New Chiltern Railways Trains Set To Unlock 10,000 More Seats A Day
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Chiltern Railways.
This picture from Chiltern Railways shows the train at Marylebone.
These three paragraphs are from the press release and add more details.
Chiltern Railways today (Tuesday 14 October) showcased for the first time its newest (Mark 5A) trains, set to add 10,000 more seats for customers each weekday from December 2026.
The trains, to be introduced between London to West Midlands from early 2026, will enable Chiltern to deliver more capacity across each of its West Midlands, Aylesbury, and Oxford routes as part of the operator’s efforts to deliver better journeys for customers.
The newest fleet will consist of 13 modern trains set to transform customer journeys during 2026. The trains will replace Chiltern’s oldest carriages, which are nearly 50 years old, with state-of-the-art equivalents, and provide a significant improvement to the on-board experience.
Today, I also received an update from Modern Railways, which was entitled Chiltern Railways Mk 5As To Enter Traffic Early Next Year, and included this delivery schedule.
From December 2026 there will be ten Mk 5A sets in traffic each day, with one ‘hot spare’ and one undergoing maintenance. That leaves one extra set which, CR has suggested, could eventually be pressed into traffic.
I have a few thoughts.
How Do The Trains Compare Physically?
These are basic figures for the two different types of train sets.
- The current Mark 3 are five-car sets of 23 metres coaches, that weigh about 36 tonnes. The driving van trailer is 18.83 metres and 43.7 tonnes
- The future Mark 5A are four-car sets of 22.2 metres coaches, that weigh about 43 tonnes. The driving trailer is 22.37 metres and 43 tonnes.
Lengths and weights of various sets will be as follows.
- Mark 3 – five-car and driving van trailer – 133.83 metres and 223.7 tonnes.
- Mark 5A – four-car and driving trailer – 111.17 metres and 215 tonnes
- Mark 5A – five-car and driving trailer – 155.57 metres and 258 tonnes
Note.
- Chiltern Railways and TransPennine Express use the same Class 68 locomotives.
- The five-car Mark 3 and the four-car Mark 5A sets are quite similar in length and weight
- This could mean that both sets would perform similarly with the same locomotives on the same route.
- I wouldn’t be surprised that the new Platform 4 at Birmingham |Snow Hill station will be able to handle all configurations.
I almost feel that when CAF designed the Mark 5A sets for TransPennine Express, they also had Chiltern in mind as another possible sale.
How Many Trains Would Be Needed To Run Between London Marylebone And Birmingham?
Consider.
- Trains currently run half-hourly on the route between 06:00 to 23:30, which is up to 36 services per day.
- When Platform 4 is operational at Birmingham Snow Hill station, all services could probably stop at both Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill stations.
- A round trip between London Marylebone and Birmingham Snow Hill stations currently takes about five hours.
I’m fairly certain that to run a half-hourly core service would need ten trains.
Could Chiltern Develop Another Network On The Other Side Of Birmingham?
Consider.
- Trains could run twice an hour from 06:00 to 23:30, which is up to 36 services per day.
- When Platform 4 is operational at Birmingham Snow Hill station, all services could probably stop at both Birmingham Moor Street and Birmingham Snow Hill stations.
- Chiltern Railways already run several services a day to Stourbridge Junction.
- Chiltern Railways have run services to Kidderminster station in the past.
- Wrexham & Shropshire used to run locomotive-hauled Mark 3 four-car sets with driving van trailers, as far as Wrexham via Shrewsbury.
It looks to me, that with the right rolling stock configurations, Chiltern’s network can be developed on the other side of Birmingham.
- Destinations could include Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Chirk, Ruabon and Wrexham General.
- Some services would need longer trains.
Obviously services would only be run if they were viable.
Would It Help Growth In A Town Or Area, If It Had A Rail Connection To London And/Or The Nearest Major City?
I know Lincoln is on the other side of the country, but I asked Google AI if Lincoln’s rail link to London has brought growth to the city and received this answer.
