The Anonymous Widower

Redevelopment Of Scottish Port Begins As Owner Secures GBP 400 Million For Offshore Wind Upgrade

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

This is the sub-heading.

Haventus, the owner of the Ardersier Port in the Moray Firth, Scotland, has taken a final investment decision and kicked off construction work on redeveloping the port to serve both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects. The revamped port is expected to open in the second half of 2025.

These are the first two paragraphs.

This month, Haventus was granted a GBP 100 million (approximately 117 million) joint credit facility from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank with GBP 50 million (approx. EUR 58.5 million) investment from each.

This follows a GBP 300 million (approx. 351 million) investment commitment by the energy investment firm Quantum Capital Group in 2023 when Haventus began the redevelopment of Ardersier Port.

This page on the Haventus web site, gives more details of the Port of Ardersier.

Included are.

  • Access channel width – 160 m.
  • Access channel depth – 12.4 m.
  • Landside area – 350 acres.
  • 420m main quay.
  • 80 m Ro/Ro capable berth.
  • People-friendly midges
  • Green Freeport tax site designation
  • More space is available if required.

There is also an informative video.

Haventus say they are delivering a world-leading energy transition facility. I can go along with that!

These are my thoughts.

The Location Of The Port of Ardersier

This Google Map shows the location of the Port of Ardersier.

Note.

  1. The large expanse of water in the middle of the map is Moray Firth.
  2. The blue arrow at the bottom of the map indicates Inverness Airport.
  3. Inverness Airport, has a railway station on the Aberdeen and Inverness Line.
  4. The village of Ardersier is on the the Eastern bank of the Moray Firth
  5. The Port of Ardersier is in the North-East corner of the map.

The city of Inverness, with a population of around 48,000, is a few miles South-West of the South-West corner of the map.

Which Windfarms Will Be Built And Serviced From The Port Of Ardersier?

This map shows the various ScotWind leases, around the North of Scotland.

The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.

These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-East of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.

  • 7 – DEME Concessions Wind – 200 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
  • 8 – Falck Renewables Wind – 256 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
  • 9 – Ocean Winds – 429 km² – 1.0 GW – Fixed
  • 10 – Falck Renewables Wind – 134 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
  • 11 – Scottish Power Renewables – 684 km² – 3.0 GW – Floating
  • 12 – BayWa r.e. UK  – 330 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating

These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-West of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.

  • 13 – Offshore Wind Power – 657 km² – 2.0 GW – Fixed or Floating
  • 14 – Northland Power – 390 km² – 1.5 GW – Floating
  • 15 – Magnora – 103 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
  • 16 – Northland Power – 161 km² – 0.8 GW – Floating

These ten wind farms add up to 12.3 GW.

Transport

Consider.

  • Obviously, heavy components will be brought in by sea, using the Ro/Ro capable berth or using a crane to unload a barge.
  • Personnel will be able to fly in for the day.
  • Will some visitors rom London use the Caledonian Sleeper to and from Inverness station to get a full day on site and a good night’s sleep, whilst travelling.

But I do see a problem with local traffic to and from the site.

Hydrogen Buses

This page on the Sizewell C web site, discusses how they will use hydrogen buses.

I could see the Port of Ardersier taking a leaf out of Sizewell C’s book and run hydrogen buses to Inverness, Inverness Airport and other nearby towns.

The North of Scotland certainly won’t be short of green hydrogen to power the buses.

Hydrogen

Conclusion

If you thought that the only useful wind-driven thing to come out of Scotland was bagpipes, you had better think again.

The Port of Ardersier will be the factory and operation and maintenance port for one of the largest offshore wind industries in the world.

May 21, 2024 Posted by | Energy, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ORR: Open Access Services Given Green Light Between London And Stirling

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Office of Rail and Road.

This is the sub-heading.

The latest access decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) provides more services for rail passengers travelling between London and central Scotland.

These five paragraphs detail the ORR’s decision.

ORR has today (7 March) given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains, an open access operator, to start a new train service between London and the city of Stirling, from June 2025. ORR’s decision will offer more choice to passengers, bring private sector investment to the railway and increase competition.

Grand Union Trains will introduce four new return services per day between London Euston and Stirling stations. These services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe (subject to agreement between Grand Union Trains and Network Rail), Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert. Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.

ORR found that the proposed services would increase choice for passengers, significantly increasing direct journey opportunities to and from London and central and southern Scotland, while making use of existing capacity on the network.

The new services will be the first run by an open access operator on the West Coast Mainline. Open access operators run services independently of government funding as they do not have a franchise agreement with government.

Following ORR’s decision to approve new Grand Union Trains services between Carmarthen in south Wales and London Paddington in 2022, ORR has now approved open access services on three of Britain’s major routes.

Note.

  1. The Grand Union service appears to be running into London Euston. Earlier plans had it terminating at Queen’s Park station.
  2. Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.
  3. London Euston and Stirling is electrified all the way.
  4. The third open access service, that the ORR has approved is the Lumo service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh via the East Coast Main Line.

I have a few thoughts.

Stirling Is An Ideal Place To Explore Central Scotland By Train

In Stirling, I give the reasons, why I spent a couple of days in Stirling, when I wanted to visit several places in Central Scotland.

Note.

  1. Stirling has direct services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.
  2. Aberdeen is one hour and 15 minutes away.
  3. Dundee is just 63 minutes away.
  4. Edinburgh is just 48 minutes away.
  5. Glasgow is just 39 minutes away.
  6. Inverness is two hours and 46 minutes away.

Stirling has about a dozen affordable hotels and guest houses within walking distance of the station, as this map shows.

Stirling would appear to have got Central Scotland covered.

Could The Train Serve Gleneagles?

Gleneagles is about twenty minutes North of Stirling and is served by the Caledonian Sleeper from London.

This Google Map shows the area around Gleneagles station.

