The Anonymous Widower

An Excursion To Retford And Worksop

Today’s excursion was designed to be simple.

  1. Take an LNER train or a Hull Train to Retford station.
  2. Travel to Worksop station, have a look and take a few pictures.
  3. Travel back to Retford and take the first train back to London.
  4. In one if my two visits to Retford, have a look and take a few pictures.
  5. Talk to passengers and railway staff about what they felt about FirstGroup’s Proposed Sheffield Service, that I wrote about in FirstGroup Applies To Run New London To Sheffield Rail Service.

These were my thoughts and observations.

LNER’s Improved Ticketing

These pictures show the tickets that I bought.

Note.

  1. I bought my ticket to Retford from the Ticket Office at King’s Cross station.
  2. The ticket seller gave me a well-designed folder for the tickets.
  3. I was also able to buy my return ticket between Retford and Worksop on the LNER train to Retford. I’ve tried doing that before and it wasn’t allowed.

Making ticketing easier must be a good thing for passengers, staff and LNER.

£24.75 With A Railcard From King’s Cross to Retford

  • The second picture shows my ticket to Retford.
  • It cost me just £24,75 with my Senior Railcard.
  • I also bought it about half-an-hour before the train left.
  • I bought the ticket in the Ticket Office.
  • I got a forward-facing window seat with an unrestricted view.

How much would the 145 mile and nearly three-hour journey have cost in a car?

I Missed My Connection At Retford Station

These pictures show my train to Worksop station in Platform 3 at Retford station, as I approached from the South.

Note.

The Northern Trains’s Class 195 train arriving on Platform 3 on the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.

  1. I arrived in Platform 2 at Retford station at 12:50
  2. There were three lifts or sets of stairs to negotiate between Platform 2 and Platform 3.
  3. It must take at least five minutes between the two platforms.
  4. One of the lifts was out of order and was being serviced by an engineer.
  5. There was no way, I could have caught the connection, which left at 12:51.
  6. At least one other passenger, had to wait the one hour and fifteen minutes I waited for the next train, which arrived at 14:03.

I feel that there needs to be a timetable adjustment here, so that as many passengers as possible avoid the long wait.

Retford Station

At least the long wait allowed me to take a lot of pictures and have a cup of coffee in the Costa Coffee on Platform 1.

Note.

  1. The toilets were immaculate.
  2. The Costa Coffee had friendly and professional staff, but only rudimentary gluten-free options.
  3. The station is fully step-free with four lifts.
  4. Platforms 1 and 2 on the East Coast Main Line can take a pair of five-car Class 802 trains, as Hull Train demonstrated.
  5. The Hull Train in Platform 2 was using the electrification.
  6. The station is in very good condition.
  7. The station is Grade II Listed.

This Google Map shows the station.

Note.

  1. The red arrow in the South-East corner are the low-level Platforms 3 and 4.
  2. The red arrow in the middle marks the low-level Platforms 1 and 2.
  3. Network Rail’s yellow Mobile Maintenance Train is visible in the siding opposite Platform 2.
  4. There is space around the platforms.

The station may have development possibilities. Especially, as there are signs of To Let over some of the buildings.

Ambitious Renewable Energy

Retford and Worksop are only eleven minutes away but there were a large wind farm and solar farms between the two stations.

Note.

  1. I was a bit slow on the uptake and missed the large wind farm.
  2. The strong sun was reflecting on the windows.
  3. They weren’t the best of photographs.

I had intended to take more and better pictures on the way back, but circumstances intervened.

This Google Map shows the wind and solar farms.

Note.

  1. The Sheffield and Lincoln Line going across the map.
  2. There are solar panels North and South of the railway.
  3. This is the Walkers Wood Solar Farm, which has a nameplate capacity of 27 MW.
  4. H M Prison Ranby is at the top of the map.
  5. The scars of the wind turbines are to the West of Babworth and the crematorium.
  6. At the moment, I can’t find any reference to the wind farm.

These wind and solar farms are probably a classic place to position a battery.

Prisons And Recycling

Worksop Station

I took these pictures during the time I spent at Worksop station.

Note.

  1. The station is not step-free, although you can cross the tracks using the level-crossing.
  2. The station has a pub and a cafe.
  3. There are train services to Leeds, Lincoln, Nottingham and Sheffield.
  4. The station is in very good condition.
  5. The station is Grade II Listed.
  6. The platforms are long enough to handle a Class 802 train without any modification.
  7. Hull Trains could run their Sheffield service to Worksop station without any new infrastructure.
  8. Lidl are developing a site on the other side of the level crossing.
  9. There are 100 car parking spaces.

The station may have development possibilities.

Worksop Station Cafe

These pictures show the Worksop station cafe.

Note.

  1. It is run by two ladies; Jo and Lyndsey.
  2. As one is coeliac, there were lots of gluten-free cakes.
  3. It was cosy and warm on a cold day.

This is definitely one of the better station cafes.

A Double Incident

My journey back to the capital was I suspect untypical.

  • I’d arrived at Worksop at 14:14 and finally left at 16:38 on a train for Retford and Lincoln.
  • The delay was because someone had been hit by a train between Barnsley and Sheffield, which resulted in cancelled trains.
  • When I arrived at Retford at 16:49, there was an LNER train in the platform.
  • It was the 15:15 from Leeds and I was told by LNER staff to catch it and get my ticket on the train.
  • The train finally left Retford for London 69 minutes late at 17:07.
  • We arrived in Peterborough at 19:27, where the train was now 170 minutes late.
  • The delay was because someone had been hit by a train at Newark, which results in delays everywhere.
  • LNER decided to give up on the train and all passengers were put on other trains.
  • I got on the 14:30 from Edinburgh, which arrived in King’s Cross at 20:22, which was 96 minutes late.

Worse things happen at sea.

I am adding this a day after my trip to the North.

This article on the BBC is entitled ‘Major Disruption’ After Person Hit By A Train.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Train services on the East Coast Main Line have been seriously disrupted after a person was hit by a train in North Yorkshire.

Network Rail said the incident happened just before 07:00 GMT between York and Thirsk, with emergency services attending the scene shortly afterwards.

The line was blocked, resulting in delays and cancellations.

Three in two days us three too many.

January 9, 2024 Posted by | Design, Food, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FirstGroup Applies To Run New London To Sheffield Rail Service

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from First Group.

These four paragraphs outline FirstGroup’s initial plans.

FirstGroup plc, the leading private sector transport operator, has today submitted the first phase of an application for a new open access rail service between London and Sheffield to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

FirstGroup plans to expand its open access rail operations as part of its award-winning Hull Trains business, building on their successful existing service which has transformed long-distance connectivity between Hull and London.

FirstGroup’s new proposals comprise two return journeys a day from London King’s Cross, calling at Retford, Worksop, Woodhouse and Sheffield, and the company aims to provide a faster link between London and Sheffield than alternative services. Almost three quarters of trips between London and Sheffield are currently made by car, with a further 9% of trips made by coach, and a competitively priced new rail offering will help stimulate a shift in transport mode of choice from road to rail.

The new proposed route will give Sheffield the first regular service from London King’s Cross since 1968 and will also give Worksop in Nottinghamshire the first regular direct London trains in decades. FirstGroup estimates there are 350,000 people in the Worksop and Woodhouse catchment areas who will have direct rail access to London because of these proposals. A sizeable number of rail users in these areas currently drive to Doncaster station to pick up faster services to London rather than travelling via Sheffield, and a convenient rail offering from local stations will also help to reduce the number of these car journeys.

Note.

  1. The press release says this is only the first phase.
  2. It appears to be an extension of Hull Trains.
  3. Comments on a news story based on the press release in The Times, have been generally positive.

These are my thoughts.

The Two Routes Are Similar

Consider.

  • Beverley is 44.3 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Temple Hirst Junction.
  • Hull is 36.1 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Temple Hirst Junction.
  • Sheffield is 23.5 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Retford station.
  • There is no electrification at Beverley, Hull or Sheffield.

Note.

  1. Trains must be capable of having a range sufficient to go from the East Coast Main Line to the destination and back again.
  2. It is slightly surprising that Sheffield station is closest to the electrification of the East Coast Main Line.
  3. Hull Train’s electro-diesel Class 802 trains regularly handle the 88.6 miles to Beverley and back.

