The Anonymous Widower

TransPennine Express Releases Blueprint For Improving Service And Fleet Upgrade

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

This is the sub-heading.

TransPennine Express (TPE), which transferred to the government’s owning group (DOHL) earlier this year, has set out its plans to address many of the issues which have caused problems and disruption for rail customers.

These three paragraphs summarize their plans.

Making Journeys Better: A Prospectus gives clear detail of the issues TPE has faced during the past two years as well as outlining how TPE, under DOHL, will work to make things better, having completed an in-depth review of the business.

Part of the plans involve the operators plans for its new fleet. Its New Trains Programme outlines its long term view for decarbonisation. The report states that TPE will look towards new technology on its fleet to overcome the lack of clarity on the full electrification of the line.

This, it states will help with the cascading and removal of diesel trains faster across its network.

It always looked to me, that TPE under First Group, brought rather a dog’s breakfast of trains, when a unified fleet of Class 802 trains, as per Hull Trains, might have been easier to operate.

  • They are already retiring the Class 68 locomotives and their Mark 5 coaches, so surely to decarbonise their services, a number of battery electric high speed trains would be an idea.
  • They are already testing Class 802 battery-electric trains for Hitachi and Eversholt Rail.
  • I also feel that CAF could offer a suitable battery-electric train, based on the Class 397 train.

TPE say in the example, that they expect a decision later in the month.

TransPennine Express Services And Battery Electric Trains

These are their services and how they would be effected by battery-electric trains.

  • Liverpool Lime Street And Newcastle – Fully-electrified after TransPennine Upgrade.
  • Liverpool Lime Street And Hull – Fully-electrified after TransPennine Upgrade.. – 42 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric train that charged between Leeds and Micklefield.
  • Manchester Airport and Saltburn – Fully-electrified between Manchester Airport and Northallerton after TransPennine Upgrade. – 33.6 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric train that charged between Leeds and Northallerton. Would eliminate overnight noise problems at Redcar.
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Newcastle – Fully-electrified after TransPennine Upgrade.
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Scarborough – Fully-electrified between Manchester Piccadilly and York after TransPennine Upgrade. – 42.1 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric train that charged between Leeds and York.
  • York and Scarborough – Electrified at York – 42.1 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric shuttle train that charged at York.
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Huddersfield – Electrified at Manchester Piccadilly – 25.5 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric shuttle train that charged at Manchester Piccadilly.
  • Leeds and Huddersfield – Electrified at Leeds – 17.2 miles unelectrified – Service could be run by a battery-electric shuttle train that charged at Leeds.
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes – 125,6 miles unelectrified – In Electrification Of The Hope Valley Line, I show how this route can be run by battery-electric trains that charged on existing electrification a short new section of electrification at Cleethorpes.

Note.

  1. If Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield, is not electrified, battery-electric trains would be able to cross the 25.8 miles of unelectrified track on battery power.
  2. If Leeds and Huddersfield, is not electrified, battery-electric trains would be able to cross the 17.2 miles of unelectrified track on battery power.
  3. I am assuming that the TransPennine Upgrade between Manchester and Leeds will be completed, so that between Liverpool Lime Street and Leeds is fully-electrified.
  4. The only new infrastructure needed would be electrification at Cleethorpes to charge the trains.

All services except for Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes could be run using battery-electric trains with a range on a full battery of at least 100 miles and with no additional electrification.

Electrifying Cleethorpes Station

This Google Map shows Cleethorpes station.

These pictures show the station in June 2023, when it appears to be going through a platform refurbishment.

I don’t think it would be the most difficult station to electrify.

  • There are four platforms.
  • As the station is likely to get more battery-electric services, including one from King’s Cross, I would suspect that at least three out of the four platforms would be electrified.
  • Although, the station is Grade II Listed, there doesn’t appear to be any canopies or important architectural details, that would get in the way of electrification.

Once Cleethorpes station had been successfully electrified, similar installations could be applied at other stations like Saltburn, Scarborough and Skegness.

Conclusion

If TransPennine Express were to buy the right number of battery-electric trains with a hundred mile range, they can decarbonise all their routes in a train factory.

 

October 20, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TransPennine Express Releases Blueprint For Improving Service And Fleet Upgrade

Electrification Of The Hope Valley Line

This news story from the Department of Transport is entitled Yorkshire And The Humber To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment.

This is said about the Hope Valley Line.

The Hope Valley Line between Manchester and Sheffield will also be electrified and upgraded, with the aim of cutting journey times from 51 to 42 minutes and increasing the number of fast trains on the route from 2 to 3 per hour, doubling capacity.

The fast trains are currently TransPennine’s service between Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes.

  • Between Platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly station and Sheffield station is 42.6 miles.
  • At the Manchester end, there will be electrification between Manchester Piccadilly and Hazel Grove stations, which is 8.7 miles and takes typically 17 minutes.
  • After the electrification of the Midland Main Line to Sheffield, there will be electrification between Dore & Totley and Sheffield stations, which is 4.2 miles and takes typically 8 minutes.

The gap in the electrification between Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove stations will be 29.7 miles.

But it will not be an easy route to electrify.

  • At the Western end, there is the Disley Tunnel, which is 3535 metres long.
  • In the middle, there is the Cowburn Tunnel which is 3385 metres long, that is also the deepest tunnel in England.
  • At the Eastern end, there is the Totley Tunnel, which is 5700 metres long.

Yorkshire doesn’t have an Underground railway, but the combined length of these three tunnels is 7.84 miles, which means that over 26 % of the electrification needed between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield will have to be installed in tunnels.

Could The Route Be Run Using Battery-Electric Trains?

Consider.

