The Anonymous Widower

GWR Battery-Powered Trains Could Be Used In Future

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

This is the sub-heading.

Battery-powered trains could be used more frequently after a successful trial by Great Western Railway (GWR).

These three paragraphs give more details.

The rail company says using former underground trains and a rapid-charging system has shown the technology could replace its existing diesel fleet.

The year-long trial was held in west London but the trains will eventually be rolled out in the Thames Valley.

GWR says it can now prove the concept works and hopes to take the initiative to government.

A couple of weeks ago, I used similar trains between Wrexham Central and Shotton stations, which I wrote about in Vivarail Trains And Wrexham Central Station – 6th June 2025.

July 2, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Vivarail Trains And Wrexham Central Station – 6th June 2025

From Chester, I took a train to Wrexham General station. From there I took a Vivarail Class 230 train to Wrexham Central station and then on to Shotton station.

These are some of the pictures I took.

Note.

  1. Time was tight at Wrexham Central station.
  2. But Wrexham Central station looked to be a good example of a tidy one-platform station built into a shopping centre.
  3. The Vivaral Class 230 train appeared to have worn well.
  4. From what I saw, it would be fairly easy to put up a short length of overhead line to charge battery-electric trains.

I should have given myself more time.

June 8, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Changing For Chester At Shotton Station – 6th June 2025

From Wrexham Central station, I took the Borderlands Line to Shotton, where I changed to a train for Chester.

This Google Map shows the station.

Note.

  1. The station logo in the top-right corner of the map indicates the low-level station on the North Wales Coast Line.
  2. The second logo at the bootom of the map indicates the high-level station on the Borderlands line.
  3. It was quite a long walk between the two pairs of platforms.
  4. There were no lifts or facilities.

The Wikipedia entry for Shotton station gives this summary of future plans.

In March 2015 Network Rail published the draft version of their Welsh Route Study. It contained a proposal to build a new interchange station that would replace the existing High and Low Level stations, allowing for greater connectivity between the North Wales Coast Main Line and the Borderlands Line. The document recommended a transport planning study to establish the cost, feasibility and benefits of the proposed scheme.

In £2.1bn North Wales Rail Overhaul Plans Unveiled, match funding for step-free access at Shotton station is mentioned.

It certainly is a station in need of improvement. Especially, where step-free access is concerned.

It also needs a few more trains, as I waited an hour.

June 7, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

£2.1bn North Wales Rail Overhaul Plans Unveiled

The title of this post is the same as this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

A £2.1bn plan to overhaul north Wales’ railway network has been unveiled by Welsh Transport Secretary Ken Skates, but with no funding commitment from the UK government so far.

These three introductory paragraphs add more detail.

The proposals include more services, the introduction of pay-as-you-go “tap in tap out” technology, electrification of lines and a Metro-style service linking Wrexham and Liverpool.

Promising the plans would mean “better stations and more trains”, Welsh ministers have committed an initial £13m, with substantial UK government cash needed to realise the proposals.

The UK government has been asked to comment.

Having lived in Liverpool for seven years, I can understand how this upgrade will benefit Wales and also bring the area closer to Liverpool and Merseyside, to the benefit of the wider region.

There is also this press release from the Welsh Government, which is entitled “METRO IS GO” with Network North Wales.

This press release says plans include.

  • Commencing work on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool as the crucial first phase of delivering metro services direct between the two cities.
  • Doubling train services between Wrexham and Chester next May.
  • Bringing forward the introduction of 50% more services across the North Wales mainline from December 2026 to next May – resulting in a new service from Llandudno to Liverpool and extending the Manchester Airport service to Holyhead in place of Llandudno.
  • Upon completion of rail line works at Padeswood, increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to 2 trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of 4 trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.
  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.
  • A new, multi-million pound electrification innovation fund to develop a plan to decarbonise the railway in North Wales and enable more frequent metro services and additional stations
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton and Ruabon stations.
  • Working with local authorities to develop plans for Gateway multi-modal interchanges at Holyhead, Bangor, Caernarfon and Wrexham.
  • A new T13 bus service – connecting Rhyl, Ruthin, Denbigh and Wrexham.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.
  • A new bus network specifically designed to link communities with industrial estates in the Flintshire and Wrexham Investment Zone.

It all seems very comprehensive.

The Current Wrexham And Liverpool Route

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of North Wales between Chester, Flint and Wrexham Central.

Note.

