East Coast Main Line « The Anonymous Widower

!40 mph Electric Trains At Kings Cross Station

This picture shows LNER’s old and new 140 mph electric trains at Kings Cross station.

On the left is a nine-car Class 801 train.

Introduced into service in 2019
234 metres long
Capacity – 510 Standard and 101 First
One diesel engine for emergency power.

On the right is an InterCity 225.

Introduced into service in 1988-1991.
Nine Mark 4 coaches
245 metres long
Capacity 406 Standard and 129 First
No emergency power
As I wrote in Overhauls for LNER’s Remaining Class 91s And Mk 4s, the InterCity 225s are being updated to offer electric services between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Leeds, Skipton and York.

Both trains are designed for 140 mph and will be able to attain this speed, when in-cab digital signalling is available.

It looks like LNER will have the following full-size electric fleet.

Thirty Class 801 trains
Seven InterCity 225 trains and spare coaches, driving van trailers and locomotives.

Both trains will be able to work any route with full electrification.

Changes In The Future To LNER Services

I predict that the following will happen.

140 mph Running Between Woolmer Green And Doncaster

This will happen and the following trains will take advantage.

LNER’s Class 800 and Class 801 trains
Hull Train’s Class 802 trains
East Coast Trains’s Class 803 trains

The odd ones out will be Grand Central’s Class 180 trains, which are diesel and only capable of 125 mph.

How long will the other train operating companies accept slow trains on the 140 mph railway?

Digital In-Cab Signalling And 140 mph Running Will Speed Up Services

In Thoughts On Digital Signalling On The East Coast Main Line, I said that following train times would be possible., in addition to a London Kings Cross and Leeds time of two hours.

London Kings Cross and Bradford Forster Square – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Harrogate – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Huddersfield – two hours and twenty minutes
London Kings Cross and Hull – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Middlesbrough – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Scarborough – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Skipton – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and York – two hours

Note.

All timings would be possible with Hitachi Class 80x trains.
Timings on Fully-electrified routes would be possible with InterCity 225 trains.

It appears that Grand Central will be stuck in the slow lane.

Grand Central Will Acquire Hitachi Trains Or Give Up

Grand Central‘s destinations of Bradford Interchange and Sunderland can’t be reached by all-electric trains, so will either have to follow Hull Trains and purchase Hitachi bi-mode trains or give up their routes.

The Diesel Engines In The Class 801 Trains Will Be Replaced By Batteries

East Coast Trains’ Class 803 trains have a slightly different powertrain to LNER’s Class 801 trains, which is explained like this in Wikipedia.

Unlike the Class 801, another non-bi-mode AT300 variant which despite being designed only for electrified routes carries a diesel engine per unit for emergency use, the new units will not be fitted with any, and so would not be able to propel themselves in the event of a power failure. They will however be fitted with batteries to enable the train’s on-board services to be maintained, in case the primary electrical supplies would face a failure.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar battery system fitted to the Class 801 trains.

The Diesel Engines In Hull Trains Class 802 Trains Will Be Replaced By Batteries

In Hull Issues New Plea For Electrification, I showed how Hitachi’s Class 802 trains with batteries instead of diesel engines could work long-distance services to and from Hull.

This will happen, as electric trains to London, would be a dream for a marketing man or woman.

Will The InterCity 225 Trains Lose Some First Class Seats?

This may happen, so that the seating layout in both trains is almost identical.

I’m certain, that it could be arranged, that seat numbers in both trains could have a similar position.

This would mean that if an InterCity 225 train replaced a Class 801 train, there wouldn’t need to be a seat reallocation.

Could InterCity 225 Trains Be Fitted With Emergency Batteries?

If LNER thought they were needed, I’m sure that this would be possible and Hyperdrive Innovation would oblige!

Conclusion

British Rail last hurrah, is giving Hitachi’s latest trains, a run for their money!

September 17, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 801 Train, Digital Signalling, Driving Van Trailer, East Coast Main Line, ERTMS, InterCity 225, King's Cross Station, Leeds Station, LNER | 8 Comments

Thoughts On Digital Signalling On The East Coast Main Line

I came up to Doncaster yesterday on a new Hull Trains Class 802 train.

According to my pocket dynamometer car, the train seemed to be at or nearly at 125 mph, most of the time I looked from possibly around Stevenage to just South of Doncaster.

I came back today on an LNER Class 801 train and the train’s performance seemed very similar.

I also noted the following.

The two stops at Newark and Peterborough, took seven and nine minutes respectively from the start of slowing for the station until back up to speed.
Between Peterborough and Stevenage the train kept below a maximum of 110 mph.
The train went through the two tunnels before Welwyn North station and the station itself at 75 mph.
I timed the train at 100 mph over the Digswell Viaduct, when it reached the South side after accelerating on the viaduct.
90 mph was maintained between Potters Bar and New Southgate stations.
Speed gradually reduced from New Southgate into Kings Cross.

Note.

125 mph is the maximum allowable speed of the train.
The 110 mph running was probably to be compatible with the Class 387 trains.
I will do the trip again and get some accurate figures.

It appears to me, that the driver was obeying a simple but fast plan.

The Wikipedia entry for the East Coast Main Line, says this about the opiating speed of the line, with the new trains.

Increasing maximum speeds on the fast lines between Woolmer Green and Dalton-on-Tees up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in conjunction with the introduction of the Intercity Express Programme, level crossing closures, ETRMS fitments, OLE rewiring and the OLE PSU – est. to cost £1.3 billion (2014). This project is referred to as “L2E4” or London to Edinburgh (in) 4 Hours. L2E4 examined the operation of the IEP at 140 mph on the ECML and the sections of track which can be upgraded to permit this, together with the engineering and operational costs

It also says this about the implementation of digital signalling.

A new Rail operating centre (ROC), with training facilities, opened in early 2014 at the “Engineer’s Triangle” in York. The ROC will enable signalling and day-to-day operations of the route to be undertaken in a single location. Signalling control/traffic management using ERTMS is scheduled to be introduced from 2020 on the ECML between London King’s Cross and Doncaster – managed from the York ROC.

The signalling could probably work in one of two ways.

The signalling tells the driver the required speed and they drive the train accordingly.
The signalling drives the train and the driver monitors what is happening.

Both methods are used in the UK.

A Possible London Kings Cross and Leeds Service

The combined affect of both track and signalling improvements is illustrated by this simple calculation.

As Dalton-on-Tees is North of Doncaster, the route between Woolmer Green and Doncaster should be possible to be run at 140 mph
Woolmer Green and Doncaster stations are 132.1 miles apart.
Non-stop York and London Kings Cross trains are currently timed at 70 minutes between Doncaster and Woolmer Green stations.
This is an average speed of 113.2 mph.

If 140 mph could be maintained between Doncaster and Woolmer Green, the section of the journey would take 56.6 minutes, which is a saving of 13.4 minutes.

Consider.

The fastest current trains between London Kings Cross and Leeds take between two hours and twelve minutes and two hours and fifteen minutes.
I suspect that the extra tracks into Kings Cross, that are currently being built will save a few minutes.
There must be some savings to be made between Doncaster and Leeds
There must be some savings to be made between London Kings Cross and Woolmer Green.
There could be a rearrangement of stops.

I think it is highly likely that in the future, there will be at least one train per hour (tph) between London Kings Cross and Leeds, that does the trip in two hours.

There is no reason why all London Kings Cross and Leeds trains could not take two hours.
London Kings Cross and Doncaster could be several minutes under an-hour-and-a-half.
High Speed Two is predicting one hour and twenty-one minutes for their future service between London Euston and Leeds, which is a saving of 38 minutes.
London and Leeds in two hours will attract passengers.

There will be serious competition between London and Leeds.

Other Timing Improvements

I also think these times would be possible

London Kings Cross and Bradford Forster Square – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Harrogate – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Huddersfield – two hours and twenty minutes
London Kings Cross and Hull – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Middlesbrough – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Scarborough – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and Sheffield – two hours
London Kings Cross and Skipton – two hours and thirty minutes
London Kings Cross and York – two hours

I would be fairly certain that London Kings Cross and Huddersfield could be slowed by ten minutes, which would give the London Kings Cross and Yorkshire a certain symmetry.

London Kings Cross and Leeds and York would take two hours.
London Kings Cross and all the others would take two hours and thirty minutes.

It would probably make arrangement of a fast timetable easier.

September 15, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 801 Train, Digital Signalling, Doncaster Station, East Coast Main Line, ERTMS, Hull Station, Hull Trains, InterCity 225, King's Cross Station, Leeds Station, LNER | 5 Comments

Overhauls for LNER’s Remaining Class 91s And Mk 4s

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

This is the introductory paragraph.

Eversholt Rail, which owns the trains, has confirmed that 12 London North Eastern Railway Class 91s and the remaining Mk 4 coaches will undergo overhauls at Wabtec Rail, Doncaster.

It had been expected, that LNER would purchase more trains, as I wrote about in More New Trains On LNER Wish List.

The article gives more details of the trains to be retained.

Twelve Class 91 locomotives, seven rakes of Mark 4 coaches and two spare coaches will be retained.
They will be confined to routes between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Leeds, Skipton and York.

How many trains will be needed to cover these routes?

Trains take two hours and fifteen minutes between London Kings Cross and Leeds and run at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
Trains take two hours and twenty-one minutes between London Kings Cross and York and run hourly.
I suspect that a round trip to Leeds or York can be five hours.

So a crude analysis says, that will mean fifteen trains will be needed,

But some of these trains will be extended past Leeds.

These are, electrification status and the times and distances between Leeds and the final destinations.

Bradford – Electrified – 22 minutes – 13.5 miles
Harrogate – Not Electrified – 40 minutes – 18 miles
Huddersfield – Not Electrified – 33 minutes – 17 miles
Skipton – Electrified – 45 minutes – 26 miles

It appears that the following is true.

Trains serving Harrogate and Huddersfield must be worked by bi-mode Class 800 trains.
Trains serving Bradford and Skipton could be worked by InterCity 225 trains or an all-electric nine-car Class 801 train.

Note.

Some times are those taken by LNER services and some are estimates from TransPennine Express.
I have assumed 8-10 minutes for the Split-and-Join at Leeds and included it in the times.
Class 800 trains seem to take around ten minutes to turnround at Harrogate.
Times between London Kings Cross and Doncaster will decrease by a few minutes, with the addition of digital in-cab signalling on the route, which will allow 140 mph running by InterCity 225s, Class 800 trains and Class 801 trains.

I estimate that it will be possible for an InterCity 225, Class 800 train or Class 801 train to do a round trip between London Kings Cross and Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton in six hours.

The round trip between London Kings Cross and York will be the five hours, I estimated earlier.

Wikipedia also says this.

LNER expects to introduce two-hourly services to Bradford and a daily service to Huddersfield in May 2020 when more Azuma trains have been introduced.

So would the pattern of trains to Leeds/York be as follows?

One tph – One pair of five-car Class 800 trains to Leeds, of which some or all split and join at Leeds, with one train going to and from Harrogate and the other going to and from Huddersfield.
One tph per two hours (tp2h) – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to Leeds, of which some or all are extended to Bradford.
One tp2h – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to Leeds, of which some or all are extended to Skipton.
One tph – An InterCity 225 or nine-car Class 801 train to York.

This would need the following trains.

Six pairs of five-car Class 800 trains for the Harrogate and Huddersfield services.
Six full size all electric trains, which could be an InterCity 225, a nine-car Class 801 train or a pair of five Class 801 trains, for Bradford and Skipton services.
Five full size all electric trains, which could be an InterCity 225, a nine-car Class 801 train or a pair of Class 801 trains, for York services.

So why have LNER changed their mind and are retaining the InterCity 225?

Are InterCity 225 Trains Already Certified For 140 mph Running?

I wouldn’t be surprised, if a large part of the certification work for this had been done for 140 mph running and for it to be allowed, it needs digital in-cab signalling to be installed on the East Coast Main Line.

The Wikipedia entry for the InterCity 225 says this about the train’s performance.

The InterCity 225 has a top service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham an InterCity 225 reached 162 mph (260.7 km/h). However, except on High Speed 1, which is equipped with cab signalling, British signalling does not allow trains to exceed 125 mph (201 km/h) in regular service, due to the impracticality of correctly observing lineside signals at high speed.

The Wikipedia entry for the East Coast Main Line says this about the future signalling.

A new Rail operating centre (ROC), with training facilities, opened in early 2014 at the “Engineer’s Triangle” in York. The ROC will enable signalling and day-to-day operations of the route to be undertaken in a single location. Signalling control/traffic management using ERTMS is scheduled to be introduced from 2020 on the ECML between London King’s Cross and Doncaster – managed from the York ROC.

A small fleet of InterCity 225 trains could be the ideal test fleet to find all the glitches in the new signalling.

Are InterCity 225 trains Already Certified To Run To Bradford and Skipton?

If they are, then that is another problem already solved.

A Fleet Of Seven Trains Would Cover Bradford And Skipton Services

Six trains are needed to run a one tp2h service to both Bradford and Skipton, so they could fully cover one tp2h to Bradford and occasional trains to Skipton with a spare train and one in maintenance.

Using InterCity 225s To Bradford and Skipton Would Not Require A Split-And-Join At Leeds

The number of trains that would Split-and-Join at Leeds would be only two tph instead of four tph, which would be simpler with less to go wrong.

Not Enough Five-Car Bi-Mode Class 800 Trains

LNER’s full fleet of Azumas will be as follows.

13 – Nine-car bi-mode Class 800 trains.
10 – Five-car bi-mode Class 800 trains.
30 – Nine-car electric Class 801 trains.
12 – Five-car electric Class 801 trains.

This would appear to be a major problem, if Harrogate and Huddersfield were to be served hourly by Class 800 trains, existing services are to be maintained or even increased to Hull and Lincoln and extra services are to be added to Middlesbrough and perhaps Nottingham and other destinations.

The InterCity 225s only help indirectly, if they provided the London Kings Cross and Bradford and Skipton services.

Conversion Of Class 800 and Class 801 Trains To Regional Battery Trains

Hitachi have launched the Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.

For LNER, they will be useful for any Journey under about 90 kilometres or 56 miles.

The trains should be able to serve these routes.

Leeds and Harrogate and back – 36 miles
Leeds and Huddersfield and back – 34 miles
Newark and Lincoln and back – 33 miles
Northallerton and Middlesbrough and back – 42 miles

Whilst Class 800 trains and Class 801 trains are converted, the InterCity 225 trains would act as valuable cover on services like London to Leeds and York.

Conclusion

I think it is a good plan.

September 14, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Azuma Train, Bradford Forster Square Station, Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 91 Locomotive, Digital Signalling, East Coast Main Line, Harrogate Station, Hitachi Regional Battery Train, Huddersfield Station, InterCity 225, Leeds Station, Mark 4 Coach, Middlesbrough Station | 1 Comment

Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?

This is an updated version of what, I originally published the following in Will The East Coast Main Line Give High Speed Two A Run For Its Money To The North East Of England?

The Newark Crossing is the railway equivalent of a light-controlled pedestrian crossing in the middle of a motorway.

This Google Map shows the crossing.

Note.

The East Coast Main Line (ECML) running roughly North-South
The A 46 road crossing the line.
The Nottingham-Lincoln Line running parallel to the road.
A chord allowing trains to go between the Nottingham-Lincoln Line and Newark North Gate station, which is to the South.
The River Trent.

Complicated it certainly is!

I wrote about the problems in The Newark Crossing and felt something radical needed to be done.

Looking at the numbers of trains at the Newark Crossing.

The number of trains crossing the ECML is typically about three trains per hour (tph) and they block the ECML for about two minutes.
But then there could be a fast train around every four minutes on the ECML, with eight tph in both directions.

Would a Control Engineer’s solution, where all trains are computer controlled through the junction, be possible?

ERTMS, which is digital in-cab signalling is being installed on the ECML and will allow the following.

Trains to be able to run at up to 140 mph.
Trains to be precisely controlled from a central signalling system called ETCS.

ERTMS and ETCS are already working successfully on Thameslink.

Suppose all trains going through the Junction on both the ECML or the Nottingham-Lincoln Line, were running using ERTMS and ETCS.

Currently, there are three tph crossing from East to West and three tph crossing from West to East. Which means that the junction is blocked six times per hour for say two minutes.
Suppose the signalling could control the crossing trains, so that an East to West and a West to East train crossed at the same time.
To cater for contingencies like late and diverted trains, you might allow the trains to cross at up to four tph.

Instead of six tph, the frequency across the junction would be no more than four tph.

A similar paired crossing procedure can be applied to trains on the ECML.

The outcome is that you are scheduling a smaller number of double events, which must be easier.

I suspect there are other tricks they can do to increase capacity.

There’s also the problem of what happens if a crossing train fails, as it goes over the East Coast Main Line. But that must be a problem now!

Whatever happens here will be a well-thought through solution and it will add to the capacity of the East Coast Main Line and increase the line-speed from the current 100 mph.

July 8, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | East Coast Main Line, ERTMS, Newark Crossing | 8 Comments

Beeching Reversal – Upper Wensleydale Railway

This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.

This map from the Upper Wensleydale Railway web site, shows the location of the proposed reinstated railway.

