The Anonymous Widower

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.

  1. The 31 InterCity 225 trains were built around 1990.
  2. 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.
  3. There is more of a step-up and step-down when entering or leaving the trains, compared to the best of today’s trains.
  4. They are now being phased out in favour of ten new CAF tri-mode Class 897 trains, which should be entering service in 2027.
  5. 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.

  1. Dewsbury and Huddersfield stations is about eight miles and takes about eight minutes.
  2. It is virtually a continuous building site, where extra tracks are being inserted.
  3. Three stations are being rebuilt.
  4. Overhead electrification is being installed. But except for approaching Huddersfield, there’s not much to be seen.
  5. 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.

  1. Huddersfield station is Grade I Listed.
  2. There is a pub in each wing.
  3. I had a beer in the West Wing.
  4. There are currently three main through platforms and three bay platforms.
  5. 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.

  1. The red and black tracks are being electrified.
  2. Of the current platforms, Platforms 1, 4 and 8 will be electrified.
  3. The two bay platforms; 5 and 6, will be converted into through platforms.
  4. 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.

  1. Platform 2 is the black track at the right of the two through tracks, that are being electrified.
  2. Platform 2 is a bay platform close to the Head of Steam pub.
  3. I estimate that the platform is about 90 metres long.
  4. I suspect Platform 2 could be lengthened if required.
  5. Sheffield’s Class 399 tram/trains are 37.2 metres long, so a pair should fit in Platform 2.
  6. The Class 398 tram/trains can run on battery power and climb hills in South Wales.
  7. Platform 2 at Huddersfield station could be electrified to charge the tram/trains.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.

  1. The Class 802 train was running freely along a well-laid track.
  2. There are four stations between Huddersfield and Stalybridge; Slaithwaite, Marsden, Greenfield and Mossley(Manchester).
  3. The stations were in reasonable condition, but some needed new footbridges and a bit of refurbishment.
  4. There was virtually no signs of any foundations for electrification.

This map shows the route.

Note.

  1. The pink tracks are the Manchester Metrolink.
  2. The red tracks are electrified at 25 KVAC overhead.
  3. The red and black tracks are being electrified.
  4. Huddersfield is indicated by the blue arrow in the North-East corner of the map.
  5. Stalybridge station is in the South-West corner of the map.
  6. The pink track in the South-West corner of the map is the Manchester Metrolink branch to Ashton-under-Lyme.
  7. The route between Huddersfield and Stalybridge is shown as it will will be fully electrified.
  8. Huddersfield and Stalybridge is 18 miles.
  9. 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.

August 24, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Liverpool Lime Street Station Has A Problem With Flying Rats

Liverpool Lime Street station may have a problem with pigeons.

But the lady doesn’t seem to mind.

August 24, 2025 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

RWE Opens ‘Grimsby Hub’ For Offshore Wind Operations And Maintenance

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.

This is the sub-heading.

RWE officially opened its ‘Grimsby Hub’ offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) facility in the UK on 9 July. From the new O&M base, located at Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Grimsby, RWE’s teams will maintain and operate the Triton Knoll and Sofia offshore wind farms.

These are the first two paragraphs.

The Grimsby Hub also houses RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room (CCR), which has been set up to provide 24/7 monitoring of the company’s UK offshore wind farms and can provide services such as marine coordination, turbine operations, alarm management, high voltage monitoring and Emergency Response services with a team of twelve operatives, the developer says.

The O&M facility is already employing over 90 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), according to RWE, and is expected to employ around 140 RWE staff by 2027, as well as create approximately 60 new locally sourced jobs through the development of the CCR and ongoing offshore operations.

Note.

  1. Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
  2. I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
  3. I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.

This Google Map shows the location of RWE’s facilities in Grimsby.

Note.

  1. The bright red arrow at the top of the map indicates RWE Generation UK in Grimsby Docks.
  2. There is another RWE location to the right of the bright red arrow.
  3. There is a line of stations along the coast, which from left-to-right are Stallingborough, Healing, Great Coates, Grimsby Town, Grimsby Docks, New Clee and Cleethorpes.
  4. Cleethorpes is not shown on the map.
  5. Doncaster and Cleethorpes are 52.1 mile apart, which is within the range of a battery-electric Hitachi and other trains.
  6. Charging would be at Doncaster, which is fully electrified and at Cleethorpes, by a short length of electrification.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the layout of and the railways around Grimsby Dock.

