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.
Rail Minister Officially Opens Werrington Tunnel
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Werrington Tunnel, an underground freight tunnel running beneath the East Coast Main Line near Peterborough, has been formally opened by Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris.
A key step in the £1.2bn East Coast upgrade, the opening of the tunnel allows for freight services to be ran underneath the main rail artery, significantly improving passenger service reliability on the East Coast Main Line.
I also think, that the tunnel will be used creatively by passenger and freight operators.
Electrification
There is a possibility that the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE) between Werrington and Doncaster via Lincoln could be electrified.
- It would allow the many freight trains using the route to be hauled by electric locomotives.
- It would create a by-pass for the East Coast Main Line during engineering works, that could be used as a diversion route by electric trains.
- Werrington and Lincoln are just over fifty miles and might be handled by battery-electric trains, if the GNGE were to be partially electrified.
According to one report, the Werrington Tunnel has been readied for electrification, should that be decided.
An Improved Peterborough And Lincoln Service
In the past, I have travelled between London and Lincoln with a change at Peterborough. In one case, I just missed my connection, as it was a long crowded walk between the two platforms.
The Werrington Tunnel will enable trains to and from Lincoln to use platforms on the West side of Peterborough station.
Train times and platform allocations could be arranged to make connections at Peterborough easier.
A London And Lincoln Service Via Spalding And Sleaford
There are two possible routes between London King’s Cross and Lincoln
- The current LNER service leaves the East Coast Main Line at Newark.
- An alternative route would leave the East Coast Main Line at Peterborough and be routed via the Werrington Tunnel, Spalding and Sleaford.
These notes apply to the alternative route.
- The Lincoln service wouldn’t call at Grantham and Newark.
- Some services could also call at other stations.
- The current hourly Peterborough and Lincoln service via Spalding is run by a Class 153 train , which stops four times and takes fourteen minutes longer than LNER’s service via Newark.
- An easy connection to and from Skegness could be arranged at Spalding,
LNER also plans to extend some Lincoln services to Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes. Timings will dictate which will be the better route.
The Werrington Tunnel would add a large degree of flexibility in routing services between London King’s Cross and Lincoln and Lincolnshire.
Splitting And Joining At Peterborough
If the Werrington Tunnel makes Lincoln timings via Spalding and Sleaford viable, I wonder if it would be possible for trains to split and join at Peterborough.
- One train would go to Lincoln via the Werrington Tunnel, Spalding and Sleaford.
- The other might go North to Bradford, Hull, Middlesbrough, Scarborough or York.
The Werrington Tunnel again adds flexibility.
A Round-The-Wash Service Between Doncaster And Ipswich/Norwich
In Is There A Case For A Round-The-Wash Service Between Doncaster And Ipswich/Norwich?, I suggested this service, which would be an hourly Doncaster and Cambridge service via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town Cleethorpes, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Werrington Tunnel and Peterborough that would alternatively extend to Ipswich or Norwich.
The Werrington Tunnel again opens up possibilities.
Conclusion
I’m sure that the Werrington Tunnel and the technology that built it will be imitated elsewhere.
Is There A Case For A Round-The-Wash Service Between Doncaster And Ipswich/Norwich?
I suggested this service in The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands And The East Coast Main Line.
Effectively, it would join East Midlands Railway’s Doncaster and Peterborough service with Greater Anglia’s Cambridge and Ipswich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Suffolk.
- The service would not use the East Coast Main Line, but would use the new Werrington Dive-Under and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to the East of the East Coast Main Line.
- The frequency would be one train per two hours (1tp2h).
- Ideal trains could be Class 755 trains, perhaps running on batteries or hydrogen.
It would be paired with a new Doncaster and Norwich service, that could partly replace East Midlands Railway’s Liverpool and Norwich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Norfolk.
As with the Ipswich train it would not use the East Coast Main Line and have a frequency of 1tp2h.
The Objectives Of The Service
I believe this service could have several objectives.
Remove Slower Trains From The East Coast Main Line Between Peterborough And Doncaster
There aren’t many except freight, but this plan could provide a better solution to the Liverpool and Norwich service.
