Leicester Station – 11th July 2019
I took these pictures at Leicester station today.
These are a few of my thoughts.
Long Straight Platforms
The two main platforms for trains to and from London are long and straight and can easily accommodate the longest trains that do or will use the station.
Wide Spacious Platforms
The two island platforms are wide and spacious.
In my time at the station, I didn’t see any trains use the outer platforms and I do wonder if the station is used to the maximum capacity allowed by the layout.
The Station Could Have More Trains And Be A Better Interchange
When you arrive at Ipswich station on a fast train from London, one of the half-hourly services has an easy connection to either Bury St. Edmunds and Cambridge, Felixstowe, Lowestoft and/or Peterborough. and staff and information screens are there to speed you on your way.
Leicester station doesn’t seem to welcome you to continue your journey elsewhere
Abellio And Ipswich Station
Abellio with their new trains and timetable, will be increasing frequencies, so that Suffolk’s County Town with a population of 133,000, will have the following services.
- Two trains per hour (tph) to Bury St. Edmunds. – Doubled from current.
- One tph to Cambridge – A second hourly service will be available with a change at Ely.
- One tph to Felixstowe – Might be doubled, now thst the Felixstowe branch has more capacity.
- Three-four tph to London – Faster and up from two expresses and a stopping train per hour.
- One tph to Lowestoft – Better timetable and faster.
- Three tph to Norwich – Up from two tph
- One tph to Peterborough – Doubled from current one train per two hours.
The creation of the East-West Rail Link will see a doubling of the service to Cambridge and one train per two hours to Oxford.
Applying Abellio’s East Anglian Rules To Leicester
Leicester is a city and County Town, with a population of 330,000.
These appear to be the current services.
- Two tph to Birmingham
- One tph to Cambridge, Peterborough and Stansted Airport
- Two tph to Derby
- One tph to Lincoln – Stopping train via Loughborough and East Midlands Parkway.
- Four tph to London
- Two tph to Nottingham
- Two tph to Sheffield
Leicester doesn’t seem to have the sort of train service the City deserves.
This is the London, Ipswich and Norwich philosophy as proposed by Abellio and in the process of being delivered.
- New maximum-length and maximum-speed high-capacity Class 745 trains will provide more seats on the route.
- A fifty per-cent increase in train frequency from two tph to three tph.
- Four express services per day, only stopping at Ipswich, have been introduced, giving a ninety minute service between London and Norwich.
- Four trains per day between Lowestoft and London.
What would a similar philosophy for London Midland Main Line, look like at Leicester?
- Three tph to Derby, Chesterfield and Sheffield.
- Six tph to London
- Three tph to Nottingham
- All trains would be maximum-length with a capacity at least similar to a 2+8 HST.
- Greater Anglia’s Class 745 trains will have 757 seats in two classes and a buffet. Expect a similar specification on the Midland Main Line.
- Services will be faster, with I suspect no trains taking longer than an hour from Leicester to London or Sheffield.
- Could there be a couple of non-stop trains every hour between London and Leicester?
This service would be a lot better and it only needs.
- An extra tph between London and Sheffield via Derby and Chesterfield
- An extra tph between London and Nottingham.
- Enough new maximum-length trains, which will probably be bi-mode trains, that are scheduled to arrive in 2022.
Four tph between London and Sheffield and London and Nottingham would surely be the ideal, but there just isn’t the capacity to the South of Kettering and in St. Pancras station.
So will we see extra services on the Midland Main Line to boost services North of Leicester?
- One tph between Leicester and Sheffield via Louthborough, East Midlands Parkway, Long Eaton, Derby and Chesterfield.
- One tph between Leicester and Sheffield via Louthborough, East Midlands Parkway, Ilkeston, Langley Mill, Alfreton and Chesterfield.
- One tph between Leicester and Nottingham via Louthborough, East Midlands Parkway and Beeston.
- The one tph Leicester to Lincoln service could also be included.
The services would be as follows.
- Trains would probably be shorter versions of the maximum-length bi-mode Midland Main Line trains.
- They would use the outer platforms at Leicester station to give cross-platform interchange with the frequent London trains.
- Services could possibly be extended past Sheffield to Leeds and past Nottinghm to Newark or Lincoln.
Leicester’s excellent platform design would see an increase in the number of trains and hopefully passengers.
Leicester And East-West Services
I also think, that there is sufficient capacity in Leicester station to add the following East-West services.
- Four tph to Birmingham
- Four tph to Cambridge
- Four tph to Peterborough
The following should be noted.
- Abellio has a substantial interest in all three stations and Leicester.
- The routes are often run by two-car Class 170 trains.
- The trains are often full.
- There is only short sections of lines that are electrified.
