Progress On The Great Western Main Line – 22nd October 2015
On my way out from Paddington to Greenford to see the new inclined lift, I took these pictures.
As reported in a lot of news media, progress doesn’t seem to be to fast.
Project Management Says No, But Politicians Say Yes
There is a puzzle over rail electrification all over the country.
Take this article in Rail Technology Magazine entitled NR reopens one of final Manchester-Preston electrification bridges four months late.
The headline says it all and there are problems like this all over the United Kingdom. Some are down to incompetence, some are due to poor ground conditions, some are because new equipment is failing to work and some are just because of a shortage of trained staff.
So we are left with the great dilemma, that why is it that electrification in the North and West is in trouble and Crossrail, which is a much more expensive project is supposedly on time and budget?
In my view it’s like comparing apples with oranges.
Crossrail is a mostly new railway built in virgin ground. Most of the reused bits like the lines to Shenfield, Reading and Heathrow have been rebuilt and electrified in the past. Some things need to be beefed-up and brought up to modern standards, but these tend to be a series of small projects like updating most of the stations or a few big construction projects like building Canary Wharf and the other central stations.
On the other hand electrifying existing lines, of which much of the infrastructure hasn’t been touched for years, is a much more difficult business. Especially when you come across places like the bridges in Bolton, Chat Moss and the Farnworth Tunnel.
How many of us have despaired as the bills have come in as we are doing up an old houise and sworn on our father’s grave, that we’ll never buy another old property? I certainly have and now live in a twelve-year-old house, that although it was badly built is easily fixed.
I have heard engineers say that the Victorians Gerry-built a lot of our railways. That may or may not be true! But certainly, it’s not an easy job to electrify Britain’s railways.
So when I read this article on the BBC entitled Network Rail to restart electrification of train lines, which says this.
The electrification of two railway lines is to be restarted after the projects were halted so a review could be carried out, the government says.
Work on the TransPennine Express Railway – between Manchester and York – and Midland Mainline – from London to Sheffield – was paused in June.
Sir Peter Hendy, Network Rail chairman, said the “temporary pause” had “given us the space to develop a better plan”.
How do I square it with reality?
Obviously, Peter Hendy must be off his trolley, as if you put the wires up for electrification, you’ll have problems.
But at Blackpool and Rugeley, which are two part-completed electrification schemes, where everything appears ready for the wires to go up, I think I saw the germs of the new plan. The sites were all tidy, with no evidence of electrification or the detritus that Network Rail commonly leave behind. All the bridges were finished and where needed platforms seemed to have been extended for the new longer trains. Balfour Beatty have even walked away from the electrification contract at Blackpool.
Other clues have been published in the media.
- Northern Rail split their Liverpool to Blackpool service to at least use electric trains to Preston and diesels thereafter.
- First Great Western were rumoured to be buying battery-powered trains or IPEMUs for their services along the Thames Valley
- Hull Trains are also rumoured to be buying electro-diesel trains.
- But I missed the biggest clue. The only section between Liverpool and Newcastle, that is not electrified is the 34 miles between Leeds and Manchester. This had been announced deliberately as being unpaused. An IPEMU would bridge the gap with ease.
- All the Midland Main Line electrification announced as unpaused can be implemented by IPEMUs.
- A study has been anounced into the creation of a second main line to Brighton, which is an ideal route for running using IPEMUs in prime Tory territory. It would also release a number of modern diesel multiple units for use elsewhere.
- In today’s Sunday Times, there is talk of some of the new Class 801 electric trains being built as Class 800 electro-diesel trains for the Great Western. This doesn’t matter in the long-term, as it just means you remove the diesel engines to convert the 801s to 800s, when the wires are working.
Every day seems to bring more and more clues.
I’m getting more and more convinced that this technology that I rode in Essex in 2014, is going to be the solution. IPEMUs as they are now called have a range of about sixty miles on batteries and if the trains are properly engineered with regenerative braking and intelligent control systems, they might even manage further.
I may be totally wrong, but then I can see no other way that electrification can be delivered, in the desired time-scale, than by going for a mixture of Class 800 electro-diesel and IPEMU trains.
The Class 800 electro-diesel can be summarised as follows.
- Proven Hitachi technology with on-board diesel engines for non-electrified sections.
- Built in Japan and Newton Aycliffe in the North East.
- Ideal for main lines, which are not fully electrified.
- 200-plus kph capability
- Highly automated
- Can be converted to a Class 801 electric train by removing the diesel engines.
The Aventra and the IPEMU-variant can be summarised as follows.
- Proven Bombardier electric train technology coming together in a modern lightweight shape.
- Built in Derby.
- Just under 200 kph capability, if required. Normally probably 160 kph.
- Most Aventra trains can be fitted with batteries to work in IPEMU mode.
- Battery technology has been proven in public trial.
- Range is IPEMU mode is sixty plus miles.
- IPEMU trains have regenerative braking, so they are actually more efficient than many trains.
- Highly automated
The approach does have other advantages.
- Many lines can be served by new electric trains with only minimal upgrading.
- Those who object to unsightly overhead electrification, have nothing to complain about.
- Lines can be electrified as fast as new trains can be delivered, provided there is enough electrified route to charge the IPEMUs.
- Depots don’t need to be fully electrified.
- The approach gets round the shortage of overhead electrification engineers.
- If a line like Gospel Oak to Barking is going to be electrified for other purposes like freight, there could be much less disruption to passenger services.
As an Electrical Engineer, who specialised in control systems, at Liverpool University, I do feel a touch of admiration.
I believe that although it doesn’t look feasibly from a project management basis to electrify lines to the stated time-scale, engineers in Japan and Derby have given the politicians their dream.
I shall be watching every word of George Osborne’s Autumn Statement on Wrdnesday, November the twenty-fifth.
Where Does The Borders Railway Go Next?
My Borders correspondent, who lives near Selkirk, says that the Borders Railway has been generally well received. Certainly if you search Google News for Borders Railway, you don’t find many problems or complaints, except one about the singing of the National Anthem for the Queen.
A friend in Edinburgh has just told me, that the trains are too crowded at times. So what’s new? New railways are always crowded, especially if they fulfil a need.
The most common articles on the web, are ones like this one from the Border Telegraph, entitled Next Stop Hawick….
So what will effect this line in the next few years and what do I think will happen?
The Me Too Effect
Now that Galashiels has a reliable half-hourly service to Edinburgh, I suspect that the inhabitants South of Tweedbank, will say that if Galashiels and Tweedbank can have this, why can’t Melrose and Hawick?
Cross Border Co-operation
The Borders area of Scotland and the neighbouring area of England are very similar and probably have the same strengths, problems and needs.
In some ways they are very economically linked now.
- Carlisle is economically tied to the Scottish Borders for shopping and transport links.
- Newcastle is a major airport for the area.
- There is even a rail service between Glasgow and Newcastle, that goes via Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Hexham and the Metro Centre.
- Area rail tickets for North West England include Lockerbie.
- Carlisle and Newcastle are the two major places to catch trains to the South, unless you go North to Edinburgh and Glasgow..
Surely this togetherness should be built on to develop the Borderlands, provided the politicians can be kept out of their way, in their offices in London and Edinburgh.
Increasing Railway Capacity Between England And Scotland
At present, the East Coast Main Line and the West Coast Main Line do not provide enough capacity between England and Scotland, for both passengers and freight.
Tourism And Other Economic Effects
I live in the Dalston area of Hackney, which is an area that has been uplifted by the creation of the London Overground from the rather decrepit railways that used to run through the area.
Unless you have lived through the process, most people will not understand how regular trains, running on a frequency of at least two an hour, can bring economic benefits to an area.
The Borderlands, probably have an economic profile not unlike the areas of East Anglia away from the large towns and cities that I know well.
- Both areas are ringed by a series of large towns and cities
- There is a lot of farming.
- There are a lot of tourism-related businesses of all sizes.
- In the summer, visitors take days out into the areas.
- There is a certain amount of specialist manufacture.
- Housing is being developed for those who have retired, who live and work locally and who commute to major towns and cities nearby.
All of these activities will increase the need for better transport links to the major cities that ring the areas.
The latest East Anglian Rail Franchise will mandate the franchisee to provide much better services all over the area and especially on the branch lines.
I can’t believe that the areas on both sides of the Border would not be worth developing in a similar way to that proposed for East Anglia.
