Liverpool’s Vision For Rail
This document on the Liverpool City Region web site is entitled Metro Mayor’s Vision Of A Merseyrail for All Takes Vital Step Forward With Successful Trial Of New Battery-Powered Trains.
It makes these points in the first part of the document.
- Game-changing technology paves way for Merseyrail network expansion across the Liverpool City Region and beyond
- Merseyrail services could reach as far as Wrexham and Preston
- City Region is at the forefront of the introduction of pioneering energy efficient technology.
The new battery-powered trains would certainly go a long way to enable, these objectives.
- Battery-powered trains would need a range of 26.9 miles to go between Bidston and Wrexham stations.
- Battery-powered trains would need a range of 15.3 miles to go between Ormskirk and Preston stations.
This link is to the North Cheshire Rail User Group’s Newsletter for Spring 2021.
This is said about battery range of the new Class 777 trains.
Later model Class 777’s have the ability to leave the 3rd rail and operate under battery power for 20 miles or more with a full load thus
permitting expansion of the Merseyrail network beyond its current limits.
I suspect they will also have regenerative braking to batteries, which will increase the range and allow Preston and Wrexham stations to be achieved without charge.
It certainly sounds like Preston and Wrexham and all the intermediate stations, will be added to the Merseyrail network.
As to the third point above about the introduction of pioneering energy efficient technology, I suspect this is mainly regenerative braking to batteries and replacement of elderly worn-out power supply equipment.
There is more in the Liverpool City Region document.
Expanding Merseyrail
This is said.
The game-changing technology could allow the Merseyrail network to extend across all six city region boroughs to places like Rainhill in St Helens, Woodchurch on the Wirral and Widnes in Halton.
It could also allow the new fleet to operate as far afield as Skelmersdale, Wrexham, Warrington and Runcorn.
Note.
- A 25 KVAC capability could well be needed. But that is built into the Class 777 trains.
- Chargers could be needed at some of these stations. I suspect Stadler have a Swiss manufacturer in mind.
In the run-up to May’s elections, the Mayor pledged to deliver ‘Merseyrail for All, a commitment to connecting under-served communities to the Merseyrail network.
New Stations
Initially the battery-powered trains, which are considerably greener, using up to 30% less energy than the existing fleet, are set to run on services to a planned new station at Headbolt Lane, Kirkby.
The wider Merseyrail for All programme could ensure every community is well served by an integrated public transport network and new and refurbished train stations are also high on the agenda.
They could include:
- The Baltic Triangle in Liverpool
- Carr Mill in St Helens
- Woodchurch on the Wirral
Note.
- The Baltic Triangle station will be built on the site of the former Liverpool St. James station.
- The Carr Mill station will probably be built on the site of the former Carr Mill station.
- Woodchurch station is likely to be built on the Borderlands Line between Upton and Heswall stations.
Tram-Trains And Trackless Trams
The document says this.
Tram-Train technology and trackless trams will also be looked at as potential means of extending the Merseyrail network into hard-to-reach places. The technology could benefit areas such as Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Speke, Kirkby Town Centre, Southport Town Centre, Wirral Waters and the Knowledge Quarter.
Tram-trains built by Stadler in Valencia are already running in Sheffield and in the next few years they should be deployed on the South Wales Metro.
TStadler are also building Merseyrail’s new Class 777 trains, so I suspect they’ll go together like peaches and cream.
The Belgian firm; Van Hool have a product called Exquicity. This video shows them working in Pau in France.
These tram buses run on rubber types and are powered by hydrogen.
Similar buses running in Belfast are diesel-electric.
Could these be what the document refers to as trackless trams?
Battery Train Trials
The article finishes with this summary of the battery train trials. This is said.
Under the battery trials, financed by the Transforming Cities Fund, one of the new class 777 trains fitted with the battery technology was tested on the Northern line.
The batteries exceeded expectations with the trains travelling up to 20 miles per run without the need for re-charging.
The battery trains would remove the need for the third ‘electric’ rail, enabling the trains to travel beyond the existing network without major track investment.
The units passed all tests during four weeks of trials on the City Region’s rail network in May and June.
The Combined Authority and partners are still assessing the full impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the programme and will provide more information regarding the roll out as soon as it has been agreed.
It looks to me, if all these plans get implemented successfully, Liverpool City Region will have one of the best public transport systems of any similar-sized cities in the world.
The Full Plan As A Map
This article on the BBC is entitled Battery-Powered Trains Part Of Merseyrail Expansion Plan.
The article contains this map.
There is no key or explanation, but it appears that the pink lines are new routes, where Merseyrail will run trains.
Before I discuss each of the possible routes, I will discuss two big factors, that will affect a lot of my thinking.
The West Coast Main Line
Avanti West Coast have the following stops in trains per hour (tph) at these stations on the West Coast Main Line as its trains pass the East of Merseyside to and from London Euston.
- Crewe – At least 5 tph
- Warrington Bank Quay – At least 2 tph
- Preston – At least 1 tph
These frequencies are in addition to these direct trains from London Euston.
- 1 tph to Liverpool Lime Street, which will rise to 2 tph in the December 2022, with a call at Liverpool South Parkway station.
- Occasional services to Chester throughout the day.
Passengers do not have to go via Liverpool Lime Street to travel to London.
In addition. there are useful services run by TransPennine Express between Liverpool Lime Street and Scotland, that call at Preston.
In Future; High Speed Two
This will call at Crewe, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool South Parkway, Preston and Warrington.
Northern Trains
Northern Trains were in all sorts of troubles and the service is now run directly by the Government’s Operator of Last Resort. I suspect that any reasonable offer to takeover over a service will be looked at favourably.
I will now look at Merseyrail’s new routes.
Ormskirk And Southport Via The Burscough Curve
Consider.
- This route has been a long term aspiration of Merseyrail.
- A curve between Burscough Bridge and Burscough Junction will have to be rebuilt on a former alignment.
- Southport and Ormskirk are about 13 miles apart.
- Southport and Ormskirk have third-rail electrified lines to Liverpool and the South.
It would be an ideal route for battery-electric trains with a range of 20 miles.
What would it do for passengers?
- It gives those living near five stations a direct link to Liverpool.
- It gives Southport a town of over 91,000 people more capacity to the city of Liverpool for jobs, leisure and shopping.
- Will it open up more opportunities for new housing in villages like Burscough?
It will certainly give Merseyrail operational advantages to Southport.
Ormskirk And Preston
Consider.
- Takeover of this Northern Trains route has been a long term aspiration of Merseyrail.
- Preston and Ormskirk are about 15.3 miles and 32 minutes apart.
- Omskirk has 750 VDC third-rail electrification and Preston has 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The Class 777 trains have been built so they can be updated to dual voltage.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- It gives those living near the Ormskirk and Preston Line a direct link to Liverpool.
- It creates a direct link in modern electric trains between North Liverpool and Preston, for onward travel on West Coast Main Line services and High Speed Two in the future.
- The journey time could be reduced to under thirty minutes.
As football is so important to the Liverpool economy, would a time around forty-five minutes between Preston and Sandhills station tempt football supporters going to Anfield and Goodison Park to use the train and then perhaps a trackless tram to the stadium?
This Google map shows the location of Anfield, Goodison Park and Sandhills station.
Note.
- Anfield is in the bottom-right corner of the map and is marked by a red arrow.
- Goodison is in the top-right corner of the map, slightly to the West of Anfield.
- Sandhills station is in the bottom-left corner of the map.
Both stadia are around a mile and a half from the station.
Southport And Preston
Once the Ormskirk and Southport and Ormskirk and Preston services are up and running, it would surely be possible to run a Southport and Preston service.
- There would be a reverse at Ormskirk.
- The two sections of Ormskirk and Southport and Ormskirk and Preston would both need battery power.
- Whilst the driver changed ends at Ormskirk, the train would be recharged using a fast and efficient charger.
- Times between Southport and Preston would be under an hour.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- It gives those living in Southport, a direct link to Preston.
- It creates a direct link in modern electric trains between Southport and Preston, for onward travel on West Coast Main Line services and High Speed Two in the future.
This service could be very valuable for passengers, but I suspect the route could be implemented with minimal infrastructure changes at Ormskirk station.
Ormskirk Station
This picture shows Ormskirk’s single platform from the Merseyrail end.
Note.
- The Liverpool train in the foreground.
- The Preston train in the background.
- The solid barrier between the trains.
I wonder if the following would be possible with the barrier removed.
- The long platform would be treated as one platform divided into two.
- Perhaps they will be the Liverpool and Preston/Southport platform,
- Trains that will leave the station for Liverpool will stop in the Liverpool platform.
- Trains that will leave the station for Preston or Southport will stop in the Preston/Southport platform.
- Through trains between Liverpool and Preston or Southport would be possible.
- A train between Preston and Southport could reverse in the Preston/Southport platform, whilst trains for Liverpool used the Liverpool platform.
It looks like it’s an efficient layout borrowed from somewhere else. and Stadler have probably seen it before.
Headbolt Lane Station
In Headbolt Lane Station Fly-Through, I described the new Headbolt Lane station.
This screen capture is from the video in that post,
Note.
- Two platforms going away from the camera and one platform and what looks to be a siding going towards the camera.
- There appears to be no direct connection between the two different sets of tracks.
Until proven wrong, I believe that the camera is looking towards Liverpool, as it would mean that Liverpool services had two platforms. But they currently make do with one at Kirkby.
There is a walk through between the tracks, which
- Enables passengers to access the second platform.
- Allows passengers to enter the station from the other side.
- Allows non-passengers to cross the tracks on the level.
- Avoids the need to build a bridge.
It is certainly an innovative design.
If occasional trains need to go through, could there be a lift-out section of the walk-through?
But as there are buffer stops on the tracks in the three platforms, that are either side of the walk-through, I suspect it will never happen, as it’s too much hassle.
In the Wikipedia entry for Headbolt Lane station this is said.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in July 2021 that a trial of a battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) version of the new Class 777 will serve the new station, when it opens. This will not require all of the line extension to Headbolt Lane to be electrified.
Merseyrail would appear to have neatly side-stepped, the Office of Road and Rail’s policy of no more third-rail electrification.
But I’m sure Merseyrail could put an approved train-charging system in the station.
- They would need one if a Class 777 train arrived with a flat battery.
- They would need one to charge trains on the Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale service, if the service were to be run by battery-electric trains.
- They would need one to charge trains on the Headbolt Lane and Wigan Wallgate service, if the service were to be run by battery-electric trains.
The system could be based on a short length of overhead wire and a slim pantograph or a system like Railbaar from Furrer + Frey.
But does it give any clues as to the orientation of the station in the video?
- As there are three platforms and a siding, that meet at Headbolt Lane station, all could be fitted with chargers. to make sure the services are reliable.
- Liverpool services could be handled at either end, as it only needs one platform.
- Skelmersdale and Wigan services could probably share a platform, but they would be better surely using two platforms.
- The siding could be created into a platform for extra services to be added to the Merseyrail network
So there is no pressing reason, why the station cannot be North or South of the railway.
I suspect road layout and land use issues will eventually decide, the orientation of the station.
Headbolt Lane And Skelmersdale
Consider.
- This has been a long term aspiration of Merseyrail and Lancashire County Council.
- Headbolt Lane and Skelmersdale are just a few miles apart.
- Direct running between Liverpool and Skelmersdale will not be possible, but it will be a step-free change between trains.
The Wikipedia entry for Headbolt Lane station seems to indicate a proposed extension of the Northern Line with the next stop being the existing Rainford station. This would surely not add greatly to costs and bring Merseyrail to more fare-paying customers.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- Skelmersdale is a town of nearly 39,000 and is said to be one of the largest towns in England without a rail connection.
- At Headbolt Lane passengers will be able to change for Liverpool or Manchester.
A lot of passengers will have received a modern train service.
Headbolt Lane And Wigan
Consider.
- This service is currently run by Northern trains.
- Kirkby and Wigan Wallgate stations are just over twelve miles apart.
- Someone, who should know told me that by the time High Speed Two starts running through Wigan at a frequency of two tph, the two Wigan stations will have been combined.
- Headbolt Lane station could be the drop-off point for those needing to go to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and London on both the current West Coast Main Line and the future High Speed Two.
What better way to start that journey than on one of Merseyrail’s battery-electric Class 777 trains.
What would it do for passengers?
With modern battery-electric trains linking Headbolt Lane station to the combined Wigan station complex, this route could be the zero-carbon route between large parts of Liverpool and cantres of tourism and employment along and to the East of the M6 and the West Coast Main Line.
Liverpool South Parkway And Warrington Central
Consider.
- This would be takeover of part of the current Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road service.
- The map shows the service going at least as far as Warrington Central station.
- Stations between Hunts Cross and Warrington Central include Halewood, Hough Green, Widnes, Sankey and the new Warrington West stations.
Distances are as follows.
- Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street – 5.5 miles
- Liverpool South Parkway and Warrington Central – 12.7 miles
- Liverpool South Parkway and Trafford Park – 25.4 miles
- Liverpool South Parkway and Manchester Oxford Road – 28.7 miles
The following sections of the route have 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- Liverpool South Parkway and Liverpool Lime Street
- East of Trafford Park.
With a bit more electrification at either end, the whole route should be in range of a battery-electric Class 777 train.
Or the Class 777 trains could be fitted with bigger batteries!
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- This is a route that has needed decent trains for years and has finally got new Class 195 trains.
- But, in addition, the battery-electric Class 777 trains would decarbonise the route.
The major problem, though is not infrastructure or trains, but surely Andy Burnham, who is the outspoken Mayor of Greater Manchester and could object to Merseyrail invading his patch.
Merseyrail’s Cheshire Ambitions
This is a section of the map shown on the BBC article, showing Cheshire.
It looks like there could be as many as three routes.
- Chester and Crewe
- Chester and Runcorn East
- Ellesmere Port and Runcorn East
I’ll now cover the routes in detail.
Chester And Crewe
Consider.
- This would be a takeover by Merseyrail of the existing Trains for Wales service.
- Chester And Crewe are about 21,2 miles and 25 minutes apart.
- Chester has 750 VDC third-rail electrification and Crewe has 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The Class 777 trains have been built so they can be updated to dual voltage.
