Australian Volgren Rolls Out First Hydrogen Bus Based On Wrightbus Chassis Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
These four paragraphs outline the progress.
Australian bus bodybuilder Volgren is rolling out of production a first hydrogen-powered bus model manufactured in cooperation with Northern Irish bus manufacturer Wrightbus.
Back in 2019, Volgren announced launch of its first battery-electric on BYD chassis. The deal with Wrightbus for fuel cell bus manufacturing in Australia dates back to May 2022.
With over 150 zero-emission buses already in operation, spanning six variants of both battery-electric and fuel-cell technologies, this hydrogen-powered bus represents the latest addition in Volgren’s offer.
A second hydrogen bus is already in production and will be delivered to the customer in the coming months, Volgren says.
It will be interesting to see how this deal develops.
Will it follow the successful path set by some of JCB’s deals around the world, or will the Chinese feel Australia is their patch and find a way to kick Wrightbus and its technology, out of the country?
Wrightbus Signs Deal For Largest Ever Order
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus has signed a deal to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years.
These are the first three paragraphs.
The company said it is the largest deal in its 78-year history and will be worth up to half a billion pounds.
Go-Ahead is an international transport group and one of the UK’s largest public service providers.
Wrightbus has had a strong 2024 with 786 buses registered so far this year and it now employs more than 2,000 people.
It finally looks like Wrightbus is securely on the road again.
Spotlight On The IVECO E-WAY H2: Less Weight, 15% More Passenger Capacity
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Sustainable Bus.
This is the sub-heading.
Up to seven time less batteries than a BEV bus (one module instead of 7), with 15% more passengers. These are the specifications mostly stressed by IVECO BUS when outlining the features of IVECO BUS E-WAY H2, presented at Busworld 2023 in Brussels. The bus model derives directly from the E-WAY BEV bus model
Note.
- The hydrogen fuel cell technology is from Hyundai.
- The bus is designed to be lighter in weight, which increases passenger capacity from 93 to 111 and gives an enhanced range.
- The driveline is from Accelera by Cummins, with a Siemens electric motor.
- IVECO provide the front axle and ZF the rear.
- Surprisingly, the bus is assembled from stainless steel panels, onto a steel floor.
It strikes me, that if the late great Colin Chapman had designed a bus, it would follow some of IVECO’s design.
Conclusion
This bus could set the standard for hydrogen-powered buses.
I particularly liked the saving in lithium compared to an electric bus.
City Airport May Help Others To Take Flight
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the sub-heading.
The government’s decision to lift the cap on permitted passengers at London City airport is a compromise that could be a template for future growth
These are the first two paragraphs.
Planning decisions always upset someone. Still, credit to housing secretary Angela Rayner and the transport supremo Louise Haigh for annoying all sides with one of the first from the new Labour government: allowing London City airport to lift its cap on permitted passengers a year to nine million from the present 6.5 million.
Their verdict hacked off Newham council, which has long opposed the airport’s expansion, leaving it “deeply concerned” over the noise impact on local residents. It angered environmental campaigners, with Greenpeace saying it’d “undermine the UK’s climate leadership”. And it even “disappointed” the airport’s boss, Alison FitzGerald, who wanted an end to the 24-hour flight curfew from 12.30pm on Saturday but failed to get it pushed out to 6.30pm.
The government seem to have chosen a good compromise that has annoyed several parties.
The article goes on to argue, that we should make the best use of the thirty regional airports in the UK.
So shouldn’t the priority be to utilise regional capacity better, via airline and airport incentives if necessary, to minimise journey times to airports and spread the noise and air pollution around? Only then should ministers consider big new projects.
That seems very sensible to me.
Consider.
- Technology will bring us quieter and more environmentally-friendly aircraft, that will benefit those near the airport.
- Electric aircraft are closer to service entry than you think.
- Good public transport links to an airport, would surely cut car usage for both passengers and employees.
- Bus networks to many airports could be improved and made more attractive to passengers, by using modern electric or hydrogen buses. Even Gatwick is taking this route!