Extending The Borders Railway To Melrose, Hawick And Carlisle
Scottish Borders politicians are all in favour of this extension, as are probably the good citizens of the area. My Borders correspondent and his family certainly appear to be.
Just as I have seen an economic uplift in Hackney because of the London Overground, I think it would be unlikely that the Borders Railway running through Melrose and Hawick, would not increase economic activity in the area.
This extension would certainly happen if Scotland stayed in the United Kingdom, as in some ways, this reopening, would help develop tourism in the wider area of the whole Borderlands, the Lake District and North Yorkshire.
Carlisle is probably the big winner in this activity and becomes a city with important or picturesque railway lines going everywhere.
- The West Coast Main Line, links England to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- The Glasgow And South Western Line to Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock
- The Settle and Carlisle Line
- The Cumbrian Coast Line around the Lake District to Barrow and Preston
- The Newcastle and Carlisle Line
- The Borders Railway to Edinburgh
The Borders Railway provides the missing link in the railways of the Borderlands.
So when the Scottish politicians discuss the project, they should take into account, the positive affects a complete line would have on England!
Should The Borders Railway Be Electrified?
This question could legitimately by asked about all the other lines meeting at Carlisle, that are not electrified.
But as Carlisle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle , Preston and Skipton are all electrified, I suspect all of the Carlisle lines have enough electrification to be run by modern four-car Aventra IPEMU trains, charging their batteries where overhead power is available and running on batteries as needed.
Some of the lines, including possibly the Borders Railway, are probably ready for Aventra IPEMUs now, with a bit of modification to platforms, track and signalling! Some like probably the Cumbria Coast Line would need some electrification or other means to charge the batteries en route.
So the answer to the electrification question must be yes, if Aventra IPEMUs are used.
But it would create a local railway network, as good as any in Europe, in an environmentally-friendly but totally affordable way.
It would be a showpiece of British technology and an attraction to rail enthusiasts from all over the world.
The network also connects to four World Heritage Sites and the Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall and the major cities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Would An Extended Borders Railway Provide Extra Capacity Between England And Scotland?
The Borders Railway has a limited number of paths for trains and when a steam special is run, one of the diesel multiple units has to give up its slot. Read various criticisms on Wikipedia.
My scheduling experience, does suggest to me, that if the line was run by the faster and better accelerating electric trains, including Aventra IPEMUs, that this might create some extra capacity on the line.
Unless the line was fully electrified, it wouldn’t be a route for using the electric trains that run up the East and West Coast Main Lines.
But it would be able to take services run by Aventra IPEMUs or any diesel-hauled passenger or freight trains.
These capacity arguments would also apply to the Glasgow and South Western Line, so with a bit of selective electrification and Aventra IPEMUs, some extra capacity might be squeezed in.
I certainly think that a railway time-tabling expert could certainly find some extra capacity.
But it might be overnight freight trains?
Are There Any Branches To The Borders Railway That Could Be Created?
The original Waverley route had several branches including to Peebles and Hexham.
Midlothian Council have also thought about a branch to Penicuik.
Extra branches are up to the economics and the politicians.
Conclusion
In my view, not to extend the Borders Railway to Carlisle by way of Melrose and Hawick, would be total stupidity.
The problem is that despite being totally in Scotland, extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle, has substantial benefits for England too!
What will Nicola think?
Is Northern Electrification Going To Use Battery Trains?
This report on the BBC is entitled Network Rail to restart electrification of train lines. This is said.
The electrification of two railway lines is to be restarted after the projects were halted so a review could be carried out, the government says.
Work on the TransPennine Express Railway – between Manchester and York – and Midland Mainline – from London to Sheffield – was paused in June.
Sir Peter Hendy, chair of Network Rail, said the “temporary pause” had “given us the space to develop a better plan”
The Aventra IPEMU
Looking at the electrification of the two lines in posts over the previous few days, I have come to the conclusion that properly engineered battery trains built by Bombardier in Derby called Aventra IPEMUs (Independently Powered Electrical Multiple Units) could charge their batteries on existing sections of electrification and jump the gaps at speeds of up to at least 110 mph and possibly 125 mph, by running on batteries.
If that sounds like something that is too good to be true, I don’t believe it is! I was impressed when as a paying passenger, I rode the prototype train between Manningtree and Harwich.
For those who think that a battery train is just so-much Mickey Mouse-technology, note that the battery supplier; Valence is linked to Tessla; the electric vehicle manufacturer. A review of their latest car is on Autocar. The biggest problem with the car is not the power, range and performance, but the time it takes to charge the car from a typical supply. In addition to the overhead wire or third rail of the railway, an Aventra IPEMU has to charge the battery, the train will also charge the batteries using the regenerative braking system.
The TransPennine Line
On the TransPennine Line from Liverpool to Newcastle, the only gap in the electrification is the forty-three miles between Leeds and Manchester.
Aventra IPEMUs have a range of sixty miles, so Liverpool to Newcastle would be electric all the way and could be faster by up to thirty minutes on the current three hour journey.
Read Jumping The Electrification Gap Between Leeds And Manchester for full details on what it would entail.
The Midland Main Line
On the Midland Main Line, the electrification reaches from St. Pancras to Bedford.
As Corby, Kettering and Leicester are all within an Aventra IPEMU’s range from Bedford, these places could be served by these trains, once a certain amount of track and station work had been completed.
Read Thoughts On Midland Main Line Electrification for full details.
Delivering The Projects
The BBC article says this about the schedule.
The TransPennine upgrade is expected to provide capacity for six “fast or semi-fast trains” per hour between Manchester, Leeds and York , reducing journey times by up to 15 minutes.
The Manchester to York section of the work is now planned to be completed by 2022.
Once completed, the whole line from Liverpool to Newcastle will be fully electrified, the Department for Transport added.
The electrification of Midland Mainline north of Bedford to Kettering and Corby will now be completed by 2019, and the line north of Kettering to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and to Sheffield will finish by 2023.
My project management knowledge and observations of Network Rail, say that to get electric trains to Kettering and Corby by 2019, would be a very tight schedule to perform on a working railway using conventional electrification!
But if it were needed to replace the current Class 222 trains with Aventra IPEMUs, it would just be a matter of certifying the line for the new Aventra IPEMUs and training the drivers and other staff.
There would be little or no work outside in the elements and all of the electrification would effectively be done in a comfortable warm factory at Derby!
I also feel that if say Network Rail said that the projects would be delivered on a particular date, that the risk of non-delivery would be very small.
Aventra IPEMUs can’t be delivered earlier, as the Derby factory will be jammed solid with production of Aventras for Crossrail.
On the other hand to prove the concept, would Bombardier modify a Class 387 train to create an IPEMU variant to run in passenger service between St.Pancras and Corby. Note that there have already been rumours of Class 387 IPEMU variants for Great Western Railway.
I wouldn’t be surprised if such a train is created, as it would be a superb way to identify any problems, train staff, prove the credibility of battery trains to a sceptical public and even deliver electric trains earlier.
A Cunning Plan
There are twenty seven Class 387 trains running on the Thameslink route at the moment, that will be replaced by Class 700 trains between 2016 and 2018.
As the Great Western Main Line won’t be electrified to Newbury, Swindon and Oxford until 2019 or whatever, there does seem to be the possibility of some very new Class 387 trains going into storage.
But as they are very similar to the Class 379 that was used for the IPEMU demonstrator, I do wonder if those clever engineers at Bombardier could convert some of these 110 mph trains into an IPEMU variant that could be used on services on TransPennine and the Midland Main Line.
If there were any spare Class 379 trains, I’m sure that other train companies would find a use for them! Especially, if Bombardier developed a plug-in battery system for the trains, so they could be used to prove if IPEMUs improved the lot of passengers on secondary lines.
You have to make your assets sweat.
Conclusion
I may be wrong, but I can’t see any other way to meet the schedule that has been published, unless some form of IPEMU is used to bridge the gaps in electrification..
It could be said that the North needs fast electric trains now and George Osborne needs them by 2020, as he has an election to win!
It might not matter much to most people if the trains didn’t run until say August 2020, but George Osborne would be unlikely to win an election in May 2020, if the trains were not delivered and running smoothly.
