The UK’s New High Speed Line Being Built By Stealth
Wikipedia has a section called High Speed Rail. This is the first paragraph.
High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, new lines in excess of 250 kilometres per hour (160 miles per hour) and existing lines in excess of 200 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) are widely considered to be high-speed.
In the UK we have both types of high speed line mentioned in this definition.
High Speed One and High Speed Two have or will have operating speeds of 300 kph and 400 kph respectively and by any definition are true high speed lines.
There is also the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line and West Coast Main Line, which are lines with long stretches, where continuous running at 200 kph is possible.
These lines certainly meet the 200 kph definition now and will likely exceed it, as digital in-cab signalling is deployed in the future and allows running at up to 225 kph in certain places.
Electrification Between Sheffield And Clay Cross On The Midland Main Line
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Grayling Asks HS2 To Prepare For Electrification Of 25km Midland Main Line Route.
If this electrification happens on the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction, it will be another project in turning the line into a high speed route with a 200 kph operating speed, between London and Sheffield.
Currently, the electrified section of the line South of Bedford is being upgraded and the electrification and quadruple tracks are being extended to Glendon Junction, where the branch to Corby leaves the main line.
The proposed electrification will probably involve the following.
- Upgrading the line to a higher speed of perhaps 225 kph, with provision to increase the speed of the line further.
- Rebuilding of Chesterfield station in readiness for High Speed Two.
- Full electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross.
Clay Cross is significant, as it is where the Midland Main Line splits into two Southbound routes.
- The main route through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby station.
- The secondary route of the Erewash Valley Line to the East Midlands Hub station.
Note.
- Some of the tunnel portals in the Derwent Valley are Listed.
- Trying to electrify the line through the World Heritage Site will be a legal and engineering nightmare.
- Network Rail has spent or is spending £250million on upgrading the Erewash Valley Line.
- High Speed Two will reach The East Midlands Hub station in 2032.
When High Speed Two, is extended North from the East Midlands Hub station, it will take a route roughly following the M1. A spur will link High Speed Two to the Erewash Valley line in the Clay Cross area, to enable services to Chesterfield and Sheffield.
But until High Speed Two is built North of the East Midlands Hub station, the Erewash Valley Line looks from my helicopter to be capable of supporting 200 kph services.
- It is mainly double track, with sections where extra lines have been added.
- It is reasonably straight.
- There seem to be generous margins on either side.
- There is only one tunnel at Alfreton, which is 770 metres long.
- There is only three stations at Ilkeston, Langley Mill and Alfreton.
As many of the bridges seem new, has the Erewash Valley Line been prepared for electrification?
Electrification Around East Midlands Hub Station
I wouldn’t be surprised to see that by the opening of the East Midlands Hub station in 2032, that the following will have happened.
- The route between East Midlands Hub station and Sheffield via the Erewash Valley Line and Chesterfield has been fully electrified.
- A higher proportion of services between London and Sheffield will use the Erewash Valley Line, with times under two hours.
- From 2022, the trains running on the Midland Main Line will be 200 kph bi-mode trains.
As the East Midlands Hub Station and High Speed Two is developed, various electrified routes will open through the area, thus grdually reducing journey times between London and Sheffield.
Once the station is fully open, I suspect there will be services between London and Sheffield via High Speed Two and the Erewash Valley Line.
But when the High Speed 2 spur towards Sheffield is opened, the trains will take the high speed route.
Electrification From London To Kettering, Glendon Junction And Corby
Currently, the electrified section of the line South of Bedford is being upgraded and the electrification and quadruple tracks are being extended to Glendon Junction, where the branch to Corby leaves the main line.
When completed, this electrification will enable the following.
- Two electric trains per hour (tph) between London and Corby.
- Much of the route between London and Glendon Junction will be improved to allow 200 kph running.
- Much of the route between London and Glendon Junction will be quadruple tracks.
It will be a quality high speed line to a similar standard to that of much of the East Coast Main Line.
The True 200 kph (125 mph) Bi-Mode Train
In the Wikipedia entry for Leicester station, this is said about electrification of the Midland Main Line.
From 2022, services will be operated using bi-mode electro-diesel trains running in electro-pantograph mode between London St Pancras and Kettering North Junction, switching to electro-accumulator/diesel-electric mode northwards from there.
Bombardier have been quoted as developing a 200 kph bi-mode Aventra with batteries.
- 200 kph on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- 200 kph on diesel.
- Batteries for Last Mile operation.
- Better ambience than current bi-modes.
- Low and level floors.
If Bombardier can produce such a train, surely other train manufacturers can?
Electrification Between Glendon Junction And Market Harborough
I talked about this in MML Wires Could Reach Market Harborough, where I said this.
It appears that Network Rail have a problem.
