The Norwich-In-Ninety Timetable
The Norwich-In-Ninety trains are now visible on the National Rail timetable.
London To Norwich
Norwich-In-Ninety trains leave London at 11:00 and 19:00!
The current times of the 11:00 train are as follows.
- Liverpool Street – 11:00
- Colchester – 11:46
- Manningtree – 11:55
- Ipswich – 12:07
- Diss – 12:36
- Norwich – 12:50
Those of the faster train are.
- Liverpool Street – 11:00
- Ipswich – 11:55
- Norwich – 12:30
I can remember in the 1960s, the diesel service was advertised as two-hour two-stop between London amd Norwich.
Norwich To London
Norwich-In-Ninety trains leave Norwich at 09:00 and 17:00!
The current times of the 09:00 train are as follows.
- Norwich – 09:00
- Diss – 09:17
- Stowmarket – 09:29
- Ipswich – 09:41
- Manningtree – 09:52
- Colchester – 10:02
- Chelmsford – 10:21
- Stratford – 10:45
- Liverpool Street – 10:55
Those of the faster train are.
- Norwich – 09:00
- Ipswich – 09:33
- Liverpool Street- 10:30
Note that the current Southbound services are slower than those going North.
The Current Linespeed
For part of my trip back from Ipswich today, I was following the linespeed using the Speedview App on my phone.
- Between Kelvedon and Hstfield Peverel the train averaged around 100 mph.
- It then slowed to 60 mph through Chelmsford.
- By Ingatestone, it was up to 90 mph, before slowing for 60 mph through Shenfield.
- There seemed to be some checking from a slower train, but at places into Liverpool Street it was up to 80-90 mph.
The Norwich-In-Ninety improvements certainly seemed to have helped.
It certainly left me with the feeling that the elderly Class 90 locomotive and Mark 3 carriages could achieve Ipswich to Liverpool Street in around an hour.
The Future
These four services are probably just the start. These four services can probably be achieved with one train.
- Leave Norwich at 09:00 and arrive in Liverpool Street at 10:30
- Leave Liverpool Street at 11:00 and arrive in Norwich at 12:30
- Leave Norwich at 17:00 and arrive in Liverpool Street at 18:30
- Leave Liverpool Street at 19:00 and arrive in Norwich at 20:30
Although, Greater Anglia will be running the initial service with Class 755 trains, the company has ten Class 745 trains on order.
The only thing so far disclosed, is that the Liverpool Street and Norwich service will go to three trains per hour (tph).
It should also be said, that the design of the new trains and their power, should make station stops much faster.
But what pattern of stops will be performed by the three trains?
Are Greater Anglia’s Flirts Faster Than 100 mph?
Over the last fifty years or so, a lot of fast trains have been introduced onto the UK’s railways.
- InterCity 125 trains were designed to provide 125 mph services and held the world record for diesel trains at 143 mph
- InterCity 225 trains were designed to provide 140 mph services, but have been timed at 161 mph
- Class 442 trains were designed to provide 100 mph services, but have been timed at 108 mph
- Most Electrostars are 100 mph trains, but the Class 387 train can cruise at 110 mph.
It does seem that often the design speed and what is possible differ by up to twenty miles per hour.
It is probably in part good design, as it means that an accidental overspeed can be safely handled.
Greater Anglia has ordered two fleets of Stadler FLIRTs.
- Class 745 electric trains, which have twelve cars.
- Class 755 bi-mode trains, which have three or four cars.
Note
- Both trains share a lot of features and are capable of 100 mph.
- Some Norwegian electric FlLIRTs have a top speed of 120 mph. They have an extra powered axle, but do they have ostensibly the same running gear and electrifical systems?
So would it be reasonable to assume that Stadler have designed FLIRTs, so that faster versions can be created?
If the answer is in the affirmative, there is two interesting possibilities.
London To Norwich Services
The section of line between Norwich and Haughley Junction has the following characteristics.
