The Anonymous Widower

Wigan Wallgate To Headbolt Lane – 10th May 2025

I was now running late and decided to go back to Liverpool via the Kirkby Branch Line, with a change of train at Headbolt Lane.

I took these pictures along the route.

Note.

  1. Wigan Wallgate station could be refurbished into a quality station.
  2. Manchester to Wigan Wallgate is likely to be electrified, as I wrote in Bolton-Wigan £78m Rail Electrification Project Announced.
  3. Headbolt Lane station is a new station.
  4. The other stations on the line are fairly rudimentary affairs.
  5. Only Headbolt Lane station is step-free, as all platforms are on the same level.

The Kirkby Branch Line runs across the flat Lancashire countryside.

This Google Map shows the unusual layout of Headbolt Lane station.

Note.

  1. Liverpool is to the South-West.
  2. Wigan and Manchester are to the North-East.
  3. The station buildings and the car parks are on the North side of the tracks.
  4. There are two platforms pointing towards Liverpool.
  5. There is a single platform pointing towards Wigan.
  6. There is a second track pointing towards Wigan, that has no platform.
  7. None of the tracks are electrified.
  8. Three red buffer stops can be picked out.
  9. Trains to Liverpool are run by battery-electric Class 777 multiple units.
  10. Trains to Wigan and Manchester are run by diesel multiple units.

All platforms are the same level and you can walk from one side of the station to the other between the buffer stops.

It is effectively a step-free three-platform station without lifts or escalators.

I have never seen another station like it!

Modernising The Route Between Wigan Wallgate And Headbolt Lane

Consider.

  • With the exception of Headbolt Lane station, there is no step-free access on this line and that needs to be addressed.
  • Wigan Wallgate station has an island platform, with steps to the street.
  • With the exception of Headbolt Lane station, there is very little parking.
  • The Class 150 diesel multiple units are forty years old.

The distance between Wigan Wallgate and Headbolt Lane stations is about 15 miles.

 

May 12, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An Annoying Day

My plan was simple on Saturday May the 10th.

I intended to go to Liverpool Lime Street on a Day Return ticket.

I would then buy a Lancashire Day Ranger ticket and visit Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster stations, to see how ready, they are for High Speed Two services.

I also intended to go to Morecambe to see how the Eden Project Morecambe was getting on.

I did get to Wigan North Western station and later wrote Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?

But then there was a points failure at Preston and after waiting at the station for over an hour for tranport to Preston, I changed plan.

I decided to go back to Liverpool by way of Wigan Wallgate and Headbolt Lane stations.

On return home, I wrote Wigan Wallgate To Headbolt Lane – 10th May 2025.

A Quick Run Back To London

At Lime Street station, I walked into the Wetherspoons pub at the station, with the intension of buying a bottle of my favourite brew, which all of the chain stock. But not this one!

So I got an early train back to London.

The Most Expensive Taxi Back From Euston

I paid over thirty pounds, when under twenty is the norm, not because I was being ripped off, but by the number of roadworks, that slowed our journey.

May 11, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A First Trip To Headbolt Lane Station – 13th October 2023

Headbolt Lane station opened a week ago and I went to take a look today, where I took these pictures.

Note.

  1. It is a three-platform station, with two platforms pointing towards Liverpool and one towards Wigan Wallgate station.
  2. Changing trains is about a fifty metre walk.
  3. The toilets are trans-ready. But the toilets at Peterborough station, that I wrote about in A Pair Of Toilets At Peterborough Station were too.

I have a few thoughts.

Could There Be Through Running Between Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate Stations?

This picture shows the walkway between Platform 2 on the South side of the tracks and Platforms 1 and 3 on the North side.

Note.

  1. Platform 1 is the platform on the left and Platform 2 is on the right.
  2. Platform 3 is in line with Platform 1 behind the fence at the far end of Platforms 1 and 2.
  3. The tracks don’t go straight through.
  4. There are two concrete blocks forming the walkway between platforms.

I suspect the answer is no at the moment.

But I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that the blocks have been designed to be lifted out and there is space to put a footbridge over the tracks, so that if in the future, through running were to be required, it is possible.

How Would A Station To Skelmersdale Be Connected?

In New Express Bus Improves Links Between Skelmersdale And Liverpool, I talked about a new express bus service between Kirkby and Skelmersdale.

This page on Bus Times gives details of the service.

The 319 Trainlink service will surely give useful information on possible passenger numbers.

