How Will The East Coast Main Line Timetable Change Affect Sheffield?
This article in the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways is entitled Industry Gears Up For December ECML Timetable Change.
This is the first paragraph.
Major changes are planned to trains along the East Coast main line from 14 December as the long-heralded timetable takes effect.
In this post, I will see how the changes detailed in the article in Modern Railways will affect Sheffield and Doncaster.
Aberdeen-Edinburgh
This is said about Aberdeen and Edinburgh services.
Monday-Saturday services will not change between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with all intermediate stations served at similar times.
The LNER service to and from King’s Cross will call additionally at Doncaster, Newark Northgate and Peterborough; the last LNER Monday-Friday departure from Aberdeen will terminate at Doncaster instead of Leeds, and the first LNER Monday-Saturday train to Aberdeen will start from King’s Cross at 05:48 instead of Leeds.
Note.
- An hourly fast train between Edinburgh and King’s Cross will have a journey time of 4 hours and 10 minutes, which is a saving of at least 12 minutes.
- There is an Aberdeen-Manchester air service, but no Edinburgh-Manchester or Leeds-Scotland air services.
- In Could London And Central Scotland Air Passengers Be Persuaded To Use The Trains?, I speculated about how air passengers could be tempted to use the trains between London and Central Scotland.
- It looks to me, that LNER are strengthening their services between Doncaster and Scotland.
- Will that 05:48 King’s Cross departure for Aberdeen, enable a working day in Aberdeen and return?
Is LNER’s aim to get travellers to use the trains between Doncaster and Scotland, as an alternative to driving or trains from Leeds?
Alnmouth and Berwick
This is said about Alnmouth services.
Quicker LNER journey times are promised to stations South of York, with King’s Cross-Alnmouth journey times up to 15 minutes quicker.
More TPE trains will run between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick, Reston, Dunbar, East Linton and Edinburgh Waverley.
The number of trains calling at Durham on weekdays will fall from 18 to 13 Southbound and from 15 to 10 Northbound.
This is said about Berwick services.
LNER trains will call every two hours during the middle of the day, and the number of weekday trains to King’s Cross falls from 15 to 11 Southbound with a 13 to nine fall Northbound. More TPE trains will call.
Note.
- Lumo serves Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh.
- Reston and East Linton are new stations.
- The stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh need adequate parking to attract commuters.
It looks to me, that LNER are timing the trains to attract day trips along the East Coast Main Line.
Bradford Forster Square/Interchange
This is said about Bradford Forster Square services.
The number of weekday trains will remain as per May 2025, but on Sundays, the number of trains serving Forster Square increases from two to six each way on a two-hourly interval. LNER stopping patterns change, with fewer trains calling at Peterborough and none at Grantham or Retford.
Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley, but surely a more regular six trains per day (tpd) is preferable.
This is said about Bradford Interchange services.
At Interchange, Grand Central Trains will run at different times to the May 2025 timetable, with King’s Cross journeys up to 20 minutes quicker. One GC each way will call at Peterborough, while some will stop at Pontefract Monkhill on Sundays for the first time.
Note.
- Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
- Is the twenty minutes time saving due to the new digital signalling to the South of Doncaster?
- Is this another open access operator being allowed to do what they do best?
This looks to be a very useful service, which serves several stations, with no other service to London.
Doncaster
This is said about Doncaster services.
Additional trains calling at destinations including Birmingham New Street, Sheffield, York, Newark and Berwick-upon-Tweed. LNER Aberdeen/Inverness trains will call at Doncaster. EMR trains will be retimed at Doncaster to provide better connections with LNER’s revised timetables, but journeys from Doncaster to Sleaford and Spalding will require a change at Lincoln. This change has been made to “enable improved connections” at Peterborough, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster. The number of trains calling at Stevenage falls from 24 to 19 Southbound and 24 to 21 Northbound, with Grantham stops dropping by seven trains to 28 Southbound and 4 to 29 Northbound.
If CrossCountry Trains were to switch their trains to Hitachi InterCity Battery trains, I believe that a version of these trains could handle routes like Plymouth and Aberdeen.
- This would speed up services.
- Trains would run close together and thus increase capacity.
- Services could even be faster.
So expect a replacement order for CrossCountry Trains diesel multiple units soon.
Glasgow
LNER gave up serving Glasgow Central from King’s Cross in the December 2024 timetable change.
In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I talked about Lumo extending their King’s Cross and Edinburgh service to Glasgow Central station.
Hull
This is said about Hull services.
On Mondays-Fridays, Hull Trains will provide an extra train from London.
The LNER Monday-Friday Hull-Doncaster train will be withdrawn;
Northern will operate a 20:25 departure to Doncaster; calling at Brough and Selby.
Note.
- It looks like Great British Railways have surrendered Hull and Beverley to Hull Trains.
- Hull Trains are converting their Class 802 trains to battery-electric power.
- It is likely that Hull Trains upgraded trains will be able to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line via Lincoln on battery power.
The new timetable appears to be ready for the future of Hull Trains.
Leeds
This is said about Leeds services.
LNER services will depart to King’s Cross at xx.10 and xx.40.
Northern will introduce an extra mostly hourly service between Leeds and Sheffield calling at Wakefield Westgate. They will depart about 30 minutes earlier or later than the CrossCountry service.
Note.
- I would expect the two King’s Cross and Leeds services which would both stop at Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would set the timings between Doncaster and Leeds.
- Currently, of the four trains that run to and from Leeds every two hours, two are planned to terminate at Leeds, one at Harrogate and one at Bradford Forster Square.
- There is also a daily service between King’s Cross and Skipton via Leeds.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Ilkley via Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Guiseley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Huddersfield, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield and Deighton.
- I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Hebden Bridge, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Brighouse.
