The Anonymous Widower

How Will The East Coast Main Line Timetable Change Affect Sheffield?

This article in the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways is entitled Industry Gears Up For December ECML Timetable Change.

This is the first paragraph.

Major changes are planned to trains along the East Coast main line from 14 December as the long-heralded timetable takes effect.

In this post, I will see how the changes detailed in the article in Modern Railways will affect Sheffield and Doncaster.

Aberdeen-Edinburgh

This is said about Aberdeen and Edinburgh services.

Monday-Saturday services will not change between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with all intermediate stations served at similar times.

The LNER service to and from King’s Cross will call additionally at Doncaster, Newark Northgate and Peterborough; the last LNER Monday-Friday departure from Aberdeen will terminate at Doncaster instead of Leeds, and the first LNER Monday-Saturday train to Aberdeen will start from King’s Cross at 05:48 instead of Leeds.

Note.

  1. An hourly fast train between Edinburgh and King’s Cross will have a journey time of 4 hours and 10 minutes, which is a saving of at least 12 minutes.
  2. There is an Aberdeen-Manchester air service, but no Edinburgh-Manchester or Leeds-Scotland air services.
  3. In Could London And Central Scotland Air Passengers Be Persuaded To Use The Trains?, I speculated about how air passengers could be tempted to use the trains between London and Central Scotland.
  4. It looks to me, that LNER are strengthening their services between Doncaster and Scotland.
  5. Will that 05:48 King’s Cross departure for Aberdeen, enable a working day in Aberdeen and return?

Is LNER’s aim to get travellers to use the trains between Doncaster and Scotland, as an alternative to driving or trains from Leeds?

Alnmouth and Berwick

This is said about Alnmouth services.

Quicker LNER journey times are promised to stations South of York, with King’s Cross-Alnmouth journey times up to 15 minutes quicker.

More TPE trains will run between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick, Reston, Dunbar, East Linton and Edinburgh Waverley.

The number of trains calling at Durham on weekdays will fall from 18 to 13 Southbound and from 15 to 10 Northbound.

This is said about Berwick services.

LNER trains will call every two hours during the middle of the day, and the number of weekday trains to King’s Cross falls from 15 to 11 Southbound with a 13 to nine fall Northbound. More TPE trains will call.

Note.

  1. Lumo serves Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh.
  2. Reston and East Linton are new stations.
  3. The stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh need adequate parking to attract commuters.

It looks to me, that LNER are timing the trains to attract day trips along the East Coast Main Line.

Bradford Forster Square/Interchange

This is said about Bradford Forster Square services.

The number of weekday trains will remain as per May 2025, but on Sundays, the number of trains serving Forster Square increases from two to six each way on a two-hourly interval. LNER stopping patterns change, with fewer trains calling at Peterborough and none at Grantham or Retford.

Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley, but surely a more regular six trains per day (tpd) is preferable.

 

This is said about Bradford Interchange services.

At Interchange, Grand Central Trains will run at different times to the May 2025 timetable, with King’s Cross journeys up to 20 minutes quicker. One GC each way will call at Peterborough, while some will stop at Pontefract Monkhill on Sundays for the first time.

Note.

  1. Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
  2. Is the twenty minutes time saving due to the new digital signalling to the South of Doncaster?
  3. Is this another open access operator being allowed to do what they do best?

This looks to be a very useful service, which serves several stations, with no other service to London.

Doncaster

This is said about Doncaster services.

Additional trains calling at destinations including Birmingham New Street, Sheffield, York, Newark and Berwick-upon-Tweed. LNER Aberdeen/Inverness trains will call at Doncaster. EMR trains will be retimed at Doncaster to provide better connections with LNER’s revised timetables, but journeys from Doncaster to Sleaford and Spalding will require a change at Lincoln. This change has been made to “enable improved connections” at Peterborough, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster. The number of trains calling at Stevenage falls from 24 to 19 Southbound and 24 to 21 Northbound, with Grantham stops dropping by seven trains to 28 Southbound and 4 to 29 Northbound.

If CrossCountry Trains were to switch their trains to Hitachi InterCity Battery trains, I believe that a version of these trains could handle routes like Plymouth and Aberdeen.

  • This would speed up services.
  • Trains would run close together and thus increase capacity.
  • Services could even be faster.

So expect a replacement order for CrossCountry Trains diesel multiple units soon.

Glasgow

LNER gave up serving Glasgow Central from King’s Cross in the December 2024 timetable change.

In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I talked about Lumo extending their King’s Cross and Edinburgh service to Glasgow Central station.

Hull

This is said about Hull services.

On Mondays-Fridays, Hull Trains will provide an extra train from London.

The LNER Monday-Friday Hull-Doncaster train will be withdrawn;

Northern will operate a 20:25 departure to Doncaster; calling at Brough and Selby.

Note.

  1. It looks like Great British Railways have surrendered Hull and Beverley to Hull Trains.
  2. Hull Trains are converting their Class 802 trains to battery-electric power.
  3. It is likely that Hull Trains upgraded trains will be able to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line via Lincoln on battery power.

The new timetable appears to be ready for the future of Hull Trains.