In Would A Lower Cost Rail Link To Skelmersdale Be Possible?, I looked at options for the rail line.

Wigan’s Comprehensive Local Connections

Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate station have services to all these stations.

  • Accrington
  • Appley Bridge
  • Ashton-under-Lyne
  • Atherton
  • Bescar Lane
  • Blackburn
  • Blackpool North
  • Bolton
  • Broad Green
  • Bryn
  • Burnley Manchester Road
  • Burscough Bridge
  • Clifton
  • Daisy Hill
  • Deansgate
  • Eccleston Park
  • Edge Hill
  • Euxton Balshaw Lane
  • Farnworth
  • Garswood
  • Gathurst
  • Hag Fold
  • Headbolt Lane
  • Hindley
  • Hoscar
  • Huyton
  • Ince
  • Kearsley
  • Leyland
  • Littleborough
  • Manchester Oxford Road
  • Manchester Victoria
  • Meols Cop
  • Moorside
  • Moses Gate
  • New Lane
  • Orrell
  • Parbold
  • Pemberton
  • Poulton-le-Fylde
  • Prescot
  • Rainford
  • Toby
  • Rochdale
  • Rose Grove
  • Salford Central
  • Salford Crescent
  • Smithy Bridge
  • Southport
  • Stalybridge
  • St Helens Central
  • Swinton
  • Todmorden
  • Thatto Heath
  • Upholland
  • Walkden
  • Wavertree Technology Park
  • Westhoughton

Fifty-eight stations is certainly comprehensively connected.

The Connection To High Speed Two At Wigan North Western

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the two Wigan stations; North Western and Wallgate.

Note.

  1. The orange tracks are the West Coast Main Line, which in the future, will carry High Speed Two services to and from Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Scotland.
  2. The yellow tracks are the local lines between Manchester in the East and Kirkby and Southport in the West.
  3. The local lines split after they pass under the West Coast Main Line, with the North-Western branch going to Southport and the Western branch going to Headbolt Lane, Kirkby and Liverpool.
  4. Wigan North Western is on the West Coast Main Line.
  5. Wigan Wallgate is on the local lines.

The stations are close enough to be converted into a superb combined station, where local passengers can join high speed services.

This picture shows the platforms of Wigan North Western station.

Wigan North Western station can’t be far off being able to accept pairs of High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains, that will be 400 metres long.

This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.

Only two High Speed Two services stop at Wigan North Western.

  • The London and Lancaster service, which splits and joins with a London and Liverpool service at Crewe.
  • The Birmingham and Scotland service.

As Wigan North Western has comprehensive local connections to the Northern areas of Liverpool and Manchester, it surely needs more services.

North West To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment

This is the title of this government document, which has this sub-heading.

Multibillion-pound plan to link major cities in the North via bus, rail and new and improved roads.

It says this about Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.

  • Greater Manchester will also receive around £1.5 billion from the CRSTS2 budget and around £900 million additional funding – funded from HS2 – which is an unprecedented investment in local transport networks. That is more than double their allocation under the previous programme
  • Liverpool City Region will also receive c.£1 billion from the CRSTS2 budget, plus a further £600 million on top – funded from HS2. That is more than double their allocation under the last round

Some of that amount of money could go a long way to improve Liverpool and Manchester connections through Wigan and create a link to High Speed Two.

TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland

Currently, the following services run between Liverpool and Manchester, and Scotland.

  • Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell
  • Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District and Haymarket Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle and Lockerbie and Haymarket
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – via St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell

Note.

  1. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  2. tpd is trains per day.
  3. Only the Liverpool services go through Wigan.
  4. North of Preston all trains will use the same route.
  5. All three services are run by Class 397 trains.
  6. When High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains start running to Glasgow and Edinburgh, they will use the same route North of Preston.

Point 5 surely means that High Speed Two’s trains will be limited to the same speed as the current Class 397 trains, which is 125 mph. Although, this might be increased to up to 140 mph, by the use of in-cab digital signalling.

Consider.

  • Edinburgh to Preston is 191.4 miles.
  • The current TransPennine express service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 34 minutes, with five stops, at an average speed of 74.6 mph.
  • The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the London-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 30 minutes, with two stops and a split/join at Carlisle, at an average speed of 76.6 mph.
  • The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the Birmingham-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 24 minutes, with four stops, at an average speed of 79.8 mph.

Note.

  1. The first timing is based on a Class 397 train and the others will be High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains.
  2. The times would appear to be vaguely in line with each other.
  3. The removal of the split/join could explain why the Birmingham service is six minutes faster.

