Giant Batteries Will Provide Surge Of Electricity Storage
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Britain’s capacity to store electricity in giant batteries is set to double after dozens of new projects won contracts through a government scheme to keep the lights on.
Developers of battery storage projects with a total output capacity of at least 3.3 gigawatts won contracts to operate from winter 2025-26 through the government’s “capacity market” auction, according to Cornwall Insight, the consultancy.
Note that Hinckley Point C is only 3.26 GW.
The biggest battery in these contracts is a giant that Intergen will be building at the London Gateway.
When the battery got planning permission in November 2020, Intergen published this press release, which is entitled InterGen Gains Consent To Build One Of The World’s Largest Battery Projects In Essex.
These are three bullet points at the head of the press release.
- Edinburgh-headquartered energy company InterGen has been granted planning consent to build the UK’s largest battery storage project at DP World London Gateway on the Thames Estuary.
- £200m project is set to provide at least 320MW/640MWh of capacity, with the potential to expand to 1.3GWh – more than ten times the size of the largest battery currently in operation in the UK and set to be one of the world’s largest.
- The battery will provide fast-reacting power and system balancing with an initial two-hour duration, and is a significant piece of infrastructure on the UK’s journey to net zero.
As Cilla might have said. “What a lorra lorra lot of lithium!”
But it’s not just lithium-ion batteries that are getting large.
In The Power Of Solar With A Large Battery, I talked about a Highview Power CRYOBattery with a capacity of 50MW/500MWh, that is being built in the Atacama desert in Chile.
The Essex battery is a giant battery and it’s bigger than the one in Chile, but I’m fairly sure Highview Power could build a battery bigger than the one InterGen are building. You just add more liquid air tanks and turbomachinery.
New 775m-Long Freight Trains Begin Operating On UK’s Rail Network
The title of this post, is the same as that as this article on Global Railway Review.
This is the first paragraph.
DP World have announced that its two deep-water ports at Southampton and London Gateway have become the first in the UK capable of handling Freightliner’s new 775m-long intermodal container trains.
It appears from the article that Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds can also handle these longer trains.
Eight New Freeports Set To Open In The UK
Today, in his 2021 Budget, Rishi Sunak announced eight new freeports.
This article on the BBC, which is entitled Freeports: What Are They And Where Will They Be?, gives a brief guide to the freeports.
This links link to the nearest I can find to an official web site for each of the freeports.
The Government has said that the freeports will start their operations late this year.
A Last Ride On A Class 315 Train Between Upminster And Romford?
This morning I went to Upminster and took the Class 315 train to Romford.
I added the question mark, as when I passed East Ham depot, there were two new Class 710 trains sitting there, covered in graffiti.
Could The Romford And Upminster Line Be Improved?
I see two possible simple improvements
Four Trains Per Hour
London Overground likes to run four trains per hour (tph).
Could this frequency be run on the Romford and Upminster Line?
Three years ago I wrote Could The Romford To Upminster Line Handle Four Trains Per Hour?, and came to this conclusion.
A seven minute trip would mean the train could perform the required four trips per hour.
It would still be tight.
I also investigated an automated shuttle train on the route in An Automated Shuttle Train Between Romford And Upminster, which I felt would be possible, to run a four tph service.
Extension Of The Service
There are various reasons, why the service could be extended from Upminster station, in the Grays direction.
- It would give travellers from South Essex much better access to Crossrail.
- It could give a shuttle between Romford and Grays via the Lakeside Shopping Centre
- Tilbury Riverside station could be a possibility.
- It could open up possibilities for more housing in the area.
- If the route were to be extended to a new station at London Gateway, it could make it easier for people to travel to work at the large port.
Obviously, it would have to be viable for the operator, but the big beasts of Crossrail, Lakeside Shopping Centre and London Gateway might make it possible.
Planning the route wouldn’t be that easy.
Consider.
- The connections to Romford and Grays are on different sides of the District Line, so a flyover or dive-under might be needed.
- Upminster and Grays is a single-track line with a passing loop at the two-platform Ockenden station.
- Upminster and Grays used to be worked by a shuttle service.
- The signalling appears to be able to handle four tph in both directions.
- The current service between Grays and Upminster is two tph in both directions.
- There is a bay platform 1A, at Upminster, which faces towards Grays.
It can certainly be said, that the extension of the service can’t be run at four tph.
I also think, that the current track layout at Upminster looks like one of British Rail efforts to stop any expansion of the railway.
This Google Map shows the layout of Upminster station.
Note.
- The platforms are numbered 1 to 6 from South to North.
- Platform 1A is the Southernmost platform, which is slightly at an angle.
- The main station footbridge is at the Western ends of the platforms.
- The station isn’t fully step-free.
Is an alternative approach possible?
Suppose the following were to be arranged.
- A four tph endless shuttle between Romford and Upminster stations.
- Full step-free access at Romford station is currently being installed.
- Full step-free access at Upminster station.
- A two tph shuttle between Platform 1a and Grays, London Gateway or wherever most passengers want. This service would be arranged to give four tph between Upminster and Grays, when combined with the current services.
- The two four tph services would be timed to give a convenient interchange at Upminster.
Could it be made to work?
It would only need improvements to Upminster station.
These pictures show Upminster station.
Note.
- Platform 1a is fully-electrified and long enough for a Class 710 train.
- The bridge at the Eastern end of the station is not step-free but could be updated.
- It might be possible to extend this bridge to Platform 6.
Platform 1a could certainly be used to operate a shuttle service to Grays to create a new service across South Essex.
Switching From Lorries To Freight Trains Could Cut Air Pollution By 10%
The title of this post is the same as this article on Rail Technology Magazine. This is the first paragraph.
Making the switch from HGVs to trains for freight travel could lead to 10% less air pollution from NOx across the country, says new research from the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT).
The major problem will be to get freight operators to switch from road to rail.
However, I do feel that this may be hastened by external factors and innovative methods and technology.
Shortages Of Train And Truck Drivers
There are regular news items about shortages of train and truck drivers.
I would think, that both careers will attract the same type of person.
Both careers will have their good and bad points.
But after a search of the Internet, it does appear that the train driver will earn more than the truck driver.
So will a shortage of truck drivers, nudge more freight operators to use rail?
Track Improvements For Rail Freight
Over the last decade or so, there have been several improvements in track layouts, that have been driven by the need to increase the amount of freigt carried by rail.
- The development of the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line through Lincolnshire as a freight by-pass for the East Coast Main Line.
- The building of the Bacon Factory Chord to increase capacity to and from the Port of Felixstowe.
- Electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line will create a second electrified freight route across London.
- Several passing loops have been lengthened to allow longer freight trains.
- The Ordsall Chord will help freight through Manchester.
Obviously any general improvements will help freight trains as well as passenger trains.
Air-Pollution Activitists And Politicians
Most long-distance rail-freight is diesel-hauled and increasingly it goes through areas of large cities, where there is electrification. These electrified lines all see diesel-hauled freight trains.
- The North London Line
- The West London Line
- The Gospel Oak to Barking Line
- The Ordsall Chord
- The Great Eastern Main Line
- The West Coast Main Line
- The East Coast Main Line
- The Great Western Main Line
It will not be long before air-quality activists set their sites on removing diesel haulage from lines like these.
Will a local politician in North London say, be more likely to get elected, if they say, they will push for a ban on noisy and polluting diesel-powered locomotives running through their constituency.
The Replacement Of Diesel Locomotives With Electro-Diesel Locomotives
If you take a freight route like say Felixstowe to Trafford Park in Manchester via the Great Eastern Main Line, the North London Line and the West Coast Main Line, all of the route except for the two ends is electrified.
Normally, freight on this route would be hauled by a Class 66 diesel-locomotive, which would probably score 2/10 as a friend of the environment.
A modern electro-diesel locomotive, like a Class 88 locomotive may be able to this and similar routes using electricity in the middle and its onboard diesel engine at both ends of the route.
The various locomotives, used on UK freight trains compare as follows.
- Class 66 – 65/75 mph – 2.4 MW on diesel
- Class 68 – Modern diesel to Stage II A emission standards – 100 mph – 2.8 MW on diesel
- Class 70 – 75 mph – 2.7 MW on diesel
- Class 86 – 75 mph – 0.7 MW on electricity
- Class 88 – 100 mph – 4 MW on electricity – 0.7 MW on diesel
- Class 90 – Electric locomotive – 100 mph – 0.9 MW on electricity
- Class 92 – Electric locomotive – 87 mph – 5 MW on electricity
As the table shows the Class 66 locomotives are slow and less powerful than both the more modern Class 68 or Class 88 locomotives.
Cynically, I would say that the only reason that Class 66 and Class 70 locomotives are still in service is that they are good for the bottom line.
Despite this, I feel we’ll see an increasing number of electro-diesel locomotives like the Class 88 arriving in the UK.
New Electric Locomotives
Judging by some of the strange combinations, I’ve seen on some freight trains, we are short of electric locomotives.
This double-headed train has a Class 90 electric locomotive and a Class 66 diesel locomotive at the front of a long freight train.
Even electric locomotives from the 1960s are being called up for service.
These two Class 86 locomotives were hauling a freight train through Hackney Wick station.
I think we’ll see small numbers of new electric locomotives arriving in the UK.
I suspect too, that freight operators are preparing their bids for the fifteen Class 90 locomotives, that will be released in the next few years by Greater Anglia.
More Electrification
In a couple of years, there will be full electrification from London to Bristol and Cardiff.
Although the Government has put a hold on a lot of electrification, current schemes like electrification of the Great Western Main Line will increase the use of electric or electro-diesel haulage.
Other smaller schemes might be added to increase the use of electric haulage for freight.
As an example, the lines into the important freight ports of London Gateway and Liverpool Two are not electrified. Electrifying both would probably increase the proportion of electrically-hauled freight.
Thoughts On The Design Of A High Speed Freight Shuttle
I am enthusiastic about the concept proposed by Rail Operations Group, that will see Class 769 trains running freight shuttles between London Gateway and Liverpool Street station, which I wrote about in A Freight Shuttle For Liverpool Street Station Planned.
But if you were starting from scratch, how would you design the ultimate freight shuttle train?
Consider these objectives.
The Amazon Objective
Amazon and their suppliers would like next day delivery for all of their customers.
Probably within a country the size of the UK, next day delivery can be achieved.
But I suspect that Amazon and their competitors would like anybody in the world to get as near as next day delivery as possible from anywhere in the world.
Giving worldwide next day delivery is obviously impossible, but giving it to as much of the world as is currently practical is clearly an Amazon objective.
We live in a I-Want-It-Now world!
Destinations To Be Served
I feel that places to be served by high speed light freight shuttles fall into various groups.
Major Cities
The proposed shuttle into Liverpool Street station will be the first of many.
Liverpool Street station is also an easy station at which to run such a service.
- There is level access from the street for vehicles like electric vans and cargo bikes at Platform 10, using the old taxi cab road.
- The station and the approaches are fully electrified.
- Crossrail will release platform space at the station.
Three trains per day can probably be accommodated in the Off Peak hours, with more services during the night.
It would not be possible to fit a light freight facility into all city-centre stations, as easily as it appears to be at Liverpool Street.
But I do think light freight facilities of this type at the following stations could be possible..
- Brighton
- Bristol Temple Meads
- Glasgow Central
- Liverpool Lime Street
- London Euston
- London Paddington
- Manchester Piccadilly
- Nottingham
Some recently rebuilt stations like Birmingham New Street, would be very difficult, so I would recommend that all station developments, should take possible light freight facilities into account.
Logistics Parks, Ports And Airports
London Gateway is a large port and logistics facility, to the East of London.
This Google Map shows London Gateway.
The logistics park is still being developed to the North of the port, with the rail lines in between the two.
- I have searched the rail lines and I can’t see anything like a loading bay for a freight shuttle, which surely will be something like a platform for passengers.
- It is early days yet and this map could be a couple of years old.
- There would also be space to the North of the rail lines for someone like Hermes, UPS or Yodel to build a large secure shed with a siding alongside, served by a platform, so that goods could be rolled into the trains.
- It should be possible to electrify the siding, in a similar way to Platform 10 at Liverpool Street station.
It’ll all come clear, when the service starts.
Other ports like Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool and Southampton might also want to develop high speed light freight services as will the various logistics parks and freight terminals dotted around the country.
Most are served by rail connections, although in many cases like Felixstowe, London Gateway, Liverpool and Southampton, the last few miles need to use some form of independent power.
Could these light freight services connect to airports like Heathrow, Manchester and Stansted?
Retail Parks And Out-Of-Town Shopping Centres
Large retail groups, like Marks and Spencer, Sainsburys and Tesco have set up large distribution centres often in the centre of England, some of which have rail access.
Could major retail centres like Lakeside in Essex, Sheffield Meadowhill, Gateshead Metro Centre and others receive goods by rail.
Specialist Terminals
If you go to Montrose station, you can see the remains of sidings, where Scottish fish was loaded to be taken by rail to ports for export to places like New York.
But it is likely that specialist terminals will be setup to handle goods, such as seafood, flowers and Scotch whisky.
Some seasonal products like Cornish flowers would only need a part-time facility, but these would only be rudimentary.
Long Rural Routes
I can see the requirement for light freight deliveries increasing in all parts of the UK.
Some destinations are probably expensive for delivery companies.
But could an integrated delivery system be setup using the long rural rail routes.
- Inverness and Wick
- Inverness and Aberdeen
- Glasow and Oban
- Chester and Holyhead
- Settle and Carlisle
Services might automatically roll pallets off and on at stations, which would then be handled locally by a purpose-built van or light truck.
- Some services would start in London and the South-East, but others could start in the East Midlands or the Scotland’s Central Belt
- Some services would connect with ferries to serve islands, like the Hebrides and the Orkneys.
- A daily service might do wonders for business in rural areas.
London and Wick takes thirteen hours by passenger train. This would enable, somebody in Wick wanting an urgent part for a machine that has broken, to order it from London and certainly receive it within forty-eight hours.
Great Britain And Ireland Services
Services between Great Britain and Ireland will be a problem, as trains will have to unload on one side of the Irish sea onto trucks for delivery after the sea crossing.
Unless politicians do what I suggest in A Solution To The Northern Irish Problem!, which is to build a high speed rail system connecting Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- The main crossing would be a bridge or a tunnel, where my preference would be for a bridge.
- The main route would be Glasgow and Dublin via Stranraer and Belfast.
- There would be a 125 mph connection between Carlisle and Stranraer
- The Irish section of the route would be an electrified standard-gauge railway capable of running trains at 125 mph.
- The route would handle passengers and freight.
- There could a branch to Shannon, where some proposals have been made to create a deep water port.
I estimated that London and Belfast would take four hours, with an hour longer for Dublin.
But as this fixed link would probably not be built this century, as Ulster always says no, unloading on to trucks would probably be necessary for a long time.
Continental Services
Why not? Unlike Ireland, there’s a rail connection and it’s standard gauge!
Eurostar has shown that the same trains can run successfully on British, French, Belgian and Dutch railways and trains can now be fitted with systems to access the various electrification voltages.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Europe-wide high-speed light freight service for appropriate cargoes.
Summing Up Destinations
I can sum up the destinations as follows.
- They will not be large grand affairs, in many cases.
- There must be easy access for local transport, which will include a proportion of electric vehicles.
- Destinations are generally within a few miles of an electrified main line.
- Some services like Cornish flowers or Scottish seafood will need an independently-powered train, with a moderate range.
You can see why Rail Operations Group have chosen to use bi-mode Class 769 trains, as they will be ideal to connect to places perhaps a hundred miles from electrification.
New Or Refurbished Trains?
The proposed service is to be run with a Class 769 train, which is a bi-mode rebuild of a 1980s Class 319 train.
But would it be better to use a brand new train, rather than an old conversion?
In the future, if the experiment is a success, a new train will probably be designed, that will be based on the experience of the trials.
But at the moment modifying an old train, is probably a more affordable approach and one that carries less risk.
Operating Speed
The Class 769 train can operate at 100 mph on electrified lines and at around 90 mph, when relying on the diesel generators.
In High Speed Urban Freight Logistics By Rail, I talked about Rail Operations Group’s plans for running high speed freight services between Thames Gateway and the Central Belt in Scotland.
Surely, a faster train would be desirable for services along high speed lines.
Train Capacity And Interior
This will depend on the application and I suspect Rail Operation Group’s trial will show the optimum design.
But I wouldn’t be surprised to see trains based on British Rail’s standard length of eighty metres, as this would mean, they will easily fit so many existing stations without expensive modification.
If longer trains are needed for busy routes, then the trains could work in twos or threes, as many British Rail electric multiple units have done for decades.
Are Freight Shuttles Ideal Trains For Battery Power?
The train will not need the full air-conditioning and toilet services of a passenger train, which could mean.
- Electrical power needed for services other than traction would be lower.
- Underneath the train could be relatively free of equipment.
In addition, it should be noted.
- Most routes will be run for the major part on electrified lines.
- Charging technology for batteries at remote destinations could be easily provided.
- Battery-electric trains have operational, environmental and marketing advantages over trains with diesel engines.
So why not efficiently fill space under the train with batteries?
For their initial service between London Gateway and Liverpool Street station, Rail Operations Group would probably only need to use diesel for less than a dozen miles.
Could Modified InterCity 125 Trains Be Used?
The fact that they are diesel is a major drawback, but there are other problems too!
- Major structural work would be needed to create cargo doors.
- I suspect that they may be too long.
- They may not be very operator friendly.
Other companies have proposed them for high speed freight, but nothing has materialised so far.
Conclusion
Rail Operation Group’s thinking is spot on!
High Speed Urban Freight Logistics By Rail
The title of this article is the same as that of this article on World Cargo News.
It describes from a freight operator’s point-of-view, Rail Operation’s Group‘s plans to run freight services between London Gateway and Liverpool Street station, which I wrote about in A Freight Shuttle For Liverpool Street Station Planned.
Points include.
- Current operators are struggling to lower their carbon footprint.
- Congestion is affecting delivery times.
- Charges to use London’s ULEZ could add two hundred pounds per round trip to costs.
- To enter London, trucks will need high visibility cabs in a couple of years time.
- Last mile delivery would be by e-vans and cargo bikes.
- This initial service is about proving the concept and identifying the best techniques.
The article also discloses that Rail Operations Group are planning to run a high-speed overnight freight service between London Gateway and the Central Belt in Scotland, using their modified Class 769 trains.
- Journey time will be reduced from eleven-twelve hours by truck to five-and-a-half by rail.
- The deadline for guaranteed overnight delivery will go from 20:00 to 23:00.
- Trains will be running at 100 mph on electricity all the way.
- If it works going North, surely it will work going South.
I can see Rail Operations Group needing a lot more trains, than the two they have ordered.
A Freight Shuttle For Liverpool Street Station Planned
Edition 889 of Rail Magazine has an article which is entitled London Gateway-Liverpool Street Freight Trial Planned.
Rail Operations Group are planning to run a freight shuttle between London Gateway and Liverpool Street station.
Trains will be Class 769 bi-mode trains.
- The trains will be fitted with roller doors, roller cages and strengthened floors.
- Three aervices will leave Thames Gateway at 0029, 1208 and 1856.
- They will return from Liverpool Street at 0242, 1421 and 2100.
- Services will use Platforms 9 and 10 in Liverpool Street station.
It seems a very detailed plan.
A few of my thoughts.
Journey Time
I would estimate that a time of about 45 minutes to an hour would be possible.
Use Of Platforms 9 and 10
These two platforms are generally used for the London and Norwich expresses via Colchester and Ipswich, but it appears that only one service is timed to arrive in times when the station is really busy.
Platform 10 is near to the old Cab Road and so there is good vehicle access from the back of the station.
Final Delivery
The article says that trucks would be used for the final deliveries, with battery vehicles planned for the future.
Would There Be Sufficient Capacity For Trucks In The Cab Road?
A Class 769 train has four twenty metre long cars, so capacity will be equivalent of four small-to-medium supermarket delivery articulated trucks.
You wouldn’t get artics into the Cab Road, but would you get enough small trucks in to pick up a complete train-load?
- At night or in the evening, this would surely be possible!
- However, in the afternoon, it would surely be too busy, for more than a couple of delivery vans.
I’m sure Karl Watts has a well-laid plan.
What Is The Role Of UPS In This Freight Service?
In the Wikipedia entry for London Gateway, this is said.
Development of the Logistics Park has followed the initial stages of development of the port. UPS is developing a 32,000 square metre package sorting facility on the site – one of the American firm’s largest ever infrastructure investments outside of the USA. Since March 2017,
UPS wouldn’t build a facility the size of thirty two football pitches and then send out a series of trucks to their biggest market in the City of London , only for the packets to get stuck in the traffic.
I suspect that packets will be sorted into small easily-managed loads for delivery by electric vans, cargo bicycles or Shank’s Pony, from Liverpool Street station.
And Could Lidl Be In On The Act?
The Wikipedia entry for London Gateway also says this.
German grocery retailer Lidl has been operating out of the DP World London Gateway Logistics Centre, the first warehouse to be developed on the site.
This article in the Guardian is entitled Lidl In The Middle: Chain To Open First Store In Central London. This is said.
Lidl is to launch its first store in central London as it opens 40 new shops across the capital in the next five years.
Could Lidl be thinking of using such the proposed service to supply Central London stores?
- Last mile delivery could be by electric vehicles.
- Catching the 0029 train from London Gateway could be ideal.
- Goods could be on the shelves by early in the morning.
I think that this could offer interesting possibilities.
Supermarket deliveries were also one of the cargoes proposed in the LaMiLo project that I talked about in The LaMiLo Project.
Why Use Bi-Mode Trains?
Consider.
- Virtually all of the route is electrified, except for the last mile or so into the London Gateway.
- It would be possible to electrify those last few miles and use electric trains.
- Electric trains like unmodified Class 319 trains could be used for the service.
But cranes, containers and 25 KVAC overhead wires are a possible disaster waiting to happen, as a crane driver once told me!
When Will The Service Start?
The article says that the service could start in April or May.
Could There Be Other Services?
This is the last paragraph of the article.
Watts mentioned that other routes were a possibility for the business, suggesting that routes from the West Midlands to the Scottish Central Belt and the West Midlands to the West Country have been investigated. No dates have yet been given for any such trials.
I would also think, that there could be opportunities for moving high-value or perishable cargoes into major city centre stations in the middle of the night.
Suitable stations could be.
- Birmingham New Street
- Bristol
- Edinburgh
- Glasgow
- Leeds
- Liverpool Lime Street
- Manchester Piccadilly
I am not being anti-Geordie, but Newcsastle might be a difficult station to unload cargoes from trains onto trucks!
Conclusion
If seems to me that Rail Operations Group are being innovative with trains.
Could The Romford To Upminster Line Handle Four Trains Per Hour?
If you look at the current version of this page on Transport for London’s web site, which is entitled Track Closures Six Month Ahead, you will notice that there are the following closures on the Romford to Upminster Line.
- Sunday May 28th to Monday May 29th 2017.
- Sunday Aug 27th to Monday August 28th 2017.
- Saturday Oct 21st to Sunday October 22nd 2017.
It could be a periodic closure for track or station maintenance as the three closures are three months apart, but I’ve noticed closures on this line before.
I’ve also searched the Internet and can find no references to any ongoing work or improvements on the line or the intermediate station at Emerson Park..
But the entries got me thinking about whether services could be improved on this line.
Various factors will come into play.
The Crossrail Affect
From May 22nd 2017, the new Class 345 trains will start running through Romford station on Crossrail‘s initial service between Liverpool Street and Shenfield stations.
How will Crossrail affect usage of the Romford to Upminster Line?
A lot of journeys from c2c territory in South East Essex will be quicker or easier using Crossrail and the Romford to Upminster Line.
I’ll give Southend to Heathrow as an example.
c2c’s Ambitions
It should also be pointed out that c2c are an ambitious company with new Italian owners and I think they will add new destinations and routes to their network.
I can see a lot of commercial and residential property being built along the North Bank of the Thames at Tilbury and London Gateway.
But if c2c have a problem, it is that it has good connections to the City of London at Fenchurch Street station, but getting to some parts of London like Euston, Kings Cross, the West End and Heathrow Airport is not easy.
There are good onward connections across the City at Barking, Limehouse and West Ham stations, which will be improved with the electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
c2c To Liverpool Street
c2c use Liverpool Street station at occasions on Saturdays and Sundays and I have read that they would like to open a second London terminal at Liverpool Street, as this would also allow services to serve Stratford station with the Eastfield Shopping Centre and the Olympic Park.
But I can’t see Greater Anglia and London Overground allowing another operator into the crowded Liverpool Street station.
Could c2c Have Direct Access To Romford?
In an ideal world, where the Romford to Upminster Line would be double-tracked feeding into adequate bay platform or platforms at Romford station, c2c would be able to run a direct service between Romford and Grays stations via Upminster, Ockendon and Chafford Hundred Lakeside, if they felt the service would be worthwhile.
It is one thing to run a four-car shuttle between Romford and Upminster, but look at this Google Map of Upminster station.
Note.
- The c2c lines are South of the District Lines.
- The Romford to Upminster Line goes off to the North-West.
A c2c train going between Romford and Grays would have to cross the busy District Lines, that terminate at Upminster station.
It would probably be possible, but only with the great expense of a massive fly-over or dive-under.
c2c’s Best Access To Crossrail
I would think that c2c’s best access to Crossrail would lie in a frequent service along the Romford to Upminster Line. The current two trains per hour is not enough, so could the branch handle three or even four trains per hour?
The Current Service On the Romford To Upminster Line
The single Class 315 train, that I saw today trundles along at 60 kph and takes a total of nine minutes to go between Romford and Upminster. Turnroumnd at Romford and Upminster take eight and four minutes respectively.
The single train does a round trip in thirty minutes, so it easily does two round trips in an hour.
Emerson Park Station
I went to Emerson Park station this afternoon to see if there was any evidence of improvements.
I found the following.
- The catenary appears to have been given a good refurbishment.
- The station has been tidied up.
- The station is now staffed.
- CCTV is being installed.
- An office is being built.
- New hand-rails are being fitted.
- The station couldn’t accept a train longer than four-cars.
I got the overall impression that London Overground are expecting a lot more passengers to be using Emerson Park station. Wikipedia says this about passenger usage at the station.
It has relatively low but fast-growing patronage for a suburban railway station, with 260,000 passenger entries/exits in 2015/16, compared to 82,000 five years prior and just 32,000 ten years prior.
Given the platform length restriction and the convenience of passengers, I am led to the conclusion that a higher frequency of trains would be beneficial to passengers and operator alike.
How Fast Could An Aventra Travel Between Romford And Upminster?
If you look at a typical three station run on the Overground, such as Dalston Junction-Haggerston-Hoxton, it can tqke between three and five minutes in a Class 378 train, which is probably marginally slower than the new Aventra.
But that is only part of the time, as the driver of the train has to change ends between trips. I walked the length of a Class 378 train today and it took me a minute, so with a well-designed cab and some degree of automation, I suspect that a driver could safely change ends in under two minutes.
As the Aventra will be optimised for fast trips like these, I can see no reason, why a train can’t travel between Romford and Upminster in seven minutes.
Conclusion
A seven minute trip would mean the train could perform the required four trips per hour.
One major problem would be if say there was an incident on the train, like a passenger becoming seriously unwell. The driver would call the emergency services and proceed to the next station. After dealing with the emergency and perhaps seeing the passenger safely in the care of paramedics, the driver would resume the timetable. As there is only one train on the line at all times, service recovery is just a matter of restarting.