FIRST TO THE FUTURE: Lumo Owner Bids To Turbo-Charge UK Rail With New Routes
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from First Group.
These first three paragraphs introduce FirstGroup’s application for the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services.
FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK.
The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo’s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and contributes more per train mile to infrastructure investment than any other long-distance operator – delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, at a substantial benefit to the taxpayer.
FirstGroup has submitted the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services, which are described in these bullet points.
- A revised application to run new services between Rochdale and London Euston via Manchester Victoria from December 2028;
- An extension to Lumo’s current Stirling to London Euston track access agreement to operate services beyond 2030;
- A new route between Cardiff and York via Birmingham, Derby, and Sheffield from December 2028; and
- Purchase of new trains meaning continued investment in UK manufacturing of c.£300 million, and long-term jobs.
This paragraph from the press release describes the philosophy of the rolling stock.
Should these applications be successful, FirstGroup will make use of its option to commit further investment in new Hitachi trains built in County Durham. This investment will include five battery electric trains for the Stirling route and three battery electric trains for Rochdale, supporting jobs at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant. For the services between Cardiff and York, it will deploy refurbished Class 222s.
Note.
- The Class 222 trains will run the Euston and Stirling service until the future Hitachi trains are delivered in 2028.
- The Class 222 trains will run the Cardiff and York service from 2028.
- The Class 222 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph on electrification.
- Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Grand Central Trains’s future Hitachi trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- Lumo’s current Class 803 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s current Class 800 and 801 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s current InterCity 225 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- LNER’s future Class 897 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
- All of the trains, with the exception of the Class 222 trains are electric and have been designed for 140 mph running and can do this if there is appropriate 140 mph signalling.
If the Class 222 trains don’t run on the East and West Coast Main Lines, then these lines could introduce 140 mph running in stages to speed up rail travel between London and the North of England and Scotland.
Rochdale And London
These three paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Rochdale and London service.
The new Lumo service will operate the first direct service since 2000 between Rochdale and London. Services will call at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station connects other parts of the city of Salford, including the fast-growing MediaCity area, via the nearby interchange with Metrolink. Services to Newton-le-Willows will deliver greater rail connectivity for St Helens.
There will be three new return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays, which will provide 1.6 million people in the north-west with a convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London, encouraging people to switch from cars to train as well as providing additional rail capacity. It will also deliver material economic benefits for the communities along the route, including regeneration areas such as Atom Valley and the Liverpool City Region Freeport scheme.
The application has been revised to address the ORR’s concerns about network capacity set out in its letter of July 2025 rejecting FirstGroup’s original application. Supported by extensive modelling, the company has identified sufficient space on the network to accommodate the proposed services. Services will also make use of the Government’s recent investment in power supply for the West Coast Mainline (WCML).
In FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application last year.
Differences between the two applications include.
- The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains.
- The original application was for six return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for three return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays.
Note.
- The battery-electric trains will be able bridge the 10.4 mile gap between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale, and return after charging on the West Coast Main Line.
- The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
- The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
- Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?
I still feel, that with Lumo’s battery-electric trains one or more services could extend across the Pennines to Hebden Bridge, Bradford Interchange or Leeds. Trains would be recharged for return at Leeds.
Stirling And London
This paragraph from the press release describes the proposed Stirling and London service.
Stirling has a wide catchment area, with an estimated three million people living within an hour’s drive. Extending the current track access agreement for the Stirling route from May 2030 will support the shift from car to rail, and investment in the city, as well as in the service’s intermediate stations which include Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet, thanks to greater connectivity to London. The four return services weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays, on the new route are expected to start early in the company’s 2027 financial year.
In Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application in June 2025.
Differences between the two applications include.
- The service will only be run initially by Class 222 trains.
- The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains after 2028.
- The original application was for five return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for four return services on weekdays and Saturdays, and three return services on Sundays.
- In the original application, Lumo’s new route was to link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.
Note.
- The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
- The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
- Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?
It should be noted that there are always more return services per day going to Stirling, than Rochdale.
Could The Rochdale and Stirling Services Share A Path?
Consider.
- The two services use the West Coast Main Line South of Warrington Bank Quay station.
- Pairs of Class 803 trains can split and join.
- A pair of Class 803 trains are shorter than an 11-car Class 390 train.
- An 11-car Class 390 train can call in Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
I believe that the Rochdale and Stiring services could share a path.
- One Weekday service per day would be a single train.
- Going South, the trains would join at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
- Going North, the trains would split at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
- The pair of trains would share a platform at Euston station.
Operating like this would increase the connectivity and attractiveness of the services, and probably increase the ridership and profitability.
Cardiff And York via Birmingham, Derby And Sheffield
These four paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Cardiff and York service.
Lumo’s new route between Cardiff and York will join up the entire Great British Railway network, connecting all four main lines from the Great Western Main Line to the East Coast Main Line. The plans will also deliver more capacity and drive passenger demand on a previously underserved corridor.
The application proposes six return services each weekday – a significant increase from the current single weekly service.
Bringing Lumo’s popular low-cost model to the corridor will support local communities between Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, and York. These cities alone have a combined population of more than 2.5 million people. The new services will give local communities access to jobs and services along the route, in support of significant investment that has already been committed by the Government and private sector. This investment includes the Cardiff Capital Regional Investment Zone, the £140million proposed refurbishment at Cardiff Central station, the West Midlands Investment Zone which is expected to create £5.5 billion of growth and 30,000 new jobs, as well as investment plans in Derby, Sheffield and York.
The ORR will now carry out a consultation exercise as well as discuss the applications with Network Rail to secure the required approvals.
Note.
- Only minimal details are given of the route.
- The TransPennine Upgrade will create a new electrified route across the Pennines between York and Huddersfield via Church Fenton, Leeds and Dewsbury.
- The Penistone Line is being upgraded, so that it will handle two trains per hour.
- In the 1980s, the Penistone Line took InterCity 125s to Barnsley.
- The connection with the Penistone Line at Huddersfield has been upgraded.
I am reasonably certain, that FirstGroup intend to route the York and Cardiff service over this partially electrified route.
Sections of the route will be as follows.
- Cardiff and Westerleigh junction – 38 miles – Electrified
- Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles – Not Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Proof House junction – 15 miles – Electrified
- Proof House junction and Derby – 40.6 miles – Not Electrified
- Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
- Sheffield and Huddersfield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
- Huddersfield and York – 41.9 miles – Electrified
There are only two sections of track, that is not electrified.
- Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles
- Proof House junction and Huddersfield – 113.4 miles
Out of a total of 273.5 miles, I believe in a few years, with a small amount of extra electrification or more powerful batteries, Hitachi’s battery-electric high-speed trains will have this route cracked and the Class 222 trains can be sent elsewhere to develop another route.