Jumping The Electrification Gap Between Leeds And Manchester
The Battery High Speed Train
An Aventra uses a modern version of the same bogies that are used in the Class 222 trains, which are capable of 200 kph. As the Class 387 train, which is a version of the Electrostar, can travel at 110 mph, I wouldn’t rule out that the more modern Aventra could run at 200 kph or 125 mph. Obviously, this speed would probably only be attainable in places on the East Coast Main Line.
Example times between York and Newcastle include.
- East Coast InterCity 225 – 56 minutes
- East Coast InterCity 125 – 62 minutes
- Transpennine Class 185 – 67 minutes
So if the performance on the line of an Aventra IPEMU was the same as an InterCity 225, then this would knock eleven minutes of the trip to Newcastle
Acceleration on batteries would be the problem, not maintaining a high speed. that had been built up whilst running under the wires.
When jumping the gap in the electrification between Leeds and Manchester, as the train will have been running from either Liverpool or York, I would suspect that it would set out over the Pennines with a full load of electricity.
Manchester To Leeds Electrification Gap
The Manchester to Leeds electrification has now been paused and it is likely that it will not be completed in the next ten years.
The line has its problems as the three-car Class 185 trains, that work the line, are totally inadequate for the route.
There are two major routes between Leeds and Manchester.
- The Huddersfield Line via Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Stalybridge.
- The Calder Valley Line via Bradford Interchange, Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden and Rochdale.
The shortest distance by rail between Manchester and Leeds is just 43 miles. When I saw this, I didn’t believe it, but it’s all in this article in the Guardian.
So this means that if you want to run an electric train between Liverpool and Manchester to Leeds, York and Newcastle, the Aventra IPEMU would bridge the gap with ease.
The demonstration version of the Aventra IPEMU was a modified Class 379 Train and had a range of sixty miles on batteries.
So even this modified Stansted Express would have been able to bridge the gap on both routes with ease.
A fully engineered production Aventra IPEMU would be unlikely to have a shorter range on batteries.
So Aventra IPEMUs create a fully-electrified TransPennine route from Preston, Liverpool and Manchester in the West to Leeds, York and Newcsastle in the East.
Destinations In The West
These are all current Western destinations for Transpennine Express.
- Barrow – On an unelectrified branch line from an electrified Carnforth.
- Blackpool North – On an unelectrified branch line from an electrified Preston.
- Liverpool – On a direct line from Manchester that is completely electrified
- Liverpool via Warrington – On a direct line from Manchester that is partially electrified.
- Manchester Airport – Electrified from Manchester
- Windermere – On an unelectrified branch line from an electrified Oxenholme.
All could be served by using Aventra IPEMUs.
I suspect it would also be possible to serve Chester.
I’m not sure how Aventra IPEMUs would affect slower services like York to Blackpool North across the Pennines, but I suspect they would be faster than the current diesel multiple units.
With the franchises being reallocated, I suspect that it will be done in such a way, that the trains across the Pennines give a much better service.
Destinations In The East
These are all current Eastern destinations for Transpennine Express.
Cleethorpes – Probably too far, but the Class 185 trains could run the service as they do now!
Hull – Hull is perhaps fifty miles East of the East Coast Main Line and I believe that a solution can be found to do this on an out-and-back basis.
Middlesbrough – This is a few miles from Darlington
Newcastle – Electrified all the way from Leeds
Scarborough – The York to Scarborough Line is forty two miles long and I believe that a solution can be found to do this on an out-and-back basis.
Whether Aventra IPEMUs can do the return trip from the East Coast Main Line on an out-and-back basis to Hull and Scarborough, depends very much on how the range of the trains work out, when the production trains are delivered. I suspect Bombardier know and have either calculated it or proven it on a test rig, but obviously they are keeping it quiet and sticking with the sixty miles total range obtained with the Demonstrator.
If they can’t make it, I suspect that they can provide some form of charging at the Eastern termini.
I do suspect that because of the reorganisation of the two franchises we may see some extra destinations in the East.
Times Across The Pennines
At present times on the major routes are.
Liverpool to Newcastle – 3 hours
Liverpool to Hull – 2 hours 30 minutes with a change at Leeds
As I indicated earlier there is eleven minutes to take off the Newcastle journey and the change at Leeds probably wastes ten minutes on the Hull trip.
Other factors would have an effect.
- The time spent on a stop by the Aventra IPEMU will be less than that of the current Class 185 trains.
- If diesel multiple units on the two TransPennine routes can also be replaced with Aventra IPEMUs, then these trains would be less likely to slow the fastest expresses.
- The Aventra IPEMUs are faster than the current trains.
- Network Rail will probably be able to do some small amount of trackwork to speed trains up in places.
I have no idea what the eventual TransPennine time will be, but it will be a few minutes less than today’s times.
Thoughts On Midland Main Line Electrification
I have been thinking about how the method of electrifying the Midland Main Line might change if the Aventra IPEMU was available.
These are thoughts in no particular order.
The Battery High Speed Train
An Aventra uses a modern version of the same bogies that are used in the Class 222 trains, which are capable of 200 kph. As the Class 387 train, which is a version of the Electrostar, can travel at 110 mph, I wouldn’t rule out that the more modern Aventra could run at 200 kph or 125 mph.
Acceleration on batteries would be the problem, not maintaining a high speed. that had been built up whilst running under the wires.
Also, when the train comes to the end of its northward journey at say Corby, it has to brake. With regenerative braking on the Aventra IPEMU, all of this energy would go back into the batteries.
So does this mean that no charging would need to be provided at say Corby?
I’m not totally sure of the mathematics and physics, but I’m certain that a battery electric train with regenerative braking, would put a significant part of the electricity it would need to accelerate away from a station, into the batteries as it stopped.
This would mean that stops at Wellingborough and Kettering would not stop Corby services from reaching their destination.
St. Pancras to Corby
I estimate that the distance from the end of the electrification at Bedford and Corby station is about thirty five miles.
This would mean that this route out of St.Pancras could be covered by an Aventra IPEMU.
Would this release a Class 222 train for use elsewhere? Or would the Aventra IPEMUs enable East Midlands Trains to offer more capacity or an increased frequency on this service?
St. Pancras to Leicester
I estimate that the distance from the end of the electrification at Bedford and Leicester station is about fifty miles.
This would mean that this route out of St.Pancras to Leicester could be covered by an Aventra IPEMU, especially if it were possible to recharge the train at Leicester, using the sort of short electrification, I wrote about at Rugeley Trent Valley station in Up And Down The Chase Line.
Leicester has problems as a station, as this extract from Wikipedia says.
Train operators using the station include CrossCountry and East Midlands Trains. Due to a 15 mph maximum speed to the south of the station, all passenger trains stop at the station. Up until the winter 2008 timetable, the morning southbound The Master Cutler express from Leeds to London St Pancras was an exception although this now also calls.
Leicester is a bottleneck station as it has only four platforms. All platforms are well utilised, especially platforms two and three which receive freight as well as passenger trains. A freight loop goes to the east of the station alongside the carriage sidings which run adjacent to platform four.
This Google Map of the station shows the platforms and the freight loop.
Leicester Station
It does look that there would be space to expand the station and from this section in Wikipedia, I’m sure Network Rail are working on an upgrade to the area to address all the problems.
It would appear to be stating the obvious to say, that Leicester station must be sorted first before any electrification in the area.
An extra bay platform would probably allow Aventra IPEMUs to run an electrified service to St. Pancras, if East Midlands Trains felt this was needed. Because of the regenerating braking of the train, it might not be necessary to provide a means of charging the trains at Leicester.
Creating A High Speed Route To Chesterfield and Sheffield
A few years ago, much of the Erewash Valley Line was upgraded ready for electrification and high speed running. On the Future of this line, Wikipedia says this.
Network Rail as part of a £250 million investment in the regions railways has proposed improvements to the junctions at each end, resignalling throughout, and a new East Midlands Control Centre.
As well as renewing the signalling, three junctions at Trowell, Ironville and Codnor Park will be redesigned and rebuilt. Since the existing Midland Main Line from Derby through the Derwent Valley has a number of tunnels and cuttings which are listed buildings and it is a World Heritage Area, it seems that the Erewash line is ripe for expansion. As the new signalling is rolled out, train detection is moving away from the traditional Track circuit detection of trains to Axle counting.
So could we see all of the very fastest services from St. Pancras to Chesterfield and Sheffield using this route?
Is the route from Trent Junction in the South to Chesterfield and Sheffield in the North ready for electrification?