- Double-track
- 31 miles long.
- 100 mph operating speed
- Electrified
- A few level-crossings
- It is fairly straight
- There is the Trowse swing bridge over the River Wensum
- Passenger services on the route will be run only using Stadler FLIRTs.
Network Rail have been very successful in upgrading routes like this for faster running and as the Trowse swing bridge will be replaced, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this section of line upgraded to perhaps 110 mph. This would save a couple of minutes, if the trains could take advantage.
Other services in East Anglia would also benefit from works to improve line speed.
Midland Main Line Services
The Midland Main Line will receive brand-new 125 mph bi-mode trains in 2022.
If Class 755 bi-mode trains could be configured to run at 125 mph, like their electric cousins, they must be a possibility.
Conclusion
Only Stadler know if their Class 745 and 755 trains can be upgraded to higher speeds.
But if they can be upgraded, they could be a very useful train for UK railways.
Why Are Abellio Starting Norwich-in-Ninety With Class 755 Trains?
At the May timetable change Abellio Greater Anglia will be running four trains per day between London and Norwich in ninety minutes.
I have read that this is possible with the current Class 90 locomotive /Mark 3 coach train sets and that is a fall-back position.
I was also told by a former employee of Greater Anglia, that one night, he was a passenger between Norwich station and Illford depot in an empty Class 321 train, that achieved an incredible time.
So why take the risk with untried Class 755 trains on the first day of the new timetable?
- Abellio must be very sure that the trains will perform, as they say in the brochure.
- They also know all the publicity that running new trains will bring.
But could Abellio just want to check the public’s reaction to these trains with effectively a locomotive in the middle, before they decide on the 125 mph bi-mode trains for the Midland Main Line?
I don’t believe that building a 125 mph version of Class 755 train would be beyond the bounds of possibility.
The Weight Of A Class 755 Train
I haven’t been able to do my energy calculation for a Class 755 train, as I can’t find the weight of a Class 755 train on the Internet.
However, I can estimate the weight of a four-car Class 755/4 train from the Stadler data sheet for the train.
This gives the following.
- Mean Acceleration Electric (0-40 mph) – 1.1 metres/second squared
- Maximum traction – 200 kN
- 202 seats and 27 tip-up seats
I think it is reasonable to assume that the acceleration rate is for a train with a typical load of passengers.
Using Omni’s Acceleration Calculator, this gives a time of 16.256 seconds to accelerate from 0-40 mph.
Then putting this time into Omni’s Newton’s Second Law Calculator, gives a train mass of 181.8 tonnes.
As passengers can weigh around twenty tonnes, if they weigh 90 Kg each, with baggage, bikes and buggies, I would estimate that an empty Class 755/4 train weighs around 160-170 tonnes.
By comparison.
- An empty four-car electric Class 350 train weighs 175.5 tonnes
- An empty three-car diesel Class 170 train weights 135.3 tonnes.
I don’t think a figure of 160-170 tonnes is out of line, with a figure of 180 tonnes for a typical loaded train.
Remember too, that these trains are Stadler FLIRTs, where FLIRT is Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train.
Applying Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator, gives these figures for the kinetic energy of a train.
- 90 mph – 40 kWh
- 100 mph – 50 kWh
- 125 mph – 78 kWh
As some electric FLIRTs can nun at 125 mph, I believe that a bi-mode FLIRT, based on the Class 755 train could be designed with these characteristics.
- 125 mph on electric power
- 125 mph on diesel power
Acceleration on diesel to 125 mph would probably be the biggest problem and it is likely that more power than for a Class 755 train will be needed.
Do Abellio Greater Anglia’s initial Norwich-in-Ninety trains give a clue in that they will be two four-car Class 755 trains working as an eight-car train?
- It will be eight passenger cars and two power cars at the 25% and 75% positions in the formation.
- Stadler have built the similar Stadler GTW with two power cars in a single train.
