The Anonymous Widower

Minding The Gap: ‘It’s A Scandal, It’s A Death Trap’

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

This is the sub-heading.

The announcement “mind the gap” is almost as much a part of travelling in London as the Tube sign or a red bus. But when is the gap between the train and the platform too far and too dangerous?

These are the first two paragraphs.

Eric Leach thinks he has the answer to that, and it is 30cm, or 12 inches. He knows this because while lying on the platform in agony having fallen over while getting off a train, he had time to look at the vertical drop between the train and the platform.

In February, at Ealing Broadway station in west London, he stepped off an Elizabeth line train onto the platform. Such was the force from the drop, that he broke a bone in his foot. He collapsed on the platform.

I went to Ealing Broadway station and took these pictures.

The gap is quite large, but not larger than many of the suburban trains in London.

These pictures are from Greater Anglia and Merseyrail.

Note the gap-fillers below the door.

Conclusion

The Elizabeth Line can do better.

 

May 7, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | 4 Comments

A First Trip To Headbolt Lane Station – 13th October 2023

Headbolt Lane station opened a week ago and I went to take a look today, where I took these pictures.

Note.

  1. It is a three-platform station, with two platforms pointing towards Liverpool and one towards Wigan Wallgate station.
  2. Changing trains is about a fifty metre walk.
  3. The toilets are trans-ready. But the toilets at Peterborough station, that I wrote about in A Pair Of Toilets At Peterborough Station were too.

I have a few thoughts.

Could There Be Through Running Between Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate Stations?

This picture shows the walkway between Platform 2 on the South side of the tracks and Platforms 1 and 3 on the North side.

Note.

  1. Platform 1 is the platform on the left and Platform 2 is on the right.
  2. Platform 3 is in line with Platform 1 behind the fence at the far end of Platforms 1 and 2.
  3. The tracks don’t go straight through.
  4. There are two concrete blocks forming the walkway between platforms.

I suspect the answer is no at the moment.

But I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that the blocks have been designed to be lifted out and there is space to put a footbridge over the tracks, so that if in the future, through running were to be required, it is possible.

How Would A Station To Skelmersdale Be Connected?

In New Express Bus Improves Links Between Skelmersdale And Liverpool, I talked about a new express bus service between Kirkby and Skelmersdale.

This page on Bus Times gives details of the service.

The 319 Trainlink service will surely give useful information on possible passenger numbers.

In Would A Lower Cost Rail Link To Skelmersdale Be Possible?, I looked at options for the rail line.

Wigan’s Comprehensive Local Connections

Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate station have services to all these stations.

  • Accrington
  • Appley Bridge
  • Ashton-under-Lyne
  • Atherton
  • Bescar Lane
  • Blackburn
  • Blackpool North
  • Bolton
  • Broad Green
  • Bryn
  • Burnley Manchester Road
  • Burscough Bridge
  • Clifton
  • Daisy Hill
  • Deansgate
  • Eccleston Park
  • Edge Hill
  • Euxton Balshaw Lane
  • Farnworth
  • Garswood
  • Gathurst
  • Hag Fold
  • Headbolt Lane
  • Hindley
  • Hoscar
  • Huyton
  • Ince
  • Kearsley
  • Leyland
  • Littleborough
  • Manchester Oxford Road
  • Manchester Victoria
  • Meols Cop
  • Moorside
  • Moses Gate
  • New Lane
  • Orrell
  • Parbold
  • Pemberton
  • Poulton-le-Fylde
  • Prescot
  • Rainford
  • Toby
  • Rochdale
  • Rose Grove
  • Salford Central
  • Salford Crescent
  • Smithy Bridge
  • Southport
  • Stalybridge
  • St Helens Central
  • Swinton
  • Todmorden
  • Thatto Heath
  • Upholland
  • Walkden
  • Wavertree Technology Park
  • Westhoughton

Fifty-eight stations is certainly comprehensively connected.

The Connection To High Speed Two At Wigan North Western

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the two Wigan stations; North Western and Wallgate.

Note.

  1. The orange tracks are the West Coast Main Line, which in the future, will carry High Speed Two services to and from Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Scotland.
  2. The yellow tracks are the local lines between Manchester in the East and Kirkby and Southport in the West.
  3. The local lines split after they pass under the West Coast Main Line, with the North-Western branch going to Southport and the Western branch going to Headbolt Lane, Kirkby and Liverpool.
  4. Wigan North Western is on the West Coast Main Line.
  5. Wigan Wallgate is on the local lines.

