West Coast Main Line « The Anonymous Widower

Mayors Propose New Staffordshire To Manchester Rail Line

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce.

These five paragraphs introduce the article.

The mayors of the West Midlands and Greater Manchester have set out proposals for a new railway line between Staffordshire and Manchester Airport in a bid to improve connections to the north.

Work commission by West Midlands mayor Andy Street and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has concluded the new line is the preferred option to tackle congestion on the West Coast Mainline, following the government’s decision to curtail HS2 beyond Birmingham.

A private sector group – chaired by infrastructure expert Sir David Higgins – had been looking at three potential options to improve connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester.

The options included undertaking significant engineering upgrades to the West Coast Main Line, building bypasses at the pinch points on the line and building a new railway between Handsacre and Manchester Airport.

The group, convened by the mayors, is led by global engineering firm Arup with input from over 60 partners from six other firms – Arcadis, Addleshaw Goddard, EY, Dragados, Mace and Skanska.

This paragraph gives the conclusion.

The group has provisionally concluded that a new line – running approximately 70 miles between HS2 at Handsacre and Northern Powerhouse Rail at High Legh – is likely to offer the best combination of costs and benefits.

It looks to me, that this professional approach has led to a sensible answer.

I will now look at the route.

This Open Railway Map shows the tracks to the South of Handsacre.

Note.

The blue arrow in the North-West corner of the map, indicates the location of the former Armitage station, which had the village of Handsacre to its North-East.
The red line through Armitage station is the Trent Valley Line.
Lichfield Trent Valley station is at the bottom of the map.
The line drawn with large dashes from the South-East corner of the map is the proposed line of High Speed Two. Red indicates under construction and black indicates proposed.

High Speed Two splits into two.

One branch goes North-West to join the Trent Valley Line, whilst the other just stops after about a kilometre.

All trains for Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales, The North and Scotland will take the Trent Valley Line, when High Speed Two opens.
Trains for Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and some to Manchester will leave the Trent Valley Line at Colwich Junction.
All other trains, will take the same route as now and proceed to Crewe via Stafford.

The red dotted line leading from the cancelled branch of High Speed Two shows where the original fast line to Crewe was planned to go.

This Open Railway Map shows the tracks around Crewe.

Note.

Crewe is the important junction station towards the North-West corner of the map.
The orange line going South is the West Coast Main Line to The South and London.
The red dotted line running along the West side of the West Coast Main Line was the proposed route of High Speed Two from Birmingham, London and the South.

This Open Railway Map shows the originally proposed direct route of High Speed Two between Crewe and Handsacre.

Note.

Crewe is in the North-West corner of the map.
The blue arrow in the South-East corner of the map, indicates the location of the former Armitage station, which had the village of Handsacre to its North-East.
The dotted red line was the originally proposed route of High Speed Two.

I feel that this route between Handsacre and Crewe has advantages if it were to be chosen as part of a route between Handsacre and Northern Powerhouse Rail, as recommended by the Mayors and their consultants.

The route seems to stay well clear of large conurbations.
A lot of the design work has been at least started and major problems will be known.
Crewe is the only station on the route, which will need to be upgraded.
Services to Liverpool, Manchester, North Wales, The North and Scotland will be speeded up.
With Crewe, Liverpool and North Wales, times could be as High Speed Two promised in the first place.

I feel that building the Handsacre and Crewe section, as originally envisaged, will score high in a benefit/cost analysis

This OpenRailwayMap shows the originally proposed route of High Speed Two between Crewe and Manchester Airport.

Note.

Crewe is towards the South-West corner of the map.
Manchester Airport is in the North-East corner of the map.
The red line going North from Crewe is the West Coast Main Line.
The dotted red line was the originally proposed route of High Speed Two, between the West Coast Main Line and Manchester Airport.

Northern Powerhouse Rail will go West from Manchester Airport towards Warrington and Liverpool and will join with High Speed Two at a junction at High Legh.

Northern Powerhouse Rail is currently being planned, but surely, if High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail share a line from High Legh to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly, this will be a more affordable project.

Services To Crewe

In Could The High Speed Two Link Between Lichfield And Crewe Still Be Built?, which I wrote after much of High Speed Two was chopped in 2023, I said this.

Currently, Avanti West Coast trains take around one hour and thirty minutes between London and Crewe.

The Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two gives these times between London and Crewe.

Fastest time before High Speed Two – one hour and thirty minutes.
Time after Phase 2a of High Speed Two opens – fifty-six minutes.

Note.

That is a time saving of thirty-four minutes.
High Speed Two Trains will use the direct line between Lichfield and Crewe.
High Speed Two will also add eighteen tph to the capacity between London and Crewe.

This would seem to mean that any trains going to or through Crewe will be thirty-four minutes faster, if they use High Speed Two between London and Crewe.

If the Handsacre and Crewe direct line is built, it looks like London and Crewe will be the full High Speed Two time of 56 minutes.

Services To Liverpool

Consider.

Liverpool Lime Street was originally planned to get two trains per hour (tph) to and from London using High Speed Two.
The approaches into Liverpool were improved a few years ago.
No more improvements are planned between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street stations.
Between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street stations currently takes 38 minutes.
There could be time savings on the 16.3 miles between Crewe and Weaver Junction, which currently takes 21 minutes.

It looks like a time of one hour and 34 minutes could be possible, with under one hour and 30 minutes not being impossible.

Services To Manchester

Consider.

Manchester was originally planned to get three tph to and from London using High Speed Two.
No improvements are planned between Crewe and the Manchester stations.
Between Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly stations currently takes 34 minutes.

It looks like a time of one hour and 30 minutes could be possible.

But there is still the option of building a new line between Crewe and Northern Powerhouse Rail at High Legh.

I showed this OpenRailwayMap earlier and it shows the originally proposed route of High Speed Two between Crewe and Manchester Airport.

Note.

Crewe is towards the South-West corner of the map.
Manchester Airport is in the North-East corner of the map.
The red line going North from Crewe is the West Coast Main Line.
The dotted red line was the originally proposed route of High Speed Two, between the West Coast Main Line and Manchester Airport.

Northern Powerhouse Rail is currently being planned. and will go West from Manchester Airport towards Warrington and Liverpool and will be built first.

A junction at High Legh will be built to link the West Coast Main Line to Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Services To North Wales

Why Not? With the cancellation of the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two, there must be a path available for North Wales.

Consider.

The North Wales Main Line has been promised electrification.
As Holyhead and Crewe is only 105.5 miles, it could even be in battery high speed train range in a few years.
All times to and from Crewe are assumed to be as Avanti West Coast achieve now.
As Crewe and Chester currently takes 23 minutes, London and Chester would take 1 hour and 19 minutes.
As Crewe and Llandudno Junction currently takes 1 hour and 22 minutes, London and Llandudno Junction would take 2 hours and 18 minutes.
As Crewe and Holyhead currently takes 2 hours and 7 minutes, London and Holyhead would take 3 hours and 3 minutes.

Could this open up a fast zero-carbon route between London and Dublin?

Services To Blackpool, Lancaster, Preston, Warrington And Wigan

Why Not, Blackpool? With the cancellation of the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two, there must be an extra path available, if it is needed.

Cpnsider.

All routes are electrified.
All times to and from Crewe are assumed to be as Avanti West Coast achieve now.
As Crewe and Blackpool currently takes 1 hour and 20 minutes, London and Blackpool would take 2 hour and 16 minutes.
As Crewe and Lancaster currently takes 60 minutes, London and Lancaster would take 1 hour and 56 minutes.
As Crewe and Preston currently takes 40 minutes, London and Preston would take 1 hour and 36 minutes.
As Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay currently takes 22 minutes, London and Warrington Bank Quay would take 1 hour and 18 minutes.
As Crewe and Wigan North Western currently takes 33 minutes, London and Wigan North Western would take 1 hour and 29 minutes.

Note.

Lancaster in under two hours will help the Eden Project Morecambe.
For some areas of the North West, it might be more convenient to change at Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western or Preston.

Improvements to track and signalling could probably bring benefits.

Services To Carlisle And Central Scotland

Cpnsider.