The following would appear to be true.

  • Both the Class 397 and High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains can run at similar speeds North of Preston.
  • The High Speed Two Classic Compatible train may have faster acceleration and deceleration, which could save a few minutes.
  • Nothing substantial has been done to improve the tracks between Edinburgh and Preston.
  • As the current times are run without digital signalling and the Class 397 train, is within ten minutes of that, I would be very surprised if digital signalling will be installed before High Speed Two services reach Edinburgh.

I also suspect that if digital signalling and a few other improvements were made to the North of Preston, a few extra minutes could be saved.

The Future Of TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland

Will the TransPennine services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland continue after High Speed Two services start running to North of the border?

Consider.

  • I have never seen any plans from High Speed Two for services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland.
  • If the TransPennine services, aren’t kept, travelling between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland will need a change at Wigan North Western or Preston.
  • The TransPennine services will probably need only a single train per hour (tph) on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Preston.

I can see them continuing. But possibly in a different form.

In 1967, I went from Glasgow to Manchester on a train.

  • The Glasgow and Edinburgh trains joined at Carstairs.
  • They then split again at Preston.
  • One half went to Manchester and the other half went to Liverpool.

I remember that the train was late, because of late arrival of the Edinburgh train at Carstairs.

I needed to take a taxi. But I wrote my first complaint letter and got a cheque from British Rail.

Could similar joining and splitting be used again, as it uses only one train path between Preston and Scotland?

Would it also be better, if the service were to be under the Management of High Speed Two?

There are several possibilities, but I feel the TransPennine services will continue.

October 12, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

UK’s First Battery-Powered Trains Hit The Tracks

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

The UK’s first battery-powered passenger trains have started running on Merseyside.

These two paragraphs outline the article.

The trains, which are part of the Liverpool City Region’s £500m publicly owned fleet, will run from the new £80m Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said the move helps to pave the way “for cleaner and greener” transport.

I particularly liked this paragraph.

The battery technology – which removes the need for a live third rail – could see the Merseyrail network running to previously inaccessible places, including Manchester, Wrexham, Warrington, Preston and Runcorn, according to a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority spokesperson.  

After the trouble, I had on Tuesday, when I tried to get from Manchester to Saint Helens, Manchester is also a city that’s difficult to leave.

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Southeastern Keen On Battery EMUs

The title of this post, is the same as that of a small section in the August 2023 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is said.

Southeastern is to seek pre-qualification interest from manufacturers and leasing companies for a replacement fleet for the Networker Class 465 and 466 inner-suburban stock, now over 30 years old. The company intends to compare the price of new and cascaded stock.

Southeastern MD Steve White told Modern Railways his preference is for a bi-mode EMU, capable of working off both the third rail supply and batteries. Battery EMUs were originally proposed for the Networker replacements so they could work through services to the unelectrified Isle of Grain branch, after Medway Council put forward plans to restore passenger services on the Hoo peninsular to serve new housing there.

Despite the extension of services to Sharnal Street on the Isle of Grain having since been put on hold by Medway Council on cost grounds (p13, May issue).

Southeastern is still pursuing battery EMUs, even though the company’s existing network is all electrified on the third rail system.

Merseyrail is already adopting battery EMU technology, with seven of the new fleet of 53×4-car Class 777 units being equipped with batteries to enable them to serve the unelectrified extension to Headbolt Lane (p82, July 2022 issue).

Mr. White says there are a number of reasons battery EMUs are attractive.

    • Increasing levels of mental health issues in society have led to trespass being a major issue the railway: battery EMUs would make it feasible to keep trains moving at slow speed when the current supply has to be switched off to protect a trespasser.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to keep moving on occasions when the third rail supply fails, due to technical failures or ice on the conductor rail. This would avoid the compounding of problems, as when delayed passengers got out on the track at Lewisham in March 2018 when the third rail iced up, forcing Network Rail to cut the electricity supply and making it more difficult to get trains moving again.
    • Battery EMUs would make it feasible to remove third rail from depots, making them safer places in which to work. A train cleaner was electrocuted and died at West Marina depot in St. Leonards in May 2014, and the Office of Road and Rail has well-publicised concerns on safety grounds about any extensions to the third rail system.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to cater for service extensions on unelectrified lines, such as the Isle of Grain.

