The UK’s New High Speed Line Being Built By Stealth
Wikipedia has a section called High Speed Rail. This is the first paragraph.
High-speed rail is a type of rail transport that operates significantly faster than traditional rail traffic, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, new lines in excess of 250 kilometres per hour (160 miles per hour) and existing lines in excess of 200 kilometres per hour (120 miles per hour) are widely considered to be high-speed.
In the UK we have both types of high speed line mentioned in this definition.
High Speed One and High Speed Two have or will have operating speeds of 300 kph and 400 kph respectively and by any definition are true high speed lines.
There is also the East Coast Main Line and Great Western Main Line and West Coast Main Line, which are lines with long stretches, where continuous running at 200 kph is possible.
These lines certainly meet the 200 kph definition now and will likely exceed it, as digital in-cab signalling is deployed in the future and allows running at up to 225 kph in certain places.
Electrification Between Sheffield And Clay Cross On The Midland Main Line
This article on Rail Technology Magazine is entitled Grayling Asks HS2 To Prepare For Electrification Of 25km Midland Main Line Route.
If this electrification happens on the Midland Main Line between Sheffield and Clay Cross North Junction, it will be another project in turning the line into a high speed route with a 200 kph operating speed, between London and Sheffield.
Currently, the electrified section of the line South of Bedford is being upgraded and the electrification and quadruple tracks are being extended to Glendon Junction, where the branch to Corby leaves the main line.
The proposed electrification will probably involve the following.
- Upgrading the line to a higher speed of perhaps 225 kph, with provision to increase the speed of the line further.
- Rebuilding of Chesterfield station in readiness for High Speed Two.
- Full electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross.
Clay Cross is significant, as it is where the Midland Main Line splits into two Southbound routes.
- The main route through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby station.
- The secondary route of the Erewash Valley Line to the East Midlands Hub station.
Note.
- Some of the tunnel portals in the Derwent Valley are Listed.
- Trying to electrify the line through the World Heritage Site will be a legal and engineering nightmare.
- Network Rail has spent or is spending £250million on upgrading the Erewash Valley Line.
- High Speed Two will reach The East Midlands Hub station in 2032.
When High Speed Two, is extended North from the East Midlands Hub station, it will take a route roughly following the M1. A spur will link High Speed Two to the Erewash Valley line in the Clay Cross area, to enable services to Chesterfield and Sheffield.
But until High Speed Two is built North of the East Midlands Hub station, the Erewash Valley Line looks from my helicopter to be capable of supporting 200 kph services.
- It is mainly double track, with sections where extra lines have been added.
- It is reasonably straight.
- There seem to be generous margins on either side.
- There is only one tunnel at Alfreton, which is 770 metres long.
- There is only three stations at Ilkeston, Langley Mill and Alfreton.
As many of the bridges seem new, has the Erewash Valley Line been prepared for electrification?
Electrification Around East Midlands Hub Station
I wouldn’t be surprised to see that by the opening of the East Midlands Hub station in 2032, that the following will have happened.
- The route between East Midlands Hub station and Sheffield via the Erewash Valley Line and Chesterfield has been fully electrified.
- A higher proportion of services between London and Sheffield will use the Erewash Valley Line, with times under two hours.
- From 2022, the trains running on the Midland Main Line will be 200 kph bi-mode trains.
As the East Midlands Hub Station and High Speed Two is developed, various electrified routes will open through the area, thus grdually reducing journey times between London and Sheffield.
Once the station is fully open, I suspect there will be services between London and Sheffield via High Speed Two and the Erewash Valley Line.
But when the High Speed 2 spur towards Sheffield is opened, the trains will take the high speed route.
Electrification From London To Kettering, Glendon Junction And Corby
Currently, the electrified section of the line South of Bedford is being upgraded and the electrification and quadruple tracks are being extended to Glendon Junction, where the branch to Corby leaves the main line.
When completed, this electrification will enable the following.
- Two electric trains per hour (tph) between London and Corby.
- Much of the route between London and Glendon Junction will be improved to allow 200 kph running.
- Much of the route between London and Glendon Junction will be quadruple tracks.
It will be a quality high speed line to a similar standard to that of much of the East Coast Main Line.
The True 200 kph (125 mph) Bi-Mode Train
In the Wikipedia entry for Leicester station, this is said about electrification of the Midland Main Line.
From 2022, services will be operated using bi-mode electro-diesel trains running in electro-pantograph mode between London St Pancras and Kettering North Junction, switching to electro-accumulator/diesel-electric mode northwards from there.
Bombardier have been quoted as developing a 200 kph bi-mode Aventra with batteries.
- 200 kph on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- 200 kph on diesel.
- Batteries for Last Mile operation.
- Better ambience than current bi-modes.
- Low and level floors.
If Bombardier can produce such a train, surely other train manufacturers can?
Electrification Between Glendon Junction And Market Harborough
I talked about this in MML Wires Could Reach Market Harborough, where I said this.
It appears that Network Rail have a problem.
- Electrification of the Midland Main Line (MML) is to run as far as Kettering and Corby stations.
- The power feed is to be located at Braybrooke, which is just South of Market Harborough station.
So Network Rail are now looking for a twelve mile long extension lead.
A Network Rail spokesman, says they are looking at various options, including an underground cable or extending the Overhead Line Equipment.
Since I wrote that post a few weeks ago, I have looked at that section of line and have had various messages, which lead me to the belief, that all bridges and structures have been raised to allow electrification to be added to the line.
These points are in favour of electrification!
- The only station is Market Harborough, where the track is s being realigned to increase linespeed.
- Bridges, structures and track appear to have been upgraded for electrification.
- There are only two tracks.
- Network Rail need a power connection.
It will be a matter of heads and tails, as to whether Glendon Junction and Market Harborough station will be electrified.
The Electrification Gap Between Market Harborough And East Midlands Hub Stations
These are my thoughts on various sections going North from Market Harborough station.
Between Market Harborough And Leicester
This doesn’t appear to be too difficult to electrify, if that were to be decided, until approaching Leicester station, where there are several bridges over the track.
A driver also told me, that under one bridge the track can’t be lowered, due to the presence of a large sewer.
If the proposed bi-mode trains have a Last Mile battery capability, discontinuous electrification as proposed for South Wales could be used on these bridges.
But the track is fairly straight and the speed limits could be fairly high enabling the proposed bi-mode trains to be cruising near to 200 kph.
Whatever is done, I suspect that the track improvements and the electrification work South of Kettering will enable the new bi-mode trains to go between Leicester and London in comfortably under an hour.
Leicester Station
I think Leicester station is both a problem and a solution.
I don’t think it is possible to electrify the current station without a lot of disruption and major works because of the number of bridges South of the station.
But according to Wikipedia, plans exist to regerenate the station, which could be a big opportunity to create the most cost-effective solution to powering the trains.
Northwards From Leicester
This section looks an ideal one for the proposed 200 kph bi-mode train, with fairly straight tracks.
Operation Of The Bi-Mode Trains
Battery Use
I believe that Bombardier’s design for a 200 kph bi-mode train, doesn’t just use batteries for Last Mile operation.
Using discontinuous electrification on the bridges South of Leicester, which would be the sensible way to electrify that section, but would need the new trains to have a battery capability to jump the gaps.
I also believe that Aventras use batteries to handle regenerative braking, as do Hitachi on their Class 800 trains.
Bombardier Aventras seem to have lots of powered axles and Bombardier have stated that the bi-mode will have distributed power.
As an Electrical and Control Engineer, I believe that the most efficient battery strategy with distributed power, would be to distribute the batteries to each car.
- Batteries would be close to the traction motors, which is electrically efficient.
- Batteries would be smaller and easier to install on the train.
- Battery power could be used to power the train’s systems, as Hitachi do!
- Battery power could be used to move the train and assist in acceleration
Each car would have its own computer to use the most efficient strategy.
I would also put an appropriately sized diesel generator in each car.
In the mathematical modelling of systems consisting of several identical units working together, it is a common technique to look at an individual car.
Consider the following, where I estimate the weight of a car in a proposed bi-mode Aventra.
- A motor car for a Class 345 train, which is another Aventra variant, weighs 36.47 tonnes.