- Cranbrook station and Exeter Airport were supposed to have a bus link, but nothing has happened.
- Several airports are near main railway lines and it would be possible to build a station. It will be interesting to see how passenger traffic at the new Inverness station develops.
- East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds/Bradford and Liverpool Airports are larger regional airports, that are close, but not directly connected to the rail network.
- Carlisle and Exeter Airports don’t have the best of websites. Humberside sets a good standard.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport has everything except a rail link and scheduled services.
Some of these improvements are not major and would surely be worthwhile, especially with a small amount of compromise.
Korean Hydrogen Bus Adoption Emerging To Block Low-Priced Electric Buses From China
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on BusinessKorea.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Major Korean business groups such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai Motor, and POSCO are expanding the introduction of hydrogen buses. They are more efficient than electric buses, and can run 635 kilometers on a single charge, making them suitable for long-distance commuting. Expanding hydrogen mobility, including buses, is considered the first step in building an entire hydrogen ecosystem.
SK Group is one of the most active companies in expanding hydrogen buses. According to SK Group on May 26, SK siltron has decided to replace its commuter buses for employees of its Gumi plant in North Gyeongsang Province with hydrogen buses. Additional deployments are under consideration after a pilot run in the first half of the year. In early May, SK hynix introduced three of the Universe model, Hyundai’s hydrogen bus for commuting. SK E&S recently completed the world’s largest liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon and plans to soon expand its hydrogen refueling stations nationwide to 20.
The Korean bus seem to have developed a strategy to protect themselves from the Chinese.
I have a few thoughts.
Korea And HiiROC
Hyundai and Kia have joined Centrica in taking stakes in Hull-based startup HiiROC, which I wrote about in Meet HiiROC, The Startup Making Low-Cost Hydrogen Free From Emissions.
London’s Future Bus Fleet
There are rumours on the Internet that Sadiq Khan, will replace all London’s buses with new Chinese buses.
How will I get around, as I don’t ride in anything that was made in China?
Conclusion
We live in interesting times.
Redevelopment Of Scottish Port Begins As Owner Secures GBP 400 Million For Offshore Wind Upgrade
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Haventus, the owner of the Ardersier Port in the Moray Firth, Scotland, has taken a final investment decision and kicked off construction work on redeveloping the port to serve both fixed-bottom and floating offshore wind projects. The revamped port is expected to open in the second half of 2025.
These are the first two paragraphs.
This month, Haventus was granted a GBP 100 million (approximately 117 million) joint credit facility from the Scottish National Investment Bank and UK Infrastructure Bank with GBP 50 million (approx. EUR 58.5 million) investment from each.
This follows a GBP 300 million (approx. 351 million) investment commitment by the energy investment firm Quantum Capital Group in 2023 when Haventus began the redevelopment of Ardersier Port.
This page on the Haventus web site, gives more details of the Port of Ardersier.
Included are.
- Access channel width – 160 m.
- Access channel depth – 12.4 m.
- Landside area – 350 acres.
- 420m main quay.
- 80 m Ro/Ro capable berth.
- People-friendly midges
- Green Freeport tax site designation
- More space is available if required.
There is also an informative video.
Haventus say they are delivering a world-leading energy transition facility. I can go along with that!
These are my thoughts.
The Location Of The Port of Ardersier
This Google Map shows the location of the Port of Ardersier.
Note.
- The large expanse of water in the middle of the map is Moray Firth.
- The blue arrow at the bottom of the map indicates Inverness Airport.
- Inverness Airport, has a railway station on the Aberdeen and Inverness Line.
- The village of Ardersier is on the the Eastern bank of the Moray Firth
- The Port of Ardersier is in the North-East corner of the map.
The city of Inverness, with a population of around 48,000, is a few miles South-West of the South-West corner of the map.
Which Windfarms Will Be Built And Serviced From The Port Of Ardersier?
This map shows the various ScotWind leases, around the North of Scotland.
The numbers are Scotwind’s lease number in their documents.
These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-East of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.