It does look like an appropriate number of Class 802 trains could handle Hull Trains current and future services to Beverley, Hull and Sheffield.

Hull Trains Need Ten-Car Trains

Consider.

  • In Ten-Car Hull Trains, I show some details of Hull Trains using a pair of five-car trains.
  • I’ve since seen ten-car Hull Trains regularly.
  • There were two ten-car services on the 29th December 2023 between London King’s Cross and Hull.

Hull Trains must procure enough trains for all possible scenarios.

Intermediate Stations Of The Two Routes

Intermediate stations are.

  • Going North from London King’s Cross to Hull, trains call at Stevenage (limited), Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden and Brough.
  • Going North from London King’s Cross to Sheffield, trains call at Retford, Worksop and Woodhouse.

There are only a small number of stops on the Sheffield service. Is this to reduce the journey time as much as possible?

What Will Be The Time Of The London King’s Cross And Sheffield Service?

Consider.

  • Non-stop trains take 82 minutes between London King’s Cross and Retford, which is 138.6 miles, so it’s an average speed of 101.4 mph.
  • Woolmer Green and Retford are 111.7 miles and will in a couple of years, be digitally signalled.
  • Non-stop trains take 66 minutes between Woolmer Green and Retford, which is an average speed of 112 mph.
  • I have found a direct Retford and Sheffield train, that takes 31 minutes for the 23.5 miles with six stops, which is an average speed of 45 mph.
  • The Retford and Sheffield section has a mostly 60 mph maximum speed.

I can now build a table of times between King’s Cross and Retford based on the average speed North of Woolmer Green.

  • 125 mph – 72 minutes
  • 130 mph – 70 minutes
  • 135 mph – 68 minutes
  • 140 mph – 66 minutes

Note.

  1. Getting a high average speed using the power of digital signalling can save several minutes.
  2. I have measured an InterCity 125 averaging 125 mph on that section.

I can now build a table of times between Retford and Sheffield based on the average speed.

  • 45 mph – 31 minutes
  • 50 mph – 28 minutes
  • 60 mph – 24 minutes
  • 70 mph – 20 minutes
  • 80 mph – 18 minutes

Note.

  1. The planned service is expected to stop only twice after Retford, so if we take off two minutes for each of the four stops not taken, this could reduce the time between Retford and Sheffield by 8 minutes.
  2. There will be a couple of minutes to add for the stop at Retford.
  3. I feel a typical journey with 125 mph to Retford, 50 mph to Sheffield, could take 94 minutes
  4. Currently, the fastest London St. Pancras to Sheffield take around 116-118 minutes.

Hull Trains new service  could save 22-24 minutes  on the current service.

I also feel a fast journey could involve 130 mph to Retford, 60 mph to Sheffield, could take 88 minutes.

Hull Trains new service  could save a few minutes over half-an-hour.

Could The Time Of The London King’s Cross And Sheffield Service Be Under 90 Minutes?

I reckon the following is possible.

  • After the digital signalling is completed between King’s Cross and Retford, I suspect that a 135 mph average speed can be maintained between Woolmer Green and Retford. This would mean that a King’s Cross and Retford time of 68 minutes would be possible.
  • If Network Rail improve the track between Retford and Sheffield, I believe that a 70 mph average could be achieved on the Retford and Sheffield section. This would mean that a Retford and Sheffield time of 20 minutes would be possible.
  • I would expect at least six minutes would be saved by missing stops.

This gives a time of 82 minutes between London King’s Cross and Sheffield.

In Anxiety Over HS2 Eastern Leg Future, I said that High Speed Two’s promised London and Sheffield time via a dedicated track would be 87 minutes.

It looks to me that running under full digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line, Hull Trains can beat the HS2 time.

Could Hitachi’s Battery-Electric Trains Handle The Routes?

This page on the Hitachi web site is entitled Intercity Battery Trains.

This is the sub-heading

Accelerate the decarbonisation of intercity rail with batteries.

These paragraphs outline the philosophy of the design of the trains.

A quick and easy application of battery technology is to install it on existing or future Hitachi intercity trains. Hitachi Rail’s modular design means this can be done without the need to re-engineer or rebuild the train and return them to service as quickly as possible for passengers.

Replacing one diesel engine with just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%. Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance.

Wouldn’t it be great, if we could take the diesel engine out of our cars and replace it with an electric power pack?

Paul Daniels would’ve classed it as engineering magic.

But it’s an old engineer’s trick.

As a fifteen year old, I spent time in a rolling mill, building and fitting replacement control systems on large machines. Transistors were used to replace electronic valves and relays.

It’s certainly possible to create a battery pack, that is plug-compatible with an existing diesel generator, that responds to the same control inputs and gives the same outputs.

At the extreme end of this technology, there would be no need to change any of the train’s software.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, these were my conclusions for the performance.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As the East Coast Main Line to Beverley is a round trip is 88.6 miles, I suspect that Hull Trains’s five-car Class 802 trains will need to be fitted with a full-complement of three batteries.

Will Hull Trains Have An Identical Fleet Of Trains?

An identical fleet must have advantages for train staff, maintenance staff and above all passengers.

I believe FirstGroup have two choices.

  • They buy an appropriately-sized batch of identical Class 802 trains.
  • They convert their current fleet to battery-electric operation and buy an appropriately-sized batch of identical new trains.

Note.

  1. The second option means that they fully-decarbonise Hull Trains.
  2. Neither option would need any new infrastructure.
  3. I feel this means that this order is more likely to go to Hitachi.

It’ll probably all come down to the accountants.

Retford Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks around Retford station.

Note.

  1. The red tracks are electrified and are the East Coast Main Line.
  2. The black ones aren’t electrified.
  3. Doncaster is to the North.
  4. The black line to the East goes to Lincoln
  5. The black line to the West goes to Sheffield
  6. The red line going South-East goes to Peterborough and London.

The unusual loop allows trains to connect from one direction to another.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks in more detail.

Note.

  1. As before red lines are electrified and black ones aren’t
  2. Platforms 1 and 2 are on the East Coast Main Line.
  3. Platforms 3 and 4 are on the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.

This third OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms in more detail.

Note.

  1. The yellow tracks are the 125 mph fast lines of the East Coast Main Line.
  2. The light blue tracks are the 40 mph relief lines of the East Coast Main Line.
  3. Northbound tracks are to the left of each pair of lines.
  4. The dark blue track is the 10 mph chord that connects the Northbound relief line of the East Coast Main Line to the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.
  5. Platform 1 is on the Southbound relief line.
  6. Platform 2 is on the Northbound relief line.
  7. Unusually, both platforms are on the same side of the line.
  8. In The Lengths Of Hitachi Class 800/801/802 Trains, I state that the full length of an InterCity 225 train is 245.2 metres.
  9. I suspect that both platforms can accommodate a full length InterCity 225, as the trains have been calling at Retford since the 1980s.

I doubt Retford station has any problem accommodating a pair of Class 802 trains, which it does regularly.

How Do Northbound Trains Go To Sheffield From Retford Station?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks to the South of Retford station in detail.

Note.

  1. The yellow tracks are the 125 mph fast lines of the East Coast Main Line.
  2. The light blue tracks are the 40 mph relief lines of the East Coast Main Line.
  3. Northbound tracks are to the left of each pair of lines.

Trains needing to stop in Retford station will need to cross to the Northbound relief line to enter Platform 2 at Retford station.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the curve that connects Platform 2 at Retford station to the Sheffield and Lincoln Line to Sheffield.

Note.

  1. The green tracks are the 60 mph Sheffield and Lincoln Line.
  2. Sheffield is to the West.
  3. The blue tracks are the curve that connects Platform 2 in Retford station to the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.
  4. There appears to be a grade-separated junction, where the two lines join to the West of Retford station.

A Northbound train to Sheffield will take curve and then join the line to Sheffield.

How Do Southbound Trains Go From Sheffield Through Retford Station?

I suspect trains do the opposite from a train going to Sheffield.

The train takes the curve and then stops in Platform 2 facing South.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks to the South of Retford station in detail.

When the train is cleared by the signals to go South, it will leave Retford station going South on the Northbound relief line.

Note that on the map there are two crossovers, which the train will take to get on the Southbound fast line for Newark and London.

As a Control Engineer, I suspect this is the sort of manoeuvre, that modern digital signalling will make slicker and safer.

