The Anonymous Widower

FIRST TO THE FUTURE: Lumo Owner Bids To Turbo-Charge UK Rail With New Routes

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from First Group.

These first three paragraphs introduce FirstGroup’s application for the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services.

FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK.

The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo’s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and contributes more per train mile to infrastructure investment than any other long-distance operator – delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, at a substantial benefit to the taxpayer.

FirstGroup has submitted the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services, which are described in these bullet points.

  • A revised application to run new services between Rochdale and London Euston via Manchester Victoria from December 2028; 
  • An extension to Lumo’s current Stirling to London Euston track access agreement to operate services beyond 2030;
  • A new route between Cardiff and York via Birmingham, Derby, and Sheffield from December 2028; and
  • Purchase of new trains meaning continued investment in UK manufacturing of c.£300 million, and long-term jobs.

This paragraph from the press release describes the philosophy of the rolling stock.

Should these applications be successful, FirstGroup will make use of its option to commit further investment in new Hitachi trains built in County Durham. This investment will include five battery electric trains for the Stirling route and three battery electric trains for Rochdale, supporting jobs at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant. For the services between Cardiff and York, it will deploy refurbished Class 222s.

Note.

  1. The Class 222 trains will run the Euston and Stirling service until the future Hitachi trains are delivered in 2028.
  2. The Class 222 trains will run the Cardiff and York service from 2028.
  3. The Class 222 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph
  4. Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  5. Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph on electrification.
  6. Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  7. Grand Central Trains’s future Hitachi trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  8. Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  9. Lumo’s current Class 803 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  10. LNER’s current Class 800 and 801 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  11. LNER’s current InterCity 225 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  12. LNER’s future Class 897 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  13. All of the trains, with the exception of the Class 222 trains are electric and have been designed for 140 mph running and can do this if there is appropriate 140 mph signalling.

If the Class 222 trains don’t run on the East and West Coast Main Lines, then these lines could introduce 140 mph running in stages to speed up rail travel between London and the North of England and Scotland.

Rochdale And London

These three paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Rochdale and London service.

The new Lumo service will operate the first direct service since 2000 between Rochdale and London. Services will call at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station connects other parts of the city of Salford, including the fast-growing MediaCity area, via the nearby interchange with Metrolink. Services to Newton-le-Willows will deliver greater rail connectivity for St Helens.

There will be three new return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays, which will provide 1.6 million people in the north-west with a convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London, encouraging people to switch from cars to train as well as providing additional rail capacity. It will also deliver material economic benefits for the communities along the route, including regeneration areas such as Atom Valley and the Liverpool City Region Freeport scheme.

The application has been revised to address the ORR’s concerns about network capacity set out in its letter of July 2025 rejecting FirstGroup’s original application. Supported by extensive modelling, the company has identified sufficient space on the network to accommodate the proposed services. Services will also make use of the Government’s recent investment in power supply for the West Coast Mainline (WCML).

In FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application last year.

Differences between the two applications include.

  • The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains.
  • The original application was for six return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for three return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays.

Note.

  1. The battery-electric trains will be able bridge the 10.4 mile gap between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale, and return after charging on the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
  3. The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
  4. Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?

I still feel, that with Lumo’s battery-electric trains one or more services could extend across the Pennines to Hebden Bridge, Bradford Interchange or Leeds. Trains would be recharged for return at Leeds.

Stirling And London

This  paragraph from the press release describes the proposed Stirling and London service.

Stirling has a wide catchment area, with an estimated three million people living within an hour’s drive. Extending the current track access agreement for the Stirling route from May 2030 will support the shift from car to rail, and investment in the city, as well as in the service’s intermediate stations which include Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet, thanks to greater connectivity to London. The four return services weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays, on the new route are expected to start early in the company’s 2027 financial year.

In Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application in June 2025.

Differences between the two applications include.

  • The service will only be run initially by Class 222 trains.
  • The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains after 2028.
  • The original application was for five return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for four return services on weekdays and Saturdays, and three return services on Sundays.
  • In the original application, Lumo’s new route was to link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.

Note.

  1. The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
  2. The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
  3. Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?

It should be noted that there are always more return services per day going to Stirling, than Rochdale.

Could The Rochdale and Stirling Services Share A Path?

Consider.

  • The two services use the West Coast Main Line South of Warrington Bank Quay station.
  • Pairs of Class 803 trains can split and join.
  • A pair of Class 803 trains are shorter than an 11-car Class 390 train.
  • An 11-car Class 390 train can call in Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.

I believe that the Rochdale and Stiring services could share a path.

  • One Weekday service per day would be a single train.
  • Going South, the trains would join at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
  • Going North, the trains would split at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
  • The pair of trains would share a platform at Euston station.

Operating like this would increase the connectivity and attractiveness of the services, and probably increase the ridership and profitability.

Cardiff And York  via Birmingham, Derby And Sheffield

These four paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Cardiff and York service.

Lumo’s new route between Cardiff and York will join up the entire Great British Railway network, connecting all four main lines from the Great Western Main Line to the East Coast Main Line. The plans will also deliver more capacity and drive passenger demand on a previously underserved corridor.

The application proposes six return services each weekday – a significant increase from the current single weekly service.

Bringing Lumo’s popular low-cost model to the corridor will support local communities between Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, and York. These cities alone have a combined population of more than 2.5 million people. The new services will give local communities access to jobs and services along the route, in support of significant investment that has already been committed by the Government and private sector. This investment includes the Cardiff Capital Regional Investment Zone, the £140million proposed refurbishment at Cardiff Central station, the West Midlands Investment Zone which is expected to create £5.5 billion of growth and 30,000 new jobs, as well as investment plans in Derby, Sheffield and York.

The ORR will now carry out a consultation exercise as well as discuss the applications with Network Rail to secure the required approvals.

Note.

  1. Only minimal details are given of the route.
  2. The TransPennine Upgrade will create a new electrified route across the Pennines between York and Huddersfield via Church Fenton, Leeds and Dewsbury.
  3. The Penistone Line is being upgraded, so that it will handle two trains per hour.
  4. In the 1980s, the Penistone Line took InterCity 125s to Barnsley.
  5. The connection with the Penistone Line at Huddersfield has been upgraded.

I am reasonably certain, that FirstGroup intend to route the York and Cardiff service over this partially electrified route.

Sections of the route will be as follows.

  • Cardiff and Westerleigh junction – 38 miles – Electrified
  • Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles – Not Electrified
  • Bromsgrove and Proof House junction – 15 miles – Electrified
  • Proof House junction and Derby – 40.6 miles – Not Electrified
  • Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Sheffield and Huddersfield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Huddersfield and York – 41.9 miles – Electrified

There are only two sections of track, that is not electrified.

  • Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles
  • Proof House junction and Huddersfield – 113.4 miles

Out of a total of 273.5 miles, I believe in a few years, with a small amount of extra electrification or more powerful batteries, Hitachi’s battery-electric high-speed trains will have this route cracked and the Class 222 trains can be sent elsewhere to develop another route.

October 30, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Government Pauses Midland Main Line Electrification

This is the first paragraph of this article on Modern Railways.

The Government has paused the third phase of Midland main line electrification to Sheffield and Nottingham, plus the final phase of the South West Rail Resilience Programme (SWRRP), which involves strengthening cliffs at Holcombe.

Currently, the Midland Main Line electrification appears to have been installed between London St. Pancras and Wigston, where there is a triangular junction.

This article on Modern Railways is entitled MML Wires To Wigston energised, says this in the first paragraph.

A major milestones on the Midland Main Line has been achieved with the energisation of the newly installed overhead wires between Kettering and Wigston and the first trip for a new East Midlands Railway Aurora bi-mode unit to St Pancras.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Midland Main Line between Leicester station and Wigston junction.

Note.

  1. Red tracks are electrified.
  2. Black tracks are not electrified.
  3. Black/red dashed tracked are being electrified.
  4. Wigston junction is at the bottom of the map.
  5. The red track indicates that the South of the junction is electrified.
  6. The North of the junction is now electrified according to the Modern Railways article.
  7. The West of the junction is not electrified and leads to the electrified Trent Valley Line at Nuneaton.
  8. The junction in the middle of the map is Knighton junction, that leads to Burton-on-Trent station.
  9. In the North-East corner of the map is Leicester station.

Distances from the electrified part of Wigston junction are as follows.

  • Derby – 32.5 miles
  • Leeds – 107.8 miles
  • Leicester – 13.1 miles
  • Nottingham – 30.5 miles
  • Nuneaton – 15.6 miles
  • Sheffield – 68.9 miles

I asked Google AI how far one of Hitachi’s Class 802 trains had gone during tests and got this reply.

A Class 802 train, when operating solely on battery power, can achieve a range of approximately 44 miles (70 km). This was demonstrated in a trial where a five-car Class 802/2 train reached a maximum speed of 87 mph using battery power alone, covering non-electrified sections. Hitachi Rail and Angel Trains are conducting trials to assess the viability of battery technology for longer distances and to reduce reliance on diesel power on non-electrified sections of routes.

Hitachi’s tests were performed with just one diesel engine replaced by a battery pack and it should be born in mind, that the Class 810 trains, that will be used on the Midland Main Line have four diesel engines.

As an electrical engineer, I feel battery range should be additive, so a three-battery train could have a range as much as 120 miles.

  • This range would do nicely for a London and Leeds service, as Leeds station is fully-electrified to charge a train for return.
  • As London and Sheffield return would be 137.8 miles, a charge at Sheffield would probably be needed to top-up the batteries.

On the other hand a two-battery and two-diesel unit, would have a battery range sufficient for the following services.

  • London and Derby and return.
  • London and Nottingham and return.
  • London and Sheffield with return after a charge.
  • London and Leeds with an intermediate charge at Sheffield.

We live in very electrifying times.

I am sure, that Hitachi and their battery-makers will find a solution to run all-electric services to the North of Wigston junction, without full electrification, but with just a charger at Sheffield.

The Electrification Problem At Leicester

Some years ago I came back to London from Leicester with a group of drivers. At one point, the conversation turned to electrification and they said that they had met a Network Rail engineer, who had told them, that the bridge was rather low for electrification and the track couldn’t be lowered because Leicester’s main sewer was underneath the railway.

In Leicester Station – 4th Jan 2022, I show a selection of pictures of Leicester station’s Grade II Listed frontage.

I doubt it would be possible to seriously alter Leicester station to electrify it, as the Heritage Taliban would have a field day.

But if I’m right that all services will be run North of Wigston on batteries, there will be no need to electrify through Leicester station.

Not only would using batter-electric trains probably be more affordable than electrification, but also because of the Leicester problem, it would be less inconvenient for passengers.

Could London and Leicester Be Run In An Hour Or Even Less?

Consider.

  • The London and Sheffield services, which go non-stop between London and Leicester take around 64-66 minutes.
  • The London and Nottingham services, which stop at Market Harborough take about 5-6 minutes longer.
  • London and Leicester is 98.9 miles.
  • The fastest trains average 93 mph between London and Leicester.
  • Much of the route between London and Leicester has a maximum speed of 100 mph or more, with some sections of 125 mph running.
  • Regenerative braking should reduce the time for the Market Harborough stop.

I can certainly see the non-stop Sheffield services being timed at under an hour between London and Leicester.

But I wouldn’t rule out all services between London and Leicester being timed at under an hour.

Could London and Sheffield Be Run In Two Hours Or Even Less?

Given that most services between London and Sheffield take two hours and four minutes and I reckon six minutes could be saved between London and Leicester, I suspect two hours or less is a very attainable target for London and Sheffield services.

Why Not Fit Four Batteries And Be Done With it?

I suspect it will be down to reliability and whether running the diesels on hydrotreated vegeatble oil is acceptable to some politicians.

Would This Be The World’s First Battery-Electric Main Line With 200 kph Running?

Quite possibly!

Conclusion

I can see no disadvantage in not electrifying North of Wigston junction and using battery-electric trains.

It could even be a lot more affordable.

 

 

July 9, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Batteries Ordered For Grand Central Inter-City Trains

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

These three paragraphs add detail to the article.

Hitachi Rail has selected Turntide Technologies to supply lithium iron phosphate batteries for use on electric-diesel-battery hybrid inter-city trainsets it is to build for Arriva’s open access operator Grand Central.

Nine five-car trainsets are to be manufactured at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe factory for delivery in 2028 under a order placed by leasing company Angel Trains in March.

Under the latest agreement announced on July 2 Hitachi Rail will place orders worth nearly £10m for Turntide to continue with R&D and supply next-generation LFP batteries, which are designed to be smaller and more powerful than previous lithium-ion batteries. The Safety Integrity Level 2 and IEC 61508 compliant battery management system will detect and mitigate hazards and meet the IEC 62243 cybersecurity standard.

There is also this paragraph, which describes the benefits of the trains.

The battery technology is expected to cut the Grand Central trains’ emissions and fuel consumption by around 30%, with the trains entering and exiting stations in zero-emission mode to improve air quality and reduce noise in urban centres.

Angel Trains, Grand Central, Hitachi Rail and Turntide Technologies seem to be playing this all carefully, as I suppose that they don’t want to be left with a large problem, if the current government decides to take over open access services.

