The Anonymous Widower

Do Hitachi Battery Electric InterCity Trains Have Problems?

I asked Google the question in the title of this post and got this answer.

While Hitachi’s battery-powered intercity trains have shown promising results in trials, particularly regarding fuel savings and emissions reduction, there are some potential challenges and considerations. These include safety concerns related to lithium battery fires, especially in the event of a crash or derailment, as well as range limitations for longer journeys. However, the technology is continuously evolving, and Hitachi is actively working to address these issues.

That seems fairly positive.

There is also this article on the BBC, which everybody should read, which is entitled Will New Battery-Powered Trains Replace Diesel, And Are They Safe?.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I look at the data sheet, that Hitachi published in late 2023.

These were my conclusions about the data sheet.

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

Hitachi have seen my figures.

They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.

125 mph trains with a 120 mile range on batteries, would revolutionise UK train travel.

LNER’s Class 897 Trains

In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said about LNER’s new ten CAF tri-mode trains.

In November 2023, LNER placed an order for 10 ten-car tri-mode (electric, diesel and battery power) Civity trains from CAF. In August 2024, it was announced that the units will be designated Class 897 under TOPS.

According to their Wikipedia entry, it appears the Class 897 trains will be delivered from 2027.

Can I Build A Schedule For The Introduction Of New Trains, Services and Batteries?

I think that I can from the information that is out there.

  • East Coast Main Line – December 2025 – Introduction of Lumo between London King’s Cross and Glasgow
  • West Coast Main Line – Spring 2026 – Introduction of Lumo between London Euston and Stirling
  • Midland Main Line – 2026-2027 – Introduction of EMR Class 810 trains between London St. Pancras and Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
  • East Coast Main Line – From 2027 – Introduction of LNER Class 897 trains between London King’s Cross and Yorkshire.

Note.

  1. The two Lumo services use trains already in service.
  2. The Class 810 trains for EMR are being debugged and introduced at the present time.
  3. The only new trains are the Class 897 trains for LNER.
  4. The introduction of the Class 897 trains will allow LNER to withdraw some trains for refurbishment and fitting of batteries.

This would mean that before the next general election, almost the full timetable between London and the North of England and Scotland would have been implemented using diesel-electric technology.

Is it a low-risk start to the full electrification of services to the North?

The second-phase would see battery-electric trains introduced.

I believe that Grand Central’s new trains would be brought into service first.

  • The new trains are scheduled to be introduced in 2028.
  • Grand Central will still have the diesel trains for backup.
  • Their new trains would be similar to the other Hitachi trains.
  • It looks like they could be doing some splitting and joining.

After the Grand Central trains had been introduced successfully, the trains for the other Hitachi operators would have batteries fitted.

I suspect short routes like Lincoln would be electrified with battery-electric trains first.

There would also need to be short lengths of electrification erected, so that trains could be charged to send them on their way.

Other routes could also be electrified in the same way.

  • Basingstoke and Exeter
  • Birmingham and Aberystwyth
  • Bristol and Penzance
  • Cardiff and Swansea
  • Crewe and Holyhead
  • Edinburgh and Aberdeen
  • Edinburgh and Inverness
  • Reading and Taunton
  • Swindon and Gloucester

If this technique could work for main lines, surely a scaled down version with smaller trains would work for branch lines.

Conclusion

Consider.

  • It looks to me, that someone has planned this thoroughly.
  • It all fits together extremely well.

It could be the first phase of a cunning plan to use battery-electric trains to electrify the UK’s railways.

Passengers will also see benefits, from when Lumo runs its first train into Glasgow Queen Street station.

I don’t think Hitachi’s trains have any problems, but there is enough float in this plan to make sure, it can be implemented on time and on budget.

 

August 6, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Could East Midlands Railway Run A St. Pancras And Leeds Service?

East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains have been designed, so that a pair will fit into one platform at St. Pancras.

If we assume one platform at St. Pancras is used for the Corby and Luton Airport Express services, that leaves three platforms for pairs of Class 810 trains to run expresses to the East Midlands.

This could be as many as twelve pairs of five-car trains per hour.

Where wioll they all terminate in the North?

Leeds station must be the obvious new destination.

  • Leeds has the largest population and is the largest commercial and finance centre in Yorkshire and the North-East.
  • Leeds would have gained three trains per hour (tph) from London, two tph from Birmingham and four tph from the East Midlands Hub at Nottinham.
  • Leeds is getting a brand new metro.
  • Leeds is a fully-electrified station, so it could charge the trains before they return to Sheffield, Leicester, Wigston junction and St. Pancras.
  • Leeds and Wigston junction is 107.8 miles, which should be within the range of a battery-electric Class 810 train. If it is too far, an extended stop could be taken at Sheffield to top up the batteries.
  • Note that Stadler hold the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance covered on one charge at 139 miles. Hitachi Rail, who are partnered with JCB’s battery-maker in Sunderland, should be able to smash that.

The Rail Minister; Lord Peter Hendy went to Leeds University.

Which Route Would The Trains Take Between Sheffield And Leeds?

Consider.

  • The fastest trains between Sheffield and Leeds, go via Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate stations.
  • Trains take about an hour.
  • The current frequency is two tph.
  • The distance is 41.1 miles with no electrification.

A frequency of two additional tph between St. Pancras and Leeds would give the following.

  • A nice round four tph between Yorkshire’s two most important cities.
  • Four fast tph between Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate stations, and Leeds and Sheffield.
  • Two direct trains between Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate, and Chesterfield, Derby, Long Eaton, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester and St. Pancras.

It would be complimentary to any Leeds Metro.

Could East Midlands Railways Also Serve Huddersfield?

Consider.

  • Huddersfield is 36.4 miles further than Sheffield on the Penistone Line, which is not electrified.
  • Wigston junctionand Huddersfield station is 105.3 miles.
  • Huddersfield is a Grade I Listed station with two pubs in the middle of the town.
  • Huddersfield station is being fully-electrified in connection with the TransPennine Upgrade.
  • All trains from Sheffield, that use the Penistone Line  terminate in Platform 2 at Huddersfield station.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the position of Platform 2 in the station.

Note.

  1. The red-and-black dotted tracks are being electrified.
  2. The black tracks are not going to be electrified.
  3. Platform 2 is marked 2 in the top-right corner of the map.
  4. Platform 2 looks to be about 90 metres long.
  5. Five-car Class 810 trains are 120 metres long.
  6. From the map, it looks like the platform could be lengthened by the required thirty metres.

I suspect that some form of charger can be squeezed into the available space. After all, you don’t often get the chance to put charging into one of the most grand stations in Europe. Power supply would not be a problem, because of the electrification.

A frequency of twotph between St. Pancras and Huddersfield would give the following.

  • Two fast tph between Meadowhall, and Barnsley, and Huddersfield and Sheffield.
  • Two extra direct trains between Meadowhall and Barnsley, and Chesterfield, Derby, Long Eaton, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester and St. Pancras.

It would connect many stations to the TransPennine Route at Huddersfield station.

What Could The Sheffield and St. Pancras Look Like?

Consider that currently.

  • There are two tph.
  • Trains stop at Leicester, Loughborough (1tph), East Midlands Parkway (1tph), Long Eaton (1tph), Derby and Chesterfield.
  • Trains are five- or seven-cars.

The simplest solution would probably be.

  • A pair of five-car trains run all services.
  • Trains split and join at Sheffield with one train going to Leeds and one going to Huddersfield.

I estimate that the Class 810 trains will offer about thirty more seats in every hour.

July 19, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

RWE Opens ‘Grimsby Hub’ For Offshore Wind Operations And Maintenance

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

RWE officially opened its ‘Grimsby Hub’ offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) facility in the UK on 9 July. From the new O&M base, located at Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Grimsby, RWE’s teams will maintain and operate the Triton Knoll and Sofia offshore wind farms.

These are the first two paragraphs.

The Grimsby Hub also houses RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room (CCR), which has been set up to provide 24/7 monitoring of the company’s UK offshore wind farms and can provide services such as marine coordination, turbine operations, alarm management, high voltage monitoring and Emergency Response services with a team of twelve operatives, the developer says.

The O&M facility is already employing over 90 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), according to RWE, and is expected to employ around 140 RWE staff by 2027, as well as create approximately 60 new locally sourced jobs through the development of the CCR and ongoing offshore operations.

Note.

  1. Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
  2. I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
  3. I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.

This Google Map shows the location of RWE’s facilities in Grimsby.

Note.

