Deutsche Bahn Is Building Overhead Line ‘Islands’ For Battery Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway News.
This paragraph describes the concept.
This means, instead of electrifying a line in full, as is conventional for electric trains to draw traction power, these lines will feature intermittent electrification. The first of these lines to become operational will be in Schleswig-Holstein in December 2023. Deutsche Bahn says it will only electrify short stretches (a few hundred metres up to a few kilometres) or stations – enough to allow battery-powered trains to recharge on these lines. The state rail operator estimates that this move will mean that more than ten million train kilometres can be completed using electric rather than diesel traction in Schleswig-Holstein. The diesel trains currently in use will be decommissioned. DB estimates an annual diesel fuel saving of around ten million litres.
It looks like a simple concept will save a lot of diesel fuel.
I first talked about electrification islands to charge battery-electric trains in The Concept Of Electrification Islands, which I wrote in April 2020.
Should The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line Be Electrified?
The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line was created in the Nineteenth Century by the Great Northern Railway and the Great Eastern Railway.
- The main purpose was to move freight like coal, agricultural products and manufactured goods between Yorkshire and Eastern England.
- It originally ran between Doncaster and Huntington via Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding and March.
- It had a full length of almost 123 miles.
- There was a large marshalling yard at Whitemoor near March.
Over the years the line has been pruned a bit and now effectively runs between Doncaster and Peterborough.
- Trains between Lincoln and March are now routed via Peterborough.
- It carries upwards of twenty freight trains per day in both directions through Lincoln Central station.
- Many of the freight trains are going to and from the East Coast ports.
- The distance between Doncaster and Peterborough is 93.7 miles, as opposed to the 79.6 miles on the East Coast Main Line.
- The line is not electrified, but it connects to the electrified East Coast Main Line at both ends.
There have been some important developments in recent years.
2015 Freight Upgrade
Wikipedia says this about the major 2015 freight upgrade.
In 2015 a £280 million upgrade of the Joint Line by Network Rail was substantially complete, enabling two freight trains per hour to be diverted from the congested East Coast Main Line; gauge enhancements to enable the passage of 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) containers were included in the work.
The Sleaford avoiding line had been substantially downgraded since the 1980s and was reinstated to double track as part of the 2015 scheme. Resignalling and modernisation of level crossings was included.
This means that freight trains have an alternative route, that avoids the East Coast Main Line.
Doncaster iPort
Over the last few years the Doncaster iPort has been developed, which is an intermodal rail terminal.
- It has a size of around 800 acres.
- The site opened in early 2018.
- There is a daily train to the Port of Southampton and two daily trains to both Teesport and Felixstowe.
- The Felixstowe trains would appear to use the Joint Line.
I feel that as the site develops, the Doncaster iPort will generate more traffic on the Joint Line.
This Google Map shows the Doncaster iPort.
There would appear to be plenty of space for expansion.
The Werrington Dive Under
The Werrington Dive Under has been built at a cost of £ 200 million, to remove a bottleneck at the Southern end of the Joint Line, where it connects to the East Coast Main Line.
The Werrington Dive Under was built, so that it could be electrified in the future.
LNER To Lincolnshire
LNER appear to have made a success of a one train per two hours (tp2h) service between London King’s Cross and Lincoln station.
- LNER have stated, that they want to serve Grimsby and Cleethorpes in the North of the county.
- North Lincolnshire is becoming important in supporting the wind energy industry in the North Sea.
- Lincoln is becoming an important university city.
- Several towns in Lincolnshire probably need a service to Peterborough and London.
- In 2019, the Port of Grimsby & Immingham was the largest port in the United Kingdom by tonnage.
I can see an expanded Lincolnshire service from LNER.
Full Digital Signalling Of The East Coast Main Line To The South Of Doncaster
This is happening now and it will have a collateral benefits for the Joint Line.
Most passenger and freight trains will also use the East Coast Main Line, if only for a few miles, which will mean they will need to be fitted for the digital signalling.
This could mean that extending full digital signalling to Lincolnshire will not be a challenging project.
Arguments For Electrification
These are possible arguments for electrification.
Electric Freight Trains To And From The North
It would be another stretch of line, that could accommodate electric freight trains.