Providing Better Connections To The Biggest Growth Point In The UK – Cambridge
Cambridge needs better connections, so that it can bring in the staff and workers, that the high-tech capital of the UK needs.
Better Connection Of East Anglia And Lincolnshire To Northern England And Scotland
In Peterborough and Doncaster the route has two main interchanges to bring about these connections.
Promoting Tourism
For a start the route has five cathedrals; Bury St. Edmunds, Ely, Lincoln, Norwich and Peterborough and the historic city of Cambridge.
But I do believe that there are numerous places, where tourists might stay on the route and use it to explore the East of the country.
A Few Questions
These are a few questions.
Would The Route Be Electrified?
I don’t believe it will be fully electrified for two reasons.
Freight locomotives will increasingly become hydrogen-powered and also be able to use electrification, where it exists.
Plans by the likes of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Furrer and Frey are likely to enable discontinuous and battery-electric trains to be able to work the route.
This philosophy would avoid all the disruption and reconstruction of structures of electrification and probably be much more affordable.
Would York Or Leeds Make A Better Northern Terminal For The Route?
Both have possibilities.
- York would need running on the East Coast Main Line.
- Leeds would probably need trains capable of 125 mph running.
On the other hand both Leeds and York would have superb connectivity.
Conclusion
I feel this would be a very valuable new service and it could be created without building any new infrastructure other than perhaps some strategic stations.
A Special Weekend Timetable Has Been Put In Place For Lincoln Christmas Market
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
This is the first paragraph.
The timetable has been put in place for Lincoln Christmas Market with direct services from Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness.
It looks to be a clever piece of planning, whilst work is carried out on the East Coast Main Line between Doncaster and Peterborough.
- Services will be diverted onto the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line though Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
- Will the trains be using the new tracks at the Werrington dive-under.
- Nine-car Class 800 bi-mode trains will be used.
- On the Saturday, there will be two trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
- Of these trains, five trains per day (tpd) in both directions will stop at Lincoln Central station.
It does appear that LNER are making the best of a difficult situation.
Passengers going to Lincoln for the Christmas Market will not be disappointed.
Grand Central Trains
Grand Central Trains are also using the diversion route.
Hull Trains
Hull Trains are also using the diversion route.
On the Saturday, there will be five tpd in both directions.
These can be doubled up to ten-car trains if the demand is there.
Lumo Trains
Lumo trains don’t appear to be running.
Conclusion
Network Rail seem to have done a cunning piece of timetabling.
There’ll be trainspotters galore in the centre of Lincoln.
Iron Ore Miner Orders Heavy-Haul Battery Locomotive
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Mining company Roy Hill has ordered a Wabtec FLXdrive battery-electric heavy-haul freight locomotive. This will replace one the four ES44ACi diesel-electric locos used to haul its 2 700 m long iron ore trains, and is expected to reduce fuel costs and emissions by ‘double digit’ percentages while also cutting maintenance costs.
The locomotive is scheduled to be delivered in 2023. It will have a capacity of 7 MWh, an upgrade from the 2·4 MWh prototype which Wabtec and BNSF tested in revenue service in California earlier this year.
Note.
- It will have a 7 MWh battery.
- 2700 metres is 1.6 miles.
It looks to me, that the three diesel locomotives and one battery locomotive are arranged as a massive hybrid locomotive and I suspect that with sophisticated control systems, those double digit cuts in fuel costs and emissions would be possible.
A couple of years ago, I took this picture near Shenfield.
This double-headed train has a Class 90 electric locomotive and a Class 66 diesel locomotive at the front of a long freight train.
- The Class 90 locomotive has an TDM system for multiple working.
- The Class 66 locomotive has an AAR system for multiple working.
So does this mean that the two locomotives can’t work together, which if it does begs the question of what is happening.
- Had the Class 66 locomotive failed and Class 90 was acting as a Thunderbird?
- Was the Class 66 locomotive being moved from one depot to another for maintenance or repair?
- Was it an experiment to see if the two locomotives could work together?
I sometimes think that I didn’t see this unusual formation, but then the camera doesn’t lie.
But could we learn from what Wabtec are doing for Roy Hill in Australia?
