Direct London Trains ‘Could Start In 2026’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A new train company is hoping its proposals for new daily services from Shropshire to London Euston could begin towards the end of 2026.
Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR), which is led by international rail firm Alstom, submitted a new bid at the end of last year to provide four daily trains.
These two paragraphs add detail to the story.
The county has not had a direct train link to the capital since Avanti West Coast stopped its single daily service in 2024 because of low passenger numbers.
The move has been welcomed by regular commuter Charlotte Foster, who lives on the Welsh border. She said a direct service would save her the stress of missing a connection or catching a train elsewhere.
These are my thoughts on this proposal.
I wonder If Alstom Will Be Using This route To Trial Hydrogen-Powered Trains?
Consider.
- The route was a failure for Virgin Trains.
- Perhaps the curiosity value of hydrogen-trains will generate sufficient traffic.
- Hydrogen-electric trains will be very quiet. Those in Germany are hydrogen-electro-mechanical and very noisy.
- The trains will be based on the proven Aventra platform.
- I reported on Alstom’s hydrogen trains for the UK in Alstom Plans To Operate Its Own Passenger Train Service In The UK For The First Time.
- Perhaps Alstom feel that an extended test will convince passengers that the trains are a good idea.
- An extended test would give proper costings for Great British Railways and prospective open access operators.
The map downloaded from the BBC article shows the route.
Note.
- There are eight intermediate stops.
- Euston and Wolverhampton is 124.9 miles and fully electrified.
- Wolverhampton and Wrexham General is 59.9 miles and is not electrified.
- The section of the route without electrification at 120 miles return might need some new electrification for battery-electric trains, but from their experience in Germany, I suspect that Alstom, will know how to cover the route using hydrogen-hybrid trains, which would use the existing electrification between Euston and Wolverhampton.
This picture shows a visualisation of a possible Alston hydrogen train, which would probably be built in Derby on an Aventra platform.
Note.
- It could be up to five-cars long.
- I suspect Alstom could give the train a 125 mph cruising speed, so it could mix it with all the express trains between Euston and Wolverhampton.
- The trains would have a very long range on hydrogen.
- Hydrogen trains could certainly handle a round trip between Wolverhampton and Holyhead on a single fuelling.
- Hydrogen fuelling is likely to be setup at Cemex at Wrexham and the Port of Holyhead.
I think it could be an ideal trial route for hydrogen trains.
But also it could bring growth to the towns and cities between Wolverhampton and Holyhead.
Would Alstom’s Hydrogen-Hybrid Trains Be Suitable For Other Routes?
Most Certainly!
In the first place, the route could be extended to Holyhead, which would surely bring growth to the towns and cities between Wolverhampton and Holyhead.
This would create a zero-carbon route between London and the Island of Ireland.
But around the UK, there would be other routes.
I can envisage these routes being run by hydrogen-hybrid trains.
- London Waterloo and Exeter – Third-rail operation
- London Bridge and Uckfield – Third-rail operation
- London Bridge and Hoo – Third-rail operation
- East Coastway and Marshlink Lines – Third-rail operation
- Scotland – Replacement of Inter7City trains and filling in the gaps in electrification.
Note.
- Some areas already have or have plans for hydrogen supply networks.
- With the exception of supplying hydrogen, very little infrastructure would be needed.
- Hydrogen trains should be fairly quiet.
- Hydrogen trains don’t create much disruption, when they are installed.
Aventras have been fairly well received and can be between three and nine cars.
Direct Rail Service Plan Supported By PM
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
Plans for a new passenger rail service running direct trains between north Wales, the West Midlands and London have received support from the prime minister.
These three paragraphs add detail to the story.
A new open-access rail operator, external, called the Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR), has been formed, offering passengers in Wrexham, as well as Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Walsall and Coleshill, a direct link with the capital.
Speaking in the Commons, Shrewsbury’s Labour MP Julia Buckley asked Sir Keir Starmer if he would support the provider’s application.