Yes, Lincoln’s rail link to London has brought significant growth by improving tourism, business travel, and student mobility, and is expected to spur further economic benefits through faster journey times and increased services. The direct link has made Lincoln more accessible for visitors and is a key part of the city’s long-term strategy for economic growth and development.
That was fairly definite.
How would that apply to an extended Chiltern Main Line.
- Politicians are always saying growth is important.
- An extended Chiltern Main Line servicewould improve connections of a lot of places to London and Birmingham.
- Shrewsbury is the easiest connection for West Wales.
- Surely a rail connection to a major city, might tempt someone to open a branch or a new factory.
Would a rail service make people feel more included?
Cleethorpes-London Service Delayed At Least A Year
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The reintroduction of a direct rail service between North East Lincolnshire and London has been delayed for at least another year
These are the first three paragraphs.
Train operator LNER planned to introduce the route from Cleethorpes via Grimsby, Lincoln and Market Rasen to the capital last month.
It is now hoped the service will be available when the East Coast mainline timetable changes are brought at the end of this year.
However, it could be longer due to required improvements to Market Rasen station, which could cost up to £20m.
It looks to me, that to paraphrase a well known project management phrase, LNER got their ducks in the wrong order.
According to the BBC article, the local MPs are not amused.
Do LNER Have Plans For Lincolnshire?
I ask the question in the title of this post, for two reasons.
- In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I talked about how LNER had run a test train to Cleethorpes.
- In First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line, I talked about LNER’s order for tri-mode long distance trains.
Note.
- London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln is just over 200 miles.
- Around eighty miles between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes is not electrified.
- The Cleethorpes/Grimsby area is doing well because of all the offshore wind and the power stations at Keadby.
- I am fairly sure, that Lincolnshire will attract more energy-related businesses or ones that need a lot of energy.
- Lincoln is a city that is becoming more important for business and education.
- Lincoln probably needs a train service to the capital of at least one train per hour (tph).
For a train to do the round-trip between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes, without refueling or charging the batteries at Cleethorpes, needs a train with a range without electrification of over 150 miles.
It seems to me, that LNER’s new CAF tri-mode long distance trains would be ideal to run a one train per two hours (tp2h), between London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes.
- The service could call at Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
- I estimate that the trip would take about 0ne hour and 55 minutes to Lincoln and two hours and 55 minutes to Cleethorpes.
- The CAF tri-mode long distance trains could probably easily handle the 160 miles without wires.
- Cleethorpes can handle a ten-car train.
The current London King’s Cross and Lincoln service and the future London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes would be timed to give Lincoln an hourly service to and from London King’s Cross.
Serving Sleaford And Spalding
It must surely be possible to route the Cleethorpes trains to the South of Lincoln, via Sleaford, Spalding and the new Werrington dive-under, so that Sleaford and Spalding would have a direct service to London.
Don’t Forget Skegness And Boston
Consider.
Skegness, Boston and other places are connected to the East Coast Main Line, by an hourly train to Nottingham via Grantham.
They are also connected to Lincoln and Peterborough at Sleaford.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the lines at Sleaford.
Note.
- Sleaford station is marked with the blue arrow.
- The orange track is the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, that avoids Sleaford.
- The yellow track going East-West is the Grantham and Skegness Line.
- There is a loop from the Peterborough and Lincoln Line, so that passenger trains can go through Sleaford station.
I think that there are possibilities to improve the experience at Sleaford.
One possibility must be to build a Park-and-Ride station, where the two lines cross.
How Many Trains Would Be Needed For London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes Via Peterborough?
I estimate that the journey time could be around two hours and 45-50 minutes, so perhaps a six-hour round trip would be possible.
To run an hourly service would need six trains, with three needed for one tp2h.
New Infrastructure Required
The only new infrastructure required, might be some method of refuelling the CAF tri-mode long distance train at Cleethorpes.