July 3, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Arriva Group Submits Open Access Rail Application To Connect Newcastle And Brighton, Via London Gatwick

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Arriva Group.

These three bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • New services operated by Arriva’s Grand Central would introduce a direct rail connection between the Northeast and Midlands to London Gatwick and the South Coast.
  • Making better use of available network capacity, the proposed route would connect underserved communities in the UK and enhance long-distance connectivity without the need to interchange through London.  
  • The application reflects Arriva’s wider European strategy to connect people and places through sustainable transport solutions, strengthening regional economies and supporting modal shift.

This introductory paragraph provides more details.

Arriva Group has today announced it is submitting an open access application to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to introduce a new direct rail service between Newcastle and Brighton, via London Gatwick, providing vital connectivity for underserved communities along the route.

Other points to note include.

  1. There will be five trains per day in each direction.
  2. The proposed service would call at Durham, Darlington, Northallerton, York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Birmingham New Street, Warwick Parkway, Banbury, Oxford, Reading, Wokingham, Guildford, Redhill, London Gatwick and Haywards Heath.
  3. The service would be operated by Grand Central.
  4. The service could be introduced from December 2026.

It will be the be the first direct service between Newcastle and Brighton.

This final paragraph outlines where the service fits in Arriva’s wider philosophy.

The plans are part of Arriva Group’s broader commitment to strengthening regional connectivity and making better use of available rail capacity. By opening up new travel corridors, Arriva is helping to connect more people to jobs, education and leisure opportunities – and to encourage a greater shift from private cars to public transport.

There are certainly plenty of places in Europe, that could use a service like this one between Brighton and Newcastle.

In The Ultimate Open Access Service, I describe a possible open access service between Amsterdam and Hamburg, which is about the same distance as Brighton and Newcastle, which is 372.8 miles by Arriva’s proposed route.

These are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

A High-Class Service Between Oxford And Brighton Could Be An Interesting Development In Its Own Right

Governments, rail operators and passenger groups of all persuasions and flavours have warmly welcomed the planned reopening of the rail route between Oxford and Cambridge.

I suspect an Oxford and Brighton service would be equally welcomed.

Brighton may not be an academic powerhouse yet, but it does have one thing that Oxford and Cambridge lack ; the sea.

Gatwick Airport Will Surely Welcome The Extra Connectivity

Gatwick Airport will expand and extra rail services will do the following for the airport.

  • Make it easier to get the planning permission for the second runway.
  • Make it easier for passengers and airport and airline staff to get to the airport.
  • Surely, the more direct rail connections the airport has, will increase the likelihood, that families and other groups, will choose to fly from Gatwick.
  • More train services could cut the amount of car parking per flight needed at the airport.

Gatwick Airport station has recently rebuilt and added extra capacity, so I doubt there will be trouble accommodating another ten trains per day.

Would The Army Welcome The New Service?

Two of the British Army’s main training areas are in North Yorkshire and in Surrey.

Would they find a train service between the two areas useful?

What Trains Will Grand Central Trains Use For The New Service?

In Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, I talked about how Grand Central will be acquiring Hitachi trains for their routes between London and Bradford and Sunderland.

  • These will be Hitachi tri-mode trains.
  • The trains will have a range of over forty miles on batteries.
  • They will probably be serviced in Yorkshire or the North-East.
  • The trains will be built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe, with batteries from Turntide Technologies in Sunderland.
  • The first trains will be delivered in 2028.

As Arriva intend to start services from December 2026, they would probably use diesel trains to start with.

I would expect that Grand Central would go for a unified fleet, which would mean more Hitachi tri-mode trains.

For convenience, they could all be serviced at Doncaster, which all Grand Central services will pass through.

What Sections Will Not Be Electrified Between Brighton and Newcastle?

As far as I can see from OpenRailwayMap, the following sections of the route are not electrified.

  • Two sections of the North Downs Line – 29 miles.
  • Didcot and Birmingham New Street – 80.9 miles
  • Birmingham New Street and Derby – 41.3 miles
  • Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles
  • Sheffield and Doncaster – 18.4 miles

Note.

  1. Electrification South of Reading will be third rail, so some trains will need to have third-rail shoes.
  2. The length without electrification is a total of 206 miles.
  3. As Newcastle and Doncaster, Redhill and Brighton, Reading and Didcot, and Birmingham New Street station are all electrified, the longest sections the trains would run without electrification would be between Didcot and Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Doncaster.
  4. The planned electrification between Derby and Sheffield would make life easier.

It appears that trains capable of handling a hundred miles of unelectrified railway are needed.

Hitachi have shown that a five-car train with one battery will travel 70 km (43.5 miles) on a full battery, so one with three batteries should be able to manage the hundred miles needed in a few years.

Will Any Extra Electrification Be Needed?

I think Birmingham New Street station will be the critical point.

  • The next electrification on the route to the South of Birmingham New Street is at Didcot, which is 80.9 miles away.
  • The next electrification on the route to the North of Birmingham New Street is at Doncaster, which is 96.1 miles away.

These battery ranges should be possible, but an alternative would be to provide an electrified platform at one or more intermediate stations to be safe.

Stations that could be equipped to the South would include Oxford and Banbury and to the North would include Burton-on-Trent, Derby and Sheffield.

Perhaps electrifying a single platform at these stations, should be the first thing to be done, so that battery-electric trains can run on some useful routes as soon as they are delivered and approved.

Electric Trains, Even Battery-Electric Ones, Will Be Quick Off The Mark

Electric trains have good acceleration and I wonder, if this acceleration will enable stops, that are not feasible with diesel trains to be fitted in with electric trains, without having to take the same time penalty.

This might allow useful stops to be added to the service.

  • Chesterfield is not mentioned, but most trains passing through stop.
  • As I said, Farnborough North could be a useful stop for the Army.
  • There might be a case for selective stopping patterns.

Battery-electric trains stop without any noise or pollution.

Connection To The Ivanhoe Line At Burton-on-Trent

The proposed Ivanhoe Line is intended to link Burton-on-Trent and Leicester.

As it is intended that the Newcastle and Brighton service will call ten times per day at Burton-on-Trent station, this must surely improve the economics of the Ivanhoe Line.

Are there any other new or reopened rail schemes, that will be helped by the proposed Brighton and Newcastle service?

Updated Frequencies At Sheffield

Currently, trains at Sheffield have these daily frequencies to the towns and cities on the proposed Newcastle and Brighton route.

