Northern Rail Apologises Over Disruption On Durham Coast Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Northern Echo.
These is the first two paragraphs.
Easington MP Grahame Morris has invited Northern Rail executives and the Rail Minister to travel on the Durham Coast Line following “another weekend of rail chaos”.
As the football season kicked off and Seaham Food Festival attracted thousands of people, travellers were left angry and disappointed as they were unable to board overcrowded rail services at Horden and Seaham train stations.
The article then goes on to say that this has been an ongoing problem for several years.
I would have thought that to maximise revenue on any transport service, it is best to provide enough stagecoaches, charabancs, buses, trams or trains.
Could this business naivety be why the original Northern went bust?
What Should The Government Do?
As Northern is now run by the Government’s Operator Of Last Resort, it is up to the Government.
In Boris Johnson Backs Station Opening Which Could See Metro Link To County Durham, I report on an exchange between Boris Johnson and an MP in Prime Minister’s Questions.
These are my two main improvements.
Reopen Ferryhill Station And The Leamside and Stillington Lines To Create A New Route
Boris Johnson talked about reopening Ferryhill station, which could be key to opening up a second route between Teesside and Newcastle and Sunderland.
- Ferryhill station would be on the East Coast Main Line and electrified to handle battery-electric trains.
- Ferryhill terminal would be an ideal Southern terminal for a reopened Leamside Line, which most stakeholders seem in favour of, as it would take the pressure off the East Coast Main Line to the South of Newcastle and connect large areas to the rail network and in particular, the Tyne and Wear Metro.
- Ferryhill station would be at the Northern end of the freight-only Stillington Line, which runs South-Eastwards from the East Coast Main Line at Ferryhill to Stockton and Hartlepool or Middlesbrough.
- A combination of the Leamside and Stillington Lines would open up a second route between the two conurbations.
It might also be possible to run a semi-fast York and Newcastle service via Northallerton, Yarm, Thornaby, Stockton, Ferryhill and the Leamside Line.
- This service would only run on the East Coast Main Line, where there were four tracks to the South of Northallerton.
- It could be run by a battery-electric train.
- A battery-electric train could be charged at York, Ferryhill and Newcastle.
This article on the Northern Echo is entitled ‘Rapid’ Progress On Reopening Leamside Line, Connecting County Durham And Washington.
Things don’t seem to be standing still.
There would appear to be lots of scope for rail development between the Tyne and Wear in the North and the Tees in the South.
If the go-ahead is given by Government to develop the Leamside and Stillington Lines, the great thing is that construction of the new route will not affect anything on the important East Coast Main Line, as Network Rail would just be creating a railway by-pass around one of busiest sections of main line, that will be used by local and freight trains.
Two routes through the area, would certainly double the capacity, if both had an hourly train.
Battery-Electric Trains
I mentioned battery-electric trains as the rolling stock for a possible semi-fast service between York and Newcastle.
We are accumulating a large pile of surplus Class 350, 387 and 379 trains.
- They are being replaced by modern units.
- They were built within the last twenty years.
- They are all high-quality four car trains.
- They can all be modified for a 110 mph operating speed, so could venture on the East Coast Main Line if needed.
These trains have been mentioned several times as possibilities for conversion to battery-electric trains.
With a few strategically-placed charging systems, these would be ideal trains for services in the area.
Conclusion
It would be a great improvement for train services in the North-East.
My first step would be to convert the Hexham and Nunthorpe service via Newcastle, Sunderland, Seaham, Horden and Middlesbrough to battery-electric operation, by adding charging at Hexham and Nunthorpe stations.
Some are keen on hydrogen trains for this route, but these will have a longer gestation period.
I would also suspect that travellers in the North-East would prefer jam today, rather than possibly inferior jam sometime in the future.
Battery-electric trains based on the train classes I named would also be ideal for the Northumberland Line and the Salburn and Bishop Auckland service.
Northumberland Railway Line: Test Train Runs On Planned Route
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the first four paragraphs.
A test train has travelled along part of a new Northumberland line ahead of the reintroduction of passenger services.
Six new stations are to be built and 18 miles (29km) of track upgraded between Newcastle and Morpeth.
The test train contained dignitaries and rail officials, with full services expected to start in 2024.
Northern said it was looking at running two trains an hour six days a week and hourly services on Sundays.
It very much sounds to be a good start.
The article certainly has a good picture of one of the bridges on the line.
Morpeth?
Note that the article says that the first phase goes to Morpeth. I had thought it was going to Ashington.
