Thoughts On Tram-Trains In Manchester
The State Of Public Transport In the North
Over the last few years plans have been put in place to improv the state of the public transport of the major cities of the North and progress has started to happen, with new trains, trams and light rail systems being planned and in some cases coming into service.
Birmingham, Coventry And The West Midlands
A lot of investment has been made and it is continuing.
- Birmingham New Street station has been rebuilt.
- Coventry and Wolverhampton stations have been remodelled.
- Two new stations were built in Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games.
- A large number of new Class 730 local trains are being brought into service.
- Birmingham stations are being updated for High Speed Two.
- The West Midland Metro has been extended at both ends and a second line is under construction.
Transport in the wider West Midlands has been greatly improved.
Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield And The East Midlands
The major investment in this area is the electrification of the Midland Main Line and the provision of new Hitachi electric Class 810 trains.
In addition the following has been done.
- The Hope Valley line between Manchester and Sheffield has been improved.
- Derby station has been improved.
- The local trains have been refurbished.
- The power supply has been improved.
- An application for an Open Access service to Sheffield has been made.
The improvements in the East Midlands, will not be on the same scale as in the West Midlands, but they will make a difference.
Leeds, Bradford And West Yorkshire
For decades, West Yorkshire and especially Bradford has lagged behind the rest of the North.
But at least things are stirring.
- Plans have been laid to create a through station in Bradford.
- Leeds station has been refurbished.
- An extra platform is being added at Bradford Forster Square station.
- The TransPennine Upgrade is underway to electrify between Huddersfield and York.
- Hitachi have developed a battery-electric high speed train for the TransPennine route.
- Bradford is installing a hydrogen electrolyser, so that the city can have hydrogen buses to cope with the hills.
- Plans are now being developed to create a metro for Leeds and Bradford.
West Yorkshire is closing the gap to the rest of the North.
Liverpool And Merseyside
Again, a lot of investment has been made.
- The approaches to Liverpool Lime Street station have finally been sorted, with more tracks and new signalling.
- Liverpool Lime Street station has been improved and is now one of the finest stations in Europe.
- Trains are now approaching High Speed Two times between Crewe and Liverpool.
- More services between London and Liverpool can now be planned, with the arrival of new Class 807 trains.
- Some new stations have been built and more are planned.
- A large number of new Class 777 local trains are being brought into service.
Transport in the wider Merseyside has been greatly improved.
Newcastle, Tyneside And Northumberland
The area is getting investment, but not as much in proportion as others.
- The Metro trains are being replaced and the Metro itself, is getting a major update.
- The East Coast Main Line has received improvements to power supplies, signalling and some bottlenecks.
- The Northumberland Line to Ashington is being brought back into operation.
It’s a start, but if the Northumberland Line is a success, I can see a call for more line re openings.
Manchester And Greater Manchester
If you look at each of the areas, they generally have one or more large projects.
- Birmingham, Coventry And The West Midlands – Birmingham New Street station, Class 730 Trains, High Speed Two, West Midland Metro
- Derby, Nottingham, Sheffield And The East Midlands – Midland Main Line, Class 810 Trains, Hope Valley Line, Open Access To Sheffield
- Leeds, Bradford And West Yorkshire – Leeds station, Bradford improvements, TransPennine Upgrade, Battery-Ekectric Trains, Leeds Metro
- Liverpool And Merseyside – Liverpool Lime Street Improvements, Class 807 Trains, Class 777 Trains
- Newcastle, Tyneside And Northumberland – Metro upgrade with New Trains, Northumberland Line
So what improvements are in the pipeline for Greater Manchester?
This Wikipedia entry is entitled Proposed Developments Of Manchester Metrolink.
The proposed developments include in the Wikipedia order.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Elton Reservoir on the Bury Line.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Sandhills on the Bury Line.
- New Metrolink Stop: Stop to serve new housing development proposed at Cop Road on the Oldham and Rochdale Line.
- Airport Line extension to Terminal 2: A short extension of the Airport Line from the current Manchester Airport station to the site of the expanded Terminal 2.
- Airport Line extension to Davenport Green: An extension of the Airport Line from Roundthorn to the site of the proposed Manchester Airport High Speed station on the HS2 high speed network.
- Oldham–Heywood via Rochdale tram-train pathfinder: A tram-train service utilising the heavy rail Calder Valley line to connect Oldham to Heywood through Rochdale railway station.
- Manchester Airport–Wilmslow via Styal tram-train pathfinder: A tram-train service operating on the southern section of the heavy rail Styal Line between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow in Cheshire.
- South Manchester–Hale via Altrincham tram-train pathfinder: An extension of Metrolink’s Altrincham Line using tram-train to reach Hale on the heavy rail Mid-Cheshire line.
- Improved Metrolink frequency between Piccadilly and Victoria stations: Increasing capacity to provide a direct service from Rochdale and Oldham to Manchester Piccadilly.
- Interventions to improve Metrolink capacity and reliability: Includes improvements to turnback facilities and double-tracking currently single-track sections.
- Further interventions to improve Metrolink capacity and reliability: Includes longer vehicles, a third depot and double-tracking currently single-track sections.
- Manchester–Stalybridge extension: An extension of the East Manchester Line from Ashton-under-Lyne to Stalybridge.
- Manchester–Middleton extension: A proposed spur from the Bury Line connecting to the town of Middleton.
- Oldham–Middleton extension: A spur from Oldham to Middleton.
- MediaCityUK–Salford Crescent: A line connecting the MediaCityUK tram stop to the Salford Crescent railway station interchange. Further new Metrolink.
- Connections between Salford Crescent, Inner Salford and the City Centre: Extension of the MediaCityUK–Salford Crescent line into the regional centre.
- Completion of the Airport Line (Wythenshawe Loop): Completion of the Wythenshawe Loop by connecting the Metrolink lines between the Davenport Green and Manchester Airport Terminal 2 extensions.
- Port Salford/Salford Stadium extension: Extending the Trafford Park Line from the Trafford Centre to a proposed container terminal at Port Salford.
- Glossop tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Glossop line between Manchester and Glossop in Derbyshire.
- Marple tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Hope Valley line branches north of Marple towards Manchester.
- Manchester–Wigan via Atherton tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Atherton section of the Manchester–Southport line between Manchester and Wigan.
- Manchester–Warrington tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the southern route of the Liverpool–Manchester lines between Manchester and Warrington.
- Stockport–Hazel Grove tram-train: A tram-train service between Stockport and the suburb of Hazel Grove.
- Stockport–Manchester Airport tram-train: A tram-train service between Stockport and Manchester Airport.
- Rochdale–Bury via Heywood tram-train: Extension of the Oldham–Heywood tram-train pathfinder from Heywood to Bury.
- Manchester Airport–Mid Cheshire tram-train: A tram-train service from Manchester Airport using a proposed Western Link rail line to the Mid-Cheshire line.
- Stockport–Ashton via Denton and Reddish tram-train: A tram-train service utilising the Stockport–Stalybridge line from Stockport to Ashton.
- Cornbrook–Manchester Airport via Timperley tram-train: A tram-train service from Cornbrook using the Altrincham line to Timperley, the Mid Cheshire line to Baguley, then the Wythenshawe Loop to Manchester Airport.
- Regional centre metro tunnel: Providing capacity for more services on the network.
- Oldham–Greenfield via Grotton extension: A Metrolink spur from Oldham town centre to Greenfield railway station on the Huddersfield line.
- Oldham–Royton extension: A Metrolink spur from the Oldham and Rochdale line to the town of Royton.
Note.
- The number of times that tram-trains are mentioned.
- But with its numerous rail and tram lines, Greater Manchester is ideally suited for conversion to tram-trains.
- There are three pathfinder routes for tram-trains, which will be converted first to prove the technology.
These are my detailed thoughts on tram-trains in Greater Manchester,
All Routes Could Be Run By Identical Tram-Trains
If this can be arranged, it is surely preferable from the operator, staff and passengers point-of-view.
Tram-Trains Can Run On Secondary Routes Like The Calder And Hope Valley Lines
In Manchester, this would enable some routes to be swapped from the rail to the tram network.
It would also allow trams to run between networks, so you could have a direct tram service between say Stockport and Sheffield on the Hope Valley Line.
Tram-Trains Can Be Faster
Tram-trains can be faster, when running on rail lines, so they don’t hold up expresses.
What Do Tram-Trains Look Like?
This is one of Sheffield’s Class 399 tram-trains at Rotherham Parkgate.
Note.
- This tram-train is a member of the Stadler Citylink family.
- this version can be powered by either 750 VDC or 25 KVAC.
- The Welsh version will also have battery-power.
- It is a three-car tram train.
- There is step-free access.
The Wikipedia entry for the Stadler Citylink has lots more details.
Stadler have just launched a new smaller one- or two-car tram-train.
This image from the press release shows the prototype hydrogen-powered one-car RS ZERO.
Note.
- The Regio-Shuttles can run as up to seven car trains.
- These RS ZERO are powered by overhead electrification, battery or hydrogen power.
- They can carry 170 passengers at 75 mph.
- They can run as train-trams using the Chemnitz model on compatible tram networks.
- The interiors are very flexible.
- An RS ZERO can be fitted with toilets for the posher parts of Manchester.
- Typically, a one-car RS ZERO handles a similar passenger load to a one-car Metrolink vehicle.
The more I compare the RS ZERO with the Metrolink’s trams, the more it looks like Stadler’s design has a Metrolink order firmly in its sights.
A Simple Tram-Train Example
The Altrincham Line of the Metrolink, runs between Altrincham and Deansgate-Castlefield in Central Manchester.
- Tram-trains would be capable of sharing the tracks with the current trams.
- Initially, they would run an identical service to the same destinations in the North.
- At either Navigation Road or Altrincham stations, they would switch to the heavy rail track.
- They would then travel to Hale or whatever station is determined to be the terminus.
Tram-trains would be a simple way of extending a tram service along a heavy eail line.
The Range Of The RS ZERO
This article on the Railway Gazette is entitled Prototype RS Zero Hydrogen Or Battery Railcar For Secondary Lines Unveiled At InnoTrans, has this paragraph.
The hydrogen powered RS Zero has a range of more than 700 km in the single car version, and a two-car version would offer more than 1 000 km. Battery trains will offer ranges of 80 to 110 km or 90 to 180 km. The maximum speed is 120 km/h.
As Chester and Manchester is only 45 miles or 72.4 kilometres, ways and means of running the battery versions on the route should be possible.
In fact, as Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly is already electrified at 25 KVAC and a return trip to Manchester Piccadilly from Stockport probably takes about twenty-five minutes, I would envisage that an RS ZERO would leave Stockport for Chester with a full battery. As Stockport and Chester is only 39.2 miles or 63 kilometres, the RS ZERO should do the trip if it started with a full battery and had a short length of electrification at Chester to top up the battery, if needed.
Other Possible Tram-Train Routes From Stockport
It is indicated the Metrolink would like to run other tram-train routes from Stockport.
- Ashton – Not sure of the route
- Buxton – 31.8 km
- Hazel Grove – 5 km – Electrified
- Manchester Piccadilly – 9 km – Electrified
- Manchester Airport – Not sure of the route
- Sheffield – 59 km – Will be electrified at Sheffield
Note.
- This would speed up Sheffield services.
- Buxton would be an interesting route and would probably use Newton’s friend to help on the return.
I suspect that nearly all local services from Manchester through Stockport could be run by battery-electric or hydrogen tram-trains.
The Glossop Line Could Be Converted To Tram-Train
It’s already electrified so why not?
Conclusion
It strikes me, that a lot of Manchester’s suburban rail network could be converted to RS ZERO tram-trains.
The RS ZERO tram-trains could also be used on existing tram routes to convert them to tram-train operation and extend them.
As a bonus Manchester’s trains would be substantially decarbonised.
Could Liverpool Develop A Massive Zero-Carbon Data Centre?
There is an article in The Sunday Times today, which is entitled Google Signs Nuclear Deal To Power AI Data Centres.
These are the first three paragraphs of the article.
Google has struck a deal with a nuclear power start-up to provide low-carbon energy for its data centres and AI operations, marking a world-first in the tech industry.
The California-based company said the agreement to buy energy from multiple small modular reactors developed by Kairos Power could help spur a nuclear revival in America.
The first reactor is scheduled to come online in America by 2030, followed by additional deployments through 2035.
I am not against nuclear-powered data centres, but could Liverpool build a massive zero-carbon data centre?
