Crowded Roads In West London
Today, I tried to get to West Drayton station to have a lunchtime drink with an old mate from Cambridge, who had called me up yesterday, as he might have needed a second person to help him with one of his robotic machines.
But it all went pear-shaped at Paddington, where trains to West Drayton were very much delayed and I was advised to take the Underground to Greenford station and then use a bus.
But at Greenford, there wasn’t a bus map or anybody to ask, so in the end I took a bus to Ealing Hospital, where I thought I knew I could get a bus to West Drayton. But there wasn’t! So I thought about giving up and instead, I got a bus to Ealing Broadway station, to get back to Paddington. But I arrived at Ealing Broadway station, just before a train to West Drayton arrived. I caught that, had a drink with my friend and then caught a train back to Paddington. He didn’t need me to help, as all he needed was a pair of eyes to tell him what was happening at the sharp end of his machine and the client had turned up with his glasses.
So I achieved my objective and also had a wander round the Boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon on buses and trains.
I trundle round North and East London most of the time and sometimes I even cross the River and go to the Deep South.
But I do find West London the most crowded, with buses slowed by all the traffic on the roads and infrequent very busy trains.
The West of London needs improvement in public transport.
I sometimes think, the traffic has got worse over the forty-six years, I had a driving licence.
Rail And Underground Lines
There are several lines going West from Central London, which include.
- The Chiltern Line from Marylebone to West Ruislip
- The Central Line to West Ruislip
- The Metroplitan Line to Uxbridge
- The Piccadilly Line to Uxbridge
- The Great Western Main Line tfrom Paddington to Reading and Heathrow
- The Piccadilly Line to Heathrow
Going further round, there are several lines from Waterloo going to the South West.
Only one line; the West London Line goes North South, although there used to be others.
The network is probably more sparse than some other directions from London.
Reliance on Cars And Buses
I think this rather thin coverage, puts a heavy radiance on cars and buses, which might explain the crowded roads.
Crossrail
Crossrail will bring improvement with the following Off Peak services in trains per hour (tph), along the slow lines of the Great Western Main Line.
- 4 tph to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 2 tph to Reading
- 2 tph to Maidenhead
Note.
- The central core tunnel probably has a limit of 24 tph.
- The service has a good balance between the various destinations.
- There will also be Great Western Railway services.
- Looking at the Crossrail schedule, there is scope to adjust the schedule on each branch.
I think that as Crossrail develops and the line and its passengers learn more about each other, the service pattern of Crossrail will change.
If I have a worry about Crossrail, it is that few of the stations towards Central London have many parking spaces, so will walking, cycling and the buses be adequate for Crossrail to tap its full potential?
The West London Tram
The West London Tram was proposed by Ken Livingstone in 2002.
These paragraphs from Wikipedia describes the tram and its route.
The West London Tram was a proposed on-street light rail line that was to run along the Uxbridge Road (A4020) corridor in West London, England. The scheme is promoted by Transport for London (TfL) but opposed by the councils of all three London Boroughs through which it would run. It was postponed indefinitely on 2 August 2007
The tram route was planned to run between Uxbridge and Shepherd’s Bush, serving Hillingdon, Southall, Hanwell, West Ealing, Ealing and Acton en route and would have completely replaced a number of equivalent London Bus routes.
If it had been built it would have had good connectivity to Crossrail and the Central Line. But the view of those against the project prevailed.
In my trip today, you could see why probably every car driver in the area, would be against a scheme like the tram. Only at places on the route, where there was a wide island of grass dividing the carriageways, would the tram not have increased congestion.
It looks like the thirty million pounds spent was wasted.
Crossrail And/Or West London Tram?
This Google Map shows the area around the three stations of Hanwell, West Ealing And Ealing Broadway.
Great Western Main Line And The A4020 Through Ealing
Note.
- The Great Western Main Line across the middle.
- The A 4020 runs South of and parallel to the railway.
- Ealing Hospital is marked by the red arrow in the bottom left of the map.
I asked in the Header to this section if it should be And/Or between the projects.
Undoubtedly, it should be Or! Taxpayers can’t afford both!
In comparing the two, I believe the following points are valid.
- Trams stop about three or four more times than trains.
- The train is faster.
- The tram doesn’t serve Old Oak Common station or Heathrow.
- Trams annoy drivers in the same way that bendy buses do.
- Crossrail has a rich connection pattern compared to the tram.
- Pedestrians probably prefer trams, whilst drivers prefer trains.
The politicians decided and chose the trains.
Making More Of The Railways
If the streets are crowded can we use the existing railways to inject greater capacity into the existing railways in West London?
The key to this, as it sits in the middle of so many lines is the creation of a new station at Old Oak Common.
I will now summarise the possible rail projects that can be developed in West London
Chiltern Railways To Old Oak Common
Chiltern Railways have a capacity problem at Marylebone and one way to alleviate it would be for Chiltern to create a second terminal at Old Oak Common station, which could be accessed using an improved New North Main Line.
There is a real possibility of this project going forward and it could have many worthwhile features.
It would add another East-West route across West London, but with the comprehensive connectivity of Old Oak Common.
Chiltern Metro Creation
Wikipedia says this about a Chiltern Metro.