So I suspect that Stadler know the dynamics of these trains very well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me, that Stadler had offered a bi-mode Stadler FLIRT with two power cars, for the Midland Main Line.
- The power car concept has been sold to operators with diesel, electric and battery power options.
- Stadler are proposing to use battery power in the Class 93 locomotive to boost performance.
- Many would believe, as I do, that hydrogen power could be added to a Stadler power car.
So are these runs at 100 mph with two four-car Class 755 trains, a final trial of the technology to prove that similar higher-powered trains could run at 125 mph on the Midland Main Line, before Abellio sign a contract?
Hydrogen Trains To Be Trialled On The Midland Main Line
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled Bimode And Hydrogen Trains As Abellio Wins Next East Midlands Franchise.
Abellio will be taking over the franchise in August this year and although bi-mode trains were certain to be introduced in a couple of years, the trialling of hydrogen-powered trains is a surprise to me and possibly others.
This is all that is said in the article.
Abellio will also trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland Main Line.
It also says, that the new fleet will not be announced until the orders are finalised.
In this post, I’m assuming that the hydrogen trial will be performed using the main line trains.
Trains for the Midland Main Line will need to have the following properties
- 125 mph on electric power
- 125 mph on diesel power
- Ability to go at up to 140 mph, when idigital n-cab signalling is installed and the track is improved.
- UK gauge
- Ability to run on hydrogen at a future date.
I think there could be three types of train.
- A traditional bi-mode multiple unit, with underfloor engines like the Hitachi Class 800 series, is obviously a possibility.
- An electrical multiple unit, where one driving car is replaced by a bi-mode locomotive with appropriate power.
- Stadler or another manufacturer might opt for a train with a power pack in the middle.
The second option would effectively be a modern InterCity 225.
- South of Kettering, electricity would be used.
- North of Kettering, diesel would be used
- Hydrogen power could replace diesel power at some future date.
- Design could probably make the two cabs and their driving desks identical.
- The locomotive would be interchangeable with a driver car.
Bi-modes would work most services, with electric versions working to Corby at 125 mph.
Which manufacturer has a design for a 125 mph, hydrogen-powered train?
Alstom
Alstom have no 125 mph UK multiple unit and their Class 321 Hydogen train, is certainly not a 125 mph train and probably will still be under development.
Bombardier
In Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, I compared diesel and hydrogen-power on bi-mode Aventras and felt that hydrogen could be feasible.
In that post, I wrote a section called Diesel Or Hydrogen Power?, where I said this.
Could the better ambience be, because the train doesn’t use noisy and polluting diesel power, but clean hydrogen?
It’s a possibility, especially as Bombardier are Canadian, as are Ballard, who produce hydrogen fuel-cells with output between 100-200 kW.
Ballard’s fuel cells power some of London’s hydrogen buses.
The New Routemaster hybrid bus is powered by a 138 kW Cummins ISBe diesel engine and uses a 75 kWh lithium-ion battery, with the bus being driven by an electric motor.
If you sit in the back of one of these buses, you can sometimes hear the engine stop and start.
In the following calculations, I’m going to assume that the bi-mode |Aventra with batteries has a power source, that can provide up to 200 kW, in a fully-controlled manner
Ballard can do this power output with hydrogen and I’m sure that to do it with a diesel engine and alternator is not the most difficult problem in the world.
So are Bombardier designing the Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, so that at a later date it can be changed from diesel to hydrogen power?
All an Aventra needs to run is electricity and the train, the onboard staff and passengers don’t care whether it comes from overhead wires, third-rail, batteries, diesel or hydrogen.
Bombardier also have the technology for my proposed locomotive-based solution, where one driver-car of an Aventra is replaced by what is effectively a locomotive.
If Bombardier have a problem, it is that they have no small diesel train to replace Abellio’s small diesel trains. Could the longer services use the bi-mode Aventras and the shorter ones Aventras with battery power?
