FIRST TO THE FUTURE: Lumo Owner Bids To Turbo-Charge UK Rail With New Routes
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from First Group.
These first three paragraphs introduce FirstGroup’s application for the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services.
FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK.
The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo’s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and contributes more per train mile to infrastructure investment than any other long-distance operator – delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, at a substantial benefit to the taxpayer.
FirstGroup has submitted the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services, which are described in these bullet points.
- A revised application to run new services between Rochdale and London Euston via Manchester Victoria from December 2028;
- An extension to Lumo’s current Stirling to London Euston track access agreement to operate services beyond 2030;
- A new route between Cardiff and York via Birmingham, Derby, and Sheffield from December 2028; and
- Purchase of new trains meaning continued investment in UK manufacturing of c.£300 million, and long-term jobs.
This paragraph from the press release describes the philosophy of the rolling stock.
Should these applications be successful, FirstGroup will make use of its option to commit further investment in new Hitachi trains built in County Durham. This investment will include five battery electric trains for the Stirling route and three battery electric trains for Rochdale, supporting jobs at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant. For the services between Cardiff and York, it will deploy refurbished Class 222s.
Note.
- The Class 222 trains will run the Euston and Stirling service until the future Hitachi trains are delivered in 2028.
- The Class 222 trains will run the Cardiff and York service from 2028.
- The Class 222 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph on electrification.
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Grand Central Trains’s future Hitachi trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Lumo’s current Class 803 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s current Class 800 and 801 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s current InterCity 225 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s future Class 897 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- All of the trains, with the exception of the Class 222 trains are electric and have been designed for 140 mph running and can do this if there is appropriate 140 mph signalling.
If the Class 222 trains don’t run on the East and West Coast Main Lines, then these lines could introduce 140 mph running in stages to speed up rail travel between London and the North of England and Scotland.
Rochdale And London
These three paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Rochdale and London service.
The new Lumo service will operate the first direct service since 2000 between Rochdale and London. Services will call at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station connects other parts of the city of Salford, including the fast-growing MediaCity area, via the nearby interchange with Metrolink. Services to Newton-le-Willows will deliver greater rail connectivity for St Helens.
There will be three new return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays, which will provide 1.6 million people in the north-west with a convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London, encouraging people to switch from cars to train as well as providing additional rail capacity. It will also deliver material economic benefits for the communities along the route, including regeneration areas such as Atom Valley and the Liverpool City Region Freeport scheme.
The application has been revised to address the ORR’s concerns about network capacity set out in its letter of July 2025 rejecting FirstGroup’s original application. Supported by extensive modelling, the company has identified sufficient space on the network to accommodate the proposed services. Services will also make use of the Government’s recent investment in power supply for the West Coast Mainline (WCML).
In FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application last year.
Differences between the two applications include.
- The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains.
- The original application was for six return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for three return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays.
Note.
- The battery-electric trains will be able bridge the 10.4 mile gap between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale, and return after charging on the West Coast Main Line.
- The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
- The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
- Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?
I still feel, that with Lumo’s battery-electric trains one or more services could extend across the Pennines to Hebden Bridge, Bradford Interchange or Leeds. Trains would be recharged for return at Leeds.
Stirling And London
This paragraph from the press release describes the proposed Stirling and London service.
Stirling has a wide catchment area, with an estimated three million people living within an hour’s drive. Extending the current track access agreement for the Stirling route from May 2030 will support the shift from car to rail, and investment in the city, as well as in the service’s intermediate stations which include Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet, thanks to greater connectivity to London. The four return services weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays, on the new route are expected to start early in the company’s 2027 financial year.
In Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application in June 2025.
Differences between the two applications include.
- The service will only be run initially by Class 222 trains.
- The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains after 2028.
- The original application was for five return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for four return services on weekdays and Saturdays, and three return services on Sundays.
- In the original application, Lumo’s new route was to link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
Note.
- The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
- The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
- Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?
It should be noted that there are always more return services per day going to Stirling, than Rochdale.
Could The Rochdale and Stirling Services Share A Path?
Consider.
- The two services use the West Coast Main Line South of Warrington Bank Quay station.
- Pairs of Class 803 trains can split and join.
- A pair of Class 803 trains are shorter than an 11-car Class 390 train.
- An 11-car Class 390 train can call in Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
I believe that the Rochdale and Stiring services could share a path.
- One Weekday service per day would be a single train.
- Going South, the trains would join at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
- Going North, the trains would split at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
- The pair of trains would share a platform at Euston station.
Operating like this would increase the connectivity and attractiveness of the services, and probably increase the ridership and profitability.
Cardiff And York via Birmingham, Derby And Sheffield
These four paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Cardiff and York service.
Lumo’s new route between Cardiff and York will join up the entire Great British Railway network, connecting all four main lines from the Great Western Main Line to the East Coast Main Line. The plans will also deliver more capacity and drive passenger demand on a previously underserved corridor.
The application proposes six return services each weekday – a significant increase from the current single weekly service.
Bringing Lumo’s popular low-cost model to the corridor will support local communities between Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, and York. These cities alone have a combined population of more than 2.5 million people. The new services will give local communities access to jobs and services along the route, in support of significant investment that has already been committed by the Government and private sector. This investment includes the Cardiff Capital Regional Investment Zone, the £140million proposed refurbishment at Cardiff Central station, the West Midlands Investment Zone which is expected to create £5.5 billion of growth and 30,000 new jobs, as well as investment plans in Derby, Sheffield and York.
The ORR will now carry out a consultation exercise as well as discuss the applications with Network Rail to secure the required approvals.
Note.
- Only minimal details are given of the route.
- The TransPennine Upgrade will create a new electrified route across the Pennines between York and Huddersfield via Church Fenton, Leeds and Dewsbury.
- The Penistone Line is being upgraded, so that it will handle two trains per hour.
- In the 1980s, the Penistone Line took InterCity 125s to Barnsley.
- The connection with the Penistone Line at Huddersfield has been upgraded.
I am reasonably certain, that FirstGroup intend to route the York and Cardiff service over this partially electrified route.
Sections of the route will be as follows.
- Cardiff and Westerleigh junction – 38 miles – Electrified
- Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles – Not Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Proof House junction – 15 miles – Electrified
- Proof House junction and Derby – 40.6 miles – Not Electrified
- Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
- Sheffield and Huddersfield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and York – 41.9 miles – Electrified
There are only two sections of track, that is not electrified.
- Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles
- Proof House junction and Huddersfield – 113.4 miles
Out of a total of 273.5 miles, I believe in a few years, with a small amount of extra electrification or more powerful batteries, Hitachi’s battery-electric high-speed trains will have this route cracked and the Class 222 trains can be sent elsewhere to develop another route.
Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026
The title of this post is the same as this news item from Lumo.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Lumo has secured a new route connecting Stirling with London Euston, launching as early as Spring 2026, offering passengers five daily affordable services.
- The announcement comes as Lumo hosted a special event at Holyrood attended by MSPs and Scotland’s MPs, spotlighting Lumo’s contribution to enhancing rail connectivity for previously underserved communities in Scotland.
- The route will provide first-ever direct services to London for Whifflet, Greenfaulds, and Larbert, further boosting economic opportunities and travel options in Scotland.
This first paragraph adds some more details.
Lumo, the UK’s leading Open Access rail operator, today announced it has secured five Class 222 six-car trains for its forthcoming route between London Euston and Stirling, beginning as early as Spring 2026. This expansion aims to enhance travel choice and connectivity for passengers along the central belt of Scotland both to England and to Stirling, offering five daily services with the operator renowned for affordability and efficiency.
I have some thoughts.
What Is The Complete Route?
This is the complete route.
Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
It is fully-electrified and can support 125 mph running most, if not all, of the way.
There Are No Six-Car Class 222 Trains
Consider.
- Currently, five-car Class 222 trains seat 192 in Standard Class and 50 in First Class.
- Currently, seven-car Class 222 trains seat 236 in Standard Class and 106 in First Class.
- Lumo’s five-car Class 803 trains set 402 in Standard Class.
- Lumo’s trains have no First Class.
I estimate that a six-car Class 222 train, with all Standard Class seating would accommodate not far off the 402 seats of one of Lumo’s bog-standard Class 803 trains.
Having identical numbers of passengers on the two fleets, must surely bring operational advantages.
- A six-car Class 222 train could replace a five-car Class 803 train or vice-versa, if Lumo were short of trains.
- Class 222 trains are able to take the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line and other diversions during times of engineering works.
- The Class 222 trains would be able to run between Euston and Rochdale.
- The Class 222 trains might be useful for developing services on routes without electrification.
In the future, a six-car Class 222 train could be directly replaced in Lumo’s fleet by a five-car battery-electric Class 803 train.
The Class 222 Trains Are Diesel-Powered
All the noise and vibration could be a problem, but if I am right about the interchangeability of the two fleets, then this gives some advantages too.
- Earlier delivery of Class 222 trains, than new Class 803 trains, may enable Lumo to start services between Euston and Stirling at an earlier date.
- Earlier delivery of Class 222 trains, may allow selective withdrawal of Class 803 trains for updating.
- A mixed fleet of diesel and electric trains may be able to run more services during engineering works, by using diversion routes without electrification.
- Short route extensions to Dundee or Perth could be tried to assess demand.
There could be some good reasons to get the Class 222 trains into service sooner rather than later.
Will The Diesel Class 222 Trains Be Replaced By Battery-Electric Class 803 Trains?
Although London And Edinburgh By Lumo Using the Joint Line Diversion, was also about Lumo’s proposed Euston and Rochdale service, it was mainly about using battery power to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to avoid engineering works or wiring problems.
Both train types have the following abilities.
- Ability to go between Stirling and Euston via the West Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Rochdale and Euston via the West Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Stirling and King’s Cross via the East Coast Main Line.
- Ability to go between Edinburgh and King’s Cross via the East Coast Main Line.
- Ability to handle the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line on their own power.
- Ability to handle diversions of up to around a hundred miles on their own power.
As Lumo’s new battery-electric Class 803 trains are delivered, Lumo’s two Anglo-Scottish routes and the one to Rochdale can go all-electric.
Can Lumo Trains Run As Pairs?
I’ve not seen or heard if Lumo have done this, but as I wrote in Ten-Car Hull Trains, I’ve seen Lumo’s sister company Hull Trains run ten-car trains.
As Wikipedia says that both Class 222 and Class 803 trains can run in multiple formations with other trains from the same class, I have to assume it is possible, providing the Fat Controller agrees to the practice.
Has Heidi Alexander Really Said Yes?
After the launch at Holyrood, in front of MSPs and Scottish MPs, it would now be difficult to say No!
But then there’s a by-election to the Scottish Parliament in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse on Thursday.
Is Lumo’s new route an easy drive from the constituency? A Scot, who has worked in the area said Yes!
Conclusion
I like FirstGroup’s plan to create a diesel fleet to introduce new services and back up their current ones, until the new battery-electric Class 803 trains are delivered.
Would A Train Manufacturer Save CrossCountry’s Iconic Aberdeen And Penzance Route?
The article in The Times about the cancelling of CrossCountry’s iconic Aberdeen and Penzance route was entitled After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever, I gave my post the same name and both received a number of nostalgic comments, from those, who had ridden the route or wished they had.
The Characteristics Of The Line
This article on the BBC is entitled We Had To Be On Last Run Of UK’s Longest Train Route.
This is said in the BBC article.
The connection – first established back in 1921 – is 775 miles (1,247km) long.
But electrification is rather thin on the ground.
Between Leeds and Edinburgh stations is electrified and I suspect that some of the route through Birmingham New Street and Bristol Parkway stations are also electrified, so perhaps, a battery-electric train could get a top-up on the way.
But as Leeds and Edinburgh is around 220 miles, there’s about 550 miles of the route or 70 % without electrification.
Battery Power, Hydrogen Power Or Both?
If diesel is ruled out on environmental grounds, it means that only battery or hydrogen power could be used for the route.
Despite some of the progress made by battery-electric trains in the last few years, I feel that unless the route has a large number of charging stations, then battery-electric trains will not be a practical solution.
This is a paragraph from The Times article.
Rail bosses said one of the reasons for ending the train was the difficulty keeping such a long journey on time. The fact that most customers made only short journeys along the route was also a consideration.
And this is another.
As an “express” service it was severely challenged, partly because of the long waits at a number of stations along the way, including 14 minutes at both Edinburgh Waverley and Bristol Temple Meads, and seven minutes at Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids.
Stopping regularly to charge the batteries, is going to make timekeeping more difficult and will probably end up with irritable passengers, after all the waiting.
So I suspect, hydrogen would be the ideal power for such a long service over a route with such sparse electrification.
But the trains, would be fitted with regenerative breaking to battery, so that kinetic energy is conserved as much as possible in the station stops.
I believe, that the trains should effectively be tri-mode or hydrogen-hybrid trains, but then many drivers praise the frugality of their hybrid cars.
Would Efficient Hydrogen-Hybrid Trains Attract More Passengers?
Consider.
- All the battery and hydrogen trains and buses, with one exception, that I have ridden on, have been mouse-quiet.
- The exception was a German hydrogen train, that had a very noisy mechanical transmission.
- I also would expect that the trains would be capable of keeping up a cruising speed of 100 mph or perhaps even 125 mph.
- This would enable them to handle the current timetable, which is written for 125 mph Class 222 diesel trains.
An efficient, unobtrusive, reliable and speedy service would surely attract passengers.
What’s In It For The Manufacturer?
Consider.
- There are not many 775 mile routes in the UK.
- But, there are many long rail around the world, that need decarbonising or even creating.
- Some countries, like China, India and France are creating more electrified high speed long-distance lines.
- Others countries, like Australia and the United States are planning and building high speed long-distance lines.
Perhaps, what is needed is a drop-in solution to decarbonise and/or create new high speed long-distance railways.
Could Aberdeen and Penzance be an ideal test bed to trial and demonstrate, your drop-in hydrogen solution?
I am reminded of a story, told to me, by a guy, who was selling an expensive air traffic control radar to an Arab state.
The initial presentations were done in the company’s offices in London.
The only working radar was installed at Prestwick Airport and had been working successfully for a couple of years, so the Arabs would be taken on a visit.
As they were very important clients, the salesman was told, that he was entitled to borrow the chairman’s executive jet for the trip.
The flight to Scotland was uneventful, but as they left the plane, the pilot said to the salesman. “There’s no finer view, than the Scottish Highlands at this time of year, I could fix it, that I gave them the view of a lifetime on the way home.”
After thinking about it for a few seconds, the salesman asked the pilot to fix it.
When they returned to the plane after a successful demonstration, the pilot said. “It’s on if you want it?”
The tale had a very happy ending, in that the Arabs bought an Air Traffic Control radar.
To return to the hydrogen trains; What better route is there to show off the capabilities of your high speed hydrogen-hybrid trains?
- There is the spectacular scenery of the North of Scotland, The Pennines and Cornwall.
- The Firth of Forth is crossed on the Forth Rail Bridge.
- There is running on the wires between Edinburgh and Leeds.
- There is the spectacular views of Durham and York from the train.
- There will be several hours of running on hydrogen.
- The Saltash Bridge is crossed.
What better route is there to sell trains?
Could CrossCountry Customer Service Be Improved?
I’ve never done a long journey on CrossCountry.
But surely, if the trains were designed for the route and the manufacturer was showing them off, the trains could have a top-of-the-range specification and high-quality service?
If you’re going to be stuck on a train for over a dozen hours the service must be good.
Conclusion
Get everything right and the train service would be an unquestionable asset to the UK and extremely good for the manufacturer.
East Midlands Railway’s Dirty Trains
I took these pictures today on my return from East Midlands Parkway.
The trains seemed particularly dirty. Perhaps it’s the colour scheme.
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.
- The Grand Union service appears to be running into London Euston. Earlier plans had it terminating at Queen’s Park station.
- Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.
- London Euston and Stirling is electrified all the way.
- 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.
- Stirling has direct services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.
- Aberdeen is one hour and 15 minutes away.
- Dundee is just 63 minutes away.
- Edinburgh is just 48 minutes away.
- Glasgow is just 39 minutes away.
- 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.
- Gleneagles station is at the bottom of the map.
- The red arrow indicates the famous Gleneagles hotel.
- The pink dots are other hotels.
- 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.
- tpd is trains per day.
- tph is trains per hour.
- tp2h is trains per two hours.
- LNER services to Glasgow and Stirling are likely to be dropped.
- Some Lumo services are likely to be extended from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
- 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.
- The 08:30 train from Euston to Motherwell takes 4 hours and 17 minutes with six stops via Nuneaton.
- 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.
- Adding 15 minutes gives a London Euston and Glasgow Central time.
- Adding 45 minutes gives a London Euston and Stirling time.
- 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.
More Open Access Services Could Be On The Way
In the February 2024 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article which is entitled First Bid For Sheffield To King’s Cross Paths.
The article is mainly about FirstGroup’s proposal for a new Sheffield and London service, running under the Hull Trains brand.
But, this is the last paragraph.
Modern Railways understands First is working on a number of proposals for additional open access services, and this is an early statement of intent. Other existing open access proposals include Grand Union Trains’ plans for London to Stirling and Cardiff to Edinburgh services, along with an already approved London to Carmarthen service, and the recently submitted Wrexham, Shropshire and Midland Railway application for a London to Wrexham service. It is understood other organisations, including MTR and Virgin, are also working up plans for new open access services.
These are my thoughts.
Grand Union Trains
These posts talk about Grand Union Trains services, where a proposal has been filed with the Office of Rail and Road.
- Grand Union Trains – Cardiff and Edinburgh – Cardiff – Edinburgh Open Access Train Service Proposal Under Development
- Grand Union Trains – Carmarthen and London – Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington
- Grand Union Trains – Stirling and Euston – Grand Union Sets Out Stirling Ambitions
Note.
- All three services are substantially electrified.
- Cardiff and Edinburgh is not electrified between Severn Tunnel Junction and Doncaster, which is 180.7 miles, but 258.4 miles are electrified.
- Once the Midland Main Line is electrified, the longest section of unelectrified track is the 72.5 miles between Severn Tunnel Junction and Bromsgrove.
- Carmarthen and London has 145.1 miles of electrification between London and Cardiff and about 75 miles of unelectrified track West of Cardiff.
- Stirling and Euston is fully electrified.
A bi-mode or tri-mode train with an independent range at least 190 miles would be able to handle all three services. It would also allow extension of the Stirling service to Perth, if later that was felt to be a better terminus.
Trains able to be used would include.
- CAF Tri-Mode Train – As being built for LNER
- Class 221 train – Will be released soon by Avanti West Coast.
- Class 222 train – Will be released soon by East Midlands Railways
- Class 802 train
- Class 755 train – A Greater Anglia driver told me, the train is designed for 125 mph.
- Class 93 locomotive and a rake of coaches.
Note.
- All trains except the Class 221 and Class 222 trains would be able to make use of the electrification.
- The Class 93 locomotive option is not a 125 mph train.
- CAF Tri-Mode Train and the Class 802 train have digital signalling as standard, which could allow some 140 mph running.
But I do believe after the completion of the Midland Main Line electrification, a battery-electric high speed train with an independent range of around 100 miles could also handle all routes with perhaps charging in a couple of stations, like Carmarthen.
The services could of course be commenced using refurbished Class 221 and Class 222 trains from Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railways respectively.
I can see a bidding and design war going on between CAF, Hitachi and Stadler to supply Grand Union Trains.
Liverpool Lime Street Station
Liverpool Lime Street station has been updated and has the capacity for extra services.
I also feel, that with the improvements to the West Coast Main Line and especially between Crewe and Liverpool in preparation for High Speed Two, that journey times between London and Liverpool will improve to around two hours.
Given the attractions of Liverpool, this will increase passenger numbers on the route and I believe extra services will be viable.
The Wikipedia entry for the station says this about a proposal from Virgin.
In June 2019, Virgin Trains lodged an application for an open access service from London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street calling at Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley, Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street to rival the future West Coast Partnership franchise Avanti West Coast from December 2022.
It does seem to have gone quiet.
A Fast Zero-Carbon Route Between England And Ireland
This OpenRailwayMap shows Liverpool South Parkway station and Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Note.
Liverpool South Parkway station is in the North-West corner of the map.
The orange track at the top of the map is the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line.
At the bottom of the map, the long runway of Liverpool John Lennon Airport can be seen.
I believe that a fast link could be developed between the station and the airport.
- Initially this would be a coach.
- But later it could be developed as a tram-train from the City Centre, that also would call at Liverpool South Parkway station.
Operation of the airport could be ideal for up to 30-seater electric airliners.
Destinations served could include.
- Belfast City – 151 miles
- Bristol – 135 miles
- Cardiff – 135 miles
- Derry/Londonderry – 210 miles
- Dublin – 140 miles
- Glasgow – 186 miles
- Haverfordwest – 127 miles
- Humberside – 104 miles
- London City – 176 miles
- Norwich – 180 miles
- Ronaldsway – 89 miles
- Southend – 172 miles
Note.
- Liverpool appears to sit in circle of airports
- An Eviation Alice has a range of 290 miles with 9 passengers.
- The Wikipedia entry for Heart Aerospace, says their 30-seater electric airliner says it has a range of 124 miles or more if less passengers are carried.
- The East-West runway is also in line with the prevailing wind, which should help take-off.
- Liverpool Airport is located such that there is access to plentiful supplies of green electricity and hydrogen.
I will be very surprised if Liverpool Airport doesn’t develop into an airport for zero-carbon flights.
This could attract open access rail services from London and across the country.
Huddersfield
In First Bid For Sheffield To King’s Cross Paths, I postulated that Huddersfield station could be an ideal extension of FirstGroup’s proposed open access service between London King’s Cross and Sheffield.
Thoughts On The East Midlands Railway Timetable After Class 810 Trains Enter Service
East Midlands Railway will soon be replacing their diesel Class 222 trains with new bi-mode Class 810 trains.
- 32 trains will be replaced by 33 trains.
- 167 cars will be replaced by 165 cars.
- The current trains come in four, five and seven cars.
- The new trains come in five-cars only.
- The platforms at St. Pancras station can accept a pair of the new trains.
- Both Class 222 and Class 810 trains are genuine 125 mph trains.
- St. Pancras and Corby takes one hour and fifteen minutes
- St. Pancras and Nottingham takes hour and forty-five minutes
- St. Pancras and Sheffield takes two hours
The current services are as follows.
- St. Pancras and Corby via Luton Airport Parkway, Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough and Kettering
- St. Pancras and Nottingham via Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough (1 tph), East Midlands Parkway (1 tph) and Beeston (1 tph).
- St. Pancras and Sheffield via Leicester, Loughborough (1 tph), East Midlands Parkway (1 tph), Long Eaton (1 tph), Derby and Chesterfield.
Note.
All services are two trains per hour (tph)
If all services were run by single trains, the following number of trains would be needed for each service.
- St. Pancras and Corby – 6 trains
- St. Pancras and Nottingham – 8 trains
- St. Pancras and Sheffield – 9 trains
Note.
- This means a total of twenty-three trains.
- I am assuming, that trains can turn round in fifteen minutes at each end of the journey.
- If pairs of trains run, then the numbers can be doubled to forty-six trains.
These are my thoughts.
Do The Luton Airport Express Services Need Pairs Of Trains?
The Corby service is now branded as the Luton Airport Express.
This picture shows a packed Luton Airport Express at Luton Airport Parkway station.
After seeing this, I believe that a pair of trains must run to Corby to pick up passengers, who want a fast service to and from Luton Airport.
Will The Class 810 Trains Replace The Class 360 Trains To Corby?
If all services are run by single Class 810 trains, the following would apply.
- The current service pattern would need 23 trains.
- All stations would get the same number of trains to and from St. Pancras.
- All East Midlands Railway out of St. Pancras would use the same 125 mph electric trains and services could probably be speeded up.
- The Class 810 train has 2.94 MW on diesel and the Class 360 train has 1.55 MW on electric, so I suspect that the Class 810 train has the faster acceleration.
- Bedford, Kettering, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, Market Harborough and Wellingborough would have 125 mph electric commuter services to and from London.
- Corby and Luton Airport Parkway services would have marginally more seats, if Corby services were pairs of trains.
There would be ten spare trains, if the Class 360 trains were replaced or four spare trains, if pairs of trains ran to Corby.
Would Class 810 Trains Running On Electric Execute Stops Faster?
This document on Rail Engineer gives these figures for total power on electric of Class 802 trains.
- Five-car – 2712 kW
- Nine-car – 4520 kW
Note.
- These figures are based on a Hitachi figure of 226 kW for the power of a traction motor.
- The five-car train has twelve motors and the nine-car has twenty.
- As a five-car train has three powered cars and a nine-car train has five, it looks like each powered car has four traction motors.
- The document also says that the power to weight ratio on electric is thirty percent more than on diesel.
This document on the Hitachi web site provides this schematic of the traction system.
Note that four traction motors are confirmed.
Consider the power of the various trains, that run or will run on the Midland Main Line.
- Four-car Class 180 train has one 559 kW diesel engine per car.
- Four, five and seven-car Class 222 train has one 559 kW diesel engine per car.
- Four-car Class 360 train has 1.55 MW on electric – 387 kW per car.
- Five-car Class 810 train has 2.94 MW on diesel – 588 kW per car.
- Five-car Class 810 train has 2.94 MW on electric – 588 kW per car.
Note.
- The Class 810 train will out-accelerate the Class 360 train as it has at least 40 percent more power on electric.
- The Class 810 train has pantographs on both driving cars.
- The Class 810 train has two powered cars; numbers 2 and 4.
- I have assumed that if the Class 810 train can handle 2.94 MW on both diesel and electric.
- With eight traction motors, they would need to be 367.5 kW.
- The Class 810 train should out-accelerate the Class 180 train and Class 222 train as it has at five percent more power on both diesel and electric.
I think it is also relevant that the order for the Class 810 trains was placed in August 2019 and Hitachi announced their collaboration with Eversholt Rail Group to develop the battery-electric versions of the Class 802 trains only sixteen months later. As the Class 810 appears to be an revolution of the Class 802 train, I suspect that Hitachi were working hard on battery design, as this train’s design evolved.
These are the five cars of the Class 810 train.
- 1 – DPTS – Driver-Pantograph-Trailer-Standard with Generator Unit
- 2 – MS – Motored-Standard with Generator Unit
- 3 – TS – Trailer-Standard with Transformer
- 4 – MC – Motored-Composite with Generator Unit
- 5 – DPTF – Driver-Pantograph-Trailer-First with Generator Unit
Note.
- Generator Unit is a diesel generator.
- Motored means the car has four traction motors.
- Composite means a car with both First and Standard accommodation.
- Cars 1-2, and 4-5, form two power units with two generator units, four traction motors and a pantograph, at each end of the train. Cables would connect them to the transformer in car 3.