  • Newcastle – 18
  • Durham – 16
  • Darlington – 15
  • Northallerton – 0
  • York – 19
  • Doncaster – 64
  • Derby – 58
  • Burton-on-Trent – 9
  • Birmingham New Street – 21
  • Warwick Parkway – 0
  • Banbury – 0
  • Oxford – 3
  • Reading – 4
  • Wokingham – 0
  • Guildford – 0
  • Redhill – 0
  • London Gatwick – 0
  • Haywards Heath – 0
  • Brighton – 0

Note.

  1. Sheffield gets five trains per day  (tpd) direct connections to nine new destinations.
  2. Other useful destinations will get five more tpd.
  3. Reading is a useful interchange for Wales and the West.
  4. Guildford is a useful interchange for Portsmouth, Southampton and West Surrey.
  5. Reading and Guildford have coach services to Heathrow.

There are also a large number of universities along the route.

Hitachi Can Offer A One-Supplier Battery-Electric Train Solution

It should be noted that Hitachi can offer a complete package including battery-electric trains and all the electrification, transformers and other electrical gubbins needed.

So perhaps for the Chiltern Main Line, which is used for part of the route between Didcot and Birmingham, Hitachi could deliver a one-supplier solution, that would also electrify Chiltern’s services between Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street.

Remember, Chiltern are another Arriva Group company.

If Hitachi get this right, I can see other lines being electrified in this way.

Could This One-Supplier Battery-Electric Solution Be Exported?

I discussed this in Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry, where I suggested that the United States could be a market.

  1. Arriva Group are ultimately American-owned.
  2. Hitachi’s battery technology is also American-owned.

In these days of Trump’s tariffs, these could prove useful facts.

As Arriva Group used to be owned by Deutsche Bahn, they may be another interested party, especially as they have a lot of lines, where I believe Hitachi’s solution would work.

Conclusion

A battery-electric railway service of nearly four hundred miles would certainly attract the passengers.

 

April 25, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Arriva Group Invests In New Battery Hybrid Train Fleet In Boost To UK Rail Industry

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Arriva Group.

These four bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • Order worth around £300 million for fleet of new trains, which will increase seats by 20 per cent, improving capacity and connectivity.
  • 45 rail cars to be manufactured at Hitachi Rail in the North East and financed by Angel Trains, helping secure highly skilled jobs and unlocking a new advanced manufacturing opportunity for rail.
  • State-of-the-art ‘tri-mode’ train technology has proven its ability to cut emissions and fuel costs by around 30 per cent to support UK Government’s decarbonisation agenda.
  • Announcement is made from Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory and attended by the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander MP.

These three paragraphs give more details.

Arriva Group announced today an order for nine cutting-edge battery hybrid trains to replace its entire Grand Central fleet, providing a major boost to regional economies and offering passengers more comfortable, greener travel options.

The order for 45 Hitachi Rail ‘tri-mode’ cars, which have the flexibility to run on electrified and non-electrified tracks, along with a 10-year maintenance contract, represents an investment of around £300 million. Tri-mode means the trains can be powered using electricity, battery or diesel.

It follows approval by the rail regulator for extended track access rights for Grand Central’s existing services through to 2038, with the investment underpinning Arriva’s long-term commitment to UK rail and to delivering sustainable public transport solutions to communities up and down the country and across Europe.

The trains will be built by Hitachi at Newton Aycliffe.

I have some further thoughts and questions.

What Distances Will The Trains Run Away From Electrification?

The distances that the various services will run away from electrification are as follows.

  • King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange – Doncaster and Bradford Interchange – 52.1 miles.
  • King’s Cross and Cleethorpes – Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52.1 miles.
  • King’s Cross and Sunderland – Longlands junction and Sunderland – 48.5 miles.

It would appear that a train with a range away from electrification of 55 miles would be enough, if there were to be charging at all the destinations.

Will The Trains Be Able To Take The Great Northern And Great Eastern Joint Line (GNGE) Diversion Via Lincoln On The East Coast Main Line?

I discussed using this diversion in detail in London And Edinburgh By Lumo Using the Joint Line Diversion.

In that post, I said this.

The January 2024 Edition of Modern Railways says that the diversion is approximately 90 miles or 145 kilometers.

If the trains have a 90 mile capability on batteries and/or diesel, they will be able to use the diversion.

As Hull Trains, LNER and Lumo all need this ability to take the GNGE Diversion, I suspect, it will be a tick-box on the order form for the trains.

When Will The Trains Be In Service?

The news item says this.

The trains will be delivered in 2028 under a 10-year leasing arrangement, in partnership and financed by Angel Trains.

Will The New Trains Be Faster?

They might save a couple of minutes, if Doncaster is the first stop.

Will The New Trains Be Quieter?

The news item says this about noise and emissions.

State-of-the-art ‘tri-mode’ train technology has proven its ability to cut emissions and fuel costs by around 30 per cent to support UK Government’s decarbonisation agenda.

Hitachi have said that the diesel engines will not run in stations.

Could The Trains Run Grand Central’s Routes Carbon-Free?

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I came to these conclusions

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

If I was choosing the trains for Grand Central, the trains would be able to operate these routes without using diesel.

  • Doncaster and Bradford Interchange and return.
  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes and return.
  • Longlands junction and Sunderland and return.

Passengers might not like to have noisy passengers.

Probably, the best insurance policy to avoid running out of battery power, would be to have perhaps fifty metres of electrification at terminal stations. Hitachi claim they can offer a nice line in short lengths of electrification.

Quiet Trains Should Attract Passengers

I’ve seen it before and also with buses.

The Number Of Trains Ordered

The basic order is for nine trains, but Railway Gazette says this.

Arriva welcomed the ‘swift decision-making’ by ORR and the backing of the Department for Transport and Network Rail. It has also submitted applications to run more trains to Bradford and introduce services to Cleethorpes, and has an option to buy more trains if these are approved.

I’ve read somewhere that the option is for three extra trains.

So that’s a total of twelve, which would replace the ten Class 180 trains and two Class 221 trains, that Grand Central Trains currently run.

What About Chiltern Railways And CrossCountry?

Train operating companies Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central Trains are all wholly owned subsidiaries of Arriva Trains UK, who are described like this in the first paragraph of their Wikipedia entry.

Arriva UK Trains Limited is the company that oversees Arriva’s train operating companies in the United Kingdom. It gained its first franchises in February 2000. These were later lost, though several others were gained. In January 2010, with the take-over of Arriva by Deutsche Bahn, Arriva UK Trains also took over the running of those formerly overseen by DB Regio UK Limited

Arriva is ultimately owned by American infrastructure investment company; I Squared Capital.

Both Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry have trains, that are coming to the date, when they will need to be replaced and similar trains to those ordered by Grand Central could be suitable. to replace some.

