Beeching Reversal – More Stopping Services At Radcliffe-on-Trent And Bottesford Stations On The Poacher Line Between Grantham And Nottingham
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
It is one of a pair of submissions from the local MP; Alicia Kearns. The other is Increased Services To Nottingham And Leicester, via Syston And Loughborough From Melton Mowbray.
When I heard of the MP’s submissions, I wrote MP Campaigns To Extend Train Services For Melton Borough and the following uses that post as a starting point.
Wikipedia says this about services at Bottesford station on the Poacher Line.
- The service is generally every two hours to Nottingham in the West and Skegness in the East.
- Some trains call at Grantham and have a connection to the East Coast Main Line.
- LNER services at Grantham connect to Doncaster, King’s Cross, Leeds, Lincoln, Peterborough, Stevenage, Wakefield and York.
- Bottesford is in the Borough of Melton and their is no direct rail service between Bottesford and Melton. A typical journey takes over two-and-a-half hours with two changes, that can include a wait of an hour at Leicester station.
- Bottesford is in the County of Leicester. There is no direct rail service between Bottesford and Leicester.
I think the MP has a point and an improved and more frequent service at Bottesford could be very beneficial.
- Many routes like this in the UK have a regular hourly service. Coastal stations with a regular hourly or better service include Blackpool South, Cleethorpes, Cromer, Exmouth, Felixstowe, Kings Lynn, Paignton, Scarborough and Sheringham
- I suspect many communities along the Poacher Line would benefit from a regular hourly service.
- All services calling at Grantham for East Coast Main Line services would be useful.
- Do services have a good interchange at Nottingham for Midland Main Line services?
Replacing 75 mph Class 153 and Class 156 trains with 100 mph Class 170 trains would probably be a big help.
Conclusion
It looks like improvements at Bottesford would not require any new expensive infrastructure.
But East Midlands Railway would need more trains and they would probably need to be faster too!
Beeching Reversal – Restoring A South Humber Link
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
The project is described by these two paragraphs in this article in the Yorkshire Post, which is entitled Government Announce Yorkshire Rail Schemes That Could Receive ‘Reverse Beeching’ Funding.
North Lincolnshire Council have bid for funding to subsidise a new train service that would allow passengers from Barton-on-Humber to travel to Gainsborough, from where they would be able to catch direct services to Sheffield.
This would be achieved by diverting the existing Barton to Grimsby and Cleethorpes trains up a freight-only section used by traffic heading to Immingham docks. There have never been passenger trains using this path before.
This rail map clipped from Wikipedia shows the Barton Line to Barton-on-Humber station.
Note.
- Barton-on-Humber station has a bus link to Hull station.
- The loop gives a grand tour of the Port of Immingham on what is now a freight-only line.
- There is a lot of development going on in the area including the AltAlto aviation biofuel, that I wrote about in Grant Shapps Announcement On Friday.
Perhaps all this development is causing a lot of small problems.
- Is it causing congestion on the roads?
- Are workers difficult to find in the Immingham area?
- Is commuting over the Humber Bridge expensive?
- Is parking difficult in the Port?
North Lincolnshire Council could feel that a better rail connection serving the Port of Immingham, would be an asset, that reduces these problems.
I suspect the current two-hourly service between Barton-on-Humber and Cleethorpes stations, will be replaced by an hourly one, between Barton-on-Humber and Gainsborough Lea Road stations, that takes the following route.
- Barton-on-Humber to Ulceby
- At Ulceby station the train will reverse and go clockwise around the loop.
- After calling at Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough and Habrough stations, the train would go West to Barnetby and Gainsborough Lea Road stations.
- Passengers wanting to go from Barton-on-Humber to Grimsby Town or Cleethorpes, would change at Great Coates station.
It may look a rather round-about route, but I suspect that the plan includes some stations to serve the Port of Immingham and the industrial development.
I suspect that some of these port, oil, chemical and energy companies can afford to pay a contribution.
Gainsborough Lea Road Station
Gainsborough Lea Road station is a mix of architectural styles.
But with the addition of a friendly café and some other facilities, it would be a good interchange between the Immingham area and Sheffield and the county town of Lincoln.
Future Trains
Lincolnshire is an energy-rich county, which partly explains all the industrial development in the North-East of the county around Grimsby, Immingham and Scunthorpe.
- Immingham is a large importer of biomass for power generation.
- There are off-shore and on-shore gas fields connected to Theddlethorpe gas terminal.
- There is the large power station complex at Keadby.
But the energy mix is a-changing.
- Keadby now includes a solar farm.
- Wind turbines are springing up both on land and in the sea.
If I was to make a prediction, it would be that more and more large energy-related businesses will develop in the area.
- In recent months, Altalto’s waste-to-aviation biofuel plant has been given national and local government backing to be built at Immingham.
- ITM Power are involved in a hydrogen development project in the area.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see hydrogen produced for transport from all this energy.
I think it will be inevitable, that zero-carbon battery electric or hydrogen-powered trains will run in the area.
- Cleethorpes and Doncaster via Scunthorpe 52 miles apart.
- Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber are 23 miles apart
- Lincoln and Newark are 16.5 miles apart.
- Lincoln and Doncaster are 37 miles apart.
- Lincoln and Sheffield are 48 miles apart
- Lincoln and the electrification at Peterborough are 54 miles apart.
- Skegness and Sleaford are 41 miles apart.
- Sleaford and Grantham are 18 miles apart.
With charging facilities at Barton-on-Humber, Lincoln, Skegness and Sleaford, the whole of Lincolnshire could be served by zero-carbon battery electric trains.
I suspect LNER could lead the way, as a five-car Class 800 train equipped with batteries, is predicted to have a 56 mile range away from the wires, which would easily handle a return trip between Newark and Lincoln.
There could be a small problem, in that the first train of the day, between Lincoln and London Kings Cross positions from Doncaster Carr IEP Depot, so running Doncaster to Newark via Lincoln might challenge the battery range of the train. I suspect, that the positioning could be performed via Newark with a reverse, prior to the installation of a charging facility at Lincoln Central station.
I estimate that Barton-on-Humber and Gainsborough Lea Road stations are about 35 miles apart, so with today’s battery technology, I suspect that a round trip in a battery electric train would be on the limit. But with charging facilities at Gainsborough, there would be no problems.
I suspect that East Midlands Railway would use several of their forty diesel Class 170 trains on this and other routes in Lincolnshire, so perhaps a good interim solution would be to run the Class 170 trains on Altalto’s biodiesel, that will be produced at Immingham.
There is also the possibility, that some or all of the Class 170 trains will be retrofitted with MTU Hybrid PowerPacks, which would cut their diesel consumption.
Surely, with all Lincolnshire’s energy, hydrogen-powered trains must be a possibility. But they seem to be stuck in a siding!
The MTU Hybrid PowerPack and Altalto’s bio-diesel seems a more affordable and less risky route.
A Direct Connection To London
In the Wikipedia entry for Gainsborough Lea Road station, there is a section called Future Services, where a direct connection to London is mentioned.
Conclusion
Given that the likes of East Midlands Railway, Hull Trains, LNER and TransPennine Express are improving their services to Hull, Lincoln, Cleethorpes and Grimsby, this local North Lincolnshire Metro serving the Port and the industrial development, could well be welcomed by those that live and work in the area.
I doubt that the infrastructure cost will be very high.
Hyperdrive Innovation And Hitachi Rail To Develop Battery Tech For Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Engineer.
This is the introductory sub-title.
Hyperdrive Innovation and Hitachi Rail are to develop battery packs to power trains and create a battery hub in the North East of England.
The article gives this information.
- Trains can have a range of ninety kilometres, which fits well with Hitachi’s quoted battery range of 55-65 miles.
- Hitachi has identified its fleets of 275 trains as potential early recipients.
Hitachi have also provided an informative video.
At one point, the video shows a visualisation of swapping a diesel-engine for a battery pack.
As a world-class computer programmer in a previous life, I believe that it is possible to create a battery pack, that to the train’s extremely comprehensive computer, looks like a diesel-engine.
So by modifying the train’s software accordingly, the various power sources of electrification, diesel power-packs and battery packs can be used in an optimum manner.
This would enable one of East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains, to be fitted with a mix of diesel and battery packs in their four positions under the train.
Imagine going between London and Sheffield, after the High Speed Two electrification between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield has been erected.
- Between St. Pancras and Market Harborough power would come from the electrification.
- The train would leave the electrified section with full batteries
- At all stations on the route, hotel power would come from the batteries.
- Diesel power and some battery power would be used between stations. Using them together may give better performance.
- At Clay Cross North Junction, the electrification would be used to Sheffield.
For efficient operation, there would need to be electrification or some form of charging at the Sheffield end of the route. This is why, I am keen that when High Speed Two is built in the North, that the shsared section with the Midland Main Line between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield station, should be built early.
