The Hour Change Has Completely Knocked Me Out
Last Saturday, the 29th of October, the clocks went back and I’ve not had a totally good week.
On Tuesday, I couldn’t get dressed, as my gammy left arm and hand didn’t work.
- I also felt a bit unsteady, as if I’d had a couple of whiskies. But then, I never drink anything more alcoholic, than 0.0% real ale.
- As there was no-one else, I dialled 999.
- An ambulance came and took me to the Royal London Hospital, where nothing was found.
- But as my body responded to the hospital’s superb air-conditioning, I was allowed to go home.
- T think the hospital thought I took a taxi, but in reality I took the Overground to Dalston Junction station.
They had suggested, that I should take my planned trip to Doncaster. Which I did!
- I took a Hitachi Class 800 train to the North.
- And I took an InterCity225 train home.
Both have air-conditioning that only affects me positively, unlike Class 390 trains, which have put me in hospital before.
On Thursday, I wrote up my trip, or at least the ticketing in An Affordable Trip To Doncaster.
On Friday, I fell asleep on the floor and missed a friend bringing round my washing.
On Saturday, I woke late, went out for lunch and then watched the television.
In the evening, I was tired so went to bed at nine, which is unusual for me.
I got up at nine and did my trip on the Elizabeth Line, which I wrote about in Taking A Train Between Abbey Wood And Ilford Stations On The Lizzie Line.
As a Control Engineer, I tend to believe that the loss of the hour a week ago, has been the cause of my erratic sleeping.
- I should also note, that as a child, I dreaded the clock changes.
- I was also a strong supporter of the Daylight Saving Bill and wrote a post called An Open Letter to my MP About Changing to Central European Time.
I’ve also got a strange skin that I wrote about in My Strange Skin.
‘Ryanair Of Rail’ Lights Up The East Coast On Fast Track To Profit
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
This is the first paragraph.
A cut-price rail service between London and Edinburgh, dubbed the Ryanair of rail, is on track to turn a profit after a year in service and has helped to reverse the airlines’ previous dominance of the travel market between the capitals.
Other points from the article.
- Lumo will carry its millionth passenger in November.
- The average one-way fare has been less than £40.
- Rail is now claiming 63 % of the London and Scotland travel market.
Will this success lead to more trains attracting more rail travellers between England and Scotland?
Can Lumo Carry More Passengers?
Lumo use five-car Hitachi Class 803 trains for their services.
- Their fleet consists of five cars.
- Each five-car train can carry 402 passengers.
- Lumo run five trains per day (tpd) in both directions.
There are various ways that the number of passengers could be increased.
Could Lumo Run More Services?
This may seem to be a solution, but only a fixed number of trains can be run in every hour, between England and Scotland.
- Other train operators may also want to run more services.
- It would also mean Lumo would need to buy more trains.
On the other hand it may be possible to squeeze in perhaps one extra service.
Could Lumo Run Longer Trains?
Lumo’s Class 803 trains are unusual among the Hitachi AT 300 trains, that handle long distance services all over the UK, in that they have no diesel engines and rely on battery power for emergencies.
As the trains’ computer work out which cars are present, I wouldn’t be surprised that these trains can be lengthened or even run as a pair, as GWR’s and LNER’s five-car Hitachi trains often do.
Platforms at King’s Cross, Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh are probably already longer than is needed for a five-car train.
I could even see Lumo adding coaches as required to satisfy the need of the day. On a day like the Calcutta Cup, they might even run ten or twelve car trains, which is the longest formation possible with the Hitachi trains. But they’d have to have enough coaches!
Lumo use a very simple catering option, which I suspect can be modified to serve a longer train.
I am fairly certain, that LUMO’s fleet has been designed for gradual lengthening to expand capacity.
Would The Lumo Model Work On The West Coast Main Line?
As the Lumo model seems to work to Edinburgh, would it work to Glasgow?
I don’t see why not! And it might improve the service from Avanti West Coast?
Grand Union have lodged an application to run four tpd between London and Stirling via at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert with InterCity 225s.
This proposal seems to be stalled at the moment, but I do feel it is a good idea.
I would certainly use it, as the air-conditioning on the Class 390 trains, used by Avanti West Coast, makes me ill!
Will It Be Third-Time Lucky For Grand Union Trains In Wales?
It is three years since I wrote Grand Union Seeks ’91s’ To Cardiff and their proposal has not been accepted and the third iteration has been announced.
This article on Wales Online is entitled Independent Rail Firm Bids To Launch As Rival To Great Western On The Mainline From South Wales To London.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
An independent rail firm is hoping to launch a rival train service in Wales which they say will slash journey times between Carmarthen and London. Grand Union Trains is making a fresh bid to introduce an initial service in both directions between Cardiff and London on the existing Great Western line.
The company believes the move will “create passenger choice” and increase the number of trains available, with the hope that the service can be extended west in South Wales towards Carmarthen.
Other points in the article include.
- Swansea will be by-passed, which will speed up services to and from Llanelli and Carmarthen.
- A new Park-and-Ride station will be built by Grand Union at Felindre, which is to the North of Swansea.
- Services will stop at Llanelli, Cardiff Central, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction and Bristol Parkway.
- When Cardiff Parkway opens, this will be an extra stop.
An article in the June 2022 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Grand Union Bids For London To Carmarthen, gives extra details.
- Three classes.
- 2023 start for the service.
- Five return trains per day.
- Cycle provision.
- Vanload freight will be carried.
- Electric trains could start between London and Cardiff by 2023.
- In 2025, trains could be nine-car bi-modes.
- South Wales-based operation and maintenance.
- 125 full-time jobs created.
It certainly seems to be a comprehensive and well-thought out plan.
These are my thoughts and observations.
Felindre Station
Felindre station is named in Wikipedia as the West Wales Parkway station, where it is introduced like this.