Note.

  1. Cleethorpes station is indicated by the blue arrow, in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Cleethorpes station has four platforms, but no electrification.
  3. Grimsby Docks are to the North of the railway to Cleethorpes.
  4. This Wikipedia entry for Cleethorpes station, shows other railways and light railways served the area. Some were even electric.

These are a few of my thoughts on the development of railways between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

RWE Will Be A Large Driver Of Employment In Grimsby

Earlier I wrote.

  • Does RWE’s new UK Centralised Control Room control all their UK offshore wind farms?
  • I have added them all up and there are almost 12 GW around our shores.
  • I’ve read somewhere, that RWE are the UK’s largest power generator. From these figures, that would not surprise me.

It’s a long time, since I’ve added resources to a large project, so I asked Google AI, “How many people are needed to support a 1 GW offshore wind farm in the UK?”, and received this answer.

Based on data from large-scale UK offshore wind projects, a 1 GW (1,000 MW) offshore wind farm generally requires between 300 and 600+ people to operate and maintain, depending on whether the staff count includes direct operations, service vessel crews, and long-term supply chain partners. 
Operational Staffing: Ørsted’s 1.2 GW Hornsea 1 and 1.3 GW Hornsea 2 projects are supported by an East Coast Hub in Grimsby, which maintains a workforce of over 600 people.

Direct & Indirect Support: For a large-scale project, this often breaks down into approximately 100–150 direct, permanent, high-skilled roles (technicians, engineers, management) and hundreds more in indirect, contracted, or supply chain roles (vessel crews, port operations, logistics).

Industry Average: Studies suggest that for operations and maintenance (O&M), around 50–100 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs are generated per GW of installed capacity in terms of direct, permanent staff.

Key Takeaways for a 1 GW Farm:

  • Direct Technicians/Operators: ~100–200+ (working on-site, turbines, or in control rooms).
  • O&M Support Services: ~300–400+ (vessel operators, port logistics, supply chain).
  • Total Operations Personnel: 300–600+ people. 

Google AI appeared to have borrowed the figure from Ørsted and Hornsea 1 and 2.

So if it’s correct, there will be a total of 7,200 personnel supporting RWE’s wind farms in the UK. Even if only a third were employed in Grimsby, that is still a lot of people to accommodate and who will need to travel to work.

I also think a lot of personnel will come in by train, as the station is close to RWE’s locations.

Will Grimsby Have An Aberdeen-Sized Office-Shortage Problem?

One of the biggest problems, I was always hearing in the 1970s, was the shortage of offices in Aberdeen for the use of the oilmen.

In RWE Goes For An Additional 10 GW Of Offshore Wind In UK Waters In 2030, I talked about RWE’s plans for the future and published this table of new wind farms.

  • Sofia – 1,400 MW
  • Norfolk Boreas – 1380 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard East – 1380 MW
  • Norfolk Vanguard West – 1380 MW
  • Dogger Bank South – 3000 MW
  • Awel y Môr – 500 MW
  • Five Estuaries – 353 MW
  • North Falls – 504 MW

Note.

  1. Sofia is nearly complete.
  2. Only the three Norfolk and the Dogger Bank South wind farms  are on the East side of England and suitable to be serviced from Grimsby., but they still total 7,140 MW.

Has Grimsby got the office-space for all the people needed?

Could The Cleethorpes And Liverpool Lime Street Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

The various sections of this route are as follows.

  • Cleethorpes and Doncaster – No Electrification – 52.1 miles
  • Doncaster and Meadowhall – No Electrification – 15.2 miles
  • Meadowhall and Sheffield – No Electrification – 3.4 miles
  • Sheffield and Dore & Totley  – No Electrification – 4.2 miles
  • Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 29.2 miles
  • Hazel Grove and Stockport – Electrification – 3.3 miles
  • Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly – Electrification – 5.9 miles
  • Manchester Piccadilly and Deansgate – Electrification – 0.8 miles
  • Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles

Adding the sections together gives.

