A Trip To Sheppey
Yesterday, I went to Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey.
These are pictures from the trip.
It was a change to go to the island for a walk by the sea, as normally in the past, I’d gone for a funeral of some of my late wife’s relatives.
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A Design Crime – Ebbsfleet International Station
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Sittingbourne Station
Sittingbourne station is the next major station after Rainham station, as you go East on the Chatham Main line.
It doesn’t want for much more, as it has three long platforms, a step-free footbridge and most of the things a good station needs.
It is the station that connects the Sheerness Line to the Chatham Main Line.
So would it be a better idea to run the Thameslink service to Sittingbourne instead of Rainham?
The trains could even co-ordinate with the shuttle train to Sheerness.
It is a possibility, but Sittingbourne has five trains per hour (tph) going into London and they all pass over the bottleneck of the the level crossing at Rainham station.
I discuss this more in What Do You Do With A Problem Like Sheppey?
The Sheppey Crossing
The Sheppey Crossing is the bridge onto the island for road traffic.
Note the towers of the older Kingsferry Bridge, which carries the railway across. It is a rare vertical-lift bridge that carries both road and railway.
One of the others of this type in the UK is the Newport Bridge on Teesside.
The Newport Lifting Bridge
I wrote about it in The Tees Bridges and Barrage in 2010.
Connecting North Kent And The Medway Towns To Ebbsfleet International Station
The only connection between Crossrail or Thameslink and Continental services is at St. Pancras, where Thameslink has a better connection to these services, than it does to any other of the several lines at that station.
- Ebbsfleet International station almost looks to me, that it was designed so that everybody catching a train there would have to drive to the station.
- The only stations connected to Ebbsfleet International by domestic services are those stations served by the Highspeed services into St. Pancras.
- So you might as well go into St. Pancras first! But then you’re faced with a very bad connection to Continental services.
- I have to assume, that the architect of St. Psncras station was not a serious user of trains with a heavy bag.
- At present all stations between Gravesend and Faversham have a two trains per hour (tph) service into Ebbsfleet International.
- I feel that in the future Ebbsfleet International may become more important for Continental services, as there must be a time when St. Pancras runs out of platform space.
This may be adequate if you live in the Medway Towns within walking distance of a station, but as a design for a passenger-friendly railway, it’s total crap.
As an example, I met someone a few weeks ago, whose daughter lives in Swanley and as she doesn’t drive, she has to take a mini-cab to Ebbsfleet.
I suspect that some of Network Rail’s finest have a solution using existing infrastructure that improves the link.
This is a Google Map that shows both Northfleet station and platforms 5 an 6 at Ebbsfleet International station.
Lines Between Ebbsfleet International And Northfleet Stations
Consider these points about the map.
- Northfleet station is at the top, with the North Kent Line running through it.
- Gravesend station is the next station in a South-East direction on the North Kent Line.
- There are a couple of freight lines or sidings running parallel and to the West of the North Kent Line.
- Freight lines curve away to the East and the river.
- Crossrail tunnel spoil was taken away from Northfleet.
- Platforms 5 and 6 at Ebbsfleet International station, are on the diagonal rail line going across to the North of the lake and the main station..
Consider these general points.
- Gravesend to Ebbsfleet International is scheduled to take four minutes.
- The East Kent Resignalling Project has recently been completed.
- Crossrail’s spoil trains probably don’t go to Northfleet any more.
Consider these about Gravesend station.
- There is a twelve-car bay platform facing towards London and Ebbsfleet International.
- The London-bound platform 1 at Gravesend has bi-directional signalling. Why?
- The station has a new step-free bridge.
- Crossrail may be extended to the station with a sophisticated, spacious reversing facility/depot at Hoo Junction, perhaps five minutes to the East.
And consider these about platforms 5 and 6 at Ebbsfleet Internal station, which are the platforms that serve Gravesend.
- There are very comprehensive crossovers at the Eastern end of the platforms, which can be seen on the map.