West Wales Parkway is a proposed railway station north of Swansea, near to the boundaries of the neighbouring principal area of Carmarthenshire, and the villages of Felindre and Llangyfelach. The station is proposed to be situated at the former Felindre steelworks, near Junction 46 of the M4 and A48, and near Felindre Business Park and Penllergaer Business Park. The project is in the planning stages, as part of a wider Department for Transport proposal to re-open the Swansea District line to passenger traffic.
This Google Map shows where, it appears the Felindre station will be built.
Note.
- The Felindre Business Park in the North-West corner of the map, with a Park-and-Ride.
- The M4 running across the bottom of the map.
- The Swansea District Line runs East-West between the motorway and the Business Park.
It looks that the new station could be located on the South side of the Business Park.
According to Wikipedia, the station would cost £20 million to build.
- It would need a comprehensive rethinking of transport improvements in the Swansea area.
- But it could result in time savings on services between Carmarthen and Cardiff.
The Modern Railways article says this.
GU proposes to build the Felindre station near Swansea and invest in Severn Tunnel Junction station, where it says it will increase parking, provide direct access from the M4 motorway and improve passenger and staff facilities, backing up plans being evaluated by the Welsh Government for the station.
Grand Union is not a charity and does this indicate that a bank or infrastructure company is prepared to fund parking and the extra passengers pay the charges.
Rolling Stock
Wikipedia says that the rolling stock could be nine-car InterCity 225s hauled by Class 91 or Class 93 locomotives.
As the Class 93 locomotives are bi-modes, these would handle the Carmarthen and Cardiff leg.
The Modern Railways article says this.
Trains could start between Cardiff and London Paddington as early as May 2023 if electric only, with services extended west around two years later with new bi-mode trains in up to nine-car formations.
Would a new Class 93 locomotive count as a new bi-mode train?
I suspect the new locomotive would be more affordable, than a new bi-mode train.
Vanload Freight
This is an interesting idea and it follows similar thinking to Royal Mail’s latest ideas, that I wrote about in Royal Mail Rolling Back The Years To Put More Post On Trains.
One coach could be a nice little earner, if it were modified to carry roller cages, that were loaded and unloaded at the end of the route.
One advantage of the InterCity 225s is that they are 125 mph trains, so that this will be high speed freight.
Timings
Consider.
- A GWR Carmarthen and London service takes three hours and 47 minutes.
- This includes a nine-minute reverse at Swansea.
- GWR makes seven more stops than Grand Union will.
- GWR does seven diesel stops, whereas Grand Union will only do two.
I would estimate that Grand Union will be under three hours and thirty minutes.
Carmarthen Station
This Google Map shows Carmarthen station.
Note.
- The station has two platforms.
- There are certainly pictures of the station with an InterCity 125 in the station.
These pictures show the station.
I suspect that the station will be upgraded to accommodate Grand Union.
Rrenewable Energy Developments In South West Wales
In Enter The Dragon, I talked about renewable energy developments in South West Wales.
I used information from this article on the Engineer, which is entitled Unlocking The Renewables Potential Of The Celtic Sea.
The article on the Engineer finishes with this conclusion.
For now, Wales may be lagging slightly behind its Celtic cousin to the north, but if the true potential of the Celtic Sea can be unleashed – FLOW, tidal stream, lagoon and wave – it looks set to play an even more prominent role in the net zero pursuit.
The Red Dragon is entering the battle to replace Vlad the Mad’s tainted energy.
South West Wales could see a massive renewable energy boom.
The Railways To The West Of Carmarthen
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines to the West of Carmarthen.
There are three main branches to Fishguard, Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.
I can see the railways becoming increasingly important in supporting the growing renewable energy in the area.
- There would be more frequent services.
- Services would tie in with London and Cardiff trains at Carmarthen.
- Closed stations could be reopened and new ones built.
It may also be possible to bring in large components needed by the renewable energy industry.
Conclusion
I feel that Grand Union have seen the opportunities presented to a frequent Carmarthen and London service and have grabbed them with both hands.
The Flying Scotswoman
I didn’t know there was a Flying Scotswoman, until I saw this InterCity 225 train, at King’s Cross station, this morning.
She was actually leaving for Leeds.
The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands And The East Coast Main Line
Note that this is not a finished post.
To read the The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands (IRP), click this link.
There is a section in the IRP called Serving Leeds, York and North East England.
It is a section of six paragraphs and I shall describe their contents in detail separately.
Paragraph 3.41
This is said in the IRP.
Under the original plans, HS2 trains would have served Leeds, York and North East England via the West Midlands, with the Eastern Leg branching off from the Phase One line just north of Birmingham Interchange.
This is a significantly longer route than the current East Coast Main Line from King’s Cross, which goes directly up the eastern side of the country.
Due to capacity constraints north of Doncaster HS2 trains to Newcastle and York could also only be accommodated at the expense of existing services, potentially reducing or removing connections between the North East and Doncaster, Newark and Peterborough.
Unlike the West Coast Main Line, there is also potential to lengthen existing trains by up to three carriages, increasing the number of seats on those trains by around 40%.
Geography wins and I’ll discuss the train lengthening later.
Paragraph 3.42
This is said in the IRP.
The IRP has concluded in favour of a significant package of upgrades to the East Coast Main Line which could deliver similar journey times to London and capacity improvements for York and the North East as the original proposals – but many years sooner, and with operational carbon savings because trains will be taking a shorter route.
Speed is important in both project delivery and running of the trains.
Paragraph 3.43
This is said in the IRP.
We are therefore taking forward a substantial package of investment for the East Coast Main Line between London and Leeds and the North East, subject to future business case. Development work will consider interventions from both NPR designs undertaken by Network Rail, mainly focussed on York and northwards, and work undertaken by Mott MacDonald for the Department for Transport focused on the line south of York. North of York we will look to increase the number of paths for long distance high speed trains from 6 to 7 or 8 per hour. In addition to the already planned roll-out of digital signalling, work is expected to include looking at opportunities to improve rolling stock performance; power supply upgrades to allow longer and faster trains; route upgrades to allow higher speeds, including of up to 140mph on some sections; measures to tackle bottlenecks, for example south of Peterborough and at stations and junctions such as Newark, Doncaster, York, Northallerton, Darlington and Newcastle all of which limit speed and capacity; and to replace level crossings where needed.
We will ask Network Rail to now take forward these proposals, including considering any alternatives which may deliver better outputs and/or more cost-effective solutions.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.44
This is said in the IRP.
This package is intended to:
-
- Cut journey times from London to a range of destinations, including Leeds, Darlington, Northallerton, Durham, and Newcastle by up to 28 minutes, bringing journey times closer to those proposed by HS2, much earlier than previously planned;
- Allow the introduction of longer trains, increasing the number of seats;
- Provide 7–8 long distance high speed paths per hour north of York to Newcastle, compared to the current 6 paths (and so allowing a minimum of two fast Manchester to Newcastle services each hour alongside other ambitions);
- Improve performance and reliability, enabling faster and more reliable services for passengers.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.45
This is said in the IRP.
Journey times from London to Newcastle under this plan could be as little as 2 hrs 25-28 minutes (subject to stopping pattern), about 21-24 minutes faster than now and 8 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
Journey times to York and Darlington under this plan would be about 15 minutes faster than now and 12-14 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
Journey times from London to Leeds, at around 1 hour 53, would be about 20 minutes faster than now, but 32 minutes slower than under the full HS2 plans.
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
Paragraph 3.46
This is said in the IRP.
Journey times from Birmingham to Leeds would be around 30 minutes faster than the current typical time, and, subject
to further analysis, York and the North East could be would be around 30 minutes faster than the current typical time,
via HS2 Western Leg, Manchester and NPR (based on indicative train service).
I’ll discuss a lot of this later in more detail.
My Thoughts
These are my thoughts.
Longer Trains
This is said in Paragraph 3.41
Unlike the West Coast Main Line, there is also potential to lengthen existing trains by up to three carriages, increasing the number of seats on those trains by around 40%.
The Hitachi Class 800, Class 801, Class 802 and Class 803 trains, that run the routes out of King’s Cross come in lengths of five, nine and ten coaches.
- The maximum length of an individual train is twelve cars according to this Hitachi document.
- All destinations with the possible exception of Harrogate, Lincoln and Middlesbrough can handle the current nine-car trains.
- Lengthening a five-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 60 %. You’d just run a current nine-car train.
- Lengthening a nine-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 33.3 %. Poor maths but possible.
- Lengthening a ten-car train by three cars would increase capacity by 30 %. Two trains would have to be lengthened, as ten-car trains are a pair of five-car trains.
It looks to me that the IRP is talking about running twelve-car trains.
- The Hitachi trains are all plug-and-play.
- The main stations on the route are Doncaster, Edinburgh, King’s Cross, Leeds, Newcastle and York.
- Some platforms would need to be lengthened, but some like Edinburgh, Leeds and York are probably already long enough.
But what about the important London terminus at King’s Cross?
These pictures show the Northern ends of the platforms at King’s Cross station.
The two trains are both nine-car Hitachi Class 800 or Class 801 trains and I was standing in line with their noses.
I wonder what is the maximum length of trains that can be handled in these platforms.
- They can certainly handle ten-car trains, as LNER run these to Leeds.
- Looking at maps, I suspect that eleven-car trains could be the largest that can be handled.
I suspect it will be tight, but I suspect with a simple platform extension, twelve car trains could be accommodated in King’s Cross station.
Journey Times
These times come from High Speed Two’s Journey Planner and the IRP.
- London and Edinburgh – Three hours and forty-eight minutes – Four hours and nineteen minutes – Three hours and fifty-eight minutes – My estimate based on IRP figures
- London and Newcastle – Two hours and seventeen minutes – Two hours and forty-nine minutes – Two hours and 25-28 minutes
- London and Durham – Two hours and sixteen minutes – Two hours and fifty-five minutes – Two hours and forty minutes
- London and Darlington – One hour and fifty minutes – Two hours and twenty-two minutes – Two hours and seven minutes
- London and York – One hour and twenty-four minutes – Two hours and ten minutes – One hour and fifty-five minutes – My estimate based on IRP figures
- London and Leeds – One hour and twenty-one minutes – Two hours and thirteen minutes – One hour and fifty-three minutes
Note.
- The first time is that from High Speed Two, which assumes the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two has been built.
- The second time is the current best time via the East Coast Main Line.
- The third time is the IRP’s estimate via an upgraded East Coast Main Line.
- Where the estimates are mine it is noted.
London and York and London and Leeds are under two hours, London and Newcastle is under three hours and London and Edinburgh is under four hours.
Are these times fast enough for modal shift from the Air and Roads to Rail?
Project Delivery
Rail projects in the UK have a variable record in the delivering of projects on time and on budget.
I haven’t done the full analysis, but I do believe that smaller projects have a better record of delivery, based on media reports.
In Railway Restored: Regular Trains To Run On Dartmoor Line For First Time In 50 Years, Network Rail have delivered an important smaller project, for which I said.
Network Rail have set themselves a good precedent to open the line in nine months and £10 million under budget.
As the improvement of the East Coast Main Line is more of a succession of smaller projects, rather than one large project does this mean it is more likely to be delivered on time and on budget?
Extra Paths
This is said in Paragraph 3.43
North of York we will look to increase the number of paths for long distance high speed trains from 6 to 7 or 8 per hour.
One of the min reasons for building High Speed Two, but here we have extra capacity being created on the East Coast Main Line.
One extra path would be very good, but two would be excellent.
Power Supply Upgrades
In the last eighteen months, I’ve written two articles about updating of the power supply on the East Coast Main Line.
- East Coast Main Line Northern Power Supply Works Funded
- East Coast Main Line Electrification Research Agreement
The second article talks about the involvement of the University of Leeds to get the power supply to a high standard.
It does appear that Network Rail are doing all they can to enable the East Coast Main Line to handle the eight electric trains per hour
140 mph Running
There are several elements to the successful achievement of 140 mph running on a railway.
- The trains must be capable of running safely at 140 mph.
- The track must be able to support trains at that speed.
- The signalling must be in-cab and fully tested.
- The electrification must be designed for running at the required speed.
- The drivers must be fully trained.
Note.
- There are certainly 140 mph trains in service and there are tracks in the UK, where they can be tested at that speed.
- I wouldn’t be surprised as we have been running 140 mph InterCity 225 trains on the East Coast Main Line for thirty years, that a lot of the track is already profiled for 140 mph running.
- The digital signalling is being installed.
- The electrification on the East Coast Main Line has been dodgy for years, but is now being upgraded.
- Drivers are probably the least to worry about, as they probably know the route well and are honing their skills in simulators.
I can see 140 mph running being delivered in stages and on time.
Darlington Improvements
In First Phase Of ‘Transformational’ Darlington Rail Station Upgrade Approved, I said this about the improvements at Darlington station.
This upgrade is on the Eastern side of the current station and will include a new entrance, station building, concourse and three new platforms.
This design should allow the following.
-
- LNER, High Speed Two and other expresses not stopping at the Darlington station to pass through at speeds of up to 125 mph or more.
- Expresses stopping in the station will slow and accelerate in less time than they do now.
- It will probably allow more local trains to Bishops Auckland, Middlesbrough and Saltburn
A seventy-five percent increase in platforms probably offers other advantages.
This could knock several minutes off journey times.
York Improvements
I describe this problem and my solution in Improving The North Throat Of York Station Including Skelton Bridge Junction.
My solution won’t happen, as I advocate replacing the historic Skelton Bridge with a modern four-track bridge.
Effects On Lincoln Service
It will be interesting to see how the improvements to the East Coast Main Line effect LNER’s service between King’s Cross and Lincoln.
Any time improvements South of Newatk will surely be reflected in the time between King’s Cross and Lincoln.
Conclusion
The plan seems feasible to me.
Track Monitoring System To Be Tested On Chiltern Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the first paragraph.
Network Rail is to undertake in-service trials with DB Systemtechnik’s CTM2·0 continuous track monitoring system on a Chiltern Railways MkIII driving van trailer operating in passenger service between London Marylebone and Birmingham.
This seems to me to be a good idea.
- The German system appears to be comprehensive and has been in service for seven years.
- There is a lot of space in the back of a driving van trailer.
- It probably can do much of the work of the New Measurement Train, but more often.
It could surely be applied to other routes.
The picture shows the driving van trailers on the London-ends of a pair of InterCity 225s at King’s Cross.
Some Open Access Operators are also looking at the possibility of running short InterCity 225 sets.
It would also be possible to create extra Measurement Trains, by coupling an instrumented driving van trailer to an appropriate locomotive and a couple of coaches.
As a Control Engineer, who has analysed a lot of data in his working life, it could improve rail safety by testing rail lines more often.
Open Access Operators And The Lumo Model
In the UK, there are only three established Open Access operators, who run UK train services.
- Grand Central
- Heathrow Express
- Hull Trains
From the 25th of October, they will be joined by Lumo.
We probably don’t think of Heathrow Express as an Open Access operator and as it is effectively a short distance special service with new trains between Heathrow and Paddington, it has its own business model, that may or may not survive.
But how will Lumo and their bold new business model affect Grand Central, Hull Trains and any future Open Access operators?
Grand Central Trains
Grand Central is a well-established Open Access operator.
- They run services between London King’s Cross and Bradford Interchange, Sunderland and several other convenient en-route stations.
- They are owned by Deutsche Bahn.
- They also regularly seem to apply for new routes and extra services.
But they have a big problem fast catching up on them; they have a diesel-only fleet and need to decarbonise.
I also think that all express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line will at some date need to be run by 140 mph trains capable of running with full digital signalling and a degree of Automatic Train Operation.
In Lumo: Why Won’t The New Train Service Stop At Yorkshire Stations?, I said that to continue to be successful, they probably need to embrace the Lumo model and acquire new trains.
I will repeat what I said in the related post.
This would entail.
- The ten diesel Class 180 trains would be replaced by new electric trains.
- The trains would need a 140 mph capability under digital signalling to fit in with the plans of Network Rail, LNER and Lumo to create a top-class high-speed high-capacity East Coast Main Line.
- The trains would need a battery capability as Grand Central’s routes are not fully electrified.
- They could copy Lumo’s green marketing philosophy, ticketing and catering offering.
As to the trains, I’m sure that Hitachi could offer a version of their Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, the specification of which is shown in this Hitachi infographic.
The trains would need a range of fifty miles on battery-power.
I have some other thoughts.
Financing
If you look at the finances of decarbonising Grand Central, they would need a new fleet of ten trains, which as Lumo’s fleet of five trains are reported to be costing £100 million, so that figure can be at least doubled.
There would also be costs for the two charging systems at Bradford Interchange and Sunderland. But at least there are several possible solutions for charging systems, so the price will probably not be more than a few million, if that.
Will Deutsche Bahn be prepared to stump up the extra finance?
A Service To Cleethorpes
In the Wikipedia entry for Grand Central, there is a section which is entitled London Kings Cross to Cleethorpes, which outlines a proposed service.
- It would split and join with the London King’s Cross and Bradford service at Doncaster.
- It would call at Crowle, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby.
- Doncaster and Cleethorpes is 52.1 miles and should be in range of a Battery-electric train with a charging system at Cleethorpes.
Using current times from LNER and TransPennine Express, I estimate that Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Trains could travel between London and Cleethorpes in around two hours and twenty minutes.
With digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line to the South of Doncaster, the overall time could be much closer to two hours.
This could be a very viable service with battery-electric trains capable of running at 140 mph on the East Coast Main Line and for sixty miles at 100 mph on battery power.
Maximising The Use Use Of Train Paths By The Use Of Splitting And Joining
The proposed service to Cleethorpes is a classic use of splitting and joining, which enables two separate services to run a large part of their routes together.
