A Heavy Load From Felixstowe To Manchester
As I waited for my train at Canonbury station this morning, this very long train went through.
After I got home, I found that it was going from the Port of Felixstowe to Trafford Park Freightliner Terminal.
The journey will take around nine-and-a-half hours.
- This time includes a sixty-five minute stop at Ipswich to change the diesel locomotive or locomotives used to haul the train out of the Port of Felixstowe for the pair of Class 90 electric locomotives for the rest of the journey to the North-West.
- The two locomotives together have a power output of about 7.5 MW.
- The train will pick up the West Coast Main Line at Primrose Hill and then take the Trent Valley Line between Rugby and Stafford before approaching Trafford Park, using the Castlefield Corridor through Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations.
- As I write this, the train is on time as it approaches Tamworth.
The train has done well as at Watford, it was running twenty minutes late. The train crew have used the 7.5 MW well to claw back the time.
Did it help the crew to regain the schedule, that they had 7.5 MW on hand, as opposed to the less than 3 MW from the UK’s largest diesel locomotive?
To my mind, this illustrates one of the reasons, why long distance trains are best run by powerful electric locomotives.
In Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?, I describe the new Class 99 locomotive.
- It is an electro-diesel locomotive.
- It has 6 MW available on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- It has a 1.8 MW Cummins diesel engine, which may be powerful enough to haul the largest trains in and out of the Port of Felixstowe, where the route is not electrified.
Thirty of these locomotives have been ordered by GB Railfreight.
I believe that one of these locomotives could handle a very heavy freight train between the Port of Felixstowe and Trafford Park Freightliner Terminal.
- The locomotive working alone could handle the train on the unelectrified line between Felixstowe and Ipswich.
- There would be no need to electrify the lines in the Port of Felixstowe.
- There would be no need for a prolonged stop in Ipswich.
- An hour on the journey could be saved.
- There might be a saving in the number of crew.
The Class 99 locomotive seems to be well-designed for handling freight trains out of Felixstowe.
Were Freightliner experimenting with what they needed from an electro-diesel locomotive, when I took this picture at Shenfield?
Note.
- The Class 90 electric locomotive has 3.7 MW of power.
- The Class 66 diesel locomotive has 2.4 MW of power.
Was what I saw an affordable electro-diesel locomotive?
New Merseyrail Train Runs 135km On Battery
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Liverpool Business News.
This paragraph gives the details.
Posting on social media site Linked In, Joaquim Font Canyelles, project leader at Stadler Rail, said: “Our new Merseytravel class 777 IPEMU (Independent Powered Electrical Multiple Unit) proved its strength after running 135 km fully loaded and without external current supply, which is much longer than we expected.
Note that 135 km is 83.9 miles.
These are possible routes, where the battery-electric trains could be deployed.
- Bidston and Wrexham Central – 27.5 miles
- Canada Dock Branch – 4.6 miles
- Chester and Crewe – 21.2 miles
- Chester and Runcorn East – 13 miles
- Ellesmere Port and Runcorn East – 10.8 miles
- Ormskirk and Preston – 15.3 miles
- Hunts Cross and Manchester Oxford Road – 27.1 miles
- Kirkby and Manchester Victoria – 30 miles
- Kirkby and Wigan Wallgate – 12 miles
- Liverpool Lime Street and Chester via Runcorn – 27 miles
- Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road – 31.5 miles
- Southport and Manchester Oxford Road – 37.8 miles
- Southport and Stalybridge – 45.5 miles
- Southport and Wigan Wallgate – 17.4 miles
Note.
- All routes could be done both ways with the exception of Southport and Stalybridge and possibly Southport and Manchester Oxford Road.
- Southport trains to Wigan and Manchester would charge their batteries at Southport.
- Central Liverpool and Wrexham Central would not need the change at Bidston.
- Hunts Cross and Preston via Central Liverpool would not need the change at Ormskirk.
- A Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road service would be possible.
Batteries can add a lot of range to a city’s railway system.
Conclusion
If Merseyrail can get hold of the routes to Crewe, Manchester, Preston and Wrexham, the Liverpool City Region will have one of the best metros for a city of its size.
Mule Trains Between Liverpool And Norwich
I have done two trips to Liverpool in the last week.
On Saturday, I saw this collection of one-car Class 153 trains with a two-car Class 156 train thrown in.
They were forming one of East Midlands Railway‘s Liverpool and Norwich services.
And then yesterday, I had to travel between Liverpool and Sheffield and this was the collection of trains that took me.
So what was it like?
It started badly, with the driver announcing that because of the late arrival due to an undisclosed problem with the incoming train, that we would be leaving ten minutes after the planned departure time of 1551. He also indicated that our late departure meant that we would be stuck behind one of Northern’s services.
In the end, despite the gloomy faces of passengers we left twelve minutes late at 1603.
It was a bit like one of those classic films, where an ancient train escapes in the nick of time, with a lot of important and assorted passengers.
The asthmatic Cummins diesels under the train could be heard straining.
- But the driver was at the top of his game and the train was running smoothly towards Manchester at close to 75 mph, which is the maximum speed of a Class 153 train.
- At Manchester Piccadilly, the driver had pulled back two minutes.
- There were obviously, no problems on the Dove Valley Line and the driver pulled back another minute before Sheffield, to arrive nine minutes late.
Looking at Real Time Trains, the train ran well until March (The place, not the month!), but there was some form of delay there and sadly it was thirty-four minutes late into Norwich.
The Train Was Clean
I should say there was nothing wrong with the train except for its design and age. It was also as clean as you can get one of these trains. The toilet, that I used was better than many I’ve used on trains and worked as it should.
Customer Service
East Midlands Railway had loaded a trolley and a steward and in the two hours I was on the train, he came through twice. The only problem for me, that he had no card machine, but I did find a fiver in my briefcase.
At least it was very drinkable. Even, if I hate those plastic tubs of milk, as they are difficult to open with one good hand.
Where Did Two Cars Go?
I had been fairly certain, that we had started with six cars, but we only arrived in Sheffield with four Class 153 trains.
