The Anonymous Widower

Extending The Elizabeth Line – Could Open Access Services Use The Elizabeth Line?

In the February 2024 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article which is entitled First Bid For Sheffield To King’s Cross Paths.

The article is mainly about FirstGroup’s proposal for a new Sheffield and London service, running under the Hull Trains brand.

But, this is the last paragraph.

Modern Railways understands First is working on a number of proposals for additional open access services, and this is an early statement of intent. Other existing open access proposals include Grand Union Trains’ plans for London to Stirling and Cardiff to Edinburgh services, along with an already approved London to Carmarthen service, and the recently submitted Wrexham, Shropshire and Midland Railway application for a London to Wrexham service. It is understood other organisations, including MTR and Virgin, are also working up plans for new open access services.

The respected Modern Railways magazine seem to think, that we’ll be seeing more open access services on UK railways.

These are my thoughts.

A Simple Example – London Crosslink

In Extending The Elizabeth Line – London Crosslink, I said this.

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.

I lived North of Ipswich for some years.

I never used the London CrossLink service, as I had moved away before the service started in 2000.

  • I would have found the change to the Central Line at Stratford station useful.
  • I would have found the change to the Victoria Line at Highbury & Islington station useful.
  • I would have found the change to Thameslink at West Hampstead station useful.
  • Basingstoke would have given access to Greater South-West England.
  • I could have got a bus to Heathrow from Feltham.

But getting to Marylebone, Paddington and Waterloo would have still been tedious.

Could a replacement for the London CrossLink be routed via the Elizabeth Line?

  • The service would use the Elizabeth Line between Stratford and Reading.
  • The service would use the Reading and Basingstoke Line between Reading and Basingstoke.

The route has some advantages over the original route.

  • Except for the 13.6 miles between Southcote Junction and Basingstoke, the route is fully-electrified.
  • Whitechapel will give access to London Overground services.
  • Farringdon will give access to Thameslink services.
  • There will be a lot of connections at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street.
  • Paddington and Reading will give access to Heathrow, Oxford and West of England services.
  • Basingstoke will give access to Greater South-West England.

It is certainly an as-useful route as the original, if not more so.

The Trains

In Extending The Elizabeth Line – Will There Be A Need For Long Distance Class 345 Train?, I set out how a standard Class 345 train could be updated with faster running and a more appropriate interior.

As the Elizabeth Line is likely to need some more trains if High Speed Two is delayed, perhaps some extra trains should be ordered fairly soon.

The Routes

Consider.

  • A terminal station  would probably need to be electrified to the Elizabeth Line route.
  • It would need the infrastructure to turn the trains.

These stations could probably be used as terminal stations.

There will certainly be others.

Why Use Open Access?

Suppose an operator wants to run a service between Bristol Parkway and Northfleet to give the West Country access to European services.

  • The operator takes all the risk and Network Rail get track access charges.
  • Do Transport for London get track access charges for the Elizabeth Line tunnels?
  • If they get their predictions and sums wrong, they lose the money.

But if they get it right, they probably sell it to an infrastructure company at a profit.

Conclusion

I think open access operation might work through the Elizabeth Line Tunnels.

 

January 28, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Leisure Market Boom? GWR’s Vision For Direct Bristol-Oxford Services

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

This is the first paragraph.

Great Western Railway has hopes on running direct services between Bristol Temple Meads and Oxford from September 14, subject to approval of its new trial proposal by the Department for Transport and Network Rail. The move is a test of growth in demand for leisure travel by train.

It is an interesting idea.

These are some points about the service, given in the article.

  • The route will be via Swindon, Chippenham and Bath Spa.
  • Fastest journey time would be 71 minutes.
  • The route will be aimed at the leisure market.
  • There will be two trains per day (tpd) in each direction on Saturdays.

This is GWR’s handy route map.

These are my thoughts.

Will The Trains Call At Didcot Parkway?

This OpenRailwayMap shows Didcot Parkway station and the large triangular junction, that connects Oxford to the Great Western Main Line.

Note.

  1. The red tracks are the Great Western Main Line.
  2. The blue arrow indicates Didcot Parkway station.
  3. Oxford station is about ten miles to the North.
  4. Chords in the junction allow trains to go between Oxford and Paddington and Oxford and Swindon, with or without a stop at Didcot Parkway station.

The article says that GWR  has asked to run the following services.

  • 1018 Bristol Temple Meads-Oxford – Would arrive at Oxford at 1129.
  • 1155 Oxford-Bristol Temple Meads (via Didcot) – Would arrive at Bristol Temple Meads at 1306.
  • 1518 Bristol Temple Meads-Oxford – Would arrive at Oxford at 1629.
  • 1712 Oxford-Bristol Temple Meads – Would arrive at Bristol Temple Meads at 1823.

Note.

  1. I suspect that the 1155 will reverse at Didcot Parkway station.
  2. There is a two train per hour (tph) service between Didcot Parkway and London Paddington stations.
  3. It looks like the four services could be run by a single train shuttling up the Great Western Main Line.

Would it be sensible if all Oxford and Bristol trains called at Didcot Parkway station, so that travellers could use the London service to their advantage?

But, calling at Didcot Parkway station would slow the service as there would need to be a reverse.

What Class Of Train Would Be Used?

Consider.

  • A Bristol and Didcot Parkway via Bath Spa service takes 55 minutes.
  • This is an average speed of 71.1 mph over a distance of 65.2 miles.
  • 24.4 miles at the Bristol end of the route is not electrified.
  • 10.3 miles at the Oxford end of the route is not electrified.
  • The four services can be run by a single train shuttling up the Great Western Main Line.

It looks to me, that a bi-mode train with good performance is needed.

So I suspect that a five-car Class 800 or Class 802 train will be used.

Will The Train Be Battery-Electric Powered?

This is an interesting possibility.

  • An ideal route for a battery electric train, is surely one with a long electrified section in the middle, which can be used to fully charge the train’s batteries.
  • The train would have to run for 48.8 miles on its own power at the Bristol end of the route.
  • The train would have to run for 20.6 miles on its own power at the Oxford end of the route.

The data sheet for a battery-electric Class 800/802 train can be downloaded from this page on the Hitachi web site.

