Ipswich And Peterborough In A Battery Train
Greater Anglia have a fleet of bi-mode electro-diesel Class 755 trains, that could be converted into tri-mode electro-diesel-battery trains. I reported on this in Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’.
If when fitted with batteries these trains had a range of say 55-65 miles on battery power, these Greater Anglia routes could be handled using battery and electric power.
- Ipswich and Cambridge
- Ipswich and Felixstowe
- Ipswich and Lowestoft
- London and Lowestoft
- Marks Tey and Sudbury
- Norwich and Cambridge
- Norwich and Great Yarmouth
- Norwich and Lowestoft
- Norwich and Sheringham
Note.
- Marks Tey and Sudbury is planned to be extended to Colchester Town. Is this to allow a Class 755 train with a battery capability to charge the batteries on the Great Eastern Main Line? No charging facilities would then be needed on the branch.
- I have left out the current Ipswich and Peterborough service.
- There is speculation that Greater Anglia want to run a Cambridge and Wisbech service via Ely and March.
It is also reported that some or all Peterborough and Ipswich services will continue to Colchester.
- There is a convenient bay platform at Colchester to reverse the trains.
- A Colchester and Peterborough service, would give travellers in North Essex easier access to LNER services at Peterborough.
- Frequencies from Colchester and Ipswich across Suffolk would be improved.
If the trains were to run on battery power between Stowmarket and Ely, the batteries could be charged between Colchester and Stowmarket. Note that Stowmarket and Ely is about forty miles, which should be within battery range.
Ely and Peterborough is thirty miles, which again is within battery range. So would the train top up the batteries at Ely in perhaps a five minute stop?
Extra Electrification At Ely
There could be three battery-electric services needing to charge batteries as they pass through Ely.
- Colchester/Ipswich and Peterborough
- Norwich and Stansted Airport
- Cambridge and Wisbech
So would it be sensible to extend the electrification for a few miles towards Peterborough and Norwich to give the battery a quick top-up? It should be noted that the notorious Ely Junction is to be remodelled.
Will The Railway Between Buxton And Matlock Be Reopened?
In Issue 901 of Rail Magazine in an article about reopening the Northern route between Exeter and Plymouth, this is said, about possible rail re-opening of Beeching cuts.
Although not yet confirmed, they are believed by RAIL to include bids to reinstate the former Midland Railway route from Matlock-Buxton, and the line between Lostwithiel and Fowey.
I have found this news story on the Matlock Mercury, which is entitled Quarry Firms And Heritage Operator Consider Peak District Railway Line.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Proposals to revive a disused rail line through the Peak District have moved a step forward, but not the passenger service some have called for.
The reasons for the reinstatement are given in the story.
- There is an enormous demand for stone from projects like Crossrail 2, High Speed Two and Heathrow Expansion and Derbyshire is a major source.
- Currently, stone trains between Derbyshire and the South-East take a roundabout route via the congested and unsuitable Hope Valley Line and Sheffield.
- A route via Matlock would join the Midland Main Line nearly thirty miles further South.
It should be noted that the original track-bed still exists and part is used for the double-track Peak Rail, with much of the rest being used for the cycling and walking route; the Monsal Trail.
Thoughts About The Design Of The Railway
In the June 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an excellent article, which is entitled Connecting The Powerhouses, that was written by Colin Boocock.
I wrote a post with the same name, based on his article, from which a lot of the following thoughts are taken.
Colin Boocock’s Thoughts On The Design
I said this in my previous post.
The track bed of the Peak Main Line is still intact and the author of the article suggests that there could be two ways of rebuilding the railway.
- As a 75 mph single-track railway sharing the track-bed with the Monsal Trail.
- As a 90 mph double-track railway, after moving the Monsal Trail to a more picturesque route.
Four or five, reopened or new stations could be built with passing loops to enable the minimum service frequency to be achieved, which the author suggests should be the following in both directions in every hour.
- One fast passenger train
- One stopping passenger train.
- One freight train; full or empty.
But there are possible problems.
- The A6 has to be crossed.
- One local landowner didn’t allow consultants access to the line for an inspection.
- Severn Trent Water are digging a large pipe into the track-bed.
- Peak Rail have plans to extend their heritage line to Bakewell. Could both groups co-exist?
It sounds to me that everybody should find a good hostelry and thrash out a comprehensive co-operation agreement on the backs of engineering envelopes, fuelled by some excellent real ale.
But various improvements to the route and railway technology in general, in the last few years have probably made the reinstatement less challenging.
Ambergate Station And Junction
Ambergate station and the associated junction is where trains for Matlock station, leave the Midland Main Line and take the Derwent Valley Line.
This article on the BBC is entitled Major Rail Works To Affect Derbyshire Train Services and it describes work done to improve Ambergate Junction.
It is to be hoped, that the updating of the junction is at least well-documented, so that it can be updated easily to accept stone trains to and from the Derwent Valley Line.
Improved Handling Of Freight Trains At Buxton
In £14m Peak District Rail Freight Extension Unveiled, I indicated that the improvements at Buxton had been completed.
- There are now two long sidings, that can each take a 26 wagon stone train and allow them to reverse.
- Capacity has increased by 44 %
- No more trains will be running.
According to this document on the Network Rail web site, the sidings operate on a 24 hour basis and on average, accommodate 6-10 freight trains every 24 hour period.
I’m not sure, but it looks like the sidings also allow all stone trains to access the following.
- All quarries in the area with a rail connection.
- The Great Rocks Freight Line to access the Hope Valley Line and Sheffield
- The proposed reopened rail line to Matlock, Derby and the South.
The track layout at Buxton station would appear to allow trains to go between Manchester and Derby, once the Matlock and Buxton railway is reinstated.
Ambergate Station And Junction
Ambergate station and the associated junction is where trains for Matlock station, leave the Midland Main Line and take the Derwent Valley Line.
This article on the BBC is entitled Major Rail Works To Affect Derbyshire Train Services and it describes work done to improve Ambergate Junction.
It is to be hoped, that the updating of the junction is at least well-documented, so that it can be updated easily to accept stone trains to and from the Derwent Valley Line.
Signalling Improvements
One of Colin Boocock’s options for the route, is a 75 mph single-track railway sharing the track-bed with the Monsal Trail.
Single-track railways running an intense schedule could be a challenging signalling problem in the past, but with in-cab digital signalling, as used on Thameslink and the London Underground, it is much less onerous.
It should be possible to handle Colin Boocock’s desired minimum frequency of three trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
Colin Boocock’s second option of a 90 mph double-track railway, after moving the Monsal Trail to a more picturesque route, would be very much easier to signal to a very high degree of safety.
Electrification
Electrification would surely, be the best way to get heavy freight trains in and out of the area.
But I suspect the line could not be electrified in a traditional manner, as heavy gantries in the Peak District would not go down well!
But what about a design something like this?
I talk about this design in Prototype Overhead Line Structure Revealed.
It does seem to be a good attempt to reduce the clutter of girders, gantries and wires!
Freight Locomotives
If electrification is not possible, which is probably the case, as the locomotives will need access to large amounts of freight sidings, then diesel power will be needed,
The current Class 66 locomotives are not the most environmentally-friendly locomotives, but hopefully in a sensitive area like the Peak District, some more advanced locomotives could be used.
Passenger Trains
Quiet battery-electric or hydrogen-powered trains would be ideal for the route.
How Many Stone Trains Will Use The Route?
With the current lockdown because of COVID-19, it’s a bit difficult to ascertain how many stone trains are currently going into and out of the quarries in an hour.
But from the Network Rail figures, I have found and Colin Boocock’s minimum figure, it looks like one tph would be a frequency for which to aim.
Could this frequency be handled between Matlock And Buxton?
Even if the route was single-track with passing loops, Colin Boocock’s minimum timetable could be achieved.
Note that the Great Rocks Freight Line will still be capable of handling trains via the Hope Valley Line and Sheffield.
Conclusion
I think that this scheme could be feasible, if engineers used modern signalling and other designs to blend in with the scenery.
EWR Targets Short-Term Fleet Ahead Of Possible Electrification
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Electrification could yet be on the agenda for East West Rail, after Government ministers confirmed that the decision not to wire the reopened railway could be reversed.
East West Railway (EWR) also announced last week, that it was looking for second-hand diesel multiple units to start services.
- The lease will be for four years, with a possible extension of two years.
- The deal is worth £40million and will include maintenance.
- The deal will end on May the 10th 2028.
- 12 to 14 three-car trains are required.
- Services will start at the end of 2024.
It looks to me, that this deal has interim written all over it.
Could Class 170 Trains Be Used For East West Railway?
Class 170 trains come in two- and three-cars and by 2024 many could be being replaced by trains with a smaller carbon-footprint.
If you look at the three-car Class 170 trains, they are the following numbers of trains with various companies.
- Class 170/1 – CrossCountry – 10
- Class 170/2 – Transport for Wales – 8
- Class 170/3 – Abellio ScotRail – 26
- Class 170/3 – CrossCountry – 2
- Class 170/4 – Abellio ScotRail – 13
- Class 170/4 – Northern Trains – 16
There are also some Class 170/5 and Class 170/6 trains, that it appears will be consolidated into ten three-car trains for CrossCountry.
Could CrossCountry Provide The Trains For East West Railway?
I think one likely scenario would be for the trains for East West Rail to come from CrossCountry‘s mixed fleet of Class 170 trains.
Consider.
- CrossCountry need a bit of a fleet change as they still ten High Speed Trains, that will need to be replaced with more modern rolling stock.
- CrossCountry have been criticised for a lack of capacity.
- Several of CrossCountry’s services are run by diesel trains on electrified tracks.
Perhaps, if they replaced the fleet with a customised variant of Hitachi’s Class 800 trains, they might offer a better service to their customers.
- Each train would be five cars long.
- Trains would be able to work in pairs.
- Trains might have electric, battery and diesel capabilities.
- Some would be dual-voltage trains and able to work on both 25 KVAC overhead and 750 VDC third rail electrification.
I’m sure those clever people at Rock Rail are working on an appropriate specification, just as they did for Avanti West Coast with their customised variant of Hitachi’sClass 800 trains.
Looking at the delivery schedules for various fleets of Hitachi trains, we find.
- East Midlands Railway will be receiving 33 x five-car Class 810 bi-mode trains in 2020-2022.
- Avanti West Coast will be receiving 13 x five-car AT-300 bi-mode trains in 2020-2022.
- Avanti West Coast will be receiving 10 x seven-car AT-300 electric trains in 2020-2022.
Could the CrossCountry fleet be delivered in 2022-2024 to allow the Class 170 trains to be released?
Could Class 185 Trains Be Used For East West Railway?
TransPennine Express have a fleet of 51 three-car Class 185 trains.
The future of these trains is uncertain, as TransPennine Express is renewing their fleet.
- They are all fully-compliant with the latest regulations.
- They are 100 mph trains,
- They are the right length.
- They can work in pairs to increase capacity.
These trains would be easy to freshen up for East West Railway.
Could Bombardier Voyagers Provide The Trains For East West Railway?
There are four fleets of Bombardier Voyagers, that by the end of 2024 could be looking for a new home.
- Thirty-four Class 220 trains could be released by 2024 by CrossCountry, if they replace their fleet with new trains.
- Twenty-four Class 221 trains could be released by 2024 by CrossCountry, if they replace their fleet with new trains.
- Twenty Class 221 trains will be released by 2022 by Avanti West Coast, when they replace their fleet with new AT-300 trains.
- Twenty-seven Class 222 trains will be released by 2022 by East Midlands Railway, when they replace their fleet with new Class 810 trains.
These fleets could be updated for the East West Railway.
- They are all fully-compliant with the latest regulations.
- They are 125 mph trains.
- Bombardier have been working on various schemes to fit batteries to these trains, to reduce running on diesel.
They could also be rebuilt to any required length.
Fast Forward To May 2028
By 2028, the following will have happened.
- High Speed Two will have been substantially completed and electrified at Calvert, where it crosses the East West Railway.
- East West Railway will be connected to the electrified West Coast Main Line at Bletchley.
- East West Railway will be connected to the electrified Midland Main Line at Bedford.
- New Hitachi Class 810 trains will be running through Bedford.
- Future connections to the electrified East Coast Main Line at Sandy and the electrified West Anglia Main Line at Cambridge South will have been designed, if not well underway or even completed.
East of Calvert, there will be plenty of electricity to power any electrification.
The article also quotes a Government minister as saying there will be passive provision for electrification. This is sensible, as the clearances required for 25 KVAC overhead electrification are not that much higher, than those needed for the largest freight containers.
So the two major requirements for 25 KVAC overhead electrification; electricity supply and gauge-clearance, appear to be met in the basic design of the East West Railway.
The East West Railway will also have one characteristic, that has been lacked, by most of the railways we have electrified in the last few years.
It will be a substantially new railway, although quite a few miles will have been rebuilt on an existing track bed.
It is my view after looking at several electrification schemes in the last ten years, that when we have electrified a substantially new railway, we have made a much better fist of it, in terms of both cost and timescale.
Could this be, that if the track-bed has just been created or relaid, it is well surveyed and the engineers and workers, who laid it, can be asked their opinion, so fewer costly mistakes are made?
It should also be said, that the route of the East West Railway goes through fairly flat country, which probably doesn’t have the sewers and mine-shafts, that have plagued the erection of electrification in recent years.
I wonder, if having looked in detail at the costs, the builders of East West Railway have found that perhaps around 2023, after a detailed survey of the route, they can build the railway at a cost, which includes electrification, that still offers benefits.
What Would Be The Benefits Of Electrification Of The East West Railway?
The benefits of electrification are generally as follows.
- Faster passenger and freight trains because of higher cruising speed and greater acceleration.
- Lower carbon emissions.
Faster trains would lead to more trains running over the railway.
