Class 805 Train « The Anonymous Widower

Do Rolls-Royce mtu Have A Plan To Decarbonise Their Diesel Engines For Rail Applications?

Data Sheets For Rolls-Royce mtu Diesel Engines For Trains

These are data sheets for various Rolls-Royce mtu diesel engines that can be used in rail applications.

Rolls-Royce Releases mtu Rail Engines For Sustainable Fuels

The title of this section, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.

These four bullet points, act as sub-headings.

mtu Series 1300, 1500 and 1800 engines already released; Series 1600 and 4000 to follow shortly
Up to 90% CO2 savings by operating existing engines with Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO/renewable diesel)
Locally emission-free operation possible in combination with mtu Hybrid PowerPack
Field tests with DB Cargo and RDC Autozug Sylt

This is the first paragraph.

Rolls-Royce is taking a significant step towards even more climate-friendly rail transport with the release of mtu rail engines for use with sustainable fuels. With synthetic diesel fuels of the EN15940 standard, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 100 percent compared to fossil diesel. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO or renewable diesel), which is already commercially available today, reduces CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent. If the fuels are produced with the help of renewable energy and green hydrogen – through what is termed a Power-to-X process – existing rail vehicles can be operated in a completely CO2-neutral manner. The mtu Series 1800 engines which are used in mtu PowerPacks, as well as Series 1300 and 1500 for locomotives and multi-purpose vehicles, are already approved for use with synthetic fuels such as HVO. Series 1600 and versions of Series 4000 engines will follow in the near future. The release of engines for climate-friendly fuels requires a series of tests and trials and Rolls-Royce has found strong partners for this activity. DB Cargo and RDC Autozug Sylt have already tested or are currently testing mtu Series 4000 engines with HVO in their locomotives.

How Does That Fit With The UK’s Population Of Rolls-Royce mtu Diesel Engines?

These classes of train have Rolls-Royce mtu engines.

Class 43 power cars – 6V 4000 R41R
Class 168 train – 6R 183  TD 13H
Class 170 train – 6R 183  TD 13H
Class 172 train – 12V 1800 R83
Class 195 train – 12V 1800 R85L
Class 196 train – 12V 1600 R85L
Class 197 train – 12V 1600 R85L
Class 800 train – 12V 1600 R80L
Class 801 train – 12V 1600 R80L
Class 802 train – 12V 1600 R80L
Class 805 train – 12V 1600 R80L
Class 810 train – 12V 1600 R80L

Note.

Class 168 and 170 trains seem to be powered by older model Rolls Royce mtu engines.
Class 180, 220,221 and 222 trains are powered by Cummins engines.
I can’t find what engines power Class 805 and 810 trains, but it is reasonable to assume they have the same engines as the other Hitachi trains.
As CAF are building LNER’s new tri-mode trains, I suspect these trains will also have Rolls Royce mtu engines.

It would appear that all the Rolls-Royce mtu rolling stock in the UK, with the possible exception of the Class 168 and 170 trains will be able to run on sustainable fuels.

Rolls Royce mtu And Hydrogen

This press release from Rolls-Royce is entitled Rolls-Royce Successfully Tests mtu Engines With Pure Hydrogen.

This is the first paragraph.

Rolls-Royce today announces that it has conducted successful tests of a 12-cylinder gas variant of the mtu Series 4000 L64 engine running on 100% hydrogen fuel. The tests, carried out by the Power Systems business unit, showed very good characteristics in terms of efficiency, performance, emissions and combustion. These tests mark another important step towards the commercial introduction of hydrogen solutions to meet the demand of customers for more sustainable energy.

Engines of mtu’s 4000 family are used in Class 43 power cars, so surely these developments could lead to hydrogen-powered freight locomotives.

The picture shows a Class 43 power car at Glasgow Queen Street station.

Could Rolls-Royce mtu hydrogen power keep these iconic trains running for a few more years?

In ‘Spirit of Innovation’ Stakes Claim To Be The World’s Fastest All-Electric Vehicle, I look at Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation, which set the record for an electric vehicle at 555.9 km/hour.

As the InterCity125 already holds the record for the fastest diesel train, perhaps Rolls-Royce will attempt to set a record for the fastest hydrogen-powered train?

Decarbarbonising The CAF Class 195, 196 And 197 Trains

If Rolls-Royce mtu develop a hydrogen version of the 1800 diesel engine, then this could be used to fully decarbonise the CAF trains.

The operators may consider it’s not worth it and continue with using sustainable fuels.

But the possibility is surely there.

There must also be the possibility of developing a fuel cell replacement for the 1800 diesel, that can be slotted into the train.

Decarbarbonising The Hitachi Class 80x Trains

Hitachi are developing battery packs and the data sheet can be downloaded from this page on the Hitachi web site.

Decarbarbonising The CAF Tri-Mode Trains

I feel that as CAF usually use Rolls-Royce mtu engines, I suspect these trains will be designed, so they can be converted to hydrogen.

Conclusion

Rolls-Royce mtu appear to be on a path to decarbonise all their diesel engines.

November 18, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | CAF Tri-Mode Train, Class 168 Train, Class 170 Train, Class 195 Train, Class 196 Train, Class 197 Train, Class 43 Power Car, Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 802 Train, Class 805 Train, Class 810 Train, Hydrogen-Powered Locomotives, Hydrogen-Powered Trains, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), InterCity 125, mtu Hybrid PowerPack, Rolls-Royce mtu | 5 Comments

Lumo Carbon Data Shows Its Trains Are 22 Times Greener Than Flying

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

These paragraphs detail how the figures were obtained.

To mark the second anniversary of its branding as ‘Lumo’, the operator commissioned consultancy firm Arup to provide an independent report about all direct emissions from its operations; emissions from the grid-supplied energy it uses; and other emissions in its supply chain.

Scope 1: Direct emissions from operations that are owned and controlled by Lumo;
Scope 2: Emissions from the use of grid-supplied electricity, heat, steam and/or cooling by Lumo;
Scope 3: All other emissions that occur in the value chain of Lumo.

In the last two years, Lumo has carried over two million passengers. The figures reveal that, per passenger, emissions from a London-to-Edinburgh journey are twenty-two times the level for flying (149 kgCO2e) than for using Lumo (6.8kgCO2e).

I have a few thoughts.

Carbon Savings With LNER

LNER’s Class 801 trains are similar to Lumo’s Class 803 trains.

The main difference, is that the LNER have emergency diesel engines, whereas Lumo have emergency batteries to run the trains systems, if the catenary goes down.

So LNER on balance will generate a bit more carbon than Lumo.

But the difference will be marginal.

Carbon Savings With Avanti West Coast

Avanti’s Class 390 trains to Scotland, are all-electric, so there will be a carbon-saving.

Probably about the same as with LNER.

Avanti West Coast’s New Class 807 Trains

If the Class 807 trains were cars, they would be Lotuses.

They are electric only and have no heavy diesel engines or traction batteries.
They don’t even have emergency batteries for when the catenary fails.
They have a redesigned nose. Is it more aerodynamic?
The heavy tilt mechanism is history.
As with all the other Hitachi high speed trains, they are capable of 125 mph, or 140 mph if the signalling permits.