- There is a proposal, that Beeston Castle and Tarporley station be re-opened.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- If trains will run between Crewe and Liverpool, this creates a second route between the two major stations.
- It creates a direct link in modern electric trains between The Wirral and Crewe, for onward travel on West Coast Main Line services and High Speed Two in the future.
- The journey time could be reduced by enough to increase service frequency on the route.
I This would be a very useful extension of the Merseyrail network.
Chester And Runcorn East
Consider.
- This would be a takeover by Merseyrail of the existing Trains for Wales service.
- Chester And Runcorn East are about 13.1 miles apart.
- Two stations and five miles further on is Warrington Bank Quay station.
- Chester has 750 VDC third-rail electrification and Warrington Bank Quay has 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The Class 777 trains have been built so they can be updated to dual voltage.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- It would enable a Merseyrail circular route from Liverpool Lime Street to Chester via Edge Hill, Wavertree Technology Park, Broad Green, Roby, Huyton, Whiston, Rainhill, Lea Green, St Helens Junction, Warrington Bank Quay, Frodsham, Runcorn East and Helsby.
- After Chester, it could take the Wirral Line back to Liverpool to make it a true Mersey Circular service.
Would a Mersey Circular service be a good idea?
Ellesmere Port And Runcorn East
Consider.
- This been a long term aspiration of Merseyrail.
- This would be a takeover by Merseyrail of the infrequent Northern Rail service.
- Ellesmere Port And Runcorn East are about 10.8 miles apart.
- Two stations and five miles further on is Warrington Bank Quay station.
- Ellesmere Port has 750 VDC third-rail electrification and Warrington Bank Quay has 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
- The Class 777 trains have been built so they can be updated to dual voltage.
It certainly looks to be a route that could be handled by a battery-electric Class 777 train.
What would it do for passengers?
- It would certainly improve rail transport along the South Bank of the Mersey from Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay or Runcorn East depending on the Eastern terminus.
- If the terminal were to be Warrington Bank Quay that would sort out the charging.
- It could create a direct link in modern electric trains between Ellesmere Port and Warrington Bank Quay, for onward travel on West Coast Main Line services and High Speed Two in the future.
I feel that an Ellesmere Port and Warrington Bank Quay service would be good for the area.
The Borderlands Line
I’ve left the Borderlands Line to last, as I feel it will be a lot more than commuter and leisure line between Liverpool and Wrexham.
- It crosses the border between England and Wales
- The line is 26.9 miles of double track, with a single-track extension of under two miles between the two Wrexham stations.
- It has over twenty stations with more planned in both countries
- It crosses a couple of rivers on long steel bridges.
- It brings commuters to Liverpool and takes workers to the high-tech factories of companies like Airbus and Toyota on Deeside.
- It connects to a lot of golf courses, one of which is the Open Championship course at Royal Liverpool.
- Once in Wales it has two connections to the North Wales Coast Line, which runs between Chester and holyhead.
It is no ordinary railway and is ripe for improvement to bridge passengers to employment sites and leisure areas along its route.
The line has one big problem in that passengers need to change trains at Bidston between Liverpool and Wrexham stations.
- Between Bidston and Liverpool the Merseyrail electric trains to and from Hoylake are used and they turn in the Liverpool Loop under Liverpool City Centre calling at four stations before returning.
- Between Bidston and Wrexham, diesel multiple units are used.
It is a route design straight out of the 1970s of men with minds without imagination. Even British Rail were designing battery-electric trains in the 1950s, which I wrote about in Did The Queen Ever Ride In This Train?.
Merseyrail intend to right the wrongs of the past using battery-electric Class 777 trains.
- As electric versions of these trains will be used on the Liverpool and Hoylake service, there would be no need to change trains at Bidston if the Liverpool and Wrexham trains were just a battery-electric version of the same train.
- The Wrexham trains would drive round the Liverpool Loop tunnel as hundreds of trains do every day.
- The trains would be charged on the existing third-rail electrification at the Liverpool end.
- I’m fairly certain that a frequency of two tph would be possible on the route, if the Liverpool Loop tunnel signalling could cope,
- Trains would need to be charged at the Wexham end of the route and I’m sure Stadler have a solution.
It would be an efficient and cost effective way to decarbonise a tricky but useful branch line.
Conclusion
Stadler are playing their full orchestra of ideas on Merseyrail.
When completed, it will be one of the best metros of any urban areas up to a million people in the world.
This metro could do for Liverpool, what the Beatles did for the city in the 1960s.
Bletchley Viaduct – 5th July 2021
I took these pictures of the new Bletchley viaduct today,
Note that there is now a bridge over the four tracks of the West Coast Main Line.
Battery-Electric Class 331 Trains On The Radar
In the June 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article which is entitled Northern Looks To The Future.
This is a paragraph.
Also on the radar is the creation of hybrid Class 331 EMUs fitted with batteries. A proposal has been developed by CAF and owner Eversholt Rail to augment three-car ‘331s’ with a fourth vehicle containing batteries, which would see batteries also fitted to the existing centre car. The Manchester to Windermere route has been touted as a possible location for deployment, with trains switching to battery power on the non-electrified branch from Oxenholme, although the line’s user group still favours electrification of the branch.
I have a few thoughts.
Electrification at Oxenholme
In Surprising Electrification At Oxenholme, I detailed the electrification at Oxenholme station in May 2018.
Consider.
- Platform 3 used by the Windermere trains is fully electrified.
- The crossover South of the station used by trains going between the Windermere Branch Line and the West Coast Main Line is fully electrified.
- The electrification continues for perhaps a hundred metres along the Windermere branch.
I am fairly certain, that this electrification has been designed so that a bi-mode or battery-electric train can perform a reliable power changeover in Platform 3 at Oxenholme station.
What Will Be The Range Of A Four-Car Battery-Electric Class 331 Train?
This is very much a case of how long is a piece of string.
At least we know from the extract above that the train is designed to do a return trip between Oxenholme and Windermere stations, which is a distance of 20.4 miles and a six minute turnround.
We should also note that Hitachi are claiming a range of 56 miles for their Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
As the Class 331 with batteries will compete with the Hitachi Reional Battery Train, I would suspect that the range on easy level ground would be at least fifty miles at a speed of over 80 mph, if not 100 mph.
A Selection Of Possible Routes
These are a selection of other Northern routes where the battery-electric Class 331 trains might be used.
Manchester Airport and Barrow-in-Furness
Consider.
- This is a sibling route to the Manchester Airport and Windermere route and currently has eleven services to Windermere’s four.
- This is a 103.7 mile route.
- All but 28.1 miles is electrified.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Barrow-in-Furness should be able to handle this route.
Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness
Consider.
- This is a 34.8 mile route
- All but 28.1 miles is electrified.
- Lancaster is a fully electrified station.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Barrow-in-Furness should be able to handle this route.
Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness
This is the 85.7 mile route of the Cumbrian Coast Line of which none is electrified.
Consider.
- Carnforth is a fully-electrified station.
- Barrow-in-Furness station could be electrified.
- It is a fairly level route along the coast.
- I suspect that electricity supplies are available at Barrow-in-Furness, Sellafield, Whitehaven and Workington to power electrification.
- Carlisle is a fully-electrified station.
- Barrow-in-Furness and Sellafield are only 35 miles apart.
- CAF have produced trams for Birmingham and Seville, that work with discontinuous electrification.
- There are parts of the route, where there would be those, who would object to the erection of electrification gantries.
I feel it would be possible to electrify the Cumbrian Coast Line using battery-electric Class 331 trains, with a range of at least fifty miles and some short sections of new electrification.
Surely, a battery-electric train along the Cumbrian Coast by the Lake District would be the ideal train for the area
Lancaster and Morecambe
Consider.
- This is a 4 mile route.
- None is electrified.
- Heysham is another four miles past Morecambe.
- Lancaster is a fully-electrified station.
This route might have been built for battery-electric trains.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
York and Blackpool North
Consider.
- This is a 105.5 mile route.
- In a few years about 62 miles will be without electrification.
- It goes through the picturesque Calder Valley.
As with the Cumbrian Coast Line, I believe that this service could be run using battery-electric Class 331 trains, with a range of at least fifty miles and some short sections of new electrification.
Preston and Colne
Consider.
- This is a 29 mile route.
- None is electrified.
- It is steeply uphill to Colne.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Colne should be able to handle this route.
Alternatively, they could use Newton’s friend to return down the hill.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
As with York and Blackpool North, this route would benefit with electrification between Preston and Blackburn.
Preston and Blackpool South
Consider.
- This is a 20 mile route.
- 7.7 miles is electrified.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle this route.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
In an ideal world, Preston and Blackburn would be electrified and trains would run between Colne and Blackpool South, as they used to do.
Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Airport
Consider.
- This is a 45.5 mile route,
- 26.5 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at both ends.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle this route.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
Liverpool Lime Street and Manchester Oxford Road
Consider.
- This is a 34.2 mile route.
- 26.5 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at both ends.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle this route.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
Southport and Alderley Edge
- This is a 52 mile route,
- 27 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at the Southern end.
- There is third rail electrification at Southport.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Southport should be able to handle this route.
Could some Class 331 be fitted with third-rail equipment to charge on Merseyrail’s third-rail electrification?
Manchester Piccadilly and Chester
Consider.
- This is a 45 mile route.
- 38 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at Manchester end.
- There is third rail electrification at Chester.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Chester should be able to handle this route.
Could some Class 331 be fitted with third-rail equipment to charge on Merseyrail’s third-rail electrification?
Manchester Piccadilly and Buxton
Consider.
- This is a 25.5 mile route.
- 17.8 miles is not electrified.
- It is steeply uphill to Buxton.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Buxton should be able to handle this route.
Alternatively, they could use Newton’s friend to return down the hill.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
Manchester Piccadilly and Rose Hill Marple
Consider.
- This is a 13.3 mile route.
- 8.3 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at Manchester end.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle this route.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
Manchester Piccadilly and New Mills Central
Consider.
- This is a 13 mile route.
- Only 2 miles is electrified.
- It is fully electrified at Manchester end.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle this route.
This route might be possible with no extra infrastructure.
Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield
Consider.
- This is a 42 mile route.
- Only 2 miles is electrified.
- It is fully electrified at Manchester end.
- It is a scenic route.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a fifty mile range and a charge at Sheffield should be able to handle this route.
Southport and Stalybridge
- This is a 45 mile route.
- 27 miles is not electrified.
- It will be fully electrified at the Southern end, when electrification between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge is completed.
- There is third rail electrification at Southport.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Southport should be able to handle this route.
Could some Class 331 be fitted with third-rail equipment to charge on Merseyrail’s third-rail electrification?
Manchester Victoria And Kirkby
- The Kirkby end of this route will change to the new Headbolt Lane station in a couple of years.
- This is a 30 mile route.
- 28 miles is not electrified.
- It is fully electrified at the Southern end.
- There is third rail electrification at Kirkby or Headbolt Lane.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a charge at Kirkby or Headbolt Lane should be able to handle this route.
Could some Class 331 be fitted with third-rail equipment to charge on Merseyrail’s third-rail electrification?
I would hope that the new Headbolt Lane station is being designed with battery-electric trains from Manchester in mind!
Rochdale And Clitheroe
Consider.
- This is a 44.7 mile route.
- There is 10.7 miles of electrification between Bolton and Manchester Victoria.
- The Clitheroe end of the route has 23.7 miles of line without electrification.
- The Rochdale end of the route has 10.4 miles of line without electrification.
- It is steeply uphill to Clitheroe.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains should be able to handle the Rochdale end, but could struggle with the climb to Clitheroe.
But it appears that all services needing to climb the hills to Colne and Clitheroe now stop in Platform 2, which is different to Wikipedia, which says that services to Clitheroe stop in Platform 1.
- With charging in platform 2 and a fifty-mile range battery-electric Class 331 trains could reach Clitheroe (9.8 miles), Colne (17 miles), and possibly Leeds (50 miles).
- With charging in platform 4 and a fifty-mile range battery-electric Class 331 trains could reach Bolton (14 miles) and Preston (12 miles)
- Would a fully-charged train leaving Blackburn be able to go via Todmorden and reach the electrification at Manchester Victoria, which is a distance of 39.4 miles?
Note.
If necessary a few well-planned extra miles of electrification would ensure reliable battery-electric services in East Lancashire centred on Blackburn.
The closely-related Blackburn and Rochdale and Blackburn and Wigan Wallgate services would fit in well with an electrified Blackburn station, that could fully charge trains.
I certainly believe that electrifying Preston and Blackburn could give extra benefits.
- Battery-electric trains between Blackpool and Liverpool in the West and Colne, Hebden Bridge, Bradford, Leeds and York in the East.
- Direct electric services from Euston to Blackburn and Burnley.
- Fast freight paths across the Pennines.
In addition, it would probably allow battery-electric trains to run to Leeds via a reinstated Skipton and Colne link.
Wigan And Leeds
Consider.
- The route can terminate at either Wigan North Western or Wigan Wallgate station.
- This is a 68.2 mile route using Wigan North Western.
- Wigan North Western is a fully-electrified station.
- The 16 miles between Wigan North Western and Salford Crescent stations is not electrified.
- The 5 miles between Salford Crescent and Manchester Victoria stations is electrified.
- The 37.2 miles between Manchester Victoria and Mirfield stations is not electrified.
- The 12.2 miles between Mirfield and Leeds will be electrified in the next few years.
- Leeds is a fully-electrified station.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a fifty mile range should be able to handle this route.
Chester And Leeds
Consider.
- This is a 89.7 mile route.
- There is third rail electrification at Chester.
- The 18.1 miles between Chester and Warrington Bank Quay stations is not electrified.
- The 21.8 miles between Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Victoria stations is electrified.
- The 40.3 miles between Manchester Victoria and Bradford Interchange stations is not electrified.
- The 9.4 miles between Bradford Interchange and Leeds stations is not electrified.
- Leeds is a fully-electrified station.
- There seems to be generous turnround times at Chester and Leeds.
It looks to me that the trains are going to need a full battery charge at Bradford Interchange or perhaps Leeds and Bradford Interchange needs to be fully electrified.
I also feel that it would help if the electrification through Manchester Victoria were to be extended towards Rochdale.
But I don’t think it will be impossible for battery-electric Class 331 trains to work the route between Leeds and Chester with some new electrification and/or charging at Bradford Interchange.