- The platforms appear to have both overhead and third-rail electrification.
- The platforms would probably be long enough to reverse a six-car train.
So are all the pieces of a jigsaw in place for an innovative solution?
There could possibly be shuttle train between Ebbsfleet International and Gravsend or the Medway Towns.
- The shuttle train would run in the thirty minute gaps between the current services between Gravesend and Ebbsfleet international.
- A shuttle train would probably take about 12-15 to do the round trip.
- Instead of Gravesend, it could run from Hoo Junction if Crossrail is extended or any station to the East, if it’s not.
- Any four-car Electrostar with the correct signalling could probably run the shuttle.
- No new infrastructure would be required.
The 2 tph Charing Cross to Gravesend service could also be extended to Ebbsfleet International.
- It would need a reverse at Gravesend.
- Platform 0 could obviously be used for the reverse, but as platform 1 has bi-directional signalling, I suspect this platform could be used as well.
- As there would be two reverses in about a dozen minutes, this might explain why platform 1 was made bi-directional.
- No new infrastructure would be required.
Both solutions would give at least four tph service between Gravesend and Ebbsfleet International.
If the shuttle were to run between Rainham and Ebbsfleet International it would add two extra trains to the service through the Medway Towns, raising that level to more than six tph.
Conclusion
I don’t know if either solution is possible, but I suspect there’s a man or woman who does know and they have their mind on a better solution!
I’ll admit, that I do like the shuttle or a 4 tph link between Gravesend and Ebbsfleet International.
When all the services like Thameslink and Crossrail are serving North Kent from all over London and the South East, it would mean that if there was a four tph service between Gravesend and Ebbsfleet International, getting to the isolated station would be a lot easier.
But the great thing about going up Ebbsfleet’s backside from Gravesend, is that no new infrastructure would be required.
Related Posts
A Design Crime – Ebbsfleet International Station
Between Abbey Wood And Belvedere Stations
Extending Crossrail To Gravesend
What Do You Do With A Problem Like Sheppey?
Through The Medway Towns
If you look at the services through the Medway Towns, you will have the following services in 2018.
- 2 trains per hour (tph) Highspeed services between St. Pancras and Faversham.
- 2 tph Thameslink services between Luton and Rainham.
- 3 tph services between Victoria and the Kent Coast.
- 2 tph services between Charing Cross and Gillingham
Note.
- It is a service with frequencies of between five and seven tph in both directions.
- The smallest trains serving the route are six-car Class 395 trains, with most at least eight-cars.
- The service reaches from Abbey Wood, Dartford, Greenhithe and Swanley in the West. to Sittingbourne, Faversham and the Kent Coast in the East.
- The fare supplement for Highspeed services is only paid West of Gravesend, so from that station to the East, normal fares are paid and the trains just contribute seats to the service.
Conclusion
It is a turn-up-and-go metro par excellence run with quality trains.
The possibilities for improvement are good too!
Related Posts
A Design Crime – Ebbsfleet International Station
Between Abbey Wood And Belvedere Stations
Connecting North Kent And The Medway Towns To Ebbsfleet International Station
Extending Crossrail To Gravesend
What Do You Do With A Problem Like Sheppey?
Thameslink To Rainham
Modern Railways in August 2016, said that Thameslink would be running a two trains per hour (tph) service between Luton and Rainham via Greenwich and Dartford.
GTR’s Proposals
This document on their web site gives these outline proposals for Kent Thameslink services.
This is the opening paragraph.
Proposed new all-day Monday to Friday, Saturday and Sunday Thameslink service on the North Kent line via Greenwich, Dartford and Medway Towns.
They describe it in more detail later.
New cross-London journey opportunities providing multiple connectivity opportunities will be created between Luton – St Albans City – West Hampstead Thameslink – Central London (via London Bridge) – Greenwich – Abbey Wood – Dartford – Rochester – Rainham. This new route will provide multiple new connections with the new east to west Elizabeth Line (formally Crossrail) at Abbey Wood. The route can also be operated by 8 or 12 car trains.
