A Road Scheme That Appears To Going Nowhere
This article on the BBC is entitled A57 Link Roads Mottram Bypass: Charity Seeks Judicial Review.
This is the sub-heading.
Environmental campaigners are seeking a judicial review of proposals designed to ease road congestion between Manchester and Sheffield.
And these are the first two paragraphs.
Plans for the A57 Link Roads Mottram Bypass scheme were boosted in November when Transport Minister Huw Merriman granted a development consent order.
But countryside charity the CPRE said there was no evidence building a new road “moves away a traffic problem”.
I remember this area well from the 1960s, when I was studying at Liverpool University and my parents lived in Felixstowe.
- There was no motorway across the Midlands between Coventry and Stafford and the alternative of the A5 was a nose-to-tail crawl.
- The M62 was still in the design phase.
So I took to using this cross-country route.
- A45 between Felixstowe and Huntingdon.
- A1 to Worksop, which was mainly dual-carriageway.
- A57 to Manchester, through Sheffield and Glossop, which was and still is single-track.
- A580 to Liverpool.
I think my best time was about five hours in a 1954 Morris Minor.
I feel, I must have gone through Mottram in Longdendale, judging by the map on the BBC article.
It is interesting to read the Wikipedia entry for the Longdendale Bypass, which starts like this.
The Longdendale Bypass (also known as the A57/A628 Mottram-in-Longdendale, Hollingworth & Tintwistle Bypass) is a long-planned road scheme in England by the Highways Agency. The aim is to alleviate traffic congestion on the A57 road/A628 road/A616 road routes that presently pass through the villages. There is both support and opposition for this long-planned scheme which will pass through the valley of Longdendale and part of the Peak District National Park.
The scheme was approved by the Highways Agency in 2014, so politicians have not exactly been quick off the mark.
These are some choice phrases from the Wikipedia entry.
- It is used by a relatively large number of heavy goods vehicles.
- Supporters of the scheme say that the A628 is one of the most congested A-road routes in the country.
- There is no viable alternative to a bypass.
- A survey in 2010 found that the junction of the A57 and M67 was the most congested in Manchester.
It is a disaster and the intervention by the CPRE will further delay a solution.
Conclusion
It is problems like this, that lead me to one solution.
On the one hand, you improve the railways and on the other you bring in universal road charging.
Hopefully passengers and freight will find a happy equilibrium.
But voters wouldn’t like it and any Government, that brought it in would lose the next election to a yet-to-be-formed Motorists Party.
Red Wall Commuters To Get Rail Revolution
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Sunday Times.
This is the first paragraph.
Nearly £100 billion will be spent on England’s railways outside London, including the construction of three new high-speed lines that will cut journey times in half.
The paper is also predicting that the Birmingham and Leeds leg of High Speed Two will be scrapped.
The three new high speed lines are.
- Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway
- Leeds and Sheffield
- Manchester and Crewe.
I have felt for some time, that timings between London and Yorkshire can be upgraded almost to High Speed Two levels by upgrading the Midland Main and the East Coast Main Lines.
I shall be doing some calculations, when the schemes are announced on Thursday.
Reopening The Don Valley Section Of The Former Woodhead Line Between Stocksbridge and Sheffield Victoria To Passenger Services
On October 27th this Beeching Reversal Project was given £50,000 to build a case for reopening.
Stocksbridge is introduced like this in Wikipedia.
Stocksbridge is a town and civil parish, in the City of Sheffield, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies just to the east of the Peak District. The town is located in the steep-sided valley of the Little Don River, below the Underbank Reservoir. It blends into the areas of Deepcar, Bolsterstone and the eastern end of Ewden valley around Ewden village, which are also within the civil parish. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 13,455.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note there are a large number of steel related industries all connected by an extensive railway system.
This Google Map shows part of the area to a more detailed scale.
I suspect that a station could be built somewhere to the South of the works.
I have followed the Stocksbridge Railway out to the East and it takes a loop to the South to Deepcar Tram and Railway station, as is shown on this Google Map.
Note.
The Eastern end of the Stockbridge site is in the North-West of the map.
Deepcar station is shown by a blue dot in the South-East corner of the map.
This Google Map shows Deepcar station in greater detail.
Note.
- The Stocksbridge Railway curving to the West is clearly visible.
- The other railway going North is the former Woodhead Line to Manchester.
This map clipped from Wikipedia shows the Lines through Deepcar station.
This shows the route between Stocksbridge and the former Sheffield Victoria station.
I have also found this article on the Sheffield Star, which is entitled Passenger Trains Could Return On Sheffield To Stocksbridge Don Valley Railway Line After major Funding Boost.
This is a paragraph.
The plans also involve reopening Sheffield Victoria station, which could serve a new Barrow Hill line to Chesterfield, stopping at Darnall, the Advanced Manufacturing Park, Woodhouse and other new stations, similar funding for which was granted last year.