Hitachi have said that these trains will have four diesel engines. I think it will more likely be two diesel engines and two batteries.
The World’s First Battery-Electric Main Line
I suspect with electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction, that a train fitted with four batteries, might even be able to run on electric power only on the whole route.
In addition, if electrification were to be erected between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway stations, all three Northern destinations would become electric power only.
The Midland Main Line would be the first battery electric high speed line in the world!
Hitachi On Hydrogen Trains
The press release about the partnership between Hitachi and Hyperdrive Innovation is on this page on the Hitachi web site.
This is a paragraph.
Regional battery trains produce zero tailpipe emission and compatible with existing rail infrastructure so they can complement future electrification. At the moment, battery trains have approximately 50% lower lifecycle costs than hydrogen trains, making battery the cheapest and cleanest alternative zero-emission traction solution for trains.
I have ridden in two battery-electric trains and one hydrogen-powered train.
I would rate them out of ten as follows.
- Class 230 train – 6 – Battery
- Class 379 train – 8 – Battery
- Coradia iLint – 4 – Hydrogen
It’s not that the iLint is a bad train, as the power system seems to work well, but the passenger experience is nowhere near the quality of the two battery trains.
In my view, battery vehicles are exceedingly quiet, so is this the reason?
On the other hand, it could just be poor engineering on the iLint.
Conclusion
This is as very big day in the development of zero- and low-carbon trains in the UK.
Could The Crewe And Derby Line Become A Much More Important Route?
On the Midlands Connect web site, they have a page, which is entitled Derby-Stoke-Crewe.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Our plans have the potential to increase passenger demand on the corridor by 72%, with faster, more frequent services.
They then give the outline of their plans, which can be summed up as follows.
- Currently, the service is one train per hour (tph) and it takes 79 minutes.
- The service frequency will go to two tph.
- Twenty minutes could be saved on the second service by adjusting calling patterns.
- Improved links at Crewe for High Speed Two. This must have been written before Stafford and Stoke got the High Speed Two service to Macclesfield.
- East Midlands Railway are planning to extend the current Crewe and Derby service to Nottingham.
It seems a safe, and not overly ambitious plan.
These are my thoughts.
The Route
I have flown my virtual helicopter along the route and it appears to be double track all the way, except for a three mile section to the East of Crewe, that British Rail reduced to single track
However, in recent years the A5020 was built under the railway and the new bridge appears to have space for the second track to be restored, as this Google Map shows.
Note.
- The single track appears to be electrified, from the shadows of the gantries at either end of the bridge.
- West Midlands Trains appear to run an electric service between Crewe and Stafford on this route.
- I suspect it’s also used as a diversion route for Avanti West Coast’s Manchester service via Stoke-on-Trent or for train positioning.
Will this route allow High Speed Two trains to run between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly?
From picture and comments in a rail forum, I suspect that the route could be redoubled fairly easily.
- The electrification runs for about 15.5 miles, between Crewe station and Stoke Junction, which is about half-a-mile on the other side of Stoke-on-Trent station.
- Trains seem to be connected to the electrification for over twenty minutes, so it could be useful for charging a battery train, running between Stoke-n-Trent and Crewe stations.
This Google Map shows Stoke Junction.
Note,
- Stoke-on-Trent station is to the North.
- The electrified railway going due South is the West Coast Main Line to Stone and Stafford stations.
- The line without electrification going off in a more South-Easterly direction is the line to Uttoxeter and Derby.
Following the route between Derby and Crewe, these are my observations.
- There is a level crossing at Blythe Bridge station.
- Most of the bridges over the route are modern, so I suspect will accept electrification.
- The route would appear to have a speed limit of 70 mph, but I would suspect that this could be increased somewhat as it doesn’t look too challenging.
- The route is 51 miles long, so a service that takes the current 79 minutes with nine stops, would average 38.7 mph.
- The proposed time of 59 minutes, would average 51.8 mph
I suspect there could be more to come, as the timetable is probably written for a Class 153 train.
A Crewe And Nottingham Service
The Midlands Connect plan says the service will be the following.
- Two tph
- A slow train in 79 minutes.
- A fast train in 59 minutes.
- East Midlands Railway want to extend services to Nottingham.
It could be a fairly simple easy-to-use timetable.
Fast Trains
Consider.
- Derby and Nottingham are 16 miles apart and fastest trains take between 19-22 minutes between the two cities.
- When it opens, all trains would stop at East Midlands Hub station between Nottingham and Derby.
- East Midlands Railway have a fleet that will include forty Class 170 trains.
- I suspect that these 100 mph trains will be able to run between Crewe and Nottingham including the turnround in under 90 minutes.
This would mean that a fast hourly service would need three trains.
Slow Trains
Consider.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see the slower services continuing as now and not extending to Nottingham.
- 79 minutes is probably a convenient time, which would give a ninety minute time for each leg between Derby and Crewe, when turnround is included.
- Trains would be more of the Class 170 trains.
This would mean that a slow hourly service would need three trains.
Could Battery Electric Trains Be Used?
Consider.
- I think it is likely that the route between Derby and East Midlands Parkway via East Midlands Hub station, will be electrified, in conjunction with Midland Main Line electrification.
- Between Derby and Long Eaton stations via East Midlands Hub station is just under ten miles and takes ten minutes.
- Nottingham and Crewe is 66 miles of which 25 miles in total could be electrified.
- Derby and Crewe is 51 miles of which 15 miles are electrified.
- The longest section without electrification is between Derby station and Stoke Junction, which is 35.5 miles.
Batteries would be charged in the following places.
- Between Long Eaton and Derby stations.
- During turnround at a fully-electrified Derby station.
- Between Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe stations.
- During turnround at a fully-electrified Crewe station.
That’s a lot better than with an electric car.
In Sparking A Revolution, I quoted this Hitachi-specification for 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
I can’t see any problem with one of these trains or other battery-electric trains with a similar performance, running between Crewe and Nottingham or Derby via Stoke.
Could Hydrogen-Powered Trains Be Used?
I would suspect so, as the Alsthom Coradia iLint runs a similar route in Germany.
Connections To High Speed Two
Midlands Connect noted the route’s link to High Speed Two at Crewe.
But it also has other links to High Speed Two at Stoke-on-Trent and East Midlands Hub stations.
I suspect some stations like Uttoxeter or Alsager will have a choice of fast routes to London or Scotland.
Could Services Be Extended From Crewe?
In Connecting The Powerhouses, I talked about an article in the June 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which proposed reopening the Midland Railway route between Derby and Manchester.
Some passengers and commentators fell a direct fast link is needed.
When High Speed Two is completed, the main route into Manchester Piccadilly will be a high speed spur from Crewe via Manchester Airport. Current plans include the following services.
- One tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange.
- Two tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common
- Two tph from Birmingham Curzon Street
Note.
- All services will call at Manchester Airport.
- It is likely that Northern Powerhouse Rail will add six tph to Manchester Piccadilly from Liverpool via Warrington.
- Some services will extend through Manchester Piccadilly to Bradford, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and York.
- High Speed lines will probably have a capacity of up to eighteen tph.
The Birmingham Curzon Street, Liverpool and London Euston services would be eleven tph, so there would be more than enough capacity for an hourly train from Nottingham.
What would the service be like?
- It would be between Nottingham and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
- It could call at East Midlands Hub, Derby, Uttoxeter, Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove, Crewe and Manchester Airport stations.
- It would probably be hourly.
Timings could be as follows.
- Nottingham and Manchester Airport – 87 minutes
- Nottingham and Manchester Piccadilly – 91 minutes
- Derby and Manchester Airport – 67 minutes
- Derby and Manchester Piccadilly – 71 minutes
- Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Airport – 32 minutes
- Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester Piccadilly – 36 minutes
The trains used on this and other local services that might need to use High Speed Two infrastructure would be performing a similar role as that of the Class 395 trains on High Speed One.
Possibilities must include.
- A classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
- A five-car AT-300 train, like East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains.
- An updated Class 395 train.
All trains would need a battery capability with a range of 40 miles.
It should also be noted that in Options For High Speed To Hastings, I worked through the options needed to run high speed commuter services to Hastings.
This was the last sentence in that post.
It’s all about selling trains and a company that had a 140 mph or 225 kph high-speed electric train, that could do perhaps 25 miles or 40 kilometres on batteries, would have a valuable addition to their product range.
A train with a range of 50 miles on battery power, would be suitable for the following routes.
- London St. Pancras and Hastings via Ashford International.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Nottingham via Manchester Airport, Crewe, Derby and East Midlands Hub.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Barrow-in-Furness via Manchester Airport, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Chester via Manchester Airport and Crewe.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Shrewsbury via Manchester Airport and Crewe.
Charging might be needed at some of the terminal stations.
MP Campaigns To Extend Train Services For Melton Borough
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Melton Times.
This is the introductory sub-title.