These trains will undoubtedly have faster acceleration and deceleration and could probably knock minutes off the timings at all the stops.

Tucked away beside the Grand Union Sets Out Stirling Ambitions article in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways is a report on Avanti West Coast’s application for a second service between Euston and Liverpool.

This is said.

Avanti West Coast has applied for access rights for its second hourly Euston to Liverpool service, starting from December 2023, although a phased introduction of the new service is likely. This would make use of Avanti’s new fleet of 10×7-car Class 807 Hitachi EMUs, which are expected to enter service from Autumn 2023. The ‘807s’ would be deployed on the current hourly Liverpool service, on which a call at Liverpool South Parkway would be added. (provision is made for this in the December 2022 timetable.).

Pendolinos would then operate the second service each hour, calling at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth.

A linespeed project is in progress to raise the permissible speed for non-tilting trains on the West Coast Main Line, and Avanti’s new Hitachi trains will take advantage of this.

I can’t wait to go to Liverpool in one of these trains.

Their carbon emissions should be in line with Lumo.

Avanti West Coast’s New Class 805 Trains

These are equivalent to the Class 802 trains, but with probably Class 807 train interiors and looks.

I wonder how long these trains will keep their diesel engines before battery power is the most affordable option.

Once they go battery-electric, their carbon emissions should be in line with Lumo.

Conclusion

I can’t see any other mantra than.

Electric good, diesel bad

Especially, if like most computers, it’s just plug and play.

October 24, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Class 390 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 803 Trains, Class 805 Train, Class 807 Train, Decarbonisation, LNER, Lumo, Pollution, Scotland | 1 Comment

High Speed Two To Crewe

There has been a lot of speculation about the Northern end of High Speed Two, so I might as well add sort out a few facts and add a bit of speculation of my own.

Sample Times Between London And Crewe

These are selected times from the 27th September 2023.

07:30 – Glasgow Non-Stop – 1:29
07:33 – Manchester Piccadilly – 1:37 – Stops at Stafford
07:43 – Liverpool Lime Street – 1:40 – Stop at Milton Keynes
08:30 – Glasgow Non-Stop – 1:29
08:33 – Manchester Piccadilly – 1:37 – Stop at Stafford
08:43 – Liverpool Lime Street – 1:40 – Stop at Milton Keynes
09:02 – Holyhead – 1:40 – Stop at Stafford
15:02 – Chester – 1:40 – Stops at Tamworth, Liverpool Trent Valley and Stafford

Note.

The 07:30 and 08:30 Glasgow services appears to be pathed for one of the Pendolino electric trains and were run by Pendolinos.
The 07:33 and 08:33 Manchester services appears to be pathed for one of the Pendolino electric trains and were run by Pendolinos.
The 07:43 and 08:43 Liverpool services appears to be pathed for one of the new Class 807 electric trains, but were run by Pendolinos.
The 15:02 Chester service appears to be pathed for one of the new Class 805 bi-mode trains.
All services except the Glasgow services stop at Crewe.
As London Euston and Crewe is 158 miles, the non-stop Glasgow services average 107 mph, the one-stop Manchester service averages 98 mph and the one-stop Liverpool service averages 95 mph.

I have some further thoughts.

How Long Does A Stop Take?

I’ve looked at some stops of Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester services

Crewe

Looking at timings between Weaver Junction and Norton Bridge, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 23 minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 28 minutes

Note.

Manchester services don’t go through Weaver Junction.
Weaver Junction and Norton Bridge are respectively North and South of Crewe.
The Liverpool service stops at Crewe, where it has a dwell time of two minutes.
The Glasgow service goes straight through Crewe.

The Crewe stop takes a total of 5 minutes of which 3 minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Stafford

Looking at timings between Norton Bridge and Colwich, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 7½ minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 7½ minutes
Manchester -Euston – 14 minutes

Note.

Norton Bridge and Colwich are respectively North and South of Stafford.
The Manchester service stops at Stafford, where it has a dwell time of two minutes.
The Glasgow and Liverpool services go straight through Stafford.

The Stafford stop takes a total of 6½ minutes of which 4½ minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Milton Keynes

Looking at timings between Weedon and Bletchley, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 11½ minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 16 minutes
Manchester -Euston – 12½ minutes

Note.

Weedon and Bletchley are respectively North and South of Milton Keynes.
The Liverpool service stops at Milton Keynes, where it has a dwell time of one minute.
The Glasgow and Manchester services go straight through Milton Keynes.

The Milton Keynes stop takes a total of 4 minutes of which 3 minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Average Speeds Between Crewe And London

London Ruston and Crewe is 158 miles according to Real Time Trains.

So what would times would various average speeds deliver?

100 mph – 95 minutes
110 mph – 86 minutes
120 mph – 79 minutes
125 mph – 76 minutes
130 mph – 73 minutes
140 mph – 68 minutes

Obviously, any average speed with over 125 mph running, will need full digital signalling.

Liverpool And London In Two Hours

This is said.

Avanti West Coast has applied for access rights for its second hourly Euston to Liverpool service, starting from December 2023, although a phased introduction of the new service is likely. This would make use of Avanti’s new fleet of 10×7-car Class 807 Hitachi EMUs, which are expected to enter service from Autumn 2023. The ‘807s’ would be deployed on the current hourly Liverpool service, on which a call at Liverpool South Parkway would be added. (provision is made for this in the December 2022 timetable.).

Pendolinos would then operate the second service each hour, calling at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth.

A linespeed project is in progress to raise the permissible speed for non-tilting trains on the West Coast Main Line, and Avanti’s new Hitachi trains will take advantage of this.

I’ll take a quick look at the Crewe and Runcorn section.

It is 22.5 miles.
It takes 19 minutes.
That is an average speed of 71 mph.
Crewe and Weaver Junction has a speed limit of at least 110 mph
Runcorn and Weaver Junction has a speed limit of at least 90 mph for most of the way.
If with their superior performance, the new Class 807 trains could average 90 mph between Crewe and Runcorn, they would take 15 minutes.
Achieving the 90 mph average may need a bit of track realignment and some signaling changes.

The four minutes saved would be enough to handle the extra stop at Liverpool South Parkway.

Consider.

Currently, Pendolino trains do Liverpool and Crewe in 38 minutes, which includes the stop at Runcorn.
My calculation with the Class 807 trains, shows that with a bit of extra signalling, the new trains could do Liverpool and Crewe in 38 minutes with the two stops.
The stop at Crewe will subtract 5 minutes from the base journey time.
The stop at Milton Keynes will subtract 4 minutes from the base journey time.

This means the base journey time between Crewe and London will be 73 minutes.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at 130 mph to achieve the two hours.

But there are five accelerations and five decelerations on a journey between London and Liverpool and the new Class 807 trains are the Lotuses of Hitachi’s family of AT-300 trains; lightweight and powerful.

Suppose they could save thirty seconds for each acceleration and deceleration.

The base journey time between Crewe and London will be 78 minutes.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at over 120 mph to achieve the two hours.

I certainly feel, that Liverpool and London in two hours is certainly possible using the new Class 807 trains.

London and Crewe with two stops would be times at one hour and twelve minutes.

But what about the Pendolinos?