Huddersfield Station – 30th September 2025
This press release on the Network Rail Media Centre is entitled Huddersfield Station Set To Reopen Next Week With New Temporary Layout.
As it is now next week, I went to have a look at the progress today.
I made a mistake and got on a Grand Central Train, which meant, I had to change at York.
Speeding past Drax power station on the Selby Diversion, I took these pictures.
We were only in a 125 mph diesel, so we couldn’t take advantage of the 160 mph running, that the East Coast Main Line’s new signalling might allow on this section. The Wikipedia entry for the Selby Diversion, says this about the possible speeds.
The line was the first purpose-built section of high-speed railway in the UK having a design speed of 125 mph; however, research by British Rail in the 1990s indicated that the route geometry would permit up to 160 mph operation, subject to the necessary overhead line equipment and signalling upgrades. The new line also avoided the speed restriction over the swing bridge at Selby. The former ECML route, the NER’s 1871 York and Doncaster branch line, was closed from Selby northwards.
As the Selby Diversion opened in 1983, I wouldn’t be surprised that the calculations were performed on British Rail Research’s Pace 231-R, which was similar to the one I used at ICI and the pair, that NASA used calculate how to land Apollo on the moon.
When I eventually got to Huddersfield, I took these pictures.
Note.
- In I’ve Just Glimpsed The Future Of Train Travel Across The North Of England And I Like It, there are pictures of Huddersfield station, that were taken on the 21st August, soon after the work started.
- In Huddersfield Station – 15th December 2023, there are pictures of Huddersfield before the work started.
- Much of the work seems to have been done at the Western end of the station to lengthen the platform on the Penistone Line to Sheffield.
- Platform 2 for the Penistone Line has also been renumbered Platform 1.
Work still to be carried out at Huddersfield station, includes refurbishing the roof, installing the electrification and adding a couple of new platforms.
These are my thoughts.
Which Platforms Will Be Electrified?
This OpenRailwayMap shows the proposed electrification in Huddersfield station.
Note.
- The blue arrow in the North-East corner of the map indicates Huddersfield atation.
- The two red-and-black tracks going diagonally across the map are the Hudderfield Line.
- The red-and-black colour, indicates that the two tracks will be electrified.
- South of these two tracks, the Penistone Line sneaks into Platform 1 at Huddersfield station.
- The Penistone Line goes to Sheffield in a South-Westerly direction.
- There appears to be a crossover, so that trains from the Penistone Line can use both Platforms 1 and 2 in Huddersfield station.
- The OpenRailwayMap appears to show planned electrification between Stalybridge and Leeds stations.
- To the East of Leeds planned electrification is shown as far as Micklefield and Church Fenton stations.
Once installed, this electrification will create a complete electrified route across the Pennines from Liverpool Lime Street in the West to the East Coast Main Line in the East.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the planned electrification between Micklefield and Hull stations.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- York is in the North-West corner of the map, with the electrified East Coast Main Line going through the station North-South.
- South of York, the East Coast Main Line now splits.
- The Western branch includes an electrified line to Micklefield station, Neville Hill depot and Leeds station.
- The Eastern Branch is the Selby Diversion, which is an electrified 160 mph line, that avoids the Selby coalfield.
- Running West-East across the map is the unlectrified Micklefield and Hull Line, which goes via Selby.
- Hull is in the South-East corner of the map.
- Hull is 42 miles from Micklefield and 36.1 miles from the Temple Hirst junction on the Selby Diversion, so it is within range of battery-electric trains, with charging at Hull station.
- Hitachi’s battery-electric Class 802 trains, used by Hull Trains and TransPennine Express, which are currently on test, should certainly be able to serve Hull.
Hull can become an electrified station, without the expense and disruption of full electrification.
How Long Is Platform 1 At Huddersfield Station?
This OpenRailwayMap shows the new Platform 1 at Huddersfield station.
Note.
The blue arrow indicates Huddersfield station.
- The three darker orange lines indicate the two through platforms 2 and 3, and the reconfigured bay platform 1.
- There is a cross-over between platforms 1 and 2, which connects Platform 2 to the Penistone Line.
- In the South-West corner of the map is a hundred metre scale.
- Using the scale, I estimate that the length of the bay platform 1 is around 120 metres.
- In the last two rows of pictures in the gallery of this post, a three car Class 150 train is shown in Platform 1.
- A three car Class 150 train is approximately sixty metres long.
Looking at the pictures, I wouldn’t be surprised if the new platform has been designed to take two three-car Class 150 trains. It would certainly take a pair of two-car Class 150 trains.
Other trains and their lengths that might use the platform include.
- Class 170 – three-car – 70.85 metres
- Class 195 – two-car – 48.05 metres
- Class 195 – three-car – 71.40 metres
- Class 195 – 2 x two-car – 96.10 metres
- Class 810 – five-car – 120 metres
The Class 810 uses 24 metre cars, so that a pair of trains, will fit in St. Pancras. But with perhaps selective door opening could a single Class 810 train run a St. Pancras and Huddersfield service, perhaps with a split and join at Sheffield.
Electrification Across The Pennines
The TransPennine Route will be electrified between Liverpool Lime Street and Micklefield stations, once the current works between Huddersfield and Leeds are complete.
Sections without electrification include.
- Bradford Interchange and Doncaster – 52.1 miles
- Cleethorpes and Doncaster – 52.1 miles
- Harrogate and Leeds – 18.3 miles
- Hazel Grove and Doncaster – 52.6 miles
- Hull and Micklefield – 42 miles
- Hull and Temple Hirst junction – 36.1 miles
- Saltburn and Northallerton – 28.1 miles
- Sunderland and Northallerton – 46.8 miles
- Scarborough and York – 42.1 miles
I expect that Hitachi trains with batteries or CAF’s tri-mode trains will be able to handle these routes in a low-carbon manner.
Electrification Between Stalybridge And Huddersfield
This section is shown as being electrified on OpenRailwayMap.
But as it is only 18 miles and includes the Standedge Tunnels will the route use battery-electric trains?
Wakefield Westgate Station – 18th September 2025
To get to Knottingley and the consultation about Ferrybridge hydrogen-fired power station, I had to change trains at Wakefield Westgate station.
Note.
- It is an impressive station.
- It has been rebuilt since the turn of the century.
- It is fully step-free.
- Entrance is level from the square outside the station to the Southbound platform.
- There are toilets on the Southbound platform.
- There are six trains per hour (tph) between Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
Certainty, in the time I was changing trains and waiting for my train to Knottingley, there were a lot of trains going to and from Leeds.
The timetables are changing on December 14, 2025 and the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways gives this summary for Wakefield.
On Mondays-Saturdays, the CrossCountry train calling at Westgate at 18:17 will no longer stop at Wakefield. Northern will introduce an additional hourly fast train seven days a week between Leeds and Sheffield, and on Saturdays there will be extra later last trains between Sheffield and Westgate via Rotherham and Sheffield and Kirkgate via Barnsley.
