The Anonymous Widower

Porterbrook Acquires ‘379s’ For Lease To GTR

The title of this post, is the same as that of a small article in the April 2024 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is the first paragraph.

Porterbrook has successfully bid to acquire the fleet of 30 Class 379 Electrostar EMUs from Akiem and will lease them to Govia Thameslink railway, which will use them on Great Northern services.

Note.

  1. Will the Class 379 trains replace all or some of the 39 Class 387 trains currently used by Great Northern?
  2. The Class 379 trains are 25 KVAC overhead only trains, whereas the Class 387 trains are dual-voltage.
  3. If the Class 379 trains are not modified to run on 750 VDC third rail, they will be restricted to Great Northern routes.
  4. It may be a problem, that the Class 379 trains are only 100 mph trains, whereas the Class 387 trains are capable of 110 mph, but I suspect that the Class 379 trains can be upgraded to 110 mph.

It looks to me that it is likely that Govia Thameslink Railway will end up with thirty spare Class 387 trains.

The Wikipedia entry for the Class 387 train, says this about the differences between the two classes of Electrostar.

The Class 387 is a variation of the Class 379 with dual-voltage capability which allows units to run on 750 V DC third rail, as well as use 25 kV AC OLE.

This surely has three main ramifications for Govia Thameslink Railway.

  1. Third rail equipment can probably be fitted to the Class 379 train, if required.
  2. The Class 379 train can probably be uprated to the 110 mph of the Class 387 train.
  3. Retraining the drivers to use the new Class 379 trains, will not be a major exercise.

Govia Thameslink Railway will have the luxury of configuring the trains to run, the services their passengers need and want.

But Govia Thameslink Railway may have a collateral benefit.

In 2015, a Class 379 train was modified to do a trial as a battery-electric multiple unit.

This section in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 379 train, describes the trial.

During 2013, the national infrastructure owning company Network Rail announced that unit 379013 would be used as a testbed for a future Battery-Electric Multiple Unit. Following several months of conversion work and non-service testing, the unit was used to carry passengers for the first time on a Manningtree–Harwich Town service on 12 January 2015. Throughout its five-week trial period, data was gathered to assess its performance; it could reportedly operate for up to an hour on battery power alone, while charging via the pantograph took two hours.

Note.

  1. I feel it would be reasonable to assume, that a Class 387 train could be easily converted to battery electric operation.
  2. I’ve met commuters, who used the prototype every day between Harwich and Manningtree and it gave a good service.
  3. In an hour with stops, a typical Southern commuter service does just 35 miles.

Southern have two routes, where Class 171 diesel trains are still used.

  • Ashford International and Ore – 25.4 miles
  • Hurst Green Junction and Uckfield – 24.7 miles.

A battery-electric train with a range of 30 miles would surely decarbonise these routes.

  • Batteries would be charged, where 750 VDC third-rail electrification is installed.
  • As the Class 387 trains are dual-voltage, a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification, could be used to charge the train at Uckfield, if that was to be needed.
  • Alternatively, the Vivarail Fast Charge system could be fitted.

A rough estimate is that ten battery-electric Class 387 trains would be needed to make Govia Thameslink Railway an all-electric railway.

  • The now redundant Class 171 trains could be cascaded to someone, who needs them.
  • The remaining twenty Class 387 trains could be used to replace twenty Class 377 trains, or converted to battery-electric operation and be cascaded to another operator.

Hopefully though, after all of the musical trains, there will be a reliable procedure to convert late model Electrostars into battery-electric trains.

The Definitive Battery-Electric Electrostar

It could have this specification.

  • Based on a Class 377, Class 379 or Class 387 train.
  • Three, four or five cars.
  • I suspect the batteries would be spread around the cars.
  • Dual-voltage or 25 KVAC overhead electrification only.
  • Charging by 25 KVAC overhead electrification or Vivarail/GWR Fast Charge system.

Note.

  1. Battery range appropriate for the route.
  2. In GTR And Porterbrook Unveil £55 million Fleet Modernisation, I talk about an internal refurbishment of GTR’s trains.

It looks to me, that, whatever route Govia Thameslink Railway takes, there could be another twenty refurbished Class 377 or Class 387 trains, that could be available for conversion to four-car battery-electric trains.

Great Western Routes That Could Be Run By Battery-Electric Electrostars

Great Western Railway have 30 Class 387 trains, which are used on Thames Valley services around the London end of the Great Western Main Line.

Routes that could be suitable for Battery-Electric Electrostars include.

  • London Paddington and Didcot Parkway – two trains per hour (tph) – 10 trains
  • London Paddington and Oxford – one tph – 5 trains – 10.5 miles x 2
  • London Paddington and Newbury – one tph – 5 trains
  • Reading and Newbury – one tph – 2 trains
  • Newbury and Bedwyn – one tph – 1 train – 13.3 miles x 2
  • Reading and Basingstoke – two tph – 2 trains – 13.6 miles x 2
  • Reading and Gatwick – two tph – 7 trains – 18.6 miles

Note.

  1. The number of trains is my rough estimate of the number, that would be needed to run each route.
  2. The miles is how much running would be needed on batteries.

My estimated total is 32, but there might be savings from more efficient routes. It looks like a range of around thirty miles would be sufficient.

Conclusion

It looks like after decarbonising Govia Thameslink Railway and the Thames Valley Services of Great Western Railway, there will be twenty high quality Electrostars available to decarbonise other routes.

 

March 25, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Decarbonising The Mid-Cornwall Metro

Although the Mid-Cornwall Metro will probably run initially using what diesel multiple units, after a year or so, the route will be converted to zero-carbon operation.

Newquay To Falmouth Docks

This map shows the Mid-Cornwall Metro.

These are current timings.

  • By train can take almost three hours with changes at Par and Truro.
  • By car should take 45 minutes to drive the 24.4 miles according to Google.

Note.

  1. The train timings are for a typical British Rail-era Diesel Multiple Unit on the branches and something smarter between Truro and Par.
  2. A Day Return ticket would cost £8.90 without a Railcard.
  3. If there was a through train, that meant you didn’t have to change trains, I estimate that the time could be as low as one hour and 35 minutes.

I feel that most travellers, who had access to a car, would use that to travel between Newquay and Truro.

Newquay To Falmouth Docks By Electric Train

I have ridden in three battery-electric trains.

  • Class 379 train – Manningtree and Harwich in passenger service.
  • Class 230 train – Vivarail demonstration
  • Class 777 train- Liverpool Central and Headbolt Lane in passenger service.

Note.