An Electrified Diversion Route For East Coast Main Line Expresses
Currently, when there is engineering blockades between Doncaster and Peterborough on the East Coast Main Line, the Hitachi Class 800 and Class 802 trains of Hull Trains and LNER are able to divert using their diesel power.
But the electric trains of LNER and Lumo have to be cancelled.
An electrified diversion route would be welcomed by passengers and train companies.
It would also mean that any trains running from King’s Cross to electrified destinations would not to have any diesel engines.
An Electrified Spine Through Lincolnshire
If there was an electrified spine between Doncaster and Peterborough via Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford and Spalding, these stations would be these distances from the spine.
- Boston – 16.8 miles
- Cleethorpes – 47.2 miles
- Grimsby Town – 43.9 miles
- Market Rasen – 14.8 miles
- Skegness – 40.7 miles
Note.
- These distances are all possible with battery-electric trains.
- Charging would be on the electrified spine and at Skegness and Cleethorpes stations.
All of South Lincolnshire and services to Doncaster would use electric trains.
London Services
London services would be via Spalding and join the East Coast Main Line at Werrington.
- Boston and Skegness would be served from Sleaford, where the train would reverse.
- Market Rasen, Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes would be served from Lincoln, where the train would reverse.
This would enable Cleethorpes and Skegness to have at least four trains per day to and from London King’s Cross.
North Lincolnshire Services
There are two train services in North Lincolnshire.
Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber.
Cleethorpes and Manchester Airport via Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe, Doncaster, Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly.
Note.
- Cleethorpes would need to have a charger or a few miles of electrification, to charge a train from London.
- Doncaster, which is fully electrified is 52.1 miles from Cleethorpes.
- Barton-on-Humber is 22.8 miles from Cleethorpes.
Battery-electric trains should be able to handle both services.
Arguments Against Electrification
The only possible arguments against electrification are the disruption that the installation might cause and the unsightly nature of overhead gantries.
Conclusion
The Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line should be electrified.
Transformer Deliveries Mark Major Milestone For Braybrooke Substation Project And The Midland Main Line Upgrade
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from National Grid.
The press release says this.
Since early 2021 National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET) has been building a new electricity substation near Braybrooke, on the outskirts of Market Harborough in Leicestershire.
The new substation, once complete, will form a vital part of electrical infrastructure to support Network Rail’s electrification of the Midland Main Line.
Following months of hard work, the project has reached a major milestone, as the engineering team have taken delivery of two new transformers.
The transformers arrived during November and were delivered via an access road off Kettering Road built to ensure construction traffic avoids the areas of Market Harborough and Braybrooke. Weighing an impressive 100 tonnes, they will now be installed at the substation over the coming months.
This Google Map shows the access road.
Note.
The main A6 road running across the top of the map.
Kettering road leads off it into Market Harborough.
The Midland Main Line running across the bottom of the map.
The access track runs between the two.
This enlargement of the South East corner of the map shows the 400 kV overhead transmission line.
Note that the shadows give away two 400 kV pylons.
Will the sub-station be built in the smaller rectangular field?
How Many Sub-Stations Will Be Needed For The Midland Main Line Electrification?
I seem to remember that the Great Western Main Line to Cardiff was electrified with just three sub-stations, London, Cardiff and one in the middle and the London one is shared with Crossrail.
So I suspect that the feed of electricity may only need one further substation at the Northern end.
Conclusion
It does seem that National Grid have planned this well.
I suspect, bringing in the transformers didn’t cause too much disruption and the route gives good access to the overhead line.
Leicester Station – 4th Jan 2022
Leicester station has a Grade II Listed frontage.
Note.
- It is an impressive Victorian station.
- The station building is on a bridge over the tracks.
- The station is also on one of the main roads through Leicester.
- The road layout is very complicated.
This 3D Google Map, shows an aerial view of the station.
Note.
- There four platforms, which are numbered 1-4 from the left.
- The expresses between London and Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield use the two middle tracks.
- Other main line and East-West services use the outside platforms.
- There is an avoiding line for freight services.
This second 3D Google Map, shows an enlargement of the frontage of the station.
There are plans to increase the capacity of the station.
A fifth platform will be added.
Three miles of quadruple track will be be built South of the station.
The Midland Main Line is also to be electrified.
This second set of pictures shows the platforms at Leicester station.