- Electrification of the Midland Main Line (MML) is to run as far as Kettering and Corby stations.
- The power feed is to be located at Braybrooke, which is just South of Market Harborough station.
So Network Rail are now looking for a twelve mile long extension lead.
A Network Rail spokesman, says they are looking at various options, including an underground cable or extending the Overhead Line Equipment.
Since I wrote that post a few weeks ago, I have looked at that section of line and have had various messages, which lead me to the belief, that all bridges and structures have been raised to allow electrification to be added to the line.
These points are in favour of electrification!
- The only station is Market Harborough, where the track is s being realigned to increase linespeed.
- Bridges, structures and track appear to have been upgraded for electrification.
- There are only two tracks.
- Network Rail need a power connection.
It will be a matter of heads and tails, as to whether Glendon Junction and Market Harborough station will be electrified.
The Electrification Gap Between Market Harborough And East Midlands Hub Stations
These are my thoughts on various sections going North from Market Harborough station.
Between Market Harborough And Leicester
This doesn’t appear to be too difficult to electrify, if that were to be decided, until approaching Leicester station, where there are several bridges over the track.
A driver also told me, that under one bridge the track can’t be lowered, due to the presence of a large sewer.
If the proposed bi-mode trains have a Last Mile battery capability, discontinuous electrification as proposed for South Wales could be used on these bridges.
But the track is fairly straight and the speed limits could be fairly high enabling the proposed bi-mode trains to be cruising near to 200 kph.
Whatever is done, I suspect that the track improvements and the electrification work South of Kettering will enable the new bi-mode trains to go between Leicester and London in comfortably under an hour.
Leicester Station
I think Leicester station is both a problem and a solution.
I don’t think it is possible to electrify the current station without a lot of disruption and major works because of the number of bridges South of the station.
But according to Wikipedia, plans exist to regerenate the station, which could be a big opportunity to create the most cost-effective solution to powering the trains.
Northwards From Leicester
This section looks an ideal one for the proposed 200 kph bi-mode train, with fairly straight tracks.
Operation Of The Bi-Mode Trains
Battery Use
I believe that Bombardier’s design for a 200 kph bi-mode train, doesn’t just use batteries for Last Mile operation.
Using discontinuous electrification on the bridges South of Leicester, which would be the sensible way to electrify that section, but would need the new trains to have a battery capability to jump the gaps.
I also believe that Aventras use batteries to handle regenerative braking, as do Hitachi on their Class 800 trains.
Bombardier Aventras seem to have lots of powered axles and Bombardier have stated that the bi-mode will have distributed power.
As an Electrical and Control Engineer, I believe that the most efficient battery strategy with distributed power, would be to distribute the batteries to each car.
- Batteries would be close to the traction motors, which is electrically efficient.
- Batteries would be smaller and easier to install on the train.
- Battery power could be used to power the train’s systems, as Hitachi do!
- Battery power could be used to move the train and assist in acceleration
Each car would have its own computer to use the most efficient strategy.
I would also put an appropriately sized diesel generator in each car.
In the mathematical modelling of systems consisting of several identical units working together, it is a common technique to look at an individual car.
Consider the following, where I estimate the weight of a car in a proposed bi-mode Aventra.
- A motor car for a Class 345 train, which is another Aventra variant, weighs 36.47 tonnes.
- I estimate that a typical car in the proposed bi-mode train will accommodate a total of about 70 seated and standing passengers.
- With bags, buggies and other things passengers bring on, let’s assume an average passenger weight of 90 kg, this gives an extra 6.3 tonnes.
- Suppose the battery and the diesel were to weigh a tonne each
So I will assume that a typical car weighs 44.77 tonnes.
When running at 200 kph, the car will have a kinetic energy of around 19.5 kWh.
The 30 kWh battery in a Nissan Leaf could handle that amount of energy.
The kinetic energy of a passenger train is surprisingly small.
I suspect that each car has a battery size of about 50 kWh, so that it can adequately power the train in all modes.
Acceleration
Acceleration of a train, is the part of the journey that uses most power.
These trains will need to have the same or better acceleration to the Class 222 trains, that currently work the route, as otherwise timings would be slower and a marketing disaster.
In Have Bombardier Got A Cunning Plan For Voyagers?, I did the calculation of the kinetic energy for a four-car Class 220 train, which is in the same Voyager family as the Class 222 train.
Voyagers are an interesting train, as they cruise at 200 kph and have a diesel engine in each car, which generates electricity to power the train.
Consider these facts for a four-car Class 220 train.
- The train has a weight of 185.6 tonnes, so the average car weight is 46.4 tonnes
- The train has seats for two hundred passengers or 50 per car.
- If we assume that each passenger weighs 90 Kg. with their baggage this gives a total car weight of 50.9 tonnes.
This one car of a Class 222 train running at 200 kph has a kinetic energy of 22 kWh.