A campaign has been launched by the Melton’s MP to improve services passing and operating from the town station and the one at Bottesford.
Alicia Kearns has submitted two bids to the Restoring Your Railway Fund.
- More regular services on the Poacher Line to Bottesford station.
- Increased services to Nottingham and Leicester via Syston and Loughborough from Melton Mowbray station.
I’ll now look at the two proposals in more detail.
More Regular Services To Bottesford
Wikipedia says this about services at Bottesford station.
- The service is generally every two hours to Nottingham in the West and Skegness in the East.
- Some trains call at Grantham and give connection to the East Coast Main Line.
- LNER services at Grantham connect to Doncaster, King’s Cross, Leeds, Lincoln, Peterborough, Stevenage, Wakefield and York.
- Bottesford is in the Borough of Melton and their is no direct rail service between Bottesford and Melton. A typical journey takes over two-and-a-half hours with two changes, that can include a wait of an hour at Leicester station.
- Bottesford is in the County of Leicester. There is no direct rail service between Bottesford and Leicester.
I think the MP has a point and an improved and more frequent service at Bottesford could be very beneficial.
- Many routes like this in the UK have an hourly service and I suspect many communities along the Poacher Line would benefit from this frequency.
- All services calling at Grantham for East Coast Main Line services would be useful.
- Do services have a good interchange at Nottingham for Midland Main Line services?
It looks like improvements at Bottesford wouldn’t require any new expensive infrastructure, but they would need more trains.
More Services Through Melton
Wikipedia says this about services at Melton station.
- There is an hourly off-peak service in both directions between Stansted Airport and Birmingham, that calls at Cambridge, Peterborough, Oakham and Leicester.
- East Midlands Railway and their predescessor have added services to London via Corby and to Derby and East Midlands Parkway.
When you consider, that both Bottesford and Melton Mowbray are the same Council and Parliamentary constituency, it does seem that a more direct train service is needed between Bottesford and Melton stations.
It does seem to me that some innovative thinking is needed.
If the current plans to fulfil British Rail’s ambition of an Ivanhoe Line running from Lincoln to Burton-on-Trent via Nottingham, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough and Leicester, are carried out, that will give important towns to the West of Leicester much better rail connections.
Given that High Speed Two is coming to East Midlands Hub station at Toton and there will be a Bedford and Leeds service run by Midlands Connect using High Speed Two classic-compatible trains, that I wrote about in Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains At East Midlands Hub Station, I wonder if in the interim, there should be more trains between Derby and Melton.
- Intermediate stations would be Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway Long Eaton and Spondon.
- An hourly frequency would double the service frquency at smaller stations like Sileby and Barrow-upon-Soar.
- The Southern terminal could be Melton station, but I feel Corby or Peterborough stations would be better, as this would improve services at Oakham station. We should not forget Rutland.
- As Corby will be an electrified two-platform station with a two trains per hour (tph) service to London, this could work quite well as a Southern terminus.
- Peterborough would have advantages and give a good connection to Cambridge, London and Scotland, but improvements to the current Birmingham and Stansted Airport service would have similar effects.
This route would be just as valuable after High Speed Two opens through the East Midlands Hub station, as it will give fast ongoing connections to Birmingham, Leeds, Newcastle and York.
Electrification Of The Midland Main Line
I feel strongly, that full electrification of the Midland Main Line could be a step to far.
- Electrification, through Leicester station will mean a complete closure of the station for a couple of years.
- Electrification of the route North of Derby, through the Derwent Valley Mills, which is a World Heritage Site, will be opposed by the Heritage Taliban with all their might.
But.
- Electrification of the route between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield via Chesterfield will take place in conjunction with High Speed Two
- Electrification to Market Harborough, which is sixteen miles South of Leicester will happen.
- East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains could be fitted with a battery option giving a range of between 55 and 65 miles.
- Pantographs on this trains can go up and down with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers.
If the easier section of electrification between Leicester and Derby stations, were to be erected, this would enable the following routes to be run using battery=equipped Class 810 trains.
- London and Derby, where battery power would be used through Leicester.
- London and Nottingham, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham.
- London and Sheffield, where battery power would be used through Leicester and between Derby and Clay Cross North Junction.
- Lincoln and Burton-on-Trent, where battery power would be used South of Leicester and North of East Midlands Parkway.
- Derby and Corby, where battery power would be used between Syston and Corby.
There would also be the service between Derby and Norwich, which might be able to be run by a similar train.
Conclusion
The MP’s plan is worth pursuing.
Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains At East Midlands Hub Station
This article on Rail News, is entitled £2.7bn East Midlands Plan Unveiled For HS2 Links.
This is the first two paragraphs.
A bold plan costed at £2.7 billion for the area around the HS2 hub in the East Midlands has been published by a group of councils, transport bodies and East Midlands Airport.
The core of the scheme is the future East Midlands Hub at Toton, and the plan proposes direct access to the Hub from more than 20 cities, towns and villages in the East Midlands.
If you want to read the original report by Midlands Connect, there’s a download link on this page of their web site.
The original report has a section entitled Midlands Engine Rail, where this is said.
This project is fully integrated with Midlands Engine Rail, a rail improvement plan developed by Midlands Connect to revolutionise connectivity, mobility and productivity across the region. Midlands Engine Rail includes plans for two new HS2 classic-compatible services on an electrified Midland Main Line that will run direct from:
- Bedford and Leeds via Leicester and East Midlands Hub
- Nottingham and Birmingham Curzon Street via East Midlands Hub
These services can run on both electrified and high speed tracks, and would join the HS2 network at Toton, the HS2 East Midlands Hub, meaning that Nottingham and Leicester city centres are directly linked to HS2 without the need to change trains.
These improved connections will more than halve current journey times, with Leicester to Leeds dropping from 120 minutes to 46 minutes and Nottingham to Birmingham falling from 72 minutes to 33 minutes.
Note.
- Between Bedford and East Midland Hub stations, the Midland Main Line is or soon will be an almost a complete 125 mph rail line.
- It is likely, that with digital in-cab signalling, that faster running up to 140 mph may be permitted in places.
- Between Birmingham Curzon Street and East Midlands Hub stations, trains will use High Speed Two at up to 205 mph.
- Between Leeds and East Midlands Hub stations, trains will use High Speed Two at up to 205 mph.
- Leeds and Birmingham Curzon Street station will be new stations for High Speed Two.
The Classic-Compatible Trains
These are described in this section in Wikipedia, by this sentence.
The classic-compatible trains, capable of high speed but built to a British loading gauge, permitting them to leave the high speed track to join conventional routes such as the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and East Coast Main Line. Such trains would allow running of HS2 services to the north of England and Scotland, although these non-tilting trains would run slower than existing tilting trains on conventional track. HS2 Ltd has stated that, because these trains must be specifically designed for the British network and cannot be bought “off-the-shelf”, these conventional trains were expected to be around 50% more expensive, costing around £40 million per train rather than £27 million for the captive stock.
The trains will have the same characteristics as the full-size trains.
- Maximum speed of 225 mph.
- Cruising speed of 205 mph on High Speed Two.
- Length of 200 metres.
- Ability to work in pairs.
- A passenger capacity around 500-600 passengers.
It should be noted that one of these trains will be shorter than a pair of East Midlands Railway’s five-car Class 810 trains, which should avoid any serious platform lengthening on existing lines.
Bedford and Leeds via Leicester and East Midlands Hub
A few facts and thoughts.
- The service is shown as stopping at Wellingborough, Kettering, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough and East Midlands Hub.
- The service frequency could be hourly, but two trains per hour (tph) would be better.
- This service could be more important, than it appears, as by the time High Speed Two opens to Leeds, the East West Railway will be open through Bedford.
- Would a terminal platform need to be added at Bedford station? As the station could be rebuilt for the East West Railway, this shouldn’t be a problem.
- Leeds will have a new High Speed Two station or at least new platforms in the existing station.
- The Bedford and Leeds service would join High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go North.
- The Leeds and Bedford service would leave High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go South.
Leeds and Leicester will take 46 minutes, with High Speed Two’s journey time calculator, indicating twenty-seven minutes between East Midlands Hub and Leeds stations.
According to an article in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways High Speed Two is planning to run the following services on the Eastern leg of High Speed Two between East Midlands Hub and Leeds.
- Two tph – Birmingham Curzon Street and Leeds
- Three tph – London Euston and Leeds
There will be a Turn-Up-And-Go six tph service between East Midlands Hub and Leeds stations.
If the Bedford and Leeds service was an hourly service, when added to the current East Midlands Railway Inter-City services, it would give the following calling frequencies.
- Wellingborough – 2 tph
- Kettering – 2 tph
- Market Harborough – 3 tph
- Leicester – 5 tph
- Loughborough – 3 tph
- East Midlands Parkway – 2 tph
The calling pattern can be adjusted to the number of passengers.
Nottingham and Birmingham Curzon Street via East Midlands Hub
A few facts and thoughts.