The Class 93 Locomotive
Rail Operations Group have already ordered thirty Class 93 tri-mode locomotives from Stadler, which have following power ratings.
- Electric – 4000 kW
- Diesel – 900 kW
- Hybrid – 1300 kW
If this locomotive is capable of hauling the heaviest intermodal freight trains out of Felixstowe, Southampton and other ports and freight terminals, it could contribute to substantial reductions in the diesel fuel used and emissions.
As an example, I will use a freight train between Felixstowe North Terminal and Trafford Park Euro Terminal.
- It is a route of 280 miles.
- I will ignore that it goes along the North London Line through North London and along the Castlefield Corridor through Manchester Piccadilly station.
- There is fifteen miles without electrification at the Felixstowe end.
- There is under three miles without electrification at the Manchester end.
On this service , it could be as much as 94 % of diesel and emissions are saved, if the Class 93 locomotive can haul a heavy freight train out of Felixstowe. A few miles of strategically-placed electrification at the Ipswich end would help, if required.
It must also be born in mind, that the Class 93 locomotive is a 110 mph locomotive on electric power and could probably do the following.
- Run at 100 mph on the busy Great Eastern Main Line.
- Run at faster speeds on the West Coast Main Line.
- Fit in well with the 100 mph passenger trains, that run on both routes.
So not only does it save diesel and carbon emissions, but it will save time and make the freight train easier to timetable on a route with lots of 100 mph passenger trains.
The Class 93 locomotive looks like it could be a game-changer for long-distance intermodal freight, especially, if there were short sections of strategically-placed electrification, added to the electrified network.
Emissions could also be reduced further by using some for of sustainable fuel.
The picture shows a Class 66 locomotive, which is powered by Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil or HVO.
I can see that all diesel-powered trains and locomotives will be powered by sustainable fuels by the end of this decade.
A Wabtec Battery-Electric Locomotive
Wabtec is building a battery-electric locomotive for Roy Hill in Australia.
This article on Railway Age talks about Wabtec’s FLXdrive battery locomotives and describes some features of the locomotive for Roy Hill in Australia.
It mentions pantographs and overhead wires to charge the batteries.
- Wabtec’s prototype battery locomotive has a power output of 3.24 MW and a battery size of 2.4 MWh
- The Roy Hill battery locomotive has a power output of 3.24 MW and a battery size of 7 MWh
I could envisage Wabtec designing a UK-sized battery-electric locomotive with these characteristics.
- 2.5 MW power output, which is similar to a Class 66 locomotive.
- A battery size of perhaps 1.8 MWh based on Wabtec’s FLXdrive technology.
- A pantograph to charge the batteries and also power the locomotive where electrification exists.
- 75 mph operating speed.
- Ability to work in tandem with a Class 66 locomotive.
All technology is under Wabtec’s control.
This locomotive could have a range of at least fifty miles on battery power.
I think this locomotive could handle these routes.
- Peterborough and Doncaster via the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line via Lincoln, with some form of charging at halfway.
- Felixstowe and Nuneaton, with some extra electrification at some point between Peterborough and Leicester.
- Oxford and Birmingham, with possibly some extra electrification in the middle.
One option for charging electrification, would surely be to electrify passing loops.
I think a battery-electric locomtive based on Wabtec’s FLXdrive technology could be a very useful locomotive.
Could Wabtec’s Battery-Electric Locomotive Pair-Up With A Class 66 Locomotive?
Roy Hill will use their locomotive to form a consist of three diesel locomotives and one battery locomotive to obtain double-digit savings of fuel and emissions, when hauling iron-ore trains that are 1.6 miles long on a route of 214 miles.
We don’t have massive iron-ore trains like this, but we do move huge quantities of segregates and stone around the country in trains generally hauled by Class 66 locomotives.
So could a Class 66 or another suitable locomotive be paired-up with a battery-electric locomotive to make savings of fuel and emissions?
I would suggest that if it works in Australia, the technology will probably work in the UK.
The biggest problem for Wabtec is that the heavy end of the market may well be a good one for hydrogen-powered locomotives. But Wabtec are going down that route too!
