Could Greater Anglia Run A Comprehensive Service For East Anglia?
Consider.
- In the last fifty years, there have been direct trains between London Liverpool Street and Lowestoft stations.
- In the last forty years, there have been direct trains between London Liverpool Street and Peterborough stations.
- Greater Anglia currently run an hourly train between London Liverpool Street and Ipswich stations, with stops at Stratford, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester and Manningtree
- Frequencies on both routes were not high and less than four trains per day (tpd), but they must have been a demand for these services.
- Greater Anglia promised to run a Lowestoft service, when they successfully reapplied for the franchise.
- Greater Anglia have 38 Class 755 trains, of which 14 are three-cars and 24 are four-cars.
- Class 755 trains can run in twoses and possibly threeses. (Suffolk dialect for twins and triplets!)
Could these elements be assembled to provide a comprehensive East Anglia service?
- A pair of Class 755 trains would leave Liverpool Street for Ipswich.
- They would takeover some of the paths of the hourly Liverpool Street and Ipswich service and run possibly about four or five tpd, according to demand.
- Between Liverpool Street and Ipswich the trains could stop at Stratford, Shenfield, Chelmsford, Hatfield Peverel, Witham, Kelvedon, Marks Tey, Colchester and Manningtree
- The services would splitgoing North and join going South at Ipswich
- One train would go to Peterborough with stops at Needham Market, Stowmarket, Elmswell, Thurston, Bury St. Edmunds, Soham, Ely, Manea, March and Whittlesea.
- The other would go to Lowestoft with stops at Woodbridge, Melton, Wickham Market, Saxmundham, Darsham, Halesworth, Brampton, Beccles and Oulton Broad South.
Note.
- The Class 755 trains would use electricity, where electrification exists.
- They would use diesel on lines without electrification.
- They would be able to hold 100 mph, so wouldn’t delay other trains.
- Seventeen towns would get new direct services to and from London.
- A Class 745 train is 236.6 metres long, whereas a pair of four-car Class 755 trains is only 161.4 metres.
- A three-train formation of Class 755 trains is only 5.5 metres longer than a single Class 745 train.
I am fairly sure no new substantial infrastructure would be required.
I have some further thoughts.
Example Timings
These timings to and from London are based on current timings of the Class 745 and 755 trains.
- Ipswich – 60 mins
- Stowmarket -70 mins
- Bury St. Edmunds – 88 mins
- Soham – 108 mins
- Ely – 117 mins
- March – 136 mins
- Peterborough – 158 mins
- Woodbridge – 75 mins
- Melton – 80 mins
- Wickham Market – 86 mins
- Saxmundham – 97 mins
- Darsham – 104 mins
- Halesworth – 113 mins
- Brampton – 119 mins
- Beccles – 128 mins
- Oulton Broad South – 138 mins
- Lowestoft – 146 mins
Notes.
- Times to and from Ipswich are based on typical services at the current time.
- I have assumed that there are no stops South of Ipswich.
- Saxmundham is the closest station to Sizewell and could be important in bringing in construction workers for Sizewell C.
I think some of the times like those to and from Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Saxmundham and Woodbridge could create popular routes.
Battery-Electric Trains
Consider.
- I wrote about Stadler’s expertise with battery-electric trains in Stadler FLIRT Akku Battery Train Demonstrates 185km Range.
- 185 km. is 115 miles.
- The Class 756 trains for Transport for Wales are similar trains to the Class 755 trains fitted with batteries.
- In Battery Power Lined Up For ‘755s’, I wrote about plans to put batteries in the Class 755 trains.
These sections of lines are not electrified on the routes I have talked about.
- Haughley Junction and Ely – 38 miles
- Ely and Peterborough – 30.5 miles
- Westerfield and Lowestoft – 38 miles
As there is electrification at Ely, Haughley, Peterborough and Westerfield and South to London, I am fairly certain the route could be run by battery-electric trains.
Electrification To Sizewell C
In the January 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article, which is entitled Rail Set To Support Sizewell C Construction.
It details how sidings will be built to support the construction, with up to four trains per day (tpd), but the electrification word is not mentioned.
This is surprising to me, as increasingly, big construction projects are being managed to emit as small an amount of carbon as possible. High Speed Two is being built this way and I suspect Rolls-Royce’s SMR design will minimise carbon emissions during manufacture and construction. It will be very surprising if Sizewell C doesn’t follow High Speed Two’s example. After all, it may be an isolated site, but in Sizewell B, it’s got one of the UK’s biggest carbon-free electricity generators a couple of hundred metres away.
The writer of the Modern Railways article, thinks an opportunity is being missed.
I feel the following should be done.
- Improve and electrify the East Suffolk Line between Ipswich and Saxmundham Junction.
- Electrify the Aldeburgh Branch Line and the sidings to support the construction or agree to use battery-electric or hydrogen zero-carbon locomotives.
One of the collateral benefits of electrifying from Ipswich to Saxmundham Junction, is that it will make it easier for battery-electric Class 755 trains to work Ipswich and Lowestoft services.
- If the trains were to leave Saxmundham Junction going North with a full battery, they should be able to travel to Lowestoft and return.
- Battery-electric Class 755 trains could bring in workers from Ipswich or Lowestoft and further afield.
- It could even leave behind a zero-carbon branch line to Sizewell, Leiston and Aldeburgh, with two tph to Ipswich.
Sizewell C could be a superb demonstration project for low-carbon construction!
The Lowestoft-Great Yarmouth Conurbation
The Wikipedia entry for Lowestoft says this about the town.
The estimated population in the built-up area exceeds 70,000. Its development grew with the fishing industry and as a seaside resort with wide sandy beaches. As fishing declined, oil and gas exploitation in the North Sea in the 1960s took over. While these too have declined, Lowestoft is becoming a regional centre of the renewable energy industry.
Whilst the Wikipedia entry for Great Yarmouth says this about the town.
Great Yarmouth, often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located 20 miles (30 km) east of Norwich. A population of 38,693 in the 2011 Census made it Norfolk’s third most populous. Its fishing industry, mainly for herring, shrank after the mid-20th century and has all but ended.[3] North Sea oil from the 1960s supplied an oil-rig industry that services offshore natural gas rigs; more recently, offshore wind power and other renewable energy industries have ensued.
Wikipedia also said this about the population of the wider Great Yarmouth.
The wider Great Yarmouth borough had a population of around 92,500, which increased to 97,277 at the 2011 census.
Taken together they are one of the largest conurbations in East Anglia.
The main means of transport between the two towns is by road.
Surely, two towns of over 70,000 people, who are only a few miles apart need a rail connection.
Onward From Lowestoft To Great Yarmouth
If the comprehensive East Anglia service, I’m discussing is to be truly comprehensive, it must serve the Norfolk Broads and Great Yarmouth.
This would also improve the connectivity between two of the largest coastal towns in East Anglia, that I indicated in the last section.
This OpenRailwayMap shows a cunning plan proposed by Network Rail to connect Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
Note.
- Great Yarmouth is in the North East corner of the map.
- Two lines lead West from Great Yarmouth station, with the more Northerly route going direct to Norwich and the more Southerly one going to Norwich via Berney Arms and Reedham.
- Lowestoft is in the South East corner of the map.
- Two lines lead West from Lowestoft station, with the Northern route going to Norwich via Reedham and the Southern one going to Ipswich via Oulton Broad South.
- The route of a coastal railway connecting the two towns is also shown.
Network Rail’s cunning plan is indicated on this second nap from OpenRailwayMap.
Note.
- Reedham station is in the North-West corner of the map on the line to Norwich.
- To the East of the station is a triangular junction.
- The track from the North-East corner of the junction is the line to Great Yarmouth.
- The track from the Southern corner of the junction is the line to Lowestoft.
- Unfortunately, the South-Eastern leg of the junction was removed in 1880.
In Norfolk Rail Line To Remain Closed As £68m Upgrade Project Overruns, I said this.
Network Rail are talking about reinstating the Reedham Chord to create a more direct route between East Anglia’s largest North-Eastern towns. This is said about the Reedham Chord in Direct Yarmouth Services in the Wikipedia entry for Lowestoft station.
In January 2015, a Network Rail study proposed the reintroduction of direct services between Lowestoft and Yarmouth by reinstating a spur at Reedham. Services could once again travel between two East Coast towns, with an estimated journey time of 33 minutes, via a reconstructed 34-chain (680 m) north-to-south arm of the former triangular junction at Reedham, which had been removed in c. 1880. The plans also involve relocating Reedham station nearer the junction, an idea which attracted criticism.