Note.

  1. Gleneagles station is at the bottom of the map.
  2. The red arrow indicates the famous Gleneagles hotel.
  3. The pink dots are other hotels.
  4. Airbnb lists several very splendid properties in the varea.

Not everybody, who goes to the Gleneagles area will be exceedingly rich and I could see the Gleneagles area generating substantial business for Grand Union Trains. I suspect the best way to serve Gleneagles would be a zero-emission coach from Stirling.

Along The Motherwell And Cumbernauld Line

Between Motherwell and Stirling, a lot of the route used is on the Motherwell and Cumbernauld Line.

  • The line is fully-electrified.
  • It is only 28.9 miles between Motherwell and Stirling.
  • \cumbernaukd and Motherwell takes 20 minutes.

I do wonder, if extra stops might be worthwhile.

Motherwell Has Good Connections To Edinburgh And Glasgow

As well as Stirling, Motherwell has good connections to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, so some passengers might find their most convenient route involves a change at Motherwell.

Nuneaton And Scotland Would Get A New Service

Nuneaton has been named by Avanti West Coast, as a place that needs more trains, as it connects with the service between Birmingham and Stansted Airport, via Coleshill Parkway, Leicester, Peterborough, March, Ely and Cambridge.

I suspect that, Nuneaton will become an interchange, between East Anglia and, the North West and West Scotland.

Milton Keynes And Scotland Should Get An Improved Service

Consider.

  • It appears that all Avanti West Coast services between Milton Keynes and Scotland, go via Birmingham.
  • I suspect that Grand Union’s route using the Trent Valley Line could be faster with similar trains.
  • Creating a new route between Milton Keynes and Stirling could be a good move, as it gives one-change access to much of Central Scotland.
  • Milton Keynes has good local connections to places like Northampton, Rugby, Tring and Watford Junction.
  • Milton Keynes will be a stop on the new East-West Railway.
  • From many stations, it will be quicker to go via Milton Keynes rather than Euston.

I suspect Milton Keynes could be a nice little earner.

Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Fitted With Digital Signalling?

Consider.

  • At some point in the next ten years the West Coast Main Line will be fitted with digital signalling, to enable trains to run at 140 mph on selected parts of the route.
  • Digital signalling will allow extra services between London Euston and Motherwell.
  • Motherwell and London Euston is 388 miles.

I suspect, that Grand Union’s Trains will need to be fitted with digital signalling, so they can save time on services and possibly add in a few more.

It will add costs, although the faster speed will surely attract passengers.

Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Electric?

There are these train services going between England and Scotland.

  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street – 7 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street – 5 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Class 390 – Electric
  • CrossCountry – Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tph – Class 220/221 – Diesel – Uses diesel all the time
  • LNER – London King’s Cross/Leeds to Aberdeen – 4 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Edinburgh
  • LNER – London King’s Cross to Inverness – 1 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Stirling
  • LNER – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley – 3p2h – Class 800 – Bi-mode or Class 801 – Electric
  • LNER – London King’s Cross to Glasgow Central – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
  • LNER – London King’s Cross to Stirling – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
  • Lumo – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh – 5 tpd – Class 803 – Electric
  • TransPennine Express – Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley – 7 tpd – Class 802 – Bi-mode
  • TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – Class 397 – Electric
  • TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverly – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric
  • TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric

Note.

  1. tpd is trains per day.
  2. tph is trains per hour.
  3. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  4. LNER services to Glasgow and Stirling are likely to be dropped.
  5. Some Lumo services are likely to be extended from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
  6. Many services South from Stirling to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street are electric.

The current two tpd direct trains to Stirling are electric and if you change at Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow, it is likely to be an all-electric service.

For marketing reasons, I would recommend, that Grand Union Trains ran electric trains between London Euston and Stirling, as they are competing against an all-electric service.

Although to meet service dates it might be necessary to run something like a diesel Class 222 train to get the service started.

What Trains Will Grand Union Use?

The Wikipedia entry for Grand Union Trains, says this for their London Euston and Stirling service.

In 2023 Grand Union revised its proposal changing its planned rolling stock to Class 22x units, at the same time the start date for this service was changed to June 2025.

I would suspect they will put in the order for new electric trains fairly sharpish.

The new trains could be.

  • A variant of Hitachi’s Class 800 trains.
  • A variant of CAF’s Class 397 trains.

Would they have an emergency battery un case of overhead line failure?

How Long Will A Service Take?

The service can be divided into two sections.

  • London Euston and Motherwell – 388 miles.
  • Motherwell and Stirling – 28.9 miles.

Note.

  1. The 08:30 train from Euston to Motherwell takes 4 hours and 17 minutes with six stops via Nuneaton.
  2. The Grand Union Trains service will also have six stops and go via Nuneaton.

I would expect with today’s signalling and electric trains, that Euston and Motherwell would take a maximum of 4 hours and 17 minutes.

  • The twenty minute time to Cumbernauld could be added.
  • The twenty-five minute time between Cumbernauld and Stirling could be added.

It looks the time would be just over five hours.

I doubt there would be much scope for increasing speed North of Motherwell, but could there be savings made to the South of Motherwell?

Consider.

  • London Euston and Motherwell is 388 miles.
  • Four hours and 17 minutes is 257 minutes.
  • Motherwell is on the main London Euston and Glasgow Central route.

This is an average speed between London Euston and Motherwell of 90.6 mph.

By comparison.

  • London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is 392.6 miles.
  • Journeys can take four hours and 20 minutes or 260 minutes.

This is an average speed between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh of 90.6 mph.

In the next decade, there will be improvements on both the East and West Coast Main Lines.

  • King’s Cross and Edinburgh is currently being digitally signalled.
  • London Euston and Glasgow Central is likely to be an early priority for digital signalling after London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is completed.
  • When High Speed Two opens to Birmingham and Lichfield, High Speed Two trains between London Euston and Glasgow Central will use the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.
  • I wouldn’t be surprised to see some track realignment and modifications to improve speeds on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.