All routes are electrified.
All times to and from Crewe are assumed to be as Avanti West Coast achieve now.
As Crewe and Carlisle currently takes 1 hour and 55 minutes, London and Carlisle would take 2 hours and 51 minutes.
As Crewe and Lockerbie currently takes 2 hours and 6 minutes, London and Lockerbie would take 3 hours and 1 minute.
As Crewe and Motherwell currently takes 2 hours and 45 minutes, London and Motherwell would take 3 hours and 41 minutes.
As Crewe and Edinburgh currently takes 3 hours and 9 minutes, London and Edinburgh would take 4 hours and 5 minutes.
As Crewe and Glasgow Central currently takes 3 hours and 3 minutes, London and Glasgow Central would take 3 hours and 59 minutes.

Note.

Just under four hours to Glasgow Central would please the Marketing Department.
Selective splitting and joining could increase the number of destinations.

Improvements to track and signalling could probably bring benefits.

Services To Stirling

In ORR: Open Access Services Given Green Light Between London And Stirling, I wrote about Grand Union Trains’s new open access service to Stirling.

There has been good feedback on this service, so perhaps one of the spare paths on High Speed Two could be allocated to Open Access Operators, so that more of the country could have a high speed service to London Euston and Birmingham Curzon Street stations.

In the related post, I showed that London Euston and Stirling takes forty five minutes longer than a London Euston and Motherwell service.

This would mean that a London Euston and Stirling service via High Speed Two would take four hours and 26 minutes.

Services Between Birmingham Curzon Street and the North West

Under the plans for High Speed Two, the following services would have run North from Birmingham Curzon Street.

One tph to Edinburgh or Motherwell and Glasgow via Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Carstairs.
Two tph to Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly.

But there are now spare paths South of Crewe, so Could a one tph Birmingham Curzon Street and Liverpool Lime Street service be squeezed in?

Could The Line Be Privately Financed?

I suspect that building the section between Handsacre and Crewe could be financed in perhaps a similar way, to the Chiltern improvements or the M6 Toll Road were financed.

The Handsacre and Crewe section is just a simple stretch of rail, with a number of trains passing along it.
The number of trains passing through, is likely to increase.
Every train passing through would pay a track charge, just as they do to Network Rail.
Those with lots of money to lend, like simple projects like wind farms or road tunnels, but think very hard about anything complicated like nuclear power stations or High Speed Two’s station at Euston.

Certainly, my late and very good friend, David, who dealt with the finance of some of London’s largest projects and was on the top table of London’s bankers, would have found a way. It might though have been unorthodox.

But then David was a rogue. But a rogue on the side of the angels.

Conclusion

I have come to these conclusions.

Building the direct route between Handsacre and Crewe could be good value as it improves all routes that will pass through Crewe.
Combining High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail could substantially cut the costs of both routes to the centre of Manchester.
London and Crewe times should be 56 minutes.
London and Liverpool Lime Street times could be under one hour and thirty minutes.
London and Manchester Piccadilly times could start at one hour and thirty minutes and reduce when Northern Powerhouse Rail is built and linked to the West Coast Main Line.
London and Holyhead could be just over three hours and could open up a fast zero-carbon route between London and Dublin.
London and Lancaster in under two hours could help the Eden Project Morecambe.

It’s certainly not a bad plan and it should be looked at in more detail.

March 22, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Andy Burnham, Andy Street, Automatic Splitting And Joining Of Trains, Birmingham Curzon Street Station, Crewe Station, Eden Project Morecambe, Edinburgh Station, Euston Station, Glasgow Central Station, Grand Union Trains, Handsacre Junction, High Speed Two, Liverpool Lime Street Station, Manchester Airport, Manchester Mayor, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Open Access Operators, Stirling Station, West Coast Main Line, West Midlands Mayor | 5 Comments

Bidders Circle ‘Elvis Airport’ A Decade After The SNP Bought It For £1

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Times.

This is the sub-heading.

Prestwick has cost taxpayers millions since it was nationalised by the SNP in 2013. A consortium plans a bid, but can the Nats let go of Sturgeon-era stateism?

These are the first two paragraphs.

It was always going to be difficult keeping a lid on the arrival of Elvis Presley at a US military base in Prestwick, Ayrshire. “Where am I?” he asked as he stepped off the plane and into the biting wind that whipped off the Firth of Clyde.

March 3, 1960 was a momentous day for the screaming youngsters who engulfed the American singer as he set foot on British soil for the first and only time. For Presley, it was his last stop on his return from Germany after two years of military service. For Prestwick, it meant being immortalised in British trivia for its brief flirtation with The King.

But now it appears that a consortium has a plan for the airport and has made a bid.

These are my thoughts.

Prestwick Airport

Prestwick Airport, which is 32 miles SouthWest of Glasgow, is an airport that has seen busier times.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the Airport.

Note.

The airport has two runways at right angles.
The longer runway is 3,000 metres long.
The red line is the electrified Ayrshire Coast Line, which runs between Glasgow Central and Ayr.
There is a station at the airport.
The black line going across the map is an unelectrified railway line, which eventually leads to the West Coast Main Line.

The airport does have four very useful assets.

A very long runway capable of handling the largest and heaviest aircraft.
A railway station.
Plenty of space.
The airport has plenty of available landing and take-off slots.

I also suspect that a rail connection could be developed to the West Coast Main Line.

Prestwick As A Cargo Airport

Someone commenting in The Times, suggested that Prestwick could become a cargo airport.

The main runway could accommodate the largest and heaviest cargo aircraft.
There is space for stands for large aircraft and warehouses.
A rail link to the electrified West Coast Main Line could be built.

The airport could have a very high capacity.

A Rail Connection To The West Coast Main Line

This could be very beneficial for air-cargo at Prestwick.

It would be less than ninety miles to the West Coast Main Line.
It is only single-track as British Rail removed the second track.
Cargo Services could be run all over the UK mainland.
There could even be an airport service from Carlisle.

A zero-carbon rail service for freight, passengers and staff from both Glasgow and Carlisle would enhance the green credentials of the airport.

Where Would Planes Fly?

It looks like a modern freighter aircraft like a Boeing 747-8F could fly at maximum weight to nearly all the USA.

But because Prestwick Airport is further North, It does possibly have a wider range of airports, it can reach.

What Is The Closest Airport In North America?

The two airports on Newfoundland; Gander and St. John’s are probably the two closest being about 2,000 miles from Prestwick.

Both airports have long runways.
I suspect a rail terminal could be arranged at the airport to take cargo through the Chunnel to Europe.
Could USAF Galaxies even be used to bring over American tanks and guns for Ukraine? The range of a Galaxy at maximum weight is 2,600 miles.
They could be delivered by rail to Ukraine.

I suspect there will be times, where the shorter routes could be useful.

Could Cargo Change Planes At Prestwick?

On some routes like perhaps New York and India, might it be more efficient to change planes at Prestwick.

Could Cargo Planes Refuel At Prestwick?

Planes can only fly so far and is Prestwick in the right place to refuel a long flight?

Prestwick Could Be A Viable Cargo Airport For North America?

I am convinced that Prestwick and North American could be a viable air cargo route.

Zero-Carbon Air Cargo

In the next few years, Scotland will have much more electricity, than it needs, due to all the wind farms in the seas around the country and much of the spare electricity could be converted into hydrogen.

So does a cargo operator plan to run zero-carbon aircraft powered by hydrogen between North America and Prestwick?

Remember it’s only 2,000 miles between St. John’s or Gander and Prestwick.
The ideal aircraft to convert to hydrogen, must surely be an Airbus A 380, as there’s a lot of space in the fuselage for a hydrogen tank.
Cargo could be brought to Prestwick in zero-carbon trains from all over the UK.

Amazon might like the idea of zero-carbon parcels across the pond!

Could An Airbus A380 Be Converted To Hydrogen?

This article on Simple Flying is entitled Airbus Plans A380 Hydrogen Flights In 2026 After Successful Power On Of ZEROe Engine.

The header picture shows a visualisation of an Airbus A 380, with a fifth engine with a propeller mounted on the top of the fuselage. The A 380 will be testing this electric engine, so that it can be fitted in the ZEROe Turboprop sometime around 2030.

This is a visualisation of the ZEROe Turboprop.

Note,

The hydrogen tank will probably be behind the passenger compartment.
The A 380, that will be testing the engine is no ordinary A 380. It is the very first and Airbus use it as a flying laboratory for new technology.
I wouldn’t bet against one of its next jobs, is to test turbofan engines running on hydrogen.

I wouldn’t be surprised that in a few years, Airbus demonstrate an A 380 flying between Europe and North America on hydrogen.

A Zero-Carbon Air Bridge Between Europe And North America

Or does Westjet fancy a zero-carbon shuttle service, which would appeal to the Gretas of this world?

It has been rumoured, that the possible buyers of Prestwick are linked to Westjet.