This would seem to be a sensible plan.
These are my thoughts.
Sheffield Victoria Station
This Google Map shows the site of the Stocksbridge Line going through the centre of Sheffield.
The line starts in the North-West corner of the map and goes diagonally across.
The site of Sheffield Victoria station is at the Eastern edge of the map and is shown enlarged in this Google Map.
The street and hotel names are a giveaway.
There would appear to be space for a simple station with one or two platforms on the single-track through the area.
My preference would be for a single bi-directional platform, as has been used successfully at Galashiels station.
With well-placed passing loops, stations like these can handle two trains per hour (tph) and they can be step-free for all users.
Onward To Chesterfield
The plans as laid out in the paragraph in the Sheffield Star would appear to be feasible.
Darnall and Woodhouse are existing stations.
It would serve the proposed new station at Waverley, that I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Tram-Train Route To A New Station At Waverley.
Chesterfield station will be rebuilt for High Speed Two, so extra platforms could surely be added.
I wrote about plans for the Barrow Hill Line in Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield.
It certainly looks to me, that taken together the Barrow Hill and Stocksbridge schemes could be a valuable new railway for Sheffield.
Rolling Stock
I have ridden all over Karlsruhe in Germany on their tram-trains, which are a German variant of Sheffield’s Class 399 tram-trains and I can see no reason, why the combined route couldn’t be designed and built for these trains.
- They are very good on hills.
- They can work on both 750 VDC and 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- The closely-related Class 398 tram-trains in Cardiff will have batteries.
- They are already working successfully in Sheffield.
- There must be design advantages for stations.
- Travellers in Sheffield are used to the tram-trains.
- There is maintenance and operational experience in Sheffield.
It is also my belief, that Class 399 tram-trains would make excellent replacements for Sheffield’s current trams. I wrote about this in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Renewal Of Supertram Network.
Electrification
Looking at the Stocksbridge and Barrow Hill Lines together, I believe there is a strong case for electrification of both routes with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
This would enable the following.
- Class 399 tram-trains to work the combined route.
- East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 trains to access Sheffield station via the Barrow Hill Line on electricity.
- Electrified freight trains could use the route.
It could also be an easy route to electrify and be a good start to the electrification of Sheffield, which will happen in the future.
Electrification Between Sheffield And Clay Cross North Junction For High Speed Two
This electrification is needed for High Speed Two’s connection to Sheffield. It will also entail a lot of disruption for trains between Derby and Sheffield.
For these reasons, I believe that opening up the Barrow Hill route early between Sheffield and Chesterfield could be an excellent blockade buster.
Conclusion
There’s more to reopening the Stocksbridge Line, than as a local service in Sheffield.
Northern Powerhouse Rail Progress As Recommendations Made To Government
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Transport for the North.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Northern leaders have agreed an initial preferred way forward for a new railway network that will transform the region’s economy.
And these are the rail improvements proposed.
- A new line to be constructed from Liverpool to Manchester via the centre of Warrington, Read more…
- A new line to be constructed from Manchester to Leeds via the centre of Bradford. Read more…
- Significant upgrades and journey time improvements to the Hope Valley route between Manchester and Sheffield. Read more…
- Connecting Sheffield to HS2 and on to Leeds. Read more…
- Significant upgrades and electrification of the rail lines from Leeds and Sheffield to Hull. Read more…
- Significant upgrades of the East Coast Mainline from Leeds to Newcastle (via York and Darlington) and restoration of the Leamside Line. Read more…
The Read more links point to my initial thoughts.
No more detail is given, but the list is followed by this paragraph.
The move comes ahead of the much-anticipated publication of a new report that will set out long-term investment plans for rail upgrades in the North. The Government’s Integrated Rail Plan – due to be published by the end of this year – is expected to recommend how investment in rail projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 Phase 2b, and the TransPennine Route Upgrade (a separate project) will be delivered.
I am waiting for the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan with interest.
Why Is Manchester The Odd City Out?
I find the different reactions of the large Northern cities interesting.
I have seen no comment and moaning from Leeds, Newcastle and Sheffield, and Liverpool and the rest of Lancashire seems to have accepted their Tier 3. fate.
Only Manchester seems to have a serious objection.
I know Liverpool well, as I went to Liverpool University in the 1960s, met my late wife there and we lived together in the city for a couple of years.
I still visit the City regularly, as I like the city’s weather and outlook and do business with my old University.
I have visited Manchester many times, often for football (I support Ipswich, despite being a Londoner!) and I find the city very different to Liverpool.
But I don’t seem to warm to Manchester, as I do to Liverpool and the other large cities of the North.
Or is it Manchester doesn’t warm to me?
Andy Burnham is not a Mancunian and could it be, that his hard stand against the Government, is driven by wanting to be more Mancunian, than the Mancunians.
Manchester puzzles me, but it does seem to be out of step with the rest of the North.
Beeching Reversal – Sheaf Valley Stations
This is one of the Beeching Reversal projects that the Government and Network Rail are proposing to reverse some of the Beeching cuts.
Stations To Be Rebuilt
As you approach Sheffield station, you pass four station sites, three of which are demolished and the fourth is just a shadow of its former self.
Dore & Totley
Dean & Totley station used to have four platforms and this Google Map, shows what is left after British Rail’s vandalism in the mid-1980s.
Note.
- The station has only one platform.
- The single track in the platform handles all trains to and from the Hope Valley Line.
- At present it appears to be two trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
- The two tracks at the right are the Midland Main Line.
Transport for the North wants to run four tph between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield through here, that will take forty minutes between the two cities.
Updates planned for the station include.
- A second platform for Manchester-bound trains.
- A new bridge with lifts.
- Platforms long enough to take a pair of Class 185 trains or a five-car Class 802 train.
- A full hourly service.
There certainly seems to be enough space for another platform and track through the middle of the station.
At some point in the near future, the two Midland Main Line tracks will be electrified, as part of the upgrade for High Speed Two.
Between Dore & Totley And Beauchief
This Google Map shows a typical section of the line between Dore & Totley and Beauchief stations.
Note the two Midland Main Line tracks on the right and single-track to the Hope Valley Line on the left.
It would appear that the fourth track can be squeezed in between the single track and the Midland Main Line.
Beauchief
Beauchief station used to have four platforms before it was demolished.
This Google Map shows the station’s former location.
Note.
- The building with the red dot is the former Beauchief Hotel. which was by the station.
- On a larger screen you can see three tracks going into Sheffield.
I’m fairly certain that four tracks and two platforms for a station can be fitted into this narrow trackbed.
Millhouses & Eccleshall
Millhouses and Eccleshall station used to have four platforms before it was demolished.
This Google Map shows the station’s former location.
Note.
- Wikipedia says the station was accessed from the Archer Road bridge, which is in the South East corner of the map.
- It looks like there are three tracks with space for four.
- The road to the North-West of the railway is called Old Station Road.
As at Beauchief, it will be tight.
Heeley
Heeley station used to have four platforms before it was demolished.
This Google Map shows the station’s former location.
Note.
- The red arrow indicates Heeley Bridge, which Wikipedia says is near the station site.
- There appears to be only two tracks through here.
It is easy to follow the tracks from here to Sheffield station.
Could A Four Track Railway Be Rebuilt Between Dore & Totley And Sheffield Stations?
I’ve not seen anything that says that building a four-track railway through here is not possible.
In a few years, there could be the following tracks and platforms, on this section.
- Two fast tracks for High Speed Two, Midland Main Line and CrossCountry trains, that will be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead electrification, between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield station.
- The High Speed Two trains will be classic-compatible and up to 200 metres long.
- The two fast tracks will not have any platforms.
- Two slow tracks for local services, that will be appropriately electrified.
- The slow tracks will have step-free platforms, that will be long enough to take a five-car Class 802 train or a pair of Class 185 trains.
I can’t for the life of me understand, why this stretch of four-track main line between Dore & Totley and Sheffield stations was ever simplified, as at other places on the UK network, extra tracks were being added to the main lines, at the same time.
Future Services On The Fast Lines
Currently, the following services take the fast lines between Sheffield and Chesterfield stations via Dore & Totley station.
- East Midlands Railway – Sheffield and London St. Pancras – 2 tph
- East Midlands Railway – Sheffield and Norwich via Nottingham – 1 tph
- CrossCountry – Edinburgh/Newcastle and Derby/Birmingham and the South – 2 tph
- Northern – Sheffield and Nottingham – 1 tph
That is a very modest six tph.
High Speed Two are currently planning to run two tph between Sheffield and London Euston.
There may or may not be other changes.
- As Birmingham Curzon Street and Sheffield will be just forty-seven minutes by High Speed Two all the way, will these destinations have a direct high speed classic-compatible service? There’s plenty of space capacity on High Speed Two.
- I don’t think the Sheffield and St. Pancras services will be dropped, but they might be.
- CrossCountry will probably be running intelligent multi-mode trains capable of 125 mph running and up to 140 mph in places.
- Northern’s service between Sheffield and Nottingham might go via a reopened Barrow Hill Line.
But the biggest change will be that these two fast lines will be to High Speed Two standards.
- Sheffield and Chesterfield will be electrified.
- There will in-cab digital signalling, which theoretically could probably allow eighteen tph on the route.
- High Speed Two Trains between Sheffield and Chesterfield will take twelve minutes.
- Sheffield station will have been modified as required, to be able to handle all trains very efficiently.
But it would still be carrying a modest eight tph.
If required Sheffield would have the capacity to accept more trains from the South.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see, the following trains added.
- An extra tph to and from London Euston via High Speed Two.
- Two tph to and from Birmingham Curzon Street via High Speed Two.
I also wouldn’t be surprised to see CrossCountry using classic-compatible High Speed Two trains and switching to High Speed Two between Birmingham New Street and Sheffield. But these trains would still use the same tracks to access Sheffield station.
But I am led to the conclusion, that Sheffield will have more than enough capacity linking the City to Chesterfield and the South.
Future Services On The Slow Lines
Or should I use lines connecting to the Hope Valley Line rather than slow lines?
Currently, the following services take the slow lines between Sheffield and Dore & Totley stations.
- East Midlands Railway – Liverpool Lime Street and Sheffield – via Manchester Piccadilly – 1 tph
- TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Cleethorpes via Manchester Piccadilly – 1 tph
- Northern – Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly – 1 tph
Transport for the North aims to run a four tph service with a forty minute journey time between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield.
Consider.
- 100 mph TransPennine Express trains take fifty-three minutes between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly without a stop.
- Classic-compatible trains with a battery capability could easily handle the route.
- Northern’s services on the Hope Valley Line are timed for 75 mph trains.
- Dore & Totley and Hazel Grove stations are twenty-nine miles apart.
If between Dore & Totley and Sheffield stations were to be electrified and track improvements like passing loops were to be made to the Hope Valley Line, I believe that to achieve a forty minute all-stops timing between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly, would need a train with the following specification.
- Electric train with batteries.
- Four cars
- 100 mph or faster operating speed.
- Step-free access between platform and train.
- Sparkling acceleration and deceleration.
- Ability to run under in-cab digital signalling to keep out of the way of freight services.
Looking at Crossrail between London Paddington and Maidenhead stations, the London route is probably as difficult as the Hope Valley Line and it has been designed as a forty minute service with ten stops, using a modern electric train.
If TransPennine fitted batteries to their Class 802 trains, these trains would fit the Northern Powerhouse Rail requirements.
East Midlands Railway and Northern would find that the following trains could be used.
- Bombardier – Aventra with batteries
- Bombardier – Class 377 train with batteries
- Bombardier – Class 379 train with batteries
- CAF – Class 331 train with batteries
- Hitachi – Class 385 train with batteries
- Porterbrook – Battery/FLEX train based on Class 350 train
- Stadler – Flirt with batteries
All would need that between Dore & Totley and Sheffield stations be electrified.
After the upgrades and the new or refurbished trains are running, this would mean that between Dean & Totley and Sheffield would be handling four tph, which would be semi-fast trains between Sheffield and Manchester Piccadilly. Although to current passengers on the line, they would seem to be fast services of a much higher standard.
It would not be very different to how the slow lines into Paddington also handle about four tph of other services, including GWR services and freight.
I believe that to provide an adequate service to the reopened and rebuilt stations of Dore & Totley, Beauchief, Millhouses & Eccleshall and Heeley, that a Turn-Up-And-Go service of at least four tph should be run between Dore & Totley and Sheffield stations.
A Turnback At Dore & Totley
This Google Map shows Dore & Totley station and the area to the South.
Note.
- There would appear to be a lot of space between the Midland Main Line and the single track, that leads between Dore & Totley station and the Hope Valley Line.
- Flying my helicopter, as low as I dare, it looks like the area is either a rubbish dump or very low grade businesses.
- Crossrail has designed turnbacks at Abbey Wood and Paddington stations, that will handle twelve tph.
I believe that it would be possible to design a turnback at Dore & Totley station, that would handle eight trains per hour, if not twelve tph.
It might even be possible to squeeze in some overnight stabling.
Trains Or Tram-Trains Between Dore & Totley And Sheffield Stations
In my view, it doesn’t matter.
Crossrail’s 12 tph turnbacks can handle a 205 metre long Class 345 train, so I’m sure a well-designed turnback at Dore & Totley could handle a mixture of any trams or tram-trains below a defined maximum length of say 140 metres, which would be defined by a pair of Class 185 trains, which might have to be turned back during service disruption.
Where Would The Services Terminate in The East?
It is my view that cross-city services like Birmingham’s Cross-City Line, Liverpool’s Northern Line, London’s Crossrail and Thameslink, Newcastle’s Metro and Paris’s RER are efficient for both passengers and train operators.
So Dore & Totley station could be one end of a Sheffield cross-city line, with a frequency of at least eight tph through Beauchief, Millhouses & Eccleshall, Heeley and Sheffield stations.
So where would services go on the other side of Sheffield? Wikipedia gives these as services to the East of Sheffield.