I can build a table of times between London Euston and Motherwell against average speed.

  • 90 mph – 4 hours 19 minutes
  • 100 mph – 3 hours 53 minutes
  • 110 mph – 3 hours 32 minutes
  • 120 mph – 3 hours 14 minutes
  • 125 mph – 3 hours 6 minutes
  • 130 mph – 2 hours 59 minutes

Note.

  1. Adding 15 minutes gives a London Euston and Glasgow Central time.
  2. Adding 45 minutes gives a London Euston and Stirling time.
  3. Averaging 120 mph would give London Euston and Glasgow Central or Stirling times of under four hours.

It strikes me, that to improve Anglo-Scottish relations and to make rail a better alternative to flying, a priority for all West Coast services is to improve the West Coast Main Line and install digital signalling, so that a 120 mph average is possible between London Euston and Motherwell.

What Difference Will High Speed Two Make?

High Speed Two is claiming it will knock thirty minutes off times between London Euston and Glasgow Central, when it opens to Birmingham and Lichfield.

But Grand Union Trains are not expected to use the new line between London Euston and Lichfield, as High Speed Two will, as it will make calling at Milton Keynes and Nuneaton impossible, as they are bypassed by High Speed Two.

Conclusion

This train service is going to be good for Milton Keynes, Nuneaton and Stirling and all the towns in Central Scotland.

But they must make full use of the available electrification.

 

 

March 11, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lumo In Discussions To Operate Glasgow Services

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from FirstGroup.

These four paragraphs give more details.

FirstGroup, the leading private sector transport operator, today announces that its popular open access rail service Lumo is in discussions with Transport Scotland and Network Rail to extend some of its London-Edinburgh trains to and from Glasgow.

Having identified opportunities to extend a number of daily journeys to and from Glasgow in the timetables for 2025 and beyond, work will now continue with Transport Scotland and track infrastructure manager Network Rail to agree final route options and timings ahead of an application for access rights to the Office of Rail and Road (‘ORR’), the industry regulator.

If successful, the new services could be in operation from next summer.

Lumo’s proposed new offering will improve links for customers travelling between Newcastle and Glasgow, giving people a choice of services without needing to change trains. In addition, a significant number of users of Lumo’s current London-Edinburgh trains go on to travel through to Glasgow via other connections, and through this move, Lumo aims to offer a direct through service for these customers.

I have a few thoughts.

There Appears To Be A Need For An Affordable London And Glasgow Service

This is the last sentence of my extract from the press release.

In addition, a significant number of users of Lumo’s current London-Edinburgh trains go on to travel through to Glasgow via other connections, and through this move, Lumo aims to offer a direct through service for these customers.

This looks to be a service, that has been suggested by an analysis of passengers’ tickets.

Which Station Will Lumo Use In Glasgow?

Consider.

  • The current LNER service between London King’s Cross and Glasgow, uses Glasgow Central station and it takes 66 minutes between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central stations.
  • LNER’s service also calls at Haymarket and Motherwell.
  • ScotRail services between Edinburgh and Glasgow Queen Street take about 49-50 minutes.

I suspect, that Lumo will take the faster route.

Newcastle And Glasgow Is A New Route

Currently, all passengers between Glasgow and Newcastle have to change at Edinburgh.

This will be the first direct train in my memory, except for LNER’s single daily service between London and Glasgow Central, which stops at Newcastle.

What About The Football?

Glasgow is very much about football.

Would it be possible to use Lumo to see a match starting at 15:00 on a Saturday afternoon, if you lived in London?

  • The 05:48 train from King’s Cross on a Saturday arrives in Edinburgh at 10:07.
  • Trains between Edinburgh and Glasgow take fifty minutes, so I feel it would be reasonable to be able to get to Glasgow by 10:57.

This time would be more than early enough to have a few swift halves and see the match if it started at 15:00.

But would it be possible to get back to London after the match?

  • The last train leaves Edinburgh at 17:55 and arrives in King’s Cross at 22:26.
  • Applying the fifty minute journey time between Edinburgh and Glasgow means it will leave at 17:05.
  • It appears that from Ibrox and Celtic Park to Glasgow Central or Glasgow Queen Street station is about twenty minutes.

On the current timetable, it would appear to be possible, but tight.

One alternative would be to take the Caledonian Sleeper back to London. But it doesn’t appear to run on a Saturday night.

Coaches do run and an overnight coach costs around twenty pounds.

It looks like if Lumo ran a service about 18:00 on a Saturday to London, it wouldn’t run empty.

Will Lumo Need More Trains?

In the press release, FirstGroup plc Chief Executive Officer Graham Sutherland, is quoted as saying.

Once preferred route options and timings have been agreed, discussions will continue with Network Rail and the ORR to secure the required approvals. The journeys would be operated within the existing Lumo fleet of all-electric trains and it is anticipated that the additional services could begin in summer 2025.

That looks to me, that they will not be obtaining more trains before next summer.

In Ten-Car Hull Trains, I noted that some of Hull Trains services were now running as ten-car trains.

If the passenger demand is there for ten-car trains to Hull, which is almost exactly half the distance of Edinburgh, I would expect that in the future, Lumo will be running some services as ten-car trains.

In Extra Luggage Racks For Lumo, which is based on an article in the November 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, an alternative view on more trains is taken.

The Modern Railways article finishes with this paragraph.

Lumo celebrated its second birthday in late October and was also set to mark the carriage of its two-millionth passenger. It is understood Lumo is interested in augmenting its fleet, such has been the success of the service; while many operators favour bi-mode units, Lumo is proud of its all-electric credentials so straight EMUs are still preferred, although the possibilities of including batteries which could power the trains may be pursued (the ‘803s’ have on-board batteries, but only to provide power to on-board systems if the electricity supply fails).