CAF
CAF probably have the technology, but there would be a lot of development work to do.
Hitachi
Hitachi have the bi-mode trains in the Class 802 trains, but haven’t as yet disclosed a hydrogen train.
Siemens
They’ve made a few noises, but I can’t see them producing a bi-mode train for 2022.
Stadler
In a few weeks time, I will be having a ride in a Stadler-built Class 755 train, run by Abellio Greater Anglia.
The Class 755 train is a bi-mode 100 mph train, from Stadler’s Flirt family.
Could it be stretched to a 125 mph train?
- Stadler have built 125 mph electric Flirts.
- It is my view, that Stadler have the knowledge to make 125 mph trains work.
- Flirts are available in any reasonable length.
- I’ve read that bi-mode and electric Flirts are very similar for drivers and operators.
These could work the Midland Main Line.
If the mainline version is possible, then Abellio could replace all their smaller diesel trains with appropriate Class 755 trains, just as they will be doing in East Anglia.
Stadler with the launch of the Class 93 locomotive, certainly have the technology for a locomotive-based solution.
East Midlands Railway would be an all-Stadler Flirt fleet.
As to hydrogen, Stadler are supplying hydrogen-powered trains for the Zillertalbahn, as I wrote in Zillertalbahn Orders Stadler Hydrogen-Powered Trains.
Talgo
Talgo could be the joker in the pack. They have the technology to build 125 mph bi-mode trains and are building a factory in Scotland.
My Selection
I think it comes down to a straight choice between Bombardier and Stadler.
It should also be noted, that Abellio has bought large fleets from both manufacturers for their franchises in the UK.
Zero-Carbon Pilots At Six Stations
This promise is stated in the franchise.
Once the electrification reaches Market Harborough in a couple of years, with new bi-mode trains, running on electricity, the following stations will not see any passenger trains, running their diesel engines.
- St. Pancras
- Luton Airport Parkway
- Luton
- Bedford
- Wellingborough
- Kettering
- Corby
- Market Harborough
These are not pilots, as they have been planned to happen, since the go-ahead for the wires to Market Harborough.
Other main line stations include.
- Beeston
- Chesterfield
- Derby
- East Midlands Parkway
- Leicester
- Long Eaaton
- Loughborough
- Nottingham
- Sheffield
Could these stations be ones, where East Midlands Railway will not be emitting any CO2?
For a bi-mode train to be compliant, it must be able to pass through the station using battery power alone.
- As the train decelerates, it charges the onboard batteries, using regernerative braking.
- Battery power is used whilst the train is in the station.
- Battery power is used to take the train out of the station.
Diesel power would only be used well outside of stations.
How would the trains for the secondary routes be emission-friendly?
- For the long Norwich to Derby and Nottingham to Liverpool routes, these would surely be run by shorter versions of the main line trains.
- For Stadler, if secondary routes were to be run using Class 755 trains, the battery option would be added, so that there was no need to run the diesel engines in stations.
- For Bombardier, they may offer battery Aventras or shortened bi-modes for the secondary routes, which could also be emission-free in stations.
- There is also the joker of Porterbrook’s battery-enhaced Class 350 train or BatteryFLEX.
I think that with the right rolling-stock, East Midlands Railway, could be able to avoid running diesel engines in all the stations, where they call.
Why Are Abellio Running A Hydrogen Trial?
This is a question that some might will ask, so I’m adding a few reasons.
A Train Manufacturer Wants To Test A Planned Hydrogen Train
I think that it could be likely, that a train manufacturer wants to trial a hydrogen-powered variant of a high-speed train.
Consider.
- The Midland Main Line is about 160 miles long.
- A lot of the route is quadruple-track.
- It is a 125 mph railway for a proportion of the route.
- It has only a few stops.
- It is reasonably straight with gentle curves.
- Part of the route is electrified.