My last return trip from Liverpool did a practice call at Liverpool South Parkway and still arrived in London a few minutes early.
The Pendolinos will still benefit from any improvements, between Crewe and Runcorn, which could reduce the Liverpool and Crewe time from 38 minutes to 34 minutes.
The stop at Crewe will subtract 5 minutes from the base journey time.
The stops at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth will both subtract 4 minutes from the base journey time.

This means the base journey time between Crewe and London will be 73 minutes, which is the same as for the Class 807 trains.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at 130 mph to achieve the two hours.

Could this average speed be achieved by the selective application of full digital signalling, perhaps on the Trent Valley Line?

But it does appear to me, that the Pendolinos can get very close to two hours between London and Liverpool.

London and Crewe with three stops would be times at one hour and sixteen minutes.

Crewe And London Non-Stop

Consider.

Pendolinos between London and Glasgow, go non-stop between London and Crewe.
I have calculated that Pendolinos between London and Liverpool, will take one hour and sixteen minutes with three stops between London and Crewe.
The three stops take a total of thirteen minutes.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see London and Glasgow Pendolinos take one hour and three minutes between London and Crewe.

This would knock twenty-six minutes off journey times between London and Glasgow.

Conclusion

I believe that with relatively minor improvements on the West Coast Main Line and the Liverpool branch, the following can be achieved.

Liverpool and London can be around two hours with new Class 807 trains or Pendolinos.
Liverpool and London services can increase their calls in the Midlands.
London and Glasgow services can be nearly half-an-hour faster.
The fastest London and Crewe services could be just over an hour using Pendolinos.

I also believe that the only serious infrastructure needed is some track realignment and some updated signalling.

High Speed Two To Holyhead

High Speed Two To Lancaster

High Speed Two To Liverpool

High Speed Two To Manchester

High Speed Two To Stoke-on-Trent

High Speed Two To Wigan

September 30, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Chester Station, Class 390 Train, Class 805 Train, Class 807 Train, Class AT-300 Train, Crewe Station, Euston Station, Glasgow Central Station, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, High Speed Two Lite, Holyhead Station, Liverpool Lime Street Station, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Milton Keynes Central Station, Stafford Station, West Coast Main Line | 11 Comments

The Diesel Power Of The Class 805 Trains

Avanti West Coast’s new Class 805 trains, will probably start running between London Euston and Chester, Shrewsbury and North Wales before the end of the year.

But will they have the 560 kW engines of the Class 800 trains or the the 700 kW engines of the Class 802 trains?

On this page of Eversholt Rail’s web site, there is a detailed specification for a Class 802 train.

It says these trains have a top speed of 110 mph on diesel.

But it also says this about the design of the trains.

They have been designed to meet the operational requirements of the West of England route and are used on services out of London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance.

The class 802 is almost identical to the class 800, the differences are that class 802s have a higher rated engine output to tackle the gradients through Devon and Cornwall, and a superior diesel range to provide the IET experience to the wider Greater Western Network, they also have a larger brake resistor which reduces brake pad usage and requires less maintenance.

Wikipedia also says that these are the diesel engine sizes in the three main classes of these Hitachi AT 300 trains.

Class 800 train – 560 kW – Three engines for five cars
Class 801 train – 560 kW – One emergency engine for five cars
Class 802 train – 700 kW – Three engines for five cars
Class 810 train – 735 kW – Four engines for five cars

All these four trains have similar bodyshells and running gear, so I suspect that to run at similar cruising speeds, similar amounts of power will be needed.

If the Class 802 train has a speed of 110 mph on diesel, then a rough estimate of the cruising speed of a train with the 560 kW engines can be estimated by doing this simple calculation. Note that air resistance is proportional to the square of the speed.

Square root (110*110 *560/700) = 98.4 mph

I have looked on OpenRailwayMap at all the tracks to the West of Wolverhampton, where these trains will run and the highest maximum operating speed I can find is 90 mph.

As the Class 805 trains have a reprofiled nose, which could be more aerodynamic, they may be able to cruise at 90 mph.

I believe that a train with three 560 kW engines will suit Avanti West Coast purposes well.

What Is The Operating Speed Of The Class 810 trains?

I can use a similar calculation to estimate the maximum operating speed of the Class 810 trains, that will operate on the Midland Main Line.

Consider.

The Class 802 train has a total power of 2100 kW
The Class 810 train has a total power of 2940 kW
The Class 810 train with only three working engines has a total power of 2205 kW

I can estimate the cruising speed by doing this simple calculation, which is similar to the one for the Class 805 train.

Square root (110*110 *2940/2100) = 130 mph

I can also do it for a train running on three engines.

Square root (110*110 *2205/2100) = 113 mph

I looks to me, that the following is possible.

As Class 810 trains can achieve the maximum speed of 125 mph on both diesel and electric power, the timetable is independent of the progress of the electrification.
If the 125 mph sections are ignored, the fastest sections of line have a maximum speed of 110 mph, which could be possible on three engines.
North of the electrification, where the maximum speed is only 110 mph, engines could be selectively rested to avoid overheating.

Four engines give a lot of interesting options.

I can’t wait to take a ride.

Could The Class 810 Trains Be Fitted With Batteries?

When, the electrification reaches Market Harborough station, there will be no 125 mph sections on the Midland Main Line, which are not electrified.

This Hitachi infographic shows the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

A Class 810 version of this train would have three diesel engines and one battery pack.

It would have all the features of the infographic.
My calculations give it a top speed of 113 mph on a route, where the maximum speed North of the electrification is 110 mph.
I also suspect, it could bridge any small gaps in the electrification.

It would have the very positive effects of saving fuel and cutting pollution in stations.

September 29, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Chester Station, Class 800 Train, Class 802 Train, Class 805 Train, Class 810 Train, Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, Market Harborough Station, Midland Main Line, North Wales, Shrewsbury Station | 1 Comment

Rockton To Buy Up To 40 Heart Aerospace ES-30 Electric Aircraft

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Aviation Source News.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Swedish investment and aircraft leasing company Rockton has confirmed that it will acquire up to 40 of Heart Aerospace’s regional electric aircraft, the ES-30.

The purchase confirmation converts an earlier letter of intent with the Swedish aircraft manufacturer into firm purchase orders for 20 aircraft with purchase rights for 20 more.

It’s good to see a leasing company getting involved, as it probably means that the finances are viable.

The Wikipedia entry for Heart Aerospace, describes the range of the ES-30 like this.

The ES-30 is planned to have a 108 nautical miles (200 kilometres; 124 miles) fully electric range or a 215 nmi (398 km; 247 mi) range when also using generators powered by aviation biofuel. A range of 430 nmi (800 km; 490 mi) could be possible if only 25 passengers are carried.

These are some UK airport to airport distances.

Aberdeen – Kirkwall – 124 miles
Aberdeen – Sumburgh – 188 miles
Anglesey – Belfast – 109 miles
Anglesey – Belfast City – 109 miles
Anglesey – Cork – 192 miles
Anglesey – Derry – 163 miles
Anglesey – Dublin – 71 miles
Anglesey – Ronaldsway – 58 miles
Anglesey – Shannon – 186 miles
Anglesey – Waterford – 130 miles
Birmingham – Belfast – 226 miles
Birmingham – Dublin – 200 miles
Birmingham – Edinburgh – 250 miles
Birmingham – Glasgow – 260 miles
Birmingham – Inverness – 363 miles
Birmingham – Kirkwall – 451 miles
Birmingham – Newcastle – 178 miles
Birmingham – Newquay – 198 miles
Birmingham – Schipol – 402 miles
Birmingham – Sumburgh – 513 miles
Birmingham – Wick – 418 miles
Edinburgh – Schipol – 473 miles
Gatwick – Edinburgh – 356 miles
Gatwick – Schipol – 374 miles
Glasgow – Belfast – 106 miles
Glasgow – Belfast City – 103 miles
Glasgow – Derry – 121 miles
Glasgow – Kirkwall – 221 miles
Glasgow – Sumburgh – 300 miles
Glasgow – Stornoway – 177 miles
Haverfordwest – Waterford – 94 miles
Haverfordwest – Newquay – 94 miles
Heathrow – Newquay – 212 miles
Humberside – Schipol – 333 miles
Inverness – Kirkwall – 106 miles
Inverness – Sumburgh – 190 miles
Leeds – Schipol – 386 miles
Liverpool – Belfast City – 151 miles
Liverpool – Cardiff – 135 miles
Liverpool – Dublin – 140 miles
Liverpool – Haverfordwest – 127 miles
Liverpool – Norwich – 180 miles
Liverpool – Ronaldsway – 89 miles
London City – Haverfordwest – 167 miles
London City – Humberside – 145 miles
London City – Manchester – 161 miles
London City – Norwich – 100 miles
Manchester – Schipol 413 miles
Newcastle – Cardiff – 230 miles
Newcastle – Belfast City – 168 miles
Newcastle – Newquay – 346 miles
Newcastle – Schipol – 395 miles
Newquay – Brest – 140 miles
Newquay – Cardiff 98 miles
Newquay – Cork – 180 miles
Newquay – Deauville – 241 miles
Newquay – Dinard – 183 miles
Newquay – Dublin – 212 miles
Newquay – Guernsey – 128 miles
Newquay – Jersey – 152 miles
Newquay – Nantes – 211 miles
Newquay – Orly – 351 miles
Newquay – Rouen – 285 miles
Newquay – Scillies – 68 miles
Newquay – Waterford – 150 miles
Norwich – Schipol – 277 miles
Ronaldsway – Belfast – 75 miles
Ronaldsway – Belfast City – 62 miles
Ronaldsway – Birmingham – 165 miles
Ronaldsway – Dublin – 80 miles
Ronaldsway – East Midlands – 161 miles
Ronaldsway – Glasgow – 123 miles
Ronaldsway – Leeds – 121 miles
Ronaldsway – Manchester – 109 miles
Southend – Schipol – 180 miles
Stansted – Aberdeen – 379 miles
Stansted – Edinburgh – 316 miles
Stansted – Glasgow – 334 miles
Stansted – Inverness – 426 miles
Stansted – Schipol – 335 miles
Stansted – Wick – 472 miles
Sumburgh – Bergen – 226 miles
Sumburgh – Kirkwall – 85 miles

Note.

I have included Schipol, as in certain areas of the UK, passengers sometimes fly long-haul from Schipol.
I have included Haverfordwest, as it will be close to all the wind farm activity in the Celtic Sea.
I have included Anglesey, as I think it has possibilities.
The distances wee calculated using on of the Free Map Tools.

These are some more specific thoughts.

The Basic ES-30 And The UK

With a range of 124 miles, I don’t believe that the range is long enough for the UK.

But saying that there are some established routes, where it should be able to operate.

Glasgow – Belfast
Glasgow – Belfast City
Glasgow – Derry
Haverfordwest – Waterford
Haverfordwest – Newquay
Inverness – Kirkwall
Liverpool – Haverfordwest
Liverpool – Ronaldsway
London City – Norwich
Newquay – Cardiff
Newquay – Scillies
Ronaldsway – Belfast
Ronaldsway – Belfast City
Ronaldsway – Dublin
Ronaldsway – Glasgow
Ronaldsway – Leeds
Ronaldsway – Manchester

These routes have the following in common.

They are mostly between major airports with advanced facilities.
Most airports served have access to renewable electricity.
Some of the routes can support hundred seat airliners.
Fifty percent go to the Isle of Man.

I can see several routes between the UK and the island of Ireland and to and from the Isle of Man using ES 30 aircraft.

The Extended Range ES-30 And The UK

The 247 mile range of the extended range ES-30, brings lots more routes into play.

Key routes could be the following.

Aberdeen – Kirkwall
Aberdeen – Sumburgh
Anglesey – Cork
Anglesey – Shannon
Birmingham – Belfast
Birmingham – Dublin
Birmingham – Newcastle
Birmingham – Newquay
Glasgow – Kirkwall
Glasgow – Stornoway
Heathrow – Newquay
Inverness – Sumburgh
Liverpool – Belfast City
Liverpool – Dublin
Liverpool – Norwich
London City – Haverfordwest
London City – Humberside
London City – Manchester
Newcastle – Belfast City
Newcastle – Cardiff
Newquay – Brest
Newquay – Cork
Newquay – Deauville
Newquay – Dinard
Newquay – Dublin
Newquay – Guernsey
Newquay – Jersey
Newquay – Nantes
Newquay – Waterford
Ronaldsway – Birmingham
Ronaldsway – East Midlands

There will also be other routes.

The Extended Range With 25 Passengers ES-30 And The UK

The 490 mile range of the extended range ES-30 with only 25 passengers, brings a few more routes into play.

Birmingham – Edinburgh
Birmingham – Glasgow
Birmingham – Inverness
Birmingham – Kirkwall
Birmingham – Schipol
Birmingham – Wick
Edinburgh – Schipol
Gatwick – Edinburgh
Gatwick – Schipol
Glasgow – Sumburgh
Humberside – Schipol
Leeds – Schipol
Manchester – Schipol
Newcastle – Newquay
Newcastle – Schipol
Newquay – Orly
Newquay – Rouen
Norwich – Schipol
Southend – Schipol
Stansted – Aberdeen
Stansted – Edinburgh
Stansted – Inverness
Stansted – Glasgow
Stansted – Schipol
Stansted – Wick

Note.

All airports East of Birmingham and Manchester seem to be close enough to Schipol for an Extended Range ES-30 with 25 passengers to serve the route.
Most major Scottish Airports can be reached from Stansted.
Flying from Gatwick to Scottish Airports is around forty miles longer than flying from Stansted.

Liverpool Airport

Liverpool Airport could be a major destination for the ES 30, as it could be a key airport for flying between the UK and the island of Ireland.

Liverpool would obviously need the electric infrastructure, but I also believe it needs a better connection to the major railway station at Liverpool South Parkway, which has extensive rail connections.

This Google Map shows the area between Liverpool South Parkway station and the airport.

Note.

Liverpool South Parkway station is marked by the red arrow in the North-West corner of the map.
The airport is in the opposite corner, with the terminal to the North of the runway.
The main railway between the South and Liverpool Lime Street passes to the South of the station.
The A561 passes across to the South of the railway and to the North of the airport.

