Beaulieu Park Station – 30th October 2025
I went to Beaulieu Park station this morning and took these pictures.
Note.
Stowmarket Station – 14th March 2025
tThe one and only time, that I’ve used Stowmarket station, was when I’d taken my Lotus in for a service near Diss and I was getting back to Newmarket, with a change at the station.
So as I was going to Stowmarket station, I felt with the judicious use of a East Anglian Ranger ticket, I could combine the trips to Stowmarket and Saxmundham stations.
I also wanted to look at the progress on the new footbridge that I wrote about in Stowmarket Station To Go Step-Free.
I took these pictures.
Note.
- I arrived on the Norwich-bound platform, crossed the tracks by the level crossing and then left from the Ipswich-bound platform.
- The station has a cafe.
- The footbridge in the pictures is a temporary one to ease construction.
- The station buildings are Grade II Listed.
There doesn’t appear to have been much progress on the new footbridge.
I do have some other thoughts.
Greater Anglia’s Stadler Trains Are Step-Free Between Train And Platform
The first two and last pictures in the gallery show this feature.
I arrived on a Class 745 train and left on a Class 755 and both train classes have gap fillers, that do their job automatically.
We need more of this technology to protect the elderly, those with restricted movement and the just untrained stupid.
Housing By The Station
It appears that two blocks of flats have been built on railway land or the station car park.
The bridge also appears to give the owners and residents access across the railway.
Is this thoughtful holistic design or just a bribe to get planning permission?
Who Will Use The Footbridge?
Two main lines effectively cross at Stowmarket.
- The Great Eastern Main Line between Ipswich and Norwich goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket and Diss.
- The Ipswich and Ely Line between Ipswich and Cambridge goes through Needham Market, Stowmarket, Elmswell, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds, Kennett, Newmarket and Dullingham.
So, if you need to go between say Newmarket and Diss, you would change trains at Stowmarket. Hopefully, the bridge will encourage train travel.
New Housing In East Anglia
On the main railway lines between Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich, there used to be a lot more stations.
- There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Cambridge.
- There are three closed stations between Stowmarket and Ely .
- There are two closed stations between Stowmarket and Ipswich.
- There are eight closed stations between Stowmarket and Norwich.
Note.
- A new Soham station was built between Stowmarket and Ely. Passenger numbers are rising with each year.
- I have double-counted Higham and Saxham and Risby stations on both the Ely and Cambridge routes.
- But that still leaves nineteen stations, that might be good sites to build new houses.
- The East-West Railway intend to build a new A14 Parkway station to link the A14 road to the Ipswich and Ely Line.
- When housing is taken into account, some stations will give a better return on investment.
Could the new footbridge at Stowmarket be part of a wide ranging plan to build more housing in towns and villages along the railways of East Anglia?
Was The Old Footbridge Too Low?
This picture was taken of the old bridge.
Was the bridge too low for some container trains?
UK Rail Operations Group Gets The Keys To Their Tri-Mode Locomotive
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on RailFreight.com.
This is the sub-heading.
A Green Milestone, in every sense. Delivered in an eye-catching livery reminiscent of British Racing Green, Rail Operations Group may well have called the delivery of their first Class 93 tri-mode locomotive, a leap forward in reshaping the future of operations. It is certainly an environmental first strike on behalf of the rail industry in the race to a net-zero carbon economy.
Note.
- There are thirty on order.
- It can haul both freight and passenger trains.
- It has a maximum speed of 110 mph.
- The development history in the Wikipedia entry is a good read.
It certainly looks an impressive locomotive and the livery will get it noticed. But then you don’t hide your best light under a bushel!
Operations
This section in the Wiki9pedia entry is entitled Proposed Use, where this is said.
ROG intends to pair the locomotive with a new generation of freight wagons that would run at a maximum speed of 100 mph (160 km/h), comparable to that of contemporary passenger trains. Trains formed of such wagons would be easier to insert into timetables around and between existing passenger trains, increasing flexibility and potentially creating capacity for more freight trains on the national network.
In addition to freight, the Class 93 has also been designed to accommodate the haulage of passenger stock, including a variable-height Dellner coupling and a three-step Westcode brake in addition to its conventional two-pipe air brake.