As soon, as someone announces, a flight like this across the Atlantic, I’ll be signing up!

If the worse should happen, which I think would be unlikely, it would surely be a less painful death, than that of my wife’s from a rare cancer.

Conclusion

There are certainly, possibilities at Prestwick.

March 18, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | Airbus A380, Amazon, Aviation, Canada, Decarbonisation, Elvis Presley, Freight, Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft, Nicola Sturgeon, Offshore Wind Power, Prestwick Airport, Scotland, SNP, St. John's Airport Newfoundland, West Coast Main Line, Westjet, Wind Power, ZEROe Turboprop | Leave a comment

Alstom Plans To Operate Its Own Passenger Train Service In The UK For The First Time

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

These two bullet points, act as sub-headings.

Alstom is partnering with SLC Rail to form a new open access rail operation between North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and London
Formal application now being submitted to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) with passenger service sought from 2025

These are the first three paragraphs.

Alstom, global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, plans to operate a new passenger rail service across England and Wales. Working in partnership with consultancy SLC Rail, the open access operation will be known as Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR).

As the country’s foremost supplier of new trains and train services, and a leading signalling and infrastructure provider, Alstom will operate its own rail service in the UK for the first time.

WSMR is seeking to introduce direct connectivity to and from North Wales, Shropshire, the Midlands and London that doesn’t exist today, linking growing communities and businesses, and making rail travel more convenient, enjoyable and affordable.

I can’t remember a service proposal being put forward by a train manufacturer since the privatisation of UK’s railways in the 1990s.

This is some more information and my thoughts.

The Route

This paragraph from the press release, describes the route.

The proposal envisages a service of five trains per day in each direction Monday to Saturday, with four travelling both ways on Sundays. Trains will stop at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford Central, Wolverhampton, Darlaston, Walsall, Coleshill Parkway, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes on their journey between Wrexham General and London Euston.

Note.

The proposed call at the new Darlaston station.
The route is electrified between Euston and Nuneaton and Walsall and Wolverhampton.
Much of the route North of Nuneaton is on tracks with a maximum speed of 70-80 mph.

The route is in these sections.

Euston and Nuneaton – 96.7 miles – electrified
Nuneaton and Walsall – 26.7 miles
Walsall and Wolverhampton – 6.7 miles – electrified
Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury – 29.7 miles
Shrewsbury and Wrexham General – 30.3 miles

That is a total of 190.1 miles or 380.2 miles round trip.

I suspect that the service will need bi-mode trains.

Should The Service Call At Wellington?

This article on the BBC is entitled Rail Company Urged Not To Forget Wellington.

This is the sub-heading.

A rail company which is bidding to bring back a direct service between Shropshire and London has been urged not to forget a town.

These are the first three paragraphs.

Wrexham, Shropshire and Midlands Railway said it was preparing to apply to the government to run the service.

Trains would stop at Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Coleshill and Nuneaton.

But Telford and Wrekin Council said the omission of Wellington as a stop was “short-sighted”.

Although Wellington is smaller than than Shrewsbury and Telford, it looks like a bit of analysis would provide a solution, that would be acceptable for all parties.

The Trains

In the press release, this phrase is used.

positive impact to both communities and the environment.

I can’t see any more electrification being erected on the route, so the trains will need to be bi-mode.

Bi-mode diesel trains won’t have a positive impact on the environment.
As the route between Wolverhampton and Wrexham General is not electrified, a battery-electric train would need a range of at least 60 miles or 120 miles for the round trip, if there were no charging at Wrexham General.
But Alston are developing a Hydrogen Aventra, which I wrote about in Alstom And Eversholt Rail Sign An Agreement For The UK’s First Ever Brand-New Hydrogen Train Fleet.

So could Alstom be using this route to trial and showcase their new Hydrogen Aventra?

I believe that the route will be very suitable for a hydrogen train.

Changeover between electric and hydrogen power can always take place in a station.
All hydrogen refuelling could be performed at one end of the route.
A large proportion of the UK’s green hydrogen is produced by INEOS at Runcorn, which is less than fifty miles from Wrexham. A refuelling tanker could supply the train, as they do on some hydrogen routes in Germany.
London has only small amounts of hydrogen infrastructure.

I suspect that refuelling will be done at the Wrexham end of the route.

This Alstom visualisation shows the train.

But it is only a three-car train.

That is not a problem, as Aventras can be lengthened as required to the length required for the number of passengers.
Some Aventras, like the Class 701 trains for South Western Railway, have even been ordered as ten-car trains.
Two three-car trains may also be the ideal capacity, running as a six-car train.

So capacity will not be a problem.

If it is assumed that Alstom’s trains for the WSMR route, can use the overhead wires, where they exist, each trip between Wrexham General and London will require a total of 86.7 miles or 140 kilometres of running on hydrogen.

A round trip will therefor require 280 kilometres of running on hydrogen.
But between London Euston and Nuneaton, it will just be another electric train.
I suspect that like the similar Class 730 train, it will be capable of 110 mph on the West Coast Main Line.
Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen train has a range of around a 500-800 kilometres on hydrogen.
The WSMR trains will probably be 100 mph trains using hydrogen on a route, where that speed is possible.

So if a Hydrogen Aventra has a similar range to the Coradia iLint, it will be able to do two round trips before refuelling.

How Long Will The Service Take?

West Midlands Trains, who use the similar Class 730 trains take one hour and eleven minutes between London Euston and Nuneaton with a single stop at Milton Keynes Central.

As the WSMR trains will use the same route, I suspect the same time can be used.

As Nuneaton and Wrexham General are 93.4 miles apart a table can be created showing the time for the rest of the journey for different average speeds

50 mph – 1 hour 52 minutes – 3 hours 3 minutes.
60 mph – 1 hour 33 minutes – 2 hours 44 minutes.
70 mph – 1 hour 20 minutes – 2 hours 31 minutes.
80 mph – 1 hour 10 minutes – 2 hours 21 minutes.

Note.

The first time is the Nuneaton and Wrexham General time and the second time is the overall journey time.
Typical Avanti West Coast services via Crewe and a change at Chester, take between two-and-a-half and three hours.

I suspect, if the WSMR trains can keep the speed up through the Midlands, that two hours and 30 minutes could be possible.

Could The Hydrogen Aventra Run At 125 mph Under The Wires?

In March 2018, I wrote Bombardier Bi-Mode Aventra To Feature Battery Power, which was based on this article in Rail Magazine.

These are a few points from the article.

Development has already started.

Battery power could be used for Last-Mile applications.

The bi-mode would have a maximum speed of 125 mph under both electric and diesel power.

The trains will be built at Derby.

Bombardier’s spokesman said that the ambience will be better, than other bi-modes.

Export of trains is a possibility.

Bombardier’s spokesman also said, that they have offered the train to three new franchises. East Midlands, West Coast Partnership and CrossCountry.

Have Alstom looked at what they bought from Bombardier and decided the following train is possible?

Five-cars or what the customer needs.
125 mph under the wires.
Running on hydrogen away from the wires.
100 mph on tracks without electrification.

Obviously, maximum speeds would depend on track limits.

Looking at 125 mph Avanti West Coast trains that have a Milton Keynes stop between London Euston and Nuneaton, they can reach Nuneaton ten minutes quicker than West Midlands Trains 110 mph Class 730 trains.

Two hours and 30 minutes between London Euston and Wrexham is looking increasingly possible.

Are we seeing an audacious proposal from Alston to sell new trains to CrossCountry and a host of other franchises?

Conclusion

London Euston and Wrexham would appear to be an excellent route for an Aventra-based hydrogen train.

It can probably cruise at 110 mph on the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Nuneaton.
All switchovers between electrification and hydrogen can be performed in electrified stations.
Hydrogen would only be used North of Nuneaton.
The train can be refuelled at Wrexham General, with fuel supplied from INEOS at Runcorn.
Given the typical 1000 km. range of hydrogen trains, a train can probably do three round trips without refuelling.

I can see this being a service with an excellent operational record.

March 15, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | Alstom Hydrogen Aventra, Avanti West Coast, Aventra, Class 730 Train, Coradia iLint, Darlaston Station, Euston Station, Gobowen Station, Green Hydrogen, Hydrogen-Powered Trains, INEOS, Milton Keynes Central Station, Open Access Operators, Shrewsbury Station, SLC Rail, Walsall Station, West Coast Main Line, Wolverhampton Station, Wrexham General Station, Wrexham Shropshire and Midlands Railway (WSMR) | 3 Comments

ORR: Open Access Services Given Green Light Between London And Stirling

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Office of Rail and Road.

