Will A Rail Link Be Built Between Pitsea And Ingatestone?
In Issue 903 of Rail Magazine, there is a long article, which is entitled Felixstowe: Is 47 Trains A Day Achievable?.
The article details a large number of improvements that could be carried out to attain this frequency.
This is an interesting paragraph.
If anything. long-term plans could entail the building of a new rail link between Pitsea and Ingatestone, so that London Gateway traffic can run via Ipswich instead of Stratford.
So could a rail link between Pitsea and Ingatestone stations be built and how would it be used?
The Route
If you look at a map, that shows Pitsea and Chelmsford, you’ll notice that the dual-carriageway A130 links the two places.
- At the Chelmsford end it joins the A12 at junction 17.
- At the Pitsea end it joins the A13 to the East of the town.
- Sections of the road appear to have three-lane carriageways.
- Much of the road has been improved in recent years.
I feel a lot of the route of the rail link could follow the A130, with the rail link running down the Western side of the road.
Use Of The Shenfield-Southend Line
The Shenfield-Southend Line could be used for part of the route.
- It already connects to the Great Eastern Main Line (GEML) at Shenfield, though a flying junction.
- There is no connection between the Shenfield-Southend Line and the GEML to Chelmsford and Ipswich.
- The Shenfield-Southend Line crosses the A130 in an area of farmland.
Between Shenfield and the A130 are two important stations Billericay and Wickford.
The Connection At Shenfield
This Google Map shows the junction between the GEML and the Shenfield-Southend Line.
Note.
- Shenfield station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The GEML goes straight in a North-Easterly direction to Ingatestone and Chelmsford.
- Ingatestone and Shenfield stations are about 3.5 miles apart.
- The Shenfield-Southend Line goes off to the East and connects to the GEML with a flying junction.
There would appear to be space to convert the flying junction into a full triangular junction by building chords, that allow access between the Shenfield-Southend Line and the GEML to Chelmsford.
Turning South At The A130
This Google Map shows where the Shenfield-Southend Line crosses the A130.
Note.
- The two major roads; the A130 and the A127 are clearly labelled.
- The Shenfield-Southend Line crosses the A130 from North-West to East.
- Billericay and Shenfield are to the North-West.
- Southend is to the East.
It looks like there is sufficient space to create a junction, which would allow trains to take a new rail line to and from the South, built alongside the A130.
The Connection At Pitsea Station
This Google Map shows the Southern section of the A130 that connects to the A13.
Note.
- Pitsea station is at the Southern side of the map.
- The A130 weaves its way North-South down the Eastern side of the map.
- The rail link could follow the A130.
The Google Map shows Pitsea station, the A13 and its junction with the A130.
Note.
- The A13 going across the Northern side of the map.
- The A130 going down the Eastern side of the map.
- Pitsea station in the middle of the Western side of the map.
- The c2c railway between Pitsea and Southend Central stations going East from Pitsea station and passing to the South of St. Margaret’s Church.
It appears to me, that there would be enough space to build a full triangular junction between the rail link and the c2c railway.
A full triangular junction would enable trains to go between Chelmsford and all stations as far as Shoeburyness.
A Few Questions
These are a few questions.
Will Passenger Trains Use The Rail Link?
Consider.
- It would make it possible to create a direct train service that connected all the major towns in Essex; Colchester, Chelmsford and Southend.
- Chelmsford is the county town of Essex.
- Southend Central station has two West-facing bay platforms.
- Colchester station has a South-facing bay platform.
I think that the route must be built to perhaps allow an hourly CrossEssex service in both directions, at some date in the future.
Would There Be Any Stations On The Rail Link?
The route goes through Billericay and Wickford stations and also has a connection to the Crouch Valley Line.
How Long Is The Rail Link?
I estimate, it’s just under seventeen miles.
How Long Will Freight Trains Take Between Pitsea And Ingatestone?
The Felixstowe Branch is about twenty miles long and trains take a few minutes over the hour.
Will The Rail Link Be Single Or Double Track?
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still about a dozen trains going in and out of London Gateway on a typical day.
- This would be a train every ninety minutes in both directions on the rail link if they were all using it.
- London Gateway will expand.
- A passenger service on the rail link in the future, is a possibility.
- The Shenfield-Southend Line is double-track.
I feel that a single track railway would be short on capacity, so for preference, I’d build a double-track railway.
Will The Rail Link Be Electrified?
Consider.
- All passenger trains run by Greater Anglia and c2c to and from Southend are electric.
- Essex is a county where all rail lines are electrified, except for the spur that leads into London Gateway.
