The Anonymous Widower

Magna Tram Stop – 23rd April 2026

I went to the new Magna tram stop on the Sheffield tram-train today and took these pictures.

 

The tram stop structure looks like two identical lift towers with a staircase, that have been lifted in onto foundations, that are opposite each other.

  • The two structures appear to be made almost entirely of steel, which is surely appropriate for the Sheffield and Rotherham area.
  • The lifts are typical quality lifts from Stannah.
  • After installation the staircases point in opposite directions.
  • Were the three components of the bridge just lifted into place and then wired up and switched on?
  • A steel bridge completes the tram stop.
  • The design of the bridge keeps the travellers well away from the electrification.
  • The bridge steelwork was constructed locally at Barnsley.

I believe, this tram stop was designed for ease of installation and the lowest possible cost consistent with high quality.

I wouldn’t be surprised that this tram stop bridge has been designed so it can be replicated in different sizes at different locations.

I have some further thoughts.

Can This Design Be Adapted For Other Applications, Locations And Sizes?

I believe it can and this bridge could be the first of many.

Can This Design Be Assembled Around A Working Railway With A Few Short Possessions?

I believe it can, which would be a good cost and time saving in assembly!

I also believe, that as at Magna, it could be assembled around a working electrified railway.

There is a lot to like about this tram-stop design.

Are Sheffield Planning Any Expansion Of The Trams?

Out of curiosity, I had to ask Google AI, the title of this section.

I received this answer.

Yes, Sheffield is actively planning to expand its tram network as part of a major public transport regeneration project aiming for better connectivity and reduced congestion. Key proposals include extending the tram-train network to Doncaster and Barnsley, a new route to Stocksbridge, a connection to Chesterfield via Barrow Hill, and a new stop at the Magna Science Adventure Centre.

Key details of the expansion plans include:

Network Expansion Plans: The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) is evaluating several extensions, including a potential route connecting the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and the southern city centre.

Tram-Train Focus: Future expansion heavily features tram-trains, which can use existing rail lines, such as the 9-mile link to Stocksbridge.

Doncaster and Barnsley Routes: Proposed extensions involve utilizing existing rail lines for faster connections to Doncaster and a new line to Barnsley.

Infrastructure Investment: The government has announced £570 million for upgrading the existing Supertram network, including improving capacity at Sheffield Train Station.

Timeline: While studies and developments are ongoing, significant work is expected to pick up speed toward 2030, integrated with Northern Powerhouse Rail developments.

Could we see more innovative bridges?

 

April 23, 2026 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Riding Into the Future: Germany’s Pioneering Hydrogen-Powered Tram Project

The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on bnn Breaking.

This is the sub-heading.

Explore Germany’s groundbreaking project to develop a fuel cell-powered tram, leading the charge in sustainable urban mobility and reimagining the future of public transportation.

These are the first two paragraphs.

In the quiet, industrious corners of Germany, a revolution is unfolding on the tracks of public transportation. A consortium led by Hörmann Vehicle Engineering, alongside partners Heiterblick, Flexiva Automation & Robotik, and Technische Universität Chemnitz, has embarked on a groundbreaking journey to conceptualize, design, and test what could be the world’s next leap in eco-friendly mass transit: a hydrogen-powered tram. The project, aptly named the Hydrogen Tram for Next Generation, merges the realms of innovation, sustainability, and practicality, aiming to redefine urban mobility in ways we’ve only begun to imagine.

The project’s heart beats with a simple yet ambitious goal: to create a fuel cell-powered tram that doesn’t just exist as a prototype but thrives as a model for future public transportation. This initiative isn’t just about building a tram; it’s about reimagining the entire ecosystem surrounding urban mobility. From devising a robust refueling strategy to simulating operations and testing the fuel cell system, the collaborators are leaving no stone unturned. The project, with a generous €8 million budget, is buoyed by support from the federal government’s national hydrogen and fuel cell technology innovation program. This isn’t merely an experiment; it’s a statement of intent by Germany to lead the charge in sustainable transit solutions.

I have a few thoughts.

Chemnitz

These pictures show Chemnitz and its trams.

Note.

  1. Chemnitz used to be called Karl Marx Stadt.
  2. Chemnitz has some hybrid trams and tram-trains.
  3. I described how the Chemnitz trams work in Chemnitz Trams And The Chemnitz Model.

Chemnitz could be a very suitable place to try out the technology.

Hence, the involvement of Chemnitz University in the project doesn’t surprise me.

Tram-Trains

This article on Railway Gazette International, which is entitled Hydrogen Tram Development Project Underway, is also about the same project.

This is the first paragraph.

The Hydrogen Tram for Next Generation project has been launched to develop a fuel cell-powered vehicle which would enable services to be extended into new areas and tram-train routes created without the need for electrification.

It looks like this was added in the translation.

Tram Trains In South London

In The Third-Rail Tram-Train, I postulated using third-rail tram trains to extend the London Tramlink.

Since then Merseyrail have tried to extend, their third-rail electrified network and been told they couldn’t.

 

I have written these posts about using tram-trains to extend the London Tramlink.

