Talgo Unveils Plan To Have Vittal-One Hydrogen Train Operational By 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the most important paragraph of the report.
The company explained that the fuel cell technology it designed for its train is modular. In this way, the tech can be installed on any type of existing train. In this way, the transition away from diesel and into hydrogen fuel. That said, Talgo did underscore that its Vittal platform was the primary reason for which the H2 solution was designed. The company is hoping to win several Spanish tenders, as well as those in other countries, for this regional and commuter train.
Talgo hopes to start testing their train next year.
They certainly seem to have got their skates on, or whatever the Spanish say!
A Hydrogen Train For Scotland
Consider.
- Scotland has a major need for a large number of zero-carbon trains to decarbonise routes outside the Central Belt, which is extensively electrified.
- Talgo are building a factory at Longannet in Scotland.
- Talgo’s Vittal-One train has a modular hydrogen traction system, but the train is designed for European standards.
- This page on the Talgo web site, describes the design philosophy behind the Talgo Vittal. After reading that page, I feel Talgo could build a version of the train for the UK. There are already standard gauge versions in Germany and they’d just need to make a different body, that was about a 100 mm. narrower.
- The Talgo Vittal is a 100 mph train, which is what Scotland needs.
So I feel that Talgo have the technology to build a hydrogen-powered regional train for the UK. And the island of Ireland, which uses a 1600 mm track gauge, which is not far from the Iberian gauge of 1668 mm gauge!
The question has to be asked about, when Talgo chose the location for the factory, were there any nods and winks with the Scottish Government about the country’s future train needs?
It certainly appears that Scotland has the need and the hydrogen, and Talgo has the technology, to decarbonise the railways North and South of the Central Belt in Scotland.
LNER Seeks 10 More Bi-Modes
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the opening paragraph.
LNER has launched the procurement of at least 10 new trains to supplement its Azuma fleet on East Coast Main Line services.
Some other points from the article.
- It appears that LNER would like to eliminate diesel traction if possible.
- On-board energy storage is mentioned.
- No form of power appears to be ruled out, including hydrogen.
- LNER have all 65 of their Azumas in service.
The last paragraph is very informative.
Infrastructure upgrades are due to prompt a timetable recast in May 2022 (delayed from December 2021) from which point LNER will operate 6.5 trains per hour, out of Kings Cross, compared to five today. As an interim measure, LNER is retaining seven rakes of Mk 4 coaches hauled by 12 Class 91 locomotives to supplement the Azuma fleet and support its timetable ambitions until the new trains are delivered.
These are my thoughts.
More Azumas?
Surely, It would require a very innovative train at perhaps a rock-bottom price from another manufacturer, for LNER to not acquire extra Azumas.
Classic-Compatible Trains For High Speed Two
Consider.
- Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi, Siemens and Talgo are involved in the competition to design Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two.
- As the York and Edinburgh section of the East Coast Main Line will eventually be upgraded and used by High Speed Two services,
- Also in the December 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, is an article entitled 140 mph Plan For ECML North of York, which details improvements proposed by Northern Powerhouse Rail to improve services between Leeds and Edinburgh.
Would there be advantages to High Speed Two, LNER and Network Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail, to have some commonality between the High Speed Two, LNER and Northern Powerhouse Rail fleets?
Hopefully, the various government-controlled companies are talking.
A Flagship Train For Aberdeen And Inverness
The InterCity 225s, which consist of a Class 91 locomotive and a rake of nine Mark 4 coaches, have given thirty years of top-quality service on the East Coast Main Line and appear to be being asked to handle services until the new trains are delivered.
- Full-length InterCity 225s are 245 metres long and have 406 Standard and 129 First seats or a total of 535 seats.
- Nine-car Azumas are 234 metres long and have 510 Standard and 101 First seats or a total of 611 seats.
- Two five-car Azumas working as a pair are 260 metres long and have 604 seats. They can also be handled on most platforms, that are used by LNER.
- The power of a Class 91 locomotive is 4.83 MW.
- A Class 91 locomotive is 19.4 metres long and weighs 81.5 tonnes.