It looks a neat solution, which probably has high reliability.
I can envisage the two generator units under cars 2 and 4 could be replaced by battery packs.
- The battery packs would mimic the function of the generator units.
- Noise in cars 2 and 4 would be reduced.
- Carbon emissions would be reduced.
- The battery packs would be charged, when running under the wires or possibly from chargers or short length of overhead wires at terminal stations.
- The battery packs would handle regenerative braking.
- Adding battery packs would allow the trains to jump gaps left in the electrification.
At some point in the future, the other two generator units could be removed or replaced with battery packs, depending on whether full electrification happens on the Midland Main Line.
These meanderings convince me that the Class 810 trains will be able to save time in the stops on the Midland Main Line.
Because of these savings, I can see East Midlands Railway, reorganising stops on the electrified section of the route, as although the stop will add a minute or two, this lost time will be picked up on savings at existing stops and by more 125 mph running.
Could The Nottingham And Sheffield Services Be Combined?
These are the current services to Nottingham and Sheffield.
- St. Pancras and Nottingham via Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough (1 tph), East Midlands Parkway (1 tph) and Beeston (1 tph).
- St. Pancras and Sheffield via Leicester, Loughborough (1 tph), East Midlands Parkway (1 tph), Long Eaton (1 tph), Derby and Chesterfield.
Note.
- Both services call at Leicester , Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway.
- Some trains call at Luton Airport Parkway, Luton, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering and Market Harborough on the section of the Midland Main Line, which is currently being electrified between Kettering and Wigston.
- A lot of money has been spent on the Luton DART and it only has two fast trains from St. Pancras. Four tph would be ideal.
Suppose the Sheffield and Nottingham trains operated like this.
- A pair of Class 810 trains would leave St. Pancras.
- South of Leicester, they would call at one or two stations, as defined in the timetable.
- They would then call at Leicester , Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway.
- At East Midlands Parkway, the two trains would split.
- One train would go to Sheffield and the other would go to Nottingham, stopping as defined in the timetable.
Note.
- Because of the trains superior performance, they would be doing quicker calls at stations, which should allow the existing timetable to be maintained or even improved.
- Hitachi trains can split and join in around two minutes.
- These trains would call at Luton Airport Parkway, to give that station four tph from St. Pancras, Luton and Bedford.
I calculated earlier that a 2 tph Sheffield service would need nine trains. So if it served both Nottingham and Sheffield it would need another nine trains. This would give a total of eighteen trains.
- If the St.Pancras and Corby service were to be run by pairs of Class 810 trains, this would require twelve trains.
- Adding the two services together would require thirty trains. Would three trains be enough for backup and in maintenance?
I suspect splitting and joining at East Midlands Parkway could be beneficial.
Could Four tph Be Run To Nottingham And Sheffield?
Consider.
- Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich, Southampton and York all get two tph from London.
- Some closer stations like Birmingham, Cambridge, Ipswich, Leicester, Oxford and Reading get more.
- Most of these routes are electrified and run modern trains.
I wouldn’t say never, but adding two tph to both Nottingham and Sheffield services would require.
- Two more hourly train paths on both between St. Pancras and Nottingham, and St. Pancras and Sheffield.
- Eighteen extra trains.
But as a sub-two hour service would be running on both routes, it would probably be possible to accurately predict, when more trains were needed.
Electrification Through Leicester
As more electrification is added, this should result in faster journeys, that reduce carbon emissions.
OpenRailwayMap is now showing the electrification as dotted lines on the Midland Main Line.
This map shows the electrification scheme through Leicester.
Note.
- Only the two main lines in the centre of the station seem to be going to be electrified.
- These lines are used by East Midlands Railway’s through trains and surprisingly some freight trains.
- Terminating services from places like Birmingham, Grimsby and Lincoln seem to stop in the outer platforms.
This picture shows the platforms from the Northern footbridge.
This picture shows the platforms from the Northern footbridge.
At the Southern end of the station, the tracks go under the London Road bridge. This map shows the tracks there.
Note.
- The two main tracks of the Midland Main Line appear that they will be electrified.
- But the lines at each side are not electrified.
Some years ago I came back to London from Leicester with a group of drivers. At one point, the conversation turned to electrification and they said that they had met a Network Rail engineer, who had told them, that the bridge was rather low for electrification and the track couldn’t be lowered because Leicester’s main sewer was underneath the railway.
It looks like Network Rail have found a way to squeeze two electrified tracks through the middle of the bridge and then use diesel, battery or other self-powered trains on lines without electrification on either side.
Could The Bombardier Voyagers Be Converted To Hydrogen Power?
Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry and East Midlands Trains all run versions of Bombardier Voyager trains.
- There are 103 sets in service.
- Lengths are four, five and seven cars.
- They are 125 mph trains.
- They are powered by one Cummins QSK19 diesel engine in each car.
Given Cummins’s enthusiasm for hydrogen could these diesel engines be converted to hydrogen power, so the trains could run long distance routes on zero-carbon power?
If there is no need for them in the UK, there are probably lots of places in the world that would like them!
Could We See Between London And Much Of The North By Train In Under Two Hours?
I shall write about each route in order starting from Euston and working East.
Avanti West Coast And Euston
These are services from Euston, that I feel could be under two hours.
London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street
On Thursday, I went to Liverpool by train.
- My train took two hours and thirteen minutes between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street stations.
- There were stops at Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn.
- The Class 390 train was travelling at 125 mph for a lot of the way.
- The distance between the two terminals is 193.6 miles.
- The start to stop average including the stops was 87.3 mph.
So could London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street be achieved in the magic two hours?
A few thoughts.
Average Speed
To do the journey in this time would need an average speed of 96.8 mph.
Accelerating And Stopping
Ideally, the train will run as fast as it can only changing speed for the station stops.
- The train will accelerate from stop to cruising speed at Euston, Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn or four times.
- The train will decelerate from cruising speed to stop at Stafford, Crewe, Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street or four times.
Effectively, the train goes through four complete station stops, although one will be split between the two ends of the journey.
These figures are from Wikipedia and the Internet
- The acceleration of the Class 390 train is 1.0 mph/sec which means that it takes 125 seconds to get to 125 mph.
- The deceleration of a Class 390 train is 2.0 mph/sec, which means that it takes 63 seconds to stop from 125 mph.
- The acceleration of a Class 801 train is 1.6 mph/sec which means that it takes 78 seconds to get to 125 mph.
- The deceleration of a Class 801 train is 2.2 mph/sec, which means that it takes 57 seconds to stop from 125 mph.
These figures would appear to show, that a Class 801 train can decelerate and accelerate at a stop in nearly a minute faster than a Class 390 train.
So how can we increase the acceleration and deceleration? The two obvious ways are more power and less weight.
Form the Internet, I estimate that the average car in a Class 390 train is around 52 tonnes, as opposed to 41 tonnes for the Hitachi trains.