  • The gap in the electrification between Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove stations will be 29.7 miles.
  • There is electrified sections at Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove stations, which will be able to charge the trains.
  • Merseyrail’s Class 777 trains have demonstrated a battery range of 84 miles.
  • A Stadler Akku train has demonstrated a battery range of 139 miles.
  • Hitachi are developing a battery-electric version of TransPennine’s Class 802 train.
  • If all trains can run on batteries or be self-powered, there would be no need to electrify the long and possibly difficult tunnels.

I believe that it would be possible to electrify all passenger services between Manchester and Sheffield using appropriate battery-electric trains.

Freight would be a problem and I suspect that hydrogen-hybrid and other self-powered locomotives could handle the route.

Could The Complete TransPennine Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Class 802 trains?

These are the various electrified and unelectrified sections.

  • Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool South Parkway – Electrified – 5.7 miles – 10 minutes
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Trafford Park  – Not Electrified – 25.2 miles – 30 minutes
  • Trafford Park and Hazel Grove  – Electrified – 12.6 miles – 28 minutes
  • Hazel Grove and Dore & Totley  – Not Electrified – 29.7 miles – 35 minutes
  • Dore & Totley and Sheffield  – Electrified – 4.2 miles – 6 minutes
  • Sheffield and Doncaster  – Not Electrified – 18.6 miles – 25 minutes
  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes  – Not Electrified – 52.1 miles – 78 minutes

Note.

  1. This is a total of 125.6 miles without electrification.
  2. The Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield time is 56 minutes.
  3. The distance is 37.8 miles.
  4. That is an average speed on 40.5 mph.
  5. Most of the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield has an maximum speed of 70 mph, but there is a short length of track with a 50 mph speed and another longer one with 90 mph.

To achieve 40 minutes between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield would need an average speed of 60.7 mph. Given the improvements being carried out by Network Rail at the current time, I believe that forty minutes between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield should be possible.

I’ll look at a train going East.

  • The train will leave Liverpool Lime Street with a reasonably full battery after charging using the current electrification in the station.
  • The train will leave Liverpool South Parkway with a full battery after charging using the current electrification from Liverpool Lime Street.
  • The train will arrive at Trafford Park with a battery perhaps two-thirds full, but it will be fully charged on the current electrification to Hazel Grove.
  • The train will arrive at Dore & Totley with a battery perhaps two-thirds full, but it will be fully charged on the Midland Main Line electrification to Sheffield.
  • The train will arrive at Doncaster with a battery perhaps two-thirds full and the train would wait until it had enough charge to reach Cleethorpes.

I’ll look at a train going West.

  • The train will leave Cleethorpes with a full battery after charging using the new electrification in the station.
  • The train will arrive at Doncaster with a battery perhaps two-thirds full and the train would wait until it had enough charge to reach Sheffield.
  • The train will arrive at Sheffield with a battery perhaps two-thirds full, but it will be fully charged on the Midland Main Line electrification to Dore & Totley.
  • The train will arrive at Hazel Grove with a battery perhaps two-thirds full, but it will be fully charged on the current electrification to Trafford Park.
  • The train will arrive at Liverpool South Parkway with a battery perhaps two-thirds full, but the route is electrified to Liverpool Lime Street.

Note.

  1. If the battery range on a full battery was over 90 miles, the two most easterly sections could be run without any charging at Doncaster.
  2. If the battery range was over 125.6 miles, the journey could be done by starting with a full battery.
  3. If every time the train decelerated, regenerative braking would recover energy, which could be reused.
  4. The only new electrification needed will be a short length at Cleethorpes station, that would charge the trains.

I certainly believe that Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes services could be run by battery-electric trains.

Could The Complete TransPennine Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Class 802 trains Without The Midland Main Line Electrification?

In this section, I’m assuming, that there is no electrification at Sheffield.

These would be the various electrified and unelectrified sections.

  • Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool South Parkway – Electrified – 5.7 miles – 10 minutes
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Trafford Park  – Not Electrified – 25.2 miles – 30 minutes
  • Trafford Park and Hazel Grove  – Electrified – 12.6 miles – 28 minutes
  • Hazel Grove and Cleethorpes  – Not Electrified – 104.6 miles – 143 minutes

Note.

  1. This is a total of 129.6 miles without electrification.
  2. The battery range of the train, should probably be around 120 miles to make sure the train could run between Hazel Grove and Cleethorpes.
  3. One diesel power-pack could be installed for emergency use.

I’ll look at a train going East.

  • The train will leave Liverpool Lime Street with a reasonably full battery after charging using the current electrification in the station.
  • The train will leave Liverpool South Parkway with a full battery after charging using the current electrification from Liverpool Lime Street.
  • The train will arrive at Trafford Park with a battery perhaps 80 % full, but it will be fully charged on the current electrification to Hazel Grove.
  • The train would then eek out what power it had left to reach Cleethorpes.

If necessary, the train could stop in the electrified Doncaster station to top up the batteries from the East Coast Main Line electrification for the run to Cleethorpes.

I’ll look at a train going West.

  • The train will leave Cleethorpes with a full battery after charging using new electrification in the station.
  • The train will arrive at Doncaster with a battery perhaps 57 % full and the train would wait if needed, until it had enough charge to reach Hazel Grove.
  • The train will arrive at Hazel Grove with a battery perhaps one-thirds full, but it will be fully charged on the current electrification to Trafford Park.
  • The train will arrive at Liverpool South Parkway with a battery perhaps one-thirds full, but the route is electrified to Liverpool Lime Street.

Note.