The Class 93 locomotives will surely be very impressive hauling freight heavy trains to and from Felixstowe, on the electrified Great Eastern Main Line sandwiched between the 100 mph express passenger trains.
- What weight and length of train, these locomotives can haul in and out of Felixstowe?
- What destinations will they be able to reach using the electrification from Ipswich?
- Will they be able to take shorter trains to the Midlands via Ely and Leicester?
It will be interesting to see where these locomotives operate.
Was Baldrick An Essex Man?
I have been looking at Network Rail’s page for Beaulieu Park station.
This is the heading.
Network Rail and Essex County Council are working together to develop proposals for the first railway station to be built on the Great Eastern main line for over 100 years.
These two paragraphs outline the project and where the finance is being obtained.
The new station is part of a wider regeneration of the Beaulieu Park estate in Chelmsford with new road infrastructure and up to 14,000 homes.
Essex County Council, in partnership with Chelmsford City Council, successfully secured £218m of funding from the Government’s Housing and Infrastructure (HIF) fund together with £34m contributions from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and the developers of Beaulieu, Countryside and L&Q.
These features of Beaulieu Park station are listed on the page.
- Three platforms with a central loop line and new tracks to enable stopping services to call at the station while allowing fast trains to pass through unimpeded
- Step free access to all platforms via 2 lifts
- Accessible toilets, baby change facilities, waiting area and space for retail/catering
- Ticketing facilities, with ticket vending machines and a gate line
- Pedestrian and cycle access routes to the station
- 500 spaces for cycle parking and storage
- A bus interchange including bus stands for local services
- Pick up and drop off area with dedicated taxi bays
- Parking for over 700 cars, 5% of which to be designated Blue Badge bays, and motorcycle spaces, as well as dedicated parking for station staff, emergency services, and a dedicated space for service access.
Note.
- How many other parkway stations, other than Ebbsfleet International station have 700 parking spaces?
- The parking at Whittlesford Parkway can only hold 377 vehicles.
- How many other parkway stations have an overtaking loop for faster trains?
Beaulieu Park is not your average parkway station!
I have a few thoughts.
Which Of The Current Services Will Call?
The Network Rail page says this about services.
It will provide additional access to the railway with regular connections to the capital (only 40 minutes from London Liverpool Street station) and other destinations in the east of England. New tracks will enable stopping services to call at the station while allowing fast trains to pass through unimpeded.
Note.
- Trains between London and Hatfield Peverel station typically take under forty minutes.
- Two fast trains per hour (tph) between Liverpool Street and Norwich via Colchester, Ipswich and Stowmarket pass through.
- Only one of the fast trains stops at Chelmsford.
- Four stopping tph, one to each of Braintree, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester Town and Ipswich pass through.
If all the stopping trains stopped, Beaulieu Park would have the following services.
- Braintree – 1 tph
- Chelmsford – 4 tph
- Clacton-on-Sea – 1 tph
- Colchester – 3 tph
- Colchester Town – 1 tph
- Hatfield Peverel – 1 tph
- Ingatestone – 2 tph
- Ipswich – 1 tph
- Kelvedon – 2 tph
- London Liverpool Street – 4 tph
- Marks Tey – 2 tph
- Romford – 1 tph
- Shenfield – 3 tph
- Stratford – 4 tph
- Witham – 4 tph
All trains are new Class 720 electric trains.
I also feel, that Network Rail could be being cunning.
Suppose, the Liverpool Street and Norwich express, that doesn’t stop at Chelmsford, stopped instead at Beaulieu Park.
- This would give an hourly express service between Beaulieu Park and Norwich, which stopped at Colchester, Manningtree, Ipswich, Stowmarket and Diss.
- It would also enable two tph between Beaulieu Park and Ipswich.
The 700 parking spaces at Beaulieu Park now start to make sense.
- Both Ipswich and Norwich stations are within walking distance of the town centres and the football grounds.
- Ipswich station has a shuttle bus service to the town centre and the hospital.
- Both stations have several local train services.
Beaulieu Park station appears to have been designed as a Park-and-Ride station for the Great Eastern Main Line and all its branches.