Manchester Victoria And Leeds
Consider.
- This is a shortened version of the Chester and Leeds route.
- This is a 49.8 mile route.
- Manchester Victoria is a fully-electrified station.
- The 40.3 miles between Manchester Victoria and Bradford Interchange stations is not electrified.
- The 9.4 miles between Bradford Interchange and Leeds stations is not electrified.
- Leeds is a fully-electrified station.
My comments would be similar to the Chester and Leeds route.
Leeds And York Via Harrogate And Knaresborough
Consider.
- This is a 38.8 mile route.
- Leeds is a fully-electrified station.
- The Harrogate Line is not electrified.
- York is a fully-electrified station.
Battery-electric Class 331 trains with a fifty mile range should be able to handle this route.
There are two other services on the Harrogate Line.
- Leeds and Harrogate – 18.3 miles
- Leeds and Knaresborough – 22.1 miles
I have a feeling that a fleet of battery-electric trains could electrify all services on the Harrogate Line with no extra infrastructure.
Summing Up The Possible Routes
I have assumed that the proposed battery-electric Class 331 train has a range of around fifty miles, which is not unlike that for the Hitachi Regional Battery Train.
It would appear that many of Northern’s routes can be run by a train with this range including some that are around a hundred miles.
There are also routes like the Harrogate Line, which would accept a battery-electric Class 331 train tomorrow, if it were available.
Will A Mix Of Four-Car Electric And Battery-Electric Trains Be Better Than A Mix Of Four-Car And Three-Car Electric Trains?
If the technology is right, I suspect that a four-car battery-electric Class 331 train will be able to substitute for one without batteries on a route that doesn’t need battery power.
This must surely have advantages when trains are in maintenance or otherwise unavailable, as nothing annoys passengers more than an overcrowded train.
Conclusion
The Modern Railways article also says this.
More widely, Northern has previously stated ambitions to acquire more trains, and work was underway last year to identify what this requirement might be.
From my simple analysis on some of their routes, I would look to acquire some four-car battery-electric Class 331 trains, once they have been oroven to work.
Through Settle And Carlisle Service Under Consideration
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in the June 2021 Edition of Modern Railways.
This is the first paragraph.
Plans for a new Leeds to Glasgow through service via the Settle and Carlisle line are being developed, with CrossCountry and the Department for Transport starting to look at the possible scheme.
It sounds like a sensible idea to me.
The article also suggests the following.
- CrossCountry is a possible operator.
- CrossCountry are keen to improve services between Leeds and Glasgow
- The trains could be InterCity 125s, freed up, by a the arrival of Class 221 trains from Avanti West Coast, when they receive their new Class 805 trains.
- Maintenance of the trains wouldn’t be a problem, as this could be done at Neville Hill in Leeds or Craigentinny in Edinburgh.
- Services could start in December 2023.
I have a few thoughts of my own!
The Route
The route between Leeds and Carlisle is obvious, but there are two routes between Carlisle and Glasgow.
Trains would probably choose a route and call at stations to maximise passenger numbers.
These stations are on the various routes.
- Settle and Carlisle – Shipley, Bingley, Keighley, Skipton, Gargrave, Hellifield, Long Preston, Settle, Horton in Ribblesdale, Ribblehead, Dent, Garsdale, Kirkby Stephen, Appleby, Langwathby, Lazonby & Kirkoswald and Armathwaite
- Glasgow South Western – Dunlop, Stewarton, Kilmaurs, Kilmarnock, Auchinleck, New Cumnock, Kirkconnel, Sanquhar, Dumfries, Annan and Gretna Green
- West Coast Main – Motherwell, Carstairs and Lockerbie
There are certainly a lot of possibilities.
Upgrading The InterCity 125 Trains
CrossCountry appear to have enough InterCity 125 trains to muster five in a two Class 43 power car and seven Mark 3 coach formation.
They may not be fully in-line with the latest regulations and there may be a need for a certain degree of refurbishment.
These pictures show some details of a refurbished Great Western Railway Castle, which has been fitted with sliding doors.
Will The InterCity 125 Trains Be Shortened?
Scotrail’s Inter7City trains and Great Western Railway’s Castle trains have all been shortened to four or five coaches.
This picture shows a pair of Castles.
Journey Times, Timetable And Frequency
The current journey time between Leeds and Glasgow Central stations via the East Coast Main Line is four hours and eight minutes with nine stops.
The Modern Railways article says this about the current service.
The new service would be targeted at business and leisure travellers, with through journey times competitive with road and faster than the current direct CrossCountry Leeds to Glasgow services via the East Coast main line.
I would expect that CrossCountry are looking for a time of around four hours including the turn round.
- Stops could be removed to achieve the timing.
- The trains could run at 125 mph on the West Coast Main Line.
This could enable a train to have the following diagram.
- 0800 – Depart Leeds
- 1200 – Depart Glasgow Central
- 1600 – Depart Leeds
- 2000 – Depart Glasgow Central
- Before 2400 – Arrive Leeds
Note.
- A second train could start in Glasgow and perform the mirrored timetable.
- Timings would probably be ideal for train catering.
- Trains would leave both termini at 0800, 1200, 1600 and 2000.
- The timetable would need just two trains.
I also think, if a second pair of trains were to be worked into the timetable, there could be one train every two hours on the route, if the demand was there.
I certainly believe there could be a timetable, that would meet the objectives of attracting business and leisure passengers away from the roads.
Tourism And Leisure Potential
The Settle and Carlisle Line is known as one of the most scenic railway lines in England, if not the whole of the UK.
There are important tourist sites all along the route between Leeds and Glasgow
- Leeds – The station is well-connected in the City Centre.
- Saltaire – For the World Heritage Site and Salt’s Mill
- Keighley – For the Keighley and Worth Heritage Railway
- Settle – The town of Settle is worth a visit.
- Ribblehead – For the famous Ribblehead Viaduct
- Appleby – For the Horse Fair.
- Carlisle – The station is well-connected in the City Centre.
- Glasgow – Glasgow Central station is well-connected in the City Centre.
Many of the stations are used by walkers and others interested in country pursuits.
I believe that it is a route that needs a quality rail service.
Travel Between London and Towns Along The Settle And Carlisle Line
In Thoughts On Digital Signalling On The East Coast Main Line, I said this.
I think it is highly likely that in the future, there will be at least one train per hour (tph) between London Kings Cross and Leeds, that does the trip in two hours.
It may seem fast compared to today, but I do believe it is possible.
With a timely connection at Leeds station, will this encourage passengers to places along the Settle and Carlisle line to use the train?
What About the Carbon Emissions?
The one problem with using InterCity 125 trains on this route, is that they are diesel-powered, using a pair of Class 43 locomotives.
But then there are over a hundred of these diesel-electric locomotives in service, nearly all of which are now powered by modern MTU diesel engines, which were fitted in the first decade of this century.
Consider.
- The locomotives and the coaches they haul have an iconic status.
- Great Western Railway and Scotrail have recently developed shorter versions of the trains for important routes.
- There are over a hundred of the locomotives in service.
- Companies like ULEMCo are developing technology to create diesel-powered vehicles that can run on diesel or hydrogen.
- There is plenty of space in the back of the locomotives for extra equipment.
- MTU have a very large number of diesel engines in service. It must be in the company’s interest to find an easy way to cut carbon emissions.
- I believe that the modern MTU diesel engines could run on biodiesel to reduce their carbon footprint.
And we shouldn’t forget JCB’s technology, which I wrote about in JCB Finds Cheap Way To Run Digger Using Hydrogen.
If they could develop a 2 MW hydrogen engine, it could be a shoe-in.
I believe that for these and other reasons, a solution will be found to reduce the carbon emissions of these locomotives to acceptable levels.
Conclusion
In this quick look, it appears to me that a Glasgow and Leeds service using InterCity 125 trains could be a very good idea.
Would A Mutant Many-Parent Child Help To Solve London’s Transport Problems?
London needs to increase the capacity of its public transport system, as the City continues to get larger and larger.
Current Major Projects
There are only three major rail projects ongoing in London at the present time.
The Bank Station Upgrade
The Bank Station Upgrade appears to be progressing well, albeit perhaps it’s a bit late due to the pandemic.
It is a complex project and from what I have heard and observed, it has been well designed and planned.
The Barking Riverside Extension
As with the Bank Station Upgrade the Overground extension to the new Barking Riverside station, appears to be going reasonably well.
But compared to that project, it is a relatively simple project, built mainly in the open air, with no tunneling.
Crossrail
Crossrail is in trouble, after what many believe was a very good tunnelling phase of the project.
But then tunnels under London usually seem to go well. I can remember the Victoria Line tunnelling and many other under London since the 1960s and all of these tunnels seem to have been dug without trouble. As I write, there don’t seem to be any tunneling problems with the Thames Tideway Tunnel.
Crossrail now has been reduced to a series of station builds and rebuilds, some of which are as large as the Bank Station Upgrade, with other ongoing projects like the testing of trains and systems.
So why are some of these stations running late in their delivery?
If you walk along the route of Crossrail in the City of London and through Clerkenwell and the West End, it is one massive building side as developers raise massive clusters of new developments around and above the Crossrail stations.
The picture shows Farrington station’s Eastern entrance, with a new development on top.
This one wasn’t a big one, but it went up in record time.
These buildings are often funded by Sovereign Wealth Funds, who want their buildings finished ASAP and as they have bottomless pockets, they are prepared to pay more to get the builders and tradesmen they need.
And where did they get the workers from? Other projects, including Crossrail.
This problem happened in Aberdeen at the height of the oil boom in the last century.
I also think that Brexit worsened the problem, as workers from mainland EU moved to large projects closer to home, like Stuttgart 21 and the new Berlin Brandenburg airport, that were both very much in trouble and could have been offering premium salaries as well!
The solution would have been to phase developments so that the limited pool of workers was not exhausted.
But that probably wouldn’t have suited the developers and politicians for all sorts of reasons.
- An uncompleted building doesn’t bring in money and jobs.
- Early completion must improve chances of letting the building.
- Delaying the building would probably have meant fewer holidays for politicians in exotic locations.
Hopefully, a comprehensive enquiry into the lateness of Crossrail will provide answers.
High Speed Two
High Speed Two is to my mind a London local project. But only in a secondary way!
- Rebuilding Euston station will improve Underground connections and interchange at Euston and Euston Square stations.
- It is claimed by High Speed Two, that the rebuilt Euston station will create 16000 jobs and 2200 homes.
- High Speed Two will enable massive development at Old Oak Common, with tens of thousands of homes and jobs.
- Old Oak Common station will be a very important rail hub in North-West London.
With seventeen trains per hour (tph) between Euston and Old Oak Common will High Speed Two attract local traffic?
- I suspect High Speed Two between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly and between Birmingham Interchange and Birmingham Curzon Street will also attract local traffic.
- I’ve used TGVs between Nice and Antibes.
- Tourists might visit, just like they did and still do at the Olympic Park.
- Many Londoners will join High Speed Two at Old Oak Common.
Some wag will suggest putting it on the Tube Map. But is it such a stupid idea?
Where Does London Need More Rail Services?
Having lived in London on and off for over seventy years, I feel the worst areas for rail links are probably.
- North West London
- South East London
- South Central London between Wimbledon and Croydon.
- South West London
Note.
- Over the years, there is no doubt that East and North London have improved considerably, with the development of the East London, North London and Gospel Oak to Barking Lines.
- Thameslink has been improved in North London and now it is being supported with improvements to the Northern City Line. Both routes now have new Siemens trains, which give a whole new dimension to using ironing-boards as seats.
- Crossrail will produce major improvements in West, East and South East London.
- Building of a new Penge Interchange station, which I wrote about in Penge Interchange could improve routes to and from South East London.
- Hopefully the work in recent years at Waterloo will improve suburban services out of Waterloo. In An Analysis Of Waterloo Suburban Services Proposed To Move To Crossrail 2, I showed that four tph could be run to Chessington South, Epsom, Hampton Court and Shepperton stations.
It looks like North West and South Central London are missing out.
How Can Services Be Improved In North West London?
There are radial routes from the centre of London to the suburbs.
Starting from the North and going to the West, there are the following lines.
- The High Barnet branch of the Northern Line
- The Mill Hill East branch of the Northern Line
- The Midland Main Line to St. Albans, Luton, Bedford and the East Midlands.
- The Edgware branch of the Northern Line
- The Jubilee Line to Stanmore
- The West Coast Main Line to Watford, Milton Keynes, the West Midlands, the North West of England and West Scotland.
- The Bakerloo Line to Harrow & Wealdstone.
- The Watford DC Line of the London Overground
- The Amersham, Chesham and Watford branches of the Metropolitan Line
- The Chiltern Route to Aylesbury.
- The Chiltern Main Line to High Wycombe, Banbury, Bicester, Birmingham and Oxford.
- The West Ruislip branch of the Central Line.
- The Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines
When I used to live at Cockfosters as a child, to visit my many cousins in North West London, there was no alternative but to use a bus and take well over an hour each way.
There are now some circular rail routes in London but nothing in the North West of the capital.
The Dudding Hill Line And The West London Orbital Railway
But there is the little-used freight route called Dudding Hill Line.
- It runs between Cricklewood on the Midland Main Line and Acton Central on the North London Line.
- It is four miles of double-track railway.
This YouTube video shows a cab ride from Acton to Cricklewood.
Plans exist to turn it into the West London Orbital Railway, which will run two services.
- West Hampstead and Hounslow via Cricklewood, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common Lane, Acton Central, South Acton, Lionel Road, Brentford, Syon Lane and Isleworth
- Hendon and Kew Bridge via Brent Cross West, Neasden, Harlesden, Old Oak Common Lane, Acton Central, South Acton
Note.
- The proposed frequency of both services is four tph.
- There would be some stations to be built, but the track exists.
- There would be no new tunnels.
- The route is technically feasible.
- The route would connect West London to High Speed Two.
- There would be little disruption whilst it was built.
- The services could be run by dual-voltage battery-electric trains charged on the electrification at both ends of the route.
- The scheme represents a high value for money, with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.2.
On the other hand, the scheme has two serious problems, as far as the current London Mayor is concerned.
- Transport for London has no money, partly because of London’s Fare Freeze.
- The project is not in South London.