Leeds

This is said about Leeds services.

LNER services will depart to King’s Cross at xx.10 and xx.40.

Northern will introduce an extra mostly hourly service between  Leeds and Sheffield calling at Wakefield Westgate. They will depart about 30 minutes earlier or later than the CrossCountry service.

Note.

  1. I would expect the two King’s Cross and Leeds services which would both stop at Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would set the timings between Doncaster and Leeds.
  2. Currently, of the four trains that run to and from Leeds every two hours, two are planned to terminate at Leeds, one at Harrogate and one at Bradford Forster Square.
  3. There is also a daily service between King’s Cross and Skipton via Leeds.
  4. I can envisage another service between  King’s Cross and Ilkley via Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Guiseley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding.
  5. I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Huddersfield, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield and Deighton.
  6. I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Hebden Bridge, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Brighouse.
  7. An alternative to Hebden Bridge would be Rochdale, which already has four platforms and is on the Manchester Metrolink
  8. It appears that Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds and Skipton stations can turn nine or ten-car trains and Ilkley can turn five-car trains.
  9. I also believe that one of Hitachi’s InterCity Battery trains could use battery power to take the spectacular Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle or even Glasgow Central.
  10. If needed pairs of five-car trains could split and join at Leeds, with one train waiting at Leeds and the other train going on to another destination.
  11. The CrossCountry and Northern Trains services on the Sheffield and Leeds route via Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would probably need to be modern battery-electric trains to maximise the capacity on the route.

There certainly seem to be opportunities to give a number of stations in Yorkshire an all-electric service to King’s Cross with a two-hourly frequency, in a time of a few minutes over two hours.

Lincoln

This is said about Lincoln services.

One more LNER train from King’s Cross will run, with the first train arriving earlier and the last train later. There will no longer be an LNER train serving Stevenage with passengers having to change at Newark Northgate or Peterborough. An improved service will run to and from Nottingham, with an increase from one to two trains per hour on Mondays-Saturdays. An hourly service will run to Crewe, and a new Matlock-Nottingham-Lincoln-Cleethorpes service will run. EMR will cease all bar morning peak direct trains to/from Leicester. Newark Northgate-Lincoln trains will be reduced from five to four on Mondays-Fridays, eight to four on Saturdays and ten to eight on Sundays.

Note.

  1. Travellers between Lincoln/Nottingham and the North/Scotland will have two trains per hour to Newark Northgate, where there will be two tph to the North/Scotland.
  2. The hourly Crewe service will give access to Liverpool Manchester and the West Coast Main Line.
  3. Will there still be a Liverpool and Norwich service or will this be replaced by East-West Rail?

There seems to be a big sort out to EMR services.

Newcastle

This is said about Newcastle services.

The number of trains serving King’s Cross increases from 35 to 53 Southbound on weekdays and from 36 to 52 Northbound. One train every hour will run non-stop to York. More TPE trains will run Northbound (see Alnmouth and Berwick), while Northern is retiming services on the Northumberland Line in anticipation of Northumberland Park and Bedlington stations opening in early 2026. A semi-fast hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough will run on Mondays-Saturdays and there will be an hourly stopping service between them.

Note.

  1. There will be a big increase in services between King’s Cross and Newcastle.
  2. Is the aim to persuade travellers to use trains rather than airlines?
  3. LNER also runs one train per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
  4. Grand Central Trains will be running at a frequency of six tpd between King’s Cross and Sunderland via Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool and Seaham.

Hull appears to have been left to Hull Trains and Glasgow to Lumo, and Sunderland appears to be left for Grand Central Trains.

Conclusions

I am coming to some conclusions about services on the East Coast Main Line, with respect to Sheffield.

Doncaster Is A Well-Equipped Station

Doncaster is the nearest station to Sheffield on the East Coast Main Line.

  • Over the last few years, Doncaster station has been improved.
  • It has a subway with a more than adequate number of lifts.
  • The station has nearly 600 parking spaces.
  • There is a taxi rank.
  • There is no Marks & Spencer’s food store, which is important for a coeliac like me.
  • There are thirty bus stands close to Doncaster station.
  • Doncaster station is well-equipped with cafes, a pub and coffee stalls.
  • All trains to Aberdeen, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Edinburgh, Hull, King’s Cross, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield seem to stop at the station.
  • There are several local trains per hour.
  • Changing trains is not a strenuous exercise.

Doncaster is one of the UK’s better regional stations.

Doncaster Needs A Connection To The Sheffield Supertram

One of the first things, I do when I arrive in a strange town or city is look for the local public transport network.

In 2019, Sheffield published an ambitious plan for their tram network, which I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The post contained this map, of Sheffield’s plans for the trams.

Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport are connected to the current end of the tram-train route at Rotherham Parkgate.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines between Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster.

Note.

  1. Doncaster station is in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. Rotherham Central station is in the South-West corner of the map.
  3. The blue arrow in the South-West corner indicates Rotherham Parkgate tram stop.
  4. Swinton, Mexborough and Conisbrough stations can be picked out.
  5. The dotted red line running North-South across the map is the route of the ill-fated Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.