Or could it be that Network Rail want to open up Newcastle and Morpeth to take some local services off the East Coast Main Line.
Network Rail Completes Key Step To Reopen Northumberland Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Technology Magazine.
It may only be the renewal of 600 yards and competry at Newsham, but it least it gets the project on the rails.
I find it heartening, that this project and the similar Beeching Reversal one at Okehampton seemed to have made quick starts.
Transport Bosses Promise The Northumberland Line Will Be Operational Before The End Of 2024
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on ITV.com.
The article appears to be all good news for the North-East.
On Track – Network Rail Reaches Key Milestone On Dartmoor Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news release on the Network Rail web site.
These are the first two paragraphs.
The reopening of the railway line between Okehampton and Exeter is one step closer after Network Rail finished relaying the new track and sleepers this week.
Following the confirmation of government funding in March, engineers started immediately and have worked tirelessly upgrading this 14 mile stretch of track between Okehampton and Coleford Junction, where the Dartmoor Line joins the existing railway line to Exeter.
Perhaps the most significant fact about this project, is the speed with which work has progressed since it started.
So far it appears the following has been done.
- 11 miles of track has been laid.
- 24.000 new concrete sleepers have been installed.
- 29,000 tonnes of ballast has been installed.
Much of the work was done by a clever machine which is shown in a video.
I do wonder if this machine, when it finishes in Devon will be sent all the way to Newcastle to relay the Northumberland Line in the same manner.
What Is Possible On The East Coast Main Line?
In the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive, there is an amazing story.
This picture shows one of these locomotives at Kings Cross.
Note.
- They have a design speed of 140 mph.
- They have a power output of 4.8 MW.
- They were built around 1990 by British Rail at Crewe.
They were designed to run services between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh as fast as possible, as the motive power of the InterCity 225 trains.
This section in the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive is entitled Speed Record. This is the first paragraph.
A Class 91, 91010 (now 91110), holds the British locomotive speed record at 161.7 mph (260.2 km/h), set on 17 September 1989, just south of Little Bytham on a test run down Stoke Bank with the DVT leading. Although Class 370s, Class 373s and Class 374s have run faster, all are EMUs which means that the Electra is officially the fastest locomotive in Britain. Another loco (91031, now 91131), hauling five Mk4s and a DVT on a test run, ran between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds on 26 September 1991. This is still the current record. The set covered the route in an average speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and reached the full 140 mph (225 km/h) several times during the run.
Note.
- For the British locomotive speed record, locomotive was actually pushing the train and going backwards, as the driving van trailer (DVT) was leading.
- How many speed records of any sort, where the direction isn’t part of the record, have been set going backwards?
- I feel that this record could stand for many years, as it is not very likely anybody will build another 140 mph locomotive in the foreseeable future. Unless a maverick idea for a high speed freight locomotive is proposed.
I have a few general thoughts on the record run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh in three-and-a-half hours.
- I would assume that as in normal operation of these trains, the Class 91 locomotive was leading on the run to the North.
- For various reasons, they would surely have had at least two of British Rail’s most experienced drivers in the cab.
- At that time, 125 mph InterCity 125 trains had been the workhorse of East Coast Main Line for well over ten years, so British Rail wouldn’t have been short of experienced high speed drivers.
- It was a Thursday, so they must have been running amongst normal traffic.
- On Monday, a typical run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh is timetabled to take four hours and twenty minutes.
- High Speed Two are predicting a time of three hours and forty-eight minutes between Euston and Edinburgh via High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line.
The more you look at it, a sub-three-and-and-a-half hour time, by 1980s-technology on a less-than-perfect railway was truly remarkable.
So how did they do it?
Superb Timetabling
In Norwich-In-Ninety Is A Lot More Than Passengers Think!, I talk about how Network Rail and Greater Anglia created a fast service between Liverpool Street and Norwich.
I suspect that British Rail put their best timetablers on the project, so that the test train could speed through unhindered.
Just as they did for Norwich-in-Ninety and probably will be doing to the East Coast Main Line to increase services and decrease journey times.
A Good As ERTMS Signalling
Obviously in 1991, there was no modern digital in-cab signalling and I don’t know the standard of communication between the drivers and the signallers.
On the tricky sections like Digswell Viaduct, through Hitchin and the Newark Crossing were other trains stopped well clear of any difficult area, as modern digital signalling can anticipate and take action?
I would expect the test train got a signalling service as good as any modern train, even if parts of it like driver to signaller communication may have been a bit experimental.