I find this development very interesting.

As London King’s Cross and Edinburgh and Glasgow are all electric routes, in normal service batteries should not be needed, but sometimes trains have to use the diversion via Lincoln, which I have estimated is 86.5 miles.

As an electrical engineer, I’ve always believed that the emergency batteries in the Class 803 trains are very similar to the traction batteries that Hitachi are developing for the Class 802 trains.

A traction battery, that was capable of handling the diversion would stop Lumo having to cancel occasional services.

Conclusion

An extension to Glasgow looks like it could be a simple and profitable way to extend the current Lumo service.

But it might need some extra trains in the future.

A Lumo service to Glasgow, might be helped by a seven-day service on the Caledonian Sleeper, so passenger could go North on Lumo and South on the Sleeper to get a full day in Glasgow.

 

February 28, 2024 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Cardiff – Edinburgh Open Access Train Service Proposal Under Development

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

This is the first paragraph.

Grand Union has begun industry consultation over a proposal to operate five open access services a day between Cardiff and Edinburgh, and separately is looking at rolling stock options for its planned London – Carmarthen and London – Stirling services.

These are my thoughts.

Current Train Services Between Cardiff and Edinburgh

I have chosen Monday, the 4th of December and find, that the basic fare is £120.40 with changes at Birmingham New Street and Preston, for a journey of six hours and 52 minutes.

There would appear to be three other sensible trains on that day and the others take around seven hours and cost over £230.

Cardiff and Edinburgh, is one of those routes, where the one-third saving of a railcard will pay for the card on the first trip.

Current Flights Between Cardiff and Edinburgh

I have again chosen Monday, the 4th of December and there is one direct flight that takes one hour and 15 minutes and costs £130.

There are flights under forty pounds, via Dublin or Belfast City airports, which take 4½ and 9 hours.

What About The Sleeper?

If you live in Cardiff and want to get to Edinburgh, early on the 4th, it’s probably better to take an evening train to London on the day before and then get the Caledonian Sleeper to Scotland.

An ideal train could be a sleeper between Plymouth and Edinburgh, that could be picked up at Bristol Parkway, that I wrote about in Would A North-East And South West Sleeper Service Be A Good Idea?.

But that train is only a proposal.

Although, there could be a luxury coach or conveniently-timed direct train to link Swansea, Cardiff Central and Cardiff Bay to Bristol Parkway for the sleeper.

I Feel That A Cardiff and Edinburgh Service May Have Possibilities

Grand Union are proposing to operate five open access services a day between Cardiff and Edinburgh, which seems about right.

I estimate that the service would take around seven hours. But that time is based on the fastest journeys to Birmingham New Street from both ends of the route.

Breaking it down further into three legs via Birmingham New Street and Doncaster, following times could be possible.

  • Cardiff and Birmingham New Street – two hours and five minutes
  • Birmingham New Street and Doncaster – two hours and five minutes
  • Doncaster and Edinburgh – three hours and ten minutes

Note.

  1. These times are based on average of the better times of the day.
  2. They could probably be improved by more electrification and a bi-mode train like a Class 802 or Class 755 train.

They total up to seven hours and twenty minutes.

Intermediate Stops

These are listed as Cardiff, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Gloucester, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Sheffield, Doncaster, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Times and distances for the various legs are as follows.

  • Cardiff and Severn Tunnel Junction – 21.6 miles – Electrified – 26 mins
  • Severn Tunnel Junction and Bromsgrove – 72.5 miles – Not Electrified – One hour and thirteen mins
  • Bromsgrove and Birmingham New Street – 14.3 miles – Electrified – 21 mins
  • Birmingham New Street and Derby – 41.2 miles – Not Electrified – 33 mins
  • Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles – Being Electrified – 30 mins
  • Sheffield and Doncaster – 16.8 miles – Not Electrified – 24 mins
  • Doncaster and Edinburgh – 237.1 miles – Electrified – two hours and 54 mins

These add up to six hours and 21 minutes.

Is Cardiff and Edinburgh An Ideal Route For A Battery-Electric Train?

The route has three unelectrified sections

  • Severn Tunnel Junction and Bromsgrove – 72.5 miles
  • Birmingham New Street and Derby – 41.2 miles
  • Sheffield and Doncaster – 16.8 miles

Note.

  1. I am assuming Derby and Sheffield is electrified, under the Midland Main Line Electrification.
  2. The longest unelectrified section is the 72.5 miles between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bromsgrove.
  3. All three unelectrified sections are sandwiched between two electrified sections, that are long enough to charge the trains.

A battery-electric train with a range of 80-90 miles should be able to handle the route.

As Cardiff and Swansea is only 45.7 miles, with a range of 100 miles, the service could be extended to Swansea.

Competition

This article on Rail Advent is entitled New Cardiff – Scotland Train Service Announced As Part Of New CrossCountry Contract.

This is the relevant paragraph.

Building on the changes made to the timetables in May this year, further enhancements will include a new direct service daily between Cardiff and Edinburgh to strengthen connections across Great Britain.

Will this bang a hole in Grand Union’s plans or is there room in the market for two operators?

On the other hand LNER and Hull Trains run a 1/5 split on the King’s Cross and Hull route.

Tourism

In the past ten years, I’ve travelled regularly between London and Edinburgh by train.

  • On those trips, I’ve met a large number of tourists from countries like Canada, Germany, Italy and the United States.
  • Many were also visiting Paris using the Eurostar.
  • Cardiff, Edinburgh and King’s Cross all have excellent hotels nearby.
  • There are other historic and/or large cities on the route, who might like to get in on the act, like Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.
  • Cities, hotels, museums and the train companies could form a marketing group.

Cardiff and Edinburgh would complete a very useful triangular route for anoraks, business travellers and tourists.