- An alternative to Hebden Bridge would be Rochdale, which already has four platforms and is on the Manchester Metrolink
- It appears that Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds and Skipton stations can turn nine or ten-car trains and Ilkley can turn five-car trains.
- I also believe that one of Hitachi’s InterCity Battery trains could use battery power to take the spectacular Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle or even Glasgow Central.
- If needed pairs of five-car trains could split and join at Leeds, with one train waiting at Leeds and the other train going on to another destination.
- The CrossCountry and Northern Trains services on the Sheffield and Leeds route via Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would probably need to be modern battery-electric trains to maximise the capacity on the route.
There certainly seem to be opportunities to give a number of stations in Yorkshire an all-electric service to King’s Cross with a two-hourly frequency, in a time of a few minutes over two hours.
Lincoln
This is said about Lincoln services.
One more LNER train from King’s Cross will run, with the first train arriving earlier and the last train later. There will no longer be an LNER train serving Stevenage with passengers having to change at Newark Northgate or Peterborough. An improved service will run to and from Nottingham, with an increase from one to two trains per hour on Mondays-Saturdays. An hourly service will run to Crewe, and a new Matlock-Nottingham-Lincoln-Cleethorpes service will run. EMR will cease all bar morning peak direct trains to/from Leicester. Newark Northgate-Lincoln trains will be reduced from five to four on Mondays-Fridays, eight to four on Saturdays and ten to eight on Sundays.
Note.
- Travellers between Lincoln/Nottingham and the North/Scotland will have two trains per hour to Newark Northgate, where there will be two tph to the North/Scotland.
- The hourly Crewe service will give access to Liverpool Manchester and the West Coast Main Line.
- Will there still be a Liverpool and Norwich service or will this be replaced by East-West Rail?
There seems to be a big sort out to EMR services.
Newcastle
This is said about Newcastle services.
The number of trains serving King’s Cross increases from 35 to 53 Southbound on weekdays and from 36 to 52 Northbound. One train every hour will run non-stop to York. More TPE trains will run Northbound (see Alnmouth and Berwick), while Northern is retiming services on the Northumberland Line in anticipation of Northumberland Park and Bedlington stations opening in early 2026. A semi-fast hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough will run on Mondays-Saturdays and there will be an hourly stopping service between them.
Note.
- There will be a big increase in services between King’s Cross and Newcastle.
- Is the aim to persuade travellers to use trains rather than airlines?
- LNER also runs one train per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
- Grand Central Trains will be running at a frequency of six tpd between King’s Cross and Sunderland via Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool and Seaham.
Hull appears to have been left to Hull Trains and Glasgow to Lumo, and Sunderland appears to be left for Grand Central Trains.
Conclusions
I am coming to some conclusions about services on the East Coast Main Line, with respect to Sheffield.
Doncaster Is A Well-Equipped Station
Doncaster is the nearest station to Sheffield on the East Coast Main Line.
- Over the last few years, Doncaster station has been improved.
- It has a subway with a more than adequate number of lifts.
- The station has nearly 600 parking spaces.
- There is a taxi rank.
- There is no Marks & Spencer’s food store, which is important for a coeliac like me.
- There are thirty bus stands close to Doncaster station.
- Doncaster station is well-equipped with cafes, a pub and coffee stalls.
- All trains to Aberdeen, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Edinburgh, Hull, King’s Cross, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield seem to stop at the station.
- There are several local trains per hour.
- Changing trains is not a strenuous exercise.
Doncaster is one of the UK’s better regional stations.
Doncaster Needs A Connection To The Sheffield Supertram
One of the first things, I do when I arrive in a strange town or city is look for the local public transport network.
In 2019, Sheffield published an ambitious plan for their tram network, which I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
The post contained this map, of Sheffield’s plans for the trams.
Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport are connected to the current end of the tram-train route at Rotherham Parkgate.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines between Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster.
Note.
- Doncaster station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Rotherham Central station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The blue arrow in the South-West corner indicates Rotherham Parkgate tram stop.
- Swinton, Mexborough and Conisbrough stations can be picked out.
- The dotted red line running North-South across the map is the route of the ill-fated Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.
It is a simple application of tram-train technology to connect Doncaster station and Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the Sheffield Supertram.
With all the comings and goings on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station, I believe that the tram-train connection to Sheffield and Rotherham is essential.
The Cities Of Bradford, Doncaster, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield Can Have a High-Frequency Rail Connection
Consider.
- Four stations are all step-free with a bridge or subway served by lifts.
- Bradford Forster Square station has level access to the platforms from the street.
- The rail lines between the five stations are electrified, with the exception of Sheffield and Doncaster.
- Services between the cities are run by CrossCountry Trains, Grand Central Trains, Hull Trains, LNER and Northern Trains.
- Most maximum speeds are not unduly slow.
Consequently the five cities can have a high-frequency rail connection in excess of four tph.
Could this be the basis of a Five-Cities Metro?
Open Access Services
There are six open access services running on the East Coast Main Line.
- Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Bradford Interchange via Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor – 4 tpd
- Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Sunderland via Peterborough, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartlepool – 6 tpd
- Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Hull via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough – 4 tpd
- Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Beverley via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough, Hull and Cottingham – 2 tpd
- Lumo – King’s Cross-Edinbugh via Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth – 5 tpd
- Lumo – King’s Cross-Glasgow Queen Street via Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth, Edinburgh and Falkirk High – 2 tpd
Note.
- tpd is trains per day.
- All seem to serve an exclusive area, except Lumo.
- In a couple of years, all could be using Hitachi trains.
- I suspect some services will swap their diesel generators for batteries.
Battery-power would allow some services to be zero-carbon, even when using the GNGE diversion.
Wakefield Westgate Station – 18th September 2025
To get to Knottingley and the consultation about Ferrybridge hydrogen-fired power station, I had to change trains at Wakefield Westgate station.