  1. The bright red arrow at the top of the map indicates RWE Generation UK in Grimsby Docks.
  2. There is another RWE location to the right of the bright red arrow.
  3. There is a line of stations along the coast, which from left-to-right are Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Grimsby Town, Grimsby Docks, New Clee and Cleethorpes.
  4. Cleethorpes is not shown on the map.
  5. Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 mile apart, which is within the range of a battery-electric Hitachi and other trains.
  6. Charging would be at Doncaster, which is fully electrified and at Cleethorpes, by a short length of electrification.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the layout of and the railways around Grimsby Dock.

Note.

  1. Cleethorpes station is indicated by the blue arrow, in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Cleethorpes station has four platforms, but no electrification.
  3. Grimsby Docks are to the North of the railway to Cleethorpes.
  4. This Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, shows other railways and light railways served the area. Some were even electric.

These are a few of my thoughts on the development of railways between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

RWE Will Be A Large Driver Of Employment In Grimsby

Earlier I wrote.

  • Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
  • I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
  • I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.

It’s a long time, since I’ve added resources to a large project, so I asked Google AI, “How many people are needed to support a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the UK?”, and received this answer.

Based on data from large-scale UK offshore wind projects, a 1 GW (1,000 MW) offshore wind farm generally requires between 300 and 600+ people to operate and maintain, depending on whether the staff count includes direct operations, service vessel crews, and long-term supply chain partners. 
Operational Staffing: Ørsted’s 1.2 GW Hornsea 1 and 1.3 GW Hornsea 2 projects are supported by an East Coast Hub in Grimsby, which maintains a workforce of over 600 people.

Direct & Indirect Support: For a large-scale project, this often breaks down into approximately 100–150 direct, permanent, high-skilled roles (technicians, engineers, management) and hundreds more in indirect, contracted, or supply chain roles (vessel crews, port operations, logistics).

Industry Average: Studies suggest that for operations and maintenance (O&M), around 50–100 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs are generated per GW of installed capacity in terms of direct, permanent staff.

Key Takeaways for a 1 GW Farm:

  • Direct Technicians/Operators: ~100–200+ (working on-site, turbines, or in control rooms).
  • O&M Support Services: ~300–400+ (vessel operators, port logistics, supply chain).
  • Total Operations Personnel: 300–600+ people. 

Google AI appeared to have borrowed the figure from Ørsted and Hornsea 1 and 2.

So if it’s correct, there will be a total of 7,200 personnel supporting RWE’s wind farms in the UK. Even if only a third were employed in Grimsby, that is still a lot of people to accommodate and who will need to travel to work.

I also think a lot of personnel will come in by train, as the station is close to RWE’s locations.

Will Grimsby Have An Aberdeen-Sized Office-Shortage Problem?

One of the biggest problems, I was always hearing in the 1970s, was the shortage of offices in Aberdeen for the use of the oilmen.

In RWE Goes For An Additional 10 GW Of Offshore Wind In UK Waters In 2030, I talked about RWE’s plans for the future and published this table of new wind farms.

  • Sofia – 1,400 MW
  • Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW
  • Dogger Bank South – 3000 MW
  • Awel y Môr – 500 MW
  • Five Estuaries – 353 MW
  • North Falls – 504 MW

Note.

  1. Sofia is nearly complete.
  2. Only the three Norfolk and the Dogger Bank South wind farms  are on the East side of England and suitable to be serviced from Grimsby., but they still total 7,140 MW.

Has Grimsby got the office-space for all the people needed?

Could The Cleethorpes And Liverpool Lime Street Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

The various sections of this route are as follows.

  • Cleethorpes and Doncaster – No Electrification – 52.1 miles
  • Doncaster and Meadowhall – No Electrification – 15.2 miles
  • Meadowhall and Sheffield – No Electrification – 3.4 miles
  • Sheffield and Dore & Totley  – No Electrification – 4.2 miles
  • Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 29.2 miles
  • Hazel Grove and Stockport – Electrification – 3.3 miles
  • Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly – Electrification – 5.9 miles
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Deansgate – Electrification – 0.8 miles
  • Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles

Adding the sections together gives.

  • Cleethorpes and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 104.1 miles
  • Hazel Grove and Deansgate – Electrification – 10 miles
  • Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles

Note.

