The Anonymous Widower

High Speed Two To Liverpool

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.

The Current Liverpool Service

I shall look at the 08:43 train on the 18th September 2023.

  • It was a nine-car Class 390 train or Pendolino, which left on time.
  • Euston and Liverpool Lime Street are 193.7 miles apart.
  • The train called at Milton Keynes Central, Crewe and Runcorn
  • The train arrived at Crewe at 10:24 and left at 10:26.
  • The train arrived at Runcorn at 10:43 and left at 10:44.
  • The train arrived at Liverpool Lime Street at 11:04 on time.
  • The journey took two hours and 21 minutes
  • The average speed was 82.4 mph.
  • The Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street section is 39.7 miles and the train is scheduled to take forty minutes.
  • The average speed between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street is almost exactly 60 mph.
  • The slower average speed is because the train is slowing for a gradual stop in Liverpool and the only fast section is the 110 mph section between Crewe and Weaver Junction, where the Liverpool Branch leaves the West Coast Main Line.
  • There is one train per hour (tph).

There are probably only limited ways that time can be saved between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.

  • The West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Weaver Junction takes twelve minutes and has an operating speed of 110 mph, so saving a few minutes might be possible, by upgrading the speed on this line with digital signalling to allow 140 mph running.
  • It might be possible to save a couple of minutes at the Runcorn stop by using the superior performance of the new Class 807 or High Speed Two trains.
  • The slowing down into and accelerating out of Liverpool might be improved by digital signalling and trains with better performance.

It should be noted that Liverpool Lime Street station was recently remodelled to improve operation of the station and the tracks connecting it to Runcorn.

I would be fairly sure that Network Rail and Avanti West Coast have got Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street times to a minimum. As this route will become part of High Speed Two, I suspect that Network Rail/Avanti have done extensive computer simulations of the route, to make sure they get it as quick and efficient as possible.

The New Class 807 Trains

The Class 807 trains, which enter service this year or early next, are the Lotuses in Hitachi’s AT 300 family of high speed trains.

  • They are electric only and have no heavy diesel engines or traction batteries.
  • They don’t even have emergency batteries for when the catenary fails.
  • They have a redesigned nose. Is it more aerodynamic?
  • As with all the other Hitachi high speed trains, they are capable of 125 mph, or 140 mph if the signalling permits.

These trains will undoubtedly have faster acceleration and deceleration and could probably knock minutes off the timings at all the stops.

A Second Hourly Train To Liverpool

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.

Note.

  1. The current Liverpool service stops at Milton Keynes Central, Crewe and Runcorn.
  2. Liverpool South Parkway station is too short for the longest Pendolinos or Class 390/1 trains.
  3. When the second service is implemented will it stop at Milton Keynes Central, Crewe, Runcorn and Liverpool South Parkway?
  4. Will the Pendolinos only stop at Lichfield Trent Valley and Tamworth?

Will Avanti West Coast use the trains to take advantage of their strengths?

  • The new lighter Class 807 trains will use their superior acceleration and deceleration to  execute fast stops at more stations.
  • The shorter Class 807 trains will call at Liverpool South Parkway.
  • The current Pendolinos will use their tilt to run as fast as possible between London Euston and Liverpool.

I also suspect that Avanti West Coast will adjust the stopping pattern to attract passengers. I read somewhere, that a stop at Nuneaton to connect to Leicester, Peterborough, Cambridge and Stansted Airport, was a possibility.

More Details Of A Second Hourly Train To Liverpool – 30th September 2023.

Real Time Trains is now showing the details of the second service between London Euston and Liverpool.

These are the future timings of the 09:13 train from Liverpool.

  • Liverpool – Leave at 09:13
  • Runcorn – Arrive at 09:28 and leave at 09:29½
  • Crewe – Arrive at 09:49 and leave at 09:56
  • Stafford – Arrive at 10:14½ and leave at 10:16½
  • Lichfield Trent Valley – Arrive at 10:29½ and leave at 10:31½
  • Tamworth – Arrive at 10:36½ and leave at 10:38½
  • Nuneaton – Arrive at 10:49 and leave at 10:51
  • Milton Keynes Central – Arrive at 11:21 and leave at 11:23
  • Euston – Arrive at 11.59

Note.

  1. This service has not been activated yet.
  2. It is pathed for a Class 80x train.
  3. There are seven stops.
  4. It will take two hours and 46 minutes.
  5. Liverpool and Crewe will take 36 minutes.
  6. There are two other inactivated services like this running through Birmingham and Northampton.

Could these services have  been timetabled to test connectivity?

High Speed Two Classic Compatible Trains

These High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains are to be built for High Speed Two.

  • They will be able to run on both High Speed Two and current high speed lines like the East Coast Main Line and the West Coast Main Line.
  • They will have an operating speed of 205 mph on High Speed Two.
  • They will be able to operate at appropriate speeds on existing high speed lines. Typically, that is 125 mph, but with full digital signalling that is 140 mph.
  • They are two hundred metres long and are sixty metres shorter than an eleven-car Pendolino.
  • They are being built by a Hitachi-Alstom joint venture.

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

Introducing The High Speed Two Classic Compatible Trains Into Service

Consider.

  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street services can be run by eleven-car Pendolinos.
  • It looks like after the introduction of the second service between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street is introduced, it will be run by Pendolinos and it could be a two-stop service.
  • The High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains should be able to run any service currently run by an eleven-car Pendolino.

So will Avanti West Coast use this second hourly London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street service to introduce the new High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains into public service?

  • It would make sure the trains and existing track and signals were fully debugged.
  • It would inform the public that High Speed Two is on its way.
  • It would be good marketing for High Speed Two.
  • They might shave a few minutes off journey times.
  • It could use all the existing infrastructure.
  • It will provide work for Alstom in Derby.

I feel Avanti West Coast just might!

London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street Before Phase 2a Of High Speed Two Opens

According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, these are the fastest timings.

  • London Euston and Crewe – One hour and 30 minutes
  • London Euston and Runcorn – One hour and 53 minutes
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – Two hours and 3 minutes

Currently, the fastest London and Liverpool Lime Street trains take two hours and 21 minutes, so are the Class 807 trains going to be eighteen minutes faster?

From these figures and the times of the 0843, I can deduce these journey times.

  • Currently, Crewe and Runcorn takes 17 minutes and the Class 807 train will take 23 minutes
  • Currently, Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street takes 20 minutes and the Class 807 train will take 10 minutes
  • Currently, Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street takes 38 minutes and the Class 807 train will take 33 minutes

It looks like there may be slight problems with Wikipedia’s figures. But they were published before Avanti West Coast had run a Class 807 train between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street. I think we’ll have to wait and see what turns up on Saturday, the 9th of December 2023, when the timetables change.

But I do feel now that the Class 807 trains will achieve London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street in two hours and three minutes.

London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street After Phase 2a Of High Speed Two Opens

According to the Wikipedia entry for High Speed Two, these are the timings.

  • London Euston and Crewe – 56 minutes
  • London Euston and Runcorn – One hour and 14 minutes
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street – One hour and 32 minutes

From these figures and the times of the 0843, I can deduce these journey times.

  • Currently, Crewe and Runcorn takes 17 minutes and High Speed Two will take 18 minutes
  • Currently, Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street takes 20 minutes and High Speed Two will take 18 minutes
  • Currently, Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street takes 38 minutes and High Speed Two will take 36 minutes

There doesn’t seem to be much of a saving between today’s Pendolino and High Speed Two between Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street.