Note.
- It is an impressive station.
- It has been rebuilt since the turn of the century.
- It is fully step-free.
- Entrance is level from the square outside the station to the Southbound platform.
- There are toilets on the Southbound platform.
- There are six trains per hour (tph) between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
Certainty, in the time I was changing trains and waiting for my train to Knottingley, there were a lot of trains going to and from Leeds.
The timetables are changing on December 14, 2025 and the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways gives this summary for Wakefield.
On Mondays-Saturdays, the CrossCountry train calling at Westgate at 18:17 will no longer stop at Wakefield. Northern will introduce an additional hourly fast train seven days a week between Leeds and Sheffield, and on Saturdays there will be extra later last trains between Sheffield and Westgate via Rotherham and Sheffield and Kirkgate via Barnsley.
With the development of the Leeds Metro, I can see more services being added on the route between Doncaster and Bradford via Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Bradford is getting a new through station.
- From December 14, 2025, Sunday services to Bradford Forster Square will be increased for two to six each way per day.
- It also looks like from December 14, 2025, the new Northern service between Leeds and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate, will form a two trains per hour with the CrossCountry service.
It certainly looks like the train companies have been co-operating to create a high-class Trans-West Yorkshire service.
An Extreme Day Out – Bradford Forster Square Station
It seems to be the fashion to go and visit somewhere far away in a day. So why not?
For my first trip in this vein, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Bradford Forster Square station.
Why Did I Choose Bradford Forster Square Station?
There are three main reasons.
- A new platform has just opened at the station to handle the longest LNER trains.
- LNER are now running a seven trains per day (tpd) service via Leeds.
- I wanted to see how LNER’s walk-up ticketing performed on the route.
In addition, I wanted to see how the service performed, now that Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture.
King’s Cross To Bradford Forster Square Station For £43.00 With A Railcard
I just missed the 11:03, so I booked the 13:03 for £43.00 with my Senior Railcard, from one of the numerous ticket machines in King’s Cross.
The train arrived on time in two hours 47 minutes for the 199.4 miles, which was an average speed of 72 mph.
In What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?, I predicted this.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see with full digital signalling and a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
- 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration sections at 6 minutes each – 24 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 59 minutes.
As my Bradford service took two hours and 28 minutes between London King’s Cross And Leeds, that would mean, that a time close to two hours and fifteen minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square stations.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Leeds And Bradford Forster Square Stations
These pictures show the nearly empty train and the small numbers, who alighted at Bradford Forster Square station.
But I don’t think three in the afternoon is a time, when many passengers will need to go between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.
Bradford Forster Square Station
I described that station, with its new Platform 0 in Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025, where I said the station needed these additions.
The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop, ticket machines and toilets.
But it’s not been open very long.
Bradford Forster Square Station To King’s Cross For £25.70 With A Railcard
I bought this ticket from a Yorkshire Lass in the Ticket Office.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Bradford Forster Square And King’s Cross Stations
Only about a dozen passengers boarded the train at Bradford Forster Square and some got out at Leeds.
In fact the train wasn’t very busy all the way to London with perhaps twenty passengers in my carriage, when we arrived in King’s Cross.
Will This Service Develop Into A Two-Hourly London King’s Cross And Leeds Or Bradford Forster Square Service With A Trans-Yorkshire Service Tacked On?
Currently, it is the following.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Leeds with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- A local service between Doncaster and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Additional calls on some services are at Stevenage, Grantham, Retford and Shipley.
In addition the following would be possible.
- Pairs of trains could split at Leeds, with one train going to Bradford Forster Square and the other train to somewhere like Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton.
- Additional stops could be added between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square without slowing services between Leeds and King’s Cross.
But then where does this fit with LNER buying ten CAF tri-mode trains?
Surely they would get better flexibility, if they’d bought more Azumas, which could run on the electrification all the way to Bradford Forster Square, Huddersfield and Skipton. If some had batteries, they could run all the way to Harrogate.
LNER’s Disabled-Unfriendly Refreshments System
I am not disabled, but I only have one fully-working hand, as the school bully broke my left humerus and I have difficulty doing certain things with my left hand, due to the quality of the care I received in Highlands Hospital in Winchmore Hill.
Having a left-sided stroke didn’t help either.
One of the things, I can’t do is take pictures on my mobile phone, so I always carry a proper camera. Because of the injury, I have also never read a QR code with my phone.
On LNER’s trains to get a drink, you either have to order it by reading a QR code or walking to the buffet.
As on the train going North, the buffet was closed, I went thirsty.
In future, if I have a choice of trains, I’ll choose one with a trolly service.
Are The CAF Tri-Mode Trains Part Of A Plan To Drive Open Access Operators Out Of Yorkshire?
This is possibly the only scenario that makes sense.
The ten-car tri-mode trains would be used to take over Grand Central’s services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, and Hull Trains services to Hull.
After Monday, LNER are now running more daily services to Bradford Forster Square, than Grand Central are to Bradford Interchange.
If like my return to London on Tuesday, you can buy a walk-up ticket on LNER, then why would you travel on Grand Central.
Conclusion
£68.70 is not a bad price for what is in effect a walk-up day return to Bradford Forster Square.
I’ve just looked how much, I would be charged for an advance ticket on Friday, using the trains I used on Tuesday.
I could get a ticket for £25.70 going North and £28.95 going South or a total of £54.65. All are with my Senior Railcard.
But it does look to me, that LNER and the Government are trying to drive Grand Central off the Bradford route.
If I am right and Hull Trains and Lumo will be next in LNER’s sights, then what was Starmer and other Government ministers doing at the launch of orders for new trains for Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo?
Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025
I took these pictures during my visit to Bradford Forster Square station today.
Note.