So does this weight difference explain some of the difference in acceleration and deceleration times?
Consider.
- The Class 390 trains have all the extra weight of the tilt mechanism. More weight means slower acceleration.
- Avanti West Coast’s new Class 807 trains have no diesel engines or batteries. Have the trains been put on a diet?
- They also have a reprofiled nose. Is it more aerodynamic?
So if these trains can save time on the four accelerate/decelerate cycles compared to the Class 390 trains, they must be getting nearer to the magic two hours.
If two minutes a stop can be saved that would save eight minutes on the journey between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street.
140 Mph Running
The time to do a mile at various speeds are as follows.
- 100 mph – 36 seconds
- 125 mph – 29 seconds
- 140 mph – 26 seconds
So running at 140 mph, as opposed to the current 125 mph would save three seconds for every mile.
To save five minutes would mean the train would have to run for a hundred miles at 140 mph instead of 125 mph.
As Stafford is 133.5 miles from London, it could be that full digital signalling should be installed on the West Coast Main Line all the way to Stafford or even Crewe, which is 158 miles from London.
This schematic map of the West Coast Main Line was clipped from Wikipedia.
Note.
- Trains between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street take the Trent Valley Line through Nuneaton and Lichfield Trent Valley and stop at Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn.
- Trains between London Euston and Manchester take a variety of routes and all go via Stockport.
- One train per hour (tph) between London Euston and Glasgow Central takes the Trent Valley Line and goes non-stop between London Euston and Warrington Central.
- Norton Bridge Junction just to the North of Stafford has recently been remodelled.
I believe there is potential to enable up to at least a hundred miles of 140 mph running to the South of Crewe. Especially as most of the track South of Crewe is quadruple track.
This should enable the shaving of five or more minutes off the time of any train capable of 140 mph running that uses the Trent Valley Line through Nuneaton, Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford.
Norton Bridge Junction
Norton Bridge junction, which is five miles North used to be a bottleneck, but it has now been remodelled.
I wrote about it in The New Norton Bridge Junction In Action.
The new junction has probably been designed so that it can save a few seconds for trains going between Stafford and Crewe, whether or not they stop at either or both stations.
Non-Stop Between London Euston and Runcorn
If you look at the times of a London Euston and Glasgow Central train via the Trent Valley Line , it travels the 174.7 miles between London Euston and Weaver Junction non-stop in one hour and forty minutes. This is an average speed of 104.8 mph.
By comparison, my train on Thursday took one hour and forty-seven minutes with the two stops at Stafford and Crewe.
So there is at least six minutes to be saved by going non-stop.
Two Trains Per Hour Between London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street
Wikipedia says this about an additional service.
Subject to approval by the Office of Rail and Road, an additional hourly service will be introduced between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street with a stop at Liverpool South Parkway from December 2022.
I have a few thoughts and questions on extra services between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street,
- In my view the second service is much needed.
- I also think, that a later train back to London is needed.
- Does the Wikipedia statement mean that only one train will stop at Liverpool South Parkway?
- Does Runcorn need two tph to and from London?
- Would the platforms at Liverpool South Parkway be lengthened to accept eleven-car Class 390 trains?
I feel that if a train stopped at both Liverpool South Parkway and Runcorn, this would make a two-hour journey more difficult to achieve.
London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street In Two Hours
The new Class 807 trains will be delivered by 2022. Because of the pandemic, I’ll assume that of the ten trains on order, some, but not all, will be available by the December 2022 timetable change.
The time savings needed for a two-hour journey will come from four improvements.
- The increased performance of the Class 807 trains.
- Full digital signalling South of Crewe.
- The track improvements already completed like Norton Bridge Junction.
- Cutting out stop on the second service.
There may also be time savings to be obtained at the intermediate stops, by better working practices.
I doubt that the full digital signalling will have been installed, but all trains will be capable of 125 mph running.
Avanti West Coast probably have a good idea of the time they could achieve without digital signalling and I feel that they could be about five minutes over two hours with the Class 807 trains.
As the eleven-car Class 390 trains are too long for Liverpool South Parkway station, could we see the following service?
- 1 tph – Class 390 train – London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street via Runcorn, Crewe and Stafford.
- 1 tph – Class 807 train – London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street via Liverpool South Parkway.
Note.
- The Class 390 train would run the existing timetable in two hours and thirteen minutes.
- The Class 807 train would be a two-hour express service if possible.
- Going from three stops to one could save the express at least seven minutes, as I showed earlier by looking at train timings South of Weaver Junction.
- There would be time savings of at least two minutes on the express service due to the better performance of the Class 807 train.
To save the final four minutes, there would need to be at least eighty miles of 140 mph running, as each mile saves three seconds.
I am fairly certain, that London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street can be regularly achieved in two hours.
London Euston And Warrington Bank Quay
The hourly London Euston and Glasgow Central expresses seem to take one hour and forty-five minutes for the non-stop trip of 182.1 miles, which is an average speed of 104 mph.
As this service is non-stop, I believe that this service would get the maximum benefit from digital signalling and this service will only get faster, as more and more of the route allowed 140 mph-running.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see almost ten minutes lopped off this service by signalling and other improvements.
I am fairly certain, that London Euston and Warrington Bank Quay can be regularly achieved in well under two hours, by a Class 390 train.
London Euston And Wigan North Western
The hourly London Euston and Glasgow Central expresses seem to take one hour and fifty-six minutes for the single-stop trip of 193.9 miles, which is an average speed of 100.3 mph.
As this service just a single stop at Warrington Bank Quay, I believe that this service would get the maximum benefit from digital signalling and this service will only get faster, as more and more of the route allowed 140 mph-running.
As with Warrington Bank Quay, I wouldn’t be surprised to see almost ten minutes lopped off this service by signalling and other improvements.
I am fairly certain, that London Euston and Wigan North Western can be regularly achieved in comfortably under two hours, by a Class 390 train.
London Euston And Preston
The hourly London Euston and Glasgow Central expresses seem to take two hours and eleven minutes for the two -stop trip of 209 miles, which is an average speed of 95.7 mph.
As this service just stops at Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western, I believe that this service would get the maximum benefit from digital signalling and this service will only get faster, as more and more of the route allowed 140 mph-running.
As with Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western, I wouldn’t be surprised to see almost ten minutes lopped off this service by signalling and other improvements.
I am fairly certain, that London Euston and Preston can be regularly achieved in just under two hours, by a Class 390 train.
London Euston And Blackpool North
Avanti West Coast have indicated that their new Class 807 trains will run between London Euston and Blackpool North.
Consider.
- I am fairly certain that a Class 390 train will be able to run between London Euston and Preston in under two hours, once digital signalling is installed South of Crewe.
- Currently, Class 390 trains take twenty minutes between Preston and Blackpool North stations.
- The Class 807 trains have better acceleration and deceleration and should be able to execute faster stops than the Class 390 trains.