The stations are close enough to be converted into a superb combined station, where local passengers can join high speed services.

This picture shows the platforms of Wigan North Western station.

Wigan North Western station can’t be far off being able to accept pairs of High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains, that will be 400 metres long.

This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.

Only two High Speed Two services stop at Wigan North Western.

  • The London and Lancaster service, which splits and joins with a London and Liverpool service at Crewe.
  • The Birmingham and Scotland service.

As Wigan North Western has comprehensive local connections to the Northern areas of Liverpool and Manchester, it surely needs more services.

North West To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment

This is the title of this government document, which has this sub-heading.

Multibillion-pound plan to link major cities in the North via bus, rail and new and improved roads.

It says this about Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region.

  • Greater Manchester will also receive around £1.5 billion from the CRSTS2 budget and around £900 million additional funding – funded from HS2 – which is an unprecedented investment in local transport networks. That is more than double their allocation under the previous programme
  • Liverpool City Region will also receive c.£1 billion from the CRSTS2 budget, plus a further £600 million on top – funded from HS2. That is more than double their allocation under the last round

Some of that amount of money could go a long way to improve Liverpool and Manchester connections through Wigan and create a link to High Speed Two.

TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland

Currently, the following services run between Liverpool and Manchester, and Scotland.

  • Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell
  • Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tp2h – via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District and Haymarket Penrith North Lakes, Carlisle and Lockerbie and Haymarket
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – via St Helens Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme Lake District, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell

Note.

  1. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  2. tpd is trains per day.
  3. Only the Liverpool services go through Wigan.
  4. North of Preston all trains will use the same route.
  5. All three services are run by Class 397 trains.
  6. When High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains start running to Glasgow and Edinburgh, they will use the same route North of Preston.

Point 5 surely means that High Speed Two’s trains will be limited to the same speed as the current Class 397 trains, which is 125 mph. Although, this might be increased to up to 140 mph, by the use of in-cab digital signalling.

Consider.

  • Edinburgh to Preston is 191.4 miles.
  • The current TransPennine express service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 34 minutes, with five stops, at an average speed of 74.6 mph.
  • The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the London-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 30 minutes, with two stops and a split/join at Carlisle, at an average speed of 76.6 mph.
  • The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two says that the Birmingham-Edinburgh service from Edinburgh to Preston is scheduled for two hours and 24 minutes, with four stops, at an average speed of 79.8 mph.

Note.

  1. The first timing is based on a Class 397 train and the others will be High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains.
  2. The times would appear to be vaguely in line with each other.
  3. The removal of the split/join could explain why the Birmingham service is six minutes faster.

The following would appear to be true.

  • Both the Class 397 and High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains can run at similar speeds North of Preston.
  • The High Speed Two Classic Compatible train may have faster acceleration and deceleration, which could save a few minutes.
  • Nothing substantial has been done to improve the tracks between Edinburgh and Preston.
  • As the current times are run without digital signalling and the Class 397 train, is within ten minutes of that, I would be very surprised if digital signalling will be installed before High Speed Two services reach Edinburgh.

I also suspect that if digital signalling and a few other improvements were made to the North of Preston, a few extra minutes could be saved.

The Future Of TransPennine Services Between Liverpool/Manchester And Scotland

Will the TransPennine services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland continue after High Speed Two services start running to North of the border?

Consider.

  • I have never seen any plans from High Speed Two for services between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland.
  • If the TransPennine services, aren’t kept, travelling between Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland will need a change at Wigan North Western or Preston.
  • The TransPennine services will probably need only a single train per hour (tph) on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Preston.

I can see them continuing. But possibly in a different form.

In 1967, I went from Glasgow to Manchester on a train.

  • The Glasgow and Edinburgh trains joined at Carstairs.
  • They then split again at Preston.
  • One half went to Manchester and the other half went to Liverpool.

I remember that the train was late, because of late arrival of the Edinburgh train at Carstairs.

I needed to take a taxi. But I wrote my first complaint letter and got a cheque from British Rail.

Could similar joining and splitting be used again, as it uses only one train path between Preston and Scotland?

Would it also be better, if the service were to be under the Management of High Speed Two?

There are several possibilities, but I feel the TransPennine services will continue.

October 12, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

UK’s First Battery-Powered Trains Hit The Tracks

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

This is the sub-heading.

