Is Cambridge University Being Pragmatic About The East West Rail Link?
I must admit, I was a bit surprised, when it was announced in this article in Global Rail News, that the East West Rail Link would go via Sandy between Bedford and Cambridge. This is said.
Network Rail has selected the Bedford-Sandy-Cambridge corridor as its preferred route for the Central Section of the East West Rail project.
The preferred route was chosen from 20 options and will now be developed further with a view to producing a ‘line on a map’ route in May.
They also show this map.
East West Rail Link
Various other articles suggest that the route will also be via Bourne Airfield and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
I have traced the old route of the Varsity Line and very little seems to have been built on the route of the old line. Much too, seems to be on flat Cambridgeshire farmland and farmers are usually easily persuaded by alternative and profitable land uses.
The big problem is the old line is used as the track for the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory‘s Ryle Telescope. I’ve heard several times from astronomers in Cambridge was that it is very important and it was the major reason, why the railway line couldn’t be rebuilt on the old track-bed.
I do wonder, if Cambridge University values a direct link to Oxford highly and that as the Ryle Telescope is getting quite old, that it is better value to move it to allow the railway to be built.
A Quick Look At The Route
I’m starting at the Cambridge end and going East, as that is the area I know better.
The Varsity Line In Cambridge
This Google Map shows how the old Varsity Line connected to Cambridge station.
The Varsity Line In Cambridge
Note how the M11 curves to the West of Cambridge. You will notice, that there is a sandy coloured line going West from the motorway, which starts at the second blue market by the kite-shaped field, that identifies the road on the map. This is the disused trackbed of the Varsity Line and after passing under the motorway, through some housing in a cutting and under another road, it turns North to join the main Cambridge to London Rail Line.
Cambridge station is in the North-East corner of the map.
Cambridge Station
This Google Map shows Cambridge station and the rail lines going South from the station.
Note how after going under the bridge at the South End of Cambridge station, the main rail line goes off in a southerly direction pass the sports ground and then under the A1134.
Branching off from this rail line and going slightly to the West, there appears to be a second rail line. This is the trackbed of the Varsity Line, which has been converted into the Cambridge Guided Busway.
Cambridge station is a very busy station and has recently been upgraded with a long pair of island platforms and it is going to get even busier with Cambridge North station opening soon and Thameslink services due to call in a few years time.
The opening of Cambridge North station, may ease access to Cambridge station, as those living in or to the North of Cambridge, will be able to use the second station.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital
I have believed for many years, that there needs to be a Cambridge South station at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. This is the view of many in Cambridge and the surrounding areas.
This Google Map shows Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the land to the West.
In addition to being a large general hospital, Addenbrooke’s is surrounded by major research institutions as the map shows.
It is generally sited to the East of the main railway line between Cambridge and London, which runs North-South down the map, with Cambridge station to the North and the junction where the Cambridge Line to Hitchin and the West Anglia Main Line divide just off the map to the South. The diagonal line to the South-West corner of the map, is the route of the Varsity Line, which has been partially reused for the Cambridge Guided Busway.
But there appears to be plenty of space to build a station for the hospital, which would be on both the main line and the East West Rail Link.
There is scope and space on this site to create a truly world-class station.
- It would serve the hospital.
- It would provide services on the West Anglia Main Line to London, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Kings Lynn and Stansted Airport.
- Thameslink would provide services to all parts of London and many places in the South like Gatwick Airport.
- The East West Rail Link would provide services to Bedford, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Oxford and Reading.
- Cross country services would call, but would passengers use the East West Rail Link and a change at Beford or Milton Keynes?
- Would the station be connected to Haverhill and Sudbury, by reopening the Stour Valley Railway? This would give Essex good access to the East West Rail Link.
I think that a truly bold station will take the pressure of the current Cambridge station, which is squeezed into the centre of the city.
The Mullard Observatory
The next section West of Cambridge and the M11 is currently the Mullard Observatory.
This Google Map shows the area.
Mullard Observatory
The telescopes seem to be clustered to the north of the track in a triangular grouping around the middle. They used to be strung out along the line. So perhaps, the astronomers don’t need it any more, as their research has moved in a different direction.
Bourne And Gamlingay
From the Observatory, the old line is more or less intact and it curves to the South of Bourne Golf Club and through the village of Gamlingay, which used to have a station. An industrial estate has been built on the trackbed.
A more northerly route could also be taken, if it was desired to have a station to serve Cambourne.
There is certainly a lot of open countryside and a couple of sizeable villages, that could benefit from a station.
Potton
The line then goes on to Potton, where this Google Map shows the village, which had a station.
Potton
The green scar of the line can be seen, as it curves around the North-West of the village. I wonder if York House was the station.
Sandy
After Potton, the line goes through the countryside to Sandy, where the old Varsity Line came alongside the East Coast Main Line through Sandy station, before crossing the main line.