Note.
- The tunnels under the road and the station entrance.
- They are not very large.
- There are five tracks.
It is going to be a tight squeeze to electrify under the bridge.
Midland Main Line Electrification – 4th Jan 2022
I took these pictures from the train today, as I went to Leicester.
Note.
- We overtook the Class 360 train to Corby, just before it left the main line at Kettering North junction.
- Once past Kettering North junction, the Midland Main Line is only two tracks as far as Leicester station.
- A lot of the gantries on the two slow lines seem tall.
- At least twenty gantries had been installed North of the junction.
Some of the new gantries looked to be lighter than those South of the junction, but then they are only supporting electrification for two tracks, rather than four.
This Google Map shows the junction.
In this section, my train overtook the train to Corby.
- The track going North-West goes to Leicester.
- The track going North-East goes to Corby.
- The track going South goes to Kettering.
- It looks like to the West of the Midland Main Line is a large electricity sub-station.
In the tenth of my pictures you can see the three vertical poles opposite the sub-station, which can be picked out in the map.
The Proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro
In the January 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, there is this description of the Mid-Cornwall Metro.
This would see an hourly service shuttling between the north and south coasts of the county and linking the main population centres at Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth. This would become the main service on the Newquay branch, and it would take over one of the twice-hourly services on the Falmouth branch, with the other service being a Truro to Falmouth shuttle as now.
Facilitating the Metro idea will be the latest phase of the modernisation of signalling in Cornwall, which will see the upgrade of a level crossing near Truro. Other infrastructure work required is a new passing loop on the Newquay branch at Tregoss Moor and restoration of a second platform face at the terminus at Newquay.
A business case was due to be submitted to the Department for Transport before Christmas 2021.
These are a few thoughts.
The Current Timings
If you look at the distances and timings of the various sections they are as follows.
- Newquay and Par – Five stops – 20.8 miles – 49-52 minutes
- Par and Truro – One stop – 19 miles – 22 minutes
- Truro and Falmouth Docks – Four stops – 11.8 miles – 24 minutes
Note.
- It appears that the Newquay to Par service is three minutes quicker than the other way.
- There will be a reverse at Par, which could take three minutes.
- The Par and Truro times were either GWR Castles or Class 802 trains.
The total time is 98-101 minutes and the total distance is 51.6 miles
Possible Timing
Consider.
- For the ease of timetabling and operation, it is probably best that a round trip between the two Newquay and Falmouth Docks takes an exact number of hours.
- The operating speed between Par and Truro is 75 mph and it is only 50 mph elsewhere.
- Turnround time at Newquay is five minutes.
- Turnround time at Falmouth Docks is 4-6 minutes
For these reasons, I doubt that much improvement could be made on the fastest time of 98 minutes. Certainly, a round trip of three hours would appear impossible.
But a round trip time of four hours would be very sensible.
However, there would be a turnround time of between 19-22 minutes at each end of the route.
This time might seem overly long, but it would be ideal for charging a battery-electric train.
How Many Trains Would Be Needed?
As the round trip will be four hours and an hourly service is needed, there will be a need for four trains to run the service, with the addition of probably two extra trains to allow for one in maintenance and one covering for any breakdowns.
Could The Mid-Cornwall Metro Use Battery-Electric Trains?
This Hitachi infographic shows the specification of the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
Note
- The range of ninety kilometres is fifty-six miles and a longer distance than Newquay and Falmouth Docks.
- The operating speed of 90-100 mph is ideal.
- The time needed for a full charge at either end is within the timetable, I calculated earlier.
Hitachi Regional Battery Trains would be ideal for working the Mid-Cornwall Metro with a full charge at both ends of the route.
I have used my virtual helicopter to explore the Cornish Main Line between Par and Truro.
If it was decided to electrify the Cornish Main Line between Truro and Par, this could be an alternative way to charge the trains.
- The Mid-Cornish Metro trains should be able to do a return trip to Newquay and Falmouth Docks from the main line without charging at the two terminal stations.
- The electrification would be able to charge battery-electric Class 802 trains between Plymouth and Penzance.
But the extra infrastructure works to raise nine road bridges and several footbridges might blow the budget.
Where Would The Trains Be Serviced?