- The GEML and the lines to Southend have recently updated electrification.
- Freight trains can be hauled on the GEML by electric or bi-mode locomotives.
- Te section between the GEML and the A130 is already electrified.
It would be logical that the rail link should be electrified.
Thoughts About Capacity
Although a rai link between Pitsea and Ingatestone may be feasible, it doesn’t mean that it will be built.
- Will there be enough capacity across the Midlands or on the various routes to the North?
- Greater Anglia have ambitions and the trains to run more services.
- Would digital signalling on the GEML create extra capacity?
Extra Infrastructure
Thoughts On Powering Electrification Islands
In The Concept Of Electrification Islands, I didn’t say anything about how electrification islands would be powered. Although, I did link to this post.
The Need For A Substantial Electrical Supply
Electrification can use a lot of electricity.
This was illustrated by the electrification of the Midland Main Line, where a high-capacity feed from the National Grid had to be provided at Market Harborough.
But then the Government cancelled electrification North of Kettering leaving a twelve mile gap to be filled. I wrote about the problem in MML Wires Could Reach Market Harborough. In the end the sensible decision was taken and the electrification will now reach to Market Harborough station.
So places like Cambridge, Darlington, Doncaster, Leeds Norwich and York. which are fully electrified and on a main route probably have enough electrical power to charge passing or terminating battery-electric trains on secondary routes.
In Thoughts On The Actual Battery Size In Class 756 Trains And Class 398 Tram-Trains, I quoted the reply to a Freedom of Information Request sent to Transport for Wales, which said.
A four-car Class 756 train will have a battery capacity of 600 kWh.
A Class 756 train is similar to a Greater Anglia Class 755 train, which in Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’, I estimated weighs about 135 tonnes when full of passengers.
Weights for the Hitachi trains are difficult to find with a figure of 41 tonnes per car given for a Class 801 train on Wikipedia. In Kinetic Energy Of A Five-Car Class 801 Train, I estimated a full weight of a five-car Class 801 train at 233.35 tonnes.
Based on the Stadler figure, I would estimate that every train passing an electrification island will need to pick up as much as somewhere between 600-1000 kWh.
An Electrification Island At Sleaford
In The Concept Of Electrification Islands, I proposed an electrification island at Sleaford station.
- Sleaford is a market town of around 18,000 people.
- I doubt the power in the town has much surplus capacity.
- This station is served by four trains per hour (tph), one to each to Lincoln, Nottingham, Peterborough and Skegness.
- So it looks like a feed of three to four MW will be needed to charge passing trains.
Can the electricity supply in a town like Sleaford provide that sort of power for perhaps eighteen hours a day?
The only ways to provide that sort of power is to build a new power station or provide energy storage capable of boosting the supply.
Could Highview Power Provide The Solution?
I have been following Highview Power and their CRYOBatteries for some time.
They have already built a 5 MW pilot plant in Manchester and are currently aiming to build a plant with 250 MWh of energy storage, that can supply up to 50 MW. The company and this plant is discussed in this article on The Chemical Engineer.
One of these CRYOBatteries, would surely be ideal to power an electrification island, like the one at Sleaford.
- It could be scaled to the electricity needs of the town and the railway.
- It would be charged using renewable or excess energy.
- There is a lot of wind power in Lincolnshire and just off the coast, which needs energy storage.
- Similar systems could also be installed at other electrification islands at Cleethorpes, Lincoln, Skegness and other places, where the grid needs strengthening.
I have used Highview Power in this example, but there are other systems, that would probably boost the electricity just as well.
The Concept Of Electrification Islands
Consider how Imperial Airways and BOAC used to fly long routes to places like Sydney, Hong Kong and Cape Town before the days of long distance jet airliners. They used to fly from airport to airport, picking up fuel and supplies on the way.
If you want to know more about the details, read what is my favourite travel book, Beyond The Blue Horizon by Alexander Frater.
He followed the Imperial Airways route to Sydney, on what was reputed to be the most complicated ticket, that British Airways ever issued.
But can the concept of flying a short range airliner over a long distance refuelling as necessary, be applied to running a battery electric train by charging the batteries on a series of electrification islands?
In Ipswich And Peterborough In A Battery Train, I described how an Ipswich and Peterborough service could be run by a battery-equipped Class 755 train.
The Ipswich and Peterborough route is 82.5 miles long and it can be split as follows.
- Ipswich and Haughley Junction – 13.8 miles – Electrified
- Haughley Junction and Ely – 38.2 miles – Not Electrified
- Ely and Peterborough – 30.5 miles – Not Electrified
Legs two and three, should be within the capability of a battery-equipped Class 755 train. No definite figure has been given, but in the July 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, this was said about the similar Class 756 trains, ordered for the South Wales Metro.