I suspect some form of people mover like the Luton DART can be built between the station and the airport.

It should be noted that as Hunts Cross has only one platform for Merseyrail Northern Line trains and this could be a factor in limiting the line’s capacity. So could a second platform be installed at the airport to both act as an airport station and to increase the frequency on the Northern Line?

I believe that in a couple of years, journey times between Euston and Liverpool South Parkway will be under two hours and they will only get shorter with High Speed Two. With a fast connection between the airport and the station, there could be a sub-three-hour zero-carbon route between London and the island of Ireland.

Avanti West Coast Class 805 train to Liverpool South Parkway.
People mover to the airport.
Electric aircraft on the 140 miles to Dublin.

Dublin air traffic are usually efficient in getting planes in quickly.

Glasgow Airport

Glasgow Airport could be a major destination for the ES 30, as it could be a key airport for flying between the UK and the island of Ireland.

As with Liverpool Airport it needs a better connection to the rail network.

If Glasgow Airport is successful running zero-carbon aircraft to Ireland, this could change all previous thinking on a Glasgow Airport Rail Link.

Ronaldsway Airport

Geography and electric airliners could be very kind to Ronaldsway Airport and the Isle of Man.

Electric airliners can easily reach much of the island of Ireland and the UK mainland between Glasgow and Birmingham, from Ronaldsway Airport with ease.
The Isle of Man will in a couple of years be surrounded by wind farms.
With other developments on the island, it could sell itself to the UK and Ireland, as a green holiday destination.

But what would the motorcycle enthusiasts say?

Anglesey Airport

I believe that Anglesey Airport could be brought to life in a big way by electric aircraft like the ES-30 or the Eviation Alice.

These are flight distances from Anglesey Airport.

Anglesey – Belfast – 109 miles
Anglesey – Belfast City – 109 miles
Anglesey – Cork – 192 miles
Anglesey – Derry – 163 miles
Anglesey – Dublin – 71 miles
Anglesey – Ronaldsway – 58 miles
Anglesey – Shannon – 186 miles
Anglesey – Waterford – 130 miles

All of these except for Cork, Derry, Shannon and Waterford would be possible in the basic ES-30.

This Google Map shows the airport, which is also labelled as RAF Valley.

Note that the North Wales Coast Line passes the site on the North-East side.

At present, Avanti West Coast trains take nearly four hours between London and Holyhead.

But later this year, new bi-mode Class 805 trains will replace, the current diesel only Class 221 trains.

The current diesel only trains take two hours and five minutes between Crewe and Holyhead.
The current diesel only trains take one hour and forty-three minutes between Crewe and London Euston.
The fastest electric trains take one hour and twenty-nine minutes between Crewe and London Euston.
High Speed Two trains will take 56 minutes between Crewe and London Euston.

When you consider that a lot of the North Wales Coast Line, is straight and flat, I can see the following times being possible, with some improvement and smart electrification between Crewe and Holyhead and a smaller number of stops.

Crewe and Anglesey Airport – One hour and twenty minutes
London Euston and Anglesey Airport – Two hours and fifty minutes

With High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains, the London Euston and Anglesey Airport time could be below two hours and thirty minutes.

I believe that with a well-designed terminal at Anglesey Airport, this could be the fastest zero-carbon way between London and Ireland.

Haverfordwest Airport

This Google Map shows the location of Haverfordwest Airport in the East of Pembrokeshire.

This second Google Map shows a close-up of the airport.

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the airport and the nearest railway station.

Note.

Haverfordwest Airport is at the top of the map.
Haverfordwest station is at the bottom of the map.
There are rail connections to Cardiff, Fishguard, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock and Swansea from the the station.
Rail passengers for London would change at Swansea.

The road looks good between the airport and the station, so would an electric bus to handle transfers be ideal?

Consider.

I have flown myself into Haverfordwest Airport and there were no navigation or operational problems that I can remember.
With all the wind farm development planned for the coast of Pembrokeshire and the Celtic Sea, I feel that an airport in the area with regular flights to London and perhaps Waterford in Ireland could be essential.
London City and Haverfordwest airports are 167 miles apart
Waterford and Haverfordwest airports are 94 miles apart
Quiet electric aircraft may ease any planning problems.
Will a helicopter base be needed for serving wind farms in the Celtic Sea?

I believe, Haverfordwest Airport could be converted into a high-class airport for the Eastern tip of South Wales.

Haverfordwest Airport could also attract other services, given that the Welsh Government have a policy of not building new roads.

I have a feeling that quiet electric airliners will lead to the development of airports like Haverfordwest as feeder airports for the Heathrows and Schipols of this world.

Waterford Airport

Waterford Airport has recently been expanded and it appears from the Wikipedia entry, they are expecting more tourists.

This Google Map shows the position of the airport and the railway station in Waterford.

Note.

The red arrow at the top of the map indicates Waterford station on the Northern side of the city.
The airport is indicated by the blue dot in the South-East corner of the map.
The airport is about ten kilometres from the City Centre.

In the past, Waterford has been quite a busy airport, but Covid-19 seems to have killed most of the traffic.

So could a zero-carbon service between Waterford and Haverfordwest be profitable?

Those working with the wind energy in the Celtic Sea might find route useful.
It would give a low-carbon route between Waterford and South Wales, which some might like.
I also believe that the novelty of flying in an electric plane would attract passengers.

Waterford and Haverfordwest might be one of those routes, where electric planes might be worth trying.

This Google Map shows the Celtic Sea.

Note.

Waterford Airport is indicated in red on the South-East corner of Ireland.
Haverfordwest Airport is on the South-Western tip of Wales.
Newquay Airport is in the South-East corner of the map on the North coast of Cornwall.

There could be as much as 50 GW of floating wind farms installed in this area.

I feel that there could be a case for a triangular Haverfordwest, Newquay and Waterford service.

Newquay Airport

Newquay Airport has been in the news recently because of the antics of Richard Branson and Virgin Orbit.

This Google Map shows the airport in relation to the town.

Note.

The airport is in the North-East corner and boasts a long runway.
The airport serves well over a dozen destinations.
The town of Newquay is in the South-West corner of the map.
Newquay station is by the sea.

All of these places would be suitable destinations for electric aircraft.

Birmingham
Brest
Cardiff
Cork
Deauville
Dinard
Dublin
Guernsey
Heathrow
Jersey
Nantes
Orly
Rouen
Scillies
Waterford

Newquay Airport could get very busy with electric aircraft supporting tourism and the developing wind power industry.

This second Google Map shows the town centre and station.

Surely, having the station by Great Western Beach is good marketing.

In The Proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro, I talked about a plan to run an hourly Metro service between Newquay and Falmouth.

This article on Rail Technology Magazine is dated January 2023 and entitled Mid Cornwall Metro Secures £50m In Levelling Up Funding, where these are the first two paragraphs.

Following yesterday’s major Levelling Up funding announcement, the government has pledged an almost £50m grant to improve the railways linking Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth in Cornwall.

This financial aid to improve Cornwall Rail links represents the only successful bid out of four that were submitted to the Levelling up funding. The improvement scheme will be helmed by a partnership with Great Western Railway and Network Rail.

Note.