It is a simple application of tram-train technology to connect Doncaster station and Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the Sheffield Supertram.

With all the comings and goings on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station, I believe that the tram-train connection to Sheffield and Rotherham is essential.

The Cities Of Bradford, Doncaster, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield Can Have a High-Frequency Rail Connection

Consider.

  • Four stations are all step-free with a bridge or subway served by lifts.
  • Bradford Forster Square station has level access to the platforms from the street.
  • The rail lines between the five stations are electrified, with the exception of Sheffield and Doncaster.
  • Services between the cities are run by CrossCountry Trains, Grand Central Trains, Hull Trains, LNER and Northern Trains.
  • Most maximum speeds are not unduly slow.

Consequently the five cities can have a high-frequency rail connection in excess of four tph.

Could this be the basis of a Five-Cities Metro?

Open Access Services

There are six open access services running on the East Coast Main Line.

  • Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Bradford Interchange via Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor – 4 tpd
  • Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Sunderland via Peterborough, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartlepool – 6 tpd
  • Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Hull via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough – 4 tpd
  • Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Beverley via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough, Hull and Cottingham  – 2 tpd
  • Lumo – King’s Cross-Edinbugh via Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth – 5 tpd
  • Lumo – King’s Cross-Glasgow Queen Street via Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth, Edinburgh and Falkirk High – 2 tpd

Note.

  1. tpd is trains per day.
  2. All seem to serve an exclusive area, except Lumo.
  3. In a couple of years, all could be using Hitachi trains.
  4. I suspect some services will swap their diesel generators for batteries.

Battery-power would allow some services to be zero-carbon, even when using the GNGE diversion.

 

 

 

 

September 22, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wakefield Westgate Station – 18th September 2025

To get to Knottingley and the consultation about Ferrybridge hydrogen-fired power station, I had to change trains at Wakefield Westgate station.

Note.

  1. It is an impressive station.
  2. It has been rebuilt since the turn of the century.
  3. It is fully step-free.
  4. Entrance is level from the square outside the station to the Southbound platform.
  5. There are toilets on the Southbound platform.
  6. There are six trains per hour (tph) between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.

Certainty, in the time I was changing trains and waiting for my train to Knottingley, there were a lot of trains going to and from Leeds.

The timetables are changing on December 14, 2025 and the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways gives this summary for Wakefield.

On Mondays-Saturdays, the CrossCountry train calling at Westgate at 18:17 will no longer stop at Wakefield. Northern will introduce an additional hourly fast train seven days a week between Leeds and Sheffield, and on Saturdays there will be extra later last trains between Sheffield and Westgate via Rotherham and Sheffield and Kirkgate via Barnsley.

With the development of the Leeds Metro, I can see more services being added on the route between Doncaster and Bradford via Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.

  • Bradford is getting a new through station.
  • From December 14, 2025, Sunday services to Bradford Forster Square will be increased for two to six each way per day.
  • It also looks like from December 14, 2025, the new Northern service between Leeds and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate, will form a two trains per hour with the CrossCountry service.

It certainly looks like the train companies have been co-operating to create a high-class Trans-West Yorkshire service.

 

September 20, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Arriva Group.

These three bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • New services operated by Arriva’s Grand Central would introduce a direct rail connection between the Northeast and Midlands to London Gatwick and the South Coast.
  • Making better use of available network capacity, the proposed route would connect underserved communities in the UK and enhance long-distance connectivity without the need to interchange through London.  
  • The application reflects Arriva’s wider European strategy to connect people and places through sustainable transport solutions, strengthening regional economies and supporting modal shift.

This introductory paragraph provides more details.

Arriva Group has today announced it is submitting an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to introduce a new direct rail service between Newcastle and Brighton, via London Gatwick, providing vital connectivity for underserved communities along the route.

Other points to note include.

  1. There will be five trains per day in each direction.
  2. The proposed service would call at Durham, Darlington, Northallerton, York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Birmingham New Street, Warwick Parkway, Banbury, Oxford, Reading, Wokingham, Guildford, Redhill, London Gatwick and Haywards Heath.
  3. The service would be operated by Grand Central.
  4. The service could be introduced from December 2026.

It will be the be the first direct service between Newcastle and Brighton.

This final paragraph outlines where the service fits in Arriva’s wider philosophy.

The plans are part of Arriva Group’s broader commitment to strengthening regional connectivity and making better use of available rail capacity. By opening up new travel corridors, Arriva is helping to connect more people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities – and to encourage a greater shift from private cars to public transport.

There are certainly plenty of places in Europe, that could use a service like this one between Brighton and Newcastle.

In The Ultimate Open Access Service, I describe a possible open access service between Amsterdam and Hamburg, which is about the same distance as Brighton and Newcastle, which is 372.8 miles by Arriva’s proposed route.

These are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

A High-Class Service Between Oxford And Brighton Could Be An Interesting Development In Its Own Right

Governments, rail operators and passenger groups of all persuasions and flavours have warmly welcomed the planned reopening of the rail route between Oxford and Cambridge.

I suspect an Oxford and Brighton service would be equally welcomed.