This Google Map shows the area.
Sandy, The East Coast Main Line And The Varsity Line
Sandy station is towards the top of the map and you can just see how the old line curves around the headquarters of the RSPB.
One possibility in this area, is that there are proposals for a Sandy-Beeston by-pass on the A1, to remove a bottleneck. Surely, if the routes of the by-pass and the railway were considered together, planners might come up with a superior solution.
Bedford
The original route went via stations at Blunham, Willington and Bedford St. Johns and it still shows on the Google Map.
This Google Map shows the route as it joins the East West Rail Link at Bedford St. Johns station, which is on the Marston Vale Line, which is being incorporated into the East West Rail Link, to form the link between Bedford and Bletchley.
Bedford St Johns Station And The East West Rail Link
Note the green scar going between the bus garage (?) and the retail warehouses to the East. This was the old Varsity Line to Sandy.
If it were to be connected directly to the Marston Vale Line as it originally used to be, not all traffic would need to go to Bedford station.
Questions
I have some questions.
- How many of the old stations at Gamlingay, Potton, Blunham and Willington will be rebuilt?
- Will a more northerly alternative route from the Mullard Observatory to Sandy be better?
- Will there be a station at Sandy to link the East West Rail Link to the East Coast Main Line?
- Will a route be safeguarded to reopen the Stour Valley Line to Haverhill and Sudbury in the future?
Hopefully, these and other questions will be answered, when the definitive route is published.
Conclusions
After writing this, I’m surprised how much of the original line can be reinstated.
Certain factors have helped.
- The desire of Cambridge to have a station at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
- A change in direction of the research at the Mullard Observatory or a pragmatic attitude on the part of the University.
- The need to build a bypass on the A1 at Sandy and Beeston.
- The ability to thread the railway through Bedford to link up with the Marston Vale Line.
I doubt there’ll be too much demolition of domestic properties or opposition to the route.
I also think, it will be pretty easy to build, as there don’t appear to be many bridges and viaducts.
How Would IPEMUs Fit With The East West Rail Link?
I feel very much, that IPEMUs or battery trains are very much going to be a part of the UK rail network in the next few years.
When I was writing Are The TOCs Arguing Over The Class 387 Trains?, I kept coming across the Oxford end of the East West Rail Link, so I got to thinking how IPEMUs would fit in with the line.
Will the Line Be Electrified?
The Government certainly thinks so, as Wikipedia reports.
The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt. Hon Justine Greening MP, today announced that the Western section of East West Rail (EWR) will be part of the government’s strategy for rail transport, confirming not only funding for the project but also for electrification of the Oxford to Bedford part of the route. EWR will provide an electric link between the electrified Great Western, West Coast and Midland main lines. This further investment in the project upgrades it to form a key part of the new ‘Electric Spine’ passenger and freight route between the South Coast, the East Midlands and Yorkshire
But I’m not sure.
- Will freight operators pay out for new electric locomotives or will they stick with their old noisy and smelly Class 66 locomotives? I’m afraid most will stick with what they’ve got!
- The new Class 88 electro-diesel locomotive will be delivered this year and what effects will they have on locomotive procurement?
- One of the major intersecting lines is Chiltern, which is not electrified. Will the Chiltern Line be electrified to make things easier? It could be! But I doubt it!
- After the fuss about the aesthetics of the electrification on the Great Western Main Line, that I wrote about in Aesthetic Problems With Overhead Wires On The Great Western, I have a feeling the natives might object.
- When they see the total bill for the Great Western Electrification, will the Government have second thoughts about electrification?
I think the line will eventually be electrified, but it may not be built with electrification, just as the first section between Bicester Village and Oxford Parkway stations was.
It would be built however, so that it would be easy to electrify in future.
- All over-bridges would have sufficient clearance for overhead wires.
- Space would be left for overhead gantries and other essential electrification equipment.
- Piles for gantries might even be put in.
- Everything would be properly documented.
Too many railway lines in the past were just built and assumed no improvements would ever be made.
Connection To Existing Electification
One of the most expensive items in an electrification scheme can be connecting the new wires to a suitable electricity supply.
This is why Crossrail and the Great Western Electrification share a sub-station to the West of London.
The East West Rail Link crosses a succession of lines at its Western End from Oxford to Bedford. In order from the West they are.
Only the Chiltern Main Line will not be electrified, when the Oxford to Bedford part of the link opens.
The route from Bedford to Ipswich and Norwich is not fully defined yet, but it is likely it will cross these electrified lines.
So the link, isn’t short of connectivity to electrified lines, which will help with full electrification.
The Route
This map from the East West Rail Link web site shows the route.
East West Rail Link
Starting from the West stations are.