Network Rail must ensure that as much of the line is capable of 125 mph running and that all bridges and tunnels have sufficient clearance from London to Sheffield via Chesterfield.
Creeping The Electrification North
From Bedford the electrification would be crept north at a sensible pace, which would be designed to cause minimum disruption to services.
Every mile it went north would increase the reach of the new electric trains, but only after the bottleneck of Leicester was eased to allow high speed running through the station.
The Electric Spine
If the Electric Spine was to be implemented in full from Southampton to Sheffield and Doncaster, then the electrification must be completed North of Bedford.
But as there are a lot of places where the electrification will not be completed elsewhere, will we see a shift towards electro-diesel freight locomotives like the Class 88.
So although freight would take advantage of an electrified Midland Main Line, it may not be as important as many think.
Completing The Electrified Routes to Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby
These three important cities all have extensive local rail networks, that could benefit from an electrified hub, so that Aventra IPEMUs could be used to bring benefits to all the communities served by diesel multiple units and in Sheffield’s case, quite a few Pacers.
So as a minimum, this electrification must be completed.
- East Midlands Parkway to Derby
- East Midlands Parkway to Nottingham
- East Midlands Parkway to Chesterfield and Sheffield via the Erewash Valley Line.
Chesterfield to Derby would probably be filed in the Too Difficult box, but would be an easy run for an Aventra IPEMU.
Note that I would start the electrification from East Midlands Parkway, as this station and the Airport are talked about as destinations for tram-train services.
Obviously to complete the Electric Spine, the following electrification would also need to be done.
- Complete the electrification between Bedford and East Midlands Parkway.
- Sheffield to Doncaster.
But once Sheffield station is electrified none of the many local lines reaching out from the city would need to be electrified, as most services could be run using Aventra IPEMUs. Obviously, if there was a special reason like freight or tram-trains, this wiring would only help the Aventra IPEMUs.
New Elecric Services
Once electrification has been installed up the Erewash Valley Line to Sheffield, lots of important places become within range of Aventra IPEMUs running from St. Pancras.
- Barnsley
- Bradford
- Huddersfield
- Leeds
- Manchester
It would also mean that several existing cross-country services could be run using electric trains.
- Liverpool to Norwich
- Nottingham to Cardiff
- Bristol to Newcastle
Remarkable in some ways as a lot of electrification has been dropped.
Thoughts On Electrification
This document is for your eyes only and is to brief you for Monday.
By chance, a few days ago, I happened to go to Manchester with two guys from one of the big insurance companies, who are in to financing infrastructure like housing, office complexes, ports and shopping centres.
Their thoughts led me to this way of thinking.
The Problems Of Electrification
We all know of the problems of electrification and the related one of too few independent powered multiple units.
A few things I have seen and thought.
- Northern Rail has cut back the service between Liverpool and Blackpool to Preston, except for a couple of services. Have they given up temporarily on Blackpool ever getting electrified?
- I feel that electrification is suffering from a lack of resources.
- Electrification in the North West is suffering terrible ground problems.
- The October edition of Modern Railways is saying that there is uncertainty over the start date for the Gospel Oak to Barking electrification.
- If I was looking for conspiracy theories, all references to Midland Main Line electrification has been removed from Wikipedia.
- When a few weeks ago I visited all work between Preston and Blackpool had ceased and they’d tidied it all up. But bridges and platforms looked like they were ready for new four-car electric trains. I wrote What’s Gone Wrong With The Blackpool To Preston Electrification?
- Then today, I went to look at the electrification on the Chase Line and wrote Up And Down The Chase Line.
In both the Blackpool and Chase Lines electrification, they would have appeared to have rebuilt the bridges and lengthened the platforms, but had then tidied up and gone away. There were no piles of uninstalled steelwork for the overhead lines, you see up and down the GWR.
Electrification is said to be paused. These looked very much like long ones to have a serious think about it.
But both lines would accept a four-car diesel multiple unit immediately.
The Aventra IPEMU
Help is at hand in the shape of the new Aventra IPEMU train. ( IPEMU stands for Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit)
An Artist’s Impression Of The Proposed Aventra
These are facts about the Aventra and its IPEMU variant.
- The Aventra should be a modern train, to as high a standard as any train anywhere.
- Aventras will start to be delivered by the end of 2017.
- All the train and manufacturing technology has been proven for years or is running in the latest Electrostars.
- There has not been one adverse comment on the Class 379 IPEMU Demonstrator, that I can find.
- The Class 379 IPEMU Demonstrator was financed by Abellio Greater Anglia, Bombardier and Network Rail.
- I rode the test train and the on-board engineer told me the performance on battery was the same as an unmodified train and that it had a range of up to 60 miles without overhead power.
- Bombardier have sent me documents that say that all Aventra trains will have the capacity to run as IPEMUs by the addition of an appropriate energy storage device like a battery or supercapacitor.
- Aventras can be introduced on to any line that can handle a modern four car diesel multiple unit, where there is enough electrification at one or both ends.
- Aventras can be changed from standard to IPEMU variant to fit the numbers required for schedules.
- I do wonder if all Aventras would have an IPEMU capability, as this must make operation easier for train companies. If all trains had energy storage, would depots be wire-free for a start?
- There will certainly be 110 mph Aventras, but will they go even faster to say 125 mph?
- Aventras have regenerative braking and may be lighter than Electrostars.
- An engineer who worked on the InterCity 125 said to me, that aerodynamic drag on trains is one of the biggest problems. It also goes up with the square of the speed. An Aventra with its smooth front end will need less power than a corresponding Electrostar.
- There is also a paradox with rolling resistance of steel wheels on steel rails. The more heavily-loaded a train, the less the rolling resistance!
Various rumours are circulating that train operating companies are considering ordering IPEMUs.
- GWR were mentioned in the September Modern Railways.
- Merseyrail were mentioned in the October Modern Railways.
So the concept must have impressed people with cheque-books.
With my electrical engineering hat on, I would add.
- BAe Systems, GKN and others are experimenting with flywheels as energy storage devices for buses and other large road vehicles and specialist applications like KERS in Formula One. I suspect that the technology will end up in trains. Modern Railways is also talking this month about KERS for the Class 230.
- Retrofiting new and improved energy storage systems will be a very simple operation.
- Switching from overhead line or third rail power to battery could be totally automatic and controlled by GPS and ERTMS.
- Some routes like York-Scarborough, may be a bit long for the Aventra IPEMU, as although the train could easily do one-way on batteries, going out and back would not be possible. Some form of charging system, whilst in the terminal platform must be possible. A modern third-rail system in stations? Or a short length of overhead wiring as has been installed at Rugeley Trent Valley.
- Say an Aventra IPEMU was going at 100 mph towards a terminal station, as trains do on many unelectrified lines in the UK. How much energy would be put into the battery by regenerative braking as the train stopped in the station. So calculations of an out-and-back range are complicated and could be much longer than expeced.
- Smart driving systems linked to GPS, ERTMS and people counting and weight calculating software will improve range. As a control engineer, I would never underestimate how far the perfect automatic driver might take a train on a full charge on a predictable route.
Overall, I think that the range of an Aventra IPEMU on batteries will grow! At present all published range figures are based on a cobbled-together prototype, based on an Electrostar built using ten-year old technology. Bombardier have probably created a computer simulation of a definitive Aventra IPEMU, with fully integrated systems running over known routes, which would give true figures.
When the final figure is announced prepare to be surprised!
Where Could An Aventra IPEMU Be Used?
Basically anywhere, where one or both ends of the line are electrified. How about?
- Gospel Oak to Barking – There is enough electrification at the Barking end, especially if the extension to Barking Riverside was built first. It would immediately release eight Class 172s.
- Manchester to Leeds by all routes including Huddersfield and Caldervale. – It’s well under 60 miles and could give Liverpool to Newcastle in under two and a half hours without any more expensive electrification.
- Cardiff Valleys Lines – Electrification has been costed at £350million. At £8million or so for an Aventra IPEMU, it must be cheaper to cut back on the electrification and buy some new trains. No more London cast-offs!
- Hexham to Middlesbrough – It would need some electrification at Middlesbrough.
- Bristol and Teesside Metros and expansion and modernisation of local train services in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle.
- Edinburgh to Tweedbank
- St. Pancras to Hastings and Eastbourne via Ashford.
- Salisbury to Exeter – Probably too long now, but once the technology is proven and a small amount of electrification was put in at Exeter and Salisbury, I think this line will go electric.