Services To And From Lowestoft
In Making Sense Of The New East Anglia Franchise, I looked in detail at Greater Anglia’s promises.
In a section, which is entitled London – Lowestoft – Yarmouth Services, I said this.
There are going to be four direct services between London and Lowestoft each day. This probably initially means two trains to London in the morning peak and two trains back in the evening one.
When, I first moved back to Suffolk in the 1970s, I regularly caught a diesel-hauled train from Wickham Market to London for the day.
This is all motherhood and apple pie for those in Lowestoft wanting to go to London, but I suspect it isn’t the easiest service for a train operator to schedule efficiently and make money.
Would a train operator really want to start a full train at Lowestoft at say six in the morning and then have it wait around all day in London before returning in the evening?
The service hasn’t started.
Services To And From Cambridge Or Peterborough
At some time in the last decade, one of the predecessors of Greater Anglia, used to run a service to Peterborough via Colchester and Ipswich, so that travellers in Essex could catch trains to the North.
Given too that Cambridge has an employment problem, if a service was run, it might attract passengers.
The Class 755 trains Could Serve Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, Lowestoft, Newmarket, Peterborough And Yarmouth
Consider.
- A pair of Class 755 trains would leave Liverpool Street.
- They would use electric power to run to Ipswich.
- The trains would run in one of the paths of the current hourly Ipswich service.
- Like their all electric siblings; the Class 745 trains, they would probably run most of the journey at near 100 mph.
- At Ipswich the trains would split.
- One train would go to on to Lowestoft and Yarmouth and the other would go to Cambridge and Peterborough.
If passenger numbers felt it was a good idea, I’m certain, it could be timetabled.
The Chelmsford Avoiding Line
In Will The Chelmsford Avoiding Line Be Rebuilt?, I described the avoiding line, that used to be between the two tracks at Chelmsford station.
It probably saved a few minutes, by allowing fast expresses to pass stopping trains.
Effectively, a new avoiding line is being built at Beaulieu Park, a few miles from the original position at Chelmsford.
So will the fast expresses save a few minutes?
Could The Elizabeth Line Run To Beaulieu Park?
Consider
- The end sections of the Elizabeth Line seem to be busy, as I wrote in Very Busy Lizzie.
- The City of Chelmsford is between Shenfield and Beaulieu Park.
- Paddington and Reading is 35.9 miles.
- Liverpool Street and Hatfield Peverel is 35.9 miles.
So Beaulieu Park is actually closer to London than Reading.
Perhaps, at some time in a few years, passenger traffic between Beaulieu Park and Shenfield will be such, that the Elizabeth Line will be extended to Beaulieu Park.
The ideal service from Beaulieu Park would surely be two tph to Heathrow, as getting to Heathrow from East Anglia by train needs a change at Liverpool Street.
The only drawback is that to work effectively on the Great Eastern Main Line, a sub-variant of the Class 345 trains will be needed with a 100 mph operating speed. I wrote about these trains in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line.
But they may have the advantage of being able to take the fast lines between Shenfield and Stratford.
Conclusion
Beaulieu Park may just look like any other station to serve a housing development.
But it’s a lot more than that!
- It’s a Park-and-Ride for the whole Great Eastern Main Line and London.
- It should speed up expresses between London and Colchester, Ipswich or Norwich.
- It should improve local connectivity.
- It could take a lot of traffic off the nearby A12.
- It could give the City of Chelmsford its own local metro.
- It could give Heathrow a direct link to much of Essex.
- How much carbon will be saved by passengers?
We need many more well thought out Park-and-Ride stations.
Could The Giant Station At Bank, Liverpool Street, Monument And Moorgate Be Considered A Superhub?
In Is The City Of London Moving Towards One Giant Station?, I showed how the four stations were being drawn together and developed as one large station that served the heart of the City of London.
London is also developing other large interchange stations that could claim because of their connectivity could be classed as London superhub stations.
- Canary Wharf stations, which connect the Elizabeth and Jubilee Lines, and the Docklands Light Railway.
- Old Oak Common station, which could bring together the Central, Chiltern and Elizabeth Lines, the London Overground and High Speed Two.