This Google Map shows Liverpool Bay, which is a vast expanse of water that stretches along the North Wales coast to Anglesey and all the way to the Isle of Man.
Note.
- The Isle of Man in the North-West corner.
- Liverpool, Birkenhead and the River Mersey in the South-East corner.
- Anglesey in the South-West corner.
- Blackpool with Morecambe Bay to its North in the North-East corner.
Liverpool Bay could be one of Europe’s zero-carbon energy powerhouses.
Wind Farms In Liverpool Bay
At the present time, these wind farms are producing electricity or planned in Liverpool Bay.
- Barrow – 90 MW – Commissioned in 2006
- Burbo Bank – 90 MW – Commissioned in 2007
- Burbo Bank Extension – 258 MW – Commissioned in 2017
- Gwynt y Môr – 576 MW – Commissioned in 2015
- North Hoyle – 60 MW – Commissioned in 2003
- Ormonde – 150 MW – Commissioned in 2012
- Rhyl Flats – 90 MW – Commissioned in 2009
- Walney – 367 MW – Commissioned in 2010
- Walney Extension – 659 MW – Commissioned in 2018
- West if Duddon Sands – 389 MW – Commissioned in 2014
- Awel y Môr – 500 MW – Planned
- Morecambe – 480 MW – Planned
- Mona – 1500 MW – Planned
- Morgan – 1500 MW – Planned
Note.
- 2509 MW has been commissioned.
- 3980 MW is being planned.
- That is a total of 6489 MW
I suspect more space in Liverpool Bay could be developed with wind farms.
Mersey Tidal Power
The Mersey Tidal Power project has a web site.
If it is built, it will probably be built by the South Korean company; K-Water and use some of the design principles of the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station.
It will likely have an output of around 1 GW and take ten years to build.
In the 1970s, I did some project management consultancy for Frederick Snow and Partners, and they showed me their plans for a Severn Barrage.
Their futuristic vision for the Severn Estuary was never built, as the Prime Minister of the time; Harold Wilson, felt coal was the future. See Last Of The Many!
I suspect that the Mersey Tidal Power project will be another variation on a proven theme.
Morecambe Bay Bridge And Tidal Barrage Proposal
In the Wikipedia entry for Morecambe Bay, there is a proposal for a bridge and tidal barrage across the bay, where this is said.
In 2004, a proposal was made to build a bridge across the bay flanked by wind turbines and using tidal power. Proposals from Northern Tidal Power Gateways in 2019 outlined a tidal barrage with a road running along on top.
If the Mersey Tidal Power project is a success, then why wouldn’t one across Morecambe Bay, be one too?
500 MW of zero-carbon tidal power would do nicely!
Nuclear Sites At Calder Hall, Heysham And Wylfa
These three nuclear stations have supplied electricity to the North-West of England.
- Calder Hall was the original Magnox site, which the Wikipedia entry says had a nameplate capacity of 240 MW and was decommissioned in 2003, after running for 47 years.
- Heysham is a powerful site which the Wikipedia entry says has a nameplate capacity of 2452 MW and will be decommissioned in 2028.
- Wylfa is an older, smaller Magnox site which the Wikipedia entry says had a nameplate capacity of 1190MW and was decommissioned in 2015.
As the sites are cleared, I am sure that we’ll see more nuclear power stations built on the sites.
How Much Electricity Does A Data Centre Use?
I found this paragraph in an NESO document.
Regardless of this, if we were to use existing market data and modelling projections, this could point to annual data centre electricity consumptions of between 3.6 TWh in 2020 to as much as 35 TWh by 2050.
Dividing by the hours in a year, indicates that an individual data centre could use between 0.4 and 4 GW of electricity.
Using my rough figures here from wind, tidal and nuclear, I suspect that the power on the Mersey will generate enough power for at least one data centre.
Liverpool Is On The Right Side Of The Country For Cables To North America
Cables will go straight out of Liverpool Bay, pass to the North of Ireland and across the Atlantic to somewhere like Puget Sound.
Liverpool has a superb location for a Transatlantic data centre, that connects to networks on both sides of the pond.
Could Underwater Data Centres Be Developed In Liverpool Bay?
This page on the Microsoft web site is entitled Microsoft Finds Underwater Datacenters Are Reliable, Practical And Use Energy Sustainably
These three paragraphs detail the research.
