Silent Hydrogen Trains On The Cards For New Line Linking Burton And Leicester
The title of this post is the same as that on this article on Derbyshire Live.
The idea of using hydrogen power came about after some people worried about the noise of trains, if the full route were to reopen.
The Proposed Route
The proposed route that would be reopened is the Leicester and Burton-on-Trent Line.
- The route is double-track.
- It is around forty miles long.
- It is still used by freight trains, so the track must be in serviceable condition.
- There are no stations.
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.
There is only one class of passenger train, that can go round tight curves and that is a Class 399 tram-train!
So to enable trains to go direct around the corner, the option is either expensive disruptive demolition or use something like tram-train technology or a specially designed bendy train.
The Ivanhoe Line
The route was originally planned to be the second part of the Ivanhoe Line, but this was discontinued after rail privatisation.
Services on this line is an hourly service between Leicester and Lincoln Central stations.
- Intermediate stations are Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Beeston, Nottingham, Newark Castle, Collingham, Swinderby and Hykeham.
- Services can get overcrowded, as the service is run by two-car trains.
- Platforms would need to be lengthened for longer trains.
Extending this service to Burton station would surely be good for connectivity at and through Leicester.
The Association Of Train Operating Companies Plan For The Line
This is taken from the Wikipedia entry for the line.
In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies published a £49 million proposal (Connecting Communities: Expanding Access to the Rail Network) to restore passenger services to the line that would include reopening stations at Kirby Muxloe, Bagworth and Ellistown, Coalville Town, Ashby de la Zouch, Moira, and Gresley (for Swadlincote). There is also some support in the Leicester area for the line to have new stations to serve Leicester City F.C.’s stadium and the suburb of Braunstone.
Wikipedia also says, it could be developed as a no-frills line.
Possible New Stations In Leicester
I have mentioned new stations in Leicester, so here’s a few more thoughts.
Leicester Reversal Station
A friend said that to reverse the trains between Leicester and Burton, a station has been proposed to be built, south of Knighton Junction.
This Google Map shows the junction and the line to the South.
Only a single-platform station would be needed and it would be a simple and affordable solution to British Rail’s lack of vision of the future.
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 eicester City want a station?
Braunstone Station
This Google Map shows the rail line running through Braunstone.
The rail line is at the top of the map.
Leicester Forest East Station
I wrote about this possible station in A Station At Leicester Forest East.
Burton Station
Intriguingly, Burton station is run by East Midlands Railway, who run no services to the town.
Services are provided by CrossCountry using a variety of long distance services.
The South Staffordshire Line connects Burton and Birmingham.
Part of this line is being converted to become an extension of the West Midlands Metro and Staffordshire County Council have looked at converting the whole route to tram-train operation to bring trams to Burton to promote tourism.
Hydrogen Power
I estimate that the distance between Lincoln and Burton is about a hundred miles.
Alstom are predicting a range of several hundred miles for their hydrogen trains for their Breeze train, which should mean a round trip to Lincoln from Burton will surely be in range.
Refuelling could be at a suitable place on the route.
In Delivering Hydrogen For Vehicles, I talk about how iTM Power are building hydrogen refuelling stations for road vehicles.
As the company is already building stand-alone hydrogen fuelling stations for fleets of buses in Birmingham and Pau, I’m sure that one for a fleet of trains is not a problem.
All their filling stations need is a small amount of space, a supply of tap water and a connection to the electricity grid.
It should be noted that Central Rivers Depot is four miles South of Burton.
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 Eat 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.
No News On Hydrogen Trains For The Midland Main Line
In April 2019, I wrote Hydrogen Trains To Be Trialled On The Midland Main Line, which was based on an article on Railway Gazette that is entitled Bimode And Hydrogen Trains As Abellio Wins Next East Midlands Franchise.
I said this in my post.
Abellio will be taking over the franchise in August this year and although bi-mode trains were certain to be introduced in a couple of years, the trialling of hydrogen-powered trains is a surprise to me and possibly others.
This is all that is said in the article.
Abellio will also trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland Main Line.
It also says, that the new fleet will not be announced until the orders are finalised.
Nothing has been heard since about the hydrogen train trial for the Midland Main Line.
But there have been several related developments, that might have implications for the trial.
East Midlands Railway Has Ordered Hitachi Class 810 Trains For EMR InterCity Services
Class 810 trains are Hitachi’s latest offering, that are tailored for the Midland Main Line.
The trains will have a few differences to the current Class 800,/801/802 trains.
But will they be suitable for conversion to hydrogen power?
Consider.
- The Hitachi trains have a comprehensivecomputer system, that looks at the train and sees what power sources are available and controls the train accordingly.
- Trains have already been ordered in five, seven and nine-car lengths. I have read up to twelve-car trains are possible in normal operation. See Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?
- Hydrogen train designs, with a useful range of several hundred miles between refuelling, seem to need a hydrogen tank, that takes up at least half of a twenty metre long carriage.
- The Hitachi train design has pantographs on the driver cars and can support diesel generator units in the intermediate cars, as it does in current trains.
- The Japanese are researching hydrogen trains.
- The five-car Class 802 trains have 2,100 kW of installed generator power.
I think that Hitachi’s engineers can build another carriage, with the following characteristics.
- It could be based on a Motor Standard car.
- The passenger seats and interior would be removed or redesigned in a shorter space.
- Powered bogies would be as required.
- It would contain a hydrogen tank to give sufficient range.