This sounds a good plan to me.
- It would allow direct services between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.
- It would allow direct services between Ipswich and Great Yarmouth with a reverse at Lowestoft in about two hours.
- With possible charging at Lowestoft and/or Great Yarmouth, a scenic route could be created between Ipswich and Norwich for battery-electric Class 755 trains. If that doesn’t get people out of their cars then nothing will!
- Various leisure, tourism and work-related opportunities would be created.
Never in the field of railway engineering would such a small chord have given so much.
Sizewell C Issues
Sizewell C will be a massive project and I also suspect that like High Speed Two, it will be built in a manner that will be zero-carbon where possible.
We already know from the Modern Railways article, that four tpd will shuttle material to a number of sidings close to the site. This is a good start.
Since Sizewell A opened, trains have regularly served the Sizewell site to bring in and take out nuclear material. These occasional trains go via Ipswich and in the last couple of years have generally been hauled by Class 88 electro-diesel locomotives.
It would be reasonable to assume that the Sizewell C sidings will be served in the same manner.
But the route between Westerfield Junction and Ipswich station is becoming increasingly busy with the following services.
- Greater Anglia’s London and Norwich services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Cambridge services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Felixstowe services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Lowestoft services
- Greater Anglia’s Ipswich and Peterborough services
- Freight services serving the Port of Felixstowe, which are expected to increase significantly in forthcoming years.
But the Modern Railways article says this about Saxmundham junction.
Saxmundham junction, where the branch meets the main line, will be relaid on a slightly revised alignment, retaining the existing layout but with full signalling giving three routes from the junction protecting signal on the Down East Suffolk line and two in the Down direction on the bidirectional Up East Suffolk line. Trap points will be installed on the branch to protect the main line, with the exit signal having routes to both running lines.
Does the comprehensive signalling mean that a freight train can enter or leave the Sizewell sidings to or from either the busy Ipswich or the quieter Lowestoft direction in a very safe manner?
I’m no expert on signalling, but I think it does.
- A train coming from the Lowestoft direction needing to enter the sidings would go past Saxmundham junction on the Up line. Once clear of the junction, it would stop and reverse into the branch.
- A train coming from the Ipswich direction needing to enter the sidings would approach in the wrong direction on the Up line and go straight into the branch.
- A train leaving the sidings in the Lowestoft direction would exit from the branch and take the Up line until it became single track. The train would then stop and reverse on to the Down line and take this all the way to Lowestoft.
- A train leaving the sidings in the Ipswich direction would exit from the branch and take the Up line all the way to Ipswich.
There would need to be ability to move the locomotive from one end to the other inside the Sizewell site or perhaps these trains could be run with a locomotive on both ends.
The advantage of being able to run freight trains between Sizewell and Lowestoft becomes obvious, when you look at this Google Map, which shows the Port of Lowestoft.
Note.
- The Inner Harbour of the Port of Lowestoft.
- The East Suffolk Line running East-West to the North of the Inner Harbour.
- Lowestoft station at the East side of the map.
I doubt it would be the most difficult or expensive of projects to build a small freight terminal on the North side of the Inner Harbour.
I suspect that the easiest way to bring the material needed to build the power station to Sizewell would be to do the following.
- Deliver it to the Port of Lowestoft by ship.
- Tranship to a suitable shuttle train for the journey to the Sizewell sidings.
- I estimate that the distance is only about 25 miles and a battery or hydrogen locomotive will surely be available in the UK in the next few years, that will be able to provide the motive power for the return journey.
In The TruckTrain, I wrote about a revolutionary freight concept, that could be ideal for the Sizewell freight shuttle.
Great Yarmouth Racecourse
Great Yarmouth Racecourse is one of my favourite racecourses and I believe it is one of the attractions in Great Yarmouth, that would benefit from an improved rail service between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, as it would almost double those with efficient public transport access to the racecourse.
The walking distance between Great Yarmouth station and the racecourse is walkable for many and I remember doing it since C died.
With the train connection to Lowestoft and perhaps a courtesy bus from the station, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that a Lowestoft-Yarmouth rail connection being very good for the racecourse. Especially as road traffic between the two towns can be not the best.
Finishing At Norwich
There are operational reasons to carry on to Norwich, where Crown Point, is the home base for the Class 755 trains.
But it would also link a lot of places that are dependant on tourism and are also heavily involved in East Anglia’s energy industry.
Onward From Peterborough To Lincoln
If the Lowestoft service can extend to Great Yarmouth, an extension of the Peterborough service to Lincoln via Spalding and Sleaford might be possible.
But with LNER also serving Lincoln from Kings Cross, I doubt the route would carry many passengers to and from London.
Conclusion
A service from London, that splits into two trains at Ipswich for Lowestoft and Peterborough has possibilities.
Extending The Elizabeth Line – London Crosslink
In the Wikipedia entry for the London Crosslink, this is the introduction.
London Crosslink was a passenger train service operated by Anglia Railways between Norwich and Basingstoke, using the North London Line to bypass central London. Class 170 Turbostar diesel multiple units were used, and the service operated between 22 May 2000 and 28 September 2002, supported by funding from the Strategic Rail Authority through its Rail Passenger Partnership fund.
As it was discontinued and it doesn’t seem to be sadly missed, I’m not advocating its reinstatement, but just looking how it might be run after the full opening of the Elizabeth Line.
But surely, there were good reasons, why the service was run in the first place and there might be a need in the future.
These are some characteristics of the service.
- There were about half-a-dozen services in both directions every day.
- At its full length it ran between Norwich and Basingstoke.
- Stops included Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Colchester, Witham, Chelmsford, Ingatestone, Romford, Stratford, Highbury & Islington, Camden Road, West Hampstead, Brentford, Feltham, Staines, Woking and Farnborough (Main).
- Each service seemed to have a different stopping pattern.
- The timetable wasn’t very regular.
- The route wasn’t fully electrified.
It appears that it may have been a difficult service to timetable.
A London Crosslink Based On The Elizabeth Line
Consider.
- The route between Norwich and Stratford is possible and is fully-electrified.
- Trains could use the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line between Stratford and Paddington.
- There is no connection between the Central Tunnel and Brentford, Feltham, Staines, Woking and Farnborough (Main).
I suspect that the service would go to Basingstoke via Reading.
An alternative route might be serve Heathrow Terminal 5 and then connect to the Windsor and Staines Line.
Note.
- In Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting Great Eastern Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel, I showed that I thought it was possible for Great Eastern Main Line service to use the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line.
- Reading and Basingstoke is not electrified.
Would it be worthwhile?
Flirt Akku And Class 755 Train Compared
This article on Focus Transport is entitled 224-kilometre Battery Range For FLIRT Akku – Stadler Sets World Record For Guinness Book Of Records.
These facts about the record run are given.
- The route was from from Berlin to Warnemünde.
- It appears to have been independently verified.
- The distance was 224 kilometres or 139 miles.
- This distance is more than London to Great Yarmouth via Norwich.
- It is reported that the temperature was around zero, which is not very battery-friendly.
No mention was made in the article of the number of passengers on board or the average speed.
Various articles have stated that the Flirt Akku is a three-car train, but I was not sure, if it included a PowerPack car like the Class 755 train.
So I flew my virtual drone over the route and got this picture.
Compare the front end with this picture of a Class 755 train at Lowestoft.
And the side view with this diagram of the trains, that I clipped from Wikipedia.
I can come to these conclusions.
- The two front ends are very different, although the basic layout of doors and windows appears the same.
- The Akku seems to have a flatter side.
- The Akku lacks the PowerPack of the British train.
It also looks like the Greater Anglia train has better step-free access between between train and platform. But then you never seem to find good step-free access on German trains.
Some extra information and thoughts .
Testing The Flirt Akku
This article on Railvolution is entitled FLIRT AKKU Research Project Completed.
The article comprehensively described the testing process and gave more details of the train.
- The train was running at 140 kph or 87 mph.
- This speed is available from the catenary or battery.
- Battery charging takes twenty minutes.
- The train seats 154 passengers in a 2 + 2 configuration.
The train appears to be roughly the same size and performance as a three-car Class 755 train.
Range On A Battery-Electric Class 755 Train
The battery range needed on various Greater Anglia routes are as follows.
