Metier’s First And Second Ipswich Office
My Scottish Borders correspondent has asked me about the first office Metier had in Ipswich.
Courtesy of Google Streetview, I was able to capture this image.
Note.
- They were in the four story building with the yellow cladding.
- I see it’s still called Pearl Assurance House.
- Shadu Hair and Beauty used to be a rather good camera shop.
For those of you, who don’t know Ipswich, if you walk straight ahead and keep right, you end up in the centre of Ipswich.
It wasn’t very large, but it was certainly in better condition, than some of the offices we had in London.
This is the second office in Fore Street.
If I remember correctly, the office was found by Wendy, who responded to my advert in the East Anglian Daily Times, saying, that we were looking for an Office Dogsbody.
Connected Energy Wins First Order for Next-Gen Energy Storage System
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Renewable Energy Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Second life battery pioneer, Connected Energy will be installing the first of its new generation of optimized energy storage systems as part of Suffolk County Council’s latest project, The Hold. The Hold, a flagship heritage facility for Suffolk which is due to open later this year on the University of Suffolk’s Ipswich Campus, will house the council’s archive collection and feature a low carbon energy system of which Connected Energy’s E-STOR energy storage system will be a key part. The E-STOR will help optimize energy use and peak loads across a system including PV, EV chargers and critical HVAC, designed to create a controlled climate for the archived materials.
That certainly sounds like a good plan in a town, that I know well.
A few of my thoughts.
Second Life Renault Kangoo Batteries
This paragraph describes the system.
The new 300kW/360kWh containerized systems, which include 24 second life Renault Kangoo batteries, have benefitted from collaborative support from Renault and ABB to increase efficiencies on both the power and capacity sides of the system.
It is surely a good use of second-hand lithium-ion batteries from an electric Renault Kangoo. These batteries appear to have a capacity of 22 kWh and as only 15 kWh per battery is needed for 360 kWh, there must be a margin for refurbishing the batteries and removing any faulty cells.
Towns And Cities Like Ipswich
Ipswich is a town of around a hundred people, a hospital, a central shopping centre a small university, several office blocks, a railway station and a football team.
There must be many large towns and cities, with similar energy needs to Ipswich in the UK.
In East Anglia and Essex, there are fourteen; Basildon, Billericay, Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, Harlow, Harwich, Kings Lynn, Lowestoft, Norwich, Peterborough, Southend and Yarmouth
Connected Energy will have a large market to fill.
The Ipswich Lockdown
Around 1960, my parents bought a second home in Felixstowe, where they eventually retired some years later. This memory could have been earlier, as we were always going to Felixstowe, often staying in the Ordnance Hotel.
In those days, there was no Southern by-pass to the town, so you had to go around the old by-pass, which now passes the current Ipswich Hospital before taking the Felixstowe Road from St. Augustine’s roundabout.
We used to go to the house in Felixstowe most weekends and I can remember one trip, where instead of going around the town, we went through it past the old County Hall and up Spring Road.
I can remember looking out of the MG Magnette (registration number 676 RME) and seeing that the streets of Ipswich were completely deserted.
The reason was that the town had been hit by an outbreak of polio and people weren’t venturing out.
Strangely, I can’t find anything on the Internet about this polio outbreak!
An Oasis In A Gluten-Free Desert
I took this picture, this morning in Mark’s and Spencer’s cafe in Ipswich.
It was the only place, I could find a gluten-free breakfast in the town.
Note that Christmas must be coming, as it’s a turkey feast sandwich.
A Hotel That Loves To Say No!
Last night I stayed in the easyHotel in Ipswich.
It was convenient for after the match. affordable and I wanted to see what the low cost chain was like.,
I took these pictures.
Note all these Noes!
- No Space
- No Two-Ply Toilet Paper
- No window.
- No Space For Two People To Hang Clothes
- No Glass For Water
- No Bottles Of Water In The Vending Machine. This made worse the fact that there is no late-night shop in the centre of Ipswich.
- No automated check-in system.
- No free wi-fi
- No free television. The need to enter a code each time you switched it on, was a total pain.