This important and value-for-money project will not be built, whilst Sadiq Khan is still Mayor of London.
Harlesden Interchange
I believe that if we get the interchanges right on the West London Orbital Railway correct we can do things like.
- Increase the benefit cost ratio.
- Link the route to South London to make the Mayor a bit happier about the North London Scheme.
This Google Map shows Harlesden station.
Note.
- The Bakerloo Line/Watford DC Line running North-West/South-East through Harlesden station.
- The West Coast Main Line in the Southern section of the map.
- The Dudding Hill Line running North-South across the map.
Platforms will be built on the Dudding Hill Line to connect that would probably be new or extended platforms in the current Harlesden station to enable interchange between the West London Orbital and the Watford DC Lines.
I also think there is a possibility that platforms could be added to the slow tracks of the West Coast Main Line, so that suburban services into London Euston can also connect to the West London Orbital Line.
It would also enable a connection between Southern’s Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes service and the West London Orbital Railway.
Looking at this from various angles, I think that an architect good at designing three-dimensional structures could develop a quality Harlesden Interchange station.
Neasden Interchange
Like Harlesden, Neasden is another possibility for a comprehensive interchange.
This Google Map shows Neasden station.
Note.
- There are a lot of lines going through Neasden station.
- The Dudding Hill Line goes across the South-East corner of the map.
- There is plenty of space in the area.
This map from cartometro.com shows the lines in the area.
Note.
- The Dudding Hill Line is indicated by the former Dudding Hill station.
- The red tracks are Metropolitan Line tracks.
- The silver tracks are Jubilee Line tracks.
- The Southerly pair of lines through Neasden and Dollis Hill stations are Chiltern’s lines into Marylebone.
- The Chiltern tracks divide to the West of Neasden station, with the Aylesbury line following the other tracks and the Chiltern Main Line diverging to the West.
- London’s largest Underground Depot at Neasden, lies to the North-West in an area of London noted for few merits with the North Circular Road passing through.
I wonder, if the station and the depot offers a unique opportunity to offer large scale additions to London’s housing stock over the top of a rebuilt station and depot.
This Google Map shows the wider area.
Note.
- Much of the depot appears to be open-air stabling for trains.
- The North Circular Road passes North-South between the depot and Neasden station.
- The Dudding Hill Line cuts across the South-East corner of the map.
- This corner of the map is labelled as Dudden Hill.
- According to Wikipedia, Dudding Hill is considered a more genteel spelling of Dudden Hill and could be as old as 1544.
It looks as if it would be relatively easy to develop over the top of the depot to create housing, industrial or commercial properties.
But why stop there and cover both the North Circular Road and the six tracks through Neasden station?
Neasden station could be rebuilt into a station with platforms on the following lines.
- Metropolitan Line
- Jubilee Line
- Chiltern Lines
- Dudding Hill Lines
Note.
- I estimate that Chiltern has a train about every six minutes, so some could stop.
- There might be space for a bay platform for Chiltern.
Neasden could be a major housing and transport hub.
- There could be large amounts of parking.
- Road access would be good.
- It would have good rail connections.
- It could have a bus interchange.
- London needs housing.
It might even be an alternative to Chiltern’s plan for a West Hampstead Interchange.
The Mayor of London, Transport for London and the Borough of Brent need to be bold!
Improvements To Chiltern’s Routes
Chiltern Railways have some plans that could improve services in North West London.
Using The Acton-Northolt Line
Wikipedia says this about using the Acton-Northolt Line to access new platforms at Old Oak Common station.
Upgrading the Acton–Northolt line (formerly the “New North Main Line”) to new platforms at Old Oak Common. This upgrade will also extend to London Paddington to increase capacity on the Chiltern Main Line as there is no room to expand the station at Marylebone.
This scheme has merit.
- The platforms would be connected to the Chiltern Main Line along the route of a partly-disused railway.
- The route could be double-tracked.
- There must be space for at least two new platforms.
- The new platforms could easily handle four tph.
- There may be a case for some new stations.
The scheme could add valuable extra capacity for Chiltern.
A Chiltern Metro
Wikipedia says this about a proposed metro service between Marylebone and West Ruislip stations.
- The Metro would have a frequency of four tph.
- It would call at Wembley Stadium, Sudbury & Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow, Northolt Park and South Ruislip.
- The service would require a reversing facility at West Ruislip.
- There would need to be passing loops at Sudbury Hill Harrow, and Wembley Stadium.
Given that the Chiltern Metro was first proposed over a decade ago, perhaps the concept could be increased in scope.
- Housing and other developments along the route may suggest that a station further out like High Wycombe might be a better terminal.
- ERTMS in-cab digital signalling is likely to be installed at some time, which would decrease headways between trains and allow more services.
- Electrification is likely in some form before 2040 and this will improve train performance.
- If Neasden station were to be rebuilt, as a comprehensive transport and residential development, I believe that this Metro service should also call at Neasden, as it would complement the West London Orbital Railway.
I believe that a review of the Chiltern Metro may mean, that an improved version is worth building.
Improvements To The Milton Keynes And Clapham Junction Service
I feel that this service could be key in improving services between North London and South London via the West London Line and High Speed Two’s station at Old Oak Common.
Currently, this service is as follows.
- It runs between Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction stations.
- It has a frequency of one tph.
- It calls at Bletchley, Leighton Buzzard, Tring, Berkhamsted, Hemel Hempstead, Watford Junction, Harrow & Wealdstone, Wembley Central, Shepherd’s Bush, Kensington (Olympia), West Brompton and Imperial Wharf stations.
- The service used to extend to South Croydon via Wandsworth Common, Balham, Streatham Common, Norbury, Thornton Heath, Selhurst and East Croydon.
- It uses Class 377 trains.
- It shares parts of the route with the London Overground.
I also think it has various issues and questions with respect to the future.
- The Class 377 trains are only 100 mph units, whereas the outer suburban trains on the West Coast Main Line are 110 mph Class 350 trains, which will soon be replaced by 110 mph Class 730 trains. Do the slower trains cause timetabling problems?
- Is one tph enough?
- The route doesn’t serve High Speed Two at Old Oak Common station.
- Is the service run by the right operator?
- What is the ideal Southern terminal?
These are my thoughts on the various issues.
The Service As A North-South Link
A friend, who lives in South London has told me, that if you go to an event at Wembley stadium the route is busy.
On the other hand, I’ve used it at midday on a Tuesday and found the trains empty.
But developed properly it could connect the following.
- Milton Keynes Central
- Bletchley for the East West Rail Link
- Watford for the West Coast Main Line to the North
- Wembley Central for Wembley Stadium and other entertainments
- Willesden Junction for the North London Line
- Hythe Road for High Speed Two, Crossrail and the Great Western Railway
- Shepherd’s Bush for the shopping.
- Clapham Junction for most of South London and the South of England
It would be a very useful cross-London route to complement Thameslink and the East London Line.
The Frequency
The current Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction has a frequency of one tph.
This may be enough for some parts of the route, as other services also provide services.
But many would argue, that perhaps South of Watford Junction, the service needs to be increased to connect the area to Old Oak Common and Clapham Junction.
I feel that High Speed Two, Crossrail and the Great Western Railway give so much connectivity, that between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction needs a frequency of at least eight tph.
As the North London Line and the Watford DC Line are working at a frequency of four tph, this could indicate that a four tph direct service Watford Junction and Clapham Junction be ideal. Perhaps, it could continue North to Milton Keynes with a frequency of two tph.
The Trains
I am absolutely certain, that the full service needs to be operated by dual voltage trains, that are capable of running at 110 mph.
The Class 350/1 trains of West Midlands Trains would probably be ideal for the full service.
- They are dual voltage trains.
- They are 110 mph trains.
- They have a long distance interior.
They are being replaced with new Class 730 trains, so would be available.
If some services were running only as far North as Watford Junction, these could be either Class 378 or Class 710 trains of the London Overground.
The Connection To The West London Line And High Speed Two
This map from Wikipedia by Cnbrb shows the latest iteration of the lines at Old Oak Common station.
Note.
- The green route is taken by the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction trains.
- The bright blue is High Speed Two.
- The purple is Crossrail.
- The orange is the Overground
- Hythe Road station is proposed for the West London Line to connect to Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two.
- Hythe Road station will have a bay platform to turn trains from the South.
- Old Oak Common Lane station is proposed for the North London Line to connect to Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two.
But where is the connection between the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service and Old Oak Common station for High Speed Two?
- Access from the South is not a problem as the Overground can be used to Hythe Road station.
- Extra services from the South can be run to and from the bay platform at Hythe Road station.
- Access from the East is not a problem as the Overground can be used to Hythe Road station.
- How do passengers go between say Wembley Central and Heathrow?
In addition for access from the West is the Overground can be used to Old Oak Common Lane station.
But as things stand at the moment the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service bypasses Hythe Road station and the only ways to go from Milton Keynes to Old Oak Common station for either High Speed Two, Crossrail or the Great Western is to do one of the following.
- Change to the Watford DC Line at Watford Junction, Harrow & Wealdstone or Wembley Central and then change to the Overground at Willesden Junction for either Old Oak Common Lane or Hythe Road station.
- Continue South to Shepherd’s Bush station, cross over to the other platform and then come back to Hythe Road station.
- Go via Euston station. OK for High Speed Two, but not for Crossrail or the Great Western.
They cannot be serious!
I hope that there is a cunning plan to enable the Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service to connect.
Whilst on the subject of connections at Old Oak Common, where is the promised connection of Crossrail to the West Coast Main Line?
Were all these connections just kicked into the long grass and quietly forgotten, as they were deemed too difficult and/or expensive?
I think serious questions need to be asked about the design of Crossrail and High Speed Two at Old Oak Common.
Why weren’t Crossrail and High Speed Two designed to connect directly to the London Overground at Willesden Junction station perhaps by the use of a North South people mover serving the following lines?
- Bakerloo, Watford DC, West Coast Main and West London Orbital Lines at a rebuilt Harlesden station.
- London Overground at the high-level Willesden Junction station.
- High Speed Two
- Crossrail and the Great Western Railway
- The new Chiltern platforms.
- Central Line at East Acton station.
Note.
- Hythe Road and Old Oak Common stations would not be needed.
- The Milton Keynes and Clapham Junction service would call additionally at the rebuilt Harlesden station.
The current design of Old Oak Common stinks like a horse designed by a committee!
The Northern Terminal
I suggested earlier that some trains use Watford Junction and others use Milton Keynes Central.
Both stations have the capacity and the connectivity.
The Southern Terminal
In the last ten years, South Croydon, East Croydon and Clapham Junction have been used as the Southern terminal.
Thameslink seems to have chosen its various terminals to satisfaction of the travelling public, so perhaps the same method or personnel should be used.
The Operator
The Gibb Report said that this service should be transferred to the London Overground and I wrote about this proposal in Gibb Report – East Croydon – Milton Keynes Route Should Be Transferred To London Overground.
This is one suggestion, but I do wonder, if it should be transferred to West Midlands Trains and run in conjunction with their West Coast Main Line services.
- The service needs 110 mph trains.
- Timetabling and operation should be easier.
- London Overground trains don’t have a long-distance interior.
On the other hand, trains running between Watford Junction and Clapham Junction would probably be better if they were London Overground trains.
Conclusion
I believe that by using the current network and some modern trains and signalling, the passenger services to the West of the capital can be substantially improved.
Reopening Milton Keynes And Market Harborough Via Northampton
This post was originally part of Shapps Supports Beeching Axe Reversals.
That post takes its name from an article with a similar name in Rail Magazine.
But I now feel it would be better if it became a standalone post.
This route has not been proposed as a Beeching Reversal, but seems to have surfaced from the MP and the local rail group.
I was digging around the Internet looking for the words “Beeching Reversal, I found when this article on the Harborough Mail, which is entitled Harborough Rail Group Says Plan To Reopen Historic Line Is A ‘Excellent Idea’.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Moves to reopen the historic Market Harborough-Northampton railway line are being backed by a local rail passengers’ chief.
The Market Harborough-Northampton Line was only finally closed in 1981.
- It used to connect the two stations with a double-track railway.
- It is about fourteen miles long.
- It is now partly a heritage railway and a walking and cycling route called the Brampton Valley Way.
I have flown my virtual helicopter along the route and can make these observations.
- There is space for a bay platform at Market Harborough station.
- Once clear of Market Harborough, the route appears to be across open countryside.
- The connection to the Northampton Loop Line wouldn’t be too difficult.
The only problem, I can see is that the route into Market Harborough station appears to be tricky.
These are a few of my thoughts.
What Passenger Service Would Be Provided?
Consider.
- The route could certainly handle an hourly shuttle, as does the nearby Marston Vale Line.
- Northampton station currently has three trains per hour (tph) to and from London.
- Timings between Northampton and Market Harborough stations would probably be around twenty minutes.
- Fast services between Northampton and Euston take about an hour.
- Four tph between Northampton and London would probably be desirable.
So could a fourth service to and from London, be extended to Market Harborough station? Or perhaps even Leicester, which already has a platform, where the trains could be turned back?
- I estimate that with a ten minute turnround at Market Harborough, a three hour round trip would be possible and very convenient.
- A single track between Northampton and Market Harborough station would be enough.
- The fourteen miles between the two stations could be handled by a battery-electric train, as there will be electrification at both ends of the route.
- Porterbrook are developing a battery-electric Class 350 train.
At a first glance, this looks to be a very sensible proposition.
This map clipped from Wikipedia, shows the rail line between Milton Keynes Central and Northampton stations.
It is planned to introduce, a service between Marylebone and Milton Keynes Central using the tracks of the East West Rail Link.
- It could be run by East West Rail or Chiltern.
- It might be an easier service to operate as trains wouldn’t need to be turned back at Milton Keynes Central station.
- It might be a better financial option, if services were to be extended to Northampton and Market Harborough.
As the East West Rail Link is being built by a private company, do they have plans to create services between say Leicester and Oxford?
An Alternative Route To Leicester
A London Euston and Leicester service via Watford Junction, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Market Harborough could be run either as a regular service or when there are engineering works on the Midland Main Line.
Bringing Workers To Milton Keynes, Northampton and Leicester
When I moved back to Suffolk forty years ago, trains between Cambridge and Ipswich and Cambridge and Norwich were irregular hourly services using single or two-car trains. The good job prospects available in Cambridge, now mean that Greater Anglia now run four-car Class 755 trains on these routes to an hourly timetable.