With the development of the Leeds Metro, I can see more services being added on the route between Doncaster and Bradford via Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Bradford is getting a new through station.
- From December 14, 2025, Sunday services to Bradford Forster Square will be increased for two to six each way per day.
- It also looks like from December 14, 2025, the new Northern service between Leeds and Sheffield via Wakefield Westgate, will form a two trains per hour with the CrossCountry service.
It certainly looks like the train companies have been co-operating to create a high-class Trans-West Yorkshire service.
I’ve Just Glimpsed The Future Of Train Travel Across The North Of England And I Like It
Yesterday, I had an appointment at Liverpool Lime Street station at four o’clock, so as I hadn’t seen the works for the TransPennine Upgrade for some time, I decided to go the long way round with a change of train from LNER to TransPennine Express at Leeds.
These sections document my day.
London King’s Cross To Leeds In An InterCity 225
I took these pictures on the journey.
Note.
- The 31 InterCity 225 trains were built around 1990.
- They have a capacity of 535 seats, whereas the newer Hitachi Class 801 trains have a capacity of 611 seats. Both trains are nine cars with both First and Standard seats.
- There is more of a step-up and step-down when entering or leaving the trains, compared to the best of today’s trains.
- They are now being phased out in favour of ten new CAF tri-mode Class 897 trains, which should be entering service in 2027.
- No details are available of the seating capacity of these trains, but they could be between 650 and 700, so they could maximise capacity on any LNER route.
Yesterday, the InterCity 225 performed well, although the windows at the seat where I sat, were rather dirty.
Changing Trains At Leeds Station
I changed to TransPennine Exzpress at Leeds station.
- At least, Leeds station, is one of the few in the UK, with a ticket office behind the barrier. Reading station please note this.
- But, I did have to walk across the bridge from one side of the station to the other.
In the end, I caught the TransPennine Express with about thirty seconds to spare.
Between Leeds And Huddersfield Stations
I took these pictures between Leeds and Huddersfield stations.
Note.
- Dewsbury and Huddersfield stations is about eight miles and takes about eight minutes.
- It is virtually a continuous building site, where extra tracks are being inserted.
- Three stations are being rebuilt.
- Overhead electrification is being installed. But except for approaching Huddersfield, there’s not much to be seen.
- OpenRailwayMap gives the maximum speed between Dewsbury and Huddersfield stations as between 60-75 mph.
The ride on my Class 803 train was very quiet and smooth. Was it on battery power or was I sitting in a coach without a diesel engine underneath?
Huddersfield Station
I took these pictures at Huddersfield station.
Note.
- Huddersfield station is Grade I Listed.
- There is a pub in each wing.
- I had a beer in the West Wing.
- There are currently three main through platforms and three bay platforms.
- Extensive works, which will be part of the TransPennine Upgrade, will include electrification, a new roof, a new footbridge, and two extra through platforms.
Huddersfield station will be the jewel in the Costa del Yorkshire.
The Platforms At Huddersfield Station
This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms in Huddersfield station.
Note.
- The red and black tracks are being electrified.
- Of the current platforms, Platforms 1, 4 and 8 will be electrified.
- The two bay platforms; 5 and 6, will be converted into through platforms.
- Platform 2 is the bay platform in the South-West corner of the map, that is used by the shuttle train from Sheffield.
I am sure extra platforms could be electrified as required, as there must be a good electrical connection at Huddersfield station.
A Tram-Train Service Between Huddersfield And Sheffield Stations
This OpenRailwayMap shows platform 2 at Huddersfield station.
Note.
- Platform 2 is the black track at the right of the two through tracks, that are being electrified.
- Platform 2 is a bay platform close to the Head of Steam pub.
- I estimate that the platform is about 90 metres long.
- I suspect Platform 2 could be lengthened if required.
- Sheffield’s Class 399 tram/trains are 37.2 metres long, so a pair should fit in Platform 2.
- The Class 398 tram/trains can run on battery power and climb hills in South Wales.
- Platform 2 at Huddersfield station could be electrified to charge the tram/trains.
- There could be a significant height difference between Huddersfield and Sheffield stations of about 40 metres, which could be used to charge tram/trains on the way down.
- I feel with some track improvements, that a four trains per hour (tph) service could be run.
The service would call at Meadowhall, Chapeltown, Elsecar, Wombwell, Barnsley, Dodworth, Silkstone Common, Penistone, Denby Dale, Shepley, Stocksmoor, Brockholes, Honley, Berry Brow and Lockwood
The Pair Of Cranes In Huddersfield Station
These can’t be missed in the pictures. But why two massive cranes?
With an old roof to be taken down and a new roof and a footbridge to be lifted into place, I believe Network Rail have decided to bring in two of largest mobile cranes available in the UK, so that all the lifting doesn’t delay the project.
Between Huddersfield And Stalybridge Stations
I took these pictures between Huddersfield and Stalybridge stations.
Note.
- The Class 802 train was running freely along a well-laid track.
- There are four stations between Huddersfield and Stalybridge; Slaithwaite, Marsden, Greenfield and Mossley(Manchester).
- The stations were in reasonable condition, but some needed new footbridges and a bit of refurbishment.
- There was virtually no signs of any foundations for electrification.
This map shows the route.
Note.
- The pink tracks are the Manchester Metrolink.
- The red tracks are electrified at 25 KVAC overhead.
- The red and black tracks are being electrified.
- Huddersfield is indicated by the blue arrow in the North-East corner of the map.
- Stalybridge station is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The pink track in the South-West corner of the map is the Manchester Metrolink branch to Ashton-under-Lyme.
- The route between Huddersfield and Stalybridge is shown as it will will be fully electrified.
- Huddersfield and Stalybridge is 18 miles.
- There are three short tunnels between Huddersfield and Stalybridge.
I wonder, if it would be more affordable to not put up wires between Huddersfield and Stalybridge and use battery-electric passenger trains and hydrogen freight locomotives?
Stalybridge Station
I took these pictures at Stalybridge station.
The station is fully-electrified and has direct services to Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Newcastlle, Wigan and York.
Will Liverpool Lime Street And Newcastle Be Fully Electrified?
Consider.
- Liverpool Lime Street and Newcastle stations is 180.8 miles.
- Newcastle and Church Fenton stations is 91.4 miles and is fully-electrified.
- Liverpool Lime Street and Stalybridge stations is 39.4 miles and is fully-electrified.
This means that the gap between Church Fenton and Stalybridge stations is just fifty miles.
Real Time Trains indicate that the current Class 802 trains on the route run on diesel between Stalybridge and York stations, which is 60.8 miles.
- Changing power in Stalybridge and York stations means if anything goes wrong passengers can be easily rescued.