  1. If the battery range on a full battery was over 105 miles, the Eastern section could be run without any charging at Doncaster.
  2. If the battery range was over 129.6 miles, the journey could be done by starting with a full battery.
  3. If every time the train decelerated, regenerative braking would recover energy, which could be reused.
  4. The only new electrification needed will be a short length at Cleethorpes station, that would charge the trains.

However, it might be prudent to electrify the through platforms at Sheffield, so that they could be used for emergency charging if required.

Northern Train’s Service Between Sheffield And Manchester Piccadilly Via The Hope Valley Line

There is a one train per hour (tph) Northern service between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly.

  • The Class 195 diesel train takes 78 minutes.
  • The distance is 42 miles.
  • The first mile or so at the Manchester end is electrified.
  • Trains seem to take about sixteen minutes to turn round at Manchester Piccadilly.
  • Trains seem to take about nine minutes to turn round at Sheffield.
  • The service runs via Reddish North, Brinnington, Bredbury, Romiley, Marple, New Mills Central, Chinley, Edale, Hope, Bamford, Hathersage, Grindleford and Dore & Totley.
  • The max speed is generally 60 mph to the West of New Mills Central and 70 mph to the East, with short lower speed sections.

There would appear to be two ways to run this route withy battery-electric trains.

  • As Manchester Piccadilly station is fully-electrified and trains could be connected to the electrification for upwards of twenty minutes, trains will certainly be able to be fully-charged at Manchester. As the round trip is only 84 miles, could trains run the service without a charge at Sheffield.
  • Alternatively, there could be a dedicated electrified platform at Sheffield. But the problem with this, is that currently this service uses a random platform at Sheffield.

It looks like, if the train has the required range, that charging at the Manchester end would be the better solution.

Liverpool And Norwich Via The Hope Valley Line

This service uses a similar route between Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield, as the Liverpool and Hull service and then it meanders, through the East Midlands.

  • Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool South Parkway – Electrified – 5.7 miles – 11 minutes
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Trafford Park  – Not Electrified – 25.2 miles – 33 minutes
  • Trafford Park and Hazel Grove  – Electrified – 12.6 miles – 26 minutes
  • Hazel Grove and Dore & Totley  – Not Electrified – 29.7 miles – 28 minutes
  • Dore & Totley and Sheffield  – Electrified – 4.2 miles – 6 minutes
  • Sheffield and Nottingham – Being Electrified – 40.6 miles – 52 minutes
  • Nottingham and Grantham – Not Electrified – 22.7 miles – 30 minutes
  • Grantham and Peterborough – Electrified – 29.1 miles – 29 minutes
  • Peterborough And Ely – Not Electrified – 30 miles – 31 minutes
  • Ely and Norwich – Not Electrified – 53.7 miles – 56 minutes

This is a total of 161.3 miles without electrification.

But as Sheffield and Nottingham and Grantham and Peterborough will be fully electrified, this route will be possible using a battery-electric train.

Electrifying Sheffield Station

I said earlier in this post, that electrifying Sheffield station would be an option for electrifying the Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly service.

If this were to be done, it would have collateral benefits for other services that terminate at Sheffield, which could be charged whilst they turned around.

I wrote about Sheffield station as a battery-electric train hub in Could Sheffield Station Become A Battery-Electric Train Hub?

Conclusion

I believe that full electrification of the Hope Valley Line is not needed, if battery-electric trains are used.

I also believe that battery-electric trains and the current improvements being carried out on the Hope Valley Line will enable a forty minute time between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield.

 

 

October 15, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

London North Eastern Railway Runs Trial Train To Liverpool Street

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

These two paragraphs, describe why this was done.

In an effort to mitigate the effect on passengers during disruption to services, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ran one of its Azuma trains from Finsbury Park to London Liverpool Street during the early hours of this morning, Friday, 14th July.

The trial run took place to determine the long-term feasibility of diverting services during periods of planned disruption or when significant engineering works were taking place.

There doesn’t seem to have been any problems.

  • The route in from Finsbury Park station went through Canonbury, Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central, Homerton, Hackney Wick, Stratford and Bethnal Green stations, which was a distance of 9.6 miles.
  • The route out to Finsbury Park station went through Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Dalston Kingsland and Canonbury, what was a distance of 5.8 miles.

Note.

  1. Two different routes were checked.
  2. The Class 800 train had five cars.
  3. Platform 4 at Liverpool Street station was used, which is normally used by London Overground and Cambridge services.

As this comes so soon after the test run to Cleethorpes, that I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I wonder if Network Rail and the train operating companies are planning for some worst case scenario, where the two or more of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Lone and East Coast Main Line are blocked.

LNER and Network Rail have shown the following.

  • Azumas can use Cleethorpes station.
  • Azumas can use Liverpool Street station.

We also know that Cleethorpes has a direct TransPennine train service across the North of England to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.

So if say Euston has to be shut for perhaps fourteen days during the construction of High Speed Two, a service between Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes via Colchester, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and Lincoln could be used to get some passengers to and from the North.

The other big problem is the removal of the problems of the Newark Crossing, which if it results in a long blockade of the East Coast Main Line, might need services to go into an alternative London terminal.

The Powerhouse In The East

Consider.

  • The importance of Cambridge to the economy of the UK is growing fast.
  • The city suffers from a shortage of commercial premises, housing and staff at all levels.
  • I have just looked at the non-passenger traffic on the West Anglia Main Line for all of yesterday and there were just six freight trains through Bishop’s Stortford.

I wonder, if it would be possible to run a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service via Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town?