There may even have been a back-up driver in the cab with the latest mobile phone.
It must have been about 1991, when I did a pre-arranged airways join in my Cessna 340 on the ground at Ipswich Airport before take-off on a direct flight to Rome. Air Traffic Control had suggested it to avoid an intermediate stop at say Southend.
The technology was arriving and did it help the drivers on that memorable run North ensure a safe and fast passage of the train?
It would be interesting to know, what other equipment was being tested by this test train.
A Possible Plan
I suspect that the plan in 1991 was to use a plan not unlike one that would be used by Lewis Hamilton, or in those days Stirling Moss to win a race.
Drive a steady race not taking any chances and where the track allows speed up.
So did British Rail drive a steady 125 mph sticking to the standard timetable between Kings Cross and Edinburgh?
Then as the Wikipedia extract indicated, at several times during the journey did they increase the speed of the train to 140 mph.
And the rest as they say was an historic time of 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds. Call it three-and-a-half-hours.
This represented a start-to-stop average speed of 112.5 mph over the 393 miles of the East Coast Main Line.
Can The Current Trains Achieve Three-And-A-Half-Hours Be Possible Today?
Consider.
- The best four hours and twenty minutes timings of the Class 801 trains, represents an average speed of 90.7 mph.
- The Class 801 trains and the InterCity 225 trains have similar performance.
- There have been improvements to the route like the Hitchin Flyover.
- Full ERTMS in-cab signalling is being installed South of Doncaster.
- I believe ERTMS and ETC could solve the Newark Crossing problem! See Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?
- I am a trained Control Engineer and I believe if ERTMS and ETC can solve the Newark Crossing problem, I suspect they can solve the Digswell Viaduct problem.
- The Werrington Dive Under is being built.
- The approaches to Kings Cross are being remodelled.
I can’t quite say easy-peasy. but I’m fairly certain the Kings Cross and Edinburgh record is under serious threat.
- A massive power supply upgrade to the North of Doncaster is continuing. See this page on the Network Rail web site.
- ERTMS and ETC probably needs to be installed all the way between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
- There may be a need to minimise the number of slower passenger trains on the East Coast Main Line.
- The Northumberland Line and the Leamside Line may be needed to take some trains from the East Coast Main Line.
Recent Developments Concerning the Hitachi Trains
There have been several developments since the Hitachi Class 800 and Class 801 trains were ordered.
- Serious engineers and commentators like Roger Ford of Modern Railways have criticised the lugging of heavy diesel engines around the country.
- Network Rail have upgraded the power supply South of Doncaster and have recently started to upgrade it between Doncaster and Edinburgh. Will this extensive upgrade cut the need to use the diesel power-packs?
- Hitachi and their operators must have collected extensive in-service statistics about the detailed performance of the trains and the use of the diesel power-packs.
- Hitachi have signed an agreement with Hyperdrive Innovation of Sunderland to produce battery-packs for the trains and two new versions of the trains have been announced; a Regional Battery Train and an Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
- East Coast Trains have ordered five five-car Class 803 trains, each of which will have a small battery for emergency use and no diesel power-packs.
- Avanti West Coast have ordered ten seven-car Class 807 trains, each of which have no battery or diesel power-packs.
And these are just the ones we know about.
The Class 807 Trains And Liverpool
I find Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains the most interesting development.
- They have been partly financed by Rock Rail, who seem to organise train finance, so that the train operator, the train manufacturer all get the best value, by finding good technical solutions.
- I believe that these trains have been designed so they can run between Euston and Liverpool Lime Street stations in under two hours.
- Does the absence of battery or diesel power-packs save weight and improve performance?
- Euston and Liverpool Lime Street in two hours would be an average of only 96.8 mph.
- If the Class 807 trains could achieve the same start-stop average of 112.5 mph achieved by the InterCity 225 test run between Kings Cross and Edinburgh, that would mean a Euston and Liverpool Lime Street time of one hour and forty-three minutes.
- Does Thunderbird provision on the West Coast Main Line for the Class 390 trains mean that the Class 807 trains don’t need emergency power?
- Have diesel power-packs been rarely used in emergency by the Hitachi trains?
I believe the mathematics show that excellent sub-two hour times between Euston and Liverpool Lime Street are possible by Avanti West Coast’s new Class 807 trains.
The Class 803 Trains And Edinburgh
East Coast Trains ordered their Class 803 trains in March 2019, nine months before Avanti West Coast ordered their Class 807 trains.
In Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service, I outlined brief details of the trains and the proposed service.