- The platforms are numbers 0-3, with the ten-car LNER train in platform 1.
- Platforms 0 and 1 can take ten-car LNER Class 800/801 trains.
- Platform 0 is the recently-built new platform.
- Poundland is alongside Platform 0.
- The Coffee seems to have bolted.
- As Bradford is this year’s City of Culture, someone has decorated the station’s benches.
I have some further thoughts.
Station Additions
The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop and toilets.
Platform Lengths
It would appear that Platforms 0 and 1 are able to take a pair of Class 800, 801 or 802 trains, which are just under 260 metres long and each can carry 604 passengers.
It would also be able to handle a single nine-car Class 800, 801 or 802 train, which are just under 234 metres long.
This would mean, that at a future date, the station could handle a 200 metres long High Speed Two Classic-Compatible half-train.
Number Of Services
It appears there were seven services to and from London, with about one every two hours.Going to London three were nine-car trains and four were ten-car trains.
I travelled both ways in the same ten-car train.
Thoughts On Tram-Trains In Manchester
The State Of Public Transport In the North
Over the last few years plans have been put in place to improv the state of the public transport of the major cities of the North and progress has started to happen, with new trains, trams and light rail systems being planned and in some cases coming into service.
Birmingham, Coventry And The West Midlands
A lot of investment has been made and it is continuing.
- Birmingham New Street station has been rebuilt.
- Coventry and Wolverhampton stations have been remodelled.
- Two new stations were built in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.
- A large number of new Class 730 local trains are being brought into service.
- Birmingham stations are being updated for High Speed Two.
- The West Midland Metro has been extended at both ends and a second line is under construction.
Transport in the wider West Midlands has been greatly improved.
Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield And The East Midlands
The major investment in this area is the electrification of the Midland Main Line and the provision of new Hitachi electric Class 810 trains.
In addition the following has been done.
- The Hope Valley line between Manchester and Sheffield has been improved.
- Derby station has been improved.
- The local trains have been refurbished.
- The power supply has been improved.
- An application for an Open Access service to Sheffield has been made.
The improvements in the East Midlands, will not be on the same scale as in the West Midlands, but they will make a difference.
Leeds, Bradford And West Yorkshire
For decades, West Yorkshire and especially Bradford has lagged behind the rest of the North.
But at least things are stirring.
- Plans have been laid to create a through station in Bradford.
- Leeds station has been refurbished.
- An extra platform is being added at Bradford Forster Square station.
- The TransPennine Upgrade is underway to electrify between Huddersfield and York.
- Hitachi have developed a battery-electric high speed train for the TransPennine route.
- Bradford is installing a hydrogen electrolyser, so that the city can have hydrogen buses to cope with the hills.
- Plans are now being developed to create a metro for Leeds and Bradford.
West Yorkshire is closing the gap to the rest of the North.
Liverpool And Merseyside
Again, a lot of investment has been made.
- The approaches to Liverpool Lime Street station have finally been sorted, with more tracks and new signalling.
- Liverpool Lime Street station has been improved and is now one of the finest stations in Europe.
- Trains are now approaching High Speed Two times between Crewe and Liverpool.
- More services between London and Liverpool can now be planned, with the arrival of new Class 807 trains.
- Some new stations have been built and more are planned.
- A large number of new Class 777 local trains are being brought into service.
Transport in the wider Merseyside has been greatly improved.
Newcastle, Tyneside And Northumberland
The area is getting investment, but not as much in proportion as others.
- The Metro trains are being replaced and the Metro itself, is getting a major update.
- The East Coast Main Line has received improvements to power supplies, signalling and some bottlenecks.
- The Northumberland Line to Ashington is being brought back into operation.
It’s a start, but if the Northumberland Line is a success, I can see a call for more line re openings.
Manchester And Greater Manchester
If you look at each of the areas, they generally have one or more large projects.
- Birmingham, Coventry And The West Midlands – Birmingham New Street station, Class 730 Trains, High Speed Two, West Midland Metro
- Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield And The East Midlands – Midland Main Line, Class 810 Trains, Hope Valley Line, Open Access To Sheffield
- Leeds, Bradford And West Yorkshire – Leeds station, Bradford improvements, TransPennine Upgrade, Battery-Ekectric Trains, Leeds Metro
- Liverpool And Merseyside – Liverpool Lime Street Improvements, Class 807 Trains, Class 777 Trains
- Newcastle, Tyneside And Northumberland – Metro upgrade with New Trains, Northumberland Line
So what improvements are in the pipeline for Greater Manchester?
This Wikipedia entry is entitled Proposed Developments Of Manchester Metrolink.
The proposed developments include in the Wikipedia order.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Elton Reservoir on the Bury Line.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Sandhills on the Bury Line.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Cop Road on the Oldham and Rochdale Line.
- Airport Line extension to Terminal 2: A short extension of the Airport Line from the current Manchester Airport station to the site of the expanded Terminal 2.
- Airport Line extension to Davenport Green: An extension of the Airport Line from Roundthorn to the site of the proposed Manchester Airport High Speed station on the HS2 high speed network.
- Oldham–Heywood via Rochdale tram-train pathfinder: A tram-train service utilising the heavy rail Calder Valley line to connect Oldham to Heywood through Rochdale railway station.
- Manchester Airport–Wilmslow via Styal tram-train pathfinder: A tram-train service operating on the southern section of the heavy rail Styal Line between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow in Cheshire.
- South Manchester–Hale via Altrincham tram-train pathfinder: An extension of Metrolink’s Altrincham Line using tram-train to reach Hale on the heavy rail Mid-Cheshire line.
- Improved Metrolink frequency between Piccadilly and Victoria stations: Increasing capacity to provide a direct service from Rochdale and Oldham to Manchester Piccadilly.