As both trains are assumed to be travelling at the same speed, the difference in kinetic energy is down to the weight of the car and the number of passengers.
I have assumed more passengers in the Aventra, as I suspect modern design will improve the figure.
Consider each of these trains doing a stop from 200 kph on the Midland Main Line.
The Aventra will convert the train’s kinetic energy into electricity in the batteries, so if I assume that the efficiency of the regenerative braking is eighty percent, this would mean that 19.5 * 0.8 or 15.6 kWh will be stored in the battery in each car. To accelerate back to 200 kph, the onboard diesel engines will have to supply 3.9 kWh for each car.
The Class 222 train will convert the train’s kinetic energy into heat. To accelerate back to 200 kph, the onboard diesel engines will have to supply 22 kWh for each car.
Bombadier have said that their design for a bi-mode Aventra will have distributed power. So if this includes the batteries and the diesel engines, I wouldn’t be surprised if each car has a battery and a diesel engine.
On the Class 222 train a 560 kW diesel is used in each car to provide the 22 kWh to accelerate the train.
So what size of diesel engine would be needed to supply the 3.9 kWh needed to accelerate the train?
Assuming the diesel is as efficient as that in the Class 222 train, the diesel engine would only be in the region of 100 kW.
Which seems very small!
But suppose something like the quiet Cummins ISBe engine, that is used in a New Routemaster bus is installed.
- This engine has a capacity of 4.5 litres and a rating of 185 bhp/138 kW.
- It is a quarter the size of the engine in the Class 222 train.
- One of the major uses of a larger 5.9 litre version of this engine is in a Dodge Ram pickup.
The engine would only run when the power in the battery was below a certain level.
Cruising At 200 kph
Once at 200 kph, I suspect that most of the power required would come from the batteries.
These would be topped up as required by the diesel engine.
Charging The Batteries
Expecting a small diesel engine to charge the batteries sufficiently between London and Sheffield is probably a big ask, especially if the new franchise wanted to run a train that stopped everywhere North of Kettering.
South of Kettering the train would use the electrification and I suspect trains going North will say good-bye to the electrification with full batteries.
So this is why Chris Grayling’s statement of possible electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross is important.
Southbound trains from Sheffield would leave Clay Cross junction with full batteries, whether they are going via Derby or the Erewash Valley Line.
Between London And Sheffield
Trains between London and Sheffield would only be relying on the diesel engines to top up the batteries between Glendon Junction and Clay Cross.
This is probably about eighty miles. Trains currently take an hour with stops at Leicester and Derby.
It’s a tough ask!
But it might be possible, if an efficient, aerodynamically slippery train is launched with full batteries at full speed at Clay Cross and Glendon Junctions into a route without electrification, which is as straight and level as possible with only gentle curves.
Between London And Nottingham
The distance on the related route between Glendon Junction and Nottingham is about sixty miles with a couple of stops.
This could be an even tougher ask! A charging system at Nottingham might make all the difference.
Bombardier
Obviously Bombardier have done extensive simulations and they wouldn’t be offering the train for the new East Midlands Franchise, if they knew it wasn’t a viable solution!
If they can develop a train that can jump an eighty mile electrification gap at 200 kph, they’ll have a train, that will be a serious export possibility.
The following would also help.
- Any extra electrification.
- Launching the train at a higher speed into the gap. 225 kph would be the equivalent of an extra 5kWh in the battery.
- Batteries with a higher energy density will emerge.
- More efficient regenerative braking.
- Better aerodynamics.
I also believe that big improvements could come from a more sophisticated train control system.
Bombardier are developing a totally different philosophy of train design.
Conclusion
It looks like the reality of mathematics and dynamics will be able to satisfy the seemingly impossible dreams of Chris Grayling!
More On Discontinuous Electrification In South Wales
In the July 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled KeolisAmey Wins Welsh Franchise.
This is said about the electrification on the South Wales Metro.
KeolisAmey has opted to use continuous overhead line equipment but discontinuous power on the Core Valley Lnes (CVL), meaning isolated OLE will be installed under bridges. On reaching a permanently earthed section, trains will automatically switch from 25 KVAC overhead to on-board battery supply, but the pantograph will remain in contact with the overhead cable, ready to collect power after the section. The company believes this method of reducing costly and disruptive engineering works could revive the business cases of cancelled electrification schemes. Hopes of having money left over for other schemes rest partly on this choice of technology.
Other points made include.
- A total of 172 km. of track will be electrified.
- The system is used elsewhere, but not in the UK.
- Disruptive engineering works will be avoided on fifty-five structures.
- Between Radyr and Ninian Park stations is also proposed for electrification.
Nothing is said about only electrifying the uphill track, which surely could be a way of reducing costs.
Ystrad Mynach To Rhymney
The article also states that on the Rhymney Line, the section between Ystrad Mynach and Rhymney stations will be run on batteries.
- The distance is about ten miles.
- The altitude difference is is about 125 metres.
- The station area at Rhymney station will be electrified.
- Rhymney will be an overnight stabling point.
- Trains will change between overhead and battery power in Ystrad Mynach station.
- Trains could charge the batteries at Rhymney if required.
Effectively, there is a avoidance of at least fourteen miles of electrification.
- Four miles of double track between Ystrad Mynach and Bargoed.
- Six miles of single track between Bargoed and Rhymney.
But as Rhymney to Ystrad Mynach currently takes about fourteen minutes, there will have to be some extra double-track, so that the required frequency of four trains per hour (tph) can be achieved.
None of this extra track will need electrification.
As the trains working the Rhymney Line will be tri-mode Stadler Flirts, with the capability of running on electricity, diesel or battery, I don’t think that KeolisAmey are taking any risks.
The Merthyr Line
The Merthyr Line splits North of Abercynon station into two branches to Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil stations.
- South of Abercynon the branch is double-track.
- Both branches are single track.
- The Aberdare branch is about eight miles long.
- Aberdare is around 40 metres higher than Abercynon.
- Trains take 27 minutes to climb between Abercynon and Aberdare stations and 21 minutes to come down.
- The Merthyr Tydfil branch is about ten miles long
- Merthyr Tydfil is around 80 metres higher than Abercynon.
- Trains take 27 minutes to climb between Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil stations and 21 minutes to come down.
If the proposed four tph are to be run on these branches, there would need to be some double-tracking North of Abercynon.
Will both tracks be electrified, or will it be possible with just electrifying the uphill track?
The Rhondda Line
The Rhondda Line splits from the Merthyr Line to the North of Pontypridd station and goes North to Treherbert station.
- South of Porth station, the line is double-track.
- North of Porth station, the line is single-track with a passing loop at Ystrad Rhondda station.
- Treherbert is 90 metres higher than Porth..
- Trains take 28 minutes to climb between Porth and Treherbert and 20 minutes to come down.
If the proposed four tph are to be run on this branch, there may need to be some double-tracking North of Porth.
Will both tracks be electrified, or will it be possible with just electrifying the uphill track?
Conclusion
I suspect there’ll be more savings, as the engineers get to grips with the capabilities of battery trains and discontinuous electrification.
As I said, will it be necessary to electrify downhill tracks?
The tri-mode Stadler Flirts and the Stadler Citylink Metro vehicles could use regenerative braking to their batteries.
The use of gravity in this way to charge the batteries, would increase the efficiency of the South Wales Metro.
West Ealing Station – 21st June 2018
The progress to create new station buildings at West Ealing station seems to be painfully slow, as these pictures show.
It looks like there are now no platforms on the fast lines and the actual platforms for Crossrail and the Greenford Branch Line appear to be complete except for finishing off.
There appeared to be no if any work going on to built the new station building and the fully-accessible bridge.
But there did appear to be some electrification gantries and wires over the Western end of the bay platform.
Were Network Rail making sure that if it were decided to electrify the Greenford Branch Line, it would not be a difficult job?
If on the other hand, it was decided to use battery trains on the Greenford Branch, I suspect that sufficient electrification could be installed to charge the batteries.
Surprising Electrification At Oxenholme
I took these pictures of the Windermere platform, which is numbered 3, at Oxenholme station on the 7th May 2018.
Note the overhead wires for electric trains.
This picture is from an earlier post dated the 1st May 2015.
There are no overhead wires in the picture.
In the Electrification Proposal section of the Wikipedia entry for the Windermere Branch Line, this is said.
On 20 July 2017, it was announced that electrification of the Windermere branch was cancelled. As an alternative, Northern plan to utilise Class 769 multiple units on the route; these are Class 319 electric multiple units converted to function as bi-mode units, capable of operating under electric power between Manchester and Oxenholme, and under diesel power on the Windermere branch.
Did Grayling’s announcement come too late to stop these wires being erected?
This Google Map shows the station.
Note how Platform 3 is accessible from the South. North of the station, Platform 3 only leads to the Windermere Branch Line.
Bi-Mode Trains
The short length of additional electrification would be ideal for a bi-mode train, like the Class 769 train, which will be working the line in the near future.
Going towards Windermere, the train would arrive in Platform 3 having used electrical power at speeds of up to 100 mph from Manchester Airport. The pantograph would be lowered and the train would move on to Windermere using diesel power.
Coming from Windermere, the train would change from diesel to electric power in Platform 3.
It is a very conservative method of changing power source, to do it in a station, as if anything goes wrong, the passengers are only stranded in a station, rather than in the middle of nowhere.