This is the sub-heading.

The latest access decision by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) provides more services for rail passengers travelling between London and central Scotland.

These five paragraphs detail the ORR’s decision.

ORR has today (7 March) given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains, an open access operator, to start a new train service between London and the city of Stirling, from June 2025. ORR’s decision will offer more choice to passengers, bring private sector investment to the railway and increase competition.

Grand Union Trains will introduce four new return services per day between London Euston and Stirling stations. These services will also call at Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton, Crewe (subject to agreement between Grand Union Trains and Network Rail), Preston, Carlisle, Lockerbie, Motherwell, Whifflet, Greenfaulds and Larbert. Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.

ORR found that the proposed services would increase choice for passengers, significantly increasing direct journey opportunities to and from London and central and southern Scotland, while making use of existing capacity on the network.

The new services will be the first run by an open access operator on the West Coast Mainline. Open access operators run services independently of government funding as they do not have a franchise agreement with government.

Following ORR’s decision to approve new Grand Union Trains services between Carmarthen in south Wales and London Paddington in 2022, ORR has now approved open access services on three of Britain’s major routes.

Note.

The Grand Union service appears to be running into London Euston. Earlier plans had it terminating at Queen’s Park station.
Larbert, Greenfaulds and Whifflet will receive their first direct services to London.
London Euston and Stirling is electrified all the way.
The third open access service, that the ORR has approved is the Lumo service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh via the East Coast Main Line.

I have a few thoughts.

Stirling Is An Ideal Place To Explore Central Scotland By Train

In Stirling, I give the reasons, why I spent a couple of days in Stirling, when I wanted to visit several places in Central Scotland.

Note.

Stirling has direct services to Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Perth.
Aberdeen is one hour and 15 minutes away.
Dundee is just 63 minutes away.
Edinburgh is just 48 minutes away.
Glasgow is just 39 minutes away.
Inverness is two hours and 46 minutes away.

Stirling has about a dozen affordable hotels and guest houses within walking distance of the station, as this map shows.

Stirling would appear to have got Central Scotland covered.

Could The Train Serve Gleneagles?

Gleneagles is about twenty minutes North of Stirling and is served by the Caledonian Sleeper from London.

This Google Map shows the area around Gleneagles station.

Note.

Gleneagles station is at the bottom of the map.
The red arrow indicates the famous Gleneagles hotel.
The pink dots are other hotels.
Airbnb lists several very splendid properties in the varea.

Not everybody, who goes to the Gleneagles area will be exceedingly rich and I could see the Gleneagles area generating substantial business for Grand Union Trains. I suspect the best way to serve Gleneagles would be a zero-emission coach from Stirling.

Along The Motherwell And Cumbernauld Line

Between Motherwell and Stirling, a lot of the route used is on the Motherwell and Cumbernauld Line.

The line is fully-electrified.
It is only 28.9 miles between Motherwell and Stirling.
\cumbernaukd and Motherwell takes 20 minutes.

I do wonder, if extra stops might be worthwhile.

Motherwell Has Good Connections To Edinburgh And Glasgow

As well as Stirling, Motherwell has good connections to both Edinburgh and Glasgow, so some passengers might find their most convenient route involves a change at Motherwell.

Nuneaton And Scotland Would Get A New Service

Nuneaton has been named by Avanti West Coast, as a place that needs more trains, as it connects with the service between Birmingham and Stansted Airport, via Coleshill Parkway, Leicester, Peterborough, March, Ely and Cambridge.

I suspect that, Nuneaton will become an interchange, between East Anglia and, the North West and West Scotland.

Milton Keynes And Scotland Should Get An Improved Service

Consider.

It appears that all Avanti West Coast services between Milton Keynes and Scotland, go via Birmingham.
I suspect that Grand Union’s route using the Trent Valley Line could be faster with similar trains.
Creating a new route between Milton Keynes and Stirling could be a good move, as it gives one-change access to much of Central Scotland.
Milton Keynes has good local connections to places like Northampton, Rugby, Tring and Watford Junction.
Milton Keynes will be a stop on the new East-West Railway.
From many stations, it will be quicker to go via Milton Keynes rather than Euston.

I suspect Milton Keynes could be a nice little earner.

Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Fitted With Digital Signalling?

Consider.

At some point in the next ten years the West Coast Main Line will be fitted with digital signalling, to enable trains to run at 140 mph on selected parts of the route.
Digital signalling will allow extra services between London Euston and Motherwell.
Motherwell and London Euston is 388 miles.

I suspect, that Grand Union’s Trains will need to be fitted with digital signalling, so they can save time on services and possibly add in a few more.

It will add costs, although the faster speed will surely attract passengers.

Will Grand Union’s Trains Be Electric?

There are these train services going between England and Scotland.

Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Edinburgh Waverley via Birmingham New Street – 7 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Birmingham New Street – 5 tpd – Class 390 – Electric
Avanti West Coast – London Euston to Glasgow Central via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Class 390 – Electric
CrossCountry – Plymouth to Edinburgh Waverley – 1 tph – Class 220/221 – Diesel – Uses diesel all the time
LNER – London King’s Cross/Leeds to Aberdeen – 4 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Edinburgh
LNER – London King’s Cross to Inverness – 1 tpd – Class 800 – Bi-mode – Uses diesel North of Stirling
LNER – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley – 3p2h – Class 800 – Bi-mode or Class 801 – Electric
LNER – London King’s Cross to Glasgow Central – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
LNER – London King’s Cross to Stirling – 1 tpd – Class 801 – Electric
Lumo – London King’s Cross to Edinburgh – 5 tpd – Class 803 – Electric
TransPennine Express – Newcastle to Edinburgh Waverley – 7 tpd – Class 802 – Bi-mode
TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street to Glasgow Central – 2 tpd – Class 397 – Electric
TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Edinburgh Waverly – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric
TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport to Glasgow Central – 1 tp2h – Class 397 – Electric

Note.

tpd is trains per day.
tph is trains per hour.
tp2h is trains per two hours.
LNER services to Glasgow and Stirling are likely to be dropped.
Some Lumo services are likely to be extended from Edinburgh to Glasgow.
Many services South from Stirling to Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street are electric.

The current two tpd direct trains to Stirling are electric and if you change at Edinburgh Waverley or Glasgow, it is likely to be an all-electric service.

For marketing reasons, I would recommend, that Grand Union Trains ran electric trains between London Euston and Stirling, as they are competing against an all-electric service.

Although to meet service dates it might be necessary to run something like a diesel Class 222 train to get the service started.

What Trains Will Grand Union Use?

The Wikipedia entry for Grand Union Trains, says this for their London Euston and Stirling service.

In 2023 Grand Union revised its proposal changing its planned rolling stock to Class 22x units, at the same time the start date for this service was changed to June 2025.

I would suspect they will put in the order for new electric trains fairly sharpish.

The new trains could be.

A variant of Hitachi’s Class 800 trains.
A variant of CAF’s Class 397 trains.

Would they have an emergency battery un case of overhead line failure?

How Long Will A Service Take?

The service can be divided into two sections.

London Euston and Motherwell – 388 miles.
Motherwell and Stirling – 28.9 miles.

Note.

The 08:30 train from Euston to Motherwell takes 4 hours and 17 minutes with six stops via Nuneaton.
The Grand Union Trains service will also have six stops and go via Nuneaton.

I would expect with today’s signalling and electric trains, that Euston and Motherwell would take a maximum of 4 hours and 17 minutes.

The twenty minute time to Cumbernauld could be added.
The twenty-five minute time between Cumbernauld and Stirling could be added.

It looks the time would be just over five hours.

I doubt there would be much scope for increasing speed North of Motherwell, but could there be savings made to the South of Motherwell?

Consider.

London Euston and Motherwell is 388 miles.
Four hours and 17 minutes is 257 minutes.
Motherwell is on the main London Euston and Glasgow Central route.

This is an average speed between London Euston and Motherwell of 90.6 mph.

By comparison.

London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is 392.6 miles.
Journeys can take four hours and 20 minutes or 260 minutes.

This is an average speed between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh of 90.6 mph.

In the next decade, there will be improvements on both the East and West Coast Main Lines.

King’s Cross and Edinburgh is currently being digitally signalled.
London Euston and Glasgow Central is likely to be an early priority for digital signalling after London King’s Cross and Edinburgh is completed.
When High Speed Two opens to Birmingham and Lichfield, High Speed Two trains between London Euston and Glasgow Central will use the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see some track realignment and modifications to improve speeds on the West Coast Main Line to the North of Lichfield.