The units will be able to run for 40 miles between charging, thanks to their three large batteries.
Perhaps, what is needed is to create an electrification island at Ely, that can be used to charge the batteries.
An Electrification Island At Ely
This map from Wikipedia shows the complicated railways at Ely,
Note.
- Ely station is fully electrified.
- The line to Cambridge,Kings Cross, Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport is fully electrified. Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains between Norwich and Stansted Airport, change between diesel and electrification at Ely.
- The line to Kings Lynn is fully electrified.
- The lines to Bury St. Edmunds, Norwich and Peterborough are not electrified.
- Ely is a city of 20,000 inhabitants, so I suspect it must have a robust electricity supply.
- Freight trains take about five minutes to pass between Ely West and Ely Dock Junctions.
- Ely West and Ely Dock Junctions are 2.5 miles apart.
- There appears to be an avoiding line South-East of Ely station, where I’ve seen trains from Felixstowe to Peterborough sometimes wait for a few minutes before proceeding.
- There is also a lot of space at March station, where a passing loop with a charging station could be built.
I believe it would be possibly to do the following at Ely.
- Electrify the West Curve and the South-East avoiding line.
- Electrify the Bury St. Edmunds, Norwich and Peterborough lines for perhaps five miles.
- If required, put a high capacity charging station on the avoiding line.
There would be plenty of electrification to charge the trains.
An alternative plan might be to electrify between March station and the new Soham station, which has been planned to open in 2021.
- This would be around eighteen miles of electrification.
- This would certainly be enough electrification to fully-charge passing freight and passenger trains.
- Soham to Ely could be doubled.
- The extra electrification would mean the two unelectrified sections of the Ipswich and Peterborough route; Haughley Junction-Soham and March-Peterborough would be well within range of a battery-electric train.
- The proposed service between Cambridge and Wisbech would only have the twelve miles of the Bramley Line between March and Wisbech to run on battery power.
It might also be possible to put in an extra curve to make Ely Dock Junction, a full triangular junction. This would allow the new Soham station to have direct services to both Cambridge and Cambridge North stations, without a reverse at Ely station.
Other Possible Electrification Islands
I’ll break these down by regions and train operators.
East Anglia (Greater Anglia)
Greater Anglia only runs trains on diesel to the North of Cambridge and Ipswich, which are both fully electrified, as is Norwich.
I would consider Cambridge, Ely, Ipswich and Norwich to be electrification islands.
- All have a good connection to the electrification power supply, as they handle main line electric trains.
- All or most platforms at the stations are electrified to charge trains.
- There are electrified sidings at Cambridge and Norwich and possibly at Ipswich.
Lowestoft and Yarmouth might be fitted with charging systems to make sure a fault doesn’t strand a train.
In Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’, I talked about a report in Rail Magazine, which said that the Class 755 trains will get a battery fitted at the first overhaul.
I wouldn’t be surprised, that in a couple of years, Greater Anglia announces the end of diesel power on some or all of their services.
East Coast Main Line (LNER and Others)
Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line (ECML), is increasingly becoming a railway where the vast majority of services are run by versions of Hitachi AT-300 trains.
- Hull Trains are running Class 802 trains.
- LNER are running Class 800 and Class 801 trains.
- TransPennine Express are running Class 802 trains.
- East Coast Trains will be running Class 803 trains.
Classes 800, 802 and 803 are bi-modes and can probably have some or all of their diesel engines replaced by batteries.
In Sparking A Revolution, I gave this specification for a Hitachi battery-electric train.
- Range – 55-65 miles
- Performance – 90-100 mph
- Recharge – 10 minutes when static
- Routes – Suburban near electrified lines
- Battery Life – 8-10 years
I will use these figures from Hitachi in this post.
Electrification Islands On The East Coast Main Line
There are several large and smaller stations along the ECML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.
Cleethorpes
Consider
- Cleethorpes station would need a decent electricity supply. Offshore wind?
- Doncaster is 52 miles away.
- Lincoln is 37 miles away.
- Newark is 63 miles away.
- Scunthorpe is 29 miles away.
If you can get battery-electric trains to Cleethorpes, you also serve Grimsby Town station, which is three miles closer to the ECML.
With electrification islands at Lincoln and Scunthorpe and Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery range of at least sixty miles, electric trains could be run to Cleethorpes and Grimsby.
Would that improve the economy of the area?
Darlington
Darlington station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Bishop Auckland is 12 miles away.