So would a hydrogen-powered tram-train be useful technology to extend the London Tramlink?

It just could be!

Zero-Carbon Between Manchester and Sheffield

This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification across the Pennines.

Note.

  1. Red lines are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
  2. Mauve lines are tram lines electrified with 750 VDC overhead.
  3. The mauve lines in the West are the Manchester Metrolink.
  4. The mauve lines in the East are the Sheffield Supertram
  5. Black lines are not electrified.
  6. Red and black lines are currently being electrified.
  7. The blue arrow at the bottom of the map indicates Buxton.
  8. To the North of Buxton, the line linking Manchester and Sheffield is the Hope Valley Line.
  9. Running North-East from Manchester is the main TransPennine route between Leeds and Manchester via Dewsbury and Huddersfield.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the TransPennine route between Morley and Mossley stations.

Note.

  1. Colours are as before.
  2. Morley station is in the North-East corner of the map.
  3. Huddersfield station is indicated by the blue arrow in the middle of the map.
  4. Mossley station is in the South-West corner of the map.

In a few years time, there will be 25 KVAC overhead electrification all the way between Leeds and Manchester via Dewsbury and Huddersfield.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the routes around Manchester and Sheffield and the connecting routes between Barnsley, Huddersfield, Manchester and Sheffield.

Note.

  1. Colours are as before.
  2. The blue arrow at the bottom of the map indicates Buxton.
  3. The line to Stocksbridge runs North-West from Sheffield.
  4. To its East the Penistone Line runs to Huddersfield via Barnsley.
  5. Manchester has a series of lines to the East that need to be electrified.

How many of these lines could be integrated into the tram systems of Manchester and Sheffield, by the use of hydrogen-powered tram-trains?

Hydrogen-powered tram-trains could share lines with battery-electric trains.

Tram-trains could run from say Cathedral in Sheffield to Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester.

Using self-powered trains would cut the need for expensive infrastructure.

The possibilities are endless and carbon free.

Conclusion

Hydrogen-powered trams and tram-trains could be a valuable tool for decarbonising trams and trains.

 

 

 

February 27, 2024 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

SMS Brings Online 90MW Of Energy Storage In Yorkshire And Suffolk

The title of this post, is the same as that of this insight from SMS plc.

This is the sub-heading.

A 50MW site near Ipswich and a 40MW system in Barnsley are now fully operational, delivering added resilience, flexibility, and security to the UK power grid
SMS has also secured planning for a further 200MW of energy storage sites, increasing its pipeline of projects to 760MW to be delivered over the next five years

These are the first two paragraphs.

Smart energy infrastructure group, SMS plc, has begun operating two new grid-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) that add a combined 90MW of storage capacity to the UK’s electricity transmission network.

A 50 megawatt (MW) project located at Brook Farm, near Ipswich, and a 40MW site in Stairfoot, Barnsley, are now fully operational, delivering essential grid balancing and flexibility services at a time of year when the power network has come under increased strain due to cold weather, gas shortages, and heightened winter demand. The large lithium-ion batteries installed across both sites hold enough capacity to store electricity for approximately 40,000 UK homes.

This paragraph describes the company’s portfolio.

The latest battery projects to be connected to the grid in Suffolk and South Yorkshire are the second and third sites that SMS has developed following the completion of its inaugural 50MW BESS in Cambridgeshire last year. Whilst these newly commissioned sites take SMS’s total operational capacity to 140MW across three live projects, the company has also announced fully secured consent for an additional 200MW of projects in England. This takes the group’s total BESS pipeline to 760MW, including 150MW that are already under construction and expected to be completed in 2023.

There seems to be several of these smaller BESS companies coming through. This must be a good thing, as we need more storage.

Also if companies are building these batteries, they must be getting a return on their money, so we’ll see more built.

 

January 7, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Is Meadowhall An Ideal Journey Break On A Train?

yesterday I went up to seeIpswich play in Barnsley. It wasn’t a good match, as the wind made a lot of things difficult and it probably had a part in some of the goals. Since the Nottingham Forest match on the 14th December, which was ruined by wind, I think there has only been one match, where conditions were conducive to good football. I know it’s only a game, but it does illustrate how bad the weather has been, these last couple of months.

As I said because of ticketing issues with East Midlands Trains, I went up to Barnsley changing at Sheffield, but came back via Meadowhall and Doncaster on Est Coast.

I walked quickly down the hill from Oakwell to the station and within a couple of minutes I was on a fast Class 158 train to Meadowhall. I nearly missed the stop, as the weather was so bad, you couldn’t make out the station names, but as it was the first stop from Barnsley, I was pretty sure it was Meadowhall.

It was an easy walk into the shopping centre and you enter by Marks and Spencer, where I just purchased some socks, but I could of course have bought a gluten-free meal. As it was I went further into the centre and had supper at Carluccio’s, which although it was full, was queueless.

The other thing I needed to buy, was a book and Waterstones was hard by the passage to the station.  i also picked up another copy of The Times, as a friend has a letter in the paper and they wanted me to send them a copy.