The prime minister responded, saying he would be “delighted to make sure the MP and other interested MPs meet with the rail minister to put their case forward”.
He didn’t actually say he supported the application, but then lawyers are careful with words, as every syllable costs money.
I have a few thoughts on this service.
The North Wales Metro
The North Wales Metro was announced today and I wrote about it in £2.1bn North Wales Rail Overhaul Plans Unveiled.
The Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway connects the North Wales Metro to Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Coleshill and London Euston.
Will The Trains Be Hydrogen Powered
In Alstom And Eversholt Rail Sign An Agreement For The UK’s First Ever Brand-New Hydrogen Train Fleet, I reported how Alstom could be going to build a fleet of hydrogen trains in Derby.
I just wonder, if Alstom are going to create a hydrogen train with this specification.
- Five cars
- 125 mph top speed
- Ability to use electrification, where it exists.
- Sufficient range on hydrogen to cover the non-electrified section of the route between Wrexham General and Wolverhampton.
- Wrexham General and Wolverhampton is just under sixty miles and takes an hour and six minutes.
As the fastest trains between London Euston and Walverhampton take one hour and forty-nine minutes, trains would take just under three hours between London Euston and Wrexham General.
I rode an Alstom hydrogen-powered train in Germany in March 2019 and wrote My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint.
I took this picture at the time.
Alstom certainly have all the technology to build a 125 mph hydrogen-powered train, that can use electrification.
Where Would A Hydrogen Train Be Refuelled?
I suspect, that as the train would probably have a range of around a thousand kilometres, it could fill up overnight at Wrexham.
The hydrogen could be sourced from Runcorn or it might even be generated at the depot.
Would A Hydrogen Train Attract Passengers?
If the hydrogen-powered train were to be mouse-quiet like Wrightbus’s hydrogen buses, I believe it would.
Would A Train Manufacturer Save CrossCountry’s Iconic Aberdeen And Penzance Route?
The article in The Times about the cancelling of CrossCountry’s iconic Aberdeen and Penzance route was entitled After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever, I gave my post the same name and both received a number of nostalgic comments, from those, who had ridden the route or wished they had.
The Characteristics Of The Line
This article on the BBC is entitled We Had To Be On Last Run Of UK’s Longest Train Route.
This is said in the BBC article.
The connection – first established back in 1921 – is 775 miles (1,247km) long.
But electrification is rather thin on the ground.
Between Leeds and Edinburgh stations is electrified and I suspect that some of the route through Birmingham New Street and Bristol Parkway stations are also electrified, so perhaps, a battery-electric train could get a top-up on the way.
But as Leeds and Edinburgh is around 220 miles, there’s about 550 miles of the route or 70 % without electrification.
Battery Power, Hydrogen Power Or Both?
If diesel is ruled out on environmental grounds, it means that only battery or hydrogen power could be used for the route.
Despite some of the progress made by battery-electric trains in the last few years, I feel that unless the route has a large number of charging stations, then battery-electric trains will not be a practical solution.
This is a paragraph from The Times article.
Rail bosses said one of the reasons for ending the train was the difficulty keeping such a long journey on time. The fact that most customers made only short journeys along the route was also a consideration.
And this is another.
As an “express” service it was severely challenged, partly because of the long waits at a number of stations along the way, including 14 minutes at both Edinburgh Waverley and Bristol Temple Meads, and seven minutes at Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids.
Stopping regularly to charge the batteries, is going to make timekeeping more difficult and will probably end up with irritable passengers, after all the waiting.
So I suspect, hydrogen would be the ideal power for such a long service over a route with such sparse electrification.
But the trains, would be fitted with regenerative breaking to battery, so that kinetic energy is conserved as much as possible in the station stops.
I believe, that the trains should effectively be tri-mode or hydrogen-hybrid trains, but then many drivers praise the frugality of their hybrid cars.