Conclusion
I am convinced that the two decarbonisation routes I have outlined here are viable for the UK.
But I also feel that locomotive manufacturers will produce hydrogen-powered locomotives.
Other companies like Alstom, Siemens and Talgo will also offer innovative solutions.
Werrington Dive-Under – 8th September 2021
I had gone to Peterborough to take pictures of the Werrington Dive Under, from a train between Peterborough and Spalding.
I took these pictures going Peterborough and Spalding.
My train between Peterborough and Spalding stations took the following route.
- The Class 158 train was a great improvement on the Class 153 train, I took in From Peterborough To Lincoln in 2015.
- It started in Platform 1b at Peterborough station.
- It then crossed over to the Down Fast line to go North.
- Finally, it slowed to cross the Up Fast and Up Slow lines to go towards Spalding.
- It is surely not an efficient and the safest way to run a railway.
Think about turning right on a busy dual carriageway, by going through a gap in the central reservation.
This diagram shows the new track layout of Werrington Junction.
Note.
- My train was going North on Line 5, so it had to use the two crossovers to get to the lines to Spalding.
- The Up Stamford (Line 4) can be seen in the pictures after the two lines have disappeared into the dive-under.
It’s a pity the first of my pictures aren’t better, but the sun was in the wrong direction.
I took these pictures going Spalding and Peterborough.
Note.
- The train used the Up Slow (line 7) to go between Werrington Junction and Peterborough station.
- The last two pictures show the Class 158 train in Platform 1b at Peterborough station.
At least this time, the train didn’t cross the Fast lines.
Will Passenger Trains Use The Werrington Dive-Under?
I’m very sure they will!
- On the Western side of Peterborough station, there are four platforms 4 to 7 and an avoiding line for freight trains going North.
- It appears that all of these lines can access the Down Stamford (Line 1) and Up Stamford (Line 4) to go to Werrington Junction.
- At Werrington Junction, trains either take the route to Stamford or use the dive-under for Spalding.
It looks to me, that if the trains to and from Spalding terminated in one of the Western platforms, then they could use the Stamford Lines to access the dive-under and they wouldn’t cross the Fast Lines of the East Coast Main Line on the flat.
Greengauge 21’s Suggestion, That Thameslink Be Extended To Spalding
In the study by Greengauge 21, which is entitled Connecting East Lincolnshire, this is said.
As noted the Spalding-Peterborough line should be a strong candidate for electrification because of its freight potential, and if so it could also accommodate an extension of Thameslink services from London and the South East to Spalding where interchange would be made with a Spalding–Boston–Louth–Grimsby express bus using the A16.
This proposal may be possible, if instead of using the dive-under, the Thameslink trains were able to use the Up Slow (line 7) to go both ways between Werrington Junction and Peterborough station.
As in the near future, full digital signalling will apply through Peterborough, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Electrification Of The Werrington Dive-Under?
Consider.
- There is a gap of around ninety miles in the freight route between the comprehensive electrification at Peterborough and Doncaster stations on the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE).
- There are dozens of level crossings.
- The route goes through the centre of Lincoln, where there are two level crossings.
There are two ways of decarbonising the route.
- Full electrification
- Using hydrogen-powered freight locomotives.
Both solutions have their proposers and opponents.
I favour hydrogen-electric hybrid locomotives, that can use electrification where it exists, as it reduces the infrastructure cost on overbridges and in freight depots.
- Hydrogen-powered locomotives have a go-anywhere capability.
- There are also a lot of routes in the UK, where freight trains currently run and it would take a long time to electrify all of them.
- As rail freight companies would have to purchase a lot of new locomotives, I can see them opting for hydrogen-electric hybrid locomotives.
But there are others, who think the only way is full electrification.
London And Lincolnshire By Electric Train
Passenger trains are not a problem, as Alstom, CAF, Hitachi, Stadler and others have demonstrated battery ranges of over fifty miles.
LNER are currently serving Lincoln from London using Hitachi bi-mode Class 800 trains, which use diesel for the 16.5 miles between Newark and Lincoln.
Hitachi’s proposed Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, is described in this Hitachi infographic.
I believe it would be possible to handle London and Lincoln via Newark without using diesel.
It also looks like it will be possible to convert the LNER’s current Class 800 trains into Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Trains.
But I doubt their range would sufficient to go between London and Lincoln via Peterborough, Spalding and Sleaford, unless there were to be a charging system at Lincoln.
But surely though, the ideal train for Lincolnshire would be a train that ran between London and Cleethorpes via Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town.
- Peterborough and Lincoln is 56.9 miles.
- Lincoln and Cleethorpes is 47.2 miles.
- The service could be timed for a convenient interchange with the other Lincolnshire train services.
- The service could run perhaps a few times per day.
With charging systems at Lincoln and Cleethorpes, similar to the Hitachi ABB Power Grids system that I described in Solving The Electrification Conundrum, this service could be run by an Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
Peterborough And Lincolnshire By Electric Train
If you could run between Peterborough and major places in Lincolnshire, as part of a London service, I also suspect that a well-designed Peterborough and Lincolnshire service could serve Lincolnshire almost equally well.
It might use Platform 5 to terminate at Peterborough.
- This is paired with Platform 4, which is the platform generally used by LNER trains from London, so there would be a cross-platform interchange going North.
- Going South, there would be a need to use the footbridge.
How many people would use an hourly cross-TransLincs service?
Werrington Dive-Under – 8th November 2018
In Issue 865 of Rail Magazine, there is an article, which is entitled NR Primed To Start Work On £200m ECML Dive-Under.
This is said about construction of the dive-under.
Devegetation has already commenced in the area, while work compounds and access roads are due to be constructed before the end of the year (when the main construction sequence is expected to begin).
The dive-under is expected to enter service in 2021.
The article also says that the Cock Lane footbridge will be replaced with a longer truss bridge to span the widened alignment.
These pictures show the current Cock Lane footbridge.
Whilst I took the pictures there was a lot of noise from chain saws and other machinery, as the vegetation was cleared.
The Track Layout
Note how the tracks are divided into a set of two on the Western side and three on the Eastern.
The Western pair are the so-called Stamford lines, which go off to the West through Stamford station.
A diagram in Rail Magazine shows how they will be moved apart and twenty-five metres to the West. This will enable the two new tracks to be laid between them, which will then dive under the East Coast Main Line and connect to the Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line towards Spalding, Sleaford and Doncaster.
This Google Map shows the Cock Lane Bridge as it crosses the tracks.
The Cock Lane Bridge is at the bottom of the map.
Doing The Work
It looks a simple plan, that NR believes could be executed with a nine-day closure of the East Coast Main Line. This would be needed to tunnel under the three tracks of the main line.
But I suspect that Network Rail could have a series of cunning plans to keep a limited service going.
- There will probably be a number of bi-mode Class 800 trains available.
- Some of the sixteen InterCity 125 trains could be retained.
The diesels and bi-modes could be able to use the Great Northern Great Eastern Joint Line and other routes without electrification to sneak through.
They might also use an interim layout of lines at Werrington to keep the service going.
Extra Electrification
It appears to me that not all tracks are electrified.
The Northbound Stamford Line certainly has electrification, but it appears that the Southbound doesn’t.
Given that in the next decade, it is likely that battery/electric or electro-diesel trains or locomotives will use the route throughStamford station to Leicester and Nuneaton, would it be worthwhile to fully electrify the Stamford Lines.
This image captured from a Network Rail video, clearly shows the new Cock Lane footbridge and that the following lines are electrified.
- The Northbound Stamford Line on the left.
- The three tracks of the East Coast Main Line on the right.
The actual dive-under and the Southbound Stamford Line appear not to have electrification.
Retention Of Diesel Trains
But surely, if there are a few extra diesel trains around for a couple of years or at least until the end of 2019, would it help to sort out some of the other problems on the East Coast Main Line.
Improving Services To Lincoln
Lincoln is one of those places, where, companies have promised better train services for years and they’ve never appeared.
The Wikipedia entry for Lincoln station under Future Services reads like a catalogue of broken promises and very little progress.
I think that it is time to think out of the box to provide a better service for the City.