- Appropriately-sized batteries and fuel-cells would be inside or under the vehicle.
- Regenerative braking would help to recharge the batteries.
- There would probably be no diesel generator unit.
There would need to be a walkway through the car. Stadler have shown this works in the Class 755 train.
A Hydrogen Power car like this would convert a five-car bi-mode diesel-electric train into a six-car hydrogen-electric hybrid train. Or they might just replace one Motor Standard car with the Hydrogen Power Car to create a five-car hydrogen-electric hybrid train, if the longer train would cause problems in the short platforms at St. Pancras.
- The computer system would need to recognise the Hydrogen Power Car and control it accordingly. It would probably be very Plug-and-Play.
- The weight of the train could probably be reduced by removing all diesel generator units.
- The passenger experience would be better without diesel power.
- The range away from the wires would probably be several hundred miles.
The drivers and other staff would probably not need massive retraining.
What Do I Mean By Appropriately-Sized Batteries And Fuel Cells?
I can’t be sure,, but I suspect the following rules and estimates hold.
- The batteries must be large enough to more than hold the kinetic energy of a full five-car train, running at the full speed of 140 mph.
- I estimate that the kinetic energy of the train,will be around 200 kWh, so with a contingency, perhaps battery capacity of between 400-500 kWh would be needed.
- Currently, a 500 kWh battery would weigh five tonnes, which is of a similar weight to one of the diesel generator units, that are no longer needed.
- In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I estimated that the all-electric Class 801 train, needs 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile to maintain 125 mph. This means that travelling at 125 mph for an hour would consume around 2,000 kWh or an output of 2,000 kW from the fuel cell for the hour.
- Note that 1 kg of hydrogen contains 33.33 kWh of usable energy, so the hydrogen to power the train for an hour at 125 mph, will weigh around sixty kilograms.
From my past experience in doing chemical reaction calculations in pressure vessels, I think it makes the concept feasible. After all, it’s not that different to Alstom’s Breeze.
I would assume, that the train manufacturers can do a full calculation, to a much more accurate level.
Applying The Concept To Other Hitachi Trains
Once proven, the concept could be applied to a large number of Hitachi bi-mode trains. I suspect too, that it could be applied to all other Hitachi A-train designs, that are in service or on order, all over the world.
In the UK, this includes Class 385, Class 395 and Class 80x trains.
Bombardier Have Said That They’re Not Interested In Hydrogen Power
But Electrostars and Aventras have the same Plug-and-Play characteristic as the Hitachi train.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find that Bombardier have a Hydrogen Power Car design for an Aventra. All that it needs is an order.
They could also probably convert a five-car Class 377 train to effectively a four-car train, with a Hydrogen Power Car in the middle. This would be ideal for the Uckfield Branch and the Marshlink Lines. I suspect it could be done to meet the timescale imposed by the transfer of the Class 171 trains to East Midlands Railway.
There must be an optimal point, where converting an electric multiple unit, is more affordable to convert to hydrogen, than to add just batteries.
But then everybody has been dithering about the Uckfield and Marshlink trains, since I started this blog!
Stadler Have Shown That a Gangway Through A Power Car Is Acceptable To Passengers In The UK
Stadler’s Class 755 trains seem to be operating without any complaints about the gangway between the two halves of the train.
Stadler Have Two Orders For Hydrogen-Powered Trains
These posts describe them.
- Zillertalbahn Orders Stadler Hydrogen-Powered Trains
- MSU Research Leads To North America’s First Commercial Hydrogen-Powered Train
Stadler also have a substantial order for a fleet of battery Flirt Akku in Schleswig Holstein and they are heavily involved in providing the rolling stock for Merseyrail and the South Wales Metro, where battery-powered trains are part of the solution.
It looks to me, that Stadler have got the technology to satisfy the battery and hydrogen train market.
The Driver’s View Of Stadler
It’s happened to me twice now; in the Netherlands and in the UK.
- Both drivers have talked about hydrogen and Stadler’s trains with the engine in the middle.
- They like the concept of the engine.
- The English driver couldn’t wait to get his hands on the train, when he finished his conversion.
- Both brought up the subject of hydrogen first, which made me think, that Stadler are telling drivers about it.
Or does driving a hydrogen-powered vehicle as your day job, score Greta points in the pub or club after work?
Could The Hydrogen Train On The Midland Main Line Be A Stadler?
Greater Anglia and East Midlands Railway are both controlled by Abellio or Dutch Railways.
In The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen, I laid out what the Dutch are doing to create a hydrogen-based economy in the North of the country.
Stadler are going to provide hydrogen-powered for the plan.
In addition.
- Greater Anglia have bought a lot of Class 755 trains.
- A lot of Lincolnshire and Norfolk is similar to the North of the Netherlands; flat and windy.
- One of these trains with a hydrogen PowerPack, could be an ideal train for demonstrating hydrogen on rural routes like Peterborough and Doncaster via Lincoln.
But the promise was on the Midland Main Line?
Conclusion
Hydrogen trains seem to be taking off!
Even if there’s been no news about the trial on the Midland Main Line.
The Missing Link At St. Pancras Station
This picture was taken inside St. Pancras station.
I was standing in front of the glass security wall, towards the East (Kings Cross) side of the station.
On the British Library side of the station it is possible to walk along to the four platforms for East Midlands Railway trains.