I will now add a few comments.
The Eastern Terminal
In Rainham (Kent) Station, I took a look at the proposed terminal.
- Rainham station is Thameslink-ready with a bay platform 0 of sufficient length for a twelve-car Class 700 train.
- Rainham station can probably handle the two trains per hour (tph) from Luton without undue fuss.
- Rainham as a terminal means the string of important stations in the Medway towns, which includes Gravesend, Strood, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham, could all be served by Thameslink.
- The only other station beyond Gravesend with a bay platform is Rochester.
- Terminating at Rainham doesn’t increase the train frequency over the busy level crossing.
- Terminating at Rainham gives 5 tph from Gravesend to Rainham and 7 tph between Rochester and Rainham, which creates a high-capacity frequent route through the Medway Towns.
It would appear to be the sort of choice, that is difficult to fault.
Should The Thameslink Service Stop At More Stations?
Coming back from Rainham today, I took a Highspeed service to Gravesend, from where I caught a Gillingham to Charing Cross service that was following a few minutes behind.
As there are several stopping services on the line, perhaps stopping at a few important stations will be sufficient.
- Greenhithe for the shopping at Bluewater.
- Dartford for all the connectivity.
- Abbey Wood for Crossrail.
- Greenwich for the culture and the Docklands Light Railway.
Stopping patterns could be altered to fit traffic patterns, passengers requirements and new property developments
Eight-Or Twelve-Car Trains
It would all depend on the traffic, but there doesn’t seem to be any reason why either train size can’t be used between Luton and Rainham.
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A Twelve-Car Ready Railway
On my trip to Rainham station in Kent, I went through numerous stations.
I took this picture.
A Twelve-Car Ready Railway
Note the blue 10-12 sign, which indicates the stopping point for trains between ten and twelve cars.
I’m pretty certain that all stations between London Bridge and Rainham can accommodate trains of this length, as there were blue twelves everywhere.
To the East of Rainham, a good proportion of the services are run by six-car Class 395 trains. As these can run in 12-car formations, I suspect that most platforms have been made long enough.
This railway is probably future-proofed with regards to train length.
It will certainly accept.
- Crossrail’s Class 345 trains.
- Highspeed’s Class 395 trains running as a twelve-car.
- Thameslink’s Class 700 trains, running as eight-car or twelve-car.
- Electrostars in various lengths.
Sadly, not all rail lines in the UK have been built with long enough platforms and extending some will be difficult.
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Rainham (Kent) Station
There are two stations with the same name and this Rainham station is the one in Kent, which is to the East of Gillingham on the Chatham Main Line.
It is a busy station, which has these typical off-peak services.
- 2 trains per hour (tph) to London St Pancras via Chatham and Ebbsfleet International
- 3 tph to London Victoria via Chatham and Bromley South (1ph calling at Denmark Hill)
- 1 tph to Sittingbourne and Faversham only
- 2 tph to Dover Priory via Canterbury East
- 2 tph to Ramsgate via Margate
Adding them up gives 5 tph in both directions, with a choice of Highspeed or traditional services to and from two London termini.
The station has benefited from the East Kent Resignalling Project. This is said in Wikipedia.
Rainham has a new bay platform off the up-line, which can accommodate a 12-car train, labelled Platform 0. It is now being used as a Terminus for a couple of evening rush hour trains.
It would appear to be an extra platform, that has been fitted well into the layout of the station.
If Thameslink does run a service from Rainham to Luton from 2018, the platform would have no difficulty turning the two trains per hour.
This will give a 2 tph service to three London termini; London Bridge, Blackfriars and St. Pancras on its way to Luton.
The level crossing at the station, probably limits the number of trains through Rainham station, despite the fact that some may be timed to pass in the station, which reduces the number of times it closes to road traffic.