- 7 – DEME Concessions Wind – 200 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
- 8 – Falck Renewables Wind – 256 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
- 9 – Ocean Winds – 429 km² – 1.0 GW – Fixed
- 10 – Falck Renewables Wind – 134 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
- 11 – Scottish Power Renewables – 684 km² – 3.0 GW – Floating
- 12 – BayWa r.e. UK – 330 km² – 1.0 GW – Floating
These are the Scotwind wind farms to the North-West of Scotland, that could reasonably be assumed to be built and served from the Port of Ardersier.
- 13 – Offshore Wind Power – 657 km² – 2.0 GW – Fixed or Floating
- 14 – Northland Power – 390 km² – 1.5 GW – Floating
- 15 – Magnora – 103 km² – 0.5 GW – Floating
- 16 – Northland Power – 161 km² – 0.8 GW – Floating
These ten wind farms add up to 12.3 GW.
Transport
Consider.
- Obviously, heavy components will be brought in by sea, using the Ro/Ro capable berth or using a crane to unload a barge.
- Personnel will be able to fly in for the day.
- Will some visitors rom London use the Caledonian Sleeper to and from Inverness station to get a full day on site and a good night’s sleep, whilst travelling.
But I do see a problem with local traffic to and from the site.
Hydrogen Buses
This page on the Sizewell C web site, discusses how they will use hydrogen buses.
I could see the Port of Ardersier taking a leaf out of Sizewell C’s book and run hydrogen buses to Inverness, Inverness Airport and other nearby towns.
The North of Scotland certainly won’t be short of green hydrogen to power the buses.
Hydrogen
Conclusion
If you thought that the only useful wind-driven thing to come out of Scotland was bagpipes, you had better think again.
The Port of Ardersier will be the factory and operation and maintenance port for one of the largest offshore wind industries in the world.
It’s All Happening In Jamshedpur!
When I read this article on Hydrogen Fuel News, which is entitled Cummins And Tata Motors Ignite Change With H2 Internal Combustion Engines, I couldn’t resist using the jokey headline, which was inspired by the sub-heading.
The manufacturing has started in Jamshedpur, India at a new state-of-the-art facility
These two paragraphs give some more details.
The hydrogen internal combustion engines continuing to be produced at the facility are being integrated into Tata Motors trucks. This technology is being viewed as a promising zero- or low-carbon alternative to diesel power because of its powerful performance and substantial operating range.
Cummins’ B6.7H engines have notable similarities to current natural gas and diesel engines, particularly in terms of the components they contain. Moreover, they can fit in standard engine vehicles and require similar refueling times.
I first wrote about the Cummins B 6.7H engines in Cummins Shows Hydrogen Internal Combustion-Engined Concept Truck At IAA Transportation Exhibition, which I posted in September 2022.
I have these further thoughts.
Cummins B Series Engine
The Wikipedia entry for the Cummins B Series Engine, starts with these two paragraphs.
The Cummins B Series is a family of diesel engines produced by American manufacturer Cummins. In production since 1984, the B series engine family is intended for multiple applications on and off-highway, light-duty, and medium-duty. In the automotive industry, it is best known for its use in school buses, public service buses (most commonly the Dennis Dart and the Alexander Dennis Enviro400) in the United Kingdom, and Dodge/Ram pickup trucks.
Since its introduction, three generations of the B series engine have been produced, offered in both inline-four and inline-six configurations in multiple displacements.
Note.
- Cummins B Series is used in a wide variety of vehicles.
- It is available in both four and six cylinder versions.
But what Wikipedia doesn’t say, is that any Cummins’ customer will get the engine he wants for his application, even if it means creating a special version of the engine. Thirty years ago, I did a small data analysis job for Cummins in Darlington and on a tour of the works, I was given full details on how they treated customers. Cummins are not your average US company.
London’s Routemaster Buses
These buses are powered by a small four-cylinder version of the B-series engine, called a 4.5L ISB, which is described like this in Wikipedia.