- St.Pancras to Corby and Leicester. – This is probably possible and could lead to an interesting philosophy for electrifying the Midland Main Line.
Many routes would need little or no modification, other than to allow four-car trains and adjustments to track and signalling, most of which could be done without too much inconvenience to passengers and train companies.
I am going to see what proportion of the country can be served by Aventra IPEMUs. I suspect, it’s upward of more than fifty percent.
The places that can’t be served are not very many.
- The South-West
- Chiltern
- North Wales
- North of Scotland
- Cumbria
- Lincolnshire
- Around Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield – Until Midland Main Line Electrification.
Some of these like the Devon lines, could be served by Class 230s. Unless it was decided to install a short stretch of third-rail electrification at Exeter, to charge the Aventra IPEMUs.
I think that until proven otherwise,Class 230s trains may join the pile of heroic failures. The Aventra IPEMU can do many of its routes and would be so much better.
Would you prefer a refurbished Ford to a new Jaguar?
Property Development
This may seem a long way from electric trains, but my travelling companions and their eyes like cash registers, got me thinking.
Let’s take an isolated town or city served by a tired branch line or crap trains. Lowestoft, Scarborough, Bury St. Edmunds, Weston Super Mare or Barrow-in-Furness for example. One of my companions suggested the latter!
In many cases, there is a package to be put together of new electric trains, rebuilding the area around the station with new commercial and residential development, that the local authority would find attractive. If the trains were sexy new electric ones, that could take you a lot further than the next large town, they would up the value of the package to the local authority considerably.
These packages would be very easily funded by say large insurance companies, as all the risks are well known and predictable. Once Aventra IPEMUs have proved themselves in service, they will have a risk profile on investment.
Political Considerations
Not my field!
But consider.
- Replacing Pacers in many places is just putting in new trains. In others, it’s using the better examples of the displaced diesel multiple units.
- There are arguments to perform electrification in a series of smaller projects, that minimise disruption to passengers, train companies and services.
- Will any politician object to new British-built trains appearing in large numbers? Especially in his or her patch!
- Some people object to all of money spent on the railways. Reducing the money spent can only give political advantage!
- New trains are visible, schemes like Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line or ERTMS are not!
- In many parts of the UK, there is a perception that London gets all the investment . With Aventra IPEMUs the investment is spread around.
But surely the biggest political factor, is that elected representatives will get much greater control of the railways in their area.
Problems
Would politicians and people think that their train service couldn’t possibly be improved by a Mickey Mouse concept of large milk-floats with seats?
Bombardier have financial problems and probably not enough capacity in Derby.
Conclusion
I think the concept could be mind-blowing and could transform the UK.
I can’t believe that all this has not been put together before and this led me to the trial of the Class 379 BEMU, which I thought until I rode it and looked at the maths and physics would be a total disaster. There’s a BBC video.
What do the three partners get out of it?
- Bombardier are hoping the technology will sell more trains, other than the few trams, they’ve sold to Nanjing.
- Network Rail remove a lot of difficult lines from the need for electrification. No more dealing with Nimbys, bats, newts, terrible ground conditions and the militant wing of the heritage lobby.
- Abellio at present have three franchises with a lot of lines that could use trains able to run for sixty miles without an external power source. They must know the likely benefits of introducing a new electric service and how much new trains would return.
It does seem that using Aventra IPEMUs is one of these things that just seems too good to be true!
But then if you understand the physics of rolling resistance of steel wheels on steel rails, the improving capabilities of modern energy storage and what modern automatic control systems can perform, it all looks to be not magic but superb engineering from many different fields coming together.
It has all the aura of one of those brilliant concepts put together in a pub, whilst under the influence of copious amounts of alcohol and drawn and written down on the back of those special fag packets and envelopes that engineers use.
I must admit, that I can’t understand, why someone hasn’t done it before.
The only reason I can think of, is that countries like France, Germany, Italy and Japan have had electrified railways for years and so they don’t have the problems we have of unelectrified railways.
Up And Down The Chase Line
I went up the Chase Line to look at the progress of the electrification from Walsall to Rugeley Trent Valley.
The train was an improvised three-car consisting of a two-car Class 170 train attached to a Class 153 train.
So I have to assume that most of the platforms are probably now long enough for four-car trains. It also looked to my untrained eye, that all the signalling had been renewed and the all the stations were up to a high standard, as they usually are around Birmingham.
The line is fully electrified between Birmingham and Walsall and Rugeley Trent Valley station has a fully electrified bay platform, from where the electrification stretches a couple of hundred metres down the Chase Line.
There was no sign of any electrification work and it was almost if they had tidied everything up and gone away, just leaving a few builders putting the finishing touches to the new and raised bridges on the route. There was no piles of steelwork for the overhead lines or yellow special-purpose vehicles anywhere! I didn’t see them on my last visit to Blackpool, which I wrote about in What’s Gone Wrong With The Blackpool To Preston Electrification?
As the target for introducing electric trains on the route between Rugeley Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street is December 2017, they would seem to be cutting it fine, to get the work done in time. Especially as so many of Network Rail’s projects like the Todmorden curve have been delayed.
A short time ago, I wrote Electrification May Be In Trouble Elsewhere, But The Brummies Keep Marching On, which was based on this article in Rail Engineer, which said it was going so well.
What’s happened?
I have come to the conclusion, that this line could almost have been specially prepared so that it could be run by Aventra IPEMUs.
The length of the section without electrification is only perhaps a dozen miles, so an Aventra IPEMU that charged up on the existing electrification between Birmingham and Walsall, could easily make Rugeley Trent Valley, where it could charge itself again on the new electrification at the station, if it was thought necessary.
I have found this article in the Wolverhampton Express and Star which is entitled Walsall railway bridge rebuild begins in £30m line electrification.
So how much of that cost is electrification of the dozen miles of double-track between Walsall and Rugeley? In this press release from the Green Party, they give the cost of railway electrification at £3million a mile. If that includes bridge and track modification, then that figure ties up well with the £30million for the whole project from the Express and Star, given that as there is electrified lines at both ends, the major cost of bringing power to the new section is probably not very large.
In The Cost Of Aventra Trains, I said that a standard four-car Aventra train will all the extras and servicing costs around £8million. So conservatively, I would suspect that a four-car Aventra IPEMU would come in at a little bit more.
So long as all platforms and the signalling could accept a four-car train, the extra costs of introducing an Aventra IPEMU, should not be much more than training drivers and other staff.
Would the savings on not completing the electrification, pay for the purchase of the probable two Aventra IPEMUs needed to provide a half-hourly service on the lines? As the trains would be faster over the route, two trains might be able to provide a three trains an hour service, which is what Redditch on the other side of Birmingham gets.
Are the clever engineers in Derby, going to give the good citizens of Walsall, a brand new, but very affordable electric train service to Birmingham and Rugeley?
An Alternative Approach To Provide A Local Metro Network
The UK rail industry is looking at the creation or upgrading of three local metro networks Bristol, Cardiff and Teesside. You could also argue, that they are seriously thinking about local networks out of Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield.
The Objectives Of A Metro Network
So what do passengers and train companies want to see in a metro?
I would say that the most successful metro lines we have created in the last few years have been the London Overground lines.
They operate under the following rules and principles.
- Quality electric trains – Quality diesels would be fine in some places
- Frequencies of four trains an hour. – Two or three trains per hour might suffice.
- Clean stations, many of which are step-free.
- A station improvement program.
- Reliable service.
- Visible staff on stations from first to last trains.
- Extensive and visible information and maps.
- Touch in and out ticketing with bank cards.
- Good links to local buses.
The major problem of the Overground is that the trains keep needing to be lengthened, as they get crowded. The Class 378 trains started at three-cars and are now five.
Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool seem to be using similar principles.
So how do three proposed metro networks stack up?
Cardiff
Let’s look at the electrification of the Cardiff Valleys Lines. According to the Wikipedia, the cost of the electrification is £350million.
I just wonder, if the scheme could be made more affordable, if the project was redesigned to use Aventra IPEMUs. The trains would obviously need sufficient electrification at Cardiff and Newport, so that they would leave the coast for their trips up the valleys with a full charge. Coming down wouldn’t be a problem and as the trains have regenerative braking, they would even charge the batteries.
Extensive testing would be easy once the current is switched on at Cardiff in a couple of years time and the clincher would be if an Aventra IPEMU could take a full load of Welshmen up to Merthyr Tydfil or Ebbw Vale after an international rugby match at the Millennium Stadium.
The scope of work would be greatly reduced.
- Upgrading all stations to take a four car train.
- Upgrading of the track layout and signalling, so that four car-trains could use each branch in an efficient manner.
- There may be a need for some selective electrification, to ensure trains left fully charged, or for other operational reasons concerning diversions from the South Wales Main Line or for freight.
There are advantages to this approach.
- Passengers get shiny new four-car trains, instead of refurbished hand-me-downs.
- As money would be spent on trains, track and signalling rather than electrification, this could mean more trains and increased frequencies on the lines.
- The Aventra trains could also take over some longer distance services to Bristol, Cheltenham, Fishguard and Gloucester.
- Much of the network, probably only needs minimal upgrades to track and signalling.
- There would be little or no heavy construction work in difficult places.
- Much of the construction work on the stations has probably been completed.
- There would be few line closures during the construction phase.
- Bridges and tunnels that are not large enough to accept the overhead wires can be left as they are, unless the line is being opened up for freight traffic running to a larger gauge.
- A higher proportion of the work to do will be general construction, rather than specialist overhead line installation, where there is a chronic shortage of engineers.
- There is little scope for something to go seriously wrong.
- The major source of delay would be late delivery of the Aventra IPEMU trains, but this would only mean that the diesel trains that currently work the line, would continue to serve the line for longer.
It strikes me that this approach has only one loser – the construction companies, who have helped create the electrification fiasco we have in this country. Passengers, train companies and the Welsh economy would all benefit!
According to this article on Global Rail News, London Overground’s contract for 45 Aventra trains is worth £260million. This works out at around £5.8million for each train. If the Aventra trains could work the Cardiff Valley Lines, with a little bit extra for the batteries or other energy storage device, twenty trains would probably cost around £140million or £7million a train.
I don’t know how many four-car trains they’d need to work the Valley Lines, but surely there is a trade-off between electrification and Aventra IPEMUs.
I can’t believe that Network Rail are not looking at this alternative approach, where instead of spending money on expensive and difficult electrification, the money is spent on shiny new trains built in a nice warm factory.
Teesside
The Tees Valley Metro is rather stillborn. The only thing that happened was the creation of James Cook station.
But there are two small electrification projects that could happen in the area in the near future.
- Hitachi are building electric trains at Newton Aycliffe and this will probably mean that the Tees Valley Line will at least be electrified between the Hitachi factory and the East Coast Main Line at Darlington.
- Plans exist to electrify between Middlesbrough and the East Coast Main Line, so that the town could benefit from a much improved train service.
If say this electrification were to be sufficient so that Aventra IPEMUs could be fully charged as they travelled from say Saltburn to Bishop Auckland, Phase 1 of the proposed Tees Valley Metro would get the new trains it will need.
Improve the stations and add a few new ones and you’d have a local railway to rival any in the UK.
In some ways if Aventra IPEMUs were used to develop the Metro everything would be in the opposite order to the traditional way of rebuilding a local line.
Normally, you close a line at great inconvenience to everyone, do a lot of construction and then spend months testing the new trains or trams, before a grand opening.
Compare this to upgrading a new line to run Aventra IPEMUs,
- Any work on the line to perhaps lengthen platforms and passing loops, and update signalling would be done first.
- Provided there is enough electrification to charge the trains, Aventra IPEMUs can be introduced alongside the existing trains, as they arrive from the factory and drivers and other staff have been trained.
- Adding new stations, is just a series of small well-defined construction projects, programmed to be done at convenient times and according to the budget.
- Other existing lines can be added to the system, if they are within the capability of the train and the platforms, track and signalling can accept the new trains.
A local network can be built by stealth in a series of small steps.
In Teesside’s case, you would certainly add the Phase 2 of the proposed Teesside Metro between Nunthorpe and Hartlepool.
An interesting possibility would be the Esk Valley Line to Whitby, if the Aventra IPEMU could manage the distance. If it couldn’t a Vivarail D-train certainly could.
Looking at the map, I feel that an Aventra IPEMU could be used on the Northern Rail service from Hexham via Newcastle, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough to Nunthorpe. It would charge the batteries running through Middlesbrough and Newcastle, and I don’t think any of the unelectrified stretches of line are more than thirty miles.
Bristol
Bristol has plans for creating a Metro, based on the two stations at Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway, which will be electrified (hopefully!) in the near future.
There are lines going all over the place providing services from outlying suburbs and towns to the centre.
Bristol has an opportunity to create a metro in the area, by upgrading all of the lines so they can take four-car trains, with longer platforms and updated track, signalling and stations. But in common with the rest of the country, there isn’t really any sensible trains available, although services could be developed using a collection of Pacers, D-trains and dodgy diesel unit.
However, once the two main stations are electrified, when the budget allows, Aventra IPEMUs could be introduced to the network.
So instead of one massive and expensive project, the metro is created in a series of small steps that don’t inconvenience passengers or train companies.
Other Services
When I discussed Teesside, I said this.
Looking at the map, I feel that an Aventra IPEMU could be used on the Northern Rail service from Hexham via Newcastle, Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough to Nunthorpe. It would charge the batteries running through Middlesbrough and Newcastle, and I don’t think any of the unelectrified stretches of line are more than thirty miles.
How many other lines and services fall into this category of lengths of electrified line joined by no more than a total of sixty miles of unelectrified line that can easily be bridged by an Aventra IPEMU running on batteries?
I think these lines could fit the profile.
- Blackpool South to Colne – When Blackpool electrification is finished
- Carlisle to Newcastle
- Hexham to Middlesbrough
- Liverpool and Manchester Victoria to Leeds, York and Newcastle – The gap is just 43 miles
- Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Oxford Road via Warrington Central
Many are currently served by Pacers and others are served by diesel multiple units like Class 150 or Class 156 trains, that could in turn replace Pacers.
The most significant line is the TransPennine route from Liverpool to Newcastle, which could really transform travel by being run by four-car Aventra IPEMUs rather than inadequate three-car Class 185 diesel trains.
Someone at Bombardier has done a very good job in designing a train to circumvent the problems of electrification in the UK.
Project Costs And Cash Flows
I would be interested to see properly audited figures for the traditional electrification approach and one using Aventra IPEMUs.
There are surely various benefits that the Aventra IPEMU approach will bring to the costs.
- The costs of the trains will be just a matter of negotiation, whereas the cost of electrification is not so predictable.
- Enlarging bridges and tunnels to take the overhead wires, is an expensive process and often results in unexpected problems, that cost a fortune to solve. With the Aventra IPEMU, most infrastructure can be left untouched, unless it needs to be replaced anyway.
- Most construction to accept the new trains, will be small projects, that can be handled by any competent construction company, whereas overhead line installation is a specialist construction job.
- Electrification often seems to attract those who object to the overhead line equipment spoiling the view of an important rural landscape or cityscape. Aventra IPEMUs only need sufficient to charge the batteries.
- With the Aventra IPEMU approach some new trains could be working on the network much earlier than they would be under a traditional approach. In some projects, will this have a beneficial cash flow?
I also come to the conclusion, that the Aventra IPEMU approach is more likely to deliver an affordable project on budget to an agreed time-scale, as the risk profile of electrification is so much worse than building a train on a production line in a factory.
One of the benchmarks of good project management is being able to deliver what is agreed. I believe that an Aventra IPEMU approach is much more likely to hit targets, as there is much less to go wrong.
Railways in the UK need a succession of successful projects, that impress engineers, train companies and passengers alike.
What better way to restore their credibility than for Network Rail, to deliver a series of projects that give millions of passengers efficient new electric train services all over the country.
Have We Got Enough Trains?
In Who Will Be First To Order Vivarail D-Trains?, I came to the conclusion that as the various Pacers need to be replaced, that we’re going to have to work hard to fill the enormous gap.
If you summarise possible requirements for D-Trains to replace Pacers and perhaps sort out the Class 153 trains, you get the following.