Conclusion

Cardiff and Edinburgh could be a new route that would work well!

 

 

 

October 24, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Day Trip On East Coast Trains

Over the years, I’ve done plenty of day trips to Scotland.

In the days of Artemis, I would regularly go North to sort out a problem and since I’ve retired, I’ve gone North for various reasons.

Usually, now I take the sleeper and then come back on the last train. After all, if I fall asleep travelling to King’s Cross, I would hope I get chucked out by staff and can take a ten-minute taxi home.

But in a few weeks, there will be another practical way.

  • Take the 05:45 from King’s Cross and arrive in Edinburgh at 10:10.
  • The last train home leaves Edinburgh at 19:58 and arrives in London at 01:05 on the next day.

And all for a total fare of £50 courtesy of East Coast Trains.

There will also be corresponding trains that run in the opposite direction.

  • Take the 06:14 from Edinburgh and arrive in King’s Cross at 10:51.
  • The last train North leaves King’s Cross at 20:18 and arrives in Edinburgh at 00:46 on the next day.

Combining one of East Coast Train’s services with a sleeper must surely give some interesting possibilities.

August 6, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Approaching Kings Cross – 5th July 2021

I took these pictures approaching Kings Cross.

Reports say most of the work of the remodelling is now complete. Although, it did look to me that in places more tracks could be laid.

The Length Of The Long Platforms At Kings Cross

This repeat of the last picture in the gallery shows the length of the nine long platforms.

Note.

  1. The train is in Platform 3.
  2. The train is an eight-car Class 700 train.
  3. Eight-car units are 162 metres long.
  4. Twelve-car units are 242.6 metres long.

Platform 3 is obviously long enough to take the following trains.

This Google Map shows the ends of the platforms at Kings Cross.

Note.

  1. The long platforms at the right are 2 and 3.
  2. Platform 2 and 3 are wide.
  3. Two LNER Azumas are in Platforms 5 and 6.

It looks to me that whilst all platforms can probably handle the standard British Rail length of 240 metres, those on the right may be able to handle longer trains. But what trains? These are my thoughts.

Longer LNER Azumas

This document on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Development of Class 800/801 High-speed Rolling Stock for UK Intercity Express Programme.

The document says that Class 80x trains have a sophisticated Train Control and Management System (TCMS).

The document says that this is one of the functions of the TCMS.

To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for
identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length,
and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.

I would assume that with the purchase of extra cars, that it might be possible to lengthen trains to up to twelve cars.

Lengths would be as follows.

  • Ten-car Class 80x train – 260 metres.
  • Eleven-car Class 80x train – 276 metres.
  • Twelve-car Class 80x train – 312 metres.

To add extra capacity on the routes to Leeds and Edinburgh services, there must be a balance between these factors.

  • The cost of extra cars.
  • The cost of platform lengthening.

There must of course be space for any platform lengthening.

It would seem to me, that common sense should allow twelve-car trains to be handled at King’s Cross, as this must be one of the best ways of adding capacity to East Coast Main Line services.

Caledonian Sleeper

The Caledonian Sleeper doesn’t normally run into King’s Cross, but during the rebuilding Euston for High Speed Two, it may be necessary to provide an alternative platform.

Unfortunately, the sixteen-car Caledonian sleeper trains are 352 metres long. So it would appear that Kings Cross would not be a temporary alternative.

But given the amount of money being invested in sleeper trains in Europe by the likes of Midnight Trains and NightJet, I can see that the Caledonian Sleeper might have another problem – success and the need for more capacity.

So I wouldn’t rule out an East Coast Main Line sleeper train between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh.

It might call at Stevenage, Newcastle and Berwick to widen its passenger base, just as the current sleeper calls at Watford, Carlisle and Carstairs.

The train could be extended to Aberdeen, to simplify services in Scotland.

Obviously, traffic and finance would decide, but I wouldn’t rule out the Caledonian Sleeper running to and from King’s Cross for a few years yet.

A Night Light Freight Terminal

In Is This The Shape Of Freight To Come?, I wrote about the new generation of fast electric freight trains, based on redundant electric multiple units.

  • If you look at Real Time Trains, you will find that few trains use King’s Cross station between two and five in the morning.
  • Platforms can take a twelve-car version of these electric freight trains.
  • The new platforms are wide and level.
  • Local delivery could use electric vehicles and bikes.

I think King’s Cross has possibilities for handling goods like food, parcels and shop supplies.

The Short Platforms At Kings Cross

When I was a child, King’s Cross had four short suburban platforms, where N2 steam tank engines hauled suburban services in and out of the station.

The suburban platforms have now been reduced to two platforms, that fit in with the current uses of the station.

  • The two platforms are numbered 9 and 10.
  • They can handle an eight-car Class 700 train, which is 162 metres long.
  • They can handle a five-car Class 800 train, which is 130 metres long.
  • Some five-car services run by the new Hitachi trains use these platforms.

These pictures show the platforms.

Note.

  1. The platforms are wide.
  2. The picture of the Azuma in Platform 9 was taken before the centre track was removed recently.
  3. Today, one LNER Azuma departed from Platform 9 to go to Lincoln, but both platforms were busy with Great Northern services to Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn.

I do wonder if the platforms could be used for light freight, during the night.

Conclusion

King’s Cross is not just one of the UK’s finest railway stations, which is recognised by its Grade I Listed status, but it is now moving towards an efficient, high-capacity station that works around the clock!

 

 

July 6, 2021 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

These New Sleeper Trains Are Basically Luxury Hotels On Wheels

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

French startup; Midnight Trains, aims to update sleeper trains for the twenty-first century.

What Routes Are Being Offered?

The Time Out article says this.

Centred around Paris’s Gare du Nord train station, routes will stretch as far as 800km in a star shape across Europe, encompassing major destinations such as Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Berlin, Hamburg, Copenhagen and even Edinburgh.