LNER’s New Sunday Timetable
LNER’s new Sunday timetable, that starts on the 10th December 2023 is now available to view on this page of the National Rail web site, where this is said.
Sundays are now one of the most popular days to travel on LNER’s network.
To support this increase in demand, LNER is introducing three additional Sunday services into its timetable starting in December 2023 – two (one each way) between Leeds and London Kings Cross and one between Doncaster and London.
There will also be more seats added to some trains with eight existing Sunday services becoming longer trains. The current five carriage services will be replaced with either nine or ten carriage Azuma trains for destinations including Leeds, Harrogate and Lincoln.
This equates to more than 3,000 additional seats on a Sunday and will help reduce overcrowding and increase connectivity for more people between Yorkshire and London.
To provide additional Sunday seating capacity, due to the lengthening of some London Kings Cross to Harrogate services on Sundays, two northbound station calls at Horsforth need to be removed on Sundays only. The impacted services are the 09.05 and 17:05 London Kings Cross to Harrogate trains.
Note.
- Horsforth looks to have short platforms.
- Last Sunday, Harrogate to London services were three nine-car and three five-car trains.
- In September 2023, I wrote Yorkshire To See More LNER Services And Longer Trains.
LNER certainly seem to be fulfilling the last promise.
Additionally, in this article on Modern Railways, which is entitled LNER Orders CAF Tri-mode Sets, this is said.
Modern Railways understands the new fleet will be maintained at Neville Hill depot in Leeds and, like the ‘225’ sets, will be used predominantly on services between London and Yorkshire, although unlike the ‘225s’ the tri-modes, with their self-power capability, will be able to serve destinations away from the electrified network such as Harrogate and Hull.
So are LNER gradually moving towards the new timetable they will use after the CAF tri-mode trains are delivered?
Extra Luggage Racks For Lumo
The title of this post, is the same as a small article in the November 2023 Edition of Modern Railways.
Thiese are the first two paragraphs.
Lumo is to remove eight seats from each of its five Class 803 EMUs to make way for additional luggage racks.
Two seats will be removed from four of the five vehicles in each unit to make space for the luggage racks. The move has required a variation of Lumo’s track access agreement, with the Office of Road and Rail, which as originally approved specified that each train must have 400 seats.
The article also states that Lumo has stopped carrying bikes and the bike areas are now used for luggage.
Batteries For Lumo?
The article finishes with this paragraph.
Lumo celebrated its second birthday in late October and was also set to mark the carriage of its two-millionth passenger. It is understood Lumo is interested in augmenting its fleet, such has been the success of the service; while many operators favour bi-mode units, Lumo is proud of its all-electric credentials so straight EMUs are still preferred, although the possibilities of including batteries which could power the trains may be pursued (the ‘803s’ have on-board batteries, but only to provide power to on-board systems if the electricity supply fails).
I find this development very interesting.
As an electrical engineer, I’ve always believed that the emergency batteries in the Class 803 trains are very similar to the traction batteries that Hitachi are developing for the Class 802 trains.
- One design of battery must surely save time and costs in design and testing.
- The difference between the two batteries might be only software and the total capacity of the lithium-ion cells.
- In service testing under real operating conditions can be carried out in Lumo’s Class 803 trains.
- Traction and emergency batteries would be interchangeable, so some operators, who didn’t always need traction but wanted emergency on-board power could be setup as required for the route.
If traction batteries gave the train a range of perhaps 15-20 miles, this might well be enough range, for the train to get through or to the next station, if there was to be an incident like catenary failure or a derailed freight train blocking the line. Obviously, Lumo will have records of all external failures that have affected them.
Consider.
- I have calculated that Peterborough and Doncaster via Lincoln is 88.5 miles.
- I also believe it is likely that in the future, there may be some electrification at Lincoln to charge battery-electric trains.
- Lincolnshire is flat.
Would it be possible for Lumo trains to use a single traction battery to take the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to get round engineering works on the East Coast Main Line?