Mt. White says the trespass issue is the major driver, and if the principle of battery EMUs becomes established it might prove feasible to remove the third rail from platform areas at inner-suburban stations with a persistent trespass problem. He points out this approach might unlock extension of third rail to routes such as the Uckfield line, allowing station areas to be left unelectrified. Replacement of DMUs by electric stock on the Uckfield branch would eliminate diesel working at London Bridge, with air-quality and carbon removal benefits for the capital.

There are a 5-star hotel and a major hospital close to the diesel-worked plstform at London Bridge.

I will now look at some of the issues in detail.

Range Of A Battery EMU

I discuss range of battery EMUs in these posts.

Note.

  1. Both trains are built by Stadler.
  2. 135 km. is 84 miles.
  3. A Bombardier engineer told me eight years ago, that the prototype battery-electric Class 379 train had a range of sixty miles.

I feel it is reasonable to assume that a 100 mph battery-electric train, designed to replace Southeastern’s Networkers could have a range of at least sixty miles.

Distances Of Cannon Street Metro Services

These are distances of services from Cannon Street.

  • Erith Loop via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal and Bexleyheath – 28.5 miles
  • Gravesend – 24.5 miles
  • Orpington – 12.6 miles
  • Grove Park – 7.1 miles
  • Slade Green – 14.5 miles

Note.

  1. The Erith Loop services start and finish at Cannon Street station.
  2. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  4. Grove Park and Slade Green are depots.

If trains could be fully charged at Cannon Street station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of forty miles.

Charging At Cannon Street

Consider.

  • All Cannon Street services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Cannon Street services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 4-5 minutes between Cannon Street and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Cannon Street station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of fifteen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Cannon Street would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Cannon Street services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Charing Cross Metro Services

These are distances of services from Charing Cross.

  • Maidstone East – 38.9 miles
  • Dartford – 17.1 miles
  • Gravesend – 23.8 miles
  • Hayes – 14.3 miles
  • Sevenoaks – 22.2 miles
  • Grove Park – 8 miles

Note.

  1. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform, which could be used to charge the train before return.
  2. The Maidstone East service terminates in an electrified platform.
  3. Grove Park is a depot.

If trains could be fully charged at Charing Cross station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Charing Cross

Consider.

  • All Charing Cross services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Charing Cross services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 10 minutes between Charing Cross and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Charing Cross station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of twenty minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Charing Cross would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Charing Cross services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Victoria Metro Services

These are distances of services from Victoria.

  • Gillingham – 37.2 miles
  • Orpington – 14.7 miles
  • Dartford – 18.9 miles

Note.

  1. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  2. The Gillingham service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Dartford service terminates in an electrified platform.

If trains could be fully charged at Victoria station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Victoria

Consider.

  • All Victoria services arrive at the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • All Victoria services leave the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically take five minutes between Victoria and Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Victoria station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from Shepherds Lane junction to Shepherds Lane junction would probably take a minimum of seventeen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between Shepherds Lane junction and Victoria would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

Conclusion

It certainly appears that if the Networker Class 465 and Class 466 trains were replaced by new trains with the following specification.

  • 100 mph operating speed.
  • Range of fifty miles on battery power.
  • Ability to charge batteries in fifteen minutes.
  • Third-rail operation
  • It might be an idea to add a pantograph, so the trains could use 25 KVAC overhead wires where necessary and charge batteries on a short length of overhead electrification.

Then a substantial part of the Southeastern Metro network could be made safer, by selective removal of third rail at trespassing hot spots.

 

August 12, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

New Express Bus Improves Links Between Skelmersdale And Liverpool

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Lancashire County Council.

This is the sub-heading.

A new bus service launched this week makes it quicker and easier to travel between Skelmersdale and Liverpool using public transport.

And these are the first two paragraphs.

The 319 Trainlink service, operated by Stagecoach on behalf of Lancashire County Council, runs between Skelmersdale Concourse, Kirkby railway station and Kirkby bus station for onward transport links into Liverpool reducing the travel time between Skelmersdale and Liverpool Central Station to under 50 minutes.

The express service, which launched on Sunday 22 January, operates every 30 minutes throughout the day Monday to Saturday, and every hour in the evening. There is also an hourly service on Sundays. Buses are timed to connect with Merseyrail train services from early ’til late.

Note.

  1. Once the new Headbolt station opens, it will serve that station.
  2. The express bus service has started two days before Merseyrail introduce their new Class 777 trains.
  3. I hope the quality of the buses are up to that of the new trains.
  4. The service is probably the best that can be done, until a train service is built.
  5. There will be integrated fare options between Skelmersdale and Liverpool.