In a section on the page, which is entitled Intercity Battery Trains, this is said.

A quick and easy application of battery technology is to install it on existing or future Hitachi intercity trains. Adding just one battery reduces emissions by more than 20% and offers cost savings of 20-30%.

Our intercity battery powered trains can cover 70km on non-electrified routes, operating at intercity speeds at the same or increased performance. Hitachi Rail’s modular design means this can be done without the need to re-engineer or rebuild the train and return them to service as quickly as possible for passengers.

The range of 70 km is 43.5 miles, which would appear to be a little bit short to go from the end of the electrification at Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads and back.

But various measures could be taken to make sure the train can handle the route.

  • The regenerative braking strategy could be used to conserve battery power.
  • A second battery could be added to the train.
  • Methods to charge the train at Bristol Temple Meads could be installed.

As London Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads is an important route, I suspect that Hitachi and Great Western Railway have a strategy to handle trains from Chippenham and sending them back.

Could This Route Be A Trial Route For Battery-Electric Trains?

Consider.

  • Hitachi and Great Western Railway wouldn’t want to introduce an unreliable train without full full testing.
  • Trains can probably limp to either Stoke Gifford or Reading depots, after a battery failure.
  • Great Western Railway could test a new route.
  • A full test only needs one train.
  • Passenger reaction to a battery-electric train can be assessed.
  • Staff need to be trained.
  • The route can be run by a standard bi-mode if required.
  • It could be the world’s first high-speed battery-electric train.
  • Enthusiasts would flock to have a ride.

Could this be a trial service to make sure everything goes right?

 

January 14, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Cardiff To Reading In A Class 387 Train

Returning from my trip to Cardiff yesterday, it wasn’t the normal Class 80x train, but a pair of Class 387 trains.

The timings from real time trains, weren’t as bad as some would have expected.

  • Cardiff Central – 16.54 – 16:56
  • Newport – 17:07 – 17:11
  • Bristol Parkway – 17:29 – 17:32
  • Swindon – 17:53 – 17:58
  • Reading – 18:20 – 18:26

Note.

  1. The first time is the scheduled time and the second time is the actual time of the Class 387 trains.
  2. The schedule covers the 109.2 miles in 84 minutes, which is an average speed of 78 mph.
  3. The Class 387 trains covered the 109.2 miles in 90 minutes, which is an average speed of 72.8 mph.

I also arrived in Reading with three or so minutes to catch the Elizabeth Line train.

Are More Elizabeth Line Services Needed To Reading?

In a couple of instances, I’ve waited at Reading for nearly half-an-hour for an Elizabeth Line train.

Currently.

  • The two Elizabeth Line trains take 53 minutes between Reading and Paddington.
  • The two Great Western Main Line trains, that serve Didcot Parkway take 37 minutes between Reading and Paddington.
  • The Great Western Main Line train, that serve Newbury take 25 minutes between Reading and Paddington.

Perhaps four trains per hour (tph) on the Elizabeth Line would be more convenient?

But services wouldn’t be as fast.

November 23, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Very Busy Paddington – 4th July 2023

On my trip to Marsh Barton station, Paddington was very busy, as these pictures show.

Note.

  1. Trains were leaving to Cheltenham Spa, Great Malvern. Newquay and Paignton, in addition to the more expected destinations of Bristol Temple Meads, Cardiff and Swansea.
  2. I took the Elizabeth Line to the station and it was very busy.

I feel, that action needs to be taken to increase the capacity of the station for both passengers and trains.

These are my thoughts.

Catching Trains From Reading

Recently, if I want to go somewhere, that is within an hour West of Reading station, I’ve started taking the Elizabeth Line to Reading using my Freedom Pass and then buying an Off Peak Day Return ticket from Reading.

  • It saves a few pounds.
  • I can catch the Elizabeth Line train at Moorgate direct to Reading, after having breakfast on Moorgate.
  • Moorgate is an easy bus ride from outside my house.

I suspect some other Freedom Pass holders will start to use Reading station to go West.

The only disadvantages are that you miss the Reading train and have to wait half-an-hour for another and that buying tickets at Reading means leaving the station.

Improvements, I would make would include.

  • Four trains per hour (tph) between Whitechapel and Reading.
  • A ticket machine on the bridge at Reading station, so that those needing a ticket can buy one without leaving the station.

I suspect other improvements could also improve this option.

A Second Concourse At The Western End Of Paddington Station

If you go to Paddington station on the Hammersmith and City Line of the Underground, you can walk across the top of the main station and take stairs down to the platform for your departing train.

There has been talk of improving this area of the station, so that passengers using that route from the Underground have an easier route with more facilities like cafes, shops and toilets.

I’m all for this improvement.

What Is The Point Of Heathrow Express?

On my trip, I watched a Heathrow Express arrive in Paddington and just a few people got off.

I am utterly certain, that the Elizabeth Line is giving Heathrow Express a good kicking, as it is so much better connected to the important destinations within London, like Bond Street, Canary Wharf, Farringdon for Thameslink, Liverpool Street for The City, Stratford for events and Whitechapel for the East London Line.

Discussions of the future of Heathrow Express, must also include the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, which is currently being planned by Network Rail.

This page on the Network Rail web site gives more details, including these benefits for the link.

  • Reduce rail journey times between Reading and Heathrow by delivering a new, faster, frequent, more reliable direct train service to Heathrow with four trains per hour in each direction. All trains would call at Reading and Slough and alternate trains at Twyford and Maidenhead. Journey times could be as short as 26 minutes from Reading and 6 to 7 minutes from Slough.
  • Significantly improve rail connectivity to Heathrow from the Thames Valley, South Coast, South West, South Wales and West Midlands.
  • Provide an alternative form of transport for passengers and the large number of people who work at the airport who are currently travelling by road.
  • Ease congestion on some of the UK’s busiest roads, the M4, M3 and M25 resulting in lower CO2 emissions equivalent to approximately 30 million road miles per year, helping to deliver the UK’s climate change and carbon reduction targets.
  • Generate economic growth and new jobs across the Thames Valley and surrounding areas.
  • Reduce passenger congestion at London Paddington.