What Length Of Trains Could Lumo Run?
In Ten-Car Hull Trains, I talked about Hull Trains running ten-car trains to Hull.
I would expect that all Lumo’s stops are possible with ten-car trains.
As the trains are all Plug-and-Play, Lumo could either run pairs of trains or perhaps lengthen all trains to any size between six and nine cars.
Could Lumo Piggy-Back An Aberdeen Service On An Edinburgh Train?
The line between Edinburgh and Ladybank is being electrified and Ladybank is just 91.4 miles South of Aberdeen.
- A pair of Class 803 trains could leave King’s Cross running as a ten-car formation.
- The leading train would be a Class 803 train equipped with a traction battery.
- The trailing train would be a Class 803 train equipped with the normal emergency battery.
- Aberdeen passengers would get in the leading train.
- The train would run as normal to Edinburgh.
- At Edinburgh the two trains would split with the leading train going on to Aberdeen and the trailing train getting ready to return to London.
The train going to Aberdeen would need sufficient battery range to cover the 91.4 miles to Aberdeen, where it would recharge to make the journey back to Ladybank, Edinburgh and the South.
What About Inverness?
Dunblane is the nearest electrified station to Inverness, but it is 146.2 miles away over a route with lots of steep climbs.
I doubt that a battery-electric train could handle that route.
Conclusions
Luggage seems to be getting more of a problem on trains and buses.
It does appear that a very innovative battery philosophy from Hitachi is emerging.
London North Eastern Railway Runs Trial Train To Liverpool Street
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.
These two paragraphs, describe why this was done.
In an effort to mitigate the effect on passengers during disruption to services, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ran one of its Azuma trains from Finsbury Park to London Liverpool Street during the early hours of this morning, Friday, 14th July.
The trial run took place to determine the long-term feasibility of diverting services during periods of planned disruption or when significant engineering works were taking place.
There doesn’t seem to have been any problems.
- The route in from Finsbury Park station went through Canonbury, Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central, Homerton, Hackney Wick, Stratford and Bethnal Green stations, which was a distance of 9.6 miles.
- The route out to Finsbury Park station went through Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Dalston Kingsland and Canonbury, what was a distance of 5.8 miles.
Note.
- Two different routes were checked.
- The Class 800 train had five cars.
- Platform 4 at Liverpool Street station was used, which is normally used by London Overground and Cambridge services.
As this comes so soon after the test run to Cleethorpes, that I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I wonder if Network Rail and the train operating companies are planning for some worst case scenario, where the two or more of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Lone and East Coast Main Line are blocked.
LNER and Network Rail have shown the following.
- Azumas can use Cleethorpes station.
- Azumas can use Liverpool Street station.
We also know that Cleethorpes has a direct TransPennine train service across the North of England to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
So if say Euston has to be shut for perhaps fourteen days during the construction of High Speed Two, a service between Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes via Colchester, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and Lincoln could be used to get some passengers to and from the North.
The other big problem is the removal of the problems of the Newark Crossing, which if it results in a long blockade of the East Coast Main Line, might need services to go into an alternative London terminal.
The Powerhouse In The East
Consider.
- The importance of Cambridge to the economy of the UK is growing fast.
- The city suffers from a shortage of commercial premises, housing and staff at all levels.
- I have just looked at the non-passenger traffic on the West Anglia Main Line for all of yesterday and there were just six freight trains through Bishop’s Stortford.
I wonder, if it would be possible to run a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service via Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town?
- The service avoids the East Coast Main Line, except through Peterborough, where it would use the separate Werrington lines.
- Liverpool Street is in the heart of one of the world’s major financial centres.
- Liverpool Street is on the Elizabeth Line.
- The service could call at Stansted Airport, but a reverse would be needed.
- Peterborough is sometimes promoted in Cambridge as a city, that could be developed, to provide support for Cambridge.
- A reverse would be needed at Lincoln.
