Platform Canopies To Be Renovated For Passengers At Lancaster Station
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Station platform canopies are being renovated at Lancaster to improve passenger journeys on the West Coast Main Line.
Network Rail is investing £9.5m to restore and upgrade the station building for the future.
This picture from Network Rail shows an aerial view of the station.
Note that the camera is looking South.
This picture shows the current canopies.
Network Rail can surely do better on a Grade II Listed Building.
The press release lists that this work will be done.
- Replacing all glazing in the platform canopies
- Repairing and strengthening the structure of the canopy structures
- Repainting across the station
The press release says the work won’t affect train services, but will be done when trains aren’t running.
These are my thoughts.
Lancaster Station and High Speed Two
Lancaster station will be a terminus on the High Speed Two Network.
Note.
- Train 4 , which is a pair of 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains, leaves London Euston and splits at Crewe, with one train going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
- Train 12, which runs between Birmingham Curzon Street and Scotland, also calls at Lancaster.
Both trains will be single 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains at Lancaster station and platforms 3, 4 and 5 can handle them.
But how will the Lancaster train terminate?
This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the lines through Lancaster station.
Note.
- The red lines are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- In the North-West corner of the station are the bay platforms 1 and 2, which handle Morecambe services.
- West Coast Main Line services between London Euston and Scotland, go through platforms 3 and 4 in the middle of the station.
- On the East side of the station is platform 5 which is on a loop off the West Coast Main Line.
I would expect that the London Euston and Lancaster service will generally terminate in platform 5.
Wikipedia says this about platform 5 and the signalling.
Platform 5, which can be used by both northbound and southbound trains or by terminating services.
All platforms are signalled for arrivals and departures in either direction.
That all sounds very convenient.
There may be some minor changes for the longer High Speed Two trains, but I doubt it would be too challenging.
Onward To Morecambe
The Eden Project North at Morecambe could attract a lot of traffic.
- Lancaster will be just two hours and three minutes from London by High Speed Two.
- There are numerous rail connections from Lancaster to all over the North of England and Scotland.
- Would you drive for two hours to the Eden Project North, if there was a convenient and quicker train?
- Train companies may offer combined tickets for the attraction with rail tickets.
Wikipedia says this about the development and opening of the attraction.
Having been granted planning permission in January 2022 and with £50 million of levelling-up funding granted in January 2023, it is due to open in 2024 and predicted to benefit the North West economy by £200 million per year.
I’ve always wanted to go to the Eden Project in Cornwall, but it’s difficult if you don’t drive.
However, I might manage to get to Eden Project North.
Trains between Morecambe and Lancaster are at least hourly.
- I think they can use any platform at Lancaster.
- Morecambe station has two platforms.
- Morecambe and Lancaster stations are four miles apart, with probably half electrified.
- A battery-electric train could work between Morecambe and Lancaster.
I can envisage two main ways to arrange the connection between Morecambe and Lancaster.
- Trains arrive in Lancaster and passengers for Morecambe catch the next Morecambe train for two stops, that take ten minutes.
- When High Speed Two serves Lancaster from Euston, the shuttle train can wait in the Northern end of Platform 5 and when the High Speed Two train arrives passengers can just walk up the platform to the shuttle.
But if the Eden Project North is as successful as the Cornish original, there is going to be a need for more trains between Morecambe and Lancaster.
This Google Map shows Morecambe station.
Note that the island platform is probably about 160 metres long.
This would accommodate.
- A five-car Class 802 or Class 805 train.
- A pair of four-car Class 319, Class 321 trains.
- A pair of three-car Class 331 trains.
But why not be bold and lengthen at least one platform to the full two hundred metres, so that it can accommodate a High Speed Classic Compatible train?
This would also accommodate.
- A seven-car Class 807 train.
- A pair of four-car Class 331 trains.
All of these electric trains would need the Morecambe branch line to be electrified to Morecambe station.
But the Eden Project North would get the public transport access it needs.
Electrifying To Morecambe
This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the Morecambe Branch Line between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station.
Note.
- The tracks shown in red on the Eastern side of the map are the West Coast Main Line.
- The black lines are the unelectrified tracks of the Morecambe branch line.
- Morecambe station is marked by the blue arrow.
- Much of the Morecambe branch line is single track, with some sections of double track.
- The distance between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station is around 2.1 miles.
I don’t think it would be the most challenging of electrifications.