  1. To cover the 104.1 miles to Hazel Grove battery-electric trains would probably need to leave Cleethorpes with full batteries.
  2. Doncaster is a fully-electrified station and passing trains may be able to have a quick top-up.
  3. In South Yorkshire Now Has Better North-South Connections, I calculated that Doncaster is a very busy station with 173 express trains per day calling at the station or one every 8.5 minutes.
  4. Will trains be able to stop for a long period to charge batteries?
  5. It may be prudent to electrify between Meadowhall and Sheffield, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
  6. Sheffield and Dore & Totley is shown that it will be electrified, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
  7. Do we really want to have electrification marching along the Hope Valley Line?
  8. I believe that hydrogen-hybrid locomotives will be a better solution for freight trains on scenic lines like the Hope Valley, as they are zero-carbon, powerful and with a range comparable to diesel.

I believe CAF, Hitachi and Siemens have off the shelf rolling stock and factories in this country, who could build trains for the Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street route.

How Would You Charge Battery-Electric Trains At Cleethorpes?

This picture shows Cleethorpes station

Note.

  1. The four long platforms without  electrification.
  2. The platforms have recently been refurbished.
  3. The train in Platform 2 is a TransPennine Express Class 185 Siemens Desiro diesel train.

The simplest way to electrify the station would be to put up enough 25 KVAC overhead wires, so that battery-electric trains needing a charge could put up a pantograph and have a refreshing drink.

In Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks, I wrote about Siemens Rail Charging Converter.

This is a visualisation of a Siemens Rail Charging Converter in action.

Note.

  1. The track is electrified with standard 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  2. The train is a standard Siemens electric or battery-electric train.
  3. Siemens Rail Charging Converter, which is the shed in the compound on the left is providing the electricity to energise the catenary.
  4. I suspect, it could power third rail electrification, if the Office of Rail and Road ever allowed it to be still installed.
  5. The Siemens Rail Charging Converter does have one piece of magic in the shed. I suspect it uses a battery or a large capacitor to help power the electrification, as it can be powered from any typical domestic grid supply.
  6. I also wonder, if it has safety devices that cut the power outside the shed if track workers or intruders are detected, where they shouldn’t be?
  7. It could even cut the power, when trains are not running to save power and increase safety.

This looks to me, that a Siemens Rail Charging Converter could be a superb example of out-of-the-box thinking.

Could The Cleethorpes And Barton-on-Humber Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of North-East Lincolnshire.

Note.

  1. Cleethorpes is in the South-East Corner of the map.
  2. Barton-on-Humber is in the North-West corner of the map and marked by a blue-arrow.
  3. Stations from South to North would be New Clee, Grimsby Docks, Grimsby Town, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Habrough, Ulceby, Thornton Abbey, Goxhill, New Holland and Barrow Haven.
  4. The line is double track.
  5. Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber is just 22.8 miles.
  6. A round trip would be under fifty miles, which would be well within range of a full-charge at one end.
  7. Service is one train per two hours (tp2h), which would only need a single train, shuttling between Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber.
  8. Two trains could provide an hourly service.

I would expect, that well-designed, solid and reliable German engineering could build a Siemens’ Rail Charging Connector that could charge four trains per hour (tph) at Cleethorpes station.

At present services are.

  • TransPennineExpress – 1 tph to Liverpool Lime Street.
  • East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Barton-on-Humber
  • East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Matlock via Lincoln and Nottingham
  • Northern Trains – 1 train per day (tpd) Sheffield via Brigg.

That is probably only about two tph.

Could The Cleethorpes And Sheffield Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

This is a description of the current Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.

  • It is run by Northern Trains.
  • The morning train leaves Sheffield at 09:54 and arrives in Cleethorpes at 11:40.
  • The afternoon train leaves Cleethorpes at 13:20 and arrives in Sheffield at 15:10.
  • The train is a Class 150 diesel train, which is a bit of a Joan Collins of a train – Of a certain age, but still scrubs up extremely well!
  • Intermediate stations are Worksop, Retford, Gainsborough Central, Kirton Lindsey, Brigg, Barnetby and Grimsby Town
  • The route length is 71.6 miles
  • Trains take about 45-50 minutes.

It is also a parliamentary train.

The Wikipedia entry for parliamentary train gives this description of the Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.

Via Kirton Lindsey & Brigg. Became a parliamentary service when weekday services were withdrawn in 1993. Regular trains have operated between Gainsborough and Sheffield for most timetable periods since. Suspended January 2022 by Northern, who cited COVID-19 and staffing issues , but the service was reinstated in December 2022. Changed in May 2023 to be one return journey on weekdays only.

In the 1950s and 1960s I lived in Felixstowe part of the time and in the 1970s and 1980s I lived near Woodbridge and I observed first hand the development of the Port of Felixstowe and the effects it had on the surrounding countryside.