- FirstGroup is targeting the two-thirds of passengers, who fly between London and Edinburgh.
- They are also targeting business passengers, as the first train arrives in Edinburgh at 10:00.
- The trains are five-cars.
- The trains are one class with onboard catering, air-conditioning, power sockets and free wi-fi.
- Stops will be five trains per day with stops at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth.
- The trains will take around four hours.
- The service will start in Autumn 2021.
I also thought it would be a successful service
As I know Edinburgh, Liverpool and London well, I believe there are similarities between the Euston-Liverpool Lime Street and Kings Cross-Edinburgh routes.
- Both routes are between two cities known all over the world.
- Both routes are fully-electrified.
- Both routes have the potential to attract passengers from other transport modes.
The two services could even be run at similar speeds.
- Euston-Liverpool Lime Street in two hours will be at 96.8 mph
- Kings Cross-Edinburgh in four hours will be at 98.3 mph.
Does this explain the similar lightweight trains?
Could Lightweight Trains Help LNER?
There is one important factor, I haven’t talked about in detail in this post. Batteries and diesel power-packs on the Hitachi trains.
I have only mentioned them in the following circumstances.
- When trains are not fitted with battery and/or diesel power-packs.
- When battery developments are being undertaken.
Let’s consider the LNER fleet.
- LNER has thirteen nine-car Class 800 trains, each of which has five diesel power-packs
- LNER has ten five-car Class 800 trains, each of which has three diesel power-packs
- LNER has thirty nine-car Class 801 trains, each of which has one diesel power-pack
- LNER has twelve five-car Class 801 trains, each of which has one diesel power-pack
There are sixty-five trains, 497 coaches and 137 diesel power-packs.
And look at their destinations.
- Aberdeen – No Electrification from Edinburgh
- Alnmouth – Fully Electrified
- Berwick-upon-Tweed – Fully Electrified
- Bradford Forster Square – Fully Electrified
- Darlington – Fully Electrified
- Doncaster – Fully Electrified
- Durham – Fully Electrified
- Edinburgh – Fully Electrified
- Glasgow – Fully Electrified
- Grantham – Fully Electrified
- Harrogate – No Electrification from Leeds – Possible Battery Destination
- Huddersfield – No Electrification from Leeds – Possible Battery Destination – Probable Electrification
- Hull – No Electrification from Temple Hirst Junction – Possible Battery Destination
- Inverness – No Electrification from Stirling
- Leeds – Fully Electrified
- Lincoln – No Electrification from Newark North Gate – Possible Battery Destination
- Middlesbrough – No Electrification from Northallerton – Possible Battery Destination
- Newcastle – Fully Electrified
- Newark North Gate – Fully Electrified
- Northallerton – Fully Electrified
- Peterborough – Fully Electrified
- Skipton – Fully Electrified
- Retford – Fully Electrified
- Stevenage – Fully Electrified
- Stirling – Fully Electrified
- Sunderland – No Electrification from Northallerton – Possible Battery Destination
- Wakefield Westgate – Fully Electrified
- York – Fully Electrified
The destinations can be summarised as followed.
- Not Electrified – 2
- Possible Battery Destination – 6
- Fully Electrified – 20
This gives a total of 28.
Could the trains be matched better to the destinations?
- Some routes like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle and Stirling could possibly be beneficially handled by lightweight trains without any diesel or battery power-packs.
- Only Aberdeen and Inverness can’t be reached by all-electric or battery-electric trains.
- In LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes, I proposed a hydrogen-electric flagship train, that would use hydrogen North of the existing electrification.
There certainly appear to be possibilities.
Example Journey Times To Edinburgh
This table shows the various time for particular start-stop average speeds between Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
- 80 mph – 4:54
- 85 mph – 4:37
- 90 mph – 4:12
- 98.2 mph – 4:00
- 100 mph – 3:56
- 110 mph – 3:34
- 120 mph – 3:16
- 125 mph – 3:08
Note.
- Times are given in h:mm.
- A few mph increase in average speed reduces journey time by a considerable amount.
The figures certainly show the value of high speed trains and of removing bottlenecks, as average speed is so important.
Decarbonisation Of LNER
LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes was based on an article in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, with the same title. These are the first two paragraphs of the article.
LNER has launched the procurement of at least 10 new trains to supplement its Azuma fleet on East Coast main line services.
In a Prior Information Notice published on 27 October, the operator states it is seeking trains capable of operating under 25kW overhead power with ‘significant self-power capability’ for operation away from overhead wires. ‘On-board Energy Storage for traction will be specified as a mandatory requirement to reduce, and wherever practical eliminate, diesel usage where it would otherwise be necessary, although LNER anticipates some degree of diesel traction may be required to meet some self-power requirements. Suppliers tendering are asked to detail their experience of designing and manufacturing a fleet of multi-mode trains with a range of traction options including battery-electric, diesel-electric, hydrogen-electric, battery-diesel, dual fuel and tri-mode.
From this, LNER would appear to be serious about decarbonisation and from the destination list I published earlier, most services South of the Scottish Central Belt can be decarbonised by replacing diesel-power packs with battery power-packs.
That last bit, sounds like a call for innovation to provide a solution to the difficult routes to Aberdeen and Inverness. It also looks as if it has been carefully worded not to rule anybody out.
This press release from Hitachi is entitled Hitachi And Eversholt Rail To Develop GWR Intercity Battery Hybrid Train – Offering Fuel Savings Of More Than 20%.
It announces the Hitachi Intercity Tri-mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
As the Hitachi press release is dated the 15th of December 2020, which is after the publication of the magazine, it strikes me that LNER and Hitachi had been talking.
At no point have Hitachi stated what the range of the train is on battery power.
To serve the North of Scotland these gaps must be bridged.
- Aberdeen and Edinburgh Haymarket – 130 miles
- Inverness and Stirling – 146 miles
It should also be noted that distances in Scotland are such, that if these gaps could be bridged by battery technology, then probably all of the North of Scotland’s railways could be decarbonised. As Hitachi are the major supplier of Scotland’s local and regional electric trains, was the original Prior Information Notice, written to make sure Hitachi responded?
LNER run nine-car Class 800 trains on the two long routes to Aberdeen and Inverness.
- These trains have five diesel power-packs under coaches 2,3, 5, 7 and 8.
- As five-car Class 800 trains have diesel power-packs under coaches 2, 3 and 4, does this mean that Hitachi can fit diesel power-packs under all cars except for the driver cars?
- As the diesel and battery power-packs appear to be interchangeable, does this mean that Hitachi could theoretically build some very unusual trains?
- Hitachi’s trains can be up to twelve-cars in normal mode and twenty-four cars in rescue mode.
- LNER would probably prefer an all Azuma fleet, even if a few trains were a bit longer.
Imagine a ten-car train with two driver and eight intermediate cars, with all of the intermediate cars having maximum-size battery-packs.
Supposing, one or two of the battery power-packs were to be replaced with a diesel power-pack.
There are a lot of possibilities and I suspect LNER, Hitachi and Hyperdrive Innovation are working on a train capable of running to and from the North of Scotland.
Conclusion
I started by asking what is possible on The East Coast Main Line?
As the time of three-and-a-half hours was achieved by a short-formation InterCity 225 train in 1991 before Covids, Hitchin, Kings Cross Remodelling, Power Upgrades, Werrington and lots of other work, I believe that some journeys between Kings Cross and Edinburgh could be around this time within perhaps five years.
To some, that might seem an extraordinary claim, but when you consider that the InterCity 225 train in 1991 did it with only a few sections of 140 mph running, I very much think it is a certainly at some point.
As to the ultimate time, earlier I showed that an average of 120 mph between King’s Cross and Edinburgh gives a time of 3:16 minutes.
Surely, an increase of fourteen minutes in thirty years is possible?
Ashington Targets 2023 Opening
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the April 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the sub-title.
A half-hourly service to Newcastle is planned.
The two trains per hour (tph) service and the opening date sounds just what is needed. Not just on the Northumberland Line, but in many places in the UK.
I would suggest some of the following.
- Bodmin General And Bodmin Parkway
- Camp Hill Line
- Exeter and Okehampton
- Maid Marian Line
- South Fylde Line
- Wareham and Swanage
- Wymondham and Dereham
There are also some much-needed stations, that could be added.
If we can create and manufacture a vaccine in a year, we can surely do a lot on a rail project in two years. And a lot of them! How many construction firms and workers would it keep employed?
The Modern Railways article gives a few more details.
How, Not If
This is the title of the first sub-section and sounds good to me!
It looks like Network Rail and others intend to apply good project management to deliver the project, fast and at a good price.
They haven’t been the best in the past, is all I’ll say!
Six Stations
This is said.
In summary, six new stations are proposed, at Northumberland Park (interchange with the Tyne and Wear Metro), Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington and Ashington. An extension at the Northern end to Woodhorn is possible at a later stage.