A Green Route To The Isle Of Man And Ireland
This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the terminal of the Morecambe Branch Line at Heysham Port.
Note.
- There is a rail connection to the West Coast Main Line via Morecambe, which is shown in yellow.
- The port appears to have three berths for ferries.
- There are only a couple of train services per day.
- South of the port is the Heysham nuclear power station, which has a capacity of 2.5 GW.
At a first glance, it would appear, that a rail-served passenger terminal could be built close to the port.
I suspect most passengers using Heysham are travelling with a vehicle.
The problem is also that the ferry crossing to Belfast takes around eight hours and there are faster and more convenient routes.
The ferries could be decarbonised by using ammonia or hydrogen fuel, but I doubt that they would be any faster.
I suspect that getting more passengers to use Heysham for the Isle of Man or Ireland will be a difficult proposition to sell to passengers.
And it is made even more difficult with such an infrequent train service.
Before High Speed Two
Avanti West Coast might like to run a train between Euston and Morecambe for the Eden Project North.
Are National Rail Promoting Theme Parks?
I found this page on the National Rail web site, which is entitled Theme Parks.
It gives a list of most theme parks and their nearest stations.
Does such a page exist for hospitals, cathedrals and other similar groups.
Proposed High-Speed Two Services Are Not Complete
This diagram shows High Speed Two services.
Note.
- Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
- Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
- Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
- The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
- In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
Click on the diagram to enlarge it.
Are The Services Incomplete Or Has Someone Left Something Out?
Look at trains 4, 5 and 6.
- Train 4 is a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, which split at Crewe, with one going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
- Train 5 is a single Classic-Compatible train, that goes to Liverpool Lime Street.
- Train 6 is a single Classic-Compatible train, that goes to Macclesfield.
As an example, Train 5 could be a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, which split at Crewe, with one going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Chester, Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead. I actually believe that this would be a way of creating a low-carbon route to Dublin, with a zero-carbon high-speed ferry from Holyhead.
What to do with Train 6 is more difficult.
- Stafford and Stoke need to be served by High Speed Two.
- Stafford, Stoke and Macclesfield are not stations with long platforms, so may not be suitable places to split a pair of Classic-Compatible trains.
- Places North of Macclesfield to terminate trains are not numerous and probably only Manchester and Huddersfield may be suitable.
The alternative might be to split a pair of Classic-Compatible trains forming Train 6 at Birmingham Interchange, one going to Stafford, Stoke and Macclesfield and the other going to Blackburn, Blackpool, Crewe, Lancaster, Liverpool or Preston
Landmark Levelling Up Fund To Spark Transformational Change Across The UK
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the UK Government.
These are the four bullet points.
- More than 100 projects awarded share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.
- Projects will benefit millions of people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and create jobs and boost economic growth.
- £672 million to develop better transport links, £821 million to kick-start community regeneration and £594 million to restore local heritage sites.
- Successful bids include Eden Project North in Morecambe, a new AI campus in Blackpool, regeneration in Gateshead, and rail improvements in Cornwall
The press release expands the last bullet point.
Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money today include:
Eden Project North
Eden Project North will receive £50 million to transform a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront into a world class visitor attraction. It will also kick-start regeneration more widely in Morecambe, creating jobs, supporting tourism and encouraging investment in the seaside town.
Note.
- Because of its closeness to the West Coast Main Line, it will have excellent rail connections to all over the North of England and Central and Southern Scotland, through Lancaster, which will only be a shuttle train away.
- One of High Speed Two’s direct destinations will be Lancaster, which will be served by High Speed Two by hourly trains to Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, London, Preston, Warrington and Wigan and by two-hourly trains to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
- London and Lancaster will be a journey of just two hours and three minutes.
I believe that this high quality rail access will ensure the success of the Eden Project North.
Cardiff Crossrail
Cardiff Crossrail has been allocated £50 million from the fund to improve the journey to and from the city and raise the economic performance of the wider region.
The Cardiff Crossrail is obviously a good project from the little that I’ve read about it. But it does need a web site to explain the reasoning behind it.
Blackpool Multiversity
Blackpool Council and Wyre Council will receive £40 million to deliver a new Multiversity, a carbon-neutral, education campus in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway Central Business District. This historic funding allows Blackpool and The Fylde College to replace their ageing out-of-town centre facilities with world-class state-of-the-art ones in the heart of the town centre. The Multiversity will promote higher-level skills, including automation and artificial intelligence, helping young people secure jobs of the future.
