The Anonymous Widower

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

The Future Of HS2 Could Lie In Its Original Vision

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

This is the sub-heading.

High Speed 2 should be rescoped to run from London Euston to Crewe, taking advantage of the lessons learned and supply chain foundations established during Phase 1, says Dyan Perry, Chair of the High Speed Rail Group.

The article has been written by Dyan Perry, who knows her railways and especially high speed ones well.

These two first paragraphs introduce her arguments.

High Speed 2 stands at a defining crossroads. Phase 1 from Old Oak Common to Birmingham has the green light, and under the new leadership of HS2 Ltd CEO Mark Wild the project is undergoing a positive and much needed ’reset’. With around 31 000 jobs currently supported, more than 75% of tunnelling completed and construction underway on two-thirds of HS2’s viaducts, momentum is building again.

This fresh injection of energy is welcome after years of shifting goalposts and cuts to the project’s scope. However, while Phase I pushes ahead, the handbrake has been pulled on the next critical phases of the project: the route from the West Midlands to Crewe and Old Oak Common to London Euston.

In the short term, this may appear fiscally sensible. However, as with all infrastructure investments, the project and potential returns must be viewed through a long-term lens. After all, a half-built railway moulded by short-term decision-making risks squandering investment to date and losing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

The High Speed Rail Group (HSRG) has these recommendations.

  • A “Euston to Crewe” Core.
  • West Midlands to Crewe must be given the go-ahead before the powers to do so run out. This would provide much needed capacity on the West Coast Main Line.
  • Use the lessons learned on Phase 1 to build West Midlands to Crewe more effectively.
  • Build a streamlined, cost effective station at Euston.
  • HSRG believes a concession let for a London to Birmingham and Crewe railway line, one that takes learning from the High Speed One financing model, could generate between £7·5bn and £10bn in concession value, a significant return for taxpayers.

High Speed Two needs a cohesive long term plan.

I very much agree with what Dyan and the HSRG are saying.

I also have some related thoughts.

High Speed East Coast

I am a Control Engineer by training and I’ve felt for some time, that the some of the bottlenecks on the East Coast Main Line to the South of Doncaster could be solved by intelligent digital signalling.

I believe that the major cities of the North-East of England and Eastern Scotland would be best served by direct high speed trains from London on the East Coast Main Line. I also think, that such an approach would deliver similar times to High Speed Two via Birmingham.

North of York

Just as stations on the West Coast to the North of Crewe will be served by High Speed Two and the West Coast Main Line, stations North of York will be served by trains going up the East Coast Main Line.

The Element Of Competition

I said earlier, that if a 30-year concession were to be sold for the West Coast Main Line, it could raise between £7.5bn and £10bn.

So why not sell a concession for the East Coast Main Line?

A further benefit, is that competition between the two concessions and the budget airlines, might bring down timings and prices, just as competition did in the Railway Races of 1888 and 1895.

High Speed North Wales

I have believed for some time, that there is a need for a zero-carbon (green) route between London and Dublin and ultimately between the Channel Tunnel and Dublin.

The last Conservative government promised to electrify Crewe and Holyhead along the North Wales Coast.

This route could deliver passengers to Holyhead for a zero-carbon high speed catamaran to Dublin.

The EU would be a beneficiary and might like to help fund the route.

 

May 12, 2025 Posted by | Design, Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Does Innovation Get Mr. Ed Miliband Better Prices To Doncaster?

The East Coast Main Line has ticketing unlike any other in the UK.

Turn up at any LNER station to go to any station that is served by trains from that station and you will be given a choice of the best prices at the ticket machines or at the booking office.

Effectively, you are sold your choice of the cheapest Advance tickets for your journey, at the time of booking.

In the last few months, I have taken three trips from London to Doncaster. All were priced between £20 and £25, with one trip on each of Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER.

Some might argue it is because of the three Open Access operators on the route, that good value is available. But I would argue that it is down to the fact that because of the Open Access operators there is more seats on the route.