- Both Azumas and InterCity 225s can maintain 125 mph with ease on the East Coast Main Line and both will be able to reach 140 mph with in-cab signalling.
There would appear to be nothing wrong with locomotive-hauled high speed services, in terms of capacity and performance.
In The Mathematics Of A Hydrogen-Powered Freight Locomotive, I laid out my thoughts on a high-powered railway locomotive fuelled by hydrogen, that used one or possibly two Rolls-Royce gas-turbine engines to generate electricity for traction.
With all the work done, by the companies bidding for Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two, into very high speed trains, I believe that at least one company could build a locomotive with this specification.
- 140 mph operation on 25 KVAC overhead electrification. As I said, that was done by British Rail almost forty years ago.
- Ability to use full digital in-cab signalling. This is on its way and already working in some applications.
- 110 mph operation on hydrogen. Hitachi are planning 100 mph battery trains, so it should be possible.
- 400 mile range on one filling of hydrogen. This is working in Germany.
- Ability to be upgraded to higher speeds on electric power, should the East Coast Main Line be upgraded for higher speeds in the future. The train manufacturers are probably ahead of track designers with this one.
Such a locomotive would be key to building a train with this specification.
- Sub-four hour time between London and Edinburgh.
- Sub-seven hour time between London and Aberdeen, which has 130 miles without wires.
- Sub-eight hour time between London and Inverness, which has 146 miles without wires.
- Hydrogen would be used, where there is no electrification.
- Zero-carbon at all times.
- A maximum length of 260 metres, which I estimate could give a passenger capacity of around 640 seats.
- The last coach would include a driving van trailer.
- They would not need the ability to split and join, except for the purpose of rescue, as there is no platform on the route, that could accommodate the resulting 520 metre long pair of trains.
I estimate that a fleet of around seven trains would be needed to run the current Aberdeen and Inverness services.
A few extra thoughts.
- Could they have an up-market more spacious interior, as their main competition to the North of Scotland, would be the budget airlines?
- Could they be slightly longer, with some platform work at Kings Cross and other stations?
- Add a few extra trains to the order, so that extra services between London and Edinburgh could be added to the timetable.
- Could the driving van trailer incorporate an observation car?
- Hydrogen refuelling shouldn’t be a problem in Scotland, as the country is developing a hydrogen economy.
- Hydrogen refuelling wouldn’t be needed in England, as they’d be using the electrification.
- As an alternative to hydrogen, sustainable aviation fuel could be used.
I suspect that Talgo, would be very happy to tender.
- They are developing hydrogen-powered trains as I wrote in Talgo: Our Hydrogen Train Will Be Ready In 2023.
- They are building a factory in Scotland, close to the Forth Bridge.
- Because of the factory, Talgo probably have the ear of the Scottish Government, who would probably welcome a Scottish-built train.
- A shorter version of these trains without the hydrogen, could be the design for a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train, for which Talgo, are on the short list of suppliers.
What better way, would there be to sell your hydrogen-powered high speed trains, than to give prospective clients a ride up from London to the factory in the luxury version?
A New Elizabethan
I can remember The Elizabethan, which was a steam-hauled non-stop express between London and Edinburgh between 1953 and 1961.
I have laid out my ideas for a modern express train of the same name in A New Elizabethan.
It could be an interesting concept, to increase capacity between London and Edinburgh.
Splitting And Joining
Some of LNER’s philosophy to serve places like Harrogate, Huddersfield and Middlesbrough, depends on the ability to split and join trains.
A pair of Azumas could leave London and go to Leeds, where they would split, with one train going to Harrogate and the other going to Huddersfield.
When returning to London, the two trains would join at Leeds.
The big advantage of splitting and joining, is that it increases the capacity on the main line, as services can be arranged, so that every path always carries a full-length train. I would expect that LNER would prefer never to run a single five-car Azuma into Kings Cross.
Currently LNER have these paths to and from Kings Cross.
- 2 tph between London Kings Cross and Leeds
- 1 tph between London Kings Cross and Lincoln and East Yorkshire
- 2 tph between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh
Note.
- LNER have already started to extend services from Leeds, so will we see splitting and joining being used on one tph at Leeds to provide services to several destinations, throughout the day.