Chiltern Railways have six rakes of Mark 3 coaches, that are hauled by diesel locomotives between London Marylebone and Birmingham Moor Street stations, These rakes of coaches could be replaced by Hitachi tri-mode trains, of perhaps five or six cars.

Chiltern Railways also have about sixty assorted diesel multiple units totalling up to about 150 carriages.

CrossCountry Trains have twenty-nine two- or three-car Class 170 trains and sixty-one four- or five car Class 220 or 221 trains. All these ninety trains were built this century and are diesel-powered.

The Government’s policy of net-zero by 2050, would probably mean a significant number of these smaller diesel multiple units need to be replaced by 2030.

If the Grand Central Trains new Hitachi trains are a success, then changing the longer four-, five- and six-car trains for similar Hitachi trains, would be a low-risk replacement strategy for I Squared Capital, that could be applied at Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry.

I can also see a need for a two-, three- or four-car tri-mode train for Chiltern Railways and CrossCountry.

Was The Date Of The Announcement Significant?

In October 2020, I wrote Hitachi Targets Export Opportunities From Newton Aycliffe and I believe that tri-mode trains like these that Grand Central have ordered could have export opportunities.

One country for exports has possibilities and that is the United States.

  • Hitachi AT-300 trains like these don’t need expensive high-speed tracks and there are probably many lines in the United States, where these trains could fit existing tracks.
  • This page on the Hitachi Rail web site is entitled Hitachi Rail in the USA and Canada.
  • In the UK, companies like GWR, LNER, Southeastern and TransPennine Express effectively use theHitachi trains as fast commuter trains on some routes.
  • Trump’s tariffs would only be 10 % on these trains.
  • The Grand Central version looks very stylish!
  • Hitachi’s battery technology is owned by Turntide Technology, who are a US company.
  • For some routes, the trains would probably only need to be battery-electric.

Has the experience of running Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry and Grand Central Trains convinced I Squared Capital, that running railways is a good investment?

Have  I Squared Capital identified some railroads in the United States, that could follow a similar upgrade path to Chiltern Railways?

Was it significant that the order was announced the day after Trump’s tariffs?

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April 4, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains

Was I just slow to spot this data sheet or has it only just been released?

You can download a copy from this page on the Hitachi web site.

In a section on the page, which is entitled Intercity Battery Trains, this is said.

A quick and easy application of battery technology is to install it on existing or future Hitachi intercity trains. Adding just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%.

Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance. Hitachi Rail’s modular design means this can be done without the need to re-engineer or rebuild the train and return them to service as quickly as possible for passengers.

These are my initial thoughts.

Plug-and-Play

It looks like the train is plug-and-play.

A diesel engine will be swapped for a battery-pack and the train’s computer controls the power sources accordingly.

Hitachi’s Battery Philosophy Explained

This is said on the data sheet.

Battery technology has the potential to play a significant role in the future of sustainable rail mobility, setting
the rail industry on the path to full intercity decarbonisation by 2050.
Installing batteries on intercity trains can complement electrification and provide a low emission alternative
to domestic air travel.

Our retrofit solution for intercity trains offers phased replacement of diesel engines at the time that they would
have been due for their regular heavy maintenance overhaul, replacing each engine in turn until trains are fully battery electric. The solution delivers fuel cost savings and lowers CO2 emissions by at least 20% for every engine replaced, and a 20% reduction in whole life maintenance costs – well within the battery’s life span of 8-10 years.

Performance On Battery Power

The data sheet gives these bullet points.

  • 750kW peak power
  • Weight neutral.
  • At least 20% lower CO2 emissions
  • 70km on non-electrified routes
  • 20% reduction in whole life maintenance costs
  • Up to 30% fuel cost savings
  • Zero emissions in and out of stations
  • Charge on the move
  • 10 year life span

Note.

  1. 750 kW peak power, is around the power of the diesel-engine, that will be replaced.
  2. I wouldn’t be surprised that powerwise, the battery pack looks like a diesel engine.
  3. Weight neutral means that acceleration, performance and handling will be unchanged.
  4. Batteries are easier to maintain than diesels.
  5. It is stated that a train can be fully-decarbonised.

I have a feeling these trains are no ordinary battery-electric trains.

Seventy Kilometre Range On Battery

Seventy kilometres is 43.5 miles.

This may not seem much, but the data sheet says this.

Our battery hybrid trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same
or increased performance. By identifying the routes with short non-electrified sections of 70km or less, we could
see the replacement of existing diesel trains with fully battery-operated trains on those routes within a year.
And, using battery power to avoid electrifying the hardest and most expensive areas, such as tunnels and bridges,
enables flexibility on electrification, minimising passenger disruption during upgrades.

Note.

  1. It looks like the trains can operate at 125 mph on battery power, where the track allows it. But then the rolling restistance of steel wheel on steel rail, is much lower, than that of rubber tyres on tarmac.
  2. Hitachi seem to have developed a philosophy on how the trains will be used.
  3. Hitachi’s pantographs, go up and down with all the alacrity of a whore’s drawers. They will be ideal for a short length of electrification.

I think these LNER routes could be immediately decarbonised.

  • LNER – London and Harrogate , where only 18.3 miles is unelectrified. Trains may not need charging, as a full battery could handle both ways.
  • LNER – London and Hull, where 36.1 miles is unelectrified. A short length of electrification to charge trains would be needed at Hull.
  • LNER – London and Lincoln, where only 16.7 miles is unelectrified. Trains would not need charging, as a full battery could handle both ways.
  • LNER – London and Middlesbrough, where only 20.3 miles is unelectrified. Trains would not need charging, as a full battery could handle both ways.

Note.

  1. It looks like some services could start fairly soon, once batteries are available.
  2. Hull Trains could use the 70 km batteries and charging at Hull, as it passed through. This would decarbonise Hull Trains passenger operations.
  3. Services to Aberdeen, Cleethorpes and Inverness would be out of range of the initial Hitachi trains.

Could the last point, partially explain the purchase of the CAF tri-mode trains, which I wrote about in First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line?

We shall see what we shall see.

But having a choice of battery-electric or tri-mode trains will enable route development and decarbonisation.

What Is The Size Of The Battery Pack?

In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 Or 100 mph?, I estimated that to maintain 125 mph, a Class 801 train has a usage figure of 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile.

If a five-car Class 800 can run 70 km or 43.5 miles at 125 mph, as indicated by Hitachi, then the battery size can be calculated.

3.42 * 5 * 43.5 = 743.85 kWh

As the battery pack can supply 750 kW according to the data sheet, this looks like this will run the train for an hour.

Is that coincidence or a design criteria?

What Battery Capacity Would Be Needed For A Hundred Miles?

For a five-car train, this is the energy needed for a hundred miles.

3.42 *5 * 100 = 1710 kWh or three batteries.