The development of the Port of Felixstowe, has brought the following.

  • Improved roads and railways.
  • Ipswich is now an hour from London by train.
  • Ipswich is now a University town.
  • New housing and other developments, both in Ipswich and Felixstowe and the surrounding countryside.
  • Employment also has increased considerably, both in the Port and in surrounding towns.
  • Ipswich’s football team is very much respected all over Europe and has won the English top division, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.

When you consider the jobs that RWE could create in the Port of Grimsby, I believe that this could have similar effects in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, as the Port of Felixstowe had in East Suffolk.

Already, the following are being talked about.

  • A direct rail link between Cleethorpes and Grimsby to London.
  • Battery-electric trains between Cleethorpes and Grimsby and Doncaster, Manchester and Liverpool Lime Street.

I believe that an improved rail link between Cleethorpes and Sheffield could be the catalyst for much needed housing along the route, which would be to the benefit of Cleethorpres, Grimsby, Sheffield and all the intermediate towns and villages on the route.

and the affects this will have on the countryside around the town, I believe that a strong case can be made out for a more frequent service between Cleethorpes and Sheffield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 16, 2025 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Design, Energy, Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

GWR Battery-Powered Trains Could Be Used In Future

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

This is the sub-heading.

Battery-powered trains could be used more frequently after a successful trial by Great Western Railway (GWR).

These three paragraphs give more details.

The rail company says using former underground trains and a rapid-charging system has shown the technology could replace its existing diesel fleet.

The year-long trial was held in west London but the trains will eventually be rolled out in the Thames Valley.

GWR says it can now prove the concept works and hopes to take the initiative to government.

A couple of weeks ago, I used similar trains between Wrexham Central and Shotton stations, which I wrote about in Vivarail Trains And Wrexham Central Station – 6th June 2025.

July 2, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Darlington And Bishop Auckland – 26th June 2025

My second trip out from Darlington was to Bishop Auckland station and I took these pictures on the way up and down.

Note.

  1. Bishop Auckland station is a one-platform station, but all the other stations seem to be two-platform stations.
  2. The railway museum; Locomotion seems to be within walking distance of Shildon station.
  3. There is a short section of electrified track, that Hitachi use to test trains and get them to the East Coast Main Line.

The stations seemed tidy and clean, but more step-free access is needed.

I have some further thoughts.

The Location Of Hitachi Rail

This Google Map shows the location of Hitachi Rail.

 

Note.

  1. Heighington station on the Tees Valley Line is marked by the red arrow.
  2. Hitachi Rail is the large building in the South-West corner of the map.
  3. There appear to be electrified sidings to the North of the factory, which have a connection to the Tees Valley Line.

From the map it looks efficient and well-designed.

Could The Services On The Branch Be Run By Battery-Electric Trains?

I don’t think there would be too many problems.

  • Bishop Auckland and Darlington is only twelve miles.
  • Both platforms at Darlington used by Tees Valley Line services are electrified.
  • The single platform at Bishop Auckland station could be fitted with one of Siemens’s Rail Charging Convertors.
  • Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe might like some more formal electrification between Newton Aycliffe and Darlington stations.
  • An electrified Tees Valley Line would surely be useful to Hitachi for showing the capabilities of battery-electric trains.

This would be a very easy line to run using battery-electric trains.

June 27, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Newport To Swindon Via Gloucester – 14th June 2025

Because of engineering works, we came home from Newport via a diversion through Gloucester.

I took these pictures.

Note.

  1. I had sat on the right side of the train facing forward.
  2. We were accompanied my the thud, thud, thud of an underfloor diesel engine, as most of the route is not electrified.
  3. Newport and Gloucester is 44.8 miles.
  4. Gloucester and Swindon is 36.7 miles.
  5. Newport and Swindon is 81.5 miles.
  6. Newport and Swindon are fully-electrified stations.
  7. The first four pictures show Trains for Wales Premier Service.
  8. The Gloucester and Newport Line joins the South Wales Main Line at Severn Tunnel Junction station.
  9. As you travel towards Gloucester, the bridges over the Severn and the Wye can be clearly seen.
  10. There are two former nuclear power stations ;Berkeley and Oldbury, on the far bank of the River Severn.
  11. The large white wind turbine is close to Berkeley.
  12. Oldbury is further down the river.

As yesterday, the route is commonly used as a diversion route, when engineering works close the electrified main line through the Severn Tunnel.

I have some further thoughts.