- Middlesbrough is 15 miles away.
- Nunthorpe is 20 miles away.
- Saltburn is 27 miles away.
- Whitby is 47 miles away.
Darlington could support battery-electric operation of the Tees Valley Line, if the route doesn’t go for hydrogen. Note that hydrogen would probably also handle services from Middlesbrough to Newcastle, Nunthorpe and Whitby with ease.
Note my views on the definitive hydrogen train, which will be a battery-electric-hydrogen hybrid train, able to use power from a variety of sources.
Doncaster
Doncaster station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Cleethorpes is 52 miles away.
- Hull is 40 miles away.
- Scunthorpe is 25 miles away.
- Sheffield is 19 miles away.
Doncaster could certainly support some battery-electric services.
Grantham
Grantham station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Nottingham is 22 miles away.
- Sleaford is 18 miles away.
- Nottingham and Skegness services seem to take about four minutes to reverse in the station.
The Nottingham and Skegness service could take advantage of the driver changing ends to top up the battery.
Hull
Consider.
- Hull is a city of nearly 300,000 people, so it must have a decent electricity supply.
- Hull station is under forty miles from the electrification of the ECML.
- Doncaster is 40 miles away.
- Scarborough is 54 miles away.
- York is 52 miles away, with about 20 miles electrified.
I would certainly suspect that with an electrification island at Hull, the Hitachi AT-300 trains of Hull Trains and LNER could certainly run fully electric services to the city, if they were fitted with batteries.
With an electrification island at Scarborough, could Hull Trains and LNER services be extended to Scarborough?
Leeds
Leeds station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.
- It also has electrified services to Bradford, Ilkley and Skipton.
- Leeds and Huddersfield will be electrified in the next few years.
Harrogate is 18 miles away, so a return journey is within range of a Hitachi AT-300 train with a battery, that is charged on the ECML.
Lincoln
Consider.
- Lincoln station would need a decent electricity supply.
- Cleethorpes is 37 miles away.
- Doncaster is 40 miles away.
- Newark is 16 miles away, so a return journey is within range of a Hitachi AT-300 train with a battery, that is charged on the ECML.
- Nottingham is 34 miles away and Leicester is 61 miles away.
- Peterborough is 57 miles away.
- Sleaford is 21 miles away.
With an electrification island at Lincoln, the following should be possible.
- Electric services between Cleethorpes and Lincoln using battery-electric trains.
- Electric services between Doncaster and Lincoln using battery-electric trains.
- Electric services between Nottingham/Leicester and Lincoln using battery-electric trains. Electrify the Midland Main Line (MML) and this is easy.
- Electric services between Peterborough and Lincoln using battery-electric trains. It may need an electrification island at Sleaford.
- Electric services between London Kings Cross and Grimsby/Cleethorpes using Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery, that is charged on the ECML and at Lincoln.
The London Kings Cross and Lincoln services could top up their batteries if required if they were run using Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery
Surely, if Class 755 trains are good enough for Norfolk and Suffolk and both franchises are run by Abellio, then battery versions of these trains would be ideal for running services from Lincoln to Cleethorpes/Grimsby, Doncaster, Newark, Nottingham, Peterborough and Skegness.
Middlesbrough
If required an electrification island could be placed at Middlesbrough station.
- Darlington is 15 miles away.
- Newcastle is 47 miles away.
- Saltburn is 13 miles away.
- Whitby is 35 miles away.
This area might opt for hydrogen, but I believe battery-electric trains could also work the routes through Middlesbrough and Darlington. Note my views on the definitive hydrogen train, which will be a battery-electric-hydrogen hybrid train, able to use power from a variety of sources.
Newark
Consider.
- Newark North Gate station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Cleethorpes is 63 miles away.
- Grimsby is 60 miles away.
- Lincoln is 16 miles away.
- Nottingham is 17 miles away.
With an electrification island at Cleethorpes/Grimsby, battery-electric services could be extended to either town. They would need to use the electrification island at Lincoln station to top-up the battery.
Newcastle
Newcastle station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Carlisle is 61 miles away.
- Middlesbrough is 47 miles away.
- Nunthorpe is 52 miles away.
Newcastle could surely support local services using battery-electric trains. They could be dual-voltage, so they can use Tyne and Wear Metro electrification.
Peterborough
Peterborough station is on the electrified ECML, so it must have a top class electricity supply.
- Ely is 31 miles away.
- Leicester is 52 miles away, with Birmingham another 40 miles further.
- Lincoln is 57 miles away.
- Sleaford is 35 miles away.