Milton Keynes, Northampton and Leicester all need similar connections to stimulate employment.
Could Freight Trains Use The Northampton And Market Harborough Line?
Consider.
- A large rail freight interchange is being developed close to East Midlands Airport.
- The East West Rail Link will be a better route between Southampton Docks and the West Coast Main Line, than the current roundabout routes.
- Multimodal trains need to travel between the East Midlands and Sheffield and Southampton Docks.
- Stone trains need to travel between the North Midlands and West London.
If the Northampton and Market Harborough Line were to be reopened, it would provide a convenient freight route between the Midland Main Line and the West Coast Main Line.
Would the The Northampton And Market Harborough Line Be Electrified?
Consider.
- It joins the electrified Midland Main Line at Market Harborough station.
- It joins the electrified Northampton Loop Line at Northampton station.
- It is only fourteen miles long.
- Most trains should be able to bridge use the line on battery power.
- It will be a new well-surveyed railway, which is easier to electrify.
I suspect, whether the line is electrified will be more down to planning issues.
Would the The Northampton And Market Harborough Line Be Double Track?
The line was double-track when it closed and I think that only planning issues will stop it being reopened as a double track.
Is the Opening Of The Northampton And Market Harborough Line Being Driven By The East West Rail Link?
This is a paragraph from the Rail Magazine article.
Asked by Andrew Lewer (Con) at Transport Questions on October 24 whether he would elaborate on plans to open the proposed Market Harborough line as part of the Oxford to Cambridge expressway he said: “I understand that the reopening is at a formative stage, but I am very supportive of it. Indeed, I support the reopening of many of the smaller lines that were closed as a result of the Beeching cuts under a Labour Government, and I should like to see as many reopened as possible.”
Does that mean that The East West Rail Link is driving this project?
Conclusion
The reopening of Northampton and Market Harborough Line would appear to enable the following.
- Passenger trains between Marylebone and/or London Euston and Market Harborough and/or Leicester.
- Passenger trains between Oxford and Leicester via Milton Keynes, Northampton and Market Harborough.
- An increase to four tph between Northampton and Milton Keynes Central.
- A valuable freight route between Southampton Docks and the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
It would also provide a connection between the West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line.
Reopening of the Northampton and Market Harborough Line could be a nice little earner for the East West Rail Link, if it hosted the following services.
- Freight trains between Southampton Docks and the East Midlands and South Yorkshire.
- Stone trains between the North Midlands and London.
- Passenger trains between Marylebone and/or London Euston and Market Harborough and/or Leicester.
- Passenger trains between Oxford and/or Reading and Market Harborough and/or Leicester.
These sections could also be electrified.
- Basingstoke and Reading
- Didcot Parkway and Oxford
- Oxford and Milton Keynes
- Northampton and Market Harborough
Much of the abandoned Electric Spine would have been created.
The only possible problem I see with this project is connecting the route to Market Harborough station.
Could Trains From The North Connect To High Speed One At St. Pancras?
I was casually flying my virtual helicopter over the throat of St. Pancras International station, when I took a few pictures.
This Google Map shows the Northern ends of the platforms and the tracks leading in.
Note.
- Platforms 1-4 to the West with darker tracks handle the East Midlands Railway services.
- Platforms 5-10 in the centre with lighter tracks formed of three shorter islands handle the Eurostar services.
- Platforms 11-13 to the East with longer platforms handle the Southeastern HighSpeed services.
This Google Map shows the East Midlands Railway platforms.
Note.
- There are two island platforms; 1-2 and 3-4.
- The four platforms are served by two tracks, that connect to the fast lines of the Midland Main Line.
- The platforms will be able to handle a pair of Class 810 trains, which will be 240 metres long.
- Will the two trains per hour (tph) using Class 360 trains between London and Corby always use the same platform at St. Prancras station?
This Google Map shows the Eurostar platforms.
Note.
There are three island platforms; 5-6, 7-8 and 9-10.
The two island platforms in the West are for East Midlands Railway services.
The two longer island platforms in the East are for Southeastern HighSpeed services.
The six platforms connect to two fast lines, that are shared with the Southeastern services.
This Google Map shows the lines proceeding to the North.
Note.
- There are four sets of tracks.
- The two light-coloured tracks on the left are for Thameslink or sidings.
- The next two dark-coloured tracks are the two tracks of the Midland Main Line.
- The next set of tracks are those connecting to the six Eurostar platforms.
- The two tracks on the right are those connecting to the Southeastern Highspeed platforms.
- There are crossovers between the Eurostar and Southeastern Highspeed tracks to allow efficient operation of the trains going to and from the twin tracks of High Speed One.
This Google Map shows where the Midland Main Line and High Speed One divide.
Note.
The two dark-coloured tracks of the Midland Main Line running North.
There appear to be four tracks running North East towards High Speed One.
Between the two sets of tracks two further tracks lead to the North.
The track closest to the Midland Main Line joins to the slow lines of the Midland Main Line.
The other one connects to the North London Line.
This Google Map shows the connecting lines to the High Speed One tunnel.
Note the tunnel portal is in the North-East corner of the map.
- It looks to me that the following connections are possible.
- St. Pancras station Eurostar platforms and Midland Main Line.
- St. Pancras station Eurostar platforms and North London Line to the West.
- High Speed One and North London Line to the West.
These connections are in addition to those connections needed to run scheduled services.
They would enable trains to take the following routes.
- St. Pancras station Eurostar platforms and Midland Main Line.
- St. Pancras station Eurostar platforms and the West Coast Main Line via North London Line
- High Speed One and the West Coast Main Line via North London Line
- St. Pancras station Eurostar platforms and the Great Western Main Line via North London Line
- High Speed One and the Great Western Main Line via North London Line
I suspect most of the times, that these routes are used it is for engineering purposes or behaps dragging a failed train out of St. Pancras.
But the track layout would seem to allow the following.
Direct electric freight and passenger services between High Speed One and Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.
Direct electric passenger services between High Speed One and Sheffield and Leeds, with a reverse at St. Pancras, after the Midland Main Line were to be fully electrified.
Was this by design for Eurostar or was it just what Network Rail ended up with?
A Modern Regional Eurostar Service
These are my thoughts on a modern Regional Eurostar service.
Rolling Stock
High Speed Two is coming and this year, the company will order some of the rolling stock.
There will be fifty-four trains
The trains will be Classic-Compatible for running on the West Coast Main Line.
They will be 200 metres long and be able to run in pairs.
They will be able to operate at 225 mph.
The operating speed of High Speed One is 186 mph.
I can see no reason why trains of this type, couldn’t run between St. Pancras and many destinations in Europe.
North Of England And The Continent
Could this be the service pattern?
- One train could start in the North West and another in the North East.
- Both trains would proceed to St. Pancras picking up passengers en route.
- At St. Pancras the two trains would join together.
- The driver could then position themselves in the front cab and take High Speed One, through the Channel Tunnel.
The train could even split at Calais to serve two different Continental destinations.
Going North, the spitting and joining would be reversed.
What Infrastructure Would Be Needed?
I suspect the following will be needed.
- The West Coast Main Line and the Midland Main Line would need in-cab digital ERTMS signalling.
- Full electrification of the Midland Main Line would probably be necessary, as I don’t think the tunnel allows diesel trains to pass through.
- Some platform lengthening might be needed.
It would not be an expensive scheme.
What Timings Would Be Possible?
Using current timings you get the following times.
- Leeds and Paris – Five hours
- Leeds and Brussels – Four hours forty minutes
- Manchester and Paris – Five hours
- Manchester and Brussels – For hours forty minutes
- Newcastle and Paris – Six hours
- Newcastle and Brussels – Five hours thirty minutes
Note, that the times are best estimates and include a long stop of several minutes at St. Pancras.
Could Sleeper Service Be Run?
I don’t see why not!
Conclusion
It looks like it may be possible to run regional services to Europe, where pairs of train split and join at St. Pancras.
St
Will Hitachi Announce A High Speed Metro Train?
As the UK high speed rail network increases, we are seeing more services and proposed services, where local services are sharing tracks, where trains will be running at 125 mph or even more.
London Kings Cross And Cambridge/Kings Lynn
This Great Northern service is run by Class 387 trains.
- Services run between London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn or Cambridge
- The Class 387 trains have a maximum operating speed of 110 mph.
- The route is fully electrified.
- The trains generally use the fast lines on the East Coast Main Line, South of Hitchin.
- Most trains on the fast lines on the East Coast Main Line are travelling at 125 mph.
When in the future full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented on the East Coast Main Line, speeds of up to 140 mph should be possible in some sections between London Kings Cross and Hitchin.
The Digswell Viaduct Problem
I also believe that digital signalling may be able to provide a solution to the twin-track bottleneck over the Digswell Viaduct.
Consider.
- Airliners have been flown automatically and safely from airport to airport for perhaps four decades.
- The Victoria Line in London, has been running automatically and safely at over twenty trains per hour (tph) for five decades. It is now running at over 30 tph.
- I worked with engineers developing a high-frequency sequence control system for a complicated chemical plant in 1970.
We also can’t deny that computers are getting better and more capable.
For these reasons, I believe there could be an ERTMS-based solution to the problem of the Digswell Viaduct, which could be something like this.
- All trains running on the two track section over the Digswell Viaduct and through Welwyn North station would be under computer control between Welwyn Garden City and Knebworth stations.
- Fast trains would be slowed as appropriate to create spaces to allow the slow trains to pass through the section.
- The train drivers would be monitoring the computer control, just as they do on the Victoria Line.
Much more complicated automated systems have been created in various applications.
The nearest rail application in the UK, is probably the application of digital signalling to London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines.
This is known at the Four Lines Modernisation and it will be completed by 2023 and increase capacity by up to twenty-seven percent.
I don’t think it unreasonable to see the following maximum numbers of services running over the Digswell Viaduct by 2030 in both directions in every hour.
- Sixteen fast trains
- Four slow trains
That is one train every three minutes.
Currently, it appears to be about ten fast and two slow.
As someone, who doesn’t like to be on a platform, when a fast train goes through, I believe that some form of advanced safety measures should be installed at Welwyn North station.
It would appear that trains between London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn need to have this specification.
- Ability to run at 125 mph on the East Coast Main Line
- Ability to run at 140 mph on the East Coast Main Line, under control of full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling.
This speed increase could reduce the journey time between London Kings Cross and Cambridge to just over half-an-hour with London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn under ninety minutes.
The only new infrastructure needed would be improvements to the Fen Line to King’s Lynn to allow two tph, which I think is needed.
Speed improvements between Hitchin and Cambridge could also benefit timings.
London Kings Cross And Cambridge/Norwich
I believe there is a need for a high speed service between London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge.
- The Class 755 trains, that are capable of 100 mph take 82 minutes, between Cambridge and Norwich.
- The electrification gap between Ely and Norwich is 54 miles.
- Norwich station and South of Ely is fully electrified.
- Greater Anglia’s Norwich and Cambridge service has been very successful.
With the growth of Cambridge and its incessant need for more space, housing and workers, a high speed train between London Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge could tick a lot of boxes.
- If hourly, it would double the frequency between Cambridge and Norwich until East-West Rail is completed.
- All stations between Ely and Norwich get a direct London service.
- Cambridge would have better links for commuting to the city.
- Norwich would provide the quality premises, that Cambridge is finding hard to develop.
- London Kings Cross and Cambridge would be just over half an hour apart.
- If the current London Kings Cross and Ely service were to be extended to Norwich, no extra paths on the East Coast Main Line would be needed.
- Trains could even split and join at Cambridge or Ely to give all stations a two tph service to London Kings Cross.
- No new infrastructure would be required.
The Cambridge Cruiser would become the Cambridge High Speed Cruiser.
London Paddington And Bedwyn
This Great Western Railway service is run by Class 802 trains.
- Services run between London Paddington and Bedwyn.
- Services use the Great Western Main Line at speeds of up to 125 mph.
- In the future if full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented, speeds of up to 140 mph could be possible on some sections between London Paddington and Reading.
- The 13.3 miles between Newbury and Bedwyn is not electrified.
As the service would need to be able to run both ways between Newbury and Bedwyn, a capability to run upwards of perhaps thirty miles without electrification is needed. Currently, diesel power is used, but battery power would be better.
London Paddington And Oxford
This Great Western Railway service is run by Class 802 trains.
- Services run between London Paddington and Oxford.
- Services use the Great Western Main Line at speeds of up to 125 mph.
- In the future if full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is implemented, speeds of up to 140 mph could be possible on some sections between London Paddington and Didcot Parkway.
- The 10.3 miles between Didcot Parkway and Oxford is not electrified.
As the service would need to be able to run both ways between Didcot Parkway and Oxford, a capability to run upwards of perhaps thirty miles without electrification is needed. Currently, diesel power is used, but battery power would be better.
Local And Regional Trains On Existing 125 mph Lines
In The UK, in addition to High Speed One and High Speed Two, we have the following lines, where speeds of 125 mph are possible.
- East Coast Main Line
- Great Western Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- West Coast Main Line
Note.
- Long stretches of these routes allow speeds of up to 125 mph.
- Full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling is being installed on the East Coast Main Line to allow running up to 140 mph.
- Some of these routes have four tracks, with pairs of slow and fast lines, but there are sections with only two tracks.
It is likely, that by the end of the decade large sections of these four 125 mph lines will have been upgraded, to allow faster running.
If you have Hitachi and other trains thundering along at 140 mph, you don’t want dawdlers, at 100 mph or less, on the same tracks.
These are a few examples of slow trains, that use two-track sections of 125 nph lines.
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tph – Leicester and Lincoln – Uses Midland Main Line
- East Midlands Railway – 1 tph – Liverpool and Norwich – Uses Midland Main Line
- East Midlands Railway – 2 tph – St. Pancras and Corby – Uses Midland Main Line
- Great Western Railway – 1 tph – Cardiff and Portsmouth Harbour – Uses Great Western Main Line
- Great Western Railway – 1 tph – Cardiff and Taunton – Uses Great Western Main Line
- Northern – 1 tph – Manchester Airport and Cumbria – Uses West Coast Main Line
- Northern – 1 tph – Newcastle and Morpeth – Uses East Coast Main Line
- West Midlands Trains – Some services use West Coast Main Line.
Conflicts can probably be avoided by judicious train planning in some cases, but in some cases trains capable of 125 mph will be needed.
Southeastern Highspeed Services
Class 395 trains have been running Southeastern Highspeed local services since 2009.
- Services run between London St. Pancras and Kent.
- Services use Speed One at speeds of up to 140 mph.
- These services are planned to be extended to Hastings and possibly Eastbourne.
The extension would need the ability to run on the Marshlink Line, which is an electrification gap of 25.4 miles, between Ashford and Ore.
Thameslink
Thameslink is a tricky problem.
These services run on the double-track section of the East Coast Main Line over the Digswell Viaduct.
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton – Fast train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage and Finsbury Park.
- 2 tph – Cambridge and Kings Cross – Slow train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage, Knebworth, Welwyn North, Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Potters Bar and Finsbury Park
- 2 tph – Peterborough and Horsham – Fast train stopping at Hitchin, Stevenage and Finsbury Park.
Note.
- These services are run by Class 700 trains, that are only capable of 100 mph.
- The fast services take the fast lines South of the Digswell Viaduct.
- South of Finsbury Park, both fast services cross over to access the Canal Tunnel for St, Pancras station.
- I am fairly certain, that I have been on InterCity 125 trains running in excess of 100 mph in places between Finsbury Park and Stevenage.
It would appear that the slow Thameslink trains are slowing express services South of Stevenage.
As I indicated earlier, I think it is likely that the Kings Cross and King’s Lynn services will use 125 mph trains for various reasons, like London and Cambridge in under half an hour.
But if 125 mph trains are better for King’s Lynn services, then they would surely improve Thameslink and increase capacity between London and Stevenage.
Looking at average speeds and timings on the 25 miles between Stevenage and Finsbury Park gives the following.
- 100 mph – 15 minutes
- 110 mph – 14 minutes
- 125 mph – 12 minutes
- 140 mph – 11 minutes
The figures don’t appear to indicate large savings, but when you take into account that the four tph running the Thameslink services to Peterborough and Cambridge stop at Finsbury Park and Stevenage and have to get up to speed, I feel that the 100 mph Class 700 trains are a hindrance to more and faster trains on the Southern section of the East Coast Main Line.
It should be noted, that faster trains on these Thameslink services would probably have better acceleration and and would be able to execute faster stops at stations.
There is a similar less serious problem on the Midland Main Line branch of Thameslink, in that some Thameslink services use the fast lines.
A couple of years ago, I had a very interesting chat with a group of East Midlands Railway drivers. They felt that the 100 mph Thameslink and the 125 mph Class 222 trains were not a good mix.
The Midland Main Line services are also becoming more complicated, with the new EMR Electric services between St. Pancras and Corby, which will be run by 110 mph Class 360 trains.
Hitachi’s Three Trains With Batteries
Hitachi have so far announced three battery-electric trains. Two are based on battery packs being developed and built by Hyperdrive Innovation.
Hyperdrive Innovation
Looking at the Hyperdrive Innovation web site, I like what I see.
Hyperdrive Innovation provided the battery packs for JCB’s first electric excavator.
Note that JCB give a five-year warranty on the Hyperdrive batteries.
Hyperdrive have also been involved in the design of battery packs for aircraft push-back tractors.
The battery capacity for one of these is given as 172 kWh and it is able to supply 34 kW.
I was very surprised that Hitachi didn’t go back to Japan for their batteries, but after reading Hyperdrive’s web site about the JCB and Textron applications, there would appear to be good reasons to use Hyperdrive.
- Hyperdrive have experience of large lithium ion batteries.
- Hyperdrive have a design, develop and manufacture model.
- They seem to able to develop solutions quickly and successfully.
- Battery packs for the UK and Europe are made in Sunderland.
- Hyperdrive are co-operating with Nissan, Warwick Manufacturing Group and Newcastle University.
- They appear from the web site to be experts in the field of battery management, which is important in prolonging battery life.
- Hyperdrive have a Taiwanese partner, who manufactures their battery packs for Taiwan and China.
- I have done calculations based on the datasheet for their batteries and Hyperdrive’s energy density is up with the best
I suspect, that Hitachi also like the idea of a local supplier, as it could be helpful in the negotiation of innovative applications. Face-to-face discussions are easier, when you’re only thirty miles apart.
Hitachi Regional Battery Train
The first train to be announced was the Hitachi Regional Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- It is only a 100 mph train.
- The batteries are to be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation.
- It has a range of 56 miles on battery power.
- Any of Hitachi’s A Train family like Class 800, 802 or 385 train can be converted to a Regional Battery Train.
No orders have been announced yet.
But it would surely be very suitable for routes like.
- London Paddington And Bedwyn
- London Paddington And Oxford
It would also be very suitable for extensions to electrified suburban routes like.
- London Bridge and Uckfield
- London Waterloo and Salisbury
- Manchester Airport and Windermere.
- Newcastle and Carlisle
It would also be a very sound choice to extend electrified routes in Scotland, which are currently run by Class 385 trains.
Hitachi InterCity Tri-Mode Battery Train
The second train to be announced was the Hitachi InterCity Tri-Mode Battery Train, which is described in this Hitachi infographic.
Note.
- Only one engine is replaced by a battery.
- The batteries are to be designed and manufactured by Hyperdrive Innovation.
- Typically a five-car Class 800 or 802 train has three diesel engines and a nine-car train has five.
- These trains would obviously be capable of 125 mph on electrified main lines and 140 mph on lines fully equipped with digital in-cab ERTMS signalling.
Nothing is said about battery range away from electrification.
Routes currently run from London with a section without electrification at the other end include.
- London Kings Cross And Harrogate – 18.3 miles
- London Kings Cross And Hull – 36 miles
- London Kings Cross And Lincoln – 16.5 miles
- London Paddington And Bedwyn – 13.3 miles
- London Paddington And Oxford – 10.3 miles
In the March 2021 Edition of Modern Railways, LNER are quoted as having aspirations to extend the Lincoln service to Cleethorpes.
- With all energy developments in North Lincolnshire, this is probably a good idea.
- Services could also call at Market Rasen and Grimsby.
- Two trains per day, would probably be a minimum frequency.
But the trains would need to be able to run around 64 miles each way without electrification. Very large batteries and/or charging at Cleethorpes will be needed.
Class 803 Trains For East Coast Trains
East Coast Trains have ordered a fleet of five Class 803 trains.
- These trains appear to be built for speed and fast acceleration.
- They have no diesel engines, which must save weight and servicing costs.
- But they will be fitted with batteries for emergency power to maintain onboard train services in the event of overhead line failure.
- They are planned to enter service in October 2021.
Given that Hyperdrive Innovation are developing traction batteries for the other two Hitachi battery trains, I would not be the least bit surprised if Hyperdrive were designing and building the batteries for the Class 803 trains.
- Hyperdrive batteries are modular, so for a smaller battery you would use less modules.
- If all coaches are wired for a diesel engine, then they can accept any power module like a battery or hydrogen pack, without expensive redesign.
- I suspect too, that the battery packs for the Class 803 trains could be tested on an LNER Class 801 train.
LNER might also decide to replace the diesel engines on their Class 801 trains with an emergency battery pack, if it were more energy efficient and had a lighter weight.
Thoughts On The Design Of The Hyperdrive innovation Battery Packs
Consider.
- Hitachi trains have a sophisticated computer system, which on start-up can determine the configuration of the train or whether it is more than one train running as a longer formation or even being hauled by a locomotive.
- To convert a bi-mode Class 800 train to an all-electric Class 801 the diesel engines are removed. I suspect that the computer is also adjusted, but train formation may well be totally automatic and independent of the driver.
- Hyperdrive Innovation’s battery seem to be based on a modular system, where typical modules have a capacity of 5 kWh, weighs 32 Kg and has a volume of 0.022 cu metres.
- The wet mass of an MTU 16V 1600 R80L diesel engine commonly fitted to AT-300 trains of different types is 6750 Kg or nearly seven tonnes.
- The diesel engine has a physical size of 1.5 x 1.25 x 0.845 metres, which is a volume of 1.6 cubic metres.
- In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I calculated that a five-car Class 801 electric train, needed 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph.
- It is likely, than any design of battery pack, will handle the regenerative braking.
To my mind, the ideal solution would be a plug compatible battery pack, that the train’s computer thought was a diesel engine.
But then I have form in the area of plug-compatible electronics.
At the age of sixteen, for a vacation job, I worked in the Electronics Laboratory at Enfield Rolling Mills.
It was the early sixties and one of their tasks was at the time replacing electronic valve-based automation systems with new transistor-based systems.
The new equipment had to be compatible to that which it replaced, but as some were installed in dozens of places around the works, they had to be able to be plug-compatible, so that they could be quickly changed. Occasionally, the new ones suffered infant-mortality and the old equipment could just be plugged back in, if there wasn’t a spare of the new equipment.
So will Hyperdrive Innovation’s battery-packs have the same characteristics as the diesel engines that they replace?
- Same instantaneous and continuous power output.
- Both would fit the same mountings under the train.
- Same control and electrical power connections.
- Compatibility with the trains control computer.
I think they will as it will give several advantages.
- The changeover between diesel engine and battery pack could be designed as a simple overnight operation.
- Operators can mix-and-match the number of diesel engines and battery-packs to a given route.
- As the lithium-ion cells making up the battery pack improve, battery capacity and performance can be increased.
- If the computer, is well-programmed, it could reduce diesel usage and carbon-emissions.
- Driver conversion from a standard train to one equipped with batteries, would surely be simplified.
As with the diesel engines, all battery packs could be substantially the same across all of Hitachi’s Class 80x trains.
What Size Of Battery Would Be Possible?
If Hyperdrive are producing a battery pack with the same volume as the diesel engine it replaced, I estimate that the battery would have a capacity defined by.
5 * 1.6 / 0.022 = 364 kWh
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which is not very challenging.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
As a figure of 3.42 kWh per vehicle-mile to maintain 125 mph, applies to a Class 801 train, I suspect that a figure of 3 kWh or less could apply to a five-car Class 800 train trundling at around 80-100 mph to Bedwyn, Cleethorpes or Oxford.
- A one-battery five-car train would have a range of 24.3 miles
- A two-battery five-car train would have a range of 48.6 miles
- A three-battery five-car train would have a range of 72.9 miles
Note.
- Reducing the consumption to 2.5 kWh per vehicle-mile would give a range of 87.3 miles.
- Reducing the consumption to 2 kWh per vehicle-mile would give a range of 109.2 miles.
- Hitachi will be working to reduce the electricity consumption of the trains.
- There will also be losses at each station stop, as regenerative braking is not 100 % efficient.
But it does appear to me, that distances of the order of 60-70 miles would be possible on a lot of routes.
Bedwyn, Harrogate, Lincoln and Oxford may be possible without charging before the return trip.
Cleethorpes and Hull would need a battery charge before return.
A Specification For A High Speed Metro Train
I have called the proposed train a High Speed Metro Train, as it would run at up to 140 mph on an existing high speed line and then run a full or limited stopping service to the final destination.
These are a few thoughts.
Electrification
In some cases like London Kings Cross and King’s Lynn, the route is already electrified and batteries would only be needed for the following.
- Handling regenerative braking.
- Emergency power in case of overhead line failure.
- Train movements in depots.
But if the overhead wires on a branch line. are in need of replacement, why not remove them and use battery power? It might be the most affordable and least disruptive option to update the power supply on a route.
The trains would have to be able to run on both types of electrification in the UK.
- 25 KVAC overhead.
- 750 VDC third rail.
This dual-voltage capability would enable the extension of Southeastern Highspeed services.
Operating Speed
The trains must obviously be capable of running at the maximum operating speed on the routes they travel.
- 125 mph on high speed lines, where this speed is possible.
- 140 mph on high speed lines equipped with full digital in-cab ERTMS signalling, where this speed is possible.
The performance on battery power must be matched with the routes.
Hitachi have said, that their Regional Battery trains can run at up to 100 mph, which would probably be sufficient for most secondary routes in the UK and in line with modern diesel and electric multiple units.
Full Digital In-cab ERTMS Signalling
This will be essential and is already fitted to some of Hitachi’s trains.
Regenerative Braking To Batteries
Hitachi’s battery electric trains will probably use regenerative braking to the batteries, as it is much more energy efficient.
It also means that when stopping at a station perhaps as much as 70-80% of the train’s kinetic energy can be captured in the batteries and used to accelerate the train.
In Kinetic Energy Of A Five-Car Class 801 Train, I showed that at 125 mph the energy of a full five-car train is just over 100 kWh, so batteries would not need to be unduly large.
Acceleration
This graph from Eversholt Rail, shows the acceleration and deceleration of a five-car Class 802 electric train.
As batteries are just a different source of electric power, I would think, that with respect to acceleration and deceleration, that the performance of a battery-electric version will be similar.
Although, it will only achieve 160 kph instead of the 200 kph of the electric train.
I estimate from this graph, that a battery-electric train would take around 220 seconds from starting to decelerate for a station to being back at 160 kph. If the train was stopped for around eighty seconds, a station stop would add five minutes to the journey time.
London Kings Cross And Cleethorpes
As an example consider a service between London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes.
- The section without electrification between Newark and Cleethorpes is 64 miles.
- There appear to be ambitions to increase the operating speed to 90 mph.
- Local trains seem to travel at around 45 mph including stops.
- A fast service between London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes would probably stop at Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town.
- In addition, local services stop at Collingham, Hykeham, Barnetby and Habrough.
- London Kings Cross and Newark takes one hour and twenty minutes.
- London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes takes three hours and fifteen minutes with a change at Doncaster.
I can now calculate a time between Kings Cross and Cleethorpes.
- If a battery-electric train can average 70 mph between Newark and Cleethorpes, it would take 55 minutes.
- Add five minutes for each of the three stops at Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town
- Add in the eighty minutes between London Kings Cross and Newark and that would be two-and-a-half hours.
That would be very marketing friendly and a very good start.
Note.
- An average speed of 80 mph would save seven minutes.
- An average speed of 90 mph would save twelve minutes.
- I suspect that the current bi-modes would be slower by a few minutes as their acceleration is not as potent of that of an electric train.