- From what I saw on Thursday, it looks like electrification will be completed between Neville Hill depot and Huddersfield.
I wouldn’t be surprised, if they just electrified to the West of Stalybridge and the East of Huddersfield.
That would mean that the 18 miles between Stalybridge and Huddersfield would be run on batteries.
- But it would also avoid electrifying three tunnels.
- How much disruption would be saved, by not electrifying the tunnels?
- Freight trains would use something like a bi-mode Class 99 locomotive, but it would only need a range of 18 miles on diesel.
I can also see improvised bi-mode locomotives being used like this combination of a Class 66 and Class 90 locomotives.
It was certainly doing its job, when I saw the combination at Shenfield.
Could East Midlands Railway Run A St. Pancras And Leeds Service?
East Midlands Railway’s new Class 810 trains have been designed, so that a pair will fit into one platform at St. Pancras.
If we assume one platform at St. Pancras is used for the Corby and Luton Airport Express services, that leaves three platforms for pairs of Class 810 trains to run expresses to the East Midlands.
This could be as many as twelve pairs of five-car trains per hour.
Where wioll they all terminate in the North?
Leeds station must be the obvious new destination.
- Leeds has the largest population and is the largest commercial and finance centre in Yorkshire and the North-East.
- Leeds would have gained three trains per hour (tph) from London, two tph from Birmingham and four tph from the East Midlands Hub at Nottinham.
- Leeds is getting a brand new metro.
- Leeds is a fully-electrified station, so it could charge the trains before they return to Sheffield, Leicester, Wigston junction and St. Pancras.
- Leeds and Wigston junction is 107.8 miles, which should be within the range of a battery-electric Class 810 train. If it is too far, an extended stop could be taken at Sheffield to top up the batteries.
- Note that Stadler hold the Guinness World Record for the greatest distance covered on one charge at 139 miles. Hitachi Rail, who are partnered with JCB’s battery-maker in Sunderland, should be able to smash that.
The Rail Minister; Lord Peter Hendy went to Leeds University.
Which Route Would The Trains Take Between Sheffield And Leeds?
Consider.
- The fastest trains between Sheffield and Leeds, go via Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate stations.
- Trains take about an hour.
- The current frequency is two tph.
- The distance is 41.1 miles with no electrification.
A frequency of two additional tph between St. Pancras and Leeds would give the following.
- A nice round four tph between Yorkshire’s two most important cities.
- Four fast tph between Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate stations, and Leeds and Sheffield.
- Two direct trains between Meadowhall, Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate, and Chesterfield, Derby, Long Eaton, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester and St. Pancras.
It would be complimentary to any Leeds Metro.
Could East Midlands Railways Also Serve Huddersfield?
Consider.
- Huddersfield is 36.4 miles further than Sheffield on the Penistone Line, which is not electrified.
- Wigston junctionand Huddersfield station is 105.3 miles.
- Huddersfield is a Grade I Listed station with two pubs in the middle of the town.
- Huddersfield station is being fully-electrified in connection with the TransPennine Upgrade.
- All trains from Sheffield, that use the Penistone Line terminate in Platform 2 at Huddersfield station.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the position of Platform 2 in the station.
Note.
- The red-and-black dotted tracks are being electrified.
- The black tracks are not going to be electrified.
- Platform 2 is marked 2 in the top-right corner of the map.
- Platform 2 looks to be about 90 metres long.
- Five-car Class 810 trains are 120 metres long.
- From the map, it looks like the platform could be lengthened by the required thirty metres.
I suspect that some form of charger can be squeezed into the available space. After all, you don’t often get the chance to put charging into one of the most grand stations in Europe. Power supply would not be a problem, because of the electrification.
A frequency of twotph between St. Pancras and Huddersfield would give the following.
- Two fast tph between Meadowhall, and Barnsley, and Huddersfield and Sheffield.
- Two extra direct trains between Meadowhall and Barnsley, and Chesterfield, Derby, Long Eaton, East Midlands Parkway, Loughborough, Leicester and St. Pancras.
It would connect many stations to the TransPennine Route at Huddersfield station.
What Could The Sheffield and St. Pancras Look Like?
Consider that currently.
- There are two tph.
- Trains stop at Leicester, Loughborough (1tph), East Midlands Parkway (1tph), Long Eaton (1tph), Derby and Chesterfield.
- Trains are five- or seven-cars.
The simplest solution would probably be.
- A pair of five-car trains run all services.
- Trains split and join at Sheffield with one train going to Leeds and one going to Huddersfield.
I estimate that the Class 810 trains will offer about thirty more seats in every hour.
Government Pauses Midland Main Line Electrification
This is the first paragraph of this article on Modern Railways.
The Government has paused the third phase of Midland main line electrification to Sheffield and Nottingham, plus the final phase of the South West Rail Resilience Programme (SWRRP), which involves strengthening cliffs at Holcombe.
Currently, the Midland Main Line electrification appears to have been installed between London St. Pancras and Wigston, where there is a triangular junction.
This article on Modern Railways is entitled MML Wires To Wigston energised, says this in the first paragraph.
A major milestones on the Midland Main Line has been achieved with the energisation of the newly installed overhead wires between Kettering and Wigston and the first trip for a new East Midlands Railway Aurora bi-mode unit to St Pancras.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the Midland Main Line between Leicester station and Wigston junction.
Note.
- Red tracks are electrified.
- Black tracks are not electrified.
- Black/red dashed tracked are being electrified.
- Wigston junction is at the bottom of the map.
- The red track indicates that the South of the junction is electrified.
- The North of the junction is now electrified according to the Modern Railways article.
- The West of the junction is not electrified and leads to the electrified Trent Valley Line at Nuneaton.
- The junction in the middle of the map is Knighton junction, that leads to Burton-on-Trent station.
- In the North-East corner of the map is Leicester station.
Distances from the electrified part of Wigston junction are as follows.
- Derby – 32.5 miles
- Leeds – 107.8 miles
- Leicester – 13.1 miles
- Nottingham – 30.5 miles
- Nuneaton – 15.6 miles
- Sheffield – 68.9 miles
I asked Google AI how far one of Hitachi’s Class 802 trains had gone during tests and got this reply.
A Class 802 train, when operating solely on battery power, can achieve a range of approximately 44 miles (70 km). This was demonstrated in a trial where a five-car Class 802/2 train reached a maximum speed of 87 mph using battery power alone, covering non-electrified sections. Hitachi Rail and Angel Trains are conducting trials to assess the viability of battery technology for longer distances and to reduce reliance on diesel power on non-electrified sections of routes.
Hitachi’s tests were performed with just one diesel engine replaced by a battery pack and it should be born in mind, that the Class 810 trains, that will be used on the Midland Main Line have four diesel engines.