Ipswich and Cambridge – 41.3 miles
- Ipswich and Felixstowe – 15.6 miles
- Ipswich and Lowestoft – 48.9 miles
- Ipswich and Peterborough – 71.2 miles
- Norwich and Great Yarmouth – 18.3 miles
- Norwich and Lowestoft – 23.5 miles
- Norwich and Sheringham – 30 miles
- Norwich and Stansted Airport – 53.7 miles
- Marks Tey and Sudbury – 11.8 miles
Note.
- Cambridge, Ely, Ipswich, Norwich and Peterborough are stations with full electrification.
- I suspect some services will need charging at the remote station.
It looks like to handle all routes will need a train with a range of around 80 miles or around 129 kilometres.
Conclusion
I don’t think that it would be impossible for Stadler to create a battery-electric Class 755 train with enough range.
Is There A Case For A Round-The-Wash Service Between Doncaster And Ipswich/Norwich?
I suggested this service in The Integrated Rail Plan For The North And Midlands And The East Coast Main Line.
Effectively, it would join East Midlands Railway’s Doncaster and Peterborough service with Greater Anglia’s Cambridge and Ipswich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Suffolk.
- The service would not use the East Coast Main Line, but would use the new Werrington Dive-Under and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line to the East of the East Coast Main Line.
- The frequency would be one train per two hours (1tp2h).
- Ideal trains could be Class 755 trains, perhaps running on batteries or hydrogen.
It would be paired with a new Doncaster and Norwich service, that could partly replace East Midlands Railway’s Liverpool and Norwich service.
- The service could go via Scunthorpe, Grimsby Town, Cleethorpes, Grimsby Town, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Sleaford, Spalding, Peterborough, March, Ely, Cambridge North, Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.
- There would be reverses at Cleethorpes and Cambridge.
- There may be extra stops in Lincolnshire and across Norfolk.
As with the Ipswich train it would not use the East Coast Main Line and have a frequency of 1tp2h.
The Objectives Of The Service
I believe this service could have several objectives.
Remove Slower Trains From The East Coast Main Line Between Peterborough And Doncaster
There aren’t many except freight, but this plan could provide a better solution to the Liverpool and Norwich service.
Providing Better Connections To The Biggest Growth Point In The UK – Cambridge
Cambridge needs better connections, so that it can bring in the staff and workers, that the high-tech capital of the UK needs.
Better Connection Of East Anglia And Lincolnshire To Northern England And Scotland
In Peterborough and Doncaster the route has two main interchanges to bring about these connections.
Promoting Tourism
For a start the route has five cathedrals; Bury St. Edmunds, Ely, Lincoln, Norwich and Peterborough and the historic city of Cambridge.
But I do believe that there are numerous places, where tourists might stay on the route and use it to explore the East of the country.
A Few Questions
These are a few questions.
Would The Route Be Electrified?
I don’t believe it will be fully electrified for two reasons.
Freight locomotives will increasingly become hydrogen-powered and also be able to use electrification, where it exists.
Plans by the likes of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Furrer and Frey are likely to enable discontinuous and battery-electric trains to be able to work the route.
This philosophy would avoid all the disruption and reconstruction of structures of electrification and probably be much more affordable.
Would York Or Leeds Make A Better Northern Terminal For The Route?
Both have possibilities.
- York would need running on the East Coast Main Line.
- Leeds would probably need trains capable of 125 mph running.
On the other hand both Leeds and York would have superb connectivity.
Conclusion
I feel this would be a very valuable new service and it could be created without building any new infrastructure other than perhaps some strategic stations.
Would A Lumo-Style Service Work Between King’s Cross And Norfolk?
This is a bit of a fantasy and you’ll never know the real reason why I have written it!
With the upgrade of the East Coast Main Line to full digital signalling, there will be a problem South of Hitchin with 140 mph Azumas and Hitachi Class 802 trains and similar from Grand Central , Hull Trains and Lumo hogging the fast lines to and from King’s Cross. I first wrote about it in Call For ETCS On King’s Lynn Route.
One solution would be to replace the current Class 387 trains with a 140 mph train , such as a Hitachi Class 802 variant. This would enable these fast King’s Lynn and Cambridge trains to join the 140 mph trains on a fast run to and from King’s Cross.
The Future Of Cambridge
Cambridge is one of the UK’s four world cities, with its heritage and lately its high position in any technology league table.
The Current Rail Service Between London And Cambridge
Currently, it has a good service into King’s Cross, Liverpool Street and St. Pancras.
- Great Northern – two tph to King’s Cross – A stopping train using Class 700 or Class 387 trains.
- Great Northern – one tph between Ely and King’s Cross – A fast train using Class 387 trains.
- Great Northern – one tph between King’s Lynn and King’s Cross – A fast train using Class 387 trains.
- Thameslink – two tph to Brighton – A semi-fast train using Class 700 trains.
- Greater Anglia – two tph to Liverpool Street – A semi-fast train using Class 720 or Class 379 trains.
Note.
- tph means trains per hour.
- The similar Class 387 and Class 379 trains are both late-model Bombardier Electrostars with sensible seats and a large number of tables. Both train types can or could be modified to run at 110 mph.
- The Class 700 trains are unsuitable for the route, as they have ironing-board seats and no tables. These are only 100 mph trains.
- The Queen’s bottom doesn’t like the Class 700 trains.
A large proportion of the passengers and commuters between to and from Cambridge work in high-tech or information-rich businesses and I believe if the trains were more geared to this market they would attract passengers away from the roads.
The Cambridge Employment Problem
Fast-growing Cambridge is taking over the region and it is always looking for towns and villages to develop as places for dormitories and to build premises for the hundreds of high-tech businesses.
This is one of the reasons why Greater Anglia acquired new Stadler Class 755 trains to run services from Cambridge to Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough and Stansted Airport.
If you’re going to lure Cambridge’s well-paid high-tech commuters out of their cars, you must give them an equivalent seat to their car. The Class 379, 387 and 755 trains do this.
Living In Norfolk And Suffolk And Working In Cambridge
This has always been the choice of many who work in Cambridge, but using rail into Cambridge didn’t really take-off seriously until modern three-car Class 170 trains replaced the single-car Class 153 trains.
Greater Anglia have followed the upward trend in passenger numbers, by running hourly four-car Class 755 trains from Cambridge to both Ipswich and Norwich.
Before the pandemic, it was starting to look like Norwich and Cambridge would soon need a second service, especially with the planned opening of the new Cambridge South station in 2025.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital And The Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Cambridge South station is being built to serve Addenbrooke’s Hospital and Cambridge Biomedical Campus, which intend to be create the foremost medical research cluster in the world.
Staycations And Holiday Homes In East Anglia
Life is changing because of the covids and more people are taking staycations or buying holiday homes.
And many are following the example of the Queen and going to Norfolk for their relaxation.
The Undoubted Need To Improve Rail Services Between London King’s Cross And Norfolk Via Cambridge
These factors convince me that there is a need for a new or repurposed rail service between London King’s Cross and Norfolk via Cambridge.
- The need to provide a high-class commuter service between London and Cambridge.
- The need to bring workers into Cambridge from Norfolk.
- The need to provide a fast high-class rail link to Cambridge South station with all its medical research.
- The need to provide a comprehensive working environment on the trains.
- The need to cater for all those people relaxing in Norfolk after a hard week in London.
It is my view, that a radical design of train is needed for this route.
- It would need to have a high-class interior.
- It would need at least a 125 mph capability, so that it can use the fast lines between Hitchin and King’s Cross.
- The train may need the ability to split and join.
- It would need an independent power capability for running on the Breckland Line between Ely and Norwich.
- Because of Cambridge and because East Anglia is easy country for cycling, it would need a sensible capacity for cycles.
I also believe that because of the need to decarbonise, the train should be zero-carbon.
These are my thoughts.
Operating Speed
Because of running on the fast lines between Hitchin and King’s Cross with the 140 mph trains from the North, I suspect that an operating speed of at least 125 mph is needed. But if the Hitachi trains of LNER, Hull Trains, Lumo and in the future possibly other operators like Grand Central, will be capable of 140 mph, this speed could be desirable.
Speed limits once the trains have left the East Coast Main Line at Hitchin North junction are as follows.
- Hitchin and Cambridge – 90 mph
- Cambridge and King’s Lynn – 90 mph
- Ely and Norwich – 75-90 mph
I can see Network Rail using their expertise to raise the speed limit on sections of these lines.
Flighting Of Trains On The East Coast Main Line
To increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line, I believe that at some point in the not too distant future that trains will be flighted. This will involve two or more trains leaving King’s Cross in a sequence and proceeding with all trains at a safe distance from each other.
I can envisage a flight like this from King’s Cross.