A map on the Midnight Trains web site, shows these individual routes.

  • Paris and Barcelona
  • Paris and Edinburgh
  • Paris and Madrid
  • Paris and Porto
  • Paris, Brussels, Hamburg and Copenhagen
  • Paris, Brussels, Hamburg and Berlin
  • Paris, Milan and Venice
  • Paris, Florence and Rome

I’m sure this list will grow.

Some Detailed Looks At Routes

I shall give a few notes about some of the proposed routes.

Paris And Barcelona

Crows would fly 831 kilometres or 516 miles.

I have gone by train between Barcelona and Paris twice. One trip is described in From Barcelona To Paris.

It looks like it takes 06:40 in a TGV without a change.

The service leaves from Barcelona Sants and arrives at Paris Lyon.

Time Out says journeys are centred on Gare Nord, so could the train access that terminal from the South?

An eight or nine hour sleeper journey would probably be convenient for train operators and passengers.

But I suspect that this route may need trains that can take advantage of the high speed nature of much of the route.

Paris And Edinburgh

Crows would fly 873 kilometres or 543 miles.

  • I have gone by train between London and Edinburgh many times and four-and-a half hours would not be an unreasonable time.
  • I have also used  Eurostar between London and Paris many times and two-and-a-quarter-hours would not be an unreasonable time.

An eight or nine hour sleeper journey would probably be convenient for train operators and passengers.

The most efficient way could be for the Paris and Edinburgh service to operate would be with a reverse at St. Pancras.

  • It could be at between one and three in the morning, as sleeper trains run slower than high speed services.
  • It would take about ten-fifteen minutes for the driver to change ends.

Would they be allowed to pick up passengers on the way through London?

  • I doubt they would be able to do this universally, but there must be a market for passengers needing to get to Edinburgh or Paris early in the morning from London.
  • During the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, on one day, I used the Caledonian Sleeper to return to London. It was packed and a sleeper train leaving for Paris and Edinburgh might pick up a substantial number of passengers after sporting or cultural events or business that finished late in the evening.
  • Timings could be arranged, so that both the Edinburgh and Paris legs were sufficient for say four or five hours sleep.

Caledonian Sleeper would probably object. But competition of this nature is often mutually beneficial.

There is also an alternative fully-electrified route that avoids the reverse at St. Pancras.

It winds its way through East London between Barking and Holloway using the North London Line.

It is feasible, but wouldn’t have the commercial advantages of a reverse in St. Pancras.

Would the Paris and Edinburgh services call at other stations?

The Lowland Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh and Glasgow calls at the following other stations.

  • Watford Junction – Pick up Northbound – Set down Southbound
  • Carlisle – Pick up Southbound – Set down Northbound
  • Carstairs – Pick up Southbound – Set down Northbound
  • Motherwell – Pick up Southbound – Set down Northbound

Would the Midnight Trains do something similar. Perhaps they would call at the following stations.

  • Stevenage – Pick up Northbound – Set down Southbound
  • York – Pick up Southbound – Set down Northbound
  • Newcastle – Pick up Southbound – Set down Northbound

This would create three extra sleeper services.

  • Paris and Newcastle
  • Paris and York
  • Stevenage and Edinburgh

Commercially this must be attractive, as it would require no extra rolling stock.

I also suspect providing Customs and Immigration for outgoing passengers at York and Newcastle would not be an expense, that made the stops unviable.

Paris And Madrid

Crows would fly 1057 kilometres or 657 miles.

In 2014, I used trains from Madrid to Paris and on to London, which I wrote about in From Madrid To London.

That was a trip that I planned on the move, so it could have been done faster.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Barcelona – 6:41
  • Barcelona and Madrid – 2:45

Note

  1. All times are given in hours:minutes.
  2. A direct service without a change at Barcelona must be possible.
  3. Would this service pick up and set down at Girona, Barcelona, Camp de Tarragona and Zaragoza?

A ten or eleven hour sleeper journey would probably be feasible and convenient for train operators and passengers.

But when I look at the route map on the Midnight Trains web site, their route between Paris and Madrid appears to go further to the West.

I have a strong feeling that they are proposing to use the currently closed route via the iconic Canfranc station.

But then Wikipedia says this about plans for the future of the route and the station.

The government of Aragon has long held various ambitions for the rehabilitation of the station. Plans have been mooted to redevelop the main station building into a hotel, which would involve the construction of a new station beside it to replace it. There have been explorations of options to reopen the through line as the “western trans-Pyrenean line”; this initiative would reportedly involve the assistance of the government of Aquitaine, the adjacent French region. In February 2020, it was announced that funding from the European Union had been made available for the purpose of reopening the through line and relaunching international services.

Note.

  1. A regular rail service between Pau in France and Zaragoza in Spain would tick a lot of boxes.
  2. On the French side the Pau-Canfranc railway is a fifty-eight mile electrified single-track, standard-gauge railway.
  3. On the Spanish side, the railway is Iberian gauge.
  4. It would probably be a useful freight route.
  5. If it could take a TGV, it would enable faster TGV links between France and the Iberian nations.

It looks to me, that if it was properly rebuilt, it could be a useful standard gauge line between the high speed networks of France and Spain.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Pau – 4:24
  • Zaragoza and Madrid – 1:35

If Pau and Zaragoza could be achieved in three hours, times would be as good or better, than the Barcelona route.

Paris And Porto

Crows would fly 1213 kilometres or 753 miles.

This is a challenging one to find the route, but I did find a current time of just over fourteen hours with lots of changes.

But from Zaragoza, there does appear to be a route via Burgos and Vigo.

It could be up to sixteen hours, so would probably be the better part of a day.

Could the Madrid and Porto services, provide a service to and from Canfranc?

Consider.