The UK’s first battery-powered passenger trains have started running on Merseyside.

These two paragraphs outline the article.

The trains, which are part of the Liverpool City Region’s £500m publicly owned fleet, will run from the new £80m Headbolt Lane station in Kirkby.

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said the move helps to pave the way “for cleaner and greener” transport.

I particularly liked this paragraph.

The battery technology – which removes the need for a live third rail – could see the Merseyrail network running to previously inaccessible places, including Manchester, Wrexham, Warrington, Preston and Runcorn, according to a Liverpool City Region Combined Authority spokesperson.  

After the trouble, I had on Tuesday, when I tried to get from Manchester to Saint Helens, Manchester is also a city that’s difficult to leave.

October 5, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Southeastern Keen On Battery EMUs

The title of this post, is the same as that of a small section in the August 2023 Edition of Modern Railways.

This is said.

Southeastern is to seek pre-qualification interest from manufacturers and leasing companies for a replacement fleet for the Networker Class 465 and 466 inner-suburban stock, now over 30 years old. The company intends to compare the price of new and cascaded stock.

Southeastern MD Steve White told Modern Railways his preference is for a bi-mode EMU, capable of working off both the third rail supply and batteries. Battery EMUs were originally proposed for the Networker replacements so they could work through services to the unelectrified Isle of Grain branch, after Medway Council put forward plans to restore passenger services on the Hoo peninsular to serve new housing there.

Despite the extension of services to Sharnal Street on the Isle of Grain having since been put on hold by Medway Council on cost grounds (p13, May issue).

Southeastern is still pursuing battery EMUs, even though the company’s existing network is all electrified on the third rail system.

Merseyrail is already adopting battery EMU technology, with seven of the new fleet of 53×4-car Class 777 units being equipped with batteries to enable them to serve the unelectrified extension to Headbolt Lane (p82, July 2022 issue).

Mr. White says there are a number of reasons battery EMUs are attractive.

    • Increasing levels of mental health issues in society have led to trespass being a major issue the railway: battery EMUs would make it feasible to keep trains moving at slow speed when the current supply has to be switched off to protect a trespasser.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to keep moving on occasions when the third rail supply fails, due to technical failures or ice on the conductor rail. This would avoid the compounding of problems, as when delayed passengers got out on the track at Lewisham in March 2018 when the third rail iced up, forcing Network Rail to cut the electricity supply and making it more difficult to get trains moving again.
    • Battery EMUs would make it feasible to remove third rail from depots, making them safer places in which to work. A train cleaner was electrocuted and died at West Marina depot in St. Leonards in May 2014, and the Office of Road and Rail has well-publicised concerns on safety grounds about any extensions to the third rail system.
    • Battery EMUs would be able to cater for service extensions on unelectrified lines, such as the Isle of Grain.

Mt. White says the trespass issue is the major driver, and if the principle of battery EMUs becomes established it might prove feasible to remove the third rail from platform areas at inner-suburban stations with a persistent trespass problem. He points out this approach might unlock extension of third rail to routes such as the Uckfield line, allowing station areas to be left unelectrified. Replacement of DMUs by electric stock on the Uckfield branch would eliminate diesel working at London Bridge, with air-quality and carbon removal benefits for the capital.

There are a 5-star hotel and a major hospital close to the diesel-worked plstform at London Bridge.

I will now look at some of the issues in detail.

Range Of A Battery EMU

I discuss range of battery EMUs in these posts.

Note.

  1. Both trains are built by Stadler.
  2. 135 km. is 84 miles.
  3. A Bombardier engineer told me eight years ago, that the prototype battery-electric Class 379 train had a range of sixty miles.

I feel it is reasonable to assume that a 100 mph battery-electric train, designed to replace Southeastern’s Networkers could have a range of at least sixty miles.

Distances Of Cannon Street Metro Services

These are distances of services from Cannon Street.

  • Erith Loop via Greenwich, Woolwich Arsenal and Bexleyheath – 28.5 miles
  • Gravesend – 24.5 miles
  • Orpington – 12.6 miles
  • Grove Park – 7.1 miles
  • Slade Green – 14.5 miles

Note.

  1. The Erith Loop services start and finish at Cannon Street station.
  2. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  4. Grove Park and Slade Green are depots.

If trains could be fully charged at Cannon Street station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of forty miles.

Charging At Cannon Street

Consider.