  1. All were mouse-quiet.
  2. There was no detectable difference, when running on battery power in the trains.

It is my view that battery-electric trains are no second-class solution.

 

Consider.

  • Newquay and Par is 20.8 miles.
  • Falmouth Docks and Par is 30.8 miles.
  • Newquay and Falmouth Docks is 51.6 miles.
  • The maximum speed between Par and Newquay is around 30 mph
  • The maximum speed between Par and Falmouth Docks is around 50-70 mph
  • There are twelve intermediate stations.
  • There is a reverse at Par station.
  • Charging would be easy to install at Falmouth Docks, Newquay and Par.
  • In Par Station – 10th February 2024, I suggested that Par station could be fully-electrified, so that expresses could have a Splash-and-Dash on their way to London and Penzance. If all platforms at Par were electrified the Mid-Cornwall Metro trains could charge from the electrification, as they reversed.

There are two main ways that the Mid-Cornwall Metro might operate.

  • There would be chargers at Newquay and Falmouth Docks and trains would shuttle the 51.6 miles between the two stations.
  • There would only be charging at Par and trains would after charging at Par go alternatively to Newquay and Falmouth Docks.

The first might need smaller batteries and the second would only need one charger.

Newquay To Falmouth Docks By Hydrogen-Powered Train

There is only one hydrogen-powered train in service and that is the Alstom Coradia iLint, which is running in Germany.

I feel it is very much an interim design, as Alstom has taken a diesel-mechanical Lint train and swapped the diesel for a hydrogen-powered electricity generator and an electric motor.

But Alstom are putting together a hydrogen-powered train based on an Aventra.

 

Note.

  1. The train is three cars.
  2. I would envisage performance of the hydrogen train would be very similar to that of a similar battery-electric train.
  3. I wouldn’t be surprised that refuelling of the train would not be a problem, as with all the china clay working nearby, there may well be developments to use hydrogen in the industry to decarbonise the mining.

The Mid-Cornwall Metro and Alstom’s Hydrogen Aventra could be ideal for each other.

Conclusion

I believe, that although the Mid-Cornwall Metro will start operation with diesel multiple units, it will be running in a zero-carbon mode within a few years.

 

February 16, 2024 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Electrification Between Newbury And East Somerset Junction

In the August 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled GWR Seeks Opportunities To Grow.

This is the sub-heading.

Managing Director Mark Hopwood tells Philip Sherratt there is plenty of potential to increase rail’s economic contribution.

This is two paragraphs.

The desire to provide electrification to support aggregates traffic from the Mendip quarries could also benefit GWR , says Mr. Hopwood. ‘Having an electric loco would massively help with pathing heavy freight trains through the Thames Valley. If you could electrify from Newbury to East Somerset Junction, a big chunk of the Berks and Hants route would be wired.

Then you can ask how much further you could get on battery power on an IET without running out of juice.’

I have some thoughts.

Where Is East Somerset Junction?

This OpenRailwayMap shows East Somerset junction.

Note.

  1. The East Somerset junction is marked with the blue arrow.
  2. East Somerset junction is 5.2 miles North of Bruton station and 5.4 miles South of Frome station on the Reading and Taunton Line.

As the map shows there is a branch to Merehead Rail Sidings, which is shown in yellow.

This Google Map shows Merehead Rail Sidings.

Note.

  1. It looks like there is a massive quarry to the North of the A361 road, which curves across the map.
  2. It is labelled Torr Works – Aggregate Industries.
  3. Torr Works has a Wikipedia entry.
  4. The rail sidings are South of the A361.
  5. Zooming in on the map, shows that the railway between East Somerset junction and Merehead is single-track and only a few miles long.

Distances from East Somerset junction are as follows.

  • Dorchester junction – 41.2 miles
  • Newbury – 53.4 miles
  • Taunton – 37.2 miles
  • Weymouth – 47.8 miles

Note that it is electrified with 750 VDC third-rail between Weymouth and Dorchester junction.

Range of Battery-Electric Trains

Consider.

  • A Bombardier engineer told me eight years ago, that the battery-electric Class 379 train had a range of sixty miles.
  • Stadler’s FLIRT Akku has a Guinness world record of 139 miles on one battery charge. See this page on the Stadler web site.
  • Even Stadler’s Class 777 trains for Merseyrail have a range of 84 miles on battery power. See New Merseyrail Train Runs 135 km On Battery.

It does appear that five-car battery-electric trains will have ranges in excess of a hundred miles.

I believe that because Hitachi’s battery makers have a good record, they will probably be very ambitious and will want that Guinness record, that Hitachi’s Class 802 trains will have a battery range not far short of the 139 miles of the Stadler FLIRT Akku.

I will be very surprised if Hitachi’s battery-electric version of a Class 802 train, doesn’t have range of at least 125 miles.

But say if they could do say 140 miles, the battery-electric Class 802 train could cover every long-distance route in the UK, which would attract orders for trains to run on the following routes.

  • Cardiff and Swansea
  • Crewe and Holyhead
  • Edinburgh and Aberdeen
  • Edinburgh and Inverness
  • Crewe and Holyhead
  • London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids

A substantial reward to the battery makers, would probably not be out of order.

Aggregate Trains From The Mendips

Consider.

  • Mining and quarrying companies are under pressure from governments, shareholders and environmentalists to reduce their carbon footprints.
  • Many are replacing diesel-powered mining excavators and trucks, with electric or hydrogen versions.
  • In addition, those companies delivering building products to the construction industry are under pressure to provide low-carbon products.
  • Using rail with electric traction to deliver products to market would cut carbon emissions and might even help sales.

These Mendip quarries appear to be connected to the Reading and Taunton Line.

  • Torr Works – Connects 5.4 miles to the South of Frome.
  • Whatley Quarry – Connects close to Frome.

There may be others.

But these rail-connected quarries, connect at or North of East Somerset junction, to where Mark Hopwood is proposing electrification.

Zero-carbon rail traction could even be possible, by electrifying the short single-track branch lines. or by using hydrogen-electric hybrid locomotives.

GWR’s London And South-West Services

These services use the Reading and Taunton Line to join the Bristol and Exeter Line at Taunton, before going on to Exeter, Plymouth and other destinations in the South-West of England.

These are distances from East Somerset Junction.

  • Exeter – 67 miles
  • Paignton 95.2 miles
  • Penzance – 198.5 miles
  • Plymouth – 119.0 miles
  • Taunton – 37.2 miles

Note.

  1. Exeter, Paignton, Penzance and Plymouth stations would need short lengths of electrification to charge terminating trains or top-up passing trains.
  2. In Thoughts About Electrification Through Devon And Cornwall, I showed that the average stop time at Plymouth station was eight minutes, which could be enough for the rail equivalent of a Formula One splash and dash.
  3. A 125 mile battery range, not only enables London and Penzance, but also Cardiff and Swansea, and Edinburgh and Aberdeen, when the extra electrification is completed.

Could my estimate of a 125 mile battery range, be Hitachi’s objective for their battery-electric trains?

The Ultimate Battery-Electric Class 802 Train

Hitachi have been totally silent on how the fitting of batteries to Class 802 trains is going.

But Mark Hopwood is more forthcoming in the GWR Seeks Opportunities To Grow article. where this is said.

Meanwhile, GWR had announced plans with Eversholt Rail to trial the replacement of a diesel generator unit with batteries on a Class 802 IET. However, Mr. Hopwood says this would not be useful for GWR and so the trial is not proceeding; instead, a TransPennine Express Class 802 will be the subject of a battery trial.

It sounds to me that another solution is being developed to get trains to run on electric power between London and the South-West.

  • I think we can rule out full electrification on the grounds of cost, disruption, time and the Nimbys and objectors will have a field day.
  • Newbury and Penzance is a distance of 251.9 miles, which would surely need a lot of batteries.

Mark Hopwood’s idea to electrify the 53.4 miles between Newbury And East Somerset junction, is starting to look like a good compromise.

GWR’s Bristol/Gloucester And Weymouth Services

These stopping trains are run by diesel trains and take the following route between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth stations.

  • Keynsham
  • Oldfield Park
  • Bath Spa
  • Freshford
  • Avoncliff
  • Bradford-on-Avon
  • Trowbridge
  • Westbury
  • Frome
  • East Somerset junction
  • Bruton
  • Castle Cary
  • Yeovil Pen Mill
  • Thornford
  • Yetminster
  • Chetnole
  • Maiden Newton
  • Dorchester West
  • Dorchester junction
  • Upwey

Note.

  1. I would assume that there is enough electrification at Bristol Temple Meads and towards Gloucester to charge the trains.
  2. Trains would leave Bristol Temple Meads with a full battery.
  3. The eighteen stops mean that an electric train with regenerative braking will be more efficient.
  4. Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury is not electrified.
  5. Westbury and East Somerset junction will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification under Mark Hopwood’s proposal.
  6. Trains take sixteen minutes between Westbury and East Somerset junction.
  7. East Somerset junction and Dorchester junction is not electrified.
  8. Dorchester junction and Weymouth is electrified with 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
  9. Trains take ten minutes between Dorchester junction and Weymouth.

Distances of the various legs are as follows.

  • Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28.3 miles – Not Electrified
  • Westbury and East Somerset junction – 11.4 miles – Electrified
  • East Somerset junction and Dorchester junction – 41.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Dorchester junction and Weymouth – 6.6 miles – Electrified

The two sections without electrification, should be well within range of a dual-voltage battery-electric train, that has been designed for the route.

GWR’s Cardiff Central And Portsmouth Harbour Service

These stopping trains are run by diesel trains and take the following route between Bristol Temple Meads and Portsmouth Harbour stations.

  • Keynsham
  • Oldfield Park
  • Bath Spa
  • Freshford
  • Avoncliff
  • Bradford-on-Avon
  • Trowbridge
  • Westbury
  • Warminster
  • Salisbury
  • Romsey
  • Redbridge
  • Southampton Central
  • Fareham
  • Cosham
  • Fratton
  • Portsmouth & Southsea

Note.

  1. I would assume that there is enough electrification at Bristol Temple Meads and towards Cardiff Central to charge the trains.
  2. Trains would leave Bristol Temple Meads with a full battery.
  3. The seventeen stops mean that an electric train with regenerative braking will be more efficient.
  4. Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury is not electrified.
  5. Westbury station will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification under Mark Hopwood’s proposal.
  6. Trains would leave Westbury with a full battery.
  7. Westbury and Redbridge is not electrified.
  8. Redbridge and Portsmouth Harbour is electrified with 750 VDC third-rail electrification.

Distances of the various legs are as follows.

  • Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28.3 miles – Not Electrified
  • Westbury and Redbridge – 46.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Redbridge and Portsmouth Harbour – 28.5 miles – Electrified

The two sections without electrification, should be well within range of a dual-voltage battery-electric train, that has been designed for the route.

GWR’s Bristol Temple Meads And Salisbury Services

These stopping trains are run by diesel trains and take the following route between Bristol Temple Meads And Salisbury stations.

  • Keynsham
  • Oldfield Park
  • Bath Spa
  • Freshford
  • Avoncliff
  • Bradford-on-Avon
  • Trowbridge
  • Dilton Marsh
  • Warminster

Note.

  1. I would assume that there is enough electrification at Bristol Temple Meads to charge the trains.
  2. Trains would leave Bristol Temple Meads with a full battery.
  3. An electric train with regenerative braking will be more efficient.
  4. Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury is not electrified.
  5. Westbury station will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification under Mark Hopwood’s proposal.
  6. Trains would leave Westbury with a full battery.
  7. Westbury and Salisbury is not electrified.

Distances of the various legs are as follows.

  • Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28.3 miles – Not Electrified
  • Westbury and Salisbury – 24.4 miles – Not Electrified

The two sections without electrification, should be well within range of a battery-electric train, that has been designed for the route.

GWR’s Swindon And Westbury Services

These stopping trains are run by diesel trains and take the following route between Swindon and Westbury stations.

  • Chippenham
  • Melksham
  • Trowbridge

Note.

  1. This is the Transwilts service.
  2. I would assume that there is enough electrification at Swindon to charge the trains.
  3. Trains would leave Swindon with a full battery.
  4. An electric train with regenerative braking will be more efficient.
  5. Chippenham and Westbury is not electrified.
  6. Westbury station will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification under Mark Hopwood’s proposal.
  7. Trains would leave Westbury with a full battery.

Distances of the various legs are as follows.

  • Swindon and Chippenham – 16.9 miles – Electrified
  • Chippenham and Westbury – 15.8 miles – Not Electrified

The section without electrification, should be well within range of a battery-electric train, that has been designed for the route.

What Can Be Done If The Electrification Is Not Long Enough?

Some of these routes battery-electric routes may need more electrification to work efficiently.

Despite some routes having both 25 KVAC  overhead and 750 VDC third-rail electrification, any extension of the electrification would be overhead, as new third-rail electrification is effectively banned.

Conclusion

It looks like Mark Hopgood proposal is an excellent idea to enable the decarbonisation of GWR services in Wiltshire and Somerset.