Brighton may not be an academic powerhouse yet, but it does have one thing that Oxford and Cambridge lack ; the sea.

Gatwick Airport Will Surely Welcome The Extra Connectivity

Gatwick Airport will expand and extra rail services will do the following for the airport.

  • Make it easier to get the planning permission for the second runway.
  • Make it easier for passengers and airport and airline staff to get to the airport.
  • Surely, the more direct rail connections the airport has, will increase the likelihood, that families and other groups, will choose to fly from Gatwick.
  • More train services could cut the amount of car parking per flight needed at the airport.

Gatwick Airport station has recently rebuilt and added extra capacity, so I doubt there will be trouble accommodating another ten trains per day.

Would The Army Welcome The New Service?

Two of the British Army’s main training areas are in North Yorkshire and in Surrey.

Would they find a train service between the two areas useful?

What Trains Will Grand Central Trains Use For The New Service?

In Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, I talked about how Grand Central will be acquiring Hitachi trains for their routes between London and Bradford and Sunderland.

  • These will be Hitachi tri-mode trains.
  • The trains will have a range of over forty miles on batteries.
  • They will probably be serviced in Yorkshire or the North-East.
  • The trains will be built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe, with batteries from Turntide Technologies in Sunderland.
  • The first trains will be delivered in 2028.

As Arriva intend to start services from December 2026, they would probably use diesel trains to start with.

I would expect that Grand Central would go for a unified fleet, which would mean more Hitachi tri-mode trains.

For convenience, they could all be serviced at Doncaster, which all Grand Central services will pass through.

What Sections Will Not Be Electrified Between Brighton and Newcastle?

As far as I can see from OpenRailwayMap, the following sections of the route are not electrified.

  • Two sections of the North Downs Line – 29 miles.
  • Didcot and Birmingham New Street – 80.9 miles
  • Birmingham New Street and Derby – 41.3 miles
  • Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles
  • Sheffield and Doncaster – 18.4 miles

Note.

  1. Electrification South of Reading will be third rail, so some trains will need to have third-rail shoes.
  2. The length without electrification is a total of 206 miles.
  3. As Newcastle and Doncaster, Redhill and Brighton, Reading and Didcot, and Birmingham New Street station are all electrified, the longest sections the trains would run without electrification would be between Didcot and Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Doncaster.
  4. The planned electrification between Derby and Sheffield would make life easier.

It appears that trains capable of handling a hundred miles of unelectrified railway are needed.

Hitachi have shown that a five-car train with one battery will travel 70 km (43.5 miles) on a full battery, so one with three batteries should be able to manage the hundred miles needed in a few years.

Will Any Extra Electrification Be Needed?

I think Birmingham New Street station will be the critical point.

  • The next electrification on the route to the South of Birmingham New Street is at Didcot, which is 80.9 miles away.
  • The next electrification on the route to the North of Birmingham New Street is at Doncaster, which is 96.1 miles away.

These battery ranges should be possible, but an alternative would be to provide an electrified platform at one or more intermediate stations to be safe.

Stations that could be equipped to the South would include Oxford and Banbury and to the North would include Burton-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield.

Perhaps electrifying a single platform at these stations, should be the first thing to be done, so that battery-electric trains can run on some useful routes as soon as they are delivered and approved.

Electric Trains, Even Battery-Electric Ones, Will Be Quick Off The Mark

Electric trains have good acceleration and I wonder, if this acceleration will enable stops, that are not feasible with diesel trains to be fitted in with electric trains, without having to take the same time penalty.

This might allow useful stops to be added to the service.

  • Chesterfield is not mentioned, but most trains passing through stop.
  • As I said, Farnborough North could be a useful stop for the Army.
  • There might be a case for selective stopping patterns.

Battery-electric trains stop without any noise or pollution.

Connection To The Ivanhoe Line At Burton-on-Trent

The proposed Ivanhoe Line is intended to link Burton-on-Trent and Leicester.

As it is intended that the Newcastle and Brighton service will call ten times per day at Burton-on-Trent station, this must surely improve the economics of the Ivanhoe Line.

Are there any other new or reopened rail schemes, that will be helped by the proposed Brighton and Newcastle service?

Updated Frequencies At Sheffield

Currently, trains at Sheffield have these daily frequencies to the towns and cities on the proposed Newcastle and Brighton route.

  • Newcastle – 18
  • Durham – 16
  • Darlington – 15
  • Northallerton – 0
  • York – 19
  • Doncaster – 64
  • Derby – 58
  • Burton-on-Trent – 9
  • Birmingham New Street – 21
  • Warwick Parkway – 0
  • Banbury – 0
  • Oxford – 3
  • Reading – 4
  • Wokingham – 0
  • Guildford – 0
  • Redhill – 0
  • London Gatwick – 0
  • Haywards Heath – 0
  • Brighton – 0

Note.

  1. Sheffield gets five trains per day  (tpd) direct connections to nine new destinations.
  2. Other useful destinations will get five more tpd.
  3. Reading is a useful interchange for Wales and the West.
  4. Guildford is a useful interchange for Portsmouth, Southampton and West Surrey.
  5. Reading and Guildford have coach services to Heathrow.