Could it be that the work to improve Liverpool Lime Street station and its approaches a few years ago sorted out a lot of problems and Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street is now almost to the standard needed for High Speed Two?

If savings are made anywhere by High Speed Two, it could be between Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street.

Looking at the operating speeds on OpenRailwayMap, there appears to be a 30 mph section of track for a couple of miles out of Liverpool Lime Street, which includes a sharp curve.

This Google Map shows the approaches to Lime Street station.

Note.

  1. The tracks across the top of the map are the main electrified Liverpool and Manchester tracks.
  2. The building in the middle is Alstom Traincare’s Liverpool Depot.
  3. The line to Runcorn enters the map in the South-East corner and curves around the depot to join the tracks into Lime Street station.
  4. The operating speed gradually reduces from 30 mph on this map to less than 15 mph in Lime Street station.

Perhaps, this 30 mph section is to be improved to gain the couple of minutes.

I also think, that savings could be possible at Runcorn station.

If when the second service starts, the Pendolinos don’t stop at Runcorn, that would save a few minutes.

The Class 807 and the High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains with their superior acceleration and deceleration could save a couple of minutes in the stop at Runcorn.

I very much feel that as the Pendolinos manage to achieve Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street in 38 minutes, that Pendolinos on the second service, Class 807 and the High Speed Two Classic Compatible trains, will all manage 36 minutes or less on the route.

London Euston And Liverpool Lime Street After Phase 2b Of High Speed Two Opens

There will be no changes as the full-size High Speed Two trains are not planned to run into Liverpool Lime Street.

Conclusion

It looks to me, that the Crewe and Liverpool Lime Street leg of High Speed Two is more or less complete.

Times between London and Liverpool will be as follows.

  • Before High Speed Two Phase 2a – 2 hours and 3 minutes
  • After High Speed Two Phase 2a – 1 hour and 32 minutes
  • After High Speed Two Phase 2b – 1 hour and 32 minutes

I believe that for many this will be fast enough, especially as it’s nearly complete.

See Also

Could High Speed Two Finish At Lichfield?

High Speed Two To Crewe

High Speed Two To Holyhead

High Speed Two To Lancaster

High Speed Two To Manchester

High Speed Two To Stoke-on-Trent

High Speed Two To Wigan

September 20, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

New Freight Interchange Connects To West Coast Main Line

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

This is the sub-heading.

Rail passengers have been thanked after major work to connect a new rail to road freight interchange with the West Coast main line was completed.

These two paragraphs outline the project.

The work, which took nine days, saw new track, points and signalling systems installed to connect the existing railway to the new sidings at the under-construction freight facility at SEGRO logistics park in Northampton.

Once complete, the facility will provide 5 million square ft of warehouse space and employ up to 7,000 people.

This OpenRailwayMap shows the location of SEGRO logistics park in Northampton (SLPN).

Note.

  1. SEGRO logistics park in Northampton is in the middle of the map.
  2. The M1 motorway runs along the North-East side of the logistics park
  3. The complex junction of the M1 at the Eastern side of the logistics park is Junction 15.
  4. The orange line down the West side of SLPN is the Northampton Loop Line.
  5. A loop from the Northampton Loop Line is used to create a Rail Freight Interchange on the West side of the logistics park.
  6. The red line running across the South-West corner of the map is the West Coast Main Line.

The SEGRO logistics park has a comprehensive web site, which shows seven plots.

These are my thoughts.

Freight Trains

Initial plans talk of four freight trains per day, with more to come in the future.

This picture from Network Rail shows the Northern end of the Rail Freight Interchange.

Note.

  1. There is a freight train, which looks like it’s going North on the Northampton Loop Line.
  2. There are tunnels at the Northern end of the site.
  3. This page on the Network Rail web site has another picture and a video.
  4. It looks like there will be a lot of concrete.

It will be interesting to see the final layout in a year or so.

There Is No Mention Of A Rail Station

In everything I’ve read about the SLPN, there is no mention of a railway station, so this must mean that all the seven thousand or more workers on the site, will get there by road.

The only thing I can see about transport for workers to and from the site is this sentence.

A sustainable bus route will connect SLPN to the town centre and local neighbourhoods to the south.

Well-designed and implemented, it would properly suffice.

Nothing though is said about cycling or walking!

There Is No Mention Of Hydrogen

It is likely, that in the life of SLPN, there will be a significant move to hydrogen-powered heavy trucks.

Has SLPN been designed with hydrogen in mind.

Solar Thermal Heating

The buildings are noted as having solar thermal heating. That is a new one on me, but it seems possible.

I took these pictures as I passed the site on my return from Birmingham on September 21st 2023

One concrete tunnel is clearly visible.

 

September 13, 2023 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel | , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts On Rail Capacity Between London And The North

This is just a rough calculation to see how many trains can be run between London and the North.

I shall do the calculation by station.

Euston

Trains are.

  • Avanti – Birmingham – 1 tph (trains per hour)
  • Avanti – Blackpool North – 1 tpd (trains per day)
  • Avanti – Blackpool North via Birmingham – 2 tpd
  • Avanti – Edinburgh via Birmingham – 1 tp2h – (trains per two hours)
  • Avanti – Glasgow – 1 tph
  • Avanti – Glasgow via Birmingham – 5 tpd
  • Avanti – Holyhead – 8 tpd
  • Avanti – Liverpool – 1 tph
  • Avanti – Manchester – 3 tph
  • WMT – Birmingham – 2 tph
  • WMT – Crewe – 1 tph

This gives totals of  9 tph, 1 tp2h and 16 tpd

King’s Cross

Trains are.

  • Grand Central – Bradford – 4 tpd
  • Grand Central – Sunderland – 6 tpd
  • Hull Trains – Beverley – 2 tpd
  • Hull Trains – Hull – 5 tpd
  • LNER – Bradford- 2 tpd
  • LNER – Edinburgh – 3 tp2h
  • LNER – Harrogate – 1 tp2h
  • LNER – Hull – 1 tpd
  • LNER – Leeds – 3 tp2h
  • LNER – Lincoln – 1 tp2h
  • LNER – Middlesbrough – 1 tpd
  • LNER – Skipton – 1 tpd
  • LNER – Sunderland – 1 tpd
  • LNER – York- 1 tp2h
  • Lumo – Edinburgh – 5 tpd

This gives totals of  9 tp2h and 28 tpd

Marylebone

Trains are.

  • Chiltern – Birmingham – 2 tph

This gives totals of  2 tph

St. Pancras

Trains are.

  • EMR – Corby – two tph
  • EMR – Nottingham – two tph
  • EMR – Sheffield- two tph

This gives totals of  6 tph

Grand Totals

Grand totals are  17 tph, 10 tp2h and 44 tpd

I will assume.

  • 10 tp2h is equivalent to 5 tph.
  • 44 tpd is equivalent to 3 tph if trains start journeys between 0600 and 2100.

This means that currently, there is the equivalent of 25 tph between London and the North.

The Effect Of High Speed Two

The capacity of High Speed Two is 17 tph, so, that appears to be a 68 % increase in paths to the North.

Consider.