New Chiltern Metro Service that would operate 4+tph for Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park, South Ruislip and West Ruislip. This would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip, passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow, and a passing loop at Wembley Stadium (part of the old down fast line is in use as a central reversing siding, for stock movements and additionally for 8-car football shuttles to convey passengers to the stadium for events).[73] This ‘Chiltern Metro’ service was not programmed into the last round of franchising agreements.
When I wrote Could A Chiltern Metro Be Created? and came to the conclusion, that it might be possible, I got several positive responses.
Greenford Branch Improvements
The Greenford Branch Line connects the Great Western Main Line and the New North Line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Northern end of the branch, where it joins the New North Line.
Northern End Of The Greenford Branch
Whilst this map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the Southern end of the branch, where it joins the Great Western Main Line.
Southern End Of The Greenford Branch
What service the line will get after Crossrail opens has still to be decided,
- 4 tph between West Ealing and Greenford stations is certainly possible.
- There are those, including Ealing Council, who don’t like Greenford losing its direct connection to Paddington.
- A rebuilt Greenford station could incorporate Chiltern services.
As the connections at both ends of the branch allow trains to go in either an East or West direction, could this be useful in creating services between the two main lines?
Brentford Branch Reopening
I wrote about this in Could The Golden Mile In Houslow Get A Station?
The Brentford Branch could be a useful branch, worked by a shuttle train!
Hounslow Loop Line Improvements
The Hounslow Loop Line, which has a strong presence on both sides of the river and takes passengers to and from Waterloo, is being improved to increase capacity.
Could we see the Overground opening new services along the North London Line to perhaps Brentford, Hounslow and Feltham stations?
The route is used by freight trains, and Transport have suggested using the route to create an orbital Overground route.
Conclusions
The railways will take the strain in West London, after the abandonment of the West London Tram.
Can Mark 3 Coaches Come To The Rescue?
The Mark 3 coach is one of the mainstays of UK railways.
- Chiltern Railways use thirty one coaches on Birmingham and Oxford services from Marylebone.
- CrossCountry have thirty-eight coaches as part of InterCity 125s.
- East Midlands Trains have over a hundred as part of InterCity 125s
- Greater Anglia use one hundred and thirty coaches between Liverpool Street and Norwich.
- Great Western Railway have over four-hundred and fifty coaches as past of InterCity 125s.
- Virgin Trains East Coast have over a hundred coaches as part of InterCity 125s.
It should be said, that some are in better condition than others and very few meet the latest access regulations.
But even the table hides a few strength and problems.
Chiltern Trains
Chiltern Trains run their Mark 3 sets with a driving van trailer (DVT) and a Class 68 locomotive on some Birmingham and Oxford services.
- Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street is a two trains per hour (tph) service and the journey takes ten minutes under two hours.
- Marylebone to Oxford is a two tph service and the journey takes a few minutes over an hour.
The Birmingham service needs eight trains for a 2 tph service.
The Oxford service would need six trains for a 2 tph service, but if the journey could be under the hour, there could be a reduction in the number of trains needed.
If Chiltern decided to run a 2 tph service between Oxford and Birmingham, as I suggested in Where Next For Chiltern?, this would need another four trains.
This leads me to say.
- As Chiltern only have six sets of Mark 3 coaches, they will have to use Class 168 trains for some of the services.
- Probably by clever timetabling, they would need at least a dozen trains to run a quality two tph service on both routes.
- They would probably like all their services to Birmingham and Oxford to share a common train type, for operational and marketing reasons.
So where do Chiltern find another probably ten trains?
- The Class 68 locomotives would have to be hired.
- There are up to a dozen DVTs in storage at Long Marston according to Wikipedia, so creating some for the trains, might be a reasonably predictable refurbishment.
But where do they find the sixty coaches needed?
This article from Rail Magazine in June 2012, is entitled Making the Mk 3s even better, describes Chiltern’s methods.
This is an extract.
Economics dictate that it is cheaper to rebuild the Mk 3s than to order brand new DMUs. Indeed, because of track access and fuel costs, if a LHCS formation is more than five coaches (as they are in Chiltern’s case), then the costs favour locomotive-hauled trains.
The freedom to be able to do this is also a factor for Chiltern. The franchise is owned by Deutsche Bahn, which also owns the coaches. This means that vehicles can be tailored to exactly what the operator wants, rather than thinking about the re-sale value. No expensive engineering will be needed, again because this is what Chiltern wants.
Note the trains are in the same ownership as Chiltern; Deutsche Bahn.
As a passenger, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The product looks, feels and tastes good!
Greater Anglia
Greater Anglia could be a good source of quality Mark 3 coaches.
- Greater Anglia have 130 of them, which are leased from Porterbrook.
- The trainsare due to be replaced by new Flirt electric multiple units during 2019/2020.
- The trains have recently been refurbished and have been fitted with wi-fi and retention toilets.
The problem is that they are still slam-door stock and don’t meet the latest access regulations.
But this is not a great problem, as Chiltern have form in updating Mark 3 coaches to meet the latest standards.
Greater Anglia are also replacing fifteen sets of carriages with just 10 electric multiple units, which will provide Norwich in ninety minutes at 3 tph, as opposed to the current service of Norwich in two hours at just 2 tph.
Incidentally, just eight trains are needed to provide the current service, so Greater Anglia could have a few spares.