It might even be possible for Hitachi AT-300 trains with a battery to be able to run between Stansted Airport and Birmingham for CrossCountry.
- Stansted and Ely – 38 miles – Electrified
- Ely and Peterborough – 30.5 miles – Not Electrified
- Through Peterborough – 6 miles – Electrified (ECML)
- Peterborough and Leicester – 52 miles – Not Electrified
- Leicester and Nuneaton – 19 miles – Not Electrified
- Through Nuneaton – 3 miles – Electrified (WCML)
- Nuneaton and Birmingham – 21 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- Trains would charge when running under electrification and also during station stops in Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough Leicester and Nuneaton.
- Trains would automatically raise and lower their pantographs as required.
- There may be scope to add sections of extra electrification.
- For example, electrification of the MML could add as much as eight miles of electrification, through Leicester.
As much as forty percent of the route between Birmingham and Stansted could be electrified.
Sandy/St. Neots
It is planned that the East West Railway (EWR) and the ECML will cross at an interchange station somewhere in this area.
Consider.
Both stations are on the electrified ECML, so must have a top class electricity supply.
- Bedford is 10 miles away.
- The electrification South of Cambridge is about 20 miles away.
It would surely be possible to create an electrification island, where the two major routes cross at Sandy/St. Neots.
Scarborough
Consider.
- Scarborough station would need a decent electricity supply.
- Hull is 54 miles away.
- York is 42 miles away.
With charging facilities at Scarborough battery-electric trains could be run to the seaside resort.
- I also think it would be possible to run a direct service between London Kings Cross and Scarborough using Hitachi AT-300 trains with batteries, either via York or Hull.
- TransPennine’s Hitachi trains could also read Scarborough from York, if fitted with batteries.
Would battery-electric trains between Hull, Scarborough and York attract more users of the services?
Sleaford
If required an electrified island could be placed at Sleaford station.
- Sleaford would need a decent electricity supply.
- The station is where the Nottingham and Skegness and Peterborough and Lincoln routes cross.
- Grantham on the ECML is 18 miles away.
- Lincoln is 21 miles away.
- Nottingham is 40 miles away.
- Peterborough is 35 miles away.
- Skegness is 40 miles away.
Services through Sleaford would be run as follows.
As Lincoln and Peterborough are likely to both have the ability to charge trains, the Peterborough and Lincoln route can probably be run using a battery-electric train, that also charges during the stop at Sleaford.
To run the Nottingham and Skegness route, there will need to be a charging facility or an electrification island at Skegness, as forty miles is to far from an out and back from Sleaford on battery power. The section between Sleaford and Nottingham is easier, as there is a reverse at the fully-electrified Grantham station, where the trains could top-up their batteries.
York
York station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.
- Harrogate is 20 miles away, with Leeds another 18 miles further.
- Hull is 52 miles away, with about 20 miles electrified.
- Scarborough is 42 miles away.
It would appear that battery-electric trains could work the routes between Doncaster, Harrogate, Hull, Leeds, Scarborough and York.
Midland Main Line (East Midlands Railway)
Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line (MML) is a mixture of electrified and non-electrified sections. East Midlands Railway have chosen Hitachi Class 810 trains to cope with the mixed infrastructure.
- There will be thirty-three five car trains.
- They will have four diesel engines instead of three in the Class 800 trains.
- They will have a redesigned nose.
Are East Midlands Railway ordering a dual-purpose design?
In the January 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, this is said about the bi-mode Hitachi Class AT-300 trains for Avanti West Coast.
Hitachi told Modern Railways it was unable to confirm the rating of the diesel engines on the bi-modes, but said these would be replaceable by batteries in future if specified.
Consider.
- Both fleets of trains are for delivery in 2022.
- Ease of manufacture would surely mean, that Hitachi would want the two fleets to be substantially the same.
- A train with four engines could be needed to cruise at 125 mph on diesel.
- Four engine slots would mean that, if you were replacing some engines with batteries, you’d have more flexibility.
Hitachi seem to be playing an inscrutable game.
This section entitled Powertrain in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, says this about the powertrain for Class 800/801/802 trains.
Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) have diesel engines of V12 formation. The Class 801 has one GU for a five to nine-car set. These provide emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode has three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8.
Hitachi must have found a way to arrange four GUs under a Class 810 train.
- They could be using slightly smaller engines. Smaller engines could be fitted to curb overheating.
- The engines might be in pairs under vehicles 2 and 4, possibly sharing utilities like fuel tanks and cooling systems.
But as the vehicles are two metres shorter, it wouldn’t be a shoe-in.