  1. Wrexham Central station is at the bottom of the map indicated by the blue arrow.
  2. Chester is in the North-East corner of the map, where three orange tracks meet.
  3. The orange track running East from Chester is the North Wales Coast Line to Crewe
  4. The orange track running West from Chester is the North Wales Coast Line to Shotton, Flint and then on to Llandudno, Bangor and Holyhead.
  5. The orange track running South from Chester goes to Wrexham.
  6. The yellow track running North from Chester is Merseyrail to Liverpool.
  7. Flint station is in the North-West corner of the map, with Shotton station between Chester and Flint stations.
  8. The yellow track running North from Wrexham Central station  to Shotton station is the Borderlands Line to Bidston for Liverpool.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the two Wrexham stations and the lines to Liverpool and Chester.

Note.

The orange track running North-South is the Chester and Shrewsbury Line, which runs through Wrexham General station.

The yellow track running North -West is the Borderlands Line to Shotton and Bidston for Liverpool.

Wrexham Central station is on an extension of the Borderlands Line.

This third OpenRailwayMap shows where the Borderlands Line crosses the River Dee on the Hawarden Bridge.

Note.

  1. Running across the South-West corner of the map is the River Dee.
  2. The orange track in the South-West corner of the map is the North Wales Coast Line between Chester and Holyhead.
  3. The yellow track is the Borderlands Line between Wrexham and Bidston for Liverpool.
  4. The Borderlands Line crosses the River Dee on the Hawarden Bridge.
  5. Shotton station is a poor interchange between the two lines.
  6. Hawarden Bridge station is North of the river.

This fourth OpenRailwayMap shows where the Borderlands Line joins Merseyrail’s Wirral Line at Bidston station.

Note.

  1. Bidston station is in the vNorth-West corner of the map.
  2. The yellow track running West from Bidston station is Merseyrail to West Kirby.
  3. The yellow track running South from Bidston station is the Borderlands Line to Wrexham.
  4. The yellow track running North from the triangular junction to the East of Bidston station is Merseyrail to New Brighton.
  5. The yellow track running East from the triangular junction to the East of Bidston station is Merseyrail to Liverpool via Birkenhead North, Birkenhead Park, Conway Park and Hamilton Square stations.
  6. Birkenhead Central station is in the South-Eastern corner of the map and is on Merseyrail’s branches to Chester and Ellesmere Port stations.

Services from Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby all combine at Hamilton Square to go round the stations under the centre of Liverpool; James Street, Moorfields, Lime Street, Central and James Street (again).

Wrexham And Liverpool Improvements

These plans concern the Borderlands Line or the Wrexham and Liverpool Line.

  • Commencing work on the line between Wrexham and Liverpool as the crucial first phase of delivering metro services direct between the two cities.
  • Upon completion of rail line works at Padeswood, increase train services between Wrexham and Bidston to 2 trains per hour within the next three years, ahead of the introduction of 4 trains per hour that will run direct between Wrexham and Liverpool by 2035.
  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.
  • A new, multi-million pound electrification innovation fund to develop a plan to decarbonise the railway in North Wales and enable more frequent metro services and additional stations
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton and Ruabon stations.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.

There looks a lot to do, but none of the actions would appear to be that large and expensive.

Running Class 777 Trains Between Wrexham Central Station And Liverpool City Centre

Consider.

  • There is no way, that the Office of Road and Rail will allow any more third rail electrification.
  • Class 777 trains could be fitted with pantographs, if the trains need to be charged on the tracks past Bidston station.
  • Siemens Mobility have developed a Rail Charging Converter, that I wrote about in Technology Behind Siemens Mobility’s British Battery Trains Hits The Tracks.
  • I suspect Stadler have some similar technology for the Class 777 trains.
  • Wrexham Central station is a single platform station.
  • Bidston and Wrexham Central stations are 27.5 miles apart or a 55 mile round trip.
  • In New Merseyrail Train Runs 135km On Battery, I describe how a Class 777 train ran for over eighty miles on battery power.

In Liverpool City Centre, trains would join services from Chester, Ellesmere Port, New Brighton and West Kirby and go round a loop through James Street, Moorfields, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Central and James Street.

This Google Map shows Wrexham Central station.

Note.

  1. The single track, with the platform alongside.
  2. There would be plenty of space on the North side of the track to put up a short length of overead wire to charge the trains.
  3. The station appears to be surrounded by a shopping centre.

One platform should be able to handle four trains per hour (tph)

This second Google Map shows Bidston station.

Note.

  1. Bidston station is indicated by the station symbol.
  2. Merseyrail’s line between West Kirby and Liverpool runs through the station.
  3. Trains to Liverpool take the Eastern point of the triangular junction.
  4. Trains to New Brighton take the Northern point of the triangular junction.
  5. Trains to West Kirby and Wrexham take the Westerly lines, from Bidston station.