  • Assume we need 25 tph between London and the North.
  • 17 tph will be on High Speed Two.
  • 8 tph will be on classic routes like the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line.
  • High Speed Two trains are 400 metres long.
  • Current trains are about 240 metres long.

I have done a weighted calculation, which shows that passenger capacity between London and the North, will increase by around 45 %.

High Speed Two will surely release paths between London and the North on the classic routes, that could accommodate somewhere around 17 tph.

These could be used for.

  • Services not suitable for High Speed Two
  • New services
  • Freight services
  • Open access services

There is a lot of capacity that can be reused.

What Will Happen To Classic Routes Between London And The North?

Consider.

  • The East Coast Main Line between London and Doncaster, is being upgraded with full digital signalling to allow running at up to 140 mph and increased train frequencies.
  • Similar upgrades will be surely be applied to the other classic routes between London and the North.
  • Important destinations, that will not be served by High Speed Two, like Coventry, Derby, Leicester, Luton, Milton Keynes and Peterborough could be given high speed connections, to Birmingham, London and Manchester.
  • The East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line will all be electrified with some sections of quadruple track in a few years.
  • Currently, the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line are mainly 125 mph lines and these could be upgraded to 140 mph with digital signalling.

I could envisage the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and West Coast Main Line being developed into a secondary 140 mph network based on the existing  stations lines and services.

Conclusion

High Speed Two is going to have a lot of collateral benefits in Middle England.

 

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

London North Eastern Railway Runs Trial Train To Liverpool Street

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

These two paragraphs, describe why this was done.

In an effort to mitigate the effect on passengers during disruption to services, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) ran one of its Azuma trains from Finsbury Park to London Liverpool Street during the early hours of this morning, Friday, 14th July.

The trial run took place to determine the long-term feasibility of diverting services during periods of planned disruption or when significant engineering works were taking place.

There doesn’t seem to have been any problems.

  • The route in from Finsbury Park station went through Canonbury, Dalston Kingsland, Hackney Central, Homerton, Hackney Wick, Stratford and Bethnal Green stations, which was a distance of 9.6 miles.
  • The route out to Finsbury Park station went through Bethnal Green, Cambridge Heath, London Fields, Dalston Kingsland and Canonbury, what was a distance of 5.8 miles.

Note.

  1. Two different routes were checked.
  2. The Class 800 train had five cars.
  3. Platform 4 at Liverpool Street station was used, which is normally used by London Overground and Cambridge services.

As this comes so soon after the test run to Cleethorpes, that I wrote about in Azuma Test Train Takes To The Tracks As LNER Trials Possible New Route, I wonder if Network Rail and the train operating companies are planning for some worst case scenario, where the two or more of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Lone and East Coast Main Line are blocked.

LNER and Network Rail have shown the following.

  • Azumas can use Cleethorpes station.
  • Azumas can use Liverpool Street station.

We also know that Cleethorpes has a direct TransPennine train service across the North of England to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.

So if say Euston has to be shut for perhaps fourteen days during the construction of High Speed Two, a service between Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes via Colchester, Ipswich, Cambridge, Peterborough and Lincoln could be used to get some passengers to and from the North.

The other big problem is the removal of the problems of the Newark Crossing, which if it results in a long blockade of the East Coast Main Line, might need services to go into an alternative London terminal.

The Powerhouse In The East

Consider.

  • The importance of Cambridge to the economy of the UK is growing fast.
  • The city suffers from a shortage of commercial premises, housing and staff at all levels.
  • I have just looked at the non-passenger traffic on the West Anglia Main Line for all of yesterday and there were just six freight trains through Bishop’s Stortford.

I wonder, if it would be possible to run a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service via Cambridge, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town?

  • The service avoids the East Coast Main Line, except through Peterborough, where it would use the separate Werrington lines.
  • Liverpool Street is in the heart of one of the world’s major financial centres.
  • Liverpool Street is on the Elizabeth Line.
  • The service could call at Stansted Airport, but a reverse would be needed.
  • Peterborough is sometimes promoted in Cambridge as a city, that could be developed, to provide  support for Cambridge.
  • A reverse would be needed at Lincoln.
  • Lincoln is developing as a university city with character.
  • Grimsby and Cleethorpes are close to the fast expanding Humberside renewable energy and hydrogen cluster.

The service could be paired with a Liverpool Street and Norwich service, via Ely, Thetford, Attleborough and Wymondham.

The services could alternate every half hour or perhaps leave London as a pair and split and join at Cambridge.

Platform Availability At Kings Cross And Liverpool Street

Consider.

  • Digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line will increase the number of possible trains between London and the North.
  • LNER have said they want to increase services to the North and have identified a possible service to Cleethorpes.
  • Grand Central would like to increase services to Bradford.
  • Lumo have started services to Newcastle and Edinburgh from Kings Cross.
  • The Elizabeth Line now runs less services into Liverpool Street station.
  • The Elizabeth Line connects to  Liverpool Street, but doesn’t connect to King’s Cross.
  • Liverpool Street is to undergo a major refurbishment, which should increase the overall passenger capacity of the station.

Would it be sensible to move a small number of services from King’s Cross to Liverpool Street?

Surely, the logical service to move to Liverpool Street would be the new Cleethorpes service.

  • It would route via Cambridge, Cambridge North, Ely, Peterborough, Spalding, Sleaford, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Barnetby and Grimsby Town.
  • It would use the Werrington Lines through Peterborough.
  • It would not need a path on the East Coast Main Line.
  • The service would provide a much needed direct link between Cambridge and Lincoln via Peterborough.
  • The service could also be hourly or two-hourly.

I also believe that a Liverpool Street and Cleethorpes service could be run by a battery-electric Azuma.

  • The route is electrified between Liverpool Street and Ely and through Peterborough.
  • Ely and Peterborough is 30 miles.
  • Peterborough and Lincoln is 56.9 miles.
  • Lincoln and Cleethorpes is 47.2 miles.
  • There would need to be a charging station or a few miles of electrification at Cleethorpes.
  • There may be 134.1 miles of unelectrified track, but there can be a Splash and Dash at Peterborough.

A Stadler Akku would be able to handle this route, so I suspect that a similar-sized battery-electric Azuma should also be able to handle the route.

July 19, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Platform Canopies To Be Renovated For Passengers At Lancaster Station

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from Network Rail.

These are the first two paragraphs.

Station platform canopies are being renovated at Lancaster to improve passenger journeys on the West Coast Main Line.

Network Rail is investing £9.5m to restore and upgrade the station building for the future.

This picture from Network Rail shows an aerial view of the station.

Note that the camera is looking South.

This picture shows the current canopies.

Network Rail can surely do better on a Grade II Listed Building.

The press release lists that this work will be done.

  • Replacing all glazing in the platform canopies
  • Repairing and strengthening the structure of the canopy structures
  • Repainting across the station

The press release says the work won’t affect train services, but will be done when trains aren’t running.

These are my thoughts.

Lancaster Station and High Speed Two

Lancaster station will be a terminus on the High Speed Two Network.

Note.

  1. Train 4 , which is a pair of 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains, leaves London Euston  and splits at Crewe, with one train going to Liverpool Lime Street and the other to Lancaster.
  2. Train 12, which runs between Birmingham Curzon Street and Scotland, also calls at Lancaster.

Both trains will be single 200 metre High Speed Classic Compatible trains at Lancaster station and platforms 3, 4 and 5 can handle them.