I have a feeling London Kings Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln Central, Market Rasen and Grimsby Town, could be a very important service for LNER.
Interiors
I can see a new lightweight and more energy efficient interior being developed for these trains.
In addition some of the routes, where they could be used are popular with cyclists and the current Hitachi trains are not the best for bicycles.
Battery Charging
Range On Batteries
I have left this to last, as it depends on so many factors, including the route and the quality of the driving or the Automatic Train Control
Earlier, I estimated that a five-car train with all three diesel engines replaced by batteries, when trundling around Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire or Wiltshire could have range of up to 100 miles.
That sort of distance would be very useful and would include.
- Ely and Norwich
- Newark and Cleethorpes
- Salisbury and Exeter
It might even allow a round trip between the East Coast Main Line and Hull.
The Ultimate Battery Train
This press release from Hitachi is entitled Hitachi And Eversholt Rail To Develop GWR Intercity Battery Hybrid Train – Offering Fuel Savings Of More Than 20%.
This is a paragraph.
The projected improvements in battery technology – particularly in power output and charge – create opportunities to replace incrementally more diesel engines on long distance trains. With the ambition to create a fully electric-battery intercity train – that can travel the full journey between London and Penzance – by the late 2040s, in line with the UK’s 2050 net zero emissions target.
Consider.
- Three batteries would on my calculations give a hundred mile range.
- Would a train with no diesel engines mean that fuel tanks, radiators and other gubbins could be removed and more or large batteries could be added.
- Could smaller batteries be added to the two driving cars?
- By 2030, let alone 2040, battery energy density will have increased.
I suspect that one way or another these trains could have a range on battery power of between 130 and 140 miles.
This would certainly be handy in Scotland for the two routes to the North.
- Haymarket and Aberdeen, which is 130 miles without electrification.
- Stirling and Inverness, which is 111 miles without electrification, if the current wires are extended from Stirling to Perth, which is being considered by the Scottish Government.
The various sections of the London Paddington to Penzance route are as follows.
- Paddington and Newbury – 53 miles – electrified
- Newbury and Taunton – 90 miles – not electrified
- Taunton and Exeter – 31 miles – not electrified
- Exeter and Plymouth – 52 miles – not electrified
- Plymouth and Penzance – 79 miles – not electrified
The total length of the section without electrification between Penzance and Newbury is a distance of 252 miles.
This means that the train will need a battery charge en route.
I think there are three possibilities.
- Trains can take up to seven minutes for a stop at Plymouth. As London and Plymouth trains will need to recharge at Plymouth before returning to London, Plymouth station could be fitted with comprehensive recharge facilities for all trains passing through. Perhaps the ideal solution would be to electrify all lines and platforms at Plymouth.
- Between Taunton and Exeter, the rail line runs alongside the M5 motorway. This would surely be an ideal section to electrify, as it would enable battery electric trains to run between Exeter and both Newbury and Bristol.
- As some trains terminate at Exeter, there would probably need to be charging facilities there.
I believe that the date of the late 2040s is being overly pessimistic.
I suspect that by 2040 we’ll be seeing trains between London and Aberdeen, Inverness and Penzance doing the trips without a drop of diesel.
But Hitachi are making a promise of London and Penzance by zero-carbon trains, by the late-2040s, because they know they can keep it.
And Passengers and the Government won’t mind the trains being early!
Conclusion
This could be a very useful train to add to Hitachi’s product line.
Northern Powerhouse Rail – A New Line Between Liverpool And Manchester Via The Centre Of Warrington
In this article on Transport for the North, which is entitled Northern Powerhouse Rail Progress As Recommendations Made To Government, one of the recommendations proposed for Northern Powerhouse Rail is a new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester via the centre of Warrington.
I shall look at a few of the possibilities for various sections of the line starting at the Manchester end.
High Speed Two And Northern Powerhouse Rail Between Warrington/Lymm And Manchester Airport
This map clipped from High Speed Two’s interactive map, shows the route of High Speed Two in the area between Lymm and Manchester Airport.
Note.
- High Speed Two is shown in orange
- The blue dot is Manchester Interchange station at Manchester Airport.
- High Speed Two goes North to Wigan North Western station.
- High Speed Two goes South to Crewe station.
- High Speed Two goes East to Manchester and the East.
- The East-West Motorway is the M56 with Junction 7/8 in the middle of the map and Junction 9 with the M6, at the Western edge of the map.
This enlarged map shows High Speed Two between Manchester Airport and Junction 7/8 of the M56.
The colours of High Speed Two indicate the type of construction.
- Black is a bored tunnel. Only in the North East corner, where it continues to Manchester.
- Brown is a track between retaining walls. Used through Manchester Interchange or Airport station.
- Red is a viaduct.
- Yellow is a cutting.
This Google Map shows a similar area.
High Speed Two’s tracks will be on the South side of the Motorway and will be shared with Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- There is likely to be up to twelve trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
- I would think, that with modern signalling that the trains would be running at 140 mph or more.
- Between Manchester Airport and Warrington could be a line as between St. Pancras and Ebbsfleet on High Speed One.
This map clipped from High Speed Two’s interactive map, shows the M56 and High Speed Two around Junction 7/8 of the M56.
The colours are as before.
- The obvious way to build a new rail line between Manchester and Warrington, would surely be to create a rail junction just South of the Motorway junction.
- A line to Warrington could run along the South side of the Motorway.
- I also believe that there should be a connection between the High Speed Two lines to Manchester and Wigan North Western, to allow high speed services between Manchester and Barrow, Blackpool, Preston, Windermere and Scotland.
Building the rail junctions around the Motorway junctions would be a good idea for environmental and visual reasons.
Northern Powerhouse Rail would then continue to Junction 9 of the M56 Motorway.
This Google Map, shows the M56 around Junction 9 with the M6.
Note.
- The M56 running East-West.
- The M6 running North-South.
- Lymm services to the North-West of the junction.
- Lymm is to the North-East and Warrington is to the North-West of the junction.
Would it be possible for to run South of the M56 and then turn North to run along the Western side of the M6 towards Warrington?
I very much feel, that with modern 3D software, an engineer with expertise in extreme knitting could thread a double-track line through to take a North-Western route towards Warrington.
The Bridge Across The Mersey
If you look at maps of the area, there is a big problem of water between Junction 9 of the M56 and Warrington town centre, with its two stations of Warrington Bank Quay and Warrington Central, both of which have services to Liverpool Lime Street station.
The problem is the Manchester Ship Canal.
I then noticed a bridge to the South East of the town centre, which is shown in this Google Map.
It may look like it has got more than a touch of the dreaded iron moths, but it certainly looks like it was once a double track rail line.
The bridge was on the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway, which did what you would expect from the name.
This Google Map shows the track of the railway either side of the bridge.
Note the bridge in the centre of the map and the green scar of the former railway running East-West across the map.
To the East the green scar of the railway can be picked out all the way to M6.
Note.
- The bridge is at the West over the Manchester Ship Canal.
- The green scar of the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway can be followed all the way to the M6,
- I think the track is now a footpath, as it is marked on the map with a dotted white line.
I would be interested to know, if it could take a modern double track railway.
This Google Map shows an enlarged view of where the green scar of the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway goes under the M6.
Note the dotted white line marking the railway, towards the top of the map.
Would it be possible to design a track layout, where Northern Powerhouse Rail came up the Western side of the M6 and was able to connect to Warrington?
I certainly believe it’s a possibility.
Warrington Bank Quay Station
To the West of the bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal, the Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway ran through low-level platforms at Warrington Bank Quay station.
This Google Map shows Warrington Bank Quay station.
This picture shows a freight train passing under Warrington Bank Quay station.
Note.
- There are four North-South platforms on the West Coast Main Line.
- The Warrington and Altrincham Junction Railway passes East-West under the four main platforms.
- Low levels platforms used to handle passengers on the East-West lines.
- I was looking to the East in the picture.
- The tracks continue to the West on the route of the former St. Helens Railway, which is now a freight route.
- The map shows the tracks curving sharply round one of the meanders of the River Mersey.
Warrington Bank Quay station is on a congested and tight site, but by using some of the spare railway land, I feel it could rebuilt to be an excellent station for Warrington.
Warrington Bank Quay Station As An Interchange
Warrington Bank Quay station could be an excellent and efficient interchange between High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
There are also local services from the station, which could be useful for some travellers.
Between Warrington Bank Quay Station And Widnes
This Google Map shows the Mersey estuary between Warrington Bank Quay station and Widnes.
Note.
- Warrington is in the North-East corner of the map, with Warrington Bank Quay station shown by a red station symbol.
- The new Mersey Gateway bridge is in the South-West corner of the map.
- The River Mersey meanders between the bridge and Warrington.
- Fiddlers Ferry power station can be picked out in the nearest meander of the Mersey to the bridge.
- The dark straight line below the river is the Manchester Ship Canal.
- There is currently a freight line on the North bank of the river.
This Google Map shows Fiddlers Ferry power station, with the railway between the now-decommissioned power station and the River Mersey.
Note.
- Fiddlers Ferry will become an employment site.
- It could even be a good place for a depot for Northern Powerhouse Rail.
- I think there’s scope to increase the operating speed of the railway along the Mersey.
Could it even be an electrified high speed line with a 125 mph operating speed?
Between Widnes And Liverpool Lime Street
The trains coming from Warrington could join the Liverpool Branch of the West Coast Main Line at Ditton East Junction.
The route between Ditton East Junction and Liverpool Lime Street has the following characteristics.
- It has four tracks.
- It is 10.6 miles long.
- Avanti West Coast’s expresses typically take twelve minutes for the trip without stopping.
- The stations on the route; Liverpool South Parkway; West Allerton, Mossley Hill and Edge Hill, all have one platform per line.
- It is fully electrified.
- Lime Street station has recently been updated with longer platforms and a higher capacity approach to the station.
- Some local services have already been moved to Merseyrail’s Northern Line.
- Stopping services on the route have their own platforms.
I believe that with the installation of full digital signalling and a degree of automatic train control, as far as Crewe and Warrington Bank Quay stations, that the following services could be handled.
- Six tph – Northern Powerhouse Rail – Liverpool and Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly
- One tph – East Midlands Railway – Liverpool and Nottingham
- Three tph – High Speed Two – Liverpool and London Euston
- One tph – High Speed Two – Liverpool and Birmingham Curzon Street
- Two tph – London North Western – Liverpool and Birmingham and London Euston
Note.
- This is only 13 tph.
- Avanti West Coast services would be replaced by High Speed Two.
- TransPennine Express services would be replaced by Northern Powerhouse Rail
- The Liverpool and Nottingham service may or may not go via Ditton East junction.
If the capacity on this branch could be raised to 15 tph, that would be only be a train every four minutes, or half the frequency, that will eventually be operational on Crossrail and Thameslink. It would also be less than the 18 tph frequency of High Speed Two.
Conclusion
This simple exercise has proven to me, that a high speed line could be built between Manchester Airport and Liverpool Lime Street station.
- Several sections of the route could have an operating speed of 125 mph or more.
- By running the tracks along the M56 and M6, visual and aural intrusion could be minimised.
- The line along the Mersey through Warrington could be a valuable part of the route.
- West of Warrington, much of the infrastructure needed, appears to be in place and it would only need to be upgraded.
There was a large and extremely pleasant surprise at the Liverpool end.
The approach to Liverpool Lime Street is two fast and two slow lines, and I believe, that this section of the route could handle up to say 15 fast trains and six stopping trains per hour, with full digital signalling.
Unlike London and Manchester, I doubt that Liverpool will need a tunnel to access the City Centre.
I also believe that after its refurbishment of the last couple of years, Lime Street could be substantially ready for High Speed Two and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Project Management Recommendations
This project divides neatly into three.
- Between Manchester Airport and Warrington along the route of the M56 and M6.
- Reconstruction, upgrading and electrification through Warrington and the rebuilding of Warrington Bank Quay station.
- Reconstruction, upgrading and electrification between Warrington and Liverpool.
The first project will be a major one, involving the construction of nearly twenty miles of new electrified railway, with numerous viaducts, bridges and a large junction at High Legh with High Speed Two.
The other two projects would be a lot simpler and would involve turning twenty miles of double-track freight line into a modern electrified railway.
I would construct projects 2 and 3 early in the schedule, as it would give Warrington a new Bank Quay station. A passenger service to Liverpool Lime Street, could also be opened if required.
High Speed Two And Scotland
In this post, I will only look at services and capacity.
I will leave the economics to others with the appropriate data.
Current Anglo-Scottish Services
Currently, these services run between England and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central stations.
- 1 train per hour (tph) – Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle.
- 1 train per two hours (tp2h) – Avanti West Coast – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Milton Keynes Central, Coventry, Birmingham International, Birmingham New Street, Sandwell and Dudley, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle.
- 1 tp2h – CrossCountry – South-West England and Edinburgh Waverley via Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York and Newcastle.
- 1 tp2h – CrossCountry – South-West England and Glasgow Central via Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
- 1 tph – LNER – London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley via York, Darlington, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed
- 1 tph – LNER – London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley via Peterborough, Newark North Gate, Doncaster, York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle
- 1 tph – TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Newton-le-Willows, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth
- 1 tp2h – TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Bolton, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
- 3 trains per day (tpd) – TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central via St. Helen’s Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
- 1 tp2h – TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Bolton, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
Note.
- I’ve not included service extensions to Aberdeen and Inverness.
- I’ve cut out a few smaller stations
- Some services call at both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Because of signalling and track improvements it is likely that London Kings Cross and Edinburgh timings will come down to four hours.
The services can be roughly summarised as follows.
- Birmingham and Edinburgh – 0.5 tph
- Birmingham and Glasgow – 1 tph
- London and Edinburgh – 2 tph
- London and Glasgow – 1.5 tph
- Leeds and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph
- Leeds and Glasgow – 0.5 tph
- Liverpool and Edinburgh – 1 tph
- Liverpool and Glasgow – 3 tpd
- Manchester and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph
- Manchester and Glasgow – 0.5 tph
- Manchester Airport and Edinburgh – 0.5 tph
- Manchester Airport and Glasgow – 0.5 tph
Note.
- I have ignored the five tpd London Kings Cross and Edinburgh service, that starts next year, which will be run by East Coast Trains.
- 0.5 tph is equivalent to one tp2h.