Would Efficient Hydrogen-Hybrid Trains Attract More Passengers?
Consider.
- All the battery and hydrogen trains and buses, with one exception, that I have ridden on, have been mouse-quiet.
- The exception was a German hydrogen train, that had a very noisy mechanical transmission.
- I also would expect that the trains would be capable of keeping up a cruising speed of 100 mph or perhaps even 125 mph.
- This would enable them to handle the current timetable, which is written for 125 mph Class 222 diesel trains.
An efficient, unobtrusive, reliable and speedy service would surely attract passengers.
What’s In It For The Manufacturer?
Consider.
- There are not many 775 mile routes in the UK.
- But, there are many long rail around the world, that need decarbonising or even creating.
- Some countries, like China, India and France are creating more electrified high speed long-distance lines.
- Others countries, like Australia and the United States are planning and building high speed long-distance lines.
Perhaps, what is needed is a drop-in solution to decarbonise and/or create new high speed long-distance railways.
Could Aberdeen and Penzance be an ideal test bed to trial and demonstrate, your drop-in hydrogen solution?
I am reminded of a story, told to me, by a guy, who was selling an expensive air traffic control radar to an Arab state.
The initial presentations were done in the company’s offices in London.
The only working radar was installed at Prestwick Airport and had been working successfully for a couple of years, so the Arabs would be taken on a visit.
As they were very important clients, the salesman was told, that he was entitled to borrow the chairman’s executive jet for the trip.
The flight to Scotland was uneventful, but as they left the plane, the pilot said to the salesman. “There’s no finer view, than the Scottish Highlands at this time of year, I could fix it, that I gave them the view of a lifetime on the way home.”
After thinking about it for a few seconds, the salesman asked the pilot to fix it.
When they returned to the plane after a successful demonstration, the pilot said. “It’s on if you want it?”
The tale had a very happy ending, in that the Arabs bought an Air Traffic Control radar.
To return to the hydrogen trains; What better route is there to show off the capabilities of your high speed hydrogen-hybrid trains?
- There is the spectacular scenery of the North of Scotland, The Pennines and Cornwall.
- The Firth of Forth is crossed on the Forth Rail Bridge.
- There is running on the wires between Edinburgh and Leeds.
- There is the spectacular views of Durham and York from the train.
- There will be several hours of running on hydrogen.
- The Saltash Bridge is crossed.
What better route is there to sell trains?
Could CrossCountry Customer Service Be Improved?
I’ve never done a long journey on CrossCountry.
But surely, if the trains were designed for the route and the manufacturer was showing them off, the trains could have a top-of-the-range specification and high-quality service?
If you’re going to be stuck on a train for over a dozen hours the service must be good.
Conclusion
Get everything right and the train service would be an unquestionable asset to the UK and extremely good for the manufacturer.
South Korea Aims To Lead The Global Market With Hydrogen Train
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railly News.
These are the first two introductory paragraphs.
South Korea is taking an ambitious step with a vision of becoming a major player in the rapidly growing global hydrogen rail market. To 26,4 billion dollars The country that wants to gain a competitive advantage in this market that is expected to reach A self-developed Hydrogen Train by 2028 announced plans to introduce.
This strategic project is the national railway operator of South Korea korail will be managed by Korail, Building a two-car hydrogen train prototype by 2027 and creating the necessary legal and operational infrastructure for the dissemination of this technology. $23 million will make an investment. South Korean officials also clearly state that they aim to set international standards in the field of hydrogen-based mobility with this project.
I’ve thought for some time, that the Koreans have been serious about hydrogen-powered transport, as Hyundai keeps popping up with hydrogen transport and other ideas.
British company; Centrica owns a big share with Hyundai, Kia and others of a British start-up company from Hull, called HiiROC.
This is the HiiROC web site.
HiiROC can take any hydocarbon gas and split it into green hydrogen and carbon black.