- Stratford station, which connects the Central, Elizabeth and Jubilee Lines, the Docklands Light Railway, the London Overground, High Speed One and the Great Eastern Main Line.
- Whitechapel station, which connects the Circle, District, Elizabeth and Hammersmith & City Lines, and the London Overground.
But what are the characteristics of a superhub station?
A Lot Of Lines And Services
Obviously, it must have a lot of lines and services, so perhaps Clapham Junction station is the original superhub station.
All Lines Should Have Step-Free Access
This surely, goes without saying.
There Should Be Lots of Information
If the station is large it needs a lot of information and there’s probably the space to put it.
Helpful Staff
Should we have a fully-staffed kiosk at superhub stations, as there are at some main line stations?
Good Bus Connections
Bus connections at a superhub station must be comprehensive and probably connect to other superhubs.
There Should Be A Selection Of Shops For Travellers
I do my daily food and other shopping, as I travel around London. I’ll often use a station like Paddington with a good selection of shops.
Toilets
There are not enough public toilets in London.
Cash Machines
I know we’re using less cash, but a large station is a secure place to put a cash-machine.
Works Of Art
I also believe that railway stations are a secure place to put some of those large bronze sculptures and other works of art, that are currently locked away in the storerooms of galleries.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Serving South-East London
The Inadequacies Of Abbey Wood Station
Abbey Wood station is the Elizabeth Line’s main terminus in South-East London.
The architecture is impressive, as the pictures taken before the station was finished show.
But other things are less than impressive.
- There is no station parking.
- Central London rail terminals served by Elizabeth Line services are only Liverpool Street/Moorgate and Paddington.
- Central London rail terminals served by National Rail services are Cannon Street, London Bridge, King’s Cross and St. Pancras.
In my view, Abbey Wood is a lost cause, as a commuter station, unless substantial parking is built at the station.
Parking At Stations In West Kent
This list shows the number of car parking spaces at stations in West Kent and South East London.
- Barnehurst – 162 *
- Belvedere – None *
- Bexleyheath – 83 *
- Chatham – 276 *
- Dartford – 186 *
- Ebbsfleet International – 4945 #
- Erith – None *
- Eynsford – 15
- Farningham Road – None
- Gillingham – 152 *
- Gravesend – 94 *
- Greenhithe – 8 *
- Longfield – 88
- Meopham – 167
- Northfleet – None *
- Plumstead – None *
- Rochester – None *
- St. Mary Cray – 31
- Slade Green – 25
- Sole Street – 61
- Stone Crossing – None *
- Strood – 112 *
- Swanley – 106
- Swanscombe – None *
- Welling – 117
Note.
- An asterisk (*) indicates direct trains to and from Abbey Wood station for the Elizabeth Line.
- An hash(#) indicates direct trains to and from Stratford International for the Elizabeth Line.
These figures are according to the National Rail web site.
It looks like unless you can walk to your nearest station and that has an easy connection to Abbey Wood, you’re probably better off going to Ebbsfleet and parking there.
Travelling Between Ebbsfleet International And The Elizabeth Line At Stratford International
Consider.
- Southeastern’s Highspeed service between Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International has a frequency of three trains per hour (tph)
- It takes less than twelve minutes between the two stations.
- It takes ten minutes to walk between Stratford International and Stratford Station for the Elizabeth Line and Greater Anglia services.
- There are eight Elizabeth Line tph to Paddington, calling at all stations. For Heathrow change at Whitechapel station.
Note.
- From these points, it should be possible to estimate the time you should park at Ebbsfleet to get to an event in London or East Anglia, if you live in Kent and are parking at Ebbsfleet International.
- I think four tph between Ebbsfleet International and Stratford International would make the route more attractive.
- If you’re going to Norwich or Ipswich be careful, as only one of the two tph stop at Stratford.
I catch the 12:30 from Liverpool Street for matches at Ipswich on Saturdays. This is the 12:38 from Stratford, so I suspect if you parked at parked at Ebbsfleet before 12:00, you’d make it.
Who’d have thought, that when they built the massive car parks at Ebbsfleet international, that they would be a Park-and-Ride for football at Ipswich. And Norwich too!