I can build a table of times between London Euston and Motherwell against average speed.

90 mph – 4 hours 19 minutes
100 mph – 3 hours 53 minutes
110 mph – 3 hours 32 minutes
120 mph – 3 hours 14 minutes
125 mph – 3 hours 6 minutes
130 mph – 2 hours 59 minutes

Note.

Adding 15 minutes gives a London Euston and Glasgow Central time.
Adding 45 minutes gives a London Euston and Stirling time.
Averaging 120 mph would give London Euston and Glasgow Central or Stirling times of under four hours.

It strikes me, that to improve Anglo-Scottish relations and to make rail a better alternative to flying, a priority for all West Coast services is to improve the West Coast Main Line and install digital signalling, so that a 120 mph average is possible between London Euston and Motherwell.

What Difference Will High Speed Two Make?

High Speed Two is claiming it will knock thirty minutes off times between London Euston and Glasgow Central, when it opens to Birmingham and Lichfield.

But Grand Union Trains are not expected to use the new line between London Euston and Lichfield, as High Speed Two will, as it will make calling at Milton Keynes and Nuneaton impossible, as they are bypassed by High Speed Two.

Conclusion

This train service is going to be good for Milton Keynes, Nuneaton and Stirling and all the towns in Central Scotland.

But they must make full use of the available electrification.

March 11, 2024 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Caledonian Sleeper, Class 222 Train, Class 390 Train, Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Class 803 Trains, Digital Signalling, East West Railway, Euston Station, Gleneagles, Grand Union Trains, Hotel, Lumo, Milton Keynes Central Station, Nuneaton Station, Office Of Rail And Road, Open Access Operators, Scotland, Stirling Station, West Coast Main Line | 3 Comments

First Tri-Mode Long Distance Trains For The East Coast Main Line

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

This is the sub-heading.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is pleased to confirm that CAF has been named as the successful bidder to deliver a fleet of 10 new tri-mode trains for LNER. Porterbrook has been chosen as the financier of the new fleet. The trains will be able to operate in electric, battery or diesel mode.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Benefits of tri-mode trains range from a reduction in emissions, particulates, noise and vibration pollution, lower maintenance and operating costs and upgradeable technology, with an expected increase in range and performance as technology develops further. Battery power reduces the need to use diesel traction in areas where overhead powerlines are not available.

Complementing the modern Azuma fleet of 65 trains, the new ten-coach trains will help LNER achieve its vision of becoming the most loved, progressive and trusted train operator in the UK, delivering an exceptional service for the customers and communities served along its 956-mile network.

I have a few thoughts.

Will The Trains Have Rolls-Royce mtu Diesel Engines?

Consider.

CAF’s Class 195, 196 and 197 Civity trains for the UK all have Rolls-Royce mtu diesel engines.
Porterbrook are headquartered in Derby.
Rolls-Royce are headquartered in Derby.
In Rolls-Royce And Porterbrook Agreement Will Drive Rail Decarbonisation, I talked about how the two companies were planning to decarbonise trains using techniques like mtu Hybrid PowerPacks and hydrogen fuel cells.

I would think it very likely that the new trains will have Rolls-Royce mtu engines.

Will The Trains Have Rolls-Royce mtu Hybrid PowerPacks?

It was in 2018, that I first wrote about mtu Hybrid PowerPacks in Rolls-Royce And Porterbrook Launch First Hybrid Rail Project In The UK With MTU Hybrid PowerPacks.

Examples of these power packs are now running in Germany, Ireland and the UK.
The mtu Hybrid PowerPack how has its own web site.
There is also this YouTube video.
If CAF use off-the-shelf mtu Hybrid PowerPacks in their Civity trains, there is one big massive plus – They don’t have to develop the complicated control software to get a combination of diesel engines and batteries to perform as immaculately as Busby Berkeley’s dancers or a Brigade of Guards.
The mtu Hybrid PowerPacks also have a big plus for operators – The batteries don’t need separate charging infrastructure.
In Rolls-Royce Releases mtu Rail Engines For Sustainable Fuels, I talk about how mtu engines can run on sustainable fuels, such as biodiesel or HVO.

I think it is extremely likely that CAF’s new trains for LNER will be powered by mtu Hybrid PowerPacks.

Class 800 And Class 397 Trains Compared

The Class 800 train is LNER’s workhorse to Scotland from London.

The Class 397 train used by TransPennine Express, is a 125 mph Civity train.

Differences include.

The Class 800 train can run at 140 mph, where the signalling allows, but is the Class 397 train only capable of 125 mph?
The Class 397 train accelerate at 0.92 m/s², whereas the Class 800 train can only manage 0.7 m/s².
The Hitachi train has 14 % more seats, 36 First and 290 Standard as opposed to 22 First and 264 Standard in five-car trains.

I will add to this list.

Will The New Trains Be Capable Of 140 mph Running?

As the East Coast Main Line is being fully digitally signalled to allow 140 mph running of the numerous Hitachi expresses on the route, I wouldn’t be surprised to see, that the new CAF trains will be capable of 140 mph.

In this article on Modern Railways, which is entitled LNER Orders CAF Tri-mode Sets, this is said.

The new fleet will be equipped with CAF Signalling’s European Rail Traffic Management System digital signalling. This will align with the East Coast Digital Programme, which aims to introduce European Train Control System (ETCS) on the southern stretch of the East Coast main line from King’s Cross to Stoke Tunnel by 2029.

Later in the article this is said.

LNER has retained 12 ‘91s’ hauling eight rakes of Mk 4s, and the rollout of ETCS is another reason the operator has sought to order the replacement fleet. LNER’s passenger numbers have rebounded more quickly than other operators post-Covid, which has helped make the case for confirming the order.

This does seem sensible.

What Will Be The Range Of The CAF Trains Without Electrification?

The longest LNER route without electrification is the Northern section of the Inverness service between Inverness and Dunblane, which is 146.1 miles. There are also eight stops and some hills.

In Edinburgh to Inverness in the Cab of an HST, there’s a video of the route.

I’m sure that even, if they don’t normally run the new trains to Inverness, being able to do so, could be useful at some point.

It should be noted that the Guinness World Record for battery-electric trains is 139 miles, which is held by a Stadler Akku.

I am left with the conclusion that London and Inverness needs a tri-mode train or lots of electrification. Did this rule out Hitachi?

The Number Of Trains Ordered

The Modern Railways article says this about the number of trains.

The contract includes an eight-year maintenance services agreement with an option to extend; CAF says the order value, including maintenance, exceeds €500 million. When the tender was published the intention was to include an option for five additional sets; LNER confirmed to Modern Railways there is an option to purchase additional sets on top of the base order of 10.

Can we assume this means that other trains will be ordered, if the trains are a success?

Can These New CAF Trains Be Made Net Zero?

This is a paragraph, in the LNER press release.

This new fleet of trains will keep LNER on track to reduce its emissions by 67 per cent by 2035 and be net zero by 2045. LNER has already reduced carbon emissions by 50 per cent compared with 2018/19. Per mile, LNER trains produce 15 times less carbon emissions than a domestic flight.

As the new CAF trains will probably have a service life of at least forty years, there must be some way, that these new trains can be made net zero.

Consider.

I am absolutely certain, that the new CAF trains will have Rolls-Royce mtu diesel engines.
LNER’s existing Class 800 and 801 trains have Rolls-Royce mtu diesel engines.

Rolls-Royce mtu according to some of Rolls-Royce’s press releases appear to be developing net zero solutions based on hydrogen or net zero fuels.

This press release from Rolls-Royce is entitled Rolls-Royce Successfully Tests mtu Engines With Pure Hydrogen, suggests that Rolls-Royce mtu are working on a solution.

Routes They Will Serve

The Modern Railways article says this about the routes to be served.

Modern Railways understands the new fleet will be maintained at Neville Hill depot in Leeds and, like the ‘225’ sets, will be used predominantly on services between London and Yorkshire, although unlike the ‘225s’ the tri-modes, with their self-power capability, will be able to serve destinations away from the electrified network such as Harrogate and Hull.

Note.

This surprised me, as I’d always expected the Yorkshire routes will be served by Hitachi battery-electric trains.
But it does look that both Harrogate and Hull stations, have long enough platforms to hold a ten-car train.
With their tri-mode technology, it also looks like the CAF trains won’t be needed to be charged before returning to London.

