Newcastle Fans Had Few Trains To London
Yesterday, I felt LNER and Lumo would be cashing in, with Newcastle United playing at Wembley.
The finalists were settled on the 6th of February, so that surely gave Network Rail time to reorganise any engineering works so that LNER and Lumo could be running the maximum number of Newcastle United supporters to London.
Lumo didn’t run at all to London on the Sunday and all LNER trains went via the Stadium of Light.
I would have thought, that Network Rail’s inflexibility cost LNER and Lumo a good publicity opportunity.
Is Another “I Was There” Event Happening At Brisbane Road?
As I start to write this amazingly, Leyton Orient are one-nil up in the F. A. Cup at home to Manchester City.
Is it going to be one of those events, where in years to come, people will claim they were at Brisbane Road to watch it?
I thought about going, but didn’t buy a ticket. In a way, I’m glad I didn’t, as the weather wasn’t too good today.
The goal that Leyton Orient scored was one of the most spectacular goals ever scored in the F. A. Cup. But I saw everything on television!
This page on the BBC is entitled ‘Strike of a lifetime’ – an own goal that belongs in FA Cup folklore.
It contains a video clip which shows the goal, which was an own goal scored off a rebound of a shot from Jamie Donley.
The classic event of this type happened on the 31st October, 1972, when Llanelli famously beat the All Blacks 9-3 in a Rugby match.
The Wikipedia entry for the match has this first paragraph.
As part of their 1972–73 tour of the Northern Hemisphere, the New Zealand national rugby union team’s fourth match saw them take on Llanelli RFC of Wales at Stradey Park, Llanelli, on 31 October 1972. In one of the most famous results in rugby union history, Llanelli won the match 9–3 in front of 20,000 spectators. Llanelli centre Roy Bergiers scored the only try of the game, charging down a clearance by All Blacks scrum-half Lin Colling after a penalty from Phil Bennett rebounded back into play off the crossbar. New Zealand full-back Joe Karam scored a penalty to give them their only points of the game, before Llanelli wing Andy Hill hit a penalty to secure victory for the Scarlets. The result was immortalised by Welsh entertainer Max Boyce, whose poem 9–3 appears as the opening track on his Live at Treorchy album.
A much larger number of people claimed to have been at the match, than actually were.
Sadly unlike Llanelli, Leyton Orient didn’t hang on.
But according to the BBC, the goal has acquired legendary status.
Matchday Travel Made Easy With Lumo
The title of this post, is the same as that as this new item from Gateshead FC.
These three paragraphs outline the partnership between Lumo and Gateshead FC.
Lumo, our official rail partner, continues to offer Gateshead fans the perfect means for travelling to London and back on away days.
Operating exclusively electric trains, Lumo’s fleet run at times convenient for football matches, allowing fans to travel to London from Newcastle train station in just under 3 hours and vice versa. Lumo is committed to delivering sustainable travel without compromising on comfort, convenience, or cost.
Discover the tips and offers from Lumo below to make planning your next trip to t Capital easier, more affordable, and completely hassle-free.
Two tips and offers are listed.
- Plan Ahead – Tickets Available Until Spring 2025.
- Stay Flexible With LumoFlex
I have a few thoughts and observations.
Lumo Is Faster Than AI
According to the September 2024 Edition of Modern Railways, Lumo holds the record of two hours and 33 minutes from King’s Cross to Newcastle.
- Google’s AI-enhanced search engine gives three minutes longer.
- Looks like a stupid computer to me.
If Lumo could keep their record pace going to Edinburgh, they’d be in the Scottish Capital in three hours 43 minutes after leaving King’s Cross.
There Are Eleven Teams In The Same Division Of The National League As Gateshead, That Can Be Reached Easily From London
The teams are.
- Aldershot Town – Train from Waterloo
- Barnet – Underground and Bus
- Braintree – Train from Liverpool Street
- Dagenham & Redbridge – Underground and Bus
- Eastleigh – Train from Waterloo
- Ebbsfleet United – Thameslink
- Maidenhead – Elizabeth Line
- Southend United – Train from Liverpool Street
- Sutton United – Thameslink
- Wealdstone – Underground
- Woking – Train from Waterloo
Note.
- Maidenhead and Sutton United are probably the easiest.
- Woking could be the most difficult.
- Thameslink and the Elizabeth Line are useful.
If Lumo bring a train-full of passengers to London, that is 400 passengers per train at £18 each way, if all supporters get the best price.
So each train could produce £14,400, if it was full. If Lumo can run ten-car instead of five-car trains, that doubles the revenue to £28,800.
I think Lumo see this as a nice little earner and they are going for it.
Conclusion
Train companies could support fans a lot better than they do.