Changing Trains At Stratford
This map from Cartometro shows the two Stratford stations.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in purple.
- The Central Line is shown in red.
- The Jubilee Line is shown in silver.
- The Overground is shown in orange.
- Lifts and escalators take passengers to and from the surface from between platforms 2 and 3 at Stratford International station.
Two pedestrian tunnels connect all the platforms in Stratford station.
- Elizabeth Line trains use platforms 5 and 8.
- Central Line trains use platforms 3, 3a and 6.
- Great Eastern Main Line trains use platforms 9, 9a and 10.
- Overground trains use platforms 1 and 2.
All platforms have lifts.
I suspect, that when you get to know the Stratford complex well, it’s easier than it looks.
But it does need better signage.
Full Step-Free Route Between Ebbsfleet And Heathrow Central
I have just used Transport for London’s Journey Planner, as if I was in a wheelchair and need full step-free access to go from Ebbsfleet to Heathrow Central.
This was the route.
- Southeastern to Stratford International station – 10 mins
- Walk to Stratford station – 21 mins
- Jubilee Line to Bond Street – 24 mins
- Bond Street to Heathrow Central – 32 mins
Note.
- The times are slower than say myself.
- I think it is possible to pick up the Elizabeth Line at Stratford.
But the route is certainly possible in a wheel-chair.
The Penge Interchange
This map from Cartometro shows where the East London Line of the London Overground and the Chatham Main Line between Victoria and Chatham cross in Penge.
Note.
- The East London Line runs North-South through Sydenham and Penge West stations.
- The Chatham Main Line runs through Penge East station.
There is a plan by Transport for London to create a Penge Interchange station on railway land, where the two lines cross.
- The station could replace Penge West and Penge East stations.
- It would be fully step-free.
- Interchange would be allowed between the East London Line and the Chatham Main Line.
This would increase connectivity for those travelling to and from South-East London and West Kent.
I brlieve that this one interchange could help level-up a large area of South-East London.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Eastern Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel
If say it was ever needed to run a train between Ipswich or Southend Victoria stations and the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, three things must be possible.
Trains Would Have To Be Compatible With The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line
As any train would have to be compatible with the platform-edge doors in the central tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, the trains would have to be dimensionally identical to the current Class 345 trains.
- Nine cars
- Possibility of lengthening to ten cars.
- 204.73 metres long.
- 6 sets of doors per carriage
- Ability to run under full digital signalling.
I covered this in detail in Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line.
Trains Would Need A 100 mph Capability To Travel On The Fast Lines Of The Great Eastern Main Line
They would be designed for a higher speed of at least 100 mph, to enable running on the fast lines.
The faster running would ease scheduling of the trains.
Effectively, the train would be a Class 345 train with more features and considerably more grunt.
Trains Must Be Able To Connect Between The Fast Lines And The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Stratford
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Stratford.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in black and purple.
- The Elizabeth Line to Shenfield goes through Platform 8 at Stratford station and Platform 2 at Maryland station.
- The Great Eastern Main Line to Shenfield goes through Platform 10 at Stratford station and Platform 4 at Maryland station.
- The Stratford country end crossovers allow a train using the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel to go through Platform 8 at Stratford station and Platform 4 at Maryland station before continuing on the Great Eastern Main Line.
- The Elizabeth Line to Central London goes through Platform 1 at Maryland station and Platform 5 at Stratford station.
- The Great Eastern Main Line to Central London goes through Platform 3 at Maryland station and Platform 9 at Stratford station.
- The Stratford country end crossovers allow a train using the Great Eastern Main Line to go through Platform 3 at Maryland station and Platform 3 at Stratford station before continuing through the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
I am fairly sure that the track layout at Stratford allows trains to go both ways between Great Eastern Main Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line
This may seem rather fanciful, but could it be the way to maximise the use of the Elizabeth Line?
- I feel that the Elizabeth Line will eventually serve other destinations like Basingstoke, Beaulieu, Oxford, Southend and Swindon.
- The capacity of the Elizabeth Line will grow to over thirty trains per hour (tph) under control of digital signalling.
These are a few thoughts.