  • The service avoids the East Coast Main Line, except through Peterborough, where it would use the separate Werrington lines.
  • Liverpool Street is in the heart of one of the world’s major financial centres.
  • Liverpool Street is on the Elizabeth Line.
  • The service could call at Stansted Airport, but a reverse would be needed.
  • Peterborough is sometimes promoted in Cambridge as a city, that could be developed, to provide  support for Cambridge.
  • A reverse would be needed at Lincoln.
  • Lincoln is developing as a university city with character.
  • Grimsby and Cleethorpes are close to the fast expanding Humberside renewable energy and hydrogen cluster.

The service could be paired with a Liverpool Street and Norwich service, via Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.

The services could alternate every half hour or perhaps leave London as a pair and split and join at Cambridge.

Platform Availability At Kings Cross And Liverpool Street

Consider.

  • Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line will increase the number of possible trains between London and the North.
  • LNER have said they want to increase services to the North and have identified a possible service to Cleethorpes.
  • Grand Central would like to increase services to Bradford.
  • Lumo have started services to Newcastle and Edinburgh from Kings Cross.
  • The Elizabeth Line now runs less services into Liverpool Street station.
  • The Elizabeth Line connects to  Liverpool Street, but doesn’t connect to King’s Cross.
  • Liverpool Street is to undergo a major refurbishment, which should increase the overall passenger capacity of the station.

Would it be sensible to move a small number of services from King’s Cross to Liverpool Street?

Surely, the logical service to move to Liverpool Street would be the new Cleethorpes service.

  • It would route via Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
  • It would use the Werrington Lines through Peterborough.
  • It would not need a path on the East Coast Main Line.
  • The service would provide a much needed direct link between Cambridge and Lincoln via Peterborough.
  • The service could also be hourly or two-hourly.

I also believe that a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service could be run by a battery-electric Azuma.

  • The route is electrified between Liverpool Street and Ely and through Peterborough.
  • Ely and Peterborough is 30 miles.
  • Peterborough and Lincoln is 56.9 miles.
  • Lincoln and Cleethorpes is 47.2 miles.
  • There would need to be a charging station or a few miles of electrification at Cleethorpes.
  • There may be 134.1 miles of unelectrified track, but there can be a Splash and Dash at Peterborough.

A Stadler Akku would be able to handle this route, so I suspect that a similar-sized battery-electric Azuma should also be able to handle the route.

July 19, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Could East Midland Railway’s Leicester And Lincoln Service Be Extended To Burton On Trent?

After my trip to Lincoln and Cleethorpes earlier this week, I got to thinking about how train services could be improved in the area.

Cleethorpes As A Battery-Electric Train Hub Station

In Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023, this was my last sentence.

Cleethorpes station could be at the centre of its own battery-electric train network, with all trains powered by just 3.3 miles of single-track electrification.

Services running to Cleethorpes station could be.

  • East Midlands Railway – Barton-on-Humber and Cleethorpes via Barrow Haven, New Holland, Goxhill, Thornton Abbey, Ulceby, Habrough, Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Grimsby Town, Grimsby Docks and New Clee, which currently runs two-hourly, but probably should run hourly. Barton-on-Humber and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 19.6 miles or 39.2 miles for a round trip.
  • East Midlands Railway – Leicester and Cleethorpes via Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Attenborough, Beeston, Nottingham, Newark Castle, Collingham, Swinderby, Hykeham, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town which currently runs two-hourly, but probably should run hourly. Nottingham and Grimsby Town is not planned to be electrified and is 77.8 miles.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town, which would run at least two trains per day (tpd). Newark Northgate and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 60.6 miles.
  • TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes via Liverpool South Parkway, Warrington Central, Birchwood, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town, which runs hourly. Hazel Grove and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 101.4 miles.

Note.

  1. All services to Cleethorpes could be run using a battery-electric train, with the range of a Stadler FLIRT Akku, which is 139 miles.
  2. Cleethorpes station will soon have four terminal platforms. Could it be one platform for each service?
  3. The 3.3 miles of single-track electrification would be between Cleethorpes and Grimsby stations.
  4. I am assuming that all services should be at least hourly, except London King’s Cross.
  5. If the frequency of services to London King’s Cross, were to be increased, the extra services would take-over paths of the East Midlands Railway services between Lincoln and Cleethorpes.
  6. I am also assuming that the Midland Main Line electrification has been completed through Leicester to Nottingham, as is currently planned.

Cleethorpes will become a very well-connected station.

Collateral Benefits Of Cleethorpes As A Fossil Fuel-Free Station

If all services to Cleethorpes are run by battery-electric trains, then there will be collateral benefits.

  • All passenger train services in North-East Lincolnshire will be zero-carbon.
  • TransPennine Express’s Southern route between Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes via Manchester, Sheffield and Doncaster will be zero-carbon.
  • LNER’s services to London King’s Cross from Lincolnshire will be zero carbon.

Manchester and Sheffield will be linked by an hourly electric service, just as it was between 1953 and 1981.

The Ivanhoe Line

I wrote about the Ivanhoe Line in Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line.

  • There is a proposed reinstatement of passenger services between Leicester and Burton-on-Trent stations.
  • I estimate it’s a distance of around 37 miles.
  • There would be some new stations on the route.

In the Wikipedia entry for the Ivanhoe Line, there is a section called Future, where this is said.

The intermediate stations are capable of taking only a two-coach train, which has led to overcrowding on some services, especially now that the service is extended to Nottingham and Lincoln. The latest Route Utilisation Strategy for the East Midlands makes recommendations for platform lengthening.

East Midlands Parkway railway station has now been built on the route. The Borough of Charnwood’s local plan of 2004 anticipates a station at Thurmaston.

In 2022 the closed section of the line was one of nine schemes chosen to undergo a feasibility scrutiny by Network Rail as part of the government’s Restoring Your Railway programme. If approved, work could start in 2024 and the line reopened in 2026

Note.