Electrification Of Newport And Swindon

The distances involved are as follows.

  • Newport and Gloucester is 44.8 miles.
  • Gloucester and Swindon is 36.7 miles.
  • Newport and Swindon is 81.5 miles.

As Hitachi’s Intercity Battery Trains are likely to have a range of around a hundred miles, they should be able to handle the diversion.

A short length of electrification could be erected in Gloucester station to charge any battery-electric trains, that needed a boost.

I believe full electrification is not needed.

June 15, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eden Project Morecambe Revealed In New Images

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

This is the sub-heading.

New images of what the long-awaited ecotourism attraction Eden Project Morecambe will look like have been released.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

The shell-inspired structure, sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, is due to open in late 2028 and is expected to attract thousands of people to the Lancashire town.

CGI images, by architects Grimshaw, show how the design will look on the edge of Morecambe Bay promenade.

The project team said the structure would be “instantly recognisable” as an “emblem of sustainability” with a “deep connection to place” and complimenting heritage landmarks nearby.

The BBC article contains a selection of stunning images.

I have never been to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, as I don’t drive and it is difficult to get to by train.

But Morecambe from Euston is an easy sub-three hours train journey and not much over an hour from Liverpool and Manchester.

So the Eden Project Morecambe will be much easier to get to and will surely bring in the visitors.

But it needs a better train between Lancaster and Morecambe than this.

Note.

  1. The train is a British Rail-era Class 156 diesel train, that was built in the late 1980s.
  2. A diesel train to an eco-project is probably not the right image.
  3. If they get all the visitors by rail, that I think they will, a two-car train will probably not have enough capacity.
  4. The platform appears to be electrified and be around 70-80 metres long.
  5. The Lancaster and Morecambe service is less than five miles.

But I believe, that this platform could be used to charge a battery-electric train through a pantograph.

This train would then be able to trundle silently all day between Lancaster and Morecambe stations.

 

June 10, 2025 Posted by | Environment, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bicester Village Station – 28th May 2025

I went to Bicester Village station today and took these pictures.

Note.

  1. The station is fully step-free, with lifts.
  2. There is a reasonable coffee-shop.
  3. There is a very large car-park.

There are two trains per hour (tph) in both directions between Marylebone and Oxford stations.

This Google Map shows the station.

Note.

  1. London is to the North.
  2. Oxford is to the South.
  3. The footbridge dates from October 2021 and is not shown on the map.
  4. The London Road level crossing is in the North-East corner of the map.
  5. The London Road level crossing is a problem, as I indicated in Bicester MP Calls On Chancellor To Fund London Road Crossing.
  6. To take the pictures of the level crossing, I crossed the footbridge to the North-West side of the station and walked through the car park to the station entrance on Station Approach. I then walked past the Bicester Bodyshop and Edmundson Electrical to the level crossing.
  7. The Shell garage can be clearly seen behind the level crossing.

During my walk of about thirty-five minutes three trains passed over the level crossing.

These are my thoughts.

The Long Platforms

The platforms are long.

  • The Oxford-bound platform, which is Platform 1, is 240 metres long.
  • The London-bound platform, which is Platform 2, is 230 metres long.

Both platforms will take a pair of five-car Hitachi Express Trains.

It looks to me, that East-West Rail are expecting a large number of passengers.

East-West Rail Plans For Powering Trains

I detailed these in Plans For Powering Trains And Details Of Our Upcoming Consultation.This post was based on an East-West Rail news item with the same title.

Distances include.

  • London Marylebone and Oxford – 66.8 miles.
  • Bletchley and Oxford – 47.2 miles.

Both distances are within range of five-car Hitachi Express Trains, that have been fitted with batteries.

I also suspect other manufacturers could supply suitable trains.

Thoughts On The London Road Level Crossing

This article on the BBC is entitled Level Crossing Petition Supported By Thousands.

This is the sub-heading.

A petition calling for a fully accessible underpass at a town’s level crossing has received more than 3,000 signatures.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

Launched by MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller, the petition calls on the government to ensure any replacement of the level crossing at London Road in Bicester includes access for cars, not just cyclists and pedestrians.

It is set to be closed on safety grounds when the East West Rail (EWR) line becomes fully operational, which many fear would cut off crucial access to thousands of residents.

Mr Miller will present the petition, which can only be signed in person, in Parliament on 3 June.

The argument is certainly hotting up.

