The Anonymous Widower

Eden Project Morecambe Revealed In New Images

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

This is the sub-heading.

New images of what the long-awaited ecotourism attraction Eden Project Morecambe will look like have been released.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

The shell-inspired structure, sister site to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, is due to open in late 2028 and is expected to attract thousands of people to the Lancashire town.

CGI images, by architects Grimshaw, show how the design will look on the edge of Morecambe Bay promenade.

The project team said the structure would be “instantly recognisable” as an “emblem of sustainability” with a “deep connection to place” and complimenting heritage landmarks nearby.

The BBC article contains a selection of stunning images.

I have never been to the original Eden Project in Cornwall, as I don’t drive and it is difficult to get to by train.

But Morecambe from Euston is an easy sub-three hours train journey and not much over an hour from Liverpool and Manchester.

So the Eden Project Morecambe will be much easier to get to and will surely bring in the visitors.

But it needs a better train between Lancaster and Morecambe than this.

Note.

  1. The train is a British Rail-era Class 156 diesel train, that was built in the late 1980s.
  2. A diesel train to an eco-project is probably not the right image.
  3. If they get all the visitors by rail, that I think they will, a two-car train will probably not have enough capacity.
  4. The platform appears to be electrified and be around 70-80 metres long.
  5. The Lancaster and Morecambe service is less than five miles.

But I believe, that this platform could be used to charge a battery-electric train through a pantograph.

This train would then be able to trundle silently all day between Lancaster and Morecambe stations.

 

June 10, 2025 Posted by | Environment, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lancaster Station – 23rd May 2025

I finally got to Lancaster station today, after my failure that I wrote about in An Annoying Day.

I took these pictures.

I shall deal with the features of the station in separate sub-sections.

The Original High Speed Two Schedule Through Lancaster Station

This diagram shows High Speed Two services, as they were originally envisaged before Phase 2 was discontinued.

Note.

  1. Trains to the left of the vertical black line are Phase 1 and those to the right are Phase 2.
  2. Full-Size trains are shown in blue.
  3. Classic-Compatible trains are shown in yellow.
  4. Blue circles are shown, where trains stop.
  5. The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
  6. In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.

Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

If I look at the trains counting from the left of the diagram, I see the following trains passing or terminating at Lancaster station.

  1. Train 4 is a pair of classic-compatible trains, that split and join at Crewe, with one train going to Lancaster and the other to Liverpool Lime Street.
  2. Trains 10 and 11 are pairs of classic-compatible trains going between London and Scotland.
  3. Train 12 is a single classic-compatible train going between Birmingham and Scotland.

Only the Lancaster portion of Train 4 stops in Lancaster station.

The Track Layout

This OpenRailwayMap shows the track layout through the station.

Note.

  1. Tracks shown in red are electrified and tracks in black or not.
  2. In the North-West corner of the map the two bay platforms 1 and 2, that are used for local services can be seen.
  3. Platform 3 is a long platform on the Western side of the station, which is generally for Northbound through stopping trains, that can take 265 metre long eleven-car Class 390 trains.
  4. Paired with the track through Platform 3, there is a Northbound avoiding line, that allows faster trains to overtake trains stopped in the station.
  5. Platform 4 is a long platform on the Western side of the island platform on the Eastern side of the station, which is generally for Southbound through stopping trains, that can take 265 metre long eleven-car Class 390 trains.
  6. Paired with the track through Platform 4, there is a Southbound avoiding line, that allows faster trains to overtake trains stopped in the station.
  7. Platform 5 is a long platform on the Eastern side of the island platform on the Eastern side of the station, that is over two hundred metres long.
  8. All through tracks have a 75 mph maximum speed, except for Platform 5, which is just 30 mph.

Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

How Will High Speed Two Operate At Lancaster Station?

I would expect that the three High Speed Two services to and from Scotland will go through Lancaster station on the avoiding lines, which will mean that each avoiding line will handle one High Speed Two classic-compatible train every twenty minutes.

The train, that terminates at Lancaster has a few options.

  • It could terminate from London in any of platforms 3, 4 or 5.
  • It could leave for London from any of the platforms 3, 4 or 5.

Note.

  1. All three platforms are long enough to accept a single High Speed Two classic-compatible train, which is only 200 metres long.
  2. There would probably need to be some works to the tracks so that trains could terminate in platforms 4 or 5.
  3. There might need to be some works to the tracks so that trains could leave from London from platform 3.

The logical way to terminate the train would probably for the train to arrive and leave in Platform 5, but then this would need improvements to the tracks and also to the passenger footbridge across the tracks.

Eden Project Morecambe And The Morecambe Branch

In a few years time, both the Eden Project Morecambe and High Speed Two will be open and I suspect, a day out could be to take High Speed Two to Lancaster and the local train to Morecambe for a day at the Eden Project Morecambe.

This paragraph from the Eden Project Morecambe web site, describes the current status of the project.

Eden Project Morecambe, previously known as Eden Project North, has been awarded £50m in the second round of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The funding allows the project to move into its next phase and begin the process of finalising the remaining funds required from private and philanthropic sources identified as part of the bidding process.

I had intended to take a train to Morecambe to have a look round, but the train, that I would have needed to catch to get back to London at a reasonable hour, didn’t run due to lack of train crew.

As High Speed Two will provide connections at Lancaster to Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Preston, Warrington and Wigan and other trains will provide connections to Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester, the Eden Project Morecambe will be well connected to those who might like to visit by rail.

A day out with the kids, could involve a trip on High Speed One to Lancaster, a trip on a battery-electric shuttle train to Morecambe and a day out at the Eden Project Morecambe.

The Eden Project Morecambe could be a big money earner for High Speed Two and other rail companies.

I would envisage, that you would be able to buy an All-in-One ticket to the Eden Project Morecambe, which included your rail tickets.

The Passenger Footbridge

There is a lift on the Southbound side, but on the Northbound and bay platform side, there are only steps.

If substantial numbers of passengers visit the station and need to cross the tracks on the footbridge, as you would from arriving in Platforms 4 or 5 and wanting to go to Eden Project Morecambe, the footbridge is totally inadequate.

Lancaster Station Architecture

Lancaster station is Grade II Listed and you can see why from the pictures.

Work appears to be ongoing to refurbish the station.

The stonework appeared immaculate and very much High Speed Two-ready.

These picture shows part of the Costa coffee shop.

It was not what I expected.

 

 

May 24, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Cameron Bridge Station – 15th May 2025

I took these pictures yesterday at the new Cameron Bridge station yesterday on the Levenmouth Rail Link.

Note.

  1. The station has a car-park on the coming-home-from Edinburgh platform.
  2. There is a bridge over the River Leven, that appears to lead to new housing.
  3. The step-free bridge appears to be used by local residents to cross the railway.
  4. There appears to be a walking route for the nearby factory, which distills Scotland’s national spirit.

But as the pictures show the station has some unusual features for a small station with one train per hour (tph).

Parking

This extract from the Internet describes the parking.

A car park is available for customers with 125 spaces, including Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and blue badge spaces, as well as a drop off/pick up area and motorcycle parking.

They certainly seem to be expecting lots of commuters to Edinburgh, which is 34.5 miles away over the river.

Long Platforms

As the pictures with the three-car Class 170 train show the platforms are long.

I estimate that the platforms could take a pair of four-car Class 385 trains and almost take a nine-car Class 800 or 802 train.

Is this wishful thinking or prudent future-proofing as extending platforms can be a much more difficult exercise, than building them in the first place.

Perhaps, plans include a lot of housing, a major educational establishment, a sports stadium or some large factories to add to the distillery and long trains will be needed to serve the station.

Electrification Foundations

What surprised me, is that the station has been fitted out with the foundations for electrification gantries. There are five pairs all with four strong bolts to support the gantries over the track. This gallery shows some of the foundations.

 

But what also surprised me was that at no other place on the route between Edinburgh and Leven, were any electrification works visible, except where the electrification is completed between Edinburgh and Edinburgh Gateway.

I estimate that the distance between Cameron Bridge and Edinburgh Gateway is about thirty-seven miles as the train travels, which should be in range of one of ScotRail’s Hitachi Class 385 trains, that had been fitted with batteries.

  • The trains would charge their batteries on the run between Edinburgh Waverley and Edinburgh Gateway stations.
  • The trains would run between Edinburgh Gateway and Cameron Bridge stations on battery power. The eight intermediate stations would not have to suffer diesel trains.
  • The trains would put up the pantograph at Cameron Bridge station and charge the batteries on a short length of overhead wires that will be erected there on both platforms.
  • The train would run to Leven station on battery power, where it would reverse, as it does now and then return to Cameron Bridge station.
  • At Cameron Bridge station, it could even pick up more charge if needed.

Note.