East Anglia – 3 to replace inadequate Class 153s
London Midland – 4 to replace inadequate Class 153s, 2 for the Coventry Arena shuttle
East Midlands – 8 to replace inadequate Class 153s, 2 for Robin Hood
Great Western Railway – 8 to replace Class 143 Pacers
Wales – 30 to replace inadequate Class 142 and Class 143 Pacers, 2 for Heart of Wales Line
Northern Rail – 50 to replace inadequate Class 142 Pacers
That totals up to a hundred and three and it assumes that all of the Class 144 Pacers can be upgraded to Class 144e trains and that North Western electrification releases a few good diesel trains to replace Pacers.
There is only a maximum of seventy-five D-Trains. So without any other sources of new trains, we’re definitely in the doo-dah.
So what other sources of good quality diesel or other self-powered trains are there, that we could use to solve this crisis, that will happen, when the inadequate trains hit the brick wall of access and disability regulations in 2019/2020.
The Aventra IPEMU
The Aventra is Bombardier’s successor train to the ubiquitos Electrostar and it has already been ordered for Crossrail and the London Overground.
Bombardier have told me, that all Aventras can be delivered with provision for a battery to allow them to run for up to 60 miles independently of the power supply. This is all based on the technology demonstrated in a BEMU trial with a Class 379 train.
These trains are now called Independently Powered Electric Multiple Units or IPEMUs
The Aventra IPEMU has lots of advantages.
- It is a modern four-coach electric train with everything passengers and train companies expect, that can bring the benefits of electrification to many places without putting up any wires or laying any third rails.
- It is normally an 100 mph train, but some Electrostar versions are faster than this. If it was a 110 mph train, it could mix it up something like the West Coast , East Coast or Great Western Main Lines and then go to an important place just a few miles from the main route, like Chester, Middlesbrough or Oxford.
- The low-speed performance on batteries is the same as the standard train, but with a range of only sixty miles.
- The train has sufficient performance to handle cross-country lines like Newcastle to Carlisle with electrification at both ends, that might be difficult to electrify.
- In some places using an Aventra IPEMU might be more affordable and much quicker to implement than full electrification.
- The trains will probably be available from 2018 or so, when current orders are completed.
- If we end up with too many of the IPEMU variant, the batteries are just removed and probably with a change of software, we have the standard train.
We’ll be hearing a lot about IPEMUs in the future.
There are already rumours that Great Western Railway are going to order some IPEMU trains.
I suspect the biggest problem with these trains, other than demonstrating that trains powered by batteries are not some Mickey-Mouse idea, is that producing enough of them will be challenging for Bombardier.
As the Crossrail order can’t be delayed, I do wonder whether if the pace of delivery of the forty-five Aventras for London Overground will be slowed., after perhaps the eight for Gospel Oak to Barking are delivered, to allow other routes to have Aventra IPEMUs.
Vivarail D-Train, Class 144e Train Or Aventra IPEMU
There are three possible new or refurbished trains that can help to fill the gap of a lack of independently powered trains and help to replace all the trains that will have to be retired in 2020.
So how do they compare?
- The Vivarail D-train is a rebuilt London Underground D78 Stock train powered by a number of Ford Transit engines. It may turn out to be successful train, but the politicians are against it. I see it no more than providing some short term capacity or fulfilling unusual needs in particular places.
- The Class 144e Train is a Class 144 Train that has been rebuilt by Porterbrook. But it is obviously a Pacer! They may be produced as an affordable stop-gap.
- The Aventra IPEMU is a serious train built to the highest and most acceptable standards, whose one disadvantage is that it needs to have access to overhead electrification at times, to charge the batteries! Stop-gap they are not and if the batteries are removed, it becomes the standard Aventra.
My choice as a passenger would be the Aventra, although I would ride in the others out of curiosity.
Electrification
Electrification will be the major source of good quality diesel trains, as these are often no longer needed after a line is electrified.
As a simple example consider the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, which on electrification will release eight rather nice and fairly new Class 172 diesel trains.
North Western Electrification
The North Western Electrification between Manchester and Preston and Preston to Blackpool is in trouble, but if this can be brought on track, so that Manchester to Preston is completed in December 2016 and Preston to Blackpool is completed in 2017, these lines can be run by refurbished Class 319 trains and a number of Pacers will not be needed and some Class 150 and Class 156 trains will be released for service elsewhere.
Everybody blames Network Rail, but it seems the problem is the same one faced by George Stephenson and his fellow engineers in Victorian times – the nature of the land. This is a recent report from the Manchester Evening News about more problems in the Farnworth Tunnel, which is being enlarged. This extract sums up the problems.
Engineers have been hindered by ‘large swathes of sand’, which are proving difficult to bore through.
The sand means it is no longer possible to safely excavate at the same time as grouting sections of the tunnel, as the sand pours down.
The problem first reared its head on August 14, when running sand created a hole which required 35 tonnes of grout to fill it.
Then on August 27, a collapse meant engineers had to remove 100 tonnes of sand by hand.
Let’s hope that the engineers are getting the overhead line equipment up on time.
But I do think some very experienced engineers are wondering, why they didn’t order trains, that could run on the existing infrastructure. On the other hand the Farnworth Tunnel was probably a problem, that could have bit the railway in half at any time.
I think it is essential that other lines in the North West are electrified as soon as possible, so that more Class 319s can replace Pacers and release Class 15X trains (A mixture of 150 and 156 trains!).
This is a map of the proposed electrification in the North.
Northern Electrification Map
There are various connecting lines around Liverpool, Manchester and Preston, on which electrification works have not yet started, but have certainly been talked about.
- Salford Crescent to Southport via Wigan Wallgate
- Liverpool to Manchester via Warrington Central
- Preston to Ormskirk
Electrifying these lines would certainly get rid of a few Pacers and release some Class 15X trains for refurshment and use elsewhere.
However, as there is established electrification at Liverpool, Manchester and Preston, it might be more affordable and quicker to use a few Aventra IPEMUs on these lines until the electrification is completed.
Manchester To Leeds Electrification
The Manchester to Leeds electrification has now been paused and it is likely that it will not be completed in the next ten years.
The line has its problems as the three-car Class 185 trains, that work the line, are totally inadequate for the route.
The distance by rail between Manchester and Leeds is 43 miles. When I saw this, I didn’t believe it, but it’s all in this article in the Guardian.
So this means that if you want to run an electric train between Liverpool and Manchester to Leeds, York and Newcastle, the Aventra IPEMU would bridge the gap with ease. The test version of the Aventra IPEMU was a modified Class 379 Train. Similar versions of these like the Class 387 Train are 110 mph trains, so could we see an Aventra IPEMU with such a top speed?
In other words the North Transpennine route could be electrified using four-car 110 mph Aventra IPEMUs. They would certainly be able to serve Newcastle and Middlesbrough, but Scarborough and Hull might still need to be operated by diesel trains.
It would also appear that Aventra IPEMUs could also bridge the gap between Leeds and Manchester Victoria on the Caldervale Line.
This would mean that all stations between Leeds and Manchester on both routes could be served by electric Aventra IPEMUs, if the line was not electrified.
Great Western Electrification
The electrification of the Great Western Main Line is important in solving the train crisis for several reasons.
- If the electrification of the Great Western can be completed as far as Swindon and Newbury, this might release some of the 36, two- and three-car Class 165 trains or the 21, three-car Class 166 trains. These are in good condition and every train company will want a few to provide modern services.
- Once electrification is completed to Bristol and Cardiff and Class 800 and Class 801 trains are running on the route, will release a number of InterCity 125s. Some are ear-marked for Scotland to provide flagship services and I’m sure that train companies will find uses for the rest.
- Electrification to Cardiff will enable electrification of the Cardiff Valleys Lines. But the Valleys electrification needs the new trains to be delivered for Crossrail and/or the London Overground, so that the Class 315 trains can be refurbished and cascaded.
This report in Construction News entitled Crossrail, Thameslink, Great Western and North-west identified as priorities in Network Rail report says this.
The report into the planning of Network Rail’s £38.5bn improvement plan is expected to be released next month.
Sir Peter has identified Crossrail, Thameslink, Great Western and the North-west electrification as the four key “priority projects” for Network Rail, according to sources close to the report.
So it looks like the Great Western and North Western projects might get the resources to finish in time to allow cascades to release trains to help solve the shortage of train problems everywhere.
Scottish Electrification
Although the train shortage is more pronounced in England and Wales, Scottish electrification could give the rest of the UK a helping hand.
In the Wikipedia entry for Abellio ScotRail there is a section entitled Future. This is said.