I believe that there should be the following service between Birmingham and Cambridge.
- Four tph
- At least four-car bi-mode trains.
- At least a 100 mph capability.
- Stops would include Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton, Leicester, Melton Mowbray, Oakham, Stamford, Peterborough, March and Ely.
- At the Birmingham end, services could go via Birmingham International and Coventry.
- At the Cambridge end. perhaps two tph could be extended to Audley End and Stansted Airport.
- At Leicester there would be an easy interchange to London, the East Midlands and Sheffield.
- At Peterborough, there would be an easy interchange to London, Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland
It could be argued that if there is a need for a Cambridge and Oxford rail link, then Britain’s fastest growing high-technology hub, needs to have a high quality rail link to Birmingham via Leicester, Coventry and Birmingham International.
One overcrowded hourly two-car diesel train is not suitable for this important rail route.
Currently, trains take two hours forty-five minutes between Birmingham and Cambridge, which means with a fifteen minute turnround at either end, twenty-four trains would be needed for the service.
So it is probably not feasible, but I suspect it could be an aspiration for Abellio.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see Abellio try to take over the Birmingham and Stansted Airport service from CrossCountry.
- Greater Anglia’s four-car Class 755 trains would double the capacity and be able to use electrification at both ends of the route.
- Greater Anglia have a few spare Class 755 trains, so is this takeover in their ambitions.
- Would the service be easier for Abellio to run, than CrossCountry?
This is a service to watch over the next couple of years.
Class 755 Trains In The East Midlands
I also suspect that Class 755 trains could be in Abellio’s plans for the East Midlands. Lincolnshire’s railways are little different to those of East Anglia.
The Bridges At The Southern End Of The Station
A trusted source told me, that one of the problems of electrifying through Leicester station with 25 KVAC overhead wires, is that the bridges at the Southern end of the station are a problem.
The general impression, I got was that the structure under the bridges is so complicated, that there would need to be a massive reconstruction of the railway.
To make matters worse a major sewer is in or under the bridges.
So if this meant that the railway had to be closed for a number of months, is this the reason for only electrifying as far as Market Harborough?
Surely, if the Midland Main Line is only to be partly-electrified, then Leicester would be a better changeover point.
Charging Battery Electric Trains
In The Mathematics Of Fast-Charging Battery Trains Using Third-Rail Electrification, I showed how a third-rail-based fast charging sstem, like that proposed by Vivarail could transfer several hundred kWh to the batteries of a train stopped in the station, for a few minutes.
Leicester station with the two tracks between widely-spaced platforms with a gap between the tracks, would be an ideal location for such a charging system.
- The two third-rail would be laid together between the two tracks.
- The third-rails could be shielded, but as they would only be live with a train on the top, would it be necessary?
- The driver would only need to stop the train in the correct position, but they do that anyway.
In a three minute contact between the train and the third-rail, I believe it would be possible to transfer up to 200 kWh to the batteries of the train.
Conclusion
Leicester station is a station, that suits the ambitions of the City.
But the unimaginative train service as provided by Stagecoach, is very fourth-rate and has left Abellio with a lot of scope to improve the train service throughout the East Midlands.
Stagecoach have only themselves to blame for losing the franchise.
Market Harborough Station – 11th July 2019
Compare these pictures taken today, with those in Market Harborough Station – 10th May 2019.
In the intervening two months, there have been major changes at Market Harborough station.
Two Shorter Curved Platforms Have Been Replaced
The two shorter curved platforms have been replaced by two long straight platforms.
- They can handle the longest trains likely to stop in the station.
- As they are straight, it is likely that there will be a smaller gap to mind, between platform and train.
- The platforms and the tracks have been moved to the West by several metres.
- The platforms are now furnished to a high standard, with shelters and information screens.
The new platforms and tracks are a great improvement for passengers, staff and train operators.
But they also mean.
- Trains that stop at the station, can perform faster stops, as the better train-platform interface speeds passengers entering or leaving the train.
- Passing trains can benefit from a higher speed limit through the station.
This should mean a faster journey time along the Midland Main Line.
The Land Released Will Be Used To Extend The Car Park
Several hundred new car parking spaces will be provided on the Eastern side of the line, in the land released by moving the platforms and tracks.
There Is A Fully Working Step-Free Bridge
The new step-free bridge is now fully working.
- The steps are wide enough for bi-directional traffic.
- There are lifts on both sides.
It is asymmetric, with the steps probably leading in the direction most passengers will be walking to and from.
- On the Eastern London-bound platform, passengers will be walking to and from the car park.
- On the Western Leicester-bound platform, passengers will be walking to and from the main station building with the exit to the town, the ticket office and the cafe.
The bridge will certainly handle commuters to London or Leicester, who drive to the station and have to cross the tracks before or after one journey.