I believe this means the Mid-Cornwall Metro will be built.
Especially as looks like it will cost less than £100 million.
As this Metro will serve Newquay, it shouldn’t be too difficult to link the plane with the train, with perhaps a zero-carbon bus.
The Metro would then link Newquay Airport to the main population centres of Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth.
If the Metro could be run using zero-carbon trains, that would surely put the icing on the cake!

The map from OpenRailwayMap shows the route.

Note.

Newquay is in the North-West corner of the map.
Trains spend around 6-7 minutes waiting at Newquay.
The blue arrow in the North-East corner marks Par station, where a chord will be reinstated to allow trains to go between Newquay and St. Austell.
Par is the nearest station to the Eden Centre.
Newquay and Par is 20.6 miles.
The route, then goes along the Cornish Main Line, through St. Austell and then on to Truro.
Par and Truro is 18.9 miles.
At Truro the Metro would take the Falmouth branch.
Falmouth and Truro is 11.8 miles.
Trains spend around 7-8 minutes waiting at Falmouth Docks
The total route is just over fifty miles, which probably means that battery-electric trains could work the route with charging at each end, whilst the train is turned round.

This airport and metro combination could give a big-boost to zero-carbon tourism.

Inverness Airport

Inverness Airport has recently been expanded with a station on the Inverness and Aberdeen Line.

Consider.

Electric aircraft like the ES-30 will be able to reach both Kirkwall on Orkney and Sumburgh on Shetland from both Inverness and Aberdeen Airports.
Sumburgh would need an extended range ES-30.
Flights would be a few miles shorter from Inverness than from Aberdeen.
Kirkwall and Sumburgh is only 85 miles, so there may be possibilities for serving both Orkney and Shetland with one flight.
Extended range ES-30s might be able to do return trips to Kirkwall without a major charge at Kirkwall.
I once flew in my Cessna-340 to Kirkwall to see the original turbine, that was placed on the island. There is a lot of cold forbidding sea in the area. Perhaps the slightly shorter trip from Inverness, might be better for everybody’s nerves?
Just as the oil and gas industry did in the last century, I can see the offshore wind power industry generating a lot of passenger traffic to the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

Both Inverness and Aberdeen can be reached from Stansted by an ES-30 carrying a reduced passenger load.

Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Airport could become a major base for electric aircraft.

The 247 mile range of the extended range ES-30 would allow it to be able to reach the following places.

Belfast
Dublin
Newcastle
Newquay
Ronaldsway

Reduce the passenger load slightly to 25 passengers and the plane would be able to reach.

Edinburgh
Glasgow
Inverness
Kirkwall
Wick

But Birmingham Airport is only 65 minutes from Euston and will in the future be served by High Speed Two, in under an hour.

The airport also has a large catchment area of its own, who might be tempted to choose flying zero-carbon.

Spokes From Speke

In the 1980s, I went to a presentation from Royal Mail in Ipswich about guaranteed next day delivery of parcels. It was important to me, as I was writing software that needed to get from Ipswich, where it was created to London, where it would be tested and installed on customers machines. We also needed to get copies to our customers in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

The Royal Mail’s latest concept of Spokes From Speke was described.

All urgent parcels and First Class mail would be collected from the local sorting office and taken to the local airport, which in our case would probably have been Stansted.
These consignments would then be flown to Speke Airport as Liverpool Airport was known in those days at around midnight.
They would then be sorted and reloaded onto other planes to complete their journey.
The planes would then return home and the parcels and mail would be delivered by truck to the local sorting office.

Aircraft used included Short Skyvans and piston-engined twins. Some we’re the quietest of aircraft.

I have heard or read somewhere that in some airports, there were complaints about noisy aircraft flying in and out in the middle of the night.

Now fifty years on companies are looking to speed up deliveries.

In the UK, companies are experimenting with 100 mph overnight parcels trains.
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled Varamis Rail Launches Regular Express Light Freight Service.
Eversholt Rail are putting money behind converting redundant electric multiple units into parcel trains.

But DHL in the USA are going another way and have ordered twelve Alice aircraft from Eviation.

It looks like the cargo Alice could have a useful load of just over a tonne and a range of around 290 miles.

I can envisage flights of near-silent silent Alices sneaking into and out of airports in the middle of the night to deliver and collect urgent parcels.

Techniques like Spokes From Speke will come again, but this time with electric aircraft.

How Would The ES-30 Compare With An Eviation Alice?

The Wikipedia entry for the Eviation Alice gives these figures.

Passengers – 9
Maximum Speed – 300 mph
Range – 290 miles
Take-off distance – 840 metres
Landing distance – 620 metres

Note.

These are figures that most pilots would expect from an aircraft of this size.
My Cessna 340 was about the same and about eight percent slower.
It also had a much longer range.

If you look at my list of flights, these will not be possible.

Birmingham – Inverness – 363 miles
Birmingham – Kirkwall – 451 miles
Birmingham – Schipol – 402 miles
Bimingham – Sumburgh – 513 miles
Birmingham – Wick – 418 miles
Edinburgh – Schipol – 473 miles
Gatwick – Edinburgh – 356 miles
Gatwick – Schipol – 374 miles
Glasgow – Sumburgh – 300 miles
Humberside – Schipol – 333 miles
Leeds – Schipol – 386 miles
Manchester – Schipol 413 miles
Newcastle – Newquay – 346 miles
Newcastle – Schipol – 395 miles
Newquay – Orly – 351 miles
Stansted – Wick – 472 miles
Sumburgh – Bergen – 226 miles
Sumburgh – Kirkwall – 85 miles

Note.

Most routes that are too long are to Schipol or Scotland.
Anglesey appears to have Ireland extremely well covered.
Birmingham, Glasgow and Liverpool keep their Irish routes.
Newquay is still a hub, that would promote tourism in Cornwall and only loses the Orly connection, although it keeps the flight to Heathrow.
Ronaldsway still looks to be a possible zero-carbon airport.

I would suggest that a range of 290 miles, is an ideal one for an electric aircraft in the UK, as it can handle a large number of routes.

These are routes that I feel would attract a large number of passengers.

Anglesey – Belfast – 109 miles
Anglesey – Belfast City – 109 miles
Anglesey – Derry – 163 miles
Anglesey – Dublin – 71 miles
Glasgow – Belfast – 106 miles
Glasgow – Belfast City – 103 miles
Glasgow – Derry – 121 miles
Heathrow – Newquay – 212 miles
Inverness – Kirkwall – 106 miles
Inverness – Sumburgh – 190 miles
Liverpool – Belfast – 153 miles
Liverpool – Belfast City – 151 miles
Liverpool – Dublin – 140 miles
Liverpool – Norwich – 180 miles
Liverpool – Ronaldsway – 89 miles
London City – Humberside – 145 miles
London City – Manchester – 161 miles
Newcastle – Cardiff – 230 miles
Newcastle – Belfast City – 168 miles
Newquay – Brest – 140 miles
Newquay – Cardiff 98 miles
Newquay – Cork – 180 miles
Newquay – Deauville – 241 miles
Newquay – Scillies – 68 miles
Newquay – Waterford – 150 miles
Norwich – Schipol – 277 miles
Ronaldsway – Belfast City – 62 miles
Ronaldsway – Dublin – 80 miles
Ronaldsway – Glasgow – 123 miles
Southend – Schipol – 180 miles
Sumburgh – Kirkwall – 85 miles

Alice may not be big enough for some routes.