- I estimate that a typical car in the proposed bi-mode train will accommodate a total of about 70 seated and standing passengers.
- With bags, buggies and other things passengers bring on, let’s assume an average passenger weight of 90 kg, this gives an extra 6.3 tonnes.
- Suppose the battery and the diesel were to weigh a tonne each
So I will assume that a typical car weighs 44.77 tonnes.
When running at 200 kph, the car will have a kinetic energy of around 19.5 kWh.
The 30 kWh battery in a Nissan Leaf could handle that amount of energy.
The kinetic energy of a passenger train is surprisingly small.
I suspect that each car has a battery size of about 50 kWh, so that it can adequately power the train in all modes.
Acceleration
Acceleration of a train, is the part of the journey that uses most power.
These trains will need to have the same or better acceleration to the Class 222 trains, that currently work the route, as otherwise timings would be slower and a marketing disaster.
In Have Bombardier Got A Cunning Plan For Voyagers?, I did the calculation of the kinetic energy for a four-car Class 220 train, which is in the same Voyager family as the Class 222 train.
Voyagers are an interesting train, as they cruise at 200 kph and have a diesel engine in each car, which generates electricity to power the train.
Consider these facts for a four-car Class 220 train.
- The train has a weight of 185.6 tonnes, so the average car weight is 46.4 tonnes
- The train has seats for two hundred passengers or 50 per car.
- If we assume that each passenger weighs 90 Kg. with their baggage this gives a total car weight of 50.9 tonnes.
This one car of a Class 222 train running at 200 kph has a kinetic energy of 22 kWh.
As both trains are assumed to be travelling at the same speed, the difference in kinetic energy is down to the weight of the car and the number of passengers.
I have assumed more passengers in the Aventra, as I suspect modern design will improve the figure.
Consider each of these trains doing a stop from 200 kph on the Midland Main Line.
The Aventra will convert the train’s kinetic energy into electricity in the batteries, so if I assume that the efficiency of the regenerative braking is eighty percent, this would mean that 19.5 * 0.8 or 15.6 kWh will be stored in the battery in each car. To accelerate back to 200 kph, the onboard diesel engines will have to supply 3.9 kWh for each car.
The Class 222 train will convert the train’s kinetic energy into heat. To accelerate back to 200 kph, the onboard diesel engines will have to supply 22 kWh for each car.
Bombadier have said that their design for a bi-mode Aventra will have distributed power. So if this includes the batteries and the diesel engines, I wouldn’t be surprised if each car has a battery and a diesel engine.
On the Class 222 train a 560 kW diesel is used in each car to provide the 22 kWh to accelerate the train.
So what size of diesel engine would be needed to supply the 3.9 kWh needed to accelerate the train?
Assuming the diesel is as efficient as that in the Class 222 train, the diesel engine would only be in the region of 100 kW.
Which seems very small!
But suppose something like the quiet Cummins ISBe engine, that is used in a New Routemaster bus is installed.
- This engine has a capacity of 4.5 litres and a rating of 185 bhp/138 kW.
- It is a quarter the size of the engine in the Class 222 train.
- One of the major uses of a larger 5.9 litre version of this engine is in a Dodge Ram pickup.
The engine would only run when the power in the battery was below a certain level.
Cruising At 200 kph
Once at 200 kph, I suspect that most of the power required would come from the batteries.
These would be topped up as required by the diesel engine.
Charging The Batteries
Expecting a small diesel engine to charge the batteries sufficiently between London and Sheffield is probably a big ask, especially if the new franchise wanted to run a train that stopped everywhere North of Kettering.
South of Kettering the train would use the electrification and I suspect trains going North will say good-bye to the electrification with full batteries.
So this is why Chris Grayling’s statement of possible electrification between Sheffield and Clay Cross is important.
Southbound trains from Sheffield would leave Clay Cross junction with full batteries, whether they are going via Derby or the Erewash Valley Line.
Between London And Sheffield
Trains between London and Sheffield would only be relying on the diesel engines to top up the batteries between Glendon Junction and Clay Cross.
This is probably about eighty miles. Trains currently take an hour with stops at Leicester and Derby.
It’s a tough ask!
But it might be possible, if an efficient, aerodynamically slippery train is launched with full batteries at full speed at Clay Cross and Glendon Junctions into a route without electrification, which is as straight and level as possible with only gentle curves.
Between London And Nottingham
The distance on the related route between Glendon Junction and Nottingham is about sixty miles with a couple of stops.
This could be an even tougher ask! A charging system at Nottingham might make all the difference.
Bombardier
Obviously Bombardier have done extensive simulations and they wouldn’t be offering the train for the new East Midlands Franchise, if they knew it wasn’t a viable solution!
If they can develop a train that can jump an eighty mile electrification gap at 200 kph, they’ll have a train, that will be a serious export possibility.
The following would also help.
- Any extra electrification.
- Launching the train at a higher speed into the gap. 225 kph would be the equivalent of an extra 5kWh in the battery.
- Batteries with a higher energy density will emerge.
- More efficient regenerative braking.
- Better aerodynamics.
I also believe that big improvements could come from a more sophisticated train control system.
Bombardier are developing a totally different philosophy of train design.
Conclusion
It looks like the reality of mathematics and dynamics will be able to satisfy the seemingly impossible dreams of Chris Grayling!
Heavyweight Backing Expected For £1.5bn Crossrail Extension
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on New Civil Engineer.
This is the first paragraph.
Government infrastructure tsar Sir John Armitt is this week expected to throw his weight behind a £1.5bn extension to Ebbsfleet.
The article also says.
- Circumstances have changed greatly since the 2008 Crossrail Act.
- Canary Wharf Group, who contributed £150million to the building of Canary Wharf station, may be prepared to contribute, as this will give access from their site to Eurostar.
- The extension could support the construction of 55,000 new homes and 50,000 jobs.
The extension would take ten years to design and construct.
Eurostar
After my forays to and from Europe recently by Eurostar, I feel that a Crossrail link to Ebbsfleet will be heavily used.
- As more destinations are served by trains from St. Pancras, more passengers will find Ebbsfleet a more convenient station for the Continent.
- Ebbsfleet will be linked directly to Canary Wharf, the City of London, the West End and Heathrow.
- Crossrail will give an easy Undergound-free link between Wales and the West Country and Ebbsfleet stations with a single change at Paddington station.
- When HS2 opens, there will be an easy Underground-free link between the Midlands and the North and Ebbsfleet stations with a single change at Old Oak Common station.
- St. Pancras only has four platforms with no space to expand, but it could be relatively easy to add capacity at Ebbsfleet.
If I was in charge of designing and building the Crossrail extension, I’d make sure that Eurostar made a contribution, as they will be big winners from the extension.
The City Of London
The extension may be beneficial to the City of London.
- The extension would add more stations within easy reach of terminal stations in the City.
- The extension might give an easier route to and from the City.
- After Brexit, I suspect the institutions of the City will want more good connections to Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Paris.
,Perhaps one of the big City companies might like to finance construction and charge a royalty on each rain?
London City Airport
Should the project to build the extension also include building a Crossrail station at London City Airport?
This would mean that passengers between places like Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man and Manchester, and Continental destinations served by train would have a more convenient interchange in London.
Ebbsfleet Valley
Ebbsfleet Valley is a proposed new town of 16,000 homes being built on brownfield land close to Ebbsfleet station.
£300million of government money has been pumped into the project. But according to Wikipedia, there has been criticisms of the project.
London Paramount Entertainment Resort
London Paramount Entertainment Resort is described like this in Wikipedia.
London Paramount Entertainment Resort (commonly referred to as London Paramount) is a proposed theme park for the London Resort in Swanscombe, Kent. The project was announced on 8 October 2012 and it was estimated to open by around 2023.. In June 2017, it was announced that Paramount had pulled out of the project[2]. However, London Resort Company Holdings still insist the project is going ahead.
I’ve never been to a theme park, as I prefer the real thing!
But others will like it!
Conclusion
The beneficiaries of extending Crossrail to Ebbsfleet, include a lot of big players with possibly large financial resources.
I would suspect that some could be persuaded to fund particular parts of the project.