- An Edinburgh train with York as the first stop – Leaves at XX.00
- A Leeds train with Doncaster as the first stop – Leaves at XX.03
- A Lincoln train with Peterborough as the first stop – Leaves at XX.06
- A Cambridge train with Stevenage as the first stop – Leaves at XX.09
Note.
- The Edinburgh train would set the speed.
- Trains would maintain their time behind the lead train.
- Everything could be controlled by the digital signalling.
- Gaps between the trains would be sufficient for a safe stop.
- No train in the flight would make a station stop unless it was the last train in the flight.
- The last train in the flight would drop off and go to their destination.
As there are at least two tph to Edinburgh, Leeds and Cambridge, there would be two main flights per hour leaving King’s Cross, with the second flight perhaps incorporating a service to Hull.
Digital signalling and precise driving would enable the flights to be built in the opposite direction into King’s Cross.
The big advantage would be that instead of needing eight paths per hour on the East Coast Main Line, only two would be needed.
All trains would need to have similar performance, so this is another reason why the Cambridge trains need to be at least 125 mph trains.
Train Interiors
Lumo has broken new ground in train interiors.
- It is one class.
- Everybody gets a decent seat.
- Everybody gets good legroom.
- Everybody gets some form of table.
- There are decent-sized overhead racks for hand-baggage and coats.
- There is space for bicycles and heavy luggage appropriate to the route.
This can be built on to provide a good working and playing environment suited to the passengers who would use a fast King’s Cross and Norfolk service via Cambridge.
- Lots of tables for four, as in the high-class Electrostars.
- Better bicycle storage.
- Better alignment of seats with windows.
Hitachi could obviously produce a train to this specification.
But what about other manufacturers.
Stadler’s Class 755 trains are surely a possibility.
- A senior driver from Greater Anglia told me that the design speed for a Class 755 train is 200 kph or 125 mph.
- They have good seats.
- They have flat floors.
- They have large windows.
- They have step-free access between train and platform.
- Like the Hitachi trains, they are in service.
I believe the closely-related Class 745 trains are probably the best commuter trains in the UK and are the only alternative to the Hitachi trains on a125 mph fully-electrified route.
Bridging The Electrification Gap Between Ely And Norwich
Between Norwich and Ely stations is 53.8 miles and this section is not electrified, although both stations have full electrification.
The line is not heavily used with typically only two passenger trains and the occasional freight trains in each direction in an hour.
This Hitachi infographic describes the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
A 90 km. range could be sufficient to cover the gap between Norwich and Ely.
Could Hitachi build a Class 802 train or similar with a battery range of 90 km or 56 miles?
Certainly, a speed of 100 mph would probably be sufficient to bridge the gap in a decent time.
Improving The Breckland Line
The Breckland Line is the route between Cambridge and Norwich.
- Cambridge and Norwich is 68.5 miles
- Only the sixteen miles between Cambridge and Ely North junction is electrified.
- There are thirteen stops between the two cities.
- A typical time is 79 minutes
- This is an average speed of just 52 mph.
- The operating speed is 75-90 mph.
I am sure that Network Rail can squeeze a few minutes here and there to get the operating speed up to the 100 mph of the Great Eastern Main Line.
But the big problem at Norwich is the Trowse swing bridge.
It is only single track and it is likely that this bridge will be replaced soon.
This Google Map shows Trowse junction, a short distance South of the swing bridge.
Note.
- The electrified double-track of the Great Eastern Main Line goes across the map from North East to South West.
- The double-track railway to the East of the main line is the unelectrified Breckland Line to Cambridge, which turns West and goes under the main line.
- On the West of the main lines are the Victoria sidings that I wrote about in Greater Anglia Completes Directly-Managed Norwich Victoria Sidings Project.
As the replacement of the swing bridge will require some work to be done to the electrification, I wonder if at the same time Network Rail would electrify the Norwich end of the Breckland Line.
There must be a balance point adding electrification or batteries to the trains.
As the Breckland Line has few freight trains, electrification is not needed for freight.
Ticketing
A high-speed high-capacity service as I’m proposing must be easy to use.
It is a classic route, where nothing short of London-style contactless ticketing will do, as I’m certain this encourages people to use the trains.
As East Anglia is self-contained and has few services that don’t terminate in the area or in London, I am certain that this could be achieved.
If you remove First Class as Greater Anglia has done on many services, you actually simplify the ticketing, so a Lumo-style mid-class is ideal.
High Speed Train Services
Currently Great Northern run two tph from King’s Cross to Ely via Cambridge.
- One service is extended to King’s Lynn.
- I could see the second service extended to Norwich.
Both services would need to be run by 125 mph trains because of the speed of other trains on the East Coast Main Line.
Conclusion
I think duch a system would be possible.
The Route Map Of The East West Main Line
This image shows a schematic map of the East West Main Line.
Note.
- There is a lot of detail at the Eastern end. Is that the East Anglia influence in the Partnership?
- Bury St. Edmunds has been missed out. Is that the Ipswich influence in the Partnership?
- Of the four new stations only Winslow is not in Cambridgeshire. Is that the Cambridge influence in the Partnership?
It should also be noted that there are two links at the East, to the two ports of Freeport East; Felixstowe and Harwich.
Conclusion
This map makes a bold statement.
Related Posts
Will Hitachi Announce A High Speed Metro Train?
As the UK high speed rail network increases, we are seeing more services and proposed services, where local services are sharing tracks, where trains will be running at 125 mph or even more.
London Kings Cross And Cambridge/Kings Lynn
This Great Northern service is run by Class 387 trains.
- Services run between London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn or Cambridge
- The Class 387 trains have a maximum operating speed of 110 mph.
- The route is fully electrified.
- The trains generally use the fast lines on the East Coast Main Line, South of Hitchin.
- Most trains on the fast lines on the East Coast Main Line are travelling at 125 mph.
When in the future full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented on the East Coast Main Line, speeds of up to 140 mph should be possible in some sections between London Kings Cross and Hitchin.
The Digswell Viaduct Problem
I also believe that digital signalling may be able to provide a solution to the twin-track bottleneck over the Digswell Viaduct.
Consider.
- Airliners have been flown automatically and safely from airport to airport for perhaps four decades.
- The Victoria Line in London, has been running automatically and safely at over twenty trains per hour (tph) for five decades. It is now running at over 30 tph.
- I worked with engineers developing a high-frequency sequence control system for a complicated chemical plant in 1970.
We also can’t deny that computers are getting better and more capable.
For these reasons, I believe there could be an ERTMS-based solution to the problem of the Digswell Viaduct, which could be something like this.
- All trains running on the two track section over the Digswell Viaduct and through Welwyn North station would be under computer control between Welwyn Garden City and Knebworth stations.
- Fast trains would be slowed as appropriate to create spaces to allow the slow trains to pass through the section.
- The train drivers would be monitoring the computer control, just as they do on the Victoria Line.
Much more complicated automated systems have been created in various applications.
The nearest rail application in the UK, is probably the application of digital signalling to London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines.
This is known at the Four Lines Modernisation and it will be completed by 2023 and increase capacity by up to twenty-seven percent.
I don’t think it unreasonable to see the following maximum numbers of services running over the Digswell Viaduct by 2030 in both directions in every hour.
- Sixteen fast trains
- Four slow trains
That is one train every three minutes.
Currently, it appears to be about ten fast and two slow.
As someone, who doesn’t like to be on a platform, when a fast train goes through, I believe that some form of advanced safety measures should be installed at Welwyn North station.
It would appear that trains between London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn need to have this specification.
- Ability to run at 125 mph on the East Coast Main Line
- Ability to run at 140 mph on the East Coast Main Line, under control of full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling.
This speed increase could reduce the journey time between London Kings Cross and Cambridge to just over half-an-hour with London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn under ninety minutes.
The only new infrastructure needed would be improvements to the Fen Line to King’s Lynn to allow two tph, which I think is needed.
Speed improvements between Hitchin and Cambridge could also benefit timings.
London Kings Cross And Cambridge/Norwich
I believe there is a need for a high speed service between London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge.
- The Class 755 trains, that are capable of 100 mph take 82 minutes, between Cambridge and Norwich.
- The electrification gap between Ely and Norwich is 54 miles.
- Norwich station and South of Ely is fully electrified.
- Greater Anglia’s Norwich and Cambridge service has been very successful.
With the growth of Cambridge and its incessant need for more space, housing and workers, a high speed train between London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge could tick a lot of boxes.
- If hourly, it would double the frequency between Cambridge and Norwich until East-West Rail is completed.
- All stations between Ely and Norwich get a direct London service.
- Cambridge would have better links for commuting to the city.
- Norwich would provide the quality premises, that Cambridge is finding hard to develop.
- London Kings Cross and Cambridge would be just over half an hour apart.
- If the current London Kings Cross and Ely service were to be extended to Norwich, no extra paths on the East Coast Main Line would be needed.
- Trains could even split and join at Cambridge or Ely to give all stations a two tph service to London Kings Cross.
- No new infrastructure would be required.
The Cambridge Cruiser would become the Cambridge High Speed Cruiser.
London Paddington And Bedwyn
This Great Western Railway service is run by Class 802 trains.
- Services run between London Paddington and Bedwyn.
- Services use the Great Western Main Line at speeds of up to 125 mph.
- In the future if full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented, speeds of up to 140 mph could be possible on some sections between London Paddington and Reading.
- The 13.3 miles between Newbury and Bedwyn is not electrified.
As the service would need to be able to run both ways between Newbury and Bedwyn, a capability to run upwards of perhaps thirty miles without electrification is needed. Currently, diesel power is used, but battery power would be better.
London Paddington And Oxford
This Great Western Railway service is run by Class 802 trains.
- Services run between London Paddington and Oxford.
- Services use the Great Western Main Line at speeds of up to 125 mph.
- In the future if full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented, speeds of up to 140 mph could be possible on some sections between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway.
- The 10.3 miles between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is not electrified.
As the service would need to be able to run both ways between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, a capability to run upwards of perhaps thirty miles without electrification is needed. Currently, diesel power is used, but battery power would be better.
Local And Regional Trains On Existing 125 mph Lines
In The UK, in addition to High Speed One and High Speed Two, we have the following lines, where speeds of 125 mph are possible.
- East Coast Main Line
- Great Western Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- West Coast Main Line
Note.
- Long stretches of these routes allow speeds of up to 125 mph.
- Full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is being installed on the East Coast Main Line to allow running up to 140 mph.
- Some of these routes have four tracks, with pairs of slow and fast lines, but there are sections with only two tracks.
It is likely, that by the end of the decade large sections of these four 125 mph lines will have been upgraded, to allow faster running.
If you have Hitachi and other trains thundering along at 140 mph, you don’t want dawdlers, at 100 mph or less, on the same tracks.
These are a few examples of slow trains, that use two-track sections of 125 nph lines.
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tph – Leicester and Lincoln – Uses Midland Main Line
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tph – Liverpool and Norwich – Uses Midland Main Line
- East Midlands Railway – 2 tph – St. Pancras and Corby – Uses Midland Main Line
- Great Western Railway – 1 tph – Cardiff and Portsmouth Harbour – Uses Great Western Main Line
- Great Western Railway – 1 tph – Cardiff and Taunton – Uses Great Western Main Line
- Northern – 1 tph – Manchester Airport and Cumbria – Uses West Coast Main Line
- Northern – 1 tph – Newcastle and Morpeth – Uses East Coast Main Line
- West Midlands Trains – Some services use West Coast Main Line.
Conflicts can probably be avoided by judicious train planning in some cases, but in some cases trains capable of 125 mph will be needed.
Southeastern Highspeed Services
Class 395 trains have been running Southeastern Highspeed local services since 2009.
- Services run between London St. Pancras and Kent.
- Services use Speed One at speeds of up to 140 mph.
- These services are planned to be extended to Hastings and possibly Eastbourne.
The extension would need the ability to run on the Marshlink Line, which is an electrification gap of 25.4 miles, between Ashford and Ore.
Thameslink
Thameslink is a tricky problem.
These services run on the double-track section of the East Coast Main Line over the Digswell Viaduct.
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton – Fast train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage and Finsbury Park.
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Kings Cross – Slow train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar and Finsbury Park
- 2 tph – Peterborough and Horsham – Fast train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage and Finsbury Park.
Note.
- These services are run by Class 700 trains, that are only capable of 100 mph.
- The fast services take the fast lines South of the Digswell Viaduct.
- South of Finsbury Park, both fast services cross over to access the Canal Tunnel for St, Pancras station.
- I am fairly certain, that I have been on InterCity 125 trains running in excess of 100 mph in places between Finsbury Park and Stevenage.
It would appear that the slow Thameslink trains are slowing express services South of Stevenage.
As I indicated earlier, I think it is likely that the Kings Cross and King’s Lynn services will use 125 mph trains for various reasons, like London and Cambridge in under half an hour.
But if 125 mph trains are better for King’s Lynn services, then they would surely improve Thameslink and increase capacity between London and Stevenage.
Looking at average speeds and timings on the 25 miles between Stevenage and Finsbury Park gives the following.
- 100 mph – 15 minutes
- 110 mph – 14 minutes
- 125 mph – 12 minutes
- 140 mph – 11 minutes
The figures don’t appear to indicate large savings, but when you take into account that the four tph running the Thameslink services to Peterborough and Cambridge stop at Finsbury Park and Stevenage and have to get up to speed, I feel that the 100 mph Class 700 trains are a hindrance to more and faster trains on the Southern section of the East Coast Main Line.
It should be noted, that faster trains on these Thameslink services would probably have better acceleration and and would be able to execute faster stops at stations.
There is a similar less serious problem on the Midland Main Line branch of Thameslink, in that some Thameslink services use the fast lines.
A couple of years ago, I had a very interesting chat with a group of East Midlands Railway drivers. They felt that the 100 mph Thameslink and the 125 mph Class 222 trains were not a good mix.
The Midland Main Line services are also becoming more complicated, with the new EMR Electric services between St. Pancras and Corby, which will be run by 110 mph Class 360 trains.
Hitachi’s Three Trains With Batteries
Hitachi have so far announced three battery-electric trains. Two are based on battery packs being developed and built by Hyperdrive Innovation.
Hyperdrive Innovation
Looking at the Hyperdrive Innovation web site, I like what I see.
Hyperdrive Innovation provided the battery packs for JCB’s first electric excavator.
Note that JCB give a five-year warranty on the Hyperdrive batteries.
Hyperdrive have also been involved in the design of battery packs for aircraft push-back tractors.
The battery capacity for one of these is given as 172 kWh and it is able to supply 34 kW.
I was very surprised that Hitachi didn’t go back to Japan for their batteries, but after reading Hyperdrive’s web site about the JCB and Textron applications, there would appear to be good reasons to use Hyperdrive.
- Hyperdrive have experience of large lithium ion batteries.
- Hyperdrive have a design, develop and manufacture model.
- They seem to able to develop solutions quickly and successfully.
- Battery packs for the UK and Europe are made in Sunderland.
- Hyperdrive are co-operating with Nissan, Warwick Manufacturing Group and Newcastle University.
- They appear from the web site to be experts in the field of battery management, which is important in prolonging battery life.
- Hyperdrive have a Taiwanese partner, who manufactures their battery packs for Taiwan and China.
- I have done calculations based on the datasheet for their batteries and Hyperdrive’s energy density is up with the best
I suspect, that Hitachi also like the idea of a local supplier, as it could be helpful in the negotiation of innovative applications. Face-to-face discussions are easier, when you’re only thirty miles apart.
Hitachi Regional Battery Train
The first train to be announced was the Hitachi Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- It is only a 100 mph train.
- The batteries are to be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation.
- It has a range of 56 miles on battery power.
- Any of Hitachi’s A Train family like Class 800, 802 or 385 train can be converted to a Regional Battery Train.
No orders have been announced yet.
But it would surely be very suitable for routes like.
- London Paddington And Bedwyn
- London Paddington And Oxford
It would also be very suitable for extensions to electrified suburban routes like.
- London Bridge and Uckfield
- London Waterloo and Salisbury
- Manchester Airport and Windermere.
- Newcastle and Carlisle
It would also be a very sound choice to extend electrified routes in Scotland, which are currently run by Class 385 trains.
Hitachi InterCity Tri-Mode Battery Train
The second train to be announced was the Hitachi InterCity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- Only one engine is replaced by a battery.
- The batteries are to be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation.
- Typically a five-car Class 800 or 802 train has three diesel engines and a nine-car train has five.
- These trains would obviously be capable of 125 mph on electrified main lines and 140 mph on lines fully equipped with digital in-cab ERTMS signalling.
Nothing is said about battery range away from electrification.
Routes currently run from London with a section without electrification at the other end include.
- London Kings Cross And Harrogate – 18.3 miles
- London Kings Cross And Hull – 36 miles
- London Kings Cross And Lincoln – 16.5 miles
- London Paddington And Bedwyn – 13.3 miles
- London Paddington And Oxford – 10.3 miles
In the March 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, LNER are quoted as having aspirations to extend the Lincoln service to Cleethorpes.
- With all energy developments in North Lincolnshire, this is probably a good idea.
- Services could also call at Market Rasen and Grimsby.
- Two trains per day, would probably be a minimum frequency.
But the trains would need to be able to run around 64 miles each way without electrification. Very large batteries and/or charging at Cleethorpes will be needed.
Class 803 Trains For East Coast Trains
East Coast Trains have ordered a fleet of five Class 803 trains.
- These trains appear to be built for speed and fast acceleration.
- They have no diesel engines, which must save weight and servicing costs.
- But they will be fitted with batteries for emergency power to maintain onboard train services in the event of overhead line failure.
- They are planned to enter service in October 2021.
Given that Hyperdrive Innovation are developing traction batteries for the other two Hitachi battery trains, I would not be the least bit surprised if Hyperdrive were designing and building the batteries for the Class 803 trains.
- Hyperdrive batteries are modular, so for a smaller battery you would use less modules.
- If all coaches are wired for a diesel engine, then they can accept any power module like a battery or hydrogen pack, without expensive redesign.
- I suspect too, that the battery packs for the Class 803 trains could be tested on an LNER Class 801 train.
LNER might also decide to replace the diesel engines on their Class 801 trains with an emergency battery pack, if it were more energy efficient and had a lighter weight.
Thoughts On The Design Of The Hyperdrive innovation Battery Packs
Consider.
- Hitachi trains have a sophisticated computer system, which on start-up can determine the configuration of the train or whether it is more than one train running as a longer formation or even being hauled by a locomotive.
- To convert a bi-mode Class 800 train to an all-electric Class 801 the diesel engines are removed. I suspect that the computer is also adjusted, but train formation may well be totally automatic and independent of the driver.
- Hyperdrive Innovation’s battery seem to be based on a modular system, where typical modules have a capacity of 5 kWh, weighs 32 Kg and has a volume of 0.022 cu metres.
- The wet mass of an MTU 16V 1600 R80L diesel engine commonly fitted to AT-300 trains of different types is 6750 Kg or nearly seven tonnes.
- The diesel engine has a physical size of 1.5 x 1.25 x 0.845 metres, which is a volume of 1.6 cubic metres.
- In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I calculated that a five-car Class 801 electric train, needed 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph.
- It is likely, than any design of battery pack, will handle the regenerative braking.
To my mind, the ideal solution would be a plug compatible battery pack, that the train’s computer thought was a diesel engine.
But then I have form in the area of plug-compatible electronics.
At the age of sixteen, for a vacation job, I worked in the Electronics Laboratory at Enfield Rolling Mills.
It was the early sixties and one of their tasks was at the time replacing electronic valve-based automation systems with new transistor-based systems.
The new equipment had to be compatible to that which it replaced, but as some were installed in dozens of places around the works, they had to be able to be plug-compatible, so that they could be quickly changed. Occasionally, the new ones suffered infant-mortality and the old equipment could just be plugged back in, if there wasn’t a spare of the new equipment.
So will Hyperdrive Innovation’s battery-packs have the same characteristics as the diesel engines that they replace?
- Same instantaneous and continuous power output.
- Both would fit the same mountings under the train.
- Same control and electrical power connections.
- Compatibility with the trains control computer.
I think they will as it will give several advantages.
- The changeover between diesel engine and battery pack could be designed as a simple overnight operation.
- Operators can mix-and-match the number of diesel engines and battery-packs to a given route.
- As the lithium-ion cells making up the battery pack improve, battery capacity and performance can be increased.
- If the computer, is well-programmed, it could reduce diesel usage and carbon-emissions.
- Driver conversion from a standard train to one equipped with batteries, would surely be simplified.
As with the diesel engines, all battery packs could be substantially the same across all of Hitachi’s Class 80x trains.
What Size Of Battery Would Be Possible?
If Hyperdrive are producing a battery pack with the same volume as the diesel engine it replaced, I estimate that the battery would have a capacity defined by.
5 * 1.6 / 0.022 = 364 kWh
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which is not very challenging.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
As a figure of 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph, applies to a Class 801 train, I suspect that a figure of 3 kWh or less could apply to a five-car Class 800 train trundling at around 80-100 mph to Bedwyn, Cleethorpes or Oxford.
- A one-battery five-car train would have a range of 24.3 miles
- A two-battery five-car train would have a range of 48.6 miles
- A three-battery five-car train would have a range of 72.9 miles
Note.
- Reducing the consumption to 2.5 kWh per vehicle-mile would give a range of 87.3 miles.
- Reducing the consumption to 2 kWh per vehicle-mile would give a range of 109.2 miles.
- Hitachi will be working to reduce the electricity consumption of the trains.
- There will also be losses at each station stop, as regenerative braking is not 100 % efficient.
But it does appear to me, that distances of the order of 60-70 miles would be possible on a lot of routes.
Bedwyn, Harrogate, Lincoln and Oxford may be possible without charging before the return trip.
Cleethorpes and Hull would need a battery charge before return.
A Specification For A High Speed Metro Train
I have called the proposed train a High Speed Metro Train, as it would run at up to 140 mph on an existing high speed line and then run a full or limited stopping service to the final destination.
These are a few thoughts.
Electrification
In some cases like London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn, the route is already electrified and batteries would only be needed for the following.
- Handling regenerative braking.
- Emergency power in case of overhead line failure.
- Train movements in depots.
But if the overhead wires on a branch line. are in need of replacement, why not remove them and use battery power? It might be the most affordable and least disruptive option to update the power supply on a route.
The trains would have to be able to run on both types of electrification in the UK.
- 25 KVAC overhead.
- 750 VDC third rail.
This dual-voltage capability would enable the extension of Southeastern Highspeed services.
Operating Speed
The trains must obviously be capable of running at the maximum operating speed on the routes they travel.
- 125 mph on high speed lines, where this speed is possible.
- 140 mph on high speed lines equipped with full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling, where this speed is possible.
The performance on battery power must be matched with the routes.
Hitachi have said, that their Regional Battery trains can run at up to 100 mph, which would probably be sufficient for most secondary routes in the UK and in line with modern diesel and electric multiple units.
Full Digital In-cab ERTMS Signalling
This will be essential and is already fitted to some of Hitachi’s trains.
Regenerative Braking To Batteries
Hitachi’s battery electric trains will probably use regenerative braking to the batteries, as it is much more energy efficient.
It also means that when stopping at a station perhaps as much as 70-80% of the train’s kinetic energy can be captured in the batteries and used to accelerate the train.
In Kinetic Energy Of A Five-Car Class 801 Train, I showed that at 125 mph the energy of a full five-car train is just over 100 kWh, so batteries would not need to be unduly large.
Acceleration
This graph from Eversholt Rail, shows the acceleration and deceleration of a five-car Class 802 electric train.
As batteries are just a different source of electric power, I would think, that with respect to acceleration and deceleration, that the performance of a battery-electric version will be similar.
Although, it will only achieve 160 kph instead of the 200 kph of the electric train.
I estimate from this graph, that a battery-electric train would take around 220 seconds from starting to decelerate for a station to being back at 160 kph. If the train was stopped for around eighty seconds, a station stop would add five minutes to the journey time.
London Kings Cross And Cleethorpes
As an example consider a service between London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes.
- The section without electrification between Newark and Cleethorpes is 64 miles.
- There appear to be ambitions to increase the operating speed to 90 mph.
- Local trains seem to travel at around 45 mph including stops.
- A fast service between London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes would probably stop at Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town.
- In addition, local services stop at Collingham, Hykeham, Barnetby and Habrough.
- London Kings Cross and Newark takes one hour and twenty minutes.
- London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes takes three hours and fifteen minutes with a change at Doncaster.
I can now calculate a time between Kings Cross and Cleethorpes.
- If a battery-electric train can average 70 mph between Newark and Cleethorpes, it would take 55 minutes.
- Add five minutes for each of the three stops at Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town
- Add in the eighty minutes between London Kings Cross and Newark and that would be two-and-a-half hours.
That would be very marketing friendly and a very good start.
Note.
- An average speed of 80 mph would save seven minutes.
- An average speed of 90 mph would save twelve minutes.
- I suspect that the current bi-modes would be slower by a few minutes as their acceleration is not as potent of that of an electric train.