I suspect that if you’re going to Manchester Airport by train, then to break the journey at Meadowhall might be better than paying airport prices for your last minute purchases, that we always need.

My choice of route was further vindicated, when I got on an East Coast train from Doncaster to London.  The Inter City 225 was so much more comfortable and smoother in Standard, than the dreaded Class 222 of East Midland Trains in First.  I also had two chances to purchase a cup of tea from a trolley, whereas East Midlands there was no at-seat service and they expect you to walk to the bar.

I’ve got to go to Leicester in a couple of weeks and I’ll do anything to avoid going on one of those Class 222s.

February 9, 2014 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

East Midlands Trains Just Lost A Sale

I’m going to Barnsley tomorrow to see Ipswich play!

Although, I’m going up using East Midlands Trains, I’m certainly not coming back on their trains.

As I’m going to a football match, I can’t guarantee what time, I will be finished in Barnsley.  I might meet any of a number of friends and have coffee and a supper before returning, so I can’t be sure which train, I would need to take from Sheffield. The trip is further complicated by the fact that the only place I can get a gluten-free meal I’d trust is at Carluccio’s in Meadowhall, which is surprisingly convenient as all trains from Barnsley to the South go through the station there. But if you eat in Meadowhall on a Saturday, you can’t be sure how long the meal will take, as the place gets extremely busy.

So as I always do, I buy an Off Peak Standard Ticket for my return journey, as this gives me complete flexibility.  But East Midlands Trains expect passengers to buy one of their keenly priced Advance Single tickets, which for me are not acceptable, as one five minute conversation and a missed train, would mean I had to buy another ticket.

I have therefore booked a ticket from Barnsley to Domcaster, changing at Meadowhall and then East Coast from Doncaster to London.

Going up to Barnsley, I did buy an Advance Ticket and that cost me £36.00.  I’ve also noticed that because of their different way of buying tickets, I didn’t enter my railcard, so I overpaid! We need one standard interface, when buying tickets over the internet!

Coming back, the best price on East Midlands Trains is £47.20. Going via Doncaster has cost me £45.70, which may not be much of a saving, but there a greater number of trains from Doncaster and I’ll definitely avoid travelling in one of those awful Class 222 trains of East Midland Trains.

East Midland Trains have tweeted me, that a Return ticket is only a pound more than a Single. That’s the first I’ve heard of that, but it wasn’t pointed out to me on their web site. I usually travel to football on a First Off-Peak Return, which is the obvious good-value ticket on Greater Anglia and some other companies.

February 7, 2014 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , | 1 Comment

Two Friendly Stadia

I’ve seen Ipswich draw one-one twice in four days.

I could argue, that with a bit more luck, they’d have got a couple more points. But on the other hand, I can say that both stadia; Oakwell and the Amex, are friendly places, that are easy to get to by public transport. Especially, if you don’t take my indirect route to Brighton.

October 3, 2012 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another Coloured Police Horse

South Yorkshire Police gave the horses an exercise, whilst Town were in Barnsley.

As you can see, one is a very striking coloured horse, which the officer told me proudly was one of a matched pair. It certainly proves the odd Suffolk phrase.

A bad horse is always a bad colour, but a good horse is always a good one.

Usually, that was said in respect to chesnut mares, but then in Suffolk, chesnuts are always liked because of the Suffolk horse, which only come in that colour.

September 30, 2012 Posted by | Sport, World | , , , | 1 Comment

In Style To Sheffield And Then This!

Barnsley must be one of the biggest towns in England without a direct service to London.  I was in a very comfortable First Class seat to Sheffield and then this.

In Style To Sheffield And Then This!

We have more comfortable and decidedly newer trains on the Overground.

The name of these Class 142‘s is even crap, as they’re called Pacers.  They should be called Crawlers or Rattlers. I suppose the only compensation was that the last bit of the journey took about fifteen minutes.

September 30, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | 6 Comments

A Goal Out Of The Sun!

Ipswich scored a curious goal yesterday, where some reports said the Barnsley goal-keeper was at fault.

Looking at the angles and shadows after it had been scored, the shot could have come in the exact direction of the sun.

So why is it that keepers never seem to wear caps these days? Surely, those great keeps of the 1950s and 60s can’t all be wrong.

September 30, 2012 Posted by | Sport | , , | 4 Comments

The Cure Seemed To Work

As I said, I was going to Barnsley today to see Ipswich play.  The football was the same as last time in 2011, with a one-one draw.

But the fresh air above the town did the trick and now after my return, I do feel a bit better.

I won’t jump to conclusions though.  At least not yet!

I also felt a bit better, after a trip to see Ipswich at home a few weeks ago. Ipswich is virtually on the coast and it was breezy there too.  so it could be the air!

Or it could be my bobble hat, which does seem to stop my head itching so much!  Perhaps, it just makes it that bit warmer. On the other hand sites on the Internet suggest that hats make your head itch. Not mine! But it could be the reverse.

I’m going to Brighton on Tuesday, so let’s see what difference that makes.

September 29, 2012 Posted by | Health, Sport | , , | Leave a comment

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