After all, if a housing developer invested say £10 million, in a new station for a development and then found it easier to sell the houses, there comes a point, where they make more profit and house buyers get a much better place to live.
Passenger Crowding On Platform 14 At Manchester Piccadilly Station
After changing trains at Salford Crescent station, I arrived on Platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly station.
Everybody says the two island platforms need more capacity and another two platforms.
This picture shows a train in Platform 14.
Note all the passengers alongside the train at the bottom of the stairs. Many of whom are waiting for later trains.
There are also few passengers waiting on the platform.
Consider.
I am writing this at eight in the morning and there are seventeen trains in total calling at Platforms 13 and 14, in the next hour.
- As one train starts from Platform 13, that is just nine trains per hour (tph) on each platform.
- The two platform station at Canada Water on the London Overground handles sixteen tph and in 2016-17, around 25 million passengers used the station.
- By comparison Manchester Piccadilly station handles around twenty-seven million passengers on fourteen platforms.
Because of the numbers of trains and passengers involved, I believe strongly that a rebuild of Platforms 13 and 14 could raise the numbers to those currentl achieved at Canada Water.
So what are the differences between Platform 13 and 14 ar Manchester Piccadilly and Canada Water?
- Both were originally built in the Victorian era.
- Both have been improved since 2000.
- The Manchester Platforms have a lift, two staircases and an up escalator, whereas each platform at Canada Water has a lift, and at least one of both a staircase and an escalator.
- Access at the Manchester Platform is all at one end, whereas access at Canada Water is to the centre of the platforms, where there is a wide lobby set back from the platform.
- The Manchester Platforms are narrower, than those at Canada Water.
- Canada Water has the advantages that it is only served by Class 378 trains and there is level access between platform and all trains.
- Canada Water is a well-designed light and airy below ground station, whereas the Manchester Platforms have all the dtyle and charm of a Victorian toilet block.
So what would I do to Platform 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly?
- If all trains were at least four carriages, this might encourage people to spread out, instead of hanging about at the bottom of the main stairs.
- If platforms could be released in the main section of Manchester Piccadilly station, by virtue of the Ordsall , this might help.
- Increase the width of the platforms.
- Add more escalators.
- Put an enlarged waiting room on top of the current platforms, with quality information, so passengers can wait in the warm, with perhaps a cup of coffee.
In addition, the ultimate solution would be to built a long footbridge to connect the Southern end of all platforms.
It would be wide
Each pair of platforms would have lift and escalator access to the footbridge.
- It could have a lift to street level at both ends.
- I believe that this could be built, without disrupting the current traffic through the station.
Hopefully, this will all be sorted, when the HS2 station is built.
If something like it is not built, it will be a very long walk, between the HS2 platforms and Platforms 13 and 14.
HS2 Need To Get Their Act Together
Crossrail has been good in keeping Londoners and others informed about designs and what is happening, with constant updates to the News page on their web site.
Last month, HS2 started the contractual process to find a builder for the HS2 station at Old Oak Common.
But there is nothing about it on their News page, which is just a load of press releases.
I have found this picture of the proposed station in several places on the Internet.
But where is the detailed information page, which explains it all?
I found this map of the rail lines in Wikipedia Commons.
Note.
- It would appear that the rail line going along the North side of the common in the visualisation is the Great Western Main Line, which will also be used by Crossrail.
- It appears that the rail loop in the foreground of the visualisation, which is not shown on the map, is to allow Crossrail trains to access the North London Line.
- There must be another proposed loop or viaduct to allow trains to connect to the Northbound West Coast Main Line. This would allow Crossrail to be extended to Watford and Milton Keynes.
Where is the definitive map and information from HS2?
Old Oak Common station will affect travel plans for millions of travellers to and from most parts of London and a lot of places in the wider South East.
No wonder, there are people who don’t want HS2 to be built, if they have no information!
So why aren’t HS2 following the same news and information route, that has been successful for Crossrail?
Routes For Bombardier’s 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra
This article in Rail Magazine, is entitled Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power.
A few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.
These are my thoughts on these franchises.
Bi-Mode And Pure Electric
I’m pretty certain that if you want to create a 125 mph bi-mode train, you start with a 125 mph electric train, if you want a high degree of commonality between the two trains.
Hitachi have a whole family of Class 800 trains, each of which has a different specification for the diesel power. Even the pure-electric Class 801 trains, has one diesel engine for emergencies.
An electric train with batteries could be very efficient, if the batteries were used to handle regenerative braking and boost the trains, where more power is required.
East Midlands
It is no surprise that Bombardier are talking to the groups, that are bidding to become the new franchise holder for the East Nidlands, when it is awarded in April 2019.
They wouldn’t want to see another company’s product roaring past the factory.
The proposed bi-mode Aventra will probably have been designed very much with the Midland Main Line in mind.
- The Midland Main Line will be electrified from St. Pancras to Kettering and Corby.
- Will the fast lines be electrified to Glendon Junction, where the Corby Branch joins the Midland Main Line?
- The route between St. Pancras and Glendon Junction is being upgraded to four tracks, with as much 125 mph running as possible.
- The non-stop nature of Midland Main Line services South of Kettering could be significant.
- North of Kettering, there is currently no electrification.
- The development of Toton station for HS2 is being accelerated and there could be an island of electrification here, by the mid-2020s.
- If HS2 shares the Midland Main Line corridor between Toton and Sheffield, this section could be electrified by the late-2020s.
Over the next decade, there will be more electrification and a greater proportion of the route, where 125 mph running will be possible.
There has been a bit of controversy, that the number of stops the franchise will make at Bedford and Luton is being reduced after May this year.
The reason given is that it will enable faster services to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
North To Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield
Consider a bi-mode train with batteries going North.
- Between St. Pancras and Kettering, it will be at 125 mph for as long as possible.
- The train will also ensure that at Kettering, it has the batteries brim full, sfter charging from the electrification.
- After a stop at Kettering station, if the electrification reached to Glendon Junction, the acceleration would all be electrically-powered.
- Whether it stopped at Kettering or not, the train would pass Glendon Junction at line speed with full batteries.
It’s almost as if the electrification is being used as a catapult to speed the train North.
South From Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield
Being as electrically efficient coming South would be a lot more difficult.
- I suspect that train batteries will be charged at Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, so they start their journey South with full batteries.
- Using a full battery and assistance from the onboard generator, trains would be accelerated away from the terminii.
- The trains computer would select automatically, whether to use battery or onboard generator power and would harvest all the power from regenerative braking.
- At each stop on the journey, energy would be lost, as regenerative braking systems do not are only between seventy and ninety percent efficient.
- Once at Glendon Junction, the train would raise the pantograph and switch to getting power from the overhead wires.
It’s all about a well-programmed computer on the train, which knows the route, the timetable and battery state so it can switch power sources appropriately.
Electrification
On the other hand, electrification around Toton could make everything easier and more efficient.
With electrification, every little helps.
- Modern trains can raise and lower pantographs, quickly and automatically.
- Faster journeys.
- Lower carbon emissions.
- Less noise and vibration from diesel generators.
Everyone’s a winner.
Oakham To Kettering
The Oakham-Kettering Line to Corby station is being electrified, double-tracked and I suspect speed limits will be raised.
Speed limits are also being raised and track improvements are being done, South of Glendon Junction.
Currently, services take seventy minutes. With the 125 mph Aventras on the route, they will not need to use the onboard generator, but surely the journey time could be reduced to under an hour, which would attract passengers and need less trains to run a two trains per hour (tph) service.
The Oakham Problem
Oakham station is in the middle of the town, as this Google Map shows.
The Department for transport would like to see more services to the town and the next station of Melton Mowbray.
But the line through the station is busy with freight trains and there is a level crossing in the middle of the town.
125 mph bi-mode trains, won’t help with the problem of Oakham.
Joining And Splitting Of Trains
There is also the possibility of joining and splitting trains.
Hitachi’s Class 800 trains can do this and I’m sure bi-mode Aventras will be able to do this automatically.
There is only four platforms available for trains on the Midland Main Line at St. Pancras and regularly two trains occupy one platform.
The ability to run a pair of bi-mode trains, that joined and split could be a great asset.