  • Canfranc station is a spectacular station in the Pyrenees.
  • It has been blessed by St. Michael.
  • I suspect many people would like to visit.
  • The station might be converted into a hotel.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see innovative arrangements in the Madrid and Porto services, so that passengers could have a visit to Canfranc.

Paris, Brussels, Hamburg And Copenhagen

Crows would fly 1027 kilometres or 638 miles.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Brussels – 1:32
  • Brussels and Hamburg- 6:49
  • Hamburg and Copenhagen- 5:06

Note

  1. All times are given in hours:minutes.
  2. When I went between Hamburg and Copenhagen by train, I used the Bird Flight Line which involved a train ferry, where passengers had to get on the ship for the crossing. I described that trip in From Copenhagen To Hamburg By Train.
  3. The ferry is being replaced by a tunnel by 2028.
  4. It looks like it might be possible to go between Hamburg and Copenhagen by a longer route further to the North.

An eleven or twelve hour sleeper journey would probably be feasible and convenient for train operators and passengers.

I was initially surprised that the service didn’t call at Amsterdam.

  • But then there are a lot of big cities between Brussels and Amsterdam; Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schipol Airport and The Hague.
  • There is generally one train per hour (tph) between Brussels and Amsterdam.
  • Paris and Amsterdam are only 3:20 apart by Thalys, so perhaps there wouldn’t be many takers for a sleeper train.
  • It would appear that the best route between Paris and Hamburg is via Brussels and Cologne.

From friends in the area, I also get the impression, that it would take forever for the Belgians and the Dutch to decide on the calling pattern.

Paris, Brussels, Hamburg And Berlin

Crows would fly 876 kilometres or 545 miles.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Brussels – 1:32
  • Brussels and Hamburg- 6:49
  • Hamburg and Berlin – 1:36

Note that all times are given in hours:minutes.

A ten or eleven hour sleeper journey would probably be feasible and convenient for train operators and passengers.

I was initially surprised that the service didn’t call at Cologne.

  • Thalys runs a high speed service between Paris and Cologne.
  • DB runs a high speed service between Cologne and Hamburg.
  • NightJet runs a sleeper service from Brussels and Cologne to Austria.

It could be that the demand isn’t thought to be there.

Paris, Milan And Venice

Crows would fly 845 kilometres or 525 miles.

I have done much of this route before and wrote about it in From Novara To Paris.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Milan – 7:22
  • Milan and Venice – 2:29

Note

  1. All times are given in hours:minutes.
  2. Would this service pick up and set down at Turin and Verona?

A ten or eleven hour sleeper journey would probably be feasible and convenient for train operators and passengers.

Paris, Florence And Rome

Crows would fly 1106 kilometres or 687 miles.

Looking at the timetables, I find the following.

  • Paris and Turin – 5:42
  • Turin and Florence – 3:00
  • Florence and Rome – 1:36

Note

  1. All times are given in hours:minutes.
  2. Would this service pick up and set down at Turin and Verona?

A ten or eleven hour sleeper journey would probably be feasible and convenient for train operators and passengers.

What Rolling Stock Will Be Used?

In recent years sleeper train sets have been ordered as follows.

  • Austrian Railways from Siemens.
  • Caledonian Sleepers from CAF of Spain.

But as Midnight Trains is a French Company, I suspect the train order could go to Alstom.

On the other hand because of European procurement rules and quality, the order could go to CAF.

The CAF Mark 5 Coaches are capable of running at 100 mph and there are pictures in On The Caledonian Sleeper To Glasgow.

I do wonder, though if we’ll see a radical design, which is different to current locomotive-hauled sleeper trains.

  • Electrical multiple unit rather than locomotive hauled.
  • 125 mph capability, which could be useful on some routes.
  • A fleet of identical train sets.
  • Ability to use all the voltages on the routes.
  • Ability to work in pairs or singly dependent on the needs of the route.
  • Ability to split and join automatically in a station.
  • Ability to use the signalling on all routes, including high speed ones.
  • The trains would be built to be suitable for all loading gauges on the routes served.

Note.

  1. Given that French-designed Class 373 trains used by Eurostar, could trundle all over South London into Waterloo, I don’t think it will be difficult to design a train, that fitted the Edinburgh service.
  2. Get the design right and there could be other customers.

They would be true Pan-European trains.

When Will The Trains Start Running?

2024 is the date given by Time Out and the Midnight Trains web site.

Conclusion

I like the proposed service.

These are reasons why.

The Proposed Level Of Service

When travelling for between eight and twelve hours, you need a quality train.

Over the years, I must have used sleeper trains run by Caledonian Sleeper at least twenty times,

When they have been good, they have been very good.

The new trains from CAF don’t need for anything more.

If Midnight Trains can match Caledonian Sleeper for quality on trains, service and food, they’ll attract passengers.

The Service Is Easy To Expand And Extend

Consider, these extra services could surely be added to the  proposed network.

  • Paris and Munich
  • Paris and Switzerland.
  • Paris, Nice and Genoa

If some of the plans to connect the UK and Irish railways come to fruition, there could even be a Paris and Dublin service in the distant future.

Consider, these extensions to the proposed services.

  • Edinburgh and Glasgow 1:12
  • Rome and Naples – 1:10
  • Barcelona and Valencia – 2:40

Note that all times are given in hours:minutes.

The Service Is Very UK-Friendly

Because of Eurostar, with its two-and-a-quarter hour journey between two of Europe’s largest cities, London and Paris can almost be considered twin cities with respect to long-distance transport.

Suppose a resident of Paris wants to go for a weeks holiday birdwatching in the North of Scotland, a late afternoon Eurostar to London and the Caledonian sleeper to Inverness is a very-feasible way to travel.

Suppose, I wanted to go from London to Berlin, in the future, I will be able to get a Eurostar to Paris and a Midnight Train to Berlin.

A Good Food Offering

I would hope that the food is of a quality nature.

I am coeliac and must have gluten-free food, like probably up to one percent of people.