How Do Northbound Trains Go To Hull From Retford Station?

On leaving the station, the train will continue along the relief line until it merges with the Northbound fast line for Doncaster.

This is exactly as any Northbound train stopping at Retford does now.

How Do Southbound Trains Go From Hull Through Retford Station?

Currently, trains from Hull stop in Platform 1 on their way to London.

  • Trains needing to stop in Retford station will need to cross to the Southbound relief line to enter Platform 1 at Retford station.
  • When the train is cleared by the signals to go South, it will leave Retford station going South on the Southbound relief line.
  • The Southbound relief line joins the Southbound fast line to the South of the station.

This is exactly as any Southbound train stopping at Retford does now.

Could A Hull And A Sheffield Service Run As A Pair And Split And Join At Retford Station?

Consider.

  • Class 802 trains, as used by Hull Trains are designed to be run as a pair of trains, with easy coupling and uncoupling between the two trains.
  • Hull Trains regularly run services as a pair of Class 802 trains.
  • A pair of trains could leave King’s Cross. They would then split at a convenient station, after which the two trains go to different destinations.
  • There are advantages with respect to infrastructure charges.

I feel that Hull Trains two services to Sheffield and Hull/Beverley could work as a pair.

  • A pair of trains could leave King’s Cross.
  • At Retford station they would split, with one train going to Hull and the other to Sheffield.

Coming South they would join at Retford.

How Would Splitting Of A Hull And Sheffield Service Be Performed At Retford Station?

The procedure would be something like this.

  • As the pair of train is stopping in Retford station, it would use the relief line to enter Platform 2.
  • It would stop in Platform 2.
  • The trains would be uncoupled.
  • The front train would go to its destination.
  • The rear train would go to its destination.

Note.

  1. As the track to Doncaster and Hull is faster, the front train should probably be for Hull.
  2. Platform 2 is electrified, so the Sheffield train could top up its batteries .
  3. The Sheffield train could lower its pantograph.

Uncoupling takes about two minutes.

How Would Joining Of A Hull And Sheffield Service Be Performed At Retford Station?

Consider.

  • Joining would have to be performed in Platform 2, as there is no route for a train from Sheffield to access Platform 1.
  • North of Retford station there are two convenient crossovers, to allow a train to cross to the Northbound relief line. There are also a couple of loops, where trains could wait.
  • As this is coal-mining country, perhaps, they were part of a freight route between Sheffield and Doncaster?

But this infrastructure would allow, a train from Hull to access Platform 2 at Retford station.

As the Sheffield train can easily access Platform 2, the two trains could meet in Platform 2 and then be joined together for a run to London.

Is There A Problem With Splitting And Joining  Of the Hull And Sheffield Services?

Earlier, I said these were the stops of the two services.

  • Going North from London King’s Cross to Hull, trains call at Stevenage (limited), Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden and Brough.
  • Going North from London King’s Cross to Sheffield, trains call at Retford, Worksop and Woodhouse.

Surely, if the trains were travelling as a pair, they would need to stop at the same stations to the South of Retford.

But modern digital signalling will allow trains to run closer together, so perhaps this would be the procedure going North.

  • The two trains start in the same platform at King’s Cross, with the Sheffield train in front of the Hull train.
  • The two trains leave King’s Cross a safe number of minutes apart.
  • At its Stevenage and Grantham stops, the Hull train will tend to increase the distance between the two trains.
  • The Sheffield train would stop in Platform 2 at Retford station, so that space is left for the Hull train.
  • The Hull train will stop behind the Sheffield train in Platform 2 at Retford station.
  • The Sheffield train will leave when ready.
  • The Hull train will leave when ready.

And this would be the procedure going South.

  • The train from Sheffield would line up in Platform 2 at Retford station.
  • The train from Hull would line up in Platform 1 at Retford station.
  • The train from Sheffield would leave when everything is ready and the train is cleared by the signalling system.
  • The train from Hull would leave  a safe number of minutes behind the train from Sheffield.
  • At its Grantham and Stevenage stops, the Hull train will tend to increase the distance between the two trains.
  • The trains could share a platform at King’s Cross.

The digital signalling and the driver’s Mark 1 eyeballs will keep the Hull train, a safe distance behind the faster Sheffield train.

The Capacity Of The Lincoln And Sheffield Line

Looking at the Sheffield and Lincoln Line, it has only an hourly train, that calls at Darnall, Woodhouse, Kiverton Park, Kiverton Bridge, Shireoaks and Worksop between Retford and Sheffield.

  • I would suspect that there is enough spare capacity for Hull Trains to run a one train per two hours (tp2h) service between London King’s Cross and Sheffield.
  • If LNER feel that a 1 tp2h frequency is viable for Harrogate, Lincoln and other places, surely Hull and East Sheffield could support a similar service from King’s Cross.

If the services could be run by battery-electric trains, capable of running at 140 mph on the East Coast Main Line and giving times of ninety minutes to Sheffield, this could be a success.

 

Could Woodhouse Station Become A Transport Hub?

This Google Map shows Woodhouse station.

Note.

  1. It is certainly surrounded by a lot of houses.
  2. Could it be provided with car-parking?

Although, as this picture shows it is not blessed with lots of facilities.

Woodhouse Station

But.

Woodhouse station could be an interchange or it could become something bigger like a hub station.

How Many Sheffield Services Per Day Could Be Run?

If the Hull and Sheffield trains run as a flight under control of the digital signalling, this will mean that every Hull train can be paired with a Sheffield train.

  • There are five trains per day (tpd) to and from Hull and two to and from Beverley.
  • It seems a maximum of one tpd in both directions can be a ten-car train.
  • Two five-car trains could fit in a platform at King’s Cross.

I suspect that the maximum number of trains per day to and from Sheffield is the same as for Hull. i.e. seven tpd.

But there is no reason, if they have enough trains and paths are available, that Hull Trains couldn’t add extra services to both destinations.

Onward From Sheffield

Several of those, who have commented on the new service have suggested that the service could go further than Sheffield, with Manchester and Leeds being given specific mentions.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms at the Northern end of Sheffield station.

Note.

  1. The pink tracks at the East are the Sheffield Supertram.
  2. Trains to and from Barnsley, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Lincoln and Retford access the station from the Northern end.
  3. Trains to and from Chesterfield, Derby, London, Manchester and Stockport access the station from the Southern end.
  4. The tracks in Sheffield station are numbered 1 to 8 from the West.
  5. There are five through platforms. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8 and two bay platforms at either end.
  6. An extension of the service to Manchester via the Hope Valley Line, could go straight through the station.
  7. An extension of the service to Barnsley, Huddersfield or Leeds, would mean the train reversing at Sheffield.

It looks like an extension to Manchester Piccadilly over the recently upgraded Hope Valley Line would be the easiest extension. But would Avanti West Coast, who have FirstGroup as a shareholder want the competition?

Recently, it has been announced that the Penistone Line to Barnsley and Huddersfield will be upgraded to accept two trains per hour (tph) and allow faster running.

Because Sheffield could be around eighty minutes from London, there could be some smart times to and from  the capital.

  • Meadowhall in 90 minutes
  • Barnsley in 112 minutes.
  • Huddersfield in 140 minutes.

Huddersfield could be almost twenty minutes faster than the route via Leeds.

Comments From The Times

These are some readers comments from The Times.

  • Hope the prices are competitive with LNER. I rarely go to London from Chesterfield with EMR as they’re so expensive. LNER from Newark is much cheaper but a service from Worksop for me would be perfect.
  • Excellent News in so many ways. I hope it really takes off which could help ease the congestion on the M1 and also thin out overcrowding on busy LNER services. It really does deserve to succeed.
  • This is excellent news. The Lumo service has been a game changer for me and those living in the north east.

The public seem in favour.

Conclusion

I really like this proposal from FirstGroup.

  • It has the possibility to provide Sheffield with a fast train link to London.
  • It could run about six trains per day.
  • It will be faster than High Speed Two was proposed.

It could be the first service of High Speed Yorkshire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 7, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

British Land Unveils Plans To Transform London’s Euston Tower Into A Life Sciences And Innovation Hub

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from British Land.

The Wikipedia entry for the Euston Tower gives this paragraph of history.