I wonder why, there isn’t a link down the Kings Cross side of the station, so that it would be possible to walk from the front of the station to the Souyjeastern HighSpeed commuter routes.
Bombardier And Hitachi Come Up With Similar Car Lengths
In an article in the October 2019 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled EMR Kicks Off New Era, more details of the new Hitachi bi-mode trains for East Midlands Railway are given.
This is said.
The first train is required to be available for testing in December 2021 with service entry between April and December 2022.
The EMR bi-modes will be able to run at 125 mph in diesel mode, matching Meridian performance in a step-up from the capabilities of the existing Class 80x units in service with other franchises. They will have 24 metre vehicles (rather than 26 metres), a slightly different nose to the ‘800s’ and ‘802s’, and will have four diesel engines rather than three.
I will examine this extract further.
Car Length
If you look at Bombardier’s Class 720 train, the five-car trains are 122 metres long, giving a 24 metre car length.
The ten car Class 720 train is 243 metres long, which is a similar length to three Class 360 trains running as a twelve-car train and only a few metres longer than three Class 321 trains running together.
This must be good for Greater Anglia’s train renewal, as it will minimise expensive platform lengthening.
It looks to me, that two of the new EMR InterCity trains running as a pair will be of a similar length to a twelve-car formation of Class 360 trains.
Consider.
- As trains for EMR InterCity and EMR Electrics will share platforms at some stations, platform lengthening will again be minimised.
- If you divide 240 by 10, you usually get the same answer of 24.
- But if 26 metre cars were to be used, a nine-car EMR bi-mode would be 234 meres long. and two five-car trains working together would be 260 metres long.
- Twelve-car Class 700 trains are 242.6 metres long.
These points lead me to believe that 24 metre cars are a better length for the Hitachi trains as ten-car formations are the same length as twelve-car formations of many of the UK’s older multiple units.
Maximum Speed On Diesel
Consider.
- Various places on the Internet say that the maximum speed on diesel of a Class 800 train is 118 mph.
- Maximum speed of a train is probably more determined by the aerodynamic drag of the train, which is proportional to the square of the speed.
- So if a Class 800 train needs 3 * 560 kW to maintain 118 mph, it will need 1885 kW or 12.2 percent more power to maintain 125 mph
- A fourth 560 kW diesel engine will add 33.3 percent more power.
This rough calculation shows that a fourth engine will allow the train to more than attain and hold 125 mph on the same track where a Class 800 train can hold 118 mph.
But adding a fourth engine is a bit of a crude solution.
- It will add more dead weight to the train.
- It will be useful when accelerating the train, but probably not necessary.
- It will add more noise under the train. Especially, if four cars had engines underneath.
- It could cause overheating problems, which have been reported on the current trains.
I’ll return to this later.
Aerodynamics
Power required to maintain 125 mph can be reduced in another much more subtle way; by improving the aerodynamics.
- I have stood on a platform, as an Aventra has silently passed at speed. It is very quiet, indicating that the aerodynamics are good.
- But then Bombardier are an aerospace company as well as a train builder.
I’ve no idea if a Bombardier Class 720 train has less aerodynamic drag, than a Hitachi Class 800 train, but I’m sure that aerodynamic wizards from Formula One could improve the aerodynamics of the average modern train.
Could better aerodynamics explain why the EMR InterCity bi-modes are stated to have a different nose?
Look at the noses on these Spanish High Speed trains, which were built by Talgo!
Are they more aerodynamic? Do they exert a higher down-force making the train more stable?
They certainly are different and they obviously work., as these are very fast trains.
Incidentally, these trains, are nicknamed pato in Spanish, which means duck in English.
Aerodynamic drag is proportional to a drag coefficient for the object and the square of the speed.
Let’s assume the following.
- The drag coefficient for the current train is d.
- The drag coefficient for the train with the aerodynamic nose is a.
- The terminal velocity of the train with the aerodynamic nose is v.
If the current Class 800 train travels at 118 mph on full power of 1680 kW, what speed would the train with an improved aerodynamic nose do on the same power, for various values of a?
If the new nose gives a five percent reduction in aerodynamic drag, then a = 0.95 * d, then the maximum speed of the train will be given by this formula
d * 118 * 118 = .0.95 * d * v* v
Solving this gives a speed of 121 mph.
Completing the table, I get the following.
- A one percent reduction in drag gives 119 mph
- A two percent reduction in drag gives 119 mph
- A three percent reduction in drag gives 120 mph
- A four percent reduction in drag gives 120 mph
- A five percent reduction in drag gives 121 mph
- A six percent reduction in drag gives 122 mph
- A seven percent reduction in drag gives 122 mph
- An eight percent reduction in drag gives 123 mph
- A nine percent reduction in drag gives 124 mph
- A ten percent reduction in drag gives 124 mph
- An eleven percent reduction in drag gives 125 mph
I can certainly understand why Talgo have developed the duck-like nose.
The conclusion is that if you can achieve an eleven percent reduction in drag over the current train, then with the same installed power can raise the speed from 118 mph to 125 mph.
Why Have A Fourth Engine?
If aerodynamics can make a major contribution to the increase in speed under diesel, why add a fourth engine?
- It might be better to fit four slightly smaller engines to obtain the same power.
- It might be better to put a pair of engines under two cars, rather than a single engine under four cars, as pairs of engines might share ancillaries like cooling systems.
- Extra power might be needed for acceleration.
- Four engines gives a level of redundancy, if only three are needed to power the train.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out, that Hitachi are having a major rethink in the traction department.
Will The Trains Have Regenerative Braking To Batteries?
I would be very surprised if they don’t, as it’s the only sensible way to do regenerative braking on diesel power.
Will The Trains Be Built Around An MTU Hybrid PowerPack?
This or something like it from Hitachi’s diesel engine supplier; MTU, is certainly a possibility and it would surely mean someone else is responsible for all the tricky software development.
It would give the following.
- Regenersative braking to batteries.
- Appropriate power.
- Easier design and manufacture.
- MTU would probably produce the sophisticated power control system for the train.
- MTU could probably produce a twin-engined PowerPack
Rolls Royce MTU and Hitachi would all add to the perception of the train.
I would rate Hitachi using MTU Hybrid PowerPacks quite likely!
Would Two Pairs Of Engines Be Better?
The current formation of a five-car Class 800 train is as follows.
DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF
Note.
- Both driver cars are trailers.
- The middle three cars all have generators, that are rated at 560 kW for a Class 800 train and 700 kW for a Class 802 train.
- Take a trip between Paddington and Oxford and you can feel the engines underneath the floor.
- The engines seem to be reasonably well insulated from the passenger cabin.
The system works, but could it be improved.
If I’m right about the aerodynamic gains that could be possible, then it may be possible to cruise at 125 mph using a power of somewhere around 1,800 kW or four diesel generators of 450 kW each.
Putting a diesel generator in four cars, would mean one of the driver cars would receive an engine, which might upset the balance of the train.
But putting say two diesel generators in car 2 and car 4 could have advantages.
- A Class 800 train has a fuel capacity of 1,300 litres, which weighs 11.06 tonnes. and is held in three tanks. Would train dynamics be better with two larger tanks in car 2 and 4?
- Could other ancillaries like cooling systems be shared between the two engines?
- Could a substantial battery pack be placed underneath car 3, which now has no engine and no fuel tank?
- As the engines are smaller will they be easier to isolate from the cabin?
The only problem would be fitting two generators underneath the shorter 24 metre car.
What size of battery could be fitted in car 3?
- According to this datasheet on the MTU web site, the engine weighs between five and six tonnes.
- I think this weight doesn’t include the generator and the cooling systems.
- Removing the fuel tank would save 3.7 tonnes
I suspect that a ten tonne battery could replace the diesel engine and its support systems in car 3..
On current battery energy densities that would be a battery of around 1000 kWh.
In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I estimates that an electric Class 801 train needs 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile to maintain 125 mph.
This would give a range of almost sixty miles on battery power.
The battery would also enable.
- Regenerative braking to batteries, which saves energy at station stops.
- Diesel engines would not need to be run in stations or sensitive areas.
- Battery power could be used to boost acceleration and save diesel fuel.
You can almost think of the battery as an auxiliary engine powered by electrification and regenerative braking, that can also be topped up from the diesel generators.
It should also be noted, that by the time these trains enter service, the Midland Main Line will be electrified as far as Kettering and possibly Market Harborough.
This will enable the following.
- Trains will leave the electrification going North with a full battery.
- As Nottingham is less than sixty miles from Kettering and the trains will certainly have regeneratinve braking, I would not be surprised to see Northbound services to Nottingham being almost zero-carbon.
- A charging station at Nottingham would enable Southbound services to reach the electrification, thus making these services almost zero-carbon.
- Trains would be able to travel between Derby and Chesterfield, which is only 23 miles, through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills, on battery power.
- Corby and Melton Mowbray are just 26 miles apart, so the bi-mode trains could run a zero-carbon service to Oakham and Melton Mowbray.
- Trains could also run between Corby and Leicester on battery power.
- If and when the Northern end of the route is electrified between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction in conjunction with High Speed Two, the electrification gap between Clay Cross North Junction and Market Harborough will be under seventy miles, so the trains should be able to be almost zero carbon between London and Sheffield.
It does appear that if a battery the same weight as a diesel generator, fuel tank and ancillaries is placed in the middle car, the services on the Midland Main Line will be substantially zero-carbon.
What Would Be The Size Of |The Diesel Engines?
If the battery can be considered like a fifth auxiliary engine, I would suspect that the engines could be much smaller than the 560 kWh units in a Class 800 train.
Improved aerodynamics would also reduce the power needed to maintain 125 mph.
There would also be other advantages to having smaller engines.
- There would be less weight to accelerate and lug around.
- The noise from smaller engines would be easier to insulate from passengers.
- Engines could be used selectively according to the train load.
- Engines might be less prone to overheating.
The mathematics and economics will decide the actual size of the four engines.
Earlier, I estimated that a 10-11 % decrease in the trains aerodynamic drag could enable 124-5 mph with 1680 kW.
So if this power was provided by four engines instead of three, they would be 420 kW engines.
Conclusion
The Hitachi bi-modes for East Midlands Railway will be very different trains, to their current Class 80x trains.
Corby Class 360/1s Earmarked For 110 mph Running
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article on Page 10 of Issue 886 of Rail Magazine.
In Are Class 360 Trains Suitable For St. Pancras And Corby?, I came to this conclusion.
In my view there is a lot of upgrade work to be done to the Class 360 trains to make them suitable for working on the services between St. Pancras and Corby.
- They need a new upgraded interior.
- The trains need upgrading to at least 110 mph.
- A possible upgrading with digital signalling.