Abellio ScotRail will introduce a fleet of 46 three car and 24 four car Hitachi AT200 electric trains from December 2017, to operate services on the lines being electrified as part of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme, if it granted a three-year optional franchise extension, it will order a further 10 three car units.
Abellio ScotRail will also introduce 14 four-carriage and 13 five-carriage refurbished High Speed Trains by December 2018 on longer-distance services between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. This is contingent on the rolling stock being released by First Great Western, with suggestions in July 2015 that the electrification of the Great Western Main Line was running 12 months late.
This new rolling stock will result in 10 Class 156, eight Class 158 and 34 Class 170s returning to their leasing companies.
So when the new Hitachi trains are delivered by the end of 2018, there could be around fifty diesel trains available to help out in England and Wales.
It is also another reason why electrification of the Great Western must be completed, as without it, Scotland won’t get the High Speed Trains.
Gospel Oak To Barking Electrification
The eight Class 172 trains on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line will be released when that line is electrified.
But who knows when, that will happen?
As the services on the line could be provided by Aventra IPEMUs charging from the electrification at Barking, I do wonder if this should be done to release the Class 172 trains as early as possible. The electrification of the line would then be done at a more relaxed pace, whilst a full service was provided by the Aventras.
Pushing The Train Operating Companies To Help Themselves
In the last few months, some of the franchises have been extended or advertised for new franchisees. And I think it is true to say, that the Department for Transport, is expecting that the train companies do something about improving the service.
- Great Western Railway have taken a pragmatic view on obtaining new trains.
- Chiltern Railways and c2c, the two franchisees with most control over their tracks, are pushing forward with developments.
- East Midlands Trains have got an extension to 2018 with strings. Will we see a rolling stock announcement?
- The just advertised East Anglian franchise, seems to put a lot of pressure on the operator, to sort out the trains and improve customer service.
Perhaps this paragraph from Transforming The North’s Railways is the most significant.
We are looking for a complete modernisation of the Northern rolling stock fleet, which will involve replacing Pacer trains completely by 2020 and delivering high quality modern trains for passengers. Bidders’ rolling stock plans must include at least 120 new-build carriages for use on non-electrified routes. The new carriages that will be introduced on the Northern network, along with the release of diesel units following the introduction of electric trains on newly-electrified routes, will enable the replacement of the Pacer units. Existing electric and diesel trains on Northern will receive a complete modernisation to make them ‘as new’ as soon as practicable after franchise start, with the emphasis that the design of new and existing interiors should feel thoroughly modern and focus on passenger comfort.
One hundred and twenty new build carriages for non-electrified routes either means something like sixty two-car diesel multiple units, thirty four-car Aventra IPEMUs or perhaps a mixture of the two. I don’t thin it means D-Trains or Class 144e Trains.
With Jeremy Corbyn threatening to nationalise the railways, it does seem the train companies are being told to sharpen up their acts significantly.
I think we’ll see more innovation and better services offered in the next few years.
Class Is Permanent
When Chiltern Railways wanted trains to run a high standard of service between London and Birmingham, they turned to locomotive-hauled Mark 3 coaches.
The coaches were refurbished to a very high standard, where every passenger can look out of the window, as shown in Hauled By A Diesel Locomotive To Birmingham. They even have sliding doors and modern toilets that meet all current and known future regulations.
And of course, they still have one of the finest ride qualities of any train in the world.
This is said on the Wikipedia entry for Abellio ScotRail.
Abellio ScotRail will also introduce 14 four-carriage and 13 five-carriage refurbished High Speed Trains by December 2018 on longer-distance services between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. This is contingent on the rolling stock being released by First Great Western, with suggestions in July 2015 that the electrification of the Great Western Main Line was running 12 months late.
High Speed Trains are formed of two Class 43 locomotives and an appropriate number of Mark 3 coaches.
I would assume the coaches will be refurbished very much like the Chiltern examples with a high class interior, sliding doors and modern toilets, so they meet all current and known future access, disability and environmental regulations.
Terry Miller’s magnificent design, that was built between 1975 and 1988, just seems to keep putting off the inevitable. I wouldn’t bet against some Mark 3 coaches still being in regular service for a hundred years.
Despite their age, there are still a lot of Mark 3 coaches in regular service. I’m not sure how many, but there are over 800 in InterCity 125 sets.
In addition to the superb Chiltern Class 68 locomotive-hauled sets, there are also several sets used by Abellio Greater Anglia on Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Norwich services, where they are hauled by Class 90 locomotives.
These Greater Anglia sets need upgrading with sliding doors and modern toilets, if they are to stay in service past 2020.
The next operator for this franchise is being given tough conditions, which include putting modern trains on the flagship route and running some services in ninety minutes from Norwich to London and sixty from Ipswich. The question has to be asked if this would be possible with a modern locomotive and refurbished Mark 3 coaches!
I think there is a high chance that the winning bidder for the next Greater Anglia franchise will still be using refurbished Mark 3 coaches between Liverpool Street, Ipswich and Norwich.
The new franchisee will have to offer lots of new services and three possibilities have been run in my lifetime.
- Liverpool Street and Great Yarmouth, via Cambridge, the new Cambridge Science Park station and Norwich.
- Liverpool Street and Peterborough via Colchester, Ipswich, Bury St. Edmunds and Ely.
- Liverpool Street to Lowestoft via Colchester and Ipswich.
They have a problem, in that sections of these routes are not electrified. There are four possible solutions.
- Run the routes in such a way that an Aventra IPEMU can service it. A possibility!
- Buy a few Class 800 electro-diesel trains, which would probably be made in Japan by Hitachi. Expensive but possible!
- Get a few more sets of refurbished Mark 3 coaches and haul them with a Class 88 electro-diesel locomotive. No problem and in style!
- Use InterCity 125s. Possibly, but 100% diesel!
The only options that could be done quickly would be to use the Class 88 or InterCity 125s.
The latter would work, but surely a mainly electric modern solution is probably better and more acceptable to politicians.
I would also never rule out more sets of Mark 3 coaches being used around the country after refurbishment. The only problem is something environmentally-friendly to haul them!
The Scottish solution of shortened High Speed Trains could also be used.
Aventra IPEMUs Running From Or Between Electrified Hubs Or Lines
Many branch lines or secondary routes meet the following conditions.
- They are electrified at one or both ends.
- The electrification is sufficient to charge an Aventra IPEMU’s battery, as it waits to return or passes along the line.
- The non-electrified sections of the line are short enough to be handled by an Aventra IPEMU.
Examples of lines suitable for an IPEMU include.
- Newcastle to Carlisle
- Manchester to Leeds
- Cambridge to Ipswich
- Coventry to Nuneaton
- Carnforth to Barrow-in-Furness
- Norwich to Yarmouth
I think that once the Aventra IPEMU concept is proven, then we’ll see them increasingly used around electrified lines.
There is a long list of places, where branch and secondary routes meet main electrified lines.
- Birmingham
- Carlisle
- Coventry
- Crewe
- Darlington
- Doncaster
- Ely
- Ipswich
- Leeds
- Liverpool
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Manchester Victoria
- Newcastle
- Norwich
- Peterborough
- Preston
- Wolverhampton
- York
This list will hopefully be increased, when the Great Western Main Line is electrified.
- Bristol
- Cardiff
- Reading
- Swansea
I have written An Alternative Approach To Provide A Local Metro Network, which investigates how Aventra IPEMUs can be used to provide electric trains on lines without full electrification.
The only area of the country that will lack electrified hubs in a few years will be the East Midlands Main Line and the far South West and the Northern parts of Scotland and Wales.
So surely, it is important that we electrify the Midland Main Line to bring electrification to the important hubs of Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, so we can use Aventra IPEMUs to provide electric trains on their local lines.
Conclusions
It’s tight, but I think it’ll be alright in 2020, but there are certain things we must do.
- Use no more than a handful of Vivarail D-Trains to provide services on some far-flung lines.
- The Great Western, North Western and Scottish electrifications must be completed on time.
- Use the Mark 3 coaches intelligently
- Use new Aventra IPEMUs to side-step electrification in places like, the electrification gap between Manchester and Leeds and the Cardiff Valleys Lines.
- Use new Aventra IPEMUs to provide services around electrified hubs.
- Scrap all the Pacers except possibly upgraded Class 144e trains.
- Upgrade the Class 150, Class 153 and Class 156 trains.
I think it’ll be interesting to see how the companies jump.
The Anonymous Widower 