When the trains are to be upgraded to battery electric trains, an appropriate number of GUs would be replaced by batteries.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that both Avanti West Coast and East Midlands Railway will have trains that can be converted from five-car bi-mode trains into battery-electric trains, with a range of between 55 and 65 miles.
- As a control engineer, I believe that a battery could be made to be plug compatible with a GU.
- An extra battery could be placed under vehicle 3, in the spare engine position.
I reckon that Hitachi’s quote of a sixty-five mile range would at 3 kWh per vehicle-mile need about one MWh of batteries.
That is 200 kWh per vehicle, so I feel it should be possible.
Electrification Of The Midland Main Line
Current plans for electrified sections of the MML are as follows.
- London St. Pancras and Corby – 79.5 miles – Opening December 2020
- London St. Pancras and Market Harborough – 83 miles – Opening December 2020
- Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield – 15.5 miles – To be built in conjunction with High Speed Two
The gap between Market Harborough and Clay Cross North Junction is about 66 miles.
Electrification Islands On The Midland Main Line
As with the ECML, there are several large and smaller stations along the MML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.
I will deal with the electrification islands, starting in London.
Bedford
In Looking At The East West Railway Between Bedford And Cambridge, I came to the conclusion, that the East West Railway (EWR) and the MML, would share electrified tracks through Bedford station.
- There are also rumours of electrification of the East West Railway, which I wrote about in EWR Targets Short-Term Fleet Ahead Of Possible Electrification, after an article in Rail Magazine with the same title.
- But even so Bedford and Cambridge are only thirty miles apart, which is well within the capability of a battery-electric train.
- Continuing to the West on the EWR, it is under twenty miles to the electrification at Bletchley on the West Coast Main Line (WCML).
It looks to be that battery-electric trains running on the EWR would be able to charge their batteries as they pass through Bedford.
- It does appear to me, that the EWR chose a route through Bedford that would make this feasible.
- It would also be relatively easy to electrify the EWR to the East and/or West of Bedford to increase the time using electrification, to fully charge the trains.
- As Cambridge and Bletchley are around fifty miles apart, this journey between two fully-electrified stations, would be possible for a battery-electric train, especially, if it were able to take a sip of electricity in the possible stops at Bedford and Sandy or St. Neots.
If in the end, it is decided to electrify the EWR, Bedford would surely be a location, with enough power to feed the electrification.
Leicester
Leicester station is an important station on the MML.
But it would be a difficult station to electrify because of a bridge with limited clearance.
In Discontinuous Electrification Through Leicester Station, I discussed how the following.
- Discontinuous electrification through Leicester station.
- Electrification between Leicester and Derby stations.
- Electrifying the High Speed Two route between Clay Cross Junction and Sheffield.
Would allow Hitachi Class 810 trains, equipped with batteries to run between London and Sheffield on electric power alone.
East Midlands Parkway
East Midlands Parkway station is nineteen miles North of Leicester station.
This Google Map shows its unique position.
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is the eighteenth highest emitter of CO2 in Europe and will surely be closed soon.
But then, a power station, will have a good connection to the National Grid, ensuring there could be plenty of power for electrification, even after the current power station is long gone, as it will surely be replaced by another power station or energy storage.
East Midlands Parkway station is also well-connected.
- Clay Cross North Junction is 31 miles away.
- Derby is 10 miles away.
- Leicester is 18 miles away.
- Nottingham is 8 miles away.
- Sheffield is 47 miles away.
It should be possible to reach all these places on battery-power from East Midlands Parkway.
Electrification Between Leicester And East Midlands Parkway
The more I look at this stretch of the MML, the more I feel that this eighteen mile stretch should be electrified to create what could become a linear electrification island.
Consider.
- It is a 125 mph multi-track railway across fairly flat countryside.
- Connecting electrification to the grid is often a problem, but Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station is adjacent to East Midlands Parkway station.
- The section is only eighteen miles long, but this is surely long enough to fully-charge a battery train speeding to and from the capital.
- There are only four intermediate stations; Syston, Sileby, Barrow-on-Soar and Loughborough.
- The engineering for gauge clearance and electrification, looks to be no more difficult, than it will be between Kettering and Market Harborough.
- Between Leicester and Market Harborough stations is only sixteen miles.
- Between East Midlands Parkway and Nottingham is only eight miles, so it would be possible for Nottingham services to run without a charge at Nottingham station.
- Between East Midlands Parkway and Derby is only ten miles, so it would be possible for Derby services to run without a charge at Derby station.