There is then the question of who should run the service; Heathrow Express, the Elizabeth Line or both.

At the present time, trains from London to Heathrow are.

  • Elizabeth Line – 2 tph – Shenfield and Terminal 5
  • Elizabeth Line – 4 tph – Abbey Wood and Terminal 4
  • Heathrow Express – 4 tph  – Paddington and Terminal 5

Note.

  1. All trains also serve Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3.
  2. The Piccadilly Line also serves all Heathrow Terminals.
  3. It appears that Terminal 4 is only served by the Elizabeth Line.
  4. Terminal 5 has 6 tph, but the Western Rail Link will be at a frequency of four tph.

Because of the mismatch at Terminal 5 and that two tph will stop at Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford, I suspect we might see the following services on the Western Rail Link

  • Elizabeth Line – 2 tph – Terminal 5 and Reading via Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford
  • Heathrow Express – 2 tph – Terminal 5 and Reading via Slough.

Note.

  1. This would give Reading and Central London, a much-needed four tph on the Elizabeth Line. Two tph would be direct and two tph would be via Heathrow.
  2. It would not require any more paths in the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel, as the 2 tph between Shenfield and Terminal 5 will just be extended to Reading.
  3. Heathrow Express has Western access with a connection to Reading.

It looks like this service pattern could be a good compromise.

I also suspect that this would improve passenger numbers for Heathrow Express.

Could Heathrow Express Run Its Service Using One Platform At Paddington?

I am fairly certain that this would be possible, if passenger access to the platforms at Paddington station were to be improved, by the building of a second concourse at the Western end of the station.

It is also likely, that full digital signalling will be applied between Paddington and Reading and this will surely improve the ease of running four tph into one platform at London Paddington for Heathrow Express.

I can see, that a reorganisation of Heathrow Express after the building of a second Western concourse at Paddington and the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, that Heathrow Express could be able to release a platform.

Could Great Western Railway Reorganise Suburban Services?

These are Great Western Railway’s suburban services, that terminate at Paddington.

  • 1 tph – London Paddington and Oxford via Reading and Didcot Parkway
  • 2 tph – London Paddington and Didcot Parkway via Slough, Maidenhead, Twyford, Reading, Tilehurst, Pangbourne, Goring & Streatley and Cholsey
  • 1 tph – London Paddington and Newbury via Reading, Theale and Thatcham

Note.

  1. The Oxford services, are run by Class 800 trains, running as either five-car, nine-car or ten-car trains.
  2. Oxford is also served by the hourly Paddington and Great Malvern service.
  3. All of the other services, are run by Class 387 trains, running as either four-car or eight-car trains.
  4. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern to the platforms used by these services.

I find the last point very surprising, as my extensive scheduling experience says that it is easier to schedule several similar processes, rather than a number of different ones.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the platforms at Paddington station.

Note.

  1. The platforms are numbered 1 to 14 from South-West to North-East.
  2. Platforms 1 to 12 all appear to long platforms about the same length.
  3. As some platforms can take ten-car Class 800 trains, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out all platforms 1-12 can.
  4. The only short platform is platform 14, which can accommodate an eight-car Class 387 train, which is 163 metres long.

It looks to me, with twelve long similar platforms, they can schedule the platforms on the fly, so perhaps this explains, the randomness of platform allocations.

I think in an ideal world, I would try and organise these services as follows.

  • The Oxford and Great Malvern services could share a platform at Paddington, which would help passengers to find the next Oxford train.
  • The Didcot Parkway and Newbury services could also share a platform at Paddington, for the same reason.
  • Unless Didcot Parkway and Newbury services are occasionally run by a twelve-car train, they could even use the short platform 14.

This would surely be a more efficient use of the platforms at Paddington station.

Could Didcot Parkway Services Become Another Elizabeth Line Destination?

Consider.

  • Didcot Parkway to London Paddington services appear to use the same tracks as Elizabeth Line services between Reading and Southall West Junction, where they change to the main line for Paddington.
  • London Paddington to Didcot Parkway services appear to use the main line from Paddington to Dolphin Junction, which is just to the East of Slough station, where it joins the same tracks as Elizabeth Line services to Reading.
  • Nine-car Class 345 trains are forty metres longer than an eight-car Class 387 train.
  • Class 345 trains are 90 mph trains.
  • Class 387 trains are 110 mph trains.
  • Class 387 trains wouldn’t fit the platform edge doors in the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.

It would appear that the Didcot Parkway and London Paddington services could be moved to the Elizabeth Line, by doing the following.

  • The Class 387 trains would be replaced by Class 345 trains.
  • Trains to London would go straight on at Southall West Junction and through the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel.
  • Trains from London would emerge from the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel on the right track for Reading.
  • There might be a need to lengthen a few platforms.

Note.

  1. The Didcot Parkway to London Paddington services would not need to use the main line.
  2. 2 tph would be removed from Paddington station.

As one electric train is being replaced by another, there would probably be no need for more electrification.

Could Newbury Services Become Another Elizabeth Line Destination?

Consider.

Freight trains appear to be able to go from Theale station to Platform 5 at Slough station, through Platform 15 at Reading station, which is a possible route that a Newbury to the Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel train would take.

Freight trains appear to be able to go from Platform 4 at Slough station to Theale station, through Platform 15 at Reading station, which is a possible route that an Elizabeth Line Central Tunnel to Newbury train would take.

It would appear that the Newbury and London Paddington services could be moved to the Elizabeth Line, by doing the following.

  • The Class 387 trains would be replaced by Class 345 trains.
  • Trains through Reading would follow the freight route.
  • There might be a need to lengthen a few platforms.

Note.

  1. The Newbury to London Paddington services would not need to use the main line.
  2. 1 tph would be removed from Paddington station.

As one electric train is being replaced by another, there would probably be no need for more electrification.

Conclusion

It looks like the capacity of Paddington station can be increased by the following.

  • Building a new second concourse at the Western end of the station.
  • Heathrow Express releasing a platform.
  • Oxford and Great Malvern services could share a platform at Paddington
  • Moving Didcot Parkway and Newbury services to the Elizabeth Line.

No new electrification would be required.