  • Express services would be run by battery-electric Class 802 trains.
  • Local services would be run by battery-electric trains with perhaps three cars.

Some of the local trains would need to be dual-voltage to use both forms of electrification.

 

July 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?

I feel now, I have enough information to make an educated, at what the distance a five-car Class 800 or Class 802 train will travel on batteries.

Previous Battery-Electric Trains

These are examples of previous distances.

  1. A Bombardier engineer told me eight years ago, that the battery-electric Class 379 had a range of sixty miles.
  2. Stadler’s FLIRT Akku has a Guinness world record of 139 miles on one battery charge. See this page on the Stadler web site.
  3. Even Stadler’s Class 777 trains for Merseyrail have a range of 84 miles on battery power. See New Merseyrail Train Runs 135 km On Battery.

It does appear that five-car battery-electric trains will have ranges in excess of a hundred miles.

Engineering Ambition

Several times in my life, I’ve got fired up about engineering or software projects and I like to think, I’ve produced the best and fastest solution.

For this reason, I believe that Hyperdrive Innovation, who are now part of Turntide Technologies, and Hitachi will set themselves three objectives with the design of the the battery packs for the Class 800 or Class 802 train.

  • The battery-electric Class 802 will outperform the Stadler FLIRT Akku in terms of speed and distance.
  • The battery packs will be plug-compatible with the diesel engines, so there will only be minor software modification to the trains.
  • The train will be able to be handle all Great Western Railway’s routes without using diesel.
  • I wouldn’t be surprised that on many routes the train will cruise at over 110 mph on batteries.

I also suspect they want the Akku’s Guinness world record, which will mean the range will be in excess of 139 miles.

More On LNER’s Ten New Bi-Modes

I wrote about these trains in LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes.

This was my conclusion.

There is a lot of scope to develop LNER’s services.

I think it is likely that the order will go to Hitachi.

But as I indicated, I do believe that there is scope for a manufacturer to design a zero-carbon train, that was able to serve Aberdeen and Inverness.

  • I suspect a fleet of ten trains would be sufficient.
  • Trains would use the 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it exists and hydrogen or battery power North of the wires.

The trains would also be capable of being upgraded to higher speeds, should the East Coast Main Line be turned into a High Speed Line.

I also think, that whatever trains are bought, there will be a large upgrading of the existing Hitachi fleet, which will add batteries to a lot of trains.

In the July 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled LNER Embraces Pioneering Spirit, which takes the form of an interview with LNER’s Managing Director; David Horne.

In a section, which is entitled ‘225’ Replacement, this is said.

Meanwhile, Mr Horne is looking to what might replace the InterCity 225 fleet, now smartly repainted in a scheme which pays homage to the original ‘Swallow’ livery. While there were fears this fleet may be withdrawn as an economy measure, the ‘225s’ are now on lease until at least next summer.

But Mr Horne says obsolescence issues are a real challenge and LNER will struggle to maintain the fleet beyond 2025, and from the May 2023 timetable change the number of daily diagrams was reduced from five to four to conserve the fleet’s mileage. Much of the heavy maintenance work had previously been carried out at Wabtec’s Doncaster site, but this facility is no longer available, and while a recent reliability improvement programme is bearing fruit, the challenges remain. The crunch point comes with the transition to ETCS at the southern end of the ECML as part of the East Coast Digital Programme – Mr Horne says LNER does not want to fit cab signalling on the ‘225s’.

The solution to this  issue is to procure additional trains to run alongside the 65 Azumas, and LNER went out to tender in October 2020 for a fleet of 10 trains with self-power capability.

While a preferred bidder has been identified, the business case to proceed with the procurement is awaiting approval, but Mr Horne is still hopeful this project can be progressed.

The current plan envisages the new trains broadly replacing the ‘225s’ on Leeds and York diagrams, but a major benefit with the new fleet would be during engineering work – at present LNER has to withdraw services to places such as Harrogate and Hull to concentrate its bi-mode Azumas on services using non-electrified diversionary routes, and having more stock with self-power capability would ease the issue.

Currently, LNER has these Azumas and InterCity 225s in its fleet.

  • Five-car bi-mode Class 800 trains – 10
  • Nine-car bi-mode Class 800 trains – 13
  • Five-car electric Class 801 trains – 12
  • Nine-car electric Class 801 trains – 30
  • Nine-car electric ImterCity 225 trains – 8

Note.

  1. There are 23 bi-mode trains and 50 electric trains.
  2. There are 167 bi-mode carriages and 302 electric carriages.
  3. Currently 31.5 % of the trains are bi-mode.
  4. With ten new bi-mode trains and no InterCity 225 trains, 44 % of the fleet will be bi-mode.

Is this increase in the percentage of the fleet, that are bi-mode acceptable?

LNER’s Two Needs

Let’s look at LNER’s needs, which are actually two separate sub-needs.

  • There is a need for ten new trains to replace the InterCity 225 trains.
  • There is a need to increase the size of the bi-mode fleet to be able to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line and other non-electrified routes to by-pass engineering works.

Note.

  1. I suspect that as Mr Horne explained, there are only five or possibly four InterCity 225s diagrammed on a particular day, then perhaps ten five-car bi-mode Class 800 trains, might be able to cover for the retirement of the InterCity 225s.
  2. These trains would work as pairs to Leeds and York to replace the InterCity 225 capacity.
  3. If required they could split and join at Leeds and York to serve other destinations.
  4. The diversion route of the Great Eastern Joint Line has an unelectrified distance of 93.7 miles and the route is electrified at both ends.
  5. Would a battery-electric Class 800 train handle this distance? I suspect if Stadler can do it, then Hitachi and Turntide Technology will be able to do it too!

LNER will have replaced the InterCity 225s and acquired ten new five-car blockade runners.

As an order for ten new five-car battery-electric trains, is not to be sneezed at, I suspect Hitachi will make sure that their new battery-electric variants have enough range.

So this would mean that the range of a five car battery-electric Class 800 train, should be in excess of 93.7 miles.

Advantages Of Converting Class 800 and Class 802 Trains To Battery-Electric Operation

It should be noted that the five-car and nine-car Class 800 and Class 802 trains have specific advantages when it comes to converting them to battery-electric operation.

  • They are modern trains, that are still in production, so every bit of information about the train is known down to the last nut, bolt and plastic clip.
  • Like most modern trains, hey have a sophisticated computer system controlling the train.
  • They have spaces for three, four or maybe even five diesel engines under the floor, which could be used for a battery-pack in every car designed to hold a diesel engine.
  • The train has an electric bus between nose and tail.
  • As is shown, when the trains change between diesel and electric, the pantograph can go up and down with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers.
  • The trains can be converted between bi-mode and electric, by adding or removing diesel packs. I doubt this feature will be removed, as batteries replace diesels.