This is the vision of how the railway will be used, taken from the web site.

It is hoped that a reinstated junction with the existing Leeds – Settle – Carlisle railway line at Garsdale will allow ‘through’ trains to run from Hawes via Garsdale Junction, past the Yorkshire Three Peaks to Settle, then onwards through Hellifield and Clitheroe into Lancashire for Preston and Greater Manchester.

We are also hoping that some Manchester – Blackburn – Clitheroe trains can be extended to Garsdale and Hawes thereby linking Lancashire to an enhanced service through Settle to the Yorkshire Peaks and Dales.

Connections with other trains could be made at Hellifield (for West Yorkshire & Lancaster) and at Garsdale (for Carlisle, Scotland & the North East of England).

This Google map shows the current state of the railways at Garsdale.

Note.

Garsdale station in the South-West corner of the map.
The Settle and Carlisle Line curving away to the North over the Dandry Mire Viaduct.
The trackbed of the former branch to Hawes stands out as a green scar.

I have followed the route of the railway to Hawes in my helicopter and it doesn’t appear to be a very challenging project to reinstate.

Although the comprehensive Routes and Structures page on the Upper Wensleydale Railway, indicates there is a lot to do.
It is about six miles long.
It is single track with a passing loop at Hawes.

This Google Map shows the town of Hawes,

It certainly looks the sort of place, where Wallace and Gromit might rent a cottage for a week and use as a base to explore the countryside.

There’s a Wensleydale Creamery.
There’s a traditional ropemaker called Outhwaite, dating from 1905, who have the web site; www.ropemakers.com.
The headquarters of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are located in the North of the town and shown by a green arrow.

Next to the Park Authority is a blue arrow marking the Dales Countryside Museum, which incorporates the original Hawes railway station.

Services To Hawes

Looking at the data from Real Time Trains, it looks like trains on the Settle and Carlisle average about fifty mph on that line, which is generally double-track with an operating speed of sixty mph.

I would estimate that a modern diesel or hydrogen-powered train could do the return trip between Garsdale and Hawes station in around thirty minutes.
This time would probably mean that the Hawes Branch could be worked with only one train operational on the branch.
It would also fit in well with the service plans for the Upper Wensleydale Railway.

I am fairly certain that an hourly service could be run between Hawes and Hellifield stations, which could be extended as far South as the operator wanted.

Military Traffic To Redmire

In the Wikipedia entry for Redmire village, this is said.

Redmire is the terminus of the Wensleydale Railway. The Ministry of Defence uses trains to transport armoured vehicles from bases in the south to the Catterick military area using Redmire railway station as its terminus.

It looks like there must be a quality railway between Redmire station and the East Coast Main Line at Northallerton.

This Google Map shows the site of Redmire station.

Note.

At the left hand side of the map, there look to be loading ramps for the military vehicles, at the end of two sidings.
The building on the North side of the tracks appears to be the old Redmire station buildings.
The blue dot to the right, is a Google Maps pointer for the station

If you type Redmire into Google Maps, it’s easy to find..

This Google Map shows the rail lines at Northallerton.

Note.

Northallerton station in the South-East corner of the map.

The East Coast Main Line runs about West-by-North from the station towards Darlington and Scotland.

The line to Middlesbrough branches off in a North-Easterly direction.

The Wensleydale Railway comes in from the West and joins the East Coast Main Line going North.

It also appears there used to be a tight chord that allowed trains to go between the Wensleydale Railway and the South.

It looks like the Army would like that chord for their vehicle trains.

This enlarged Google Map, shows the site of the chord.

It looks to me, that it was once a chord, but now it’s a substantial wood.

A Bigger Plan

In the Wikipedia entry for the Wensleydale Railway, there is a section, which is entitled Upper Wensleydale Railway, where this is said.

In late 2019/early 2020, a separate company was formed to campaign to reinstate the line between Hawes and Garsdale. The groups’ objective is to have a timetabled year-round service run by a train operating company, rather than a heritage service. This scheme was shortlisted for funding in the second round of the government’s Reverse Beeching Fund, in June 2020.

These are my thoughts on various topics.

The Eastern Terminal

There are three possible Eastern terminals.

Northallerton
Middlesbrough – There is no connection to the Wensleydale Railway.
Darlington – Would probably mean slow trains on the East Coast Main Line.

I think we’re left with Northallerton and the tight connection, which requires the chord to be reinstated.

But, it does say in the Wikipedia entry for Northallerton station, that the station is the terminus for the proposed extended Wensleydale Railway.

This Google Map shows the Northern end of Northallerton station.

Would it be possible to sneak a line down the Western side of the East Coast Main Line and into a new bay platform at the station?

It would certainly allow trains from the Wensleydale Railway to terminate at Northallerton station.

The Western Terminal

As I said earlier, it’s the operator’s choice.

Personally, I would choose Blackburn station.

It’s about fifty miles from Gardale station.
There is a train depot at Blackburn.
Blackburn station is in the Town Centre.
Blackburn station has good rail connections to Blackpool, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester and Preston.

Prior to COVID-19, I regularly stayed in the convenient Premier Inn next to the station.

Rolling Stock

The trains will have to be self-powered, as I don’t think the budget will run to electrification and much of the track-bed is owned by a heritage railway.

So that must mean the trains must be self-powered, which will mean either diesel, electric or hydrogen.

I think diesel can be ruled out, except as a stop-gap, we are going carbon-neutral on the railways by 2040.
Blackburn and Northallerton stations are too far for battery power.

So that means it must be hydrogen power.

But as, it appears that Teesside is going for hydrogen, as I wrote about in Fuelling The Change On Teesside Rails, that should be a convenient fuel.

The route might be a candidate for Vivarail’s Pop-up Metro concept, with fast charging at one or two, of any number of the stations.

Conclusion

I like this scheme, as it sorts a lot of problems.

I also think that there’s a fair chance, it will get the nod.

The local MP is the Chancellor of the Exchequer; Rishi Sunak and this could be a case of he who pays the piper, calls the tune!

July 4, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | Beeching Reversal, Beeching Reversal - Heritage Project, Blackburn Station, East Coast Main Line, Hydrogen-Powered Trains, Northallerton Station, Rishi Sunak, Settle And Carlisle Line, Teesside, Upper Wensleydale Railway, Vivarail Pop-Up Metro, Wensleydale Railway | 5 Comments

£350m Investment For Britain’s First Mainline Digital Railway

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

This is the introductory paragraph.

The East Coast Main Line will become Britain’s first mainline digital rail link with £350m of new investment to install state-of-the-art electronic signalling designed to cut journey times and prevent delays.

We’re finally going digital!

June 22, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Digital Signalling, East Coast Main Line, ERTMS | 1 Comment

Thoughts On East Coast Trains

According to an article and a picture, the second new Class 803 train for Open Access Operator; East Coast Trains, has arrived in the UK to be fitted out at Newton Aycliffe.

These are my thoughts on the service.

The Trains

The Class 803 trains are similar to the other Hitachi A-trains running in the UK, but with two big differences.

They will have a one class interior and they will be fitted with a battery, instead of a diesel engine.
The battery is not for traction and is to provide hotel power in stations and in the event of a dewiring. The latter has been surprisingly common on the East Coast Main Line in recent years.

Normally, these five-car trains are fitted with a single MTU 12V 1600 R80L diesel engine, which is described in this datasheet on the MTU web site.

The mass of the engine is given as 6750 Kg, when it is ready to run.

It would seem logical to replace the diesel engine with a battery of the same weight. I’ll use seven tonnes, as the fuel tank won’t be needed either.

This page on the Clean Energy institute at the University of Washington is entitled Lithium-Ion Battery.

This is a sentence from the page.

Compared to the other high-quality rechargeable battery technologies (nickel-cadmium or nickel-metal-hydride), Li-ion batteries have a number of advantages. They have one of the highest energy densities of any battery technology today (100-265 Wh/kg or 250-670 Wh/L).

Using these figures, a seven-tonne battery would be between 700 and 1855 kWh in capacity.

Incidentally, the power output of an MTU 12V 1600 R80L is 700 kW.

In Sparking A Revolution I gave Hitachi’s possible specification of a battery-electric train.

Range – 55-65 miles
Performance – 90-100 mph
Recharge – 10 minutes when static
Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
Battery Life – 8-10 years

These figures are credited to Hitachi.

Doing a quick calculation, it would appear that.

A 700 kWh battery could supply the same power as the diesel engine for an hour.
A 1855 kWh battery could supply the same power as the diesel engine for two hours and thirty-nine minutes.

I am drawn to the conclusion, that although Hitachi say the battery is not for traction purposes in a Class 803 train, that a battery the same weight as the current diesel engine, would be a very adequate replacement.

If say, you put a 300-500 kWh battery in a Class 803 train, it would probable give enough hotel power until the train was able to move again. but it would also reduce the weight of the train and thus improve the acceleration in normal running.

A Battery Module

I wouldn’t be surprised if Hitachi are developing a battery module, that can replace the MTU 12V 1600 R80L diesel engine.

The module would be used for both traction and hotel services on the train.
It would be charged from the electrification or by regenerative braking.
It would act as emergency power.
To the driver and the train’s computer, it would have similar performance to the diesel engine.

The diesel engine and the battery module would be plug-compatible and could be exchanged as required.

I can do a quick calculation for a 1000 kWh battery, which would weigh under four tonnes.

A 1000 kWh battery would provide 700 kW for 86 minutes.
At 90 mph, the train would travel for 129 miles.
At 100 mph, the train would travel for 143 miles.

That would be a very handy extended range.

As East Coast Trains will only run on a fully-electrified route, they have no need for the traction capability.

But it would fit well with the routes of Avanti West Coast, East Midlands Railway, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER and TransPennine Express.
All except East Midlands Railway and LNER, share part or full ownership with East Coast Trains.

It does look to me, that Hitachi is using East Coast Trains and their fully electrified route to give the battery module for the trains, a thorough work-out, on a route, where it will not normally be needed.

The Proposed Service

From various sources we know the following.

There will be five trains per day in both directions between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh. – See Wikipedia
East Coast Trains have ordered five trains. – See Wikipedia.
There will be stops at Stevenage, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth. – See Wikipedia
The first Northbound service will arrive in Edinburgh before 10:00. – See Rail Advent.
Fares will be low-cost at around £25 – See Wikipedia.

It is also likely that East Coast Trains will want a journey time of under four hours, which is being planned for the route anyway under the L2E4 project.

As the record time between London and Edinburgh was set in 1991 by an InterCity 225 train at a minute under three-and-a-half hours, could a time of around three hours and forty-five minutes be possible, including the turnaround of the train?

10:00 Arrival In Edinburgh

This is obviously a good idea, but with a four hour journey time, it would mean leaving London before six.

Perhaps to make the most of clear tracks in the morning the train would leave early.
Currently, the first two trains from Kings Cross are the 06:15 to Edinburgh, which arrives at 11:08 and the 06:33 to Leeds.
How early could the train leave?

I suspect that the first train to Edinburgh would leave Kings Cross around 05:30 and arrive in Edinburgh and be ready to return before 10:00.

10:00 Arrival In London

If arriving in Edinburgh before ten is a good idea, then surely arriving in London by the same time is worthwhile.

Currently, the first train from Edinburgh to London is the 05:48, which arrives at 10:40.

As with the Northbound service, I suspect the first train to Kings Cross would leave Edinburgh around 05:30 and arrive in Kings Cross and be ready to return before 10:00.

Five Services Per Day

If the first Edinburgh and Kings Cross services left at 05:30 and after unloading and loading, were ready to return before 10:00, that would be the first service.

The simplest way to handle the rest of the day would be to split the time into four and run the trains continuously.

Suppose, the last train got to its destination at one in the morning, that would mean that fifteen hours were available for four trains or three hours and forty-five minutes for each trip between London and Edinburgh and the turnaround.

The train starting from Kings Cross would run the following services.

Kings Cross to Edinburgh – Leaves 05:30 – Arrives before 10:00
Edinburgh to Kings Cross – Leaves 10:00
Kings Cross to Edinburgh – Leaves 13:45
Edinburgh to Kings Cross- Leaves 17:30
Kings Cross to Edinburgh – Leaves 21:15 – Arrives 01:00 on the next day.

The train starting from Edinburgh would run the following services.

Edinburgh to Kings Cross – Leaves 05:30 – Arrives before 10:00
Kings Cross to Edinburgh – Leaves 10:00
Edinburgh to Kings Cross – Leaves 13:45
Kings Cross to Edinburgh – Leaves 17:30
Edinburgh to Kings Cross – Leaves 21:15 – Arrives 01:00 on the next day.

There would be two very tired trains at the end of every day, that would be looking forward to some well-deserved tender loving care.

This has been my best guess at what the timetable will be! But!

Travellers can catch an early train, do a full days work in the other capital and return at the end of the day.
There are three services during the day; one each in the morning, the afternoon and the early evening, for those who want affordable, slightly less frenetic travelling.
I suspect the intermediate stops have been chosen with care.
Improvements at Stevenage station could make the station, the preferred interchange for many between East Coast, LNER and local services for Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and North London. Car parking is probably easier than Kings Cross!
Is Durham station an alternative station on the other side of the Tyne from Newcastle, with better parking?
Could Durham City Centre be the terminal of a Leamside Line extension of the Tyne and Wear Metro?
Newcastle station is very well-connected to all over the North East.
Morpeth station could attract a large number of travellers from over the Border. It also looks to have space to expand the parking!

It looks a well-designed route and timetable.

How Many Trains Would Be Needed?

Consider.

Each train could be two five-car trains working together as a ten-car train.
This would maximise the use of paths on the East Coast Main Line.
Four trains would be needed for the full five trains per day ten-car service.

As there is going to be a fleet of five trains, the fifth train would either be in maintenance or waiting to enter the action as a substitute.

Improving Efficiency

It looks to me, that the efficiency of this service could be improved by good old-fashioned time and motion study.

Will drivers use stepping-up to speed the reverse of trains?
Would cleaning teams board at Morpeth and Stevenage stations and clean the train on the last leg?
Will the buffet be designed for fast replenishment?
Will drivers be given all possible aids to go faster?

Every little will help!

Conclusion

I like this system and the competition will keep LNER on its toes!

Would a similar system work on the West Coast Main Line?

Grand Union have proposed a service between Euston and Stirling stations.
There will be stops at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.
Trains will be InterCity 225s.

The service could start in 2021.

June 3, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 803 Trains, East Coast Main Line, Lithium-Ion Battery, LNER, Lumo, Stevenage Station | 2 Comments

Will The East Coast Main Line Give High Speed Two A Run For Its Money To The North East Of England?

I have looked up High Speed Two timings on their Journey Time Calculator and compared them with current LNER timetables.

London-Leeds – Current – 136 minutes – HS2 – 81 minutes
London-York – Current – 111 minutes – HS2 – 84 minutes
London – Darlington – Current – 141 minutes – HS2 – 112 minutes
York- Darlington – Current – 27 minutes – HS2 – 26 minutes
London – Durham – Current – 170 minutes – HS2 – 138 minutes
York – Durham – Current – 45 minutes – HS2 – 44 minutes
London – Newcastle – Current – 170 minutes – HS2 – 137 minutes
York – Newcastle – Current – 55 minutes – HS2 – 51 minutes
London – Edinburgh – Current – 259 minutes – HS2 – 220 minutes
Newcastle – Edinburgh – Current – 83 minutes – HS2 – 83 minutes
York – Edinburgh – Current – 138 minutes – HS2 – 134 minutes

Note.

I have assumed that Newcastle and Edinburgh takes 83 minutes, which is the current timing.
The time savings possible to the North of Leeds are only a few minutes.
As an example, the straight route between York and Darlington is 34 miles, which means an average speed of only 75 mph.

Serious work needs to be done North of York to improve timings.

Improvements To The East Coast Main Line

Various improvements to the East Coast Main Line are in process of building designed or built.

Extra Tracks

These example of more tracks are from the Wikipedia entry for the East Coast Main Line.

Four tracks are being restored between Huntington and Woodwalton.
Freight loops between York and Darlington.

There are probably other places, which will see extra tracks in the next few years.

Power Supply And Electrification

Wikipedia identified places where the power supply and the electrification could be better.

This sentence indicates the comprehensive nature of the planned work.

Power supply upgrades (PSU) between Wood Green and Bawtry (Phase 1 – completed in September 2017) and Bawtry to Edinburgh (Phase 2), including some overhead lines (OLE) support improvements, rewiring of the contact and catenary wires, and headspan to portal conversions (HS2P) which were installed at Conington in January 2018.

The Hertford Loop Line is also due to have some power supply upgrades.

Station Improvements

Darlington, Kings Cross, Stevenage and York will have track improvements, which will improve the capacity of the tracks through the stations.

Werrington Dive Under

The Werrington Dive Under will be a big improvement. This is an extract from the Wikipedia entry.

The project will see the construction of 1.9 miles (3 km) of new line that will run underneath the fast lines, culverting works on Marholm Brook and the movement of the Stamford lines 82 feet (25 m) westwards over the culverted brook. This will mean that trains for the GN/GE line no longer need to cross the fast lines on the level, nor use the Up Fast line between Peterborough station and the junction. The project, coupled with other ECML improvement schemes (such as the four tracking from Huntingdon to Woodwalton) will improve capacity on the line through Peterborough by 33% according to Network Rail. This equates to two extra train paths an hour by 2021, when the work is scheduled to be completed. In turn, this will remove 21 minutes from the fastest King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley service, and 13 minutes from the fastest King’s Cross to Leeds service. It will also see an increase of 1,050 ‘intercity’ seats per hour on express trains through Peterborough.

The upgrade will add two more train paths to the route and knock 21 and 13 minutes off the faster Edinburgh and Leeds services respectively.

The Newark Flat Crossing

This is the railway equivalent of a light-controlled pedestrian crossing in the middle of a motorway.

This Google Map shows the crossing.

Note.

The East Coast Main Line running roughly North-South
The A 46 road crossing the line.
The Nottingham-Lincoln Line running parallel to the railway.
A chord allowing trains to go between the Nottingham-Lincoln Line and Newark North Gate station, which is to the South.
The River Trent.

Complicated it certainly is!

I wrote about the problems in The Newark Crossing and felt something radical needed to be done.

Looking at the numbers of trains at the Newark Crossing.

The number of trains crossing the East Coast Main Line, is typically about three to five trains per hour (tph) and they block the East Coast Main Line for about two minutes.
But then there could be a fast train around every four minutes on the East Coast Main Line, with eight tph in both directions.

The numbers of trains and their speeds would probably cut out a Control Engineer’s solution, where all trains are computer controlled through the junction.

Although, it might be possible to reduce the number of conflicting trains on the East Coast Main Line dramatically, by arranging a Northbound and a Southbound express passed each other at the flat junction.

There’s also the problem of what happens if a crossing train fails, as it goes over the East Coast Main Line. But that must be a problem now!

Whatever happens here will be a well-thought through solution and it will add to the capacity of the East Coast Main Line and increase the line-speed from the current 100 mph.

Level Crossings

Wikipedia says this about level crossings.

Level crossing closures between King’s Cross and Doncaster: As of July 2015 this will no longer be conducted as a single closure of 73 level crossings but will be conducted on a case-by case basis (for example, Abbots Ripton Level Crossing will close as part of the HW4T scheme).

It is my personal view that all should be removed.

ERTMS Signalling

Wikipedia says this about the installation of ERTMS digital in-cab signalling.

The line between London King’s Cross and Bawtry, on the approach to Doncaster, will be signalled with Level 2 ERTMS. The target date for operational ERTMS services is December 2018 with completion in 2020.

Note that, ERTMS is needed for 140 mph running.

140 mpg Running

Wkipedia says this about 140 mph running.

Increasing maximum speeds on the fast lines between Woolmer Green and Dalton-on-Tees up to 140 mph (225 km/h) in conjunction with the introduction of the Intercity Express Programme, level crossing closures, ERTMS fitments, OLE rewiring and the OLE PSU – est. to cost £1.3 billion (2014). This project is referred to as “L2E4” or London to Edinburgh (in) 4 Hours. L2E4 examined the operation of the IEP at 140 mph on the ECML and the sections of track which can be upgraded to permit this, together with the engineering and operational costs.

A rough calculation indicates that up to eleven minutes could be saved by this upgrade, between London and Darlington.

Prospective Timings On The East Coast Main Line

Consider.

The package of new trains level crossing closures, ERTMS, OLE rewiring and the OLE PSU, which is collectively known as L2E4 should deliver Edinburgh in four hours.
Nineteen minutes need to be saved on current times.
I believe that if the train takes four hours or less, travellers will switch from the airlines.
High Speed Two are aiming for a time of 220 minutes, but is this by the West or East Coast routes?
As their proposed Glasgow service has a similar time, I assume it is by the West Coast route.
Wikipedia states that an Open Access Operator was thinking of running Class 390 trains or Pendelinos between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh in 223 minutes.

If the managers of LNER are the least bit ambitious, I can see them wanting to run a service between London and Edinburgh, in a time that is several minutes under four hours.

It should always be remembered that the East Coast Main Line was built for speed, as these true stories illustrate.

Mallard set the world speed record for steam locomotives in 1938 of 126 mph, on the line.
The record time between London and Edinburgh was set in 1991 by an InterCity 225 train at a minute under three-and-a-half hours.

I even have my own special memory of the line, which I wrote about in The Thunder of Three-Thousand Three-Hundred Horses. Behind a Deltic or Class 55 locomotive, I went from Darlington to London in two hours and fifteen minutes, which is faster than today’s fastest trains. Not bad for a 1960s design, but the train was a coach short and had a clear run. And was probably extremely-well driven.

Is the East Coast Main Line and especially the section South of Darlington, a route, where a knowledgeable driver can coax the maximum out of a high speed train?

Possible savings over the next few years include.

Werrington Junction

When this is completed, it could knock twenty-one minutes off the timings to Edinburgh.

Newark Crossing

How much time could be saved here?

There must be some time savings if the line speed can be increased from 100 mph.

140 mph Running

The various improvements in L2E4 are intended to enable services to run between London and Edinburgh in under four hours.

Does L2E4 include any possible time savings from the Werrington Dive Under?
Does L2E4 include any possible time savings from improvements at Newark?
What is the completion date for L2E4?
Most of the time savings for L2E4 will be South of Darlington as the track is straighter.

As I said earlier a rough calculation indicates that L2E4 will save about eleven minutes to the South of Darlington.

Conclusion

There must be over thirty minutes of savings to be accumulated on the East Coast Main Line. Much of it because of the Werrington and Newark improvements will be South of Darlington.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see timings like these.

London-Leeds – Current – 136 minutes – HS2 – 81 minutes – Possible ECML – 120 minutes
London-York – Current – 111 minutes – HS2 – 84 minutes – Possible ECML – 90 minutes
London – Darlington – Current – 141 minutes – HS2 – 112 minutes – Possible ECML – 115 minutes
London – Durham – Current – 170 minutes – HS2 – 138 minutes – Possible ECML – 130 minutes
London – Newcastle – Current – 170 minutes – HS2 – 137 minutes – Possible ECML – 130 minutes
London – Edinburgh – Current – 259 minutes – HS2 – 220 minutes – Possible ECML – 210 minutes

It looks to me, that the East Coast Main Line could be fulfilling the aspirations of British Rail’s engineers of the 1980s.

June 1, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Class 55 Locomotive, Darlington Station, East Coast Main Line, Edinburgh Station, ERTMS, High Speed Two, King's Cross Station, Level Crossing, Newark Crossing, Stevenage Station, Werrington Dive Under, York Station | 9 Comments

The Concept Of Electrification Islands

Consider how Imperial Airways and BOAC used to fly long routes to places like Sydney, Hong Kong and Cape Town before the days of long distance jet airliners. They used to fly from airport to airport, picking up fuel and supplies on the way.

If you want to know more about the details, read what is my favourite travel book, Beyond The Blue Horizon by Alexander Frater.

He followed the Imperial Airways route to Sydney, on what was reputed to be the most complicated ticket, that British Airways ever issued.

But can the concept of flying a short range airliner over a long distance refuelling as necessary, be applied to running a battery electric train by charging the batteries on a series of electrification islands?

In Ipswich And Peterborough In A Battery Train, I described how an Ipswich and Peterborough service could be run by a battery-equipped Class 755 train.

The Ipswich and Peterborough route is 82.5 miles long and it can be split as follows.

Ipswich and Haughley Junction – 13.8 miles – Electrified
Haughley Junction and Ely – 38.2 miles – Not Electrified
Ely and Peterborough – 30.5 miles – Not Electrified

Legs two and three, should be within the capability of a battery-equipped Class 755 train. No definite figure has been given, but in the July 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, this was said about the similar Class 756 trains, ordered for the South Wales Metro.

The units will be able to run for 40 miles between charging, thanks to their three large batteries.

Perhaps, what is needed is to create an electrification island at Ely, that can be used to charge the batteries.

An Electrification Island At Ely

This map from Wikipedia shows the complicated railways at Ely,

Note.

Ely station is fully electrified.
The line to Cambridge,Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport is fully electrified. Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains between Norwich and Stansted Airport, change between diesel and electrification at Ely.
The line to Kings Lynn is fully electrified.
The lines to Bury St. Edmunds, Norwich and Peterborough are not electrified.
Ely is a city of 20,000 inhabitants, so I suspect it must have a robust electricity supply.
Freight trains take about five minutes to pass between Ely West and Ely Dock Junctions.
Ely West and Ely Dock Junctions are 2.5 miles apart.
There appears to be an avoiding line South-East of Ely station, where I’ve seen trains from Felixstowe to Peterborough sometimes wait for a few minutes before proceeding.
There is also a lot of space at March station, where a passing loop with a charging station could be built.