For a nine-car train, this is the energy needed for a hundred miles.

3.42 *9 * 100 = 3078 kWh or five batteries.

It looks like all diesel engines will be replaced by batteries.

Will Class 801 Trains Swap Their Single Diesel Engine For a Battery Power Pack?

Consider.

  • Class 801 trains have a single diesel engine for emergency power.
  • Lumo’s Class 803 trains, are all-electric with a battery-pack for emergency hotel power only.
  • Hitachi must have full details on the performance of Lumo’s trains.
  • The East Coast Main Line is notorious for the wires to come tumbling down.
  • The diesel engine and the battery pack appear to weigh the same.
  • Batteries cost less to maintain than diesels.

I can’t see why the single diesel engine can’t be replaced by a standard battery pack, without loosing any functionality.

What Would Be The Range Of A Fully Battery-Electric Train?

This is a paragraph from a data sheet.

Our retrofit solution for intercity trains offers phased replacement of diesel engines at the time that they would
have been due for their regular heavy maintenance overhaul, replacing each engine in turn until trains are fully battery electric. The solution delivers fuel cost savings and lowers CO2 emissions by at least 20% for every engine replaced, and a 20% reduction in whole life maintenance costs – well within the battery’s life span of 8-10 years.

Note.

  1. It looks like Hitachi are expecting operators to replace engines in turn.
  2. Replacing engines with batteries saves the operators money.

As a five-car Class 800 train has three diesel engines and a nine-car train has five engines, does this mean that the range of fully-batteried Class 800 train is 70 km or 210 km?

  • A fully-batteried Class 800 train will weigh the same as the current diesel.
  • One battery can drive the train for 70 km at 125 mph according to Hitachi.
  • There are no branches of electrified lines that are 125 mph lines without electrification.
  • I would assume that the train can use regenerative braking to recharge the batteries.
  • 210 kilometres is 130 miles.

I don’t know much about the electrical systems of Hitachi’s trains, but it is likely that there will be an electrical bus to distribute power from one end of the train to the other.

So a five-car Class 800 train with three fully-charged battery packs could have over 2 MWh of electricity on board, that could be used for traction.

  • Applying the usage figure of 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile, gives a range for the five-car train of at least 117 miles.
  • The equivalent figure for a nine-car train will be at least 121 miles.

These distances would open up routes like these on the East Coast Main Line.

  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Aberdeen – 91.4 miles – Charge before return.
  • LNER/Hull Trains – London King’s Cross and Beverley via Temple Hirst junction – 44.3 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • Grand Central – London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange via Shaftholme junction – 47.8 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln – 63.9 miles – Charge before return.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Harrogate via Leeds – 18.3 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Inverness– 146.2 miles – Charge before return.
  • LNER/Hull Trains – London King’s Cross and Hull via Temple Hirst junction – 36.1 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Middlesbrough via Northallerton – 20.3 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • LNER – London King’s Cross and Scarborough via York – 42.1 miles – No Charging needed before return.
  • LNER/Grand Central – London King’s Cross and Sunderland via Northallerton – 47.4 miles – No Charging needed before return.

Note.

  1. The miles are the longest continuous distance without electrification.
  2. Only Aberdeen, Cleethorpes and Inverness would need to charge trains before return.
  3. Inverness may be too far. But is it in range of LNER’s new CAF tri-mode trains?

The battery range  would also allow LNER to use the Lincoln diversion on the Joint Line.

Why Didn’t LNER Buy More Azumas?

This puzzles me and I suspect it puzzles other people too.

Surely, an all Azuma fleet will be easier to manage.

But in this article on Modern Railways, which is entitled LNER Orders CAF Tri-mode Sets, this is said.

Modern Railways understands the new fleet will be maintained at Neville Hill depot in Leeds and, like the ‘225’ sets, will be used predominantly on services between London and Yorkshire, although unlike the ‘225s’ the tri-modes, with their self-power capability, will be able to serve destinations away from the electrified network such as Harrogate and Hull.

Note.

  1. Hull would possibly need work to provide some form of charging for battery-electric Azumas, but Harrogate is close enough to be served by a one-battery Azuma.
  2. The CAF Tri-mode sets would certainly handle routes like Cleethorpes, Middlesbrough and Sunderland, but would they really need a ten-car train.
  3. Ten-car trains would also be busy on the Leeds route.
  4. The UK is going to need more 125 mph trains for Cross Country, Grand Central, Grand Union, TransPennine Express and possibly other train companies.
  5. Has Hitachi got the capacity to build the trains in the UK?

So has the Government given the order to CAF to create a level of competition?

Conclusions

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

Hitachi have seen my figures.

They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.

In July 2025, I wrote Batteries Ordered For Grand Central Inter-City Trains, which mentions the following.

  • Grand Central’s trains will be electric-diesel-battery hybrid inter-city trainsets.
  • The trains will have lithium ion phosphate batteries.
  • The trains will be delivered in 2028.
  • The batteries will be smaller and more powerful, than current batteries.

This is also said about safety, hazards and cybersecurity.

The Safety Integrity Level 2 and IEC 61508 compliant battery management system will detect and mitigate hazards and meet the IEC 62243 cybersecurity standard.

These batteries would appear to give Hitachi and Grand Central Trains everything they want and need.

It looks like the new battery chemistry, will give Hitachi extra range.

November 14, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Diesel Power Of The Class 805 Trains

Avanti West Coast’s new Class 805 trains, will probably start running between London Euston and Chester, Shrewsbury and North Wales before the end of the year.

But will they have the 560 kW engines of the Class 800 trains or the the 700 kW engines of the Class 802 trains?

On this page of Eversholt Rail’s web site, there is a detailed specification for a Class 802 train.

It says these trains have a top speed of 110 mph on diesel.

But it also says this about the design of the trains.

They have been designed to meet the operational requirements of the West of England route and are used on services out of London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance.

The class 802 is almost identical to the class 800, the differences are that class 802s have a higher rated engine output to tackle the gradients through Devon and Cornwall, and a superior diesel range to provide the IET experience to the wider Greater Western Network, they also have a larger brake resistor which reduces brake pad usage and requires less maintenance.

Wikipedia also says that these are the diesel engine sizes in the three main classes of these Hitachi AT 300 trains.

  • Class 800 train – 560 kW – Three engines for five cars
  • Class 801 train – 560 kW – One emergency engine for five cars
  • Class 802 train – 700 kW – Three engines for five cars
  • Class 810 train – 735 kW – Four engines for five cars

All these four trains have similar bodyshells and running gear, so I suspect that to run at similar cruising speeds, similar amounts of power will be needed.

