I could see the second service extended to Norwich.
Both services would need to be run by 125 mph trains because of the speed of other trains on the East Coast Main Line.
Conclusion
I think duch a system would be possible.
Approaching Kings Cross – 5th July 2021
I took these pictures approaching Kings Cross.
Reports say most of the work of the remodelling is now complete. Although, it did look to me that in places more tracks could be laid.
The Length Of The Long Platforms At Kings Cross
This repeat of the last picture in the gallery shows the length of the nine long platforms.
Note.
- The train is in Platform 3.
- The train is an eight-car Class 700 train.
- Eight-car units are 162 metres long.
- Twelve-car units are 242.6 metres long.
Platform 3 is obviously long enough to take the following trains.
- Twelve-car Class 700 train – 242.6 metres
- Two Class 800 trains working as a pair – 260 metres
- A nine-car Class 800 train – 234 metres
- An InterCity 225 train – 245.2 metres
- A twelve-car Class 319 train or Class 321 train – 240 metres.
This Google Map shows the ends of the platforms at Kings Cross.
Note.
- The long platforms at the right are 2 and 3.
- Platform 2 and 3 are wide.
- Two LNER Azumas are in Platforms 5 and 6.
It looks to me that whilst all platforms can probably handle the standard British Rail length of 240 metres, those on the right may be able to handle longer trains. But what trains? These are my thoughts.
Longer LNER Azumas
This document on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme.
The document says that Class 80x trains have a sophisticated Train Control and Management System (TCMS).
The document says that this is one of the functions of the TCMS.
To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for
identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length,
and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.
I would assume that with the purchase of extra cars, that it might be possible to lengthen trains to up to twelve cars.
Lengths would be as follows.
- Ten-car Class 80x train – 260 metres.
- Eleven-car Class 80x train – 276 metres.
- Twelve-car Class 80x train – 312 metres.
To add extra capacity on the routes to Leeds and Edinburgh services, there must be a balance between these factors.
- The cost of extra cars.
- The cost of platform lengthening.
There must of course be space for any platform lengthening.
It would seem to me, that common sense should allow twelve-car trains to be handled at King’s Cross, as this must be one of the best ways of adding capacity to East Coast Main Line services.
Caledonian Sleeper
The Caledonian Sleeper doesn’t normally run into King’s Cross, but during the rebuilding Euston for High Speed Two, it may be necessary to provide an alternative platform.
Unfortunately, the sixteen-car Caledonian sleeper trains are 352 metres long. So it would appear that Kings Cross would not be a temporary alternative.
But given the amount of money being invested in sleeper trains in Europe by the likes of Midnight Trains and NightJet, I can see that the Caledonian Sleeper might have another problem – success and the need for more capacity.
So I wouldn’t rule out an East Coast Main Line sleeper train between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
It might call at Stevenage, Newcastle and Berwick to widen its passenger base, just as the current sleeper calls at Watford, Carlisle and Carstairs.
The train could be extended to Aberdeen, to simplify services in Scotland.
Obviously, traffic and finance would decide, but I wouldn’t rule out the Caledonian Sleeper running to and from King’s Cross for a few years yet.
A Night Light Freight Terminal
In Is This The Shape Of Freight To Come?, I wrote about the new generation of fast electric freight trains, based on redundant electric multiple units.
- If you look at Real Time Trains, you will find that few trains use King’s Cross station between two and five in the morning.
- Platforms can take a twelve-car version of these electric freight trains.
- The new platforms are wide and level.
- Local delivery could use electric vehicles and bikes.
I think King’s Cross has possibilities for handling goods like food, parcels and shop supplies.
The Short Platforms At Kings Cross
When I was a child, King’s Cross had four short suburban platforms, where N2 steam tank engines hauled suburban services in and out of the station.
The suburban platforms have now been reduced to two platforms, that fit in with the current uses of the station.
- The two platforms are numbered 9 and 10.
- They can handle an eight-car Class 700 train, which is 162 metres long.
- They can handle a five-car Class 800 train, which is 130 metres long.
- Some five-car services run by the new Hitachi trains use these platforms.
These pictures show the platforms.
Note.
- The platforms are wide.
- The picture of the Azuma in Platform 9 was taken before the centre track was removed recently.
- Today, one LNER Azuma departed from Platform 9 to go to Lincoln, but both platforms were busy with Great Northern services to Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn.