As an electrical engineer, I feel battery range should be additive, so a three-battery train could have a range as much as 120 miles.
- This range would do nicely for a London and Leeds service, as Leeds station is fully-electrified to charge a train for return.
- As London and Sheffield return would be 137.8 miles, a charge at Sheffield would probably be needed to top-up the batteries.
On the other hand a two-battery and two-diesel unit, would have a battery range sufficient for the following services.
- London and Derby and return.
- London and Nottingham and return.
- London and Sheffield with return after a charge.
- London and Leeds with an intermediate charge at Sheffield.
We live in very electrifying times.
I am sure, that Hitachi and their battery-makers will find a solution to run all-electric services to the North of Wigston junction, without full electrification, but with just a charger at Sheffield.
The Electrification Problem At Leicester
Some years ago I came back to London from Leicester with a group of drivers. At one point, the conversation turned to electrification and they said that they had met a Network Rail engineer, who had told them, that the bridge was rather low for electrification and the track couldn’t be lowered because Leicester’s main sewer was underneath the railway.
In Leicester Station – 4th Jan 2022, I show a selection of pictures of Leicester station’s Grade II Listed frontage.
I doubt it would be possible to seriously alter Leicester station to electrify it, as the Heritage Taliban would have a field day.
But if I’m right that all services will be run North of Wigston on batteries, there will be no need to electrify through Leicester station.
Not only would using batter-electric trains probably be more affordable than electrification, but also because of the Leicester problem, it would be less inconvenient for passengers.
Could London and Leicester Be Run In An Hour Or Even Less?
Consider.
- The London and Sheffield services, which go non-stop between London and Leicester take around 64-66 minutes.
- The London and Nottingham services, which stop at Market Harborough take about 5-6 minutes longer.
- London and Leicester is 98.9 miles.
- The fastest trains average 93 mph between London and Leicester.
- Much of the route between London and Leicester has a maximum speed of 100 mph or more, with some sections of 125 mph running.
- Regenerative braking should reduce the time for the Market Harborough stop.
I can certainly see the non-stop Sheffield services being timed at under an hour between London and Leicester.
But I wouldn’t rule out all services between London and Leicester being timed at under an hour.
Could London and Sheffield Be Run In Two Hours Or Even Less?
Given that most services between London and Sheffield take two hours and four minutes and I reckon six minutes could be saved between London and Leicester, I suspect two hours or less is a very attainable target for London and Sheffield services.
Why Not Fit Four Batteries And Be Done With it?
I suspect it will be down to reliability and whether running the diesels on hydrotreated vegeatble oil is acceptable to some politicians.
Would This Be The World’s First Battery-Electric Main Line With 200 kph Running?
Quite possibly!
Conclusion
I can see no disadvantage in not electrifying North of Wigston junction and using battery-electric trains.
It could even be a lot more affordable.
Darlington Station – 26th June 2025
I visited Darlington station, three times on my trip.
These pictures are in chronological order.
Note.
- The station is being given a major upgrade, so it can handle more trains.
- The station has a large number of top-quality Victorian features.
- The station is Grade II* Listed.
- Inside the enormous train-shed are two long platforms, that handle most of the trains and two South-facing bay platforms.
- Two new platforms, which are numbered 5 & 6, and possibly a double-track avoiding line are being added outside the train-shed on the East side.
- In images with a comment saying Note Platform 5, the new long electrified Platform 5 can be seen.
- Platform 5 appears to be already electrified at its Southern end.
These three OpenRailwayMaps shows the future layout.
The first OpenRailwayMap shows the junction, where the branch to Newton Aycliffe, Shildon and Bishop Auckland connects.
Note.
- The red tracks are electrified and indicate the East Coast Main Line.
- The track curving off to the North-West is the Bishop Auckland Branch.
- The black tracks are not-electrified.
- The Bishop Auckland Branch is shown dotted black and red, as it will be electrified, so that Hitachi can get their new trains to the East Coast Main Line.
- The two tracks of the East Coast Main Line are very straight and the map shows them to have a 125 mph operating speed.
The second OpenRailwayMap, shows the lines immediately to the South of Darlington station.
Note.
- The red tracks are electrified.
- The black tracks are not electrified.
- Tracks are number 4, 3, 2 and 1 from the West.
- The Southern ends of Platforms 1 and 4, and Platforms 2 and 3, which are inside the current train-shed appear to be virtually unchanged.
- Platform 1 is electrified and will probably still cater for Southbound trains.
- Platforms 2 and 3 are bay platforms without electrification for trains terminating at Darlington.
- Platform 4 is electrified and will probably still cater for Northbound trains.
- There is an electrified avoiding line to the East of Platform 1.
- The brick wall of the current train shed is in the white space to the East of Platform 1.
- Outside the current train shed are two electrified 125 mph lines, an electrified through platform and a South-facing bay platform without electrification.
- The new electrified platform looks very long. Could it be long enough to handle a pair of High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains? I suspect though it is long enough to handle the splitting and joining of a pair of five-car Hitachi Class 80x trains.
- The new bay platform looks longer that the current bay platforms 2 & 3. Is it long enough to handle a five-car Hitachi Class 80x train?
- It does appear from the track layout, that the new electrified platform is connected to the East Coast Main Line, the Saltburn branch and stabling sidings to the North of the station.
- The new bay platform appears to be connected to the Saltburn branch.
The two new platforms also appear to be adjacent to an area of the station, which is labelled Darlington Station Gateway East. I would assume, that this proximity will be used to make the station easy for changing trains.
The third OpenRailwayMap shows the section of the station between the two previous maps.
Note.
- The red tracks are electrified.
- The black tracks are not-electrified.
- The Darlington end of the Bishop Auckland Branch is shown dotted black and red, as it will be electrified, so that Hitachi can get their trains to and from the East Coast Main Line.
- Both Platforms 1 and 4 appear to connect to the East Coast Main Line, so high speed services can operate as they do now, by taking a diversion through the current Darlington station.
- To the East of the East Coast Main Line, there appear to be some very useful stabling sidings.
I have some general thoughts about Darlington station.
Will Trains Not Stopping At Darlington Station Use The New 125 mph Lines Through the Station?
It does appear that the two 125 mph lines through the new part of the station are very straight.
- They are shown as 125 mph, but could be faster.
- It should be remembered that according to Wikipedia, British Rail built the Selby Diversion for 160 mph in 1983.
- Between Durham and York stations is 66.2 miles of mainly 125 mph railway.
I believe that cutting out the need for trains to slow to go through Darlington station could save several minutes.
Will Trains Stopping At Darlington Station Use The Current Platforms 1 And 4 As They Do Now?
The track layout would seem to allow this and those changing to another train, would not have to walk a long way.
Can Trains Stopping At Darlington Station Use The New Eastern Platforms?