- Lincoln is developing as a university city with character.
- Grimsby and Cleethorpes are close to the fast expanding Humberside renewable energy and hydrogen cluster.
The service could be paired with a Liverpool Street and Norwich service, via Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.
The services could alternate every half hour or perhaps leave London as a pair and split and join at Cambridge.
Platform Availability At Kings Cross And Liverpool Street
Consider.
- Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line will increase the number of possible trains between London and the North.
- LNER have said they want to increase services to the North and have identified a possible service to Cleethorpes.
- Grand Central would like to increase services to Bradford.
- Lumo have started services to Newcastle and Edinburgh from Kings Cross.
- The Elizabeth Line now runs less services into Liverpool Street station.
- The Elizabeth Line connects to Liverpool Street, but doesn’t connect to King’s Cross.
- Liverpool Street is to undergo a major refurbishment, which should increase the overall passenger capacity of the station.
Would it be sensible to move a small number of services from King’s Cross to Liverpool Street?
Surely, the logical service to move to Liverpool Street would be the new Cleethorpes service.
- It would route via Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
- It would use the Werrington Lines through Peterborough.
- It would not need a path on the East Coast Main Line.
- The service would provide a much needed direct link between Cambridge and Lincoln via Peterborough.
- The service could also be hourly or two-hourly.
I also believe that a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service could be run by a battery-electric Azuma.
- The route is electrified between Liverpool Street and Ely and through Peterborough.
- Ely and Peterborough is 30 miles.
- Peterborough and Lincoln is 56.9 miles.
- Lincoln and Cleethorpes is 47.2 miles.
- There would need to be a charging station or a few miles of electrification at Cleethorpes.
- There may be 134.1 miles of unelectrified track, but there can be a Splash and Dash at Peterborough.
A Stadler Akku would be able to handle this route, so I suspect that a similar-sized battery-electric Azuma should also be able to handle the route.
Could East Midland Railway’s Leicester And Lincoln Service Be Extended To Burton On Trent?
After my trip to Lincoln and Cleethorpes earlier this week, I got to thinking about how train services could be improved in the area.
Cleethorpes As A Battery-Electric Train Hub Station
In Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023, this was my last sentence.
Cleethorpes station could be at the centre of its own battery-electric train network, with all trains powered by just 3.3 miles of single-track electrification.
Services running to Cleethorpes station could be.
- East Midlands Railway – Barton-on-Humber and Cleethorpes via Barrow Haven, New Holland, Goxhill, Thornton Abbey, Ulceby, Habrough, Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Grimsby Town, Grimsby Docks and New Clee, which currently runs two-hourly, but probably should run hourly. Barton-on-Humber and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 19.6 miles or 39.2 miles for a round trip.
- East Midlands Railway – Leicester and Cleethorpes via Syston, Sileby, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, East Midlands Parkway, Attenborough, Beeston, Nottingham, Newark Castle, Collingham, Swinderby, Hykeham, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town which currently runs two-hourly, but probably should run hourly. Nottingham and Grimsby Town is not planned to be electrified and is 77.8 miles.
- LNER – London King’s Cross and Cleethorpes via Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Newark Northgate, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town, which would run at least two trains per day (tpd). Newark Northgate and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 60.6 miles.
- TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes via Liverpool South Parkway, Warrington Central, Birchwood, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town, which runs hourly. Hazel Grove and Grimsby Town is not electrified and is 101.4 miles.
Note.
- All services to Cleethorpes could be run using a battery-electric train, with the range of a Stadler FLIRT Akku, which is 139 miles.
- Cleethorpes station will soon have four terminal platforms. Could it be one platform for each service?
- The 3.3 miles of single-track electrification would be between Cleethorpes and Grimsby stations.
- I am assuming that all services should be at least hourly, except London King’s Cross.
- If the frequency of services to London King’s Cross, were to be increased, the extra services would take-over paths of the East Midlands Railway services between Lincoln and Cleethorpes.