July 8, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Fraught Journey Between Worcester Shrub Hill And Reading Stations

My train home from Worcester Shrub Hill station didn’t make the most impressive of starts to my journey back to Reading.

  • The five-car train was supposed to leave at 15:15.
  • It was also supposed to arrive in Reading at 16:58.
  • But the relief driver was delayed.

Eventually, we left at 15:31.

The train didn’t appear to be running at full speed and around Moreton-in-Marsh, staff started distributing water, which in my view is always a sign that all is not well.

I measured the temperature and humidity at 26.7 °C and 40% respectively, so the water was welcome.

I asked one of the staff what was up and was informed, that two of the engines were overheating because of the heat, so were we effectively running on the remaining cool engine?

Eventually, we were informed that the train would terminate at Charlbury station, where we would all be picked up by the following train, which would have nine cars.

After Charlbury, things didn’t get much better.

  • The rescue train eventually left Charlbury at 17:38, which was twenty-six minutes late.
  • The train wasn’t full and I had a table to myself, but after Oxford, there wasn’t a seat anywhere.
  • We missed out the stop at Didcot Parkway station because of flooding, caused because of a violent thunder storm.
  • The rescue train didn’t even make Paddington and it was terminated short in the bi-directional Platform 7 at Reading, because of an unwell passenger.

Eventually, when I arrived in Reading station at 18:55, the rescue train was fifty-five minutes late.

As my original train, should have arrived at 16:58, I was actually, three minutes short of two hours late.

By the time, I got to Platform 14 for the 16:59 Elizabeth Line train to Central London, it had gone, so I had another thirty minute wait.

I finally arrived home at 21:00, after a nearly 5¾ hour journey.

I have a few thoughts.

Changing At Reading

Part of the reason, that I missed my Elizabeth Line train, was that the escalators to Platform 14 were out of action and I had to wait for the lift, as I don’t trust myself going down stairs.

I have said before that if you need a ticket in your change a Reading, there should be a ticket machine on the bridge.

As Reading station is managed by Network Rail, perhaps, they should examine the operation of the station with a good dose of old-fashioned time and motion in more detail.

The Elizabeth Line Frequency To London

The Elizabeth Line only runs two trains per hour (tph) between London and Reading.

This may be fine when everything is going well, but on days like Sunday, when trains aren’t performing well and the weather is not behaving itself, would four tph be better?

Perhaps, the two extra trains would run between Reading and Abbey Wood, and only stop at say Twyford, Maidenhead, Slough, Hayes & Harlington, Southall, Ealing Broadway, Old Oak Common, Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Custom House and Woolwich.

Great Western Railway Trains Between Oxford, Reading and Didcot Parkway and London

The three terminals get the following services to and from London

  • Didcot Parkway – 4 tph
  • Oxford – 4 tph
  • Reading – 11½ tph – 8½ fast and 3 slow

Consider these questions.

  • How many travellers between Didcot Parkway, Oxford and Reading and Paddington, now use the Elizabeth Line for onward travel from Paddington?
  • How many of the endless visitors to Oxford start their journey on the Elizabeth Line?
  • How many visitors to Oxford combine a trip with one to Bicester Village?
  • How many travelling by train between Oxford and Cambridge will use part of the Elizabeth Line for the journey?
  • Is it fair, that Cambridge is connected to four London rail terminals; King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge and St. Pancras and Oxford is connected to just two; Marylebone and Paddington?

I suspect there’s considerable scope to reorganise services between the three stations and London to provide a better service.

GWR’s Paddington and Didcot Parkway service, which has a frequency of two tph,  could be moved to the Elizabeth Line and possibly extended to Oxford, once Didcot Parkway and Oxford is electrified.

This would give.

  • Didcot Parkway would have  two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line with all its connectivity and delights.
  • Oxford would have  two fast tph to Paddington and two stopping tph on the Elizabeth Line.
  • Reading will have a much-needed Elizabeth Line frequency of four tph.

Note.

  1. Terminating the Elizabeth Line at Oxford, means that there are services connecting Oxford and Cambridge, with a single change at either Farringdon or Liverpool Street.
  2. Oxford would also get one change connectivity to Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted Airports.
  3. The slow lines between Oxford and Maidenhead typically have operating speeds of 90-100 mph. So if the Class 345 trains on the Elizabeth Line and the track were upgraded to 100 mph, this might save a few minutes in the outer reaches of the Elizabeth Line.
  4. The Elizabeth Line could terminate in one or two South-facing bay platforms on the East side of the station. This position would reduce passenger traffic on the crowded footbridge.
  5. If all the bay platforms were on the same East side of the station, this would simplify and ease passenger flows.
  6. Chiltern and East West Railway services could be timed for an easy interchange.
  7. The proposed Cowley Branch could also use the South-facing bay platforms.

The more I look at it, the more I like the idea of running the Elizabeth Line to Oxford.

The Heat Problem On The Class 800 Trains

The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 trains has this paragraph on the overheating of the engines or generator units (GUs) on the trains.

The GU is installed on vibration-isolating mountings, and fitted with side-mounted cowls to reduce external noise. Heat management measures include thermal insulation around key areas such as cable ducts. According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs is responsible for them being prone to overheating. It claimed that, on one day in summer 2018, “half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating”.

That was in 2018, which was five years ago. But it appears to be still happening.

Would Overheating Happen With Battery Units?

One of the reasons, I went to Worcester was to assess the feasibility of battery-electric trains on the route.

This article from EV-Lectron is entitled Electric Cars in Hot Weather – What You Need To Know, gives a detailed set of answers.

But it probably comes to the conclusion, that cold weather with the extra heating load might be more of the problem.

I suspect, that if you were running battery electric trains on a route of over fifty miles, the best thing would be to have electrification at both ends of the route.

If, as I have calculated in Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023, that to run battery-electric trains to Hereford needs a length of electrification between Worcester Shrub Hill and Great Malvern stations, then when they leave the electrification, they should have the interiors at the right temperature for staff and passengers.

I also suspect that battery-electric trains need to be well insulated to cope better with cold weather.

 

June 13, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Reading And Oxford – 10th June 2023

Yesterday, after breakfast on Moorgate, I went for an explore at the Western end of the Elizabeth Line.

My aim was to change at Reading for Oxford and then have a bit of an explore in the University City.

These are my observations and thoughts.

Changing Trains At Reading

There are two trains per hour between Liverpool Street and Reading station, but at the Moorgate end of Liverpool Street station, there is no way of buying a ticket, that would get me between Reading and Oxford. To make things more complicated, I needed to be quick with my change at Reading, as I only had a few minutes before the next Oxford train left Reading.

In the end I had to leave Reading station and walk across the concourse in front of the station.

O then bought a ticket in a machine and then re-entered the station.

Great Western Railway can do better.

In Germany, there would be a ticket machine inside the barriers for those changing trains. But we never do that!

In the end, I missed my train and had to wait thirty minutes for a very crowded London Paddington to Oxford train.

Electrification At Oxford

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the planned electrification at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The four through lines are shown in dotted red-and-black, which indicates, that they will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  2. The proposed electrification continues all the way to Didcot Parkway station on the map.
  3. The two black tracks are the unelectrified platforms for Chiltern and East West Railway services.

But the proposed electrification stops just outside the station. Why?

Great Western Railway Services Beyond Oxford

Great Western Railway run an hourly service to Great Malvern, which according to Wikipedia terminates as follows.

  • 4 trains per day continue to Hereford calling at Colwall and Ledbury.
  • 1 train per day terminates at Worcester Shrub Hill.
  • 4 trains per day terminate at Worcester Foregate Street.

So what are the distances of these stations from Oxford?

  • Great Malvern – 65.6 miles
  • Hereford – 86.3 miles
  • Worcester Foregate Street – 57.6 miles
  • Worcester Shrub Hill – 57.2 miles

I suspect that one version of the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is shown in the infographic below

could handle all these distances.

After the Oxford and Didcot Parkway electrification is complete, trains will arrive at Oxford station with a full battery.

But how would the batteries be recharged for the journey back to Oxford?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the tracks at Worcester.

Note.

  1. Trains to and from Oxford, use the tracks in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Trains to and from Birmingham, use the tracks in the North -East corner of the map.
  3. Trains to and from Great Malvern and Hereford, use the tracks in the South-West corner of the map.

I suspect that some selective electrification would be able to charge the trains.

Trains take around twenty minutes to go between Great Malvern and Worcester Shrub Hill via Worcester Foregate Street.

Electrifying this 8.5 mile section would surely enable the following.

  • Trains to leave Worcester Shrub Hill for Oxford with a full battery.
  • Trains to leave Great Malvern for Hereford with a full battery.
  • As Hereford and Great Malvern are only 20.7 miles apart, I suspect a return trip without a recharge is possible.
  • Trains terminating at Worcester Shrub Hill and Worcester Foregate Street to be fully recharged before travelling back to Oxford.

Other services to and from the Worcester stations could also be run by battery-electric trains.

As Worcester Shrub Hill and Oxford stations are only 57.2 miles and well within the capabilities of most battery-electric trains, there would be no need to electrify the route.

I may of course, be wrong about the length and position of the electrification at Worcester, but this could be just one of many solutions using partial electrification.

Does this explain the stopping of the proposed electrification at Oxford?

In addition, there must be marketing opportunities in running a battery-electric service to Hereford and Worcester.

The Bay Platforms At Oxford Station

These pictures show the two North facing bay platforms 1 and 2 at Oxford station.

Note.

  1. The platforms are not electrified.
  2. They appear to be easily updated with electrification to be able to charge Chiltern and East West Railway trains.
  3. Marylebone is only 66.7 miles from Oxford.
  4. Milton Keynes Central is just over 40 miles from Oxford.
  5. Bedford is just under 60 miles from Oxford.

I suspect that services from Oxford to Bedford, Marylebone and Milton Keynes can all be run by battery-electric trains.

 

 

June 11, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Very Busy Lizzie

Yesterday, I took the Elizabeth Line, back from Reading to Moorgate.

  • When, I got on at Reading, there were perhaps fifty empty seats and I was able to have three seats to myself.
  • But by Slough, It was standing room only!
  • It cleared a bit at Paddington, but by Moorgate there were only a few seats left.

Currently, there are two trains per hour (tph) between Abbey Wood and Reading stations.

As other passengers said it’s always busy, I suspect that Transport for London need to tweak the signalling, so that four tph run to Reading.

This section called Planned Service in the Wikipedia entry for the Elizabeth Line says this.

In May 2023, it is planned to allow trains to run from both eastern branches to west of Paddington. This will allow both more flexible, and higher frequency, services: 24 tph peak, 20 tph off-peak, and direct services between Shenfield and Heathrow. In the longer term, when Old Oak Common opens, all trains will serve Old Oak Common, with those not serving the Reading or Heathrow branches reversing there.

The service changes for May 2023 were confirmed in February 2023. The peak timetable will increase to 24 trains per hour. Off-peak service level will remain at 16 trains per hour, with two Shenfield–Paddington trains extended to Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and two Abbey Wood–Terminal 5 trains switching to Terminal 4.

This will give an Off Peak schedule as follows.

  • Reading and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
  • Maidenhead and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
  • Heathrow Terminal 4 and  Abbey Wood – 4 tph
  • Heathrow Terminal 5 and Abbey Wood – 0 tph
  • Heathrow Terminal 5 and Shenfield – 2 tph
  • Paddington and Shenfield – 6 tph

I don’t believe it is good enough.

I suspect passenger congestion and reaction will force a rethink by the Mayor and Transport for London.

February 20, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Reading To Heathrow On The Lizzie Line

Last week, I took the Lizzie Line to Reading and came back with a diversion to Heathrow.

I took the train from Reading as far as Hayes and Harlington, where I crossed over the tracks on the footbridge to get the train to Heathrow.

There are two bridges at Hayes & Harlington station, as these pictures show.

Note.

  1. Only the Western bridge has lifts.
  2. The Western bridge will be at the very back of the train from Reading.
  3. It is a long walk from the front of the train to the lifts.

This map from Cartometro shows the tracks through Hayes and Harlington station.

Note.