- No free room cleaning
- No space to put a large suitcase.
- No space to put a cot for a baby.
- No flat space to change a baby’s nappy! A real one, I hope!
- No bottle opener.
- No food to buy except chocolate or even a good nearby cafe.
I know it’s designed down to a price, but I’ve been in sleeper trains, caravans and boats that do it much better.
Note that I’m only one metre seventy and sixty kilos and C was a little bit smaller. We could just about have managed, as we always travelled light.
I don’t think, I’ll use it again, but if I do, I’ll use it this way.
- No case bigger than a brief-case.
- Bring a bottle!
- Bring a plastic glass.
- Make sure, I arrived as late as possible and left as early as possible.
- Expect to leave in the same clothes I arrived in.
- Ask how to get radio on the TV.
But at least, I slept reasonably well!
Rumours about the possible Ryanair hotels include.
- Pay-As-You-Go use of the bathroom.
- Corkage charges for any wine or beer taken into the room.
- Extra charges for those not checking in online.
- Extra charges to put your large cases in a secure separate room.
- Shielded room, so you get no mobile signal and have to pay to use wi-fi.
I do wonder, if there is to be a race to the cheapest, whether Governments will legislate on room size and various charges.
Could There Be A Tram-Train Between Ipswich And Felixstowe?
I should declare an interest here of my teenage self, who spent some very boring summers in, what was then, the small coastal resort and dormitory town of Felixstowe.
There was only so many places you could cycle and as my school friends were all in London, I used to avoid going to Felixstowe if possible.
I can remember going from London to Felixstowe several times on the train.
I would cycle from our London house in Cockfosters to Liverpool Street station and put my bike in the guard’s van for the trip to Ipswich.
From Ipswich, I would ride the dozen or so miles along the A45 (now the A14) to Felixstowe.
I suspect, that I could have used, the two-car diesel shuttle from Ipswich to Felixstowe, but I never did.
Perhaps, it was because it was not the most frequent of services.
The frequency was certainly a lot less than the current hourly service.
A Tram-Train To Felixstowe
This report on the East West Rail web site is entitled Eastern Section Prospectus and gives full details of their proposals for the Eastern section of the East-West Rail Link.
This is said in the report.
Introduction of a tram-train service on the Felixstowe branch, with doubling between Derby Road and Felixstowe and street running through
Ipswich.
It is also said, that there will be a frequency of four trains per hour (tph) between Ipswich and Felixstowe.
So how feasible is this proposal?
The Proposed Frequency
People travel between Ipswich and Felixstowe for several reasons.
- It is an important dormitory town for Ipswich and increasingly for London,
- The Port of Felixstowe is an important employer.
- There is a large amount of leisure traffic between the two towns.
Currently, much of the travelling between Ipswich and Felixstowe is by car on an increasingly crowded A14.
Four tph seems an eminently sensible frequency.
Why Propose A Tram-Train?
If a train, like a Class 170 train or one of the new Class 755 trains were used for the route, it would mean the following.
- Four tph in the single platform at Felixstowe.
- Four tph in a dedicated platform at Ipwich.
- Four trains would be needed for the service.
- An extra six tph using the route between Westerfield and Ipswich stations.
The stations should be able to cope, but I doubt that the extra trains could be fitted into a busy route with the following services.
- Ipswich and Norwich
- Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds, Cambridge and Peterborough
- Ipswich and Lowestoft
If you add in the up to forty freight trains per day, that will use the route, something will have to give.
The Route Od The Tram-Train
It would appear that the plan is to replace the train, with a tram-train running on the streets of Ipswich.
This could be a possible route for street running.
- Ipswich Station
- Portman Road
- Ipswich Town Centre
- Ipswich Hospital
It would then join the Ipswich-Felixstowe rail line in the area of Derby Road station or the retail parks on the East of Ipswich.
This Google Map shows Derby Road station and Ipswich Hospital.
Note.
- Ipswich Hospital is in the top-right of the map.
- Derby Road station is at the left side of the map in the middle.