In their previous incarnation as dual-voltage Class 319 trains, the voltage changeover was always done in Farringdon station.
Battery Trains
The Windermere Branch Line is ten miles long, so out and back from Oxhenholme should be well within range of a battery electric multiple unit, if not now, in a couple of years time.
A battery electric multiple unit, perhaps developed from Bombardier’s Class 379-based BEMU demonstrator, would be ideal for the Windermere to Manchester Airport service.
- The Class 379 trains were built in 2010-2011, for the Stansted Airport service.
- They will be released by Greater Anglia in 2019.
- They are 100 mph trains.
And then there’s the Class 230 train!
These trains would do a good job running an hourly shuttle between Oxenholme and Windermere, but they could be unsuitable for long-term use.
- The capacity would be too low.
- They are too slow to run on the West Coast Main Line.
- Running a service between Windermere and Manchester Airport might be too far.
But undoubtedly, a well-designed battery train would be able to work the Windermere Branch Line.
- Services between Windermere and Manchester Airport would charge batteries on the electrified lines.
- Batteries could be topped up as required in Oxenholm station.
- There would be no need to electrify the Windermere Branch Line.
Wordsworth would have written a poem about battery trains gliding quietly through the Lake District.
Conclusion
Network Rail have future-proofed the electrification at Oxenholm station in a very professional way.
The Third Track Between Northumberland Park And Lea Bridge Stations – 12th June 2018
The third track between Northumberland Park and Lea Bridge stations is substantially complete, as these pictures show.
Now that the track is laid, it becomes apparent, that with a bit of a squeeze, a fourth track could be laid.
Electrification Progress
Progress also seems to be being made with the overhead gantries.
Yet again, there seems to be better performance in electrification, where it is carried out on a new or totally rebuilt line.
This may be only a single track, but it is all new, with no buried Victorian unknowns.
Raising The Bridges
Steel footbridges, that are so numerous in South Wales, are notable by their rarity and where they do exist, they were raised or built to a safe height, when the West Anglia Main Line was electrified in 1969.
This bridge spans both the West Anglia Main Line and the Victoria Line‘s Northumberland Park Depot.
I walked across it in March 2017 and there are some pictures in From Tottenham Hale To Northumberland Park.
The only bridge that could be a problem, is the road bridge at Tottenham Hale station.
It might be possible to squeeze one electrified track underneath.
I suspect methods that will be used on the South Wales Metro, that I wrote about in How Can Discontinuous Electrification Be Handled?, could be used to electrify this section.
At some point, this bridge looks like it will have to be rebuilt.
Caerphilly Station
Caerphilly station is an important one on the South Wales Metro.
The current service is a four trains per hour (tph) service to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central stations. Some trains travel through to Penarth station
In 2023, the service will be upgraded.
- Two tph between Barry Island and Rhymney stations via Cardiff Central.
- Two tph between Bridgend and Rhymney stations via Cardiff Central and Rhoose Airport
- Two tph between Penarth and Caerphilly stations via Cardiff Central.
In 2023, the service will be three minutes quicker to and from Cardiff.
In addition, note the following about Caerphilly station.
- The station is on the Rhymney Line, which will be worked by Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts.
- The station lies just to the North of the Caerphilly Tunnel, which is not being electrified and trains are expected to transit using battery power.
- The station has a bay platform.
- The station appears to be a hub for buses.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- The long bay platform on the North side of the station. It may be long enough to accommodate two of the Tri-Mode Stradler Flirts, which are 65/80 metres long. This means that the bay platform could be very valuable for service recovery.
- The station serves as a Park-and-Ride.
- Three structures cross the track, which from the left are the old station buildings, the station footbridge and a footbridge independent from the station.
- Looking at the track layout on the Eastern approach to the station, the cross-overs are within fifty metres of the platform end.
These pictures show the station.
These are my thoughts on various issues.
Electrification Under The Bridges And The Old Buildings
I think there would be serious issues with standards for electrification at this station.
The three structures will have to be handled in the way I described in How Can Discontinuous Electrification Be Handled?
The Old Station Building
The old station building is integral with a road bridge and would be a costly and very disruptive operation to replace.
So if the structure will safely last a hundred years or so and the wires can be squeezed underneath using discontinuous methods, everybody wins.
The Easternmost Footbridge
The Easternmost bridge at the far end of the platforms looks to be a fairly recent structure and is independent of the station, as it just gives pedestrians a route across the railway. It might even have been built, when the bay platform was built a few years ago.
The Station Footbridge
So that leaves the elderly footbridge, which probably dates from 1871, when the station was moved to its present position.
It is the main way that passengers cross the line and given that Caerphilly station has nearly a million passengers a year, it would be classed by disabled activists as a disgrace.
A few stations up the line, lifts were added to the footbridge at Ystrad Mynach station, in conjunction with other works. Wikipedia says this.