Blackpool certainly needs something.
My suggestion in Blackpool Needs A Diamond, was to build a second Diamond Light Source in the North to complement the successful facility at Harwell.
I don’t think the two proposals are incompatible.
Fair Isle Ferry
Nearly £27 million has been guaranteed for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. The service is a lifeline for the island, supporting its residents, visitors and supply chains, and without its replacement the community will become further isolated.
Note.
- Will it be a British-built ferry?
- Will it be hydrogen-powered? After all by the time it is built, the Northern Scottish islands will be providing enough of the gas to power a quarter of Germany.
- Surely, a hydrogen-powered roll-on, roll-off ferry will be a tourist attraction in its own right.
I hope the Government and the islanders have a good ship-yard lined up
Gateshead Quays And The Sage
A total of £20 million is going towards the regeneration of Gateshead Quays and the Sage, which will include a new arena, exhibition centre, hotels, and other hospitality. The development will attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year and will create more than 1,150 new jobs.
I don’t know much about the Sage, but this project seems very reasonable.
Mid-Cornwall Metro
A £50 million grant will help create a new direct train service, linking 4 of Cornwall’s largest urban areas: Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn. This will level up access to jobs, skills, education, and amenities in one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the UK.
I wrote about this scheme in The Proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro, where I came to this conclusion.
I believe that a small fleet of Hitachi Regional Battery Trains could create an iconic Metro for Cornwall, that would appeal to both visitors and tourists alike.
Judging by the recent success of reopening the Dartmoor Railway to Okehampton in Devon, I think this scheme could be a big success. But it must be zero-carbon!
Female Changing Rooms For Northern Ireland Rugby
There is £5.1 million to build new female changing rooms in 20 rugby clubs across Northern Ireland.
Given the popularity of the female version of the sport in England, Scotland and Wales, perhaps this is a sensible way to level it up in Northern Ireland. As rugby is an all-Ireland sport, perhaps the Irish have already sorted the South?
High Speed Two To The North West Of England
This map clipped from the High Speed Two web site, shows High Speed Two routes in the North West of England.
Note.
- When shown in orange, High Speed Two will use new tracks.
- When shown in blue, High Speed Two will use existing tracks.
- New stations are shown as large blue dots.
- High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line appear to share a corridor through Crewe, before dividing near Walley’s Green.
- High Speed Two loops to the East of the West Coast Main Line and rejoins it South of Wigan between Bryn Gates and Abram Brow.
The route will or might serve the following stations in North West England.
Blackpool North
Blackpool North station is not planned to be served by High Speed Two.
But the station has been recently rebuilt.
- It has a number of platforms, that are capable of handling 200 metre long classic-compatible High Speed Two trains.
- The route to High Speed Two at Preston is fully electrified.
- In a couple of years, it will be connected to Blackpool’s expanding tramway.
- Blackpool would welcome High Speed Two with open arms.
Blackpool North would be an ideal extra destination, if more trains were to be split and joined at Crewe.
But whatever happens, I believe that high speed commuter trains will run from Blackpool North.
- Blackpool and Manchester Piccadilly via Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport.
- Blackpool and Derby via Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent.
Blackpool North has the platforms and electrification and it will be used.
Carlisle
Carlisle station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
But two tph will be 400 metre London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow trains, so platform lengthening will probably be required.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Carlisle – I tph – 118 minutes
- London Euston and Carlisle – 2 tph – 154 minutes.
After any necessary platform lengthening, Carlisle will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
The High Speed Two web site, says Carlisle will be reached in Phase 2b, but as Edinburgh and Glasgow are part of Phase 1, this must be a mistake.
Crewe
Crewe station is at the bottom of the map, just to the right of centre.
The station gets this introduction on this page of the High Speed Two web site.
HS2 services will call at Crewe, where passengers will be able to access the high speed network heading south. Journey times to London will be cut to under an hour. Macclesfield, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent will also receive HS2 services, spreading the benefits of better connectivity.
The page also says that between five and seven trains per hour (tph) will call at Crewe.
Lancaster
Lancaster station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
Lancaster will also be a terminus of 200 metre long classic-compatible High peed Two train from London Euston, so there may need to be refurbishment to handle the larger, if not longer train.
The use of Lancaster as a terminus, would appear to have the following advantages.