  1. The only new electrification needed would be to electrify both lines in Cameron Bridge station.
  2. Supposedly, Hitachi do a nice line in short lengths of electrification and all the electrical gubbins that support them.
  3. Because of the large distillery, Cameron Bridge is not short of electricity, with a large grid connection visible at the Edinburgh end of the station.
  4. No electrification will be needed over the Forth Rail Bridge, to the delight of the Heritage Taliban.

Whoever gets the contract to supply the battery-electric trains and the partial electrification, will be supplying trains that will cross one of most famous railway bridges in the world.

I also predict, that this short rail link between Edinburgh Waverley and Leven will become a tourist attraction and bring prosperity to the area.

Electrifying The Fife Circle

This OpenRailwayMap shows the whole Fife Circle Line.

Note.

  1. Lines shown in red are electrifield, whilst those shown in black are not and lines shown in dotted red-and-black are to be electrified.
  2. Cameron Bridge is marked by the blue arrow, with Leven to its East on the coast.
  3. The Forth Rail Bridge over the Forth of Forth is at the bottom of the map.
  4. To the North of the bridge, the line splits and connects to the large circular railway, which is the Fife Circle Line.
  5. Some trains after crossing the Forth Rail Bridge,come up the East coast via Kirkcaldy to terminate at Leven or Glenrothes with Thornton.
  6. Other trains from Edinburgh take the Western side of the Fife Circle  via Rosyth and Cowdenbeath to Glenrothes with Thornton.

This second Open RailwayMap shows the Fife Circle Line between Cameron Bridge and Glenrothes with Thornton.

Note.

  1. As before, lines shown in red are electrifield, whilst those shown in black are not and lines shown in dotted red-and-black are to be electrified.
  2. Cameron Bridge is marked by the blue arrow, with Leven to its East on the coast.
  3. Glenrothes with Thornton station is in the South-Western corner of the map.
  4. It might even be possible for all trains to terminate on the Levenmouth Rail Link as Leven station has two platforms.
  5. If that is the case, the four tph would make full use of the two long platforms at Leven and Cameron Bridge stations, with the only electrification on the Fife Circle Line at Cameron Bridge station.

This is partial electrification with none of the complexity of full electrication, but with all the power it needs from the electrical connection of a large distillery.

The Wikipedia entry for the Fife Circle Line says this about the electrification.

The £55 million first phase, to electrify 65 miles (104 km) of Fife Circle track, between Haymarket and Dalmeny, for use by battery electric multiple units, was begun by Scottish Powerlines in June 2022 and is due to be completed by December 2024, although this project has been delayed and is expected to completed by December 2025. Further phases will electrify the lines between Kinghorn, Thornton, Ladybank and Lochgelly. This will allow the Fife Circle services to be operated by battery electric multiple units whilst minimising capital expenditure on infrastructure, in particular avoiding the major expense of electrifying the Forth Bridge. Complete electrification would be possible at some future date. The partial electrification was due to be completed by December 2025 but there has been some slippage in these target dates.

This OpenRailwayMap shows Kinghorn, Thornton, Ladybank and Lochgelly.

Note.

  1. Lines shown in red are electrifield, whilst those shown in black are not and lines shown in dotted red-and-black are to be electrified.
  2. Ladybank is at the top of the map indicated by a blue arrow.
  3. Kinghorn is at the bottom of the map on the coast.
  4. Ladybank and Kinghorn are connected by a section of the Aberdeen and Edinburgh Line.
  5. Glenrothes and Thornton are to the West of this line.
  6. The Levenmouth Rail Link runs to the East.
  7. Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath are on the West side of the map.

From what I saw yesterday, I wouldn’t be surprised if the amount of electrification to be performed has been cut back and more reliance is to be placed on on-board batteries.

Class 385 Battery-Electric Trains

The Wikipedia entry for Class 385 trains, says this about battery-electric versions.

During early 2019, Hitachi held a series of discussions with the Scottish Government on the development of a variant of the Class 385, a battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) that would be capable of running on unelectrified sections of line along a route. The installation of batteries was reportedly described as being a relatively straightforward alteration to make; an underfloor battery unit, dependent upon size, would be able to power a trainset over distances of 20 to 60 miles (30 to 100 km). The proposal drew upon Hitachi’s existing experience with battery trains operated in Japan, and had been motivated by a recommendation from the rail decarbonisation task force which advocated that such measures be implemented.

A range on batteries of sixty miles would cover the less than forty miles between Edinburgh Gateway and Ladybank.

I suspect that a range of sixty miles would bridge the gap between Edinburgh Gateway and Perth or Dundee.

Does this mean, that I think it could?

If Hitachi’s testing of their battery-electric Class 802 trains have shown phenomenal distances, then this would fit with the distances shown by Stadler’s Class 777 trains in New Merseyrail Train Runs 135km On Battery.

This leads me to believe that battery-equipped ScotRail Class 385 trains and LNER Class 800 trains are able to electrify the North of Scotland, with a few strategic charging stations like the one at Cameron Bridge station.

 

 

 

May 16, 2025 Posted by | Energy, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Council’s Boost To Aln Valley Railway Expansion Plan

The title of this post is the same as that of this news item from Northumberland County Council.

This is the body of the news item.

Northumberland County Council has agreed to assist the Aln Valley Railway in Alnwick to extend its rail line and expand its tourism offer in the town.

The county council has agreed to repair and adopt a bridge which is crucial to the expansion plans of the Aln Valley Railway Trust which is working towards the ultimate aim of extending the track from Alnwick to Alnmouth Station.

The Trust is wanting to continue laying track past Eden Hill Bridge which is currently owned by The Historic Railways Estate (part of Highways England). However, the Estate won’t allow the passage of trains under the bridge as it would impose maintenance obligations and costs onto them.

To overcome this hurdle and assist the popular tourist attraction , the county council, as the highways authority, has agreed adopt the bridge which has an unclassified road (U3203) running over it and to repair the bridge so that it can then give consent to the railway to lay track and ultimately operate trains under the bridge.

To bring this masonry arch bridge up to adoptable standards will cost in the region of £255k. One of the main areas of work that is needed is to install a waterproofing concrete overslab to eliminate the current water ingress. Extensive repointing together with masonry repair works are also needed on the bridge arch.

There is a Wikipedia entry for the Alnwick Branch Line, where this is the first paragraph.

The Alnwick branch line is a partly closed railway line in Northumberland, northern England. A heritage railway currently operates along one mile of the line, which originally ran from Alnmouth railway station, on the East Coast Main Line, to the town of Alnwick, a distance of 2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km).

This OpenRailwayMap shows the route of the Alnwick Branch Line between Alnmouth and Alnwick.

Note.

The blue arrow in the South-East corner of the map indicates Alnmouth station.

The orange line curving through Alnmouth station is the electrified East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Scotland.

The dotted line curving away North-West from the East Coast Main Line is the route of the AlnwickBranch Line, which leads to Alnwick in the North-West of the map.

The blue text indicates the the two stations of the Aln Valley Railway.

Greenrigg Halt is nearest to the East Coast Main Line and Lionheart is nearest to the town.

The road encircling the town of Alnwick is the A1 Alnwick By-Pass.

This Google Map shows the area between Alnmouth station and Alnwick.

Note.

  1. Alnmouth and its station is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. Alnwick is in the North-West corner of the map.
  3. The A1 crosses the North-West corner of the map.
  4. The line of the Alnwick Branch Line can be picked out crossing the map diagonally.

Click on the map to show it to a larger scale.

The Wikipedia entry for Alnmouth station says this about the ambitions of the Aln Valley Railway to connect to the East Coast Main Line.

The Aln Valley heritage railway has long-term ambitions of extending its running line to Alnmouth station[10] from its current terminus at Greenrigg Halt.

This picture shows a Stadler RS-ZERO.

Could one of these powered by hydrogen shuttle between Alnmouth station and Alnwick? Probably, but it’s not powered by steam!

April 4, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hydrogen-Powered Trains To Be Introduced In Northern Italy

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Fuel Cell Works.

These three paragraphs introduce the project.

Residents and visitors to Valcamonica, an Alpine region in northern Italy, will be able to ride hydrogen-powered trains from next year.

The pioneering project, the first of its kind in Italy and supported by an investment of 367 million euros ($396 million), marks a significant adoption of hydrogen fuel for a rail line, despite the high production and operational costs.

The region currently uses polluting diesel trains, which will be replaced by 14 zero-emission hydrogen-powered trains made in Italy by a unit of French group Alstom

The trains will run on the Brescia–Edolo railway, which has this Wikipedia entry.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Northern part of the railway.

Note.

  1. Edolo station is indicated by the blue arrow at the top of the map.
  2. The Brescia–Edolo railway is indicated by the yellow line.
  3. Stations are indicated by blue lettering.
  4. Iseo is the station in the South-West corner of the map.
  5. Click the map to show it to a larger scale.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the Southern part of the railway to the same scale.

Note.

  2. The Brescia–Edolo railway is indicated by the yellow line.
  3. The Venice-Milan railway is indiated by the orange line across the bottom of the map.
  4. Stations are indicated by blue lettering.
  5. Iseo station is in the South-West corner of the map.
  6. Brescia station is in the South-East corner of the map on the Venice-Milan railway.
  7. Click the map to show it to a larger scale.

It looks to me, that the Brescia–Edolo railway could be a day-out if you were having a holiday in Milan, Venice or Verona.

  • The railway is a single track railway.
  • It appears to go through the mountains.
  • Currently, it is diesel powered, but I suspect running hydrogen trains on the route will turn it into a major tourist attraction.

Could other rail routes attract visitors, by going for zero-carbon traction using hydrogen?

In the UK, these are surely six of many possibilities.

  • Settle and Carlisle
  • Marshlink Line
  • Mid-Cornwall Metro
  • Norwich and Sheringham
  • Sheffield and Huddersfield
  • Mid-Cornwall Metro
  • Uckfield Branch

Infrastructure costs would just need a hydrogen supply to be arranged.

Conclusion

You can always trust the Italians to use a stylish solution.

March 28, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is This The Ultimate Tourist Bus?

This picture clipped from the Wrightbus web site, shows one of their latest products – An open-top electric tourist bus.

It appears to be running in Glasgow.

But if I was in charge of tourism, I’d get a hydrogen-powered version, as that would surely attract the punters.

March 23, 2025 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , | 2 Comments

Slow Tourism Train Operator Launches First Service

Tyhe title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.

These are the first two paragraphs.

FS Group’s recently formed tourist train business FS Treni Turistici Italiani has launched its first service.

Branded Espresso Cadore, the overnight service between Roma Termini and Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina will run every Friday night until mid-February. On arrival, a connecting bus takes passengers to Cortina d’Ampezzo in 45 min. The return train departs on Sundays, arriving at Roma Termini on Monday morning.

It is surely an interesting concept and I believe it could work on several routes in the UK.

There must also be a couple of routes in Scotland and Wales.

As the three routes, I named are electrified at both ends, there is a possibility that they could be run by quiet battery-electric trains.

January 15, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

This is the first paragraph.

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

It is an interesting idea.

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

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

This is GWR’s handy route map.

These are my thoughts.

Will The Trains Call At Didcot Parkway?

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

Note.

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

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

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

Note.

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

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

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

What Class Of Train Would Be Used?

Consider.

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

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

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

Will The Train Be Battery-Electric Powered?

This is an interesting possibility.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Consider.

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

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

 

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

Could A Mega-Station Be Built For The Channel Tunnel?

This article on Railway Gazette International, is entitled Start-Up Announces Amsterdam To London And Paris High Speed Train Ambitions.

It talks about how Dutch start-up; Heuro wants to run fifteen trains per day (tpg) between London and Amsterdam.

The article then has this paragraph, which details other operators, who are wanting to run services between London and the near Continent.

Heuro’s announcement comes after Spanish start-up Evolyn announced plans in October for a Paris – London service, while on November 11 British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that Sir Richard Branson and Phil Whittingham, former head of Virgin Trains and Avanti West Coast, were also drawing up plans to compete with Eurostar and had held discussions with infrastructure managers.

This leads me to the conclusion, that there will be a need for more capacity for trains and/or passengers at some time in the future.

  • There are six International platforms at St. Panvcras International station, which can each probably handle four trains per hour (tph), so I suspect the station could handle 24 International tph.
  • As a modern high speed train can carry over 500 passengers, that is 12000 passengers per hour.
  • Visit St. Pancras station in the morning and it is often crammed with travellers coming from and going to Europe.

I suspect that the number of trains may not be a problem, but the number of passengers will.

We could always join Shengen, but then that would be an open door to all the would-be migrants to the UK.

This Google Map shows Stratford International station.

Stratford International station is in a soulless concrete cavern, that lies across the middle of the map.

In Platforms 1 And 4 At Stratford International Station,  there are a lot of pictures of the station.

I think it would be extremely difficult to add extra platforms and passenger facilities to the station.

This Google Map shows Ebbsfleet International station.

Note.

  1. Ebbsfleet International station, with its two International and four domestic platforms is in the middle of the map.
  2. The station is surrounded by car parks with a total of 5,000 spaces.
  3. Northfleet station is in the North-East corner of the map.

There is a lot of land, without any buildings on it.

These are my thoughts.

Enough Extra Bay Platforms To Handle The Additional Trains

There would appear to be space for perhaps two bay platforms to terminate trains.

But would passengers we happy being dumped outside Central London?

Would An Elizabeth Line Extension To Ebbsfleet Be Needed?

There are various plans to link the Elizabeth Line tp Ebbsfleet International.

In Elizabeth Line To Ebbsfleet Extension Could Cost £3.2 Billion, I showed this map from the Abbeywood2Ebbsfleet consultation.

There doesn’t appear to be too much new infrastructure, except for a proper connection between Northfleet and Ebbsfleet stations. References on the Internet, say that the similar-sized Luton DART connection at Luton Airport, cost around £225 million.

The Elizabeth Line connects to the following.

  • Bond Street
  • Canary Wharf
  • City of London
  • Farringdon for Thameslink
  • Heathrow Airport
  • Old Oak Common for High Speed Two
  • Liverpool Street station
  • Oxford Street
  • Paddington station
  • Slough for Windsor
  • Tottenham Court Road for the British Museum, Oxford Street, Soho, Theatreland and the Underground.
  • West End of London
  • Whitechapel for the Overground and Underground

For many people like me, the Elizabeth Line at Ebbsfleet will provide one of the quickest ways to get to and from European trains.

Ebbsfleet Has Space For A Bus Station

A bus station with comprehensive routes could be built at Ebbsfleet station, which I don’t think will be possible at St. Pancras.

It would also be possible to provide an easy route to Gatwick Airport along the M25.

Hotel Accommodation

This is surely necessary.

It would make an ideal base for tourists and business people, who wanted to visit several of the large cities connected to Ebbsfleet.

A Very Large Car Park

Consider.

  • Heathrow Airport is looking at providing upwards of 50,000 car parking spaces.
  • Some travellers are seriously allergic to public transport and will always use their car.
  • Many travellers these days want to take a severely outside case with them, when they’re only having a weekend in Paris.

I feel that a mega-station for Europe will need upwards of 10,000 car parking spaces. All of them with vehicle-to-grid chargers.

A Very Large Storage Battery

According to this page on the E-on web site, the average size of the battery in an electric vehicle is 40 kWh.

If 5,000 car parking spaces were to be fitted with vehicle-to-grid charging (V2G), that would be 2 MWh of energy storage, that could be used by National Grid, to store surplus electricity.

Get V2G right and it could make a serious contribution to your parking costs.

Pictures Of Ebbsfleet Station

These are some pictures I took at Ebbsfleet station today.

Note.

  1. The station is a fairly boring concrete, glass and steel construction.
  2. The SouthEastern HighSpeed services also go to St. Pancras, so they don’t offer any different connectivity towards the capital.

In addition, the SouthEastern HighSpeed Class 395 trains aren’t step-free at the platforms, as these pictures shows.

As I came back into St. Pancras International station, staff were struggling to load a wheelchair onto a train using a ramp.

Would A Two-Station Solution Increase Capacity?

High Speed Rail lines have  high capacity trains and there are examples of more than one station at the end of a route.

  • The London end of High Speed Two will have stations at Old Oak Common and Euston.
  • The Manchester end of High Speed Two will have stations at Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly.
  • The Edinburgh end of the East Coast Main Line has stations at Waverley and Haymarket.
  • The Amsterdam end of Eurostar and Thalys has stations at Rotterdam, Schipol Airport and Amsterdam.

A selection of stations gives choice and convenience for travellers.

Conclusion

I believe that selective development of Ebbsfleet International station could be used to take the pressure away from St. Pancras International station.

These developments could include.

  1. A comprehensive bus station
  2. Elizabeth Line to Northfleet
  3. Hotel Accommodation
  4. Lots Of Car Parking

 

 

 

November 21, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

High Speed Two To Barrow-in-Furness

There has been a lot of speculation about the Northern end of High Speed Two, so I might as well add sort out a few facts and add a bit of  speculation of my own.

Barrow-in-Furness Used To Have A Service To London

Barrow-in-Furness station doesn’t have a direct service to London.

This paragraph from the Wikipedia entry, describes how it used to be.

The present station was formerly known as Barrow Central, and at one time it was a terminus for British Rail long-distance or InterCity services. From October 1947 until May 1983 these included sleeper services to and from London Euston. A sleeper service in the London direction only was briefly reintroduced between May 1987 and May 1990.

Note.

  1. I find it interesting, that the area had both InterCity and sleeper services.
  2. There are some big employers like BAe Systems and British Nuclear Fuels in the area.
  3. Rishi Sunak has announced that the Cumbrian Coast Line will be upgraded.
  4. A High Speed Two service could improve low-carbon access to the Lake District.
  5. Grimsby/Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, which probably has a similar economic profile to Barrow-in-Furness appears to be getting a service from London as I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route. So why shouldn’t Barrow-in-Furness have a similar service?

It is my view that Barrow-in-Furness station could support a sprinkling of services.

The Current Barrow-in-Furness Service

Barrow-in-Furness station’s current services are described in these two paragraphs from the Wikipedia entry.

Services to the north are provided on Monday-Saturday by Northern, with services approximately hourly during the day to Whitehaven and Carlisle. One train per day operates to Sellafield specifically for workers at Sellafield nuclear plant (BNFL). Evening trains run only as far as Millom. There are 19 northbound departures each weekday; 15 of these go to Carlisle, three to Millom and one to Sellafield. There are 20 arrivals from the northern part of the line: 15 from Carlisle, three from Millom, one from Maryport and one from Sellafield. Some of these services continue along the Furness Line to Lancaster and Preston.

To the south, there are a mixture of stopping services to Lancaster and a number of through services to Manchester Airport via Manchester Piccadilly. These operate on a broadly hourly frequency, with a few peak extras throughout the week (including Sundays).

Hard facts on what the improvements to the line will be, have not been reported. But it does seem that a doubling of frequency to two trains per hour (tph)  is being proposed.

What Are The Government’s Plans?

This news story from the Government is entitled North West To Benefit From £19.8 billion Transport Investment.

Proposed improvements in Cumbria are contained in this paragraph.

A brand new £2.5 billion fund to transform local transport in 14 rural counties, smaller cities and towns. This new money could pay for new stations, further electrification, bus corridors and new integrated public transport networks. The Energy Coast Line between Carlisle, Workington and Barrow will be upgraded, improving capacity and journey times, enabling trains every 30 minutes between Carlisle, Workington and Whitehaven. The upgrade will also accommodate major new freight demands from the new coal mine and provide regular services for the Westlakes Science Park, Nuclear Academy and Sellafield. This could support the creation of over 18,000 jobs.

I have my thoughts.

Will The Route Be Electrified?

The Cumbrian Coast and the Furness Line effectively form a near 120 mile loop between Carnforth and Carlisle stations on the West Coast Main Line.

  • A journey from one end to the other takes about three hours and 18 minutes.
  • Main towns and places served include Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.
  • A train between Carnforth and Carlisle can stop at as many as 29 stations.
  • The route is not electrified, but it connects to the electrified West Coast Main Line at both ends at Carnforth and Carlisle.

This OpenRailwayMap shows Carnforth.

Note.

  1. The red line is the West Coast Main Line between Carlisle and Lancaster.
  2. Carlisle is to the North.
  3. Lancaster is to the South.
  4. The black line going North-West is the Furness Line to Barrow-in-Furness.
  5. The black line going East is the Bentham Line to Settle and Leeds.

This OpenRailwayMap shows Carlisle.

Note.

  1. The red line is the West Coast Main Line between Scotland and Carnforth.
  2. Scotland is to the North.
  3. Carnforth is to the South.
  4. The black line going South-West is the Cumbrian Coast Line to Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness.
  5. The black line going East is the Settle and Carlisle Line to Settle and Leeds.

If it were to be fully electrified, it could be a diversion route for electrified trains on the West Coast Main Line.

This document on the Government web site is the Train Technical Specification for High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains.

The specification says this about the unit and train formation.

The nominal length of the Unit shall be 200m. It has been determined that all Units should
be the same length, with no requirement for a Unit to be capable of being lengthened or
shortened. This supports the overall HS2 business case.

The Unit shall be capable of Normal Operation as a single Unit or as two coupled Units.

On the Wikipedia entry for the Cumbrian Coast Line, there is a picture of a very long steam-hauled train on the line.

Full electrification would have these advantages.

  • In the next few years several 21st century electrical multiple units will be looking for new places to operate.
  • I am fairly certain, that a fully-electrified Cumbrian Coast Line could act as a diversion for High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line between Carnforth and Carlisle.
  • It would enable occasional High Speed Two services to Carlisle via Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.
  • It would also allow electrified freight trains to the new coal mine at Workington and to Sellafield.

But trains from the coal mine would probably need to have hydrogen-hybrid locomotives to get across the Pennines to Teesside for export.

Partial Electrification Of The Line

Partial electrification would probably need the following.

  • Installation of electrification between Carnforth and Barrow-in-Furness, so that High Speed Two services can reach Barrow-in-Furness.
  • Installation of electrification from Carlisle for enough miles towards Workington to be able to charge the local trains.
  • The local trains would need to be able to run about seventy miles on batteries.

Partial electrification would be more affordable, but it would allow the following.

  • Battery-electric trains to work between Carnforth and Carlisle.
  • It would enable occasional High Speed Two services to Barrow-in-Furness
  • Hydrogen-hybrid locomotive-hauled freight trains to the new coal mine at Workington and to Sellafield.

Rail passengers in, to and from Cumbria would probably see a similar level of improvement to that with full electrification.

What Time Would Be Possible At The Present Time?

Consider.

  • According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, two hours and twenty-five minutes is the fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster.
  • Trains are timed to take one hour and four minutes with the nine stops, between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
  • To save time some stops could be cut between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.

This would give a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness time of three hours and twenty-nine minutes, but by removing perhaps five stops, the time could be around three hours and fifteen minutes.

What Time Would Be Possible When High Speed Two Lite Opens To Handsacre Junction?

Consider.

  • According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, two hours and three minutes will be the fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster, after High Speed Two opens to Handsacre junction.
  • Trains are timed to take one hour and four minutes with the nine stops, between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.
  • To save time some stops could be cut between Barrow-in-Furness and Lancaster.

This would give a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness time of three hours and seven minutes, but by removing perhaps five stops, the time could be under three hours.

What Frequency Would Be Needed?

LNER seem to run their secondary services to places like Harrogate and Lincoln using a frequency of one train per two hours (tp2h).

That could be an ideal frequency.

 

Would There Be A Path For The Train To And From London Euston?

This graphic shows High Speed Two services after Phase 2b is completed.

Note.

  1. Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
  2. Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible  trains.
  3. Each of these trains will have a frequency of one tph.
  4. The nine paths to the right of the vertical black line will not be needed for some time. If ever!
  5. It looks like a maximum of only eleven paths will be needed to the South of Birmingham.
  6. It looks like a maximum of only fourteen paths will be needed to the North of Birmingham.

In Will High Speed Two Lite Make Stafford An Important Station?, I totted up all the services through Stafford after High Speed Two Lite opened to Handsacre junction and got these figures.

  • Through Stafford station, there are totals of 11 tpd and 14 tph.
  • Along the Trent Valley Line, there are totals of 11 tpd and 12 tph.
  • North of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 9 tpd and 12 tph.
  • South of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 2 tpd and 2 tph.
  • Between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, there are totals of 2 tph.

I accounted for services moving from the West Coast Main Line to High Speed Two.

Consider.

  • A large proportion of the route between Preston and Handsacre junction, where the route would join High Speed Two Light has two dedicated high speed tracks and two tracks for freight and local services.
  • Digital signalling on High Speed Two has been designed to handle eighteen trains per hour (tph) at 225 mph.
  • Surely, the two dedicated high speed tracks, if fitted with High Speed Two digital signalling could handle say 16 tph at 140 mph.
  • Network Rail are good at juggling trains to squeeze in more services.
  • Extra paths could be created by splitting and joining trains at Crewe or Preston.

My Control Engineering training and practice tells me that it should be possible to add perhaps two tph between Lancaster and Euston.

Could High Speed Two’s Lancaster Service Be Extended To Barrow-in-Furness?

I don’t see why some services could be extended the 34.8 miles to Barrow-in-Furness.

Would Much Work Be Needed At Barrow-in-Furness?

This Google Map shows Barrow-in-Furness station.

Note.

Trains to and from Carnforth come and go from the South East.

Trains to and from Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington and Carlisle come and go from the North West.

There are three platforms.

Work needed to be done would include.

  • Creation of a 200 metre platform for the High Speed Two trains.
  • Electrification.
  • Addition of charging facilities to the platform for the local trains, which would probably be standard electrification.

Passengers would walk across between the High Speed Two and local trains.

Conclusion

I believe that High Speed Two Classic-Compatible  trains could be under three hours between Barrow-in-Furness and London Euston, when High Speed Two Lite opens from Handsacre junction.

 

October 9, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

« Previous Entries     Next Entries »