So it looks to me, that immediately each Flirt is in service, there will be a Mark 3 set sitting in Crown Point ready to go on its next task.
But as just ten Flirts will be replacing fifteen Mark 3 sets, it looks to me, Chiltern might be able to raid Greater Anglia’s stock of spare trains earlier than has so far been thought.
Suppose three trains could be released, this would release twenty-four refurbished coaches and three DVTs.
If another DVT could be sources from Long Marston, then there would be another four rakes of coaches for refurbishment to Chiltern’s standards.
One of the great advantages of modifying the Greater Anglia coaches, is that they have all been refurbished to a high standard, so I suspect that all the mechanicals and structure of the coaches are in virtually in as-new condition.
This page on the Greater Anglia web site, gives full details of the refurbishment.
This is said.
The significant refresh will see all of the train operator’s MkIII fleet enhanced, with improvements throughout for both First Class and Standard carriages including, plug points; new LED lighting; new carpets; new tables; new seat covers; upgraded environmentally-friendly controlled emission toilets with new floors and new taps; re-painting of the carriage interior saloon and vestibule panels, walls and ceilings.
It also appears that Greater Anglia set up a special work-shop in Crown Point TMD to do the update.
Could Greater Anglia have stolen a copy of Chiltern’s rule-book? More likely, they used the same consultant.
After a recent trip in one of these coaches with a friend, I wrote The Power Of Three! To say she was impressed, could be an understatement!
Chiltern just need to fit the new doors and their own interiors.
The Various InterCity 125 Coaches.
There are several ideas as to what to do with the various High Speed Trains formed from two Class 43 locomotives and an appropriate number of Mark 3 coaches.
This according to Wikipedia is Abellio’s Scotrail’s plan.
Abellio ScotRail will also introduce 9 four-car (2+4) and 17 five-car (2+5) refurbished High Speed Trains by December 2018 on longer-distance services between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. Scotrail will receive the first locomotives and carriages late 2017, with the refurbishment program taking place at Brush Loughborough (power cars) and Wabtec Doncaster (carriages) between late 2017 and May 2019.
There have been rumours that Great Western Railway will do something similar with a few more trains.
As the InterCity 125s will each be shortened by a few coaches this will release more coaches for use by other operators.
Lots Of Mark 3 Rakes Of Coaches
There are probably enough Mark 3 coaches in excellent condition and DVTs, that can be refurbished, to create perhaps another twenty-five rakes of between five-car and eight-car Mark 3 coaches, tailored to an individual customer’s need.
All of the design work has been done and proven by Chiltern or their contractors.
Obviously, you wouldn’t fit the doors and do the final parts of the refurbishment, until you actually had a customer, but it looks to me, that Porterbrook, who own the Greater Anglia Mark 3 coaches, seem to be doing a bit of speculation. Obviously, they have a plan in there to make money, as ROSCOs don’t do charity!
There is also this article from Rail Magazine, which is entitled Refurbished Mk 3s for Tornado.
It describes how, a rake of Greater Anglia’s Mark 3 coaches, will be acquired to be used with the new-build steam locomotive 60163 Tornado. One would even be fitted with a water tank to extend the range of the engine. Surely, a Mark 3 can handle that sort of weight.
Porterbrook have done well in the last few months out of a speculative order for Class 387 trains, that helped tide some train companies through rolling-stock shortages.
So have they seen a market niche to create an affordable train for longer routes based on Mark 3 coaches hauled by a Class 68 locomotive or perhaps a Class 88 electro-diesel locomotive.
Consider.
- It would meet all the access and environmental regulations.
- It would probably be quieter than a shortened InterCity 125.
- According to the Rail Magazine article, track access charges are affordable.
- As Chiltern and Greater Anglia are showing, it would deliver a superb customer experience.
- Chiltern like the package and could be a customer or do something similar themselves.
- It would be ideal for some of CrossCountry’s long routes like Aberdeen to Plymouth.
- It would be ideal for an open-access operator, developing a new route.
- Virgin West Coast might like it for Euston to Holyhead.
- With a faster version of the Class 88 locomotive, it might have a maximum speed in excess of 100 mph.
It would do anything a Class 800 train can do, at probably a more affordable purchase price, lower track access charges and an earlier delivery date.
Conclusion
Their is something behind Porterbrook’s decision to refurbish Greater Anglia’s Mark 3 coaches, when they knew there was a good chance they would be replaced by new trains, as the clapped Class 90 locomotives certainly couldn’t do London to Norwich in ninety minutes, as mandated in the new East Anglian franchise.
I suppose that Abellio could have been keen to upgrade the coaches, as the interiors were very much on the tatty side and the upgraded coaches would hold the fort until the Flirts arrived, without too much grief.
On the other hand, if the Great Western Electrification gets later and Abellio ScotRail lose their source of shortened InterCity 125s, locomotive-hauled Mark 3s to a high standard would be a very acceptable and affordable alternative.
I must also ask this question.
Could Greater Anglia’s Mark 3 coaches have been refurbished, so that to fulfil Scotrail’s requirements, all that needs to be done is the following?
- Fit doors that are compliant with the access regulations.
- Shuffle the coaches to the length and First and Standard Class capacities required.
- Give the rake of coaches a Scotrail livery.