  • Cleethorpes and Hazel Grove – No Electrification – 104.1 miles
  • Hazel Grove and Deansgate – Electrification – 10 miles
  • Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway -Not Electrified – 28.2 miles
  • Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – Electrified – 5.7 miles

Note.

  1. To cover the 104.1 miles to Hazel Grove battery-electric trains would probably need to leave Cleethorpes with full batteries.
  2. Doncaster is a fully-electrified station and passing trains may be able to have a quick top-up.
  3. In South Yorkshire Now Has Better North-South Connections, I calculated that Doncaster is a very busy station with 173 express trains per day calling at the station or one every 8.5 minutes.
  4. Will trains be able to stop for a long period to charge batteries?
  5. It may be prudent to electrify between Meadowhall and Sheffield, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
  6. Sheffield and Dore & Totley is shown that it will be electrified, under the Midland Mainline Electrification.
  7. Do we really want to have electrification marching along the Hope Valley Line?
  8. I believe that hydrogen-hybrid locomotives will be a better solution for freight trains on scenic lines like the Hope Valley, as they are zero-carbon, powerful and with a range comparable to diesel.

I believe CAF, Hitachi and Siemens have off the shelf rolling stock and factories in this country, who could build trains for the Cleethorpes and Liverpool Lime Street route.

How Would You Charge Battery-Electric Trains At Cleethorpes?

This picture shows Cleethorpes station

Note.

  1. The four long platforms without  electrification.
  2. The platforms have recently been refurbished.
  3. The train in Platform 2 is a TransPennine Express Class 185 Siemens Desiro diesel train.

The simplest way to electrify the station would be to put up enough 25 KVAC overhead wires, so that battery-electric trains needing a charge could put up a pantograph and have a refreshing drink.

In Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks, I wrote about Siemens Rail Charging Converter.

This is a visualisation of a Siemens Rail Charging Converter in action.

Note.

  1. The track is electrified with standard 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  2. The train is a standard Siemens electric or battery-electric train.
  3. Siemens Rail Charging Converter, which is the shed in the compound on the left is providing the electricity to energise the catenary.
  4. I suspect, it could power third rail electrification, if the Office of Rail and Road ever allowed it to be still installed.
  5. The Siemens Rail Charging Converter does have one piece of magic in the shed. I suspect it uses a battery or a large capacitor to help power the electrification, as it can be powered from any typical domestic grid supply.
  6. I also wonder, if it has safety devices that cut the power outside the shed if track workers or intruders are detected, where they shouldn’t be?
  7. It could even cut the power, when trains are not running to save power and increase safety.

This looks to me, that a Siemens Rail Charging Converter could be a superb example of out-of-the-box thinking.

Could The Cleethorpes And Barton-on-Humber Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of North-East Lincolnshire.

Note.

  1. Cleethorpes is in the South-East Corner of the map.
  2. Barton-on-Humber is in the North-West corner of the map and marked by a blue-arrow.
  3. Stations from South to North would be New Clee, Grimsby Docks, Grimsby Town, Great Coates, Healing, Stallingborough, Habrough, Ulceby, Thornton Abbey, Goxhill, New Holland and Barrow Haven.
  4. The line is double track.
  5. Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber is just 22.8 miles.
  6. A round trip would be under fifty miles, which would be well within range of a full-charge at one end.
  7. Service is one train per two hours (tp2h), which would only need a single train, shuttling between Cleethorpes and Barton-on-Humber.
  8. Two trains could provide an hourly service.

I would expect, that well-designed, solid and reliable German engineering could build a Siemens’ Rail Charging Connector that could charge four trains per hour (tph) at Cleethorpes station.

At present services are.

  • TransPennineExpress – 1 tph to Liverpool Lime Street.
  • East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Barton-on-Humber
  • East Midlands Railway – 1 tp2h to Matlock via Lincoln and Nottingham
  • Northern Trains – 1 train per day (tpd) Sheffield via Brigg.

That is probably only about two tph.

Could The Cleethorpes And Sheffield Service Be Run By Battery-Electric Rolling Stock?

This is a description of the current Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.

  • It is run by Northern Trains.
  • The morning train leaves Sheffield at 09:54 and arrives in Cleethorpes at 11:40.
  • The afternoon train leaves Cleethorpes at 13:20 and arrives in Sheffield at 15:10.
  • The train is a Class 150 diesel train, which is a bit of a Joan Collins of a train – Of a certain age, but still scrubs up extremely well!
  • Intermediate stations are Worksop, Retford, Gainsborough Central, Kirton Lindsey, Brigg, Barnetby and Grimsby Town
  • The route length is 71.6 miles
  • Trains take about 45-50 minutes.

It is also a parliamentary train.

The Wikipedia entry for parliamentary train gives this description of the Cleethorpes and Sheffield service.

Via Kirton Lindsey & Brigg. Became a parliamentary service when weekday services were withdrawn in 1993. Regular trains have operated between Gainsborough and Sheffield for most timetable periods since. Suspended January 2022 by Northern, who cited COVID-19 and staffing issues , but the service was reinstated in December 2022. Changed in May 2023 to be one return journey on weekdays only.

In the 1950s and 1960s I lived in Felixstowe part of the time and in the 1970s and 1980s I lived near Woodbridge and I observed first hand the development of the Port of Felixstowe and the effects it had on the surrounding countryside.

The development of the Port of Felixstowe, has brought the following.

  • Improved roads and railways.
  • Ipswich is now an hour from London by train.
  • Ipswich is now a University town.
  • New housing and other developments, both in Ipswich and Felixstowe and the surrounding countryside.
  • Employment also has increased considerably, both in the Port and in surrounding towns.
  • Ipswich’s football team is very much respected all over Europe and has won the English top division, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.

When you consider the jobs that RWE could create in the Port of Grimsby, I believe that this could have similar effects in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, as the Port of Felixstowe had in East Suffolk.

Already, the following are being talked about.

  • A direct rail link between Cleethorpes and Grimsby to London.
  • Battery-electric trains between Cleethorpes and Grimsby and Doncaster, Manchester and Liverpool Lime Street.

I believe that an improved rail link between Cleethorpes and Sheffield could be the catalyst for much needed housing along the route, which would be to the benefit of Cleethorpres, Grimsby, Sheffield and all the intermediate towns and villages on the route.

and the affects this will have on the countryside around the town, I believe that a strong case can be made out for a more frequent service between Cleethorpes and Sheffield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 16, 2025 Posted by | Artificial Intelligence, Design, Energy, Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where Is Handsacre Junction?

Handsacre Junction is where High Speed Two trains from London Euston and Birmingham will join the Trent Valley Line to complete their journeys via Stafford and Crewe.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the junction.

Note.

  1. The solid red track going diagonally across the map is the Trent Valley Line, which is a section of the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The station on the Trent Valley Line at the top of the map is Rugeley Trent Valley.
  3. The station on the Trent Valley Line at the bottom of the map is Lichfield Trent Valley.
  4. The dotted tracks running North-South show the proposed route of High Speed Two.
  5. Only the dashed sections of tracks will be built for Phase 1 of High Speed Two.

From the map, I estimate that that High Speed Two will join the Trent Valley Line at the mid-way point between the two stations.

According to Real Time Trains, the stations are these distances from Euston.

  • Lichfield Trent Valley – 116.4 miles
  • Rugeley Trent Valley – 124.4 miles

So this puts Handsacre Junction at 120.4 miles from Euston.

Searching the Internet, I find the distance between Euston and Handsacre Junction on High Speed Two as 192.77 km. or 119.8 miles.

It would appear that the High Speed Two route is 0.6 mile longer.

Euston And Handsacre Junction Times

This table shows Euston and Handsacre junction times at various speeds.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 35 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 51 mins.

Euston And Glasgow Central Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same three hours and 47 minutes between Handsacre junction and Glasgow Central as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 4 hour and 22 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 4 hours and 38 mins.

Euston And Liverpool Lime Street Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same 71 minutes between Handsacre junction and Liverpool Lime Street as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 1 hour and 46 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 2 hours and 2 mins.

Euston And Manchester Piccadilly Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same 66 minutes between Handsacre junction and Manchester Piccadilly as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 1 hour and 41 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 1 hours and 57 mins.

June 18, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Liverpool Lime Street Station – 23rd May 2025

I took these pictures as I passed through Liverpool Lime Street station on Friday.

