The Anonymous Widower

Appliance Of Science To Boost Stevenage

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

These two paragraphs introduce the article.

Planning permission has been granted for a former TK Maxx outlet and two other stores in the middle of Stevenage to be knocked down and replaced with laboratories.

The £500 million development, funded by UBS Asset Management and designed by Reef Group, is the latest example of how Britain’s town centres can be adapted and brought up to date.

Note.

  1. We have a laboratory shortage in the UK, which is especially serious in Oxford and Cambridge.
  2. Canary Wharf is also turning offices into laboratory space.
  3. There was even an article in The Times yesterday about converting offices to laboratories in Harley Street.

It’s probably a sign of success!

If Stevenage is to become a worldwide centre for life sciences and medical research, it probably needs the town’s excellent rail links to London and Cambridge to be further improved.

  • LNER runs two fast trains per hour (tph) to and from London King’s Cross.
  • Other fast services call during the day.
  • Local services include two tph to Cambridge, London and Peterborough.

Services need to be improved, especially to and from Cambridge.

ERTMS Is Being Installed Through Stevenage

Installation of full digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line could have various effects.

  • LNER and other fast services could be faster to places like Doncaster, Leeds and York.
  • Fast Cambridge, Ely and King’s Lynn services would have to be run by 125 mph trains to keep out of the way of the expresses.
  • 125 mph services to Cambridge would reduce journey times by a few minutes and might allow the Cambridge Cruisers to sneak in a stop at Stevenage, whilst maintaining the current times.
  • Will the Thameslink Class 700 trains have to stick to the slow lines?
  • As the Hertford Loop Line will also be digitally signalled, it might be possible to divert some trains via Hertford North.

There will be a lot of hard thinking going on to find out the best way to run services on the Southern section of the East Coast Main Line.

High Speed Norfolk

I like the concept of running high speed trains to Ely, Norwich and Kings Lynn.

  • It would open up a lot of West Norfolk for laboratory space and commuter towns for Cambridge.
  • The Breckland line between Ely and Norwich would be improved for higher speeds. It could even become a 125 mph line.
  • High Speed Norfolk trains would have a frequency of two tph and call at Stevenage, Cambridge South, Cambridge, Cambridge North and Ely before alternatively going on to Norwich and King’s Lynn.
  • Cambridge and Norwich services would alternate with the Norwich and Stansted Airport service.

Norwich could be the overspill city that Cambridge needs.

 

February 27, 2023 Posted by | Health, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

RENFE Aims To Compete With Eurostar On Paris – London Route

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

There are a lot of issues in this article and there does seem to be a degree of rivalry between French and Spanish rail operators.

In From Madrid To London, I describe a journey by train from Madrid to London via Barcelona and Paris.

These three paragraphs were the end of that post.

I finally arrived in London at 18:30 or just thirteen hours forty minutes after leaving Madrid.

This journey will get quicker, as for quite a way along the south coast of France, the trains don’t run on high speed lines. I can’t find any references to the distances on the journey, although Madrid to Barcelona and Paris to London are given as 621 and 495 kilometres respectively. Map Crow gives the Barcelona to Paris distance at 831 kilometres. I know this isn’t accurate and is probably a bit short, but that gives a total of 1947 kilometres, so my journey was at an average speed of 142 kmh. This compares with an average speed of 200 and 220 kmh on the first and last legs from Madrid to Barcelona and Paris to London respectively.

If the centre section was capable of an end-to-end average of 200 kmh, then a time from Madrid to London of under ten hours should be possible, especially if it was one train all the way.

I suspect that the ultimate aim of RENFE is to run a direct Madrid and London service.

  • It would go via Barcelona, Perpignan, Lyon and Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy.
  • It would bypass Paris to the East.
  • It would serve Charles de Gaulle Airport and Disneyland Paris.
  • A sub-thirteen hour journey would certainly be possible with the existing infrastructure.

Note.

  1. There would be lots of opportunities to split the journey.
  2. Travellers regularly fly thirteen hours around the world. C and myself have done it with three kids in steerage.

My statement in the earlier post was ambitious and relied on building a new LGV across the South of France.

Conclusion

It could be an interesting way to travel between London and Spain.

October 26, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments