The Anonymous Widower

Electric Freight: A Solution To The WCML Capacity Conundrum

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

These two paragraphs introduce the article.

Network Rail considers the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to be the busiest mixed traffic railway in Europe. It carries 125mph passenger trains from London to the West Midlands, North West, and Scotland and is used by 90% of intermodal UK rail freight which has a maximum speed of 75mph. Traffic on the line has been steadily increasing. In 1994 there were seven daily passenger trains from Glasgow to London. Now there are 26.

In 2006 Network Rail commissioned an in-depth study to find the best way of providing additional capacity as, with increasing traffic, the WCML between London and the North West was forecast to be full by 2020. The study found that the provision of a new high-speed line was the best solution and was the basis for the development of the HS2 project. The 2006 study correctly forecast that the WCML will by now be at full capacity south of Crewe, yet following the curtailment of HS2 two years ago there are no proposals to address the capacity issue between Rugby and Crewe that was identified 20 years ago.

David Shirres, puts forward a solution that involves electric freight locomotives and faster freight wagons.

I can add some knowledge of what British Rail were doing in the 1970s to solve the problem of freight on the West Coast Main Line all those years ago.

This picture shows a PACE 231R.

In the early 1970s, I was lucky enough to work with one of these amazing machines. They were probably one of the most powerful analogue computers ever built, that could solve a hundred simultaneous differential equations at once using thermionic valve circuitry. Their most famous application was at NASA, where two of these machines formed the analogue half of the moon-landing simulator.

There were a handful of these powerful beasts in the UK at ICI Plastics, where I worked, British Motor Corporation, Cambridge University and British Rail Research at Derby.

At the time, British Rail were trying to run freight trains faster and the four-wheel freight wagons of the time were derailing with an unwanted regularity. So the problem was given to British Rail Research and the problem was put on the PACE 231R. The problem was solved and the lessons learned were applied to the Mark 3 Coach and the InterCity 125.

After privatisation, the research went to the National Railway Museum and out of curiosity a few years ago, I tried to look at it, but was told it was commercially sensitive to Bombardier. It is my belief, that if this research were to be continued at one of our best universities, that faster freight bogies could be developed, that would help to create the extra freight paths needed on the WCML.

 

December 24, 2025 Posted by | Computing, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Manchester To London Train To Run Without Passengers

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

This is the sub-heading.

A train service taking commuters from Manchester to London is to run empty for around five months following a decision by the rail regulator.

These three paragraphs add more detail.

A decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), means the 07:00 GMT service operated by Avanti West Coast from Manchester Piccadilly to London will still run but will only be used to carry staff from mid-December.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said they were “disappointed” with the decision, which would “clearly impact those customers who already use these services”.

An ORR spokesperson said the decision was made on “robust evidence” from Network Rail to guard against possible service disruption on the West Coast Main Line.

It is a long article on the BBC and I suspect, it is one of those, that should be fully-read before commenting.

I looked up last Friday’s service and found this.

  • It was an eleven-coach Class 390 train.
  • The train goes via Macclesfield, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, but only stops to pick up passengers at Stockport.
  • It left on time at 07:00.
  • It arrived in London at 09:20, which was twenty-one minutes late.

I think, I’ll see this train arrive on Monday.

Could Avanti West Coast Be Planning A Fast Service From Both Liverpool and Manchester?

Consider.

  • Manchester Piccadilly has a 07:00 train to Euston, that takes two hours via Stoke-on-Trent.
  • The train also stops at Stockport.
  • The Manchester Piccadilly train is an eleven-car Class 390 train, that is 265.3 metres long.
  • Liverpool Lime Street has a 06:43 train to Euston, that takes two hours and 11 minutes via Crewe, that stops at Runcorn.
  • The Liverpool Lime Street train is a seven-car Class 807 train, that is 182 metres long.

Note.

  1. I wonder, if at some time in the future, these two services could both be run by seven-car Class 807 trains, that joined at Crewe.
  2. This might not have been possible with Class 390 trains, as the pair of trains would have been very long.
  3. Class 390 trains may not be able to split and join.
  4. I don’t think any extra paths would be needed.

This would give Crewe, Liverpool, Manchester, Runcorn and Stockport, a fast early train to Euston.

November 29, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

FIRST TO THE FUTURE: Lumo Owner Bids To Turbo-Charge UK Rail With New Routes

The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from First Group.

These first three paragraphs introduce FirstGroup’s application for the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services.

FirstGroup plc plans to expand its open access rail operations through its successful Lumo business, boosting connectivity, improving UK productivity and passenger choice across the UK.

The expansion aims to replicate the success of Lumo’s Edinburgh to London service in driving material growth on the East Coast Main Line. Lumo operates without government subsidy and contributes more per train mile to infrastructure investment than any other long-distance operator – delivering growth on the railway and connectivity to local communities, at a substantial benefit to the taxpayer.

FirstGroup has submitted the first phase of three separate applications to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) for new and extended open access rail services, which are described in these bullet points.

  • A revised application to run new services between Rochdale and London Euston via Manchester Victoria from December 2028; 
  • An extension to Lumo’s current Stirling to London Euston track access agreement to operate services beyond 2030;
  • A new route between Cardiff and York via Birmingham, Derby, and Sheffield from December 2028; and
  • Purchase of new trains meaning continued investment in UK manufacturing of c.£300 million, and long-term jobs.

This paragraph from the press release describes the philosophy of the rolling stock.

Should these applications be successful, FirstGroup will make use of its option to commit further investment in new Hitachi trains built in County Durham. This investment will include five battery electric trains for the Stirling route and three battery electric trains for Rochdale, supporting jobs at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe plant. For the services between Cardiff and York, it will deploy refurbished Class 222s.

Note.

  1. The Class 222 trains will run the Euston and Stirling service until the future Hitachi trains are delivered in 2028.
  2. The Class 222 trains will run the Cardiff and York service from 2028.
  3. The Class 222 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph
  4. Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  5. Avanti West Coast’s Class 805 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph on electrification.
  6. Avanti West Coast’s Class 807 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  7. Grand Central Trains’s future Hitachi trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  8. Hull Trains’s Class 802 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  9. Lumo’s current Class 803 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  10. LNER’s current Class 800 and 801 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  11. LNER’s current InterCity 225 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  12. LNER’s future Class 897 trains have a maximum speed of 125 mph.
  13. All of the trains, with the exception of the Class 222 trains are electric and have been designed for 140 mph running and can do this if there is appropriate 140 mph signalling.

If the Class 222 trains don’t run on the East and West Coast Main Lines, then these lines could introduce 140 mph running in stages to speed up rail travel between London and the North of England and Scotland.

Rochdale And London

These three paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Rochdale and London service.

The new Lumo service will operate the first direct service since 2000 between Rochdale and London. Services will call at Manchester Victoria, Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. Eccles station connects other parts of the city of Salford, including the fast-growing MediaCity area, via the nearby interchange with Metrolink. Services to Newton-le-Willows will deliver greater rail connectivity for St Helens.

There will be three new return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays, which will provide 1.6 million people in the north-west with a convenient and competitively priced direct rail service to London, encouraging people to switch from cars to train as well as providing additional rail capacity. It will also deliver material economic benefits for the communities along the route, including regeneration areas such as Atom Valley and the Liverpool City Region Freeport scheme.

The application has been revised to address the ORR’s concerns about network capacity set out in its letter of July 2025 rejecting FirstGroup’s original application. Supported by extensive modelling, the company has identified sufficient space on the network to accommodate the proposed services. Services will also make use of the Government’s recent investment in power supply for the West Coast Mainline (WCML).

In FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application last year.

Differences between the two applications include.

  • The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains.
  • The original application was for six return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for three return services on weekdays and Sundays, and four return services on Saturdays.

Note.

  1. The battery-electric trains will be able bridge the 10.4 mile gap between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale, and return after charging on the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
  3. The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
  4. Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?

I still feel, that with Lumo’s battery-electric trains one or more services could extend across the Pennines to Hebden Bridge, Bradford Interchange or Leeds. Trains would be recharged for return at Leeds.

Stirling And London

This  paragraph from the press release describes the proposed Stirling and London service.

Stirling has a wide catchment area, with an estimated three million people living within an hour’s drive. Extending the current track access agreement for the Stirling route from May 2030 will support the shift from car to rail, and investment in the city, as well as in the service’s intermediate stations which include Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet, thanks to greater connectivity to London. The four return services weekdays and Saturdays, and three on Sundays, on the new route are expected to start early in the company’s 2027 financial year.

In Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026, I gave my thoughts for Lumo’s application in June 2025.

Differences between the two applications include.

  • The service will only be run initially by Class 222 trains.
  • The service will be run by Lumo’s standard battery-electric Hitachi trains after 2028.
  • The original application was for five return journeys per day, whereas the new application is for four return services on weekdays and Saturdays, and three return services on Sundays.
  • In the original application, Lumo’s new route was to link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.

Note.

  1. The battery-electric trains could be useful during engineering works or other disruptions.
  2. The trains would be ready for 140 mph running on the West Coast Main Line, when the digital signalling is installed.
  3. Is the extra return service on a Saturday to cater for football and rugby fans?

It should be noted that there are always more return services per day going to Stirling, than Rochdale.

Could The Rochdale and Stirling Services Share A Path?

Consider.

  • The two services use the West Coast Main Line South of Warrington Bank Quay station.
  • Pairs of Class 803 trains can split and join.
  • A pair of Class 803 trains are shorter than an 11-car Class 390 train.
  • An 11-car Class 390 train can call in Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.

I believe that the Rochdale and Stiring services could share a path.

  • One Weekday service per day would be a single train.
  • Going South, the trains would join at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
  • Going North, the trains would split at Warrington Bank Quay or Crewe stations.
  • The pair of trains would share a platform at Euston station.

Operating like this would increase the connectivity and attractiveness of the services, and probably increase the ridership and profitability.

Cardiff And York  via Birmingham, Derby And Sheffield

These four paragraphs from the press release describe the proposed Cardiff and York service.

Lumo’s new route between Cardiff and York will join up the entire Great British Railway network, connecting all four main lines from the Great Western Main Line to the East Coast Main Line. The plans will also deliver more capacity and drive passenger demand on a previously underserved corridor.

The application proposes six return services each weekday – a significant increase from the current single weekly service.

Bringing Lumo’s popular low-cost model to the corridor will support local communities between Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby, Sheffield, and York. These cities alone have a combined population of more than 2.5 million people. The new services will give local communities access to jobs and services along the route, in support of significant investment that has already been committed by the Government and private sector. This investment includes the Cardiff Capital Regional Investment Zone, the £140million proposed refurbishment at Cardiff Central station, the West Midlands Investment Zone which is expected to create £5.5 billion of growth and 30,000 new jobs, as well as investment plans in Derby, Sheffield and York.

The ORR will now carry out a consultation exercise as well as discuss the applications with Network Rail to secure the required approvals.

Note.

  1. Only minimal details are given of the route.
  2. The TransPennine Upgrade will create a new electrified route across the Pennines between York and Huddersfield via Church Fenton, Leeds and Dewsbury.
  3. The Penistone Line is being upgraded, so that it will handle two trains per hour.
  4. In the 1980s, the Penistone Line took InterCity 125s to Barnsley.
  5. The connection with the Penistone Line at Huddersfield has been upgraded.

I am reasonably certain, that FirstGroup intend to route the York and Cardiff service over this partially electrified route.

Sections of the route will be as follows.

  • Cardiff and Westerleigh junction – 38 miles – Electrified
  • Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles – Not Electrified
  • Bromsgrove and Proof House junction – 15 miles – Electrified
  • Proof House junction and Derby – 40.6 miles – Not Electrified
  • Derby and Sheffield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Sheffield and Huddersfield – 36.4 miles – Not Electrified
  • Huddersfield and York – 41.9 miles – Electrified

There are only two sections of track, that is not electrified.

  • Westerleigh junction and Bromsgrove – 65.2 miles
  • Proof House junction and Huddersfield – 113.4 miles

Out of a total of 273.5 miles, I believe in a few years, with a small amount of extra electrification or more powerful batteries, Hitachi’s battery-electric high-speed trains will have this route cracked and the Class 222 trains can be sent elsewhere to develop another route.

October 30, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mega Airport Costing £24billion In Europe To Rival Heathrow And Dubai

The title of this post is the same as that of this article in the Daily Express.