This ticketing model should be adopted on the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.

The ticketing has certainly modified my behaviour.

If I want to go to Sheffield, I go to Doncaster, as it’s a lot cheaper, then get a local train between Doncaster and Sheffield.

Ed Miliband Is A Doncaster MP

When he is going between his Doncaster North constituency and London, does he use last minute ticketing?

April 15, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Times Of Avanti West Coast Trains Between London Euston And Crewe

This table shows the first few Avanti West Coast trains between London Euston and Crewe on the 17th March 2025.

  • 390119 – IS37 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 05:31 – 07:29 – 2 stops – 118 mins – 80.3 mph.
  • 390155 – IH61 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 06:29 – 08:08 – 2 stops – 99 mins – 95.7 mph.
  • 807007 – IF11 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 06:36 – 08:23 – 2 stops – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
  • 390104 – IS42 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 07:29 – 08:59 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
  • 390010 – IH62 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 07:33 – 09:10 – 1 stop – 97 mins – 97.7 mph.
  • 390044 – IF12 – Liverpool Lime Street – 9 cars – 07:43 – 09:18 – 2 stops – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 390118 – IS45 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 08:30 – 10:01 – 0 stops – 91 mins – 104.2 mph
  • 390040 – IH63 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 08:33 – 10:19 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.
  • 807001 – IF14 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 08:43 – 10:28 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 805001/805011 – ID83 – Holyhead – 10 cars – 09:02 – 10:51 – 1 stop – 109 mins – 86.9 mph.
  • 390136 – IS48 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 09:30 – 11:02 – 0 stops – 92 mins – 103.0 mph
  • 390040 – IH64 – Manchester Piccadilly – 9 cars – 09:33 – 11:08 – 1 stop – 95 mins – 99.7 mph.
  • 390154 – IF16 – Liverpool Lime Street – 11 cars – 09:43 – 11:31 – 1 stop – 108 mins – 87.7 mph.
  • 805012/805003 – ID84 – Chester – 10 cars – 10:10 – 11:53 – 1 stop – 103 mins – 92.0 mph.
  • 390130 – IS52 – Glasgow – 11 cars – 10:30 – 12:00 – 0 stops – 90 mins – 105.3 mph
  • 390151 – IH65 – Manchester Piccadilly – 11 cars – 10:35 – 12:09 – 1 stop – 94 mins – 100.8 mph.
  • 807008 – IF18 – Liverpool Lime Street – 7 cars – 10:43 – 12:30 – 1 stop – 107 mins – 88.6 mph.
  • 805009 – ID85 – Chester – 5 cars – 11:00 – 11:46 – 1 stop – 106 mins – 89.4 mph.

Note.

  1. All trains shown, go through Crewe.
  2. Some trains were delayed, hence their slow average speed.
  3. The Glasgow trains, which run non-stop from Euston to Warrington Bank Quay were the fastest, with four trains over 100 mph.

I have a few other thoughts.

The Class 805 Trains Are Crying Out For Batteries

In The Data Sheet For Hitachi Battery Electric Trains, I said this on how the Hitachi Class 80x trains will perform on batteries.

These are my conclusions about Hitachi’s battery packs for Class 80x trains.

  • 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.

Holyhead and Crewe is only 105.5 miles.

As battery technology gets better, these distances will increase.

The Fast Glasgow Train Appears To Be Leading A Convoy

The non-stop to Warrington Bank Quay Glasgow trains, also appear to be leading one Manchester Piccadilly, a Liverpool Lime Street and a Chester/North Wales train in a convoy, through Milton Keynes Central and the Trent Valley.

This convoy could grow as other services are added to the West Coast Main Line.

The Open Access Services Might Have Their Own Convoy

It would seem to me, that it might be possible to run a second convoy every hour, out of phase with the current one following the Glasgow service.

It also might be more virtual than real and under the control of the digital signalling, that will be installed on the line.

March 23, 2025 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Avanti West Coast Increases Liverpool – London Services With Launch Of Electric Evero Trains

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

This is the sub-heading.

Avanti West Coast officially launched the Class 807 electric only-version of its Hitachi-built Evero trainsets into service on November 11. This enables the operator to offer an additional weekday return service between Liverpool Lime Street and London Euston.

On the 14th of November 2024, these services were run by new Class 807 trains.

  • 3F79 – 807001 – 2100 – Northampton to Liverpool Lime Street
  • 3F80 – 807001 – 0023 – Liverpool Lime Street to Edge Hill Depot
  • 5A99 – 807001 – 0836 – Edge Hill Depot to Liverpool Lime Street
  • 1A99 – 807001 – 0901 – Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston – 02:40
  • 1F12 – 807003 – 0743 – London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street – 03:07
  • 1A28 – 807003 – 1043 – Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston – 02:20

Note,

  1. I have shown all Class 807 movements that happened. Some possibly didn’t!
  2. There appear to be extra services, which I’ve marked with their times.
  3. Time seems to be available to go to Edge Hill Depot if needed.
  4. I suspect an open return ticket can be used on any train, that’s running.

Services seem to be slow, but they can be booked.

Avanti Are Ramping Up The Service

I suspect that as they add more trains, times will come down and a stop at Liverpool South Parkway will be added.

The Class 390 trains currently used on the Liverpool route are too long for Liverpool South Parkway station.

But seven-car Class 807 trains would fit easily.

The shorter and lighter seven-car Class 807 trains may well have faster acceleration and deceleration than the nine- or eleven-car Class 390 trains with their heavy tilting mechanism.

Could this extra performance mean that the Class 807 trains could still meet the timetable with extra stops?

In Is Liverpool Going To Get High Speed One-Point-Five?, I discussed various options for the London and Liverpool service.

I believe that a practical timetable like this could work.

  • Eleven-car Class 390 train – one tph – Non-stop or perhaps a single stop in the Midlands – Under two hours
  • Seven-car Class 807 train – one tph – Stopping at Nuneaton, Stafford, Crewe, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway – Current time or better

Note.

  1. An hourly service between London and Liverpool in under two hours would surely be a passenger magnet.
  2. Two tph would be a 43 % hourly increase in the number of seats between London and Liverpool.
  3. There would be better connections between Liverpool Lime Street and the East Midlands.

The Railway Gazette article also says this.

From the December timetable change AWC will supplement the current hourly Liverpool – London service with an extra two trains each way every weekday and a third service on Saturdays.

In the short term, AWC will not be delivering the long-standing plan for a half-hourly service on the route, but further services are to be introduced over the next year.

One constraint relates to the power supply. Network Rail has identified two locations where additional electric services cannot currently be accommodated, and discussions over a resolution are ongoing.

A fast service could also be applied to one of the London and Manchester services.

It should be noted, that the two hours and eight minutes record between Manchester and London Euston was set by an InterCity 225 in 1992, so perhaps a seven-car Class 807 could do better than a Class 390 train.

Could A Pair Of Class 807 Trains Leave Euston For Liverpool And Manchester, And Split At Crewe?

Train lengths are as follows.

  • Seven-car Class 807 train – 182 metres.
  • Fourteen-car Class 807 train – 364 metres.
  • Nine-car Class 390 train – 217.5 metres.
  • Eleven-car Class 390 train – 365.3 metres.
  • Caledonian Sleeper – 374 metres.

I suspect with perhaps a small amount of platform lengthening, a pair of Class 807 could be fitted into all stations, where they would need to call.

This might be a way of adding extra capacity and faster services to Manchester, without needing an extra path on the West Coast Main Line.

Could A Single Class 807 Train Call At Manchester Airport Station?

The platforms at Manchester Airport station are 192 metres long, so a single Class 807 train should fit.

This would allow an hourly service from Manchester Airport to the South, without a change at Manchester Piccadilly or Crewe.

To save paths, it could split and join with the second Liverpool service at Crewe.

Conclusion

The new Class 807 trains could increase performance to between London Euston and both Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.

November 16, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plans For Powering Trains And Details Of Our Upcoming Consultation

The title of this post, is the same as that of a news item on the East West Rail web site.

This is the sub heading.

We’re pleased to share plans for how we’ll power trains on East West Rail, as well as information and dates of our public consultation on latest proposals for the project.

These are the first two paragraphs.

As part of our latest proposals, which we’ll be sharing for public consultation from 14 November, we’re providing information on our preference for green traction power in the form of discontinuous electrification with hybrid battery-electric trains, after the Chancellor confirmed government support for the project in yesterday’s budget.

As well as reducing carbon emissions, discontinuous electrification would mean overhead lines would only need to be installed along some sections of the route, which would reduce disruption to existing structures and potentially reduce visual impacts in more sensitive locations on the new railway between Bedford and Cambridge. This option would also cost less than full electrification and would need less land for things such as mast foundations.

There is also a short video, which explains discontinuous electrification.

I feel that to use discontinuous electrification and hybrid battery-electric trains is the way to go on this railway between Oxford and Cambridge.

  • It is a zero-carbon solution.
  • There is electrification at Reading. Didcot, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge along the route, so grid connections will be already available.
  • Sandy, where East West Rail crosses the East Coast Main Line, is fully electrified and must have a grid connection.
  • A small article in the November 2024 Edition of Modern Ralways, says that Hitachi are developing a smaller battery for commuter and suburban trains.
  • Didcot to Oxford could be electrified and there is already a grid connection at Didcot.

Discontinuous electrification could be used to extend East West Rail to Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester.

These are my detailed observations and thoughts.

Existing Electrification

This OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification between Oxford and Bedford.

Note.

  1. Bold red lines are tracks electrified at 25 KVAC.
  2. Bold black lines are tracks without electrification.
  3. Oxford is in the South-West corner of the map.
  4. Bedford is in the North-East corner of the map.
  5. The bold black line of the Western section of the East West Rail connects the two cities.
  6. The lines through Oxford are shown as being electrified. The black stub pointing East to the South of Oxford is the Cowley Branch.

The rail lines crossing East West Rail from West to East are as follows.

  • Chiltern Main Line – Not Electrified
  • High Speed Two – Will Be Electrified
  • West Coast Main Line – Electrified
  • Midland Main Line – Electrified

I suspect all lines, except for the Chiltern Main Line, will be able to provide a grid connection for East West Rail.

This second OpenRailwayMap shows the electrification between Bedford and Cambridge.

Note.

  1. Bold red lines are tracks electrified at 25 KVAC.
  2. Bold black lines are tracks without electrification.
  3. Bedford is in the South-West corner of the map.
  4. Cambridge is in the North-East corner of the map.
  5. The Eastern section of the East West Rail connects the two cities.
  6. Both maps are to the same scale

The rail lines crossing East West Rail from West to East are as follows.

  • Midland Main Line – Electrified
  • East Coast Main Line – Electrified
  • West Anglia Main Line – Electrified

I suspect all lines will be able to provide a grid connection for East West Rail.

Distances Without Electrification

These sections are not electrified.

  • Oxford and Bletchley – 47.2 miles
  • Bletchley and Bedford – 16.5 miles
  • Bedford and Cambridge – 29.2 miles
  • Ely and Norwich – 53.7 miles
  • Norwich and Great Yarmouth – 18.4 miles
  • Cambridge and Haughley Junction – 41.3 miles

I am assuming that the East West Rail could extend past Cambridge on these two routes.

  • Ely, Thetford, Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
  • Newmarket, Bury St. Edmunds, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree and Colchester.

All sections have electrification at both ends, if Didcot Junction and Oxford is electrified, as is expected to happen.

Train Battery Range Needed

The route layout, I have proposed means that if you go for the battery-electric train with the longest battery range you can afford and it can’t handle Ely and Norwich, the existing electrification can be extended to bridge the gap.

Application Of Discontinuous Electrification To Greater Anglia And Chiltern Railways

If discontinuous electrification can be applied to East West Rail, it can surely be applied to Greater Anglia and Chiltern Railways, given the fact that the route networks of all three companies overlap and share tracks.

Greater Anglia already have a fleet of Class 755 trains, which are designed to be converted to battery-electric operation.

With batteries fitted, I believe that these trains could handle most of the current routes they do now.

The other routes would be handled with selective lengths of overhead electrification in terminal stations to charge the trains before return.

Electrification Between Oxford And Bicester Village Stations

Oxford station has two North-facing bay platforms, that are used by Chiltern and other services terminating at the station from the North.

Note.

  1. Chiltern Railways already run two trains per hour (tph) between these platforms and Marylebone.
  2. I would assume the platforms will be used by East West Rail services, that terminate at Oxford station.
  3. If discontinuous electrification is to be used, then these two platforms could be electrified to charge trains before they return.
  4. East West Rail have not published their proposed services yet, but it could be one tph to both Milton Keynes Central and Bedford stations.

I can see Chiltern buying battery-electric trains to run services between Marylebone and Oxford, and some other routes.

Marylebone and Oxford is 66.7 miles, which is probably two far for even Stadler’s remarkable battery-electric trains, but if say between Oxford and Bicester Village station were to be electrified, would it make it possible to run battery-electric trains between Marylebone and Oxford with charging at both end of the route.

In Chiltern Sets Out New Fleet Ambitions, I talk about Chiltern’s possible new fleet, as proposed by their MD in September 2023.

October 31, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Observing Trains At Stafford Station

I’m fairly certain, that I’ve only been to Stafford once in my life, in the past. That would be in 1968, when I went to English Electric in the town, when I was looking for a job on leaving Liverpool University.

In the end, my first job on leaving was at ICI in Runcorn.

As Stafford station, is on the West Coast Main Line, I’ve been through the station many times, on my way to Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Scotland and other places in the North West of England.

I travelled North to Stafford in one of London Northwestern’s Class 350 trains, which definitely had ironing board seats. Some of these trains are being replaced with new Class 730 trains.

Stafford Station

This OpenRailwayMap shows the layout of platforms at the station.

Note.

  1. Platforms are numbered starting with Platform 1 in the East.
  2. There are five through tracks for passenger trains and a double-track goods loop.
  3. All tracks are electrified and bi-directional.
  4. The platforms are three hundred metres long, but I feel they could be lengthened to take the 400 metre long High Speed Two trains.
  5. The platforms are certainly long enough for pairs of 200 metre long High Speed Two trains, to split and join at the station.

These pictures show Stafford station.

Note.

  1. The station was built of concrete in the early 1960s.
  2. It has a unique feature, in that there is a waiting area above the tracks, so kids of all ages can watch the trains speed through.
  3. It has been improved several times in recent years.
  4. It is step-free with several lifts.

I feel, the station could be converted into a major High Speed Two hub station.

High Speed Two Services

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

Note.

  1. Everything to the right of the vertical black line has now been cancelled
  2. Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
  3. Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible  trains.
  4. Each of these trains will have a frequency of one train per hour (tph).

These High Speed Two trains pass through Stafford.

  1. London and Lancaster/Liverpool Lime Street – Split/Join at Crewe
  2. London and Crewe/Runcorn/Liverpool Lime Street
  3. London and Stafford/Stoke-on-Trent/Macclesfield
  4. London and Manchester Airport/Piccadilly
  5. London and Manchester Airport/Piccadilly
  6. London and Manchester Airport/Piccadilly
  7. London and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Split/Join at Carlisle
  8. London and Edinburgh/Glasgow – Split/Join at Carlisle
  9. Birmingham and Edinburgh/Glasgow
  10. Birmingham and Manchester Airport/Piccadilly
  11. Birmingham and Manchester Airport/Piccadilly

In addition space will need to be found for these other services.

  • Avanti – London and Chester/North Wales
  • Avanti – London and Blackpool
  • Freight – London and Liverpool/Manchester and Scotland

That gives a total of at least fourteen tph through Stafford station or one every 257 seconds.

Between Stafford and Crewe, with the completion of the flyover at Norton Bridge, there is effectively four tracks all the way, so this should give enough capacity to allow fourteen tph between Stafford and Crewe.

Between Stafford and Handsacre junction, where High Speed Two will join the Trent Valley Line about half the route is four-track with the rest being just two-track.

Will the two-track section be able to handle fourteen tph? I suspect it will, especially, as it is sandwiched between two four-track sections.

These are my thoughts about making the most of capacity through Stafford station.

Could Pairs Of High Speed Two Trains, Split And Join At Stafford?

Stafford station has 300 metre long platforms and pairs of High Speed Two Trains are 400 metres long.

Looking at maps and pictures of Stafford station, I suspect that lengthening the platforms at Stafford would be possible.

In the provisional High Speed Two service diagram, that I displayed earlier, these are two services.

  1. London and Crewe/Runcorn/Liverpool Lime Street
  2. London and Stafford/Stoke-on-Trent/Macclesfield

These could be run as a pair of trains between London and Stafford.

One advantage of running the two services as a pair, is that it would reduce the number of trains between Stafford and Handsacre junction by one, which might help the scheduling of trains through the double-track section, of the Trent Valley Line.

Fitting In The London and Chester/North Wales Services

Consider.

  • These important services will soon be run by five-car Class 805 trains.
  • The trains are diesel-electric.
  • A pair would be 260 m long.
  • There are ten trains per day (tpd) on the route.

The service has a few problems.

  • It takes up a path between Crewe and Handsacre junction via Stafford, where train paths are at a premium.
  • It is not zero-carbon.
  • If London and Holyhead times were reduced, it would probably attract more passengers to the route.

As there are plenty of spare paths on High Speed Two, due to the cancellation of the Eastern leg, the easiest way to speed up the service would be to use High Speed Two between Handsacre junction and London.

200 metre long High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains could be used, but this would need one of the following.

Electrification between Crewe and Holyhead. Although this was promised by the last government, I suspect the antis will stop it.

Partial electrification between Crewe and Holyhead. As Crewe and Holyhead is only 105.5 miles, I suspect a creditable scheme to use battery-electric trains could be developed. These trains could be useful in opening up High Speed Two to other destinations.

Could Other Services Piggy-Back On London and Chester/North Wales Services?

The London and Chester/North Wales services would all be run by 200 metre long High Speed Two trains.

There would be no reason, why on the London end of the journey, they could be paired with another High Speed Two train to and from another destination.

  • They could split and join with a Blackpool service at Crewe.
  • They could split and join with a Barrow service at Crewe.
  • They could split and join with a second Stoke-on-Trent/Macclesfield service at Stafford.

Services like these, would improve the coverage of High Speed Two.

As with the joining of the Liverpool Lime Street and Macclesfield services, the pairing of trains reduces the number of paths needed on the double-track section of the Trent Valley Line to the South of Stafford.

Other Splitting And Joining At Stafford

It may be possible to arrange other splitting and joining at Stafford.

By rearranging the Manchester and/or the Scottish services, it might be possible to reduce the number of trains, through the double-track section of the Trent Valley Line.

There are certainly several possibilities.

Conclusion

Stafford station could be crucial, in making High Speed Two Lite feasible.

August 28, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

250,000 Seats A Day On The WCML?

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

These are the first three paragraphs.

In the Parliamentary debate on the cancellation of HS2 phase 2, Transport Minister Mark Harper claimed that what remains of HS2 will deliver “a massive increase in capacity to the West Coast Main Line (WCML)” by providing 250,000 seats a day. This figure was subsequently repeated by the Prime Minister and Rail Minister who advised that it applies “across the primary long-distance operator on the West Coast.”

Yet without HS2 phase 2a, there is to be no WCML capacity increase north of Lichfield. Furthermore, with no HS2 station in Manchester it will not be possible to run the planned two-unit 400-metre HS2 trains to the city. Instead, there can only be single 200-metre unit HS2 trains which are shorter than the current 265-metre Pendolino trains.

Furthermore, 250,000 seats a day is equivalent to running 17 x 605-seat Pendolinos an hour, 24 hours a day. This is clearly not credible.

Note.

  1. The writer’s assumptions about Manchester are correct.
  2. Liverpool Lime Street is already is already HS2-ready for trains between Crewe and London, after the recent upgrade.
  3. Liverpool Lime Street will certainly be able to take two London trains per hour (tph), which can only be single 200-metre unit HS2 trains.
  4. Liverpool Lime Street may be able to take a third London train per hour.

These are my thoughts.

Current Services

Current services include.

  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Birmingham New Street – 2 trains per day (tpd)
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street – 5 tpd
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street – 7 tpd
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Birmingham New Street – 1 tph
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Holyhead – 10 tpd
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – 1 tph – Increasing to 2 tph.
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport – 1 tph
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke-on-Trent and Stockport – 1 tph
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe, Wilmslow and Stockport – 1 tph
  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central – 1 tph.
  • West Midlands Trains – London and Birmingham New Street – 2 tph
  • West Midlands Trains – London and Crewe – 1 tph
  • West Midlands Trains – Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street – 1 tph

It looks like there are eight Avanti West Coast tph and two West Midlands Trains tph between Stafford and Crewe.

High Speed Two Services

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. The dotted circles are where trains split and join.
  5. In the red boxes routes alternate every hour.
  6. Was Lancaster chosen as it’s close to the new Eden Project Morecambe?

Click on the diagram to enlarge it.

The Author’s Assumption

The author has made these assumptions.

  • Current West Coast Main Line capacity North of Lichfield; Avanti West Coast – 8 tph, West Midlands – 1 tph and freight trains – 4 tph
  • HS2 offers no extra capacity North of Lichfield.
  • Max capacity ; Old Oak Common – 8 tph and London Euston – 10 tph.
  • 400-metre long trains North of Birmingham ; Min – 1 tph to Edinburgh/Glasgow
  • 400-metre long trains North of Birmingham ; Max – plus 3 tph to Liverpool/Manchester
  • Trains operate a maximum of 14 hours per day.

I would add.

  • All pairs of 200-metre long trains split and join at Crewe.
  • Birmingham Curzon Street has seven platforms.
  • Lancaster and Macclesfield have long bay platforms, that can handle 200-metre trains
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly have two platforms, that can handle 200-metre trains.
  • I suspect 
  • Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly could both handle four 200-metre trains tph hour – Three for London and one for Birmingham.

There is a surprising amount of capacity in the North.

The Author’s Minimum Plan For HS1 – Phase 1

I think his minimum  plan is as follows.

  • Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
  • Old Oak Common and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • Old Oak Common and Liverpool Lime Street – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Old Oak Common and Macclesfield via  Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Old Oak Common and Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
  • Old Oak Common and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.

Note.

  1. 400-metre long trains are a pair of 200-metre long trains, that can split and join.
  2. This fulfils all the requirements of the original HS2 timetable for Phase 1.
  3. The total is nine tph and Old Oak Common can only handle 8 tph.
  4. Perhaps, the Liverpool Lime Street service could be a Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly service, that splits at Crewe?

I think it could work with London having the following services.

  • Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
  • Birmingham International – 400-metre long trains – 4 tph
  • Carlisle – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Crewe – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
  • Edinburgh Waverley – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Glasgow Central – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Lancaster – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Liverpool Lime Street – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
  • Macclesfield – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2/3 tph
  • Preston – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
  • Stafford – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Warrington Bank Quay – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • Wigan North Western – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph

Services care as good or better than the current services.