- The platform is already there.
- Using Lancaster as a terminal, may reduce the scope of works at Carlisle and Preston.
- The one tph service from London Euston is effectively a High Speed Northern stopper between Lancaster and Crewe, with calls at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western and Preston stations.
- Lancaster has connections to Barrow-in-Furness, Heysham Port and Morecambe and the scenic Cumbrian Coast and Settle-Carlisle Lines.
- Paces like Barrow-in-Furness. Morecambe and a host of other stations, should save forty-three minutes on journeys to and from London.
I think that Lancaster, is a good place to terminate a service in the North-West of England.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Lancaster – I tph – 65 minutes
- London Euston and Lancaster – 1 tph – 101 minutes.
After the necessary refurbishment, Lancaster will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Lancaster could be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project.
Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street station is at the Western edge of the map, at the end of the Liverpool Branch of the West Coast Main Line.
Liverpool gets this headline and brief description on this page of the High Speed Two web site.
The City Region Wants To Deliver a World Class Transport Network
Its ambitious plans would integrate the existing HS2 route and builds on the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals for high speed, east-west links directly into Liverpool City Centre.
Liverpool has made a good start to prepare for High Speed Two.
- The Grade II Listed; Lime Street station now has lengthened platforms and an improved layout so that it can handle two 200 metre long High Speed Two trains per hour.
- Merseyrail is taking delivery of a fleet of new Class 777 trains to update their suburban network.
- By the time High Speed Two arrives in the city, the suburban network will be larger.
Liverpool is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Macclesfield
Macclesfield station is at the Eastern edge of the map, at the end of its own leg of High Speed Two.
The station was the surprise destination added, during the last iteration of High Speed Two.
- The late, great Brian Redhead, who lived in the town would be very pleased.
- The station was rebuilt in 1960 and has three platforms.
- It is planned to have one tph to London Euston via Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and Old Oak Common.
- The visualisation on this page of the High Speed Two web site, also shows three platforms, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a fourth added, as the extra platform would add flexibility.
The second surprise for Macclesfield, is that like Liverpool, it will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Manchester Airport
Manchester Airport station is the Southern large blue dot at the top of the map.
This page on the High Speed Two web site is rather sparse on information about Manchester Airport station.
I have combined train times given on the web page, with frequencies from an article in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways to create this table, which should be valid after the completion of High Speed Two.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Airport – 2 tph – 32 minutes
- Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport – 1 tph – 29 minutes
- London Euston and Manchester Airport – 3 tph – 63 minutes
- London Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport – 3 tph – 56 minutes
- Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport – 5 tph – 6 minutes
In Changes Signalled For HS2 Route In North, I stated that Northern Powerhouse Rail were proposing the following Liverpool and Manchester service.
Manchester Airport station will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
- Six tph
- Stops at Manchester Airport and Warrington.
- An end-to-end journey time of 26 minutes.
This would do the following.
- Add a Liverpool and Manchester Airport service with a frequency of 6 tph, that will take 20 minutes.
- Add a Warrington Parkway and Manchester Airport service with a frequency of 6 tph that will take around 10 minutes.
- Increase the frequency between Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport to 11 tph. Or more likely 12 tph.
How many cities have an airport connection running every five minutes using trains running at 125 mph?
As these Liverpool and Manchester services would probably start in places like Hull and Newcastle and come via varied routes that included a selection of Bradford, Doncaster Huddersfield, Leeds and Sheffield, all of the North, that lies to the East of the Pennines will be connected to Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Liverpool by high speed trains.
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station is the Northern large blue dot at the top of the map.
This page on the High Speed Two web site is rather sparse on information about Manchester Piccadilly station.
Using the same data as before I can create a table of services from Manchester Piccadilly station, where I have included Liverpool and Manchester services, that will be run by Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- Birmingham Curzon Street – 2 tph – 40 minutes
- Birmingham Interchange – 1 tph – 37 minutes
- London Euston – 3 tph – 67 minutes
- London Old Oak Common – 3 tph – 60 minutes
- Manchester Airport – 12 tph – 6 minutes
- Liverpool – 6 tph – 26 minutes
Manchester Piccadilly station will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
Oxenholme Lake District
Oxenholme Lake District station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Oxenholm Lake District – I tph – 79 minutes
- London Euston and Oxenholme Lake District – 115 minutes – Change at Preston
Oxenholme Lake District is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Oxenholme Lake Districtcould be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project
Penrith North Lakes
Penrith North Lakes station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Penrith North Lakes – I tph – 102 minutes
- London Euston and Penrith North Lakes – 138 minutes – Change at Preston
Penrith North Lakes is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 2b of the project.