- Reading on the Great Western
- Tilehurst on the Great Western
- Pangbourne on the Great Western
- Goring and Streatley on the Great Western
- Cholsey on the Great Western
- Didcot Parkway on the Great Western
- Appleford on the Cherwell Valley Line
- Culham on the Cherwell Valley Line
- Radley on the Cherwell Valley Line
- Oxford on the Cherwell Valley Line
- Oxford Parkway
- Islip
- Bicester Village
- Winslow
- Bletchley on the West Coast Main Line
- Milton Keynes Central on the West Coast Main Line
- Fenny Stratford on the Marston Vale Line
- Bow Brickhill on the Marston Vale Line
- Woburn Sands on the Marston Vale Line
- Apsley Guise on the Marston Vale Line
- Ridgmont on the Marston Vale Line
- Lidlington on the Marston Vale Line
- Millbrook on the Marston Vale Line
- Stewartby on the Marston Vale Line
- Kempston Hardwick on the Marston Vale Line
- Bedford St. Johns on the Marston Vale Line
- Bedford on the Midland Main Line
It’s quite a few stations, many of which are simple affairs in rural locations.
IPEMUs And The East West Rail Link
Proposed services when they start in 2019 will include.
- Bedford – Oxford – Reading
- Milton Keynes – Oxford – Reading
- Milton Keynes – Aylesbury – Marylebone
The first two services could be easily run by IPEMUs, but the third might need other arrangements.
According to the latest Great Western electrification schedule Oxford is not scheduled to be electrified until June 2019, so as I believe that Oxford will be reached by IPEMUs until that date, I suspect that we’ll see IPEMUs on the line, as they will be able to easily bridge the fifty mile electrification gap between Didcot on the Great Western and Bletchley on the West Coast Main Line, charging their batteries at both ends of the route.
The London to Aylesbury Line is thirty-nine miles of which sixteen miles are owned by the London Underground. Could it be if the line between Aylesbury and Winsford were to be electrified and some form of third-rail power was made available on the sixteen miles of the London Underground, that IPEMUs could work the services between Marylebone and Milton Keynes?
If they can’t, then it will be more diesels from Chiltern. But Chiltern’s ambitious nature, says they would prefer some form of electric train.
If the lines were eventually to be fully electrified, the IPEMUs would still have a valuable part to play as their self-contained regenerative braking would mean that the power supply wouldn’t have to be able to accept a return current, which lowers the cost of electrification.
Conclusions
IPEMUs will have to play some part in providing services on the East West Rail Link, because of the late running of the Great Western electrification.
Also with some selective electrification, Chiltern could use them for a service between Marylebone and Milton Keynes.
As these trains can provide a service on the whole line using existing electrification, the electrification of the East West Rail Link should be enabled but delayed to allow wires to be put up in more important places.
The Bletchley Flyover
The Bletchley Flyover is a large flyover that allows trains to cross the West Coast Main Line at Bletchley station.
This Google Map shows the area of Bletchley station and the flyover.
Bletchley Flyover
The double-track Bletchley Flyover starts in the South-West corner of the map and crosses the West Coast Main Line at an acute angle before, splitting into two separate double-track lines, alongside the station and north of the circular roundabout.
- One branch goes North along the West Coast Main Line to Milton Keynes.
- One branch goes East along the Marston Vale Line to Fenny Stratford and Bedford.
It is a massive structure as these pictures show.
I think the problems of incorporating the following services through Bletchley are going to be challenging.
- Oxford to Milton Keynes
- Marylebone to Milton Keynes via Aylesbury.
- Oxford to Bedford.
- Freight Services.
This section in the FAQ of the East West Rail web site is entitled What train services will run on East West Rail (Western Section)? It says that frequencies of one train per hour will be run, but that more information will be released in 2016.
Will one probably four car train per hour be enough?
This would mean that two trains per hour would visit Milton Keynes. As Platform 2A at Milton Keynes Central can accommodate five car trains and it is electrified, it would appear that that station is ready for the East West Rail Link.
The difficulty also depends if the passenger services stop at Bletchley.
The current plans talk of two high-level platforms on the flyover.
This enlarged Google Map shows the platforms and footbridge at Bletchley station and the flyover.
Bletchley Station Platforms And The Bletchley Flyover
Note.
- The entrance to the station is on the west side.
- The two island platforms are 2/3 and 4/5, with two outer platforms 1 and 6.
- Trains on the Marston Vale Line terminate in Platforms 5 and 6.
- The flyover is the easternmost pair of lines.
- It splits into the Milton Keynes and Bedford lines level with the footbridge.
- The two proposed high-level platforms would be on the narrower part of the flyover, south of the footbridge.
A second entrance to Bletchley station has been proposed for the east side in Saxon Street.
One other thing that could help, is there are aspirations to move the concrete plant out of its location between the flyover and Bletchley station. It is certainly no asset to the area.
The following train services, would appear to have to use the flyover.