But I believe, that a bridge that meets everybody’s requirements might be possible to be built.

  • Suppose that all trains and locomotives passing through the level crossing had to be self-powered. Passenger trains could be battery-electric and freight locomotives could be either hydrogen or battery powered through the location of the level crossing.
  • The track could also be lowered through the crossing.
  • These actions would reduce the height of any bridge taking the road over the railway.

It looks to me that on the Northumberland Railway, which has recently opened, they had a similar problem, but they were able to squeeze a bridge into the space, as this 3D Google Map shows.

Note.

  1. The bridge looks like it carries a two-lane road and a pedestrian/cycle way.
  2. There is no electrification.
  3. I believe that the Northumberland Line could be run by battery-electric trains.
  4. The road bridge has been built to accept all traffic using the railway.

In Newsham Station – 30th March 2025, there are several pictures of the bridge. This one shows the bridge with a train.

In Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, I said this about battery-electric trains for the Northumberland Line.

I’m drawn inextricably to the conclusion, that the trains should be 100 mph battery-electric trains.

Hitachi, who have a factory in the North-East, have announced their Regional Battery Train in July 2020, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.

These trains can be based on Class 385 trains.

  • They are 100 mph trains.
  • They come in three- and four-cars lengths.
  • The three-car trains have 206 seats.
  • They can work in pairs.
  • They can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  • They have a range of 90 kilometres or 56 miles on battery power.
  • The batteries would be charged on the ECML between Benton North junction and Newcastle station.
  • The battery packs will be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation in Sunderland.
  • They have big windows for the views.

I’m sure Hitachi and Hyperdrive would like a fleet in service, just up the road from their factories.

Could a similar or even thinner bridge be squeezed in at Bicester Village station to take London Road over the railway?

I think it can, if they use some of the latest 3D modelling.

 

May 28, 2025 Posted by | Design, Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Could A Cross-City Underground Railway Be Run Using Battery-Electric Trains?

Consider.

  • Cross-city underground railways like London’s Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee,Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria Lines are usually powered by third-rail technology, which can be dangerous, if someone falls on the track.
  • Siemens new London Underground 2024 Stock, which is fully-described in this Wikipedia entry, has the following characteristics.
  • A train width of 2.648 metres.
  • A train height of 2.844 metres.
  • Walk-through carriages
  • Air-conditioning

They will also have batteries to support regenerative braking.

But say you were building a new underground line across a city like Birmingham, Leeds or Manchester.

Would the following be possible?

  • The tunnel would be built as small as possible, which would probably mean that it was built faster and more economically.
  • There would be no electrified rails or overhead wires to power the trains in the tunnel.
  • The trains would be powered by batteries.
  • Batteries would be charged by a pantograph, that erected to contact with an overhead line outside the tunnel.
  • The central tunnel would be bored straight.
  • When the train doors opened, passengers would be able to walk on a level surface into and out of the train.
  • I believe it would be possible to align the train doors with openings in the tunnel wall at stations to eliminate the need for platform edge doors.

I believe that to design a train and tunnel to literally fit like a glove, could save a lot of money on building a cross-city underground line.

The New Southbound Northern Line Platform At Bank Station

These pictures show the new Southbound Northern Line Platform at Bank Station.

Note.

  1. This is probably London Underground’s newest platform.
  2. The step into and out of the train is fairly level.
  3. This improvement has been achieved with new track and thirty-year-old rolling stock.

Have Siemens redesigned the platform/train interface in the London Underground 2024 Stock, so that the train/platform interface is even better?

  • Who’s to know what you can do with modern computer-aided design techniques?
  • If the train were to be battery-powered, so that conductor rails were not needed, would the extra space help fit everything in?
  • If there were no live rails under the train, would this increase safety, both real and perceived?

I believe it might be possible to design a train/platform interface, that would work with simpler and more affordable platform edge doors.

We probably find out what is possible until the London Underground 2024 Stock enter service later this year.

 

May 25, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks

This title of this post is the same as that of this news item from Siemens, which was published in December 2024.

These three bullet points introduce the news item.

  • The Mireo Plus B battery train is rolled out in the East Brandenburg network, Germany, using the same technology as the British Desiro Verve project.
  • The Desiro Verve would save £3.5 billion and 12 million tonnes in CO2 emissions for Britain’s railways over 35 years.
  • The development marks the latest step of this technology’s journey to Britain’s railways.

No-one, including me, seemed to have spotted this news item, especially, since it is significant to both the UK and Germany.