I suspect that the trouble that delayed the train, concerned two cars and these were left on the naughty step or the end of Platform 6 in Liverpool Lime Street station.
Being Fair To East Midlands Railway
This service used to be run by a four-car formation of two-car Class 158 trains, but these have been causing trouble lately and they will be replaced by Class 170 trains cascaded from other operators.
But because of late arrivals of new trains the much better Class 170 trains haven’t arrived yet.
The driver, steward and other staff did a good job and I feel that the steward enjoyed it. No-one was abusive and stories were just exchanged, as we climbed across the Pennines in what by Sheffield was a very crowded train.
Class 153 trains may have been built as a stop-gap for short branch lines, but you couldn’t fault their performance.
Unless of course, one caused the delay at March, by expiring in a cloud of blue smoke.
Other Observations
These are other observations.
Scheduled Journey Times
On my journey the scheduled times were
- Liverpool and Manchester Oxford Road – forty-seven minutes.
- Liverpool and Sheffield – one hour and forty-eight minutes.
- Liverpool and Nottingham – two hour and forty minutes.
- Liverpool and Norwich – Five hours and twenty-seven minutes
The train considering the configuration, nearly achieved them.
It’s probably the motoring equivalent of doing the journey in a Morris Minor!
The Nine Stops Were Executed Perfectly
There were nine stops on my journey and eight took less than a minute, with Sheffield taking four, as the driver and crew changed.
A modern train like a Class 755 train, with fast acceleration and level boarding could probably save up to three minutes a time on each stop.
The Route Is A Genuine 75 mph Railway In Good Condition
I was checking the speed of the train on parts of the route and the driver had his motley crew at a steady 75 mph for long periods.
- The train was riding well, indicating to me, that both trains and track were in reasonably good condition.
- Note that 75 mph is the maximum speed of a Class 153 train.
- The train recovered three minutes on the late departure from Liverpool.
I can see a faster train and improvements to the route, some of which are underway, could reduce the journey time by a few minutes.
Could Merseyrail’s New Class 777 Trains Work To The Bay Platform At Oxford Road?
Merseyrail’s new Class 777 trains will have the following performance.
- A possible range of perhaps 40-50 miles on battery power.
- An operating speed of 75 mph.
- An acceleration rate of 1.1 m/sec², which is faster than a Class 153 or Class 170 train.
- Fast stops due to regenerative braking, fast acceleration and level boarding.
As Liverpool Lime Street to Oxford Road is thirty four miles of which nine is electrified, I suspect that these new trains could extend Merseyrail’s Northern Line service from Hunts Cross to Manchester Oxford Road.
- Two trains per hour (tph), but I’m sure four tph would transform the area.
- I doubt any track modifications would be needed.
But would Liverpool and Manchester be able to sort out the local politics?
The Future Of The Liverpool And Norwich Service
This service will probably be spilt into two services.
- Liverpool Lime Street and Derby, which could be run by TransPennine Express or Northern Trains.
- Derby and Norwich, which would be run by East Midlands Railway.
As to the trains to be used, consider the following.
The Liverpool and Derby leg would probably need six trains, with the same number needed for Derby and Norwich, or twelve in total.
Currently, eleven or twelve is needed for the longer service.
Sections of the route like through Manchester and between Grantham and Peterborough are electrified.
There are even sections of route, where 125 mph running is possible.
Run reliably to an hourly frequency, I think that this service could attract passengers, especially, as it would serve Derby and extra stops like Ilkeston and Warrington West could be added.
This leads to the following trains being possibilities.
Class 802 trains – 125 mph bi-mode train of which TransPennine Express have 19 trains.
Class 185 trains – 100 mph diesel train of which TransPennine Express have 51 trains.
Class 810 trains – 125 mph bi-mode train of which East Midlands Railway have ordered 33 trains.
Class 755 trains – 100 mph diesel train of which Greater Anglia have 38 trains, which are based at Norwich.
Alstom Breeze hydrogen trains could be ideal for Liverpool and Derby.
Note.
- Greater Anglia and East Midlands Railway are both subsidiaries of Abellio.
- Developments of Class 755 trains could include battery and hydrogen versions.
- I suspect that 125 mph trains may be required for both legs, to maximise capacity on the East Coast Main Line and Midland Main Line.
The trains will certainly get better.
Rochdale Still Doesn’t Have A Direct Link To Manchester Airport
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Richdale Online.
I recently went to Rochdale to see Ipswich play and what surprised me about the town, was how far it was from my hotel close to Manchester Victoria station.
I went on a tram and it took over an hour and it was also very crowded.
I then walked about a mile to the football ground. Luckily a friendly Rochdale supporter showed me the way.
But is Rochdale’s link to Manchester Airport, any worse than say Walthamstow’s link to Heathrow or Gatwick.
- Rochdale Town Centre to Manchester Airport by train – 1:05
- Rochdale Town Centre to Manchester Airport by tram – 2:02
- Rochdale Station to Manchester Airport by train – 0,:55
- Rochdale to Manchester Airport by taxi- 0:27
- Walthamstow Central to Heathrow Airport by Underground and Heathrow Express – 1:05
- Walthamstow Central to Heathrow Airport by Underground – 1:27
- Walthamstow to Heathrow Airport by taxi – 1:27
- Walthamstow Central to Gatwick Airport by train – 1:22
Note.
- All journeys, except the taxis, need at least one change.
- My lawyer son lives in Walthamstow and always flies from Heathrow.
- He gets there by Underground, with one cross-platform change at Finsbury Park.
- Crossrail won’t help the man on the Walthamstow Underground.
- In Manchester the taxi is quicker, but it isn’t in London.
These are my thoughts.
Mancunians Are More Impatient
Not my view, but the view of a Northern station guy, who has worked on Platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly and busy stations on the London Overground.
He thought that they were sometimes in such a hurry to get on a train, that the train is delayed.
He also said, if you ask Londoners to stand behind the yellow line, they do. Mancunians don’t!
Access To Northern And TransPennine Trains Is Bad
Consider.