I can’t help feeling that the Class 360 trains would make a good stop-gap, but in the long-term it might be better to have a small fleet of electric trains.
The Rail Magazine article says the following will be done.
- Trains will be upgraded for 110 mph running.
- 3+2 seating will be replaced by 2+2 seating.
- Wi-fi, tables and updated information screens will be added.
This all sounds a lot better.
Are Class 360 Trains Suitable For St. Pancras And Corby?
It appears that East Midlands Railway will be using Class 360 trains on the route between St. Pancras and Corby stations running them under the branch name of EMR Electrics.
The London And St. Pancras Route
The route has the following characteristics.
- It is just short of 80 miles long.
- The current Class 222 trains take one hour and fifteen minutes for the journey.
- This means these trains have a start to stop average at 64 mph.
- Much of the route is cleared for 125 mph running.
- The route is being made a complete double track.
- The whole route is being electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
In December 2020, the route will host a new electric service.
East Midlands Railway’s Train Specification For The Route
This page on the Department for Transport web site is an interactive map of the Abellio’s promises for East Midlands Railway.
These features are mentioned for Midland Main Line services to Corby.
- Increased capacity
- Twelve-car trains in the Peak.
- More reliable service
- Improved comfort
- Passenger information system
- Free on-board Wi-Fi
- At-seat power sockets
- USB points
- Air conditioning
- Tables at all seats
- Increased luggage space
- On-board cycle storage
What more could passengers want?
How Well Do Class 360 Trains Fit The Specification?
These are a few pictures of a Class 360 train, which I took today.
Some problems and strengths are immediately obvious.
- There are no tables.
- Will two+three seating e acceptable, considering that the current trains on the route have two+two seating.
- There is no space for bicycles.
- There are no luggage racks, which will be needed as the Corby service will also double as a service to Luton Airport.
- The trains are in reasonably good condition.
- There ia a fully-accessible toilet.
A lot of work will need to be done to update the interior of the trains to a standard, that fits East Midland Railway’s specification and their customers expectations.
But there is a full twelve months before the trains will be needed to run on the newly electrified route between St. Pancras and Corby stations.
This may seem enough time, but many current train refurbishment projects are running late.
Is The Performance Of Class 360 Trains Good Enough?
The current Class 222 trains have the following performance.
- 125 mph maximum speed.
- An acceleration rate of 0.80 m/sec/sec
By comparison the Class 360 trains have the following performance.
- 100 mph maximum speed.
- An acceleration rate of 0.98 m/sec/sec.
Given that much of the route between St. Pancras and Corby stastions will be constructed for 125 mph running, will the top speed of the Class 360 trains be high enough?
Will The Class 360 Trains And The Hitachi AT-300 Bi-Modes Be Compatible?
East Midlands Railway has ordered thirty-three AT-300 bi-modes, which will be able to run at 125 mph on the fully-electrified Midland Main Line to the South of Market Hsrborough station.
As thetwo trains will share the fast lines, with the Class 360 trains, will there be conflicts, as the Class 360 trains are only capable of 100 mph?
Ideally, the Class 360 trains should be upgraded to their highest speed possible.
Some of similar Class 350 trains are capable of 110 mph.
This could be enough, but surely for ease of operation, all of East Midlands Railway’s services into St. Pancras should be run by trains capable of running at 125 mph.
Will The Class 360 Trains Need Digital Signalling?
The Hitachi AT-300 trains will probably be able to run using digital signalling, which could be a valuable way of creating more paths on the Midland Main Line.
So will the Class 3560 trains be fitted with digital signalling?
Conclusion
In my view there is a lot of upgrade work to be done to the Class 360 trains to make them suitable for working on the services between St. Pancras and Corby.
- They need a new upgraded interior.
- The trains need upgrading to at least 110 mph.
- A possible upgrading with digital signalling.
I can’t help feeling that the Class 360 trains would make a good stop-gap, but in the long-term it might be better to have a small fleet of electric trains.
Electric AT-300 trains must be one of the favourites, although Class 745 trains, similar to those that Abellio will run between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, would do nicely.
East Midlands Railway Announces Three Brands
The title if this article is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is a quote about their electric trains to Corby, which will run under the brand name of EMR Electrics.
EMR said that once various developments had been completed, passengers would be able to reach the terminal at Luton Airport in ‘a little under half an hour’ from central London.
Currently, the fastest services going to between St. Pancras and Luton Airport Parkway stations take twenty-four minutes using 125 mph Class 222 trains with Luton Airport Parkway as the first stop.
Thameslink using 100 mph Class 700 trains take 30 minutes and more!
I question, whether the 100 mph Class 360 trains, running with Luton Airport Parkway as the first stop, can do the trip in the 24-26 minutes to get to the terminal in under half an hour, even with Luton Airport’s DART shuttle train working!
In Are Class 360 Trains Suitable For St. Pancras And Corby?, I looked at Class 360 trains running the service between St. Pancras and Corby stations.
I came to this conclusion.
In my view there is a lot of upgrade work to be done to the Class 360 trains to make them suitable for working on the services between St. Pancras and Corby.
- They need a new upgraded interior.
- The trains need upgrading to at least 110 mph.
- A possible upgrading with digital signalling.
I can’t help feeling that the Class 360 trains would make a good stop-gap, but in the long-term it might be better to have a small fleet of electric trains.
Electric AT-300 trains must be one of the favourites, although Class 745 trains, similar to those that Abellio will run between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport, would do nicely.