- Oxford to Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes to Oxford
- Marylebone to Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes to Marylebone
If trains between Oxford and Bedford, didn’t need to call at Milton Keynes, they would also be able to go straight over the flyover.
If they did need to call at Milton Keynes, then a train from Oxford to Bedford could take the following route.
- Over the flyover taking the branch to Milton Keynes.
- Call at Milton Keynes in an appropriate platform.
- Reverse out and then call in either Platform 5 or 6 at Bletchley.
- Reverse out and then take the Marston Vale Line.
Effectively, they would call at both the new high-level and current platforms at Bletchley station.
If I was running a train service from say Norwich or Ipswich to Oxford, to maximise my passenger levels, I would want my trains to call at the following stations.
- Cambridge
- Bedford – To also connect to services to Nottingham and Sheffield.
- Milton Keynes – To also connect to services on the West Coast Main Line.
The FAQ says that trains between Oxford to Bedford would not go to Milton Keynes.
I know that passengers would complain, if they had to stand on a draughty Bletchley station for say ten minutes, whilst waiting for a train to Milton Keynes, to get their Glasgow train.
To further complicate matters will other services could want to go between Milton Keynes and Bedford. On current plans, it is probably impossible without a reversal of direction at Bletchley.
A perfect design, would have a double-track chord connecting the Marston Vale Line to the Northbound West Coast Main Line.
Future Rail Developments At Milton Keynes
The Milton Keynes area and its stations at Bletchley, Bow Brickhill, Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes Central and Wolverton, are in for a lot of development in the next few years.
The East West Rail Link
This map shows the East West Rail Link.
East West Rail Link
Note how it crosses the West Coast Main Line at Bletchley and has a connection to Milton Keynes Central.
The Wikipedia entry for Bletchley station has a section called Future. This is said.
The Marston Vale Line is the passenger carrying remnant of the Varsity Line. As of 2014, the line beyond Bletchley through Winslow to Bicester Town is closed to passenger traffic, with goods traffic going only as far as Newton Longville sidings for the waste disposal site there. The high level crossing (officially named the “The Bletchley Flyover” – built in 1959 as part of the Modernisation Plan, with 7 x 56 ft (17 m) spans and then expected to be used by 80 trains a day) over the WCML at Bletchley remains in place and in occasional use. There is a funded plan to re-open the line to passenger traffic via Bicester to Oxford by 2019 and an unfunded desire to rebuild it from Oxford right through to Cambridge. A key element of the plan is to build a Bletchley high level station so that passengers may transfer between the lines. (Note that there is no corresponding east to north route).
It is obviously, a bit out of date, as the East West Rail Link is now planned and funded to Bedford.
This Google Map shows the track layout at Bletchley with the Marston Vale Line joining from the East and Fenny Stratford station.
Bletchley Station And The East West Rail Link
Note.
- Stadium MK at the top of the map.
- The East West Rail Link can be seen curving to the west to the south of Bletchley station.
- The flyover over Bletchley station.
- Fenny Stratford station is to the south west of the large building at the east.
- The next station to the East is Bow Brickhill.
Bletchley will become a more important station.
East West Rail Link Services From Milton Keynes Central
The Wikipedia entry for Milton Keynes Central has a section called East West Rail. This is said.
From 2019, services are planned to operate (over a rebuilt East West Rail Link) to Oxford via Bletchley, Winslow and Bicester Town; and also to London Marylebone via Aylesbury and High Wycombe. Extension of the Oxford service to Reading has been mooted.
This will definitely need some more platforms at Milton Keynes Central, other than the single one 2A built for the still-born extended Marston Wale service to Milton Keynes.
I published some pictures in Platform Space At Milton Keynes Central, which show that there is some space.
Implications For Bletchley
I have now written The The Bletchley Flyover to cover the implications for Bletchley.
Great North Western To Blackpool
The Wikipedia entry for Milton Keynes Central has a section called Great North Western. This is said.
Great North Western Railway has been given permission to run 6 trains a day from London to Blackpool North from 2018, with conditional permission for a stop at Milton Keynes Central dependent upon future capacity after infrastructural work.
This will probably be very much a development, that will only affect Milton Keynes Central station.
Crossrail To Milton Keynes Central
The Wikipedia entry for Milton Keynes Central has a section called Crossrail. This is said.
Network Rail’s July 2011 London & South East Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) recommended diverting West Coast Main Line (WCML) services from stations between London and Milton Keynes Central away from Euston, to Crossrail via Old Oak Common, to free up capacity at Euston for High Speed 2. Doing so would provide a direct service from the WCML to the Shenfield, Canary Wharf and Abbey Wood, release London Underground capacity at Euston, make better use of Crossrail’s capacity west of Paddington, and improve access to Heathrow Airport from the north. Under this scheme, all Crossrail trains would continue west of Paddington, instead of some of them terminating there. They would serve Heathrow Airport (10 tph), stations to Maidenhead and Reading (6 tph), and stations to Milton Keynes Central (8 tph).