- Splitting and joining at Edinburgh is surely another possibility, to serve Stirling and Glasgow, with the same train.
- Splitting and joining at York could serve destinations like Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Redcar, Scarborough and Sunderland.
- In A Trip To Grantham Station – 4th November 2020, I advocated splitting at Grantham station to serve both Nottingham and Lincoln.
There are a lot of possibilities for splitting and joining.
As LNER has a fleet of twenty-two five-car Azumas, if the new trains are needed to split and join on certain services, this might mean more five-car Azumas are a better buy.
What Will Happen To Nine Car Azumas?
Hitachi have launched the Regional Battery Train concept, the specification of which is given in this Hitachi infographic.
The diesel engines in LNER’s Class 800 trains will be able to be replaced with batteries, making them all-electric trains.
- Destinations like Cleethorpes, Dundee, Grimsby, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Lincoln, Middlesbrough Nottingham, Perth, Redcar, Scarborough, Sheffield and Sunderland will be within range of battery electric Azumas.
- Some destinations would need the ability to charge the train before it returned, but I can see lots of places getting an appropriate service, even if it was just one or two trains per day.
- Unfortunately, Aberdeen and Inverness would be too far for battery electric Azumas, so services will still need to be run by nine-car bi-mode Azumas.
Five-car battery electric Azumas working in pairs from London could be the key to increasing LNER services.
I can see that LNER may end up with too many nine-car Azumas, if nine-car trains are replaced by pairs of five-car trains to serve two destinations by splitting and joining.
Would it be possible to shorten nine-car Azumas to five-car trains?
These are the formations of the two trains.
- nine-car: DPTS-MS-MS-TS-MS-TS-MC-MF-DPTF
- five-car: DPTS-MS-MS-MC-DPTF
It is known, that the trains have a computer, that does a quick check on start-up to determine, what cars are present and correct in the train.
- This means that if LNER needed twelve-car trains for say London and Edinburgh, they could create a sub-fleet by just buying the requisite number of extra TS (Trailer Standard) and MS (Motor Standard) cars and coupling them up.
- This feature also means that operators running fleets of five-car Hitachi trains, like TransPennine Express and Hull Trains can increase capacity by just purchasing the extra cars.
- It would also allow, cars to be shuffled to create viable trains, after say several cars were damaged by vandalism.
All trains these days seem to have this very operator-friendly feature.
With LNER’s trains, I suspect that all cars of the same type are identical.
This would mean, that a nine-car train can be converted to a five-car by removing two TS (Trailer Standard), one MS (Motor Standard) and one MF (Motor First) cars.
The four cars, that have been removed could be reconfigured to form the middle three cars of a new five-car train, which would be completed by adding new DPTS (Driver Pantograph Trailer Standard) and DPTF (Driver Pantograph Trailer First) cars.
An Increase In Paths From 5 To 6.5
This will certainly allow LNER to run more services.
The odd half path could be easy to explain.
- Hull is a city, that is on the up.
- I suspect that it could support a five-car direct service from London with a frequency of one tph.
- But Hull Trains are also running a successful service on the route.
Perhaps a fair solution, would be to allow both LNER and Hull Trains to run a one train per two hour (tp2h) service.
If LNER didn’t want to use the path to just run a five-car train to Hull, there are several possibilities for a split and join.
- With a Cleethorpes, Lincoln or Nottingham service at Grantham.
- With a Cleethorpes or Lincoln service at Newark.
- With a Cleethorpes, Middlesbrough, Sheffield or Sunderland service at Doncaster.
I can only see splitting and joining increasing, which surely means an Azuma order is more likely.
As someone, who spent a working life, writing software to schedule projects, I can’t resist speculating on what to do with the extra whole path, that LNER will be allocated, when the infrastructure allows.
- Many travellers wouldn’t mind LNER providing more seats between the English and Scottish capitals.
- Many would like an alternative to flying.
- Others would like a faster service.
- Leeds and York will soon be a route, that LNER’s Azumas will be able to use without diesel, because of extra electrification and Azumas with traction batteries.