The Author’s Maximum Plan For HS1 – Phase 1

I think his maximum plan is as follows.

  • London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400-metre long trains – 3 tph
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Macclesfield via  Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200-metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly – 200-metre long trains – 2 tph
  • London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400-metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.

Note.

  1. 400-metre long trains are a pair of 200-metre long trains, that can split and join.
  2. This fulfils all the requirements of the original HS2 timetable for Phase 1.
  3. That is nine tph and London Euston can handle 10 tph.
  4. Perhaps, a tenth train could serve Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central with a split at Crewe.

It should work.

Could High Speed Birmingham Curzon Street and Liverpool Lime Street And Manchester Piccadilly Services Be Provided With A Reverse At Birmingham Curzon Street?

A train would take this route.

  • A 400 metre long train would leave London and go to Birmingham Curzon Street.
  • At Birmingham Curzon Street the train would reverse and travel to Crewe.
  • At Crewe the train would split with separate trains going to Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly.

Note.

  1. Automation could be used extensively to do the joining and splitting.
  2. The train would have an onboard team of drivers, so all joins, reverses and splits are performed as fast as possible.
  3. A local service could be paired with each train, so that intermediate stations on the Liverpool and Manchester branches had excellent connections to Birmingham and the South.

Suppose the maximum plan is now as follows.

  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 3 tph – Reverses at Birmingham Curzon Street – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Lancaster – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Macclesfield via  Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400 metre long trains – 2 tph – Splits at Crewe.

Note.

  1. Birmingham Curzon Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly would all get four tph to and from London.
  2. Birmingham Curzon Street, Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Piccadilly would all get one tph to and from London, that could be non-stop and didn’t join, reverse or split.
  3. Birmingham Curzon Street and Liverpool Lime Street would have a three tph service.
  4. Birmingham Curzon Street and Manchester Piccadilly would have a three tph service.
  5. Lancaster, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central and other stations would get the originally-promised service to and from London. 
  6. That is ten tph to and from London Euston and the station can handle that number of trains.

It should work.

Could High Speed Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central Services Be Provided With A Reverse At Birmingham Curzon Street?

In the previous section, I showed how, three tph between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly could be provided with a reverse at Birmingham Curzon Street.

So could the fourth train between London and Birmingham Curzon Street take this route?

  • A 400 metre long train would leave London and go to Birmingham Curzon Street.
  • At Birmingham Curzon Street the train would reverse and travel to Crewe, or another station, where the split can be performed.
  • The train would split with separate trains going to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.

Note.

  1. They would use the current paths used by Avanti West Coast Birmingham and Scotland services along the West Coast Main Line.
  2. This would give a third train to both Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.

It certainly appears that by using a reverse at Birmingham Curzon Street, more capacity can be created on the West Coast Main Line/HS2 route.

Could High Speed Two Serve North Wales?

It finally looks like the North Wales Coast Lines will finally be electrified.

  • Would this allow a 200 metre long train to run all the way to Holyhead for the boats to Ireland?
  • There could be a join and split at Crewe with another train.
  • Chester would also be served by HS2.

It would create a zero-carbon route to Ireland.

What Would Be The Daily Number Of Passengers Carried?

The maximum plan could now be as follows.

  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Manchester Piccadilly via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 3 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central via Birmingham Curzon Street – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Macclesfield via  Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent – 200 metre long trains – 1 tph
  • London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly/Holyhead – 400 metre long trains – 1 tph – Splits at Crewe.
  • London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley/Glasgow Central – 400 metre long trains – 2 tph – Splits at Crewe.

Note.

  1. There are eight 400 metre long trains and one 200 metre long trains in both directions.
  2. A 200 metre long train hold 550 passengers.
  3. There are seventeen 200 metre long tph in both directions.
  4. Trains operate a maximum of 14 hours per day.

The number of passengers per day is 261,800.

 

 

 

May 7, 2024 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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