Other points made include.
- Ashington is envisaged as the terminus.
- There are level crossing issues between Ashington and Woodhorn
- There will be a cycleway connecting Blyth Bebside with the town centre. With all those B’s, they need an Geordie equivalent to Boris bikes!
It sounds well-thought out to me.
Butterwell Freight Line
This is said.
Also for consideration at a later stage is conversion of the currently freight-only Butterwell Line to passenger use, permitting a service from Berwick-on-Tweed and Morpeth to Newcastle via Bedlington.
This Google Map shows the railway lines North of Ashington.
Note.
- The big grey building at the bottom of the map is Asda’s Ashington superstore.
- There is a rail junction to the West of the superstore.
- The line going South leds to Bedlington and Newcastle.
- The line going North-East goes to Woodhorn, Lynemouth Power station and the Alcan Smelter.
- The Line going North West through the trees is the Butterwell Line, which goes to the Butterwell Opencast coal mine, Widdrington station and up the East Coast Main Line to Berwick-on-Tweed.
This second Google Map shows to the North of the first one.
Note the Butterwell Line runs from the South East corner of the map through the woods and to the East of the Ellington landfill site.
This third Google Map shows the route of the line to the East Coast Main Line.
Note.
- The electrified East Coast Main Line runs North-South down the Western site of the map.
- The large fields may indicate that coal has been removed and they have been restored.
- The Butterwell Line meanders its way across the map.
- Trains would appear to be able to enter and leave the Butterwell Line to or from the East Coast Main Line to and from the South only.
- The next station to the South is Pegswood and to the North is Widdrington.
- At the East of the map, the line connects to the line to Ashington through the woods.
- The Butterwell Line appears to be a mix of single and double track.
I wonder if Network Rail and train companies have a cunning plan for train services on this section of the East Coast Main Line.
Current services on the East Coast Main Line, that use the section of the line between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed include.
- CrossCountry – 1 tph – Newcastle and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Stops irregularly at Alnmouth and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
- East Coast Trains – 5 trains per day (tpd) – Stops at Morpeth
- LNER – 1 tph – Newcastle and Edinburgh – Stops at Berwick-on-Tweed
- Northern Trains – 1 tph – Newcastle and Morpeth – Stops at Manors and Cramlington
- Northern Trains – 2 tpd – Newcastle and Chathill – Stops at Manors, Cramlington, Morpeth, Pegswood, Widdrington, Acklington and Alnmouth
- TransPennine Express – 1 tph – Newcastle and Edinburgh – Stops at Morpeth
Note.
- Morpeth and Berwick-upon-Tweed get at least one fast tph to both Newcastle and Edinburgh.
- Stations between Morpeth and Berwick-upon-Tweed get only a two tpd service.
- Stations between Newcastle and Morpeth get a 1 tph service.
- The East Coast Main Line is only two tracks and I suspect that Northern’s slow diesel multiple units are not ideal trains for the route.
The obvious improvement would surely be to run an hourly train between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed, via Bedlington.
- It would stop at Northumberland Park, Seaton Delaval, Newsham, Blyth Bebside, Bedlington, Ashington, Pegswood, Morpeth, Pegswood, Widdrington, Acklington and Alnmouth.
- There would be a reverse at Morpeth.
- It would join the East Coast Main Line between Pegswood and Widdrington stations.
- Trains could be timed, so that passengers between Cramlington and Alnmouth only waited a couple of minutes during change at Morpeth.
- Faster trains would be used to ease train pathing on the East Coast Main Line.
Current fastest times between Newcastle, Morpeth and Berwick-upon-Tweed are as follows.
- Berwick-on-Tweed and Newcastle – LNER – 67 miles – 46 minutes – 87 mph
- Berwick-on-Tweed and Morpeth – LNER – 50.2 miles – 30 minutes – 100.4 mph
- Morpeth and Newcastle – TransPennine Express- 17.5 miles – 26 minutes – 40.4 mph
It looks to me that because of the times North of Morpeth, that a high performance train or some cunning signalling will be needed.
Britishvolt’s Gigaplant
BritishVolt are building a factory to produce lithium-ion batteries at Blyth.
The Modern Railways article says this.
Recent news concerning Blyth is that it has been selected as the site for Britain’s first ‘gigaplant’ for electric car battery production, with a planning application for the 95-hectare site on the north of the river Blyth (the location of the former Blyth power station) submitted by Britishvolt in February. The £2.6billion scheme is expected to generate about 3000 jobs; if all goes well, lithium-ion batteries could be produced on the site by the end of 2023. The new factory will be about 2.5 miles from Bebside station and there has been talk of linking to the site with a shuttle bus.