This leads me to believe that LNER could use the extra path for a third London and Edinburgh service in every hour, that ran via Leeds.
- Additionally, it might stop at stations like Peterborough, York, Darlington or Newcastle.
- It could also provide a non-stop London and Leeds service.
- Some services could go non-stop between London and Edinburgh.
- The direct London and Edinburgh service would be under four hours.
- Going via Leeds would add under an hour.
It would be run by a nine-car all-electric Azumas, of which there will be unlikely to be a shortage.
How Many Azumas Could Be Fitted With Batteries Instead Of Diesel Engines?
The Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, has a section called Powertrain, where this is said.
Despite being underfloor, the generator units (GU) have diesel engines of V12 formation. The Class 801 has one GU for a five to nine-car set. These provide emergency power for limited traction and auxiliaries if the power supply from the overhead line fails. The Class 800 and Class 802 bi-mode has three GU per five-car set and five GU per nine-car set. A five-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/4 and a nine-car set has a GU situated under vehicles 2/3/5/7/8.
Consider.
- Class 807 trains for Aventi West Coast will have no batteries or diesel engines. Does this save weight?
- Class 803 trains for East Coast Trains will only have a small battery for emergency hotel power, in case of catenary failure. Does this save weight?
- Saving weight should improve acceleration and deceleration, which could reduce journey times.
- Removal of diesel engines would reduce the trains carbon footprint.
- Removal of diesel engines could reduce maintenance costs.
- Diesel engines are only needed for services that run North of Edinburgh. Other sections without electrification are probably within battery range or could be easily made so.
- It appears every Motor car (MC, MF and MS) can be fitted with a diesel engine, although in Class 801 trains, only one is fitted. Does that mean that every Motor car in the future, could have a battery?
I think this could lead to the following.
- The Class 801 trains are fitted with sufficient batteries to enable handling of expected emergencies. These could be similar to those in the Class 803 trains.
- Enough nine-car Class 800 trains would be kept with diesel engines to work the Aberdeen and Inverness services. These routes at 130 and 146 miles without wires are too long for battery trains, without a succession of chargers along the routes.
- If a third Edinburgh service were to be introduced, could some of the remainder of the nine-car Class 800 trains be converted to Class 801 trains, by removing the diesel engines?
- I would expect most of the five-car thirty-six Class 800 trains would be fitted with batteries to run services to destinations, that can be reached on battery power. In a few years time, these will probably mean splitting and joining at Edinburgh, Leeds and other places.
- Could we even see the twelve five-car Class 801 trains converted to battery electric Class 800 trains, which would surely give maximum flexibility about their use?
If the software on the trains, is as intelligent as it could be and can accept cars with diesel engines, batteries or no extra power, then LNER will have an enormous amount of flexibility, to configure the trains as they need.
I could even see a nine-car Class 800 train with a mix of batteries and diesel engines, that can be used as range extenders, reaching further towards Aberdeen and Inverness.
Consider a five-car Class 800 train with two batteries and a single diesel engine!
- If I assume that Hitachi’s specification for the Regional Battery Train, is for a five-car train with three diesel engines replaced with battery packs, then a two battery pack train could have a range of 60 km or 37 miles.
- If the route wasn’t very challenging, and the computer made judicious use of the diesel engine, could the train’s range be extended to beyond the ninety kilometres of the three-battery pack train.
- The diesel engine could also be used to charge the batteries, before returning to the electrification of the main line.
In Vivarail’s Plans For Zero-Emission Trains, I talked about Adrian Shooter and his concept of a Pop-Up Metro, run for perhaps a year, to test if a Metro service would be viable, instead of spending the money on consultants.
The two-battery pack/one diesel Class 800 train, could run a Pop-Up London Service to test the need for a London service. All it would need is a convenient platform long enough to take a 130 metre long Class 800 train.
Possible destinations to test could include Cleethorpes, Dundee, Glenrothes-with-Thornton, Grimsby, Nottingham, Norwich, Perth, Redcar, Sheffield and Sunderland
Conclusion
There is a lot of scope to develop LNER’s services.
I think it is likely that the order will go to Hitachi.