South Korean Firm To Supply Power Equipment For Ørsted’s Hornsea 4 Offshore Wind Farm
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Denmark’s Ørsted has awarded a contract to Hyosung Heavy Industries for the supply of ultra-high voltage power equipment for the Hornsea 4 offshore wind farm in the UK
These two paragraphs add a bit of detail.
Under the contract, the South Korean company will supply 400 kV ultra-high voltage transformers and reactors, essential components for improving power quality for the 2.4 GW Hornsea 4 offshore wind project.
The most recent contract further strengthens the company’s presence in Europe, where it has accumulated over 1 trillion won (about EUR 667 million) in orders this year, as reported by the company.
Hyosung Heavy Industries seem to be doing rather well at supplying electrical gubbins in Europe.
But then Korean companies seem to be doing well in Europe and especially the UK, after the state visit of the Korean President and his wife in November 2023.
In the last century, we did very well dealing with Korean companies with Artemis; the project management computer system, that I wrote.
In Hyundai Heavy Sets Sights On Scottish Floating Offshore Wind, I describe some of our dealings there.
Conclusion
From other posts, I have written, it looks like the UK and Korea are building a strong partnership with offshore wind, and a secondary one with tidal power might be emerging. We also shouldn’t forget the partnership in North London over football.
Ashley Down Station – 28th September 2024
Ashley Down Station opened today, so I went to visit and took these pictures.
Note.
- There are four tracks and two platforms.
- The numerous numbers of Class 165 trains buzzing around.
- I saw several Hitachi Class 80x and CrossCountry passing trains passing through.
- I arriving in and left in Class 165 trains.
- All the Class 165 trains appear to have been refurbished.
- The station has stairs and a pair of lifts.
- There is bicycle parking and a car drop-off area.
It is certainly, a station with a long list of features.
The station is also in walking distance of Bristol Rovers ground.
This map shows the two locations.
Note.
- The football ground is in the North-West corner.
- Te staiton is in the South-East corner.
A Bristolian told me it will be 15-20 minutes walk.
We Should All Raise A Glass To Sven
The BBC has a very matter-of-fact article on the death of Sven-Goran Eriksson, which is entitled Former England Manager Eriksson Dies Aged 76.
The article finishes with these words from Sven.
I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do.
“Don’t be sorry, smile. Thank you for everything, coaches, players, the crowds, it’s been fantastic. Take care of yourself and take care of your life. And live it.
There are no major fixtures today, but it will be interesting to see how he is remembered by fans, at the weekend!
Gareth Southgate’s Cunning Plan
This article on The Times is entitled Imported Wembley Turf Gave England The Edge In Penalty Shootout.
This is the sub-heading.
Seed from home was used to create full-size pitch at the team’s training ground in Germany.
These three paragraphs give more detail.
A combination of psychological preparation and penalty-kick data analysis has been touted as the secret to England’s recent shootout successes.
After the Three Lions triumphed against Switzerland, however, another factor was hailed for helping them reach the Euro 2024 semi-finals. Gareth Southgate’s squad spent the last few weeks perfecting penalties on Wembley grass shipped to their training camp in Germany.
The Times understands that the pitch in Blankenhain was seeded in April with the turf used in London. Those close to the team believe the Wembley-grade grass helped to propel the players through the knockout stages and Saturday’s shoot-out.
I have had further thoughts.
The Size Of The Replica Pitch
So for England to have built a replica pitch, the same size as Wembley, could be clever idea if you were playing all your matches there.
The pitch at Wembley is 105 x 69 metres.
These are the pitch sizes in the EURO 2024 stadia.
- The Olympic stadium pitch in Berlin is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Borussia Dortmund pitch is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Allianz Arena in Munich is is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Hamburg Stadium is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Stuttgart Arena is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Frankfurt Arena is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Dusseldorf Arena is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Cologne Stadium is 105 x 68 metres.
- The Leipzig Stadium is 105 x 68 metres.
The Germans seem to have a one size fits all rule for pitches.
All would fit into England’s replica Wembley pitch, if you drew the touchlines in by a metre.
You might even setup the replica Wembley, so that pitch furniture like dug-outs were in the correct place for the next stadium, England would use.
England would certainly get good value from their replica Wembley.
I wonder how many countries have their own full-size replica pitch in EURO 2024?
It would be a valuable training aid.
An Ipswich Connection?
Consider.
- Portman Road has always been an immaculate playing surface.
- Ipswich groundsmen have had a connection to a major overseas tournament before.
I wonder, if the FA asked Ipswich to help, as they are one of the best at creating pitches.
Use Of Replica Pitches In Domestic Leagues
If replica pitches can work in International football, they must work in domestic football.
But I’ve never heard of anything like it being tried.