There are also a large number of universities along the route.

Hitachi Can Offer A One-Supplier Battery-Electric Train Solution

It should be noted that Hitachi can offer a complete package including battery-electric trains and all the electrification, transformers and other electrical gubbins needed.

So perhaps for the Chiltern Main Line, which is used for part of the route between Didcot and Birmingham, Hitachi could deliver a one-supplier solution, that would also electrify Chiltern’s services between Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street.

Remember, Chiltern are another Arriva Group company.

If Hitachi get this right, I can see other lines being electrified in this way.

Could This One-Supplier Battery-Electric Solution Be Exported?

I discussed this in Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, where I suggested that the United States could be a market.

  1. Arriva Group are ultimately American-owned.
  2. Hitachi’s battery technology is also American-owned.

In these days of Trump’s tariffs, these could prove useful facts.

As Arriva Group used to be owned by Deutsche Bahn, they may be another interested party, especially as they have a lot of lines, where I believe Hitachi’s solution would work.

Conclusion

A battery-electric railway service of nearly four hundred miles would certainly attract the passengers.

 

April 25, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?

The East Coast Main Line has ticketing unlike any other in the UK.

Turn up at any LNER station to go to any station that is served by trains from that station and you will be given a choice of the best prices at the ticket machines or at the booking office.

Effectively, you are sold your choice of the cheapest Advance tickets for your journey, at the time of booking.

In the last few months, I have taken three trips from London to Doncaster. All were priced between £20 and £25, with one trip on each of Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER.

Some might argue it is because of the three Open Access operators on the route, that good value is available. But I would argue that it is down to the fact that because of the Open Access operators there is more seats on the route.

This ticketing model should be adopted on the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.

The ticketing has certainly modified my behaviour.

If I want to go to Sheffield, I go to Doncaster, as it’s a lot cheaper, then get a local train between Doncaster and Sheffield.

Ed Miliband Is A Doncaster MP

When he is going between his Doncaster North constituency and London, does he use last minute ticketing?

April 15, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Arriva Group.

These four bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • Order worth around £300 million for fleet of new trains, which will increase seats by 20 per cent, improving capacity and connectivity.
  • 45 rail cars to be manufactured at Hitachi Rail in the North East and financed by Angel Trains, helping secure highly skilled jobs and unlocking a new advanced manufacturing opportunity for rail.
  • State-of-the-art ‘tri-mode’ train technology has proven its ability to cut emissions and fuel costs by around 30 per cent to support UK Government’s decarbonisation agenda.
  • Announcement is made from Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory and attended by the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP.

These three paragraphs give more details.

Arriva Group announced today an order for nine cutting-edge battery hybrid trains to replace its entire Grand Central fleet, providing a major boost to regional economies and offering passengers more comfortable, greener travel options.

The order for 45 Hitachi Rail ‘tri-mode’ cars, which have the flexibility to run on electrified and non-electrified tracks, along with a 10-year maintenance contract, represents an investment of around £300 million. Tri-mode means the trains can be powered using electricity, battery or diesel.

It follows approval by the rail regulator for extended track access rights for Grand Central’s existing services through to 2038, with the investment underpinning Arriva’s long-term commitment to UK rail and to delivering sustainable public transport solutions to communities up and down the country and across Europe.

The trains will be built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe.

I have some further thoughts and questions.

What Distances Will The Trains Run Away From Electrification?

The distances that the various services will run away from electrification are as follows.

  • King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange – Doncaster and Bradford Interchange – 52.1 miles.
  • King’s Cross and Cleethorpes – Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52.1 miles.
  • King’s Cross and Sunderland – Longlands junction and Sunderland – 48.5 miles.

It would appear that a train with a range away from electrification of 55 miles would be enough, if there were to be charging at all the destinations.

Will The Trains Be Able To Take The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE) Diversion Via Lincoln On The East Coast Main Line?

I discussed using this diversion in detail in London And Edinburgh By Lumo Using the Joint Line Diversion.

In that post, I said this.

The January 2024 Edition of Modern Railways says that the diversion is approximately 90 miles or 145 kilometers.

If the trains have a 90 mile capability on batteries and/or diesel, they will be able to use the diversion.

As Hull Trains, LNER and Lumo all need this ability to take the GNGE Diversion, I suspect, it will be a tick-box on the order form for the trains.

When Will The Trains Be In Service?

The news item says this.

The trains will be delivered in 2028 under a 10-year leasing arrangement, in partnership and financed by Angel Trains.

Will The New Trains Be Faster?

They might save a couple of minutes, if Doncaster is the first stop.

Will The New Trains Be Quieter?

The news item says this about noise and emissions.

State-of-the-art ‘tri-mode’ train technology has proven its ability to cut emissions and fuel costs by around 30 per cent to support UK Government’s decarbonisation agenda.

Hitachi have said that the diesel engines will not run in stations.

Could The Trains Run Grand Central’s Routes Carbon-Free?

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to these conclusions

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

If I was choosing the trains for Grand Central, the trains would be able to operate these routes without using diesel.

  • Doncaster and Bradford Interchange and return.
  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes and return.
  • Longlands junction and Sunderland and return.