Liverpool To Norwich
This long route is an important one for those, who live near its stations. It is usually served by one or two Class 158 trains, which are often very crowded.
The route is partially electrified.
- Liverpool to Hunts Cross
- Manchester Oxford Road to Stockport
- Grantham to Peterborough
- Around Ely
- Around Norwich
So there should be plenty of places to raise the pantograph and charge the batteries.
It is a typical long-distance route for the UK and I’m sure it would benefit from 125 mph bi-mode Aventras.
West Coast Partnership
Bids for the West Coast Partnership, which will run services on the West Coast Main Line and HS2, will be submitted by July 2018. The winning bidder will be announced in May 2019 and take over services two months later.
A modern 125 mph bi-mode would be an ideal replacement for the current twenty Class 221 trains, that work on the West Coast Main Line.
These Class 221 trains are.
- Diesel powered.
- Five-cars long.
- Built in 2001-2002 by Bombardier.
- 125 mph capable.
- Some services are run by splitting and joining trains.
But most importantly, most services are run substantially under wires.
New 125 mph bi-mode trains would certainly improve services.
- Several of the current services operated by Class 221 trains, would become electric ones.
- How much faster would they be able to run a service between London Euston and Holyhead?
- They would also be able to run new services to places like Barrow. Blackburn and Huddersfield.
- Five cars could be a convenient train size for the operator.
But above all, they would offer a better passenger experience, with less noise and vibration from the diesel engines.
The longest section of running using onboard power of a bi-mode Aventra will be along the North Wales Coast Line to Holyhead.
- The line has an 90 mph operating speed.
- The line is 85 miles long.
- The gradients won’t be too challenging, as the line runs along the coast.
- Services stop up to half-a-dozen times on the route.
- From London to Crewe is electrified.
- The section between Crewe and Chester may be electrified.
It looks to be an ideal route for a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra.
As the route appears to not be as challenging as the Midland Main Line, could this route, be the ideal test route for a hydrogen fuel-cell powered Aventra.
West Coast Partnership may well have plans to use 125 mph bi-mode trains as feeder services for HS2’s hubs at Birmingham and Crewe.
I could certainly see West Coast Partnership ordering a mixed fleet of 125 mph Aventras, some of which would be bi-modes and some pure electric.
CrossCountry
CrossCountry has a diverse portfolio of routes, which have every characteristic possible.
- Some are lines with a 125 mph operating speed.
- Some are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- Some are electrified with 750 VDC third-rail.
- Some are not electrified.
A bi-mode train with these characteristics would fit well.
- 125 mph capability on both electric and diesel power.
- Battery power for short branch lines.
- Modern passenger facilities.
- Five-cars.
- Ability to work in pairs.
They could actually go for a homogeneous fleet, if they felt so inclined.
That would be a substantial fleet of upwards of fifty five-car trains.
The new CrossCountry franchise will be awarded in August 2019 and start in December 2019.
Other Routes
If the 125 bi-mode Aventra with batteries is built, there could be other routes.
Borders Railway
Why would you run a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra on the 90 mph Borders Railway?
- The Borders Railway will be extended to Carlisle, which will mean, that both ends will be electrified for a few miles.
- This will mean that bi-mode trains with batteries could charge their batteries at both ends of the line.
- If traffic increases, extra cars can be added.
- The trains would be able to use the West Coast Main Line to link the Lake District to Edinburgh.
- They could be given a tourism-friendly interior, to go with the large windows common to all Aventras.
The trains would help to develop tourism in the South of Scotland and the North of England.
East West Rail
The East West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge is going to built without electrification.
- But that doesn’t mean that it should be built with an operating speed in the region of 90 mph!
- The legendary InterCity 125s have been running on lines without electrification at 125 mph since the late 1970s, so it isn’t an unknown practice.
So if the line were to be built for high speed across some of the flattest parts of England, why not unleash the 125 mph bi-mode Aventras?
They could serve Ipswich, Norwich and Yarmouth in the East using their onboard generators.
They could serve Bournemouth, Bristol, Reading and Southampton, if the trains had a dual-voltage capability.
They could use electrification at Bedford, Bletchley, Cambridge and Reading to charge the batteries.
Settle-Carlisle Line
Surely, if the 125 mph bi-mode Aventras are suitable for the Borders Railway, then it should be able to work the Settle-Carlisle Line.
- Both ends of the line are electrified, so batteries could be charged.
- The line needs more and better services.
But the main reason, is that there will be a high-class scenic route between Edinburgh and Leeds.
I estimate that a London to Edinburgh service via Leeds, Settle, Carlisle and the Borders Railway would take six and a half hours, using a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra.
Some tourists love that sort of trip.
Waterloo To Exeter
The West of England Line has the following characteristics.
- It runs between Basingstoke and Exeter.
- It is a hundred and twenty miles long.
- It has a 90 mph operating speed.
- The line is not electrified.
- It is connected to the electrified South Western Main Line to Waterloo.
- The route is electrified between Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- Direct trains take three hours twenty-three minutes between Waterloo and Exeter, with fourteen stops between Basingstoke and Exeter.
- The trains used on the route are twenty-five year-old Class 159 trains.
Would a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra improve the passenger service between Waterloo and Exeter?
- The Aventras are built for fast dwell times at stations, so there could be time saving with all those stops.
- The Aventras could use the third-rail electrification between Waterloo and Basingstoke.
- There may be places, where the operating speed can be increased and the faster Aventras would take advantage.
- The trains could have a passenger-friendly interior and features designed for the route.
The real benefits for South Western Railway and their passengers would come, if the trains could do Waterloo to Exeter in three hours.
Routes For A Pure-Electric Version
There are several routes in the UK, where the following apply.
- Some long-distance trains are run by 125 mph trains.
- The route is fully- or substantially-electrified.
- A proportion of the route allows 125 mph running.
- Sections of the route is only double-track.
Routes satisfying the criteria include.
- The West Coast Main Line
- The East Coast Main Line
- The Great Western Main Line
- The Midland Main Line
On these routes, I believe it would be advantageous, if all passenger trains were capable of operating at 125 mph.
This is cause if all trains were running at 125 mph, they could be more closely spaced, thus increasing capacity.
Digital signalling would probably be needed.
There are several train services,, that use the electrified 125 mph sections of these routes.
Birmingham/Liverpool/Manchester To Edinburgh/Glasgow
TransPennine Express, are replacing their current Siemens 110 mph Class 350 trains on this service, with new CAF 125 mph Class 397 trains.
Euston To The West Midlands, Liverpool And Preston
West Midland Trains are replacing some of their current Siemens 110 mph Class 350 trains with new Aventras.
Information is scarce at the moment, but could some of these new Aventras be 125 mph units for working on the West Coast Main Line?
Leeds/York To Edinbugh
TransPennine Express run trains on this route.
St. Panvras To Corby
The Corby Branch is being upgraded.
- Double-track
- 125 mph running
- Electrification
The section of the Midland Main Line between St. Pancras and Glendon Junction is also being upgraded to allow as much 125 mph running as possible.
If 125 mph bi-mode trains are to be used from St. Pancras to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, then surely, it would be logical to use a pure-electric version of the train between St. Pancras and Corby?
Various documents and web pages say, that the St. Pancras to Corby services are going to be worked by 110 mph Class 387 trains. Surely, faster 125 mph trains, which had been designed for the route would be better for passengers and the train operating company.
From my experience of scheduling, the section of the Midland Main Line between St. Pancras and Bedford, must be a nightmare to timetable successfully.
- There are two train operating companies using the route, who go a hundred miles in different directions.
- The Class 700 trains used by Thameslink are only 100 mph trains, so probably can’t use the fast lines too often, as if they do, they’ll delay the expresses..
- Regular passengers object to any change in stopping patterns or journey times.
- Passengers liked to get on express services at Bedford, but they now don’t stop.
- Passengers don’t like the Class 700 trains.
- Luton Airport wants more services.
My experience, says that something radical must be done.
Consider.
- Plans are for two tph between St. Pancras and Corby.
- How many passengers would complain if they ended up in the St. Pancras Thameslink platforms, rather than the high-level ones? They’re both equally badly connected to the Underground, buses and taxis.