- There is often a step up into the train in Manchester.
- Manchester Metrolink is generally step-free into the tram.
- Parts of London Underground/Overground are step-free.
- The new TransPennine trains have pathetic and slow end-door access.
The two train companies have bought fleets of trains that are not fit for purpose.
The Manchester Airport Rail Link Is At Full Capacity
Manchester Airport station, does not have the best rail line from the City Centre.
Wikipedia says this.
Any future additional services to the Airport are in doubt without further infrastructure works; unresolved issues surround the lack of new ‘through’ platforms at Manchester Piccadilly which have been shelved by the government and the Styal Line to Manchester Airport operating at full capacity with little resilience to absorb delays.
The Rochdale Online article blames the stations in Manchester, but the Styal Line is equally to blame.
The Long Term Solution Is High Speed Two
In the 2030s, High Speed Two will solve the problem by using a tunnel between Manchester Airport and the City Centre.
It will also do the following.
- Provide direct access between Manchester Airport and the Midlands, the South and London.
- Provide direct access to Liverpool and Warrington in the West.
- Provide direct access to Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds, Hull and the North East, in the East.
- All services will probably be at least five trains per hour (tph).
But High Speed Two won’t provide a direct link to Richdale.
Passengers between Rochdale and Manchester Airport will still have to change in the City Centre.
Unless of course, some TransPennine services to Manchester Airport are discontinued, as they can be done by High Speed Two.
This would free up paths to add extra services to Manchester Airport.
An Interim Solution
Not only Rochdale, but other towns and cities across the North like Bradford moan about lack of a direct service to and from Manchester Airport.
So what would I do?
Ban Freight Trains Through The Castlefield Corridor
This may not be possible, but it should be a long term objective.
It will cost money, but it would release capacity through the Castlefield Corridor.
Ban Trains Without Level Access At Stations In The Castlefield Corridor
I know that Northern and TransPennine have just bought a load of new trains, but they make matters worse in the stations through the Castlefield Corridor.
All Trains To The Airport Must Be Eight Cars
This makes sense as it increases the capacity, but use the same number of paths.
- Eight-car Class 379 trains – Stansted Express – 160 metres and 418 passengers
- Five-car Class 802 trains – TransPennine Express – 130 metres and 342 passengers
- Eight-car Class 331 trains – Northern – 190 metres and 568 passengers
It does appear that the new trains are also setting new standards for train length.
ERTMS Signalling Should Be Installed Between Manchester Victoria And Manchester Airport
ERTMS signalling would give more flexibility on the route.
Create A Manchester Airport Express
This has been suggested and would have the following characteristics.
- Running between Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria via Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
- Eight cars
- Airport-style interiors
- Step-free access at all stations.
- Four tph
- Running twenty-four hours a day.
- It would have step-free access to the Metrolink at Manchester Victoria, Deansgate and Manchester Piccadilly.
Ideally it would use dedicated platforms at Manchester Airport and Manchester Victoria. The platform at Victoria would hopefully have cross-platform interchange with services going through the station from East to West.
Reduce TransPennine Services To The Airport
TransPennine Express runs the following hourly services to the Airport
- Cleethorpes via a reverse at Manchester Piccadilly.
- Edinburgh or Glasgow via the Castlefield Corridor
- Middlesborough via the Castlefield Corridor
- Newcastle via the Castlefield Corridor
Why not cut-back either the Newcastle or Middlesborough service to Manchester Victoria and make sure it has good cross-platform access to the Manchester Airport Express?
These services are regularly cut-back anyway due to the congestion.
Demolish Manchester Oxford Road Station And Build A Station That’s Fit For Purpose
Manchester Oxford Road is one of ultimate design crimes on the UK Rail network.
- The new or refurbished station would be step-free.
- Platforms would be able to accept two hundred metre long trains.
- A well-designed bay platform would be provided to turn trains from the North efficiently.
- Up to four tph could probably be turned back.
Network Rail do station and track layout design generally very well and I’m sure that a redesigned Oxford Road station could improve capacity through the Castlefield Corridor.
Improve Deansgate And Manchester Piccadilly Stations
If longer trains are to be run through the Castlefield Corridor, then the platforms at these two stations will need lengthening and passenger access will need to be improved.
Is There A Place For Tram-Trains?
Manchester are keen on using tram-trains to improve the Metrolink network.
This map clipped from Wikipedia shows the layout of the Metrolink in the City Centre.
Note.
- Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate and Manchester Victoria all have step-free connections to the trains to and from Manchester Airport.
- The new Trafford Line will branch off at Pomona.
I think it is likely, that any new lines run by tram-trains will pass through at least one of the connecting stations.
This will increase the list of places that will have good access with a single change to and from Manchester Airport.
Conclusion
There would appear to be a lot of scope to create a high-capacity link between Manchester and the Airport.
But it does appear that the current timetable leaves little or no room to expand the service.
That is why, I believe a simpler but higher capacity service, based on a Manchester Airport Express could be developed.
Still Going For A Quart In A Pint Pot
The title of this post is the same as that of an artticle in the November 2019 Edition of Modern Railways.
The article describes the problems of running trains through the Castlefield Corridor through Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate stations.
It is a comprehensive article, that gets to the heart of the problem of the route.
It comes to the conclusion, that there is a need for either more infrastructure or less trains, than the current fifteen trains per hour (tph).
Under more infrastructure, the author lists these projects.
- Grade separated junctions at Castlefield and other junctions.
- A centre turnback at Manchester Oxford Road station.
- A West-facing bay platform at Manchester Victoria
- Four through platforms at Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly.
- Improvement at Manchester Airport station.
These points should be noted.
- Options One and Four will be expensive and will probably cause massive disruption during construction for both rail and road traffic.
- The author suspects Option Four would cost almost a billion pounds and would need the grade-separated junctions to get best value.
I shall deal with options Two, Three and Five later.
Trains Through The Castlefield Corridor
Current passenger trains through the Castlefield Corridor are as follows.