The site was developed by Joe Levy who bought properties along the north side of Euston Road to enable him to build a complex of two tower blocks with office shops and apartments. The building, which was designed by Sidney Kaye Eric Firmin & Partners in the International style and built by George Wimpey, was completed in 1970. It is 36-storeys and 124 metres (407 ft) high. Early tenants included Inmarsat and Capital Radio.

When you get to over fifty years old, various parts of your body get tired and I suspect it is the same with buildings.

These are the two bullet points of the press release.

  • Euston Tower represents a major retrofit and redevelopment opportunity at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter
  • Proposals aim to transform the building into a world-class net zero home for world-leading life science and innovation occupiers

These two paragraphs then add a bit more vision.

Leading property company British Land has unveiled plans to redevelop Euston Tower through an innovative combination of retention, re-use and an ultra-low carbon new structure. The plans would transform the building into a pioneering, modern, net zero workspace for cutting-edge businesses of all sizes, including new world-class, lab-enabled spaces at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter.

Currently under discussion with Camden Council and other local stakeholders, the vision for Euston Tower will lead the way in low carbon retrofit and construction techniques, using inclusive design which creates high quality workspaces and continues to support the local community and economy. The current proposals will bring forward lab-enabled spaces for start-up and scale-up innovation businesses, as well as spaces for the local community to support education and training opportunities.

These are points from the press release.

  1. Leading the design are award-winning Danish architecture practice 3XN.
  2. They are supported by London-based architecture and landscape studio DSDHA who re-designed much of Broadgate’s public realm, including Exchange Square.
  3. In line with British Land’s longstanding commitment to net zero development, the design’s sustainability strategy is based on retaining, re-using and re-cycling existing material, specifying low carbon and recycled materials where new is required and only using certified carbon offsets as an action of last resort.
  4. This multi-layered approach to net zero development aims to create a blueprint for the sustainable redevelopment of challenging, inflexible old buildings that can be used in the future.

British Land has owned and operated Regent’s Place for nearly 40 years, which means they must have a lot of knowledge about how best to develop the building and its surroundings.

They certainly seem to be applying a modern net-zero approach to a building that was iconic and modern in the 1970s.

This afternoon I walked down the Euston Road between Euston and Great Portland Street stations and took these pictures.

Note.

  1. Euston Station is a shadow of its former self.
  2. Euston Tower is the boxy tower on the North side of Euston Road.
  3. University College London Hospital (UCLH) is the tower on the South side of Euston Road.
  4. I believe the glass-fronted building opposite the hospital and Euston Tower contains a lot of BT infrastructure.

I have some thoughts.

Traffic Along The Euston Road

I took the pictures around 1400 in a Friday and they show how busy the Euston Road is most of the time.

According to the Wikipedia entry for the Euston Road, there was a plan to remove the underpass.

In the early-21st century, the Greater London Authority commissioned a plan to improve the road from the architectural firm, Terry Farrell and Partners. The original study proposed removing the underpass (which was subsequently cancelled) and providing a pedestrian crossing and removing the gyratory system connecting the Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street. The scheme was approved by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone as “the start of changing the Marylebone to Euston road from a highway into a series of linked public spaces.” The pedestrian crossing opened in March 2010. Livingstone’s successor, Boris Johnson, favours keeping the Euston Road underpass and declared it to be a good place to test his nerves when cycling around London.

Nothing is said about, where the traffic would have gone, if the underpass had been closed.

I walked along the South side of the Euston Road past the hospital and the air couldn’t be considered clean. As I write this, this website rates it Hazardous.

If we ignore the pollution for pedestrians and cyclists, is it really a road, that is fit for the purpose of moving traffic between King’s Cross and Baker Street, and vice-versa? I don’t think so!

The UK Needs More Lab Space

Cambridge innovators and developers were always saying they needed more lab space.

I also suspect, they are moaning in Oxford too!

So building high-quality space in London could reduce the pressure.

In Canary Wharf Boosts Its Science Ambitions, I talked about the ambitions of Canary Wharf to be a life sciences hub.

The Euston Tower Is Well-Connected

Consider.

  • The Euston Tower is within walking distance of Euston, King’s Cross and St. Pancras stations, with all their long distance connections.
  • The Euston Tower is within walking distance of Euston Square, Great Portland Street, King’s Cross St. Pancras and Warren Square stations, with all their Underground connections.
  • There are buses everywhere.

But that’s not to say, that these links cannot be improved.

Euston High Speed Two Station Could Be Euston Tower’s Sister?

This Google Map shows the location of Euston Town and the proposed Euston High Speed Two station.

Note.

  1. Euston Tower is marked by a red arrow in the South-West corner of the map.
  2. The existing Euston station is in the North-East corner of the map.
  3. The High Speed Two station will be built along the Western side of the existing station.

With good landscaping, an excellent walking route, and perhaps a people mover Euston Tower could have superb connections to the rest of the UK.

Cycling And Walking Could Be A Possibility!

This Google Map shows the wider area around Euston Tower.

Note.

  1. Euston Tower is marked by the red arrow towards the bottom of the map.
  2. To its West lies the cycling- and walking-friendly spaces of Regents Park and Primrose Hill.

In the 1970s, I regularly walked or cycled across the park from where we lived near Primrose Hill to a client in Great Portland Street.

I also suspect other cycling and walking routes could be developed to Euston Tower from Euston, King’s Cross, St. Pancras and other stations.

Crossrail 2

Crossrail 2 would certainly help travelling to the Euston Tower, by linking Euston, King’s Cross and St.Pancras to North-East and South-West suburbs of London, with trains at frequencies of up to 30 thirty trains per hour (tph) in the central tunnel.

But.

  • The new line will cost at least £31.2 billion. Who can afford it?
  • The Elizabeth Line took sixteen years from approval to full opening.
  • Crossrail 2 would still be a walk from Euston Tower.

So Crossrail 2 is unlikely to be any help to the redevelopment of Euston Tower.

Improving The Sub-Surface Lines

The Euston Tower is close to two stations on the sub-surface lines; Euston Square and Great Portland Street.

Services through these stations are currently as follows.

  • Circle Line – 6 tph – In both directions all day.
  • Hammersmith & City Line – 6 tph – In both directions all day.
  • Aldgate and Amersham- 2 tph – In both directions all day.
  • Aldgate and Chesham – 2 tph – In both directions all day.
  • Aldgate and Uxbridge – 6 tph Peak – 8 tph – Off-Peak
  • Aldgate and Watford – 4 tph – Peak

Note.

  1. In the Peak there are 26 tph through Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations.
  2. In the Off Peak there are 24 tph through Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations.
  3. In this article on Modern Railways,it is said that after digital signalling is installed on the sub-surface lines, the capacity on the lines, will be 32 tph in the Peak and 27 tph in the Off-Peak.

These figures give a 33 % capacity increase in the Peak and a 28 % increase in the Off Peak.

Both Great Portland Street and Euston Square stations are cramped and not fully step-free stations and could struggle with a 28 % and upwards increase in passenger numbers.

In The New Step-Free Entrance At Euston Square Station, I detailed TfL’s plans to put a new full step-free entrance South of Euston Road at Euston Square station.

This would not directly help travellers going between Euston Tower and Euston station, but hopefully, it would help to make Euston station less crowded and more passenger-friendly.

It would certainly ease walking between University College and the hospital, and the station.

This map from cartometro shows the Underground lines at Great Portland Street station.

Note.

  1. The yellow and mauve tracks are the sub-surface lines.
  2. The black tracks are the Northern Line.
  3. The blue tracks are the Victoria Line.

This Google Map shows the Euston Tower, Great Portland Street and Warren Street stations.

Note.

  1. The Euston Tower is indicated by a red arrow in the top-right corner of the map.
  2. Great Portland Street station is in the bottom-left corner of the map.
  3. Warren Street station is at the left of the map.

I wonder if the platforms were to be extended Eastwards at Great Portland Street station, that a new entrance to the station could be created perhaps fifty metres from Euston Tower.

I am convinced that the extra passenger traffic created by the life sciences and innovation hub can be handled by an augmented transport infrastructure, which would rely mainly on planned improvements to the sub-surface lines, which are approaching their final stages.

Conclusion

Converting Euston Tower into a life sciences and innovation hub is a plan that I believe can work well!

I would recommend the following improvements to public transport.