Note.

  1. The airport will be designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Buro Happold.
  2. Initially the airport is planned to have two runways, but will eventually be expanded to four.
  3. The combined airport and railway station is planned to serve 40 million passengers per year, double the size of Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
  4. The long-term goal is about 100 million passengers per year.

These are my thoughts.

The Airport’s Location

The Wikipedia entry for the airport has a section called Location, which has this first paragraph.

The airport’s planned site is about 40 km west of Warsaw, next to the village Stanisławów which is part of Gmina Baranów in Grodzisk Mazowiecki County. The Baranow commune occupies a significant part of the Grodzisk County and, despite its rural character, has an extensive road infrastructure. The A2 autostrada and railway lines run in the immediate vicinity of the potential construction site, and Wrocław (Expressway S8) and Poznań (National road 92) is nearby.

It sounds to me, that a British equivalent airport, would be a four-runway airport at Birmingham Airport with connections to the M1, M6, HS2 and the West Coast Main Line.

Rail Connections

The Wikipedia entry says this about rail connections.

Planned train connections from the CPK will take 15 minutes to Warsaw Central railway station, 25 minutes to Łódź Fabryczna railway station, and 2 hours to most other major Polish cities, such as Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań and Gdańsk. The construction of a high-speed train to Frankfurt (Oder) is also planned, which is to shorten the travel time on the Berlin-CPK route to under 3.5 hours

I suspect that Rail Baltica’s trains between Berlin and Helsinki via Warsaw, Kaunus, Riga, Bialystok and Tallinn will also stop at the airport.

The Airport Will Become A Gateway To North-East Europe

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Central Communications Port become a low-cost gateway to the surrounding countries., like Belarus, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and hopefully Ukraine.

Polish Hospitality

Consider.

  • Most Poles speak English better, than what I does!
  • There are several large Polish cities that are worth a visit.
  • The food is excellent, as the local basic ingredients are of high quality.
  • I have spent about a month in Poland and I’ve stayed in all levels of accommodation from the lowest to the highest and have never felt need to complain.
  • They handle my gluten-free diet with no problem.

My experience of Belarus was also similar.

 

October 10, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Will The East Coast Main Line Timetable Change Affect Sheffield?

This article in the October 2025 Edition of Modern Railways is entitled Industry Gears Up For December ECML Timetable Change.

This is the first paragraph.

Major changes are planned to trains along the East Coast main line from 14 December as the long-heralded timetable takes effect.

In this post, I will see how the changes detailed in the article in Modern Railways will affect Sheffield and Doncaster.

Aberdeen-Edinburgh

This is said about Aberdeen and Edinburgh services.

Monday-Saturday services will not change between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, with all intermediate stations served at similar times.

The LNER service to and from King’s Cross will call additionally at Doncaster, Newark Northgate and Peterborough; the last LNER Monday-Friday departure from Aberdeen will terminate at Doncaster instead of Leeds, and the first LNER Monday-Saturday train to Aberdeen will start from King’s Cross at 05:48 instead of Leeds.

Note.

  1. An hourly fast train between Edinburgh and King’s Cross will have a journey time of 4 hours and 10 minutes, which is a saving of at least 12 minutes.
  2. There is an Aberdeen-Manchester air service, but no Edinburgh-Manchester or Leeds-Scotland air services.
  3. In Could London And Central Scotland Air Passengers Be Persuaded To Use The Trains?, I speculated about how air passengers could be tempted to use the trains between London and Central Scotland.
  4. It looks to me, that LNER are strengthening their services between Doncaster and Scotland.
  5. Will that 05:48 King’s Cross departure for Aberdeen, enable a working day in Aberdeen and return?

Is LNER’s aim to get travellers to use the trains between Doncaster and Scotland, as an alternative to driving or trains from Leeds?

Alnmouth and Berwick

This is said about Alnmouth services.

Quicker LNER journey times are promised to stations South of York, with King’s Cross-Alnmouth journey times up to 15 minutes quicker.

More TPE trains will run between Newcastle, Morpeth, Alnmouth, Berwick, Reston, Dunbar, East Linton and Edinburgh Waverley.

The number of trains calling at Durham on weekdays will fall from 18 to 13 Southbound and from 15 to 10 Northbound.

This is said about Berwick services.

LNER trains will call every two hours during the middle of the day, and the number of weekday trains to King’s Cross falls from 15 to 11 Southbound with a 13 to nine fall Northbound. More TPE trains will call.

Note.

  1. Lumo serves Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh.
  2. Reston and East Linton are new stations.
  3. The stations between Newcastle and Edinburgh need adequate parking to attract commuters.

It looks to me, that LNER are timing the trains to attract day trips along the East Coast Main Line.

Bradford Forster Square/Interchange

This is said about Bradford Forster Square services.

The number of weekday trains will remain as per May 2025, but on Sundays, the number of trains serving Forster Square increases from two to six each way on a two-hourly interval. LNER stopping patterns change, with fewer trains calling at Peterborough and none at Grantham or Retford.

Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds and Shipley, but surely a more regular six trains per day (tpd) is preferable.

 

This is said about Bradford Interchange services.

At Interchange, Grand Central Trains will run at different times to the May 2025 timetable, with King’s Cross journeys up to 20 minutes quicker. One GC each way will call at Peterborough, while some will stop at Pontefract Monkhill on Sundays for the first time.

Note.

  1. Trains currently stop at Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor
  2. Is the twenty minutes time saving due to the new digital signalling to the South of Doncaster?
  3. Is this another open access operator being allowed to do what they do best?

This looks to be a very useful service, which serves several stations, with no other service to London.

Doncaster

This is said about Doncaster services.

Additional trains calling at destinations including Birmingham New Street, Sheffield, York, Newark and Berwick-upon-Tweed. LNER Aberdeen/Inverness trains will call at Doncaster. EMR trains will be retimed at Doncaster to provide better connections with LNER’s revised timetables, but journeys from Doncaster to Sleaford and Spalding will require a change at Lincoln. This change has been made to “enable improved connections” at Peterborough, Sleaford, Lincoln and Doncaster. The number of trains calling at Stevenage falls from 24 to 19 Southbound and 24 to 21 Northbound, with Grantham stops dropping by seven trains to 28 Southbound and 4 to 29 Northbound.

If CrossCountry Trains were to switch their trains to Hitachi InterCity Battery trains, I believe that a version of these trains could handle routes like Plymouth and Aberdeen.

  • This would speed up services.
  • Trains would run close together and thus increase capacity.
  • Services could even be faster.

So expect a replacement order for CrossCountry Trains diesel multiple units soon.

Glasgow

LNER gave up serving Glasgow Central from King’s Cross in the December 2024 timetable change.

In Lumo Will Extend Its King’s Cross And Edinburgh Service To Glasgow, I talked about Lumo extending their King’s Cross and Edinburgh service to Glasgow Central station.

Hull

This is said about Hull services.

On Mondays-Fridays, Hull Trains will provide an extra train from London.

The LNER Monday-Friday Hull-Doncaster train will be withdrawn;

Northern will operate a 20:25 departure to Doncaster; calling at Brough and Selby.

Note.

  1. It looks like Great British Railways have surrendered Hull and Beverley to Hull Trains.
  2. Hull Trains are converting their Class 802 trains to battery-electric power.
  3. It is likely that Hull Trains upgraded trains will be able to use the Great Northern and Great Eastern Joint Line via Lincoln on battery power.

The new timetable appears to be ready for the future of Hull Trains.

Leeds

This is said about Leeds services.

LNER services will depart to King’s Cross at xx.10 and xx.40.

Northern will introduce an extra mostly hourly service between  Leeds and Sheffield calling at Wakefield Westgate. They will depart about 30 minutes earlier or later than the CrossCountry service.

Note.

  1. I would expect the two King’s Cross and Leeds services which would both stop at Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would set the timings between Doncaster and Leeds.
  2. Currently, of the four trains that run to and from Leeds every two hours, two are planned to terminate at Leeds, one at Harrogate and one at Bradford Forster Square.
  3. There is also a daily service between King’s Cross and Skipton via Leeds.
  4. I can envisage another service between  King’s Cross and Ilkley via Leeds, Kirkstall Forge, Guiseley, Burley-in-Wharfedale and Ben Rhydding.
  5. I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Huddersfield, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield and Deighton.
  6. I can envisage another service between King’s Cross and Hebden Bridge, via Leeds, White Rose, Morley, Batley, Dewsbury, Ravensthorpe, Mirfield, Sowerby Bridge, Mytholmroyd and Brighouse.
  7. An alternative to Hebden Bridge would be Rochdale, which already has four platforms and is on the Manchester Metrolink
  8. It appears that Bradford Forster Square, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds and Skipton stations can turn nine or ten-car trains and Ilkley can turn five-car trains.
  9. I also believe that one of Hitachi’s InterCity Battery trains could use battery power to take the spectacular Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle or even Glasgow Central.
  10. If needed pairs of five-car trains could split and join at Leeds, with one train waiting at Leeds and the other train going on to another destination.
  11. The CrossCountry and Northern Trains services on the Sheffield and Leeds route via Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate would probably need to be modern battery-electric trains to maximise the capacity on the route.

There certainly seem to be opportunities to give a number of stations in Yorkshire an all-electric service to King’s Cross with a two-hourly frequency, in a time of a few minutes over two hours.

Lincoln

This is said about Lincoln services.

One more LNER train from King’s Cross will run, with the first train arriving earlier and the last train later. There will no longer be an LNER train serving Stevenage with passengers having to change at Newark Northgate or Peterborough. An improved service will run to and from Nottingham, with an increase from one to two trains per hour on Mondays-Saturdays. An hourly service will run to Crewe, and a new Matlock-Nottingham-Lincoln-Cleethorpes service will run. EMR will cease all bar morning peak direct trains to/from Leicester. Newark Northgate-Lincoln trains will be reduced from five to four on Mondays-Fridays, eight to four on Saturdays and ten to eight on Sundays.

Note.

  1. Travellers between Lincoln/Nottingham and the North/Scotland will have two trains per hour to Newark Northgate, where there will be two tph to the North/Scotland.
  2. The hourly Crewe service will give access to Liverpool Manchester and the West Coast Main Line.
  3. Will there still be a Liverpool and Norwich service or will this be replaced by East-West Rail?

There seems to be a big sort out to EMR services.

Newcastle

This is said about Newcastle services.

The number of trains serving King’s Cross increases from 35 to 53 Southbound on weekdays and from 36 to 52 Northbound. One train every hour will run non-stop to York. More TPE trains will run Northbound (see Alnmouth and Berwick), while Northern is retiming services on the Northumberland Line in anticipation of Northumberland Park and Bedlington stations opening in early 2026. A semi-fast hourly service between Newcastle and Middlesbrough will run on Mondays-Saturdays and there will be an hourly stopping service between them.

Note.

  1. There will be a big increase in services between King’s Cross and Newcastle.
  2. Is the aim to persuade travellers to use trains rather than airlines?
  3. LNER also runs one train per day (tpd) between King’s Cross and Middlesbrough.
  4. Grand Central Trains will be running at a frequency of six tpd between King’s Cross and Sunderland via Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe, Hartlepool and Seaham.

Hull appears to have been left to Hull Trains and Glasgow to Lumo, and Sunderland appears to be left for Grand Central Trains.

Conclusions

I am coming to some conclusions about services on the East Coast Main Line, with respect to Sheffield.

Doncaster Is A Well-Equipped Station

Doncaster is the nearest station to Sheffield on the East Coast Main Line.

  • Over the last few years, Doncaster station has been improved.
  • It has a subway with a more than adequate number of lifts.
  • The station has nearly 600 parking spaces.
  • There is a taxi rank.
  • There is no Marks & Spencer’s food store, which is important for a coeliac like me.
  • There are thirty bus stands close to Doncaster station.
  • Doncaster station is well-equipped with cafes, a pub and coffee stalls.
  • All trains to Aberdeen, Bradford Forster Square, Bradford Interchange, Edinburgh, Hull, King’s Cross, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield seem to stop at the station.
  • There are several local trains per hour.
  • Changing trains is not a strenuous exercise.

Doncaster is one of the UK’s better regional stations.

Doncaster Needs A Connection To The Sheffield Supertram

One of the first things, I do when I arrive in a strange town or city is look for the local public transport network.

In 2019, Sheffield published an ambitious plan for their tram network, which I wrote about in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – Doncaster Sheffield Airport.

The post contained this map, of Sheffield’s plans for the trams.

Doncaster and Doncaster Sheffield Airport are connected to the current end of the tram-train route at Rotherham Parkgate.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the rail lines between Rotherham Parkgate and Doncaster.

Note.

  1. Doncaster station is in the North-East corner of the map.
  2. Rotherham Central station is in the South-West corner of the map.
  3. The blue arrow in the South-West corner indicates Rotherham Parkgate tram stop.
  4. Swinton, Mexborough and Conisbrough stations can be picked out.
  5. The dotted red line running North-South across the map is the route of the ill-fated Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.

It is a simple application of tram-train technology to connect Doncaster station and Doncaster Sheffield Airport to the Sheffield Supertram.

With all the comings and goings on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster station, I believe that the tram-train connection to Sheffield and Rotherham is essential.

The Cities Of Bradford, Doncaster, Leeds, Sheffield and Wakefield Can Have a High-Frequency Rail Connection

Consider.

  • Four stations are all step-free with a bridge or subway served by lifts.
  • Bradford Forster Square station has level access to the platforms from the street.
  • The rail lines between the five stations are electrified, with the exception of Sheffield and Doncaster.
  • Services between the cities are run by CrossCountry Trains, Grand Central Trains, Hull Trains, LNER and Northern Trains.
  • Most maximum speeds are not unduly slow.

Consequently the five cities can have a high-frequency rail connection in excess of four tph.

Could this be the basis of a Five-Cities Metro?

Open Access Services

There are six open access services running on the East Coast Main Line.

  • Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Bradford Interchange via Peterborough, Doncaster, Pontefract Monkhill, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield, Brighouse, Halifax and Low Moor – 4 tpd
  • Grand Central Trains – King’s Cross-Sunderland via Peterborough, York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Eaglescliffe and Hartlepool – 6 tpd
  • Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Hull via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough – 4 tpd
  • Hull Trains – King’s Cross-Beverley via Stevenage, Grantham, Retford, Doncaster, Selby, Howden, Brough, Hull and Cottingham  – 2 tpd
  • Lumo – King’s Cross-Edinbugh via Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth – 5 tpd
  • Lumo – King’s Cross-Glasgow Queen Street via Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth, Edinburgh and Falkirk High – 2 tpd

Note.

  1. tpd is trains per day.
  2. All seem to serve an exclusive area, except Lumo.
  3. In a couple of years, all could be using Hitachi trains.
  4. I suspect some services will swap their diesel generators for batteries.

Battery-power would allow some services to be zero-carbon, even when using the GNGE diversion.

 

 

 

 

September 22, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Do Hitachi Battery Electric InterCity Trains Have Problems?

I asked Google the question in the title of this post and got this answer.

While Hitachi’s battery-powered intercity trains have shown promising results in trials, particularly regarding fuel savings and emissions reduction, there are some potential challenges and considerations. These include safety concerns related to lithium battery fires, especially in the event of a crash or derailment, as well as range limitations for longer journeys. However, the technology is continuously evolving, and Hitachi is actively working to address these issues.

That seems fairly positive.

There is also this article on the BBC, which everybody should read, which is entitled Will New Battery-Powered Trains Replace Diesel, And Are They Safe?.

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I look at the data sheet, that Hitachi published in late 2023.

These were my conclusions about the data sheet.

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains, which were written in November 2023.

  • The battery pack has a capacity of 750 kWh.
  • A five-car train needs three battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • A nine-car train needs five battery-packs to travel 100 miles.
  • The maximum range of a five-car train with three batteries is 117 miles.
  • The maximum range of a nine-car train with five batteries is 121 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

Hitachi have seen my figures.

They also told me, that they were in line with their figures, but new and better batteries would increase range.

125 mph trains with a 120 mile range on batteries, would revolutionise UK train travel.

LNER’s Class 897 Trains

In the Wikipedia entry for LNER, this is said about LNER’s new ten CAF tri-mode trains.

In November 2023, LNER placed an order for 10 ten-car tri-mode (electric, diesel and battery power) Civity trains from CAF. In August 2024, it was announced that the units will be designated Class 897 under TOPS.

According to their Wikipedia entry, it appears the Class 897 trains will be delivered from 2027.

Can I Build A Schedule For The Introduction Of New Trains, Services and Batteries?

I think that I can from the information that is out there.

  • East Coast Main Line – December 2025 – Introduction of Lumo between London King’s Cross and Glasgow
  • West Coast Main Line – Spring 2026 – Introduction of Lumo between London Euston and Stirling
  • Midland Main Line – 2026-2027 – Introduction of EMR Class 810 trains between London St. Pancras and Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield.
  • East Coast Main Line – From 2027 – Introduction of LNER Class 897 trains between London King’s Cross and Yorkshire.

Note.

  1. The two Lumo services use trains already in service.
  2. The Class 810 trains for EMR are being debugged and introduced at the present time.
  3. The only new trains are the Class 897 trains for LNER.
  4. The introduction of the Class 897 trains will allow LNER to withdraw some trains for refurbishment and fitting of batteries.

This would mean that before the next general election, almost the full timetable between London and the North of England and Scotland would have been implemented using diesel-electric technology.

Is it a low-risk start to the full electrification of services to the North?

The second-phase would see battery-electric trains introduced.

I believe that Grand Central’s new trains would be brought into service first.

  • The new trains are scheduled to be introduced in 2028.
  • Grand Central will still have the diesel trains for backup.
  • Their new trains would be similar to the other Hitachi trains.
  • It looks like they could be doing some splitting and joining.

After the Grand Central trains had been introduced successfully, the trains for the other Hitachi operators would have batteries fitted.

I suspect short routes like Lincoln would be electrified with battery-electric trains first.

There would also need to be short lengths of electrification erected, so that trains could be charged to send them on their way.

Other routes could also be electrified in the same way.

  • Basingstoke and Exeter
  • Birmingham and Aberystwyth
  • Bristol and Penzance
  • Cardiff and Swansea
  • Crewe and Holyhead
  • Edinburgh and Aberdeen
  • Edinburgh and Inverness
  • Reading and Taunton
  • Swindon and Gloucester

If this technique could work for main lines, surely a scaled down version with smaller trains would work for branch lines.