- The service is shown as only stopping at East Midlands Hub.
- The service frequency could be hourly.
- The service would go between East Midlands Hub and Nottingham using the Trowell Curve route, which I discussed in Access To Toton – Scheme 6 – Trowell Curve.
- Nottingham station has long terminal platforms that take a full-length Inter-City 125.
- Birmingham Curzon Street will be a new High Speed Two station.
- The Nottingham and Birmingham Curzon Street service would join High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go South.
- The Birmingham Curzon Street and Nottingham service would leave High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go North.
Nottingham and Birmingham Curzon Street will take 33 minutes, with High Speed Two’s journey time calculator, indicating twenty minutes, between Birmingham Curzon Street and East Midlands Hub stations.
According to an article in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways High Speed Two is planning to run the following services on the Eastern leg of High Speed Two from Birmingham Curzon Street.
- Two tph – East Midlands Hub and Leeds
- One tph – East Midlands Hub, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle.
There will be a Turn-Up-And-Go four tph service between East Midlands Hub and Birmingham Curzon Street stations.
Midland Main Line Electrification
Midlands Connect is calling for full electrification of the Midland Main Line.
The problem is electrification through Leicester station, where there is a low bridge over the track.
In Discontinuous Electrification Through Leicester Station, I showed how the problem might be solved by discontinuous electrification and battery-equipped trains.
The Shared High Speed Two Path
If you look at the two previous sections you’ll see the following.
- The Birmingham Curzon Street and Nottingham service would leave High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go North.
- The Bedford and Leeds service would join High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go North.
- The Leeds and Bedford service would leave High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go South.
- The Nottingham and Birmingham Curzon Street service would join High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub and go South.
The two services are using the same path on High Speed Two.
I would design the East Midlands Hub, so that High Speed Two and classic services going in the same direction shared an island platform.
Southbound services would behave like this.
- The Nottingham to Birmingham Curzon Street train would arrive in the High Speed Two face of the platform.
- The Leeds to Bedford train would arrive in the classic face of the platform.
- Passengers who needed to change would walk across the platform.
- When ready both trains would go on their way.
Northbound services would do something similar.
It would be an efficient way to organise interchange between services.
- Train design would have to ensure, that all trains using the island platform had similar and preferably step-free access.
- If Greater Anglia and Merseyrail, can do step-free access, then no train designer has an excuse not to.
- Surely every High Speed Two train that arrives at East Midlands Hub, should be paired with a Midland Main Line service, if the timetable allows it.
The money being spent on High Speed Two means that the British public, won’t accept anything less than perfect.
Are There Any Other Possible Destinations For Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains From East Midlands Hub Station?
I will put these in alphabetical order.
Bedford
Consider.
- Bedford is already planned to have one classic-compatible service to and from Leeds.
- One of East Midlands Railway’s St. Pancras services calls at Bedford.
- Bedford has a four tph Thameslink service to a large proportion of Central London and the South East of England.
- Bedford has direct services to Gatwick Airport.
- Bedford station will be expanded to accommodate the East West Railway.
- In a few years, Bedford will be connected to Milton Keynes, Oxford and Reading by the East West Railway.
- When the East Midlands Hub station opens, Bedford will be connected to Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich by the East West Railway.
I feel there is a need for a Turn-Up-And-Go four tph service between Bedford and East Midlands Hub stations.
I estimate that between Bedford and East Midlands Parkway stations will have a journey time of around 60 minutes.
Cambridge
I believe that the East West Railway should be built to the same standard as the East Coast, Great Western, Midland and West Coast Main Lines.
- Digitally signalled
- 125 mph-capable
- Electrified
This would enable classic-compatible services to be extended from Bedford to the UK’s Technology Powerhouse; Cambridge.
As Bedford and East Midlands Parkway could be 60 minutes, timings depend on the times of the East West Railway, between Bedford and Cambridge.
Edinburgh
Consider.
- Edinburgh is an important city; financially and politically.
- Edinburgh is planned to have a classic-compatible service from London via the West Coast Main Line.
- Newcastle is planned to have a classic-compatible service from East Midlands Hub
The city must be a possibility for a classic compatible service from East Midlands Hub.
I estimate that Edinburgh and East Midlands Parkway will have a journey time of a few minutes over two hours
Hull
This clip of a map from the Transport for the North report shows a schematic of the rail links in Yorkshire.
Hull is important for various reasons.
- It is large city.
- It is the Eastern terminus of an increasing number of routes.
- It is becoming a manufacturing centre for North Sea wind.
- The city will be the terminus of Northern Powerhouse Rail across the Pennines from Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds.
- Some reports have shown the city as a terminus of the Western leg of High Speed Two.
For these reasons, I will add Hull to the list.
I estimate that Hull and East Midlands Parkway will have a journey time of under an hour.
Lincoln
Looking forward to 2040, I wouldn’t bet against Lincoln being a very important city in the UK.
- It has history.
- It is becoming an important higher education centre.
- It has lots of space.
- Train operating companies like LNER and East Midlands Railway are improving services to the city.
But most importantly, as Aberdeen became Scotland’s centre for North Sea Oil and Gas, I believe that Lincoln could become England’s centre for North Sea renewable electricity and hydrogen.
I estimate that Lincoln and East Midlands Parkway will have a journey time of around an hour.
Milton Keynes
As I said for Cambridge, I believe that the East West Railway should be built to the same standard as the East Coast, Great Western, Midland and West Coast Main Lines.
This would enable classic-compatible services to be extended from Bedford to Milton Keynes.
As Bedford and East Midlands Parkway could be 60 minutes, timings depend on the times of the East West Railway, between Bedford and Milton Keynes.
Newcastle
As Newcastle already has a direct High Speed Two classic-compatible connection to and from East Midlands Hub station, this must be a possibility.
According to High Speed Two’s journey time calculator<, trains between Newcastle and East Midland Hub stations will take 96 minutes.
Northern Powerhouse Rail
The map I showed with Hull could indicate that a train could take High Speed Two to Leeds and then power its way across the Pennines calling at Leeds, Huddersfield, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool.
East Midlands Railway would have found a replacement for the Western part of their Liverpool and Norwich service, which is one of the worst railway services in the UK.
Oxford And Reading
As I said for Cambridge, I believe that the East West Railway should be built to the same standard as the East Coast, Great Western, Midland and West Coast Main Lines.
This would enable classic-compatible services to be extended from Bedford to Oxford and Reading.
As Bedford and East Midlands Parkway could be 60 minutes, timings depend on the times of the East West Railway, between Bedford and Oxford and Reading.
Peterborough
I think Peterborough could be an interesting possibility.
- It is the gateway to the East of England.
- It is a fully-electrified station.
- It has seven platforms with space for more.
- Most platforms could take a two hundred metre long train.
East Midlands Railway’s Liverpool and Norwich service, links Peterborough with Nottingham.
- That section of the route is 52 miles long.
- 29 miles of the route on the East Coast Main Line are electrified.
- The 100 mph Class 158 trains take 67 minutes and 30 minutes to travel between the two stops at Grantham and Peterborough.
- Some of LNER’s 125 mph electric Class 800 trains are timetabled to travel between the two stops at Grantham and Peterborough as fast as 18 minutes.
What time will be achievable on this short length of electrified track, when digital signalling is fully-deployed and 140 mph running is possible?
I can certainly see a bi-mode Class 801 train going between Peterborough and Nottingham in under an hour.
I also think that they could equal East Midlands Railway’s times to Nottingham going from Kings Cross via Grantham.
In Access To Toton – Scheme 6 – Trowell Curve, I advocated the following electrification, to allow battery-electric trains to work the Nottingham and Skegness service.
- The Allington Chord between Bottesford and Ancaster stations.
- The line linking the chord to Grantham station.
As Nottingham station will surely be electrified to allow classic-compatible High Speed Two trains to run between the station and Birmingham using High Speed Two, there will only be sixteen miles of double-track between Bottesford and Nottingham station without electrification.
I have just flown my helicopter along the route and there are one or two bridges and Netherfield station, that will need a rebuild, but it wouldn’t be the most challenging of electrifications.
Especially, as there is High Speed Two and the East Coast Main Line to provide power at both ends of the route.
But as it is only sixteen miles would they use battery-electric high-speed trains.
Surely, that is a crazy idea?
In Will High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible Trains Have Battery Operation?, I explain why you would use such a concept to create an efficient train.
- The batteries drive the train and they are charged from the electrification and regenerative braking.
- Batteries would give a train recovery capability in case of overhead catenary failure.
- Batteries would be used for depot movements.
In Will The Trains On High Speed Two Have Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I do a calculation for the battery size needed for a 250 mph Spanish high speed train and the batteries are surprisingly small, at 100 kWh per carriage.
I firmly believe, that the mathematics say it is possible for a high speed train to use on-board battery power to perhaps do thirty miles at say 90 mph on a line without electrification.