- The Ipswich-Felkixstowe Line can be seen going South-Easterly across the map to the well-known St. Augustine’s roundabout.
A tram-train would have the following benefits.
- It would link the town centres of Ipswich and Felixstowe.
- It would create a step-free link across Ipswich Town Centre to the all-important hospital.
- Extra stations can be added where they are needed in Ipswich without decreasing capacity on the rail line.
- It would surely encourage more people to use the trains from Ipswich station.
I suspect too, that Class 399 tram-trains could be used as they are in Sheffield and will be on the South Wales Metro.
Between Ipswich And Derby Road Stations
This extract is from the Wikipedia entry for the Felixstowe Branch Line.
The train now enters a section of double track through Derby Road station (6.10 miles (9.82 km) from Ipswich station by train, but only 1.5 miles on the map) where trains can pass.
It is very significant, that going through the houses between the two stations is a route that is shorter by eight-and-a-half miles.
Could it be that the time that would be saved by the shorter route is balanced by the slower progress of on-street running, which means that the current twenty-six minute journey time can be maintained?
Doubling Between Derby Road And Felixstowe
I’ll repeat what is said in the report.
Introduction of a tram-train service on the Felixstowe branch, with doubling between Derby Road and Felixstowe.
Doubling of about a mile of the Felixstowe Branch to the West of Trimley is ongoing and doubling further to the West looks to be fairly easy from my helicopter.
But there is one major problem.
This Google Map shows, where the rail line goes over the Ipswich by-pass.
Note that provision has been made for a second track.
So hopefully, it won’t be much more expensive to add a second bridge and track, than to add points either side of the existing bridge.
There would be some extra bridge works between the A14 and Derby Road station, but doubling all the way from Derby Road station to Felixstowe doesn’t look to be the world’s most difficult railway engineering.
Extra Tram-Train Stops Between Ipswich And Felixstowe
There used to be an extra stop at Orwell station. It was little-used and closed in 1959.
Looking at the station, it is now a large private residence and I suspect there is no point in reopening, as there isn’t much housing in the area.
But there could be a case for a station at Futura Park, which is shown in this Google Map.
Lots of the usual out-of-town stops are there including a Waitrose and a John Lewis.
The railway runs to the South of the A1156 Felixstowe Road and there is surely the possibility of a station in this area.
There is also the possibility, that the tram-train could join and leave the Felixstowe Branch Line at this point, after and before street running to Ipswich station.
Would The Tram-Trains Go Walkabout In Felixstowe?
Felixstowe used to have two other stations; Felixstowe Pier and Felixstowe Beach. Both are now closed.
- I can remember Felxstowe Beach station, as occasionally in the 1950s, we stayed nearby at the Cavendish Hotel.
- Felixstowe Pier station was towards Landguard Fort and even served steam vessels going to Germany.
Both stations were served by trains reversing at the main station, which is impossible now as the chord has been removed.
This Google Map shows the current rail lines in Felixstowe.
The line to/from Ipswich splits into two in the top-left corner of the map.
- The branch going East goes to Felixstowe station.
- The branch going South used to serve the two other Felixstowe stations and now serves the Port of Felixstowe.
The missing chord is visible to the West of the playing fields of Felixstowe International College.
I would rate reinstatement of the chord as highly unlikely.
- The only reason, the chord would be reinstated, would be if the Port of Felixstowe wanted to have a four tph passenger service.
- The Port wouldn’t want to have all those extra movements on what is a busy and exclusive freight line.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t rule out extension into Felixstowe Town Centre.
This Google Map shows the Town Centre.
Note.
- The one-platform station is at the top of the map, behind a small Co-op supermarket and the Listed station buildings, which are now a small shopping centre.
- The High Street, which is part -pedestrianised leads down from the station to the top of the cliffs, where Bent Hill leads down to the sea-front.
- Halfway along is a triangular garden, where a local road splits off toward the Southern part of the sea-front and the Port.
- The pattern of retail shopping is changing and Marks and Spencer in the town will be closing soon.
My plan would be as follows.