The last point would enable them to try out new routes.

These are distances from the electrification of the East Coast Main Line of the destinations that LNER served, where there is not full electrification.

Aberdeen via Ladybank – 91.4 miles
Carlisle via Skipton – 86.8 miles
Cleethorpes via Newark and Lincoln – 63.9 miles
Harrogate via Leeds – 18.3 miles
Huddersfield via Leeds – 17.2 miles
Hull via Temple Hirst junction – 36.1 miles
Inverness via Dunblane – 146.1 miles
Lincoln via Newark – 16.7 miles
Middlesbrough via Northallerton – 22.2 miles
Scarborough via York – 42.1 miles
Sunderland via Northallerton – 47.4 miles

Note.

The first place after the ‘via’ is where the electrification ends.
Carlisle could be a possibility during High Speed Two upgrading of the West Coast Main Line or for an enthusiasts’ special or tourist train.
Cleethorpes is a possible new service for LNER. I wrote about this in LNER To Serve Cleethorpes.
Scarborough must be a possible new service for LNER.
All stations can take ten-car trains, with the possible exception of Middlesbrough, which is currently being upgraded.
Huddersfield and Leeds is being electrified under the TransPennine Upgrade.

This would appear to show that LNER need enough bi-mode or tri-mode trains to run services to Aberdeen, Cleethorpes, Harrogate, Hull, Inverness, Lincoln, Middlesbrough and Sunderland.

But.

It would appear that the initial batch of trains, will not be serving the North of Scotland.
Aberdeen and Inverness could be served, when there is enough electrification at the Southern end.

I am also fairly sure, that no significant infrastructure is required.

Do Hitachi Have A Problem?

I am starting to wonder, if Hitachi are having trouble with the designing and building of their battery packs.

It’s not like Hitachi to allow someone to run off with a €500 million contract from under their nose.
Are they short of capacity to build the trains at Newton Aycliffe?

But then they’re probably up to their elbows in work on the High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.

Are There Any Other Routes, Where The New CAF Trains Could Be Employed?

The trains would certainly be suitable for these routes.

Chiltern – InterCity services.
CrossCountry Trains – Fleet replacement
Grand Central Trains – Fleet replacement
Grand Union Trains – For Carmarthen and Stirling open access services.
Great Western Railway – Replacing Castles in the South West.
ScotRail – Replacing Inter7City trains.
South Western Railway – Basingstoke and Exeter St. Davids and other routes.

Note.

CAF could sell a lot of trains.
I estimate that fleet replacement for Grand Central Trans would cost around €350 million
The specification would vary according to the route.

Could CAF have got the LNER order, because they have the capacity in the Newport factory?

Conclusion

It looks like CAF have done a good job in designing the trains.

I’m also fairly sure that CAF are using Rolls-Royce mtu PowerPacks.

November 11, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Battery-Electric Trains, Biodiesel, CAF, CAF Tri-Mode Train, Civity Train, Class 397 Train, Class 800 Train, Class 801 Train, Decarbonisation, Digital Signalling, East Coast Digital Programme, East Coast Main Line, Grand Central Trains, Grand Union Trains, GWR Castles, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, Hitachi, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), Inter7City, LNER, mtu Hybrid PowerPack, Open Access Operators, Porterbrook, Rolls-Royce mtu, Stadler FLIRT Akku, TransPennine Express, Tri-Mode Train, West Coast Main Line | 6 Comments

Will High Speed Two Lite Make Stafford An Important Station?

Stafford station is where the Trent Valley Line joins the West Coast Main Line and with the current proposals for High Speed Two, which I refer to as High Speed Two Light, it will also have to handle those High Speed Two services to and from Crewe.

Current Services Through Stafford Station

These are current services through Stafford station.

Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Birmingham – 2 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Birmingham – 5 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Edinburgh via Birmingham – 7 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Trent Valley – 1 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Non-Stop
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Holyhead via Trent Valley – 8 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
CrossCountry – Birmingham New Street and Manchester via Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent – 2 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
West Midlands – London Euston and Crewe via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Crewe via Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street via Wolverhampton – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe

Note.

tpd is trains per day.
tph is trains per hour.
Through Stafford station, there are totals of 23 tpd and 8 tph.
Along the Trent Valley Line, there are totals of 9 tpd and 4 tph.
North of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 23 tpd and 4 tph.
South of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 14 tpd and 4 tph.
Between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, there are totals of 3 tph.

Stafford is a very busy station.

Services have these frequencies from Stafford.

Crewe – 21 tpd and 3 tph.
Stoke-on-Trent – 3 tph.
London Euston – 23 tpd and 4 tph.
Wolverhampton – 13 tpd and 4 tph.

Could Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford do with a few extra services?

High Speed Two Services Through Stafford Station

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

Note.

Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
Each of these trains will have a frequency of one tph.

These could be High Speed Two services through Stafford station, when High Speed Two Lite opens.

High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Macclesfield via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
High Speed Two – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 3 tph
High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph

Note.

Through Stafford station, there are totals of 11 tph.
Along the Trent Valley Line, there are totals of 11 tph.
North of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 11 tph.
Between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, there are totals of 1 tph.

There are a lot of trains to squeeze through. But remember that High Speed Two signalling is designed to handle 18 tph.

Combined Services Through Stafford Station

These could be the combined current High Speed Two services through Stafford station, when High Speed Two Lite opens.

Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Birmingham – 2 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Birmingham – 5 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Edinburgh via Birmingham – 7 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Trent Valley – 1 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Non-Stop
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Holyhead via Trent Valley – 8 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
CrossCountry – Birmingham New Street and Manchester via Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent – 2 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.
West Midlands – London Euston and Crewe via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Crewe via Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street via Wolverhampton – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Macclesfield via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
High Speed Two – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 3 tph
High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph

Note.

Through Stafford station, there are totals of 23 tpd and 19 tph.
Along the Trent Valley Line, there are totals of 9 tpd and 15 tph.
North of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line, there are totals of 23 tpd and 15 tph.
Between Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, there are totals of 4 tph.

But there are duplicate services.

High Speed Two services to Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland, will replace Avanti West Coast services.

High Speed Two services between Birmingham and Manchester, will replace CrossCountry services.

Removing these current services gives.

Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Birmingham – 2 tpd – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Blackpool North via Trent Valley – 1 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Holyhead via Trent Valley – 8 tpd – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
West Midlands – London Euston and Crewe via Trent Valley – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Crewe via Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe
West Midlands – Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street via Wolverhampton – 1 tph – Stops at Wolverhampton, Stafford and Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street/Lancaster via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Crewe
High Speed Two – London Euston and Macclesfield via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph – Stops at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent
High Speed Two – London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 3 tph
High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Glasgow/Edinburgh via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 1 tph
High Speed Two – Birmingham and Manchester Piccadilly via High Speed Two and Trent Valley Line – 2 tph

Note.

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

With these frequencies, I suspect digital signalling will be needed.

Services have these frequencies from Stafford.

Crewe – 11 tpd and 5 tph.
Stoke-on-Trent – 2 tph.
London Euston – 11 tpd and 4 tph.
Wolverhampton – 3 tpd and 2 tph.

Note.

Stoke-on-Trent needs more trains.
There is virtually no trains on the West Coast Main Line to the South of Stafford.
The frequencies indicate digital signalling will be needed.

On this brief look, I think that High Speed Two Lite will open up a lot of possibilities.

October 7, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry Trains, Digital Signalling, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, High Speed Two Full-Size Trains, High Speed Two Lite, Stafford Station, Stoke-on-Trent Station, Trent Valley Line, West Coast Main Line, West Midlands Trains, Wolverhampton Station | 4 Comments

Could Manchester Airport Be Accessed From The West By A Tunnel Under The M56?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways of East London between Dalston Junction and Stratford International stations.

Note.

Dalston Kingsland station is marked with an arrow in the West of the map.
Stratford International station is marked by the blue lettering in the East of the map.
The orange line between them is the North London Line.
There are also two pink lines, which indicate High Speed One, which is dug several metres below the North London Line.

It can’t be much different to dig a high speed railway underneath a motorway. Has anybody done this?

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways leading to Manchester Airport.

Note.

Junctions 5 and 6 of the M56 motorway are on the Western edge of the Airport.
The red tracks are the Styal Line.
The mauve tracks are the Metrolink.
It should be noted that railway lines pass under Heathrow Airport’s runways.