I have a feeling London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town, could be a very important service for LNER.
Interiors
I can see a new lightweight and more energy efficient interior being developed for these trains.
In addition some of the routes, where they could be used are popular with cyclists and the current Hitachi trains are not the best for bicycles.
Battery Charging
Range On Batteries
I have left this to last, as it depends on so many factors, including the route and the quality of the driving or the Automatic Train Control
Earlier, I estimated that a five-car train with all three diesel engines replaced by batteries, when trundling around Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire or Wiltshire could have range of up to 100 miles.
That sort of distance would be very useful and would include.
- Ely and Norwich
- Newark and Cleethorpes
- Salisbury and Exeter
It might even allow a round trip between the East Coast Main Line and Hull.
The Ultimate Battery Train
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%.
This is a paragraph.
The projected improvements in battery technology – particularly in power output and charge – create opportunities to replace incrementally more diesel engines on long distance trains. With the ambition to create a fully electric-battery intercity train – that can travel the full journey between London and Penzance – by the late 2040s, in line with the UK’s 2050 net zero emissions target.
Consider.
- Three batteries would on my calculations give a hundred mile range.
- Would a train with no diesel engines mean that fuel tanks, radiators and other gubbins could be removed and more or large batteries could be added.
- Could smaller batteries be added to the two driving cars?
- By 2030, let alone 2040, battery energy density will have increased.
I suspect that one way or another these trains could have a range on battery power of between 130 and 140 miles.
This would certainly be handy in Scotland for the two routes to the North.
- Haymarket and Aberdeen, which is 130 miles without electrification.
- Stirling and Inverness, which is 111 miles without electrification, if the current wires are extended from Stirling to Perth, which is being considered by the Scottish Government.
The various sections of the London Paddington to Penzance route are as follows.
- Paddington and Newbury – 53 miles – electrified
- Newbury and Taunton – 90 miles – not electrified
- Taunton and Exeter – 31 miles – not electrified
- Exeter and Plymouth – 52 miles – not electrified
- Plymouth and Penzance – 79 miles – not electrified
The total length of the section without electrification between Penzance and Newbury is a distance of 252 miles.
This means that the train will need a battery charge en route.
I think there are three possibilities.
- Trains can take up to seven minutes for a stop at Plymouth. As London and Plymouth trains will need to recharge at Plymouth before returning to London, Plymouth station could be fitted with comprehensive recharge facilities for all trains passing through. Perhaps the ideal solution would be to electrify all lines and platforms at Plymouth.
- Between Taunton and Exeter, the rail line runs alongside the M5 motorway. This would surely be an ideal section to electrify, as it would enable battery electric trains to run between Exeter and both Newbury and Bristol.
- As some trains terminate at Exeter, there would probably need to be charging facilities there.
I believe that the date of the late 2040s is being overly pessimistic.
I suspect that by 2040 we’ll be seeing trains between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Penzance doing the trips without a drop of diesel.
But Hitachi are making a promise of London and Penzance by zero-carbon trains, by the late-2040s, because they know they can keep it.
And Passengers and the Government won’t mind the trains being early!
Conclusion
This could be a very useful train to add to Hitachi’s product line.
EMR Set To Retain Liverpool – Nottingham Service
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The Department for Transport has confirmed to East Midlands Railway that, for the time being at least, it is no longer planning to transfer the Liverpool Lime Street – Nottingham service to TransPennine Express from the December 2021 timetable change.
My experience of the service is limited these days, but occasionally, I do use the Liverpool and Sheffield section of the service to get across the Pennines on trips North.
In January 2020, I had a horrendous trip on an overcrowded train composed of several one-car Class 153 trains, which I wrote about in Mule Trains Between Liverpool And Norwich.
This is not the way to run a long distance service, which takes over five and a half hours.
The plan to improve the service involves splitting it into two from the December 2021 timetable change.
- Liverpool and Nottingham
- Derby and Norwich
It was thought that the Liverpool and Nottingham section would be going to TransPennine Express (TPE).
These points summarise the Railway Gazette article.
- TPE were training drivers and that has now stopped.
- EMR have told staff, they will be keeping both services.
- The service will still be split.
- EMR will not have enough trains to run the split service.
This paragraph sums up what could happen to run the service.
One option favoured by industry insiders would see EMR take on 15 Class 185 Desiro trainsets which are due to be released by TPE during 2021 as its fleet renewal programme concludes. These trains are maintained by Siemens at its conveniently located Ardwick depot in Manchester.
I see this splitting, as being a pragmatic solution to the problems of running a long service, with a very varied loading at various parts of the route.
- As one company runs both sections, the changeover can be arranged to be very passenger-friendly.
- EMR manage the possible change stations at Derby and Nottingham.
- Passengers can be given proper care in the changeover.
- Derby gets a direct connection to Peterborough, Cambridge and Norwich.
With my East Anglian hat on, I can see advantages in the split, as I regularly used to travel as far as Derby or Nottingham, when I lived in the East, but only once took the full service to Liverpool.
I have a few thoughts.
Capacity Between Liverpool And Nottingham
This section of the service is generally run by a pair of Class 158 trains, which have a capacity of around 140 each or 280 in total.
The Class 185 trains have three-cars and a capacity of 180 seats.
Currently, Liverpool and Nottingham takes just under two hours and forty minutes, which would make for a comfortable six-hour round trip. This would mean, that an hourly service between the two cities, will need a fleet of six trains.
Under Future in the Wikipedia entry for Class 185 trains, this is said.
Following the August 2020 decision not to transfer the Liverpool Lime Street to Nottingham route to TransPennine Express, East Midlands Railway could opt to take on the 15 trainsets due to be released from TPE to run this route.
Fifteen trains would be more than enough trains to run a pair on each hourly service and perhaps run some extra services.
Pairs of Class 185 trains between Liverpool and Nottingham would go a long way to solve capacity problems on this route.
Calling At Derby
The current service between Liverpool and Norwich doesn’t call at Derby, as it uses the Erewash Valley Line via Alfreton.
The proposed Eastern portion of the split service has been proposed to terminate at Derby, so passengers would change at Nottingham, if they wanted to travel to Sheffield, Manchester or Liverpool.
As East Midlands Railway, runs both services, they can optimise the service to serve and attract the most passengers.
Preparation For High Speed Two At East Midlands Hub Station
Eventually, the two halves of the Liverpool and Norwich service must surely call at the future East Midlands Hub station for High Speed Two, so future routes must fit in with the plans for High Speed Two.
But there’ll be plenty of time to get that right.
Interchange At Nottingham
I’m sure a quick and easy interchange can be performed at Nottingham.
In the simplest interchange, the two services could share a platform and passengers could just walk between the two trains on the level.
The following sequence could be used at Nottingham.
- The train from Derby to Norwich would arrive in the platform and stop at the Eastern end of the platform.
- The train from Liverpool to Nottingham would arrive in the platform and stop close behind it.
- Passengers on the train from Liverpool, who wanted to take the Norwich train, would simply walk a along the platform and board the train.
- The Norwich train would leave when ready.
- The train from Liverpool would stay where it had stopped and be prepared for the return trip to Liverpool.
- , The next train from Norwich to Derby would pull in behind the Liverpool train.
- Passengers on the train from Norwich, who wanted to take the Liverpool train, would simply walk a along the platform and board the train.
- The Liverpool train would leave when ready.
- Finally, the Norwich to Derby train would leave for Derby.
Only one platform would be needed at Nottingham station, that would need to be long enough to handle the two trains.
Between Norwich And Derby
This is the only section of the Liverpool and Norwich route with any electrification.
- Currently about thirty miles between Grantham and Peterborough are electrified.
- The lines around Ely and Norwich are also electrified.
I think that Ely and Peterborough will be electrified earlier than other lines.
- It would be part of an electrified freight route between Felixstowe and the East Coast Main Line.
- It would enable electric passenger trains between Cambridge and the North.
- It would mean the Ipswich and Peterborough services could be run by battery electric trains.
- It could be a useful electrified diversion route to London, during engineering works.
,This extra electrification, would also mean that Norwich and Derby would probably be within range of battery electric trains.
Stadler have stated that Greater Anglia’s Class 755 trains can be converted from bi-mode into battery electric trains.
So as Greater Anglia and East Midlands Railway are both Abellio companies, could we see battery electric operation on the around 150 miles between Norwich and Derby?
Conclusion
Splitting the Liverpool and Norwich service opens up a lot of possibilities to improve the service.