In 2014, the station underwent a £1.6 million refurbishment with new ticket machines, waiting areas and ticket office, with disabled toilet being installed in addition to major work carried out on the footbridge with lifts being installed to improve accessibility.
Surely some of the money saved on electrification could be spent on improving access?
Electrification Between The Structures
25 KVAC wires have to be several metres away from any staff and passengers.
The Northbound Platform 3 is wide and if the overhead wire can be suspended high enough, I suspect that the latest regulations can be met.
The Southbound Platform 2 is narrower and the platform has a low roof, which might mean electrification is trickier.
But if as I suspect, battery power and gravity will be used to power the trains on the downhill track, then there could be a case for leaving the downhill track without wires.
That could save half the costs on some sections of the route.
Electrification Of The Crossover
On a railway with full electrification all crossovers must be electrified..
But on the Rhymney Line, all the trains will be Swiss all-purpose trains, that can work on all power sources, probably including cuckoo-clock motors.
So imagine a Tri-Mode Stadler Flirt arriving from Penarth, which will be turning back in the bay platform at Caerphilly.
- It would use the electrification between the unelectrified Caerphilly Tunnel to just before the crossover to come up the hill and probably add some charge to the batteries, that have been depleted in the run through the mile-long tunnel.
- \\\the train would probably rate at a signal just before the crossover, until told to proceed by the signalling system.
- The pantograph will be dropped and the train switched to battery or diesel power.
- When giving the green by the signal, the train would move into the bay platform.
All done efficiently and safely without any electrification, which would not be installed on the crossover or in the bay platform.
Train Failure In The Caerphilly Tunnel
There will have to be a plan for handling train failures in the tunnel. I suspect that as Switzerland has lots of railways in the mountains, some with extensive tunnels, that the Swiss have pretty good methods for dealing with failures.
One Train Rescues Another
Trains are generally designed, so that a second train can rescue a failed train of the same class or even a similar type. This makes good sense, as a train operator generally has several trains of the same type and their Thunderbird locomotive may be working miles away.
I’m sure that the Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts will have this capability.
Rescuing A Train Going Downhill
If a train should fail in the Caerphilly tunnel on the downhill track, a second train would probably couple up and shepherd the train slowly down the hill to the depot at Canton.
Rescuing A Train Going Uphill
If a train should fail in the Caerphilly tunnel on the downhill track, a second train would probably couple up and push the stricken train into the bay platform at Caerphilly station.
Conclusion
The more I look at the South Wales Metro, it has been designed in an holistic manner with routes, tracks, electrification, stations and trains all designed to work together.
KeolisAmey’s Plans For The Rhymney Line
This document on the KeolisAmey web site details their plans for the new Wales and Borders Franchise.
The Rhymney Line has the following characteristics.
- It runs between Cardiff Queen Street and Rhymney stations.
- Most of the line is double-track, with a short length of single-track from Tir-Phil station.
- There is the Coryton branch line to Coryton station.
- From Cardiff to Bargoed station, there are four trains per hour (tph)
- North of Bargoed, an hourly service generally operates.
- \from Cardiff to Coryton station, there are two tph.
- Some services, run through Cardiff to Penarth or Barry Island stations.
- Services take sixty-one minutes between Rhymney and Cardiff.
- Services take eighteen minutes between Coryton and Cardiff.
What improvements will be made to the Rhymney Line?
New Trains
From 2019, cascaded Class 170 trains will run services on the line.
In 2023, these trains will replaced by new Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts.
Current plans, don’t envisage any of the Stadler Citylink Metro Vehicles working the line. But I don’t see any reason why they can’t, if say Transport for Wales wanted to run a service from Cardiff Bay to Coryton or any other station.
It could be that their batteries don’t have enough capacity for the Caerphilly Tunnel.
New Stations
The KeolisAmey document, states that a new station will be built at Crwys Road.
I’ve also read somewhere that there may be a station on the Coryton Line to serve a major new hospital.
Improved Services
In 2023, the following services will be in place.
- From Cardiff to Rhymney station, there will be four tph.
- From Cardiff to Coryton station, there will be two tph.
- Services will take forty-eight minutes between Rhymney and Cardiff.
- Services will take twenty minutes between Coryton and Cardiff.
The Coryton service is slower because of the proposed new station.
Electrification
The line will be electrified using 25 KVAC.
- There is a short tunnel at Bargoed station.
- There is a mile-long tunnel at Caerphilly.
- There were quite a few footbridges across the tracks.
- The margins on either side of the track seem adequate on much of the route.
It looks to me, that electrification of the Rhymney Line cshuld be possible, provided the design is good.
The Tri-Mode Stadler Flirts will have batteries, which will have these purposes.
- Provide traction power for the trains, where there is no electrification.