It will also handle commuters, who walk or cycle from the town centre.
This bridge has been placed by someone, who knows what they’re doing!
There Are A Pair Of Crossovers To The North Of the Station
I don’t know whether these are new, but they certainly will give operational advantages, if for instance, a train should fail in Market Harbprough station.
As it is likely, that the Midland Main Line will be electrified as far North as Market Harborough station, could they be used for other purposes?
125 mph electric services could be run between London and Market Harborough.
- The two crossovers would easy turnback of the trains or the building of a stabling siding, North of the station.
- Trains would probably take under an hour.
- They could stop at intermediate stations like Luton Airport Parkway Luton, Bedford and Wellingborough.
- Market Harborough station has a lot of parking.
- It could be a second electric service into St. Pancras.
It could be a useful complimentary service or an alternative one whilst planned major regeneration work is ongoing at Leicester station.
Market Harborough Station Has A Bigger Capacity
Consider.
- The longer platforms will allow longer trains with more seats to call at the station.
- The shorter dwell times at the station of stopping trains will allow more trains to stop in the station every hour.
- The step-free bridge is additional capacity for crossing the tracks.
- There will be a massive increase in car parking.
It looks to me that the station has been upgraded to fulfil a need for more trains.
These figures show the population and passenger numbers at stations around Market Harborough.
- Corby – 70,800 – 300,000 – 4.24
- Kettering – 56,200 – 1,070,000 – 19
- Market Harborough – 22,900 – 900,000 – 39.3
- Wellingborough -49,100 – 1,015,000 – 20.7
The last figure was obtained by dividing the number of journeys by the population.
Does Market Harborough’s high figure mean that there is a high demand for travellers living around Market Hsrborough and the large amount of extra car parking will be well-used.
Note.
- I travelled to Market Harborough with a lady and her two young children, who wee actually going to Leicester and were being picked up by family at the earlier station due to all the traffic problems around Leicester station.
- There used to be four stations between Market Harborough and Leicester, but all closed in 1968.
- There used to be two stations between Market Harborough and Kettering, but all closed in the 1960s.
- Market Harborough is well-connected by roads.
So is Market Harborough station used by locals as a Leicester South station?
As an aside, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new parkway station developed in conjunction with a large housing development, built between Kettering and Leicester, at some point in the future..
Future Electrification
There is a section entitle Electrification in the Wikipedia entry for the Midland Main Line.
This is the last paragraph.
On 26 February 2019 Andrew Jones, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, announced that electrification would be extended northwards from Kettering to Market Harborough, enabling the connection of the railway to a new power supply point at Braybrooke.
I will assume that this means, that electric trains will be able to run to Market Harborough station.
As I said earlier, there are a pair of crossovers to the North of the station, which could be useful for turning trains or giving easy access to a couple of stabling sidings.
Hopefully, electrifying the station will not be difficult, as it has only recently been built and foundations for the electrification gantries have either been built or surveyed thoroughly.
Battery Trains Through Market Harborough Station
One thing that won’t be needed at Market Harborough station is a charging station for battery-electric trains, as this will be handled by the electrification.
Bi-mode and battery-electric trains would either raise or lower the pantograph at speed or at a stop in the station.
The operation of a battery-electric train going North could be interesting.
If it wasn’t scheduled to stop in the station, the train would go through Market Harborough station, with maximum charge in the onboard storage, after being charged by the overhead electrification, on the way up from London. The train would also run through the station, at the highest possible speed, as allowed by the track, so that the train had the highest possible kinetic energy.
Electrification to Market Harborough will act like a catapult to send trains North at their maximum kinetic energy and they could probably glide all the way to Leicester station using little of their energy stored in the onboard battery.
The electrification would probably go a short way North of Market Harborough station, so that sropping trains could be accelerated to full speed using the electrification.
There Is Still Work To Be Done
Work to be done appears to include.
- Refurbishing the original subway to give access between the London-bound platform and the station building.
- Finishing the shelters and other platform furnishings.
- Landscape the car-park and create ramped access to the London-bound platform.
A notice said the subway would reopen in December 2019.
Conclusion
Market Harborough now has a much higher capacity modern station.
Market Harborough Station – 10th May 2019
I stopped at Market Harborough station and took these pictures.
As can be seen, the works at the station are well underway.
Market Harborough Line Speed Improvement Project
This document on the Network Rail web is entitled Market Harborough Line Speed Improvement Project.
According to the document, the project will deliver.
- A line speed increase through Market Harborough enabling a reduction in journey time for passengers.
- New longer platforms that improve access and reduce stepping distances onto trains whilst also catering for longer trains with more seats.