Green hydrogen is obviously useful and the carbon black can be used for making tyres for vehicles, anodes for lithium-ion batteries and in agriculture for soil improvement.
Waste off-gas from a chemical plant can be split into green hydrogen and carbon black.
Biomethane from a sewage plant can be split into hydrogen and carbon black. Could a sewage plant on an estate be used to create biomethane for cooking and feeding to the HiiROC plant? Yes!
Could green hydrogen produced on the estate be used to drive vehicles like cars, vans and ride-on-mowers. Yes! If the manufacturer of the vehicle allows it!
How convenient would it be to have Hydrogen-at-Home?
The Korean investment in HiiROC by Hyundai and Kia clearly fits with the philosophy expressed in the second paragraph of the article of creating the hydrogen infrastructure.
I believe that at some point in the future, you will be able to buy a HiiROC device, that gives you as much hydrogen as you need to power your car, truck, bus, tram or train. The Koreans have a track record of turning ideas like this into reality.
Hydrogen-Powered Trains To Be Introduced In Northern Italy
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Fuel Cell Works.
These three paragraphs introduce the project.
Residents and visitors to Valcamonica, an Alpine region in northern Italy, will be able to ride hydrogen-powered trains from next year.
The pioneering project, the first of its kind in Italy and supported by an investment of 367 million euros ($396 million), marks a significant adoption of hydrogen fuel for a rail line, despite the high production and operational costs.
The region currently uses polluting diesel trains, which will be replaced by 14 zero-emission hydrogen-powered trains made in Italy by a unit of French group Alstom
The trains will run on the Brescia–Edolo railway, which has this Wikipedia entry.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Northern part of the railway.
Note.
- Edolo station is indicated by the blue arrow at the top of the map.
- The Brescia–Edolo railway is indicated by the yellow line.
- Stations are indicated by blue lettering.
- Iseo is the station in the South-West corner of the map.
- Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
This second OpenRailwayMap shows the Southern part of the railway to the same scale.
Note.
- The Brescia–Edolo railway is indicated by the yellow line.
- The Venice-Milan railway is indiated by the orange line across the bottom of the map.
- Stations are indicated by blue lettering.
- Iseo station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Brescia station is in the South-East corner of the map on the Venice-Milan railway.
- Click the map to show it to a larger scale.
It looks to me, that the Brescia–Edolo railway could be a day-out if you were having a holiday in Milan, Venice or Verona.
- The railway is a single track railway.
- It appears to go through the mountains.
- Currently, it is diesel powered, but I suspect running hydrogen trains on the route will turn it into a major tourist attraction.
Could other rail routes attract visitors, by going for zero-carbon traction using hydrogen?
In the UK, these are surely six of many possibilities.
- Settle and Carlisle
- Marshlink Line
- Mid-Cornwall Metro
- Norwich and Sheringham
- Sheffield and Huddersfield
- Mid-Cornwall Metro
- Uckfield Branch
Infrastructure costs would just need a hydrogen supply to be arranged.
Conclusion
You can always trust the Italians to use a stylish solution.
Grand Central To Submit Application For Direct Services Between Lincolnshire And London
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Grand Central.
These three bullet points act as sub-headings.
- Grand Central has today launched an application process for direct services between Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, Scunthorpe and London – plans to bring significant benefits to underserved areas.
- The application will be welcomed by communities, businesses, and organisations, who have been actively campaigning for the introduction of direct rail links to London.
- If approved, the new services could unlock £30.1 million annually for the region.
These three paragraphs add more details.
Grand Central has today notified Network Rail of its plans to operate new direct services between Lincolnshire and London that, if approved by the rail regulator (the ORR), will bring significant benefits to underserved areas across Lincolnshire and the wider region.
Under the proposals, direct services to London will be provided from Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Habrough, and Scunthorpe, with Grand Central planning to operate the services from as early as December 2026.
The plan makes best use of capacity on the rail network by running trains from the proposed new stops before connecting into existing Grand Central services at Doncaster.