But how will the Lancaster train terminate?

This map from OpenRailwayMap shows the lines through Lancaster station.

Note.

  1. The red lines are electrified with 25 KVAC overhead wires.
  2. In the North-West corner of the station are the bay platforms 1 and 2, which handle Morecambe services.
  3. West Coast Main Line services between London Euston and Scotland, go through platforms 3 and 4 in the middle of the station.
  4. On the East side of the station is platform 5 which is on a loop off the West Coast Main Line.

I would expect that the London Euston and Lancaster service will generally terminate in platform 5.

Wikipedia says this about platform 5 and the signalling.

Platform 5, which can be used by both northbound and southbound trains or by terminating services.

All platforms are signalled for arrivals and departures in either direction.

That all sounds very convenient.

There may be some minor changes for the longer High Speed Two trains, but I doubt it would be too challenging.

Onward To Morecambe

The Eden Project North at Morecambe  could attract a lot of traffic.

  • Lancaster will be just two hours and three minutes from London by High Speed Two.
  • There are numerous rail connections from Lancaster to all over the North of England and Scotland.
  • Would you drive for two hours to the Eden Project North, if there was a convenient and quicker train?
  • Train companies may offer combined tickets for the attraction with rail tickets.

Wikipedia says this about the development and opening of the attraction.

Having been granted planning permission in January 2022 and with £50 million of levelling-up funding granted in January 2023, it is due to open in 2024 and predicted to benefit the North West economy by £200 million per year.

I’ve always wanted to go to the Eden Project in Cornwall, but it’s difficult if you don’t drive.

However, I might manage to get to Eden Project North.

Trains between Morecambe and Lancaster are at least hourly.

  • I think they can use any platform at Lancaster.
  • Morecambe station has two platforms.
  • Morecambe and Lancaster stations are four miles apart, with probably half electrified.
  • A battery-electric train could work between Morecambe and Lancaster.

I can envisage two main ways to arrange the connection between Morecambe and Lancaster.

  • Trains arrive in Lancaster and passengers for Morecambe catch the next Morecambe train for two stops, that take ten minutes.
  • When High Speed Two serves Lancaster from Euston, the shuttle train can wait in the Northern end of Platform 5 and when the High Speed Two train arrives passengers can just walk up the platform to the shuttle.

But if the Eden Project North is as successful as the Cornish original, there is going to be a need for more trains between Morecambe and Lancaster.

This Google Map shows Morecambe station.

Note that the island platform is probably about 160 metres long.

This would accommodate.

  • A five-car Class 802 or Class 805 train.
  • A pair of four-car Class 319, Class 321 trains.
  • A pair of three-car Class 331 trains.

But why not be bold and lengthen at least one platform to the full two hundred metres, so that it can accommodate a High Speed Classic Compatible train?

This would also accommodate.

  • A seven-car Class 807 train.
  • A pair of four-car Class 331 trains.

All of these electric trains would need the Morecambe branch line to be electrified to Morecambe station.

But the Eden Project North would get the public transport access it needs.

Electrifying To Morecambe

This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the Morecambe Branch Line between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station.

Note.

  1. The tracks shown in red on the Eastern side of the map are the West Coast Main Line.
  2. The black lines are the unelectrified tracks of the Morecambe branch line.
  3. Morecambe station is marked by the blue arrow.
  4. Much of the Morecambe branch line is single track, with some sections of double track.
  5. The distance between the West Coast Main Line and Morecambe station is around 2.1 miles.

I don’t think it would be the most challenging of electrifications.

A Green Route To The Isle Of Man And Ireland

This map from OpenRailwayMap, shows the terminal of the Morecambe Branch Line at Heysham Port.

Note.

  1. There is a rail connection to the West Coast Main Line via Morecambe, which is shown in yellow.
  2. The port appears to have three berths for ferries.
  3. There are only a couple of train services per day.
  4. South of the port is the Heysham nuclear power station, which has a capacity of 2.5 GW.

At a first glance, it would appear, that a rail-served passenger terminal could be built close to the port.

I suspect most passengers using Heysham are travelling with a vehicle.

The problem is also that the ferry crossing to Belfast takes around eight hours and there are faster and more convenient routes.

The ferries could be decarbonised by using ammonia or hydrogen fuel, but I doubt that they would be any faster.

I suspect that getting more passengers to use Heysham for the Isle of Man or Ireland will be a difficult proposition to sell to passengers.

And it is made even more difficult with such an infrequent train service.

Before High Speed Two

Avanti West Coast might like to run a train between Euston and Morecambe for the Eden Project North.

Are National Rail Promoting Theme Parks?

I found this page on the National Rail web site, which is entitled Theme Parks.

It gives a list of most theme parks and their nearest stations.

Does such a page exist for hospitals, cathedrals and other similar groups.

 

 

 

 

 

March 20, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts On High Speed Two

These are a few thoughts about High Speed Two, after the reports of major changes today.

This article on the BBC is entitled HS2 Line Between Birmingham And Crewe Delayed By Two Years.

This is the sub-heading.

The Birmingham to Crewe leg of high speed railway HS2 will be delayed by two years to cut costs.

These are the three opening paragraphs.

Some of the design teams working on the Euston end of the line are also understood to be affected.

Transport secretary Mark Harper blamed soaring prices and said it was “committed” to the line linking London, the Midlands and North of England.

HS2 has been beset by delays and cost rises. In 2010, it was expected to cost £33bn but is now expected to be £71bn.

Delivering The Benefits Of High Speed Two Early

It is my belief that with a large project taking a decade or more , it is not a bad idea to deliver some worthwhile benefits early on.

The Elizabeth Line opened in stages.

  • The new Class 345 trains started replacing scrapyard specials in 2017.
  • The rebuilt Abbey Wood station opened in 2017.
  • Paddington local services were transferred to the Elizabeth Line in 2019.
  • Outer stations reopened regularly after  refurbishment from 2018.
  • The through line opened in May 2022.

There’s still more to come.

Some projects wait until everything is ready and everybody gets fed up and annoyed.

Are there any parts of High Speed Two, that could be completed early, so that existing services will benefit?

In 2020, the refurbishment of Liverpool Lime Street station and the tracks leading to the station was completed and I wrote about the station in It’s A Privilege To Work Here!, where this was my conclusion.

Wikipedia says this about Liverpool Lime Street station.

Opened in August 1836, it is the oldest still-operating grand terminus mainline station in the world.

I’ve used Lime Street station for fifty-five years and finally, it is the station, the city needs and deserves.

I’ve been to grand termini all over the world and Lime Street may be the oldest, but now it is one of the best.

Are there any stations, that will be served by High Speed Two, that should be upgraded as soon as possible to give early benefits to passengers, staff and operators?

Avanti West Cost have solved the problem of the short platforms at Liverpool South Parkway station, by ordering shorter Class 807 trains. Will High Speed Two lengthen the platforms at this station?

A good project manager will need to get all the smaller sub-projects in a row and work out what is the best time to do each.

Digital Signalling

I would assume, as this will be needed for High Speed Two services in the West Coast Main Line to the North of Crewe, this is surely a must for installing as early as possible.

If the existing trains could run for a hundred miles at 140 mph, rather than the current 125 mph, that would save five worthwhile minutes.