Point 4 makes me sure, that Manchester Airport can have a station connected to the West by a railway under the M56.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the railways around Weaver Junction on the West Coast Main Line, where the trains branch off to Liverpool.

Note.

The West Coast Main Line goes down the Eastern side of the map.
Warrington Bank Quay is the next station to the North.
The Liverpool Branch goes off to the West.
The M56 tuns diagonally across the map from the North-East corner crossing both both branches of the West Coast Main Line.

This Google Map shows where the M56 crosses over the West Coast Main Line to Warrington Bank Quay.

Note.

The M56 motorway is obvious.
The Eastbound motorway goes to Manchester Airport and Manchester.
The junction is numbered 11.
The railway runs down the Western side of the map.

I believe that it would be possible to connect a railway running East under the motorway to the West Coast Main Line.

This Google Map shows where the M56 crosses over the Liverpool branch of the West Coast Main Line.

Note.

There is no motorway junction here.
The North-East bound motorway goes to Manchester Airport and Manchester.
The railway runs slightly diagonally across the bottom of the map.
The Westbound railway goes to Runcorn and Liverpool.
The Eastbound railway goes to Weaver Junction, Crewe and the South.

There would only need to be a connection between Liverpool and the railway under the motorway going to and from Manchester Airport.

I have some further thoughts and questions.

This Is Just My First Thought

I am happier about the connection to the Liverpool branch than the Northern connection.

But then I feel there are several routes at both junctions, some of which will take a wider route.

How Long Will The Tunnels Be?

Between Junctions 11 and 6 on the M56 is 16 miles.

At What Speed Would The Trains Run?

I suspect that once on the straight section between Junctions 11 and 6, speeds of up to 90 or 100 mph should be possible, but speeds would probably be lower at the junctions to the West Coast Main Line.

How Would It Connect To Manchester Piccadilly?

The tunnel would continue the other side of the Airport and it’s a further 9.4 miles to under Manchester Piccadilly.

In The Rival Plans For Piccadilly Station, That Architects Say Will ‘Save Millions’, I wrote about Weston Williamson’s plan for Manchester Piccadilly station.

This was their visualisation.

Note.

In the visualisation, you are observing the station from the East.
The existing railway lines into Piccadilly station are shown in red.
Stockport and Manchester Airport are to the left, which is to the South.
Note the dreaded Castlefield Corridor in red going off into the distance to Oxford Road and Deansgate stations.
The new high speed lines are shown in blue.
To the left they go to Manchester Airport and then on to London, Birmingham and the South, Warrington and Liverpool and Wigan, Preston, Blackpool, Barrow-in-Furness, the North and Scotland.
To the right, they go to Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds, Hull and the North East, and Sheffield, Doncaster and the East.
Between it looks like a low-level High Speed station with at least four tracks and six platforms.
The high speed lines could be oriented so they ran East-West, rather than North-South in this visualisation.
The Manchester Metrolink is shown in yellow.

The potential for over-site development is immense. If the Station Square Tower was residential, the penthouses would be some of the most desirable places to live in the North.

Onward From Manchester Piccadilly

I would hope that a connection could be made to the Huddersfield Line to the East of Manchester Piccadilly station, so that trains could use the TransPennine Upgrade all the way to Leeds.

October 6, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Dalston Kingsland Station, High Speed One, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Lite, Leeds Station, Liverpool, M56 Motorway, Manchester Airport, Manchester Metrolink, Manchester Piccadilly Station, North London Line, Stratford International Station, Styal Line, TransPennine Upgrade, Warrington Bank Quay Station, West Coast Main Line | 2 Comments

High Speed Two To Stoke-on-Trent

Some of you out there might be a bit worried after Rishi Sunak’s speech today, when he announced he’d cancelled High Speed Two, as you might be losing a future high speed service.

Currently, Stoke-on-Trent is served by two trains per hour (tph), that run between London and Manchester Piccadilly.

One train calls at Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Macclesfield and Stockport, and takes about 1:33 to Stoke and 2:12 to Manchester Piccadilly.
The other calls at Nuneaton and Stockport, and takes about 1:30 to Stoke and 2:06 to Manchester Piccadilly.
Trains are both 9-car and 11-car Class 390 trains or Pendolinos.
All trains go via Colwich.

This map shows the Colwich, Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent.

Note.

Electrified lines are shown in red.
The line across the South-West corner of the map is the West Coast Main Line.
Stafford is the Northern end of the Trent Valley Line, which runs East along the bottom of the map.
The Trent Valley Line, which is a by-pass of the West Coast Main Line, rejoins that line at Rugby.
Stoke-on-Trent is in the North-West corner of the map.
Colwich is in the South-East corner of the map and is marked by a blue arrow.
There are two routes between Stone-on-Trent and Colwich; the more-direct Northern route and a Southern route via Stafford.

The current services between London and Stoke-on-Trent use the more-direct Northern route, although they can take the Southern route via Stafford.

This must mean that as Stoke-on-Trent services take the Northern route, there are more paths through Stafford for West Coast Main Line services to and from Liverpool, Manchester and Scotland.

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

Note.

Services shown in blue are run by High Speed Two Full Size trains.
Services shown in yellow are run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
Each of these trains will have a frequency of one tph.

The third High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train from the left is a London and Macclesfield service, which will stop at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, has the following timings from London.

Stafford – 0:55 – 22 minutes faster
Stoke-on-Trent – 1:10 – 14 minutes faster
Macclesfield – 1:30 – 11 minutes faster

I have a few thoughts and questions.

How Does This High Speed Two Service Get To And From London?

The service goes through Stafford and then takes the Trent Valley Line to the South.

This map clipped from the HS2 site, shows the original layout of HS2 to the North and East of Lichfield.

Note.

High Speed Two runs North-South across the map.
After the Junction by Fradley South, the now-scrapped High Speed Two to Crewe and the North, is the branch to the East.
The other branch connects to the Trent Valley Line, which can be picked out North of Lichfield, where it passes through Lichfield Trent Valley station.
The Trent Valley Line goes North-West through Colwich to Stafford, where the line rejoins the West Coast Main Line.

As the Eastern branch North from the junction has been scrapped, all trains between London and North would go via this link between High Speed Two at Lichfield and Trent Valley Line through Stafford.

Can The Current Trains and the High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Share Tracks?

The answer will be yes, as the High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains have been designed to share tracks with existing trains.

Full digital signalling may be needed to enable 140 mph running and more paths on the classic lines.

Will There Be A Second High Speed Two Service To Stoke-On-Trent And Stafford?

One of the problems with High Speed Two is that it won’t call at stations in the Midlands that are currently served by Avanti West Coast.

Currently, stations with an Avanti call are Milton Keynes Central, Nuneaton and Rugby.
Avanti’s second Liverpool service will call at Tamworth and Lichfield Trent Valley.
In the June 2023 Edition of Modern Railways, Avanti’s Managing Director; Andy Mellors talks about the benefits the company accrues from stopping in the Midlands.

I believe that after High Speed Two opens, that a semi-fast service could run between London and Manchester.

It would be run by a Class 390 train or Pendolino.
It would use the route currently used by Manchester services via Stoke-on-Trent.
At the Southern end, it would terminate in London Euston.
It could call at Watford Junction, Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Nuneaton, Lichfield Trent Valley, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Stockport.
,Station stops would be arranged as to need.
A one stop service to London takes 90 minutes from Stoke-on-Trent, with a two-stopper taking 93 minutes, so does each stop with a Pendolino add three minutes to the journey time?

Such a service could be developed to give stations like Stoke-on-Trent a second service to London.

The Lines Around Stafford

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the lines around Stafford.

Note.

Red lines are electrified.
Black Lines are not.
Stafford is marked by the blue arrow.

Selective electrification could probably improve connectivity by a large margin.

This Google map shows Stafford station.

I feel that Stafford station could be developed into a major interchange between High Speed Two and local services.

Conclusion

It looks to me that Stoke-on-Trent will be well-served by High Speed Two.

High Speed Two To Crewe

High Speed Two To Holyhead

High Speed Two To Lancaster

High Speed Two To Liverpool

High Speed Two To Manchester

High Speed Two To Wigan

October 5, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Class 390 Train, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, High Speed Two Lite, Rishi Sunak, Stafford Station, Stoke-on-Trent Station, Trent Valley Line, West Coast Main Line | 8 Comments

High Speed Two To Crewe

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

Sample Times Between London And Crewe

These are selected times from the 27th September 2023.