But as I indicated, I do believe that there is scope for a manufacturer to design a zero-carbon train, that was able to serve the Aberdeen and Inverness.
- I suspect a fleet of ten trains would be sufficient.
- Trains would use the 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it exists and hydrogen or battery power North of the wires.
The trains would also be capable of being upgraded to higher speeds, should the East Coast Main Line be turned into a High Speed Line.
I also think, that whatever trains are bought, there will be a large upgrading of the existing Hitachi fleet, which will add batteries to a lot of trains.
Plans For £45m Scottish Green Hydrogen Production Plant Revealed
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
This is the opening paragraph.
UK-built hydrogen buses powered by Scottish-made green hydrogen, transporting COP26 delegates around Glasgow in 2021: that’s the vision of a new £45m project unveiled today (3rd Nov).
Some details of the plant are also given.
- It will be built at Lesmahagow.
- It will be co-located with wind turbines and solar panels.
- It will have an initial capacity of 9 MW, with a possible increase to 20 MW.
- It will produce 800 tonnes of hydrogen per annum.
- The company behind it, is called Hy2Go
It sounds like the electrolyser is the one mentioned in Green Hydrogen For Scotland, which was announced in a press release from ITM Power.
Although, that electrolyser may be situated at Whitelee Wind Farm, which is a few miles closer to the coast.
Will Scotland Have Two Electrolysers To the South Of Glasgow?
Consider.
- Whitelee is the UK’s largest onshore wind farm with a capacity of 539 MW.
- It is planned to install a large battery at Whitelee. See Super Battery Plan To Boost UK’s Biggest Onshore Windfarm on this page on the Scottish Power web site.
- Lesmahagow’s turbines and solar panels have not been installed yet.
- Much of the wind power in the South of Scotland and the North of England is mainly onshore, rather than onshore.
- The location of the Lesmahagow electrolyser will be close to the M74.
- The location of the Whitelee electrolyser will be close to the M77.
- There is a good motorway network linking the electrolysers’ to the major cities in the South of Scotland and the North of England.
- Newcastle might be a bit difficult to supply, but that may receive hydrogen from Teesside or the Humber.
Perhaps, the economics of onshore wind, with electrolysers nearby, makes for an affordable source of plentiful green hydrogen.
I would expect that if Scotland built two large electrolysers South of Glasgow, they wouldn’t have too much trouble using the hydrogen to reduce the country’s and the North of England’s carbon footprint.
Have These Two Projects Merged?
Consider.
- The Lesmahagow site is stated in the article to possibly have two electrolysers with a total capacity of 20 MW.
- The Lesmahagow site is in an excellent position close to a junction to the M74 motorway, with easy access to Edinburgh, Glasgow and England.
- The Lesmahagow site could probably have a pipeline to a hydrogen filling station for trucks and other vehicles on the M74.
- The Whitelee wind farm is huge.
- Lesmahagow and Whitelee are about twenty miles apart.
- More wind turbines might be possible between the two sites.
- There must also be a high-capacity grid connection at Whitelee.
Combining the two projects could have advantages.
- There could be cost savings on the infrastructure.
- It might be easier to add more wind turbines.
There may be time savings to be made, so that hydrogen is available for COP26.
Conclusion
Scotland is making a bold green statement for COP26.
A network of very large hydrogen electrolysers is stating to emerge.
- Glasgow – Lesmahagow.
- Herne Bay for London and the South East – Planning permission has been obtained.
- Humber – In planning
- Runcorn for North West England – Existing supply
- Teesside – Existing supply
Joe Bamford’s dream of thousands of hydrogen-powered buses, is beginning to become a reality.
Is Trump’s Recovery From The The Covids Down To His Mother?
Donald Trump’s mother was born Mary Anne MacLeod at Tong on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland.
This Google Map shows the position of Tong to the island’s capital of Stornoway.
This is Wikipedia’s introduction to the village.
Tong is a village on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, 4 miles (6 kilometres) northeast of the main town of Stornoway on the B895 road to Back and Tolsta. The population of the village is 527 (2001 census). Fishing forms part of the local economy.
Families probably have to have granite in their genes to survive in places like that for decades.