Trains could run closer together and there is the possibility of organising services in flights, where a number of trains run together a safe number of minutes apart.

Remove Bottlenecks On Classic Lines, That Could Be Used By High Speed Two

I don’t know the bottlenecks on the West Coast Main Line, but there are two on the East Coast Main Line, that I have talked about in the past.

Could ERTMS And ETCS Solve The Newark Crossing Problem?

Improving The North Throat Of York Station Including Skelton Bridge Junction

Hopefully, the digital signalling will solve them.

Any bottlenecks on lines that will be part of High Speed Two, should be upgraded as soon as possible.

Birmingham And Crewe

I will start by looking at the leg between Birmingham and Crewe.

 

This section of the HS2 map shows High Speed Two between Birmingham and Lichfield.

Note.

  1. The blue circle on the left at the bottom of the map is Birmingham Curzon Street station.
  2. The blue circle on the right at the bottom of the map is Birmingham Interchange station.
  3. The High Speed Two to and from London passes through Birmingham Interchange station.
  4. The branch to Birmingham Curzon Street station connects to the main High Speed Two at a triangular junction.
  5. North of the triangular junction, High Speed Two splits.
  6. The Eastern branch goes to East Midlands Parkway station.
  7. The Northern branch goes to Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland.

At the top of the map, the Northern branch splits and lines are shown on this map.

Note.

  1. The junction where the Northern and Eastern branches divide is in the South-East corner of the map.
  2. To the North of Lichfield, the route divides again.
  3. The Northern purple line is the direct line to Crewe.
  4. The shorter Southern branch is a spur that connects High Speed Two to the Trent Valley Line, which is the current route taken by trains between London Euston and Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland.
  5. Crewe station is in the North-West corner of the map.

The route between the junction to the North of Lichfield and Crewe is essentially two double-track railways.

  • High Speed Two with a routine operating speed of 205 mph.
  • The Trent Valley Line with a routine operating speed of 140 mph.
  • High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains can run on all tracks.
  • High Speed Two Full-Size trains may be able to run on the Trent Valley Line at reduced speed.
  • Eighteen trains per hour (tph) is the maximum frequency of High Speed Two.

I feel in an emergency, trains will be able to use the other route.

Will This Track Layout Allow An Innovative Build?

Suppose the link to the Trent Valley Line was built first, so that High Speed Two trains from London for Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Preston and Scotland, could transfer to the Trent Valley Line as they do now.

  • All lines used by High Speed Two services North of the junction, where High Speed Two joins the Trent Valley Line would be updated with digital signalling and 140 mph running. This will benefit current services on the line. For instance Euston and Liverpool/Manchester services could be under two hours.
  • The current services would be replaced by High Speed Two services run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
  • The direct High Speed Two route between Lichfield and Crewe would now be built.
  • When this section of High Speed Two is complete, High Speed Two services would use it between Lichfield and Crewe.
  • As the direct route would be built later, this would delay the building of the Birmingham and Crewe high-speed route.

Currently, trains run the  41.8 miles between Lichfield and Crewe in 28 minutes, which is an average speed of 89.6 mph.

I can build a table of average speeds and times for Lichfield and Crewe.

  • 100 mph – 25.1 minutes – 2.9 minutes saving
  • 110 mph – 22.8 minutes – 5.2 minutes saving
  • 120 mph – 20.9 minutes – 7.1 minutes saving
  • 125 mph – 20.1 minutes – 7.9 minutes saving
  • 130 mph – 19.3 minutes  – 8.7 minutes saving
  • 140 mph – 17.9 minutes – 10.1 minutes saving
  • 160 mph – 15.7 minutes – 12.3 minutes saving
  • 180 mph – 13.9 minutes – 14.1 minutes saving
  • 200 mph – 12.5 minutes – 15.5 minutes saving

Note.

  1. Even a slight increase in average speed creates several minutes saving.
  2. Times apply for both routes.

I believe that a 125 mph average should be possible on the Trent Valley route, which may be enough for Euston and Liverpool/Manchester services to be under two hours.

Improving Classic Lines Used By High Speed Two North Of Lichfield

Real Time Trains shows these figures for a Glasgow Central to Euston service.

  • Glasgow and Lichfield Trent Valley is 298.2 miles.
  • Glasgow and Lichfield Trent Valley takes five hours.

This is an average speed of 59.6 mph.

Note.

  1. The average speed is low considering the trains are capable of cruising at 125 mph and 140 mph with digital signalling.
  2. High Speed Two services between Euston and Glasgow will use the classic network, to the North of Lichfield.

I can build a table of average speeds and times for Glasgow and Lichfield.

  • 100 mph – 179 minutes – 121 minutes saving
  • 110 mph – 163 minutes – 157 minutes saving
  • 120 mph – 149 minutes – 151 minutes saving
  • 125 mph – 143 minutes – 157 minutes saving
  • 130 mph – 138 minutes  – 162 minutes saving
  • 140 mph – 128 minutes – 172 minutes saving

This table illustrates why it is important to improve all or as many as possible of classic lines used by High Speed Two to enable 140 mph running, with full digital signalling. Obviously, if 140 mph is not feasible, the speed should be increased to the highest possible.

Routes that could be updated include.

  • London Euston and Glasgow Central
  • London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street
  • London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly (all routes)
  • London Euston and Blackpool
  • London Euston and Holyhead
  • London Euston and Shrewsbury

Not all these routes will be served by High Speed Two, but they could be served by 140 mph trains.

What Times Would Be Possible?

The InterCity 225 was British Rail’s ultimate electric train and these two paragraphs from its Wikipedia entry, describe its performance.

The InterCity 225 was designed to achieve a peak service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham, an InterCity 225 was recorded at a speed of 162 mph (260.7 km/h). Its high speed capabilities were again demonstrated via a 3hr 29mins non-stop run between London and Edinburgh on 26 September 1991. British regulations have since required in-cab signalling on any train running at speeds above 125 mph (201 km/h) preventing such speeds from being legally attained in regular service. Thus, except on High Speed 1, which is equipped with cab signalling, British signalling does not allow any train, including the InterCity 225, to exceed 125 mph (201 km/h) in regular service, due to the impracticality of correctly observing lineside signals at high speed.

The InterCity 225 has also operated on the West Coast Main Line (WCML). In April 1992, one trainset achieved a new speed record of two hours, eight minutes between Manchester and London Euston, shaving 11 minutes off the 1966 record. During 1993, trials were operated to Liverpool and Manchester in connection with the InterCity 250 project.

  • The fastest London Euston and Manchester Piccadilly services appear to be two hours and six minutes tomorrow, with stops at Nuneaton and Stoke-on-Trent.
  • The fastest London King’s Cross and Edinburgh service is four hours seventeen minutes tomorrow.

It does appear that British Rail’s 1980s-vintage InterCity 225 train did very well.

Trains that would be able to run at 140 mph with updated signalling include.

  • Alstom Class 390
  • Hitachi Class 800, 801, 802, 803, 805, 807 and 810
  • British Rail InterCity 225
  • High Speed Two Classic-Compatible.

All are electric trains.

Could High Speed Two, West Coast Main Line and East Coast Main Line Services Be Run By  High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains?

I don’t see why not!

  • They would be able to use short stretches of High Speed Line like Lichfield and Crewe.
  • LNER and CrossCountry could also use the trains.
  • High Speed Two is providing the framework and it’s there to be used, provided the paths are available.