- It is connected to London at one end.
In my view the Midland Main Line is an ideal test track for bi-mode high speed trains.
A Train Manufacturer Wants To Sell A Fleet Of High Speed Trains
If a train manufacturer said to Abellio, that the fleet of diesel bi-mode trains they are buying could be updated to zero-carbon hydrogen bi-modes in a few years, this could clinch the sale.
Helping with a trial, as Abellio did at Manningtree with Bombardier’s battery Class 379 train in 2015, is probably mutually-beneficial.
The Midland Main Line Will Never Be Fully Electrified
I believe that the Midland Main Line will never be fully-electrified.
- The line North of Derby runs through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Would UNESCO allow electrification?
- I have been told by drivers, that immediately South of Leicester station, there is a section, that would be very difficult to electrify.
- Some secondary routes like Corby to Leicester via Oakham might be left without electrification.
But on the other hand some sections will almost certainly be electrified.
- Around Toton, where High Speed Two crosses the Midland Main Line and the two routes will share East Midlands Hub station.
- Between Clay Cross Junction and Sheffield, where the route will be shared with the Sheffield Spur of High Speed Two.
- The Erewash Valley Line, if High Speed Two trains use that route to Sheffield.
The Midland Main Line will continue to need bi-mode trains and in 2040, when the Government has said, that diesel will not be used on UK railways,
It is my view, that to run after 2040, there are only two current methods of zero-carbon propulsion; on the sections without overhead electrification battery or hydrogen power.
So we should run trials for both!
Abellio Know About Hydrogen
Abellio is Dutch and after my trip to the Netherlands last week, I wrote The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen, which describes how the Dutch are developing a green hydrogen economy, where the hydrogen is produced by electricity generated from wind power.
So by helping with the trial of hydrogen bi-mode trains on the Midland Main Line, are Abellio increasing their knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of hydrogen-powered trains.
In Thoughts On Eurostar To North Netherlands And North West Germany, I proposed running bi-mode trains on the partially-electrified route between Amsterdam and Hamburg via Groningen and Bremen, which would be timed to connect to Eurostar’s services between London and Amsterdam. These could use diesel, hydrogen or battery power on the sections without electrification.
If hydrogen or battery power were to be used on the European bi-mode train, It would be possible to go between Sheffield and Hamburg on a zero-carbon basis, if all electric power to the route were to be provided from renewable sources.
Abellio Sees The PR Value In Running Zero-Carbon Trains
In My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint, I talked about running hydrogen-powered trains on a hundred mile lines at 60 mph over the flat German countrside
The Midland Main Line is a real high speed railway, where trains go at up to 125 mph between two major cities, that are one-hundred-and-sixty miles apart.
Powered by hydrogen, this could be one of the world’s great railway journeys.
If hydrogen-power is successful, Abellio’s bottom line would benefit.
Conclusion
This franchise will be a big improvement in terms of carbon emissions.
As I said the choice of trains probably lies between Bombardier and Stadler.
But be prepared for a surprise.
Greater Anglia Train Drivers Taking Leap Into New Technology
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
New state-of-the-art train simulators are being used to train 768 Greater Anglia drivers that will be driving the new trains due to replace all of the company’s existing fleet from later this year, when it starts to receive 38 bi-mode and 20 all-electric trains from Stadler followed by 111 more electric commuter trains from Bombardier.
The article is a must-read, as it gives a good insight into part of the process of getting mew trains into service.
The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands
Eemshaven station is the northernmost station in the Netherlands.
One of the reasons I went, was that the station is only a year old and I wanted to see how the Dutch build new stations.
Note this about the station.
- It is very basic, with few facilities.
- The single platform is very long.
- The station is surrounded by oil and gas installations on one side and the sea on the other.
It appears that for a lot of the day, the station gets two trains per hour.
This Google Map shows the station by the beach.
I would assume that most of the cars are those of workers at the oil and gas complex.