- Between East Midlands Parkway and the shared electrified section with High Speed Two at Clay Cross North Junction is thirty-one miles, so it would be possible for Sheffield services to be run without using diesel, once the shared electrification is complete between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield.
- Battery-electric trains between East Midlands Parkway and Clay Cross North Junction could also use the Erewash Valley Line through Ikeston, Langley Mill and Alfreton.
- There would be no need to electrify through the World Heritage Site of the Derwent Valley Mills that lies between Derby and Clay Cross North Junction, as trains will be speeding through on battery power. Electrifying through this section, might be too much for some people.
- If the trains can’t switch between battery and overhead electrification power, the changeover can be in Leicester and East Midlands Parkway stations. However, I believe that Hitachi’s AT-300 trains can do the changeover at line speed.
The electrification could also be used by other services.
- Between Corby and Syston North Junction is only thirty-six miles, so it would be possible to run electric services between London St. Pancras and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield via Corby, if the main route were to be blocked by engineering work.
- Between Peterborough and Syston East Junction is forty-seven miles, so it should be possible to run CrossCountry’s Stansted Airport and Birmingham service using battery-electric trains. If the train could leave Leicester with a full battery, both Birmingham New Street and Peterborough should be within range.
- East Midlands Railway’s Lincoln and Leicester service run for a distance of sixty-one miles via East Midlands Parkway, Nottingham and Newark stations. Electrification between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway, would mean there was just forty-two miles to do on battery power. An electrification island at Lincoln would charge the train for return.
Battery-electric trains with a range of between 55 and 65 miles would really open up the East Midlands to electric services if between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway were to be electrified.
London And Sheffield In A Battery-Electric Class 810 Train
This is speculation on my part, but I think this could be how trains run London to Sheffield before 2030.
- London to Market Harborough – 83 miles – Using electrification
- Switch to battery power at line speed.
- Market Harborough to Leicester – 16 miles – Using battery power
- Switch to electrification in Leicester station
- Leicester to East Midlands Parkway – 19 miles – Using electrification
- Switch to battery power at line speed.
- East Midlands Parkway to Clay Cross North Junction – 31 miles – Using battery power
- Switch to electrification at line speed.
- Clay Cross North Junction to Sheffield – 15.5 miles – Using electrification
Note.
- 118 miles would be run using electrification and 47 miles using battery power.
- Battery power has been used to avoid the tricky electrification at Leicester station and along the Derwent Valley.
I don’t believe any of the engineering will be any more difficult, than what has been achieved on the MML in the last year or so.
Nottingham
Consider
- Nottingham station would probably have access to a reliable electricity supply, as Nottingham is a large city of over 300,000 people.
- Nottingham station has a comprehensive network of local services.
- Nottingham station has an excellent connection to Nottingham Express Transit.
- Birmingham New Street is 57 miles away, via Derby and Burton.
- Burton-on-Trent is 27 miles away.
- Derby is 16 miles away.
- Grantham is 23 miles away.
- Lincoln is 34 miles away.
- Matlock is 33 miles away.
- Newark is 17 miles away.
- Sheffield is 40 miles away.
- Worksop is 32 miles away.
- Most of these local services are run by East Midlands Railway, with some services run by Northern and CrossCountry.
- Some services run back-to-back through Nottingham.
I feel very strongly that if charging is provided in Nottingham, when trains turnback or pass through the station, that many of the local services can be run by battery-electric trains.
Previously, I have shown, that if between Leicester and East Midlands Parkway is electrified, then services between London and Nottingham, can be run by battery-electric trains.
There is also a fall-back position at Nottingham, as the local services could be run by hydrogen-powered trains.
Sheffield
Sheffield station would at first glance appear to be very similar to Nottingham.
- Sheffield station would probably have access to a reliable electricity supply, as Sheffield is a large urban area of 700,000 people.
- Sheffield station has a comprehensive network of local services.
- Sheffield station has an excellent connection to the Sheffield Supertram.
But it looks like Sheffield station will see the benefits of electrification the Northern section of the MML from Clay Cross North Junction.
- The 15.5 miles of electrification will be shared with the Sheffield spur of High Speed Two.
- Currently, trains take sixteen minutes between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction.
- Electrification and an improved high-speed track will allow faster running, better acceleration and a small saving of time.
- A Sheffield train will be charged going to and from Sheffield, so will leave Clay Cross North Junction for Derby and the South with full batteries.
- There must also be opportunities for local trains running between Sheffield and Class Cross Junction North to use the electrification and be run by battery-electric trains.
Current destinations include.
- Derby is 36 miles away.
- Doncaster is 19 miles away.
- Huddersfield is 36 miles away.