This graphic shows the preliminary schedule.

It only shows ten trains going through Crewe, so there could be up to eight spare high speed paths between Birmingham and Crewe.

Could High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Be Used To Advantage On The East Coast Main Line?

I published this extract from the Wikipedia entry for the InterCity 225 earlier.

The InterCity 225 was designed to achieve a peak service speed of 140 mph (225 km/h); during a test run in 1989 on Stoke Bank between Peterborough and Grantham, an InterCity 225 was recorded at a speed of 162 mph (260.7 km/h). Its high speed capabilities were again demonstrated via a 3hr 29mins non-stop run between London and Edinburgh on 26 September 1991.

The London and Edinburgh run was at an average speed of around 112 mph.

I wonder what time, one of LNER’s Class 801 trains, that are all-electric could do, once the new digital signalling has been fully installed on the route? I suspect it would be close to three hours, but it would depend on how long the trains could run at 140 mph.

It should be noted that the Selby Diversion was designed for 160 mph, when it was built by British Rail in the 1980s.

In Are Short Lengths Of High Speed Line A Good Idea?, I look at the mathematics of putting in short lengths of new railway, which have higher speeds, where this was part of my conclusion.

I very much feel there is scope to create some new high speed sections on the current UK network, with only building very little outside of the current land used by the network.

I would love to know what some of Network Rail’s track experts feel is the fastest time possible between London and Edinburgh that can be achieved, by selective upgrading of the route.

If some of the trains were High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, with a top speed of 205 mph, provided the track allowed it, there could be some interesting mathematics balancing the costs of track upgrades, new trains with what passengers and operators need in terms of journey times.

Could High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains Be Used To Advantage On The West Coast Main Line?

Much of what I said about the East Coast Main Line would apply to the West Coast Main Line.

But in addition, the West Coast Main Line will be a superb place to test the new High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains.

I believe, that before High Speed Two opens, we’ll see High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains, carrying passengers between Euston and Avanti West Coast’s destinations.

Could High Speed Two Be Split Into Two?

Consider.

  • Under earlier plans, the East Coast Main Line to the North of York, will be used by High Speed Two.
  • With digital signalling the East Coast Main Line will support continuous running at 140 mph for long sections of the route.
  • The East Coast Main Line has a recently-rebuilt large Southern terminal at King’s Cross with eleven platforms and good suburban services and excellent connections to the London Underground.
  • The East Coast Main Line has a very large Northern terminal at Edinburgh Waverley with twenty platforms and good local train connections.
  • There are large intermediate stations on the East Coast Main Line at Doncaster, Leeds, Newcastle, Peterborough and York. All these stations have good local train connections.
  • The East Coast Main Line has important branches to Cambridge, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull King’s Lynn, Lincoln, Middlesbrough, Nottingham, Scarborough, Sheffield, Skegness and Sunderland.

We are talking about an asset, that needs improving rather than sidelining.

 

Could High Speed Two Be A One-Nation Project?

Over three years ago, I wrote Could High Speed Two Be A One-Nation Project? and tried to answer the question in the title.

But now the core network is better defined, perhaps it is time to look at extending the High Speed network again.

The next few sections look at possible extensions.

Serving Chester And North Wales

I looked at this in Could High Speed Two Trains Serve Chester And North Wales?, which I have updated recently.

This was my conclusion.

It looks to me, that when High Speed Two, think about adding extra destinations, Chester and Holyhead could be on the list.

I also suspect that even without electrification and High Speed Two services, but with the new Class 805 trains, the route could be a valuable one for Avanti West Coast.

These are current and promised times for the two legs to Holyhead.

  • Euston and Crewe – 90 minutes – Fastest Class 390 train
  • Euston and Crewe – 55 minutes – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train from Wikipedia
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 131 minutes – Fastest Class 221 train
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 70 minutes – 90 mph average speed
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 63 minutes – 100 mph average speed
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 57 minutes – 110 mph average speed
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 53 minutes – 120 mph average speed
  • Crewe and Holyhead – 45 minutes – 140 mph average speed

Note.

  1. I have assumed that Crewe and Holyhead is 105.5 miles.
  2. The operating speed of the North Wales Coast Line is 90 mph.
  3. In the following estimates,  I have assumed a change of train at Crewe, takes 6 minutes.

I think there are several options to run fast services to Chester and North Wales.

Pre-HS2 – Class 805 all the way

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest Class 390 train between Euston and Crewe.
  • The fastest Class 221 train between Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 3 hours 41 minutes.

Pre-HS2 – Class 805 all the way, but with perhaps less stops and some track improvement

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest Class 390 train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 110 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 2 hours 27 minutes.

Pre-HS2 – Class 805 all the way, but with perhaps less stops and Crewe and Holyhead uprated largely to 125 mph

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest Class 390 train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 120 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 2 hours 23 minutes.

Pre-HS2 – Class 805 all the way, but with perhaps less stops and Crewe and Holyhead Crewe and Holyhead electrified and uprated to 140 mph

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest Class 390 train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 140 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 2 hours 15 minutes.

After-HS2 – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train to Crewe, the Class 805 train to Holyhead

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train between Euston and Crewe.
  • The fastest Class 221 train between Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 3 hours 12 minutes.

After-HS2 – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train to Crewe, the Class 805 train to Holyhead, but with perhaps less stops and some track improvement

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 110 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 1 hours 58 minutes.

After-HS2 – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train to Crewe, the Class 805 train to Holyhead, but with perhaps less stops and Crewe and Holyhead uprated largely to 125 mph

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 120 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 1 hours 54 minutes.

After-HS2 – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train to Crewe, Class 805 train to Holyhead, but with perhaps less stops and Crewe and Holyhead electrified and uprated to 140 mph

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 140 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 1 hours 46 minutes.

After-HS2 – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train all the way, but with perhaps less stops and Crewe and Holyhead electrified and uprated to 140 mph

I believe this train will match the following.

  • The fastest High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train between Euston and Crewe.
  • 140 mph train Crewe and Holyhead.

This would give a time of 1 hours 40 minutes.

From these estimates, I have come to these conclusions.

  • A sub-two and a half-hour service can be attained with the new Class 805 trains and some improvements to the tracks along the North Wales Coast Line.
  • A sub-two hour service can be attained with a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train to Crewe and a Class 805 train to Hplyhead along a 140 mph electrified North Wales Coast Line.
  • If the North Wales Coast Line is electrified, the journey from London Euston, Birmingham Interchange, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Manchester would be zero-carbon.

We should be looking to building a zero-carbon fast passenger ferry for sailing between Holyhead and Dublin.

  • The current fastest ferries appear to take three hours and 15 minutes, which means that a six-hour low-carbon journey between London Euston and Dublin, should be possible with the new Class 805 trains, prior to the opening of High Speed Two.
  • A five-hour journey after the opening of High Speed Two to Crewe and electrification of the North Wales Coast Line should be possible.

If the advanced zero-carbon ferry could knock an hour off the journey, four hours between London and Dublin along a spectacular coastal railway with a fast sea voyage, would be a route that would attract passengers.