The service seems very similar to the proposed King’s Cross and Cleethorpes service described in the this section of the Grand Central Wikipedia entry, where this is said.
In December 2017, Grand Central announced plans to bid for a service from London King’s Cross to Cleethorpes in early 2018 for a date in 2020. It would involve the existing Bradford Interchange service extended to ten coaches from London to Doncaster then dividing with five coaches going to Cleethorpes via Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby. The other five coaches would be the existing service to Bradford Interchange. This proposal would require permission for a split of trains as it has not been used on the East Coast Main Line before. In February 2018, Grand Central announced plans for an additional call at Crow The company planned to operate four trains per day from 2020. However, in July 2018, the Office of Rail and Road announced new access charges which would affect the business case for the new service, leading to Grand Central announcing that it would delay bidding until 2019.
Note.
- It appears that the service is not calling at Crow.
- By splitting and joining at Doncaster, Grand Central will be getting more coaches and passengers, up and down a single path between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations.
- Grand Central run four trains per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange, so as four tpd will be running between King’s Cross and Doncaster stations, it appears Grand Central will be running a full service.
It appears that open access applications come to those who wait eight years.
I have some further thoughts.
What Class Of Trains Do Grand Central Currently Use?
According to Real Time Trains on Friday the 21st of March 2025, two Class 180 trains and two Class 221 trains each ran a service between King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange stations.
Both type of train appear to be able to run as a pair of trains.
As Bradford is the UK City of Culture in 2025, that could prove useful.
What Trains Will Grand Central Use For The New Service?
It would appear that either type of train type could run the service,
So it would probably come down to factors like reliability, comfort and what is available.
I Was Mildly Surprised When I Saw This Application Had Gone In
But, circumstances change.
- Grand Central now run two Class 221 trains, in addition to the Class 180 trains.
- There are more Class 221 trains in store, if needed.
- The UK has had several changes of government since the original application in 2017 and track-access charges may have been reduced.
- Cleethorpes station has been refurbished.
Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023 shows the station in 2023.
But a new problem has arisen. The new Transport Secretary doesn’t seem keen on open access services, from some of the things she’s said.
Perhaps, she has had a change of heart or as she looks to be a good doer, someone has bought her a decent meal of fish and chips in Cleethorpes? My meal in the town is described in Lunch On The Pier In Cleethorpes.
But would Grand Central put in an application, if they knew they were wasting their money?
Or could this be an application funded by all the open access operators to get a definitive view on the government’s policy?
Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Trains?
Consider.
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 miles apart.
- Surprisingly Doncaster and Bradford Interchange are 52.1 miles apart.
- King’s Cross and Doncaster are 155.9 miles apart and fully-electrified.
- A battery that had enough capacity to do the return trips from Doncaster to either Cleethorpes or Bradford Interchange, would be easily recharged on the way to and from London.
With careful calculation of the battery size and good capacity management, I also suspect a battery-electric train could be able to take the GNGE Diversion via Lincoln.
Could The Cleethorpes Service Be Run By Hydrogen-Electric Trains?
Consider the daily services will be made up of these runs.
- Eight runs between London and Bradford Interchange each consisting of 155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.
- Eight runs between London and Cleethorpes each consisting of 155.9 miles on wires and 52.1 miles on hydrogen.
Which means there are 833.6 miles per day run on hydrogen.
If there are four trains running the service as now, that is 208.4 miles per train per day on hydrogen.
A hydrogen-powered train with this daily range is very much a possibility.
The German Dimension To Grand Central Trains
Consider.
- Grand Central are owned by Arriva.
- Arriva are owned by Deutche Bahn.
- Siemens have a train factory at Goole close to Doncaster.
- Siemens have built quite a few electric multiple units for various UK railways.
- Siemens have designs for battery-electric and hydrogen-electric multiple units, that would be suitable for Grand Central Trains.