I have found that the higher the quality of the food, the more likely it is, that the chef knows their allergies.

Before the pandemic, the best train food in Europe on a regular service was Great Western Railway’s Pullman Dining. But because of the restrictions, I’ve not tried it lately.

 

 

June 30, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Councillors Approve Train Station For Inverness Airport

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Planning permission has finally been granted for a two-platform train station at Inverness Airport.

The plans were “reluctantly” granted by the Highland Council, as much debate over the Petty Level crossing which is to be removed as a consequence.

Ir certainly looks like there were strong arguments over the level crossing.

This Network Rail visualisation shows the station from a virtual helicopter hovering over the Airport.

And this Google Map shows the Airport from the South-West

Note.

  1. The link road to the A96 crossing the railway in both images. But from opposite directions.
  2. In the Network Rail visualisation you can see the roundabout, where the link road joins the A96 in the top left corner.
  3. The current railway is only single track, but Network Rail will be doubling it.
  4. From these images and this document on the Network Rail web site, I can deduce this about the station.
  5. The station will have two platforms that will be capable of handling six-car trains.
  6. The footbridge is shown with lifts.
  7. The station will be able to be used as a Park-and-Ride for Inverness.

I suspect there will be a shuttle bus to the Airport terminal.

Travel Between London And Inverness

I’ve been to Inverness twice and and in both cases, I’ve gone by train.

  • The first time, I went by a  day train from Edinburgh. And I was in the cab courtesy of East Coast. I wrote about it in Edinburgh to Inverness in the Cab of an HST.
  • The other occasion, I took the Caledonian Sleeper to Inverness and that is a civilised way to go.

I feel that on this route very keen competition could develop.

Advantages Of Flying

Flying to Inverness Airport has these advantages.

  • A shorter journey time.
  • A greater choice of destinations.
  • Destinations in the sun.
  • After the new station is built it will be rail connected all the way to Aberdeen.

This Google map shows Inverness and Inverness Airport.

Note.

  1. The city of Inverness is at the Southern end of the Moray Firth.
  2. With all the water, I suspect the airport can be a good neighbour as far as noise and pollution are concerned.
  3. The Airport would have good access to green hydrogen and electricity from renewable sources.
  4. Even the Airport train and all the ground-handling equipment could run on hydrogen.

I feel that the Airport could sell itself as an environmentally-friendly way to the Highlands, when sufficient numbers of zero-carbon aircraft are available.

  • You should be able to fly in from Amsterdam, Birmingham, Brussels, Geneva, London, Manchester etc. and not feel any environmental guilt.
  • Airbus’s proposed hydrogen-powered ZEROe Turbofan is quoted as having a range of 2,000+ nautical miles,
  • That distance would put a lot of the sun in range of Inverness Airport.
  • Smaller feeder airliners could connect to other airports in the North of Scotland and the islands.

Inverness Airport will not be beaten without a fight.

Advantages Of Trains

Taking the train to Inverness has the following advantages.

  • Luxury
  • Zero Carbon-Footprint
  • The possibility of an overnight trip on a sleeper train.
  • The scenery through the Highlands.

I also believe that it would be possible  to design a hydrogen-powered luxury train. I laid out my ideas in LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes.

I believe a train could have this specification.

  • 140 mph operation on 25 KVAC overhead electrification. This was done by British Rail almost forty years ago.
  • Ability to use full digital in-cab signalling. This is on its way and already working in some applications.
  • 110 mph operation on hydrogen. Hitachi are planning 100 mph battery trains, so it should be possible.
  • 400 mile range on one filling of hydrogen. This is working in Germany.
  • Ability to be upgraded to higher speeds on electric power, should the East Coast Main Line be upgraded for higher speeds in the future. The train manufacturers are probably ahead of track designers with this one.

I believe a sub-seven hour time would be possible between London and Inverness.

Conclusion

This is the sort of route, where rail and air will have a hard fight for supremacy.

 

 

May 6, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will COVID-19 Create A Boom In Sleeper Train Services?

I have regularly used the Caledonian Sleeper to go to Scotland, as it gets you there at an early hour in the morning and if you book the train, at the right time, the cost of a single First Class cabin can be about the same cost as a day First Class ticket and a night in a Premier Inn.

Look at this picture, that taken a few months ago, as I was leaving Euston on a Caledonian Sleeper to Edinburgh. It would be very easy to board the train without breaking the two-metre rule.

I believe sleeper trains will see an increase in passengers.

We may also see in increase in services. These posts detail various planned or possible services.

Note that the Caledonian Sleeper, the Swedes and the Austrians are investing in new rolling stock, so that won’t be a problem.

But perhaps the most interesting story, is described in Nightjet Plans Mini-Capsules For Private Travellers.

I can see a series of sleeper trains criss-crossing Europe, where everybody has their own mini-capsule. Perhaps, it will be called Ryantrain or easyTrain.

 

April 19, 2020 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 3 Comments

Caledonian Sleeper Considers Seven-Day Running

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

This is the introductory paragraph.

More routes and seven-day-a-week running could feature for Caledonian Sleeper in the future.

To my mind, it should always be a service that runs seven days a week, as the make-up of passengers seems to contain, a lot of those who want to travel on the day they want.

As to more routes, I wrote about possible services between the Far North and Edinburgh in Rail Sleeper Plan Between Caithness And Edinburgh

This was my conclusion.

I feel that not next year, but once Scotland’s rail system is fully developed, with the shortened Inter-City 125s serving the longer routes and electric trains all over the Central Belt, that a Sleeper Train between Edinburgh and Thurso will be viable.

I’d certainly give it a go!

Conclusion

I can’t see any reasons for investigating the roll out of extra Caledonian Sleeper services, once the company sorts out their current operational problems.

Hopefully, the Scottish Government and tourism industry will give the services their backing.

 

 

October 9, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | 7 Comments

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