With my Electrical and Control Engineer’s hard hat on, I doubt there is anything to stop a Class 800 or Class 802 train being fitted with three or more batteries to create a 125 mph train, with a range approaching two hundred miles on battery power.

The initial name of these Hitachi trains was the Hitachi Super Express. Is this train the Hitachi Super Battery Express?

But it would appear, that for their initial needs, LNER, just need a range to handle the near hundred miles of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line.

Inverness and Aberdeen will come later.

Conclusion

The first version of the battery-electric train will have a range of around a hundred miles, so that they can handle the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line diversion on battery power.

But fairly soon after introduction into service, I will be very surprised if they don’t claim the Guinness world record by running farther than the Stadler FLIRT Akku’s 139 miles.

No-one likes being second!

June 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reading Green Park Station – 27th May 2023

Reading Green Park station opened today, so I went and took these pictures.

Note.

  1. It is a high-specification station with two platforms, toilets and full step-free access using a bridge and lifts.
  2. I was told, that the station can handle six-car trains.
  3. There is no coffee kiosk in the station, but there is a Tesco Express outside.
  4. Trains run between Reading and Basingstoke, at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph).
  5. The Reading and Basingstoke Line is partially-electrified.
  6. As I’ve seen before, there was a Chinese guy taking pictures of the station.
  7. At present there are only 54 parking spaces, but Wikipedia indicates this could be increased.

This Google Map shows the station under construction.

The map shows the station has room for expansion, which in a thriving town like Reading could be important.

I have a few thoughts.

Rolling Stock

The route is not unique, but it is unelectrified, but has 1.8 miles of high quality electrification at the Northern end.

This equates to a route, where 11.7 % is electrified.

Trains normally terminate at Reading in the fully-electrified Platform 2, which is shown in this picture.

In a typical round trip, a train can spend up to 26 mins under the wires between passing Southcote junction going North and passing it going South.

This time should be more than enough to fully-charge a battery-electric train.

Consider.

So was the electrification scheme at Reading designed knowing the results of the trials in Essex, which showed that battery-electric trains did more than work and were a serious proposition?

A sixty mile range would mean a battery-electric train could handle, these routes from Reading.

  • Southcote junction and Basingstoke and then back to the electrification at Southcote junction, which would be 27.2 miles.
  • Newbury and Westbury, which is 42.5 miles.
  • Didcot Parkway and Oxford and then back to the electrification at Didcot Parkway, which would be 21.0 miles.

If four-car Class 321 Renatus, Class 379 or Class 387 trains were to be converted, I doubt there would be many modifications needed to stations and track.

The Bridge

The bridge has everything anybody would want with two lifts, stairs and lots of glass for good views.

But what puzzles me about Network Rail’s bridges is that a few years ago, they held a competition with RIBA to design a bridge.

This stylish, affordable and easy-to-install footbridge was the winner.

I wonder why not one has been built!

Ticketing

I feel there could be a minor problem with the ticketing.

For my trip today, I used my Freedom Pass on the Elizabeth Line as far as Reading, where I bought a return to Basingstoke, as I wanted to photograph something at that station.

In common with many stations, I had to exit from Reading station to buy my ticket from a machine.

As Reading has that superb bridge with lots of space and many changes at Reading will involve crossing the bridge, would it not be possible to put a ticket machine on the bridge?

I have travelled extensively on German trains and they place lots of ticket machines on the platforms, which I have used extensively, as their English is better than my German, which I have to use in a ticket office.

 

 

May 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Waste Of Valuable Resources Between Paddington And Heathrow

Much of my working life was spent in writing project management software.

I like to think, I was an expert at writing software to juggle resources.

I wrote my first piece of software in that field in ICI, to get my boss out of trouble, after he’d promised the department a program to allocate the department’s office space more efficiently.

Unfortunately, the student, who’d written the software, without leaving anything that worked or any decent instructions.

So I told my boss;Colin, that I’d have a go.

In my previous position at ICI in Runcorn, I’d worked out an algorithm to decode mass spectrometer traces, which started with a rough idea of what was there, which was entered by an operator and then used permutations and combinations to fit the output.

I used the algorithm in every resource scheduler, I ever wrote and it worked a treat.

So when I see a waste of resources, I get angry, as I know those who devised the system could have done a lot better.

Look at these pictures, I took of a Heathrow Express, that I took today.

It is barely ten percent full.

It has become a waste of resources; train, valuable paths in the Heathrow  tunnel, and platform space at Paddington.

These are a few thoughts.

Capacity To And From Heathrow

Consider.

  • Heathrow Express uses twelve-car Class 387 trains, with a capacity of 672 seats, that run at a frequency of four trains per hour (tph), which is 2,688 seats per hour.
  • The Elizabeth Line uses nine-car Class 345 trains, with a capacity of 454 seats, that run at a frequency of six tph, which is 2,724 seats per hour.
  • The Class 345 trains can also carry another 1046 standing passengers on each journey, which adds up to a maximum of 6276 standees per hour.
  • The Piccadilly Line uses 73 Stock trains, with a capacity of 684 seats, that run at a frequency of twelve tph, which is 8,208 seats per hour.

This gives a capacity of 19,896 passengers, staff and visitors per hour, or which 13,620 get seats.

Expressed as percentages, the four modes of transport are as follows.

  • Heathrow Express – 13.5 %
  • Elizabeth Line – Sitting – 13.7 %
  • Elizabeth Line – Standees – 33.8 %
  • Piccadilly Line – 41.2 %

In Effects Of The ULEZ In West London, I said this about journeys to and from the airport.

Heathrow Airport is one of the world’s busiest airports and 76,000 people work at the airport, with many more employed nearby.

The airport handled 61.6 million passengers in 2022, which is a few short of 170,000 per day.

If you consider that those that work at the airport do two trips per day and passengers generally do one, that means there are 322,000 trips per day to or from the airport.

But as it now so easy to get to the Airport using the Elizabeth Line will more people use the new line to meet and greet and say goodbye to loved ones or business associates. Since the Elizabeth Line opened, I’ve met a couple of friends at Heathrow, who were passing through.

I wonder, if that daily journey total of 322,000 could be nearer to 350,000 or even 400,000.

If the ULEZ charge makes some passengers and staff switch from their car to using a bus or train, this probably means that public transport to and from the airport, will need to be boosted by a substantial amount.