  • All Cannon Street services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Cannon Street services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 4-5 minutes between Cannon Street and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Cannon Street station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of fifteen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Cannon Street would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Cannon Street services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Charing Cross Metro Services

These are distances of services from Charing Cross.

  • Maidstone East – 38.9 miles
  • Dartford – 17.1 miles
  • Gravesend – 23.8 miles
  • Hayes – 14.3 miles
  • Sevenoaks – 22.2 miles
  • Grove Park – 8 miles

Note.

  1. The Gravesend service terminates in an electrified bay platform, which could be used to charge the train before return.
  2. The Maidstone East service terminates in an electrified platform.
  3. Grove Park is a depot.

If trains could be fully charged at Charing Cross station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Charing Cross

Consider.

  • All Charing Cross services arrive at the station via London Bridge station.
  • All Charing Cross services leave the station via London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically take 10 minutes between Charing Cross and London Bridge station.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Charing Cross station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from London Bridge to London Bridge would probably take a minimum of twenty minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between London Bridge and Charing Cross would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

I suspect that with some slight timetable adjustments, all Charing Cross services  could be run using battery EMUs.

Distances Of Victoria Metro Services

These are distances of services from Victoria.

  • Gillingham – 37.2 miles
  • Orpington – 14.7 miles
  • Dartford – 18.9 miles

Note.

  1. The Orpington service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  2. The Gillingham service terminates in an electrified bay platform.
  3. The Dartford service terminates in an electrified platform.

If trains could be fully charged at Victoria station, all services out of the station could be worked by a battery EMU with a range of fifty miles.

Charging At Victoria

Consider.

  • All Victoria services arrive at the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • All Victoria services leave the station via Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically take five minutes between Victoria and Shepherds Lane junction.
  • Trains typically wait at least 7 minutes in Victoria station before leaving.
  • Typically, a battery EMU takes fifteen minutes to charge.

A train running from Shepherds Lane junction to Shepherds Lane junction would probably take a minimum of seventeen minutes, which should be enough to charge the train.

The track between Shepherds Lane junction and Victoria would need a strong level of protection from trespassers.

Conclusion

It certainly appears that if the Networker Class 465 and Class 466 trains were replaced by new trains with the following specification.

  • 100 mph operating speed.
  • Range of fifty miles on battery power.
  • Ability to charge batteries in fifteen minutes.
  • Third-rail operation
  • It might be an idea to add a pantograph, so the trains could use 25 KVAC overhead wires where necessary and charge batteries on a short length of overhead electrification.

Then a substantial part of the Southeastern Metro network could be made safer, by selective removal of third rail at trespassing hot spots.

 

August 12, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Merseyrail Saw Over 90,000 Extra Journeys Made As Eurovision Revellers Travelled Across The Region

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Advent.

These two paragraphs outline the story.

Merseyrail has reported an approximate increase of 24% in journeys made when compared to the same period in 2022 with an extra 90,000 trips made with the rail operator whilst Liverpool hosted Eurovision.

Special strategies were put in place to facilitate the increase in passengers, including late-night services to support the two busiest nights with trains running into the early hours following the Grand Final.

Sounds like Liverpool had a result, even if the UK didn’t.

May 21, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel, World | , , , | 1 Comment

Will Hollywood Celebrity Involvement Be The Catalyst To Spark Development Of the Borderlands Line?

In Wrexham General Station – 4th May 2023, I showed this map, of Wrexham General station and the Racecourse Ground.

Consider.

  • Wrexham A. F. C. are certainly a club, whose fans won’t need much encouragement to go to matches by train.
  • I also feel that given the celebrity ownership, it will be one of those grounds where away supporters will want go.
  • Its ground and Wrexham General station is well-served by direct trains from Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
  • Interesting matches next year could be against Crewe, Newport and Tranmere.

I’m sure that because of the location of the ground and the celebrity owners, there will be pressure to improve the Borderlands Line to Liverpool.

The Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line has a section called Development, where this is said.

The doubling of the journey frequency on the line is one of the aims of the Growth Track 360 group, a consortium of business, politicians and public sector leaders. The group aims to improve transport and create jobs in the North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire area over the next 20 years. During the 2017 Autumn budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond stated that part of the additional £1.2 billion funding Wales was receiving would be used to look into proposals to improve journey times on the line and developing a business case.

In October 2019, Transport for Wales announced £280,000 have been allocated to revamp stations along the line in north Wales and Merseyside, as part of TfW’s £194 million station improvement programme.

In a section called Proposed New Stations, these improvements have been proposed.

  • Build a new station at Deeside Industrial Park.
  • Build a new station at Woodchurch.
  • Build a new station at Beechwood.
  • Incorporate the line into the Merseyrail Wirral line to provide direct connectivity with Liverpool city centre.
  • Replace the High and Low levels at Shotton station with a dedicated interchange station, improving connectivity between the North Wales Coast Main Line & the Borderlands line.
  • Remove level crossings to improve line speed.

All these proposals seem reasonable.

There is also a section called Proposed Electrification, where this is said.

There have been proposals for the full or partial electrification of the line since 1999 with participation of Merseytravel and the devolved institutions in Wales. Such electrification is usually intertwined with proposals for the full incorporation of the line into the electrified Merseyrail network, allowing for services from either Wrexham Central or partway along the line to travel all the way to Birkenhead and Liverpool Central.

In 2008, a Network Rail study estimated the cost for third-rail electrification of the entire line to be £207 million. To lower costs, Merseytravel suggested overhead-wire electrification as an alternative, bringing estimates down to £66 million. However, this would mean trains running between Wrexham and Liverpool would have to be compatible with both electric systems, therefore incompatible with the third-rail only trains in use at the time.

There is political support to electrify the line from both Welsh and Merseyside authorities, however the responsibility of rail infrastructure lies with the UK Government’s Department for Transport. The Welsh Government aims to increase services between North Wales and Merseyside, in particular Wrexham and Deeside with Liverpool and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Whereas Merseyside authorities would like to increase services to stations on the line on the Wirral Peninsula in particular, as well as the rest of the line.

In 2016, a working group had been set up to examine improving the line, including proposals to increase the frequency of trains on the line. It is hoped that an increase in the number of passengers would improve the case for electrification.

It seems that various solutions have been proposed.

Consider what will be available to Merseyrail and Transport for Wales within a year or so.

  • Merseyrail will be running a new fleet of electric Class 777 trains.
  • These new trains will be running from Bidston station and under Liverpool City Centre using the Wirral Line.
  • Merseytravel has an option for a further 60 units.
  • Class 777 trains are designed for running with 25 KVAC overhead electrification, should this be required in the future.
  • Merseyrail and Transport for Wales will be working with Stadler on the use of battery-electric trains.
  • Bidston and Wrexham Central are only 27.5 miles apart.
  • The Borderlands Line is not the most challenging of rail lines to improve, as it is fairly straight and level.
  • It is unlikely that Health and Safety would allow any more third rail electrification. But would this ban also apply in Wales?
  • West Kirby trains run for 10.4 miles in 34 minutes to perform their loop under from Bidston under Liverpool City Centre.
  • If Wrexham trains could turn under Liverpool City Centre, this would improve shopping, business and educational opportunities for those living along the Borderlands Line.

This section of the Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line says this about the range of the Class 777 trains on battery power.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced that trials of the seven battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) versions of their new Class 777 had shown that they were capable of travelling up to 20 miles (32 km) without a charge. Further trials by Stadler reached a range of 84 miles (135 km). This would allow the line to be served without the full electrification.

In Battery Answer To Schleswig-Holstein’s Diesel Replacement Question, I talked about how Stadler were using battery-electric trains to replace diesels in Schleswig-Holstein.

It seems obvious to me, that Stadler would have experience of a suitable battery-electric train and charging system, that could be applied to the Borderlands Line.

  • I would suspect that the 34 minutes that the train would take to go from Bidston to Liverpool and back to Bidston would be more than adequate to fully charge the batteries on a train.
  • This would be enough to get a full train to Wrexham, even when Liverpool or Everton were playing an FA Cup match against Wrexham A. F. C.

But how would trains recharge at Wrexham? This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at Wrexham.

Note.

  1. Wrexham Central station is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Wrexham General station is towards the top of the map marked by blue letters.
  3. A single track connects Platform 4 at Wrexham General station to the single platform at Wrexham Central station.

It looks like space could be a bit limited at Wrexham Central station, so would it be an idea to electrify between the two stations?

A train takes typically about seven minutes from arrival at Wrexham General station from Bidston until it leaves the station to return to Bidston.

  • This should be enough to charge the train fully.
  • Theoretically, it would allow Wrexham to have a four trains per hour (tph) service to Liverpool.
  • Electrifying between the two stations would be about 0.6 miles of single-track electrification.
  • Connection and disconnection to the electrification would be in Wrexham General station.
  • The electrification would only be switched on, when there is a train using it. This could be arranged using simple automation or by employing another signaller.