I believe it would be possibly to do the following at Ely.

Electrify the West Curve and the South-East avoiding line.
Electrify the Bury St. Edmunds, Norwich and Peterborough lines for perhaps five miles.
If required, put a high capacity charging station on the avoiding line.

There would be plenty of electrification to charge the trains.

An alternative plan might be to electrify between March station and the new Soham station, which has been planned to open in 2021.

This would be around eighteen miles of electrification.
This would certainly be enough electrification to fully-charge passing freight and passenger trains.
Soham to Ely could be doubled.
The extra electrification would mean the two unelectrified sections of the Ipswich and Peterborough route; Haughley Junction-Soham and March-Peterborough would be well within range of a battery-electric train.
The proposed service between Cambridge and Wisbech would only have the twelve miles of the Bramley Line between March and Wisbech to run on battery power.

It might also be possible to put in an extra curve to make Ely Dock Junction, a full triangular junction. This would allow the new Soham station to have direct services to both Cambridge and Cambridge North stations, without a reverse at Ely station.

Other Possible Electrification Islands

I’ll break these down by regions and train operators.

East Anglia (Greater Anglia)

Greater Anglia only runs trains on diesel to the North of Cambridge and Ipswich, which are both fully electrified, as is Norwich.

I would consider Cambridge, Ely, Ipswich and Norwich to be electrification islands.

All have a good connection to the electrification power supply, as they handle main line electric trains.
All or most platforms at the stations are electrified to charge trains.
There are electrified sidings at Cambridge and Norwich and possibly at Ipswich.

Lowestoft and Yarmouth might be fitted with charging systems to make sure a fault doesn’t strand a train.

In Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’, I talked about a report in Rail Magazine, which said that the Class 755 trains will get a battery fitted at the first overhaul.

I wouldn’t be surprised, that in a couple of years, Greater Anglia announces the end of diesel power on some or all of their services.

East Coast Main Line (LNER and Others)

Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The East Coast Main Line

The East Coast Main Line (ECML), is increasingly becoming a railway where the vast majority of services are run by versions of Hitachi AT-300 trains.

Hull Trains are running Class 802 trains.
LNER are running Class 800 and Class 801 trains.
TransPennine Express are running Class 802 trains.
East Coast Trains will be running Class 803 trains.

Classes 800, 802 and 803 are bi-modes and can probably have some or all of their diesel engines replaced by batteries.

In Sparking A Revolution, I gave this specification for a Hitachi battery-electric train.

Range – 55-65 miles
Performance – 90-100 mph
Recharge – 10 minutes when static
Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
Battery Life – 8-10 years

I will use these figures from Hitachi in this post.

Electrification Islands On The East Coast Main Line

There are several large and smaller stations along the ECML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.

Cleethorpes

Consider

Cleethorpes station would need a decent electricity supply. Offshore wind?
Doncaster is 52 miles away.
Lincoln is 37 miles away.
Newark is 63 miles away.
Scunthorpe is 29 miles away.

If you can get battery-electric trains to Cleethorpes, you also serve Grimsby Town station, which is three miles closer to the ECML.

With electrification islands at Lincoln and Scunthorpe and Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery range of at least sixty miles, electric trains could be run to Cleethorpes and Grimsby.

Would that improve the economy of the area?

Darlington

Darlington station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.

Bishop Auckland is 12 miles away.
Middlesbrough is 15 miles away.
Nunthorpe is 20 miles away.
Saltburn is 27 miles away.
Whitby is 47 miles away.

Darlington could support battery-electric operation of the Tees Valley Line, if the route doesn’t go for hydrogen. Note that hydrogen would probably also handle services from Middlesbrough to Newcastle, Nunthorpe and Whitby with ease.

Note my views on the definitive hydrogen train, which will be a battery-electric-hydrogen hybrid train, able to use power from a variety of sources.

Doncaster

Doncaster station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.

Cleethorpes is 52 miles away.
Hull is 40 miles away.
Scunthorpe is 25 miles away.
Sheffield is 19 miles away.

Doncaster could certainly support some battery-electric services.

Grantham

Grantham station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.

Nottingham is 22 miles away.
Sleaford is 18 miles away.
Nottingham and Skegness services seem to take about four minutes to reverse in the station.

The Nottingham and Skegness service could take advantage of the driver changing ends to top up the battery.

Hull

Consider.

Hull is a city of nearly 300,000 people, so it must have a decent electricity supply.
Hull station is under forty miles from the electrification of the ECML.
Doncaster is 40 miles away.
Scarborough is 54 miles away.
York is 52 miles away, with about 20 miles electrified.

I would certainly suspect that with an electrification island at Hull, the Hitachi AT-300 trains of Hull Trains and LNER could certainly run fully electric services to the city, if they were fitted with batteries.

With an electrification island at Scarborough, could Hull Trains and LNER services be extended to Scarborough?

Leeds

Leeds station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.

It also has electrified services to Bradford, Ilkley and Skipton.
Leeds and Huddersfield will be electrified in the next few years.

Harrogate is 18 miles away, so a return journey is within range of a Hitachi AT-300 train with a battery, that is charged on the ECML.

Lincoln

Consider.

Lincoln station would need a decent electricity supply.
Cleethorpes is 37 miles away.
Doncaster is 40 miles away.
Newark is 16 miles away, so a return journey is within range of a Hitachi AT-300 train with a battery, that is charged on the ECML.
Nottingham is 34 miles away and Leicester is 61 miles away.
Peterborough is 57 miles away.
Sleaford is 21 miles away.

With an electrification island at Lincoln, the following should be possible.

Electric services between Cleethorpes and Lincoln using battery-electric trains.
Electric services between Doncaster and Lincoln using battery-electric trains.
Electric services between Nottingham/Leicester and Lincoln using battery-electric trains. Electrify the Midland Main Line (MML) and this is easy.
Electric services between Peterborough and Lincoln using battery-electric trains. It may need an electrification island at Sleaford.
Electric services between London Kings Cross and Grimsby/Cleethorpes using Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery, that is charged on the ECML and at Lincoln.

The London Kings Cross and Lincoln services could top up their batteries if required if they were run using Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery

Surely, if Class 755 trains are good enough for Norfolk and Suffolk and both franchises are run by Abellio, then battery versions of these trains would be ideal for running services from Lincoln to Cleethorpes/Grimsby, Doncaster, Newark, Nottingham, Peterborough and Skegness.

Middlesbrough

If required an electrification island could be placed at Middlesbrough station.

Darlington is 15 miles away.
Newcastle is 47 miles away.
Saltburn is 13 miles away.
Whitby is 35 miles away.

This area might opt for hydrogen, but I believe battery-electric trains could also work the routes through Middlesbrough and Darlington. Note my views on the definitive hydrogen train, which will be a battery-electric-hydrogen hybrid train, able to use power from a variety of sources.

Newark

Consider.

Newark North Gate station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
Cleethorpes is 63 miles away.
Grimsby is 60 miles away.
Lincoln is 16 miles away.
Nottingham is 17 miles away.

With an electrification island at Cleethorpes/Grimsby, battery-electric services could be extended to either town. They would need to use the electrification island at Lincoln station to top-up the battery.

Newcastle

Newcastle station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.

Carlisle is 61 miles away.
Middlesbrough is 47 miles away.
Nunthorpe is 52 miles away.

Newcastle could surely support local services using battery-electric trains. They could be dual-voltage, so they can use Tyne and Wear Metro electrification.

Peterborough

Peterborough station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.

Ely is 31 miles away.
Leicester is 52 miles away, with Birmingham another 40 miles further.
Lincoln is 57 miles away.
Sleaford is 35 miles away.

It might even be possible for Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery to be able to run between Stansted Airport and Birmingham for CrossCountry.

Stansted and Ely – 38 miles – Electrified
Ely and Peterborough – 30.5 miles – Not Electrified
Through Peterborough – 6 miles – Electrified (ECML)
Peterborough and Leicester – 52 miles – Not Electrified
Leicester and Nuneaton – 19 miles – Not Electrified
Through Nuneaton – 3 miles – Electrified (WCML)
Nuneaton and Birmingham – 21 miles – Not Electrified

Note.

Trains would charge when running under electrification and also during station stops in Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough Leicester and Nuneaton.
Trains would automatically raise and lower their pantographs as required.
There may be scope to add sections of extra electrification.
For example, electrification of the MML could add as much as eight miles of electrification, through Leicester.

As much as forty percent of the route between Birmingham and Stansted could be electrified.

Sandy/St. Neots

It is planned that the East West Railway (EWR) and the ECML will cross at an interchange station somewhere in this area.