  • The planned extra step-free entrance to Euston Square station on Gordon Street is constructed.
  • An  extra fully step-free entrance is built at the Eastern ends of the platforms at Great Portland Street station, which would be about halfway between Euston Tower and the station.

As improvements to the signalling of the sub-surface lines will deliver an upwards of 27 % capacity on the sub-surface lines, the life sciences and innovation hub might as well take advantage.

 

December 1, 2023 Posted by | News, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Are LNER Going To Take On The Airlines?

Nine years ago, I wrote Edinburgh – Plane Or Train?, after a trip to Scotland, where I took easyJet up and came back in First Class by train.

  • Both trips were about five hours door-to-door.
  • The flight was about six quid more,
  • But I got free food and drink on the train.
  • Security on the plane was a pain.
  • I had to take my passport for identification at Stansted.

I haven’t flown internally in Great Britain since, although, I have flown to Belfast.

For shorter flights the market is going towards rail, as these posts seem to suggest.

The climate seems to be turning against flying short-haul.

This is a paragraph, in this press release from LNER, which is entitled First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line.

This new fleet of trains will keep LNER on track to reduce its emissions by 67 per cent by 2035 and be net zero by 2045. LNER has already reduced carbon emissions by 50 per cent compared with 2018/19. Per mile, LNER trains produce 15 times less carbon emissions than a domestic flight.

Are LNER building a number of climate-based sticks, with which to beat the airlines on the routes, where they compete?

These are my thoughts on the various routes, where LNER compete with airlines.

Newcastle

Newcastle is an interesting one.

  • Newcastle station is in the city centre and is on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
  • London King’s Cross is one of London’s major Underground hubs.
  • There are lots of buses and local trains within walking distance of both stations.
  • There are three trains every two hours and an additional eight trains per day (tpd) between the two London King’s Cross and Newcastle stations.
  • Lumo also run five tpd on the route.
  • There are generally no security delays at rail stations.
  • London King’s Cross is laid out to maximise passenger flows. If it gets busy, everybody just walks out into King’s Cross Square.
  • I’ve never had a problem at Newcastle station with overcrowding.

Perhaps, if you live near one of the airports, flying is more convenient.

LNER’s weapons against the airlines between London King’s Cross and Newcastle will be convenience and journey times.

Convenience is all about the location of the stations, their excellent  local transport networks and good walking routes around the station.

Journey times will only get better, as the magic of digital in-cab signalling, allows the Azumas, the new CAF tri-mode long distance trains and the few remaining InterCity 225s to show what they were designed to do.

Dalton-on-Tees, where the first phase of the digitally signalling will end, is 39.8 miles South of Newcastle, so once the Newcastle train is passes Dalton-on-Tees on the East Coast Main Line, it will be a digital-signalled electrified railway all the way to Woolmer Green.

  • Dalton-on-Tees is 39.8 miles South of Newcastle
  • Woolmer Green is 244.8 miles South of Newcastle.
  • Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green is 205 miles.
  • Newcastle and Dalton-on-Tees takes 37 minutes.
  • Woolmer Green and King’s Cross takes 18 minutes
  • Trains take typically an average three hours and nine minutes between London and Newcastle.
  • A typical train time by LNER between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green is two hours and 14 minutes.
  • This is an average speed of 91.8 mph between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
  • Between London King’s Cross and Newcastle is fully-electrified.

I can build a table of timings and savings at various average speeds.

  • 120 mph – 103 minutes – two hours and 38 minutes – 31 minutes
  • 125 mph – 98 minutes – two hours and 33 minutes – 36 minutes
  • 130 mph – 95 minutes – two hours and 30 minutes – 39 minutes
  • 135 mph – 91 minutes – two hours and 26 minutes – 43 minutes
  • 140 mph – 88 minutes – two hours and 23 minutes – 46 minutes

Note.

  1. The first field is the average speed between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
  2. The second field is the time between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green.
  3. The third field is the time between London and Newcastle.
  4. The fourth field is the saving over current timings.
  5. The London and Newcastle time is calculated by adding the times for the three sections together.

I have regularly timed trains at a very constant 125 mph, so with digital signalling, I suspect an average of 130 mph is possible.

This would mean, times of a few minutes under two hours and thirty minutes could be possible between London and Newcastle.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh builds on the improvements South of Newcastle.

Edinburgh station Waverley is a well-connected station.

  • There are lots of buses, local trains and the Edinburgh Tram within walking distance of Edinburgh Waverley station.
  • There are three trains every two hours and an additional seven tpd between the London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley stations.
  • Lumo also run five tpd on the route.
  • Trains take typically an average four hours and thirty minutes between London and Edinburgh Waverley.
  • Any savings because of the digital in-cab signalling between London and Newcastle can be applied to London and Edinburgh Waverley services.

As my calculations showed that averaging 130 mph between Dalton-on-Tees and Woolmer Green could save 39 minutes on journey times, I am fairly sure than a sub-four hour journey time will be possible between London and Edinburgh Waverley.

It should also be noted that that the power supply has been improved between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.

  • The distance between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley is 124.2 miles
  • Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley takes around one hour and 30 minutes.
  • This is an average speed of 82.8 mph between Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
  • Between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley is fully-electrified.

As the record time for between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley was set by an InterCity225 train in 1993 at three hours and twenty-nine minutes, I suspect that with more digital signalling and some track improvements, that there are more journey time improvements to be squeezed out.

I certainly believe that a time of three hours and fifty minutes between London and Edinburgh Waverley will be regularly achieved. This is a journey time saving of around forty minutes.

Dundee

Dundee has an airport and a station on the East Coast Main Line.

Trains between London  King’s Cross and Dundee take around five hours and 45 minutes.

LNER run three trains per day to and from London King’s Cross and one tpd to and from Leeds.

CrossCountry also run services.

Loganair has two flights per day to Heathrow.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen builds on the improvements South of Edinburgh.

The four direct tpd between London and Aberdeen take around seven hours and ten minutes.

This should come down to around six hours and thirty minutes with the journey time savings between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley.

Will this tempt travellers from the airlines?

Battery-Electric Trains To Dundee And Aberdeen

One thing that will help, is that Edinburgh and Aberdeen is to be partially electrified.

InPiling Work To Get Underway To Electrify Line To Fife, I included this Network Rail map of the electrification.

This map has been downloaded from the Network Rail web site.

The electrification is split into four phases.

  1. Haymarket and Dalmeny – 25 km
  2. Kirkcaldy and Thornton North – 25 km.
  3. Lochgelly and Thornton North – 20 km.
  4. Thornton North and Ladybank – 34 km.

Note.

  1. The last three phases of electrification connect to Thornton North.
  2. The new rail link to Leven will also be electrified. and connected to Thornton North.
  3. The Forth Bridge is not to be electrified.

As Ladybank station is just 91.4 miles from Aberdeen, I suspect LNER will use  Hitachi Intercity Battery Hybrid Trains to serve Aberdeen.

If these trains haven’t got the range, then I suspect LNER’s new CAF Tri-Mode Trains could handle the route.

Inverness

Inverness has a problem.

Zero-carbon trains will be unlikely to get to the city without  full electrification of the Highland Main Line.

  • Dunblane is the nearest electrified station to Inverness, but it is 146.2 miles away over a route with lots of steep climbs.
  • I doubt that a battery-electric train could handle that route.

One solution would be for LNER to run the new CAF Tri-Mode Trains to Inverness using HVO or biodiesel.

Glasgow

Glasgow is the only other Scottish city with an airport and good rail connections to the South.

I am sure that Avanti West Coast will target airline passengers, if LNER prove it is a successful policy.

Other Factors

These are other factors, that will come into a traveller’s choice.

First Class

Some travellers like a bit more comfort and service.

Ability To Work

Some travellers like to work on a train.

You Don’t Get Tables On a Plane

I like to open a paper or magazine flat, which is difficult on a plane.

Views Tend To Be Better On a Train

Providing you get a window!

Parking Tends To Be Better At An Airport

But it may be more expensive!

Security Is Less Hassle On A Train

At the moment!

You Don’t Need To Prove Your Identity On A Train

Not in the UK! Yet!

Conclusion

It looks like LNER can offer the airlines to four of our major Northern cities serious zero-carbon competition.

 

November 19, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do LNER Have Plans For Lincolnshire?

I ask the question in the title of this post, for two reasons.

Note.