- I am also assuming that the Midland Main Line electrification has been completed through Leicester to Nottingham, as is currently planned.
Cleethorpes will become a very well-connected station.
Collateral Benefits Of Cleethorpes As A Fossil Fuel-Free Station
If all services to Cleethorpes are run by battery-electric trains, then there will be collateral benefits.
- All passenger train services in North-East Lincolnshire will be zero-carbon.
- TransPennine Express’s Southern route between Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes via Manchester, Sheffield and Doncaster will be zero-carbon.
- LNER’s services to London King’s Cross from Lincolnshire will be zero carbon.
Manchester and Sheffield will be linked by an hourly electric service, just as it was between 1953 and 1981.
The Ivanhoe Line
I wrote about the Ivanhoe Line in Reinstatement Of The Ivanhoe Line.
- There is a proposed reinstatement of passenger services between Leicester and Burton-on-Trent stations.
- I estimate it’s a distance of around 37 miles.
- There would be some new stations on the route.
In the Wikipedia entry for the Ivanhoe Line, there is a section called Future, where this is said.
The intermediate stations are capable of taking only a two-coach train, which has led to overcrowding on some services, especially now that the service is extended to Nottingham and Lincoln. The latest Route Utilisation Strategy for the East Midlands makes recommendations for platform lengthening.
East Midlands Parkway railway station has now been built on the route. The Borough of Charnwood’s local plan of 2004 anticipates a station at Thurmaston.
In 2022 the closed section of the line was one of nine schemes chosen to undergo a feasibility scrutiny by Network Rail as part of the government’s Restoring Your Railway programme. If approved, work could start in 2024 and the line reopened in 2026
Note.
- The first paragraph refers to the existing section of the Ivanhoe Line, to the North of Leicester.
- I went to Burton once for the football and it’s a difficult place to get to from North London by train.
- Burton-on-Trent station was fully refurbished in 2011.
- Burton-on-Trent station has hourly services from CrossCountry trains.
It seems that a creditable plan is emerging.
Service Frequency Between Burton-on-Trent And Leicester
As Burton-on-Trent station has hourly services, I suspect that this will be the initial frequency between Burton-on-Trent and Leicester.
But I could see this frequency being increased, if there were long waits during interchange at Burton-on-Trent.
Average Speed Of The Service And Estimate For A Time Between Cleethorpes And Burton-on-Trent
The current Grimsby Town and Leicester service is over a route of 105.3 miles and a direct service takes two hours and thirty-seven minutes.
This is an average speed of 40.24 mph.
I can now give an estimate for a Cleethorpes and Burton-on-Trent service.
The distance will be 105.3+3.3+37, which is 145.6 miles.
An estimate of the time using a speed of 40.24 mph is three hours and thirty-seven minutes.
But seeing that a good proportion of the route has a 110 mph operating speed, I suspect that a 100 mph train could do the trip faster.
Could Cleethorpes And Burton-on-Trent Be Worked By A Battery-Electric Train?
The route could be effectively four sections.
- Cleethorpes and Grimsby Town – 3.3 miles – Electrified
- Grimsby Town and Nottingham – 77.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Nottingham and Leicester – 27.5 miles – Being Electrified
- Leicester and Burton-on-Trent – 37 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- In a round trip, there are two sections of 77.8 miles and two consecutive sections of 37 miles.
- Battery-electric trains would be charged on the electrified section of the route.
I am sure that a battery-electric train with a range of greater than 77.8 miles would handle the service.
Freight Trains Through Lincoln Station
I must have spent nearly ninety minutes in total at Lincoln station yesterday and in that time, at least four long freight trains went through.
The reason is that Lincoln station lies on the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line, which is a major freight diversion between Doncaster and Peterborough.
- It appears to me, that more freight trains are now using this route since the opening of the Werrington Dive Under.
- All were hauled by a noisy and polluting diesel Class 66 locomotive.
- Some were hauling as many as forty containers.