07:30 – Glasgow Non-Stop – 1:29
07:33 – Manchester Piccadilly – 1:37 – Stops at Stafford
07:43 – Liverpool Lime Street – 1:40 – Stops at Milton Keynes
08:30 – Glasgow Non-Stop – 1:29
08:33 – Manchester Piccadilly – 1:37 – Stops at Stafford
08:43 – Liverpool Lime Street – 1:40 – Stops at Milton Keynes
09:02 – Holyhead – 1:40 – Stop at Stafford
15:02 – Chester – 1:40 – Stops at Tamworth, Lichfield Trent Valley and Stafford

Note.

The 07:30 and 08:30 Glasgow services appears to be pathed for one of the Class 390 Pendolino electric trains and were run by Pendolinos.
The 07:33 and 08:33 Manchester services appears to be pathed for one of the Pendolino electric trains and were run by Pendolinos.
The 07:43 and 08:43 Liverpool services appears to be pathed for one of the new Class 807 electric trains, but were run by Pendolinos.
The 15:02 Chester service appears to be pathed for one of the new Class 805 bi-mode trains.
All services except the Glasgow services stop at Crewe.
As London Euston and Crewe is 158 miles, the non-stop Glasgow services average 107 mph, the one-stop Manchester service averages 98 mph and the one-stop Liverpool service averages 95 mph.

I have some further thoughts.

How Long Does A Stop Take?

I’ve looked at some stops of Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester services

Crewe

Looking at timings between Weaver Junction and Norton Bridge, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 23 minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 28 minutes

Note.

Manchester services don’t go through Weaver Junction.
Weaver Junction and Norton Bridge are respectively North and South of Crewe.
The Liverpool service stops at Crewe, where it has a dwell time of two minutes.
The Glasgow service goes straight through Crewe.

The Crewe stop takes a total of 5 minutes of which 3 minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Stafford

Looking at timings between Norton Bridge and Colwich, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 7½ minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 7½ minutes
Manchester -Euston – 14 minutes

Note.

Norton Bridge and Colwich are respectively North and South of Stafford.
The Manchester service stops at Stafford, where it has a dwell time of two minutes.
The Glasgow and Liverpool services go straight through Stafford.

The Stafford stop takes a total of 6½ minutes of which 4½ minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Milton Keynes

Looking at timings between Weedon and Bletchley, I have found the following times.

Glasgow-Euston – 11½ minutes
Liverpool-Euston – 16 minutes
Manchester -Euston – 12½ minutes

Note.

Weedon and Bletchley are respectively North and South of Milton Keynes.
The Liverpool service stops at Milton Keynes, where it has a dwell time of one minute.
The Glasgow and Manchester services go straight through Milton Keynes.

The Milton Keynes stop takes a total of 4 minutes of which 3 minutes are deceleration and acceleration to and from linespeed.

Average Speeds Between Crewe And London

London Ruston and Crewe is 158 miles according to Real Time Trains.

So what would times would various average speeds deliver?

100 mph – 95 minutes
110 mph – 86 minutes
120 mph – 79 minutes
125 mph – 76 minutes
130 mph – 73 minutes
140 mph – 68 minutes

Obviously, any average speed with over 125 mph running, will need full digital signalling.

Liverpool And London In Two Hours

Tucked away beside the Grand Union Sets Out Stirling Ambitions article in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways is a report on Avanti West Coast’s application for a second service between Euston and Liverpool.

This is said.

Avanti West Coast has applied for access rights for its second hourly Euston to Liverpool service, starting from December 2023, although a phased introduction of the new service is likely. This would make use of Avanti’s new fleet of 10×7-car Class 807 Hitachi EMUs, which are expected to enter service from Autumn 2023. The ‘807s’ would be deployed on the current hourly Liverpool service, on which a call at Liverpool South Parkway would be added. (provision is made for this in the December 2022 timetable.).

Pendolinos would then operate the second service each hour, calling at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth.

A linespeed project is in progress to raise the permissible speed for non-tilting trains on the West Coast Main Line, and Avanti’s new Hitachi trains will take advantage of this.

I’ll take a quick look at the Crewe and Runcorn section.

It is 22.5 miles.
It takes 19 minutes.
That is an average speed of 71 mph.
Crewe and Weaver Junction has a speed limit of at least 110 mph
Runcorn and Weaver Junction has a speed limit of at least 90 mph for most of the way.
If with their superior performance, the new Class 807 trains could average 90 mph between Crewe and Runcorn, they would take 15 minutes.
Achieving the 90 mph average may need a bit of track realignment and some signaling changes.

The four minutes saved would be enough to handle the extra stop at Liverpool South Parkway.

Consider.

Currently, Pendolino trains do Liverpool and Crewe in 38 minutes, which includes the stop at Runcorn.
My calculation with the Class 807 trains, shows that with a bit of extra signalling, the new trains could do Liverpool and Crewe in 38 minutes with the two stops.
The stop at Crewe will subtract 5 minutes from the base journey time.
The stop at Milton Keynes will subtract 4 minutes from the base journey time.

This means the base journey time between Crewe and London will be 73 minutes.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at 130 mph to achieve the two hours.

But there are five accelerations and five decelerations on a journey between London and Liverpool and the new Class 807 trains are the Lotuses of Hitachi’s family of AT-300 trains; lightweight and powerful.

Suppose they could save thirty seconds for each acceleration and deceleration.

The base journey time between Crewe and London will be 78 minutes.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at over 120 mph to achieve the two hours.

I certainly feel, that Liverpool and London in two hours is certainly possible using the new Class 807 trains.

London and Crewe with two stops would be times at one hour and twelve minutes.

But what about the Pendolinos?

My last return trip from Liverpool did a practice call at Liverpool South Parkway and still arrived in London a few minutes early.
The Pendolinos will still benefit from any improvements, between Crewe and Runcorn, which could reduce the Liverpool and Crewe time from 38 minutes to 34 minutes.
The stop at Crewe will subtract 5 minutes from the base journey time.
The stops at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth will both subtract 4 minutes from the base journey time.

This means the base journey time between Crewe and London will be 73 minutes, which is the same as for the Class 807 trains.

This would indicate that the trains would be running at 130 mph to achieve the two hours.

Could this average speed be achieved by the selective application of full digital signalling, perhaps on the Trent Valley Line?

But it does appear to me, that the Pendolinos can get very close to two hours between London and Liverpool.

London and Crewe with three stops would be times at one hour and sixteen minutes.

Crewe And London Non-Stop

Consider.

Pendolinos between London and Glasgow, go non-stop between London and Crewe.
I have calculated that Pendolinos between London and Liverpool, will take one hour and sixteen minutes with three stops between London and Crewe.
The three stops take a total of thirteen minutes.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see London and Glasgow Pendolinos take one hour and three minutes between London and Crewe.

This would knock twenty-six minutes off journey times between London and Glasgow.

Conclusion

I believe that with relatively minor improvements on the West Coast Main Line and the Liverpool branch, the following can be achieved.

Liverpool and London can be around two hours with new Class 807 trains or Pendolinos.
Liverpool and London services can increase their calls in the Midlands.
London and Glasgow services can be nearly half-an-hour faster.
The fastest London and Crewe services could be just over an hour using Pendolinos.

I also believe that the only serious infrastructure needed is some track realignment and some updated signalling.

High Speed Two To Holyhead

High Speed Two To Lancaster

High Speed Two To Liverpool

High Speed Two To Manchester

High Speed Two To Stoke-on-Trent

High Speed Two To Wigan

September 30, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Avanti West Coast, Chester Station, Class 390 Train, Class 805 Train, Class 807 Train, Class AT-300 Train, Crewe Station, Euston Station, Glasgow Central Station, High Speed Two, High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, High Speed Two Lite, Holyhead Station, Liverpool Lime Street Station, Manchester Piccadilly Station, Milton Keynes Central Station, Stafford Station, West Coast Main Line | 11 Comments

High Speed Two Crosses The West Coast Main Line To The East of Berkswell Station

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows where High Speed Two crosses the West Coast Main Line to the East of Berkswell station.

Note.

The double orange tracks are the West Coast Main Line.
Berkswell station is in the North-West corner of the map.
The dotted red line is the future track of High Speed Two.

I took these pictures today, as my train returned from Birmingham New Street station.

Trains at this point going towards Tile Hill, will be a good point to observe the construction of High Speed Two. Sit in a window seat on the left hand side of the train.

September 21, 2023 Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Berkswell Station, High Speed Two, West Coast Main Line | Leave a comment

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What this blog will eventually be about I do not know.

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