In August 2014, a statement by the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin indicated that the government was actively evaluating the extension of Crossrail as far as Tring and Milton Keynes Central, with potential Crossrail stops at Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey, Watford Junction, Kings Langley, Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Cheddington, Leighton Buzzard and Bletchley. The extension would relieve some pressure from London Underground and London Euston station while also increasing connectivity. Conditions to the extension are that any extra services would not affect the planned service pattern for confirmed routes, as well as affordability.
Extending Crossrail to Milton Keynes would seem to be a sensible idea.
It would increase the capacity and frequency of services between Milton Keynes and London and open up several more direct destinations.
The quote from Wikipedia talks of increasing connectivity to Crossrail.
- The Watford DC Line is joined is joined at Wembley Central, Harrow & Wealdstone, Bushey and Watford Junction
- The Bakerloo Line is joined at Wembley Central and Harrow & Wealdstone
- The Metropolitan Line will be joined at Watford Junction.
This connectivity is in addition to that created by an Old Oak Common station.
As with the East West Rail Link, it will probably need extra platforms at Milton Keynes Central. But there is at least some space to create them.
Conclusion
Milton Keynes Central will be a lot bigger and busier than it is now.
But it will join that elite group of stations that are Crossrail’s and Thameslink’s super-hubs.
By Rail From Bedford To Northampton
One of my Google Alerts picked up this article from the Northampton Chronicle, which is entitled Rail campaigners reject calls by St James residents to re-open Northampton link road.
There used to be a Bedford to Northampton Line, but it has been gradually abandoned, despite interest in using it for the following.
- As an extension to Thameslink to Northampton.
- As a freight route to the West Midlands.
I also feel that with Bedford likely to be an important station on the East-West Rail Link, surely the rail link to Northampton shouldn’t be compromised, so that it can’t be reinstated.
- It would make journeys between Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich and Northampton and the West Midlands a lot easier.
- Freight from between Felixstowe and the West Midlands would have an alternative route.
I don’t think anything will happen soon, but the expansion of Thameslink and the East West Rail Link to Bedford will make everybody think.
Electrification Of The East West Rail Link
East West Rail has this question about electrification in the FAQ.
Q: Will East West Rail be electrified and if so, when?
A: It is expected that the Western Section of the East West Rail link will include electrification of the line between Bedford and Oxford.
Bletchley to Oxford is expected to be completed first during the 2014-2019 railway funding period.
Bedford to Bletchley will follow, probably in the next railway funding period 2019-2024, as part of the wider work done to electrify the Midland Main Line to Corby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The Office of Rail Regulation has confirmed funding in principle for the electrification. The exact amount of funding and scope is expected to be determined by the ORR by March 2015 following detailed development between NR, DfT and the train operators.
I will take this as a qualified yes or it would be desireable.
Bletchley to Oxford electrification is stated as being done first and if that timetable is met, it would be likely to be completed before services start on these routes.
- Oxford to Milton Keynes
- Milton Keynes to London via Aylesbury.
As both Oxford and Milton Keynes are currently or will be electrified by then, the services between the old and new cities could be performed by a 100 mph EMU, like a Class 387 train, which could then continue to Reading if required.
But there are no plans to electrify any of the London to Aylesbury Line. To complicate matters Chiltern Railways have a shortage of suitable diesel trains.
So although the line might be ready in 2019 or so, there would appear to be no chance of Chiltern Trains running between London and Milton Keynes.
Unless!
Wikipedia gives the length of the passenger section from London to Aylesbury Parkway as about thiry nine miles.
So this probably means that the line could be run by Class 387 IPEMU trains, if there was some electrification in Marylebone station to charge the trains before they travelled North.
It is an interesting possibility.
Especially, as an electrified Marylebone, would probably allow the same trains to run services to electrified stations at Bicester Village, Oxford Parkway and Oxford.
East West Rail Moves On Phase 2
East West Rail is the project to create an electrified 100 mph railway from Oxford to Ipswich and Norwich via Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge.
This map from the East West Rail web site, indicates the route.
East West Rail
Phase 1 is now almost complete with the linking of Bicester to Oxford.
Services are running between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone via Bicester Village. Hopefully, Oxford will be reached in Spring 2016.
A statement by East West Rail entitled Alliance contracts awarded for East West Rail Phase 2, has been relkeased about the award of contracts for Phase 2 of the line to connect Bicester, Milton Keynes and Bedford. This is said.
An alliance of four equal parts between Network Rail, Atkins, Laing O’Rourke and VolkerRail will build East West Rail Phase 2 (EWR2) – linking Oxford, Milton Keynes and Bedford, and Milton Keynes with London Marylebone via Aylesbury.
The contracts will enable the following services.