Earlier this summer, marine specialists reeled up a shipping-container-size datacenter coated in algae, barnacles and sea anemones from the seafloor off Scotland’s Orkney Islands.
The retrieval launched the final phase of a years-long effort that proved the concept of underwater datacenters is feasible, as well as logistically, environmentally and economically practical.
Microsoft’s Project Natick team deployed the Northern Isles datacenter 117 feet deep to the seafloor in spring 2018. For the next two years, team members tested and monitored the performance and reliability of the datacenter’s servers.
I would assume that Microsoft have continued the research, as with something like this you can’t be too careful.
But it would appear, that data centres and their servers could be submerged under the waters of Liverpool Bay.
London And Liverpool Will Be Under Two Hours By Train Within A Year
New Class 807 trains, which will be delivered within a year, will improve the train service between the two cities.
- Train times will be brought to around or even below two hours.
- , The extra trains will allow a second hourly service to be added.
- The extra service will additionally stop at Liverpool South Parkway station, for the airport.
- High Speed Two is claiming one hour and fifty minutes, between London and Liverpool.
Liverpool already has one of the best rail terminals in the North of England, as these pictures show.
With these service improvements, it will have a service to London and the South, that will be second to no other Northern station.
Liverpool Has A Refurbished Partly-Underground Suburban Railway With New Trains
Liverpool’s Metro is one of the best in Europe for a medium-sized city.
The Metro is also expanding with new routes and stations.
These pictures show the new Headbolt Lane station, which is swerved by the UK’s first battery-electric trains.
Liverpool Has Easy Access To Two International Airports
There are two international airports close by; Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester International.
- For Liverpool Airport, it’s a bus from Liverpool South Parkway station or an express bus from Liverpool city centre.
- For Manchester Airport, it’s a train from Lime Street station.
I am fairly sure, that a hydrofoil could connect Liverpool’s Waterfront and the Tidal Barrier to the airport.
North-West England Has A Rich University Tradition
Liverpool, Manchester and the surrounding area has several world-class universities and research establishments.
Some like The Pandemic Institute would be able to find uses for all the computing power and artificial intelligence on offer at a powerful data centre.
Liverpool Is A World City
Liverpool is a World City, where there is plenty of sport, entertainment and things to do.
Conclusion
Liverpool is installing the power infrastructure for a very large data centre, that will be able to handle the world’s largest and most difficult problems.
ECoR Launches Special Drive Against Carrying Diwali Crackers On Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Pragativadi.
These two paragraphs tell the story.
With the Diwali festival approaching, the East Coast Railway (ECoR) has intensified its efforts to ensure the safety of passengers by launching a special drive against the illegal transportation of firecrackers and other inflammable items on trains.
ECoR has reiterated that carrying dangerous goods like crackers, gas cylinders, acid, petrol, kerosene and similar materials in passenger-carrying trains is a punishable offence under the Railways Act, 1989, which can result in imprisonment of up to three years.
The punishment is probably a bit heavier than you get for this offence in Liverpool Lime Street.
I suspect a Diwali cracker makes a bigger bang, than a typical balloon.
Eurovision Boost For Record Rail Profits
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
A train operator has posted record profits thanks in part to the Eurovision Song Contest and other major events.
These four paragraphs sum up the story.
Merseyrail, which operates services across Merseyside and into Cheshire and Lancashire, is one of the most intensively used rail networks in the UK.
According to its directors’ strategic report for the year ending in January 2024, some 78,000 journeys were taken on Merseyrail services on average every day.
There were 28 million passenger journeys, which the company said was a post-Covid peak. It added a profit of just under £44m was the largest in its history.
The report said Merseyrail had benefitted from the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Liverpool, as well as the Open golf tournament at Hoylake on the Wirral and a successful Grand National festival at Aintree.
Note.
- Merseyrail’s trains seem to have taken the spectators to the big events all over the city.
- The trains are also virtually brand new and very bicycle and buggy-friendly, so do they introduce new passengers to Merseyrail?
- Spectators from places around the city like Birkenhead, Chester, Crewe, Manchester, Preston, Southport, Warrington and Wigan all have good rail connections to Liverpool Lime Street, which has its own Merseyrail below-ground station.