Will The Electrification Be Full Or Partial?
I believe that Hitachi and other ,manufacturers will produce passenger trains with the following abilities.
- To use either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- To use onboard energy storage for running a number of miles.
- To charge onboard energy storage, whilst dynamically connected to electrification.
- To charge onboard energy storage, whilst stationary in a station or siding.
- To swap between electrification and energy storage modes at operating speed.
These trains will be able to run on partially-electrified lines, by using energy storage to bridge gaps in the electrification.
In Sparking A Revolution, I gave this specification for a Hitachi battery-electric train.
- Range – 55-65 miles
- Performance – 90-100 mph
- Recharge – 10 minutes when static
- Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
- Battery Life – 8-10 years
It looks like a route run by Hitachi battery-electric trains could have approximately sixty mile gaps in the electrification.
The trouble with gaps, is that they would mean that electric freight locomotives could not be used on the route.
One possibility could be the new tri-mode Class 93 locomotive, which has the following power sources.
- 1.3 MW on diesel
- 4.055 MW on electric
- A power boost on battery
Hopefully, it can switch seamlessly between the various modes at line speed.
Until we see these locomotives in operation, we will not know if they can haul a maximum weight freight train all the way from Felixstowe to Ipswich and on to London, Cambridge or Peterborough.
Freight Trains Through Cambridge And Onto The East West Railway
In Roaming Around East Anglia – Freight Trains Through Newmarket, I said this.
The East West Rail Consortium plan to change the route of freight trains to and from Haven Ports; Felixstowe, Harwich and Ipswich to the West of Kennett station.
In this document on the East-West Rail Consortium web site, this is said.
Note that doubling of Warren Hill Tunnel at Newmarket and
redoubling between Coldham Lane Junction and Chippenham Junction is included
in the infrastructure requirements. It is assumed that most freight would operate
via Newmarket, with a new north chord at Coldham Lane Junction, rather than
pursuing further doubling of the route via Soham.
How would these changes affect Newmarket and the horse-racing industry in the town?
I believe that many freight trains would go straight through Cambridge and Cambridge South stations and onto the East West Railway.
One point to note, is that all of the route between Felixstowe and Cambridge South station has been gauge-cleared for the largest container trains and electrification.
This would surely make it reasonably easy to electrify all the way between Felixstowe and Cambridge South station.
Conclusion
I am coming to the conclusion, that given the importance of the rail freight route between Felixstowe and the Midlands, that something like the following will happen.
- 2024 – Diesel passenger trains start running between Reading and Bedford via Didcot, Oxford and Bletchley
- 2026 – Opening of Cambridge South station.
- 2028 – Partial or full electrification is erected between Reading and Bedford
- 2028 – Battery-electric passenger trains replace the diesel passenger trains.
- 2030 – Opening of the full route between Reading and Cambridge.
- 2935 – Opening of a fully-developed route though Newmarket to allow freight trains to go between Felixstowe and the East West Railway.
It appears to me, that by using diesel trains for an interim period, they can open the Reading and Bedford service early, whilst they complete the East West Railway.
Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work LNER’s Services?
Before I answer this question, I will lay out the battery-electric train’s specification.
Hitachi’s Proposed Battery Electric Train
Based on information in an article in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, which is entitled Sparking A Revolution, the specification of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train is given as follows.
- Based on Class 800-802/804 trains or Class 385 trains.
- Range of 55-65 miles.
- Operating speed of 90-100 mph
- Recharge in ten minutes when static.
- A battery life of 8-10 years.
- Battery-only power for stations and urban areas.
- Trains are designed to be created by conversion of existing Class 80x trains
For this post, I will assume that the train is five or nine-cars long. This is the length of LNER‘s Class 800 and 801 trains.
LNER’s Services
These are LNER services that run from London to the North of England and Scotland.
I shall go through all the services and see how they would be affected by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train.
London Kings Cross And Edinburgh
- The service runs at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
- Some services extend to Aberdeen, Stirling and Inverness and are discussed in the following sections.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Aberdeen
- The service runs at a frequency of four trains per day (tpd)
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Inverkeithing, Kirkaldy, Leuchars, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven.
- Currently, the electrification goes 394 miles to Haymarket.
The service is 524 miles long and takes seven hours and four minutes.
To ascertain, if the Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train, could run this route, I’ll display the various sections of the route.
- London Kings Cross and Haymarket – 394 miles – Electrified
- Haymarket and Inverkeithing – 12 miles – Not Electrified
- Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy – 13 miles – Not Electrified
- Kirkaldy and Leuchars – 25 miles – Not Electrified
- Leuchars and Dundee – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dundee and Arbroath – 17 miles – Not Electrified
- Arbroath and Montrose – 14 miles – Not Electrified
- Montrose and Stonehaven – 24 miles – Not Electrified
- Stonehaven and Aberdeen – 16 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- Haymarket and Dundee is a distance of 58 miles
- Dundee and Stonehaven is a distance of 55 miles
So could the service be run with Fast Charging systems at Dundee, Stonehaven and Aberdeen?
I think it could, but the problem would be charging time at Dundee and Stonehaven, as it could add twenty minutes to the journey time and make timetabling difficult on the route.
Perhaps, an alternative would be to electrify a section in the middle of the route to create an electrification island, that could be reached from both Haymarket and Aberdeen.
The obvious section to electrify would be between Dundee and Montrose.
- It is a distance of 31 miles to electrify.
- I have flown my virtual helicopter along the route and it could be already gauge-cleared for electrification,
- Dundee station has been recently rebuilt.
- Haymarket and Dundee is a distance of 58 miles.
- Montrose and Aberdeen is a distance of 40 miles.
- Pantographs could be raised and lowered at Dundee and Montrose stations.
With this electrification and a Fast Charging system at Aberdeen, I believe that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train could run between London Kings Cross and Aberdeen.
As an alternative to the Fast Charging system at Aberdeen, the route of Aberdeen Crossrail between Aberdeen and Inverurie could be electrified.
- This would enable battery-electric Class 385 trains to run between Inverurie and Montrose.
- The route through Aberdeen is newly-built, so should be gauge-cleared and reasonably easy to electrify.
It should also be noted that if battery-electric trains can run between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, then these services are also possible, using the same trains.
- Glasgow and Aberdeen
- Stirling and Aberdeen
All passenger services between Scotland’s Cenreal Belt and Aberdeen appear to be possible using battery-electric trains
London Kings Cross And Stirling
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Falkirk Grahamstown
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Inverness
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Falkirk Grahamstown, Stirling, Gleneagles, Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore.
- Currently, the electrification goes 429 miles to Stirling, but I have read that the Scottish government would like to see it extended to Perth, which is 462 miles from London.
The service is 581 miles long and takes eight hours and six minutes.
To ascertain, if the Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train, could run this route, I’ll display the various sections of the route.
- London Kings Cross and Haymarket – 394 miles – Electrified
- Haymarket and Falkirk Grahamsrown – 23 miles – Electrified
- Falkirk Grahamsrown and Stirling – 11 miles – Electrified.
- Stirling and Gleneagles – 17 miles – Not Electrified
- Gleneagles and Perth – 16 miles – Not Electrified
- Perth and Pitlochry – 28 miles – – Not Electrified
- Pitlochry and Kingussie – 44 miles – Not Rlectrified.
- Kingussie and Aviemore – 12 miles – Not Rlectrified.
- Aviemore and Inverness – 34 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- The distance between Dunblane, where the electrification actually finishes and Perth is only 28 miles, which shouldn’t be too challenging.
- All the sections North of Perth are well within range of a fully charged train.
- Some sections of the route are challenging. Look at the video I published in Edinburgh to Inverness in the Cab of an HST.
- Hitachi run diesel Class 800 trains to Inverness, so they must know the power required and the battery size to run between Perth and Inverness.
I also believe that the Scottish Government, ScotRail, the Highland tourist industry and Hitachi, would all put their endeavours behind a project to get battery-electric trains between Perth and Inverness.
It would send a powerful message, that if battery-electric trains can run on one of the most scenic rail lines in the world without electrification, then nowhere is out of reach of battery trains.
Looking at the figures, I am convinced that a series of Fast Charging systems at stations like Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore could supply enough power to allow a nine-car version of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train to work the route.
This battery-electrification, would also enable battery-electric Class 385 trains to work the route.
If all this sounds a bit fanciful and over ambitious, read the history of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, which brought electricity to the area in the 1940s and 1950s.
This battery-electrification is a small project compared to what the Hydro-Electric Board achieved.
I can see a time, when similar techniques allow battery-electric trains to run these lines from Inverness.
- Far North Line – 174 miles
- Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh – 82 miles
- Inverness and Aberdeen – 108 miles
The Far North Line would probably need two or three Fast Charging systems at intermediate stations, but the other lines would probably only need one system, somewhere in the middle.
I think that this analysis for London and Inverness shows that all parts of England, Scotland and Wales can be served by modern battery-electric trains.
It would also appear that the cost of the necessary Fast Charging systems, would be much more affordable than full electrification, North of Perth.
I estimate that less than a dozen Fast Charging systems would be needed, North of Perth.
- Some electrification might be needed in Inverness station.
- Electrification between Inverurie and Aberdeen could help.
- There’s no shortage of zero-carbon electricity from wind and hydro-electric power.
A couple of years ago, I speculated in a post called London To Thurso Direct.
Could it happen on a regular basis in the summer months?
London Kings Cross And Leeds
- The service runs at a frequency of two tph
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Harrogate
- The service runs at a frequency of six tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Harrogate is a distance of nineteen miles and is not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Leeds to Harrogate and back, using battery power alone.
- Batteries will be charged using the electrification at and around Leeds.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Bradford Foster Square
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Bradford Forster Square is a distance of fourteen miles and electrified.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Skipton
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Skipton is a distance of twenty-six miles and electrified.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Lincoln
- The service runs at a frequency of one train per two hours (1tp2h)
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate
- Newark North Gate and Lincoln is a distance of sixteen miles and not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Newark North Gate to Lincoln and back, using battery power alone.
- Batteries will be charged using the electrification between Newark North Gate and London Kings Cross.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And York
- The service runs at a frequency of 1tp2h
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate, Retford and Doncaster
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Hull
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate, Retford and Doncaster
- Temple Hirst Junction and Hull is a distance of thirty-six miles and not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Temple Hirst Junction and Hull and back, using battery power and a Fast Charger system at Hull.
- Batteries will also be charged using the electrification between Temple Hirst Junction and London Kings Cross.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
Consider.
- The train runs seventy-two miles to get to Hull and back on lines without electrification..
- Hitachi state that the trains maximum range on battery power is sixty-five miles.
- Hull Trains and TransPennine Express also run similar trains on this route, that will need charging at Hull.
So rather than installing a Fast Charging system at Hull, would it be better to do one of the following.
- Create a battery-electric AT-300 train with a bigger battery and a longer range. A One-Size-Fits-All could be better.
- However, the larger battery would be an ideal solution for Hull Trains, who also have to reverse and go on to Beverley.
- Electrify the last few miles of track into Hull. I don’t like this as electrifying stations can be tricky and getting power might be difficult!
- Electrify between Temple Hirst Junction and Selby station and whilst this is done, build a solution to the problem of the swing bridge. Power for the electrification can be taken from the East Coast Main Line.
I’m sure a compromise between train battery size and electrification can be found, that creates a solution, that is acceptable to the accountants.
Conclusion
I think it could be possible, that LNER could use a fleet of all-electric and battery-electric AT-300 trains.
Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work Chiltern Railways’s Services?
Before I answer this question, I will lay out a few specifications and the current status.
Hitachi’s Proposed Battery Electric Train
Based on information in an article in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, which is entitled Sparking A Revolution, the specification of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train is given as follows.
- Based on Class 800-802/804 trains or Class 385 trains.
- Range of 55-65 miles.
- Operating speed of 90-100 mph
- Recharge in ten minutes when static.
- A battery life of 8-10 years.
- Battery-only power for stations and urban areas.
For this post, I will assume that the train is four or five cars long.
Chiltern Railways’ Main Line Services
These are Chiltern Railways services that run on the Chiltern Main Line.
London Marylebone And Gerrards Cross
- The service runs at a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- Intermediate stations are Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park, West Ruislip, Denham and Denham Golf Club
The service is nineteen miles long and takes thirty minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at one end of the route.
London Marylebone And High Wycombe
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Wembley Stadium, South Ruislip, Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield
- Some services terminate in a bay platform 1 at High Wycombe station.
The service is twenty-eight miles long and takes forty-two minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at one end of the route.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Via High Wycombe
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations are Gerrards Cross, Seer Green and Jordans, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Saunderton, Princes Risborough, Monks Risborough and Little Kimble
- This service usually terminates in Platform 1 at Aylesbury station.
The service is 43.5 miles long and takes sixty-six minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at both ends of the route.
London Marylebone And Banbury (And Stratford-upon-Avon)
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations for the Banbury service are Denham Golf Club, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester North and Kings Sutton.
- Intermediate stations for the Stratford-upon-Avon service are Denham Golf Club, Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester North and Kings Sutton, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Hatton, Claverdon, Bearley, Wilmcote and Stratford-upon-Avon Parkway.
The Banbury service is 69 miles long and takes one hour and forty-five minutes.
The Stratford-upon-Avon service is 104 miles long and takes two hours and twenty-two minutes.
Running these two services will need a bit of ingenuity.
Leamington Spa And Birmingham Moor Street
- The service runs at a frequency of one train per two hours (tp2h)
- Intermediate stations for the service are Warwick, Hatton, Lapworth, Dorridge and Solihull.
The service is 23 miles long and takes forty-one minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at one end of the route.
London Marylebone And Birmingham Moor Street
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations for the service are High Wycombe, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick Parkway and Solihull.