So will East Midlands Railway have updated and faster Class 360 trains or will they be bringing in 125 mph trains to hit the required schedule to Luton Airport Parkway?
Conclusion
Luton Airport will have a real Airport Express!
But will the Class 360 trains, be able to deliver it? I have my doubts!
Little Has Been Said About East Midlands Railway’s Promised Hydrogen Trains
In their proposal for the East Midlands franchise, Abellio said that they would trial hydrogen-powered trains on the Midland Main Line.
But little has been heard of this promise since winning the franchise.
So where could the franchise use hydrogen-powered trains on the Midland Main Line?
Extending Corby Trains To Oakham And Melton Mowbray
This is a distance of under thirty miles, so it would probably be within range of a well-designed hybrid battery-hydrogen-electric train.
- Refuelling with hydrogen could be at Corby or Melton Mowbray stations.
- Trains would be 240 metres long.
- In addition batteries would be charged between St. Pancras and Corby stations.
- Trains would run at 125 mph for much of the route between St. Pancras and Corby.
- Hydrogen power would be used as a top-up between Corby and Melton Mowbray if required.
The service could even go further and turn back at Leicester.
Perhaps one train per hour (tph) of the two Corby services could be extended.
Non-Stop London To Leicester Trains
The Midland Main Line will be electrified as far as Market Harborough, so there would be under twenty miles without electrification on the route between St. Pancras and Leicester stations.
- Trains would run at 125 mph for much of the route between St. Pancras and Leicester.
- Refuelling could be at Leicester.
- To publicise the service, it might be best to run two tph non-stop.
- Perhaps the only stop would be Luton Airport Parkway, as the Airport wants more fast services.
As with the Corby Extension service, it wouldn’t require a great deal of running on hydrogen.
Why Not Run A Loop From London?
If the Corby Extension service went as far as Leicester it would approach the station from the North, whereas the London service would approach from the South.
So why not run the services back-to-back?
- There could be two tph in each direction.
- There could be a longer stop at Leicester to take on hydrogen.
- Stops could include Luton Airport Parkway in both directions, to give the Airport four tph to and from London and Leicester.
- There might also be the possibility of an improved station at Syston, which is to the North-East of Leicester.
It wouldn’t need any new platforms or other infrastructure, except for the hydrogen filling station at Leicester and the possible improvements at Syston.
It would deliver high speed hydrogen-powered trains to Leicester at a frequency of two tph direct and two trph via Corby.
It would fit Luton Airport’s ambitions as I outlined in Luton Trains Its Eye On Sub 30-Minute Express.
What would that do for the prestige of the Leicester and the ambitions of Luton Airport?
Who Would Build The Trains?
These are my thoughts.
- Alston have the technology, but do they have the train?
- Bombardier have stated they are not interested in hydrogen.
- CAF have the train and the battery technology, but do they have the hydrogen technology?
- Hitachi have the train, but do they have the battery and hydrogen technology?
- Stadler have the train and the battery technology, but do they have the hydrogen technology?
I have heard rumours they are pushing hydrogen technology and also that their PowerPack concept works at 125 mph, so I suspect that Stadler are as likely as any to produce a working high speed hybrid hydrogen train.
But they will have several dozen trains working in the UK in a year or so.
They are not to be underestimated.
But then the prize for successfully running a 200 kph or 125 mph zero-carbon train will be immense, and this will not be lost on the train builders.
Or East Midlands Railway for that matter!
The first person, who does something is always remembered!
Losers come second!
Are East Midlands Railway Jumping The Gun?
The pictures show the Class 222 train, that I rode from Sheffield to London, after my trip to Huddersfield
I thought East Midlands Railway don’t take over the franchise until the 18th of August!
I suppose it’s only an interim livery.
South Lincolnshire, West Norfolk And The North Netherlands
These three areas are very similar.
This sentence comes from the Wikipedia entry for The Fens, which are found where Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Norfolk come together.
Most of the Fenland lies within a few metres of sea level. As with similar areas in the Netherlands, much of the Fenland originally consisted of fresh- or salt-water wetlands. These have been artificially drained and continue to be protected from floods by drainage banks and pumps.
I have heard it said, that The Fens owe a lot of their landscape to the Dutch, as it was the Dutch, who originally had a lot to do with draining the land.
It should also be noted, that one of the most famous people from the area is Commander George Vancouver of the Royal Navy, who was the son of John Jasper Vancouver, a Dutch-born deputy collector of customs in King’s Lynn. He gave his name to the Canadian city of Vancouver.
The Dutch have returned in that two of the three rail franchises in the area, are under the control of the Dutch company; Abellio; Greater Anglia (GA) and East Midlands Railway (EMR).
Current and future services through the area include.
- GA – Stansted Airport and Norwich via Ely and Cambridge
- GA – Liverpool Street and King’s Lynn via Ely and Cambridge
- GA – Colchester and Peterborough via Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Ely
- EMR – Norwich and Nottingham
- EMR – Peterborough and Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln
- EMR – Nottingham and Skegness via Grantham, Sleaford and Boston
- CrossCountry – Birmingham and Stansted Airport via Peterborough, Cambridge and Ely.
- Great Northern – King’s Cross and King’s Lynn via Ely and Cambridge
- Thameslink – King’s Cross and Peterborough
- Thameslink – King’s Cross and Cambridge
Note.
Most services are hourly, with some London services at a higher frequency.
- EMR are planning to increase certain early, late and Sunday services, so there may be improvements.
- GA are planning to introduce new Class 755 trains pn diesel services and new Class 720 trains on electric services.
- The Ely, Cambridge North and Cambridge corridor can have a frequency as high as eight trains per hour (tph)
Will EMR and GA work together to improve services in the area they jointly serve?
These are a few of my thoughts.
A Look At The North Of The Netherlands
In The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands, I looked at what the Dutch are doing in the North of the country, near to the city of Groningen.
- Groningen is a city of around 200,000 people and a major rail hub, with services fanning out through the flat landscape.
- The trains are mainly Stadler GTWs, which are the forerunners of GA’s Class 755 trains.
- The Dutch are developing a hydrogen-based economy in the area, which I described in The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen.
Are Abellio looking to bring some of the ideas from the Netherlands to the UK?
I think to a certain extent, we’re going the same way. For instance, in the North of Lincolnshire a lot of development is going on to develop an energy economy based on offshore wind and energy storage.
The Cambridge Effect
Cambridge effects the whole of the area, in its demand for housing and premises for research, development and manufacture.
The Cambridge And Peterborough Problem
I used to play tennis, with a guy, who was promoting Peterborough as an expansion area for Cambridge. Peterborough is a city, with space and good connections to London and the North, by rail and the A1 road.
,But the problem is that the road and rail links between the two cities are atrocious, with a two-lane dual-carriageway and an hourly three-car diesel train.
It is my view, that the gap in the electrification between Ely and Peterborough should eventually be removed.
- The land is flat.
- The route is thirty miles long.
- The route was recently upgraded to take the largest container trains, so electrification, surely wouldn’t be too difficult.
- The biggest problem would probably be dealing with the numerous level crossings.
Electrification would allow.
- More frequent and faster passenger trains between Cambridge, Ely and Peterborough.
- Freight trains between Felixstowe and the North would be easier to haul using electro-diesel locomotives like the Class 88 and Class 93.
- It would create an electrified diversion route for trains on the East Coast Main Line.
After electrification, it would be possible to have a much-needed four tph service between Cambridge and Peterbough with stops at Cambridge North, Waterbeach, Ely, Manea, March and Whittlesea.
- Cambridge and Peterborough sstations both have several platforms, that could be used to terminate extra services.
- The service could be extended to Cambridge South station, when that is built in a few years.
GA’s Class 755 trains could even provide the service without electrification.
What About Wisbech?
Wisbech is a town of 33,000 people without a passenger rail link.
But it does have the Bramley Line.
This is the introductory paragraph in Wikipedia.
The Bramley Line is a railway line between March and Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, England. A number of proposals are currently being investigated relating to the possible restoration of passenger services along the route.
The Association of Train Operating Companies and various politicians have supported creating a passenger service between Wisbech and Cambridge via March and Ely.
The service could be as follows.
It would use an existing single-track line, which would probably just need upgrading.
- Cambridge and Wisbech would take around forty-five minutes.
- A train would take two hours for the round trip.
- An hourly service would take two trains.
What is useful, is that the length of the branch line is short enough, that it may be possible to be run the service using One Train Working.
Improvements Between Cambridge And King’s Lynn
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Work On £27m East of England Upgrades Set To Begin.
It lists the work to be done and the benefit in these two paragraphs.
The upgrades, between Cambridge and King’s Lynn, will include two platform extensions at Waterbeach and a platform extension at Littleport.
This will allow the introduction of eight-car services during peak times, providing passengers with more seats and a better experience.
The works will certainly add capacity for commuters to and from Cambridge and London.
Will the upgrade at Waterbeach station allow Greater Anglia’s four-car Class 755 trains to call.?
There is a section in the Wikipedia entry for Waterbeach station, which is entitled Future Plans, where this is said.
Plans to develop a New Town of 8,000 to 9,000 homes on the former Waterbeach Barracks site have been outlined by South Cambridgeshire District Council. As part of the proposal, there are plans to relocate the station to a new site and extend the platforms to accommodate 12 car trains.
This is more housing for Cambridge and I’m sure that the promised Norwich and Stansted Airport service will call.
Will Services Be Joined Back-To-Back At Peterborough?
Train companies sometimes find that joining two services together in a busy station is a good idea.
- It may use less trains and drivers.
- It uses a through platform rather than two bay platforms.
- Trains could be turned in a more convenient station.
A proportion of passengers don’t have to change trains.
Note.
- |East Midlands Railway are joining the Doncaster and Lincoln, and Lincoln and Peterborough services into one service.
- Greater Anglia are extending the Peterborough and Ipswich service to Manningtree.
- Greater Anglia are extending the Norwich and Cambridge service to Stansted Airport.
But East Midlands Railway are also splitting the Norwich and Liverpool service into two.
These are the services that are planned to terminate at Peterborough.
- Peterborough and Colchester via Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Ely
- Peterborough and Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln
As I said earlier, I would’ve be surprised to see extra Cambridge and Peterborough services to increase capacity between the two cities.
Current timings of the various sections are as follows.
- Peterborough and Lincoln – one hour and twenty-three minutes
- Lincoln and Doncaster – fifty-four minutes
- Peterborough and Ipswich – one hour and thirty-nine minutes
- Ipswich and Colchester – nineteen minutes
- Peterborough and Cambridge – fifty minutes
Adding up 3 and 4 gives a Colchester and Peterborough timing of one hour and fifty-eight minutes. But the new Class 755 trains are faster and will be running at full speed on electrification for sections of the journey.
With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under four hours. This would mean that four trains would be needed for an hourly service.
Adding up 1 and 2 gives a Peterborough and Doncaster timing of two hours and seventeen minutes.
With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under five hours. This would mean that five trains would be needed for an hourly service.
Could these two services be run back-to-back to create a Colchester and Doncaster service?
It would take four hours and fifteen minutes or nine hours for a round trip. This would mean that nine trains would be needed for an hourly service.
This is the same number of trains that would be needed for the two separate services.
The two companies might decide to run a joint service, but!
- In whose colours would the train run?
- Would there be crewing difficulties?
- If a train fails, it would probably be a long way from home.
- It has been felt sensible to split the five hour and thirty-five minute Norwich and Liverpool services.
Would it be possible to run a service between Cambridge and Lincoln?
- Adding up 1 and 5 gives a timing of two hours and thirteen minutes.
- With the turnround at both ends, a round trip would be under five hours.
- This would mean that five trains would be needed for an hourly service.
It would be possible, but would the convenience attract enough passengers to make the service viable?
Would It Be Worth Reinstating March And Spalding?
There used to be a railway between March and Spalding.
Wikipedia says this about the closure of the route.
When the line closed between March and Spalding in 1982,[3] freight traffic was diverted through Peterborough station instead of cutting across the western edge of the Fens to avoid the line through Peterborough station
Some have called for the route to be reinstated to enable freight trains to by-pass Peterborough, when travelling between Felixstowe and the route to the North through Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster.
- It is not a long route.
- It could provide a passenger route between Cambridge and Lincoln.
I suspect that Network Rail looked at this scheme as an alternative to the Werrington Dive Under, which has been costed at £200 million.
Wikipedia says this about the Werrington Dive Under.
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. 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.
A thirty-three percent capacity increase seems a powerful reason to build the Werrington Dive Under.
Would it also enable a faster route for trains between King’s Cross and Lincoln?
As to whether the direct route between March and Spalding will ever be reinstated, this will surely depend on several factors.
- The number of freight trains needing to go between Felixstowe and Doncaster.
- The maximum number of freight trains, that can use the freight route, through Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
- Whether a passenger service on the route is worthwhile.
There are also protests about the number of freight trains already using the route.
I can see the capacity of the freight route being increased and the route being made a more friendly neighbour, after the opening of the Werrington Dive Under.
- Level crossings will be replaced by bridges.
- Adoption of zero-carbon locomotives.
- Installation of noise-reduction measures.
The line might even be electrified.
Peterborough After Werrington
If we assume that the services stay as currently proposed, the following trains will stop at Peterborough on their way to either Cambridge or Lincoln.
- GA – Peterborough and Ipswich or Colchester – Platform 6
- EMR – Peterborough and Lincoln or Doncaster- Platform 1 or 2
- EMR- Norwich and Nottingham – Platform 7
- EMR- Nottingham and Norwich – Platform 6
- CrossCountry – Stansted Airport and Birmingham – Platform 7
- CrossCountry – Birmingham and Stansted Airport- Platform 6
Note.
- Trains going to Cambridge use Platform 6.
- Trains coming from Cambridge use Platform 7
- The Ipswich or in the future; Colchester service uses Platform 6 to turnback.
- The Lincoln or in the future; Doncaster service uses Platform 1 or 2 to turnback.
- Platform 6 and 7 is a new island platform with direct access to the Stamford Lines and the tracks in the Werrington Dive Under that connect to Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
This means that after the Werrington Dive Under opens in a couple of years, the Peterborough and Doncaster service will stop in the wrong side of the station.
So it is likely, that Doncaster services will continue from the Werrington Dive Under into Platform 6 or 7 in Peterborough station.
As the Colchester service will probably still turnback in Platform 6 could we see the Doncaster and Colchester services timed to be in the island platform 6 & 7 at the same time.
Passengers would just walk a few metres between the two trains.
This Google Map shows the lines South of the station.
The Peterborough-Ely Line can be seen running East-West, to the South of the River Nene and then going under the East oast Main Line, before connecting to Platforms 6 and 7 on the West side of the station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note the three island platforms, which are numbered 6 & 7, 4 & 5 and 2 & 3 from West to East.
The Wikipedia entry for Peterborough station, says this about Platforms 6 & 7.
Platforms 6 & 7: These new platforms were commissioned over the Christmas break 2013, and are now used by CrossCountry services between Stansted Airport/Cambridge via Ely and Birmingham New Street via Leicester; East Midlands Trains services between Norwich and Liverpool; and Greater Anglia services to Ipswich.
North from Peterborough station and just South of the site of the Werrington Dive Under is the Cock Lane Bridge. I took these pictures in November 2018.
Note the three fast lines of the East Coast Main Line on the Eastern side and the two Stamford Lines on the Western side.
Just North of thie bridge, the Stamford Lines will split and trains will be able to continue to Stamford or cross under the East Coast Main Line towards Lincoln.
As there is a loop for freight trains through Peterborough station, the Werrington Dive Under will be able to handle sufficient trains.
Conclusion
The layout of Peterborouh station and the Werrington Dive Under will give Abellio a lot of flexibility to improve services in South Lincolnshire and West Norfolk.
Network Rail gets a lot of criticism, but you can’t fault the design and what lies behind it, in this instant!
The Anonymous Widower 