Transport planners need to do more to use buses to extend train services.

January 24, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Effort To Contain Costs For Hoo Reopening

The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the April 2022 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is the first paragraph.

Medway Council is working with Network Rail and other industry players in an effort to make restoration of a passenger service to Hoo on the Isle of Grain branch feasible. The Council was awarded £170 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund in 2020 to support schemes to facilitate building of 12,000 new houses in the area, with £63 million of the HIF money for reinstatement of services on the Hoo Branch.

The article mentions, this new infrastructure.

  • A new station South of the former Sharnal Street station.
  • Works to level crossings, of which there are six between Gravesend station and proposed site of the new Hoo station.
  • A passing place at Hoo Junction, where the branch joins the North Kent Line.
  • A passing place at Cooling Street.

Note.

  1. The single-platform Bow Street station cost £8 million.
  2. The single-platform Soham station cost nearly £22 million, but it has a bridge.
  3. Reopening the Okehampton branch and refurbishing Okehampton station cost £40 million.

I think costs will be very tight.

Possible Train Services

This is said in the article about the train service on the branch.

While third rail electrification was originally proposed, this idea has been discarded in favour of self-powered trains on the branch, such as battery-operated trains. Possible destinations include Gravesend, Northfleet or Ebbsfleet for interchange with trains going to London, or extension of London to Dartford or Gravesend services over the branch, using hybrid third-rail/battery trains.

Consider.

  • Merseyrail will be using battery-electric trains to provide services to the new Headbolt Lane station, as permission was not available for extending the existing third-rail track.
  • Electrification would probably cost more than providing a charging system at Hoo station.
  • Turning the trains at Gravesend, Northfleet or Ebbsfleet could be difficult and a new bay platform would probably break the budget.
  • Both Dartford and Gravesend have two trains per hour (tph), that could be extended to the new Hoo station.
  • Hoo junction to Hoo station is no more than five or six miles.
  • There are also half-a-dozen level crossings on the route, which I doubt the anti-thord rail brigade would not want to be electrified.
  • The Dartford services have a possible advantage in that they stop at Abbey Wood station for Crossrail.
  • It may be easier to run services through Gravesend station, if the terminating service from Charing Cross were to be extended to Hoo station.
  • A two tph service between London Charing Cross and Hoo stations, with intermediate stops at at least London Bridge, Lewisham, Abbey Wood and Dartford would probably be desirable.

I feel that the most affordable way to run trains to Hoo station will probably be to use battery-electric trains, which are extended from Gravesend.

It may even be possible to run trains to Hoo station without the need of a charging system at the station, which would further reduce the cost of infrastructure.

Possible Trains

Consider.

  • According to Wikipedia, stopping Gravesend services are now run by Class 376, Class 465, Class 466 and Class 707 trains.
  • Real Time Trains indicate that Gravesend services are run by pathed for 90 mph trains.
  • Class 376, Class 465 and Class 466 trains are only 75 mph trains.
  • Class 707 trains are 100 mph trains and only entered service in 2017.

I wonder, if Siemens designed these trains to be able to run on battery power, as several of their other trains can use batteries, as can their New Tube for London.

In Thoughts On The Power System For The New Tube for London, I said this.

This article on Rail Engineer is entitled London Underground Deep Tube Upgrade.

This is an extract.

More speculatively, there might be a means to independently power a train to the next station, possibly using the auxiliary battery, in the event of traction power loss.

Batteries in the New Tube for London would have other applications.

  • Handling regenerative braking.
  • Moving trains in sidings and depots with no electrification.

It should be born in mind, that battery capacity for a given weight of battery will increase before the first New Tube for London runs on the Piccadilly line around 2023.

A battery-electric train with a range of fifteen miles and regenerative braking to battery would probably be able to handle a return trip to Hoo station.

An Update In The July 2022 Edition Of Modern Railways

This is said on page 75.

More positive is the outlook for restoration of passenger services on the Hoo branch, where 12,000 new houses are proposed and Medway Council is looking to build a new station halfway down the branch to serve them. As the branch is unelectrified, one idea that has been looked at is a shuttle with a Vivarail battery train or similar, turning round at Gravesend or another station on the main line.

Steve White worries that this could mean spending a lot of money on infrastructure work and ending up with what would be a sub-optimal solution. ‘Do people really want to sit on a train for 10 minutes before having to get out and change onto another train? I don’t think so. Ideally what you want is through trains to London, by extending the Gravesend terminators to Hoo.’