- Capture the energy generated by the traction motors under braking.
- Ensure that power is always available for the train’s control, driver and passenger systems.
On the Rhymney Line, battery power will also be used to provide traction power in the mile-long Caerphilly Tunnel.
I have been told that although the tunnel will not be electrified, there will be an overhead rail for the pantograph in the tunnel, which will not be electrified.
This means that the pantograph doesn’t have to be raised and lowered, as the train goes up and down the hill, as there is a continuous overhead rail and line for the pantograph to use all the way.
I believe that when the train is coming down the hill, that gravity and the onboard battery will give sufficient power to bring the train safely down the hill.
So is there any point in electrifying the downhill path?
- The two terminals on the line; Rhymney and Coryton stations, are single platform stations on single-track lines, which will surely be electrified.
- If necessary batteries could be topped up before on the single track sections, before joining the double-rack line to Cardiff.
- There is very little if any freight or engineering trains on the line. But these will be diesel-hauled.
- After the modernisation, all the passenger trains will be the new electric trains with batteries and/or diesel engines.
- Diesel trains and locomotives could continue to work the lines as required.
I don’t think there is any operational reason for the downhill path to be electrified.
It would reduce costs in both construction and maintenance.
How Can Discontinuous Electrification Be Handled?
On the proposed South Wales Metro, it is proposed to use discontinuous electrification to avoid rebuilding a lot of bridges and other structures.
This document on the KeolisAmey web site details their plans for the new Wales and Borders Franchise.
The document states this about the electrification.
Discontinuous overhead line electrification to 25 KVAC with permanently earthed sections around restricted structures, saving 55 interventions e.g. rebuilding bridges/no need for wire in Caerphilly tunnel.
So how are these interventions avoided?
The Karlsruhe Solution
On the Karlsruhe Stadbahn, similar Citylink vehicles to those proposed for Cardiff need to work on both the main line 15 KVAC used in Germany and the 750 VDC used by Karlsruhe trams.
To isolate the two voltages, a ceramic rod is placed in the catenary. The vehicle’s pantograph just rides across the voltage boundary and the vehicle’s electrical system uses whatever voltage is present.
Bridges On The South Wales Metro
These pictures show some of the types of bridges on the Cardiff Valleys Lines.
They are a real assortment.
- Some station footbridges from the Victorian era with nice castings and decoration, but no much-needed step-free access.
- Some quality brick and stone arch bridges.
- British Rail-era steel bridges, with no architectural merit
- Some modern road bridges in steel and concrete.
I also saw sizeable pipelines over the railway, which would need to be raised.
The greatest number were simple steel bridges like the one at Caerphilly station, designed to get pedestrians and cyclists, who were not using the railway, from one side of the tracks to the other.
I suspect the simplest way would be to erect two standard gantries at a safe distance of a few metres either side of the structure.
Between the two gantries would be an conductor, like this one. that I photographed in the Berlin Hauphtbahnhof.
It would be earthed, so that it offered no danger to life. There could even be extra supports under the bridge.
At each end, it would be connected to the 25 KVAC using a ceramic rod or other insulating device.
The vehicle’s pantograph would then ride from one side of the bridge to the other on its own track without being lowered.
Anything electrified at 25 KVAC would be kept at a very safe distance from the bridge.
In the earthed section, when the vehicle would be receiving no power, the vehicle would automatically switch to battery power. There would be no driver action required, except to monitor it was all working as it should.
As on the South Wales Metro, it appears that all vehicles using the lines proposed to be electrified will have their own onboard batteries, there shouldn’t be any problem.
In some ways, this discontinuous operation is a bit like using your laptop connected to the mains. When say the cleaner pulls out the plug to put in the vacuum cleaner, your laptop switches automatically to the battery.
The Caerphilly Tunnel
The Caerphilly tunnel is over a mile long. This picture shows the tunnel entrance.
It would probably be possible to electrify using a rail in the roof, but why bother if the trains running through the tunnel could go from one end to the other on their own battery power?
Trains could lower the pantograph before entry and then raise it again, when under the electrification at the other end.
This could be performed automatically using a GPS-based system.
I have also had an e-mail, which said this.
As I understand Caerphilly will have a natural bar in it but be much closer to the train roof than would be allowed with a live one.
Now there’s an idea!
A composite or earthed metal rail would be fixed to the roof of the tunnel, so that the pantograph could run smoothly from one electrified section on one side of the tunnel to the electrification on the other side, using battery power all the way.
Cost Savings
In Novel Solution Cuts Cardiff Bridge Wiring Cost, I talked about another method applied in South Wales to avoid rebuilding a bridge.
At this bridge, traditional electrification methods were used, but the need to demolish the bridge was avoided by using advanced insulation and protection measures.
This was my final statement.