- Couple a Class 68 or Class 88 locomotive on one requisite end.
I suspect the negotiation would be quite convivial, as both Greater Anglia and Scotrail are owned by Abellio.
The only problem would be that Scotrail need 9 four-car and 17 five-car trains and there may not be enough DVTs. However, some sets could be to the original plan of shortened InterCity 125s.
Scotrail certainly have a Plan B, if the Great Western Electrification gets even more pear-shaped.
Appendix – Posted on December 24th, 2016
In the January 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, under a heading of Pennine Pretendolino, there is a picture of a Class 68 locomotive hauling, the jokily named spare rake of Mark 3 coaches to Laira depot for attention, so that it can be used for driver training purposes by TransPennine Express, prior to the arrival pg the new Mark 5A coaches from CAF.
The Pretendolino is described under rolling stock on the Virgin Trains entry in Wikipedia. This is said.
Following the loss of a Class 390 Pendolino in the Grayrigg derailment, a Mark 3 set with a Driving Van Trailer was leased with a Class 90 hired from English Welsh & Scottish as required. In 2008 Virgin looked at leasing two Class 180[49] but decided to retain the Mark 3 set. Nicknamed the Pretendolino, this received re-upholstered seating, power points, wi-fi and a full external re-paint at Wabtec, Doncaster in 2009.[50] Virgin used this set with a Class 90 locomotive hired from Freightliner on a Euston to Crewe (via Birmingham) service on Fridays only until December 2012. From 9 December 2013 it was utilised to operate a London Euston -Birmingham New Street train on Thursdays and Fridays only, until its withdrawal in October 2014. The Mk.III set was also occasionally hired out as a private charter train. It was used in the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and can be seen at King’s Cross station at the end of the film. It is currently in use as a ‘hot spare’ with Abellio Greater Anglia
Like most of its siblings, it is showing a very strong survival instinct and keeping well away from the scrapyard.
Over the last year or so, I’ve ridden to and from Ipswich in the train several times, as it has been filling in whilst, the operator was updating their own Msrk 3 coaches.
Where Next For Chiltern?
Chiltern Railways have now got their Marylebone to Oxford service up and running.
Wikipedia gives a list of their future plans. Included are the following.
- Platform lengthening.
- Restoration of former tracks.
- Remodelling Banbury, which has already been done.
- Building of the West Hampstead Interchange.
- Development of services between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes.
- Creation of a Chiltern Metro.
- Reopening various branch lies.
In addition there has been talk of electrification and opening a route along the New North Line to Old Oak Common.
Building On Oxford
As of yesterday, as I wrote in Oxford To Marylebone Opens For Business, they now have a two-platform terminus at Oxford station.
I can’t believe they have made this investment there, without other plans to use it. Wikipedia says this about the platforms at Oxford station.
The scheme also includes two new platforms at Oxford station, to be built on the site of the disused parcels depot. The new platforms will initially be five carriages in length, but provision will be made for them to be extended southwards to eight carriages.
A two platform terminus like this, will have a large capacity, when fully developed.
- Two of Chiltern’s Class 68 locomotive hauled sets of Mark 3 coaches could be accommodated at the same time.
- Two shorter trains could be handled in one platform at the same time.
- Rebuilding plans for Oxford station would improve passenger handling.
- The two-platform underround terminus at Moorgate handles 12 tph.
It could probable handle the proposed two trains per hour (tph) for the East West Rail Link with ease.
I can’t believe that these two platforms, won’t become a vibrant mini-station within Oxford station.
But where will trains and passengers go?
Expansion At Birmingham Moor Street
Birmingham Moor Street station is one of those stations, that spent decades in the wildeness and has now become an important alternative station.
Wikipedia says this about Proposed Future Developments concerning expansion of the station.
The currently disused third bay platform would be reopened, and an additional new fourth bay platform would be opened to accommodate the new services.
This is also said about HS2.
The High Speed 2 terminus in Birmingham is planned to be built on an adjacent site and will likely be linked to Moor Street, though have a separate name (either Fazeley Street or Curzon Street). The station and high-speed line is proposed to be completed by the mid-2020s.
So it looks as if Moor Street will become a more important Birmingham station for commuters and a gateway to high speed vservices from the city.
Services Between Oxford And Birmingham
Currently around two tph run between Oxford and Birmingham.
- Typically, they call at places like Banbury, Leamington Spa, Coventry and Birmingham International.
- Services are run by Cross-Country.
- Services take between sixty and seventy minutes.
- Services continue to places like Bournemouth, Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle.
I’ve travelled on the route several times.
- It tends to be overcrowded.
- Service quality is not of the quality, you get with Chiltern, London Midland or TransPennine Express.
I think there could be a niche for an extra service between Oxford and Birmingham,, just as Chiltern hope and probably know, there’s room for one between London and Oxford.
- Services would go between the bay platforms at Oxford and Birmingham Moor Street.
- The Banbury remodelling must have helped the timetabling of the service.
- A Chiltern quality service would be provided.
- Two tph would leave at the same minutes past the half-hour.
- Services could call at Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Warwick Parkway and Solihull, or whatever was appropriate.
- Journey time could be sixty minutes or just under.
- 2 tph on an hourly service would need four trains to run a service all day.
- The Oxford Birmingham route would get four tph.