Conclusion

Consider.

  • It looks to me, that someone has planned this thoroughly.
  • It all fits together extremely well.

It could be the first phase of a cunning plan to use battery-electric trains to electrify the UK’s railways.

Passengers will also see benefits, from when Lumo runs its first train into Glasgow Queen Street station.

I don’t think Hitachi’s trains have any problems, but there is enough float in this plan to make sure, it can be implemented on time and on budget.

 

August 6, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Farage Wants HS2 Scrapped

The title of this post, is the same as a sub-title in this article on The Times. which is entitled HS2: Labour confirms delay until 2033.

This is the sub-heading.

Nigel Farage has called for the whole HS2 project to be scrapped.

These two paragraphs give NF’s view.

The Reform UK leader told the Commons: “Has the moment not come, rather than having another reset, to recognise this is a failure?

“Let’s scrap HS2, let’s use the tens of billions of pounds we can save in the next decade to upgrade railway lines across the entirety of the United Kingdom to the benefit of many millions and spend the rest on other national priorities in these financially straitened times.”

Farage’s simplistic plan will appeal to his disciples, but the major thing that is needed, is more capacity between South and North. Or North and South depending on where you live!

HS2 will provide an extra seventeen paths between London and a large triangular junction in the West Midlands.

If HS2 Is Not Built There Will Be More Cars And Trucks On The Roads

In Footage Released Of East West Rail’s First Commercial Freight Train, I wrote about the SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton (SLPN), which would generate lots of road and rail traffic. Without developments like HS2, the roads will just get clogged up.

High Speed Two’s Originally Proposed Service Pattern

This graphic shows the original service pattern for High Speed Two.

Note.

  1. There are seventeen paths terminating in the South at Euston station.
  2. Six of these paths go to Leeds, Newcastle or York.
  3. As the Eastern leg has been abandoned, that means six extra trains can run between London and the large triangular junction in the West Midlands.

Six extra trains running to the West side of England and Scotland could give a substantial improvement of services.

High Speed Yorkshire

HS2 needs to be paired with High Speed Yorkshire, which would mainly be an upgrading of the East Coast Main Line running at up to 160 mph to serve Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, the North-East and East Scotland.

Note.

  1. British Rail built the Selby Diversion in the 1980s to run at 160 mph.
  2. Digital signalling is currently being installed on this route and this will allow trains to speed through the two bottlenecks of the Digswell Viaduct and the Newark Crossing.
  3. Times of three-and-a-half hours between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, should be possible.

These times should give the airlines a good kicking on London-Newcastle and London-Scotland routes.

Fast services would run on High Speed Yorkshire to Alnwick, Barnetby, Barnsley, Beverley, Berwick, Bradford, Brough, Cleethorpes, Darlington, Doncaster, Durham, Edinburgh, Goole, Grantham, Grimsby, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Peterborough, Pontefract, Retford, Rotherham, Scarborough, Scunthorpe, Sheffield, Skipton, Stevenage, Sunderland, Wakefield, Worksop and York.

Most of these towns and cities are already served by Hitachi or other high speed trains from King’s Cross.

A high proportion of the services to Yorkshire destinations will be under two hours from London.

When the current trains need replacing, they could be replaced by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.

Onward From Handsacre Junction

Services to the North-West and Scotland will join the Trent Valley Line at Handsacre junction.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Trent Valley Line between Crewe station and Handacre junction.

Note.

  1. The proposed route of High Speed Two is shown as a dotted line, running diagonally across the map.
  2. The red track to its West is the Trent Valley Line, which is a section of the West Coast Main Line.
  3. Handsacre junction is in the South-East corner of the map.
  4. The blue arrow indicates Stafford station on the West Coast Main Line.
  5. The main High Speed Two tracks will not connect to Stafford or Stoke-on-Trent stations.
  6. Crewe station is in the North-West corner of the map.
  7. Crewe station and Handsacre junction are 37.6 miles apart.

With the exception of the 6 mile twin-track section between Stafford Trent Valley and Colwich junctions, it appears that Crewe station and Handsacre junction is all quadruple track.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Trent Valley Line between Stafford stationand Colwich junction.

Note.

  1. The Trent Valley Line, which is a section of the West Coast Main Line, runs across the map.
  2. The arrow in the North-West corner of the map indicates Stafford station.
  3. Colwich junction is in the South-East corner of the map.
  4. About three-quarters of the way across, the track is shown in cream. This is the twin-track Shugborough Tunnel, which is around a half-mile long.
  5. The Shugborough Tunnel has a 100 mph maximum speed.
  6. The portals of Shugborough Tunnel are Grade II Listed and the Wikipedia entry for the tunnel is certainly worth a read.

How Many High Speed Two trains per hour (tph) will use the Trent Valley Line route?

The original proposal in the graphic earlier shows these trains.

  • 4 – London to Lancaster/Liverpool Lime Street – Splits at Crewe
  • 5 – London to Liverpool Lime Street
  • 6 – London to Stafford, Stoke -on-Trent and Macclesfield
  • 7 – London and Birmingham Interchange to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
  • 8 – London to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
  • 9 – London to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
  • 10 – London and Birmingham Interchange to Preston, Carlisle, Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – Splits at Carlisle
  • 11 – London Euston to Preston, Carlisle, Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – Splits at Carlisle
  • 12 – Birmingham Curzon Street to Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Edinburgh Haymarket and Edinburgh Waverley Or Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell  and Glasgow Central- Services alternate.
  • 13 – Birmingham Curzon Street to East Midlands Hub, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
  • 14 – Birmingham Curzon Street to East Midlands Hub, Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly

Note.

  1. It looks like there will be eleven High Speed Two tph on the Trent Valley Line.
  2. As East Midlands Hub will not be built, I will assume trains 13 and 14 will be Birmingham Curzon Street to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly.
  3. Other trains will need to use the route.
  4. I suspect that freight trains, that couldn’t maintain 100 mph would not be allowed.

I believe that digital signalling can handle all the trains between Handsacre Junction and Crewe.