- Jürgen Maier was senior in Siemens UK, when the train factory at Goole was built and is now chair of Great British Energy.
I believe that Siemens at Goole could build trains, that would do nicely for Grand Central Trains.
- It would surely be handy for Grand Central Trains to have their fleet stabled in easy reach of the factory.
- In addition, hydrogen will soon be readily-available in the Doncaster area.
Grand Central trains could do a lot worse than buy trains built or assembled at Siemen’s factory at Goole.
The Incredible £7m Hydrogen Train To Be introduced In ‘Fastest Growing’ Country
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in the Express.
This is the sub-heading.
Each hydrogen train is priced at £7 million and can run up to 621 miles (1,000km) on a single tank, reaching speeds of 87mph (140 km/h).
These two paragraphs add more details.
India is the fastest-growing economy among G20 nations and is set to launch its first hydrogen-powered train this December.
The groundbreaking train will debut on the Jind-Sonipat route in Haryana and will mark a massive step toward eco-friendly rail travel.
If you look at the article, there is an impressive looking picture, but it may be a visualisation.
This page on etnow.in has an interesting paragraph.
- In this context, the launch of Hydrogen trains deserves special mention. The national transporter has envisaged running 35 Hydrogen trains under “Hydrogen for Heritage” on various heritage and hill routes.
Does that mean that Indian Railways are using hydrogen-powered trains to avoid spoiling the scenery with overhead wires?
Hydrogen-powered trains in India could be a story to watch.
Stadler Presents A World First In Berlin
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Stadler.
These are the first two paragraphs.
With the RS ZERO, the rail vehicle manufacturer is presenting the successor to the successful Regio-Shuttle RS1 model. There is a choice of two modern and environmentally friendly drive technologies: Hydrogen and battery. Both will enable CO2 emission-free operation of secondary lines in the future.
Stadler today unveiled the prototype of the new RS ZERO, the innovative successor to the successful RS1 Regio-Shuttle. The Regio-Shuttle has been one of the most popular vehicles in German regional rail transport for 28 years, with around 500 RS1 vehicles currently in operation in Germany and the Czech Republic. Stadler is building on this proven technology and integrating state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly drive systems. The RS ZERO is optionally available with a hydrogen and/or battery drive and thus not only sets new standards for environmentally friendly rail transport, but also presents a world first.
These pictures from Chemnitz Trams And The Chemnitz Model, show the Regio-Shuttle RS1.
Note.
- The Regio-Shuttles can run as up to seven car trains.
- These Regio-Shuttles are electro-diesel.
- The distinctive diagonal windows.
- They can carry 170 passengers at 75 mph.
- They can run as train-trams using the Chemnitz model on compatible tram networks.
The Regio-Shuttle Wikipedia entry gives more details.
This image from the press release shows the prototype RS ZERO.
It looks very similar to my pictures from Chemnitz.
I have a few thoughts.
Comparison To A Class 150 Train
A Class 150 train can carry up to 149 seated passengers at 75 mph, which is similar to the RS ZERO.
As Stadler have built trains for Greater Anglia, Merseyrail and the Glasgow Subway, I believe that Stadler could build an RS ZERO, that would fit the UK loading gauge.
In What Train Is This?, I show the standard of interior, that can be achieved by refurbishing a Class 150 train, but unlike the RS ZERO, the train won’t be zero-carbon.
Does The RS ZERO Have A Toilet?
This is a paragraph from the press release.
The prototype of the RS ZERO presented today in Berlin is a one-car vehicle with hydrogen drive. Stadler is demonstrating the numerous design options with a multi-purpose area equipped for carrying bicycles, pushchairs and bulky luggage, lounge and comfort zones, standard and privacy seats, a wheelchair space, WC and a train office.
The train appears to be able to have what an operator might need.
What Will Be The Range Of An RS ZERO On Hydrogen?
I suspect, Stadler will provide a train, that will handle the route.