- East Midlands Railway – One tph – Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich
- Northern – One tph – Hazel Grove and Blackpool
- Northern – One tph – Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe
- Northern – Two tph – Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road
- Northern – One tph – Manchester Airport and Blackpool
- Northern – One tph – Manchester Airport and Cumbria
- Northern – One tph – Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street
- Northern – One tph – Wigan North Western and Alderly Edge
- Trains for Wales – One tph – Manchester Airport and Llandudno
- TransPennine Express – One tph – Manchester Airport and Middlesbrough
- TransPennine Express – One tph – Manchester Airport and Newcastle
- TransPennine Express – One tph – Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central or Edinburgh
This gives the following totals.
- Eleven tph – Deansgate and Manchester Piccadilly
- Two tph – Deansgate and Manchester Oxford Road
Add in a couple of freight trains and that gives 15 tph, which according to the author is the design limit.
These are frequencies from Manchester Airport.
- There are seven tph between Manchester Airport and Oxford Road via Piccadilly.
- There are three tph between Manchester Airport and Preston via Piccadilly and Oxford Road.
- There are two tph between Manchester Airport and Leeds via Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria.
The author of the article also points out that Bradford is pushing for a direct service to Manchester Airport.
Frequency is important, but so is train length.
- Transpennine Express services will generally be five cars in the future.
- East Midlands Railway, Northern and Trains for Wales services will be between two and four cars.
Nothing too taxing to handle here, although Northern might decide to double trains of eight cars at times.
Comparison Of The Castlefield Corridor And The East London Line
Consider these facts about the Castlefield Corridor
- Four Southern routings; Crewe, Hazel Grove, Stockport and Manchester Airport.
- Five Northern routings; Bolton, Liverpool, Manchester Victoria, Trafford Park and Wigan North Western
- Fifteen tph of which thirteen tph are passenger trains.
- Three stations designed by Topsy, two of which are step-free.
- Not step-free between train and platform.
- Three interchange stations.
- Conventional signalling.
- Fully electrified with 25 KVAC overhead.
- Four train companies, with at least four types of passenger train.
- Bad timekeeping.
- Low customer satisfaction.
For comparison, consider these facts about the East London Line between Shoreditch High Street and Surrey Quays stations.
- Four Southern routings; Clapham Junction, Crystal Palace, New Cross and West Croydon.
- Two Northern routings; Dalston Junction and Highbury & Islington
- Sixteen tph of which all are passenger trains. Soon to be raised to twenty tph.
- Seven stations designed by various architects, two of which are step-free, with Whitechapel to soon make this three step-free.
- Some stations are step-free between train and platform.
- Two interchange stations.
- More bespoke signalling.
- Fully electrified with 750 VDC third rail.
- One train company and one type of passenger train.
- Good timekeeping.
- High customer satisfaction.
The route complexity and frequencies are fairly similar, so what are the big differences?
- Is the East London Line’s signalling better?
- The East london Line doesn’t have freight trains.
- Does one type of train with wide doors and walk-through interiors, work wonders?
- Does London’s step-free between train and platform make a difference?
I think the following actions should be looked at for the Castlefield Corridor.
- Modern digital signalling.
- All Northern services to be run using Class 195 or Class 331 trains, which look the same to passengers, despite one being electric and the other diesel.
- TransPennine Express will be running three different type of train all with single doors, through the Castlefield Corridor. Ways of reducing the number of types must be found.
What idiot decided to buy three incompatible fleets? Surely, an order for a larger number of Hitachi trains would have been better?
My Behaviour In Manchester
I know Manchester’s trams and trains, but I haven’t a clue about the City’s buses, which seem to be reserved for the locals.
I regularly find myself using stations in the Castlefield Corridor and I have developed certain rules.
- Never use Oxford Road, unless you’re lost and end up there by chance. It must be the worst designed modern station in Europe.
- Never use the route unless you’ve already bought the ticket some time before.
- Use Deansgate if possible, as it has a good connection to Manchester Metrolink.
- Give yourself plenty of time to catch a train from platforms 13 and 14 at Piccadilly.
- Make sure you know what platform your train is using at Piccadilly.
I also tend to avoid catching any train from platform 13 or 14 at Piccadilly.
Passenger Problems On Platforms 13 and 14 At Manchester Piccadilly
One of the reasons, I avoid these platforms, is that they are always crowded and at weekends, there seems to be a lot of occasional travellers, often with heavy cases and babies in buggies.
I remember having a chat with a station guy there in a quiet time and it turned out that he’d also worked on platforms on the London Underground.
One point he made was that Londoners get back from the platform edge, when told, but Mancunians are slower to act.
He said trains were often delayed because of passengers struggling to get on.
Could Other Actions Be Taken To Ease The Overcrowding?
These are various ideas suggested in the article or some of my own.
Run Less Trains Through The Castlefield Corridor
This would ease the problem, but it would make it more difficult for passengers to travel where they wanted and needed.
Build A Centre Turnback At Manchester Oxford Road
Consider
- It would mean that trains turning back at Oxford Road, wouldn’t have to cross tracks, entering or leaving the turnback.
- It could probably turn up to four tph.
- It might also help in service recovery.
The author obviously likes this idea and I suspect it is possible, because he mentions it more than once.
Completely Rebuild Manchester Oxford Road Station
Manchester Oxford Road is certainly not fit for purpose.
This is an extract from the Wikipedia entry.
The station, a Grade II listed structure, requires frequent maintenance. In 2004, the station roof was partially refurbished to prevent leaking. In 2011, the platform shelters, seats and toilets were refurbished at a cost of £500,000.[36] In 2013, the station received a £1.8 million renovation to improve access, including lifts and an emergency exit.
In my view, the station needs the following.
- Step-free access.
- Longer platforms.
- Higher capacity platforms.
- Much better signage and maps.
- The turnback described earlier.
No wonder I avoid it like the plague.
A completely rebuilt station with excellent step-free access might encourage more passengers to use the station, rather than the overcrowded Piccadilly.
Improve Deansgate Station
Deansgate station is not bad, but it could be improved to encourage more passengers.
Over the next few years, as the Metroilink expands, It could become a better interchange.