I do wonder if the platforms could be used for light freight, during the night.
Conclusion
King’s Cross is not just one of the UK’s finest railway stations, which is recognised by its Grade I Listed status, but it is now moving towards an efficient, high-capacity station that works around the clock!
Approaching Kings Cross – 6th January 2021
I took these pictures approaching Kings Cross.
Note.
- There is still track to be laid.
- The electrification is still to be erected.
But everything seems to be getting there.
This Google Map shows the section between the two tunnels.
- Copenhagen Tunnel is North of this map.
- Gasworks Tunnel lies between this map and Kings Cross station.
Both tunnels have three double-track bores, where in this massive project, the Eastern bores are being brought back into use to add capacity to Kings Cross station.
Note.
- The East Coast Main Line runs North-South across the map.
- The quadruple track crossing East-West at the top of the map is the North London Line.
- Below it, is the Channel Tunnel Rail Link into |St. Pancras.
- The link to the Canal Tunnels take Thameslink trains to the deep level platforms in St. Pancras.
- The two new tracks will be on the Eastern side of the East Coast Main Line.
This second Google Map shows the track and platform layout at Kings Cross station.
Note.
- There are twelve platforms, which are numbered from 0 to 11, with Platform 0 in the East.
- The various islands are numbered as follows from East to West; 0/1, 2/3, 4/5, 6/7, 8/9 and 10/11.
- The six tracks through the tunnels may be bi-directional, so will each track be linked to a pair of platforms?
- Platforms 0 to 4 are in the Eastern half of the station
- Platforms 5 to 0 are in the Western half of the station
- Platforms 9, 10 and 11 are short platforms in the old suburban station, which is mainly used by suburban services to Cambridge and Kings Lynn.
When I arrived there was a five-car Azuma in Platform 9, as these pictures show.
I’ve seen Grand Central’s Class 180 trains in these short platforms before, so is this going to be a regular occurrence.
Services Into Kings Cross
When the remodelling at Kings Cross is complete, current plans say the following trains will be running into Kings Cross station.
- LNER – Two tph – Edinburgh – Long train
- LNER – Two tph – Leeds – Long train
- LNER – One tph – Lincoln or York – Long or short train
- Great Northern – Two tph – Cambridge (stopping) – Short train
- Great Northern – Two tph – Cambridge (fast) – Short train
- Hull trains – Seven tpd – Hull and Beverley – Short train
- East Coast Trains – Five tpd – Edinburgh – Short train
- Grand Central – Four tpd – Bradford Interchange – Long or short train
- Grand Central – Five tpd – Sunderland – Long or short train
Note,
- tph is trains per hour and tpd is trains per day.
- There is a mixture of short and long trains.
- Short trains can fit all platforms, but long trains can only use platforms 0-8.
- There are nine tph and a total of 21 tpd in various less-frequent services.
My scheduling experience in other fields, says that ten platforms will be needed for a full service, with each of the ten platforms handling just one tph.
Conclusion
Wjen all the work is completed, Kings Cross station will have room for a few extra trains.
Is The Eastern Leg Of High Speed Two Under Threat?
This page on the High Speed Two web site is entitled HS2 Phase 2b Eastern Leg.
These are the opening three paragraphs.
Earlier this year the government made clear in its response to the Oakervee Review its commitment to Phase 2b of HS2, ensuring we boost capacity, improve connectivity between our regions and share prosperity.
As part of this, the government plans to present an Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands by the end of the year, informed by an assessment from the National Infrastructure Commission, which will look at how to deliver HS2 Phase 2b, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Rail Hub and other rail programmes better and more effectively.
In the meantime, the government has asked HS2 Ltd to pause work on the Eastern Leg. We recognise that this causes uncertainty and our Eastern Leg community engagement teams remain in place to support you.
The page then says that the work on the Western Leg should proceed, with the aim of a Western Leg Bill in early 2022.
In Northern Powerhouse Rail – Significant Upgrades Of The East Coast Main Line From Leeds To Newcastle (Via York And Darlington) And Restoration Of The Leamside Line, I showed that the current and future upgrades to the East Coast Main Line, required by the East Coast Main Line, Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed Two, will greatly reduce the times on services from London Kings Cross to Doncaster, Yorkshire, the North East and Scotland.