  • Trains 10 and 11 would run every thirty minutes to give two tph between London and Glasgow Central and two tph between London and the two Edinburgh stations.
  • Each of these trains would lead a flight of trains behind them through the Trent Valley Line.
  • The last trains going North in the flights, would be trains 4 and 6, as they stop on the Trent Valley Line section.

I have written a lot of scheduling algorithms in the last fifty years and I wouldn’t be surprised if flights could be up to 7 or 8 trains, running 3 or 4 minutes apart.

It would be an impressive sight.

What Timings Would Be Possible On High Speed Two Using Handsacre Junction And The Trent Valley Line?

In Where Is Handsacre Junction? I calculated some times on High Speed Two to various destinations, using Handsacre junction and the Trent Valley Line. This is a more comprehensive table.

  • London and Blackpool North – 205 mph – 1:55
  • London and Blackpool North – 140 mph – 2:12
  • London and Carlisle – 205 mph – 2:45
  • London and Carlisle – 140 mph – 3:01
  • London and Crewe – 205 mph – 1:03
  • London and Crewe – 140 mph – 1:19
  • London and Edinburgh Waverley  – 205 mph – 4:14
  • London and Edinburgh Waverley  – 140 mph – 4:30
  • London and Glasgow Central  – 205 mph – 4:22
  • London and Glasgow Central  – 140 mph – 4:38
  • London and Handsacre junction – 205 mph – 0:35
  • London and Handsacre junction – 140 mph – 0:51
  • London and Lancaster – 205 mph – 1:50
  • London and Lancaster – 140 mph – 2:06
  • London and Liverpool Lime Street  – 205 mph – 1:46
  • London and Liverpool Lime Street  – 140 mph – 2:02
  • London and Manchester Piccadilly  – 205 mph – 1:41
  • London and Manchester Piccadilly  – 140 mph – 1:57
  • London and Preston – 205 mph – 1:31
  • London and Preston – 140 mph – 1:47
  • London and Stafford  – 205 mph – 0:45
  • London and Stafford  – 140 mph – 1:01
  • London and Stoke-on-Trent – 205 mph – 0:55
  • London and Stoke-on-Trent – 140 mph – 1:11
  • London and Wigan North Western – 205 mph – 1:17
  • London and Wigan North Western – 140 mph – 1:33

Note.

  1. 205 mph could be the average speed between London Euston and Handsacre junction for High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
  2. 140 mph could be the average speed between London Euston and Handsacre junction for Class 390 trains.
  3. Times are in hh:nn.
  4. For times North of Handsacre junction are typical Class 390 times.

A typical timing between London Euston and Handsacre junction for Class 390 trains is 71 minutes, so if High Speed Two services were run using Class 390 trains, twenty minutes would be saved on all services via Handsacre junction compared to current Avanti West Coast services.

I have some other thoughts.

Using Class 390 Trains Is Not My Idea

This article on Rail nBusiness UK is entitled Viewpoint: Buy tilting trains and finish Delta Junction to salvage HS2, says Gibb.

This is the sub-heading.

UK: Procurement of a fleet of tilting trains and a focus on Birmingham – Manchester services are key to making the most the descoped High Speed 2 scheme, former Virgin Trains executive Chris Gibb tells Rail Business UK.

Chris Gibb has the right experience. and has been used as a go-to man, when projects are in trouble.

The major points of his plan are as follows.

  1. Connect High Speed Two to the Trent Valley Line to go North from the Midlands.
  2. Initially, use Class 390 trains or Pendelinos on Liverpool, Manchester and Scottish services.
  3. Run Class 390 trains at 140 mph between Euston and Handsacre junction.
  4. When the Pendelinos need to be retired, buy a new set of tilting trains.
  5. Complete the North-to-West leg of High Speed Two’s triangular junction, so that trains can run between Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester.
  6. Gibb proposes a Blackpool service, that splits and joins with a Liverpool service. I assume he means train 5.

Gibb feels a fundamental review of the operating principles and fleet requirements is now needed.

It is a well-thought out viewpoint and very much a must-read.

 

 

 

 

June 21, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Where Is Handsacre Junction?

Handsacre Junction is where High Speed Two trains from London Euston and Birmingham will join the Trent Valley Line to complete their journeys via Stafford and Crewe.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the junction.

Note.

  1. The solid red track going diagonally across the map is the Trent Valley Line, which is a section of the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The station on the Trent Valley Line at the top of the map is Rugeley Trent Valley.
  3. The station on the Trent Valley Line at the bottom of the map is Lichfield Trent Valley.
  4. The dotted tracks running North-South show the proposed route of High Speed Two.
  5. Only the dashed sections of tracks will be built for Phase 1 of High Speed Two.

From the map, I estimate that that High Speed Two will join the Trent Valley Line at the mid-way point between the two stations.

According to Real Time Trains, the stations are these distances from Euston.

  • Lichfield Trent Valley – 116.4 miles
  • Rugeley Trent Valley – 124.4 miles

So this puts Handsacre Junction at 120.4 miles from Euston.

Searching the Internet, I find the distance between Euston and Handsacre Junction on High Speed Two as 192.77 km. or 119.8 miles.

It would appear that the High Speed Two route is 0.6 mile longer.

Euston And Handsacre Junction Times

This table shows Euston and Handsacre junction times at various speeds.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 35 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 51 mins.

Euston And Glasgow Central Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same three hours and 47 minutes between Handsacre junction and Glasgow Central as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 4 hour and 22 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 4 hours and 38 mins.

Euston And Liverpool Lime Street Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same 71 minutes between Handsacre junction and Liverpool Lime Street as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 1 hour and 46 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 2 hours and 2 mins.

Euston And Manchester Piccadilly Times

If I assume, that the trains take the same 66 minutes between Handsacre junction and Manchester Piccadilly as Class 390 trains do now, I get these times.

High Speed Two Average Speed – 205 mph – 1 hour and 41 mins.

Class 390 Train Average Speed – 140 mph – 1 hours and 57 mins.

June 18, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Footage Released Of East West Rail’s First Commercial Freight Train

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from Network Rail.

These four paragraphs give detail to the story.

The inaugural journey was part of a dual first, as it also saw the entry into service of Maritime Transport’s Northampton Gateway Terminal.

This Easter Network Rail completed its work there to join the 35-acre freight facility directly to the West Coast Main Line via the Northampton Loop.