I wonder if Avanti West Coast, Hitachi, Network Rail and Rock Rail have thought up a cunning plan to run Class 807 trains between London Euston And Blackpool North, in under two hours.
Trains would go via the Trent Valley.
Trains might only stop at perhaps Milton Keynes Central, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston.
Trains would run at up to 140 mph using digital signalling, in as many places as possible.
Is the performance of the Class 807 trains sufficient to achieve London Euston and Blackpool North in under two hours via the Trent Valley?
London Euston And Manchester Piccadilly via Wilmslow
Consider.
- Most trains between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Wilmslow seem to take around six or seven minutes over two hours.
- I believe that if the 158 miles between London Euston and Crewe were to be digitally signalled, then this could save up to eight minutes by allowing trains to run at 140 mph rather than the current 125 mph.
This could be enough to bring the London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Wilmslow below two hours.
I am not surprised at this, as the trains were built for 140 mph and because there is no digital signalling, they are limited to 125 mph, which slows the trains by six or seven minutes.
London Euston And Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent
Everything I said about trains between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Wilmslow probably apply, except that the services via Stoke-on-Trent are a few minutes slower.
But I do feel, that this could be enough to bring the London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent below two hours.
East Midlands Railway And St. Pancras
These is only one service from St. Pancras, that is not comfortably under two hours.
London St. Pancras And Sheffield
A typical service between London St. Pancras And Sheffield takes a few minutes over two hours..
- There are two tph
- There are stops at Leicester, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby or Chesterfield depending on the service.
- The Class 222 trains travel at 125 mph for most of the way.
- The distance between the two terminals is 164.7 miles.
- The start to stop average including the stops is 81 mph.
I would suspect that East Midlands Railway’s new bi-mode Class 810 trains will be able to easily break the two-hour barrier.
- They have four diesel engines so they can cruise at 125 mph on diesel.
- They have electric power for South of Market Harborough.
- Some diesel engines will be changed for batteries.
As electrification increases on the Midland Main Line, these trains will use less and less diesel.
I also suspect that digital signalling will start to creep into the route, starting from Bedford, where it is used on Thameslink.
LNER And King’s Cross
These are services from King’s Cross, that are or I feel will be under two hours.
London King’s Cross And Doncaster
A typical service between London King’s Cross And Doncaster takes around one hour and thirty-seven minutes.
- There are four tph
- There are stops at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark and Retford depending on the service.
- The Class 80x trains travel at 125 mph for most of the way.
- The distance between the two stations is 156 miles.
- The start to stop average including the stops is 96.5 mph.
Digital signaling is being installed on this section of the East Coast Main Line and I suspect that this will reduce timings between London King’s Cross And Doncaster.
A simple estimate based on the maximum operating speed, indicates a time of one hour and twenty-six minutes should be possible.
But as a Control Engineer, I believe that digital signalling will lead to faster running over the Digswell Viaduct and through the flat crossing at Newark.
The timing will certainly be under one hour and thirty minutes between London King’s Cross And Doncaster.
London King’s Cross And York
A typical service between London King’s Cross And York takes around one hour and forty-eight minutes.
- There are two tph
- There are stops at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Retford and Doncaster depending on the service.
- The Class 80x trains travel at 125 mph for most of the way.
- The distance between the two stations is 188.5 miles.
- A non-stop service takes one hour and fifty-two minutes, which is a start to stop average including the stops is 101 mph.
If my crude estimate of time savings because of digital signalling South of Doncaster can be applied, this would imply a reduction in journey time of at least eleven minutes.
London King’s Cross And Leeds
A typical service between London King’s Cross And Leeds takes around two hours and thirteen minutes.
- There are three tph
- There are stops at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate depending on the service.
- The Class 80x trains travel at 125 mph for most of the way.
- The distance between the two terminals is 185.9 miles.
- This is a start to stop average including the stops is 83.9 mph.
If my crude estimate of time savings because of digital signalling South of Doncaster can be applied, this would imply a reduction in journey time of at least eleven minutes, which would put a time between London King’s Cross and Leeds of around two hours.
London King’s Cross And Bradford Forster Square
LNER run some services on this route
- The services take thirty minutes between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.
- The services do not reverse at Leeds.
Given that two hours should be possible between London Kings Cross and Leeds, it would appear that two hours and thirty minutes should be possible between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.
London King’s Cross And Bradford Interchange
Grand Central run some services on this route
- The services call at Doncaster, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse and Low Moor
- The services take two hours and fifty-four minutes between London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange stations.
- The services take one hour and seventeen minutes between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange stations.
The services are run by Class 180 diesel trains, which will have to be replaced to decarbonise the route.
I suspect that Hitachi will have a train for this route, that could use diesel or batteries to the North of Doncaster.
- My estimate for the best time between King’s Cross and Doncaster is one hour and twenty-six minutes.
- The current time between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange stations is one hour and seventeen minutes.
This gives a best time of perhaps two hours and forty-three minutes between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange stations.
The route to Bradford via Leeds is perhaps fifteen minutes faster, but it serves different stations.
London King’s Cross And Harrogate
LNER has been running to Harrogate for some time.
- There is one train per two hours (tp2h)
- The service calls at Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- some services reverse at Leeds.
- The service takes two hours and fifty-five minutes between London King’s Cross and Harrogate stations.
- The service takes thirty minutes between Leeds and Harrogate stations.
Given that two hours should be possible between London Kings Cross and Leeds, it would appear that two hours and thirty minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Harrogate stations.
London King’s Cross And Huddersfield
In LNER Expands To Huddersfield, I described LNER’s new service to Huddersfield.
- There will be one train per day (tpd)
- The service will call at Peterborough, Newark North Gate, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Dewsbury.
- The service will split and join with the London King’s Cross and Skipton service at Leeds.
- The service will reverse at Leeds.
- The service take two hours and fifty-five minutes between London King’s Cross and Huddersfield stations.
- The service will take twenty-five minutes between Leeds and Huddersfield stations.
- Improvements are planned, which include electrification, between Dewsbury and Huddersfield
Given that two hours should be possible between London Kings Cross and Leeds, it would appear that two hours and thirty minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Huddersfield stations.
London King’s Cross And Hull
The fastest Hull Trains service between London King’s Cross And Hull takes around two hours and thirty minutes.
- There are seven tpd
- There are stops at Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden and Brough depending on the service.
- The Class 80x trains travel at 125 mph for most of the way.
- The distance between the two terminals is 205.3 miles.
- This is a start to stop average including the stops is 82.1 mph.
If my crude estimate of time savings because of digital signalling South of Doncaster can be applied, this would imply a reduction in journey time of at least eleven minutes, which would put a time between London King’s Cross and Hull of around two hours and twenty minutes.
London King’s Cross And Middlesbrough
LNER have announced a Middlesbrough service, which I wrote about in LNER’s Middlesbrough And London Service. Starts On December 13th.