I said this on timings on the East Coast Main Line.
- London Kings Cross and Doncaster could be around an hour.
- London Kings Cross and Leeds could be around one hour and thirty minutes, using the current Doncaster and Leeds time, as against the one hour and twenty-one minutes for High Speed Two.
- London Kings Cross and York could be around one hour and twenty-three minutes, using the current Doncaster and York time, as against the one hour and twenty-four minutes for High Speed Two.
- Timings between York and Newcastle would be the same fifty-two minutes as High Speed Two, as the track will be the limitation for both services.
- High Speed Two’s timing for York and Newcastle is given as fifty-two minutes, with York and Darlington as twenty-five minutes.
- London Kings Cross and Darlington could be around one hour and forty-nine minutes
- London Kings Cross and Newcastle could be around two hours and sixteen minutes.
- London Kings Cross and Edinburgh would be under three-and-a-half hours, as against the proposed three hours and forty-eight minutes for High Speed Two.
LNER’s Azuma cavalry will hold the fort for as long as is needed.
I’ll now look at how various stations, will be affected if the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two is not built, until a couple of decades in the future.
Leeds
Current Long Distance Services At Leeds Station
Leeds station has the following long distance services in trains per hour (tph)
- CrossCountry – 1
- LNER – 2
- TransPennine Express – 5
It is a bit thin compared to say Birmingham or Manchester.
Northern Powerhouse Rail And Leeds
Northern Powerhouse Rail has plans for Leeds with these services to other Northern cities.
- Hull – two tph in 38 minutes
- Manchester – six tph in 25 minutes
- Newcastle – four tph in 58 minutes
- Sheffield – four tph in 28 minutes.
From what they have written, the following could also be possible.
- Bradford – six tph in a few minutes
- Liverpool – four or more tph in 51 minutes
- Manchester Airport – four or more tph in 35 minutes
It is an ambitious plan.
High Speed Two And Leeds
High Speed Two is planning to run the following trains to Leeds in every hour.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds – 200 metre train
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds via East Midlands Hub – 200 metre train
- London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common and East Midlands Hub – 200 metre train
- London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common and East Midlands Hub – 400 metre train
- London Euston and Leeds via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and East Midlands Hub – 400 metre train
Timings will be as follows.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds – 49 minutes.
- London Euston and Leeds – One hour and 21 minutes.
There will be about 1000 seats per hour between Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds and 2500 seats per hour Between London Euston and Leeds.
High Speed Two And Leeds Via Manchester
This report on the Transport for the North web site, is entitled At A Glance – Northern Powerhouse Rail.
This map shows Transport for the North’s ideas for connections in the West linking Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, Manchester Airport, Warrington and Wigan.
A black line goes East from Manchester to link it to Leeds via Huddersfield and Bradford.
- This is proposed as a route shared between High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- High Speed Two are promising that London Euston and Manchester will be timed at one hour and eleven minutes.
- London Euston and Manchester will have a frequency of three tph and will all be 400 metre High Speed Two Full Size trains, with about a thousand seats.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail have an objective of a twenty-five minute journey time between Manchester and Leeds.
I would also build the Manchester and Leeds route with the following characteristics.
- As a full-size tunnel capable of taking High Speed Two Full Size trains and the largest freight trains.
- Intermediate and underground stations at Huddersfield and Bradford.
- It could be built as a base tunnel, like the similarly-sized Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland.
- The Swiss tunnel has a maximum operating speed for passenger trains of 125 mph.
If it can be built for a reasonable cost and in a reasonable time-scale, it could be a way of doing the following.
- Creating a straight 150 mph plus route across the Pennines, with a capacity of 18 tph.
- Running high-capacity fast trains between London Euston and Leeds via Manchester Airport and Manchester.
- Running freight trains between the two sides of the Pennines.
- Creating a high frequency route between Liverpool and Hull via Manchester Airport, Manchester, Huddersfield and Bradford and Leeds.
The passenger service between Liverpool and Hull could be the world’s first high speed metro.
If the London Euston and Manchester trains, were to be extended to Leeds, London Euston and Leeds would take one hour and thirty-six minutes, which would only be fifteen minutes slower, than is promised for the route going via the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.
London Kings Cross And Leeds
When the in-cab digital signalling is complete between London Kings Cross and Leeds, I am fairly confident that with a few other improvements and more zoom from the Azumas, that a London Kings Cross and Leeds time of one hour and fifty minutes will be possible.