- Rebuild the Co-op supermarket to allow a single-track tram line to squeeze through to the High Street.
- Trams would then continue down the High Street to the triangular garden.
- A second platform face could be added at Felixstowe station to allow trams to pass and give flexibility.
Done properly, it could improve Felixstowe’s appeal as a leisure destination.
I also think, that as the extension is only short, the current Ipswich to Felixstowe timing could be maintained.
Future Services At Ipswich Station
Listing all the services proposed at Ipswich station gives the following.
- 3 tph – London Liverpool Street and Norwich – Greater Anglia
- 1 tph – Colchester and Peterborough – Greater Anglia – Replaces current Ipswich and Peterborough service.
- 1 tph – Manningtree and Oxford via Cambridge – East West Rail – Replaces current Ipswich and Cambridge service
- 1 tph – Ipswich and Lowestoft – Greater Anglia – Some services extend to London
- 4 tph – ipswich and Felixstowe – Greater Anglia – Proposed tram-train service.
If the Felixstowe tram-train service were to terminate outside the station, as trams tend to do, there would only be a need for one bay platform at Ipswich, that would handle hourly Lowestoft services, that didn’t go to/from London.
Ipswich station would become more of a through station with the following through trains.
- Five tph going between Manningtree and Stowmarket
- Two tph between Manningtree and the proposed A14 Parkway station via Bury St. Edmunds.
This would all save the expense of rebuilding large parts of Ipswich station.
Although, there would be a certain amount of remodelling of the station forecourt to accommodate the tram-trains.
Conclusion
It is a classic application of tram-train technology and I’m sure that a good route can be devised between the two towns.
Are Greater Anglia Buying So Many Class 755 Trains, So They Can Run A Better Service During Constant Works On The Great Eastern?
Yet again, they were rebuilding the Great Eastern Main Line, so I didn’t get to football at Ipswich yesterday.
It’s not that I mind the buses, but it means two things.
- I have to leave so early, that I can’t do my weekly shop before I go.
- I also get back so late that I will miss Strictly on the television.
There is also the problem, that Ipswich is one of the worst places to find a gluten-free meal, unless you go to Pizza Express.
I often have my lunch before I travel or take it on the train from Leon or M & S.
For some time now, I’ve suspected that Greater Anglia have ordered a lot more Class 755 trains, than they need, based on a train-for-train replacement basis
It now becomes obvious why!
At weekends, they will link four-car trains together and run four trains per hour on the following routes.
- Norwich to Cambridge
- Ipswich to Cambridge
One train in four will continue to and from London after Cambridge.
On the other hand, it could be a plot by Norwich fans in Greater Anglia’s headquarters in Norwich to annoy Ipswich fans!
My Football Routine
I usually arrange my Saturday football around a schedule something like this.
- 09:00 Go to Islington Marks and Spencer, Boots and Chapel Market, as my grandmother would have done over a hundred years ago, to do my weekend shopping.
- 11:00 Listen to Fighting Talk on Radio 5.
- 12:45 Leave home and catch a bus to Liverpool Street.
- 13:30 Catch the train for Ipswich.
- 14:43 Arrive in Ipswich and walk to Portman Road
- 15:00 Watch the match.
- 17:09 Catch the train back from Ipswich.
- 18:30 Arrive back in London
- 19:00 Arrive back home.
Sometimes I vary the routine, by having lunch in Spitalfields before I get the train.
I should say that as I’m a coeliac, I find getting acceptable gluten-free food in Ipswich difficult, so I never eat anything in the town.
You might think what is wrong with my schedule.
It’s the dreaded Rail Replacement Buses, that seem to interrupt many weekends, when there is football at Ipswich.
The time taken by the buses means, I have to allow an extra ninety minutes over the normal rail journey.
I know there is a lot of work to do on the line, but why can’t it be done on days when there is no football. As a widower, who lives alone, I find it tiresome.
I’ve even talked to some Norwich supporters about this and they’re as angry as I am.
Why GA Uses Locomotive-Hauled Trains And Why The Class 755 Trains Are Coming
The first part of the title of this post is the same as that of an article in Rail Magazine, which is well worth a read.