Sheffield
As Sheffield station will have a direct High Speed Two connection to and from East Midlands Hub station, this must be a possibility.
According to High Speed Two’s journey time calculator, trains between Sheffield and East Midland Hub stations will take 27 minutes.
Note.
- An article in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways shows that the Eastern leg of High Speed Two is planned to have nine tph, against a theoretical limit of 18 tph.
- The Leeds-Bedford and Nottingham-Birmingham Curzon Street will use another path.
- Not all services would need to be hourly.
- Could some CrossCountry services be replaced with classic-compatible services?
I feel there is plenty of scope to develop more classic-compatible services along the Eastern leg of High Speed Two.
Access To Toton – Scheme 6 – Trowell Curve
In £2.7bn East Midlands Plan Unveiled For HS2 Links, a series of schemes are given, which improve access to the High Speed Two East Midlands Hub station.
Scheme 6 is defined like this.
The implementation of a minimum of four direct rail services per hour linking the HS2 East Midlands Hub station to Derby, Nottingham and Leicester stations, as well as Loughborough, Matlock, Mansfield, Newark, Alfreton and Grantham, made possible by the building of a new piece of infrastructure, the Trowell Curve, which will link to the Midland Mainline. These additional connections will also create direct links to Stoke-on-Trent, Crewe, Newark and Lincoln, by extending services on existing routes.
That is a comprehensive set of connections.
The Trowell Curve
This Google Map shows the location of the village of Trowell.
Note.
- The M1 Motorway running North-South up the map.
- The village of Trowell on the Western side of the motorway.
- Many people will have stopped at Trowell services on the motorway, which are just to the North of the top edge of the map.
- The North-South railway line to the West of the village is the Erewash Valley Line, that runs North from the East Midlands Hub station at Toton to Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Alfreton, Clay Cross North Junction, Chesterfield and Sheffield.
There is also another railway line, that runs on the South Western side of the village and across the bottom of the map, that connects the Erewash Valley Line to Nottingham station.
Trains can go between Nottingham and the North, but there is no connection to go between Nottingham and the South.
It looks like the proposed Trowell Curve will add extra connectivity to the junction, so that all these directions are possible.
- Nottingham to Ilkeston and the North.
- Ilkeston and the North to Nottingham.
- Nottingham to East Midlands Hub Station and the South.
- East Midlands Hub Station and the South to Nottingham
The Trowell Chord will be double-track or bi-directional and must certainly improve connectivity.
East Midlands Hub Station
The East Midlands Hub station will link various bus, tram and train services to High Speed Two.
According to the latest reports in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways there will be nine high-speed trains per hour (tph) through the station of which seven tph will stop.
Destinations served would be.
- Birmingham Interchange – 1 tph
- Birmingham Curzon Street – 3 tph
- Chesterfield – 1 tph
- Darlington – 1 tph
- Durham – 1 tph
- Leeds – 5 tph
- London Euston – 4 tph
- Newcastle – 1 tph
- Old Oak Common – 4 tph
- Sheffield – 2 tph
- York – 2 tph
As the capacity of High Speed Two has been said to be 18 tph, there must be the possibility for extra services to run on this leg of High Speed Two.
As four tph is considered by many to be a good Turn-Up-And-Go frequency and two tph a sensible minimum frequency, I can see another train between Birmingham Curzon Street and Newcastle with stops at East Midlands Hub, Leeds, Darlington and Durham.
The design has certainly left enough capacity for those that follow us!
Especially, as Wikipedia says that the new East Midlands Hub station will have eight platforms.
- It would need a minimum of two through platforms for High Speed Two services
- Would it need a terminating platform for High Speed Two services? Not for the currently proposed timetable.
- It would need a minimum of two through platforms for East Midlands Railway’s Inter-City services.
- Would it need a terminating platform for East Midlands Railway’s Inter-City services? Not for the currently proposed timetable.
- There would probably be a need for two through platforms for local services.
On this crude look, eight platforms would appear to be more than enough.
Current Services Through The Area
In Railway Lines Through East Midlands Hub Station, I detailed where the new East Midlands Hub station is to be built and the rail services in the area.
After listing all the services I said this.
Note.
- Not one service goes past the site of the new East Midlands Hub station.
- Most services to and from Nottingham seem to use the Attenborough and Beeston route
- Services between Derby and Nottingham go via the Long Eaton, Attenborough and Derby route.
- Services from the North use the Erewash Valley Line and turn East at Trowell for Nottingham.
It is fairly obvious that there needs to be a sort-out of services to fit in with the location of the new East Midlands Parkway station.
So will the new Trowell Curve give the new station, the rail access it needs?
The Splitting Of The Norwich and Liverpool Service
I wrote about this in Abellio’s Plans For Norwich And Liverpool, where I said this about the basic plan.
Early in the new franchise the Liverpool – Nottingham section will transfer to another operator, which will enable the two halves of the service to better meet the needs of customers.
It will become two services.
- Norwich and Derby via Nottingham, Trowell Curve, East Midland Hub and Long Eaton.
- Nottingham and Crewe via Trowell Curve, East Midland Hub, Long Eaton and Derby.
The second service will go to another operator.
I said earlier, this change is for the needs of customers.
It will also have other effects.
- It will add an extra service between Nottingham and Derby
- It will remove the Norwich and Liverpool service from the Erewash Valley Line.
Has this change being driven by the need to provide good connections to High Speed Two?
Train Services To East Midlands Hub Station
The following sub-sections detail the service between various stations and the East Midlands Hub station.
Alfreton Station
Alfreton station on the Erewash Valley Line, is going through major changes to train services.
Currently, there are these two hourly services.
- East Midlands Railway’s Liverpool and Norwich service.
- Northern’s Leeds and Nottingham service.
Neither service currently goes through the site of East Midlands Hub station and East Midlands Railway will split the Liverpool and Norwich service, so it won’t go anywhere near Alfreton.
Consider.
- Alfreton station probably needs at least a two tph service to East Midlands Hub station.
- The Northern service might be able to go via East Midlands Hub station.
- Both Alfreton and the East Midlands Hub station are on the Erewash Valley Line.
- Trains could run between Alfreton and Nottingham via Langley Mill, Ilkeston, East Midlands Hub, Attenborough and Beeston.
- Trains could run between Alfreton and Derby via Langley Mill, Ilkeston, East Midlands Hub, Long Eaton and Spndon.
Or would it be best to put in a bay platform at Alfreton station and run a shuttle service between Alfreton and the East Midlands Hub stations?
- The minimum frequency would be two tph.
- Up to four tph could probably be easily run.
- Trains would call at all stations.
- Extra stations could be added.
- The distance between Alfreton and East Midlands Hub stations is around twenty miles, so a battery-electric train could be possible.
This Google Map shows Alfreton station.
I suspect a bay platform could be added. Or failing that, there could be a turnback siding to the North of the station.
Surely, a local train solution would be a spur to development in the area, especially if it connected to High Speed Two at East Midlands Hub station for High Speed Two.
Derby Station
Consider.
- The current half-hourly East Midlands Railway services between St. Pancras and Sheffield, could not call at both the East Midlands Hub and Derby stations, unless it performed a reverse at East Midlands Hub station.
- Two hourly CrossCountry services, that call at both Derby and Nottingham could use a route via Long Eaton, East Midlands Hub and Trowell Curve.
- An hourly East Midlands Railway service between Newark Castle and Matlock could use a route via Long Eaton, East Midlands Hub and Trowell Curve
- The split service between Liverpool and Norwich would run two tph between Nottingham and Derby, via Long Eaton, East Midlands Hub and Trowell Curve, in both directions.
Six tph can be provided by existing services calling at the new East Midlands Hub station.
Grantham Station
Consider.
- The current hourly East Midlands Railway service between Norwich and Liverpool, calls at Grantham station and could call at the East Midlands Hub, if it used the Trowell Curve route.
- After the service has been split, the two sections will probably both go between Nottingham and Derby via long Eaton, East Midlands Hub and Trowell Curve.
- The current hourly East Midlands Railway service between Nottingham and Skegness calls at Grantham station, but doesn’t pass the site of the East Midlands Hub station.
- This service could be extended to the East Midlands Hub station using the Trowell Curve or the Beeston/Attenborough route, where it would terminate.
It appears relatively easy to give Grantham a two tph service to the East Midlands Hub station.
Ilkeston Station
Ilkeston station would be a stop on all services between the East Midlands Hub and Alfreton and Mansfield stations, so would have a frequent service to the East Midlands Hub station.
Langley Mill Station
Langley Mill station would be a stop on all services between the East Midlands Hub and Alfreton and Mansfield stations, so would have a frequent service to the East Midlands Hub station.
Leicester Station
Consider.
- The current half-hourly East Midlands Railway services between St, Pancras and Nottingham, could call at both the East Midlands Hub and Leicester stations, if the trains used the Trowell Curve.