The only loser would be Cross-Country, who might lose passengers to the new service.
But then like Chiltern, they are ultimately owned by Deutche Bahn.
But, you can’t run a service without trains.
From 2019, Greater Anglia will start to receive new twelve-car Flirts for Liverpool Street to Norwich services. Currently, to run this service Greater Anglia uses 15 sets of eight Mark 3 carriages, with Class 90 locomotives and driving van trailers. In the last couple of years, all have been superbly refurbished with the addition of wi-fi and retention toilets. All the trains need is to fit sliding doors, as Chiltern have done for their Mark 3 coaches and replace the Class 90 with a Class 68 locomotive.
This would enable, Chiltern to offer a Mark 3 -only service between Marylebone and Birmingham and Oxford and the release of other trains for the Oxford to Birmingham service.
As every operator is short of trains and delivery timescales slip, it might be worth looking at the availability of suitable trains.
- According to Wikipedia, as many as twelve driving van trailers could be in store at Long Marston. How many could be brought back into service?
- Greater Anglia are replacing fifteen sets of Mark 3 carriages and a DVT, with ten electric Flirts, that will increase the frequency from 2 tph to 3 tph. Could this mean that one or two sets could be released before the Flirts enter service?
- Hopefully, InterCity 125s will start to be available, as they are replaced with Class 800 trains from Summer 2017.
There are also other possibilities if events go to plan.
This is certainly a development to file under Watch This Space.
Oxford To Marylebone Opens For Business
I took these pictures, at Oxford station today, as the Great and Good opened the Chiltern’s new service to Oxford.
Compare the pictures, with these, I took on the 1st of December.
It does appear a lot of work has been done, in the intervening ten days.
Improving Train Services Through Oxford
As the Didcot Parkeay to Oxford electrification is now going to be delayed until the mid-2020s, I thought this article in the Oxford Times offered an interesting solution.
It proposes that Chiltern’s Marylebone to Oxford service goes on to Didcot Parkway.
A Walk From Oxford Station – 1st December 2016
This walk was a repeat of A Walk From Oxford Station, that I took in March 2015.
.
You wouldn’t notice much from the pictures, but being there I noticed changes.
It was all so much better organised, with a new bridge and extra tracks for Chiltern services.
Exploring The Great Western Branches – 29th November 2016
On this morning, I explored the three branches of the Great Western Main Line, that are closest to London, to look at the progress of electrifying their connecting stations on the main line.
I then repeated the trip to add in two more branches.
I was also looking to see how services could be run with say four-car Class 387 trains, that had been fitted with on-board energy storage, as I wrote about in Rumours Of Battery-Powered Trains.
All the branches are described in order from London.
Electrification At West Ealing Station And On The Greenford Branch
These pictures show the electrification at West Ealing station, where the Greenford Branch Line connects to the main line.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the area in the photographs, at the Southern end of the Greenford Branch Line.
The Southern End Of The Greenford Branch
Notes and queries.
- The pictures of the lines were taken from a footbridge over the line, behind the Access Self Storage.
- The lines in the map show an older layout.
- The track in the bay platform 5 has access to both tracks on the Greenford Branch, which means that two trains could work the line to provide a four trains per hour (tph) service.
- The Up Slow line has access to both tracks on the Greenford Branch and to the new West Ealing sidings.
- The island for Platforms 4 and 5 appears to be more or less complete.
- Platform 3 needs to be lengthened.
- There are signs of foundations for the footbridge, past the end of the current Platform 3 and in the construction works beyond Platform 5.
- Will the Bay Platform 5 be double-sided? There’s no foundations for a bridge on the Platform 4/5 island.
- Will Platforms 1 and 2 be reconstructed or removed?
I suspect that the station is ready for a four tph diesel shuttle to Greenford, but the Bay Platform 5 can’t be wired until the bridge is in place.
Could Electric Trains With On-Board Energy Storage Work The Greenford Branch?
A few facts and thoughts.
- The service is not possible at present, as there are no wires in the Bay Platform 5 at West Ealing station, where the trains would need to charge their storage between trips.
- Trains would probably wait between three and five minutes at West Ealing station, which would be more than enough to top up the batteries.
- The bay platform at Greenford station and platforms at the other stations will probably need lengthening, but there would probably be little other infrastructure work.
- Incidentally, there is a tunnel on the branch, where blocks of housing have been built over the line, so electrification of the line could be difficult, unless provision was made, when the housing was built.
- Without doubt, the track layout at West Ealing has been designed, so that two trains could provide a four tph service.
- Two four-car trains could probably be parked in the bay platform. This could give operational flexibility.
Passenger routes between main line and Greenford Branch services would be as follows.
- With Eastbound services on the main line, the change would a very easy walk of a few metres across the island platform.
- With Westbound services on the main line, use of the bridge would be needed. But it looks like the footbridge has been positioned at the optimal position for both services and passengers joining or leaving the railway at West Ealing station.
As there will be frequencies of at least 8 tph on the main line and 4 tph on the branch, waiting will be a maximum of fifteen minutes.
The West Ealing Sidings
The pictures show the Orange Army swarming all over the new West Ealing Sidings, which will provide stabling for the new Class 387 trains.
I also took these pictures of the sidings as I returned to London.