Step-Free Access Between Train And Platform Must Be Achieved
This picture shows access to a new Class 195 train at Manchester Airport.
With new trains, there is no excuse for not having level access, where someone in a wheelchair can just wheel themselves across.
Level access should reduce loading delays, as it eases loading of buggies, wheelchairs and wheeled cases.
If Merseyrail, Greater Anglia and some parts of the London Overground can arrange it, then surely Manchester can?
Nova Problem
The author also talks about possible problems with TransPennine’s new Nova trains, which have single end doors, which could prove inadequate in busy times.
Build A West-Facing Bay Platform At Manchester Victoria Station
The author suggests this could be used to run a frequent shuttle service between Manchester Victoria and Manchester Airport via Deansgate, Oxford Road and Piccadilly.
It might mean that TransPennine services stopped short in Manchester and passengers would change for the Airport.
But it would solve the problems of the capacity in the Castlefield Corridor and platform availability at Manchester Airport
Could Passengers Be Nudged Towards The Metrolink?
I have watched the sheer number of passengers delay trains at Manchester Piccadilly, several times.
Would it ease delays if passengers used the Metrolink to Manchester Airport?
Perhaps, the journey by Metrolink could be made more affordable?
Conclusion
It’s a mess and as the author says in his title, quarts don’t fit into pint pots.
At least though, if High Speed Two is built to link up with Northern Powerhouse Rail and together they run London, Birmingham or Liverpool to Hull via Manchester Airport, Manchester City Centre, Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds, this would solve the problem of the Castlefield Corridor by bypassing it for long-distance trains.
Irlam Station To Go Step-Free
This document on the Government web site is entitled Access for All: 73 Stations Set To Benefit From Additional Funding.
Irlam station is on the list.
These pictures show the station and the current subway.
The station was a total surprise, with a large pub-cafe and a lot of visitors and/or travellers sitting in the sun.
I had an excellent coffee and a very welcoming gluten-free blueberry muffin!
This Google Map shows the station.
It is one of those stations where commuters have to cross the railway either on the way to work or coming home.
So a step-free method of crossing the railway is absolutely necessary.
The Current And Future Rail Service
As the station lies conveniently between Liverpool and Warrington to the West and Manchester and Manchester Airport to the East, it must be a station with tremendous potential for increasing the number of passengers.
At the moment the service is two trains per hour (tph) between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road stations.
- Oxford Road is probably not the best terminus, as it is not on the Metrolink network.
- When I returned to Manchester, many passengers alighted at Deansgate for the Metrolink.
- On the other hand, Liverpool Lime Street is a much better-connected station and it is backed up by Liverpool South Parkway station, which has a connection to Merseyrail’s Northern Line.
- The current service doesn’t serve Manchester Piccadilly or Airport stations.
A guy in the cafe also told me that two tph are not enough and the trains are often too short.
Merseyrail work to the same principle as the London Overground and other cities of four tph at all times and the frequency certainly draws in passengers.
Whilst I was drinking my coffee, other trains past the station.
- One tph – Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport
- One tph – Liverpool Lime Street and Norwich
Modern trains like Northern’s new Class 195 trains, should be able to execute stops at stations faster than the elderly diesel trains currently working the route.
So perhaps, after Irlam station becomes step-free, the Manchester Airport service should call as well.
As Liverpool Lime Street station has been remodelled, I can see a time in the not too distant future, when that station can support four tph, that all stop at Irlam station.
The Manchester end of the route could be a problem, as services terminating at Oxford Road have to cross the busy lines of the Castlefield Corridor.
So perhaps all services through Irlam, should go through Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly stations to terminate either at the Airport or perhaps Stockport or Hazel Grove stations.
But would this overload the Castlefield Corridor?
Battery/Electric Trains
If you look at the route between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road stations, the following can be seen.
- Only about thirty miles between Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway stations is not electrified.
- The section without electrification doesn’t appear to be particularly challenging, as it is along the River Mersey.
It is my view, that the route between Liverpool and Manchester via Irlam, would be an ideal route for a battery/electric train.
A train between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport stations would do the following.
- Run from Liverpool Lime Street station to Liverpool South Parkway station using the installed 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- Drop the pantograph during the stop at Liverpool South Parkway station.
- Run from Liverpool South Parkway station to Deansgate station using battery power.
- Raise the pantograph during the stop at Deansgate station.
- Run from Deansgate station to Manchester Airport station, using the installed 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
The exact distance between Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway stations is 28.2 miles or 45.3 kilometres.
In 2015, I was told by the engineer riding shotgun on the battery/electric Class 379 train, that that experimental train was capable of doing fifty kilometres on battery power.
There are at least four possible trains, that could handle this route efficiently.
- Porterbrook’s proposed batteryFLEX train based on a Class 350 train.
- A battery/electric train based on the seemingly unwanted Class 379 train.
- A battery/electric version of Stadler’s Class 755 train.
- I believe that Bombardier’s Aventra has been designed so that a battery/electric version can be created.
There are probably others and I haven’t talked about hydrogen-powered trains.
Battery power between Liverpool and Manchester via Irlam, appears to be very feasible.
Tram-Trains
As my train ran between Manchster and Irlam it ran alongside the Metrolink between Cornbrook and Pomona tram stops.
Manchester is very serious about tram-trains, which I wrote about in Could A Class 399 Tram-Train With Batteries Go Between Manchester Victoria And Rochdale/Bury Bolton Street/Rawtenstall Stations?.
Tram-trains are often best employed to go right across a city, so could the Bury tram-trains go to Irlam after joining the route in the Cornbrook area?
- Only about thirty miles between Deansgate and Liverpool South Parkway stations is not electrified.
- The route between Liverpool and Manchester via Irlam doesn’t look to be a very challenging line to electrify.
- The total distance bettween Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Victoria station is only about forty miles, which is a short distance for a tram-train compared to some in Karlsruhe.
- Merseyrail’s Northern Line terminates at Hunts Cross station, which is going to be made step-free.