  1. London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln is just over 200 miles.
  2. Around eighty miles between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes is not electrified.
  3. The Cleethorpes/Grimsby area is doing well because of all the offshore wind and the power stations at Keadby.
  4. I am fairly sure, that Lincolnshire will attract more energy-related businesses or ones that need a lot of energy.
  5. Lincoln is a city that is becoming more important for business and education.
  6. Lincoln probably needs a train service to the capital of at least one train per hour (tph).

For a train to do the round-trip between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes, without refueling or charging the batteries at Cleethorpes, needs a train with a range without electrification of over 150 miles.

It seems to me, that LNER’s new CAF tri-mode long distance trains would be ideal to run a one train per two hours (tp2h), between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes.

  • The service could call at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
  • I estimate that the trip would take about 0ne hour and 55 minutes to Lincoln and two hours and 55 minutes to Cleethorpes.
  • The CAF tri-mode long distance trains could probably easily handle the 160 miles without wires.
  • Cleethorpes can handle a ten-car train.

The current London King’s Cross and Lincoln service and the future London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes would be timed to give Lincoln an hourly service to and from London King’s Cross.

Serving Sleaford And Spalding

It must surely be possible to route the Cleethorpes trains to the South of Lincoln, via Sleaford, Spalding and the new Werrington dive-under, so that Sleaford and Spalding would have a direct service to London.

Don’t Forget Skegness And Boston

Consider.

Skegness, Boston and other places are connected to the East Coast Main Line, by an hourly train to Nottingham via Grantham.

They are also connected to Lincoln and Peterborough at Sleaford.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the lines at Sleaford.

Note.

  1. Sleaford station is marked with the blue arrow.
  2. The orange track is the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, that avoids Sleaford.
  3. The yellow track going East-West is the Grantham and Skegness Line.
  4. There is a loop from the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, so that passenger trains can go through Sleaford station.

I think that there are possibilities to improve the experience at Sleaford.

One possibility must be to build a Park-and-Ride station, where the two lines cross.

How Many Trains Would Be Needed For London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes Via Peterborough?

I estimate that the journey time could be around two hours and 45-50 minutes, so perhaps a six-hour round trip would be possible.

To run an hourly service would need six trains, with three needed for one tp2h.

New Infrastructure Required

The only new infrastructure required, might be some method of refuelling the CAF tri-mode long distance train at Cleethorpes.

November 18, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lights And Signs In Old Street Roundabout

London’s slowest construction project seems to have been making a bit of progress as more traffic lights are working and signs have been erected.

Note.

  1. There’s still a fair bit to do in the middle of the roundabout.
  2. There is a notice saying it will be finished in early 2024.
  3. I suspect, that if the bus stops are placed for the benefit of passengers, it will add more passengers to the 141 buses.

But I can’t wait for it to be finished, as it will ease my journeys to the Elizabeth Line. But only because the bus I take gets stuck in all the traffic at the roundabout.

Two days after I took the first pictures, I took these, as I used the Northern Line to go from Old Street station to King’s Cross St. Pancras station.

Note.

  1. The tunnel and lift need to be completed.
  2. The walk wasn’t difficult except for the rubbish outside the fast-food shops.
  3. But then the streets of Islington are paved with rubbish.
  4. I’m now more convinced that this route opens fully, it’ll increase passengers on the 141 buses.
  5. But then what does SadIQ Khan and his useful idiots know about mathematical modelling?

 

October 21, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Improving Trains Between London And Bradford

Current Services Between London And Bradford

LNER services run between Kings Cross  and Bradford Forster Square stations.

  • Two trains per day (tpd) run between Bradford and London in the early morning.
  • Two tpd run between London and Bradford in the evening.
  • Trains take two and three-quarter hours.
  • Stops are at Shipley, Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Doncaster, Retford Grantham and Stevenage.
  • Trains seem to be generally a pair of five-car Class 801 trains.

Note.

  1. Trains reverse at Leeds.
  2. The timetable seems a bit lopsided, as there is no early morning train to Bradford or an evening one to London.
  3. Harrogate gets a one train per two hours (tp2h) service to and from London.

The timetable could do with an improvement.

Grand Central services run between Kings Cross  and Bradford Interchange stations.

  • Four tpd run between Bradford and London.
  • Four tpd run between London and Bradford.
  • Trains take three and a quarter hours.
  • Stops are at Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
  • Trains are five-car Class 180 trains, which have seen better days.

Note.

  1. The timetable seems a bit lopsided, as there is no early morning train to Bradford or an evening one to London.

The timetable and the trains could do with an improvement.

LNER’s New Ticketing And Nine-Ten Car Trains

LNER have introduced the selling of  Advanced Tickets from machines or the Booking Office as late as five minutes before the train leaves.

  • My last three trips from Leeds to London cost me £33.55, £33.75 and £33.55 with my Senior Railcard.
  • All were bought less than ten minutes before the train left.
  • In two of the journeys, I spread out in two seats
  • Trains were either a pair of five-car Class 801 trains or a nine-car InterCity 225.

I took these pictures after my last return from Leeds on Tuesday.

Note.

  1. Two of the three trains I’ve taken lately have arrived 3-4 minutes early.
  2. Not a great increase, but I do wonder if LNER are seeing what is possible with the new digital signalling.
  3. The British Rail era; InterCity 225 seems to hold its own against the new Hitachi train.

I wouldn’t be surprised that LNER intend to both run high-capacity trains between London and Leeds and fill them by competitive pricing.

A Grand Central Train Failure On Tuesday

This was my journey to Bradford on Tuesday,

  • I was supposed to take the 1057 Grand Central service to Bradford Interchange, where it was timed to arrive at 1400.
  • But the train didn’t run and we were all advised to get on the 1103 to Leeds and change at Doncaster.
  • We arrived at Doncaster in Platform 4, a minute late at 1240 and got straight on a Grand Central train in the opposite Platform 6.
  • We left Doncaster at 1251, which was sixteen minutes late.
  • But we arrived in Bradford Interchange more or less on time at 1401.

Despite leaving six minutes late from Kings Cross and changing trains at Doncaster, we arrived at Bradford on time.

Battery-Electric Trains Between London and Bradford Interchange

I feel that my journey on Tuesday indicated.

  • Electric trains between London and Doncaster can easily meet the current timetable.
  • The Grand Central train went between Doncaster and Bradford Interchange was sixteen minutes faster than the timetable.

I wouldn’t be surprised that London and Bradford Interchange could be a few minutes under three hours.

Consider.

  • It has been said that between Bradford Interchange and Leeds will be electrified.
  • Bradford Interchange and Doncaster does not have electrification, but is only 52 miles.
  • Electrification of Bradford Interchange station, will allow battery-electric trains to be charged in around 10-12 minutes.
  • Most inter-city battery-electric trains have a battery range of at least eighty miles.
  • Digital signalling is being installed between London and Doncaster to allow 140 mph running and more trains in the timetable.

I believe that a battery-electric train with sufficient range, charging South of Doncaster and at Bradford Interchange could go between London and Bradford Interchange in 5-10 minutes under three hours.

Bradford Interchange and all the other stations North of Doncaster on the route could probably also have a one tp2h service to and from London and the South.

Splitting And Joining Of Trains

Consider.

  • Pairs of the Hitachi Class 801 trains have the ability to split and join en route, during a station stop extended by a few minutes.
  • Platforms are long enough to handle splitting and joining at Doncaster, Leeds and York.
  • Currently, three services to and from London go past Leeds; Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate and Skipton. All these services reverse in Leeds station, when they pass through.
  • The reversing in Leeds station takes about 8-9 minutes.
  • The track between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square is electrified.
  • Leeds and Harrogate is not electrified and is 19.3 miles.
  • The track between Leeds and Skipton is electrified.
  • Bradford Forster Square has a service of two tpd.
  • Harrogate has a service of one tp2h.
  • Skipton has a service of one  tpd.

In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said.

From December 2019, LNER introduced a Harrogate to London service six times a day. LNER expected to introduce two-hourly services to Bradford and a daily service to Huddersfield by May 2020 when more Azuma trains had been introduced, however the latter has not yet been introduced.

Note.

  1. The Huddersfield service would have to reverse in Leeds station, like those to Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate and Skipton.
  2. Leeds and Huddersfield is not electrified and is 17.1 miles.
  3. Leeds and Huddersfield is being electrified.