I looked at Britishvolt’s web site and if I was graduating soon, I don’t think it would fire me up, unlike others in similar sectors.
We live in exciting times, so don’t have a boring web site, as it will not attract exciting and enthusiastic people.
This Google Map shows the Port of Blyth.
Note.
- The red arrow at the top of the map labelled as a former power station, which must be Blyth power station.
- There is certainly a large cleared site to the South of the arrow.
- The Port of Blyth is to the East.
- Because of the power station and the port the site could be rail connected fairly easily.
Britishvolt seem to be planning to use rail freight to bring in raw materials and take out finished product.
The Modern Railways article says this.
The new factory will be about 2.5 miles from Bebside station and there has been talk of linking to the site with a shuttle bus.
As there is a rail connection, at some point in the future could a shuttle train be used? Or perhaps a few trains per day between the factory and Newcastle.
A Bridge For The A1061 At Newsham
The Modern Railways article says this.
A new road bridge will be built on the A1061 to replace Newsham level crossing.
This Google Map shows where the Northumberland Line crosses the A1061 at the level crossing at Newsham.
Note.
- The railway is double-track through the level crossing.
- It doesn’t appear to be a challenging project.
- A bridge could either be built along the existing route or a few metres to the South.
But as it looks like there could be more housing development in the area, would a bold design, that would allow a station to be added later be better?
Two Footbridges
The Modern Railways article says this.
In addition, there will be two new footbridges; Palmersville Dairy (replacing Palmersville foot crossing) and Chase Meadows (replacing Chase Meadows foot crossing).
This Google Map shows the Palmersville foot crossing to the West of Palmersville station on the Tyne and Wear Metro.
Note.
- The Northern pair of tracks are the Tyne and Wear Metro.
- The Southern pair of Tracks are the Northumberland Line.
- Palmersville and Northumberland Park stations are to the East.
- The current foot crossing is shown over the Northumberland Line.
It would appear that there is plenty of space for a footbridge.
Two Trains Per Hour
The Modern Railways article says this about infrastructure improvements to enable two trains per hour.
An extension of the double-track south from Newsham, for about 1 km in the direction of Seaton Delaval, along with a new 2.4 km passing loop between Holywell and Seghill, are in place in order to permit a half-hourly service in both directions.
From the maps, it looks like about half the route between Northumberland Park station and Seghill will be double-track.
It may even be possible to extend the double-track further South towards Northumberland Park station, if there became a need to run more trains on the Northumberland Line.
Operations
The Modern Railways article says this.
It is assumed that Class 158 DMUs will be the rolling stock for the first couple of years of service to Ashington, with three or four units required. Conversion of these trains (or replacement with new) to allow battery-electric operation is envisaged for the later years of this decade. There will be provision for two-car services at the outset with passive provision for extension to four-cars in the infrastructure works.
In Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, I felt that the Hitachi Regional Battery Trains would be ideal for this route.
I said this.
I’m drawn inextricably to the conclusion, that the trains should be 100 mph battery-electric trains.
Hitachi, who have a factory in the North-East, have announced their Regional Battery Train in July 2020, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
These trains can be based on Class 385 trains.
-
- They are 100 mph trains.
- They come in three- and four-cars lengths.
- The three-car trains have 206 seats.
- They can work in pairs.
- They can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- They have a range of 90 kilometres or 56 miles on battery power.
- The batteries would be charged on the ECML between Benton North junction and Newcastle station.
- The battery packs will be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation in Sunderland.
- They have big windows for the views.
I’m sure Hitachi, Hyperdrive and Britishvolt would like a fleet in service, just up the road from their factories.
Now that the extension to between Ashington and Berwick-upon-Tweed via Morpeth is being talked about, I suspect that battery-electric trains, will be ideal for this route.
Distances without electrification of the two routes are as follows.
- Benton North Junction and Ashington – 19 miles – 38 miles round trip
- Benton North Junction and Widdrington – 27 miles
These distances are well within the planned range of the Hitachi Regional Battery Trains and they would even be capable of working a round trip to Ashington without charging at the Northern end of the route.
Batteries can be charged on the East Coast Main Line on the following sections of the route.
- Between Benton North Junction and Newcastle.
- Between Morpeth and Berwick-upon-Tweed stations.
Their fast acceleration and 100 mph operating speed mean that it could keep out of the way of the 140 mph Hitachi trains North of Morpeth.