The service is 112 miles long and takes one hour and forty-four minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at both ends of the route and also fully charged somewhere in the middle.
Distances from London Marylebone of the various stations are.
- High Wycombe – 28 miles
- Bicester North – 55 miles
- Banbury – 69 miles
- Leamington Spa – 89 miles
- Warwick – 91 miles
- Warwick Parkway – 92 miles
- Solihull – 105 miles
Consider.
- It looks like a fully-charged train from London Marylebone could reach Bicester North, but not Banbury, with a 55-65 mile battery range.
- Travelling South, Bicester North could be reached with a fully-charged train from Birmingham Moor Street.
But it would appear to be too marginal to run a reliable service.
London Marylebone And Birmingham Snow Hill
- The service runs at a frequency of one tph
- Intermediate stations for the service are Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick, Warwick Parkway, Dorridge, Solihull and Birmingham Moor Street
The service is 112 miles long and takes two hours and a minute.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at both ends of the route and also fully charged somewhere in the middle.
London Marylebone And Kidderminster
Some services between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill are extended to Kidderminster.
The distance between Kidderminster and Birmingham Snow Hill is twenty miles and the service takes forty-two minutes.
London Marylebone And Oxford
- The service runs at a frequency of two tph
- Intermediate stations for the service are High Wycombe, Haddenham & Thame Parkway, Bicester Village, Islip and, Oxford Parkway.
- The service runs into dedicated platforms at Oxford station.
The service is 67 miles long and takes one hour and nine minutes.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at both ends of the route and some supplementary charging somewhere in the middle.
Chiltern’s Aylesbury Line Services
These are Chiltern Railway‘s services that run on the London And Aylesbury Line (Amersham Line).
London Marylebone And Aylesbury (And Aylesbury Vale Parkway) via Amersham
- The service runs at a frequency of two tph
- Intermediate stations are Harrow-on-the-Hill, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Chalfont & Latimer, Amersham, Great Missenden, Wendover and Stoke Mandeville.
- It appears that there is sufficient time at Aylesbury Vale Parkway in the turnround to charge the train using a Fast Charging system.
The Aylesbury service is 39 miles long and takes one hour.
The Aylesbury Vale Parkway service is 41 miles long and takes one hour and twelve minutes.
It should be possible to run both services with trains charged at both ends of the route.
Chiltern Railways’ Future Train Needs
Chiltern Railways will need to add to or replace some or all of their fleet in the near future for various reasons.
Decarbonisation
Chiltern are probably the passenger train operating company, with the lowest proportion of zero-carbon trains. It scores zero for zero-carbon!
Government policy of an extinction date of 2040 was first mentioned by Jo Johnson, when he was Rail Minister in February 2018.
As new trains generally last between thirty and forty years and take about five years to design and deliver, trains ordered tomorrow, will probably still be running in 2055, which is fifteen years after Jo Johnson’s diesel extinction date.
I feel that, all trains we order now, should be one of the following.
- All-electric
- Battery-electric
- Hydrogen-electric
- Diesel electric trains, that can be converted to zero-carbon, by the replacement of the diesel power, with an appropriate zero-carbon source.
Hitachi seem to be designing an AT-300 diesel-electric train for Avanti West Coast, where the diesel engines can be replaced with batteries, according to an article in the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways.
Pollution And Noise In And Around Marylebone Station
This Google Map shows the area around Marylebone station.
Cinsider.
- Marylebone station is in the South-East corner of the map.
- The station is surrounded by some of the most expensive real estate in London.
- A lot of Chiltern’s trains do not meet the latest regulations for diesel trains.
- Blackfriars, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Euston, Fenchurch Street, Kings Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Paddington, St. Pancras, Victoria and Waterloo stations are diesel-free or have plans to do so.
Will the residents, the Greater London Council and the Government do something about improving Chiltern’s pollution and noise?
New trains would be a necessary part of the solution.
New And Extended Services
Consider.
- Chiltern plan to extend the Aylesbury Parkway service to Milton Keynes in connection with East West Rail. This service would appear to be planned to run via High Wycombe and Princes Risborough.
- There has also been proposals for a new Chiltern terminus at Old Oak Common in West London to connect to Crossrail, High Speed Two and the London Overground.
- Chiltern could run a service between Oxford and Birmingham Moor Street.
- With the demise of the Croxley Rail Link around Watford, Chiltern could be part of a revived solution.
- In Issue 899 of Rail Magazine in an article entitled Calls For Major Enhancement To Oxford And Didcot Route, it states that there will be three tph between Oxford and Marylebone, two of which will start from a new station at Cowley.
Chiltern certainly have been an expansionist railway in the past.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chiltern ordering new trains.
As I said earlier, I suspect they wouldn’t want to order some new short-life diesel trains.
125 mph Running
Consider.
- The West Coast Main Line has an operating speed of 125 mph.
- East West Rail is being built for an operating speed of 125 mph.
- Some parts of the Chiltern Main Line could be electrified and upgraded to 125 mph operation.
For these reasons, some of Chiltern’s new fleet must be capable of modification, so it can run at 125 mph, where it is possible.
100 mph Trains
Around half of Chiltern’s fleet are 100 mph trains, but the other half, made up of Class 165 trains only have a 75 mph operating speed.
Running a fleet, where all trains have a similar performance, must give operational and capacity improvements.
Increasing Capacity
Chiltern’s Main Line service to Birmingham is run using six Mark 3 carriages between a Class 68 locomotive and a driving van trailer.
These trains are 177.3 metres long and hold 444 passengers.
These trains are equivalent in length to a seven-car Hitachi Class AT-300 train, which I estimate would hold just over 500 passengers.
Changing some trains for a more modern design, could increase the passenger capacity, but without increasing the train length.
Aventi West Coast And High Speed Two
Chiltern’s services to Birmingham will come under increasing pressure from Avanti West Coast‘s revamped all-electric fleet, which within ten years should be augmented by High Speed Two.
It will be difficult selling the joys of comfortable diesel trains against the environmental benefits of all-electric zero-carbon faster trains.
Great Western Railway And Possible Electrification To Oxford
Chiltern’s services to Oxford will also come under increasing pressure from Great Western Railway’s services to Oxford.
- When Crossrail opens, Paddington will be a much better terminal than Marylebone.
- Crossrail will offer lots of new connections from Reading.
- Great Western Railway could run their own battery-electric trains to Oxford.
- Great Western Railway will be faster between London and Oxford at 38 minutes to Chiltern’s 65 minutes.
Will new trains be needed on the route to retain passengers?
Will Chiltern Have Two Separate Fleets?
Currently, Chiltern Railways have what is effectively two separate fleets.
- A Chiltern Main Line fleet comprised of five sets of six Mark 3 coaches, a Class 68 locomotive and a driving van trailer.
- A secondary fleet of thirty-four assorted diesel multiple units of various ages and lengths, which do everything else.
But would this be their fleet, if they went for a full renewal to fully-decarbonise?
Would they acquire more Main Line sets to work the services to Birmingham, Kidderminster and perhaps some other Midlands destinations?
Do the Oxford services require more capacity for both Oxford and Bicester Village and would more Main Line sets be a solution?
What destinations will be served and what trains will be needed to work services from new destinations like Milton Keynes and Old Oak Common?
I can see Chiltern acquiring two fleets of battery-electric trains.
- Chiltern Main Line trains based on Hitachi AT-300 trains with between five and seven cars.
- Suburban trains for shorter journeys, based on Hitachi Class 385 trains with perhaps four cars.
Both would be fairly similar under the skin.
Conclusion On Chiltern Railways’ Future Trains
I am very much drawn to the conclusion, that Chiltern will have to introduce a new fleet of zero-carbon trains.
Electrification would be a possibility, but have we got enough resources to carry out the work, at the same time as High Speed Two is being built?
Hydrogen might be a possibility, but it would probably lead to a loss of capacity on the trains.
Battery-electric trains might not be a solution, but I suspect they could be the best way to increase Chiltern’s fleet and decarbonise at the same time.
- Hitachi’s basic train design is used by several train operating companies and appears to be well received, by Train operating companies, staff and passengers.
- Hitachi appear to be well-advanced with a battery-electric version.
- Hitachi seem to have sold the concept of battery-electric AT-300 trains to Avanti West Coast to replace their diesel-electric Class 221 trains.
The sale of trains to Avanti West Coast appears to be very significant, in that Hitachi will be delivering a diesel-electric fleet, that will then be converted to battery-electric.
I like this approach.
- Routes can be converted gradually and the trains fully tested as diesel-electric.
- Electrification and/or charging stations can be added, to the rail network.
- As routes are ready, the trains can be converted to battery-electric.
It would appear to be a low-risk approach, that could ensure conversion of the fleet does not involve too much disruption to passengers.
Possible Electrification That Might Help Chiltern Railways
These lines are or could be electrified in the near future.
Amersham Line Between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham Stations
The only electrified line on the Chiltern Railways network is the section of the Amersham Line between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham stations.
- It is electrified using London Underground’s system.
- It is fourteen miles long and trains take twenty-two minutes.
- London Marylebone and Harrow-on-the-Hill is a distance of only nine miles
- Aylesbury and Amersham is a distance of only fifteen miles.
Could this be of use in powering Children Railways’ trains?
The maths certainly look promising, as if nothing else it means the maximum range of one of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains is fourteen miles further, which may enable Chiltern’s proposed service between London Marylebone and Milton Keynes to reach the 25 KVAC electrification at Bletchley.
But if the new trains were to use the London Underground electrification, they would have to be dual-voltage units.
As Hitachi have already built dual-voltage Class 395 trains for the UK, I don’t think, that this will be a problem.
Dorridge/Whitlock’s End And Worcestershire via Birmingham Snow Hill
In the February 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, there is a feature, which is entitled West Midlands Builds For The Future.
This is said about electrification on the Snow Hill Lines.
Remodelling Leamington is just one of the aspirations WMRE has for upgrading the Great Western’s Southern approach to Birmingham, which serves a number of affluent suburbs, with growing passenger numbers. “Electrification of the Snow Hill Lines commuter network is something which we are keen to explore.’ says Mr. Rackliff.
As well as reducing global carbon emissions, yhis would also help reduce air pollution in central Birmingham and local population centres. ‘From a local perspective, we’d initially want to see electrification of the core network between Dorridge/Whitlock’s End and Worcestershire via Birmingham Snow Hill as a minimum, but from a national perspective it would make sense to electrify the Chiltern Main Line all the way to Marylebone.’
Note the following distances from Dorridge.
- Leamington Spa – 13 miles
- Banbury – 33 miles
- Bicester North – 47 miles
- High Wycombe – 74 miles
It looks as if, electrification of the Snow Hill Lines would allow trains to travel from Bicester or Banbury to Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill or Kidderminster.
Reading And Nuneaton via Didcot, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington Spa And Coventry
This route, which is used by CrossCountry services and freight trains, has been mentioned in the past, as a route that may be electrified.
Note the following distances from Didcot.
- Oxford – 10 miles
- Ayhno Junction – 27 miles
- Banbury 32 miles
- Leamington Spa – 52 miles
- Coventry – 62 miles
- Nuneaton – 72 miles
Electrifying this route would link together the following lines.
- Trent Valley Line through Nuneaton
- West Coast Main Line through Coventry
- Chiltern Main Line through Banbury and Leamington Spa.
- Great Western Main Line through Didcot.
Note that Aynho Junction is only 36 miles from High Wycombe and 64 miles from London Marylebone.
Fast Charging At Terminal Stations
Chiltern Railways use the following terminal stations.
- Aylesbury station, where a bay platform is used.
- Aylesbury Parkway station
- Banbury station, where a bay platform is used.
- Birmingham Moor Street station, where all bay platforms are used.
- Birmingham Show Hill station
- High Wycombe station, where a bay platform is used.
- Kidderminster station
- London Marylebone station, where all platforms are used.
- Oxford station, where two North-facing bay platforms are used.
- Stratford-upon-Avon station
I suspect that something like Viviarail’s Fast-Charging system, based on well-proven third-rail technology could be used.
- This system uses a bank of batteries to transfer power to the train’s batteries.
- The transfer is performed using modified high-quality third-rail electrification technology.
- Battery-to-battery transfer is fast, due to the low-impedance of batteries.
- The system will be able to connect automatically, without driver action.
- The third-rail is only switched on, when a train is present.
- The battery bank will be trickle-charged from any convenient power source.
Could the battery bank be installed under the track in the platform to save space?
If Network Rail and Chiltern Railways would prefer a solution based on 25 KVAC technology, I’m sure that Furrer and Frey or another electrification company have a solution.
Installing charging in a platform at a station, would obviously close the platform for a couple of months, but even converting all six platforms at Marylebone station wouldn’t be an impossible task.
Possible Electrification Between London Marylebone And Harrow-on-the-Hill
Consider.
- All trains to Aylesbury have to travel between London Marylebone and Harrow-on-the-Hill stations, which is nine miles of track without electrification. It takes about twelve minutes.
- Trains via High Wycombe use this section of track as far as Neasden South Junction, which is give miles and typically takes seven minutes.
- Leaving Marylebone, these trains are accelerating, so will need more power.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines around Neasden.
Note.
- The Chiltern Railways tracks are shown in black.
- Two tracks continue to the North-West to Harrow-on-the-Hill and Aylesbury.
- Two tracks continue to the West to Wembley Stdium station and High Wycombe.
- Two tracks continue South-East into Marylebone station, running non-stop.
- The Jubilee Line tracks in the middle are shown in silver,
- The Metropolitan Line tracks are shown in mauve.
These pictures were taken of the two Chiltern tracks from a Jubilee Line train running between West Hampstead and Wembley Park stations.
Note, that the tracks have no electrification and there is plenty of space.