Could LNER’s plan be to give Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield and Skipton stations a two-hourly service , as the Wikipedia extract indicated, they intend to do for Bradford?

  • All trains enter and leave Leeds to and from the West.
  • Pairs of five-car trains would split and join at Leeds.
  • Bradford Forster Square and Skipton services would be served by electric trains.
  • Harrogate and Huddersfield services would be served by bi-mode or battery-electric trains.
  • Horsforth, Keighley and Shipley could also get a one tp2h service to London.

It looks like services via Leeds could be much improved.

In a two-hour period the Leeds area will have the following trains to and from London Kings Cross.

  • Two trains between London and Leeds via Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
  • One train between London and Bradford Forster Square via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford (Bradford-bound only), Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley.
  • One train between London and Harrogate via Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Horsforth
  • One train between London and Huddersfield via Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds
  • One train between London and Skipton via Peterborough, Newark Northgate, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, Shipley (London-bound only) and Keighley.

Note.

  1. Stops between London and Leeds would be adjusted to satisfy passenger numbers.
  2. Currently, there are a total of four trains in a two hour period.
  3. Six trains will be fitted in by having two London and Leeds trains and two pairs of five-car trains, that joined and split at Leeds.

There is still only four train paths needed in a two hour period between London and Leeds.

Digital Signalling Between London And Doncaster

The East Coast Digital Programme has its own web site, which gives this introduction to the programme.

The East Coast Digital Programme is delivering the next generation of train travel – creating a better performing East Coast Main Line for passengers and everyone else who uses and depends on it.

As part of the programme, traditional lineside signals will be removed and replaced with state-of the art digital signalling to improve the reliability of the train service.

The new technology continuously communicates with each train, providing signalling information directly to a computer screen in the driver’s cab. It boosts reliability, reduces carbon emissions and provides a more punctual service for customers.

In the first stage, digital signalling will be introduced on the Northern City Line, between Finsbury Park and Moorgate. It will then be progressively rolled out on the southern section of the East Coast Main Line (between London King’s Cross and the Stoke Tunnels, near Grantham).

It is expected that the first trains to operate on the East Coast Main Line using digital signalling technology will run in 2025, with all improvements expected to be completed by the end of the decade.

As a result of this programme, the East Coast Main Line will be GB’s first intercity mainline to be upgraded to digital. It lays the foundation for further improvements across the network, creating a more efficient railway fit for the future.

There is also a video.

Benefits of digital signalling will include.

  • 140 mph running instead of 125 mph.
  • An increase in the number of train paths.
  • Trains will be able to be run closer together.

As a Graduate Control Engineer, I also believe that digital signalling will enable better control of trains through bottlenecks.

A computer solution would surely be more affordable than some massive civil engineering.

What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?

I put my thoughts in What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?.

Conclusion

The original High Speed Two specification gave a time of one hour and twenty-one minutes between Euston and Leeds.

I suspect that time will be approached before 2040.

September 15, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

London North Eastern Railway Runs Trial Train To Liverpool Street

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.

These two paragraphs, describe why this was done.

In an effort to mitigate the effect on passengers during disruption to services, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ran one of its Azuma trains from Finsbury Park to London Liverpool Street during the early hours of this morning, Friday, 14th July.

The trial run took place to determine the long-term feasibility of diverting services during periods of planned disruption or when significant engineering works were taking place.

There doesn’t seem to have been any problems.

  • The route in from Finsbury Park station went through Canonbury, Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central, Homerton, Hackney Wick, Stratford and Bethnal Green stations, which was a distance of 9.6 miles.
  • The route out to Finsbury Park station went through Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Dalston Kingsland and Canonbury, what was a distance of 5.8 miles.

Note.

  1. Two different routes were checked.
  2. The Class 800 train had five cars.
  3. Platform 4 at Liverpool Street station was used, which is normally used by London Overground and Cambridge services.

As this comes so soon after the test run to Cleethorpes, that I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I wonder if Network Rail and the train operating companies are planning for some worst case scenario, where the two or more of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Lone and East Coast Main Line are blocked.

LNER and Network Rail have shown the following.

  • Azumas can use Cleethorpes station.
  • Azumas can use Liverpool Street station.

We also know that Cleethorpes has a direct TransPennine train service across the North of England to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.

So if say Euston has to be shut for perhaps fourteen days during the construction of High Speed Two, a service between Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes via Colchester, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and Lincoln could be used to get some passengers to and from the North.

The other big problem is the removal of the problems of the Newark Crossing, which if it results in a long blockade of the East Coast Main Line, might need services to go into an alternative London terminal.

The Powerhouse In The East

Consider.

  • The importance of Cambridge to the economy of the UK is growing fast.
  • The city suffers from a shortage of commercial premises, housing and staff at all levels.
  • I have just looked at the non-passenger traffic on the West Anglia Main Line for all of yesterday and there were just six freight trains through Bishop’s Stortford.

I wonder, if it would be possible to run a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service via Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town?

  • The service avoids the East Coast Main Line, except through Peterborough, where it would use the separate Werrington lines.
  • Liverpool Street is in the heart of one of the world’s major financial centres.
  • Liverpool Street is on the Elizabeth Line.
  • The service could call at Stansted Airport, but a reverse would be needed.
  • Peterborough is sometimes promoted in Cambridge as a city, that could be developed, to provide  support for Cambridge.
  • A reverse would be needed at Lincoln.
  • Lincoln is developing as a university city with character.
  • Grimsby and Cleethorpes are close to the fast expanding Humberside renewable energy and hydrogen cluster.

The service could be paired with a Liverpool Street and Norwich service, via Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.

The services could alternate every half hour or perhaps leave London as a pair and split and join at Cambridge.

Platform Availability At Kings Cross And Liverpool Street

Consider.

  • Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line will increase the number of possible trains between London and the North.
  • LNER have said they want to increase services to the North and have identified a possible service to Cleethorpes.
  • Grand Central would like to increase services to Bradford.
  • Lumo have started services to Newcastle and Edinburgh from Kings Cross.
  • The Elizabeth Line now runs less services into Liverpool Street station.
  • The Elizabeth Line connects to  Liverpool Street, but doesn’t connect to King’s Cross.
  • Liverpool Street is to undergo a major refurbishment, which should increase the overall passenger capacity of the station.

Would it be sensible to move a small number of services from King’s Cross to Liverpool Street?

Surely, the logical service to move to Liverpool Street would be the new Cleethorpes service.

  • It would route via Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
  • It would use the Werrington Lines through Peterborough.
  • It would not need a path on the East Coast Main Line.
  • The service would provide a much needed direct link between Cambridge and Lincoln via Peterborough.
  • The service could also be hourly or two-hourly.

I also believe that a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service could be run by a battery-electric Azuma.

  • The route is electrified between Liverpool Street and Ely and through Peterborough.
  • Ely and Peterborough is 30 miles.
  • Peterborough and Lincoln is 56.9 miles.
  • Lincoln and Cleethorpes is 47.2 miles.
  • There would need to be a charging station or a few miles of electrification at Cleethorpes.
  • There may be 134.1 miles of unelectrified track, but there can be a Splash and Dash at Peterborough.

A Stadler Akku would be able to handle this route, so I suspect that a similar-sized battery-electric Azuma should also be able to handle the route.

July 19, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023

I took these pictures at Cleethorpes station yesterday.

Compare them with this one taken three years ago.

Note.

  1. It appears a Platform 4 has been created on the seaward side of the station.
  2. The track in Platform 4 in yesterday’s pictures appears to be newly-ballasted, whereas three years ago it had an air of dereliction.
  3. There is now a smart blue wooden fence separating the tracks from the station concourse.
  4. Strangely, the lighting between Platforms 3 and 4 had been installed three years ago.
  5. There are different types of lighting on the two islands. Could this be because Network Rail are looking for the lights that perform best in a seaside environment?

This Google Map shows Cleethorpes station.

Note.

  1. The track in Platform 4 appears to be complete.
  2. The station is very handy for the beach.

In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I said this.

It looks like three platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Cleethorpes station were checked.

I think it is possible to say, that once Network Rail’s brickies and paviours have tidied up, that Cleethorpes station will be LNER-ready and could accept a service from London via Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.

What Will Be The Initial Service Of The London and Cleethorpes Service?

The Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, says this about the London service.

In the 1970s Cleethorpes had a twice daily return service to London King’s Cross, typically hauled by a Class 55 Deltic.

Three people, I spoke to about the possible service, mentioned that two trains per day would be the frequency.

I certainly think, that this frequency, could be a sensible initial frequency.

If it worked in the 1970s, I can see why it might work in the 2020s.

  • Kids still like to go to the seaside and the station is close.
  • This area of North-East Lincolnshire, is getting increasingly important as an energy and hydrogen powerhouse.
  • Cleethorpes station has the space to handle more train services.
  • Cleethorpes station has a small depot nearby, which could ease train operations, by stabling a train overnight for an early start in the morning.

But there is one factor that could attract passengers to use the train between King’s Cross and Cleethorpes. I believe that the soon-to-be-announced Hitachi battery-electric Class 800 trains could be able to handle the route without using a drop of fossil fuel.

Running Battery-Electric Class 800 trains Between King’s Cross And Cleethorpes

Consider.

  • Cleethorpes and Lincoln is 47.2 miles with three stops.
  • Lincoln and Newark Northgate, where the electrification starts is 16.7 files.
  • Cleethorpes and Newark Northgate is 63.9 miles, with an out-and-back trip being 127.8 miles.
  • Battery-electric trains would do most of their charging between King’s Cross and Newark Northgate.
  • Full or partial charging should be possible at both Cleethorpes and Lincoln.
  • Battery-electric trains could give help, in cases of catenary failure on the East Coast Main Line.
  • In What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?, I said that I believed a Class 800 battery train would eventually have a battery range in excess of the Stadler FLIRT Akku’s 139 miles, as no-one likes being second.

I believe these strategies are possible.

Charge A Round Trip At Cleethorpes

Consider.

  • This is a range of just 63.9 miles.
  • The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
  • Charging at Cleethorpes could be by a short length of overhead electrification in Cleethorpes station or a specialist charger in the small depot.
  • Charge time would be around 15 minutes.
  • If charging were in the station, there would be no shunting of trains around.

This could be a simple and efficient way to run the service.

A Battery Round Trip To Cleethorpes

  • This is a range of 127.8 miles.
  • The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
  • I believe that this service would need a simple charger at Cleethorpes station, as trains do get delayed and these delays on a battery-electric train, may increase the need for charging.
  • Also what would happen in Grimsby Town were at home to a London club in the FA Cup?

This could be a reliable way to run the service, but I believe drivers need a charging facility at Cleethorpes as a fail-safe backup.

Electrification Between Grimsby Town And Cleethorpes

In Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes – 28th June 2023, I said this.

3.3 miles between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes took just ten minutes.

All trains terminating at Cleethorpes would get at least twenty minutes of charging, every time, they turned round at the station.

Much of the route between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes is only single-track, so this could be a very affordable option.

I don’t think there would be many objectors to electrifying between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.

An hourly train would use twenty minutes in ever hour between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes, it looks like the limit would be three trains per hour terminating at Cleethorpes.

So could the three trains be the following?

  • One train to Liverpool Lime Street.
  • One train to Lincoln, with alternate trains continuing to Nottingham, Loughborough and Leicester and some trains to Kings Cross.
  • One train to Barton-on-Humber.

Note.

  1. The Liverpool Lime Street train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Hazel Grove, which is 101.4 miles.
  2. A London King’s Cross train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Newark Northgate, which is 60.6 miles.
  3. A Leicester train, could use batteries between Grimsby Town and Leicester, which is 105.3 miles. Nottingham and Grimsby Town is 77.8 miles.
  4. Leicester and Nottingham services would need electrification at the Western end.
  5. King;s Cross, Leicester and Nottingham services would be arranged so Lincoln and Cleethorpes was an hourly service.
  6. A Barton-on-Humber train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Barton-on-Humber , which is 19.6 miles or 39.2 miles for a round trip.

Cleethorpes station could be at the centre of its own battery-electric train network, with all trains powered by just 3.3 miles of single-track electrification.

 

June 29, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.

This is the first paragraph.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) completed a test run from Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire and London King’s Cross, with the view to operating a direct service in the future.

These two paragraphs describe how the tests were carried out.

A first test train travelled from Doncaster on 26 June which called at Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Barnetby and Market Rasen. At each station, a series of platform and train validations were performed to ensure that a service could be compatible in the future.

On the journey itself, a specialist team travelled onboard, carried out a number of checks and assessments which is required for any potential new route or extension. A detailed assessment was undertaken. The findings will now be reviewed by the stakeholders.

The test run was in four sections.

  • 5Q80 – Departed Doncaster Carr Lane Depot at 0817 and arrived Cleethorpes Platform 4 at 1000.
  • 5Q81 – Departed Cleethorpes Platform 3 at 1054 and arrived Lincoln Central Platform 5 at 1219.
  • 5Q82 – Departed Lincoln Central Platform 5 at 1226 and arrived Cleethorpes Platform 2 at 1355.
  • 5Q83 – Departed Cleethorpes Platform 2 at 1528 and arrived Doncaster Carr Lane Depot at 1654.

Note.

  1. These details came from Real Time Trains.
  2. It looks like three platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Cleethorpes station were checked.
  3. The route between Cleethorpes and Lincoln Central was checked both ways.
  4. The route between Doncaster Carr Lane Depot and Cleethorpes was checked both ways.
  5. Typically, each station stop took around 10-12 minutes, which probably gave adequate time for the specialist team to make their checks and assessments.
  6. Class 800 trains run six times a day between Lincoln Central and King’s Cross, so I must assume that section is well-checked and has the correct clearances.
  7. Lincoln Central station is 16.7 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Newark Northgate station.
  8. Cleethorpes station is 52.1 miles from the electrified East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station.
  9. The distance between Lincoln Central and Cleethorpes stations is 47.2 miles.
  10. The timing between Lincoln Central and Cleethorpes appears to be just under one hour and thirty minutes.

It looks like a thorough test has been performed.

I have a few thoughts.

Platforms At Cleethorpes Station

According to the Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, the station has three platforms, which are numbered 1, 2 and 3.

These three pictures show Cleethorpes station in 2020.

 

Note.

  1. The two trains are Class 185 trains of TransPennine Express.
  2. The train in the left is in Platform 1.
  3. Platform 2 appears to be empty.
  4. The train on the right is Platform 3.

I would assume Platform 4 could be the derelict platform shown in the third picture at the right. Or it might be a typo!

But if it is felt that LNER  will need their own platform, it would surely be a good idea to do all testing at the same time.

Initial Service Pattern

I would expect that the initial service pattern would follow that used for many new services.

  • There will be an early morning train up to London.
  • There will be a late afternoon or early evening return train.

Journey time could be around three hours and twenty minutes.

Once the demand is proven, extra trains to and from London might be added in the middle of the day.

Could This Service Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 800 Trains?

From a picture on this article on the BBC, the test run appears to have been carried out by a bi-mode Class 800 train.

The full route from Doncaster to King’s Cross has four sections.

  • Doncaster and Cleethorpes – 52.1 miles – Unelectrified
  • Cleethorpes and Lincoln Central – 47.2 miles – Unelectrified
  • Lincoln Central and Newark Northgate – 16.7 miles – Unelectrified
  • Newark Northgate and King’s Cross – 120.1 – Electrified

To go between King’s Cross and Doncaster via Cleethorpes would need a battery-electric train with a range of 116 miles.

In What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?, I came to this conclusion about the battery range of a Class 800 train.

The first version of the battery-electric train will have a range of around a hundred miles, so that they can handle the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line diversion on battery power.

But fairly soon after introduction into service, I will be very surprised if they don’t claim the Guinness world record by running farther than the Stadler FLIRT Akku’s 139 miles.

Note.

  1. Trains would be charged using the existing electrification of the East Coast Main Line.
  2. No new infrastructure would be required.

But for service recovery reasons, it could be prudent to add electrification to Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.

Could TransPennine’s Service Between Doncaster and Cleethorpes Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 802 Trains?

As it is only a round trip of 104.2 miles, I don’t see why this couldn’t be done by say 2028.

Could LNER’s Service Between King’s Cross and Lincoln Be Served By Battery-Electric Class 800 Trains?

As it is only a round trip of only 33.4 miles, this is the easy trip to decarbonise.

 

June 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 8 Comments

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