- There will be four tph between Bedford and London all day on Thameslink, with an extra four tph in the Peak.
- Some or all of these services will call at both Luton and Gatwick Airports.
- Looking at the two semi-fast services. which both run at tw trph, they seem to stop virtually everywhere.
I think it would be possible for the two tph St. Pancras to Corby services to become express services between Corby, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
- The services would only stop at Kettering, Bedford, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, St. Albans, West Hampstead Thameslink, St. Pancras Thameslink, Farringdon, City Thameslink, Blackfriars, London Bridge and East Croydon.
- The services would use the 125 mph fast lines North of St. Pancras, as much as possible.
- Corby services would always call at St. Pancras Thameslink.
- The trains would be designed for both Airport services and long-distance commuting.
- The trains would be maximum length.
Obviously, this is my rough idea, but something like it might satisfy the stakeholders, more than what is proposed.
I think there are also other services, which are fully electrified, which could be upgraded, so that they would be suitable for or need 125 mph electric trains.
Kings Cross To King’s Lynn
I wrote about this route in Call For ETCS On King’s Lynn Route.
Portsmouth Direct Line
Under Topography Of The Line in the Wikipedia enter for the Portsmouth Direct Line, this is said.
The central part of the route, from Guildford to Havant, runs through relatively thinly populated country. The line was designed on the “undulating principle”; that is, successive relatively steep gradients were accepted to reduce construction cost. In the days of steam operation this made the route difficult for enginemen.
But with.
- A second man in the cab, in the shape of the train’s computer, juggling the power.
- Regenerative braking to the batteries saving energy for reuse when needed.
- Bags of grunt from the traction motors.
The pure electric version of the 125 mph Aventra might just have the beating of the topography.
South Western Railway plan to introduce an older train from Litchurch Lane in Derby on this route, in the shape of the last of the Mark 3s, the Class 442 train or the Wessex Electrics, which were built in the 1980s.
It will be interesting to see how a 125 mph pure electric Aventra compares to something made in the same works, thirty years earlier.
Waterloo To Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth
The South Western Main Line goes to Southampton Central, Bournemouth and Weymouth.
- It is a 100 mph line
- It is fully-electrified.
Would a 125 mph pure-electric Aventra be able to put the hammer down?
I’m sure Network Rail can improve the line to a maximum safe line-speed.
Conclusion
If Bombardier build a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra with batteries, there is a large market. Especially, if there is a sibling, which is pure electric.
Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power
The title of this post is the same as this article in Rail Magazine.
A few points from the article.
- Development has already started.
- Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.
- The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.
- The trains will be built at Derby.
- Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.
- Export of trains is a possibility.
Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.
In some ways, I am not surprised about what is said in this article.
Another article on Christian Wolmar’s web site, is entitled Bombardier’s Survival Was The Right Kind Of Politics.
This is said.
Bombardier is not resting on its laurels. Interestingly, the company has been watching the problems over electrification and the fact that more of Hitachi’s new trains will now be bi-mode because the wires have not been put up in time. McKeon has a team looking at whether Bombardier will go into the bi-mode market: ‘The Hitachi bi-mode trains can only go 110 mph when using diesel. Based on Aventra designs, we could build one that went 125 mph. This would help Network Rail as it would not have to electrify everywhere.’ He cites East Midlands, CrossCountry and Wales as potential users of this technology.
The article was published in February 2017 and mentions, 125 mph on diesel and two of the companies in the recent article.
The Design Of The Trains
My thoughts are as follows.
The Starting Point
I’m pretty certain that if you wanmt to create a 125 mph bi-mode train, you start with a 125 mph electric train, if you want a high degree of commonality between the two trains.
Bombardier haven’t yet built any of their Aventras for West Midland Trains, but as they will use the West Coast Main Line extensively, will they be 125 mph trains and not 110 mph trains, as is said in Wikipedia?
Aventras And Battery Power
I will believe until Bombardier say I’m wrong, that Crossrail’s Class 345 trains, which are Aventras, use batteries for the following purposes.
- To handle regenerative braking.
- To limp the train out of the tunnel or to the next station or safe exit point, if there should be a catastrophic power failure.
- To lessen the amount of electricity fed to the trains in the tunnels.
- To allow features like remote wake-up, which need a train to have some form of power at all times.
- To move trains in sidings and depots without having live electrification.
- To run passenger features, when the power fails.
Effectively, the Class 345 trains have electricity as a main power source and batteries for energy storage and a secondary or emergency power source.
I talked to one of their staff, who was training drivers on Crossrail’s Aventras. The conversation went something like this.
- Me: “What happens, when the Russians hack the power supply?”
- Driver-Trainer: “We switch the train to emergency power!”
- Me: “You mean batteries?”
- Driver-Trainer: (Pause, then something like) “Might be!”
Can anybody think of another way to have emergency power on the train?
Electric Traction, Regenerative Braking and Batteries
Bi-mode trains and Alstom’s hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint are electrically powered at all times.
This means that under electric, diesel or hydrogen power, the traction motors can generate electricity to brake the train.
On an electric train, this electricity is returned through the overhead wire or third rail to power other nearby trains. This electricity could also be stored in an onboard battery, just as it is in a hybrid or battery-electric vehicle.
Driving A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The bi-mode Aventra could have electricity from one of four power sources.
- 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- An onboard electricity generator powered by diesel fuel or hydrogen.
- Batteries
So will the driver need to keep switching power sources?
I am a Control Engineer by training and optimising the best power to use is a typical problem for someone with my training and experience.
The train’s computer would take all the information about the route, timetable, signal settings, battery charge level, train loading, weather and other factors and drive the train automatically, with the driver monitoring everything thoroughly.
Aircraft have been flown in a similar fashion for decades.
I look in detail, at the mathematics of a bi-mode Aventra with batteries in Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries.
I came to the following conclusions.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion, that a 125 mph bi-mode train is a practical proposition.
- It would need a controllable hydrogen or diesel power-pack, that could deliver up to 200 kW
- Only one power-pack would be needed for a five-car train.
- For a five-car train a battery capacity of 300 kWh would probably be sufficent.
From my past professional experience, I know that a computer model can be built, that would show the best onboard generator and battery sizes, and possibly a better operating strategy, for both individual routes and train operating companies.
Obviously, Bombardier have better data and more sophisticated calculations than I do.
Note, that everything I proposed, is well within the scope of modern engineering, so other companies like CAF and Stadler, who are actively involved in rail application of battery technology, could join the party.
This picture is a visualisation of a Stadler Class 755 train, which they are building for Greater Anglia.
Note the smaller third car, which contains the diesel engine of this hybrid train. Is there room for batteries as well?
I can’t find any information on the web about the power train of the Class 755 train, but this article in the Railway Gazette, describes another Stadler bi-mode Flirt, that Stadler are building for Italy.
This is said.
The units will be rated at 2 600 kW with a maximum speed of 160 km/h when operating from 3 kV DC electrification, and 700 kW with a maximum speed of 140 km/h when powered by the two Stage IIIB compliant Deutz TCD 16.0 V8 diesel engines.
There is provision to add up to two more cars if required to meet an increase in ridership. Two more engines could be added, or the diesel module removed if only electric operation is needed.
Note.
- The Deutz diesel engines are rated at 520 kW.
- As 700 kW is the power of the train, I suspect each engine generator creates 350 kW of power.
- 160 km/h would be ideal for the Great Eastern Main Line
- 140 km/h would be more than adequate for roaming around East Anglia
I suspect that if batteries were used on this train, that the engines would be smaller.
We will see in May 2019, when the trains enter service.
Diesel Or Hydrogen Generator
Electricity generation using a diesel generator and electricity generator from a hydrogen fuel cell, each have their own advantages.
- Diesel fuel has a higher energy density than hydrogen
- Diesel engines create a lot of noise and vibration and emit carbon dioxide, noxious gases and particulates.
- Hydrogen fuel cells can be silent and only emit water and steam.
- Ballard who are a Canadian company and a leading manufacturer of hydrogen fuel-cells, manufacture one for use in rail applications which has an output of 100 kW, that weighs 385 Kg.