East West Rail Takes New Steps Further East
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A business case for improving train services between Cambridge, Ipswich and Norwich is to be developed by consultants on behalf of the East West Rail Consortium, as an addition to the plans for reopening the former Varsity Line between Oxford, Bedford and Cambridge.
I have covered this before in East West Rail Makes ‘Powerful Case’ For Direct Services From Ipswich And Norwich To Oxford, where I reference this report on the East-West Rail web site, which is entitled Eastern Section Prospectus and gives full details of their proposals.
I particularly like these smaller projects.
- An A14 Parkway station.
- A frequent tram-train between Ipswich and Felixstowe.
- Some extra electrification
- Increase of speed limits to 100 mph
- Haughley Junction improvements.
I suspect the consultants will come up with a few more useful projects.
Beeching Reversal – Reopening Wymondham-Dereham Line
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
It has looked to me, that for some years, that those in Norfolk’s rail industry and Local Government, have been co-operating with rail problems and developments in the county.
If you read the Wikipedia entry for the Mid-Norfolk Railway, various activities are revealed.
- Regular steam and diesel services between Wymondham and Dereham stations.
- Occasional sightseeing services North of Dereham station.
- Mid-Norfolk Railway facilitates commercial freight trains.
- Dereham yard has been used as a servicing depot by Direct Rail Services for over ten years.
- Network Rail store track plant at Dereham.
- There are facilities to transfer damaged rail vehicles to road vehicles at Dereham.
- The Army uses the line to transport vehicles by train.
- Storage of trains for Greater Anglia, who have a chronic lack of space.
- The line appears to be used for specialist crew and driver training.
- In Mid Norfolk Railway Completes Work On ‘First For UK’ Railway Level Crossing, I wrote about how the railway company used new Dutch technology to demonstrate how to rebuild a level crossing.
It seems, that if you have a different rail-related need in Norfolk, that the Mid-Norfolk Railway will at least listen to your needs.
The company and volunteers have the ambition to restore the railway as far as Fakenham, which will make it one of the longest heritage railways in England.
I am not surprised that reopening services between Wymondham and Dereham stations, is on the list of Beeching Reversal projects.
Dereham
Dereham is a market town of 18,600 residents.
This Google Map shows the Dereham station complex.
It is the headquarters of the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Wymondham
Wymondham is a developing market town of 14,400 residents, that has a station on the Breckland Line between Cambridge and Norwich via Ely and Thetford.
The Mid-Norfolk Railway also has a connection to the Breckland Line and access to Wymondham station at Wymondham South junction.
This Google Map shows the town of Wymondham.
Note.
- The Breckland Line going SW-NE across the map.
- Wymondham station in the middle of the map.
- Wymondham Abbey station, which is on the Mid-Norfolk Railway in the North-West corner of the map.
- Wymondham South junction, where the branch divides to the South-West of Wymondham station.
The A11 Wymondham Bypass encloses a lot of land, which seems to be being developed into housing.
Breckland Line Train Services
Current train services on the Breckland Line include.
- Greater Anglia – One train per hour (tph) – Norwich and Stansted Airport via Cambridge
- East Midlands Railway – One tph – Norwich and Liverpool via Ely and Peterborough
Note.
- Both train franchises are Abellio.
- Both train franchises use modern diesel or bi-mode trains.
As there is significant development of housing and industry, all along the A11 and the Breckland Line between Cambridge and Norwich, many believe that there is a large opportunity for the growth of passenger train services.
All being well in a few years, Norwich will get a third service in a one tp2h service along the East West Railway to Oxford.
But towns like Wymondham probably will need better and more connections to Cambridge and Norwich, before that, as although the roads are good, the emissions won’t be!
The Trowse Swing Bridge
The single-track Trowse Swing Bridge is a major bottleneck on any service between Norwich and the South.
It does manage to carry up to nine to ten tph, but it appears that for efficient operation of extra services South from Norwich, that the bridge will have to be replaced or by-passed.
This Google Map shows Trowse Bridge.
When the Great Eastern Main Line was being electrified to Norwich station, a temporary station was built in this area, whilst electrification was added to the bridge.
A Station At Trowse
A similar strategy could be used, whilst the bridge is replaced, but I suspect, that a bolder plan might be possible.
- There is a lot of development going on in Norwich.
- It is expected that rail traffic South from Norwich to Cambridge and London will grow significantly in the next few years.
- Removing the requirement for the bridge to open, would require difficult Parliamentary legislation.
This Google Map shows the wider City Centre.
Note.
- The River Wensum curving through the City.
- The large Norwich station in the middle of the map.
- Norwich City Centre to the West of the station.
- Norwich City’s Carrow Road ground to the South of the station.
- The blue-roofed Norwich Crown Point Depot towards the East of the map.
- Trowse bridge crossing the river to the South of Crown Point Depot.
It should also be noted, that to solve some of the chronic overcrowding in Crown Point Depot, Greater Anglia have developed some new sidings South of the Trowse bridge, on the Western side of the Great Eastern Main Line, around the area of the former Trowse station.
Consider.
- If you look at the rail lines South of the Trowse bridge, the Breckland Line crosses under the Great Eastern Main Line and then joins the main line from the East.
- Norwich could borrow an idea from other cities like Bristol and run a water bus on the River Wensum.
- The South Bank of the river looks ripe for development.
I wonder if it would be possible to reopen Trowse station as a modern riverside station.
- There would be two electrified through platforms.
- The Southern ends of the through platforms would connect to the Great Eastern Main Line and the Breckland Line, as they do now.
- The Northern ends of the through platforms would combine and cross the Trowse Bridge, as they do now.
- On the Eastern side of the station, there would be up to two electrified bay platforms, which could connect to any route to the South.
- At least one platform would be able to take a full-length Class 745 train.
- There would be a river bus station, with connections to the main Norwich station, Carrow Road and Norwich City Centre.
- The station would be fully step-free.
As the infamous bridge is only thirty-three years old, surely it can be refurbished and modernised, so that the major problem of reliability is eliminated.
This new station would give train operators advantages and options.
- The station would be very handy for office and residential developments along the river.
- The rail line into Norwich could probably be kept open during the construction, as the bridge is only being refurbished.
- Some travellers to and from Norwich might prefer to use Trowse, rather than Norwich station and use the water bus.
- Extra services to Norwich might terminate in the bay platforms at Trowse and would not need capacity on the bridge.
- I suspect that a four or five tph frequency would operate between Norwich and Trowse station.
- In times of disruption, the bay platforms can be used to turn trains South of the bridge.
I’m sure there is an innovative solution in there somewhere.
What is Norwich City Council intending to do along the South bank of the river?
Future Train Services Between Norwich And The South
Greater Anglia have bought a lot of new trains and I doubt, that they’ll be leaving them in sidings, if they have a job for them to do.
I can certainly see four tph Turn-Up-And-Go services running on the following routes around Norwich.
- Norwich and Cambridge
- Norwich and Ipswich
- Norwich and Lowestoft
- Norwich and Yarmouth
Being able to turn some Cambridge and Ipswich trains South of Trowse bridge, may be the better solution, than replacing, rather than refurbishing the bridge.
Norwich And Dereham
- Norwich and Dereham stations are just over twenty miles apart and I suspect that Class 755 trains can do the trip in about twenty-five minutes.
- This may open up the possibility of an hour’s round trip between Trowse and Dereham stations.
If the hour trip is possible, this could open up a two tph service, run by just two trains.
A Possible Timetable
I could see something like this being a possible timetable.
- East West Rail – One tph – Norwich and Oxford via Cambridge
- Greater Anglia – One tph – Norwich and Stansted Airport via Cambridge
- Greater Anglia – One tph – Trowse and Stansted Airport via Cambridge
- Greater Anglia – One tph – Trowse and Cambridge
- Greater Anglia – Two tph – Trowse and Dereham
- East Midlands Railway – One tph – Norwich and Liverpool via Ely and Peterborough
- Greater Anglia – Two tph – Norwich and London Liverpool Street via Ipswich
- Greater Anglia – One tph – Trowse and London Liverpool Street via Ipswich
- Greater Anglia – One tph – Trowse and Ipswich
Trowse bridge would be handling five tph in both directions, with six tph terminating in Trowse station.
Obviously, there are a lot of permutations and combinations, that will be determined by customer forecasts and figures.
Conclusion
I’ve thought the route between Norwich and Dereham stations will be a commuter, shopping and leisure rail route for some time.
As I indicate, I think some work will need to be done at the Trowse bridge, but a two tph service should be possible.
The Anonymous Widower 