That would require a battery/third rail hybrid unit, but Mr. White thinks that is far from an outlandish proposal; with Networker replacement on the horizon, a small bi-mode sub-fleet could dovetail neatly with a stock renewal programme. Medway Council and rail industry representatives are working on coming up with a solution for Hoo that could do what it does best; facilitating economic regeneration in a local area.

Note that Steve White is Managing Director of Southeastern.

I’ll go along with what he says!

Conclusion

I believe that a well-designed simple station and branch line could be possible within the budget.

A battery-electric upgrade to Class 707 trains could be a solution.

But the trains could be very similar to those needed for Uckfield and to extend electric services in Scotland.

May 2, 2022 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Liverpool Shows The World How To Plan A New Station

Liverpool and Liverpudlians tend to do things differently.

This article on Liverpool Business News is entitled First Look At New Baltic Triangle Station.

This is the first paragraph.

St James station closed in 1917 but images and a video fly-through of a proposed new Merseyrail station to serve the fast-growing Baltic Triangle in Liverpool have been released – and you can help choose a name.

These are my thoughts about the new Liverpool St. James station.

The Video Fly-Through

Merseyrail produced a high-class video fly-through for Headbolt Lane station and it is my belief that these types of presentation are the best way to show everybody what the Transport Authority, Local and National Government are planning to deliver.

Note.

  • The station is very cycling-friendly.
  • The proposal includes a cafe and toilets.
  • There are escalators from the surface to the platforms.

My only fault with the video, is that it uses the old Class 508 trains, rather than the new Class 777 trains. But that is being picky!

The Station Name

Liverpool already has a station called Liverpool James Street station.

The UK also has seven railway stations with James in the name and the whole world has a total of twelve, which are listed in Wikipedia.

So to avoid any possible confusion, the three chosen names seem to be a good idea.

  • Liverpool Baltic
  • Liverpool Parliament Street
  • Liverpool Riverside

Cast your vote before February 18th  by clicking here.

I can’t remember a station name being chosen by an Internet vote.

At least a write-in name is not allowed, which should avoid a silly name like Station McStationFace.

Conclusion

Liverpool are to be congratulated on their planning exercise for the new station.

January 20, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Green Light For New £80m Merseyrail Station

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Liverpool Echo.

These are the first two paragraphs.

The station was hailed as a key part of the town’s “bright future” tonight as councillors met to consider the proposal at a meeting of Knowsley Council ’s planning committee.

Based at Headbolt lane in the Tower Hill/ Northwood area of Kirkby, the station, which will take around 18 months to build, will become the first in the country to have trains operating by battery power instead of electrified lines on part of the track.

This Google Map shows the location of the station.

And this planning document from Knowsley Council shows the station road layout.

Note.

  1. Kirkby station and Liverpool is to the West.
  2. Wigan is to the East.
  3. There is adequate car parking.

I have also enlarged the area around the station buildings to show the platform layout.

Note.

  1. There are two platforms and tracks towards Liverpool.
  2. There is a single platform towards Wigan.
  3. There appears to be adequate cycle storage and blue badge parking.

In Headbolt Lane Station Fly-Through, I described the new Headbolt Lane station.

This screen capture is from the video in that post.

Note.

  1. Two platforms going away from the camera and one platform and what looks to be a siding going towards the camera.
  2. There appears to be no direct connection between the two different sets of tracks.

From the maps the camera is looking towards Liverpool,so it would mean that Liverpool services had two platforms. But they currently make do with one at Kirkby.

There appears to be no clues about how the station will be modified to serve Skelmersdale.

 

 

 

December 10, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 11 Comments

Headbolt Lane Station Tipped For Go-Ahead

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Place North West.

This is the first paragraph.

Knowsley Council’s December planning committee is expected to approve Network Rail’s plans for a new station in Kirkby.

The article also says that the station could open by Spring 2023.

I wonder, if Liverpudlians will create Headbolt Lane station in record time, as they did a few miles down the line at Maghull North station, which I wrote about in How To Build A Station In Nine Months.

If they do open in early 2023, it is likely to be the first new rail line in the UK, that has been designed to be run by battery-electric trains.

As Liverpudlians like to be first, I would expect that this station will open by Spring 2023. Judging by Network Rail’s performance on bringing the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton station back into service, I don’t suspect it is an impossible dream.

December 4, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 5 Comments

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