- Station accessibility will be improved with a new footbridge featuring lifts, opening up travel opportunities for more passengers.
- A new 300 space car park has already been constructed, providing step-free access to platforms for passengers arriving by car.
Unfortunately, Network Rail don’t seem to have published a well-prepared visualisation of what passengers, will see, when the project is completed.
There isn’t even a decent visualisation on the station.
Talk about Mushroom Marketing! Keep your customers and project funders in the dark and feed them shit.
This Google Map shows the station..
Note.
- The Midland Main Line going up the middle of the map.
- The large new car-park on the Eastern side of the line.
- The building site on the Western side of the line, where new strauighter tracks will go.
The completion date is planned to be December 2019.
Conclusion
The project looks good in the flesh, but that can’t be said for the project presentation to stakeholders.
Are Greater Anglia’s Flirts Faster Than 100 mph?
Over the last fifty years or so, a lot of fast trains have been introduced onto the UK’s railways.
- InterCity 125 trains were designed to provide 125 mph services and held the world record for diesel trains at 143 mph
- InterCity 225 trains were designed to provide 140 mph services, but have been timed at 161 mph
- Class 442 trains were designed to provide 100 mph services, but have been timed at 108 mph
- Most Electrostars are 100 mph trains, but the Class 387 train can cruise at 110 mph.
It does seem that often the design speed and what is possible differ by up to twenty miles per hour.
It is probably in part good design, as it means that an accidental overspeed can be safely handled.
Greater Anglia has ordered two fleets of Stadler FLIRTs.
- Class 745 electric trains, which have twelve cars.
- Class 755 bi-mode trains, which have three or four cars.
Note
- Both trains share a lot of features and are capable of 100 mph.
- Some Norwegian electric FlLIRTs have a top speed of 120 mph. They have an extra powered axle, but do they have ostensibly the same running gear and electrifical systems?
So would it be reasonable to assume that Stadler have designed FLIRTs, so that faster versions can be created?
If the answer is in the affirmative, there is two interesting possibilities.
London To Norwich Services
The section of line between Norwich and Haughley Junction has the following characteristics.
- Double-track
- 31 miles long.
- 100 mph operating speed
- Electrified
- A few level-crossings
- It is fairly straight
- There is the Trowse swing bridge over the River Wensum
- Passenger services on the route will be run only using Stadler FLIRTs.
Network Rail have been very successful in upgrading routes like this for faster running and as the Trowse swing bridge will be replaced, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this section of line upgraded to perhaps 110 mph. This would save a couple of minutes, if the trains could take advantage.
Other services in East Anglia would also benefit from works to improve line speed.
Midland Main Line Services
The Midland Main Line will receive brand-new 125 mph bi-mode trains in 2022.
If Class 755 bi-mode trains could be configured to run at 125 mph, like their electric cousins, they must be a possibility.
Conclusion
Only Stadler know if their Class 745 and 755 trains can be upgraded to higher speeds.
But if they can be upgraded, they could be a very useful train for UK railways.
Why Are Abellio Starting Norwich-in-Ninety With Class 755 Trains?
At the May timetable change Abellio Greater Anglia will be running four trains per day between London and Norwich in ninety minutes.
I have read that this is possible with the current Class 90 locomotive /Mark 3 coach train sets and that is a fall-back position.
I was also told by a former employee of Greater Anglia, that one night, he was a passenger between Norwich station and Illford depot in an empty Class 321 train, that achieved an incredible time.
So why take the risk with untried Class 755 trains on the first day of the new timetable?
- Abellio must be very sure that the trains will perform, as they say in the brochure.
- They also know all the publicity that running new trains will bring.
But could Abellio just want to check the public’s reaction to these trains with effectively a locomotive in the middle, before they decide on the 125 mph bi-mode trains for the Midland Main Line?
I don’t believe that building a 125 mph version of Class 755 train would be beyond the bounds of possibility.
The Weight Of A Class 755 Train
I haven’t been able to do my energy calculation for a Class 755 train, as I can’t find the weight of a Class 755 train on the Internet.
However, I can estimate the weight of a four-car Class 755/4 train from the Stadler data sheet for the train.
This gives the following.
- Mean Acceleration Electric (0-40 mph) – 1.1 metres/second squared
- Maximum traction – 200 kN
- 202 seats and 27 tip-up seats
I think it is reasonable to assume that the acceleration rate is for a train with a typical load of passengers.
Using Omni’s Acceleration Calculator, this gives a time of 16.256 seconds to accelerate from 0-40 mph.
Then putting this time into Omni’s Newton’s Second Law Calculator, gives a train mass of 181.8 tonnes.
As passengers can weigh around twenty tonnes, if they weigh 90 Kg each, with baggage, bikes and buggies, I would estimate that an empty Class 755/4 train weighs around 160-170 tonnes.
By comparison.
- An empty four-car electric Class 350 train weighs 175.5 tonnes
- An empty three-car diesel Class 170 train weights 135.3 tonnes.
I don’t think a figure of 160-170 tonnes is out of line, with a figure of 180 tonnes for a typical loaded train.
Remember too, that these trains are Stadler FLIRTs, where FLIRT is Fast Light Intercity and Regional Train.
Applying Omni’s Kinetic Energy Calculator, gives these figures for the kinetic energy of a train.
- 90 mph – 40 kWh
- 100 mph – 50 kWh
- 125 mph – 78 kWh
As some electric FLIRTs can nun at 125 mph, I believe that a bi-mode FLIRT, based on the Class 755 train could be designed with these characteristics.
- 125 mph on electric power
- 125 mph on diesel power
Acceleration on diesel to 125 mph would probably be the biggest problem and it is likely that more power than for a Class 755 train will be needed.
Do Abellio Greater Anglia’s initial Norwich-in-Ninety trains give a clue in that they will be two four-car Class 755 trains working as an eight-car train?
- It will be eight passenger cars and two power cars at the 25% and 75% positions in the formation.
- Stadler have built the similar Stadler GTW with two power cars in a single train.
So I suspect that Stadler know the dynamics of these trains very well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone told me, that Stadler had offered a bi-mode Stadler FLIRT with two power cars, for the Midland Main Line.
- The power car concept has been sold to operators with diesel, electric and battery power options.
- Stadler are proposing to use battery power in the Class 93 locomotive to boost performance.
- Many would believe, as I do, that hydrogen power could be added to a Stadler power car.
So are these runs at 100 mph with two four-car Class 755 trains, a final trial of the technology to prove that similar higher-powered trains could run at 125 mph on the Midland Main Line, before Abellio sign a contract?
Hydrogen Trains To Be Trialled On The Midland Main Line
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled Bimode And Hydrogen Trains As Abellio Wins Next East Midlands Franchise.
Abellio will be taking over the franchise in August this year and although bi-mode trains were certain to be introduced in a couple of years, the trialling of hydrogen-powered trains is a surprise to me and possibly others.
This is all that is said in the article.
Abellio will also trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland Main Line.
It also says, that the new fleet will not be announced until the orders are finalised.
In this post, I’m assuming that the hydrogen trial will be performed using the main line trains.
Trains for the Midland Main Line will need to have the following properties
- 125 mph on electric power
- 125 mph on diesel power
- Ability to go at up to 140 mph, when idigital n-cab signalling is installed and the track is improved.
- UK gauge
- Ability to run on hydrogen at a future date.
I think there could be three types of train.
- A traditional bi-mode multiple unit, with underfloor engines like the Hitachi Class 800 series, is obviously a possibility.
- An electrical multiple unit, where one driving car is replaced by a bi-mode locomotive with appropriate power.
- Stadler or another manufacturer might opt for a train with a power pack in the middle.
The second option would effectively be a modern InterCity 225.
- South of Kettering, electricity would be used.
- North of Kettering, diesel would be used
- Hydrogen power could replace diesel power at some future date.
- Design could probably make the two cabs and their driving desks identical.
- The locomotive would be interchangeable with a driver car.
Bi-modes would work most services, with electric versions working to Corby at 125 mph.
Which manufacturer has a design for a 125 mph, hydrogen-powered train?
Alstom
Alstom have no 125 mph UK multiple unit and their Class 321 Hydogen train, is certainly not a 125 mph train and probably will still be under development.
Bombardier
In Mathematics Of A Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, I compared diesel and hydrogen-power on bi-mode Aventras and felt that hydrogen could be feasible.
In that post, I wrote a section called Diesel Or Hydrogen Power?, where I said this.
Could the better ambience be, because the train doesn’t use noisy and polluting diesel power, but clean hydrogen?
It’s a possibility, especially as Bombardier are Canadian, as are Ballard, who produce hydrogen fuel-cells with output between 100-200 kW.
Ballard’s fuel cells power some of London’s hydrogen buses.
The New Routemaster hybrid bus is powered by a 138 kW Cummins ISBe diesel engine and uses a 75 kWh lithium-ion battery, with the bus being driven by an electric motor.
If you sit in the back of one of these buses, you can sometimes hear the engine stop and start.
In the following calculations, I’m going to assume that the bi-mode |Aventra with batteries has a power source, that can provide up to 200 kW, in a fully-controlled manner
Ballard can do this power output with hydrogen and I’m sure that to do it with a diesel engine and alternator is not the most difficult problem in the world.
So are Bombardier designing the Bi-Mode Aventra With Batteries, so that at a later date it can be changed from diesel to hydrogen power?
All an Aventra needs to run is electricity and the train, the onboard staff and passengers don’t care whether it comes from overhead wires, third-rail, batteries, diesel or hydrogen.
Bombardier also have the technology for my proposed locomotive-based solution, where one driver-car of an Aventra is replaced by what is effectively a locomotive.
If Bombardier have a problem, it is that they have no small diesel train to replace Abellio’s small diesel trains. Could the longer services use the bi-mode Aventras and the shorter ones Aventras with battery power?
CAF
CAF probably have the technology, but there would be a lot of development work to do.
Hitachi
Hitachi have the bi-mode trains in the Class 802 trains, but haven’t as yet disclosed a hydrogen train.
Siemens
They’ve made a few noises, but I can’t see them producing a bi-mode train for 2022.
Stadler
In a few weeks time, I will be having a ride in a Stadler-built Class 755 train, run by Abellio Greater Anglia.
The Class 755 train is a bi-mode 100 mph train, from Stadler’s Flirt family.
Could it be stretched to a 125 mph train?
- Stadler have built 125 mph electric Flirts.
- It is my view, that Stadler have the knowledge to make 125 mph trains work.
- Flirts are available in any reasonable length.
- I’ve read that bi-mode and electric Flirts are very similar for drivers and operators.
These could work the Midland Main Line.
If the mainline version is possible, then Abellio could replace all their smaller diesel trains with appropriate Class 755 trains, just as they will be doing in East Anglia.
Stadler with the launch of the Class 93 locomotive, certainly have the technology for a locomotive-based solution.
East Midlands Railway would be an all-Stadler Flirt fleet.
As to hydrogen, Stadler are supplying hydrogen-powered trains for the Zillertalbahn, as I wrote in Zillertalbahn Orders Stadler Hydrogen-Powered Trains.
Talgo
Talgo could be the joker in the pack. They have the technology to build 125 mph bi-mode trains and are building a factory in Scotland.
My Selection
I think it comes down to a straight choice between Bombardier and Stadler.
It should also be noted, that Abellio has bought large fleets from both manufacturers for their franchises in the UK.
Zero-Carbon Pilots At Six Stations
This promise is stated in the franchise.
Once the electrification reaches Market Harborough in a couple of years, with new bi-mode trains, running on electricity, the following stations will not see any passenger trains, running their diesel engines.
- St. Pancras
- Luton Airport Parkway
- Luton
- Bedford
- Wellingborough
- Kettering
- Corby
- Market Harborough
These are not pilots, as they have been planned to happen, since the go-ahead for the wires to Market Harborough.
Other main line stations include.
- Beeston
- Chesterfield
- Derby
- East Midlands Parkway
- Leicester
- Long Eaaton
- Loughborough
- Nottingham
- Sheffield
Could these stations be ones, where East Midlands Railway will not be emitting any CO2?
For a bi-mode train to be compliant, it must be able to pass through the station using battery power alone.
- As the train decelerates, it charges the onboard batteries, using regernerative braking.
- Battery power is used whilst the train is in the station.
- Battery power is used to take the train out of the station.
Diesel power would only be used well outside of stations.
How would the trains for the secondary routes be emission-friendly?
- For the long Norwich to Derby and Nottingham to Liverpool routes, these would surely be run by shorter versions of the main line trains.
- For Stadler, if secondary routes were to be run using Class 755 trains, the battery option would be added, so that there was no need to run the diesel engines in stations.
- For Bombardier, they may offer battery Aventras or shortened bi-modes for the secondary routes, which could also be emission-free in stations.
- There is also the joker of Porterbrook’s battery-enhaced Class 350 train or BatteryFLEX.
I think that with the right rolling-stock, East Midlands Railway, could be able to avoid running diesel engines in all the stations, where they call.
Why Are Abellio Running A Hydrogen Trial?
This is a question that some might will ask, so I’m adding a few reasons.
A Train Manufacturer Wants To Test A Planned Hydrogen Train
I think that it could be likely, that a train manufacturer wants to trial a hydrogen-powered variant of a high-speed train.
Consider.
- The Midland Main Line is about 160 miles long.
- A lot of the route is quadruple-track.
- It is a 125 mph railway for a proportion of the route.
- It has only a few stops.
- It is reasonably straight with gentle curves.
- Part of the route is electrified.
- It is connected to London at one end.
In my view the Midland Main Line is an ideal test track for bi-mode high speed trains.
A Train Manufacturer Wants To Sell A Fleet Of High Speed Trains
If a train manufacturer said to Abellio, that the fleet of diesel bi-mode trains they are buying could be updated to zero-carbon hydrogen bi-modes in a few years, this could clinch the sale.