- Any Ivanhoe Line services between Lincoln and Leicester, could call at both the East Midlands Hub and Leicester stations, if the trains used the Towell Curve.
Leicester would get a frequent train service from the East Midlands Hub station.
Lincoln Station
Lincoln is the Eastern terminal of Ivanhoe Line services. Currently, they run as far as Leicester, but by the time the East Midlands Hub station opens, the services will probably terminate at Burton-on-Trent. I wrote about this project, which is being promoted by the Restoring Your Railway Fund in Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line.
I can see two tph between Lincoln and Burton-on-Trent.
- Stations served could be Newark, Nottingham, East Midlands Hub, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester, Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
- The services would use the proposed Trowell Curve.
- Services could be extended to Grimsby and Cleethorpes at the Lincoln end of the service.
- Services would co-ordinate with East Midlands Railway’s Inter-City services to and from London with easy interchange at Leicester and or East Midlands Hub stations.
- Trains could be five-car Class 810 trains to take full advantage of the 125+ mph running between Leicester and Trowell.
- These trains have a shorter dwell time than many and timings could benefit.
Effectively, East Midlands Railway would have a second main line.
Loughborough Station
Consider.
- East Midlands Railway currently has two Inter-City and one Ivanhoe Line service, that stop in Loughborough station and could stop at the East Midlands Hub station.
With another service, Loughborough could have four tph to and from the East Midlands Hub station.
Mansfield Station
This is where Maid Marion flashes her lashes and gets the engineers to reopen her line for passenger trains between North of the former Pye Corner station on the Erewash Valley Line and Kirkby-in-Ashfield station on the Robin Hood Line.
This Google Map shows the route.
Note.
- The M1 Motorway crossing the map from North-West to South-East.
- Pye Corner is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The Erewash Valley Line runs North-South through Pye Corner.
- Kirkby-in-Ashfield is the urban area in the North-East corner of the map.
- Kirkby-in-Ashfield station is shown by the usual red symbol.
- The Robin Hood Line runs North-South through Kirkby-in-Ashfeld station.
On a high-resolution screen, it’s possible to pick out the freight line, that will become the Maid Marian Line.
- The Maid Marian Line is double-track.
- According to Real Time Trains, the distance between Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Langley Mill stations is around nine miles.
- A freight train took twenty-two minutes between the two stations.
- As there are two tph on the Robin Hood Line, I think it would be reasonable to have a similar frequency on the Maid Marian Line.
- Trains between the East Midlands Hub and Mansfield stations would pass Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton Parkway stations.
- Trains could terminate at Nottingham using the Attenborough route.
- Trains could terminate at Derby using the Long Eaton route.
The Maid Marian Line could improve services from Derby, Mansfield, Nottingham and Worksop stations to the new East Midlands Hub station.
Matlock Station
Consider.
- Matlock is currently served by an hourly service between Matlock and Newark Castle via Derby, Spondon, Long Eaton, Attenborough, Beeston, Nottingham and several other smaller stations, which is a service that goes past the site of the East Midlands Hub station.
If this service were to call at the East Midlands Hub station and be doubled in frequency, it would be a very valuable connecting service to and from the East Midlands Hub station.
To call at East Midlands Hub station, it would need to use the Trowell Curve.
Newark Station
Consider.
- Newark is a calling point on the Ivanhoe Line service between Lincoln and Leicester.
- Newark is currently served by an hourly service between Matlock and Newark Castle via Derby, Spondon, Long Eaton, Attenborough, Beeston, Nottingham and several other smaller stations, which is a service that goes past the site of the East Midlands Hub station.
Both services could be increased to two tph, so Newark might end up with a four tph service to Nottingham and East Midlands Hub stations with a two tph service to Derby and Lincoln.
Nottingham Station
Consider.
- The current half-hourly East Midlands Railway services between St. Pancras and Nottingham could use the Trowell Chord route, as this would allow a call at the East Midlands Hub station.
- Ivanhoe Line services between Lincoln and Leicester could also use the Trowell Chord route, which with a change at the hub station, would give Lincolnshire a faster service to and from London and Birmingham.
- In Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line, I wrote about plans to extend the Ivanhoe Line to Burton on Trent.
- The split service between Liverpool and Norwich would run two tph between Nottingham and Derby, via Long Eaton and East Midlands Hub stations, in both directions.
- If the Nottingham and Skegness service, were to be extended to East Midlands Hub, this would add extra services between Nottingham and East Midlands Hub stations.
The required four tph between the East Midlands Hub and Nottingham station could be provided by the diversion of existing services to call at the East Midlands Hub station and using the Trowell Curve.
Stoke-on-Trent And Crewe Stations
Consider.
- Currently, there is an hourly East Midlands Railway service between Crewe and Derby, that calls at nine stations including Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent and Uttoxeter.
- There are also plans to split the Liverpool and Norwich service into two, with the Western half possibly becoming a Crewe and Nottingham service via Derby, East Midlands Hub and Long Eaton.
These two services could be arranged to give a two tph service between Nottingham, Long Eaton, East Midlands Hub and Derby in the South and Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe in the North.
Back-To-Back Services At East Midlands Hub Station
Running services through a station is always more efficient as terminating services in a station will need a bay platform or turnback facility of some sort.
In my analysis, I have proposed that these services might terminate at East Midlands Hub Station.
- A possible shuttle service between East Midlands Hub and Alfreton stations.
- The Maid Marian Line service between East Midlands Hub and Mansfield and Worksop stations.
- The Nottingham and Skegness service could be extended to East Midlands Hub station.
- The Crewe and Derby service could be extended to Nottingham via East Midlands Hub station.
Note.
- The splitting of the Liverpool and Norwich service will result in an overlap between Nottingham and Derby.
- Matlock and Newark services already run back-to-back through the area.
So would it be logical to join some services back-to-back through East Midlands Hub station?
s an example, the Maid Marian Line and Skegness services could be joined into one service.
Other services could follow the precedent of the splitting of the Liverpool and Norwich service.
- Trains coming and going from the East terminate at Derby.
- Trains coming and going from the West terminate at Nottingham.
If the following were arranged.
- Grantham and Mansfield were back-to-back.
- Alfreton and Crewe services terminated at Nottingham.
- Norwich services terminated at Derby.
There would be seven tph between Nottingham and Derby via Long Eaton and East Midlands Hub stations.
Battery-Electric Operation
Consider.
- Hitachi are claiming, that the battery-electric versions of their AT-300 trains, like the Class 810 trains will have a battery range of 55-65 miles and take ten minutes to recharge.
- Nottingham and Derby are sixteen miles away and trains between the two cities, take as long as thirty minutes for the trip.
- There will be high quality electrification at East Midlands Hub station.
In addition, station distances from the East Midlands Hub station are as follows.
- Alfreton – 17 miles
- Crewe – 55 miles – 35 miles without electrification (Derby and Stoke Junction)
- Derby – 6 miles
- Grantham – 20 miles
- Ilkeston – 7 miles
- Langley Mill – 10 miles
- Lincoln – 43 miles
- Mansfield – 23 miles
- Matlock – 23 miles
- Newark Castle – 26 miles
- Nottingham – 10 miles
- Skegness – 80 miles
- Stoke-on-Trent – 42 miles – 35 miles without electrification (Derby and Stoke Junction)
I think the following would be possible on battery power.
- Return journeys to Alfreton, Grantham, Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Mansfield, Matlock and Newark Castle.
- Return journeys to Lincoln with a charge at the destination.
- Return journeys to Crewe and Stoke using the electrification between Stoke Junction and Crewe.
Running battery-electric trains between East Midlands Hub and Skegness station would need a bit of ingenuity.
The building of the Allington Chord in 2005, may have opened up a way for battery-electric trains to be able to run between Nottingham and Skegness.
Consider.
- Bottesford station is the station nearest to Grantham on the Western side of the East Coast Main Line and it is 15.3 miles from Nottingham.
- Ancaster station is the station nearest to Grantham on the Eastern side of the East Coast Main Line and it is 28 miles from Nottingham.
- The original route between Bottesford and Ancaster station caused delays on the main line, so it was replaced by two routes.
- A modified version of the original route allows trains to call at Grantham station, where they reverse before continuing. The distance is 18.7 miles and typically takes 33 minutes
- A double-track short cut under the East Coast Main Line is about 12.7 miles and typically takes 17 minutes.
- The distance between Ancaster and Skegness is 46.7 miles.
- The East Coast Main Line is electrified.
I wonder, if it were possibly to electrify the following tracks.
- The direct double track between Ancaster and Bottesford stations.
- The access lines from the Allington Chord into Grantham station.
Hopefully, as the tracks, were built in 2005, they shouldn’t be too challenging to electrify.
This would enable a train from East Midlands Hub to Skegness to use the following procedure.
- Use the electrified line between East Midlands Hub and Nottingham stations, charging the battery en route.