322,000 trips per day is 13,416 per hour assuming a 24 hour day.

Consider.

  • The ULEZ will drive employees and passengers to trains to Heathrow.
  • A lot of would-be travellers to Heathrow have had a tough couple of years.
  • Because of the Elizabeth Line more meeters and greeters will go to the airport.
  • The Elizabeth Line is making it easy to get to Heathrow for a large proportion of those living in the South-East.
  • There have been numerous car parking scandals at Heathrow and other airports.
  • Are there enough charging points for electric cars in Heathrow’s parking?
  • Parking at Heathrow is expensive.
  • Taxis to the airport are very expensive.
  • Passengers with large cases can use the Elizabeth Line.
  • Good reports of the Elizabeth Line will push people to use it.
  • The Elizabeth Line serves the City, Canary Wharf and the West End.
  • The Elizabeth Line has a step-free connection with Thameslink.
  • Passengers seem to travel with very large cases.
  • Passengers seem to be deserting Heathrow Express, as I wrote in Elizabeth Line Takes Fliers Away From Heathrow Express.

Note.

  1. The train, I took back from Heathrow this morning was full with all seats taken and quite a few standees.
  2. And it was a Sunday morning!
  3. We won’t know the effect of the ULEZ until August, but I believe it will be significant.

Obviously, I’m only using rough figures,  but they lead me to believe that in a few months, the Elizabeth Line will be at full capacity to and from Heathrow.

Heathrow Express’s Train Paths Should Be Re-Allocated To The Elizabeth Line

This would increase hourly passenger capacity from 19,896 to 23,208 or by seventeen percent.

Great Western Railway would get two extra platforms at Heathrow and the Class 387 trains could be reallocated.

Where Would Great Western Railway Run Trains From Two Extra Platforms?

Consider.

  • Various government levelling up funding has been allocated to Wales and the West.
  • I talk about the Mid-Cornwall Metro in Landmark Levelling Up Fund To Spark Transformational Change Across The UK.
  • The Mid-Cornwall Metro could include direct trains between London and Newquay.
  • There are also plans for a new station at Okehampton Parkway.
  • Given all the wind farm development in the Celtic Sea, I can see more trains between London and Pembrokeshire.
  • Cardiff and Bristol would probably welcome extra services.

I don’t think Great Western Railway will have problems finding destinations to serve from two extra platforms.

What Will Happen To The Class 387 Trains?

Currently, twelve Class 387 trains are used for Heathrow Express.

In The Future Of The Class 387 And Class 379 Trains, I said this.

The Battery-Electric Class 379 Train

I rode this prototype train in 2015.

An Outwardly Normal Class 379 Train

I think it is reasonable to assume, that as battery technology has improved in the seven years since I rode this train, that converting Class 379 trains to battery-electric operation would not be a challenging project.

Creating A Battery-Electric Class 387 Train

If the Class 387 train is as internally similar to the Class 379 train as it outwardly looks, I couldn’t believe that converting them to battery-electric operation would be that difficult.

I could see a lot of the Class 379 and Class 387 trains converted to 110 mph battery-electric trains.

Would Heathrow Express Completely Disappear?

If the Elizabeth Line trains are going between Heathrow Airport and Central London, at a frequency of 10 tph or one train every six minutes, I feel there may be scope for marketing and operational reasons to create a sub-fleet of the Class 345 trains.

The trains would be identical to the Elizabeth Line’s current fleet, except for livery, seating and some internal passenger features.

  • Perhaps, they could be called the Heathrow Train boldly on the outside, so even the dimmest passenger didn’t get on a Reading train instead of a Heathrow one.
  • All trains would have wi-fi and 4G connectivity. These features have been promised for the Class 345 trains.
  • Some coaches would be fitted with luggage spaces for the outsize cases people carry.

I could envisage the Heathrow Trains terminating at a wide number of places in addition to Abbey Wood and Shenfield. Possibilities must include Beaulieu Park, Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, Northfleet and Southend Victoria

May 21, 2023 Posted by | Computing, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Govia Thameslink Railway Issues a Prior Information Notice For New Trains

This article on Railway Gazette is entitled UK Railway News Round-Up and contains this section.

Govia Thameslink Railway has issued a prior information notice seeking the provision of between 21 and 30 four-car 25 kV 50 Hz 160 km/h through-gangwayed EMUs with air-conditioning and toilets for use on existing and/or additional Great Northern services from May 2024. Maintenance would be undertaken in-house at Hornsey depot, supported by a Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement.

I find this all a bit puzzling.

  • The trains that need replacing are surely the eighteen Class 313 trains, that run on the West Coastway Line, as they are some of the oldest trains on the UK network.
  • If Govia Thameslink Railway were serious about decarbonisation, they would also replace the Class 171 diesel trains, that work the Marshlink Line and the Uckfield branch, with electric trains with a range of thirty miles on batteries.

How many trains would be needed to replace the Class 313 and Class 171 trains?

  • The eighteen three-car Class 313 trains could be replaced with an equal number of new four-car trains and this might result in a rise in passenger numbers.
  • I would assume the eighteen trains includes allowances for trains in maintenance and spare trains for when a train fails.
  • It may be possible to  replace the six four-car Class 171 trains used on the Marshfield Line with three new four-car trains, which have a range of thirty miles on batteries.
  • The eleven two-car Class 171 trains used on the Uckfield branch could be replaced with three new four-car trains, which have a range of thirty miles on batteries and would run as four-car trains.
  • If eight-car trains were needed on the Uckfield branch, there would be a need for six new four-car trains.
  • If twelve-car trains were needed on the Uckfield branch, there would be a need for nine new four-car trains.

Note.

  1. If four-car trains are needed on the Uckfield branch, this means a total of 18+3+3 or 24 trains.
  2. If eight-car trains are needed on the Uckfield branch, this means a total of 18+3+6 or 27 trains.
  3. If twelve-car trains are needed on the Uckfield branch, this means a total of 18+3+9 or 30 trains.

Trains on these Southern routes wouldn’t be stabled at Hornsey depot, but could be moved to Hornsey for maintenance  using Thameslink.

But the puzzling bit is that the prior information notice says that the trains will be.

Four-car 25 kV 50 Hz 160 km/h through-gangwayed EMUs with air-conditioning and toilets for use on existing and/or additional Great Northern services from May 2024.

Note.