- On the East Coast Main Line, it means that maximum use can be made of the paths available.
- Splitting and joining is part of the specification for the Hitachi trains and they do it automatically in under two minutes.
- LNER are already talking about using the technique to serve various destinations from Leeds.
I wouldn’t rule out Grand Central’s two services working as a pair between London King’s Cross and Doncaster, where they would split and join.
Conclusion On Grand Central Trains
Decarbonisation with high-speed battery-electric trains could ensure the future of Grand Central Trains.
Hull Trains
Hull Trains is another well-established Open Access operator.
- They run services between London King’s Cross and Hull and Beverley.
- They have a fleet of five bi-mode Class 802 trains.
- The company is part of First Group.
Hull Trains don’t have the decarbonisation problem of Grand Central Trains, as I suspect Hitachi will come up with a solution to turn Class 802 trains into a battery-electric train with a range of perhaps seventy miles on battery power.
- Beverley and Temple Hirst junction is a distance of 44.3 miles and is the only section of the route without electrification.
- Charging of the batteries will be needed at the Eastern end and probably would be best handled by a short length of electrification in Hull station or between Hull and Brough stations.
The Class 802 trains are also ready for updating to run under the new digital signalling of the East Coast Main Line.
First Harrogate Trains
First Harrogate Trains was a subsidiary of Hull Trains, which hoped to run the following services.
- London King’s Cross and Harrogate via York
- London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Peterborough, Spalding and Lincoln
Both these services could be run in conjunction with the current service with an appropriate split and join.
Conclusion On Hull Trains
As both Hull Trains and Lumo share London King’s Cross and are both owned by First Group, I would expect that both train operators would share some services, methods and ideas.
There may be advantages if Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains and Lumo’s Class 803 trains could run each other’s services.
Grand Union
Grand Union is a prospective open access operator who are proposing to operate train services from England to Wales and Scotland.
They are proposing two services.
London Paddington and Cardiff Central via Reading, Bristol Parkway, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport and Cardiff Parkway, with a possible extension later to Swansea andLlanelli or Carmarthen.
London Euston and Stirling via Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert.
Note.
- London Paddington and Cardiff Central is fully electrified, but there is no electrification West of Cardiff Central.
- Cardiff Central and Swansea are 45.7 miles apart.
- London Euston and Stirling is fully electrified.
Currently, the rolling stock for both services is proposed to be a tri-mode Class 93 locomotive hauling a rake of Mark 4 coaches and a driving van trailer.
The locomotive should be capable of handling the routes to Stirling and Cardiff using the electrification alone.
When the Cardiff route is extended, Grand Union would intend to use Class 802 trains, which could be fitted with batteries to serve Swansea, where the batteries would be charged.
There is no sign as yet, that the Office of Rail and Road have approved any of their possible services, but both services might be improved with some Lumo-style thinking.
Alliance Rail Holdings
Alliance Rail Holdings, which is a sister company to Grand Central, is ultimately owned by Deutsche Bahn, seems to have several ideas for new services, but only seems to have got approval to one.
They were given approval some years ago to run a service between London Euston and Blackpool North.
- Calls would be made at Poulton-le-Fylde, Kirkham and Wesham, Preston, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes Central.
- There will be six trains per day.
- Trains would be InterCity 225 trains.
- The approval is for seven years from 2018.
But because of the pandemic it hasn’t run.
Conclusion
The Lumo model will affect all these services.
Was The Queen’s Locomotive Acting As A Thunderbird?
I took these pictures of 67006 Royal Sovereign at Kings Cross when I arrived in Platform 0 from Peterborough today at 15:45.
Note.
- Normally, 67006 is assigned to the Royal Train.
- The locomotive is in Platform 1.
- The Class 67 Locomotive was definitely coupled to the InterCity 225.
- It does appear that the next movement out of Platform 1 was a diesel-hauled empty coaching stock movement to Neville Hill Depot in Leeds at 19:40.
- It looks like the train arrived in Kings Cross at 12:55 from Skipton, nearly three hours late.
It does look as though the train was towed to London by the Queen’s Locomotive and then pushed all the way back to Leeds.
A New Elizabethan
I can remember The Elizabethan, which was a steam-hauled non-stop express between London and Edinburgh between 1953 and 1961.
- The steam-hauled train took six-hours-and-a-half.
- It used to be the longest non-stop railway service in the world.
- Today, the service could be run by the current or refurbished Azumas or perhaps a new flagship train, built for the service.
- It could be easily under four hours.
It could be an interesting concept, to increase capacity between London and Edinburgh.
The Fastest Rail Journey Between London King’s Cross And Edinburgh
This section in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive is entitled Speed Record. This is the first paragraph.
A Class 91, 91010 (now 91110), holds the British locomotive speed record at 161.7 mph (260.2 km/h), set on 17 September 1989, just south of Little Bytham on a test run down Stoke Bank with the DVT leading. Although Class 370s, Class 373s and Class 374s have run faster, all are EMUs which means that the Electra is officially the fastest locomotive in Britain. Another loco (91031, now 91131), hauling five Mk4s and a DVT on a test run, ran between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds on 26 September 1991. This is still the current record. The set covered the route in an average speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and reached the full 140 mph (225 km/h) several times during the run.
Seconds under three-and-a-half-hours was an amazing time nearly thirty years ago, from a short-formation InterCity 225, that went on to become the mainstay of the services on the route.
It makes High Speed Two’s proposed time of three hours and forty-eight minutes appear to lack ambition.
But to be fair to High Speed Two, train services have historically been faster on the the East side of Great Britain.
What Time Could Be Possible Between London King’s Cross And Edinburgh?
In What Is Possible On The East Coast Main Line?, I took a hard look at times on the route, taking into account improvements of the last thirty years and those that will happen in the next few.
This was my conclusion.
I started by asking what is possible on The East Coast Main Line?
As the time of three-and-a-half hours was achieved by a short-formation InterCity 225 train in 1991 before Covids, Hitchin, Kings Cross Remodelling, Power Upgrades, Werrington and lots of other work, I believe that some journeys between Kings Cross and Edinburgh could be around this time within perhaps five years.