By reputation, Highlanders are not wimps.
I have just looked up the rate of the covids in the Highlands.
The latest figure of lab-confirmed cases is 185.7 per 100,000 of the population, which compares to 617 for the whole of Scotland and 1952.4 for Manchester.
Is there something in Highland genes, that resists the covids?
Scotland’s Mines To Be At Centre Of Green Energy Renaissance
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Glasgow Herald.
The article is a good explanation of the pros and cons of using the heat stored in disused coal mines, to heat hones and businesses.
Green Hydrogen For Scotland
The title of this post, has been taken from this press release from ITM Power, which is entitled ‘Green Hydrogen For Scotland’ To Help Reach Net Zero Targets: First Project To Deliver A 10MW Electrolyser To Glasgow Facility.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A pioneering Strategic partnership has been established to create new green hydrogen production facilities with clusters of refuelling stations across Scotland, supporting the country’s efforts to achieve net zero by 2045. ‘Green Hydrogen for Scotland’ – a partnership of ScottishPower Renewables, BOC (a Linde company) and ITM Power – brings together industry-leading names in the renewables and clean fuel industries to offer an end-to-end market solution for reducing vehicle emissions through the provision of green hydrogen.
Other details include.
- The green hydrogen production facility located on the outskirts of Glasgow will be operated by BOC.
- ITM Power will deliver a 10 MW electrolyser.
- Electricity will come from , wind and solar produced by ScottishPower Renewables.
- The project aims to supply hydrogen to the commercial market within the next two years.
This ITM Power infographic outlines Green Hydrogen for Scotland.
Surely it should be called tartan hydrogen. Does anybody know a tartan containing the blue of Scotland, the white of Yorkshire and the black, red and gold of Germany?
Ryze Hydrogen Wants To Make The North East Of Scotland A World Leader In Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 View.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Ryze Hydrogen has pledged to work with the Scottish Government and local authorities to make the North East of Scotland a world leader in hydrogen.
I think this is both a laudable and a very sensible aim.
- Large offshore wind farms are being built both around Aberdeen and the Far North of Scotland.
- Production of hydrogen is a sensible way to use spare renewable electricity.
- That area of Scotland is not short of wind.
- Aberdeen will be taking delivery of hydrogen buses later this year.
- With their experience of the oil industry, there would not be a shortage of people with the necessary expertise.
The article also details Jo Bamford’s plans for hydrogen buses.
Hydrogen Refuelling In East Lothian
This article on Daily Business is entitled Hydrogen Refuelling Station Boost For Emission-Free Cars.
Hydrogen is coming!
Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work LNER’s Services?
Before I answer this question, I will lay out the battery-electric train’s specification.
Hitachi’s Proposed Battery Electric Train
Based on information in an article in Issue 898 of Rail Magazine, which is entitled Sparking A Revolution, the specification of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric train is given as follows.
- Based on Class 800-802/804 trains or Class 385 trains.
- Range of 55-65 miles.
- Operating speed of 90-100 mph
- Recharge in ten minutes when static.
- A battery life of 8-10 years.
- Battery-only power for stations and urban areas.
- Trains are designed to be created by conversion of existing Class 80x trains
For this post, I will assume that the train is five or nine-cars long. This is the length of LNER‘s Class 800 and 801 trains.
LNER’s Services
These are LNER services that run from London to the North of England and Scotland.
I shall go through all the services and see how they would be affected by Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train.
London Kings Cross And Edinburgh
- The service runs at a frequency of two trains per hour (tph)
- Some services extend to Aberdeen, Stirling and Inverness and are discussed in the following sections.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Aberdeen
- The service runs at a frequency of four trains per day (tpd)
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Inverkeithing, Kirkaldy, Leuchars, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose and Stonehaven.
- Currently, the electrification goes 394 miles to Haymarket.
The service is 524 miles long and takes seven hours and four minutes.
To ascertain, if the Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train, could run this route, I’ll display the various sections of the route.