- Interventions to improve Metrolink capacity and reliability: Includes improvements to turnback facilities and double-tracking currently single-track sections.
- Further interventions to improve Metrolink capacity and reliability: Includes longer vehicles, a third depot and double-tracking currently single-track sections.
- Manchester–Stalybridge extension: An extension of the East Manchester Line from Ashton-under-Lyne to Stalybridge.
- Manchester–Middleton extension: A proposed spur from the Bury Line connecting to the town of Middleton.
- Oldham–Middleton extension: A spur from Oldham to Middleton.
- MediaCityUK–Salford Crescent: A line connecting the MediaCityUK tram stop to the Salford Crescent railway station interchange. Further new Metrolink.
- Connections between Salford Crescent, Inner Salford and the City Centre: Extension of the MediaCityUK–Salford Crescent line into the regional centre.
- Completion of the Airport Line (Wythenshawe Loop): Completion of the Wythenshawe Loop by connecting the Metrolink lines between the Davenport Green and Manchester Airport Terminal 2 extensions.
- Port Salford/Salford Stadium extension: Extending the Trafford Park Line from the Trafford Centre to a proposed container terminal at Port Salford.
- Glossop tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Glossop line between Manchester and Glossop in Derbyshire.
- Marple tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Hope Valley line branches north of Marple towards Manchester.
- Manchester–Wigan via Atherton tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Atherton section of the Manchester–Southport line between Manchester and Wigan.
- Manchester–Warrington tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the southern route of the Liverpool–Manchester lines between Manchester and Warrington.
- Stockport–Hazel Grove tram-train: A tram-train service between Stockport and the suburb of Hazel Grove.
- Stockport–Manchester Airport tram-train: A tram-train service between Stockport and Manchester Airport.
- Rochdale–Bury via Heywood tram-train: Extension of the Oldham–Heywood tram-train pathfinder from Heywood to Bury.
- Manchester Airport–Mid Cheshire tram-train: A tram-train service from Manchester Airport using a proposed Western Link rail line to the Mid-Cheshire line.
- Stockport–Ashton via Denton and Reddish tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Stockport–Stalybridge line from Stockport to Ashton.
- Cornbrook–Manchester Airport via Timperley tram-train: A tram-train service from Cornbrook using the Altrincham line to Timperley, the Mid Cheshire line to Baguley, then the Wythenshawe Loop to Manchester Airport.
- Regional centre metro tunnel: Providing capacity for more services on the network.
- Oldham–Greenfield via Grotton extension: A Metrolink spur from Oldham town centre to Greenfield railway station on the Huddersfield line.
- Oldham–Royton extension: A Metrolink spur from the Oldham and Rochdale line to the town of Royton.
Note.
- The number of times that tram-trains are mentioned.
- But with its numerous rail and tram lines, Greater Manchester is ideally suited for conversion to tram-trains.
- There are three pathfinder routes for tram-trains, which will be converted first to prove the technology.
These are my detailed thoughts on tram-trains in Greater Manchester,
All Routes Could Be Run By Identical Tram-Trains
If this can be arranged, it is surely preferable from the operator, staff and passengers point-of-view.
Tram-Trains Can Run On Secondary Routes Like The Calder And Hope Valley Lines
In Manchester, this would enable some routes to be swapped from the rail to the tram network.
It would also allow trams to run between networks, so you could have a direct tram service between say Stockport and Sheffield on the Hope Valley Line.
Tram-Trains Can Be Faster
Tram-trains can be faster, when running on rail lines, so they don’t hold up expresses.
What Do Tram-Trains Look Like?
This is one of Sheffield’s Class 399 tram-trains at Rotherham Parkgate.
Note.
- This tram-train is a member of the Stadler Citylink family.
- this version can be powered by either 750 VDC or 25 KVAC.
- The Welsh version will also have battery-power.
- It is a three-car tram train.
- There is step-free access.
The Wikipedia entry for the Stadler Citylink has lots more details.
Stadler have just launched a new smaller one- or two-car tram-train.
This image from the press release shows the prototype hydrogen-powered one-car RS ZERO.
Note.
- The Regio-Shuttles can run as up to seven car trains.
- These RS ZERO are powered by overhead electrification, battery or hydrogen power.
- They can carry 170 passengers at 75 mph.
- They can run as train-trams using the Chemnitz model on compatible tram networks.
- The interiors are very flexible.
- An RS ZERO can be fitted with toilets for the posher parts of Manchester.
- Typically, a one-car RS ZERO handles a similar passenger load to a one-car Metrolink vehicle.
The more I compare the RS ZERO with the Metrolink’s trams, the more it looks like Stadler’s design has a Metrolink order firmly in its sights.
A Simple Tram-Train Example
The Altrincham Line of the Metrolink, runs between Altrincham and Deansgate-Castlefield in Central Manchester.
- Tram-trains would be capable of sharing the tracks with the current trams.
- Initially, they would run an identical service to the same destinations in the North.
- At either Navigation Road or Altrincham stations, they would switch to the heavy rail track.
- They would then travel to Hale or whatever station is determined to be the terminus.
Tram-trains would be a simple way of extending a tram service along a heavy eail line.
The Range Of The RS ZERO
This article on the Railway Gazette is entitled Prototype RS Zero Hydrogen Or Battery Railcar For Secondary Lines Unveiled At InnoTrans, has this paragraph.
The hydrogen powered RS Zero has a range of more than 700 km in the single car version, and a two-car version would offer more than 1 000 km. Battery trains will offer ranges of 80 to 110 km or 90 to 180 km. The maximum speed is 120 km/h.
As Chester and Manchester is only 45 miles or 72.4 kilometres, ways and means of running the battery versions on the route should be possible.