The 4.5L ISB is essentially a four-cylinder, two-thirds version of the 6.7L ISB rated at 185 hp (138 kW), used in the New Routemaster, a series hybrid diesel-electric double-decker bus in London.
Note.
- Some diesel Range-Rovers, have more power, than these buses, but then they’re not hybrids.
- The engine also needs to be smaller, as it’s mounted under the back stairs.
Did Cummins’ special engine. allow the unique design of London’s Routemaster Buses?
Could London’s Routemaster Buses Be Converted To Hydrogen?
As an engineer and with my knowledge of Cummins’ design and manufacturing methods, I am fairly certain, if Cummins can manufacture six-cylinder versions of the B-Series engines, then four-cylinder hydrogen-powered engines are not far behind.
If London were to convert the thousand New Routemaster buses to hydrogen, there would be winners all round.
- Cummins would love the publicity and would probably benefit from increased sales of their hydrogen engines in vehicles like refuse trucks and small buses.
- It would surely give a route to convert older vehicles to hydrogen.
- The air in cities will improve.
But London has a problem, It is one of the few large cities in the world without readily-available hydrogen.
As this post illustrates and my Google searches show, India has a more advanced and scientifically-correct view on the usefulness of hydrogen.
Will Jaguar Land Rover Switch To Cummins’ Hydrogen Engines?
If Tata Motors make a success of hydrogen in India, it must make them think about adding hydrogen engines to Jaguar Land Rover products, specially as other manufacturers are getting serious about hydrogen.
Conclusion
Cummins will change the world for the better.
Wrightbus Secures Further German Order For 46 Hydrogen Buses
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Wrightbus.
These paragraphs outline the deal.
World-beating zero-emission bus manufacturer Wrightbus today announced a milestone deal to provide 46 hydrogen buses to Germany – taking a demo bus from Belfast to showcase its reliability and range.
The buses ordered by Cottbusverkehr GmbH will serve the city of Cottbus, the second largest city in the state of Brandenburg, and and in the western part of the district of Spree-Neiße.
It follows a landmark announcement by the German government to implement a €350 million scheme to support the production of renewable hydrogen.
Wrightbus is Europe’s fastest-growing bus manufacturer and follows the company’s rapid rise since it was bought out of administration in 2019. It was named Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing company by Growth Index this week – employing 1,650 people and producing 22 buses a week.
The Cottbus order for the Kite Hydroliner buses follow deals in Germany with West Verkehr, Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK), and Saarbahn GmbH, with more European orders in the pipeline.
If Northern Irish hydrogen buses are selling well to the Germans, why are there so few in the UK.
These pictures show the UK version of the German buses in Crawley.
They are excellent buses.
Sizewell C – North Park And Ride
This document on the Planning Inspectorate web site, is a description of the Northern Park-and-Ride for the Sizewell C Project.
This Google Map shows the area of the Park-and-Ride site.
Note.
- The main road running SW-NE is the A 12 between Ipswich, Felixstowe and Woodbridge in the South and Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth in the North.
- The East Suffolk Line runs North-South at the West side of the map.
- Darsham station, which is indicated by the red logo on a white background is situated, where road and railway cross.
- The Fox Inn is in the village of Darsham and indicated by an orange arrow.
- The pink arrow to the North-West of the Fox Inn indicates White House Farm.
- The lane going North-West from the A 12 to the North of the farm is Willow Marsh Lane.
The document on the Planning Inspectorate says this about the site.
The site comprises approximately 27.9 hectares (ha) of predominantly
agricultural land but also includes sections of the A12 and Willow Marsh Lane
towards the north of the site. It is located west of the village of Darsham and
west of the A12, to the east of the East Suffolk line, and to the north of
Darsham railway station (see Chapter 1, Figure 1.1 of this volume). Further
detail on the site and the environmental baseline is provided in Chapters 1
and 4 to 12 of this volume of the Environmental Statement.
This second Google Map shows Darsham station.
Note.
- Darsham station has long platforms.
- Crossing the line is by means of the level crossing.
- The Budgens store, which is indicated by the blue arrow also sells fuel.
- The station has a bus service.
- The Southern end of the Park-and-Ride site lies between the railway and the road at the North of the map.
The document on the Planning Inspectorate says this about walking between the Park-and-Ride site and the station.
There would be a pedestrian route from Darsham railway station along the
footway on the A12 to the south-east of the site. Pedestrians accessing the
site would leave the A12 and enter through a security gate provided in the
security fencing. Further details of access measures (such as key fobs,
CCTV, intercom system) would be agreed at the detailed design stage.
I could probably manage that at 76.
These are further thoughts.
The Current Rail Service
Currently, the rail service is as follows.
- One train per hour (tph) in both directions.
- |Trains are Class 755 trains, built by Stadler in Switzerland a few years ago.
- Each train can carry up to 229 passengers.
- Up to three trains can run together.
- Trains going to and from Lowestoft in the North call at Oulton Broad South, Beccles, Brampton and Halesworth.
- Trains going to and from Ipswich in the South call at Saxmundham, Wickham Market, Melton and Woodbridge.
- Travellers for London Liverpool Street change at Ipswich.
- The first train from London Liverpool Street would get you to Darsham at 11:00.
- This is not a bad train service but it could be improved.
Direct Trains Between London Liverpool Street And Lowestoft
In 2016, I wrote Making Sense Of The New East Anglia Franchise.
I wrote the following about Greater Anglia’s plans to run four trains per day between London Liverpool Street and Lowestoft.
There are going to be four direct services between London and Lowestoft each day. This probably initially means two trains to London in the morning peak and two trains back in the evening one.
When, I first moved back to Suffolk in the 1970s, I regularly caught a diesel-hauled train from Wickham Market to London for the day.
This is all motherhood and apple pie for those in Lowestoft wanting to go to London, but I suspect it isn’t the easiest service for a train operator to schedule efficiently and make money.
Would a train operator really want to start a full train at Lowestoft at say six in the morning and then have it wait around all day in London before returning in the evening?
The East Suffolk Line from Ipswich to Lowestoft has the following characteristics.
- It is fifty miles long.
- It is not electrified.
- It has a speed limit of 40-55 mph.
- There are nine intermediate stations. Many are just a single platform, and car parking is fairly limited.
- It has enough double-track and a passing loop at Beccles station to run a train in both directions at the same time.
- As it ran long trains in the past, I suspect, that most of the stations have platforms that can handle at least six-carriage trains.
- Trains would appear to take around ninety minutes for the whole journey
But the most important characteristic, is that every time the line is improved, more passengers come rushing out of the woodwork.
There would certainly be no problem with running bi-mode Flirts on this route, as London-Lowestoft is just the type of route for which they are designed.
- They would use their on-board diesel engines on the East Suffolk Line.
- As some would work along the busy lines to London, I suspect their top speed under electric power would be the same as the EMUs.
- Services to and from London, once on the Great Eastern Main Line, would join the high-speed race to and from the capital.
- At the start and finish of the day, the trains could use the electrified main line to position between Ipswich and Crown Point depot at around 100 mph.
- Abellio could use either a single three- or four-car train or perhaps two trains coupled together.
This service would pass through Darsham station, so it could provide a direct link between London and the Park-and-Ride.
It might also stop at stations like Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford and Stratford.
I am fairly certain, that a London Liverpool Street and Lowestoft services, that stopped at Darsham station, would improve labour availability and construction efficiency at Sizewell C.
A Connection To Yarmouth
There used to be a direct Yarmouth to Lowestoft Line, but now it is possible to use the Wherry Lines, with a reverse at Reedham station.
So will we be seeing the direct London-Lowestoft trains being extended to Yarmouth?
As Yarmouth hasn’t had a direct connection to London for years and there are lots of fast, capable new trains, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Especially, as Network Rail are talking about reinstating the Reedham Chord to create a more direct route between East Anglia’s largest North-Eastern towns. This is said about the Reedham Chord in Direct Yarmouth Services in the Wikipedia entry for Lowestoft station.