- London Kings Cross and Haymarket – 394 miles – Electrified
- Haymarket and Inverkeithing – 12 miles – Not Electrified
- Inverkeithing and Kirkcaldy – 13 miles – Not Electrified
- Kirkaldy and Leuchars – 25 miles – Not Electrified
- Leuchars and Dundee – 8 miles – Not Electrified
- Dundee and Arbroath – 17 miles – Not Electrified
- Arbroath and Montrose – 14 miles – Not Electrified
- Montrose and Stonehaven – 24 miles – Not Electrified
- Stonehaven and Aberdeen – 16 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- Haymarket and Dundee is a distance of 58 miles
- Dundee and Stonehaven is a distance of 55 miles
So could the service be run with Fast Charge systems at Dundee, Stonehaven and Aberdeen?
I think it could, but the problem would be charging time at Dundee and Stonehaven, as it could add twenty minutes to the journey time and make timetabling difficult on the route.
Perhaps, an alternative would be to electrify a section in the middle of the route to create an electrification island, that could be reached from both Haymarket and Aberdeen.
The obvious section to electrify would be between Dundee and Montrose.
- It is a distance of 31 miles to electrify.
- I have flown my virtual helicopter along the route and it could be already gauge-cleared for electrification,
- Dundee station has been recently rebuilt.
- Haymarket and Dundee is a distance of 58 miles.
- Montrose and Aberdeen is a distance of 40 miles.
- Pantographs could be raised and lowered at Dundee and Montrose stations.
With this electrification and a Fast Charge system at Aberdeen, I believe that Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train could run between London Kings Cross and Aberdeen.
As an alternative to the Fast Charge system at Aberdeen, the route of Aberdeen Crossrail between Aberdeen and Inverurie could be electrified.
- This would enable battery-electric Class 385 trains to run between Inverurie and Montrose.
- The route through Aberdeen is newly-built, so should be gauge-cleared and reasonably easy to electrify.
It should also be noted that if battery-electric trains can run between Edinburgh and Aberdeen, then these services are also possible, using the same trains.
- Glasgow and Aberdeen
- Stirling and Aberdeen
All passenger services between Scotland’s Cenreal Belt and Aberdeen appear to be possible using battery-electric trains
London Kings Cross And Stirling
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Falkirk Grahamstown
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Inverness
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Edinburgh, Haymarket, Falkirk Grahamstown, Stirling, Gleneagles, Perth, Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore.
- Currently, the electrification goes 429 miles to Stirling, but I have read that the Scottish government would like to see it extended to Perth, which is 462 miles from London.
The service is 581 miles long and takes eight hours and six minutes.
To ascertain, if the Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train, could run this route, I’ll display the various sections of the route.
- London Kings Cross and Haymarket – 394 miles – Electrified
- Haymarket and Falkirk Grahamsrown – 23 miles – Electrified
- Falkirk Grahamsrown and Stirling – 11 miles – Electrified.
- Stirling and Gleneagles – 17 miles – Not Electrified
- Gleneagles and Perth – 16 miles – Not Electrified
- Perth and Pitlochry – 28 miles – – Not Electrified
- Pitlochry and Kingussie – 44 miles – Not Rlectrified.
- Kingussie and Aviemore – 12 miles – Not Rlectrified.
- Aviemore and Inverness – 34 miles – Not Electrified
Note.
- The distance between Dunblane, where the electrification actually finishes and Perth is only 28 miles, which shouldn’t be too challenging.
- All the sections North of Perth are well within range of a fully charged train.
- Some sections of the route are challenging. Look at the video I published in Edinburgh to Inverness in the Cab of an HST.
- Hitachi run diesel Class 800 trains to Inverness, so they must know the power required and the battery size to run between Perth and Inverness.
I also believe that the Scottish Government, ScotRail, the Highland tourist industry and Hitachi, would all put their endeavours behind a project to get battery-electric trains between Perth and Inverness.
It would send a powerful message, that if battery-electric trains can run on one of the most scenic rail lines in the world without electrification, then nowhere is out of reach of battery trains.
Looking at the figures, I am convinced that a series of Fast Charge systems at stations like Pitlochry, Kingussie and Aviemore could supply enough power to allow a nine-car version of Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train to work the route.