Great Western Railway has depots at both Penzance and Plymouth and with perhaps a charger at Truro and/or Par stations, the trains should be able to get to either depot at the end of the day.
Trains To Newquay
Wikipedia says this about the services to Newquay station.
The service is irregular with typically one train around every two hours.
As well as the local service, the station handles a number of long-distance trains in the summer. These services include Great Western Railway trains from London Paddington and CrossCountry trains from the North of England and the Scottish Lowlands, which do not stop at intermediate stations between Par and Newquay. On Sundays, there are some local trains and a small number of intercity services. As well as the weekend through trains, in peak summer months there is also a Monday-Friday through Great Western Railway intercity service to and from London, but local trains continue on these days too. Traditionally, there was no Sunday service in the winter, even in the ‘golden age’ between both of the 20th century’s world wars, but the line has a service of three trains each way on Sundays from 11 December 2011.
The Mid-Cornwall Metro will at least come with an hourly service.
But this will mean, that to run other services to the station with the hourly Metro will mean that a second platform will be needed.
I discuss the improvements needed in Beeching Reversal – Transforming The Newquay Line.
This is a quirky video, which describes an architect’s plans for the station.
It is the sort of simple solution, that I like.
Conclusion
I believe that a small fleet of Hitachi Regional Battery Trains could create an iconic Metro for Cornwall, that would appeal to both visitors and tourists alike.
How Much Electrification Will There Be In The TransPennine Route Upgrade?
My visit to Mirfield station which I wrote about in Mirfield Station – 16th December 2021, has prompted me to write this post.
This document on the Network Rail web site, which is entitled Transpennine Route Upgrade , says this about the Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) section of the project.
Throughout this eight-mile section of the route, we’re proposing to double the number of tracks from two-to-four, electrify from Huddersfield to Dewsbury and make big improvements to the four stations in this section – Huddersfield, Deighton, Mirfield and Ravensthorpe; where we also need to separate the lines going to/from Leeds from the lines going to/from Wakefield, with either a bridge or a tunnel.
This map of the lines was clipped from this article on Modern Railways, shows the proposed track layout.
Note.
- The fast lines are shown in pink.
- The slow lines are shown in blue.
- Huddersfield and Dewsbury stations are eight miles apart and trains typically take ten minutes.
- All fast trains stop at Huddersfield.
- The intermediate stations between Huddersfield and Dewsbury are all on the slow lines.
There will only two tracks West of Huddersfield and East of Dewsbury.
This would very much appear to be a layout built for speed.
These are my thoughts.
The Fastest Run Between Dewsbury And Huddersfield
There will be eight miles of electrified fast line between Dewsbury And Huddersfield and the time will depend on the following.
- The operating speed of the new fast lines.
- How long it takes the trains to accelerate to and decelerate from the operating speed.
- The distance travelled during acceleration and deceleration.
This page on the Eversholt Rail web site, has a data sheet for a Class 802 train, which are used by TransPennine Express and is a bi-mode AT-300 train with three diesel engines.
The data sheet shows that a five-car train can accelerate to 125 mph and then decelerate to a stop in six minutes in electric mode.
A rough estimate gives a distance of 6.25 miles to accelerate and decelerate, so a train will only be at 125 mph for 1.75 miles, which would take 50 seconds.
As trains currently take ten minutes between Huddersfield and Dewsbury, it looks like a saving of three minutes is possible.
This saving could be increased if the trains were able to accelerate and decelerate faster or high speed running were to be possible further towards Leeds.
Will Between Leeds And Dewsbury Be Electrified?
It is likely, that the nine miles of double-track line between Dewsbury and Leeds will be electrified, as this would mean the following.
- TransPennine Express’s Class 802 trains could use electricity all the way between Leeds and Huddersfield.
- Electrification would allow the fast trains to accelerate and decelerate at a maximum rate to and from operating speed, whilst in the new section.
- Electrification would also allow stopping trains to perform their stops on the double-track section to the East of Dewsbury faster.
Timetabling is going to be a challenge.
Will The Slow Lines Between Dewsbury and Huddersfield Be Electrified?
I feel it would be sensible to electrify the slow lines as this would help to make operation simpler and possibly allow stopping services to be run by electric or battery-electric trains.
Battery-Electric Trains Between Huddersfield And Castleford
The current service is as follows.