I do wonder if Welsh Health and Safety would allow third-rail electrification? If it’s a UK matter, then give it to the Welsh Government. But it would be the only third-rail electrification in the Principality.

Conclusion

I believe that if the Welsh Government would allow third-rail electrification, the service could start as soon as Merseyrail has enough battery trains.

 

May 6, 2023 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Merseyrail Grand National Journeys Exceed 105,000

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Liverpool Business News.

This is the first paragraph.

Train operator Merseyrail records more 105,000 passenger journeys made by racegoers during the three-day Grand National festival – and it gave away 4,000 pairs of flip-flops.

These are some points from the rest of the article.

  • Many were carried on the new 777 Class trains.
  • Merseyrail increased the number of trains during the three days and, at times, was running a seven-and-a-half-minute frequency.
  • There was live music and entertainment for passengers at Aintree station.
  • £4,200 was raised by charitable collections at the station.

It looks like a lot of people had a good time.

It was probably all good practice for Eurovision.

April 20, 2023 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , | Leave a comment

Adding Rose Hill Marple And Manchester Piccadilly To The Bee Network

This article on the Railway Gazette has a list of the lines, that will be transferred between Northern Rail and the Bee Network.

Included in the list is this line.

Rose Hill Marple And Manchester Piccadilly

I think this route would be the following.

  • The Eastern terminus would be Rose Hill Marple.
  • The Western terminus would be Manchester Piccadilly.
  • Intermediate stations would be Romiley. Woodley, Hyde Central, Hyde North, Guide Bridge, Fairfield and Gorton.
  • The route is partially-electrified with 25 KVAC overhead between Hyde North and Manchester Piccadilly.
  • Most of the route has a range of operating speeds, up to 90 mph.
  • The distance is 13.3 miles
  • Trains take 34 minutes
  • Trains are often two-car Class 156 trains.

The route is the same as the current Northern Trains service.

This is my thought.

Trains

This route is a classic for battery-electric trains, as only 6.8 miles at the Marple end is not electrified.

Merseyrail’s Class 777 trains or something similar would surely do nicely.

There would be no need for charging at the Marple end.

 

March 31, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Manchester Buzzing To Put Rail Into Its Bee Network

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Railway Gazette.

These two paragraphs introduce the article.

Locally branded stations and integrated ticketing are among the improvements to Greater Manchester’s local rail services envisaged from 2025 under a landmark devolution deal.

The deal agreed with the government on March 15 brings GM Mayor Andy Burnham and local council leaders significant additional powers in several policy areas, including transport. The single funding settlement is similar to those in place covering Scotland and Wales, but this and a similar deal for the West Midlands is the first time such a flexible grant has been granted to English regions.

Included in the deal are the following.

A London-Style Network

It is described in this paragraph.

Greater Manchester has set itself a target of rolling out so-called ‘London style’ transport across modes by 2030. While Transport for Greater Manchester already directly manages the Metrolink light rail network, buses are now being brought under tighter regulation through a franchising model, and TfGM aspires to introduce integrated smart ticketing across the city-region. Today, while paper travelcards can be bought covering buses, Metrolink trams and trains, these are poorly marketed and often more expensive than the fares offered by individual bus operators; there is also no ability for daily or weekly price capping to be introduced.

I hope that Manchester follows London’s rules.

  • One card and any bank or credit card gives full access to buses, trains and trams.
  • Daily, weekly and monthly caps.
  • Freedom Pass or equivalent for those that need them.
  • Comprehensive transport mapping.
  • Visitor-oriented travel information offices in major stations.

I feel very strongly about the last two, as measures like these encourage visitors to return.

Trials of the ticketing should start by the end of the year.

The Bee Network

This is outlined in this sentence.

Together, the local transport network is to be branded ‘the Bee Network’, reflecting an enduring emblem of the area’s industrial heritage.

I like the name.

  • The bee is one of the symbols of the city according to this Wikipedia entry.
  • Bees are on the coat of arms of the City of Manchester.
  • Bee symbols are used by Manchester and local businesses.

But perhaps most importantly, the bees were a symbol of recovery of the city after the May 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

The Addition Of Twenty Percent Of the Local Rail Network

This is outlined in this sentence.

