National Trust Looks At Car Ban In Lake District
The title of this post is the same as that as that of this article in yesterday’s Sunday Times.
The secondary headline sums up the article.
Nearly 20m visitors a year are ‘loving the national park to death’, and officials are looking at excluding drivers.
So what is to be done?
Can The Railways Help?
In 2015, I spent Three Days in Preston and explored the area by train.
These problems were apparent on the trains and at the stations.
- The capacity, quality and frequency of the trains to Windermere is pitiful.
- The capacity, quality and frequency of the trains along the Cumbrian Coast Line is inadequate.
- Bus information and interchanges could be better.
- Getting a train to Penrith North Lakes station was difficult.
The only line with an acceptable train service is the West Coast Main Line.
Everything else needs major improvements.
These are some random thoughts.
Could Carlisle Become The Rail Tourism Centre For The Borderlands And The Lakes?
These rail lines and services are already or will be connected to Carlisle Citadel station, within the next few years.
- Virgin services on the West Coast Main Line between London and the South and Glasgow and Edinburgh in Central Scotland.
- TransPennine Express services on the West Coast Main Line between Liverpool and Manchester in the South and Glasgow.
- Possible Grand Union services on the West Coast Main Line between London and Stirling for the North of Scotland.
- High Speed Two services between London and the South and Glasgow and Edinburgh in Central Scotland.
- ScotRail services on the Glasgow South Western Line between Carlisle and Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock.
- ScotRail services on an extended Borders Railway between Carlisle and Edinburgh via Hawick and Galashiels.
- Northern services on the Tyne Valley Line between Carlisle and Newcastle via Hexham and the Metro Centre.
- Northern services on the Settle and Carlisle Line between Carlisle and Leeds.
- Northern services on the Cumbrian Coast Line between Carlisle and Carnforth via Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow.
Carlisle sits at the centre of a network of some of the most scenic rail lines, anywhere in the world.
Rail services in the area with the exception of the through services, provided by Virgin and TransPennine Express are probably considered by their operators to be a pain.
- They are generally not used by commuters.
- There are regular operational problems like floods and landslips.
- They are overcrowded at some times of the year and need expensive new rolling stock.
- Rail tourists from aboard probably complain like mad.
But above all the services probably lose money hand over fist.
What Is The Ideal Train For Scenic Routes?
Two possible trains for scenic routes are now in service in the UK.
The Scottish Solution – Inter7City
ScotRail are now introducing four- and five-car InterCity 125 trains on routes between the seven cities in Scotland.
They will probably do a good job and they have the following.
- Large windows to enjoy the views.
- Many seats have tables.
- An on-board buffet and trolley service.
- Wi-fi and power sockets for phones and laptops.
- The trains should be reliable, as there is a vast knowledge base about running these trains.
- The trains can be easily lengthened, by adding extra cars.
- The trains were 125 mph trains and are probably slower in this application.
But the trains are forty years old and have two enormous diesel engines on each end.
The Swiss Solution – Class 755 train
Greater Anglia are introducing three- and four-car Class 755 trains on rural routes in East Anglia.
They appear to be doing a good job with high passenger satisfaction and they have the following.
- Large windows to enjoy the views.
- A number of seats have tables.
- Space for bicycles.
- Wi-fi and power sockets for phones and laptops.
- The trains have level access between train and platform.
- Hopefully, the trains will be reliable, as they are brand new and Stadler has been making similar trains for over ten years.
- The trains can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it is available.
- The trains can work in multiple formations.
- The trains can be easily lengthened, by adding extra cars.
- The trains are 100 mph trains.
But the trains still have a diesel power-pack in the middle for operation independently.
In future, these trains will be used to run new services between London and Lowestoft, which is a distance of 118 miles of which 59 miles is electrified.
Similar trains will be fitted with batteries for the South Wales Metro.
Could a train be built with the best of all the features?
I believe the Class 755 train is a pretty good start, but it would have the following extra features.
- Ability to run at up to 125 mph on 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third rail, where the track allows.
- A well-designed buffet.
- 50 mile battery range.
- A stand-by generator.
- The ability to fast-charge the battery at a station stop.
I also think that Hitachi could make a five-car AT-300 train and Bombardier could make an Aventra, that met this specification.
What would a fleet of battery-electric trains do for the rail lines around Carlisle?
- Hopefully, they would become a tourist attraction in their own right and encourage visitors to corm by train.
- Frequencies would be at least two trains per hour on all routes.
This could be a starting point for making the area easier to access.
Should Stations Around The Lakes Be Developed With Bus Interchanges?