I returned on the train, I had arrived on, after a few minutes taking the pictures.
The Stadler GTW Train
Shown in the pictures is one of the Stadler GTW trains,which work the services in the North of the Netherlands.
- They are electric trains, with their own diesel power pack in the middle.
- This train had three passenger cars, but some only have two.
- Noise from the engine was noticeable and probably about the same in a Class 170 train.
- Ride quality wasn’t bad, considering the unusual configuration. But then the track looked very neat and tidy.
- Arriva call the trains Spurt.
Stadler have not stood still, since they built these trains and Greater Anglia’s new Class 755 trains are built by Stadler to similar principles.
At the turnround at Eemshaven with the driver. He indicated that there had been speculation about battery and hydrogen trains in the North of The Netherlands.
Level Crossing Accidents
An interesting aside is to look at the Wikipedia entry for Spurt.
Three of the trains have been involved in serious level crossing accidents.
The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen
This now a separate post at The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen.
Is This Stadler’s Plan For A Multi-Mode Future?
We have not seen any of Stadler’s bi-mode Flirts in service yet although Greater Anglia’a Class 755 trains have been rumoured to be speeding between London and Norwich in ninety minutes from this May!
Today, I rode on one of Stadler’s diesel GTWs between Groningen and Eemshaven in the Netherlands, which I wrote about in The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands.
GTWs are a diesel electric train with a power-pack car in the middle of the three car train. The diesel electric Flirts are a later train with a similar layout to the GTW.
So are the diesel GTWs and Flirts just a bi-mode without a pantograph? Or more likely the bi-mode is a diesel electric train with the addition of a pantograph and extra electrical gubbins.
Looking at the visualisations on Wikipedia of the bi-mode Class 755 train and the all-electric Class 745 train, it appears that the next-to-end car has the pantograph.
Are these cars with the pantograph identical on both the bi-mode and the all-electric versions? It would certainly be sensible from a engine erring point of view.
So could it be that all that is needed to convert a diesel electric Flirt into a bi-mode Flirt is to add the pantograph car and swap the power pack car for a bi-mode one? The old power pack car could then be converted into another bi-mode power pack car to convert another train.
But the power pack cars are not as simple as they look. They have four slots for diesel engines. Three-car and four-car Class 755 trains have two and four engines respectively.
I believe that one or more of the slots can be filled with a battery to create Flirts like the tri-mode ones proposed for South Wales.
So could we see some of the Greater Anglia Flirts converted in this way? Surely, Colchester Town to Sudbury could be a service that could benefit from battery power West of Marks Tey?
Today, I had a chat with a GTW driver, who said that the train he’d been driving was diesel-electric and that he had heard that batteries or hydrogen power could be used on the eoute.
The lines around Groningen seem to employ quite a few GTWs and distances are not overly long. So could some be converted to 1500 VDC electric/diesel/battery tri-modes? There is electrification at Groningen station and some of the bay platforms used by GTWs already have wires.
If the conversion is successful, then Stadler could be on a Swiss roll, as there are a lot of GTWs and Flirts out there, many of which are diesel-electric, like the one I rode today.
Would a train operator prefer to upgrade a diesel electric train that works well or buy a new bi-mode from another train manufacturer?
Could also an electric Flirt be converted into a bi-mode, by splitting the train and sticking a power pack car in the middle. Engineering common sense says that the passenger cars must be very similar to those of diesel Flirts to simplify manufacture of the trains.
We already know, that four-car Flirts are only three-car trains with an extra passenger car. Stadler could mix-and-match passenger, pantograph and power pack cars to give operators what they need.
Intelligent computer software would choose which power option to be used and the driver would just monitor, that the train was behaving as needed.
Looking at my route yesterday between Groningen and Eemshaven, it is a route of just under forty kilometres or twenty-five miles. Adrian Shooter is talking of ranges of sixty miles with battery versions of Class 230 trains. So I don’t find it impossible to create a tri-mode GTW or Flirt for this lonely route at the very North of the Netherlands.