But I do feel that Penrith North Lakes could be reached in Phase 1 of the project, if necessary works North of Preston and at Lancaster station were planned as an independent project
Preston
Preston station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
But two tph will be 400 metre London Euston and Edinburgh/Glasgow trains, so platform lengthening will probably be required.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Preston – I tph – 50 minutes
- London Euston and Preston – 3 tph – 78 minutes.
After any necessary platform lengthening, Preston will be ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Runcorn
Runcorn station is a through station on the Liverpool service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be two tph between London Euston and Runcorn and trains will take 74 minutes.
Runcorn is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Stafford
Stafford station is a through station on the Macclesfield service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be one tph between London Euston and Stafford and trains will take 54 minutes.
Sfafford is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Stoke
Stoke station is a through station on the Macclesfield service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be one tph between London Euston and Stoke and trains will take 71 minutes.
Stoke is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Warrington
Warrington Bank Quay station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Warrington Bank Quay – I tph – 25 minutes
- London Euston and Warrington Bank Quay – 1 tph – 73 minutes.
Warrington Bank Quay is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Wigan
Wigan North Western station is a through station on the current Glasgow service and can handle a nine-car Class 390 train which is over 210 metres long, which means they can handle a 200 metre long, classic-compatible High Speed Two train.
There will be the following trains.
- Birmingham Curzon Street and Wigan North Western – I tph – 36 minutes
- London Euston and Wigan North Western – 1 tph – 84 minutes.
Wigan North Western is ready and waiting for High Speed Two and will be reached in Phase 1 of the project.
Existing Stations Where High Speed Two Trains Will Call
The June 2020 Edition Of Modern Railways has an article called HS2 Minister Backs 18 tph Frequency, which gives a detailed diagram of the route structure of High Speed Two and it is possible to summarise the stations, where High Speed Two trains will call.
- Carlisle – 3 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Chesterfield – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Crewe – 2 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Darlington – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Durham – 1 tph – 200 metres
- East Midlands Hub HS2 – 7 tph – 400 metres – Split/Join
- Edinburgh Haymarket – 2.5 tph – 200 metres
- Edinburgh Waverley – 2.5 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Glasgow Central – 2.5 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Lancaster – 2 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Leeds HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Liverpool Lime Street – 2 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Lockerbie – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Macclesfield – 1 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Manchester Airport HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Manchester Piccadilly HS2 – 5 tph – 400 metres
- Motherwell – 0.5 tph – 200 metres
- Newcastle – 3 tph – 200 metres – Terminal
- Oxenholme – 0.5 tph – 200 metres
- Penrith – 0.5n tph – 200 metres
- Preston – 4 tph – 400 metres
- Runcorn – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Sheffield – 2 tph – 200 metres
- Stafford – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Stoke-on-Trent – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Warrington Bank Quay – 1 tph – 200 metres
- Wigan North Western – 1 tph – 200 metres
- York – 4 tph – 200 metres
Note.
- HS2 after the station name indicates a new station for High Speed Two
- tph is trains per hour
- 0.5 tph is one train per two hours (tp2h).
- 200/400 metres is the maximum length of trains that will call.
- Terminal indicates that trains will terminate at these stations.
- Split/Join indicates that trains will split and join at these stations.
These are more detailed thoughts on how existing stations will need to be modified.
Train Lengths
Before, I look at the individual stations, I’ll look at the train lengths.
- High Speed Two train – Single – 200 metres
- High Speed Two train – Pair – 400 metres
- Class 390 train – 11-car – 265.3 metres
- Class 390 train – 9-car – 217.5 metres
- Class 807 train – 7-car – 182 metres
- Class 810 train – 5-car – 120 metres
- Class 810 train – Pair of 5-car – 240 metres
- InterCity 125 – 2+8 – 220 metres
- InterCity 225 – 9-car – 245 metres
- Class 222 train – 4-car – 93.34 metres
- Class 222 train – 5-car – 116.16 metres
- Class 222 train – 7-car – 161.8 metres
- Class 222 train – 4-car+5-car – 209.5 metres
- Class 222 train – 5-car+5-car – 232.32 metres
These are the thoughts on the individual stations.