Helping with a trial, as Abellio did at Manningtree with Bombardier’s battery Class 379 train in 2015, is probably mutually-beneficial.
The Midland Main Line Will Never Be Fully Electrified
I believe that the Midland Main Line will never be fully-electrified.
- The line North of Derby runs through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Would UNESCO allow electrification?
- I have been told by drivers, that immediately South of Leicester station, there is a section, that would be very difficult to electrify.
- Some secondary routes like Corby to Leicester via Oakham might be left without electrification.
But on the other hand some sections will almost certainly be electrified.
- Around Toton, where High Speed Two crosses the Midland Main Line and the two routes will share East Midlands Hub station.
- Between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield, where the route will be shared with the Sheffield Spur of High Speed Two.
- The Erewash Valley Line, if High Speed Two trains use that route to Sheffield.
The Midland Main Line will continue to need bi-mode trains and in 2040, when the Government has said, that diesel will not be used on UK railways,
It is my view, that to run after 2040, there are only two current methods of zero-carbon propulsion; on the sections without overhead electrification battery or hydrogen power.
So we should run trials for both!
Abellio Know About Hydrogen
Abellio is Dutch and after my trip to the Netherlands last week, I wrote The Dutch Plan For Hydrogen, which describes how the Dutch are developing a green hydrogen economy, where the hydrogen is produced by electricity generated from wind power.
So by helping with the trial of hydrogen bi-mode trains on the Midland Main Line, are Abellio increasing their knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of hydrogen-powered trains.
In Thoughts On Eurostar To North Netherlands And North West Germany, I proposed running bi-mode trains on the partially-electrified route between Amsterdam and Hamburg via Groningen and Bremen, which would be timed to connect to Eurostar’s services between London and Amsterdam. These could use diesel, hydrogen or battery power on the sections without electrification.
If hydrogen or battery power were to be used on the European bi-mode train, It would be possible to go between Sheffield and Hamburg on a zero-carbon basis, if all electric power to the route were to be provided from renewable sources.
Abellio Sees The PR Value In Running Zero-Carbon Trains
In My First Ride In An Alstom Coradia iLint, I talked about running hydrogen-powered trains on a hundred mile lines at 60 mph over the flat German countrside
The Midland Main Line is a real high speed railway, where trains go at up to 125 mph between two major cities, that are one-hundred-and-sixty miles apart.
Powered by hydrogen, this could be one of the world’s great railway journeys.
If hydrogen-power is successful, Abellio’s bottom line would benefit.
Conclusion
This franchise will be a big improvement in terms of carbon emissions.
As I said the choice of trains probably lies between Bombardier and Stadler.
But be prepared for a surprise.
Thoughts On Kentish Town Station
Kentish Town station is not step-free, as these pictures show.
This Google Map shows the layout of the station.
Note the four platforms and two extra tracks on the Southern side.
But I do believe it is a station with potential.
An All-Electric Railway
In perhaps 2022 or a couple of years later, when the new bi-mode trains are delivered, between Kentish Town and St. Pancras stations will be an all-electric railway.
The Station Is In A Cutting
The station is in a cutting and given the price of land in the area and the demand for housing, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the whole station roofed over at some time in the future.
This couldn’t be done until the railway was all-electric.
Step-Free Access To National Rail Platforms
If the station was covered by development, I’m sure it would be possible to provide step-free access between the surface and the National Rail platforms.
Step-Free Access To Underground Platforms
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines at Kentish Town station.
Note how the Northern Line is at almost right angles to the Midland Main Line.
Providing step-free access might be easier from the area to the North of the current Undegrround station, which could be within any new development.
Some of the new techniques used on Crossrail might make a connection possible.
Kentish Town And West Hampstead Thameslink Stations
The next station to the North of Kentish Town is West Hampstead Thameslink.
Both stations have six tracks, but only four platforms.
It would probably be very advantageous if there were six tracks on the Midland Main Line along this very busy railway.
But this is impossible as the tunnels that lie between the two stations only have a total of four tracks.
I suspect that Network Rail’s engineers sometimes muse about what might have been, if the Victorians had built the extra tracks.
- Thameslink services could have their own separate tracks.
- Express services could be roaring through at 200 kph.
- The West London Orbital Railway could terminate at Kentish Town station.
But short of rebuilding the Midland Main Line between the two station and digging a lot of extra tunnels, these are impossible ideas.
Is This Stadler’s Plan For A Multi-Mode Future?
We have not seen any of Stadler’s bi-mode Flirts in service yet although Greater Anglia’a Class 755 trains have been rumoured to be speeding between London and Norwich in ninety minutes from this May!