- There is an existing step-free interchange between the Liverpool and Manchester route via Irlam and Merseyrail’s Northern Line at Liverpool South Parkway station.
- Class 399 tram-trains will have a battery capability in South Wales.
- Class 399 tram-trains have an operating speed of 62 mph, which might be possible to increase.
- Stadler make Class 399 tram-trains and are building the new Class 777 trains for Merseyrail.
I think that Stadler’s engineers will find a totally feasible and affordable way to link Manchester’s Metrolink with Liverpool Lime Street station and Merseyrail’s Northern and Wirral Lines.
I can envisage the following train service running between Liverpool and Manchester via Irlam.
- An hourly service between Liverpool Lime Street and Nottingham, as has been proposed for the new East Midlands Franchise.
- A four tph service between Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly.
- A tram-train every ten minutes, linking Liverpool Central and Manchester’s St Peter’s Square.
- Tram-trains would extend to the North and East of Manchester as required.
- All services would stop much more comprehensively, than the current services.
- Several new stations would be built.
- In the future, the tram-trains could have an interchange with High Speed Two at Warrington.
Obviously, this is just my speculation, based on what I’ve seen of tram-train networks in Germany.
The possibilities for the use of tram trains are wide-ranging.
Installing Step-Free Access At Irlam Station
There would appear to be two ways of installing step-free access at Irlam station.
- Add lifts to the existing subway.
- Add a separate bridge with lifts.
These are my thoughts on each method.
Adding Lifts To The Existing Subway
Consider.
- The engineering would not be difficult.
- Installaton would probably take a number of weeks.
- There is good contractor access on both sides of the railway.
There are similar successful step-free installations around the UK
The problem is all about, how you deal with passengers, whilst the subway is closed for the installation of the lifts.
Adding A Separate Bridge With Lifts
Consider.
- There is a lot of space at both the Eastern and Western ends of the platform to install a new bridge.
- Adding a separate bridge has the big advantage, that during the installation of the bridge, passengers can use the existing subway.
- Once the bridge is installed, the subway can be refurbished to an appropriate standard.
Passengers will probably prefer the construction of a new bridge.
In Winner Announced In The Network Rail Footbridge Design Ideas Competition, I wrote how the competition was won by this bridge.
So could a factory-built bridge like this be installed at Irlam station?
There is certainly space at both ends of the platform to install such a bridge and the daily business of the station and its passengers would be able to continue unhindered, during the installation.
I’m also sure, that the cafe would be happy to provide the daily needs of the workforce.
Conclusion
From a station and project management point-of-view, adding a new factory-built bridge to Irlam station is the easiest and quickest way to make the station step-free.
It also appears, that Network Rail have made a wise choice in deciding to put Irlam station on their list of stations to be made step-free, as the station could be a major part in creating a new high-capacity route between Liverpool and Manchester.
This could also be one of the first stations to use an example of the new bridge.
- Installation would be quick and easy.
- There is no site access problems.
- There station can remain fully open during the installation.
- All stakeholders would probably be in favour.
But above all, it would be a superb demonstration site to bring those from stations, where Network Rail are proposing to erect similar bridges.
Grayling: No Solution To Oxford Road Woes
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Place North West.
This is the first two paragraphs.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has said there is no “simple, quick, non-disruptive solution” to improving journeys on one of the most congested rail routes in and out of Manchester, arguing the cost of the original scheme was “way out of kilter”.
Plans to extend platforms at Oxford Road station have been mooted for a number of years, and were designed to take advantage of the completion of the Ordsall Chord to allow more frequent trains between Piccadilly, Victoria, and beyond.
The more I read about the problems of the Castlefield corridor through Manchester, the more I’m coming to the conclusion, that British Rail’s three tunnel scheme for the North was the right solution.
Liverpool
Liverpool got the Loop And Link Project, which is described like this in Wikipedia.
The major engineering works required to integrate the Northern and Wirral lines became known as the ‘Loop’ and ‘Link’ Project. The ‘Loop’ was the Wirral Line tunnel and the ‘Link’ the Northern Line tunnel, both under Liverpool’s city centre. The main works were undertaken between 1972 and 1977. A further project, known as the Edge Hill Spur, would have integrated the City Lines into the city centre underground network. This would have meshed the eastern section of the city into the core underground electric city centre section of the network, releasing platforms at mainline Lime Street station for mid to long haul routes.
The Edge Hill Spur was never built and if it had, it may have created the extra capacity, that Liverpool Lime Street station has now finally got, but several years ago.
Liverpool’s Underground railways are getting a new fleet of Class 777 trains and will be expanded in the next few years.
British Rail’s scheme for Liverpool has been successful.
Although, I am surprised that the layout of a single-track loop tunnel, that is used to terminate the Wirral Line, has not been copied more.
Newcastle
Newcastle got tunnels under the city, to join up the Tyne and Wear Metro in the late 1970s.
The Metro is now getting a new fleet of trains and will be further expanded.
British Rail’s scheme for Newcastle has been successful.
Manchester
Manchester had a scheme in the pipeline called the Picc-Vic Tunnel.
This Proposal section in Wikipedia gives a full description of the project. This is the first paragraph.
The South-East Lancashire and North-East Cheshire Public Transport Executive (SELNEC PTE) – the local transport authority which became the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) in 1974 (now Transport for Greater Manchester – TfGM) – made a proposal in 1971 to connect the unjoined railways running through Manchester city centre under the Picc-Vic scheme. The Picc-Vic proposal envisaged joining the two halves of the rail network by constructing new tunnels under the city centre, connecting Manchester’s two main railway stations, Piccadilly and Victoria. This new underground railway would be served by three new underground stations, joining together the regional, national and local rail networks with an underground rapid transit system for Manchester.
It also gives these three objectives for the scheme.
- To improve the distribution arrangements from the existing railway stations which are on the periphery of the central core
- To link the separated northern and southern railway systems
- To improve passenger movement within the central area.
This is also said.
It formed part of a four-phase, Long Term Strategy for GMPTE over 25 years, which included bus priority and an East-West railway network, as well as a light rapid transport system.