So using the bay platform 0 for Thameslink, increases the frequency to the West of the station to 7 tph, but leaves that through the crossing at 5 tph.
It seems to be a sensible way to increase train frequencies without choking road traffic too much.
I very much like the thinking behind the design.
Related Posts
A Design Crime – Ebbsfleet International Station
Between Abbey Wood And Belvedere Stations
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Along The North Kent Line
The North Kent Line has seen some changes in the last few years and could see some more in the next few.
Starting from the terminal in London Bridge, which itself is going through a massive upgrade, these improvements have been done or will happen.
Woolwich Arsenal
Woolwich Arsenal station has from 2009 provided a direct link to the Docklands Light Railway, giving a direct connection to London City Airport and Bank.
In 2019, Woolwich station on Crossrail will open, which will be two hundred metres away from Woolwich Arsenal station. This will probably not have a direct effect on Woolwich Arsenal station, but two stations will certainly stimulate development in the area.
I doubt many will use this station to interchange between the North Kent Line and Crossrail, as it looks like the connection at Abbey Wood station could be easier.
Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood station is being rebuilt and in December 2018, Crossrail will start services at the station to Paddington via Canary Wharf and the central tunnel.
Wikipedia says this about Crossrail services at Abbey Wood station.
Abbey Wood is the terminus of one of two eastern branches of Crossrail and will offer cross-platform interchange between terminating Crossrail services (at 12 trains per hour on new line) and existing Southeastern services (along existing tracks)
Plans are always being talked about to link Abbey Wood station to the North Bank of the Thames at either Gallions Reach or Barking Riverside.
I doubt it will happen in the next ten years.
Dartford
Dartford station has from the beginning of this year been one of London’s contactless ticketing stations, as is reported in Oyster and Contactless Bank Cards, under the station’s Wikipedia entry.
Don’t be surprised if this creeps outwards from London.
Greenhithe
Greenhithe station was rebuilt in 2008 and is the station for Bluewater.
Because of the Shopping Centre, Greenhithe will probably be a station that could benefit from contactless ticketing.
Northfleet
Northfleet station is the closest to Ebbsfleet International and we could see an improved link between the two stations.
As Northfleet could have upwards of four trains per hour (tph) stopping in both directions, a frequent shuttle bus, could be an affordable option.
Smaller Stations
There are several smaller stations between London Bridge and Gravesend.
I’m obviously not sure, but on a quick look all of them seem ready to accept the long trains, that will be used by both Thameslink and Crossrail.
Gravesend
Gravesend station was remodelled in 2013 and now has two long through platforms and a bay platform.
Crossrail to Gravesend
Under Future in the Wikipedia for Gravesend station, this is said.
In December 2008, the local authority for Gravesend (Gravesham Council), was formally requested by Crossrail and the Department for Transport, to sanction the revised Crossrail Safeguarding. This safeguarding provides for a potential service extension, from the current south of Thames terminus at Abbey Wood, to continue via the North Kent Line to Gravesend station. The Crossrail route extension from Abbey Wood to Gravesend and Hoo Junction, remains on statute. With current services from Gravesend to London Bridge, Waterloo East and London Charing Cross being supplemented by highspeed trains from the end of 2009 to St Pancras, the potential in having Crossrail services from central London, London Heathrow, Maidenhead and/or Reading, terminating at Gravesend, would not only raise the station to hub status but greatly contribute towards the town’s regeneration.
At present, Gravesend station has the following services.
Typical off-peak services are:
- 2 tph Highspeed services in each direction between London St. Pancras, Ebbsfleet intewrnation and Faversham and the East.
- 2 tph Southeastern services between London Charing Cross and Gillingham.
- 4 tph Southeastern services between London Charing Cross and Gravesend.
From 2019, Thameslink are saying that they will be running two tph between Rainham and Luton via Dartford and Greenwich.
This will mean that eight tph in each direction will go between Gravesend and Dartford, with another two tph going between Gravesend and Ebbsfleet International.
Because of the new Thameslink service, the train frequency between Gravesend and Gillingham will increase from the current four tph to six tph.
I think that although Gravesend will be the nominated terninal for Crossrail, the trains will actually reverse direction at Hoo Junction, so there will no need to use any platform space at Gravesend to prepare the train for its return journey.
At present, Wikipedia is saying this will be the Morning Peak service from Abbey Wood station.
- 4 tph to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 6 tph to Paddington
- 2 tph to West Drayton
With this Off Peak service.
- 4 tph to Heathrow Terminal 4
- 4 tph to Paddington
What the current North Kent Line can handle would probably determine how many Croosrail trains went to Gravesend and Hoo Junction.
But Crossrail won’t be short of seats to really provide a superb service to and from the Medway Towns.
I have a feeling that once Crossrail is running successfully, the traffic will define, if, when and how any extension to Gravesend is built.
But the creation of the extension to Gravesend and Hoo Junction will not be a massive undertaking.
- The depot and other facilities at Hoo Junction will have to be built.
- Could the depot at Hoo Junction be without electrification? If the Class 345 trains have sufficient onboard energy storage, which I believe could be the case and I wrote about in Bombardier’s Plug-and-Play Train, then this is a serious possibility, which would save money and time in building the depot.
- All platforms are probably long enough for the Class 345 trains.
- The Crossrail train specification says that trains must have the potential to be converted for third rail operation. The similar Class 710 trains will have this capability.
- Judging by my observations in Between Abbey Wood And Belvedere Stations, I feel that Abbey Wood station is probably capable of handling the same number of trains going further down the line.
- The signalling would have to be adjusted for the new service pattern.
But there would be no tunnelling and no major electrification on the North Kent Line.
Perhaps, the only major expenses would be.
- Building the depot/reversing sidings and facilities at Hoo Junction.
- Any extra trains needed.
- The cost of any rail link into Ebbsfleet International station.
So I doubt, we’ll be talking large numbers of billions.
Class 395 Trains
The Class 395 trains are normally six-car trains, but they can work in pairs as twelve-cars.
This probably means that any station, where the Highspeed service calls can handle a twelve-car train.
Strood
Strood station was updated in 2009 for the Highspeed service. Ready for Crossrail/Thameslink.
Rochester
Rochester station was rebuilt in 2016. Ready for Crossrail/Thameslink.
Chatham
Chatham station accepts twelve-car trains. Ready for Crossrail/Thameslink.
Gillingham
Ready for Crossrail/Thameslink.
Gillingham station is an interchange with two long platforms and a bay platform.
Five tph including two Highspeed services pass through the station and two tph go to and from London Charing Cross.
From 2019, there will be another two Thameslink tph between Luton and Rainham stopping at the station.
All this adds up to comprehensive service which stretches out to several London termini and the Kent Coast.
London Bridge, Abbey Wood and Gravesend all have at least four tph from Gillingham.
Rainham
Ready for Crossrail/Thameslink.
Rainham station has been updated in the last couple of years. An Update section in the Wikipedia entry, says this.
As part of the rebuild of Rochester Station, a new Up Bay Platform has been added.
Trains are now able to use this new platform as the East Kent Resignalling Project has been completed. At present, only a couple of trains use it in the evening rush hour.
The East Kent Resignalling Project is described on this page of the Southeastern web site.
These improvements are noted.
- New £26 million station at Rochester
- 250 new signals to replace old signalling equipment
- Disabled access at Strood station
- New bay platform at Rainham
- Safer level crossings fitted with obstacle detection technology at Aylesford, Yalding, Beltring, Wateringbury, East Farleigh, Cuxton and Snodland
- Centralisation of signalling control to Gillingham and the decommissioning of several signal boxes.
It would appear that a updated railway and a short series of good stations through the Medway Towns has been created, that can handle the increased frequencies.
Thameslink To Rainham
Modern Railways in August 2016, said that Thameslink would be running a two tph service between Luton and Rainham via Greenwich and Dartford.
The new bay platform at Rainham would be ideal for this service.
Onward From Rainham
There doesn’t seem to be many changes to what services are run now.
Conclusions
Everything seems to fit together rather well.
- Twelve-car platforms seem universal or at least where needed.
- The signalling is up to scratch.
- The new bay platform at Rainham makes the new two tph Thameslink service to Luton deliverable.
- To extend Crossrail to Gravesend probably just needs the new depot at Hoo Junction.
- Dartford to Rainham gets at least a four tph service with six car or longer trains.
The only area, where nothing has been published, is how to incorporate Ebbsfleet International station into the network.
I think it could suffer from London Overground Syndrome. This is my definition of the disease.
This disease, which is probably a modern version of the Victorian railway mania, was first identified in East London in 2011, when it was found that the newly-refurbished East London Line and North London Line were inadequate due to high passenger satisfaction and much increased usage. It has now spread across other parts of the capital and across the UK, despite various eradication programs.
It is usually solved by adding more capacity.
Related Posts
A Design Crime – Ebbsfleet International Station
Between Abbey Wood And Belvedere Stations
Connecting North Kent And The Medway Towns To Ebbsfleet International Station
Extending Crossrail To Gravesend
What Do You Do With A Problem Like Sheppey?
How Long Would An IPEMU Take From St. Leonard’s To St. Pancras International?
If an IPEMU is going to be used between St. Leonard’s and St. Pancras International station, there are two possibilities.
- A 110 mph IPEMU based on existing Class 387 trains.
- A 125 mph IPEMU based on a purpose-built Aventra. Ian Walmsley stated in the April 2016 Edition of Modern Railways that a 125 mph Aventra is possible.
This compares with the 143 mph and 100 mph speeds of a Class 395 train on high speed and classic lines respectively.
For this estimate, I will make the following assumptions.
- St. Leonards takes four minutes longer than Hastings.
- The baseline time from St. Pancras to Ashford is 38 minutes in a Class 395 train.
- Times on the high speed section are in proportion to the train speed.
- The baseline time from St. Leonard’s to Ashford is 46 minutes in a Class 171 train.
- All trains on the unelectrified section are limited to 100 mph.
Times From St.Leonards to Ashford
The Class 171 train takes 46 minutes, but it is only a benchmark, as few would go to Ashford and then get on a Class 395 train on High Speed 1.
The Class 395 train and the IPEMUs would be quicker as they would save a couple of minutes at each of the typical five stops, because of their faster acceleration.
Two minutes a stop would save ten minutes.
Times From Ashford to St. Pancras
Doing a simple calculation based on train speed gives the following times.
- Class 395 train – 38 minutes
- Class 387 IPEMU – 48 minutes
- Aventra IPEMU – 43 minutes.
Times from St. Leonards to St. Pancras
Adding the two times together gives.
- Class 395 train – 74 minutes
- Class 387 IPEMU – 84 minutes
- Aventra IPEMU – 79 minutes.
With Hastings it will be four minutes less.
In Wikipedia, there is a section called Future for the entry for the Marshlink Line. This is said.
The line is strategically important, as electrification and junction improvements would mean that High Speed 1 trains could travel directly from St Pancras International to Hastings. Amber Rudd, Member of Parliament for Hastings, has campaigned for electrification works to start by 2017. The aim is to reduce times to London from Hastings to 68 minutes, and from Rye to under an hour. This would require remodelling Ashford International station so the existing Marshlink line could connect to HS1, installing power systems, and adding a passing loop at Rye, all in addition to requiring new trains.
I think that the aim of 68 minutes from London to Hastings is a modest one, but as my crude estimate was only six minutes longer, I think the 68 minutes is totally attainable, especially as my times from St. Leonards to Ashford are just based on current timings and taking off a couple of minutes for each stop.
But if the Marshlink Line could be significantly improved, then time reductions of several minutes could well be achieved.
The Anonymous Widower 