I’ve seen the bus interchange at Windermere station, but are other stations around the Lakes as well provided with comprehensive bus routes?
The objective surely should be that if a family wanted to have a day out in the Lakes from their home in Liverpool or Manchester, they should be able to get a train to a convenient station and a bus to their final destination.
Surely, if there is a sensible alternative, then visitors might use it.
Could The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway Be Reopened?
The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway was finally closed in the 1970s and according to Wikipedia, the track-bed has been used for roads and other developments.
I doubt that the railway could be reopened, but a modern light rail route would probably be a very valuable tourist asset.
But Would Good Train And Bus Routes Cut The Traffic In The Lakes?
I doubt it!
If someone has spent £40,000 or more on an expensive car, they feel they have bought the right to drive it anywhere they want!
The Dutch once talked about road pricing for every vehicle and that government lost the next election.
Conclusion
Traffic congestion in the Lakes, is a problem that threatens other areas, where tourists want to go.
So will as the National Trust are suggesting have to ban cars to restore some sanity?
I suspect so!
But it won’t be popular!
Should Railways Have A Pop-Up Service Capability?
Most of us will be familiar with the concept of Pop-Up Retail.
This is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry.
Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that started in Los Angeles and now pop up all over the United States, Canada, China,Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia. The pop-up industry is now estimated to be a $50 billion industry. Pop-up retail has been an increasing factor during the retail apocalypse of the 2010s, including seasonal Halloween retailer Spirit Halloween, who has operated stores in vacant spaces during the season.
Two of the units are scheduled for export to the United States, to demonstrate for the potential for ‘pop-up’ commuter services; the cost of a one-year period are said to be equivalent to the consultancy costs for opening a new route. Should such an approach be considered in this country too? The gestation period for new services on freight-only routes is probably the best part of 10 years, but it doesn’t have to be like that.
When floods swept away the road bridge at Workington in 2009; Network Rail and Northern constructed a pop-up station and introduced additional trains in less than two weeks.
I can envisage three types of simple stations.
- A one-platform station on a single-track line.
- A two-platform station on a double-track line.
- A one-platform station on a double-track line.
Note
- Type One, would be the simplest and would be worked bidirectionally.
- Type Two, would probably require a bridge across the tracks.
- Type Three, would need crossovers at both ends of the station, to allow the single platform to be worked bidirectionally.
Obviously, Type 1 would be the most affordable and probably easiest to install.
- It would certainly bridge the gap between two platforms with a double-track railway in between.
- In a rail application, the bridge would be interlocked with the signalling and controlled by the signaller.
- Signals and lights could be added to the bridge to ensure complete safety.
- Wikipedia says the original at the Paddington Basin cost £500,000, which could probably be reduced if more were built.
- This page on the Merchant Square web site, shows the bridge in action.
- I suspect this bridge would work on single- or double-track lines, without electrification, or with third-rail or with overhead electrification.
- At many stations it could just be dropped in place from a rail-mounted crane, after preparing the existing platforms.
- I suspect though, that there would be a limit to the number of trains per hour it could handle.
- The ability to execute a fast stop at a station.
- Level access will be possible between train and platform.
- On-board CCTV systems to ensure safe loading and unloading of passengers.
- Modern in-cab digital signalling.
This will enable the trains to make a station stop without causing problems to the existing timetable.
So if Network Rail, had the ability to quickly install a pop-up station, modern trains would allow a service to be tested at a reasonable cost.
The Practicalities Of Installing A Pop-Up Station
Suppose a station were to be installed at Soham or any other suitable place.
I would expect Network Rail to produce standard designs for the foundations of their pop-up stations.
Network Rail periodically close a line to replace track or do various other work. When a line is closed for this work and a pop-up station might be needed on the route, the standard foundations would be installed.
Then, when the budget for the station had been obtained, the station would be installed and commissioned in a suitable possession.
Conclusion
I believe a pop-up station is a feasible proposition.
If a pop-up station is a feasible proposition, then it follows that to install perhaps five stations on a freight-only line to create a totally new passenger service is also a feasible proposition.
Liverpool South Parkway Station Stands In For Lime Street
I went to Liverpool to see the new Maghull North station and a few other things in the Second City.
Liverpool Lime Street station is closed at the moment due to major works, so all London trains are going only as far as Liverpool South Parkway station.
These pictures show the station.
The station was coping well, as passengers from outside Liverpool ytansferred to Merseyrail to continue their journeys to the City Centre.
On my visit to Liverpool, I went first to Maghull North station, so I got a Southport train on Merseyrail’s Northern Line to Sandhills station, where I changed trains.
There are not many cities in the UK, which have the luxury of an alternative terminus of the quality of Liverpool South Parkway station to stand in, when the main station has to be closed.
When we left for London, the train initially went towards Liverpool and then crossed over to the line to London, before coming back through the Liverpool South Parkway station.
This was because the station wasn’t designed for use as a terminus and there is no other way to get the train on the right line for Crewe and the South.
It would also appear from the pictures, that to cope with the length of the eleven-car Virgin Pendelinos, that a temporary platform extension has been built.
Why Some UK Rail Passengers Are Using Avocados To Get Discounted Fares
The title of this post, is the same as the title on this article on Global Rail News.
Note the offer is not available with ticket machines, as they don’t have a big enough slot!
Liverpool Lime Street Station Upgrade – 16th November 2017
The upgrading of platforms at Liverpool Lime Street station seemed to be progressing well as I passed through.
Note.
- Work even seems to have started on the second platform for Virgin services, which would allow two trains per hour.
- Extra platforms will also allow direct Liverpool to Glasgow services.
In some ways, the Grade II Listed station, will become the first station in the North ready to be ready for high speed trains from London and across the North of England.
Gluten-Free In Virgin First Class From Carlisle!
Crisps and a banana!
That is just not good enough!
But it was aerved with a smile!
How Will Virgin Trains East Coast Use Class 800/801 Trains?
The following two sections give Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) current and future fleets.
Current Fleet
VTEC have a current fleet comprising the following locomotives and coaches.
- 32 – Class 43 locomotives
- 117 – Mark 3 coaches
- 31 – Class 91 locomotives
- 302 – Mark 4 coaches
- 31 – Driving van trailers
The Class 43 locomotives and the Mark 3 coaches are formed into InterCity 125 trains.
- Two locomotives and nine coaches per set.
- 125 mph capability
- Diesel-powered
Which gives thirteen diesel trains.
The Class 91 locomotives and Mark 4 coaches are formed into InterCity 225 trains.
- One locomotive, one driving van trailer and nine coaches per set.
- 140 mph capability
- Electric-powered.
- Ability to run London to Edinburgh in under four hours.
Which gives thirty-one electric trains.
Adding the two figures together gives a total of forty-four nine-car trains.
Future Fleet
VTEC’s future fleet will include.
- 10 – Five-car Class 800 electro-diesel trains.
- 13 – Nine-car Class 800 electro-diesel trains.
- 12 – Five-car Class 801 electric trains.
- 30 – Nine-car Class 801 electric trains.
Adding these together counting the five-car trains as half gives fifty-four nine-car trains.
Or ten more nine-car trains!
In addition six to eight InterCity225 trains could be retained in service to run limited stop trains between London and Edinburgh.
This increase in capacity can only me good for passengers, with more services and destinations.
Questions About Class 800/801 Trains
What is the capacity of a nine-car Class 800/801 train?
I can’t find this on the Internet and I suspect it hasn’t been decided.
Wikipedia gives the capacity of an InterCity 225 train as 406 Standard and 129 First Class seats.
It should also be noted that the car length in a Class 800/801 is twenty-six metres, as opposed to the twenty-three metres of the InterCity 225.
I would hope good design can make excellent use of this space.
Will two Class 800/801 trains be able to work as a pair?
I suspect the answer to this is yes, as the closely-related Class 395 trains regularly do this.
The most common use would be to run two five-car trains as a ten-car set.
This would be a 260 metre long train, which is perhaps fifteen metres longer than an InterCity 225 train.
Some lengthening of platforms may be necessary, but it probably isn’t a major problem.
Will coupling and uncoupling of a pair of Class 800/801 trains be automatic?
In The Impressive Coupling And Uncoupling Of Class 395 Trains, I linked to videos of the closely-related Class 395 trains, doing just this in under a minute.
I would be very surprised if two Class 800/801 trains couldn’t do the same.
Will a Class 800 train and a Class 801 train be able to work as a pair?
There may be circumstances, where this is needed on electrified lines, so I would be very surprised if this is not possible.
At what station will a Class 800/801 train be able to call?
The nine-car trains are 234 metres long and a pair of five car trains will be 260 metres long, so platform length will mean they can’t call at a lot of smaller stations.
But a five-car train will be only 130 metres long, which will be shorter than a pair of four-car multiple-units working together, which are regularly seen on the UK’s rail network.
So the five-car trains will probably be able to serve a surprising number of stations.
Will Class 800/801 trains have a faster turn-round time?
If you look at the times of trains between London and Leeds, this things happen.
- A few minutes after a train leaves the platform at Leeds and Kings Cross, the next incoming service arrives.
- It then waits in the station for nearly half-an-hour before going back.
Effectively, an hour must be added to each Out and Back journey between London and Leeds.
This time will enable.
- Passengers to unload and load.
- Train to be prepared.
- Crew to be changed if required.
Any delay of a few minutes can hopefully be recovered.
Train preparation time will probably be better with the Class 800/801 trains, as hopefully automation and better design will speed the process.
But cutting this thirty minutes substantially would probably require passengers to be marched around like the Brigade of Guards, which is of course not possible.
Hopefully, the new trains will be designed, so that ingress and egress for all passengers will be easier and faster but at some stations like Leeds, the station layout is more of a bottleneck than the train.
A few minutes reduction in turn-round time might be possible, but nothing that would mean a train doesn’t occupy a platform for half-an-hour.
How long will A Class 801 train take between London and Edinburgh?
Currently the fastest journey time using an InterCity 225 is around four hours and twenty minutes, but they have done it in under four hours in test runs.
For marketing reasons, I suspect that VTEC would like to dip under four hours with the fastest trains.
As the Class 800/801 trains have a similar 140 mph performance to the InterCity 225, I suspect that four hours will also be possible.
But the big difference will be that the Class 800/801 trains will probably have faster stop times at any intermediate stations.
So I suspect that the average journey time between London and Edinburgh will drop.
How Will VTEC Use Class 800/801 Trains?
Returning to my original question, I’ll now attempt to answer it in the next few sections.
London-Edinburgh Services
I think we can assume the following.
- There will be at least two trains per hour (tph)
- Trains will usually be nine-car trains.
- Class 800 trains will not normally use diesel power on the route.
- Some trains could be two five-car trains running as a pair.
- A proportion of trains will do the trip in under four hours.
- Intermediate stops as now will be optimised to the passenger traffic.
- Intermediate stops will be faster.
I also think, that the InterCity 225 sets will be improved, so they can match the times of the Class 800/801 trains.
I think that once improved signalling on the East Coast Main Line is working and allowing running faster than 125 mph, we could be seeing trains being able to go from London to Edinburgh and back in under nine hours, assuming a thirty minute turn-round at both ends of the route.
This would mean that a dedicated London to Edinburgh fleet of just eighteen trains would be required to run a two tph service. Three tph would need another nine trains.
Speed up the trains so, that a round trip can be done in eight hours and sixteen trains are needed for the two tph service, with eight more trains needed to up the service to three tph.
Under Future in the Wikipedia entry for Virgin Trains East Coast, this is said.
If VTEC’s application to operate extra limited stops services to Edinburgh is successful, it is proposing to operate these by retaining six to eight InterCity 225 sets.
Interesting! So will some or all hours see a third train between London and Edinburgh.
Are the thirty-year-old InterCity 225 trains, showing the same survival instincts of their ten-year-older predecessors; the InterCity 125s?
London-Aberdeen And London-Inverness Services
Currently times on these routes from London are as follows.
- London-Aberdeen – seven hours and four minutes – three trains per day
- London-Inverness- eight hours and four minutes – one train per day
So what times could a Class 800 achieve on these routes?
Times North of Edinburgh with an InterCity 125 are as follows.
- Edinburgh to Aberdeen takes two hours and thirty-six minutes – Fastest ScotRail takes two hours sixteen minutes.
- Edinburgh to Inverness takes three hours and thirty-one minutes – Fastest ScotRail takes three hours nineteen minutes.
I suspect that a Class 800 train running on diesel power could match the InterCity 125 times and approach the ScotRail times.
But as they would be running on electric power to and from London in four hours, times could be as follows.
- London-Aberdeen – six hours and sixteen minutes
- London-Inverness – seven hours and nineteen minutes
So over half-an-hour could be saved on both routes.
Currently trains leave London at these times.
- 10:00 – Aberdeen
- 12:00 – Inverness
- 14:00 – Aberdeen
- 16:00 – Aberdeen
Note that there is probably no 18:00 train, as that would arrive in Aberdeen at 0110.
That is probably too late, but a well-driven Class 800 train, might get to Aberdeen around 00:30, which could be acceptable.
There is also the possibility of running a pair of five-car Class 800 trains to |Edinburgh, where they split with one train going to Aberdeen and the other to Inverness.
If the 16:00 train were to split, the Inverness portion would finish its journey before midnight.
A schedule like this from London could be possible.
- 10:00 – Aberdeen and Inverness
- 12:00 – Inverness
- 14:00 – Aberdeen and Inverness
- 16:00 – Aberdeen and Inverness
- 18:00 – Aberdeen
Both Northern cities would get four trains per day from London, because of two factors.
- The ability to run on electric power between London and Edinburgh, which knocks time off that section of the route.
- The ability to split and join trains at Edinburgh, which saves paths on the East Coast Main Line.
It should be noted that any electrification North from Edinburgh will help.
Stirling to Edinburgh and Glasgow could be electrified by 2019 or 2020.
- Trains would run to the South of Stirling on electric power.
- Any splitting going North and joining going South would take place at Stirling.
- Trains would still stop at Edinburgh to load and unload passengers.
- Crew change currently takes place at Edinburgh, but that could happen at Stirling.
With a well-executed stop at Stirling, electric power between Stirling and Edinburgh and a few other improvements could we see the following?
- London-Aberdeen – six hours
- London-Inverness – seven hours
It would certainly please VTEC’s Marketing Department.
Services To St. Andrews
The Open Championship was last held at St. Andrews in 2015, so by the next time it is held at the Home of Golf, it is likely that a station will have been built for the town.
This new station must be able to accept Class 800/801 trains, which during a major event might need to run to the area.
This reasoning must apply to lots of places either on or within fifty miles of the East Coast Main Line.
London-Leeds Services
Leeds is generally served by 2 tph from London in around two hours ten minutes.
These are usually nine-car InterCity 225 trains, with a couple of InterCity 125 trains, that go to places like Harrogate, which are not electrified.
As the speed limits on the East Coast Main Line are increased as trains are fitted with in-can signalling, I suspect that VTEC’s Marketing Department will be pushing for times between London and Leeds to be under two hours.
I can’t believe that VTEC will not extend services from Leeds by making use of five-car trains running to Leeds as a pair, where they would divide and join.
I am assuming that Class 800/801 trains can join as well as the closely-related Class 395 trains, which do so it in under a minute.
Places that could be served include.
- Bradford
- Harrogate
- Horsforth
- Huddersfield
- Ilkley
- Keighley
- Shipley
- Skipton
Note.
- Some stations like Harrogate and Horsforth are not electrified, so would need Class 800 electro-diesel trains.
- Five-car trains could serve a lot of stations on the Leeds-Bradford Metro network, thus opening up the possibility of services to places like Headingley for the cricket and rugby and Saltaire for the culture.
- Could a five-car Class 800 electro-diesel train run over the Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle and Scotland?
- Extending some services from Leeds may mean that platform space is released at the station.
I think that the possibilities to extend services from Leeds using the five-car Class 800/801 trains are large.
London-Edinburgh Via Leeds
On the West Coast Main Line, some Scottish services from London, go via Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
So if there was a fully electrified route from Leeds to York, then some Scottish trains could go via Leeds.
At present, I don’t think this is possible with an electric train, as part of the route from Leeds to York is not electrified.
The electrification should be well underway by now, but there is no sign of it.
Other Extended Services
What can be done at Leeds can surely be done at other places.
If the two trains can couple and uncouple within a minute, that means that a pair of trains can arrive in a station and go through the following sequence.
- 00:00 -A joined pair of Class 800/801 trains arrive in the station and load and unload passengers.
- 00:03 – Close the train doors
- 00:04 – Start the automatic decoupling process.
- 00:05 – The first train leaves the platform.
- 00:08 – After three minutes the second train leaves the platform.
I believe that the stop could be under ten minutes and the trains would be a safe three minutes apart, as they left the station.
So where could trains be split?
- Newark or Peterborough for Lincoln and Nottingham
- Doncaster for Hull and Sheffield
- York for Scarborough and Harrogate
- York for Middlesbrough and Sunderland
- Newcastle for Ashington and Sunderland
Note.
- Trains could go in a loop to serve several stations.
- Sunderland could be on such a loop.
- As trains would only be five cars, they could stop at most stations in need of a service.
- Stations like Peterborough, Doncaster, York and Newcastle with more than one through platform in each direction would probably be preferred stations for split and join.
- No electrification is needed away from the East Coast Main Line.
Obviously, passenger needs and traffic patterns will decide, where the trains split and join.
Conclusions
The big conclusion will be that more places will receive long distance services to London and the places in between.
But these trains will really put the squeeze on smaller operators like Hull Trains and Grand Central Trains, as VTEC will be serving their station.
A High Speed Brew
I took this picture, as my train to Newark for Lincoln was somewhere around New |Southgate. We were just twelve minutes out of Kings Cross
A High Speed Brew
The steward had served it almost before we moved off at Kings Cross, with a very full train of passengers.
Virgin’s New Train On Test
I took this picture near to Stevenage.
Virgin’s New Train On Test
Virgin’s new Class 800 train is under test.
The Anonymous Widower 