Articles like this one on Lincolnshire Live, which is entitled Who Had The Crazy idea to Let Trains Run Right Through Lincoln City Centre?, which contains this paragraph.
Then, you’re left with a decision over whether you take your own life in your hands by scuttling over the crossing as fast as you can before being trapped by the barriers, climbing the stairs of one of the two footbridges, or simply waiting at the barrier for the trains to pass (and God help you if it’s one of those freight trains with a seemingly endless amount of carriages).
New footbridges have been installed over the railway, as I wrote about in The Footbridges Over The Railway At Lincoln. But is that enough?
Diesel locomotives are not the most friendly of neighbours and the sooner we start to replace them with quieter locomotives the better.
Lincoln is not the only place, that is plagued by Class 66 locomotives.
- Near me, the North London and Gospel Oak to Barking Lines are regularly used by freight trains hauled by diesel locomotives, despite being electrified.
- Diesel locomotives regularly use the Castlefield Corridor through Manchester.
There must be other places, which suffer from these beasts.
Cleethorpes Station – 28th June 2023
I took these pictures at Cleethorpes station yesterday.
Compare them with this one taken three years ago.
Note.
- It appears a Platform 4 has been created on the seaward side of the station.
- The track in Platform 4 in yesterday’s pictures appears to be newly-ballasted, whereas three years ago it had an air of dereliction.
- There is now a smart blue wooden fence separating the tracks from the station concourse.
- Strangely, the lighting between Platforms 3 and 4 had been installed three years ago.
- There are different types of lighting on the two islands. Could this be because Network Rail are looking for the lights that perform best in a seaside environment?
This Google Map shows Cleethorpes station.
Note.
- The track in Platform 4 appears to be complete.
- The station is very handy for the beach.
In Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I said this.
It looks like three platforms 2, 3 and 4 at Cleethorpes station were checked.
I think it is possible to say, that once Network Rail’s brickies and paviours have tidied up, that Cleethorpes station will be LNER-ready and could accept a service from London via Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
What Will Be The Initial Service Of The London and Cleethorpes Service?
The Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, says this about the London service.
In the 1970s Cleethorpes had a twice daily return service to London King’s Cross, typically hauled by a Class 55 Deltic.
Three people, I spoke to about the possible service, mentioned that two trains per day would be the frequency.
I certainly think, that this frequency, could be a sensible initial frequency.
If it worked in the 1970s, I can see why it might work in the 2020s.
- Kids still like to go to the seaside and the station is close.
- This area of North-East Lincolnshire, is getting increasingly important as an energy and hydrogen powerhouse.
- Cleethorpes station has the space to handle more train services.
- Cleethorpes station has a small depot nearby, which could ease train operations, by stabling a train overnight for an early start in the morning.
But there is one factor that could attract passengers to use the train between King’s Cross and Cleethorpes. I believe that the soon-to-be-announced Hitachi battery-electric Class 800 trains could be able to handle the route without using a drop of fossil fuel.
Running Battery-Electric Class 800 trains Between King’s Cross And Cleethorpes
Consider.
- Cleethorpes and Lincoln is 47.2 miles with three stops.
- Lincoln and Newark Northgate, where the electrification starts is 16.7 files.
- Cleethorpes and Newark Northgate is 63.9 miles, with an out-and-back trip being 127.8 miles.
- Battery-electric trains would do most of their charging between King’s Cross and Newark Northgate.
- Full or partial charging should be possible at both Cleethorpes and Lincoln.
- Battery-electric trains could give help, in cases of catenary failure on the East Coast Main Line.
- In What Will Be The Range Of A Hitachi Class 800 Battery Train?, I said that I believed a Class 800 battery train would eventually have a battery range in excess of the Stadler FLIRT Akku’s 139 miles, as no-one likes being second.
I believe these strategies are possible.
Charge A Round Trip At Cleethorpes
Consider.
- This is a range of just 63.9 miles.