  1. The Great Western fast lines, which are shown in black on the South side going through platforms 1 & 2.
  2. The Elizabeth Line and the Great Western slow lines, which are shown in black and purple on the North side going through platforms 3 & 4.
  3. The Reading and Heathrow branches are to the West.
  4. London Paddington is to the East.
  5. Elizabeth Line Trains from the Reading or Heathrow branches to Paddington use Platform 4.
  6. Elizabeth Line Trains from Paddington to the Reading or Heathrow branches use Platform 3.

It should also be noted that if you are travelling between Heathrow Airport and any of the Elizabeth Line stations between Hayes and Harlington and Reading stations, you have to cross from Platform 4 to Platform 3 at Hayes and Harlington station.

All passengers will be travelling in the same direction at Hayes and Harlington station.

I feel it is absolutely essential, if you are travelling between Reading and Heathrow Airport using the Elizabeth Line, that you travel in the last carriage of the train from both Heathrow Airport or Reading.

When travelling to Heathrow in Where Should You Travel On An Elizabeth Line Train?, I said these were the positions to travel on the train.

  • Heathrow Central – Eastern end
  • Heathrow Terminal 4 – Western end
  • Heathrow Terminal 5 – Eastern end

It looks like there could be some walking to do if you’re travelling between Reading and Heathrow Central or Heathrow Terminal 5.

I feel that Hayes and Harlington station could possibly have been better designed.

Would it have been better if Platforms 3 and 4 had been designed as an island platform, so that passengers going between the Reading and Heathrow branches would just walk across to the other side of the platform?

  • The tracks would have had to be realigned.
  • There would have been less lifts needed.
  • The Eastern bridge might not have been needed.

I suspect, it would have been the more expensive option.

 

 

 

December 3, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Could An Oxford And Cambridge Service Be Run Via The Lizzie Line?

This article on the BBC is entitled East-West Rail: Part Of £5bn Scheme ‘Appears To Be Unachievable’.

These are the first four paragraphs.

A £5bn rail project “appears to be unachievable” in parts, a government report said.

The East-West Rail scheme will create a link from Oxford to Cambridge, with services being introduced in stages.

Stage two, between Oxford and Bedford, and stage three, between Bedford and Cambridge, have “major issues”, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority said.

A spokesman for East-West Rail said the delivery programme was “under review”.

As someone, who used to live near Cambridge, I have seen the transport routes improve in East Anglia, but not the area’s connections to the rest of the country.

The article describes Stage 2 and 3 of the East West Railway like this.

Stage two involves predominantly upgrading existing infrastructure, between Bletchley and Bedford, to allow services between Oxford and Bedford.

Stage three involves building a new line, between Bedford and Cambridge, to extend the railway and facilitate services from Oxford to Cambridge.

So if the Government feel that the major issues and opposition should lead to cancellation of the scheme to the East of Bedford or even Bletchley, what are the problems and alternatives?

Freight

The Port of Felixstowe is the UK’s busiest container port and it handles 48% of Britain’s containerised trade.

Having lived as a teenager in Felixstowe and in Suffolk for probably half my life, there is only one certainty about the port in my mind. It will get bigger and will generate more rail and road traffic in East Anglia.

  • The roads have improved greatly, since the 1960s, when I used to cycle between Ipswich and Felixstowe, along a two-lane single carriageway road.
  • The renamed A14 has replaced the A45 and now connects the port to the M1 and the M6.
  • Tens of long freight trains every day now connect Felixstowe with the rest of the country.
  • The East West Railway will be a very useful link between Felixstowe and South Wales and the West of England.
  • Global warming will mean the decarbonisation of heavy freight, with more traffic on an electrified railway.

Felixstowe’s connections to the North and Midlands may have improved greatly, but they will need to be improved a lot more.

The Port of Southampton is the UK’s second busiest container port.

  • Most freight trains from Southampton go North via Basingstoke, Reading and Oxford.
  • A plan some years ago was for an Electric Spine, that would have connected the Port of Southampton to the Northern cities.
  • The Electric Spine would have envisaged electrification of the East West Railway to the West of Bedford and electrified connections with the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.
  • The Midland Main Line is now planned to be fully electrified, under the the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands.

Southampton, like Felixstowe will be in need of improved transport connections.

In an ideal world, an electrified East West Railway, would improve freight connections between the UK’s two busiest container ports and major cities in the UK.

Problems With Freight

Could this be the major problem East of Bletchley, where the residents living along the route, don’t want to see large numbers of freight trains running close by?

In this document on the East-West Rail Consortium web site, this is said.

Note that doubling of Warren Hill Tunnel at Newmarket and
redoubling between Coldham Lane Junction and Chippenham Junction is included
in the infrastructure requirements. It is assumed that most freight would operate
via Newmarket, with a new north chord at Coldham Lane Junction, rather than
pursuing further doubling of the route via Soham.

Will the residents of Newmarket object to a double-track freight railway through the town? Freight trains and horses are not a good mix.

I do wonder, if freight trains hauled by noisy and unfriendly diesel locomotives are one of the reasons a full Oxford and Cambridge railway is losing its appeal and becoming a vote loser for the Government.

Cambridge Has An Accommodation And Commuting Problem

There is a shortage of accommodation in Cambridge for offices, laboratories, workshop and above all workers.

So it looks to the surrounding towns and cities to provide help.

London and Ely have good links, but the city needs better links to Bedford, Bury St. Edmunds, Haverhill, Ipswich, Norwich, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Soham, Stansted Airport, Stevenage, Sudbury and Thetford.

Cambridge may be the place in the South East with the largest numbers of commuters from London.

Cambridge Needs A Decent Rail Network

In my view Cambridge needs at least the following services in trains per hour (tph)

  • Colchester via Haverhill, Sudbury and Marks Tey – 2 tph
  • Ipswich via Newmarket, A14 Parkway, Bury St. Edmunds, Stowmarket and Needham Market – 2 tph
  • King’s Lynn via Cambridge North, Ely and Downham Market – 2 tph
  • Oxford via Bedford, Milton Keynes/Bletchley and Bicester – 2 tph
  • London King’s Cross via Cambridge South – 2 tph
  • Norwich via Cambridge North, Ely, Thetford, Attleborough  and Wymondham – 2 tph
  • Peterborough via Cambridge North, Ely and March – 2 tph
  • Stansted Airport via Cambridge South and Audley End – 2 tph
  • Stevenage via Royston and Hitchin – 2 tph
  • Wisbech via Cambridge North, Ely and March – 2 tph

Note.