Consider.

Both stations are on the electrified ECML, so must have a top class electricity supply.

Bedford is 10 miles away.
The electrification South of Cambridge is about 20 miles away.

It would surely be possible to create an electrification island, where the two major routes cross at Sandy/St. Neots.

Scarborough

Consider.

Scarborough station would need a decent electricity supply.
Hull is 54 miles away.
York is 42 miles away.

With charging facilities at Scarborough battery-electric trains could be run to the seaside resort.

I also think it would be possible to run a direct service between London Kings Cross and Scarborough using Hitachi AT-300 trains with batteries, either via York or Hull.
TransPennine’s Hitachi trains could also read Scarborough from York, if fitted with batteries.

Would battery-electric trains between Hull, Scarborough and York attract more users of the services?

Sleaford

If required an electrified island could be placed at Sleaford station.

Sleaford would need a decent electricity supply.
The station is where the Nottingham and Skegness and Peterborough and Lincoln routes cross.
Grantham on the ECML is 18 miles away.
Lincoln is 21 miles away.
Nottingham is 40 miles away.
Peterborough is 35 miles away.
Skegness is 40 miles away.

Services through Sleaford would be run as follows.

As Lincoln and Peterborough are likely to both have the ability to charge trains, the Peterborough and Lincoln route can probably be run using a battery-electric train, that also charges during the stop at Sleaford.

To run the Nottingham and Skegness route, there will need to be a charging facility or an electrification island at Skegness, as forty miles is to far from an out and back from Sleaford on battery power. The section between Sleaford and Nottingham is easier, as there is a reverse at the fully-electrified Grantham station, where the trains could top-up their batteries.

York

York station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.

Harrogate is 20 miles away, with Leeds another 18 miles further.
Hull is 52 miles away, with about 20 miles electrified.
Scarborough is 42 miles away.

It would appear that battery-electric trains could work the routes between Doncaster, Harrogate, Hull, Leeds, Scarborough and York.

Midland Main Line (East Midlands Railway)

Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The Midland Main Line

The Midland Main Line (MML) is a mixture of electrified and non-electrified sections. East Midlands Railway have chosen Hitachi Class 810 trains to cope with the mixed infrastructure.

There will be thirty-three five car trains.
They will have four diesel engines instead of three in the Class 800 trains.
They will have a redesigned nose.

Are East Midlands Railway ordering a dual-purpose design?

In the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, this is said about the bi-mode Hitachi Class AT-300 trains for Avanti West Coast.

Hitachi told Modern Railways it was unable to confirm the rating of the diesel engines on the bi-modes, but said these would be replaceable by batteries in future if specified.

Consider.

Both fleets of trains are for delivery in 2022.
Ease of manufacture would surely mean, that Hitachi would want the two fleets to be substantially the same.
A train with four engines could be needed to cruise at 125 mph on diesel.
Four engine slots would mean that, if you were replacing some engines with batteries, you’d have more flexibility.

Hitachi seem to be playing an inscrutable game.

This section entitled Powertrain in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, says this about the powertrain for Class 800/801/802 trains.

Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) have diesel engines of V12 formation. The Class 801 has one GU for a five to nine-car set. These provide emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode has three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8.

Hitachi must have found a way to arrange four GUs under a Class 810 train.

They could be using slightly smaller engines. Smaller engines could be fitted to curb overheating.
The engines might be in pairs under vehicles 2 and 4, possibly sharing utilities like fuel tanks and cooling systems.

But as the vehicles are two metres shorter, it wouldn’t be a shoe-in.

When the trains are to be upgraded to battery electric trains, an appropriate number of GUs would be replaced by batteries.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that both Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway will have trains that can be converted from five-car bi-mode trains into battery-electric trains, with a range of between 55 and 65 miles.

As a control engineer, I believe that a battery could be made to be plug compatible with a GU.
An extra battery could be placed under vehicle 3, in the spare engine position.

I reckon that Hitachi’s quote of a sixty-five mile range would at 3 kWh per vehicle-mile need about one MWh of batteries.

That is 200 kWh per vehicle, so I feel it should be possible.

Electrification Of The Midland Main Line

Current plans for electrified sections of the MML are as follows.

London St. Pancras and Corby – 79.5 miles – Opening December 2020
London St. Pancras and Market Harborough – 83 miles – Opening December 2020
Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield – 15.5 miles – To be built in conjunction with High Speed Two

The gap between Market Harborough and Clay Cross North Junction is about 66 miles.

Electrification Islands On The Midland Main Line

As with the ECML, there are several large and smaller stations along the MML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.

I will deal with the electrification islands, starting in London.

Bedford

In Looking At The East West Railway Between Bedford And Cambridge, I came to the conclusion, that the East West Railway (EWR) and the MML, would share electrified tracks through Bedford station.

There are also rumours of electrification of the East West Railway, which I wrote about in EWR Targets Short-Term Fleet Ahead Of Possible Electrification, after an article in Rail Magazine with the same title.
But even so Bedford and Cambridge are only thirty miles apart, which is well within the capability of a battery-electric train.
Continuing to the West on the EWR, it is under twenty miles to the electrification at Bletchley on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).

It looks to be that battery-electric trains running on the EWR would be able to charge their batteries as they pass through Bedford.

It does appear to me, that the EWR chose a route through Bedford that would make this feasible.
It would also be relatively easy to electrify the EWR to the East and/or West of Bedford to increase the time using electrification, to fully charge the trains.
As Cambridge and Bletchley are around fifty miles apart, this journey between two fully-electrified stations, would be possible for a battery-electric train, especially, if it were able to take a sip of electricity in the possible stops at Bedford and Sandy or St. Neots.

If in the end, it is decided to electrify the EWR, Bedford would surely be a location, with enough power to feed the electrification.

Leicester

Leicester station is an important station on the MML.

But it would be a difficult station to electrify because of a bridge with limited clearance.

In Discontinuous Electrification Through Leicester Station, I discussed how the following.

Discontinuous electrification through Leicester station.
Electrification between Leicester and Derby stations.
Electrifying the High Speed Two route between Clay Cross Junction and Sheffield.

Would allow Hitachi Class 810 trains, equipped with batteries to run between London and Sheffield on electric power alone.

East Midlands Parkway

East Midlands Parkway station is nineteen miles North of Leicester station.

This Google Map shows its unique position.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is the eighteenth highest emitter of CO2 in Europe and will surely be closed soon.

But then, a power station, will have a good connection to the National Grid, ensuring there could be plenty of power for electrification, even after the current power station is long gone, as it will surely be replaced by another power station or energy storage.

East Midlands Parkway station is also well-connected.

Clay Cross North Junction is 31 miles away.
Derby is 10 miles away.
Leicester is 18 miles away.
Nottingham is 8 miles away.
Sheffield is 47 miles away.

It should be possible to reach all these places on battery-power from East Midlands Parkway.

Electrification Between Leicester And East Midlands Parkway

The more I look at this stretch of the MML, the more I feel that this eighteen mile stretch should be electrified to create what could become a linear electrification island.

Consider.

It is a 125 mph multi-track railway across fairly flat countryside.
Connecting electrification to the grid is often a problem, but Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is adjacent to East Midlands Parkway station.
The section is only eighteen miles long, but this is surely long enough to fully-charge a battery train speeding to and from the capital.
There are only four intermediate stations; Syston, Sileby, Barrow-on-Soar and Loughborough.
The engineering for gauge clearance and electrification, looks to be no more difficult, than it will be between Kettering and Market Harborough.
Between Leicester and Market Harborough stations is only sixteen miles.
Between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham is only eight miles, so it would be possible for Nottingham services to run without a charge at Nottingham station.
Between East Midlands Parkway and Derby is only ten miles, so it would be possible for Derby services to run without a charge at Derby station.
Between East Midlands Parkway and the shared electrified section with High Speed Two at Clay Cross North Junction is thirty-one miles, so it would be possible for Sheffield services to be run without using diesel, once the shared electrification is complete between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield.
Battery-electric trains between East Midlands Parkway and Clay Cross North Junction could also use the Erewash Valley Line through Ikeston, Langley Mill and Alfreton.
There would be no need to electrify through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills that lies between Derby and Clay Cross North Junction, as trains will be speeding through on battery power. Electrifying through this section, might be too much for some people.
If the trains can’t switch between battery and overhead electrification power, the changeover can be in Leicester and East Midlands Parkway stations. However, I believe that Hitachi’s AT-300 trains can do the changeover at line speed.

The electrification could also be used by other services.