For big events like Eurovision, the Grand National or The Open, if you have tickets for the event, a train, on the day from Birmingham, Derby, Leeds, London, Nottingham or Sheffield is very feasible.
- In addition, now that Lime Street station and the area around it has been refurbished, it is a cultural area to visit in its own right.
- I believe that Liverpool will grow as a destination to visit.
- A doubling of the Avanti train service to London will add more capacity.
- The TransPennine Express service across the country and to Scotland will be improved.
- Blackpool will be eighty minutes away.
- The Eden Project North at Morecambe will be only an hour away.
- In a few years time, the Mersey Tidal Barrage will be attracting visitors.
- Liverpool has public transport connections to both Liverpool and Manchester airports.
Liverpool will be a place to stay for the weekend and for those, who don’t have a car or prefer not to drive, they will be able to use the extensive rail network to get to other places like.
- Blackpool and Manchester with their trams.
- Liverpool’s local attractions on Merseyrail.
Liverpool will become a very successful short-stay resort city.
3rd October 2024 – A Day In Liverpool
A Three-Leg Journey North
This is the second time, I’ve bought one of there journeys North and they are a pain, unless you want to guarantee seats.
I suppose, I should buy my tickets earlier, but if I can buy my rickets on the day on other train companies, I would prefer to do it on Avanti West Coast.
Avanti West Coast’s problem is that they haven’t got their new Class 807 trains into service yet, which will double the services to Liverpool.
T arrived at Warrington Bank Quay on time and the transfer to Newton-le-Willows went smoothly, but then, I waited thirty minutes for my train to Liverpool Lime Street.
This OpenRailwayMap shows the route I took.
Note.
- Liverpool Lime Street station is at the Western side of the map.
- Newton-le-Willows station is marked by the blue arrow in the top right corner of the map.
- Warrington Bank Quay station is in the bottom right corner of the map.
It does seem a round about route, But I got there. Although, I was late.
Hopefully, in a couple of years, you’ll be able to take a local train between Liverpool Lime Street and Newton-le-Willows stations to link up with FirstGroup’s low-cost Lumo Open Access service between Euston and Rochdale.
A Single Journey Home
I was booked home on the 18:43 train from Lime Street, but as you can often do, I asked and was allowed to board the 17:43.
A Crowded And Crazy Euston
I arrived back at Euston at 20:00, but it was crowded, as the station is very much a building site for High Speed Two.
I felt I would treat myself to a taxi, but I couldn’t find any.
So I took a 205 bus along Euston Road to King’s Cross, where I jumped on the the Circle Line for Moorgate.
From there I took my usual 141 bus home.
A friendly station guy at Moorgate, indicated, there might not be any taxis at Euston.
I’d also found earlier, that there were no escalators to the Underground.
Perhaps more than ever, care should be taken at Euston, when getting to and from the station.
It Looks To Me That High Speed Two Has Got Their Planning Wrong At Euston
The big problem at Euston is getting to and from the National Rail station from East or West,
Compare Euston in this respect with Liverpool Street, King’s Cross, St. Pancras or Paddington.
In The New Step-Free Entrance At Euston Square Station, I show the plans for step-free access to the sub-surface lines.
This new entrance to Euston station, should be built first.
All the dithering about High Speed Two seems to have delayed it!
A Manifesto For Liverpool City Region
The title of this post is the same as that of this document from the Heseltine Institute of Public Policy, Practice and Place.
The Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place. describes itself like this on its home page on the University of Liverpool web site.
An interdisciplinary research institute focusing on the development of sustainable and inclusive cities and city regions.
The main sections of the document are as follows.
- How Can We Reduce Health Inequalities?
- How Do We Meet Our Net Zero Goals?
- How Can We Address The Cost Of Living Crisis?
- How Can We Deliver Sustainable Mobility?
- How Can We Address The Challenges And Meet The Opportunities Of Artificial Intelligence?
- How Do We Build Enough New Homes In The Right Places?
- How Should We Care For The Most Vulnerable In Society?
- How Can We Maintain A Vibrant And Inclusive Cultural Life?
- How Do We Restore Trust In Democracy?
These are nine very important questions and the document is worth a good read.
Plans Progress To Build World’s Largest Tidal Scheme On The Banks Of The River Mersey
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from the Liverpool City Region.
These four bullet points, act as sub-headings.
- Mersey Tidal Power has the potential to become the world’s largest tidal scheme
- Formal planning process for UK’s “first of a kind” Mersey Tidal Power set to begin
- Potential to manage environmental issues associated with climate change
- Scheme would need government backing to complete development stage
These three paragraphs introduce the project.
Advanced proposals to build the world’s largest tidal scheme on the banks of the River Mersey have been unveiled by the Liverpool City Region’s Mayor Steve Rotheram.
Mayor Rotheram has revealed that the city region will pursue a barrage between the Wirral and Liverpool as the preferred option for the city region’s flagship Mersey Tidal Power project.
The barrage scheme – the “first of a kind” in the UK – could generate clean, predictable energy for 120 years and create thousands of jobs in its construction and operation.
Note.
- This page on the Liverpool City Region, has this explanatory video.
- This brochure can also be downloaded.
At a first glance all the documentation is very professional.
These are my thoughts.
How Much Power Will The Mersey Tidal Project Generate?
This graphic from the brochure shows electricity generation in Liverpool Bay.
Note.
- The dark blue circles are the thirteen existing wind farms, that have a total capacity of 3 GW.
- The yellow circles are four new wind farms, that will be built by 2030 and will have a total capacity of 4 GW.
- The Mersey Tidal Project will have 28 x 25 MW turbines and generate 700 MW.
I also suspect that the power generation will be supplemented by a large battery, that will smooth out the electricity, when the wind isn’t blowing and the tides are at the wrong cycle.
Access For Ships To The Tranmere Oil Terminal And The Manchester Ship Canal
This article on the Liverpool Business News is entitled £6bn ‘Barrage Across The Mersey’ Takes Step Forward.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Steve Rotheram says his £6bn Mersey Tidal Power project will see a barrage across the river, with locks to allow ships through, but original 2030 switch-on now looks unlikely.
The article has a picture which could show locks on the Wirral side of the Mersey.
This Google Map shows the location of the Tranmere Oil Terminal and the Manchester Ship Canal.
Note.
- Birkenhead is in the North-West corner of the map.
- The line of white squares running parallel to the River Mersey, indicate the stations of the Wirral Line to Chester and Ellesmere Port.
- The Tranmere Oil Terminal is indicated by the red arrow at the top of the map.
This second Google Map expands the area on the West bank of the Mersey, at the bottom of the map.
These are Eastham Locks, which allow ships to enter and leave the Manchester Ship Canal.
This third Google Map shows the area around the Tranmere Oil Terminal.
As before the Tranmere Oil Terminal is indicated by the red arrow, with Cammell Laird to the North.
The Liverpool Business News article says this about oil tankers, that use the Mersey.
In terms of oil tankers alone, there are more than 700 vessels coming in and out of the Mersey every year. Supertankers berth at the Tranmere Oil Terminal next to the Cammell Laird shipyard and around 500 smaller vessels berth at Stanlow at Ellesmere Port.
LBN understands that some form of lock system will be incorporated into the barrage to allow ships in and out. That might prove tricky for supertankers which suggests the barrage would be down river from the Tranmere terminal.
This Google Map shows the Manchester Ship Canal as it goes East from Eastham Locks.
Note.
- The Manchester Ship Canal clings to the South Bank of the Mersey.
- The red arrow indicates Stanlow Refinery,
- There is a lot of industry on the South Bank of the Manchester Ship Canal.
It would appear that access to the Manchester Ship Canal gives access to several important places other than Manchester.
Access To Garston Docks
This Google Map shows the Liverpool Bank of the Mersey.
Note.
- The blue marker in the North-West corner of the map indicates the Royal Albert Dock.
- Garston Docks are in the South-East corner of the map
- There are no docks between Liverpool and Garston and much of the route can be walked along the Mersey.
- On the other bank of the Mersey, note the green ship at the Tranmere Oil Terminal, that can be seen in other maps.
This second Google Map shows Garston Docks.
Note.
- There are three docks.
- The Garston Channel and the Old Garston River provide a route for ships to enter or leave the docks.
The Wikipedia entry for the Port of Garston, indicates that the port is rather run-down and a shadow of its former self.