- Call at Nottingham station and lower the pantograph.
- Leave Nottingham with a full battery.
- Run between Nottingham and Bottesford stations on battery power.
- Call at Bottesford station and raise the pantograph.
- Use either of the electrified routes between Bottesford and Ancaster stations, charging the battery en route.
- Call at Ancaster station and lower the paragraph.
- Run between Ancaster and Skegness stations on battery power.
After charging the train at Skegness, the return would use the following procedure.
- Leave Skegness with a full battery.
- Run between Skegness and Ancaster on battery power.
- Call at Ancaster and raise the paragraph.
- Use either of the electrified routes between Ancaster and Bottesford stations, charging the battery en route.
- Call at Bottesford station and lower the pantograph.
- Run between Bottesford and Nottingham on battery power.
- Call at Nottingham station and raise the pantograph.
- Use the electrified line between Nottingham and East Midlands Hub stations, charging the battery en route.
It’s almost as if, the Allington Chord was designed for battery-electric trains.
Conclusion
The Trowell Curve with a little bit of help from a few friends can create a battery-electric network of local lines based on the three important stations of Nottingham, East Midlands Hub and Derby.
I
Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line
This is one of the successful bids in the First Round of the Restoring Your Railway Fund.
The Ivanhoe Line, is a half-completed project left over from the days of British Rail.
- The main objective appears to be to extend the current line between Lincoln and Leicester via Nottingham, East Midlands Parkway and Loughborough stations to Burton-upon-Trent along the freight-only Leicester-Burton-upon-Trent Line.
- Some new stations will be added.
In January 2020, I wrote Silent Hydrogen Trains On The Cards For New Line Linking Burton And Leicester, after reading an article on Derbyshire Live.
I finished that article by listing the possibilities.
There are a lot of possibilities to extend the Ivanhoe Line to Burton and even beyond using the South Staffordshire Line.
- Battery or hydrogen trains can be used.
- Stations can be added as required.
- The route will connect to East Midlands Airport.
- A solution for Knighton Junction can surely be devised.
Amazon are reported to be interested in the project, as they have a big depot at Coalville.
It now looks like it’s all going to be turned into a plan for reality.
I do have some questions.
What Will Be The Solution To The Knighton Junction Problem?
Sadly, when the route was closed to passengers in 1964, British Rail simplified Knighton Junction at the Leicester end of the line. Wikipedia says this.
At the Leicester end of the line, Knighton North Junction has been dismantled and the former course of the line to the junction has been sold and turned into an industrial estate. The line’s remaining connection with the Midland Main Line is Knighton South Junction, which faces southwards, away from Leicester station. Trains between Leicester and the line therefore have to reverse direction at the junction.
This Google Map shows, what’s left of the junction.
Note.
- Leicester is to the North
- Burton is to the North-West.
- Melton Mowbray and London are to the South.
It looks to me, that someone at British Rail made it absolutely certain, that the rail line could not be reopened to provide a passenger service between Leicester and Burton.
For a train to go between Leicester and Burton, it would either need to reverse as Wikipedia indicated, or the curve would have to be very tight.
It looks like the preferred solution, will be to build a new station to the South of Knighton Junction.
- The station would only need a single platform.
- It could be easily fitted in alongside the Midland Main Line.
Trains will reverse to get around the tight corner.
Will There Be A Station At Leicester City Stadium
This Google Map shows the stadium.
Note the rail line passing to the South of the station.
It would appear that building a new station would not be the most difficult of projects.
But after the experience of Coventry City, who were relegated twice after Coventry Arena station opened, would Leicester City want a station?
Could The Ivanhoe Line Be Connected To High Speed Two At Ashby-de-la-Zouch?
I heard an MP on the radio, who was very much against High Speed Two and that led me to write Could High Speed Two Have A Station At Ashby-de-la-Zouch?.
I think this is a serious possibility in the future.
Could East Midlands Railway Use The Route To Run A London And Burton-on-Trent Service?
Consider.
- East Midlands Railway‘s Class 810 trains could be fitted with a battery, that would give the trains a battery range of between 55 and 65 miles.
- The trains would have a charge time of perhaps 10 minutes.
- The distance between Knighton Junction and Burton-on-Trent is around 35 miles.
- The distance between Knighton Junction and the Northern limit of the electrification at Market Harborough station is fifteen miles.
- The distance between Market Harborough and Burton-on-Trent stations is 50 miles.
I think it would be possible for a battery-electric Class 810 train to run between London and Burton-on-Trent.
- The batteries would need to be charged at Burton-on-Trent.
- Perhaps, the easiest way to provide charging facilities would be to electrify the last ten miles between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Burton-on-Trent stations
- The service could call at all or selected stations between Knighton Junction and Burton-on-Trent.
I think this could be a very useful service, even if it only ran a couple of times every day.
Could Battery-Electric Trains Run The Whole Ivanhoe Line Between Lincoln And Burton-on-Trent?
The problem is not the trains, but the lack of electrification between Market Harborough and Clay Cross North Junction.
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.
Consider.
- As I have said East Midland Railway’s new Class 810 trains could be fitted with batteries with a range of 55 to 65 miles.
- The gap between Leicester station and the end of the electrification at Market Harborough is sixteen miles.
- Knighton Junction is less than two miles South of Leicester station.
- Burton-on-Trent is around forty miles from Leicester station.
- All passenger trains passing through Leicester station, stop in the station to set down and pick up passengers.
It would thus appear that the following would be possible.
- A Northbound battery-electric train from St. Pancras to Leicester or further North could reach Leicester on battery power from Market Harborough.
- A Northbound battery-electric train from Burton-on-Trent to Leicester or further North could reach Leicester on battery power from Burton-on-Trent.
- A Southbound train from Leicester or further North to St. Pancras could reach Market Harborough on battery power from Leicester.
- A Southbound train from Leicester or further North to Burton-on-Trent could reach Burton-on-Trent on battery power from Leicester.
Trains leaving Leicester would need to be fully charged.
So how would this be arranged?
I think the simplest method would be to electrify the section of the Midland Main Line between Leicester and Derby stations.
- The route is probably not the most difficult to electrify.
- East Midlands Parkway has good electrical connections, as it is next to Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station.
- Nottingham is just nine miles from East Midlands Parkway.
- Derby is thirty miles from East Midlands Parkway.
- Clay Cross North Junction, where the joint electrified section with High Speed Two commences is twenty-one miles from Derby.
- Lincoln is forty-two miles from East Midlands Parkway.
- Battery-electric trains could use this electrification for both traction power and to charge their batteries.
- As the trains would use battery power between Derby and Clay Cross North Junction, the sensitive issue of electrifying through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills, will have been avoided.
All East Midlands Railway’s InterCity services would be totally carbon-free.
It should also be noted, that as Lincoln is only forty-two miles from East Midlands Parkway, provided there was the ability to recharge the trains at Lincoln, the whole Ivinghoe route between Lincoln and Burton-on-Trent could be run by a suitable battery-electric train.
Could Hydrogen Trains Run The Whole Ivanhoe Line Between Lincoln And Burton-on-Trent?
If the route can be run by a battery-electric train, I can see no reason, why a hydrogen-powered train couldn’t do a good job on the route.
I suspect that the Alstom Breeze and any future trains, that are designed for hydrogen power, will also be able to use electrification, where it exists.
So, if any more electrification was erected on the Midland Main Line, the hydrogen trains would take advantage.
The hydrogen trains would need to be refuelled, but because of their long range, this would probably only be a twice a day operation at most.
There is probably space for a refuelling point, at either end of the route.
Conclusion
This is a good scheme, that should have been completed decades ago.
Looking At The East West Railway Between Bedford And Cambridge
Updated Post
I have updated this post in June 2021 to add extra information, that has now become available.
The route that has been chosen by East West Railway is Route E.
Route E is described in Wikipedia as follows.
Route E involves running from the existing Bedford station heading north then running to Tempsford where a new station would be built then (bypassing Sandy) the route heads east to Cambourne where a new station would be built. The route then joins an existing line northbound to Cambridge.
These maps show the route between Bedford and Cambridge stations in sections.
Bedford And Tempsford
This map shows the Western section between Bedford and Tempsford.
Note.
- Kempston Hardwick and Bedford St. Johns are existing stations on the existing Marston Vale Line, which could substantially be the route of the East West Railway between Bedford and stations to the West like Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Reading.
- Bedford station is on the Midland Main Line.
- Wixams station is a proposed station on the Midland Main Line, which also might be served by the East West Railway.
- Biggleswade, Sandy and St. Neots stations are on the East Coast Main Line (ECML).
I’ll now take a quick look at the route through Bedford and the proposed Wixams station.
Bedford Station
Bedford station is served by the following train services.
- It is a terminus for Marston Vale Line services to and from Bletchley station.
- It is a terminus for Thameslink services to and from London St. Pancras International station and the South as far as Brighton.