Conclusion
Stadler seem to have created a very imitative modular train concept.
As some Flirts can travel at 125 mph, could they be serious bidders to provide the new trains for the Midland Main Line?
Stadler Rail’s Specification For UK Trains
These are links to the pdf specifications of Stadler Rail’s products in the UK.
- DRS – Class 68
- DRS – Class 88
- Greater Anglia – Class 755
- Merseyrail – Class 777
- Sheffield – Class 399 tram-train
I shall add more as I find them!
More Than A Thousand People In This Town Want A Rail Service To Cambridge
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Cambridgeshire Live.
This is the first three paragraphs.
t’s a town talked about more for its struggling market than its booming businesses.
But more than a thousand people in St Neots have signed a petition wanting to see that end.
The petition, which was started by Michelle Woodbridge, a resident from the town, wants the ‘forgotten’ area to be part of a new rail connection between Oxford and Cambridge – which people believe may revitalise the area.
St. Neots station is on the East Coast Main
- It is to the East of the town.
- The station has a new footbridge with lifts.
- It has an half-hourly Thameslink service between Peterborough and Horsham, with extra services in the Peak.
- There is a bus connection to Cambridge
This Google Map shows the Eastern area of the town around the railway station.
Note.
- The large area of development to the East of the station.
- The A428 road running across the bottom half of the map.
- The A428 is being upgraded and could become a dual-carriageway route to Cambridge via Caxton Gibbet, Cambourne and Madingley.
The East-West Rail Link between Oxford and Cambridge is planned to cross the East Coast Main Line at Sandy and then take a Southerly route to Cambridge South station.
The Route Option B is described like this in Wikipedia.
Route B involves running from the Marston Vale line to a new Bedford South station before then running to a relocated Sandy (to the north Tempsford area or south of St. Neots). The route heads east to a new station in Cambourne before swinging south to join the existing line northbound to Cambridge.
It does seem a bit of a roundabout route, but the new station at Tempsford could be a well-placed Park-and-Ride station for Cambridge.
I don’t think that the choice of route between Bedford and Cambridge will be easy.
However, certain factors may help in the design of the route.
An Improved A1 Road
The A1 road runs North-South to the West of the East Coast Main Line.
The road is only a two lanes in each direction and probably needs improvement.
So the improvements could be done in conjunction with the building of the East-West Rail Link.
The East Coast Main Line Is Four Tracks
Much of the East Coast Main Line is four tracks or could be made so, through St. Neots and Sandy stations.
Both stations have four platforms.
Sandy Station Could Be An Interchange Between The East-West Rail Link And The East Coast Main Line
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sandy station developed into a comprehensiove interchange station, either in its present position or slightly closer to St. Neots.
It would be served by the following services.
- East Coast Main Line services between Kings Cross, the North of England and the East of Scotland.
- Tramslink services between London and Peterborough.
- East-West services between Cambridge and Oxford via Bedford and Milton Keynes.
It would also be a Park-and Ride station for London, Bedford and Cambridge.
The East Coast Main Line Will Be Digitally Signalled
This must help increase the numbers of trains on the Route.
Greater Anglia Are Ambitious
I just wonder if there was a flyover at Sandy station, if trains could use the East Coast Main Line and the East West Rail Link to create a new service from Cambridge to Peterborough via Cambridge South, Sandy, St. Neots, and Huntingdon.
It would suit Greater Anglia’s ambitions and the 100 mph Class 755 trains could handle the partially-electrified route with ease.
There could even be a circular service, where trains returned from Peterborough via March, Ely, Waterbeach and Cambridge North.
- The trains would not terminate at Cambridge, but would go through the three Cambridge stations in order.
- Four trains per hour (tph), with two going via Sandy and two via Ely could be handled in a single platform at Peterborough.