- It is 21 miles long
- It has a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- Intermediate stations are Deighton, Mirfield and Wakefield Kirkgate.
- Services seem to take around forty minutes.
- After the completion of the TransPennine Upgrade, all but fifteen miles at the Castleford end of the route, will be electrified.
It looks to me that a battery-electric train with a range of about thirty miles could handle this route.
Battery-Electric Trains Between Wigan And Leeds
The current service is as follows.
- It is 68 miles long
- It has a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- Intermediate stations are Daisy Hill, Atherton, Walkden, Salford Crescent, Salford Central, Manchester Victoria, Rochdale, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, Walsden, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge, Brighouse, Mirfield, Dewsbury, Morley and Cottingley
- Services seem to take around two hours and nine minutes.
- After the completion of the TransPennine Upgrade, the 12.2 mile section to the East of Mirfield station will be electrified.
- Electrification is also planned at the Wigan end of the line and this would electrify the 17.7 mile section between Wigan and Manchester Victoria stations.
- This would leave an electrification gap of 38.1 miles
It looks to me that a battery-electric train with a range of about forty miles could handle this route.
Battery-Electric Trains Between Leeds And Huddersfield
The current service is as follows.
- It is 28 miles long
- It has a frequency of one train per hour (tph)
- Intermediate stations are Bramley, New Pudsey, Bradford Interchange, Low Moor, Halifax and Brighouse.
- After the completion of the TransPennine Upgrade, Huddersfield station will be electrified.
- Under the Integrated Rail Plan for the North And Midlands, it is planned to electrify between Leeds and Bradford Interchange stations.
- This would leave an electrification gap of 18.6 miles
It looks to me that a battery-electric train with a range of about twenty-five miles could handle this route.
Conclusion
By electrifying all the lines in the TransPennine Upgrade, it would allow all the stopping and slower services to be run by battery-electric trains.
This Hitachi infographic shows the specification of the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
Note that a range on batteries of 90 km is 56 miles.
This train would work all three routes.
I also suspect that CAF’s proposed battery train will have a similar range.
More On Alston’s Hydrogen Aventra and Porterbrook’s HydroFLEX
The December 2021 Edition of Modern Railways has a small article, which is entitled Alstom To Build Hydrogen Aventras.
This is an extract.
Fuel cells will be roof-mounted, and the trains will be powered by hydrogen in conjunction with batteries, without any additional power sources such as overhead electric or diesel. They could be in service in 2025.
I am surprised that the trains can’t use electrification, as surely this would be a great advantage.
Especially, as according to another article, which is entitled New HydroFlex Debuts At Cop, which describes Porterbrook’s converted ‘319’ says this.
The original HydroFlex unit, which like the latest version has been converted from a Class 319 EMU, made its main line debut in September 2020. Porterbrook has invested £8 million in HydroFlex with the new version built over the last 10 months.
Porterbrook says its ability to operate under hydrogen, electric and battery power makes it the world’s first ‘tri-mode’ train. One carriage within the train is given over to the ‘HydroChamber’.
The contents of the ‘HydroChamber’ are given as.
- Storage for 277 Kg. of hydrogen in thirty-six high pressure tanks.
- A 400 kW fuel cell system.
- A 400 kW lithium-ion battery, which can be charged by the fuel cells in 15 minutes.
Does this mean that the battery is a 100 kWh battery that can supply energy at a rate of 400 kW?
This sentence from the article describes the train’s performance.
Porterbrook says the train carries sufficient hydrogen to offer a range of 300 miles and a top speed of up to 100 mph.
A few years ago, I had a chat with a Northern driver about the Class 319 train, which he described as a fast train with good acceleration and superb brakes.
Have Porterbrook and the University of Birmingham just added the ‘HydroChamber’ as an on-board electricity source or have they gone for a full integrated system with new traction motors and regenerative braking to the battery?
The original Class 319 trains worked well without regenerative braking, so I suspect that the simple approach has been used.
But this would make the train ideal for branch lines and extensions without electrification from electrified lines. The following routes come to mind.
- Blackpool South and Colne via Preston
- Manchester Airport and Windermere
- Ipswich and Felixstowe.
- The Borders Railway in Scotland.