But will two nine-car or pairs of five-car trains per hour (tph), be enough capacity? Especially, as pairs of five-car trains will split and join to serve a wider catchment area, which will harvest more passengers.
LNER will in a couple of years have an extra path every hour into Kings Cross.
I would feel that best use of this path would be to run between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh via Leeds and Newcastle.
- Leeds and Newcastle could be the only intermediate stops.
- Leeds would be the ideal place to change to Northern Powerhouse Rail for anywhere in the North of England.
- My estimates, say it could run between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh in around three-and-a-half hours.
- It would run non-stop between London Kings Cross and Leeds, Leeds and Newcastle and Newcastle and Edinburgh.
It would increase capacity, between the four major destinations on the route; London Kings Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.
It could start running, once the digital signalling and current improvements to the East Coast Main Line are complete.
London St. Pancras And Leeds
I discussed, Northern Powerhouse Rail’s plan for Sheffield and Leeds in Northern Powerhouse Rail – Connecting Sheffield To HS2 And On To Leeds.
This could see the following new infrastructure.
- Electrification between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield station of the route shared by the Midland Main Line and High Speed Two.
- Electrification through Sheffield and on to Leeds, via the Wakefield Line
- New stations for High Speed trains at Rotherham and Barnsley Dearne Valley.
I could see East Midlands Railway taking advantage of this route, with their new Class 810 trains and running a regular Leeds and St. Pancras service.
- It would call at Wakefield Westgate, Barnsley Dearne Valley, Rotherham and Meadowhall. between Leeds and Sheffield stations.
- It would take twenty-eight minutes between Leeds and Sheffield, if it met Northern Powerhouse Rail’s objective.
- Perhaps one of the two tph between London St. Pancras and Sheffield could be extended to Leeds.
As the current time between London St. Pancras and Sheffield, is a few minutes under two hours, I can see a time of comfortably under two-and-a-half hours between London St. Pancras and Leeds.
A Summary Of Journey Times Between London And Leeds
I can summarise my estimates, between London and Leeds.
- High Speed Two – Direct via Eastern Leg – One hour and twenty-one minutes.
- High Speed Two – via Manchester – One hour and thirty-six minutes.
- East Coast Main Line – via Doncaster – One hour and thirty minutes.
- Midland Main Line – via Derby and Sheffield – Two hours and twenty minutes.
The direct High Speed Two route is the fastest., but others could be viable alternatives for some passengers.
Bradford
Consider.
- Under current plans Bradford won’t be getting any high speed service from High Speed Two.
- The best it can get under current plans is several direct services per day, between Bradford Forster Square and London Kings Cross in perhaps two hours.
- The layout of the city and its two stations doesn’t give good connectivity.
Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton could probably be served by trains to and from London Kings Cross that join and split at Leeds.
But if Northern Powerhouse Rail goes for a tunnel between Manchester and Leeds with Bradford as an underground station, it could be served by High Speed Two services going between London Euston and Leeds via Manchester.
I would estimate that if London Euston and Leeds via Manchester took around one hour and thirty-six minutes, London Euston and Bradford could take around an hour-and-a-half.
Darlington
I can summarise my estimates, between London and Darlington.
- High Speed Two – Direct via Eastern Leg – One hour and forty-nine minutes.
- High Speed Two – via Manchester and Leeds – Two hours and six minutes.
- East Coast Main Line – via Doncaster – One hour and forty-nine minutes.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle; will speed up East Coast Main Line services to Darlington.
Edinburgh
I can summarise my estimates, between London and Edinburgh.
- High Speed Two – Direct via Western Leg – Three hours and forty minutes.
- High Speed Two – via Manchester and Leeds – Three hours and forty-eight minutes.
- East Coast Main Line – via Doncaster – Three hours and thirty minutes.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle; will speed up East Coast Main Line services to Newcastle.
Harrogate
Consider.
- Under current plans Harrogate won’t be getting any high speed service from High Speed Two.
- The best it can get under current plans is several direct services per day, between Harrogate and London Kings Cross in perhaps two hours.
Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton could possibly be served by trains to and from London Kings Cross that join and split at Leeds.