This battery-electrification, would also enable battery-electric Class 385 trains to work the route.
If all this sounds a bit fanciful and over ambitious, read the history of the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board, which brought electricity to the area in the 1940s and 1950s.
This battery-electrification is a small project compared to what the Hydro-Electric Board achieved.
I can see a time, when similar techniques allow battery-electric trains to run these lines from Inverness.
- Far North Line – 174 miles
- Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh – 82 miles
- Inverness and Aberdeen – 108 miles
The Far North Line would probably need two or three Fast Charge systems at intermediate stations, but the other lines would probably only need one system, somewhere in the middle.
I think that this analysis for London and Inverness shows that all parts of England, Scotland and Wales can be served by modern battery-electric trains.
It would also appear that the cost of the necessary Fast Charging systems, would be much more affordable than full electrification, North of Perth.
I estimate that less than a dozen Fast Charging systems would be needed, North of Perth.
- Some electrification might be needed in Inverness station.
- Electrification between Inverurie and Aberdeen could help.
- There’s no shortage of zero-carbon electricity from wind and hydro-electric power.
A couple of years ago, I speculated in a post called London To Thurso Direct.
Could it happen on a regular basis in the summer months?
London Kings Cross And Leeds
- The service runs at a frequency of two tph
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Harrogate
- The service runs at a frequency of six tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Harrogate is a distance of nineteen miles and is not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Leeds to Harrogate and back, using battery power alone.
- Batteries will be charged using the electrification at and around Leeds.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Bradford Foster Square
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Bradford Forster Square is a distance of fourteen miles and electrified.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Skipton
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham, Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate
- Leeds and Skipton is a distance of twenty-six miles and electrified.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Lincoln
- The service runs at a frequency of one train per two hours (1tp2h)
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate
- Newark North Gate and Lincoln is a distance of sixteen miles and not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Newark North Gate to Lincoln and back, using battery power alone.
- Batteries will be charged using the electrification between Newark North Gate and London Kings Cross.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And York
- The service runs at a frequency of 1tp2h
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate, Retford and Doncaster
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
London Kings Cross And Hull
- The service runs at a frequency of one tpd
- Intermediate stations are Stevenage, Peterborough, Grantham and Newark North Gate, Retford and Doncaster
- Temple Hirst Junction and Hull is a distance of thirty-six miles and not electrified.
- Hitachi’s proposed battery-electric Class AT-300 train should be able to go from Temple Hirst Junction and Hull and back, using battery power and a Fast Charge system at Hull.
- Batteries will also be charged using the electrification between Temple Hirst Junction and London Kings Cross.
This service can be run totally using the existing electrification.
Consider.
- The train runs seventy-two miles to get to Hull and back on lines without electrification..
- Hitachi state that the trains maximum range on battery power is sixty-five miles.
- Hull Trains and TransPennine Express also run similar trains on this route, that will need charging at Hull.
So rather than installing a Fast Charge system at Hull, would it be better to do one of the following.
- Create a battery-electric AT-300 train with a bigger battery and a longer range. A One-Size-Fits-All could be better.
- However, the larger battery would be an ideal solution for Hull Trains, who also have to reverse and go on to Beverley.
- Electrify the last few miles of track into Hull. I don’t like this as electrifying stations can be tricky and getting power might be difficult!
- Electrify between Temple Hirst Junction and Selby station and whilst this is done, build a solution to the problem of the swing bridge. Power for the electrification can be taken from the East Coast Main Line.
I’m sure a compromise between train battery size and electrification can be found, that creates a solution, that is acceptable to the accountants.
Conclusion
I think it could be possible, that LNER could use a fleet of all-electric and battery-electric AT-300 trains.
Hydrogen-Powered Train To Be Tested In Scotland As Fuel Of Future
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Scotsman.
Points from the article.
- The train would be a converted recently-retired Class 314 train.
- The train could be tested on a heritage railway, as the battery-electric Class 230 train, was tested on the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway.
- The technology involved will be developed by Arcola Energy of Dalston in London and the University of St. Andrews.
Dr. Ben Todd of Arcola Energy described the project as a small feasibility study.
The Anonymous Widower 