The modern junction design allows freight trains to enter and exit the site at speeds of up to 40mph, which is eight times faster than conventional freight connections.

Clearing the railway junction much faster will significantly improve both passenger and freight journeys – as it reduces the impact on other services running on the main line.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of Maritime Transport’s Northampton Gateway Terminal.

Note.

  1. The red track running diagonally across the bottom half of the map is the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The orange track running North-South is the Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line.
  3. The blue arrow indicates Northampton station.
  4. The grey line running diagonally across the map, vaguely parallel to the West Coast Main Line is the M1 Motorway.
  5. The SEGRO Logistics Park Northampton Gateway is indicated between the Northampton Loop and the M1 Motorway.

This Google Map shows the layout of the logistics park to a larger scale.

Note.

  1. The Northampton Loop of the West Coast Main Line running North-South across the map.
  2. The M1 Motorway running between the North-West and South-East corners of the map.
  3. Junction 15 is the M1 junction in the South-East corner of the map which connects the logistics park and the A45 to the M1.
  4. Junction 15A is the M1 junction in the North-West corner of the map which connects the A43 and Northampton services to the M1.
  5. There is probably space to add more warehouses and other facilities.

The logistics park is well connected to both rail and road.

This second Google Map shows the rail connection to the logistics park in more detail.

From this map, it appears that Network Rail have met their objective outlined in this paragraph of the news item.

The modern junction design allows freight trains to enter and exit the site at speeds of up to 40mph, which is eight times faster than conventional freight connections.

As only freight trains and slower passenger trains use the Northampton Loop, I would expect that freight trains should be able to enter and leave the logistics park with the minimum of disruption to traffic on the Northampton Loop.

The Route Of Yesterday’s Train

These three paragraphs from the Network Rail news item describe the route.

The first commercial freight train has travelled along the East West Rail line as part of its journey into a new strategic rail freight interchange in Northampton.

Shortly after 13:00 yesterday (Monday 16 June) the service* from Didcot came onto the new infrastructure at Oxford, travelling the 35 miles to Milton Keynes to connect with the West Coast Main Line.

It marked the first time East West Rail infrastructure has been used for commercial freight, after many months of signaller training and train driver learning since the £1.2bn railway was completed in October 2024.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the route from Didcot to Milton Keynes.

Note.

Didcot Parkway station is in the South-West corner of the map.

Milton Keynes Central is in the North-East corner of the map and marked with a blue error.

The route is via Oxford, Oxford Parkway, Bicester Village, Winslow and Bletchley.

This video shows the train passing Winslow.

June 17, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Taste Of The Future

On Friday, I went to Chester and took a train home from Crewe to Euston.

It was a new Hitachi Class 805, that sped me to London, with just a stop at Milton Keynes.

This picture shows the train arriving at Crewe.

Note.

  1. High Speed Two it is not, but it went most of the way to Euston at 125 mph in an hour and 50 minutes.
  2. High Speed Two will take 56 minutes, although that is not cast in stone and steel yet.
  3. Crewe is one of the towns and cities, that will benefit most from High Speed Two.

But whether High Speed Two is delivered or or not, Crewe’s train service should improve in Spring 2026, as the first Lumo service on the West Coast Main Line service will be starting.

I describe the service in Lumo To Expand Scotland’s Rail Network With New London-Stirling Rail Route From Spring 2026.

This paragraph from the linked post, describes the route.

Lumo’s new route will link London Euston directly to Stirling, also calling at Milton Keynes, Nuneaton, Crewe, Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld) and Larbert.

It is fully-electrified and can support 125 mph running most, if not all, of the way.

It will certainly give knowledgeable travellers options on how they travel on the West Coast Main Line.

Lumo are also proposing another open access service on the West Coast Main Line to Rochdale, which will increase travel options.

My only worry is that Heidi Alexander will cancel it, on the grounds that open access services abstract the revenue of Great British Railways.

But then after announcing the service in a reception in Holyrood, she surely couldn’t cancel it now.

On the other hand, it could be that this Labour Government has discovered that open access trains are a more affordable way of developing rail services to and from London and over longer distances.

Consider.

  • Recently, Lumo has proposed open access services from London to Carmarthen, Paignton, Rochdale and Stirling.
  • Recently, Arriva has proposed open access services from London to Cleethorpes, Grimsby and Scunthorpe and between Newcastle and Brighton.
  • Recently, Alsthom has proposed open access services from London to Shewsbury and Wrexham.

Not one of these services will cost the government a lot of money, but Network Rail will pick up access charges.

So has Heidi Alexander seen sense and feels that it is better to allow more open access services?

Could Any Other Open Access Services Be Opened On The West Coast Main Line?

London Euston and Rochdale is planned by Lumo and I wrote about it in FirstGroup’s Lumo Seeks To Launch Rochdale – London Open Access Service.

This sentence from the linked post, gives the route.

The trains would call at Warrington Bank Quay, Newton-le-Willows, Eccles and Manchester Victoria.

Other possibilities would surely be Blackpool and Barrow-in-Furness, but Blackpool gets a three trains per day (tpd) service from Euston and frequent trains from Preston.

Barrow-in-Furness could be a very useful destination.

With increased defence spending, the shipyards will be busy.

It could be another gateway to the Lake District.

Services could be extended to Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Cumbrian Coast Line between the West Coast Main Line and Barrow-in-Furness.

Note.

  1. The red tracks on the Eastern side of the map is the electrified West Coast Main Line.
  2. At the bottom of the map on the West Coast Main Line is Lancaster, with its station.
  3. The black track going West from Lancaster is the Morecambe and Heysham branch.
  4. The black track going West across the top of the map is the Cumbrian Coast Line.
  5. Barrow-in-Furness station is indicated by the blue arrow.
  6. The length of track without electrification on the route is less than thirty miles.

One of Lumo’s battery-electric trains would easily handle a London Euston and Barrow-in-Furness route.

Conclusion

There is obviously scope for new railway routes in the UK and some will be suitable for open access operators.

Perhaps, we need the Office of Road and Rail to be more proactive in deciding, when a route is to be served and then select an operator.

It would need to be an unbiased apolitical process, to stop an incumbent political party running trains to marginal seats, they hoped to win.

 

June 8, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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