- Leeds via Barnsley and Wakefield (fast) – 2 tph
- Leeds via Meadowhall, Barnsley, Wakefield and Castleford (stopping). – 1 tph
- Leeds via Meadowhall, Moorthorpe and Wakefield. – 1 tph
- Scarborough via Meadowhall, Doncaster, Hull and Bridlington. – 1 tph
- Lincoln Central via Worksop and Retford – 1 tph
- Gainsborough Central via Worksop, three trains per week continue to Cleethorpes via Brigg. – 1 tph
- Huddersfield via Meadowhall, Barnsley and Penistone – 1 tph
- Doncaster via Meadowhall and Rotherham, with one train per hour continuing to Adwick – 2 tph
- York via Moorthorpe and Sherburn-in-Elmet. – 3 trains per day (tpd)
For much of the day, that is a frequency of 10 tph, with 5 tph calling at Meadowhall, 2 tph calling at Worksop and two fast tph passing Meadowhall without stopping.
But there are other rail projects under development.
- High Speed Two will enable a new fast service between Sheffield and Leeds via Meadowhall and a new station in the Dearne Valley.
- The Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 envisages a new station at Barnsley Dearne Valley. See Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Station At Barnsley Dearne Valley.
- The Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 envisages tram-trains running between Sheffield and Doncaster-Sheffield Airport See Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Tram-Trains Between Sheffield And Doncaster-Sheffield Airport.
- The Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 envisages a new Station at Waverley. See Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Tram-Train Route To A New station At Waverley.
- High Speed Two might enable a fast classic-compatible service between Sheffield and Scarborough via York.
- The possible opening of the South Yorkshire Joint Railway to passenger traffic, may open up further opportunities. See Beeching Reversal – South Yorkshire Joint Railway.
- The possible reinstatement of the Barrow Hill Line. See Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield.
- The development of the Stocksbridge Railway for passenger services.
I can see classic-compatible High Speed Two trains serving the following places to the East of Sheffield.
- Leeds
- Hull via Doncaster
- Scarborough via York
- Cleethorpes via Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Grimsby.
A train like a five-car Class 802 train would probably be enough for most routes except Leeds.
I can see the following terminals for tram-trains to the East of Sheffield.
- Doncaster and Doncaster-Sheffield Airport
- Waverley station, which could be on a loop from the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.
- Barnsley Dearne Valley
There may well be others.
If Sheffield were Karlsruhe in Germany, the tram-trains would probably serve the following routes.
- Huddersfield via Penistone.
- Lincoln via Worksop and Gainsborough.
- Manchester via the Hope Valley Line.
But the Germans have a much larger electrified core, than Sheffield will have, even if High Speed Two electrifies between Dore & Totley and Thurnscoe stations via Sheffield.
I can make a table of destinations and distances and how they could be served.
- Barnsley – 16 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric train.
- Barnsley Dearne Valley – 8 miles from Rotherham Parkgate – Possible return trip from Sheffield via Rotherham Parkgate for a battery electric tram-train.
- Doncaster – 11 miles from Rotherham Parkgate – Possible return trip from Sheffield via Rotherham Parkgate for a battery electric tram-train.
- Chesterfield via Barrow Hill – 17 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric tram-train.
- Doncaster Sheffield Airport – 10 miles from Doncaster – Possible return trip from Sheffield via Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster for a battery electric tram-train.
- Gainsborough Lea Road. – 32 miles – See Lincoln Central.
- Huddersfield – 36 miles – Possible battery electric train with charging at Huddersfield.
- Hull – 59 miles – Possible battery electric train with charging at Doncaster and Hull.
- Lincoln Central – 48 miles – Possible battery electric train with charging at Lincoln and/or Gainsborough Lea Road. Otherwise diesel.
- Penistone – 23 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric train, using Newton’s friend on the way back.
- Retford – 23 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric train.
- Waverley – About 6 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric tram-train.
- Worksop – 16 miles – Possible return trip from Sheffield for a battery electric train.
It looks to me like a mix of battery electric trains and tram-trains could run most of the services from Sheffield, if services that used new High Speed Two infrastructure used classic-compatible trains or trains like the existing Class 802 trains, that have been converted to battery electric operation.
Note.
- I am assuming, that a battery electric train has a range of 56 miles on a single charge.
- Rotherham Parkgate station is changed to a through station.
- Tram-trains passing through Doncaster can recharge on the station’s 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- Charging can be provided as required at other stations.
There are lots of possibilities.
Consider, this for tram-train extensions to Barnsley Dearne Valley, Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
- Extend the tram-train service at Rotherham Parkgate to either Doncaster and Doncaster Airport or Barnsley Dearne Valley stations.
- Run tram-trains between Dore & Totley and Rotherham Parkgate via Sheffield, Meadowhall and Rotherham Central.
This would give a double-ended route across Sheffield and Rotherham between Dore & Totley and the existing Supertram network in the West and Barnsley Dearne Valley, Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport in the East.
Consider how to connect the branch to Waverley station to the Supertram network.