To some, that might seem an extraordinary claim, but when you consider that the InterCity 225 train in 1991 did it with only a few sections of 140 mph running, I very much think it is a certainly at some point.
As to the ultimate time, earlier I showed that an average of 120 mph between King’s Cross and Edinburgh gives a time of 3:16 minutes.
Surely, an increase of fourteen minutes in thirty years is possible?
I believe that timings will decrease significantly on the East Coast Main Line with the current trains.
Extra Paths For LNER
In the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes.
This is the last paragraph.
Infrastructure upgrades are due to prompt a timetable recast in May 2022 (delayed from December 2021), from which point LNER will operate 6.5 trains per hour out of King’s Cross, compared to five today. As an interim measure LNER is retaining seven rakes of Mk. 4 coaches hauled by 12 Class 91 locomotives to supplement the Azuma fleet and support its timetable ambitions until new trains are delivered.
There would certainly appear to be a path available if LNER wanted to increase the frequency of trains between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh from the current two trains per hour (tph) to three.
What Would Be The Route?
I feel there could be three possible simple routes.
- A direct non-stop London King’s Cross and Edinburgh service.
- A London King’s Cross and Edinburgh service with a single stop at Newcastle.
- A London King’s Cross and Edinburgh service with stops at Leeds and Newcastle.
Each route would have its own advantages and drawbacks.
Route 1
My thoughts about Route 1.
- This would be the fastest route.
- It would be a serious challenge to the airlines on the London and Edinburgh route.
It would be a marketing man’s dream.
Route 2
My thoughts about Route 2.
- This would be the second fastest route.
- It would be a serious challenge to the airlines on the London and Edinburgh route.
- It would give Newcastle a third hourly service to the capital.
- It would give Newcastle a non-stop train to London every hour.
- It would probably be the fastest train between King’s Cross and Newcastle.
- It would beef up the challenge to the airlines on the London and Newcastle route.
Serving Newcastle may generate extra passengers.
Route 3
My thoughts about Route 3.
- This would be the slowest route as it is 23 miles longer.
- It would be a challenge to the airlines on the London and Edinburgh route.
- It would give Newcastle and Leeds a third hourly service to the capital.
- It would give Leeds a non-stop train to London every hour.
- It would probably be the fastest train between London and Leeds.
- It would beef up the challenge to the airlines on the London and Newcastle and London and Leeds routes.
- There could be an extra call at York
Serving Leeds and Newcastle may generate extra passengers.
Obviously, passenger numbers will determine the best route.
Conclusion
I very much feel that properly thought through, this service could be a success.
What Is Possible On The East Coast Main Line?
In the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive, there is an amazing story.
This picture shows one of these locomotives at Kings Cross.
Note.
- They have a design speed of 140 mph.
- They have a power output of 4.8 MW.
- They were built around 1990 by British Rail at Crewe.
They were designed to run services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh as fast as possible, as the motive power of the InterCity 225 trains.
This section in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive is entitled Speed Record. This is the first paragraph.
A Class 91, 91010 (now 91110), holds the British locomotive speed record at 161.7 mph (260.2 km/h), set on 17 September 1989, just south of Little Bytham on a test run down Stoke Bank with the DVT leading. Although Class 370s, Class 373s and Class 374s have run faster, all are EMUs which means that the Electra is officially the fastest locomotive in Britain. Another loco (91031, now 91131), hauling five Mk4s and a DVT on a test run, ran between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds on 26 September 1991. This is still the current record. The set covered the route in an average speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and reached the full 140 mph (225 km/h) several times during the run.
Note.
- For the British locomotive speed record, locomotive was actually pushing the train and going backwards, as the driving van trailer (DVT) was leading.
- How many speed records of any sort, where the direction isn’t part of the record, have been set going backwards?
- I feel that this record could stand for many years, as it is not very likely anybody will build another 140 mph locomotive in the foreseeable future. Unless a maverick idea for a high speed freight locomotive is proposed.
I have a few general thoughts on the record run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh in three-and-a-half hours.
- I would assume that as in normal operation of these trains, the Class 91 locomotive was leading on the run to the North.
- For various reasons, they would surely have had at least two of British Rail’s most experienced drivers in the cab.
- At that time, 125 mph InterCity 125 trains had been the workhorse of East Coast Main Line for well over ten years, so British Rail wouldn’t have been short of experienced high speed drivers.
- It was a Thursday, so they must have been running amongst normal traffic.
- On Monday, a typical run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh is timetabled to take four hours and twenty minutes.
- High Speed Two are predicting a time of three hours and forty-eight minutes between Euston and Edinburgh via High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line.
The more you look at it, a sub-three-and-and-a-half hour time, by 1980s-technology on a less-than-perfect railway was truly remarkable.
So how did they do it?
Superb Timetabling
In Norwich-In-Ninety Is A Lot More Than Passengers Think!, I talk about how Network Rail and Greater Anglia created a fast service between Liverpool Street and Norwich.
I suspect that British Rail put their best timetablers on the project, so that the test train could speed through unhindered.
Just as they did for Norwich-in-Ninety and probably will be doing to the East Coast Main Line to increase services and decrease journey times.
A Good As ERTMS Signalling
Obviously in 1991, there was no modern digital in-cab signalling and I don’t know the standard of communication between the drivers and the signallers.
On the tricky sections like Digswell Viaduct, through Hitchin and the Newark Crossing were other trains stopped well clear of any difficult area, as modern digital signalling can anticipate and take action?
I would expect the test train got a signalling service as good as any modern train, even if parts of it like driver to signaller communication may have been a bit experimental.
There may even have been a back-up driver in the cab with the latest mobile phone.
It must have been about 1991, when I did a pre-arranged airways join in my Cessna 340 on the ground at Ipswich Airport before take-off on a direct flight to Rome. Air Traffic Control had suggested it to avoid an intermediate stop at say Southend.
The technology was arriving and did it help the drivers on that memorable run North ensure a safe and fast passage of the train?
It would be interesting to know, what other equipment was being tested by this test train.
A Possible Plan
I suspect that the plan in 1991 was to use a plan not unlike one that would be used by Lewis Hamilton, or in those days Stirling Moss to win a race.
Drive a steady race not taking any chances and where the track allows speed up.
So did British Rail drive a steady 125 mph sticking to the standard timetable between Kings Cross and Edinburgh?
Then as the Wikipedia extract indicated, at several times during the journey did they increase the speed of the train to 140 mph.
And the rest as they say was an historic time of 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds. Call it three-and-a-half-hours.
This represented a start-to-stop average speed of 112.5 mph over the 393 miles of the East Coast Main Line.
Can The Current Trains Achieve Three-And-A-Half-Hours Be Possible Today?
Consider.
- The best four hours and twenty minutes timings of the Class 801 trains, represents an average speed of 90.7 mph.
- The Class 801 trains and the InterCity 225 trains have similar performance.
- There have been improvements to the route like the Hitchin Flyover.
- Full ERTMS in-cab signalling is being installed South of Doncaster.
- I believe ERTMS and ETC could solve the Newark Crossing problem! See Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?
- I am a trained Control Engineer and I believe if ERTMS and ETC can solve the Newark Crossing problem, I suspect they can solve the Digswell Viaduct problem.
- The Werrington Dive Under is being built.
- The approaches to Kings Cross are being remodelled.
I can’t quite say easy-peasy. but I’m fairly certain the Kings Cross and Edinburgh record is under serious threat.
- A massive power supply upgrade to the North of Doncaster is continuing. See this page on the Network Rail web site.
- ERTMS and ETC probably needs to be installed all the way between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
- There may be a need to minimise the number of slower passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line.
- The Northumberland Line and the Leamside Line may be needed to take some trains from the East Coast Main Line.
Recent Developments Concerning the Hitachi Trains
There have been several developments since the Hitachi Class 800 and Class 801 trains were ordered.
- Serious engineers and commentators like Roger Ford of Modern Railways have criticised the lugging of heavy diesel engines around the country.
- Network Rail have upgraded the power supply South of Doncaster and have recently started to upgrade it between Doncaster and Edinburgh. Will this extensive upgrade cut the need to use the diesel power-packs?
- Hitachi and their operators must have collected extensive in-service statistics about the detailed performance of the trains and the use of the diesel power-packs.
- Hitachi have signed an agreement with Hyperdrive Innovation of Sunderland to produce battery-packs for the trains and two new versions of the trains have been announced; a Regional Battery Train and an Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
- East Coast Trains have ordered five five-car Class 803 trains, each of which will have a small battery for emergency use and no diesel power-packs.
- Avanti West Coast have ordered ten seven-car Class 807 trains, each of which have no battery or diesel power-packs.
And these are just the ones we know about.
The Class 807 Trains And Liverpool
I find Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains the most interesting development.
- They have been partly financed by Rock Rail, who seem to organise train finance, so that the train operator, the train manufacturer all get the best value, by finding good technical solutions.
- I believe that these trains have been designed so they can run between Euston and Liverpool Lime Street stations in under two hours.
- Does the absence of battery or diesel power-packs save weight and improve performance?
- Euston and Liverpool Lime Street in two hours would be an average of only 96.8 mph.
- If the Class 807 trains could achieve the same start-stop average of 112.5 mph achieved by the InterCity 225 test run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh, that would mean a Euston and Liverpool Lime Street time of one hour and forty-three minutes.
- Does Thunderbird provision on the West Coast Main Line for the Class 390 trains mean that the Class 807 trains don’t need emergency power?
- Have diesel power-packs been rarely used in emergency by the Hitachi trains?
I believe the mathematics show that excellent sub-two hour times between Euston and Liverpool Lime Street are possible by Avanti West Coast’s new Class 807 trains.
The Class 803 Trains And Edinburgh
East Coast Trains ordered their Class 803 trains in March 2019, nine months before Avanti West Coast ordered their Class 807 trains.
In Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service, I outlined brief details of the trains and the proposed service.
- FirstGroup is targeting the two-thirds of passengers, who fly between London and Edinburgh.
- They are also targeting business passengers, as the first train arrives in Edinburgh at 10:00.
- The trains are five-cars.
- The trains are one class with onboard catering, air-conditioning, power sockets and free wi-fi.
- Stops will be five trains per day with stops at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth.
- The trains will take around four hours.
- The service will start in Autumn 2021.
I also thought it would be a successful service
As I know Edinburgh, Liverpool and London well, I believe there are similarities between the Euston-Liverpool Lime Street and Kings Cross-Edinburgh routes.
- Both routes are between two cities known all over the world.
- Both routes are fully-electrified.
- Both routes have the potential to attract passengers from other transport modes.
The two services could even be run at similar speeds.
- Euston-Liverpool Lime Street in two hours will be at 96.8 mph
- Kings Cross-Edinburgh in four hours will be at 98.3 mph.
Does this explain the similar lightweight trains?
Could Lightweight Trains Help LNER?
There is one important factor, I haven’t talked about in detail in this post. Batteries and diesel power-packs on the Hitachi trains.
I have only mentioned them in the following circumstances.
- When trains are not fitted with battery and/or diesel power-packs.
- When battery developments are being undertaken.
Let’s consider the LNER fleet.
- LNER has thirteen nine-car Class 800 trains, each of which has five diesel power-packs
- LNER has ten five-car Class 800 trains, each of which has three diesel power-packs
- LNER has thirty nine-car Class 801 trains, each of which has one diesel power-pack
- LNER has twelve five-car Class 801 trains, each of which has one diesel power-pack
There are sixty-five trains, 497 coaches and 137 diesel power-packs.
And look at their destinations.
- Aberdeen – No Electrification from Edinburgh
- Alnmouth – Fully Electrified
- Berwick-upon-Tweed – Fully Electrified
- Bradford Forster Square – Fully Electrified
- Darlington – Fully Electrified
- Doncaster – Fully Electrified
- Durham – Fully Electrified
- Edinburgh – Fully Electrified
- Glasgow – Fully Electrified
- Grantham – Fully Electrified
- Harrogate – No Electrification from Leeds – Possible Battery Destination
- Huddersfield – No Electrification from Leeds – Possible Battery Destination – Probable Electrification
- Hull – No Electrification from Temple Hirst Junction – Possible Battery Destination
- Inverness – No Electrification from Stirling
- Leeds – Fully Electrified
- Lincoln – No Electrification from Newark North Gate – Possible Battery Destination
- Middlesbrough – No Electrification from Northallerton – Possible Battery Destination
- Newcastle – Fully Electrified
- Newark North Gate – Fully Electrified
- Northallerton – Fully Electrified
- Peterborough – Fully Electrified
- Skipton – Fully Electrified
- Retford – Fully Electrified
- Stevenage – Fully Electrified
- Stirling – Fully Electrified
- Sunderland – No Electrification from Northallerton – Possible Battery Destination
- Wakefield Westgate – Fully Electrified
- York – Fully Electrified
The destinations can be summarised as followed.
- Not Electrified – 2
- Possible Battery Destination – 6
- Fully Electrified – 20
This gives a total of 28.
Could the trains be matched better to the destinations?
- Some routes like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Stirling could possibly be beneficially handled by lightweight trains without any diesel or battery power-packs.
- Only Aberdeen and Inverness can’t be reached by all-electric or battery-electric trains.
- In LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes, I proposed a hydrogen-electric flagship train, that would use hydrogen North of the existing electrification.
There certainly appear to be possibilities.
Example Journey Times To Edinburgh
This table shows the various time for particular start-stop average speeds between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
- 80 mph – 4:54
- 85 mph – 4:37
- 90 mph – 4:12
- 98.2 mph – 4:00
- 100 mph – 3:56
- 110 mph – 3:34
- 120 mph – 3:16
- 125 mph – 3:08
Note.
- Times are given in h:mm.
- A few mph increase in average speed reduces journey time by a considerable amount.
The figures certainly show the value of high speed trains and of removing bottlenecks, as average speed is so important.
Decarbonisation Of LNER
LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes was based on an article in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, with the same title. These are the first two paragraphs of the article.
LNER has launched the procurement of at least 10 new trains to supplement its Azuma fleet on East Coast main line services.
In a Prior Information Notice published on 27 October, the operator states it is seeking trains capable of operating under 25kW overhead power with ‘significant self-power capability’ for operation away from overhead wires. ‘On-board Energy Storage for traction will be specified as a mandatory requirement to reduce, and wherever practical eliminate, diesel usage where it would otherwise be necessary, although LNER anticipates some degree of diesel traction may be required to meet some self-power requirements. Suppliers tendering are asked to detail their experience of designing and manufacturing a fleet of multi-mode trains with a range of traction options including battery-electric, diesel-electric, hydrogen-electric, battery-diesel, dual fuel and tri-mode.
From this, LNER would appear to be serious about decarbonisation and from the destination list I published earlier, most services South of the Scottish Central Belt can be decarbonised by replacing diesel-power packs with battery power-packs.
That last bit, sounds like a call for innovation to provide a solution to the difficult routes to Aberdeen and Inverness. It also looks as if it has been carefully worded not to rule anybody out.
This press release from Hitachi is entitled Hitachi And Eversholt Rail To Develop GWR Intercity Battery Hybrid Train – Offering Fuel Savings Of More Than 20%.
It announces the Hitachi Intercity Tri-mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
As the Hitachi press release is dated the 15th of December 2020, which is after the publication of the magazine, it strikes me that LNER and Hitachi had been talking.
At no point have Hitachi stated what the range of the train is on battery power.
To serve the North of Scotland these gaps must be bridged.
- Aberdeen and Edinburgh Haymarket – 130 miles
- Inverness and Stirling – 146 miles
It should also be noted that distances in Scotland are such, that if these gaps could be bridged by battery technology, then probably all of the North of Scotland’s railways could be decarbonised. As Hitachi are the major supplier of Scotland’s local and regional electric trains, was the original Prior Information Notice, written to make sure Hitachi responded?
LNER run nine-car Class 800 trains on the two long routes to Aberdeen and Inverness.
- These trains have five diesel power-packs under coaches 2,3, 5, 7 and 8.
- As five-car Class 800 trains have diesel power-packs under coaches 2, 3 and 4, does this mean that Hitachi can fit diesel power-packs under all cars except for the driver cars?
- As the diesel and battery power-packs appear to be interchangeable, does this mean that Hitachi could theoretically build some very unusual trains?
- Hitachi’s trains can be up to twelve-cars in normal mode and twenty-four cars in rescue mode.
- LNER would probably prefer an all Azuma fleet, even if a few trains were a bit longer.
Imagine a ten-car train with two driver and eight intermediate cars, with all of the intermediate cars having maximum-size battery-packs.
Supposing, one or two of the battery power-packs were to be replaced with a diesel power-pack.
There are a lot of possibilities and I suspect LNER, Hitachi and Hyperdrive Innovation are working on a train capable of running to and from the North of Scotland.
Conclusion
I started by asking what is possible on The East Coast Main Line?
As the time of three-and-a-half hours was achieved by a short-formation InterCity 225 train in 1991 before Covids, Hitchin, Kings Cross Remodelling, Power Upgrades, Werrington and lots of other work, I believe that some journeys between Kings Cross and Edinburgh could be around this time within perhaps five years.
To some, that might seem an extraordinary claim, but when you consider that the InterCity 225 train in 1991 did it with only a few sections of 140 mph running, I very much think it is a certainly at some point.
As to the ultimate time, earlier I showed that an average of 120 mph between King’s Cross and Edinburgh gives a time of 3:16 minutes.
Surely, an increase of fourteen minutes in thirty years is possible?
The Anonymous Widower 