But it will be a wonderful route-proving aircraft for the larger ES-30 and other zero-carbon aircraft.

Conclusion

There will be a lot of uses for battery-electric aircraft in the UK.

May 12, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Aberdeen Airport, Aviation, Birmingham Airport, Celtic Sea, Class 221 Train, Class 805 Train, Cornwall, Eviation Alice, Glasgow Airport, Haverfordwest Airport, Heart Aerospace ES-30, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, inverness Airport, Isle Of Man, Liverpool Airport, Liverpool South Parkway Station, Mid-Cornwall Metro, Newquay Airport, Newquay Station, Pembrokeshire, Ronaldsway Airport, Varamis Rail, Waterford Airport, Wind Power | 4 Comments

Thoughts On High Speed Two

These are a few thoughts about High Speed Two, after the reports of major changes today.

This article on the BBC is entitled HS2 Line Between Birmingham And Crewe Delayed By Two Years.

This is the sub-heading.

The Birmingham to Crewe leg of high speed railway HS2 will be delayed by two years to cut costs.

These are the three opening paragraphs.

Some of the design teams working on the Euston end of the line are also understood to be affected.

Transport secretary Mark Harper blamed soaring prices and said it was “committed” to the line linking London, the Midlands and North of England.

HS2 has been beset by delays and cost rises. In 2010, it was expected to cost £33bn but is now expected to be £71bn.

Delivering The Benefits Of High Speed Two Early

It is my belief that with a large project taking a decade or more , it is not a bad idea to deliver some worthwhile benefits early on.

The Elizabeth Line opened in stages.

The new Class 345 trains started replacing scrapyard specials in 2017.
The rebuilt Abbey Wood station opened in 2017.
Paddington local services were transferred to the Elizabeth Line in 2019.
Outer stations reopened regularly after refurbishment from 2018.
The through line opened in May 2022.

There’s still more to come.

Some projects wait until everything is ready and everybody gets fed up and annoyed.

Are there any parts of High Speed Two, that could be completed early, so that existing services will benefit?

In 2020, the refurbishment of Liverpool Lime Street station and the tracks leading to the station was completed and I wrote about the station in It’s A Privilege To Work Here!, where this was my conclusion.

Wikipedia says this about Liverpool Lime Street station.

Opened in August 1836, it is the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world.

I’ve used Lime Street station for fifty-five years and finally, it is the station, the city needs and deserves.

I’ve been to grand termini all over the world and Lime Street may be the oldest, but now it is one of the best.

Are there any stations, that will be served by High Speed Two, that should be upgraded as soon as possible to give early benefits to passengers, staff and operators?

Avanti West Cost have solved the problem of the short platforms at Liverpool South Parkway station, by ordering shorter Class 807 trains. Will High Speed Two lengthen the platforms at this station?

A good project manager will need to get all the smaller sub-projects in a row and work out what is the best time to do each.

Digital Signalling

I would assume, as this will be needed for High Speed Two services in the West Coast Main Line to the North of Crewe, this is surely a must for installing as early as possible.

If the existing trains could run for a hundred miles at 140 mph, rather than the current 125 mph, that would save five worthwhile minutes.

Trains could run closer together and there is the possibility of organising services in flights, where a number of trains run together a safe number of minutes apart.

Remove Bottlenecks On Classic Lines, That Could Be Used By High Speed Two

I don’t know the bottlenecks on the West Coast Main Line, but there are two on the East Coast Main Line, that I have talked about in the past.

Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?

Improving The North Throat Of York Station Including Skelton Bridge Junction

Hopefully, the digital signalling will solve them.

Any bottlenecks on lines that will be part of High Speed Two, should be upgraded as soon as possible.

Birmingham And Crewe

I will start by looking at the leg between Birmingham and Crewe.

This section of the HS2 map shows High Speed Two between Birmingham and Lichfield.

Note.

The blue circle on the left at the bottom of the map is Birmingham Curzon Street station.
The blue circle on the right at the bottom of the map is Birmingham Interchange station.
The High Speed Two to and from London passes through Birmingham Interchange station.
The branch to Birmingham Curzon Street station connects to the main High Speed Two at a triangular junction.
North of the triangular junction, High Speed Two splits.
The Eastern branch goes to East Midlands Parkway station.
The Northern branch goes to Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland.

At the top of the map, the Northern branch splits and lines are shown on this map.

Note.

The junction where the Northern and Eastern branches divide is in the South-East corner of the map.
To the North of Lichfield, the route divides again.
The Northern purple line is the direct line to Crewe.
The shorter Southern branch is a spur that connects High Speed Two to the Trent Valley Line, which is the current route taken by trains between London Euston and Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland.
Crewe station is in the North-West corner of the map.

The route between the junction to the North of Lichfield and Crewe is essentially two double-track railways.

High Speed Two with a routine operating speed of 205 mph.
The Trent Valley Line with a routine operating speed of 140 mph.
High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains can run on all tracks.
High Speed Two Full-Size trains may be able to run on the Trent Valley Line at reduced speed.
Eighteen trains per hour (tph) is the maximum frequency of High Speed Two.

I feel in an emergency, trains will be able to use the other route.

Will This Track Layout Allow An Innovative Build?

Suppose the link to the Trent Valley Line was built first, so that High Speed Two trains from London for Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland, could transfer to the Trent Valley Line as they do now.

All lines used by High Speed Two services North of the junction, where High Speed Two joins the Trent Valley Line would be updated with digital signalling and 140 mph running. This will benefit current services on the line. For instance Euston and Liverpool/Manchester services could be under two hours.
The current services would be replaced by High Speed Two services run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
The direct High Speed Two route between Lichfield and Crewe would now be built.
When this section of High Speed Two is complete, High Speed Two services would use it between Lichfield and Crewe.
As the direct route would be built later, this would delay the building of the Birmingham and Crewe high-speed route.

Currently, trains run the 41.8 miles between Lichfield and Crewe in 28 minutes, which is an average speed of 89.6 mph.

I can build a table of average speeds and times for Lichfield and Crewe.

100 mph – 25.1 minutes – 2.9 minutes saving
110 mph – 22.8 minutes – 5.2 minutes saving
120 mph – 20.9 minutes – 7.1 minutes saving
125 mph – 20.1 minutes – 7.9 minutes saving
130 mph – 19.3 minutes – 8.7 minutes saving
140 mph – 17.9 minutes – 10.1 minutes saving
160 mph – 15.7 minutes – 12.3 minutes saving
180 mph – 13.9 minutes – 14.1 minutes saving
200 mph – 12.5 minutes – 15.5 minutes saving

Note.

Even a slight increase in average speed creates several minutes saving.
Times apply for both routes.

I believe that a 125 mph average should be possible on the Trent Valley route, which may be enough for Euston and Liverpool/Manchester services to be under two hours.

Improving Classic Lines Used By High Speed Two North Of Lichfield

Real Time Trains shows these figures for a Glasgow Central to Euston service.