I estimate the following times are possible
- Cambridge and Peterborough via Sandy – 60 minutes
- Cambridge and Peterborough via Ely – 50 minutes
Two tph doing the circular route in both directions would need eight trains. All stations would get at least two tph service to Cambridge and Peterborough.
Conclusion
I can see a time when there is a direct service between Peterborough and Cambridge via Cambridge South, Sandy, St. Neots, and Huntingdon.
St. Neots would have a two tph service to Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely and Peterborough.
Roaming Around East Anglia – Reedham Station
If you have to travel between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth stations by train, you have to change at Reedham station. Or you should be able to!
These pictures show the station.
You can’t do the direct journey between East Anglia’s two largest Eastern towns at present, as Network Rail have got their special Project Management knickers on. You know the ones with a twist!
So passengers between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth have three options.
- Take an hour and a half jurney via Norwich.
- Take a bus, which probably visits half of the villages in the local area.
- Drive.
Hopefully, the Reedham to Great Yarmouth service will be restored sometime in the near (?) future.
This will allow two ways to travel by rail between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
Changing Trains At Reedham Station
Theoretically, this should work, especially, if trains were timetabled so that passengers waited perhaps a couple of minutes on what I suspect in winter can be a very pleasant station.
Look at the footbridge. Do Greater Anglia really expect elderly travellers or those with bikes, buggies and baggage to use the Victorian footbridge?
I suspect Greater Anglia don’t see this as a feasible way of attracting more passengers out of their cars and from the buses.
But Network Rail haven’t got the millions of pounds needed to bring the station into the Twentieth Century!
A Shuttle Train Reversing At Reedham
It would be possible for a train to shuttle between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, which could reverse in Reedham station.
In Norfolk Rail Line To Remain Closed As £68m Upgrade Project Overruns, I asked if the new Class 755 trains had a fast reverse procedure, as Greater Anglia’s services are full of stations, where a train must arrive and leave a few minutes later.
I wrote the following.
A simple system could be as follows.
- On arrival in a station, the driver would put the train into a standby mode, when it was safely stopped.
- The driver would then walk through the train to the second cab.
- Whilst the driver is changing ends, the conductor is opening and closing the train doors and supervising the loading and unloading of passengers.
- On arrival in the second cab, the driver would wake up the train and check everything.
- After the doors are closed and having received the all clear from the conductor and a green light from the signals, the driver would proceed.
At all times, the driver and conductor, would have emergency remote controls to immobilise the train, if something is not what it should be.
Modern automation is certainly able to design a very safe system, that would save time at every reverse.
The stop ar Reedham station would become an almost normal stop and I would expect that a train could reverse in about two or three minutes.
Use Only One Platform At Reedham
Could this be the most affordable solution?
- The track layout at Reedham station would be modified, so that all trains would use the Norwich-bound Platform 1.
- Platform 1 is improved with a quality waiting room and a coffee kiosk, to make a short wait between trains more pleasant.
If there were two trains per hour on both the Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth routes, I’m sure that with the new signalling and good driving, a single-platform at Reedham station would work.
Trains from Norwich could call at XX00, XX15, XX30 and XX45, with trains to Norwich calling at XX07, XX22, XX37 and XX52.
If trains stopped in the right order, then there would be a maximum wait of eight minutes in a comfortable waiting room at Reedham station.
Even with only one train per hour between Norwich and Yarmouth via Reedham, I’m certain an acceptable timetable could be devised.
Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains
Greater Anglia have ordered thirty-eight Class 755 trains, which have a total of 138 cars.
These will replace twenty-six assorted trains, which have a total of 55 cars.
This is a increase of 46% in the number of trains and 150% in the number of cars.
Greater Anglia didn’t increase the fleet so that could sit in sidings, so I think we can expect some new services and higher frequencies.
Conclusion
I’m certain that a sensible hourly service between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth stations can be devised.