  1. The first paragraph refers to the existing section of the Ivanhoe Line, to the North of Leicester.
  2. I went to Burton once for the football and it’s a difficult place to get to from North London by train.
  3. Burton-on-Trent station was fully refurbished in 2011.
  4. Burton-on-Trent station has hourly services from CrossCountry trains.

It seems that a creditable plan is emerging.

Service Frequency Between Burton-on-Trent And Leicester

As Burton-on-Trent station has hourly services, I suspect that this will be the initial frequency between Burton-on-Trent and Leicester.

But I could see this frequency being increased, if there were long waits during interchange at Burton-on-Trent.

Average Speed Of The Service And Estimate For A Time Between Cleethorpes And Burton-on-Trent

The current Grimsby Town and Leicester service is over a route of 105.3 miles and a direct service takes two hours and thirty-seven minutes.

This is an average speed of 40.24 mph.

I can now give an estimate for a Cleethorpes and Burton-on-Trent service.

The distance will be 105.3+3.3+37, which is 145.6 miles.

An estimate of the time using a speed of 40.24 mph is three hours and thirty-seven minutes.

But seeing that a good proportion of the route has a 110 mph operating speed, I suspect that a 100 mph train could do the trip faster.

Could Cleethorpes And Burton-on-Trent Be Worked By A Battery-Electric Train?

The route could be effectively four sections.

  • Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town – 3.3 miles – Electrified
  • Grimsby Town and Nottingham – 77.8 miles – Not Electrified
  • Nottingham and Leicester – 27.5 miles – Being Electrified
  • Leicester and Burton-on-Trent – 37 miles – Not Electrified

Note.

  1. In a round trip, there are two sections of 77.8 miles and two consecutive sections of 37 miles.
  2. Battery-electric trains would be charged on the electrified section of the route.

I am sure that a battery-electric train with a range of greater than 77.8 miles would handle the service.

July 1, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Locomotive Named After A Cat

As I arrived in Cleethorpes station, there was a Class 68 locomotive in Platform 1.

It is named after Felix; the station cat at Huddersfield station.

 

 

June 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023

I took these pictures at Cleethorpes station yesterday.

Compare them with this one taken three years ago.

Note.

  1. It appears a Platform 4 has been created on the seaward side of the station.
  2. The track in Platform 4 in yesterday’s pictures appears to be newly-ballasted, whereas three years ago it had an air of dereliction.
  3. There is now a smart blue wooden fence separating the tracks from the station concourse.
  4. Strangely, the lighting between Platforms 3 and 4 had been installed three years ago.
  5. There are different types of lighting on the two islands. Could this be because Network Rail are looking for the lights that perform best in a seaside environment?

This Google Map shows Cleethorpes station.

Note.

  1. The track in Platform 4 appears to be complete.
  2. The station is very handy for the beach.

In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I said this.

It looks like three platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Cleethorpes station were checked.

I think it is possible to say, that once Network Rail’s brickies and paviours have tidied up, that Cleethorpes station will be LNER-ready and could accept a service from London via Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.

What Will Be The Initial Service Of The London and Cleethorpes Service?

The Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, says this about the London service.

In the 1970s Cleethorpes had a twice daily return service to London King’s Cross, typically hauled by a Class 55 Deltic.

Three people, I spoke to about the possible service, mentioned that two trains per day would be the frequency.

I certainly think, that this frequency, could be a sensible initial frequency.

If it worked in the 1970s, I can see why it might work in the 2020s.

  • Kids still like to go to the seaside and the station is close.
  • This area of North-East Lincolnshire, is getting increasingly important as an energy and hydrogen powerhouse.
  • Cleethorpes station has the space to handle more train services.
  • Cleethorpes station has a small depot nearby, which could ease train operations, by stabling a train overnight for an early start in the morning.

But there is one factor that could attract passengers to use the train between King’s Cross and Cleethorpes. I believe that the soon-to-be-announced Hitachi battery-electric Class 800 trains could be able to handle the route without using a drop of fossil fuel.

Running Battery-Electric Class 800 trains Between King’s Cross And Cleethorpes

Consider.

  • Cleethorpes and Lincoln is 47.2 miles with three stops.
  • Lincoln and Newark Northgate, where the electrification starts is 16.7 files.
  • Cleethorpes and Newark Northgate is 63.9 miles, with an out-and-back trip being 127.8 miles.
  • Battery-electric trains would do most of their charging between King’s Cross and Newark Northgate.
  • Full or partial charging should be possible at both Cleethorpes and Lincoln.
  • Battery-electric trains could give help, in cases of catenary failure on the East Coast Main Line.
  • In What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?, I said that I believed a Class 800 battery train would eventually have a battery range in excess of the Stadler FLIRT Akku’s 139 miles, as no-one likes being second.

I believe these strategies are possible.

Charge A Round Trip At Cleethorpes

Consider.

  • This is a range of just 63.9 miles.
  • The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
  • Charging at Cleethorpes could be by a short length of overhead electrification in Cleethorpes station or a specialist charger in the small depot.
  • Charge time would be around 15 minutes.
  • If charging were in the station, there would be no shunting of trains around.

This could be a simple and efficient way to run the service.

A Battery Round Trip To Cleethorpes

  • This is a range of 127.8 miles.
  • The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
  • I believe that this service would need a simple charger at Cleethorpes station, as trains do get delayed and these delays on a battery-electric train, may increase the need for charging.
  • Also what would happen in Grimsby Town were at home to a London club in the FA Cup?

This could be a reliable way to run the service, but I believe drivers need a charging facility at Cleethorpes as a fail-safe backup.

Electrification Between Grimsby Town And Cleethorpes

In Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes – 28th June 2023, I said this.

3.3 miles between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes took just ten minutes.

All trains terminating at Cleethorpes would get at least twenty minutes of charging, every time, they turned round at the station.

Much of the route between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes is only single-track, so this could be a very affordable option.

I don’t think there would be many objectors to electrifying between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.

An hourly train would use twenty minutes in ever hour between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes, it looks like the limit would be three trains per hour terminating at Cleethorpes.

So could the three trains be the following?

  • One train to Liverpool Lime Street.
  • One train to Lincoln, with alternate trains continuing to Nottingham, Loughborough and Leicester and some trains to Kings Cross.
  • One train to Barton-on-Humber.

Note.

  1. The Liverpool Lime Street train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Hazel Grove, which is 101.4 miles.
  2. A London King’s Cross train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Newark Northgate, which is 60.6 miles.
  3. A Leicester train, could use batteries between Grimsby Town and Leicester, which is 105.3 miles. Nottingham and Grimsby Town is 77.8 miles.
  4. Leicester and Nottingham services would need electrification at the Western end.
  5. King;s Cross, Leicester and Nottingham services would be arranged so Lincoln and Cleethorpes was an hourly service.
  6. A Barton-on-Humber train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Barton-on-Humber , which is 19.6 miles or 39.2 miles for a round trip.

Cleethorpes station could be at the centre of its own battery-electric train network, with all trains powered by just 3.3 miles of single-track electrification.

 

June 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes – 28th June 2023

I arrived at Lincoln at 1200 and had expected, there would be a train to Grimsby and Cleethorpes in a few minutes.

Wrong!

I had to wait until 13:32 for a train to Grimsby, where I changed for Cleethorpes.

The 43.9 miles between Lincoln and Grimsby Town took 53 minutes.

The 3.3 miles between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes took just ten minutes.

Note.

The Grimsby Town and Lincoln train only stops at Market Rasen, Barnetby and Habrough.

The Cleethorpes-bound change at Grimsby Town station includes a climb over a bridge without lifts.

The Lincoln-bound change is at least a walk-though to an adjacent platform.

There is a friendly cafe on the Cleethorpes-bound platform.

I took these pictures on the trip to Cleethorpes.

And these were taken on the way back.

Note.

  1. There are around forty level crossings on the route.
  2. The three stations that will be used by LNER; Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town, all appear to be in reasonable condition.
  3. Market Rasen has Harrington Humps.
  4. Barnetby station has zone markers and an amazing step-free bridge.
  5. The maximum speed of the line appears to be 75 mph.

The track appeared to be in good condition and the Class 170 train was rolling along at a good speed.

These are my thoughts on improving the route.

More Trains Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes

Speaking to an East Midlands Railway conductor, it was obvious she felt more trains were needed between Lincoln and Cleethorpes.

As Skegness gets an hourly train from Nottingham, I would feel, that it is not unreasonable that Cleethorpes had an hourly train from Lincoln and perhaps one train per two hours (tp2h) from Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham.

The Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham service is already at 1 tp2h level with a change at Grimsby Town.

June 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route

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

This is the first paragraph.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) completed a test run from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire and London King’s Cross, with the view to operating a direct service in the future.

These two paragraphs describe how the tests were carried out.

A first test train travelled from Doncaster on 26 June which called at Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Barnetby and Market Rasen. At each station, a series of platform and train validations were performed to ensure that a service could be compatible in the future.

On the journey itself, a specialist team travelled onboard, carried out a number of checks and assessments which is required for any potential new route or extension. A detailed assessment was undertaken. The findings will now be reviewed by the stakeholders.

The test run was in four sections.

  • 5Q80 – Departed Doncaster Carr Lane Depot at 0817 and arrived Cleethorpes Platform 4 at 1000.
  • 5Q81 – Departed Cleethorpes Platform 3 at 1054 and arrived Lincoln Central Platform 5 at 1219.
  • 5Q82 – Departed Lincoln Central Platform 5 at 1226 and arrived Cleethorpes Platform 2 at 1355.
  • 5Q83 – Departed Cleethorpes Platform 2 at 1528 and arrived Doncaster Carr Lane Depot at 1654.

Note.

  1. These details came from Real Time Trains.
  2. It looks like three platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Cleethorpes station were checked.
  3. The route between Cleethorpes and Lincoln Central was checked both ways.
  4. The route between Doncaster Carr Lane Depot and Cleethorpes was checked both ways.
  5. Typically, each station stop took around 10-12 minutes, which probably gave adequate time for the specialist team to make their checks and assessments.
  6. Class 800 trains run six times a day between Lincoln Central and King’s Cross, so I must assume that section is well-checked and has the correct clearances.
  7. Lincoln Central station is 16.7 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Newark Northgate station.
  8. Cleethorpes station is 52.1 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station.
  9. The distance between Lincoln Central and Cleethorpes stations is 47.2 miles.
  10. The timing between Lincoln Central and Cleethorpes appears to be just under one hour and thirty minutes.

It looks like a thorough test has been performed.

I have a few thoughts.

Platforms At Cleethorpes Station

According to the Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, the station has three platforms, which are numbered 1, 2 and 3.

These three pictures show Cleethorpes station in 2020.

 

Note.

  1. The two trains are Class 185 trains of TransPennine Express.
  2. The train in the left is in Platform 1.
  3. Platform 2 appears to be empty.
  4. The train on the right is Platform 3.

I would assume Platform 4 could be the derelict platform shown in the third picture at the right. Or it might be a typo!

But if it is felt that LNER  will need their own platform, it would surely be a good idea to do all testing at the same time.

Initial Service Pattern

I would expect that the initial service pattern would follow that used for many new services.