Carlisle
Carlisle station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
I estimate the platforms are about 380 metres, but it looks like, they could be lengthened, without too much difficulty.
As High Speed Two trains to the North of Carlisle will be 200 metres long, there would probably be no need for platform lengthening North of Carlisle, as these trains are shorter than the Class 390 trains, that currently work the routes to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Carlisle station is step-free, has good secondary rail connections and is within walking distance of the city centre.
The only thing it needs, is a connection to Edinburgh on a rebuilt Borders Railway.
Chesterfield
Consider.
- Chesterfield station will need to handle 200 metre trains.
- Chesterfield station may be rebuilt for High Speed Two.
- Chesterfield station can handle an InterCity 125, which is 220 metres.
- It will need to handle a pair of Class 810 trains, which would be 240 metres.
This Google Map shows Chesterfield station.
Note.
- The slow lines passing the station on the Eastern side.
- There are two long through platforms and a third bi-directional platform on the down slow line.
There is space to build two long platforms for High Speed Two, but is it worth it, when one one tph will stop?
- According to High Speed Two’s Journey Time Calculator, trains will take just twelve minutes between Sheffield and Chesterfield stations.
- This compares with 12-15 minutes for the current diesel trains.
- The distance between the two stations is 14 miles, which means that a twelve minute trip has an average speed of 70 mph.
- If there are still two tph to St. Pancras, there will be four tph, that run fast between the Sheffield and Chesterfield stations, of which three will stop at Chesterfield.
I think this could result in a simple and efficient design for the tracks between Sheffield and South of Clay Cross, where High Speed Two joins the Erewash Valley Line.
Chesterfield station is step-free.
Crewe
Crewe station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
There have been references to rebuilding of Crewe stations, but it does appear that some platforms are over 300 metres long.
Darlington
Darlington station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Durham
Durham station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Edinburgh Haymarket
Edinburgh Haymarket station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Glasgow Central
Glasgow Central station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Currently, Avanti West Coast runs the following services to Glasgow Central.
- One tph from London Euston calling at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h) and Carlisle.
- One tp2h from London Euston calling at Milton Keynes Central, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h) and Carlisle.
High Speed Two is proposing to run the following trains to Glasgow Central.
- Two tph from London Euston calling at Old Oak Common, Preston and Carlisle.
- One tp2h from Birmingham Curzon Street calling at Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme (1tp2h), Penrith (1tp2h), Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell (1tp2h)
If the current services to Glasgow Central were to be replaced by the High Speed Two services, most travellers would get a similar or better service.
But if Avanti West Coast decide to drop their classic services to Glasgow via Birmingham, will travellers starting between Milton Keynes and Crewe, be a bit miffed to lose their direct services to Glasgow?
Glasgow Central station would appear to be ready for High Speed Two.
Lancaster
I was initially surprised, that on High Speed Two, one tph would terminate at Lancaster station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
- There are two bypass lines without any platforms on the Western side of the tracks, where trains can speed through.
- The station has five platforms.
- Some Avanti West Coast services terminate at Lancaster station.
- 265 metre, eleven-car Class 390 trains, stop in Lancaster station.
As High Speed Two services will use 200 metre trains, which are shorter than all Class 390 trains, I would suspect that High Speed Two services will be able to be turned at Lancaster station, without too much difficulty.
Liverpool Lime Street
Liverpool Lime Street station will need to be able to turn two 200 metre High Speed Two tph.
- The remodelling of the station in 2018, probably allowed for two tph between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street station.
- From 2022-2023, it will be turning two Class 807 trains per hour, which will probably be 182 metres long.
Liverpool Lime Street station may well be ready for Phase One of High Speed Two. It’s also very much step-free.
There are also alternative plans for a new High Speed station in Liverpool.
- It would be alongside the current Liverpool Lime Street station.
- The station would have a route to High Speed Two at Crewe via Warrington and a junction at High Legh.
- Northern Powerhouse Rail would start in the station and go to Manchester via Warrington, High Legh and Manchester Airport.
- It would enable six tph between Liverpool and Manchester, in a time of just 26 minutes.
I talked about this plan in Changes Signalled For HS2 Route In North, where I included this map.
High Legh Junction is numbered 5 and 6.
Nothing published about High Speed Two, would appear to rule this plan out.