Kieran McKenna is an innovative manager with a degree in sports science from Loughborough University.
- Is he using a similar same-size pitch trick at Ipswich?
- The pitch at Portman Road is 10 x 75 metres.
- Is the training pitch at Ipswich, exactly the same as the match pitch at Portman Road?
If ot os, could this explain, Ipswich’s rise of two divisions in two seasons?
Last season in the Championship, Ipswich won 16 Home games and 13 Away games.
Practice on a replica pitch might explain the better Home success.
Premier League Pitch Sizes
This page on Football Fancast gives all the sizes for 2023/24 and all except these are 105 x 68 metres.
- Everton
- Chelsea
- Liverpool
- Sheffield United
- Crystal Palace
- Luton Town
- Fulham
The differences from the 105 x 68 metres, is generally only a few metres.
Conclusion
It looks to me, that Gareth Southgate, Kieran McKenna and some of the Ipswich groundsmen have stitched together an idea in a country pub, over a couple of pints of real ale.
Naked Football
My house was designed by an architect, but built by the worst form of cost-cutting builder. As the house has a lot of windows facing South, I suspect the architect specified air-conditioning. But the builder left it out!
I fitted a single unit, which helped keep the temperatures fairly good.
Then it failed and the rip-off firm who fitted it couldn’t fix it. They told me, they’d never seen a system like it, when they came for the service. They took my money and now it sits there like a folly in my living room.
Last week, I finally got my TV aerial system fixed and for the first time in about two years I can get a good signal in my bedroom, as well as my living room and the downstairs bathroom.
My bedroom is at times, the only reasonably cool room in hot weather in the house.
So now, by getting naked, I can watch the football in comfort.
LNER Names Train ‘The Flying Swiftie’ Ahead Of Tonight’s Opening Gig
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from LNER.
This is the sub-heading,
Forget “The Flying Scotsman”, LNER is today naming the 1000 London-Edinburgh train “The Flying Swiftie” – as thousands of Taylor Swift fans take the train to her first UK gig in the Scottish capital.
These are the first three paragraphs, which give a few more details.
The rail firm famous for having Red seats knows All Too Well that its passengers love a named train – from The Flying Scotsman to the Highland Chieftan and the recently introduced Carolean Express.
As passengers travel in Style and say So Long, London they will be reminded with on-train and station announcements that Everything Has Changed and that they’re on The Flying Swiftie, while screens around the station and along the route will refer to the train’s name too.
Taylor Swift fans will be able to get refreshments onboard cheaper than their Wildest Dreams thanks to a special Flying Swiftie discount.
Recently, Lumo did a similar promotion for Gateshead fans going to Wembley for the FA Trophy final, which I wrote about in Excitement Brewing for Gateshead FC Away At Wembley.
Last Train Home
In the past, I’ve had difficulty with getting a return train after some matches and it is a complaint of the fans of many sides.
- Taylor Swift’s concert seems to finish shortly before midnight.
- I’ve never had trouble from Greater Anglia, as they always run a late train back to London.
- In one case at Ipswich, there were track problems in the Colchester area, so Greater Anglia returned fans to Sudbury by taxi.
- Lumo ran an extra return train to make sure everybody got home after the match.
It certainly looks to me, that if you are going to put on a package for an event, you must make sure, that it is possible for those attending the event to get home.
What Is Possible
Lumo and LNER have shown what is possible on the East Coast Main Line and I would hope that they will develop these two experiences to cover, events like these.
- London football teams playing matches in Newcastle.
- Newcastle United playing matches in London.
- England and Scotland rugby matches.
I hopr to see more services like these in the future.
Excitement Brewing for Gateshead FC Away At Wembley
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on Lumo.
This is the sub-heading.
Lumo, the Open Access rail operator, has teamed up with local Gateshead brewery Black Storm to offer Gateshead FC fans a special commemorative beer onboard its trains.
These first two paragraphs add a few more details.
Hot on the heels of Tyneside based Lumo, the Open Access rail operator, announcing an extra train on Saturday 11th May to get Gateshead FC fans back from London as part of the club’s huge achievement of a second Wembley FA cup final in as many years, they’ve teamed up with local Gateshead brewery Black Storm to offer fans and travellers a special commemorative beer onboard its trains.
The appropriately named’ Whistle Stop’ is a 5% ABV Helles Lager featuring special commemorative Gateshead FC Wembley 2024 and Lumo branding on the can and will be available to purchase on the LumoEats at seat trolley service on all Lumo trains from this week, including on its specially named ‘Heed Army Express’ trains on Saturday 11th (running from Newcastle to London at 07:12 and 10:22, and returning at 20:26).
Surely, rail companies should do more deals like this to support local teams and suppliers.
The Anonymous Widower 