  1. There is no mention of the trains being able to run on 750 VDC third-rail infrastructure.
  2. The trains will run on Great Northern services and the Class 313 and Class 171 trains run on Southern routes.
  3. The only Great Northern services, that have not been moved to Thameslink are Kings Cross and Cambridge, Ely and King’s Lynn and services to Moorgate.
  4. The Moorgate services have their own dual-voltage Class 717 trains.
  5. Govia Thameslink Railway have ambitions to double the frequency of trains to King’s Lynn.
  6. Two eight-car trains per hour (tph) between King’s Cross and King’s Lynn would need sixteen operational four-car trains.
  7. Two twelve-car trains per hour (tph) between King’s Cross and King’s Lynn would need twenty-four operational four-car trains.

If Govia Thameslink Railway are thinking of thirty new trains, they must have other destinations in mind.

Could we be seeing a double swap?

  • An appropriate number of new trains are procured to run Great Northern services between Kings Cross and Cambridge, Ely and King’s Lynn.
  • The Class 387 trains released will be moved to the South to replace the Class 313 and Class 171 trains.
  • Some or all of the transferred Class 387 trains will be fitted with batteries to give a range of thirty miles without electrification.

Note.

  1. Could the new trains be Siemens Desiro City trains like the Class 700 and Class 717 trains, which are already maintained at Hornsey depot? It would surely be more efficient and save money.
  2. Class 387 trains are dual voltage and would need little or no modification to replace the Class 313 trains.
  3. Uckfield and Hurst Green junction is 24.7 miles.
  4. Ashford International and Ore is 25.4 miles
  5. Adding a battery to a Class 387 train has not been done, but Bombardier converted a near-identical Class 379 train to battery-electric operation over eight years ago.
  6. Converting a Class 387 train gives a dual-voltage battery-electric train.
  7. I suspect a charger would be needed at Uckfield. Could it be a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification?

Could all the Class 387 trains, that will replace the Class 313 and Class 171 trains be identical to ease the problems, when a train develops a fault?

Conclusion

It looks a good plan.

It also opens up the following possibilities.

  • Deployment of 750 VDC battery-electric trains on other routes.
  • Deployment of 25 KVAC overhead battery-electric trains on other routes.
  • Deployment of tri-mode battery-electric trains on other routes.
  • Charging of battery-electric trains using a short length of 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  • Fitting of batteries to Class 379 trains to create a 25 KVAC overhead battery-electric train.

It might be possible to convert other Electrostars to battery-electric operation.

Ignoring Class 387 trains on dedicated services like Heathrow and Gatwick Express, these trains are available for conversion.

  • Class 379 trains – Stored – 30 trains
  • Class 387 trains – Govia Thameslink Railway – 40 trains
  • Class 387 trains – Great Western Railway – 33 trains

Note.

  1. This gives 103 trains.
  2. They all have good interiors.
  3. They are all 100/110 mph trains.
  4. All trains could be updated to 110 mph.
  5. All trains can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  6. The Class 387 trains can also use 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
  7. The Class 379 trains were built in 2010-2011.
  8. The Class 387 trains were built from 2014.

I believe both classes will make excellent battery-electric trains.

Where will they be deployed?

These are a selection of routes starting in the South-East of England.

  • Ashford International and Eastbourne.
  • Gravesend and Hoo.
  • London Bridge and Uckfield.
  • London Paddington and Bedwyn.
  • London Paddington and Oxford.
  • Reading and Basingstoke.
  • Reading and Gatwick.
  • Reading and Redhill.
  • Slough and Windsor & Eton Central.
  • Twyford and Henley-on-Thames

I’ve only added routes which are less than thirty miles.

 

 

 

April 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Bluebell Heritage Railway Planning Western Extension

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

This is the introductory paragraph.

The Bluebell Railway, a heritage railway that runs through Sussex has filed a pre-planning application as it seeks to extend the railway westwards along a partially disused railway alignment.

It seems to be a well-thought out plan.

  • Part of the route is a freight line to bring aggregates out of the area.
  • The Bluebell Railway appear to have been talking to Hanson Aggregates and the plan would not appear to affect Hanson’s business.
  • The eventual destination is Haywards Heath station, where from maps and Wikipedia, it appears that not too much work would need to be done.

A Hayward’s Heath connection would surely be good for the finances of the Bluebell Railway.

I also suspect that Hanson Aggregates would come out of this with a certain amount of good publicity.

Do Network Rail Have A Plan To Increase Capacity South Of Oxted?

In Kent Railway Viaduct Set For £3.5m Makeover, I wrote about Network Rail giving a viaduct a makeover, that will last for the next fifty years.

Could a reason for the makeover, be that once the trains to Uckfield are zero-carbon, there is a possibility that the frequency of trains on the route could be doubled to two trains per hour (tph)? This would surely increase the stresses and strains on the viaduct. Especially, if two trains were timetabled to pass in Ashurst station, where the line is double-track.

This would increase the trains North of Oxted station in the Off Peak from one train to Victoria and one to London Bridge to one to Victoria and two to London Bridge. Once capacity at East Croydon has been increased, this would provide a fifty percent increase in trains between London and Oxted.

If the capacity is increased through East Croydon and into London, I can see more people using the trains into London from Oxted and the South.

But there are some missing links.

  • Both London Bridge and Victoria don’t have easy connections to the Elizabeth Line.
  • Getting between Heathrow and Oxted is a double-change.
  • There doesn’t appear to be large amounts of parking, on the Oxted Line.
  • It also doesn’t look like there are obvious places to add stations.

I also suspect that faster electric or battery-electric trains working the Uckfield branch will attract more passengers.

Various solutions must be possible after an increase in capacity at East Croydon station.

  • As someone, who lives at the Northern end of the East London Line, we only have a connection to West Croydon station, rather than the much more useful East Croydon station. Will this change, after a remodelled East Croydon station?
  • In Major Upgrade Planned For Norwood Junction Railway Station, I wrote about possible improvements at Norwood Junction station. This upgrade would surely allow better connection between Southern, Overground and Thameslink, with the latter two lines giving access to the Elizabeth Line.
  • I also think that there could be more scope for trains to and from the South to stop at New Cross Gate station for interchange with the Overground.

It should also be noted that the Uckfield branch could become a twelve-car electrified branch.

Thameslink To Uckfield?

There has been talk of increasing the frequency of Thameslink through London from its current 20 tph. As Thameslink, already runs to Oxted and East Grinstead in the Peak, perhaps Thameslink could take over the Uckfield Branch?

  • This would give direct access to the Elizabeth Line at Farringdon station.
  • Services would still serve East Croydon and London Bridge.
  • There would also be direct access to Eurostar services at St. Pancras.

Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, Moorgate, Paddington, St. Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo would all be easy journeys, with no more than a single step-free change.