  • There will be an early morning train up to London.
  • There will be a late afternoon or early evening return train.

Journey time could be around three hours and twenty minutes.

Once the demand is proven, extra trains to and from London might be added in the middle of the day.

Could This Service Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 800 Trains?

From a picture on this article on the BBC, the test run appears to have been carried out by a bi-mode Class 800 train.

The full route from Doncaster to King’s Cross has four sections.

  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52.1 miles – Unelectrified
  • Cleethorpes and Lincoln Central – 47.2 miles – Unelectrified
  • Lincoln Central and Newark Northgate – 16.7 miles – Unelectrified
  • Newark Northgate and King’s Cross – 120.1 – Electrified

To go between King’s Cross and Doncaster via Cleethorpes would need a battery-electric train with a range of 116 miles.

In What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?, I came to this conclusion about the battery range of a Class 800 train.

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

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

Note.

  1. Trains would be charged using the existing electrification of the East Coast Main Line.
  2. No new infrastructure would be required.

But for service recovery reasons, it could be prudent to add electrification to Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.

Could TransPennine’s Service Between Doncaster and Cleethorpes Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 802 Trains?

As it is only a round trip of 104.2 miles, I don’t see why this couldn’t be done by say 2028.

Could LNER’s Service Between King’s Cross and Lincoln Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 800 Trains?

As it is only a round trip of only 33.4 miles, this is the easy trip to decarbonise.

 

June 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 8 Comments

Should The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line Be Electrified?

The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line was created in the Nineteenth Century by the Great Northern Railway and the Great Eastern Railway.

  • The main purpose was to move freight like coal, agricultural products and manufactured goods between Yorkshire and Eastern England.
  • It originally ran between Doncaster and Huntington via Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding and March.
  • It had a full length of almost 123 miles.
  • There was a large marshalling yard at Whitemoor near March.

Over the years the line has been pruned a bit and now effectively runs between Doncaster and Peterborough.

  • Trains between Lincoln and March are now routed via Peterborough.
  • It carries upwards of twenty freight trains per day in both directions through Lincoln Central station.
  • Many of the freight trains are going to and from the East Coast ports.
  • The distance between Doncaster and Peterborough is 93.7 miles, as opposed to the 79.6 miles on the East Coast Main Line.
  • The line is not electrified, but it connects to the electrified East Coast Main Line at both ends.

There have been some important developments in recent years.

2015 Freight Upgrade

Wikipedia says this about the major 2015 freight upgrade.

In 2015 a £280 million upgrade of the Joint Line by Network Rail was substantially complete, enabling two freight trains per hour to be diverted from the congested East Coast Main Line; gauge enhancements to enable the passage of 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) containers were included in the work.

The Sleaford avoiding line had been substantially downgraded since the 1980s and was reinstated to double track as part of the 2015 scheme. Resignalling and modernisation of level crossings was included.

This means that freight trains have an alternative route, that avoids the East Coast Main Line.

Doncaster iPort

Over the last few years the Doncaster iPort has been developed, which is an intermodal rail terminal.

  • It has a size of around 800 acres.
  • The site opened in early 2018.
  • There is a daily train to the Port of Southampton and two daily trains to both Teesport and Felixstowe.
  • The Felixstowe trains would appear to use the Joint Line.

I feel that as the site develops, the Doncaster iPort will generate more traffic on the Joint Line.

This Google Map shows the Doncaster iPort.

There would appear to be plenty of space for expansion.

The Werrington Dive Under

The Werrington Dive Under has been built at a cost of £ 200 million, to remove a bottleneck at the Southern end of the Joint Line, where it connects to the East Coast Main Line.

The Werrington Dive Under was built, so that it could be electrified in the future.

LNER To Lincolnshire

LNER appear to have made a success of a one train per two hours (tp2h) service between London King’s Cross and Lincoln station.

  • LNER have stated, that they want to serve Grimsby and Cleethorpes in the North of the county.
  • North Lincolnshire is becoming important in supporting the wind energy industry in the North Sea.
  • Lincoln is becoming an important university city.
  • Several towns in Lincolnshire probably need a service to Peterborough and London.
  • In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest port in the United Kingdom by tonnage.

I can see an expanded Lincolnshire service from LNER.

Full Digital Signalling Of The East Coast Main Line To The South Of Doncaster

This is happening now and it will have a collateral benefits for the Joint Line.

Most passenger and freight trains will also use the East Coast Main Line, if only for a few miles, which will mean they will need to be fitted for the digital signalling.

This could mean that extending full digital signalling to Lincolnshire will not be a challenging project.

Arguments For Electrification

These are possible arguments for electrification.

Electric Freight Trains To And From The North

It would be another stretch of line, that could accommodate electric freight trains.

An Electrified Diversion Route For East Coast Main Line Expresses

Currently, when there is engineering blockades between Doncaster and Peterborough on the East Coast Main Line, the Hitachi Class 800 and Class 802 trains of Hull Trains and LNER are able to divert using their diesel power.

But the electric trains of LNER and Lumo have to be cancelled.

An electrified diversion route would be welcomed by passengers and train companies.

It would also mean that any trains running from King’s Cross to electrified destinations would not to have any diesel engines.

An Electrified Spine Through Lincolnshire

If there was an electrified spine between Doncaster and Peterborough via Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford and Spalding, these stations would be these distances from the spine.

  • Boston – 16.8 miles
  • Cleethorpes – 47.2 miles
  • Grimsby Town – 43.9 miles
  • Market Rasen – 14.8 miles
  • Skegness – 40.7 miles

Note.

  1. These distances are all possible with battery-electric trains.
  2. Charging would be on the electrified spine and at Skegness and Cleethorpes stations.