- Waverley station will be either on or on a loop from the Sheffield and Lincoln Line.
- The Sheffield and Lincoln Line has no obvious connection with the Supertram network.
- The Sheffield and Lincoln Line goes straight in to Sheffield station.
- Trains to Lincoln always appear to use Platform 4 in Sheffield station.
- Sheffield station has four through platforms.
This Google Map shows where the Sheffield and Lincoln Line passes behind the Supertram Depot at Nunnery.
Note.
- The Nunnery Square Park and Ride is in the South West corner of the map.
- The Supertram depot is to the East of the Park-and-Ride, with the Nunnery Square tram stop to the South.
- The Woodbourn Road tram stop is in the North East corner of the map.
This second Google Map shows the lines around the Park-and-Ride.
I suspect that a connection between the Supertram system and the Sheffield and Lincoln Line, could be built to the North of the Nunnery Depot.
But would it be easier to continue to Sheffield station or pass through the station and terminate at Dore & Totley station?
I can’t be sure looking at the maps, but it could be logical that trains to and from Lincoln use the Southern pair of tracks past the Nunnery Depot, as they would be on the right side of the tracks for Lincoln.
This would make it easier to do the following.
- Create a connection between the Nunnery Depot and the Sheffield and Lincoln Line, which would surely be needed for efficient maintenance and operation of tram-trains running to and from Waverley.
- Allow tram-trains used to serve the proposed Waverley station to return to the Depot every night.
- Allow tram-trains working between Sheffield and Meadowhall to use the Lincoln and Sheffield Line to enter the Nunnery Depot.
- Build a tram stop/station by the Park-and-Ride.
There would also be less need to build another depot.
Looking at the maps, could there be space to extend the Nunnery Depot?
Conclusion
This could be a very good project.
- It fits in well with the plans and needs of High Speed Two.
- It connects the new Waverley station to Sheffield station.
- It fits well with the Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019.
- It connects Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster to Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
- It opens up the Hope Valley Line to improve services between Manchester and Sheffield.
I also don’t think, there’s any great risk!
I
Reinstatement Of The Barrow Hill Line Between Sheffield And Chesterfield
This is one of the successful bids in the First Round of the Restoring Your Railway Fund.
The Route
This Google Map shows where the Barrow Hill Line starts at Tapton Junction near Chesterfield station.
Note.
- Chesterfield station is less than a mile to the South.
- The left railway going North is the Midland Main Line to Sheffield
- The right railway going North is the Barrow Hill Line.
The Barrow Hill Line turns slightly to the East and this Google Map shows it passing through Barrow Hill, which gives the route its name.
Note.
The historic Barrow Hill Roundhouse and some rail-related businesses to the North of the line.
There used to be a station here called Barrow Hill! What a surprise!
The Wikipedia entry for Barrow Hill station has a section called Modern Traffic, where this is said.
At 22 June 2013 the line is part of the Midland Main Line. It is used predominantly for freight, with a handful of passenger trains going the “long way round” from Chesterfield to Sheffield via the Old Road and Darnall largely to retain staff route knowledge in case of diversions.
The Wikipedia entry for the station also has a section called Possible Future, which is worth a read, as it lists other mothballed rail lines in the area, that could be developed.
Follow the Barrow Hill Line to the North-East and it goes through a mix of agricultural land, industrial dereliction, modern factories and nature reserves before it splits near Beighton.
This Google Map shows the area.
Note.
- The rail lines splitting by the Rother Valley Country Park at Beighton Junction.
- Barrow Hill is to the South.
- There used to be a station at Beighton.
- Woodhouse station is in the North West corner of the map.
- Woodhouse station is on the Sheffield-Lincoln Line, which can be seen crossing the area.
- Trains taking the left fork at Beighton Junction can go to Sheffield via Woodhouse and Darnall stations.
- Trains taking the right fork go under the Sheffield-Lincoln line and have connections to a large number of destinations for both freight and passengers.
It looks to me, that it is proposed to convert this long-way round route, into a second route between Sheffield and Chesterfield.
- Stations exist at Woodhouse and Darnall.
- Stations used to exist at Barrow Hill, Eckington & Renishaw, Killamarsh West and Beighton.
- The route would surely be very useful, when the Midland Main Line route between Sheffield and Chesterfield is updated for High Speed Two.
- The route might also be very useful for East Midlands Railway to develop services to Rotherham and other places to the East of Sheffield.
- I’ve found a train that takes this route between Chesterfield and Sheffield and with no stops it took twenty-five minutes.
- Typically, the direct route takes about eleven minutes.
I can see several possibilities for local, regional and national services using the Barrow Hill Line.
I have a few questions.
Would The Barrow Hill Line Be Electrified?
It has been stated that High Speed Two and the Midland Main Line will share an electrified corridor from Clay Cross North Junction to Sheffield via Chesterfield.