  1. Some services already exist.
  2. Some of these services duplicate each other to give 4 tph or even 6 tph on certain routes.
  3. Some services could be back-to-back through Cambridge.
  4. A 14 Parkway station is a new station proposed by the East West Railway. I wrote about it in detail in Soham Station – 14th December 2021.
  5. Haverhill would be served by a rebuilt Stour Valley Railway.
  6. Wisbech would be served by restoring the railway to March.

To complete the network there would be a two tph service between Peterborough and Ipswich, which would go via March, Ely, Soham, A 14 Parkway, Bury St. Edmunds, Stowmarket and Needham Market.

Oxford Could Probably Argue that It Needs A Decent Rail Network Like Cambridge

Oxford would argue this and they have a point.

The East West Railway Is The Odd Line Out

Looking at the rail networks at Cambridge and Oxford, it appears, that with the exception of Cotswold services at Oxford and a few CrossCountry services, it appears that the East West Railway is a bit of an odd line out, as everything else is a local service.

The Effects Of Not Building The Bedford And Cambridge Section Of The East-West Railway

What will it mean, if the Bedford and Cambridge Section of The East-West Railway is not built?

  • Cambourne will not get the promised station.
  • Bedford and Cambridge journeys will be by bus, train via London or private car.
  • Commuting into Cambridge from the West will be difficult.
  • Milton Keynes and Cambridge journeys will be by bus, train via London or private car.
  • Oxford and Cambridge journeys will be by bus, train via London or private car.
  • Train journeys between Cambridge and much of the rest of the UK, will need to go via London.

It would appear that by not building the third section of the East West Railway, a lot of potential passengers will be denied a rail service.

Could Services Be Run Using Existing Infrastructure Through London?

The Elizabeth Line will eventually be able to handle a lot more services than it does at present.

Would Extending The Elizabeth Line To Oxford Be A Good Start?

Consider.

  • Oxford has two services to London; Chiltern to Marylebone and Great Western Railway (GWR) to Paddington.
  • The GWR service to Paddington stops only at Reading and Slough, has a frequency of two tph and takes under an hour.
  • The fastest journey between Oxford and Liverpool Street using a fast GWR train and the Elizabeth Line takes one hour and 20 minutes.
  • Only 10.6 miles of the route between Oxford and Paddington is without electrification.
  • There is also a two tph stopping shuttle train between Oxford and Didcot Parkway stations and a two tph stopping train between Paddington and Didcot Parkway.

I feel that combining the two Didcot Parkway services and moving them to the Elizabeth Line would be an experiment worth trying.

This would give 2 tph direct to the following stations.

  • Bond Street for the West End
  • Canary Wharf for finance.
  • Farringdon for Cambridge, Gatwick and Brighton.
  • Hayes & Harlington for Heathrow.
  • Liverpool Street for the City of London, Cambridge and Stansted
  • Reading for Wales and the West.

Note.

  1. No-one would have a worse service than currently, but many passengers would avoid a change on their journey.
  2. Services could terminate at either Abbey Wood or Shenfield stations.
  3. Services could be an extension of the two tph to Reading or additional services.
  4. Between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is shown on OpenRailwayMap, as proposed for electrification.
  5. There may need to be some new platforms at Didcot Parkway station.
  6. I estimate that between Oxford and Liverpool Street would take one hour and fifty minutes.

It certainly looks, that it would be possible to replace the current GWR service between Oxford and Paddington, with an all-electric Elizabeth Line service.

The direct stopping service between Oxford and Liverpool Street would be thirty minutes slower, than the current fastest train.

The current fastest train between Liverpool Street and Cambridge takes 71 minutes, so with a change at Liverpool Street Oxford and Cambridge  would probably be just over three hours.

Google Maps estimate a driving time of two hours between the two University Cities.

Could The Elizabeth Line Be Extended To Cambridge?

There is no train connection between the Elizabeth Line and the West Anglia Main Line at Liverpool Street station, although the walk for passengers is not that long.

In Extending The Elizabeth Line – Connecting West Anglia Main Line Services To The Central Tunnel, I describe how it could be possible to connect the West Anglia Main Line to the Elizabeth Line at Stratford station.

This connection would allow services from Cambridge, Harlow and Stansted to anywhere on the Elizabeth Line to the West of Stratford.

Oxford and Cambridge and Heathrow and Stansted would be distinct possibilities.

Could A High Speed Limited Stop Service Run Between Oxford And Cambridge?

In Extending The Elizabeth Line – High Speed Trains On The Elizabeth Line, I proposed running faster long-distance trains through the Central Tunnel of the Elizabeth Line.

  • They would have to be dimensionally identical to the Class 345 trains to fit the platform edge doors.
  • They would have a long-distance interiors.
  • In the Central Tunnel, they would behave like 345 trains. with Paddington to Stratford taking 19 minutes.
  • But on main lines like the Great Western Main Line, they could rattle along at 125 mph.

If the trains could keep up with Class 802 train performance between Oxford and Paddington and enter the Central Tunnel quickly, these times could be possible.

  • Oxford and Paddington – 55 minutes
  • Paddington and Stratford – 19 minutes
  • Stratford and Tottenham Hale – 14 minutes
  • Tottenham Hale and Cambridge – 65 minutes

Just over two-and-a-half hours, without a change of train, sounds fine to me.

What About The Trains From Great Malvern?

The fast services between Paddington and Oxford, run twice an hour, with the service formed of one hourly Paddington and Oxford service and another hourly Paddington and Great Malvern service.

  • If Oxford gets electrified soon, this will mean that the Oxford and Paddington service would be all-electric.
  • But the Great Malvern service would need to be able to handle 65.5 miles of line without electrification each way.
  • The speed limits between Oxford and Great Malvern vary between 70 and 100 mph.

I’m certain that Stadler could design and build a train, with the following characteristics.

  • Class 345 dimensions.
  • 125 mph performance.
  • Ninety miles range on battery power.

The trains would be charged between Paddington and Oxford and by a charger at Great Malvern.