If the Class 802 train has a speed of 110 mph on diesel, then a rough estimate of the cruising speed of a train with the 560 kW engines can be estimated by doing this simple calculation. Note that air resistance is proportional to the square of the speed.

Square root (110*110 *560/700) = 98.4 mph

I have looked on OpenRailwayMap at all the tracks to the West of Wolverhampton, where these trains will run and the highest maximum operating speed I can find is 90 mph.

As the Class 805 trains have a reprofiled nose, which could be more aerodynamic, they may be able to cruise at 90 mph.

I believe that a train with three 560 kW engines will suit Avanti West Coast purposes well.

What Is The Operating Speed Of The Class 810 trains?

I can use a similar calculation to estimate the maximum operating speed of the Class 810 trains, that will operate on the Midland Main Line.

Consider.

  • The Class 802 train has a total power of 2100 kW
  • The Class 810 train has a total power of 2940 kW
  • The Class 810 train with only three working engines has a total power of 2205 kW

I can estimate the cruising speed by doing this simple calculation, which is similar to the one for the Class 805 train.

Square root (110*110 *2940/2100) = 130 mph

I can also do it for a train running on three engines.

Square root (110*110 *2205/2100) = 113 mph

I looks to me, that the following is possible.

  • As Class 810 trains can achieve the maximum speed of 125 mph on both diesel and electric power, the timetable is independent of the progress of the electrification.
  • If the 125 mph sections are ignored, the fastest sections of line have a maximum speed of 110 mph, which could be possible on three engines.
  • North of the electrification, where the maximum speed is only 110 mph, engines could be selectively rested to avoid overheating.

Four engines give a lot of interesting options.

I can’t wait to take a ride.

Could The Class 810 Trains Be Fitted With Batteries?

When, the electrification reaches Market Harborough station, there will be no 125 mph sections on the Midland Main Line, which are not electrified.

This Hitachi infographic shows the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

A Class 810 version of this train would have three diesel engines and one battery pack.

  1. It would have all the features of the infographic.
  2. My calculations give it a top speed of 113 mph on a route, where the maximum speed North of the electrification is 110 mph.
  3. I also suspect, it could bridge any small gaps in the electrification.

It would have the very positive effects of saving fuel and cutting pollution in stations.

September 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023

Yesterday, after breakfast on Moorgate, I went for an explore at the Western end of the Elizabeth Line.

My aim was to change at Reading for Oxford and then have a bit of an explore in the University City.

These are my observations and thoughts.

Changing Trains At Reading

There are two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Reading station, but at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, there is no way of buying a ticket, that would get me between Reading and Oxford. To make things more complicated, I needed to be quick with my change at Reading, as I only had a few minutes before the next Oxford train left Reading.

In the end I had to leave Reading station and walk across the concourse in front of the station.

O then bought a ticket in a machine and then re-entered the station.

Great Western Railway can do better.

In Germany, there would be a ticket machine inside the barriers for those changing trains. But we never do that!

In the end, I missed my train and had to wait thirty minutes for a very crowded London Paddington to Oxford train.

Electrification At Oxford

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the planned electrification at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The four through lines are shown in dotted red-and-black, which indicates, that they will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  2. The proposed electrification continues all the way to Didcot Parkway station on the map.
  3. The two black tracks are the unelectrified platforms for Chiltern and East West Railway services.

But the proposed electrification stops just outside the station. Why?

Great Western Railway Services Beyond Oxford

Great Western Railway run an hourly service to Great Malvern, which according to Wikipedia terminates as follows.

  • 4 trains per day continue to Hereford calling at Colwall and Ledbury.
  • 1 train per day terminates at Worcester Shrub Hill.
  • 4 trains per day terminate at Worcester Foregate Street.

So what are the distances of these stations from Oxford?

  • Great Malvern – 65.6 miles
  • Hereford – 86.3 miles
  • Worcester Foregate Street – 57.6 miles
  • Worcester Shrub Hill – 57.2 miles

I suspect that one version of the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is shown in the infographic below

could handle all these distances.

After the Oxford and Didcot Parkway electrification is complete, trains will arrive at Oxford station with a full battery.

But how would the batteries be recharged for the journey back to Oxford?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks at Worcester.

Note.

  1. Trains to and from Oxford, use the tracks in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Trains to and from Birmingham, use the tracks in the North -East corner of the map.
  3. Trains to and from Great Malvern and Hereford, use the tracks in the South-West corner of the map.

I suspect that some selective electrification would be able to charge the trains.

Trains take around twenty minutes to go between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill via Worcester Foregate Street.

Electrifying this 8.5 mile section would surely enable the following.

  • Trains to leave Worcester Shrub Hill for Oxford with a full battery.
  • Trains to leave Great Malvern for Hereford with a full battery.
  • As Hereford and Great Malvern are only 20.7 miles apart, I suspect a return trip without a recharge is possible.
  • Trains terminating at Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street to be fully recharged before travelling back to Oxford.

Other services to and from the Worcester stations could also be run by battery-electric trains.

As Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford stations are only 57.2 miles and well within the capabilities of most battery-electric trains, there would be no need to electrify the route.

I may of course, be wrong about the length and position of the electrification at Worcester, but this could be just one of many solutions using partial electrification.

Does this explain the stopping of the proposed electrification at Oxford?

In addition, there must be marketing opportunities in running a battery-electric service to Hereford and Worcester.

The Bay Platforms At Oxford Station

These pictures show the two North facing bay platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The platforms are not electrified.
  2. They appear to be easily updated with electrification to be able to charge Chiltern and East West Railway trains.
  3. Marylebone is only 66.7 miles from Oxford.
  4. Milton Keynes Central is just over 40 miles from Oxford.
  5. Bedford is just under 60 miles from Oxford.

I suspect that services from Oxford to Bedford, Marylebone and Milton Keynes can all be run by battery-electric trains.

 

 

June 11, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

More Trains To Carmarthen

The last time, I looked at the number of GWR trains to Carmarthen its Wikipedia entry, it was just a couple.

Today, one train per hour (tph) is shown between London Paddington and Swansea, with this supplementary information.

  • 7 trains per day continue to Carmarthen, calling at Gowerton (limited), Llanelli, Pembrey & Burry Port, Kidwelly (limited) and Ferryside (limited)
  • On Summer Saturdays, 2 trains per day run to Pembroke Dock, calling at all stations between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock

In Regulator Approves New Grand Union Train Service From Carmarthen To London Paddington, I talked about the plans of Grand Union Trains to run five trains per day (tpd) between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This would appear to give a total of twelve tpd between London Paddington and Carmarthen.

This page on the Crown Estate web site is entitled Celtic Sea Floating Offshore Wind, where this is said.