- MTU make the diesel engine for a Class 800 train, which has an output of over 600 kW, that weighs 5000 Kg.
- Hydrogen storage is probably heavier and more complicated than diesel storage.
- Both generators can be fitted into convenient rectangular power packs.
I would envisage that in the future, hydrogen electricity generators will get more efficient, lighter in weight and smaller in size for a given power output.
I don’t think it is unreasonable to believe, that within a reasonable number of years, hydrogen generators and their hydrogen storage tank, will be comparable in weight and size to current diesel generators and fuel tanks.
Accelerating A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The major use of electricity on a 125 mph train, will be in accelerating the train up to line speed. The energy needed will be.
- Proportional to the mass of the train. This is why your car accelerates better, when it’s just you in the car and you don’t have your overweight mother-in-law in the back.
- Proportional to the square of the velocity.
I have calculated that a five-car bi-mode Aventra, carrying 430 passengers and travelling at 125 mph, will have a kinetic energy of 91.9 kWh.
Obviously, using electricity from electrification is the best way to accelerate a train.
- Electricity from electrification is probably cheaper and more convenient, than that from an onboard electricity generator.
- If diesel is not used to power the train, there is no noise and vibration from an onboard diesel generator.
- A route with a lot of running on onboard fuel, means more fuel has to be carried.
Using electricity stored in batteries on the train, is also a good way to accelerate a train, but the batteries must have enough charge.
The onboard electricity generator will be used, when there is no electrification and the power stored in the batteries is approaching a low level.
|When Bombardier’s spokesman says, that the ambience will be good, control of the train’s power sources has a lot to do with it.
Could he have been hinting at hydrogen, as hydrogen fuel cells do not have high noise and vibration levels?
Cruising A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
Newton’s First Law states.
Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line, unless impressed forces act on it.
If you have a train on a railway track moving at a constant speed, the following forces are acting to slow the train.
- Aerodynamic forces, particularly on the front of the train.
- Rolling friction of the steel wheel on a steel rail.
- Bends and gradients in the track.
- Speed limits and signals.
So the driver and his control system will have to feed in power to maintain the vrequired spreed.
I have sat on the platform at Stratford, whilst an Aventra has gone past at speed. I wrote about it in Class 345 Trains Really Are Quiet!
This was my conclusion.
Bombardier have applied world class aviation aerodynamics to these trains. Particularly in the areas of body shape, door design, car-to-car interfaces, bogies and pantographs.
Remember too, that low noise means less wasted energy and greater energy efficiency.
In addition steel wheel on steel rails is a very efficient way of moving heavy weights. Bombardier have a reputation for good running gear.
Once a train has reached its cruising speed, appropriate amounts of power will be fed to the train to maintain speed.
But compared to the power needed to accelerate the train, they could be quite small.
For small amounts of power away from electrification, the control system will use battery power if it is available and can be used.
The onboard electricity generator would only be switched in, when larger amounts of power are needed or the battery power is low.
Slowing A Bi-Mode Train With Batteries
The regenerative braking will always be used, with the energy being stored in the batteries, if there is free capacity.
Imagine the following.
- A bi-mode making a stop at Leicester station on the Midland Main Line.
- It is doing 100 mph before the stop on the main line.
- It will be doing 100 mph after the stop on the main line.
The energy of the train after Leicester will be roughly the same as before, unless the mass of the train has changed, by perhaps a large number of passengers leaving or joining the train.
Let’s assume that the energy at 100 mph in the train is X kWh
- When the train brakes for Leicester this energy will be transferred to the train’s batteries, if there is capacity.
- On accelerating the train, it will need to acquire X kWh. It couldn’t get all of this from the batteries, as for various reasons the overall efficiency of this sort of system is about seventy to ninety percent.
- The onboard electricity generator will have to supply a proportion of the energy to get the train back up to 100 mph.
But in a diesel train it will have to supply all the energy to get back to 100 mph.
Where Would I Put The Batteries?
Aventras seem to have a lot of powered-bogies, so to keep cable runs short to minimise losses and maximise the efficiency of the regenerative braking, I would put a battery in each car of the train.
This would also distribute the weight evenly.
Where Would I Put The Electricity Generators?
Diesel engines always seem to be noisy, when they are installed under the floor of a train. I’ve travelled a lot in Bombardier’s Turbostars and although they are better than the previous generation, they are still not perfect.
I’ve also travelled in the cab of a Class 43 locomotive, with a 2,250 hp diesel engine close behind me. It was very well insulated and not very noisy.
As I said earlier, the most intensive use of the onboard generators will come in accelerating a train to operating speed, where no electrification or battery power is available. There is only so much you can do with insulation!
Stadler, who are building the Class 755 train for Greater Anglia, have opted to put a short diesel generator car in the middle of the train.
This was an earlier train, where Stadler used the technique.
There are reports in Wikipedia, that the ride wasn’t good, but I’m sure Stadler has cracked it for their new 100 mph bi-mode trains.
Creating a bi-mode by adding an extra motor car into the middle of an electric train could be a serious way to go.
- The dynamics are probably better understood now
- A powerful diesel engine could be fitted.
- Batteries could be added.
- Insulating passengers and staff from the noise and vibration would surely be easier.
- There could be a passage through the car, to allow passengers and staff to circulate.
In an ideal world, a four-car electric train could be changed into a five-car bi-mode train, by adding the motor car and updating the train software.
In Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, I came to the conclusion, that if the batteries are used in conjunction with the power-pack, that a single power-pack of about 200 kW could be sufficient to power the train. This would be smaller and lighter in weight, which would probably mean it could be tucked away under the floor and well-insulated to keep noise and vibration from passengers and staff.
In this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-ion batteries if required.
This was published six years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have refined the concept.
So could it be that Bombardier have designed a secondary power car, that can be fitted with a battery and a diesel engine of appropriate size?
- Using a diesel engine with batteries means that a smaller engine can be used.
- The diesel engine could also be replaced with a 200 kW hydrogen fuel cell.
I won’t speculate, but Bombardier have a very serious idea. And it’s all down to the mathematics.
What Would Be The Length Of A 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra?
Long distance Aventras, like those for Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains, seem to be five and ten car trains.
This would fit well with the offerngs from other companies, so I suspect five- and ten-cars will be the standard lengths.
Could There Be A Bi-Mode Aventra for Commuter Routes?
The London Overground has ordered a fleet of four-car Class 710 trains.
The Gospel Oak to Barking Line is being extended to a new Barking Riverside station.
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which probably has a terrain not much different to the lines to London.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
The new extension is about a mile, so this would need 20 kWh each way.
This could easily be done with a battery, but supposing a small diesel engine was also fitted under the floor. Would anybody notice the same 138 kW Cummins ISBe diesel engine that is used in a New Routemaster hybrid bus?
I doubt it.
It is a revealing to calculate the kinetic energy of a fully-loaded Class 710 train. I estimate that it under 50 kWh, if it was travelling at 90 mph, which would rarely be achieved on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
Could Bombardier Be Serious About Exporting Bi-Mode Aventras?
In my opinion, the Aventra is a good train an it seems to sell well in its electric form to train operating companies in the UK.
But would it sell well in overseas markets like the United States and Canada, India and Australia?
They obviously know better than I do, so we should take their statements at face value.
The Prospective Customers
The Rail Magazine article mentions three prospective customers.
I deal with them and other possiblilities in Routes For Bombardier’s 125 Mph Bi-Mode Aventra.
This was my conclusion.
If Bombardier build a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra with batteries, there is a large market.
It looks like the company has done a lot of research.
Conclusion
Bombardier are designing a serious train.
Will We See More Slab Track On UK Railways?
I ask this question, as I’ve just read this article on Rail Engineer, which is entitled Slab Track Austria: Now A Serious Contender?
Slab track or ballastless track has a Wikipedia entry.
This is said under Characteristics.
In ballastless tracks, the rails are rigidly fastened to a special type of concrete ties/sleepers that are themselves set in concrete. Ballastless tracks therefore offer a high consistency in track geometry, the adjusting of which is not possible after the concreting of the superstructure. Therefore, ballastless tracks must be concreted within a tolerance of 0.5 millimetres. The elasticity of the ballast in the traditional railway superstructure is replaced by flexibility between either the rails and the concrete ties/sleepers or the ties/sleepers and the concrete or asphalt slab as well inherent elasticity within the conglomerate of the tie/sleeper, whereas the concrete or asphalt slab is usually inelastic.