In January 2015, a Network Rail study proposed the reintroduction of direct services between Lowestoft and Yarmouth by reinstating a spur at Reedham. Services could once again travel between two East Coast towns, with an estimated journey time of 33 minutes, via a reconstructed 34-chain (680 m) north-to-south arm of the former triangular junction at Reedham, which had been removed in c. 1880. The plans also involve relocating Reedham station nearer the junction, an idea which attracted criticism.
If we take these current approximate timings.
- Ipswich to Lowestoft takes 90 minutes.
- Lowestoft to Reedham takes 27 minutes.
- Reedham to Yarmouth takes 16 minutes.
That means the service today would take 133 minutes, with a train reverse at Reedham station.
Note.
- Modern three-car bi-mode Flirt trains, with better speed, acceleration and braking than the current Class 170 trains.
- The short-cut along the Reedham Chord, which could save as much as ten minutes.
- A few selective improvements to save a minute here and there.
- Lowestoft station is redeveloped forty metres to the West and eighty metres to the South, as detailed in Wikipedia under Relocation Of The Station.
- I think it would be possible for an Ipswich-Yarmouth service to do the trip in around two hours.
The service would have the following characteristics.
- It would be timetabled for under the all-important two hours.
- Trains would turnround efficiently in a few minutes at either end of the line.
- It could be hourly with four trains or two-hourly with just two, used to run the service.
- All stops would be at the same minutes past each hour at each station.
- Trains would always leave Ipswich and Yarmouth at the same number of minutes past the hour.
- Lowestoft and Yarmouth get a regular hourly direct train service in just thirty-three minutes.
- Intriguingly if the trains left Ipswich and Yarmouth at the same time, they would pass each other at Beccles station, which incorporates a passing loop.
- As Beccles and its passing loop, fits so well into this schedule, I suspect that it was designed with the Reedham Chord and this type of service in mind.
- There would be no prizes for guessing the beer, that should be served on a train on this route.
I don’t think any better than an hourly service, could be run, without some extra passing loops or double-track.
This extension would make commuting between Sizewell and Yarmouth easier.
Bus Route Between Darsham And Sizewell
The document on the Planning Inspectorate says this about the buses and the route.
There would be a maximum of 100 daily bus arrivals and 100 daily bus
departures from the proposed development to the Sizewell C main
development site.Bus services between the proposed development and the Sizewell C main
development site would travel south on the A12 and use the new A12/B1122
roundabout (Yoxford Roundabout – see Volume 7 of the ES) to access the
B1122 and the Sizewell link road (once operational – see Volume 6 of the
ES) towards the Sizewell C main development site.
This Google Map shows Darsham station and the Sizewell site, as it exists today.
Note.
- The Sizewell site is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Darsham station is in the North-West corner of the map.
This second Google Map shows the A 12 between Darsham station and Yoxford.
Note.
- Darsham station is at the top of the map on the A 12.
- The village of Yoxford is on an S-bend of the A 12.
- A B& B is marked by a pink arrow.
The B 1122 connects Yoxford to the South-East corner of the map.
This third Google Map shows the route between Yoxford and Sizewell.
Note.
- Yoxford is in the North-West corner of the map.
- Sizewell is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Leiston Abbey is indicated by the arrow to the North of Leiston.
The B 1122 can be picked out through Middleton Moor and Theberton and then as it skirts Leiston Abbey.
Sizewell C seem to have made a good effort to get the workers to the site.
Why Isn’t A Passenger Train Run Between Ipswich And The Sizewell Site?
In Network Rail Prepares To Send Four Trains A Night Through Suffolk To Sizewell, I came to this conclusion.
I am fairly certain, that it is possible to move four freight trains in and out of the Sizewell site during the night, without doing any major works to the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Saxmundham junction.
- Adding extra track at Wickham Market would probably cause major disruption.
- Some level crossings will probably be improved.
But without a full double track between Ipswich and Saxmundham junction, I doubt there could be any increase in passenger services.