The service could even use the existing trains, if Hurst Green to Uckfield were to be upgraded with 25 KVAC overhead electrification. I would use lightweight catenary like this.

Trains would change over in Hurst Green station.

An East Grinstead And Oxted Shuttle

Could East Grinstead services be improved by adding a shuttle between East Grinstead and Oxted?

  • It would use the bay platform at Oxted station.
  • The timings would be arranged so there was an easy interchange.
  • East Grinstead and Oxted is electrified.
  • Oxted station is a step-free station.
  • The current service takes seventeen minutes between East Grinstead and Oxted, so an hourly service would be possible, which would mean both Uckfield and East Grinstead branches had a two tph service.

Such a service could certainly have possibilities.

How Does This Help The Bluebell Railway?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the proposed extension.

Note.

  1. Horsted Keynes station is in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. The Bluebell Railway runs North-South through this station.
  3. Haywards Heath station  is in the South-West corner of the map.
  4. The Brighton Main Line runs North-South through this station.
  5. Copyhold junction, which is to the North of Haywards Heath station, is where a short branch line serves Hanson Aggregates.

The proposed extension will run between the Hanson Aggregates site and Horsted Keynes station.

In my view, the obvious service would be to run between Haywards Heath and Oxted.

  • Haywards Heath station has been designed to turn trains.
  • Oxted station has a bay platform.
  • The route is electrified between Oxted and East Grinstead.
  • Copyhold Junction and Haywards Heath is electrified.
  • Only about thirteen miles of the route are not electrified.
  • The route services Lingfield racecourse and of course the Bluebell Railway.

Passenger numbers are incredibly hard to predict, but I believe that an hourly service could be very useful to some.

What Trains Could Be Used Between Oxted And Haywards Heath?

I wrote The Future Of The Class 387 And Class 379 Trains in February 2022 and in that post, I mused about the future of two fleets of excellent Electrostars.

  • In total, there are thirty Class 387 trains and a hundred and seven Class 387 trains.
  • Some of these trains are just sitting in sidings, which isn’t very productive for their owners.
  • One of the owners of some of the Class 387 trains, is Porterbrook, who are not afraid to innovate.

In the July 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an interview with Southeastern Managing Director; Steve White, under a title of Southeastern Under The State.

This is said on page 75.

More positive is the outlook for restoration of passenger services on the Hoo branch, where 12,000 new houses are proposed and Medway Council is looking to build a new station halfway down the branch to serve them. As the branch is unelectrified, one idea that has been looked at is a shuttle with a Vivarail battery train or similar, turning round at Gravesend or another station on the main line.

Steve White worries that this could mean spending a lot of money on infrastructure work and ending up with what would be a sub-optimal solution. ‘Do people really want to sit on a train for 10 minutes before having to get out and change onto another train? I don’t think so. Ideally what you want is through trains to London, by extending the Gravesend terminators to Hoo.’

That would require a battery/third rail hybrid unit, but Mr. White thinks that is far from an outlandish proposal; with Networker replacement on the horizon, a small bi-mode sub-fleet could dovetail neatly with a stock renewal programme. Medway Council and rail industry representatives are working on coming up with a solution for Hoo that could do what it does best; facilitating economic regeneration in a local area.

One solution for the battery/third rail hybrid unit to Hoo, would be a battery/electric four-car Class 387 or Class 379 train, which could run in formations of four, eight or twelve cars.

These trains would also be ideal for the Marshlink Line and would surely be able to handle the thirteen miles without electrification on the route between Oxted and Haywards Heath.

The sooner, someone makes a decision about some four-car battery-electric trains, the sooner we can see if they are a useful solution.

July 7, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Are Finally Battery-Electric Trains Going To Enter Service?

In the April 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, there are three articles about battery-electric trains on four different routes.

The technology has been a long-term arriving, as I had my first ride in a battery-electric train in February 2015, which I wrote about in Is The Battery Electric Multiple Unit (BEMU) A Big Innovation In Train Design?.

What kept it so long?

May 5, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Future Of The Class 387 And Class 379 Trains

This post is to try to get some logic into everybody’s comments on UK’s First 100mph Battery-Diesel Hybrid Train Enters Passenger Service, which are about the Class 379 trains.

Here are my thoughts about the current situation.

Class 379 Trains

I regularly use Hackney Downs and Liverpool Street stations.

A few months ago, you would see Class 379 trains on services to Cambridge and Hertford North.

At the present time, you rarely see them, as these services now seem to be run by new Class 720 trains, with the Stansted services being run by Class 745 trains.

There are also articles like this one on Rail Technology Magazine, which is entitled Greater Anglia’s New Rolling Stock Helps To Drive Record Autumn Results.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Greater Anglia’s new rolling stock has helped drive the operators record-beating autumn performance results over the challenging autumn months.

During autumn 2021 Greater Anglia recorded an overall punctuality score of 94.48% from 19th September 2021 – 8th January 2022.

This was the best autumn performance ever recorded by the train company.

It would appear that Greater Anglia are pleased with their new stock, which surely means that the thirty Class 379 trains can be moved on, stored or converted to battery-electric operation.

c2c’s Class 387 Trains

c2c has six Class 387 trains, which are similar to the Class 379 trains.

Currently, because of cracks in Class 800 trains, three of them are on loan to GWR.

But in the next year or so, these six trains will be moved on or stored as c2c have ordered twelve Class 720 trains to replace the Class 387 trains.

Southern’s Class 387 Trains

Southern has twenty-seven Class 387 trains for the Gatwick Express, of which three are used by Great Northern, who are a sister company of Southern, and six are on loan to GWR

Great Northern’s Class 387 Trains

Great Northern has twenty-nine Class 387 trains of its own and three on loan from Southern.

These trains are used mainly on Cambridge, Ely and Kings Lynn services out of King’s Cross.

Great Western Railway (GWR)’s Class 387 Trains

Great Western Railway has forty-five Class 387 trains of its own, three on loan from c2c and six on loan from Southern.

The Battery-Electric Class 379 Train

I rode this prototype train in 2015.

An Outwardly Normal Class 379 Train

I think it is reasonable to assume, that as battery technology has improved in the seven years since I rode this train, that converting Class 379 trains to battery-electric operation would not be a challenging project.

Creating A Battery-Electric Class 387 Train

If the Class 387 train is as internally similar to the Class 379 train as it outwardly looks, I couldn’t believe that converting them to battery-electric operation would be that difficult.

Conclusion

I feel the way to proceed is to create a small fleet of both battery-electric Class 379 and Class 387 trains and assess their performance, reliability and customer acceptance.

 

 

February 11, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

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