  • High Speed Two would need to be opened to Crewe.
  • The North Wales Coast Line would need to be upgraded to a 140 mph digitally-signalled line.
  • The North Wales Coast Line would need to be electrified.
  • Full electrification may not be needed, as discontinuous electrification will have advanced to provide zero-carbon running, in a more affordable and less disruptive manner.
  • Trains could either be High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains all the way from London or there could be a change at Crewe to Class 805 trains.
  • The ferry would use the best zero-carbon and operational technology.

The improvement and electrification of the North Wales Coast Line could be planned to take place in a relaxed manner, so that journey times continuously got quicker.

I would start the improvement of the North Wales Coast Line, as soon as possible, as all these improvement will be used to advantage by the new Class 805 trains.

Serving West And South West England And South Wales

Suppose you want to go between Glasgow and Cardiff by train, after High Speed Two has opened.

  • You will take one of the half-hourly High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains between Glasgow Central and London.
  • Three and a half-hours later, you will get off the train in one of the below ground platforms at Old Oak Common station.
  • A short ride in an escalator or lift and you will be in the Great Western Railway station at ground level.
  • From here, fifty minutes later, you will be in Cardiff.

The journey will have taken four hours and twenty minutes.

This may seem a long time but currently Glasgow and Cardiff by train takes over seven hours by train.

  • Glasgow and Bristol Temple Meads takes eight hours, but using High Speed Two and GWR will take 5 hours.
  • Glasgow and Cheltenham Spa takes six hours, but using High Speed Two and GWR will take 5 hours and 30 minutes.
  • Glasgow and Penzance takes twelve hours, but using High Speed Two and GWR will take 8 hours and 33 minutes.
  • Glasgow and Swansea takes nearly nine hours, but using High Speed Two and GWR will take 6 hours and 9 minutes.

The High Speed Two route only has one simple change, whereas some routes now have up to four changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

March 10, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 97 Comments

Landmark Levelling Up Fund To Spark Transformational Change Across The UK

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

These are the four bullet points.

  • More than 100 projects awarded share of £2.1 billion from Round 2 of government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund.
  • Projects will benefit millions of people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and create jobs and boost economic growth.
  • £672 million to develop better transport links, £821 million to kick-start community regeneration and £594 million to restore local heritage sites.
  • Successful bids include Eden Project North in Morecambe, a new AI campus in Blackpool, regeneration in Gateshead, and rail improvements in Cornwall

The press release expands the last bullet point.

Projects awarded Levelling Up Fund money today include:

Eden Project North

Eden Project North will receive £50 million to transform a derelict site on Morecambe’s seafront into a world class visitor attraction. It will also kick-start regeneration more widely in Morecambe, creating jobs, supporting tourism and encouraging investment in the seaside town.

Note.

  1. Because of its closeness to the West Coast Main Line, it will have excellent rail connections to all over the North of England and Central and Southern Scotland, through Lancaster, which will only be a shuttle train away.
  2. One of High Speed Two’s direct destinations will be Lancaster, which will be served by High Speed Two by hourly trains to Birmingham, Carlisle, Crewe, London, Preston, Warrington and Wigan and by two-hourly trains to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
  3. London and Lancaster will be a journey of just two hours and three minutes.

I believe that this high quality rail access will ensure the success of the Eden Project North.

Cardiff Crossrail

Cardiff Crossrail has been allocated £50 million from the fund to improve the journey to and from the city and raise the economic performance of the wider region.

The Cardiff Crossrail is obviously a good project from the little that I’ve read about it. But it does need a web site to explain the reasoning behind it.

Blackpool Multiversity

Blackpool Council and Wyre Council will receive £40 million to deliver a new Multiversity, a carbon-neutral, education campus in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway Central Business District. This historic funding allows Blackpool and The Fylde College to replace their ageing out-of-town centre facilities with world-class state-of-the-art ones in the heart of the town centre. The Multiversity will promote higher-level skills, including automation and artificial intelligence, helping young people secure jobs of the future.

Blackpool certainly needs something.

My suggestion in Blackpool Needs A Diamond, was to build a second Diamond Light Source in the North to complement the successful facility at Harwell.

I don’t think the two proposals are incompatible.

Fair Isle Ferry

Nearly £27 million has been guaranteed for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. The service is a lifeline for the island, supporting its residents, visitors and supply chains, and without its replacement the community will become further isolated.

Note.

  1. Will it be a British-built ferry?
  2. Will it be hydrogen-powered?  After all by the time it is built, the Northern Scottish islands will be providing enough of the gas to power a quarter of Germany.
  3. Surely, a hydrogen-powered roll-on, roll-off ferry will be a tourist attraction in its own right.

I hope the Government and the islanders have a good ship-yard lined up

Gateshead Quays And The Sage

A total of £20 million is going towards the regeneration of Gateshead Quays and the Sage, which will include a new arena, exhibition centre, hotels, and other hospitality. The development will attract nearly 800,000 visitors a year and will create more than 1,150 new jobs.

I don’t know much about the Sage, but this project seems very reasonable.

Mid-Cornwall Metro

A £50 million grant will help create a new direct train service, linking 4 of Cornwall’s largest urban areas: Newquay, St Austell, Truro, and Falmouth/Penryn. This will level up access to jobs, skills, education, and amenities in one of the most economically disadvantaged areas in the UK.

I wrote about this scheme in The Proposed Mid-Cornwall Metro, where I came to this conclusion.

I believe that a small fleet of Hitachi Regional Battery Trains could create an iconic Metro for Cornwall, that would appeal to both visitors and tourists alike.

Judging by the recent success of reopening the Dartmoor Railway to Okehampton in Devon, I think this scheme could be a big success. But it must be zero-carbon!

Female Changing Rooms For Northern Ireland Rugby

There is £5.1 million to build new female changing rooms in 20 rugby clubs across Northern Ireland.

Given the popularity of the female version of the sport in England, Scotland and Wales, perhaps this is a sensible way to level it up in Northern Ireland. As rugby is an all-Ireland sport, perhaps the Irish have already sorted the South?

January 19, 2023 Posted by | Sport, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Heavy Load From Felixstowe To Manchester

As I waited for my train at Canonbury station this morning, this very long train went through.

After I got home, I found that it was going from the Port of Felixstowe to Trafford Park Freightliner Terminal.

The journey will take around nine-and-a-half hours.

  • This time includes a sixty-five minute stop at Ipswich to change the diesel locomotive or locomotives used to haul the train out of the Port of Felixstowe for the pair of Class 90 electric locomotives for the rest of the journey to the North-West.
  • The two locomotives together have a power output of about 7.5 MW.
  • The train will pick up the West Coast Main Line at Primrose Hill and then take the Trent Valley Line between Rugby and Stafford before approaching Trafford Park, using the Castlefield Corridor through Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations.
  • As I write this, the train is on time as it approaches Tamworth.

The train has done well as at Watford, it was running twenty minutes late. The train crew have used the 7.5 MW well to claw back the time.

Did it help the crew to regain the schedule, that they had 7.5 MW on hand, as opposed to the less than 3 MW from the UK’s largest diesel locomotive?

To my mind, this illustrates one of the reasons, why long distance trains are best run by powerful electric locomotives.

In Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?, I describe the new Class 99 locomotive.

  • It is an electro-diesel locomotive.
  • It has 6 MW available on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  • It has a 1.8 MW Cummins diesel engine, which may be powerful enough to haul the largest trains in and out of the Port of Felixstowe, where the route is not electrified.