Under the agreement announced on March 15, around 20% of local rail services, currently operated by Northern Trains and managed under contract with the Department for Transport, will be brought into the Bee Network.

These rail services are to be added.

I shall discuss each route in detail separately.

New Trains?

Consider.

  • The Wigan and Alderley Edge routes are shared with 125 mph trains.
  • The diesel trains on the Buxton and Rose Hill Marple routes will need to be replaced.
  • The Buxton route is a very stiff climb.
  • Do the Class 323 trains to Glossop and Hadfield need to be replaced?
  • The Buxton, Southport and Rose Hill Marple routes are not fully-electrified.

I would have two separate fleets.

A small number of 110 mph electric trains for the Wigan and Alderley Edge routes. Class 350, 360, 379 and 386 trains would be possibilities.

An appropriate number of electric for the other routes. Some would have a battery capability to handle the partially-electrified routes. Merseyrail’s Class 777 could be ideal.

Note.

I am fairly certain, that the Class 777 trains can run as tram-trains, which would be useful for Manchester.

A rough calculation indicates that the ideal battery sizes for Southport and Buxton, could be similar.

The battery for the Rose Hill Marple route would be smaller.

There could be advantages if Merseyrail and Manchester had similar high quality trains.

Integration Of The Various Modes Of Transport

This is outlined in this paragraph.

Meanwhile, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is to establish a North West Regional Business Unit and GM Rail Board to improve local scrutiny of rail service performance and shape the integration with other modes in the Bee Network.

This is critical to the successful development of the Bee Network.

Conclusion

It’s now up to Manchester to first make it work and then develop it for the benefit of the people and businesses of the City, and not forgetting the visitors.

 

 

 

Integration Of The Various Modes Of Transport

This is outlined in this paragraph.

Meanwhile, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is to establish a North West Regional Business Unit and GM Rail Board to improve local scrutiny of rail service performance and shape the integration with other modes in the Bee Network.

This is critical to the successful development of the Bee Network.

 

 

March 27, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Reopening Of Abandoned Merseyside Railway Under Consideration

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on New Civil Engineer.

This is the sub-heading.

St Helens Borough Council is investigating the possibility of reopening part of the abandoned St Helens and Runcorn Gap railway in Merseyside.

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the section of railway that will be reopened.

Note.

  1. The line runs between St. Helens Central and St. Helens Junction stations.
  2. St. Helens Central is in the North-West corner of the map and is marked by a blue arrow.
  3. St. Helens Junction station is in the South-East corner of the map.
  4. Both stations have two tracks and two platforms.
  5. St. Helens Central appears to have full disabled access,
  6. Both stations are electrified.
  7. It appears, that the route is still viable, but the track is not intact.

I have a few thoughts.

St. Helens Junction Station

This Google Map shows St. Helens Junction station.

Note.

  1. There are two platforms.
  2. Platform 1 is the Northern platform and trains go East.
  3. Platform 2 is the Southern platform and trains go to Liverpool Lime Street.
  4. There appears to be a footbridge at the Eastern end.
  5. Trains from the new route from St. Helens Central station would approach from and leave to the South-West.
  6. In a typical hour, between five and eight trains per hour (tph) go through the station in both directions on the main line.

I feel that a bay platform would need to be built at the station to handle the proposed service at St. Helens Junction station. But it would be able to handle four tph.

St. Helens Central Station

This Google Map shows St. Helens Central station.

Note.

  1. There are two platforms.
  2. Platform 1 is the Western platform and trains go to Wigan North Western.
  3. Platform 2 is the Eastern platform and trains go to Liverpool Lime Street.
  4. There appears to be a footbridge in the middle, with lifts.
  5. Trains from the new route from St. Helens Junction station would approach from and leave to the South-West.
  6. In a typical hour, between two and three tph go through the station in both directions on the main line.

It may be possible to run two tph on the route to St. Helens Junction station, by using the Southern end of Platform 2.

It would probably be able to handle two tph, by fitting in between the current services.

If a new bay platform were to be built at St. Helens Central four tph would be possible.

What Would Be The Frequency Of The Service?

Consider.

  • As I said earlier, because of the current frequency of trains through St. Helens Junction station, I feel a dedicated bay platform will be needed at that station, which would probably handle four tph.
  • Without building a dedicated bay platform, I doubt that St. Helens Central station could have more than two tph.
  • Two tph on the new route, would fit well with the services through St. Helens Central station.