I have examined the second and third maps in detail and it looks as if the track layout will allow trains on the East Coast Main Line in both directions to stop at the long electrified platform.
The shorter bay platform appears to be only connected to the Tees Valley Line to Middlesbrough and Saltburn.
How Long Are The New Eastern Platforms?
Estimating against the scale on the map, I reckon these are the likely lengths.
- Long electrified platform – 400 metres – Appears to be numbered 5
- Bay platform – 200 metres – Appears to be numbered 6.
These are very useful lengths.
An Aerial View Of The New Platforms
This image from Tees Valley Combined Authority shows the Northern ends of the new platforms and the new footbridge.
Note.
- The original four-platform Victorian station is on the right, which is the Western side.
- The East wall of the Victorian train shed can be clearly seen.
- The two absolutely straight 125 mph lines, that allow trains to bypass the original station are closest to the wall.
- The long electrified platform, which appears to be numbered 5, also appears to be absolutely straight.
- The unelectrified bay platform, which appears to be numbered 6, is to the left.
- Platforms 5 and 6 would seem to be separated by a wide island platform, which would make interchange easy.
This page on the Network Rail web site, gives more information.
Car Parking At Darlington Station
This image from Tees Valley Combined Authority shows the Northern end of the station.
Note.
- The three sections of the Victorian station.
- The two new platforms ; 5 and 6 at the top of the image.
- The two 125 mph lines bypassing the Victorian station.
- There are two new footbridges connecting the Victorian station to the land on the other side of the 125 mph lines.
To the left of the station, there appears to be a massive multi-story car-park.
I asked Google about the new car park at Darlington station and got this reply.
The new multi-story car park at Darlington Station will have a capacity of more than 650 vehicles. This is part of a larger £140 million redevelopment of the station, which also includes new platforms and an eastern concourse. The car park will include accessible parking bays and electric car charging points.
This image from Tees Valley Combined Authority shows the car parking from the South.
Note.
- The building appears to be a five-story car park.
- There appears to be a very easy connection between the car park and the bridge to the station.
- From the roof layout, there appears to be several lifts.
- It looks like there will be a large area between the platforms and the car park, where travellers can meet and socialise.
- The bay platform 6 already has a pair of red buffer stops.
Railways may have come to Darlington two hundred years ago and it looks like they are getting the car parking at the station ready for at least the next two hundred.
Further Electrification
If as I expect, the UK embraces battery electric technology for local and regional trains, I can see the three South-facing bay-platforms being electrified, so they could charge he battery-electric trains.
This picture shows that bars have been placed across Platforms 2 and 3, that could be used to support the electrification.
This method has been used in Victorian stations in the UK before. I show some installations and discuss electrifying Victorian stations in Could Hull Station Be Electrified?.
Darlington Station And High Speed Two
This graphic shows the original service pattern for High Speed Two.
Note.
- There are seventeen paths terminating in the South at Euston station.
- Six of these paths go to Leeds, Newcastle or York.
- As the Eastern leg has been abandoned, that means there will be no High Speed Two trains to Leeds HS2, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle via the East Coast Main Line.
Darlington was to be served by these hourly services.
- Train 17 – Birmingham Curzon Street and Newcastle via East Midlands Hub, York, Darlington and Durham.
- Train 23 – London and Newcastle via York and Darlington.
Both trains would have been a single 200 metre long High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train.
Joining And Splitting Trains At Darlington
As Platform 5 looks like it would be a 400 metre long platform, it would look like it would be possible to handle a pair of High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
But these trains will not now be serving Darlington in the near future, as the Eastern leg of High Speed Two has been cancelled.
A pair of nine-car Class 801 trains would be 467.4 metres long and might be able to fit into Platform 5.
But a pair of seven-car trains would certainly fit into a 400 metre Platform 5.
In Do Class 800/801/802 Trains Use Batteries For Regenerative Braking?, I found this snippet in an Hitachi document.
To simplify the rearrangement and management of train configurations, functions are provided for identifying the train (Class 800/801), for automatically determining the cars in the trainset and its total length, and for coupling and uncoupling up to 12 cars in
normal and 24 cars in rescue or emergency mode.
So I suspect with software updates two nine-car trains could run together.
Suppose LNER wanted to attack the airlines on the London and Scottish route.
- Two seven- or nine-car Class 800 or 801 trains would leave Edinburgh working as a pair.
- First stop would be Platform 5 in Darlington.
- The trains would split in Darlington.
- One train would go to King’s Cross stopping at perhaps Doncaster and Peterborough.
- The other train would go to St. Pancras stopping at perhaps Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Bedford.
Note.
- A seven-car Azuma would be under 200 metres long.
- Seven-car trains would fit in St. Pancras.
- LNER have run an Azuma train into St. Pancras.
- The train would interchange with East-West Rail at Bedford.
- Travellers to and from East Anglia would change at Peterborough.
Large areas of England would have a fast route to and from Scotland.
An Extreme Day Out – Bradford Forster Square Station
It seems to be the fashion to go and visit somewhere far away in a day. So why not?
For my first trip in this vein, I decided on the spur of the moment to go to Bradford Forster Square station.
Why Did I Choose Bradford Forster Square Station?
There are three main reasons.
- A new platform has just opened at the station to handle the longest LNER trains.
- LNER are now running a seven trains per day (tpd) service via Leeds.
- I wanted to see how LNER’s walk-up ticketing performed on the route.
In addition, I wanted to see how the service performed, now that Bradford is this year’s UK City of Culture.
King’s Cross To Bradford Forster Square Station For £43.00 With A Railcard
I just missed the 11:03, so I booked the 13:03 for £43.00 with my Senior Railcard, from one of the numerous ticket machines in King’s Cross.
The train arrived on time in two hours 47 minutes for the 199.4 miles, which was an average speed of 72 mph.
In What Will Be The Fastest Times Possible Between London King’s Cross And Leeds?, I predicted this.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see with full digital signalling and a 125 mph average between London King’s Cross and Leeds.
- 125 mph Base Time – 89 minutes.
- Four Acceleration/Deceleration sections at 6 minutes each – 24 minutes.
- Three Dwell Times at 2 minutes each – 6 minutes
This would mean a total time of one hour and 59 minutes.
As my Bradford service took two hours and 28 minutes between London King’s Cross And Leeds, that would mean, that a time close to two hours and fifteen minutes could be possible between London King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square stations.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Leeds And Bradford Forster Square Stations
These pictures show the nearly empty train and the small numbers, who alighted at Bradford Forster Square station.
But I don’t think three in the afternoon is a time, when many passengers will need to go between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square stations.
Bradford Forster Square Station
I described that station, with its new Platform 0 in Bradford Forster Square Station – 20th May 2025, where I said the station needed these additions.
The station needs a few additions, like a proper coffee shop, a better shop, ticket machines and toilets.