Huddersfield
- If Huddersfield is served by underground platforms beneath the current Huddersfield station, a lot of what I said for Bradford would apply to Huddersfield.
- The timings would probably be around an-hour-and-a-half from London Euston.
Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton could possibly be served by trains to and from London Kings Cross that join and split at Leeds.
Hull
Hull is an interesting destination.
- Reaching Hull from the current High Speed Two network will need a change at Leeds or another station.
- Using Northern Powerhouse Rail’s objectives on timings, London Euston and Hull via Manchester on High Speed Two, would be a few minutes under two-and-a-half hours.
- I strongly feel, that London Kings Cross and Hull via Selby could be reduced to below two hours.
Hull would also make a superb Eastern terminal station for both Northern Powerhouse Rail and a High Speed Two service from London via Manchester and Leeds.
You pays your money and takes your choice.
Middlesbrough
Reaching Middlesbrough from the proposed High Speed Two network will need a change at York or another station.
But a time of two hours and twenty minutes, should be possible using the East Coast Main Line via Doncaster.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle, will speed up East Coast Main Line services to Middlesbrough.
Newcastle
I can summarise my estimates, between London and Newcastle.
- High Speed Two – Direct via Eastern Leg – Two hours and seventeen minutes.
- High Speed Two – via Manchester and Leeds – Two hours and thirty-four minutes.
- East Coast Main Line – via Doncaster – Two hours and sixteen minutes.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle; will speed up East Coast Main Line services to Newcastle.
Nottingham
I will compare average speeds on the Midland Main Line between London St. Pancras and Nottingham and on the East Coast Main Line, between London Kings Cross and Leeds.
Currently.
- London St. Pancras and Nottingham services, over the 126 mile route, take one hour and fifty minutes. which is an average speed of 69 mph.
- London Kings Cross and Leeds services, over the 186 mile route, take two hours and thirteen minutes, which is an average speed of 94 mph.
Note.
- The two routes are of similar character and are fairly straight with large sections of 125 mph running and quadruple tracks.
- The East Coast Main Line to Leeds is fully electrified, whereas the Midland Main Line is only partially electrified.
- Both routes have a small number of stops.
- In a few years time, services on both routes will be run by different members of the Hitachi AT-300 train family.
I don’t feel it would be unreasonable to assume that a London St. Pancras and Nottingham service could be run at an average speed of 94 mph, if the Midland Main Line were upgraded to the same standard as the East Coast Main Line.
This could mean a time of around one hour and twenty-one minutes between London St. Pancras and Nottingham, or a saving of twenty-nine minutes.
Is that possible?
- The new Class 810 trains, will have four engines instead of the normal three for a five-car AT-300 train. Will they be able to be closer to the 125 mph line-speed on diesel power, where it is available on the Midland Main Line.
- The trains will be able to use electrification between London St. Pancras and Market Harborough.
- There have been hints, that more electrification may be installed on the Midland Main Line.
- Hitachi have announced a battery electric version of the AT-300 train called an Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, where one or more of the diesel engines are replaced by battery packs.
- The new trains will be ready to accept in-cab ERTMS digital signalling, so they could be able to run at up to 140 mph, if the track were to be upgraded.
I certainly feel, that substantial time savings could be possible between London St. Pancras and Nottingham.
Eighty-one minutes would be very convenient, as it would comfortably allow a three hour round trip, which would mean just six trains or more likely pairs of trains would be needed for the current two tph service.
Eighty-one minutes would not be the fifty-two minute service promised by High Speed Two!
But!
- The new trains are planned to be introduced from 2023.
- Who knows, when High Speed Two will arrive at the East Midlands Hub station?
- They won’t need any new substantial infrastructure to replace the current trains.
I also suspect the new trains will have more seats, but, the capacity of the Class 810 train, has not been published.
Nottingham could also be served by a high speed service from London Kings Cross via Grantham, which I estimate would take about one hour and twenty minutes.
Sheffield
A lot of what I said for Nottingham can be applied to Sheffield.
- Currently, London St. Pancras and Sheffield services, over the 165 mile route, take two hours, which is an average speed of 82.5 mph.
- High Speed Two is promising a journey time of one hour and twenty-seven minutes.
- An average speed of 90 mph, would mean a journey time of one hour and fifty minutes.
- This would allow a four hour round trip, which would mean just eight trains or more likely pairs of trains would be needed for the current two tph service.