The Government has set an ambition to deliver up to 5GW of floating wind by 2030, with rapid expansion anticipated thereafter.

At The Crown Estate, we are committed to helping the UK achieve its net zero ambitions. To support this, we are excited to deliver a new leasing opportunity in the Celtic Sea for the first generation of commercial-scale floating offshore windfarms – unlocking up to 4GW of new clean energy capacity by 2035, kick-starting industry in the region, and providing power to almost four million homes.

We will be inviting full commercial scale projects up to 1GW, which may be developed in a phased or ‘stepping stone’ approach. Recognising the need to develop the UK supply chain and supporting infrastructure for this nascent technology, this approach is deliberately intended to provide opportunities for growth and investment. This will also facilitate the co-ordination of the necessary infrastructure, such as ports and grid connections, all of which are key to the sustainable development of the UK floating wind sector over the long term.

This leasing opportunity will provide the foundation for greater capacity in the future and help establish an exciting new industrial sector for the UK, creating opportunities for significant new investment in jobs, skills and infrastructure for the communities onshore.

It appears to me, that Great Western Railway and Grand Union Trains both believe that there will be large increase in demand for rail travel between London Paddington and Carmarthen and also along the South Wales Coast.

Grand Union Trains are also proposing the building of a new parkway station at Parc Felindre North of Swansea.

But then this area of South Wales and the Celtic Sea, has the four things needed for the development of up to 5 GW of offshore wind; a lot of wind, a large area of empty sea, steel and deep water ports to assemble all the floating wind turbines.

A Zero-Carbon High Speed Railway Between London Paddington And Carmarthen

Consider.

  • The Great Western Railway between London Paddington and Carmarthen is 222.5 miles and trains take around three hours and fifty minutes, which is an average speed of 58 mph.
  • Between Bristol Parkway and Reading stations, the operating speed is 125 mph.
  • In South Wales, the operating speed is generally between 70 and 100 mph.
  • Only the 77.4 miles between Cardiff Central and Carmarthen via Swansea is not electrified.

There is probably scope to increase the operating speed using digital signalling and by improving the track.

I would suspect that a time between London Paddington and Carmarthen of under three-and-a-half hours is possible.

The Range Of Battery-Electric Trains

Hitachi have not been specific about the zero-carbon range of their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.

In Stadler FLIRT Akku Battery Train Demonstrates 185km Range, I talk about Stadler’s record-braking Battery-electric; Akku, which covered 185 km or 115 miles.

I suspect that Hitachi’s engineers  and those at their battery suppliers; Turntide Technology will be ultra-competitive, so I wouldn’t be surprised that the zero-carbon range of the Hitachi train is very competitive to the Stadler FLIRT Akku.

A hundred mile range would allow electric services to be run on these routes.

  • Cardiff and Carmarthen – 77.4 miles
  • Chippenham and Bristol Temple Meads and return – 48.8 miles
  • Chippenham and Bristol Western-super-Mare and return – 86.9 miles
  • Swindon and Cheltenham Spa and return – 86.5 miles
  • East Coast Main Line and Hull and return – 72.2 miles
  • Plymouth and Penzance – 79.5 miles
  • Taunton and Newbury – 89.6 miles
  • York and Scarborough and return – 84.1 miles

I am fairly sure that Hitachi will aim for at least a hundred mile battery range for their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.

  1. This would be competitive with other train manufacturers like Stadler and Siemens.
  2. They would handle a lot of important routes.
  3. With development they could probably handle Edinburgh and Inverness.

I can’t wait to have a ride.

June 8, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Hitachi Rail Names Preferred Supplier For Battery System Development For UK Trial

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Hitachi Rail UK is continuing its commitment to electrification and sustainability as it has teamed with a UK based Technology firm to design and supply its traction and battery systems for its intercity battery train trial which it hopes to run in the future.

Working with the North East England Partnership and Turntide Technologies, Hitachi UK Rail are working towards a UK trial for its battery technology which is engineered to reduce emissions and fuel costs. It is hoped, that if successful, it’ll advance the UK’s position as a global leader in battery train technology.

Note.

  1. Turntide Technologies took over Hyperdrive Innovation.
  2. Turntide Technologies have designed and built systems for JCB.

Up until now, we have been told very little about the batteries.

I have the following questions.

Is The Battery System In The Class 803 Trains For Lumo By Turntide Technologies/Hyperdrive Innovation?

The Wikipedia entry for Lumo, says this about the design of the Class 803 train.

Services are operated by a fleet of 125 mph (200 km/h) Class 803 electric multiple unit trains, ordered in March 2019 at a cost of £100 million, financed by the rail leasing company Beacon Rail.[15] While based on the same Hitachi AT300 design as the Class 801 Azuma trains operated on the East Coast Main Line by franchised operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER), they are not fitted with an auxiliary diesel engine, but instead feature batteries intended solely to power onboard facilities in case of overhead line equipment failure.

The maker of the batteries has not been disclosed.

If they have been made by Turntide, then they would certainly have had a good vibration testing.

Is The Battery System In The Class 803 Trains Similar To That Proposed For Class 800/802/805/810 Trains?

It would seem sensible, as this would mean that Hitachi would only be introducing one type of battery into the various fleets.

Supporting structures and wiring harnesses would then be identical in all trains, whether diesel engines or batteries were to be fitted.

Are The Batteries Plug Compatible With Similar Performance To The Diesel Engines?

I have never driven a train, but I have ridden in the cab of an InterCity 125, as I wrote about in Edinburgh to Inverness in the Cab of an HST.

The driver controls the two locomotives individually, just like I controlled the two engines in my Cessna 340 with two separate throttles.

So how does a driver control all the three engines in a five-car Class 800 train or the five engines in a nine-car?

Put simply, the driver just tells the computer, what speed or power is required and the train’s computer adjusts al the engines accordingly.

I believe it would be possible to design battery packs that are plug-compatible with similar performance to the diesel engines.

Hitachi could be playing an old Electrical/Electronic Engineer’s trick.

As a sixteen-year-old, I spent a Summer in a rolling mills, building replacement transistorised control units for the old electronic valve units. They had been designed, so they were plug-compatible and performed identically.

The great advantage of this approach, is that no changes were needed to the rolling mill.

So if Hitachi are using a similar approach, there should be very few or even no changes to the train.

What Range Will A Class 800 Train Have On Batteries?

This article on Focus Transport is entitled 224-kilometre Battery Range For FLIRT Akku – Stadler Sets World Record For Guinness Book Of Records.

I would be very surprised if Hitachi don’t break that record of 224 kilometres or 139 miles.

Conclusion

I belive we’re going to see a real revolution in rail transport.

May 25, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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