Conclusion

Would an Oxford and Cambridge service through Central London be an alternative to the East-West Railway?

Perhaps not an alternative, but an addition?

 

 

 

 

 

August 3, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Redhill To Ashford International Via Tonbridge

I did this trip to find out what the current service was like after writing Gatwick Rail Service Could Link Far Reaches Of The South East.

The journey can be broken into sections.

Changing At Redhill Station

I arrived at Redhill station and took these pictures as I changed to the train for Tonbridge station.

The three services are in Redhill station at approximately the same time.

  • The Southern service to and from Tonbridge used Platform 1a.
  • The GWR service from Reading to Gatwick used Platform 1.
  • The GWR service from Gatwick to Reading used Platform 0.

I think if you’re nippy on the stairs, travellers wanting to go between Reading and Ashford or vice-versa could manage the train, but a direct through service would be preferred by some travellers.

Between Redhill And Tonbridge Stations

I took these pictures as the train ran between Redhill and Tonbridge.

Note.

  1. The train was a smart three-car Class 377 train.
  2. It is a route with a quiet calm along the Downs.
  3. There are new housing and commercial developments along the route.

Some of the stations could do with improvement, which should probably include step-free access, as at Redhill and Tonbridge stations.

Changing At Tonbridge Station

These pictures show Tonbridge station.

Note.

  • The station is step-free with lifts.
  • I had to use the bridge to get from one side of the station to the other to catch my next train.
  • There seemed to be several passengers, who continued their journey from Tonbridge.

After a wait of nearly thirty minutes I was on my way to Ashford International station.

Thoughts On The Service

These are my thoughts on the service.

Battery Electric Trains

Having seen this service in operation, I feel that this must be one of the most suitable services for battery electric trains in the UK.

In Gatwick Rail Service Could Link Far Reaches Of The South East, I broke the route down into electrified and non-electrified sections.

  • Ashford and Tonbridge – Electrified – 26.5 miles – 38 minutes
  • Tonbridge and Redhill – Electrified – 20 miles – 35 minutes
  • Redhill and Gatwick – Electrified – 7 miles – 8 minutes
  • Gatwick and Redhill – Electrified – 7 miles – 8 minutes
  • Redhill and Reigate – Electrified – 2 miles – 4 minutes
  • Reigate and Shalford Junction – Not Electrified – 17 miles – 20 minutes
  • Shalford Junction and North Camp – Electrified – 9 miles – 11 minutes
  • North Camp and Wokingham – Not Electrified – 11 miles – 14 minutes
  • Wokingham and Reading – Electrified – 7 miles and 9 minutes

Note.

  1. Ashford, Tonbridge, Redhill, Gatwick, Guildford, Wokingham and Reading are all fully-electrified main line stations.
  2. Most of the route and the two ends are electrified.
  3. All electrification is 750 VDC third rail.
  4. All sections without electrification are less than twenty miles.
  5. The route is more than 75 % electrified.

There are several trains, which have been fitted with batteries, plans to fit them with batteries exist or would be suitable to be fitted with batteries.

All trains have similar specifications.

  • Four cars.
  • 100 mph operating speed.
  • All are modern trains.
  • They either have third-rail shoes or can be fitted with them.

In addition, no infrastructure changes would be needed.

I also feel, that the same class of train could be used on these services in the South-East.

  • Oxted and Uckfield
  • Ashford International and Hastings

Why not use one class of battery electric trains for all these routes?

The Three Reverses

The full service between Reading and Ashford International stations will require three reverses at Gatwick and Redhill (twice).

Having seen the current system in operation at Redhill station, I feel the following operation would work, using a version of London Underground’s stepping-up.

From Reading to Ashford International the following sequence would apply.

  • The train from Reading would stop in Platform 1 at Redhill, as they do now.
  • A second driver would step-up into the rear cab and take control of the train.
  • The original or first driver, who’d driven the train from Reading would stay in the cab.
  • The second driver would drive the train to Gatwick.
  • When, the train is ready to leave, the first driver takes control from his cab.
  • The second driver, who’d driven the train from Redhill would stay in the cab.
  • The first driver would drive the train back to Platform 0 at Redhill, as they do now.
  • When, the train is ready to leave, the second driver takes control from his cab.
  • The first driver would step down and probably have a break, before he is needed to drive another train.
  • The second driver would drive the train to Ashford International.

Trains going the other way would do a similar sequence in reverse.

Other than the battery system, the trains may need a communication and safety system between the two cabs.

Hydrogen Trains

Consider these points about using a hydrogen-powered train between Reading and Ashford International.

  • The maximum distance without electrification is just 20 miles.
  • The route is over 75 % electrified.
  • Hydrogen fuelling and supply systems would need to be provided.
  • Hydrogen trains would require changes to maintenance.

In my view, using a hydrogen-powered train would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Gatwick Connect

Could the service be considered to be a Gatwick Connect service?

The full Reading and Ashford International service would call at these major locations

  • In the West – Reading, Winnersh, Wokingham, Crowthorne, Farnborough, Guildford, Dorking and Reigate
  • In the East – Ashford International, Paddock Wood and Tonbridge.

Both the Eastern and Western legs also call at Redhill.

Could the service be extended in the West?

The obvious destination would be Heathrow.

Once the future of Heathrow is sorted, there will probably be some form of Southern or South-Western access into Heathrow.

Could this service connect Gatwick and Heathrow?

  • Perhaps there would be a reverse at Reading!
  • Or it might use one of numerous schemes put forward to access Heathrow from the West.

In any case, as Reading is one of the best-connected stations in England, passengers will use this connectivity to get to Gatwick.

Could the service be extended in the East?

Like Reading, Ashford International is a well-connected station.

It would be possible to extend the service to perhaps Canterbury or Dover?

There must also be the possibility of running a service to Maidstone West or Strood in the East!

Conclusion

There could be a lot of possibilities for this route.

I also feel, that it is one of the best routes to be run by battery trains in the UK. These trains could also be the same, as those working Oxted-Uckfield and Ashford International-Hastings.

There would be no need for any new infrastructure, as there is electrification at both ends of the route.

 

 

September 27, 2020 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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