It would be very convenient for the operator.
It looks like if pairs of trains were to be run on both the Nottingham and Sheffield routes, that twenty-eight trains would be needed to run both services.
This fits well with a fleet size of thirty-three trains.
The only caveat, is that to get the required journey times, it might be necessary to rebuild and electrify the tracks, between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction.
- These tracks will be shared with the future Sheffield Branch of High Speed Two.
- It would only be 15.5 miles of double-track to rebuild and electrify.
- It could be rebuilt to allow 140 mph running. Several minutes could be saved!
The electrification could allow Hitachi’s Intercity Tri-Mode Battery trains to be able to run the Sheffield service.
These trains would certainly be a way of avoiding the tricky electrification of the Derby and Clay Cross section of the route, which goes through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills.
Sheffield could also be served by a high speed service from London Kings Cross via Doncaster, which I estimate would take about one hour and thirty minutes.
Skipton
Consider.
- Under current plans Skipton won’t be getting any high speed service from High Speed Two.
- The best it can get under current plans is several direct services per day, between Skipton and London Kings Cross in perhaps two hours.
Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton could possibly be served by trains to and from London Kings Cross that join and split at Leeds.
Sunderland
Reaching Sunderland from the proposed High Speed Two network will need a change at York or another station.
But a time of two hours and thirty minutes, should be possible using the East Coast Main Line via Doncaster.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle, will speed up East Coast Main Line services to Sunderland.
York
I can summarise my estimates, between London and York.
- High Speed Two – Direct via Eastern Leg – One hour and twenty-four minutes.
- High Speed Two – via Manchester and Leeds – One hour and forty-two minutes.
- East Coast Main Line – via Doncaster – One hour and twenty-four minutes.
Improvements on the East Coast Main Line, needed to enable and speed-up High Speed Two services to York, Darlington and Newcastle; will speed up East Coast Main Line services to York.
I believe strongly, that York would be about as fast from London, by either of the direct routes, but both would serve different intermediate destinations.
Conclusion
My first conclusion is a surprising one, but the promised timings from High Speed Two and the current timings in the timetable make it clear.
To achieve the required timings for High Speed Two, major improvements must be made to existing track and these improvements will mean that existing services will be competitive with High Speed Two on time.
These improvements fall into this category.
- Improving the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle, will make East Coast Main Line services to York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle competitive with High Speed Two services.
- Improving the East Coast Main Line between York and Newcastle, may also mean that London Kings Cross and Edinburgh will be faster than the High Speed Two service between London Euston and Edinburgh.
- Electrifying the route shared between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction, will speed up London St. Pancras and Sheffield services and make them more competitive with High Speed Two.
I suspect there may be similar mutual improvements on the Western leg of High Speed Two.
Other smaller conclusions from my analysis of the improvements include.
- These improvements will create some extra capacity on the East Coast and Midland Main Lines, by removing bottlenecks and improving line speeds.
- Electrification, even if it is only partial or discontinuous, will improve services on the Midland Main Line.
- Some places like Harrogate, Middlesbrough and Skipton will never be served directly by High Speed Two, but are easily served by East Coast Main Line services from London Kings Cross.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail is very much part of the North-South capacity for England.
- In-cab ERTMS signalling will play a large part in increasing capacity and line speeds.
Perhaps in our planning of High Speed Two, we should plan all the routes in the North and Midlands in a much more holistic way.
If we look at the capacity between London and the North, I feel that with the addition of Phase 1 of High Speed Two to Birmingham in 2029-2033 and hopefully Phase 2a soon afterwards, that Phase 2b will not be needed for reasons of speed and capacity until years later.
So, I would pause most construction of the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two until Phase 1 and Phase 2a are complete.
I would make exceptions for the following.
- Improvements to the shared section of the East Coast Main Line and High Speed Two, between York and Newcastle.
- Building a high speed connection between Leeds and York for the use of Northern Powerhouse Rail and the East Coast Main Line.
- Rebuilding and electrification of the shared section of the Midland Main Line and High Speed Two, between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield.
- Improve and electrify the route between Sheffield and Leeds.
But I would continue with the design, as I feel that East of Leeds is very much sub-optimal at the present time.
The route of the Eastern leg of High Speed Two would be safeguarded.
But the biggest problem with the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two to Leeds, is that however it is built travellers to and from Leeds, York and further North will not see any improvements for some years, but improving the East Coast Main Line wouldn’t exactly see jam tomorrow, but tons of it by 2024.
Overhauls for LNER’s Remaining Class 91s And Mk 4s
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Eversholt Rail, which owns the trains, has confirmed that 12 London North Eastern Railway Class 91s and the remaining Mk 4 coaches will undergo overhauls at Wabtec Rail, Doncaster.
It had been expected, that LNER would purchase more trains, as I wrote about in More New Trains On LNER Wish List.
The article gives more details of the trains to be retained.
- Twelve Class 91 locomotives, seven rakes of Mark 4 coaches and two spare coaches will be retained.
- They will be confined to routes between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Leeds, Skipton and York.
How many trains will be needed to cover these routes?
- Trains take two hours and fifteen minutes between London Kings Cross and Leeds and run at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
- Trains take two hours and twenty-one minutes between London Kings Cross and York and run hourly.
- I suspect that a round trip to Leeds or York can be five hours.
So a crude analysis says, that will mean fifteen trains will be needed,
But some of these trains will be extended past Leeds.
These are, electrification status and the times and distances between Leeds and the final destinations.
- Bradford – Electrified – 22 minutes – 13.5 miles
- Harrogate – Not Electrified – 40 minutes – 18 miles
- Huddersfield – Not Electrified – 33 minutes – 17 miles
- Skipton – Electrified – 45 minutes – 26 miles
It appears that the following is true.
- Trains serving Harrogate and Huddersfield must be worked by bi-mode Class 800 trains.
- Trains serving Bradford and Skipton could be worked by InterCity 225 trains or an all-electric nine-car Class 801 train.
Note.
- Some times are those taken by LNER services and some are estimates from TransPennine Express.
- I have assumed 8-10 minutes for the Split-and-Join at Leeds and included it in the times.
- Class 800 trains seem to take around ten minutes to turnround at Harrogate.
- Times between London Kings Cross and Doncaster will decrease by a few minutes, with the addition of digital in-cab signalling on the route, which will allow 140 mph running by InterCity 225s, Class 800 trains and Class 801 trains.
I estimate that it will be possible for an InterCity 225, Class 800 train or Class 801 train to do a round trip between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton in six hours.
The round trip between London Kings Cross and York will be the five hours, I estimated earlier.
Wikipedia also says this.
LNER expects to introduce two-hourly services to Bradford and a daily service to Huddersfield in May 2020 when more Azuma trains have been introduced.
So would the pattern of trains to Leeds/York be as follows?
- One tph – One pair of five-car Class 800 trains to Leeds, of which some or all split and join at Leeds, with one train going to and from Harrogate and the other going to and from Huddersfield.
- One tph per two hours (tp2h) – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to Leeds, of which some or all are extended to Bradford.
- One tp2h – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to Leeds, of which some or all are extended to Skipton.
- One tph – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to York.
I estimate that it will be possible for an InterCity 225, Class 800 train or Class 801 train to do a round trip between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton in six hours.
This would need the following trains.
- Six pairs of five-car Class 800 trains for the Harrogate and Huddersfield services.
- Six full size all electric trains, which could be an InterCity 225, a nine-car Class 801 train or a pair of five Class 801 trains, for Bradford and Skipton services.
- Five full size all electric trains, which could be an InterCity 225, a nine-car Class 801 train or a pair of Class 801 trains, for York services.
So why have LNER changed their mind and are retaining the InterCity 225?
Are InterCity 225 Trains Already Certified For 140 mph Running?
I wouldn’t be surprised, if a large part of the certification work for this had been done for 140 mph running and for it to be allowed, it needs digital in-cab signalling to be installed on the East Coast Main Line.
The Wikipedia entry for the InterCity 225 says this about the train’s performance.
The InterCity 225 has a top service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham an InterCity 225 reached 162 mph (260.7 km/h). However, except on High Speed 1, which is equipped with cab signalling, British signalling does not allow trains to exceed 125 mph (201 km/h) in regular service, due to the impracticality of correctly observing lineside signals at high speed.
The Wikipedia entry for the East Coast Main Line says this about the future signalling.