Incidentally, as I passed through Old Oak Common on the way back to London, there were upwards of six of the new trains squatting in Hitachi’s new depot for the Class 800 trains.
If in the future, there is a variant of these trains with on-board energy storage, these sidings are certainly conveniently placed for the Greenford Branch.
Traffic On The Brentford Branch Line
These pictures were taken from Southall station of a train going onto the Brentford Branch Line.
I’d never seen any traffic here before and I only included the pictures, as Hounslow Council have aspirations for a passenger service on this line, that I wrote about in Could The Golden Mile In Houslow Get A Station?
If it was decided to open the Brentford Branch Line to passenger trains, then Class 387 trains with on-board energy storage would be a possibility to provide services.
A Heathrow Connect Class 360 Train in Platform 5 At Hayes and Harlington Station
I didn’t expect to see this.
A Heathrow Connect Class 360 Train in Platform 5 At Hayes and Harlington Station
But there were signalling issues, so they appeared to be using the Class 360 train as a shuttle to Heathrow.
Electrification At Slough Station And On The Windsor Branch
These pictures show the electrification at Slough station, where the Windsor Branch Line or more correct, the Slough to Windsor and Eton Line connects to the main line.
Note.
- There are overhead gantries over Platform 1 at Slough station, which is the bay platform for the Windsor Branch Line.
- There is a line of overhead line gantries on the outside of the curve, as the Windsor Branch Line leaves Slough.
- The gantries on the branch are lighter than those on the main line.
- The Class 166 train in the picture had three-cars, so the platform could probably be lengthened for a four-car Class 387 train.
As there appears to be no work anywhere else on the branch, I have to assume, that the electrification doesn’t go very far along the Windsor Branch Line.
This Google Map shows the lines at the start of the Windsor Branch Line.
There are two main tracks at the start of the Windsor Branch.
The track closest to the blue building, is the actual branch.
- It is a single track that goes between Windsor and Eton Central station and the Bay Platform 1 at Slough station.
- Trains take six minutes for the journey.
- The current frequency is three tph.
- The bay platform 1 and a short length of the branch could be electrified.
The track furthest from the blue building is a long spur off the Down Main, that allows trains to be moved to and from the Windsor Branch Line.
- It appears to be long enough for train to be parked on the spur.
- It appears that the spur is being electrified for about a couple of hundred metres.
- The spur could be extended or reconfigured to become a passing loop.
There also appears that there is a crossing that allows trains to move to and from the bay platform 1.
Could Electric Trains With On-Board Energy Storage Work The Windsor Branch?
Operation of the Windsor Branch would be as follow with a train fitted with on-board energy storages.
- Trains enter the branch by going to the end of the spur and reversing into the bay platform 1.
- Trains charge their on-board energy storage in Platform 1.
- Trains run to and from Windsor using on-board energy, charging after each trip.
- Trains leave the branch by going to the end of the spur and reversing onto the Down Main.
I have a feeling that if needed, that with small modifications, four tph might be possible, using two trains.
One of the possibilities unlocked by four tph could be to use the train to get passengers to the town from a Park-and-Ride site, beside Junction
Windsor And Eton Central Station
I took these pictures of Windsor and Eton Central station.
It certainly has several quality food outlets.
Electrification At Maidenhead Station And On The Marlow Branch
These pictures show the electrification at Maidenhead station, where the Marlow Branch Line connects to the main line.
Note.
- Platform 5 is almost fully-electrified and the wires curve away onto the Marlow Branch.
- Platform 4 and its connection to the Marlow Branch appears to be fully electrified.
- There is a reversing siding to the West of the station in there somewhere.
- There is an unfinished gap in the electrification of all lines to the East of Maidenhead station.
I wouldn’t think it would be long before all the electrification work is finished at Maidenhead station.
Could Electric Trains With On-Board Energy Storage Work The Marlow Branch?
So how will the various services to and from Maidenhead and on the Marlow Branch be handled, if Class 387 trains with on-board storage were available?
- Between London and Maidenhead services would be worked using overhead power.
- Between Maidenhead and Bourne End, services would be worked using on-board energy storage, that would be charged in Platform 5 at Maidenhead or on the main line to and from London.
- Between Bourne End and Marlow, the trains couldn’t run as they are too long and a two-car Class 166 would work the service and connect at Bourne End.
From the layout of the overhead wiring, I suspect that which of Platforms 4 or 5 is used at Maidenhead is flexible and which is actually used by a particular service would depend on many factors.
Electrification At Twyford Station And On The Henley Branch
These pictures show the lack of electrification work at Twyford station, where the Henley Branch Line connects to the main line.
The two slow platforms 3 and 4 at Twyford station, which will be used by Crossrail and Platform 5 which is used by the Henley Branch trains, show no signs of electrification, although work has been done on the fast platforms 1 and 2.
In the December 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article by Roger Ford entitled Electrical Clearances: The Plot Thickens.
As the stations either side of Twyford, which are Maidenhead and Reading, are both almost fully wired, there must be a serious reason why there isn’t any work started on Platforms 3, 4 and 5 at Twyford. Could it be that without either rebuilding the bridge or lowering the track and rebuilding the platforms, the new regulations can’t be met?
However, there could be a possible solution.
These trains will be using the station in a few years.
- Class 800 trains, which are bi-mode.
- Class 345 trains, which I believe could be fitted with on-board energy storage for other reasons, like tunnel emergencies.
- Class 387 trains, which I believe could be fitted with on-board energy storage.
So could we see Platforms 3 and 4 at Twyfrord station without wires?
I’ve no idea!
But it does seem strange that no electrification work has been started at Twyford station, except on the fast lines, through Platforms 1 and 2.
Could Electric Trains With On-Board Energy Storage Work The Henley Branch?
So how will the various services on the Henley Branch be handled, if Class 387 trains with on-board storage were available?
Consider.
- The branch is only a short one with a total length of 4.5 miles.
- There are one tph on the branch, with extras to Paddington in the Peak.
- Trains turn round in about four minutes.
- From 2018, Twyford station will be served by 2 tph from Crossrail and 4 tph from GWR in each direction.
- Platforms at all stations seem long enough for at least four-car trains.
- There used to be a passing loop at Shiplake station.
- Trains going to and from Paddington could charge their energy storage on the main line.
Two trains working a reconfigured branch could possibly create a 4 tph service.
Creating a four tph service on the Henley Branch, is the sort of problem, that engineers solve in the traditional way. – In a suitable hostelry!
I think that spending the money on a passing loop, some means of charging the trains and possibly a rebuilt Shiplake station, will be much better value, than electrifying the branch and the Crossrail platforms at Twyford station.
Electrification At Reading
In the December 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Loco-Hauled EMUs On GWR.
The article starts by saying.
GWR’s new Class 387 trains will be loco-hauled to and from their depot at Reading, until electrification between Maidenhead and Reading is completed.
Could this all be because, Network Rail don’t have a plan to electrify Twyford?
At least the depot seems electrified.
I didn’t see a Class 387 in their depot, but there were at least half-a-dozen parked at Hitachi’s depot at North Pole.
Electrification From Didcot To Oxford
The Cherwell Valley Line between Didcot and Oxford can be described as follows.
- It is a double-track hemmed in on both sides.
- The two stations at Radley and Culham are on narrow strips of land and could be difficult to electrify.
- There is a tail of electrification gantries from Didcot Parkway onto the branch, which is typical of some other branches like Windsor and Marlow.
- There were electrification piles in several places, either in the ground or just lying around.
- The track could have be reconfigured to incorporate a new South-facing bay Platform at Oxford station.
These are some pictures.
One of Chiltern’s Class 168 trains was also hanging around, training drivers.
Could Electric Trains With On-Board Energy Storage Work Didcot To Oxford?
Didcot to Oxford is about 10.5 miles, so I suspect range is not a problem, especially if the new Southern Bay Platform is built, which would mean trains would not have to cross the lines wasting energy North of the station.
What would drive this, is not technology, but if Chiltern are running a service at their usual standard from Oxford to Marylebone, it could be take passengers from the GWR.
New Class 387 trains with on board energy storage could be a good weapon with which to fight back!
But then so would Class 800 trains!
Oxford Station
I took these pictures at Oxford station on the 1st of December.
Note GWR’s 13:01 arrival from Banbury into the new bay Platform 2.
Was I watching the first scheduled train into the new platform?
There certainly wasn’t any dignitaries!
National Rail’s Arrival and Departure details on the Internet certainly showed that Banbury services were using the new Platform 2 later in the day.
Conclusions
From my explorations I have come to the following conclusions.
- There is a large gap in the electrification works at Twyford station.
- It looks to my untrained eye, that the Greenford, Windsor and Marlow branches are being wired, so the branches could be served by electric trains with on-board energy storage.
- The Orange Army is furiously at work creating new sidings at West Ealing for the Class 387 trains.
- It is possible for trains to use the new bay Platform 2 at Oxford station.
It will be interesting to take a Chiltern service to Oxford, when the service opens on the 11th of December.
It certainly was a good day to take photographs.
Linking Chiltern To Crossrail
In the November 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an interview with Dave Penney of Chiltern Railways, as the company is opening their service to Oxford station on the twelve of December.
In Connecting To Crossrail, this is a summary of what is said or implied.
- Chiltern could get a couple of platforms at Old Oak Common station, sandwiched between the Crossrail platforms.
- Access to Northolt Junction is possible, to allow services to connect to the Chiltern Main Line using the Acton To Northolt Line.
- Marylebone is almost at capacity.
- Old Oak Common would give Chiltern a second London terminus and access to Crossrail.
- Two trains per hour (tph) could start from Old Oak Common.
- Aylesbury and High Wycombe could get access to Crossrail.
Chiltern would also get access to all the services calling at Old Oak Common.
I think it is an exciting concept.
Progress On The Cowley Branch
I first wrote about the Cowley Branch in Oxford Takes A Leaf Out Of Cambridge’s Book In November 2014.
Much of my post was based on this article on the BBC, which is entitled Cowley line passenger train service planned for Oxford.
So how is the planning of the branch progressing?
In the November 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an interview with Dave Penney of Chiltern Railways, as the company is opening their service to Oxford station on the twelve of December.
In Science Park Next?, this is a paragraph.
Extending services from Marylebone through Oxford’s platform 3 to Kennington Junctionfor the Cowley Branch might be trouble; the problem is coming back, with Oxford Parkway-bound services having to cross the main lines on the flat at Kennington and into constrained line capacity on the route into Oxford station Extending the down goods loop into the station would help here, but that is some way down Network Rail’s list of priorities, so an Ocford Science Park service seems unlikely to happen anytime soon.
But help might be at hand, in that a new Oxford station might be built, which I wrote about in Could This Be A Ground-Breaking Idea In Station Design?
Surely, if a new station is built, current and possible future services will be taken into account, in the design.
I have no idea if the Cowley Branch will be opened to passenger trains.
I do think that there could be good reasons to create this service.
- Oxford Science Park, Oxford Business Park, Oxford United Stadium and the Mini Factory would gain a passenger rail link.
- Extending Along The Cowley Branch may make operation easier.
- It fits well with the East West Rail Link
- It would greatly increase Chiltern’s catchment area in Oxford.
But, I don’t think we’ll see any progress until planning and building of the new Oxford station has started.
This is Google Map shows the route of the Cowley Branch.
Kennington Junction is where the branch leaves the Oxford to Didcot Line and then curves across the South of the City to the Mini Factory, which is the massive set of light-coloured buildings in the North-East corner of the map.
The Oxford Science Park is indicated by the red arrow, with the stadium to its East.
Chiltern Are Being Very Serious
This article in the Oxford Mail is entitled Train timetable released for new Oxford to London Marylebone route.
This is said.
The new timetable shows services running every 30 minutes, starting at 6.02am from Oxford and returning at 23.10pm.
The line will open on Monday, December 12.
That is certainly a passenger magnet of a timetable.
Looking at the timetable of both Chiltern and Great Western,
- Both services run at least two trains per hour (tph) all day.
- Both services run fairly late in the evening.
- Great Western has the fastest trains, with some doing the journey in under an hour.
It will certainly be interesting to see how these two heavyweights slug it out.
But this is only Round 1One.
Consider.
- In December 2018, Crossrail services between Paddington and Abbey Wood, via Liverpool Street and Canary Wharf start.
- In May 2019, Crossrail services between Paddington and Shenfield start.
- In December 2019, full Crossrail services start.
- The East West Rail Link will open.
- Oxford to Didcot should be electrified, allowing electric trains to Oxford.
These developments may appear to favour Great Western services over Chiltern, but I doubt that Chiltern will sit back and do nothing.
So what will Chiltern do?
Consider.
- Will the Marylebone to Oxford route be improved to allow services to run faster and more frequent services? There are certainly some possible plans for this on Wikipedia.
- Will the West Hampstead Interchange be created?
- I doubt that it would be easy to shoehorn more services between High Wycombe and Marylebone, so this route will probably be limited to 2 tph.
- The Oxford to Marylebone trains will go to Class 68 locomotives and rakes of Mark 3 coaches, as Chiltern use to Birmingham at the present time.
- Greater Anglia could be releasing some high-quality Mark 3 coaches in 2019-2020.
- There has been speculation that Chiltern could open a second London terminus at Old Oak Common for Crossrail. I wrote about it in Will Chiltern Railways Get A Second London Terminus At Old Oak Common?.
- Will electrification come to the Chiltern Line? Or at least enough to run modern bi-mode or battery-electreic trains.
- The Guardian says that Bicester Village is one of the top tourist destinations in the UK.
What is needed is a comprehensive plan for Chiltern’s future.
I can’t believe that they’re not working on one!
It could include the following.
- Line improvements to reduce journey times between Marylebone and Oxford.
- Improvements to allow the longest possible locomotive-hauled sets to run the route.
- Development of West Hampstead Interchange.
- Creation of a second terminus at Old Oak Common.
One or both of the last two options will have to be implemented, due to the lack of capacity at Marylebone and that station’s bad connectivity.
But what would I do?
The Southern end of the Chiltern Main Line needs better connectivity and the best way to do this would be to link it to Crossrail.
When Crossrail opens to Paddington in December 2018, the direct link I wrote about in Paddington Is Operational Again, will enable passengers taking the Bakerloo Line from Marylebone to change easily to Crossrail.
Together with line improvements and longer trains, this should handle the traffic for a few years.
It is interesting to look at a few journey times.
- Chiltern has trains scheduled between Marylebone and High Wycombe in around 24-28 minutes.
- Crossrail services from Paddington will take 27 minutes to Sloughbold step of creating a Crossrail .
- Crossrail services from Paddington will take 45 minutes to Reading.
I would take the bold step of creating a Crossrail branch to High Wycombe.
- High Wycombe would receive 4 tph from Crossrail.
- There could be cross-platform interchange between Crossrail and Chiltern services to Oxford and Birmingham.
- The Acton-Northolt Line would be double-tracked and electrified to connect Crossrail at Old Oak Common to the Chiltern Main Line at Northolt Junction.
- The Chiltern Main line would be electrified from Northolt Junction to High Wycombe.
- Chiltern’s Oxford and Birmingham services could use Class 88 electro-diesel locomotives, to take advantage of the limited electrification.
- Extra services could run from High Wycombe to Oxford and Birmingham, if traffic required more capacity.
Except for the electrification and some track layout changes, there is no substantial investment required in new lines and stations.
If this approach is taken, there will probably be eough eletrification on the Chiltern routes to use Aventra trains with an IPEMU-capability to provide the services out of Marylebone.
The Anonymous Widower 