- So as both stations will be electrified, it would not be any problem to rustle up a good electricity supply to power an electrified Barrow Hill Route.
- Electrification might narrow the fourteen minute difference between the routes.
- Electrification would allow East Midlands Railway‘s new Class 810 trains to have a second electrified route into Sheffield.
- Is there a case for a service between London and the South of England and the South and East of Sheffield?
I think electrification of the Barrow Hill Line is more than a possibility.
Would Gauge-Clearance For Electrification Be Difficult?
As the route is already cleared for freight trains with the largest containers, it won’t be as difficult as some routes.
Could Tram-Trains Be Used Between Sheffield And Chesterfield On The Barrow Hill Line?
In Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Tram-Train Route To A New Station At Waverley, I talked about a plan by the Sheffield Region for a new tram-train route between Sheffield station and a new housing district of Waverley on the Sheffield-Lincoln Line.
- Waverley is between Darnall and Woodhouse stations.
- The new Advanced Manufacturing Park would also be served.
- Tram-trains could venture further down the Sheffield-Lincoln Line, if that was so desired.
If tram-trains were used on the Barrow Hill Line, between Sheffield and Chesterfield, both routes would share the track between Sheffield and Darnall stations.
Note that tram-trains would be able to share tracks with all electric trains used around Sheffield, including freight trains and the Class 810 trains.
Note that the stations for tram-trains can be much simpler and even share platforms with full-size trains.
The pictures show Class 399 tram-trains at Rotherham Parkgate and Rotherham Central stations.
- I feel with innovative design, the whole route between Sheffield and Chesterfield could be run using tram-trains.
- The route could be electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
- Instead of taking the Sheffield fork at Beighton Junction, the tram-trains could also take the right fork and link Chesterfield with Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Swinton.
- These tram-trains also come with batteries, if that is needed.
Barnsley, Chesterfield, Rotherham and Sheffield could be getting a lot of better connectivity and the Barrow Hill Line is key.
Conclusion
This looks to be a very sensible project.
- It could be run with either trains or tram-trams.
- It should be electrified, so it could be zero-carbon.
- Tram-trains could be used to make stations simpler.
- It could give an alternative route for electric trains to Sheffield station.
- The track is already there and regularly used.
But surely the biggest reason to built it, is that it appears to open up a lot of South and South-East Sheffield and North-East Chesterfield for development.
Northern Cities And COVID-19
If you look at the official Government statistics for the total number of cases of COVID-19, as of May 3rd, the number of cases in the two major cities in the North West as follows.
- Leeds – 1463 out of a city population of 789,194 (0.18%) and a metro population of 2,638,127 (0.05%)
- Liverpool – 1454 out of a city population of 494,814 (0.29%) and a metro population of 2,241,000 (0.06%)
- Manchester – 1154 out of a city population of 547,627 (0.21%) and a metro population of 3,748,274 (0.03%)
- Newcastle – 939 out of a city population of 300,196 (0.31%) and a metro population of 1,650,000 (0.06%)
- Nottingham – 537 out of a city population of 321,500 (0.17%) and a metro population of 1,610,000 (0.03%)
- Sheffield – 2191 out of a city population of 582,506 (0.38%) and a metro population of 1,569,000 (0.14%)
Note.
- All populations come from Wikipedia.
- Why is Liverpool 40% worse than Manchester?
- Why is Sheffield the worst?
I will add a few smaller towns andcities.
- Blackpool – 465 out of an urban population of 139,720 (0.33%)
- Caldervale – 252 out of an urban population of 200,100 (0.13%)
- Hull – 469 out of a city population of 260,645 (0.18%)
- Middlesbrough – 566 out of an urban population of 174,700 (0.32%)
- Stoke-on-Trent – 509 out of a city population of 255,833 (0.20%)
- York – 315 out of a city population of 209,893 (0.15%)
I’d like to see full statistics plotted on a map or a scatter diagram.
The latter is a very powerful way to plot data and often they highlight data points that lie outside the underlying pattern of the data.
Funding Award to Supply An 8MW Electrolyser
The title of this post, is the same as that of this Press Release from ITM Power.
This is the main body of the Press Release.
ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement to supply an 8MW electrolyser in the UK. The agreement, including associated project costs, has a total value of £10m and funding will fall across FY2021 and FY2022. Further details will be announced in due course.
I bet they’re pleased!
To get a hold on what 8 MW looks like, these Class 90 locomotive each have a power output of just under 4 MW and are capable of hauling an eight-coach express train at 110 mph.
Working at full rate, the electrolyser will be able in a year to convert 70 GWh of electricity into hydrogen.
Why Would You Want An 8MW Electrolyser?
These are a few ideas.
Green Hydrogen For Humberside
This is a project described in this ITM Power Press Release.
This is the first three paragraphs.