The scheme was cancelled by Harold Wilson’s government, partly because he believed that railways were of the past and that everybody would be able to afford their own car and wouldn’t need to use trains.
It should also be remembered that his government also cancelled the Channel Tunnel and London’s Third Airport at Maplin.
It’s funny, but I thought, I’d used the Channel Tunnel several times. Perhaps, Harold Wilson didn’t get his out-of-kilter thinking sufficiently into the minds of Civil Servants. Although, there is still the Treasury’s periodic attempts to kill High Speed Two. But that is driven by the belief of the average Oxford graduate, that there is nothing worth visiting North of Watford.
The Picc-Vic Tunnel may not have completely solved Manchester’s rail connectivity, but it is my belief that it would have been a good start.
A Few Random Thoughts
These are a few random thoughts on the various schemes in Manchester.
Development of Piccadilly And Victoria After A Picc-Vic Tunnel
One of the reasons for cancellation, was that after the building of the tunnel, two large stations would still be maintained in the City.
Looking at various schemes across Europe including Kassel and Leipzig in Germany, where central tunnels have been built, this releases the terminals for development with smaller numbers of platforms.
I think if the Picc-Vic Tunnel had been built, then Piccadilly and Victoria might have morphed into combined through and terminal station like the excellent London Bridge. The released space at Piccadilly would have allowed High Speed Two to be integrated.
But of course, the elite in the Civil Service isn’t interested in High Speed Trains, except on their holidays in France.
TransPennines New Trains
Greater Anglia needed to have new rolling stock for services between London and Norwich.
They needed trains with following.
- 100 mph running
- Eight coaches
- Powerful traction
- Short station dwell times.
- High quality.
So they ordered a fleet of new Class 745 trains.
- 100 mph running
- Twelve coaches
- Walk-through trains
- 757 seats
- Double doors for easy entry and exit.
It’s also rumoured that platform height will be adjusted so that that buggy-pushers and wheelchair-users will have level access between train and platform at all stations.
- If you want to do Norwich-in-90 for all trains, then a short station dwell time is essential.
- It also means if passenger numbers need another station to be added to a route, the extra stop only blows a small hole in the schedule, as opposed to a large one for a train of Mark 3 coaches.
- I have a feeling Greater Anglia are aiming to send all their disabled ramps to the scrapyard.
So what trains have TransPennine ordered?
- Class 802 trains
- Class 397 trains
- Mark 5A coaches to be used with a Class 68 locomotive.
AQll these trains will have single-doors at both end of each car. That’s classic crap design!
It will be interesting to see the average dwell time of a train on the Castlefield Corridor and compare it with that of Class 745 trains calling at Ipswich, Colchester and Chelmsford.
My money’s on Swiss clockwork!
Northern’s New Trains
Northern’s new Class 195 and Class 331 trains appear to have two sets of double-doors on each side of each car.
Now that’s more like it!
Improving Throughput On The Castlefield Corridor
If you look at successful high-capacity lines with a lot of stopping trains like most lines on the London Underground, Thameslink the Tyne and Wear Metro and the Merseyrail Northern Line, all trains are the same.
One of the problems with the trains through Castlefield, is that there are a lot of diffeent trains. So doors on your train may be in a different position to those on the previous train.
This means that passengers will be more likely to be in the wrong place, which means loading takes longer.
It is probably too much to get identical trains running on the route, but TransPennine’s trains with end doors will make matters worse for capacity.
I don’t think, any train should be allowed on the route, unless it has two sets of double-doors on each side of all cars.
The route should also have digital signalling.
If the North London Line can handle eight passenger and two freight trains per hour, then surely the Castlefield Corridor can do the same.
Passenger Behaviour
I was chatting to a station guy on Platform 14 at Piccadilly, who had also worked on the London Underground.
He told me, that Londoners obey his instructions to stand-back, whereas Mancunians don’t!
I watched for about twenty minutes and I think because the trains are rather bad time keepers, when one arrives everybody wants to get on immediately.
Single doors on TransPennine’s trains will make this behaviour worse!
Conclusion
I think Chris Grayling mades a good summary of the problems of doing major work on a busy passenger and freight corridor through a major city.
The only way to deal with the problems of the Castlefield Corridor, is a series of small improvements to the existing system.
- All trains through the corridor must have two double-doors on each side of each car.
- Digital signalling must be installed.
- Platform access must be improved with lots of lifts and escalators.
I also feel that if the trains were running to the timetable, then passengers wouldn’t crowd the platforms.
Piccadilly Capacity Study Commissioned
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in the October 2018 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
New NR Chief Executive Andrew Haines has commissioned work to understand options for capacity through platforms 13 and 14 at Manchester Piccadilly.
It was originally planned to build two extra tracks, with additional platforms between Manchester Piccadilly and Deansgate stations, to improve the capacity over the Ordsall Chord.
But various engineers and politicians have suggested that Digital Signalling may be an alternative solution.
Speaking to the House of Commons Transport Committee, Mr. Haines said.
We might be better off replacing some of those fleets of trains with trains which have more doors.
Boarding is slow all across the North and I suspect Mr. Haines has studied the problem.
He also added.
He had commissioned work to understand if 15 trains per hour could be delivered through platforms 13 and 14 without major infrastructure works.
I don’t think that Network Rail would waste money on a study, if they didn’t think that 15 trains per hour (tph) were not possible.
Consider.
- Thameslink and Crossrail will soon be running 24 tph through Central London in four directions.
- The East London Line currently runs 16 tph in a tunnel that was opened only thirteen years after the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
- Trains designed for short dwell times and easy boarding and unloading, as suggested by Mr. Haines would obviously help.
Platforms and the related access at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate stations would need to be improved.
But that would be a smaller number of affordable projects.
Conclusion
I do think Andrew Haines has a mind that doesn’t believe in boxes, so his ideas won’t go down well with those with big-spending conservative ideas like most rail union leaders, some rail company bosses and the Mayor of Manchester.