But then parts of Siemens’s home country; Germany and Yorkshire, where they are building, a train factory to build London’s new Piccadilly Line trains have  something big in common – There is a distinct shortage of electric trains and the overhead wires to power them.

So did German engineers, egged on by pints of British real ale, realise that their battery-electric technology for the Mireo Plus B battery-electric train, would turn a Desiro City multiple unit, like the Class 700, 707 or 717 into battery-electric trains.

These are three paragraphs from the Siemens news item.

The innovative technology behind Siemens Mobility’s British battery trains has been rolled out in the East Brandenburg network in Germany.

31 of the company’s Mireo Plus B trains are being phased in to the Berlin Brandenburg metropolitan region, beginning on Sunday (15 December) and is the latest proof point of the technology that underpins the Desiro Verve project in Britain. This follows the debut of this technology on 27 new trains in the Ortenau region of Germany in April, with more set to arrive in Denmark in 2025.

The British Desiro Verve trains would be assembled at Siemens Mobility’s new Train Manufacturing Facility in Goole, East Riding of Yorkshire, formally opened by the Transport Secretary and Mayor of London in October.

I’d always wondered, what Siemens would do with this factory, when it had finished making the Piccadilly Line trains.

It also should be noted, that the boss of Siemens UK, when the Goole factory was planned was Jürgen Maier, who according to his Wikipedia entry has Austrian, British and German citizenship and is now the boss of Great British Energy.

I believe that Siemens have big plans for the Goole factory.

One thing it has, that at the present time could be a problem in Germany, is large amounts of renewable electricity and hydrogen, so will energy-intensive components for trains be made at Goole?

It will be interesting to see how the Goole factory develops.

The Desiro Verve Train For The UK and Ireland

In the Siemens news item, their Joint CEO for the UK and Ireland; Sambit Banerjee, says this.

The Desiro Verve would be assembled at our state-of-the-art Goole Rail Village in Yorkshire and offers an integrated solution to replace Britain’s aging diesel trains without having to electrify hundreds of miles of track, saving the country £3.5 billion over 35 years and providing a practical path to decarbonising British railways.”

In June, Siemens Mobility identified how the Desiro Verve could save Britain’s railways £3.5 billion over 35 years compared with using diesel-battery-electric ‘tri-mode’ trains. This would support the Government’s aim of removing diesel-only trains from Britain’s railways by 2040.

The British trains would be powered by overhead wires on already electrified routes, then switch to battery power where there are no wires. That means only small sections of the routes and/or particular stations have to be electrified with overhead line equipment (OLE), making it much quicker and less disruptive to replace diesel trains compared to full electrification.

I agree with his philosophy.

The Rail Charging Converter

When I wrote Cameron Bridge Station – 15th May 2025, I described how a short length of overhead electrification could be erected at the station to charge passing trains, using their pantographs.

Cameron Bridge station is lucky in that there is already a 132,000 KVAC electricity connection to the distillery next door.

But at other places, where there is no connection, you could wait as long as seven years to be connected to the grid.

So Siemens have come up with the Rail Charging Converter, that provides a local electricity supply to support the charger.

It is described in this paragraph from the news item.

This OLE can also be installed much more quickly using Siemens Mobility’s innovative Rail Charging Converter (RCC), which makes it possible to plug directly into the domestic grid – potentially cutting delivery times for OLE from seven years to as little as 18 months.

This Siemens visualisation shows a Verve train and an RCC.

This arrangement could be used in sensitive countryside or close to historic buildings.

Modern Railways – June 2025

There is an article about the Siemens technology in the June 2025 Edition of Modern Railways.

It is called The Battery Revolution Starts In Long Marston for which this is part of the sub-heading.

New technology being installed by Siemens Mobility at Porterbrook’s test facility paves the way for widespread use of battery trains in the UK.

The article is a must-read.

Conclusion

Siemens appear to have the technology with their Rail Charging Converter and battery-electric trains like the Verve and the Mireo Plus B, to be able to decarbonise lines without electrification all over the world.

Would larger gauge trains be delivered from Germany and smaller gauge ones from Goole?

I wouldn’t be surprised that a version for a German S-Bahn could share more characteristics, with a small British train, than a large German one.

I can also see an underground railway, that was built without power in the tunnels. So if you were building the Waterloo and City Line today, would it be battery-electric and charged at each end of the line using a pantograph?

 

 

May 19, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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