- Leeds is 45 miles away.
- Lincoln is 49 miles away.
- Manchester Piccadilly is 42 miles away.
- Nottingham is 40.5 miles away.
Note.
- Doncaster, Leeds and Manchester Piccadilly stations are fully electrified.
- Work on electrifying Huddersfield and Leeds will start in a year or so, so Huddersfield will be electrified.
- I am firly sure that Lincoln and Nottingham will have enough electrification to recharge and turn trains.
- Some routes are partially electrified.
As with Nottingham, I am fairly sure, that local services at Sheffield could be run by battery-electric trains. And the same fall-back of hydrogen-powered trains, would also apply.
Sheffield And Manchester Piccadilly In A Battery-Electric Train
Consider.
- Once Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction is electrified in conjunction with High Speed Two, at least five miles of the Hope Valley Line at the Sheffield end will be electrified.
- It may be prudent to electrify through Totley Tunnel to increase the electrification at Sheffield to ten miles.
- The route via Stockport is 43 miles long of which nine miles at the Manchester End is electrified.
- The route via Marple is 42 miles long of which two miles at the Manchester End is electrified.
There would appear to be no problems with running the TransPennine Express service between Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes using battery-electric trains, as from Hazel Grove to Manchester Airport is fully electrified and in the East, they can charge the batteries at Sheffield, Doncaster and a future electrification island at Cleethorpes.
The Northern service between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield could be run using battery-electric trains with some more electrification at the Manchester End or an extended turnback in Manchester Piccadilly.
Transport for Manchester has plans to run improve services at their end of the Hope Valley Line, with tram-trains possible to Glossop and Hadfield.
It would probably be worthwhile to look at the Hope Valley Line to make sure, it has enough future capacity. I would suspect the following could be likely.
- More electrification.
- More stations.
- Battery-electric trains or tram-trains from Manchester to Glossop, Hadfield, New Mills Central, Rose Hill Marple and Sheffield.
I would suspect one solution would be to use more of Merseyrail’s new dual-voltage Class 777 trains, which have a battery capability.
Sheffield And Nottingham In A Battery-Electric Train
Consider.
- Once Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction is electrified in conjunction with High Speed Two, 15.5 miles of the route will be electrified.
- The total length of the route is 40.5 miles.
- There are intermediate stops at Dronfield, Chesterfield, Alfreton, Langley Mill and Ilkeston.
- Currently, journeys seem to take around 53 minutes.
I think it would be likely that the battery would need to be topped up at Nottingham, but I think a passenger-friendly timetable can be developed.
West Coast Main Line (Avanti West Coast)
Hitachi AT-300 Trains On The West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is a mainly electrified and with some non-electrified extended routes. Avanti West Coast have chosen Hitachi AT-300 trains to cope with infrastructure.
- There will be ten seven-car electric trains.
- There will be thirteen five-car bi-mode trains.
As these trains will be delivered after East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains and East Coast Trains’ Class 803 trains, the following questions must be asked.
- Will the trains have the redesigned nose of the Class 810 trains?
- Will the bi-mode trains have four diesel engines (Class 810 trains) or three ( Class 800 trains)?
- Will the electric trains ordered by First Group companies; Avanti West Coast and East Coast Trains be similar, except for the length?
I would expect Hitachi will want the trains to be as similar as possible for ease of manufacture.
Electrification Islands On The West Coast Main Line
As with the ECML and the MML, there are a couple of large and smaller stations along the WCML, that can act as electrification islands to support either local services or long-distance services from London.
I will deal with the electrification islands, starting in London.
Watford Junction
Watford Junction station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.
- St. Albans Abbey is 6.5 miles away.
- It would be possible to develop a battery-electric service to Aylesbury via Rickmansworth and Amersham, with is a distance of under 25 miles, if this was desired. I wrote about this service in Hertfordshire County Council’s Aspiration For A Watford Junction And Aylesbury Service.
Services around Watford Junction have possibilities to be expanded and improved using battery-electric trains.
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Central station is already an electrification island, as it is fully electrified.
- East West Railway services will call at Bletchley and not Milton Keynes.
- There may be a connection between East West Rail and High Speed Two at Calvert station, which is 15 miles away.
- Milton Keynes will get a service from Aylesbury, which is 22 miles away.
There may be possibilities to link Watford Junction and Milton Keynes via Aylesbury using battery-electric trains to give both places a connection to High Speed Two at a new Calvert station.
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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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 Charge 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-Charge 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 + 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-Charge 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 + 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-Charge 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 + Frey 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.
The Anonymous Widower 