I believe that providing it gave sufficient capacity for the route, that two tph will be the frequency, as it only needs one bay platform at St. Helens Junction station to be built.

What Length Of Train Will Be Used?

As a bay platform will have to be built at St. Helens Junction station, this will probably determine the length of train.

I would build the bay platform to accept a three or four car train, as lengthening platforms is always a pain.

Looking at the map of St. Helens Junction station, I suspect that a four-car platform may be the longest possible.

What Type Of Train Should Be Used?

If you look at all the Beeching Reversal schemes, there isn’t one like this, where two electrified lines are connected by a short length of new railway, which in this case is only 3.5 km, according to the New Civil Engineer article.

Consider.

  • A round trip is only 7 kilometres.
  • I suspect each trip between the two stations will take no more than ten minutes.
  • If the frequency is two tph, there will be plenty of time to turn a train at each end.
  • All new routes opened on UK railways from now on, should have carbon-free traction.

For these reasons, I suspect that the route could be run by a battery-electric train, which is charged at one end.

Putting up a short length of overhead electrification in the new bay platform at St. Helens Junction, as the station is already electrified, would not be the most challenging of tasks.

Alternatively, the train could be charged, whilst it is waiting to return in St. Helens Central, using the existing overhead electrification.

Will There Be Any Intermediate Stations Between St. Helens Central And St. Helens Junction?

On the first map the station sites of two former stations are shown; Peasley Cross and Sutton Oak.

According to the Wikipedia entry for Sutton Oak station, there was quite an intensive service a hundred years ago.

Why shouldn’t they be rebuilt? Especially, if there are plans for housing or regeneration in the area.

Will Between St. Helens Central And St. Helens Junction Be Single Track?

This would still enable two tph, if the trains did a quick turn-round in the bay platform at St. Helens Junction.

But it would mean.

  • Lower cost infrastructure.
  • Simple tram-style intermediate stations.
  • One train on line operation for safety.

I feel that it is highly likely the new route will be single-track.

Carr Mill Station

This map shows Merseyrail’s future plans.

 

Note the proposed new station at Carr Mill, which is North-East of St. Helens Central on the Liverpool and Wigan Line.

The Wikipedia entry for Carr Mill station, says this about a proposed new station.

Proposals to construct a new station to serve the expanding population have been suggested by Merseytravel but funding has yet to arrive. A new proposal to open a station was raised by Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram as part of his re-election plans in January 2020.

It should be noted, that a new Carr Mill station could be on the East Lancashire Road, so it might be a good place to create a Park-and-Ride station for Liverpool and St. Helens.

Perhaps if a bay platform were to be incorporated into the new Carr Mill station, it might be better to run a service between Carr Mill and St. Helens Junction.

  • There would be two tph.
  • Intermediate stops would be St. Helens Central, Peasley Cross and Sutton Oak.
  • I estimate the distance would be about four miles of which 1.8 miles would be electrified.
  • The trains would be charged on the electrified line between Carr Mill and St. Helens Central stations.

There would be no need to electrify the bay platform at St. Helens Junction

Should The Service Go All The Way To Wigan?

It must surely be a possibility to run the service between Wigan North Western and St. Helens Junction.

  • There would be two tph.
  • Intermediate stops would be Carr Mill, Bryn, Garswood, St. Helens Central, Peasley Cross and Sutton Oak.
  • I estimate the distance would be about eleven miles of which nine miles would be electrified.
  • The trains would be charged on the electrified line between Wigan North Western and St. Helens Central stations.

This would create an excellent connection to Wigan North Western for all the long distance trains to Scotland and the South.

Should The New Route Be Electrified?

Consider.

  • St. Helens and Wigan North Western is a fully-electrified route.
  • It is only 2.2 miles, which would probably be single track railway.
  • As there is electrification at both ends of the new route, there would be no problem arranging power.
  • It would remove the need for battery-electric trains.

I suspect that this is one that accountants will decide, as both battery-electric and electrification will work equally well!

What Trains Would Be Used?

If the route is electrified, any electric train of a suitable length could be used. I would argue, that the same class of train, as is used through the two St. Helens stations, should be used for operational and passenger convenience.

To maintain the operational and passenger convenience, if battery-electric trains are used, then Northern’s Class 331 trains and Merseyrail’s Class 777 trains come or will come in both electric and battery-electric versions.

Conclusion

This looks like a very sensible scheme.

 

 

 

February 15, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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