In fact, as Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly is already electrified at 25 KVAC and a return trip to Manchester Piccadilly from Stockport probably takes about twenty-five minutes, I would envisage that an RS ZERO would leave Stockport for Chester with a full battery. As Stockport and Chester is only 39.2 miles or 63 kilometres, the RS ZERO should do the trip if it started with a full battery and had a short length of electrification at Chester to top up the battery, if needed.
Other Possible Tram-Train Routes From Stockport
It is indicated the Metrolink would like to run other tram-train routes from Stockport.
- Ashton – Not sure of the route
- Buxton – 31.8 km
- Hazel Grove – 5 km – Electrified
- Manchester Piccadilly – 9 km – Electrified
- Manchester Airport – Not sure of the route
- Sheffield – 59 km – Will be electrified at Sheffield
Note.
- This would speed up Sheffield services.
- Buxton would be an interesting route and would probably use Newton’s friend to help on the return.
I suspect that nearly all local services from Manchester through Stockport could be run by battery-electric or hydrogen tram-trains.
The Glossop Line Could Be Converted To Tram-Train
It’s already electrified so why not?
Conclusion
It strikes me, that a lot of Manchester’s suburban rail network could be converted to RS ZERO tram-trains.
The RS ZERO tram-trains could also be used on existing tram routes to convert them to tram-train operation and extend them.
As a bonus Manchester’s trains would be substantially decarbonised.
New £24m Platform To Boost City Train Services
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Bradford’s Forster Square station is to get a new £24m platform to boost rail services in the city.
Rail Minister Huw Merriman said the government-funded scheme would futureproof the station for generations to come.
It could lead to five more trains to London each day, the Department for Transport said.
There are positive comments from Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe and LNER.
These are my thoughts.
Where Will The New Platform Be Built?
This OpenRailway Map sows the layout of the current three platforms at Bradford Forster Square station.
The Wikipedia entry for Bradford Forster Square station, says this about platform usage.
During off-peak hours most trains use platforms 1 (for Skipton) and 2 (Leeds and Ilkley) – platform 3 is mainly used during weekday peak periods and in the evening, though a spare set is usually stabled here between 09.00 and 16.00 each weekday.
This picture was taken on the only time I visited the station in 2017.
Note.
- The middle platform is numbered 2b.
- As Bradford Forster Square station is a terminal station, I must have taken this picture from the Southern end of the station.
- From Network Rail’s plan of the station, it looks like Platform 1 is on the right or East and Platform 3 is on the left or West.
This page on the EnglandRover web site confirms that Platform 3 is the Western platform.
This article on the Bradford Argus is entitled Work On New Platform To Begin In Spring After £24m Boost.
This is a paragraph.
The extra platform will be built at the side of the station closest to Forster Square Retail Park. It means the station will expand outwards by a few metres, and the platform construction will require Network Rail to purchase a strip of land from retail park owners British Land.
This Google Map shows where the platform will be placed.
Note.
- The Forster Square Retail Park is in the North-East corner of the map.
- The glazed roof covers Platforms 1 and 2.
- There are trains in Platforms 1 and 3.
- Fitting in the new platform could be a bit tight.
Will the platforms be renumbered or will the new platform be called Platform 0?
Project Management Considerations
Consider.
- Bradford will be the UK City of Culture in 2025.
- British Land will want to have minimal disruption to the operation of their retail park.
For these reasons, all parties will want an early completion.
But as the site should have good access through the retail park, I could envisage that an early completion can be delivered by good project management.
How Many Platforms Will LNER Need?
Consider on the 1st of February 2024, four LNER trains visited the station.
- All trains were Class 801 trains.
- One train was a nine-car train and the others were a pair of five-car trains.
- Two trains used each of Platforms 1 and 2.
- LNER are planning to add five more trains per day (tpd), which will be a total of fourteen movements per day.
I suspect under normal operation, LNER could manage with one platform, as LNER’s movements are less than one per hour.
Conclusion
This new platform seems to be a good plan, that adds much-needed capacity for the short term and provides capacity for more services in the future.
Improving Trains Between London And Bradford
Current Services Between London And Bradford
LNER services run between Kings Cross and Bradford Forster Square stations.
- Two trains per day (tpd) run between Bradford and London in the early morning.
- Two tpd run between London and Bradford in the evening.
- Trains take two and three-quarter hours.
- Stops are at Shipley, Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Retford Grantham and Stevenage.
- Trains seem to be generally a pair of five-car Class 801 trains.
Note.
- Trains reverse at Leeds.
- The timetable seems a bit lopsided, as there is no early morning train to Bradford or an evening one to London.
- Harrogate gets a one train per two hours (tp2h) service to and from London.
The timetable could do with an improvement.
Grand Central services run between Kings Cross and Bradford Interchange stations.
- Four tpd run between Bradford and London.
- Four tpd run between London and Bradford.
- Trains take three and a quarter hours.
- Stops are at Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
- Trains are five-car Class 180 trains, which have seen better days.
Note.
- The timetable seems a bit lopsided, as there is no early morning train to Bradford or an evening one to London.
The timetable and the trains could do with an improvement.
LNER’s New Ticketing And Nine-Ten Car Trains
LNER have introduced the selling of Advanced Tickets from machines or the Booking Office as late as five minutes before the train leaves.
- My last three trips from Leeds to London cost me £33.55, £33.75 and £33.55 with my Senior Railcard.
- All were bought less than ten minutes before the train left.
- In two of the journeys, I spread out in two seats
- Trains were either a pair of five-car Class 801 trains or a nine-car InterCity 225.
I took these pictures after my last return from Leeds on Tuesday.
Note.
- Two of the three trains I’ve taken lately have arrived 3-4 minutes early.
- Not a great increase, but I do wonder if LNER are seeing what is possible with the new digital signalling.
- The British Rail era; InterCity 225 seems to hold its own against the new Hitachi train.
I wouldn’t be surprised that LNER intend to both run high-capacity trains between London and Leeds and fill them by competitive pricing.
A Grand Central Train Failure On Tuesday
This was my journey to Bradford on Tuesday,
- I was supposed to take the 1057 Grand Central service to Bradford Interchange, where it was timed to arrive at 1400.
- But the train didn’t run and we were all advised to get on the 1103 to Leeds and change at Doncaster.
- We arrived at Doncaster in Platform 4, a minute late at 1240 and got straight on a Grand Central train in the opposite Platform 6.
- We left Doncaster at 1251, which was sixteen minutes late.
- But we arrived in Bradford Interchange more or less on time at 1401.
Despite leaving six minutes late from Kings Cross and changing trains at Doncaster, we arrived at Bradford on time.
Battery-Electric Trains Between London and Bradford Interchange
I feel that my journey on Tuesday indicated.
- Electric trains between London and Doncaster can easily meet the current timetable.
- The Grand Central train went between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange was sixteen minutes faster than the timetable.
I wouldn’t be surprised that London and Bradford Interchange could be a few minutes under three hours.
Consider.
- It has been said that between Bradford Interchange and Leeds will be electrified.
- Bradford Interchange and Doncaster does not have electrification, but is only 52 miles.
- Electrification of Bradford Interchange station, will allow battery-electric trains to be charged in around 10-12 minutes.
- Most inter-city battery-electric trains have a battery range of at least eighty miles.
- Digital signalling is being installed between London and Doncaster to allow 140 mph running and more trains in the timetable.
I believe that a battery-electric train with sufficient range, charging South of Doncaster and at Bradford Interchange could go between London and Bradford Interchange in 5-10 minutes under three hours.
Bradford Interchange and all the other stations North of Doncaster on the route could probably also have a one tp2h service to and from London and the South.
Splitting And Joining Of Trains
Consider.
- Pairs of the Hitachi Class 801 trains have the ability to split and join en route, during a station stop extended by a few minutes.
- Platforms are long enough to handle splitting and joining at Doncaster, Leeds and York.
- Currently, three services to and from London go past Leeds; Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate and Skipton. All these services reverse in Leeds station, when they pass through.
- The reversing in Leeds station takes about 8-9 minutes.
- The track between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square is electrified.
- Leeds and Harrogate is not electrified and is 19.3 miles.
- The track between Leeds and Skipton is electrified.
- Bradford Forster Square has a service of two tpd.
- Harrogate has a service of one tp2h.
- Skipton has a service of one tpd.
In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said.
From December 2019, LNER introduced a Harrogate to London service six times a day. LNER expected to introduce two-hourly services to Bradford and a daily service to Huddersfield by May 2020 when more Azuma trains had been introduced, however the latter has not yet been introduced.
Note.
- The Huddersfield service would have to reverse in Leeds station, like those to Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate and Skipton.
- Leeds and Huddersfield is not electrified and is 17.1 miles.
- Leeds and Huddersfield is being electrified.
Could LNER’s plan be to give Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton stations a two-hourly service , as the Wikipedia extract indicated, they intend to do for Bradford?
- All trains enter and leave Leeds to and from the West.
- Pairs of five-car trains would split and join at Leeds.
- Bradford Forster Square and Skipton services would be served by electric trains.
- Harrogate and Huddersfield services would be served by bi-mode or battery-electric trains.
- Horsforth, Keighley and Shipley could also get a one tp2h service to London.
It looks like services via Leeds could be much improved.
In a two-hour period the Leeds area will have the following trains to and from London Kings Cross.
- Two trains between London and Leeds via Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- One train between London and Bradford Forster Square via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford (Bradford-bound only), Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley.
- One train between London and Harrogate via Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Horsforth
- One train between London and Huddersfield via Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds
- One train between London and Skipton via Peterborough, Newark Northgate, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, Shipley (London-bound only) and Keighley.
Note.
- Stops between London and Leeds would be adjusted to satisfy passenger numbers.
- Currently, there are a total of four trains in a two hour period.
- Six trains will be fitted in by having two London and Leeds trains and two pairs of five-car trains, that joined and split at Leeds.
There is still only four train paths needed in a two hour period between London and Leeds.
Digital Signalling Between London And Doncaster
The East Coast Digital Programme has its own web site, which gives this introduction to the programme.
The East Coast Digital Programme is delivering the next generation of train travel – creating a better performing East Coast Main Line for passengers and everyone else who uses and depends on it.
As part of the programme, traditional lineside signals will be removed and replaced with state-of the art digital signalling to improve the reliability of the train service.
The new technology continuously communicates with each train, providing signalling information directly to a computer screen in the driver’s cab. It boosts reliability, reduces carbon emissions and provides a more punctual service for customers.
In the first stage, digital signalling will be introduced on the Northern City Line, between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. It will then be progressively rolled out on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line (between London King’s Cross and the Stoke Tunnels, near Grantham).
It is expected that the first trains to operate on the East Coast Main Line using digital signalling technology will run in 2025, with all improvements expected to be completed by the end of the decade.
As a result of this programme, the East Coast Main Line will be GB’s first intercity mainline to be upgraded to digital. It lays the foundation for further improvements across the network, creating a more efficient railway fit for the future.
There is also a video.
Benefits of digital signalling will include.
- 140 mph running instead of 125 mph.
- An increase in the number of train paths.
- Trains will be able to be run closer together.
As a Graduate Control Engineer, I also believe that digital signalling will enable better control of trains through bottlenecks.
- Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?
- Is There An ERTMS-based Solution To The Digswell Viaduct?
A computer solution would surely be more affordable than some massive civil engineering.
What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?
I put my thoughts in What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?.
Conclusion
The original High Speed Two specification gave a time of one hour and twenty-one minutes between Euston and Leeds.
I suspect that time will be approached before 2040.
Plan To Develop New ‘Southern Gateway’ Through Station In City Centre
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in the Bradford Telgraph and Argus.
This is the sub-heading.
Work to develop a new city centre rail station in Bradford could soon be back on the rails, despite the Government cancelling the local Northern Powerhouse Rail line
These are the first two paragraphs.
It has today been announced that the UK Infrastructure Bank will be working with Bradford Council to plan and develop a proposed “Southern Gateway” station in the city centre.
Although few details have been announced so far, the station is expected to be a through station, and is likely to be on the site off Wakefield Road currently occupied by St James’ Wholesale Market.
This sounds like an updating with finance of a plan I wrote about in Bradford Seeks Support On Rail Project Which Could Deliver £30bn Benefits.
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines in the Bradford area.
Note.
- New Pudsey station is in the North-East corner of the map.
- Bradford Foster Square and Bradford Interchange stations are in the North-West corner of the map.
- Low Moor station is in the South-West corner of the map.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows an enlargement of the lines across Bradford.
Note.
- Bradford Interchange station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- The railway lines are shown in yellow.
- New Pudsey station is off the map to the East and on the way to Leeds.
- Some trains between Leeds and Bradford are routed via New Pudsey station and the loop in this map.
- The railway between New Pudsey and Bradford Interchange stations goes under a roundabout on the Wakefield Road.
This Google Map shows St. James Wholesale Market and the railway to the North-East of the roundabout.
Note.
- St. James Wholesale Market is marked by the red arrow.
- The railway between New Pudsey and Bradford Interchange stations goes under the roundabout at the bottom of the map.
There’s certainly a lot of space to the East of the market. Could the new station be built with a lot of adjacent open space like King’s Cross and Liverpool Lime Street.
These are further thoughts.
Will There Be A New Chord South Of Bradford Interchange Station?
This section is an edited version of a section from Bradford Seeks Support On Rail Project Which Could Deliver £30bn Benefits.
This Google Map, shows Mill Lane Junction, where the lines from New Pudsey and Bradford Low Moor stations join South of Bradford Interchange station.
Note.
- Bradford Interchange station is on the rail line to the North.
- The proposed new Bradford station and the existing New Pudsey station are on the rail line to the East.
- Bradford Low Moor station is on the rail line to the South.
It would appear that an extra chord should be added to the junction to allow trains between Manchester Victoria and Leeds running via the Calder Valley Line to call at the new station in Bradford.
Current trains between Manchester Victoria and Leeds using this route have to reverse at Bradford Interchange. The new station and the extra chord would avoid this.
Will Bradford Interchange Station Be Closed?
That is a big question and depends on the overall plan.
I await the full plan with interest.
But building the new chord, closing Interchange station and avoiding the reverse will speed up services.
What Trains Will Call At The New Station?
Currently, only these trains from Northern, go through the station site.
- Hull and Halifax
- Leeds and Chester
- Leeds and Manchester Victoria
- York and Blackpool North
Note.
- All have a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- All currently reverse at Bradford Interchange.
- All call at Leeds, New Pudsey and Halifax.
- Three tph call at Bramley and Hebden Bridge.
- Two tph call at Manchester Victoria, Rochdale and Todmorden.
- One tph calls at Low Moor.
I suspect these service could be augmented to perhaps give the following.
Four tph to Hebden Bridge, Rochdale and Manchester Victoria.
The only other trains passing though the area are Grand Central’s four trains per day (tpd) between London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange via Low Moor.
- If these trains terminated in a bay platform at the new station, would this enable their frequency to be increased?
- Or could the services be extended to Leeds?
The new station certainly opens up possibilities.
Alternative Rail Connections For Bradford After IRP Snub
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on New Civil Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
Of all the losers from the Integrated Rail Plan (IRP), Bradford is arguably the biggest.
I agree! But then Bradford is a very difficult problem.
The article talks about several solutions.
- One is a new station at St. James Market, which I wrote about in Bradford Seeks Support On Rail Project Which Could Deliver £30bn Benefits.
- Another suggests electrifying between Bradford and Leeds and increasing capacity between the two cities.
These are probably the best of a rather mixed and downright impractical bunch.
The big problem with Bradford Interchange station is that it is a terminal and not a through station. Through trains between say Leeds and Halifax or Huddersfield have to reverse in the station, which slows the services down by up to five minutes.
Currently the following local services call at Bradford Interchange station.
- Blackpool North and York
- Chester and Leeds
- Halifax and Hull
- Huddersfield and Leeds
- Manchester Victoria and Leeds
Note.
- All services have a frequency of one tph.
- All trains are diesel-powered.
- All services reverse in Bradford Interchange station.
- Platforms 1 and 2 can accommodate five-car Class 180 trains, which are 120 metres long.
This Google Map shows Bradford Interchange station.
Note.
- Platforms 1 and 2 are the longer pair of platforms to the West.
- Platform 3 and 4 can probably handle a four-car train.
- I suspect that if necessary platforms could be lengthened so they could all take a five-car Class 802 train, which is 130 metres long.
In Would Automated Trains With The Ability To Run Backwards Improve Passenger Train Services?, I proposed providing sufficient automation and signalling improvements, so that drivers could drive the train from either cab.
This would make the reverse at Bradford Interchange station take as long as a normal stop, without any reduction in safety.
If this could be made to work efficiently, it must open up the possibility of a Leeds and Manchester Airport service.
- It would call at Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax, Brighouse and Huddersfield.
- It would satisfy Bradford’s need of a direct service to Manchester Airport.
- It would improve getting to the airport for Low Moor, Halifax and Brighouse.
There would be no need for large amounts of new or modified infrastructure.
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.
The Anonymous Widower 