Passengers might not like to have noisy passengers.

Probably, the best insurance policy to avoid running out of battery power, would be to have perhaps fifty metres of electrification at terminal stations. Hitachi claim they can offer a nice line in short lengths of electrification.

Quiet Trains Should Attract Passengers

I’ve seen it before and also with buses.

The Number Of Trains Ordered

The basic order is for nine trains, but Railway Gazette says this.

Arriva welcomed the ‘swift decision-making’ by ORR and the backing of the Department for Transport and Network Rail. It has also submitted applications to run more trains to Bradford and introduce services to Cleethorpes, and has an option to buy more trains if these are approved.

I’ve read somewhere that the option is for three extra trains.

So that’s a total of twelve, which would replace the ten Class 180 trains and two Class 221 trains, that Grand Central Trains currently run.

What About Chiltern Railways And CrossCountry?

Train operating companies Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central Trains are all wholly owned subsidiaries of Arriva Trains UK, who are described like this in the first paragraph of their Wikipedia entry.

Arriva UK Trains Limited is the company that oversees Arriva’s train operating companies in the United Kingdom. It gained its first franchises in February 2000. These were later lost, though several others were gained. In January 2010, with the take-over of Arriva by Deutsche Bahn, Arriva UK Trains also took over the running of those formerly overseen by DB Regio UK Limited

Arriva is ultimately owned by American infrastructure investment company; I Squared Capital.

Both Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry have trains, that are coming to the date, when they will need to be replaced and similar trains to those ordered by Grand Central could be suitable. to replace some.

Chiltern Railways have six rakes of Mark 3 coaches, that are hauled by diesel locomotives between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street stations, These rakes of coaches could be replaced by Hitachi tri-mode trains, of perhaps five or six cars.

Chiltern Railways also have about sixty assorted diesel multiple units totalling up to about 150 carriages.

CrossCountry Trains have twenty-nine two- or three-car Class 170 trains and sixty-one four- or five car Class 220 or 221 trains. All these ninety trains were built this century and are diesel-powered.

The Government’s policy of net-zero by 2050, would probably mean a significant number of these smaller diesel multiple units need to be replaced by 2030.

If the Grand Central Trains new Hitachi trains are a success, then changing the longer four-, five- and six-car trains for similar Hitachi trains, would be a low-risk replacement strategy for I Squared Capital, that could be applied at Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry.

I can also see a need for a two-, three- or four-car tri-mode train for Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry.

Was The Date Of The Announcement Significant?

In October 2020, I wrote Hitachi Targets Export Opportunities From Newton Aycliffe and I believe that tri-mode trains like these that Grand Central have ordered could have export opportunities.

One country for exports has possibilities and that is the United States.

  • Hitachi AT-300 trains like these don’t need expensive high-speed tracks and there are probably many lines in the United States, where these trains could fit existing tracks.
  • This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Hitachi Rail in the USA and Canada.
  • In the UK, companies like GWR, LNER, Southeastern and TransPennine Express effectively use theHitachi trains as fast commuter trains on some routes.
  • Trump’s tariffs would only be 10 % on these trains.
  • The Grand Central version looks very stylish!
  • Hitachi’s battery technology is owned by Turntide Technology, who are a US company.
  • For some routes, the trains would probably only need to be battery-electric.

Has the experience of running Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central Trains convinced I Squared Capital, that running railways is a good investment?

Have  I Squared Capital identified some railroads in the United States, that could follow a similar upgrade path to Chiltern Railways?

Was it significant that the order was announced the day after Trump’s tariffs?

.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 4, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Train Trip Where I Arrived Before My Train

Yesterday, I went to Sheffield on Grand Central Trains. But owing to a small mix-up at Peterborough station, I ended up getting to Doncaster on an LNER train, before my Grand Central Train arrived.

This was the sequence of events.

  • I bought a ticket from a machine at King’s Cross for Doncaster for the keen single price of £25.70 with my Senior Railcard.
  • I had managed to assign myself a forward facing window seat.
  • The aisle seat was occupied by a large man before I took my seat.
  • But I was able to squeeze past.
  • I did tell my travelling companion that I was going to Doncaster., as I have been known to fall asleep on trains and didn’t want to end up in Bradford.
  • My train left for Doncaster at 10:52.
  • I then found thyself waking up, with the train stopped in a station, which I didn’t recognise.
  • So I asked my companion, where we were and he said. “Doncaster!”
  • I then squeezed past him again and left the train, only to find, that I had got out at Peterborough.
  • Luckily, by the time I realised I was at the wrong station, an LNER train had arrived that was also going to Doncaster.
  • So a helpful member of LNER’s station staff told me to get on the LNER train.
  • Another helpful member of LNER’s train staff approved my ticket, so I didn’t have to buy another.
  • As my new train, passed Retford, we passed the Grand Central Train at rest in Retford station.
  • I arrived in Doncaster at 12:45.

Looking at Real Time Trains, I find this is said.

This service was cancelled between Retford and Bradford Interchange due to the train striking a bird (V8)

As it was a V8 bird, I assume it was a large one.