ITM Power, the energy storage and clean fuel company, is pleased to announce that it has won, with partner Element Energy, a first stage deployment project in the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund competition “Decarbonisation of Industrial Clusters” to assess the feasibility and scope of deploying green hydrogen with some major industrial partners in Humberside.
“Green Hydrogen for Humberside” will lead to the production of renewable hydrogen at the Gigawatt (GW) scale distributed to a mix of industrial energy users in Immingham, Humberside. Decarbonisation of this cluster is critical in reaching the UK’s legally binding 2050 net zero emission targets. Humberside, the UK’s largest cluster by industrial emissions, (12.4Mt of CO2 per year), contributes £18bn to the national economy each year and has access to a large renewable resource from offshore wind in the North Sea.
The project will work with customers in the region to establish the feasibility of switching to renewable hydrogen and justify a number of 100MW deployments of electrolysers. The project will cost the supply of hydrogen to these end users. This includes the electricity supply to the electrolyser, the hydrogen production facility, hydrogen distribution across the Humber and conversion of existing processes to use renewable hydrogen.
The study talks about a number of 100 MW deployments of electrolysers.
Will the 8MW electrolyser be a demonstrator for this project?
To Convert Surplus Renewable Energy Into Hydrogen Which Is Injected Into The Gas Grid
The Wikipedia entry for ITM Power has a section entitled Energy Storage Power To Gas. This is the first paragraph.
Power-to-Gas is a methodology of introducing such hydrogen to the natural gas network, essentially converting renewable electrical power to a clean gas that can be more conveniently stored using existing assets. There are two main Power-to-Gas mechanisms. The first involves metering pressurised hydrogen into the gas network directly. The second involves combining hydrogen with carbon dioxide via a methanation process to produce synthetic natural gas prior to introduction to the grid.
The electrolyser could be used to convert a lot of electricity into zero-carbon hydrogen for use in the UK gas network.
Improving The Resilience Of The UK Gas Network
This article on the BBC is entitled Major Power Failure Affects Homes And Transport and it describes a major power failure, when two generators failed in August 2019.
Could the 8MW electrolyser be part of the solution to make the UK power network more robust, if parts of the network fail?
To Create Feedstock For An Oil Refinery Or Petro-Chemical Plant
Hydrogen can be used as a feedstock for an oil refinery or petro-chemical plant.
This ITM Power Press Release, describes such a project, where wind power from the North Sea is used to create hydrogen for Phillips 66 Limited’s Humber Refinery.
As Part Of An Experimental Steel-Making Plant
This is pure speculation on my part, but steel-making creates lot of carbon-dioxide.
I do believe that using hydrogen to make steel is possible and ITM Power are based in the steel-city of Sheffield.
On the other hand look at the HYBRIT web site.
This is the introductory paragraph.
In 2016, SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall joined forces to create HYBRIT – an initiative that endeavors to revolutionize steel-making. HYBRIT aims to replace coking coal, traditionally needed for ore-based steel making, with hydrogen. The result will be the world’s first fossil-free steel-making technology, with virtually no carbon footprint.
During 2018, work started on the construction of a pilot plant for fossil-free steel production in Luleå, Sweden. The goal is to have a solution for fossil-free steel by 2035. If successful, HYBRIT means that together we can reduce Sweden’s CO2 emissions by 10% and Finland’s by 7%.
This page on their web site is entitled Steel Making Today And Tomorrow. This image compares traditional blast furnace steelmaking with HYBRIT.
Note that at the heart of the process is the production of hydrogen from renewable electricity. This process will need a large electrolyser.
Could someone be doing something similar in Sheffield or more likely, Scunthorpe?
- British Steel may be owned by the Chinese, but it has a record of innovation.
- We will need a lot of long steel products, like railway rails and girders, in which British Steel specialise.
- In a few years, Humberside will have enough renewable electricity from North Sea wind to create an electro-magnetic gun to fire space capsules at Mars.
I will be watching out for hydrogen steelmaking.
Is Jim Ratcliffe Up To Something?
Jim Ratcliffe is a very rich man and the chairman and CEO of INEOS, which has a turnover of $83billion.
Consider.
- INEOS must know about hydrogen.
- I read some years ago, how they were using waste hydrogen to generate electricity on Teesside.
- I have a feeling that they have backed a hydrogen fuel-cell company.
- They own the hydrogen factory in Runcorn, where I worked in 1970.
- They have extensive interests in the North West, North East and Scotland.
- The company probably has an enormous carbon-footprint, that they’d probably like to reduce, by perhaps using hydrogen instead of natural gas as a feedstock for some processes, like production of ammonia.
But above all the cost of an 8MW electrolyser would be small change and probably cost a lot less, than running the cycling team.
The Fallback
It could of course be used to produce a large amount of hydrogen to power buses, cars and trains.
The Anonymous Widower 