But with those track works, it might be possible to run an hourly service between Ipswich and Aldeburgh with calls at Westerfield, Woodbridge, Wickham Market, Saxmundham, Sizewell and Leiston.
This would give a two tph service between Saxmundham and Ipswich.
Objections To The Park-and-Ride
This document from Darsham Parish Council is entitled Consultation Response To Sizewell C.
This is the first paragraph.
Darsham Parish Council (Darsham PC) continues to oppose the proposed location of the Northern Park and Ride (NPR). We believe its location on an already busy single carriageway section of the A12 just north of the level crossing at Darsham Station, coupled with proposed roundabouts at Willow Marsh Lane and the A1120 junction in Yoxford are a recipe for traffic chaos extending northwards up the A12. We have no confidence in the traffic estimates submitted by EDF, which we believe underestimate the amount of local, through, agricultural and tourist traffic. This will be exacerbated by the proposed motel and further proposed development south of the station. We believe that traffic congestion on this main artery into Suffolk will adversely impact tourism throughout the AONB, which generates more than £360 million pa to the local economy (2018 figure). Further, we believe these volumes of traffic will generate excessive noise, vibration and pollution with serious negative impacts on those living alongside or close to the A12. Most significantly, Darsham PC has been advised that location of the NPR on this site could pose a significant flood risk to the railway (see below).
The Parish Council is also worried about flood risk to the railway.
The site of the NPR slopes down from Willow Marsh Lane towards the railway. A consulting engineer has advised us that the heavy clay soil here could pose a drainage and flood risk problem when compacted during the construction period. An appropriate sustainable semi-permeable surface could be utilised for car parking spaces to reduce run-off, with suitable drainage and reservoir capacity at the southern end to protect the railway from flooding. We submitted this evidence to EDF during the consultation period, but it has been ignored.
I suspect as with the opposition to Sizewell B, the opposition is led by second home owners, worried about the value of their investment.
State-of-the-Art Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility Approved
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Renewable Connections.
These two paragraphs outline the project.
Bradford Hydrogen Production Facility, a partnership project between Hygen and N-GEN, developed by Renewable Connections, has received consent from Bradford Council. It is anticipated once built, the groundbreaking hydrogen production facility will produce enough hydrogen to remove up to 800 diesel-fuelled buses a day from West Yorkshire roads.
The facility on the old Birkshall gas storage site on Bowling Back Lane in Bradford will produce low carbon hydrogen which can be used to decarbonise vehicles and industry. Businesses and other users in West Yorkshire will be able to use the refuelling facilities on site, with distribution experts Ryze delivering hydrogen to industrial users across the region.
This Google Map shows the area of Bowling Back Lane.
Note.
- The railway running East-West across the middle of the map.
- The red arrow indicates St. James Wholesale Market, which will be the site of the new station.
- Bowling Bank Lane runs East across the nap from the roundabout to the South of the market.
- There appear to be three gas storage tanks to the North of Bowling Back Lane, towards the East of the map.
I suspect that the electrolyser will be built to the West of the current gas storage tanks.
I have a few thoughts.
It Could Be A Large Site
This Google Map shows an enlargement of the area, between Birkshall Lane and the gas storage tanks.
Note.
- Birkshall Lane runs across the South-West corner of the map.
- Several of the businesses in the area seem to concern recycling.
- The site would appear to stretch from the railway in the North to the gas storage tanks in the East and Birkshall Lane in the West.
I can envisage the space around the electrolyser being developed into a business park for businesses that need hydrogen.
Could There Be A Refuelling Facility For Hydrogen Trains?
I believe that in the next ten years, that many freight trains will be hauled by hydrogen-hybrid locomotives.
As the railway through Bradford used to incorporate a third track, I believe that there could be space for a simple facility to fill up hydrogen-powered locomotives.
Are The Gas Tanks Still Used?
The reason I ask this question, is that if they are and still supply Bradford with natural gas, excess hydrogen could be blended up to a low percentage with natural gas to supply Bradford gas users.
It would certainly be a useful capability.
Conclusion
The electrolyser appears to be well-positioned.
The Anonymous Widower 