Lockerbie
Lockerbie station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Macclesfield
I was initially surprised, that on High Speed Two, one tph would terminal at Macclesfield station.
This Google Map shows the station.
Wikipedia says this about the platforms in the station.
There are three platforms but only two are in regular use, the up platform for services to Manchester and the down platform to Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham. Platform 3 sees a small number of services. Evidence of a fourth platform can be seen, on which a Network Rail building now exists.
As the station has a regular Avanti West Coast service every hour, the platforms must be over 200 metres long and they will be long enough for the 200 metre High Speed Two trains.
So why would High Speed Two want to terminate a train at Macclesfield, rather than at Manchester Piccadilly as they do now?
Currently, Avanti West Coast runs these services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly.
- One tph via Milton Keynes Central, Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport.
- One tph via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport
- One tph via Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport
The diagram in the Modern Railways article shows these High Speed Two services to Manchester Piccadilly.
- One tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange and Manchester Airport
- Two tph from London Euston via Old Oak Common and Manchester Airport
- Two tph from Birmingham Curzon Street via Manchester Airport.
Note.
- None of these five tph serve Macclesfield, Milton Keynes Central, Stockport, Stoke-on-Trent or Wilmslow.
- All five proposed services are shown to call at Manchester Airport.
- It is likely, that a tunnel will be bored between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly stations.
- The High Speed Two station at Manchester Piccadilly might even be in a tunnel under the current Manchester Piccadilly station or central Manchester.
- A below-ground High Speed Two station for Manchester could also serve Northern Powerhouse Rail services to Leeds and the East.
- According to the plans, I talked about under Liverpool Lime Street earlier, there could also be up to six tph running between Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport, as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Plans need to be developed to serve the towns and cities, that will not be served by High Speed Two’s current proposals.
- It appears Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield will be served by an independent High Speed Two service from London Euston.
- Terminating one tph at Macclesfield station doesn’t appear to be challenging.
- A rail route between Macclesfield and Manchester Airport to link up with the proposed tunnel could be very difficult.
- Manchester Piccadilly and Macclesfield stations have a frequent rail connection, with most trains calling at Stockport station.
- Perhaps during construction work for High Speed Two in the centre of Manchester, Macclesfield station can be used as an alternative route into the city, using the existing Manchester Piccadilly station.
The London Euston and Macclesfield service via Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent could be a pragmatic solution to part of the problem, but what about Milton Keynes, Wilmslow and Stockport?
According to the title of the Modern Railways article, High Speed Two will have a maximum frequency of 18 tph.
When fully-developed, the current proposed timetable shows the following.
- A frequency of 17 tph between London Euston and Birmingham Interchange stations.
- A frequency of 11 tph between Birmingham and Crewe.
- A frequency of 9 tph through East Midlands Hub station.
It would appear that if there is a capacity bottleneck, it is between London and Birmingham.
However if classic services to Manchester Piccadilly are replaced by the High Speed Two services to the city via the new tunnel from Manchester Airport to a new station in the City Centre, there will be spare capacity on the Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly route via Wilmslow and Stockport stations.
This could lead to a number of solutions.
- A direct High Speed Two service runs using the spare path, between London and the current Manchester Piccadilly station.
- Similar to the previous service, but the service splits and joins at Crewe, with one individual train going to Manchester Piccadilly and the other somewhere else. Blackpool?
- One service between London and Liverpool is planned to split and join at Crewe with individual trains going to Lancaster and Liverpool. The other Liverpool service could split at Crewe with individual trains going to Liverpool and Manchester Piccadilly.
- The service between London and Macclesfield is run by a pair of trains, that split at Birmingham Interchange, with individual trains going to Macclesfield and Manchester Piccadilly. The advantage of this service, is that if you got into the wrong train, you’d still be going to roughly the same destination.
- Wikipedia says “At peak times, the current Avanti West Coast services may additionally call at one or more of: Watford Junction, Rugby, Nuneaton, Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley.” So why not run classic services on the West Coast Main Line between Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Milton Keynes using suitably fast trains. Perhaps, the new Class 807 trains would be ideal.
Note.
- All services serving the current Manchester Piccadilly station would call at Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport stations.
- Passengers going to or from Manchester Airport would change at Crewe.
The more I look at Macclesfield, the more I like using it as a High Speed Two destination.