Thirty of these locomotives have been ordered by GB Railfreight.

I believe that one of these locomotives could handle a very heavy freight train between the Port of Felixstowe and Trafford Park Freightliner Terminal.

  • The locomotive working alone could handle the train on the unelectrified line between Felixstowe and Ipswich.
  • There would be no need to electrify the lines in the Port of Felixstowe.
  • There would be no need for a prolonged stop in Ipswich.
  • An hour on the journey could be saved.
  • There might be a saving in the number of crew.

The Class 99 locomotive seems to be well-designed for handling freight trains out of Felixstowe.

Were Freightliner experimenting with what they needed from an electro-diesel locomotive, when I took this picture at Shenfield?

Note.

  1. The Class 90 electric locomotive has 3.7 MW of power.
  2. The Class 66 diesel locomotive has 2.4 MW of power.

Was what I saw an affordable electro-diesel locomotive?

January 17, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Royal Mail Rolling Back The Years To Put More Post On Trains

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

This is the sub-title.

Post transported by train will treble under plan to ditch planes and lorries.

These are some points from the article.

  • They are in discussion with Network Rail.
  • Roughly 4pc to 5pc of Britain’s mail is transported on the railways.
  • Keith Williams is executive Chairman of Royal Mail and also was the independent chair of the recent Government-supported Rail Review.
  • One of the aims of the strategy is to rescue the share price.
  • Royal Mail are building some fully-automated parcel-hubs, with the first two at Warrington and Northampton.

I have some further thoughts.

The Warrington Parcel Hub

This appears to be at the Omega Business Park on the closed RAF Burtonwood airfield.

This Google Map shows Warrington.

Note.

  1. The M62 running across the map in an East-West direction.
  2. The two junctions on the M62 are 8 and 9, with junction 8 to the West and junction 9 to the East.
  3. The Omega Business Park is on both sides of the M62 to the West of Junction 8.
  4. Royal Mail appear to have three sheds to the South of the motorway.
  5. Amazon, Asda, Hermes, The Hut Group and others have sheds in the Omega Business Park.
  6. The red arrow indicates the location of Royal Mail’s Warrington Rail Terminal, where mail services between London and Scotland call.

This second Google Map shows Royal Mail’s Warrington Rail Terminal in more detail.

Note.

  1. The West Coast Main Line runs North-South to the West of the terminal.
  2. It looks to be a cramped site.
  3. I doubt that Royal Mail would want to transfer parcels between the rail terminal and the parcel hub, because of the number of trucks involved and the carbon they will generate.
  4. They could use Hydrogen or battery trucks, but that would be a considerable expense.

Perhaps the best thing to do, would be to bore a tunnel.

  • It’s about six kilometres.
  • Electric shuttles would be zero-carbon.
  • Everything could be highly-automated.
  • No drivers would be needed.

It would probably cost less to run.

Royal Mail At Northampton

Where the Northampton Loop Line meets the West Coast Main Line between Rugby and Northampton, there is a massive logistics park, which is shown in this Google Map.

Note.

  1. There are at least three Royal Mail sites here.
  2. One at the top of the map is labelled Royal Mail NDC NEW SITE.
  3. One at the bottom of the map is labelled Royal Mail National Distribution Centre.
  4. There is a rail connection.

This must be a very large investment for Royal Mail.

Further Parcel Hubs

No further hubs are mentioned in the article. But I’m sure, that the systems at Warrington and Northampton could be replicated.

The East Coast, Great Western And Midland Main Lines

I suspect, when these lines are fully electrified, they could be brought into the system.

A Hub At Calais

Why not?

Conclusion

It looks a good plan and one that can be realised.

May 6, 2022 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Northern Eden Project Worth £125 million Gets Green Light

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

These are the first two paragraphs.

Plans to transform the seafront of a deprived town into a £125 million northern outpost of the Eden Project have been given the green light.

Councillors in Lancashire approved plans for the site on Morecambe seafront which it is hoped will attract around a million visitors and create 400 jobs.

I think the Eden Project Morecambe could be a real Northern success.

Here’s my reasoning.

Location, Location, Location

These are the three most important factors with any house, building or property.

Morecambe has a superb location for visitors coming by car or train, as is close to both the M6 Motoway and the West Coast Main Line.

I wrote about getting to the Eden Project in Getting To The Proposed Morecambe Eden Project By Train.

I suspect visitors coming by road, would drive to a suitable Park-and-Ride and then take a train.

Lancaster Will Be A High Speed Two Station

Lancaster will be served by the following High Speed Two services.

  • London Euston – Two hours and three minutes – One tph
  • London Old Oak Common – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tph
  • Birmingham Curzon Street – One hour and six minutes – One tph
  • Crewe – Fifty-nine minutes – One tph
  • Warrington Bank Quay – Forty-two minutes – One tph
  • Wigan North Western – Thirty-one minutes – Two tph
  • Preston – Seventeen minutes – Two tph
  • Oxenholme – Twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Penrith – Thirty-five minutes – One tp2h
  • Carlisle – Fifty-two minutes – One tph
  • Lockerbie – One hour and eleven minutes – One tph
  • Edinburgh – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h
  • Motherwell – One hour and fifty-six minutes – One tp2h
  • Glasgow – Two hours and twelve minutes – One tp2h

Note.

  1. tph is trains per hour.
  2. tp2h is trains per two hours.
  3. A shuttle train between Lancaster and the Eden Project Morecambe will probably add ten minutes.

High Speed Two will make the Eden Project Morecambe one of the best connected entertainment venues in the UK.

Avanti West Coast And TransPennine Express North Of Warrington Bank Quay After High Speed Two Opens

When High Speed Two opens, it is likely that North of Warrington Bank Quay station, the operating speed of this section of the West Coast Main Line will be faster than the  current 125 mph, as the track will have been straightened and digital signalling will have been installed.

It will probably be at least 140 mph.

These trains will be running express passenger services on the route and will be able to match the speed and timings of High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible trains to the North of Warrington Bank Quay station.

  • Avanti West Coast’s Class 390 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 397 trains
  • TransPennine Express’s Class 802 trains

There is likely to be savings of a few minutes on these services.

  • Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly and Glasgow Central
  • TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central

Connections from the North-West of England and Southern Scotland will be fast and frequent.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be A Day Trip For Greater North West England

An area defined by Carlisle, Blackburn, Manchester, Crewe, Chester, Liverpool and Blackpool will be close enough to have a day trip to the venue.

Eden Project Morecambe Is Unlikely To Be A Poor Attraction

The Eden Project Morecambe must be worth attending, but with twenty years experience of running a similar attraction in Cornwall, it is unlikely to be a failure.

Eden Project Morecambe Will Be Easier To Travel To Than The Original Eden Project For Many

I have never even been past the Eden Project in Cornwall, as it is not the easiest place to get to without a car.

I intend to go, but it will probably need two nights in a hotel to do it justice.

But Eden Project Morecambe could well be much shorter trip from London.

Currently, Avanti West Coast’s fastest time between London Euston and Lancaster are two hours and forty minutes, which would mean an under three hours trip both ways to and from Eden Project Morecambe. The Cornish site is probably nearly five hours by public transport.

Conclusion

All these factors should contribute to the success of the attraction.

 

January 31, 2022 Posted by | World | , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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