Note.

  1. The neo-classical building opposite the station is St. George’s Hall, which is Grade I Listed.
  2. Nikolaus Pevsner expressed his opinion that St. George’s Hall is one of the finest neo-Grecian buildings in the world.
  3. Lime Street station is Grade II Listed.
  4. The building with the two towers on the front of the station is the four-star Radisson RED Liverpool hotel.
  5. The statue in the last picture is of Ken Dodd and Bessie Braddock.

The large plaza between Liverpool Lime Street station and St. George’s Hall gives a big welcome to visitors to Liverpool.

May 26, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 1 Comment

Could High Speed Two Serve Chester And North Wales?

This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.

Note.

  1. Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
  2. Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
  3. Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
  4. Blue circles are shown, where trains stop.
  5. The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
  6. In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.

Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

If I look at the trains counting from the left of the diagram, I see the following.

  1. Train 4 is a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, that split and join at Crewe, with one train going to Lancaster and the other to Liverpool Lime Street.
  2. Train 5 is a single Classic-Compatible train going to Liverpool Lime Street.

This gives Liverpool Lime Street two trains per hour (tph) and Lancaster one tph

Could train 5 be a a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, that split and join at Crewe, with one train going to Holyhead via Chester and the other to Liverpool Lime Street?

Consider.

  • Yesterday, a pair of Class 805 trains, ran between Euston and Holyhead. Each Class 805 train is 130 metres long, so a pair of Class 805 trains is sixty metres longer than a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train.
  • I am certain, that a single High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train will fit the platforms between Crewe and Holyhead.
  • Crewe and Holyhead is 105.5 miles and the route is not electrified.
  • Crewe and Holyhead is double-track all the way except for the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait.
  • With the exception of perhaps 2 to 3 miles, half the route between Crewe and Holyhead has a line speed of 90 mph. with the other half being 75 mph.
  • Given the countryside and the number of important historic sites, electrification might be difficult, as the heritage Taliban will say no!
  • It was promised by the last government that Crewe and Holyhead would be electrified, but I will assume it won’t be!
  • Hitachi, who are part of the consortium building the High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains have developed battery-electric high speed train technology, which is likely to be applied to the Current Class 805 trains, that work the route.
  • Hitachi’s battery-electric high speed train technology can propel the trains at up to 125 mph, provided the track allows it.

I feel that Crewe and Holyhead can be developed into one of the most iconic high speed railways in the world, by using battery-electric high-speed trains. Tourists would come from all over the world, to experience mouse-quiet battery-electric trains.

High Speed Two should go for it!

These are some thoughts.

It Would Be A Green Route To Ireland

Consider.

The fastest direct Avanti service to Holyhead is scheduled to take  three hours and forty-two minutes, with one hour and 46 minutes between Euston and Crewe, and one hour and fifty-seven minutes between Crewe and Holyhead.

  • High Speed Two will knock thirty-four minutes off the time between Euston and Crewe, when the core route between Euston and Crewe is complete, which will reduce the time to three hours eight minutes, with with one hour and 12 minutes between Euston and Crewe, and one hour and fifty-seven minutes between Crewe and Holyhead.
  • The Crewe and Holyhead section of the route would still take one hours and fifty-seven minutes, which is an average speed of just 54 mph, along the North Wales Coast.
  • An overall time of three hours between Euston and Holyhead, would require an average speed along the North Wales coast, which would be an average speed of just 62 mph.
  • The operating speed is an average of around 80 mph between Crewe and Holyhead, and would run the section of the route in 79 minutes, which would mean a Euston and Holyhead time of two hours and 31 minutes.
  • A 100 mph average between Crewe and Holyhead, would run the section of the route in 63 minutes, which would mean a Euston and Holyhead time of of two hours and 15 minutes.

I believe that with track improvements, a more efficient stopping pattern and using Hitachi’s battery technology, that battery-electric High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains could run between Euston and Holyhead in under two hours.

A fast ferry would complete the route between Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire.

Could More Than One Train Per Hour Be Sent To Chester And North Wales?

Consider.

  • Because of the cancellation of Phase 2 of High Speed 2, there are spare paths on High Speed Two between London and the West Midlands.
  • If the core section of High Speed Two is extended Northwards to Crewe, as advocated by Dyan Perry of the High Speed Rail Group, that I wrote about in The Future Of HS2 Could Lie In Its Original Vision, this would create extra paths to Crewe.
  • If the West Midlands and Crewe section of the High Speed Two route has the same capacity as London Euston and the West Midlands it could handle seventeen tph.
  • At present it looks like with the cancellation of Phase 2, the West Midlands and Crewe section will handle just ten tph.

, So there will be seven spare paths between Euston and Crewe!

In fact it will be better than that, as each train could be a pair of Classic-Compatible trains, that split and joined to serve two destinations.

Could A North Wales Service Call At Hawarden Airport?

Hawarden Airport is where Airbus build wings for their aircraft in the UK.This Google Map shows Hawarden Airport.

Note.

  1. The large runway.
  2. The various factory buildings.
  3. The North Wales Coast Line between Chester and Holyhead, runs along the North side of the Airport.

I doubt if Airbus wanted a station, it would be difficult to arrange.

Conclusion

Because of the vacant paths, it would appear that extra services to North Wales and North West England can be fitted in.

 

May 16, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Arriving In Liverpool Lime Street Station – 10th May 2025

Liverpool Lime Street station has one of the more spectacular approaches of British railway stations, as these pictures show.

These sections describe the approach.

Crossing The Mersey

You cross the Mersey at Runcorn on the Ethelfreda or Britannia Bridge, which is described in this Wikipedia entry.

It was completed in 1868 and hopefully in a few years, it will be carrying High Speed Two trains between London and Liverpool.

On your right as you cross the Mersey to Liverpool is the Silver Jubilee road bridge, which is a through arch bridge that opened in 1961 to replace a historic transporter bridge. I am just a little bit too young to have seen the transporter bridge.

Further to your right, you can see the Mersey Gateway Bridge, which is a cable-stayed bridge, that opened in 2017 and is described in this Wikipedia entry.

Drax’s Biomass

As you approach Lime Street station, you pass through Edge Hill, where there are the GB Railfreight sidings, where the biomass trains for Drax power station are marshalled for their journey across the Pennines. These Drax trains seem to be one of the few freight trains in the UK, that carry advertising. Tesco trains also do, but their’s is just big letters.

In Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?, I talked about the possible conversion at some date in the future of GB Railfreight’s new electro-diesel Class 99 locomotives to electro-hydrogen locomotives. These locomotives will surely be ideal for hauling Drax’s biomass trains across the Pennines.

I do believe that these Class 99 locomotives are the future of heavy freight trains in the UK. In Iarnród Éireann Looks At Diesel Loco Replacement Options, I write about speculation, that Stadler may build a version for the Irish.

Through The Edge Hill Cutting

From Edge Hill a deep cutting through the sandstone takes you into Lime Street station.

It looked good in the sun, but the first time I arrived in the city to start my studies at Liverpool University, it was chucking it down and the cutting was very dark and wet.

It was a very different welcome to that, which I got yesterday.

My Train Arrived In Platform 10

Liverpool Lime Street has two cast iron train sheds.

  • The Western shed has platform 1 to 5 and generally handles trains from the East.
  • The Eastern shed has platform 6 to 10 and generally handles trains from the South.

Note.

  1. Changing between trains is just a step-free walk across the station concourse.
  2. Both sections have their own taxi rank and full-size clock.
  3. The Ticket Office is in the Western train shed.

I just walked from my train to the Ticket Office, bought a Lancashire Day Ranger ticket and then walked fifty metres to my next train.

How many stations have such an easy change of trains?

Is Liverpool Lime Street Station Ready For High Speed Two?

Consider.

  • I travelled North in an 11-car Class 390 train, which is 265.3 metres long and can carry 607 passengers.
  • As the last pictures show, the train fitted easily into platform 10.
  • High Speed Two plans to send 200 metre classic-compatible trains to Liverpool Lime Street, with each having a capacity of up to 528.

It looks to me, that these High Speed Two classic-compatible trains will fit into Liverpool Lime Street station, at any platform that currently accepts an eleven-car Class 390 train.

Looking on Real Time trains over the last few days, I’ve found eleven-car Class 390 trains using platforms 9, 10 and 6.

It seems that Network Rail’s engineers have done a superb job to turn the Grade II Listed station, into one of the best operationally.

May 11, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An Annoying Day

My plan was simple on Saturday May the 10th.

I intended to go to Liverpool Lime Street on a Day Return ticket.

I would then buy a Lancashire Day Ranger ticket and visit Wigan North Western, Preston and Lancaster stations, to see how ready, they are for High Speed Two services.

I also intended to go to Morecambe to see how the Eden Project Morecambe was getting on.

I did get to Wigan North Western station and later wrote Is Wigan North Western Station Ready For High Speed Two?

But then there was a points failure at Preston and after waiting at the station for over an hour for tranport to Preston, I changed plan.

I decided to go back to Liverpool by way of Wigan Wallgate and Headbolt Lane stations.

On return home, I wrote Wigan Wallgate To Headbolt Lane – 10th May 2025.

A Quick Run Back To London

At Lime Street station, I walked into the Wetherspoons pub at the station, with the intension of buying a bottle of my favourite brew, which all of the chain stock. But not this one!

So I got an early train back to London.

The Most Expensive Taxi Back From Euston

I paid over thirty pounds, when under twenty is the norm, not because I was being ripped off, but by the number of roadworks, that slowed our journey.

May 11, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayors Head To Parliament With Plan For Northern Arc To Deliver Green Growth

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Liverpool City Region.

These four bullet points act as sub-headings.

  • Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham take case for backing Northern Arc to Treasury – as new data shows North can drive green growth and unlock £90bn for UK economy
  • Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Mayors will meet with ministers and MPs today, and Andy Burnham will give evidence at Business and Trade Select Committee on the UK’s industrial strategy
  • Economic analysis shows that investing in transport infrastructure and a pipeline of projects across the North would benefit the whole UK economy, improving living standards and closing the North-South productivity gap
  • Mayors will also address Innovation Zero World Congress in London, showing how city-regions can create high quality jobs by pioneering low-carbon innovation

These two paragraphs add a bit more detail.

The right investment would create a growth corridor, stretching from the Mersey to the Pennines and connecting into West and South Yorkshire, underpinned by transport networks that would include a new railway linking Liverpool and Manchester.

The Northern Arc area spans regions with close economic ties to Lancashire, North Wales, Hull and the North East. With international connections through the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Airport, it’s well positioned for global trade.

If I have a problem with the mayors’ thoughts, the plan outlined in the news item is rather Liverpool/Manchester-based with Hull being the only city outside that area getting a mention. Do Blackburn, Blackpool, Bradford, Burnley, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Leeds, Preston, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Stockport, Wigan and York exist?

For instance you would expert a report from Liverpool and Manchester’s Mayors to call for a new railway between their two cities. And of course they do!

The current TransPennine Lines has two main routes across the Pennines between East and West.

If ever there was a rail route, designed by Topsy, it is the North TransPennine Route.

  • There are six separate services, if you ignore Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley, which is a shuttle to fill a gap in rail services.
  • In the West trains terminate at Huddersfield, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Victoria
  • In the East trains terminate at Edinburgh Waverley, Hull, Leeds, Newcastle, Redcar Central, Scarborough and York.
  • Terminals like Huddersfield, Hull, Liverpool Lime Street, Newcastle and York are some of the best terminal stations in the UK, but others are very second rate.

I suspect, this North TransPennine Route structure brought about the demise of TransPennine Express.

The  South TransPennine Route on the other hand, although it was built by several different railway companies, they were all intent on the same thing. An East-West route across the Pennines through Doncaster, Manchester and Sheffield.

