Central London and Gatwick Airport For Free On A Freedom Pass
I have always found it odd, that I can get to Heathrow Airport for free on my Freedom Pass, but for Gatwick Airport, I must buy a ticket.
Not that I’m bothered about the price of the ticket, but for some it might mean that they can’t get to their preferred holiday destination, as planes only fly from Heathrow.
The different treatment of the two airports must also annoy some airport and airline owners and bosses.
But recently, a free route for London’s Freedom Pass holders has opened.
This article on Inside Croydon is entitled Metrobus Rolls Out Zero-Emission Hydrogen Fleet Into Sutton.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Metrobus has been rolling out a fleet of hydrogen-powered buses, and last week its first double deckers, operating the 420 route from Sutton town centre to Gatwick Airport and Crawley, were brought into service.
Metrobus is planning on having more than 40 hydrogen-powered buses, in a partnership with West Sussex, Surrey and Kent county councils and Gatwick, in a £24million investment by the partners including a £10 million grant from the Department for Transport.
Note.
- The range of a Wrightbus Hydroliner is 280 miles on a full tank of hydrogen.
- It looks like as Crawley to Sutton station is a 42.2 miles round trip, so that means six round trips are possible on a tank of hydrogen.
- The Hydroliners may have the speed to use the M23 between Sutton and Crawley.
According to the article, refueling would be at Crawley.
A Zero-Carbon Extension To The Freedom Pass Zone
The free route for Freedom Pass holders to Gatwick Airport will be.
- Southern or Thameslink Train to Sutton.
- 420 bus to Gatwick Airport.
The article says this about the routes that are being planned.
The 420 route runs from Sutton town centre, through Belmont and Banstead, to Tadworth and then on to Reigate and Redhill, serving East Surrey Hospital before going on to the airport and Crawley. Metrobus is planning to use other hydrogen-powered buses on routes that will serve Caterham, Dorking, Tunbridge Wells, Haywards Heath and Brighton.
It appears that the hydrogen buses will add a large zero-carbon area to the Freedom Pass zone.
The only new infrastructure, would be the refueling equipment at Crawley.
I can also see the buses becoming an unusual tourist attraction for the area.
An Extension To An Electric Railway Or Tramway
They may also set a precedent for how a transport network can be extended in a zero-carbon manner from a tram or rail terminal served by an electric railway or tramway.
Battery electric buses could be used, but their range means that on anything but the shortest routes, they would constantly need recharging.
Okehampton Interchange Station
The first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for Okehampton Interchange station describes it like this.
Okehampton Interchange (formerly known as Okehampton Parkway) is a proposed railway station in Okehampton on the Dartmoor Line. The station would be part of the Devon Metro and has been described as a priority station. The station is to be sited off Exeter Road, by the Business Park and close to the junction with the A30, in the Stockley Hamlet area of Okehampton. It would also serve 900 new homes to be built nearby.
But I believe that Okehampton Interchange station also has another purpose.
If the sea should destroy the coastal railway, as it did a few years ago, then passengers for the South-West could be ferried to and from Okehampton Interchange station by high-speed hydrogen-powered coaches along the A30, to catch trains to Exeter and London.
So, I would build a hydrogen filling station at Okehampton Interchange station, so that if the sea destroys the coastal railway again, the alternative is ready.
Normally, the hydrogen filling station would refuel local hydrogen buses, trucks, cars and other vehicles and those passing on the A30 to and from Cornwall.
Okehampton Interchange station would be the ultimate extension to an electric railway. Even if the Dartmoor Railway was worked by electro-diesel trains.
British Buses For British Bottoms
Occasionally, I catch the 153 bus, as it goes between the Leon, where I often go for breakfast, and the William Harvey Heart Centre, where I volunteer as a lab-rat.
Lately, I’ve noticed that the route is being run by new Wrightbus GB Kite single-decker battery-electric buses.
This morning I had a ride.
Note.
- The buses are battery-electric.
- This page is the bus’s home page.
- This bus is the short 10.2 metre long version.
- It was certainly a well-built, smooth-riding and comfortable bus, that was approved by my sensitive British bottom.
This Press Release from Wrightbus is entitled Wrightbus Sets Sights On Further European Expansion After Hydrogen Buses Land In Germany.
This is the sub-heading.
Leading zero-emission bus pioneer Wrightbus has announced plans for further expansion into Europe following the arrival of a landmark hydrogen bus order into Germany.
These are the first three paragraphs.
All of the 31 buses for operator Regionalverkehr Köln Gmbh (RVK) are now in situ – the first ever Wrightbus vehicles on European soil – with testing underway before the fleet goes into service across the Cologne region.
Named the fastest-growing bus manufacturer in Europe, Wrightbus has enjoyed a remarkable year. Alongside further hydrogen bus deals for Saarbahn, Vestische, Cottbus and West Verkehr, and the opening of a new European service centre in Bruhl, Wrightbus is also hiring staff to supply buses to France and Benelux.
In October, it also signed a landmark deal worth up to half-a-billion pounds to supply more than 1,000 buses to operator Go-Ahead over the next three years – 90 per cent of which will be zero-emission.
The press release says that deals are possible in France and Benelux.
Vallourec’s Delphy Hydrogen Storage Solution
Hydrogen can be a nuisance to store.
I have just found a YouTube video of a system called Delphy from French company Vallourec.
Delphy seems a neat solution, where hydrogen is stored vertically in a 100 metre hole, that can hold a 100 tonnes of hydrogen.
You can watch this video.
I think this would be an ideal hydrogen storage solution for a bus or coach company or a truck operator.
Wrightbus StreetDeck Ultroliner Next-Gen To Get Cummins Power
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Route One.
These three paragraphs give more details.
Wrightbus will utilise Cummins power in its StreetDeck Ultroliner diesel double-decker for the first time in a next-generation variant of that model.
Those vehicles will be powered by the six-cylinder B6.7 engine rated at 250bhp or 300bhp, driving through the Voith DIWA.8 seven-speed automatic gearbox. Such an approach will further reduce emissions, and the new model will be Ultra-Low Emission Bus accredited by Zemo Partnership, the manufacturer says.
The existing StreetDeck Ultroliner, which is powered by the Daimler OM 934 four-cylinder engine, will continue to be available. The first Cummins-powered examples are to be supplied to Isle of Man operator Bus Vannin.
As a hydrogen version of the the Cummins six-cylinder B6.7 engine is available, at some point in the future, these buses will be convertible to zero-emission hydrogen power.
Wrightbus have already set up a division called New Power to do the conversion of existing buses, as I reported in Wrightbus Launches NewPower In Bicester.
London’s New Tram-Like Buses Come Into Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
I went to Orpington station and all I saw was several small diesel single-decker buses running around in the awful cold.
So I retreated on a warm train after a couple of hours.
One driver said that the reams were running and she looked genuinely disappointed, that they hadn’t turned up.
But from my knowledge of electric vehicles, although not Irizar ie Trams, I do wonder if the single-figure temperatures in Orpington had drained the batteries.
But I can’t imagine a company like Irizar making a mistake like that.
Although one of the station men said that Orpington can get to be a very cold station. Now that is something I’ll agree with!
In the other hand the 358 route takes an hour from end to end, so in my opinion, it might have been better to use hydrogen-powered buses.
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.
The Anonymous Widower 