Trains Are Timetabled Between Leeds And Manchester Oxford Road Station This Week
I have been looking at the National Rail timetables and it appears that certainly on Monday and possibly tomorrow, trains are timetabled to run between Leeds and Manchester Oxford Road stations, stopping at Manchester Victoria station.
This means that weather permitting, the Ordsall Chord is expected to be open. Weather permitting of course!
It’s now Sunday morning and according to the National Rail train departures system, the 08:57 train from Manchester Oxford Road to Leeds is ready to rumble.
The article in The Independent is entitled Six Minute Rail Link Promises To Transform North West Train Services.
It gives this precise explanation of what the Ordsall Chord is all about.
Network Rail, which has created the £85m link, says: “Congestion currently seen at Manchester Piccadilly will reduce by a quarter with some services being rerouted through Manchester Victoria.
“There will be more capacity on the railway, meaning more frequent trains to run.”
By connecting Victoria and Oxford Road stations for the first time, the Ordsall Chord will provide a link from Leeds to Manchester airport which does not require trains to reverse, and free up space by reducing the number of services terminating at Victoria.
I would assume that this short length of railway, has been built so that it can handle a high frequency of trains across the City. So if it has been traditionally signalled like the East London Line of the Overground train frequencies of upwards of twelve trains per hour (tph) will certainly be possible.
But modern signalling using ERTMS, will give this route a frequency up there with Crossrail and Thameslink of twenty-four tph.
Manchester’s Crossrail
Manchester has got its Crossrail, a year before London.
I don’t think Manchester knows what is going to hit the City!
A lot of local services at Manchester Victoria are arranged so that they run back-to-back connecting pl;aces like Blackburn, Kirkby, Southport, Stalybridge, Todmorden and Wigan.
Now services will run back-to-back through the core of Victoria, Salford Central, Deansgate, Oxford Road, Piccadilly and the Airport.
- Manchester has gained a Third City Crossing!
- It needs a frequency of at least twelve tph or one train every five minutes.
On the section between Deansgate and Piccadilly, there will be even more trains.
- Piccadilly to Liverpool Lime Street and Warrington services
- Piccadilly to Blackpool, Bolton, Preston and Southport services via Salford Central and the Windsor Link Line.
Summing this spaghetti up, you get destinations to the North of the Irwell.
- Barrow/Lancaster/Windermere
- Blackburn
- Blackpool *
- Bolton *
- Clitheroe
- Glasgow/Edinburgh *
- Halifax
- Kirkby
- Leeds
- Liverpool *
- Preston *
- Rochdale
- Southport
- Stalybridge *
- Warrington
And these to the South
- Buxton
- Crewe *
- Glossop/Hadfield *
- Hazel Grove *
- Manchester Airport *
- Stockport *
Note.
- The stations marked with asterisks (*) will be fully electrified by the end of 2018.
- Piccadilly is not included in the list of stations South of the Irwell, as it is not a station, where trains can be reversed to go North.
- Oxford Road can be used to reverse trains and it is significant the the first Ordsall Chord services are between Oxford Road and Leeds.
There is a lot of scope for back-to-back services across the Irwell using the current Class 319 trains, that work Liverpool to Manchester, Preston and Wigan services.
Thinking about what Manchester has now got, it’s more like Thameslink than Crossrail, as it has a lot of branches on both sides of the Irwell.
So perhaps it should be called IrwellLink?
The Arrival Of the Class 769 Trains
Northern have another train up their sleeve! Or should I say, under construction in Loughborough?
At least eleven of the Class 769 bi-mode train are coming!
On paper these trains seem a bizarre but simple idea! You take a nearly thirty-year-old British Rail Class 319 train and fit two diesel alternator sets underneath, so that it can generate its own electric power on lines without electrification.
But in practice, it appears Northern will be getting a train that can do the following.
- Bridge all the electrification gaps in the North-West of England.
- Work the very stiff Manchester to Buxton route.
- Do 100 mph under the wires and 90 mph on diesel.
- Meet all the regulations with respect to Persons of Reduced Mobility.
- Deputise for and augment Class 319 trains when required.
- Give a performance improvement over Pacers and Class 150 and Class 156 trains.
- Work into most stations, where Pacers and Class 150/156 trains currently work, without station upgrades.
All this comes in a strong Mark 3-based design, that drivers seem to like.
I think that Northern said a lot about their confidence in these trains, when they increased the order from eight to eleven, around the time serious testing started.
If more than eleven Class 769 trains are needed, there are a total of 86 Class 319 trains of which 32 are the Class 319/4 variant, which would be the preferred conversion, as they have a better interior.
Class 769 Train Routes
The Class 769 trains could work between Leeds and Oxford Road stations, as soon as they receive certification.
But surely, one of their main uses will be to link destinations on lines without electrification on either side of the electrified core lines in Manchester.
This map from Wikipedia shows the layout of the main lines and stations in Central Manchester.
Starting at the top and going anti-clockwise the stations are as follows on the lin, which is fully electrified.
- Manchester Victoria
- Salford Central
- Deansgate
- Manchester Oxford Road
- Manchester Piccadilly
The Ordsall Chord is shown in red.
Note that most of the lines radiating from the cross-city line can be joined to the others.
This leads to services such as.
- Buxton to Clitheroe via Piccadilly, Salford Cresent, Bolton and Blackburn
- Crewe to Blackburn via The Styal Line, Piccadilly, Victoria, Todmorden and Burnley.
- Southport to Manchester Airport.
- Sheffield to Liverpool via the Hope Valley Line, Stockport, Piccadilly and Warrington.
- Kirkby to Stalybridge
Feel free to add any route you feel convenient.
Add in a few extra platforms at perhaps the two Salford and Oxford Road stations and Manchester could have a rail network, that would be second-to-very-few.
There are also a lot of opportunities around Leeds and along the East Coast Main Line.
Manchester Oxford Road Station
Manchester Oxford Road Station, is that rare animal, a modern station with a Grade II Listing.
Probably, the most significant thing about the listing of Manchester Oxford Road station, is that there are few stations, built in the 1960s, worthy of any merit.
The Anonymous Widower 