April 2, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Backing Up The Wind With The Keadby Power Stations

I went to Cleethorpes from Doncaster by train yesterday. You pass the Keadby site, where there are two large gas–fired power stations of 734 MW and 710 MW. A third one ; Keadby 3 of 910 MW complete with carbon capture and storage should join them by 2027.

So that will be nearly 2.5 GW of reliable electricity.

I find it interesting that one of our first gas-fired power stations with carbon capture will be in Lincolnshire, which is famous for growing plants of all shapes, types and sizes. So will we be seeing lots of greenhouses on the flat lands I saw yesterday, growing plants in an atmosphere they like, so that we can generate our carbon dioxide and eat it.

 

The next power station at Keadby is called the Keadby Next Generation power station, which is intended to be complete by 2030. It is a bit of a puzzle in that it will run on up to 1800 MW of hydrogen and only produce up to 910 MW of electricity.

Note.

  1. The hydrogen will come from SSE’s hydrogen store at Aldbrough and Centrica’s store at Rough.
  2. Surely, the amount of hydrogen and electricity should balance.

When I worked in ICI’s hydrogen plant in the 1960s, ICI had no use for the hydrogen, so they sent it to their power station, blended it with coal gas and used it to make steam for other processes.

Could Keadby Next Generation power station be providing zero-carbon steam for the chemical and other processes on Humberside?

Adding the 910 MW of electricity to Keadby’s gas-fired total of 2.5 GW gives 3.4 GW of electricity from Keadby to back up the wind farms.

3.4 GW at Keadby is what I call backup!

It also should be noted, that one of the reasons for building the Mersey Tidal Barrage is to provide backup for all the wind farms in Liverpool Bay.

Conclusion

I believe that SSE could be supplying zero-carbon steam in addition to electricity from the Keadby Hydrogen power station.

 

 

March 26, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Food, Hydrogen | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Taking Pictures In Doncaster And Cleethorpes Today

My faith was restored a bit in UK railways today.

I had to go to Cleethorpes at the last minute to take some pictures for this blog.

I went with a change at Doncaster each way.

 

  • I bought the single ticket to Doncaster from a person in King’s Cross for £28.55 on LNER.
  • I bought the return ticket to Cleethorpes from a person in Doncaster for £20.55 on TransPennine Express.
  • I bought the single ticket to King’s Cross from a person in Doncaster for £15.30 on Hull Trains.

I bought all tickets with my railcard on a walk up basis.

All four trains were on time.

The only problem was the weather in Cleethorpes and the pictures could have been better.

March 25, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Doncaster To Cleethorpes

These pictures were taken on my journey between Doncaster and Cleethorpes.

The area is best summed up as flat and decorated with these features.

  • A few hedges.
  • Some trees and some woodland.
  • dozens of wind turbines.
  • Lots of pylons carrying electricity.
  • Scunthorpe steelworks
  • A few stations and railway sidings.
  • A couple of waterways.
  • Estates of new housing as you approach Grimsby.

When I returned there was more of the same on the other side of the tracks.

With the addition of all the power stations at Keadby and a couple of wind farms.

These are my thoughts on how this landscape will look at some time after 2030.

More Onshore Wind Farms

There will be a lot more wind farms lining the Doncaster and Cleethorpes railway.

The government has said it might pay for turbines and transmission lines to spoil views.

I feel they will have to, to meet their net-zero targets.

There Will Be Massive Hydrogen Storage On The Other Side Of The Humber

SSE are developing Albrough and Centrica are developing Rough into two of the largest hydrogen stores in the world.

The wind farms of the North Sea will provide them with hydrogen.

More Housing

If the government has its wish there will be a lot more new housing.

And as the newer houses show in my pictures, many of them will have solar panels.

More Power Stations At Keadby

Consider.

  • The main purpose of the power stations at Keadby will be to provide backup to the wind and solar power in the area and far out to sea.
  • The power stations will use hydrogen stored at Albrough and Rough.
  • Some of the gas-fired power stations at Keadby will be fitted with carbon capture.
  • One hydrogen-fired power station is already being planned.

The power stations at Keadby will probably be capable of supplying several GW of zero-carbon energy.

There Will Be Energy-Hungry Industries Along The South Bank Of The Humber

Just as in the Victorian era, coal attracted steel-making, chemicals and refining to the area, a South Humberside with large amounts of energy will attract heavy industry again.

Already, Siemens have built a train factory at Goole.

There Will Also Be Large Greenhouses In Lincolnshire

Greenhouses are a wonderful green way of absorbing waste heat and carbon dioxide.

Where Have I Seen This Blend Of Offshore Energy, Hydrogen, Heavy Industry And Agriculture Before?

After I visited Eemshaven in the Northern Netherlands, I wrote The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen.

We are not doing something similar, but something much bigger, based on the hydrogen stores at Aldbrough and Brough, the massive offshore wind farms and Lincolnshire’s traditional heavy industry and agriculture.

The Railway Between Doncaster and Cleethorpes Will Be Developed

Just as the Dutch have developed the railways between Groningen and Eemshaven.

 

March 25, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Energy Storage, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Grand Central To Submit Application For Direct Services Between Lincolnshire And London

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Grand Central.