Work will probably need to be done at the junction, where the West Kirby and Wrexham line split.

I discuss the work at Padeswood in Train Frequency Focus In North Wales Transport Commission’s Interim Recommendations.

It doesn’t seem to me, that to be able to run 2 or even 4 tph between Wrexham Central and Liverpool, is going to need a large budget. Although, a few extra Class 777 trains, with a battery-electric capability, will be needed.

But this corner of Wales will have one of the world’s first battery-electric international trains.

New And Improved Services And Stations

These plans concern new and improved services and stations on the Borderlands Line or the Wrexham and Liverpool Line.

  • The existing Borderlands Line will also be renamed the Wrexham – Liverpool line.
  • Key stations on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be improved in the next 12 months.
  • Trains operating on the Wrexham – Liverpool line will be wrapped to reflect the communities and football clubs they serve.
  • Introducing Pay as You Go tap in tap out technology – covering connections between Gobowen and Rhyl, and along the full length of the Wrexham -Liverpool line
  • Match funding for step-free access at Shotton station.
  • Examining options to re-open stations and build new stations to serve employment growth areas.

Deeside Industrial Park Station

This is planned for Deeside Industrial Park station.

Working with Network Rail to determine the feasibility of a rapid delivery of a new test railway station at Deeside Industrial Park, to gauge demand for permanent services to the park.

This Google Map shows Deeside Industrial Park

Note.

Shotton station is in the South West corner of the map.

Hawarden Bridge station is indicated by the red arrow.

The double-track Borderlands Line runs between the two stations and then Northwards between the warehouses and factories of the estate.

This second Google Map shows the area to the North of the two stations in greater detail.

Note.

  1. Flintshire Bridge Converter Station is the Southern end of the 2.2 GW Western HVDC Link from Scotland.
  2. Toyota’s Deeside Solar Park.
  3. The Borderland’s Line running between the substation and the solar park.

It does appear there could be plenty of space for a station.

 

Network Rail on Merseyside certainly have access to to a temporary station, as these pictures show of one’s use at Liverpool South Parkway station, which I wrote about in Liverpool South Parkway Station Stands In For Lime Street.

Note.

  1. It was mainly built of scaffolding.
  2. It was long enough for an eleven-car Class 390 train.

It could certainly be rearranged to make a temporary two-platform station.

But why a temporary station?

  • It may turn out, that Bidston and Wrexham Central is too long for battery-electric trains.
  • But Deeside Industrial Park station would be about half-way, so an ideal place for a pit-stop.
  • It’s also got plenty of electricity.
  • Toyota might also want to see how it helps the operation of their engine plant.

Network Rail might want to try out the idea of building a temporary station elsewhere in the future.

May 22, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

enfinium Announces Proposal For £200m Investment In Carbon Capture Project In North Wales

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from enfinium.

This is the sub-heading.

The project could be capable of capturing up to 235,000 tonnes of CO2 every year, accelerating efforts to achieve net zero.

The first two paragraphs outline the project.

Today, enfinium, a leading UK energy from waste operator, announces it is progressing plans to invest around £200 million in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology at the Parc Adfer energy from waste facility in Deeside, North Wales, providing vital carbon removals and boosting the green economy.

The project could capture up to 235,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. As over half of the waste processed at the facility is organic, installing CCS would enable the plant to take more CO2 out of the atmosphere than it produces. The Welsh Government’s Carbon Budget makes clear that Wales needs carbon removal solutions to mitigate other polluting parts of the economy to achieve a Net Zero economy.

The press release also says this about Paec Adfer.

Opened in 2019 in partnership with the five local authorities that make up the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Partnership (NWRWTP), Parc Adfer currently diverts up to 232,000 tonnes of unrecyclable waste from climate damaging landfill. As recognised by the National Infrastructure Commission, emissions from energy from waste plants are lower per tonne of waste compared to landfill.

With CCS installed, Parc Adfer will support the Welsh Government’s ambition to have 100% zero carbon power by 2035 and support over 1,000 jobs in the green economy during the construction phase.

This Google Map shows the location of Parc Adfer, with respect to Liverpool and the River Dee.

Note.

  1. Liverpool is in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. Chester is in the South-East corner of the map.
  3. The Dee Estuary is in the North-West corner of the map.
  4. The red arrow indicates the location of Parc Adfer.

This second Google Map shows the location of Parc Adfer in Deeside Industrial Park, which is just over the England-Wales border.