Today, I rode on one of Stadler’s diesel GTWs between Groningen and Eemshaven in the Netherlands, which I wrote about in The Train Station At The Northern End Of The Netherlands.
GTWs are a diesel electric train with a power-pack car in the middle of the three car train. The diesel electric Flirts are a later train with a similar layout to the GTW.
So are the diesel GTWs and Flirts just a bi-mode without a pantograph? Or more likely the bi-mode is a diesel electric train with the addition of a pantograph and extra electrical gubbins.
Looking at the visualisations on Wikipedia of the bi-mode Class 755 train and the all-electric Class 745 train, it appears that the next-to-end car has the pantograph.
Are these cars with the pantograph identical on both the bi-mode and the all-electric versions? It would certainly be sensible from a engine erring point of view.
So could it be that all that is needed to convert a diesel electric Flirt into a bi-mode Flirt is to add the pantograph car and swap the power pack car for a bi-mode one? The old power pack car could then be converted into another bi-mode power pack car to convert another train.
But the power pack cars are not as simple as they look. They have four slots for diesel engines. Three-car and four-car Class 755 trains have two and four engines respectively.
I believe that one or more of the slots can be filled with a battery to create Flirts like the tri-mode ones proposed for South Wales.
So could we see some of the Greater Anglia Flirts converted in this way? Surely, Colchester Town to Sudbury could be a service that could benefit from battery power West of Marks Tey?
Today, I had a chat with a GTW driver, who said that the train he’d been driving was diesel-electric and that he had heard that batteries or hydrogen power could be used on the eoute.
The lines around Groningen seem to employ quite a few GTWs and distances are not overly long. So could some be converted to 1500 VDC electric/diesel/battery tri-modes? There is electrification at Groningen station and some of the bay platforms used by GTWs already have wires.
If the conversion is successful, then Stadler could be on a Swiss roll, as there are a lot of GTWs and Flirts out there, many of which are diesel-electric, like the one I rode today.
Would a train operator prefer to upgrade a diesel electric train that works well or buy a new bi-mode from another train manufacturer?
Could also an electric Flirt be converted into a bi-mode, by splitting the train and sticking a power pack car in the middle. Engineering common sense says that the passenger cars must be very similar to those of diesel Flirts to simplify manufacture of the trains.
We already know, that four-car Flirts are only three-car trains with an extra passenger car. Stadler could mix-and-match passenger, pantograph and power pack cars to give operators what they need.
Intelligent computer software would choose which power option to be used and the driver would just monitor, that the train was behaving as needed.
Looking at my route yesterday between Groningen and Eemshaven, it is a route of just under forty kilometres or twenty-five miles. Adrian Shooter is talking of ranges of sixty miles with battery versions of Class 230 trains. So I don’t find it impossible to create a tri-mode GTW or Flirt for this lonely route at the very North of the Netherlands.
Conclusion
Stadler seem to have created a very imitative modular train concept.
As some Flirts can travel at 125 mph, could they be serious bidders to provide the new trains for the Midland Main Line?
Welcome For Extension Of Midland Electrification
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail News.
This is the first paragraph.
Electrification of the Midland Main Line is set to be extended from Kettering North Junction to Market Harborough station.
The project was announced in the House of Commons and has already been called great news by the local MP.
In MML Wires Could Reach Market Harborough, I laid out my thoughts after an article in the June 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, with the same title.
This was my major conclusion.
I think that electrification between Glendon Junction and Market Harborough station will happen.
I actually feel that with the announcement of innovative new rolling stock and electrification methods in the last few months, that electrification of this section could now be easier and that electrification to Leicester might even happen.
The Electrification Between Lea Bridge And Meridian Water Stations Is Almost Complete
I took these pictures from a train going North from Lea Bridge station to the new Meridian Water station.
It appears that most of the electrification is almost complete, except for perhaps a hundred metres at the Southern end.
Conclusion
This electrification seems to have gone reasonably well so far.
On the other hand, the electrification of the Gospel Oak to Barking Line was troublesome with various components being wrongly made and the discovery of an unknown sewer.
But the electrification of the new single track was effectively working on a new track, where what was underneath the track was very well known.
I’m drawn to the conclusion, that if we want to electrify a railway, the quality of the knowledge of the tracks to be electrified has a strong influence on the outcome of the project.
If there are thought to be too many unknowns and it is felt necessary to relay the track, then so be it!
We may have the paradox that to electrify a 125 mph fast line like the Midland Main Line, which has had top class care and constant speed upgrades, may be easier and more affordable, than to electrify a slower commuter line like Manchester to Preston, which has probably not had as much attention, due to the slower speeds.
I know it’s totally different, but decorating a new house is easier than doing the same to an old one!
Electrification of a railway track seems to have a similar relationship.
The Anonymous Widower 