The Design Of The Trains
As any train would have to be compatible with the platform-edge doors in the central tunnel of the Elizabeth Line, the trains would have to be dimensionally identical to the current Class 345 trains.
- Nine cars
- Possibility of lengthening to ten cars.
- 204.73 metres long.
- 6 sets of doors per carriage
- Ability to run under full digital signalling.
They would be designed for a higher speed of at least 110 or 125 mph, to enable running on the fast lines of these routes.
- East Coast Main Line
- Great Western Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- West Coast Main Line
They would also be able to run at 100 mph on the Chiltern Main Line, the Great Eastern Main Line and the North Kent Line.
The faster running would ease scheduling of the trains.
Extra facilities could include.
- Toilets
- Tables
- A third-rail capability for running in Kent.
Effectively, it would be a Class 345 train with more features and considerably more grunt.
Note that in A High Speed Train With An IPEMU-Capability, I started the post with the following.
Bombardier were reported by Ian Walmsley in the April 2016 Edition of Modern Railways, to be developing Aventra, with a 125 mph capability.
Bombardier have also told me, that all Aventras will be wired so they could be fitted with on-board energy storage.
Could it be that the design of a Class 345 train could be modified to run at higher speeds? I wouldn’t be surprised.
Oxford To Southend Victoria
This could be a typical route.
- Between Oxford and Paddington, it would follow a route similar to the GWR’s Oxford service with stops at just Reading and Slough.
- At Paddington the train would take the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line and travel under London, at the same speed as the other trains.
- It would emerge at Stratford and move to the Great Eastern Main Line.
- It would probably stop at Stratford, Romford, Shenfield and all stations to Southend Victoria.
Note.
- Digital signalling would enforce the precise timekeeping needed.
- Much of the Oxford and Paddington section would be up to speeds of at least 125 mph.
- Times in the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line would be identical to the current Class 345 trains.
- Much of the Stratford and Southend section would be up to speeds of at least 100 mph.
I estimate that total time would be a few minutes under two hours.
Connecting To The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Royal Oak
I discuss this in Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Western Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel.
Connecting To The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Stratford
I discuss this in Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Eastern Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel.
Connecting To The Central Tunnel Of The Elizabeth Line At Abbey Wood
This map from cartometro.com shows the track layout at Abbey Wood.
Note.
- The Elizabeth Line is shown in purple.
- The North Kent Line is shown in black.
- The North Kent Line platform to London is the Southernmost platform and is numbered 1.
- The North Kent Line platform from London is the other Southern platform and is numbered 2.
- The Elizabeth Line platforms are numbered 3 and 4.
- Platform 4 is the Northernmost platform.
At present the Elizabeth Line service to Abbey Wood station is twelve tph, with each platform handling six tph.
This picture shows trains in both Platform 3 and 4 looking towards the station buildings.
Note.
- Platform 3 is on the right.
- Platform 4 is on the left.
In Elizabeth Line To Ebbsfleet Extension Could Cost £3.2 Billion, I talk about this proposal as described in this article on Ian Visits.
One of the key features of Crossrail To Ebbsfleet (C2E) project is that instead of all trains terminating at Abbey Wood, trains will terminate as follows.
- Abbey Wood – 4 tph
- Northfleet – 4 tph
- Gravesend – 4 tph
This will mean that 8 tph would pass through Abbey Wood station.
- Platform 4 could certainly handle the four that terminated on the Elizabeth Line.
- Platform 3 would need to handle eight tph in both directions or sixteen tph to fulfil the proposed C2E service.
- This would be one train every 225 seconds.
I believe that digital signalling could handle this easily and safely.
I am fairly sure that the track layout at Abbey Wood allows eight tph to go both ways between the North Kent Line and the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
The Maximum Capacity At Abbey Wood Station
Because of the current track layout at Abbey Wood, I believe that without track modifications, Abbey Wood station will not be able to handle more than 12 tph.
Thameslink
These proposed trains would also be compatible with Thameslink, as this route has no platform edge doors.
No platform extensions would be needed, as the Class 345 trains are shorter than the 12-car Class 700 trains.
If they were 125 mph trains, then this would ease timetabling on the East Coast Main Line, as the trains could mix it with the expresses on the fast lines.
Could These High Speed Trains For The Elizabeth Line Have A Cruising Speed Of 140 mph?
It is likely, when full authority digital ERTMS signalling is installed on main lines out of London, that 140 mph will be possible on some at least these routes.
- East Coast Main Line
- Great Western Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- West Coast Main Line
The extra speed would maximise capacity.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – Rebuilding Shenfield Station
I have a feeling that Shenfield station will become a bottleneck on the Great Eastern Main Line.
- I feel that both passenger and freight traffic will increase through the station in the next ten years.
- I also feel that there is a possibility that the Elizabeth Line will be extended to Southend/Airport/Victoria and/or Beaulieu.
- Yesterday, I changed between a Southend and a Lizzie Line service, which meant down in one lift and up in another.
- With more and more housing likely to be built in the area, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot more parking.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the station needing to be rebuilt and expanded in the next few years.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – An Extension To Southend Airport
The Wikipedia entry for Crossrail, has a section for an extension to Southend Airport, where this is said.
Stobart Aviation, the company that operates Southend Airport in Essex, has proposed that Crossrail should be extended beyond Shenfield along the Shenfield–Southend line to serve Southend Airport and Southend Victoria. The company has suggested that a direct Heathrow-Southend link could alleviate capacity problems at Heathrow. The extension proposal has been supported by Southend-on-Sea City Council.
I have written about extending Crossrail to Southend before in Council Launches Campaign To Extend Crossrail To Southend-on-Sea.
In that post, I gave these reasons.
- Extra capacity between London and Southend
- A more intensive service to Southend Airport
- A twenty-four hour service to Southend Airport
- Enabling housing
- Taking pressure from Liverpool Street
I came to the conclusion, that extending the Elizabeth Line to Southend could have a lot going for it.
Times Change
But that post was written nearly four years ago and times change and they will change more in the next few years.
The Elizabeth Line Trains Are Shorter Than The Liverpool Street And Southend Victoria Trains
This has also happened and the pair of five-car Class 720 trains, that Greater Anglia use for Southend Victoria services are over thirty metres longer than the Elizabeth Line’s nine-car Class 345 trains.
This would mean that there would be no need for platform lengthening along the route to Southend Victoria.
Zero-Carbon Aircraft Are Under Development
Zero-carbon aircraft like the Heart Aerospace ES-19 could be in service by 2027. These aircraft will probably have a limited range of around 400 km and a charge time of 40 minutes.
- Southend Airport’s position on the East side of London would enable the creation of zero-carbon flights to places like Amsterdam, Brussels, Lille, Paris and Rotterdam.
- A quick estimate indicates that aircraft like the ES-19 could fly from Southend to Amsterdam and recharge in around two hours.
- Intensively scheduled, these electric aircraft could make several round trips per day.
- Would almost silent electric aircraft be able to fly twenty-four hours per day?
These flights could seriously increase the number of passengers to Southend Airport before the end of the decade.
More Housing
I think more housing will be built between Shenfield and Southend, which will increase the need for more services past Shenfield.
The Great Eastern Main Line Will Have Full Digital Signalling
More and more trains will be running on the Great Eastern Main Line and like other main lines in the UK, it will receive full digital signalling, which would probably be applied to the Shenfield and Southend Line.
This would give the extra capacity to Southend Victoria, that running the Elizabeth Line to Southend Airport and Southend Victoria would need.
Possible Services
I think there are two main possible options, but there may be others.
- A long Elizabeth Line extension all the way to Southend Victoria.
- A short Elizabeth Line extension only as far as Southend Airport.
My feelings are as follows.
- The Greater Anglia service should remain as it is with three trains per hour (tph) calling at all stations to Shenfield, Stratford and Liverpool Street.
- Perhaps three or four Elizabeth Line tph would extend to Southend Victoria, calling at all stations.
- All Elizabeth Line trains would call at all stations to and from London, as they do now!
Full digital signalling would handle the extra trains.
Conclusion
I think it will be unlikely that the Elizabeth Line will be extended to Southend in the next few years, but before the end of the decade, I can certainly see limited Elizabeth Line services going all the way to Southend Victoria.
The Anonymous Widower 