- Oxford – Milton Keynes (calling at Oxford Parkway, Bicester, Winslow and Bletchley)
- Oxford – Bedford (calling at Oxford Parkway, Bicester, Winslow, Bletchley, Woburn Sands and Ridgmont)
- Milton Keynes – Aylesbury – London Marylebone (an extension of the existing service between Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway, with stops anticipated at Bletchley, Winslow, Princes Risborough and High Wycombe)
- Increased capacity for freight services
The following work will be done.
- A new station at Winslow
- Two new platforms at Bletchley – Click for some details
- Construction of 18 new overbridges.
- Construction of 22 new footbridges/subways
- Changes to 97 railway crossings
It is not a small project.
I find it interesting that the work is an alliance of four companies.
This method of working has been used successfully at Stafford, in the Stafford Area Improvements Program to relieve the bottle-neck at Norton Bridge Junction on the West Coast Main Line.
Hopefully, it will avoid another Great Western Railway style of fiasco.
First Great Western’s Pragmatic Large And Little Solution To The Problems Of Great Western Electrification
The electrification of the Great Western Main Line from West of Airport Junction to Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea is proving to be a difficult project to deliver.
This article on the BBC web site talks about the problems and starts with these paragraphs.
Electrifying the Great Western line is “a top priority”, the transport secretary has said, as he announces a rethink of a £38bn programme to overhaul Britain’s railways.
Patrick McLoughlin said Network Rail’s five-year plan was being “reset” as it was “costing more and taking longer”.
In an ideal world, the whole of the Great Western Main Line and its branches to places like Worcester, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Exeter,Plymouth and Penzance would be electrified.
But it was never intended to electrify the major branches and for a time InterCity 125 diesel trains will be used on these lines.
Then in February 2014, the sea wall at Dalwish was breached in a storm and much of the track and Dawlish station was washed away. Although the line was rebuilt in a few months, it is only recently that the sea wall and the walk alongside the railway has been reinstated.
The force of the storm probably put an end to thoughts for many years of fully electrifying the line from Exeter to Plymouth and Penzance
The Large Class 800 Electro-Diesel Train
The trains that will work the Great Western Main Line to Bristol and Cardiff are the Hitachi Super Express, which comes in two variants.
The two trains are very similar, but the Class 800 has on-board diesel engines to generate electricity. Wikipedia says this.
The Class 800 units will be electro-diesel multiple units, able to draw power from electrified overhead lines where available and power themselves via underfloor diesel generators outside of the electrified network. The train specification requires that this changeover can occur at line speed. The trains are able to be converted to electric only operation by removal of the diesel engines
Current plans are for 21 9-car Class 801 and 36 5-car Class 800 to replace 60 InterCity 125.
With no prospect of electrification to Devon and Cornwall and because of the nature of the line with gradients, First Great Western have taken the pragmatic decision to order twenty-nine more trains, which will effectively be a variant of the Class 800, but with uprated diesel-engines and larger fuel tanks. It’s reported in this article in the Railway Gazette International.
So the total fleet will eventually be 47 9-car trains and 39 5-car trains of all new variants to replace 60 2+7 InterCity 125 and 5 5 car Class 180 trains.
So it would appear that about 490 x 23 metre cars will be replaced by 618 x 26 metre cars. On a crude calculation that is just over a forty percent increase in capacity, with a sixteen percent increase in the number of trains.
When everything is delivered towards the end of this decade, First Great Western would seem to have available a substantial increase in capacity, with a large proportion of the fleet having a go-anywhere capability because they are electro-diesel trains.
So it looks like some of these trains will be used to extend the network, as well as increase the frequency to Devon and Cornwall.
But there will be no need to need for any extra electrification. Although of course if there were, this would only be to the advantage of the electro-diesel trains, which would run on electric power for longer.
The Little Class 387 IPEMU
If the rumours about the Class 387 trains for First Great Western in this month’s Modern Railways are true, then some or all of the eight trains on order will be IPEMUs, with an on-board battery to power the train for up to sixty miles.
Modern Railways said this about their use.
Delivery as IPEMUs would allow EMUs to make use of as much wiring as is available (and batteries beyond) while electrification pushes ahead under the delayed scheme, and in the longer term would allow units to run on sections not yet authorised for electrification, such as Newbury to Bedwyn. The use of IPEMUs might also hasten the cascade of Class 16x units to the west of the franchise.
As Newbury to Bedwyn is probably less than twenty miles, a Class 387 IPEMU could easily do the trip out and back on a battery, charged whilst running from Paddington.
There is also a small problem highlighted in a section entitled Review after May 2015 general election in an article on Wikipedia describing the Great Western electrification.
This has led to speculation that the GW electrification scheme (although it remains “top priority”) could be cut back. On 27 May 2015, the website of Theresa May, MP for Maidenhead, contained the following: “… a recent report stated that it would not be ‘technically feasible’ for electrification to go ahead on the Marlow branch, raising questions about the future of the Henley branch as well”
The Marlow and Henley branches are 7.25 and 4.5 miles long respectively and mainly run a shuttle service to the main line with occasional services to Paddington.
So would it be more cost-effective to use a Class 387 IPEMU on these branches, as there would be no need to electrify the lines?
If a Class 387 IPEMU was good enough for these branches, what about the other branches on the Great Western Main Line to Greenford and Windsor and Eton Central?
The only work that would need to be done on these branches to accept the 4-car Class 387 IPEMU would be some platform lengthening and electrifying any bay platforms they use on the main line.
There may be other places on the Great Western Main Line, where electrification can be omitted by the use of the Class 387 IPEMU.
Class 387 IPEMU Or Aventra IPEMU?
This question has to be asked.
The Class 387 train on which the Class 387 IPEMU will be based is a member of the Electrostar family of trains, that have been produced by Bombardier since 1999,
The Electrostar is being superseded by the new Aventra family and the first orders have been placed for Crossrail and the London Overground.
The improvements in the Aventra design are summed up here in Wikipedia. This is said.
The multiple units have been designed to be lighter, more efficient, and have increased reliability. They will have lightweight all-welded bodies, wide gangways and doors to shorten boarding times in stations, and ERTMS. The design incorporates FlexxEco bogies which have been used in service on Voyagers, Meridians and newerTurbostars.
The design features a gangway design that allows maximum use of the interior space and ease of movement throughout the train.
As the Aventra is a new train, that has been designed since the successful IPEMU trial with a Class 379 in 2014, I do wonder if it has been designed with the ability to be fitted with an on-board battery to make it an Aventra IPEMU! In this article on Global Rail News this is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-Iron batteries if required. The intention is that every car will be powered although trailer cars will be available.
So every Aventra can be converted to an Aventra IPEMU! And as that article was written in 2011, it increasingly looks like the IPEMU trial was a test of one of the new systems for an Aventra.
It would surely be a big advantage to a train operator running a fleet of Aventras, if they could add and remove battery packs as their schedules required.
But surely, because of the fact that an Aventra is lighter and more efficient than a Class 387, I wouldn’t be surprised that the range of an Aventra IPEMU is greater than the sixty miles quoted for the prototype.
Every extra mile, that the train can complete on batteries would open up new routes.
I suspect too that the Aventra IPEMU will have more customer appeal than a Class 387 IPEMU.
No-one will believe that a train running on batteries could possibly be a viable proposition, so at least if it looks like one of the new Crossrail Class 345 trains, passengers would at least think the train was modern.
So I wouldn’t be surprised if the order for Class 387 IPEMU was delivered as Aventra IPEMUs.
Oxford
To say that Oxford station has had planning problems in the last few years would be a massive understatement. I talked about them in Network Rail’s Problems In Oxford.
According to this article on the BBC, planning permission has at last been given to extend platforms at the station, so that Chiltern Trains can run services to the city.
But there is no mention of a new platform on the South side of the station, as is mentioned in Future Expansion in the station’s Wikipedia entry.
Or any mention of electrification either!
So will Network Rail postpone the new platform and the electrification to Oxford?
If they do, then First Great Western can serve the city by Class 800 trains going along the Cotswold Line to and from Evesham and Worcester.
First Great Western could also still use the current Class 165/6 trains, but they would like to cascade them to other places on their network.
Now here’s a thing!
Didcot to Oxford is probably less than thirty miles, so once Didcot is electrified, Oxford could be easily reached by an IPEMU.
If this happened Oxford would get new 110 mph 4-car electric trains to replace 90 mph 2-car and 3-car diesel trains.
The electrification needed for the East-West Rail Link would be done later, when Oxford decided to join the twentieth century.
Rolling Stock Cascade
At present First Great Western has a fleet of diesel multiple units that work the Thames Valley Services.
- Sixteen 3-car Class 165 trains
- Twenty 2-car Class 165 trains
- Twenty-one 3-car Class 166 trains
These will be replaced by twenty-one 4-car Class 365 trains from Great Northern and twenty-nine 4-car Class 387 trains cascaded from Thameslink as the new Class 700 trains arrive.
Another order for eight 4-car Class 387 trains has been placed and it is this order that Modern Railways said could be for IPEMUs.
In terms of carriages 151 diesel carriages are being replaced by 232 electric ones.
According to this document on the ATOC web site, this will happen to the Class 165 and Class 166 trains.
Some will be displaced by electrification (and the resulting cascade) on Great Western. One option is that they remain in service, to accommodate growth and to provide a cascade of Class 15x vehicles, subject to necessary modifications and PRM-TSI.
So it looks like they will be used to replace the outdated Class 15x trains.
Cardiff to Portsmouth
Cardiff to Portsmouth is a route run by First Great Western. When I went from East London To Yeovil By The Long Way, I used a First Great Western Class 158 train from Fratton to Salisbury. I said this in the related post about the journey.
I think this journey shows up our trains in a reasonable light. The journey times are slow not because of slow trains, but because of the frequent stops and complicated route. The journey took three hours seventeen minutes from Littlehampton to Yeovil, but there was only thirty-three minutes wasted in connections.
Although some trains date from the 1980s, there wasn’t anything as bad as the dreaded Pacers that inhabit the North. The services were pretty well-used and except for the short leg from Littlehampton to Fratton, there was a catering trolley on all trains.
I do think though, that perhaps this journey might be better done in something like a 4-car Class 800. Although, there isn’t much electrification to make use of until you get to Bristol, once you’ve left Southampton.
An IPEMU wouldn’t be much help, as it’s a long way between Cardiff and Portsmouth.
So is there a need for a 4-car Class 800 train, optimised for long cross-country routes, where there is not much electrification or high-speed running?
Conclusion
The Large and Little approach by First Great Western seems to be a pragmatic way around the problems of the Great Western electrification.
The new Class 800 trains and their closely-related siblings will enable services to be expanded at the extremities of their network, without any need for full electrification.
If all or some of that future order for eight Class 387 trains, was for the IPEMU variant or were even Aventras, so long as electrification reached Newbury and Didcot, new Class 387 IPEMUs could run to Marlow, Henley, Windsor, Oxford and Bedwyn.
One side effect would be the release of Class 165/6 trains, currently used on the routes out of Paddington and the branch lines, for other services on their network.
Two Solutions To Make Crossing A Railway Safe
On the way to football tonight in Ipswich, I went to have a drink with a friend, who lives near Thurston station on the Ipswich to Ely Line, where there is a good real ale and cyder pub. Crossing the tracks at Thurston is via a simple walk across controlled by traffic lights between the two platforms.
Of all the stations I use regularly, this is the only place where such a system is in use. Unless of course you count the trams at Ampere Road by the Croydon Ikea. A few hundred metres to the west of the station a bridle way and cycle path crosses the railway and Network Rail have built this bridge.
There have been reports like this one in the East Anglian Daily Times, which has a headline of Poll: £1.5m ‘monster’ railway bridge at Thurston is dubbed a ‘total waste of money’
This bridge is an interesting case of what to do where there are gated crossings of railway lines.
I think before being too critical of Network Rail we should bare these points in mind.
1. Suicide
This article on the BBC web site talks of a death at a crossing in the Thurston area. Network Rail get far too many deaths on the railway and it is a sad fact, that stepping in front of a train, is a common method of suicide.
2. The East-West Rail Link
The East-West Rail Link will use this line to get from Ipswich and Felixstowe to Cambridge and Ely. This link will be an electrified 100 mph railway that will run trains between East Anglia and the Midlands and the West. So although the line carries perhaps a couple of trains every hour each way, in perhaps ten years time, this will probably be a few times more. And as the line is pretty straight as the pictures show, the operating speed could be a lot higher.
3, Horses
If you read all the comments about the bridge no-one mentions taking a horse over the railway.
Horses are flight animals and if spooked will run fast away from the perceived danger.
Many horses too, don’t like going under high-voltage cables. Whether it is because they can sense the magnetic field generated by the electricity or they don’t like the whistling sound,I don’t know. But if the crossing is going to be used by horses, it will have to be of the size it has been built.
I’m not sure, but I think this is the only way to get a horse from one side of the railway to the other, unless you go all the way and go under the bridge by Thurston station.
4. Getting The Design Right
This bridge illustrates that getting the design right and satisfying all users and critics who never use the bridge is an almost impossible task.
Aesthetically, I don’t like the bridge, but unless they dig a subway under the railway, there is nothing else that can be done to satisfy all users and critics of the design.
Note that when the railway is upgraded to be part of the East-West Rail Link, Thurston station will have to be rebuilt and I suspect it will have a bridge over the railway, probably with lifts and a price tag well upwards of £2million.
There will be some serious discussions.
The Reality Of The East West Rail Link
Earlier this week, I took pictures of the work going on at Bicester to connect the Chiltern Line to Oxford.
The railway passing underneath the Chiltern Line will become part of the East West Rail Link, which will hopefully link Oxford and Cambridge within the next ten years.
Modern Railways this month has a welcome page to the magazine entitled A Mini Adventure, which describes a promotional trip by Chiltern Railways on the possibly-to-be-reopened Cowley Branch. James Abbott, the Editor, says this.
A railway linking the ‘technology crescent’ – an arc about 60 miles from London stretching from Harwell and Didcot through Oxford and Milton Keynes to Silicon Fen – is well on the way to becoming reality.
He then goes on to say that he can see an East West railway starting at a Reading linked to Heathrow, giving international access for the technology crescent with just one change.
The Anonymous Widower 