Some interesting points.
- Norwich-Sheringham had 200,000 passengers per year in 1996; it is 600,000 now.
- Competition between Yarmouth and Norwich is the X1 bus with wi-fi and charging sockets and a fifteen minute frequency.
- Level crossing accidents are a problem.
- Locomotive-hauled stock is not a cheap option.
- When Norwich City are at home, extra capacity is needed.
I suspect that Greater Anglia would like to not have to use locomotive haulage.
Class 755 Trains
The article certainly shows why they chose the fleet of Class 755 trains with 24 x four-car and 14 x three-car units.
- A three-car or four-car train can be rostered accordingly.
- The trains are bi-mode, being able to work electrified and non-electrified routes.
- The trains are 100 mph trains and probably have a much shorter station dwell time, which must reduce some journey times.
- The trains will probably have charging sockets, 4G and wi-fi.
- There appear to be enough trains for increased frequencies on all services.
- I suspect that, as the trains will probably carry a high-proportion of leisure passengers, there will be adequate space for buggies, bicycles, large cases and wheel-chairs.
I’ll look at the routes where Class 755 trains will be used.
Some general points apply.
- Several proposed routes like Norwich to Stansted Airport are partially-electrified.
- Most timetables away from the electrified lines are written for a 75 mph Class 150 train.
- Some routes need more capacity and more frequent services.
Norwich To Yarmouth
Currently, this is a one train per hour (tph) service, which takes 33-37 minutes with four or five stops. Two trains are probably needed to run the service, although Greater Anglia do combine it with the Lowestoft services.
Note the following.
- Norwich to Yarmouth is not an easy drive in a car.
- |The X1 buses have a frequency of four tph.
- There are generous turnround times at Norwich and Yarmouth.
- The Wherry Lines are being resignalled, according to this article in Rail Engineer, which is entitled Atkins Awarded £29m Resignalling Contract In Anglia.
I would not be surprised to see the Norwich to Yarmouth service speeded up such that a Class 755 train could do a complete round trip in an hour.
- This would mean the current hourly service would need just one train.
- This would allow a four tph service to be run by just four trains.
- The trains could alternate between the two possible routes to give all stations at least a two tph service to both Norwich and Yarmouth
- Four tph would be a true Turn-Up-And-Go service.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need one train, but a much more customer-friendly four tph would need four trains.
How would a four tph service rejuvenate Yarmouth?
Norwich To Cromer And Sheringham
Currently, this is an hourly service, that takes just under an hour with seven stops. This service needs two trains.
Note the following.
- The Bittern Line is double-track from Norwich to Hoveton and Wroxham station.
- From there it is single-track, with passing opportunities at North Walsham and Cromer stations.
- A new station could be built at Rackheath for an eco-town development of 5,000 houses.
- The line has recently been resignalled.
I am fairly certain that the extra performance of the Class 755 trains, will allow a two tph service between Norwich and Sheringham.
This two tph service would need four trains.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need two trains, but a much more customer-friendly two tph would need four trains.
Norwich To Lowestoft
Currently, this is an hourly service, that takes 35-47 minutes with either one or six stops.
The current service would need two trains.
Note the following.
- The line is double-track.
- As with Norwich to Yarmouth, the current timings are such, that they can be achieved by a 75 mph Class 150 train.
- All the Wherry Lines will be resignalled.
I suspect that two tph may be possible with Class 755 trains, by means of some innovative timetabling.
It might be possible that if a train went fast one way with just one stop and slow the other with six stops, that it could do a round trip to Norwich in an hour.
A two tph service run like this could need just two trains, with the fast trip in probably something under twenty-five minutes.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need two trains, but a much more customer-friendly two tph could also need two trains.
Lowestoft To Yarmouth
There must be lots of good reasons concerning commerce, tourism, leisure and families to connect the two biggest towns in the very East of England by rail. Great Yarmouth is slightly larger with a population of 70,000 to Lowestoft’s 60,000.