Glasgow and Lichfield Trent Valley is 298.2 miles.
Glasgow and Lichfield Trent Valley takes five hours.

This is an average speed of 59.6 mph.

Note.

The average speed is low considering the trains are capable of cruising at 125 mph and 140 mph with digital signalling.
High Speed Two services between Euston and Glasgow will use the classic network, to the North of Lichfield.

I can build a table of average speeds and times for Glasgow and Lichfield.

100 mph – 179 minutes – 121 minutes saving
110 mph – 163 minutes – 157 minutes saving
120 mph – 149 minutes – 151 minutes saving
125 mph – 143 minutes – 157 minutes saving
130 mph – 138 minutes – 162 minutes saving
140 mph – 128 minutes – 172 minutes saving

This table illustrates why it is important to improve all or as many as possible of classic lines used by High Speed Two to enable 140 mph running, with full digital signalling. Obviously, if 140 mph is not feasible, the speed should be increased to the highest possible.

Routes that could be updated include.

London Euston and Glasgow Central
London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street
London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly (all routes)
London Euston and Blackpool
London Euston and Holyhead
London Euston and Shrewsbury

Not all these routes will be served by High Speed Two, but they could be served by 140 mph trains.

What Times Would Be Possible?

The InterCity 225 was British Rail’s ultimate electric train and these two paragraphs from its Wikipedia entry, describe its performance.

The InterCity 225 was designed to achieve a peak service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham, an InterCity 225 was recorded at a speed of 162 mph (260.7 km/h). Its high speed capabilities were again demonstrated via a 3hr 29mins non-stop run between London and Edinburgh on 26 September 1991. British regulations have since required in-cab signalling on any train running at speeds above 125 mph (201 km/h) preventing such speeds from being legally attained in regular service. Thus, except on High Speed 1, which is equipped with cab signalling, British signalling does not allow any train, including the InterCity 225, to exceed 125 mph (201 km/h) in regular service, due to the impracticality of correctly observing lineside signals at high speed.

The InterCity 225 has also operated on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). In April 1992, one trainset achieved a new speed record of two hours, eight minutes between Manchester and London Euston, shaving 11 minutes off the 1966 record. During 1993, trials were operated to Liverpool and Manchester in connection with the InterCity 250 project.

The fastest London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly services appear to be two hours and six minutes tomorrow, with stops at Nuneaton and Stoke-on-Trent.
The fastest London King’s Cross and Edinburgh service is four hours seventeen minutes tomorrow.

It does appear that British Rail’s 1980s-vintage InterCity 225 train did very well.

Trains that would be able to run at 140 mph with updated signalling include.

Alstom Class 390
Hitachi Class 800, 801, 802, 803, 805, 807 and 810
British Rail InterCity 225
High Speed Two Classic-Compatible.

All are electric trains.

Could High Speed Two, West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line Services Be Run By High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains?

I don’t see why not!

They would be able to use short stretches of High Speed Line like Lichfield and Crewe.
LNER and CrossCountry could also use the trains.
High Speed Two is providing the framework and it’s there to be used, provided the paths are available.

This graphic shows the preliminary schedule.

It only shows ten trains going through Crewe, so there could be up to eight spare high speed paths between Birmingham and Crewe.

Could High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Be Used To Advantage On The East Coast Main Line?

I published this extract from the Wikipedia entry for the InterCity 225 earlier.

The InterCity 225 was designed to achieve a peak service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham, an InterCity 225 was recorded at a speed of 162 mph (260.7 km/h). Its high speed capabilities were again demonstrated via a 3hr 29mins non-stop run between London and Edinburgh on 26 September 1991.

The London and Edinburgh run was at an average speed of around 112 mph.

I wonder what time, one of LNER’s Class 801 trains, that are all-electric could do, once the new digital signalling has been fully installed on the route? I suspect it would be close to three hours, but it would depend on how long the trains could run at 140 mph.

It should be noted that the Selby Diversion was designed for 160 mph, when it was built by British Rail in the 1980s.

In Are Short Lengths Of High Speed Line A Good Idea?, I look at the mathematics of putting in short lengths of new railway, which have higher speeds, where this was part of my conclusion.

I very much feel there is scope to create some new high speed sections on the current UK network, with only building very little outside of the current land used by the network.

I would love to know what some of Network Rail’s track experts feel is the fastest time possible between London and Edinburgh that can be achieved, by selective upgrading of the route.

If some of the trains were High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, with a top speed of 205 mph, provided the track allowed it, there could be some interesting mathematics balancing the costs of track upgrades, new trains with what passengers and operators need in terms of journey times.

Could High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Be Used To Advantage On The West Coast Main Line?

Much of what I said about the East Coast Main Line would apply to the West Coast Main Line.

But in addition, the West Coast Main Line will be a superb place to test the new High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains.

I believe, that before High Speed Two opens, we’ll see High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, carrying passengers between Euston and Avanti West Coast’s destinations.

Could High Speed Two Be Split Into Two?

Consider.

Under earlier plans, the East Coast Main Line to the North of York, will be used by High Speed Two.
With digital signalling the East Coast Main Line will support continuous running at 140 mph for long sections of the route.
The East Coast Main Line has a recently-rebuilt large Southern terminal at King’s Cross with eleven platforms and good suburban services and excellent connections to the London Underground.
The East Coast Main Line has a very large Northern terminal at Edinburgh Waverley with twenty platforms and good local train connections.
There are large intermediate stations on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and York. All these stations have good local train connections.
The East Coast Main Line has important branches to Cambridge, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull King’s Lynn, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Scarborough, Sheffield, Skegness and Sunderland.

We are talking about an asset, that needs improving rather than sidelining.

Could High Speed Two Be A One-Nation Project?

Over three years ago, I wrote Could High Speed Two Be A One-Nation Project? and tried to answer the question in the title.

But now the core network is better defined, perhaps it is time to look at extending the High Speed network again.

The next few sections look at possible extensions.

Serving Chester And North Wales

I looked at this in Could High Speed Two Trains Serve Chester And North Wales?, which I have updated recently.

This was my conclusion.

It looks to me, that when High Speed Two, think about adding extra destinations, Chester and Holyhead could be on the list.

I also suspect that even without electrification and High Speed Two services, but with the new Class 805 trains, the route could be a valuable one for Avanti West Coast.

These are current and promised times for the two legs to Holyhead.

Euston and Crewe – 90 minutes – Fastest Class 390 train
Euston and Crewe – 55 minutes – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train from Wikipedia
Crewe and Holyhead – 131 minutes – Fastest Class 221 train
Crewe and Holyhead – 70 minutes – 90 mph average speed
Crewe and Holyhead – 63 minutes – 100 mph average speed
Crewe and Holyhead – 57 minutes – 110 mph average speed
Crewe and Holyhead – 53 minutes – 120 mph average speed
Crewe and Holyhead – 45 minutes – 140 mph average speed

Note.

I have assumed that Crewe and Holyhead is 105.5 miles.
The operating speed of the North Wales Coast Line is 90 mph.
In the following estimates, I have assumed a change of train at Crewe, takes 6 minutes.

I think there are several options to run fast services to Chester and North Wales.

Pre-HS2 – Class 805 all the way