Network Rail reckon that the solution will save about £10 million on this bridge alone, as it avoids the need for an expensive rebuild of the bridge.
The savings on this bridge will be higher as it is a large bridge over several tracks, but even saving a million on each bridge in the South Wales Metro is £55 million, which will probably be enough to build much of the infrastructure to extend to The Flourish, which would appear to not need expensive viaducts or electrification.
Should Downhill Tracks Be Left Without Electrification?
I think this may be possible on the South Wales Metro, as vehicles coming down the hills could use gravity and small amounts of battery power.
Regenerative braking would also be continuously charging the batteries.
It would certainly be simpler, than having to constantly swap between overhead and battery power on the descent, where the electrification was discontinuous.
As the lines are going to have a more intensive service, there will be additions of a second track in places to allow trains to pass.
Any electrification that could be removed from the project would be beneficial in terms of building and operational costs.
Other Routes
This post has used the South Wales Metro as an example, but I don’t see any reason, why the discontinous method and that used on the Cardiff Bridge can’t be applied to other bridges and structures over the lines on other routes in the country.
I suspect, that if they’d been used on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, electric trains would have been running months ago!
Conclusion
Look what you get with thinking, when you have a Bonfire of the Boxes!
A Reconnaissance To Market Harborough
This morning, I took trains between St. Pancras and Market Harborough stations, and then came back with a pit-stop at Wellingborough station.
These were my observations.
Electrification Between Bedford And Kettering/Corby
The electrification seems to be progressing, as these pictures show.
Note.
- Quite a few orange-capped piles have been installed.
- The gantries are going up.
- Extra tracks are being added.
One difference between this electrification project and others I have seen lately in the UK, is the aura of tidiness.
Electrifying From Glendon Junction To Market Harborough Station
One of the objectives of my reconnaissance was to see how much work needed to be done to the bridges between Glendon Junction and Market Harborough station, so that the overhead lines could be installed.
I counted nine bridges over the tracks and all seemed to offer sufficient clearance for freight trains and overhead wires.
It appeared that some bridges had been rebuilt and I suspect that Network Rail have completed their gauge clearance on this section of the Midland Main Line.
Line Speed From St. Pancras To Market Harborough
I chose to ride North in an InterCity 125, as having ridden in the cab of one of these iconic trains, I know a bit more about their capabilities.
What surprised me was how much of the journey was spent running at a speed in excess of 120 mph. There was one section where we were limited to about 90 mph, but I got the impression that Network Rail and their predecessors have created a high quality high speed line.
I would think it would be highly unlikely that by the time new bi-mode trains come into service in a few years time, that much of the route will be able to handle 125 mph running.
The train was almost at this speed between Glendon Junction and Market Harborough, so when the track through the station is straightened, it looks to me that journey times will be reduced.
Market Harborough Station
The station is a typical smaller main line station.
Note.
- Access to the London-bound platform is not step-free.
- Shelters are rather basic.
- The lines through the station will be straightened soon, to increase line speed.
Overall, it is a station with a good building, that should be improved.
Surely, if the tracks are being remodelled, then the foundations for electrification gantries should be installed.
Wellingborough Station
On the way back, I stopped off at Wellingborough station.
Note.
- Wellingborough station is being improved.
- All trains seem to stop at the two main platform 1 and 2.
- The bay platform 3 seems to have been rebuilt as a through platform to serve the new track being created through the station.
- There is rather a nice real ale and cider bar on the entrance side of the station.
- The station has a footbridge with lifts, which is better designed than many.
All of the improvements are to support the new housing being built around the station.
This Google Map shows the area around the station.
Note the new road crossing the railway to the North of the station.
It certainly looks like the upgraded station will be needed.
Views Of Drivers
I travelled back to London, with a group of drivers.
Two specific points emerged.
Electrification at Leicester could be difficult, as there are sewers under the track, which might mean the whole station and bridges would need to be substantially rebuilt.
South of Bedford, the Thameslink’s new Class 700 trains get in the way as they are too slow at 100 mph.
It is interesting to note the following.
- Class 387 trains working the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line are 110 mph trains.
- Class 350 trains working the West Coast Main Line are 110 mph trains.
Are the Class 700 trains reducing the capcity of the Midland Main Line?
Novel Solution Cuts Cardiff Bridge Wiring Cost
The title of this post is the same as an article in the May 2018 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Network Rail has applied an insulating coating to the underside of a bridge in Cardiff to protect against flashover from the future Overhead Line Equipment (OLE). It also intends to fit surge arresters at the bridge to prevent any sudden spikes in voltage overcoming the protection provided by the coating.
Network Rail reckon that the solution will save about £10million on this bridge alone, as it avoids the need for an expensive rebuild of the bridge.
Could wider applications of solutions like this, reduce the cost of electrification?
The Anonymous Widower 