- East Midlands Railway services between London St. Pancras International station and the East Midlands and Sheffield call at the station.
Midlands Connect are also proposing a service between Bedford and Leeds.
- It would use High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- This would use High Speed Two to the North of East Midlands Hub station.
- Times would drop between Bedford and Leeds from 140 minutes to 66 minutes.
I wonder, if this service were to be successful, that more services could be run from Bedford to the North.
There would certainly be massive advantages in developing Bedford as a major interchange between the East West Railway and the Midland Main Line.
This Google Map shows Bedford station.
Bedford station currently has five platforms.
- 1a – A bay platform for Marston Vale Line services
- 1 and 2 – Thameslink
- 3 – Southbound East Midlands Railway
- 4 – Northbound East Midlands Railway
Note.
- Platform 1a is about a hundred metres long.
- There is a fast line between Platforms 3 and 4.
- There is space to the West of Platform 4
I can come to these conclusions about Bedford station.
If a new platform is needed to handle more services at the station, there is space to build it.
According to East West Railway Company To Start Second Phase Of Rolling Stock Procurement, three-car trains are to be used by the East West Railway and these can be handled by the current Platform 1a.
As Bedford station is to be rebuilt, any issues can be sorted.
This Google Map shows the area to the North of the station.
Note that some of the roads to the North-East of the railway are named after poets. This is the Poets area of Bedford.
This article on the BBC is entitled East-West Rail: Bedfordshire Residents Give Their Views On £5bn Scheme and it details the opposition to the route including a section about the Poets area.
EWR Co says it could acquire or demolish 53 properties in the Bromham Road district of Bedford, known as the Poets area.
In addition, a further 16 properties could be demolished between Bedford and Cambridge.
This Google Map shows the Midland Main Line through Bedford.
Note.
- Bedford station is at the bottom of the map towards the East.
- The village of Clapham is towards the top of the map.
- The A6 road runs up the Eastern side of the railway.
What I find interesting, is that, to the East of the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Clapham appears to be mainly open farmland.
Is there sufficient space to build a flying junction, so that trains could go between Bedford and Cambridge in a smooth manner? From a quick look at this map, it appears to me that this would be possible.
It might even be possible to build a full triangular junction, North of Bedford, so that trains could go between the East and the Northbound Midland Main Line.
It looks to me to be a very important junction, that gives lots of possibilities for new passenger and freight services.
- Passenger trains between Cambridge and Sheffield via Leicester and Derby.
- Freight trains between Felixstowe and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
- Could the route be used for stone trains between the Peak District and the massive building developments in the City of London?
This ideas would be for starters!
But I do feel that Network Rail have lots of strong reasons to take a North-Easterly route out of Bedford.
But this route is not popular with those that live in the area.
This Google Map shows the area South of Bedford towards the Wixams development.
Note.
- The large new village of Wixams is shown by the red arrow.
- Kempston Hardwick station can be picked out to the West of Wixams, close to the bottom of the map.
- The Midland Main Line can be picked out running South between Wixams and Kempston Hardwick.
The area looks like it is ripe for housing and commercial development between all the water.
I can envisage the East West Railway and the Midland Main Line doing the following.
- Sharing tracks through Bedford and a new Wixams station, if that is desired.
- A flying junction would then allow the two routes to split.
- The East West Railway would go West to places like Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Reading.
- The Midland Main Line would go South to Luton, London and beyond.
The East West Railway would open up a massive housing development at Wixams with connections to Cambridge, London, Milton Keynes, Oxford and beyond.
It strikes me, that one of the reasons for choosing Route E, is that this is the route, that opens up the Wixams development.
Could A Southern Route Be Used Around Bedford?
It probably could but, if the trains were to serve Bedford they’d need to reverse in Bedford station.
If the East West Railway goes to the North of Bedford, the following is possible.
- East West Railway trains going East could share Platform 4 with Northbound East Midlands Railway services.
- East West Railway trains going West could share Platform 3 with Southbound East Midlands Railway services.
- East West Railway trains going West could also have a cross-platform interchange with Thameslink.
Train operation would be much simpler.
Through Tempsford
This map shows the Western section around Tempsford, where it crosses the ECML.
Note.
- Biggleswade, Sandy and St. Neots stations are on the ECML.
- There might be opportunities to improve the section of the ECML in this area.
- The light-coloured East-West band through the new station, is the proposed route of the East West Railway.
This Google Map shows the area North from Sandy.
Note.
- Sandy station can be seen at the bottom of the map.
- Tempsford can be seen about three-quarters of the way up the map.
- The ECML runs North-South up the middle of the map.
- The former RAF Tempsford can also be seen on the East side of the ECML.
- One interesting place on the map is the RSPB at Sandy.
Has the route been chosen to the North of Sandy to avoid the RSPB, who might not be in favour of a new railway?
- I could envisage an impressive interchange station at Tempsford, if East West Railway decided to build it.
- The East West Railway and the ECML could cross at right angles.
- Platforms on both routes could be connected by lifts, escalators and stairs.
- There looks like there could be space for lots of car parking.
Alternatively, a full junction could be built so that trains could swap between the two routes. But I suspect this would be too expensive.
The View From St. Neots
This article on the BBC is entitled St Neots: ‘I Think This Could Put Our Town On The Map’.
This is the first paragraph.
For the first time in its 1,000 years of history, St Neots could get its own voice in Parliament as part of a reshuffle of constituency boundaries. What difference could it make for a town that is the largest in Cambridgeshire?
The This in in the title is their own MP.
This is also said about transport links in the town.
he town, which is 45 minutes to London by rail, is getting a new bypass and is also at the centre of the new Cambridge to Oxford east-west rail link.
“There are phenomenal opportunities here for new business, all this development is happening around us,” adds Mr Hughes.
“All the people who used to travel to London – because St Neots is a commuter town – during the pandemic, they’ve opened the door, walked into the town and realised there’s a wonderful bohemia here.
There are also complaints in the article about the lack of jobs.
Surely, if the new station at Tempsford was well-designed and had enough car-parking, some of those commuters could work in Cambridge.
Tempsford And Cambourne
This map shows the central section between Tempsford and Cambourne.
Note.
- Sandy and St. Neots stations are on the ECML.
- The light-coloured East-West band through the new Tempsford and Cambourne stations, is the proposed route of the East West Railway.
This Google Map shows the area between Tempsford and Cambourne.
Note.
- Tempsford is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Cambourne is in the North-East corner of the map.
- St. Neots station is in the North-West corner of the map.
It certainly isn’t an area of the country with many important buildings around.
Through Cambourne
This Google Map shows the central section through Cambourne.
Note.
- The new village of Cambourne by the A428.
- The A1198 road going North-South between Huntingdon and Royston.
- The village of Great Eversden in the South-East corner of the map.
From looking at the various maps and knowing the area well, I suspect the East West Railway will take the following route.
- Approach from the West and cross the A1198 to the North of Caxton.
- Pass South of Cambourne, where a station could be built. The station could be fairly simple, but there is plenty of space, especially if cycling to the train is encouraged.
- Pass North of Bourn and Bourn Golf and Country Club.
- Pass North of Great Eversden and leave the map in the South-East corner.
It looks to be a fairly simple section.
Great Eversden And Cambridge
This Google Map shows the area from Great Eversden to the Trumpington Park-and-Ride, which is served by the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.
Note.
- Great Eversden is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The M11 runs diagonally across the Eastern end of the map.
- Trumpington is at the Eastern end of the map.
- The track bed of the old Varsity Line is clearly visible.
The question has to be asked, if it would be worthwhile rebuilding this section.
Consider.
- Part of the trackbed is used for the Ryle Telescope.
- Part of the trackbed is used for the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway.
- The route doesn’t serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
- Cambridge also has ambitions to extend the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway to Hauxton and create the Cambridge Autonomous Metro, which I wrote about in Consultation On The Cambridge Autonomous Metro.
This map shows the proposed layout of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro.
Note.
- The green section will be in tunnel.
- The Trumpington Branch is extended to Hauxton,
This Google Map shows the area to the South West of Cambridge between Hauxton and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Note.
- Addenbrooke’s Hospital is in the North-East corner of this map.
- The Trumpington Park-and-Ride is to the East of the M11.
- Shelford station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- The West Anglia Main Line running past the hospital, splits into two, with one branch going West to Royston and Hitchin and the other going South to Harlow and London.
The two maps taken together weave quite a complicated pattern.
The East West Railway and the Cambridge Autonomous Metro could probably be tweaked so that they could both be created.
- The East West Railway could take a slightly more Southerly route and pass to the West of Hauxton to join the Royston and Cambridge Line to get to Cambridge South and Cambridge stations.
- The Cambridge Autonomous Metro would pass over or under the M11 and terminate at a suitable place on the East of Hauxton.
There might even be a solution involving a joint station to the West of the M11
The Anonymous Widower 