All of South Lincolnshire and services to Doncaster would use electric trains.

London Services

London services would be via Spalding and join the East Coast Main Line at Werrington.

  • Boston and Skegness would be served from Sleaford, where the train would reverse.
  • Market Rasen, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes would be served from Lincoln, where the train would reverse.

This would enable Cleethorpes and Skegness to have at least four trains per day to and from London King’s Cross.

North Lincolnshire Services

There are two train services in North Lincolnshire.

Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber.

Cleethorpes and Manchester Airport via Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly.

Note.

  1. Cleethorpes would need to have a charger or a few miles of electrification, to charge a train from London.
  2. Doncaster, which is fully electrified is 52.1 miles from Cleethorpes.
  3. Barton-on-Humber is 22.8 miles from Cleethorpes.

Battery-electric trains should be able to handle both services.

Arguments Against Electrification

The only possible arguments against electrification are the disruption that the installation might cause and the unsightly nature of overhead gantries.

Conclusion

The Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line should be electrified.

 

 

 

 

February 15, 2022 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

LNER To Serve Cleethorpes

Under the proposed new LNER timetable, which will start in May 2022, there will be a new train service between London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes.

According to this article on the Lincolnite, which is entitled Direct Cleethorpes To London Rail Link ‘Close’ To Getting Go Ahead, there will be one service per day.

It will leave Cleethorpes at 06:24 and Grimsby Town at 06:32 before arriving at King’s Cross at 09:25.

The return will leave King’s Cross at 16:10 and arrive in Grimsby Town at 19:05 and Cleethorpes at 19:20.

The August 2021 Edition of Modern Railways makes these points about the service.

  • The larger Azuma fleet makes this extension possible.
  • ,A more regular service would require additional trains.
  • LNER is examining whether other intermediate stations east of Lincoln could be served.

I would have thought, that Market Rasen station could be a possibility for an intermediate stop.

I have a few thoughts.

Extra Services

This single service is ideal for though living in Lincolnshire, but it doesn’t suit those people, who perhaps need to go to the area from London for business or family reasons.

  • Lincoln appears to get around five or six trains per day in each direction to and from King’s Cross.
  • Services are roughly one train per two hours.
  • I suspect the Lincoln service can be run by a single train, that shuttles between King’s Cross and Lincoln stations.

I believe, that Cleethorpes needs at least a pair of services to and from London, so that travellers can spend a day in North-East Lincolnshire.

  • This would probably need more trains.
  • Services would go via Lincoln and Lincoln may get extra services to London.
  • Selected services could stop at intermediate stations, like Market Rasen.

There are surely possibilities for a integrated timetable between King’s Cross and Lincoln, Market Rasen, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.

Battery-Electric Operation

Consider.

  • LNER’s Class 800 trains are prime candidates for conversion to Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Trains, so they can run away from the overhead wires of the East Coast Main Line to places like Lincoln, by the use of battery power.
  • These battery trains could charge using the electrification between King’s Cross and Newark North Gate stations.
  • The distance between Lincoln Central station and the East Coast Main Line is 16.6 miles.
  • In Plans To Introduce Battery Powered Trains In Scotland, I quote Hitachi, as saying they expect a sixty mile range for battery trains.

I am sure, that these trains would have sufficient range on battery to be able to work King’s Cross and Lincoln services without using diesel.

But could the Hitachi trains reach Cleethorpes with some well-positioned charging?

  • The distance between Lincoln and Cleethorpes stations is 47.2 miles.
  • In Solving The Electrification Conundrum, I describe Hitachi’s solution to running battery-electric trains, by using well-placed short lengths of 25 KVAC overhead electrification controlled by an intelligent power system.

With a range of sixty miles on batteries and charging at Lincoln and Cleethorpes stations, it would appear that battery electric operation of Class 800 trains between King’s Cross and Cleethorpes is a distinct possibility.

Lincoln Station

Lincoln station has three operational through platforms and I suspect all would need to be electrified, so that trains could be charged as they passed through.

These are distances from Lincoln station.

  • Cleethorpes – 47.2 miles
  • Doncaster – 36.9 miles
  • Nottingham – 33.9 miles
  • Peterborough – 56.9 miles
  • Sheffield – 48.5 miles

It does appear that if Lincoln station were to be electrified, most services from the city could be run using battery-electric trains.

Cleethorpes Station

This picture shows Cleethorpes station with two TransPennine Express Class 185 trains in the station.

Note.

  1. The Class 185 trains are diesel, but could be replaced by Hitachi Class 802 trains, which could be converted to battery-electric operation.
  2. Cleethorpes and Doncaster are 52.1 miles apart, which could be in range of Hitachi’s battery-electric trains.
  3. It doesn’t look to be too challenging to electrify a couple of platforms to charge the battery-electric trains.
  4. Cleethorpes station could surely charge both the LNER and the TransPennine Express trains.
  5. The Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber service which is under fifty miles for a round trip could also be replaced with battery-electric trains.

Cleethorpes station could be totally served by battery-electric trains.

Battery-Electric Trains For Lincolnshire

At the present time, there is a surplus of good redundant electrical multiple units and the rolling stock leasing companies are looking for places where they can be used.

Porterbrook are already looking to convert their fleet of Class 350 trains to battery-electric operation and I am certain, that now that Hitachi and others have solved the charging problem, a lot more trains will be converted.

Most would appear to be four-car 100 mph trains, which will be very convenient and should fit most platforms.

Conclusion

Running battery-electric Class 800 trains to Lincoln, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes could be the start of decarbonisation of Lincolnshire’s railways.

What would battery-electric trains do for the economy of Lincolnshire?

 

 

 

August 7, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

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