As before, the red arrow indicates the location of Parc Adfer.

This third Google Map shows the detailed area of Parc Adfer.

Note.

  1. The red arrow indicates the location of Parc Adfer.
  2. The Borderlands Line between Liverpool and Wrexham runs alongside the site.
  3. Around Parc Adfer are assorted steel works and the Flintshire Bridge HVDC Convertor Station for the Western HVDC Link to Hunterston in Scotland.
  4. On the other side of the tracks are Amazon, Great Bear Distribution, Toyota, Unilever and the Toyota Deeside Solar Park.

These are my thoughts.

Parc Adfer Has Excellent Electrical Connections

In addition to the 2.25 GW Western HVDC Link to Hunterston, there are following power sources in the area.

  • The wind farms of Liverpool Bay.
  • The 1.4 GW Connah’s Quay power station.
  • The 498 MW Deeside power station.

From the enfinium web site, it looks like Parc Adfer will generate 21 MW of zero-carbon energy from waste.

Will Parc Adfer Have A Rail Connection?

According to the  enfinium web site, Parc Adfer will process waste from Flintshire County Council, Denbighshire County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Gwynedd Council and the Isle of Anglesey County Council.

I have arranged these councils in order from East to West and all are served by the North Wales Coast Line.

This OpenRailMap shows the rail connection between Parc Adfer and the North Wales Coast Line.

Note.

  1. The Borderlands Line is shown in yellow and runs between Liverpool and Wrexham.
  2. The Borderlands Line runs past Parc Adfer just off the North of the map.
  3. The North Wales Coast Line is shown in orange and runs between North Wales and Chester.
  4. There are two stations at Shotton; High and Low Levels, which allow a passenger connection.

Unfortunately, there is no rail connection for trains which would allow freight services between Parc Adfer and North Wales.

A section called Future, in the Wikipedia entry for Shotton station, says this about upgrading the station.

In March 2015 Network Rail published the draft version of their Welsh Route Study. It contained a proposal to build a new interchange station that would replace the existing High and Low Level stations, allowing for greater connectivity between the North Wales Coast Main Line and the Borderlands Line. The document recommended a transport planning study to establish the cost, feasibility and benefits of the proposed scheme.

It appears to be likely, that no rail route will be created to allow freight services between Parc Adfer and North Wales.

Deeside Parkway Railway Station

It does appear that a parkway station at Deeside Parkway is a possibility.

This is the opening paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for Deeside Parkway station.

Deeside Parkway is a proposed railway station situated between Neston and Hawarden Bridge on the Borderlands Line. The station is intended to serve the Deeside area of Flintshire, North Wales, particularly the Deeside Industrial Park.

The station is proposed to be park of the North Wales Metro, which is described in this Wikipedia entry.

 

April 14, 2024 Posted by | Energy | , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will Hollywood Celebrity Involvement Be The Catalyst To Spark Development Of the Borderlands Line?

In Wrexham General Station – 4th May 2023, I showed this map, of Wrexham General station and the Racecourse Ground.

Consider.

  • Wrexham A. F. C. are certainly a club, whose fans won’t need much encouragement to go to matches by train.
  • I also feel that given the celebrity ownership, it will be one of those grounds where away supporters will want go.
  • Its ground and Wrexham General station is well-served by direct trains from Birmingham, Cardiff, Liverpool and London.
  • Interesting matches next year could be against Crewe, Newport and Tranmere.

I’m sure that because of the location of the ground and the celebrity owners, there will be pressure to improve the Borderlands Line to Liverpool.

The Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line has a section called Development, where this is said.

The doubling of the journey frequency on the line is one of the aims of the Growth Track 360 group, a consortium of business, politicians and public sector leaders. The group aims to improve transport and create jobs in the North Wales, Merseyside and Cheshire area over the next 20 years. During the 2017 Autumn budget, Chancellor Philip Hammond stated that part of the additional £1.2 billion funding Wales was receiving would be used to look into proposals to improve journey times on the line and developing a business case.

In October 2019, Transport for Wales announced £280,000 have been allocated to revamp stations along the line in north Wales and Merseyside, as part of TfW’s £194 million station improvement programme.

In a section called Proposed New Stations, these improvements have been proposed.

  • Build a new station at Deeside Industrial Park.
  • Build a new station at Woodchurch.
  • Build a new station at Beechwood.
  • Incorporate the line into the Merseyrail Wirral line to provide direct connectivity with Liverpool city centre.
  • Replace the High and Low levels at Shotton station with a dedicated interchange station, improving connectivity between the North Wales Coast Main Line & the Borderlands line.
  • Remove level crossings to improve line speed.