Between Corby and Syston North Junction is only thirty-six miles, so it would be possible to run electric services between London St. Pancras and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield via Corby, if the main route were to be blocked by engineering work.
Between Peterborough and Syston East Junction is forty-seven miles, so it should be possible to run CrossCountry’s Stansted Airport and Birmingham service using battery-electric trains. If the train could leave Leicester with a full battery, both Birmingham New Street and Peterborough should be within range.
East Midlands Railway’s Lincoln and Leicester service run for a distance of sixty-one miles via East Midlands Parkway, Nottingham and Newark stations. Electrification between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway, would mean there was just forty-two miles to do on battery power. An electrification island at Lincoln would charge the train for return.

Battery-electric trains with a range of between 55 and 65 miles would really open up the East Midlands to electric services if between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway were to be electrified.

London And Sheffield In A Battery-Electric Class 810 Train

This is speculation on my part, but I think this could be how trains run London to Sheffield before 2030.

London to Market Harborough – 83 miles – Using electrification
Switch to battery power at line speed.
Market Harborough to Leicester – 16 miles – Using battery power
Switch to electrification in Leicester station
Leicester to East Midlands Parkway – 19 miles – Using electrification
Switch to battery power at line speed.
East Midlands Parkway to Clay Cross North Junction – 31 miles – Using battery power
Switch to electrification at line speed.
Clay Cross North Junction to Sheffield – 15.5 miles – Using electrification

Note.

118 miles would be run using electrification and 47 miles using battery power.
Battery power has been used to avoid the tricky electrification at Leicester station and along the Derwent Valley.

I don’t believe any of the engineering will be any more difficult, than what has been achieved on the MML in the last year or so.

Nottingham

Consider

Nottingham station would probably have access to a reliable electricity supply, as Nottingham is a large city of over 300,000 people.
Nottingham station has a comprehensive network of local services.
Nottingham station has an excellent connection to Nottingham Express Transit.
Birmingham New Street is 57 miles away, via Derby and Burton.
Burton-on-Trent is 27 miles away.
Derby is 16 miles away.
Grantham is 23 miles away.
Lincoln is 34 miles away.
Matlock is 33 miles away.
Newark is 17 miles away.
Sheffield is 40 miles away.
Worksop is 32 miles away.
Most of these local services are run by East Midlands Railway, with some services run by Northern and CrossCountry.
Some services run back-to-back through Nottingham.

I feel very strongly that if charging is provided in Nottingham, when trains turnback or pass through the station, that many of the local services can be run by battery-electric trains.

Previously, I have shown, that if between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway is electrified, then services between London and Nottingham, can be run by battery-electric trains.

There is also a fall-back position at Nottingham, as the local services could be run by hydrogen-powered trains.

Sheffield

Sheffield station would at first glance appear to be very similar to Nottingham.

Sheffield station would probably have access to a reliable electricity supply, as Sheffield is a large urban area of 700,000 people.
Sheffield station has a comprehensive network of local services.
Sheffield station has an excellent connection to the Sheffield Supertram.

But it looks like Sheffield station will see the benefits of electrification the Northern section of the MML from Clay Cross North Junction.

The 15.5 miles of electrification will be shared with the Sheffield spur of High Speed Two.
Currently, trains take sixteen minutes between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction.
Electrification and an improved high-speed track will allow faster running, better acceleration and a small saving of time.
A Sheffield train will be charged going to and from Sheffield, so will leave Clay Cross North Junction for Derby and the South with full batteries.
There must also be opportunities for local trains running between Sheffield and Class Cross Junction North to use the electrification and be run by battery-electric trains.

Current destinations include.

Derby is 36 miles away.
Doncaster is 19 miles away.
Huddersfield is 36 miles away.
Leeds is 45 miles away.
Lincoln is 49 miles away.
Manchester Piccadilly is 42 miles away.
Nottingham is 40.5 miles away.

Note.

Doncaster, Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations are fully electrified.
Work on electrifying Huddersfield and Leeds will start in a year or so, so Huddersfield will be electrified.
I am firly sure that Lincoln and Nottingham will have enough electrification to recharge and turn trains.
Some routes are partially electrified.

As with Nottingham, I am fairly sure, that local services at Sheffield could be run by battery-electric trains. And the same fall-back of hydrogen-powered trains, would also apply.

Sheffield And Manchester Piccadilly In A Battery-Electric Train

Consider.

Once Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction is electrified in conjunction with High Speed Two, at least five miles of the Hope Valley Line at the Sheffield end will be electrified.
It may be prudent to electrify through Totley Tunnel to increase the electrification at Sheffield to ten miles.
The route via Stockport is 43 miles long of which nine miles at the Manchester End is electrified.
The route via Marple is 42 miles long of which two miles at the Manchester End is electrified.

There would appear to be no problems with running the TransPennine Express service between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes using battery-electric trains, as from Hazel Grove to Manchester Airport is fully electrified and in the East, they can charge the batteries at Sheffield, Doncaster and a future electrification island at Cleethorpes.

The Northern service between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield could be run using battery-electric trains with some more electrification at the Manchester End or an extended turnback in Manchester Piccadilly.

Transport for Manchester has plans to run improve services at their end of the Hope Valley Line, with tram-trains possible to Glossop and Hadfield.

It would probably be worthwhile to look at the Hope Valley Line to make sure, it has enough future capacity. I would suspect the following could be likely.

More electrification.
More stations.
Battery-electric trains or tram-trains from Manchester to Glossop, Hadfield, New Mills Central, Rose Hill Marple and Sheffield.

I would suspect one solution would be to use more of Merseyrail’s new dual-voltage Class 777 trains, which have a battery capability.

Sheffield And Nottingham In A Battery-Electric Train

Consider.

Once Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction is electrified in conjunction with High Speed Two, 15.5 miles of the route will be electrified.
The total length of the route is 40.5 miles.
There are intermediate stops at Dronfield, Chesterfield, Alfreton, Langley Mill and Ilkeston.
Currently, journeys seem to take around 53 minutes.

I think it would be likely that the battery would need to be topped up at Nottingham, but I think a passenger-friendly timetable can be developed.

West Coast Main Line (Avanti West Coast)

Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The West Coast Main Line

The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is a mainly electrified and with some non-electrified extended routes. Avanti West Coast have chosen Hitachi AT-300 trains to cope with infrastructure.

There will be ten seven-car electric trains.
There will be thirteen five-car bi-mode trains.

As these trains will be delivered after East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains and East Coast Trains’ Class 803 trains, the following questions must be asked.

Will the trains have the redesigned nose of the Class 810 trains?
Will the bi-mode trains have four diesel engines (Class 810 trains) or three ( Class 800 trains)?
Will the electric trains ordered by First Group companies; Avanti West Coast and East Coast Trains be similar, except for the length?

I would expect Hitachi will want the trains to be as similar as possible for ease of manufacture.

Electrification Islands On The West Coast Main Line

As with the ECML and the MML, there are a couple of large and smaller stations along the WCML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.

I will deal with the electrification islands, starting in London.

Watford Junction

Watford Junction station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.

St. Albans Abbey is 6.5 miles away.
It would be possible to develop a battery-electric service to Aylesbury via Rickmansworth and Amersham, with is a distance of under 25 miles, if this was desired. I wrote about this service in Hertfordshire County Council’s Aspiration For A Watford Junction And Aylesbury Service.

Services around Watford Junction have possibilities to be expanded and improved using battery-electric trains.

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes Central station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.

East West Railway services will call at Bletchley and not Milton Keynes.
There may be a connection between East West Rail and High Speed Two at Calvert station, which is 15 miles away.
Milton Keynes will get a service from Aylesbury, which is 22 miles away.

There may be possibilities to link Watford Junction and Milton Keynes via Aylesbury using battery-electric trains to give both places a connection to High Speed Two at a new Calvert station.

April 8, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Bedford Station, BOAC, British Airways, Clay Cross North Junction, Clay Cross North Junction And Sheffield Electrification, East Coast Main Line, East West Railway, Electrification, Electrification Island, High Speed Two, Imperial Airways, Leicester Station, Lumo, Midland Main Line | 4 Comments

Partners On Board For In-Cab Signalling Project On East Coast Main Line

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

This is the introductory paragraph.

Network Rail has announced that it has brought Siemens and Atkins on as its partners in a project to introduce in-cab signalling on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line.

It is good, that a start is being made on this significant project, which should increase capacity between Kings Cross and Doncaster.

March 23, 2020 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Atkins, Digital Signalling, East Coast Main Line, Siemens | 1 Comment

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What this blog will eventually be about I do not know.

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The Anonymous Widower

!40 mph Electric Trains At Kings Cross Station

Thoughts On Digital Signalling On The East Coast Main Line

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Thoughts On East Coast Trains

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Partners On Board For In-Cab Signalling Project On East Coast Main Line

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