Applications in the UK recently include.
- Tunnels on Merseyrail, Crossrail and other routes.
- Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
- Borders Railway.
- Edinburgh to Glasgow Line at Glasgow Queen Street station and the Winchburgh Tunnel.
This picture shows some of the slab track on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
I suspect, that slab track was used here mainly because of limited clearance. But low maintenance and long life, must have improved the financial case.
Returning to the Rail Engineer article, it would appear that the engineers behind the slab track, have rethought a lot of the process of building a railway.
Slab Track Austria, which used to be called PORR-STA, seems to offer the following.
- Factory-build or one-site fabrication.
- Ease of installation.
- Accurate alignment
- Switches and crossing can be fabricated.
- Transition solutions to ballasted track.
- Low noise and vibration.
- Ease of maintenance
- Sixty year life.
Slab Track Austria would also appear to have worked extensively with Austrian Railways, to get everything as right as possible.
It just shows how much improvement can be squeezed out of some traditional industrial and construction processes.
HS2
TheSlab Track Austria track has also been used extensively on the new Berlin to Munich high speed line, that I wrote about in From Berlin To Munich In Four Hours By Train. This is said about the use of the track on that line, in the Rail Engineer article.
PORR was contracted to design and build three major sections of the railway route. Its patented slab track, STA, was installed over a total length of 320km, in tunnels, on bridges and in open sections. Operations started successfully in December 2015 on the VDE 8.2 section, from Erfurt to Leipzig and Halle. Since December 2017, the sections VDE 8.1.2, from Coburg to Illmenau, and VDE 8.1.3, from Bad Staffelstein to Coburg, have been in operation. Trains have been running on the STA slab track layout at speeds of 300km/h. Prior to commissioning, this slab track was tested at 330 km/h.
So it would appear to be suitable for the 400 kph, that is quoted for HS2, with perhaps a bit of tweaking.
The article also says this about using the track on HS2.
Cost analysis research suggests that the savings made from the reduced maintenance required for STA track will equate to a payback of within 15 to 20 years when compared to ballasted track systems. The opportunity for significant savings, as well as increased network availability due to the reduced maintenance requirement, has to mean that this system is a serious contender for any new railway route, one of which, of course, is HS2.
A dedicated factory producing the slabs would surely increase quality.
But whatever happens, with its numerous, bridges, tunnels and viaducts, I suspect that HS2 will be built using slab track.
In the last quote, a payback time of fifteen to twenty years is suggested, if the track is used on a new railway.
So where else could slab track be used to advantage?
East-West Rail Link
I feel that the East West Rail Link, could be a possibility.
Consider.
- It will not be initially electrified.
- It is through terrain that is not very challenging
- It is fairly close to HS2 and a possible slab track factory.
Building the line with slab track, could help make the East West Rail Link a low-energy and low-noise line for battery or hydrogen trains.
West Anglia Main Line Four-Tracking
Adding two extra tracks to the West Anglia Main Line between Coppermill Junction, which is just South of Tottenham Hale station, and Broxbourne station will be a difficult project.
The line is hemmed in on both sides by housing and slab track might give advantages.
- Ease to squeeze the tracks in the limited space available.
- Reduced noise.
- Speedier construction.
If Crossrail 2 is built, this four-tracking will have to be done.
Calder Valley Line
The Calder Valley Line should be updated to create a quality roue across the Pennines from Preston to Leeds.
Parts of the line would be challenging to improve to say the least, with lots of heritage features around the track.
Using slab track in places, has has been done on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, might help with the following.
- The construction works needed.
- Increasing line speed.
- Lowering noise.
- Reduced maintenance.
The Wikipedia entry for the Calder Valley Line has a section called Holme Tunnel Engineering Work. This is said.
Holme Tunnel, which lies between Hebden Bridge and Burnley Manchester Road, was closed for 20 weeks from November 2013 until March 2014. This was to allow for major engineering work to fix the distorted shape of the tunnel, caused by movement of the ground through which it passes. The project was budgeted to cost £16.3million. During the works, buses replaced train services. Trains can now pass through at 45 mph.
I don’t think slab track was used in the work in this tunnel, but do we need 45 mph speed limits on Trans Pennine routes? After reading this article on Rail Engineer, it would appear that 75 mph will be possible in the future.
But this project does show some of the major problems on Trans Pennine routes!
It will be interesting to see what happens on this line.
Other Trans Pennine Routes
The other two Trans Pennine routes, the Huddersfield Line and the Hope Valley Line both have similar characteristics.
- Twisting routes.
- Several tunnels.
- Lots of bridges.
They are also busy with passenger and freight traffic.
When the plans for the updating of these lines is published, I suspect that slab track will feature, especially in some of the tunnels.
Across Chat Moss
George Stephenson had difficulty building the Liverpool to Manchester Railway across Chat Moss in 1829. Wikipedia says this about his solution.
Chat Moss threatened the completion of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, until George Stephenson, with advice from East Anglian marshland specialist Robert Stannard, succeeded in constructing a railway line through it in 1829; his solution was to “float” the line on a bed of bound heather and branches topped with tar and covered with rubble stone. The M62 motorway, completed in 1976, also crosses the bog, to the north of Irlam.
I have talked to drivers, who drive Class 319 trains along the now-electrified line across Chat Moss. They told me, that the soft suspension gives an interesting ride.
Under Timings And Line Speeds in the Wikipedia entry for the Liverpool-Manchester Lines, this is said.
The fastest recorded run was from Manchester Exchange to Liverpool Lime St in 30 minutes 46 seconds by a 1936 built Jubilee 5707 with 7 coaches. An 1882-built compound steam locomotive was timed on the same route in 38 minutes 18 seconds. Until 1968 trains from Liverpool to Manchester by all 3 routes were scheduled to take 40 minutes and often took less. The southern route via Warrington is now restricted to 85 mph and the northern route via Earlestown to 90 mph, with 75 mph over Chat Moss.
It would appear that something needs to be done to get timings between Liverpool and Manchester, back to those of the 1930s.
Would slab track across Chat Moss be part of the solution?
Tunnels
Various tunnel upgrades have shown how using slab track in tunnels is a very helpful technique.
Many tunnels will need to be updated to increase clearance for freight trains and overhead wires and also to solve structural problems caused by anno domini.
I believe we’ll see a lot more slab track in tunnels on the UK rail network.
Noise Reduction
The Rail Engineer article, says this about Slab Track Austria’s slab track.
The elastomeric layer also helps to reduce vibration and structure-borne noise, thus offering protection to supporting structures and reducing the noise created by passing trains – an important feature in built-up areas and tunnels.
So will we see increasing use of slab track in areas, where noise asnd vibration is a problem?
Other Lines
I see the Gospel Oak to Barking Line, as an example use of slab track that will be very much copied.
Slab track has been used successfully in sections, where clearance is limited and noise is a problem.
The use of slab track, might have meant that several bridges didn’t need to be rebuilt.
How many places in the UK have similar needs.
Conclusion
The rethinking of how we build railways by Slab Track Austria, will benefit our rail network and all those who use it.
We’ll be seeing a lot more slab track!
Siemens Unveils Plans For £200m Train Factory In East Yorkshire
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in Rail Technology Magazine.
This is a key paragraph.
While the factory is only in the planning stage at the moment, Siemens hopes to begin construction later this year if the company can confirm some “major future orders.”
As to major future orders in the UK, the following would appear to be possibilities.
- New London Underground train orders for the Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Central Lines.
- New trains for HS2.
- New trains for the new East Midlands Franchise.
- New trains for the new Southeastern Franchise.
Note.
- Siemens have shown designs for the Underground, which I discussed in Siemen’s View Of The Future Of The Underground.
- HS2 will be built to the same standard as most European High Speed Lines.
- The trains for the East Midlands could probably be based on German ICE trains.
- Desiro City trains would handle a lot of Southeastern’s needs.
I suspect, that Siemens have designs that could be adapted for most of the UK’s possible large orders.