These three bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • Grand Central has today launched an application process for direct services between  Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, Scunthorpe and London – plans to bring significant benefits to underserved areas. 
  • The application will be welcomed by communities, businesses, and organisations, who have been actively campaigning for the introduction of direct rail links to London.
  • If approved, the new services could unlock £30.1 million annually for the region.

These three paragraphs add more details.

Grand Central has today notified Network Rail of its plans to operate new direct services between Lincolnshire and London that, if approved by the rail regulator (the ORR), will bring significant benefits to underserved areas across Lincolnshire and the wider region.

Under the proposals, direct services to London will be provided from Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, and Scunthorpe, with Grand Central planning to operate the services from as early as December 2026.

The plan makes best use of capacity on the rail network by running trains from the proposed new stops before connecting into existing Grand Central services at Doncaster.

The service seems very similar to the proposed King’s Cross and Cleethorpes service described in the this section of the  Grand Central Wikipedia entry, where this is said.

In December 2017, Grand Central announced plans to bid for a service from London King’s Cross to Cleethorpes in early 2018 for a date in 2020. It would involve the existing Bradford Interchange service extended to ten coaches from London to Doncaster then dividing with five coaches going to Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby. The other five coaches would be the existing service to Bradford Interchange. This proposal would require permission for a split of trains as it has not been used on the East Coast Main Line before. In February 2018, Grand Central announced plans for an additional call at Crow The company planned to operate four trains per day from 2020. However, in July 2018, the Office of Rail and Road announced new access charges which would affect the business case for the new service, leading to Grand Central announcing that it would delay bidding until 2019.

Note.

  1. It appears that the service is not calling at Crow.
  2. By splitting and joining at Doncaster, Grand Central will be getting more coaches and passengers, up and down a single path between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations.
  3. Grand Central run four trains per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange, so as four tpd will be running between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations, it appears Grand Central will be running a full service.

It appears that open access applications come to those who wait eight years.

I have some further thoughts.

What Class Of Trains Do Grand Central Currently Use?

According to Real Time Trains on Friday the 21st of March 2025, two Class 180 trains and two Class 221 trains each ran a service between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange stations.

Both type of train appear to be able to run as a pair of trains.

As Bradford is the UK City of Culture in 2025, that could prove useful.

What Trains Will Grand Central Use For The New Service?

It would appear that either type of train type could run the service,

So it would probably come down to factors like reliability, comfort and what is available.

I Was Mildly Surprised When I Saw This Application Had Gone In

But, circumstances change.

  • Grand Central now run two Class 221 trains, in addition to the Class 180 trains.
  • There are more Class 221 trains in store, if needed.
  • The UK has had several changes of government since the original application in 2017 and track-access charges may have been reduced.
  • Cleethorpes station has been refurbished.

Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023 shows the station in 2023.

But a new problem has arisen. The new Transport Secretary doesn’t seem keen on open access services, from some of the things she’s said.

Perhaps, she has had a change of heart or as she looks to be a good doer, someone has bought her a decent meal of fish and chips in Cleethorpes? My meal in the town is described in Lunch On The Pier In Cleethorpes.

But would Grand Central put in an application, if they knew they were wasting their money?

Or could this be an application funded by all the open access operators to get a definitive view on the government’s policy?

Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Trains?

Consider.

  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 miles apart.
  • Surprisingly Doncaster and Bradford Interchange are 52.1 miles apart.
  • King’s Cross and Doncaster are 155.9 miles apart and fully-electrified.
  • A battery that had enough capacity to do the return trips from Doncaster to either Cleethorpes or Bradford Interchange, would be easily recharged on the way to and from London.

With careful calculation of the battery size and good capacity management, I also suspect a battery-electric train could be able to take the GNGE Diversion via Lincoln.

Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Hydrogen-Electric Trains?

Consider the daily services will be made up of these runs.

  • Eight runs between London and Bradford Interchange each consisting of  155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.
  • Eight runs between London and Cleethorpes each consisting of  155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.

Which means there are 833.6 miles per day run on hydrogen.

If there are four trains running the service as now, that is 208.4 miles per train per day on hydrogen.

A hydrogen-powered train with this daily range is very much a possibility.

The German Dimension To Grand Central Trains

Consider.

  • Grand Central are owned by Arriva.
  • Arriva are owned by Deutche Bahn.
  • Siemens have a train factory at Goole close to Doncaster.
  • Siemens have built quite a few electric multiple units for various UK railways.
  • Siemens have designs for battery-electric and hydrogen-electric multiple units, that would be suitable for Grand Central Trains.
  • Jürgen Maier was senior in Siemens UK, when the train factory at Goole was built and is now chair of Great British Energy.

I believe that Siemens at Goole could build trains, that would do nicely for Grand Central Trains.

  • It would surely be handy for Grand Central Trains to have their fleet stabled in easy reach of the factory.
  • In addition, hydrogen will soon be readily-available in the Doncaster area.

Grand Central trains could do a lot worse than buy trains built or assembled at Siemen’s factory at Goole.

 

 

 

March 24, 2025 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

« Previous Entries