  • The Western terminal is Liverpool Lime Street, which in my view is the finest grand terminus in the UK, in terms of architecture, onward connections and operation. It is also the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world, in that it dates from 1836.
  • The Eastern terminal is Cleethorpes, which is an efficient four-platform recently-refurbished station, that is within a hundred metres of some of the best gluten-free fish and chips, I’ve ever tasted on the pier.
  • Intermediate stations include Liverpool South Parkway, Warrington Central, Birchwood, Irlam, Urmston, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Doncaster, Scunthorpe, Barnetby, Habrough and Grimsby Town.
  • Liverpool South Parkway has a bus connection to Liverpool Airport
  • Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Oxford Road, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield and Doncaster are stations with comprehensive onward connections.
  • The route is electrified between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly and at Doncaster.Liverpool Lime Street and Cleethorpes is 148.2 miles
  • Hazel Grove and Doncaster is without electrification and is 52.3 miles long.
  • Cleethorpes and Doncaster is without electrification and is 52.1 miles long.
  • I believe that Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler could supply battery-electric trains, that would be able to work the route, with the addition of a short length of overhead wires at Cleethorpes, so that trains could return to Doncaster.
  • Trains go straight through all the intermediate stations, so there are no time-wasting reverses.
  • Journey time is just over three and a half hours.

I believe that a mouse-quiet battery-electric train would pack in the punters, if only for the novelty.

But.

A battery-electric train would probably knock perhaps thirty minutes off the journey.

The timetable would be an hourly train at all stations.

The service would pass the mother’s birthday test, in that you could easily visit any station from any other and buy your mother lunch before returning on a convenient train.

There are connections to and from London at Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Sheffield and Doncaster.

It could be a very useful East-West train service.

 

April 30, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Times Of Avanti West Coast Trains Between London Euston And Crewe

This table shows the first few Avanti West Coast trains between London Euston and Crewe on the 17th March 2025.

  • 390119 – IS37 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 05:31 – 07:29 – 2 stops – 118 mins – 80.3 mph.
  • 390155 – IH61 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 06:29 – 08:08 – 2 stops – 99 mins – 95.7 mph.
  • 807007 – IF11 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 06:36 – 08:23 – 2 stops – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
  • 390104 – IS42 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 07:29 – 08:59 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
  • 390010 – IH62 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 07:33 – 09:10 – 1 stop – 97 mins – 97.7 mph.
  • 390044 – IF12 – Liverpool Lime Street – 9 cars – 07:43 – 09:18 – 2 stops – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 390118 – IS45 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 08:30 – 10:01 – 0 stops – 91 mins – 104.2 mph
  • 390040 – IH63 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 08:33 – 10:19 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.
  • 807001 – IF14 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 08:43 – 10:28 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 805001/805011 – ID83 – Holyhead – 10 cars – 09:02 – 10:51 – 1 stop – 109 mins – 86.9 mph.
  • 390136 – IS48 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 09:30 – 11:02 – 0 stops – 92 mins – 103.0 mph
  • 390040 – IH64 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 09:33 – 11:08 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 390154 – IF16 – Liverpool Lime Street – 11 cars – 09:43 – 11:31 – 1 stop – 108 mins – 87.7 mph.
  • 805012/805003 – ID84 – Chester – 10 cars – 10:10 – 11:53 – 1 stop – 103 mins – 92.0 mph.
  • 390130 – IS52 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 10:30 – 12:00 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
  • 390151 – IH65 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 10:35 – 12:09 – 1 stop – 94 mins – 100.8 mph.
  • 807008 – IF18 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 10:43 – 12:30 – 1 stop – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
  • 805009 – ID85 – Chester – 5 cars – 11:00 – 11:46 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.

Note.

  1. All trains shown, go through Crewe.
  2. Some trains were delayed, hence their slow average speed.
  3. The Glasgow trains, which run non-stop from Euston to Warrington Bank Quay were the fastest, with four trains over 100 mph.

I have a few other thoughts.

The Class 805 Trains Are Crying Out For Batteries

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I said this on how the Hitachi Class 80x trains will perform on batteries.

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains.

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

Holyhead and Crewe is only 105.5 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

The Fast Glasgow Train Appears To Be Leading A Convoy

The non-stop to Warrington Bank Quay Glasgow trains, also appear to be leading one Manchester Piccadilly, a Liverpool Lime Street and a Chester/North Wales train in a convoy, through Milton Keynes Central and the Trent Valley.

This convoy could grow as other services are added to the West Coast Main Line.

The Open Access Services Might Have Their Own Convoy

It would seem to me, that it might be possible to run a second convoy every hour, out of phase with the current one following the Glasgow service.

It also might be more virtual than real and under the control of the digital signalling, that will be installed on the line.

March 23, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

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