Motherwell
Motherwell station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Newcastle
Newcastle station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Oxenholme
Oxenholme station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Penrith
Penrith station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Preston
Preston station will need two 400 metre through platforms, so each can accommodate a pair of 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
I estimate that the main through platforms aren’t much short of the required 400 metres.
But something must be done to make the station step-free.
Runcorn
Runcorn station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 217 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Sheffield
Sheffield station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As the station can already handle a 220 metre InterCity 125, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also substantially step-free.
Stafford
Stafford station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Wikipedia says this about Stafford station and High Speed Two.
Under current proposals, Stafford will be a part of the High Speed 2 network, via a ‘Classic Compatible’ junction, which will allow HS2 trains to operate to Stafford, and further on towards Liverpool. This would shorten journey time from Stafford to London, to an estimated 53 minutes. Under current proposals it is expected that an hourly services will operate in both directions, however it is currently unclear if these services will terminate at Stafford, or Liverpool.
This does appear to be rather out of date with High Speed Two’s latest proposals as disclosed in the Modern Railways article, which say that Stafford is served by the following service.
- One tph between London Euston and Macclesfield.
- Calls at Old Oak Common, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
- A 200 metre train.
One possibility must surely be to run a pair of 200 metre trains to and from Stafford, where they would split and join.
- One could go as currently proposed to Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield.
- The second train could go to Liverpool via Crewe and Runcorn or Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport.
- The recent works at Norton Bridge Junction will have improved the route for the second train.
There would need to be platform lengthening at Stafford to accommodate the 400 metre pair of trains.
A split and join at Stafford does show the possibilities of the technique.
Another possibility is mentioned for Stafford in Wikipedia.
There is also been proposals to reintroduce services to Stafford to terminate on the Chase Line which was cutback to Rugeley Trent Valley in 2008. The Key Corridors states “Extension of Chase Line services to Stafford”. This is proposed to be in development.
It will surely connect a lot of people to Stafford for High Speed Two.
The extract from Wikipedia, that I used earlier, mentions a Classic Compatible junction, which will allow High Speed Two trains to reach Stafford.
This map clipped from the High Speed Two web site, shows the junction North of Lichfield, where High Speed Two connects to the Trent Valley Line through Stafford.
Note.
- High Speed Two runs North-South across the map.
- After the Junction by Fradley South,
- High Speed Two to Crewe and the North, is the branch to the East.
- The other branch connects to the Trent Valley Line, which can be picked out North of Lichfield, where it passes through Lichfield Trent Valley station.
The Trent Valley Line is no Victorian double-track slow-speed bottleneck.
- Most of the route between Rugby and Stafford is three or four tracks.
- The speed limit is generally 125 mph.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 and Class 807 trains running at 140 mph on the route.
- This speed would probably be attained by High Speed Two trains.
London Euston and Stafford would only have under twenty miles of slower line and that could be 140 mph, so High Speed Two times on the route could be very fast. High Speed Two is quoting 54 minutes on their Journey Time Calculator.
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
This Google Map shows the station.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The station is also step-free.
Warrington Bank Quay
Warrington Bank Quay station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 265 metre Class 390 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Wigan North Western
Wigan North Western station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
In Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?, I said this.
Wigan North Western station would accept a single-train now, but the platforms would need lengthening to handle a double-train.
As all trains through Wigan North Western station will only be 200 metre single trains and the station is step-free, the station appears to be ready for High Speed Two.
York
York station will need to accommodate 200 metre trains.
As it already accommodates 245 metre InterCity 225 trains, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Conclusion
I have come to these conclusions.
- Because most of these stations have been rebuilt in the last few decades to accommodate the 200-plus metre InterCity 125s, InterCity 225s and Class 390 trains, all the stations can handle a 200 metre High Speed Two train without significant lengthening.
- Some stations like Carlisle, Crewe, Preston and Stafford may need a small amount of platform lengthening to accommodate a pair of trains, but most of the improvements needed for a world-class High Speed railway will be more refurbishment than a complete rebuild.
- Using existing platforms at Lancaster and Macclesfield stations as terminal platforms is an elegant and a much more affordable solution than building new stations or even platforms.
- Because all five tph into the High Speed Two station at Manchester Piccadilly go via Manchester Airport, I would envisage that this will be in a tunnel, that can be part of a future Northern Powerhouse Rail.
I also think that the plan has been devised with the Project Management and minimising disruption to travellers in mind.
The Anonymous Widower 