It looks a fairly well-balanced and comprehensive service.
High Speed Two Anglo-Scottish Services
According to a table in the June 2020 Edition of Modern Railways, these High Speed Two services will run between England and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central.
- 1 tph – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1 tph – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1 tph – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Preston and Carlisle
- 1 tph – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Preston and Carlisle
- 1 tp2h – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket.
- 1 tp2h – Birmingham Curzon Street and Glasgow Central via Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
Note.
- All trains will be High Speed Two’s 200 metre long Classic-Compatible trains.
- The four one tph services will run as two pairs of trains and split and join at Carlisle.
The services can be roughly summarised as follows.
- Birmingham and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph
- Birmingham and Glasgow – 1.5 tph
- London and Edinburgh – 2 tph
- London and Glasgow – 2 tph
Note.
- Passengers between Liverpool or Manchester and Scotland will have to change at Preston.
- There is no connection between the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two and Edinburgh.
- London and Edinburgh Waverley will take three hours and forty minutes, which saves twenty minutes on the likely four hours on the East Coast Main Line.
- London and Glasgow Central will take three hours and forty minutes, which saves fifty minutes on the current time.
High Speed Two certainly provides good services between London, Birmingham and Scotland, but it leaves out travelling between the cities of the North and North of the Border.
High Speed Two Classic-Conventional Trains
In Thoughts On Class 807 Trains And High Speed Two’s Classic-Compatible Trains, I discussed a design of Classic-Compatible High Speed Two train based on the recently-ordered Class 807 trains for Avanti West Coast.
Except for the required speeds, the specifications of the trains are similar and this was my conclusion.
I wouldn’t be surprised that Hitachi’s offering for more trains on the West Coast Main Line and the Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two are very similar to the Class 807 trains.
-
- The Classic-Compatible trains for High Speed Two could be eight-car trains with twenty-five metre cars.
- The replacements for the eleven-car Class 390 trains could be nine-car trains with twenty-six metre cars.
Both would be based on the Class 807 train.
A common design would surely ease operation of the combined West Coast Partnership.
TransPennine Express Between Liverpool Lime Street And Edinburgh
Will this TransPennine Express service still be the primary connection between the North of England and Edinburgh?
- It has a frequency of one tph.
- It takes about four hours and fifty minutes.
- It connects Liverpool, Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle to the Scottish capital.
- According to Real Time Trains, it runs as far as York on diesel and then using the electrification.
Current plans envisage Northern Powerhouse Rail will create an electrified route across the Pennines.
This report on the Transport for the North web site, is entitled At A Glance – Northern Powerhouse Rail.
It gives these times and frequencies for the various legs of the route.
- Liverpool and Manchester via Manchester Airport – 26 minutes – 6 tph
- Manchester and Leeds – 25 minutes – 6 tph
- Leeds and Newcastle – 58 minutes – 4 tph
- Newcastle and Edinburgh – 90 minutes
This totals to three hours and nineteen minutes.
Note.
- The Newcastle and Edinburgh time is that currently achievable today by Class 801 trains.
- Liverpool and Manchester city centres have a six tph high speed service via Manchester Airport.
- Manchester and Edinburgh will be under three hours.
- Leeds and Edinburgh will be under two-and-a-half hours.
- The Manchester and Manchester Airport leg could be shared with High Speed Two.
Most of this will be achievable with the current TransPennine Express Class 802 trains, which are capable of 140 mph.
In addition, I think that it is likely that the East Coast Main Line will be upgraded between York and Newcastle for High Speed Two.
Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh will unlikely be to High Speed Two standards, but it could match the standards of the East Coast Main Line.
Improvements To The East Coast Main Line Between Newcastle and Edinburgh
Consider
- There have been reports that the power supply on the route is not very robust and Class 800 and Class 802 trains have to use diesel power.
- The route is fairly straight and could probably be partially-upgraded for 140 mph running with appropriate signalling.
- The route carries about five tph in both directions. Modern digital signalling could probably double this frequency.
- The Scottish Government has suggested adding new stations at East Linton and Reston.
- Edinburgh and Newcastle are 124.5 miles apart and trains typically take ninety minutes.
In addition, High Speed Two might like to extend some or all of their three Newcastle services to Edinburgh.
- 1 tph – Birmingham Curzon Street and Newcastle via East Midlands Hub, York, Darlington and Durham
- 1 tph – London Euston and Newcastle via Old Oak Common and York
- 1 tph – London Euston and Newcastle via Old Oak Common, York and Darlington.
High Speed Two will run between London Euston and Newcastle in two hours and seventeen minutes.
I think it could be possible, that an upgraded Newcastle and Edinburgh route could be covered in seventy minutes by either one of High Speed Two’s Classic Compatible trains or a Class 80x train.
This could mean these timings.
- Under four hours for classic services between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
- Around three hours for classic services between Liverpool and Edinburgh.
- Under three-and-a-half hours for High Speed Two services between London Euston and Edinburgh.
This shows the importance of improving the East Coast Main Line to the North of Newcastle.
Improvements To The West Coast Main Line Between Carlisle and Glasgow/Edinburgh
If the frequency and speed of trains on the East Coast Main Line can be increased, what can be done on the West Coast Main Line?
Consider.
- High Speed Two are showing Carlisle and Glasgow Central as a one hour and nineteen minute journey. Avanti West Coast do the journey in one hour and eleven minutes.
- High Speed Two are showing Carlisle and Edinburgh as a one hour and eleven minute journey. Avanti West Coast do the journey in one hour and fifteen minutes.
- Could the route be fully upgraded for 140 mph running with appropriate signalling?
- In a typical hour, there are two Avanti West Coast trains and one TransPennine Express passing along all or part of the West Coast Main Line North of Carlisle.
- The route carries a total of about four tph in both directions. Modern digital signalling could probably increase this frequency.
- Hitachi and Avanti West Coast seem to be saying that their new Class 807 trains have similar performance to the Class 390 trains, but without using tilting technology.
There doesn’t appear to be the scope for such dramatic improvement in the West, as in the East, but I can still see a succession of 140 mph trains running between Carlisle and Glasgow or Edinburgh in no more than an hour and eleven minutes.
These passenger services could be running North of Carlisle, when High Speed Two is fully open.
- 2 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Edinburgh – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 2 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Edinburgh – Class 397 train
- 0.5 tph – TransPennine Express – Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central – Class 397 train
- 3 tpd – TransPennine Express – Liverpool and Glasgow Central – Class 397 train
Note.
- I am assuming that Avanti West Coast’s services will be replaced by the High Speed Two services.
- As the TransPennine Express services share a path, it would appear that six tph will be running between Carlisle and Edinburgh or Glasgow.
There would appear to be space for more trains on the West Coast Main Line, to the North of Carlisle.
A Few Random Thoughts
These are a few random thoughts and ideas.
Avanti West Coast And High Speed Two Classic-Compatible Trains
Avanti West Coast will have these fleets of high-speed trains.
- 11-car Class 390 electric trains, which are 265.3 metres long
- 9-car Class 390 electric trains, which are 217.5 metres long.
- 7-car Class 807 electric trains, which will be 182 metres long
- 5-car Class 805 bi-mode trains, which will be 130 metres long
- High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains, which will be 200 metres long
- Full-size High Speed Two trains, which will be 400 metres long.
It would appear that there could be some fleet simplification.
All Passenger Trains Between Newcastle Or Carlisle and Glasgow Central Or Edinburgh Should Be Capable Of Operating At 140 mph
Both the East and West Coast Main Lines between Carlisle and Newcastle in England and Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland are not far off being capable of running trains at 140 mph. Modern digital in-cab signalling and some track works will be needed.
Once 140 mph running is achieved, then all trains will need to be capable of making use of the speed, to maximise the capacity of the routes.
Freight Trains Between Newcastle Or Carlisle and Glasgow Central Or Edinburgh Should Be Capable Of Operating As Fast As Possible
Freight trains will need to be hauled by electric locomotives, at as high a speed as possible, to avoid slowing the express passenger trains.
More well-positioned freight loops may be needed.
Will TransPennine’s Manchester And Scotland Service Transfer To High Speed Two?
I think, that this is highly likely.
- The service would be run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- Depending on track layout, the Liverpool and Scotland service on the West Coast Main Line could be upgraded to the High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains or discontinued.
This would mean, that all passenger trains on the West Coast Main Line North of Lancaster would be High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
- 2 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Edinburgh – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 2 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Manchester Airport and Edinburgh – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 0.5 tph – High Speed Two – Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
- 3 tpd – High Speed Two – Liverpool and Glasgow Central – High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train
This must mean that if the operating speed on the West Coast Main Line were to be increased, all passenger services could take advantage, which would surely improve timings.
What About CrossCountry?
CrossCountry run a single hourly service between Plymouth and Edinburgh.
- The route goes via Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Newcastle.
- Some services are extended to Glasgow Central and Aberdeen.
Currently, this service is run by a diesel train, which surely will need to be replaced with a zero-carbon train.
Consider.
- Scotland is keen to electrify or allow electric trains to run between Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
- High Speed Two will provide an electrified route between Birmingham and York via East Midlands Hub for Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield and Leeds.
- The likes of Hitachi and Adrian Shooter of Vivarail are very bullish about battery electric trains.
- Great Western Railway, Hitachi and Network Rail have probably hired Baldrick for a cunning plan to run battery electric trains between Bristol and Penzance.
Could it be possible for Hitachi or another manufacturer to design a High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train, with a battery capability?
A train with this specification, could be ideal for the Plymouth and Edinburgh service.
It might also be useful for these CrossCountry services.
- Southampton and Newcastle
- Bournemouth and Manchester Piccadilly
- Exeter St. Davids/Bristol and Manchester Piccadilly
- Cardiff Central and Nottingham
- Birmingham and Nottingham
- Birmingham and Stansted Airport
Note.
- All could run on High Speed Two fpr part of the route.
- Birmingham and Nottingham has already been proposed for running using High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train, by Midlands Engine Rail, as I wrote about in Classic-Compatible High Speed Two Trains At East Midlands Hub Station.
- I proposed a Birmingham and Cambridge service using High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains in A Trip To Grantham Station – 4th November 2020.
High Speed Two could have a big positive effect on CrossCountry services.
Future Anglo-Scottish Services After High Speed Two Opens Fully
It is possible, that when High Speed Two fully opens, these services will run between England and Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central stations.
- 1 tp2h – CrossCountry – South-West England and Edinburgh Waverley via Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York and Newcastle.
- 1 tp2h – CrossCountry – South-West England and Glasgow Central via Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street, Derby, Chesterfield, Sheffield, Wakefield Westgate, Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh Waverley.
- 1 tph – LNER – London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley via York, Darlington, Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed
- 1 tph – LNER – London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley via Peterborough, Newark North Gate, Doncaster, York, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham and Newcastle
- 1 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Edinburgh Waverley via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Preston, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket
- 1 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Preston and Carlisle
- 1 tph – High Speed Two – London Euston and Glasgow Central via Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, Preston and Carlisle
- 1 tp2h – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith, Carlisle and Edinburgh Haymarket.
- 1 tp2h – High Speed Two – Birmingham Curzon Street and Glasgow Central via Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster, Oxenholme or Penrith, Carlisle, Lockerbie and Motherwell.
- 1 tph – TransPennine Express – Liverpool Lime Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Newton-le-Willows, Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth
- 1 tp2h – High Speed Two – Manchester Airport and Edinburgh Waverley via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Bolton, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
- 3 trains per day (tpd) – High Speed Two – Liverpool Lime Street and Glasgow Central via St. Helen’s Central, Wigan North Western, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
- 1 tp2h – High Speed Two – Manchester Airport and Glasgow Central via Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Oxford Road, Bolton, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle.
Note.
- I have assumed that the Liverpool/Manchester services to Scotland via the West Coast Main Line have transferred to High Speed Two.
- All trains would be run by High Speed Two Classic-Compatible trains.
The services can be roughly summarised as follows.
- Birmingham and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph (0.5 tph)
- Birmingham and Glasgow – 1.5 tph (1 tph)
- London and Edinburgh – 4 tph (2 tph)
- London and Glasgow – 2 tph (1.5 tph)
- Leeds and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph (1.5 tph)
- Leeds and Glasgow – 0.5 tph (0.5 tph)
- Liverpool and Edinburgh – 1 tph (1 tph)
- Liverpool and Glasgow – 3 tpd (3 tpd)
- Manchester and Edinburgh – 1.5 tph (1.5 tph)
- Manchester and Glasgow – 0.5 tph (0.5 tph)
- Manchester Airport and Edinburgh – 0.5 tph (0.5 tph)
- Manchester Airport and Glasgow – 0.5 tph (0.5 tph)
Note.
- My estimates for the number of trains in the future, are probably best described as minimum figures.
- The figures in brackets are the current frequencies.
- Currently, there are eleven express trains between England and Scotland and after High Speed Two is fully open there could be at least fifteen express trains.
I have a few final thoughts.
Capacity Between England And Scotland
Capacity of the current and future Anglo-Scottish trains is as follows.
- High Speed Two Classic-Compatible train – 500-600
- Eleven-car Class 390 train – 589
- Nine-car Class 800 train – 611
It appears that the all the longer trains have roughly the same capacity.
As there are now eleven Anglo-Scottish long trains and these will be increased to fifteen, that indicates an minimum 36 % increase in capacity.
Will High Speed Two And Northern Powerhouse Rail Share A Route Across The Pennines?
Northern Powerhouse Rail have talked about extending High Speed Two services from Manchester to Huddersfield, Leeds, Hull, York and Newcastle.
I wrote about this in Changes Signalled For HS2 Route In North.
I like this plan for the following reasons.
It gives more places like Huddersfield and Hull access to High Speed Two.
It increases frequencies across the North.
But most importantly, as infrastructure is shared, it saves a lot of money.
It also opens up possibilities for services.
- The Liverpool and Edinburgh service could be run on the High Speed Two route across the Pennines and up the East Coast Main Line.
- London and Manchester services could be extends to Leeds, York, Newcastle and Scotland.
If Northern Powerhouse Rail were to be cleared for High Speed Two’s Full-Size trains, it opens up the possibility of running them further North.
Conclusion
High Speed Two will increase Anglo-Scottish capacity by more than a third.
The Anonymous Widower 