Sorting Out Newark
Newark is an important interchange to get good services to and from Lincoln.
Because of the notorious Newark Flat Crossing, the railways around the town need improving.
Currently there are two fast trains to and between Lincoln and London a day in both directions, an hourly service to Newark and various other random services.
To make matters worse, the change at Newark Northgate station is often fifteen minutes or so.
These pictures were taken as I changed trains at the station for Lincoln on a fine day.
Is an hourly single coach Class 153 train between Lincoln and Newark Northgate an adequate service?
There are other services to Newark Castle station, but the two stations are separated by the notorious flat junction at Newark, which slows services on the East Coast Main Line.
I think in a well-thought out solution, the following will be achieved.
- Trains on the Nottingham to Lincoln Line will pass Newark without inconveniencing trains on the East Coast Main Line, possibly by means of a flyover or a dive-under.
- These trains would ideally call at both Newark stations.
- Hopefully lifts and stairs will make the changebetween the two lines step-free.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a very unconventional solution to the problem.
Newark Northgate station could be closed and a flyover could take the Nottingham to Lincoln Line over the East Coast Main Line to the North of the town, where a new out-of-town station could be built, which had platforms on all lines and they were connected by lifts. I have called this arrangement A Four-Poster Station in the past.
The new station could also be a transport hub, with lots of car parking.
I changed twice at Newark Northgate today and in both instances I waited nearly fifteen minutes.
So why not just build a simple single-track flyover or dive-under and provide a comfortable electric shuttle bus between Northgate and Castle stations, that meets all trains and does the journey in less time, than the current wait?
Remember that Castle station is closer to the town centre.
It would be a cheaper flyover and the money saved might purchase some bigger new trains.
The service from Nottingham could even be run by tram-trains or like in Zwickau by diesel multiple units, which left the Nottingham to Lincoln Line at Castle station and then went walkabout in Newark.
The only certainty about the sorting of Newark, is that there are innumerable ways to do it and some could be unusual.
I doubt though, that we’ll see much improvement at Newark until after 2020.
The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line
In Project Managers Having Fun In The East, I talked about hoe the Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE) has been upgraded to be a valuable diversion route for freight trains travelling up and down the East Coast Main Line.
£230million has been spent to create a high-quality railway from Werrington Junction just North of Peterborough to Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford and Lincoln.
Given the increasing traffic on the East Coast Main Line and the long wait for any relief in the shape of HS2 to Leeds, the North East and Scotland, I think we will see further development of the GNGE.
- I reported in To Dive Or Fly At Werrington, how plans are ongoing to improve the Southern connection of the line to the East Coast Main Line.
- The latest details on Werrington Junction are here on the Network Rail web site and talk about a 2020 completion.
- Could a new Lincoln Avoiding Line be built, so that freight trains avoid going through Lincoln Central station and the level crossings?
- The GNGE has lots of closed stations and some have been reopened in the last few years. Could more be reopened?
All these developments lead me to the conclusion, that there will be improved passenger services on the Peterborough to Doncaster route via Lincoln.
As the GNGE is now a high-class modern route, the single coach Class 153 train will be replaced by something like a two-car Class 158 train or Class 170 train.
The speeds of the three trains are.
- Class 153 – 120 kph
- Class 158 – 140 kph
- Class 170 – 160 mph
As Inter-City 125s are released by the arrival of new Class 800 trains, could we even see shortened versions running between Kings Cross and Yorkshire via Peterborough, Lincoln and Doncaster? These magnificent trains certainly perform well on secondary routes, as anybody, who has ridden in the cab between Edinburgh and Inversion can testify.
I wonder what times a well-driven Class 170 train could achieve. Currently Peterborough to Lincoln takes eighty minutes and Lincoln to Doncaster takes two hours.
I estimate that a Class 170 train could do the journey between Lincoln and Peterborough in about an hour, which is about the fastest time that can be achieved changing at Newark.
An estimate for the time between Lincoln and Doncaster could be about ninety minutes.
All of this speed improvement could probably be obtained without any major infrastructure improvements, but updating Werrington Junction and creating a new Lincoln Avoiding Line would improve things further.
Faster connections to Doncaster and Peterborough would bring various benefits.
- At Doncaster, it would give access to the East Coast Main Line services to the North East and Scotland.
- From 2018, at Doncaster, it would give access to the the improved TransPennine services to Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Manchester Airport.
- At Peterborough, it would give access to services to London, East Anglia and the South Midlands.
- From 2018, at Peterborough, there will be a connection to Thameslink, to take passengers all over London and the South East.
Surely these connections will benefit Lincoln most, but a fast service to Peterborough would also do something to improve connectivity at places like Sleaford and Spalding.
I suspect that when the new East Midlands Franchise is announced next year or when suitable trains are procured, we will see significant speed, frequency and comfort improvements on this route.
Reinstating The Complete Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line
With the next East Anglian Franchise, it is rumoured that there will be a marked improvement in train services in the region with new and refurbished trains everywhere, running many more services.
One possibility, is that the Bramley Line to Wisbech will be served by passenger trains, as a network of local services are improved and created around Cambridge with expansion and development needs and its soon-to-be-two stations.
I think that the possibility exists that the line between March and Sleaford might be reinstated to give freight trains to and from Felixstowe, direct access to the GNGE to get to Doncaster, avoiding Peterborough and the East Coast Main Line South of Yorkshire.
If you look at Google Maps, then the old rail line is clearly visible for most of the way between March and Sleaford. However, Whitemoor Prison has been build over the route.
If this Southern part of the GNGE were to be reinstated, could we see passenger services between Cambridge and Lincoln?
I think we would, as the engine of growth that is Cambridge, would then be directly connected by train to all the cities and larger towns of East Anglia and Lincolnshire.
I should say, that just as London dominates the South East, I believe that Cambridge with all its skills, ambition and success will dominate the East of England.
Lincoln to Cambridge could be about ninety minutes using a fully developed GNGE, as opposed to two hours now.
Conclusions
I have come to the following occlusions.
- The record of train companies in getting more direct services to Lincoln says a lot and I’d be very surprised if Lincoln sees more direct services to London.
- Newark is a basket case and sorting it will be difficult and probably expensive
- The best bet for improved services is to put faster trains on the upgraded Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line between Peterborough and Doncaster, which could mean Peterborough in an hour and Doncaster in ninety minutes from Lincoln.
- The trains for this should be available in 2018.
In the long term, I can see benefits in connecting March and Sleaford.
Ironically, the GNGE was built to bring coal to East Anglia from Yorkshire and it could be used to bring freight between Felixstowe and the North, in an efficient ,manner.
The Victorians seem to have got the route of the GNGE correct.
Just as they did the Varsity Line and the Borders Railway.
From Peterborough To Lincoln
The Peterborough to Lincoln Line is part of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Railway, from Doncaster to Peterborough, which is increasingly used as a by-pass for freight and other trains from the East Coast Main Line.
The line leaves the East Coast Main Line at Werrington Junction and then runs through the flat Lincolnshire countyside to Lincoln via Spalding and Sleaford.
These pictures show the character of the line.
I’ve never seen so many level crossings and so much featureless countryside.
Surprisingly, I only saw one other train which was another single carriage Class 153 train going the other way.
It would appear that the line generally has an hourly service between Peterbrough and Lincoln and the Nottingham to Skegness Line has an hourly service through Sleaford.
This Google Map shows the lines around Sleaford.
Sleaford
The line from Peterborough comes in at the South East corner with Lincoln to the North and Grantham and Nottingham to the West. The map clearly show the avoiding line connecting Lincoln to Peterborough, so that freight trains can by-pass the town.
The Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS) for the East Midlands felt that services could be improved by joining services together in Lincoln to free up platform space. Perhaps too the trains on the two lines should be more co-ordinated so that changing trains at Sleaford was easier. If you want to go from Skegness to Lincoln by train, some trains have only a few minutes wait, whilst changing at Sleaford, but others the wait is half an hour. I don’t know Sleaford station, but it may be a nice place to wait for a train!
This report on the BBC is entitled Cornwall rail network to get £146m investment.
So could the railways of Lincolnshire be improved, by giving more local control to the county?
The Anonymous Widower 