It would appear that ships would have to pass through the locks in the barrier, which would likely be on the Wirral bank, to gain access to the Manchester Ship Canal and then cross the Mersey for Garston.
However, the barrier is built, it must have a route to both the Tranmere Oil Terminal and the Manchester Ship Canal at Eastham Locks.
The barrier could be built either North or South of the Tranmere Oil Terminal.
- If built North of the oil terminal, the locks in the barrier will have to accommodate the largest supertanker that calls at the terminal.
- If built South of the oil terminal, the locks in the barrier would only have to accommodate the largest ship that needed to use the Manchester Ship Canal or visit Garston.
One option would probably be more affordable.
Barrage Cross The Mersey
The very informative Liverpool Business News article, explains why a barrage was chosen, in this paragraph.
After pondering whether to build a barrage across the river from Liverpool to Wirral, or a floating lagoon, the Combined Authority has chosen the former as it would be cheaper and also creates a bridge that could have a pedestrian and cycle link.
The choice of a barrage sounds sensible on grounds of cost and accessibility.
A World First For Liverpool
This article on The Engineer is entitled ABB Grid Balancing Facility Comes Online.
This is the sub-heading.
A significant new project to provide vital inertia across the UK’s electricity grid has gone live at the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park in Liverpool.
This Google Map, shows the Lister Drive Greener Grid Park.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates the location of the pair of synchronous condensers.
- The metal forest to the West of the Statkraft site, looks like a large substation.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Featuring two ABB synchronous condensers, the facility is designed to replicate the inertia currently provided by spinning turbines at coal and gas-fired plants. This inertia is essential for maintaining the correct frequency and voltage across electricity grids, so an alternative source must be installed as thermal generation is replaced by wind and solar, which provide no inertia.
Developed for Norwegian renewable energy firm Statkraft, Lister Drive is the first project anywhere in the world to feature a high-inertia configuration that couples a synchronous condenser with a 40-tonne flywheel. According to ABB, this approach increases the instantaneously available inertia by 3.5 times, ensuring the network frequency and voltage are held stable within the tight limits essential to maintain grid reliability.
In my Electrical Engineering degree course at Liverpool University, I opted out of power engineering, as I preferred Electronics and Control Engineering. So I am indebted to this Wikipedia entry for what a synchronous condenser is and does.
Statkraft seem to be developing several of their Greener Grid Parks, in various places in the UK.
Is Liverpool, England’s Biarritz?
Earlier in the week, I was feeling terrible, with pains in both lower legs.
This has been typical for some months and on Sunday, it was so bad in my right foot, that I tried a new cream called Udrate, that my GP prescribed for me last year.
It seemed to do the trick and I now rub it on twice a day.
On Thursday, I went to Liverpool and in the pouring rain at Euston, as I walked to the train, my legs were feeling terrible.
Throughout the day they improved and at the end of the day, I walked across the City Centre from Liverpool Central to the Albert Dock with no problem at all.
My legs have gradually got worse since I returned.
They are not bad now, but they are certainly worse than when I left Liverpool.
I wrote Would I Go Back To Biarritz Again?, after my one and only visit to the French resort, where I said this.
Of course I would!
Especially, if I could be guaranteed some weather like I had just experienced. The temperature had been about 14 °C with a humidity of over 50%
I do wonder about my father’s health. He suffered from a similar catarrh to that I’ve suffered for the last couple of years and he had lots of skin problems. He always put the latter down to the solvents he used in his printing business. I’m pretty certain he was a coeliac too, as I must have got the genes from somewhere.
I also remember him saying once that he had been to Biarritz. So did he go because he felt healthy there, as I just had?
I don’t know and there’s no-one I can ask who knew him, who’s still alive.
But as I seem to feel better in Biarritz, if I think I need a break in the winter, I think I’ll go.
Liverpool was warm and sunny on Thursday.
The picture shows the new Everton stadium being constructed at Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool, was taken as I returned from Headbolt Lane station.
This picture shows Biarritz in early December.
Both cities are bathed in sunshine.
Consider.
- Both cities have seafronts that face West.
- The prevailing winds are from the South-West.
- Both cities have land masses with mountains or hills to their South-West.
Do the hills induce turbulence to the air, which gives both cities, a healthy Autumnal climate that I find acceptable?
The Anonymous Widower 