The Alstom Hydrogen Aventra might be better on lines without any electrification at all.
Conclusion
My feeling is that both these trains have their good points and limitations and I suspect both will find their niche markets.
Electrifying Derwent Valley Mills
Under the latest plans the Midland Main Line will be electrified.
One problem is electrifying the line through the World Heritage Site of Derwent Valley Mills.
This Google Map shows the Midland Main Line between Belper and Duffield stations.
Note.
- Belper with its station is at the North of the map.
- Duffield station is at the South of the map.
In the middle of the map the railway line disappears into Milford Tunnel.
Wikipedia says this about the portals of the tunnel.
Both portals are grade II listed, being part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
I doubt that the Heritage Taliban would allow the tunnel to be electrified, as they wouldn’t want wires near the tunnels.
But between Belper and Duffield stations is only 4.2 kilometres.
This Hitachi infographic shows their Intercity Battery Hybrid Train, which I described in Hitachi Rail And Angel Trains To Create Intercity Battery Hybrid Train On TransPennine Express.
Note that the train can cover gaps of 5 km.
The Class 810 trains, that will be used by East Midlands Railways will have four diesel engines and I’m certain these trains will be able to be retrofitted to be Intercity Battery Hybrid Trains.
The electrification of the line will be discontinuous with no wires between Belper and Duffield stations.
Express trains going between Derby and Sheffield will go through the following procedure.
- Arrive at Duffield station with a full battery, after using the electrification from Derby and the South.
- Drop the pantograph in the area of Duffield station and switch to battery power.
- Proceed through Milford tunnel at an appropriate speed.
- Once under the electrification again at Belper station, they would raise the pantograph and switch to using the electrification.
The problem of electrification of Milford tunnel in the area of the World Heritage Site has been neatly side-stepped.
Alstom Hydrogen Aventras And Extension Of The Birmingham Cross-City Line
In Alstom And Eversholt Rail Sign An Agreement For The UK’s First Ever Brand-New Hydrogen Train Fleet, I give my thoughts on Alstom’s new hydrogen train, which I have called the Alstom Hydrogen Aventra.
In that post, decide that the proposed Alstom Hydrogen Aventras are based on the three-car Class 730/0 trains that have been ordered by West Midlands Trains for Birmingham’s electrified Cross-City Line.
I then go on to say.
There are plans to expand the line in the future and I do wonder if the proposed Alstom Hydrogen Aventras could be the ideal trains for extending the network.
Expansion plans are detailed a section called Future, in the Wikipedia entry for the Cross-City Line, where these plans are indicated.
- Reintroduction of local trains on the Camp Hill Line.
- Extension of electrification and services to Burton-on-Trent via a reopened Alrewas station, which would serve the National Memorial Arboretum.
In addition, the Walsall and Wolverhampton Line is being reopened to passenger trains.
These new and possibly other services will need no new tracks, but more electrification and extra new trains.
In 2015, I wrote Electrification May Be In Trouble Elsewhere, But The Brummies Keep Marching On, which looked at electrification progress in the UK and the Birmingham in particular, where the electrification of the Chase Line seemed to be going well. So unlike in some places, where electrification seems to be accident-prone, Birmingham seems to avoid the sort of problems, that happened in the Preston and Blackpool and GOBlin electrifications.
But the Alstom Hydrogen Aventra gives Birmingham and the West Midlands a unique advantage compared to say Leeds or Manchester.
Birmingham can obtain a unified fleet, which to the passengers and the drivers looks the same, but in fact are two separate classes of three-car trains; the Class 730/0 electric train and the Alstom Hydrogen Aventra.
- Where electrification exists, the Class 730/0 trains will be used and where there is no electrification, the Alstom Hydrogen Aventra will work the route on hydrogen.
- All that is needed is to provide good tracks and signalling and the Alstom Hydrogen Aventras will take you where you want to go.
- Through the centre of Birmingham, these trains will use the existing electrification.
- It would be a network, that would be simple to expand.
The only other English city to use a similar technique will be Liverpool, where Merseyrail’s new Class 777 trains will use battery power outside of the electrified core.
Conclusion
If Birmingham uses their disused but still existing railway lines and adds new trains as required, they can create a world-class suburban network, with the Cross-City Line at its centre
The Anonymous Widower 