- There will be one tpd in both directions
- Intermediate stops will be at Thornaby and York.
- The Middlesbrough and London service will leave Middlesbrough from Platform 1 at 07:08 and arrive in King’s Cross at 10:22.
- The London and Middlesbrough service will leave King’s Cross at 15:25 and arrive in Middlesbrough in Platform 2 at 18:18.
There appear to be some curiosities in the timetabling of these trains, which I may explore later.
I would assume that is because LNER want a competitive time of three hours between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
These are Southbound times between Eaglescliffe and King’s Cross in the morning.
- Grand Central – Two hours and thirty-nine minutes
- LNER – Three hours and two minutes
Is this because the Class 180 train is a genuine 125 mph train on diesel and the Class 800 train is not?
If my crude estimate of time savings because of digital signalling South of Doncaster can be applied, this would imply a reduction in journey time of at least eleven minutes, which would put a time between London King’s Cross and Middlesbrough of around three hours.
Conclusion
Of the cities and towns in the North, that I have discussed only Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull and Middlesbrough, are ones that will be difficult to be provided with a two-hour journey time to and from London. But all should be possible in close to or under two hours and thirty minutes.
A Trip To Corby
I took these pictures on a trip to Corby this morning.
These are my thoughts.
Trains To And From Corby
I got a Class 222 train to Corby and an eight-car Class 360 train back.
Brent Cross West Station
There was a lot of constructruction activity at the new Brent Cross West station.
Luton Airport Parkway Station
The extensions to Luton Airport Parkway station look to be comprehensive, with several escalators.
The Luton DART connection to Luton Airport appears to be under test, so should open in 2022.
But will there be any air passengers to use it?
I last used it in 2008, when I went to see England play in Belarus.
Electrification North Of Bedford
The electrification North of Bedford station is obviously complete on the slow lines, but on the fast lines, as the pictures show, the gantries are all erected, but there are still wires to be installed.
But as the Class 810 trains won’t be in service until 2023, there’s still a bit of time.
The gantries certainly look sturdy, as this picture shows.
They’re certainly built for 125 mph, but as the Class 810 trains will be capable of 140 mph with full digital in-cab signalling, I would hope that the electrification has been installed to that standard. Or at least to a standard, that can be easily upgraded!
Corby Station
Corby station has been finished to a single-platform station, which is able to accept a twelve-car Class 360 train.
This should be adequate for the current half-hourly service, as a single platform can handle a least four trains per hour (tph) and several around the country regularly do.
Both tracks through the station are electrified and I suspect with a second platform bridge, both could be used by electric trains to create a two-platform station.
But there would appear to be no need at the moment.
Even, if it were to be decided to extend one tph to Oakham and Melton Mowbray stations, this could probably be accommodated on the single-platform.
Network Rail seem to have already installed a crossover South of Corby station, so that trains can use the single platform.
Serving Oakham And Melton Mowbray
I discussed this extension in detail in Abellio’s Plans For London And Melton Mowbray Via Corby And Oakham.
In the related post, I said this.
This page on the Department for Transport web site is an interactive map of the Abellio’s promises for East Midlands Railway.
These are mentioned for services to Oakham and Melton Mowbray.
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- After electrification of the Corby route there will continue to be direct service each way between London and Oakham and Melton Mowbray once each weekday, via Corby.
- This will be operated with brand new 125mph trains when these are introduced from April 2022.
This seems to be a very acceptable minimum position.
When my Class 222 train arrived in Corby at 1154, it waited a couple of minutes then took off to the North.
I then took the next train to London, which was an eight-car Class 360 train which formed the 1211 service back to St. Pancras.
Meanwhile the Class 222 train, that I’d arrived on did a reverse in the Corby North Run Around Loop finally arriving back in Corby at 1345. The train had taken one hour and forty-nine minutes to return to Corby.
It might be just coincidence, but are East Midlands Railway doing timing tests to see if services can be extended to Oakham And Melton Mowbray?
It should be noted that service times North of Corby are as follows.
- Corby and Oakham – 19 mins – 14.3 miles
- Corby and Melton Mowbray – 31 mins – 25.7 miles
- Melton Mowbray and Leicester – 17 mins – 12.8 miles (estimate) – CrossCountry service
My logic goes like this.
- It looks to me that it would not be unreasonable that a Class 222 train could run between Corby and Leicester in forty-eight minutes.
- Double that and you get one hour and thirty eight minutes, for a journey from Corby to Leicester and back.
- Subtract that time from the one hour and forty-nine minutes that my train took to reverse and there is eleven minutes for a turnback at Leicester station.
- Eleven minutes would certainly be long enough to tidy a train and for the crew to change ends.
I also believe that the 35.8 miles would be possible for a Class 810 train fitted with one or more battery power-packs instead of a similar number of the four diesel engines.
So are East Midlands Railway doing tests to find the most efficient way to serve Oakham And Melton Mowbray?
On The Corby Branch
I travelled North on a Class 222 diesel train and South on an electric Class 360 train.
On the Corby branch, I was monitoring the train speed on an app on my phone and both trains travelled at around 90 mph for most of the way.
There were sections at up to 100 mph and the track was generally smooth.
I was left with the impression, that trains might be able to go faster on the branch.
Average speeds for the 2.5 miles of the branch were as follows according to these timings from realtimetrains.
- Class 222 train – Arriving – 5.25 mins – 28.6 mph
- Class 222 train – Leaving – 5 mins – 30 mph
- Class 360 train – Arriving – 7.5 mins – 20 mph
- Class 360 train – Leaving – 5 mins – 30 mph
It doesn’t appear that there are much difference in the timings, although it might be said, that the electric approach is more cautious.
The Class 360 Trains
The Class 360 trains have not been refurbished yet although as my pictures show, some have been given a new livery.
In Are Class 360 Trains Suitable For St. Pancras And Corby?, I said this about the train refurbishment.
This page on the Department for Transport web site is an interactive map of the Abellio’s promises for East Midlands Railway.
These features are mentioned for Midland Main Line services to Corby.
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- Increased capacity
- Twelve-car trains in the Peak.
- More reliable service
- Improved comfort
- Passenger information system
- Free on-board Wi-Fi
- At-seat power sockets
- USB points
- Air conditioning
- Tables at all seats
- Increased luggage space
- On-board cycle storage
What more could passengers want?
It certainly hasn’t happened in full.
I did ask a steward, when the new interiors will be installed and he said they were running late because of the pandemic.
Performance Of The Class 360 Trains
I used my app to follow the speed of the Class 360 train, that brought me back to London.
- The train hit a maximum speed of about 105 mph.
- The train arrived in London a minute late.
I feel that as the drivers get used to their new charges, they will match the timetable.
Conclusion
I have a feeling that in a couple of years, these trains will fulfil Abellio’s promises.
The Anonymous Widower 