- The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
- Charging at Cleethorpes could be by a short length of overhead electrification in Cleethorpes station or a specialist charger in the small depot.
- Charge time would be around 15 minutes.
- If charging were in the station, there would be no shunting of trains around.
This could be a simple and efficient way to run the service.
A Battery Round Trip To Cleethorpes
- This is a range of 127.8 miles.
- The service would use Platform 4 at Cleethorpes station.
- I believe that this service would need a simple charger at Cleethorpes station, as trains do get delayed and these delays on a battery-electric train, may increase the need for charging.
- Also what would happen in Grimsby Town were at home to a London club in the FA Cup?
This could be a reliable way to run the service, but I believe drivers need a charging facility at Cleethorpes as a fail-safe backup.
Electrification Between Grimsby Town And Cleethorpes
In Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes – 28th June 2023, I said this.
3.3 miles between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes took just ten minutes.
All trains terminating at Cleethorpes would get at least twenty minutes of charging, every time, they turned round at the station.
Much of the route between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes is only single-track, so this could be a very affordable option.
I don’t think there would be many objectors to electrifying between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes.
An hourly train would use twenty minutes in ever hour between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes, it looks like the limit would be three trains per hour terminating at Cleethorpes.
So could the three trains be the following?
- One train to Liverpool Lime Street.
- One train to Lincoln, with alternate trains continuing to Nottingham, Loughborough and Leicester and some trains to Kings Cross.
- One train to Barton-on-Humber.
Note.
- The Liverpool Lime Street train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Hazel Grove, which is 101.4 miles.
- A London King’s Cross train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Newark Northgate, which is 60.6 miles.
- A Leicester train, could use batteries between Grimsby Town and Leicester, which is 105.3 miles. Nottingham and Grimsby Town is 77.8 miles.
- Leicester and Nottingham services would need electrification at the Western end.
- King;s Cross, Leicester and Nottingham services would be arranged so Lincoln and Cleethorpes was an hourly service.
- A Barton-on-Humber train, would use batteries between Grimsby Town and Barton-on-Humber , which is 19.6 miles or 39.2 miles for a round trip.
Cleethorpes station could be at the centre of its own battery-electric train network, with all trains powered by just 3.3 miles of single-track electrification.
Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes – 28th June 2023
I arrived at Lincoln at 1200 and had expected, there would be a train to Grimsby and Cleethorpes in a few minutes.
Wrong!
I had to wait until 13:32 for a train to Grimsby, where I changed for Cleethorpes.
The 43.9 miles between Lincoln and Grimsby Town took 53 minutes.
The 3.3 miles between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes took just ten minutes.
Note.
The Grimsby Town and Lincoln train only stops at Market Rasen, Barnetby and Habrough.
The Cleethorpes-bound change at Grimsby Town station includes a climb over a bridge without lifts.
The Lincoln-bound change is at least a walk-though to an adjacent platform.
There is a friendly cafe on the Cleethorpes-bound platform.
I took these pictures on the trip to Cleethorpes.
And these were taken on the way back.
Note.
- There are around forty level crossings on the route.
- The three stations that will be used by LNER; Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town, all appear to be in reasonable condition.
- Market Rasen has Harrington Humps.
- Barnetby station has zone markers and an amazing step-free bridge.
- The maximum speed of the line appears to be 75 mph.
The track appeared to be in good condition and the Class 170 train was rolling along at a good speed.
These are my thoughts on improving the route.
More Trains Between Lincoln And Cleethorpes
Speaking to an East Midlands Railway conductor, it was obvious she felt more trains were needed between Lincoln and Cleethorpes.
As Skegness gets an hourly train from Nottingham, I would feel, that it is not unreasonable that Cleethorpes had an hourly train from Lincoln and perhaps one train per two hours (tp2h) from Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham.
The Leicester, Loughborough and Nottingham service is already at 1 tp2h level with a change at Grimsby Town.
The Anonymous Widower 