But it’s not been open very long.
Bradford Forster Square Station To King’s Cross For £25.70 With A Railcard
I bought this ticket from a Yorkshire Lass in the Ticket Office.
There Weren’t Many Passengers Between Bradford Forster Square And King’s Cross Stations
Only about a dozen passengers boarded the train at Bradford Forster Square and some got out at Leeds.
In fact the train wasn’t very busy all the way to London with perhaps twenty passengers in my carriage, when we arrived in King’s Cross.
Will This Service Develop Into A Two-Hourly London King’s Cross And Leeds Or Bradford Forster Square Service With A Trans-Yorkshire Service Tacked On?
Currently, it is the following.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Leeds with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate.
- An express service between King’s Cross and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- A local service between Doncaster and Bradford Forster Square with stops at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds.
- Additional calls on some services are at Stevenage, Grantham, Retford and Shipley.
In addition the following would be possible.
- Pairs of trains could split at Leeds, with one train going to Bradford Forster Square and the other train to somewhere like Harrogate, Huddersfield or Skipton.
- Additional stops could be added between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square without slowing services between Leeds and King’s Cross.
But then where does this fit with LNER buying ten CAF tri-mode trains?
Surely they would get better flexibility, if they’d bought more Azumas, which could run on the electrification all the way to Bradford Forster Square, Huddersfield and Skipton. If some had batteries, they could run all the way to Harrogate.
LNER’s Disabled-Unfriendly Refreshments System
I am not disabled, but I only have one fully-working hand, as the school bully broke my left humerus and I have difficulty doing certain things with my left hand, due to the quality of the care I received in Highlands Hospital in Winchmore Hill.
Having a left-sided stroke didn’t help either.
One of the things, I can’t do is take pictures on my mobile phone, so I always carry a proper camera. Because of the injury, I have also never read a QR code with my phone.
On LNER’s trains to get a drink, you either have to order it by reading a QR code or walking to the buffet.
As on the train going North, the buffet was closed, I went thirsty.
In future, if I have a choice of trains, I’ll choose one with a trolly service.
Are The CAF Tri-Mode Trains Part Of A Plan To Drive Open Access Operators Out Of Yorkshire?
This is possibly the only scenario that makes sense.
The ten-car tri-mode trains would be used to take over Grand Central’s services to Bradford Interchange and Sunderland, and Hull Trains services to Hull.
After Monday, LNER are now running more daily services to Bradford Forster Square, than Grand Central are to Bradford Interchange.
If like my return to London on Tuesday, you can buy a walk-up ticket on LNER, then why would you travel on Grand Central.
Conclusion
£68.70 is not a bad price for what is in effect a walk-up day return to Bradford Forster Square.
I’ve just looked how much, I would be charged for an advance ticket on Friday, using the trains I used on Tuesday.
I could get a ticket for £25.70 going North and £28.95 going South or a total of £54.65. All are with my Senior Railcard.
But it does look to me, that LNER and the Government are trying to drive Grand Central off the Bradford route.
If I am right and Hull Trains and Lumo will be next in LNER’s sights, then what was Starmer and other Government ministers doing at the launch of orders for new trains for Grand Central, Hull Trains and Lumo?
Would A Train Manufacturer Save CrossCountry’s Iconic Aberdeen And Penzance Route?
The article in The Times about the cancelling of CrossCountry’s iconic Aberdeen and Penzance route was entitled After 104 Years UK’s Longest Train Route Is Cancelled For Ever, I gave my post the same name and both received a number of nostalgic comments, from those, who had ridden the route or wished they had.
The Characteristics Of The Line
This article on the BBC is entitled We Had To Be On Last Run Of UK’s Longest Train Route.
This is said in the BBC article.
The connection – first established back in 1921 – is 775 miles (1,247km) long.
But electrification is rather thin on the ground.
Between Leeds and Edinburgh stations is electrified and I suspect that some of the route through Birmingham New Street and Bristol Parkway stations are also electrified, so perhaps, a battery-electric train could get a top-up on the way.
But as Leeds and Edinburgh is around 220 miles, there’s about 550 miles of the route or 70 % without electrification.
Battery Power, Hydrogen Power Or Both?
If diesel is ruled out on environmental grounds, it means that only battery or hydrogen power could be used for the route.
Despite some of the progress made by battery-electric trains in the last few years, I feel that unless the route has a large number of charging stations, then battery-electric trains will not be a practical solution.
This is a paragraph from The Times article.
Rail bosses said one of the reasons for ending the train was the difficulty keeping such a long journey on time. The fact that most customers made only short journeys along the route was also a consideration.
And this is another.
As an “express” service it was severely challenged, partly because of the long waits at a number of stations along the way, including 14 minutes at both Edinburgh Waverley and Bristol Temple Meads, and seven minutes at Birmingham New Street and Exeter St Davids.
Stopping regularly to charge the batteries, is going to make timekeeping more difficult and will probably end up with irritable passengers, after all the waiting.
So I suspect, hydrogen would be the ideal power for such a long service over a route with such sparse electrification.
But the trains, would be fitted with regenerative breaking to battery, so that kinetic energy is conserved as much as possible in the station stops.
I believe, that the trains should effectively be tri-mode or hydrogen-hybrid trains, but then many drivers praise the frugality of their hybrid cars.
Would Efficient Hydrogen-Hybrid Trains Attract More Passengers?
Consider.
- All the battery and hydrogen trains and buses, with one exception, that I have ridden on, have been mouse-quiet.
- The exception was a German hydrogen train, that had a very noisy mechanical transmission.
- I also would expect that the trains would be capable of keeping up a cruising speed of 100 mph or perhaps even 125 mph.
- This would enable them to handle the current timetable, which is written for 125 mph Class 222 diesel trains.
An efficient, unobtrusive, reliable and speedy service would surely attract passengers.
What’s In It For The Manufacturer?
Consider.
- There are not many 775 mile routes in the UK.
- But, there are many long rail around the world, that need decarbonising or even creating.
- Some countries, like China, India and France are creating more electrified high speed long-distance lines.
- Others countries, like Australia and the United States are planning and building high speed long-distance lines.
Perhaps, what is needed is a drop-in solution to decarbonise and/or create new high speed long-distance railways.
Could Aberdeen and Penzance be an ideal test bed to trial and demonstrate, your drop-in hydrogen solution?
I am reminded of a story, told to me, by a guy, who was selling an expensive air traffic control radar to an Arab state.
The initial presentations were done in the company’s offices in London.
The only working radar was installed at Prestwick Airport and had been working successfully for a couple of years, so the Arabs would be taken on a visit.
As they were very important clients, the salesman was told, that he was entitled to borrow the chairman’s executive jet for the trip.
The flight to Scotland was uneventful, but as they left the plane, the pilot said to the salesman. “There’s no finer view, than the Scottish Highlands at this time of year, I could fix it, that I gave them the view of a lifetime on the way home.”
After thinking about it for a few seconds, the salesman asked the pilot to fix it.
When they returned to the plane after a successful demonstration, the pilot said. “It’s on if you want it?”
The tale had a very happy ending, in that the Arabs bought an Air Traffic Control radar.
To return to the hydrogen trains; What better route is there to show off the capabilities of your high speed hydrogen-hybrid trains?
- There is the spectacular scenery of the North of Scotland, The Pennines and Cornwall.
- The Firth of Forth is crossed on the Forth Rail Bridge.
- There is running on the wires between Edinburgh and Leeds.
- There is the spectacular views of Durham and York from the train.
- There will be several hours of running on hydrogen.
- The Saltash Bridge is crossed.
What better route is there to sell trains?
Could CrossCountry Customer Service Be Improved?
I’ve never done a long journey on CrossCountry.
But surely, if the trains were designed for the route and the manufacturer was showing them off, the trains could have a top-of-the-range specification and high-quality service?
If you’re going to be stuck on a train for over a dozen hours the service must be good.
Conclusion
Get everything right and the train service would be an unquestionable asset to the UK and extremely good for the manufacturer.
FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These two paragraphs outline the service.
FirstGroup has applied to operate Rochdale – London open access passenger trains, more than 20 years after a short-lived through service ran between the two destinations.
On May 17 FirstGroup said that it had applied to the Office of Rail & Road to launch six Lumo-branded return journeys per day linking London Euston and Rochdale via the West Coast Main Line. The trains would call at Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles and Manchester Victoria.
These are my thoughts.
The Route Isn’t Fully-Electrified
The route is electrified between London Euston and Manchester Victoria stations, but the 10.4 miles between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale is not electrified.
In Extra Luggage Racks For Lumo, I also talk about the possibility of fitting traction batteries to Lumo’s Class 803 trains, so they could handle the 88.5 mile diversion on the East Coast Main Line via Lincoln.
Trains with a traction battery, with an 88.5 mile range, would be able to travel between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale and return.
How Long Would London Euston And Rochdale Take?
Consider.
- The fastest London Euston and Warrington Bank Quay services take 1 hour and 44 minutes
- The fastest Warrington Bank Quay and London Euston services take 1 hour and 47 minutes
- Northern’s Class 195 trains take between 44-51 minutes Rochdale and Warrington Bank Quay with three stops.
- Northern’s Class 195 trains take between 29-32 minutes Manchester Victoria and Warrington Bank Quay with two stops.
- I will add two minutes for the extra stop.
These are my estimates for overall journey times.
- London Euston and Manchester Victoria – 2 hours and 15 minutes
- London Euston and Rochdale – 2 hours and 29 minutes
- Manchester Victoria and London Euston – 2 hours and 21 minutes
- Rochdale and London Euston – 2 hours and 40 minutes
The fastest direct Avanti West Coast services between London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly take 2 hours and 6 minutes.
Could The Service Be Extended To Leeds?
For my timings between Rochdale and Warrington Bank Quay, I used Northern’s Leeds and Chester service.
This service goes between Manchester Victoria and Leeds calling at Rochdale, Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Halifax, Bradford Interchange, New Pudsey and Bramley.
I estimate it would take about 3 hours 32 minutes.
When Bradford has a new through station, I wouldn’t be surprised if a train operator looked at this route between London Euston and Leeds.
As Leeds and Manchester Victoria is only 49.8 miles, Lumo’s battery electric trains, with 88.5 mile batteries sized for the Lincoln diversion on the East Coast Main Line, would have no difficulty serving Leeds, where they would charge before return.
Could Lumo Run Pairs Of Five-Car Trains Between London Euston and Manchester Victoria?
As I said in Ten-Car Hull Trains, Lumo’s sister company; Hull Trains, runs the occasional ten-car service.
Perhaps for a big football match or other event, Lumo might like to run ten-car trains between Manchester Victoria and London Euston.
I suspect they could do it if the platforms were long enough, but they wouldn’t be able to run a 260 metre ten-car train to Rochdale, as that station only has a 135 metre long platform.
Warrington Bank Quay Station Will Get Six Extra Non-Stop Trains To And From London
This would provide real competition to Avanti West Coast over this route.
Newton-le-Willows Station Is Only A Few Miles From The Town Of St. Helen’s
Newton-le-Willows station has 400 parking spaces and 32 disabled parking spaces.
Note.
- The parking is all free!
- There are regular local trains to Chester, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Airport and Wigan North Western.
A six trains-per-day service to and from London, will help fill up the parking spaces.
Eccles Station Is Within Walking Distance Of Eccles Interchange
This OpenRailwayMap shows Eccles station and Eccles Interchange.
Note.
- The mauve tracks are the Manchester Metrolink.
- They terminate in the South-West at Eccles Interchange.
- The red tracks are the Liverpool-Manchester lines.
- Eccles station is a Northerly walk from Eccles Interchange.
This connection must be useful to more than a few.
I suspect if you’re going between London and Media City UK, Salford Quays or Piccadilly Gardens, you may be better to change to the Metrolink at Eccles.
Will Lumo’s Rochdale Service Run As A Flight With Avanti’s Glasgow Service?
Flighting is where two or more trains going on the same route run a few minutes apart.
- Every hour, on the half hour, an Avanti West Coast service for leaves London Euston for Glasgow Central.
- As with Lumo’s Rochdale service, the first stop is Warrington Bank Quay station.
- The Lumo service would leave London Euston a few minutes after Avanti’s Glasgow service.
- The distance between the two trains would be such, that if the first train stopped, the second train could stop safely.
- Digital signalling as is being installed on UK rail lines would make it easier to ensure safe separation.
But the benefit would be that both trains ran fast to Warrington Bank Quay station.
A Day-Trip To Manchester
If I’m right about the 2 hours and 15-21 minutes between London Euston and Manchester Victoria, then a day-trip would certainly be feasible.
Last Trains
This is a table of the last train times for Lumo between Newcastle and London.
- Weekdays – 20:27 21:35
- Saturdays – 18:27 19:22
- Sundays – 19:24 20:21
Note.
- The first time is the last Northbound departure.
- The second time is the last Southbound departure.
- Are these late enough for football matches?
I shall be interested to see the proposed last train times for the Manchester route.
- Will they be timed so you can get a tram from the Etihad or Old Trafford stadium after an evening match, that allowed you to get the last train back to London from Manchester Victoria?
- Taylor Swift gave the Manchester Arena a lot of favours with her concerts. Would you have been able to see her concert and get the last train back to London?
A few extra full trains wouldn’t hurt Lumo’s finances.
Conclusion
It looks like, this could be a very worthwhile service.
The Anonymous Widower 