A new Rail operating centre (ROC), with training facilities, opened in early 2014 at the “Engineer’s Triangle” in York. The ROC will enable signalling and day-to-day operations of the route to be undertaken in a single location. Signalling control/traffic management using ERTMS is scheduled to be introduced from 2020 on the ECML between London King’s Cross and Doncaster – managed from the York ROC.
A small fleet of InterCity 225 trains could be the ideal test fleet to find all the glitches in the new signalling.
Are InterCity 225 trains Already Certified To Run To Bradford and Skipton?
If they are, then that is another problem already solved.
A Fleet Of Seven Trains Would Cover Bradford And Skipton Services
Six trains are needed to run a one tp2h service to both Bradford and Skipton, so they could fully cover one tp2h to Bradford and occasional trains to Skipton with a spare train and one in maintenance.
Using InterCity 225s To Bradford and Skipton Would Not Require A Split-And-Join At Leeds
The number of trains that would Split-and-Join at Leeds would be only two tph instead of four tph, which would be simpler with less to go wrong.
Not Enough Five-Car Bi-Mode Class 800 Trains
LNER’s full fleet of Azumas will be as follows.
- 13 – Nine-car bi-mode Class 800 trains.
- 10 – Five-car bi-mode Class 800 trains.
- 30 – Nine-car electric Class 801 trains.
- 12 – Five-car electric Class 801 trains.
This would appear to be a major problem, if Harrogate and Huddersfield were to be served hourly by Class 800 trains, existing services are to be maintained or even increased to Hull and Lincoln and extra services are to be added to Middlesbrough and perhaps Nottingham and other destinations.
The InterCity 225s only help indirectly, if they provided the London Kings Cross and Bradford and Skipton services.
Conversion Of Class 800 and Class 801 Trains To Regional Battery Trains
Hitachi have launched the Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
For LNER, they will be useful for any Journey under about 90 kilometres or 56 miles.
The trains should be able to serve these routes.
- Leeds and Harrogate and back – 36 miles
- Leeds and Huddersfield and back – 34 miles
- Newark and Lincoln and back – 33 miles
- Northallerton and Middlesbrough and back – 42 miles
Whilst Class 800 trains and Class 801 trains are converted, the InterCity 225 trains would act as valuable cover on services like London to Leeds and York.
Conclusion
I think it is a good plan.
LNER Services To Double Between Bradford And London
The title of this post is the same as that as this press release from LNER.
This is the introductory paragraph.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is pleased to confirm it will be doubling the number of Azuma weekday services between Bradford Forster Square and London King’s Cross from Monday 18 May 2020.
The timetable is as follows.
Southbound
- Leave Bradford Forster Square at 06:30 and arrive London Kings Cross at 08:59
- Leave Bradford Forster Square at 08:43 and arrive London Kings Cross at 11:31
Northbound
- Leave London Kings Cross at 16:33 and arrive Bradford Forster Square at 19:29
- Leave London Kings Cross at 18:33 and arrive Bradford Forster Square at 21:29
All services appear to call at Shipley between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square.
The press release doesn’t say if the trains split and join at Leeds station, but the timings are generous enough, if it is needed.
I wonder, if there will be more services between London and Bradford Forster Square in a few months. It probably depends on the level of success.
LNER Expands To Huddersfield
This press release from LNER is entitled LNER Announces Direct Services Between Huddersfield And London.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
LNER is proud to announce new Azuma services will be introduced between Huddersfield and London King’s Cross from Monday 18 May 2020.
The daily weekday service in each direction will be LNER’s first direct link between the West Yorkshire market town and the capital.
They will also connect nearby Dewsbury directly with London King’s Cross, after more than a generation of no direct services between Huddersfield and London.
The timetable will be as follows.
The new southbound service will depart from Huddersfield at 05:50 and Dewsbury at 06:01. The Azuma service will arrive in Leeds at 06:16, where it will couple to another five-car Azuma to form the 06:40 Leeds to London King’s Cross service, which will arrive in the capital at 08:51 on weekdays.
The evening northbound service will depart from London King’s Cross at 18:03 and will be formed of two five-car Azuma trains, which will split in Leeds, with one train continuing to Skipton and the other to Dewsbury, arriving at 20:45 and then Huddersfield at 20:58.
Joining and splitting is definitely being brought to Yorkshire by LNER.
I wonder, if there will be a London to Huddersfield service in the reverse direction in a few months.
The Anonymous Widower 