Conclusion
This could be a very handy train to decarbonise branch and secondary lines in the UK.
Audacious’ Contract To Revive Nancy – Contrexéville Route
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These first two paragraphs give more details of the project.
The 89 km route from Nancy to Contrexéville, much of which has been closed to passenger and freight traffic since 2016, is to reopen in December 2027. This follows the award by the Grand Est regional council on May 24 of a contract to a private-sector consortium formed of Transdev SA, NGE Concessions and Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.
The ‘audacious’ 22-year concession deal is worth €721m and covers both rehabilitation of the line at a cost of €150m plus management of the infrastructure and operations. Following detailed studies, work on the ground is expected to start in April 2025.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route.
Note.
- Nancy is at the top of the map in the middle.
- Contrexéville is in the South-West corner of the map.
- Vuttel is shown by the blue arrow.
- The distance between Nancy and Contrexéville is 89 kilometres.
- It appears to be a double-track railway.
As the picture in the Railway Gazette article shows, the route needs to be refurbished.
These are my thoughts.
The Route Will Be Operated By An Augmented Form Of Open Access
- An augmented form of open access will seem to be used to run services.
- The infrastructure will be donated to the regional government.
- Upwards of a dozen round trips per day will be run.
Nothing is said about the traction to be used!
Modernised, it could be an interesting route for tourism.
Will It Provide A New Route Between Metz and Dijon?
Consider.
Metz with TGV connections, is not far to the North of Nancy.
Dijon with TGV connections, is not far to the South of Contrexéville.
These connections could be invaluable for tourism and development of the area.
This map shows the South-Western section of the route between Contrexéville and Vittel.
Note.
- Vittel is marked by the blue arrow in the North-East corner of the map.
- Contrexéville is in the South-West corner of the map.
- In the middle of the map are sidings, which are marked Nestlé Waters.
- There appear to be sidings at Contrexéville and Vittel
In From 2025, Nestlé Waters France Will Use The First Hydrogen-Powered Freight Train Through An Innovative Solution Developed by Alstom and ENGIE, I talk about how Nestlé will move water from the Vosges, using hydrogen-hybrid locomotives pulling freight trains.
This is a visualisation of the train.
This is said in the original Alstom press release.
From 2025, this freight train powered by electricity from the rail network and from hydrogen in non-electrified sectors will aim to progressively ensure the transport of VITTEL® natural mineral water between the factory located in the Vosges and its various distribution centers in France (i.e Vittel/Arles 600 kms and Vittel/Montreuil-Bellay 760 kms). The dual-mode solution will be composed by a generator wagon incorporating a high-power fuel cell system powered by renewable hydrogen and a line-electric locomotive, all connected by an electrical power cable. The generating wagon will be able to supply the locomotive with electricity in the without the need for any catenary.
It does appear, that within a year or to, freight trains from between Contrexéville and Vittel will be hauled by hydrogen-hybrid locomotives.
- Trains to and from Montreuil-Bellay could go via Nancy or Contrexéville.
- Trains to and from Arles could go via Contrexéville.
I suspect at present all trains have to go via Contrexéville.
If the Nancy and Contrexéville route were to be rebuilt and could take the water trains, this would open up routes to the Channel Ports and Belgium, Luxembourg, Northern France, Northern Germany and The Netherlands.
- Hydrogen trains would certainly advertise the zero-carbon nature of the transport.
- It has to be remembered that a couple of years ago, Highland Spring opened a rail distribution facility in Scotland, with the aim of moving 40 % of their water by rail.
I wonder if Nestlé are building a zero-carbon rail network for the delivery of their bottled waters.
What Traction Would Be Used For Passenger Trains?
Consider.
- The distance between Nancy and Contrexéville is 89 km or 55 miles.
- This distance, is within the range for battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trains.
- There is reason to believe that Nestlé’s water trains will be hydrogen-powered.
I suspect either battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trains could be used.
The Anonymous Widower 