I shall a few thoughts to these orders.
New Tube For London
The New Tube For London is a very large project, that will do the following.
- Replace the current rolling stock on the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo and City Lines.
- Initially, there will be 250 new trains.
- Increase capacity.
- Increase frequency.
- Run under a much higher level of automation.
- Hopefully, the first train will run on the Piccadilly Line by 2023.
- It is also intended that the new trains will replace the current trains on other lines.
Wikipedia says this about the project cost.
The project is estimated to cost £16.42 billion (£9.86 bn at 2013 prices)
The following companies were on an approved short list.
- Alstom
- Siemens
- Hitachi,
- CAF
- Bombardier
Since this list was published, Bombardier and Hitachi have said they will propose a joint bid and Siemend and Alstom have merged their train-building interests.
So we are left with the following bidders.
- Alstom-Siemens, who have various small factories in the UK.
- Bombardier-Hitachi, who have two large factories in the UK.
- CAF, who are building a factory at Newport in South Wales.
Various factors will come into the choice of manufacturer.
- The London Underground order, is probably one of the largest train orders, that will be placed in the next few years and fulfilling it will most likely require a large manufacturing capacity in the UK.
- Bombardier-Hitachi and Alstom-Siemens have the resources to create such a manufacturing capacity. Would CAF have that capacity?
- Bombardier has been working with Transport for London for about thirty years and their recent trains for London have been generally well received.
- Hitachi will add Japanese technology and finance to the bid.
- Do Hitachi have a lot of space at Newton Aycliffe?
- Siemens are Europe’s biggest industrial company, so they can invest heavily to ensure they get the order.
- Delivering the first trains for the Piccadilly Line in 2023, could be a tough ask!
In a Brexit World, it will be interesting to see who gets the order.
Trains For HS2
Note these points about Siemens, High Speed Trains and the trains required for HS2.
- It would appear that most German ICE trains are built by Siemens or the company is involved in a consortium.
- Siemens latest trains for Eurostar have been well-received.
- The High Speed Train market around the World is increasing in size.
- The initial HS2 contract will be sixty trains, each of which will hold a thousand passengers.
As trains will be of two types;HS2-only and classic-compatible, the designing of the trains will be a challenging exercise.
But Siemens experience from Germany, where classic-compatible trains have to be extensively used, may give them an edge.
I have ridden High Speed Trains in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Kent, and single-deck trains are very similar, especially where trains are classic-compatible.
They are certainly more similar, than say commuter trains, which all seem to suffer from lots of local preferences.
Another factor is the size of the site at Goole, which is 23 hectares or the size of 23 football pitches.
- Could Siemens be planning a new site to build its High Speed Trains?
- Are Siemens short of space for expansion at Krefeld?
- There is probably space for a test track at Goole, that could be connected to the factory.
- The site would be well-connected to the East Coast Main Line and the rest of the UK’s High Speed Network and the Channel Tunnel.
- Exports to the Rest of the World, could use the ports of the Humber.
- Siemens have a lot of investment in other industries in East Yorkshire.
It looks to be a logical choice of location to manufacture and commission trains.
If they get the order for the new trains for HS2, it would be the ideal manufacturing site.
But if they do, will Siemens manufacture High Speed Trains for export?
This could explain, why Chris Grayling was present for the announcement in Goole.
New Trains For The New East Midlands Franchise
With these trains, which will likely be bi-modes, it depends on whether they are trains like Hitachi Class 800 trains or classic-compatible versions of High Speed Trains.
But this order will be smaller than the London Underground or HS2 orders, so9 I wouldn’t be surprised if it went to the company with the best of the previous generation of 125 mph bi-mode trains.
New Trains For The New Southeastern Franchise
Surely, if Siemens get this order it will be for Desiro City trains and like the Class 700 trains for Thameslink, Siemens would seriously, think about building them in Germany.
On the other hand, Southeastern’s routes could be very much in Crossrail territory and as I showed in Is Crossrail Having An Affect On Train Purchases In The South East?, I think it is very likely that the nod will go to Aventras for the franchise.
But I estimate, there are 1,300 trains needed, so with the right offer, they might get the order and decide to build them at Goole.
Once this franchise is settled, there probably aren’t too many large train orders left in the UK, for this class of train.
And Then There Is Hydrogen!
I believe that just as Alstom converted a Alstom Coradia Lint, into a hydrogen version, that Siemens could apply the same process to create a hydrogen-powered Class 707 train, which would probably be a useful train for a train operating company to have in its fleet.
I describe my thinking in Could The Unwanted Class 707 Trains Be Converted To Hydrogen-Power?
Perhaps, the current unwanted thirty trains could be converted to dual-voltage hydrogen-powered trains?
But this is not a project that would require a large factory!
Unless of course, it was linked to the 1,300 new trains that the new Southeastern franchise could need.
Conclusion
I feel that Siemens is in pole position to build the High Speed Trains, but it could be more than that!
Are Siemens developing Goole as their main manufacturing site for High Speed Trains, due to limitations at Krefeld in Germany?
Does this leave the Bombardier-Hitachi consortium to pick up the London Underground order?
It’s all getting very interesting!
MP Calling For Borders Link To High-Speed Rail Network
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in the Southern Reporter.
My feeling is that I don’t think the MP should worry about this one.
Consider.
- When High Speed 2 opens to Crewe in 2027, London to Glasgow trains will take under four hours.
- The West Coast Main Line will be improved between Carlisle and Glasgow.
- Freight traffic between England and Scotland is increasing.
- A large freight interchange could be built at Longtown.
- Increased services between Liverpool/Manchester and Edinburgh/Glasgow are starting.
- Carlisle station is being refurbished.
All this will lead to more through traffic at Carlisle.
I would think it would be extremely likely, that the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Longtown will be improved substantially.
If this happens, then any extension of the Borders Railway will have a fast link to HS2 at Carlisle, from where it will probably join the West Coast Main Line in the Longtown area.
It should also be noted, that High Speed 2 is being designed to give benefits to as many places as possible.
A Borders Railway connected to Carlisle fits this strategy.
Campaign For New Cross-Border Rail Link Gathers Pace
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the Carlisle News And Star.
The interesting thing about the article is that it shows the growing co-operation between Councils and organisations on both sides of the border.
That co-operation and the need to increase capacity on the West Coast Main Line through Carlisle will eventually get a reinstated railway between Edinburgh and Carlisle via Galashield, Melrose and Hawick.
East-West and North-South Railways
When politicians talk about East-West links in the UK, they tend to be very parochial. Some are getting improved and some are not!
These can be considered major East-West links in the UK.
- Inverness to Aberdeen – Being upgraded.
- Glasgow to Edinburgh – Undergoing a major upgrade and electrification.
- Carlisle to Edinburgh via Hawick – Still a study
- Carlisle to Newcastle- Could be improved.
- Carlisle to Leeds – Recently upgraded and safeguarded.
- Preston to Leeds – Needs upgrading.
- Manchester to Leeds – Desperately needs upgrading.
- Manchester to Sheffield- Desperately needs upgrading.
- Holyhead to Manchester – Needs some improvement.
- Nuneaton to Felixstowe – Needs upgrading and electrification.
- Oxford to Cambridge – Being rebuilt slowly.
- Cardiff to London – Being upgraded and electrified slowly.
- Exeter to Ashford via Southampton and Brighton – Needs upgrading.
East-West links are not in the same state as the major North-South routes.
- West Coast Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- East Coast Main Line
- Brighton Main Line
- West Anglia Main Line
- Great Eastern Main Line
It could be argued that the last three are in need of some improvements, but the first three will be augmented by HS2.
Look at the quality of trains on East-West routes compared to those on North-South routes.
HS2’s Needs
It could also be argued that all East-West routes should be substantially improved to compliment the building of HS2.
Carlisle, Crewe, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Preston and Sheffield will probably have excellent single-station interchange between HS2 and classic routes and good East-West connections will benefit a lot of passengers.
However, as things stand at present,Birmingham is getting rather a dog’s breakfast with passengers having to transfer between Curzon Street and New Street stations for onward travel.
Birmingham deserves better!
The Anonymous Widower 