Because no connection exists, I’d always thought that to provide one was difficult, as it would perhaps envisage building a large bridge across the water in the area. But I have just read a section entitled Direct Yarmouth Services in the Wikipedia entry for Lowestoft station. This is said.
In January 2015, a Network Rail study proposed the reintroduction of direct services between Lowestoft and Yarmouth by reinstating a spur at Reedham. Services could once again travel between two East Coast towns, with an estimated journey time of 33 minutes, via a reconstructed 34-chain (680 m) north-to-south arm of the former triangular junction at Reedham, which had been removed in c. 1880.The plans also involve relocating Reedham station nearer the junction, an idea which attracted criticism.
Surely if Network Rail has suggested this link in this study on their web site, it must be fairly easy to reinstate, as they don’t want to start any more fiascos.
There are several possible reasons.
- Has the Todmorden Curve shown that these links generate traffic and revenue for Network Rail? Perhaps, they’ve even got the maps out and looked for similar curves to Todmorden.
- Does this link give an extra route between Norwich and Ipswich, that makes it easier for passengers to do certain journeys without changing trains?
- There is a significant number of journeys betwen Lowestoft and Yarmouth by rail and road.
- Does it make it easier for trains to serve Lowestoft and Yarmouth?
- Perhaps reorganising the rail lines and station at Reedham realises a sizable piece of land for development.
- Do Network Rail want to create a record for reopening the oldest closed railway line? 135 years has probably not been beaten.
This map shows the area of the proposed junction.
Norwich is to the West, Yarmouth to the North East and Lowestoft is to the South.
Despite being removed in 1880, the line of the third side of the junction is still visible.
But there is opposition as this article in the Great Yarmouth Mercury details. Perhaps, the locals don’t want any more housing?
The article mentions a cost of a billion pounds, which would make it a no-no! However the Todmorden scheme cost less than ten million pounds for a similarly-sized curve.
Currently, the fastest Lowestoft to Yarmouth journey takes about eighty minutes with a change at Norwich.
But these timings are also possible.
- Reedham to Yarmouth – 16 minutes
- Reedham to Lowestoft – 26 minutes
I suspect canny locals know that some trains connect well, so do the trip in under an hour.
It would appear though that if the Reedham chord was relaid, that Yarmouth to Lowestoft could be achieved in about fifty minutes.
I suspect that even if the Reedham Chord is not relaid, Greater Anglia may have plans to incorporate this service into the pattern of trains on the Wherry Lines.
They’ve certainly even got enough trains to run a shuttle using a three-car Class 755 train between Lowestoft and Yarmouth with a reverse at Reedham station.
An hourly service would need only one train.
Norwich To Stansted Airport
Greater Anglia have said that this new hourly service will replace the current service from Norwich to Cambridge on the Breckland Line.
Consider.
- Norwich to Cambridge takes 70 minutes, which is probably timed for 75 mph trains.
- Cambridge to Stansted Airport takes 30 minutes
- Trowse bridge at Norwich, is a major bottleneck on all trains connecting Norwich to the South and it may be improved or replaced. I wrote about Trowse Bridge in Is This The Worst Bottleneck On The UK Rail Network?
- Some sections of the line are electrified.
Would a round trip be possible in three hours?
This would need three trains for an hourly service and six trains for a two tph service.
When this hourly service is combined with services from other operators, there will be two tph from Norwich to Stansted Airport.
So I suspect only one tph will be needed on this route.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need three trains.
Ipswich To Lowestoft
Currently, this is an hourly service, that takes a few minutes under an hour and a half with nine stops.
Looking at the timetable for the 11:17 from Ipswich, the various sections of the journey take.
- Ipswich to Lowestoft – 86 minutes
- Turnround at Lowestoft – 24 minutes
- Lowestoft to Ipswich – 89 minutes
- Turnround at Ipswich – 41 minutes
Which gives a round trip time of four hours.
This is from the Wikipedia entry for the East Suffolk Line and describes the infrastructure.
The line is double-track from Ipswich to Woodbridge and from Saxmundham to Halesworth with the rest of the route being single track, apart from a short passing loop at Beccles. The line is not electrified, has a loading gauge of W10 between Ipswich and Westerfield and W6 for all other sections, and a line speed of between 40-55 mph.
Also note the following.
- The current four hour round trip means that four trains are needed for the service.
- Up and down trains pass at XX:25 at Beccles station and at XX:54-57 at Saxmundham station.
- The turnround times at Ipswich and Lowestoft are long, so that the timetable works and the trains can pass at Beccles and Saxmundham.
Given some track improvements, removal of a couple of level crossings and some clever timetabling, I suspect that the Class 755 trains could probably travel between Ipswich and Lowestoft in around an hour. Greater Anglian would like that for marketing reasons.
Turning these trains in thirty minutes would give a three hour round trip and reduce the number of trains required to three.
The real benefit comes if the line could be upgraded such that the Class 755 trains could do the round trip in two hours, which would reduce the number of trains required to two.
I suspect that there is extensive work being done to find a method to get a time of under an hour between Ipswich and Lowestoft.
When they’ve cracked that problem, they’ll probably move on to increasing the services on the line to two tph.
If they can crack both problems, two tph between Ipswich and Lowestoft running in around an hour, would need just four trains.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need three trains, but a much more customer-friendly fwo tph would need four trains.
When the Lowestoft to London service is introduced, this will probably be a single morning train to London and an evening train back. This would need an additional train.
Ipswich To Felixstowe
Currently, the service is hourly and a single train does a round trip in an hour.
The track is being improved and I’m fairly sure that two tph are possible, which would need two trains.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need a single train, but a much more customer-friendly two tph would need two trains.
Ipswich to Cambridge
Currently, the service is hourly and a single train does a round trip in three hours.
Note the following.
- Three trains are needed to run the hourly service.
- The current three-car trains can get very crowded.
- Some sections of the line are electrified.
- Haughley Junction is going to be improved.
I feel that the Ipswich to Cambridge time can be reduced to under an hour by the new trains.
This would have the following effects.
- Reduce the number of trains required for an hourly service to two trains.
- It might be possible to run a two tph service with four trains.
I suspect that two tph all the way from Cambridge to Ipswich may not be needed, as Greater Anglia’s proposed timetable includes two tph between Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds and the proposal was developed before Cambridge North station threw a new big and important station into the mix.
Consequently, we could see something very different at the Cambridge end of the route.
Perhaps an hourly service between Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely and Bury St. Edmunds, needing perhaps two trains.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need two trains, but a much more customer-friendly Western end would need perhaps two extra trains.
Improvements At Ipswich Station
Ipswich station will need extra platform capacity to handle extra services to Cambridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft.
Colchester Town To Sudbury
Greater Anglia have said that this new route will replace the current service on the Gainsborough Line.
Current timings on this route are.
- Colchester Town to Marks Tey – 14 minutes
- Marks Tey to Sudbury – 20 minutes
- Turnround at Sudbury – 5 minutes
- Audbury to Marks Tey -19 minutes
- Marks Tey to Colchester Town – 16 minutes.
- Turnround at Colchester Town – 5 minutes
This gives a round trip of 79 minutes, with a Marks Tey to Marks Tey time of 44 minutes.
Note the following.
- One train would be needed to run an hourly service, if the round trip could be reduced between an hour.
- Some sections of the line are electrified.
- The Gainsborough Line has an operating speed of 50 mph.
- A new platform will be needed at Colchester Town station.
I think is is highly likely that the Class 755 train will be able to do the round trip in under an hour.
If the time spent on the branch could be reduced to under thirty minutes, then two tph on the route are possible, which would need two trains.
To summarise, the current hourly service would need one train, but a much more customer-friendly two tph would need two trains.
Colchester To Peterborough
Greater Anglia have said that this new hourly service will replace the current service from Ipswich to Peterborough.
Current timings on this route are.
- Colchester to Ipswich – 20 minutes
- Ipswich to Peterborough – 99 minutes
A round trip should be possible in four hours.
Note the following.
- Four trains would be needed to run an hourly service, if the round trip could be under four hours.
- Some sections of the line are electrified.
If this service could be run at two tph, this would need eight trains.
I doubt two tph would be needed, as other trains and operators shadow the route.
To summarise, the proposed hourly service would need four trains.
Summary Of Class 755 Train Services
This is a summary of the current and proposed routes, with their frequencies and the trains needed
- Norwich to Yarmouth – Hourly needs one train.
- Norwich to Sheringham – Hourly needs two trains.
- Norwich to Lowestoft – Hourly needs two trains.
- Lowestoft to Yarmouth – Hourly needs one train.
- Norwich to Stansted Airport – Hourly needs three trains.
- Ipswich to Lowestoft – Hourly needs three trains.
- Lowestoft to London – One train per day would need one train.
- Ipswich to Felixstowe – Hourly needs one train.
- Ipswich to Cambridge – Hourly needs two trains.
- Colchester Town to Sudbury – Hourly needs one train.
- Colchester to Peterborough – Hourly needs four trains.
This is a total of twenty-one trains, which is less than the current number of trains running the service.
The reduction in trains needed is because of the following.
- Class 755 trains are 100 mph trains and the timetable is written for 75 mph trains.
- Class 755 trains will be able to stop at a station quicker than current trains.
- Class 755 trains can take advantage of electrification where it exists.
Three- or four-car trains can be scheduled according to traffic needs.
In my analysis, I added what I thought would be more customer-friendly services.
- Norwich to Yarmouth – Four tph needs four trains.
- Norwich to Sheringham – Two tph needs four trains.
- Norwich to Lowestoft – Two tph needs two trains.
- Lowestoft to Yarmouth – Hourly needs one train.
- Norwich to Stansted Airport – Hourly needs three trains.
- Ipswich to Lowestoft – Two tph needs four trains.
- Lowestoft to London – One train per day would need one train.
- Ipswich to Felixstowe – Two tph needs two trains.
- Ipswich to Cambridge – Hourly needs two trains. Plus two trains to shuttle around Cambridge, Ely and Bury St. Edmunds.
- Colchester Town to Sudbury – Two tph needs two trains.
- Colchester to Peterborough – Hourly needs four trains.
This is a total of thirty-one trains, which is still below the total number of thirty-eight trains.
Greater Anglia probably won’t expand services in the way I have suggested, but consider the following.
- They have a flexible fleet with both three- and four-car Class 755 trains.
- They are the dominant passenger operator.
- Norwich and Cambridge stations have good platform capacity and Ipswich can be improved.
- Most of the signalling and track is in excellent condition.
This would enable train services to be increased as required.
There would also be trains available for new services such as.
- Cambridge to Wisbech.
- Ipswich to Aldeburgh
I could even envisage a Bury St. Edmunds to London service, that splits and joins with the Lowestoft to London service at Ipswich station.
Greater Anglia have planned well.
Infrastructure Required
The infrastructure required to run all these trains includes
- The Wherry Lines are being resignalled, This may not be needed, but it will certainly make things easier.
- Some platforms may need to be lengthened.
- Ideally, all the station platforms will be adjusted so that their height fits the Class 755 trains.
- The Reedham Chord may be reinstated to allow direct Lowestoft to Yarmouth services.
- Track improvements might night be needed on the Esst Suffolk Line.
- Ipswich station will need extra platform capacity to handle extra services to Cambridge, Felixstowe and Lowestoft.
- Colchester Town will need a second platform for the service to Sudbury.
No electrification is required, although to perhaps extend the wires for a few hundred metres in a few places might ease operation.
- From Norwich to where the Bittern and Wherry Lines divide.
- From Ipswich to where the East Suffolk and Felixstowe Lines divide.
- At Marks Tey along the Gainsborough Line.
This will allow the Class 755 trains to run on electricity for longer.
Conclusion
I’m probably very wide of mark, but iI do feel there is scope with the large number of Class 755 trains ordered by Greater Anglia to improve trains in East Anglia by a large amount.
The Anonymous Widower 