All these proposals seem reasonable.

There is also a section called Proposed Electrification, where this is said.

There have been proposals for the full or partial electrification of the line since 1999 with participation of Merseytravel and the devolved institutions in Wales. Such electrification is usually intertwined with proposals for the full incorporation of the line into the electrified Merseyrail network, allowing for services from either Wrexham Central or partway along the line to travel all the way to Birkenhead and Liverpool Central.

In 2008, a Network Rail study estimated the cost for third-rail electrification of the entire line to be £207 million. To lower costs, Merseytravel suggested overhead-wire electrification as an alternative, bringing estimates down to £66 million. However, this would mean trains running between Wrexham and Liverpool would have to be compatible with both electric systems, therefore incompatible with the third-rail only trains in use at the time.

There is political support to electrify the line from both Welsh and Merseyside authorities, however the responsibility of rail infrastructure lies with the UK Government’s Department for Transport. The Welsh Government aims to increase services between North Wales and Merseyside, in particular Wrexham and Deeside with Liverpool and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Whereas Merseyside authorities would like to increase services to stations on the line on the Wirral Peninsula in particular, as well as the rest of the line.

In 2016, a working group had been set up to examine improving the line, including proposals to increase the frequency of trains on the line. It is hoped that an increase in the number of passengers would improve the case for electrification.

It seems that various solutions have been proposed.

Consider what will be available to Merseyrail and Transport for Wales within a year or so.

  • Merseyrail will be running a new fleet of electric Class 777 trains.
  • These new trains will be running from Bidston station and under Liverpool City Centre using the Wirral Line.
  • Merseytravel has an option for a further 60 units.
  • Class 777 trains are designed for running with 25 KVAC overhead electrification, should this be required in the future.
  • Merseyrail and Transport for Wales will be working with Stadler on the use of battery-electric trains.
  • Bidston and Wrexham Central are only 27.5 miles apart.
  • The Borderlands Line is not the most challenging of rail lines to improve, as it is fairly straight and level.
  • It is unlikely that Health and Safety would allow any more third rail electrification. But would this ban also apply in Wales?
  • West Kirby trains run for 10.4 miles in 34 minutes to perform their loop under from Bidston under Liverpool City Centre.
  • If Wrexham trains could turn under Liverpool City Centre, this would improve shopping, business and educational opportunities for those living along the Borderlands Line.

This section of the Wikipedia entry for the Borderlands Line says this about the range of the Class 777 trains on battery power.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced that trials of the seven battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) versions of their new Class 777 had shown that they were capable of travelling up to 20 miles (32 km) without a charge. Further trials by Stadler reached a range of 84 miles (135 km). This would allow the line to be served without the full electrification.

In Battery Answer To Schleswig-Holstein’s Diesel Replacement Question, I talked about how Stadler were using battery-electric trains to replace diesels in Schleswig-Holstein.

It seems obvious to me, that Stadler would have experience of a suitable battery-electric train and charging system, that could be applied to the Borderlands Line.

  • I would suspect that the 34 minutes that the train would take to go from Bidston to Liverpool and back to Bidston would be more than adequate to fully charge the batteries on a train.
  • This would be enough to get a full train to Wrexham, even when Liverpool or Everton were playing an FA Cup match against Wrexham A. F. C.

But how would trains recharge at Wrexham? This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout at Wrexham.

Note.

  1. Wrexham Central station is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Wrexham General station is towards the top of the map marked by blue letters.
  3. A single track connects Platform 4 at Wrexham General station to the single platform at Wrexham Central station.

It looks like space could be a bit limited at Wrexham Central station, so would it be an idea to electrify between the two stations?

A train takes typically about seven minutes from arrival at Wrexham General station from Bidston until it leaves the station to return to Bidston.

  • This should be enough to charge the train fully.
  • Theoretically, it would allow Wrexham to have a four trains per hour (tph) service to Liverpool.
  • Electrifying between the two stations would be about 0.6 miles of single-track electrification.
  • Connection and disconnection to the electrification would be in Wrexham General station.
  • The electrification would only be switched on, when there is a train using it. This could be arranged using simple automation or by employing another signaller.

I do wonder if Welsh Health and Safety would allow third-rail electrification? If it’s a UK matter, then give it to the Welsh Government. But it would be the only third-rail electrification in the Principality.

Conclusion

I believe that if the Welsh Government would allow third-rail electrification, the service could start as soon as Merseyrail has enough battery trains.

 

May 6, 2023 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment