Exploring Germany Under The Latest Travel Rules
Because of the lack of travel brought about by the Covids, I’ve built up a list of places that I want to visit in Germany.
- Hamburg to see the Siemens Gamesa ETES energy storage and see how the Alstom Coradia iLint hydrogen train is getting on.
- Karlsruhe to see the newly-opened tram-tunnel in the city.
- Stuttgart to see how the construction work for Stuttgart 21 is faring and Alstom’s new battery trains.
- The Lake Constance Belt Railway.
The latest rules mean that travelling back to the UK is easy, so if I chose a route that allowed me to visit all the places I want from say a hotel in somewhere worth visiting like Stuttgart, would it be possible to book an appropriate stay there as a package?
Would this mean all the paperwork going to Germany would be handled by someone else, so if a mistake was made, it’s not my fault?
Bang Goes My Holiday!
There are various things I want to visit in Germany and I felt that the best thing to do would be go for a few days,
But the BBC are reporting these facts about travel to Germany.
- From Sunday, people travelling from the UK will not be allowed to enter Germany
- The decision is down to a rise in cases of the Indian variant in the UK
- German citizens and residents, plus people with an exceptional reason, can still enter – but face a two-week quarantine
So bang goes my holiday!
I particularly wanted to go to Hamburg to take a few pictures of the Siemens Gamesa ETES trial installation in the city.
However I’ve been able to locate the installation on Google Maps.
Note.
- The wind-turbine towards the South-West corner of the map.
- Siemens Gamesa ETES trial installation is the prominent odd shaped building towards the South-East corner of the map, just below the shadow of the turbine.
- The installation seems to have lots of pipes connected to it.
This second map shows the installation from an angle.
This page on the Siemens Gamesa web site describes the installation.
- The nominal power is 30 MW.
- The capacity is 130 MWh.
- 80 % of the technology is off the shelf.
The picture on the front says “Welcome To The New Stone Age”.
If anybody should find themselves in Hamburg with some time to waste, I’d be very grateful for a copyright-free image.
The installation appears to be just off the VollHöfner Weiden.
Hydrogen Ambitions For The Port Of Hamburg
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Seatrade Maritime News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
In January Hamburg announced that Vattenfall, Shell, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and municipal heat supplier Warme Hamburg had signed a Letter of Intent to develop a 100MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen in the port area.
A few points from the article.
- Hamburg believes that ships will be running on green hydrogen.
- Buses and trucks will need the hydrogen.
- They may build a terminal to import green hydrogen, as the Japanese are doing at Kobe.
- The green hydrogen might be produced in places like Africa and Morocco.
100 MW strikes me as a large electrolyser.
Hamburger Hochbahn Launches Tender For 50 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
The title says it all!
But it does show how hydrogen buses are proliferating around the world.
This makes the third hydrogen or energy project from the German city, that I have detailed.
Thoughts On Eurostar To North Netherlands And North West Germany
I have now taken Eurostar to Hamburg twice, with a change at Amsterdam Centraal.
The first time, I took two German Inter City trains, with a change at Osnabruck. I wrote about it in From Amsterdam To Hamburg The Hard Way.
On my latest trip, I took the following route.
- An overnight stay in Amsterdam
- Train from Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen with changes at Almere Centrum and Zwolle
- An overnight stay in Groningen
- Rail Replacement Bus from Groningen to Leer
- Train from Leer to Bremen
- Train from Bremen to Bremerhaven
- Train from Bremerhaven to Hamburg
Note.
- There are no direct trains between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen. Most involve a quick interchange at Almere or Utrecht.
- Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen is electrified.
- Amsterdam Centraal to Groningen takes two hours six minutes on the fastest train.
- When the bridge over the Ems is rebuilt, there should be an hourly train between Groningen and Leer, rather than a two-hourly bus.
- Leer to Bremen is electrified and takes under an hour and a half.
- I took a roundabout route from Bremen and Hamburg, as I wanted to check that the hydrogen-powered trains were running.
- There are direct trains between Bremen and Hamburg.
Could The Slower Route Be Improved?
My thoughts are as follows.
Between Amsterdam Centraal And Groningen
Consider the following.
- The Dutch probably planned the timetable before Eurostar served Amsterdam.
- Eurostar is going to three trains per day between London and Amsterdam
- There are new Dutch InterCity trains on order for other routes.
- A direct service between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen could probably be under two hours, with perhaps two stops.
- On my trip, the trains trundled along at 50-60 mph, which isn’t very fast.
For these reasons, I would rate it highly lightly that the Dutch will think about a direct service.
Between Groningen And Leer
Without doubt, the problem on this section is the bridge over the Ems.
I estimate the following.
- The mainly single-track railway without electrification between Groningen and Ihrhove near Leer is about seventy kilometres.
- After the bridge is rebuilt, one of Arriva’s Stadler GTWs could do the journey in perhaps 30-35 minutes.
- A bi-mode Stadler Flirt, like one of Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains, which have a top speed of 100 mph and bags of grunt could probably break the half-hour.
Some web sites put the opening of the new bridge in 2024. I’m reasonably certain, that by that date, an electric train with these power systems would be able to handle the route.
- Dutch electrification
- German electrification
- Batteries
Bombardier and Stadler are certainly aiming to have battery-powered trains in service by the bridge opening date.
Between Leer and Bremen/Hamburg
This electrified double-track section has the following timings.
- Leer and Bremen – 1:24
- Leer and Hamburg 2:23
There doesn’t appear to be any major improvements needed.
Times On The Two Routes Compared
How do the fastest times on the two routes compare?
Via Osnabruck
This is the only route available and the fastest times are something like.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – 4:16
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – 5:14
It appears that most services go to both Bremen and Hamburg.
Every time, I’ve changed at Osnabruck, the second train has been late.
Via Groningen
I would estimate the best fastest times are something like.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – three hours
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – four hours
I am very surprised that the route via Groningen could appear to be over an hour faster.
Trains For An Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen/Hamburg Service Via Groningen
At present, this service would not be possible, because of the bridge over the Ems.
The route has the following characteristics.
- Dutch electrification at 1.5 KVDC between Amsterdam Centraal and Groningen.
- No electrification from Groningen between Groningen and Ihrhove, which is seventy kilometres.
- German electrification at 15 KVAC between Ihrhove and Bremen/Hamburg
There are several trains that can handle both electrification systems at the two ends of the route, it’s just the seventy kilometres in the middle.
In my view there are several ways to bridge the gap.
Electrification
The Dutch or the Germans can probably electrify the line on time and on budget better than we could.
But which electrification system would be used?
Diesel
Using a dual-mode bi-mode train, that could also run on diesel would be a possibility and I’m sure that Bombardier, Hitachi and Stadler could supply a more or less off-the-the-shelf train, that could run at up to 200 kph where possible and handle the section without electrification on diesel.
But using diesel in an area developing a green economy based on wind power and hydrogen, is probably not a good marketing idea.
Hydrogen
If diesel can handle the route, I’m certain that hydrogen could be used on the section without electrification.
Battery
The section without electrification is only seventy kilometres and in a few years time will be totally in range of a battery train, that charged the batteries on the end sections. Power changeover could be arranged in Leer and Groningen stations if this was thought to be more reliable.
Note that in Hitachi Plans To Run ScotRail Class 385 EMUs Beyond The Wires, I write that Hitachi are claiming a battery range of sixty miles or a hundred kilometres with a Class 385 train with batteries in a few years time. Hitachi won’t be the only train manufacturer with the technology to build a suitable product.
I have to conclude that Groningen and Leer is a classic application for battery power.
Intermediate Stops For An Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen/Hamburg Service Via Groningen
Obviously, the Dutch and the Germans, should know their market and would know where the trains should stop.
Having experienced the route in the last few days, the following stops could be possible.
- Almere Centrum
- Zwolle
- Groningen
- Leer
- Oldenburg
But with modern trains, that have a minimum dwell time at stations, there may be more stops than some might think.
Which Company Would Run The Service?
I don’t know anything about the complications of running international trains, even when they are totally in the Schengen Zone.
In the UK, Amsterdam to Hamburg is the sort of service that would be proposed by a well-funded Open Access Operator.
The company, who would benefit most from this service is Eurostar.
So could we see Eurostar operating or sponsoring Open Access feeder services in Europe, using say 200 kph trains?
Conclusion
It would appear that the following journey times are possible.
- Amsterdam Centraal and Bremen – three hours
- Amsterdam Centraal and Hamburg – four hours
For this to be possible the following is needed.
- The bridge over the Ems is rebuilt.
- Battery power works as its developers hope it will.
How many other routes in the world, would benefit from a similar philosophy?
Hamburg
I took these pictures in the centre of Hamburg, after taking a U-Bahn train to the Rathaus.
I should say that it took me under thirty minutes to get to the Airport from this area. So it was a good place to kill some time, rather than wait at the Airport.
Hamburg S-Bahn Trains
These trains of the Hamburg S-Bahn are fairly typical of Germany.
Note.
- They have step-free access from platform to train, which is rare on the German rail network.
- There are no phone charging points or wi-fi, but on the surface there is a good 4G signal.
- The seats are not as comfortable as those on a Class 378 train.
They seem to cope reasonably well with heavy traffic in the Peak.
My Hotel In Hamburg
These pictures show my hotel and my room in Hamburg; The Europäischer Hof.
My room was unusual in that it was a proper single room, with everything I needed.
Except one thing; a BBC channel for the News.
I have now stayed in Hamburg in two hotels, where I got a free bus, U-Bahn ans S-Bahn ticket.
The ticket covers the main city zones including the |Airport.
That is an idea I like.
The Relaxed Pace Of German Commuter Stations
I am at Buxtehade station on the outskirts of Hamburg and the area looks like it could be a suburb typical of those around big cities all over the world. But it is so relaxed compared to others I’ve visited.
Note.
- The diesel-hauled commuter service running under wires.
- No-one and the trains don’t seem to be in a hurry despite it being around nine in the morning.
- Trains seem to wait several minutes at each station.
- Staff were not to be seen.
In addition, there was absolutely no information about the hydrogen trains, that I could find.