Calling At Manors Station
The Modern Railways article says that because the East Coast Main Line is so busy, some peak services may have to omit the call at Manors station in the suburbs of Newcastle that is envisaged for the off-peak services.
I wonder with their faster acceleration, if the Hitachi Regional Battery Trains would be able to handle the stop at Manors station for all services.
Development At Ashington
The Modern Railways article gives this quote from Network Rail’s manager for the reopening project.
For instance in the centre of Ashington there’s a rather grim 1960s tower block that is owned by the county council that could be replaced by something more appropriate to today’s needs. This is Wansbeck Square in the centre of the town; the square is in line to be remodelled to make it more attractive. The integrated station and development need to be delivered at the same time for maximum impact.
This Google Map shows the Northerland Line going through the centre of the town of Ashington.
Note.
- Station Road running East-West .across the top of the map.
- The 1960s block could be to the West of the railway, especially as the Southern part is labelled Northumberland County Council.
- The site to the West of the railway does appear to be quite large.
The new station and the Wansbeck Square site does look look to have strong development potential.
Plans Submitted To Build Railway Station At Bebside In Northumberland
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on ITV.
There is a picture of a double-track railway line with this caption.
The proposal includes a two-platform railway station, lifts, parking and a pedestrian and cycle footbridge over the A189 Spine Road to connect the station to Blyth next to Asda.
This Google Map shows the location.
Note.
- The A189 dual-carriageway road running North-South.
- The Asda Blyth Superstore to the East of the road.
- The Northumberland Line running down the Western side of the map.
If you click on the map to show it in a large size, you’ll see the Bebside Inn in the North-West corner, next to the railway and a level crossing.
The station appears to be being built South of the level crossing.
It looks to be a very suitable place for a new station.
Bid To Get Trains Running From Ashington To Newcastle Move Step Closer As New Station Plans Lodged
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Chronicle Live.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Proposals for a single platform railway station at Northumberland Park have been lodged with North Tyneside Council.
In Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, I said this about linking the new Northumberland Line to the Metro at Northumberland Park station.
Northumberland Park station is planned to be an interchange between the Northumberland Line and the Metro.
This Google Map shows the station.
Note.
-
- The two Metro tracks either side of an island platform.
- The single track of the Northumberland Line alongside.
There would appear to be space to the North of the Metro tracks to squeeze in two tracks, each with a platform for each.
But if the frequency on the Northumberland Line were only two trains per hour (tph), would the simplicity of a single Northumberland Line platform be worthwhile?
It seems I got it right about a single platform being enough.
But the article says this about access.
The new stop would be built next to the existing Metro station and would be accessed from Algernon Road via stairs or a lift.
The single platform may seem a little on the cheap, but one platform works well at stations like Galashiels.
These pictures show Galashiels station on the recently opened Borders Railway.
Galashiels is an interesting solution, as there is a single-platform step-free railway station on one side of the road and a comprehensive bus interchange on the other with seats, cafes, shops and warm shelter.
Galashiels station is designed to handle two trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
First Planning Applications Due On Northumberland Line
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the News Post Leader.
I described the Northumberland Line projevt in Trains: £34m For Revival Of 50-Year-Old North-East Railway Line, which I wrote a fortnight ago.
This paragraph from the News Post Leader article, describes the scope of the project.
The project will upgrade 18 miles of track, open six new stations, three new footbridges and new signal locations.
And this paragraph, describes the initial work.
Planning applications are set to be submitted to the council for new stations at Ashington and Northumberland Park in North Tyneside, along with a new footbridge at Chase Meadows in Bebside.
It is aimed to open the passenger service in 2024.
Chase Meadows Footbridge, Bebside
This Google Map shows the location of the new footbridge at Chase Meadows in Bebside.
Note.
- The A189 dual-carriageway running North-South.
- The single-track Northumberland Line curving in a similar direction
- Blyth Academy looks to be an important school.
- Chase Meadows runs from the Academy to the railway.
I have no clue, as to where Bebside station is to be built, but it would seem logical for this to happen on the sizeable plot between the road and the railway. This currently appears to be a small farm, with horses in the fields.
This second Google Map shows where the railway crosses the road.
Note, the path going alongside the road to Asda.
Will the bridge be built on the North-East or South-West side of the railway?
I will assume it will be step-free with either ramps or lifts.
This picture shows Horden station.
This station is South of Newcastle and only has ramps, so will something similar be built here?
The Anonymous Widower 