I feel that to accelerate the trains out of Marylebone and make sure that the batteries are fully charged, that these tracks should be electrified.
There is space on this section for 25 KVAC overhead, but would it be better to use an electrified rail system?
- As you approach Marylebone there are several tunnels, which might make installation of overhead wires difficult and disruptive.
- There are London Underground tracks and their third and fourth rail electrification everywhere.
- Between Harrow-on-the Hill and Amersham stations, Chiltern and Metropolitan Line trains share the same track, which is electrified to London Underground standards and used for traction power by the Metropolitan Line trains.
- Trains connect and disconnect to third-rail electrification, without any complication and have been doing it for over a hundred years.
On the other hand, there are arguments against third-rail systems like safety and electrical inefficiency.
Running Chiltern’s Routes Using A Battery-Electric Train
I will now take each route in order and look at how battery-electric trains could run the route.
London Marylebone And Oxford
Consider.
- This route is 67 miles.
- An out and back trip is 134 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains currently wait in the bay platforms at Oxford for up to thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
When I outlined this route, I said this.
It should be possible to run this service with trains charged at both ends of the route and some supplementary charging somewhere in the middle.
I’m discussing this route first, as it has the complication of needing some form of intermediate charging.
The obvious place for some intermediate charging would be High Wycombe station.
- It is 28 miles from Marylebone
- It is 38 miles from Oxford
- Trains seem to stop for a couple of minutes at High Wycombe.
As trains would only need to pick up a half-charge at the station, would it be possible for a train passing through High Wycombe to be able to use a Fast-Charging system, to give the battery a boost?
As a Control and Electrical Engineer by training, I think that this is more than possible.
It leads me to believe that with Fast Charging systems at Marylebone, Oxford and High Wycombe, Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains can run a reliable service between Marylebone and Oxford.
London Marylebone And Gerrards Cross
Consider.
- This route is just nineteen miles.
- An out and back trip is thirty-eight miles.
- Trains appear to use a reversing siding to change tracks to return to London. They wait in the siding for up to thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
I am fairly sure, that this route could be run by trains charged at Marylebone station only.
However, if charging is needed at Gerrards Cross, there is plenty of time, for this to be performed in the reversing siding.
It might even be reversed with all charging taking place at Gerrards Cross, so that fast turnrounds can be performed in Marylebone station.
London Marylebone And High Wycombe
Consider.
- This route is just twenty-eight miles.
- An out and back trip is fifty-six miles.
- Trains wait in the bay platform for up to thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
Everything said for the Gerrards Cross service would apply to the High Wycombe service.
London Marylebone And Banbury
Consider.
- This route is 69 miles.
- An out and back trip is 138 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains wait in platform 4 at Banbury for around thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- Trains call at High Wycombe station.
As with the Marylebone and Oxford route, this route will need some intermediate charging and as with the Oxford service, High Wycombe is the obvious choice,
High Wycombe is only 41 miles from Banbury, which is well within range of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train.
London Marylebone And Stratford-upon-Avon
Consider.
- This route is 104 miles.
- An out and back trip is 208 miles.
- The distance between Stratford-upon-Avon and Banbury is 35 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains wait in Platform 1 at Stratford-upon-Avon for over thirty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- Trains call at Banbury station, where they wait for several minutes.
- Trains call at High Wycombe station.
As with the Marylebone and Oxford and Marylebone and Banbury routes, this route will need some intermediate charging and as with the Oxford and Banbury services, High Wycombe is the obvious choice,
But this route could also use the Fast Charging system at Banbury.
London Marylebone And Birmingham Moor Street
Consider.
- This route is 112 miles.
- An out and back trip is 224 miles.
- The distance between Birmingham Moor Street and Banbury is 43 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains wait in the bay platform at Birmingham Moor Street for thirteen minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- Trains call at Banbury and High Wycombe stations.
As with the Marylebone and Stratford-upon-Avon route, this route will need some intermediate charging and as with the Stratford-upon-Avon service, High Wycombe and Banbury are the obvious choice,
London Marylebone And Birmingham Snow Hill
Consider.
- This route is 112 miles.
- An out and back trip is 224 miles.
- The distance between Birmingham Snow Hill and Banbury is 43 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains wait in the bay platform at Birmingham Snow Hill for ten minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- Trains call at Banbury and High Wycombe stations.
As with the Marylebone and Stratford-upon-Avon route, this route will need some intermediate charging and as with the Stratford-upon-Avon service, High Wycombe and Banbury are the obvious choice,
London Marylebone And Kidderminster
Consider.
- This route is 132 miles.
- An out and back trip is 264 miles.
- The distance between Kidderminster and Banbury is 63 miles.
- The route is probably too long for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, without some intermediate charging.
- Trains call at Banbury and High Wycombe stations.
As with the Marylebone and Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham routes, this route will need some intermediate charging and as with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham services, High Wycombe and Banbury are the obvious choice,
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Via High Wycombe
Consider.
- The route is 43.5 miles
- An out and back trip is 87 miles.
- The route is probably short enough for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, to run the route without intermediate charging.
- This service usually terminates in Platform 1 at Aylesbury station, where trains wait for up to thirteen minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- The train will also be fully-charged at Marylebone.
It looks that this route could be easily handled with charging at both ends of the route, but if there has been a charging error, the train can obviously make a pit-stop at High Wycombe to give the battery a top-up.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Via Amersham
Consider.
- The route is 39 miles
- An out and back trip is 78 miles.
- The route is probably short enough for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, to run the route without intermediate charging.
- This service usually terminates in Platform 3 at Aylesbury station, where trains wait for up to twenty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- The train will also be fully-charged at Marylebone.
It looks that this route could be easily handled with charging at both ends of the route, but if there has been a charging error, the train can obviously make a pit-stop at High Wycombe to give the battery a top-up.
London Marylebone And Aylesbury Vale Parkway Via Amersham
Consider.
- The route is 41 miles
- An out and back trip is 82 miles.
- The route is probably short enough for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, to run the route without intermediate charging.
- This service usually terminates in Platform 1 at Aylesbury Vale Parkway station, where trains wait for up to nine minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Marylebone.
- The train will also be fully-charged at Marylebone.
It looks that this route could be easily handled with charging at both ends of the route, but if there has been a charging error, the train can obviously make a pit-stop at Aylesbury to give the battery a top-up.
Leamington Spa And Birmingham Moor Street
Consider.
- The route is 23 miles
- An out and back trip is 46 miles.
- This service usually terminates in a bay platform at Birmingham Moor Street station, where trains wait for up to twenty minutes, which is more than enough time to fully-charge the train for return to Leamington Spa.
I am fairly sure, that this route could be run by trains charged at Bitmingham Moor Street station only.
New And Extended Services
These services are planned or have been mentioned as possibilities.
London Marylebone And Milton Keynes Via High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury And Aylesbury Vale Parkway
This is the new service that Chiltern will start running in the next few years.
Consider.
- I estimate the distance between Aylesbury Vale Parkway and Bletchley, where 25 KVAC overhead electrification starts is 18 miles, with Milton Keynes a further three miles.
- The distance between Marylebone and Bletchley via High Wycombe would be 63.5 miles.
- The route is probably short enough for the proposed Hitachi battery-electric train, to run the route without intermediate charging.
- Charging would normally be in Milton Keynes and Marylebone, with a certain amount of charging from the 25 KVAC between Bletchley and Milton Keynes.
It looks that this route could be handled with charging at both ends of the route, but if there has been a charging error, the train can obviously make a pit-stop at High Wycombe or Aylesbury to give the battery a top-up.
Birmingham Moor Street And Oxford
Consider.
- Birmingham Moor Street station could have more South-facing bay platforms.
- Birmingham Moor Street station is only a short walk from the new High Speed Two station at Birmingham Curzon Street.
- Oxford station has two North-facing bay platforms.
- Oxford station and Aynho Junction is only twenty miles and well within battery range, if High Wycombe and Banbury is electrified.
- Banbury and Oxford currently takes 23 minutes.
- Banbury and Birmingham Moor Street currently takes 44 minutes
It looks like a Birmingham Moor Street and Oxford service would take one hour and seven minutes.
London Marylebone And The Cowley Branch
This proposed service is probably about four to five miles further on from Oxford station.
There may be problems with how the track is laid out, but with a charging station at the end of the branch, I doubt that distance would be a problem.
Croxley Rail Link Proposal
I said this earlier.
With the demise of the Croxley Rail Link around Watford, Chiltern could be part of a revived solution.
The original plan died a long time ago, but could there be a simpler Chiltern-based solution?
- Rebuild the railway between Croxley and Watford High Street stations.
- Build new stations at Watford Vicarage Road and Cassiobridge.
- A single track link would be more affordable could certainly handle two tph and possibly four.
- Chiltern would run a two tph service between Watford Junction and Aylesbury stations.
- The service would call at Watford High Street, Watford Vicarage Road, Cassiobridge, Croxley, Rickmansworth, Chorleywood, Chalfont & Latimer, Amersham, Great Missenden, Wendover and Stoke Mandeville.
I’m sure a more comprehensive scheme than the original one can be devised.
Important Stations
These are some of the more important stations and a few notes.
Aylesbury
As Chiltern develops the network in the next few years, these services could run to and/or through Aylesbury station.
- One tph – London Marylebone and Aylesbury via High Wycombe
- One tph – London Marylebone and Aylesbury via Amersham
- One tph – London Marylebone and Aylesbury Vale Parkway via Amersham
- One tph – London Marylebone and Milton Keynes via High Wycombe and Aylesbury Vale Parkway (new service)
I could also see a two tph service between Watford Junction and Aylesbury via Amersham.
Summing all this up means that two tph go via High Wycombe and four tph go via Amersham.
This Google Map shows Aylesbury station.
Note.
- Platforms are numbered 1 to 3 from South to North.
- Trains going South via High Wycombe call in Platforms 1 or 2.
- Trains going South via Amersham call in Platforms 2 and 3
- Trains going North call in Platforms 2 and 3.
These pictures show the station.
It is a spacious station, with step-free access and I feel that it could handle more services.
Banbury
I am sure that Banbury station, will be an important charging point for Chiltern’s battery-electric trains going North of Banbury.
This Google Map shows the layout of the recently-refurbished Banbury station.
Note.
- Platforms are numbered 1 to 4 from West to East.
- Trains going North call in Platforms 1 or 2.
- Trains going South call in Platforms 3 or 4.
- The Marylebone and London service usually turns back in Platform 4 after waiting there for over half-an-hour.
- Northbound Stratford-upon-Avon services generally use Platform 1, but most others generally use Playform 2.
- Southbound Stratford-upon-Avon services generally use Platform 4, but most others generally use Playform 3.
It looks to me, that Banbury station could handle the charging of trains as they pass through, as all of Chiltern’s services that serve destinations to the North of Banbury, stop at the station.
Hitachi are saying, that one of their proposed battery-electric trains needs ten minutes to be fully-charged.
So there may need to be some adjustment to the time-table to lengthen the stops at Banbury, to give ten minutes of charging time.
Alternatively, a few miles of electrification could be centred on Banbury, perhaps between Aynho Junction and Leamington Spa, which is a distance of twenty-six miles, which takes one of Chiltern’s trains around twenty-three minutes.
This would surely give enough time to fully-charge the batteries, but would also benefit CrossCountry, if they should go the battery-electric route.
I have followed the route between Aynho Junction and Leamington Spa in my helicopter and it would appear to be a fairly straight and uncomplicated route. I would say, it is about as difficult to electrify, as the Midland Main Line between Bedford and Kettering/Corby, which appears to have been one of Hetwork Rail’s better electrification projects, which should be delivered on time and has been installed without too much disruption to trains and passengers.
High Wycombe
It looks to me, that High Wycombe station will be an important charging point for Chiltern’s battery-electric trains going North to Oxford and Banbury.
Unlike Banbury, High Wycombe has not seen many changes over the years.
This Google Map shows High Wycombe station.
Note.
- Platforms are numbered 1 to 3 from South to North.
- Platform 1 is a bay platform that faces London.
- Platform 2 is the Westbound platform.
- Platform 3 is the Eastbound platform.
- High Wycombe has five tph in both directions, with an upgrade to six tph possible, after two tph run to the Cowley Branch.
The frequency of the trains through High Wycombe station could probably be handled by a Fast Charging system, but it would be tight to fit all current five services into an hour. It would appear to preclude any extra services going through High Wycombe, as there just isn’t enough time in an hour.
For this reason, I think that High Wycombe station needs full electrification, so that all passing trains can top up their batteries.
This gives the interesting possibility, that a train leaving High Wycombe for London with a full battery, would probably have enough charge in the battery to travel the 28 miles to London Marylebone and return. The train could always have a top-up at Marylebone.
So how far would the electrfication, through High Wycombe run?
Given that for operational reasons, it is probably best that pantographs are raised and lowered in stations, it is probably best if the various routes were electrified to the next station.
- The Chiltern Main Line route would be electrified as far as Banbury station, where all trains stop. The distance would be 41 miles.
- The Oxford route would be electrified as far as Bicester Village station, where all trains stop. The distance would be less than two miles from the Chiltern Main Line
- The Aylesbury route would be electrified as far as Princes Risborough station, where all trains stop. This would be included in the Chiltern Main Line electrification.
It looks to me, that just 43 miles of double-track electrification would enable Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains to reach all parts of the Chiltern network.
Distances of the various destinations from the electrification are as follows.
- Birmingham Moor Street – 43 miles
- Birmingham Snow Hill – 43 miles
- Kidderminster – 63 miles
- Marylebone – 28 miles
- Milton Keynes – 27 miles
- Oxford – 38 miles
- Oxford – Cowley – 43 miles
- Stratford-upon-Avon 35 miles
Only Kidderminster could be tricky, but not if the Snow Hill Lines are electrified through Birmingham.
Electrification of the Chiltern Main Line between High Wycombe and Banbury with a number of Fast Charging systems in selected stations, would be my preferred option of enabling Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains to work the Chiltern network.
These pictures show High Wycombe station.
It does appear that the bridge at the Western end of the station my need to be modified, so that overhead wires can be threaded underneath.
Conclusion
Quite unexpectedly, I am pleasantly surprised.
Chiltern Railways’ current network can be run by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric AT-300 trains.
- Fast charging systems will be needed at Aylesbury, Aylesbury Vale Parkway, Banbury, Birmingham Moor Street, Birmingham Snow Hill, Gerrards Cross, High Wycombe, Kidderminster, Marylebone, Milton Keynes and Oxford.
- Banbury and High Wycombe will need to be able to top-up trains as they pass through.
- No large scale electrification will be needed. Although any new electrification will be greatly accepted!
As I indicated earlier, I would electrify the core part of the Chiltern Main Line route between High Wycombe and Banbury.
It would probably be a good idea to electrify a few miles at the Southern end of the line, where it runs into Marylebone station.
- Marylebone and Harrow-on-the-Hill.
- Marylebone and West Ruislip
- Old Oak Common and West Ruislip.
I would use third-rail electrification to be compatible with London Underground and because of the automatic connection and disconnection.
But most surprisingly, there are already generous turnround times at most terminal stations, which give enough time to charge the trains.
It’s almost, as if Chiltern are preparing for battery-electric trains.
Charging Battery Trains
In Sparking A Revolution, I talked about Hitachi’s plans to develop battery versions of their Class 800 trains.
The article also gives the specification of a Hitachi battery train.
- Range – 55-65 miles
- Performance – 90-100 mph
- Recharge – 10 minutes when static
- Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
- Battery Life – 8-10 years
These figures are credited to Hitachi.
Methods Of Charging
I can envisage two main methods of changing battery trains.
- Static charging in a station, depot or siding.
- Dynamic charging, whilst the train is on the move.
I am not covering other possible methods like battery swapping in this post.
Static Charging
Hitachi only mention static charging in their specification and they give a charge time of ten minutes.
This is a very convenient time, when you consider quite a few trains take around 10-15 minutes to turn round at a terminus.
Two companies have stated that they have products that can charge battery trains in around this time.
- Vivarail offers a system based on well-proven third-rail electrification technology.
- Furrer and Frey offers a system based on overhead electrification technology.
I suspect that other companies are developing systems.
Dynamic Charging
With dynamic charging, the batteries are charged as the trains run along standard electrified routes.
In the UK, this means one of two systems.
- 750 VDC third rail electrification
- 25 KVAC overhead electrification
Both systems can be used to charge the batteries.
Note that in the BEMU Trial in 2015, the Class 379 train used for the trial charged the batteries from the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
A Mixture Of Dynamic And Static Charging
Many routes will be handled by a mixture of both methods.
As an example London Paddington and Cheltenham is electrified except for the 42 miles between Swindon and Cheltenham.
A round trip between London Paddington and Cheltenham could be handled as follows.
- London Paddington to Swindon using electrification – Dynamic charging battery at the same time!
- Swindon to Cheltenham using battery power
- Turnround at Cheltenham – Static charging battery at the same time!
- Cheltenham to Swindon using battery power
- Swindon to London Paddington using electrification
Note the following.
- Two legs of the round-trip are run using electrification power.
- Two legs of the round-trip are run using battery power.
- There is one dynamic charge and one static charge of the batteries.
No diesel power would be used on the journey and I suspect journey times would be identical to the current timetable.
I suspect that many routes run by battery electric trains will employ a mixture of both dynamic and static charging.
Here’s a few examples.
- London Kings Cross and Lincoln
- London Kings Cross and Harrogate
- London St Pancras and Melton Mowbray
- London Euston and Chester
- London Paddington and Bedwyn
There are probably many more.
Intermediate Charging On A Long Route
South Western Railway has a fleet that is nearly all-electric.
But they do have forty diesel trains, which are mainly used for services between London Waterloo and Exeter.
These don’t fit with any decarbonising strategy.
There is also the problem that the route between London Waterloo and Exeter, is only electrified as far as Basingstoke, leaving a long 124 miles of route without electrification.
This means that a battery train needs to charge the batteries at least twice en route.
Charging At A Longer Stop
The obvious approach to providing en route charging would be to perform a ten minute stop, where the batteries are fast charged.
Looking at Real Time Trains, the stop at Salisbury is often five minutes or more, as trains can join and split and change crews at the station.
But two stops like this could slow the train by fifteen minutes or so.
Charging At A An Electrification Island
On the section of the route, West of Salisbury, there are a series of fairly close-together stations.
- Tisbury – 7 miles
- Gillingham – 16 miles
- Templecombe – 18 miles
- Sherborne – 23 miles
- Yeovil Junction – 39 miles
- Crewkerne – 48 miles
- Axminster – 61 miles
Note,
The distances are from Salisbury.
- Much of this nearly ninety mile section of the West of England Line between Salisbury and Exeter is single track.
- The Heart of Wessex Line between Westbury and Weymouth crosses at Yeovil Junction.
- There are three sections of double track and four passing loops.
- There is a passing loop at Axminster.
It strikes me that the optimal way of charging battery trains on this secondary route might be to electrify both the West of England and Heart of Wessex Lines around Yeovil Junction station.
The power for the electrification island, could come from local renewable sources, as proposed by Riding Sunbeams.
Distances from Yeovil Junction station are.
- Bath Spa – 50 miles
- Castle Cary – 12 miles
- Exeter St. Davids – 49 miles
- Salisbury – 39 miles
- Weymouth – 30 miles
With a battery-electric train with a 55-65 mile range, as proposed in Hitachi’s draft specification, SWR’s London Waterloo and Exeter service would certainly be possible. Charging would be at Salisbury and in the Yeovil area.
On Summer Saturdays, SWR also run a London Waterloo and Weymouth service via Salisbury and Yeovil Junction. This would appear to be within the range of a battery-electric train.
As Weymouth is electrified with third-rail, I suspect that arranging charging of a battery-electric train at the station, will not be an impossible task.
The other service through the area is Great Western Railway‘s service between Gloucester and Weymouth, that runs every two hours.
It would appear that in some point in the future, it will be possible to run this service using a Hitachi battery-electric train.
Third-Rail Or Overhead?
The previous example of an electrification island would probably use 750 VDC third-rail electrification, but there is no reason, why 25 KVAC overhead electrification couldn’t be used.
Note that these trains have been talked about as possibilities for running under battery power.
- Greater Anglia’s Class 379 trains, built by Bombardier
- Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, built by Stadler.
- Merseyrail’s Class 777 trains, built by Stadler.
- Scotrail’s Class 385 trains, built my Hitachi
- Several companies’ Class 800 trains, built by Hitachi
- Suthern’s Class 377 trains, built by Bombardier
All the manufacturers named have experience of both dual-voltage trains and battery operation.
I would suspect that any future battery-electric trains in the UK will be built to work on both of our electrification systems.
When talking about battery-electric trains, 750 VDC third-rail electrification may have advantages.
- It can be easily powered by local renewable sources, as Riding Sunbeams are proposing.
- It is compatible with Vivarail’s Fast-Charging system.
- Connection and disconnection is totally automatic and has been since Southern Railway started using third-rail electrification.
- Is is more affordable and less disruptive to install?
- Third-rail electrification can be installed in visually-sensitive areas with less objections.
Developments in third-rail technology will improve safety, by only switching the power on, when a train is connected.
More Electrification Islands
These are a few examples of where an electrification island could enable a battery-electric train to decarbonise a service.
London Euston and Holyhead
In Are Hitachi Designing the Ultimate Battery Train?, I looked at running Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains between London Euston and Holyhead.
I proposed electrifying the fourteen miles between Rhyl and Llandudno Junction stations, which would leave two sections of the route between London Euston and Holyhead without electrification.
- Rhyl and Crewe is fifty-one miles.
- Llandudno Junction and Holyhead is forty-one miles.
Both sections should be within the battery range of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains, with their 55-65 mile range.
The following should be noted.
- The time between arriving at Rhyl station and leaving Llandudno Junction station is nineteen minutes. This should be time enough to charge the batteries.
- Either 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail electrification could be used.
- There could be arguments for third-rail, as the weather can be severe.
- The railway is squeezed between the sea and the M55 Expressway and large numbers of caravans.
The performance of the new trains will be such, that they should be able to run between London Euston and Holyhead in a similar time. Using High Speed Two could reduce this to just under three hours.
Edinburgh And Aberdeen
I’m sure Scotland would like to electrify between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
But it would be a difficult project due to the number of bridges on the route.
Distances from Edinburgh are as follows.
- Leuchars – 50 miles
- Dundee – 59 miles
- Arbroath – 76 miles
- Montrose – 90 miles
- Stonehaven – 114 miles
- Aberdeen – 130 miles
A quick look at these distances indicate that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains with a 55-65 mile range could cover the following sections.
- Edinburgh and Dundee – 59 miles
- Arbroath and Aberdeen – 56 miles
Would it be possible to electrify the seventeen miles between Dundee and Arbroath?
I have just flown my helicopter along the route and observed the following.
- Dundee station is new and appears to be cleared for overhead wires.
- Many of the bridges in Dundee are new and likely to be cleared for overhead wires.
- There is a level crossing at Broughty Ferry station.
- Much of the route between Broughty Ferry and Arbroath stations is on the landward side of golf links, with numerous level crossings.
- Between Arbroath and Montrose stations, the route appears to be running through farmland using gentle curves.
- There is a single track bridge across the River South Esk to the South of Montrose station.
- According to Wikipedia, the operating speed is 100 mph.
Montrose might be a better Northern end to the electrification.
- It has a North-facing bay platform, that could be used for service recovery and for charging trains turning back to Aberdeen.
- Montrose and Aberdeen is only forty miles.
- It might be possible to run the service between Montrose and Inverurie, which is just 57 miles on battery power.
The problem would be electrifying the bridge.
Operationally, I can see trains running like this between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
- Trains would leave the electrification, just to the North of Edinburgh with a full battery.
- Battery power would be used over the Forth Bridge and through Fife and over the Tay Bridge to Dundee.
- Electrification would take the train to Arbroath and possibly on to Montrose. The battery would also be charged on this section.
- Battery power would take trains all the way to Aberdeen.
Trains would change between battery and electrification in Dundee and Arbroath or Montrose stations.
My one question, is would it be a good idea to electrify through Aberdeen, so that trains returning South could be charged?
I believe that four or five-car versions of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains would be able to run the route.
Glasgow And Aberdeen
This builds on the work that would be done to enable battery-electric trains go between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The route between Glasgow and Dundee is partially-electrified with only a forty-nine mile section between Dundee and Dunblane without wires.
I believe that four or five-car versions of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains would be able to run the route.
To Be Continued…
Conclusion
I don’t think it will be a problem to provide an affordable charging infrastructure for battery trains.
I also think, that innovation is the key, as Vivarail have already shown.
Akiem Acquires Macquarie European Rail Fleet
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Leasing company Akiem Group has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Macquarie European Rail’s rolling stock leasing business, subject to regulatory approval.
Included in the deal are thirty Class 379 trains, currently used on the Stansted Express and soon to be replaced by new Class 745 trains.
Because of the lack of any published plans about where the Class 379 trains will be cascaded, I have been wondering if there is something wrong with the trains or perhaps their owner.
As the latter looks now to be changing from Macquarie to Akiem, perhaps we’ll hear some news on what is happening to the Class 379 trains.
I still feel the Class 379 trains would make excellent battery-electric trains, possibly for an airport service.
But which train operating company would need a fleet of thirty four-car electric trains?
Most have now sorted their fleet requirements and when Bombardier get their production working smoothly, perhaps with Alstom’s backing, there will be more trains being delivered to train operating companies.
But there is one fleet replacement, where battery-electric Class 379 trains may be ideal; the replacement of South Western Railway (SWR)‘s fleet of Class 158 and Class 159 trains.
Consider.
- 10 x two-car Class 158 trains and 30 x three-car Class 159 trains could be replaced by 30 x four-car Class 379 trains, which would be a near ten percent increase in carriages.
- 90 mph diesel trains, that were built in the 1990s, will be replaced by 100 mph battery-electric trains, that are not yet ten years old.
- The Class 379 trains are Electrostars and fitting third-rail shoes, will be straight out of Bombardier’s parts bins.
- Waterloo station will become another diesel-free London terminus.
- Fellow French company; Alstom could step in to the picture with their battery knowledge from other products like the iLint hydrogen train and convert the trains at Widnes or one of their other maintenance depots.
- South Western Railway and Akiem would need to procure a charging system and could probably do worse than see what Vivarail or Furrer and Frei can supply!
How would the Class 379 battery-electric trains handle various services?
London Waterloo To Salisbury And Exeter St. Davids
The most difficult service to run, would be the London Waterloo and Exeter St. Davids service via Salisbury.
Note that when SWR bid for the franchise, they promised to knock ten minutes off the time to Exeter and they will need 100 mph trains for that!
With climate change in the news, only a hardline climate-change denier would buy 100 mph diesel trains.
In Are Hitachi Designing the Ultimate Battery Train?, I suggested how Waterloo and Exeter could be run with a battery-electric train, with a range of around sixty miles on battery power.
- Use existing electrification, as far as Basingstoke – 48 miles
- Use battery power to Salisbury – 83 miles
- Trains can take several minutes at Salisbury as they often split and join and change train crew, so the train could be fast-charged, at the same time.
- Use battery power to the Tisbury/Gillingham/Yeovil/Crewkerne area, where trains would be charged – 130 miles
- Use battery power to Exeter- 172 miles
Note.
- The miles are the distance from London.
- The charging at Salisbury could be based on Vivarail’s Fast-Charging or traditional third-rail technology.
- The charging around Yeovil could be based on perhaps twenty miles of third-rail electrification, that would only be switched on, when a train is present.
- Charging would also be needed at Exeter for the return journey.
I estimate that there could be time savings of up to fifteen minutes on the route.
London Waterloo To Salisbury And Bristol Temple Meads
This service in run in conjunction with the Exeter St. Davids service, with the two trains joining and splitting at Salisbury.
As Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads is 53 miles, it looks like this service is possible, providing the following conditions are met.
- The Class 379 train has a sixty mile range on battery power.
- The train can charge at Bristol Temple Meads, perhaps by using the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The Class 379 trains can join and split with the with amount of alacrity.
Note that there may be other places, where a tri-mode capability might be useful.
Exeter And Axminster
This shorter trip is thirty miles and if the battery range is sufficient, it could probably be run by a Class 379 train, charged at Exeter.
If necessary, a method of charging could be provided at Axminster.
Romsey And Salisbury Via Southampton Central
This route is partially electrified and it looks like a battery-electric train with a sixty mile range could run the service without any extra infrastructure.
If Salisbury, gets a charging system, then this service might be used to ensure a reliable or extended service.
Portsmouth Harbour And Basingstoke And Portsmouth Harbour and Southampton Central
These two services could be run by Class 379 trains running using the electrification.
London Or Wareham and Corfe Castle
This Summer Saturday-only service is an ideal one for a battery-electric train.
New Services
There are also other branches that could be reopened, like those to Ringwood and Hythe, that could be worked by battery-electric trains.
Conclusion
It will be very interesting to see where the Class 379 trains end up.
But my money’s on them replacing South Western Railways, diesel trains, after conversion to battery-electric trains.
- Only limited infrastructure works will need to be done.
- South Western Railway will have more capacity.
- Passengers will get a faster service in a modern train.
- Waterloo will become a diesel-free station.
But most importantly, South Western Railway will have an all-electric fleet.
Are Hitachi Designing the Ultimate Battery Train?
In Sparking A Revolution, a post based on an article of the same name in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, I repeated this about the specification of Hitachi UK Battery Train Specification.
- Range – 55-65 miles
- Performance – 90-100 mph
- Recharge – 10 minutes when static
- Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
- Battery Life – 8-10 years
Does this mean that the train can do 55-65 miles cruising at 90-100 mph?
How Much Energy Is Needed To Accelerate A Five-Car Class 800 Train To Operating Speed?
I will do my standard calculation.
- Empty train weight – 243 tonnes (Wikipedia for Class 800 train!)
- Passenger weight – 302 x 90 Kg (Includes baggage, bikes and buggies!)
- Train weight – 270.18 tonnes
Using Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator, the kinetic energy at various speeds are.
- 60 mph – 27 kWh
- 80 mph – 48 kWh
- 90 mph – 61 kWh
- 100 mph – 75 kWh
- 125 mph – 117 kWh – Normal cruise on electrified lines.
- 140 mph – 147 kWh – Maximum cruise on electrified lines.
Because the kinetic energy of a train is only proportional to the weight of the train, but proportional to the square of the speed, note how the energy of the train increases markedly after 100 mph.
Are these kinetic energy figures a reason, why Hitachi have stated their battery train will have an operating speed of between 90 and 100 mph?
A 100 mph cruise would also be very convenient for a lot of main lines, that don’t have electrification in the UK.
What Battery Size Would Be Needed?
In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I calculated that a five-car Class 801 electric train, needed 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph.
For comparison, an InterCity 125 train, had a figure of 2.83 kWh per vehicle-mile.
Hitachi are redesigning the nose of the train for the new Class 804 train and I suspect that these trains can achieve somewhere between 1.5 and 3 kWh per vehicle-mile, if they are cruising at 100 mph.
Doing the calculation for various consumption levels gives the following battery capacity for a five-car train to cruise 65 miles at 100 mph
- 1.5 kWh per vehicle-mile – 487 kWh
- 2 kWh per vehicle-mile – 650 kWh
- 2.5 kWh per vehicle-mile – 812.5 kWh
- 3 kWh per vehicle-mile – 975 kWh
These figures don’t include any energy for acceleration to line speed from the previous stop or station, but they would cope with a deceleration and subsequent acceleration, after say a delay caused by a slow train or other operational delay, by using regenerative braking to the battery.
The energy needed to accelerate to operating speed, will be as I calculated earlier.
- 90 mph – 61 kWh
- 100 mph – 75 kWh
As the battery must have space to store the regenerative braking energy and it would probably be prudent to have a ten percent range reserve, I can see a battery size for a train with an energy consumption of 2 kWh per vehicle-mile, that needed to cruise at 100 mph being calculated as follows.
- Energy for the cruise – 650 kWh
- 10% reserve for cruise – 65 kWh
- Braking energy from 100 mph – 75 kWh
This gives a total battery size of 790 kWh, which could mean that 800 kWh would be convenient.
Note that each of the three MTU 12V 1600 diesel engines, fitted to a Class 800 train, each weigh around two tonnes.
In Innolith Claims It’s On Path To 1,000 Wh/kg Battery Energy Density, I came to these conclusions.
- Tesla already has an energy density of 250 Wh/Kg.
- Tesla will increase this figure.
- By 2025, the energy density of lithium-ion batteries will be much closer to 1 KWh/Kg.
- Innolith might achieve this figure. But they are only one of several companies aiming to meet this magic figure.
Suppose two of the MTU 12V 1600 diesel engines were each to be replaced by a two tonne battery, using Tesla’s current energy density, this would mean the following.
- Each battery would have a capacity of 500 kWh.
- The train would have one MWh of installed battery power.
- This is more than my rough estimate of power required for a 65 mile trip.
- The train would have little or no weight increase.
- I also wouldn’t be surprised to find that the exchange of a diesel engine for a battery was Plug-and-Play.
Hitachi would have an electric/battery/diesel tri-mode train capable of the following.
- Range – 55-65 miles
- Out and Back Range – about 20-30 miles
- Performance – 90-100 mph
- Recharge – 10 minutes when static
- Emergency diesel engine.
I feel it would be a very useful train.
Trains That Could Be Fitted With Batteries
The original article in Rail Magazine says this.
For the battery project, positive discussions are taking place with a number of interested parties for a trial, with both Class 385s and Class 800s being candidates for conversion.
So this means that the following operators will be able to use Hitachi’s battery technology o their trains.
- Avanti West Coast – Class 80x trains
- First East Coast Trains – Class 80x trains
- East Midlands Railway – Class 80x trains
- GWR – Class 80x trains
- Hull Trains – Class 80x trains
- LNER – Class 80x trains
- ScotRail – Class 385 trains
- TransPennine Express – Class 80x trains
Although, I based my calculations on Class 80x trains, I suspect that the methods can be applied to the smaller Class 385 trains.
Possible Out-And-Back Journeys
These are possible Out-And-Back journeys, that I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle.
- Edinburgh and Tweedbank – 30 miles from Newcraighall
- London Paddington and Bedwyn – 30 miles from Reading
- London Euston and Blackburn – 12 miles from Preston
- London Kings Cross and Bradford – < 27 miles from Leeds
- London Euston and Chester – 21 miles from Crewe
- London Kings Cross and Harrogate – <18 miles from Leeds
- London Kings Cross and Huddersfield – 17 miles from Leeds
- London St. Pancras and Leicester – 16 miles from Market Harborough
- London Kings Cross and Lincoln – 17 miles from Newark
- London St. Pancras and Melton Mowbray – 26 miles from Corby
- London Kings Cross and Middlesbrough – 20 miles from Northallerton
- London Kings Cross and Nottingham – 20 miles from Newark
- London Paddington and Oxford – 10 miles from Didcot
- London Kings Cross and Redcar – 29 miles from Northallerton
- London Kings Cross and Rotherham- 14 miles from Doncaster
- London Kings Cross and Sheffield – 20 miles from Doncaster
- London and Weston-super-Mare – 19 miles from Bristol
Note.
- Provided that the Out-And-Back journey is less than about sixty miles, I would hope that these stations are comfortably in range.
- Leicester is the interesting destination, which would be reachable in an Out-And-Back journey. But trains from the North stopping at Leicester would probably need to charge at Leicester.
- I have included Blackburn as it could be a destination for Avanti West Coast.
- I have included Melton Mowbray as it could be a destination for East Midlands Railway.
- I have included Nottingham, Rotherham and Sheffield as they could be destinations for LNER. These services could prove useful if the Midland Main Line needed to be closed for construction works.
- I’m also fairly certain, that no new electrification would be needed, although every extra mile would help.
- No charging stations would be needed.
I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.
Possible Journeys Between Two Electrified Lines
These are possible journeys between two electrified lines, that I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle.
- London St. Pancras and Eastbourne via Hastings – 25 miles between Ashford and Ore.
- Leeds and York via Garforth – 20 miles between Neville Hall and Colton Junction
- London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge – 54 miles between Ely and Norwich.
- Manchester Victoria and Leeds via Huddersfield – 43 miles between Manchester Victoria and Leeds.
- Preston and Leeds via Hebden Bridge – 62 miles between Preston and Leeds.
- Newcastle and Edinburgh – Would battery-electric trains get round the well-publicised power supply problems on this route?
Note.
- I am assuming that a range of 65 miles is possible.
- If the trains have a diesel-generator set, then this could be used to partially-charge the battery in places on the journey.
- Leeds and York via Garforth has been scheduled for electrification for years.
- Preston and Leeds via Hebden Bridge would probably need some diesel assistance.
- London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge is a cheeky one, that Greater Anglia wouldn’t like, unless they ran it.
- As before no new electrification or a charging station would be needed.
I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.
Possible Out-And-Back Journeys With A Charge At The Destination
These are possible Out-And-Back journeys, that I believe Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains could handle, if the batteries were fully charged at the destination.
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52 miles from Doncaster.
- London Paddington and Cheltenham – 42 miles from Swindon
- London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln – 64 miles from Newark
- London Euston and Gobowen – 46 miles from Crewe
- London Euston and Wrexham – 33 miles from Crewe
- London Kings Cross and Hull – 45 miles from Selby
- London Kings Cross and Shrewsbury – 30 miles from Wolverhampton
- London Kings Cross and Sunderland 41 miles from Northallerton
- London Paddington and Swansea – 46 miles from Cardiff
- London Paddington and Worcester – 67 miles from Didcot Parkway
- London St. Pancras and Derby – 46 miles from Market Harborough
- London St. Pancras and Nottingham – 43 miles from Market Harborough
Note.
- I am assuming that a range of 65 miles is possible.
- If the trains have a diesel-generator set, then this could be used to partially-charge the battery in places on the journey.
- I am assuming some form of charging is provided at the destination station.
- As before no new electrification would be needed.
I suspect, I’ve missed a few possible routes.
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line could possibly be run between London St. Pancras and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield without the use of diesel.
Consider.
- The route will be electrified between London St. Pancras and Market Harborough.
- In connection with High Speed Two, the Midland Main Line and High Seed Two will share an electrified route between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction.
- London St. Pancras and Derby can be run with a charging station at Derby, as Market Harborough and Derby is only 46 miles.
- London St. Pancras and Nottingham can be run with a charging station at Nottingham, as Market Harborough and Nottingham is only 43 miles.
- The distance between Clay Cross North Junction and Market Harborough is 67 miles.
- The distance between Sheffield and Leeds is 38 miles.
It looks to me that the range of East Midlands Railway’s new Class 804 trains, will be a few miles short to bridge the gap on batteries, between Clay Cross North Junction and Market Harborough station, but Leeds and Sheffield appears possible, once Sheffield has been electrified.
There are several possible solutions to the Clay Cross North and Market Harborough electrification gap.
- Fit higher capacity batteries to the trains.
- Extend the electrification for a few miles North of Market Harborough station.
- Extend the electrification for a few miles South of Clay Cross North Junction.
- Stop at Derby for a few minutes to charge the batteries.
The route between Market Harborough and Leicester appears to have been gauge-cleared for electrification, but will be difficult to electrify close to Leicester station. However, it looks like a few miles can be taken off the electrification gap.
Between Chesterfield and Alfriston, the route appears difficult to electrify with tunnels and passig through a World Heritage Site.
So perhaps options 1 and 2 together will give the trains sufficient range to bridge the electrification gap.
Conclusion On The Midland Main Line
I think that Hitachi, who know their trains well, must have a solution for diesel-free operation of all Midland Main Line services.
It also looks like little extra electrification is needed, other than that currently planned for the Midland Main Line and High Speed Two.
North Wales Coast Line
If you look at distance along the North Wales Coast Line, from the electrification at Crewe, you get these values.
- Chester – 21 miles
- Rhyl – 51 miles
- Colwyn Bay – 61 miles
- Llandudno Junction – 65 miles
- Bangor – 80 miles
- Holyhead – 106 miles
It would appear that Avanti West Coast’s new AT-300 trains, if fitted with batteries could reach Llandudno Junction station, without using diesel.
Electrification Between Crewe And Chester
It seems to me that the sensible thing to do for a start is to electrify the twenty-one miles between Crewe and Chester, which has been given a high priority for this work.
With this electrification, distances from Chester are as follows.
- Rhyl – 30 miles
- Colwyn Bay – 40 miles
- Llandudno Junction – 44 miles
- Bangor – 59 miles
- Holyhead – 85 miles
Electrification between Crewe and Chester may also open up possibilities for more electric and battery-electric train services.
But some way will be needed to charge the trains to the West of Chester.
Chagring The Batteries At Llandudno Junction Station
This Google Map shows Llandudno Junction station.
Note.
- It is a large station site.
- The Conwy Valley Line, which will be run by battery Class 230 trains in the future connects at this station.
- The Class 230 train will probably use some of Vivarail’s Fast Charging systems, which use third-rail technology, either at the ends of the branch or in Llandudno Junction station.
The simplest way to charge the London Euston and Holyhead train, would be to build a charging station at Llandudno Junction, which could be based on Vivarail’s Fast Charging technology or a short length of 25 KVAC overhead wire.
But this would add ten minutes to the timetable.
Could 25 KVAC overhead electrification be erected for a certain distance through the station, so that the train has ten minutes in contact with the wires?
Looking at the timetable of a train between London Euston and Holyhead, it arrives at Colwyn Bay station at 1152 and leaves Llandudno Junction station at 1200.
So would it be possible to electrify between the two stations and perhaps a bit further?
This Google Map shows Colwyn Bay Station,
Note how the double-track railway is squeezed between the dual-carriageway of the A55 North Wales Expressway and the sea.
The two routes follow each other close to the sea, as far as Abegele & Pensarn station, where the Expressway moves further from the sea.
Further on, after passing through more caravans than I’ve ever seen, there is Rhyl station.
- The time between arriving at Rhyl station and leaving Llandudno Junction station is nineteen minutes.
- The distance between the two stations is fourteen miles.
- Rhyl and Crewe is fifty-one miles.
- Llandudno Junction and Holyhead is forty-one miles.
It would appear that if the North Wales Coast Line between Rhyl and Llandudno Junction is electrified, that Hitachi’s proposed battery trains can reach Holyhead.
The trains could even changeover between electrification and battery power in Rhyl and Llandudno Junction stations.
I am sure that electrifying this section would not be the most difficult in the world, although the severe weather sometimes encountered, may need some very resilient or innovative engineering.
It may be heretical to say so, but would it be better if this section were to be electrified using proven third-rail technology.
West of Llandudno Junction station, the electrification would be very difficult, as this Google Map of the crossing of the River Conwy shows.
I don’t think anybody would want to see electrification around the famous castle.
Electrification Across Anglesey
Llanfairpwll station marks the divide between the single-track section of the North Wales Coast Line over the Britannia Bridge and the double-track section across Anglesey.
From my virtual helicopter, the route looks as if, it could be fairly easy to electrify, but would it be necessary?
- Llandudno Junction and Holyhead is forty-one miles, which is well within battery range.
- There is surely space at Holyhead station to install some form of fast-charging system.
One problem is that trains seem to turn round in only a few minutes, which may not be enough to charge the trains.
So perhaps some of the twenty-one miles between Llanfairpwll and Holyhead should be electrified.
London Euston And Holyhead Journey Times
Currently, trains take three hours and forty-three minutes to go between London Euston and Holyhead, with these sectional timings.
- London Euston and Crewe – One hour and thirty-nine minutes.
- Crewe and Holyhead – Two hours and four minutes.
The big change would come, if the London Euston and Crewe leg, were to be run on High Speed Two, which will take just fifty-five m,inutes.
This should reduce the London Euston and Holyhead time to just under three hours.
Freight On The North Wales Coast Line
Will more freight be seen on the North Wales Coast Line in the future?
The new tri-mode freight locomotives like the Class 93 locomotive, will be able to take advantage of any electrification to charge their batteries, but they would probably be on diesel for much of the route.
Conclusion On The North Wales Coast Line
Short lengths of electrification, will enable Avanti West Coast’s AT-300 trains, after retrofitting with batteries, to run between Crewe and Holyhead, without using any diesel.
I would electrify.
- Crewe and Chester – 21 miles
- Rhyl and Llandudno Junction – 14 miles
- Llanfairpwll and Holyhead – 21 miles
But to run battery-electric trains between London Euston and Holyhead, only Rhyl and Llandudno Junction needs to be electrified.
All gaps in the electrification will be handled on battery power.
A Selection Of Possible Battery-Electric Services
In this section, I’ll look at routes, where battery-electric services would be very appropriate and could easily be run by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric trains.
London Paddington And Swansea
Many were disappointed when Chris Grayling cancelled the electrification between Cardiff and Swansea.
I went along with what was done, as by the time of the cancellation, I’d already ridden in a battery train and believed in their potential.
The distance between Cardiff and Swansea is 46 miles without electrification.
Swansea has these services to the West.
- Carmarthen – 32 miles
- Fishguard – 73 miles
- Milford Haven 71 miles
- Pembroke Dock – 73 miles
It looks like, three services could be too long for perhaps a three car battery-electric version of a Hitachi Class 385 train, assuming it has a maximum range of 65 miles.
But these three services all reverse in Carmarthen station.
So perhaps, whilst the driver walks between the cabs, the train can connect automatically to a fast charging system and give the batteries perhaps a four minute top-up.
Vivarail’s Fast Charging system based on third-rail technology would be ideal, as it connects automatically and it can charge a train in only a few minutes.
I would also electrify the branch between Swansea and the South Wales Main Line.
This would form part of a fast-charging system for battery-trains at Swansea, where turnround times can be quite short.
I can see a network of battery-electric services developing around Swansea, that would boost tourism to the area.
Edinburgh And Tweedbank
The Borders Railway is electrified as far as Newcraighall station and the section between there and Tweedbank is thirty miles long.
I think that a four-car battery-electric Class 385 train could work this route.
It may or may not need a top up at Tweedbank.
The Fife Circle
The Fife Circle service from Edinburgh will always be difficult to electrify, as it goes over the Forth Rail Bridge.
- The Fife Circle is about sixty miles long.
- Plans exist for a short branch to Leven.
- The line between Edinburgh and the Forth Rail Bridge is partly electrified.
I believe that battery-electric Class 385 train could work this route.
London Kings Cross and Grimsby/Cleethorpes via Lincoln
The Cleethorpes/Grimsby area is becoming something of a renewable energy powerhouse and I feel that battery trains to the area, might be a significant and ultimately profitable statement.
LNER recently opened a six trains per day service to Lincoln.
Distances from Newark are as follows.
- Lincoln – 17 miles
- Grimsby – 61 miles
- Cleethorpes – 64 miles
A round trip to Lincoln can probably be achieved on battery alone with a degree of ease, but Cleethorpes and Grimsby would need a recharge at the coast.
Note that to get to the Cleethorpes/Grimsby area, travellers usually need to change at Doncaster.
But LNER are ambitious and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them dip a toe in the Cleethorpes/Grimsby market.
The LNER service would also be complimented by a TransPennine Express service from Manchester Airport via Sheffield and Doncaster, which could in the future be another service run by a Hitachi battery train.
There is also a local service to Barton-on-Humber, which could be up for improvement.
London Waterloo And Exeter
This service needs to go electric, if South Western Railway is going to fully decarbonise.
But third-rail electrification is only installed between Waterloo and Basingstoke.
Could battery-electric trains be used on this nearly two hundred mile route to avoid the need for electrification.
A possible strategy could be.
- Use existing electrification, as far as Basingstoke – 48 miles
- Use battery power to Salisbury – 83 miles
- Trains can take several minutes at Salisbury as they often split and join and change train crew, so the train could be fast-charged.
- Use battery power to the Tisbury/Gillingham/Yeovil/Crewkerne area, where trains would be charged – 130 miles
- Use battery power to Exeter- 172 miles
Note.
- The miles are the distance from London.
- The charging at Salisbury could be based on Vivarail’s Fast-Charging technology.
- The charging around Yrovil could be based on perhaps twenty miles of third-rail electrification, that would only be switched on, when a train is present.
I estimate that there could be time savings of up to fifteen minutes on the route.
To Be Continued…
Hitachi Trains For Avanti
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways.
The Bi-Mode Trains
Some more details of the thirteen bi-mode and ten electric Hitachi AT 300 trains are given.
Engine Size and Batteries
This is an extract from the article.
Hitachi told Modern Railways it was unable to confirm the rating of the diesel engines on the bi-modes, but said these would be replaceable by batteries in future if specified.
I do wonder if my speculation in Will Future Hitachi AT-300 Trains Have MTU Hybrid PowerPacks? is possible.
After all, why do all the hard work to develop a hybrid drive system, when your engine supplier has done it for you?
Would Avanti West Coast need a train that will do 125 mph on diesel?
- The North Wales Coast Line has a maximum line speed of just 90 mph.
- Wikipedia is uncertain of the maximum speed of the Chester and Shrewbury Line, but it is extremely unlikely to be more than 80-90 mph.
The only place, they will be able to run at 125 mph or even higher will be on the West Coast Main Line, where they will be running under electric power from the pantograph.
If I were designing a bi-mode for 90 mph on diesel and 125 mph on electric, I would have batteries on the train for the following purposes.
- Handle regenerative braking.
- Provide hotel power in stations or when stationery.
- Provide an acceleration boost, if required, when running on diesel.
- Provide emergency power, if the wires go down in electric mode.
I’m sure MTU could work out a suitable size of diesel engine and batteries in an MTU PowerPack, that would meet the required performance.
Or maybe a smaller diesel could be used. An LNER Class 800 train has 1680 kW of installed power to maintain 125 mph. But the Great Western Railway versions have 2100 kW or twenty-five percent more, as their routes are more challenging with steeper gradients.
For the less challenging routes at a maximum of 90 mph between Crewe, Chester, Shrewsbury and North Wales, I wonder what level of power is needed.
A very rough estimate based on the speed required could put the power requirement as low as 1200-1500 kW.
As the diesel engines are only electrical generators, it would not effect the ability of the train to do 125 mph between Crewe and London.
There looks to be a virtuous circle at work here.
- Lower maximum speed on diesel means smaller diesel engines.
- Smaller diesel engines means lighter diesel engines and less fuel to carry.
- Less weight to accelerate needs less installed power.
- Less power probably means a more affordable train, that uses less diesel.
It looks to me, that Hitachi have designed a train, that will work Avanti West Coast’s routes efficiently.
The Asymmetric Bi-Mode Train
It looks to me that the bi-mode train that Avanti West Coast are buying has very different performance depending on the power source and signalling
- 90 mph or perhaps up to 100 mph on diesel.
- 125 mph on electric power.with current signalling.
- Up to 140 mph on electric power with in-cab digital signalling.
This compares with the current Class 221 trains, which can do 125 mph on all tracks, with a high enough operating speed.
The new trains’ different performance on diesel and electric power means they could be called asymmetric bi-modes.
Surely, creating an asymmetric bi-mode train, with on-board power; battery, diesel or hydrogen, sized to the route, means less weight, greater efficiency, less cost and in the case of diesel, higher carbon efficiency.
Carbon Emissions
Does the improvement in powertrain efficiency with smaller engines running the train at slower speeds help to explain this statement from the Modern Railways article?
Significant emissions reduction are promised from the elimination of diesel operation on electrified sections as currently seen with the Voyagers, with an expected reduction in CO2 emissions across the franchise of around two-thirds.
That is a large reduction, which is why I feel, that efficiency and batteries must play a part.
Battery-Electric Conversion
In my quote earlier from the Modern Railways article, I said this.
These (the diesel engines) would be replaceable by batteries in future if specified.
In Thoughts On The Next Generation Of Hitachi High Speed Trains, I looked at routes that could be run by a battery-electric version of Hitachi AT-300 trains.
I first estimated how far an AT-300 train could go on batteries.
How far will an AT-300 train go on battery power?
- I don’t think it is unreasonable to be able to have 150 kWh of batteries per car, especially if the train only has one diesel engine, rather than the current three in a five-car train.
- I feel with better aerodynamics and other improvements based on experience with the current trains, that an energy consumption of 2.5 kWh per vehicle mile is possible, as compared to the 3.5 kWh per vehicle mile of the current trains.
Doing the calculation gives a range of sixty miles for an AT-300 train with batteries.
As train efficiency improves and batteries are able to store more energy for a given volume, this range can only get better.
I then said this about routes that will be part of Avanti West Coast’s network.
With a range of sixty miles on batteries, the following is possible.
- Chester, Gobowen, Shrewsbury And Wrexham Central stations could be reached on battery power from the nearest electrification.
- Charging would only be needed at Shrewsbury to ensure a return to Crewe.
Gobowen is probably at the limit of battery range, so was it chosen as a destination for this reason.
The original post was based on trains running faster than the 90 mph that is the maximum possible on the lines without electrification, so my sixty mile battery range could be an underestimate.
These distances should be noted.
- Crewe and Chester – 21 miles
- Chester and Shrewsbury – 42 miles
- Chester and Llandudno – 47 miles
- Chester and Holyhead – 84 miles
Could electrification between Crewe and Chester make it possible for Avanti West Coast’s new trains to go all the way between Chester and Holyhead on battery power in a few years?
I feel that trains with a sixty mile battery range would make operations easier for Avanti West Coast.
Eighty miles would almost get them all the way to Holyhead, where they could recharge!
Rlectrification Between Chester And Crewe
I feel that this twenty-odd miles of electrification could be key to enabling battery-electric trains for the routes to the West of Chester to Shrewsbury, Llandudno and Holyhead.
How difficult would it be to electrify between Chester and Crewe?
- It is not a long distance to electrify.
- There doesn’t appear to be difficult viaducts or cuttings.
- It is electrified at Crewe, so power is not a problem.
- There are no intermediate stations.
But there does seem to be a very large number of bridges. I counted forty-four overbridges and six underbridges. At least some of the bridges are new and appear to have been built with the correct clearance.
Perhaps it would be simpler to develop fast charging for the trains and install it at Chester station.
Conclusion On The Bi-Mode Trains
It appears to me that Avanti West Coast, Hitachi and Rock Rail, who are financing the trains have done a very good job in devising the specification for a fleet of trains that will offer a good service and gradually move towards being able to deliver that service in a carbon-free manner.
- The initial bi-mode trains will give a big improvement in performance and reduction in emission on the current Voyagers, as they will be able to make use of the existing electrification between Crewe and London.
- The trains could be designed for 125 mph on electric power and only 90-100 mph on diesel, as no route requires over 100 mph on diesel. This must save operating costs and reduce carbon emissions.
- They could use MTU Hybrid PowerPacks instead of conventional diesel engines to further reduce emissions and save energy
- It also appears that Hitachi might be able to convert the trains to battery operation in a few years.
- The only new infrastructure would be a few charging stations for the batteries and possible electrification between Chester and Crewe.
I don’t think Avanti West Coast’s ambition of a two-thirds reduction in CO2 is unreasonable and feel it could even be exceeded.
Other Routes For Asymetric Bi-Mode Trains
I like the concept of an asymetric bi-mode train, where the train has the following performance.
- Up to 100 mph on battery, diesel or hydrogen.
- Up to 100 mph on electrified slower-speed lines.
- 125 mph on electrified high-speed lines, with current signalling.
- Up to 140 mph on electrified high-speed lines, with in-cab digital signalling.
I am very sure that Hitachi can now tailor an AT-300 train to a particular company’s needs. Certainly, in the case of Avanti West Coast, this seems to have happened, when Avanti West Coast, Hitachi, Network Rail and Rock Rail had some serious negotiation.
LNER At Leeds
As an example consider the rumoured splitting and joining of trains at Leeds to provide direct services between London and Bradford, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Ilkley, Skipton and other places, that I wrote about in Dancing Azumas At Leeds.
In the related post, I gave some possible destinations.
- Bradford – 13 miles – 25 minutes – Electrified
- Harrogate – 18 miles – 30 minutes
- Huddersfield – 17 miles – 35 minutes
- Hull – 20 miles – 60 minutes
- Ilkley – 16 miles – 26 minutes – Electrified
- Skipton – 26 miles – 43 minutes – Electrified
- York – 25 miles – 30 minutes
Note, that the extended services would have the following characteristics.
They would be run by one five-car train.
- Services to Bradford, Ilkley and Skipton would be electric
- Electrification is planned from Leeds to Huddersfield and York, so these services could be electric in a few years.
- All other services would need independent power; battery, diesel or hydrogen to and from Leeds.
- Two trains would join at Leeds and run fast to London on the electrified line.
- Services would probably have a frequency of six trains per day, which works out at a around a train every two hours and makes London and back very possible in a day.
- They would stop at most intermediate stations to boost services to and from Leeds and give a direct service to and from London.
As there are thirty trains per day between London and Leeds in each direction, there are a lot of possible services that could be provided.
Currently, LNER are only serving Harrogate via Leeds.
- LNER are using either a nine-car train or a pair of five-car trains.
- The trains reverse in Platforms 6 or 8 at Leeds, both of which can handle full-length trains.
- LNER allow for a generous time for the reverse, which would allow the required splitting and joining.
- All trains going to Harrogate are Class 800 bi-mode trains.
Note that the Class 800 trains are capable of 125 mph on diesel, whereas the average speed between Harrogate and Leeds is just 35 mph. Obviously, some of this slow speed is due to the route, but surely a train with a maximum speed of 90-100 mph, with an appropriate total amount of diesel power, would be the following.
- Lighter in weight.
- More efficient.
- Emit less pollution.
- Still capable of high speed on electrified lines.
- Bi-mode and electric versions could run in pairs between Leeds and London.
LNER would probably save on track access charges and diesel fuel.
LNER To Other Places
Could LNER split and join in a similar way to other places?
- Doncaster for Hull and Sheffield
- Edinburgh for Aberdeen and Inverness
- Newark for Lincoln and Nottingham
- York for Middlesbrough and Scarborough.
It should be noted that many of the extended routes are quite short, so I suspect some train diagrams will be arranged, so that trains are only filled up with diesel overnight,
GWR
Great Western Railway are another First Group company and I’m sure some of their routes could benefit, from similar planning to that of Avanti West Coast.
Splitting and joining might take place at Reading, Swindon, Bristol and Swansea.
South Western Railway
South Western Railway will need to replace the three-car Class 159 trains to Exeter, that generally work in pairs with a total number of around 400 seats, in the next few years.
These could be replaced with a fleet of third-rail Hitachi trains of appropriate length.
- Seven cars sating 420 passengers?
- They would remove diesel trains from Waterloo station.
- All South Western Railway Trains running between Waterloo and Basingstoke would be 100 mph trains.
I wonder, if in-cab digital signalling on the route, would increase the capacity? It is sorely needed!
Southeastern
Southeastern need bi-mode trains to run the promised service to Hastings.
- Trains would need a third-rail capability.
- Trains need to be capable of 140 mph for High Speed One.
- Trains need to be able to travel the 25 miles between Ashford International and Ore stations.
- Trains would preferably be battery-electric for working into St. Pancras International station.
Would the trains be made up from six twenty-metre cars, like the Class 395 trains?
The Simple All-Electric Train
The Modern Railways article, also says this about the ten all-electric AT-300 trains for Birmingham, Blackpool and Liverpool services.
The electric trains will be fully reliant on the overhead wire, with no diesel auxiliary engines or batteries.
It strikes me as strange, that Hitachi are throwing out one of their design criteria, which is the ability of the train to rescue itself, when the overhead wires fail.
In Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I published this extract from this document on the Hitachi Rail web site.
The system can select the appropriate power source from either the main transformer or the GUs. Also, the size and weight of the system were minimized by designing the power supply converter to be able to work with both power sources. To ensure that the Class 800 and 801 are able to adapt to future changes in operating practices, they both have the same traction system and the rolling stock can be operated as either class by simply adding or removing GUs. On the Class 800, which is intended to run on both electrified and non-electrified track, each traction system has its own GU. On the other hand, the Class 801 is designed only for electrified lines and has one or two GUs depending on the length of the trainset (one GU for trainsets of five to nine cars, two GUs for trainsets of 10 to 12 cars). These GUs supply emergency traction power and auxiliary power in the event of a power outage on the catenary, and as an auxiliary power supply on non-electrified lines where the Class 801 is in service and pulled by a locomotive. This allows the Class 801 to operate on lines it would otherwise not be able to use and provides a backup in the event of a catenary power outage or other problem on the ground systems as well as non-electrified routes in loco-hauled mode.
This is a very comprehensive power system, with a backup in case of power or catenary failure.
So why does it look like Hitachi are throwing that capability out on the trains for Avanti West Coast.
There are several possibilities.
- The reliability of the trains and the overhead wire is such, that the ability of a train to rescue itself is not needed.
- The auxiliary generator has never been used for rescuing the train.
- The West Coast Main Line is well-provided with Thunderbird locomotives for rescuing Pendelinos, as these trains have no auxiliary generator or batteries.
- Removal of the excess weight of the auxiliary engine and batteries, enables the Hitachi AT-300 trains to match the performance of the Pendelinos, when they are using tilt.
Obviously, Hitachi have a lot of train performance statistics, from the what must be around a hundred trains in service.
It looks like Hitachi are creating a lightweight all-electric train, that has the performance or better of a Pendelino, that it achieves without using tilt.
- No tilt means less weight and more interior space.
- No auxiliary generator or batteries means less weight.
- Wikipedia indicates, that Hitachi coaches are around 41 tonnes and Pendelino coaches are perhaps up to ten tonnes heavier.
- Less weight means fast acceleration and deceleration.
- Less weight means less electricity generated under regenerative braking.
- Pendelinos use regenerative braking, through the catenary.
- Will the new Hitachi trains do the same instead of the complex system they now use?
If the train fails and needs to be rescued, it uses the same Thunderbird system, that the Pendelinos use when they fail.
Will The New Hitachi Trains Be Less Costly To Run?
These trains will be lighter in weight than the Pendelinos and will not require the track to allow tilting.
Does this mean, that Avanti West Coast will pay lower track access charges for their new trains?
They should also pay less on a particular trip for the electricity, as the lighter trains will need less electricity to accelerate them to line speed.
Are Avanti West Coast Going To Keep The Fleets Apart?
Under a heading of Only South Of Preston, the Modern Railways article says this.
Unlike the current West Coast fleet, the Hitachi trains will not be able to tilt. Bid Director Caroline Donaldson told Modern Railways this will be compensated for by their improved acceleration and deceleration characteristics and that the operator is also working with Network Rail to look at opportunities to improve the linespeed for non-tilting trains.
The routes on which the Hitachi trains will operate have been chosen with the lack of tilt capability in mind, with this having the greatest impact north of Preston, where only Class 390 Pendelinos, which continue to make use of their tilting capability will be used.
Avanti West Coast have said that the Hitachi trains will run from London to Birmingham, Blackpool and Liverpool.
All of these places are on fully-electrified branches running West from the West Coast Main Line, so it looks like there will be separation.
Will The New Hitachi Trains Be Faster To Birmingham, Blackpool And Liverpool?
Using data from Real Time Trains, I find the following data about the current services.
- Birmingham and Coventry is 19 miles and takes 20 minutes at an average speed of 57 mph
- Blackpool and Preston is 16.5 miles and takes 21 minutes at an average speed of 47 mph
- Liverpool and Runcorn is 3.15 miles and takes 15 minutes at an average speed of 52 mph
All the final legs when approaching the terminus seem to be at similar speeds, so I doubt there are much savings to be made away from the West Coast Main Line.
Most savings will be on the West Coast Main Line, where hopefully modern in-cab digital signalling will allow faster running at up to the design speed of both the Hitachi and Pendelino trains of 140 mph.
As an illustration of what might be possible, London to Liverpool takes two hours and thirteen minutes.
The distance is 203 miles, which means that including stops the average speed is 91.6 mph.
If the average speed could be raised to 100 mph, this would mean a journey time of two hours and two minutes.
As much of the journey between London and Liverpool is spent at 125 mph, which is the limit set by the signalling, raising that to 135 mph could bring substantial benefits.
To achieve the journey in two hours would require an overall average speed of 101.5 mph.
As the proportion of track on which faster speeds, than the current 125 mph increase over the next few years, I can see Hitachi’s lightweight all-electric expresses breaking the two hour barrier between London and Liverpool.
What About The Pendelinos And Digital Signalling?
The January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways also has an article entitled Pendolino Refurb Planned.
These improvements are mentioned.
- Better standard class seats! (Hallelujah!)
- Refreshed First Class.
- Revamped shop.
Nothing is mentioned about any preparation for the installation of the equipment to enable faster running using digital in-cab signalling, when it is installed on the West Coast Main Line.
Surely, the trains will be updated to be ready to use digital signalling, as soon as they can.
Just as the new Hitachi trains will be able to take advantage of the digital signalling, when it is installed, the Pendellinos will be able to as well.
Looking at London and Glasgow, the distance is 400 miles and it takes four hours and thirty minutes.
This is an average speed of 89 mph, which compares well with the 91.6 mph between London and Liverpool.
Raise the average speed to 100 mph with the installation of digital in-cab signalling on the route, that will allow running at over 125 mph for long sections and the journey time will be around four hours.
This is a table of average speeds and journey times.
- 100 mph – four hours
- 105 mph – three hours and forty-eight minutes
- 110 mph – three hours and thirty-eight minutes
- 115 mph – three hours and twenty-eight minutes
- 120 mph – three hours and twenty minutes
- 125 mph – three hours and twelve minutes
- 130 mph – three hours and four minutes
I think that I’m still young enough at 72 to be able to see Pendelinos running regularly between London and Glasgow in three hours twenty minutes.
The paragraph is from the Wikipedia entry for the Advanced Passenger Train.
The APT is acknowledged as a milestone in the development of the current generation of tilting high speed trains. 25 years later on an upgraded infrastructure the Class 390 Pendolinos now match the APT’s scheduled timings. The London to Glasgow route by APT (1980/81 timetable) was 4hrs 10min, the same time as the fastest Pendolino timing (December 2008 timetable). In 2006, on a one off non-stop run for charity, a Pendolino completed the Glasgow to London journey in 3hrs 55min, whereas the APT completed the opposite London to Glasgow journey in 3hrs 52min in 1984.
I think it’s a case of give the Pendelinos the modern digital in-cab signalling they need and let them see what they can do.
It is also possible to give an estimate for a possible time to and from Manchester.
An average speed of 120 mph on the route would deliver a time of under one hour and forty minutes.
Is it possible? I suspect someone is working on it!
Conclusion
I certainly think, that Avanti West Coast, Hitachi and Network Rail, have been seriously thinking how to maximise capacity and speed on the West Coast Main Line.
I also think, that they have an ultimate objective to make Avanti West Coast an operator, that only uses diesel fuel in an emergency.
What Is A Pimby?
We all know that a Nimby (Not In My Back Yard!) doesn’t want fracking, a nuclear power station or a new railway to be built or something similar near to where they live.
But I believe, we could see the rise of a new type of protestor – the Pimby or a Please In My Back Yard!
I was reading this article on CleanTechnica, which is entitled Coal-Killing Long-Duration Energy Storage For Vermont (Vermont?!?).
The article is about Highview Power’s planned energy storage facility in Vermont, which I wrote about in Encore Joins Highview To Co-Develop Liquid Air Energy Storage System In Vermont.
This paragraph is from Highview.
“Unlike competing long-duration technologies, such as pumped hydro-power or compressed air, Highview Power’s CRYOBattery™ can be sited just about anywhere. The CRYOBattery has a small footprint, even at multiple gigawatt-levels, and does not use hazardous materials.”
You could imagine a community, , perhaps miles away from the nearest power station, where jobs and economic prospects are being held back by a dodgy power supply.
So the community might start to protest not about building perhaps a gas-fired station to satisfy their electricity needs, but in favour of a Highview Power system and some renewable wind or solar power.
Pimbys might also protest in favour of a new railway station or electrification of their branch line. The latter would be a good use for a Highview system.
